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The Final
Greatest hits album by Wham!
Released	7 July 1986
Recorded	1982 – March 1986
Length	80:24 (double LP and cassette version) 71:07 (CD version)
Label	Epic
Producer	George Michael Andrew Ridgeley Steve Brown
Wham! chronology
Music from the Edge of Heaven (1986) The Final (1986) The Best of Wham!: If You Were There... (1997)
Singles from The Final
"Last Christmas" Released: 3 December 1984 "I'm Your Man" Released: 11 November 1985 "A Different Corner" Released: 24 March 1986 "The Edge of Heaven" Released: 9 June 1986 "Where Did Your Heart Go?" Released: October 1986

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic

The Final is a greatest hits album released in 1986 to summarise the career of English pop duo Wham!. The album was not initially released in North America, where the album Music from the Edge of Heaven was released instead. Six songs from that album appear on this compilation. The compilation album coincided with the farewell concert of the same name on 28 June 1986, at Wembley Stadium.

The CD edition omits "Blue (Armed with Love)" and the extended mixes of "Bad Boys", "Careless Whisper" and "I'm Your Man". A deluxe edition of the album was released on CD/DVD and download in November 2011, with the DVD featuring all of Wham!'s music videos, including the video for "Young Guns (Go for It!)", "Last Christmas", and a remix version of the video for "Everything She Wants". It follows the track listing of the CD, with the exception of "Battlestations", as it was a B-side and not an official single.

Background

When George Michael guested on the Aspel & Company talk show on 1 March 1986, he announced that Wham! were to split and perform one last concert, entitled the Final. He also announced that he planned to record the last Wham! single with Andrew Ridgeley the following week in Los Angeles. In fact, as he revealed to journalist Paula Yates on The Tube, he was planning to record four tracks, two of which—"Where Did Your Heart Go?" and "The Edge of Heaven"—had been previously played on the Whamamerica! tour, with the other two being new tracks he was experimenting with. This was prior to the filming of the video for Michael's then-forthcoming solo single, "A Different Corner". Michael was planning to release three of the tracks as part of a Wham! EP, but was not sure which one of the songs was going to be the main single at that point. All of these would appear on The Final. As of 12 March 1986, the album and single had been completed and ready for release under the Wham! name.

Track listing

All songs written by George Michael, except where noted.

Double LP/Cassette

Side one

1. "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" (Special US Re-Mix) (Michael, Andrew Ridgeley) – 6:43
2. "Young Guns (Go for It!)" (12" version) – 5:09
3. "Bad Boys" (12" version) – 4:52
4. "Club Tropicana" (Michael, Ridgeley) – 4:25

Side two

5. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" – 3:51
6. "Careless Whisper" (12" version) (Michael, Ridgeley) – 6:30
7. "Freedom" (7" version) – 5:20
8. "Last Christmas" (Pudding mix) – 6:47

Side three

9. "Everything She Wants" (long remix) – 6:34
10. "I'm Your Man" (Extended Stimulation) – 6:50
11. "Blue (Armed with Love)" – 3:50

Side four

12. "A Different Corner" – 3:59
13. "Battlestations" – 5:27
14. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" (David Was, Don Was) – 5:45
15. "The Edge of Heaven" – 4:37

CD

1. "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" (special US re-mix) (Michael, Ridgeley) – 6:43 from Fantastic
2. "Young Guns (Go for It!)" (12" version) – 5:09 from Fantastic
3. "Bad Boys" – 3:20 from Fantastic
4. "Club Tropicana" (Michael, Ridgeley) – 4:25 from Fantastic
5. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" – 3:51 from Make It Big
6. "Careless Whisper" (7" version) (Michael, Ridgeley) – 5:02 from Make It Big
7. "Freedom" (7" version) – 5:20 from Make It Big
8. "Last Christmas" (Pudding mix) – 6:47 from Music from the Edge of Heaven
9. "Everything She Wants" (remix) – 6:30 from Make It Big
10. "I'm Your Man" – 4:04 from Music from the Edge of Heaven
11. "A Different Corner" – 3:59 from Music from the Edge of Heaven
12. "Battlestations" – 5:27 from Music from the Edge of Heaven
13. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" (Dave Was & Don Was) – 5:45 from Music from the Edge of Heaven
14. "The Edge of Heaven" – 4:37 from Music from the Edge of Heaven

DVD

VHS

Charts

Certifications and sales

References

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10. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Wham! – The Final" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
13. "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. 25 October 1986. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
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15. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Wham! – The Final" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
17. "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 10 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Wham!".
18. "Charts.nz – Wham! – The Final". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
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20. "Swedishcharts.com – Wham! – The Final". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
21. "Swisscharts.com – Wham! – The Final". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
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23. "Official Album Chart: Top 100 Official UK Albums". Official Charts Company. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
24. "Austriancharts.at – Jahreshitparade 1986" (ASP) (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
25. "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1986" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 April 2014.
26. "Les Albums (CD) de 1986 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
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28. "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1989" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 April 2014.
29. Barker, Glenn A. (15 November 1986). "Majors (Australia Spotlight)". Billboard. p. A-10. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
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31. "French album certifications – Wham – The Final" (in French). InfoDisc. Select WHAM and click OK. 
32. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Wham; 'The Final')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
33. "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1988". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
34. "Japanese album certifications – ワム! – ザ・ファイナル" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1992年12月 on the drop-down menu
35. "Dutch album certifications – Wham – The Final" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 14 October 2018. Enter The Final in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1986 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
36. "New Zealand album certifications – Wham! – The Final". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
37. "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1979–1990". Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano.
38. "British album certifications – Wham – The Final". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 February 2012.

• Wham! compilation albums
• 1986 greatest hits albums
• Epic Records compilation albums