''Spell'' is the only album by former

Wham! Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981 consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to ...

and

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

Deon Estus Jeffery Deon Estus (July 4, 1956 – October 11, 2021) was an American musician and singer, best known as the bass player of Wham! and as the bassist on George Michael's first two solo projects. Estus' single " Heaven Help Me", with additional v ...

. The album contained the hit single "Heaven Help Me", which featured

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

by Michael, and reached number 5 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in 1989.

Track listing

# "Me or the Rumours" (The Jellybean mix) (

Kenny Young Kenny Young (born Shalom Giskan, April 14, 1941 – April 14, 2020) was an American songwriter, musician, producer and environmental campaigner who wrote and in some cases produced hit songs for The Drifters, Ronnie Dove, Herman's Hermits, Mar ...

) – 4:05 # "Spell" (Estus) – 4:38 # "Love Me Over" (Estus) – 4:08 # "You're the Only One for Me" (Kevin Calhoun, Matt Noble) – 4:11 # "False Start" (Estus) – 4:05 # " Heaven Help Me" (Estus,

) – 4:40 # "Blue Envelope" (Estus, Young) – 3:38 # "Love Can't Wait" (Estus) – 3:56 # "Solid Ground" (Estus,

Simon Climie Simon Climie (born 7 April 1957) is an English songwriter, musician and record producer. He is best known as the former lead singer of the UK duo Climie Fisher. Biography Climie was born in London. Beginning his career primarily as a songwr ...

) – 4:16 # "Me or the Rumours" (The George Michael mix) (Estus, Young) – 3:42

Personnel

* Deon Estus – vocals, backing vocals, keyboards (2, 5, 8), bass (5, 6, 8, 9), arrangements (9) * Richard Cottle – keyboards (1, 7, 10) * George McFarlane – keyboards (1, 5, 7, 8, 10), drum samples (5, 8) *

Nick Glennie-Smith Nickolas Glennie-Smith is an English film score composer, Conducting, conductor, and musician who is a frequent collaborator with Hans Zimmer, contributing to scores including ''The Rock (film), The Rock'' (nominated for the Academy Awards, Acad ...

– keyboards (2, 5, 8), strings (2) * Lyndon Connah – keyboards (3) * Matt Noble – keyboards (4), guitar (4), arrangements (4) * Danny Schogger – keyboards (6) * Ricky Peterson – keyboards (9), drums (9) * Jim Williams – guitar (1, 10) *

Hugh Burns Hugh Burns may refer to:- * Hugh Burns (footballer, born 1965), Scottish football defender for several clubs, including Rangers and Kilmarnock * Jock Burns (Hugh Burns, 1894–1963) Scottish football centre-half for several clubs, including Rochdal ...

– guitar (2, 6) * Kevin Calhoun – guitar (4), arrangements (4) *

Phil Palmer Philip John Palmer (born 9 September 1952) is a British rock sideman and session guitarist who has toured, recorded, and worked with numerous artists. He is best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Dire Straits. Biography Palmer grew up ...

– guitar (7) *

Levi Seacer, Jr. Levi Seacer Jr. (born April 30, 1961) is an American musician. He was an early associate of Sheila E. when he was tapped by Prince (musician), Prince to form a new touring band after the demise of The Revolution (band), The Revolution in 1986. ...

– guitar (9) * Andy Duncan – drum samples (1, 5–8, 10), percussion (1, 7, 10), drum programming (2), drums (3) * Jimmy Copley –

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock music, rock, popular music, pop, jazz, an ...

s (1, 7, 10) * Trevor Murrell – drum and hi-hat overdubs (2) *

David Z David Z may refer to: * David Z (producer) David Rivkin (born 1953), professionally known as David Z, is an American music producer, engineer, and songwriter from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is best known for his long-standing work with Prince an ...

– drums (4, 9), arrangements (4, 9) * Steve Sidwell – trumpet (2, 6) * Paul Spong – trumpet (2, 6) * Rick Taylor – trombone (2) *

– arrangements (9) * Colin Campsie – backing vocals (1, 7) *

– backing vocals (6) * Ginger Commodore – backing vocals (9) * Javetta Steele – backing vocals (9) * J.D. Steele – backing vocals (9) * Jearlyn Steele – backing vocals (9)

Production

* John "Jellybean" Benitez – producer (1) * Colin Campsie – producer (1, 5, 7, 8, 10) * George McFarlane – producer (1, 5, 7, 8, 10) * Deon Estus – producer (2) * Chris Porter – producer (2, 3) * David Z – producer (4, 9) * George Michael – producer (6) *

Stylorouge Stylorouge is a graphic design studio based in Yalding, Kent, formed in London by creative director Rob O'Connor in 1981. Art work created by the studio has included record sleeve designs for bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees for their 19 ...

– design * Mike Prior – photography Technical * Chris Porter – engineer (1, 3, 6, 7), mixing (5, 7, 8) * John "Jellybean" Benitez – remixing (1) * Chris Ludwinski – engineer (2) * Alan Meyerson – remixing (3) * David Z – engineer (4, 9), mixing (4, 9) * Bill Gill – engineer (5, 8) * Simon Sullivan – engineer (10) * George Michael – remixing (10) * John Palmer – assistant engineer (1, 6, 7), mix assistant (5, 7, 8) * Ron DaSilva – remix assistant (3) * Tommy Tucker Jr. – assistant engineer (4, 9) * Irene Kelly – assistant engineer (5, 8) * Kevin White – assistant engineer (10)

Charts

References

1989 debut albums PolyGram albums {{1980s-pop-album-stub