Episode 92: Wham! – Make it Big (1984) Part 1

It's now October, which means September Sans Sarah is over! But it's not just Sarah joining Brian for the next album discussion-- a new special guest is a part of the conversation. Jackie Clary brings her knowledge and passion regarding all things Wham! and George Michael, as well as her extensive research skills from her years working at MTV, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and as a music and TV archivist, to an in-depth look at the album which, as its title indicates, helped the group Wham! "make it big" 35 years ago this month.

 

Part 1 - Jackie Clary intro and Album History

Since Jackie is a new guest to the show, and she's had such an interesting music-related career, Brian and Sarah ask Jackie to share a little about herself and her experiences working at MTV. Jackie is happy to oblige and tells some great stories about the projects she worked on and the people she interacted with.

 

Then it's time to start talking about Wham!, the making of Make it Big, the release history, the worldwide chart success it enjoyed, and its place among 80s music overall. Jackie Clary provides helpful contextual information about which other albums were out at the same time and which albums preceded and succeeded Make it Big in the charts. Sarah and Brian have fun sharing reviews of the albums both from back in the day and from more recent articles, and they enjoy Jackie's reactions to those reviews. They also talk about the various album covers released in the US and UK, and Sarah poses a perhaps far-fetched theory about the US album cover.

 Part 2 - Personal History

While it's probably no surprise to regular listeners that Sarah doesn't have an extensive personal history related to this album-- sadly, that has been the case for many albums-- it may be a bit of a surprise to hear what Brian has to say about his personal history for Make it Big. Thankfully, Jackie Clary helps to pick up the slack in this category, and she shares how she felt about this album back when she was first introduced to it, and how it has been an important part of her life for the past 35 years.

Because of the lively and lengthy conversations the three hosts have about the band's history, the album's history, and various other topics, this episode wraps up right before the song discussion starts.

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