Something happened in the 1980s that, in some ways, revitalised the pop scene. Naturally, it all depends on your view but an immense ‘bubble-gum’ machine churned out endless screeds of nonsensical cud, much of which would seldom rise above the ‘one-hit-wonder’ status for its thoroughly forgettable performers.

Yet, one pop duo managed the trick from June 1982. Wham!, two likely lads, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, from Bushey, Hertfordshire, waggled their teenage bottoms, donned shorts and collectible T-shirts (as well as dabbling in pseudo-rock, leather biker gear) and warbled their overdubbed ways into the Top Ten charts. However, despite the devil-may-care and frequently hedonistic stance, their cheery and typical 80s’ sound percolated to the top and insisted that every young girl (and some young lads) from 12 to 20 years would possess a bedroom wall liberally bestickered in Wham! memorabilia. Wham! was the darling of the Smash Hits front cover chase.

While Wham Rap!, epitomised by an exclamation mark, was their first hit, it was also seminal in being one of the first UK singles to incorporate rap. BBC TV’s Top Of The Pops gave them a much-needed break for their second chart success and, joined by backing dance duo, Dee C Lee and Shirley Holliman (Pepsi Demacque would replace Dee C Lee a year later), they became an overnight sensation singing Young Guns (Go For It!). The rolled-up denims and espadrilles also kick-started another fashion trend.

‘The Final’ probably is the last ditch effort to revive what turned out to be not such a bad pop sound of the period and tracks such as Bad Boys, Club Tropicana, Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, I’m Your Man, Freedom and Edge of Heaven underscore their combined talents. However, it was abundantly clear that Ridgeley was happy to spend his royalties on motor racing (at not a very high level, being involved in lots of ‘incidents’) and his pop lifestyle, while George Michael grew as a highly skilled songwriter and performer.

This apparent split in their talents (Wham! ’divorced’ in early-1986) is never more obvious than when listening to the sheer brilliance of Careless Whisper and the gorgeousness of A Different Corner. George was on his way to a more stellar solo career, of that there was no mistake. Therefore, if you want to relive the days of your youth, dust off the Katherine Hamnett ‘Choose Life’ and ‘Go Go’ T-shirts, unravel the rolled-up glam posters and insert ‘The Final’ CD into your player. Packed full of anything but forgettable pop memories, there are a couple of alternative mixes (Last Christmas - Pudding Mix, Everything She Wants and Battlestations) to enliven the pop cocktail, which proves to be thoroughly enjoyable.