The David Bowie album George Michael called one of his "favourite albums of all time"

22 January 2024, 15:16

The world lost two music icons in 2016.

In what was the annus horribilis for celebrity deaths, at opposite ends of the year, both David Bowie and George Michael sadly died.

Their passing in the same year wasn't the only thing the former Wham! popster and The Thin White Duke shared, as the artists shared a mutual respect for one another's industry.

They in fact shared the stage on several occasions too, despite never actually performing together.

Both George and David were amongst the swathe of stars paying tribute to the late Freddie Mercury at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, similarly with Live Aid in 1985, and Bowie introduced George for his 1993 Concert Of Hope benefit show for AIDS relief.

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Though neither one would admit to being the best of friends with one another, George said he and the Dame got on "very well, the times I've met him."

Surprisingly enough, George would also reveal that several of Bowie's albums influenced his own work.

Reflecting on the shapeshifting artist years later, George went so far as to say that David Bowie's 1975 album Station To Station was one of his "favourite albums of all time".

"One of my favourite albums of all time is Station To Station," George revealed. "I'm so much more drawn to things that have more R&B in them."

"I love Bowie. I love every period in the seventies. But of course, the period in the middle, before it got electronic, was more Philadelphia soul-based."

"The musicians he got together for that album, uhh my god," George gushed. "Dennis Davis, one of the most amazing drummers."

"My two favourite drummers of all time - well, three drummers would have to be Dennis Davis, John Bonham, and Tony Thomson."

George Michael Talks about David Bowie

It wasn't the only occasion where George gushed about his love of Bowie's music and his artistry, talking to journalist Steve Pafford again in 2007.

"That period when he was working with Dennis Davis on drums, and he was using black backing vocalists and whatever, those tracks are the ones that really stick with me in the way that other people listen to Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane."

"I love all those but the bit that really kind of sits with the way I am are of soul experiment things, which are brilliant, I think. And really soulful."

Throughout the interview, George doesn't dig too deep into his Bowie influence, ensuring that it was just the plastic soul period he connected to.

Golden Years (2016 Remaster)

"But I think the influence is just… I always knew, absolutely, I was never gonna be Bowie. Know what I mean?"

"I thought I would be the equivalent of Elton [John] without a piano, in that people would never attach sexuality to what I was gonna be doing. So it didn’t occur to me."

"I just thought Bowie was this otherworldly god and I just knew it was absolutely genius music. But I never thought of him as influencing me, I always knew he was over there."

"But of course, he wasn’t really because the bits that really applied to me did influence me: 'Golden Years' and what was the other big one? 'Fame', things like that."

Queen & George Michael - Somebody to Love (Rehearsal 1992) [HD]

The affection wasn't only a one-way street however, as people know from the rehearsal videos gearing up towards the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium in 1992.

As meticulous as he ever was, George wanted to ensure his tribute to Freddie was perfect, so he spent days rehearsing 'Somebody To Love'.

Bowie - who would also perform 'Under Pressure' at the concert - stands to one side smoking a cigarette as George steps up to sing with Queen's own Brian May and Roger Taylor.

Nodding his head in time with the beat, Bowie was clearly impressed by George's panache and dedication to a pitch-perfect rehearsal of a notoriously difficult song to sing.

Smiling appreciatively and mouthing the lyrics as Seal stood beside him, Bowie looked visibly moved after the performance came to an end.