h, this album found Michael trying to create a new image for himself as a serious-minded artist, while still generating sales. The title is a clear indication of his desire to be taken more seriously as a song-writer. The album was released in 1990 but was not nearly as successful as his debut solo album, selling around 7 million copies compared to 14 million for Faith. However, it did outsell Faith in the musician's UK homeland, and produced several notable hits, including "Cowboys and Angels", "Freedom '90", "Praying for Time", "Waiting for That Day", and "Heal the Pain". "Praying for Time" reached number 1 on the U.S. Billboard charts.
Michael refused to appear in many of the music videos that accompanied the singles released from this album. As a result, the little-seen video for "Praying for Time" simply consists of the song lyrics against a dark, ambient background, while the video for "Freedom '90" featured several famous "supermodels" lip-synching to the track instead of the absent Michael. It featured the literal destruction (by fire and explosions) of several icons from the artist's Faith period and was directed by David Fincher, an acclaimed promo director. Fincher would later go on to become a high-profile and critically acclaimed mainstream "Hollywood" film director.
The expected following album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 2, was scrapped for reasons unknown, although it could quite possibly be due to Michael's subsequent legal battles with Sony Music. Three of the tracks intended for the album appear on the charity album Red Hot + Dance, while a fourth (Crazyman Dance) turned up on the B-side of the single Too Funky.
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