Customer Reviews

Colour By Numbers

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was the cd that I was waiting for. After my cassette version disintegrated years ago, I decided to wait for a proper remastered version to become available before getting a replacement. The wait was very long but finally the wait was worth it.

The remastering quality is brilliant and the album has never sounded better. The extra tracks are good too and unlike in other albums do not detract from or otherwise demean the main album material.

Boy George's antics may sometime detract from Culture Club as musicians and make it difficult to take them seriously but Boy is this album a good one (pun intended). All the tracks are wonderful and showcase the band as the great singer/songwriter/musicians that they are.

Great tracks, great sound quality, what more could you ask for? Go get this already!

Put aside all those stories about Boy George and drummer Jon Moss and Boy George's drug collapse and just listen to this album. It is nearly perfect and is one of the best albums to come out of the 1980s. Considering that their smash debut album had three songs in a row with the word "Boy" in the title, Colour By Numbers is a surprisingly mature-sounding album. "Victims" (a single in the UK) is an interesting and beautiful ballad. The rest are amazing pop tracks. So many of these songs were released as singles ("Karma Chameleon," "It's A Miracle," "Church of the Poison Mind," "Miss Me Blind," "Victims," and even "Black Money" was considered for release off the "This Time" hits set) it can almost be considered a greatest hits package in and of itself. All it needs is "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," Culture Club's best song "Time (Clock of the Heart)" and maybe "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" and there you go. In fact, the weakest track here is probably the most famous one: "Karma Chameleon." In his autobiography, Boy George writes how guitarist Roy Hay hated this track and, due to a bet, married his girlfriend when the single reached #1. Things went downhill for the band after this album but Colour By Numbers made Culture Club one of the most important bands of the 1980s. P.S. The bonus tracks are also quality material. The title track is pleasant and Helen Terry really kicks some major fanny on "Man Shake."

In many respects, "Colour by Numbers," the second album from Culture Club, is a perfect record. It's a crowd-pleasing mix of soul, reggae, and pop that richly deserved its multiplatinum status. There's the Motown flavor of the delectable "Church of the Poison Mind," the reggae lilt of their signature hit "Karma Khameleon," and the disco twirl of "Miss Me Blind." Boy George may have assumed top billing as the group's lead singer, but backing vocalist Helen Terry made a pretty strong impression on the album as well. Her vocal contribution to the showstopper "That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)" makes this one of the best songs Culture Club has recorded and still stands as an underappreciated album cut. For all the media attention concerning George, his turbulent relationship with drummer Jon Moss, and the reports of heroin addiction, Culture Club were among the most vibrant groups of the 1980s. Isn't it time you started to add some "colour" to your music collection?

Though they had scored nicely with the preceeding
album, 1982's "Kissing To Be Clever" containing
"Do You Really Want To Hurt Me",
"Time (Clock Of The Heart)" and "I'll Tumble For Ya",
it was this album which will go down as their "Sgt. Pepper"
in terms of what they were about and capable of!
Every song on here is bangin'!
Along with CC doing their thing and Boy George handling the
lead vocals in his "Smokey Robinson meets Sylvester" way,
there was the excellent and soulful wailings of Helen Terry
throughout (why she never got offered a deal is beyond me!)
and the late Jermaine Stewart in the background!
As I said, all of this album is still the bomb,
but one in particular, "Victims", still melts my heart
to this day!

This is such a fantastic album. I don't think I'll ever not enjoy listening to this album. I think this is worthy of LANDMARK ALBUM status. It starts with "Karma Chameleon" and keeps gettimg better. "Black Money" has got to be one of their best recordings. The vocal duet between Helen Terry and Boy George leaves you with chills. Never have I known a white singer that can sing like Aretha Franklin. "Victims" is my favorite and everytime I listen to that song it gets better."Church Of The Poison Mind", "It's A Miracle" and "Miss Me Blind" were the bigger hits along with "Karma Chameleon". I also think that "Mister Man" is a fantastic song. It didn't get better than this unfortunately. They only had two more albums following this and they never came close to being as good as this one.

We can't get albums better than this. From the breakdance hit "It's A Miracle", to the flashy "Karma Chameleon", and jumping to the tamala- motown sound of "Church of the Poison Mind," we all can have a party on the street. We also can't forget the soul of the album, such as "Black Money", "Changing Everyday", and "That's the Way (I'm only trying to help you)." These are the soul songs , despite "This Time-- The First Four Years" in 1987, that are missing from the group's U.S. greatest hits albums . We can never get bored of the voices of George and Helen Terry together. Let's not forget other fun tunes like "Mister Man", "Stormkeeper", and "Miss Me Blind". And we'll never forget the dark, but wonderful ballad, "Victims." This beats Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Prince's "Purple Rain." These were popular at the time as well, but those albums don't come to the mark of "Colour by Numbers." Those albums take time to warm up to, while all the songs aren't that hot. "Colours" is so flashy you get right into the music, danceable pop or soul. That's another reason this album is the best of the 1980's, and possibly the best of all time. Not many groups make albums with pop and soul where every song should get a prize. The 1980's would have been nothing without Culture Club. That is why they were the greatest and still are. Music will never be as great as this.

Out of all of CC's amazing CDs in their catalog, and out of all the LP's from the 80s, THIS is the one that means the most to me and the one I return to again & again. It NEVER sounds tired, it NEVER sounds dated, it ALWAYS hits the spot. It takes me back to my early teen years circa 1982/83 and defined that era when MTV really came into its own to transform the pop-music landscape forever. How can anyone who loves quality pop music deny the brilliant songwriting chops and production of sterling songs like BLACK MONEY, THAT'S THE WAY, IT'S A MIRACLE, MISS ME BLIND, CHURCH OF THE POISON MIND, and of course, VICTIMS, I think CC's most beautiful, mature, and poignant ballad ever! And I haven't even mentioned HELEN TERRY, quite possibly the best back-singer ever? Terry's fierce vocal interplay between BOY on almost every cut is staggering. Bottom line, this is GREAT music that defies genres & could please toddlers to grandparents and everyone in between - maybe that explains why (even though it outstays its welcome) KARMA CHAMELEON is STILL the biggest UK single of all time? CC isn't about 80s tired nostalgia, COLOUR BY NUMBERS is timeless, tuneful pop that demands to be in your CD collection. Every home should have one.

When I first listened to this CD,I was so shocked by the pop sensitivity of the BOY GEORGE.The catchyness and the beautiful melody caught my ears.Since then I have been a CULTURE CLUB fan for more than ten years.Danceable beat and commercial hook is the key to this album.So many SOUL POP albums and musicians appeared during the 80s.But this band had the specific vision and ability to combine SOUL MUSIC and DANCE POP.BUY THIS CD, and back to the 80s ,durable melodies await for you.

I got this CD back in August 2002 and I absolutely love the CD. It's what I call my driving music. (...) Here we go, track by track.

1.Karma Chameleon - A country like type of song. It is very catchy and singable. Everybody knows the words to this song. Who doesn't? ''Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon....you come and go, you come and go.'' Love the harmonica. When Boy George does it at his concerts, he repeats the word ''karma'' 17 times at the end. Don't you think it's very, very repetitive? I'd say ''OK!! Enough!!''

2.It's A Miracle - A feel-good type of song. It was originally titled ''It's America.'' You clap your hands, stomp your feet, sing along. Always, like it says in the song ''Dreams are made of emotions!'' It's true.

3.Black Money - The soul song on the CD and very slow. It was about the band realizing the cost of fame to become very sucessful. George and Helen Terry are blasting away when you listen to this song.

4.Changing Every Day - Another slow jam that has very good sax solos. You always listen to this song on a very quiet morning.

5.That's the Way - The piano ballad with George and Helen Terry again singing a duet. It was about George's mom and George has some strong vocals.

6.Church of the Poisoned Mind - A tribute to Motown 60's soul. Aretha Franklin meets Stevie Wonder. There are some nice harmonica breaks during the song. It is a song about George's boyfriend, drummer Jon Moss.

7.Miss Me Blind - Wow!! Awesome song that will keep you rocking on your feet and will catch you singing along, though it gets repetitive after the awesome guitar solo by Roy Hay. Awesome! The trip to 70's disco!!

8.Mister Man - This is a trumpet song and very mid-tempo. George's smooth vocals have you dancing along to this song. It is not very fast.

9.Stormkeeper - The flute meets the sax. Awesome song. Hey, what is that noise at the end? It's the stormkeeper! Ha Ha!

10.Victims - The dark and drippy ballad almost like a storm. George sounds very vocallly and there are nice orchestra selections, including flute and violins. There's a piano in this, too.

This CD is the top CD in my personal collection. I put it on and away i go! The songs grip me, move me and make me want to sing along. Black money is my top favorite but hell all the tracks are outstanding! The Boy is at his best in this one! P.S. Although Amazon.com states its out of print, its available at Amazon.co.uk yes it will cost you a little more but the dollars are worth it for such a fine album.