Customer Reviews

Waking Up With the House on Fire

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have never been able to rank my Culture Club c.d.s consistently, for my mood often defines my favorite of the day. I can say, however, that this is one of the ones I replay most often. With the exception of Mistake No. Three, the musical tempo on this album is excitingly upbeat. Having grown up in America, the only song I was familiar with before I bought the c.d. earlier this year was The War Song. I soon fell in love with The Dive, The Medal Song, Don't Talk About It, Mannequin and Hello Goodbye as well, not only for their fantastic beats, but for the autobiographical and emotional clarity with which they depict George's tumultuous affair withthe drummer John Moss, the conflicting feelings within their closeted relationship and the stresses of fame that were, by this time, tearing him apart. On a lighter note, Dangerous Man, The War Song and Unfortunate Thing always make me tap my feet and snap my fingers. The whole c.d. is a delight to sing along with and, despite some of its more serious lyrics, it always manages to pick up my spirits. In short, I think it's a must-buy for any faithful Culture Club fan, as well as a good choice for those seeking greater familiarity with the group for the first time. There's something in it for everyone.

Back when it first came out in 84 I didn't think it was that great. Sure I liked the war song and all having grown up in Europe but listening to the rest of the album I wasn't that impressed, though Hello Goodbye was interesting. Flash forward to the present. Having just bought it on CD I listened to the whole thing again and before long I was singing and dancing to every song on the disk. Though not as mainstream as their second album, "Colour by numbers" it still brims with melody meaningful lyrics and rhythm. By the third album the band was very popular and the stress of fame was taking a toll on the band members especially the Boy. "Don't talk about it" describes how overwhelming everything is in fame and how one seeks out to find a true friend among the heards of fans. Songs like "the dive" "The metal song" and "Maniquin" tell of George's troubled relationship with drummer Jon. "The War song" was a crafted comercial success coming on the heels of Frankie Goes to Hollywood "Two Tribes" At any rate the whole album is about loving, being loved, fame and it's trappings and the overall struggle of life. Let me go out on a limb here and say that to get the true meanings of the songs you have to be gay or very intuitive. This is not to say that the album can not be fully enjoyed by the average fan. I have to say though that even though I regard Colours the best that CC produced after listening to Waking it comes in at a very close second. I still have to listen to their new release.

Culture Club's third album, like all the other reviewers have noted, was very underrated when first released. This is a shame as it has some great music on it, particularly for Culture Club fans. Best tracks are "The Dive", "Unfortunate Thing", "Mannequin" and "Mistake No. 3". Both "The Medal Song" and "The War Song" are quite silly but they're still a lot of fun in the context of the album. Despite the atrocious cover artwork and the obviously rushed lyrics, this is still a great place to rediscover all that was great about the 80's. Also recommended is CC's new release "Don't Mind If I Do".

I bought this album when it first came out and was a little disapointed. But I was expecting asequel to Colour By Numbers. Its a far cry from that album,BUT it is amust have for any Culture Club fan.The songs dont seem to make much sense but they have a catchy tune to them. "Mistake #3" is probably the best track on the album. And "HelloGoodbye" is the most fun to listen to. Cant quite explain "The War Song" but it made a great video.All and all its a nice album to listen to and just relax. If you come across it I would buy it because this CD is hard to find.(rare) Enjoy!!

This third album by Culture Club was a big disaster for the band in terms of songwriting, and--although these are not always good indications of an album's worth though they are in this case--sales and billboard chart rankings. It was a big disappointing follow-up to the brilliant Colour By Numbers. Even Boy George in his autobiography Take It Like a Man admits it is "the most disjointed album we ever made" (pg. 249). The only real hit off the album was "The War Song" which I think many found to be more humorous than good and was promoted by a big production music video. "War, war is stupid and people are stupid"? It probably received more airplay than it deserved for those patronizing lyrics! "The Medal Song" was the second single about the 1940s actress Frances Farmer who was accused of being a Communist, shut away by her mother and given a lobotomy. Boy George wrote it after watching the film Frances (pg. 255). It is a very disjointed track to the point of annoying. "Mistake No. 3" (the third single) is a nice ballad but unremarkable. Next to "Victims," it really falls flat. The rest of the album goes every which way in terms of styles, some even sounding like show tunes (i.e. "Crime Time"). My favorite is "The Dive," which is rather catchy. Still, it is a far cry from Colour By Numbers which had 5 very recognizable singles and was 80s pop at its best from start to finish. If you must have this album, definitely get the re-mastered 2003 version which includes a number of excellent extra tracks.

"Waking Up With the House on Fire" was released in the fall of 1984, and it flopped so badly that Boy George distanced himself from the album. Unlike the band's last two records, it didn't spawn any Top Ten hits, and it didn't even crack the Top 20. However disappointing the sales were, the loss is ultimately the public's, for this is an overall solid release. There's the catchy, if simplistic, "War Song" (George hated this song in particular), the smoothed-out ballad "Mistake No. 3" (which, coincidentally, was the group's third flop single), and "The War Song," which is classic Culture Club with its melange of pop and lightweight reggae. I'm guessing that this record underperformed because it was released too soon after the huge success of 1983's "Colour by Numbers." But, still, it's a good release that's worthy of a second chance--even if Boy George himself doesn't think so.

This is my personal FAVORITE Culture Club album. TOTALLY under-rated and under-appreciated!! In 1984, at age 15, I saw Culture Club in concert for the first time at Meadowlands/Continental Arena in East Rutherford, NJ at the release-time of this album. It was the WAKING UP WITH THE HOUSE ON FIRE TOUR and Culture Club made their biggest U.S. tour, playing the huge arenas. BIGGER THAN LIFE for a 15 year-old growing up in the '80's!! The tour's opening song was track #6 on this album - "The Dive." Boy George made his stage entrance emerging from a pit of smoke singing "The Dive" and wearing his most elaborate attire of flowing black robes, pink & red scarves around his face and a silver be-jeweled pillbox hat over his flame-red hair. Again - BIGGER THAN LIFE!! The '80's ROCKED!! A few other fantastic songs from this album include the singles "Mistake No.3" and "The War Song" (emotionally-appropriate lyrics for these trying times!!)Awesome!! Peace.

This is the third Culture Club album and considering what the band was going through at this time it's a very good album. I particularly like how Boy George started writing from his heart because of is dying relationship with drummer Jon Moss. "Mistake #3" is my favorite song on here. "The War Song", "The Medal Song", "The Dive" and "Don't Talk About It" are also great songs.I really wish they could have kept it going longer. They had lots of talent and they wrote great music together. Who Thought It Would End So Soon?

.... I think it's safe to say this album deserved a better reception than it got. Here in the States, CC's media saturation was near total, following the multi-platinuum success of "Colour By Numbers." George was popping up at all manner of functions in his (then) characteristic attire, just as rumors of his sexuality and love life popped up in many conversations. No one can say if it was George or CC itself that became too familiar with their American audience. Had the band simply ceased to be trendy with it's young listeners, or was it George's outrageous personality that made people shy away?

I tend to think that both reasons had an impact on this album's poor sales. Who could resist Pop music like this, alternately dance-inducing and thoughtful? Some of the musical "experimentation" ("Crime Time," "Mannequin") amounts to genre-hopping, and this move away from CC's tinkertoy Tribal rhythm arrangements produces a few cutesy moments. But for the most part, this album is faithful to the concept of CC as a band with multi-ethnic inpirations.

The three singles released stateside ("The War Song," "Mistake #3," and "The Medal Song") are easily the best cuts, though there are plenty of bright moments. "The Dive" starts with a Rock rhythm section, then turns to a driving polyrhythm for the dynamic chorus. "Hello Goodbye" is a catchy raveup, and an excellent album closer.

The only faults I find in this album are typical of artists/bands who are still learning their various talents: the occasional lapse in stylistic judgement, and lyrics that form vague impressions instead of telling listeners something. If you're a diehard fan of CC or Mr O'Dowd, I don't think either fault I've given is likely to bother you. For those who are "kinda" fans, consider what you like about CC before buying this album. If your appreciation goes deeper than CC's string of hits, you may well enjoy this album, as I do.

And for those who still wonder why this warm and clever album remains under-appreciated, here's a "controversial" quote from "The War Song" that applies: "People are stupid....And love means nothing in some strange quarters." . ....

This CD has to be one of the most under-rated albums of all time. It's a shame this album came out when the world was getting tired of Boy George's persona. The music got lost in the backlash against the band. Every cut on this CD is excellent. No filler here. It's hard to pick the best cuts, but "The War Song", "Mistake No. 3", "The Dive", "The Medal Song", and "Hello Goodbye" certainly leap off the CD and grab you....the others are right behind them, though. Forget the makeup and other silliness and listen to the music. This CD is one of the best there is.