At Worst... The Best of [Import]

Culture Club, Boy George | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 2, 1993)
• Original Release Date: 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000002U6C
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,884 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #52 in Music > R&B > Soul > Blue-Eyed Soul

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

At best, Boy George and his band Culture Club were a dizzy mix of camp, drag, dub, disco, reggae, and new wave. The androgynous George rhumba-ed his way through hits like "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" and crooned with white boy soul through their reggae classic "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" as well as the Delta-inspired "Karma Chameleon." At worst, the band had trouble finding direction and the proper vehicles for his smooth voice, producing clunkers like "Church of the Poison Mind." "Move Away" and "Miss Me Blind"--which actually took its chorus from a Japanese whiskey commercial--were Culture Club at their most brilliant. The band knew it wasn't making fine art and rose to the task of crafting flawless pop gems. George's later work didn't have the sense of fun and abandon as his stint with Culture Club, but his remake of "The Crying Game" again demonstrated those soulful pipes. Also worthy of note from his later career is the Krishna-inspired club hit "Bow Dow Mister." --Steve Gdula

Product Description

19 smash hits from the gender-bending Boy and crew. Also herein: Do You Really Want to Hurt Me; Karma Chameleon; Time (Clock of the Heart); Miss Me Blind; I'll Tumble 4 Ya; Church of the Poison Mind , and more. The '80s live!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Praise of Boy George and Culture Club, November 10, 2005

By 

Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: At Worst... The Best of (Audio CD)

Of the stalwart popsters heralding the second British invasion, Culture Club definitely opened eyes due to openly gay lead singer Boy George, formerly Bow Wow Wow's Lieutenant Lush, whose gender-bending makeup made him better looking feminine. CC's brand of music was infectiously fun dance pop and some great ballads mixed with some soul, enhanced by George's feminine vocals, small wonder that they won 1983's Best New Artist Grammy. But Boy George's heroin problems put a fast end to the group after their fourth album, From Luxury To Heartache. After getting cleaned up, Boy George went solo, still a hit in Britain, but in the US, alas no! Pity, because he came out with pretty great solo material.

Most of the singles are present, from CC's 3 weeks at #2 hit "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" from their debut Kissing To Be Clever. This ballad highlights George's soul-tinged vocals, as well as the backing section of soul singers and airy, lounging synths. My favourite CC ballad is the tearjerking non-charter "Victims," with its melancholy piano and backing crooners, as well as a midsection that briefly goes into a classic disco crescendo before settling back down.

The upbeat Caribbean-like "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" peaked at #9, demonstrating CC's dance pop skills. However, the non-LP "Time (Clock of the Heart)" which also peaked at #2, incorporated some classic disco synths with a funky bassbeat, telling that illusory theme how time won't give us time, making lovers feel like they got something real.

Guest artists that helped Culture Club include Jermaine Stewart, who was on their #5 dance hit "Miss Me Blind" before he sang about not having to take one's clothes off. Ironically, it was this song that has the lyric "kissing to be clever," and not their debut album. Helen Terry's wailing soulful vocals found their way not only here but on the #10 "Church of the Poison Mind," an infectious dance tune Wham! would've given their blow-dried hair for. Terry later helped George on his solo single "Generations of Love" also included here.

And it's no contest that Colour By Numbers was their best albums, as that yielded four Top Ten singles, including the three-week chart-topper "Karma Chameleon," of how love games make that love touch and go, like the chameleon that camouflages itself to become invisible. George performed this and I believe "Move Away" when he guest-starred on the A-Team episode "Cowboy George."

However, nothing from Waking Up With The House On Fire is present, meaning no "The War Song," one of my favourite CC singles. The sole representative from From Luxury To Heartache was the #12 "Move Away," CC's last Top 40 hit and one of my favourites, a slick number highlighted by a snappy drum machines and bass, but with some downbeat lyrics, made more so as Boy George's drug problems probably contributed to low sales of what was an underrated album.

Two quibbles. One are the spoken bits preceding "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" and "Sweet Toxic Love." The others are the exclusion of "The War Song," "Black Money," "Mistake No. 3," and the pro-gay rights anthem "No Clause 28," in response to an anti-gay legislation pushed by then British PM Maggie Torture.

Boy George hit #1 in the UK with his reggaefied cover of Bread's "Everything I Own." He branched out, going a bit mystical with the acoustic singalong of "Bow Down Mister," where he called for doing whatever your religion called for you do, with the same soulful CC choruses, with some hare Krishna refrains. Some sitar is present in the bittersweet two-sides-of-the-coin "Sweet Toxic Love," proving he never lost his touch-just his American audience. In it, he embraces yet feels agony over love, "give me some of that sweet toxic love...to lift me up, to drive me insane." Elsewhere, he assertively tells his lover-"I'm not your punch bag, I'm not your floor, you cant walk on me until you get bored." Pretty intelligent stuff.

His last big hit in the US was the #15 title song to The Crying Game, which ranks as one of the best emotionally-racking songs I've ever heard-"first there are kisses, then there are sighs, and then before you know where you are, you're saying goodbye." Per the song, I've asked myself-not the moon-why are there heartaches and tears.

Culture Club was way too progressive for many parts of the U.S., where a clear homophobic element was rife. The name though was just right. Consider their original incarnations-In Praise of Lemmings (bizarre) or Sex Gang Children, (small trouble marketing that).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The best greatest hits ever made!", June 11, 2001

By 

Joseph J. Brigante "Joseph Brigante" (Norwalk, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: At Worst... The Best of (Audio CD)

This is the best Boy George/Culture Club collection that was released, due to the fact it is most unique,as it seemed to be put together by Boy George himself. The first 10 songs are all from Culture Club, and the most special thing is that with the exception of the only American and Japanese single releases, all the songs are released in the order they were released in 1982 to 1986 in England. First it's "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?", and "Time". "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" is skipped to track 6, since it was not released in England. The third song is "Church of the Poison Mind", the first single released for "Colour by Numbers". Then comes "Karma Chameleon" The fifth song is "Victims", which was only released in England and after "Karma Chameleon". To be fair, the sixth song is "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" the US release from "Kissing to be Clever". The seventh song is "It's A Miracle" the last single released in England from "Colour By Numbers". Again to be fair, "Miss Me Blind" is the eighth song, only released as a single in America. The 9th song is there last hit in the world in the 1980's, "Move Away" from the Arif Mardin and Lew Hahn produced "From Luxury to Heartache", 1986. As a bonus, the last song is from 1984's "Electric Dreams", "Love is Love", a hit in Japanese. Then we are wondering, where is "The War Song"? Like noted before, this collection was influenced by George himself, and he was not that crazy about that song, so he doesn't include it. His solo efforts are also great on this album. "Sweet Toxic Love" is very hard to find and it is a classic. "After the Love", "Generations of Love", "Bow Down Mister", and "Love Hurts" are all included from the "Jesus Loves You" album "The Martyr Mantras". Nothing from the "Sold" album is included, except "Everything I Own", which is not the original album version. Yet, it is still a classic. There are also three other solo songs included. If I was you, I'd purchase it now. It only hit #93 after it was released in 1993. That's what makes it even better. It's a rare masterpiece. That's for reading and enjoy.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best of both worlds., October 29, 2003

By 

H3@+h "Over 1500 reviews!" (thanks for the helpful review votes) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At Worst... The Best of (Audio CD)

Since I once had the "Church Of The Poison Mind" 45, I guess that means I've been a fan for awhile. This is pretty much what it says it is, half "Culture Club", and half "Boy George". And though it's split between the two, it's all great. This really has every "Culture Club" track that's essential, like "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me", "Karma Chameleon", and "I'll Tumble 4 Ya", among other's. But what shocked me the most is how good "Boy George's" solo stuff was. Obviously not as 80's as the old songs, but very good. His better songs here are "Love Is Love", "Everything I Own", and the excellent "Crying Game". Another catchy track is "Bow Down Mister (a small portion 2B polite mix)". His voice is still in top form too. Overall this is a really fun collection, and will go great with your "Cyndi Lauper" and "George Michael" cd's.