Customer Reviews

At Worst... The Best of

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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).

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.

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.

Most of the other reviews go into great detail, so I won't repeat.This is a great collection for the all-out fan, or just the passing Culture Club fan. This disc contains several CC singles & stand out Boy George tracks, such as "Bow Down Mister", "The Crying Game" & "Sweet Toxic Love" which is only available elsewhere as a UK single. Don't mind the hideous cover, buy it.

At Best, The songs from "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" to "Miss Me Blind", would bring back the memories of dancing and wearing the Culture Club paraphernalias, the Boy George/Jon Moss look-a-like at the concerts - to the buttons a person might wear on their jacket to prove that indeed Culture Club/Boy George were their favorite. Songs like, "Move Away" and "Don't Cry"(which is one of my favorites on this CD), just listening to his smooth tenor voice makes me say, "Yes! He still has it". "Everything I Own" puts no doubt in me mind that he has a smoothful voice that transform his style from pop music to the dancing beat of reggae. And last but not least the all time favorite "The Crying Game", listening to his beautiful, low and soft tenor voice, this song makes you feel as if he is singing to only you, the person with the brokern heart. At Worst, your friends, neighbors, children, dogs will get tired of hearing you play this fabulous CD OVER AND OVER and probably will run and hide when you play it. You just can't turn it off.

Yeah,That's fair...Every time Boy George opens his mouth,angels in God's own choir stop to listen.Who knew that a Gay,White,British man could sound so much like Smokey Robinson, and give you the same goosebumps you got when you listened to Roy Orbison? If You are looking for a simple,single-disc BEST-OF, this is the one to get. All the major hits are here,and the remastering showcases Boy's vocals in a way that vinyl never could.So if you were about to dust off those old LP's or cassettes,don't bother.Drop 'em off at the thrift store and buy this now!!!!

More than just a "flash in the pan", Culture Club was one of the 80's more memorable and influential groups. With albums and singles charting internationally, the English quartet (Boy George, Mikey Craig, Jon Moss and Roy Hay, ruled the airwaves during the middle years of the decade. The group's best, or worst as the tongue-in-cheek title suggests, as well as George's solo efforts, are found on this great compilation.

The only downside is the omission of two top-selling cuts: "Mistake No. 3" from "Waking Up with the House on Fire" and "Sexuality", found on "From Luxury to Heartache". The former is a beautiful ballad that charted high on Billboard's adult contemporary and hot R & B charts in 1985 and the latter was part of a popular dance remix in 1986.

This is a must have for those who like just the radio or movie soundtrack type peices. This is a good albun to listen too for familiarity. Like when you are doing a term paper for college or just want to sing along in the car or shower. However, tracks 13,14,15,17,18,and 19 will also give the listener an idea of what george does on his solo albums. Gives non hardcore fans a better musical view of george. Hardcore fans will appreciate this one as well.

'At Worst..." is a thoroughly decent retrospective of Culture Club and Boy George's careers, but there are a few missing songs.

Since every Culture Club fan has heard the songs, it is probably faster to mention which songs were missing from side one. "The War Song" was the one of maybe two songs which actually worked from the 'Waking Up with the House on Fire" LP, so it should have been included, along with "Mistake No. 3," a better ballad than "Victims," which should have been left off as too sappy and maudlin. 'From Luxury to Heartache' is also underrepresented, with only "Move Away" making the cut. Either "I Pray" or "God Thank You Woman" could have been included, and given a more generous selection of Culture Club's whole career. Another side note is: why does "Eyes of Medusa," the first ever single, get ignored on every retrospective/greatest hits album ever released by Culture Club?

Also missing are a few genuinely superb album tracks from the first two Culture Club LPs: "That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)" is the best song from 'Colour by Numbers,' but since it wasn't a hit, it wasn't included. "White Boy," from the first LP, was also great, but gets ignored.

From side two, the Boy George side, is a more balanced selection of his career. "The Crying Game," is, of course, haunting, and "Everything I Own" was a big hit. But where is "Everything Begins with an 'E'"? How about "Just Ain't Enough" from the debut, 'Sold'? 'Sold' is seriously underrepresented here; including "Just Ain't Enough," one of the Boy's top five solo tracks, would have gone a long way toward redressing the balance.

The album is redundant for a true Culture Club fan, but is a good place to start for the novice listener.

On one occasion an interviewer asked Culture Club frontman Boy George the secret of the band's success in the United States. His response? Americans know a good drag queen when they see one. And even now, some twenty years after the band broke into the charts, it is best remembered for the controversy its lead singer caused with his ultra-feminine make-up and oddly pastel-punk unisex attire. But strange to say, there is absolutely nothing controversial about the music the band produced: it is pop pure and simple, and not even the fastidious Karen Carpenter would have been given pause by either the arrangements or lyrical content. Everything the band did was smooth, glossy, slick, and extremely typical of the mainstream pop that dominated the charts during the 1980s.

This compilation offers a collection of both Culture Club's best known hits and a number of recordings Boy George released in the wake of the band's inevitable self-destruction. In both cases, the main attraction is Boy George's voice, which is remarkably soulful and playful and extremely appealing. At its best, and particularly when set against an arrangement that mixes slick pop with tropical flourishes, Boy George's voice shines like a diamond on velvet. Unfortunately, the material itself is very hit or miss. Such songs as "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" and "Time," and Boy George's covers of "Everything I Own" and "The Crying Game," are truly memorable pop gems--but while Boy George's voice is quite memorable, most of the songs themselves are not. And that is a pity, for the weakness of the material tends to undermine Boy George's obvious vocal gifts.

In the final analysis, this collection is most likely to appeal to listeners who liked Culture Club to begin with; others will likely find it completely inoffensive. I waver between giving this CD three or four stars--but I'll err on the side of generosity; the music is very well done for what it is. Trouble is, too often what it is isn't much...