Essential Albums of the 80's: Culture Club's "Colour by Numbers"

Culture Club was one of the most iconic new wave bands of the 80's. Led by androgynous lead singer Boy George, the group spent a good portion of the decade at the top of the charts. After finding successes with such songs as "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" and "Time", off of their 1982 debut album, "Kissing to Be Clever", the band really made waves with their sophomore effort, 1983's "Colour by Numbers."

The combination of George's outlandish style and a great repertoire of irresistible tunes made for great success in the MTV era. Much of the band's music comprises island sounds combined with oftentimes nonsensical lyrics and the formula made for an interesting amalgamation of tunes that resonated with the 80's generation.

Producing such memorable 80's hits as "Church of the Poison Mind" and Karma Chameleon," "Colour by Numbers" was an international success and earned a spot as one of Rolling Stone Magazine's "100 Best Albums of the 80's." The album is full of great tunes that'll still get people up and moving. Here's a track by track look at Culture Club's "Colour by Numbers":

Karma Chameleon

Who could forget the irresistible "Karma, karma, karma, karma, karma chameleon" chorus that stormed the airwaves throughout the 80's? Relive the memory of this quirky, catchy, #1 song here.

It's a Miracle

This peppy song with a calypso beat was the 4^th and final single off of the album and reached #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart. Watch the fun video for "It's a Miracle" here.

Black Money

This melodic ballad is the first track off of the album to feature the powerful vocals of singer Helen Terry and is a tender, almost heartbreaking tune of loving someone who deals in "Black Money." Check out the sound here.

Changing Every Day

Almost every album contains songs known as 'filler', and this nightclubbish song of self-examination was one of the two songs on the album I regularly skipped. Take a listen to it here.

That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)

Though this one never caused much notice outside of hardcore Culture Club fans, it's one of my all time favorite slow songs. The ballad is tender and slow, with outstanding, gospel-infused background vocals by Helen Terry. I'm still not sure what the song is about exactly, but I still love it! Give "That's the Way" a listen here.

Church of the Poison Mind

This one was the first single off of the album and it climbed all the way to #10 on Billboard's Hot 100 Charts back in 1983. The uplifting percussions and harmonica give this song a Motown feel and is still among the band's most favored tunes. It's another one of those songs that's hard to figure out the meaning of, but it's always a fun listen. Check out the video here.

Miss Me Blind

This was the 3^rd single off of "Color by Numbers" and was another one of those up tempo hits that resonated with listeners, peaking at #5 in 1984. Watch the video for "Miss Me Blind" here.

Mister Man

This was another song infused with calypso-like background beats and very melodic. Take a listen here.

Stormkeeper

This down tempo song was the other 'filler' song I used to skip often, but after another listen, it's not so bad. Hear it here.

Victims

"Victims" is a heartfelt ballad reminiscent of an old torch song. It was released as a single in the UK, but not in the US ("Miss Me Blind" was set forth here in favor of this one.). The song only charted in 3 countries (the UK, Ireland, and Australia), but it is definitely among the favorites of Culture Club fans everywhere. Take a listen to the tender "Victims" here.

Culture Club's "Colour by Numbers" is an eclectic mix of upbeat crowd pleasers and tender, heartfelt ballads. Having spawned 5 international hit singles and selling more than 10 million copies worldwide, "Colour by Numbers" is definitely an essential 80's album.

Check out some other essential 80's album reviews:

Cyndi Lauper's "She's So Unusual"

"Madonna"

Sources:

Personal experience

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colour_by_Numbers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_Club_discography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victims_(song)

http://www.last.fm/music/Culture+Club/+wiki

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/c/culture+club/thats+the+way+im+only+trying+to+help+you_20317173.html

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/boy-george-considering-reuniting-culture-club-in-2011-20100323

http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Culture_Club/Discography/album/P4002/R4915/