Culture Club Greatest Hits

Culture Club arose from the changing musical atmosphere of the early ‘80s after Boy George’s brief stint in Bow Wow Wow and subsequent flirtations and eventual absorption by an ever-increasing flamboyant musical climate (not to be confused with the ‘70s GlamRock era). The band eventually signed with Virgin Records after a rejection by a larger label and quickly reeled off a millions-selling single with “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me.” Boy George’s honey-voiced soul endeared many to his brand of pop music that went on to yield more big selling, top-charting singles found within Top 20 albums that included 1982’s Kissing to be Clever and 1983’s Colour By Numbers. But by 1984’s Waking Up With the House on Fire, the band was starting to feel the pinch as personal problems began to plague Culture Club. By 1986, the aptly titled From Luxury to Heartache left the band with little else. Eventually, Culture Club reformed in 1998, producing a new album, Don’t Mind If I Do and doing knockdown business on the concert circuit. Regardless of the outcome of the band, Culture Club pushed great singles and other songs through the machine and they are all chronicled on this ‘best of’ collection.

This collection fits songs from all 5 Culture Club albums within its capacity. Culture Clubs first two albums yielded, between them, “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me,” “Time (Clock of the Heart),” I’ll Tumble For Ya,” “White Boy (Dance Mix),” “Church of The Poison Mind,” “Karma Chameleon,” “Miss Me Blind,” “Victims,” “Black Money,” and “It’s a Miracle.” Whew!! All of that output is from the first two albums and is heartily represented here. The remaining 7 songs come from the last three albums with, as I’ve said before, one from Boy George. Of course, the more memorable ones extend from the first two albums but the other tunes here show that, problems aside, Boy George and Culture Club could still create enduring songs with Boy George’s great voice.

“Mistake No. 3” is a great ballad that could easily have fared much better had it been on one of the first two albums. “The War Song,” an anti-war tune clothed in dance beats, which, somehow doesn’t make good bed partners and loses flavour as a result, is also included. All of the songs represent another time and era with some of them, namely “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me” falling into timeless stature and deservedly so.

I really like this collection, as its tracking sequence is more immediately familiar unlike 1987’s This Time (which misses some of the later music found on this reviewed disc) as well as 1993’s more accessible At Worst…The Best of Boy George & Culture Club which mixes solo work with the ‘best of the best’ band efforts. For now, this is the best collection available that provides all of the hits from Culture Club and which represents all of their collective efforts.