Colour by Numbers [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster] (CD - 1983)

Additional personnel: Helen Terry (vocals); Pat Seymour (flute); Steve Grainger (saxophone); Terry Bailey (trumpet); Julian Lindsay (acoustic piano); Phil Pickett (keyboards); Graham Bond (percussion); Jermaine Stewart (background vocals).

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Personnel: Helen Terry, Boy George (vocals); Roy Hay (guitar, sitar, keyboards); Ron Hay (guitar, keyboards); Patrick Seymour, Pat Seymour (flute); Judd Lander (harmonica); Steve Grainger (saxophone); Terry Bailey (trumpet); Kenneth McGregor (trombone); Julian Lindsay (piano); Phil Pickett (keyboards); John Moss, Jon Moss (drums, percussion); Graham Broad (percussion); Jermaine Stewart (background vocals).

Recording information: CBS Studios; Red Bus Studios.

Photographer: Jamie J. Morgan.

Despite naysayers who assumed Culture Club were a nine-day wonder, their second album, 1983's COLOUR BY NUMBERS, not only outsold their debut in both Britain and the US, it's a far better album. KISSING TO BE CLEVER was a canny blend of pop and soul, but its occasional cryptic archness kept it at something of an emotional distance. From the gospelly piano ballad opener "That's the Way"--which like several tracks here features sterling backing vocals from Helen Terry--to the moving and dramatic "Victims," that's not a problem here. Even the enormous hits "Karma Chameleon" and "Church of the Poison Mind"--possibly Culture Club's best-ever single--have a soulful ease and swing missing from the debut, although they perhaps lack the emotional heft of the abovementioned songs.

As with KISSING TO BE CLEVER, American fans should know that this CD features the original British mix and track sequence.

By the time that Colour by Numbers (1983) hit store shelves in the fall of 1983, Culture Club had become one of the hottest pop acts in both America as well as their native England. The momentum that began on the debut long-player, Kissing to Be Clever (1982), continued to crest on this effort with a quartet of sides that charted within the Top 15. Their collective success verged on mania and was in large part due to central figure "Boy" George O' Dowd (vocals) , who not only fronted the combo's primary instrumentalists Jon Moss (percussion), Roy Hay (guitar/keyboard/sitar), and Michael Craig (bass), but also provided a healthy contribution to the content. Culture Club's music was matched only by the equally vivid visual styles, which seemed to be in a perpetual state of metamorphosis. The tunes remained as accessible as ever with a perceivable shift into a more blue-eyed soulful sound. The rambunctious "Church of the Poisoned Mind" and the interminably catchy "It's a Miracle" were both pulled as singles and feature the strong vocal presence of Helen Terry, who was concurrently working with Phil Collins on his equally successful solo efforts. The pair blend well together, especially on Terry's gritty inflections during the former number. Although criminally overlooked, George's affective balladry shines on "Black Money" and the pseudo torch song "That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)." "Miss Me Blind" made a significant showing on the singes chart, and the 12" mix, which coupled the tune in a medley with "It's a Miracle," became a gargantuan hit in dance clubs and discos worldwide. The original LP concludes with the emotive and ironically foreshadowing "Victims." While the track was successful throughout Europe and Asia, it was not even released in America. [The remastered and expanded edition of Colour by Numbers is augmented with five notable B-sides such as the title composition "Colour by Numbers," which was oddly not included on the LP but rather as the flip of "Miss Me Blind." "Romance Revisited," "Man-Shake," "Melting Pot," and "Mystery Boy" are the other bonus tracks.] ~ Lindsay Planer minimize