2003 remastered reissue of 1983 album features 15 tracks including 5 bonus tracks, 'Man- Shake', 'Mystery Boy (Suntori Hot Whiskey Song)', 'Melting Pot', 'Colour By Numbers', & 'Romance Revisited', as well as the hi... more »t single 'Karma Chameleon'. Virgin.« less
2003 remastered reissue of 1983 album features 15 tracks including 5 bonus tracks, 'Man- Shake', 'Mystery Boy (Suntori Hot Whiskey Song)', 'Melting Pot', 'Colour By Numbers', & 'Romance Revisited', as well as the hit single 'Karma Chameleon'. Virgin.
Lux V. (LuxValentino) from AURORA, CO Reviewed on 6/20/2006...
All the classics in a truly old-school CD.
CD Reviews
"The victims we know so well"
mwreview | Northern California, USA | 02/06/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Put aside all those stories about Boy George and drummer Jon Moss and Boy George's drug collapse and just listen to this album. It is nearly perfect and is one of the best albums to come out of the 1980s. Considering that their smash debut album had three songs in a row with the word "Boy" in the title, Colour By Numbers is a surprisingly mature-sounding album. "Victims" (a single in the UK) is an interesting and beautiful ballad. The rest are amazing pop tracks. So many of these songs were released as singles ("Karma Chameleon," "It's A Miracle," "Church of the Poison Mind," "Miss Me Blind," "Victims," and even "Black Money" was considered for release off the "This Time" hits set) it can almost be considered a greatest hits package in and of itself. All it needs is "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," Culture Club's best song "Time (Clock of the Heart)" and maybe "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" and there you go. In fact, the weakest track here is probably the most famous one: "Karma Chameleon." In his autobiography, Boy George writes how guitarist Roy Hay hated this track and, due to a bet, married his girlfriend when the single reached #1. Things went downhill for the band after this album but Colour By Numbers made Culture Club one of the most important bands of the 1980s. P.S. The bonus tracks are also quality material. The title track is pleasant and Helen Terry really kicks some major fanny on "Man Shake.""
Their Best Album Ever! Great Remastered Sound plus Extra Tr
Frederick Baptist | Singapore | 09/24/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This was the cd that I was waiting for. After my cassette version disintegrated years ago, I decided to wait for a proper remastered version to become available before getting a replacement. The wait was very long but finally the wait was worth it.
The remastering quality is brilliant and the album has never sounded better. The extra tracks are good too and unlike in other albums do not detract from or otherwise demean the main album material.
Boy George's antics may sometime detract from Culture Club as musicians and make it difficult to take them seriously but Boy is this album a good one (pun intended). All the tracks are wonderful and showcase the band as the great singer/songwriter/musicians that they are.
Great tracks, great sound quality, what more could you ask for? Go get this already!"
The Definitive Culture Club Album!!
MUZIK4THAPEOPLE!! | Orlando, FL | 01/04/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Though they had scored nicely with the preceeding
album, 1982's "Kissing To Be Clever" containing
"Do You Really Want To Hurt Me",
"Time (Clock Of The Heart)" and "I'll Tumble For Ya",
it was this album which will go down as their "Sgt. Pepper"
in terms of what they were about and capable of!
Every song on here is bangin'!
Along with CC doing their thing and Boy George handling the
lead vocals in his "Smokey Robinson meets Sylvester" way,
there was the excellent and soulful wailings of Helen Terry
throughout (why she never got offered a deal is beyond me!)
and the late Jermaine Stewart in the background!
As I said, all of this album is still the bomb,
but one in particular, "Victims", still melts my heart
to this day!"
A perfect pop album - the BEST album of the 80s?! BRILLIANT
G. Mitchell | Los Angeles, CA United States | 07/16/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Out of all of CC's amazing CDs in their catalog, and out of all the LP's from the 80s, THIS is the one that means the most to me and the one I return to again & again. It NEVER sounds tired, it NEVER sounds dated, it ALWAYS hits the spot. It takes me back to my early teen years circa 1982/83 and defined that era when MTV really came into its own to transform the pop-music landscape forever. How can anyone who loves quality pop music deny the brilliant songwriting chops and production of sterling songs like BLACK MONEY, THAT'S THE WAY, IT'S A MIRACLE, MISS ME BLIND, CHURCH OF THE POISON MIND, and of course, VICTIMS, I think CC's most beautiful, mature, and poignant ballad ever! And I haven't even mentioned HELEN TERRY, quite possibly the best back-singer ever? Terry's fierce vocal interplay between BOY on almost every cut is staggering. Bottom line, this is GREAT music that defies genres & could please toddlers to grandparents and everyone in between - maybe that explains why (even though it outstays its welcome) KARMA CHAMELEON is STILL the biggest UK single of all time? CC isn't about 80s tired nostalgia, COLOUR BY NUMBERS is timeless, tuneful pop that demands to be in your CD collection. Every home should have one."