Colour by Numbers
Encyclopedia
Colour by Numbers is the second album by New Wave
band Culture Club
, released in 1983.
" and the worldwide hit "Karma Chameleon
" which had sales of over one million in the United Kingdom alone. Colour by Numbers showcased the vocal talents of Helen Terry
alongside Boy George
, and chartwise improved upon the successful formula of Culture Club's début album Kissing to Be Clever
.
In 1989, Colour by Numbers was ranked #96 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s. The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
.
The album has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and, like its predecessor, contained several hit singles. Released worldwide "Church of the Poison Mind" went Top 10 in UK, USA, Canada, Australia and many European countries. "Karma Chameleon", however, was the signature track from the album and charted #1 almost everywhere. "Victims
" was released in Europe and Oceania and was a hit in several countries, including top five hit in the UK and Australia. "Miss Me Blind
" was released in North America, South America, Japan, and Australia to great success (Top 5 in US and Canada), and "It's A Miracle" was issued next almost everywhere, becoming a Top 10 or Top 20 hit in several markets. "Mister Man" was released as a single in South Africa.
The album went gold, platinum, or multi-platinum in many countries. It went 4x platinum in the United States at its time of release (more than 4 million copies sold) and peaked at #2 (behind Michael Jackson
's Thriller
). In Canada, Culture Club was the first group to have a diamond album in that country (10x platinum or one million copies sold).
In an interview in 1998, the four members of Culture Club agreed that "Colour By Numbers" was their best work. It was remastered in 2002 and 2003, for the Culture Club box set and for a re-release of the album. In 2005, the album was also released in Japan in a cardboard sleeve, similar to the original vinyl artwork, featuring also the remastered tracks and five bonus songs like the 2003 version.
Side One
Side Two
2003 CD Bonus tracks
"Time (Clock Of The Heart)" was included in Japanese vinyl pressings.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band Culture Club
Culture Club
Culture Club are a British rock band who were part of the 1980s New Romantic movement. The original band consisted of Boy George , Mikey Craig , Roy Hay and Jon Moss...
, released in 1983.
Overview
The album features several international hits such as "Church of the Poison MindChurch of the Poison Mind
"Church of the Poison Mind" is a 1983 hit single for Culture Club. It was the first single to be released from their second album Colour by Numbers....
" and the worldwide hit "Karma Chameleon
Karma Chameleon
"Karma Chameleon" is a song by British New Wave band Culture Club, featured on the group's 1983 album Colour by Numbers. The song spent three weeks at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1984, becoming the group's biggest hit and only US #1 among their many top ten hits...
" which had sales of over one million in the United Kingdom alone. Colour by Numbers showcased the vocal talents of Helen Terry
Helen Terry
Helen Terry is a British singer, known for her backing vocal work with Culture Club. As a solo performer, she scored a Top 40 hit single in 1984 with "Love Lies Lost", and released one album in 1986, Blue Notes....
alongside Boy George
Boy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
, and chartwise improved upon the successful formula of Culture Club's début album Kissing to Be Clever
Kissing to Be Clever
Kissing to Be Clever is the debut album by new wave soul band Culture Club, released in 1982.-Overview:The album was anchored by the international hit "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me". The album's first two singles were "White Boy" , and "I'm Afraid of Me"...
.
In 1989, Colour by Numbers was ranked #96 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s. The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
.
The album has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and, like its predecessor, contained several hit singles. Released worldwide "Church of the Poison Mind" went Top 10 in UK, USA, Canada, Australia and many European countries. "Karma Chameleon", however, was the signature track from the album and charted #1 almost everywhere. "Victims
Victims (song)
"Victims" is a single from UK band Culture Club's album Colour by Numbers, released in 1983. As with most early Culture Club singles, the song is about Boy George's then publicly unknown relationship with drummer Jon Moss....
" was released in Europe and Oceania and was a hit in several countries, including top five hit in the UK and Australia. "Miss Me Blind
Miss Me Blind
"Miss Me Blind" is a song by the 1980s pop band Culture Club. The song was released on the band's second album, Colour by Numbers, and it peaked at #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in April 1984....
" was released in North America, South America, Japan, and Australia to great success (Top 5 in US and Canada), and "It's A Miracle" was issued next almost everywhere, becoming a Top 10 or Top 20 hit in several markets. "Mister Man" was released as a single in South Africa.
The album went gold, platinum, or multi-platinum in many countries. It went 4x platinum in the United States at its time of release (more than 4 million copies sold) and peaked at #2 (behind Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's Thriller
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
). In Canada, Culture Club was the first group to have a diamond album in that country (10x platinum or one million copies sold).
In an interview in 1998, the four members of Culture Club agreed that "Colour By Numbers" was their best work. It was remastered in 2002 and 2003, for the Culture Club box set and for a re-release of the album. In 2005, the album was also released in Japan in a cardboard sleeve, similar to the original vinyl artwork, featuring also the remastered tracks and five bonus songs like the 2003 version.
Reception
Reviews for Colour by Numbers have been generally positive. Allmusic's Jose Promis rated the album four-and-a-half out of five stars. He noted: "The songs were infectious, the videos were all over MTV, and the band was a media magnet." He explained that it was "flamboyant, fun, sexy, soulful, colorful, androgynous, and carefree" like other 1980s music. He concluded by calling it "the artistic and commercial pinnacle of a band that still attracted new fans years later." Robert Christgau rated it a B+, explaining that "[Boy] George's warm, well-meaning, slightly clumsy croon signifies most effectively when it has the least to say – when it's most purely a medium for his warm, well-meaning, slightly clumsy self." He also stated that "his real aim in life is to reenact the story of the ugly duckling – and to radiate the kind of extreme tolerance that's so often engendered by extreme sexual ambiguity." Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone rated it four out of five stars. He explained that it "secures lead singer Boy George's place as a blue-eyed soul balladeer in the first rank." He also stated that it "has gobs of emotion plastered as thickly as Boy George's makeup, and ten tunes that stick." Although he stated that it "is by no means a weighty album", he concluded by saying: "Whether you like the band or not, Culture Club is one pop group that matters." Scott Shetler of Slant Magazine also rated it four out of five stars, noting that "Culture Club hit their stride, and the influence of its 10 colorful songs can still be felt today." He explained that "its greatness can be measured by the fact that its album tracks are just as good as its singles." Although he stated that "simply describing [it] as a "catchy pop record" would be a mistake", he concluded by saying: "[I]n the end, Colour By Numbers is an album that needs no tinkering."Track listing
All tracks composed by Culture ClubSide One
- "Karma ChameleonKarma Chameleon"Karma Chameleon" is a song by British New Wave band Culture Club, featured on the group's 1983 album Colour by Numbers. The song spent three weeks at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1984, becoming the group's biggest hit and only US #1 among their many top ten hits...
" – 4:12 - "It's a Miracle" – 3:25
- "Black Money" – 5:19
- "Changing Every Day" – 3:17
- "That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)" – 2:45
Side Two
- "Church of the Poison MindChurch of the Poison Mind"Church of the Poison Mind" is a 1983 hit single for Culture Club. It was the first single to be released from their second album Colour by Numbers....
" – 3:30 - "Miss Me BlindMiss Me Blind"Miss Me Blind" is a song by the 1980s pop band Culture Club. The song was released on the band's second album, Colour by Numbers, and it peaked at #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in April 1984....
" – 4:30 - "Mister Man" – 3:36
- "Stormkeeper" – 2:46
- "VictimsVictims (song)"Victims" is a single from UK band Culture Club's album Colour by Numbers, released in 1983. As with most early Culture Club singles, the song is about Boy George's then publicly unknown relationship with drummer Jon Moss....
" – 4:55
2003 CD Bonus tracks
- "Man-Shake" – 2:34
- "Mystery Boy" (Suntori Hot Whiskey Song) – 3:33
- "Melting Pot" – 4:31
- "Colour by Numbers" – 3:57
- "Romance Revisited" – 5:00
"Time (Clock Of The Heart)" was included in Japanese vinyl pressings.
Personnel
- Boy GeorgeBoy GeorgeBoy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
– vocals - Mikey CraigMikey CraigMikey Craig is a former DJ who became the bassist with Culture Club, one of the most popular bands of the 1980s.-Personal life:...
– bass guitar - Roy Hay – guitar, piano, keyboards, sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, electric sitarElectric sitarAn electric sitar is a kind of electric guitar designed to mimic the sound of the traditional Indian instrument, the sitar. Depending on the manufacturer and model, these instruments bear varying degrees of resemblance to the traditional sitar... - Julian Stewart LindsayJulian Stewart LindsayJulian Stewart Lindsay is a musical composer, currently residing in the United Kingdom. He was trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Lindsay has worked with artists such as Culture Club, Stevie Wonder, and The Beach Boys...
– piano - Jon MossJon MossJon Moss is an English drummer best known as a member of the 1980s pop group Culture Club. He has also played with other bands, including London, The Nips and The Damned.-Early life:...
– percussion, drums
Additional musicians
- Judd Lander – harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
- Phil Pickett – keyboards, background vocals
- Steve Grainger – saxophone
- Patrick Seymour – flute
- Helen TerryHelen TerryHelen Terry is a British singer, known for her backing vocal work with Culture Club. As a solo performer, she scored a Top 40 hit single in 1984 with "Love Lies Lost", and released one album in 1986, Blue Notes....
– backing vocals - Graham BroadGraham BroadGraham Broad is an English drummer who has been playing professionally since the age of fifteen, after attending the Royal College of Music in 1970....
– percussion - Trevor Bastow – string arrangements
- Jermaine StewartJermaine StewartWilliam Jermaine Stewart was an American R&B singer best known for his Billboard hits "The Word Is Out" and "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" .-Early life and career:Born in Columbus, Ohio, to parents Ethel M...
– backing vocals - Terry Bailey – trumpet
Production
- Steve Levine – Producer, digital mixing
- Simon Humphrey – Engineer
- Gordon Milne – Engineer
- Tim Young – Mastering
- Jon Moss – Digital mixing
- Mike Ross – String engineer
Album
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
2 |
| U.S. Top R&B Albums | 7 |
| Australian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Japan Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... Albums Chart |
1 |
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 1 |
Singles
| Chart (1983/1984) | Single | Position |
|---|---|---|
| "Church of the Poison Mind" | UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| "Church of the Poison Mind" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 10 |
| "Karma Chameleon" | UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| "Karma Chameleon" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| "Karma Chameleon" | U.S. R&B Chart | 67 |
| "Karma Chameleon" | U.S. Adult Contemporary | 3 |
| "Victims" | UK Singles Chart | 3 |
| "It's a Miracle" | UK Singles Chart | 4 |
| "It's a Miracle" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 13 |
| "It's a Miracle" | U.S. Adult Contemporary | 8 |
| "Miss Me Blind" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
Release details
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
| 1983 | Virgin Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny... |
CD | 91391-2 | |
| LP | 39170 | |||
| 1990 | CD | V2-86180 | ||
| 2003 | CD | 92408 |
External links
- Album online on Radio3Net a radio channel of Romanian Radio Broadcasting CompanyRomanian Radio Broadcasting CompanyThe Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company , informally referred to as Radio Romania , is the public radio broadcaster in Romania. It operates four national radio channels, and, under the Radio România Regional umbrella, eleven regional radio stations. The four national radio channels are: Radio...