Culture Club Album: “VH1 Storytellers/Greatest Moments”

Boy George's voice is in top form with a slighty smokey quality and a wiser more mature delivery that is reminisent of Sinatra's exceptional post-Ava Gardner recordings of the '60s. The live disc of new recordings of classic Culture Club songs and three new tracks show a singer/songwriter who is more acutely in touch with the emotions that once overwhelmed him. Bitter love songs of betrayal and disappointment that were originally recorded in the 80s with a dominant dance beat and a strangely unimpassioned phrasing and delivery, are here rerecorded with George's vocals for once soaring over the music and at last, his heart finally in it. The new single, "Voodoo" showcases the band's smooth mix of R&B and jazz and has a freer flow, musically, than many of the earlier signature reggae- influenced pop tunes, showing Culture Club's clear desire to reassert itself as something more than a novelty revival act.

The second disc is a straight greatest hits CD, although the outside packaging is very unclear.

The studio disc is great but the Live one was very weak&boring.the vocals were off.but the studio one sounded great.Time(clock of the Heart) is still the cut.Do you really want to hurt me has a classic Bass Line.miss me blind&just wanna be loved are Great songs.some Great songs that have endured.

To have Culture Club come together like this again is spectacular!! I have waited for so long. And to hear George explain the songs is wonderful. Hearing these songs again is like hearing them for the first time. Even though they are the same songs, they have a different twist to them. I have been a fan since I was 16, Im 31 now. During those teenage years those songs helped me get through some very rough times. I cant thank George enough for the happiness he has brought to me. I dont quite understand why the U.S.hasnt been more accepting to him over the last few years. I have all his solo efforts and recent material. People are missing out on some fab music. But some people just dont know a talented person when they hear it. Thanks George!!! Jeff

Like any person who grew up in the 80s watching Mtv, I was well aware of Culture Club. Boy George's open transvestitism shocked plenty in those days, but even that couldn't overshadow the popularity of their hits: Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, Church of the Poison Mind, Karma Chameleon, etc. Still, while I didn't dislike Culture Club, I never really got into them either. All of that changed when I caught their "StoryTellers" performance on Vh-1.

The live recording is amazing. The band is incredibly tight, the sound is deep, and each of the individual instruments sound great and are mixed very well. It sounds pristine on my stereo. Yet make no mistake: Culture Club is a band, not merely Boy George surrounded by some back-up group. Granted they were never one of those "musician's musicians" bands like Rush, Yes, or Joe Satriani, but I think other musicians would be surprised with what Culture Club has to offer. Nevermind the fact that the songs in and of themselves are great -- these guys play incredibly well too.

Speaking as a bass player myself, I've got to say that Mikey Craig has to be one of the most underrated players out there. His lines are complex yet nicely weave into every song he plays. In fact, I'd say that his bass playing alone was my main drive for buying this CD set! "Miss Me Blind", with its locked-in rhythm section, was the one that first particularly caught my ear. Also, as one would guess from the format of VH-1's "StoryTellers" show, the live disc has the band answering some questions and sharing personal anecdotes about some of the songs.

Of course, if you want to hear the hits in their original studio format, they're here too. The studio disc doesn't match the live set list song for song, but in and of itself it serves as a nice "Best of" compilation. I can think of maybe one song from the radio and Mtv that desn't appear on either disc, but overall I can't complain. Whether you're a casual fan looking to buy one compilation, a die-hard fan wanting to hear the reunion, or a musician looking for some unexpected pleasures, I think there's a little something on this release for everybody.

George, Jon, Mikey, Roy, and Zee are in fine form.