Culture Club Album: “From Luxury to Heartache”

Flashback to 1986, Madonna was keeping her baby, Top Gun was bringing in the dough at the box office, and Boy George hit rock bottom because of his heroin problem. The heroin addiction was notorious in the summer of 1986 while this title was released in the spring. CC's career had already gone down from their 1983-1984 peak, but they were album to squeeze one major hit out of this album (MOVE AWAY). Producer Arif Mardin was a very different producer than Steve Levine, who produced the first three albums, and gave this album an r&b tint. You can hear hints of Prince and Chaka Khan on this album, but the music is also strong. GOD THANK YOU WOMAN is one of their most underrated singles, mainly because people couldn't picture George sing a song with that as the title (he recently stated the song was about his mother). REASONS is very Stevie Wonder-esque, TOO BAD could've been performed by The Time or Rick James easily in their heyday, and SEXUALITY was almost a tribute to Prince. The lyrics on this album are much darker than those on the earlier albums, but George's voice keeps it relative to his fanbase. Since it was deleted from Epic's inventory in the late 1980's, this album surfaced as an import in 1994, which gave a sigh of relief to George fans everywhere who needed this on cd. If you are just a casual Boy George/Culture Club fan, your best bet it AT WORST or COLOUR BY NUMBERS, but if you are a bigger fan, this title belongs in your collection.

Unfortunately, Culture Club did not feel the need to re-release this CD here in America when they re-mastered their previous 3 CD's earlier in the decade. It is not up to the high standards of the previous discs, (and particularly the brilliant Colour By Numbers), but it is a great album none the less. Boy George was beginning his dive at this time but was still in relatively high form. "Move Away" and "Heaven's Children" are highlights.

Culture Club's last all new cd from the 80's is a mix of rock,reggae, country & soul. Their last top ten US hit "Move Away" is included. As well, as the other 2 singles "God Thank You Woman" & "Gusto Blusto". The other standout tracks are "Work On Me Baby", "Sexuality" & "Come Clean". The baking vocals are very strong with Ruby Turner & Jocelyn Brown backing up Boy George. This cd also contains 3 bonus mixes. This albulm is alot more solid than the last "Waking Up With the House on Fire". My favorite track is "Come Clean", a country tinged ballad about getting rid of your demons.

THIS IS A VERY UNDER RATED ALBUM OF CULTURE CLUBS.

IT BEING THE FINAL ALBUM BEFORE THE BREAKUP OF

BOY AND JON MOSS, AS WELL AS THE BAND ITSELF.

IF YOU ARE A FAN OF "COLOUR BY NUMBERS"

THIS ALBUM ECHOES THE SOUND OF IT MORE

THAN ANY OF THEIR OTHER RECORDINGS.

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT WHEN GEORGE

SANG "MOVE AWAY" HE WAS MEANING IT IN

EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD.

GEORGE LOOKS GREAT ON THE COVER

WITH HIS RAVEN HAIRED 25YRS EARLY VERSION

OF POSH SPICES ICONIC COIF. GEORGE IS ALWAYS

AHEAD OF THE CURVE.

A LOOK HE REVISITS AGAIN FOR HIS HIT "CRYING

GAME". LOVE THE COVER ART!

THIS ALBUM IS VERY HARD, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE

TO FIND. IF YOU DON'T HAVE THIS ONE GRAB

IT NOW WHILE YOU STILL CAN. VERY COLLECTABLE!

This is a great album. No bones about that. Saying that though, all of Culture Club and Boy George's albums have been great (although I wasn't too keen on Kissing To Be Clever to be honest). It has some great tracks, like 'Heaven's Children', often slated as saccharine-sweet and dull, but one of the highlights of the album IMO, and 'Come Clean', a nice slow number. The album was made at a very rough time for George, and this shows. The songs are brilliant (and we know hardship writes music) and it was probably the best way they could have ended (even though they came back again). It does have a couple of weak tracks, like 'Sexuality', with it's cringey : 'Go back to the top!' bit. (actually, that's the only weak track I can think of!)In short, get this album. :-)