Disco de Culture Club: “Waking Up with the House on Fire”

Back when it first came out in 84 I didn't think it was that great. Sure I liked the war song and all having grown up in Europe but listening to the rest of the album I wasn't that impressed, though Hello Goodbye was interesting. Flash forward to the present. Having just bought it on CD I listened to the whole thing again and before long I was singing and dancing to every song on the disk. Though not as mainstream as their second album, "Colour by numbers" it still brims with melody meaningful lyrics and rhythm. By the third album the band was very popular and the stress of fame was taking a toll on the band members especially the Boy. "Don't talk about it" describes how overwhelming everything is in fame and how one seeks out to find a true friend among the heards of fans. Songs like "the dive" "The metal song" and "Maniquin" tell of George's troubled relationship with drummer Jon. "The War song" was a crafted comercial success coming on the heels of Frankie Goes to Hollywood "Two Tribes" At any rate the whole album is about loving, being loved, fame and it's trappings and the overall struggle of life. Let me go out on a limb here and say that to get the true meanings of the songs you have to be gay or very intuitive. This is not to say that the album can not be fully enjoyed by the average fan. I have to say though that even though I regard Colours the best that CC produced after listening to Waking it comes in at a very close second. I still have to listen to their new release.

I bought this album when it first came out and was a little disapointed. But I was expecting asequel to Colour By Numbers. Its a far cry from that album,BUT it is amust have for any Culture Club fan.The songs dont seem to make much sense but they have a catchy tune to them. "Mistake #3" is probably the best track on the album. And "HelloGoodbye" is the most fun to listen to. Cant quite explain "The War Song" but it made a great video.All and all its a nice album to listen to and just relax. If you come across it I would buy it because this CD is hard to find.(rare) Enjoy!!

"Waking Up With the House on Fire" was released in the fall of 1984, and it flopped so badly that Boy George distanced himself from the album. Unlike the band's last two records, it didn't spawn any Top Ten hits, and it didn't even crack the Top 20. However disappointing the sales were, the loss is ultimately the public's, for this is an overall solid release. There's the catchy, if simplistic, "War Song" (George hated this song in particular), the smoothed-out ballad "Mistake No. 3" (which, coincidentally, was the group's third flop single), and "The War Song," which is classic Culture Club with its melange of pop and lightweight reggae. I'm guessing that this record underperformed because it was released too soon after the huge success of 1983's "Colour by Numbers." But, still, it's a good release that's worthy of a second chance--even if Boy George himself doesn't think so.

This is the third Culture Club album and considering what the band was going through at this time it's a very good album. I particularly like how Boy George started writing from his heart because of is dying relationship with drummer Jon Moss. "Mistake #3" is my favorite song on here. "The War Song", "The Medal Song", "The Dive" and "Don't Talk About It" are also great songs.I really wish they could have kept it going longer. They had lots of talent and they wrote great music together. Who Thought It Would End So Soon?

This CD has to be one of the most under-rated albums of all time. It's a shame this album came out when the world was getting tired of Boy George's persona. The music got lost in the backlash against the band. Every cut on this CD is excellent. No filler here. It's hard to pick the best cuts, but "The War Song", "Mistake No. 3", "The Dive", "The Medal Song", and "Hello Goodbye" certainly leap off the CD and grab you....the others are right behind them, though. Forget the makeup and other silliness and listen to the music. This CD is one of the best there is.