Disco de Culture Club: “Don't Mind If I Do”

Why is this recording masterful? 1)The song material (lyrics, music and production) are spectacular. 2)This recording is more mainstream and mature and 3)The variety of this album is extremely pleasing.

I drove two hours into Chicago to buy this on the day it was released. I was in heaven on the drive home and this CD spun twice. I am so proud of Boy and the guys to release such a fantastically mature album that has so many highlights, it's almost like a mini-greatest hits effort. My favorite song is "Mirror". I just love the chord changes, backing vocals, tamborine line and lyrics. It's such a sassy song with a great message. My next favs are: "Your Kisses Are Charity", "Cold Shoulder", "See Thru" and the very solemn "Less Than Perfect". If I had to pick my least favorite track, it would be the remake of David Bowie's "Starman". It's an OK song, but the lyrics are not that of the Boy.

The only thing really wrong is that Virgin DID NOT RELEASE THIS IN THE USA and THEY MISERABLY PROMOTED IN THE UK. I hope that Culture Club's contract with Virgin is up and they shop around. Virgin lost tons of respect in my mind for not promoting this 80s powerhouse. Granted that times have changed, but the musical quality is better than ever. Two thumbs down to you Virgin...

Considering Culture Club hasn't been a going concern in the US for about 20 years, it is no surprise this album was never released here. Not to say that it is a bad album. In fact it is better than anyone had a right to think it would be. Several real standout tracks - I Just Wanna Be Loved, Confidence Trick, See Thru, Cold Shoulder, Less Than Perfect, Strange Voodoo, Your Kisses Are Charity. The other tracks are not immediate grabbers, but will either grow on you or will be left alone, depending upon your taste. The lyrics of Boy George are more concise and much sharper than they ever were. He is a true poet. His voice remains much the same, perhaps a little deeper with age, but more emotive. The band delivers in every way. Groovy when they need to be ( those wonderful reggae basslines are a welcome return ) moody when they need to be ( the closer "Less Than Perfect" is an incredibly emotional performance vocally and musically ). Sure, they've aged. But unlike many other bands who are simply cashing in on a reunion, Culture Club seems to have their heart in their music.

This is the album that Colour By Numbers hinted that Culture Club was capable of making. While that album is a sincere and fine album, Don't Mind If I Do achieves levels above new wave good style. Solid craftmanship and musianship are at the helm here, not formula. If anything here becomes a major hit in America it will be simply because it is an infectious piece of music. Not unlike most of Culture Club's singles, however, this is an entire album's worth of potential. Two pieces that are merely passable compared to the other thirteen are: 1) Bowie's Starman. The context here is to too soulful. Boy George's Cheapness & Beauty would have been more accurate. 2) Less Than Perfect, the album's closer. A sentimental song, but too closely related to Victims. Otherwise, I highly reccommend this incredible pop album from a group that finally proves that they're simply a great band. It gives Culture Club the proper credibility due that image and style in the past has diluted. And one other note: I hope that the Dolly Parton duet on Your Kisses Are Charity is included on the US issue of this. It is a prime showcase for her versatility rather than a commercial ploy to crossover. (Junior Vasques' remix of Peace Train and her latest album The Grass Is Blue are two other superb examples of this.) It is disappointingly not on the import version. She, Culture Club, and this song are splendid together.

It is a sad day in the US music scene when a great CD like this one has been over looked and only released over seas. Culture Club had huge success in the eightes with countless top ten hits and platinum sales all over the world including America.This CD could have marked their return into the US market had it been given a chance. The CD is filled with top notch songs with very little fillers.The majority of tunes, mostly reggae inspired ,could have been pulled as singles. That is how good this CD is so here is your chance to hear a band at the top of their craft.

I had to search high and low for this CD, and I was finally able to find it in Toronto--and even then there was only one copy of it. There must be some good reason as to why this CD was not released in the US, but I can't imagine why. Surely, Culture Club has a large enough fan base to justify its release here. In any case, I am extremely impressed with the songs in this collection. The music and lyrics are brilliant, and it is the Club's most mature and sincere effort to date. Songs like "Strange Voodoo" and "Cold Shoulder" make me lose myself. I hope they continue to make new music for us (their fans)--and I hope their record company comes to its senses and releases their work in the US.