Colour by Numbers explained

Colour by Numbers
Type:Album
Artist:Culture Club
Cover:CultureClubColourByNumbersAlbumcover.jpg
Released:10 October 1983
Recorded:1983
Studio:Red Bus Studios and CBS Studios, London[1]
Length:38:14
57:50 (2003 remaster)
Label:Virgin (UK)
Epic (US)
Producer:Steve Levine
Prev Title:Kissing to Be Clever
Prev Year:1982
Next Title:Waking Up with the House on Fire
Next Year:1984

Colour by Numbers is the second album by the British new wave group Culture Club, released in October 1983. Preceded by the hit single "Karma Chameleon", which reached number one in several countries, the album reached number one in the UK and has sold 10 million copies. It has been certified triple platinum in the UK and quadruple platinum in the US. It was ranked number 96 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Best Albums of the 1980s.

Overview

Colour by Numbers has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide,[2] and like its predecessor, Kissing to Be Clever, contains several hit singles. In the United States, all the album tracks peaked at number three on the US Dance Club Songs chart.[3] "Karma Chameleon" was the signature track from the album and when released as single reached number one in many countries. "Church of the Poison Mind" reached number two in the UK, and went top 10 in the US, Canada, Australia and many European countries. "Miss Me Blind" was released in North America, South America, Japan, and Australia to great success (top five in the US and Canada), "It's A Miracle" became a top 10 or top 20 hit in several markets. "Victims" was released in Europe and Oceania, it was also a top five hit in the UK and Australia, but was not released as a single in the US. "Mister Man" was also released as a single in South Africa.

The album was certified triple Platinum in the UK, Diamond in Canada, and 4× Platinum in the United States where it peaked at number two for six consecutive weeks behind Michael Jackson's Thriller. 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, also featuring the remastered tracks and five bonus songs that were on the 2003 version. In 2014 Boy George curated a live performance of Colour by Numbers in Manchester[4] in collaboration with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Songs were performed by Boy George and guest artists Jimmy Somerville, Eve Gallagher, John Grant, Zee Asha, Hollie Cooke and the Melodico Ensemble.

Writing and recording

Recording the album, Culture Club used the same producer, Steve Levine, and the same studio (Red Bus, London) as on their debut album but this time worked with several session musicians, most notably keyboardist Phil Pickett, who also co-wrote two songs, and backing vocalist Helen Terry. The songs took influence from earlier pop history, the melody of "It's a Miracle" was inspired by a Gilbert O'Sullivan song and "Church of the Poison Mind" by Stevie Wonder's "Uptight".

Reception

Reviews for Colour by Numbers have been generally positive. Smash Hits reviewer Peter Martin called it "simply one of the most enjoyable records I've ever heard." Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone said that the album "secures lead singer Boy George's place as a blue-eyed soul balladeer in the first rank." Holden found that it "is by no means a weighty album", but nonetheless "has gobs of emotion plastered as thickly as Boy George's makeup, and ten tunes that stick", and concluded: "Whether you like the band or not, Culture Club is one pop group that matters." Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote that "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", and 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." Colour by Numbers was ranked at number seven among the "Albums of the Year" for 1983 by NME.[5]

In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Jose F. Promis wrote: "The songs were infectious, the videos were all over MTV, and the band was a media magnet." He deemed the album "flamboyant, fun, sexy, soulful, colorful, androgynous, and carefree" like other 1980s music, and concluded by calling it "the artistic and commercial pinnacle of a band that still attracted new fans years later." Scott Shetler of Slant Magazine stated that "Culture Club hit their stride, and the influence of its 10 colorful songs can still be felt today." He said that "its greatness can be measured by the fact that its album tracks are just as good as its singles", and that "in the end, Colour by Numbers is an album that needs no tinkering." In 1989, Colour by Numbers was ranked at number 96 on Rolling Stones list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s.[6] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[7]

Track listing

"Time (Clock of the Heart)" was included in Japanese vinyl pressings.[8]

Personnel

Culture Club
Additional musicians

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1983–1984)Position
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart[10] 1
Austrian Albums Chart[11] 17
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[12] 1
Dutch Mega Albums Chart[13] 3
Finnish Albums Chart[14] 11
French SNEP Albums Chart[15] 4
Japanese Oricon LPs Chart[16] 1
New Zealand Albums Chart[17] 1
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[18] 2
Spanish Albums Chart[19] --accessdate=2011-01-26--> 2
Swedish Albums Chart[20] 3
Swiss Albums Chart[21] 4
UK Albums Chart[22] 1
US Billboard 200[23] 2
West German Media Control Albums Chart[24] 6

Year-end charts

Chart (1983)Position
Australian Albums Chart25
Canadian Albums Chart[25] 65
Dutch Albums Chart[26] 22
French Albums Chart[27] 12
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[28] 37
UK Albums Chart[29] 3
Chart (1984)Position
Australian Albums Chart3
Canadian Albums Chart[30] 7
Dutch Albums Chart[31] 83
Japanese Albums Chart[32] 14
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[33] 8
UK Albums Chart35
US Billboard 200[34] 5

Decade-end charts

Release details

align=center Countryalign=center Datealign=center Labelalign=center Formatalign=center Catalog
1983VirginCD91391-2
LP39170
1990CDV2-86180
2003CD92408

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Culture Club - Colour By Numbers. Discogs.
  2. Web site: Boy George is bringing the original Culture Club line-up to Newcastle . The Newcastle Herald. 26 June 2017. 12 February 2020. Lisa. Rockman.
  3. Dance Club Songs – January 14, 1984. Billboard. 7 January 1984. 10 July 2018.
  4. Web site: BBC - BBC Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic Presents... Culture Club's Colour by Numbers - BBC Philharmonic Presents... Culture Club's Colour by Numbers .
  5. Web site: NME's best albums and tracks of 1983 . . 10 October 2016 . 13 March 2018.
  6. The 100 Best Albums of the 1980's . . 565 . 16 November 1989 . 2 December 2021.
  7. Book: Kato, Yoshi . Culture Club: Colour by Numbers . 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . Dimery . Robert . . 2006 . 978-0-7893-1371-3 . 515.
  8. Web site: カルチャー・クラブ* – Colour By Numbers = カラー・バイ・ナンバーズ. Discogs. 1983.
  9. Web site: Culture Club – Colour By Numbers (1983, Vinyl). 20 December 2021. Discogs.com.
  10. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970 - 1992. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book. St Ives, NSW. 1993. 0-646-11917-6.
  11. Web site: austriancharts.at Culture Club – Colour by Numbers . Hung Medien . German . ASP . 2012-03-04 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121106202146/http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Culture+Club&titel=Colour+By+Numbers&cat=a . 6 November 2012.
  12. Top Albums/CDs - Volume 39, No. 21. 1984-01-28. 2013-05-01. RPM. https://web.archive.org/web/20140429080619/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.4443a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062. 29 April 2014. dead.
  13. Web site: dutchcharts.nl Culture Club – Colour by Numbers . . Hung Medien . Dutch . ASP . 2012-03-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140513132019/http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Culture+Club&titel=Colour+By+Numbers&cat=a . 13 May 2014.
  14. Book: Pennanen, Timo . 2006 . Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 . 1st . Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava . Helsinki. 978-951-1-21053-5 . 263 . Finnish .
  15. Web site: InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste . infodisc.fr . French . PHP . 2012-03-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150711144234/http://www.infodisc.fr/Album_C.php . 11 July 2015 .
  16. Book: Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Oricon Entertainment. Roppongi, Tokyo. 2006. 4-87131-077-9.
  17. Web site: charts.nz Culture Club – Colour by Numbers . Hung Medien . . ASP . 2012-03-03.
  18. Web site: norwegiancharts.com Culture Club – Colour by Numbers . Hung Medien . VG-lista . ASP . 2012-03-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140507053931/http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Culture+Club&titel=Colour+By+Numbers&cat=a . 7 May 2014.
  19. Book: Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. 1st . September 2005. Fundación Autor-SGAE. Spain. 84-8048-639-2. <
  20. Web site: swedishcharts.com Culture Club – Colour by Numbers. ASP. Swedish. 2012-03-03.
  21. Web site: Culture Club – Colour by Numbers – hitparade.ch . German . Hung Medien . ASP . Swiss Music Charts . 2012-03-04 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130203134516/http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Culture+Club&titel=Colour+By+Numbers&cat=a . 3 February 2013.
  22. Web site: Culture Club > Artists > Official Charts. UK Albums Chart. 2014-03-04.
  23. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r20321/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}} allmusic (((''Colour by Numbers'' > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums)))]. allmusic.com. 2012-03-03.
  24. Web site: Album Search: Culture Club – Colour by Numbers. German. Media Control. 2012-03-03.
  25. RPM Top 100 Albums of 1983. RPM. 2012-01-29.
  26. Web site: Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1983. Dutch . Dutchcharts.nl. 2014-04-04.
  27. Web site: Les Albums (CD) de 1983 par InfoDisc . French . PHP . infodisc.fr . 2012-01-29 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120209201228/http://www.infodisc.fr/B-CD_1983.php . 9 February 2012.
  28. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 1983 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart. Recorded Music New Zealand. 2 February 2022.
  29. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20120111074744/http://chartheaven.9.forumer.com/a/complete-uk-yearend-album-charts_post21.html . Complete UK Year-End Album Charts . 2013-09-16 . 11 January 2012 . dead.
  30. RPM Top 100 Albums of 1984. RPM. 2012-01-29.
  31. Web site: Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1984 . Dutch . Dutchcharts.nl . 2014-04-28 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160107042704/http://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1984&cat=a . 7 January 2016.
  32. Web site: Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1984. 1984年アルバム年間ヒットチャート. Oricon. Japanese. 2012-01-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107042704/http://entamedata.web.fc2.com/music/music_a1984.html. 7 January 2016. dead.
  33. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 1984 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart. Recorded Music New Zealand. 2 February 2022.
  34. Top Pop Albums of 1984 . https://archive.today/20121231160407/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/archivesearch/article_display/855368?imw=Y . Billboard . 2014-04-28 . 31 December 2012 . 1984-12-31 . dead.