Colour by Numbers

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.

This article is about the Culture Club album. For the artistic activity, see Color by numbers. For the Freeze the Atlantic EP, see Colour by Numbers (Freeze the Atlantic EP). For the Swedish art installation, see Colour by Numbers (art installation).

Colour by Numbers
Studio album by
Culture Club
Released10 October 1983
Recorded1983
StudioRed Bus Studios and CBS Studios, London[1]
Genre
Length38:14
57:50 (2003 remaster)
LabelVirgin (UK)
Epic (US)
ProducerSteve Levine
Culture Club chronology
Kissing to Be Clever
(1982)		 Colour by Numbers
(1983)		 Waking Up with the House on Fire
(1984)
Singles from Colour by Numbers
  1. "Church of the Poison Mind"
    Released: 1 April 1983 (UK)
    October 1983 (US)
  2. "Karma Chameleon"
    Released: 5 September 1983 (UK), December 1983 (US)
  3. "Victims"
    Released: 28 November 1983 (UK)
  4. "Miss Me Blind"
    Released: 14 February 1984 (US)
  5. "It's a Miracle"
    Released: April 1984 (UK), May 1984 (US)

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.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The Baltimore Sun[6]
Number One5/5[7]
Record Mirror[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Slant Magazine[11]
Smash Hits10/10[12]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[13]
The Village VoiceB+[14]

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."[12] 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."[9] 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."[14] Colour by Numbers was ranked at number seven among the "Albums of the Year" for 1983 by NME.[15]

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."[5] 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."[11]

In 1989, Colour by Numbers was ranked at number 96 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s.[16] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[17]

Track listing

All tracks composed by O'Dowd/Moss/Craig/Hay, except "Karma Chameleon" and "It's a Miracle" composed by O'Dowd/Moss/Craig/Hay/Pickett.

Side one
  1. "Karma Chameleon" – 4:11
  2. "It's a Miracle" – 3:25
  3. "Black Money" – 5:19
  4. "Changing Every Day" – 3:17
  5. "That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)" – 2:45
Side two
  1. "Church of the Poison Mind" – 3:30
  2. "Miss Me Blind" – 4:30
  3. "Mister Man" – 3:36
  4. "Stormkeeper" – 2:46
  5. "Victims" – 4:55
2003 CD Bonus tracks
  1. "Man-Shake" – 2:34
  2. "Mystery Boy" (Suntori Hot Whiskey Song) – 3:33
  3. "Melting Pot" (live) – 4:31
  4. "Colour by Numbers" – 3:57
  5. "Romance Revisited" – 5:00

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

Personnel
Culture Club
Additional musicians

Charts

Decade-end charts
Chart (1980–89) Position
Australian Albums Chart[19] 16

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[44] Diamond 1,000,000^
France (SNEP)[45] Gold 100,000*
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[46] Platinum 20,000*
Japan (Oricon Charts) — 481,790[25]
Netherlands (NVPI)[47] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[48] Platinum 15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[49] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[50] 3× Platinum 900,000^
United States (RIAA)[51] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 10,000,000[2]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release details
Country Date Label Format Catalog
1983 Virgin CD 91391-2
LP 39170
1990 CD V2-86180
2003 CD 92408

References
  1. "Culture Club - Colour By Numbers". Discogs.
  2. Rockman, Lisa (26 June 2017). "Boy George is bringing the original Culture Club line-up to Newcastle". The Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  3. "Dance Club Songs – January 14, 1984". Billboard. 7 January 1984. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  4. "BBC - BBC Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic Presents... Culture Club's Colour by Numbers - BBC Philharmonic Presents... Culture Club's Colour by Numbers".
  5. Promis, Jose F. "Colour by Numbers – Culture Club". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  6. Considine, J. D. (23 October 1983). "Two soulful voices prove fickleness of British trends". The Baltimore Sun.
  7. Voller, Debbi (15 October 1983). "Brilliant Boy". Number One. No. 24. p. 32.
  8. Smith, Graham K. (15 October 1983). "Away from the numbers". Record Mirror. p. 16.
  9. Holden, Stephen (27 October 1983). "Culture Club: this Boy's the real thing". Rolling Stone. No. 407. pp. 77–79. Archived from the original on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  10. Considine, J. D. (2004). "Culture Club". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 204–205. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  11. Shetler, Scott (3 April 2005). "Review: Culture Club, Colour By Numbers". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  12. Martin, Peter (13–26 October 1983). "Culture Club: Colour by Numbers". Smash Hits. Vol. 5, no. 21. p. 44.
  13. Sheffield, Rob (1995). "Culture Club". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 99–100. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  14. Christgau, Robert (27 December 1983). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  15. "NME's best albums and tracks of 1983". NME. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  16. "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980's". Rolling Stone. No. 565. 16 November 1989. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  17. Kato, Yoshi (2006). "Culture Club: Colour by Numbers". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe Publishing. p. 515. ISBN 978-0-7893-1371-3.
  18. "Culture Club – Colour By Numbers (1983, Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  19. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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  23. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
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  25. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
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  28. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
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  46. "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1990". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
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