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Colour by Numbers

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This article is about the Culture Club album. For the artistic activity, see Color by numbers.
Not to be confused with Colour by Numbers (Freeze the Atlantic EP).

Untitled

Colour by Numbers is the second album by the British new wave band 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 more than 16 million copies worldwide. It has been certified triple platinum in the UK and quadruple platinum in the US. It was ranked #96 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Best Albums of the 1980s and is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Overview

The album has sold more than 16 million copies worldwide, and like its predecessor, Kissing to Be Clever, contains several hit singles. "Karma Chameleon", however, was the signature track from the album and was released in many countries, charting at #1 in many of them. "Church of the Poison Mind" reached #2 in the UK, and went top 10 in the USA, Canada, Australia and many European countries. "Miss Me Blind" was released in North America, South America, Japan, and Australia to great success (Top 5 in 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 and was a Top 5 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 4x Platinum in the United States where it peaked at #2 for six consecutive weeks behind Michael Jackson's Thriller.

In 1989, Colour by Numbers was ranked #96 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s.[1] The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

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.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Rolling Stone[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
Slant Magazine[6]
Smash Hits10/10[7]
The Village VoiceB+[8]

Reviews for Colour by Numbers have been generally positive. Smash Hits magazine gave the album a rare 10 out of 10, with reviewer Peter Martin commenting "This is simply one of the most enjoyable records I've ever heard." Allmusic's Jose Promis retrospectively rated the album four-and-a-half out of five stars. He noted: "The songs were infectious, the videos were all over MTV, and the band was a media magnet." He explained that it was "flamboyant, fun, sexy, soulful, colorful, androgynous, and carefree" like other 1980s music. He concluded by calling it "the artistic and commercial pinnacle of a band that still attracted new fans years later."[2] Robert Christgau rated it a B+, explaining that "[Boy] 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." He also stated 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."[8]

Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone rated it four out of five stars. He explained that it "secures lead singer Boy George's place as a blue-eyed soul balladeer in the first rank." He also stated that it "has gobs of emotion plastered as thickly as Boy George's makeup, and ten tunes that stick." Although he stated that it "is by no means a weighty album", he concluded by saying: "Whether you like the band or not, Culture Club is one pop group that matters."[4] Scott Shetler of Slant Magazine also rated it four out of five stars, noting that "Culture Club hit their stride, and the influence of its 10 colorful songs can still be felt today." He explained that "its greatness can be measured by the fact that its album tracks are just as good as its singles." Although he stated that "simply describing [it] as a "catchy pop record" would be a mistake", he concluded by saying: "[I]n the end, Colour By Numbers is an album that needs no tinkering."[6]

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" – 4:12
  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
  2. "Church of the Poison Mind" – 3:30
  3. "Miss Me Blind" – 4:30
  4. "Mister Man" – 3:36
  5. "Stormkeeper" – 2:46
  6. "Victims" – 4:55
2003 CD Bonus tracks
  2. "Man-Shake" – 2:34
  3. "Mystery Boy" (Suntory Hot Whiskey Song) – 3:33
  4. "Melting Pot" – 4:31
  5. "Colour by Numbers" – 3:57
  6. "Romance Revisited" – 5:00

"Time (Clock Of The Heart)" was included in Japanese vinyl pressings.

Personnel

Additional musicians

Production

  • Steve Levine – Producer, digital mixing
  • Simon Humphrey – Engineer
  • Gordon Milne – Engineer
  • Tim Young – Mastering
  • Jon Moss – Digital mixing
  • Mike Ross – String engineer

Charts

Decade-end charts

Chart (1980–89) Position
Australian Albums Chart[9] 16

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[33] Diamond 1,000,000^
France (SNEP)[35] Gold 336,300[34]
Japan (Oricon Charts) — 481,790[16]
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] 3× Platinum 900,000^
United States (RIAA)[37] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

^ 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. ^ The Editors (16 November 1989). "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980's". Rolling Stone. No. 565. {{cite magazine}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |last= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ a b Promis, Jose F. "Colour by Numbers – Culture Club". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-857-12595-8.
  4. ^ a b Holden, Stephen (27 October 1983). "Culture Club: this Boy's the real thing". Rolling Stone (407): 77–79.
  5. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 204–05. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
  6. ^ a b Shetler, Scott (3 April 2005). "Culture Club: Colour by Numbers". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  7. ^ Martin, Peter (13 October 1983). "Culture Club: Colour By Numbers (Virgin)". Smash Hits. 5 (21): 44.
  8. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (27 December 1983). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  9. ^ a b c d Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0646119176.
  10. ^ "austriancharts.at Culture Club – Colour by Numbers" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  11. ^ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 39, No. 21". RPM. 28 January 1984. Retrieved 1 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ "dutchcharts.nl Culture Club – Colour by Numbers" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  15. ^ a b "Hit Parade Italia - Gli album più venduti del 1983" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  16. ^ a b Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4871310779.
  17. ^ "charts.org.nz Culture Club – Colour by Numbers" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  18. ^ "norwegiancharts.com Culture Club – Colour by Numbers" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  19. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  20. ^ "swedishcharts.com Culture Club – Colour by Numbers" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  21. ^ "Culture Club – Colour by Numbers – hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  22. ^ "Culture Club > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 4 March 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ "allmusic ((( Colour by Numbers > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  24. ^ "Album Search: Culture Club – Colour by Numbers" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  25. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1983". RPM. Retrieved 29 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1983" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  27. ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1983 par InfoDisc" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  28. ^ a b articles with dead external links%5d%5d%5b%5bCategory:Articles with dead external links from February 2016%5d%5d[%5b%5bWikipedia:Link rot|dead link%5d%5d] "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2013. {{cite web}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
  29. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1984". RPM. Retrieved 29 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1984" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  31. ^ "Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1984" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 29 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ articles with dead external links%5d%5d%5b%5bCategory:Articles with dead external links from February 2016%5d%5d[%5b%5bWikipedia:Link rot|dead link%5d%5d] "Top Pop Albums of 1984". billboard.biz. 31 December 1984. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2014. {{cite web}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
  33. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Culture Club – Colour by Numbers". Music Canada. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  34. ^ "Les Albums Or". infodisc.fr (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  35. ^ "French album certifications – Culture Club – Colour by Numbers" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  36. ^ "British album certifications – Culture Club – Colour by Numbers". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 March 2012. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Colour by Numbers in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  37. ^ "American album certifications – Culture Club – Colour by Numbers". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
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