Culture Club - Waking Up with the House on Fire

Tomorrow (October 22nd) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Waking Up with the House on Fire, the third studio album from Culture Club. The record did well, charting at number 22 in West Germany, number 21 in Switzerland, number 19 in Sweden, number 15 in New Zealand, number 9 in Norway, number 7 in the Netherlands and Italy, number 6 in Canada, number 4 in Japan, and number 2 in Australia, France and the UK. Here in the US, it spent twenty weeks on the Billboard Album Chart with a peak spot of 26.

Culture Club - Colour by Numbers (30th anniversary)

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Colour By Numbers, the second studio album from Culture Club. This 1983 release followed up their hit debut album Kissing to Be Clever (click here for that review).

For my full review of Colour By Numbers, please click here.

Culture Club - Kissing To Be Clever

In 1981, British new-wave soul singer Culture Club was formed. The group consisted of lead singer Boy George, bassist Mikey Craig, drummer Jon Moss and guitarist/keyboardist Roy Hay. After a few singles early in 1982 that failed to generate any chart success, the band released Kissing To Be Clever in September of 1982. This debut album went on to be a Platinum seller. It went to number 5 in their native UK, number 8 in Germany, number 12 in Australia, number 2 in New Zealand and France, and number 3 in Sweden and Norway. In the US, the album climbed all the way to number 14 on the Billboard Hot 200 and number 24 on the Billboard R&B charts.

The track listing varied between the UK vinyl and the US one. Since I first discovered the album with the later, I will be reviewing the tracks in that order today to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary.

Culture Club - Colour by Numbers

In October of 1983, Boy George and the guys from Culture Club released their second studio album. Colour by Numbers was an international best-seller, with over one million copies sold in their native UK alone and more than ten million copies worldwide. It reached number 6 in Germany, number 4 in France, and number 2 in Norway and on the US Billboard Album chart. It Also went to number 1 in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The record was ranked number 96 in Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980’s, and it also appears on the list of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.