REVIEW: Culture Club, Storytellers/Greatest Hits (Virgin)
- Paul Hanson
I lived through Culture Club vocalist Boy George being called everything from "talentless skinny transvestite" to "odd" with zillions of other adjectives in between. Whatever your adjective, the fact that Boy George and Culture Club enjoyed a plethora of success on the American Top 40. This two CD collection, one a full-fledged Greatest hits the other from VH1's Storytellers, therefore, captures the best moments of the band's 80s success with 28 total pop gems. Unfortunately, there seems to be a marketing ploy in the works. If you strip away the songs found on both CDs, you end up with seventeen tracks, the perfect amount for ONE CD. But since no one would buy a full-fledged box set (or would you), this two CD collection will have to do. Don't be misled into thinking that CC had 28 greatest hits.
When you get past the statistics, however, you begin to really hear how catchy this music is. I think the lead-off on the Greatest Hits "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" epitomizes what the band was about. A simple reggae rhythm with simple lyrics and a simple intent. The band never claimed to be musical geniuses - - they would have been laughed off the planet. The hypnotic drumbeat, though, is catchy. "Time (Clock of the Heart)" is equally appealing. "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" is probably my favorite song on this collection. "Church of the Poison Mind" rang out numerous times on Sunday afternoons at the skating rink. "Love is Love" is perhaps their finest ballad, complete with lyrics like "Love is every second we speak" and "Open up your eyes and you will see/ Love is love is everything to me."
As aforementioned, the Storytellers disc is from the VH1 special. Recorded live, the upbeat Motown-influenced "Church of the Poison Mind" features a delectable gospel singer (not Helen Terry this time around) who compliments Boy George's rushed vocals. This disc proves that calling the band "talentless" is a gross misstatement. I gained a greater appreciation for the band as musicians through these two discs.
For the 80s enthusiast, most of these songs can be found on the "Best of the 80s" series advertised on television. For the casual listener, this collection serves as a memory jogger to the days of synthesizer pop and roller skating. For me, it served as a springboard to remembering a simpler time. Judging by the crowd's applause on the Storytellers disc, it springboarded a lot of people.
