Colour By Numbers

Too many elements from the 80s that didn't stand the test of time on this one. Favorite track: Karma Chameleon

nice voices, not so bothersome 80s music. i feel they make me remember another gorup that i heard here. besides that, a fun nice time

Camp fun, but I just don't enjoy this as much as I'd like to. Sorry Georgie Boy.

Fuck Boy George the massive piece of shit

Ok album, only knew their big hit but it wasn't terrible

Es ist das Album, das zeigt, wie viel mehr Culture Club konnten als nur „Karma Chameleon“. Hinter dem Megahit steckt eine erstaunlich vielseitige Platte: warm, melodisch, voller Soul‑Einflüsse und mit einer Produktion, die bis heute klar und lebendig wirkt. Songs wie „Church of the Poison Mind“ und „Miss Me Blind“ tragen eine funkige Energie, die Boy Georges Stimme perfekt einfängt. Gleichzeitig gibt es intime Momente wie „Victims“, die beweisen, dass die Band auch emotionale Tiefe beherrschte. Das Album ist kompakt, ohne Ausfälle, und überrascht durch seine stilistische Breite.

It’s sappy and cheesy, but I’m in the middle of one of the worst depressive episodes of my life, and somehow, this worked. I’ll take what I can get.

Just a little bit too much. Plus it doesn't have either of my favourite Culture Club songs.

3/5

I haven't heard Karma Chameleon in YEARS. Wow. What a nostalgia hit. Holy shit. KARMA CHAMELEEEOOOOON

I have a hard time saying this is a 1001. Boy George was a cultural icon in the 1980s, but is was not necessarily due to his music. Karma Chameleon is classic ‘80s goodness. The rest of the album is, at least for me, mid. A lot of this album his vocals sound like was chasing George Michael, but without the production quality or song writing chops. Church of the Poison Mind was a really good song. And I appreciated the Reggae inspired Mister Man. I also respect that when people like George Michael and Elton John were still faking being straight, Boy George was flying his flag proudly. But again, that focuses not on the music but the artist and his identity politics. Good: yes. Classic 1001 Must Hear: I don’t think so.

Random thoughts: * Karma Chameleon has always been one of my favorite 80s songs. * Are all "Karma" songs awesome? "Instant Karma" and "Karma Police" come to mind immediately. * I also was instantly transported back to this Beavis and Butthead clip when Boy George sang the line "I'm a man". * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuAxyC8KL48 * Black Money? Weird ballad and just confusing. But it sounds pretty good. * I get some of the white philly soul vibes from Culture Club a la Hall and Oates with some British thrown in. * Apparently Culture Club is part of the New Romantic scene which was an adoption of glam rock mixed with a backlash to punk. Makes sense. * "Miss Me Blind" definitely triggered something deep in my brain and I definitely heard this song back in the 80s and probably not once since. That is a weird/fun/interesting feeling. * Overall, I thought this would be a one-hit wonder kind of album but it had way more substance than I expected. Pleasantly surprising 1001 addition.

Banger first song (which I'd somehow never heard before). Meeeeh most of everything else.

Fun, pretty generic eighties record. Sorry, not too much inspiration today

My favourites were Changing Every Day, Miss Me Blind and Victims. This album is a lot moodier than I expected. I also enjoyed the soulfulness. Shoutout to Helen Terry!

Typical '80s British pop, sounds better now in retrospect than it did to my 19 year old ears, good songwriting, good arrangements, but not for me really. I'm letting it spin out though.

I couldn't listen to Karma Chameleon without thinking of that singing fish. The album was ok. Nothing offensive but nothing stands out

Culture Club? Really? This is an act which had its place in 1980s pop culture, released a memorable hit as the opener of this record, but didn’t produce an album that justifies replaying four decades later. There’s a lot of filler here, some of it is not awful in part because George has a good voice, but come on….

Fun to listen to after all these years. But will I listen to the whole album again? Probably not.

👎🏼nepatīk

Sāku gigglot, kad dzirdēju pirmās 2 sekundes 😍

I'm with Stu-this is not the good Culture Club stuff, it's the cheesy stuff that I hated then & still don't like now. If you want a treat, listen to Boy George now - his voice is v different & all soul - gorgeous!

This is a highly saturated, bright color, such as yellow or red. It's inviting, has a vibe, and catches the eye. It has a happy intensity.

I try to have an open mind. I really do. I didn't really like it back on the day. And I do hear the influence but to me it is so much that was wrong with the 80s especially the ubiquitous treacly sax and Casio keyboard setting #3. I respect the soul pipes when he takes it down - though the background singer is the real star but otherwise this was my 80s teen nightmare and apparently I haven't grown up much.

Representative of what I was expecting

It was fine. Boy George’s voice is fine. It was very 80’s and poppy. It was nice & short. I know and like Karma Chameleon and I recognized Church of the Poison Mind.

KARMA KARMA KARMA KARMA KARMA CHAMELEOOoOoON YOU COME AND GO, YOU COME AND GOOOOOOOoOo 3 estrelas só porque eu tenho memórias lindas de infancia escutando culture club pq é uma das coisas que a senhora minha mãe curte mto

karma chameleon SOZINHO já pega 3 estrelas. vamo ver o resto. infelizmente ficou por isso mesmo. muito triste, tava esperando mais.

Ranges from kind of fun 80s trash (Karma Chameleon) to truly horrible 80s trash (Black Money)

I keep mixing up Boy George and George Michael in my head.

Being forced to listen to this immediately after George Michael's "Faith", I'm struck by how similar they are. There are a handful of middling pop tunes here, but the overall vibe is vapid and lacks any kind of edge. Representative of the worst of what the 80s gave us.

avant guard...at the time it came out

Listened while sitting in T3 lounge at Changi. The hits of course are familiar from teen years - I was in 6th grade when this came out and a percentage of middle school girls dressed like Boy George - but I had never listened to this album before. The overall vibe is wonderful, a certain style of music popular between 85-91ish with synths and drum tracks. I loved the listen tonight and encouraged to come back and put it on. 4/5

So, after seeing what the first track was - and putting myself through listening to it - I was prepared for a 1 star rating. However as I cracked on with my boring day job, thinking about the review I'd write, something intresting happened. Colour By Numbers delivered some alright tracks. This isn't a good album but it has good moments. I can't help but enjoy Black Money and Changing Every Day - and while it's riddled with 80s cheese and other such elements that stain music of the era, it's not enough to keep it fully down. Boy George is a twat though.

One banger and then the rest dont hit thesame

Karma Chamelen

Light and fluffy enough to be cotton candy

This is the most mayo white, sauceless, spineless music I’ve heard maybe ever

I just listened to a whole podcast about Boy George's decent into madness. Exciting to listen to one of his albums. After listening through twice, I have no thoughts. Nothing stuck with me and I can't remember any of the songs outside of karma chameleon. Fun, but nothing special to me

Far more interesting than what I originally expected.

Very strong pop opening but album slides towards mor tedium

I feel comfortable giving this a 1 as I haven't done it often and truly didn't enjoy this. Still feels rude but hey what the hell

Did we really need to know anything after Karma Chameleon before we died?

No thank you. Not my thing at all. Karma chameleon is insanely popular for being a really bleh song and the rest of the album is a worse version of that. Some songs had fun beats though so 2 stars

Honestly, I understand that most of you hate pop music. Which I can understand because at times it is soulless and uninspiring. But this one wasn’t that to me, it had its boring pop moments but for the most part it was a solid output. I do understand the comments about the harmonicas though, they threw those shits in their like a bad chef who sprinkles parsley over every damn thing.

rym 3.06 Pop/New Wave 比想象中耐听很多。管乐的存在，让这张专辑保留了不少属于60年代最初的摇滚的味道。主唱情感细腻（或许和他的地下同性恋情相关？），嗓音也很舒服，我不会讨厌这样的流行专辑。 pick: Karma Chameleon, Changing Every Day

Enjoyable.

Go back to the 80s and then quickly leave it. Two stars for memory

The first track is very catchy and I heard it way too often when it was released. The rest of the album just gets a meh, nothing too memorable.

3/5

Inoffensive 80s pop. Probably deserves a place. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.

This album had the potential to be way better if the songs weren't so repetitive and bland. Starting with the positives, I'll say that I like the singers very soft and pleasant voice, the sound of the record is also very smooth and there are some actual funky bass lines. Now into the negatives: this album can get tedious and derivative with so much repetition. I said that the singer has a nice voice, but I also think it lacks a bit of emotion. I'm aware this is supposed to be romantic and poppy, but a bit more passion and energy would help a lot. Well, I'm saying this when there is an additional voice in some songs that has actually a lot of projection, but is not enough. When it comes to the instrumentation, they neither get saved from the criticism of being too passive, or at least in general. There are some saxophones, harmonicas and other elements here and there that can create some worth listening moments. Nevertheless, nothing truly impacted me. I want to like this album, because there are some really catchy melodies and everything is nice to the ear, yet it doesn't grab my attention neither it is interesting nor it makes me want to dance.

Nice sax and nice voice

Kinda boring and not my style of pop.

that is one ugly 80s album cover music is ok but an album is too long for me

This album caught a lot of flak in the 80s because Boy George was working out his internal issues on tape. The music is catchy and infectious, the lyrics poppy enough to hide his intentions in a way. I like it, but it's not something that's bringing me back. My rating: 3/5

Catchy tracks. Cool electronic beats. Hasn’t aged particularly well but I don’t think they were going for an extended shelf life. 3.0/5.0

Album is relevant for really just one song. "Karma Chameleon" is fun, but the rest of the album is repetitive and drags on. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again

First album I didn't actually want to finish. Karma Chameleon is such an iconic song but the rest was a painful listen for me.

Wow that album started fire and went nowhere. Didn’t care after the first 3 songs or so. It’s generously getting a 2. I did not care for it at all. Half the songs were just the same words. Don’t respect that.

2/5 So they put this album on this list because of one hit... that's just mid. The piano and orchestral parts were pretty good (Victims, Romance Revisited)

Ooof. Karma Chameleon is a hit for sure, but the rest is just basic and forgettable. At least there aren't any songs on here trying to justify a genocide.

When I think of 80s music, this is the sound I think of. It's poppy, energetic, almost theatrical at times. It's not something I'd typically seek to listen to, but I'm not mad when it's on. It's fun, it swings, it dances, it's good.

I like this for the cultural phenomenon that Culture Club was than for the music, which is often a bit poppy/ lame for me, although the incorporation of elements form reggae, bubblegum pop, Motown etc. are nice. Boy George was a bit or a queer role model. Some songs are really catchy radio tunes (Karma Chamaeleon etc.) but musically I don't rate this super high. Victims may be my favourite song. A very solid 3*.

Sophisticated fun! Love Boy George’s voice and aesthetic. My friend once wrote on a Polaroid of me and him and some of the boys lookin’ hot, GAY 70s NO HIV and it became quite iconic in our circles - and while this is slightly frou-frou and not nearly dirty and hairy-chesty enough to be gay 70s no HIV, with the blouses and the dangly earrings and the white soul and all, it shares like a homeopathic dose of the same. “Bi early 80s, not too much HIV yet” is not catchy but maybe accurate.

It is criminal that this has a 2.84 average.

It's a cute little album. However, Karma Chameleon is a beast of a pop song, and it definitely bumps up the rating for the whole album which is actually quite enjoyable in a cute cheesy way.

Old disco on a radio

smärtsamt 80-talskt. Kändes ganska tomt och trött dock förutom storhitten. 5/10

Boy George and The Culture Club are one of the best blue-eyed soul groups of all time, and Colour By Numbers is easily their magnum opus. It may be hard to understand their popularity and influence by today's standards, but Boy George and his androgynous style were all over MTV and the radio (which often overshadowed the actual talent of the band). I could never tire of this record, despite some clunkers on Side-B. Church of the Poison Mind is a top 5 blue-eyed soul song ever (in my humble opinion

Not a fan of this. Karma Chameleon is the star of this album and I wouldn't even consider that to be a good song. I'll cede that it is catchy, but not enough to buoy an entire album out of mediocrity.

Obviously I have heard Karma Chameleon. Just assumed that was their only song. I didn’t know they had an album that apparently you should listen to before you die. Romance Revisited made for a great outro. The album overall is pretty quintessential 80s imo.

I can't think of something that is more pop that this

Feeling generous today.

This was just ok for me, pleasant but unmemorable

Boo

5. avgust 2026. 16.00h its whatever best: mejbii miss me blind dala bih 3 ali posto je boy george zionist AI using freak koji je kidnapovao nekoga i udarao ga lancem onda -1 poen :p

Pretty dang cheesy, but it probably felt edgy towards mom's in the 80s

🦎🦎🦎

I cannot not not give this all the stars. Legendary.

Culture Club were a favourite of my ex-wife so no surprise what I think of this album. Even leaving aside that woman’s infatuation and if I was coming at the album anew there would be no way on earth that me and it (the album!) could have a relationship. That’s it really. Pity bad memories were reignited by today’s selection. And there’s me hoping that the divorce would at least prevent me from enduring Boy George again. 1/5 20/7/26

3 1/2

2 for Karma Chameleon

El bueno de Boy George, que este 2026 ha actuado junto a con Senhit la fenomenal Superstar en Eurovisión, tocó el cielo (antes lo había logrado con la estupenda Do You Really Want to Hurt Me) con este disco y sus temas estrella: Karma Chamaleon y Church of the poison mind (podría ser un temazo de Wham!) cada uno de ellos abriendo una de las caras del disco. Pero que nadie se lleve a engaño, hay mucho más e igual o mejor: Black Money con esos coros y sonido Soul, o el acustico That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You) donde la voz de George luce magistralmente (una influencia en The Syle Council?). Miss Me Blind, otro sencillo del disco, típico ochentero pero de calidad y cuyas remezclas seguramente hicieron mover los pies a más de uno. Cierto es que Mr Man o Stormkeeper son más de relleno, pero el conjunto es muy bueno. Más de 15 millones de discos vendidos, y una estética provocadora (no es que se disfrazara de travesti, es que lo era) causaron furor en su momento. Una pena que sus adicciones le impidieran desarrollar todo su talento.

It’s a good pop album with a style that feels it could only have happened in the 80s though it’s not typical of the decade. Everything is in its right place musically. The production is a little thin for my taste, but it does suit the music. Key of course is Boy George’s impressively soulful voice. It’s notable that when the also impressive gospel style backing vocals crop up (I think it’s Helen Terry) rather than a necessary prop, their powerful substance is simply an an appropriate complement, George’s carrying that much character. Timbre and distinction aside though, he could’ve benefitted from a subtle hint of autotune here and there had it been invented by 1983. Ultimately for me, and I hope I have an ear attuned enough to over come familiarity, the hits are significantly superior to the rest. “Karma Chameleon” may have slipped into over-familiar territory now but “It’s a Miracle” and in particular “Church of Poison Mind” are proper bangers. The rest may be on a lower plain, but they still constitute a decent pop album whose unique (to me at least) vibe keeps it from becoming simply a period piece.

I think it's beautiful that Boy George looks exactly like Emily Blunt. Other than that I hated the album. This is one of the worst times for pop music they're using synths that are supposed to stand in for real instruments but they're still early so it's kinda uncanny valley, and everything is so reverbed out I hate it. No effort put into the lyrics either the chorus of "It's a Miracle" is "It's a Miracle / It's a Miracle / It's a Miracle / It's a Miracle / It's a Miracle / It's a Miracle / And dreams are made of emotion". Some fun polyrhythms though and Karma Chameleon is so so good - 2 stars for the Chameleon.

It’s wonderfully peppy pop music, full of happiness in its groove and with some instantly recognisable tunes. Later it gets lost, a chaotic and out of place live track with some it was ok at the time (but isn’t now) lyrics and what sounds like the theme song for an unmade bbc 2 drama from 1987.

Wednesday, 15 July, 2026 Meh. It was fine. Karma chameleon is catchy. The rest is unnecessary.

Loved this, very of the time.

Karma Chameleon, Miss Me Blind, Church of the Poison Mind, all mega-hits. I recognized them of course, but still can't get excited by Boy George's smoothpop voice. It's a little too saccharine for me. I only like one Culture Club song, mostly because it was featured in "The Wedding Singer" and it's not even on this album. Bummer.

Listenable

Cheer up Boy George, your album is a glorious slice of 80s pop and soul!

Impossible to hear the hits objectively, such is their level of overplay since 1983. The rest is mid-fare 80s filler.

Was dreading listening to this when I saw it come up but actually not as bad as I feared. Still not my thing, thanks but no thanks.

First track is a classic but the rest is meh. Unworthy of being on this list.

Fuck off Boy George, I've got a hangover and I'm not in the mood. Bonus star because Karma Chameleon is a banger.

Iconic British queer culture right here

Normal

Lightweight pop.

7/14/26. Maybe one of my favorite new wave albums so far, really diverse and expansive sound and ideas explored. This is right between 3 and 4 starts but leaning toward a 4.

Deze heb danwel had ik op LP. Gekregen in een batch platen gekregen van m'n peetoom. Ik kan hem alleen even niet vinden, dus Boy George en kornuiten hebben geluk en kunnen eind deze maand rekenen op €0,066 van Spotify, namens mij. Ik ben waarschijnlijk iets te zuur, want dit album is schijnbaar ongelofelijk vaak verkocht, maar ik hoor een album met 1 megahit en daarna een hoop matige opvulling. New wave bandjesmuziek met uiteraard wat neppe elementen (digitale instrumenten) die wat slecht ge-aged zijn, wat mij betreft. Het komt van disco af en wil voorzichtig een beetje doorevolueren naar housemuziek ofzo, maar het is allemaal nog wat te vroeg in de jaren '80 daarvoor. Er zijn vast allerlei dingen te noemen die vóór dit album pleiten, maar ik kan er toch maar weinig mee. Zeker de tweede helft blijft maar duren terwijl de geest dan echt wel uit de fles is. 15 tracks waarvan er 1 blijft hangen, dat is gewoon karig. Anderhalve ster naar beneden afgerond van mij. Te gedateerd en te lang, dodelijk is dat.

Severely overhated. Karma Chameleon slaps

as was said by another reviewer, I also like the gender nonconformity, I liked videos a lot, they are dreamy and captivating. many write that the first song is their nostalgia song, I saw 1B views, I was shoked, because I heard this song for the first time in my life, some kind of european culture passed by, and i was brought up in much a different one. but, coming back to the point: it's okay-ish, nothing very special

5/10 Best songs: Karma Chameleon, Church of the Poison Mind, Miss Me Blind, Mister Man This album is a bit schizophrenic. Half of the songs are very new wave, like Karma Chameleon, with its irresistible catchiness and synth-y goodness. The other half of the songs are dull ballads - inconsequential easy listening. That makes this album hard to rate, especially since most of the songs I find appealing appear later in the album. Ultimately I don't think it's a very well designed or cohesive album, but the songs I like are very, very strong, so they'll probably bump the score up a bit.

Culture Club! I warmly remember the first time I heard Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, spilling out the door of a clothes shop - I stopped in my tracks - it was a revelation, for someone drenched in punk, new wave and post-punk - I could also listen to sweet and sad music for Sensitive New-Age Guys!! But - this album is very slight. I know some of the songs but have no enthusiasm for them. I have no objection to Boy George as a singer but am not about to praise him as a blue-eyed soul singer. The band arrangements are busy in an 80s pop way but do not attract me to repeat listen. I don't object very strongly, but am relatively disappointed, so I'll say it's Pretty Poor, 3/10.

Pretty good

Archbishop Desmond tu

3/5

After World Cup games they would air the local Fox station and they were doing a segment on Boy George auctioning his outfits, and I didn’t even realize he was the lead singer. The album was good, I really like Karma Chameleon. Also as I just saw that he had to leave a West End production because he released an AI generated pro-Israel reggae song. Wack

i think i’ve been too critical of albums lately. if i was on a first date with a guy and he was like yeah this album represents who i am as a person, would i go on a second date with him? yeah. not an excited yeah but a yeah nonetheless. 4/5.

One great song and a bunch of 80s slop

Unfortunately, I hate the first song so much, so I was unimpressed when the album started and that kind of set the tone for me. The singer had a great voice, though! The songs were definitely made better by it. With that being said, I wasn't particularly moved by any of the songs. It was alright to have in the background.

Meh

WHAT?!

Not sure how this is #96 of the best 100 albums of the 80's; not my cup of tea.

Damn, I came in wanting to like this, for all the positive impact of Boy George as sociocultural icon, but I’m finding it borderline unlistenable. Hollow, cliched lyrics and painfully cheesy synths - George’s voice deserved better.

Culture Club, die britische Pop-Formation um Boy George, nahm ihr zweites Album in den Red Bus Studios in London auf, wo Streicher und Mastering zusätzlich in den CBS Studios verfeinert wurden – produziert erneut von Steve Levine und veröffentlicht über Virgin Records. Stilistisch verbindet die Band hier Pop-Songwriting mit Soul-, Motown- und Reggae-Einflüssen und erweitert ihren Sound um Sessionmusiker wie Keyboarder Phil Pickett und Backgroundsängerin Helen Terry. Klanglich ist Colour by Numbers das selbstbewussteste Werk der Band: Boy Georges charakteristische, leicht angeraute Stimme trägt Hymnen wie „Karma Chameleon" und „Church of the Poison Mind" mit spielerischer Leichtigkeit, während „Victims" eine ungewohnt verletzliche, balladeske Seite zeigt. Auch abseits der Singles – etwa bei „Miss Me Blind" oder „It's a Miracle" – bleibt das Songwriting bemerkenswert konstant, was dem Album einen seltenen Fluss verleiht. Was dieses Album besonders macht, ist die Mühelosigkeit, mit der es Eingängigkeit und stilistische Vielfalt zusammenhält, ohne dabei beliebig zu wirken. Es ist ein Album, das den Optimismus und die schillernde Ambivalenz seiner Zeit perfekt einfängt, ohne dabei oberflächlich zu bleiben. Ein farbenfrohes, souveränes Pop-Meisterwerk der frühen 80er.

This is fine. Its just that kind of British new wave stuff that never really lands for me. I liked how they attempted at fuzing genres in the beginning, but then it just felt like George Michael.

3 out of 5. It was a fun listen.

Could've very happily ended this after track 1.

A good pop album, with THAT track that 99.9% of humanity will recognise. (OK, hat's hyperbole), but alas, Familiarity Breeds Contempt, and I couldn't wait for Karma to finish. The rest of the album is fine, with only Church standing out.

This album was right in the middle, not too unpleasant to want to skip but not fun enough to really pay attention to. I liked a few songs in the middle but did look forward to it ending.

the cover promised me a better experience

Not as “80’s-y” pop garbage as I was expecting. Not bad.

3.3

A poor man's George Michael

i actually really like Karma Chameleon, but i went into this with low expectations. it underperformed those, unfortunately, having little flavor outside of the big hit. sounds like it was made with the intention of padding a single into an album. deserves to be one of the 1001? ehh nah

Somewhat familiar with some of Culture Clubs music due to listening to pop rock radio through the years. This album overall did not stand out to me and I’d be hesitant to revisit personally. I’ll stick with the popular hits for now although I did find parts of Boy George’s wiki page fascinating! Happy listening all!

Nah, not for me.

Never really liked Karma Chameleon but the sheer exposure makes you “like” it.. quite the achievement. Boy George has a somewhat George Michael voice to him… Otherwise the music is pretty meh

Karma Chameleon is classic, and Boy George a unique individual who flew his own flag. It was interesting the way this band pulled together aspects from multiple genres to make some alright pop-rock songs. Just not really in a style that interests me or I care to revisit.

This was catchy, very 80s, but not in a bad way like some albums I've had are. Overall not something I'd probably go out of my way to listen to but not something I'd turn down if someone else wanted to play it.

"Karma Chameleon" is an iconic banger of a new wave song, but as a complete package, the album leaves a bit to be desired. This list fed me Duran Duran's 'Rio' the day prior, which for a new wave record feels tight and energetic for the entire duration. But Boy George's vocals do a TON of heavy lifting and elevate it up from 3 to 4 stars for me.

3.75 out of 5 stars for Colour By Numbers. much higher than I expected, but it really is tight. couple of slow songs, but mostly bangers. Black Money and Mister Man are the surprises for me, other than It's a Miracle which is the gem off this album. Boy George's singing is beautiful, sad that it got worse over the years. I love the reggae influences, and I would put this one into a not-your-typical 80's new wave cash grab. A truly good album.

The essentials of Kindergarten.

Как будто на семейном застолье посидел

Welp, I guess Karma Chameleon is just stuck in my head for the next 3 days. Pretty run of the mill pop record. Nothing really stands out, outside of the cultural importance of the group. Every song ends with a repeat of the chorus lyrics into a fade, which gets quite annoying. Not super enjoyable. 2/5.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to. The singles especially are a lot of fun. Warmer and more human production than a lot of early eighties stuff.

Blast from the past!

Sort of easy to write this off as lite rock. I found “Karma Chameleon” almost embarrassingly trite at first. But you know I had no idea that this band is what Boy George is famous for, and his famously androgynous style really goes a long way in explaining the peculiar perspective (and the theatrics) of that song and this eclectic album. I can’t say I’m longing to return to this over and over but I find it largely groovy and enjoyable if a little flat in its overall affect.

It was nice to revisit this one after all these years, brought back some memories of me and my sister as wee girls George caused such a stir at the time and good for him. Actually this holds up surprisingly well. The worst thing for me is Helen Terry’s contributions which are grating. Don’t remember finding her annoying back in the day. 3.5 rounding up for the nostalgia

All due respect to Boy George and everything he's done for the community, but this just wasn't for me. This is pop to the most annoying degree, cheap and tacky throughout with very little soul. The whole thing feels over-produced, especially when it came to that bloody harmonica, and I honestly found myself in a bad mood because of it. Meh.

These songs make me feel good. It's uncomplicated and enjoyable for what it is, much like my life in the 80s. My music doesn't always have to have deeper meaning or groundbreaking musicality. Sometimes I can just appreciate songs that take me back to childhood without picking them apart. Now, I get that's the whole point of a "review", to analyze and pick, but I am one to let my feelings and nostalgia seep into every aspect of life, so I'm just gonna let the "music critics" here handle the analysis while I bask in the glory of the 80s. "Miss Me Blind" is probably my favorite song here, but damn I remember the video on MTV for "Karma Chameleon" and it holds a special place in my heart. Also, Boy George is a really good singer!

Yeah I think I’ll take the 38 minute one thanks What I will say is that it’s always interesting to hear something like Karma Chameleon that I’ve heard a thousand times out and about, but never on a good pair of headphones, there’s falsetto backing vocals for days. Rest of this album is very much an obligation to that single, but decently catchy nonetheless

Hard carried by karma kamaleon, outside of that this is pretty bad 2

cool album.

Karma Chameleon slaps, but I didn't really love the rest of this album

Titular track I didn't realize how much they extended the song with filler parts, variations on a theme. This was all the rage in middle school but I don't remember the sexual ambiguity being that big a deal - there were bikes to ride. Couple of sleepers leading into Changing Every Day a bit more upbeat then into a straight ballad That's the Way - decent. Sparseness helped limelight the vocals. The later tracks are a homogeneous mishmash of Casio drum track #3. You can hear this in most pop songs from the 80s and every dance hall from Limoges to Levis. They rode Karma Chameleon wondering if those produce milk cause it would have been bone dry. Ah, white people reggae. Mister Man. Decent voice on Boy George. Not something I took note of at the time. His ballads are slightly reminiscent of Michael Jackson. Soft and vulnerable. And then we reach Man-Shake which is a thing. Disco inferno that is Mystery Boy. Feels like we're all over the place at this point on this album. Not a bad thing for the variety but I'm walking by not stopping. Into the live tracks I have not heard a song intro'd with "It goes like this" in such a long time. Nice memory. Prototypical one hit wonder album. 2/5

fun!

Facts are facts, Karma Chameleon is a great song. You get by that and you still get a couple of hits, but the sum of the parts is largely ho hum. Fun 80s vibes but pretty much a fine album

Great Track One! 👏 - good pop

I love you 80s synths !!!!! Finally, a fun listen after a drought. Favorite tracks: Miss Me Blind, Mister Man, Romance Revisited

Boring. Why.

Went into this one with an open mind and was disappointed. Nothing but wall-to-wall New Wave tripe. Over-saturated with the kind of trite lyricism that's more interested in the word 'LOVE' than love itself. Probably popped off on radio in the 80s but it probably should have stayed there. Fav tracks: Man-Shake

Weak pop of the 80s. That's the Way is excellent, when it's just piano. But the weak-ass rhythm is distracting at best. And I had to listen to some of these songs for ten years. 2/5

Ugh. Tough one. Don’t like this but can’t deny the 3 hits were everywhere at the time and the album had impact. 2.5/5

Was never a fan, but I’ll give props here for the multiple hits on this album. This stuff was played incessantly on MTV and the airwaves, and I distinctly remember having to wait and wait and wait through these ridiculous videos in the hopes that something like Twisted Sister would come on.

Karma Chameleon is catchy. And this is all performed and sung well. But not really something I’d choose to listen to. And quickly becomes too sappy / cheesey / dated 80s for my tastes. Props for the cultural impact but overall gets a meh from me. Put do you really want to hurt me on this and maybe it gets a nudge up. 2.25

Not my bag but I'm fine with it. I watched the scene with the Boy George impersonator in The Wedding Singer and that made me laugh. 2.75/5

Karma Chameleon - 3.5/5 It's a Miracle - 3/5 Black Money - 2/5 Changing Every Day - 2.5/5 That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You) - 2/5 Church of the Poison Mind - 3/5 Miss Me Blind - 3.5/5 Mister Man - 2.5/5 Stormkeeper - 2.5/5 Victims - 2.5/5 One decent hit song followed by a bunch of filler. No really worth sitting through the other 35 minutes after listening to their only hit. Overall: 2/5 Favorites: Karma Chameleon, Miss Me Blind

Some catchy songs. Church of the poison mind and its a miracle are the stand outs. Its a pleasant enough album. Nothing too challenging. Confectionary pop

good- technically rock but felt more pop, at first i wasn’t in the mood for 80s music, but this was really good and lots of fun. my favorite song is black money

A medium record.

Mostly typical 80's pop fare with not much of note - but Karma Chameleon is a masterpiece of a song that alone makes this album somewhat worth it. Faves: Karma Chameleon, It's A Miracle

Meh. El primero un temón, obvio.

Karma Chameleon is iconic, but the rest doesn't do it for me. Romance Revisited isn't bad.

unsurprisingly good first track rest is fine so far, basically the same vibe but less remarkable 💥karma chameleon 💥church of the poison mind

Wanted to hate, couldn't Karma chameleon It's a miracle I'm only trying to help you

i enjoy new-wave. really queer and fun :) karma chamaleon will allways be great

2/5

Yeah, one hit at the start, then a pile of samey pop

Has anyone ever listened past the opener? It's dated but not in a good way. Boring pop that was probably very exciting at the time.

Sessão da tarde, Sabadaço, Domingo Legal, Rodrigo Faro… é isso aí. Bem caricato, oitentista, pastelão, mas é divertido e mantém a atenção. Não é um disco de uma canção só, suas outras faixas possuem seu valor próprio. Tudo ornado com essa sonoridade já datada mas ainda divertida. Foi uma escuta ok. 3/5

A couple of decent tracks hasn't aged particularly well pure teenage 80s pop

I've heard Karma Chameleon and nothing else on here. I now wish that were still true. Karma Chameleon is a great pop song. Everything else here is boring and slightly annoying. It's dated and the worst of the trends of the early 80s. Would anyone remember these guys if Boy George weren't so good at being Boy George?

As a kid I absolutely hated this band and all forms of New Wave... as an adult I am completely changed. I am more open minded and accepting, I have started to enjoy more New Wave, and I expected that my taste of Culture Club would be refined. Nope, I still don't like it.

A little dull for an album that presents itself so colorfully. No doubt a cultural touchstone but I probably won't be returning to this anytime soon.

ахуенный альбомчик. ощущается как камера Olympus VG160. ну вот миленько прям

Notables: - Karma Chameleon - Changing Every Day

One hit song does not make a good album. Favorite Song: Karma Chameleon

# Album Name: Colour By Numbers # Artist: Culture club # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: One hit wonder album. The rest is trash. # Top Tunes: Karma Chameleon # Would I listen to it again? No

Great example of 80s pop music, and had some really unexpected musicality that I enjoyed.

Have rediscovered a bunch of pop from the '80s, which I have largely avoided most of my life. Was excited to jump into this one, anticipating a similar bit of fun. But beyond the big Karma Chameleon single, I really didn't connect with this record. It felt all very brassy and lacking the inventiveness of compatriots.

Há aquele primeiro clássico, depois é demasiado anos 80, consigo imaginar vibe zara anos 80. Se calhar um 2.5

Não é muito a minha cena, e só conhecia a primeira música

Podia ter dado 3 mas ate foi mais a capa que puxou para o 2.

Like that scene in The Clockwork Orange except they're making me watch Cocomelon and those baby sensory videos with the dancing fruit I will put some respect on Boy George for his bravery. Nothing else. God help me

Aanstekelijke jarentachtigmuziek, wellicht niet heel diepgravend, maar wel goed gedaan. Handig dat Boy George, die graag androgyn mag overkomen, in het eerste nummer meteen even meldt 'I'm a man', dan hebben we de pronouns ook meteen maar duidelijk (de naam 'Boy' geeft het ook een beetje weg). Op de plaat merk je verder niks van eventuele gekke pakjes of andere dingen, muzikaal snijdt het hout en daar gaat het maar weer om.

Karma (Karma, Karma, Karma, Karma) Chameleon. Jeuk (jeuk, jeuk, jeuk, jeuk). Goed, dat is ook een vorm van impact natuurlijk.De rest van het album is net iets minder saai en net iets minder sterk dan Idlewild van Everything but the girl dat we net gehad hebben.

Wederom een overduidelijk product uit de jaren '80. Wat me wel gelijk opvalt, is dat de muziek vrij suf is. In mijn herinnering swingt het wat meer, maar dit is helemaal niet zo bombastisch als sommige andere muziek uit deze tijd. Het heeft juist hele lieflijke synths en zachte drums. Waar ze het meeste mee uitpakken, zijn de make-up en de kostuums. Man man man, wat zien ze er allemaal uit zeg. Heel vrolijk. En ze pakten blijkbaar uit qua drugs en daar ging het er ook harder aan toe. Ik lees alweer over heroine overdoses. Kijk, dat zijn wikipaginas waar we van smullen. Maar goed, dat beoordelen we hier niet. Het is natuurlijk niet al te best en zoals gezegd vrij suf. Het hoort zeker in deze lijst, vanwege de megahit en het aantal verkochte albums. Meer dan 10 miljoen, bizar. Maar meer dan een 2 kan ik er niet voor geven.

Wow who knew that the singer of San Marino's 2026 Eurovision entry used to make horribly synthetic pop tunes

a good highway listen -- i think 4 is generous but i was feeling generous, sue me

I appreciate that this was short and opens with Karma Chameleon but the trouble is after that none of the songs are Karma Chameleon

4/10 Karma Chameleon is fun but the rest I really didn't care for.

2 sterne

These guys were musically underrated. Didn’t need the androgyny gimmick. May have worked against them.

wow I hate this. Boy George, thanks for combatting the gender stereotypes, but I cannot thank you for making this music.

it's catchy new wave with a lead that has a great voice, but maybe not much beyond that. it's fun, i'll give it that! i listened to this one a few times over because i couldn't tell if it progressed past that. i don't think it does. i listened to the remaster which appears to be longer, so maybe that's the issue, but there is just a bit too much fluff here in between the good tracks. there's nice dance songs like "it's a miracle", "miss me blind" and "stormkeeper", but much of this is just kinda There or is actively annoying like "man shake". i want to like this more than i actually do.

Peaks at the first song and then just kinda turns into a bland, if a little fun and catchy, new wave album. I think I want Culture Club to be better then they are, because I see a lot of promise that just isn't quite there. Like what Culture Club and Boy George represent as GNC represent are more interesting then the actual listening experience, which is a bit sad. I really have nothing to say about this album though it mostly just passed me by. Karma Chameleon is still great I guess, despite the fact that I associate it with family social functions.

Do you really want to hurt me? Yes.

disappointing

I liked it! I feel like my mom knows these songs

Culture Club seem to have a ton of hits scattered across their discography. The big one ('Karma Chameleon') is found here of course, but there's more fun to be had across this album specifically too. 'It's a Miracle' and 'Miss Me Blind' were also enjoyable jams. There might be too many 80's new wave/blue-eyed soul albums on this list, but this is probably near the better end of those.

Любопытно, но не для меня

A good piece of 80s pop that has one iconic song (Karma Chameleon) and one underrated one (Church of the Poisoned Mind), but the rest is solid but less memorable.

was chill, but not really our style, had no consistent flow to it. 2/5

This is an album that, by my own conditions, I should hate, but I’m a man without conviction. I’m a man who doesn’t know How to sell a contradiction. I liked this despite the cheesy lyrics and dated production. Partly because I’ve heard Karma Chameleon so many times. This makes me feel like I need to be driving the smallest car you have ever seen along a winding seaside road. Favorites were Karma Chameleon, It’s A Miracle, and Church Of The Poison Mind.

Helt grei 80-talls pop. Litt mye munnspill og kordamer for min smak.

På en måte en gjennomsnittlig 80-talls plate. Men det va ikke så ille. Overraskende bra til tider, faktisk. Sterk treer.

Ja nei, det her går ikke.

Hyggelig popmusikk som er rund og myk i kantene. Blir fort veldig likt.

Karma Chameleon a slapper. The rest is pretty boring to average. The next best song on here miss me blind is just a worse Prince song but it’s alright. I can see why this popped off when it came out but I don’t think it stands the test of time very well. Boy George would have been a killer American idol judge though.

This not very interesting to me.

For a brit new wave album, honestly fine. The horns are good, its very disco feeling by trying to make it white. Of the many I have listened to and will listen to in the future, certainly above average but still not good.

Just as gay as you'd expect, and it works. A little longer than it had the strength for, but it's got a consistent vibe, sold production and catchy riffs.

Honestly, the first time I heard Karma Chameleon I thought it was great. Since then, gee whiz that song is annoying. Didn't even have it saved to my spotify, but it was on a YouTube playlist back when I start exploring music. Didn't get a lot out of the album, liked one song. S/O to Boy George for being an icon, though.

Dated

I think the best way to describe my feelings about this album is with a rather appropriate analogy, so here goes: Listening to this album, there's a lot to like. It has a fantastic colour palette. The harmonies are lush, the grooves are strong, the lyrics are emotional, the vocal delivery is expressive... At a glance, the paintings are great. Everything is cohesive, nothing clashes. So far so good. The problem is, this painting wasn't made by applying a delicate brush across the canvas. Instead, they splattered the first song (Karma Chameleon) with copious amounts of paint, laying it all on super thick, and then proceeded to use a paint roller to spread those same colours all the way across the canvas. The end result is a painting that mostly feels like one big smush of pretty colour with no detail to distinguish one corner of the canvas from another. Sure, there are patches that are darker or lighter, and any one spot is unique if you're prepared to dig into the details... but overall it looks like just the same amorphous splodge over and over, with the paint getting thinner as it goes on. Much like the colour by numbers that is its namesake, this album is made up of beautiful colours but feels formulaic and uninteresting.

I am not in the club.

Good, but that's a lot of synth pop. 'Romance Revisited' at the end of the remastered version was a refreshing touch.

5.5/10 It's fun I suppose but also kinda cheesy. Highlights: Karma Chameleon

Colour by Numbers is yet another project I never had any intentions of covering before, but thanks to the lovely 1001 albums to hear before you die list, I was forced to listen to this very of its' time New Wave album. I am sorry but a majority of the New Wave albums this album chose to represent the genre are dog water and have aged like shit. The color palette of this album cover perfectly matches the wacky and bright nature of this album, but again it feels too fantastical and upbeat for me to give a singular damn about it, like I get what they are trying to do here but it comes off childish. Even with the hit Karma Chameleon, it just feels like a children's song catered to adults. I tried to enjoy Colour by Numbers as much as possible but it is just too much for me. Sorry not sorry.

Dull and generic 80s music. I remember "Karma Chameleon", but upon relisten, its quite average. I'm good, thanks.

This is #day637 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… somehow I'd never listened to Culture Club before, even though I was aware of them, so this was another first-timer for me. This record fits well into the patchwork of '80s new wave, though it obviously leans toward the poppier side of things, somewhere near, say, Erasure. What stops me from giving this a 5, though, is the vocals. I'm just not a big fan of soul/R&B-style singing. Otherwise, this is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day638.

Loved Karma Chameleon! The rest were okay. 3.25

I didn't even like this in 1983, and as a 13 year old at the time, I was the target market. I remember when Culture Club made their debut on Top Of The Pops and my mum's reaction: "blimey, that's a man!" Different times... Anyway, I'm still not keen. Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★☆☆☆ (4/10) Total reviewed : 311 Already owned : 69 Purchased : 15 To buy : 4 Nope : 223

So much better than I anticipated.

There are a couple of alright songs on here but lots of bland 80s pop. I don't think they ever really bettered Do You Really Want To Hurt Me.

Surprisingly good actually.

Pretty solid pop album.

Kicking off with funny horn (?) is a surefire fasttrack to my heart, and considering how blocked that path is with arterial plaque, that's one-ah powerful-ah horn-ah!! (Say with racist Italian accent). Everybody has heard Karma Chameleon and wondered, why would life be easy if you were the same colour as the singer's dreams? What the fuck does that even mean? Also, are people's dreams in colours other than just regular colours? Like the colours of the horrifying monstrosities that assail me in the darkest corners of the domain of Morpheus seem to match hue with my expectations. Maybe I'm an idiot and these musical types are on an elevated plane. You've got that stupid Pearl Jam song where the singer burps out "She dreeeaauhhhheems in Reeeehuhhd." Must be a theme. There was a funky beat here, but also white reggaee. I need a percentage of albums (especially British ones) where we get a white guy making a Jamaican Jerk-Off (Thanks, Elton) of himself. I think you'd be shocked. 1 HIGHLIGHTS: I dream of Gee Knees, athletic balm

I was kind of excited about this as I've had a new appreciation of New Wave music after listening to a handful of good albums in recent weeks from this list. I did not like this at all. It's like the worst of New Wave mixed with the worst of Soul and Funk. I used to think Karma Chameleon was a catchy little song, but hearing it in context made me dislike it.

Well I haven't heard anything by Culture Club in quite a while, and this morning I am reminded of why I haven't missed it. It's competent, and some of the vocals are excellent, but in the end it's all pretty bland. This is fine for an early-80s pop record, and I always appreciated Boy George's gender-nonconforming thing. But sadly, I think it's boring. 2 stars? 3 stars? will decide at the last minute

Hit after hit after hit after hit.

I can't remember if it was this album or the next one that I had on cassette when it got caught in the tape player in my car. I did find a shop to open up the player and remove it, but what a pain! I did enjoy this band back then, though. It still kind of bops.

The first song is of course, an actual banger. The rest is pretty mid

Karma chameleon is the best song on this. The rest is kinda repetitive, idk. It's fun in bits and pieces but as an album it's not my favorite. Shoutout to the album cover though, goddamn!!

Didn't have high expectations for this album, but I kinda liked it. And the ending with the instrumental Romance Revisited was not unpleasant.

Its cool that I recognized it in the radio at the same day in Chiang Mai

If you're going to appreciate 80s pop, this is probably about as good as it gets. Sparkly, shimmering production (I'd like to know what to call the glittering effect over all the vocals, guitar, electric piano, and synths). If you've never heard this album, yes, the whole thing, you're missing some musical history. They're good songs, and really not just Karma Chameleon. Lots of 50s and 60s Motown pop tunes done by Brits with super lavish 80s production. That said, when I got to the bonus tracks on the deluxe edition I was streaming, I had to say "yeah, that's enough" and check this off the list. Speaking of the list, this makes me wonder whether this album or their debut, Kissing to Be Clever, belongs on the list. I don't want to go listen and compare, but I'm curious whether I'd find more to appreciate in the debut. 3/5.

Honestly I had only heard Karma Chameleon, so to hear the rest of the album was pretty cool. I could dig this. 5/2/26

1983 was the year that 'the eighties' supposedly began and Duran, Spandau, Wham! and Culture Club spearheaded the second British Invasion of the US pop mainstream. Due to its four hit singles (the obvious opener, It's a miracle, Church of the poisoned mind and Victims) this album became a defining artefact of the era. The work of multi instrumentalist Roy Hay should not be underestimated in the music of this album, as well as the vocals of Helen Terry. To my ears the album tracks pale into insignificance next to the four hits and 'Miss me blind' but 10 million sales and number 2 spot behind 'Thriller' is not to be sniffed at......

Colour by Numbers es un disco que ha envejecido bien gracias a una producción de una claridad asombrosa y una genialidad rítmica constante. Aunque es música para bailar y resulta súper pegajosa, esconde una variedad emocional muy rica. Un claro ejemplo es "Karma Chameleon", que tras su ritmo festivo ofrece una letra súper reflexiva sobre la naturaleza humana. La variedad de instrumentos es un festín sonoro, destacando especialmente el uso de los vientos en "Stormkeeper", que le dan una riqueza y profundidad excepcionales. Sin embargo, es el excelente dominio de la voz de Boy George lo que realmente le da la calidad al álbum; su capacidad para transmitir emoción con autoridad y matices de soul logra que cada pista se sienta como una mezcla maestra entre lo comercial y lo artístico. Una obra que demuestra que el pop puede ser, al mismo tiempo, divertido y profundamente real.

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: Karma Chameleon I woke up this morning - my cold getting progressively better after a proper, full night's sleep - and sat down with my morning coffee to see what's playing on the List this morning. Yesterday was 70s UK trash pop 10cc. I have had a pretty bad run these past five or six days. Only one album that received higher than a 3. So, I was not super happy to see yet another New Wave band come up. This has to be something like the 20th or 25th (no, I just checked, this is my FOURTY-FIFTH) New Wave album I've had to endure. This album feels dated. God, I fucking hate this genre. The 1980s are far and away my least favorite decade, its not even close. Karma Chameleon saves the album from getting a 1.

Album 176. Colour By Numbers (https://open.spotify.com/album/51NPMfa9QfxsYtqzcB2VfY?si=UhIgouryRC23_KlAfoxfDQ) — Culture Club (1983) Oh no, 1 banger and 14 bad 80's pop/new wave/disco songs. karma, karma, karma, karma, karma chameleoooon It was interesting culturally, but basically a waste of time. Strange world, David Bowie (not just him) inspired that guy. He has even tattoos with Bowie and Marc Bolan on his hands. Boy George is the fucking original of the Verka Serduchka version. 1/5 Liked: — Karma Chameleon

The video for Karma Chameleon is one of my earliest musical memories. The rest of the album is just meh.

I mean how can you not love this? It is impossible to not have a smile on your face during this entire album. It is just so fun. Easily a 4.5 maybe 5/5 Liked Songs: "Karma Chameleon" , "Its A Miracle" , "Changing Every Day" , "That's The Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)" , "Church Of The Poison Mind" , "Miss Me Blind" , "Mister Man" , "Stormkeeper" , "Victims" , "Mystery Boy (Suntoro Hot Whiskey Song)" , "Melting Pot" , "Romance Revisited"

Ejemplo absoluto de que no hay que poner el hitazo al principio. Boy George canta muy bien y pasas un rato agradable (me lo puse para limpiar y se me pasó volando), pero no hay manera de que remonte Karma Chameleon

I thought Colour By Numbers was a pretty decent album. I think it is an album that would have fit more in the 70s than it would the 80s since it is very disco coded just with a couple of twinges from 80s new wave. I definitely think that this album is really cheesy and reeks of it's time but that is the case with most disco as in general, its just a very cheesy genre especially when you are looking at it from modern lenses. The album is still pretty good despite the cheesiness and it did have some pretty good songs on offer (Miss Me Blind and Victims being particular stand-outs). But in my eyes, you have to enjoy disco to find value in this album, but if you do, you will definitely find it. Best Song: Miss Me Blind Worst Song: Karma Chameleon

Solid old favorite.

I remember listening to this album for the first time on an airplane and absolutely vibing for the entirety. And yep.... still hits just the same.

Arrancamos otra semana de cuatro días con una banda icónica de los '80, que como a tantas de éste reto sólo ubico por sus singles. De a momentos, arriba, de a otros, más chill, es un buen disco para poner de fondo y destacar algunas canciones para la party. Hasta mañana

i liked the overall vibes and the first song is one i/ve known

4/19 Heard Karma Chameleon a lot at work but not a lot of other songs from Culture Club. Not bad

This album has a lot more going on than I anticipated. I wasn’t expecting it to start right off with the big hit, which was a little jarring.

Sounds like a poster child for the 80s

I grew up with Culture Club being a guilty pleasure. The guilt is gone.

Yeah, this is fine, I guess. Karma Chameleon is part of the cultural furniture, and Church of the Poisoned Mind and That’s The Way are great 60s Soul throwbacks, a feeling a lot of the album has. Beyond that, though, it’s not really standing out.

Nope. Not wasting my time.

Not quite as terrible as I thought it was going to be. Some variety in the songs. Unnecessary saxophone solos on every track. Derivative. Trite lyrics. But Boy George has a lovely voice.

Sometimes you should just. Listen to a good single. And leave it there

Definitely enjoyed this more than I thought although it isnt my thing. Some good singles. A nice piece of very 80s pop.

Karma Chameleon is firmly in my top 10 least favourite songs and giving it anything higher than a 1 wouldn't sit right with me.

The first impression the album gives is of a not so good one, and the only very catchy song is Karma Chameleon; but if you pay attention to it and really give it the time to listen to the songs, it shows some interesting and well made songs. It's good to point out that some songs sound similar, with not too much going on, but overall it's a good album.

Fun and groovy, can get REALLY annoying at certain times

Another day with the 1001 albums list, another problematic artist. Do we set anside all of Boy George’s heinous acts to view the music objectively? Sure. But we haven’t forgotten! Also, other people worked hard on this album, not just him. This album has some bops, but ultimately is pretty schmaltzy.

Wasn’t particularly a fan back in the 80’s and listening to the album now hasn’t changed that. Not terrible but not terribly good either.

This is so kitsch… I love it.

“Karma Chameleon” was an early favorite of mine and was a big part of me realizing that 80s pop songs are awesome. It’s still a very fun song and gets stuck in your head all day, almost as soon as you see the title. The rest of this album is decent 80s pop. A lot of the songs get repetitive, repeating the chorus over and over again. But as soon as I was wanting some new element, those soulful backing vocals kicked in. That was a cool, surprising addition to the sound.

Awesome pop fun flamboyant record. It's vibrant and full of songs that make you smile. "Karma Chameleon" is a bonafide 1980's hit. I love the ridiculous harmonica and how soft the overall feel of everything is. Great little record with a true smash hit for the decade it was released.

This is your friendly little PSA that Boy George once beat a prostitute

Like it 3/5

80er Pop

Nostalgia in record form. And a pretty great pop album to boot. Favorites: It's a Miracle, Miss Me Blind Would I listen to it again: Yes

soulful pop

So nostalgic.

This was ok except the backing vocal on Black money it was awful, tuneless and really annoying

excited for this one bcs i love karma chameleon and tbis might be the first fucking upbeat/pop album on here 😭 its all been country/folk and the dullest rock it’s a miracle sounds so michael jackson love miss me blind the synths(?) sound so modern i don’t have the heart to rate this any higher. i need to learn to stop looking forward to albums based on their best song

Not bad.

I didn’t have high hopes and my gut was right on this occasion. Boy George had enough charisma to give us a reason to kind of give a shit about this trash slop spread over 10 tracks. It’s barely a one hit wonder too because Karma Chameleon is pretty fucking stupid and I hate that I still go along with it. It’s comparable to that dumbass Cars For Kidz commercial with the ear worm jingle. This was dumb, what a dumb addition to this list. 2 stars

Best Song: Karma Chameleon. And least this one has a bit of a swing to it, with a catchy (albeit bubblegum) chorus. Worst Song: Victims. Would it be an 80s pop album if it wasn't interrupted by an overwrought Disney-esque ballad? Overall: The perfect distillation of the type of slick, overly polished 80s music that I really dislike. I can discern that there is talent here - from the performance to the production - but that doesn't change how over-polished it feels to me. And I just don't know what to do with music like this. It isn't groovy enough to make you want to move or dance, it isn't earnest enough to elicit any emotional response. Music for feeling nothing. Music for disassociations.

Good stuff from back in the day.

Nah, annoying 80’s pop, not my jam. Karma was ok but only out of familiarity, the rest was skippable.

A fine, but not too remarkable 80s album.

Really Great!

I actually think that there are some well written tunes on this album. But, they kinda suffer from poor arranging and performance. Karma Chameleon has its moments but it sounds a little thin and cheesy. Changing Every Day has this sly progression, but it's presented as a fast kinda rock/bossa hybrid. Doesn't work for me. It's a Miracle has a really good song buried under a track lacking in tight playing and good production. Black Money is well written, but what the hell is the bassist doing? Either playing the same thing wrong over and over again or playing a bad arrangement perfectly. Most of the album is like that. That's The Way was a straight dud for me. I would have liked to hear these songs performed by someone else, cuz I do think they've got the potential to be really good. Back half starting with Miss Me Blind is a little less mismatched, the performances get a little more solid there.

As colorful and ahead of his time as Boy George looked when this album came out, that colour did translate to the music he made. The music found here is dated and cheesy. 'Karma Chameleon' is a guilty pleasure. Everything else is forgettable. The opening melody of 'It's A Miracle' sounds like something you would find on a Kunt and the Gang song. The saxophones on this album sets the instrument back years as something you would associate with tacky eighties pop music. Adding soul singers does not mean your music has soul. This is vapid pop music. The hooks are repetitive, and Boy George isn't a compelling vocalist or lyricist. This is mercyfuly short and it is inoffensive enough to not get irritating. The band lack both the bite and innovation that you could find in other new wave bands.

Favorite Track: Karma Chameleon

I still like Karma Chameleon despite having listened to it 1000's of times. Reminds me of staying with my much older cousin in the 80's when it came out and he had the 7 inch and kept playing it for me and my sister as we fecking loved it. Rest of the album is a fairly strong pass.

Colour by Numbers I really love Church of the Poisoned Mind, and despite Karma Chameleon being school discoed / 80s playlisted to the point of background music, it’s clearly an excellently and skillfully tooled reggae lilted new-wave banger. It’s a Miracle continues in that reggae-pop vein and is also incredibly catchy and also very school disco. But I wasn’t expecting so much of the rest of it to be so soul influenced, which, bearing in mind COTPM is heavily inspired by Uptight, I probably should have. Black Money, Changing Every Day, That’s the Way and Victims all stand out in this regard. It also feels a lot like Wham!/George Michael in places, particularly the 2nd side run from Miss Me Blind of Victimes. George and George both share similar vocal tones, and if you heard Miss Me Blind on the radio it could quite easily be mistaken for either artist. It’s on the cusp of 3 and 4. It’s a far more interesting album than the ubiquity of Karma Chameleon would suggest, and there are some excellent tracks in KC, COTPM, Black Money, and Miss Me Blind. But despite it’s soulfulness I do think it drifts a little at the back end after Miss Me Blind, Mister Man and Stormkeeper feeling like they get a bit lost. I’ll definitely come back, but I’m not sure I’ll come back enough for it to be a 4, so I’ll go with a very high 3. 🎨🔢🦎 Playlist submission: Church of the Poisoned Mind

The biggest achievement of this album is not to be overshadowed by the ubiquitous perfect pop of the undeniably great 'Karma Chameleon'. There is enough blue-eyed soul meets funk meets pop, to more than hold its own. Following Sam Cooke it can come across as a little feeble at times, but certainly revels in its camp poppiness. 'The Church of the Poison Mind' is a bona fide banger, which expertly melds Stock-Aitken-Waterman influencing pop with Motown (and was ripped off by Wham). In fact the influence on George Michael feels significant, also with the ballad 'That's the Way'. This sort of album could come off so badly, ersatz soul; but its love of Motown and pop combine very well in the era of new-wave.

First listen

Catchy pop but too 80s

Dodgy 80s pop.

I actively hated listening to this

Its cool, there are some essential 80s vibe bangers on this. Its also incredibly dated sounding. What did this album do that qualifies it as something you need to hear before you die? No one knows. Other than being in an 80s playlist mix I find it hard to believe anyone is sitting at work right now pining for the time they can finally get home and crank out some Culture Club.

Didn't age well. Didn’t like it much at the time, either.

normie music but good

Not a bad album, but not my thing really at all. One thing I did appreciate was the musicality, the bassline on stormkeeper was a highlight

Lots of soft rock here. Soft rock and that 80s sax. At least it has Karma Chameleon.