Colour by Numbers

Template:About Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |Template:Short description|noreplace}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Kissing to Be Clever1982Waking Up with the House on Fire1984AlbumColour by NumbersCultureClubColourByNumbersAlbumcover.jpgCulture Club10 October 19831983Red Bus Studios and CBS Studios, London<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Hlist38:14
57:50 (2003 remaster)Virgin (UK)
Epic (US)Steve Levinex|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}} 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.

Overview

Colour by Numbers has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide,<ref name="tenmillion">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> "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<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.

Writing and recording

Recording the album, Culture Club used the same producer, Steve Levine, and the same studio (Red Bus, London) as on their debut album but this time worked with several session musicians, most notably keyboardist Phil Pickett, who also co-wrote two songs, and backing vocalist Helen Terry. The songs took influence from earlier pop history, the melody of "It's a Miracle" was inspired by a Gilbert O'Sullivan song and "Church of the Poison Mind" by Stevie Wonder's "Uptight".<ref name="rs100" />

Reception

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."<ref name="sh" /> 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."<ref name="rs" /> 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."<ref name="vv" /> Colour by Numbers was ranked at number seven among the "Albums of the Year" for 1983 by NME.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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."<ref name="am" /> 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."<ref name="sm" /> In 1989, Colour by Numbers was ranked at number 96 on Rolling StoneTemplate:'s list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s.<ref name="rs100">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Track listing

"Time (Clock of the Heart)" was included in Japanese vinyl pressings.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personnel

Culture Club

• Boy George – lead and backing vocals
• Roy Hay – guitars, piano, electric sitar, backing vocals
• Mike Craig – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Jon Moss – drums, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Judd Lander – harmonica
• Phil Pickett – Hammond organ, synthesizers
• Steve Grainger – saxophone
• Patrick Seymour – flute
• Graham Broad – percussion
• Jermaine Stewart – backing vocals
• Terry Bailey – trumpet
• Helen Terry – backing vocals<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1983–1984)	Position
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart<ref name="auchart">Template:Cite book</ref>	1
Austrian Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	17
Canadian RPM Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1
Dutch Mega Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	3
Finnish Albums Chart<ref name="FINchart">Template:Cite book</ref>	11
French SNEP Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	4
Japanese Oricon LPs Chart<ref name="Jachart">Template:Cite book</ref>	1
New Zealand Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2
Spanish Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	2
Swedish Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	3
Swiss Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	4
UK Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
US Billboard 200<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2
West German Media Control Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} </ref>	6

Year-end charts

Chart (1983)	Position
Australian Albums Chart<ref name="auchart"/>	25
Canadian Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	65
Dutch Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	22
French Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	12
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	37
UK Albums Chart<ref name="UKYE">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	3
Chart (1984)	Position
Australian Albums Chart<ref name="auchart"/>	3
Canadian Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	7
Dutch Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	83
Japanese Albums Chart (Oricon)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	14
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	8
UK Albums Chart<ref name="UKYE"/>	35
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	5

Decade-end charts

Chart (1980–89)	Position
Australian Albums Chart<ref name="auchart"/>	16

Release details

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