Greatest Hits by Culture Club

Culture Club: Boy George (vocals); Roy Hay (guitar, keyboards); Mikey Craig (bass guitar); Jon Moss (drums). Recording information: 1982 - 2002. Led by the notoriously androgynous Boy George, Culture Club took the world by storm in the 1980s. Their mix of pop, soul, and reggae may not have been unprecedented, but it certainly was a refreshing break from the scads of soundalike New Wave bands cluttering up the airwaves. A singles band nonpareil, Culture Club is well served by GREATEST HITS, a concise culling of their career highlights. While they were certainly not without their festive moments (the lilting, calypso-tinged "I'll Tumble 4 Ya," the singalong sunniness of "Karma Chameleon"), George and his pals were at their best on the more melancholy, midtempo tunes ("Do You Really Want to Hurt Me;" "Time"), where the Boy really got a chance to burn his torch at both ends. Decades later, Culture Club's best moments still stand up a hell of a lot better than many of their contemporaries' records.