Culture Club - VH1 Storytellers/Greatest Moments

remakk1

If you have a Love for 80's pop music. This double cd is a must have for your collection. Boy George and Culture Club sound absolutely great. They really come to life in this "Live" medly of their staple tunes. September 28, 2008

Live disc is incredible - great music AND great musicians

Like any person who grew up in the 80s watching Mtv, I was well aware of Culture Club. Boy George's open transvestitism shocked plenty in those days, but even that couldn't overshadow the popularity of their hits: Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, Church of the Poison Mind, Karma Chameleon, etc. Still, while I didn't dislike Culture Club, I never really got into them either. All of that changed when I caught their "StoryTellers" performance on Vh-1.

The live recording is amazing. The band is incredibly tight, the sound is deep, and each of the individual instruments sound great and are mixed very well. It sounds pristine on my stereo. Yet make no mistake: Culture Club is a band, not merely Boy George surrounded by some back-up group. Granted they were never one of those "musician's musicians" bands like Rush, Yes, or Joe Satriani, but I think other musicians would be surprised with what Culture Club has to offer. Nevermind the fact that the songs in and of themselves are great -- these guys play incredibly well too.

Speaking as a bass player myself, I've got to say that Mikey Craig has to be one of the most underrated players out there. His lines are complex yet nicely weave into every song he plays. In fact, I'd say that his bass playing alone was my main drive for buying this CD set! "Miss Me Blind", with its locked-in rhythm section, was the one that first particularly caught my ear. Also, as one would guess from the format of VH-1's "StoryTellers" show, the live disc has the band answering some questions and sharing personal anecdotes about some of the songs.

Of course, if you want to hear the hits in their original studio format, they're here too. The studio disc doesn't match the live set list song for song, but in and of itself it serves as a nice "Best of" compilation. I can think of maybe one song from the radio and Mtv that desn't appear on either disc, but overall I can't complain. Whether you're a casual fan looking to buy one compilation, a die-hard fan wanting to hear the reunion, or a musician looking for some unexpected pleasures, I think there's a little something on this release for everybody.

September 8, 2005

nicely surprised

i was really surprised when i listened to this cd for the first time , me , like probably most of the people that were on their teens when culture club came out ,was more impressed by o'down's style than culture club's music , being this always a distraction from their musical quality .however , many years after the boy-mania , their music takes the main stage in my interest , and is very true that if you wanna know how good a band really is , you have to listen to them live , and this cd is proof that they're no only great musicians , but george is also a great singer ( a lot of people used to think they were just the result of studio tricks )some songs seem to have had added to a little reggae to them , others a little funk , that makes great versions even when these detais are most of the time almost imperceptibles .this cd and the release of "don't mind if i do" proves that the quality of this band can overcome not only time , but their success based only on boy george's looks .you also get a second cd that maybe better and more complete than most of the hits copilations out there , and for real fans i strongly recomend their box set of 4 cds with demos and never before released songs, it may seem a little pricey but it's worth every penny . January 17, 2004

Culture Shock

Throughout the early 80's, Culture Club ruled the charts with their catchy music and energy. This is one of the many greatest hits albums ever released.

The only difference in this collection, is that the band actually reuniteed on VH1 Storytellers in mid '98. The full storytellers performance is featured in this collection, including songs that weren't even on the show.

Also, another collection of greatest hits is also here. Songs like Church of The Poison Mind, and It's A Miracle, still keeps listeners interested in their music. Although Boy George might not be the chameleon he used to be, his charm still bites up new listeners. December 28, 2001

Time of my life

I was 15 when Boy George and his (her?) group were singing "Do you really want to hurt me?" in my parties; I learn to kiss while dancing with "Victims"; "Karma Chamaleon" accompanied me and my friends on our summer holidays ... I learned that nothing lasts forever when the group broke up in 1986. What can I say ? Melancholy for the live CD (however a great live performance),more melancholy for the studio CD.

If you were a teenager in the 80's buy it: it's nice to remember those good (at last for me) times. July 12, 2001

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