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Culture Club's catchy, if disposable and
lightweight, pop music is given another lease on life with each
compilation that is released. Greatest Hits is the latest
following the recent 4-CD career-spanning box set (how much Culture
Club music was there that warranted four discs?). Hard to imagine
if their tropical and reggae-stilted pop would ever garner such
airplay these days, but the group's timing around MTV's gestation
period couldn't have been more fortuitous. If anything, the group's
secret weapon was Boy George, certainly the eye candy for the
kids who were fascinated (and the conservative adults outraged)
by his flamboyance and attire. Still, the group recorded some
infectious pop music, even some outstanding ones: the brilliant
if underrated "Time (Clock of My Heart"), the signature
classic "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," the silly
but likeable "Karma Chameleon," and "Miss Me Blind,"
a rare rocker in disguise. It kind of went downhill after "Move
Away," and Culture Club were nothing more than a trivia
questions for the rest of '80s. There are some recent songs here
from their reunion dating back to the late '90s, including "I
Just Wanna Be Loved," but they don't measure up to the early
singles, all of them are guilty pleasures. For lovers of '80s
music, this greatest hits collection is required. Baggy clothes,
braided locks, and make up are optional.
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