From Luxury to Heartache
Encyclopedia
From Luxury to Heartache is the fourth album by New Wave
band Culture Club
, released in 1986.
-flavoured pop of their previous releases into dance-oriented music. Veteran pop and R&B producer Arif Mardin
, replaced Steve Levine
, in a bid to revitalise the band's sound. Due to lead singer Boy George
's growing addiction to drugs
, recordings dragged on for so long that Mardin had to disband the sessions and leave it up to engineer Lew Hahn to record the final vocals. Songs like "Gusto Blusto" and "Reasons" took days for the addicted singer to finish.
Following the release of the album, rumours of George's heroin addiction began to circulate in the tabloids, and by the summer of 1986, he announced that he was indeed addicted to drugs. In July, he was arrested by the British police for possession of cannabis
. Several days later, keyboardist Michael Rudetsky, who played on the album and had co-written "Sexuality" with George, was found dead of a heroin overdose in George's home.
Despite selling a little less than a million records worldwide and chart success with the opening track "Move Away
", Boy George decided for a solo career within a year of the album's release. "God Thank You Woman" was the second single in UK but only reached #31 in the chart while in the US "Gusto Blusto" was chosen, but didn't chart. A third UK single, "Come Clean"/"Heaven's Children" was planned to be released in July, but was cancelled. The band reformed in 1990 and in 1998.
"From Luxury to Heartache" was never issued on CD in the United States.
Side One
Side Two
CD bonus tracks
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band Culture Club
Culture Club
Culture Club are a British rock band who were part of the 1980s New Romantic movement. The original band consisted of Boy George , Mikey Craig , Roy Hay and Jon Moss...
, released in 1986.
Overview
From Luxury to Heartache was a deliberate departure for Culture Club, a move away from the reggaeReggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
-flavoured pop of their previous releases into dance-oriented music. Veteran pop and R&B producer Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco, and country...
, replaced Steve Levine
Steve Levine
Steve Levine is a British record producer, most famous for his work on Culture Club's studio albums.Levine also has produced work for John Howard, China Crisis, Motorhead, Ziggy Marley, Westworld, The Beach Boys, and Gary Moore....
, in a bid to revitalise the band's sound. Due to lead singer Boy George
Boy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
's growing addiction to drugs
DRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
, recordings dragged on for so long that Mardin had to disband the sessions and leave it up to engineer Lew Hahn to record the final vocals. Songs like "Gusto Blusto" and "Reasons" took days for the addicted singer to finish.
Following the release of the album, rumours of George's heroin addiction began to circulate in the tabloids, and by the summer of 1986, he announced that he was indeed addicted to drugs. In July, he was arrested by the British police for possession of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
. Several days later, keyboardist Michael Rudetsky, who played on the album and had co-written "Sexuality" with George, was found dead of a heroin overdose in George's home.
Despite selling a little less than a million records worldwide and chart success with the opening track "Move Away
Move Away
"Move Away" is the first single from Culture Club's fourth album, 1986 From Luxury to Heartache. The song became the group's eighth top-ten hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number seven...
", Boy George decided for a solo career within a year of the album's release. "God Thank You Woman" was the second single in UK but only reached #31 in the chart while in the US "Gusto Blusto" was chosen, but didn't chart. A third UK single, "Come Clean"/"Heaven's Children" was planned to be released in July, but was cancelled. The band reformed in 1990 and in 1998.
"From Luxury to Heartache" was never issued on CD in the United States.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Culture ClubSide One
- "Move AwayMove Away"Move Away" is the first single from Culture Club's fourth album, 1986 From Luxury to Heartache. The song became the group's eighth top-ten hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number seven...
" – 4:21 - "I Pray" – 4:00
- "Work on Me Baby" – 4:06
- "Gusto Blusto" – 4:40
- "Heaven's Children" – 4:44
Side Two
- "God Thank You Woman" – 4:14
- "Reasons" – 4:35
- "Too Bad" – 4:36
- "Come Clean" – 3:20
- "Sexuality" – 5:28
CD bonus tracks
- "Move Away" (Extended) – 7:25
- "God Thank You Woman" (Extended) – 7:03
- "Sexuality" (Extended) – 10:34
Personnel
- Boy GeorgeBoy GeorgeBoy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Mikey CraigMikey CraigMikey Craig is a former DJ who became the bassist with Culture Club, one of the most popular bands of the 1980s.-Personal life:...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Roy Hay – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, electric sitarElectric sitarAn electric sitar is a kind of electric guitar designed to mimic the sound of the traditional Indian instrument, the sitar. Depending on the manufacturer and model, these instruments bear varying degrees of resemblance to the traditional sitar... - Jon MossJon MossJon Moss is an English drummer best known as a member of the 1980s pop group Culture Club. He has also played with other bands, including London, The Nips and The Damned.-Early life:...
– percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Additional musicians
- Michael Rudetsky – keyboards
- Phil Pickett – keyboards, background vocals
- Lewis Hahn – Recorder
- Helen TerryHelen TerryHelen Terry is a British singer, known for her backing vocal work with Culture Club. As a solo performer, she scored a Top 40 hit single in 1984 with "Love Lies Lost", and released one album in 1986, Blue Notes....
– backing vocals - Jocelyn Brown – backing vocals
- David LasleyDavid LasleyDavid Lasley is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his contributions as a background singer for such artists as Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor and Luther Vandross....
– backing vocals - Wendell Morrison – backing vocals
- Ruby TurnerRuby TurnerRuby Turner is a British R&B and soul singer, songwriter and actress. In 1967, she relocated with her family to Handsworth, Birmingham, England when she was nine years old...
– backing vocals
Production
- Arif Mardin – Producer
- Lewis Hahn – Producer, mixing
- George Marino – Mastering
- Jon Moss – Digital mixing
- Michael O'Reilly – Engineer
- Martin Pearson – Engineer
- David Richards – Engineer
- Tony Gordon – Management
Album
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
10 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
32 |
Singles
| Single | Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "Move Away" | UK Singles Chart | 7 |
| "Move Away" | U.S. Adult Contemporary | 11 |
| "Move Away" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 12 |
| "Move Away" | U.S. Hot Dance Club Play | 4 |
| "Move Away" | U.S. R&B Chart | 87 |
| "God Thank You Woman" | UK Singles Chart | 31 |
Release details
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
| 1986 | Virgin Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny... |
CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
E-40345 | |
| LP | 2380 | |||
| 1998 | Virgin Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny... |
CD | 86704 |