Taking Sides: Wham! v. Culture Club

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Who did you prefer then, who do you prefer now?

I loather Wham! but thought CC had some good songs.

Now I reckon that CC were beyond lame once you got over the amazingness of their having an androgynous singer, while Wham! have more than no perky classics and do at least define an era.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 17:02 (twenty years ago)

Culture Club's got what, "Time (Clock of the Heart)" and the horn/clap intro to "I'll Tumble 4 Ya"? I guess "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" is OK.

Wham's got "Wham Rap," "Everything She Wants" and "Careless Whisper". The bad's bad, but arguably no worse than Culture Club's. So Wham, no contest.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 17:09 (twenty years ago)

Both classic. CC: "Time (Clock of the Heart)," "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" "Miss Me Blind," and the utter heartstopping genius of "Church of the Broken Mind" and "Karma Chameleon."

Wham!: "Wham! Rap," "Careless Whisper," "A Different Corner," "Everything She Wants," and the utter heartstopping genius of "Freedom."

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 17:25 (twenty years ago)

At the time, Wham's girliness threatened my masculinity so I was heterosexually obliged to hate them, while Boy George's drag was somehow theatrical enough to be acceptable (don't ask me, teenage boy psychology is weird). In retrospect, some classic singles each but I still give the edge to Culture Club because their best songs are just better.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 17:33 (twenty years ago)

jesus, culture club, this isn't even a contest.

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 17:34 (twenty years ago)

the utter heartstopping genius of "Church of the Broken Mind"

The first, and hopefully only, time these words have ever been uttered by anyone anywhere.

Also, "Karma Chameleon" is seriously one of the worst songs.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 17:42 (twenty years ago)

There's plenty of "Church of the Poison Mind" love – especially for that Stevie Wonder "Uptight" intro and harmonica.

The genius of "Karma Chameleon" is in the middle-eight: The wistfulness of Helen Terry and Boy George's harmonies on the "Every day is like survival/you're my lover, not my rival." And speaking of lines, it's one of the few songs whose lyrical brilliance I'll openly defend.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 18:13 (twenty years ago)

the harmonica on "Church" is pretty cool, but I don't remember there being much more to the song than that.

"Karma Chameleon" is just everything annoying about Culture Club for me (much like "Wake Me Up" with Wham).

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 18:15 (twenty years ago)

"The first, and hopefully only, time these words have ever been uttered by anyone anywhere."

Let me utter them too: the utter heartstopping genius of "Church of the Poison Mind". Culture Club win this hands down.

The outcome of George vs George: the solo careers would be very different though.

― LeRooLeRoo (Seb), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 18:51 (twenty years ago)

CC over Wham for sure. Thinking about George of Wham is much more complicated though. And thinking about the girliness of George versus the crazy unbridled masculinity of George is in particular pretty complicated for me astleast.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 21:03 (twenty years ago)

It's pretty much a draw between their biggest albums (Kissing To Be Clever vs. Make It Big) since both of those albums are BIG '80s pop classics, but if you take it down to their most embarrassing levels, Wham! squeaks by by having less cringeworthy ones (super-short shorts in the "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" video, "Wham! Rap") than did Culture Club (Boy George's crazy drug-addled interview ca. 1986 - 1987, "The War Song"). BUT THEN add to the pot the fact that Roy Hay (of Culture Club) guested on several tracks on the marvelous Passion In Dark Rooms LP by obscure New Romantics The Mood and... well... ARGH.

― This Field Left Blank (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 00:10 (twenty years ago)

I thought Colour By Number was CC's biggest album?

― LeRooLeRoo (Seb), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 00:39 (twenty years ago)

Wham! by about a million miles - Culture Club a really good 80's soul act, but Wham!'s singles were like events - "Wake Me Up" a magnificent explosio of summer joy, "Edge of Heaven" a really nice example of how you can mature in your style without getting boring, all the first album's silly boys-talk stuff utterly charming.

― Banana Nutrament (ghostface), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 00:44 (twenty years ago)

culture club were way better in theory than in practice. i never listen to them. wham! are fantastic.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 01:06 (twenty years ago)

I think "Church of the Poison Mind" is really good, too. That's my favorite CC song.

I don't have a favorite Wham song.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 02:09 (twenty years ago)

You fools, this is what it comes down to:

The Battle of the Faux Motown Hits

TS: "Church of the Poison Mind" vs "Freedom"

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 02:17 (twenty years ago)

Can we call "Town Called Malice" the winner, please?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 02:19 (twenty years ago)

I thought Colour By Number was CC's biggest album?

It may have been. I'll have to double-check on that.

OH! A plus on Wham!'s column -- "Last Christmas", i.e. one of the best Christmas songs ever recorded. Even my MOM loves it. She and I rarely agree on music period, let alone a Christmas song.

You guys are going to make me want to drag out my Make It Big cassette, BTW. Now that I'm driving a vehicle that has a cassette tape deck. I haven't worn out "Everything She Wants" in awhile. I think it's about time that I do.

― This Field Left Blank (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 02:21 (twenty years ago)

"Town Called Malice"! That song rules. So does "Church Of The Poison Mind". And "Freedom". Actually, "Freedom" is one of my guilty pleasures.

― This Field Left Blank (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 02:23 (twenty years ago)

I thought Colour By Number was CC's biggest album?

It is.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 03:32 (twenty years ago)

The Church of the Poisoned Mind is not a very good song.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 15:17 (twenty years ago)

Best ballad:
"Time (Clock of the Heart)" vs "Careless Whisper": CC wins by a nose.

Best uptempo soul:
"Church of the Poison Mind" vs "Freedom": Too close to call.

Best bubblegum:
"Karma Chameleon" vs "Go-Go": There's never been a song as joyous as the latter; Wham takes it.

Best self-pity:
"Victims" vs "Where Did Your Heart Go": CC, no contest.

Best family affair:
"Black Money" vs "Everything She Wants": Wham's most decisive victory.

I've gotta call this one a draw.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 19:06 (twenty years ago)

Surely self-pity should be "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?"

Which would still be Culture Club, no contest.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 19:17 (twenty years ago)

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