From Luxury to Heartache

From Luxury to Heartache
Studio album by Culture Club
Released 30 March 1986
Recorded 1985-1986 at Mountain Studios, Montreux and Atlantic Studios, NYC[1]
Genre New wave
Length 44:04
Label Virgin (UK)
Epic (US)
Producer Arif Mardin, Lew Hahn
Culture Club chronology
Waking Up with the House on Fire
(1984)Waking Up with the House on Fire1984		 From Luxury to Heartache
(1986)		 Don't Mind If I Do
(1999)Don't Mind If I Do1999
Singles from From Luxury to Heartache
  1. "Move Away"
    Released: March 1986
  2. "God Thank You Woman"
    Released: May 1986 (UK, Europe, Japan, Australia)
  3. "Gusto Blusto"
    Released: August 1986 (US, Canada)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Smash Hits[2]
Robert Christgau(C) link
Allmusic link

From Luxury to Heartache is the fourth album by the British new wave band Culture Club, released in 1986.

Overview

From Luxury to Heartache was produced by veteran pop and R&B producer Arif Mardin, who 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. The final credit on the album gave production credit to both Mardin and Hahn on all tracks. 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 press and in British and US tabloids, and by the summer of 1986, he announced that he was indeed addicted to drugs. In July, he was arrested for possession of cannabis.[3] Several days later, keyboardist Michael Rudetsky, who played on the album and had co-written "Sexuality"[4] with George, was found dead from a heroin overdose[5] in George's home.[6]

Despite the lead single "Move Away" becoming a hit, the album sold far less than their previous albums. It sold only 1 million copies wordwide on its 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 failed to chart. A third UK single, "Come Clean"/"Heaven's Children" was planned to be released in July 1986, but was cancelled. Within a year of the album's release, the band broke up and Boy George embarked on a solo career, making this the last Culture Club album until 1999.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Move Away"George O'Dowd, Jon Moss, Michael Craig, Roy Hay, Phil Pickett4:21
2."I Pray"O'Dowd, Moss, Craig, Hay, Pickett4:00
3."Work on Me Baby"O'Dowd, Moss, Craig, Hay4:06
4."Gusto Blusto"O'Dowd, Moss, Craig, Hay, Pickett4:40
5."Heaven's Children"O'Dowd, Moss, Craig, Hay, Pickett4:44
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."God Thank You Woman"O'Dowd, Moss, Craig, Hay, Pickett4:14
7."Reasons"O'Dowd, Moss, Craig, Hay, Pickett4:35
8."Too Bad"O'Dowd, Moss, Craig, Hay, Pickett4:36
9."Come Clean"O'Dowd, Moss, Craig, Hay, Pickett3:20
10."Sexuality"O'Dowd, Moss, Craig, Hay, Michael Rudetsky5:28

CD bonus tracks:

  1. "Move Away" (Extended) – 7:25
  2. "God Thank You Woman" (Extended) – 7:03
  3. "Sexuality" (Extended) – 10:34

Personnel

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Album

Chart (1986) Peak
position[7]
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[8] 34
Dutch Albums Chart 28
German Albums Chart 45
Italian Albums Chart[9] 14
Japanese Albums Chart 13
New Zealand Albums Chart 44
Norwegian Albums Chart 18
Spanish Albums Chart[10] 30
Swedish Albums Chart 13
Swiss Albums Chart 24
UK Albums Chart 10
U.S. Billboard 200 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 CD E-40345
LP 2380
1998 Virgin CD 86704

References

  1. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Culture-Club-From-Luxury-To-Heartache/release/1799717
  2. ↑ "Hibbert, Tom (27 March 1986). "Album Reviews". Smash Hits. Vol. 8 no. 7. EMAP Metro. p. 56.
  3. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4321642.stm
  4. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Culture-Club-From-Luxury-To-Heartache/release/970158
  5. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4321642.stm
  6. ↑ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-08-07/news/8602260755_1_kevin-o-dowd-george-o-dowd-drug-related-death
  7. ↑ http://swisscharts.com/album/Culture-Club/From-Luxury-To-Heartache-387
  8. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 March 2012
  9. ↑ http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/hp_yenda/lpe1986.htm
  10. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
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