Oh Boy
I mentioned in this post that I used to work with a girl who knew Boy George in his pre-fame, Blitz Club days. One day she told me that this George bloke she knew had formed a band and put out their debut single called "White Boy" which I should buy because it was really good. I took her word for it and bought the 12" unheard mostly because, to be honest, I fancied this girl something rotten (she looked like Siobhan out of Bananarama — more on them soon) and would have gladly bought a Bay City Rollers record if she'd told me Les McKeown was a friend of hers if I thought it would get me in her good books — though I think it goes without saying that I got nowhere with her. "White Boy" wasn't a hit but because I had this record when Culture Club eventually appeared on TOTP with their first hit (and third single) "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" I was one of the few people in England who didn't think George was a girl.
I dug it out the other day during a spell of "I wonder what this sounds like now?" with some long-unplayed old records and it sounds pretty good with a similar white boy funk sound to "Chant No.1" which came out the year before. Far as I know this version has never been issued on CD.
Download: White Boy (12" version) - Culture Club (mp3)
(Photo: "Marilyn and Boy George outside their Carburton Street squat, London 1980" by Derek Ridgers)
4 Comments:
I had the 7" version on a tape, taped off the radio, Kid Jensen I think it was.
Hugely underrated as a singer, and I really miss the days when the likes of George and Adam Ant were pop stars. They were good times...
And you call me jammy for picking up an old Lotus Eaters LP!
I've got the 12" too and the follow up whatever it is (I'm Afraid Of Me?.) I met George summer 82, when he was working at The Foundry in Covent Garden selling the clothes that Culture Club eventually made famous ~ seemed a really nice bloke. I bought a load of the gear shirts, scarves but stopped wearing them when CC exploded. Last time I saw my Foundry gear my mum was washing my dad's car with it ~ ho hum
I was into them before they made it because I followed mags like The Face and ZigZag and was always looking to keep ahead musically,.I actually stood at a record shop with a friend and showed him one of the early singles (not sure which one) and I asked him if he fancied her, he fell for it hook line and sinker and said yes, he was not best pleased when I told him it was a bloke.
Like you I also still enjoy this stuff, it's a shame they went over the top popularity wise, because they had a good grove going in the early days.
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