Login
Login

Cheapness and Beauty

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Cheapness and Beauty

| type = studio album

| artist = Boy George

| cover = Cheapness and Beauty.jpg

| border = yes

| alt =

| released = 29 August 1995

| recorded = 1993–95

| venue =

| studio = Sarm Hook End Studios

| genre = Rock

| length = 50:20

| label = Virgin

| producer = Jessica Corcoran,
John Themis (5, 6 & 13)

| prev_title = The Martyr Mantras

| prev_year = 1990

| next_title = The Unrecoupable One Man Bandit

| next_year = 1999

}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/cheapness--beauty-r220369 |title=Cheapness & Beauty – Boy George | AllMusic |first=William |last=Ruhlmann |publisher=AllMusic |accessdate=13 December 2011}}

| rev2 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev2score = A−{{Cite magazine |last=Browne |first=David |date=1995-09-08 |title=Music Review: 'Cheapness & Beauty' |url=http://ew.com/article/1995/09/08/music-review-cheapness-beauty/ |magazine=EW.com |language=en-US}}

| rev3 = NME

| rev3score = 6/10{{cite magazine|first=Sylvia|last=Patterson|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/53474350626/|title=Long Play|work=NME|date=3 June 1995|page=49|access-date=20 January 2024}}

| rev4 = Spin

| rev4score = 5/10{{Cite magazine |last=LLC |first=SPIN Media |date=October 1995 |title=Records |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rV8XFH6DQVcC&pg=PA117 |magazine=Spin |language=en |publisher=SPIN Media LLC |page=117}}

| rev5 = Vibe

| rev5score = (favorable){{Cite magazine |last=Group |first=Vibe Media |date=September 1995 |title=Boy George |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aywEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA176 |magazine=Vibe |language=en |publisher=Vibe Media Group |page=176 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

| rev6 = The Village Voice

| rev6score = {{rating-Christgau|cut}}{{Cite magazine |last=Christgau |first=Robert |date=1996-02-20 |title=Robert Christgau: Consumer Guide Feb. 20, 1996 |url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv296-96.php |magazine=The Village Voice}}

}}

Cheapness and Beauty is the fifth studio album by English singer and songwriter Boy George, released in 1995. It peaked at number 44 on the UK Albums Chart.

Background

Having scored his biggest solo success in the US and Canada with the theme song for the movie The Crying Game in 1992, George decided to move away from an electronic sound and record some rock-oriented tracks with a glam-rock edge. One of the reasons he cited for this move was revisiting his teenage years while writing his autobiography, Take It Like a Man, which was released around the same time as the album.Boy George with Spencer Bright (1995), Take It Like A Man, London, Sidgwick & Jackson The album also marked the first time in which George didn't hide his gay sexuality in the lyrics. The tracks "Genocide Peroxide" and "Il Adore" were both later featured in the musical Taboo.

Singles

The album opens with a cover version of Iggy Pop's "Funtime", which was released as a single and reached number 45 in the UK Singles Chart. Another single was the ballad "Il Adore" which peaked at number 50, and "Same Thing in Reverse", which reached number 56 in the UK and number 28 on the US Billboard Dance Charts.

Track listing

All tracks composed by George O'Dowd (Boy George) and John Themis; except where indicated

  1. "Funtime" – 3:05 (Iggy Pop, David Bowie)
  2. "Satan's Butterfly Ball" – 3:03
  3. "Sad" – 3:52
  4. "God Don't Hold a Grudge" – 2:49
  5. "Genocide Peroxide" – 3:44
  6. "If I Could Fly" – 4:04
  7. "Same Thing in Reverse" – 3:33
  8. "Cheapness and Beauty" – 3:59
  9. "Evil Is So Civilised" – 3:32
  10. "Your Love Is What I Am" – 4:12
  11. "Blindman" – 4:42
  12. "Unfinished Business" – 3:33
  13. "Il Adore" – 6:12

Personnel

  • Boy George – lead vocals
  • John Themis – guitar, vocals and musical director
  • Winston Blisset – bass guitar
  • Tansay Ibrahim – drums
  • Mike Timothy – keyboards
  • Lady Zee, Linda Duggan, Stefan Frank – other vocals
  • Luís Jardim – ethnic percussion on track 11
  • Hossam Ramzy – mandolin
  • Martin Bell – extra drums
  • Uli Webber – cover picture
  • Jessica Corcoran – production
  • John Themis – production on tracks 5, 6 and 13

Charts

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable"

!Chart (1995)

!Peak
position

Australian Albums (ARIA){{cite web|url=https://imgur.com/a/c6zVbmR | title=Boy George ARIA chart history received from ARIA in May 2024|publisher=ARIA|via=Imgur.com|access-date=19 July 2024}} N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.

| style="text-align:center;"| 115

UK Albums Chart{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/24000/boy-george/|title=Boy George - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company|publisher=|accessdate=26 April 2017}}

| style="text-align:center;"|44

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r220369|pure_url=yes}} Review at AllMusic]

{{Boy George}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1995 albums

Category:Boy George albums

Category:Virgin Records albums