British 80s pop band featuring semi-
transvestite lead singer Boy George, as well as drummer Jon Moss, guitarist Roy Hay, and bassist Mikey Craig. Usually represented on
80s compilations by the
song "
Karma Chameleon," they did many other memorable songs, and at least their first two
albums hold up very well still.
The band was formed in 1981 in London and got a record contract with Virgin Records the following year. By the end of 1982 they'd had a British hit with "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" and the following year the song and the album Kissing To Be Clever were also huge in the U.S., with two more singles, "Time (Clock of the Heart)" and "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" from that album. In 1983, Colour By Numbers was released, from which came "Church of the Poison Mind," "Karma Chameleon," "Miss Me Blind," and "It's A Miracle."
Their third album, Waking Up With The House On Fire, came out in late 1984 and was not much of a hit in the U.S. though it did well in England. The band took about a year off before releasing From Luxury to Heartache in 1986. But Boy George and Jon Moss's romantic relationship was over and George was having drug problems -- these and the band's lack of success contributed to their breakup that year. They did come together again in 1998 for VH1 Storytellers and the 1999 album Don't Mind If I Do.