I am surprised this album is getting such rave reviews. To me, it is a big disappointing follow-up to the brilliant Colour By Numbers. Even Boy George in his autobiography Take It Like a Man admits it is "the most disjointed album we ever made" (pg. 249). The only real hit off the album was "The War Song" which I think many found to be more humorous than good and was promoted by a big production music video. "War, war is stupid and people are stupid"? It's probably worth it just for those patronizing lyrics alone! "The Medal Song" was the second single about the 1940s actress Frances Farmer who was accused of being a Communist, shut away by her mother and given a lobotomy. Boy George wrote it after watching the film Frances (pg. 255). It is a very disjointed track to the point of annoying. "Mistake No. 3" (the third single) is a nice ballad but unremarkable. Next to "Victims," it is very ordinary. The rest of the album goes every which way in terms of styles, some even sounding like show tunes (i.e. "Crime Time"). My favorite is "The Dive," which is rather catchy. Still, it is a far cry from Colour By Numbers which had 5 very recognizable singles and was 80s pop at its best from start to finish. If you want to complete your Culture Club collection, this is definitely the best version of Waking Up with the House on Fire because of all the extra tracks, my favorite of which is "Love Is Love" off the Electric Dreams soundtrack. Casual Culture Club fans will probably be disappointed in this album.

When Culture Club released their third album, following the worldwide success of "Colour By Numbers", one got the distinct feeling that regardless of what they came up with, a downfall was inevitable. The band had been praised for its imaginative and soulful music, as well as for Boy George's original stage persona; and they had scored seven consecutive top ten hit singles in the U.S., shattered records of attendance at their concerts, and made headlines more often than many political leaders. In one word, the band suffered from overexposure.

"Waking Up With The House On Fire" wasn't the artistic debacle that many people have said it was. It was by no means as good as "Colour By Numbers"; it lacked the soulfulness and honesty of songs like "Black Money" or "Changing everyday", and it cruelly suffered from a lack of in-your-face hit singles such as "It's A Miracle" and "Karma Chameleon". Still, listening to it again on this remastered edition, free from the expectations that surrounded its initial release in the fall of 1984, the listener might appreciate the album for all it's worth. It came out, it wasn't as good as "Colour By Numbers", and it flopped disastrously on the charts. Maybe now's the time to take an attentive listen to this underrated gem, because its qualities are still obvious after all these years.

For starters, Culture Club's knack for warm, breezy pop confections was intact. Songs like "Unfortunate Thing", "The Dive" and "Mannequin" have that carefree attitude that makes them irresistible. "The Medal Song" was a sweet and underrated song that should have been the debut single, with an instantly memorable melody and a refreshing honesty that some of the album's songs lacked. And "Mistake No. 3", in spite of the fact that it failed to ignite on the charts, might be the deepest, most meaningful ballad ever written by the band. Boy George's voice was still as expressive as ever, and the band' ecclectic musical approach was intact.

Of course, everything was not perfect. A song like "Crime Time" (with its meaningless lyrics and unconvincing retro arrangements) was obviously filler, and the opening track ("Dangerous Man") had sharp and witty lyrics matched with a poor melody and bland arrangements. A song like "Hello Goodbye" meant litterally NOTHING and even got annoying after a while. And "The War Song", which failed as a debut single and dragged the album on the wrong side of the charts, was a nice sentiment (and a catchy track) that ultimately sounds more like a novelty tune than an actual composition. It's ironic that this remastered edition's bonus tracks are more interesting - "The Dream" and "Love Is Love", both from the ill-fated "Electric Dreams" movie, are among Culture Club's finest moments, especially the latter which found the band at the peak of its soulfulness.

All in all, this album wasn't the impeccable follow-up that "Colour By Numbers" deserved, but it's really not the debacle that pop music historians have made it to be either. In all fairness, it was a good pop album, wonderful in its diversity and a worthy successor nonetheless. To quote "The Medal Song" : "life would never be the same as it was again" for the band and its charismatic leader, indeed. But there's still no reason why you shouldn't enjoy this album.

Despite all the negative reviews, Waking Up is strangely a very listenable album, which grows on you with each repeated listening. Sure, it doesn't have the instant recognisable hits from previous albums, and many other tracks here, though catchy, seem somewhat lacklustre. You know, it's impossible to top Colour By Numbers and there are bound to be comparisons. I really love the inclusion of Love Is Love and The Dream, two of the most beautiful ballads Culture Club has ever recorded. Don't be put off by what you hear or read, this is an album worth keeping in your 80's and Culture Club collection.

The album is most notable for its hard-hitting "War" and the poetic "Mistake #3". These two singular songs stand as a testament to the writing skills and vocal talent of O'Dowd and company.

Unfortunately, the remainder of the release was typical of the period, having significance only to those of us that were around during the decade. However, the album, as a whole, was much better than the group's next effort, the mediocre "From Luxury to Heartache".

An apt title, if nothing else. "Waking Up With the House On Fire" is the sound of four young musicians who, amidst in-fighting, drug addiction and lavish extravagance, suddenly came out of their collective fog long enough to realise "hey...we've got an album to deliver!" They were obviously not prepared. While not totally without merit, this collection lacks the emotional and lyrical depth, as well as the memorable hooks and melodies, of their previous offering "Colour By Numbers." A few songs stand out: "Mistake No. 3" is a nice ballad despite its sometimes overwrought vocals, and has a nice solo in the bridge using what sounds like the guitar synthesiser Roy Hay is credited in the liner notes as playing. "Crime Time" is a hopping, swing- influenced number with a soulful vocal turn by the always on spot Helen Terry. "The Dive" goes in several interesting musical directions - from rock to pop to Caribbean in the chorus, and features some fine bass playing by Mikey Craig. Two bonus tracks culled from the soundtrack to the film "Electric Dreams" are tacked to the end, and should have been included in the regular release. "Love Is Love" and "The Dream" are both stronger musically than just about anything on "Waking Up..." The dud tracks ( and there are quite a few ) are marred by desperately silly lyrics ( "The War Song" ), underdeveloped songwriting ( the grating, seemingly endless "Hello Goodbye" ), or just bad performance. Many of these songs have an unfortunate stamp of age on them which comes from over-reliance on pre-set synth sounds and incredibly stiff programming. "Waking Up With the House On Fire" is for the most part uninspired and very simply lazy - a toss off. Non-essential for casual fans, and probably more than just a little maddening and disappointing for Culture Club lovers. However I still play a few of the songs on occasion, and in its defense must add it is much better than the dire album that followed it, "From Luxury to Heartache."