I was certainly aware of Culture Club back in 1983. The singles ‘Karma Chameleon,’ ‘It’s a Miracle,’ and ‘Miss You Blind’ were hard to escape, and the previous year’s hits ‘I’ll Tumble 4 Ya’ and ‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me’ were still kicking around.

But I never owned or listened to Colour By Numbers, the album on which those first three songs appeared. This album spent six weeks at #2 on the U.S. albums chart, behind (you guessed it) Michael Jackson’s Thriller. And, having listened to it for the first time this week, I have to say it definitely slaps.

A frothy mix of New Wave, reggae and blue-eyed soul, this collection is upbeat and hook-heavy and every single song lands. It’s the rare case where the singles don’t stand out but fit seamlessly into the overall style and sound of the album.

Another great element: the backing vocals of Helen Terry, who brings soulful texture to several of these tracks, including today’s SOTD.

Colour By Numbers sold 10 million copies worldwide, and it would prove to be the band’s creative and commercial peak. A follow-up album a year later fell flat, and then Boy George fell into a crippling drug addiction. The band released one more record before splitting up.

They reunited 13 years later, put out another lackluster release, then split again for nearly 20 years before releasing another largely forgotten album in 2018.

Set all that aside, though, and give some props to one of the most distinctive bands, and one of the best albums, of 1983.