Boy George - Tense Nervous Headache (1988)

The history of Boy George's second solo album is somewhat confusing and frustrating for fans/collectors. Tense Nervous Headache was released as the follow-up to his brilliant solo debut, Sold, and was released in Japan, England, and parts of Europe. For some reason, Boy George was not happy with the outcome of this album, as he said that the album was over-produced and did not achieve what he wanted. So, he decided to "fix it" before releasing it in North America, where it became known as High Hat, with a different track listing and a slightly different sleeve design. Some of the tracks were remixed by Bobby Z. Still not entirely happy with the finished product, Boy George and Virgin went back in the studio, changed tracks, added several others, altered the sleeve yet again, and produced the album Boyfriend for the European market. The CD version of High Hat became the "official" version released worldwide; however, Europe was treated to this CD (and Japan, where an additional track,"No Clause 28," was added), which has several additional songs compared to the original vinyl. So, after all that work, what about the music? Sadly, this album was not worth the effort. It is muddled, poorly recorded, and rather drab dance music that's missing the soul and excitement of his debut effort. The songs are over-produced and his voice gets lost in the mix. Boy George has one of the most distinctive voices in pop music, and here it merely blends into the rest of the music. There are some highlights, including his great rendition of "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted," and the opening tracks, "Don't Cry" and "You Are My Heroin," briefly revisit the glories ofSold. "You Are My Heroin" was especially cheeky given his problems with that particular drug. Overall, a disappointing sophomore effort.