U Can Never B2 Straight

Infobox Album
Name = U Can Never B2 Straight
Type = studio
Longtype = with live tracks
Artist = Boy George


Released = 2002
Recorded = 1995, 2002 (Bow Down Mister: 1991)
Genre = acoustic ballad, country music
Length = 67:39
Label = Virgin Records
Producer = Kevan Frost, Boy George, John Themis, Jessica Corcoran, Bruce Forest
Reviews =
Last album = The Unrecoupable One Man Bandit
This album = U Can Never B 2 Straight
Next album = Straight (EP)

U Can Never B2 Straight is a 2002 acoustic album by 80's pop superstar Boy George. The album includes acoustic songs from George's London play "Taboo", as well as other songs from other solo albums, such as "Cheapness and Beauty". In total there are 16 songs (15 plus 1 ghost track, of which 8--exactly half--are previously unreleased), and each are dedicated either to someone in particular (most of them) or in general, in the booklet credits. Three songs are dedicated to important ex-boyfriend Michael Dunne ("If I Could Fly", "Losing Control" and "The Deal"), whereas "Unfinished Business" is for Kirk Brandon (who took George to court for this song, but lost).

Boy George has received fantastic reviews for the album. It is his best received record but the lowest selling of his career. The hidden track "Out Of Fashion" was taken out as a single in a remixed form as a collaboration with dance duo Hi-Gate; a version of the song is also featured on the "Taboo" musical soundtrack. Another track which was released as video-only was the opener "Ich Bin Kunst", a song dealing with performance artist Leigh Bowery, a great friend of Boy George's, now dead, whose character George took on in his musical, instead of playing himself.

An example of the fantastics reviews can be found on allmusic.com, where it got 4.5 stars out of 5.

The album also includes all the acoustic ballads originally on "Cheapness and Beauty", including the single "Il Adore", as well as another single from that album, "Same Thing In Reverse", in an acoustic version which is different from the dance remix which reached the highest position on Billboard Dance Chart in the U.S.A.. "Same Thing In Reverse" is dedicated in the booklet credits to 'Eminem and all scared, pretty homosexuals'... The song "Julian", one of the new songs, is also featured on the next EP "Straight", sold together with Boy's new book of the same name, in 2005.

Finally, U Can Never B2 Straight also contains the following three tracks: "She Was Never He", taken from the 1999 fan-requested compilation "The Unrecoupable One Man Bandit"; "Fat Cat", originally on Culture Club's reunion album called "Don't Mind If I Do" and released in 1999; and the popular Krishna-inspired "Bow Down Mister", which gave the artist one of his last UK chart success after splitting from the band.

Track listing

#"Ich Bin Kunst" (2002) (song from the musical Taboo) - 2:38 (Boy George/Kevan Frost)
#"St. Christopher" (2002) (new song) - 3:46 (Boy George/Kevan Frost)
#"She Was Never He" (1996) (unreleased mixed version) - 3:33 (Boy George/John Themis)
#"Cheapness & Beauty" (1995) (acoustic version taken from the "Il Adore" single) - 3:47 (Boy George/John Themis)
#"Fat Cat" (1999) (acoustic version) - 3:24 (Boy George/Emily Themis)
#"If I Could Fly" (1995) (taken from "Cheapness and Beauty") - 4:08 (Boy George/John Themis)
#"Unfinished Business" (1995) (taken from "Cheapness and Beauty") - 3:36 (Boy George/John Themis)
#"Julian" (2002) (new song) - 3:39 (Boy George/Kevan Frost)
#"Wrong" (2002) (new song originally in "Taboo") - 4:07 (Boy George/Kevan Frost)
#"Letter To A School Friend" (1996) (unreleased)- 3:49 (Boy George/John Themis)
#"The Deal" (2002) (old live favourite often sung around 1991 to 1993) - 4:41 (Boy George/John Themis)
#"Losing Control" (1992-2002) (unreleased version adapted from a 1992 Jesus Loves You country demo) - 3:15 (Boy George/John Themis)
#"Same Thing In Reverse" (1995) (from "Cheapness and Beauty", even if an acoustic version is found on the Japanese version of that album) - 3:35 (Boy George/John Themis)
#"Il Adore" (1995) (from "Cheapness and Beauty") - 6:14 (Boy George/John Themis)
#"Bow Down Mister" (1991) (from Jesus Loves You's "The Martyr Mantras") (Bruce Forest)(16.) [hidden track] "Out Of Fashion" (2002) (acoustic version of a song from "Taboo") - songs n° 15 & 16 (actually only one song, that is n° 15 - the next starts, after a long silent period, within that same track number) totally last 13:27

Credits

Ich Bin Kunst

dedicated to Leigh Bowery, Nicola and Christine Bateman
*Boy George: co-production
*Kevan Frost: keyboards, drum programming & brass arrangements; mix at "Frosty Bros. Studio" (Kev's flat); co-production
*Ben Castle: saxophone & brass arrangements
*Raul D'Olivera: trumpet
*Mike Innes: trombone

t. Christopher

dedicated to Chris Manning
*Boy George: co-production
*Kevan Frost: backing vocals, acoustic guitar & brass arrangements; mix at "Frosty Bros. Studio" (Kev's flat); co-production
*Ben Castle: saxophone & brass arrangements
*Raul D'Olivera: trumpet
*Mike Innes: trombone
*Sharleen Hector: backing vocals

he Was Never He

dedicated to Natasha and Jody
*Boy George: co-production
*John Themis: guitars, backing vocals, co-production; mix at "Mayfair Studios"
*Kevan Frost: backing vocals
*Alan Branch: engineer

Cheapness & Beauty

dedicated to all tattooed car thieves
*Jessica Corcoran: production
*John Themis: guitars, backing vocals, strip & remix
*Zee Asha: backing vocals
*Alan Branch: engineer

Fat Cat

dedicated to all sexually confused straight boys?
*John Themis: guitars, production; mix at home
*Emily Themis, Katherine Themis: backing vocals

If I Could Fly

dedicated to Michael Dunne
*Jessica Corcoran: production
*John Themis: guitars & string arrangements; mix at "Abbey Road Studios"
*Nick Ingman: string arrangements
*London Chamber Orchestra: strings

Unfinished Business

dedicated to Kirk Brandon
*Jessica Corcoran: production & mix
*John Themis: guitars, string arrangements & mix

Julian

dedicated to Julian of course
*Boy George: co-production
*Kevan Frost: acoustic guitar, backing vocals and co-production; mix at "Frosty Bros. Studio" (Kev's flat)

Wrong

dedicated to Luke and all dreamers
*Boy George: co-production
*Kevan Frost: acoustic guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals and co-production; mix at "Frosty Bros. Studio" (Kev's flat)
*Pete Adams: piano & Hammond
*Liz Chi: Chinese violin "edu" solo
*Joel Pott, Sharleen Hector, John Gibbons: backing vocals

Letter To A School Friend

dedicated to Miss Carter and Michael Crome
*John Themis: guitars, production; mix at "Mayfair Studios"
*Zee Asha, Linda Duggan, Mary Pearse: backing vocals
*Richie Stevens: drums
*Winston Blisset: bass
*Peter Adams: keyboards
*Alan Branch: engineer

The Deal

dedicated to Michael Dunne
*Boy George: co-production
*Kevan Frost: acoustic guitar, keyboards, backing vocals and co-production; mix at "Frosty Bros. Studio" (Kev's flat)
*Liz Chi: violins & violin solo
*Sarah Chi: violinsSharleen Hector, John Gibbons: backing vocals

Losing Control

dedicated to Michael Dunne
*John Themis: guitars, keyboards, bass, backing vocals, production & mix
*Sugar Hajishakalli: bouzouki
*Andy Kyriacou: drums
*Jimmy "Mixologist" Sarikas: engineer

ame Thing In Reverse

dedicated to Eminem and all scared, pretty homosexuals
*John Themis: guitars, backing vocals
*Zee Asha: backing vocals
*Jessica Corcoran: production & mix

Il Adore

dedicated to Stevie Hughes and all the lost boys
*Jessica Corcoran: production
*John Themis: guitars, string arrangements; mix at "Abbey Road Studios"
*Nick Ingram: string arrangements
*London Chamber Orchestra: strings
*Christopher Warren Green: violin solo

Bow Down Mister

dedicated to Lord Krishna and John Richardson & family
*Bruce Forest: production
*Soho Krishna Temple, London Gospel Choir & Basil: special thanks