Kissing to Be Clever

Infobox Album |
Name = Kissing to Be Clever
Type = Album
Artist = Culture Club


Released = 1982
2003 (+ 4 bonus tracks)
Recorded = 1982
Genre = New Wave
Pop-reggae
Length = 33:35
Label = Virgin Records
Epic Records
Disky Records
Producer = Steve Levine
Reviews =
* Robert Christgau (B) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Culture+Club link]
* "Rolling Stone" Rating|4|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/194134 "RS 388"]
* Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kcnyxd0b4ol0~T1 link]
Last album =
This album = "Kissing to Be Clever"
(1982)
Next album = "Colour by Numbers"
(1983)

"Kissing to Be Clever" is the debut album by New Wave band Culture Club, released in 1982. It was anchored by the international hit "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", which with its sunny reggae tones and neo-torch song vocals, remains one of Culture Club's signature songs.

Since the demise of the Epic Records edition, the band's first album has been available without the song "Time (Clock of the Heart)" and with the black-and-white drawing pictured here, instead of the original colour photo (in 1996, it was reissued by Disky Communications, this time returning the colour photo, but still missing "Time (Clock of the Heart)"). The remastered 2003 CD edition contains additional tracks (including "Time (Clock of the Heart)", and "Romance Beyond the Alphabet", which is its orchestral instrumental version, also included on "Culture Club Collect - 12" Mixes Plus" and its subsequent re-release "Culture Club Remix Collection" as "Time (Clock of the Heart) (Instrumental Mix)") plus the restoration of the original colour cover.

It also features the two first Culture Club singles, "White Boy" and "I'm Afraid of Me" (both were relative flops, making #114 and #100 in the UK Singles Charts in 1982, but then becoming quite popular after the group's first number 1), in slightly different forms. The track "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" was also released in North America, going Top 10 in Canada and the U.S.. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" topped the charts in many countries. "Time (Clock of the Heart)" also reached the highest positions of many international charts, and peaked at #2 in the United States.

The album also recevied a positive review from "Rolling Stone" magazine.

American-born singer Leah Dizon covered "Time (Clock Of The Heart)" on her Japanese debut album, Destiny Line.

Track listing

All songs by Culture Club

# "White Boy" [Dance Mix] – 4:40
# "You Know I'm Not Crazy" – 3:36
# "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" – 2:36
# "Take Control" – 3:09
# "Love Twist" [Featuring Captain Crucial] – 4:23
# "Boy Boy (I'm the Boy)" – 3:50
# "I'm Afraid of Me" [Remix] – 3:16
# "White Boys Can't Control It" – 3:43
# "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" – 4:22

Later releases have "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" as the opening track of Side 2 (#6), and "Time (Clock of the Heart)" as the final song (#10).

Bonus tracks on the reissue

# "Love Is Cold (You Were Never No Good)" -
# "Murder Rap Trap" -
# "Time (Clock of the Heart)" -
# "Romance Beyond the Alphabet" -

While on some Japanese editions of the album, the Japan-only single "Mystery Boy" was included, the following is the order of the tracks on the LP record album as released by Epic Records:

# "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" – 4:22
# "I'm Afraid of Me" [Remix] – 3:16
# "You Know I'm Not Crazy" – 3:36
# "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" – 2:36
# "Love Twist" [Featuring Captain Crucial] – 4:23
# "Time (Clock of the Heart)" -
# "White Boy" [Dance Mix] – 4:40
# "Boy Boy (I'm the Boy)" – 3:50
# "White Boys Can't Control It" – 3:43
# "Take Control" – 3:09

Personnel

*Boy George - male Vocals
*Mikey Craig - bass, High Culture
*Roy Hay - guitar, piano, keyboards, sitar, electric sitar
*Jon Moss - percussion, drums
*Helen Terry - female vocals

*Keith Miller - synclavier
*Terry Bailey - trumpet
*Colin Campsie - background vocals
*Nicky Payne - flute, harmonica, saxophone
*Phil Pickett - keyboards, background vocals
*Sue Clowes
*Denise Spooner - background vocals

Production

*Producer: Steve Levine
*Engineer: Steve Levine
*Assistant engineer: Gordon Milne
*Mixing: Steve Levine, Jon Moss
*Synclavier programming: Keith Miller
*Drum programming: Jon Moss
*Cover Design: Jik Graham
*Photography: Mark Lebon
*Artwork: Jackie Ball
*Logo: Jik Graham, Nick Egan
*Typography: Jik Graham
*Make-Up: Boy George

Charts

Album

External links

* [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000C83YI Amazon.com review]
* [http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,2684403,00.html Artist Direct review]
* [http://www.buy.com/retail/music/product.asp?sku=60615397&loc=109&sp=1 Buy.com review]
* [http://rateyourmusic.com/view_album_details/album_id_is_165973 Rate Your Music review]