December 14, 2018

Culture Club - Kissing To Be Clever (1982)

*U.K. pressing. 
Contains 9 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop
Label Number: CDV2232

© 1982-1988 Virgin Records
AllMusic Review by Jose F. Promis
Kissing to Be Clever is the album that put Culture Club on the musical map. Incorporating pop, rock, dance, new wave, soul, and Caribbean rhythms (an amalgamation of "cultures"), the result was a soulful, progressive pop outing that scored several landmark international hits and made a star out of the band's outrageous frontman, Boy George. A couple of tracks were European dance hits, but the first "official" single, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," was a simple masterpiece, resonating with an ache that harked back to the classic torch songs of yesteryear. Most of the other songs were quite different, with energetic beats and sometimes silly, campy themes ("Boy Boy I'm the Boy," "White Boys Can't Control It," and "White Boy"). The album scored two other major hits, the zippy and bouncy "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" and the gorgeous "Time (Clock of the Heart)." However, beware that "Time" is only on certain pressings of the album. When the album was issued on CD, and once the Epic label dissolved, the formerly colorful album cover had turned to black and white, and "Time" had been omitted, which is pretty ridiculous, considering the song was a huge number two hit, and the album was then left with only nine tracks. Still, this set is a highlight of 1980s music, and set the stage for one of the decade's most loved and oft-remembered bands.

tags: culture club, kissing to be clever, 1982, flac,

7 comments:

  1. Could you post the second album "1983 Colour by Numbers"?

    Thank you very much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That one still needs to be ripped but for future reference, the disclaimer on the side bar very clearly states that we don't take requests.

      Delete
  2. Hello, The .ACC link appears to be down, could you please reup. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. hi, the link for FLAC is AAC, could you please fix..
    Love the Site xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome back! 😀 The links have been fixed. Thank you for reporting the mix up.

      Delete

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