Kissing to Be Clever

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13 December 1982 (US)1982Red Bus Studios, London<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>* New wave

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Kissing to Be Clever is the debut album by the English band Culture Club, released on 8 October 1982 in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It includes Culture Club's international breakthrough hit single, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", which reached number one in the band's native UK and the top 10 of many charts around the world. The album has reportedly sold over 4 million copies worldwide,<ref name="Branson2011">Template:Cite book</ref> including over 1 million in the US where it has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.

OverviewEdit

The album's first two singles were "White Boy" (which failed to crack the US or UK charts), and "I'm Afraid of Me" (which peaked at No. 100 in the UK). But with the release of "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", the band scored a number one hit in over a dozen countries, and the song also hit the top 10 in several other countries including number two in the U.S. The album itself spent 88 weeks on the US Billboard chart, reaching its peak position of number 14 in March 1983 in the US.<ref name="Billboard200">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The follow-up single, "Time (Clock of the Heart)", became a US number two and UK top three hit. This song appeared on the US version of the album but not initially on the UK version. Another single was released in North America, "I'll Tumble 4 Ya", which became the group's third consecutive top 10 single in the US. This gave Culture Club the distinction of being the first band since The Beatles to have three top 10 hits from a debut album in the US.

Kissing to Be Clever was remastered and re-released in 2003 on CD. This edition contains the song "Romance Beyond the Alphabet", which is the orchestral instrumental version of "Time (Clock of the Heart), 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)". The 2003 release of the album has the restoration of the original colour cover which had been replaced by a black-and-white picture of lead singer Boy George on previous versions.

ReceptionEdit

Template:Music ratings Reviews for Kissing to Be Clever have been generally positive. AllMusic's Lindsay Planer noted that it "was embraced by not only post-disco dance music enthusiasts, but also new wave listeners and pop fans as well." He also stated that the singles "provide accurate thumbnail sketches of what Culture Club were capable of pulling off musically." He concluded by saying: "From the light and buoyant Philly soul-inspired string arrangement to the effervescent and singalongable chorus, the melody foreshadowed a similar vibe that would carry over to their sophomore long-player, Colour by Numbers."<ref name="AMG">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Contemporary reviews were generally favourable. Smash Hits' Beverly Hillier gave the album a 9 out of 10 rating calling it "a first class record". Hillier found the songs "well crafted and the musicianship is excellent throughout" and pointed out Boy George's voice as "the band's strongest asset." "Disco, salsa, reggae and Caribbean rhythms are all used but with such obvious love and respect for their roots that nobody can accuse them of plagiarism. On this showing Culture Club will easily outlive the fashionable wave they're riding on at the moment."<ref name="sh" />

Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote that "for all [Culture Club's] fashionability I think their hearts are in the right place". However, he stated that "their bland Caribbean rhythms move no muscles, and their confrontations with racial issues are rarely more than a phrase deep."<ref name="christgau" /> Lloyd Sachs of Rolling Stone stated that the album "positively jumps, from the pleasure-seeking masochism of "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" to the fearful soul-searching of "I'm Afraid of Me" to the shady "I'll Tumble 4 Ya"". He further stated that "[Boy George's] vocal "normalcy" [plays] against the provocative content of the material." He concluded that "the beat does special service to the message – even when we don't quite know what that message is."<ref name="rs" />

Track listingEdit

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"Time (Clock of the Heart)"Edit

"Time (Clock of the Heart)" appears as the lead track on side two on the reissued North American version of Kissing to Be Clever, which was reissued shortly after the single's release in March 1983. In Europe and other regions, it does not appear on the album, but instead was released as a stand-alone single on 19 November 1982. The Epic Records cassette version also included "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" (Dub Version, featuring Pappa Weasel) & "Romance Beyond the Alphabet" ("Time" Instrumental). The track listing is as follows:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Track listing Template:Track listing

PersonnelEdit

Culture ClubEdit

Boy George – vocals
Michael Craig – bass
Roy Hay – guitar, piano, keyboards, sitar, electric sitar
Jon Moss – percussion, drums

Additional musiciansEdit

Keith Miller – Synclavier
Terry Bailey – trumpet
Colin Campsie – background vocals
Nicky Payne – flute, harmonica, saxophone
Denise Spooner – background vocals
Helen Terry – backing vocals
Phil Pickett – keyboards, background vocals
Trevor Bastow – strings arrangement

ProductionEdit

Steve Levine – producer, engineer
Gordon Milne – assistant engineer, mixing
Jon Moss – mixing, Linn LM-1 drum programming
Keith Miller – Synclavier programming
Jik Graham – cover design, logo, typography
Andy Phillips – photography
Mark Lebon – photography
Jackie Ball – artwork
Nick Egan – logo

ChartsEdit

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Weekly chartsEdit

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Chart (1982-1983)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)<ref name="auchart">Template:Cite book</ref>	12
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref name="FINchart">Template:Cite book</ref>	19
Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref name=jap>Template:Cite book</ref>	7

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Year-end chartsEdit

Chart (1982)	Position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	86

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Chart (1983)	Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	40
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	9
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	31

SinglesEdit

Single	Chart (1982–1983)	Peak position
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"	UK Singles Chart	1
	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	2
	U.S. R&B Singles	39
	U.S. Adult Contemporary	8
"Time (Clock of the Heart)"	UK Singles Chart	3
"Time (Clock of the Heart)"	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	2
"I'll Tumble 4 Ya"	U.S. Adult Contemporary	33
	U.S. Hot Dance Club Play	14
	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	9
"I'm Afraid of Me" / "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"	U.S. Hot Dance Club Play	34

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Certifications and salesEdit

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Release detailsEdit

Country	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
UK	1982	Virgin	LP	V2232
UK	1983	Virgin	CD	91390
USA	1982	Epic/Virgin	LP	FE 38398
	1990		CD	V2-86179
	2003		CD	92404

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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