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Kissing to Be Clever

Culture Club - Kissing to Be Clever Audio CD

A fair review of the Culture Club "Kissing to Be Clever" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Culture Club reviews here, or go back to the Culture Club tabs.

Band: Culture Club
Title: Kissing to Be Clever
Rating:

Release Date: 2003-10-07
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: White Boy [Dance Mix] 2: You Know I'm Not Crazy 3: I'll Tumble 4 Ya 4: Take Control 5: Love Twist - Captain Crucial, Culture Club 6: Boy Boy (I'm the Boy) 7: I'm Afraid of Me [Remix] 8: White Boys Can't Control It 9: Do You Really Want to Hurt Me 10: Love Is Cold [*] 11: Murder Rap Trap [*] - Captain Crucial, Culture Club 12: Time (Clock of the Heart) [*] 13: Romance Beyond the Alphabet [*]

George,Jon,Mickey & Roy Take Control Of The Groove
That didn't didn't seem to be the case in England where disco,and especially funk were converging on new wave to create the New Romantic style. As the early 80's rolled on there continued to be a cruel disco freeze-out,to coin a phrase to any artist (especially if they were black) making any kind of soul,funk or R&B during this period. It was out of this already crowded scene the Culture Club conquered the world over during 1982 with this album and two singles "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" and "I'll Tumble 4 Ya". Of course part of that was the same old story of Boy George's image which,sad as it seemed overshadowed anything more than a "they make a good pop single" comment regarding him and the band. Well there's one thing to be said about this album. It was probably their least commercial album in the sense it focused heavily on dance-funk songs as opposed to easy pop all the way around. Boy George,who is a very strong composer as well is greatly inspired by some of the Calypso inspired rhythms and melodies that were a big part of early Motown hits,especially those written by Smokey Robinson. That addition of a kind of modern tropical tinge to the music,the heavy use of conga,steel drums and percussion and Michael Craig's enthusiastic and funky Jamaican bass lines all add up to a kind of soulful caribbean funk/pop. That also might,aside from the racial diversity of the band members have to do with how they got their name. One important way Boy George was important to this music image wise was that, as opposed to having a conventional crossdressers image his "look" also borrowed from ethnicized tradtions such as Asian Kabuki masks as well as shirts and hats that showed an interest in Hebrew cultural standards. Also George's homosexuality and strong involvement with the UK gay disco-funk scene of the late 70's/early 80's gave him that all important connection to the sexual revolution,even though his persona linked him and the band in general more with geniality than overly rebellious behavior. Songs such as "White Boy","You Know I'm Not Crazy","Take Control","Love Twist" and "I'm Afraid Of Me" really send that message home as the band put their musical concentration on rhythmic development as opposed to crafting a mere pop song. A strong naked funk element is also present and interestingly enough for this era the band rely largely on a very rich,organic sound based heavier on horns charts and percussion than on synthesizers. This quality probably leads to the Amazon. com review indicating this album "contains filler material". Well,I say if "filler" is finely played,percussive UK New Romantic funk pop with a strong dance ethic than it's probably some of the best use of "filler" on any album. I know;overuse of a word but it's an important key phrase to how this album is perceived,even by music critics. "Boy Boy" and "White Boys Can't Control It" lean heavier into synthesizers for this album but taken as a whole it's a potent listening experience that actually flows song to song,by the way. Of the four bonus cuts there is a heavy naked funk jam in "Love Is Cold" as well as "Murder Rap Trap",a very surreal reggae/jazz-funk warp with Captain Crucial that has to be the most uncommercial and avante garde piece that this group had been involved in up to this point. Also included of course is the hit "Time (Clock of The Heart)",a single from the same period as this album and the instrumental version retitled "Romance Beyond The Alphabet". Despite what you might think albums can often be a very good place to put a pop artist into a musical perspective as opposed to just being human hit factories. It is true for much 80's music and happilly it's also very true for Culture Club.

Great, Great Debut Album
It contains several masterpieces. This album, remastered as of 2002, was an excellent debut for Culture Club. . . and thankfully they've included "Time (Clock of the Heart)" on this release. The sound quality of the record is PHENOMENAL. . . most likely due to the remastering. The songs are fun and the vocals are excellent. I would give it five stars if it weren't for the filler tracks.

Amazon Rip Off
" PLUS, and most importantly, "TIME (Clock of the Heart)" is not on here!!! Try again Amazon! And it wouldn't kill you to add the B-sides from the singles for sale while you're at it. Amazon is messing with this EXCELLENT LP! The MP3 version does not include the album versions of "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" or "White Boy.

Spotty is right
I myself have great sentimentality for Eighties music, but this album doesn't make me feel nostalgic and sentimental at all. I would say that I can't fathom why so many people have given this rather spotty album such glowing 5-star reviews, but then again, a lot of people seem to have a tendency to judge things based on nostalgia and sentimentality from their childhood or teen years instead of looking at a product honestly, without the rose-colored glasses. The album doesn't stand up all that well over time, unlike 'Colour by Numbers,' which I absolutely love. Too many of the songs on KTBC just strike me as unmemorable and not very distinct from one another. The songs on a truly classic album shouldn't be sounding so similar. There are even three songs in a row with incredibly similar titles, "White Boy," "Boy, Boy (I'm the Boy)," and "White Boys Can't Control It. " (At least they were all in a row on the original release; I don't know why the CD reissue scrambled the order of all of the tracks!)

In my opinion, the only songs on this album that really stand up to multiple listens and have held up well over time are the three hits, "Time (Clock of the Heart)," "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?," and "I'll Tumble 4 Ya. " The lattermost might be rather trite lyrically, but at least it's catchy, and is more distinct and memorable than most of the rest of the songs on this album. A couple of other songs aren't that bad, like "I'm Afraid of Me" and "White Boys Can't Control It," but overall they just don't make up what I would consider a timeless classic great album. Although if these tracks were played separately at an Eighties-themed dance party, instead of all in a row, they might not seem so similar and underdeveloped.

Still holds up and sounds great after all these years...
"Time (Clock Of The Heart)" was a heavenly musical marriage of Brit-Pop, Philly Soul and Adult Contemporary. . and a truly definitive and undisputed classic slice of '80s Pop. This album and its huge hit singles defined the sound and style of 1980s music and set a prototype for bands that came afterward. If you (like me) were a 1980s kid then waste no time in getting this CD as this music will bring back many memories and take you back to a time when all was (compared to today) right with the world. Best of all, this remastered edition has GREAT sound quality plus several bonus cuts. Enjoy!.

You can see a complete list of all Culture Club discography, or go back to the Culture Club tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.