More than four decades after their groundbreaking debut, Culture Club‘s Kissing To Be Clever is getting a vinyl reissue. Featuring the international smash hits “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me,” “Time (Clock Of The Heart)” and “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya,” the record helped to establish the band as a force on both sides of the Atlantic and turned lead singer Boy George into a massive star. The reissue is due out in October.
Order Culture Club’s Kissing To Be Clever now.
The newest reissue of Kissing To Be Clever enhances the classic album art with vibrant, restored color. The limited edition LP itself is pressed on purple vinyl, with lacquers cut from the original production masters. The music was remastered at Abbey Road. Though the album was reissued on CD in 2003, the LP itself has been long out of print, and versions that had been released in the years since 1982 had featured different album art than the restored version on this latest reissue.
The original issue of Kissing To Be Clever was a massive success, making Culture Club the first band since The Beatles to have three top ten hits in the United States from their debut album. The album was similarly successful in their native United Kingdom, where it reached number five on the Official Albums Chart, and was certified platinum. In 2015, Boy George recalled how their “overnight” success came following a period of struggle and a chance appearance on TV. “I think Elton John was unwell,” the singer recalled to CityTV in 2015. “There was some problem with Elton John, and we got a slot.”
Known for its distinctive blend of disco, new wave, R&B, soul, and reggae genres, Kissing To Be Clever primed Culture Club for even more success down the road. Their follow-up album, Colour By Numbers, was an even bigger smash, certified over four times platinum and featuring the megahit “Karma Chameleon.”
Order Culture Club’s Kissing To Be Clever now.