This album will take you back to the early 1980s when British artists were making some of the best music ever invented. You can tell that this album was made when the band members were ambitious, naive, optimistic, and it must be added: in love. In his autobiography, Boy George said a music critic credited this album as the start of world music and it shows. This album is heavily reggae-influenced. You could call it the band's most political work as well. This was back when the band was wearing coordinated, cutting-edge London fashions. This was back when people were shocked to hear that Boy George was a man. The videos from this album were great too. "Time" used to be my favorite song in the world for years. In retrospect, "Do You?" has one of the funkiest bass lines ever played. I also enjoyed "Boy, Boy (I'm the Boy)." [Note: many Culture Club songs refer to boys or men.] The innocence of the time, the band members, and the sound will really touch you. This album should be in your must-have collection.

Employing a diverse mix of musical influences, Culture Club had a unique vision and style that probably wouldn't have been welcomed, or even appreciated, today. In late 1982, the quartet released their debut "Kissing to be Clever," which was originally released on Epic in the United States, and it spawned their first three top ten singles. The band's music was a distinguished blend of old school reggae, 70's soul, and new wave pop set to the gusty voice of singer Boy George, who sounds like a trans-Atlantic Smokey Robinson. A somewhat underrated singer, George's voice often bled with bruised emotion, particularly on the kickoff single "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" But other noteworthy tracks include the disco-flavored "Take Control," the calypso bite of "You Know I'm Not Crazy" and the reggae lilt of "Love Control." Credit also must be given to the skilled players (drummer Jon Moss--George's boyfriend at the time, bass player Mikey Craig, and guitarist Roy Hay) whose instrumentation helps make this album such a welcome feast to the ears. "Kissing to Be Clever" has been re-released and digitally remastered, with 4 additional tracks which include the single "Time (Clock of the Heart)," which was not included in the prior Virgin edition. Without the distraction of George's gender bending attire, the music of Culture Club is strong enough to hold up on its own, and this fine debut of an album proves that.

Here,on Culture Club's 1982 debut originally released on the Epic label,is a remastering with a few bonus tracks which did not appear on the original ten-track line-up(at least in America). George Alan O'Dowd aka Boy George delivers his great vocals on the hits DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME?,I'LL TUMBLE 4 YA(probably inspired by Prince who uses homonym numbers and single letters in place of words) and TIME(CLOCK OF THE HEART). Years later,Virgin bought the rights to Culture Club's Epic releases. The band's follow-up,COLOUR BY NUMBERS,released in the fall of 1983,was a megahit compared to this album.

This album is one of my favourites.I think that Kissing To Be Clever is the best album by Culture Club.I got it from my grandma to my name day and I was surprised.
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me is my favourite song at this album.I think that this song is very good.It is melodical and peaceful.Murder Rap Trap feat.Captain Crucial is my second favourite song.The song sounds funny with voice of Captain Crucial.
Love Is Cold and Love Twist are also my favourite songs,because they are melodical and quite fast.The other songs are good too.You must own this album,if you're an old Culture Club fan.

Don't bother with the other reviewers who dismissed CC's brilliant debut album - along with COLOUR BY NUMBERS, it's their strongest, sexiest, and just plain addictive album ever! The writing, the production, the vocals, the groove, the design - they all really take me back to my early teen years circa 1982, a simpler, happier time when CC were charting a bold new world in pop music & beyond - once you hear WHITE BOY, I'M AFRAID OF ME, DO YOU REALLY?, TIME, and many more, you won't be able to get them out of you head...and trust me, they really get a party started right! BOY himself sounds naive, in love, and confident all at once - and who can forget the delicious shock of seeing him dominate early MTV with a string of cool videos that launched them around the globe? BONUS tracks here are a nice addition - hard to believe the first CD issue of this LP never even included TIME?! *I think it was recorded later as a stop/gap single, which explains its late inclusion. No matter, KISSING TO BE CLEVER is a bargain with stunning REMASTERED sound and BONUS cuts you won't find anywhere else - a must-have addition to any true CC fan's collection!