Kissing to Be Clever
Against the cynical, post-punk backdrop of the early Thatcher and Reagan era,Culture Club's debut releaseKissing to Be Cleverwas as refreshing as a scoop of gelato in a heatwave.  These were the innocent days whenBoy Georgecould still declare he'd rather "have a cup of tea than sex," well before he hurtled to the brink of near self-destruction.  Several of the cuts are still amazingly fresh and easily convey the winning charisma that transformed Boy George and his band into a pop icon.  Songs like "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" and "Boy-Boy-I'm the Boy" seem tailor-made for the frontman's smooth-sliding tenor, while Mikey Craig's bass grooves pump with dance-'til-you-drop hi NRG. Although relatively brief (the original LP had one more cut than the CD release), the album stylistically hops like a Mexican jumping bean from disco funk to rhumba to reggae and contains obvious filler material.  But the gender-bender flair perfected by Boy George announced a unique style that helped define the decade.--Thomas May