Culture Club “Kissing to Be Clever” released on this date, October 4th, 1980. Kissing to Be Clever was Culture Club’s first album release and it was a massive hit, making it to #5 on the UK album chart and #14 in the US. It was one of the many records released in the early 80′s that solidified my obsession with British new wave, though I feel Culture Club skews toward bubbly Caribbean-lite reggae/world music pop than what I usually consider “new wave.” Regardless, it’s a smooth and delightful pop album with all the classic pinnings of the 80′s sound (saxophone, big and shiny production, etc) with several great singles. The first two, “White Boy” and “I’m Afraid of Me” barely made a ripple but when “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” was released in the fall of ‘82, Culture Club – and most especially the beautifully androgynous and flamboyant Boy George – became just huge. “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” went to #1 in the UK and #2 in the US. The following single, “Time (Clock of the Heart)” was almost as big, making it to #3 in the UK and again to #2 in the US. The fifth and final single “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya” was released only in the US in June of ‘83 when it again cracked the Top 10, peaking at #9. As bizarre as it seems now, Culture Club were, in 1982, pretty much as big as the Beatles were after the release of their debut album in 1963.