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First off, the name -- the sexual innuendo implied in the band's moniker, Kissing the Pink -- surely races to the surface, but the truth of the matter is that the name is derived from a snooker/billiards reference to a weak shot; the innuendo was just a lucky coincidence. The band certainly lost more than they gained from the cross-referencing. Their music had very little to do with overt sexuality, but that name (coupled with some decidedly unsettling album artwork) didn't help the group's cause with record labels or the general public -- yet those who heard the music before registering the images and name were the luckiest of new wavers in 1983. Kissing the Pink's debut album, Naked, followed in the grand tradition of eccentric art-school collectives like Deaf School -- pulling influences (and members) from all over the map, without a care for fashionability or marketability and, ultimately, giving rise to an album that sounds little like anything else created before or since. Long out of print and scarcely available in the digital realm, Naked was coveted well past its expiration date. Obscure CD releases of the album in Germany and Japan were fetching upwards of $200, and bootlegs were filling the luxury gap in droves. And so, it was with great relief to Kissing the Pink's scattered fans that CD reissue label Wounded Bird stepped up to the plate in 2006 with their edition of Naked -- repackaged with the band's self-titled EP as a bookend. Despite a few overlapping tracks, this two-fer is the best legitimate release any KTP fan could hope for. Cast aside your weathered second-hand vinyl copies -- this is the finest version attainable. The sparse military gait of "The Last Film," the near-pop vocoder jerk of "Frightened in France," and the proto-Boingo bounce of "Broken Body" all jump from the hi-fi with newfound dynamics and sonic strength. There are those who would pooh-pooh the merits of digital technology over the warmth of analog, but this is largely synth-based stuff -- a little cold and clinical to begin with -- and the treatment suits the material better than you'd expect. The epic "Big Man Restless" and the sprawling "Desert Song" throb maximally and serve to remind that engineer Colin Thurston (Bowie's Heroes and, later, Duran Duran) knew how to turn the right knobs. The icy-cold blues swagger of "Maybe This Day" melds the clinical with the cynical while the Talking Heads-channeling "We Are Your Family" (the standout on the included 12") speaks to the potential this band had (had the record labels not pushed them so hard for "hits"). Left to their own designs, Kissing the Pink probably could have carved a bigger swath with their bizarre but danceable collective. As it stands, however, Naked/Kissing the Pink remains the group's best work -- hands down, nolo contendere. ~ J. Scott McClintock
Naked/Kissing the Pink Music
Naked/Kissing the Pink Songs
| 1 | Naked | | | |
| 2 | Last Film | | | |
| 3 | Frightened in France | | | |
| 4 | Watching Their Eyes | | | |
| 5 | Love Lasts Forever | | | |
| 6 | All For You | | | |
| 7 | Last Film, The Hymn Version | | | |
| 8 | Big Man Restless See All 2 | | | |
| 9 | Desert Song | | | |
| 10 | Broken Body | | | |
| 11 | Maybe This Day | | | |
| 12 | In Awe of Industry | | | |
| 13 | Mr. Blunt | | | |
| 14 | Kissing the Pink | | | |
| 15 | Maybe This Day | | | |
| 16 | Love Lasts Forever | | | |
| 17 | We Are Your Family | | | |
Naked/Kissing the Pink Music Review
Average Rating: (4.3 out of 5 stars)    Totally Original
I can remember first seeing KTP on U.K. T.V. Performing 'The Last Film' which was totally original and superior to anything in the charts at that time.On the strength of that i bought 'Naked' on vinyl that was 1983.Fast forward 26 years and having just bought it again in CD form the songs have just got better with time.'The Last Film' still sounds great along with stand out tracks like 'Watching their eyes','All for you','Big man restless' & 'Maybe this day'.Very underrated,Kissing the pink deserved alot more success and reward than they got.If you like quality pop get this CD.
Submitted by Eian (Bristol,UK.) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 1 found this helpful.
The Exotic Sound of the 80's
This bunch of musicians were well ahead of its time. Their musical vision can be seen as "there is no limit for anything". Big man restlees, produced by Martin Hannet, father of Joy Division, is just one example. Songs like "maybe this day", "love lasts forever", "frightened in france", "broken body", and let's say, the whole recording is a must, if you wanna explore within the fifth dimension.
But, who knows why, the 12" and extended versions have not been included in this package.
Submitted by aqm (Southamerica)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  Nice but caution advised
Many fans will be thrilled that Naked/Kissing The Pink have been combined and put on cd probably for the first time. The selection of songs is ok(includes the singles Love Lasts Forever & Last Film). However the sound is not so good. The remastering process if any is hardly noticeable.
Submitted by Mario (San Francisco,Ca,USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
 Revisiting my youth
I had a fond, vague memory of this record in my mind and it took not being able to play the record to force me to buy this CD. What a nice surprise. Where I remembered liking one song especially, I found out that the whole CD is very good even including a mix I hadn't heard before.
Submitted by klimtone (Rochester, MI, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 0 of 1 found this helpful.
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