Adam Ant [1990] Antics In The Forbidden Zone

[01] Zerox
[02] Whip In My Valise
[03] Car Trouble
[04] Kick
[05] Kings Of The Wild Frontier
[06] Antmusic
[07] Dog Eat Dog
[08] Los Rancheros
[09] Killer In The Home
[10] Stand And Deliver
[11] Beat My Guest
[12] Prince Charming
[13] Ant Rap
[14] Desperate But Not Serious
[15] Place In The Country
[16] Friend Or Foe
[17] Goody Two Shoes
[18] Strip
[19] Puss'n Boots
[20] Apollo 9
[21] Vive Le Rock



cduniverse: For those unaware of Adam Ant and his peculiar brand of "Antumusic," a bizarre assortment of Indian and pirate imagery, tribal drums, and twang guitar, Antics in the Forbidden Zone is the place to start. This collection culls the more memorable moments from Ant's kitschy career and presents a fairly complete overview of his image conscious career. Ant's first offerings were rather dour, offering little hint of the camp that was soon to appear. And appear it did, with the galloping "Kings of the Wild Frontier," a pounding effort that along with "Antmusic" highlighted the band's weird world of self-promoting bravado.

"Los Rancheros" bears the distinction of being the only early '80s new wave song to name drop Clint Eastwood. Ant went the inevitable solo route and released his best album, Friend or Foe. "Goody Two Shoes" and the album's title track meld the best of his previously thumping backbeats and reverb guitar into a more conventional pop context. Ant further distanced himself from his pirate dandy image with the none-too-subtle "Strip," whose purpose clearly outlines itself in the title. Since Ant began to flounder as the decade progressed, this collection rightly focuses on his early 80s material.
(amg 9/10).

Adam Ant [1980] Kings Of The Wild Frontier

[01] Dog Eat Dog
[02] Antmusic
[03] Los Rancheros
[04] Feed Me To The Lions
[05] Press Darlings
[06] Ants Invasion
[07] Killer In The Home
[08] Kings Of The Wild Frontier
[09] The Magnificent Five
[10] Don't Be Square (Be There)
[11] Jolly Roger
[12] Physical (You're So)
[13] The Human Beings



amg: Hooking up with Malcolm McLaren was a pivotal moment for Adam Ant, since the manager not only introduced Ant to the thundering, infectious Burundi drum beat that became his signature, he stole his band, too. Adam and the rest of the Ants had just worked up how to exploit the Burundi style when McLaren pirated the boys off to support Annabella Lwin in Bow Wow Wow — using the very same sound they had developed with Adam Ant. It was now a race to get that sound into the stores first, and Adam lucked out when he joined forces with guitarist Marco Pirroni, who quickly proved to be invaluable. Adam and Marco knocked out a bunch of songs that retained some of the dark artiness of Dirk Wears White Sox, largely anchored by those enormous Burundi beats and given great, irresistible pop hooks — plus a flash sense of style, as the new Ants dressed up in something that looked like American Indians with a velveteen touch of a dandy fop. It was a brilliant, gonzo move — something that quickly overshadowed Bow Wow Wow — and the resulting record, Kings of the Wild Frontier, is one of the great defining albums of its time. There's simply nothing else like it, nothing else that has the same bravado, the same swagger, the same gleeful self-aggrandizement and sense of camp. This walked a brilliant line between campiness and art-house chutzpah, and it arrived at precisely the right time — at the forefront of new wave, so Adam & the Ants exploded into the British popular consciousness. If image was all that they had, they would've remained a fad, but Kings of the Wild Frontier remains a terrific album because it not only has some tremendous songs — the title track and "Antmusic" are classic hits, while "Killer in the Home" and "Physical (You're So)" are every bit their equal — but because it fearlessly, imperceptibly switches gears between giddy and ominous, providing nothing short of a thrill ride in its 13 songs. That's why it still sounds like nothing else years after its release.
(amg 9/10)

Adam Ant [1979] Dirk Wears White Sox

[01] Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2)
[02] Digital Tenderness
[03] Nine Plan Failed
[04] Day I Met God
[05] Tabletalk
[06] Cleopatra
[07] Catholic Day
[08] Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His face)
[09] Animals And Men
[10] Family Of Noise
[11] The Idea
[12] Zerox
[13] Whip In My Valise
[14] Kick
[15] Physical
[16] Cartrouble Parts 1 & 2 (EP Version)
[17] Friends
[18] Cartrouble (Single Version)
[19] Kick!



amg: The original Ants lineup released only one LP, Dirk Wears White Sox for Do It in 1979. The album finds a young Adam Ant exploring the sometimes-awkward fusion of punk, glam, and minimalist post-punk with bizarre images and disturbing tales of alienation, sex, and brutality. And while the somewhat pretentious, overly arty lyrics and inexperienced playing are a drawback, the album offers a fascinating look at the Ants' formative years, capturing a raw energy that would be sacrificed for more polish on subsequent releases. [At the height of Antmania, Adam acquired the rights to the album, remixing it, dropping a few tracks, and adding a couple of early tracks for reissue in 1983 with a different cover for Epic. In 1995, Sony Music U.K. released a hybrid version for CD, restoring the cover art, original mixes, and the previously dropped tracks but retaining the additions and running order of the reissue. Epic chose to keep the remixed version for CD release in the U.S.].
(amg 9/10)