Adam & the Ants
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Template:Unreferenced Image:Adam&theAntsKingsoftheWildFrontier.jpg Adam & the Ants was a new wave band during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was one of the bands at the time that marked the transition from the 70s punk era to the new-wave post punk-music era. Although the band started off with distinct punk sounds it soon moved on to New Wave sounds motivated by new sources such as the African "warrior drum-beating" sound as heard on "Dog Eat Dog".
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History
Led by Adam Ant (real name Stuart Goddard), the band formed in 1977 in London, England, consisting of Lester Square (guitar), Andy Warren (bass guitar) and Paul Flanagan (drums). Square was replaced by Mark Gaumont early in the band's career, before the release of their debut album Dirk Wears White Sox (1979, Do It Records). The album was somewhat dark, with post punk riffs and some vestiges of glam rock. The album was not a success, so Adam & the Ants hired Malcolm McLaren (manager of the Sex Pistols) to help with their image. He dressed them in pirate costumes.
While preparing for their second album, McLaren convinced the Ants to leave Adam and form Bow Wow Wow. A new version of the Ants was formed by Marco Pirroni (guitar), Kevin Mooney (bass guitar) and two drummers, Terry Lee Miall and Merrick. Pirroni would go on to become an influential member of the group, and cowrite many of their songs with Adam Ant.
The first album released with the new lineup was Kings of the Wild Frontier, an enormous hit in the United Kingdom and put the band at the forefront of the New Romantic moment. There were several hit singles from this LP, including "Dog Eat Dog" and the rather self-referential "Ant Music". The band's most successful single, however, was "Stand and Deliver" (1981) followed by "Prince Charming" just a few weeks later, the bands second-biggest hit. In its video, Adam Ant is dressed as a "dandy highwayman" and generally indulges his exhibitionist tendencies. The single entered the UK Top 40 at #1 and remained there for several weeks. See http://www.onmc.iinet.net.au/top/1981.htm
Later in that year was another highly successful album, Prince Charming. However, Goddard had by this point grown tired of the stresses of life in a band. Also, the other band members had grown tired with the focus on Ant's celebrity and the way the group now tended toward mainstream pop music; during a concert, Kevin Mooney walked out on the band, and was replaced by bass guitarist Gary Tibbs who joined the band in time to record Stand and Deliver. Prior to Gibbs joining the band, Danny Kleinman (whom Adam had previously played with in Bazooka Joe) temporarily filled in on bass. A re-structured band attempted to attach itself to the early '80s white rap music fad (fuelled by Malcolm McLaren's "Duck Rock") with "Ant Rap", but this proved to be the band's last Top 10 hit. In early 1982 the band received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.
In March of 1982 Goddard broke up the Ants and launched a solo career, keeping only Marco Pirroni to help out with songwriting and some playing. He enjoyed some early success with the album Friend or Foe and singles such as "Goody Two Shoes", but from 1986 onward concentrated less on music as he sought a career as an actor in Hollywood.
His acting career was largely unsuccesful, although he did appear in the 1987 film Slam Dance, as well as other less well known productions.
Goddard was sectioned under the mental health act in the early 2000s after suffering a nervous breakdown and threatening members of the public in a North London pub with a gun.
He has attempted various comebacks, and a number of "rare" versions of early songs were released in a boxed set, Antbox, with moderate success. In 2004 and 2005 Sony remastered and reissued all of Goddard's CBS releases.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | UK | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adam and the Ants: | |||
| 1979 | Dirk Wears White Sox | 16 | - |
| 1980 | Kings of the Wild Frontier | 1 | 44 |
| 1981 | Prince Charming | 2 | 94 |
| 2004 | The Very Best of Adam and the Ants | 33 | - |
| Adam Ant: (with Pirroni) | |||
| 1982 | Friend or Foe | 5 | 16 |
| 1983 | Strip | 20 | 65 |
| 1985 | Vive le Rock | 42 | 131 |
| 1990 | Manners and Physique | 19 | 57 |
| 1990 | ANTics in the Forbidden Zone | - | - |
| 1993 | Antmusic - the Very Best Of Adam Ant | 6 | - |
| 1995 | Wonderful | 24 | 143 |
Singles
| Year | Song | UK | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adam and the Ants: | |||
| 1980 | "Dog Eat Dog" | 4 | 15 |
| 1980 | "Antmusic" | 2 | 14 |
| 1980 | "Young Parisians" | 9 | - |
| 1981 | "Cartrouble" | 33 | - |
| 1981 | "Kings Of the Wild Frontier" | 2 | - |
| 1981 | "Physical (You're So)" | - | 19 |
| 1981 | "Stand and Deliver" | 1 | 38 |
| 1981 | "Prince Charming" | 1 | - |
| 1981 | "Ant Rap" | 3 | - |
| 1982 | "Deutscher Girls" | 12 | - |
| Adam Ant: (with Pirroni) | |||
| 1982 | "Goody Two Shoes" | 1 | 7 |
| 1982 | "Friend Or Foe" | 9 | - |
| 1982 | "Desperate But Not Serious" | 33 | 66 |
| 1983 | "Puss 'N Boots" | 5 | - |
| 1984 | "Apollo 9" | 13 | - |
| 1984 | "Strip" | 42 | 42 |
| 1990 | "Room At the Top" | 13 | 17 |
| 1995 | "Wonderful" | 32 | 39 |