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Post by Lord Emsworth on Jun 25, 2020 15:03:19 GMT
 We know Rogue believes the Ants are "not punk" What do you think of the Ants? Here's Paul Marko's take... Its a sad fact that their best stuff has never been released but is floating around on bootleg albums such as Red Scab. Grab a copy if you can and listen to such songs as Christian Dior, Red Scab and Ruth Ellis. It's amazing how many songs the Ants had that were not released at the time. The drummer and guitarist eventually departed to become Bow Bow Wow but it doesn't explain how a great set of songs turns into the turgid Dirk Wears White Socks (1979 Do-It). Having said this songs like Beat My Guest turn up in unlikely places like the B side of Prince Charming albeit in chunkier form.
Official singles to check out to see what their first album would have sounded like (surely as groundbreaking as The Banshees 'The Scream') are Young Parisians/Lady (1978 Decca) and Zerox with either Whip In My Valise or Physical (1979 Do-It) on the B side.
If you must, check out Table Talk and Cleopatra from the Dirk album. Good performance of Plastic Surgery in the Film Jubilee.
If you can, get hold of their John Peel session from Jan 78 with Deutscher Girls, Jordan's( their manager pictured above with Adam) Lou/It Doesn't Matter & Puerto Rican.I always preferred punk groups who were not just slavishly following what they took to be "the rules" so tend to prefer the likes of... Wire Subway Sect Banshees XTC Ants Pere Ubu Talking Heads Patrik Fitzgerald Buzzcocks ...to the likes of... UK Subs Menace Cockney Rejects Vice Squad I've put the Ants in that first group which might explain why Rogue does not classify them as punk. I'm sure he'll be along to explain his thinking.
What about you? What do you think?
What songs do you rate?
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Jun 25, 2020 15:06:51 GMT
Although of course the Antbox (2000) put a few of the demos out in the wide world :format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-844281-1176617317.jpeg.jpg) |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2020 21:51:07 GMT
We know Rogue believes the Ants are "not punk" What do you think of the Ants? Here's Paul Marko's take... Its a sad fact that their best stuff has never been released but is floating around on bootleg albums such as Red Scab. Grab a copy if you can and listen to such songs as Christian Dior, Red Scab and Ruth Ellis. It's amazing how many songs the Ants had that were not released at the time. The drummer and guitarist eventually departed to become Bow Bow Wow but it doesn't explain how a great set of songs turns into the turgid Dirk Wears White Socks (1979 Do-It). Having said this songs like Beat My Guest turn up in unlikely places like the B side of Prince Charming albeit in chunkier form.
Official singles to check out to see what their first album would have sounded like (surely as groundbreaking as The Banshees 'The Scream') are Young Parisians/Lady (1978 Decca) and Zerox with either Whip In My Valise or Physical (1979 Do-It) on the B side.
If you must, check out Table Talk and Cleopatra from the Dirk album. Good performance of Plastic Surgery in the Film Jubilee.
If you can, get hold of their John Peel session from Jan 78 with Deutscher Girls, Jordan's( their manager pictured above with Adam) Lou/It Doesn't Matter & Puerto Rican.I always preferred punk groups who were not just slavishly following what they took to be "the rules" so tend to prefer the likes of... Wire Subway Sect Banshees XTC Ants Pere Ubu Talking Heads Patrik Fitzgerald Buzzcocks ...to the likes of... UK Subs Menace Cockney Rejects Vice Squad I've put the Ants in that first group which might explain why Rogue does not classify them as punk. I'm sure he'll be along to explain his thinking.
What about you? What do you think?
What songs do you rate?
Actually, I've never really liked Menace and other than a few singles by both Vice Squad and the Rejects I don't care much for either. I actually like quite a few bands/people on your list especially Wire Siouxsie and Patrik Fitzgerald. However, Talking Heads were never a punk band either 🙂 |
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Post by andyloneshark on Jun 26, 2020 9:11:36 GMT
I started paying serious attention to Adam + The Antz around the time of Zerox and Car Trouble being released as singles.
I could not afford to buy albums much back then, so i probably borrowed Dirk Wears White Sox off somebody.
John Peel would repeat their 3 sessions too. It was a strange time just as they/he were about to become massive and crossover to be a huge hit with the Pop Kids.
Before then, they had such a fanatical following. 'Soldier Ants' that would follow them up and down the country... sleep under motorway bridges, fight pitched battles with moron skinheads
but into 1981, there he was... appearing on Swap Shop with Noel Edmonds and then later on Cannon & Ball.
I stopped buying the records after 1980... but more recently have come to concede, i can enjoy the later stuff too.
In retrospect i can finally admit to myself that 'Friend Or Foe' is a great pop album.
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Jun 26, 2020 9:38:49 GMT
I liked the punk incarnation too Andy
And I can confirm their hardcore fans were amongst the hardest I ever saw
Zerox and Car Trouble are both brilliant singles
So much of that early stuff is great though....
Plastic Surgery, Deutscher Girls, Physical, Red Scab etc
He made a brilliant pop star too, though Lawd knows what those hardcore fans made of it all
I should give Friend or Foe a proper listen
I've always had a soft spot for...
Adam Ant - Apollo 9
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Post by andyloneshark on Jun 26, 2020 12:13:04 GMT
...at the time, Adam going all 'Qua qua da diddley qua qua da diddley' felt like a huge betrayal, even through i could not claim to have been an original 'Soldier Ant'
But as i get older, i realise, it really doesn't matter in the great scheme of things. I am more open minded now than i was then.
I think Adam got majorly shafted by CBS, though, so he learnt a lesson, by sticking his head in the Lions mouth.
All the early recordings, The Decca Demos, Peel Session, Do It are still my favourite era of his work though.
The original band with Andy Warren, Matthew Ashman and Dave Barb, were such gifted musicians
This is a FAVE Antz song... it SHOULD have been single...
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Post by johnnyoi on Jun 26, 2020 12:54:00 GMT
The missus dragged me to an Adam Ant gig last year.J hated his 80’s stuff and never listened to him back in the 70’s (apart from getting the car trouble single)The gig was ok still didn’t like the 80’s stuff but his earlier ones got me bopping
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Post by zeopold on Sept 17, 2020 19:30:06 GMT
I started paying serious attention to Adam + The Antz around the time of ZeroxAn important tune. It suggested that the punk energy, combined with effective musicianship could go in new and interesting directions. |
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Post by andyloneshark on Sept 17, 2020 19:59:45 GMT
...yes, and they achieved that Punk Energy with a clean guitar sound, no fuzz/distortion.
Matthew Ashman, Andy Warren & Dave Barbarossa contributions to those sessions for Do It Records are extraordinary.
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Sept 17, 2020 20:02:45 GMT
...yes, and they achieved that Punk Energy with a clean guitar sound, no fuzz/distortion. Matthew Ashman, Andy Warren & Dave Barbarossa contributions to those sessions for Do It Records are extraordinary. That was the classic line up Shame Andy left and Malcolm tempted Dave and Matthew away Dave is probably my all time favourite drummer Matthew was a hell of a guitarist |
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Post by zeopold on Sept 18, 2020 20:12:23 GMT
Dave is probably my all time favourite drummer He was up there with Topper, Stuart Copeland and Budgie |
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Bassy
Full Member
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Post by Bassy on Sept 19, 2020 8:29:14 GMT
My older cousin, Rob, was an original Antz fan and used to see them during the days when Adam wore kabuki-style face paint. He tells me that there were always fights at Antz gigs, a problem that still infected the scene generally when I started attending punk gigs (1982).
Although "Dirk" is by far my favourite Ants album (far more so than the bootleg collections of earlier material I've heard), the "pop" Ants were still an entertaining and flamboyant addition to the upper reaches of the singles charts.
I've read Adam's autobiography and, TBH, wish I hadn't. His narcissism and bitter complaints about minor slights which took place many years ago, are pitiful. As a fellow sufferer with depression, I expected to empathise and like him more having read the book. The opposite was very much the case.
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Post by andyloneshark on Sept 19, 2020 9:14:23 GMT
At the time, the Kings Of The Wild Frontier album was the last record i bought... just looking at the cover brings back alot of memories of 1980, beyond that as Adam became a mainstream 'Swap Shop' Pop star, my attention was elsewhere. But these days i don't mind that later stuff.
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Sept 19, 2020 9:25:00 GMT
My older cousin, Rob, was an original Antz fan and used to see them during the days when Adam wore kabuki-style face paint. He tells me that there were always fights at Antz gigs, a problem that still infected the scene generally when I started attending punk gigs (1982). Although "Dirk" is by far my favourite Ants album (far more so than the bootleg collections of earlier material I've heard), the "pop" Ants were still an entertaining and flamboyant addition to the upper reaches of the singles charts. I've read Adam's autobiography and, TBH, wish I hadn't. His narcissism and bitter complaints about minor slights which took place many years ago, are pitiful. As a fellow sufferer with depression, I expected to empathise and like him more having read the book. The opposite was very much the case. Yes. Agree with all of that Bassy. By the by, if you think Adam's book is bad for petty point scoring and perceived slights, you should read Lydon's second book Anger Is An Energy. Jeez John, let it go mate. At the time, the Kings Of The Wild Frontier album was the last record i bought... just looking at the cover brings back alot of memories of 1980, beyond that as Adam became a mainstream 'Swap Shop' Pop star, my attention was elsewhere. But these days i don't mind that later stuff. Whilst the likes of Stand and Deliver were fun it was also a bit sad seeing him descend into the hell of kids TV and chasing hits, cash etc Kings of the Wild Frontier was the sweet spot where cred aligned to crowd pleasing pop music I actually listened properly to the KOTWF recently and found, to my dismay, that there's a fair bit of filler in there. That said the big tunes still work their magic and stand up really well. |
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Oct 23, 2020 7:17:39 GMT
Still a firm favourite...
Adam & The Ants - Zerøx
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