Adam and the Ants is an English group formed in 1977 by Adam Ant, real name Stuart Goddard, which will be joined initially by Dave Barbarossa, Matthew Ashman and Andy Warren.
Adam Ant originally comes from a band called Bazooka Joe, which is more pub rock oriented. But it was his attraction to the punk movement that made him leave the group in a desire to form his own.
The first Single from the group "Young Parisians" was released in 1978. Single which had to be content with a small esteemed success. "Zerox" which will be released a year later will not do much better. The change of label from Decca to independent label Do It Records will not change that.
The group's first album "Dirk wears white sox" came out in 1979 but the mix of post-punk sounds sprinkled with some funk influence did not take hold. The album still enjoyed some recognition, but it was mainly limited to England.
The following year, in 1980, Adam Ant then hired Malcolm McLaren, ex manager of the Sex Pistols, to try to re-boost the group, but the opposite happened. Mclaren took the opportunity to plunder the group and take most of its musicians to form the group Bow Wow Wow !
Ant is therefore forced to rebuild a whole group, something which will not only save the group, but also and above all give it a dimension that he could not have hoped for with the 1st team. It was thanks to this new team that the "Kings of the Wild Frontier" albuum was born that same year. The album caused a worldwide hit and blew up the band's notoriety. A group that overnight became one of the spearheads of the New-Romantic movement, a movement based on the wearing of effeminate clothes accompanied by sometimes outrageous make-up.
The Single that bears the name of the album becomes the group's 1st ranked track. Followed by "Dog eat dog" and "Antmusic", which came out the same year, and which, like the album, would in turn become global hits.
Building on these resounding successes, the group did it again a year later in 1981 with the album "Prince charming", an album which did not equal its predecessor in terms of sales but which nevertheless achieved a remarkable career. In particular thanks to its flagship title "Stand and deliver" which will surely remain as the most emblematic title of all the group's discography. Another Single, named after the album, which was released later, would also go on to the top of the Charts. A 3rd Single "Ant rap" will be released at the end of the same year but will not experience the same level of success.
The group will experience a new - and last success - at the beginning of the year 1982 with the Single "Deutscher girls". Adam Ant will end the group the same year, finding the lack of enthusiasm of some members increasingly weighing.
A career that he relaunched solo the same year with the release of the album "Friend or foe", an album that will allow him to reconnect directly with world-class success. In particular thanks to titles like "Goody two shoes", which remains to this day its top ranked title of all, and "Friend or foe".
It would still experience some notable successes in the years to follow, but these could not match those of the Great Epoch, especially those of the year 1981.
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
70s Decade :
Young Parisians 1978
80s Decade :
King of the wild frontier 1980
Dog eat dog 1980
Antmusic 1980
Stand and deliver 1981
Prince charming 1981
Ant rap 1981
Deutscher girls 1982
Goody two shoes 1982 (Adam Ant)
Friend or foe 1982 (Adam Ant)
Desperate but not serious 1982 (Adam Ant)
Puss‘n boots 1983 (Adam Ant)
Strip 1983 (Adam Ant)
Apollo 9 1984 (Adam Ant)
90s Decade :
Room at the top 1990 (Adam Ant)
Rough stuff 1990 (Adam Ant)
Wonderful 1995 (Adam Ant)
Tracks :
1978 ... typical beginnings of the end of the 1970s on the UK side. A very Punk oriented sound that will have to evolve to stand out from the competition ...
1980 ... the sound evolution is obvious and the result is immediate : first classified title ! The title that launches the group for good
1980 ... a year 1980 which saw the group literally explode on the international scene. The success is now global and this is only the beginning !
1980 .. after 2 first major hits, here comes the 1st mega. The group is becoming one of the biggest phenomena of the moment. And that is only fair !
1981 ... after a year 1980 which will have seen them explode, the year 1981 will definitively consecrate them as one of the best groups of the beginning of the decade. In particular thanks to this title which will remain as one of their most emblematic. HU-GE !
1981 ... they repeat in stride with this title completely wacky. A 'wacky' style which has always been their business and which immediately stood out from the crowd ...
1981 ... a completely crazy year 1981 with a flood of completely crazy titles. As our dear friends from Great Britain know so well ...
1982 ... a first part of his career with the Ants who close. After two totally euphoric years and limits off the road, it's time to try something else ...
1982 ... one would have thought he was going to calm down by starting this new part of his career. Oh no. On the contrary, he starts again on the same bases !
1982 ... yet another track that spins at the speed of light. It's a mania with him, we will not remake him again, that's clear !
1982 ... a BIG year 1982 in the end with no less than 3 major hits. Of course, we are no longer talking about mega hits but the level of success allows him to stay in the leading pack
1983 ... still one of his most emblematic titles. And always in an inimitable style which perfectly sums up all the English excessiveness of the time
1983 ... a level of success that is maintained on both sides of the Atlantic, that's already it. Certainly, the style is starting to look a little pale compared to the competition but we will be largely satisfied with it for now ...
1984 ... not much to eat in this year 1984 except for this title. A year 'without' as they say ...
1990 ... then much more until the following decade. Here he is back in a shattering way in this year 1990 thanks to this title much more in line with the sound side of the standards of the time
1990 ... a first ! Here he is in EuroDance mode, incredible but true ! When we think back to its beginnings, there is something to be hallucinating !
1995 ... the last notorious hit. In addition, in a register in which we had never seen him. A decade of 90 which will have seen him transform from A to Z. And which will have allowed him to finish in style !
Wiki :
Official Website :
Greatest Hits Adam And The Ants :
Greatest Hits Adam Ant :
Discography :
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