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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: Friend Or Foe, Crackpop History And The Right To Lie, Goody Two Shoes. LOW POINTS: Place In The Country, Here Comes The Grump, Man Called Marco.
This album is kind of boring, but still okay. If you like Adam and the Ants, then you'll most likely enjoy this - but if otherwise, then you should probably steer clear, as this stuff will just annoy the living crap out of you. Now, of course, Friend Or Foe is technically Adam Ant's first "solo" outing, and as such, some important changes are starting to take place. Nevertheless, I would consider this the last de facto Adam and the Ants album, as it still sounds a lot like that band. The main reason for this is because the music is still incredibly bombastic, with that jarring percussion, and the horns appearing even louder, and more often, than ever before. Also, guitarist Marco Pirroni is still a major songwriting force in the band at this point, and his ominous rockabilly playing is still very much in your face. All of this big production and atmosphere amounts to a tolerable listen, although the songs themselves do not stand on their own that well. Most of these tracks don't even sound like songs so much as extended grooves, and this even goes for the better moments. So maybe the record is not so much boring as it is repetitive. Or perhaps it's a bit of both.
What saves FOF, at least in a few places, is that, with Adam Ant starting to get more commercial and all, a fantastic melody does pop up here and there. The title track is a superb opener, mostly because it uses the "extended groove" concept to the best effect. As the song tramples along, it's actually quite powerful, and those chanted verses are a lot of fun, too. I even love the way that wimpy, mariachi trumpet moans at the beginning. Also great is "Crackpop History And The Right To Lie," which is also very monotonous, to be fair, but I'll be damned if this ain't one catchy, mid-tempo pop tune that has Adam humorously debunking journalists. And of course, there's "Goody Two Shoes," that bouncy, infectious hit single that still gets played to death on retro-'80s radio shows, it seems. There's not really anything worth mentioning apart from those three songs, although minor standouts may include "Cajun Twisters," a funky, disco-type song, and "Try This For Sighs," which, while not that memorable, is pretty catchy during the chorus.
Otherwise, the record doesn't leave much of a lasting impact. Too much of this is just laden with awkward Broadway posturing or other silly artistic pretensions. "Something Girls" and "Made Of Money" can pass as pop songs, but they're very slight. Actually, the Broadway-style cover of the Doors' "Hello I Love You" is somewhat innovative - Adam Ant really makes it his own song, if you know what I mean - but it will surely offend the pants off of any Doors purist. "Desperate But Not Serious" and "Place In The Country" are more blaring, ultra-bombastic nonsense in the vein of "Goody Two Shoes," but not as upbeat and catchy. Actually, the second of those is downright terrible; strangely, both of these songs appear on Adam Ant compilations! "Here Comes The Grump" is a dismally cycling thing in which Adam laments about doctors' warning him not to have casual sex, or something like that. The airy "Man Called Marco" is a completely unnecessary instrumental dedicated to the man's samey guitar work. So, as a whole, FOF isn't that good (like most Adam Ant albums), although I still can't bring myself to hate it. Somehow, it's still quite listenable if you're in the mood for this fucked up Broadway sort of thing. Buy it if you really like Adam and the Ants.
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: Stand And Deliver, Antmusic, Friend Or Foe, Zerox, Goody Two Shoes, Puss 'N Boots. LOW POINTS: Place In The Country.
The sticker that the record company obtrusively slapped onto this jewel case proclaims: "THE DEFINITIVE ANT-THOLOGY: 17 Career-Spanning Hits." I suppose that's accurate enough. Based on what I've both read and heard of this guy, The Essential Adam Ant does a good job at showing Adam's progress as an artist, moving chronologically, and accurately portraying the vibe of each of his albums. While these songs were generally well-chosen, one finds that Stuart Goddard's shtick grows redundant after the course of one hour. Still, the CD is a guilty pleasure with some great songs on it, so I'll muster a few positive things to say about this much loathed New Romantic.
"Zerox" represents the Ant debut, Dirk Wears White Sox (back then, of course, it was Adam AAAAANNND The Ants). The song is buzzing post punk, augmented by piercing falsetto vocals - and if that sounds grating, well, the song WORKS, dude, because it's so deliciously crunching and melancholy. Next are four tracks from Kings Of The Wild Frontier, generally considered Adam's peak. These songs definitely fulfill the Adam Ant "vision," mixing Marco Pirroni's dark rockabilly riffs with multi-layered, Native American-style percussion and war chants. However, I'm not that impressed myself - even within this tiny sample, I hear monotony, with the title track and "Dog Eat Dog" coming off somewhat interchangeable. At least "Antmusic" is a classic, with the drummer creatively banging on the rims of his drums, and one adrenaline-charged chorus. The Ants attempt to mix things up a little with "Physical (You're So)," a trudging hard rock stomper. On Prince Charming, the band expand upon the Indian gimmick with some cowboy/Western imagery; the title track is a dark, New Romantic, campfire sing-along, and rather effective. "Ant Rap" is just what it says, a rap, and it's fun if you can get past the obnoxious vocals (actually, I'm a little awe-struck, considering an all-white bunch released this as far back as 1981). But the best song on that album, and my favorite Adam Ant song, is "Stand And Deliver," a driving anthem that forcibly trots like the Cavalry.
A lot changes on Friend Or Foe, with Adam going "solo" and dispersing The Ants, keeping only guitarist Pirroni. Also, he moves into a more standard pop direction, with more emphasis on melodies and big, protruding brass arrangements. The title tune is my favorite here, sporting that pogoing drumbeat and catchy "WAH, WAH, HEY!!" vocal before each line in the verses. The hit single "Goody Two Shoes" rehashes the same drumbeat, and the same blaring horns, but it's about equally as engaging, thanks to that memorable lyric, "Ya' don't drink, don't smoke, what do ya' do?" repeated over and over. "Place In The Country" ALSO rehashes the same drums and brass, but it's just annoying as hell. "Desperate But Not Serious" is another mediocre selection from the 1982 album - there ARE better songs on that record, especially "Crackpop History And The Right To Lie." On Strip, Adam succumbs completely to glossy '80s production, but these selections are still good. The title track flaunts some sparse strings, a pretty chorus, and, needless to say, it's appropriately risqué: "We're just following ancient history/If I strip for you will you strip for me?" Indeed. The synthy "Puss 'N Boots" is delightful, with that catchy "Ooooo-Ooooo" vocal bellowing in the background much of the time. Like most of Adam's work, it makes you either want to dance, or shoot yourself, and there isn't really a happy medium. The rest is standard fair synth pop ("Apollo 9," "Room At The Top") or adult contemporary that reveals an aging singer (the confessional love song "Wonderful"); listenable, but bland. All of this amounts to a pretty favorable compilation. Probably definitive, and most likely all the Ant you will ever need.
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