Ant Music For Sex People - Adam And The Ants TFTLTYTD #24

 

Whilst this is a familiar thread on the site, instead of marking the life of a musician. this time around I an remembering a famous or should that be infamous character who was failed the British legal system. Last Wednesday, the Home Secretary, David Lammy announced that by royal consent the death sentence carried out on Ruth Ellis was being commuted to life imprisonment. Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom. The sentence was carried out on 13th July 1955 and was the culmination of the case in which Ellis was tried for the murder of her lover, David Blakely.

I do not intend to repeat the history here, but if you are unfamiliar with the case please do take a look her the entry on Wikipedia (other online resources are available!). It is a terrible story. Ruth, her mother and sister were physically and sexually abused by her father from a very young age. She left home for the big city where she found work in prostitution and in the clubs of Soho. In this time she also had a string of poor relationships with men characterised by physical and psychological abuse.

In 1953 she met Blakely, educated at public school and Sandhurst and a racing driver to boot and they were soon living together despite the fact that Blakely was engaged to another woman. In time Ellis started seeing another man, Desmond Cussen, and started living with him whilst the relationship with Blakely continued. Ellis went through these years often pregnant, losing one child through miscarriage after being punched in the stomach by Blakely.

On 10th April 1955 she travelled by cab to Hampstead in search of David Blakely, eventually locating him in the Magdala public house. When he emerged from the pub with a male friend and went to his car Ruth Ellis shot him repeatedly. With her abusive lover fatally wounded on the ground she was quickly apprehended by an off-duty policeman. She made no attempt to flee. Upon her arrest she stated only "I am guilty, I'm a little confused."

Tried and sentenced at the Old Bailey on 20th June she was hanged by Albert Pierrepoint at Holloway prison and buried within the grounds of the prison. Later in the 1970's Ellis's remains were exhumed and reburied in Amersham in Buckinghamshire.

Hers was a life in freefall from a young age and she was just 28 when executed. There was never a denial of culpability on Ruth Ellis's part for the crime that she committed and was thus always going to be punished for her actions. However, this was 1955, an era in which the extreme provocation of domestic abuse and coercive control held little sway in a British court of law.

The Family tragedy did not end with the execution of Ruth, subsequent to her hanging, suicide took other close members of the family, with her first husband and her son taking their own lives in 1958 and 1982 respectively. Ruth Ellis's mother attempted suicide by gassing in 1969.

If ever their was a case with extenuating circumstances this was it. The Ruth Ellis case ultimately did much to change the law in the UK, from the abolition of capital punishment to the acknowledgement of the impact of domestic abuse in criminal behaviour.

The link to Adam and the Ants is tenuous, but their 'Song For Ruth Ellis' is the only song that I am aware of that references this infamous British murder case. The track was recorded in several demo sessions that the Ants did prior to getting signed to 'Do It' records. I have said it elsewhere but as good as 'Dirk Wears White Sox' is, it is undeniably true that much of the material that preceded it is equally as good if not better. This I guess is the reason why these various demo sessions are so enduringly popular.

The BBC's reporting of the granting of a conditional pardoning can be found here.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-DZHYE23xaWuDETEX

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-kBY8fRCP3gTEz38a

Top 30 Punk Albums #7 Dirk Wears White Sox - Adam And The Ants

 

Adam Ant, then just plain old Stuart Goddard was perhaps one of the first people in the UK over which the Sex Pistols cast their spell. Many musical luminaries of the past 50 years who witnessed the Pistols at one of their early gigs (Screen On The Green, Notre Dam Hall, Lesser Free Trade Hall....) have stated that the experience was transformative, a catalyst that compelled young men and women to by a cheap instrument and form a rock 'n' roll band... with no thought of musical ineptitude at all. As the bass playing  member of Bazooka Joe, young Stuart, was witness to the first Pistols gig at St Martins Shool of Art on 6th November 1975. Before long Stuart became Adam and he started to carve a presence on the London punk scene. In this he had the benefit of being well connected with the movers and shakers of the nascent scene, Jordan, punk face extrordinaire and future manager of Adam & The Ants. As was the case with Siouxsie & The Banshees it took The Ants an inordinate length of time to get the backing of a record company for studio releases. That is not to say that the Ants just fell back on their electric live performances. Long before the final release of their debut album, the band recorded a wealth of demo material. It is a loss to the genre that these demos, although in wide circulation for many years, never received a proper studio treatment since they represented some of the bands finest material. Some of it did surface in the form of B-sides re-recorded for the Ant/Pironi version of the band.

The formative months and years of the Ants were turbulant with frequent personnel changes before the line up stabilised with Adam Ant on vocals, Matthew Ashman on guitar, Andy Warren on bass and Dave Barbe on drums. This quartet has built up a reputation based on dramatic live performances. These shows drew in a fiercely loyal hardcore following. Unfortunately, the band's gigs also attracted gans of skinheads intent on smashing up gigs and smashing heads. In all probability is was Adam's flirtations with the imagery of Fascism and Nazism that attracted the skins as moths to a flame.

It was the Ant/Ashman/Warren/Barbe line up that finally laid down tracks in the studio that would become their debut 'Dirk Wears White Sox', released in 1979.

So why is it that I hold this album in such high regard. Well, personally, I heard it first at around the same time that I bought 'King's of the Wild Frontier' (a massive album that transformed Adam from the S&M whipping boy (pun intended) of the music press to fully fledged rock/pop star) and to be honest even at the age of 11/12, 'Dirk' was superior (if less polished). Looking back on it later in the context of other contemporary punk/new wave albums, what stands out is that it is so different. No punk thrash this, rather the album moves between slow numbers like 'Cleopatra' and 'Tabletalk' through to dark matter, the likes of 'Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face), via the whimsical 'Car Trouble' and abstract 'The Day I Met God'. The music is so different with Matthew Ashman's jagged guitar and the band's harmonies making 'Dirk' truely stand out from all other '77 ilk bands.

I have located two contemporary reviews of the album, one grudgingly favourable, the other scathing. Of Paul Morley's New Musical Express review, according to Wikipedia, Adam Ant was still seething about it in 2010, thirty-one years later!

Aside from his 1979 slating of the album Adam also railed against the fact that Morley " "is now being commissioned by Sony to write my liner notes ... Go and write for Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Or go on TV and talk shit for three hours. That represents the old school. He's fucked. He's got no credibility. Fuck him."

New Musical Express (8th December 1979)

THROBBING GRISTLE
20 Jazz Funk Greats
(Industrial)

ADAM AND THE ANTS
Dirk Wears White Socks
(Do It)

ADAM And The Ants and Throbbing Gristle are shadowy extremes, lurking in dark corners, lethargically scratching through their overscrubbed private parts, grinning sweetly at anyone who glances their way. Come here little girl! It's a dreary induIgence.

The Ants are at the extreme of the Banshees-Joy Division line, Gristle of the Cabaret Voltaire-Normal, but neither really 'belong' or burst with the same naivety and spontanety, the compelling intimacy. Adam and the Gristle academics are very sharp, but far too tame. They lack the intuition and idiosyncrasy that makes for great art, resounding rock 'n' roll. They are playful analysts, but there is no passion in their work, no depth; actually, no shock, no risk and nothing really but a dubious battle with their own cunning.

TG have compiled a follow-up to their previous, equally glossy Christmas present,.'D.O.A. . .' This 'new bag of scraps has lyrics neatly printed on the back sleeve, surrounding a photograph of a reclining Range Rover. Words to 'Still Walking', 'Convincing People', 'Hot On The Heels Of Love', 'Persu'asion', 'What A Day' and 'Six Six Sixties' are inscrutable and spare, lists rather than images, intoned with preoccupied mock-litany - on the brink of coy. Words that indifferently trace neutral desires.

The atmosphere of 'Jazz Funk Greats' is deliberately listless and loveless. Their pieces are winsome and sombre, electronic models place in rock or art or my lacking the humour and arrogance of Fripp-Eno's similar sounding treatments, the morose hilarity of The Human League, or even the persuasive pop detail of Gary Numan (in some ways Gristle's 'Greats' is the supercilious opposite to Numan's seductive blend of bewildered values and frozen noise).

It's an unstimulating, inconclusive sound, full of grubby textures and scattered effects, and will satisfy only the most self-conscious. Maybe that is some sort of success. But there is nothing to suggest that TG are cryptic critics or symbolic satirists, nothing that confirms their mystique. You can read much into the minimalist lines and landscapes to observe that TG have their eyes directed straight at this or that or a hell, but mostly I think they're just licking the lolly of conscious. triviality, nonchalantly laying traps for the gullible.

One day TG will deliver the punch line and we'll all have a good giggle. Until then…

Adam of the Ants is a is creature of style. This impertinent outsider takes his sneer/philosophy a lot more ,seriously than the Throb four. His mock-heroic escape into an improbable and meticulously immoral Ant-mythology is to some extent justified. Previous critics' casual dismissal of Adam, based on his superficial sensationalism of the Ants' choked erotica and falsely assumed fascists fascination, ignored the versatility of Adam's art.

His work merits dismissal because it fails to live up to his ambition, but his cleverness, his expert usage of words, his ability to hold distorted mirrors up to nagging conventions, deserves more serious attention than has so far gone his way. Abrupt dismissal adds weighty credence to his own considered defence of his work, which is gradually bringing him misguided respect and a growing following. The implication of this following (somewhere near Crass territory) is potentially more damaging than his sly, slick inventiveness could ever be.

Adam imagines himself to be a flawless marriage of Lenny Bruce, Lou Reed and Jean Genet; ridiculing and hopefully ridding through exaggeration and absurd examination all manner of dark secrets and burdensome taboos. How he does this will undoubtedly offend Daily Express readers, ELO listeners and those who find baggy leather trousers and eye make-up on males strange.

On the other hand, faced with Adam's diligently . organised decadence, the rest of us can feel little threat in Adam's vividly structured attacks on and denials of conventional codes and rituals. Adam may toss off expertly, may have useful targets, but his work has the deadened air of contrivance rather than the sensual and scouring (re)defining and defiling of his mentors. He uses old techniques without any new urgency. 

Monroe, Cleopatra, God, John F Kennedy, Buddy Holly, the Pope, all float helplessly at the foreground of his fantasies; spunk, brains on Jackie Onassis' knee, piss are greedily mixed away in the background. Love is placed inside inverted commas, a 'digital tenderness'. Religion one hell of a let down, people are not to be trusted. Unless, of course, they share his posturing. Somewhere, sometime, Adam sees a saviour; it's probably himself but that's nothing to be condemned.

But Adam is limited by his own self-indulgence, and his songs, though certainly ingenious, are ultimately pale and heartless. His Kennedy flashback 'Catholic Day' is more kitsch than horror. His vision of God as a big boy with a big cock and streaks in his hair is mildly amusing but reveals more Adam's insecurity and careful unpleasantness than any ' infallibility in religion or disturbing immorality. Though a potent actor, Adam is just ineffective as critic, philosopher, satirist or pioneer; no amount of exhibitionism or' imagination can make up fo rthat.

And the music? Imagine the Banshees without the exquisite insistence and hostility, or Joy Division if they'd plummeted downwards after 'Ideal For Living' instead of shooting skywards.

Adam is ambitiously curious, but,that's not enough. You can admire the skill of it all, but he creates no tension, no disorder; he does not innovate, so he , continually fails to incite or inspire.

No amount of enigmatic isolation, dour defensiveness or articulate explanation can cover up the fact that these records just aren't very good. In this case 'good' is easily defined: the distinction between tedium and passion.

Of course, Gristle and Adam are as much comic as anything else, but their work, with its oblique wise-cracking, semi-surreal absurdity and tactical masquerading, takes pains to point out that life is tragic, trivial, tentative arid doesn't succeed. It consistently avoids the complexity and fumbling of life; it's always over-confident, and it seems cowardly. It can be easily flicked away, like a.scab, or swept away like the dust it is - not because of any 'horror' or nastiness, but because it is ' , - patronising, deceitful, and simply too conservative for a'place in rock or art or my heart.

Paul Morley

Pete Scott was a little less dismissive in the pages of Record Mirror.

Record Mirror (13th October 1979)

'Dirk Wears White Sox' was to see various rereleases, notably in late 1981 when Adam was at the zenith of his swashbuckling, Royal Variety friendly pop stardom. I haven't come across a re-review but I bet it would read rather differently than Mr Morley's!

New Musical Express (28th November 1981)

RockPop (German TV) Compilation

 

I received this DVD in a trade last week... a trade! I haven't done one of those in the longest time. To be honest I was not aware that this was in circulation. I had seen some of the excellent RockPop footage that appears here on other compilations (Buzzcocks, The Rezillos), so I was hopeful that the quality of the footage on this compilation would be comparable and it is! The only critisism I would have is that throughout, the programme designers included a TV screen through which the footage is seen.. a watching television on television effect. I guess that this was just another case of programme producers experimenting with early video technology that was coming into play in the late '70s/early '80s, which with hindsight does nothing to enhance the audiences viewing experience, if anything the outcome is precisely the opposite. That notwithstanding, the footage is excellent, opening with a 'Nice 'N' Sleazy' that I had never seen before. 

Most of the footage featured sits reasonably comfortably on a 'Punk & New Wave' compilation. There are some exceptions.... Cheap Trick for one. For some reason over many years that band have quite often cropped up on new wave compilations... to my ears they are American college rock, a long way from New Wave, regardless of whether you are considering New Wave from a US or UK perspective. I guess the cover of 'Since You've Been Gone' by Cherie and Marie Currie gets a foot in the door by virtue of the former having been a member of The Runaways.

Some of the other stuff is just interesting to see. John Foxx's Ultravox side by side with the Midge Ure version, Toyah's 'Neon Womb' from 'Sheep Farming In Barnet', the best song the band ever recorded and a typically madcap showing from Devo.

Aside from the 'new' Stranglers' footage my highlight is the inclusion of 'Die Roboter' by those Dusseldorf funsters, Kraftwerk. Brilliant to watch!

DVD Disc Image: https://we.tl/t-ehWwOH67tM

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-GaUfzEYrEl

Adam and the Ants The Marquee London 12th January 1978

 

I stumbled across this early Ants recording online. It appears to be something of an upgrade on what I had in the collection. The Ants were becoming hot property in London at this time and a residency at The Marquee Club in Wardour Street did much to cement their reputation as a band with a future. At that time though, that future was unknown, who indeed could have foreseen the twists and turns that Adam would navigate before he achieved the 'Superstar' status mentioned in the gig review below. Whatsmore, Superstar Adam was a million miles from the Adam who cavorted on the Marquee stage in the Winter of 1978! Strangely, all that survived were some of the early pre-Dirk Wears White Sox era  were the songs that the Adam/Marco line up rerecorded and recycled as B-sides for all of the big hits. 'Fall In', 'Beat My Guest', 'Red Scab' and 'Juanito the Bandito' featured in this set were revived in this way, whilst 'Deutscher Girls' and 'Plastic Surgery' were rush released as a single as a final cash in when Adam split his Ants in early 1982.

Mentioned often before but Adam and the Ants in 1978 has always been one of my 'time machine gigs.

MP3 (as received): https://we.tl/t-B1KJfCFchv

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-LUB7mA9wZL

Here's what the Record Mirror reviewer said of one of the residency Marquee gigs.

Record Mirror (21st January 1978)

ADAM AND THE ANTS
The Marquee, London

“Have you seen The Ants before?” demanded a leotard –clad punkette as I complacently queued for the privilege of using the Marquee “powder room”.

“Well…”

“You haven’t? You don’t know what you’re missing! They are THE BAND of the decade! I’ve never heard anyone like him. Adam is gonna be a Superstar! He’s…”

Typical. I endured six minutes of ravings before discovering that it was at her second ever concert that this 15 year-old had latched onto the Ants. This was her third.

It therefore came as no surprise that her promises were rather far -fetched. I haven't formulated a definite opinion of The Ants yet, probably a near impossibility unless one has seen them two or three times, but I certainly cannot visualize them becoming world heroes. A cult perhaps ...

Adam is the chief Ant. He writes, sings and acts out all their songs (except the hideous 'Lou' written and
screeched by their manager Jordan, leaving Adam looking incongruous behind a guitar). Posturing like an insecure Ig in his black leather and stark make-up he shrilly spat out a total of 15 songs, including two unnecessary encores.

Some were uninspired. Others were quite catchy, particularly the almost Ramonish 'Hampstead' and others were just, er, unusual. 'There's A Whip In My Valise' had a great oom cha cha backing vocals while Adam's falsetto careering through 'Light Up A Beacon My Puerto Rican' and 'Juanito The Bandito' brought a pleasant variety to the set. There was even a tango flavour to 'Deutscher Girls'.

Some good rhythms lurking in the background, but the better points in the set were marred by the bad ones, namely Jordan and an excess of lame songs acting as time - fillers.

Blitz, the young support were surprising. Despite headlining (joke) The Roxy iater that evening they really let loose and enjoyed themselves along with the whole audience. Although stunningly unoriginal they played some very catchy numbers . . . in tune! Strictly for fun.

KELLY PIKE

Adam And The Ants Electric Ballroom, Camden, London 31st December 1979

 

What a way to see in the 1980's with Adam & The Ants at Camden's Electric Ballroom. I have made no secret over the years in posts on this site that a pre-King's Of The Wild Frontier gig is right up there when the Time Machine is launched. I was into the Ants in 1980 but I was only 11 then so gigs were out... not that I would have got into any or would have probably wanted too given how hairy some of them could be. Just look at that set (with the exception of the throwaway 'A.N.T.S.') an unbeatable mix of 'Dirk Wears White Sox' material and material that pre-dated any contract that the band had, songs that in their original form (as opposed to the versions that were rerecorded as B-Sides on the big hit singles) as live versions or demos. Reading Mick Mercer's review this must have been one of Kevin Mooney's first gigs as an Ants bass player.

Can't enlighten you really on the support. I have only heard of the 'Black Arabs' and then only through their involvement with 'The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. Thanks to the original Dime uploader.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-vnpyC9TJkp

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-3Zx6TE4OS4

01. Physical (You’re So)
02. Deutscher Girls
03. Cartrouble
04. Cleopatra
05. The Idea
06. Whip In My Valise
07. Lady
08. Puerto Rican
09. Press Darlings
10. Zerox
11. Tabletalk
12. Crowd
13. Beat My Guest
14. Fall In
15. Crowd
16. Red Scab
17. Fat Fun
18. A.N.T.S
19. Crowd
20. Lady
21. Puerto Rican

Here's what Mick Mercer had to say of the gig in the 19th January 1980 issue of Record Mirror.

ADAM AND THE ANTS/ENGLISH SUBTITLES/SECURITY RISK/BLACK ARABS

Electric Ballroom London

AT ELECTRIC BALLROOM gigs you get the doomy impression that it might just be your last, and tonight was even worse than ever. The mass proliferation of boneheads, en route to a flower pressing session round the corner, was larger than usual and at least one person got stabbed. Yeah, it's a war zone baby.

Safe inside, we gazed longingly at the English Subtitles, longing for them to hurry up and get off Security Risk were highly promising and got the gig going properly, led by one of the sharpest looking punkettes around. They had a fine collection of pop/punk (ponk?) tunes on offer, tinged with humour. 'Sign Us Up', 'Action Man' and 'Letter From America' were just three of the wondrous items, and two cover versions, 'Bobby 's Girl' (good) and 'Alright With The Boys' (Loads of toss). Considering it was all done without a soundcheck, it was all good stuff.

The Black Arabs get the Queen's award of industrious swearing as they heaped abuse on the crowd. Unfortunately the music hardly matched up to their bravery, a kind of groovy disco morass the like of which I never wish to encounter again.

The Ants stormed into their set and the difference between their last few London gigs was made clear, the new bassist of the disappearing plectrum style. The music had a far sharper edge to it due basically to the force the new boy ploughed into the sound. Adam himself seemed far more active and towards the set a great deal angrier than ever I've witnessed .

They won over the seasoned regulars with two oldies 'You're So Physical' and ' 'Deutscher Girls' (a rare treat) followed by the awe-inspiring 'Car Trouble' where even a few duff musical moves couldn't disguise the beauty of the devil’s music. With the new-found fury running rampant they hurtled out a lightning fast 'Whip In My Valise', a new revamped (Iyricallv) 'Press Darlings' and a startling 'Table Talk' their most inspirational musical shock, where stunning white lights burst forth and cast an effective silhouette of Adam down one side of the hall. Being nearly blind onstage however has its disadvantages as Adam found out when he fell into the crowd and got some rough treatment meted out to him. It also means you finish the gig unaware that your flies are open.

By the time they’d finished it was obvious that 1980 will be the year of The Ants; the power and the spirits always always been there, it 's only now reaching its full explosive potential, and despite the constant witchunt the press hurl at Adam he's survived and proved himself worthy of the devoted following The Ants enjoy. They've proved themselves. Real aristocrats.

MICK MERCER

Adam And The Ants Circles Club Swansea 30th July 1979 (TFTLTYTD#10)

 

Adam & The Ants (or Antz) may not so readily be associated with the first wave of the punk bands of the London scene, coming into prominence a little later, but they were for sure well connected within the scene from very early on. Adam played bass in Bazooka Joe when the Pistols played their first gig as support, he was also on the Thames boat with Jordan, who also managed an early incarnation of the Ants and performed on stage with them. Gig-wise, the band supported Siouxsie & the Banshees as well as X-Ray Spex. Not a band punk CV with which to enter 1978. 

The Ants went through several line up changes before pining down a band that would record the first single 'Young Parisians' and the debut album, the formidable 'Dirk Wears White Sox'. The recording band included a talented guitarist by the name of Matthew Ashman.

 The 'Dirk' album stands apart from much of what passed as punk (or perhaps that should be post-punk given its release date of November 1979). Ashman's distinctive playing style was very much a part of this... angular and quirky!

Adam's engagement of Malcolm McLaren with a view of shaping the band for a breakthrough was a watershed for both Adam Ant and Matthew Ashman, as the wily clothier persuaded the latter along with Leigh Gorman and Dave Barbarossa to form a band that became Bow Wow Wow. Ultimately, this fracture was to prove beneficial for all of the musicians involved as Adam soon went on to huge success in mainstream pop and Bow Wow Wow, fronted by Annabella Lwin, also had a significant chart presence in the early part of the 1980s.

Ashman's latter musical career retained a connection with Adam & The Ants as after the demise of Bow Wow Wow, he formed the Chiefs of Relief with Gorman and Barbarossa (essentially Bow Wow Wow without Annabella). After a break from music Matthew returned, first in Max, a band formed by Kevin Mooney (Ants' bass player during the 'Kings of the Wild Frontier' period), before performing in his last band 'Agent Provocateur'.

Ashman died at the age of just 35 on 21st November 1995 from complications with his diabetic condition.

Here is a recording from the Zerox tour. I think that this was sent to me by Sewer Rat, so many thanks for the share. It's quite a good sounding recording when age and the nature of the venue are considered.

MP3 (as received): https://we.tl/t-E4zOFZP5FD

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-o2f9KoI0pr

'Blood, Sweat, Leather And Tears' Adam and the Antz 1977-1980 Part 1 by Johna Johnson and Salisbury Technical College September 1978

 

Another post on a recently read book, once again music related so not a complete indulgence.

As pointed out in the preface by the author, the story of Adam and the Ants is really the story of two bands. Like me, the author expresses frustration at the fact that to state that you were a fan of Adam and the Ants would instantly invite 'Dandy Highwaymen' and 'Prince Charming' taunts, but it wasn't always like that, far from it! The Ants of Matthew Ashman, Dave Barbe, Andy Warren and Adam, along with various other early ants that served, were a different proposition altogether from the chart friendly pop act that rubbed shoulders with royalty. The Ants of 1977 to 1979 were a cult band who drew around them a hardcore band of young fans who followed the band to whichever run down clubs and colleges they played at. 

The bands focus on sadomasochism, bondage and the like ('Whip In My Valise', 'Rubber Room', 'Beat My Guest', 'Bathroom Function' etc etc) coupled with songs touching on fascist themes, albeit in a tongue in cheek manner ('Nietzsche Baby', 'Deutscher Girls', 'Il Duce'....) did little to endear the band to the all important British music press. So in this most interesting period of the band's existence they did not get the media attention that made many of their contemporaries.

What is notable about the early Ants is just how prolific they were. Whilst official releases were slow in coming (first single 'Young Parisians' was released in October 1978 whist their first studio album, 'Dirk Wears White Sox', only saw the light of day in November 1979) the band produced a veritable treasure trove of material in demo form, songs that made up their live sets in 1977 and 1978.

Now I love 'Dirk Wears White Sox'. It is quirky, highly original and very stylish and yet much of the demo material was even better. As I have mentioned on this site before, Adam recorded some of these early songs with Marco and they became B-sides to many of the big hits that came a little later. But how I would live to hear proper, fully fledged versions of these songs as recorded by the original band!

Many years ago and for a period of a few months I used to cross paths with Tony Barber (then of Buzzcocks) in Camden. He recorded yet another permutation of the demos for me and we discussed the Ants. He said that any outing to see the band, especially outside of London, always had the potential for violence. This observation is borne out in Johna's book. Written in the style of a novel, it focusses on the early Ants as viewed through the eyes of the small yet devoted fanbase. The euphoria, danger and overall sense of belonging to a tribe inextricably linked to one band jumps off the page and into the imagination of the reader.

Individual gigs are described in detail. The author clearly also has access to the 45 year old recordings of these gigs as the set lists are accurately described in the narrative.

Sadly, whilst this era of the band is quite well represented in bootleg form, not all of the gigs described in the book have survived in audio form, if ever they were recorded in the first place (probably not). I can however, correlate some of them. One of those is an eventful evening spent in Salisbury Technical College on 21st September 1978. As was usual fans of the band converged on the Wiltshire city for the gig, but tonight in fewer numbers that usual it seems. Unfortunately for this travelling contingent, the Ants appearance coincided with a biker's rally. The potential for trouble, high at the best of times, looked like an inevitability on this evening... and so it was. Bikers and local anti-punk thugs gained access to to the hall and started picking off the outnumbered fans. 

Listening back to the gig today, I was wondering whether any reference  to the situation would be made from the stage, but it seems not. The recoding sounds ok when you consider i) its age and ii) the circumstances under which it was recorded.

Trouble continued after the band left the stage. What followed sounds like a mini Dunkirk operation. As drunken bikers patrolled the area around the college looking for hapless punks to beat, fans were piled into the band's transit and the van carrying the PA and a getaway for many was pulled off . Other gaggles of fans ran the gauntlet upon leaving the venue including Johna and his mates who faced a 30 minute wait for an AA man to rescue their broken down hire car from the car park ahead of a long tow back to Bradford.

So here is the gig. The artwork states the 22nd of September but what the hell! A memorable gig for all the wrong reasons. Johna states that this is the only time that the band played 'Song for Ruth Ellis' live.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-GUlm3GAWav

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-0VYiZ639Zu

01. Plastic Surgery

02. Bathroom Function

03. Il Duce

04. Physical (You’re So)

05. Weekend Swingers

06. Song For Ruth Ellis

07. Cleopatra

08. B-Side Baby

09. Friends

10. Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face)

11. Catholic Day

12. Deutscher Girls

13. Lady

14. Puerto Rican

15. Fall In

Adam & The Antz The Roundhouse London 14th May 1978

 

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-6MsXDyUQTU

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-oiKj687ljl

Yesterday the worldwide punk community were shocked at the passing of Pamela Rooke a.k.a. Jordon Mooney but best known of all just 'plain' Jordan. As iconic and as identifiable with British punk of the 1976 vintage as Johnny Rotten himself Jordan was something else! Her reputation went before her, young visitors to 'Sex' on the Kings Road would by all accounts tremble on the threshold at the idea of encountering this way out there assistant Jordan. Her appearance was extraordinary even by the standards of the first adherents of the London punk scene. No one touched her when it came to her insistence on the right to self-expression, perhaps Siouxsie and Soo Catwoman came close but they were for sure either side of Jordan on that particular podium. 

Promo poster for Derek Jarman's 'Jubilee' (1978)

I remember watching a programme with my Dad, quite possibly The Old Grey Whistle Test when Blondie were playing. This would have been 1977 I think  and Debbie had the ripped fishnet tights etc on. He said to me, 'Adrian, God forbid that you ever bring a girl home like that' (....as if!). What he would have made of Jordon in her finest finery I cannot guess, but I don't suppose that she ever crossed his conscious mind (neither did punk in general... although in 1976 he would have been only 38!). He bizarrely fancied Princess Anne in the 1970's and would try to tell me and my Mum that she was a good-looking woman!

As outlandish as Jordan's style was it had, well... style. As a dress-maker herself, something that drew her to Vivienne and Malcolm in the first place, she had an eye for what went well together, be it in latex or cheesecloth. 

Punk face became punk manager and punk 'singer' when she became involved with Adam & The Ants. This is a recording of the band from the Roundhouse in May 1978 that features Jordon on vocals for the band's assassination song Lou Reed entitled... 'Lou'.

In recent years, Jordan the long term veterinary nurse in her home town of Seaford, reacquainted her with her punk past attending gigs in Brighton and in the wider the Sussex area as well as participating in high profile punk events in London. I never got to meet her but many friends did and all described her as a charming, intelligent and witty woman willing to share her unique insider's view on Year Zero and her key role in the punk wars. 

I have to say that I was rather dismayed upon first seeing social media messages that she had died that my regular updating of the BBC new webpage did not reveal the sad truth. In fact 36 hours later and there is still no mention of her passing on the BBC (although I think that 6 Music covered it). But still, are the Pistols and all those associated with those foul mouthed yobs still so reviled by the Corporation  that 46 years on the female face of punk does not deserve an obituary? I am sure that there could have been room for both Dot Cotton and Jordan!

Jordan

1955 - 2022

Adam And The Ants Smarty's Chester 19th February 1979

 

This ad is a new one to me. It appeared in the 13th January 1979 issue of Sounds. sadly I do not have recordings of any of the gigs that appear on this ad, but others that were obviously a part of this tour I do, including this one from Smarty's in Chester on 19th February 1979.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-Ren0y9Ny2e

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-LIHxuTNOJa

01. Nietzsche Baby
02. Day I Met God
03. Animals And Men
04. Cleopatra
05. Kick
06. Never Trust A Man
07. Catholic Day
08. Boil In The Bag Man
09. Family Of Noise
10. Press Darlings
11. Zerox
12. Lady
13. Puerto Rican
14. Fall In
15. B-Side Baby
16. Beat My Guest

Adam And The Ants The Factory Manchester 21st July 1979

This is the best  sounding recording that I have heard of the early Ants. The first four tracks are very muddy, but something happens at the point where they launch into 'Family of Noise' and the sound quality improves ten-fold to give the listener a near perfect recording from the Zerox tour.

WAV: https://we.tl/t-2RLQKSmDxr

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-VHi8nt2AXo

01. Cartrouble

02. Animals And Men

03. Nine Plan Failed

04. The Day I Met God

05. Family Of Noise

06. Cleopatra

07. Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face)

08. The Idea

09. Digital Tenderness

10. Tabletalk

11. Catholic Day

12. Kick

13. Zerox

14. Red Scab

15. Lady

16. Hamstead

17. Press Darlings

Adam And The Ants Brighton Centre 28th December 1981

I was three months shy of my 13th birthday when Adam and the Ants came back to Brighton. Actually, I was offered a ticket to see The Police two weeks before, they were currently embarked on their 'Ghost In The Machine' tour. It would have been good, I had most of their singles and I liked them, but my sights were fixed on the Ants in that last week of December. My uncle, at that time a taxi driver in Brighton, sacrificed a few fares in order to queue in line for tickets on the day the box office opened for sale (these were of course the days where you had to go to the venue in advance to get physical tickets!). He was successful and on the evening of 28th December, myself and two school mates excitedly prepared ourselves for our first proper gig.

I well recall the 'Ant Disco' pumped out over the PA to warm the audience up, the choices of the band members..... Roxy Music's 'Pyjamarama' and 'Virginia Plain', along with the Pistol's 'Anarchy in the UK' etc etc. The support act were some manner of dance troupe that were frankly lost on us three, we were only interested in the main event!

This recording of the first night in Brighton on the 28th is not as clear as the Birmingham Odeon recording I posted the other day, but it is a full set recording. That set drew heavily on the 'Kings' album and 'Prince Charming' of course. For some reason, 'Dirk Wears White Sox' was seriously under represented on this tour with the exception of 'Cartrouble'. This was a big disappointment for me, since whilst 'Kings of the Wild Frontier' was, and indeed continues to be, a great album, 'Dirk' for me was the one. As for 'Prince Charming', can anyone really stand up and claim, hand on heart, that it is a great album?

Inclusions and omissions in this set, now looking back at it from a distance of almost 40 years, come as a great surprise. What was the rationale for excluding 'Stand and Deliver' from the set, arguably the best known of the band's hits. All the more baffling when the throwaway pantomime piece 'Ant Rap' was played not once but twice (presumably by virtue of the fact that it was at the time the current latest single from the band, and, unbeknown to most, their last). A.N.T.S. also got in there, a 'Flexipop' magazine freebie of little merit.

Since 1980, Adam had seen fit to put out B-sides of re-recorded songs that harked back to the unsigned early Ants and this represented some of their best material for me. 'Christian D'ior' and 'Physical' were great in that respect but there could have been more for an already discerning and critical 12 year old!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-p378tIiGmD

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-fCKlSNfKsS

01. The Magnificent Five
02. Picasso Visita El Planeta De Los Simios
03. Five Guns West
04. That Voodoo
05. S.E.X.
06. Scorpios
07. Antmusic
08. Don't Be Square (Be There)
09. Ant Rap
10. Prince Charming
11. The Human Beings

01. Ants Invasion
02. Killer In The Home
03. Dog Eat Dog
04. Jolly Roger
05. Los Rancheros
06. Cartrouble
07. Christian D'or
08. A.N.T.S.
09. Kings Of The Wild Frontier
10. Ant Rap (Reprise)
11. Physical (You're So)

20 From '82 (6) Adam And The Ants Birmingham Odeon 18th Janurary 1982

As I have mentioned on numerous occasions since establishing this site, Adam And the Ants was my first gig in December 1981. For sure they were no longer at their best, the real danger in the band had been replaced by pantomime dramatics by the time of 'The Prince Charming Review'. That said I was 12 years old and it was a proper gig... and even then my highlights of the show were 'Physical' and 'Cartrouble', missing here in Birmingham but played in Brighton.

I was recently sent this gig from the tour and it is great quality, well worthy of a listen.

MP3 (as received): Recording appears to be a rip of the Drury Lane video release and as officially released material I have removed it from the site. Sorry about that.

01. Picasso Visita El Planeta De Los Simios
02. Five Guns West
03. That Voodoo
04. S.E.X.
05. Scorpios
06. Antmusic
07. Don't Be Square (Be There)
08. Prince Charming
09. The Human Beings
10. Ants Invasion
11. Killer in the Home
12. Mowhok
13. Dog Eat Dog
14. Jolly Roger
15. Los Rancheros
16. Christian D'or
17. Kings of the Wild Frontier
18. Ant Rap
19. Physical (You're So)

20 From '77(15) Adam and the Antz Home Demos 1977

Here are the Ants or rather Adam with some 1977 made demos of early material, some of which would see the light of day on an official releases and some of which would only do the rounds on highly sought after bootleg releases of the pre-contracted band.

Early doors, the Antz were managed by Sex and Seditionaries stalwart Jordan with whom Adam also appeared in their film debuts in Derek Jarman's 'Jubilee'. From fetish obsessive to pantomime Dick Whittington via the Reservation the career of the Ants short but intense.

The early Ants with manager Jordan

To my mind the band's output in the period of 1977 to 1979 was the best that they did and certainly some of the most original material of any bands of the era.

Adam Ant in 1977

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-QCXsPZBDe2

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-oZYiiRx5id

01. Young Parisians
02. Ohh That Max
03. Lady
04. DA DA (AKA Rubbish)
05. Sally Is A Brat
06. Cleopatra
07. Physical
08. Xerox
09. Back To Cindy
10. Sex Rumples The Clothing
11. Song For Ruth Ellis
12. Bathroom Function
13. Toulouse Lautrec (Get On Your Knees)

Adam and the Ants Cleopatra's Huddersfield 6th June 1980

Here's a gig from the revamped Ants. Here they played at Cleopatra's in Huddersfield, a date on Summer's 'Ants Invasion' tour. For some reason trouble had a habot of following the Ants from gig to gig. A friend in Hayes spoke of older acquaintances in the area who followed the band and they said that a fight was guaranteed. I recall talking to Tony Barber (ex-Buzzcocks) about our appreciation of early Ants stuff and he said the same thing about the violence that their gigs attracted. This gig is no exception, a fight breaks out in the crowd during 'Fall-in'. It must have been a significant punch-up as the police were called and the gig was abandoned.

Was anyone on here, there?

WAV: https://we.tl/BE6VkVsi2n

Artwork: https://we.tl/DTwNHArHgw

01. Physical (You're So)
02. Kings Of The Wild Frontier
03. Ants Invasion
04. Beat My Guest
05. Fall-In
06. Cleopatra
07. Kick!
08. Killer In The Home
09. Press Darlings
10. Tabletalk

Drum With Dave Barbarossa

If there are any wannabe Keith Moon's out there who feel that their efforts on the skins could do with a boost from someone who really knows what they are doing. Dave Barbarossa's CV is presented on his flyer, but for me it's Dave's tenure in the original Ants that counts.

I saw Dave play once with Adam at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in 1995. Adam, opting for the later Ants trade mark of two drummers, had Ruffy (The Ruts, Ruts DC, plus a list of bands and artists as long as your arm) occupy the other drum stool and together they made a hell of a noise.

Adam Ant - Kings Of The Wild Frontier - Then And Now

1980 vintage Adam & The Ants

'Kings of the Wild Frontier' was the first album that I bought with hard earned pocket money. It was 1980 and I was big on the Ants. The album purchase followed on from my buying 'Antmusic'. The other singles followed as I back filled the collection courtesy of Les's record market stall in Burgess Hill. 'Press Darlings', 'Kick', 'Lady', the b-sides were always as good as the A-sides in my opinion. This was even more the case with some of the later singles released when the Adam had realised his ambition and transformed his band from a cult outfit to one that could safely be asked to play a Royal Variety Performance. Chart and child friendly A-sides were backed with re-recordings of much earlier as then unreleased material that was darker and infinitely more exiting, 'Beat My Guest', 'Christian D'ior' and 'Red Scab'.

The album came with a 'catalogue' that introduced the listener to the band. It also listed the bands likes and dislikes and so it was that I became familiar with punk and the like (although it was some time before I understood Marco's passion for 'original Sex clothing'!

With the 'Kings' album, there was still something dark in their sound which very much disappeared in 1981 through to the bands demise in early 1982.

Here's a recording of the band captured in New York in April 1981.

FLAC: https://we.tl/X5nbRJdtb2

01. Prelude
02. The Human Beings
03. Dog Eat Dog
04. Stand And Deliver
05. Magnificent Five
06. Don't Be Square (Be There)
07. Los Rancheros
08. Ants Invasion
09. Killer In The Home
10. Cleopatra
11. Press Darlings
12. Kick
13. Fall In
14. Beat My Guest
15. Jolly Roger
16. Zerox
17. Cartrouble
18. Antmusic
19. Kings Of The Wild Frontier
20. A.N.T.S.
21. Physical

In 2016, following successful gigs centred on the magnificent @Dirk Wears White Sox' album, Adam once again took 'Kings of the Wild Frontier' on the road, I have friends who went to Brighton, London and Brixton and all reported the gigs to be great.

Here he is playing the De Montfort Hall in Leicester.

FLAC: https://we.tl/2oQHTC1qyt

01.  Dog Eat Dog  
02.  Antmusic  
03.  Feed Me To The Lions
04.  Los Rancheros
05.  Ants Invasion  
06.  Killer in the Home
07.  Kings of the Wild Frontier
08.  Magnificent Five
09.  Don't Be Square (Be There)
10. Jolly Roger  
11. Making History  
12. Human Beings
13. Beat My Guest  
14. Christian D'or  
15. Press Darlings
16. Stand and Deliver  
17. Vive Le Rock
18. Cartrouble  
19. Desperate But Not Serious
20. Zerox  
21. Never Trust a Man (With Egg on His Face)
22. Lady  
23. Goody Two Shoes
24. Prince Charming
25. Encore Break
26. Get It On  
27. Red Scab
28. Physical (You're So)

The Models John Peel Session 4th July 1977

There's something for you that is very short but sweet. The models took one part of the punk ethic to heart..... make your mark and don't overstay your welcome. They made but one single, 'Freeze' in 1977, but what a single it was.

Here's the Peel session they did for Uncle John in July of that year.

Of the line up two of these guys went on to greater success with the 'Kings Of The Wild Frontier' incarnation of The Ants.

Cliff Fox (Guitar, Lead Vocals)
Marco (Lead Guitar)
Mick Allen (Bass, Vocals)
Terry Day (Drums)

FLAC: http://we.tl/RfuRnpjK1A

01. Man Of The Year
02. Censorship
03. Brainwash
04. Freeze

Adam And The Antz Cineteatro Milan 17th October 1978

We were coming back in the van from Milan and I saw God right there

Adam Ant in Milan October 1978

37 years ago the original Antz were doing a dates in Italy comprising two nights in Milan and two nights in Rome. At this point the band were a million miles from the Royal Variety friendly incarnation that Adam and the Ants went onto become. In 1978, the band were hooked on themes of fetishism (which would not look good in front of the Princess Royal!). 

The songs that they performed in Milan predated any releases (with the exception of Deutscher Girls and Plastic Surgery from Derek Jarman's weird punk film 'Jubilee' and the 'Young Parisians' single).

As good as 'Dirk Wears White Sox' is it is this material (that has surfaced on various demo bootlegs) represents the best of the Antz.

FLAC: http://we.tl/aU2Ox8m4aR

Artwork: http://we.tl/dSVGHIMMAN

01. Nietzsche Baby
02. Deutscher Girls
03. Whip In My Valise
04. B-Side Baby
05. Friends
06. Juanito the Bandito
07. Zerøx
08. It Doesn't Matter
09. Song for Ruth Ellis
10. Catholic Day
11. Lady
12. Puerto Rican
13. Red Scab
14. Beat my Guest
15. Fall In
16. Plastic Surgery
17. Hampstead
18. Fat Fun
19. Send a Letter to Jordan