ADAM & THE ANTS

Formed in 1977, Adam & the Ants went through a host of image changes and musical styles before lead singer, Adam Ant (b. Stuart Leslie Goddard ) settled for the tribal white-stripe-across-the-nose look that became a lasting icon of the new romantic period. Dressing up was always key to their performance and they wore leather and bondage gear for their early appearances!

Adam Ant formed Adam and the Ants with guitarist Lester Square, bassist Andy Warren, and drummer Paul Flanagan in London in 1977. The group's approach was more theatrical than most punk groups, incorporating sadomasochistic imagery into their concerts. During this time, the group's lineup was fairly unstable, with Square being replaced by Mark Gaumont.

In 1978, Adam Ant appeared alongside Toyah Willcox in the Derek Jarman film, Jubilee. Then in 1979 the band released their debut, Dirk Wears White Sox, on the independent label Do. Dirk was an ambitious and somewhat dark album, filled with jerky rhythms, angular guitar riffs, and elements of glam rock crept into Adam's vocals before giving way to a more pop-oriented, glam-tinged musical direction that brought him to the top of the charts.

At the time of its release, Dirk Wears White Sox wasn't a critical or commercial success, and the band felt the need to rework their image so the original Ants left to join Malcolm McLaren's Bow Wow Wow. (which Boy George later joined as lead singer for a short period.) Ant hired Malcolm McLaren, the manager of the Sex Pistols, to help redefine their image. McLaren dressed the band in pirate outfits and suggested a more accessible and pop-oriented, rhythmic variation on punk. Adam and the Ants followed his advice, preparing material for a new album.

Adam Ant subsequently formed a new colony of Ants, adding guitarist Marco Pirroni, bassist Kevin Mooney, and drummers Terry Lee Miall and Merrick (born Chris Hughes). Pirroni, in particular, became very important in the band's musical direction, co-writing the majority of the songs with Adam, thus beginning a collaboration between the duo that would continue into the '90s.

Driven by a relentless, driving beat and chanting melodies, the first abum with the new lineup in 1980 was Kings of the Wild Frontier, which became an enormous hit in the U.K., launching three Top Ten hit singles, including the number two "Ant Music." The band's success was helped by a series of visually enticing videos. By the summer of 1981, they had narrowly missed the top of the charts twice with "Ant Music" and "Kings of the Wild Frontier" both reaching number two. The big result came with "Stand and Deliver" staying at the top for five weeks accompanied by a promotional video that saw Adam Ant dressed as a crooked highwayman with lipgloss. Their catchy drum-driven melodic songs and a fan base of teenage girls secured "Prince Charming" the same position three months later.

In 1982 it was Adam who would leave his Ants to go solo scoring Top 10 hits with "Goody Too Shoes", "Friend or Foe" and "Puss 'N Boots". Adam's first solo album, Friend or Foe, was released in 1982 and featured the number one single "Goody Two Shoes" and the Top 10 title track. Although his next album, 1983's Strip, had some highlights and hit singles, it marked the end of his reign as one of Britain's top pop stars.

Released in 1985, the Tony Visconti-produced Vive le Rock had some fun moments, but the performance was too studied and the record didn't earn any hit singles, so Adam Ant pursued a surprisingly successful career in acting. In 1990, Ant made a comeback with the catchy hit single "Room at the Top" from the Manners & Physique record, but the album failed to produce another hit single. For the next five years, Ant concentrated on acting.

Instead of capitalising on the burgeoning new wave revival, Adam Ant's 1995 comeback Wonderful had little to do with the stylish, intensely rhythmic he made in the early '80s. Instead, the album repositioned him as a more mature pop-rocker, with crafted songs that featured acoustic guitars as prominently as electrics. The album was a moderate hit in the U.S and the U.K., as was the single "Wonderful."

Recommended listening: Kings of the Wild Frontier, Prince Charming