Adam & The Ants: Adam Ant, Maco Pirroni (vocals, guitar); Kevin Mooney (bass); Merrick, Terry Lee Miall (drums).
U.K. edition features six bonus tracks, "Prince Charming" (demo version), "Showbiz" (unreleased song demo), "Picasso Vista El Planeta De Los Suimios" (unreleased demo version), "Who's A Goofy Bunny Then?" (unreleased song demo), & "Scorpio Writing" (demo version).
Adam and the Ants' kitschy mix of Indian imagery, pirate costumes, African drums, and a '50s style guitar twang made them one of the more colorful groups of the early '80s British new wave scene. Excepting guitarist Marco Pirroni however, the band was really a backdrop for Adam Ant himself. The band's second effort, PRINCE CHARMING, found the band expanding a bit from its Duane Eddy meets Tarzan approach with the addition of horns. There is thankfully less shameless self-promoting here (although "Ant Rap" is a serious low point).
On the upside, "Prince Charming" and "Stand and Deliver" are among the finest moments in the Ants' catalogue. The former is a heartfelt ditty of self-affirmation in which the frequent ascending key changes add a nice touch. The latter is a galloping testament of what can happen when the Ants' weird assortment of influences gels into a cohesive picture. Reverb guitar lines, rolling tom-toms, and dashing outlaws inject the song with enough life that by the time the doo-wop style background vocals kick in, its an intoxicating kitchen sink affair.
