Adam Ant: Friend or Foe

Adam Ant: Friend or Foe

1982

CBS Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Friend or Foe  2. Something Girls  3. Place in the Country  4. Desperate But Not Serous  5. Here Comes the Grump  6. Hello, I Love You  7. Goody Two Shoes  8. Cradckpot History and the Right to Lie  9. Made of Money  10. Cajun Twisters  11. Try This for Sighs  12. Man Called Marco


"When Showbiz is a dirty word, I hope my time will come..."

Uh oh! Adam Ant's first solo album is that most dreaded of musical tropes, the "whining about fame" album. Who wants to hear about some rich, pampered pop star complain about his good fortune. A quick scan of the lyric sheet almost makes you want to throw out the record before you even put it on, but against all odds, this record doesn't suck. In fact, it's probably his second best record!

Lyrically, it may be a bit grating, gloomy and paranoid, but you don't really notice because the music surrounding it is so ebullient. I mean listen to "Goody Two Shoes." For some reason it makes me so damn...happy!



(Although I have to say that cover of the "Goody Two Shoes" 45 almost makes me take back all the good things I've said...)

I like this album quite a bit more than "Prince Charming." The minute I first put this on my turntable and heard the title track's awesome avalanche of drums and  Marco's  twangy spy guitar lick hovering  menacingly above it all,  I knew this was what I had been looking for...

The album is also extremely horn-heavy. . I'm usually less than enthused when 80's musicians decide to add a shitload of horn charts to their records, but Adam makes it seem like they should have been there all along. It's actually an improvement! Listen to "A Place in the Country," the combination of horns, drums, and the "Whoo-ooo" vocals make it absolutely infectious. I love those "whoo-ooo's!" Go ahead! Try and sit still!



The only "skipper" track on the album is a pointless remake of the Doors' "Hello, I Love You," which isn't bad by any means...It just comes off as filler, since he doesn't especially do anything new with the song, so cut side 1 short at your Friday Night Record Party and you're good. Plus, it's hard not to love a new-wave/glam/punk album that gives a shout out to Liza Minnelli!

I bought this album back in the 90's at the same record/porn shop in Alpena, Michigan where I bought my "Prince Charming" record. This is the most recent Adam Ant album I own, since the few tracks I have heard from the subsequent albums haven't particularly inspired me to pick them up yet. But who knows, if I run across them at a decent price, I might check them out...

On that note, we're going to close things out on a high note with Adam Ant's "Goody Two Shoes" video. Enjoy...