Adam And The Ants - Prince Charming (LP) (1981) - €10,00

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Prince Charming is the third and final album by Adam and the Ants, released in November 1981. 

This album features bass player Gary Tibbs in place of Kevin Mooney, the bassist on Kings of the Wild Frontier. 

The album included the band's two number one UK hit singles "Stand and Deliver" and "Prince Charming" as well as "Ant Rap".

The song "Prince Charming" employs strong musical influences in common with Rolf Harris' 1965 song "War Canoe", 

The album peaked at number 2 in the UK charts and received mixed reviews from critics.

Kings of the Wild Frontier brought Adam and the Ants massive popularity in England, and it brought enormous pressure for Adam and guitarist Marco Pirroni to stand and deliver another slice of dynamite. 

The first single, the punchy horn-laden "Stand and Deliver," suggested that they were up to the task, but when Prince Charming appeared in late 1981, it was pretty much universally panned and it still stands as the weakest record from Ant's classic period. 

With its ridiculous song titles and cover photos, which suggest that the Ants were moving away from Native Americans and toward pirates, it's hard not to view it as a descent into camp, yet Adam claims in the liner notes for Antbox that he believes that Prince Charming is "a very serious record based on very classical, historical themes." 

That may be true on certain tracks, but it's hard to see where "Mile High Club," "S.E.X.," "Mowhok," and "Ant Rap" fit into that scheme, but he's right about the intent -- this is a markedly different record than Kings, intentionally so. 

The group have not only moved on in image, they've also left behind their signature Burundi beats while upping the cinematic qualities inherent in their music. 

So, "Five Guns West" and "Mowhok" are given neo-spaghetti western backdrops, while eerie guitars, mariachi horns, and trilling vocals underpin "That Voodoo." There are a lot of little details like that to dwell on in the production -- "Picasso Visita el Planeta de los Simios" sounds absolutely terrific -- but apart from "Scorpios," "Stand and Deliver," and the cheerfully ludicrous "Ant Rap," the songs just aren't there. 

Kings had style, sound, and songs, while Prince Charming simply has style and sound -- which, in retrospect, isn't all that bad, but it's also not hard to see how it sparked a backlash at the time.

Side A

A1.  Scorpios - 2:46

A2.  Picasso Visita El Planeta De Los Simios - 3:28

A3.  Prince Charming - 3:18

A4.  Five Guns West - 5:02

A5.  That Voodoo! - 4:18

Side B

B1.  Stand and Deliver - 3:35

B2.  Mile High Club - 2:42

B3.  Ant Rap - 3:26

B4.  Mowhok - 3:28

B5.  S.E.X. - 5:00

Adam and the Ants

• Adam Ant – vocals, bass, harmonica
• Marco Pirroni – guitar
• Merrick – drums, production, acoustic guitar on "Prince Charming"
• Terry Lee Miall – drums
• Gary Tibbs – bass

Companies, etc.

• Published By – EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
• Phonographic Copyright ℗ – CBS Records
• Copyright © – CBS Records
• Pressed By – CBS Pressing Plant, Aston Clinton
• Recorded At – Air Studios

Credits

• Arranged By [And Directed] – Adam Ant, Marco
• Arranged By [Brass] – Adam Ant, Chris Hughes, Richard Myhill
• Costume Designer [Adam's Clothes] – Adam Ant
• Costume Designer [Major Domo] – Charles David Whiteing Of Crimsworth
• Costume Designer [The Ants Clothes] – Yvonne Swinden
• Engineer – Ross Cullum
• Engineer [Assistant] – Nigel Barker
• Graphic Design – Jules
• Hair – Gina Stevenson
• Lacquer Cut By – Rays
• Make-Up – Paula Owen
• Painting [Inside Sleeve] – Ian Fogden
• Photography By – Allan Ballard
• Producer – Chris Hughes
• Sleeve [Concept] – Adam Ant
• Written By – Ant/Marco
• Written-By – Adam Ant, Marco Pirron

Notes

Release: 1981

Format:  LP, Vinyl

Genre:  Post-punk

Label:  CBS Records

Catalog#  85268

Vinyl:  Goed (VG)

Hoes:  Goed (VG)  (Gatefold)

Prijs: €10,00