Adam & The Ants - Prince Charming
CBS Records  (1981)
New Wave

In Collection
#15

0*
LP  37:02
10 tracks
01 Scorpios             02:44
02 Picasso Visita El Planeta De Los Simios             03:28
03 Prince Charming             03:16
04 5 Guns West             04:59
05 That Voodoo!             04:13
06 Stand And Deliver             03:34
07 Mile High Club             02:42
08 Ant Rap             03:22
09 Mowhok             03:26
10 S.E.X.             05:18
Personal Details
Price kr. 30,00
Condition Good
Current Value kr. 25,00
Owner Dan Dethlefsen
Location Musikrum
Links Amazon UK
Amazon France
Amazon US
Amazon Japan
Details
Cat. Number 85268
Packaging Long box
Spars N/A
Sound Stereo
Musicians
Drums and Percussion Merrick
Drums and Percussion Terry Lee Miall
Bass Guitar Gary Tibbs
Guitar-Electric Marco Pirroni
Vocals Adam Ant
Credits
Producer Chris Hughes
Notes
Arranged By [And Directed] - Adam Ant , Marco*
Arranged By [Brass] - Adam Ant , Chris Hughes , Richard Myhill
Artwork By [Graphic Design] - Jules
Artwork By [Inside Sleeve Painting] - Ian Fogden
Artwork By [Sleeve Concept] - Adam Ant
Engineer - Ross Cullum
Engineer [Assistant] - Nigel Barker
Photography - Allan Ballard
Producer - Chris Hughes
Written By - Ant/Marco
Written-By - Adam Ant , Marco Pirroni

Recorded at Air Studios, London, August 1981

Picasso Visita El Planeta De Los Simios:
AMG REVIEW: Or in otherwards, "Picasso Visits the Planet of the Apes," which for its title alone should deserve far more attention than it gets, having only appeared on the ^Prince Charming album. Then again, even with hits like "Prince Charming" and "Ant Rap" under his belt, releasing this one for Top of the Pops might have been too much for Adam Ant, though it's still a great example of the prime period Ants on top of their game. Like so many of the band's best songs, it's obviously unafraid of humor and of looking a bit silly in the light of day - what matters is the tune itself and how it's delivered. Adam starts the song singing, "See the Spainard eating chocolates" and then things make even less sense as it goes. But even as he deliciously sings the chorus and delivers all sorts of mock-flamenco/matador wails, Marco Pirroni comes up with a just lovely melody to back it, a gentle descending guitar figure that mixes T. Rex with the Byrds. Meanwhile, there's a jungle-noise-riddled mid-song freakout stomp, surfy Duane Eddy riffs, Morricone moans and all the other fun that characterized this era of band to a T. - Ned Raggett

Prince Charming
AMG REVIEW: Although he is best known for up-tempo new wave with African-inspired beat, Adam Ant was skillful enough as a pop musician to extend his reach into other styles. One of his best experiments is "Prince Charming," a tune that became a big British hit without utilizing a lot of his usual sonic elements. With lyrics like "Don't you ever/Stop being dandy/showing me you're handsome," "Prince Charming" is essentially a tribute to England's new romantic movement. The music that backs up these lyrics is a hypnotic slice of mid-tempo pop that punctuates its romantic-sounding melody with an entrancing, chant-like chorus. Surprisingly, Adam Ant's recording of the song bypasses a lot of his trademarks: the complex drum rhythms that dominated songs like "Antmusic" are replaced by a simple mid-tempo stomp beat and spaghetti western guitar riffs are downplayed in favor of romantic, Spanish-styled acoustic guitar. The one real Antmusic-styled element is the wordless tribal chants that open and punctuate the song. Despite these stylistic right turns, the Latin-sounding treatment worked like a charm for "Prince Charming" and gave it a grand, lush sound that lived up to its romanticized lyrics. The result gave Adam Ant another in his impressive string of English chart hits and remains a cult favorite for new wave fans. - Donald A. Guarisco

Stand And Deliver
AMG REVIEW: Although he is thought of as a new wave pop star, a number of Adam Ant's tracks had a strong hard rock element to them. A great example is "Stand and Deliver," a hit from the Prince Charming album that laced its pop hooks with some hefty rhythms and a strong dose of guitar rock muscle. The song's clever lyrics use the macho fantasy of being a devil-may-care highwayman as a way for Ant to give the listener his message of music-world domination: "I'm the dandy highwayman that you're too scared to mention/I spend my cash on looking flash and grabbing your attention." It's pure self-promotion, like many of the lyrics to Ant's hits, but its infectious sense of fun makes it work. The melody that back it up paces the lyrics at a breathless clip, stopping only to breath on its chorus. The tune has a catchy pop flavor but also takes on a hard rock flavor in Adam Ant's recording: the band's dual drummers create a thick stomping rhythm, guitarist Marco Pirroni deals out an array of scorching guitar riffs in his usual Ennio Morricone-influenced style, and tribal chants and Burundi drum breaks spice up the proceedings through out. Ant's vocal provides the cherry on top by creating a delivery that puts across the lyrics with cheeky charm. The end result became a major U.K. hit for Adam Ant and continues to occupy a special place in the hearts of the new romantics whose fashion sense inspired it. - Donald A. Guarisco