Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Adam & The Ants
1980
Album Summary
Kings of the Wild Frontier is the second album by English new wave band Adam and the Ants. It was released in November 1980 by CBS Records International. This album introduced the Burundi beat sound to popular music.It reached No. 1 in the UK Album Chart and spawned three hit singles: "Kings of the Wild Frontier", which was released in July and reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart; "Dog Eat Dog", which reached No. 4; and "Antmusic", released in December and reaching No. 2, as well as No. 1 in Australia for five weeks. The album was the UK number 1 selling album in 1981 (and the 48th best seller in 1980) and won Best British Album at the 1982 Brit Awards.
WikipediaThis is fucking horrible - I love it. I'm not sure why I actually like this. The lyrics are stupid, the music is stupid, the name and album art are stupid.. there's even a completely random pirate song for absolutely no reason. The band's not even "Adam & The Ants", there's one guy named "Adam Ant". It makes no sense - that's like The Beatles calling themselves "John & The Lennons". This is what the kids like to call "penis music" and I'm here for it. Yeah I gave this a 4/5 and The White Album a 2/5, what are you going to do about it. I am aware that my brain is completely rotten and that I have tiny goblins building aqueducts in my cerebral cortex.
The range of influences in this album is impressive. I hear Beach Boys, Beatles, punk, African music (particularly Burundi), and glam rock. Adam and the Ants are clearly not overly concerned with mixing these influences or writing idiosyncratic songs, such as 'Jolly Roger,' yet there is a unity to this album that makes it all work. There's a lot to love here. The more I dive into New Wave, the more I'm convinced that it is one of the most forward thinking movements in popular music history.
An album I've never heard of from an artist I've never heard of, nice! After reviewing the Belle & Sebastian album, a band formed by two Stuarts, I'm surprised to find that Adam Ant is in fact also named Stuart. There's some sort of British Stuart invasion that needs to be investigated. I appreciate this album's weirdness. It's got a touch of that '80s new wave feel, but it's mostly dwarfed by a more experimental edge. I wish I could say I liked this, but I didn't. Of course, I liked a few songs, and I can tell why someone would like it (I'm guessing Andrew and/or Alden will love this one), but as experimental as it is, it didn't really grab or hold my interest. The '80s pop/droning rock combo is lost on me. I wouldn't say it's a bad album, but I wouldn't say it's good either. Also, did Death Grips sample "Killer in the Home" on "Spread Eagle Cross the Block"? Maybe not, but the three-chord riff sounds similar. Favorite tracks: Dog Eat Dog, Ants Invasion Album art: really cool picture, very menacing. Giving off some Buffalo Bill, "Goodbye Horses" vibes. I like the inexplicably backwards D in "ADAM," especially because the D in "WILD" is not backwards. Watch out folks, this guy's wacky! 2.5/5
I really like this one. It's like the Animals meets the Talking Heads, but with a little something special mixed in there. Honestly, I can't iterate why I dug this so much. I just did.
Big cowboys and Indians/Western meets glam rock vibes here! Really fun with lots of catchy songs and always gotta appreciate anyone trying to be a bit different!
I always liked Adam Ant without really knowing his music that well. This is a fine display of why I like it and possibly also explains why i never got to know it that well. It is a major thump-a- thon - high energy right at yeah. The easiest to hear lyrics are often amusing. Not too much drama; just good fun. Adam has a way to grab hold of you without being arrogant or obnoxious It's a great party vibe and a band meant to be seen live or heard at parties where you're so fucked up you can't hold a normal conversation anyway so why not spin the Ants. The last half of the album did seem to start to fade.
Meh. Nothing standout at all here except for a few, very stupid lyrics.
Punky, upbeat glam pop, definitely an influence on Supergrass and Franz Ferdinand. Irresistible.
Dog Eat Dog has some excellent beat and bass work. This sounds like the sound track for the lost boys in Peter Pan.
So catchy and filled with raw energy and rambunctious vocals p, absolutely love it! I’d give it a 9.5 out of 10!
really interesting new-wave hard-rock had a lot of really great stuff in there 9/10
Behind the idiosyncratic sounds of early 80s post punk/new wave--which have aged quite well given the revival surge of these sounds occuring in the British scene these days--, behind the experimental drive borrowing a lot of disparate elements here and there, from Glam Rock and Surf Rock to traditional Burundi rythms and Tex Mex / Western Country twangs, behind all those endearing and/or hypnotic details, there's one thing that this record displays that's cruelly missing in a lot of the more obscure cuts sometimes suggested by Dimery's list among well-known landmarks: infectious pop melodies. They're here played with an undeniable sense of fun, and the end result is here a record which is anything but pretentious, and yet manages to impress you from the get-go with its manifold stylistic twists and turns. I was barely aware of who Adam Ant was before his name popped up on this app. From what I hear, his overall discography will be quite hit or miss for me. But it only took one exhilarated spin of this particluar record to make the latter a new late-70s/early-80s favorite of mine, along with the greatest albums of Siouxsie And The Banshees, Wire, The Cure, Bauhaus, Gang Of Four, The Clash, The Damned, This Heat and the likes. An awesome discovery. Whoever in Dimery's team was in charge of that specific scene has great taste. I will thank him forever, along with the creator of this app. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 853 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 81 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 36 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 31
I thought this was a cool album. It was interesting getting two post-punk albums in a row. I really like the production on this album, it always feels like there's a lot going on
Super fun new wave album. If you haven’t heard Adam and the Ants you definitely should
Welch großartige Pop Collage und vielseitige eklektische Sause. Grandios gealtert auch was den Sound betrifft. Of Montreal verblassen vor Neid und geben sicher nicht mehr als 4.2
Expected the usual 80s synth that seems to dominate anything from the 80s in this list but was pleasantly surprised. Almost verging in talking heads early Post Punk. Lots of kind of fat riffs in there too. Doesn't sound like anyone's taking them too seriously either which I love.
oh dit is een leuke, geeft me een beetje frankie goes to hollywood vibes en die vond ik ook zeer leuk. ik zou dit nog wel eens luisteren.
Unexpectedly gleeful! Always took Adam Ant to be a punk-Shakey Stevens, bit of a joke band. But he's not - this is some seriously good pop-punk. Not surprised was the Brit Award Best Album.
Weird, loud, and at times nonsensical, this album was actually a fun, interesting, wild listen! A good album filled with wonderful glam rock that reminds me of David Bowie. I want to listen to more, however, unfortunately it's just missing that little something special to push it up to five stars.
Surprisingly varied. Some corking tracks on here, with few (if any) that were a chore. The twee nonsense of Adam Ant's theatrics distract from a very talented musician.
This was the first album I bought, on cassette, aged 10. Loved it at the time and it’s still a classic. Favourites then and now are Ant Invasion, Killer In The Home and The Human Beings
Really enjoyed this one - definitely a cool new discovery. Dog eat dog is the fav but has a great new wave feel but not so out there that it wouldn't be attractive to a wider audience. Preferred A side to B side.
That was a surprisingly rocky and fun album, which takes itself just the right amount of seriously - not as glam and hammed up as the live act seemed to be. Enjoyed that.
I generally like the approach to percussion throughout the record, as well as all the chanting. It's charm wears off a bit by the end, particularly on "Jolly Roger," but I'll forgive that one since he developed a fairly unique sort of hybrid sound. At times reminds me of Brian Eno's early solo albums. Also, I loved the era when shooting album cover photos off of TV screens was en vogue. Particularly when they paired it with a bright red font.
Cultural appropriation aside, this was peak Adam & The Ants. They descended into a pantomime act after this album.
They created a very distinctive sound - twin drummers. The range of material is a bit limited but it shook things up a bit. The singles are great but the other tracks aren't quite so good.
"Stand and Deliver" and "Prince Charming" were decade-defining hits in the UK, so it's pretty weird the album they were on isn't the one on this list, eh? Not having heard any Adam and the Ants apart from those singles, I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was quite a fun listen! A little punky edge to the poppy new wave, plenty of variety, yeah, I can get behind this. Gonna check out the "Prince Charming" album off the back of this too! Fave track - "Feed Me to the Lions", perhaps? "Jolly Roger" was fun too. Also liked "The Omlette From Outer Space" if we're including bonus tracks...
What lovely Burundi Beat glory we have here! I thought of Bow Wow Wow as I heard this (insofar as similarity) and was surprised to read that Malcolm McClaren had pinched Ant’s original backing band for BWW prior to this record. Amazing stuff then, this record. I wanted to give it a 3.5 but I cannot, but then I listened to the additions to the US version of this and realised that it needed the full 4 star rating. I love me some New Wave!
1981 Rural midwestern kid with access to only one top 40 radio station - then our town got cable, MTV and also an introduction to Adam and the Ants. My friends and I loved the attitude, camp and revolutionary beats and fashion. Fun stuff for all the boys and girls. Nostalgia aside, this album holds up pretty well. A lot of great 90 second songs that stretch to 3+ minutes. ‘Dog Eat Dog’ is the highlight for me and has been a song I’ve gone back to regularly over the years. ‘Ants Invasion’ is another standout I had not listened to for decades - great lyrics, and I’m glad to hear it again. This is a strong 3.5, and rounding up for the Antpeople.
I still have this one on vinyl (sadly, I don't have my entire collection any more). I didn't know anyone else who listened to it at the time and thought I had stumbled on some rare gem. I guess the album was more popular than all that. On this listen, I had a moment or two of PC concern about appropriation — the notion of "redskin" being a slur has settled into my core — but really, I was just enjoying the drum beats and yelps and campy swagger of Adam and his Ants. I can't think of other artists that quite sounds like this, the band has staked its ground and created something it can claim as its own. Thankfully, it's fun to listen to and entertaining from start to finish. I remember always wanting to get to "Ants Invasion," that was the standout track for me, and I totally enjoyed it on this listen. What the hell any of it is actually about is irrelevant, this sets a mood and sticks to it, and that's what it was all about then and now.
Adam and the Ants announce themselves in style. With the Heavy drum attack of Dog Eat Dog. Wow! I know that Dirk Wears White Socks is the debut album but this is my introduction to the Buccaneers of ant music. The recurring themes of pirates, ants and American Indian tribes is a little bit sophomoic at times but damn its fun. And that double drum attack gives the music a power that was unique at the time, at least as far as I know. It's not a GREAT or a Classic album but its really good and still makes me smile 40 years later. 4 stars
Not knowing much about Adam and the Ants beyond the later rockstar image of Adam himself, I was surprised with how layered, creative, and altogether competent this album is. A welcome mixture of post-punk a la Magazine, new wave, and pop rock.
What a surprise. After all the other new wave inclusions, I expected the generic but got something quite original. A mix of the Clash and Talking Heads, packed with duel guitar work and cool songwriting. Maybe lacking a big big hit, but definitely a cool listen.
Очень хороший рок 80х с кучей интересных заимствований из различных жанров и панковской натурой. Вокал здесь ранжируется от детского и беззаботного до буквально абсурдного, пафосного и дерзкого. На этом альбоме всё отлично справились со своей работой и вывели просто хороший и весёлый альбом. (8)
you can really tell bestie was influenced by bowie more than you can tell i went to art school by my dyed hair. really great album even if it did feel a lil like i was listening to bowie 2: electric boogaloo - especially on feed me to the lions. very groovy + boogie 🕺🕺🕺
Gloriously 80s. Nice range of tunes. Brilliant to listen to on a rainy Tuesday
I'm reading all these negative reviews here and am thinking I've been listening to an entire different album than the majority here. It's an upbeat album that makes perfect use of these double burundi drums. Adam Ant when he was still good.
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Dog eat dog, Antmusic, Feed me to the lions, King of the wild frontier, Don’t be square, The human beings
This album is all over the freaking place and I loved that about it. So many absurd songs. Sounded like something King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard could have come up with 4/5
Bonkers in the best way possible. A heady mixture of African drumbeats, pop culture references and giddy yelps that helped herald the birth of new wave.
Some of this is catchy enough, but new wave just feels really dated these days. It's not awful, but I wouldn't listen again. I can hear where DTH got a lot of their sound from tho. 3/5.
this kinda goes hard wtf? british boyband rock but a little harder than the beatles and a little bit "drier" if that makes any sense, like someone wrung the beatles out and their hair got greasier and they stopped wearing matching suits. thats just the energy i'm getting i have no idea if this is actually what they look like. it's also giving me sing street/the cure energy. interesting. really like her actually. best described as "pirate rock" i think lmao
My only real issue is that I don't think this music is intended to be played through headphones while writing a blog post. It's intended to be played in the background of a party with an 80s theme for people who are tired of the normal music you'd play at a party with an 80s theme. There were a few bops I thought, although I have a few questions about why there was a song about ranchero sauce. I don't have questions about Jolly Roger. Obviously this guy is a pirate, look at his shirt.
interesting punk rock - felt like I was playing video games like Dave Mira BMX - lots of chant like vocals
I had never listened to Adam Ant prior to this, but have wanted to. I enjoyed this.
Here is another album I’ve never heard of. Walton Goggins appears to be on the front cover of this album dressed like David Bowie. I’m not sure if that is actually Adam on the cover or one of his Ants but I think the ants put the D backwards on the cover. This first song starts out nice enough. Reminds me a little of Duran Duran but the music itself is very different from DD. Lot of dogs yipping but that could also be Michael Jackson. I’m wondering how many of the prior albums reviewed will end up being mentioned during this listen. Actually, Walton Goggins was in Ant-Man and the Wasp and now here we are listening to Antmusic with the Ants (and Adam of course). Is this Antmusic, though? Would an ant find pleasure in this? I doubt it just because they are more concerned with their queen and their work. Just like the last album, I certainly wouldn’t have listened to this music otherwise so I’m glad I’m learning about new sounds. This also feels a little British so I wonder if Adam is from across the pond (especially because ants hate water). Three songs in and Adam already wants to be fed to the lions. I really liked the opening of Los Rancheros, felt like it could be the intro to an 80’s breaking bad show but then Adam and his Ants started singing and I feel like I’m in a circus. OK I’m enjoying Ants Invasion, feels like the perfect invasion song and I feel like the chord is familiar but can’t place it. Now we have arrived at the title track and it starts strong. As I’m listening, I am growing to enjoy this album which is more than I can say for Belle and Sebastian. This feels like the album that would play in a Wes Anderson movie. Kings of the Wild Frontier even sounds like Moonrise Kingdom. But it only lasts so long as most of these songs do. They start strong and some carry through but sometimes those vocals (FIVE! Magnificent…FIVE!) are strange. Ok I’m giving props to the Ants because I know they suggested doing a pirate song. Jolly Roger is fun and makes me feel like I’m on a British ship filled with ants and rats and Adam at the helm. Kind of funny that he is really trying to cover all the bases when it comes to “wild frontiers”: sailing, invasions, wild frontier, rancheros, lions, cowboys. Final thoughts: very interesting album, creative for sure, but nothing to write home about.
It reached No. 1 in the UK Album Chart,[6] and spawned three hit singles: "Kings of the Wild Frontier", which was released in July and reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart; "Dog Eat Dog", which reached No. 4; and "Antmusic",
It was good to listen to. I love the drums but I wouldn’t choose it to play again. ***
I liked hearing the original version of Physical that Trent Reznor did over w/Nine Inch Nails
This wasn't an insanely effective new wave, pop punk album for me. Personally found it much more enjoyable when they were dabbling in the pop punk territory as the new wave work on the album generally was either boring or just a touch off putting personally.
This album was better than I expected it would be, but still not great. My favourite songs were Antmusic, Los Rancheros, The Magnificent Five and Don't Be Square (Be There). 3/5 stars.
The music of the 80s. AatA were some of the best syntho-pop in the post-punk pop scene. Some of that music comes off as very dated forty years later, this not so much.
Ich finds ganz gut. Bin gerade noch bisschen auf der Suche warum das hier gelandet ist, aber wenn ich mir so das Erscheinungsjahr vor Augen führe: passt schon. Schöne Mischung von Punk-Attitüde mit Glam, Surf und Tribal Beats. Entertaining! War bestimmt spannend wenn man mit Adam und den Ants ausgegangen ist. Extra Props an mich wegen sofortigen Erkennens des Link-Wray-Zitats in Killer In The Home. 3,4!
Some are catchy but not really my thing. This is like the 80s Beach Boys but more chaotic.
I could name two songs by Adam & The Ants off of the top of my head. Neither of those tracks were on this album. I did not recognize any of the tracks, but the whole album sounded like what I remember from the band. Adam & The Ants has a particular drum sound and a complimentary rhythm to the vocals that was present on several tracks. The album brought back memories of early new wave. Based on this album, I would think that their live performances would have been energetic and fun. The album hinted at being worth a second listen, but there was a limited diversity in the music. I just wasn't paying as much attention to the album towards the end. There was at least one track that I'd probably skip. This album is officially "okay".
5/10. Not so bad, but why was there a random pirate song? Maybe I needed to pay more attention
Damn this had some catchy songs but also was pretty annoying , like it combined the elements I dislike of both pop and punk. 5/10
Is this punk? I don't know, it's not terrible, but I don't need to listen to it again. My impression is that it doesn't stand the test of time.
I have gone over 40 years without hearing an Adam & The Ants or Adam Ant album. They didn't receive as much of a following on this side of the pond and I never had to desire to listen to band that dressed as pirates or wore warpaint like American Indians. Admittedly, I've probably seen some Adam Ant videos which didn't help. This was the second album from Adam & the Ants and when I actually listened I didn't dislike it. It was infectious and it had some of that punk, new wave edge the band's sound had before Adam went solo. Much better than I expected, but still not a fan.
Noisy but fun. Must have been an exciting live gig, but I think the drumming is a bit too much for this to ever be a favourite album of mine. Although I definitely enjoy the parts more than the whole.