Kings of the Wild Frontier
Encyclopedia
Kings of the Wild Frontier is a New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 album by Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...

, released in 1980 (see 1980 in music
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....

). This album introduced the new Burundi
Music of Burundi
Burundi is a Central African nation that is closely linked with Rwanda, geographically, historically and culturally. The drum such as the karyenda is one of central importance...

 drum sound. After having his previous backing band wooed away by producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...

, who used them to form Bow Wow Wow
Bow Wow Wow
Bow Wow Wow were an English 1980s New Wave band created by Malcolm McLaren to promote his and business partner Vivienne Westwood's New Romantic fashion lines.The group's music is described as having an "African-derived drum sound".-History:...

, Adam Ant
Adam Ant
Adam Ant is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1980 and 1983, including three No.1s...

 recorded Kings of the Wild Frontier with guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

ist Marco Pirroni
Marco Pirroni
Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer...

 as his new writing partner. In spite of the difficulties with the recording, Kings of the Wild Frontier has become acknowledged as an inspiritational and unique-sounding album, introducing two drummers, with Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...

-esque guitar riffs.

The album spawned three hit singles: "Kings of the Wild Frontier" (7/80, reached # 2 in 2/81), "Dog Eat Dog" (reached # 4 in 10/80) and "Antmusic
Antmusic
"Antmusic" was the third single released in the UK in 1980, from the Adam and the Ants album Kings of the Wild Frontier. The first single from the album Kings of the Wild Frontier, was the title track, making number 48 . The follow-up "Dog Eat Dog" made number 4 on the UK charts...

" (12/80 reached #2 in 1/81). In addition, Antmusic
Antmusic
"Antmusic" was the third single released in the UK in 1980, from the Adam and the Ants album Kings of the Wild Frontier. The first single from the album Kings of the Wild Frontier, was the title track, making number 48 . The follow-up "Dog Eat Dog" made number 4 on the UK charts...

 reached No. 1 in Australia for five weeks.http://www.onmc.iinet.net.au/top/1981.htm The album was remastered and reissued in 2004 with several bonus tracks.

The US version (LP and subsequent CD issue) dropped "Making History" in favor of two tracks penned by Ant prior to teaming up with Marco Pirroni: The "brilliant grind-rocker" "(You're So) Physical" and "Press Darlings".

"Killer in the Home" is based on the same twangy, descending glissando
Glissando
In music, a glissando is a glide from one pitch to another. It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French glisser, to glide. In some contexts it is distinguished from the continuous portamento...

 riff that is featured in Link Wray
Link Wray
Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer....

's "Rumble" (Ants' guitarist Marco Pirroni has cited Link Wray as a major influence).

The album was the UK number 1 selling album in 1981 (& the 48th best seller in 1980) and won Best British Album at the 1982 Brit Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...

.

"Dog Eat Dog" was featured in the film Doomsday. It is used in the closing credits of the British television series The Kevin Bishop Show.

The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...

.

Samples and covers of album songs

Kevin Max
Kevin Max
Kevin Max Smith is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk...

's song "Jumpstart Your Electric Heart!" from The Imposter samples the music from "Jolly Roger".

"Feed Me to the Lions" guitar solo at 1:30, was sampled from the soundtrack of Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia (film)
Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel through his British company, Horizon Pictures, with the screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson. The film stars Peter O'Toole in the title role. It is widely...

(1962), composed by Maurice Jarre
Maurice Jarre
Maurice-Alexis Jarre was a French composer and conductor.Although he composed several concert works, he is best known for his film scores, and is particularly known for his collaborations with film director David Lean. Jarre composed the scores to all of Lean's films since Lawrence of Arabia...

. The same guitar solo was resampled in Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota
Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota
Patricio Rey y Sus Redonditos de Ricota were an independent rock band originally from La Plata, Argentina whose tours in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s drew a cult-like following....

 song "La Bestia Pop".

Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...

's 1992 EP Broken includes a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of "Physical (You're So)", which Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni performed live with Nine Inch Nails in 1995.

Reception

Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated Kings of the Wild Frontier four-and-a-half out of five stars. He explained that "there's simply nothing else like it, nothing else that has the same bravado, the same swagger, the same gleeful self-aggrandizement and sense of camp." He also stated that "it fearlessly, imperceptibly switches gears between giddy and ominous, providing nothing short of a thrill ride". Famed rock critic Robert Christgau, writing for The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...

, rated the album a B. He explained that "it's the sex and the music that'll determine whether Adam is David Bowie or Marc Bolan (or Gary Glitter)." He also stated that "especially given Adam's art-schooled vocals, I find that the hooks grate".

UK track listing

All songs written by Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni.
  1. "Dog Eat Dog" – 3:11
  2. "Antmusic
    Antmusic
    "Antmusic" was the third single released in the UK in 1980, from the Adam and the Ants album Kings of the Wild Frontier. The first single from the album Kings of the Wild Frontier, was the title track, making number 48 . The follow-up "Dog Eat Dog" made number 4 on the UK charts...

    " – 3:37
  3. "Feed Me to the Lions" – 3:03
  4. "Los Rancheros" – 3:30
  5. "Ants Invasion" – 3:19
  6. "Killer in the Home" – 4:22
  7. "Kings of the Wild Frontier" – 3:56
  8. "The Magnificent Five" – 3:07
  9. "Don't Be Square (Be There)" – 3:32
  10. "Jolly Roger" – 2:11
  11. "Making History" – 2:59
  12. "The Human Beings" – 4:32


Kings of the Wild Frontier was remastered and reissued in 2004 with six bonus tracks:


  1. "Antmusic (Alternative Mix)" – 3:43
  2. "Antmusic (Demo)" – 3:28
  3. "Feed Me to the Lions (Demo)" – 3:02
  4. "The Human Beings (Demo)" – 2:30
  5. "S.E.X. (Demo)" – 3:57
  6. "Omelette From Outerspace (Demo)" – 3:06

US track listing (LP/CD)

  1. Dog Eat Dog - 3:07
  2. "Antmusic
    Antmusic
    "Antmusic" was the third single released in the UK in 1980, from the Adam and the Ants album Kings of the Wild Frontier. The first single from the album Kings of the Wild Frontier, was the title track, making number 48 . The follow-up "Dog Eat Dog" made number 4 on the UK charts...

    " – 3:36
  3. "Los Rancheros" – 3:28
  4. "Feed Me to the Lions" – 2:59
  5. "Press Darlings"* - 4:12
  6. "Ants Invasion" – 3:20
  7. "Killer in the Home" – 4:19
  8. "Kings of the Wild Frontier" – 3:53
  9. "The Magnificent Five" – 3:05
  10. "Don't Be Square (Be There)" – 3:29
  11. "Jolly Roger" – 2:09
  12. "Physical (You're So)"** - 4:26
  13. "The Human Beings" – 4:24

  • "Press Darlings" is the b-side to the UK single "Kings of the Wild Frontier"
    • "Physical (You're So)" is the b-side to the UK single "Dog Eat Dog"
      • The US version omitted the track "Making History"

Personnel

  • Adam Ant
    Adam Ant
    Adam Ant is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1980 and 1983, including three No.1s...

    – Vocals
  • Marco Pirroni
    Marco Pirroni
    Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer...

      – Guitar
  • Kevin Mooney
    Kevin Mooney
    Kevin Mooney is an English rock bassist and guitarist who has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O'Connor, and others.-Career:...

      – Bass
  • Merrick – Drums
  • Terry Lee Miall – Drums
  • Chris Hughes – Producer


Note - "Merrick" is the name Chris Hughes
Chris Hughes (record producer)
Chris Hughes is a music producer and a former drummer for Adam and the Ants....

 adopted as an Ant.

Chart positions

Album
Chart (1981) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

1
Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

44


Singles
Year Single Chart Peak
position
1980 "Kings of the Wild Frontier" UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

48
"Dog Eat Dog" 4
"Antmusic" 2
1981 "Kings of the Wild Frontier" (re-release) 2
"Dog Eat Dog" Billboard Club Play Singles 19
"Antmusic" Billboard Mainstream Rock 14
"Dog Eat Dog" Billboard Mainstream Rock 15
"Physical (You're So)" Billboard Mainstream Rock 19
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK