This past week, I’ve been listening to the soundtrack for Marie Antoinette. As you’ve probably heard, the film mixes in a few contemporary touches with the period drama. For example, the music features Baroque with New Wave and New Romantic bands, such as New Order, Siouxsie & The Banshees and Bow Wow Wow.
A surprise pleasure came from Adam & the Ants‘ “Kings of the Wild Frontier,” the title track of their 1980 album. I hadn’t heard that song in a long time and it brought back memories of that album, which I received as a Christmas present in 1981 (at least according to my faulty memory; I also got Madness’ One Step Beyond).
The Ants started off as a punk band. Malcolm McLaren was consulted to remake the band; he ended up stealing away the band to create Bow Wow Wow, with a sound based on Burundi drumming and surf guitar. Adam, with guitarist Marco Pirroni, essentially ripped off Malcolm right back with the same sound and was a smash hit.
But it wasn’t just the sound. Their look combined elements of pirates and American Indians. C’mon! How friggin’ crazy is that? Burundi drumming and pirate gear? Ah, but those were the wacky days of New Wave.
See Adam & the Ants in action, thanks to YouTube.
Here are two tracks off Kings of the Wild Frontier: “Dog Eat Dog” and “The Human Beings” (the most obvious of a number of American Indian references on the album).
Adam & The Ants – Dog Eat Dog — BUY
Adam & The Ants – The Human Beings — BUY
Tags: Adam & The Ants, MP3s