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Prince Charming
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Prince Charming
Current price: $13.99
Barnes and Noble
Prince Charming
Current price: $13.99
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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
claims in the liner notes for
Antbox
that he believes that
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"
"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,"
and the cheerfully ludicrous
"Ant Rap,"
the songs just aren't there.
had style, sound, and songs, while
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. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine