Dirk Wears White Sox

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Dirk Wears White Sox
Dirk Wears White Sox (1979 edition).jpg
Original 1979 cover
Studio album by
Adam and the Ants
Released30 November 1979 (1979-11-30)
Recorded12–24 August 1979
StudioSound Development Studios, London
Genre
Length40:39
Label Do It
Producer Adam Ant
Adam and the Ants chronology
Dirk Wears White Sox
(1979)		 Kings of the Wild Frontier
(1980)
Alternative cover
AdamandtheAntsDirkWearsWhiteSox.jpg
1983 US reissue cover

Dirk Wears White Sox is the debut studio album by English new wave band Adam and the Ants. It was released on 30 November 1979 by record label Do It. It was the first number one album on the UK Independent Albums Chart when the chart debuted in Record Week in 1980. [2]

Contents

Background

Dirk Wears White Sox was made with an early line-up of Adam and the Ants, which disbanded after the album was released. Guitarist Matthew Ashman and drummer David Barbarossa went on to form Bow Wow Wow with then-Ants bassist Leigh Gorman (who only played one gig with the Ants and was not involved in any studio recordings). Original bassist Andy Warren had departed shortly after recording the album to join former Ants guitarist Lester Square in The Monochrome Set. Many of the songs, notably "Cleopatra" and "Never Trust a Man (With Egg on his Face)", remained a part of Adam Ant's live repertoire throughout his career, both with the Ants and later as a solo artist.

The album title refers to classic British film icon Dirk Bogarde. [3]

Production

The album was recorded 12–24 August 1979 at Sound Development Studios, London and mixed 25–29 August. [4] All instrumentation and guide vocals were completed in the first three days. Of the fourteen tracks recorded, three - "Friends", "Kick" and "Physical" - did not proceed beyond this stage, although Physical was secretly released on the B-side of 2000 copies of the single "Zerox" in July 1980. [5] The remainder of the sessions were dedicated to recording finished lead and backing vocals by Ant for the eleven released tracks.

Five tracks from the album, "Day I Met God", "Cleopatra", "Catholic Day", "Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face)" and "Family of Noise" - plus all three rejected tracks - had previously been recorded in 1978 for the Ants' first label Decca Records - "Kick" at RAK Studios in Chalbert Street, London, produced by Snips, the other seven at Decca's own studio at Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, produced by Ant himself. [6] Prior to this, all songs on the released album except "Digital Tenderness", "Nine Plan Failed" and "Cleopatra" were recorded on 4-track by Ant at home in Notting Hill Gate 25–27 July 1978; "Cleopatra" and "Physical" had been similarly taped by Ant at home in Chelsea, 20 November 1977. [6]

Musical style

Ant biographer James Maw reports in his 1981 book The Official Adam Ant Story that Ant wished to make "a stylish album with all the qualities of soul and funk." [7] Ant confirmed in a 2014 interview for Classic Pop that the album was "me trying to make a Donna Summer record... I know it doesn't sound like that, but check out Dave (Barbe)'s drumming." [8]

Mojo 's Danny Eccleston classifies Dirk Wears White Sox as a post-punk album. [9] Chris Woodstra of AllMusic described the album's style as a "sometimes-awkward fusion of punk, glam and minimalist post-punk with bizarre images and disturbing tales of alienation, sex and brutality." [10] Peter Parrish of Stylus Magazine wrote that "Dirk slips somewhere between The Banshee's [ sic ] Scream and Gang of Four's Entertainment ; all stark, angular and brittle." [11]

The album has been cited as an influence on the nascent gothic rock scene. Andi Sex Gang from Sex Gang Children and John Robb referenced the record as part of the British Library's Goth: The Scene That Wouldn't Die, 2014.

Releases

Dirk Wears White Sox was released on 30 November 1979 by Do It Records. [12] The three out-takes were later released in 1982 as the 7 inch EP The B-Sides as well as a 12-inch EP The Antmusic EP also containing a remix of Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2).

The album was reissued in 1983, featuring a different album cover taken from a December 1979 video for the song "Zerox". "Catholic Day" and "Day I Met God" were dropped and "Cartrouble (Parts 1 and 2)" were replaced by "Cartrouble" in its single version and its B-side, a re-recording of "Kick!" which contained completely different lyrics from the rejected album version and featured Jon Moss on drums (who later went on to join Culture Club). This edition also adds two other songs from the same era not on the original LP: both sides of the "Zerox"/ "Whip in My Valise" single.

It was reissued again in 1995 by Sony, featuring the original black-and-white album art in somewhat cropped form and with the dropped songs reinstated as bonus tracks at the end. The lettering on the sleeve was recreated in the style of the original and does not feature the stroke through the letter O in the word "Sox"; it also substitutes a letter "Z" in place of the zig-zagged "S" in the word "Ants" (previously a common practice among unofficial merchandisers around the time of the album's original release). Later pressings of the 1995 edition substituted the Antmusic EP remix of "Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2)" in place of the "Cartrouble" A-side.

The album was remastered and reissued in 2004 with the original track listing restored and the singles/EP material included as bonus tracks.

A white vinyl edition was released by Ant's own label Blueblack Hussar Records in spring 2014. To tie in with this, on 19 April, Ant performed the full album at the Hammersmith Apollo with a band including former Ants David Barbarossa and Leigh Gorman, preceding this with several UK tour dates. A launch party gig for the white vinyl album was held at the 100 Club. Both London concerts were filmed and later released as the DVD album Dirk Live at the Apollo. Ant would subsequently perform the full album again with his regular band for four nights at the Islington Assembly Hall in November 2014 and a full UK tour in spring 2015.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Stylus Magazine B− [11]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [13]

During their lifetime, the original Ants were subject to much hostility - even abuse - from the UK music press. An example of this was a highly negative joint review by Paul Morley of both Dirk and the upcoming Throbbing Gristle album 20 Jazz Funk Greats , for the NME under the headline "Berks That Lurk In The Corner Of Your Psyche." Ant remained aggrieved about this review in later years, commenting in a 2010 interview by Simon Price for The Quietus that he was upset how Morley "is now being commissioned by Sony to write my liner notes ... Go and write for Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Or go on TV and talk shit for three hours. That represents the old school. He's fucked. He's got no credibility. Fuck him." [14] Do It label manager Ian Tregoning likewise denounced Morley's review as "garbage - it didn't even qualify as garbage." [15]

Retrospective reviews have generally taken a more concilliatory tone. In his retrospective review of the album for AllMusic, Chris Woodstra wrote that "while the somewhat pretentious, overly arty lyrics and inexperienced playing are a drawback, the album offers a fascinating look at the Ants' formative years, capturing a raw energy that would be sacrificed for more polish on subsequent releases." [10] Reviewing its 2004 reissue in Stylus Magazine, Peter Parrish called the album a "rather marvellous record of jagged jitters" and found that it "sounds a great deal more contemporary than later Ants material." [11] Uncut likewise opined that unlike the band's subsequent albums, Dirk Wears White Sox "sounds as though it was made last week". [13] Trouser Press was more critical, describing Ant's vocals as "dour" and "uncomfortable" and the band as sounding "dead" and "far too slow", though noting that the 1983 version is "far better" than the 1979 version. [16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Adam Ant

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2)" 
2."Digital Tenderness" 
3."Nine Plan Failed" 
4."Day I Met God" 
5."Tabletalk" 
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Cleopatra" 
2."Catholic Day" 
3."Never Trust a Man (With Egg on His Face)" 
4."Animals and Men" 
5."Family of Noise" 
6."The Idea" 
1983 reissue
Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Cartrouble"3:23
2."Kick!"2:05
3."Digital Tenderness"3:03
4."Nine Plan Failed"3:10
5."Family of Noise"2:34
6."Tabletalk"5:33
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Zerox"3:45
2."Cleopatra"3:15
3."Never Trust a Man (With Egg on His Face)"3:13
4."Animals and Men"3:16
5."The Idea"3:24
6."Whip in My Valise"3:58
1995 reissue
No.TitleLength
1."Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2)"6.51
2."Kick!"2:05
3."Digital Tenderness"3:03
4."Nine Plan Failed"3:10
5."Family of Noise"2:34
6."Tabletalk"5:33
7."Zerox"3:45
8."Cleopatra"3:15
9."Never Trust a Man (With Egg on His Face)"3:13
10."Animals and Men"3:16
11."The Idea"3:24
12."Whip in My Valise"3:58
13."Catholic Day"3.08
14."Day I Met God"2:58
2004 reissue
No.TitleLength
1."Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2)"6.51
2."Digital Tenderness"3.03
3."Nine Plan Failed"5.18
4."Day I Met God"2:58
5."Tabletalk"5.34
6."Cleopatra"3.15
7."Catholic Day"3.08
8."Never Trust a Man (With Egg on His Face)"3.13
9."Animals and Men"3.20
10."Family of Noise"2.36
11."The Idea"3.26
12."Zerøx"3.48
13."Whip in My Valise"4.00
14."Kick!"1.36
15."Physical"3.59
16."Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2)" (remix)6.36
17."Friends"2.40
18."Cartrouble" (single version)3.24
19."Kick!" (single version)2.06
2004 reissue notes

Personnel

Track numbers relate to the 2004 reissue.

Adam and the Ants
Additional personnel
Technical

Charts

Chart (1980–81)Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC) [17] 16
UK Independent Albums (Record Business) [18] 1

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [19] Gold100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

Do It Records was a British independent record label based in London, England. It was an early label of Adam and the Ants, releasing their debut album Dirk Wears White Sox in November 1979 as well as singles "Zerox" in June 1979 and "Cartrouble" in March 1980, the latter being not only a number one on the UK Independent Singles Chart but also the first collaboration between Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni, following the departure of the original Ants to form Bow Wow Wow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Ant</span> English singer and musician (born 1954)

Stuart Leslie Goddard, better known as Adam Ant, is an English singer, musician, and actor. He gained popularity as the lead singer of new wave group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring 10 UK top ten hits from 1980 to 1983, including three UK No. 1 singles. He has also worked as an actor, appearing in many films and television episodes.

<i>Kings of the Wild Frontier</i> 1980 studio album by Adam and the Ants

Kings of the Wild Frontier is the second album by English new wave band Adam and the Ants. It was released on 7 November 1980 by CBS Records in the UK and Epic records internationally. The album was the UK number 1 selling album in 1981 and won Best British Album at the 1982 Brit Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bow Wow Wow</span> English new wave band

Bow Wow Wow are an English new wave band, created by manager Malcolm McLaren in 1980. McLaren recruited members of Adam and the Ants to form the band with then 13-year-old Annabella Lwin on lead vocals. They released their debut EP Your Cassette Pet in 1980 and had their first UK top 10 hit with "Go Wild in the Country" in 1982. The band's music was characterized by a danceable new wave sound that drew on a Burundi beat provided by Dave Barbarossa on drums, as well as the subversive, suggestive, and sometimes exuberant lyrics sung and chanted by their teenage lead vocalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annabella Lwin</span> Musical artist

Annabella Lwin is an English-Burmese singer, songwriter and record producer best known as the lead vocalist of Bow Wow Wow.

<i>20 Jazz Funk Greats</i> 1979 album by Throbbing Gristle

20 Jazz Funk Greats is the third studio album by British industrial music group Throbbing Gristle, released in December 1979 by the band's Industrial Records label. Known for its tongue-in-cheek title and artwork, it has been hailed as the band's best work, with Fact naming it the best album of the 1970s and Pitchfork naming it the best industrial album of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antmusic</span> 1980 single by Adam and the Ants

"Antmusic" is a song by English rock band Adam and the Ants, released as the third single in the UK from the album Kings of the Wild Frontier.

Matthew James Ashman was an English guitarist with Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow. He died in 1995 after lapsing into a coma due to diabetes, aged 35.

David Barbarossa is a drummer and an author of British and Mauritian descent. As part of both Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow, he was instrumental in creating the highly influential and innovative tribal drumming style that was popular among British and some American bands from 1979 to 1983.

Adam Ant is a British post-punk, new wave artist. He was the lead singer of Adam & the Ants until their split in early 1982, by which time they had recorded three studio albums. Ant, however, would go solo, and release an additional five studio albums throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. After a gap of nearly 18 years, his sixth released solo studio album came out in early 2013. A planned follow-up album recorded the following year currently officially remains at developmental stage.

<i>Antmusic: The Very Best of Adam Ant</i> 1993 greatest hits album by Adam Ant

Antmusic: The Very Best of Adam Ant is a greatest hits compilation album from Adam Ant that covers his early work with Adam and the Ants as well as his solo work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Parisians</span> 1978 single by Adam and the Ants

"Young Parisians" is the debut single from Adam and the Ants, written by Adam Ant. Originally released on 20 October 1978, it was the band's only single on Decca Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam and the Ants</span> English rock band

Adam and the Ants were an English rock band that formed in London in 1977. The band existed in two versions, both of which were fronted by Adam Ant, between 1977 and 1982. The first phase began when the band were founded in May 1977 and were called The Ants until November of that year. They later changed their style from punk rock to post-punk and new wave, and released one album. The final line-up of this version consisted of Dave Barbarossa, Matthew Ashman, and Leigh Gorman—all of whom left the band in January 1980 at the suggestion of manager Malcolm McLaren to form Bow Wow Wow.

<i>Antics in the Forbidden Zone</i> 1990 greatest hits album by Adam Ant

Antics in the Forbidden Zone is a Greatest Hits compilation and accompanying video by the English new wave musician Adam Ant, released 23 October 1990 by Epic Records. The collection spans the years 1979 to 1985, including Ant's time as frontman of Adam and the Ants with selections from Dirk Wears White Sox (1979), Kings of the Wild Frontier (1980), and Prince Charming (1981), as well as his first three solo albums, Friend or Foe (1982), Strip (1983) and Vive Le Rock (1985). The collection does not include "Ants Invasion," from which the title Antics in the Forbidden Zone was taken.

<i>Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunners Daughter</i> 2013 studio album by Adam Ant

Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter, is the sixth solo studio album by Adam Ant. The album's title was announced by Ant in the NME in April 2010. As he had announced at his gig in Chatham in September 2012, the new album was released on 21 January 2013 by Ant's own record label, Blueblack Hussar Records. Despite the independent self-release, the album reached number 25 on the UK Albums Chart, only one place lower than its predecessor, Wonderful, released on the major EMI label nearly eighteen years earlier. It had previously been at number 8 in the midweek chart update.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deutscher Girls</span> 1982 single by Adam and the Ants

"Deutscher Girls" is a song by Adam and the Ants. Included in the 1978 Derek Jarman film Jubilee, in which Adam Ant appears as "The Kid", it was not released as a single until 12 February 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zerox (song)</span>

"Zerox" is an Adam and the Ants' stand-alone single written by Adam Ant. It was later included on the 1983 CBS reissue of the band's debut album Dirk Wears White Sox and as part of the bonus material on the 2004 Columbia Records Remaster. The line-up on this track include Dave Barbarossa on drums, Matthew Ashman on guitar & Andy Warren on bass guitar. The track has been included on the compilations Antics in the Forbidden Zone, Antmusic: The Very Best of Adam Ant, The Very Best Of Adam And The Ants, Antbox, The Essential Adam Ant & Stand & Deliver: The Very Best of Adam & the Ants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartrouble</span> 1980 single by Adam and the Ants

"Cartrouble" is a song by Adam and the Ants, released as a single in March 1980 on Do It Records. It peaked at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart. Though usually stylised as one word, the title has also appeared as two separate words.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dog Eat Dog (Adam and the Ants song)</span> 1980 single by Adam and the Ants

"Dog Eat Dog" is the opening track on the Adam and the Ants album Kings of the Wild Frontier. It was written by Adam Ant & Marco Pirroni, and features the two-drummer Burundi beat for which Adam and the Ants would become famous. Released as a 7" single on 3 October 1980, it was their first top ten hit.

<i>The B-Sides</i> (EP) 1982 EP by Adam and the Ants

"Friends" b/w "Kick"/"Physical", also known as The B-Sides, is an extended play and the final single from Adam and the Ants. All three songs were written by Adam Ant, and were early fan favourites among 'Antpeople'. "Friends" and "Physical" were performed at a John Peel session on 10 July 1978. All three tracks had previously been recorded in 1978 for the Ants' first label Decca Records. "Kick" at RAK Studios in Chalbert Street, London, produced by Snips, "Friends" and "Physical" at Decca's own studio at Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, produced by Ant himself.

References

  1. 1 2 Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Adam and the Ants". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  5–6. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  2. ↑ Katagiri, Charlie. "Adam Ant". Encyclopedia.com . Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  3. ↑ "Adam Ant: The King of Sexual Diversity". Ant Lib Ønline. 28 February 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Antcatalogue (insert booklet with Kings of the Wild Frontier album, CBS Records 1980, p11
  5. ↑ Adam and the Ants, Chris Welch, Star Books 1981
  6. 1 2 "Demos 1977-1979". Antmusic.simondaw.me.uk. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  7. ↑ Maw, James (1981). The Official Adam Ant Story. Futura Publications. ISBN   0708821235.
  8. ↑ "Adam Ant interview". Classic Pop . No. 9. February–March 2014.
  9. ↑ Eccleston, Danny (24 March 2014). "The Strange Wonder Of Pre-Pop Adam Ant". Mojo . Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Woodstra, Chris. "Dirk Wears White Sox – Adam and the Ants". AllMusic . Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 Parrish, Peter (28 July 2004). "Adam & the Ants – Dirk Wears White Sox – Review". Stylus Magazine . Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  12. ↑ "Dirk Wears White Sox". adam-ant.net. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  13. 1 2 "Adam and the Ants: Dirk Wears White Sox". Uncut . No. 87. August 2004. p. 114.
  14. ↑ Adam Ant: I'd like to fight Liam Gallagher, Rosie Swash, The Guardian April 28, 2010
  15. ↑ Adam and the Ants, Chris Welch, Star Books, 1981
  16. ↑ Young, Jon; Lewis, Kate; Rompers, Terry. "Adam Ant". Trouser Press . Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  17. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  18. ↑ Lazell, Barry (1997). "Adam & the Ants". Indie Hits 1980–1989: The Complete U.K. Independent Charts (Singles & Albums). Cherry Red Books. ISBN   0-95172-069-4. Archived from the original on 25 February 2004. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  19. ↑ "British album certifications – Adam Ant – Dirk Wears White Sox". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 6 November 2020.
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