Vive Le Rock | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2 September 1985 [1] | |||
Recorded | January–March 1985 | |||
Studio | Good Earth Studios, Soho, London | |||
Genre | Rock [2] | |||
Length | 36:40 | |||
Label | CBS | |||
Producer | Tony Visconti | |||
Adam Ant chronology | ||||
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Singles from Vive Le Rock | ||||
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Kerrang! | [4] |
Trouser Press | generally favourable [5] |
Vive Le Rock is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in September 1985, which contained two versions of Ant's 1984 song "Apollo 9".
Producer Tony Visconti, famous for his 1970s work with Ant's heroes Marc Bolan and David Bowie, commented on his work with Ant on Vive Le Rock: "What a creative ball of energy! He was great to work with. He's very opinionated and knows what he wants. We didn't quite agree during the mixes, he kind of wanted everything very trebly and I'm a bassey kind of producer." [6]
The album was a realisation of the new "rockers in space" ethic and look Adam Ant had begun with the hit UK single "Apollo 9" in September 1984, which peaked at number 13. [7]
"Apollo 9" was released as a single a year before Vive Le Rock's release, and was a chart hit. However, the album received only minor attention in the United States, peaking at number 131, [8] and number 42 in the United Kingdom. [9] The title track was the one single from the album released in the US. Ant performed "Vive Le Rock" at the 1985 benefit concert Live Aid. It was the only song he played at the show, as the band preceding him on the bill, The Boomtown Rats (for whom concert co-organiser Bob Geldof was the front man) overran their allotted time. [10]
Ant has said that the failure of Vive Le Rock, and his then-current record label's unwillingness to promote it, left him depressed and unenthusiastic about his future in music. This led to his decision to focus primarily on his acting career, not releasing another album until Manners & Physique in 1990. [11]
Twelfth track "Human Bondage Den" was released on the original cassette and CD release of this album (as a bonus non-LP track). Most re-releases did not feature this track until Columbia Records re-released the album in 2005, along with seven other bonus tracks.
All tracks are written by Adam Ant & Marco Pirroni
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Vive Le Rock" | 3:39 |
2. | "Miss Thing" | 3:08 |
3. | "Razor Keen" | 3:49 |
4. | "Rip Down" | 3:23 |
5. | "Scorpio Rising" | 4:04 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
6. | "Apollo 9" | 3:22 |
7. | "Hell's Eight Acres" | 3:51 |
8. | "Mohair Lockeroom Pin-Up Boys" | 3:14 |
9. | "No Zap" | 3:14 |
10. | "P.O.E." | 3:24 |
11. | "Apollo 9 (A cappella Reprise)" | 1:32 |
Total length: | 36:40 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
12. | "Human Bondage Den" | 3:07 |
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.
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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.
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