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Rating: Adam Ant has lost ground, and he hasn't even managed to re-enter the "batch" of the new romantic. In 1985, after the flop of "Strip" (not its two singles), Adam chooses greater artistic consistency with his past and returns with a traditional rock and (especially) glam album. The title itself should be explicit, not to mention the cover... A man with a mane and a guitar slung over his shoulder like a rock n' roller, posing mythically with a nice wad of dollars he's trying to shove into his fly, presumably as a reward for his gigolo/rocker "performances" (now also a stripper?) who also spouts "catchy" phrases (for the mentally deficient) in goose language.
The opening title-track is the perfect example of this turn towards glam rock. Perhaps only the volume of the guitars is lower than the rest of the album. "Miss Thing" is an exceptional example of textbook glam with its chorally sung verses and those "wa-la-ba-loomba". To a lighter rhythm (but just slightly), almost tinged with new wave, this stunning "Razor Keen" kicks off with a great chorus. A disjointed guitar solo (or two?), in which Marco sounds a bit like Brian May. The rhythm and sound become more traditional in "Rip Down", an antsong certainly not devoid of glam (all "antmusic" is the child of punk father and glam mother). Excellent "ohiohiohioh yeah!" and a nice final whistle of a kind of cadenced boogie, remnants of a past Adam's taste that, when needed, can come in handy (Adam has learned not to abuse those clichés of his only over time). "Scorpio Rising" is delightful with its nonsensical lyrics, I believe centered on the new style Adam has chosen to present himself to the public. The piece is well-structured on a guitar arpeggio "that feels the suspense" and is cadenced like a march. Not very significant as an episode, but a little gem/nugget (and therefore filler).
It begins with a countdown "stuck" at number 5, "Apollo 9", an irresistible piece where Adam sings a bit "fried". There's a bit of everything: besides the aforementioned countdown, very amusing verses reminiscent of a Japanese cartoon theme, interludes to the chorus made of full/empty/full rhythm and backing vocals in chorus, final rap between double drum rolls... In general, besides being the second single from the record (besides the title-track), it is almost the most successful track from a song-form perspective (alas, not from the production standpoint). "Hell's Eight Acres" is a fast-paced punk song, with a rockabilly-tinted vocal in the verses, then returning to the beloved punk in tightly drummed choruses that accelerate, with verses shouted brazenly in chorus between hammering beats. Up to this point, one cannot certainly accuse Adam of a lack of originality, even though the lands of glam and punk are very familiar to him... "Mohair Lockeroom Pinup Boys" is another boogie, in the perfect T-Rex style, unfortunately overly dubbed. "No Zap" picks up the rhythm of the former and exaggerates it. The result is undoubtedly danceable, but does not even remotely match the splendid ska rock n' roll of "Friend Or Foe", his best record without the company of the Ants. The final "P.O.E." is an antsong from the "pirate" period turned into something "western-glam". Instead of the taverns of the London Docks, we have moved to a saloon in a fifty-soul town where, for the first (and last) time, a rodeo is held for desperate souls whose lives deserve to end under the hooves of a crazy horse. Excellent accordion towards the end. The piece is almost worthy of the famous "Jolly Roger" from the "Kings Of The Wild Frontier" album, and the best produced of the entire album.
The record label will commit serious printing errors, then too quickly stop betting on this work, so important and so heartfelt by Ant and Pirroni. At Live Aid, Adam and his band will only play "Vive Le Rock". The new romantic bands, instead, without past, without history, the vast majority even without talent, will sing much later and benefit from large spaces for their insipid songs. This is the end. Adam will fly to California, to gamble everything on Hollywood, to pursue his ambitions of rising to world fame. In 1987 he will return, a yuppie in double-breasted and gloves, a lifetime away from everything he was and from everything that was British, with a sound more influenced by the American mainstream, that is, the funky of Jackson and especially Prince. An Adam Ant who no longer sets trends, but who copies them like anyone else.
Returning to the album, this is a good glam rock product. Twenty-two years after its release, we could say "it's only glam rock but I like it!". But the production by the famous Tony Visconti (a name deliberately banked on for a grand style relaunch) turned out to be a disastrous choice, and it is so deficient that it makes "Vive Le Rock" the worst-sounding Ant record of all. Only for this, I don't give it four stars. If you love glam, however, this work is fully recommended to you.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Vive le Rock (03:40)
Bang bang you're dead
Did not, did too
Stop diddy-bopping buddy
Bouncing Betty on you
Bang bang you're dead
Did not, did too
Stop diddy-bopping buddy
Bouncing Betty on you
I try to tell you but you just don't understand
You've got my entire life in your hands
Vive le rock, vive le rock
Oh well, you don't know what you're missing
'Cos you don't know what you got
And if the enemy don't see it your way
Be smart, play dead, live to fight a new day
And vive le rock, vive le rock
Oh well you don't know what you're missing
'Cos you don't know what you got
Vive le rock, vive le rock
Vive le rock
If this is it then I'm afraid it's not enough
Here's Johnny and he's calling your bluff
Vive le rock, vive le rock
Oh well you don't know what you're doing
'Cos you don't know what is what
Vive le rock, vive le rock
(Look out! rockers going Starwars!)
Bang bang you're dead
Did not, did too
Stop diddy-bopping buddy
Bouncing Betty on you
Bang bang you're dead
Did not, did too
Stop diddy-bopping buddy
Bouncing Betty on you
You're scratching records but you won't be scratching mine
Don't give me chish-chash in rinky-dink time
Just vive le rock, vive le rock
Well I've been where I was going
And it's not Tom of Finland
Vive le rock, vive le rock
Vive le rock
Bang bang you're dead
Did not, did too
Stop diddy-bopping buddy
Bouncing Betty on you
Look Ma, I'm on top of the world
06 Apollo 9 (03:22)
Ten - dress it up
Nine - dress it up
Eight - dress it up
Seven - dress it up, dress it up
Six
Fa fa fa fa fa five (ooh!)
Hey hey what do you say?
Had me a woman she ran away
Warned me one time, warned me twice
Found me out and it weren't too nice.
Hey hey what do you say?
Had me a woman she ran away
Can the chatter, bye-bye dear
Carved me a crimson career.
Well whoopsin-a whoopsin (dress it up)
Jan jan jammering (dress it up, dress it up)
Yabba-yabba-ding-ding (dress it up)
Delta hey max nine
We will be fine (we will be fine)
Apollo 9 (Apollo 9)
Even though NASA say
"Way out of line" (out of line)
We will be fine (we will be fine)
Apollo 9 (Apollo 9)
Even though NASA say
"Way out of line" (out of line)
Well whoopsin-a whoopsin (dress it up)
Jan jan jammering (dress it up, dress it up)
Yabba-yabba-ding-ding (dress it up)
Delta hey max nine
(break)
Ten - dress it up
Nine - dress it up
Eight - dress it up
Seven - dress it up, dress it up
Six
Fa fa fa fa fa five
Hey hey what do you say?
Had me a woman she flew away
Climbed onto the nearest star
Miss her lots, but there you are.
Hey hey what do you say?
had me a woman she flew away
I don't worry, things are fine
Way up there in Apollo 9
Well whoopsin-a whoopsin (dress it up)
Jan jan jammering (dress it up, dress it up)
Yabba-yabba-ding-ding (dress it up)
Delta hey max nine
We will be fine (we will be fine)
Apollo 9 (Apollo 9)
Even though NASA say
"Way out of line" (out of line)
We will be fine (we will be fine)
Apollo 9 (Apollo 9)
Even though NASA say
"Way out of line" (out of line)
Well whoopsin-a whoopsin (dress it up)
Jan jan jammering (dress it up, dress it up)
Yabba-yabba-ding-ding (dress it up)
Delta hey max nine
We will be fine (we will be fine)
Apollo 9 (Apollo 9)
Even though NASA say
"Way out of line" (out of line)
We will be fine (we will be fine)
Apollo 9 (Apollo 9)
Even though NASA say
"Way out of line" (out of line)
Hey hey what do you say?
Had me a woman she flew away
Climbed onto the nearest star
Miss her lots, but there you are.
Hey hey what do you say?
Choochalaben dollaley
You can run, you won't get far
A-leyben in your capella.
Hey hey what do you say?
Had me a woman she flew away
Climbed onto the nearest star
Miss her lots, but there you are.
Hey hey what do you say?
Blast off time, I'm please to say
Write a letter, be home soon
Busy lassooing the moon.
Ten
Nine
Eight
Seven
Six
Fa fa fa fa fa five
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