Adam Ant was one of the biggest cultural figures of the 1980s: somehow simultaneously a dandy highwayman, a musical maverick, one of the most singular and charismatic characters around, and, of course, an iconic pop star. Now he charts his entire journey, from new wave eccentric to superstar and beyond, with the release of ‘The Singles’ on October 31st.
‘The Singles’ presents all of his singles from Adam & The Ants and his solo career in chronological order. It starts in genre-agnostic style in 1978, with ‘Young Parisians’ confounding preconceptions of The Ants being a punk band. From then on he was understoppable as ten Top 10 hits charted through to 1983, including the #1 smashes ‘Stand and Deliver’, ‘Prince Charming’ and ‘Goody Two Shoes’. Other big moments – ‘Antmusic’, ‘Antrap’ and the Phil Collins-produced ‘Puss In Boots’ – were similarly impactful before he spent the latter half of the decade focusing on his acting career.
He would return to the charts in 1990 with the funk-rock strut of ‘Room At The Top’, which is one of three cuts here representing the ‘Manners & Physique’ album. ‘The Singles’ is completed with this larger-than-life figure stepping into a more modest, introspective tone with ‘Wonderful’ by which time he was being hailed as a pivotal influence by a new era of artists such as Nine Inch Nails and Elastica. Ultimately the collection provides an insight into an artist who helped define the ‘80s, his talents underlined by a BRIT and two Ivor Novello Awards as well as Grammy nomination.
‘The Singles’ will be the first Adam Ant compilation to be released on vinyl (in this case a double-vinyl) since the long out-of-print ‘Hits’ from 1986. It will also be issued on CD and digital formats. The album is available to pre-order HERE.
Adam Ant’s following remains loyal and fervent, as evidenced by the scale of his upcoming UK tour. The 24-date run includes two sold-out London shows at the Eventim Apollo and The Roundhouse, and he will also play to 5000 people over two nights at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall. Remaining tickets for the shows are available HERE:
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