The Complete Radio 1 Sessions - Adam Ant > Reviews > Radio 1 Sessions

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	A great collection of live recordings
Disadvantages:	All but the last 3 tracks have already been released on the Peel Sessions CD

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

After a few years of no releases from Adam Ant, there seems to be something of a revival at the moment. With the Antbox boxed set released in december and now this excellANT CD. The Complete Radio 1 Sessions is exactly what it says on the cover. The tracks are taken from four recording sessions at Radio 1. Tracks 1-4 recorded for John Peel 23/1/78, tracks 5-8 recorded for John Peel 10/7/78, tracks 9-12 recorded for John Peel 26/3/79 and tracks 13-15 recorded for Simon Mayo 13/1/95 16 years later. The tracks on the CD are.....

1. Deutscher Girls
2. Puerto-Rican
3. It Doesn't Matter
4. LOU
5. You're So Physical
6. Cleopatra
7. Friends
8. Zerox
9. Tabletalk
10. Ligotage
11. Animals and Men
12. Never Trust a Man (with egg on his face)
13. Wonderful
14. Antmusic
15. Gotta Be A Sin

The first recording session brings a version of Deutscher Girls containing lyrics which never made it onto the single (...so why did you have to be so Nazi?). It Doesn't Matter is a song about someone who doesn't use deodorant, typifying the Ants overlooked sense of humour - dark, deadpan, almost corny. The female yelps on LOU are provided by Jordon, a punk icon and very good friend of Adams.

The highlight of the second recording sessions has to be Cleopatra with its hilarious lyrics about the Egyptian queen's blow job technique!!

The third Peel session gives evidence of Adams fondness for unusual subject matters. Animals and Men is a tribute to the original Italian futurists, while Never trust a Man (with egg on his face) tells the tale of a woman who is told by aliens to shoot her husband!

The final recording sessions, some 16 years later, where to help promote his latest single, Wonderful. Adam performs a fantastic unplugged and drumless version of Antmusic.

This is all-in-all a great compilation that you can listen to without fear of ridicule, and we all know what Adam said about that.....