1983 Music Review: Adam and the Ants' "Dirk Wears White Sox" Reissue

ALBUM REVIEW:  DIRK WEARS WHITE SOX, ADAM AND THE ANTS
(Epic/CBS re-issue in 1983 of the 1979 British album)
Code # (CBS 38698)
by Lyn Jensen

In 1979 Adam and the Ants' debut album Dirk Wears White Sox was released in the UK.  After that Adam Ant completely overhauled his musical and visual style into the "New Romantic" mode.  In 1983 Epic/CBS made the album available in the US.  This review was offered to Music Connection, Pulse, Goldmine, and a few regional bar freebies, but never published.

Adam Ant took the responsibility of re-packaging and re-releasing this so-called "classic" British album for American audiences, which is unusual when an artist has changed styles and personnel.  Usually such material gets re-released by a record company over the artist's dead body. 

Dirk Wears White Sox chronicles some Ant history that's unfamiliar to some American fans--it's almost the only product of his beginning punk period, before he and the Ants became the "New Romantic" Kings of the Wild Frontier.  It also features the original Ants--the musicians that shortly thereafter left Adam for a female vocalist and were turned into Bow Wow Wow. 

As such this isn't really a record, it's an artifact.  It sheds light on a major star's early period but can't stand on musical merit alone.  I'm a staunch punk-loving Ant fan but there's not one track here I care to hear again. 

The biggest problem is the music rarely fits the lyrics, which fit perfectly into the punk-poetry school we've already heard from artists as diverse as Exene, Patti Smith, and Jim Carroll.  Reading the lyric sheet is the most interesting thing about this album.  The words fit perfectly into all the standard punk themes of alienation, despair, and decadence.  The tunes drag on, however, while the lyrics cry for an upbeat approach.  The music needs to contrast with the depression and tension of the modern world, not add to it.

Ant people, however, will be intrigued because the raw material--the Ant voice, both in vocals and words--is there.  Shortly after this Adam teamed up with Marco Pirroni, who probably was the man who had better musical sense to when fitting tunes to lyrics.  Also came along the "New Romantic" image that's served Adam the Ant so well since.  It's not often outsiders get such insights into the complex processes that go into making a star.
 

Reviews: Hell's Kitchen, Spring 2013

I posted some reviews of the spring 2013 season of Hell's Kitchen on the www.realitytvfans.com site.  Here are the links.  If you can't open them, then you may copy and paste them in your browser:

http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/07/24/flashback-hells-kitchen-5713.html

http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/07/25/flashback-hells-kitchen-41613.html

http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/07/24/flashback-hells-kitchen-4913.html

Reviews of TAR Season 23

I reviewed all episodes of The Amazing Race Season 23 on the www.realitytvfans.com site.  Here are the links in order from the premiere to the finale:

http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/10/04/amazing-race-season-23-premiere.html
http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/10/08/amazing-race-recap-oct-7-2013-chile.html
http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/10/22/the-amazing-race-third-leg-101313.html
http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/10/23/the-amazing-race-norway-102013.html
http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/11/02/the-amazing-race-102713-poland.html
http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/11/08/the-amazing-race-vienna-11313.html
http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/11/14/the-amazing-race-season-23-middle-east-111013.html
http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/11/22/the-amazing-race-season-23-united-arab-emirates-111713.html
http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/11/28/the-amazing-race-season-23-indonesia-112413.html#more-26819
http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/12/04/the-amazing-race-java-12113.html
http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/12/14/the-amazing-race-final-4-japan-12813.html
http://www.realitytvfans.com/2013/12/14/the-amazing-race-final-3-alaska-12813.html

Guide to FM Stations in Los Angeles Broadcast Area

As a companion to my previous post on AM radio in the Los Angeles broadcast area, here's my guide to FM radio in the Los Angeles market.  This list isn't exhaustive (I've excluded several Christian, Spanish, and Black stations, as I have no personal interest in them) but what's here should offer sufficient variety for the average listener:

 

88.1—KKJZ (“K-jazz” or “smooth jazz”) www.jazzandblues.org

89.3—KPCC, a National Public Radio station in Pasadena (at Pasadena College?) www.scpr.org is the Web site. Patt Morrison works there.  Southern California Public Radio, 474 S. Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105, (626) 583-5100

89.9--KCRW, a National Public Radio Station at Santa Monica College, www.kcrw.com is their Web site.  Their address:  1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405.  Phone:  (310) 450-5183.

 

90.7—KPFK, a National Public Radio station, Pacifica Radio

3729 Cahuenga Blvd. West - N. Hollywood, CA 91604
Main phone: (818) 985-2711 - Fax: (818) 763-7526 - Studio phone: (818) 985-5735

91.5—KUSC (classical) a member of National Public Radio and a service of USC.  Go to www.kusc.org for more info.

93.1—It’s “Jack,” although its call letters are the austere KCBS, run by the same guy that runs KROQ but with a broader playlist and less DJ talk.  93.3 used to be Arrow but Arrow is now Jack.

93.5—KDAY (“The Beat”), sounds and looks like rap and hip-hop

94.7—KTWV (“The Wave”), jazz and R&B format. Web site is http://947thewave.cbslocal.com/ and the phones are 1-800-520-WAVE (studio) and (323) 937-WAVE (business)

95.1—KFRG, (“K-FROG”), the Inland Empire’s country station (based in Colton) but picks up in the LA area.  Web address:  http://kfrog.cbslocal.com/

95.5—KLOS, “Classic Rock That Really Rocks,” www.955klos.com  is the Web site, and phone numbers are (310)840-9400 (business) and 1-800-955-KLOS (on-air).

97.1—KAMP (“K-AMP,” formerly KLSX) Carson Daly is this station’s top-billed on-air personality but the format often leans more to rap and hiphop than a mainstream contemporary pop sound. Web address:  http://amp.cbslocal.com/

98.7—KYSR (“K-STAR”), “Rockaholic” alternative rock.  http://www.987fm.com/main.html

99.5—KKLA, “The Spirit of Los Angeles,” a religious/Christian station.

99.9—KOLA, rock station in the Inland Empire (Redlands/Riverside/San Bernardino area) but picks up in Los Angeles.  “All Classics, All the Time,” is its slogan.  Phone:  (909) 793-3554.

Web site:  www.kolafm.com

100.3—KSWD (“The Sound”), “Album Rock, True Variety” is the slogan and  www.thesoundla.com is the Web address.  They have a no-repeat Tuesday.  Phone is (323) 634-1800.

101.1—KRTH, oldies format.  Web site:  http://kearth101.cbslocal.com/

102.3—KJLH, urban contemporary format.  Contact:  kjlhradio.com and (310) 330-2200.  Owned by Stevie Wonder, and the call letters stand for “Kindness, Joy, Love, and Happiness.”

102.7—KIIS, “L.A.'s #1 Hit Music Station featuring CHR/pop radio live,” the Web site is www.kissfm.com and Ryan Seacrest is the top-billed on-air personality.

103.5—KOST, “So Cal’s Favorite Soft Rock” has www.kost1035.com as its Web site.

104.3—KBIG (“My FM”) and www.1043myfm.com is the Web site.  Format is “hot, modern” and “nineties ‘til now.” 

105.1—KKGO (“Go Country”) country format.  Web:  www.gocountry105.com

105.9—KPWR (“K-POWER” or “Power 105”) “where hip hop lives.”

106.7—KROQ, “World Famous” alternate rock.  Web site:  kroq.com

AM STATIONS IN LOS ANGELES COVERAGE AREA

When my MySpace blogs vanished into cyberspace, I was particularly sorry to lose my guides to Los Angeles radio stations.  I can't find anything like them online so I keep them for every time I need or want to re-program my car radio.  Since others may also find such information helpful, I'm posting my guide to AM stations below.  My guide to FM stations will come later:

570—KLAC, sports talk, mostly Fox Sports.  Dodgers, football, and Petros Papadakis.  Phone may be 1-866-967-2970 (local) or 1-877-99-ON-FOX (national). 

Web site:  www.am570radio.com or phone (818) 559-2252 for business.

640—KFI, mostly right-wing nutcase talk so I prefer to avoid it.

710--KSPN, ESPN Radio in Los Angeles (although other sports stations often have ESPN programming, too).  Sometimes has baseball or football not available on other stations.  Web site:  http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/radio/index

790—KABC, mostly right-wing nutcase talk but sometimes has sports programming.  Web site:  www.kabc.com

830—KLAA, sports talk and Angels, owned by Arte Moreno.  Web site:  www.am830klaa.com

On-air phone:  1-877-883-0830.

980—KFWB, “News Talk,” and kfwbam.com is the Web site.  Used to be “all news,” now the news is only between 5-9 and 4-7 weekdays.

1070—KNX, and its slogan is “all news, all the time.”  http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/station/knx-1070/

1110—KDSN (“Radio Disney”) if you like Disney’s stable of music artists.

1150—KTLK, was Air America in the Bush II era, now Stephanie Miller in the morning and Randi Rhodes in the afternoon are the only true left-wing talk show hosts (hostesses) left.  David Cruz does a local-news-and-commentary talk show in the afternoon, and sometimes you can find Johnny Wendell in a morning or weekend slot.  Web site:  www.ktlkam1150.com

Phones:  (818) 566-6476 (programming) and (818) 559-2252 (main).

Music Review: Jane Siberry (1988)

My review of Jane Siberry's The Waking album from 1988, never before published:

IS SHE NEW AGE, NEW FOLK, OR A FRUSTRATED OPERA STAR?  
Silberry's Major Label Debut Leaves us Wondering

Jane Siberry:  The Waking  (Reprise 1988)

Canadian singer Jane Siberry is sometimes called a New Age vocalist, which may be a contradiction since most New Age music is instrumental.  Her major label debut, The Waking, demonstrates just how contradictory her musical style can be.  She's also been compared to Suzanne Vega, but the only resemblance we can hear is how both favor a poetic way with lyrics.  Vega's New Folk style conjures up New York street beats, while Siberry is more formal, applying a scholarly intellectual artistic approach to music, with grandly modern results.

At times Siberry is moody and folksy--like Vega or Janis Ian.  At other times she's as brassy as Barbra Streisand, and both styles are sung in a little-girl-lost voice.  The resulting album sends off so many mixed messages it never settles on a single theme, or even group of themes. One minute we're reaching grand operatic musical pinnacles (such as "The Bird in the Gravel," a sort of Wagnerian mini-opera), the next we're hearing just another little-girl-lost lament (the title track). 

In summary the grand arrangements simply don't fit Siberry's voice or lyrics.  She obviously has keen intellect and ambition.  She writes poetic lyrics well.  Unfortunately it's going to take another album for her to present these raw musical abilities as a viable mainstream pop concept.   

**********

Note:  Jane Siberry's Web site is www.janesiberry.com and she also has her own Wikipedia entry.  

Review: Adam Ant at the Greek Theater, Oct. 18, 1985

To borrow a phrase from an Adam Ant song ("Cut off his head, his legs come looking for you" from "Antmusic") there are times when Adam Ant is perfectly capable of cutting off his own head--he doesn't need any unsympathetic press to do it for him.  Last year's Strip tour was a sad shallow caricature that hit bottom when he threw wet socks to the adoring hordes.  (Never mind how the socks got wet in the first place.)

This time his Friday night set at the Greek Theater made up any previous embarrassments and allowed him to shake the teenybopper-trash label he's unfairly acquired.  Sorry to disappoint you guys but the audience wasn't simply a horde of screaming underage females.  There was a fair share of screaming males and adult women, so I think it's time to cut the "Tom Jones for teenyboppers" putdown.  Sure he gets presents of kisses and ladies' undies, takes off his shirt, and says things like, "Wanna play with my guitar?" but if you have a problem with that, you don't know rock.  It's time to admit Adam Ant is at least as notable a figure of eighties rock as--Madonna.

Sure like many of the best, Adam's only rules are no rules, and that can cause artistic differences.  "Strip" remains cutesy innuendo and little else, although "Playboy" from the same album got a much needed revamping and rocking-up.  But how about the variations of rhythm in "Stand and Deliver," or the British humor laced through lyrics like "Desperate but not Serious" and "Goody Two Shoes," or the dynamic latest hit, "Vive Le Rock," that if peformed by any other artist would have the rock media crowing about what a classic anthem it is?

Adam seems to be re-embracing his identity as a rocker (he seemed to be wandering into some kind of techno-disco for a while) and he's trimmed his back-up to a basic rock trio.  All are musicians who've been with him several years:  Bogdan "Count" Wiczling, on a drum kit specifically designed to replicate the sound of two drummers, Chris "DeNiro" Constantinou on bass guitar, and Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni (formerly known as just Marco, he's been a Keith Richards to Adam Ant's Mick Jagger since the seventies) is offically back on guitar.  All can work up a sweaty beat that's danceable but rocks hard!  Pirroni (who really needs to establish his own career as one of rock's better guitarists) has at times been stoic onstage but tonight he was trading licks and laughs with Ant, who himself can play a few rockabilly licks now and then.

True Ant fans ("Antpeople") are not fooled by a cynical media suggestion that their idol's current leather image is a desperate grab for credibility.  He had a wild noble leather look even before MTV did.  And wild and noble Adam Ant was this evening, bouncing off the proscenium wall (literally) and pacing ninety minutes so briskly they seemed like nine.  By the time he hung from the stage rigging for his finale, "You're so Physical," as always, he had us exhausted but begging for more.  Isn't that what rock's all about?  Vive Le Rock, indeed!