''Dirk Wears White Sox'' is the debut studio album by English new wave band

Adam and the Ants Adam and the Ants were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. The group existed in two incarnations, both fronted by Adam Ant, over the period 1977 to 1982. The first, founded in May 1977 and known simply as The Ants until November of t ...

. It was released on 30 November 1979 by record label Do It. It was the first number one album on the

UK Independent Albums Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rel ...

when the chart debuted in ''Record Week'' in 1980.

Background

''Dirk Wears White Sox'' was made with an early line-up of Adam and the Ants, which disbanded after the album was released. Guitarist

Matthew Ashman Matthew James Ashman (3 November 1960 – 21 November 1995)
– accessed June 2011 was an English guitarist with

and drummer

David Barbarossa David Barbarossa (born 1961, also known as Dave Barbe) is a drummer and an author of British and Mauritian descent. As part of both Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow, he was instrumental in creating the highly influential and innovative tribal d ...

went on to form

Bow Wow Wow Bow Wow Wow are an English new wave band, created by manager Malcolm McLaren in 1980. McLaren recruited members of Adam and the Ants to form the band behind 13-year-old Annabella Lwin on vocals. They released their debut EP '' Your Cassette ...

with then-Ants bassist

Leigh Gorman Leigh Gorman (born 11 December 1961) is an English rock musician, record producer, and composer, best known for his work as the bass player for Bow Wow Wow. Early life Leigh grew up in the East End of London. He started playing classical guita ...

(who only played one gig with the Ants and was not involved in any studio recordings). Original bassist Andy Warren had departed shortly after recording the album to join former Ants guitarist

Lester Square : ''For the London landmark, see Leicester Square.'' Lester Square (born Thomas Hardy, 17 April 1954, Canada) is the former lead guitarist for The Monochrome Set. He joined the first incarnation of Adam and the Ants as lead guitarist , (and its ...

The Monochrome Set The Monochrome Set are an English post-punk/ new wave band, originally formed in London in January 1978. The most recent line-up consists of Bid, Andy Warren, Athen Ayren and Stephen Gilchrist. History Original band: 1978–1985 The Monoc ...

. Many of the songs, notably "Cleopatra" and "Never Trust a Man (With Egg on his Face)", remained a part of

Adam Ant Stuart Leslie Goddard, better known as Adam Ant (born 3 November 1954), 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 ...

's live repertoire throughout his career, both with the Ants and later as a solo artist. The album title refers to classic British film icon Dirk Bogarde.

Production

The album was recorded 12–24 August 1979 at Sound Development Studios, London and mixed 25–29 August. All instrumentation and guide vocals were completed in the first three days. Of the fourteen tracks recorded, three - "Friends", "Kick" and "Physical" - did not proceed beyond this stage, although Physical was secretly released on the B-side of 2000 copies of the single " Zerox" in July 1980. The remainder of the sessions were dedicated to recording finished lead and backing vocals by Ant for the eleven released tracks. Five tracks from the album, "Day I Met God", "Cleopatra", "Catholic Day", "Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face)" and "Family of Noise" - plus all three rejected tracks - had previously been recorded in 1978 for the Ants' first label Decca Records - "Kick" at RAK Studios in Chalbert Street, London, produced by

Snips Snips, also known as shears, are hand tools used to cut sheet metal and other tough webs. It is a cutting tool. Workers use various types of snips, either straight or blend one be obtained. The straight or bent being not only for straight cuts b ...

, the other seven at Decca's own studio at Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, produced by Ant himself. Prior to this, all songs on the released album except "Digital Tenderness", "Nine Plan Failed" and "Cleopatra" were recorded on 4-track by Ant at home in Notting Hill Gate 25–27 July 1978; "Cleopatra" and "Physical" had been similarly taped by Ant at home in Chelsea, 20 November 1977.

Musical style

Ant biographer James Maw reports in his 1981 book ''The Official Adam Ant Story'' that Ant wished to make "a stylish album with all the qualities of

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

and funk." Ant confirmed in a 2014 interview for ''

Classic Pop Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

'' that the album was "me trying to make a Donna Summer record... I know it doesn't sound like that, but check out Dave (Barbe)'s drumming." ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

''s Danny Eccleston classifies ''Dirk Wears White Sox'' as a

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...

album. Chris Woodstra of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

described the album's style as a "sometimes-awkward fusion of

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, glam and minimalist post-punk with bizarre images and disturbing tales of alienation, sex and brutality." Peter Parrish of '' Stylus Magazine'' wrote that "''Dirk'' slips somewhere between The Banshee's ''

Scream Scream may refer to: *Screaming, a loud vocalization Amusement rides * Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany * Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England * Scream! (roller coaster), at ...

'' and Gang of Four's ''

Entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...

''; all stark, angular and brittle." The album has been cited as an influence on the nascent gothic rock scene. Andi from

Sex Gang Children Sex Gang Children are an early gothic rock and post-punk band that formed in early 1982 in Brixton in London, England. Although the original group only released one official studio album, their singles and various other tracks have been pack ...

and John Robb referenced the record as part of the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

's Goth: The Scene That Wouldn't Die, 2014.

Releases

''Dirk Wears White Sox'' was released on 30 November 1979 by Do It Records. The three out-takes were later released in 1982 as the 7 inch EP ''

The B-Sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

'' as well as a 12 inch EP ''The Antmusic EP'' also containing a remix of Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2). The album was reissued in 1983, featuring a different album cover taken from a December 1979 video for the song " Zerox". "Catholic Day" and "Day I Met God" were dropped and "Cartrouble (Parts 1 and 2)" were replaced by "

Cartrouble "Cartrouble" is a song by Adam and the Ants, released as a single in March 1980 on Do It Records. It peaked at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart. Though usually stylised as one word, the title has also appeared as two separate words (for example ...

" in its single version and its B-side, a re-recording of "Kick!" which contained completely different lyrics from the rejected album version and featured Jon Moss on drums (who later went on to join Culture Club). This edition also adds two other songs from the same era not on the original LP: both sides of the "Zerox"/ "Whip in My Valise" single. It was reissued again in 1995 by

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...

, featuring the original black-and-white album art in somewhat cropped form and with the dropped songs reinstated as bonus tracks at the end. The lettering on the sleeve was recreated in the style of the original and does not feature the stroke through the letter O in the word "Sox"; it also substitutes a letter "Z" in place of the zig-zagged "S" in the word "Ants" (previously a common practice among unofficial merchandisers around the time of the album's original release). Later pressings of the 1995 edition substituted the Antmusic EP remix of "Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2)" in place of the "Cartrouble" A-side. The album was remastered and reissued in 2004 with the original track listing restored and the singles/EP material included as bonus tracks. A white vinyl edition was released by Ant's own label Blueblack Hussar Records in spring 2014. To tie in with this, on 19 April, Ant performed the full album at the Hammersmith Apollo with a band including former Ants

and

, preceding this with several UK tour dates. A launch party gig for the white vinyl album was held at the 100 Club. Both London concerts were filmed and later released as the DVD album ''Dirk Live at the Apollo''. Ant would subsequently perform the full album again with his regular band for four nights at the

Islington Assembly Hall Islington Assembly Hall is a live music venue and events space on Upper Street, Islington, London. It forms part of the Islington Town Hall complex. It has a capacity of 890 for live events, including seating for 200 in its balcony. Events other ...

in November 2014 and a full UK tour in spring 2015.

Reception

In his retrospective review of the album for AllMusic, Chris Woodstra wrote that "while the somewhat pretentious, overly arty lyrics and inexperienced playing are a drawback, the album offers a fascinating look at the Ants' formative years, capturing a raw energy that would be sacrificed for more polish on subsequent releases." Reviewing its 2004 reissue in ''Stylus Magazine'', Peter Parrish called the album a "rather marvellous record of jagged jitters" and found that it "sounds a great deal more contemporary than later Ants material." ''

Uncut Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...

'' likewise opined that unlike the band's subsequent albums, ''Dirk Wears White Sox'' "sounds as though it was made last week". ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' was more critical, describing Ant's vocals as "dour" and "uncomfortable" and the band as sounding "dead" and "far too slow", though noting that the 1983 version is "far better" than the 1979 version.

Track listing

; 1983 reissue ; 1995 reissue ; 2004 reissue

Personnel

; Adam and the Ants *

– electric and acoustic guitars, vocals, piano, harmonica, bass on tracks 18 and 19 *

(as Dave Barbe) – drums on tracks 1–17 *

Matthew Ashman Matthew James Ashman (3 November 1960 – 21 November 1995)
– accessed June 2011 was an English guitarist with

– guitar and piano on tracks 1–17 *

Andrew Warren Andrew Marvin Warren (born 1967; Chesapeake, Virginia) is a former CIA operative, who served as CIA station chief in Algiers, Algeria, during 2007–2008. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault of two women and the following ye ...

– bass on tracks 1–17 ;Additional personnel *

Marco Pirroni Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni (born 27 April 1959, London, England) frequently credited simply as Marco, is a British guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O'Connor, Siouxsie and the Banshees and man ...

– guitar, bass and vocals on tracks 18 and 19 * Jon Moss – drums on tracks 18 and 19

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

*
''Dirk Wears White Sox''
at official Adam Ant website {{Authority control Adam and the Ants albums 1979 debut albums Epic Records albums Albums produced by Chris Hughes (musician)