Kings of the Wild Frontier is the second studio album by Adam and the Ants, released in 1980. It was the first album done with the new band line-up. Hit singles were "Kings of the Wild Frontier," "Dog Eat Dog," and "Antmusic."
Tracklist:
Side One
- "Dog Eat Dog" (3:11)
- "Antmusic" (3:37)
- "Feed Me to the Lions" (3:03)
- "Los Rancheros" (3:30)
- "Ants Invasion" (3:19)
- "Killer in the Home" (4:22)
Side Two
- "Kings of the Wild Frontier" (3:56)
- "The Magnificent Five" (3:07)
- "Don't Be Square (Be There)" (3:32)
- "Jolly Roger" (2:11)
- "Making History" (2:59)
- "The Human Beings" (4:32)
Bonus Tracks:
- "Physical (You're So)" (4:26)
- "Stand and Deliver" (3:06)
- "Press Darlings" (4:12)
Principal Members:
- Adam Ant - lead vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica
- Chris "Merrick" Hughes - drums
- Terry Lee Miall - drums
- Kevin Mooney - bass
- Marco Pirroni - guitar
Feed Me to the Tropes:
- Added Alliterative Appeal: "Killer in the Home:"I live the life that I've been left
- Alliterative Title: "Dog Eat Dog."
- Broken Record: "Press Darlings:"We are the press darlings (14x)
- Call-Back: In "Don't Be Square (Be There)" the line, "Dirk wears white socks," is a call back to the title of their debut.
- Continuity Nod: Much like their previous album, Dirk Wears White Sox the album continues ant and warrior imagery.
- Concept Album: Much like their stage act all the songs allude to warrior images, in this case The Wild West.
- Face on the Cover: A close-up of Adam's face.
- Gratuitous Spanish: "Los Rancheros."
- Heavy Meta: "Antmusic."So unplug the jukebox and do us all a favour, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, that music's lost its taste
So try another flavour: Antmusic - Hurricane of Puns:
- "Ants Invasion" makes a pun on the word "ants" and "antics:"Too many antics in the forbidden zone
- "Press Darlings"We depress the press, darlings
- "Ants Invasion" makes a pun on the word "ants" and "antics:"
- Intercourse with You:
- "Don't Be Square (Be There):"Ant music for sex people
Sex music for ant people - "Physical:"I want your rough house, maybe
I want this night in your ear
You let me feel your danger
I want to make this feeling clear, oo-hoo
- "Don't Be Square (Be There):"
- Injun Country:
- "The Human Beings:"Blackfoot, Pawnee, Cheyenne, Crow, Apache, Arapaho
- "Kings of the Wild Frontier:"I feel beneath the white
There is a redskin suffering
From centuries of taming
- "The Human Beings:"
- Lampshade Hanging: "Don't Be Square (Be There):"And love goes to war, whatever that means
- List Song: "The Human Beings" just names a bunch of Native American tribes.
- Mundane Made Awesome: "Ants Invasion," a song about an invasion of ants.
- Record Producer: Chris Hughes, AKA drummer Merrick.
- Real Time: "Ants Invasion" has the protagonist thinking about whether he should take a decision. The first verse has the time set at 10:35, the second at 10:36 and the third at 10:38, which is also when he realizes he made the wrong decision.
- Remaster: In 2004, with six bonus tracks.
- Shout-Out:
- "Kings of the Wild Frontier" is a shout-out to the TV series based around Davy Crockett, who had this as a subtitle.
- "Killer in the Home" references Native American chief Geronimo:But deep inside Geronimo is tearing me apart
I've seen him in the streets
And I've seen him in the pictures
Killer in the home - "Los Rancheros" is a shout-out to Clint Eastwood and his Western films.
- "Jolly Roger:"Of all the pirates on the seas
The worst of them was Blackbeard
So damnable a fiend from Hell
He was the one they most feared
Any man who sailed with him
Was taking quite a chance
He'd hang them from the gallows
Just to see if they could dance, haha - "The Magnificent Five" is a shout-out to the western The Magnificent Seven.
- Take That!: "Dog Eat Dog:"You may not like the things we do
Only idiots ignore the truth - Title Track: "Kings of the Wild Frontier," but the title doesn't appear in the lyrics.
- Worst Aid: "Killer in the Home:"Oh well, they cut you half with a gun
And they give you a band-aid