Vive Le Rock
| Vive Le Rock | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1985 | |||
| Recorded | January-March 1985 | |||
| Studio | Good Earth Studios, Soho, London | |||
| Genre | New wave | |||
| Length | 36:40 | |||
| Label | CBS | |||
| Producer | Tony Visconti | |||
| Adam Ant chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Vive Le Rock | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Kerrang! | [2] |
| Trouser Press | generally favourable[3] |
Vive Le Rock is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in September 1985.
Production
The album was a realization of the new "rockers in space" ethic and look Adam Ant had begun with the hit UK single "Apollo 9" in September 1984, which peaked at number 13.[citation needed]
Release
This album at first received only minor attention in the United States, peaking only at number 131.[citation needed] In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 42.[citation needed] One single from the album was released in the US – the title track "Vive Le Rock". The 12th track "Human Bondage Den" was released on the original cassette and CD release of this album (as a bonus non-LP track). Most re-releases did not feature this track until Columbia Records re-released the album in 2005 (along with seven other bonus tracks).
"Apollo 9" was a hit a year before Vive Le Rock's release. Ant has stated in his autobiography, Stand and Deliver, that Vive Le Rock's failure and the fact that his then-current record label was unwilling to work heavily on promotion for the album left him depressed and unenthusiastic about his future in music. This may have led to his decision to work heavily on his acting career and put his music career on hold until the release of Manners & Physique in 1990. However, in the same book, Ant discusses his performance at Live Aid, where the band before him played over their allotted time, so he could only play one song. He chose the current single, "Vive Le Rock." While his acrobatic performance left him winded, he states that "as Bowie played 'TVC15', 'Rebel Rebel' and 'Heroes', I gaped in awe. Here was a lesson in how to be a star. How far I had yet to go."[citation needed]
Track listing
All songs written by Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni.
- Side one
- "Vive Le Rock" – 3:39
- "Miss Thing" – 3:08
- "Razor Keen" – 3:49
- "Rip Down" – 3:23
- "Scorpio Rising" – 4:04
- Side two
- "Apollo 9" – 3:22
- "Hell's Eight Acres" – 3:51
- "Mohair Lockeroom Pin-Up Boys" – 3:14
- "No Zap" – 3:14
- "P.O.E." – 3:24
- "Apollo 9 (Acapella Reprise)" – 1:32 (secret track)
- CD and cassette versions bonus track
- "Human Bondage Den" - 3:07
- 2005 reissue bonus tracks
- "Vive Le Rock" (Unreleased 12" Mix) - 7:28
- "Apollo 9" (Unreleased Francois K 7" Mix) - 3:41
- "Doggy Style" (Unreleased demo track) - 3:48
- "Night They Vietcong" (Unreleased demo track) - 3:06
- "Big Big Man" (Unreleased demo track) - 3:28
- "Rip Down" (Demo version) - 3:15
- "Apollo 9" (Francois K Splashdown Mix) - 6:46
- "Vive Le Rock" (Unreleased US 7" Mix) - 3:49
Personnel
- Adam Ant – lead vocals, piano
- Marco Pirroni – guitars
- Chris Constantinou (as Chris DeNiro) – bass, backing vocals
- "Count" Bogdan Wiczling – drums, percussion
- Technical
- Tony Visconti – producer, engineer
- Sven Taits – assistant engineer
- Francois Kevorkian – mixing
- Ray Staff – mastering
- Adam Ant, Rob O'Connor - sleeve concept
- Nick Knight - photography
References
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Adam Ant Vive Le Rock review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
- ^ Johnson, Howard (17 October 1985). "Adam Ant 'Vive le Rock'". Kerrang!. Vol. 105. London, UK: Morgan Grampian. p. 24.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Young, Jon; Lewis, Kate; Rompers, Terry. "TrouserPress.com :: Adam Ant". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
External links
- Vive Le Rock at Discogs (list of releases)