The original
Ants lineup released only one LP,
Dirk Wears White Sox for Do It in 1979. The album finds a young
Adam Ant exploring the sometimes-awkward fusion of punk, glam, and minimalist post-punk with bizarre images and disturbing tales of alienation, sex, and brutality. And 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. [At the height of Antmania,
Adam acquired the rights to the album, remixing it, dropping a few tracks, and adding a couple of early tracks for reissue in 1983 with a different cover for Epic. In 1995, Sony Music U.K. released a hybrid version for CD, restoring the cover art, original mixes, and the previously dropped tracks but retaining the additions and running order of the reissue. Epic chose to keep the remixed version for CD release in the U.S. To matters more confusing, when Sony/BMG reissued a remastered version of the album in 2005, they reverted to the original running order of the album but added bonus tracks taken from the single that preceeded the album (Zerox/Whip in My Valise) and the singles that followed it (1980's Car Trouble/Kick! and 1982's Kick 12" EP). This edition is clearly the one to purchase.] ~ Chris Woodstra