Friend or Foe (album)

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Friend or Foe
Adam Ant - Friend or Foe.jpg
Studio album by
Adam Ant
Released11 October 1982
StudioTownhouse Studios, London
GenreNew wave, rock 'n' roll
Length39:44
LabelCBS, Epic (US)
ProducerAdam Ant, Marco Pirroni
Adam Ant chronology
Prince Charming
(1981) 		Friend or Foe
(1982) 		Strip
(1983)
Singles from Friend or Foe
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB–[2]
Smash Hits7/10 stars[3]
Trouser Pressfavourable[4]

Friend or Foe is the debut solo album by English singer and musician Adam Ant, released in October 1982 by Epic Records in the United States and Columbia Records elsewhere. The album peaked at number 5 in the UK, Adam Ant's highest charting solo album.

Release[]

Following the disbandment of the successful Adam and the Ants earlier in 1982, Adam Ant began a solo career with fellow "Ant" guitarist and songwriter Marco Pirroni.

Like their previous band, which achieved 7 top-10 hits (2 at No. 1) in the UK Singles chart and the best-selling album of 1980 (Kings of the Wild Frontier), Ant's debut single "Goody Two-Shoes" was a smash hit. The single reached No. 1 in the UK and Australia in June 1982 and No. 12 in the US - Ant's first US hit single. The single "Friend or Foe" was released one month prior to the album in September 1982 and charted as high as No. 9 in the UK.

The album Friend or Foe, was released in October 1982 and reached No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 16 on the , becoming Adam Ant's most successful solo album, and was certified Gold by the BPI for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.[5] In addition to "Goody Two-Shoes" & "Friend or Foe", the album included another hit single: and "Desperate But Not Serious" (UK No. 33 / US No. 66).

A remastered version of the album was released in 2005, featuring twelve additional tracks.

Ant performed the album live on tour in the UK in late 2019. A United States tour planned for 2020 was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and is currently scheduled for April 2021.

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni, except "Hello, I Love You", written by Jim Morrison.

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Friend or Foe"3:22
2."Something Girls"3:52
3."Place in the Country"2:50
4."Desperate But Not Serious"4:14
5."Here Comes the Grump"3:35
6."Hello, I Love You" (originally recorded by The Doors)2:37
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Goody Two Shoes"3:28
2."Crackpot History and the Right to Lie"2:44
3."Made of Money"3:28
4."Cajun Twisters"2:56
5."Try This for Sighs"3:03
6."Man Called Marco"3:27
2005 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Goody Two Shoes" (Chris Hughes Single Mix) 
14."Coup d'Etat" (Original Album Outtake) 
15."Goody Two Shoes" (Demo Version) 
16."Here Comes the Grump" (Demo Version) 
17."Little Italy" (Demo Version) 
18."Made of Money" (Demo Version) 
19."Place in the Country" (Demo Version) 
20."And So You Shall" (Demo Version) 
21."Yellowbeard" (Demo Version) 
22."I Know They Know" (Demo Version) 
23."Gargoyles Are Go" (Demo Version) 
24."Good Sex Rumples the Clothing" (Unreleased B-Side) 

Personnel[]

  • Adam Ant – vocals, bass guitar, production
  • Marco Pirroni – guitar, production, vocals on "Man Called Marco"
  • Bogdan Wiczling – drums, percussion
  • Martin Drover – trumpet, flugelhorn
  • Jeff Daly – saxophone
  • Jude Kelly - vocals on "Desperate But Not Serious"
  • Sam Brown, Sonia Jones, Vicki Brown - backing vocals on "Hello, I Love You"
Technical
  • Alan Douglas - engineer
  • Allan Ballard - front cover photography

Chart positions[]

Chart (1982-1983) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[6] 14
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] 55
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] 33
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] 36
UK Albums (OCC)[10] 5
US Billboard 200[11] 16

References[]

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Friend or Foe – Adam Ant | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "A". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 16 August 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ^ Hepworth, David (26 July 1982). "Album Reviews". Smash Hits. Vol. 4 no. 21. EMAP Metro. p. 23.
  4. ^ Young, Jon; Lewis, Kate; Rompers, Terry. "TrouserPress.com :: Adam Ant". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  5. ^ BPI online database Archived 15 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4035". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  7. ^ [{{{url}}} "{{{title}}}"] Check |url= value (help). Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  8. ^ [{{{url}}} "{{{title}}}"] Check |url= value (help). Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  9. ^ [{{{url}}} "{{{title}}}"] Check |url= value (help). Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Adam Ant | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  11. ^ [{{{url}}} "{{{title}}}"] Check |url= value (help). Retrieved 15 March 2021.

External links[]

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