Bow Wow Wow (Matthew Ashman) surf music?

skatexedge

Joined: Sep 06, 2011
Posts: 53
Maricopa, AZ
United States

Posted on Jul 07 2014 02:13 PM

I'm a big fan of Bow Wow Wow and always loved Matthew's guitar playing. They have a couple instrumental songs that sound very surf influenced to my ears. What do you guys think? Any other fans of Matthew?

El Boss Dicho.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWkZRV6ZKVU

Sex.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxQBjgM4U_s&index=6&list=FLo_O2iKVP8k7EdOEMos-7NQ

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TomH

Joined: Mar 15, 2006
Posts: 766
Oberlin, Ohio, USA
1 News Pin

Posted on Jul 07 2014 03:37 PM

I had forgotten about these songs. Not really sure if I hear the surf influence, but I do like these songs. Marco Pirroni, who was the guitar player in the second incarnation of Adam & the Ants (Matthew Ashman was in the first), has cited Duane Eddy as his chief influence. I think that both Marco and Matthew played Gretsch guitars when they played with Adam. So, maybe not surf, but at least an early instro connection.

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skatexedge

Joined: Sep 06, 2011
Posts: 53
Maricopa, AZ
United States

Posted on Jul 07 2014 06:00 PM

Matthew definitely played a Gretsch. Not sure about Marco.

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IvanP

Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
United States

Posted on Jul 08 2014 10:04 AM

Now we're talking! I'm a big fan of Marco Pirroni and his work with Adam Ant! I've been meaning to write a bit about him for a while now.

Marco was mostly a Gibson guy (Les Pauls, Juniors/Specials, Firebirds), though I think on occasion he did also use a Gretsch.

I'll write more later when I have a bit more time, but for now here's a great instrumental by Marco.

—

Ivan
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CrazyAces

Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4053
Nashville, TN.
3 News Pins

Posted on Jul 08 2014 10:17 AM

Adam Ant, Marco Pirroni,
My wife has always been a big fan and I definitely hear some Instro inspired lines and sounds. I've always thought that.
It may or may not be Surf related but definitely Duane Eddy.....
When my wife wants to get my lazy ass out of bed on the mornings when I'm dragging she'll put on some old Adam Ant on vinyl and crank it.....LOL.

—

http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
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IvanP

Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
United States

Posted on Jul 08 2014 02:13 PM

Very cool, Jeff! You've got a wife with good taste! (She chose you, right? )

Sorry to Skatexedge for slightly changing the topic. I don't know a whole lot about Bow Wow Wow - I remember them from the early '80s, and I knew they were before that the first "Ants", playing with Adam, but that's the extent of it.

But I do know much more about Adam & the Ants. I think his/their second album, "Kings of the Wild Frontier", is pure genius! The follow-up, "Prince Charming", was half great, half awful, and its follow-up, Adam's first 'solo' album, "Friend or Foe" was also just fantastic, almost as good as "Kings of the Wild Frontier". Then Phil Collins started producing his albums, and it immediately went pear-shaped - "Strip" was total shite. I haven't really followed after that, the stuff I have heard hasn't appealed very much.

The guy that was just as responsible as Adam for making those three early albums so great was Marco Pirroni. His deep Duane Eddy influence was always quite evident - Marco's guitar had some serious twang! And I love how he combined that Eddy twang with razor-sharp distortion and feedback - really imaginative. Marco is just a brilliant and massively underrated guitarist.

I had the pleasure of seeing Adam with Marco on guitar around '93-'94, something like that, in the old 9:30 Club in DC (a small, danky but so cool kind of a place) and it was an INCREDIBLE show. The band was on fire, and the audience was going apeshit, completely catching the band by surprise. Adam seemed blown away and really humbled, I don't think he was getting that kind of response very often by that point. It was one of the best shows I ever saw, for sure, and Marco was god-like!

I've cued up the twangy parts in a bunch of tracks from "Kings of the Wild Frontier" below - enjoy! And long live Antmusic!!

—

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube

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CrazyAces

Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4053
Nashville, TN.
3 News Pins

Posted on Jul 08 2014 02:42 PM

"the old 9:30 Club in DC (a small, danky but so cool kind of a place"

Mild detour: I was doing a show at the 9:30 back in '03 ...and there was a "special" late show after the artist I was with, separate shows, not a double bill.
Turns out the late show was the ENTIRE cast of "A Mighty Wind" (the movie had just come out) performing all of the songs, in full character.
I got to meet Harry and Christopher (They were in character the entire time) and they answered questions and greeted me as such.
Fun times.

Back to topic: Drummers should Love both bands as well. Jola, Adam's latest live drummer is a sight to behold and slams!

—

http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic

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skatexedge

Joined: Sep 06, 2011
Posts: 53
Maricopa, AZ
United States

Posted on Jul 08 2014 08:05 PM

No problem on the detour. I was a big Adam And The Ants fan (along with most "new wave" bands) in the early 80's so I'm with this discussion.

Bow Wow Wow got overlooked mostly due to Malcolm McClaren's shenanigans which is sad because Matthew, Leigh and Dave were all monster players and made that music jump. The combination of their influences and Annabella's over the top singing was a perfect match as far as I'm concerned. Most people only know them from I Want Candy, which is a great song too.

I miss the 80's.......lol

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skatexedge

Joined: Sep 06, 2011
Posts: 53
Maricopa, AZ
United States

Posted on Jul 08 2014 10:36 PM

Here's a complete live show of Adam And The Ants.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuM4D5j19b0

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skatexedge Joined: Sep 06, 2011 Posts: 53 Maricopa, AZ	Posted on Jul 07 2014 02:13 PM I'm a big fan of Bow Wow Wow and always loved Matthew's guitar playing. They have a couple instrumental songs that sound very surf influenced to my ears. What do you guys think? Any other fans of Matthew? El Boss Dicho. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWkZRV6ZKVU Sex. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxQBjgM4U_s&index=6&list=FLo_O2iKVP8k7EdOEMos-7NQ Top
TomH Joined: Mar 15, 2006 Posts: 766 Oberlin, Ohio, USA	Posted on Jul 07 2014 03:37 PM I had forgotten about these songs. Not really sure if I hear the surf influence, but I do like these songs. Marco Pirroni, who was the guitar player in the second incarnation of Adam & the Ants (Matthew Ashman was in the first), has cited Duane Eddy as his chief influence. I think that both Marco and Matthew played Gretsch guitars when they played with Adam. So, maybe not surf, but at least an early instro connection. Top
skatexedge Joined: Sep 06, 2011 Posts: 53 Maricopa, AZ	Posted on Jul 07 2014 06:00 PM Matthew definitely played a Gretsch. Not sure about Marco. Top
IvanP Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 10331 southern Michigan	Posted on Jul 08 2014 10:04 AM Now we're talking! I'm a big fan of Marco Pirroni and his work with Adam Ant! I've been meaning to write a bit about him for a while now. Marco was mostly a Gibson guy (Les Pauls, Juniors/Specials, Firebirds), though I think on occasion he did also use a Gretsch. I'll write more later when I have a bit more time, but for now here's a great instrumental by Marco. — Ivan Lords of Atlantis on Facebook The Madeira Official Website The Madeira on Facebook The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook The Space Cossacks on Facebook The Madeira Channel on YouTube Top
CrazyAces Joined: Jul 31, 2012 Posts: 4053 Nashville, TN.	Posted on Jul 08 2014 10:17 AM Adam Ant, Marco Pirroni, My wife has always been a big fan and I definitely hear some Instro inspired lines and sounds. I've always thought that. It may or may not be Surf related but definitely Duane Eddy..... When my wife wants to get my lazy ass out of bed on the mornings when I'm dragging she'll put on some old Adam Ant on vinyl and crank it.....LOL. — http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic Top
IvanP Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 10331 southern Michigan	Posted on Jul 08 2014 02:13 PM Very cool, Jeff! You've got a wife with good taste! (She chose you, right? ) Sorry to Skatexedge for slightly changing the topic. I don't know a whole lot about Bow Wow Wow - I remember them from the early '80s, and I knew they were before that the first "Ants", playing with Adam, but that's the extent of it. But I do know much more about Adam & the Ants. I think his/their second album, "Kings of the Wild Frontier", is pure genius! The follow-up, "Prince Charming", was half great, half awful, and its follow-up, Adam's first 'solo' album, "Friend or Foe" was also just fantastic, almost as good as "Kings of the Wild Frontier". Then Phil Collins started producing his albums, and it immediately went pear-shaped - "Strip" was total shite. I haven't really followed after that, the stuff I have heard hasn't appealed very much. The guy that was just as responsible as Adam for making those three early albums so great was Marco Pirroni. His deep Duane Eddy influence was always quite evident - Marco's guitar had some serious twang! And I love how he combined that Eddy twang with razor-sharp distortion and feedback - really imaginative. Marco is just a brilliant and massively underrated guitarist. I had the pleasure of seeing Adam with Marco on guitar around '93-'94, something like that, in the old 9:30 Club in DC (a small, danky but so cool kind of a place) and it was an INCREDIBLE show. The band was on fire, and the audience was going apeshit, completely catching the band by surprise. Adam seemed blown away and really humbled, I don't think he was getting that kind of response very often by that point. It was one of the best shows I ever saw, for sure, and Marco was god-like! I've cued up the twangy parts in a bunch of tracks from "Kings of the Wild Frontier" below - enjoy! And long live Antmusic!! — Ivan Lords of Atlantis on Facebook The Madeira Official Website The Madeira on Facebook The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook The Space Cossacks on Facebook The Madeira Channel on YouTube Top
CrazyAces Joined: Jul 31, 2012 Posts: 4053 Nashville, TN.	Posted on Jul 08 2014 02:42 PM "the old 9:30 Club in DC (a small, danky but so cool kind of a place" Mild detour: I was doing a show at the 9:30 back in '03 ...and there was a "special" late show after the artist I was with, separate shows, not a double bill. Turns out the late show was the ENTIRE cast of "A Mighty Wind" (the movie had just come out) performing all of the songs, in full character. I got to meet Harry and Christopher (They were in character the entire time) and they answered questions and greeted me as such. Fun times. Back to topic: Drummers should Love both bands as well. Jola, Adam's latest live drummer is a sight to behold and slams! — http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic Top
skatexedge Joined: Sep 06, 2011 Posts: 53 Maricopa, AZ	Posted on Jul 08 2014 08:05 PM No problem on the detour. I was a big Adam And The Ants fan (along with most "new wave" bands) in the early 80's so I'm with this discussion. Bow Wow Wow got overlooked mostly due to Malcolm McClaren's shenanigans which is sad because Matthew, Leigh and Dave were all monster players and made that music jump. The combination of their influences and Annabella's over the top singing was a perfect match as far as I'm concerned. Most people only know them from I Want Candy, which is a great song too. I miss the 80's.......lol Top
skatexedge Joined: Sep 06, 2011 Posts: 53 Maricopa, AZ	Posted on Jul 08 2014 10:36 PM Here's a complete live show of Adam And The Ants. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuM4D5j19b0 Top

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Bow Wow Wow (Matthew Ashman) surf music?