Saturday, April 2, 2011

B is for Bow Wow Wow

We’re still participating in the A-Z Blogging Challenge which means that today’s post is about the letter B.

After remembering Adam and the Ants yesterday it seemed only appropriate to talk about Bow Wow Wow today and not just because I love the song I Want Candy, but also because it was made up of Ants!

Right at the beginning of the 80s after Adam and the Ant’s first album – Dirk Wears White Sox – didn’t manage to crack the top ten on the charts Adam Ant turned to Malcolm McLaren who he knew from his punk days when McLaren was manager to the Sex Pistols.   Adam Ant got given styling advise that he used, but it came at a price – Malcolm McLaren ‘stole’ his Ants and formed Bow Wow Wow.

All that was needed now was a lead singer and that lead singer came in the form of an underage Annabella Lwin, in 1981 Bow Wow Wow released their first album and the controversy started straight away with Scotland Yard being called in when a 15 year old Annabella was posed naked on the album cover.

Three albums later and the band just fizzled out with no one really knowing why.   They have left us with some great material though and are credited by the likes of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and No Doubt as being big influences.   I love their two most commercially successful singles – I Want Candy and Go Wild in the Country – what do you think?

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the link. It seems odd that none of them ever achieved the same success after they split. Sometimes I wonder if it is all about the image. In their case, it seems to be.

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  2. Yes, with Malcolm McLaren it seemed to be all about controversy and then without him it seems things just fizzled out.

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  3. Man, your posts are taking me back to music I haven't heard in years! I remember that whole hubbub about the cover.

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  4. Glad I can help you take a trip back in time :)

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  5. keep em coming! happy late b day!

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  6. I didn't realize they were so short-lived.

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