Friend Or Foe
Spawned from Blitz, punk rock's better dressed off-shoot, Adam Ant was often accused of favoring style over substance by his harshest critics. Others credit him with putting some parody as well as some poof into what had become the lifeless punk scene. Either way,Friend or Foe, his first solo effort without the Ants did give him the biggest hit of his career, the giddy "Goody Two Shoes." With its not-so-coy "Don't drink/Don't smoke/What do you do?" chorus, the song galloped along thanks to a fine acoustic riff and a swinging bordello trumpet solo. The follow up single, "Desperate but Not Serious" was a bit more brooding, as brooding as Ant could get, but still managed to pack a punch. Along withKings of the Wild FrontierandPrince Charming, this is Ant at his best. WhileFrienddoesn't have the same tribal urgency that propelled the Ants along, it has a healthy dose of new wave know-how that only Adam himself could stand and deliver. --Steve Gdula