Website

The website and some of the links are down for the time being, lack of financial funds.

I shall reinstate the ipod player too at a later date.

Marco on 'Wonderful'

I asked Marco some questions about the 1995 single 'Wonderful' as part of my nearly finished series on the Ant singles. Here are his replies, in italics.

When was Wonderful written and what input did you have?
We did it about 6 months before the album sessions and I came up with the main D/Fsharpe Minor/C/Em sequence.

Who is Bonnie Hayes and what did she do?
To this day I have no idea who she is; she did the Middle 8 bit towards the end.

Were the extra songs on the 2 singles CDs written specifically for the single or were they album outtakes?
(Norman, If, Phoenix, Woman Love Run Through Me, Goes Around).
They were album outtakes.

How generally did the sessions for the album go?
Very smoothly, it was the first time for years that we recorded almost entirely live.

Adam has said that you wanted to write an album of songs that were written acoustically so they could be played easily..... was that how you approached writing the songs?
Yes absolutely, that was the intention all along before we ever even started.

What's your favourite song from that period/ album?
Alien.

I know you hate touring anyway but do you have any good memories of the 95 tour?
The only good thing about that tour was the Shepherds Bush gigs, I was pleased they went so well as I had already decided in my own mind that that would be the last time I would play all those classic Ant songs live.

You both got ill at the end didn't you?
It was about half way through, it took me about a year to really recover.

Here is the demo with Bonnie Hayes:

And here is the promo video:

Adam Ant Wonderful - Watch the top videos of the week here

Marco on Rough Stuff

I asked Marco Pirroni a few questions about Rough Stuff.
This was a difficult one because Marco didn't write it with Adam, it was an Ant/ Cymone track, and Marco came in at the end and added some guitar.
But here goes anyway!

Marco is in italics.



Ok, Rough Stuff. What input did you have on this song, it's not an Ant Marco one so I presume you came in at the end and added guitar?
yeah I can't remember what it was I played, i think its only the solo in the middle was n't it?

This was Adam's danciest song to date, what was your reaction when you heard it?
I thought it was pretty good

There were a few remixes of it too, were you part of those or were they remixed later without anything from you?
I don't think I ever heard any of them.

I am guessing that because Can't Set Rules About Love didn't do much in the charts that is why it wasn't released in the uk, only in the US and Germany?
Do you have any info on that?
No idea, i was out of the loop on this one.

I admit I can't think of anything else to ask about this one!
I can't think of what to say about it.

Good video, the remixes are better than the album version.....

And that's about it for Rough Stuff. I've never liked the album version, always preferred the remix that accompanies the video.

Only a few singles left to go!

Here anyway are the videos to Can't Set Rules About Love and Rough Stuff.

Until next time!

Rough Stuff @ Yahoo! Video

Marco on Can't Set Rules About Love

I asked Marco a few questions about this single in our nearly finished series on the Ant singles.
Marco is in italics.

Can't Set Rules About Love- How was this written and when?
Written at the Wall Studios in the same batch as the rock and roll Manners and Physique, Young Dumb And Full Of It, Anger Inc. and others.

What influenced the music?
It was sort influenced by the music from Mishima by Phillip Glass which has since been used in the Truman show, it wasn't ripped off as it isn't really like it but it was in the back of our minds.

You've said that you didn't think that the b sides (How To Steal The World and Brand New Torso) were good enough for the album- what did they lack in yours and Adam's eyes? What was wrong with them that they were left off?
Hard to say, just didn't grab us in same way, they weren't instant enough.

Would you have done a tour for Manners and Physique if Adam had have wanted to do one?
I was already on the road with Sinead (O'Connor) at the time, I certainly wouldn't have wanted to come off one tour and straight into another one.

You played Room at the Top and Young Dumb and Full of it in 1993, do you think they sounded better with a full band?
Not really, i prefer the recorded versions, I always do, I am not one of these "its better live' bores, as you well know.

Would the whole album have been played like that if you'd have toured it?
Probably not, we would have got a keyboard player to recreate the synth parts

As an album, how do you rate Manners now?
I do like some of the Ant/Marco songs, some of the production has dated but that's unavoidable with any album.

Do you think it gets the credit it deserves?
No probably not.

Was it the right time for Adam to 'go dance'?
There is never a right or wrong time to do things, depends on your mood and what it is you feel like doing.

Finally what's your favourite song from Manners and why?
Rules about love coz i like the melancholy feel of it.

Change in direction again?

I'm thinking of changing direction with this blog again and making it a Marco Pirroni related one....

Am uploading a VERY rare unavailable anywhere Rema Rema track called International Scale.
Thanks to Gary Asquith who has been ripping old unreleased Rema Rema tracks from tapes to his PC. More to come hopefully!

Check out the Facebook Wolfmen Page I created for Wolfmen news and Dave's blog for Wolfmen exclusives!

New Wolfmen Blog imminent

http://thewolfmen.blogspot.com/

Coming next monday (12th).

Run by "Dave", it promises "There'll be loads of exclusive news, early listens to new tunes, archive and unreleased rarities, insider information on what's happening in the world of The Wolfmen and a chance to interact directly with the band..."