Dirk Wears White Sox is Adam and the Ants

Adam and the Ants

Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...

' first album, released on Do It Records

Do It Records

Do It Records was an independent record label in London. It is best known for having been an early label of Adam and the Ants, releasing their debut album Dirk Wears White Sox in November 1979 as well as singles Zerox in June 1979 and...

 in 1979, before Adam (born, Stuart Leslie Goddard) went on to fame with "Kings of the Wild Frontier

Kings of the Wild Frontier

Kings of the Wild Frontier is a New Wave album by Adam and the Ants, released in 1980 . This album introduced the new Burundi drum sound. After having his previous backing band wooed away by producer Malcolm McLaren, who used them to form Bow Wow Wow, Adam Ant recorded Kings of the Wild Frontier...

." Dirk Wears White Sox features a much more eclectic, sometimes brooding sound than Ant's later work. Many of the songs, notably "Cleopatra" and "Never Trust a Man (With Egg on his Face)" remained a part of Adam Ant's live repertoire throughout his career, both with the Ants and later as a solo artist.

The "Dirk" of the title refers to classic British film icon Dirk Bogarde

Dirk Bogarde

Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...

. No title track was featured on the album, although a song entitled Dirk Wears White Socks (sic) had been played extensively at the band's live concerts during 1977-78 and a demo recording of it had been made at Free Range Studios, London in August 1977. This demo was due to have been released on the cancelled DVD compilation Digital Tenderness accompanying some 8mm film footage of the Ants in concert from 1977.

The album was made with an early lineup of Adam and the Ants, which disbanded after the album was released. Guitarist Matthew Ashman

Matthew Ashman

Matthew James Ashman was an English guitarist with Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow. He died of diabetes-related complications in 1995, aged 35.-Career:...

 and drummer David Barbarossa

David Barbarossa

David Barbarossa is a British drummer.As part of both Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow, Barbarossa was instrumental in creating the "Tribal" drumming trend that was popular among British and some American bands, circa 1979–1983...

 went on to form Bow Wow Wow

Bow Wow Wow

Bow Wow Wow were an English 1980s New Wave band created by Malcolm McLaren to promote his and business partner Vivienne Westwood's New Romantic fashion lines.The group's music is described as having an "African-derived drum sound".-History:...

 with then-Ants bassist Leigh Gorman

Leigh Gorman

Leigh Gorman is an English rock musician, record producer, and composer best known for his work as the bass player for Bow Wow Wow.-Early life:...

 (who had only played one gig with the Ants and was not involved in any studio recordings). Original bassist Andy Warren

Andy Warren

Andrew Warren is an English bassist. He was originally in the band Adam and the Ants, but in 1979 split off from the band to join former bandmates Bid and Lester Square in The Monochrome Set....

 had departed shortly after recording the album to join former Ants guitarist Lester Square

Lester Square

Lester Square is the lead guitarist for The Monochrome Set. He also sings backing vocals, designed some of the band's record sleeves, and co-wrote much of their music...

 in The Monochrome Set

The Monochrome Set

The Monochrome Set are an English post-punk band originally formed in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides...

.

When the Ants became commercially successful the singles "Zerox" (7/79 reached # 45 in 1/81) and "Cartrouble" (3/80 reached # 33 in 1/81) were re-issued.

After Adam Ant acquired the rights to the album, it was re-released by Epic Records

Epic Records

Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...

 in the USA in 1983, at the peak of his popularity, with new cover artwork based around a close-up video still of Adam, a practice also used for the Kings Of The Wild Frontier

Kings of the Wild Frontier

Kings of the Wild Frontier is a New Wave album by Adam and the Ants, released in 1980 . This album introduced the new Burundi drum sound. After having his previous backing band wooed away by producer Malcolm McLaren, who used them to form Bow Wow Wow, Adam Ant recorded Kings of the Wild Frontier...

 and Friend Or Foe

Friend or Foe (album)

Friend or Foe was the first solo album by Adam Ant, released after Adam and the Ants disbanded in early 1982. Friend or Foe also became Adam Ant's most successful solo album giving him the hit song "Goody Two Shoes" which peaked at #1 on the UK charts, and at #12 in the USA; along with the...

 albums. Despite having already been a UK Top 20 hit album, a UK edition of the new version was also released by CBS Records

CBS Records

CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...

This release angered many fans, not least because two lyrically controversial songs, "Catholic Day" (about John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....

) and "Day I Met God," were deleted, although they are arguably two of the album's highlights. They were replaced with the single "Zerox" b/w Whip In My Valise while opening track Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2) was replaced with the Cartrouble/Kick single. Another track, The Idea had a lyric about "a wallfull of handicapped" rendered as "a wallfull of handclaps" on the lyric sheet of the new edition, although the original lyric was still audible on the actual LP.

The album was re-released in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 in 1995 with its original black and white artwork and all songs intact, although retaining the running order of the 1983 version. The album was remastered and reissued in 2004 with several bonus tracks from original single EP releases.

Reception

Allmusic's Chris Woodstra rated Dirk Wears White Sox four-and-a-half out of five stars. He explained that "the album offers a fascinating look at the Ants' formative years", although he also stated that "the somewhat pretentious, overly arty lyrics and inexperienced playing are a drawback".

Various track listings

Dirk Wears White Sox has been released many times, each version varying from the previous one:

Original 1979 Do It release track listing

1. "Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2)"
2. "Digital Tenderness"
3. "Nine Plan Failed"
4. "Day I Met God"
5. "Tabletalk"
6. "Cleopatra"
7. "Catholic Day"
8. "Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face)"
9. "Animals and Men"
10. "Family of Noise"
11. "The Idea"

1983 Epic/CBS version track listing

The 1983 re-release version came with a different album cover taken from a December 1979 video for the song ' Zerox '. "Catholic Day" and "Day I Met God" have been dropped, and "Cartrouble" appears in its single version. This edition also adds three songs from the same era not on the original LP, "Kick!", "Zerox" and "Whip In My Valise".

Original vinyl editions of the album came with recent sleeve notes on the inner jacket by Adam, explaining how he and Marco had decided to "do justice to the work by incorporating the first two singles and making the album widely available to our audience".

Despite claims to the contrary in various reference works, all songs were featured in what were audibly the original mixes as featured on Do It releases from 1979-80.

1. "Cartrouble"
2. "Kick!"
3. "Digital Tenderness"
4. "Nine Plan Failed"
5. "Family Of Noise"
6. "Tabletalk"
7. "Zerox"
8. "Cleopatra"
9. "Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face)"
10. "Animals And Men"
11. "The Idea"
12. "Whip In My Valise"

Remastered 1995 re-release track listing

This 1995 Sony UK version featured the original black and white album art in somewhat cropped form. The lettering on the sleeve was recreated in the style of the original and does not feature the stroke through the letter O in the word "Sox". It also substitutes a letter Z in the place the zig-zagged S in the word "Ants" (previously a common practice among unofficial merchandisers around the time of the album's original release).

This edition retains the running order of the 1983 version - the dropped tracks are appended. The initial batch of copies feature the March 1980 single version of Cartrouble - later versions feature a remix of the original 1979 album version, prepared by Chris Hughes in early 1980 and later released on the 1982 12" Antmusic EP.

1. "Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2)" – 6.51
2. "Digital Tenderness" – 3.03
3. "Nine Plan Failed" – 5.18
4. "Tabletalk" – 5.34
5. "Cleopatra" – 3.15
6. "Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face)" – 3.13
7. "Animals And Men" – 3.20
8. "Family Of Noise" – 2.36
9. "The Idea" – 3.26
10. "Catholic Day" – 3.08
11. "Day I Met God" - 2:58

Remastered 2004 version track listing

This Epic release is the 1979 version of the album, with a substantial amount of bonus tracks. The opening version of Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2) was the first time the original album mix of this track had appeared on CD.

1. "Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2)" – 6.51
2. "Digital Tenderness" – 3.03
3. "Nine Plan Failed" – 5.18
4. "Day I Met God" - 2:58
5. "Tabletalk" – 5.34
6. "Cleopatra" – 3.15
7. "Catholic Day" – 3.08
8. "Never Trust a Man (With Egg on His Face)" – 3.13
9. "Animals and Men" – 3.20
10. "Family of Noise" – 2.36
11. "The Idea" – 3.26
12. "Zerøx" – 3.48"
13. "Whip in My Valise" – 4.00
14. "Kick!" – 1.36
15. "Physical" – 3.59
16. "Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2) (Hughes Mix)" – 6.36
17. "Friends" – 2.40
18. "Cartrouble (Single Version)" – 3.24
19. "Kick! (Single Version)" – 2.06

Tracks 12–13 from original "Zerøx" 7" single release (July 1979, Do-It Dun 8)

Tracks 14–17 from original "The Antmusic EP" 12" EP release (March 1982, Do-It Dun 20. (Tracks 14,15 and 17 are all alternate mixes from those originally released. The featured mix of 15 had appeared on 2000 copies of the Zerøx single in July 1980)

Tracks 18–19 from original "Cartrouble" 7" single release (March 1980, Do-It Dun 10)

Personnel

• Adam Ant – all voices, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, harmonica
• David Barbe – percussion
• Matthew Ashman
  Matthew Ashman
  Matthew James Ashman was an English guitarist with Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow. He died of diabetes-related complications in 1995, aged 35.-Career:...
  
   – guitar, piano
• Andrew Warren – bass
• Marco Pirroni
  Marco Pirroni
  Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer...
  
   – guitars on tracks 18–19
• Jon Moss
  Jon Moss
  Jon Moss is an English drummer best known as a member of the 1980s pop group Culture Club. He has also played with other bands, including London, The Nips and The Damned.-Early life:...
  
  – drums on tracks 18–19