BOW WOW WOW/SEE JUNGLE!SEE JUNGLE!GO JOIN YOUR GANG YEAH,CITY ALL OVER !GO APE CRAZY! RCALP 3000 (-81) UK

English new wave band, from the beginning made up by Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren and clothes designer Vivienne Westwood to promote a new fashion line. McLaren simply stole the drummer, guitarist and base player from Adam & The Ants and teamed them up with 14 year old Annabella Lwin, a girl they found at the local dry cleaning shop. The style initially created for the group was within the lines of that particular fashion promotion, but on this debute album they proved to be a lot more. The sound was unique for it's time and still is. Melodic and catchy pop melodies performed by loads of African drums, rythmic prog base and surf guitars. Annabella's lead vocals have been described as "girlish sqeals", but she could actually sing and has a very nice voice. It all comes together as very odd and powerful, yet almost romantic. Fav tracks "Chihuahua", "King Kong" and "Go Wild In The Country". First press UK cover (shown here) was considered too controversial. Annabella's mother sued McLaren for using a minor for immoral purposes and Scotland Yard was brought in. It was withdrawn and replaced with a less nude one in UK, but still issued issued like this in a couple of other countries. 1:st US (RCA AFL1-4147) came with same tracking in a different sleeve design. Allthough not much mentioned today the group still has some famous followers. The bands Red Hot Chili Peppers and No Doubt are big fans with many references to the group in their songs. It is also known that Sofia Coppola used Annabella Lwin as an inspiration for the main character in her film "Marie Antoinette". For more on the band also check  https://monolover.blogspot.com/2015/08/bow-wow-wowi-want-candy-emc-3416-82-uk.html   (FÄV*)  (FÖP*)

BOW WOW WOW/WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GETS GOING PL 25458 (-83) GERMANY

For background check posts on the "See Jungle..." debute and "I Want Candy" compilation - https://monolover.blogspot.com/search?q=bow+wow+wow . I did like the debute as a novelty for the blend of jungle drums, twangy guitars and girlish squeals bursting out filled with cheeky energy. And that also had three very catchy numbers - "Go Wild In The Country", "King Kong" and "Chihuahua" - making me wanna return and listen more than once. Maybe as a whole slightly unvaried, but lifted by those highlights. This their second and last LP builds on the same formula - giving the impression of cosmetic kids going ape-crazy in the big city - though here somewhat more tame. I'm getting the same wild drumming and plucky guitars to Annabella Lwin's very personal vocals and this time with more variation between the songs, but still finding it harder to get in. All self-penned. Produced by Mike Chapman - known glam hit-machine together with Nicky Chinn and responsible for a large number of big sellers from Sweet, Suzy Quatro, Smokie and Mud among others. It's very well done, but to my ears not as inviting as the debute. However a couple of the tracks combines odd and ordinary in a kind of post-psych way that's rather titillating. E.g. "Aphrodisiac" with its simple chant melody to monovular guitar, fast walking bass and untamed drums, or the dark and bitter-sweet "The Man Mountain". This German press is cut very loud and the audio comes out rather hard to my ears, maybe a softer offspring would have made it easier for me to fully embrace. Anyway it is an LP from a band that didn't sound like anything else and even if you still can find them in the cheapest bins I'm sure they will be much higher valued in the future. Originally issued on vinyl pretty much all over the world 1983. UK 1990 reissue on LP and CD (Great Expectations PIP LP/CD 022). First German had label as shown here and thin glossy cover with lyric/pic insert. (FÄV*) (FÖP*) (GÖXÄ*)

BOW WOW WOW/I WANT CANDY EMC 3416 (-82) UK

For more on the band check post on their debute LP. This sixteen track EMI compilation was presented as a kind of single collection, which it was in a way since most of the tracks had been released on '45, but more important it contains all eight cuts from their actual debute - the 1980 cassette "Your Cassette Pet" (WOW 1) together with the 1980 cassette single A+B "C 30, C 60, C 90 Go"/"Sun Sea And Piracy" - here for the first time on 33 rpm. There's also an A-side recorded for Markthalle cultural center in Hamburg - "Mile High Club" - and a couple of other previous non-LP tracks - part by courtesy of RCA who owned the rights some of the songs. I like their musical fashion blending post modern, african drums and fifties guitar style. Even though most of their songs sounded about the same through the years the style was so odd they remain as novelties. The very young singer Annabella Lwin handling sexual subjects has been seen as some kind of pop pedophilia and may leave a bad taste, but the lyrics aren't very clear and much drowned by the music anyway, so it's not disturbing if you don't look for it. US and Canadian on Harvest (SK-12234) as twelve track, omitting "I Want Candy", "Cowboy", "Bow Wow Wow", and "C 30, C 60, C 90 Anda! (Spanish version)". Premiere UK had label as shown here and thin glossy cover. (PÖP*) (FÄV*)(FÖP*)

BOW WOW WOW/I WANT CANDY AFL1-4375 (-82) US

 US collection relating to the UK one with the same name     https://monolover.blogspot.com/2015/08/bow-wow-wowi-want-candy-emc-3416-82-uk.html  , but differs so much it's like a separate issue. While the UK has sixteen tracks this is down to ten with other compiling. It has four cuts from their debute album   https://monolover.blogspot.com/2012/10/bowwowwowsee-junglesee-junglego-join.html  , all four from the EP "The Last Of The Mohicans", the "Baby, Oh No" single and the flip side to the "Go Wild In The Country" 45. Though with considerably less music space than its UK sibling it does stand well on its own, at least to my ears. I do get three of my favorites with the band - "I Want Candy", "King Kong" and "Go Wild In The Country". And while the UK thin sleeve can be regarded as too busy, this comes sturdier in a more classic style. Both have advantages and visually they stand well together. They were a strange sign of their times and now forty years later so unique they're well worth to be (re-)discovered. Issued like this on vinyl in Canada, Downunder, South Africa and all over Europe, also cassette and CD. Premiere US had label as shown here in a fully laminated cover with picture/credit/lyric inner.  (YZÄ*)  (FÄV*) (FÖP*)