Bow Wow Wow - When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going

Following their 1982 EP Last of the Mohicans (click here for that review), the English new-wave band Bow Wow Wow released their third and final studio album. Today we will celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the release of 1983’s When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going, a record which peaked at number 82 on the US Billboard Hot 200.

Bow Wow Wow - Last of the Mohicans

This month marks the 30th anniversary release of The Last of the Mohicans, a four song EP by the English new wave band Bow Wow Wow. The band (consisting of Matthew Ashman on guitar, Leigh Gorman on bass, and David Barbarossa on drums and singer Annabella Lwin) had released a couple studio albums prior to this record. They also worked with mastermind producer Malcolm McLaren.

The May 1982 release went to number 67 on the US Billboard Hot 200 and features the group’s biggest hit. The cover features the under-aged Lwin completely naked (it was the same photo used for the band’s first full-length album from 1981).

Adam and the Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier

I have my older brother to thank for my first exposure to Adam and the Ants and, in particular, this album - Kings of the Wild Frontier (1980). Besides being one of "the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die", it happens to be my favorite by the group. It was the second of three albums the band did before Adam went off to his solo career. The combination of the dual drums, the driving guitars and, of course, Adam Ant's unique vocal styling make for an early new wave masterpiece.