 Bow Wow Wow
Bow Wow Wow was born when
the remaining members of Adam and the
Ants, Leigh Gorman, Dave
Barbarossa and Matthew Ashman, sought the advice of Sex
Pistols'
manager Malcolm McLaren, who for £1000 inspired them to form Bow Wow
Wow.
McLaren discovered
Rangoon-born Myant Myant Aye (Burmese for "Cool Cool High") in a
London dry cleaners, christened her Annabella Lwin, put her in front
of a microphone, and the line-up was complete. Recording began,
highlighted by the band's unique sound of a twangy Duane
Eddy-like
guitar and an African tribal drum rhythm.
In 1981, Bow Wow Wow
released their first LP titled See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your
Gang, Yeah! City All Over! Go Ape Crazy! The album cover featured
a nude 15-year-old Annabella in the infamous recreation of Manet's
1863 Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe ("Lunch on the Grass"). The cover
caused more of a splash than the record itself, but the track Go
Wild in the Country did become a huge hit in the UK.
 In
1982 the band released two EP's - Last of the Mohicans and
I Want Candy followed by a second LP, also titled, of course, I
Want Candy, and then a third, titled 12 Original Recordings. The
final LP, 1983's When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going,
was a slicker effort that drove the fans away.
Despite a catchy first
single, Do You Wanna Hold Me?, and an appearance on the US TV
show Solid Gold, the sound was too over-produced for original
fans and it marked the end of Bow Wow Wow.
Annabella embarked on a
solo career, scoring a modest hit in 1986 with Peggy
Lee's Fever
while Gorman, Ashman and Barbarossa formed a band called Chiefs of
Relief. Matthew Ashman died from diabetes in 1995. The group reformed
in 1998 to record a greatest hits remix album.
| The
Band |
Annabella Lwin
Vocals |
Leigh Gorman
Bass |
Dave Barbarossa
Drums |
Matthew Ashman
Guitar
|
|
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