I think Marco did a fantastic job on the recent UK remasters of the albums, and that they sound as good as vinyl. That said I do not have the Dandy Highwaymen best of which came out just after the UK remasters, and which was reportedly put together without Adam or Marco's knowledge - possibly from the remasters Marco had made, but no one really knows for sure. If you are comparing to that, I don't know.I keep most of my earlier Ant best ofs anyway, because it seems like each one has a few single versions or alternate versions not available on the others. Usually not labeled as such, but there. And there have been many.If you want to hear bad mastering, listen to AntBox, the out of print 3-disc collection of album tracks and various rarities. I don't who mastered it, but they did a poor job.

1. Adam And The Ants Stand And Deliver
2. Dandy Highwaymen The Best Of Adam And The Ants Rarechin
3. Dandy Highwaymen The Best Of Adam And The Ants Rare Money

Click to expand.Have you tried the UK mid-90s 'Dirk' CD on Columbia? It sounds very good, totally unprocessed to my ears. The tracks are unfortunately in the wrong order and the wrong mix of Cartrouble 1&2 is used (although it's not that different to the original). I used to have the US 'Dirk' but not anymore, still have the remaster though, I'll give it a re-listen. I agree about the bonus cuts, they're pretty terrible on the whole, going the demo route and missing out a ton of B Sides.

Find Adam and the Ants bio, music, credits, awards, & streaming links on AllMusic - Fashion-forward post-punk and new wave band led Find Adam and the Ants bio, music, credits, awards, & streaming links on AllMusic - Fashion-forward post-punk and new wave band led.

There's that B Side Babies US CD though which is pretty good, and Press Darlings is on a budget UK Best Of CD is cheap & still in print (there's a used one here for 88p, although maybe no use to you in the USA). Have you tried the UK mid-90s 'Dirk' CD on Columbia? It sounds very good, totally unprocessed to my ears. The tracks are unfortunately in the wrong order and the wrong mix of Cartrouble 1&2 is used (although it's not that different to the original). I used to have the US 'Dirk' but not anymore, still have the remaster though, I'll give it a re-listen. I agree about the bonus cuts, they're pretty terrible on the whole, going the demo route and missing out a ton of B Sides.

There's that B Side Babies US CD though which is pretty good, and Press Darlings is on a budget UK Best Of CD is cheap & still in print (there's a used one here for 88p, although maybe no use to you in the USA). Click to expand.Thank you kindly for this info! Nice to hear from an AA fan on the other side of the pond.No, I was not even aware of that 1994 'Dirk.' CD, I'll have to check that out. Remaster aside, I only have the original late-80's US Dirk CD and it's stunning in it's awfulness. I also still have the same album on cassette, which, while still terrible, actually has more bass than the CD!

'Digital Tenderness' is particularly insukting on the US versions.I'd love to see our host get a hold of 'Kings of the Wild Frontier' - no digital copy I've heard comes close to my US vinyl. Come on, we need some Adam and the Ants on SACD! (Not holding my breath here)And that comp you sent on Amazon is really great!

I ordered one immediately. Hell, if they would have put 'That Voodoo' and 'Cajun Twisters' on there (don't know why I love those 2 songs so much), it'd be perfect.Pleass tell me that the version of Physical on there is the later version (found on the US Kings.album).And thanks again. Have you tried the UK mid-90s 'Dirk' CD on Columbia? It sounds very good, totally unprocessed to my ears. The tracks are unfortunately in the wrong order and the wrong mix of Cartrouble 1&2 is used (although it's not that different to the original).

I used to have the US 'Dirk' but not anymore, still have the remaster though, I'll give it a re-listen. I agree about the bonus cuts, they're pretty terrible on the whole, going the demo route and missing out a ton of B Sides. There's that B Side Babies US CD though which is pretty good, and Press Darlings is on a budget UK Best Of CD is cheap & still in print (there's a used one here for 88p, although maybe no use to you in the USA).

Adam And The Ants Stand And Deliver

Click to expand.My copy of Dirk Wears White Sox from the mid 90’s only has Cartrouble part 1 on it! I found out recently that they, Sony, realised their mistake and added part 2 to later copies.

Dandy Highwaymen The Best Of Adam And The Ants Rarechin

Now that I find they added the wrong Cartrouble part 1 and 2! Seriously, how hard is it?Also the mid 90’s Vive Le Rock omitted Human Bondage Den that was on the original 80’s CBS CD.It’s a real shame that the early Adam Ant/s CD’s were only released in America in the 80’s as the US had completely different track listings on the albums. Dirk Wears White Sox is very different and no where near as good as the UK version. It should be noted that original US 80’s Kings of the Wild Frontier CD is the only place to get Press Darlings in good sound quality but then omits Making History. This is the reason Making History is included on the US B-side Babies CD where Press Darlings should be.All in all Sony have made a right mess of the Adam Ant Cd’s from the beginning. Click to expand.Lucky is not the word I would use as my gripe is that they were released in the US and not in the UK!I would have much preferred the UK versions and if they hadn’t been released in the US then I think CBS would have gone to the effort of releasing them in the UK whist Adam was still a household name in the 80’s. Proof of his popularity in the UK was that even by 1993 the Antmusic compilation CD went top 10 in the UK and the video version of the album was no 1 for several weeks, hence Sony finally decided to get around to releasing the albums on CD in the UK.

Dandy Highwaymen The Best Of Adam And The Ants Rare Money

Click to expand.I don't think that's true at all. He was actually pretty popular, but nowhere as big as he was in the UK, of course.Adam/Ants and solo were early MTV staples, and they logged in a few decent chart positions. They at least cracked the top 100 (back when that meant something!) and Friend or Foe was a top 20 album. Had a handful of hit singles too, with 'Goody Two Shoes' peaking at #12 being the biggest.But besides that, he had a pretty big media profile - anyone remember his Honda scooter commercial?

While 1990's, 2003's, and 2006's were stellar anthologies, Music Club's spreads the greasepaint love over two discs, finding a nice balance between radio hits and deep album cuts. The average fan requires little more than 'Goody Two Shoes,' 'Stand and Deliver,' 'Desperate But Not Serious,' and maybe 'Strip' or 'Puss 'N' Boots,' all of which appear here, but they'll thrill to the sounds of insider classics like 'Jolly Roger,' 'Feed Me to the Lions,' and 'Los Rancheros.'

While by no means perfect (where is 'Car Trouble,' 'Whip in My Valise,' 'Here Comes the Grump,' and 'Wonderful'?), offers the most bang for your buck.