ADRIAN BELEW
''SIDE THREE''
APRIL 18 2006
38:40
1. Troubles /3:13
2. Incompetence Indifference /5:01
3. Water Turns to Wine /3:46
4. Crunk /1:17
5. Drive /3:27
6. Cinemusic /1:37
7. Whatever /3:17
8. Men In Helicopters v4.0 /3:07
9. Beat Box Car /4:30
10. Truth Is /1:34
11. The Red Bull Rides a Boomerang Across the Blue Constellation /4:34
12. & /3:17
Adrian Belew /Multi Instruments, Vocals
Martha Belew /Telephone Voice
Danny Carey /Drums
Les Claypool /Bass
Mel Collins /Flute, Saxophone
REVIEW
by Sean Westergaard
Adrian Belew's flurry of solo material continues with Side Three, the third and final installment in the series. On both Side One and Side Two, Belew seemed completely liberated from any concept of pop aspirations and was free to indulge in his more experimental side. Side Three is no different. Aside from "Incompetence Indifference," the album is pretty sparse lyrically (as with the others), but that will be a plus as far as some fans are concerned, because it means the music takes center stage. Belew again handles almost all the instrumentation, getting just a bit of help from his friends Robert Fripp and Mel Collins (whose sax solo on "Beat Box Car" is a highlight) on a handful of tunes. The rhythm section of Danny Carey and Les Claypool is also back on board for a couple tracks, and they really light it up on "Whatever." Again, Belew has really done a great job of incorporating electronics and loops into his musical palette, to the point that "Water Turns to Wine" is little else besides an acoustic guitar strum, a tiny bit of bass, and Fripp's "flute guitar" contribution. "Cinemusic" is even more avant-garde, with odd sound effects, wafting music boxes, and electronic flotsam. "The Red Bull Rides a Boomerang Across the Blue Constellation" is similarly out there, looking back to "Hot Sun" from Lone Rhino or some of the more experimental tracks on Desire Caught by the Tail. "Incompetence Indifference" is almost "Indiscipline" revisited 20-plus years later, except instead of being accosted by young toughs on the streets of New York, Belew's sensibilities are accosted by a less-than-courteous woman by the pool, an unscrupulous electrician, and an automated phone message. Throughout it all, Belew shows that he's still one of the most wonderfully whacked-out guitarists on the planet and a serious tone-meister. If Side Three's release hadn't been postponed, Adrian Belew would have pulled the amazing hat trick of releasing three great albums within the span of a year. Call it a trilogy or call it a three-sided album; either way it ranks with Belew's best.
BIOGRAPHY
by Greg Prato
Although Adrian Belew has played with some of rock's biggest names over the years (Frank Zappa, David Bowie, the Talking Heads, King Crimson, etc.), he remains one of the most underrated and woefully overlooked guitarists of recent times. Like all great guitarists, Belew has his own recognizable style/sound (one that admittedly tends to be quirky and off-the-wall at times), and is an incredibly versatile player, as he's always found a way to make his signature style fit into a wide variety of musical genres: hard rock, funk, new wave, experimental, Beatlesque pop, and more. Born Robert Steven Belew on December 23, 1949, in Covington, KY, Belew's first instrument of interest was the drums, as he soon kept the backbeat in his high school's marching band. But not long after his discovery of the Beatles, Belew picked up the guitar, teaching himself how to play and to write original songs.
Spending the remainder of the '60s and early '70s honing his skills, Belew opted to change his first name to Adrian in 1975 (for the simple reason that it was a name he'd always admired), as he joined a Nashville, TN-based cover band, Sweetheart, the same year. The group performed in '40s-era suits and became a popular local attraction -- resulting in Frank Zappa checking out a show in 1977. With an opening for a guitarist in his touring band, Zappa invited Belew on the spot to come and audition for his band, which Belew eventually landed. It was during Zappa's lengthy 1978 U.S. tour (documented in the concert movie Baby Snakes) that David Bowie came to see a performance, which resulted in Belew being invited to join Bowie's touring band when the Zappa tour wrapped up. Once more, Belew accepted, touring the world alongside Bowie and appearing on his 1978 live recording, Stage, and 1979 studio effort, Lodger.
Once more, just as Belew's latest gig was about to wind down, he received an offer he couldn't refuse from another artist. Through guitarist Robert Fripp, Belew met renowned producer Brian Eno, who in turn introduced the guitarist to the Talking Heads, who were in the middle of recording their classic 1980 release Remain in Light. Belew was invited to lay down guitar for the songs, which led to his participation on the album's supporting tour (which a portion of the live compilation The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads showcased). Belew also contributed to the Talking Heads' offshoot project, the Tom Tom Club, appearing on their self-titled 1981 debut album, as well as their hit single "Genius of Love" (although he wasn't given a songwriting credit originally, it became known years later that Belew helped co-pen the tune with the others). It was during The Tom Tom Club recording sessions (in the Bahamas) that Belew also began work on his first solo album, issued in 1982 as Lone Rhino.
Predictably, it wasn't long before Belew was offered his next gig, this time with a newly reconstructed King Crimson. Belew, who handled lead vocal duties in addition to guitar, was joined by Crimson vets Robert Fripp (guitar) and Bill Bruford (drums), in addition to session ace Tony Levin (bass). With the group eschewing their previous prog rock leanings in favor of a more "modern" sound (akin to the Talking Heads), the '80s version of Crimson issued three outstanding albums: 1981's Discipline, 1982's Beat, and 1984's Three of a Perfect Pair (during which time Belew found the time to issue a second solo release, 1983's Twang Bar King). With Crimson on hiatus once more by the mid-'80s, Belew focused on further solo work (1986's Desire Caught by the Tail, 1989's Mr. Music Head), session work (most notably, Paul Simon's mega-hit Graceland), and also served as a member/producer of a new group, the Bears (1987's The Bears and 1988's Rise and Shine).
The '90s continued to see Belew keep a busy schedule, as he hooked up once more with his old pal David Bowie, who named the guitarist musical director for his massive 1990 Sound and Vision tour. Also during the decade, Belew issued several more solo releases (including 1990's Young Lions, 1992's Inner Revolution, 1994's Here, and 1996's Op Zop Too Wah, the latter two of which Belew played all the instruments), in addition to guesting on other artist's recordings (Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral and The Fragile), and producing others (Jars of Clay). After a near-ten-year hiatus, King Crimson reunited, resulting in the 1995 album THRAK and supporting tour. Belew has shown little signs of slowing down in the 21st century, as he continued to tour and record with Crimson (2000's ConstruKction of Light, 2003's The Power to Believe), issued a third recording with the Bears (2001's Car Caught Fire), and is hard at work on compiling an extensive box set of rarities from throughout his career, to be titled Dust. 2004 saw rehearsals with the newest King Crimson lineup, additional recordings by the Bears and the completion of 3 (!) solo albums to be released in 2005. The first and third of these (Side One and Side Three) have Primus bassist Les Claypool and Tool drummer Danny Carey lending a hand while Side Two is more of a completely solo affair, with just a couple guest spots.
''SIDE THREE''
APRIL 18 2006
38:40
1. Troubles /3:13
2. Incompetence Indifference /5:01
3. Water Turns to Wine /3:46
4. Crunk /1:17
5. Drive /3:27
6. Cinemusic /1:37
7. Whatever /3:17
8. Men In Helicopters v4.0 /3:07
9. Beat Box Car /4:30
10. Truth Is /1:34
11. The Red Bull Rides a Boomerang Across the Blue Constellation /4:34
12. & /3:17
Adrian Belew /Multi Instruments, Vocals
Martha Belew /Telephone Voice
Danny Carey /Drums
Les Claypool /Bass
Mel Collins /Flute, Saxophone
REVIEW
by Sean Westergaard
Adrian Belew's flurry of solo material continues with Side Three, the third and final installment in the series. On both Side One and Side Two, Belew seemed completely liberated from any concept of pop aspirations and was free to indulge in his more experimental side. Side Three is no different. Aside from "Incompetence Indifference," the album is pretty sparse lyrically (as with the others), but that will be a plus as far as some fans are concerned, because it means the music takes center stage. Belew again handles almost all the instrumentation, getting just a bit of help from his friends Robert Fripp and Mel Collins (whose sax solo on "Beat Box Car" is a highlight) on a handful of tunes. The rhythm section of Danny Carey and Les Claypool is also back on board for a couple tracks, and they really light it up on "Whatever." Again, Belew has really done a great job of incorporating electronics and loops into his musical palette, to the point that "Water Turns to Wine" is little else besides an acoustic guitar strum, a tiny bit of bass, and Fripp's "flute guitar" contribution. "Cinemusic" is even more avant-garde, with odd sound effects, wafting music boxes, and electronic flotsam. "The Red Bull Rides a Boomerang Across the Blue Constellation" is similarly out there, looking back to "Hot Sun" from Lone Rhino or some of the more experimental tracks on Desire Caught by the Tail. "Incompetence Indifference" is almost "Indiscipline" revisited 20-plus years later, except instead of being accosted by young toughs on the streets of New York, Belew's sensibilities are accosted by a less-than-courteous woman by the pool, an unscrupulous electrician, and an automated phone message. Throughout it all, Belew shows that he's still one of the most wonderfully whacked-out guitarists on the planet and a serious tone-meister. If Side Three's release hadn't been postponed, Adrian Belew would have pulled the amazing hat trick of releasing three great albums within the span of a year. Call it a trilogy or call it a three-sided album; either way it ranks with Belew's best.
BIOGRAPHY
by Greg Prato
Although Adrian Belew has played with some of rock's biggest names over the years (Frank Zappa, David Bowie, the Talking Heads, King Crimson, etc.), he remains one of the most underrated and woefully overlooked guitarists of recent times. Like all great guitarists, Belew has his own recognizable style/sound (one that admittedly tends to be quirky and off-the-wall at times), and is an incredibly versatile player, as he's always found a way to make his signature style fit into a wide variety of musical genres: hard rock, funk, new wave, experimental, Beatlesque pop, and more. Born Robert Steven Belew on December 23, 1949, in Covington, KY, Belew's first instrument of interest was the drums, as he soon kept the backbeat in his high school's marching band. But not long after his discovery of the Beatles, Belew picked up the guitar, teaching himself how to play and to write original songs.
Spending the remainder of the '60s and early '70s honing his skills, Belew opted to change his first name to Adrian in 1975 (for the simple reason that it was a name he'd always admired), as he joined a Nashville, TN-based cover band, Sweetheart, the same year. The group performed in '40s-era suits and became a popular local attraction -- resulting in Frank Zappa checking out a show in 1977. With an opening for a guitarist in his touring band, Zappa invited Belew on the spot to come and audition for his band, which Belew eventually landed. It was during Zappa's lengthy 1978 U.S. tour (documented in the concert movie Baby Snakes) that David Bowie came to see a performance, which resulted in Belew being invited to join Bowie's touring band when the Zappa tour wrapped up. Once more, Belew accepted, touring the world alongside Bowie and appearing on his 1978 live recording, Stage, and 1979 studio effort, Lodger.
Once more, just as Belew's latest gig was about to wind down, he received an offer he couldn't refuse from another artist. Through guitarist Robert Fripp, Belew met renowned producer Brian Eno, who in turn introduced the guitarist to the Talking Heads, who were in the middle of recording their classic 1980 release Remain in Light. Belew was invited to lay down guitar for the songs, which led to his participation on the album's supporting tour (which a portion of the live compilation The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads showcased). Belew also contributed to the Talking Heads' offshoot project, the Tom Tom Club, appearing on their self-titled 1981 debut album, as well as their hit single "Genius of Love" (although he wasn't given a songwriting credit originally, it became known years later that Belew helped co-pen the tune with the others). It was during The Tom Tom Club recording sessions (in the Bahamas) that Belew also began work on his first solo album, issued in 1982 as Lone Rhino.
Predictably, it wasn't long before Belew was offered his next gig, this time with a newly reconstructed King Crimson. Belew, who handled lead vocal duties in addition to guitar, was joined by Crimson vets Robert Fripp (guitar) and Bill Bruford (drums), in addition to session ace Tony Levin (bass). With the group eschewing their previous prog rock leanings in favor of a more "modern" sound (akin to the Talking Heads), the '80s version of Crimson issued three outstanding albums: 1981's Discipline, 1982's Beat, and 1984's Three of a Perfect Pair (during which time Belew found the time to issue a second solo release, 1983's Twang Bar King). With Crimson on hiatus once more by the mid-'80s, Belew focused on further solo work (1986's Desire Caught by the Tail, 1989's Mr. Music Head), session work (most notably, Paul Simon's mega-hit Graceland), and also served as a member/producer of a new group, the Bears (1987's The Bears and 1988's Rise and Shine).
The '90s continued to see Belew keep a busy schedule, as he hooked up once more with his old pal David Bowie, who named the guitarist musical director for his massive 1990 Sound and Vision tour. Also during the decade, Belew issued several more solo releases (including 1990's Young Lions, 1992's Inner Revolution, 1994's Here, and 1996's Op Zop Too Wah, the latter two of which Belew played all the instruments), in addition to guesting on other artist's recordings (Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral and The Fragile), and producing others (Jars of Clay). After a near-ten-year hiatus, King Crimson reunited, resulting in the 1995 album THRAK and supporting tour. Belew has shown little signs of slowing down in the 21st century, as he continued to tour and record with Crimson (2000's ConstruKction of Light, 2003's The Power to Believe), issued a third recording with the Bears (2001's Car Caught Fire), and is hard at work on compiling an extensive box set of rarities from throughout his career, to be titled Dust. 2004 saw rehearsals with the newest King Crimson lineup, additional recordings by the Bears and the completion of 3 (!) solo albums to be released in 2005. The first and third of these (Side One and Side Three) have Primus bassist Les Claypool and Tool drummer Danny Carey lending a hand while Side Two is more of a completely solo affair, with just a couple guest spots.
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