REVIEW: Adrian Belew, Salad Days (Thirsty Ear)
- Joann D. Ball
Adrian Belew is one of the most innovative and creative electric guitarists in popular music, but it's quite possible that you may not realize that you've already heard his work. Milestone's in Belew's industrious musical career include playing and touring with Frank Zappa, David Bowie and the Talking Heads (and their various solo projects). Also, Belew's unmistakable fretwork has been a prominent part of King Crimson's latter-day sound (since the release of Discipline). Outside of his duties as co-lead guitarist and lead vocalist of King Crimson, Belew was a member of The Bears, and he also released a number of solo records, including the commercially notable Mr. Music Head (which spawned the catchy single "Oh Daddy").
The positive reception of live acoustic versions of his songs during solo concert performances prompted Belew to compile his latest release, Salad Days, which features two live tracks and some songs previously included on his self-released (but almost impossible to find) albums: The Acoustic Adrian Belew and Belewprints. Even though it is an acoustic record, it is full and rich, with 16 tracks diverse in sound and structure. Among the outstanding cuts on this 50-minute record are the vocal-and-strings only "Men in Helicopters," "Never Enough," which is what pop singles were meant to sound like, and "I Remember How To Forget" which is full of melodic twists and turns. The live solo acoustic version of King Crimson's "Three Of A Perfect Pair" is even more compelling than the original. For something different, there's also the experiment-in-sound selections "Return of the Chicken" and its percussion counterpart with the self-explanatory title, "Things You Hit With A Stick."
If you aren't familiar with Adrian Belew's impressive track record and previous work, Salad Days is a great introduction to the essence of his sound. It is one of the most enjoyable and entertaining records of this year, and will hopefully connect with a host of music fans who treasure pop rock fundamentals and appreciate acoustic music. Definitely a must for fans of the Beatles, XTC, Robyn Hitchcock and Ben Folds Five, who should find Adrian Belew's acoustic pop irresistible.
