However, I didn't really listen to all that. This was the first case I encountered of an artist's cataloging being seriously curtailed by the streaming platform. Sure, I listened to about 11 albums and EPs, but he has his name on over 20 (to say nothing of all those King Crimson albums and various other projects). I was not sure if it was because he's released different things on different labels that have different deals with different streaming services, but I am confident what I heard was a representative, if not complete, cross-section of Belew's repertoire. It turns out his first three albums are now actually "out of print," although it's not entirely clear why that makes it so they aren't available streaming.
Here's a juicy bit: Apparently when things were getting rough in Talking Heads, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, clandestinely approached Belew about replacing David Bryne as the front-man. He declined, but did end up playing with Tom Tom Club, who might have taken credit for some of his songwriting. Those same sessions, though, led to his first true solo album, 1982's Lone Rhino. I didn't hear it, but I heard 1991's Desire of the Rhino King, which compiles tracks from his first three albums for Island Records. That's where I heard his sorta-thesis statement "The Lone Rhinoceros," which is memorable, and not only for his ability to make rhino noises on the guitar. The awesomeness of "Big Electric Cat" almost speaks for itself; it's a hit with youngsters and the aged alike, and the video is worth seeing:
On 1983's Twang Bar King he plays with Elvis's drummer, but that doesn't get streamed either. The first thing available was Desire Caught by the Tail, a somewhat experimental and indulgent solo offering that makes more sense in the context of a burgeoning and complex musical career. It's an all instrumental album, so I can dig it. However, the lack of commercial potential apparently cost him his contract with Island. Perhaps that partially explain why he subsequently forms and leads a straightforward pop band, The Bears (not as gay as it sound). It seems like Dad Rock, a low-priority, low-stakes project that revolves around their other obligations. Thus they continue to record and tour occasionally.
His tenure in King Crimson is as long as just about anybody who has been in that band, other than founder Robert Fripp. It really begins as work on Fripp's solo project, but everyone quickly realizes it would be better to just call it King Crimson. Crimson super-fans can decide how they feel about that. (I imagine they have mixed feelings; I know how I feel about Momentary Lapse of Reason.) That version of Crimson stumbles through various albums, tours, and line-up changes before Fripp reinvents them again, this time without Belew, in 2013. But hey - at least they held it together long enough to open for Tool in 2001.
In the wake of Crimson and The Bears, he has a genuine solo hit single with "Oh Daddy," (not to be confused with the Fleetwood Mac song of the same title) from his fourth solo record, 1989's Mr. Music Head. The video features some of his most wacky guitars. The song itself is cutesy and hilarious self mocking- a duet with his own daughter asking him when he's going to be a real rock star. His next solo album, Young Lines, comes out in 1990 and features a couple duets with Bowie; I heard that one and it was a solid collection of good songs.
Before I even knew Belew as the guy from King Crimson, I knew him only as the guy who played "Standing in the Shadow." It's from his 1992 album Inner Revolution, which offers one his most fully formed and consistent visions and sounds for a solo album. There's a lot of great distorted guitar, looped and rehashed and everything. I loved the single, having caught it on some free compilation somewhere, but it was all I knew of his work for years. This is a divorce album, for what it's worth. It's no Blood on the Tracks, but it is pretty salient pop rock. Two years later he puts out another straightforward rock-pop album, 1994's Here, and although there's no reason to believe that one is out of print too, it was not available for me to listen to.
It speaks volumes of his skill as guitar player, singer, and song writer that I was even able to enjoy Salad Days, a compilation of acoustic version of songs from throughout his career. I normally get bored quickly when it's just a guy and his guitar, but the playing remains interesting and the songs are strong.
This was also the point I discovered Back Against the Wall , which is not fantastic in Praxis, although it is a great concept: little configurations of various prog-rock super-groups covering The Wall in it's entirety. Belew starts it off and plays with the guys from Yes, Asia, Zappa, Styx and more. Later they do Dark Side too, but Belew isn't credited as the artist on any of the tracks (so I didn't get to listen to it this time), though he does play on it. It's not clear under which conditions this blog project will allow me to listen to that other collection.
Belew brings his career to a fitting climax with the Sides albums between 2005 and 2007. Side 1 features Les Claypol, and although he only plays on a couple songs he looms large over the sound. There are some great hard rockin noise jams and thrashy bits too. Side 2 is all him on every instrument; he even painted the cover. Side 3 brings back the guest starts, including Claypool again and Fripp on flute. Side 4 is a live album, but why I can't hear it streaming is anyone's guess. But the Pretty in Pink EP is available - despite being absent from Wikipedia's discography list! It effectively groups an excellently representative brief collection of songs, including "Oh Daddy," an atmospheric instrumental, and a remastered version of the titular Bowie duet, which is well-deserving of a revisit and the single treatment. Besides a single song from the soundtrack to something called Piper, the EP was fitting closing statement from a wildly talented and entertaining artist.
No comments:
Post a Comment