Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual and impressionistic approach to his guitar tones (which, rather than relying on standard instrumental tones, often resemble sound effects or noises made by animals and machines).
Widely recognized as an "incredibly versatile player", Belew is perhaps best known for his long career as singer and guitarist in the
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
group
King Crimson
King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
between 1981 and 2009. He has also released nearly twenty solo albums for
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
and
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
in a range of blended or alternated styles including art rock, New Wave,
Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
-inspired pop-rock, progressive rock and experimental noise. In addition, Belew has been a member of the intermittently active pop band
the Bears, and fronted GaGa in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Belew has worked extensively as a
session, guest and touring musician, including periods with the
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...
and
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
bands,
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.[Talkin ...](_blank)
,
Laurie Anderson
Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...
, and
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
, as well as contributing to hit singles by
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...
,
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth and as a side project from Talking Heads. Their best known songs include " Wordy Rappinghood", " Genius of Love", and a cover ...
, and others. He released a top-10 single in 1989 with "
Oh Daddy", and his 2005 single "Beat Box Guitar" was nominated for a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
for
Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Belew has also worked in instrument design and multimedia, collaborating with
Parker Guitars
Parker Guitars was an American manufacturer of electric and acoustic guitars and basses, founded by luthier Ken Parker in 1993. Parker guitars were distinguished for their characteristic light weight and the use of composite materials. to help design his
Parker Fly
The Parker Fly was a model of electric guitar built by Parker Guitars. It was designed by Ken Parker and Larry Fishman, and first produced in 1993. The Fly is unique among electric guitars in the way it uses composite materials. It is notable f ...
signature guitar, and designing his own
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
mobile app
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...
s, "FLUX by belew" and "FLUX:FX, the multi-effect audio processor app."
Biography
Early life (1949–1977)
Robert Steven Belew was born into a middle-class family in
Covington, Kentucky
Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking Rivers. Cincinnati, Ohio, ...
, on December 23, 1949. Initially known to friends and classmates as "Steve", he played drums in his teen years, playing with the Ludlow High School marching band and later with the high school
cover band
A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. Ne ...
The Denems. Inspired by
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
, he took up guitar while he was bedridden for several months with
mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis (IM, mono), also known as glandular fever, is an infection usually caused by the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). Most people are infected by the virus as children, when the disease produces few or no symptoms. In young adult ...
. At the age of 17, he was further inspired by a club performance of blues rock guitar soloing pioneer
Lonnie Mack
Lonnie McIntosh (July 18, 1941 – April 21, 2016), known as Lonnie Mack, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was an influential trailblazer of blues rock music and rock guitar soloing.
Mack emerged in 1963 with his breakthroug ...
, who later became a close friend.
Not inclined to formal music study, Belew was nonetheless a quick developer and rapidly became a high school guitar hero. Mostly teaching himself by listening to records, he was ignorant of the studio trickery and sound manipulation used to create particular guitar lines, and so found ways of replicating them himself manually using unusual playing techniques and a growing interest in effects and treatments. While maturing as a player and mastering various playing styles, Belew became increasingly preoccupied with ways to avoid "sounding like everybody else". He eventually found his own sound and style by learning how to make his guitar mimic sound effects such as car horns, animal noises, or industrial sounds and then applying those sounds to relatively standard songs.
In the mid-1970s, Belew began using the first name "Adrian" and moved to
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
to pursue a full-time career as a professional musician. By 1977, he was playing with the regionally popular cover band Sweetheart, but wondering whether (at age 27) he had missed his chance to make a living with original music.
Work with Frank Zappa (1977–1978)
In 1977, while playing at a Sweetheart gig at Fanny's Bar in Nashville, Belew was discovered by
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...
, who had been tipped off regarding the band's talents by his chauffeur. Zappa approached Belew and discussed auditioning him for an upcoming tour, although Belew did not receive an official invitation to audition for the better part of a year. During this time Sweetheart split up. Once the formal invitation came, Belew flew out to Los Angeles and found himself auditioning alongside more formally trained musicians. Believing that he'd messed up his first audition, Belew persuaded Zappa to give him a second one. Belew's second audition was a more intimate one-on-one experience which took place in Zappa's living room. Zappa was impressed enough to hire Belew on a handshake deal for a year.
Belew toured with the Zappa band and appeared on Zappa's 1979 album ''
Sheik Yerbouti
''Sheik Yerbouti'' is a double album by Frank Zappa, released in March 1979 as the first release on Zappa Records (distributed by Phonogram Inc.) It is mostly made up of live material recorded in 1977 and 1978, with extensive overdubs added i ...
'', as well as Zappa's 1979
concert film
A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian.
Early history
The ...
, ''
Baby Snakes
''Baby Snakes'' is a film which includes footage from Frank Zappa's 1977 Halloween concert at New York City's Palladium Theater, backstage antics from the crew, and stop motion clay animation from award-winning animator Bruce Bickford.
Relea ...
'', a document of the October 1977 Halloween week shows at New York City's Palladium. While with Zappa, Belew was mostly credited as a rhythm guitarist although he also played lead, melody, or noise lines, as well as singing lead on two songs ("Jones Crusher" and "City of Tiny Lites"). According to Belew, "Frank either played or sang, never both at the same time, so ultimately my role became covering his parts. When he sang I played his guitar part. When he played I sang his vocal part." He also took on the role of band clown, performing impressions (such as the
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
impersonation on the song "Flakes"), wearing unusual clothing and performing visual stunts. ("Need someone to wear a flashing helmet and bounce around like a robot? How about Adrian? Need someone to wear a dress onstage? There’s always Adrian.")
Belew has described his year in Zappa's band as a "crash course" in
music theory
Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...
due to Zappa's rigorous rehearsals and often technically demanding music, and has commented, "I went to the Frank Zappa School of Rock."
Work with David Bowie (1978–1979)
On the recommendation of musician/producer
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
, after seeing a Zappa concert in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
, Germany,
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
offered to hire Belew once the Zappa tour was finished. Belew accepted the offer, as Zappa intended to spend four months editing the film ''
Baby Snakes
''Baby Snakes'' is a film which includes footage from Frank Zappa's 1977 Halloween concert at New York City's Palladium Theater, backstage antics from the crew, and stop motion clay animation from award-winning animator Bruce Bickford.
Relea ...
''.
Belew then played on Bowie's
Isolar II Tour in 1978; he played on the double-live album ''
Stage
Stage or stages may refer to:
Acting
* Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions
* Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage"
* ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper
* Sta ...
'', and also contributed to Bowie's next album, ''
Lodger''. Twelve years later, he returned to working with Bowie, acting as musical director on the 1990
Sound+Vision Tour
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
, while also playing guitar and singing.
Talking Heads, GaGa and The Tom Tom Club (1979–1982)
In 1980, Belew formed a new band, GaGa (based in
Urbana __NOTOC__
Urbana can refer to:
Places Italy
*Urbana, Italy
United States
*Urbana, Illinois
**Urbana (conference), a Christian conference formerly held in Urbana, Illinois
*Urbana, Indiana
* Urbana, Iowa
*Urbana, Kansas
* Urbana, Maryland
*Urbana, ...
, Illinois, where he resided at the time), for which he served as the singer, guitarist and primary songwriter (as well as, via backing tapes, the drummer). By now a frequent visitor to New York City, Belew had also become friends with the up-and-coming new wave/art-rock band
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.[Talkin ...](_blank)
. Invited to join the band onstage for performances of their signature song "
Psycho Killer
"Psycho Killer" is a song by the American band Talking Heads, released on their 1977 debut album '' Talking Heads: 77.'' The group first performed it as the Artistics in 1974.
The band also recorded an acoustic version of the song featuring A ...
," Belew impressed them with his wild and unorthodox guitar soloing and became an occasional guest performer at live concerts. Around this time, Belew also met
King Crimson
King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
guitarist
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session ...
at a
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer known for his contribution to the development of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, a ...
concert. In July of that year, GaGa was invited to open several New York City-area concerts for Fripp's band,
the League of Gentlemen
''The League of Gentlemen'' is a surreal British comedy horror sitcom that premiered on BBC Two in 1999. The programme is set in Royston Vasey, a fictional town in northern England, originally based on Alston, Cumbria, and follows the lives o ...
.
At the same time, Belew had been tapped by Talking Heads and their producer
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
(with whom he'd worked on ''Lodger'') to add guitar solos to several tracks on the ''Remain in Light'' album. He was subsequently added to the expanded nine-piece Talking Heads live band for tours in late 1980 and early 1981. These concerts were documented in the DVD ''Live in Roma'' and in the second half of the band's 1982 live album, ''
The Name of This Band is Talking Heads''. Belew's involvement with Talking Heads extended to playing on the band's spin-off projects. He played on keyboard player/guitarist
Jerry Harrison
Jeremiah Griffin Harrison (born February 21, 1949) is an American songwriter, musician, producer, and entrepreneur. He began his professional music career as a member of the cult band the Modern Lovers before becoming keyboardist and guitarist ...
's debut album, ''
The Red and the Black
''Le Rouge et le Noir'' (; meaning ''The Red and the Black'') is a historical psychological novel in two volumes by Stendhal, published in 1830. It chronicles the attempts of a provincial young man to rise socially beyond his modest upbringing t ...
'', and on several tracks on
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
's soundtrack to the
Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music.
Fr ...
dance piece, ''
The Catherine Wheel'' (with his guitar noises credited, amongst other things, as "beasts").
At the time, the internal relationships in Talking Heads were particularly strained. The band's married rhythm section,
Tina Weymouth
Martina Michèle Weymouth (born November 22, 1950) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and a founding member and bassist of the new wave group Talking Heads and its side project Tom Tom Club, which she co-founded with her husband, Tal ...
and
Chris Frantz
Charton Christopher Frantz (born May 8, 1951) is an American musician and record producer. He is the drummer for both Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, both of which he co-founded with wife and Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth. In 2002, Frant ...
, allegedly approached Belew with the suggestion that he should replace Byrne as the band's frontman, an offer which Belew immediately but politely turned down.
[''Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa: The Adventures of Talking Heads in the 20th Century'' by David Bowman (]Bloomsbury Publishing plc
Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. Bloomsbury's head office is located in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a ...
, August 19, 2002) (In his book "Remain in Love", Frantz denied that this offer was ever made.) Belew did, however, go on to work with Weymouth and Frantz on their own spin-off project,
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth and as a side project from Talking Heads. Their best known songs include " Wordy Rappinghood", " Genius of Love", and a cover ...
. Joining them for recordings at
Compass Point Studios
Compass Point Studios was a music recording studio in the The Bahamas, Bahamas, founded in 1977 by Chris Blackwell, the owner of Island Records. The concept of the studio was of a recording facility supported by in-house sets of artists, musici ...
in
Nassau
Nassau may refer to:
Places Bahamas
*Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence
Canada
*Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792
*Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...
, Bahamas, Belew played rhythm guitar on the sessions for the band's debut album, as well as adding his trademark processed solos (and even performing the entire instrumentation for the track "L'Elephant").
Unfortunately, Belew's experience with Tom Tom Club was less harmonious than his previous work with Talking Heads. Tom Tom Club's recording engineer,
Steven Stanley
Steven J. C. Stanley (born July 11, 1958), is a Jamaican audio engineer, record producer and keyboardist who has worked in the reggae, dub and rock music genres since 1975, most notably with Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and Black Uhuru.
Stanle ...
, was vocal about his dislike of distorted guitar and erased the majority of Belew's solos during the mixing sessions. Worse was to follow when Belew queried Weymouth about songwriting credits, having co-written several of the album's songs in addition to his playing. He was apparently "
ghosted", with Weymouth no longer returning his phone calls. Belew did not play live with Tom Tom Club or contribute to any further sessions. Recalling the situation when interviewed twenty years later, he claimed that he had opted to pursue other work rather than involve himself in legal or personal struggles with Weymouth and Frantz, and that he had chosen not to let it bother him, as several other, more promising projects were happening for him at the same time.
Beginning of solo career (1981)
By now Belew's rising profile had gained him a solo record contract with
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
. During the recording of the debut Tom Tom Club album, members of GaGa had joined Belew at Compass Point and backed him on a set of parallel sessions which would result in Belew's first solo album, 1982's ''
Lone Rhino''. The album provided a home for various GaGa songs and blended various elements of Belew's work over the past decade, including snappy and noisy Zappa/Byrne-influenced songs, dabblings in
world music, opportunities for animal/mechanical sounds on guitar, and sonic experiments reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix or
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
. It also included an instrumental duet between Belew and his four-year-old daughter Audie (the latter improvising on acoustic piano, with Belew adding a processed guitar counterpoint).
King Crimson (1981–2013)
Adrian Belew was the singer, second guitarist and frontman (as well as occasional drummer) for
King Crimson
King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
from 1981 to 2009, one of the longest tenures in King Crimson by anyone other than founder
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session ...
. He maintained this position despite several splits or hiatuses in group activity, and notwithstanding a brief period in the early 1990s when Fripp unsuccessfully invited singer
David Sylvian
David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan. The band's androgynous look and increasingly ...
to front a possible new version of the band.
Belew's involvement with the band began while he was still involved with Talking Heads. Having been impressed by Belew's work with GaGa and David Bowie,
Fripp asked Belew to join his new four-piece band (at that time called Discipline) as singer and second guitarist. At the time, Belew was busy not just with Talking Heads but also with the imminent Tom Tom Club sessions and the recording of his debut solo album. However, he realized that Talking Heads' internal politics would eventually either sideline or obstruct him (coupled with the fact that the band looked as if it would be on hiatus for a while). Belew opted to uncouple himself from Talking Heads and join Fripp, with whom he would have more opportunities to develop and express himself. One of his conditions for joining the new band was that he would be allowed time to continue and develop his new solo career, to which Fripp agreed.
The Discipline lineup was completed by the former King Crimson drummer
Bill Bruford
William Scott Bruford (born 17 May 1949) is an English former drummer and percussionist who first gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving Yes in 1972, Bruford spent the rest of the 1970s recording ...
and the New York session ace
Tony Levin
Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer, specializing in electric bass, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (since 198 ...
on bass guitar and
Chapman Stick
The Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and is used to play bass lines, melody lines, ...
. During initial touring, the members of the band discussed the possibility of renaming themselves King Crimson. This had not been the original intention for the band, but all members generally agreed that this would be both appropriate and useful. This made Belew the first guitarist to formally play alongside Fripp within King Crimson on an equal footing (although both
Ian McDonald and
John Wetton
John Kenneth Wetton (12 June 1949 – 31 January 2017) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. Known for his dexterous bass playing and booming baritone voice, Wetton first gained fame in the early 1970s.
Wetton was the singer and p ...
had occasionally contributed extra guitar to previous King Crimson recordings). He was also the first King Crimson singer to write all of his own lyrics.
The renamed band released and toured the well-received ''
Discipline
Discipline refers to rule following behavior, to regulate, order, control and authority. It may also refer to punishment. Discipline is used to create habits, routines, and automatic mechanisms such as blind obedience. It may be inflicted on ot ...
'' album later in 1981, bringing Belew further acclaim. The follow-up, 1982's ''
Beat
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery (c ...
'', proved harder to record. Finding himself responsible for the bulk of the band's songwriting and dealing with the extra pressures of being the frontman in a high-level group, Belew squabbled with Fripp over the group's approach and sound. Disagreements were mostly resolved and the band continued to find success as a live act. However, 1984's ''
Three of a Perfect Pair
''Three of a Perfect Pair'' is the tenth studio album by English band King Crimson, released in March 1984 by record label E.G. It is the final studio album to feature the quartet of Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford.
Con ...
'' proved tortuous to write, and although King Crimson eventually created another successful album (including some Belew experiments with
fretless guitar
A fretless guitar is a guitar with a fingerboard without frets, typically a standard instrument that has had the frets removed, though some custom-built and commercial fretless guitars are occasionally made.
The classic fretless guitar was fir ...
), Fripp opted to split the band in 1984. The live album ''
Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal'' (originally a radio broadcast, released as an album in 1998) captured the band in full force on their last gig.
Despite the disagreements of the time, the members of the 1981–1984 King Crimson maintained enough camaraderie and mutual respect to reunite in 1994 (adding second drummer
Pat Mastellotto and
Warr Guitar
The Warr Guitar is an American-made touch guitar, a type of instrument that combines both bass and melodic strings on a single fretboard. It is related to the Chapman Stick, another two-handed tapping instrument. The Warr guitar is designed for ...
ist
Trey Gunn
Trey Gunn (born December 13, 1960) is an American musician, known for his membership in the progressive rock band King Crimson from 1994 to 2003, playing Warr Guitar and Chapman Stick.
Biography
A native Texan who now resides in Seattle, Washi ...
) with Belew continuing as the band's singer, guitarist, and frontman. The six-piece King Crimson toured successfully and were together until 1997, releasing the ''
THRAK
''Thrak'' (stylised in all caps) is the eleventh studio album by the band King Crimson released in 1995 through Virgin Records. It was preceded by the mini-album ''Vrooom'' in 1994.
It is their first full-length studio album since '' Three of a ...
'' album and several live recordings. From 1997 onward, Belew participated in several of the
ProjeKcts
The ProjeKcts are a succession of spin-off projects associated with the band King Crimson.
The ProjeKcts were most active from 1997 to 1999, but have performed intermittently since. These earlier ProjeKcts, up to ProjeKct Six in 2006, were devo ...
, a series of instrumental and experimental King Crimson
side project
In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style.
Usually these projects emphasize a ...
s active during the band's hiatuses, in which he predominantly played
electronic drums
Electronic drums is a modern electronic musical instrument, primarily designed to serve as an alternative to an acoustic drum kit. Electronic drums consist of an electronic sound module which produces the synthesized or sampled percussion sounds ...
.
Belew was a member of the slimmed-down quartet version of King Crimson (minus Bruford and Levin) which played and recorded between 2000 and 2004, releasing ''
the construKction of light'' and ''
The Power to Believe'' (in addition to several live albums and EPs), as well as touring as an
opening act
A opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, or supporting act, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform again a ...
for
Tool
A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...
in 2001. After a further four-year hiatus, the band returned to active work in 2008 as a five-piece (with the addition of
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned critical acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, developed a cult following, and became ...
drummer
Gavin Harrison
Gavin Richard Harrison (born 28 May 1963) is an English musician. He is best known for playing with the progressive rock bands Porcupine Tree (2002–2010; 2021–present), King Crimson (2008, and 2014–present) and The Pineapple Thief (2016â ...
, and Levin returning to replace Gunn). From 2000 through 2008, King Crimson used Belew's studio at his home outside
Mount Juliet, Tennessee, for rehearsals and recording.
In September 2013, following yet another four-year band hiatus, Fripp announced the formation of a new seven-piece King Crimson which did not include Belew. Belew stated on his Facebook page that Fripp had told him that he "would not be right" for what Fripp had in mind for the new version of the band.
Solo career, part two (1983–1986)
Following the release of his first solo album ''Lone Rhino'' in 1982, Belew recorded a 1983 follow-up called ''
Twang Bar King
''Twang Bar King'' is the second solo album by American musician Adrian Belew. It was released in 1983 on Island Records.
The album peaked at No. 146 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
Production
Made while Belew was the frontman of King Crimson, ''Twa ...
'', which once again featured GaGa as backing band (now augmented by former
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
drummer
Larrie Londin
Ralph Gallant (October 15, 1943 − August 24, 1992), better known by the stage name Larrie Londin, was an American drummer and session musician. According to journalist James Byron Fox, "If not the best known, Larrie is one of the most listene ...
).
His next solo album was recorded in 1986, and was an experimental all-instrumental album of processed guitar, guitar synthesizer, and percussion called ''
Desire Caught By the Tail''. Belew has subsequently claimed that the record cost him his contract with Island Records due to its highly uncommercial nature.
From 1986 to 1989, Belew's solo career was on hold while he concentrated on
The Bears.
The Bears (1985–1989, 1997–present)
Following King Crimson's breakup/entry into hiatus in 1984, Belew formed the pop band The Bears with fellow guitarist and singer
Rob Fetters, drummer Chris Arduser, and bass guitarist Bob Nyswonger. All three were close friends of Belew whom he'd met during his Sweetheart days in the mid-1970s, and were also ex-members of The Raisins, a
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
-based band that had some local success in the early 1980s and had an album produced by Belew.
As a band, The Bears was a conscious attempt to create a more unified and collective group, with Belew and Fetters sharing lead vocal duties. Although Belew's guitar skills were still in evidence, they took second place to the band's commitment to songs. Signing to the I.R.S. Records subsidiary Primitive Man Recording Company, The Bears recorded and released two albums, 1987's ''The Bears'', and 1988's ''Rise and Shine''. After three years of constant recording, promotion, and touring, the band broke up in 1989 following the collapse of PMRC. The success of Belew's solo hit single "Oh Daddy" led to him touring with David Bowie. The remaining three Bears regrouped as psychodots.
All four musicians remained friends, stayed in contact with each other, and continued to help each other. Arduser drummed on Belew's 1992 solo album, ''Inner Revolution'' (with Fetters joining the 1992 touring band). On the tour supporting Belew's ''Here'' album in 1994, psychodots played as both the opening act and as Belew's backing band. Belew would also co-write two songs on Rob Fetters' ''Lefty Loose – Righty Tight'' album in 1998.
Since 1997, The Bears have regularly reunited in the studio for intermittent recording sessions. This has resulted in two further albums to date, 2001's ''Car Caught Fire'', and 2007's ''Eureka''. The band perform short tours to promote the releases and continue to work together around the varied schedules of all four members.
Solo career, part three (1989–present)
Belew revived his solo career with 1989's ''
Mr. Music Head'', on which he played virtually all the instruments (with the exception of double bass). The album was split between relatively straightforward pop and more experimental songs, with a strong emphasis on Belew's signature electric tones, plus plenty of percussion and an unusual approach to acoustic production. ''Mr. Music Head'' also generated a hit single (No. 5 on the US Modern Rock chart) in the shape of "Oh Daddy," on which Belew duetted with his 11-year-old daughter Audie.
In 1990, Belew produced a similar follow-up with ''
Young Lions''. This featured a number of cover versions, plus two guest appearances by his past and current employer David Bowie, who'd hired Belew as musical director for his then-current
Sound+Vision Tour
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
. The album generated another US Modern rock chart hit (No. 2) with the Belew-and-Bowie duet "Pretty Pink Rose," and a minor hit on the same chart with the subsequent single, "Men In Helicopters" (No. 17).
The following year, Belew released ''
Desire of the Rhino King
''Desire of the Rhino King'' is a compilation album released in 1991 by experimental rock musician and guitarist Adrian Belew. It includes songs from Belew's first three solo albums for Island Records: ''Lone Rhino'' (1982), ''Twang Bar King'' (19 ...
'', a compilation of digitally remastered material from his first three (now out-of-print) albums.
The next phase in Belew's career saw him pursuing a more traditional singing and songwriting style (albeit with his trademark unusual guitar tones), which owed a lot to his old heroes The Beatles. 1992's ''
Inner Revolution'', and 1994's ''
Here
Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to:
Software
* Here Technologies, a mapping company
* Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here
Television
* Here TV (formerly "here!"), a TV ...
'' (as well as 1993's self-explanatory and back-catalogue-revisiting ''
The Acoustic Adrian Belew'') were all heavily song-oriented and accessible, but sold less than Belew expected. 1996's ''
Op Zop Too Wah'' blended Belew's solid songwriting approach with more avant-garde instrumental coloration.
In parallel to Belew's work with a revived
King Crimson
King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
, he released the first in a proposed Experimental Guitar Series, ''
The Guitar as Orchestra: Experimental Guitar Series, Vol. 1'', in 1997. A return to the all-instrumental avant-garde territories of ''Desire Caught by the Tail'', this was an album of atonal contemporary classical music entirely realized on MIDI guitar using digital models of orchestral instruments. Belew has mentioned plans for releasing more records in the Experimental Guitar series, including one called ''The Animal Kingdom'', but to date, no more have been released (probably due to the modest sales of the first volume).
![Adrian_Belew_Bowie_2022](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Adrian_Belew_Bowie_2022.jpg)
Belew's subsequent releases were two more acoustic albums, 1998's ''
Belew Prints: The Acoustic Adrian Belew, Vol. 2'', and the 1999 ''
Salad Days
"Salad days" is a Shakespearean idiom referring to a period of carefree innocence, idealism, and pleasure associated with youth. The modern use, chiefly in the United States, describes a heyday, when a person is/was at the peak of their abilitie ...
'' compilation, as well as the ''
Coming Attractions'' album of works-in-progress. In 2004, he collaborated on a spoken-word-and-instrumentation album with
Kevin Max
Kevin Max Smith (born August 17, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk. As a solo artist following the band going on hiatus, he has recorded 12 full-length studi ...
, called ''
Raven Songs 101
Raven Songs 101 is a spoken-word album by Kevin Max and Adrian Belew
Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist ...
''. Between 2005 and 2007, Belew released the ''Side'' series of albums: 2005's ''
Side One
''Side One'' is the thirteenth solo album by Adrian Belew, originally released in 2005. The album features bassist Les Claypool (from Primus) and drummer Danny Carey (from Tool) on its first three tracks.
The track "Beat Box Guitar" was nominate ...
'' and ''
Side Two
''Side Two'' is the fourteenth solo album by Adrian Belew, released in 2005. It was recorded in his home studio and he played all the instruments himself.
It is part of a series of albums. The other three are '' Side One'', ''Side Three'' and '' ...
'', 2006's ''
Side Three
''Side Three'' is the fifteenth solo album by Adrian Belew, released in 2006.
The album features contributions from various other musicians including Tool's Danny Carey on drums, Primus' Les Claypool on bass guitar and a single guest appearance ...
'', and 2007's ''
Side Four
''Side Four'' is a live album by the artist Adrian Belew, originally released on November 16, 2007.
The album was recorded live at Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, Ohio on
February 16, 2007. The tracks "Dinosaur", "Three of a Perfect Pair" and "The ...
'', with a variety of guest performers, including Tool's
Danny Carey
Daniel Edwin Carey (born May 10, 1961) is an American musician and songwriter. He is the drummer for the American rock band Tool. He has also contributed to albums by artists such as Zaum, Green Jellö, Pigface, Skinny Puppy, Adrian Belew, Carol ...
and
Primus'
Les Claypool
Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and author. He is best known as the founder, lead singer, bassist, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the ro ...
.
In April and May 2006, Adrian toured Australia with local musicians
John Prior from
Matt Finish
Matt Finish are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in mid-1979 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Matt Moffitt (1956–2003) and drummer, composer and producer John Prior (musician), John Prior. The 1981 line-up of Moffitt, Prior, Rich ...
playing drums, and Al Slavik playing bass guitar and
Stick
Stick or the stick may refer to:
Thin elongated objects
* Twig
* The weapon used in stick fighting
* Walking stick, a device to facilitate balancing while walking
* Shepherd's crook
* Swagger stick
* Digging stick
* Swizzle stick, used to stir d ...
(as well as singing backing vocals). In August 2006, he performed in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, Georgia, on The Acoustic Planet Tour with
Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and
Umphrey's McGee
Umphrey's McGee is an American jam band originally from South Bend, Indiana. The band experiments with many musical styles, including rock, metal, funk, jazz, blues, reggae, electronic, bluegrass, country, and folk. They have toured regularly ...
.
Later in 2006, Belew formed a new long-term trio, which his fans rapidly christened "The Adrian Belew Power Trio", featuring former
Paul Green School of Rock students
Eric Slick
Eric Slick (born May 15, 1987) is an American singer, songwriter and drummer. He is the drummer of Dr. Dog, performing on their albums ''Shame, Shame'' (2010), ''Be The Void'' (2012), ''B-Room'' (2013), ''The Psychedelic Swamp'' (2016) ''Abandone ...
on drums and Julie Slick on bass. This band featured on the 2007 live recording ''
Side Four
''Side Four'' is a live album by the artist Adrian Belew, originally released on November 16, 2007.
The album was recorded live at Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, Ohio on
February 16, 2007. The tracks "Dinosaur", "Three of a Perfect Pair" and "The ...
'' and the 2009 download-only ''Live Overseas''.
In 2008, Belew played at the Adelaide Guitar Festival.
In June 2009, the Adrian Belew Power Trio released an all-new studio record titled simply ''e.'', featuring a five-part long-form Belew instrumental composition. During the same month, Belew released ''A Cup of Coffee and a Slice of Time'', an album credited to "Clay & Belew." This was an album of improvised classical-based interpretations of Belew songs (both solo and from King Crimson) mostly performed by pianist Michael Clay, with additional guitar, cello, and
music concrete contributions from Belew.
Belew has been a frequent contributor to
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
, guesting on the albums ''
The Downward Spiral
''The Downward Spiral'' is the second studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on March 8, 1994 by Nothing Records in the United States and Island Records in Europe. It is a concept album detailing the self-destru ...
'', ''
The Fragile
''The Fragile'' is the third studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as a double album by Nothing Records and Interscope Records on September 21, 1999. It was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor ...
'', ''
Ghosts I–IV
''Ghosts I–IV'' is the sixth studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by The Null Corporation on March 2, 2008. It was the band's first independent release following their split from longtime label Interscope Recor ...
'' and ''
Hesitation Marks
''Hesitation Marks'' is the eighth studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on August 30, 2013, by The Null Corporation and distributed by Columbia Records in the United States and Polydor Records elsewhere. It was ...
''. The group's frontman
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, wh ...
briefly named Belew as the group's touring guitarist in 2013, but he ultimately left the group before playing any live dates.
On January 16, 2019, Belew announced an expansion of his "Power Trio" to a quartet and 2019 tour. Band members are Jordan Perlson on drums, Saul Zonana on keyboards, guitar, and vocals, and bassist Julie Slick.
In 2022, Belew participated in the "Celebrating David Bowie" tour, featuring
Angelo Moore
Angelo Carmen Christopher Moore (born November 5, 1965) is an American musician, best known for his work as lead singer and saxophonist for the Los Angeles ska and funk metal band Fishbone. Moore also performs and records under the stage name Dr ...
,
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...
, and others.
FLUX apps
Most recently, Belew has moved into working with
mobile app
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...
platforms via his self-designed
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
apps ''FLUX:FX – the professional audio multi-effects app'' and ''FLUX by belew''™, which contain over three hundred audio tracks and pieces of artwork that he describes as "never playing the same twice." ''FLUX:FX'' is a real-time audio manipulation app for the
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...
that he said "lets me make sounds that I can't get with any other gear." Both apps have gathered significant industry recognition, including being honored twice in the 2015
Webby Award
The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories include ...
s and receiving a 'best of the best' at the 2015
Red Dot
The Red Dot Design Award is a German international design prize awarded by Red Dot GmbH & Co. KG. There are prize categories for product design, brands and communication design, and design concept. Since 1955, designers and producers can apply ...
Design Awards.
Musical style
Although he has frequently worked as a lead singer, Belew is best known as a guitar player with a highly unusual but accessible playing style (featuring bizarre electronic tones, unorthodox playing techniques, and a wide variety of sonic effects, including guitar-based impressions of animals, birds, insects, vehicles, and mechanical noise). Among his best-known guitar playing is the riff to Tom Tom Club's "
Genius of Love
"Genius of Love" is a 1981 hit song by Tom Tom Club from their 1981 eponymous debut album. It reached number one on the '' Billboard'' Disco Top 80 chart.
Background
"Genius of Love" is Tom Tom Club's second single. Although the album had not ...
," the overdriven solos on Talking Heads' "
The Great Curve," the wild whammy-bar melodies on his own Top 10 hit "Oh Daddy," and the careening elephant impressions on King Crimson's "Elephant Talk."
Part of Belew's sound creation involves physical techniques including
tapping
Tapping is a playing technique that can be used on any stringed instrument, but which is most commonly used on guitar. The technique involves a string being fretted and set into vibration as part of a single motion. This is in contrast to stand ...
, pick scrapes, bending the neck, unorthodox use of the guitar slide, and occasional employment of objects (such as files) to attack the strings. In his riffs, he generally includes fret intonation work, and is even known to produce sounds from off the fret board, including the stringed portion of the nut and bridge. He is widely considered to be a master of the
tremolo arm
A vibrato system on a guitar is a mechanical device used to temporarily change the pitch of the strings. Instruments without a vibrato have other bridge and tailpiece systems. They add vibrato to the sound by changing the tension of the string ...
(whammy bar), something which he humorously referred to in his song "Twang Bar King" (which itself features a whammy-bar solo).
Belew uses a wide variety of heavily synthesized and electronically altered guitar tones. Over the years he has become known for playing various guitars processed through an immense array of electronic effects devices ("I'm surrounded by guitar pedals, though. I can't step out the ring I'm surrounded in without stepping on a pedal," he told ''Adelaide.now'' in 2008.
) He has also stated that he composes specifically for certain amps and effects. Lamenting the demise of one specific amplifier made by now-defunct
Johnson Amplification, he said, "I wrote specific sounds and types of looping and things that I just can't seem to make other amps do." While he has used many brands of effects pedals,
Electro Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix (also commonly referred to as EHX) is a New York City-based company that makes electronic audio processors and sells rebranded vacuum tubes. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. It is best known for a series of gu ...
was one of his mainstays.
Belew is a pioneer of guitar synthesizers, having been one of the first players to bring them to, and consistently use them in, popular music. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was a user of the Roland GR300 (alongside
Andy Summers
Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942), is an English guitarist who was a member of the rock band The Police. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a band member in 2003. Summers has recorded solo albums, collaborated w ...
,
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer.
He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progre ...
, and Robert Fripp). In the late 1980s and the 1990s, he used the Roland GR1. He now favors the
Line 6 Variax digital modelling system. In the early 1980s, Belew was notable for owning and using a rare Roland GR505 fretless guitar synthesizer.
Belew's first guitar was a
Gibson Firebird
The Gibson Firebird is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured by Gibson beginning in 1963.
History
The Gibson Guitar Corporation released several new styles during the 1950s to compete with Fender's solid-body instruments, such as the Telecas ...
that he bought for $170.
Belew now has a signature
Parker Fly
The Parker Fly was a model of electric guitar built by Parker Guitars. It was designed by Ken Parker and Larry Fishman, and first produced in 1993. The Fly is unique among electric guitars in the way it uses composite materials. It is notable f ...
guitar, the company's first.
Belew has also been seen playing an extraordinarily flexible rubber-neck guitar in the
Laurie Anderson
Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...
film ''Home of the Brave'' and in the video for his 1989 single "Oh Daddy." In 2007, he revealed that the guitar's neck was rubber containing "metal vertebrae" and that it was solely a visual (and unplayable) prop.
As a singer, Belew is noted for the distinct, nasal, sometimes manic feel of his vocals. His singing voice is often compared to that of Talking Heads' David Byrne, with whom Belew worked between 1979 and 1981.
In addition to his singing and guitar playing talents, Belew is an accomplished drummer and percussionist, and also plays bass guitar, upright bass, keyboards, and cello.
Belew has cited Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles,
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...
,
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...
, and
George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...
as particular influences. He has also cited
Spike Jones
Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones (December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader specializing in spoof arrangements of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment were punctuated with gun ...
as an influence for the goofy and
absurdist humor that occasionally appears in his lyrics.
Equipment setup
In 2010, Guitar Geek interviewed Belew's guitar technician André Cholmondeley, creating a list and diagram of Belew's guitar setup at the time.
An instructional video from 1984 shows he also used an A/DA Flanger, an Electro-Harmonix Octave Multiplexer, an Electro-Harmonix 16 Second Digital Delay, an Electro-Harmonix Frequency Analyzer, two Foxx Tone Machine Fuzzes, a Boss DM-2 Delay, an Electro-Harmonix Micro Synthesizer, an MXR Dyna Comp, a Pitch-Voltage Synthesizer, 3 Boss Volume Pedals, two MXR 10 band graphic equalizers, a Roland GR-300 Guitar Synthesizer, a Boss pedal switcher, an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, an Electro-Harmonix Foot Controller, a tape loop machine, and an Electro-Harmonix Stereo Polychorus.
Belew is always adjusting his live setup, and according to audio engineer Daniel Rowland, he uses an Axe-FX II, Liquid Foot 12+ controller, Roland VG-99, Kemper profiling amp, a Keeley Compressor pedal, Ableton Live (running on an Apple Macbook), Soundblox Multi-wave distortion, DigiTech HarmonyMan, iConnectMidi 4+, MOTU Ultralite 3 hybrid, Keith Mcmillen Instruments Softstep 2, and his own NOIISE FLUX:FX iPad app through the Bose L1 and Atomic monitoring wedges. This was the rig seen by fans on his 2019 tour.
Legacy
Many artists have expressed their admiration for Belew or have cited him as an influence, including
Adam Jones of Tool,
Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English musician. He is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield, Storm Corrosio ...
,
Henry Rollins
Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rolli ...
,
St. Vincent
Saint Vincent may refer to:
People Saints
* Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr
* Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia
* Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...
,
Anneke van Giersbergen
Anna Maria "Anneke" van Giersbergen (born 8 March 1973) is a Dutch singer, songwriter and guitarist who became known worldwide as the lead singer for the rock band The Gathering between 1994 and 2007. She also has a solo career. The project wa ...
of
The Gathering,
Garry Roberts
Garrick Roberts (16 June 1950 – 9 November 2022) was an Irish musician best known as the lead guitarist with The Boomtown Rats, a band which came into being in 1976. He and Johnnie Fingers (Moylett) had decided to put a band together and, be ...
of
The Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats are an Irish rock band originally formed in Dublin in 1975. Between 1977 and 1985, they had a series of Irish and UK hits including "Like Clockwork", "Rat Trap", "I Don't Like Mondays" and "Banana Republic". The original line ...
, William Rees of
Mystery Jets
Mystery Jets are an English indie rock band, formerly based on Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, London. The band consists of Blaine Harrison (vocals, guitar and keyboards), Jack Flanagan (bass and vocals), Kapil Trivedi (drums) and Henry Harriso ...
,
Nick Reinhart of
Tera Melos
Tera Melos is an American math rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2004. They incorporate many styles of rock, ambient electronics and unconventional song structures. They are currently a three-piece, consisting of guitarist/keyboard ...
, Josh Christian of
Toxik
Toxik is an American thrash metal band formed in 1985 in Peekskill, New York. After breaking up for the first time in 1992 and briefly reuniting in 2007, the band reformed once again in 2013. Toxik has gone through several lineup changes over ...
, and Sean Worrell of
Nero di Marte. In a 1994 interview with ''
Guitar Player
''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print si ...
'' magazine, Trent Reznor described Adrian Belew as "the most awesome musician in the world."
Session credits and other work
Belew is well regarded for his contributions, particularly on guitar, to various other artists' recordings.
In the 1980s, following his work with Talking Heads, he became an in-demand session player. Among the albums he contributed to during this period were
Ryuichi Sakamoto
is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto inf ...
's ''Left-handed Dream'' in 1981,
Joan Armatrading
Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, (, born 9 December 1950) is a Kittitian-English singer-songwriter and guitarist.
A three-time Grammy Award nominee, Armatrading has also been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist. She received ...
's ''
The Key'' in 1983,
Peter Wolf
Peter Wolf (born March 7, 1946) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist of the J. Geils Band from 1967 to 1983 and as a solo artist.
Early life and education
Peter Wolf was born Peter Walter Blankfield on March 7, 1946 in The ...
's ''
Lights Out'' and
Jean Michel Jarre
Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompanie ...
's ''
Zoolook
''Zoolook'' is the seventh studio album by French electronic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, released in November 1984 by Disques Dreyfus. Much of the music is built up from singing and speech in 25 different languages recorded and edited ...
'' (both in 1984),
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...
's ''
True Colors'' and
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...
's ''
Graceland
Graceland is a mansion on a estate in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, which was once owned by rock and roll icon Elvis Presley. His daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, inherited Graceland after his death in 1977. Graceland is located at 3764 Elv ...
'' (both in 1986), and
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
's ''
Earth Moving
''Earth Moving'' is the 12th record album by British musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1989. Unlike Oldfield's albums released prior to ''Earth Moving'', the album contains no instrumental tracks.
Album analysis
Oldfield used several vocali ...
'' in 1989. During the mid-1980s, he frequently worked with Laurie Anderson, appearing on 1983's ''
Mister Heartbreak
''Mister Heartbreak'' is the second studio album by avant-garde artist, singer and composer Laurie Anderson, released on February 14, 1984.
Like its predecessor, it contains reworked elements of Anderson's ''United States'' ("Langue d'Amour", "Ko ...
'' album and her subsequent concert film, ''
Home of the Brave'' (in which, among other things, he mimed playing on a specially constructed rubber-neck guitar and wore a paper bag over his head). In his 1984 instructional video ''Electronic Guitar'', Belew explained and demonstrated the technology and techniques used to create some of his signature music.
In 1993, Belew played "synthesized guitar" on the song "
God Shuffled His Feet
''God Shuffled His Feet'' is the second album by Canadian band Crash Test Dummies, released in 1993. It features their most popular single, "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm". The cover art superimposes the band members' faces over the figures of Titian's paintin ...
" by
Crash Test Dummies
Crash Test Dummies are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The band is most identifiable through Brad Roberts (vocals, guitar) and his distinctive bass-baritone voice. The band members have fluctuated over the years, but its best kno ...
and also contributed to Sara Hickman's ''Necessary Angels'' album. In 1994, he first established himself as Trent Reznor's guest guitarist of choice, contributing to four Nine Inch Nails albums over the next nineteen years (''
The Downward Spiral
''The Downward Spiral'' is the second studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on March 8, 1994 by Nothing Records in the United States and Island Records in Europe. It is a concept album detailing the self-destru ...
'', ''
The Fragile
''The Fragile'' is the third studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as a double album by Nothing Records and Interscope Records on September 21, 1999. It was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor ...
'', ''
Ghosts I-IV
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
'', and ''
Hesitation Marks
''Hesitation Marks'' is the eighth studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on August 30, 2013, by The Null Corporation and distributed by Columbia Records in the United States and Polydor Records elsewhere. It was ...
''). He worked again with Laurie Anderson on her 1994 album, ''
Bright Red
''Bright Red'' is the fifth studio album by American avant-garde musician Laurie Anderson, released by Warner Bros. in 1994.
The album continues the more pop-oriented direction Anderson launched with '' Strange Angels''. Produced by Brian Eno ( ...
''. During the 2000s, Belew was prominently featured on
Tori Amos
Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
's 2001 album of
cover versions
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
, ''
Strange Little Girls'', and played on
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
's second musical album, ''
Has Been
''Has Been'' (2004) is William Shatner's second musical album after 1968's ''The Transformed Man''. The album was produced and arranged by Ben Folds and most of the songs are co-written by Folds and Shatner, with Folds creating arrangements fo ...
'', in 2004. In 2005, he featured as "primary guitarist" on the album ''Habitat'' by
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
band Man on Fire and contributed two solos to
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned critical acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, developed a cult following, and became ...
's album ''
Deadwing
''Deadwing'' is the eighth studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, released in Japan on 24 March 2005, in Europe on 28 March, and in the US on 26 April. It quickly became the band's best selling album, although it was l ...
''. In 2006 and 2007, Belew contributed to two
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
tribute albums produced by
Billy Sherwood
William Wyman Sherwood (born March 14, 1965) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer, record producer and mixing engineer. He is best known for his tenures in the English progressive rock band Yes (band), Yes as guitarist and ke ...
: ''
Back Against The Wall
''Back Against the Wall'' is an album released in 2005 by Billy Sherwood in collaboration with a number of (mostly) progressive rock artists as a tribute to Pink Floyd's album ''The Wall''. A year later, Sherwood followed it with the release of ...
'', and ''
Return to the Dark Side of the Moon
''Return to the Dark Side of the Moon'' (subtitled: ''A Tribute to Pink Floyd'') is a tribute album organised by Billy Sherwood, and released in 2006 on Purple Pyramid. It is a re-creation of Pink Floyd's '' The Dark Side of the Moon'', and a sequ ...
''.
In 2016, Belew scored the
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...
short film ''
Piper
Piper may refer to:
People
* Piper (given name)
* Piper (surname)
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Comics
* Piper (Morlock), in the Marvel Universe
* Piper (Mutate), in the Marvel Universe
Television
* Piper Chapman, lea ...
'', which was shown before ''
Finding Dory
''Finding Dory'' is a 2016 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton, produced by Lindsey Collins and written by Stanton and Vict ...
'' in theaters. He also featured on the album ''The News'' by Italian progressive/eclectic rock band N.y.X.
Belew as producer
In 1983, Belew produced the eponymous debut album for The Raisins. In 1985, he produced
The Elvis Brothers
The Elvis Brothers were a Rock music, rock/Pop music, pop trio (and sometimes quartet) that got its start in Champaign, Illinois in 1981, and were "staples of midwest clubs and theaters from the early 80s through the early 90s". The members were R ...
's second album, ''Adventure Time''.
During the 1990s, he began making more of a name for himself as a producer, most notably producing two tracks on
Jars of Clay's
debut album in 1995 (including the crossover Christian hit "
Flood
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
"), but also producing The Irresponsibles' 1999 album, ''When Pigs Fly''.
Belew has also produced and played on albums by three Mexican rock bands:
Caifanes
Caifanes is a rock band from Mexico City. Formed in 1987, the group achieved international fame during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The original line-up was Saúl Hernández (vocals and guitar), Sabo Romo (bass guitar), (drums) and Diego He ...
's 1992 album, ''
El silencio
''El Silencio'' (The Silence) is a studio album by Mexican rock band Caifanes, released in 1992. It was produced by Adrian Belew. It is the last Caifanes album to feature bassist Sabo Romo and keyboardist/saxophonist Diego Herrera.
Critical rece ...
'';
Santa Sabina
The Basilica of Saint Sabina ( la, Basilica Sanctae Sabinae, it, Basilica di Santa Sabina all'Aventino) is a historic church on the Aventine Hill in Rome, Italy. It is a titular minor basilica and mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Pre ...
's 1994 album, ''SÃmbolos'', and
Jaguares' 2005 album, ''
Cronicas de un Laberinto''.
Belew was credited as co-producer and musician on
Kevin Max
Kevin Max Smith (born August 17, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk. As a solo artist following the band going on hiatus, he has recorded 12 full-length studi ...
's 2001 album, ''
Stereotype Be''.
Belew as instrument designer
Belew has also worked in instrument design, collaborating with
Parker Guitars
Parker Guitars was an American manufacturer of electric and acoustic guitars and basses, founded by luthier Ken Parker in 1993. Parker guitars were distinguished for their characteristic light weight and the use of composite materials. to help design his own
Parker Fly
The Parker Fly was a model of electric guitar built by Parker Guitars. It was designed by Ken Parker and Larry Fishman, and first produced in 1993. The Fly is unique among electric guitars in the way it uses composite materials. It is notable f ...
signature guitar. This guitar is noticeably different from the standard design, containing advanced electronics, such as a sustainer pickup and a
Line 6 Variax guitar modelling system. It is also
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...
-capable, allowing it to be used with any synthesizer with MIDI connectivity.
Appearances in other media
Belew has appeared in a series of Japanese advertisements promoting the chemical and electronics company
Daikin in which he emulated animal noises with his guitar and appeared as the conductor, conducting a symphony in which all the members were versions of himself playing guitar.
[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Lone Rhino'' (1982)
*''
Twang Bar King
''Twang Bar King'' is the second solo album by American musician Adrian Belew. It was released in 1983 on Island Records.
The album peaked at No. 146 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
Production
Made while Belew was the frontman of King Crimson, ''Twa ...
'' (1983)
*''
Desire Caught By the Tail'' (1986)
*''
Mr. Music Head'' (1989)
*''
Young Lions'' (1990)
*''
Inner Revolution'' (1992)
*''
The Acoustic Adrian Belew'' (1993)
*''
Here
Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to:
Software
* Here Technologies, a mapping company
* Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here
Television
* Here TV (formerly "here!"), a TV ...
'' (1994)
*''
The Experimental Guitar Series Volume 1: The Guitar as Orchestra'' (1995)
*''
Op Zop Too Wah'' (1996)
*''
Belew Prints: The Acoustic Adrian Belew, Vol. 2'' (1998)
*''
Salad Days
"Salad days" is a Shakespearean idiom referring to a period of carefree innocence, idealism, and pleasure associated with youth. The modern use, chiefly in the United States, describes a heyday, when a person is/was at the peak of their abilitie ...
'' (1999)
*''
Side One
''Side One'' is the thirteenth solo album by Adrian Belew, originally released in 2005. The album features bassist Les Claypool (from Primus) and drummer Danny Carey (from Tool) on its first three tracks.
The track "Beat Box Guitar" was nominate ...
'' (2004)
*''
Side Two
''Side Two'' is the fourteenth solo album by Adrian Belew, released in 2005. It was recorded in his home studio and he played all the instruments himself.
It is part of a series of albums. The other three are '' Side One'', ''Side Three'' and '' ...
'' (2005)
*''
Side Three
''Side Three'' is the fifteenth solo album by Adrian Belew, released in 2006.
The album features contributions from various other musicians including Tool's Danny Carey on drums, Primus' Les Claypool on bass guitar and a single guest appearance ...
'' (2006)
*''
e'' (2009)
*''
Pop-Sided'' (2019)
*''Elevator'' (2022)
Live albums
*''
Side Four
''Side Four'' is a live album by the artist Adrian Belew, originally released on November 16, 2007.
The album was recorded live at Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, Ohio on
February 16, 2007. The tracks "Dinosaur", "Three of a Perfect Pair" and "The ...
'' (2007)
*''
Live Overseas'' (2009)
Compilations
*''
Desire of the Rhino King
''Desire of the Rhino King'' is a compilation album released in 1991 by experimental rock musician and guitarist Adrian Belew. It includes songs from Belew's first three solo albums for Island Records: ''Lone Rhino'' (1982), ''Twang Bar King'' (19 ...
'' (1991) – compilation derived from first three albums
*''
Coming Attractions'' (2000)
*''Idiom' on Classwar Karaoke 0031 Survey'' (2015)
Other releases
*with ''
Kevin Max
Kevin Max Smith (born August 17, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk. As a solo artist following the band going on hiatus, he has recorded 12 full-length studi ...
'': ''
Raven Songs 101
Raven Songs 101 is a spoken-word album by Kevin Max and Adrian Belew
Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist ...
'' (2004)
*as ''Clay & Belew'': ''A Cup Of Coffee and a Slice of Time'' (2009)
*with
The New Czars: ''Doomsday Revolution'' (2010)
*via iOS application: "FLUX by belew" (2014)
*''FLUX by belew. Volume One'' (2016)
*''FLUX by belew. Volume Two'' (2017)
Contributions (selection)
with
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...
*1979: ''
Sheik Yerbouti
''Sheik Yerbouti'' is a double album by Frank Zappa, released in March 1979 as the first release on Zappa Records (distributed by Phonogram Inc.) It is mostly made up of live material recorded in 1977 and 1978, with extensive overdubs added i ...
''
("Flakes", "Jones Crusher", "City of Tiny Lites")
*1983: ''
Baby Snakes
''Baby Snakes'' is a film which includes footage from Frank Zappa's 1977 Halloween concert at New York City's Palladium Theater, backstage antics from the crew, and stop motion clay animation from award-winning animator Bruce Bickford.
Relea ...
'' Soundtrack
*1992: ''
You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6''
CD("The Poodle Lecture", "Is That Guy Kidding Or What?", "White Person", "Tryin' To Grow A Chin")
*2008: ''
One Shot Deal
''One Shot Deal'' is an album by Frank Zappa, posthumously released in June 2008.
Overview
The track "Occam's Razor" is a guitar solo extract from a live version of the song "Inca Roads". The solo was used in the song "On the Bus" from the album ...
''
("Heidelberg", recorded February 24, 1978)
*2010: ''
Hammersmith Odeon
The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ha ...
''
(recorded Jan–Feb 1978) CDwith
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
*1978: ''
Stage
Stage or stages may refer to:
Acting
* Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions
* Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage"
* ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper
* Sta ...
''
(recorded Apr–May 1978) CD*1979: ''
Lodger''
("Fantastic Voyage", "Move On", "Red Sails", "DJ", "Boys Keep Swinging", "Repetition", "Red Money")
with
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.[Talkin ...](_blank)
&
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
*1980: ''
Remain in Light
''Remain in Light'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on October 8, 1980 by Sire Records. It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas and Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia during July and Augus ...
''
*1981: ''
The Catherine Wheel''
*1982: ''
The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads''
with
King Crimson
King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
*1981: ''
Discipline
Discipline refers to rule following behavior, to regulate, order, control and authority. It may also refer to punishment. Discipline is used to create habits, routines, and automatic mechanisms such as blind obedience. It may be inflicted on ot ...
''
*1982: ''
Beat
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery (c ...
''
*1984: ''
Three of a Perfect Pair
''Three of a Perfect Pair'' is the tenth studio album by English band King Crimson, released in March 1984 by record label E.G. It is the final studio album to feature the quartet of Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford.
Con ...
''
*1994: ''
Vrooom
''Vrooom'' (stylised as ''VROOOM'') is an EP by the band King Crimson, classified as a mini-album due to its length. It was released in 1994 as a companion to the subsequent full length album ''THRAK'' (1995). It is the first King Crimson rel ...
'' EP
*1995: ''
Thrak
''Thrak'' (stylised in all caps) is the eleventh studio album by the band King Crimson released in 1995 through Virgin Records. It was preceded by the mini-album ''Vrooom'' in 1994.
It is their first full-length studio album since '' Three of a ...
''
*1996: ''
Thrakattak''
*2000: ''
the construKction of light''
*2001: ''
Vrooom Vrooom''
*2003: ''
The Power to Believe''
with
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...
*1981: ''
Magic Windows
''Magic Windows'' is the thirty-second album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, released on September 29, 1981 on Columbia. This album continues his collaboration with associate producer Jeffrey Cohen, who co-wrote four of the tracks on the album. ...
''
with
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth and as a side project from Talking Heads. Their best known songs include " Wordy Rappinghood", " Genius of Love", and a cover ...
*1981: ''
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth and as a side project from Talking Heads. Their best known songs include " Wordy Rappinghood", " Genius of Love", and a cover ...
''
with
Ryuichi Sakamoto
is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto inf ...
*1981: ''Left-handed Dream''
*1990: ''The Arrangement ''
*1994: ''Soundbytes''
with
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...
*1982: ''
Sheffield Steel
''Sheffield Steel'' is the eighth studio album by Joe Cocker, produced by Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin, with Sly and Robbie, Wally Badarou, Barry Reynolds, Mikey Chung and Uziah "Sticky" Thompson, a.k.a. the Compass Point Allstars, a studio ...
''
with
Jean Michel Jarre
Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompanie ...
*1984: ''
Zoolook
''Zoolook'' is the seventh studio album by French electronic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, released in November 1984 by Disques Dreyfus. Much of the music is built up from singing and speech in 25 different languages recorded and edited ...
''
with
Laurie Anderson
Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...
*1984: ''
Mister Heartbreak
''Mister Heartbreak'' is the second studio album by avant-garde artist, singer and composer Laurie Anderson, released on February 14, 1984.
Like its predecessor, it contains reworked elements of Anderson's ''United States'' ("Langue d'Amour", "Ko ...
''
*1986: ''
Home of the Brave (soundtrack)
''Home of the Brave'' is the third studio album and first soundtrack album by avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson, released in 1986 by Warner Bros. Records. The album is a soundtrack of her concert film of the same name.
Three of the eight tracks ...
''
*1994: ''
Bright Red
''Bright Red'' is the fifth studio album by American avant-garde musician Laurie Anderson, released by Warner Bros. in 1994.
The album continues the more pop-oriented direction Anderson launched with '' Strange Angels''. Produced by Brian Eno ( ...
''
with
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...
*1986: ''
True Colors''
with
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...
*1986: ''
Graceland
Graceland is a mansion on a estate in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, which was once owned by rock and roll icon Elvis Presley. His daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, inherited Graceland after his death in 1977. Graceland is located at 3764 Elv ...
''
*1990: ''
The Rhythm of the Saints
''The Rhythm of the Saints'' is the eighth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, released on October 16, 1990 on Warner Bros. In much the same way that Simon's 1986 album ''Graceland'' drew upon South African music, this alb ...
''
with
The Bears
*1987: ''
The Bears''
*1988: ''
Rise and Shine''
*2001: ''Car Caught Fire''
*2007: ''Eureka!''
with
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
*1989: ''
Earth Moving
''Earth Moving'' is the 12th record album by British musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1989. Unlike Oldfield's albums released prior to ''Earth Moving'', the album contains no instrumental tracks.
Album analysis
Oldfield used several vocali ...
''
with
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
*1994: ''
The Downward Spiral
''The Downward Spiral'' is the second studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on March 8, 1994 by Nothing Records in the United States and Island Records in Europe. It is a concept album detailing the self-destru ...
''
*1999: ''
The Fragile
''The Fragile'' is the third studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as a double album by Nothing Records and Interscope Records on September 21, 1999. It was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor ...
''
*2008: ''
Ghosts I-IV
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
''
*2013: ''
Hesitation Marks
''Hesitation Marks'' is the eighth studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on August 30, 2013, by The Null Corporation and distributed by Columbia Records in the United States and Polydor Records elsewhere. It was ...
''
with
Sara Hickman
Sara Hickman (born March 1, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, and artist.Houston Folk Music Archive(Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University)Guide to the Houston Folk Music Archive(Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library ...
*1998 ''
Two Kinds of Laughter
''Two Kinds of Laughter'' is an album by the American singer-songwriter Sara Hickman, released in 1998.
Critical reception
The ''Chicago Tribune'' thought that "Belew generally stays out of the way of Hickman's breezy, congenial folk-pop, keepi ...
''
with
Béla Fleck & the Flecktones
*2000: ''
Outbound''
with
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
*2004: ''
Has Been
''Has Been'' (2004) is William Shatner's second musical album after 1968's ''The Transformed Man''. The album was produced and arranged by Ben Folds and most of the songs are co-written by Folds and Shatner, with Folds creating arrangements fo ...
''
with
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned critical acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, developed a cult following, and became ...
*2005: ''
Deadwing
''Deadwing'' is the eighth studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, released in Japan on 24 March 2005, in Europe on 28 March, and in the US on 26 April. It quickly became the band's best selling album, although it was l ...
''
with
Tony Levin
Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer, specializing in electric bass, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (since 198 ...
*2006: ''
Resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance or resonant behavior. That is, it naturally oscillates with greater amplitude at some frequencies, called resonant frequencies, than at other frequencies. The oscillations in a resonator ...
''
with
N.y.X
*2016: ''The News''
with
Gizmodrome
Gizmodrome (sometimes known as Copeland, King, Cosma & Belew) is a British-Italian-American rock supergroup formed in Milan, Italy in 2017. The four-piece band consists of Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Level 42 bassist Mark King, Italian ke ...
*2017: ''
Gizmodrome
Gizmodrome (sometimes known as Copeland, King, Cosma & Belew) is a British-Italian-American rock supergroup formed in Milan, Italy in 2017. The four-piece band consists of Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Level 42 bassist Mark King, Italian ke ...
''
Singles
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
Adrian Belew InterviewNAMM Oral History Library (2015)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belew, Adrian
1949 births
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
American session musicians
Avant-garde guitarists
Discipline Global Mobile artists
Island Records artists
Atlantic Records artists
Caroline Records artists
King Crimson members
Lead guitarists
Living people
Progressive rock guitarists
Rock musicians from Kentucky
Nine Inch Nails members
People from Covington, Kentucky
Tom Tom Club members
Songwriters from Kentucky
Singers from Kentucky
Guitarists from Kentucky
20th-century American guitarists
Gizmodrome members