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Adrian Belew
Salad Days
(Thirsty Ear)
Despite his credits has a hired gun for such luminaries as David Bowie, Trent Reznor and David Byrne, electric guitarist Adrian Belew never set out to be a guitarist at all. While few would disagree that his talents extend far beyond slinging the six string, his original aspiration to be a songwriter often gets buried in his restless imagination for studio doodling and technological wizardry. His recently release, Salad Days, attempts to reclaim Adrian's original interest in songs by presenting fourteen of his tunes stripped of the fancy fingering and diverting dynamics. A live recording of "Three of a Perfect Pair" along with two other King Crimson songs sit comfortably with less exotic selections from his solo albums. While there is always room for argument, it is hard to fault Adrian's choices. Primarily an acoustic affair, he has chosen tunes whose theme center around man's disservice to the environment, and the intimate feel of such tunes as "Young Lions" and "Men in Helicopters" brings his messages of irony and injustice to the fore. His recent solo appearance at Milwaukee's Shank Hall revealed a performer with an insatiable appetite for music. Salad Days may show only a small slice of what Adrian can do, but it is a slice of exquisite taste and satisfying proportion.
John Noyd
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