Adrian Belew always reminds me of one of my favorite artists, Neil Young. Not because of music style, but because both are willing to try what ever at that moment tickles their fancy and give it their best effort. Some of Young's CDs are huge successes and some just don't work, but every one of them has the feel of someone playing the music that was inspiring them at the time.
Now my Belew CD collection is not nearly as huge as my NY collection, but of the CDs I do own by Belew, or that Belew was a part of, I get that same vibe. Something real and authentic is going on even if I don't always get the hook that is being played.
Side One is a power trio of Belew, Les Claypool and Danny Carey. These three rip through 9 songs of excellent jazz-tingled power rock. The songs are amazingly short, with the CD having a play time of just over 30 minutes. The guitar playing on the first three songs works amazingly well, with "Writing On The Wall" being the most accessible song on the CD.
"Madness" and "Walk Around The World" are very avant-garde songs that break the flow of the CD, but do we really expect anything else from Belew? This CD has that Belew eccentric flavor written all over it.
Side One will appeal to almost every fan of Adrian Belew. Those that are not familiar with his work still should find this very entertaining. You may not go crazy over every song, but you always feel like you were treated to a piece of the artist. What more could you want in a CD.
Track Listing
1) Ampersand (4:23)
2) Writing On The Wall (3:53)
3) Matchless Man (2:32)
4) Madness (6:52)
5) Walk Around The World (4:58)
6) Beat Box Guitar (5:08)
7) Under The Radar (1:39)
8) Elephants (2:15)
9) Pause (1:20)
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