Adrian Belew
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=103637
Printed Date: April 24 2024 at 16:23
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Topic: Adrian Belew
Posted By: condor
Subject: Adrian Belew
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 10:13
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How do you feel about his influence on King Crimson? |
Replies:
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 10:17
| I try not to, to be honest. I really can't stand his lyrics on albums like the Construkction of Light but really dig his rapid fire interplay with Fripp on songs like Level 5, but that's generally an exception to the rule. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 10:47
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To be honest I prefer the Lake and Wetton periods ...never been all that fond of Belew's vocals nor his guitar playing style. But being a KC fan in general I do listen to the Belew era albums and I enjoy them. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: omphaloskepsis
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 10:47
| I like his guitar and voice, his lyrics not so much. I definitely like what Adrian brings to KC live. |
Posted By: questionsneverknown
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 11:21
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Big fan. Loved the Discipline-era, and I still have fond memories of seeing that band live near its end, on the Three of a Perfect Pair tour. Thought the Thrak-era was also marvelous, noisy and inventive. Lone Rhino and Twang Bar King also had a big impact on me at the time. Never fully understood all the hostility toward the man. ------------- The damage that we do is just so powerfully strong we call it love The damage that we do just goes on and on and on but not long enough. --Robyn Hitchcock |
Posted By: Pastmaster
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 11:45
| I'm not a fan of King Crimson in general, but I love 'The Power to Believe'. So in that way, I think he's an important figure to the band. |
Posted By: Gully Foyle
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 12:06
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Critical to the band's history. I'll be interested to see if the current line-up creates anything, or is just a greatest hits machine. If the latter, it only underscores the importance of Belew. Fripp is the center - but i think Belew, along with Bruford, Wetton, Levin, are the other elements which made the band over the decades. I too am always puzzled by the belew-haters.
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Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 12:33
Discipline is my favourite KC album and probably in my top 5 albums of all time. I think I saw them playing it live even before I had the album. It just put a smile on my face when I heard the material for the first time and Belew came out with "talk talk, it's only talk" on "Elephant Talk". (I'm a Talk Talk fan to this day  ). Discipline was something new and exciting and I think his influence was strong in that line-up. Beat and Perfect Pair are also high on my list, as is Thrak (I'm not so keen on much of what came later).The thing is, his singing style was quite different from traditional prog from the 70s, sharper, more urban New Wave, same with his lyrics, many of which I like, but this could explain why many 70s prog lovers couldn't warm to him. Fripp was moving in this direction at the time, too, so I can't really say how much of it was Belew's influence and how much was Fripp (or Bruford or Levin), but I think that Belew was important for them to find a consistent style at the time; Fripp was trying out many small things and didn't show a clear direction before Discipline. |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 13:03
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Love his vocals and like what he brought to KC over the years. KC are one of the few bands who didnt really put a foot wrong throughout their career IMO. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 13:05
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Totally essential to the Crim sound. 94-03 rules!!! ------------- |
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 13:23
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Adrian Belew is 100% brilliant. Better than Lake's period by miles and miles. Wetton period is obviously damn good, but they both fill different niches for me. Unfortunate he is often overlooked for some reason. ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 14:15
| He was brilliant with KC. But I love his work with Laurie Anderson, Talking Heads and Bowie. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 15:03
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I saw King Crimson live for the first time on the Discipline. Totally fine with his guitar, vocals, and lyrics. And I also agree with hellogoodbye. I'd also add his solo work, and his work with The Bears. |
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 17:55
| Adrian Belew never cared for him with Crimson (or Zappa for that matter). Decent musician but I can't tell you what he added that was good to Crimson. Will always love the 'Larks' Tongues' & 'Red' era. |
Posted By: KingCrInuYasha
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 18:23
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Wasn't too fond of him at first, but when I got Absent Lovers, my jaw dropped at his guitar work. He could have given even Jimi Hendrix a run for his money. Then again, Adrian had the advantage of having access to gizmos that Jimi unfortunately didn't live to see or use, but at least Adrian made very good use of them and had the talent to conjure up all sorts of sounds. Good vocalist too, second to Greg Lake. ------------- He looks at this world and wants it all... so he strikes, like Thunderball! |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 21:37
Oh, and I love the Crimson Projekts album, Space Groove. |
questionsneverknown wrote:Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: August 11 2015 at 22:04
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Fantastic player, and genuinely nice chap! (he's from Illinois as am I). Adrian kicked KC into the modern era with his Talking Heads approach to guitar and vocals. The Wetton years were my favorite, but Belew's tenure a close second. However, Fripp "fired" Adrian from joining the re-tooled KC, and I'd say that Jakko Jakszyk is a much better fit for the 1960's and 1970s era KC.
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Posted By: Gully Foyle
Date Posted: August 12 2015 at 06:57
hear hear on Los Osos...they do not get nearly enough love anywhere. An amazing pop group with arty tendencies. I am hoping that the out of KC fiasco and some spare time maybe leads to a new Bears album and tour....been too long
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Posted By: Terakonin
Date Posted: August 12 2015 at 07:33
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One of my absolute favourite musicians. Jaw-dropping, incendiary guitar work all through his career. ------------- You left a note in your perfect script Stay as long as you like I haven't left your bed since |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: August 12 2015 at 11:42
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Someone mentioned above that Fripp 'fired' him...was that due to artistic differences or did Fripp just want more of the retro sound that Jako can bring? My main problem with Belew, which isn't really a problem, is that the KC sound changed radically after the Wetton period which probably (or may have) had more to do with Fripp than anything else. While Belew is a talented player I simply don't care for his style of playing nor the songs he writes...for the most part. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Gully Foyle
Date Posted: August 12 2015 at 12:23
The KC sound also changed radically between the inital lineups and the Wetton era, but folks don't ever seem to complain about that. I think the whole belew 'controversy' is kind of weird and fascinating I think KC is one of the most 'progressive' groups out there, because they refused to rest on their laurels much of the time, and kept forcing change. But, change is not always liked by all people, naturally enough, and this leads to the ironic situation of fans of progressive music wishing a band would stay static. And yes, that raises the whole 'what does progressive mean' foofaraw, but perhaps best not to go down that rabiit hole.
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Posted By: Svetonio
Date Posted: August 12 2015 at 12:29
| I like Discipline era very much, therefore I like Adrian Belew. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: August 12 2015 at 12:58
Good points...and you are right. No one complains as much about the stylistic changes from the first 2 or 3 and then the Wetton period. And then we are back to what does progression or progressive mean? I simply don't care for the 'style' that Belew brings to the song structures but he is certainly a talented player. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: August 12 2015 at 16:07
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Belew dreamed to be Lennon or Mac Carntey. He would have really wanted to make a hit, but as he said in an old interview : "I shall never belong to Radioland". Ah when fingers do not obey the head !  |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: August 12 2015 at 20:35
Belew wrote about being "Fired" by Fripp on his Facebook page:
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: August 14 2015 at 22:49
I've always found Belew's eccentricities he brought to KC the 'wild card' Fripp needed to carry the band into the 80's. Just perfect - the guy could play, sing, and just infuse the whole package with lots of character. Things like Indiscipline, Elephant Talk, Neurotica and Dig Me are more Belew than Fripp. Priceless 
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