Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Belew, Adrian
Label: Sanctuary Records
Release: 2006
Rating: 4/5
The solo work of King Crimson’s most off-the-wall member has gotten its epilogue with “Side Three”, the third and final part of the trilogy he kicked off last year. After “Side One”, which came out in January 2005, and “Side Two”, released in July 2005, “Side Three” rounds out his ambitious trilogy of “Side” albums. Over his solo career, Adrian has gone through plenty of different musical phases so far: from Crimson-style dissonant compositions to tighter, more compact pieces that also had a whiff of pop, and from electronic music to “circus” music (somewhere along the lines of “does humor belong in music?”, the saying of his great musical teacher Frank Zappa). After all that, one thing is certain: Adrian is a musician with an incredibly wide musical range, practically bursting with innovative ideas. To be perfectly honest, Adrian is the central engine and driving force of modern King Crimson, and with his unpredictability, lucidity, rich musical background and ideas he makes sure the band keeps evolving in its musical expression even in the new century. And he proves it with his solo albums too. On both “Side” One and “Side Two”, Belew all but dropped his “pop” influences (mostly the ones from the ’80s), which played an important role on most of his past work, and gave himself over completely to his experimental side. “Side Three” carries on in the same vein as its predecessors. “Side Three” doesn’t have many lyrics (just like the previous two albums), which is definitely a plus for those listeners who put the music before the words. So the music takes center stage on the album. With this record the circle is closed, and Adrian’s various musical styles and ideas are neatly wrapped up. Once again Belew invited some impressive guest musicians. Drummer Danny Carey (Tool) and Les Claypool (Primus) on bass join him occasionally, on two tracks, and together they lay down an excellent rhythm section. And this time there are also two musical legends and big names of progressive rock. The first is none other than “Crimson King” himself, Robert Fripp, on “flute” guitar. The second is former King Crimson and Camel man Mel Collins on sax and flute. As a true multi-instrumentalist, Adrian plays most of the instruments himself, apart from a few parts where the guests get their share too.
The album opens with “Troubles”. A grooving bass line is joined by a great dialogue, penned by the so-called Prophet Omega, and an excellent central guitar motif. A brilliant intro to the album, where Belew shows his best musical ingredients right off the bat. “Incomptence Indeference” is loaded with typical Adrian lyrics, a goofy chorus and his trademark guitar bits. Much like he does in King Crimson, he vividly and constantly shifts the color of his voice here too: from authentic Zappa-style mannerisms and dreamy droning to Lennon-esque mysticism. On guitar there are some really interesting Adrian chord phrases and his spoken-word delivery (the way only he can do it). Adrian once again uses the vocal effect he also used on the King Crimson track “ProzaKc Blues” (The ConstrucKtion of Light, 2000). At the end of the song you can also hear a phone message from his wife Martha. “Turning Water to Wine” is the centerpiece of the album, where Adrian’s longtime friend, bandmate and mentor (the wicked would say boss) Robert Fripp steps into the spotlight on guitar. Even though he appears only on this one track, his contribution is, as you’d expect from such a legend, once again stunning. His guitar, which this time sounds like a flute (“flute guitar”), fills out the individual verses nicely. Adrian on guitar and vocals is excellent again. The track has some of the musical style of “Side Two” (the electronic percussion really gets to come into its own here). “Crunk” is a minute of real guitar madness, where Adrian immediately launches into a wacky solo and builds an intense sonic climax. “Drive” opens with the sound of a car engine. Grooving bass, an ethereal guitar sound; everything works in harmony with Adrian’s excellent vocals. The “Crimsonesque” feeling of dissonance returns once more and works great in combination with the other elements that dominate the track. “Cinemusic” is a jittery, mysterious affair with an orchestral arrangement in the intro, but it soon morphs into a track with a “nightmare” atmosphere of echoing bells and assorted sound effects. It has a main motif similar to “Happiness” from “Side Two”. It’s also the first track on the album featuring the rhythm duo of Danny Carey and Les Claypool. The two lock into a tight tempo over Belew’s grooving guitar. Adrian’s contribution to this track is great again. Here he takes his endearing lucidity, with solos and brilliant singing, to the max. “Men in Helicopters v4.0” is Belew’s obvious tribute to The Beatles, from somewhere around their final period. Here Adrian proves himself an outstanding Lennon impersonator on vocals. The song itself also reminds me a bit of “Matchless Man” from “Side One”. It has a majestic orchestral motif, along with some great twists on Carey’s drums and Claypool’s double bass. The “backing orchestra” motif takes the song to a whole other level and creates an authentic touch of late-period Beatles. “Beat Box Car” brings back the central motif of “Beat Box Guitar” from “Side One” (which, unbelievable but true, earned Belew a Grammy nomination for best instrumental), but this instrumental is far more bonkers. The excellent sax of the legendary Mel Collins (21 Centruy Schizoid Band, ex-King Crimson, ex-Camel) makes sure of that. Adrian’s guitar is great again and gives the track a fitting flexibility. “Truth Is” opens with a brilliant guitar that builds an acoustic climax. The vibe reminds me a bit of “Inner Garden” from the King Crimson album “Thrak” (1995), mainly because it’s just guitar and vocals. After the first verse, Mel Collins’ brilliant flute blends beautifully with the acoustic guitar parts. “The Red Bull Rides a Boomerang Across the Blue Constellation” has a similar atmosphere to “Nuages” (THat Which Passes, Passes Like Clouds) from “Three of a Perfect Pair” (1984). It has that abstract/ethereal vibe backed by witty sound effects (like bulls mooing, which suits the title perfectly) along with an original bass line. The closing “And is basically a collection of individual instrumental parts from the whole trilogy. Various themes from “Side One” and “Side Two” come back here, like the guitar theme from “Elephants” (Side One) and the central theme from “Happiness” (Side Two). This time Belew gives these parts a completely new, different feel (mainly because he plays all the instruments himself here, unlike Carey’s assistance on “Side One”). And at the very end, the central theme of “Ampersand”, accompanied by exotic percussion, wraps up this excellent album and closes the trilogy right where it began. The circle is closed in the best possible way.
In the end I come to the conclusion that this is probably “Ade’s” best solo album so far. In my opinion, nothing I’ve heard from him until now surpasses the musical polish and maturity of this record. It also has a great cover, the work of Belew’s own hands (just like the previous two covers). Creativity of exceptional magnitude, which only underlines that this is an album made by a musical genius and all-round artist. With “Side Three”, “Ade” has wrapped up the trilogy in the best way possible. If he had managed to release all three in a single year, it would surely have been an unprecedented feat in the modern music world, but that’s merely a side note that takes nothing away from how great “Side Three” is.
Lineup
Adrian Belew – all instruments, vocals
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Robert Fripp (KING CRIMSON)- flute guitar (3)
Mel Collins (21 CENTURY SCHIZOID BAND) – saxophone (9), flute (10)
Les Claypool (PRIMUS) – bass guitar (7 & 8)
Danny Carey (TOOL) – drums (7 & 8)
The Prophet Omega – voice (1)
Martha Belew – phone message (2)
Production
Adrian Belew
Track list
1. Troubles (3:13)
2. Incompetence Differerence (5:01)
3. Water Turns to Wine (3:46)
4. Crunk (1:17)
5. Drive (3:27)
6. Cinemusic (1:37)
7. Whatever (3:17)
8. Men In Helicopters v4.0 (3:07)
9. Beat Box Car (4:30)
10. Truth Is (1:34)
11. The Red Bell Rides a Boomerang Across the Blue Constellation (4:34)
12. & (3:17)
Total running time: 35:23
