Guernica (early version)/Tango Zebra reprise

guernica (early version)/tango zebra reprise
volume 2 number 9

following my first two attempts at "pop" music lone rhino and twang bar king, I felt the urge to move in an entirely different direction. orchestral music done with guitar. neither record had shown evidence of burning up any pop charts, and even the mighty krimson was cracking at the seams and would burst apart during the birthing process of my third solo record desire caught by the tail. so, for nearly a year and a half most days I would get on my bike, ride over to the nearby closet-sized studio, and do my best to create "art". I had the crazy idea it would be embraced by the kind of people who bought krimson records.
it wasn't.
one irate fan actually broke the vinyl record into little pieces and sent it back to me!

my earliest concept for desire included the "double drumming" heard here. (I was a decade ahead of myself). experimenting with the Roland GR-700 guitar synth I discovered a way to plug it in improperly which would cause the darn thing to literally play itself. the resulting chaotic sound became the basis for a piece about Picasso's anti-war mural guernica. this is an early version before the final elements were added.

when I wasn't closeted in the studio with my cohort rich denhart I was at home experimenting with textures and creating new synth sounds to orchestrate with. often this meant recording on a little four-track I had to see how various parts sounded together and what was needed further. this version of the reprise of tango zebra was recorded in my dining room.

guernica:
guitar synthesizer, drums: adrian
engineer: rich denhart
recorded at Creative Audio, Urbana, Il.
sometime in 1984
length: 2:03
tango zebra reprise:
guitar synthesizer, bass, log drum: adrian
recorded by adrian at home in Urbana, Il.
on Dec. 11, 1984
length: 1:54

Young Lions (acoustic version)

young lions (acoustic version)
volume 1 number 18

this was issued as a bonus track for the japanese release of
the acoustic adrian belew.

guitar and vocal: adrian
engineer: noah evens
recorded at StudioBelew in Mt. Juliet, Tn.
on Feb. 22, 1995
length: 2:47

None Of The Above (demo 2)

none of the above (demo 2)
volume 3 number 6

in four years the bears completed seven blistering tours of the U.S. none of the above was written by the whole band on the last day of rehearsal before embarking on our first tour. this take from our second set of demos features a wildly different guitar solo.

bass: bob nyswonger
drums: chris arduser
guitar and vocals: rob fetters
guitar and vocals: adrian
engineer: gary platt
recorded at QCA in Cincinnati, OH
december 27, 1985
length: 2:48

Hot Zoo (remix)

hot zoo (remix)
volume 3 number 15

pay here, chimpanzee
don't park under the aviary
walk through heat wave afternoon fast food hot zoo

and do the shuffle to the buffalo
see the mad monkey by the lonely pay phone
let's go fishin' in the air-conditioned dark
man, look at the bite on that great big bark

waste here, souvenir land
don't feed nobody your hand
restroom photograph pachyderm cat house hot zoo

three sleepy zebra wearing living room suits
joke with a crazy cockatoo
big giraffe in their injured party hats say,
"are you gonna watch our customary nap?"

eat here, a dinosaur egg
don't touch the tarantula leg
march like army ants lookin' for a PX hot zoo

I dig iguana in their outer space duds
saying "aren't you glad we only eat bugs?"
closing time, quick, close those gates
capture a few of these human apes

exit here, kangaroo
don't forget to come back soon.

guitar, piano, bass, drums, fx, vocals: adrian
engineer: rich denhart
assistant: dan harjung
recorded at Royal Recorders in Lake Geneva, Wis.
length: 4:43

Lennon

lennon
volume 3 number 3

this track was part of my discovery of the Roland GR-700 guitar synth and its remarkable ability to sound like so many things, in this case, an electric piano.
at the time King Crimson had just ended its first 3-year outing.
my concentration was on an orchestral instrumental record desire caught by the tail.
soon The Bears would form a cool pop band .
lennon fell in between the cracks, not fitting into any of these ventures.

note: this week we are offering a FREE dust download of hot zoo (remix) volume 3 number 15.

guitar synth: adrian
recorded at home in Urbana, Il.
sometime in 1985
length: 2:03