Through it all, Belew has never relied on old habits or embraced new fads. He has constantly pushed the guitar’s sonic boundaries using battered Fender Stratocasters and Mustangs (some hand painted), the odd Gibson Les Paul, and, currently, his signature model Parker Fly.

INSPIRED

Remain in Light, Talking Heads, 1980
Having trail-blazed art punk, Talking Heads looked to switch gears for its fourth album, Remain in Light. Prompted by David Byrne’s increasing interest in experimental/world music, Belew delivered an everything- but-the-kitchen-sink performance, from hiding out like a snake in the grass until the end of one of the wackiest pop hits ever (“Once in a Lifetime”), to supplying solos that sound like a guitar being attacked by a chainsaw (“The Great Curve”). It turns out Belew did too good of a job, as Heads bassist Tina Weymouth conspired to get him to replace Byrne in the midst of the album’s tour. Belew respectfully declined the offer.

Discipline, King Crimson, 1981
Invited by Robert Fripp to front a rejuvenated King Crimson, Belew got to show off his vocal and guitar skills on Discipline, and he handed in an MVP performance. The album would prove influential on Primus and Tool, as elements of each band can be detected in “Elephant Talk” and the title track, respectively. Throughout, Belew’s guitar playing continuously shape shifts, from slide-generated seagulls (“Matte Kudasai”) to pachyderm roars (“Elephant Talk”) to otherworldly synthscapes (“The Sheltering Sky”) and straight-up Strat abuse (“Thela Hun Ginjeet”).

REQUIRED

Desire of the Rhino King, Adrian Belew, 1991
A 16-track compilation of highlights from his first three solo albums (1982’s Lone Rhino, 1983’s Twang Bar King, and 1986’s Desire Caught By the Tail), Desire serves up the whole Belew enchilada—blasts of white noise (“Big Electric Cat”), Hendrix-y backwards passages (“Swingline”), a solo best described as “Prince on acid” (“The Ideal Woman”), and a quirky ditty for friendless rhinos (“The Lone Rhinoceros”).

Stage, David Bowie, 1978
Impressed with Belew’s guitar work after catching a Zappa performance, Bowie invited the guitarist to sign on for his 1978 tour. The resulting live album features Belew almost single-handedly propelling Bowie classics into the space age. The centerpiece is the seemingly never-ending epic, “Station to Station,” which sees Belew disguise his guitar as a train whistle, before doing battle against the sound of locomotive wheels. Be sure to check YouTube for a fantastic rendition from a Tokyo performance, during which Belew simply beats the hell out of his guitar for three minutes.

The Downward Spiral, Nine Inch Nails, 1994
Mr. Belew in the world’s leading industrial-metal band? As evidenced by such tracks as “Mr. Self Destruct,” where Belew’s guitar is processed to sound like a high-speed car chase right out of Tron, it seems there isn’t a style of music that Belew can’t adapt to.

The Bears, The Bears, 1984
Belew has never been bashful regarding his Beatles fanaticism, so the heavily Fab Four-influenced debut by the Bears shouldn’t come as a surprise. The group includes some of Belew’s old pals, and it sounds like he’s having the time of his life. Don’t expect to hear the guitarist’s more outlandish playing, but as evidenced by “Figure It Out” and “Man Behind the Curtain,” The Bears features some of Belew’s most melodic and focused compositions.

TIRED

The Experimental Guitar Series, Vol. 1: Guitar as Orchestra, Adrian Belew, 1995
While its premise sounds like an interesting one—orchestral songs performed entirely by guitar—Guitar as Orchestra falls flat. Devoid of any truly memorable compositions, it sometimes sounds as if Belew is merely trying out his guitar synthesizer. While you’ve got to love a song title like “Seven E Flat Elephants Eating the Acacia of a C# Minor Forest,” this is one big album of blah.

www.adrianbelew.net