Customer Reviews

Bears

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

5 stars are not enough for this debut release of The Bears... Chris Arduser (drums), Adrian Belew (guitar), Rob Fetters (guitar), and Bob Nyswonger (bass). Every song is amazing. The screaming guitars, the great vocal harmonies, the extreme energy in every song, the incredible talent of all the players, it is just pop perfection! You can hear the enthusiasm, passion, and fun the musicians are having when this record was made and can visualize them smiling and having a blast in the studio. They also have two other releases that are very good but this one is still my favorite.

Unfortunately this disc has been out of print for some time now, and there aren't any on sale used at Amazon because it's so good no one will sell, but there are rumors that this may one day be re-released. Check out www.thebearsmusic.com for additional information. Also, highly recommended is the "Live at Club Cafe" DVD available at the above mentioned website.

Adrian Belew is, without question, one of America's must under-rated guitar heroes. Besides being a sideman to the stars (King Crimson, David Bowie, Talking Heads), Belew also had a quartet with a group of friends called The Bears (formerly The Raisins). The managed to get a deal with a subsidiary of IRS Records and issued two fine CD's of power-pop, all colored with Belew's distinctive personal guitar style. For some reason, this eclectic blend of Beatles pop and new-wave energy didn't rise beyond a devoted cult.

That is a shame, too. The Bears were more than a side project for Belew. All three other members chipped in with songs, and as a guitarist, fellow lead singer Rob Fetters is certainly no slouch. There are great Lennon/McCartney harmonies about, and there isn't a bum song on the whole CD. I have a couple of personal faves, especially "Man Behind The Curtain," "Fear Is Never Boring" and "Superboy." Best is the humorous opener "None Of The Above," where the band profess the fact that none of them are star figures when it comes time to meeting the ladies.

"Top ten well dressed men
every hair in place.
Author, skier, millionaire,
epitome of taste.
Always willing, always hot,
all these things I am not.
None of the above."

Racing on top of a rock melody worthy of Cheap Trick, it encapsulates the easy charm of The Bears. These were old friends having a rip with the ease of old bar chums. In addition to the band portrait by the great MAD Magazine artist Mort Drucker, you have one of the 80's great lost CD's. With all the cult acts getting back into print, why the heck is this not on the market? Almost as good is their second CD, Rise and Shine.

The debut album from the Bears is a solid slice of great guitar-driven pop tunes. Although Adrian Belew was seen nominally as the frontman, this was truly a band; four friends who had known each other for years, playing for pure joy. Songwriting duties were shared, with each member contributing at least one track, and they also wrote several together as a team. The tunes are tight, smart pop gems, distinguished from so many other bands by the wild antics of Belew's guitar. Although he doesn't have the immediately identifiable tone of Belew, Rob Fetters is no slouch on guitar himself, and their playing styles complement each other nicely. Belew and Fetters share the lead vocal duties, and their vocal harmonizing is up to the standards set by Lennon and McCartney. The rich upright electric bass of Bob Nyswonger and the crisp drumming of Chris Arduser anchor the band perfectly, as Belew and Fetters sing and play their hearts out. This was a band that really enjoyed playing together and that comes across loud and clear. - Sean Westergaard, AMG

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, WE HAD A RULE OF THUMB:
IF AN ALBUM HAD A COVER DRAWN BY SOMEONE FROM MAD MAGAZINE, IT MOST LIKELY WAS NOT GOING TO BE ANY GOOD.

Released in 1987, this is The Bears first CD. It is fairly short at 34 minutes (that is the length of many EP's). The sound quality is very good.

This is Adrian Belew's version of new wave pop. It is very similar to what was being played at the time, but has a bouncy Belew twang to it. On some songs, He seems to borrow from David Bowie or Peter Gabriel were doing at the time, especially with the vocals. At times, he sounds like Harry Nillson meets The Fixx.

The one great track on this CD is Fear Is Never Boring. The other really good song is Man Behind the Curtain. There are good songs like Raining and None of the Above.

Every song on this CD has flashes of brilliance and some very nice energic, bouncy, if not wierd musical bits.

The problem with the rest of the songs is that they become repetitive and tedious. I find songs like Honeybee, Trust and Superboy to be grating and at three minutes to be way too long. The 20 seconds go a great guitar riff do not support the rest of the song. Figure It Out has a great 30 second blast of guitar and saxophone at the end, but you have to sit through nearly 3 minutes of annoyting vocals.

This is the Bears first CD of 3. The second one came out a year later, but the third CD did not come out until 13 years after that. The Bears toured extensively during 1987 through 1989, coming back to places 2 or 3 times.

Adrian Belew got his start playing with Frank Zappa, in one of the best bands Zappa had. He has been a session player on some pretty famous albums, like a number of Bowie albums and Paul Simon's Graceland. He has spent much time in King Crimson during the last 3 decades. He has a bunch of solo albums. I think his first, Lone Rhino, is his best.