Desire Caught By the Tail

Adrian Belew | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 15, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B000001FVJ
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #276,630 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Tango Zebra

2. Laughing Man

3. The Gypsy Zurna

4. Portrait of Margaret

5. Beach Creatures Dancing Like Cranes

6. At the Seaside Café

7. Guernica

8. "Z"

Editorial Reviews

Adrian Belew used his third release from 1986 to blatantly demonstrate his love and talent for avant-garde guitar work, but many of the tracks on Desire Caught By the Tail take his passion for boisterous distortion, warped notes, thick sound, and highly e

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Belew's most eclectic work, January 28, 2001

By 

Gary W. Young (Kirkwood, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Desire Caught By the Tail (Audio CD)

I've been a fan of Adrian Belew since His work with Frank Zappa, who put Belew on the map. However, most of his solo work is a bit too pop for me, and I often find his voice a bit edgy. Which is why I love this album, no pop, no vocals here. Composed and performed entirely with Guitar Synthesizer, Belew makes the guitar sound like anything he wants it to. A very dreamy and eclectic work, but not to the point of being ambient. If you like your music a bit left of center, buy this one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Unique Listening Experience, July 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Desire Caught By the Tail (Audio CD)

Subtitled "Instrumental Music for Guitar and Percussion", it's all played by Belew and is some of the most sublime, beautiful music I've heard. It's a bold artistic accomplishment and is a must-listen for serious music appreciators.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the effort, October 27, 2007

By 

R. Hendershot (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Desire Caught By the Tail (Audio CD)

Hearing critics and reviewers call this a 'vanity project' in a world so obscenely self-obsessed is maddening, and ridiculous. First of all, nearly every recording ever made had *someone's* name on it somewhere, and someone's artistic vision guiding that recording - every recording is a 'vanity project' in some fashion. It's called self-expression. None of which has anything to do with the quality of this particular album. Sure, it's a little strange, if you mostly listen to music made by artists who got their start playing in shopping malls or on Star Search. But let's zoom back to the real world where lots of people have record collections and have heard a few things not played on top 40 radio for just a moment:
This album is a brilliant and exciting work of instrumental guitar from a master. It's filled with humor and subtlety, and exhibits a wide range of expression and feeling. It's also boldly psychedelic.
I once heard from a friend that Belew has always said that his favorite guitarist is George Harrison. I don't know for sure if that's true, but after I heard this album I believed it. It plays like a perfect companion to Harrison's 'Wonderwall Music', and I've always wondered if it wasn't directly influenced by that seminal soundtrack recording.
If you're familiar with Adrian Belew, you'll know already that his recordings differ from each other greatly in style and tone - it's hard to like them all equally even if you're a fan. This is my personal favorite of Belew's solo work, and one of my favorite recordings of any artist. It's out of print, so if you spot a copy, snap it up!