Customer Reviews

Inner Revolution

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

 

 

The reference to The Beatles' Revolver is no accident. Inner Revolution, like Revolver, stands as Belew's most consistent, mature and powerful musical statement as a solo artist. Given Belew's work with King Crimson, The Bears and his own solo work, that's quite an achievement. Belew's songs focus on the tragic consequences of his divorce (The War in The Gulf Between Us), personal philosphy of life (Inner Revolution)and occasionally takes a detour into the lilting melodic avenue Lennon and McCartney traveled on (Everything).

There's not one song that isn't a gem. The mastering on the original CD was so-so; many of the songs sounded compressed and one-dimensional so it's nice to have another opportunity to visit with this classic album with improved sound. Although it didn't sell as well as Mr. Music Head or capture the imagination the way his work did with King Crimson during the early 80's, Inner Revolution still stands out like a brilliant gem in a discography filled with treasure.

It's Adrian Belew's best album to date (although many other albums would come close to matching its beauty, bizarre sounding guitar parts and musical composition) and I'm happy that Wounded Bird has returned it to print.

First off, don't buy this album if you're hoping to hear King Crimson. You won't. This is basically a pop album that's very Beatle-esque (on one of the songs Adrian imitates John Lennon's vocal intonations almost perfectly) and has some of the best work Belew has layed his name to. Buy it if you want good Beatle-esque pop, but you are warned if you are expecting King Crimson.

This is one of my favorite albums of the 90's. This album, with its psychedelic undertones, actually sounds like it should have been released years before it was. But hey, who says that anachronism is a bad thing? This album makes no secret about wearing its influences on its sleeve, much of it basically sounds like REVOLVER part deux (there's a backwards guitar solo a la George Harrison on the title track, along with numerous other similar production touches). The infectiously buoyant "Big Blue Sun" easily sounds like it could be a lost track from MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR. The resemblances in this case are a major plus because the attention paid to melody and harmony is generally just as acute and meticulous as it is on the work it draws its inspiration from ("Everything" is probably the greatest Paul McCartney song that Paul McCartney never wrote). This album is pensive and introspective, with a genuinely empathetic tone throughout (just check out the heartfelt environmentalist's anthem "Only A Dream). I've read that this album was recorded after a difficult divorce (the song "The war in the gulf between us" finds him recounting the dissolution of his marriage) and that hardship led to some strikingly honest and inspired moments. Belew comes across as idealistic but firmly grounded in reality, with moments of plainspoken sober wisdom throughout. He also shows himself to be a master craftsman in the vein of Stevie Wonder, Prince or Todd Rundgren, as he composes every song and plays and arranges every instrument on the entire album (they are the only artists that I've heard who can really, really pull off the one-man band thing). It also happens to be full of the type of quirky idealism widely characteristic of Rundgren's work (especially on "Birds" and the outsider anthem "Member of the Tribe") and sunny optimism widely characteristic of Wonder's work. Belew is such a master at using contemporary recording technology (I've heard that he performs whole sections at concerts with his guitar processed to sound just like a piano) that I'm not sure if that's an actual steel guitar or not on the somewhat country-ish "I'd Rather Be Right Here". There's also lots of what sounds like regular lead guitar lines processed to sound like a sitar all throughout. Belew's chops are legendary among his peers, but the emphasis here is straightforward Rock and Pop tunes, so his playing is just as skillful but likely more reserved than what you'll find on some of his other work. But, there are still moments where he shows off his monster chops like on "This is what I believe in"-- all the time changes and sharp melodic shifts are strongly reminiscent of his work with King Crimson. The tone of this album is generally optimistic and idealistic, which is in sharp contrast to the many angst ridden albums that were popular around the time of its release. It doesn't really *sound* like a 90's album at all, but it's turned out to be one of my favorite releases from the entire decade.

When you ask many Adrian Belew fans what their favorite album by him is, quite a few of them will answer "Inner Revolution".

I have to confess, I'm hard pressed to understand why. The album is full of catchy pop songs, but they're all largely similar, and its this similarity that I find largely unrewarding on the album. Admittedly, there's at least two classics in goofy "Big Blue Sun" and the Beatlesque "Everything", but with so many songs covering no different ground ("Inner Revolution", "The War in the Gulf Between Us"), I can't bring myself to listen to this one much.

On the other hand, it is in print, which is more than can be said for most of Belew's catalog, but I'd recommend "Young Lions" or "Here" before this one.

There seem to be two camps with regard to this album. Those who think this moody introspective album, which is largely the self-theraputic result of Adrian dealing with a rough divorce, is his best work.

Then there are those of us that found it to be gloomy and self indulgent. Don't get me wrong! I am a huge fan of Adrian Belew, I have followed his career, seen him on stage and own most if not all his albums, even this one. But I must say, had I access to iTunes or Amazon, back then, and sampled the songs... I would not have purchased this album.

My wife used to kid me that I had no "Happy" music in my collection, in my effort to show her that was not the case, I pointed to my Adrian Belew collection, from which I could play many a "Happy" song. This CD would not fit that mold.

It's not a terrible album, but if you like Adrians other work, you should sample this one before purchase.