Customer Reviews

Op Zop Too Wah

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In his first two albums Adrian Belew looks for his voice and shows his mentors influence. There are some excellent songs and playing but Belew doesn't quite reach his potential. Desire Caught By The Tail, his third album demonstrates his more experimental side to diehard fans. This pretty much becomes the pattern for much of Belew's work with a swing to more pop based songs.

Op Zop Too Wah is where he puts it all together, literally. Every phase of Adrian Belew's ideas fall into place on this album. The guitar work and post beat poet kick the album off with Of Bow and Drum and Word Play Drum Beat. Besides being entertaining pieces of music they are also interesting experiments in the boundries of rock music. The lyrical, pop side of Belew's sound is found on tracks like All Her Love Is Mine and Time Waits.

This can make for sharp contrasts of which there are plenty in this set of 21 songs. There have been complaints about how disconcerting these contrasts are to which I disagree. As an album Op Zop Too Wah is cohesive, it's just not typical of his pop laden prior efforts nor his completely experimental material.

Instead we get a pastiche of the elements that make up Adrian Belew's musical skills, really the first album in his catalog to do so. The key is taking the album for what it is and not what you would like it to be. It is refreshing to hear the various elements of Belew's interests including production skills. The sequencing and spacing of songs are at times surprising yet tasteful. Production quality is excellent.

For new listeners you can expect some pop songs in the acoustic and electric form only they will be a bit twisted from what you may be experienced to. There will be concise excursions into lightly experimental guitar and song structures. There will also be some heartfelt playing and singing to well intentioned lyrics with some occasional humor. Expect some rocking moments as well.

The only negative are a couple of songs that seem underdeveloped or go on a bit long. Keep in mind most songs are well under four minutes so this critisim is to be considered within the scope of the album which is fast paced.

Adrian Belew is that rare artist that can play virtually any kind of music and fit in, he has played with such diverse artists as NiN to Paul Simon to his stints with David Bowie and Frank Zappa not to mention being co-guitarist/vocalist in King Crimson and his pop based band, The Bears. Op Zop Too Wah is a sampling of his interests as an artist and should be listened to as such. There is a lot of great music on this album.

Not to be missed.

This is Adrian's best work as a solo artist, since it brings together on one recording everything he has experimented with in the past--noisy guitar instrumentals, piano ballads ('The Ruin After The Rain'), straightforward pop ('Something To Do,'Six String'), manic, King Crimson-type rock ('I Remember How To Forget'), twisted blues ('Modern Man Hurricane Blues'), lyrical improv ('Word Play Drum Beat'), and the type of unique heavy percussion, frenzied guitar pieces that only Adrian can create ('Of Bow and Drum'). And did I mention that Adrian plays almost 100% of every instrument on this album? Highlights for me--the opening moments of the CD's first track ('Of Bow and Drum') which still makes my jaw drop--turn it up real loud the first time you listen and tell me you're not floored; the guitar solo in 'Six String,' Ade's ode to his axe; and the disc's closer, 'On,' which just simply a cool song. The man is a genius, and it is a real shame that more people do not know about him. Just ask Trent Reznor (NIN), who once said 'Adrian is the greatest musician in the world.' On this album, you still hear the Beatles influence that he is recognized for, but not quite as strong, and this makes for a more satisfying, unique sound. For further listening, make sure you check out the songs 'Dinosaur' and 'One Time' from KC's 'Thrak' CD--these are excellent, excellent Adrian pieces as well.

If I told you that Op Zop Too Wah is one of my favorite albums ever made, I'd be telling the truth, so let me just say that this is one of my favorite albums. It's true that some of the songs are very short. I still love everything about the album. The reference to King Crimson's Larks' Tongues In Aspic in "Of Bow and String", that piano part in "Time Waits", the intense live performance "High Wire Guitar", the ocassionally sarcastic lyrics, the catchy music, those crazy sound effects that are dropped in at seemingly random places make this album easily the most coherent I own. Op Zop Too Wah's articulation is puzzling, but very noticeable, especially after repeated listens. For example, how can you appreciate "Plate of Words" and "Plate of Guitar"? They are both under a minute long, and they are the same thing, only "Plate of Words" has lyrics and "Plate of Guitar" doesn't. How can I explain my appreciation for this? I can't...it's just gotta be experienced. This album NEVER gets old. There have been a lot of albums that I own and I don't listen to a lot simply because they've gotten old with me and I'm tired of listening to them. I have yet to get tired of this music. There's something about this catchy, experimental pop/rock that gets me after every listen. Listen for yourself. Listen for yourself over and over and over....

I think phrase "Op Zop Too Wah" is an modernized synonym for the "Rock-n-Roll":))Album is a cerebral work of sound, color and outlandish/creative lyrics. There are a lot of instrumental passages, drums and guitars, effects (landmarks of Belew's inovations). There are some strong ideas, album sounds like a person changing radio stations, each song a different channel on the dial. So that's the way the listener is always cought of guard on what to expect. Op Zop is the retrospective jorney in Belew's career. Song "I Remember How To Forget" closer to Crimson's material, another song "Modern Man Hurricane Blues" is a step in a new direction, it was born from Ade's and Robert Fripp talkings about modernizing of the blues form. It's a song about modern man's city life ("ProzaKc Blues" is another Crimson blues in this case). Op Zop more muscular, more radical and it brings Belew into another dimension, another masterpiece within his works. Adrian Belew world's #1 songwriter and guitar hero of our time... you know with whom... Op Zop Too Wah is a great listening experience in modern Rock-n-Roll history. Belew is a man with many talents and his artwork on album is cool too. Recomended for those who never forget a meaning what Rock-n-Roll is.

Learn a new phrase: Op Zop Too Wah. The 20-plus tracks on this CD are a sampling of a muse at work. Some ideas are more fleshed-out than others. But all are interesting to listen to. The tunes that'll stick in your head: "I Remember How To Forget", "Conversation Piece", and "Something To Do".

Increase your vocabulary today.

[DW]

Its my opinion that King Crimson with Adrian brought progressive rock back to life. Adrian is a great song writer and musician and shows it here.

It's an uneven album, self-indulgent at times, but the last song makes up for any defects. 'On' is one of the greatest post-Beatles pop songs yet.

This is Adrian Belew's definitive, yet most overlooked album. Almost every style and experiment he's known for crops up on this 21-track journey of an album, it's as though he had taken elements of his own style, influences, instrumental skill and psyche and splattered it onto this disc in an ejaculated spray of musical jism. And with 21 tracks, you get a lot of contrast: experimental guitar textures in 'CONVERSATION PIECE' and 'HIGH WIRE GUITAR', Beatles styles in 'SIX STRING' and 'TIME WAITS', beat poetry with 'WORD PLAY DRUM BEAT', alt-pop in 'SOMETHING TO DO' and modern blues with 'MODERN MAN HURRICANE BLUES' and 'ALL HER LOVE IS MINE'. There's even a rejected King Crimson track('I REMEMBER HOW TO FORGET')and isn't that psychedelic-ish last track('ON') like a strange Thrak/Sgt. Pepper hybrid?

Perhaps this album sounds a bit schizophrenic, but it's pretty cohesive as well- it sounds like a complete album rather than a mass of styles thrown together. Most of the tracks are short, and some tracks sound undeveloped yet done that way on purpose('A PLATE OF WORDS' for example sounds like a regular song which got turned off halfway through). This is some of Adrian's best songwriting, a shame this release got lost in the shuffle amid the Crimson double-trio era and didn't get the recognition it should have. Buy this and take the journey.

Belew delivers his winning brand of progressive/alternative rock with electrifying guitars and fascinating vocals. He dazzles us as once again he proves his genius with the remarkable "Op Zop Too Wah". He wrote, produced, played all instruments and, sang all vocals on every song. Belew is highly competent in all areas.
The album ranges from the upbeat "Live In A Tree" to the otherworldly ballad "Beautiful". On "Beautiful" Belew displays crystal clear and moving vocals. "Someting To Do" is remarkably arranged with tempo changes and visionary guitar work. Reminiscent somewhat to what the Beatles were doing in 1967 with their "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album. The T-Rexish "Six String" contains an interesting play on words and again excellent guitars. The album's most interesting song, the instrumental, "High Wire Guitar", is a guitar's interpretation of a high wire act you would see at the circus.
"Op Zop Too Wah" is diverse and covers much musical ground. It's more than an album, it's an experience and a treasure. Belew is a true musical genius who deserves much more notoriety.

There are a lot of interesting and not-so-interesting song fragments and sound experiments to wade through here, but the fully-formed songs are so incredible, you wonder why he bothered to fill the rest with fluff. The lyrics and music here take a somewhat darker turn, even on the "songs" proper. "Six String" is a great big tasty gulp of double-entendres and nasty guitar riffery, along with the definite Crim reject "Modern Man Hurricane" (listen to the incredibly precise drum work at the beginning of the track. That's Adrian - the guy is a prodigy.) The dreamy-pop quotient is at an all-time high here, on songs like "All Her Love Is Mine" and "Sky Blue Red Bird Green House" are amazing, head-in-the-clouds type of stuff. The crowning achievements on this album are the opening "Of Bow And Drum", with its tight percussive work and searing guitar - definitely listen to the guys below who told you to crank this one up - and "The Ruin After The Rain", a affecting, brooding, utterly sad track which will be guaranteed to bring a tear even to the most jaded eye.