According to Bruford, "much of the music in the 1980s was guided by Adrian Belew. And he had the very unenviable job of writing lyrics in the last 24 or 48 hours of a recording session. He did really well with the lyrics, and I really enjoyed the 1980s band myself.”
The track listings for those Crimson albums read: 'All music written by Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford; all lyrics written by Adrian Belew'. So he is credited on the albums, just not the lyric sites....
Belew says that he never gets credit for Crimson's lyrics. I think this is a bit misleading. Any Tom Dick or Harry can post the words to songs on those lyrics web sites, but there is nothing official about those. But looking at the LP sleeve to King Crimson's Beat, which IS official, it says "Music by King Crimson, Lyrics by Adrian Belew." Three of a Perfect Pair says, "Music by King Crimson, Words by Adrian Belew." THRAK says, "Adrian Belew: Guitar, Voice, Words."
@@Beachgirl1 Heavy and somewhat pompous (pre-Belew) vs impressionistic or imageist (Belew). Heavy and pompous fit the early prog but what killed prog for all but the diehards was the heavy and pompous nature of the music. And by heavy I don't mean big volume, 3 guitars, or anything like that.
Lake did not write any of K C's lyrics, Peter Sinfield was their lyricist for the first four albums. Lake and Sinfield worked together again in E L P although their partnership as well as their friendship was destroyed when Lake began taking credit for what Sinfield wrote. An out of control ego. Cheers!@@Beachgirl1
Adrian, you are the best of lyricists and King Crimson fans know this. Your contributions to a magnificent legacy of music are there to be enjoyed and discovered by generations to come.
@@seanoneil277No, Belew did not perform with Talking Heads in “Stop Making Sense.” That lead guitarist is Alex Weir. But we can see Adrian Belew in (among other places, probably) Laurie Anderson’s concert feature “Home of the Brave.”
@@bargainbassist Yes, you're correct, I was thinking of Remain in Light and just pushed him forward to the movie. Sorry to Alex Weir, my mistake. I saw Belew w/ King Crimson Three of a Perfect Pair tour.
To play with Zappa you had to either be a virtuoso or have something very special. I saw him live with Adrian, (and Bozzio in his underpants). Magical.
@@thebelldog4863 It's pretty hard to write him off before Armed Forces, but afterward, as he turned crooner, he got less interesting. Like Joe Jackson. Both good songwriters as young men. Maybe still, but their music just lost my ears.
I've been lucky enough to see Adrian live three times, twice as a trio with Julie and Eric Slick, and once with The Bears. I would love to build a time machine and see the Belew/Levin/Bruford/Fripp KC.
Yes the Discipline tour was the best! What a great noise they made. Adrian in my opinion was the only one who could go one on one with Fripp and win. What a great player ,singer and writer, so hope to see him again.
I saw them at Place de Nation in Montreal in I think it was 1979 or1980. It was an outdoor show at night and they went through the whole red Dicipline album. Quite a show and I remember Thela hun Gingeet was very loud and intense.
I was fortunate enough to see KC with Belew a few times - in '82 & '84 - then again in 2000 & 2001 - all very memorable shows - Belew's inventive, freewheeling approach worked so well alongside Fripp's controlled and focused style ..
That's odd, because Belew IS credited as the lyricist on the back covers of Discipline, Beat, & Three Of A Perfect Pair. Why would that not carry over to internet sites?
The first local band I saw back in 1977 when I turned 18 (back then you could get in bars at 18) was The Raisins, whose band members later joined with Belew to form The Bears. I saw Adrian play with The Bears once or twice, maybe in the Thompson House in Newport, Kentucky. It seemed like the whole crowd had some kind of personal connection with a member of The Bears. Good times.
One of my favorite lyricists and musicians, period. His lyrics on "Beat" masterfully wove in the Beat Generation theme and updated it in neon technicolor. Just amazing work.
that's interesting, i've seen every Discpline-era vinyl, original press or reissue and seen that lyrics we're written by Adrian Belew, Music by King Crimson 🤔
33 Years? Come on Adrian! (Was Bill Bruford in KC for 25 years? Tony Levin for 41 years?) Three years & four months in the 80's, five years in the 90's (counting ProjeKct Two, although that was all instrumental and the duo performances of RF & AB), then 1999-2003, another five years, then a very short period of rehearsals with Tony replacing Trey again (was it 2004?), sadly cut short. And then one very short tour (11 shows) in 2008, during which no new material was developed. Then RF reformed KC without AB in 2013, but Adrian was counting right up to then? I'd say 13-14 years. Adrian did some great stuff with KC, REALLY great, but the first record was done in a few months and everything that followed was never quite THAT good. King Crimson was Robert's vision at least from 1970 onward and I was conscious of that in 1981 and I'm surprised Adrian never saw that. And it was also clear at the time Adrian wrote the lyrics. The sleeve of Discipline reads: "Music by King Crimson; Elephantosity by Belew" The sleeve of Beat reads: "Music by King Crimson; Lyrics by Adrian Belew; Two Hands lyric by Margaret Belew". The sleeve of ToaPP reads: "Music by King Crimson; Words by Adrian Belew". Need I go on? So he DID get the credit. So what is he talking about then? Perhaps there's a specifically USAmerican meaning to the word "credit"? Is it possible Adrian's frustration is not getting extra money? Perhaps Adrian thought he deserved more money than Tony or Bill or even Robert? Aren't the lyrics part of the whole as much as the stick parts or the drum parts? My wild guess is, the last thing most listeners listen to a King Crimson record for, is the lyrics. Adrian wrote some pretty good ones, true, but did the lyrics elevate the music to a higher level? In some cases, the lyrics even got in the way of the music as far as I'm concerned, Neurotica for instance. Anyway, Adrian, get a grip. I DO love much of what you've done, inside KC and out. But it is what it is. Let it be.
@@rialtot039 lol! And I'm giving mine. I wasn't there but contrary to Adrian, I can count. Counting the many years when Crimson was not active, is idiocy. That's like saying John Wetton was in Crimson until 1980. And I was there in the sense that I saw them live before they even recorded Discipline. And many times after that. And I absorbed Robert's diaries whenever he made them public.
I saw Adrian/The Bears at the Chestnut Cabaret in Philly in the 1980s. They were great. After the show Adrian sat on the edge of the stage and talked about music, with those who stayed. A concert and a chance to chat with the artist for $10. I miss those days
I too saw Adrian and The Bears at a little club in B'ham, Al...had to be the late 80's though (pretty sure) and stuck around after the show. Was a huge fan of their first (?) album and got to talk to them in the parking lot which included mostly a lot of hemming and hawing (ie not much actually talked about....think Chris Farley with Paul McCartney😅) Later in the evening was belly up to the bar with two members of the group (not A.B.) and thought about striking up a conversation with, who I believe was Rob (?) but stopped when he proceeded to excoriate to or AT his partner in the band about what was going on (in the band) and Lordy-B ! was he pissed !! Can't recall the specifics cause I quickly and quietly slinked away carefully so as not to be part of the SNAFU ! 😂 They were wonderful but it let me know real quick how hard the road AND being in a band could be...no matter how talented.
The Discipline tour was outstanding... the musicianship absolutely stellar... I was never much about "lyrics" with any band, much less King Crimson... but Adrian is a well rounded artist... Also saw him when he was in the entourage of David Bowie - always a pleasure...
Seen Belew Era of King Crimson Multiple Times. That Disipline Record sounds fresh today. That incarnation was one of Crimsons best. A Reinvention . Belew is so underrated. Great Guitarist 🎸 But really a multi Instrumentalists from Drums to Cello. Adi pop progressive solo records which some are outstanding. From Zappa to Crimson Talking Heads to NIN And list goes on. One of the good guys in the industry.
Back in 2002 a Editor Friend of mine Jack Morbin Cut a Documentary on Dumpster Divers in Calgary Canada, to the music on Lone Rhino. (as editors will do to get a feeling) After Stripping the Music out (copy right laws) Jack sent it to Ry Cooder (they were friend) to see if he would consider scoring it or could suggest somebody. A few days later he get a Phone Call that went something like this. " hello My name is Adrian Belew, Ry forwarded me your Documentary and I would like to Score it for you". life is strange (compared to what)
As Emilizardo points out below, Belew was officially credited for the lyrics on album sleeves. After the first several such citations we all knew who was writing the lyrics.
There's a difference between who music-lovers would "know" and how the average music listener (casual, barely interested, doesn't read album covers or inserts, doesn't look at who wrote which lyrics or which music) understands who is credited for lyrics. Someone who loved King Crimson pre-Belew would note the different lyrics and check the credits etc. Someone who just heard about King Crimson or maybe heard a song on the radio from Belew's era, they wouldn't instantly know who wrote the lyrics. I think that is the point Mr Belew is making.
Adrian's such a great musical mind and all around major dude. My bandmates and I had some great post-gig conversations with the KC members early on the Discipline tour (well, all but Fripp, who took off right after the show). I prefer musicians who are "regular people" (when not on stage) as opposed to "rock stars" any day. As great as the music was on that album (and basically all KC albums), when I heard it for the first time live, I was blown away, feeling strongly that it was years ahead of its time. He obviously should get more credit, but musicians appreciate his work, even though (actually especially because), it's not "mainstream."
I think this man deserves a Grammy just for this line: "A speck of lint on a penis of an alien" Apparently lyrics indeed started to come easy as he aged ! And not offensive to Tony Levin to boot :)
Belew seems to have gotten more attention over the years for his guitar playing than his songwriting, but his songwriting is what I first noticed about his work. He is a fantastic songwriter.
Adrian sort of downplays his technical skills as a guitarist, but considers himself to be primarily a musician. He played all the instruments on his first solo album.
She is susceptible He is impossible They have their cross to share Three of a perfect pair He has his contradicting views She has her cyclothymic moods They make a study in despair Three of a perfect pair One, one too many schizophrenic tendencies Keeps it complicated (complicated) Keeps it aggravated (aggravated) And full of this hopelessness Oh, what a perfect mess He has his contradicting views She has her cyclothymic moods They make a study in despair Three of a perfect pair One, one too many schizophrenic tendencies Keeps it complicated (complicated) Keeps it so aggravated (aggravated) And full of this hopelessness Oh, what a perfect mess One, one too many schizophrenic tendencies Keeps it complicated Keeps it so aggravated Full of this hopelessness Oh, what a perfect mess One, one too many schizophrenic tendencies Keeps it complicated (complicated) Keeps it so aggravated (aggravated) And full of this hopelessness Oh, what a perfect messs She is susceptible He is impossible They have their cross to share Three of a perfect pair
According to Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew asked that he 'd be paid more than the other members of the band, including Fripp, because he did most of the work, being responsible for finding lyrics and melodies for the songs. And Fripp acknowledging that, gave it to him. Except that he became even more demanding after that, which often pissed Belew off.
very true,,,adrian started to believe he was KC,,,and he was a thorn in the sides of Zappa's band as well,,,he is a fantastic player,,,but like the lyrics in a Frank song " he loves himself better than he loves himself "
@@tomstiel7576 It was R Fripp who became more demanding after giving him what he asked. And in a sense THAT King Crimson was Belew's baby in spite of the fact that the band could not exist without Fripp. Belew so much dominated the stage in all three incarnations of that band. I was lucky enough to see them twice in the first one in 1981. The first time we didn't even know what to expect. The band played as Discipline and the LP came afterwards. The music we saw them perform was simply unbelievable.
your delusional at best,,,if it were not only for frank and KC he wouldn't be where he is today,,,KC was a superpower way way,way before Adrian,,,,PERIOD@@theo9952
Hmmm'. Well Adrian, any of us who really listen to Crimson never doubted or didn't realize for even a second you were the lyricist on those Crimson songs. Who else would it be? The continuity is very evident from the Crimson stuff to things like Mister Music Head, Acoustic Adrian Belew, and so forth. Also, I have to say I quite like your song writing and lyrics from Crimson as well as many of your old solo stuff. It's passionate, thoughtful, and interesting, and often has that touch of beatnik flavor, which of course then echoes backward into lots of 20th century poetry. The funny thing for me is I was listening to Adrian Belew long before I knew who he was, when I was about 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, because I had Sheik Yerbouti and Fear of Music, before I ever heard the 80s Crimson stuff, and later Mister Heartbreak, and it wasn't until later that I started to realize that Belew was on all these different records I was listening to. He is one of my favorite musicians. King Crimson is one of my favorite bands.
@@Laughingmonkeymusic He is on a lot of records. I just googled it recently, and apparently he is also on Graceland, plus there is that David Bowie stuff, which I only learned about recently. Several Laurie Anderson records. Just lots of stuff.
I discovered him the first time I heard cuts from Mister Heartbreak and I wondered who Laurie Anderson used. Then I heard Discipline. And Lone Rhino. Also David Bowie's Scary Monsters.
It was a lot of people's intro, as it became popular like never before, as Belew could sing, and the polyrythmic jams became somehow DANCEABLE... at least in Europe. I don't remember a singer really until Adrian. Didn't they borrow vocalists from Yes and ELP?
It's clear that he wrote the lyrics without anyone seen saying it. The ethos of Crimson was one of the collective not the individual (at least according to Robert Fripp) Peter Gabriel applied this to Genesis even though he wrote all the lyrics to the Lamb album. Genesis quickly became individualistic when Gabriel left.
Wow. I would love to hear how came up with the lyrics for songs like Thela Hun Ginjeet and Matte Kudasai. They seem to incorporate some unique foreign language. The lyrics are brilliant throughout the album.
Hmm on the back of the CDs where Belew is a member (except Discipline for some reason) and/or on the lyrics or credits pages it reads "Music by King Crimson, Lyrics (or "words") by Adrian Belew" This includes live and compilation albums. Don't know what he is bitching about. I am sure he is getting publishing credit and royalties as well.
No offense to you and your product, because this *was* a good interview, but why did you choose to have your celebrity guest take up 5% of the screen while each of the hosts take up a quarter?
Sinfield and Belew most definitely were not the only lyricists for Crimson. Richard Palmer-James was their lyricist from 72-74, John Wetton provided the lyrics for "One More Red Nightmare", whilst Fripp himself contributed two of the lines in "The Great Deceiver". None of this is arcane, hidden knowledge, it might haven taken all of five minutes to research this . . . Cheers!
"Flux" sounds like the Wire school of songwriting - when the text runs out, stop. They didn't think to ask about the influence on his writing (forget the singing!) of those two Davids - surely they made more of a difference all-told than the Zappa experience.
Lyricists will always gain a part credit. Drummers can create essential parts for a song's success but they still miss out on the credits - unless songwriting credits are by the whole band.
I didn’t know this. That Adrian wrote all the melodies and lyrics to the Crimson songs and didn’t get full writing credits. Considering it is purely the melody and words which are considered, in music, as the songwriting itself, I find this fact quite disgusting. I wonder if Fripp gets the largest share of the profits from all those albums and songs?
He is credited as the lyricist on all the albums he's on. The music is credited to the band because that was the deal going into it. And, just my opinion, but not to credit the band for the musical structures they created based on the standard lyric/melody tradition would be in this case absurd. As far as what Fripp has to say, he is on record of the belief that all touring band members deserve equal share, which is part of the reason Belew was not in the final incarnation of the band.
Adrian is a great musician and performer, but he doesn’t serve himself well by outright lying about not being specifically credited for writing the lyrics. He has been on a not so quiet campaign to protest his victim hood since not being included in the most recent KC incarnations. However, it turns out that one of the big reasons he wasn’t included and is no longer an active member was that the group (namely RF), after bending over backwards to include him, got tired of waiting for him to adjust his private touring schedule, and finally decided to move forward without him. AB continued to publicly protest that he had no idea why RF suddenly abandoned him when it is clear that he was trying to have his cake and eat it too while making a substantial number of musicians who make their living by touring sit around waiting for him to get his act together to rejoin KC. He needs to either come to grips with the truth or stop being so petty and move on. He seems to be a nice guy, but there is a great deal of ego here masquerading as humility with respect to his dealings with KC. Since I’ve never heard any complaints by Bruford, Levin, or any of the other great musicians who have been a part of KC for as long or longer than him, it is logical to assume that AB is not owning up to his own responsibility for no longer being a member. Too many sycophants keep giving him a pass on that.
So, he became better and better at songwriting. . .so he’s the opposite of every great artist who placed by far their best songs on their first 2 to 3 records, then spent the next 40 years after not writing any good songs.
The size of the boxes is relative to the angle or camera it was shot on. Adrian used an angle that left it a challenge to keep equal depth & size ratio equal. So I used his album art to counter balance. So I do want to thank you for taking the time to watch free content that somebody put a lot of time into and then calling 2 strangers stupid plus comment about lack of respect. These 2 strangers could comment about your writing skills as seen above or the content on your channel. I won't go there but instead say have nice day instead.
