The Acoustic Adrian Belew

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The Acoustic Adrian Belew is the seventh solo album by Adrian Belew, released in 1993. While Belew is predominantly known as an experimental electric player with a heavy use of electronic effects and unusual playing techniques, this album was a deliberate attempt to present him as a songwriter and interpreter of the songs of others. Belew plays all songs on acoustic guitar with minimal overdubs. At under 30 minutes, it is the shortest Adrian Belew album.

The album compiles new versions of songs from Belew's back catalogue (including one which he originally recorded for King Crimson) and two cover versions (one a Beatles song, the other a Roy Orbison song). Of the four new songs on the record, both 'Burned By the Fire We Make' and 'Dream Life' would appear in full electric versions on Belew's next album Here in 1994; 'Peace On Earth' is a rearrangement of part of 'Tango Zebra' (from Belew's 1986 instrumental/experimental album Desire Caught By the Tail) with new lyrics; and 'Martha Adored' is a tape-reversed playback of the earlier album track 'Dream Life'.

Track listing

1. "The Lone Rhinoceros" (Belew) – 2:37
2. "Peace on Earth" (Belew) – 2:49
3. "The Man in the Moon" (Belew) – 2:12
4. "The Rail Song" (Belew) - 3:42
5. "If I Fell" (Lennon–McCartney) – 2:18
6. "Burned by the Fire We Make" (Belew) – 2:50
7. "Matte Kudasai" (Belew, Bill Bruford, Robert Fripp, Tony Levin) – 2:18
8. "Dream Life" (Belew) – 2:19
9. "Old Fat Cadillac" (Belew) – 3:12
10. "Crying" (Roy Orbison, Joe Melson) – 2:39
11. "Martha Adored" (Belew) – 2:19

Personnel

Musician

• Adrian Belew – acoustic guitar, vocals

Technical

• Adrian Belew – producer
• Noah Evens – engineer