Adrian Belew - 1991 "Desire Of The Rhino King"

Desire of the Rhino King is a compilation album released in 1991 by experimental rock musician and guitarist Adrian Belew. It includes songs from Belew's first three solo albums for Island Records: Lone Rhino (1982), Twang Bar King (1983), and Desire Caught By the Tail (1986).

Track 18 is an outtake from the Desire sessions which makes its CD debut here. It was first released on a Flexi disc included with the March 1987 issue of Guitar Player magazine.

Desire of the Rhino King is a compilation of songs from Belew's three albums, Lone Rhino, Twang Bar King, and Desire Caught By the Tail. This generous, 20-track album epitomizes Adrian Belew in all his avant garde glory, complete with information about all three albums written by Belew himself. A good feel for his experimental guitar playing, his work with feedback, and his use of tape loops all converge on this album, creating an excellent overview of this talented artist. Belew's guitar work is at its best on "Big Electric Cat" and "Hot Sun." He shows that he can be compassionate on "The Man in the Moon," a song about the death of his father. The first eight tracks from Lone Rhino include abrupt sax playing from Bill Janssen and numerous other effects, adding to the brightness. Tracks nine to 16 are from Twang Bar King and are the leanest part of the album, since Belew seems to go off on a rip-roaring tangent and the looseness causes the tunes to slightly unravel. The last five tracks are taken from Desire Caught By the Tail, and this is where Belew glistens. Inspired by Pablo Picasso, he paints his music on an invisible canvas creating some unique and imaginative sounds. A great cross section of Adrian Belew is experienced on this album, and is digitally remastered as well.

This disk is actually a "Greatest Hits" for Belew. It has three albums worth of material (but not all of the tracks). It should be noted that the tracks from "Desire of the Rhino King" are actually a different mix than was originally released in Japan. So, if you are a Belew fan, you should get this CD even if you already have the original releases.

Track listing:

All music composed by Adrian Belew except where noted.

01 "The Final Rhino" – 1:25
02 "The Lone Rhinoceros" – 3:59
03 "Big Electric Cat" – 4:52
04 "The Momur" – 3:48
05 "Hot Sun" – 1:30
06 "The Man in the Moon" – 3:47
07 "Swingline" – 3:29
08 "Adidas in Heat" – 2:45
09 "Fish Head" – 4:31
10 "The Ideal Woman" – 4:08
11 "Sexy Rhino" – :37
12 "Twang Bar King" – 1:26
13 "Paint the Road" (Belew, Janssen) – 3:21
14 "She Is Not Dead" – 4:42
15 "The Rail Song" – 5:38
16 "Ballet for a Blue Whale" – 4:45
17 "The Gypsy Zurna" – 3:06
18 "Joan Miro's Procession Through the Insides of a Purple Antelope Across a Sea of Tuna Fish" – 3:05
19 "Portrait of Margaret" – 3:58
20 "Laughing Man" – 5:31
21 "Guernica" – 2:18

Personnel:

Adrian Belew – guitar, percussion, piano, drums, vocals,
Audie Belew – piano
Christy Bley – keyboards, vocals
Larrie Londin – drums
Clif Mayhugh – bass, vocals
Bill Janssen – saxophone, vocals