2000 Great Songs #1235: Fear Is Never Boring
Guitarist Adrian Belew probably had the most interesting 80s runs of any artist I can think of. Hot off his apprenticeship work with the likes of David Bowie and Frank Zappa , he started the decade touring with the Talking Heads and playing on their best album, Remain In Light . He was then recruited by Robert Fripp for what became a new incarnation of King Crimson (with 1981's Discipline among the most enduring works the various iterations of that constantly-rotating outfit ever created). He also managed a few solid solo albums of eclectic prog-tinged pop. And then rounded it all out by hooking up with a few friends as The Bears. The latter's eponymous 1987 debut (they'd intermittently released 3 more over the next 20 years) was basically a new wave-flavored power pop record, at times reminiscent of early XTC , with Belew sharing the mic and largely laying off the insane guitar pyrotechnics that characterize his other work. My favorite track from the LP was "F...
