Some figured that
Adrian Belew's 1990 solo effort, Young Lions, was going to be the album that finally broke this often overlooked and underrated guitarist to the mainstream rock crowd. After all, he was coming off the cult hit "Oh Daddy" the year before, and was recently named the guitarist (and musical director) for
David Bowie's
Sound + Vision Tour. While Young Lions did score a pair of moderate radio hits ("Men in Helicopters" and the
Bowie-sung "Pretty Pink Rose"), it didn't exactly work out that way. That said, Young Lions is probably
Belew's most accessible-sounding solo effort from beginning to end, and contains some of his best tunes, including the two aforementioned singles as well as a re-recording of
King Crimson's "Heartbeat." In 2008 the album was expanded and reissued by the Wounded Bird label, which included the full original album as well as such extras as an "LP Version" of "Pretty Pink Rose," "Neptune Pool," "Shoe Salesman," and the aforementioned "Oh Daddy" (which originally appeared on
Belew's 1989 release, Mr. Music Head). For one of
Adrian Belew's most melodic and commercial-sounding albums (but not "commercial" in a bad way), Young Lions/Pretty Pink Rose is the way to go. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
