The Bears

The '80s saw the emergence of several bands that gave a modern spin to the Beatles' more melodic moments -- namely Utopia, XTC, and the Bears. The latter group is best known for its inclusion of journeyman guitarist Adrian Belew, and despite issuing several fine albums over the years (on a very sporadic basis), the band remains relatively unknown outside of a small but devoted following. The roots of the Bears can be traced back to a Cincinnati-based band called the Raisins, which included guitarist/vocalist Rob Fetters, bassist Bob Nyswonger, and drummer Chris Arduser. At a show in Nashville in 1976, the group met Belew (who was playing in another band that same evening, Sweetheart), hit it off, and soon after, decided to someday make music together. Both parties remained in contact, but the proposed band had to take a backseat to Belew's burgeoning career, which at the time included stays with Frank Zappa, David Bowie, the Talking Heads, the Tom Tom Club, and King Crimson (in addition to launching his own solo career). Belew did find the time, however, to produce a Raisins demo in 1978, and even recorded a cover of "Oh Pretty Woman" with them. By 1983, Belew and the Raisins finally found the time to work together, as the guitarist produced a self-titled album for them. Although pleased with the results, it was agreed among all that Belew needed to be more involved with the band -- resulting in Belew signing on with the group full-time, and the band being renamed the Bears. Playing their first live shows together in 1985, the Bears issued a debut album, 1987's The Bears, as well as a sophomore outing, 1988's Rise and Shine; the latter became the quartet's highest charting album (peaking at number 159 on the Billboard charts). However, with their record label folding...