We all have our musical preferences. Some of us like happy up-beat stuff, other people are into heavier and coarser music. Sometimes we choose by era, 70's, 80's, etc. Sometimes we get caught on the pop wave, and we just ride it. Other times we flirt outside of the mainstream, listening to what some people would rather call noise, and that we'd snidely call eclectic as we looked down upon their inabilities to understand something unpopular. But sometimes, we get a band, just one band, that sticks with us. A band that reaches into our heads, and wets the passages and crevices of our mind, and just won't let go. It sticks around no matter what the flavor of the day is, no matter what other music we're listening to, and no matter how radically different that musical phase is, this band clings to us. For me, this band has been, and always will be, Rush.
I've loved Rush ever since I listened to my Dad's 2112 album when I was 10, and as the years have gone by, I've learned to appreciate these true masters of music all the more. To this day, I feel like no other band has the lyrics, the melodies, and the moods of their songs which reach out to me and speak in ways I didn't know I could understand, and reciprocally, be understood. The fiercely independent way their music carries itself, so subtly tempered by the amiable and personalable members themselves creates the strongest concoction of idolization that I've ever experienced; the fact that they're normal guys makes my admiration quintuple from their already astounding musicianship and personal connection.
As I said, my relationship with the band who would one day be the elected soundtrack to my life, began in 2000 when, rummaging through my dads CD's, seeking out Steve Miller's Fly like an Eagle, I stumbled upon this:
Curiosity got the best of me, and Steve Miller was soon forgotten as the spacey introduction carried me away through the Solar Federation. As a kid, the music was heavy, but not unbearably so, and the story, God, the story was just so riveting. My father had always loved story songs, and had passed this onto me. It didn't, and still doesn't, matter the genre, a good story, combined with the emotional levels that sound can evoke in a person, that feeling is second to none. As the track finished, and the last cries calling for attention from the conquerors to the conquered faded into the still air of the house, I was rocked.
At the time, I didn't really understand what I'd just heard, I remember that until I was 15, I was convinced that the "Soliloquy" section, was the hated priests dying, and not the tragically heroic main character. However, as time advanced, and I delved deeper and deeper into this band, I began to see beyond a simple story.
But before that, I have to be honest, I lost interest for awhile. 2112 was the only Rush album at my immediate disposal, and I had no internet connection at the time. Though I always went back to that album, again and again, that was all I had to get my fix, and so, like the drug addict who builds their tolerance to their chosen narcotic, my passion was diminished. Then, chance rolled Rush once more into my life, in the form of one of my highschool friends, Mike. In ninth grade I started to hang around Mike, and it wasn't until November that we ever really got conversationally friendly enough to get around to our more esoteric musical preferences. I casually tossed out King Crimson, and YES, but then came the name drop, Rush. Not only did Mike listen to them, but his dad had EVERY SINGLE ALBUM. This included live albums, with the exception of Different Stages, which to this day, my collection is sadly missing.
And so, my love of Rush was reignited in a way that was not to every again be diminished. After 2112, ironically, it was not the oft cited Moving Pictures album which won my attention, but the strangely obscure A Farewell to Kings which grabbed onto me. Ironic also because it was chronologically the next album after 2112 in Rush's discography, but I digress.
As the years went by, I dug further, and further, yet never furiously, into their selection of songs. My descent into the state of fanatic was paced and measured, always 1 album at a time to which I would devote my energies, and understand it fully. Occasionally I'd give an album a try, and put it back on the shelf after a few listens. I thought I didn't like them at the time, but in actuality, I just wasn't ready for them as I'd find myself, more and more, coming back to those same albums with fresh takes and perspectives on my own life as I grew.
Today, I love all of Rush's discography, top to bottom, from their eponymous first album, Rush, released in 76, to the most recent 07 release of Snakes and Arrows, I listen to, and enjoy, all of it. Soon, Rush will be releasing their 19th. full length studio album, Clockwork Angels, and from what I've heard, I will love that as well.
To date I've been to 3 Rush concerts, and own 2 Rush dvd's, Rush in Rio, and Beyond the Lighted Stage, and every album they've ever released. I can name every album, live albums included, compilations excluded, they've ever released in chronological order.
I love Rush. And I want to know, who else out there is a Rush fan? Come on Teamliquid, show these awesomely talented, and refreshingly paradoxically humble gentlemen some love too, I know there are some Rush fans out there!
Im not a big fan of their newer stuff.. Also i watched a live concert recently that they played some of the stuff off snakes and arrows and.. for some reason there was a line of rotisarry chicken ovens behind them while they was playing and there was a guy in a chicken suit that came out to marinate them while they played their set..
I am puzzled as to the significance of this.. perhaps you can shed some light.
On October 08 2010 15:24 Coagulation wrote: I can play a few rush tunes on guitar.
I can only play Working Man, and Limelight on guitar, but given an hour of refreshing, I can play any of their songs on drums. I got that man's playing in my bones.
To answer your questions, Geddy doesn't actually have any amps. He just patches directly through the house PA, which helps give his playing so much punch live. However, this conspicuous lack of amps left alot of empty stage behind him. Because of this, he started filling it in with miscellaneous items, Dryers and Washing machines on the Vapor Trails Tour, Chicken Rotisseries on Snakes and Arrows, and some weird ass contraptions that I have no clue what they are on the Time Machine tour.
As for the guy coming out, the members of Rush a a bit dorky and goofy, so they have little skits set up with their crew to randomly do things while they're playing. On the Rio dvd, the crew dressed up like Rush from the 70's and came out in the middle of a song as a joke. During the Snakes and Arrows tour, first leg, they tied up the chicken boy, and laid him in the middle of the stages for a whole song because it was the guy who played the chicken boy's birthday xD some present.
On October 08 2010 15:24 Coagulation wrote: I can play a few rush tunes on guitar.
I can only play Working Man, and Limelight on guitar, but given an hour of refreshing, I can play any of their songs on drums. I got that man's playing in my bones.
neil peart is a monster on drums. Geddy would be my second favorite bassist of all time Roger waters takes my #1 spot. My favorite rush song would be a tossup between subdivisions and temple of syrinx
On October 08 2010 15:24 Coagulation wrote: I can play a few rush tunes on guitar.
I can only play Working Man, and Limelight on guitar, but given an hour of refreshing, I can play any of their songs on drums. I got that man's playing in my bones.
neil peart is a monster on drums. Geddy would be my second favorite bassist of all time Roger waters takes my #1 spot. My favorite rush song would be a tossup between subdivisions and temple of syrinx
Geddy is probably one of the most underrated multi-instrumental musicians of all time. The man, sings, plays synth's, triggers like 70% of all the effects, plays bass with HIS FEET while playing the aforementioned synth parts, and plays one of the meanest bass guitars around.
As for my favorite songs...good god. Too many to pick from, but right now in my life, Between Sun and Moon off of Counterparts, and Analog Kid from Signals.
I think Geddy Lee gets a lot of the credit he deserves tbh :>
As far as Rush songs go, I have always loved the poppy/anti-poppy feel of Limelight and everything on 2112, A Farewell to Kings, and Hemispheres is just a masterpiece.
On October 08 2010 16:12 FragKrag wrote: I think Geddy Lee gets a lot of the credit he deserves tbh :>
As far as Rush songs go, I have always loved the poppy/anti-poppy feel of Limelight and everything on 2112, A Farewell to Kings, and Hemispheres is just a masterpiece.
I think he gets the bass credit he deserves, but not for his instrumental onstage dexterity.
And yeah, I know what you mean about Limelight, it's a strange one, and I feel like it's a one of a kind song from them. Maybe Spirit of Radio and Freewill match it, in that poppy/anti-poppy sense, but they're not the same somehow. Of those albums you mentioned, Hemispheres has grown to be my favorite, love every song on that album, Plus ca Change, Plus c'est la meme chose
I think 2112 is the worst album of their prog era. Sure 2112 is a fantastic song, one of their best, but the rest of the album is just insanely mediocre and even bad (Tears and Lessons are awful sons)
Permanent Waves has always been my favorite album, it drew a perfect bridge between their progressive stylings heard on AFTK/Hemispheres without any of the terrible blues rock cliche's that 2112 and caress of steel clung on to.
On October 08 2010 15:24 Coagulation wrote: I can play a few rush tunes on guitar.
Im not a big fan of their newer stuff.. Also i watched a live concert recently that they played some of the stuff off snakes and arrows and.. for some reason there was a line of rotisarry chicken ovens behind them while they was playing and there was a guy in a chicken suit that came out to marinate them while they played their set..
I am puzzled as to the significance of this.. perhaps you can shed some light.
it's a recurring joke that they have anything BUT bass amplifiers behind geddy lee. on the vapor trails tour they used dishwasher and for snakes and arrows it was rotisserie chickens. geddy lee doesn't want to sponsor a specific brand of bass amps so he has his amps placed under the stage
I also heard he just plugs directly into the PA now but I'm not sure thats true, I can't imagine he gets the sounds he does that way
I think they try to make it more ridiculous every time. the other thing that usually gets pimped out in a humorous way is alex lifesons pedalboard
EDIT- alex lifeson is also the most underrated guitarist of all time
he doesn't play a ton of super flashy guitar solos but his chordwork is incredible and he uses really unique fingerings, a great example of that is the discovery section of 2112 and the trees on hemispheres, or the entire beginning of hemispheres
but he could sure rip, this is my favorite performance in terms of both alex lifesons guitar playing and his humor (he's also the funniest member):
On October 08 2010 16:32 DoctorHelvetica wrote: I think 2112 is the worst album of their prog era. Sure 2112 is a fantastic song, one of their best, but the rest of the album is just insanely mediocre and even bad (Tears and Lessons are awful sons)
Permanent Waves has always been my favorite album, it drew a perfect bridge between their progressive stylings heard on AFTK/Hemispheres without any of the terrible blues rock cliche's that 2112 and caress of steel clung on to.
Strangely, I like pretty much all of 2112, though I'll admit, those two songs were serious abberations and that the rest of he album pales in comparison to the title track. Caress is just....meh. Of all the Rush albums it's the one that would go first if I ABSOLUTELY had to pick one to chuck.
As for Alex's guitar work, his entire approach I find to be unique. He plays in a style that I can only describe as "layered", and is one of the few guitarists who can play the empty spaces in a song really well while never intruding where he shouldn't be. Technically, there are better players, but musically I feel like he's the most consummate guitar player in the world.
On October 08 2010 16:32 DoctorHelvetica wrote: I think 2112 is the worst album of their prog era. Sure 2112 is a fantastic song, one of their best, but the rest of the album is just insanely mediocre and even bad (Tears and Lessons are awful sons)
Permanent Waves has always been my favorite album, it drew a perfect bridge between their progressive stylings heard on AFTK/Hemispheres without any of the terrible blues rock cliche's that 2112 and caress of steel clung on to.
Strangely, I like pretty much all of 2112, though I'll admit, those two songs were serious abberations and that the rest of he album pales in comparison to the title track. Caress is just....meh. Of all the Rush albums it's the one that would go first if I ABSOLUTELY had to pick one to chuck.
As for Alex's guitar work, his entire approach I find to be unique. He plays in a style that I can only describe as "layered", and is one of the few guitarists who can play the empty spaces in a song really well while never intruding where he shouldn't be. Technically, there are better players, but musically I feel like he's the most consummate guitar player in the world.
you'd pick caress over test for echo or presto? i can't get behind that both of those albums are bad and bordering on unlistenable
he layers well because he uses a shitload of reverb and early on he played almost only semi-hollow guitars which fill a lot of space
he's very versatile with his sounds but he got a little bit too reverb happy int he late 80's and 90's and his guitar tone started sounding pretty bad around the time of hold your fire.
On October 08 2010 16:32 DoctorHelvetica wrote: I think 2112 is the worst album of their prog era. Sure 2112 is a fantastic song, one of their best, but the rest of the album is just insanely mediocre and even bad (Tears and Lessons are awful sons)
Permanent Waves has always been my favorite album, it drew a perfect bridge between their progressive stylings heard on AFTK/Hemispheres without any of the terrible blues rock cliche's that 2112 and caress of steel clung on to.
Strangely, I like pretty much all of 2112, though I'll admit, those two songs were serious abberations and that the rest of he album pales in comparison to the title track. Caress is just....meh. Of all the Rush albums it's the one that would go first if I ABSOLUTELY had to pick one to chuck.
As for Alex's guitar work, his entire approach I find to be unique. He plays in a style that I can only describe as "layered", and is one of the few guitarists who can play the empty spaces in a song really well while never intruding where he shouldn't be. Technically, there are better players, but musically I feel like he's the most consummate guitar player in the world.
you'd pick caress over test for echo or presto? i can't get behind that both of those albums are bad and bordering on unlistenable
he layers well because he uses a shitload of reverb and early on he played almost only semi-hollow guitars which fill a lot of space
he's very versatile with his sounds but he got a little bit too reverb happy int he late 80's and 90's and his guitar tone started sounding pretty bad around the time of hold your fire.
In this respect, I'm a weird one. Presto is one of my favorite Rush albums, almost exclusively because of the lyrical content of the whole package. Musically, it was average I thought, but I loved all the lyrics to those songs. Also, Fountain of Lamneth and The Necromancer, musically, might as well be one song, and having them on the same album just killed it for me. Both those songs have sections that sound way too similar for my tastes, and when you add the length and spacing of those songs, I just can't handle it too well.
I'm totally with you on him overusing the reverb in the late 80's, it got pretty ridiculous, but when you consider he was essentially providing musical effects for most of the 80's when he was second fiddle to the synths, it's understandable the direction his tone took.
On October 08 2010 16:32 DoctorHelvetica wrote: I think 2112 is the worst album of their prog era. Sure 2112 is a fantastic song, one of their best, but the rest of the album is just insanely mediocre and even bad (Tears and Lessons are awful sons)
Permanent Waves has always been my favorite album, it drew a perfect bridge between their progressive stylings heard on AFTK/Hemispheres without any of the terrible blues rock cliche's that 2112 and caress of steel clung on to.
Strangely, I like pretty much all of 2112, though I'll admit, those two songs were serious abberations and that the rest of he album pales in comparison to the title track. Caress is just....meh. Of all the Rush albums it's the one that would go first if I ABSOLUTELY had to pick one to chuck.
As for Alex's guitar work, his entire approach I find to be unique. He plays in a style that I can only describe as "layered", and is one of the few guitarists who can play the empty spaces in a song really well while never intruding where he shouldn't be. Technically, there are better players, but musically I feel like he's the most consummate guitar player in the world.
you'd pick caress over test for echo or presto? i can't get behind that both of those albums are bad and bordering on unlistenable
he layers well because he uses a shitload of reverb and early on he played almost only semi-hollow guitars which fill a lot of space
he's very versatile with his sounds but he got a little bit too reverb happy int he late 80's and 90's and his guitar tone started sounding pretty bad around the time of hold your fire.
In this respect, I'm a weird one. Presto is one of my favorite Rush albums, almost exclusively because of the lyrical content of the whole package. Musically, it was average I thought, but I loved all the lyrics to those songs. Also, Fountain of Lamneth and The Necromancer, musically, might as well be one song, and having them on the same album just killed it for me. Both those songs have sections that sound way too similar for my tastes, and when you add the length and spacing of those songs, I just can't handle it too well.
I'm totally with you on him overusing the reverb in the late 80's, it got pretty ridiculous, but when you consider he was essentially providing musical effects for most of the 80's when he was second fiddle to the synths, it's understandable the direction his tone took.
i agree. i'm actually a big fan of the signals-HYF era but I haven't liked any album that came after HYF except for snakes and arrows and a couple of songs on vapor trails
i like signals a lot more than moving pictures personally
i'm a bit of a production nut and the awful production and compression on presto and their 90's albums in general really killed it for me although I think presto was recorded in '89
On October 08 2010 16:32 DoctorHelvetica wrote: I think 2112 is the worst album of their prog era. Sure 2112 is a fantastic song, one of their best, but the rest of the album is just insanely mediocre and even bad (Tears and Lessons are awful sons)
Permanent Waves has always been my favorite album, it drew a perfect bridge between their progressive stylings heard on AFTK/Hemispheres without any of the terrible blues rock cliche's that 2112 and caress of steel clung on to.
Strangely, I like pretty much all of 2112, though I'll admit, those two songs were serious abberations and that the rest of he album pales in comparison to the title track. Caress is just....meh. Of all the Rush albums it's the one that would go first if I ABSOLUTELY had to pick one to chuck.
As for Alex's guitar work, his entire approach I find to be unique. He plays in a style that I can only describe as "layered", and is one of the few guitarists who can play the empty spaces in a song really well while never intruding where he shouldn't be. Technically, there are better players, but musically I feel like he's the most consummate guitar player in the world.
you'd pick caress over test for echo or presto? i can't get behind that both of those albums are bad and bordering on unlistenable
he layers well because he uses a shitload of reverb and early on he played almost only semi-hollow guitars which fill a lot of space
he's very versatile with his sounds but he got a little bit too reverb happy int he late 80's and 90's and his guitar tone started sounding pretty bad around the time of hold your fire.
In this respect, I'm a weird one. Presto is one of my favorite Rush albums, almost exclusively because of the lyrical content of the whole package. Musically, it was average I thought, but I loved all the lyrics to those songs. Also, Fountain of Lamneth and The Necromancer, musically, might as well be one song, and having them on the same album just killed it for me. Both those songs have sections that sound way too similar for my tastes, and when you add the length and spacing of those songs, I just can't handle it too well.
I'm totally with you on him overusing the reverb in the late 80's, it got pretty ridiculous, but when you consider he was essentially providing musical effects for most of the 80's when he was second fiddle to the synths, it's understandable the direction his tone took.
i agree. i'm actually a big fan of the signals-HYF era but I haven't liked any album that came after HYF except for snakes and arrows and a couple of songs on vapor trails
i like signals a lot more than moving pictures personally
i'm a bit of a production nut and the awful production and compression on presto and their 90's albums in general really killed it for me although I think presto was recorded in '89
Well, when you put it that way, yeah, the production quality on Presto was pretty damn bad. In general it was a thin sounding album.
And Grace Under Pressure is probably my single favorite album from that era, Power Windows close second. I feel like every song on Grace hit the nail on the head, and Kid Gloves is just a wacky song.
First Canadian posting in a Rush thread! Fantastic band.
I love most Rush albums: Caress of Steel, Fly By Night, 2112, A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, and even A Show Of Hands. Even though their sound changes, they always sound good (probably with more weight to their older stuff).
I'm thinking of making a single Rush mix CD for my sister as she doesn't think Rush is very good. Not sure which songs to put on it yet. For example, I love YYZ but she might not like pure instrumental.
On October 08 2010 22:25 Durak wrote: First Canadian posting in a Rush thread! Fantastic band.
I love most Rush albums: Caress of Steel, Fly By Night, 2112, A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, and even A Show Of Hands. Even though their sound changes, they always sound good (probably with more weight to their older stuff).
I'm thinking of making a single Rush mix CD for my sister as she doesn't think Rush is very good. Not sure which songs to put on it yet. For example, I love YYZ but she might not like pure instrumental.
I'd suggest Nobody's Hero off of counterparts, musically it's one of their more accessible songs.
Heh, Neil Peart is from the same town as me, so of course i like Rush. I'm not really a fan of their newer music however. 2112, awesome album. Tom Saywer, Lakeside Park, Limelight, all great songs.
This newer stuff just doesn't feel same same as the classic rush I grew up with.
Edit: I am also starting to collect Rush albums, but its a slow process. So far I only have Exit, Stage Left and Moving Pictures.
Some of my favorite Rush songs are played 5 times more than other bands. lol I don't really listen to music deeply enough to have a solid opinion, but I basically love everything until Counterparts. I still like Counterparts and beyond, but not as much.
Yup another Rush fan here, saw them on their time machine tour doing the moving pictures album and all their really famous songs. great show at the mohegan sun over the summer. I live in connecticut so it was convienent.
Ive never listend to Rush more than a few songs on youtube, but your blog has intrigued me.
More people listen to Rush, the better ^_^
I'd check out the Moving Pictures album if you like Classic Rock, Farewell to Kings or Hemispheres if you're into long concept pieces, or really, just pick an album from an era you like, Rush has this awesome tendency to not get stale by taking whatever is going on in music at the time, and doing it their own way.
EPT![[image loading]](http://blastmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/w_2112.gif)
![[image loading]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LXS5HqLAb_4/SzbEEuSurVI/AAAAAAAAAdU/WC6MZKKTbuE/s400/rush.jpg)
