The Words of the Prophets Are Written On the Studio Walls... - by fett
Risquit on 2/7/2010 at 22:23
2112 has occupied a spot in my Top 10 as long as I've had a top 10.
Brian T on 3/7/2010 at 14:17
I don't discuss music these days but as I was a big fan of Rush some years ago indulge me.....
Rush are as Canadian as pine trees, pancakes and 6 storey apartment blocks.
Rush are less talented than JS Bach , but more talented than Venom.
I once saw "Rush- Canada's Power Trio" spraypainted on a wall when I lived in Victoria in the late 70s. I had no idea what a Rush was back then. Or a Power trio.
Neil Peart is a talented drummer, but I fail to understand the immense adulation. Good drummers can hit the drums without missing. Really good drummers can do it to a rhythm. Neil Peart can do this.
ALex Lifeson is a ZOMGSsdkjldkfjdlgaskdfhdkfghkdfghkdkaediqwurhoewiutyodsfi good guitar player.
Geddy Lees voice didn't annoy me when I was 19 and into Rush. At 40 however I can maybe start to understand the detractors.
Caress Of Steel is their best one.
Rush have cool album covers. Except that stupid first album. A pink explosion with "Rush!" staring at you. Even for 1974 it's stupid.
Rush seem not to possess large egos. This is rare for musicians.
Rush's All The Worlds A Stage is the best live album ever recorded.
Rush interviews are entertaining because they are intelligent, articulate people and have goofy Canadian accents. Having lived in Canada I think this lets me off the hook. Probably.
fett on 3/7/2010 at 14:30
Quote Posted by Brian T
Neil Peart is a talented drummer, but I fail to understand the immense adulation. Good drummers can hit the drums without missing. Really good drummers can do it to a rhythm. Neil Peart can do this.
I think there comes a certain point where you almost have to be a drummer to appreciate the intricacies of what's going on with him. Honestly, in the last ten years, he has refined his drumming to the point of near perfection, but always without overshadowing the rest of the song (as he often did in the early days). What probably sounds like a simple fill, cymbal tag, or bass/snare exchange to even a seasoned musician, proves incredibly difficult to play
in that exact way to a drummer who has tried to imitate it, or incorporate those nuances into his own playing. He's very good at making complicated things sound simple (which is a Rush trademark), so much so that it often flies right by without the average listener understanding how jaw-dropping it really is. Like Jack Black says in the documentary, "You put on headphones and listen to Neil Peart....he's not human!"
That said, I still wouldn't trade him for Ringo Starr, Jerry Gaskill (King's X), or Will Calhoun (Living Color) because they play with much more soul and guts than Peart does. Although I have to say that around Counterparts/Test for Echo, Peart really started playing with more groove and soul than ever before.
Volitions Advocate on 3/7/2010 at 15:47
I have to be honest. I"ve never given Rush much of a chance. And I'm sure many have heard this a thousand times, but it is mostly because of Geddy Lee. I'm really not fond of his vocals. Having said that however. I am not without respect and acknowledgment of what they've accomplished and how talented they are, I'm just one of those people who can't seem to get past his style of singing.
I've been thinking about the band a lot lately actually and that I should probably just get into them, because a lot of people I have met recently (who's opinions I actually respect) really like them. Usually when I run into a Rush fan it's the same as most people who love music from the era. If I say my favorite band isn't Rush, Zep, or Pink Floyd, than my musical tastes are suspect and I'm immediately branded some kind of ignorant moron. My usual response to these people is ignore them and their favorite bands, because everybody I have met who puts these bands on their personal #1 podium are complete dicks about it. That's why I have never listened to Pink Floyd until this year when a few students wanted to listen to the Dark Side of the Moon in the new 5 million dollar studio at the university. I went along and on that amazing sound system I realized that they really are a great and creative band. So i've slowly started to let them in and I'm grateful for the experience. (I've begun doing the same with peter gabriel who is also extremely talented). Having said that. I'd really like to get into Rush somehow without all the fanboy elitism. Maybe you guys could help me pick a place to start?
Koki. You're just fishing for a fight. Not that this is anything new. The data on those websites you posted is irrelevant. Comparing Rush to MJ in terms of record sales is as stupid as comparing Michael Mann to Steven Spielburg or James Cameron. Of course Rush didn't sell as many albums as MJ, HES BLOODY MICHAEL JACKSON! Nickelcrap isn't even on that list and they're basically the hugest rockband on the planet right now .. unfortunately Heat may have not pulled in as much money as avatar or titanic, but that doesn't make Mann an awful director. (except for maybe Miami Vice.... but I digress)
4 nil Germany? DAMMIT! I trusted you Argentina... *sadface* ... sorry, the match just ended.
Brian T on 3/7/2010 at 16:14
I hate Pink Floyd.
Big deal, my dog farting would sound great played on a 5 million dollar studio system.
Accessible Rush- Moving Pictures or Permanent Waves.
Arty Rush- Caress Of Steel, 2112 or Farewell to Kings.
Raw Rush- 1st or All The Worlds a Stage.
Slick(ish) Rush- mostly anything from 1982-1987
Volitions Advocate on 3/7/2010 at 17:06
I'm not saying the sound system made the music good. Its just that its the only time I ever gave the music a chance. I've heard the Wall, and watched the movie and I didn't really like it. this album seems quite different.
june gloom on 3/7/2010 at 18:14
Quote Posted by Brian T
but more talented than Venom.
Apples and oranges.
fett on 3/7/2010 at 20:55
VA - I can only speak from personal experience, but I also avoided Rush like a plague because of Geddy's vocals on the few radio songs I'd heard. I started with Counterparts, which is long after most people gave up on them. It is without doubt the most accessible album in terms of the vocals, because Geddy is older and singing in a lower register. It's also filled with very hooky guitar parts, shorter songs, and very memorable melodies. Once I'd digested this album and it's follow-up (Test for Echo), I grabbed some of the more popular albums like Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves. His vocal style is not my favorite, but starting with the newer stuff allowed me to appreciate the classics a bit more easily, and now I don't even notice his wailing - I'm too busy taking in the huge sound.
Here's the single from Counterparts - (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBXWkV9yOJE) Stick It Out
Gingerbread Man on 4/7/2010 at 15:32
I understand the Geddy's Voice Problem, but if you can listen to Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Guns n Roses, Iron Maiden, or Dio then you can listen to Rush.
Rug Burn Junky on 4/7/2010 at 21:23
Quote Posted by Gingerbread Man
Lemme chime in with something more substantial, since I'm not posting from my phone for once.
[...]
* Canadian: check
* Incredibly effusive praise for prog rock band: check
* Cryptic allusions to people none of us know: check
* Questionable choices of grammar and capitalization bordering on abuse of the English language: check
My dear sir, I regret to inform you, but it seems that you have succumbed to the first stages of a disease known as "buglunch-itis." I'm afraid that if the word 'fleen' begins to show up in your posts we may have to put you down. All for your own good, you understand.
