RUSH vs. YES vs. THE GRATEFUL DEAD

Wasn't Lifeson arrested for public drunken brawling a few years ago?

OK, then, it's settled. In a fight, I wouldn't mind having Pigpen, Keith Godhchaux, Lifeson, Peart, and Chris Squire on my side. The rest wouldn't be much good.

I dont think that Pigpen or Godchaux would do you much good at the moment.

I was thinking Pigpen and Kreutzman, mostly.

One point that hasn't really been taken into consideration here is that Rush's run of albums from Permanent Waves through Power Windows is pretty much untouchable. There isn't really a single dud song on any of those 5 albums.

― Moodles, Tuesday, July 31, 2012 7:34 AM (36 minutes ago)

otm, especially the first three of those: permanent waves, moving pictures and signals. that's what swung this to rush for me, along with the unbeatable first half of 2112. deep down, i'm a pop and hard rock fan, and as much as do like both yes and the dead, that's not what they're about.

i really should listen to more Rush. i really only know all the big and semi-big singles from classic rock radio. i've always had a hard time getting into the stuff from their peak(?) years. LOVE the "fly by night" and "working man" earlier stuff though

(i guess some of the stuff i've heard on classic rock radio might not necessarily be singles)

As much as I love several Yes records, Rush wins this by a mile.

The Grateful Dead never made music worth listening to. They made music worth turning off.

btw can I just say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE how crisp the drums on "Tom Sawyer" are

I've found myself lately wanting to get into Rush's 1980s stuff for some reason. Haven't taken the plunge though.

Bruford punched Squire backstage after a gig according to Wakeman

Rush by about a million miles. Yes never did much for me one way or the other & the Dead are like one of the last bands I still actively hate.

this thread is a great reference work of bad opinions and wrong people

can someone tell me again why "The Trees" is so terrible?

it's another of peart's rand metaphors, mighty oaks brought low by the petty union organizing of lesser trees

The lyrics lends themselves pretty readily to a right-wing/anti-union interpretation. I really like parts of the music, though. (If I remember, there's a nice bit in 5?)

xpost!

ha when I was a kid, I basically interpreted that as the trees being so busy arguing with each other that they didn't notice all the ppl showing up to cut them all down

plus goofy as hell:

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
"These oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light"
Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe and saw

i kind of like it though

Rush being goofy as hell, likable, and super-rocking is really quite a trick. Really, all of these bands are at the very least great some of the time.

my god, I'd forgotten how fantastic "La Villa Stangiato" is

okay lol:

Despite claims that the song addresses political and socioeconomic issues, lyricist Neil Peart has remarked that there is no hidden meaning to the song, and that the inspiration for penning it simply came from a humorous comic strip he read which depicted trees arguing like people.[1]

xp hell yeah, main theme showing up a couple minutes in always puts a smile on my face

and while we're at it, "cygnus x-1"

books I and II, lol

Both Strangiato and the Trees are incredible songs. Lyrics in the Trees are kind of goofy, but it still rules.

i seconded moodles' endorsement of the "untouchable" 5-album streak from permanent waves through power windows, but tbrr, i cut it off at signals and start the run at 2112. a farewell to kings and hemispheres may not quite reach "temples of syrinx" heights, but that's an unfair standard to hold anything to.

alex in nyc!

rush has stuff i can't even defend but somehow i love it still

I start the run at 2112 and end it at Moving Pictures. I can't do it after that.

Despite claims that the song addresses political and socioeconomic issues, lyricist Neil Peart has remarked that there is no hidden meaning to the song, and that the inspiration for penning it simply came from a humorous comic strip he read which depicted trees arguing like people.[1]

Ha, Peart's original quote is here: http://www.nimitz.net/rush/faq2ans.html#70

This completely makes sense to me, actually. Even otherwise, I would have put the lyrical statement down to naivete. I never thought that Peart was actually advocating for Thatcherite union-busting to come to 70s Canada or anything.

Bill, you really need to check out Counterparts if you haven't. That album rules.

i love everything from Fly By Night thru Hold Your Fire, after that it starts to get patchy

i almost wish there were more records of the pre-synthesizer fantasy jams like on fly by night and caress of steel. i suspect there are other good 70s bands to turn to for crisp d&d-rock (uriah heep comes to mind?) but i haven't found much

Starcastle

Are Starcastle any good? I never heard them but got the impression from reviews that they were second-string Kansas/Styx (which makes them, what third-string Zeppelin/Yes?)? I'm curious though.

I am listening to Signals for maybe the first time ever? I don't know why I avoided this album, first two songs are great

I think "2112" and "Hemispheres" rely too heavily on their narratives to work. This would be OK if the narratives weren't so dopey: as such, they got old for me whereas Yes's 15:00+ epics work entirely on a sonic level for me. Weirdly, I kind of like "Fountain of Lamneth" as a series of tableaux.

xpost "Losing It" is classic imo.

Starcastle were super Yes-influenced. There's a lot to like about them - very light overall feeling, cool band sound, super chops.

The last bunch of albums Rush has released have all been pretty solid, especially Counterparts, Vapor Trails, and Clockwork Angels.

Also, their tours since the late 90s have all been incredible.

i love everything from Fly By Night thru Hold Your Fire, after that it starts to get patchy

Me too. I'd probably even go so far as "Presto" or "Roll the Bones" (each of which features one of my fave Rush album openers, and plenty more I like, including Rush's most credible power ballads "The Pass" and "Ghost of a Chance"). But "Snakes & Arrows" is the only of the recent batch of renewed Rush I love unabashedly, though each has their moments.

i need to listen to "Roll the Bones" again...the title track is so dorky (even for rush) i think it kind of tainted the memory of the album for me

The Time Machine tour was what converted me from being a just-know-the-radio-hits guy to a need-everything-now fan. Can't wait to see them again in October.

I thought their 30th anniversary tour did a good job giving a little taste of every era, including "Between the Wheels," possibly the darkest song they've done. "You know how that rabbit feels, going under your spinning wheels..."

yeah i saw them about 4 years ago and they did between the wheels because i love that song so much, grace under pressure is one of my favorites

Thanks for the Counterparts recommendation above (insert Chinese symbols here(I believe its Phil)). I'll check that out.

I have tix for Rush in both Atl and Dallas (where I'll be on business in Dallas). Pumped.

did anybody see the Rush documentary that came out a year or two back? fucking incredible stuff, they have film of, like, early band meetings at their parents' dinner table.

That documentary is THE #1 starting point for any new fan.

Yeah, it's great. Wild that both that and the Anvil doc delve into the fact that two of these linchpins of Canadian hard rock acts are children of Holocaust survivors (Geddy is the nickname he earned from his mom calling him to come home - Gary! - in her thick accent). The story of the Anvil guy and his parents is so beautiful, like the most supportive dad ever.

That footage of Lifeson as a teenager arguing with his parents is from this documentary (although I'd imagined a scenario along the lines of, "Dude, Alex is totally fighting with his folks! Bring your Super-8!")

xp

Dashed this off in honor of Jerry's birthday tomorrow. Hoping it affects voting. :)

http://www.deadjournalist.com/DJdc/2012/07/31/boots-in-transit-an-appreciation-of-the-dead-on-cassette/

That footage of Lifeson as a teenager arguing with his parents is from this documentary (although I'd imagined a scenario along the lines of, "Dude, Alex is totally fighting with his folks! Bring your Super-8!")

xp

― Sun? Sun? It's your cousin, Marvin Ra (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, July 31, 2012 5:40 PM (1 hour ago)

Wow, I bet Alex Lifeson is one of the only people who's been on Trailer Park Boys AND a Criterion Collection documentary.