Rush: Classic or Dud?

"The Larger Bowl"

I thought they were drug free.

Ha. They do joke in the movie that they must have been pretty high when they wrote their '70s prog epics.

Just noticed one of the deleted scenes on the DVD is about the rap part in "Roll the Bones." Geddy Lee claims it was just a joke, a couple fans express their displeasure, and even Les Claypool pops up to say "it was a bit hard to take, even for me."

i for real get goosebumps from "mission" tho i recognize how cheezy it is...

Not exactly 80s synthy, but I'd also recommend "Entre Nous" and "Different Strings" as great Rush sentimental power ballads.

I had a quote from "The Pass" in my high school senior yearbook.

Also in the movie (see the movie!) Billy Corgan says young withdrawn Billy Corgan once sat his mom down to play her "Entre Nous" to try to teach her how music connected with him. He also says at one point he knew how to play the first side of "2112" from start to finish.

Some loosely sentimental power-ballads a la "Time Stand Still:"

...no "Closer to the Heart"?

"Rush goes pop!" impromptu POX

New World Man
Big Money
Manhattan Project (if you ignore Geddy, this is basically a Siouxsie song)
Time Stand Still
The Pass
War Paint
Dreamline
Ghost Of A Chance
Nobody's Hero
Earthshine

New World Man

I remember hearing this as some sort of theme for a bio of an athlete on Wide World of Sports or something in 1986. I suppose it works as that!

Manhattan Project (if you ignore Geddy, this is basically a Siouxsie song)

The middle section -- so expensive for 1985! -- is awesome.

One week to see the Time Machine show. Very excited

Pretty much every track on Power Windows has an epic and beautiful middle section.

One week to see the Time Machine show. Very excited

― Shin Oliva Suzuki, Wednesday, September 29, 2010 5:27 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark

Saw it recently in VA. I won't spoil it for you, but I'll say this much: Rush should have their own weekly sketch-comedy show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k4cFMVfnCE&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwpGXfHmY-A&feature=related

That second one is a gem and a half.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRuVCW0JQQ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_AsnTHJ52s

That tobogganing safety video is hilarious.

People should really be talking more about the new single Caravan. It's so awesome.

Also look at this: Rush gets major love from Brendon Small and Guitar Hero et al:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/09/29/warriors.of.rock.nerds/index.html?cid=mkt_face_tech&t=128579038698872

Hah, Geddy's "scream" while tobogganing (sp?) is totally musical. What a pro.

"We need someone to talk to
and someone to sweep the floors"

^rush otm

2nd leg of Time Machine tour just announced and tickets going on sale tomorrow! Pretty sure I'll be seeing them in Austin and Seattle. I highly recommend this tour to anyone with an interest in Rush, it's an amazing show.

Woot!

Kinda cool:

As a tribute to the U.S. city that first played their music on the radio, the Cleveland performance at The Quicken Loans Arena on April 15, 2011 will be filmed for full-length release, making it the first full-length live performance filming of Rush on US soil.

omg ne ohio is totally gonna flip out -- i have never lived an area more densely packed with rush fans than northeast ohio

I'm amazed that they haven't filmed a US show in all these years.

Yeah, but their live releases are outnumbering their studio albums by a 4-1 margin over the last few years. Seriously, dudes, maybe come up with a concept record where the concept isn't something like "the first live Rush album since Thursday!"

I think this happens because they are in marketing overdrive and are trying to cash in in the biggest way possible while they still can. I'm pretty sure the tour DVDs sell way more copies than their actual studio albums.

omg ne ohio is totally gonna flip out -- i have never lived an area more densely packed with rush fans than northeast ohio

― ergonomically chromium plated fish slice (La Lechera), Tuesday, January 18, 2011 1:55 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

I think they are pretty huge throughout the Great Lakes, upper midwest. I grew up in Chicago, and they were utterly huge there. Cant imagine much has changed.

What the fuck is that guy doing in my post.

According to Neil Peart, studio albums have basically become vanity projects for them that they just break even on, while they rake in ridiculous sums of money for touring.

Still, yeah I agree with you Tarfumes, I'd be much more excited to hear Clockwork Angels than another tour album.

i was wondering the same thing

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_leftkrHJkw1qf8yek.gif?

today's variation...

i'm just wondering what region "uppermdet" refers to

hacked the sub out. Uppper what, Bill Magill?

midwest?

Yeah it must be. Fixed.

my der beek

I want more haikus.

According to Neil Peart, studio albums have basically become vanity projects for them that they just break even on, while they rake in ridiculous sums of money for touring.

Still, yeah I agree with you Tarfumes, I'd be much more excited to hear Clockwork Angels than another tour album.

― Moodles, Tuesday, January 18, 2011 3:02 PM (28 minutes ago) Bookmark

I totally get that (about the studio albums), but pretty soon they're gonna run out of studio recordings to recycle live ("It's the first time they're doing all of Hold Your FIre live!"). And it's not like the live shows are much different from the studio recordings. Lifeson has said that, when he saw Cream live as a teenager, he was disappointed that they didn't play the same solos as on the records; as such, he's tried to never (or barely) stray from the recordings when playing live.

That's true, Rush is never going to deviate much from the studio recordings in their live performances. They are all about trying to recreate those songs as faithfully as possible right down to doing the same drum fills and guitar solos. It's an unusual approach, but also interensting in a way because it becomes this challenge to play the songs in an extremely specific way, and part of the joy of seeing them is being able to confirm that yes indeed, they do play all of those songs exactly as you would imagine they would.

I'm pretty down with this approach with one big exception: they've taken up the practice of playing canned backing vocals and extra guitar tracks on lots of their newer songs. I think it's an unnecessary step that doesn't really add much.

Canned, perhaps, but still triggered live, no? Foot pedals and whatnot?

Possibly, not really sure, not sure that there really is a difference if they are triggered by Rush or not. I'm not real thrilled when Alex Lifeson lipsyncs vocals.

Two dates in my neck of the woods. Thanks for this great news!

looks like the production on Vapor Trails is finally going to be fixed

http://ww2.richardchycki.com/archives/166

Oh cool!

also Moving Pictures in surround (but I'm more interested in seeing Vapor Trails fixed...)

http://ww2.richardchycki.com/archives/167

Sweet!

Songwise Vapor Trails is a great album, but the over-loud and distorted mix makes it a very difficult listen.