Rush: Classic or Dud?

Is that the one that sounded like Primus?

Ha, we discussed it earlier on the thread. You did compare it to Primus! I think the Cathedral comparisons were probably closer to the mark tbh.

As always, Ned points out the good stuff (this via his twitter). New Rush! Streaming at Rolling Stone! WTF? Rolling Stone? Whatever, it sounds great.

http://www1.rollingstone.com/hearitnow/player/rush.html

yeah it's pretty heavy!

Old man metal.

ha, according to the amazon product page they are apparently signed to Roadrunner now.

http://www.amazon.com/Clockwork-Angels-Rush/dp/B007I2BZIE/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1334776849&sr=1-1

Two months away from the release date, and it's #18 on the amazon best sellers!

Lyrically, CLOCKWORK ANGELS chronicles a young man's quest across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy as he attempts to follow his dreams. The story features lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnival, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life.

only Rush would allow me to move past that rmde concept and still be anxious for the music

That concept - in their hands, but few others - actually gets me more excited for the music.

Not only is it a concept album (their first since 2112, right?)...there's gonna be a novelization.

who is writing it?

margaret atwood

j/k

ayn rand

This guy. Never read a word by him as far as I know.

lol i actually read one of his Star Wars books, a bunch of short stories about the bounty hunters.

I've read a couple of the Saga Of Sevens Suns books. Nothing too notable, but not bad at all.

This is really good. It reminds me of a metal band but I can't put my finger on which one. Their production has gotten much better since Vapour Trails.

cool and remote like dancing girls!

Hmm, if this weren't Geddy it really could be lots of people, but this is still pretty cool. Are they three for three for the new stuff released thus far?

Geddy's vocals are definitely my favorite part of this new one

That opening reminds me of Hawkwind. Excited for this and however ridiculous it all ends up being.

This and the new Van Halen album are like bat signals for the return of suburban trash boredom. We're all going to smoke out at the In And Out Burger on Foothill Blvd. Pick up some Strohs if you don't mind. Oh yeah, check out my sweet wheels:

http://pics.hoobly.com/thumbs/12TJSNDJYRKR9WKU3O.jpg

Great song if you ask me!

Going to check all this out later!

North American tour dates just announced. They'll be in town a few days after my 40th birthday. I know what I'm asking for!

Whiskey?

yes. And tickets.

Rush has started a pattern on their last couple tours where they play San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston, and then several months later do a follow-up tour where they play Austin. I don't understand why they can't just hit Austin as part of the main tour. I'd really appreciate it if they did so I don't have to drag my ass down to San Antonio.

Drag your ass up to Dallas and celebrate with me!

let me rephrase that: You could drag your ass up to Dallas and celebrate with me if you wanted.

Full tour dates, plus a lyric video for the long version of the single. I'll be at the Newark show.

Saskatoon for the first time since the Permanent Waves tour. I'll be there!

Unfortunately I can't go to Dallas in the middle of the week because of work.

Saskatoon for the first time since the Permanent Waves tour.

ridiculous

Fair enough Moodles. Maybe another time.

Heard the new album this morning, all 66 minutes of it. It's really good. There are keyboards on a few songs, but they're never the dominant carriers of the melody - this is a return to late '70s heavy guitar Rush. I don't know what the general opinion of Snakes & Arrows is in this thread, but I found it very boring. This album is not boring. There aren't that many super-amped songs; "Headlong Flight" is definitely the fastest thing on it, but there are some seriously soaring melodies and I can already kinda predict which songs will be in the live set (aside from "Headlong Flight" and the two they've been playing for a while now).

Snakes & Arrows didn't really click for me beyond a couple tracks. Vapor Trails, otoh, I think is way underrated.

Headlong Flight is now up on Spotify. Definitely some echoes back to Fly By Night and Carress of Steel days.

Awesome. Like I said above, Rush is one of the few bands that rarely ignores the new stuff, and the same goes for Rush fans. (Other observation: one of the few bands that draws people back from the beer line for the drum solo!)

Haven't they been in "return to heavy" mode since Counterparts?

Pretty much yeah.

It seems like the critical response on each album since Counterparts has been "a return to form" or "back to basics".

I don't really get this.

Especially since the "Counterparts" era was the closest I've ever come to losing interest.

Roll The bones was a low point for me, Counterparts brought me back.

Sweet, they're playing Verizon Wireless in Atlanta (actually northern suburbs), which is like two miles from my house

I'm gonna see them in Newark October 2. I like that arena a lot - saw Metallica there a couple of years ago.

I'm glad Geddy hasn't completely abandoned the keyboards.

Roll The bones was a low point for me, Counterparts brought me back.

Eh, I like synth Rush, and that was sort of the last blast of that. I suppose "Vapor Trails" took me back. Still haven't heard "Test for Echo."

I love synth Rush, the only thing that bothers me about those records is that tinny super-digital guitar sound Lifeson was favoring for a while.

I don't mind the synths, but for me Roll The Bones just sounded way too thin overall and had too many weak song. Also was my least favorite for Alex Lifeson guitars. Basically what Jon Lewis just said.

Test For Echo has some good songs and some corny ones.

For me, their output from the 90s onward pans out like this:
Counterparts > Vapor Trails > Snakes & Arrows > Test For Echo > Roll The Bones

What WAS he putting on that thing? Chorus plus some kind of digital stereo delay thing plus...? He should have just replicated Andy Summers' rack top to bottom.

Perhaps more importantly, Lifeson also switched from Gibsons to some kind of PRS or something around that time as well.