Rush: Classic or Dud?

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.

Xpost

Probably everything and the kitchen sink. I think he still uses tons of efx, but has also learned the value of running it all through a battery of big ass tube stacks.

PRS! Never a good sign.

Sting iirc

He still uses PRS a lot.

Never listened to the '90s albums; pulled up Counterparts on Spotify now. Liking it.

Counterparts is kind of their take on Pearl Jam style grunge, but much more enjoyable. Lots of really ballsy stripped down drum grooves.

I love Lifeson's playing on "Power Windows" and "Hold Your Fire!" He's playing the hell all over those things, making the most of that thin (but not really) sound.

I love his playing on Hold Your Fire too! Just think the timbre could be better. A remaster could do the job, actually...

I'm really only complaining about him on Roll The Bones, I love those others too.

They did remaster them, though. Mostly beefed up the drums. His guitar sound is really sort of like Andy Summers if Summers were allowed a whole bunch of shit-hot soloing. I guess this era of the band had a lot of the synth parts so worked out that Lifeson sort of came in at the end to find spaces for his solos. But frankly I find his soling really awesome in the late '80s. I mean, "Turn the Page" and "Mission" have some incredible guitar parts. They're part shading, part flash.

I don't think I have the remasters of any of those. Will check em out.

"Ghost of a Chance" is my favorite Rush song directed at a woman.

also: the keyboards (Prophets?) and Aimee Mann's vocal on "Time Stands Still" quite consciously evokes mid eighties Kate Bush imo.

well, one thing is for sure... there new single sucks.

new single is great! You're crazy.

Snakes & Arr

ows is one of my absolute favorite Rush albums.

Ps - fuck you iPhone.

Snakes & Arr was the pirated version that appeared on the net.

I love R

ush

Saw a kid today wearing a "Got Geddy?" shirt, and I'm guessing he was around 15 or 16. So that's still around the time Rush is its most potent, I see.

I just got Presto today; I've been digging back into Rush a lot these past few months. "The Pass" sounds like Strange Times-era Chameleons!

also: the keyboards (Prophets?) and Aimee Mann's vocal on "Time Stands Still" quite consciously evokes mid eighties Kate Bush imo.

According to http://rush.wikia.com/wiki/Geddy_Lee_equipment, he had for the album:
Prophet VS
Roland D-50
Yamaha DX-7
Yamaha DX-7 II

And for the tour:
Roland D-50
Korg MIDI Pedals (1)
Roland Super Jupiter

Pretty psyched for June 12th!

I reviewed Clockwork Angels at MSN today...

So excited to hear this! Great write-up.

Great review!

I'm really loving the title track and Headlong Flight right now, can't wait to hear the rest

"Spirit of Radio" came on yesterday, and for a split second it struck me how much more irrationally sad I'll be when one of these guys vs. when any number of living legends I love dies.

That review and all the word I'm hearing from others wh have heard it have me amped. Next week, right?

That is certainly one of the band's least ambitious album covers.

they haven't had a good album cover in sooooo long :(

wait except that covers EP was a kinda decent winterland poster knockoff type thing

When Rush met Pete.

Around that time I had a high-school science teacher who was exasperated by my constant finger-tapping on my desk. When I said I couldn’t help it, he said, “What are you—some kind of retard?”

Seriously.

He sentenced me to a detention in which I would have to sit and tap on a desk for one hour. I played Tommy from memory; the teacher had to leave the room.

I didn't realize until just now that 2112 is based on the retarded philosophy of Ayn Rand.

peart's been working in randian stuff for years, iirc

never liked rush, but now i hate rush

Rush hasn't been Rand_y in 35 years, dudes.

But don't let that stop you from enjoying the haterade.

in roadshow with drums, he doesn't mention rand at all, but peart talks about how some of his roadies and bus drivers watch fox news, and he goes off on a big rant about fox news and george w bush (who was prez when the book was written)

so it's not like dude is a super hard righty or something

I like peart just fine, I always thought the Rand stuff was a thing that everyone knew

I don't think you need to be a right winger to like Randian philosophy, but I do think you need to cultivate a certain level of abject ignorance about the world to think it's a good philosophy, and that instituting it will solve more problems than it will create.

well who knows? dudes tastes might have changed in, you know NEARLY 40 YEARS

Peart has always called his politics something like liberal libertarianism. Which is basically, you know, the Canadian/English system of gov. There is a safety net, health care, socially liberal laws, that sort of thing. Hardly conservative. But again, you doofuses, "2112" was 35 years ago. Dude was 25. The album is about a future where art is illegal, and a guy discovers a guitar, which sparks a rebellion. The people win. There's your Rand for you. As I'm sure I've noted repeatedly on this thread, he soon moves on to John Dos Passos. Guy reads a lot of books.