Rush: Classic or Dud?

Yeah, in this day and age that's a pretty big achievement.

I find that I get bored about halfway through this album and then go to check out the house/techno bobbins thread or something. The first three songs are classic though.

That's #2 on Billboard's general albums chart, not a hard rock chart or something, right? That's pretty amazing then. (And apparently, they did top the Canadian charts this week: http://www.bravewords.com/news/185652 )

the songs after the first three are good too. but the album is a bit much to take in all at once which I think is a side effect of the mixing choices; basically the songs are just packed with sounds and it gets kind of tiring. i miss the more stripped down sounds of Signals, certainly.

That might be it.

I feel like there's something odd about Geddy's pronunciation on this album. He has been doing this warbly, melismatic thing all decade. (I compared it to Tori Amos around the time of Vapour Trails.) But at times it actually sounds like he's singing with some bizarre accent I can't place on this, e.g. the way he sings "angels" or "carry". One thing I like about his vocals on the classic material is the preciseness of the enunciation.

Sounds like they are taking a string section with them on tour for a bunch of songs both old and new

xpost

He has to sing differently now to be able to still reach the higher notes. You could hear clearly on last year's live album how that meant compromising a bit on the enunciation. (In a way, that made me appreciate all the more what a good singer he was in his youth.)

I've only heard Clockwork Angels once so far and that was on headphones during a train journey. So I'll comment later when I've had a chance to listen to properly.

I bought the new one, but on first background listen I miss the hooks of "Snakes & Arrows." It does sound a bit more consciously ... proggy than I am used to from Rush. Still, I'm looking forward to spending some time with it!

Wow, how did I not know there were strings all over this?

Still haven't gotten back to the CD yet but am enjoying the 1-2-1 interviews in the Classic Rock Mag fan pack edition.

Here's the link to the online bonus content (about 6 minutes of video: Geddy speaks and a bit of him and Neil laying down stuff in the studio).

watchmaker.classicrockmagazine.com

enjoying this!

I'm really digging Clockwork Angels, makes me happy to be this genuinely enthusiastic about a new Rush album.

the "Thank your stars you're not that way/turn you back and walk away" part of Wishing Them Well is a nice little throwback to 80s Rush, melodically

I love it too, though I'm still waiting for it to exceed Snakes and Arrows in my esteem. It could happen over time...

Overall, heavy, conceptual, and the least filler of any Rush album.

Wish Them Well kind of reminds me of Sugar.

haha yeah kinda! never would have thought sugar wrt to rush but i see it.

Also, it's one of my favorite tracks on the album. Very catchy!

I love Geddy's wailing vocals on Seven Cities of Gold

"The Garden" is a pretty serious epic. And for strange references, parts of that one remind me of NYC prog-poppers Extra Life.

I've had a lot of trouble getting into this one, for some reason.

Maybe you need to read the novel first.

Is the book out yet?

Next month, I think.

thanks!

Interviewed the author of the novelization, Kevin J. Anderson, today. It was a really interesting conversation - I asked him about the book and co-writing with Neil Peart, obviously, but I also asked a bunch of questions about his personal working methods, writing books in series owned by other creators (he's written a shit-ton of Star Wars novels and co-written a bunch of Dune sequels and stuff like that), etc., etc. It'll be on Roadrunner's website in a couple of weeks.

Cool post a link when it runs

Set list for the current tour (which kicked off last night):

Set One

01. Subdivisions
02. The Big Money
03. Force Ten
04. Grand Designs
05. The Body Electric
06. Territories
07. The Analog Kid
08. Bravado
09. Where's My Thing?
10. Far Cry

Set Two (with string section)

11. Caravan
12. Clockwork Angels
13. The Anarchist
14. Carnies
15. The Wreckers
16. Headlong Flight
17. Halo Effect
18. Wish Them Well
19. The Garden
20. Manhattan Project
21. Red Sector A
22. YYZ
23. Working Man

Encore:

24. Tom Sawyer
25. The Spirit of Radio

Eight songs from the new album. And a main set jammed with mid- to late '80s stuff. I am seriously excited.

Wow, I'm psyched to hear Grand Designs and Body Electric.

Man, what a bummer I was roped into a lame camping trip instead of catching this tour. I hope they come back to Chicago, which they often seem to do.

Love "Grand Designs" ...

sounds like they're giving the mid eighties a serious look!

About time.

Eh. they've been peppering their sets with '80s stuff since, well, the '80s. If anything I've noticed they'd phased out much of the '70s stuff.

Is this the first time Rush has ever featured any musicians onstage aside from the core trio?

I imagine so?
Hey Bill, guess lifeson must be seething with rage playing all these songs he hates....but I mean, the public would riot if they didn't do the hits like body electric & grand designs

playing all these songs he hates

maybe they can cover Sonic Youth's "Youth Against Fascism."

Is this the first time Rush has ever featured any musicians onstage aside from the core trio?

I think so... Closest that I'm aware of previously was the film of Aimee Mann singing the b-vox on "Time Stand Still"

set-list looks killer.

Oh wait when I saw then Mr.Big came out for the encore & the played ”Wipeout” and pretended to surf and stuff

This setlist feels like it was created just for me. It's a "Time Stand Still" or "The Pass" away from being perfect. "Red Sector A" and "The Body Electric"...wow! And I've always loved "Bravado".

super-glad I realized that the thread-revive was a setlist before my eyes processed any of what was written there. I can't understand why anyone attending one of the shows would want to know that beforehand.

I do realize I need to start cramming the new album before next Saturday..

I happily read it but still think that a spoiler alert is in order

I do appreciate the fact that a Rush setlist is literally a set list. No messing around with these guys. I saw Springsteen Friday and Saturday night, and the second show featured 15 songs not played the first. But Rush? They're all about a snapshot of a particular time on a particular tour, which I think is kind of cool.

I like the 80s stuff more than Bill does but, wow, is ILM this typical of the Rush fanbase? Are that many people really going to Rush shows to see mid- to late-80s album tracks? One song from Moving Pictures, one from Permanent Waves, one song from the SIX previous albums put together!

Especially surprising since the new album seems to harken back to their 70s material more than anything they've done in ages.

I guess they recently toured Moving Pictures in its entirety? Maybe that's what this is about?

Oh, with the encore, I guess that's two from MP.

With the Time Capsule tour all last year (or was it the year before?) I'm sure they feel they've done that stuff enough for now. Maybe they'll start alternating new & old like Iron Maiden does.

OK, I looked up the Time Machine setlist. I see what you're saying.

It's pretty unusual for them to be doing no Limelight, Freewill, 2112, or Closer to the Heart, to name just a few popular favorites.

(I do like the idea of mid-to late-80s stuff being "new" though!)

:P