Rush trilogy - unbelievable creativity & talent...
Discussion
After watching a programme the other night which uncovered the story of the making of Dark Side of The Moon, I was reminded, despite that album's almost tedious ubiquity, it rightly stands as a muso's masterpiece bar frankly, virtually nothing else.
It moved me to consider which other recordings of the dangerously art-collegiate, pretentious-moi epoch, came anywhere close.
Immediately, I dug out 2112, A Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres by the Canadian maestros and proceeded to indulge in the sort of musical imbibement often reserved for a thickly layered Wish You Were Here moment.
I'm not going to go into detail here but I was quite simply mesmerised by the sheer majesty of what was playing.
Not only were the production values more than acceptable, even by audiophile standards but the genius behind musicianship and writing like this - very much like that of 'the Floyd' is a rare and precious thing.
If anything, it left me feeling slightly irritated that whilst Dark Side et al have rightly achieved legendary status, there have been huge gaps in the righteousness of things by the relative, continued obscurity of Messrs Lee, Leifson & Peart.
That consideration of Pink Floyd's undoubted greatness is often framed in terms of fairly restricted reference to contemporary pop flotsam like T-Rex (yawn, f'ing yawn) and trite 'glam rock' in general, I think wholly unfair to the other masters who were out there at the time, not as commercially prevelant but worthy of comparable, critical acclaim.
Whatver, I think these 3 albums provide some of the most inspirational, uplifting and variably moshtastic material since the dawn of searing falsetto.
Children nowadays get 'Busted,' or 'McFly.'
Poor.
It moved me to consider which other recordings of the dangerously art-collegiate, pretentious-moi epoch, came anywhere close.
Immediately, I dug out 2112, A Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres by the Canadian maestros and proceeded to indulge in the sort of musical imbibement often reserved for a thickly layered Wish You Were Here moment.
I'm not going to go into detail here but I was quite simply mesmerised by the sheer majesty of what was playing.
Not only were the production values more than acceptable, even by audiophile standards but the genius behind musicianship and writing like this - very much like that of 'the Floyd' is a rare and precious thing.
If anything, it left me feeling slightly irritated that whilst Dark Side et al have rightly achieved legendary status, there have been huge gaps in the righteousness of things by the relative, continued obscurity of Messrs Lee, Leifson & Peart.
That consideration of Pink Floyd's undoubted greatness is often framed in terms of fairly restricted reference to contemporary pop flotsam like T-Rex (yawn, f'ing yawn) and trite 'glam rock' in general, I think wholly unfair to the other masters who were out there at the time, not as commercially prevelant but worthy of comparable, critical acclaim.
Whatver, I think these 3 albums provide some of the most inspirational, uplifting and variably moshtastic material since the dawn of searing falsetto.
Children nowadays get 'Busted,' or 'McFly.'
Poor.
derestrictor said:
That consideration of Pink Floyd's undoubted greatness is often framed in terms of fairly restricted reference to contemporary pop flotsam like T-Rex (yawn, f'ing yawn) and trite 'glam rock' in general,
I can't get no satisfaction, all I want is easy action baby.
Hey Hey Hey.
Stroll on.
A masterpiece. I think you're being most unfair to Mr Bolan DeR.
I can only agree with your fine words. Although the afore mentioned triumverate did take a lot of stick for allegedly being influenced by the writings of Ayn Rand, who was noted for slightly right of centric political views.
But then anyone with a quote like
"My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute." —Ayn Rand
is probably going to find support on these fine pages.
But then anyone with a quote like
"My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute." —Ayn Rand
is probably going to find support on these fine pages.
I also saw them ( but 4 times)
got tickets for 2112 ( rush cover band) in bristol this friday. They are supposed to be great, but I cant make it now - if anyone wants to take them off my hands!! about £9 each or something...
......my uncle has a country place, that no-one knows about.......
I'll be humming that all day now.
got tickets for 2112 ( rush cover band) in bristol this friday. They are supposed to be great, but I cant make it now - if anyone wants to take them off my hands!! about £9 each or something...
......my uncle has a country place, that no-one knows about.......
I'll be humming that all day now.
Personally my favourite Rush album is Hemispheres. Rush had truly hit their peak at this point. As great as 2112 and A Farewell to Kings were, they were still missing that extra something. These two previous albums showed them mastering the art of epic tracks ("2112", "Cygnus X-1", "Xanadu"), as well as some development when it comes to shorter songs. But they still hadn't fully put it together to create a masterpiece. That is, until Hemispheres came out. This is truly the band at the height of their powers. Alex Lifeson is able to carry the core of the band's music squarely on his shoulders, doing more with his single guitar than many bands are able to do with two or three. Geddy Lee's vocals and bass are both fantastic as always, the former being more controlled than usual (less screaching like crazy), and the latter being starlingly precise and effective. Neil Peart's drumming has never, in all his time with Rush, been anything short of mind blowing, but his lyrics are also in top form on here. They'd been getting progressively better since he joined the band, but I think they were really at their best on this particular record. With one of the best rythm sections in music, as well as one of the best guitarists, Rush finally reached their full poetential.
The title track is a continuation of A Farewell to Kings' epic Cygnus X-1, and has to be one of the least pompous, tightest sidelong tracks ever recorded. The track flows seamlessly, and Peart's sci-fi songwriting works gloriously. This has to rank among the best Rush epics ever (and that's saying something!), but the best part is that the album is just getting started. "Circumstances" is without a doubt the weak link in this record's incredible armor, but being the weak link of a 5 star album is hardly an insult. It's a good rock song with great lyrics about the troubles in the life of a teenager, but Geddy's vocals get a little bit overblown in the chrous, which can easily get annoying. It's all made up for with "The Trees" though. One of the best songs the band has made to date, it presents the prospect of the maple trees being angry at the oak trees for hogging the sunlight, and eventually creating a union to deal with the problem. It's some of Peart's wittiest, sharpest, and most effective lyrics ever, doing a fantastic job of mocking some socialist ideals. Yet it does this without ever sounding preachy, even in the least, which I think is what's greatest about it. As for the music itself, it's a fantastic rock song with some of the catchiest riffs the group has done to date. "La Villa Strangiato" closes the album out with an extremely impressive (albiet slightly pretentious) venture into the world of jazz-rock. This lengthy instrumental shows off the talents of every band member to the maximum. And while they're at it, Lifeson actually is able to pump out some very memorable, catchy licks on guitar. Only Rush could pull off such a track, and they do is extremely well.
The title track is a continuation of A Farewell to Kings' epic Cygnus X-1, and has to be one of the least pompous, tightest sidelong tracks ever recorded. The track flows seamlessly, and Peart's sci-fi songwriting works gloriously. This has to rank among the best Rush epics ever (and that's saying something!), but the best part is that the album is just getting started. "Circumstances" is without a doubt the weak link in this record's incredible armor, but being the weak link of a 5 star album is hardly an insult. It's a good rock song with great lyrics about the troubles in the life of a teenager, but Geddy's vocals get a little bit overblown in the chrous, which can easily get annoying. It's all made up for with "The Trees" though. One of the best songs the band has made to date, it presents the prospect of the maple trees being angry at the oak trees for hogging the sunlight, and eventually creating a union to deal with the problem. It's some of Peart's wittiest, sharpest, and most effective lyrics ever, doing a fantastic job of mocking some socialist ideals. Yet it does this without ever sounding preachy, even in the least, which I think is what's greatest about it. As for the music itself, it's a fantastic rock song with some of the catchiest riffs the group has done to date. "La Villa Strangiato" closes the album out with an extremely impressive (albiet slightly pretentious) venture into the world of jazz-rock. This lengthy instrumental shows off the talents of every band member to the maximum. And while they're at it, Lifeson actually is able to pump out some very memorable, catchy licks on guitar. Only Rush could pull off such a track, and they do is extremely well.
obiwonkeyblokey said:
I also saw them ( but 4 times)
got tickets for 2112 ( rush cover band) in bristol this friday. They are supposed to be great, but I cant make it now - if anyone wants to take them off my hands!! about £9 each or something...
......my uncle has a country place, that no-one knows about.......
I'll be humming that all day now.
I may well be in Brisle this weekend, you still got those tickets? How many do you have?
RUSH ROCK!
Ahhh...derestrictor...a fine observation on a fine band who’s musicianship and talent remain an inspiration. I've been a fan of this band for 20+ years and still listen to their music on a daily basis now I’ve “iPod’ed” their entire back catalogue.
Neil Peart has suffered personal tradegies over the last few years, hence the lack of recent output – but it is good to see them making music again and touring (saw them twice during the 2004 UK tour). I would recommend reading his book “Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road”, an engaging travel book, full of reflection on what it is to be human.
>> Edited by Ork on Tuesday 1st February 13:22
Neil Peart has suffered personal tradegies over the last few years, hence the lack of recent output – but it is good to see them making music again and touring (saw them twice during the 2004 UK tour). I would recommend reading his book “Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road”, an engaging travel book, full of reflection on what it is to be human.
>> Edited by Ork on Tuesday 1st February 13:22
Ork said:
Ahhh...derestrictor...a fine observation on a fine band who’s musicianship and talent remain an inspiration. I've been a fan of this band for 20+ years and still listen to their music on a daily basis now I’ve “iPod’ed” their entire back catalogue.
Neil Peart has suffered personal tradegies over the last few years, hence the lack of recent output – but it is good to see them making music again and touring (saw them twice during the 2004 UK tour). I would recommend reading his book “Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road”, an engaging travel book, full of reflection on what it is to be human.
>> Edited by Ork on Tuesday 1st February 13:22
I would back that and also add that his previous book the masked rider is worth a read if you like cycling and his latest book " Travelling Music" is a lot more lighthearted and talks about a lot of his early days and the usic that shaped him and the band. If you like Rush, then get yourself onto Amazon.
..im off now to shake the heads of my bobble dolls!! ( bought on the recent tour)
andy400 said:
I also saw them ( but 4 times)
got tickets for 2112 ( rush cover band) in bristol this friday. They are supposed to be great, but I cant make it now - if anyone wants to take them off my hands!! about £9 each or something...
......my uncle has a country place, that no-one knows about.......
I'll be humming that all day now.
I may well be in Brisle this weekend, you still got those tickets? How many do you have?
RUSH ROCK!
Hi Andy
Ive got 2 tickets and they are playing at the fleece. drop em a PM if you want them and I can pop them in the post or you can pick up from bristol. cost was 7.75 each
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