Invisible To Telescopic Eye Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I heard the "Ghost" solo in La Villa today, for the very first time. It's been years since I've been here but I figured I'd share it with you guys as you'd probably appreciate it most. I know this has been a topic of conversation here many times but I wasn't able to find if anyone has posted a place to hear it. If this is old news and everyone has heard it, or knows of a better way to hear it, or version, sorry. Like I said, it's been a while. In an ancient interview, Alex mentions that if you listen carefully to La Villa, you can hear the original solo from the recording session "ghosted" through the recording, a solo that was replaced by the one you hear on Hemispheres. I've heard the song a million times and never heard the ghost solo and figured it was one of those things that you can only hear if you know exactly what to listen for and when. A secret I would never learn. Well in typical RUSH fashion, when you least expect something, or thought you'd heard it all, they surprise you with something new, even in something old. This link is to a Youtube "video" (there's no video, just a pic of Neil and the audio playing) of the isolated drum and bass tracks of La Villa but you can hear the guitar from the song playing faintly in the background. Go to the 4:00 mark and listen for about 40 seconds, do it a couple of times and tune out the drums and focus on the faint guitar in the background, sing along to it in your head even. At 4:10 you can hear an ascending riff playing even more faintly behind the solo we know from the recording. Listening further you can hear fragmented bits and pieces for the next 30 seconds or so with another spot being at about 4:28, but at 4:33 as Alex bends that A up to B (I think) you can really hear that same ascending riff faintly behind it all. Now this in no way is going to change your life or anything, and when it's all said and done it's not too terribly impressive, but, if you are an olde skool fan like me, and for ages have heard of this illusive creature, then this is your chance to finally hear a ghost. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 good stuff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushfanNlv Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 WOW. Never noticed that but totally got it. My son's asleep so I had to listen quietly but from your post, I knew what to listen for. Pretty cool to me. It's fun being a guitar geek! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifeson90 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Video not available :( but made me listen to original again so thanks for that. Mann what a beautiful piece. That section from 4.00 just the essence of Rush. Couldn't hear your ghost solo in original, but sure there from what you say. Nice post. One of most interesting things i heard was on that Musicintheabstract rush oddity site, Alex's guitar from a concert without amplification, just the sound of raw strings. Is awesome, like hardly anything just comes alive with electricity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justus_2112 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I listened to it, and I don't know why but it just seems eerie to me. It's pretty cool that it's still there though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleMoon Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I remember hearing about this years ago. It was common practice to do something like this. Like Geds doubled vocals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JARG Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 What's cool is not only can you hear the ghosted solo, but you can hear the actual solo as well -- sometimes they play well together and sometimes not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JARG Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I remember hearing about this years ago. It was common practice to do something like this. Like Geds doubled vocals. My guess is that Alex played a throw-away solo when they were all playing that section live in the studio, and then came back in at some later point and laid down the actual solo that's on the record. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JARG Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I also love all the ghost notes Peart plays starting at about the 4:40 mark. That's a very busy right hand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken hawk Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Awesome drumming ! Awesome everything ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMCXII Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 That is really cool, also thanks for for bringing this video to our attention. I love playing this song on drums but don't have it mastered yet. This is a good way to hear Neil playing it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edhunter Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 This was a fun song to play bass on as well, but it's one that has become a victim of my arthritis. My left index and ring fingers have a slight, permanent bend at the last knuckle which makes me stumble on things like the bass solo. It also makes it impossible to play double-stops with one finger, which makes songs like Turn the Page nearly impossible as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimsonmistymemory Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Yep, I guess in essence there is a ghost sole in every :rush: song the Professor hits the skins in.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TemplesofLamneth Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 I totally jumped at the chance to hear this before finishing reading. I skipped to :40 instead of 4:00. Placed the phone to my ear only to have Neil hit the crotales. Think I pooped on myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grasbo Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 There are many instances of these "ghost" tracks occuring in the 60s and 70s when everything was analogue tape,not digital.Think Robert Plants vocal at the end of Whole Lotta Love which was a delibrate accident.Anyway i have listened closely a great find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GernTheFish Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 BOO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurkst Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Video unavailable :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HalfwayToGone Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 This not unlike the little toke they slipped into passage to Bangkok. I had no idea it was there until the album doc came out and Terry Brown pointed it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleMoon Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 (edited) This not unlike the little toke they slipped into passage to Bangkok. I had no idea it was there until the album doc came out and Terry Brown pointed it out. Really? It's really obvious. Maybe you just didn't recognize what it was? Edited February 22, 2017 by EagleMoon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HalfwayToGone Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 No, I just heard the live version, which doesn't have it, so many times before hearing the studio version that I never paid close attention to it, and never caught it. It's not exactly cranked in the mix, and we're also talking vinyl through a far from audiophile quality system. I doubt I ever even listened to the studio version once since the CD was invented before seeing the doc, and the first copy of 2112 I owned since vinyl was the sector box version, which I never uploaded to any digital device--I preferred the live versions. Now I know better. It's just one of those things, like hearing "scuse me while I kiss this guy" instead of "kiss the sky". Which one was it? I dunno. I hear both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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