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The Synth Era dosen't get half the love it deserves from Rush fans and the band itself


fraroc
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Every single Rush documentary, or brief written history of the band glosses over the best period of the band like "meh, it happened. Subdivisions was the big radio hit in the early to mid 80s after Tom Sawyer. Geddy's hair looked like a Davy Crockett hat, Whatever. Now let's talk about how great Counterparts is and how it's superior to every record that came out from 82 to 92."

 

Hell, even most Rush tribute bands do a very 90s and 70s heavy show and only do like 2-3 synth era songs at the max.

 

You know what? f**k that. It's time the synth era got the love it deserves from Rush fans. Geddy's bass playing and singing were at it's peak around that period, Geddy was multitasking between two different instruments effortlessly, Alex's chord structure became even more unorthodox and interesting. The music was very similar to the new wave groups of that era, but elevated to a much higher level. It was intricate, palatable, the songs weren't too long or drawn out, it was the perfect era for Rush.

 

I would rather hear all of Grace Under Pressure or Power Windows in it's entirety than Hemispheres.

 

Nearly all tribute bands won't touch anything before Signals and many of those stop at Moving Pictures. so as a rule I won't bother with them because that's not exactly my idea of a good time..

 

I think you mean after signals?

 

You raise an interesting point about tribute bands. Their reluctance to play the snyth years says something.

 

Not sure what it is though....

 

Thanks. That's exactly what I mean.(Not a lot after Signals gets played.)

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Love synth era Rush. While earlier Rush sound is starting to sound more interesting to me than it once was, I do think it's a shame that the band doesn't really talk about it. I think there's a lot of stuff that has gotten any mention. I find enjoyment in the fact that they made a lot of money in the 80s.

 

The documentary was funny. They glossed over almost all of the juicy trivia mentioned about almost disbanding, family drama, etc and went straight to "We started using guitars again on Presto. Now Roll The Bones was..."

 

One reason it got glossed over in the doc was that Sam Dunn was not a fan of that period so it got the short straw.

The narrative was very much "they lost me with the keyboards...", with most pro musician fans echoing that sentiment. Personally, I liked the synth era, although some songs/albums have aged better for me than others.
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Love synth era Rush. While earlier Rush sound is starting to sound more interesting to me than it once was, I do think it's a shame that the band doesn't really talk about it. I think there's a lot of stuff that has gotten any mention. I find enjoyment in the fact that they made a lot of money in the 80s.

 

The documentary was funny. They glossed over almost all of the juicy trivia mentioned about almost disbanding, family drama, etc and went straight to "We started using guitars again on Presto. Now Roll The Bones was..."

 

One reason it got glossed over in the doc was that Sam Dunn was not a fan of that period so it got the short straw.

The narrative was very much "they lost me with the keyboards...", with most pro musician fans echoing that sentiment. Personally, I liked the synth era, although some songs/albums have aged better for me than others.

 

And i am along those lines. Too much ged and keys. Not enough alex.

 

Perhaps it was no terry brown.

 

I tolerated the synth years but they left a musical void that was filled by other bands. The first of which was megadeth.

Edited by tangy
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I completely agree.

 

Growing up as a teen in the "Permanent Waves" and "Moving Pictures" era I must confess and I have told this story many times, i hated "Signals" when it came out on it's original street date! I hopped on my bike after school and raced to Rainbow Records to buy the cassette! I was counting down the second while I sat at my desk all day in school! I couldn't wait!!

So when I got home and put the cassette on my Pioneer stereo in my bedroom I remember gazing into my speakers with shock and awe. "Where the hell is the guitar???" I was so upset and disappointed then.

 

 

So that being said of course I did accept and evolve with Rush into their synth period and heck yes I LOVE THOSE ALBUMS!!!!!

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It was a good thing Rush went with the times and stayed relevant in the 80s by keeping a modern day sound. If they didn't they would have faded into obscurity in the mid 80s like so many other bands from the 70s. This would be a forum dedicated to another band and over in the music of the spheres section Earl would have made a thread saying "Who remembers Rush? Awesome 70s rock! Working Man is my jam!" And the thread would get three responses.

 

Some may have not liked that era but it kept Rush alive and helped grow their fan base.

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I think the synth-era began with GUP; that’s when they overwhelmed the songs. It would have been fine as an experiment. PoW, HYF and Presto don’t get enough derision.

 

The real problem is that even after the synth-era, they didn’t release any truly great albums for almost 20 years.

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Hey Fraroc mark this day down. We agree!!!!!!

 

Oh my god. the world IS ending, lol

 

LOVE the synth era.

 

Mick

Don;t get too excited. The threads not over yet.

 

 

 

:P

 

yea your right. he WILL work hair metal into this somehow.

 

lol

 

Mick

Did someone say "hair"...?

 

http://archives.rickresource.com/oldattachments/69082.jpg

 

 

The middle-aged gedonna!

 

Except for Christie Brinkley, we all looked like crap in 1985! :P

Geddy has ripped this hairstyle himself so even he knows its absurdity.

 

Doesn’t matter. Synth Rush isn’t my favorite but I like it plenty. And I’ll easily take every one of those albums before any 21st century Rush album.

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Love synth era Rush. While earlier Rush sound is starting to sound more interesting to me than it once was, I do think it's a shame that the band doesn't really talk about it. I think there's a lot of stuff that has gotten any mention. I find enjoyment in the fact that they made a lot of money in the 80s.

 

The documentary was funny. They glossed over almost all of the juicy trivia mentioned about almost disbanding, family drama, etc and went straight to "We started using guitars again on Presto. Now Roll The Bones was..."

 

One reason it got glossed over in the doc was that Sam Dunn was not a fan of that period so it got the short straw.

The narrative was very much "they lost me with the keyboards...", with most pro musician fans echoing that sentiment. Personally, I liked the synth era, although some songs/albums have aged better for me than others.

 

Well those fans can f**k right off.

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Love synth era Rush. While earlier Rush sound is starting to sound more interesting to me than it once was, I do think it's a shame that the band doesn't really talk about it. I think there's a lot of stuff that has gotten any mention. I find enjoyment in the fact that they made a lot of money in the 80s.

 

The documentary was funny. They glossed over almost all of the juicy trivia mentioned about almost disbanding, family drama, etc and went straight to "We started using guitars again on Presto. Now Roll The Bones was..."

 

One reason it got glossed over in the doc was that Sam Dunn was not a fan of that period so it got the short straw.

The narrative was very much "they lost me with the keyboards...", with most pro musician fans echoing that sentiment. Personally, I liked the synth era, although some songs/albums have aged better for me than others.

 

Well those fans can f**k right off.

 

Do we really have to? And right now?

 

Quite honestly the synth years gets half the love because its half as good...

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Love synth era Rush. While earlier Rush sound is starting to sound more interesting to me than it once was, I do think it's a shame that the band doesn't really talk about it. I think there's a lot of stuff that has gotten any mention. I find enjoyment in the fact that they made a lot of money in the 80s.

 

The documentary was funny. They glossed over almost all of the juicy trivia mentioned about almost disbanding, family drama, etc and went straight to "We started using guitars again on Presto. Now Roll The Bones was..."

 

One reason it got glossed over in the doc was that Sam Dunn was not a fan of that period so it got the short straw.

The narrative was very much "they lost me with the keyboards...", with most pro musician fans echoing that sentiment. Personally, I liked the synth era, although some songs/albums have aged better for me than others.

 

Well those fans can f**k right off.

 

And many of those fans did! ...and then some of them came back when the synths subsided.

 

And all of that happened before baby fraroc’s birth.

 

Boils down to this: the synth years weren’t satisfying enough for RUSH so THEY stopped using them as much.

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Love synth era Rush. While earlier Rush sound is starting to sound more interesting to me than it once was, I do think it's a shame that the band doesn't really talk about it. I think there's a lot of stuff that has gotten any mention. I find enjoyment in the fact that they made a lot of money in the 80s.

 

The documentary was funny. They glossed over almost all of the juicy trivia mentioned about almost disbanding, family drama, etc and went straight to "We started using guitars again on Presto. Now Roll The Bones was..."

 

One reason it got glossed over in the doc was that Sam Dunn was not a fan of that period so it got the short straw.

The narrative was very much "they lost me with the keyboards...", with most pro musician fans echoing that sentiment. Personally, I liked the synth era, although some songs/albums have aged better for me than others.

 

Well those fans can f**k right off.

 

Do we really have to? And right now?

 

Quite honestly the synth years gets half the love because its half as good...

 

Like the terrible tune "Half The World" baby!

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That was the period when Geddy required Al to check his balls at the door. The results were similar to mall background musak.

 

Sit quietly and politely kids, I promise they'll start to rock very soon.

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That was the period when Geddy required Al to check his balls at the door. The results were similar to mall background musak.

 

Sit quietly and politely kids, I promise they'll start to rock very soon.

 

Would you consider "Presto" a Rush rock record with more Alex or still a synth heavy record?

 

I think it's more balanced. I love "Presto."

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That was the period when Geddy required Al to check his balls at the door. The results were similar to mall background musak.

 

Sit quietly and politely kids, I promise they'll start to rock very soon.

 

Would you consider "Presto" a Rush rock record with more Alex or still a synth heavy record?

 

I think it's more balanced. I love "Presto."

no it's crap. sounds like listening to an am radio.

 

it's well documented that around the late 80s they were considering hanging it up. not surprising since they became closer to 'adult contemporary' than actual rock.

 

it wasn't until Counterparts that Al found his ballsack again and they actually sounded like a rock band.

Edited by HemiBeers
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That was the period when Geddy required Al to check his balls at the door. The results were similar to mall background musak.

 

Sit quietly and politely kids, I promise they'll start to rock very soon.

 

Would you consider "Presto" a Rush rock record with more Alex or still a synth heavy record?

 

I think it's more balanced. I love "Presto."

no it's crap. sounds like listening to an am radio.

 

it's well documented that around the late 80s they were considering hanging it up. not surprising since they became closer to 'adult contemporary' than actual rock.

 

it wasn't until Counterparts that Al found his ballsack again and they actually sounded like a rock band.

 

I see your point. "Counterparts" kicks ass. It's my last masterpiece Rush record in their canon.

 

 

The production of "Presto" is very polished and clean but I absolutely love Alex's guitar on the record. You can't deny the solo on "Chain Lightning." Killer shit. Remember the rumor that Alex recorded that solo and then they mastered it backwards on the album. True or False?

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Don't forget about the excellence of Jim Burgess and Anthony Richards on synth arrangements on "Middletown Dreams" and "Emotion Detector." Two songs I will cherish until I die.

:yes:

 

Two of my top tracks from PoW. Mystic Rhythms the other.

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That was the period when Geddy required Al to check his balls at the door. The results were similar to mall background musak.

 

Sit quietly and politely kids, I promise they'll start to rock very soon.

 

Would you consider "Presto" a Rush rock record with more Alex or still a synth heavy record?

 

I think it's more balanced. I love "Presto."

no it's crap. sounds like listening to an am radio.

 

it's well documented that around the late 80s they were considering hanging it up. not surprising since they became closer to 'adult contemporary' than actual rock.

 

it wasn't until Counterparts that Al found his ballsack again and they actually sounded like a rock band.

 

I see your point. "Counterparts" kicks ass. It's my last masterpiece Rush record in their canon.

 

 

The production of "Presto" is very polished and clean but I absolutely love Alex's guitar on the record.

Me too. Presto is an album that's better played loud. The production, to my ears, is very much like Synchronicity, which I love.

 

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Don't forget about the excellence of Jim Burgess and Anthony Richards on synth arrangements on "Middletown Dreams" and "Emotion Detector." Two songs I will cherish until I die.

:yes:

 

Two of my top tracks from PoW. Mystic Rhythms the other.

 

I may be insane with my opinion of VT but so what! "POWER WINDOWS" IS A MASTERPIECE!!

One of the greatest albums ever made!

 

"Marathon" is so complex and fun to play to on the drums! Still a challenge!! I love playing "Mystic Rhythms" on my organic kit too! FUN!

 

I am not a good artist goose but back in high school I excelled in art. I was Art Student Of The Year in 1986. I did a watercolor of GUP and received a Honorable Mention Award.

I did an oil painting of "Power Windows" next. My instructor helped me with the lightning in the window but I did everything else. Both are framed.

She loved my fire and passion for RUSH and dedicating my entire class time to doing certain album covers. I did a pencil sketch of Van Halen's 1984. I did a color pencil of Motley Crue's "Theater Of Pain." I did the inside sleeve in pencil of ZZ Top's "Afterburner" album.

 

I still have all of them! Mostly framed.

 

Do you see?

 

I've been obsessed with music since I was a kid.

 

I'm still that same guy in a fuckking 50 year young body.

 

Make sense?

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That was the period when Geddy required Al to check his balls at the door. The results were similar to mall background musak.

 

Sit quietly and politely kids, I promise they'll start to rock very soon.

 

Would you consider "Presto" a Rush rock record with more Alex or still a synth heavy record?

 

I think it's more balanced. I love "Presto."

no it's crap. sounds like listening to an am radio.

 

it's well documented that around the late 80s they were considering hanging it up. not surprising since they became closer to 'adult contemporary' than actual rock.

 

it wasn't until Counterparts that Al found his ballsack again and they actually sounded like a rock band.

 

I see your point. "Counterparts" kicks ass. It's my last masterpiece Rush record in their canon.

 

 

The production of "Presto" is very polished and clean but I absolutely love Alex's guitar on the record. You can't deny the solo on "Chain Lightning." Killer shit. Remember the rumor that Alex recorded that solo and then they mastered it backwards on the album. True or False?

Been a while, so I gave Chain Lightening another listen. meh. Just doesn't do anything for me. Even the solo is a bunch of whammy bar dive bombs and noodling nonsense. So each to his own, we'll just disagree on this one.

 

I will give Power Windows it's due, there are many good tracks once you get over the synth overkill. But Hold Your Fire and Presto...when those came out and I gave them a few listens I just tossed them on the pile. There wasn't anything on those albums that I felt excited to learn on guitar because Al was so washed out.

 

I think this gets to why so many don't look fondly on the synth era. Geddy is a bass god. But as a keyboard player, he just fills space...nothing a student with 2-3 years experience couldn't do. The synth era took Geddy away from what he does best...the bass. People will go see Keith Emerson or Rick Wakeman to experience a keyboard god. No one goes to a Rush concert to see Geddy plunk away at some mundane chords on the keyboard.

Edited by HemiBeers
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70s Rush is my main shit, but I love Signals through Power Windows too. PoW is basically flawless to me. I like a lot of Hold Your Fire, but they took the synth thing as far as they could and overdid it a bit on that album. Even songs I really enjoy like Force Ten...that shit is like being assaulted by keyboards, with synths and sequencers and all kinds of production tricks flying at you off the jump. That said, I'd still take HYF over anything after it.
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Love synth era Rush. While earlier Rush sound is starting to sound more interesting to me than it once was, I do think it's a shame that the band doesn't really talk about it. I think there's a lot of stuff that has gotten any mention. I find enjoyment in the fact that they made a lot of money in the 80s.

 

The documentary was funny. They glossed over almost all of the juicy trivia mentioned about almost disbanding, family drama, etc and went straight to "We started using guitars again on Presto. Now Roll The Bones was..."

 

One reason it got glossed over in the doc was that Sam Dunn was not a fan of that period so it got the short straw.

The narrative was very much "they lost me with the keyboards...", with most pro musician fans echoing that sentiment. Personally, I liked the synth era, although some songs/albums have aged better for me than others.

 

And i am along those lines. Too much ged and keys. Not enough alex.

 

Perhaps it was no terry brown.

 

I tolerated the synth years but they left a musical void that was filled by other bands. The first of which was megadeth.

This pretty well nails it for me. I was getting into heavier metal at the time also (totally into the Big Four then...) . Only a few years ago I "rediscovered" synth-Rush. Always loved Signals. Been listening to HYF at the gym... pretty good and inspiring during a workout. I still have trouble with Power Windows. I think I'll take it to work with me and see if I can dig into it more.

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Every single Rush documentary, or brief written history of the band glosses over the best period of the band like "meh, it happened. Subdivisions was the big radio hit in the early to mid 80s after Tom Sawyer. Geddy's hair looked like a Davy Crockett hat, Whatever. Now let's talk about how great Counterparts is and how it's superior to every record that came out from 82 to 92."

 

Hell, even most Rush tribute bands do a very 90s and 70s heavy show and only do like 2-3 synth era songs at the max.

 

You know what? f**k that. It's time the synth era got the love it deserves from Rush fans. Geddy's bass playing and singing were at it's peak around that period, Geddy was multitasking between two different instruments effortlessly, Alex's chord structure became even more unorthodox and interesting. The music was very similar to the new wave groups of that era, but elevated to a much higher level. It was intricate, palatable, the songs weren't too long or drawn out, it was the perfect era for Rush.

 

I would rather hear all of Grace Under Pressure or Power Windows in it's entirety than Hemispheres.

 

Nearly all tribute bands won't touch anything before Signals and many of those stop at Moving Pictures. so as a rule I won't bother with them because that's not exactly my idea of a good time..

I don't understand your statement at all. Won't touch anything before Signal? and stop at moving Pictures? Moving Pictures was before Signals so you already cancelled that out with your first statement. So all tribute bands play Signals and only Signals. LOL I am in a Rush Tribute band and we play MOSTLY songs before Signals. We are looking to add a few of the post Signals songs but the audiences we play to seem to like 2112 through Signals. We can play Dreamline, Distant Early Warning and Red Sector A but that is about as far as I can go. I love our setlist!

 

Set 1

Spirit of Radio

Subdivisions

Limelight

Entrée Nous*

Camera Eye*

New World Man

XYZ

Jacob’s Ladder

 

Set2

R30

Tom Sawyer

Closer to the Heart*

Broon’s Bain*

The Trees*

Xanadu**

Analog Kid

Freewill

Red Barchetta

Overature/Temples

 

(Encore)

La Villa Strangiato*

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Every single Rush documentary, or brief written history of the band glosses over the best period of the band like "meh, it happened. Subdivisions was the big radio hit in the early to mid 80s after Tom Sawyer. Geddy's hair looked like a Davy Crockett hat, Whatever. Now let's talk about how great Counterparts is and how it's superior to every record that came out from 82 to 92."

 

Hell, even most Rush tribute bands do a very 90s and 70s heavy show and only do like 2-3 synth era songs at the max.

 

You know what? f**k that. It's time the synth era got the love it deserves from Rush fans. Geddy's bass playing and singing were at it's peak around that period, Geddy was multitasking between two different instruments effortlessly, Alex's chord structure became even more unorthodox and interesting. The music was very similar to the new wave groups of that era, but elevated to a much higher level. It was intricate, palatable, the songs weren't too long or drawn out, it was the perfect era for Rush.

 

I would rather hear all of Grace Under Pressure or Power Windows in it's entirety than Hemispheres.

 

Nearly all tribute bands won't touch anything before Signals and many of those stop at Moving Pictures. so as a rule I won't bother with them because that's not exactly my idea of a good time..

 

I think you mean after signals?

 

You raise an interesting point about tribute bands. Their reluctance to play the snyth years says something.

 

Not sure what it is though....

Means they have taste...
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