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Are videos Rush's Achilles heel?


madra sneachta

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What's your view on the videos that Rush have released?. Taking the concert recordings out of the equation, I think some of them have been uninspiring to say the least. Others, particularly "Time Stand Still" and the p/g era "sci-fi" ones are bloody awful in my book.

 

Why is this?. The music is great, but it seems once the cameras start rolling, something goes drastically wrong. mad.gif

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QUOTE (madra sneachta @ Sep 14 2004, 07:25 AM)
What's your view on the videos that Rush have released?. Taking the concert recordings out of the equation, I think some of them have been uninspiring to say the least. Others, particularly "Time Stand Still" and the p/g era "sci-fi" ones are bloody awful in my book.

Why is this?. The music is great, but it seems once the cameras start rolling, something goes drastically wrong. mad.gif

I was watching some of the older ones the other day and I thought they were funny. They're Canadian, so they're going to be a little quirky. I don't really care about videos anyway.

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I dunno, I thought they did a great job in the MP era videos. I rather enjoyed just seeing them in a remote cabin or in a studio playing a song. Some of the older ones where they were on stage playing were very nice as well. Gotta remember, the 80's were when music videos were just coming out, how many countless videos for other bands were made that were equally, if not much much more strange to the music? Considering the time they were in, I think they did a great job.
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The ones where they're just PLAYING the songs - like the ones from ESL, the GUP video and ASOH - are great, as are the ones done in the studio. The Pass is good and Half the World isn't unwatchable, but for the most part, if they're trying to have some kind of a concept or "plot" to the video, it's going to be pretty wretched. Time Stand Still is dreadfully bad and Superconductor is just downright embarassing, IMO.

 

I remember reading once that the guys were just never all that interested in doing videos - they did them mainly because they had to, so I think there may have been a bit of an "Ok, lets just go in there and get this done" attitude to them and they didn't really exert much editorial control over what happened.

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QUOTE (Moonraker @ Sep 14 2004, 03:34 PM)
I dunno, I thought they did a great job in the MP era videos. I rather enjoyed just seeing them in a remote cabin or in a studio playing a song. Some of the older ones where they were on stage playing were very nice as well. Gotta remember, the 80's were when music videos were just coming out, how many countless videos for other bands were made that were equally, if not much much more strange to the music? Considering the time they were in, I think they did a great job.

I agree with you on this one Moon. The Vital Signs video on Through The Camera Eye and the Limelight/TS ones on Chronicles are recorded in Le Studio in Quebec I think, and are fine.

 

I think maybe the problem is that they don't take too much interest and don't exercise the same quality control over their videos that they do over their music.

 

A shame really, because seeing the depth of Neil's lyrics being undermined by a silly video gets to me. Maybe I should just take a chill pill (or avail of Donna Wanna's kind invite in her sig!!!). cool10.gif

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Keep in mind with videos, the band usually doesnt have too much say in what goes on. It is usually the vision of the director and he leads the video where he sees it fits with the song. The band may have some creative input, but what it all comes down to is what the director wants it to look like. If Rush was never that enthusiastic about thier videos, one would think they wouldn't be giving much, if any input toward the production.

 

BTW, I thought the Driven video was rather neat too, was an interesting darker video that seemed fitting to the song

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I concur that most of their videos aren't that good. However, there are a few exceptions. The stuff from the studio recordings of MP, Afterimage (excellent), Mystic Rhythms, The Pass. All are fairly decent.

 

The worst:

 

Superconductor

Body Electric

Subdivisions

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Videos are for the kiddies...just commercials really..it's the music that matters....i'd like to see them make a full length movie...that would be cool...most vids take away from the music and as far as i'm concern rush's music is way too powerful and good for vids to matter...i mean look at the 80's....sure lots of flashy vids but tons of horrible music...
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QUOTE (Moonraker @ Sep 14 2004, 02:24 PM)
Keep in mind with videos, the band usually doesnt have too much say in what goes on. It is usually the vision of the director and he leads the video where he sees it fits with the song. The band may have some creative input, but what it all comes down to is what the director wants it to look like. If Rush was never that enthusiastic about thier videos, one would think they wouldn't be giving much, if any input toward the production.

BTW, I thought the Driven video was rather neat too, was an interesting darker video that seemed fitting to the song

I agree....i've seen many interviews where the boys state that they don't like making vids and that it's part of record companies bullshit process

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QUOTE (Moonraker @ Sep 14 2004, 09:34 AM)
Gotta remember, the 80's were when music videos were just coming out, how many countless videos for other bands were made that were equally, if not much much more strange to the music?  Considering the time they were in, I think they did a great job.

I don't remember all that much about the videos from early eighties as in our household we got satellite channels as late as 1986, but once the music videos were available to me, I started to watch them pretty much on a daily basis, many hours a day, so I have a pretty good memory of that particular era where music videos are concerned. In fact, to me that was the golden era of music videos -nowadays they seem to be much more formulaic, especially all those hip hop vids...ugh. Anyway, I can only say that Rush videos drastically pale in comparison to the videos of other bands in that time period. Time Stand Still was probably filmed in 1987, which is quite unbelievable when you think that U2 (who, remember, only got big AFTER that year's smash album, Joshua Three) came up with videos such as Without You that same year... Mind-boggling. wacko.gif

 

It's strange, but for all the time I devoted to the music video channels as a teen, I can't remember ever seeing any Rush videos on TV at the time. Maybe it's because I'm from Europe, I don't know...

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I liked every Rush video in their own unique way. The RTB video was hilarious, especially the rapping skeleton. Stick it Out was unique and still the only Samuel Bayer directed video Ihave seen where the artists aren't dolled up in layers of makeup(unlike The Smashing Pumpkins or Metallica). Distant Early Warning is one of my all time favorites.
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QUOTE (Test4VitalSigns @ Sep 15 2004, 12:31 AM)
QUOTE (Moonraker @ Sep 14 2004, 02:24 PM)
Keep in mind with videos, the band usually doesnt have too much say in what goes on.  It is usually the vision of the director and he leads the video where he sees it fits with the song.  The band may have some creative input, but what it all comes down to is what the director wants it to look like.  If Rush was never that enthusiastic about thier videos, one would think they wouldn't be giving much, if any input toward the production.

BTW, I thought the Driven video was rather neat too, was an interesting darker video that seemed fitting to the song

I agree....i've seen many interviews where the boys state that they don't like making vids and that it's part of record companies bullshit process

 

 

And we all know how much 2.gif has wanted please the record companies over the years.

 

z7shysterical.gif

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The worst Superconductor- I was at this video shoot- I think the guy from DEVO produced it.- Horrible- As a video major in college at the time - I could have done better- Guys If your listening- I would like to do your next video in 2007
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Most of the videos where they don't perform are pretty bad. All the ones in which they perform (whether in the studio or at a concert) are sweet, but I'm not into their videos, with a few exceptions. I liked Countdown and Subdivisions, for example. A couple of the vids from GUP were almost exactly the same. I think it's The Enemy Within and Body Electric that use half the same footage. Some of them are ok, but the rest are pretty bad (but still fun to watch because they're goofy 80s videos).
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I agree that if you watch them now, they appear corny and funny but for a long time, especially for us European fans, they were the only way you could see RUSH perform.

I was a fan from the Permanent Waves era about 1982 but it was about 1987 before I actually saw how they performed on the Big Money video on MTV.

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I do have to say they're mostly "bad" in a fun way. They are more enjoyable to me than contemporary videos because they weren't made with million-dollar budgets like every rap video you see these days. It seemed to work with their strange senses of humor. Here's my thoughts:

 

Videos I like

 

Tom Sawyer (studio or live, they're both good)

Limelight (it's just fun, reminds me of jamming with my band)

Vital Signs (ditto above)

Distant Early Warning (seriously campy in many parts, but the stage was cool and it was their first memorable concept video)

Afterimage (I thought it was great)

Enemy Within (I liked the sci-fi stuff, even if it was a little cheap. It had an ominous look to it)

Big Money (okay, this video is hilarious, but I like it)

Mystic Rhythms (I thought it was creative, like a Peter Gabriel video)

Driven (it has a nice look to it)

 

Videos that sucked or could have used work

 

Subdivisions (I like this song, but this video was wayyyyy too "I Love the 80s")

The Body Electric (I don't know why, but this didn't entertain me like Enemy Within)

Time Stand Still (what the hell were they thinking there?!)

Superconducter (it was so-so)

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This may contradict what some others might have said but I saw an interview (in the early 90's?) where Geddy states that he's proud of most of the videos they made. He went on to say that they wouldn't put it out there if they didn't feel it was good enough.

I like the videos for THE PASS, MYSTIC RHYTHMS, DRIVEN, and all of the studio & in concert stuff.

Someone also mentioned the director that did Superconductor also did the DEVO vids...well, Rush DID like Devo so maybe that's why they hired him. But i'm not saying i liked the vid for Superconductor. The DEVO videos on the other hand...whip it ! whip it good !! bd.gif

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yes.gif For the most part they suck;

The ones i like better then the rest are:

Even though it's (I love the 80's) as tepes22b puts it, for the time period Subdivisions not that bad.

Countdown always liked.

Afterimage I feel is there best with Mystic Rhythms there most polished and professional looking video (Never really liked the song)

Time Stand Still really not that bad in a quirky sort of way different but gives you headache trying to watch it ,motion sickness! 062802puke_prv.gif

Foot note: I remember Neil writing in Grace tour book (maybe thats where I read it.) How all these songs on GUP would make great videos

Certainly didn't pan out that way!

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Show Don't Tell was a great video. The only time in Atlantic era we saw Ged without his shades and he used the Fender bass in the clip and Alex resurrected his old white Gibson. This clip got s**tloads of play when it came out.
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in the 1980's, when some dillhole decided to create MTV, the music world changed, for the worse. it became a package to sell to non-creative minds who needed someone to give them something to look at instead of actually using their brains and imagination. all of a sudden everybody had to look sexy and crap. videos are a complete joke, for the most part. i could have lived without them. i did for 20yrs b4 they came along. some can be fun and creative. however i would rayjrt listen to a song and think all by myself about it and see what i come up with.

that's my story and i'm stickin to it!!! 2.gif 2.gif 2.gif yes.gif

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