Battlescar

[toymaker]

I can't sleep, so I thought I'd ask this question: does Battlescar seem like a true collaboration between Rush and Max Webster, or not? Edited July 22, 2014 by toymaker

[WavesandWindows]

I'd say Rush contributed their abilities that it seems like a true collaboration. I will however say that Geddy's voice feels like Caress of Steel and Permanent Waves to me. I think it was around the time they were recording Permanent Waves, but when Geddy's singing his verse his voice really reminds me of Caress of Steel!

[J2112YYZ]

Providing a link would be a good idea. That way people will know what the hell you're talking about? ;)

[KennyLee]

Providing a link would be a good idea. That way people will know what the hell you're talking about? ;)

 

[KennyLee]

Meh. Song doesn't do much for me. Intro is cool though.

[Babycat]

I'd say it was a true collaboration. Mind you, I do like the song. :)

[x1yyz]

I had not heard of this before today so I don't know anything about the song or what led up to it. The Internet tells me it is from 1980 so I chose the third answer—Rush was not writing music like this in 1980. In 1974 maybe, but not in the 80s.

[EagleMoon]

I think it's a cool song and I like how they supposedly did it live in one take.

[NaturalHemisphereGarden]

I totally agree with x1yyz.

[patjnev]

I did not like this song. Tempo is so slow it would make a sloth impatient. KIm and Geddy's voice are polar opposites.It is laughable and Spinal Tap-ish.

[toymaker]

But . . . "make 'em bend" (1:35) are just about the bitchinest three words Geddy ever growled. He just completely nails his verse in this song. Sweet n' raw.

[Geddy's Soul Patch]

But . . . "make 'em bend" (1:35) are just about the bitchinest three words Geddy ever growled. He just completely nails his verse in this song. Sweet n' raw.

He really steals the show, blows Kim right out of the water

[toymaker]

But . . . "make 'em bend" (1:35) are just about the bitchinest three words Geddy ever growled. He just completely nails his verse in this song. Sweet n' raw.

He really steals the show, blows Kim right out of the water

Yeah - with one tiny exception - Kim's screamed "yeah!" at the end (4:44) is more powerful.

 

But Geddy's line at 4:36 is awesome, too.

Edited July 23, 2014 by toymaker

[Rushman14]

LOVE IT.

 

I remember hearing it over the PA system before the Moving Pictures tour and thinking "What is this??"

[Spaghetti Lee]

There is absolutely NO WAY that Geddy could still sing like that in 1980. He started losing his power and control way back on the 2112 tour; just listen to some bootlegs from that era; some are great, some are pretty off. On the Farewell to Kings tour he was killing himself to hit Cygnus, and on the Hemispheres tour bootlegs he sounds like he's ready to die hitting some of those notes. He could still sing HIGH in 1980 albeit kinda softly with trepidation, but he couldn't scream out those notes effortlessly with the power he did in the early 70's...no way. "Battlescar" might have come out in 1980, but those vocals were definitely recorded earlier than that.

[toymaker]

There is absolutely NO WAY that Geddy could still sing like that in 1980. He started losing his power and control way back on the 2112 tour; just listen to some bootlegs from that era; some are great, some are pretty off. On the Farewell to Kings tour he was killing himself to hit Cygnus, and on the Hemispheres tour bootlegs he sounds like he's ready to die hitting some of those notes. He could still sing HIGH in 1980 albeit kinda softly with trepidation, but he couldn't scream out those notes effortlessly with the power he did in the early 70's...no way. "Battlescar" might have come out in 1980, but those vocals were definitely recorded earlier than that.

I'm not so sure . . . "cell of awareness" from Freewill is pretty raw and powerful, and there are some things in Tom Sawyer that seem like they're just on the verge of the classic shriek.

[Spaghetti Lee]

There is absolutely NO WAY that Geddy could still sing like that in 1980. He started losing his power and control way back on the 2112 tour; just listen to some bootlegs from that era; some are great, some are pretty off. On the Farewell to Kings tour he was killing himself to hit Cygnus, and on the Hemispheres tour bootlegs he sounds like he's ready to die hitting some of those notes. He could still sing HIGH in 1980 albeit kinda softly with trepidation, but he couldn't scream out those notes effortlessly with the power he did in the early 70's...no way. "Battlescar" might have come out in 1980, but those vocals were definitely recorded earlier than that.

I'm not so sure . . . "cell of awareness" from Freewill is pretty raw and powerful, and there are some things in Tom Sawyer that seem like they're just on the verge of the classic shriek.

 

Close...but still NOTHING like anything on Caress of Steel or 2112. He was definitely taking it easy by the late 70's; he knew he was losing his range very early on and quickly started writing less intense vocal lines to compensate.

[KennyLee]

There is absolutely NO WAY that Geddy could still sing like that in 1980. He started losing his power and control way back on the 2112 tour; just listen to some bootlegs from that era; some are great, some are pretty off. On the Farewell to Kings tour he was killing himself to hit Cygnus, and on the Hemispheres tour bootlegs he sounds like he's ready to die hitting some of those notes. He could still sing HIGH in 1980 albeit kinda softly with trepidation, but he couldn't scream out those notes effortlessly with the power he did in the early 70's...no way. "Battlescar" might have come out in 1980, but those vocals were definitely recorded earlier than that.

I'm not so sure . . . "cell of awareness" from Freewill is pretty raw and powerful, and there are some things in Tom Sawyer that seem like they're just on the verge of the classic shriek.

 

Close...but still NOTHING like anything on Caress of Steel or 2112. He was definitely taking it easy by the late 70's; he knew he was losing his range very early on and quickly started writing less intense vocal lines to compensate.

 

He tore his voice to shred on the Hemispheres tour. Look at some old set lists. There wasn't a break to be had. Grateful he did it but it must have been hell on his pipes.

[Spaghetti Lee]

He tore it to hell even before that...the damage was done on the 2112 tour; he had to know he was losing that power and projection for good. Not only that, but his amazing fast wide emotional vibrato...a major hallmark of his old by-gone voice.

[toymaker]

Yeah....bummer.

[KennyLee]

He tore it to hell even before that...the damage was done on the 2112 tour; he had to know he was losing that power and projection for good. Not only that, but his amazing fast wide emotional vibrato...a major hallmark of his old by-gone voice.

 

Eh, I disagree. Everything (except La Villa obviously) on Hemispheres is through the roof high. Even though it was a bit of a mistake to do it that high, he wouldn't have gone that close if he felt he was losing it. Just my opinion.

[Spaghetti Lee]

Watch the documentary; it was clearly stated that the vocals were done last, without any regard to how high they actually were. They were very short on time, and had to get it done in a WEEK, which Geddy was barely able to even accomplish. I'm quite sure with hindsight (and more time to plan the vocals before-hand) things would have (sadly) been different. He had no choice but to sing them high at that point; there was no time to go back and change it.

 

Also, while Hemispheres has high singing, "Circumstances" and "The Trees" are not very high. A lot of older stuff is higher than anything on "Hemispheres"...just listen to the end of "Cygnus X-1" or "Anthem" or most anything on "Caress of Steel." He knew decades ago he was losing it.

 

http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/keyboard-09.1984.php

 

Does your high vocal range often determine the key in which the music is written?

Well, it used to be an afterthought, and I would get into a lot trouble because after we wrote the song and I would go to sing it, I would realize that I could only sing it very high or very low -nothing in the middle would work. Hemisphereswas an example of that. The whole record was written in a very difficult key for me to sing If I sang low, I didn't have any power, so I had to sing way up high, and it's difficult to do. That's partly how I go my reputation as a 'high singing guy'.

You don't sing as high any more, do you?

No, and that's a conscious decision, because I want to use my voice more. I want to sing more, and it's real hard to sing when you're using all your energy to stay two octaves above mortal man. It's a lot of work to keep punching your voice up. Besides, I think my voice has a much better sound in my natural speaking range, and it's a lot more enjoyable to sing. I can actually close my eyes and just use my voice and sing; I love it.

[len(songs)]

He tore it to hell even before that...the damage was done on the 2112 tour; he had to know he was losing that power and projection for good. Not only that, but his amazing fast wide emotional vibrato...a major hallmark of his old by-gone voice.

 

Eh, I disagree. Everything (except La Villa obviously) on Hemispheres is through the roof high. Even though it was a bit of a mistake to do it that high, he wouldn't have gone that close if he felt he was losing it. Just my opinion.

Hemispheres tops out at a G5- just one semitone below 2112, and on 2112, the note was sustained for about half a second. Also, they played Cyg B1 on the Hemispheres tour, which tops out at Bb5, and I believe that he actually sang it as a B5 at one of the shows. Either way, the Hemispheres tour was his vocal peak-- on Permanent Waves he only went to an F5 (though he went higher on tour).

[Geddy's Soul Patch]

He tore it to hell even before that...the damage was done on the 2112 tour; he had to know he was losing that power and projection for good. Not only that, but his amazing fast wide emotional vibrato...a major hallmark of his old by-gone voice.

 

Eh, I disagree. Everything (except La Villa obviously) on Hemispheres is through the roof high. Even though it was a bit of a mistake to do it that high, he wouldn't have gone that close if he felt he was losing it. Just my opinion.

Hemispheres tops out at a G5- just one semitone below 2112, and on 2112, the note was sustained for about half a second. Also, they played Cyg B1 on the Hemispheres tour, which tops out at Bb5, and I believe that he actually sang it as a B5 at one of the shows. Either way, the Hemispheres tour was his vocal peak-- on Permanent Waves he only went to an F5 (though he went higher on tour).

Hemispheres tour was not his vocal peak, just compare 2112 from ATWAS to a bootleg from the Hemi tour

[len(songs)]

He tore it to hell even before that...the damage was done on the 2112 tour; he had to know he was losing that power and projection for good. Not only that, but his amazing fast wide emotional vibrato...a major hallmark of his old by-gone voice.

 

Eh, I disagree. Everything (except La Villa obviously) on Hemispheres is through the roof high. Even though it was a bit of a mistake to do it that high, he wouldn't have gone that close if he felt he was losing it. Just my opinion.

Hemispheres tops out at a G5- just one semitone below 2112, and on 2112, the note was sustained for about half a second. Also, they played Cyg B1 on the Hemispheres tour, which tops out at Bb5, and I believe that he actually sang it as a B5 at one of the shows. Either way, the Hemispheres tour was his vocal peak-- on Permanent Waves he only went to an F5 (though he went higher on tour).

Hemispheres tour was not his vocal peak, just compare 2112 from ATWAS to a bootleg from the Hemi tour

Pitch-wise, it was, and that seemed to be what he meant. His voice was better on the 2112 tour, but it was higher on the Hemispheres tour. Perhaps I misunderstood what he meant.