ATWAS

[Apollo]

Those who love ATWAS should also check out Rush ABC! It's the old Cleveland show that was broadcast on the radio when Neil had only been in the band for like 3 weeks. It's insane!

He's not quite as good as on ATWAS but that's almost the cool part because he makes up for it with intensity! You can even hear little "mistakes" in the debut album songs but he's just an animal behind the kit!

 

Also check out the Manchester June 1977 show, By-Tor segueing to the Necromancer was really cool and I don't know why they never did it again. But back to the thread, ATWAS is still one of my all time favorite live albums, it really captures the energy of the show. I listened to some of ESL last week and was reminded why I rarely listen to it, it just sounds way too clean and I don't know what they were thinking doing fadeouts of crowd noise between the songs.

I wouldn't call ESL clean,i'd call it murky and muffled like some ones stuffed a pillow over the recording mike.I had a bootleg from the same era that literally lept through the speaker ,especially on Natural Science. As for the fade outs it was a done thing on live lps at the time.Ted Nugents Double Live Gonzo suffered from it.It was mistake as ruins the live expierence.I think if they did that with ATWAS if would have been sacrilege

You're right, clean is probably the wrong word for ESL, I meant how there was basically zero crowd noise but is recorded poorly as well. I really wish ESL had been recorded like the St. Louis 1980 bootleg which is outstanding and has tons of energy.

 

ftr I knew what you meant, ESL has too much tampering and not enough fixing.

 

I hate the way the VHS copy has Neil talking in between songs and they cut to weird images.. and no drum solo :(

No drum solo? Where can I get my hands on this???

 

Mine is like that too, but it's on DVD.

 

I bought my VHS at Woolco in the 80's. If I still had it I'd probably send it to you Len. Actually I wouldn't mind watching it again because over the years I've realized that the sound quality on VHS with a 4 head player is actually pretty good imo.

 

Eaglemoon we got ripped off on that DVD! There's more than enough room for the drum solo on that disc!

 

You guys, I think the DVD and VHS (and laserdisc) are identical, they all had Neil talking in between songs and no version has a drum solo. I found the talking annoying personally, but it was how concert videos were done in the early '80s, at least it's not near as bad on ESL as it is on Genesis' Three Sides Live.

[JARG]

Aren't there also places where Geddy and/or Alex do voice-overs?

[EagleMoon]

Aren't there also places where Geddy and/or Alex do voice-overs?

 

Yes there are.

[MMCXII]

Aren't there also places where Geddy and/or Alex do voice-overs?

 

Yes there are.

 

I was about to say no but it's been a long time since I watched it. I just remember Neil talking, he has a good voice for that sort of thing (but I'd rather gear him play!)

[EagleMoon]

Aren't there also places where Geddy and/or Alex do voice-overs?

 

Yes there are.

 

I was about to say no but it's been a long time since I watched it. I just remember Neil talking, he has a good voice for that sort of thing (but I'd rather gear him play!)

 

I watched it recently which is why I remembered. They don't talk as much as Neil, but then who does? :D

[Syrinx]

I was at one of the ATWAS shows. My first real Rush concert. I have vague memories. I do know that Massey hall is my all time favourite concert venue. And this concert is one of the reasons. I saw them many times in the 70's.

[ytserush]

Those who love ATWAS should also check out Rush ABC! It's the old Cleveland show that was broadcast on the radio when Neil had only been in the band for like 3 weeks. It's insane!

He's not quite as good as on ATWAS but that's almost the cool part because he makes up for it with intensity! You can even hear little "mistakes" in the debut album songs but he's just an animal behind the kit!

 

Yeah that is a good one.

Apparently this one is available on vinyl. I may have to get this one someday....

 

It is. 180 gram brown and orange vinyl!

 

In all its MP3 glory!

[ytserush]

Those who love ATWAS should also check out Rush ABC! It's the old Cleveland show that was broadcast on the radio when Neil had only been in the band for like 3 weeks. It's insane!

He's not quite as good as on ATWAS but that's almost the cool part because he makes up for it with intensity! You can even hear little "mistakes" in the debut album songs but he's just an animal behind the kit!

 

Also check out the Manchester June 1977 show, By-Tor segueing to the Necromancer was really cool and I don't know why they never did it again. But back to the thread, ATWAS is still one of my all time favorite live albums, it really captures the energy of the show. I listened to some of ESL last week and was reminded why I rarely listen to it, it just sounds way too clean and I don't know what they were thinking doing fadeouts of crowd noise between the songs.

I wouldn't call ESL clean,i'd call it murky and muffled like some ones stuffed a pillow over the recording mike.I had a bootleg from the same era that literally lept through the speaker ,especially on Natural Science. As for the fade outs it was a done thing on live lps at the time.Ted Nugents Double Live Gonzo suffered from it.It was mistake as ruins the live expierence.I think if they did that with ATWAS if would have been sacrilege

 

All one need do is listen to the 2112 bonus tracks of Overture/Temples recorded in 1981 to find out how Exit... should have sounded.

[Hear Again]

I was there for 2 of the 3 nights they recorded ATWAS at Massey Hall. What I remember most is that it was freakin' hot in there! No A/C in a hundred year old building. Also, the recording sounds exactly the way it sounded live. You can really hear the room on those tapes. When ever I go back there (recently for Joe Bonamassa & Dream Theater shows) I always look up to the first balcony, stage right where my seat for that show was all those hundreds of years ago.

 

And for the record, the "Down The Tubes" COS concert I saw there was probably the best Rush show I ever attended. It was cooler and the crowd was just nuts. I felt sorry for Joe Mendelson who opened as he was soundly boo'ed to get the hell of the stage so the real show could start.

 

 

Take Care

[Lorraine]

I was there for 2 of the 3 nights they recorded ATWAS at Massey Hall. What I remember most is that it was freakin' hot in there! No A/C in a hundred year old building. Also, the recording sounds exactly the way it sounded live. You can really hear the room on those tapes. When ever I go back there (recently for Joe Bonamassa & Dream Theater shows) I always look up to the first balcony, stage right where my seat for that show was all those hundreds of years ago.

 

And for the record, the "Down The Tubes" COS concert I saw there was probably the best Rush show I ever attended. It was cooler and the crowd was just nuts. I felt sorry for Joe Mendelson who opened as he was soundly boo'ed to get the hell of the stage so the real show could start.

 

 

Take Care

You are a very fortunate man. What memories you must have!

[Hear Again]

Fortunate, yes. Old too!

I was very lucky that my Mom was a huge music fan and helped finance my concert going back in those days.

 

I saw all the Massey Hall shows, all the Maple Leaf Gardens New Years Eve shows (which were epic!) and all the CNE Grandstand shows (which were huge!).

 

Take Care

[grasbo]

Thanks Apollo for mentioning the StLouis 1980 bootleg.That was the one that blew ESL out of the water.I don't have it now,must have sold it with all the zillions of vinyl i had.Bugger(Oz slang sh*t))

[Lorraine]

I understand that St. Louis 80 bootleg is the best.

[Syrinx]

The Maple Leaf Gardens New Years shows were awesome!!!

[ytserush]

I was there for 2 of the 3 nights they recorded ATWAS at Massey Hall. What I remember most is that it was freakin' hot in there! No A/C in a hundred year old building. Also, the recording sounds exactly the way it sounded live. You can really hear the room on those tapes. When ever I go back there (recently for Joe Bonamassa & Dream Theater shows) I always look up to the first balcony, stage right where my seat for that show was all those hundreds of years ago.

 

And for the record, the "Down The Tubes" COS concert I saw there was probably the best Rush show I ever attended. It was cooler and the crowd was just nuts. I felt sorry for Joe Mendelson who opened as he was soundly boo'ed to get the hell of the stage so the real show could start.

 

 

Take Care

 

You wouldn't happen to recall what the set for that "Down The Tubes" show, would you?

[Hear Again]

I was there for 2 of the 3 nights they recorded ATWAS at Massey Hall. What I remember most is that it was freakin' hot in there! No A/C in a hundred year old building. Also, the recording sounds exactly the way it sounded live. You can really hear the room on those tapes. When ever I go back there (recently for Joe Bonamassa & Dream Theater shows) I always look up to the first balcony, stage right where my seat for that show was all those hundreds of years ago.

 

And for the record, the "Down The Tubes" COS concert I saw there was probably the best Rush show I ever attended. It was cooler and the crowd was just nuts. I felt sorry for Joe Mendelson who opened as he was soundly boo'ed to get the hell of the stage so the real show could start.

 

 

Take Care

 

You wouldn't happen to recall what the set for that "Down The Tubes" show, would you?

 

I've been asked that here before... Not the entire set.

 

Definitely opened with Bastille Day, and yes, parts of The Fountain were played in a weird sort of medley with parts of The Necromancer thrown in. Touched all the high points for sure. I didn't understand the hate for COS, when it came out I was 15 and thought it was pretty cool. Sure it was different but It just fit right in with everything else that was going on at the time.

 

Take Care

[Jaminbenb]

This one started it for me!!!

 

I wasn't at the show, but a friend saw them on that tour before they released the album (they opened), and bought it when it came out.. about a week after it came out, I happened to be at his house, and he goes "you're a drummer, right? you HAVE to listen to this guy!" Now to preface...he was one of those guys that did the "you have to hear this" would take the time to clean the album, and the needle, put the album on...find the track, then about a minute in go "oh wait, you need to hear this, too!" and repeat the same grueling thing, never getting to hear the entire tune... So he drops the needle on Working Man...and actually let it play the whole way through... when it got the the drum solo...I was thoroughly in love! So I HAD to own my own copy of it... I went home, and begged my mom to order me a copy from Columbia House...we also saw that they had Caress of Steel, so she got me that as well.

 

When it arrived, I put it right on, and probably spent about a week dissecting it, and listening to every track over and over! The interesting part was that CoS was only represented by two tunes on ATWAS, so THAT was another listening experience! (and another week of dissecting) Those two albums are probably the most played in my play list...followed by Hemispheres, AFTK, and Permanent Waves....

[GeminiRising79]

Any TRF members at this concert?

 

For someone my age, there's something very comforting listening to this album. I love it, and am wondering if anyone here was fortunate enough to have been at this Canadian concert?

 

Even if you weren't at the concert, don't let that stop you from telling everyone what you think about the album. Don't be shy! ;) :)

 

Atwas was of great comfort to me in my latter teens..

Edited January 26, 2015 by GeminiRising79

[GeminiRising79]

If only that tobacco Les Paul was up for sale, it would be enshrined in my home.

[HemiBeers]

I was in high school in the late 70s. Typical Rush-type kid...sort of in the nerdy group, sort of in the cool group, sort of in the square peg-round hole group. I was a classically trained musician but was just learning guitar and branching out to 'cooler' stuff...Kansas, ELP, etc. Were I lived, we really only got radio with typical FM AOR at best...Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Boston, etc. I remember seeing ATWAS at the record store. Never heard Rush before. But I remember thinking "with that stage set-up and drum kit, I might not be crazy about this album, but it definately looks like it will kick ass". As soon as the opening riff of Bastelle came on, I was hooked. Not only with the energy and the kick-ass metal riffs, but the musical complexity (who the hell changes keys 4 or 5 times during the guitar solo?). LIke many other of us 'castouts', I was sold for life.

 

Just a side note, perhaps you notice my id as '2112FirstStreet'. That is the address of the house I lived in as a kid from birth to 18. My sister still lives there since my parents passed away. Do not call BS on this or I'll dig up the latest tax bill and prove it. ;)

[Lorraine]

Rather than start another ATWAS thread, I want to ask a question about Alex and what other famous (at the time of this concert) guitarist he sounds like.

 

I can't figure out whether he is trying to sound like the Allman Brothers or Molley Hatchet Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd.

 

Listening to In The End, Working Man/Finding My Way - just so you know my reference point for my question.

[JARG]

Rather than start another ATWAS thread, I want to ask a question about Alex and what other famous (at the time of this concert) guitarist he sounds like.

 

I can't figure out whether he is trying to sound like the Allman Brothers or Molley Hatchet Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd.

 

Listening to In The End, Working Man/Finding My Way - just so you know my reference point for my question.

 

I don't think he was trying to sound like anyone other than himself, but at that point in time you can still hear a fair amount of Jimmy Page's influence. Alex has also said that Steve Hackett was a pretty big influence around that time.

 

I don't know that Alex has ever been noticeably influenced by any of the Southern rock players.

[Lorraine]

Rather than start another ATWAS thread, I want to ask a question about Alex and what other famous (at the time of this concert) guitarist he sounds like.

 

I can't figure out whether he is trying to sound like the Allman Brothers or Molley Hatchet Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd.

 

Listening to In The End, Working Man/Finding My Way - just so you know my reference point for my question.

 

I don't think he was trying to sound like anyone other than himself, but at that point in time you can still hear a fair amount of Jimmy Page's influence. Alex has also said that Steve Hackett was a pretty big influence around that time.

 

I don't know that Alex has ever been noticeably influenced by any of the Southern rock players.

 

Well I hear it in In The End and Working Man. Not sure what guitarist I'm hearing (doesn't remind me of Jimmy Page at all), and I was never a fan of any of the southern rock players or bands, but that's who my mind turns to when I hear it. If you want, I can give you the points of the songs that I am specifically referring to.

 

i didn't mean that he is purposely trying to sound like anyone, but the influence of some guitarist seems to be there. I just am not sure which one.

[JARG]

Rather than start another ATWAS thread, I want to ask a question about Alex and what other famous (at the time of this concert) guitarist he sounds like.

 

I can't figure out whether he is trying to sound like the Allman Brothers or Molley Hatchet Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd.

 

Listening to In The End, Working Man/Finding My Way - just so you know my reference point for my question.

 

I don't think he was trying to sound like anyone other than himself, but at that point in time you can still hear a fair amount of Jimmy Page's influence. Alex has also said that Steve Hackett was a pretty big influence around that time.

 

I don't know that Alex has ever been noticeably influenced by any of the Southern rock players.

 

Well I hear it in In The End and Working Man. Not sure what guitarist I'm hearing (doesn't remind me of Jimmy Page at all), and I was never a fan of any of the southern rock players or bands, but that's who my mind turns to when I hear it. If you want, I can give you the points of the songs that I am specifically referring to.

 

i didn't mean that he is purposely trying to sound like anyone, but the influence of some guitarist seems to be there. I just am not sure which one.

 

I'm not familiar with all the guitarists who have influenced him over the years, so I may not be of any use to you, but I'd be interested in to hear the spots you're talking about.

[Lorraine]

This is off of ATWAS.

 

In The End: 13:50 until 14:00, 15:13 (especially starting at 15:50) to 16:00, 18:04 to 18:18.

 

I'll do Working Man next.