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Presto - First Reaction


Lorraine
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The singles drew me in first. Bought the album. Next I bought A Show of Hands (vhs and album). Over the next few years I purchased the entire Rush catalog. It was a great time of music discovery.
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The singles drew me in first. Bought the album. Next I bought A Show of Hands (vhs and album). Over the next few years I purchased the entire Rush catalog. It was a great time of music discovery.

It is wonderful when you discover a band. When I came here, the only albums I was familiar with were MP and Grace and a few other songs here and there. My memories attached to all of Rush's albums mostly have to do with my five years here because it was here that I first heard most of their albums. It's quite an adventure.

Edited by Lorraine
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The singles drew me in first. Bought the album. Next I bought A Show of Hands (vhs and album). Over the next few years I purchased the entire Rush catalog. It was a great time of music discovery.

It is wonderful when you discover a band. When I came here, the only albums I was familiar with were MP and Grace and a few other songs here and there. My memories attached to all of Rush's albums mostly have to do with my five years here.

Yes, discovery and the ride to follow is an amazing thing. I was mildly aware of Rush back in those days, but it was just the right time in my life (1989-90) to have their music impact my life.

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I bought Presto when it first came out and I distinctly remember saying out loud during the first listen...

 

"What the f#%@ happened to my favourite band?"

 

I remember thinking, it's ok, but not digging it and thinking it was time for them to throw in the towel.

 

I'm happy they didn't, of course.

 

Over the years, the album has grown on me a bit.

 

I quite like the Audio Fidelity & SHM versions.

 

It just goes to show, a weak album by Rush is still better than a strong album by most bands.

 

You have to give them credit for going out on a limb with the album.

 

I couldn't take a steady diet of it (all the songs start to sound the same after while), but it's good to listen to every once in a while.

They sounded a little lost musically. It was if they were going through an identity crisis. They were trying to respond to changing musical landscape instead of just being Rush. Love 'em or hate 'em, that's what I love about Snakes and Arrows and Clockwork Angels...Rush was making music they "wanted to make" instead of making music they "had to make" to keep up with the trends at the time. The last two albums were, in my opinion, made on their own terms with little regard to record sales with brilliant results. Edited by ReGorLaTroy
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From another thread:

 

I remember buying it the day it came out. Ran to my dorm room. Put it in the cd and rocked out approvingly to Show Don’t Tell...and then sat there speechless as the crap started to ooze out of the CD player. Mostly awful songs. Awful production. Awful album. It still stings a little how much this album disappoints me.

Haven't you come to appreciate any of it after all this time?

 

No. Indeed time has only increased my conviction that Presto is an uninspired milksop of an album to which I give no quarter.

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From another thread:

 

I remember buying it the day it came out. Ran to my dorm room. Put it in the cd and rocked out approvingly to Show Don’t Tell...and then sat there speechless as the crap started to ooze out of the CD player. Mostly awful songs. Awful production. Awful album. It still stings a little how much this album disappoints me.

Haven't you come to appreciate any of it after all this time?

 

No. Indeed time has only increased my conviction that Presto is an uninspired milksop of an album to which I give no quarter.

:LOL:

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My first reaction upon hearing the album: Skipping through the songs after the first 30 seconds of waiting for something interesting

 

My first reaction after hearing the first 30 seconds of each song? I'm never buying another Rush album ever.

Did you buy another one after that?

I think CA was the first studio album I bought after Presto.

Don't you think you're missing out on not hearing Roll the Bones and Snakes & Arrows? :16ton:

Oh yeah, I did buy RTB after I heard Dreamline on the radio. After that, it was CA.

 

I was also disappointed in RTB and learned my lesson there (though Dreamline is a great song, IMO).

 

S&A is as bad as Presto; even though Far Cry is better than anything on Presto, the dirgelike nature and preachy lyrics on S&A drags it down to Presto levels.

 

I've come to appreciate Presto and I like most of it; the same cannot be said for SnA. Your criticisms of that album mirror mine.

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What's wrong with Snakes? I was shamed into listening to that album again by a TRF member. I thought the album was so bad the first time, I vowed to never listen to it again.

 

But the second time was a charm. :)

 

Subpar songwriting... The melodies sound forced, like rejected Ged solo songs. Usually a Rush album will grow on me with time. This one continues to bore me. I have to say it is the only Rush album - along with RtB - that does little for me. SnA is well produced. Al's guitar playing is great. But the songs are just bad. Far Cry, Main Monkey Business... Best tracks.

Edited by Wil1972
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What's wrong with Snakes? I was shamed into listening to that album again by a TRF member. I thought the album was so bad the first time, I vowed to never listen to it again.

 

But the second time was a charm. :)

 

Subpar songwriting... The melodies sound forced, like rejected Ged solo songs. Usually a Rush album will grow on me with time. This one continues to bore me. I have to say it is the only Rush album - along with RtB - that does little for me. SnA is well produced. Al's guitar playing is great. But the songs are just bad. Far Cry, Main Monkey Business... Best tracks.

Al saved what there was to save of the album.

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Scars on high volume just awesome, almost a nightclub dance track, there's a great live improv version of it out there somewhere

 

general sound of Presto & RTB probably influenced by Rupert Hine a bit light of course but overall beautifully put-together albums of usual top drawer Rush standard

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Scars on high volume just awesome, almost a nightclub dance track, there's a great live improv version of it out there somewhere

 

general sound of Presto & RTB probably influenced by Rupert Hine a bit light of course but overall beautifully put-together albums of usual top drawer Rush standard

Scars is a great song at any volume, but the louder, the better for sure. :)

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From another thread:

 

I remember buying it the day it came out. Ran to my dorm room. Put it in the cd and rocked out approvingly to Show Don’t Tell...and then sat there speechless as the crap started to ooze out of the CD player. Mostly awful songs. Awful production. Awful album. It still stings a little how much this album disappoints me.

Haven't you come to appreciate any of it after all this time?

 

No. Indeed time has only increased my conviction that Presto is an uninspired milksop of an album to which I give no quarter.

:LOL:

 

You laugh at my trauma?!?!?!?????? Heaven forfend!!!!

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One of my top 5 favorite albums. I love almost every song on it. A very solid record. Show Don't Tell, Presto, Chain Lightning, Red Tide and Available Light were all on heavy repeat
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One of my top 5 favorite albums. I love almost every song on it. A very solid record. Show Don't Tell, Presto, Chain Lightning, Red Tide and Available Light were all on heavy repeat

It's uplifting to see 3 Canadian liberals deeply inspire a man who quotes Adolf Hitler.

 

edit: socialists to liberals

Edited by Union 5-3992
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