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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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I started with Hemispheres,Moving Pictures and Signals,but when Grace was released that sold me on the band.I found it interesting that the band changed so much with these four albums but still retain their identity.Believe it or not i was not completely sold on MP at first and i didn't particularly like Alex's tone and i am heavy guitar guy.So through my twenties i grew up with the synth era and loved it while bludgeoning my head with Maiden,Metallica,Megadeth,Celtic Frost,Candlemass,Cathedral,Candlemass and Burl Ives and Hank Williams.But i love everything Rush,well almost.
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New wave-era Geddy looked so UNCOOL! And I hate that Steinberger bass!

But music was cool.

 

http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/images/books/success-under-pressure/success-under-pressure-9.jpg

 

I saw this tour with my own 16 year old eyes!

I was smashed into the barrier at the Cow Palace in 1984.

We bum "RUSHED" to the front of the stage knocking chairs and front row seaters over.

It was fuckking nuts.

I went from nose bleed seats to front row.

I was right underneath Geddy who looked just like that in your picture.

 

Geddy looked down at us hooligans. He gazed right into my eyes in fear and concern. Like Neil did when I met him at his bus backstage at the Vapor Trails Tour!

 

Anyway, I thought Geddy was going to stop the show and say stuff to calm the crowd. It was fuckking chaos and I was a little young nerd in Heaven who to quote DOKKEN "Just Got Lucky!"

 

I stood my "Territories" and was able to watch Neil's drum solo in the front row smashed into the concrete slab.

It blew my young drumming mind.

My mentor. Playing on that fuckking red Tama kit with the red Simmons pads. The YYZ to Red Lenses drum solo right in front of me.

 

From that second on I was a Rush Solider.

 

A Lifer.

An addict.

 

RUSH FOREVER.

 

FUCKK THE HATERS!

 

I can tell you how much I hate Vapor Trailers. Who cares.

 

There is no band in the world that will ever touch RUSH.

 

I am a nothing.

A no name in this world.

A cog in the wheel of man. Hell I'm "Between The Wheels."

 

I love to play my drums to Neil.

 

It's for me.

For my happiness.

 

I hope you people out there in social media world find your passion.

You on your iPhone walking around in public.

More worried about texting a friend then looking real people who walk by in in the eye.

 

1001001 SOS

 

I am stupid too.

I am too open on this forum.

 

I am on no other social media outlets.

 

I feel comfortable here.

That's my risk.

 

"Be cool or be cast out!"

 

Fuckk it!

 

Rush was IT.

 

Their music will live on forever.

 

"we are only immortal for a limited time."

 

So find Rush.

Find Love.

Find Happiness.

Find Balance.

 

Lots of shite in the world.

 

Who do you trust in 2018?

 

Love,

 

Cygnus

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Synth era stuff I can tolerate when I'm doing something else and it's in the background. Never really liked it, never will. In fact hearing HYF when released I only got half way through the Force Ten and binned it - I didn't really listen to any Rush after Signals until a lot later. Still played all the early stuff though.
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Synth era stuff I can tolerate when I'm doing something else and it's in the background. Never really liked it, never will. In fact hearing HYF when released I only got half way through the Force Ten and binned it - I didn't really listen to any Rush after Signals until a lot later. Still played all the early stuff though.

Where is the Dislike button?

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Synth era stuff I can tolerate when I'm doing something else and it's in the background. Never really liked it, never will. In fact hearing HYF when released I only got half way through the Force Ten and binned it - I didn't really listen to any Rush after Signals until a lot later. Still played all the early stuff though.

Where is the Dislike button?

Try this: :moon:
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I've generally and historically preferred the 'non-synth era Rush' to the synth period, but I find myself liking the synth period albums more and more as time goes by.

 

As I go back and re-listen to their songs I often find myself thinking that songs or even whole albums I previously rated low are a lot better than I had previously imagined.

 

I'm constantly rethinking my opinions about Rush songs and albums.

 

It's such a rich tapestry to think about...

 

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Synth era stuff I can tolerate when I'm doing something else and it's in the background. Never really liked it, never will. In fact hearing HYF when released I only got half way through the Force Ten and binned it - I didn't really listen to any Rush after Signals until a lot later. Still played all the early stuff though.

Where is the Dislike button?

Try this: :moon:

 

Indeed.

 

I got a wild hair and listened to hold your fire today for the 1st time in ?????

Easily 10 plus years. Perhaps closer to 20. Still knew it note for note though.

 

Burned in burned out brain.

 

Enjoyed it more than i thought.

 

Still a bit too busy key wise and dare i say a bit too feminine?

 

 

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Synth era stuff I can tolerate when I'm doing something else and it's in the background. Never really liked it, never will. In fact hearing HYF when released I only got half way through the Force Ten and binned it - I didn't really listen to any Rush after Signals until a lot later. Still played all the early stuff though.

Where is the Dislike button?

Try this: :moon:

 

Indeed.

 

I got a wild hair and listened to hold your fire today for the 1st time in ?????

Easily 10 plus years. Perhaps closer to 20. Still knew it note for note though.

 

Burned in burned out brain.

 

Enjoyed it more than i thought.

 

Still a bit too busy key wise and dare i say a bit too feminine?

 

I listened to Test For Echo again last week. It had been a few months. I still think it's brilliant. Always have.

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Synth era stuff I can tolerate when I'm doing something else and it's in the background. Never really liked it, never will. In fact hearing HYF when released I only got half way through the Force Ten and binned it - I didn't really listen to any Rush after Signals until a lot later. Still played all the early stuff though.

Where is the Dislike button?

Try this: :moon:

 

Indeed.

 

I got a wild hair and listened to hold your fire today for the 1st time in ?????

Easily 10 plus years. Perhaps closer to 20. Still knew it note for note though.

 

Burned in burned out brain.

 

Enjoyed it more than i thought.

 

Still a bit too busy key wise and dare i say a bit too feminine?

 

Aimee Mann is on it so...

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Well. Thats Cool and remote like dancing girls.

 

We can wear the rose of romance

An air of joie de vivre....

 

Just efffing with you but those were my impressions.

 

Time stand still aka i think I'm going bald part 2 aside the record is strange and leaves me wondering wtf were the thinking.

 

Geddy goes to hollywood!

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Sorry to resurrect an old thread but, i love the synth era! I think its when they became better songwriters. And I consider this era to be Moving Pictures-Roll the Bones.

I was ready to like this post but in my rulebook which is the official unofficial rulebook The Synth Era runs from Grace Under Pressure to Test for Echo.

 

Signals marks the End of Broon and what is to come but it is not The Synth Era.

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Sorry to resurrect an old thread but, i love the synth era! I think its when they became better songwriters. And I consider this era to be Moving Pictures-Roll the Bones.

I was ready to like this post but in my rulebook which is the official unofficial rulebook The Synth Era runs from Grace Under Pressure to Test for Echo.

 

Signals marks the End of Broon and what is to come but it is not The Synth Era.

That makes sense. I think I judge it by a certain style and sound that runs like a thread through those albums.

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I don't think the synth era for a few bands besides RUSH doesn't get the love it deserves.

 

I don't think the majority of die-hard Van Halen fans like the synth era of the band either.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2Lx_PLPUNE

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slagSVHiE74

Edited by RushFanForever
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When I decided to start my chronological review threads last year (I got up to Hold Your Fire), I went into it expecting to find that the seventies would be quietly disappointing and the eighties, as it always appeared, would remain my favourite.

 

Now I love the eighties albums. But as good as the songs were, the seventies albums up to Moving Pictures (1981, I know) are absolutely phenomenal. The eighties gave us Signals and Power Windows and both are just fine. Those two break the streak of solid gold greatness for me, and whilst I love Grace and Fire (a great album title right there!), a little of that early spark of greatness is missing. For all the greatness of the synth era, I would say I can hear and totally understand why many fans were lost during that time.

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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.

 

Signals is certainly better than every Rush album that followed it.

Power Windows is better than every Rush album that followed it.

I like Counterparts plenty but it’s no Grace Under Pressure.

 

And overall, Geddy’s vocals & Neil’s lyrics were best in the 80s

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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.

 

Signals is certainly better than every Rush album that followed it.

Power Windows is better than every Rush album that followed it.

I like Counterparts plenty but it’s no Grace Under Pressure.

 

And overall, Geddy’s vocals & Neil’s lyrics were best in the 80s

 

I would take Grace Under Pressure, Hold Your Fire, Roll The Bones, Counterparts and Vapor Trails over Signals. I now think my beloved Presto is about equal with Signals (I actually really enjoy it now). As for Power Windows, it has its moments but it's near the bottom (of a great pile) with Test For Echo and Snakes And Arrows for me. On the fence about Clockwork Angels.

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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.

 

Signals is certainly better than every Rush album that followed it.

Power Windows is better than every Rush album that followed it.

I like Counterparts plenty but it’s no Grace Under Pressure.

 

And overall, Geddy’s vocals & Neil’s lyrics were best in the 80s

 

I would take Grace Under Pressure, Hold Your Fire, Roll The Bones, Counterparts and Vapor Trails over Signals. I now think my beloved Presto is about equal with Signals (I actually really enjoy it now). As for Power Windows, it has its moments but it's near the bottom (of a great pile) with Test For Echo and Snakes And Arrows for me. On the fence about Clockwork Angels.

 

GUP & PoW are really close, both B+ grades and hard for me to choose one over the other so I didn’t here. I just know I like PoW more than everything after it.

 

Signals I’d put at an A-. HYF would be a B or B+. Presto would be a B- I think. So yeah, I like all of the 80s albums.

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Signals, Grace Under Pressure & Power Windows is as good as it gets. They're all 10/10 or A og rolling the dice: 6 to me

Hold Your Fire & Presto is great as well, 8/10 or B or rolling the dice: 5

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The synth era nearly destroyed my fandom. I appreciated aspects of it, the drumming was still there and I was a fanboy at the time, so the denial was strong in me. Then one day my friend told me, "you don't like this album do you?" I thought that was BLASPHEMY!!! But alas, he was right. I liked it because it was Rush, not because I liked it. I like the synth era about as much as Alex likes the synth era.
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I love the 80's in general, so much exciting music in so many forms and colors, and those Rush albums was fresh and exciting...emotions, landscapes, melodies and some of Big Al's best solos. Edited by Na na na
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