Principled Man

Sony has never done me wrong. I have a Sony 7.1 receiver/amp (Dolby TrueHD + DTS-HD MA), with 5 Klipsch surround sound speakers and a 10" Polk subwoofer. 5.1 is all I need; 7.1 would just be overkill in my apartment. Everything sounds GREAT thru it - the Blu-ray, DVD, DirecTV, and my CD's. You don't need to destroy your bank account to get a good system. You should make sure that your receiver has as many HDMI and/or component video inputs as possible, in case you have multiple High Definition sources. Make sure your receiver has Dolby TrueHD + DTS-HD MA (Master Audio). I didn't think I would be seduced by HD surround sound, but I was soooooooooo wrong. I can't be without it now....

I don't know how many people here hate it, but from time to time, I'll sit down and watch C-SPAN.... Yes, I said C-SPAN..... Some of the speakers and interviewees are extremely interesting. They could educate the world if the world would just LISTEN.....

I swear I read an interview with Neil, which said he was going to address the audience at the end of each Show. He plans on coming out from behind the drum kit, taking Geddy's mike, and blasting the fans for their constant letters and e-mails about Ayn Rand.

QUOTE (Alexmai @ Apr 18 2012, 04:11 AM) Of course, the Watchmaker says "I'm your father" when the hero cries "You killed my father" Han Carnie shot first.

QUOTE (losingit2k @ Apr 22 2012, 08:39 PM)I still say the set list will look like this: Set 1: Clockwork Angels Set 2: Also Sparch Zarathustra Subdivisions Analog Kid Digital Man Jacobs Ladder The Weapon New World Man Losing It Tears Madrigal Mission Manhattan Project YYZ/Drum Solo Alex's Solo/Different Strings Xanadu (Entire) 2112 Overture/ Temples/ Finale Encore: Far Cry Tom Sawyer The Spirit of Radio Rivendell You forgot the one at the end....

QUOTE (chrisw25 @ Apr 22 2012, 06:37 PM)To say, 'screw the casual fan' is about as unfair as the band playing 9 songs from the upcoming album. IMO, there is nothing fair or unfair about a band playing whatever they want in their concerts. It's their music, so they get to make the rules. They get to pick the songs. They could be all old songs or all new songs. Contrary to what many fans believe, they do not really have a say in what the band plays. If the band does play a "crowd-pleaser", they do so out of their own generosity....not out of obligation. If some of the audience doesn't like the songs being played, then they are free to not attend. Nothing fair or unfair about that, either. It's their choice. No one forces us to attend a Show. We enter at our own risk!

QUOTE (ghostworks @ Apr 22 2012, 05:20 PM) Rush is a nostalgia touring act at this point - anything more than 4 songs from a new album is self-indulgence (which won't stop them, of course...)

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Apr 22 2012, 01:13 PM) When S&A first came out, everyone thought it was their best in 25 years etc.....etc...but as time went on, lots of fans have started to rank it lower in their catalog.... And lots of fans have not. It's unfortunate that so many fans waste their time "ranking" a band's albums. You either like the album or you don't. Comparing a new album to an album from 20-30 years ago is a meaningless exercise....IMO.

QUOTE (Digitallware @ Apr 21 2012, 09:10 PM)I've grown to like headlong flight a lot, that doesn't mean its a particularly amazing song rather its the right song for right now, years from now who knows. This is an interesting comment. What will "change" about the song years from now? If the song is seen as "OK" now but GREAT years from now, what will have changed about it? Don't you think that it will be our points of view that will have changed...?? The song will remain the same.....

QUOTE (deslock @ Apr 22 2012, 11:37 AM)Actual list of classics never dropped: Tom Sawyer I would be in awe if they stopped playing Tom Sawyer. It's not that I'm sick of the song; it's that I would be most impressed by their decision to drop it. It would show that they're not afraid to drop their most classic hit and still be happy with their Show, and that they're not afraid of the fans' reaction/disapproval.

QUOTE (FountainOfSyrinx @ Apr 22 2012, 10:29 AM)How can you say drop Limelight, CTTH, Tom Sawyer, YYZ, Freewill, Spirit of the Radio, etc..? This is what the band has to do to engage the casual fan.. the fans we don't see on this forum. To say that they should drop those songs would be a particularly boring concert for the casual fan. I saw Jimmy Buffett on Thursday night (i've never been to a show, and I really only know the classics) and I can tell you that hearing Cheeseburger in Paradise and Margaritaville was really cool, but I didn't know many of the other songs he played. You all have to realize that while Rush has an intense fanbase (us), they have a not so intense fan base that doesn't know the likes of "Jacob's Ladder" or "Losing It" and the band has to do what they can to make the show interesting for the people who go just because they know who Rush is. And it's most likely people have have maybe been once or twice, but just heard an ad on the radio and said, "Hey, that might be a cool show to go to," and wha-la, you've engaged the casual fan, now you have to better the experience for them. They throw in the songs like "Marathon" and "Presto" for us intense fans, so we can go nuts when we hear songs we'd never think they'd play live, while the casual fans kinda listen, but don't know the songs at all. And plus, i'll bet 95% of you all that don't want to hear Limelight again rock out to it on the tour because "dude, it's f*cking Rush!" Don't be selfish, fans. Realize what the band has to do for all of it audience. Rush does not always play all their "classics". They retired Closer To The Heart for several years. They didn't play 2112 during the first leg of the Snakes And Arrows Tour. They don't always play Working Man, Red Barchetta, or Subdivisions. I'd say that there are only five songs that the band plays every show - the Big Five = Tom Sawyer, Limelight, YYZ, The Spirit of Radio, and Freewill. They could easily play all of Clockwork Angels and still play the Big Five and several other songs. They played all of Moving Pictures and still had a great show - with songs from their entire career. IMO, the band does not "need" to play certain songs.....not at this point in their career. They will most probably always play Tom Sawyer and Spirit Of Radio, but if they decide to drop them for a tour, then I won't complain. It's their Show; they'll play what they want to play. Many bands dump classic songs in favor of new songs. Some bands, like Iron Maiden, devote their shows to entire albums from their catalogue. Bob Marley would dump all his classic hits, and when asked about it, he said, "We play what we want." As for the "casual fan".....F*U*C*K him. I don't give a rat's ass about some dork who knows only 3-4 Rush songs and goes just to hear those songs, or goes because he just wants something to do that night.

QUOTE (HowItIs @ Apr 22 2012, 05:08 AM) I tried to find the thread with the original CA clock picture in it - I'm sorry that I can't recall who posted that. I remember that a few of us said we were going to try our hands at making one. Well, I finished mine tonight.... Anyone else get theirs done? BTW, I am working on the Fountain but it's turning out to be more difficult than I envisioned. I'll post when I get it done, though. Hang in there. Awesome work! What material did you use for the clock face print? Did you laminate it? I just may make my own....

QUOTE (USB Connector @ Apr 21 2012, 09:24 PM)I find it more enjoyable to have glanced at the songs beforehand. Otherwise I keep thinking "why didn't they play this song?!". By checking the setlist ahead of time my reaction is more along the lines of "OMG OMG OMG THEY'RE PLAYING THAT SONG!!!!" I am the opposite of this. I always go to the Show completely unaware of what they're going to play. I really try to not have any expectations. That way, when they do start playing those old gems, like Entre Nous or Presto, I am completely blown away. I absolutely love the element of surprise. Some of the best moments of my Rush concerts have been when they played something I didn't expect. After the Show is when I start thinking, "Wow, they didn't play [____] ....! Oh well.....maybe next time....."

I haven't read a print review of a Rush album since Test For Echo. The twit from Rolling Stone spent the first half of his review talking about Perry Ferrell...... I swore off reviews forever after that.....

QUOTE (Mara @ Apr 21 2012, 07:06 PM)As long as there's no calliope heavily featured. That would be bad. Hopefully, they'll do some sneezin' and wheezin', and the calliope will crash to the ground......

QUOTE (Smegger68 @ Apr 21 2012, 07:21 PM)Being an audiophile of some 30 years and hopefully not a snob, I have to say that both formats can sound bloody great and bloody awful. It really seems to depend on how the transfer to the format in question is done. For example, the Vapor Trails CD is well known for it's appalling mastering, but the vinyl version (while still not great) sounds better, mainly because of the way vinyl disks have to be mastered - you can't brickwall them, they just wont cut properly. On the other hand, I have some Trentmoller albums and the CD's of those are way better than the vinyls. It really is dependant on the individual releases. I'd say that anything originally recorded on analogue gear will likely sound best on LP and anything recorded digitally will likely sound better on CD though your mileage may vary depending on the mastering as outlined above. The reasons for this are fairly obvious, there is little point recording something with analogue gear only to digitize it and vice versa, there seems little point making an analogue copy of digital data. Point is, both these formats and others like DAT, compact cassette and minidisc can all sound great depending on the software you put in them. There are no hard and fast rules about this stuff. What matters is that you enjoy the music as much as possible. I'll be getting the hi-res download, my DAC will process that. Lookig forward to trying it against the CD and the vinyl i'll also be buying Excellent post. The vinyl/digital debate could become moot fairly soon, with the way audio technology is evolving. I still wouldn't mind having a good turntable along with all my digital toys.....

Never have checked the setlist. Never will check the setlist. I will never ruin my Rush concert experience like that. The anticipation and surprise is half the fun.....

QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 21 2012, 05:59 PM) QUOTE (Workaholic Man @ Apr 21 2012, 05:47 PM) QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 21 2012, 04:59 PM) Did the OP come back yet? Doubt it. We probably scared the bejeezus out of him...... Well at least I'm innocent... You stopped being "innocent" aeons ago, treeduck.....

QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 21 2012, 04:59 PM) Did the OP come back yet? Doubt it. We probably scared the bejeezus out of him......

The concept seems clear to me. The protagonist is questioning his life and the world in which he lives. Is he truly "free" to determine his own life and destiny, or has the Watchmaker (God) planned his life in advance? Is Life truly there for the taking, or is it a sentient power, which pulls the strings in everything that we experience? Is he merely a player in a grand epic (written by someone else), or is HE the author of his own fate?

QUOTE (presto123 @ Apr 21 2012, 02:17 PM) Yes I have. Far Cry sounds great! THIS.

QUOTE (danielmclark @ Apr 16 2012, 09:06 AM)I'm 38. I've heard vinyl. I grew up at the tail end of vinyl and the rise of cassettes. I'll take a CD over vinyl any day...... I was born and raised on vinyl - 33 & 1/3's, and the 45's. They were great. When 8-tracks and cassettes came out, they were great, too. CD's came out, and they were great, too. From my experience, and from reading articles by people in the audio industry, my opinion is that there is no discernable difference between the sound quality of a good vinyl system and a good digital system. The majority of the time, vinyl proponents hear what they want to hear. They let their pride and competitive attitudes corrupt their listening experiences. They're too concerned with being better or cooler than everyone else to admit the truth.

QUOTE (Tigershark2112 @ Apr 21 2012, 10:40 AM)Is the OP for real here? It would seem that the OP is trapped in an iTunes universe, kind of like the immortality seeker in Xanadu.....