drbirdsong

I have the new song called "New" and it is pretty darn good. Very Beatle-ish. Yes he sounds a bit weak in the voice, but the man is in his 70s, give it a shot.

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z437/drbirdsong/MeDark.jpg Above: Moi, somewhat inebriated reading and posting in the Rush Forum for the first time in a while. Below: My daughter, Brittany finishing her first ever marathon this past Saturday in Nashvegas. http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z437/drbirdsong/Boojpg.jpg Winner? You decide, but keep in mind that I am listening to the the Vapor Trails Remix on Vinyl.

My awesome wife got me a new bike for my birthday and I got the Rush catalog in HD to listen to while riding. 24bit/96khz rulez all up in my headphones.

I'm so pumped for the baseball playoffs that I will punch anyone that gets in the way of me watching them square in the snout.

Yooouuuuuuu just stepped in a pile of goooooooo that turns out to be your best friend's face!

B-a-l-l-s ripped out of both remixes. They are fine, but I will have to go with the original.

No, The Beatles invented it. Rush did it better having seen the blueprint. I still listen to both bands and rarely compare or make judgments.

My son's favorite band is, God love him, Insane Clown Posse. What is a dad to do? I have it all saved for him on DVD in high quality if he is ever interested. I took my daughter to the Vapor Trails and R30 tours and she fell asleep both times. Oh well, I do have two nephews aged 10 and 8 to share the music with some day. There is always hope. Somewhere out there is a kid like me that will hear Rush one day and kick himself for not hearing or seeing them sooner like me with the Beatles, but it's just the way of the world.

I have only listened to it twice, but i think if this version was the one released in 2002 then we would all be bitching about how bad Snakes and Arrows sounds in comparison. I have issues with it because the new mix does not improve on a few songs. Mr. Bottrill did a fine job given what he had to work with. We have two unique versions of a seminal album in the career of Rush. You aren't likely to get that from many other bands. I know it is pointless to ask the fans not to argue too much about it, but we have the two versions and both versions offer us some amazing Rush music to discuss.

My initial impression is that the first half of the album is improved. Unfortunately the cee-oh-jones have been ripped out of Secret Touch and Nocturne. I'm going to give a good listen to the vinyl versions of both before I make any harsh judgements, but Secret Touch is ruined on the remix. I remember the Rush fandom going nuts with praise with Vapor Trails first came out and then a slow slide to the criticism that we have all discussed endlessly, and so I will proceed cautiously, but dammit, Secret Touch pales in comparison to the original.

My wife actually picked this picture and suggested it. The "Open you mind" was a good one, but I let her make the final decision and in the end we both agree that laugh out loud will get the win.

Hah, less nuts and more breasts is always better. Ok, try this one... http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z437/drbirdsong/GoofyBaby.jpg

I can't wait until breast cancer awareness day. :drool:

I'm slightly older than my teeth.

Ick, laughter coupled with queasiness equals a win.

I heard today that Ewan McGregor will return as Obi-Wan. I guess he's playing a ghost or they're having flashbacks or something. Endless speculation will follow.

Yeah, a Heroes for Hire flick with Cage/Fist/Shang-Chi with interwoven stories ala Tarantino. Hell, a lot of his flicks have that kind of flavor already: 70s guys with afros and others skilled in martial arts. There are several Marvel character references in Reservoir Dogs. I would've loved for Tarantino to have made Heroes for Hire at his peak in the early-mid 90s. Oh well. BEFORE the flick, it'd be fun to even have a 2 minute "fake" ad like how "Machete" was shown, previewing White Tiger. In that way, hardcore fans get him in there without overloading the Heroes for Hire movie with too many characters (like in the shitty X-MEN 3) Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut was just stupid! I'm getting a contact high from the 70s just thinking about it.

I'm always reluctant to keep getting reissues of the same stuff, but the Steve Wilson versions of the King Crimson albums are the last ones you'll ever need (or at least the last ones I'll ever need). He convinced Robert Fripp to include a modern remix using today's best methods and those sound great. Of course not everyone wants a new remix so all the KC albums also include the 30th anniversary mixes as well as a 5.1 surround mix and a vinyl rip from the original pressings. Also included were any single edits and several outtakes and alternate versions as well as videos and just about any rarity you can imagine. I see that he is now going to do this with the Yes albums so I say bring it on. Sid Smith also wrote liner notes for those KC albums and here he is doing now for the Yes albums. They'll be expensive, but I think these new releases will be about as definitive as they can ever get. I think I can finally see an end to my obsessive collecting and collating and backing up of some of my favorite bands. I'll need a new hobby in a few years.

This is why cygnusx-1.net is so wonderful. I usually get calendars sent to me by the bank or some other business and that's great because I write all over them. I'm not going to buy one just to have it sit around collecting dust. Wow, 40 years. I've been there for the past 35. Now I'm feeling old.

Best Yes news in years is that Close To The Edge is getting a Steve Wilson makeover. He did an awesome job on the King Crimson albums he worked on. http://www.yesworld.com/2013/08/close-to-the-edge-in-5-1-surround-and-stereo/ YES’s ‘Close To The Edge’ Remixed and Remastered in 5.1 Surround & Stereo Mixes Released on 21st October 2013 on Panegyric Recordings, ‘Close to the Edge’ will be the first in a new series of expanded YES editions to contain: • New 5.1 Surround Mixes from the original Multitracks • New Stereo Mixes from the original Multitracks • High-Resolution Stereo Remasters from the original Flat Stereo Masters • A wealth of Extra Material. • Mixes made with the approval of YES. CD/DVD-A • New 5.1 Surround Mix 96kHz/24bit from original multitracks • New 5.1 Surround Mix Lossless 96kHz/24bit from original multitracks • New Stereo Mix Hi-Res 96kHz/24bit from original multitracks • Original Stereo Mix Hi-Res 96kHz/24bit flat transfer from the original Stereo Master tapes • Numerous audio extras Hi-Res 48kHz/24bit including single edits & studio run- throughs CD/Blu-Ray • New 5.1 Surround Mix DTS-HD 96kHz/24bit from original multitracks • New Stereo Mix LPCM 96kHz/24bit from original multitracks • Original Stereo Mix LPCM 192kHz/24bit flat transfer from original master tape • America – Original Stereo Mix LPCM 192kHz/24bit flat transfer from original master tape • Instrumental Versions – New Stereo Mix LPCM 96kHz/24bit **EXCLUSIVE** • Needle-drop of Original UK Vinyl LPCM 96kHz/24bit A1/B1 pressing **EXCLUSIVE** • Numerous Audio Extras LPCM 96kHz/24bit including single edits & studio run throughs Acclaimed musician/producer Steven Wilson has produced the new mixes with the approval of the band, while Roger Dean reprises his role as art director/designer of the newly issued edition, making this the Definitive Edition of the album. • CD features a completely new Stereo Album Mix by Steven Wilson + a new mix of America & an early mix/assembly of Close to the Edge, all at CD quality 44.1kHz/16bit. • Hybrid DVD-A features a 5.1 Surround mix and High Resolution 96kHz/24bit Stereo mixes of the album in its original & new stereo mixes + numerous audio extras in high-resolution stereo including single edits & studio run- throughs. • Blu-Ray features all of the above – new mixes at 96kHz/24bit, original mixes at 192kHz/24bit in DTS-HD Master Audio Surround + additional exclusive music including 96kHz/24bit Instrumental Versions & a 96kHz/24bit needle-drop of an original UK vinyl pressing. • Special packaging for both formats, CD/DVD-A in double digi-pack in slipcase, CD/Blu-Ray in mini vinyl replica gatefold card sleeve. • Original artwork by Roger Dean who has overseen the artwork for this new edition. • Booklet with new sleeve notes by Sid Smith, rare photos & archive material. The combination of Yes’s music & Steven Wilson’s production skills seems such an obvious mix (no pun intended), it’s a wonder it hasn’t happened sooner. Actually, it’s been planned for a little while, speculated about for even longer & has now begun, with the first release in the series, “Close to the Edge” set for an October release. Mixed from the full multi-track sources, the 5.1 mixes reveal every nuance of the complexity of the original recordings in Surround sound, while a sparkling new stereo mix is presented on CD & in high resolution stereo, as is a flat transfer from the original stereo master tape source. The album is being released in two formats (CD/DVD-A & CD/Blu-Ray) providing maximum access to the high-resolution audio formats. Both editions include numerous audio extras, all in high resolution, some of which are exclusive to the CD/Blu-Ray edition. About CLOSE TO THE EDGE When Yes entered the studio with Eddie Offord to record the band’s fifth studio album in mid-1972, their second with this line-up, the band was on something of a roll. “Fragile”, the band’s previous album, had taken Yes to a new level of international popularity with Top Ten chart placement on both sides of the Atlantic & yielding a hit single in the USA with ‘Roundabout’. The band was now established in the major music markets to an extent that was, perhaps, unexpected given the complexity of the music Yes performed. But with that popularity came a confidence that the expansive material of the two previous albums could be taken a stage further with the new recording. Rather than consolidating, Yes chose to innovate. Recorded during lengthy sessions at London’s Advision Studios, “Close to the Edge” is that rarity in recorded music, the sound of a band & its individual members writing, playing and recording at the peak of their collective abilities. The album was issued in Autumn 1972 reaching chart highs & platinum sales status of 4 in the UK, 3 in the USA & 1 in Holland, though such statistics only hint at the worldwide popularity of the album over a period of more than four decades. The three pieces of music, the title track which spanned the entire first side of the vinyl album with ‘And You And I’ & ‘Siberian Khatru’ on side two, have remained concert favourites since release, with the 2013 Yes line-up currently in the middle of a world tour stretching into the middle of next year that sees the album performed in its entirety. The album remains the favourite among many of the band’s legion of fans, a defining recording both for the band & for the progressive rock movement. It is also one of the most successful British rock albums ever released. Since this release of “Close to the Edge” was confirmed, the various websites dedicated to Yes, Progressive rock & high-resolution audio have been very active with discussions among fans keen to hear the new mixes & the existing material in its purest audio presentation. We will keep you abreast of developments here at yesworld.com

My friend, Glen Tubbs (nephew of the famous Ernest) said this recently on facebook: I'm 78 years old now and I've seen a lot of history go whizzing by, faster and faster every day. Things move so fast, it's hard to remember when some of the major changes occurred. And then major changes happened to the major changes. Today, I no longer recognize the Country music I grew up with. I don't know what it is but it ain't Country. If you asked a young person today who Lefty Frizzell or Carl Smith was, they would have no idea who you're talking about. And it's not their fault. They don't know because they've never heard their music. Radio no longer plays real Country music. It a rotten shame but that's the way it is. And we must accept that it's that way because no one with any authority cares enough to try and change it. But I can't really complain because I DID GET TO HEAR LEFTY, HANK, CARL, EDDIE, ROY, RED, ERNEST, WEBB, JOHNNY, THE LOUVINS, THE WILBURNS, THE BROWNS and so many more that left me with an endless stream of music in my memory that I can sit and recall any time I want to. And poor kids today can't do that. They've never heard it and probably never will. And that is a crying shame, that should be considered a crime because just a handful of programmers have stolen an entire genre of music and hidden it away and deprived millions and millions of people from the joy of listening to MOM AND DAD'S WALTZ, HEY JOE, LOVESICK BLUES, ANYTIME, GREAT SPECKLED BIRD, WALKING THE FLOOR OVER YOU, OLD SHEP, I WALK THE LINE, SLOWLY, CASH ON THE BARREL HEAD, TROUBLE'S BACK IN TOWN, THE OLD LAMPLIGHTER and so many, many more. The music I loved is gone but I got to hear it. And I was blessed to be a part of it. I thank God that He let me perform on the same stage with some of these giants and write songs for a lot of them. I have been truly blessed. I hardly ever turn my radio on because when I do, I don't recognize what I hear. I can't tell one song from another or one artist from another. There is no individuality anymore. It sounds like they took one artist for the male and one for the female and made a dozen clones of them and gave them different names. Well, I'll shut up now and get off my soap box. I didn't mean to run on so long. Goodnight and God bless you all.

There is a serious superhero glut, but The Avengers and Iron Man have proven it can be done and done well. Nolan's Batman is flawed, but better than anything before it. There are no signs that the trend is ending soon. Thor 2, Captain America 2, The Guardians Of The Galaxy and the SHIELD television series are setting up the next Avengers movie. Every time they try Daredevil or Dr. Strange it sucks. The trick is to go back to the original comics from the 60s and use those stories as a base to work from. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko created a wealth of material to draw from.

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z437/drbirdsong/FirstClass.jpg Why do I do this to myself? I'm always hoping for a good X-Men movie and every time I get brain-raped. The first Wolverine movie was pretty good, but maybe because the rest of the series is so silly.

Heeeey Waarayersssss!!!!

It must be catching. I dreamed I was at my old job and had to run down to the warehouse and someone driving a forklift with a big crate on it hit me in the head. That put me off all day.