mjohnson30

QUOTE (clintonb @ Oct 4 2012, 11:42 PM) People have different tastes. Personally, I never could get into the artists they raved about: Dylan, The Clash, Elvis Costello. Outside of a couple songs, I even find the Sex Pistols to be boring. I find it ironic that the guy on the left complained about how progressive rock has no emotion, yet both of them picked Kraftwerk as one of the nominees they'd like to see get inducted. Come on! The band sings about robots and calculators! I actually like Kraftwerk, but I have to call them out on their hypocrisy. I also find it odd that the guy on the left likes more complex music, but only if it is jazz or classical. It's like he has this notion that rock, by definition, can only be three chords and repetitive. I can understand some of their arguments, but to me they don't seem like they apply to Rush. Rush has never really struck me as a "technical" band that is all about chops. They were just a band that I thought had interesting songs. Now, I could apply some of their arguments to say Dream Theater. The guy on the right complains that Rush will get a groove going that he likes but then (because Rush is impatient) they'll change direction. They don't keep the groove going. I never noticed that in Rush' music so much. I would say someone like Frank Zappa is guilty of that. It's like Frank Zappa has attention deficit disorder. I think it's funny that someone could use Geddy's voice as a reason to not like Rush and then in the next sentence talk about how they like Dylan. Costello also does nothing for me and don't get me started on the Sex Pistols. It's also very close-minded to write off an entire genre because some if it "has no emotion" or is too technical or whatever. They obviously haven't listened to The Garden, but whatever. What's so emotional about a bunch of the acts already in the hall that are just singing about boogying or getting laid? If they're going to be critical at least come up with some new material.

Most of these have already been mentioned by one person or another. Open Secrets - Not wild about much of HYF, this is one of the few exceptions. It actually may one of my favorite Rush songs period. That haunting guitar at the end gets me every time. The Enemy Within - I hesitate to categorize this one as underrated as I think it gets a decent amount of respect, but I guess it still is somewhat. Totem - My favorite from Test for Echo. Nocturne - Could put any number of VT songs here, actually. Ceiling Unlimited - See above. Witch Hunt - Gets lost in the shuffle amid all the greatness on MP, but an excellent song in it's own right. War Paint - "Boys and girls together..." Ok that'll be stuck in my head awhile. Between Sun and Moon - People cringe at Geddy in the chorus here, but there are good riffs aplenty in this song. Armor and Sword - Didn't grab me much at first, but very compelling the more you listen. Emotion Detector - They got it right with the keyboard sound on this one.

I was at the Auburn Hills, MI show and he nailed it there too. It got one of the biggest reactions of the night. It was one of my highlights too.

Awesome show. The only downside side is my son who was with me (age 10 1/2) couldn't quite stick it out all the way, and we had to bail after Dreamline ended. It was well past his bedtime then and I think the noise for 2 1/2 hours, even with earplugs got to be overwhelming. So he regretably missed Tom Sawyer and 2112, though I've seen them before numerous times. The CA material sounded great and the strings were much more prominent than I anticipated. Headlong Flight kicked butt from beginning to end. It was sweet hearing Middletown Dreams (my favorite on Power Windows) live for the first time. And that guitar solo on The Analog Kid - holy smokes.

I'll be there, along with my 10 1/2 year old son attending his first concert ever. Can't wait.

Rock n Roll is a funny industry. I have a feeling if they all broke up or someone died of a drug overdose or they were in a plane crash after Moving Pictures they'd probably be in the hall. It also seems catching lightning in a bottle with one album or one song but never coming close to that and being out of the industry 5 years later (or dead) is rewarded more than consistently turning out good album after good album decade after decade. That's not sexy enough. Any number of criteria (objective and subjective) should have them in already as has been mentioned thousands of times. Overall album sales, number of gold albums, the fact that they can sell out big arenas in their fourth decade as a group, (every time out, not as a "comeback tour"), their status as the "World's biggest cult band" (I would bet there are numerous "small" cult bands already in the hall), praise and cited influence from fellow musicians. I could go on, but it gets tiring. I get that they've never really been what one would call innovators, but really how many true innovators are there? We can probably count the number on one hand.

It looks to me like he's saying, "Look I think this stuff is really pretty good. I just can't fully admit it. We've got a reputation to uphold".

Overrated: Clockwork Angels. Underrated: Carnies. And The Anarchist and The Garden deserve all the praise they get.

I voted for The Anarchist. You're not going to win over the pop crowd anyway. Might as well bypass the blander (ie radio friendly) rock on the album and throw something out there that kicks a s s.

It's too early for me as well. I will say the high points for me (Anarchist, The Garden) are higher than on any album they've done in a long time. I still need to decide on some of the rest of the material and how much I like it from beginning to end.

QUOTE (Lerxster @ Jun 12 2012, 07:50 PM) After several listens now, I find this song to be.. perfect, I mean, it's an amazing achievement. The riffs are perhaps the most pleasing since TSOR. I can't believe this song isn't the next single. CA and this song make a whopping one-two punch of brilliance. I don't think I'm overreacting. I agree. After further listens I can't overstate how much I like this song. The bass, the drums, Alex's solo, good verses, good chorus, lyrics, vocals. There isn't an aspect of this song where they didn't completely nail it. How is it possible to clock in at almost 7 minutes and still sound fairly tight? I'm guessing that's why we won't hear it as a single. Well, that and it might cause many current bands to just give up music altogether upon hearing it. This song and The Garden (possibly their best ballad ever) alone would have been enough for me to call the album a success. The fact that the other songs are pretty good too is just a bonus.

Geddy's bass with Neil's tribal sounding drum beats in The Anarchist.

Didn't read through the entire thread I'd have to say right now this is my second favorite song on the album (behind The Anarchist). I normally don't care for it when Rush tries to get a bit soft, but they really nailed it with this one.

The Anarchist The Garden Caravan Still working on a fourth. Need more listens.

Right now it's my favorite on the album and it's not close. The other stuff is good too and will grow on me more, but this song is just that good. Like others have said, if they don't play this live I'll be very disappointed.

The OP is missing......EVERYTHING about this song because that's what it has.

I haven't had time to dissect everything on there yet, but the Anarchist stands out to me in a big way. Too many good parts in there to mention.

How many of you were able to successfully turn them on to Rush and/or took them to a concert with you? My oldest son is 10 1/2 and I was able to get him into Rush this past year. Now I'll be taking him to the concert here in Michigan in September. Ideally I'd wait until he's a bit older but I figured I couldn't let the opportunity pass not knowing when the next tour might be. I must say I'm looking forward to it. I've seen them 4 other times, twice with my wife (once when she was still just my girlfriend) and twice with some like-minded work buddies. So this will be a different experience. And yes I guess it means I'm getting old.

QUOTE (Dream-Theater*#2358 @ Jun 1 2012, 09:33 PM) People are gonna hate me for this, but I actually think Dog Years is a really good song! The guitar is awesome , and the lyrics aren't THAT bad. I do have to agree that the album isn't one of Rush's more memorable albums. It's kinda underrated, though. The first 10 seconds rock pretty good. Then it's all downhill from there.

QUOTE (CrossedSignals @ May 19 2012, 09:37 PM) QUOTE (1 of the 7 @ May 19 2012, 10:31 PM) QUOTE (CrossedSignals @ May 19 2012, 09:04 PM) QUOTE (1 of the 7 @ May 19 2012, 09:51 PM) New Wave and synth rock is my favorite genre of music, so naturally, that era of Rush's music is my favorite. Like others have said here, bands like Rush who incorporated synths while retaining an edge with guitars and enough "real" drums are those at the top of the heap in this genre of music. What's also great about a band like Rush is that they have other musical styles in addition to their synth era (and vice versa), so even when I'm not in the mood for synthy stuff, I don't have to look any further than Rush to have my pick of a variety of quality songs. 1 of the 7, I couldn't help noticing that you like the Fixx -- I just discovered these guys and I absolutely love the first two albums. Where have they been all my life?? They've been around, at some times more than others! They've been promising a new album for close to ten years now (Rush fans, you think YOU'VE got it bad?) and it looks like it might finally happen on July 17th. My favorite albums are the next two after the ones you have - Phantoms and Walkabout. Hope you get to hear them soon, though it's tough with Walkabout being out of print and very little available for download. Feel free to PM me with any questions about them! That sounds torturous! Hope it comes out soon. I feel blessed to still have so many new albums of theirs left to discover! Wow. I thought I was the only one who remembered The Fixx. I only have their greatest hits album, but it's a good listen. One Thing Leads to Another remains one of my favorite songs from the 80s. As for Rush, count me as another who likes the synth era. Signals, GUP, and PoW all rate among my top 6 or 7 albums. Which one of the 3 I like best depends on the day. Regarding HYF, well I agree that after PoW they had done all they could do with that sound and that with HYF some diminishing returns were setting in with the sound. There are some really good moments on that album (Open Secrets, Lock and Key) but overall it just sounds too weak for Rush.

I like Everyday Glory. It gets lost in the shuffle with all the good songs on CP, but it's a good song in it's own right. It doesn't sound like U2 to me, maybe a small hint with the guitar, but that's all, and I'm a big U2 fan as well.

Definitely my favorite on Presto. It's one of the more unique songs they've done.

TFE is ok. There are actually a decent number of good moments on it. I really like Totem and the title track and a few of the others. I wouldn't rank it among the top half of their albums, but I wouldn't put it in the bottom 5 either. Still with that being said I don't listen to it much. When I'm in the mood for music from that time period I'll usually put on Counterparts or Vapor Trails.

Strangely enough it might be Moving Pictures even though I think it's one of their best. Probably because I so frequently hear Tom Sawyer, Limelights, and sometimes Red Barchetta on the radio. Caress of Steel and Rush would be in the race too. And with that being said, Witch Hunt is now stuck in my head.

I keep flipping back and forth between Far Cry and Armor and Sword. I put Snakes and Arrows in for the first time in probably a year. It's better than I remember.