Mika

You're like me, Mika! I like to listen to my music the way I want to! Thats why I make my "Cruisin' Mix" CDs I make 'em so it's like listening to the radio, with NO BS! like ads, DJs editing etc. All songs I really like! I'm currently working on CM 613, so I have a BUNCH of 'em to play if I wish! [ I DO use the iTUNES program on my Windows PC, because that is the best music handling program I've found so far. Good luck with your search! I do like the iTunes music program, too, as it's great for organizing my huge library - I discovered I can use 'tags' like using up the 'comments' box to help organize, like with adding dates and other info from live concerts. iTunes is a great way to find any song I'm looking for! (I just have to remember to hook up my external hard drive properly so iTunes reads it correctly! :P )

Aw, I just tried that, and if I try to shuffle songs with an existing album it shuffles ALL the songs, not the album songs. :P I think the best option is to be in the 'albums' choices and close my eyes and randomly select something while on 'shuffle songs' mode, and hit 'play' on the album, and it will play the songs in random order... I just have to do a lot of blind scrolling in the album selection screen! And I have 3 of these ipods now, 160GB ones... one for my main music (with Rush!), one for 'top 100' music, and one for new music. I wish there was a way to expand the ipod's memory, like with a micro SD card! I can picture myself having several micro SD cards with different music libraries on them. :P

Thanks for the responses! The Rockbox program sounds interesting, I'll look into that. And maybe I'm being picky in how I want to listen to my music! :P

Hi everybody! Long time no see! :hi: I hope you're all doing well! So, I have a 160GB ipod classic, that I listen to tons of music on. I don't seem to be able to figure out a way to do what I want to do, which is this: -have the ipod randomly select an album to play and also: -have the ipod play that album's songs in random order, instead of from 1-onward I can do either of these things, but not combined together; I can have the ipod choose albums to play randomly; for example, it might select Counterparts, but it will play the songs from 'Animated' through 'Everyday Glory' in sequence, whereas it'd be fun to listen to them in random order for something fresh and new. I can have songs played randomly, but ALL the songs from EVERY album. Or, I can have songs play randomly in a playlist, but it seems very silly to make playlist versions of hundreds of different albums and scroll through hundreds of playlists, which I believe wouldn't be randomly chosen (I'd have to choose the 'album' anyway). I just want to pop on my ipod and have it surprise me with a random album and random track order. Does anyone have any ideas, for the ipod? Or any suggestions for maybe a different music player, like with android phone...? And I hope I'm being clear! :) Let me know if any questions! :D :)

Alan Rickman was one of my favourite actors, along with Gary Oldman... a great character actor who makes every role his own. Alan has always stood out in the roles he's played and made films memorable because of his presence. It was my then-14-year-old cousin who turned me onto Alan five years ago, and I was immediately hooked, and watched everything of his I could get my hands on, including the British TV series The Barchester Chronicles from 1982, the oldest filming I could find. Within a few months I had devoured everything I could find with Alan, and though I'm sure I'm biased, I think he excelled in all of his roles. And that voice of his, and his unique way of delivering his lines... someone said he could be sitting there reading the phone book, and the audience would be hanging onto his every word. Ah, it's going to be so weird watching Harry Potter movies again.... I just started re-reading the series again, and of course picture Alan Rickman as Snape. Alan should be proud of his work, and the legacy that he leaves us with. He is held in high esteem by peers and audience alike, and the stage and screen will miss him.

One of my favourite Alan Rickman photos... I first found this four years ago and thought it was so cute seeing such a smooth and debonair actor looking rather goofy... :D

That's exactly it: "Just because you've been together a long time doesn't mean you should stay together." That's what I had to keep reminding myself until I listened. :P And now it feels like I'm surrounded by a lush, grassy field, with limitless horizons, instead of a small fenced-in field with limited possibilities. I can see a future now, and it's great! :D

Hi! I haven't been around here for a long time! I remember fondly all the time I spent here, and this forum made a good difference in my life when I needed it. At this time of year, I tend to reflect on the year(s) past, and think about what I’m thankful for and try to put bad memories to rest. I have a little story to share, and those who remember me, know I tend to write a bit too much, haha! So, here goes! Several years ago, I was feeling a bit dissatisfied with my long-term relationship with my boyfriend, Mark. We weren’t connecting as much anymore, and we didn’t share some things that were important to me, such as music. He was spending most of his evenings hanging out with his sister, leaving me on my own (I didn’t partake in their favourite pastime of smoking up and watching youtube videos). I started reaching out for something to put some emotional energy into, because I was getting so frustrated with the lack of companionship with my boyfriend. This is how I got heavily into Rush. I dove head-first into Rush, devouring as much as I could, listening to all of their songs (there were so many I hadn’t heard previously!) and watching all their dvd’s, and going to see them live a few times. Rush resonated strongly with me, with their high musicianship and great songs and intelligent lyrics, and mostly the guys’ affable personalities. Rush filled a bit of a void that I had, and I will always look back fondly on my Rush-a-thon. I got something I needed from them, and was satisfied. Two years ago, my boyfriend and I went on a cruise for my brother’s wedding (he married on the ship), though Mark and I were going through a bit of a rough patch. I befriended this awesome band on the ship, while Mark preferred to spend his time in our cabin, watching movies. He would join me sometimes for watching the band, but he would always retreat to the room, saying the music was ‘too loud’. It just wasn’t his thing. But I loved the band – they were great players and such nice guys! I instantly felt comfortable around them, and felt bereft when we left the ship. The band became my ‘new’ Rush – I’d recorded their music from all the nights they played, and I worked to make mp3s of all their songs to listen to. My gut told me there was something special about the band. I kept in touch with the band guys, and started making plans to see them again, on another cruise. When I found a great cruise deal, I jumped on it, and went on an Alaskan cruise last year, without Mark, as he wasn’t interested in travelling again. It was so good to see the band again! We had a good time together. It was weird to have a break away from Mark, too, and I got thinking more about our incompatibilities and how I wasn’t happy with him. I was feeling more happiness being with the band guys than with Mark. I was feeling more strongly that we shouldn’t be together. I came home to a dirty, messy house, since for the past week Mark and his sister hadn’t cleaned up their garbage or dirty dishes. I was disheartened, seeing the gross state of the living room. I hated how messy they were. I hated how they always smelled like weed, a smell that makes me a bit nauseous. I hated how Mark spent so much time with his sister, watching TV, leaving me on my own, and I’d long since stopped trying to nudge him to spend more time with me; I no longer cared. I was realizing more and more that we shouldn’t be together, that I should break up with Mark. But I was reluctant... how could I end a 10-year relationship? But I was becoming more and more unhappy over the past few years, and I realized I wasn’t in love with him anymore, and I was fighting with the thought that I shouldn’t be with someone I didn’t love, and that it wasn’t fair to him, either. But I still didn’t have the nerve or courage to end things. Then I started talking with the son of the cruise ship band’s guitarist. He had seen a band video I’d uploaded online, and we started chatting, and we quickly became friends. When Mark would hang out with his sister, this guy and I would chat about music and life and culture and a lot of stuff, for hours. We had an instant rapport, and it was simply platonic. After a few months we started talking about my situation with Mark, and at first he was trying to advise how to fix it, then realized it maybe shouldn’t be fixed and advised me to end it, especially since I admitted I wasn’t in love with him anymore. He was right (and my friends and family were saying the same thing), but I still just couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to hurt Mark, and I was a bit afraid of being alone – I couldn’t picture finding anyone else. Just before Christmas last year, I finally broke up with Mark. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and it was awful and terrible, but I felt it was the right thing. He was so hurt, and I’ll never forget the nights he cried and asked what he’d done wrong, and I tried to explain it was just that we weren’t compatible and that he deserved to be with someone who embraced him for the things I didn’t (like his weed-smoking and constant TV-watching), but he was still hurt. He blamed the guy I’d been talking with, since I was open with Mark that I was talking with this guy. I felt awful. It took two awful months to finalize the break-up and split everything up between us, and Mark moved out. I was so stressed out and badly wanted to get away for a while, and was talking with my friend and his dad, the guitarist, about staying with them for a while, all the way in the Philippines. It was a great opportunity for me to get away for a while, clear my head, and then start on the next chapter of my life. I ended up staying with them for three months, and became good friends with the son and we quickly fell in love. [And, this is a term I’d never thought I’d use – “fall in love” – but it’s what happened!] We got along so well, and were inseparable, and it felt so wonderful to feel so good with someone. I felt so lucky. It was very hard coming back home. And as for Mark, he quickly started dating one of his long-term girl friends, and is now living together with her, so he’s fine, which I’m glad for. So, now the guy and I are involved in a distance relationship, and are figuring out how to be together in the future. He is a great guy, and I feel more love from him even though we’re thousands of miles apart than I did in the past several years with Mark. My heart is full, and I’m no longer yearning for something to help fill the void I had with Mark, which Rush helped to do. So, this is the whole point of this story: it’s never too late to change something. If something doesn’t feel right, you’re not obligated to keep doing it. There are always excuses, like, “I’ve been with him for too long – I can’t break up with him after so many years!” or “I’ve always done it this way, why should I change now, even if a new way might be better?” If you’re in a toxic relationship, and your gut is telling you to leave, leave! Listen to that voice deep inside you. My voice kept quietly nagging at me that I wasn’t happy with Mark, but I kept ignoring it. When I met the cruise ship band, I felt something special about them, like I had to have them in my life. If I hadn’t met that band, I wouldn’t have gotten very far with my ‘I-should-break-up’ revelation, and I wouldn’t have met the guitarist’s son, and I wouldn’t have been in the happy position I’m in now. I listened to my gut, and even though it was hard, I’m happy to be where I am now. It’s so freeing to be away from toxicity. Not that Mark was a bad guy – just that he wasn’t the right guy for me, and it was toxic for me to ignore that and keep pretending everything was ok. It’s never too late to correct a mistake!! Listen to your gut voice – if something tells you quietly that something is wrong, heed it! Thank you to anyone who has braved through these many words to read my story. I hope it can just help or inspire anyone in a similar position, whether someone is with the wrong person or the wrong job or has a bad friendship or even a bad habit, like smoking or not eating enough healthy food. And to quote another of my favourite Canadian rock trios: Follow your heart!

I popped on here for the first time in ages and ages just so I could wish our dear Lorraine a very happy birthday! Who knew I'd have to stand in line! :P Best wishes for a super-awesome day, Lorraine! I hope you get to have a 'you' day and do things that make you happy! Crank up some 'Xanadu' and sit back and relax! :) :) :) :) :)

As I understand it, the key of the song is really high, and Geddy didn't realize just how high it is until they were in the throes of recording, and it was probably too late in the game to change it. When the boys pulled out 'Circumstances' on the Time Machine tour, it was played in a lower key, so Geddy could sing it without breaking his balls, so to speak. Kudos to him for singing Hemispheres song in their original key when they were touring that album, because, holy heck, those songs are high. I think Geddy paid a lot more attention to the key of songs after that!

'Everyday Glory' (one of my very favourite songs!) came up on my ipod today, and I really like the bass on it - it's a lot less 'lead bass' than other Rush songs, and lends a deeper, darker sound to the song, and is even a bit groovy. I love how it sounds during the climactic part ("If the future's looking dark....") - the bass paired with Geddy's superb vocals is just awesome! :)

Alright. I have a story. Related to this thread, I suppose. Years ago, just before I was starting highschool, I had to walk 2.2km to school (I know the exact distance because taking the school bus only qualified for those more than 2.4km away... soclose.). We lived out in a rather rural area, with a few cattle guards across the winding road to the school. I would usually ride my bike - it was a bit uphill going there, but a nice downhill coast home. Well, it was a frosty November morning and I was still riding my bike - I hadn't retired it for the winter yet. The cattle guards this particular morning were icy and slippery, but so far, so good. (Anyone see where this is going?) Suddenly, just before I reached the third cattle guard, I discovered a car coming towards me on the narrow road, and I reacted quickly, turning my bike closer to the side of the road. Unfortunately, I was already crossing the cattle guard when I turned, and slipped on the icy bars, and went down. I slid off the saddle of my bike as I fell, and managed to fall... so that I totally straddled a bar of the cattle guard, one leg on either side. I totally, utterly, lady-canned myself. I'd never felt such pain in my crotch before! Of course, I was super-embarrassed that the passing car would have witnessed my fall, and that was almost as bad as the physical pain. I had no choice but to simply get back on my bike and continue to school, but I HURT. And it was a bit awkward to explain to the teacher why I was sitting funny... "Well, see, I stubbed my camel toe, really badly," I could have said, if I had had any notion this thread was going to exist back then. Wow, I really never thought I'd ever have an opportunity to share this story. Thanks for that, Sheldon! :P

Ooh, 'Double Agent'! Such a weird, awesome, vibey song. I like so much about it, from the bare bass-and-vocals opening to the change in feel switching from verse to chorus (or, rather, between the different parts, as I guess the spoken parts could be called the verses), and the lyrics - they're quite visual. Counterparts is one of the very first full albums I ever listened to, and some of 'Double Agent's lyrics really struck my 11-year-old self then... especially 'Wilderness of mirrors'. Great visual lyricism. And... as someone that is enamoured of Geddy's voice... I get a little treat with the spoken parts, with his pleasant-sounding voice in a deeper register than we usually hear. I also like that on the Counterparts tour, this song was introduced as being 'demented'. I like that it's different from what is 'normal' even by Rush standards!

Ah - Just double-checked, and you're right - 'Light Up' is from Equinox, the last album before Tommy Shaw joined, I believe. Not sure why I was thinking it was from the second album, The Serpent is Rising... I must have been thinking of something else! And I should really try listening to the albums start-to-finish instead of all randomly, and get a feel for their vibe.... Actually, I'll do that today! It's house chore day, so I'll pop on my ipod and listen to a few albums! And wiggle Triumph in there, too.... ETA: put my Styx albums on random, and my ipod gave me 'Big Bang Theory'. Not classic Styx, I'm sure, but a good collection of songs! I like how there are different vocal styles, depending on who's singing. Tommy Shaw still remains my favourite. And... didya know... Tommy's about exactly one month younger than our dear Geddy. And he's rocking the long hair, too! :) Ok, sorry to derail this thread....

I saw this thread and got all excited, because that's exactly how I would feel if 'Available Light' was played - excited. This is such a good song, and for anyone who might care, one of my favourite ones to sing. I thought I wouldn't be able to reach those highest notes, and I didn't hit them, but then discovered I was way over-shooting them and can do it now... I would hope that Geddy could! But, yeah, a sample of that part would be ok if it meant being to listen to the rest of the song live! What a great album-closer!

Nice! I love those 'rarer' songs. The only I would change is have 'Good News First' instead of 'Bravest Face', though I'm not sure how good it would be live.

Ah well if you take the singing out of the equation and we're talking instruments only then I agree. Let them play it. They can always do the medley thing. Yes! The medley thing. Like the opening medley from the R30 tour (almost typed R40 there - whoops!), which was awesome! But it could be bigger, and better, and include more songs... I've said it before, but there's a lot of good riffage in those older songs! And, how awesome would it be if Geddy simply got the audience to sing parts during the medley... I know that I, for one, would love to belt out some of the older songs, now that I've been practicing them! :D

Love 'Hemispheres' - have always loved Geddy's high vocals and the awesome music. I've started paying more attention to the bass in this song, and realized it really sounds very good, and that part you mention... I can hear it in my head, and know what you mean. I wonder, too, how many octaves apart are Geddy's bass and his accompanying high vocals in that part? :S

I love that I know what you're talking about! If I'd read this just a few weeks ago, I'd be like, "Cornerstone, huh... which album is that one... what year was that.... What is 'Wooden Nickel'?" but now I'm savvy! :D I'm still slowly getting into them, as their entire discography is randomly played along with several other groups' discographies on my ipod, so Styx songs are scattered and totally unchronological. And I've only just started telling when it's Dennis singing or Tommy singing, and discovering I really enjoy Tommy's voice.... I know how much fun it is to be freshly discovering a 'new' band, so I wish you lots of fun with listening to Rush! There's so much good music here to 'discover'! Oh, and speaking of the 'Wooden Nickel' era, I've had 'Light Up' stuck in my head for the past day or two! It's very bouncy.

Yes - I really like the 'power trio' aspect of Rush, with each of the guys using his instrument to the max - though, of course, each knowing when to pull back (as EagleMoon said) and let the song breathe or let someone else have a moment to shine. It's nice to hear the boys relying on just themselves, rather than adding in synthesizers or layered guitar or vocals. I love the bass line on 'Fly By Night', how it echoes the vocal line a bit, and adds to the guitar. And Neil's drumming here... I love how busy and energetic it is. I wonder, if Neil was to approach this song anew today, how he would do the drum part? And, one of the best examples of each guy lettin' it rip - especially Geddy - is 'YYZ'. I can't think of any other band that has done something similar with the bass, though maybe someone can enlighten me!

'Force Ten' popped up on my ipod during my walk home from work (in the dark, wee hours of the morning) and it kind of struck me, one big reason why I like Geddy's bass-playing so much: HIs bass-playing approach is more that of a lead instrument than most bass-players do. The opening riff of 'Force Ten' is all bass with some guitar chord washes, with Geddy supplying chordal bass notes and rhythm at the same time. I love this approach - he really uses his instrument, instead of it being more in the background, and this, I think, is one of the biggest facets of the 'Rush sound'. His bass provides so much more melody than more conventional bass-players do, and this is really cool. Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts. I think Geddy is a monster bass-player and Rush really wouldn't be Rush without his bass style!

I love how Geddy's voice has changed over the years! This is one of my favourite things about Rush, how Geddy has so many vocal 'eras' and kind of has something for everyone, whether one prefers his 70's near-shrieking or 80's mellower range or the 'dry' sound of the Presto - Roll the Bones era or the current powerful vocals. While it's true that he doesn't seem to hit high notes (or certain notes, it seems) with as much ease as he has, Geddy has a current vocal sound that is very good and works really well with Rush's recent music. I like that he isn't trying to sing the same way all the time, but is instead trying to do what works best with him. And his tone... he has such a unique, mellow, soothing tone to his voice, which really gets brought out with his lower range. For example, the spoken parts of 'Double Agent'. Listening to that song with headphones on... there's a lot of good Geddyness in that one! :)

It has been only the past month or so that I've started getting into Styx - don't think I had ever really heard of them before, or at least hadn't paid attention. Well, I've been randomly going through their entire discography, and while I'm still very much a Styx noob, my first impresson of Kilroy was Here was as being a bit comparable to 2112, with the theme of a musically-minded antagonist against the oppressive masses. I haven't yet fully explored Kilroy, but my impression is that it does have parallels to 2112 - not in a copying kind of way, but just that the themes are similar. It seems like kind of a not-obscure knd of theme, so it's a bit funny that there would be accusations of copying 2112. It would have been interesting to watch the live show from the early 80's, with its theatre-production style, but I think I would have preferred to just get on with the music!

Presto is one of the last albums I 'discovered', and it's become one of my favourites... I like the dry sound of Geddy's voice - even though the overall abum sound is rather thin and a bit lacking - and there are some great songs, like 'The Pass' and 'Available Light' and 'Show Don't Tell' and 'Scars'... I'm surprised 'Scars' a bit maligned here - I love the groove, and wish I could find a full version of what was on the Rush in Rio documentary, a music-only track of it! That said, 'Hand Over Fist' isn't one of my favourites... I'm not sure why... it has some good parts, but as a whole, there are other Presto songs that outshine it, for me. Same thing with 'Anagram' - I really like what Neil did with the lyrics, and appreciate his efforts, but the song as a whole just doesn't excite me the way 'Chain Lightning' or 'Red Tide' does.

:D This made me snort out loud and nearly wake up my bf!