devoidzer0

Hi all, I recorded Geddy's "Around the Basses" appearance on SiriusXM's Deep Tracks channel talking about bass players and baseball, and uploaded it to YouTube. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEOuGxMFs08 Enjoy!

For those who missed it, the whole show has been posted to YouTube (minus the official studio tracks): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6pKXtF-ZXg

There was some extended Rush talk on Opie and Anthony this morning. For those not familiar, they are a rude, crude "anything goes" radio show on SiriusXM. First they listen to a bit of "Headlong Flight" (about four months late ) and then Jim Norton's pedophile character "Uncle Paul" starts dissecting the lyrics to "Red Barchetta" in an unexpected way (they eventually play part of the song). Yes, it's juvenile and stupid, but that's what they do. I don't think they gave "Headlong Flight" enough of a chance (didn't even make it to the first chorus), although they gave props to the music. The whole show is on YouTube, this link jumps directly to the Rush-related part. Warning, this is NOT for the easily offended or politically correct, and NSFW (swearing and "blue" language).

QUOTE (CrimsonE @ Oct 7 2012, 08:23 PM) I'm sure this was discussed a while back, but I seem to remember that the band had filmed footage from the T4E tour, and for whatever reason they decided not to release a live video to accompany the live album. Is this true, and if so, does anyone know why they ultimately decided not to go with a video as well as a CD release? Are there plans to ever release a live DVD from this tour? I remember a video release was planned, but for some reason the project was scrapped. If I remember correctly, there was an issue with the audio/video sync (though it was a long time ago, I could be mistaken). The only officially released footage from that tour was in the awesome Closer to the Heart Different Stages video with the montage between the different eras of the band:

QUOTE (USB Connector @ Oct 5 2012, 06:09 PM)I think it should be something really over the top just to show how ridiculous it is that they finally got in. I'm thinking they get Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Jack Black to sing Raining Blood while dressed in Godzilla costumes. I went to high school with Katy Perry's drummer, Adam Marcello. He was a huge Rush fan and used to play Rush drum parts during lulls in band practice. I specifically remember him nailing the intro to Lakeside Park. He also threw in the Cygnus riff at the end of one of Katy's songs in her live show. So, as unlikely as it seems, there is a small Katy Perry > Rush connection.

So, the guy on the right liked Rush at first (specifically, The Spirit of Radio). When he found out it wasn't cool to like them, he switched to The Clash and Elvis Costello. Is that something to be proud of? He can couch it in saying his taste changed, but it seems like he was making a genuine and honest decision to like Rush, but then simply followed a trend which told him he shouldn't listen to them. You can tell that part of him still likes Rush, but I doubt he'd ever admit it. Also, he implies that punk somehow killed Rush, when their biggest album (MP) was released in 1981, long after the height of the punk movement. Rush can't be grouped into the '70s prog rock movement, they were always outside of that. Their success only grew after the '70s. Is Rush pretentious? No more than these two critics who try to dictate to everyone what music is direct enough, simple enough, and cool enough to listen to. Of course, the lyrics can't be too wordy either. They impose those boundaries on music, doesn't mean the rest of us have to.

Well, Geddy did say "auspicious," but we all get his meaning and sentiment. Here's an MP3 of the full Bravado performance from 9/11 in Pittsburgh along with Geddy's intro: http://masiweb.net/misc/rush_bravado2012-09-11.mp3

QUOTE (CygnusX-1Bk2 @ Sep 8 2012, 08:41 PM)They are notorious cheaters and have been sampling vocal parts for years. It's usually supplemental. The feedback in Stick It Out is a trigger. As long as they trigger it "on the fly" they feel better about it but have played to sequencers in the past. Remember the headphones? I remember when I was in high school around 1993 there were a couple of guys who played guitar in my class talking live bands. This was around the time Counterparts had just been released. One of the guys (Brian) was a Phish fan and when the other one said Rush was the best live band, Brian said incredulously, "Rush is a computer." You couldn't find a bigger Rush then me fan back then, but even I had to laugh. Compared to Phish, he's right. Thing is, that's who they are as a band (and as people). Their music is tightly orchestrated, intense, dramatic, and executed with pinpoint precision. The live show is just a reflection of that, it's what the music demands. The lip-synching of multi-part vocals and "flying in" of parts is to make the sound fuller, closer to the album. We know they can play the parts, it's just not physically possible while they are playing something else (unless they added members). Would you prefer they left that stuff out and had a weaker sounding show or added "sidemen" to cover the parts?

QUOTE (Terrapin @ Sep 8 2012, 04:59 PM)Funny how the band seem to think the audience actually believes that Alex is singing backing vocals... Alex genuinely does sing backing vocals on occasion. It's no more apparent then the "Freewill" chorus at the SARStock concert from 2003: Since it wasn't Rush's own crew working the sound, his mic was way too high in the mix. This is proof that he does sing backing vocals, it's just a question of how audible they are in the mix.

QUOTE (Alchemical @ Sep 8 2012, 06:08 PM) Trolly Lee But they weren't playing San Francisco! http://www.photographyblogger.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/San-Francisco16.jpg

QUOTE (jnoble @ Sep 8 2012, 03:06 PM)Why are most of you forgetting just how much Geddy's vocal range has degraded over the last decade? Do you really think they're a chance in hell at this point that he can sing ANYTHING from the '70s without sounding like total shit? That's probably why they went with the mid-range '80s stuff because Geddy knows he's strains and cracks and struggles on a lot of old songs now. They should play A Farewell to Kings? Really?? Do you know how terrible that would sound now? Closer To The Heart has been pretty awkward and thankfully got shelved and The Trees and Red Barchetta sounded pretty bad last time around vocally. He's almost 60 guys and gals....he can't hit those notes anymore. Realism for the win. I'd rather hear songs in a comfortable vocal range for him than all the straining and lack of enunciation he struggled with on the '70s stuff on the Time Machine tour. It just so happens that I find the '80s gems they are pulling out to be brilliantly creative and impassioned songs that have been severely neglected live for years. It's a breath of fresh air. For those of you who hate the synth era, sorry for your loss.

QUOTE (DistantEarlyRushFan @ Jun 7 2012, 09:03 PM) Real lyrics: So mine were fake? Thanks, good to see I wasn't too far off.

In case anyone cares, here's my stab at the lyrics: In this one of many possible worlds All for the best, or some bizarre test? It is what it is and whatever Time is still the infinite jest The arrow flies when you dream The hours tick away, the cells tick away The Watchmaker keeps to his schemes The hours tick away, they tick away The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect So hard to earn, so easily burned The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect So hard to earn, so easily burned In the fullness of time, a garden to treasure and protect In the rise and the set of the sun, till the stars go spinning Spinning 'round the night Oh, it is what it is and forever Each moment a memory in flight The arrow flies when you dream The hours tick away, the cells tick away The Watchmaker has time up his sleeve The hours tick away, they tick away The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect So hard to earn, so easily burned In the fullness of time, a garden to nurture and protect (It's a measure of a life) The treasure of life is a measure of love and respect The way you live, the gifts that you give In the fullness of time, is the only return that you expect The future disappears into memory, with only a moment between Forever dwells in that moment, hope is what remains to be seen Forever dwells in that moment, hope is what remains to be seen In the fullness of time, a garden to nurture and protect (It's a measure of a life) (Repeat 4x) It's a measure of a life (Repeat 4x)

Here is a rare Rush related item for you: "The Body Electric" - an 80s cartoon from Canada with Rush songs as the soundtrack! It was produced by the same company who worked on a segment of Heavy Metal (the animated film).

In case anyone missed these when they originally aired (or on subsequent "Rush Hashanah" celebration days), here are the VH1 Classic "Hangin' With" interviews conducted with Geddy and Alex in 2005 and Neil in 2006. Eddie Trunk, later of That Metal Show, is the host. Geddy and Alex: Neil: