Dscrapre

Sold exclusively at Walmart.

I think that he was doing his best work in the mid to late 80's. Between the Wheels, Mission, and Presto for me are all highlights.If I had to say a specific album, I guess it might have to be Hold your Fire.

 

Although Vapor Trails is way up there with any of those as well. (See Signature)

Wow what a miserable troll you are Mr. Spaghetti.

 

I'm suddenly reminded of some great advice that was given to me by a very wise bass player:

 

http://i.imgur.com/E5kkveu.jpg

The NP on the stick means that they are authentic sticks made for Neil's personal use. If you have one of those, then that means you have a stick that at one point belonged to the man himself.

I thought his solos were great on the last tour. Especially his electronic one.

 

I'm pretty sure it's a thing for newcomers. I know I would've been disappointed if he hadn't done one the first time I saw them. I'm glad he's still doing it and I hope he always does for the rest of his career.

 

Besides, have you seen or heard some drum solos that other arena bands are putting out there? Neil's solos are always very well composed and musical. A lot of other guys just bash around and play basic beats.

Alright since this is yet another LI2K setlist echo chamber, I have a challenge for you sir. Take your 3 least favorite Rush albums and make a setlist with just songs from them and Tom Sawyer.

 

EDIT: Might as well do it myself:

 

The RUSH to Test for Night Tour!

 

Anthem

Finding my Way

Driven

Test for Echo

Beneath, Between and Behind

Need Some Love

Before and After

Limbo

Time And Motion

Fly By Night

 

SET 2

Half the World

What You're Doing

The Color of Right

Best I Can

Virtuality

Totem

By Tor and The Snowdog/Drum Solo

Acoustic set:

Resist

Rivendell Teaser (Geddy interrupts saying "Hey, this set has been crappy but we're not THAT desperate.")

Making Memories [Neil joins in]

In the End

Working Man

 

Encore:

Tom Sawyer

In The Mood

I'm so happy that we attract only the best people around here.

The thing that kinda got forgotten here is that Rap is not the only music being made currently.

 

b : vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony

or is the key word there. ;)

Also, borrowing a small section in a song is not the same as using a very famous riff as the only musicality in your "song". Kid Rock did a song (Summertime or something) and used the riff from Sweet Home Alabama and Warewolves of London. Hmmm. Wonder if I can write a hit song using those two riffs? Maybe I'll take Sweet Child 'O Mine and mix it with Hotel California and see if people like it?

 

Oh god, that crap!? I hated that song! People used to play that all the time at work. Talk about blatantly pandering to people who only like classic rock! The worst part was that those same people who were dismissing rappers for being uncreative were eating up this All Summer Long crap like it was the best thing ever. Just goes to show that a lot of people only want to hear the same thing over and over.

 

Obviously, I'm not talking about Kid Rock or the Black Eyed Peas' similar antics when I say that sampling can be positive when used the right way. That's just insulting the audience and plagiarizing.

All of this is finding the right radio station of course. In my area it was WMMR and WYSP. I dug the radio back then.

 

This was another thing I wanted to touch on.

 

The distribution model for music has very radically changed since then. Radio now is pretty much exclusively a platform of the advertisement of singles. Therefore your chances of actually hearing independent music on the radio are very slim. Nowadays artists go directly to the audience via the internet, meaning that the only music that gets radio play is the stuff that has huge corporations backing it. So, judging today's music versus the past based on what gets played on the radio is flawed.

double post

Rap really did ruin everything good musically. Let's see... melody? Don't want any of that. I'll just talk fast and monotone. OK, music, music.... hmm. I don't know how to play an instrument. I'll just borrow this riff from Jamie's Crying by Van Halen and see if people dig it. Loop this 4 second riff over and over again with a drum machine and... viola! I think I'll call it... a song. But what should I sing... I mean... talk about? Politics, religion, love, something deeper... no wait! I'll talk about me and how great I am!

 

Lots of uninformed and outdated generalizations here.

 

First off, who says that all music has to be based on melody to be good? If you are listening to rap for the melody, then yeah you probably aren't going to like it. A lot of rap is fully percussive music. Everything from the drums to the instrumental tracks to the rapper's flow is all working towards a percussive effect. It's sort of like how a good drum solo works, only with voices.

 

Secondly, it's not a rule that in order to make rap music, you must be incapable of playing an instrument. Sure, not every rapper can play an instrument, but nobody ever seems to call out rock lead singers who don't play instruments, and there are plenty of them too. Plenty of rappers are also very skilled record producers who write and perform their own music. The Rza, Dr. Dre, and even guys like Kanye West come to mind.

 

At it's best sampling can be a tool for the creation of new music from existent recordings. The Beastie Boys were particularly good at borrowing elements of other music and making them their own. It's really not all that different from when rock musicians borrow pieces from other compositions *coughlavillastrangiatocough*.

 

And then there are the lyrics. Please tell me more about how nobody from the 60's 70's or 80's rock scenes ever wrote braggadocios music about themselves, their sexual prowess, rampant drug use, or any of those other things that "rappers always talk about". Just like how not every rock band was Whitesnake (the band named after a penis), not every rapper just raps about themselves or how great they are. A lot of rap has very serious spiritual and emotional lyrics.

 

I'm not saying that you or anybody else has to listen to rap or enjoy it. I mean, I'm not really a huge rap guy myself, but I at least respect that there actually is a good deal of artistry that can go into it.

Excellent thread.

 

Neil all the way. Just let him stand about 10 feet away and throw drumsticks. Those things hurt!

 

Reminder.

 

Which Dscrapre will respond today?

 

Who says that the stupidest thread in history can't also be excellent?

This is kind of a rant.

 

Something that I find among a TON of young people is this uninformed hatred of "today's music". I used to be this way for sure. I started out as a "LED ZEPPELIN IS THE GREATEST BAND THAT WILL EVER EXIST! ALL RAP IS GARBAGE! MY GENERATION DOESN'T UNDERSTAND GOOD MUSIC!" guy. My favorite bands at the time were Zeppelin (obviously), AC/DC, Def Lep, and basically anything else that got constant radio play on the classic rock stations. I also wore a Dark Side of the Moon T-shirt despite not really liking the album much (too slow for me). I was that kid who would go on Aerosmith YouTube videos and say "I love this and I'm 15!". I had strong opinions about what was "real" music and what was "fake", but I had no real way of backing any of them up. All I knew was that "real" music always had guitars, was fast and that people stopped making it shortly before I was born.

 

I'm pretty sure I outgrew that (I'm 22 now). A some point I realized that quality knows no age. These days there is an absolutely huge assortment of really great music being made in all genres and thanks to the internet, we all have access to just about every note of it. Sure the music being played on top-40 radio is pretty lousy, but has it ever really not been? Sonny and Cher, Tommy Roe, and The Osmonds are the 60's and 70's equivalent to today's Taylor Swifts, Justin Beibers, and Katy Perrys.

 

Still, I find it to be a very interesting phenomenon among young people. I still see a lot of other people who are like this, some of which are my age. Obviously, a lot of it has to do with the parents. I know that my parents pretty much guided the development of my tastes, so naturally, I liked what they liked more or less. Also, obviously the lack of maturity and exposure to different things fuels that too.

 

Did any of you on here go through anything like this when you were younger? I'm especially curious to see if this kind of thing happened back in the 70's or if kids just recently started acting this way.

dude, led, it took 6 cops to take him down. even if he did no damage that's badass

 

Didn't a female cop break his nose? Just saying....

 

I'm a female...I used to be a cop. And, I have broken a dude's nose in a scuffle before. It happens and it's not that hard to do. An elbow across the bridge of the nose (intentional or not) will do the trick. Or, running them into a wall, or a door frame...not hard to break a nose.

 

Screw Rush, I'd want you in my corner.

 

By the way, this is the stupidest thread in history.

No relation. It's an ancient nickname whose origins make no sense whatsoever. I'm not sure why I even keep using it for stuff. Lack of creativity I guess.

I am so glad this thread exists!

 

 

I honestly like Geddy's current voice a lot. Sure he doesn't have that crazy high range like he had even back in 2004 but y'know every time I saw Rush live since 2007 as well as listening to the recent live albums I don't go "hey this sucks Geddy can't do what he did back in 1980" I am always thinking "wow for his age Geddy is rocking it and sounds amazing!"

 

I generally agree. The only time it kinda bugs me are during moments where he's obviously struggling to reach his notes. It's most noticeable on songs like 2112, Red Barchetta, and The Spirit of Radio. Also on the latest DVD Middletown Dreams was pretty rough.

 

Other than in spots he sounds pretty good. I'm digging the lower vocal tone that he's been employing as of late and the effect that it sometimes has on older material. At the Rock and Roll Hall ceremony when he sang the last verse of Crossroads, he sounded downright beautiful. On top of that his bass playing just keeps getting better and better.

I do have a question about his voice. Maybe someone here can tell me the answer.

 

Why is it so low? I understand that he can't hit the notes Rush started out with. He should've just been himself back then instead of trying to sound like other rocksters of the time. But between Rio and CA, his voice has changed. A lot. This doesn't seem to happen to other lead singers, and I am wondering if anyone here knows why it has happened to Geddy. Even Geddy's voice is different between the studio version of The Garden and the live version.

 

I'm just wondering. It is not that I think he can't sing. He has a voice and the talent, but his voice has dropped really low.

 

As far as I can tell something must have happened between R30 and Snakes and Arrows. To get a good example, listen to Red Barchetta from R30 and then listen to the Snakes and Arrows "Oh Atlanta" version. Radically different.

Totally agree with Gemini on production, and it didnt get better than Permanent Waves. Its been just terrible the last few albums, rendering them (for this fan) unlistenable. Much of the recent material hasnt held up for me either, but thats another topic. As for post-87, Counterparts is a bright spot, production-wise.

 

I agree on the production aspect of things, although I think that Snakes and Arrows sounds fine. It's loud, but clear. Clockwork Angels is just ridiculously muddy. I don't have to even say anything about Vapor Trails (although I do love that album)

I don't think it"s sad, I totally get it. Geddy Lee commented that they have become better songwriters as the years have gone by....THAT I don't get.

 

I just think it's sad that this guy sits here and whines about how bad they've been for so long now instead of listening to something else.

 

You'd think that after hating everything that Rush has made since 1987, Mr. Rising would realize that they are no longer interested in making the type of music that he likes and that he should probably move on with his life.

 

I'll make that decision when the next album's released.

 

Out of curiosity, which Rush albums do you actually like? I know that Permanent Waves makes your cut.

 

Oh, and what other music do you enjoy?

 

Also, I'm sorry for always jumping down your throat on all of your posts.

 

That's ok, thanks.

 

I like everything up to up to and including Power Windows, and a few things here and there on the following two albums. Many types of music from electronic, to soul/r&b, disco, and generally music from 60's thru 80's. No country or jazz tho! :)

 

Cool stuff man. I've always found jazz interesting, but I've never "connected" with it, you know? I hear you on the country though!

 

The only thing that has me puzzled though is that you seem to have this real issue with Rush. I mean, the argument could be made that they've gone down the wrong path since the 80's, but it seems to me that their "turn" happened so long ago that expecting them to just go back to the way they used to be is beyond unrealistic.

 

I'm not saying that they need to replicate the old stuff, but to bring their music out of the muck and refine and recreate the instrumental clarity they had. It seems that Rush began their descent after Terry was removed from the equation. I felt that P/G was a great album, and to a lesser degree, Power Windows, and then things logarithmetically declined (imo). I interpret this trailing, successive phenomena as Terry's residual influence (Terry-over, if u will). Who knows, perhaps it was just Rush's time to decline when he left. It seems to me they initially started running low on resources during Power Windows.

 

I agree with points of this. The production on Clockwork Angels sounds like trash. Another thing that bugs me about it is the lack of definition in Alex's playing on all but a few of the songs (Caravan, The Anarchist, Carnies, Halo Effect, and The Garden being exceptions). So often he's playing open chords on an electric guitar with full distortion and it sounds kind of terrible. Personally I also think that they should hire different producers and engineers. Maybe not necessarily Terry Brown, although I wouldn't mind seeing him come back. I think it would be better to get somebody a bit more current. Maybe Steven Wilson. Right now, Nick R is not cutting it sonically.

 

That being said, I don't really mind. After all it's just a band, and there are plenty of others to listen to. I can honestly say that I can derive enjoyment out of all of Rush's albums, even the ones I don't like as much. That's why they are my favorite band.

 

So Power Windows was the last good album as far as you are concerned? Ok, well lets do the math here. Rush released their first album in 1974. The last good Rush album came out in 1985. So, you've spent 29 years, almost three quarters of the band's career, disliking every new album that comes out.

 

Why don't you just accept that Rush was a band that you used to like years ago when they were first starting out?

 

EDIT: I happen to think that Power Windows is creatively, technically and production-wise a high point in Rush's catalog. To me, it's a culmination of everything that Rush was building towards starting with Signals.

 

Power Windows was when Ged first started with the mind-numbing "Whoa-ooooh's"!

 

Its hard to say that every album after Power WIndows was completely decline-phase material since there were real gems littered in each one, up to '97 (save for Counterparts). Anything after the hiatus period is thoroughly unlistenable, imo. Counterparts was really the first Rush album that I felt was a tremendous misdirection.

 

Well, even so, that's a really long time to spend not liking a band's material. I mean, you say that they haven't put out anything decent in 14 years, yet here you are on this site. Don't you think that complaining about music that you don't like is kind of a waste of your time? No matter how much you post about it, the band will never read it and they even if they did, they wouldn't care. Wouldn't you rather just listen to music that you actually enjoy instead?

I don't think it"s sad, I totally get it. Geddy Lee commented that they have become better songwriters as the years have gone by....THAT I don't get.

 

I just think it's sad that this guy sits here and whines about how bad they've been for so long now instead of listening to something else.

 

You'd think that after hating everything that Rush has made since 1987, Mr. Rising would realize that they are no longer interested in making the type of music that he likes and that he should probably move on with his life.

 

I'll make that decision when the next album's released.

 

Out of curiosity, which Rush albums do you actually like? I know that Permanent Waves makes your cut.

 

Oh, and what other music do you enjoy?

 

Also, I'm sorry for always jumping down your throat on all of your posts.

 

That's ok, thanks.

 

I like everything up to up to and including Power Windows, and a few things here and there on the following two albums. Many types of music from electronic, to soul/r&b, disco, and generally music from 60's thru 80's. No country or jazz tho! :)

 

Cool stuff man. I've always found jazz interesting, but I've never "connected" with it, you know? I hear you on the country though!

 

The only thing that has me puzzled though is that you seem to have this real issue with Rush. I mean, the argument could be made that they've gone down the wrong path since the 80's, but it seems to me that their "turn" happened so long ago that expecting them to just go back to the way they used to be is beyond unrealistic.

 

I'm not saying that they need to replicate the old stuff, but to bring their music out of the muck and refine and recreate the instrumental clarity they had. It seems that Rush began their descent after Terry was removed from the equation. I felt that P/G was a great album, and to a lesser degree, Power Windows, and then things logarithmetically declined (imo). I interpret this trailing, successive phenomena as Terry's residual influence (Terry-over, if u will). Who knows, perhaps it was just Rush's time to decline when he left. It seems to me they initially started running low on resources during Power Windows.

 

I agree with points of this. The production on Clockwork Angels sounds like trash. Another thing that bugs me about it is the lack of definition in Alex's playing on all but a few of the songs (Caravan, The Anarchist, Carnies, Halo Effect, and The Garden being exceptions). So often he's playing open chords on an electric guitar with full distortion and it sounds kind of terrible. Personally I also think that they should hire different producers and engineers. Maybe not necessarily Terry Brown, although I wouldn't mind seeing him come back. I think it would be better to get somebody a bit more current. Maybe Steven Wilson. Right now, Nick R is not cutting it sonically.

 

That being said, I don't really mind. After all it's just a band, and there are plenty of others to listen to. I can honestly say that I can derive enjoyment out of all of Rush's albums, even the ones I don't like as much. That's why they are my favorite band.

 

So Power Windows was the last good album as far as you are concerned? Ok, well lets do the math here. Rush released their first album in 1974. The last good Rush album came out in 1985. So, you've spent 29 years, almost three quarters of the band's career, disliking every new album that comes out.

 

Why don't you just accept that Rush was a band that you used to like years ago when they were first starting out?

 

EDIT: I happen to think that Power Windows is creatively, technically and production-wise a high point in Rush's catalog. To me, it's a culmination of everything that Rush was building towards starting with Signals.

Who the f**k cares what you like?

 

Well, I guess I do, because I asked. :/

I don't think it"s sad, I totally get it. Geddy Lee commented that they have become better songwriters as the years have gone by....THAT I don't get.

 

I just think it's sad that this guy sits here and whines about how bad they've been for so long now instead of listening to something else.

 

You'd think that after hating everything that Rush has made since 1987, Mr. Rising would realize that they are no longer interested in making the type of music that he likes and that he should probably move on with his life.

 

I'll make that decision when the next album's released.

 

Out of curiosity, which Rush albums do you actually like? I know that Permanent Waves makes your cut.

 

Oh, and what other music do you enjoy?

 

Also, I'm sorry for always jumping down your throat on all of your posts.

 

That's ok, thanks.

 

I like everything up to up to and including Power Windows, and a few things here and there on the following two albums. Many types of music from electronic, to soul/r&b, disco, and generally music from 60's thru 80's. No country or jazz tho! :)

 

Cool stuff man. I've always found jazz interesting, but I've never "connected" with it, you know? I hear you on the country though!

 

The only thing that has me puzzled though is that you seem to have this real issue with Rush. I mean, the argument could be made that they've gone down the wrong path since the 80's, but it seems to me that their "turn" happened so long ago that expecting them to just go back to the way they used to be is beyond unrealistic.

I don't think it"s sad, I totally get it. Geddy Lee commented that they have become better songwriters as the years have gone by....THAT I don't get.

 

I just think it's sad that this guy sits here and whines about how bad they've been for so long now instead of listening to something else.

 

You'd think that after hating everything that Rush has made since 1987, Mr. Rising would realize that they are no longer interested in making the type of music that he likes and that he should probably move on with his life.

 

I'll make that decision when the next album's released.

 

Out of curiosity, which Rush albums do you actually like? I know that Permanent Waves makes your cut.

 

Oh, and what other music do you enjoy?

 

Also, I'm sorry for always jumping down your throat on all of your posts.

I don't think it"s sad, I totally get it. Geddy Lee commented that they have become better songwriters as the years have gone by....THAT I don't get.

 

I just think it's sad that this guy sits here and whines about how bad they've been for so long now instead of listening to something else.

 

You'd think that after hating everything that Rush has made since 1987, Mr. Rising would realize that they are no longer interested in making the type of music that he likes and that he should probably move on with his life.