Powderfinger

I was just contemplating my response to this question, after remembering the thread from several days ago. I didn't read through the entire thread, so I apologize in advance if my contribution has already been explored ad nauseam. What I love about Rush is their stability and reliability. They have, of course, maintained the same lineup since their second album. Most of my favorite bands--The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Band, The Black Crowes, Genesis, Yes, The Allman Brothers, to name only a few--witnessed personnel problems that often overshadowed their music. Not only did many of my favorite bands fail to keep their best lineup intact, most of them at some point descended into nasty internecene conflict that only demonstrated certain members' profound arrogance and greed. Rush never descended into any sort of bitter feud or rivalry. And as a result, they never became a parody of themselves. Moreover, you don't see Rush members slinging mud in the press. They keep to themselves and worry about their own trip. I cannot begin to express how much I admire that. My sentiments are perhaps most effectively thrown into relief when I put Rush's career arc up against that of Yes. I became a diehard Yes fan this year, and have been poring and obsessing over their output. But you look at that band's career arc and you just scratch your head--my god, what happened?! For all the discussion about how Neil is a difficult person I can't imagine he is a grade-A jerk on the level of Van Morrison, Lou Reed, or Robbie Robertson, all of whom I greatly admire. Neil cannot be that difficult to get along with, or Geddy or Alex for that matter. Because if that were the case, then how does one explain their lineup stability, career longetivity, and continued relevance? You have in Rush three of the greatest musicians on the planet who manage to reserve a sense of humor about their larger enterprise. Regardless of where one stands on Rush's artistry, one would be hard pressed to argue that Rush hasn't always been professional and a class act. Sure, they've at times made dubious artistic and business decisions, just like any group who's been around for forty years. But in so many words, Rush always seems to have their collective sh&t together. And that, apart from their wonderful music, is what I love most about them.

Duane Allman John Lennon Levon Helm Rick Wright Bob Marley

QUOTE (rushgoober @ May 2 2012, 05:06 PM)My copy is Japanese - not an SHM, just the Japanese import before it was available domestically. Regardless of printing, it's a great, beautiful album! I saw the Japanese import on Amazon, but they are listed at 50 bucks for a new copy. There is a cheaper UK import, but I don't want to keep purchasing it without being confident in the quality. Hopefully Anderson does get around to seeing that this thing gets a proper treatment through re-release. Jon, if you are reading this, take a moment to do your legacy proud! Again, I just don't understand Yes's marketing program, or lack thereof. They don't seem to care about bringing in new fans. We all criticize Rush for various oversights in their marketing, but good lord, Rush makes Yes's operation look like a popsicle stand. It seems trivial, perhaps, but why can't I find a decent Yes t-shirt? I want to be a fanboy, but they won't let me in!

My copy of Jon Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow came in the mail today. What the hell is going on with the packaging? It's an embarrassment. I purchased the version from Wounded Bird Records, pressed in 2006. It claims to be licensed from Atlantic and Rhino. But it looks like a cheap knock-off. Is there a better version I should have picked up? It's just a little sad. This looks like a locally-produced cd, but it's from the guy who helped create Fragile and Close to the Edge. This recalls a thread I started in the Rush section about how effective Rush is at marketing their legacy, compared to Yes. I adore Yes, and Jon Anderson. But who is in charge of quality control over at One Yes Drive? End rant.

Cool list Goober, and fun to read! Makes me want to contribute a list of my own. I guess the only thing that jumps out at me is the lack of jazz. Given your comments in other threads I was under the impression that you were a fan of good jazz music. Would it simply be too overwhelming to incorporate that genre? Oh, one last thing, don't bend on Signals brother! It is Rush's masterpeice. Perhaps not having a Signals tune in your top ten demonstrates that album's depth and that it doesn't stand on two or three songs alone.

I don't know if it's an unpopular opinion or not, and I hate to weigh in at all, but I am frequently annoyed by Alex's guitar tone. Generally one of the weakest tones among players from my favorite bands. There, I said something negative about Rush

QUOTE (rushgoober @ May 1 2012, 09:27 AM) QUOTE (Powderfinger @ May 1 2012, 07:14 AM) CSNY I seriously considered this for my list, and later for my honorable mentions list, but they unfortunately fell into the "not enough great albums to qualify" pile. So, while So Far is one of the best albums of all time (even though it's a compilation), the material that made up the comp was from 2 albums (only one of which even featured Neil Young) and a single. Yes, CSN made subsequent albums, and even CSNY did much later, but outside of the odd great song here and there, it was never the same as the 1969-1971 material. Had there been more of it, it would have easily made my list. I actually couldn't agree more. Allow me to explain: Neil Young is without question in my top five all time, maybe top three. And Graham Nash's Songs for Beginners is one of my ten favorite records of all time. I also love Wild Tales. Finally, I'm a pretty big fan of Crosby's first solo album, Stills's first solo album, and Stills's work with Manassas. So I simply included CSNY as a creative way to honor them without circumventing the rules. But I agree with your general assessment about them. I just couldn't make a list without Neil

Numerous solo artists would land in my top ten (Dylan, Neil Young, Richard Buckner, Coltrane). But per the OP's instructions, here are ten favorite bands other than Rush: Yes The Black Crowes The Rolling Stones Genesis Pink Floyd The Who The Band The Beatles Allman Brothers CSNY Do Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers count as a "band" or "solo artist"? There are several "bands" I love that one could argue are actually solo artists (Dinosaur Jr., Magnolia Electric Co., Sun Kil Moon/Red House Painters). I followed the instructions to the best of my ability

You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly - Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty

QUOTE (danielmclark @ Apr 29 2012, 11:00 AM)QUOTE (Powderfinger @ Apr 29 2012, 09:43 AM) QUOTE (danielmclark @ Apr 29 2012, 08:27 AM) I'm fine with 1-3 songs from Signals but I don't get this sudden uproar about celebrating 30 year anniversaries. Nobody said one word about this sort of thing until Rush themselves decided to do Time Machine, and now all of a sudden there has to be a special 30th anniversary of everything else? Will the forum get wet in a couple of years at the thought of playing P/G in its entirety for its 30th anniversary? Or PoW? The completely ignored the 30th anniversaries of their first seven albums. Moving Pictures was a big deal and considering Signals is when a significant number of fans jumped ship, I don't get why you guys think they'd want to celebrate it. Did a significant number of fans really jump ship because of Signals? I am not entirely confident that you are wrong, but I would like to understand how one draws such a conclusion. They continued releasing platinum-selling albums after Signals. Moreover, Signals, P/G, and Power Windows were all top-ten in the U.S. From 1991-2007 Signals sold 305,000 copies--more than Permanent Waves, Hemispheres, Fly By Night, or A Farewell to Kings. I just see this argument about Signals all the time, but I have yet to see someone demonstrate how they arrive at the conclusion that the album precipitated the loss of a substantial portion of Rush's fanbase. Album reviews are not really a useful window into fans' response to Signals. After all, the music press's tradition of lambasting Rush's output stretches back years before Signals's release. I sometimes suspect this narrative was constructed and promoted by fans who personally hated, or continue to hate the album. Perhaps I'm wrong. Moving Pictures has, to date, sold 4x Platinum. Signals has, to date, sold Platinum. I consider that a significant drop. Your definition may vary. [edited to add:] I happen to like Signals quite a lot, and I like their 80's material more than their 70's material. Don't take my dislike of the ideas of celebrating the anniversary or of playing the whole thing in concert as disliking the album itself. I think that this mania that some people have about the number 30 is completely arbitrary and at times, over the top and ridiculous, that's all. As I said, they skipped the 30th anniversary of the first 7 albums and nobody was even thinking about celebrating album anniversaries until two years ago when Rush had the idea to do Moving Pictures. That's cool. I didn't mean to be too forceful in my point. Full disclosure: Signals is my favorite Rush album. And while I hate arguing on message boards, Signals is sort of the one thing I can't seem to avoid debating--because I love the album! The point about Moving Pictures' sales doesn't really work for me. That's total sales over the entire life of the album. Rush didn't sell four million copies of Moving Pics before Signals was released. MP enjoys the highest level of sales partly because it has Rush's most popular songs: Tom Sawyer and Limelight. And it is considered their classic album that has been purchased not just by diehards, but by people who are general classic rock aficionados. To compare Signals's overall sales to MP isn't really evidence that it divided the fanbase. To date, Permanent Waves has sold significantly less copies than 2112. But no one argues that Permanent Waves divided the fanbase. Know what I mean? Again, I am just trying to stick up for an album that I love. And I know you don't have an agenda against it. I guess it's the historian in me that's coming out. I'm skeptical of the narrative that surrounds Signals. I've never really understood the evidence on which the argument about it's divisiveness is constructed. I'm not picking on you as much as I'm letting my frustrations over this topic come to the fore. I'm not trying to insist that I'm right on this. Just want to have a fun discussion.

QUOTE (danielmclark @ Apr 29 2012, 08:27 AM) I'm fine with 1-3 songs from Signals but I don't get this sudden uproar about celebrating 30 year anniversaries. Nobody said one word about this sort of thing until Rush themselves decided to do Time Machine, and now all of a sudden there has to be a special 30th anniversary of everything else? Will the forum get wet in a couple of years at the thought of playing P/G in its entirety for its 30th anniversary? Or PoW? The completely ignored the 30th anniversaries of their first seven albums. Moving Pictures was a big deal and considering Signals is when a significant number of fans jumped ship, I don't get why you guys think they'd want to celebrate it. Did a significant number of fans really jump ship because of Signals? I am not entirely confident that you are wrong, but I would like to understand how one draws such a conclusion. They continued releasing platinum-selling albums after Signals. Moreover, Signals, P/G, and Power Windows were all top-ten in the U.S. From 1991-2007 Signals sold 305,000 copies--more than Permanent Waves, Hemispheres, Fly By Night, or A Farewell to Kings. I just see this argument about Signals all the time, but I have yet to see someone demonstrate how they arrive at the conclusion that the album precipitated the loss of a substantial portion of Rush's fanbase. Album reviews are not really a useful window into fans' response to Signals. After all, the music press's tradition of lambasting Rush's output stretches back years before Signals's release. I sometimes suspect this narrative was constructed and promoted by fans who personally hated, or continue to hate the album. Perhaps I'm wrong.

Peter Gabriel - Family Snapshot

I have a black Signals shirt, and the purple A Farewell to Kings shirt currently available in the official store. I love the purple AFTK shirt. It's my favorite of all the tees I own.

QUOTE (drbirdsong @ Apr 28 2012, 08:52 AM) Isn't that just a list of the music that Jann Wenner jerks off to? This. I'm supposed to take seriously a list that places TLC's CrazySexyCool above George Harrison's All Things Must Pass?

Greatest live album of all time... Van Morrison - It's Too Late to Stop Now Other favorites... John Coltrane - Live at the Village Vanguard Neil Young - Live Rust The Who - Live at Leeds The Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out The Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East Tim Buckley - Dream Letter: Live in London Bob Dylan - Live 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall Concert" Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs and Englishmen Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison Magnolia Electric Company - Trials and Errors The Band - Rock of Ages Townes Van Zandt - Live at the Old Quarter Bill Evans - The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings

These are not necessarily my favorite songs by each artist (though many are). They are simply the ones that I tend to crank, for whatever reason. Some I crank because they are among my favorite songs and resonate with me in some special way. Others I crank because they ROCK: Rush - Limelight, Spirit of Radio, Xanadu The Black Crowes - My Morning Song Yes - The entire Close to Edge album The Rolling Stones - Sway, Can't You hear Me Knocking, Brown Sugar Wilco - Monday, Outtasite Van Morrison - St. Dominic's Preview Elton John - Burn Down the Mission Sun Kil Moon - Salvador Sanchez/Pancho Villa Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill Little Feat - Fool Yourself John Lennon - Watching the Wheels Genesis - Watcher of the Skies, In the Cage, Back in NYC AC/DC - It's a Long Way to the Top Bob Dylan - Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues Bowie/Queen - Under Pressure Free - All Right Now Zeppelin - Good Times, Bad Times Sabbath - War Pigs Soundgarden - Loud Love The Who - Gettin' in Tune, Love Reign O'er Me Traffic - Dear Mr. Fantasy There are numerous others, but I suppose that's a pretty good list...

QUOTE (tjtull @ Apr 25 2012, 10:54 AM) QUOTE (driventotheedge @ Apr 25 2012, 10:41 AM) QUOTE (Unattractive Truth @ Apr 24 2012, 12:59 PM).........If America was a bar, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers would be the house band..... I like this point of view. Excellent songwriter. Excellent live performer. Surrounded himself with excellent musicians. There was a thread on this subforum (still back somewhere I'm sure) about America's greatest band and if TP & the HBs didn't get mention, they should have. Seen him/them 5 Xs and have never been disappointed. I recently saw the (very long and very good) documentary, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream. I've always like them, but the documentary gave me a new appreciation. Check it out, if you haven't already. I've never seen them live but would jump at the chance if they came through here. That documentary is excellent! I rank it alongside Rush's Beyond the Lighted Stage and the Townes Van Zandt documentary, Be Here to Love Me, as my favorites. I too was already a big Petty fan, but that documentary pushed me over the edge. I love the discussion of his battles with the record company over Damn the Torpedoes and Hard Promises. Petty's stance on those two albums is a large part of the reason I associate him with artistic integrity.

I thought the movie was great! I don't know if it's a timeless classic, but it was damn good, and more than just a popcorn film. I read just over one-third of the book before seeing the film. I plan to finish the book, but I've been sidetracked by other materials. I'm definitely looking forward to the next film. And I hope to find time to read the other books as well.

I would argue that Rush has been fairly successful at marketing their legacy to both long-time fans and new fans. This, in my opinion, is evidenced by the Time Machine Tour, the Beyond the Lighted Stage documentary, the various retrospectives, and the array of quality t-shirts and merchandise available in the official store. Simply put, Rush is adept and efficient at cultivating a sense of nostalgia. At the same time, they succeed in pitching themselves as a band that is still relevant, while dodging the "oldies" circuit. Do you all agree? Are there other groups who are better at this than Rush? My ideas about this are an extension of the fact that I have become absolutely obsessed with Yes over the past couple of months. But let me tell you, as someone who is really latching onto Yes for the first time (Close to the Edge is now my favorite album of all time), they don't exactly make it easy for new fans. I'm mostly talking about arguably trivial stuff. For example, why can't I find a decent Yes t-shirt? Why wouldn't a classic group like Yes market a kickass Fragile t-shirt, for example? And that's to say nothing about Yes's ongoing personnel issues. I can't stress enough just how profound my love of their music is at the moment, but I wouldn't go see Yes without Jon Anderson. In general, Yes just doesn't seem to offer the same level of quality and care where their product and legacy is concerned. Why is that? Are Geddy, Neil, and Alex just better, more genuine dudes, who put Rush's legacy before any individual member's desires? Even this message board is a reflection of my larger argument. I checked out the Yes forum, and, no offense to anyone here who is a member, it just isn't nearly as readable or enjoyable. I should give it another chance, but I almost feel like I'm better off discussing Yes here, in the "Music of the Spheres" subforum, as I have been. The point is, Rush seems to be expertly managed from the top down. They come across as very professional in their dealings, and low on drama. And that makes me love them even more...

QUOTE (Boots @ Oct 25 2010, 08:50 AM) That one's good. I like this one too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMyCa35_mOg&ob=av2n Tom Petty is hot... and sexy. All those trolls who make fun of him are usually ugly.. and jealous. So there!!!!! People make fun of Tom Petty? On what grounds? Springsteen, Jagger, Prince... even Neil Young are all pretty easy to make fun of. What did Tom Petty ever do to truly embarrass himself? That dude is just consistently cool and confident. One of the few rock stars who I imagine would actually be a decent guy to hang with.

This depends on how you qualify "better" and "best." For me, best/most talented doesn't necessarily equate with who can play the fastest fills in the most difficult time signatures, or who is the fastest sweep picker on the planet. "Best" has to include soul. To echo Keith Richards, I like a little "roll" with my "rock." Rush are perhaps the best when it comes to progressive rock played by a trio. Even just looking at rock trios in a general sense I'd easily take Rush over Cream or the Jimi Hendrix Experience, to use two examples. But I'd have to admit that Hendrix demonstrates more soul than Rush. Alas! These discussions are impossible. But "most talented" can mean so many different things. For example, I wouldn't want to weigh in on whether or not Neil Peart is a better drummer than, say... Elvin Jones, for example. I like them equally.

QUOTE (Bone Roller @ Apr 22 2012, 07:44 PM) QUOTE (Powderfinger @ Apr 19 2012, 09:07 AM) I love vinyl and have a great collection. But I also have one of those crappy sounding retro Crosley record players with the built-in speakers. I want to upgrade to a real system of some sort, but can't figure out how to do it for less than $500 or so. If anyone has any advice on that please help me out. I check craigslist all the time in hopes that someone around my area is looking to unload a nice setup for 1-200 bucks. Anyway, I went into my local hipster/indie rock record store the other day where they never have anything on Rush. I was browsing the Yes section and suddenly Fly By Night comes on over the stereo system. I went to the counter and said "I can't believe you're playing Fly By Night!" This is one of those stores where I assumed I would be laughed at if I mentioned I'm into Rush and prog. The clerk said, "It just seemed like a good idea to give it a spin." He then informed me that someone recently came in and unloaded a nice stack of Rush vinyl. I went straight to the Rush section and found nice quality copies of FBN, 2112, Power Windows, MP, and Perm Waves. I could ony afford Perm Waves and MP. I now have those, along with Hemispheres, on vinyl. I ended up having an awesome discussion of Rush with the sales attendant. He had no idea about the new album coming out so I gave him the total rundown and he seemed really excited. I did my Rush duty for the day!!! Again, if anyone has any advice on turntables and if I could put a decent system together for a manageable price please let me know... i just conferred with my old man who recently purchased a new turntable. he's an audiophile and picked up a Rega RP3. Said it's about $900 US. knowing my pops, the kid did some research. he's probably got 5000 LPs and he was an opera singer back in the day. so there you have it. Thanks for this tip. The problem is I'm ignorant in the most basic sense. I'm 35 and I've been a musician for over 20 years. I can talk shop when it comes to guitar equipment, but I don't understand what, exactly, I need for a decent turntable system. Turntable and speakers, of course. But do I need a receiver? Or an amp? What is the difference between a receiver and an amp? I don't care about having a CD player or radio in my system. I just want to play records on a decent sounding table through decent sounding speakers, and somehow do this within a manageable budget. If I were to try to piece a setup together from craigslist, what components do I need to gather? I have a couple of Roland studio monitors that are self-powered that I could use as speakers. Could I just plug a turntable into those and skip the amp/receiver component? I know I could sit around and read about this on the web, but I like getting advice from my trusted fellow Rush fans who speak my language.