Empty Mindless Spectre

Dick move. Plain and simple. The type of thing only a complete d-bag would do.

As a matter of fact I placed an order about a week ago. They have some nice new t-shirts commemorating the Signals and P/G tours. They also have the 2112 anniversary t-shirt, which I am not really a fan of. I just checked again and it seems to be working fine for me.

So was Alex...bet they were recording. Hmmm… didn't know Alex was out there as well. This makes me more nervous than optimistic.

Your photo is borked and I can't see it :( How 'about now ?? http://s26.postimg.org/aovivfzeh/Neil78.jpg Nope :( But I did dig through and find the URL so I could go see the pic of Neil drumming away! I can see them both fine as well. Seems like maybe something is wrong on your end, x1yyz??? I wonder if anyone else can't see them...

It might depend on how well Neil's books sell, so please don't buy them! :madra:

Thanks for sharing Brucey. Was hoping for some info on the possibility of a new album or if he has spoken with Neil recently, but we take what we can get, eh?

A Lakers game? What is he trying to meet Jack Nicholson? I met a very cool guy on the R40 tour who said he had met Geddy at a Lakers game, so apparently the Gedster enjoys a little basketball along with his baseball.

I had issues as well, but did eventually get my order through. I only timed out once, but because of how slowly everything was moving it was 11:08 by the time I got my order in. I was hoping to get a low number, but not feeling so great about that right now. :(

Geddy is analyzing possible trade scenarios to improve his fantasy baseball teams. Alex is enjoying a nice dinner at a charity event. Neil is signing thousands more faceplates for for his upcoming series of book releases, mapping out routes for beemer rides this summer, and ignoring the dozens of text messages and voice mails Geddy and Alex have left for him over the past 6 months. :laughing yellow guy: Seriously though, Geddy was just sighted at a Lakers game a few days ago, which might lead one to believe he may have also visited Neil, and wonder how the conversation may have went.

so what, you should just go die after you reach some theoretical creative peak that you don't even know you've reached until years later when a bunch of overly critical fans decide you did? also, geddy was never the world's greatest singer but overall journey's best material barely touches rush's worst. I think you're giving Journey's best material a bit too much credit. (Or not giving Rush's worst material enough credit). :P

I think you nailed it with these two. It's really tough not to go with TSOR, but the intro to Xanadu is just so creative and artistically beautiful, it is second to none. I also agree with many of the others already named, Book I: The Voyage, 2112, Between the Wheels, Digital Man, Hemispheres. And I'll also add Leave That Thing Alone, Witch Hunt, and Finding my Way.

Was just reminded of another good one: "You sometimes have to listen to, a lot of useless talk"

Exactly. I'd never get that one right and I'm a Dream Theater fan. That question had nothing to do with the history of the band or that album. At least there were nine that did. Actually, most of the questions were about the tour to support the album. I don't think any of them really had anything to do with the album itself.

Thanks, I see it now. I don't think I even bothered to read that email. I'll have to make sure I start reading them all from now on, even if the headline seems a bit mundane.

Rush Backstage Store @ 11:00. How did you guys find out about this?

There was someone on ebay doing the same thing with the R40 Live DVD w/flashlight, selling it for double the price it was selling for at BestBuy (while it was still available at BestBuy). I posted a question to seller on ebay asking if it was the same item being sold at BestBuy for half the price. ;)

Ok, I actually did this a couple days ago, and don't feel so bad about my 6/10 now after seeing these other scores. At least one of my correct answers was a flat out guess, but i also brain farted on Bastille Day being the opener on the 2112 tour. (I somehow forgot that ATWAS was recorded during the 2112 tour, what an idiot!). This serves as a good reminder to me that it's been way too long since I've listened to ATWAS!

70's without hesitation. No doubt Alex created some awesome stuff in the 80's, but nothing in modern music history compares to what he gave us in the 70's.

I think one thing not mentioned yet was that they felt like they were not only really enjoying playing live, but they were performing live about as well as they ever had in their entire careers. (My guess is that some technological advances were a contributing factor to this). Certainly the anniversary of MP was a major factor though.

Geez, there are so many... We can fall from rockets' red glare Down to brother can you spare another war. Each of us, a cell of awareness, imperfect and incomplete Genetic blends, with uncertain ends, on a fortune hunt that's far too fleet. Wheels within wheels in a spiral array, a pattern so grand and complex Time after time we lose sight of the way, our causes can't see their effects. An ounce of perception, a pound of obscure. What you own is your own kingdom, what you do is your own glory What you love is your own power, what you live is your own story. Beneath the noble bird Between the proudest words Behind the beauty, cracks appear The hypocrites are slandering the sacred halls of truth Scheming demons dressed in kingly guise Are beating down the multitude and scoffing at the wise.. When they turn the pages of history, when these days have passed long ago Will they read of us with sadness, for the seeds that we let grow. It's a far cry from the world we thought we'd inherit It's a far cry from the way we thought we'd share it Now it's come to this, wide-eyed armies of the faithful From the Middle East to the Middle West, pray and pass the ammunition Now it's come to this, hollow speeches of mass deception We can only grow the way the wind blows, on a bare wind blasted shore We can only bow to the here and now in our elemental war Many, many, many more.

At this point I would bet that it says “ENERGIZED ROCK”. I know that I’ve seen a clear version of this picture before but I just couldn’t remember what it said. “ENERGIZED ROCK” rang a huge bell for me. I've always said caress of steel is the perfect description of Rush's music, but energized rock isn't bad either.

Just don't hold the toilet paper high in hand! :D

1. What led you to become a Rush fan? It was pretty much love at first listen for me. I was 14 when Permanent Waves came out. I heard The Spirit of Radio on the radio (oh the irony, Lol), and was drawn to it. It wasn't played all that often, but I listened to the radio quite a bit back then, and every time I heard it I liked it even more. I was just starting to branch out from listening to my Dad's favorites, such as The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Moody Blues, Buddy Holly, Dion, Rod Stewart, Elton John, etc. I was into stuff like Journey, AC/DC, Aerosmith, but I remember feeling like none of these could ever be my favorite band, and there had to be something better out there. I also liked Zeppelin, but again, wanted something more. When I was finally able to buy Permanent Waves, sometime @ March 1980 I think, and carve out an opportunity to listen to it on my Dad's turntable (which wasn't easy), I just couldn't believe how awesome it was. No other rock band had lyrics like this, and the music itself was even better. Alex's guitar sound just grabbed me right from the start, and the drums were the icing on the cake. I probably didn't appreciate Geddy's bass playing enough at that time, but ubdoubtedly it's role in the totality of the incredible overall sound of Permant Waves was a key part of what drew me to Rush. I can still remember sitting in my living room listening to Natural Science and reading the lyrics on the album sleeve, and just not believing how amazing it was. I replayed that song two or three times right away, before replaying the entire album again. The next album I bought was Caress of Steel (cassette tape actually) which my Dad actually spotted for me in the bargain bin at Sears for $3.99 (or maybe $2.99). As soon as I heard Bastille Day for the first time, I knew…. that this was the band I had been searching for. I was literally ecstatic that I had discovered Rush, and couldn't wait to get all of their albums. 2. If the album and/or song 2112 played a major role in your induction into the Rush fanbase, how did it do so? 2112 was the 5th Rush album I listened to, and by then I was already a huge fan. I liked it very much, especially Alex's guitar work, but there were, and still are, many other Rush songs I like better. Don't get me wrong… it is a GREAT song, and would be my favorite song ever if other songs like Natural Science, LVS, The Necromancer, Cygnus X-1 (both), Xanadu, etc. didn't exist. 3. What meaning do the lyrics and symbols of 2112 hold for you, or what lack of meaning if there isn't any? The starman symbol, to me, simply means Rush. I had a raglan t-shirt in high school with the Hemispheres style logo above the starman, which I wore until it shredded off my back. The lyrics of 2112 were never all that important to me. I always saw it as a cool story and concept, but not really earth shattering. Certainly the Orwellian "big brother" concept it reminds me of is important, but there isn't really anything new or groundbreaking about it. I never realized at the time how much meaning it had for the band and the situation they were facing when they wrote the album though. After watching BTLS and learning about how 2112 was written as a giant "F-You" to the record company, who were trying to strong arm them into producing a more radio friendly record, I honestly appreciate 2112's lyrics and their meaning much more. It might not be a bad idea to tie this into your report somehow if it fits, but that is up to you. I hope this helps, and good luck with your report.

I voted never but I'm holding out hope that Neil will become interested at some point. He pretty clearly is only interested in writing books and riding his bike right now, but maybe at some point his yearnings will gravitate towards a new Rush album. It's really impossible to predict how Neil will feel 1-2 years from now.

Lemony Cake!