HalfwayToGone

I said in the main thread that I had low expectations for this edition other than yet another 2112 physical release for completists or newbies. That's about it. I'm only interested in the alternate Massey hall takes otherwise. Already saw the Capitol video online, and it's fine for what it is (closed circuit TV footage shot by the venue with soundboard mix audio). You get to see what the ATWAS show sorta looked like and hear one NJ theater-sized venue performance in its entirety. If someone got it for me as a gift, I'd think it was sweet of them. Someone did get me a tin of Rush playing cards for this holiday.

An old movie called "Gregory's Girl" features a main character who has a small drum kit in his bedroom and a Rush poster or two on his wall behind the kit. It was one of those movies that showed a million times on cable in 1982 or so.

Adult coloring books are all the rage now, apparently. There's a giant shelf of them at Barnes & noble (I was just there last weekend). It makes sense to have these at hospital and airport gift shops. Anywhere people with a lot of time on their hands congregate. Anyhoo, I wasn't aware of this Rush book, so I have no idea if it's there. I did meet the author of "The Butt Book" and "Belches, Burps and Farts" though. Good times!

Read further--and reason number one was a practical reason: you want two different kick sounds. But I also said some people are just used to how one way or the other feels. The whole "better quality sound" is what I'm arguing against--that's a personal preference. It's like saying chocolate is a better quality flavor than vanilla. If you like a more boomy double bass sound, playing with your legs spread farther apart and your hihat way over to the left, and don't like the way a double pedal feels, then go with two kicks. If you like a tighter sound, like having a more comfortable setup and aren't tripped up at all by the different feel, a double pedal works perfectly fine.

yeah, although you don't see guitars with two low E strings. Anyway the most you can say is that you prefer one sound to the other, or that you prefer how one way feels over the other since there are differences certainly.

Good interview with Neil where he talks about both of his kits for R40.

 

http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/modern-drummer-01.2016.php

I've read this before--yeah, he comments on the one drum resonating in the other, and I guess his sound guys like how it sounds out front. I'm guessing they mean the extra tone they get when he's just playing the main kick, and not how it affects a faster double bass roll like a thrash beat in a slayer song.

They do have a point though. The size of the drum/drum head means it takes longer for the sound wave to travel and if you play with any speed you're going to be having overlap on the outgoing and incoming waves.

 

Here's where all that physics pays off... The effect of hitting the head at one or another point in the course of one vibration is pretty negligible, because the frequency of vibration once you smack the drum is much higher than anyone can ever play (know anyone playing hundreds or thousands of beats per second? Me either), and the distance the head vibrates is also much smaller than the distance it moves when your foot smashes a bass drum beater into it. Also, it's not as if the head stops vibrating in between beats just because you are hitting the drum half as blindingly fast as you would be with a double pedal. Same thing applies to the initial shock wave ripple traveling back and forth between the rim and center--hitting the drum half as very fast isn't really going to radically change the affect your foot feels. So again, I'll respectfully call it splitting hairs. The size of even a giant kick drum compared to the speed of sound (330 meters per second if I remember correctly) makes it improbable that Dave's explanation accounts for the difference in how either setup feels. I'm convinced it has much more to do with things like the fact that one pedal has an arm connected to it and therefore a little more resistance to push through, the fact that two bass drums cause each other to vibrate, the fact that you generally have to spread your legs farther apart to play with two kicks unless they are small, and the slight difference in the spot where the beaters hit the head (which can be compensated for by changing the tension of the head a little bit).

I'm pretty sure all the live concert clips are listed in the credits by song, including where the video came from. I recall a lot of "R40 Live" showing up in there.

Oh, and while Dave Lombardo is technically correct, ill repeat, the vibration of the head never stopped any drummer from doing a snare roll or tom roll, because it "throws their other hand off." Dave's a a great drummer, but he's gnit picking. Also, no one hits the exact center of a drum every single time when playing with sticks. Sure you strive to do so, but being a bit off center is perfectly ok, and doesn't ruin a drum roll. I dont know any drummers who like playing buzz rolls with their feet, but if you can do one on one snare drum, then vibration clearly isn't throwing you off there, so why should it matter with your feet? It's purely a matter of being used to how it feels after years of doing it one way, and noticing the difference when you switch. After trying double kick, my first single pedal felt weird. Now after 30 years of playing a double pedal, double kick feels much weirder, because it's not at all what I'm accustomed to.

Double bass drums. Using a double bass pedal on a single bass drum won't provide as quality a sound as two individual bass drums.

That's funny, because in over 30 years of drumming I've noticed almost every drummer on earth does drum rolls with their hands on single drums, and not one of them complains that it would provide better sound quality if they had two nearly identical drums, one for each hand. I'm about 99% positive that the main reason drummers ever started using two kicks was because the double pedal hadn't been invented yet, so it was the only option if one wanted to use their hi hat foot to play kick on occasion. Now that the double pedal exists, the only reason to have 2 kicks is if you want two different sounding kick drums, or if you like a fast double kick beat to sound as muddy and trampling all over itself as possible. When you play fast with a double pedal, the previous beat is muted each time a new beater hits the drum head, so the roll on the kick is much more defined and audible, while with two kicks, the drums step all over each between each beater strike, and if they're the same note or very slightly out of tune with each other, they affect each other even worse. So I guess you could also say a second reason to have two kicks is because you hate sound guys, or a third would be that you have a tiny weenie and want as gigantic a kit around you as possible to look more impressive to the chicks.

Oh wait--pink Floyd and Rush toured simultaneously on different continents in '74. How'd Neil/Nick manage that? Did Floyd use a fake Nick Mason or did he just have some sort of rudimentary teleportation device to travel between Europe and N. America so he could play both tours (time difference would make it likely the bands werent both onstage at the exact same moment)?

Neil 4 letters. Owen 4 letters.

Peart 5 letters. Hardy 5 letters.

Nick 4 letters. Mason 5 letters.

Nick 4 letters. Nolte 5 letters.

Demi 4 letters. Moore 5 letters.

 

Owen Hardy = Neil Peart = Nick Mason = Nick Nolte = Demi Moore

 

I knew it!

So, THAT'S why you never see any of them in the same place at once! Been puzzling over that for years.

FYI, in case people didn't notice in whichever place they mentioned it--there is a DVD release with an extra booklet signed by Alan Weinrib and Dale Heslip at newbury comics for basically the normal price of the DVD (limit of 5 per customer). I have bought from them before several times and their autographed items are all authentic, usually special preorders at no extra charge, and you get a sealed copy of the release with an extra booklet that is hand-signed. Normally it's with CD releases. They also have a lot of vinyl that they sell, sometimes releasing their own exclusive limited pressings of certain titles. Anyway, I figure people here would be interested in something like this, since the autographed booklet is basically a freebie, and nobody runs around looking for Geddy's brother's autograph that I know of. Here's the link: https://www.newburyc...ant=30252031820

 

What did you think of the autographs?

 

Allan's almost looks like a messier version of Carl Palmer and it looks like Dave's "signature" almost looks looks like he printed it.

 

Still cool though. May try to snag a poster at FYE. Gumby and the tour laminate don't do much for me.

I'd not mind having a tour laminate--totally forgot to ask my friend who manages Jacks Music to hold one for me.

 

Autographs are what they are, but I was surprised that there was no booklet and that they signed a whole outer package without the DVD in it. Also surprised it was signed on the back. I was really happily surprised it came on the 18th with my Amazon preorder for the BluRay.

I was really pleased with the bonus footage, especially since the presto tour is the only one I completely skipped since my first show in '81. One stupid detail I caught right away--Geddy ca.1990 with absolutely no ear protection of any kind.

There are no subtitles. Only audio options are 5.1 or stereo--no alternate languages. That's for a regular US release purchased through Amazon. No idea if European versions or other continents have any other options.

Amazon is shipping for arrival on the release date (I have Prime, so 2-day shipping is free, and they ship on the 16th). They are pretty good with preorders. I wasn't aware of any exclusive extra content on BB or FYE--just the gumby keychain at BB and the poster at FYE. I just opted to get a BluRay from Amazon and the newbury comics regular DVD with the autographed booklet (NOT signed by Rush--signed by the director and Alan Weinrib).

I would not completely count out a one off reunion show at some point down the road. or maybe some other appearance for a reunion tribute, where they could play just a couple of songs and let younger guys do the heavy lifting. R50 Comedy Central roast?

Neil certainly did perform like a trooper on the tour, but really, he brought that extra pain on himself. You don't slog around with soaking wet feet for a whole day in heavy boots. If that were me, I'd be wanting a break and then a quick last leg added with healthy feet to put a nicer ending on the last tour instead of suffering through almost all of it. But that's just me. Anyway, I don't assume that once Neil's child is a little older, and he's had a ton of time off that he won't consider writing another song or two, or maybe playing a one-off show for a 50th anniversary if he doesn't become a couch potato for the next 8 years.

Just saw that. I don't need yet another purchase of 2112. Nothing will top my signed hemispheres CD at this point. The exclusive stuff is really nice, but much of it has been out there for a while, like the Passaic, NJ show.

FYI, in case people didn't notice in whichever place they mentioned it--there is a DVD release with an extra booklet signed by Alan Weinrib and Dale Heslip at newbury comics for basically the normal price of the DVD (limit of 5 per customer). I have bought from them before several times and their autographed items are all authentic, usually special preorders at no extra charge, and you get a sealed copy of the release with an extra booklet that is hand-signed. Normally it's with CD releases. They also have a lot of vinyl that they sell, sometimes releasing their own exclusive limited pressings of certain titles. Anyway, I figure people here would be interested in something like this, since the autographed booklet is basically a freebie, and nobody runs around looking for Geddy's brother's autograph that I know of. Here's the link: https://www.newburycomics.com/products/rush-time_stand_still_with_autographed_dvd_booklet?variant=30252031820

I doubt I'll see it in the theater, since nights out are tough to come by, and I already have tix for meshuggah with high on fire two nights later. I'll get it on BluRay, though.

Some really nice teasers there, and some great drummers featured. Thanks for stopping in and posting about your work, it looks great!

Here's what was actually said for everyone here who likes to think they have psychic superpowers and post "what they really meant to say was....." In a nutshell (with plenty of paraphrasing)....Alex: "We're adjusting this past year and getting used to the idea (what idea? Who knows for sure? Maybe the idea that they'll never tour again. Maybe the idea that Rush is possibly permanently retired. Could be either), but we (I'll go on a limb and not include Neil in "we") can't just stop playing and writing music on a dime". Geddy: "I play as much as I can, and I'm sure the right thing will happen at some point." "The right thing" could be another project coming along that he does or he and Alex have a little friendly visit with Neil to reconnect and catch up, and they all feel a yearning to try to write some songs together. The clear message is that Geddy and Alex still do not feel they are done, and one way or another they seem to think more is to come in some form, whether it's Rush or some other thing. Whether it's Rush with Neil, Geddy and Alex together without Neil or Geddy and Alex doing their own projects separately or some combination of these three scenarios is totally up in the air. Enjoy the ongoing lack of certainty about how it plays out. I for one am guessing (yes, it's a guess at the end of the day, and I may be wrong) that Neil will want to bang on some drums at some point, if nothing else to avoid falling apart physically from being too sedentary, and he continues to write, so lyrical ideas and concepts may happen along at some point too that he feels good about, and he may actually feel like putting that all together in a relaxed studio environment, which is many times less strenuous than touring a live show in every way, and doesn't need to involve leaving family for more than a work day.

Yup. Well said. I'm very tongue in cheek sometimes, but I try to be absurd enough that it's clear when I'm doing it. Like that rant above. Speaking of misreading people...all these years I suspected that Neil ducked out of that party , because he got spooked by me while I was standing waiting to talk to Geddy, who was hanging out only a few feet from the circular booth where Neil was seated (way inside with about two or three people on each side). I'm pretty sure I was drooling on the floor. Anyway, my friend recently told me that he saw Neil come back to the booth at some point, but he has proven to remember things "creatively," sometimes. I never saw Neil return, but it makes sense that maybe he just had to go pee or something. I still wonder though, because he went into a little private elevator, not just a door to some other area or a bathroom. Once he ducked in there, I assumed he'd had enough and was right outta there, but maybe I was just wrong and missed a chance to say hi after my friend christened Geddy's shoe.

Touché! Yeah, Shakespeare he ain't. For sure. Never said anything like that. Just that he kicks dogs. Always. And small babies. Especially girl babies.