xmac

I've noticed this as well, just watching videos on youtube and such....it just 'feels' or looks different....I dunno, they look more bummed to me

Wow, I don't want to be that guy, but it just looks like they aren't having as much fun anymore :/

Does everyone think the band is capable of another original release?

for me its the black R30 kit!

Awesome! I live in Nova Scotia and many times i've considered heading to Meductic to check out the factory.

I don't want to speak for everyone here but a general consensus would be that this is when the band went synth heavy and deviated from their very guitar driven rock roots. The songs became shorter and sounded very different from alot of the previous stuff. Personally I think Power Windows is brilliant and have fav songs on Hold Your Fire. People talk about the different eras of Rush (cock rock of the 70's, fantasy epics of the late 70's, PW/MP/Signals era, Synth eras..) but I absolutely love all of them and find incredible songs in each 'era' if you will.

Hey Everyone!

 

This post may come off as rather odd or weird but I wanted to get this down because I have been thinking about it for quite a while. Please don't argue with me and say the band is still in 'their prime'. I saw the Clockwork Angels tour and it blew my face off - it was amazing. For the purposes of this post I am talking about the earlier years (release of Moving Pictures, etc etc)

 

I am a relatively 'new' fan. I am 31 years old - most of the band's material was released before I really got into them and dove into their entire catalog. That being said, whenever I watch older videos like the Limelight or Tom Sawyer vids from LeStudio I get this overwhelming feeling of sadness mixed with nostalgia that I will never know what it was like to hear those albums when they were released - never see those tours when they happened, etc. I can only experience the band in that era via the catalog of music and watching old videos on YouTube.

 

I know what you might be thinking: "he shouldn't feel sad listening to Rush! They are amazing and the music should be celebrated!". This is true and believe me I feel this. I am just taking a moment to whine and wish I was around when those albums were fresh and totally new at the time.

 

Does anyone want to chime in on this? What it was like to run out and buy those albums when they were released, see those tours, so on and so forth!

I personally find the 2.0 bluray mix to be terrible. The guitar is very present, the drums are buried deep in the mix (barely audible). It's one of the worst mixes I've heard in a Rush concert release film. I find Time Machine and Snakes and Arrows absolutely destroy this one.

 

Sucks.

 

I agree with point #1 - I was disappointed with the 2.0 sound on the bluray - drums are buried.

 

However, I don't agree with points #2 &3 - Time Machine was even worse.

 

Hrmmm Im listening to Time Machine 1080P rip right now and I can hear literally every drum hit and tom fill.

I just thought I would post a topic where everyone can post their reviews once they had time to watch or listen to whatever media they chose and we would have them in one place

 

I picked up the blu-ray and the 3cd set today at lunch.

Listened to a bit of the first cd

 

Initial impressions:

I think it is way too loud. I kept feeling like I should turn it down

I don't like the mix at all. Seems brickwalled. Lacks separation and clarity

Neil is buried yet again (not as bad as TM) cymbal hits seems to disappear and tom rolls get lost. Good example: big money. I just don't understand how recording arguably the greatest and most influential rock drummer in history all of a sudden became a difficult job

Neil seems distant sounding and some of his playing gets lost in the mix IMO

Geddy's singing is fine and Alex and Geddy sound great and their playing is at the forefront

I thought I heard slight phasing from left to right channels which I found odd

I also thought there were parts on some tracks where the music got louder and then softer as far as volume

I think they playing is tip top

The song selection is great.

Just something about listening to it bothered me. Sounds like a really good bootleg to me.

Maybe I need more time

 

I'll have to wait for judgement on the blu-ray

 

I just don't know why it is so hard to make a great sounding live album anymore (Different Stages, R30) beautiful clarity and separation

 

This.

 

The mix is really crappy. Neil being so buried just kills it for me.

I personally find the 2.0 bluray mix to be terrible. The guitar is very present, the drums are buried deep in the mix (barely audible). It's one of the worst mixes I've heard in a Rush concert release film. I find Time Machine and Snakes and Arrows absolutely destroy this one.

 

Sucks.

I agree. This kinda sucks and sounds raw and unpolished. Much prefer the original.

 

It's definitely very different, and I gotta say that I f*cking HATE it. The original and remaster is a million times better - God, I hate remixing... they just sucked the life right out of those songs. :(

Signals and Power Windows are two PHENOM albums. Probably my favorite era of the band.

Yeeah.....

 

Are there any making of clockwork angels videos out there?

S&A is an amazing record and it's very high up in my overall Rush album spins. I personally find the production quality of this record to be probably the best of all their albums.

I very much dislike T4E. It's the only Rush album I don't listen to. I think Vapor Trails is brilliant in comparison. The lyrics of T4E are awful and I find the production and tones (drum recordings, guitar sounds, etc) to be very very bad.

 

Just not a fan of T4E at all.

I subject my wife to Rush for a solid year (daily in the car) before my first show on the Clockwork Angels tour in Toronto. Over the course of that year she learned about the different albums and some of the 'key' songs. I attended that concert by myself but said I would take her to another show if I had the chance. I bought two VIP tickets for the Hamilton show and flew both of us up for a couples/weekend get away. We both had front row centre with our VIP tickets and the she was absolutely BLOWN away by the concert. She talked about it for days after it was over and was crazy jealous that I got to see them a week later in Halifax (attended that one Solo as well). She talked about how great the Clockwork Angels songs were and she watched Alex shred for most of the night. She also laughed at Geddy's constant duck face bass moves ha!

 

While she doesn't have the deep appreciation for the albums and songs that I do, she is that much closer to understanding the band and what they mean to me. Taking her to the show was one of the coolest things we've done together in a while - so all in all a great experience for a 'non-fan' to see the guys in the limelight. Now when I am air drumming like a maniac on the steering wheel she knows, and thinks back to that night we saw the greatest band in the world.

We all must have experienced this once or twice in the past....a musical conversation comes up with a friend/coworker/acquaintance and you want to share with them how or why you think Rush is so great....but the other person is kinda just doesn't get it? It's like..no matter how hard you try to convey what Rush and their songs mean to you, you just can't get it across or get the other person to feel it on that same level?

 

For example, I have a friend who is a sci fi fanatic and absolutely loves most things like Star Trek, Star Wars, Comics, etc. and he absolutely hates Rush. I told him that 2112 and the concept would be right up his alley but...nothing.

I did 3 VIP tickets this tour all with VIP NATION and I was front row center for 2 of them and front row directly in front of Alex for the last show.

 

I will always, always, always do VIP Nation if possible. The first two transactions clocked in under less than a minute - the last ticket for Halifax had a different presale password that wasn't public - so I was SCRAMBLING hard to find the password. I ended up purchasing at 12:20 and was put directly in front of Alex.

 

If you get your time stamp at 30 seconds after the gate opened, I betcha you will be direct front row center like I was. Enjoy!!!!

I found the 2nd night (didn't see the first, but did see Hamilton a week earlier) to be excellent. I found the guys played almost as good as they did in Hamilton but the Halifax crowd was very tame in comparison to Hamilton. There was a looseness to the 2nd night that was apparent (trailer park boys, etc) and I think it was a great vibe on stage. I locked eyes with Geddy a few times and just rocked out with him - such a great feeling!

If anyone wants to see a great gallery of pics from the first Halifax show they can visit this flickr site:

I love counterparts. I agree with the 'they're back with guitar driven rock!" sentiments and I love the production of the album; it really stands out as a great album to me.

http://www.cygnusproductions.com/rtp/guitar/guitar.asp

• I love the Exit Stage left version of Jacobs Ladder where Geddy is singing the "bright, unbroken beams!" part and the crowd is cheering
  
• When the band kicks back in, in Hemispheres "Then all at once the chaos ceased"
  
• Basically all of Marathon...the guitar solo/breakdown part is always awesome to me...every. single. time.
  
• The drum work of Neil in Clockwork Angels (the song) when Geddy is singing "goddess is a mistress...." I honestly find it some of his most fierce and focused playing in regards to playing for the song
  
• The Garden guitar solo is beautiful.
  
• Red Barchetta "Wind...In My Hair..." ....probably the greatest Rush moment put to record imo.
  
• When the band finally all comes in, in Xanadu with that major E chord and Neil ripping on the drums...wow.
  
• Intro of Anthem - fierce playing by Neil here
  
• Red Sector A - "I must help my mother, stand up straight!" and the band hits those 3 hits (towards end of song)
  
• La Villa Strangiato RIGHT after Alex's solo...that rhythmic part kills me every time - love it on the time machine DVD
  
• The ending jam out of Open Secrets
  
• Intro jam of The Camera Eye is so iconic to me
  
• When Geddy plays the bass line of all 4 different strings of "Different Strings"
  
• The guitar solo section of The Big Money is some of my all time fav Alex solo work
  
• The drumming in all of Subdivisions is I think pretty much Neil's best work in a single song
  
• Lyrical content of The Analog Kid throughout the whole song
  
• The Main Monkey Business on the S&A live tour
  
• "Time if nothing will do its worst, so do me that favour and tell me the good news first"
  
• "Did I have the dream...or did the dream have me?"
  
• Grand Finale
  

Those are some of my favs

Just following up here.....2nd Rush show ever in Hamilton....again, front row center. I am super grateful and happy to experience the boys so close. I am hoping/dreaming that I can round up my CA tour experience with one last front row center in Halifax on the 14th!!!

 

 

 

 

Hey Tyrus,

 

I am from Cape Breton Island; I will be seeing Rush in Halifax on the 14th. The Cabot Trail really is an incredible thing to experience. If you need any assistance or tips just message me and I will be glad to help!

 

I believe the Cabot Trail was one of Neil and Brutus' first real bike tours (as mentioned in Ghost Rider). Brutus is also from Cape Breton Island :)