alieninvasion76

Kudos to you both! I didn't even know about it until after the fact, thus confirming I need to widen my news source circle!!!

I looked to see if there was already a forum for this sort of thing but could see none. If It turns out I'm being redundant, my apologies! And to those who've been vocal re my past redundancies: just take deep breaths..... breathe in....... out....... in....... slowly....... NOW... this was all over the Toronto News and, I'm sure, the rest of Canada! It's mainly just total "cuteness" but, without giving anything away, I was gladdened by the vote response that resulted in more than 32,000 of the roughly 45,000 who voted reaffirming their Rush devotion, even regarding the mundane... mundane but CUTE...

Wasn't sure where else to put this, and I didn't see this posted anywhere in here yet, so here goes... Geddy and Alex will be inducting "Yes" into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame" April 7th. This is a huge deal for me! In my teens, back in the 70's, after I was over my fascination with the likes of The Beatles, Three Dog Night, etc., I became obsessed with mainly four bands: Rush, Yes, E.L.P., and Chicago (before they went all shmaltzy around album no. 14). And it's no secret that the boys in Rush were big "Yes" fans (even Neil invited Yes drummer Bill Bruford to work with him on the first Buddy Rich tribute album). And, the year Rush was inducted, Geddy was very vocal about the travesty of his own band being inducted ahead the prog legends, Yes. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I learned Yes was finally being bestowed with the honour, and mused to myself at that moment how cool it would be if Rush was called upon to induct them at the ceremony, and low and behold... Yes bassist and founding memeber, Chris Squire, who sadly died of leukemia in 2015, may have had much to do with Geddy & Alex snagging the induction gig. Back in 2014, he was asked who he would have induct "Yes", should that day finally come when they get "the call from the hall"... to which he replied: "I haven't given it much thought, maybe those Rush guys who got in last year! I'm pretty good friends with Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins (of the Foo Fighters), and they did a great speech for Rush... so probably not them, since they just did one. But if you know Geddy (Lee), let him know that that would be fine by me.'' Also, when Alex won the "Spirit of Prog" award at the Classic Rock Awards ceremonies back in 2013, it was presented to him by legendary Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman who, apart from a couple of his usual hilarious jokes, had nothing but praise for our fair-haired Lerxst! So while the two bands have never shared the same stage (as far as i know), the fittingness of the Rush lads being chosen for this honour appears to extend somewhat beyond merely sharing the same genre of music!! Can't wait for April 7th!!!

Btw... finally tracked this down. The whole "spouse" thing with regards to Rush rang a bell re this article I remember reading a few years ago in Premier Guitar reviewing the Time Machine DVD. The angle re the reviewer dragging his spouse to a Rush gig is just a small part of it (though she did enjoy the DVD apparently), i.e.. the review as a whole will please all Rush fans I'm sure!!! http://www.premiergu...ve_in_Cleveland

No, that's the only way to do it. Here's more info: http://www.therushfo...f/#entry4041830 Thank you Shark Whisperer for the info. Guess I should have looked around here a little more but was lazy

Well, the good news is, my wife has actually consented to wearing one of my other Rush t-shirts to the movie on Nov. 3rd - definitely have to get a picture of that - and I, as I mentioned in my post yesterday, will be wearing my "Record Store Day " Rush shirt!! So the burning question is, does anyone know how to upload an image here other than using the tool above that requires you to enter a url address??

I was inspired to post this because, in buying tickets to the new documentary "Time Stand Still", I of course bought 2, in hopes that my wife, who is NOT a devoted Rush fan, would go with me anyway. Of course, I was fully expecting her to decline the offer, i.e. "Thanks for thinking of me, baby!", and then of course I would have offered up the other ticket to one of my Rush buddies. But, lo and behold, she said YES!!!! Like I said, my wife, bless her, is not a fan specifically, but once in a while I sneak Rush tunes past her on the car stereo :) ...mainly those 80’s, more mainstream-ish sounding ones that she likes but didn’t realize were Rush songs... as well as things like "Closer to the Heart", "The Garden", Nobody's Hero", etc.! So, could this be a thing? That the branch of Rush’s fanbase that they attained in the 80’s may very well be made up of those who knew it was Rush, and those who didn’t (until it was too late :)) simply due to the pre-conceived notion of what Rush was “supposed” to sound like? Well….. it’s possible! Fittingly, the song "Time Stand Still" fits this mold (most certainly Aimee Mann singing on the chorus threw people), and perhaps naming this new film after that song, in addition to being apropo in meaning, was a marketing coup!! All I know is, my wife is finally attending a Rush event with me and I'm very excited! Now, if I can talk her into wearing one of my Rush t-shirts... well, that indeed would be true love!!!!

Wow, I guess I got so used to seeing the Vapor Trails CD cover, I totally forgot that Rush used the American spelling of the word "vapor", which is totally cool given Americans buying Rush albums is the main reason they're where they are today. I guess I never really thought about it In Canada we spell words like color, labor, honor, etc. as colour, labour, and honour, i.e. we still use British spellings. When guitar god Vernon Reid formed "Living Colour", technically an American band, he spelt the band name with the "u" because he was born in Britain. Go figure!

No, sadly (or happily) those were the "young kids" days for me and my wife, and the little free time I had was devoted to my own band! I did, however, manage to see them at the Molson Amphitheatre for the Vapour Trails tour!!!

Great topic!!! So, sticking with Rush all these years is a result of so many things. First it was that spring of '76 when I first heard the commercials for "2112" on Chum-FM in Toronto, and then finally hearing the album a few weeks later and thinking the martians had landed - hence, my RushForum handle "Alieninvasion76". It became such a monumental part of my teen memory!! And then this epic, prog-metal pioneering flourished for the next few albums, thus ensuring that they'd be an enduring part of my listening library forever, regardless of whatever else they did afterward!! By this point, the more they became successful in their own right, the more they became one of those "ya either love 'em or hate 'em" kinds of bands. So, that in itself, made the attachment you had to them feel all the stronger. Even after the 4 times-platinum success of "Moving Pictures", I still found myself often defending them, especially as I was still loving what they were doing at that time, right up to, and including, "Signals"! Then, after "Signals" when they started to lose a bit of their edge and joined the keyboard laden style that was characteristic of 80's music, I admittedly, at the time, kept waiting for them to get back to that more "kick ass" approach, and hence looked forward to each new album with eager anticipation but, alas, while they teased us with a little more "ummph" with "Presto" and "Roll the Bones", it wasn't until "Counterparts" that, for me at least, they fully returned to their hard rocking form. The 80's mellowing however didn't dampen my enthusiasm for turning up the volume when those, now iconic, 80's Rush videos came on TV. Nor did it deter me from attending the concert on their Toronto stop at Maple Leaf Gardens for their "Hold Your Fire" tour!! And I've since come to appreciate much more some of that synth-laden stuff! Now, admittedly, they may have been destined to be a life-long sentimental favourite to some degree regardless because they're Canadian (not to mention from my hometown of Toronto to boot), but there's a lot of successful Canuck artists, none of which defined a whole genre in the way that Rush did. And Canadians and non-Canadians alike have to be super-impressed and proud that this band, after the tragedy ridden 5 year hiatus, came back strong and revitalized in 2002, after which they continued to sell out arenas for another 13 years, and went on to record two of their biggest chart topping albums in "Snakes and Arrows", which I still continue to discover new gems within, and "Clockwork Angels", which is a masterpiece in its own right, and I still can't get over how they found another gear like that so late in their career ... and all of this after 35+ years of already kicking so much ass!!!! So, I guess, that's the kind of band people stick with for the long haul!! What's not to love, eh?

I scored this "Record Store Day" Rush t-shirt that was just hanging around this Toronto record store that was going out of business. Notice the date on it, Apr. 20, 2013, which was just a few days before the boys were inducted into the "Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame". So, not only was it miraculous that this was still hanging around, but this one single shirt was in my size!!! Anyway, meant to post this long ago when I bought it. But now, having to decide which Rush t-shirt to wear to the "Time Stand Still" documentary showing on Nov. 3rd, I decided on this one as it's different from a lot of the other ones people will be wearing!! P.S. If Toronto is any indication, y'all better get your tickets to "Time Stand Still" like right now!!!! I live just outside the Toronto border and was lucky enough to get tickets for the Nov. 3rd showing at the Cineplex in Oshawa; but the Landmark Cinemas in the entire G.T.A. (greater Toronto area) are sold out - closest one that still has tickets is 4 1/2 hours away in Ottawa.

:rush: My 3rd posting re "Time Stand Still". I just assumed anyone whose part of this forum is just as excited about a new, "theatrically released" Rush documentary as I obviously am!!! :rush:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/img.rush.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Rush_TSS_JPG.jpg

When they screen new Rush documentary "Time Stand Still" at North American theatres on Nov 3rd, they'll also be showing a featurette film on the boys entitled "A Salute to Kings" which features interviews with famous Rush music colleagues. Here's a clip... And, if you want more info, clips, etc. on main documentary "Time Stand Still", visit my other link... http://www.therushfo...me-stand-still/ Enjoy!

In case you hadn't heard, the new Rush documentary "Time Stand Still" is coming to North American theatres Nov. 3rd, 2016, and then to DVD and Blu-ray on Nov. 18, 2016. Video links: - 30 sec promo - sample clip Info links: http://www.rush.com/...me-stand-still/ http://ultimateclass...nd-still-movie/ http://s3.amazonaws.com/img.rush.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Rush_TSS_JPG.jpg

Yes, there's a NEW, for 2016, documentary on the boys entitled "Time Stand Still". It's coming to select theatres in North America Nov. 3rd, 2016, and then to be released on DVD and Blu-ray on Nov. 18th, 2016. They will also be showing the new, 20 min. mini-doc "A Salute to Kings", featuring stories from "famous" Rush music colleagues!! Video links: - 30 sec promo - sample clip Info links: http://www.rush.com/...me-stand-still/ http://ultimateclass...nd-still-movie/

These have been around a while, nevertheless here's a couple of video links of kids doing Tom Sawyer...

Thought I'd post some links I found re Alex and Geddy while at the inauguration of the Lee Lifeson Art Park in their old Willowdale neighbourhood in north Toronto. At the same time, they were presented with the Keys to the City of Toronto (supposedly the band is getting them, so I guess Neil will get his in the mail). Enjoy... video - Feature story: http://www.citynews....ey-to-the-city/ video - Moments from the day: video - Post-ceremony interview with George Stroumboulopoulo: article - CBC story: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-rush-key-to-city-1.3767243 article - Billboard story (plus vid of interview from the rear): http://www.billboard...rt-park-opening

That's what I like about the guitar magazine Reader's Polls: the winners are actually chosen by the readers, ie. guitarists!!

There is much video evidence available out there of attempts to imitate Rush, ranging from decent to epic, including some big-name Rush geeks! As you can imagine though, there's also some pretty lame attempts at covering Rush as well. Thought it'd be fun for people to post videos they may have come across in either the "good" or "lame" categories. I'll start it off with a "lame' but nevertheless entertaining one taken from American Idol (of all places)... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOQQKGTXF_0a

Somehow I missed this the first time around, ie. AllMusic.com's awesome, eloquent review of "Clockwork Angels"... http://www.allmusic.com/album/clockwork-angels-mw0002332023

re "Lerxst": Here are a few Alex Lifeson article links which are especially laudatory of his often underrated guitar playing... https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Alex_Lifeson http://www.jimbowley.com/2012/02/unsung-guitar-hero-alex-lifeson/ https://books.google.ca/books?id=60Jde3l7WNwC&pg=PA167&lpg=PA167&dq=alex+lifeson+has+been+at+the+forefront+of+innovative+rock+guitar+since+the+late+1970%27s&source=bl&ots=x6UjzuTV3o&sig=kQFBpTwjqJ-AT4FCGhTaljDY_iE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiPqO7L1pjNAhXC1IMKHRT0DjIQ6AEIGzAA#v=onepage&q=alex%20lifeson%20has%20been%20at%20the%20forefront%20of%20innovative%20rock%20guitar%20since%20the%20late%201970%27s&f=false Enjoy!

This is excerpted from my response to the "Mojo Top 10 Underrated Guitarists" video on YouTube: Now, is Alex Lifeson underrated? Rush’s hay-day is generally considered to be the 70’s and 80’s, so that would indeed put them in the “classic rck” era. However, in the past decade alone they had 2 albums in the Billboard Top 10, have been on 40+ magazine covers during that period, and the 4 tours that they did in that time were all critically acclaimed, sold-out arena venues, making them one of the very few bands from that era that is still this relevant! And one of the hghlights of this big comeback has been Alex Lifeson’s guitar! His playing in the 70’s which, by his own admission, was still a work in progress, nevertheless garnered enough respect amongst the guitar playing population at large for him to finish 2nd as “Best Rock Guitarist” in Guitar Player Magazine’s reader poll 4 times - he lost out to Eddie Van Halen each time. He finally won in 1984 but, unfortunately, this was also the beginning of that mid 80’s era in which his guitar became famously buried under synthesizers. Then the 90’s brought a revival of Lifeson’s guitar prominence, which was cut short when the tragic 1997 deaths of drummer Neil Peart’s daughter and wife gave way to a 5 year hiatus. Now, since 2002, Rush has released 4 studio albums and 6 live albums/videos, and Lifeson’s guitar has never been more prominent: and his peers are obviously liking what they hear as he not only won the Guitar Player Magazine poll again in 2007, but was ranked 3rd all time Best Rock Guitarist by Guitar World Magazine, and similar in other magazine polls and shootouts, as well as Guitar Player Magazine having created two special awards for Alex just to quench their lust for the “Snakes and Arrows” album. So, as with most guitarists whose home has NOT been the Top 40 singles charts, Lifeson - Rush haters aside - is generally not underrated by actual guitarists. But, one can understand how the average mainstream pop/rocker - who already wouldn’t know what constitutes a great guitarist if it bit them on their Gucci's - are further mislead when Rolling Stone publishes a Top 100 Guitarists list in 2013 that has folk singer come grunger Neil Young at #17, while Lifeson is at #98, and other bonafide axemen are rated disproportionately lower as well, eg. Mark Knopfler at #44, Ritchie Blackmore #50. For a little further context, completely missing from the list are virtuosos like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, and Steve Morse who was voted Best All Around Guitarist in the Guitar Player Magazine readers poll 5 years in a row, thus illustrating what exactly Rolling Stone knows about guitar playing, which is precisely “squat”! Hmmmmm… we may have found the source of the problem! Namaste!!

Great responses all, and thanks ChrisUK for that link. Here's one with the "2112" commemorative spread they did in March's MOJO mag (the one with Bowie on the cover): https://issuu.com/olimpiocruzneto/docs/bowie__mojo_march2016/22

In the winter of 1976 in Toronto, radio station CHUM-FM began running these ads for something called "2112" by a band whose name I'd never heard before... "RUSH"!!! It consisted of a dramatic voice heralding this new release accompanied by a clip of the immortal spacey synth intro that Hugh Syme did for "Overture". I was, of course, intrigued, but it was several instances of hearing this prophetic ad before that hallowed day finally came in the spring of '76 when my buddy Dave showed up at a party brandishing the "2112" LP with its really cool cover and all. The stereo it was played on probably wasn't the greatest - one of those old console jobs - but it in no way took away from the feeling I remember vividly to this day, that of an all-powerful alien species having finally landed, hell-bent on taking over the planet! I've referred to that day, more times than I could ever possibly count, as "the day the Martians landed", hence my Rush Forum handle "alienInvasion76". Well, anyway... the rest, as they say, is history. P.S. In case you missed it, here's the link to my other recent "2112" post providing links to several "2112" related articles, etc. that appeared on or around its release: http://www.therushforum.com/index.php?/topic/98577-apr-1st-2016-the-40th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-2112/