rftag

Oh boy, too many to count.

 

Cygnus X1, The Voyage:

 

Actual lyric: All who dare to cross her course

 

What I heard: God who dared to cross a cult

 

Temples of Syrinx:

 

Actual lyric: We are the priests of the temples of Syrinx

 

What I heard: We are the priests of the devil, I'm serious

 

[Of course at the time - very young kid - had misconstrued the red star of the federation as a satanic pentagram so the power of suggestion was doubtless at play]

 

Freewill:

 

Actual lyric: Genetic blends

 

What I heard: Je ne te plains ("I don't complain" in French, with the required final "pas" omitted)

 

I could go on and on but I'll stop here for now.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg293/goose_trf/20150721_184515_zpsoakq0jrm.jpg

 

I had a great time at the Portland show with with my friends and RUSH roadtrippers of 30+ years. From the left are Mark, Dennis (best man @my wedding), and Jeff. I'm on the right. The four of us always put on a show for those sitting around us, as we know every lyric and note and sing/play along in concert with the band. The R40 show was a perfect end to three decades of RUSH memories with these guys.

 

Great idea for a thread, Gina!

 

I agree, great thread.

 

I was at the Portland show also. In fact I was probably in the bar you took this pic at the same time (that place across the street from the arena, right?).

 

The Portland show was great. I also saw them in Atlanta (actually Alpharetta) earlier in the tour. I loved both shows but they were definitely tighter by the time they hit Portland. I also had tickets for the last show of the tour but couldn't make it and had to sell them on StubHub.

 

My only regret is that they did the same set list on both shows I saw (setlist A, my least favorite of the sets). All of the setlists were great however.

 

I DESPERATELY wanted to see them do Natural Science!

 

But oh well.

 

Being able to see the shows you couldn't get to on Periscope that tour and chat about it in real time on this forum is another thing that made R40 very special.

 

In many ways my favorite Rush tour.

Double posted for some reason; don't see a delete option.

So, both albums reflect a turning point in Rush's progression (Permanent Waves marked the beginning of the AM-Radio era, whilst signals introduced more elements into the bands music in the form of Geddy's keyboard playing and added samples)

Debate on which is better in terms of: lyrics, popularity, pro's/con's and anything else you can find to bicker about!

 

No offense to Signals fans but IMHO it's not even close; Permanent Waves.

 

PeW arguably represents Rush at its best. There are relatively short radio friendly songs such as The Spirit of Radio and Freewill but still epic length prog tracks like Natural Science and Jacob's Ladder.

 

PeW is a strong contender for my favorite Rush album and possibly the one I've revisited most over the years.

 

Signals on the other hand was the very first of their albums that disappointed me on the first listen. I've talked about this on this forum before.

 

Before buying it I had heard Subdivisions and New World Man and really liked both a lot. It was obvious they had moved into a new direction but, hey, that was what made new Rush albums back then so exciting act interesting; you KNEW they would change with each release and the anticipation of what would come next was particularly exciting in the latter Terry Brown years.

 

I remember after buying the album,looking at all the songs I hadn't heard yet and thinking how the names of these songs meant nothing to me now but doubtless done of these yet unheard tracks would be as near and dear to my heart as, say, Entre Nous or Witch Hunt or The Trees etc.

 

I was stunned at how bland each track sounded.

 

I remember reading the album liner notes as I listened and thinking how the words seemed to perfectly correspond to what I was hearing: These were now affluent, mature, young adults with families. They had lost their edge.

 

I didn't abandon Rush at that time obviously, as many did, but none of their albums from that point on ever effected me in the way all of the previous ones had.

 

I was older, they were older.

 

I know all the arguments.

 

I know it's blasphemous, but after all is said and done, and as much as I LOVE So much of Rush's post MP catalogue, I think the stuff they did before Signals had a certain 'specialness' to it that nothing afterwards even came close to.

 

So, even though I've subsequently come to really like most of Signals, that album for me represents the point at which their music was never quite as exciting and magical and goose pimple raising as it had been.

So, both albums reflect a turning point in Rush's progression (Permanent Waves marked the beginning of the AM-Radio era, whilst signals introduced more elements into the bands music in the form of Geddy's keyboard playing and added samples)

Debate on which is better in terms of: lyrics, popularity, pro's/con's and anything else you can find to bicker about!

 

No offense to Signals fans but IMHO it's not even close; Permanent Waves.

 

PeW arguably represents Rush at its best. There are relatively short radio friendly songs such as The Spirit of Radio age Freewill but still epic length prog tracks like Natural Science and Jacob's Ladder.

 

PeW is a strong contender for my favorite Rush album and possibly the one I've revisited most over the years.

 

Signals on the other hand was the very first of their albums that disappointed me on the first listen. I've talked about this on this forum before.

 

Before buying it I had heard Subdivisions and New World Man and realkyiked both a lot. It was obvious they had moved into a new direction but, hey, that was what made new Rush albums back then so exciting act interesting; you KNEW they would change with each release and the anticipation of what would come next was particularly exciting in the latter Terry Brown years.

 

I remember after buying the album,looking at all the songs I hadn't heard yet and thinking how the names of these songs meant nothing to me now but doubtless done of these yet unheard tracks would be as near and dear to my heart as, say, Entre Nous or Witch Hunt or The Trees etc.

 

I was stunned at how bland each track sounded.

 

I remember reading the album liner notes as I listened and thinking how the words seemed to perfectly correspond to what I was hearing: These were now affluent, mature, young adults with families. They had lost their edge.

 

I didn't abandon Rush at that time obviously, as many did, but none of their albums from that point on ever effected me in the way all of the previous ones had.

 

I was older, they were older.

 

I know all the arguments.

 

I know it's blasphemous, but after all is said and done, and as much as I LOVE So much of Rush's post MP catalogue, I think the stuff they did before Signals had a certain 'specialness' to it that nothing afterwards even came close to.

 

So, even though I've subsequently come to really like most of Signals, that album for me represents the point at which their music was never quite as exciting and magical and goose pimple raising as it had been.

As a fan of music, I visited the rrhof and I enjoyed it very much. Mind you, before entering, I made a conscious effort to park my feelings about who I personally would like to see in the hall. Doing so made it so much more enjoyable. Seeing equipment from the Who and Zeppelin, Joplin's psychedelic car, and hand written letters from from Hendrix was one of the cooler things I've experienced.

 

So maybe it's pretty good as a rock music museum but as a barometer of significance it's absurd.

 

Joan Jett is an inductee for crisakes.

 

They induct way too many artists. Many of whom aren't even rock acts.

 

 

I think Alex summed up the RRHOF perfectly...

 

"Blah blah blah, blah blah blah, blah, blah blah blah blah, blah, BLAH!"

 

that's how i feel about the Hall of fame in general, lol

 

Mick

 

Yes.

 

The media seemed mystified by Alex's speech at the time but I figured that Alex's point was precisely that; that the RRHOF had been so compromised by that time that it was kind of irrelevant.

 

They've inducted so many one hit wonders and non-rock acts its become a joke.

No moshing here, but Kurt Cobain was having a good time

 

http://www.rushtrader.com/interviews/rushagora1s.gif

He's smelling the spirit of his left teen armpit

 

He worked up a sweat passin' down that garden road

If you do the math, Cobain was probably only about 6 years old when this gig happened

 

yeah, he looks a lot older in the pic, doesn't he

 

;)

Just a little. Btw, I never saw anyone state a year when that photo was taken. Wonder what they were playing too

 

Is it known for sure that it is Cobain in the pic? It looks like him, but Cobain was born in 1967, and this pic can't be more recent than 1978, which would make Cobain 10 or 11 at the time.

 

Doesn't seem mathematically/biologically possible that the Cobain looking kid in the pic could actually be Kurt Cobain.

 

Since 1974, never...ever.

 

I'm surprised you would have even seen it in 1974. Did moshing even exist then?

 

Moshing is associated with very heavy thrash metal (Slayer, Anthrax, early Metallica etc). I would've imagined it originated in the early 80s with the advent of thrash, or perhaps in the mid 70s punk scene.

 

 

Never saw it. I've seen many people doing the head banging thing to their heavier stuff (i.e. the exaggerated 'yes' up and down head motion) but moshing? No. That's more of a thrash metal thing.

 

Also, when moshing was at its peak in the mid to late 80s Rush was at their mellowest.

 

It would be almost surreal to see people moshing to even the heaviest Rush song.

If we're talking about true guilty pleasures, meaning songs that you like but feel somewhat embarrassed by the fact you like it, it would probably be Countdown.

 

I was pretty disappointed with Signals when it came out. I liked Subdivisions and New World Man and to a lesser extent Analog Kid but the rest of the album did nothing for me on the first listen.

 

I recall at the time thinking the album was for the most part bland since prior to Signals there wasn't any Rush album that wasn't mostly awesome on the first listen. I remember thinking Countdown was particularly lame.

 

I also recall reading the liner notes with its thanks to the good people at NASA and having this sense that they had lost their edge.

 

But years later when just letting the album play itself out while driving I found myself actually liking Countdown. It's certainly not one of their best but I kinda like it for some reason, which does make me feel a bit 'guilty' because I know it's really not a very good song.

 

Now,if by guilty pleasure we mean simply a song that you like which most Rush fans don't, that's easy: their debut album.

 

I think it's awesome but many, if not most, Rush fans seem to hate it. But I have no guilt or shame over loving it.

Have you ever had that experience where hearing an awesome new song for the first time actually caused the hairs on your arm to raise or to feel tingly?

 

That's called "goose pimples" and Rush is one of the few bands that have caused that physical reaction in me upon hearing a song of there's for the first time.

 

Some Rush songs that did that for me were:

 

*2112

*The Spirit of Radio

 

What about you?

 

 

 

I'm sure that they do colour their hair....there is not a single grey hair on any of their noggins...I guess for rock and roll its cool...I'm going grey and would never do it..any other comments?

 

Well, only Geddy actually has real hair still growing out of the top of his head at least; Neil covers his bald dome with that African cap and Alex wears a piece, possibly supplemented by some transplants to the hairline (creating a Friar Tuck effect when he's not wearing a rug).

 

Alex has a full head of hair in concert (usually) but his bare dome can be seen in many parts of "Beyond The Lighted Stage" as well as other videos of him in recent years.

 

Geddy would look really old if he had the grey hair just from ear to ear around the back of the head that many men of his age have.

 

With his great physical condition and long dark presumably natural locks he looks 10 to 15 years younger than his actual age.

 

They all look younger than their years, but Geddy is by far the best preserved.

 

Does Geddy dye his hair? Who knows. Maybe. But it works for him.

 

Alex's rug/plug approach serves him well also.

 

Neil should ditch the Afro-cap.

Zebra without a doubt. Trio band, vocalist with ultra-high vocals, bassist that also plays keyboards, inspired heavily by Led Zep.

 

Ah yes. I know of Zebra and think they're a group that could have been huge but it just didn't happen.

 

I actually know someone who knows the band personally. They made a name for themselves before being signed as doing great covers of Floyd and Zeppelin, and that influence is apparent in their early recordings.

 

They almost hit the big time in the early 80s and had extensive radio airplay at that time but seem to have fallen off the radar.

If you are looking for a band with a similar ethos to Rush and in the same broad genre then I would suggest Porcupine Tree. Their early albums are nothing like their later albums, no album sounds like its predecessor and they've never compromised themselves for the mainstream.

Pity they are on permanent hiatus.

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

I've heard great things about Porcupine Tree though unfortunately I've never heard them. I will definitely check them out.

Triumph

Budgie

Bon Jovi

Spice Girls

 

Intersting response. I get the joke of course.

 

I take this as saying they ventured into the pop synth area a bit too long?(I agree frankly, and from what I've read it seems maybe Alex would agree with you).

 

I'm a little confused however since, though it's been a while since I've been a daily contributor to the forum, I seem to recall you as a fan of their synth era stuff.

 

Perhaps I don't understand your point here or am not recalling your preferences for Rush's various eras correctly.

 

I do recall you as someone whose posts I generally enjoyed and often agreed with.

 

Comparing them to Binjovi and the Spice Girls et al seems a bit harsh though, lol.

 

I appreciate the humor however.

 

Maybe you could elaborate for my benefit; I'm somewhat surprised that you would post such a sharp takedown of Rush.

Rush's sound is very unique and evolved radically over time.

 

Is there any other band that may be pointed to as similar in this or any other respect to Rush? As in, evolving from Zeppelin like bluesy heavy metal to prog to pop to whatever?

 

The thing about Rush that is so awesome is that there's no other band like Rush, so I'm very eager to hear any suggestions of a band that had in any way followed a similar trajectory.

Ten is a tough call.

 

In chronological order:

 

1. Before and After

2. Anthem

3. In The End from ATWAS

4. 2112

5. Xanadu

6. The Trees w/Broons Bane intro from ESL

7. Free Will/Spirit of Radio tie

8. Natural Science

9. Tom Sawyer/Limelight tie

10. Witch Hunt/Camera Eye tie

 

Ask me tomorrow and the list might be very different.

 

Great list

 

And good to see your posts again rftag !

 

Thank you so much Lucas! Feels good to post here again. Been away too long.

My mind changes a lot but right now I would say Farewell to Kings.

Ten is a tough call.

 

In chronological order:

 

1. Before and After

2. Anthem

3. In The End from ATWAS

4. 2112

5. Xanadu

6. The Trees w/Broons Bane intro from ESL

7. Free Will/Spirit of Radio tie

8. Natural Science

9. Tom Sawyer/Limelight tie

10. Witch Hunt/Camera Eye tie

 

Ask me tomorrow and the list might be very different.

I like COS but I think it's the weakest of album of the ATWAS period. Bastille Day and Lakeside Park are classic Rush tracks in my opinion and I think Bacchus Plateau is underrated and there is some awesome guitar work on Necromancer.

 

But it's the only Rush album prior to Singles where I feel the need to skip tracks.

When Rush is at their best there's a synergy between the lyrics and the music and the vocal presentation by Geddy that just sounds like what you're hearing is "Truth"; something very deep and profound and usually ineffable that their music somehow manages to make conspicuous.

This has happend to me on several occasions with several :rush: songs. but most notably Countdown. When Signals 1st came out I would skip over it. When they played it live I was like ugh "man the could've used the time to play something cool" If any of you can remember the Pre-Evening with :rush: format, 90 minutes was not a lot of time. Today I would Kill to get a chance to hear the song live I absolutely love it. Sometimes it will be the only song off Signals I will put in my rotation (my how times have changed ;) ). I really started warming up to it when I lived on the space coast (Cape Caveral/ Cocoa Beach area) :musicnote: on the Florida coastline :musicnote: The radio stations would play it around shuttle lauches. Shuttle launches were specticals all on their own but being able to enjoy the music was an added plus :D . I think today I have the nostalgia angle goin too as this song teleports me back in time (as do most older songs) and the shuttle program is long gone.

 

Yeah, I initially thought Countdown was an utterly forgettable track. Now I think it's actually a pretty good song.

I did not like Vital Signs at all, as the band's entire transition was hard enough for a 13 year old metalhead to stomach, and Vital Signs epitomized that downward spiral ..

 

I don't think "grew on me" is the correct term, as it hit me all at once when I bought the Moving Pictures Gold CD and listened to it for the first time in years ... over and over

 

I love that song now

 

I never liked Vital Signs and still don't, but I love the ending very much, the part where Geddy repeatedly sings "Everybody got to elevate (alternately "deviate" or "escalate") from the norm".

 

It's an ineresting song in terms of the evolution of the band's sound because it is the last track on MP which seems particularly appropriate in retrospect as it definitely seems a harbinger of the direction Rush was headed in (it sounds more like a Signals song than a Moving Pictures song). However it was actually the first song recorded for MP.

 

I always think of Vital Signs when I read about how Terry Brown and Rush fell out during the production of Signals because Brown didn't like the musical direction Rush was going in because it has all of the elements of Signals that Brown apparently didn't like, yet he apparently produced it enthusiastically early in the production of Moving Pictures.

 

Interesting.

I bought this album (on cassette) in the mid 80s after getting totally hooked on the band and happened to get one of those cassettes where the song order was screwed up and had no reference to "Fountain of Lamneth", so I actually didn't even know there was a theme to the album.

 

When I heard people talk about "Fountain of Lamneth" I was always like "huh?" I

thought there was a canonical era side length epic I'd somehow never heard.

 

A friend was shocked I'd never heard Fountain of Lamneth and played it for me and I immediately recognized it as Caress of Steel.

 

Oh well. No lost side length epic.

 

As for the album, I like it but think it's the worst of their 70s output.

 

Bastille Day and Lakeside Park are classics in my opinion. I like Bachus Plateau. I love Alex's shredding guitar solo in the Necromancer.

 

But much of the album doesn't do much for me.

 

I like it but think the debut and FBN are much better.