Day of Light

Segue, which version of Vapor Trails do you prefer? I haven't gotten a chance to listen to the remixed yet and I'm wondering if it's significantly different. Loudness War Database says it's more dynamic--but not by much.

The Astonishing sounds better to me every time I listen. I'm tempted to go see them in April if James is known to sing better as the tour goes along. It would be my first time seeing DT.

I saw the Japanese band angela at Otakuthon last summer and while the crowd was a bunch of low-energy losers the band itself played amazing. Atsuko has an amazing voice and sounds even better in person than on the absolutely pristine studio tracks, and the guitarist is full of personality. They looked like they enjoyed being in Montreal for the first time; really funny and dynamic. I think that would be my best concert experience if I thought only about the artists. The crowd and security almost ruined it though.

Listening to it for the second time today, and Roll The Bones is a really light, uptempto album, and it picks up especially well with the title track and everything that follows. I can't wait for it to get warm enough to run here in Montreal because it sounds to me like a very good pace to try and match. I used to bash this album. I hope I don't start feeling the same way about Counterparts because then it will be proven for a fact that I like trash.

I hope this stays unpopular. You prefer the borrowed hotel bathroom towel ? http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/coverpics/Circus17mar1977b.jpg bae that's fetch af

Dreamline Baravado Roll The Bones The Big Wheel Ghost Of A Chance Heresy I think you make a valid point... And Neurotica. I used to hate it...now I enjoy the solo and the chorus is losing its "meh-ness". Face Up and You Bet Your Life are two songs I have doubts that I will ever like. I actually enjoy those songs too. And the goofy instrumental track. Roll the Bones might actually be more fun for me than anything that came after, and about 5 albums that came before.

Dreamline Baravado Roll The Bones The Big Wheel Ghost Of A Chance Heresy I think you make a valid point... And Neurotica.

It's one of those songs that I much prefer live; it kind of drones on in the studio version, but live it's exciting and dangerous and has better arrangement imo, as well as the solo being louder. Geddy sang it really well on the GUP tour too.

Roll the Bones is severely underrated.

Really??? Huh, not on my list. I may have to listen for that. Pretty much the entirety of Counterparts is about relationships/females... See! I always said Counterparts is icky and full of cooties. I think it's icky and full of cooties too, but it's also a theme Neil's never gonna revisit, and I'm OK with that.

Really??? Huh, not on my list. I may have to listen for that. Pretty much the entirety of Counterparts is about relationships/females, and some of Hold Your Fire as well.

Women.

"Only food and water are more important than music and privacy." -Gloria Steinem

Also I listened to Cygnux X-1 followed by Hemispheres and I can see what you mean by it being overcooked, Duff. AFTK definitely has more depth to its sound, while Hemispheres seems less dynamic in both loudness and... pitch? Is there such a thing as pitch compression that isn't a direct result of poor sound file quality?

It's not about disliking a member of a band. It's about downplaying the member's role in or contribution to the band. Case in point, I dislike Roger Waters, but how can I legitimately downplay his role in Pink Floyd? Neil's going to enjoy the fruit of his labor regardless of a few people on a message board questioning his role or contribution. This discussion isn't meant to "downplay" anything because criticizing his achievements and questioning his contributions isn't going to change the fact that they have been objectively rewarded in the form of accolades and money. Anything is arguable. This forum exists for fans to debate. If someone posts they think Neil is expendable to Rush you would expect a response in defense of Neil, wouldn't you? There's plenty to dislike or criticize Neil Peart about. I just don't think Neil Peart's contributions to Rush is one of them. That's fair.

Agreed. I don't get why so many on this forum treat Rush like old familiar friends. We know their public persona and we know their music. That is all. And Neil has not always presented himself in the most embraceful manner. Check his books. Which is fine, no big deal, he is a realistic man, not an actor. I pretty much hate everything about The Doors front man and other stars I admire for their art drive me crazy as individuals, not sure why that's such a bad thing for the fan boys to cope with? I'm not actually adverse to "following" artists and extending your mental relationship with them beyond that which they show. Personal attachments are bound to happen, and so do personal detachments: I think it's appropriate to discuss both, without feeling the need to self-censor because it's not nice, or it's not true, or whatever. As you know I like to discuss everything to death. I also disagree with the usage of "fan boy" as a pejorative. Liking and admiring an artist is not a bad thing--being closed off and stuck in an echo chamber's just a dangerous side effect of hanging around with too many like-minded people, and we all like to think our opinions are based in reality. With Neil it's especially difficult because by all means he worked hard and he's suffered a lot, so when aspects of him get attacked, it's easy to see it as unfair. To follow your tangent, I actually really love the entire Jim Morrison persona.

It's not about disliking a member of a band. It's about downplaying the member's role in or contribution to the band. Case in point, I dislike Roger Waters, but how can I legitimately downplay his role in Pink Floyd? Neil's going to enjoy the fruit of his labor regardless of a few people on a message board questioning his role or contribution. This discussion isn't meant to "downplay" anything because criticizing his achievements and questioning his contributions isn't going to change the fact that they have been objectively rewarded in the form of accolades and money. Anything is arguable.

Why Between the Wheels? Maybe they've never seen it life I have seen it live. Still nothing. Circumstances sits with me the same way I truly never realised you have a medium tolerance of Hemispheres before... What about A Farewell To Kings? It is their best seventies record in my opinion. AFTK, PEW, POW, and CA reside on my perfect album shelf. IMO AFTK was their best until CA I've always been baffled by the love for AFTK. Beyond Xanadu and Closer to the Heart, it's a bit of a mess to me. Strange, innit? You forgot the other songs that are so awesome The title track is really good. Cinderella Man is a personal favorite. Madrigal is a better filler track than most beloved tracks on Fly By Night and the debut, imo. Cygnus has great vocals! Yeah I don't know, AFTK is pretty awesome.

I don't see how it's weird to dislike any member of any band. It's not as if skill, membership or longevity automatically makes somebody pleasant, nor does it make their approach to life any less questionable.

You never wear matching socks except for when you wear matching dirty white socks. Right? http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff508/blackcc/Mobile%20Uploads/a86C8Hy_zpsvux3wohs.jpg yeah that was intentional. I felt like I had to dress up to make a good impression. ;)

I feel like the height difference between her and Geddy is about the same as the height difference between Geddy and Alex, so if we're trusting imdb's measurement... my estimate is that she's like 5'7", 5'8".

The Camera Eye's more exciting to me; it's a bit more uptempo and also sounds more recognizable. The lyrical content sounds more fresh, honest, dynamic, and fits well into the spirit of the album it's on... it paints moving pictures. I don't even know how to feel about Jacob's Ladder.

I'm starting to warm up to Nobody's Hero, going from despising it immensely to enjoying the music. But only live versions. I still dislike the album version, and I feel like the lyrics suck, even if the sentiment is pure. Middletown Dreams is special to me. I enjoy the music and the lyrics. But The Pass is on a completely different level to me. I start welling up within the first verse and flat-out sobbing by the time the chorus comes up. I don't exactly know why it affects me so strongly because I've never been particularly emotionally invested in similar songs about suicide, but I'll take a few guesses. I feel like it's talking directly to me, and what's being said is what I wish my parents or friends had told me when I'd tried reaching out for help. I've had to deal with being a depressed and suicidal high schooler mostly on my own. I love The Pass because it gives me comfort.

I am a dork. To give you a picture, I am a plucky female majoring in an engineering program who still can't get a date. I do not employ the English language correctly, Just a few days ago, I dropped this gem on some of my friends here at TRF: "does anybody into Pavement?" I also routinely employ the expression "because [noun]". I can't do any brain work with my shoes on. I just can't. I had a math exam today, and suffered through half of it before I just said, you know, whatever, and slipped off my boots, tucked my feet under me, and steamrolled through the rest of it. Incidentally, I don't ever wear matching socks. I think that's pretty dorky.

What does conservative mean in this context? It's very easy if you're economically right wing or neo-liberal. A bit harder if you're a social conservative.You make a good point, Day of Light. If I may: I interpret Spectre's contribution in the context the backdrop of generations of conservative RUSH fans, drawn mainly due to the — albeit somewhat outdated — the lyricist's anti-collectivist viewpoint. One need look no further than every neo-con darling who cites Ayn Rand as a pivotal source of inspiration. That is to say, one might expect a conservative with sympathies toward the tea party worldview to take solace in the rock of RUSH, to which Spectre states the opposite, which could be seen as an unpopular assumption. A lot has changed since "the genius of Ayn Rand" dedication adorned the inner sleeve of a popular RUSH album, but before we lend too much credence to Neil's self-revision and his repeatedly referring to himself as a "bleeding heart libertarian": Perhaps this is an attempt to distance himself from the clichéd version of right-wing libertarianism, but as recent as four years ago he was lamenting the existence of European streets named after Karl Marx, laying the atrocities committed under the auspices of communist/socialist regimes directly at his feet. There are not many philosophies a conservative more enthusiastically subscribes to than Marx = The Iron Curtain = murderous totalitarianism. So I reckon that there are plenty of conservatives and even tea party devotees who count themselves RUSH fans, grinning and bearing whatever doesn't suit their fancy. And I reckon Spectre is right: That conservatives would have a hard time being a RUSH fan is, generally speaking, an unpopular opinion. Quality response! I see what Spectre means, now.