Weatherman

A friend of mine works in interior design. He and his boss were hired by Steve Howe to decorate his home and home studio. They went over there for a consultation and Steve picked up his electric guitar to show them what he does in the room. The second he started playing, my friend said that every single hair on his body stood on end. Full-body goosebumps. It's got to be shocking to be standing two meters from someone that talented. BTW my friend wasn't a Yes fan, didn't know their music at all.

Recently, it occurred to me that some Rush songs are simply misplaced. They're on the wrong albums. Here's my short list: 1) "Lock and Key" (a personal favorite) would've fit perfectly on Presto. It's simple, strong, traditionally melodic songwriting, like most of that album. 2) "Show Don't Tell" belongs on Moving Pictures. It's the closest they ever came to recreating Tom Sawyer + YYZ. 3) "The Camera Eye" belongs on Permanent Waves. It's pop prog at its best. Any others?

Why the Between the Wheels love, everybody? Good chorus, but those two-chord keys during the lyrics are WAY too harsh. Ged evidently didn't bother writing a melody for the lyrics either.

Too bad most of the material in that era was unsalvagable. As usual, you are wrong. I agree. There was a lot of good stuff in that time frame, and I don`t think any album beats Power Windows as a vocal performance from Geddy. Hold Your Fire is better. He really developed his sense of melody. It's why I go back to that album. He maintained it, more or less, thru the next three albums, by staying down in chest voice. It's my favorite Geddy vocal era.

Signals: Subdivisions (duh) Analog Kid (half-time feel in chorus is killer) The Weapon (love the odd solo, esp when Neil kicks into gear) GuP: Afterimage Red Sector A (that solo!!) Distant Early Warning PW: Mystic Rhythms (that drum pattern + guitar arpeggio!) HYF: Time Stand Still (gets better with age) Lock and Key (criminally overlooked) Open Secrets

Unpopular answer but I think Eddie was better than almost everybody on earth. Too bad he's a wanker who spent his career in a wanker band. They had a few years of maturity with Sammy. That was my favorite VH era. I go back to those songs sometimes, both for Sammy's voice and for Eddie's rhythm work. Mannnn was he powerful. This is from 2015. Check out 6:45 onwards, where Eddie's classical training really shines:

That whole album is so terrific. It sounds awesome to my 2020 electronic music ears. Especially The Weapon. Listen to Neil on Subdivisions. He changes his pattern constantly through the song. I don't know any other pop/rock song (in the last 40 years) whose drummer does anything remotely like it.

FUN FACT That 1991 Auburn Hills show on the ROTB tour -- the one in the docu -- was my first Rush concert. I only went to four shows total, and that's where I popped my cherry. It was great. I remember Geddy's vest because I was wearing a similar one.

They're not overrated, they're overplayed. Bohemian Rhapsody is a brilliant piece of songwriting, but I'll put a bullet in my skull if I have to listen to it one more time.

I never understood the hate for Anagram. I can listen to Anagram and enjoy its middle-of-the-road qualities. As a writer, I even like the lyrics. Sometimes fans on message boards fixate on a particular track and unjustly bully it to death. This is one of those instances. Be fair. Rivendell or Tai Shan or Neurotica or Dog Years or Out of the Cradle are far, far worse.

I don't think J.S. Bach was known for his improvisational ability, and he was as masterful as it gets. It's just a different skill, not a weakness. Many, many groups -- Rush, U2 -- reach the heights of music with little to no improvisational ability.

Nice - well done. It's not an easy guitar part. I like to play it on classical acoustic. It seems to sound better with that soft nylon string sound.

Another example is found in the world of wine. Fifteen years ago, Kim Crawford made the world's best sauvignon blanc. It sold for $13. They made about 300,000 cases per year. Today, that same wine by Kim Crawford isn't even in the top 10. It now sells for $17. They make about 1.3 million cases per year, and have added rose and others. In other words, Kim Crawford sold out. They traded quality for quantity. It's a choice. They had enough respect. They wanted money. Rush never really did that. They kept respect.

Check out his t-shirt: https://twitter.com/DevorahLeah/status/1288498462850527232 I never thought I'd see Ged trending on Twitter. lol

They recovered themselves nicely on Counterparts, which has grown on me recently. My double penny: They started mailing it in with Test For Echo. There's nothing standing out on that record at all -- whereas every previous record had at least 2-3 standout songs, even RTB.

Jason Newsted (formerly) of Metallica said it best: "Yes, we sell out...every seat in the house, every time we play, anywhere we play."

the overture? maybe... TAKE THAT BACK, YOU HEATHEN 2112 Overture is a gift to rock guitarists and drummers everywhere... best soundcheck tune EVER.

Ged said the same thing. He wasn't keen on reviving it. That was one of Alex's babies. I play almost the whole song on guitar, and it's really, really fun to jam on (though the tempo feels a little sludgy to me today). In other words, like a lot of prog, it's more fun to play than to listen to.

I always liked that bassist who plays with Bela Fleck ... Vic Wooten. He's a badass, maybe even better than Geddy. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones are astonishingly good. I wonder what happened to them.

Moving Pictures was recorded and released in the 80s. Debate is over.

So what you're saying is that your ears haven't ever changed. Mine have, several times. I burned out on those 70s sounds. The last few years they've become attuned to modern electronic music, much of which is directly inspired by the synth wars of the 80s.

Agreed, but it's a fun exercise. Eddie Van Halen has always maintained that his own rhythm work is better than his solos -- and he's right.

Hell, Lifeson's grandkids might be approaching junior high already. His son is about 50 years old so there's a good chance his grandchildren are already in college.

It's hard for me to connect that friendly golfer dad with the possessed maniac who wrote La Villa Strangiato. I like both versions of Alex.

Yeah but The Camera Eye has such flawless recording that it doesn't matter. Listen with studio quality headphones. It's beauuuuuuutifully balanced.