Weatherman

The Police built many of their biggest hits on bits of reggae. Rush copied them.

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It sounds like a lot of people really fell off the bandwagon at HYF. I can understand that. But there's still a lot to love about that album -- at least 4 banger songs, a couple more very good ones, Geddy's best vocals of his career, some excellent slappin-de-bass, and the usual great lyrics. Put it this way: I listen to HYF waaay more than RTB or TFE or VT or CA.

My first intro was MP, immediately followed by Presto and 2112. All in the same month. I loved all three of them. I didn't care what was "pop" or "prog rock" or "synth heavy" or "light production". The songwriting on all 3 albums was tight, tight, tight. They're still 3 of my top 5 Rush albums today. Anyways, my vote was for CoS. There is nothing about that album I enjoy. It's a slog. The CoS --> 2112 turnaround was one of rock music's great ninth-inning comebacks.

Grace Under Pressure tour, full show, YouTube (you know the one). They sounded so good.

That song was a standout from the first time I put it in the CD player. Really strong. Along with Animate. But that solo, ugh. God I love so much of Alex's playing, but several of his solos just never connected with me, not as a listener nor a player. You gotta have either melody or rhythmic structure (or both), and too often he does neither. (FYI, I'm a guitarist, and I can play about a third of their catalog.) On the other hand, his solos in LVS and The Weapon and Limelight and Red Sector A are top-shelf, A-grade, tell-your-grandkids level of craftsmanship. tldr: Alex's solos frustrate me.

I'm on the record around here stating my undying love for Presto. The songwriting is so, so tight. I view it as a continuation of HYF, but with 75% less annoying synths. Lock and Key could've easily been on Presto.

I think Geddy's best singing was from HYF --> RTB. He really worked on melody, a lot. That plus the synth work, and he was driving the band at that point. I voted RTB only because it has 3 or 4 *great* songs that I still enjoy today, while Counterparts has maybe 1 or 2 (Animate). I ignored the filler on both.

That's impossible. We all know who number two works for.

Yeah, I was mostly excited to hear that more is around the corner. Looks like a sequel! Or maybe they've convinced Alex to think about playing some live dates. We can hope.

You guys suck. I really liked most of it. My cousin is a chid of the 1990s and doesn't care about Rush. He digs it, a lot.

In case you missed it-- https://www.loudersound.com/news/envy-of-none-return-with-new-ep "Stay tuned for more cool news around the corner for EON…”

Ummmm, listen to La Villa Strangiato one more time. Those time sig changes are ostentatious and often too much for many ears. But I'd agree that they started making the changes more seamless with MP. Limelight is a perfect example.

That cannot be the real title. I thought he was classier than that.

I don't even like that song, but man that sounded *great*. Super tight! It supports my humble opinion that the Vapor Trails/R30 tours were their absolute height as a live act.

I just watched that last night. Unstable is hilarious, just as good as Parks and Recreation. "Tom Sawyer" plays during a scene when the world's best tree trimmer arrives to cut some branches that nobody else can handle. The other Mexican gardeners look on in awe, including Rob Lowe. Truly a modern day warrior, mean mean stride.

I didn't really listen to Rush for about 10 years. When I came back into the fold and revisited all the old stuff, Signals was the one that stood out immediately.

This is the best setlist of their entire career, hands down. I could quibble with a couple, but what more do you want, really? This is their best music. It makes me nostalgic for a time period in live music that I never knew.

You can't buy direct from HarperCollins. Traditional publishing doesn't do that. All their products go through a distributor, whether Amazon, B&N, whatever. Also, HarperCollins is a subsidiary of News Corp, which owns Fox News. Is it important to you to support that conglomerate?

I thought I saw that there's a couple live songs from MP: Red Barchetta and Vital Signs.

Has Alex's speed decreased? I never noticed much difference.

Every seat for Rush I ever had sucked. The "best" was lawn seats at an outdoor shed. BUT I sat second row for David Gilmour on his last (final?) tour. That was mind-blowing to see him play Comfortably Numb right in front of me. The stagelights were so bright for That Solo I had to shield my eyes. (Inside tip: He drinks tea between songs.) It was also weird to make eye contact with his beautiful backup singer -- and she nods and smiles back.

EVH always said that he was most proud of his rhythm playing. I agree. His solos could be too much sometimes. But his rhythm playing is literally the best I've ever heard. It's bouncy like a cartoon and gleeful but not immature. Really genius level.

Confession time: I am a major Rush fan, and yet I have never heard Exit Stage Left. I've heard a piece here and there, of course, but never all the way through. I'm no stranger to their live recordings. I grew up listening to ASOH (had the VHS tape too) , and later Different Stages became a favorite (as I enjoy 80s and 90s Rush most). As an adult in the 2000s/2010s there's been a galaxy of live recordings to listen to. I love all of it, mostly. So I'm saving ESL for later in life. We're not getting any new material, and I want some vintage Rush recordings to enjoy when I'm old. That is all. (bows)

You all know Billy Corgan is a fan, and in this new interview he admits that Cherub Rock was a ripoff of By-Tor and the Snow Dog. It starts at 6:40.