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Weatherman

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Everything posted by Weatherman

  1. Weatherman

    Superconductor

    Yeah, JL is a perfect example of a prog song that's more fun to play than to listen to. The abrupt change in tone in Natural Science made me cringe, now, yesterday, and 30 years ago when I first heard it. Freewill -- don't even get me started. Good prechorus, and I like Geddy's bass and Neil's clams isolated from whatever the fork Alex is doing. Other parts are ridiculous. The earlier stuff has nice bits and terrible bits -- Fountain of Lamneth, for example. And again the last two parts of 2112 are inferior to the first 5 parts. Sum total: People have different ears!
  2. Weatherman

    Superconductor

    Naw, there are plenty of examples of this in the 70s. Some bits of prog work well, other bits are an absolute slog. For me, nearly every song on PW has bits I like and bits I skip over. Even the last two parts of 2112 rarely get played round these parts.
  3. I can't believe this. Just watched the doc -- and NO mention of Pratt. What an oversight. My other takeaway: Keith Moon was really, really an animal. I'd never seen him play on video before. Holy hell. I remember Daltrey saying his theory that Moon was undiagnosed autistic.
  4. Slightly off topic, but last month I played a Yamaha SLG200S (click here to see) for that "plugged-in classical experience" and it blew my mind. Smooth as drawn butter and a gorgeous, professional tone, even out of a simple practice amp. I want one.
  5. How did they sound at that show? Any specific memories?
  6. Blackstar, David Bowie. That was brilliant, much better than CA, and he died the week it was released. I'd also nominate Songs of Experience, U2. About half the songs are great.
  7. I've really tried to enjoy CA but it has so far failed to grab me. I think my ears have changed, towards the electronic and the polyrhythmic. Still, I can recognize quality. It's the best of the final 3, as most people here agree.
  8. Ged's bassline brings to mind a very strong snake moving through the weeds.
  9. Kabul Blues is probably my favorite on the album. I love the Middle Eastern feeling!
  10. Their long-term friendship probably accounted for 50% of the fans' adoration, by the end.
  11. "I didn't like this romance novel because it's not a mystery novel."
  12. I enjoy the album overall. Many songs definitely have a 90s feel. On several tracks, Maiah sounds like Sarah MacLachlan, or even Dolores Riordan of the Cranberries. I love her voice. Alex: He's really stretching out here. I love to hear it. I'd always hoped he'd play in a different context. His artistry is evident here. The only criticism: The bottom end can sound a bit sludgy. Grunge is dead; let's keep it that way. Favorite tracks: Kabul Blues, Shadow Least favorite: Western Sunset What about you?
  13. I saw them outdoors on that show, and they started with Limelight. In the late summer DAYLIGHT. It defeated the purpose of the song. They sounded good on the second leg, but Neil's drums sounded like Tupperware. Later I learned that John Rutsey had died that very day. I wonder if they found out before stepping onstage.
  14. Me too, when I discovered it in the early 90s. It's easily #1 or #2 for me, tied with MP. And I like side 2 as much, or even more, than side 1. A non-Rush fan friend texted me last year, "I've been listening to 2112 this week. You were right. It really is very, very good."
  15. IMO the 4's are easier to sell than the 8's (i.e. 7/4 versus 7/8. You can at least tap a toe to 7/4. 7/8 would lose a lot of people in a hurry. This is one reason why the section after the second chorus of The Spirit of Radio works). In general you're right, but the right drummer can make 7/8 easy to follow and even make it groove. Here is a clinic on that: http://youtu.be/DaPSvhReVwA That was sick! It was! The verses seem to be in 4 though, and I really liked that drum pattern, more than the loud 7 part. The verses are in 7/8. Gavin is giving the illusion that it's in 4/4. If you listen to only the snare and kick it seems to sound even, but the hi-hat pattern is where you hear the 7. The choruses are (I think) 10/8 -- basically a 5 feel. The solo section is 7/8, where the snare and kick sound 7/8 but he's doing steady quarter notes on the ride cymbal to smooth it out. Wait, what? I listened to the pre-verses again and counted it out. From 0:40 to 1:13 definitely seems 4/4. The verses sound like alternating 4 and 5, but that's probably not right. That snare/kick sounds straight up 4/4 rock but there is something else happening. Wild!
  16. IMO the 4's are easier to sell than the 8's (i.e. 7/4 versus 7/8. You can at least tap a toe to 7/4. 7/8 would lose a lot of people in a hurry. This is one reason why the section after the second chorus of The Spirit of Radio works). In general you're right, but the right drummer can make 7/8 easy to follow and even make it groove. Here is a clinic on that: http://youtu.be/DaPSvhReVwA That was sick! It was! The verses seem to be in 4 though, and I really liked that drum pattern, more than the loud 7 part.
  17. I think that song is an uninteresting attempt at hard rock and odd meters. 1) The entire song is in 7/4 :no: Wait actually relistening to a bit of it goose is right. The prechorus and chorus are just in 4. Right. The verses are in 7/4, but the pre-choruses, choruses, and that keyboard interlude are all in 4/4. The little power chord section after the interlude has measures of 6/4 and 7/4. So technically, most of the song is 4/4, but those 7/4 verses are what you remember, so it's an easy to perceive the whole song that way unless you actually count out the whole thing. Thanks! I stand corrected. One of the best/confusing/annoying/amazing things about Rush was the way they tossed in a time change for one measure here or there, just for kicks. They're not the only ones -- I think the Beatles did a little of that too -- but Rush got more famous for it.
  18. I think that song is an uninteresting attempt at hard rock and odd meters. 1) The entire song is in 7/4, which is hard to listen to for 4 minutes. Even Floyd's Money took a break from 7 during Gilmour's long solo. 2) There's TWO step-and-a-half modulations in Superconductor's final choruses (at 3:33 and at 3:55) that are just awful. Most modulations are bad anyways, and those are stinkers. 3) Totally forgettable synth bridge. However, I do like Alex's emotive guitar part in the prechorus ("hit you in a soft place/a melody so sweet"). That's cool. Lol, I didn't ever even notice it was in an odd time. I'm just so used to Rush playing with time that it sounds totally natural to me. I also don't mind modulations. I think they're fun in general, if a little absurd. REM does the same thing with Stand and it's one of the funniest and funnest things about that song for me. Yeah they can be done smooth (John Mayer is really good at them) or they can be done, um, like Superconductor. Stand is another good example of a bad one, IMO.
  19. I think that song is an uninteresting attempt at hard rock and odd meters. 1) The entire song is in 7/4, which is hard to listen to for 4 minutes. Even Floyd's Money took a break from 7 during Gilmour's long solo. 2) There's TWO step-and-a-half modulations in Superconductor's final choruses (at 3:33 and at 3:55) that are just awful. Most modulations are bad anyways, and those are stinkers. 3) Totally forgettable synth bridge. However, I do like Alex's emotive guitar part in the prechorus ("hit you in a soft place/a melody so sweet"). That's cool.
  20. There`s often chatter about Anagram (for Mongo) not being a career highlight. It was probably more fun to write than it is for us to listen to. The lyrics are kinda fun to read, even if they're not true anagrams. Some of the lines are clever, like "There's tic toc in atomic," but as song lyrics they're awful. And they're made worse by the music, which was mailed in and has no life whatsoever. I'll go to my death bed believing that this song is better than you guys are giving it credit for. Superconductor is far worse, for example.
  21. Rivendell. A sappy eye roller.
  22. No one at the Kansas show I went to was in a chair.. well except for the acoustic set they did to start the show where everyone was in a chair. When I saw them in 2017, Rich Williams (the guy with the eye patch) sat through the whole set. I don't follow them all that well, so don't know all the history. Perhaps he was recovering from an injury or surgery at the time. But...chair. And Dave Grohl! Sitting like a demented king, during his broken leg tour. RIP Taylor.
  23. Yo Yo Ma has been sitting down his entire career..... the lazy ass. And even D. Gilmour sits down to play lap steel... along with every classical guitarist ever.
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