Weatherman

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rivendell. A sappy eye roller.

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.

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.

ALSO Nobody says that about pianists, Alex. lol

When reached for comment, the chair said, "Listen, it was a sweet gig, they paid well for two hours' work, leave me out of this."

I'll avoid his philosophical and obvious lyrics that we all know and love. Instead, I'll choose two based on his excellent WORDPLAY. Neil did wordplay better than most other pop lyricists. So does hip-hop. That's probably the only thing he had in common with hip-hop. LOL You Bet Your Life Terrible song, bottom of the catalog, but I really like the list of nouns and adjectives in the backing vocals. I'm a sucker for a good "list lyric" anyways. Bet your life (anarchist, reactionary, running dog revisionist) Bet your life (Hindu, Muslim, Catholic, creation evolutionist) Bet your life (rational, romantic, mystic, cynical, idealist) Bet your life (minimal, expressionist, post-modern, neo-symbolist) Anagram (for Mongo) Can we just appreciate the wicked thought that went into these lyrics? Each one is like a Rubik's cube. I was singing these lines for decades before I realized how deviously verbal they were. There is tic-toc in atomic Leaders make a deal The cosmic is largely comic A con they couldn't conceal Unlike most, I really like the music of this one too.

Yeah, the Counterparts tour sounded terrible live.

Q for TB: On which album, if any, do you feel that Rush lost its way?

Hold Your Fire is produced fine, it's Presto that's got the worst production values. Oh please, stop. Presto is a balanced recording. The sonic assault known as Vapor Trails is a welter of production problems. It's the only album they ever tried to fix.

Ged's bass sounds so much better in those old recordings. It sounds more prominent somehow. Was it just his classic black-and-white Fender Jazz?

“The iconic guitar for me is the white 355 that I got in 1976. That’s on so much material, from when I got it right up until the last album." -Alex https://metaladdicts...r-liked-the-sg/ And it's all over this little ditty some of you have heard once upon a time...

My first guess would be that this is the reason for the sale. The history of what Al did with those tools must weigh pretty heavily on his mind. I'd probably get rid of them too. The doubleneck was an easy choice, since he said he can't really lift it anymore. :-)

It was the best of times, worst of times. I can't think of another album in their catalog with that same disparity. They should've switched GoaC with Face Up, then spiked the entire 2nd side.

I've been playing Xanadu on guitar for decades. It's fun as hell to play. BUT, like other prog, it's not as much fun for most audiences to listen to. So ... mixed feelings. Jacob's Ladder has the same issues. Still-- --I love the Xanadu intro, totally, no reservations. It's SO seventies, in the best possible way.

So JR ... ������ I was wondering after your extensive research how do you now conclude sir ? ������ I found revisiting Test For Echo gave me the most pleasure. I hate to say this but damn I don't remember Roll the Bones being so weak, with so much filler. Oh for sure it is. Even as a teenager I knew side 2 sucked (except GoaC). All the action is on side 1. The better half of RTB (if it had been recorded by the Caveman) + the better half of Counterparts = a killer album. But that did not happen...

Yo this "night with Ged and Al" fantasy show with diehard fans high-fiving one another is NOT happening. The guys are over it. Al drinks his port wine at home and pesters Ged via text message. That's it.

What did you think when you first heard New World Man? Dunno about him, but I couldn't believe that THIS was Rush's highest charting song. Life is weird.

Because of the Caveman, Counterparts is really an odd duck in their discography. It's grown on me.

At the Snakes shows I saw, the crowd was bored to tears during the SnA stuff. We must've been at the same show. They did SIX new songs in a row, in the broad daylight. Even big fans like me were rolling their eyes. Unfortunately, it put me off the group for a while, and I never saw them play live again.