GeddyRulz

You're only missing a few, and as others have already said, the greatest one you didn't list in the original post is A Farewell to Kings. Next would be Counterparts, in my opinion. Test for Echo and Snakes & Arrows... eh, they can wait.

To be "most overrated," the song needs LOTS of fans, and perhaps be a song that the BAND ITSELF praises, too... but which you think is weak. With that definition in mind: "The Pass." The band loves it, and so do most of you. I think it's snooze city, and even as an "anti-suicide" song, it fails. (I myself was suicidally depressed when it came out; I got better advice from Wilson Phillips's "Hold On" than I did this song by my favorite band!) I really don't understand all the love for this song. Maybe you're all just a bunch of sentimental saps. "Bravado." Ditto. The band loves it, and it's snooze city. God, these ballads really bring a Rush concert to a screeching halt! Nice enough sentiment in the lyrics, but it's a lullaby to sing fans to sleep. "Fly by Night." Far from their best moment. Simplistic lyrics from Neil, who was still getting used to suddenly becoming a lyricist, and a musical sound which is now entirely dated. A straight-ahead 1970s rock song -- in retrospect, it would've suited John Rutsey well -- which has no place on the radio today, or in concert. "A Passage to Bangkok." Dated. I understand that you tokers love it, but it shouldn't have ever been recorded, and should be seen by the band (and everyone else) as a total embarrassment now. "Red Sector A." One of their worst tracks, ever. Neil could've treated the subject matter much better than he did here, with fairly dumb and repetitive lyrics. Musically, it's the band's most keyboard-centric song of all time, and I hate that. Hell, Geddy totally unstraps his bass when he plays this in concert! Here and throughout the GUP album, Alex is reduced to playing little Andy Summers/reggae rhythm strums on his guitar, behind the dominant keyboard melodies. WTF? When they play this song in concert, I'm off to the bathroom. There's five songs most of you probably like, but which I don't. That'll do for now.

I've always believed the weakest track to be "The Stars Look Down." I can appreciate (and even AGREE WITH) what it's saying lyrically, but the music is unexciting. It's one of those "just sits there" songs.

I play regularly. Didn't know the odds were that bad, or about to get worse. Still keep thinking I'm going to hit one day... :D A story: I just started a new job, working at the same NY state agency where a group of 7 co-workers chipped-in and won $319M in March 2011. And now I'm buying my tickets next door, at the same store where they bought them. I'm with the same employer, buying them at the same store, as the winners. Hoping lightning strikes the same place twice! http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/lucky-albany-winners-319m-mega-millions-jackpot-claim-winnings-thanks-jerk-article-1.119176

I have two kids, a girl (10) and a boy (7). They know daddy is crazy about Rush, but they don't know much Rush music. My daughter prefers Bieber and Top 40 crap. My son has potential as a "rocker," but as I said, he doesn't know much Rush. He loves Queen, and the Rainbow songs I've played. Recently both kids have discovered "Tom Sawyer," though, and will sing it in the car. (Thanks, Rock Band, for exposing it to my kids!)

I can only say my pick is definitely NOT the original. The remixes both have a twiddly bass thing during the intro which isn't on the original. Cool! :geddy: Tell me, peeps: what's the big difference(s) between the Retro 3 and VTR versions? I'm not familiar enough with the Retro 3 version to notice a big difference on the new one.

I had a gift card for Barnes & Noble, but they wouldn't sell it to me on 9/30 because they were stil going by the earlier 10/1 street date. (They were WRONG!) Marched down to FYE in the same mall, and there it was with Rush's back catalog. (Not in with new releases.)

I was just as naive, back in the day. I loved VT from the first listen, and I foolishly thought, "Wow, here's a record that will unite Rush fans! EVERYONE is going to love it!" Then I hit the message boards and saw all the thumbs-down votes, mostly because of the production. I'm no audiophile, but I eventually came to understand that the gripes were justified. This wasn't a matter of the album sounding INTENTIONALLY "raw" or "grungy," this was a butchering job in the mixing and mastering. Still, I loved the songs and was a fierce defender of the album. I can only agree and amplify this. From the start, I viewed VT as a unique and daring artistic statement. The guys really took a lot of chances on this album - all the guitar layering, the vocal layering, the absence of keyboards, the dearth of guitar solos - and the result is an album which sounds very different from anything else they've done, before or since. It manages to be as hard-rocking as their other albums, but is also very "artsy." It's really got a character all its own. And we hear now that it's also an "emotional" album. Vapor Trails is to Rush what The Unforgettable Fire is to U2. They could've played it safe and released something which sounded like its successful predecessors, but they were bold and gave us atmospheric ART instead. Love it or hate it or just "like" it, you have to give props to Rush for being artists, and not salesmen.

Good call; I hadn’t mentioned that yet, but I agree. There’s some real emotion on this record... as there should be, given what the theme is. I hadn’t heard that emotion until this remix. (Actually, as big a Rush fan as I’ve been for thirty years, I must admit I always saw them as more of a cerebral band, not an emotional one. They just never hit me as a “feel” band… until I heard “The Garden” when CA was released in 2012. Now I see that they also packed emotion into VT, back in 2002! We just couldn’t hear it.)

The album as a whole sounds MUCH better, sonically. No muddy distortion and audio clipping; all the instruments can be heard distinctly and clearly, as it should be on a Rush album. As far as I’m concerned, this IS Vapor Trails now, not “Vapor Trails Remixed.” But even more than the overall cleanliness, I’m most excited about being able to hear parts I never heard before! The bass bit at the beginning of “OLV” (which, admittedly, I first heard on the Retro 3 remix of the song, not here), some previously-unheard guitar solos, and a few songs which now sound like they’re being sung in a completely different key, thanks to Bottrill highlighting a different vocal layer than on the original album, and making THAT the lead vocal. I can’t say enough about this remix/remaster. I liked the album from the start, back in 2002, but now it’s so much better!

The question I've been wondering is this: Has Gary heard the remix, and does he actually LIKE Vapor Trails now? ;)

The remix is definitely replacing the 2002 original - on my iTunes, on my iPod, and in my car's CD player. The original is dead to me! When I was burning the CD to iTunes, it wanted to label all the songs "One Little Victory (Remix)," "Ceiling Unlimited (Remix)," etc. I changed the title of each, deleting "remix" from the titles. As far as I'm concerned these ARE the songs now, as they should've been from the beginning.

I don't harbor any ill-will to the Saratoga audience. It's really not "they only wanted the hits" so much as "they didn't want just the Keyboard Era and the new album, and little else." I felt almost the same way last year when the setlist was a surprise to me, on opening night in New Hampshire. I couldn't believe how lopsided the setlist was with Keyboard Era material. (But perhaps unlike the Saratoga audience, I do like the new album.) This time I was aware going-in that the setlist was what it was, and I was prepared. As for them sitting, can you really use that as a barometer of how "into" the music the audience is? I for one - and my concert-going friends for two and three - would prefer to sit throughout the entire show anyway. What are we going to do on our feet that we can't do sitting down? Dance to Rush??? When I saw people sitting (and when we sat ourselves), it was during the slower songs; that's not necessarily an expression of us not liking the song, it's just a good time to get off your feet for a spell. The whole ampitheater went nuts and sang along when "Spirit of Radio" arrived. I've never been part of such vocal unity at a concert before; it was awesome, and it was the AUDIENCE who made that happen. And really, after more than two hours of Keyboard Era and new stuff, the audience was starved for classic Rush material like "Spirit of Radio"... is it any surprise it was received so well?

Counterparts tour, Knickerbocker Arena in Albany. Second row! It was suh-weet, and I daresay second row was even better than first, since I was right down front but didn't have to look straight up to see the guys. We camped out at a Ticketmaster outlet and were first in line when their computers went live in the morning. Those were still the days of first-come first-serve at Ticketmaster - no numbered wristbands (which is essentially a lottery system) and no Internet. These days it seems all too random as to what kind of tickets you get - doesn't matter if you're the first to buy or 567th; you can do "presale" and still get shit tickets, or sometimes get great tickets the week of the show. It's a total crapshoot.

I remember you selling them once as "perhaps the first Progressive Metal band ever" (1969!) and that piqued my interest. I heard a couple tracks on YouTube then, including "Futilist's Lament," and asked for the CD for Christmas that year... and didn't get it. Since then, I've forgotten about them. Maybe it's time for me to dig into them further. And I've got a CD for you.... "Liquideyes" by Paradigm Blue. Hard Prog in the vein of Rush and Dream Theater; very good album, beginning to end. It's out of print, but you can hear the whole thing here: http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Liquideyes/8630520 and then decide if it's something you want from eBay or Amazon's used services.

(double post)

:bump: Okay... I caved, and bought the CD from Amazon used sellers. (There seemed to be no other good way of getting the songs on MP3.) Having listened to the full CD several times, it is now my mission to get EVERYBODY I know - at least the Rush and Dream Theater fans - to hear this out-of-print CD. BECAUSE IT TOTALLY ROCKS!!! It's brilliant. There are few albums I can say I like from start to finish, but surprisingly this CD is one of them. I'm hooked! Unfortunately the band is defunct and they only have this one album. Give a listen to the full album on Grooveshark. I think all of you will love it; it's right up the alley of Rush fans and DT fans... http://grooveshark.c...igm Blue/912694 1. Fording the Dawn 2. Stoptime 3. There is No Spoon 4. Stranded on Vulcan (instr, bass solo) 5. Atlantis 6. Alpha Tango (instr) THE RAIN CYCLE 7. i. Face of Tomorrow 8. ii. Meridian Vigil 9. iii. Candlenight 10. iv. Twilight Harbor 11. v. As the Crow Flies 12. vi. Winds of Yesterday (instr) And here's the review I posted on Amazon...

Yeah, I was the token Liberal (read: punching bag) in SOCN for quite awhile. The Right-wingers hung every stereotype about Liberals on me, and then used those stereotypes to start arguments with me, not with the ideology. They didn't ask, didn't know, and didn't care whether the stereotype was true of me or not. They wanted it to be, so it was. They wanted a scapegoat and I was the Face of Liberalism for them. Totally unprovoked, one SOCN regular told me in a PM: "You represent everything I hate." Really??? You don't even know me! LABT, ILS or KenJennings? This post right here is why you're not taken seriously in SOCN, nor should you be here. It's not only the complete shallowness of your posts, but the incredibly silly, unsubstantiated assumptions about other posters that discredit even those shallow arguments. (I especially liked the one where you called all of us Hannity disciples when no one in there had anything positive to say about the guy.) I've never in my entire time here sent a negative PM to a member here, that's a chickensh!t way to handle things. Yet you assumed I was one of the people who might have done that. Brilliant! The only substantive contact I believe I've had with GeddyRulz is a disagreement (a civil one) in OLV (called The Champion Players then, I believe) about the relative spending levels of the Red Sox and Yankees. So, try again. And try to know what you're talking about next time. 2112 posts will get you in the Hallowed Hall, try to make at least one substantive post before you get there. well he said rude, right-wing SOCN regular...you're the first user who comes to mind If rude is calling people out for unsubstantiated assumptions about people and shallow arguments, then, yeah, I guess I'm rude. Seems like it would be more rude to say those kinds of things in the first place, but, hey, whatever gets you by. but it seemed correct to assume that you would be the type of person to send a negative PM to a liberal because they disagree with you. Well, as long as it seemed right to such an infallible judge of character as yourself, what more do you need? Actually being accurate is overrated. You took this too personal and too far. Bathory was merely trying to guess the identity of the person who sent me the PM. Is it such a big deal that he guessed you, among others? Important enough to correct the record. But that's just it, don't you see? This wasn't "the record," it wasn't history being described, it wasn't even the-facts-as-he-saw-them, and it wasn't anything "important," so it was nothing that needed a sharp rebuttal "correcting" it. He was playfully GUESSING who sent me the message, as if it were a GAME to identify the sender... and he was already told his guess was wrong. That should've been the end of it. Or imagine this ridiculous exchange... GAMESHOW HOST: Another hundred-point tossup... contestants, which handsome actor was lambasted by critics and the public alike, for singing and dancing with Snow White during a musical number at the 1989 Academy Awards? CONTESTANT: (buzzing in) Tom Cruise? GAMESHOW HOST: No, I'm sorry. It was not Tom Cruise. TOM CRUISE: (suddenly appearing onstage, as if from nowhere) How could you have possibly said me? You're a f***ing idiot! See, this is why you don't even belong on this stage, and why nobody should listen to you! Stupid statements like that one! You obviously don't know f***ing shit about my career, the roles I choose, and the public appearances I agree to make! I would never have been in such a cornball musical number... that's for wimps! It's just not 'me' and it's important that you and everyone else knows it. What makes you think I would've done that stupid shit? You're a f***ing idiot! Go home and play Candyland, because you're not smart enough for this game! Stupid motherf***er!!

Yeah, I was the token Liberal (read: punching bag) in SOCN for quite awhile. The Right-wingers hung every stereotype about Liberals on me, and then used those stereotypes to start arguments with me, not with the ideology. They didn't ask, didn't know, and didn't care whether the stereotype was true of me or not. They wanted it to be, so it was. They wanted a scapegoat and I was the Face of Liberalism for them. Totally unprovoked, one SOCN regular told me in a PM: "You represent everything I hate." Really??? You don't even know me! LABT, ILS or KenJennings? This post right here is why you're not taken seriously in SOCN, nor should you be here. It's not only the complete shallowness of your posts, but the incredibly silly, unsubstantiated assumptions about other posters that discredit even those shallow arguments. (I especially liked the one where you called all of us Hannity disciples when no one in there had anything positive to say about the guy.) I've never in my entire time here sent a negative PM to a member here, that's a chickensh!t way to handle things. Yet you assumed I was one of the people who might have done that. Brilliant! The only substantive contact I believe I've had with GeddyRulz is a disagreement (a civil one) in OLV (called The Champion Players then, I believe) about the relative spending levels of the Red Sox and Yankees. So, try again. And try to know what you're talking about next time. 2112 posts will get you in the Hallowed Hall, try to make at least one substantive post before you get there. well he said rude, right-wing SOCN regular...you're the first user who comes to mind If rude is calling people out for unsubstantiated assumptions about people and shallow arguments, then, yeah, I guess I'm rude. Seems like it would be more rude to say those kinds of things in the first place, but, hey, whatever gets you by. but it seemed correct to assume that you would be the type of person to send a negative PM to a liberal because they disagree with you. Well, as long as it seemed right to such an infallible judge of character as yourself, what more do you need? Actually being accurate is overrated. You took this too personal and too far. Bathory was merely trying to guess the identity of the person who sent me the PM. Is it such a big deal that he guessed you, among others?

Yeah, Agnetha has been making the rounds promoting a new album. It's one again got the press asking about a possible reunion... which won't even happen, and perhaps that's for the best. While it would be nice to actually see them live, why taint the pure memory people have of them in their younger heyday with the sight of a group of seniors cranking out oldies for cash? Agnetha's album is called "A," which I'm guessing is a reference to her being one of the two A's in the acronym ABBA (Anni-Frid, Benny, Bjorn, Agnetha).

After my Facebook friends lost their minds about the new season being released, I wanted to see what I was missing. I went and began watching the show from the beginning and HOLY SHIT, this has got to be the funniest show ever made! I mean, a lot of sitcoms are funny, but this one has more GENUINE "laugh out loud" moments than anything else I've ever watched! Season Four is gettting mixed reviews from the fans. Some say it's good, but others are saying it's terrible and not up to the standards of the show. Still others say the first few episodes are weak but things pick up. I don't know; I'm still on Season 3 and will find out when I get there.

LABT, ILS or KenJennings? None of the above. Who's LABT? laughedatbytime ok then, my guess is now Sheldon Cooper Still no. Sheldon Cooper and laughedatbytime weren't SOCN "regulars" during the time when I was. "Sheldon Cooper" is heavily right-wing? What a slap in the face to the integrity and spirit of that show! :P

LABT, ILS or KenJennings? None of the above. Who's LABT?

:tsk: Rank the following, from one to three: Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon.

Yeah, I was the token Liberal (read: punching bag) in SOCN for quite awhile. The Right-wingers hung every stereotype about Liberals on me, and then used those stereotypes to start arguments with me, not with the ideology. They didn't ask, didn't know, and didn't care whether the stereotype was true of me or not. They wanted it to be, so it was. They wanted a scapegoat and I was the Face of Liberalism for them. Totally unprovoked, one SOCN regular told me in a PM: "You represent everything I hate." Really??? You don't even know me!