dream & vapour

Miroslav Vitouš

What? Nobody's mentioning timeless classics by bands like Helix or Krokus?! No Quiet Riot? No Balls to the Wall by Accept? Ah well. Some nostalgia is best left undisturbed--or rarely revisited. But here's a classic pop song which was roaming airwaves at the same time Grace Under Pressure was freshly out of the gates:

If ytserush is referring to the King Biscuit Flower Hour which aired in the autumn of 1981, this would be the same performance as that on Exit... Stage Left. There was also a King Biscuit featuring Rush on the Grace Under Pressure tour (recorded in Toronto; same as the Grace Under Pressure Tour video, featuring Count Floyd!), but they did not perform Limelight during that concert. There was a Rush/King Biscuit Flower Hour which aired in 1995, which did include Limelight, but this was a program which borrowed from both the previous Exit... Stage Left and Grace Under Pressure programs (i.e., this was Limelight from Exit... Stage Left).

It's good to see Allan Holdsworth getting well-deserved recognition. Here's a work which always comes to mind as exemplary when it comes to great guitar slingin': One of the impressive aspects of Stevie's playing is that he pulls all of it off without using high gain amps, and higher levels of distortion. If you are able to play this cleanly and at the proper speed--without using high gain amps--you've attained a meaningful level of accomplishment as a guitarist. Additionally, he was a decent fellow. If there was a guitarist/fan who really wanted to meet him, he'd allow it.

This is likely welcome news for those who may have been waiting since, oh . . . 2018 for Behringer to actually manufacture their long-touted UB-X and UB-Xa keyboard synths. Sure, the Behringers will eventually come to market (?) at a much lower price, but musicians cannot play an instrument which may only be experienced through promotional videos.

We've got a Sony Bravia I purchased back in '09 (the back of the TV indicates it was manufactured in March 2009, and it seems I acquired it that May). It has performed faithfully all these years. If one were to purchase a new Bravia, it'd likely be a Bravia XR with Mini-LEDs, 4k or 8k, OLED (maybe), HDR, etcetera, etcetera. I hardly feel an urge to upgrade so an absurd desire to attain a barely perceptible improvement in resolution or color saturation may be fulfilled.

The league has shrunk already, it seems. With the Reds sporting a .120 winning percentage, they're a veritable ghost squad. Ah well, it's early in the season.

The duration of the first Pens/Rangers game was inducing flashbacks of the April 24, 1996 game between the Pens and the Capitals (fifth longest game in NHL playoff history). The following day seemingly everyone was asking, "So, did ya stay up 'til the end of that game last night?" That game proceeded through the steps of "Gosh, this is going on a bit" to "Okay, this is getting ridiculous" to "Dang it, I'm seeing this through to the end!"

The words which popped into my mind upon seeing the theme of this Beato video were 'Kid' and 'Gloves'. That solo is so angular and unorthodox, which makes it a personal favorite. Rick selecting some other Alex solo for his 'strangest' theme was a slight surprise. "Okay Rick, yeah, valid selection. Points awarded." Allan Holdsworth had to be in that mix. He always had so much of that 'out there' playing style. Alex Lifeson & Allan Holdsworth interesting factoid: When Rush was visiting England in the late 70's, they attended a concert by the band U.K., in which Holdsworth was the guitarist. Alex was duly impressed by the Allan's amps, asking about them after the show. They were Marshall Club & Country combo amps (the 4140 2x12 model). Alex went on to use Club & Country amps as his workhorses during the Moving Pictures and Signals recording sessions and tours. (Selecting Club & Country amps might be considered an unorthodox choice, as they weren't exactly designed or marketed as a typical rock amp, such as the Plexi. But that's another example of Alex charting his own course.)

A stable environment is of utmost importance to your guitars and speaker cabs. Try to keep your home's relative humidity at ~50%. As a guy who also lives in a northern clime, I tell you from personal experience to not let your guitar space get too cool and dry. After a particularly cold winter, I removed an old Charvel from the case to play, and . . . "What the . . . why this string/fret buzzing?!" A quick look showed a fingerboard which had separated from the neck at the nut. Unhappiness. A warmer, less dry space would have prevented this. As you've got a basement, keep that sump pump happy (assuming one is installed). Seriously entertain the idea of a battery backup for it, and perhaps a backup pump. There's always the chance if your area is experiencing severe flooding, a power outage may also be involved. No power, no pumping, wet basement. Here's a good article on guitars and wood happiness: https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/the-ideal-humidity-for-guitar/ Speaking of Sweetwater . . . the Mesa Boogie guys are finicky (and they're not the only ones) about the environment in which their product is warehoused. I've heard when a rep pops in there, they check on the temp/humidity of the facility.

Nehemiah's finest performance undoubtedly is found in the Gilligan's Island episode The Little Dictator. During a dream sequence in which Gilligan finds himself a Latin American dictator, Nehemiah's character prompts Gilligan to pronounce to the throngs below, "I promise you dis, dat and dee oter ting!" The distilled essence of what every citizen yearns to hear from a politician.

This would be a large loudspeaker horn, perhaps something like a 1960's/70's Altec 329A: https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649411345-altec-329a-horns-pair/

You're quite right. In fact, that's not even a 'him' on the left. That's a 'her'! She is Nancy Wilson of Heart.

At this time in Alex's effects rack there resided a DeltaLab ADM 2048 (Super Time Line digital delay). This unit featured an 'infinite repeat' function, which can be triggered from the pedalboard. When he approached that end-point of the solo, he would step up to the pedalboard, tap to send the signal to the ADM 2048 just prior to playing that note, pick the note, get the tremolo working, then trigger the infinite repeat function via the pedalboard. That vibratoed note is thusly captured by the ADM 2048, and keeps sounding. He would then tap the pedalboard to route the output back through the usual signal path. Thus, he could continue with the arpeggiated section (while that one note is still whirring away). Then, just before getting to the power chords, he would step up to the pedalboard to cancel the infinite repeat signal from the DeltaLab unit.

Can you tell there was a "I wish I hadn't done that" realization after installing a Kahler tremolo in the Howard Roberts Fusion? (It has since been removed.) I used to think it was sacrilege to install a tremolo in a Les Paul. But you accept the world is awash in Les Pauls, so seeing one routed-out for a tremolo is no big deal. But a first-generation Howard Roberts Fusion? That hurts a bit. There are not too many of those highly desirable first-gens out there in the world.

This quote from William Hurt reminded me of another certain guy we know/knew: “I’m a very private man, and I have the right to be. I never said that because I was an actor you can have my privacy, you can steal my soul. You can’t.”

You might also consider yourself very lucky for residing in an area of such beauty. The Driftless Area of Wisconsin is visually captivating. When cruising the county highways of the area, it's easy to find yourself thinking, "Yeah, a large plot of land and a farmhouse, tucked away over there . . . the world might never find me."

Earliest Rush concert? I'd have to say mid-afternoon. Sorry.

Oh, this notion is far too in the "Which among your children is your favorite?" vein to address.

MSRP is $385, but Sweetwater currently lists it at $269 for pre-order.

Actually, there are a couple notable differences between the YYZ version, and the new MP40 edition: The added boost stomp switch, which adds 12db of presence boost, as well as a 'shape shifter' button, which can add another 6db ". . . of Schmegilka on top" [more boost]. Compare and contrast:

I'm with you on this strange 'relic' instrument movement (apart from signature offerings). Why would I want to pay a premium for a pre-beaten instrument? Perhaps it is perceived as a path for those who have cash burning a hole their wallet to instant musical street cred. When visiting a car dealership, does anyone say to the salesman, "Look, if you take a sledgehammer and chain to the body panels of this new car, I'll pay an additional $30k"?

That price may be a little on the high side. But one of the questions you must have pondered is, "How long before another appears on the market?", along with, "Can I wait, and hope someone needs to unload one to raise cash at a lower price?" There were only 50 produced, so it's not exactly an active market. The essential question must be whether you are looking for a return on investment yourself, or is this particular model a must-have for you? This determines what's fair to you in a free market. If, instead, you're chasing the sound of Geddy's '72 Jazz Bass, then you may find it more economical to pursue a different path. Considering the potential investment, I'd think it absolutely worth your while to make the drive to Toronto in person, give it a look-see in person. It would also be nice if the seller still has his bill of sale, which might help assure you that it's not hot property. Perhaps the seller did not keep the receipt. Not everyone is a great record keeper. But that would be another level of self-protection. Pro tip: Never tell a stranger you're going to show up with lots of cash at location of his choosing. (Not that this listing looks particularly dodgy. Just generally good advice.) As has been mentioned earlier, you might consider a USA Geddy Lee, get an estimate of your dream JB through the custom shop, or any number of other options. Or follow Geddy's path: find a nice, used JB, pop a Badass II or Fender HiMass bridge on there, and . . . Here's a little secret for ya . . . this is the guy who makes Geddy's JB pickups: http://tombrantleyrewinds.com/geddy-lee-jazz-bass-pickups Best wishes!

Here's a clip of Alex performing amidst the plethora of talent at tonight's Massey Hall show. They cover Led Zeppelin's The Battle of Evermore and Stairway to Heaven (with Alex picking up the Stairway solo). Cody Bowles of Crown Lands among those on vocals, with Kevin Comeau next to Alex toting Alex's white 1275. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x92C_2UhjT0

If you decide you cannot choose You'll never make a choice I will choose a pointless path I will choose determinism. (Wait a minute . . . isn't there some internal incongruity in the philosophical argument suggested by this stanza? After all, one cannot choose determinism, if the 'choice' is predestined.)