anchorman

That's the only other one I could agree with. If it weren't for Tai Shan and High Water, HYF might have PoW beat. Lol, those are two of my favorites from HYF. Said nobody ever lol. I realize I'm in the minority but I'll take Tai Shan over Second Nature, Lock & Key, Open Secrets & Mission any day. I like Mission's lyrics but I'm not keen on the music. Tai Shan has a completely different feel to it and is filled with great imagery. I'm aware Alex & Geddy aren't fond of it but that has more to do with them not relating to the lyrics. To me, the instruments they used all work to fit that particular tune and don't sound out of place. IMO, most of the musical direction on HyF was off. Alex's Canadian made Signature guitar sounded neutered and Geddy's Wal Bass sounded way too plucky and poppy. Of course, that's all my opinion but its the biggest reason HyF is my least favorite Rush album.

Damn....very difficult choices. 1.Hemispheres 2. Moving Pictures 3. Grace Under Pressure On another positive note - Neil’s drumming and fills on Anagram (Presto) is awesome. Go back & listen if you haven’t heard it in a while.

That's the only other one I could agree with. If it weren't for Tai Shan and High Water, HYF might have PoW beat. Lol, those are two of my favorites from HYF.

I'm going to respectfully disagree. Grace Under Pressure is on the Mount RushMore of Albums for me. Pure excellence. The lyrics on Power Windows are strong but I still put GUP before it. HyF has its moments but is way down on my list of favorites. Still good but Open Secrets, Lock & Key, Mission & Second Nature are not on my heavy rotation of Rush tunes. Winners from that CD for me are: Time Stand Still, Prime Mover, Tai Shan, Turn The Page & High Water. (1976) 2112, AFTK, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows (1985) These 8 albums in 9 years were peak Rush for me and I love just about every song. From HYF on to Clockwork Angels, I began singling out favorite tunes & could easily skip through songs on a CD.

I couldn’t believe that either, surely (as we say here in the UK) he must have been taking the piss, who knows. Bizarre to say the least. in answer the question, it appears to me that the change he had with at least his diction might have been down to some dental work he had done? Not sure when it was, or even what he had done, but there was definitely a change. I really enjoyed Geddys voice, even the early screetchy stuff, right up until the more recent live Blu-Rays, when he really sounds like he’s straining to reach some of the notes. Shame really, as you have this wonderful HD technology these days enabling you to enjoy the gigs more than ever before (apart from actually being there of course) but for the most part, Geddys voice just isn’t up to it anymore. Not that anyones voice will be the same at fifty as it is at twenty, but with the Rush back catalogue being as it is, the songs don’t always suit his voice. If I want to watch Rush live and experience the songs more as they should sound, I watch the DVD versions of ESL or ASOH and just put up with the inferior visual quality. It’s maybe a blessing in disguise that they stopped touring when they did really, apart from the obvious health problems that Neil was experiencing, there was also Alexs arthritis and Geddys voice. That’s not to say we shouldn’t hear Geddy singing anything again of course, but maybe something more suitable to his voice. Him trying to reach the notes in TOS, Circumstances etc doesn’t really cut it for me anymore. Obviously Neils health would have been the overriding factor, but IMO even without that they would have been wise to call it a day - certainly as regards Rush anyway. This may not be a popular suggestion but - I sometimes wonder if Neil's comments about wanting to step away while he "still had it" and not become an example of the characters in "Losing It" was a subtle nudge to Alex & Geddy that everyone's time was up. It was an extremely brave & difficult thing to do. It was almost as though he fell on the sword for his pals and said - "I'm done, I can't do this anymore" - knowing full well he could carry on better than they could. Geddy's voice was awful & Alex really struggled with his playing (at least in the shows I saw. Austin R40 was my last Rush concert.) Ironically, the guy supposedly hurting the most, sounded great to me as usual. Maybe the drummers out there can say different but to my ear, he sounded excellent. Of course, this is my favorite band we're talking about and I would have supported them if they decided to keep touring. I thought at the very least they would continue to make music but its now obvious why that wasn't to be. In fact, I've been binge watching many interviews with the band and one particular one where Alex & Geddy answered fan questions form Twitter was very telling. It was from December 2015. Both Alex and Geddy felt like they would continue on as a band (Neil included) and make music together. They couldn't answer if they would ever tour again because "not everyone was up to it." I felt Alex joked & said "I'm sorry" to deflect any blame from Neil. Forward to the 1:00 & 3:00 minute marks for the respective questions. Here it is: Ah shit, I'm feeling sad about Neil again.

That's my favorite part of the song. That's the sort of thing that makes Rush's music so great. HYF is probably my least favorite Rush release and yet it attracted a whole new legion of die-hard fans. Whatever magic attracted me in the previous releases to HYF still existed for new fans.

Great topic. RTB is one of their worst produced releases. I'd put Presto in there as well - which is a travesty. Thin and tinny is a good way to describe it. Neither one of those albums had any meat on its bones and no matter how much bass I add to the equalizer, they just don't sound full. There are a few songs I would change - 1. Spindrift (The verse at the 2:47 mark where Geddy sings "A little closer to you" doesn't sound like it belongs in the tune and completely changes its mood). 2. Territories (Great song but I would have preferred Alex's guitar provide texture instead of the keyboards. Specifically where the keyboards enter at the 3 second mark. Geddy's keyboard sounds like an organ from an old horror movie. 3. Caravan from CA also sounds like it could benefit from a redo or different arrangement. It has a lot of great parts and Neil's drumming sounds terrific but the song is all over the place. Take a listen to how cool this section at the 1:27 mark sounds without the vocals: I'd also replace Geddy's flamenco strumming during one of the jam sections with a more traditional playing style too (Think FreeWill jam section). Are these the sort of things a Producer would suggest in terms of feedback?

Thank you all for the replies. If you haven’t done so lately, do yourself a favor & listen to or watch the video Rush in Rio. UNBELIEVABLE. I knew he sounded great but just hearing him again after all these years... he NEVER sounded better IMO. He seemed to hit all the notes with great energy. I even forwarded to 2112, Free Will, By-Tor and Working Man. Just incredible.

Geddy Lee's voice changed throughout his 40 year career and understandably so. I'm not sure anyone could sustain the high-pitched vocals he had in Rush's earliest albums. However, the difference in Geddy's voice over the 6 year period from 1978's Hemispheres to 1984's Grace Under Pressure marked a drastic change. Permanent Waves through Signals was subtle but when GUP came out, you could tell Geddy's voice just wasn't the same. Even the way he pronounced some words was different. I'm not sure how to explain what I'm getting at. QUESTION: Does anyone recall Geddy addressing the change in his singing voice? Was he ever asked about it in interviews? If so, can you please share what he said? I recall there being rumors of throat cancer or some other ailment or surgery that brought about the change but none of that was ever confirmed or given credence. Did he get a nose job? Could that have changed things for him? If the medical issues were false, did he get singing lessons or training to make the transition to a lower register? Even though he took a lot of criticism for it, I loved Geddy's voice from 1974-1983. I thought it was unique and complimented the music and lyrics. I personally didn't care for the change post Signals and by the time R40 came around, his touring voice seemed shot. He appeared to be really struggling (as evidenced by his contorted facial expressions and borderline yodeling). Eddie Trunk's fanboy comments to Geddy about his voice sounding better than ever was ridiculous and almost patronizing. I think the best I ever heard Geddy sound live was during the Vapor Trails tour. Thanks in advance for any answers.

Its been years since I've been on this forum so I apologize if this has already been mentioned. The life expectancy for Neil's form of brain cancer is usually a few months to a year. That he survived for 3.5 years is remarkable and very rare. Unfortunately, the trade off for living longer with the disease is having to endure a diminishing quality of life much longer too. It pains me to think what Neil & his family went through during his fight but there is comfort knowing that Neil maximized his life to the fullest. I don't believe Erna meant any harm with his comments about Neil's condition and would take them back if he realized they were hurtful to others. He probably learned from Michael Mosbach that the R40 tour wouldn't have any European dates because Neil was battling some health issues. Not knowing how aggressive this type of cancer is, he likely assumed the "health issues" was some how related to the cancer. Not true, obviously.

He sounds really good actually. I was expecting something atrocious based on your comment. He sounds pretty damn good and that's even with the horrible quality of the recording. Record yourself singing and post it please. The last comment sounds like someone else I know. Maybe I overacted to the sound. Something sounded bad. Like I said I wish I hadn't posted it. Moving on now..... Record yourself singing and post it please. The last comment sounds like someone else I know. Maybe I overacted to the sound. Something sounded bad. Like I said I wish I hadn't posted it. Moving on now..... I'm a chameleon. What ?!? You spoke the truth. He sounded awful on that song and on a large portion of the last tour. His voice has devolved and its easy to see why. He's been singing for 40 + years. No shame in stating the obvious.

Yeah, that's the problem. I thought he was really straining on the last tour. He sounded awesome on the Vapor Trails. Perhaps he needs another long break to rest his vocal chords.

They should go the Pink Floyd route and put out a CD of instrumentals.

Uh oh. Looks like Neil's gettin' slapped around again. Uh oh. Looks like Neil's gettin' slapped around again. The more things change the more they stay the same aye?....... For me, .. less is more - At least it is when it comes to knowing what interests any of the guys from Rush. I appreciate interviews that focus on their music, musical tastes, opinions on the music industry and the future of the band, etc. That's why its a slippery slope when you get a chance to meet or learn something about someone you hold in high regard. There is an good chance that whatever expectations you have of them may fall really flat or short. I've had my fill of Neil and would rather not hear anything else about him, his hobbies or interests. Just let me know when the next bit of new music comes out.

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I don't hate the song. There's plenty of other Rush tunes from the late 80's (HYF) to mid 90's(T4E) to slam that are worse in my opinion. As for the lyrics, I rarely pay attention to them anymore. Neil's writing / philosophy runs shallow with me. I don't care for his interests or politics outside of making music. Friggin bird watching ? That's only topped by his boring travel dialogue that goes on and on aboot (i meant to spell it that way) places of little consequence to most people. I used to read his stuff hoping to get more insight about the band and ended up wasting my time. For every interesting snippet, there are chapters of toilet paper.

http://media.tumblr.com/7750072ca22ea0600dae8959b4c566a1/tumblr_inline_mpd4jadw4a1qz4rgp.gif Hemispheres represented the musical Apex of this band. Just three musicians maximizing their potential and belting out kick ass music. I like Presto, don't get me wrong, but better than Hemispheres? Sir, I need you to relinquish that Rush badge of yours. Take some much needed time off and return when you are ready to stop talking crazy talk. As for rating Hemispheres: All 10+'s.

Um, yes, He can sing extremely well and he doesn't need Alex and Neil to cover for him when he does 90% of the singing. http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m164sc3My41qj09vg.gif I'd go if it was all instrumentals. Other than that, no way. His voice (which was great up until Signals) is now spent. I still see Rush in concert when I can but I feel his singing detracts from the songs. They have to change the tuning to accomodate some of the older stuff and you end up sad listening to it. Passage to Bangkok? You know who else has sucked at singing lately? That dude from Soundgarden - Chris Cornell. He is going through the motions nowadays and doing a disservice to his bandmates by giving a half-assed effort. I've seen a couple of televised performances and the dude just isn't giving it up. He doesn't look like he even wants to be there.

I had high hopes for this CD based on the early hoopla (leaked info about a concept CD and a return musically to those days). However, Caravan and BU2B were big losers to me. What is clear from the start is that music technology (the use of software to record) is way too much of temptation for the boys (mostly Alex). Where as they once were creative in coming up with interesting bridges, now they just lazily cut and paste musical parts to extend a song. On whole, the music sounded forced and the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. The concept was a miss and really falls flat. Why Neil insists on making matters worse by letting Kevin J. Anderson carry on that hot mess of a story is beyond me. Oh wait - $$. Forgot about that. I think there may have been more friction between Geddy, Neil & Nick when it came to the concept idea. It sounds like Geddy wasn't ever really onboard and the result was a one-foot in, one-foot out CD. Geddy described CA as a compilation of songs that tell a story but also stand up on their own. Right...... On a positive note, I like the musical creativity employed in the song Clockwork Angels and the Bass work in The Anarchist. Carnies was solid too, as was 7 Cities, **The Wreckers and Headlong Flight. ** The Wreckers music sounds way too upbeat for the lyrics and imagery but its definitely a good tune. The Garden is different and has some emotive moments musically but ultimately doesn't work for me - mostly because of Geddy's voice and Neil's lyrics. "It is what it is and whatever" - what a bunch of psycho-babble nonsense. Do people really find themselves singing along to those lyrics? Caravan - 6 BU2B - 6 Clockwork Angels - 7 The Anarchist - 8 Carnies - 8 Halo Effect - 6 Seven Cities of Gold - 8 The Wreckers - 7 Headlong Flight - 9 BU2B2 - 2 Wish Them Well - 6 The Garden - 6

After the debacle (for me anyways) of HYF, Rush came back with Presto and gave me hope that they weren't totally lost. Seeing Alex play his white Gibson in the video for Show Don't Tell (in exchange for the worst, plinketty guitars he ever played the "Signature" series from a Canadian guitar maker) - was quite a relief. The music still sounds way too thin for my liking and I always find myself turning up the bass. Who screwed that up? I'm not blaming the band for that. Let's get on with it: Show Don't Tell - 7 Chain Lightning - 7 The Pass - 8 War Paint - 6 Scars - 8 Presto - 8 Superconductor - 4 Anagram (for Mongo) - 6 Red Tide - 7 Hand Over Fist - 9 Available Light - 8

Excuse me? ONE of the best?? Depends on who you ask I suppose. He's the best in my opinion. Some would agrue Bonham was the best but from 1974 - 1984, you'd be hard-pressed to find better musicians than Rush. All of em. Nowadays, I think Geddy is undeniably the best at what he does with the Bass. Arguments can be made about Neil and Alex.

I admire Neil for trying to expand his skills but what he was doing before Freddy Gruber was just fine for Rush. It's rock music and needs to be played as such. That's why he doesn't quite sound right when he tries to play jazz or big band music. It takes a certain feel and touch and I'm not sure he has it - no matter the grip. He hits way too hard for jazz and isn't quite as aggressive as he used to be with Rush. Less fills and more snare work it seems. You know who gets it? Dave Grohl. He knows what he is and doesn't apologize for it. He smacks the hell out of the drums, or at least he did when he played them.

Mostly a collection of throw-aways. Neil's new grip and style was totally unecessary and a step backwards imo. He's a jazz drummer wannabe and one of the best rock drummers of all time. Why Neil? Why? Test for Echo - 6 Driven - 8 Half the World - 3 The Color of Right - 3 Time and Motion - 9 Totem - 7 Dog Years - 5 Virtuality - 2 Resist - 4 Limbo - 6 Carve Away the Stone - 4 Oh, I'm dropping truth bombs allright. I can't play drums to save my life but I know what sounds good.

1. AFTK - 10 2. Xanadu - 10 3. CTH - 8 4. Madrigal - 7 5. Cinderella Man - 8 6. Cygnus X1 - 10

Hand Over Fist is one of my favorites from that CD. Presto was a welcome change from HYF and has many songs I like. I even like Available Light. Superconductor and Red Tide - not so much. And then they gave us Roll The Bones.