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psionic11

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  1. No One at the Bridge is a high song, it's highest being F# (desperation). Most of the parts vary from B to E tho. Cygnus' highest note is a shredded Bb (torn apart). There are also other sections where he's hitting high G's and A's, above that Bridge F#. It also dwells mostly higher than Bridge, varying from C to F. That half step makes a big difference when you're already in legendary Banshee land. Not to mention he's playing the bass hard as well. At least with Bridge he could concentrate on just singing. There must be some decent vocal processor, some FX, Geddy could use nowadays. Like, sing an octave lower but the processor only ltes the audience hear his voice an octave higher. Sounding like a Banshee, and not a chipmunk...
  2. QUOTE (1-0-0-1-0-0-1 @ Jun 8 2010, 08:59 PM) QUOTE (trenken @ Jun 8 2010, 09:41 PM) QUOTE (Gerxt @ Jun 8 2010, 06:46 PM) Surely it doesn't take too much perception or imagination to work out why I mentioned whether you can imagine Jacob Moon playing these songs? When you take a song back to its basics and you have nothing but the melody you know how good it is. The songs simply don't have the melodic strength to match the playing skills. Can you imagine if Geddy was a mediocre bass player as opposed to what he actually can do. The songs wouldn't be the same. Good vocals for me are as important as the playing. Agreed for the most part, except I personally think the vocal melodies are the most important part of a song, more important than the playing. There are many bands that arent great players, but have some great songs. Look at U2, their rhythm section is awful, but they do have some damn good songs because Bono is fantastic at writing melodies. Good playing underneath is a nice bonus to me, but its not essential, to me the vocals are. Look at some of Rush's simpler songs musically. Dreamline is very simple musically, any amateur bassist could play that. If you have fingers, you can play Dreamline on bass, but Geddy's vocal melodies are strong in that song, so the song sounds great, most Rush fans seem to love it. I think what most Rush fans like about the band is that they can do melodic and "simple" rock songs like "Dreamline" AND heavy and weird and complex songs like "Caravan." Then there are fans who prefer the melodic numbers, and fans who prefer the complex ones. That level of diversity is probably a big reason why this band has endured for decades. But that's the point. Beyond good vocal melodies that the average singsong popsumer can digest, there is the diversity that Rush has not only created but inherited. What? Well, they're not the Beatles or Oasis where you're looking for a great sing-along melody. Nor are the King Crimson or Dream Theater where you're looking to be wowed by musical technicality. They're somewhere in-between, and elusive as a snake dodging an arrow. Geddy has proved he can write melodically catchy vocal hooks. For me, I see them as straddling a pop sensibility while delivering cutting-edge boudary breaking. All within the confines of an old school power trio. Sure, there are heavier melodic bands, catchier pop-indie outfits, more adventurous prog rock experiments. The great think about Rush is how many genres they can drive-by 'touch and grace'.
  3. These are still sounding good to my ears. Even the production or sound quality is growing on me. Tight. Caravan: That little vocal bit from 2:30 to 2:50 is definitely out there, harsh, avant-garde even. Gonna be a bitch for Geddy to sing and play live. Glad they limited this "stretching the limits" to 20 seconds, then went right back to melodic stuff. Geddy bass rocks in this tune, esp during the instrumental section. BU2B: More catchy, definitely. Hardcore beginning, with the fake audience/crowd roars. Best $2 I ever spent.
  4. Territories is over 190 bpm. How many genres *ever* are that fast? Drum and bass is chaotic, but somehow Rush maintains smoothness over the urgency (grace under pressure?)... Think about it. From the frigid north, Rush has almost always been quite fast. That's what's a bit of a letdown with T4E and S&A.... they're too slow... The many moments in Territories alone are thanks not only to musicianship, and productions, but also a quick tempo.... ...just sayin'...
  5. Turn the Page has lots of those moments for me. Alex's guitar response when Geddy sings "truth is after all so poorly lit." The visual I get is of someone covering their gaping mouth in disbelief. Alex's pinched harmonics during his excellent solo. The whole crazy energy during the final chorus repeats. Geddy's vocal lines running over each other, the drum buildup, the synth washes, the final crash-ahhh... The haunting background sounds in the intro and first verses of Cygnus, Bringer of Balance... Alex's solo in Cold Fire (2:34-2:54). Almost sounds like the self-mutterings after an argument
  6. There are so many brilliant Alex moments, his musical "comments" that accent a lyrical phrase here, evoke a visual scene there... Middletown Dreams "like a brilliant shooting star" 1:58 "some bright afternoon" 2:25 The Trees (timber! falling trees) 3:43 La Villa Strangiato (frantically running down hallways from monsters) 5:49 onward Hand Over Fist "you know I've hated that song for so long" 1:41 Available Light "the way I used to be" 1:52 "some half-forgotten stranger, doesn't mean that much to me" 2:00 "or make the colors shine too bright" 2:15 (guitar slide) Cold Fire "you know how complex women are" 0:51
  7. Oh yeah, I remember that site. inert plea, gelded ye, lo finale sex to all vagina trails
  8. Got this idea from another music site where the fans re-arranged the letters in the band members names. Thought it might be fun to see what secrets are revealed within... Geddy Lee dye ledge edgy leed eddy glee Alex Lifeson Al nose flix exile of lans i fone all sex Neil Peart train peel line taper plain tire penal rite lean tripe nite pearl I see now why Neil did all the lyric writing for the band, since he's the most versatile with words. Can also see where Alex gets his sense of humor.
  9. QUOTE (edie @ Nov 13 2007, 03:25 PM) aspidistra demonstrations
  10. Just in case this wasn't mentioned already -- Guitar solo for Limelight. The way Alex sustains that piercing feedback in the background starting at 3:11 and lasting thru the vocals until 3:29.
  11. The whispered voices and noises in the background in Alien Shore around 3:40 on... Geddy's voice overdubbed with his own whispering voice in the verses of We Hold On.... must have been the producer's idea, gives the quality a nice change. Another vocal thing in Natural Science... the "up" slide on the second syllable of "complete" in "each microcosmic planet, a complete society".
  12. EDIT. Actually, after listening to it, the sheet music may have printed a low F, but Geddy sings it as a C3, not an F2. The rest of that Battle of Armageddon prelude has as its lowest note an A2 in a couple spots. That still is a 3 octave range for Cygnus. Lowest note still G2 in The Trees, right fledge? EDIT again.... that's an A2, not a G2 "more sunlight" A2 B2
  13. Aha, I KNEW I remembered seeing a low F on sheet music before... In Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres, in the spacey intro leading up before "Apollo was astonished" -- "...thunderbolts, across the sky, I cannot move, I cannot hide, I feel a silent scream begin inside." The red "I" is a low F, F2. That's too low for most natural tenors to reach. Most males are baritones, and F2 is at the very bottom of their range, some being able to hit the low E2 or D2 with a struggle (or when we first wake up in the morning) QUOTE The highest note in "Cygnus X-1" is an A#/Bb5 QUOTE The lowest note in "Cygnus X-1" is an F2 That puts Cygnus X-1 as having a 3 and half octave range. Incredible. The Star Spangled Banner only has a 1 and half octave range, and many people can't even sing that range. GEDDY! The Banshee of rock and roll!
  14. QUOTE (Terry @ Oct 18 2007, 07:09 AM) Geddy sings rather low at the start of The Trees. "...more sunlight, but the oaks ignore their pleas." Good catch. That part also has a very, very unusual interval in music -- "...for the maples want more sunlight, but the oaks..." maples want <== G#3 more <==G2 That's a drop of of an octave plus one semitone. In jazz you occasionally see the diminished 9, and even Beethoven used it Moonlight Sonata, but those are usually played at the same time, in a chord, or across instruments. Very unusual to sing one note, then drop to the other.
  15. Resist seems to have a lot of low notes for Geddy. It's almost entirely double-tracked with the backing vocals in the low range.. a double melody of sorts. The Way the Wind Blows also has some low-pitched doubled vocals.... on a few times where he sings "..the wind blows..."... the "blows" is pretty low. Bravest Face seems to have some lower notes. Bravado is fairly low range in the verses. Neurotica in the "oo-ooh" part has some low points. The spoken parts in Double Agent sound processed, not natural. The Speed of Love at the breakdown around 2:45 is pretty low, especially "we don't have TO TOUCH"... Cut to the Chase has quite a few lower vocals in the verses. It also has some really high parts --"But I'm mad enough to remember the future, the way things ought to be." Good candidate for song with the widest range. Ghost of a Chance in general is pretty low. "Fate" and "Grace" are near the bottom of his range a couple times.
  16. QUOTE (fledgehog @ Oct 13 2007, 09:42 PM) Going through the posts in order... The highest note in "Circumstances" is a D5 The highest note in "Freewill" is an F5 The highest note in "Available Light" is a D5 The highest note in "No One at the Bridge" is a G5 The highest note in "Cygnus X-1" is an A#/Bb5 The highest note in "2112" is a G5 The highest note in "Marathon" is a C5 (I think...I'm not positive, I'll have to go back and listen again) The highest note in "Anthem" is an E5 The highest note in "Bastille Day" is an E5 The highest note in "Finding My Way" is an E5 The highest note in "Fly By Night" is an F#/Gb5 So there's your definate answer, coming from a guy with perfect pitch. As per OP's request, I used only studio recordings for this. That would make Available Light off of Presto back in 1989 as the last song having a high note above the classical tenor C5, correct? 18 years ago... Since we're on the subject, anyone care to see what his lowest note is? And what Rush's fastest and slowest songs? Betcha Snakes and Arrows has more slow and low notes than most any other album to date...
  17. QUOTE (fledgehog @ Oct 13 2007, 09:42 PM) Going through the posts in order... The highest note in "Circumstances" is a D5 The highest note in "Freewill" is an F5 The highest note in "Available Light" is a D5 The highest note in "No One at the Bridge" is a G5 The highest note in "Cygnus X-1" is an A#/Bb5 The highest note in "2112" is a G5 The highest note in "Marathon" is a C5 (I think...I'm not positive, I'll have to go back and listen again) The highest note in "Anthem" is an E5 The highest note in "Bastille Day" is an E5 The highest note in "Finding My Way" is an E5 The highest note in "Fly By Night" is an F#/Gb5 So there's your definate answer, coming from a guy with perfect pitch. As per OP's request, I used only studio recordings for this. Awesome, thank you. Perfect pitch?! Must be nice... I'm sorta doing David Burge's PP and RP courses, so hope to develop this ability (my RP is very good, just want to round it out with PP). So anyway, what Geddy did in the studio years ago and what he can do live onstage now are two different things... I saw on a S&A video that he did the high part in Freewill... does he still manage 2112? Do they even do Cygnus? (On another note, does anyone notice that all of S&A is slower than most Rush albums? Anyone with a great sense of time?)
  18. QUOTE (daveyt @ Jul 1 2007, 03:46 PM) QUOTE (pedro2112 @ Jul 1 2007, 12:49 PM) QUOTE (GoddessInTheirGarden @ Jul 1 2007, 09:43 AM) THE WRITER: Welcome to The Rush Forum. This is a really good group to hang out with, very creative, confident, and opinionated. I know you'll have fun here. Um, Goddess... Writers been here almost two years longer than you. THE WrITER needs to just keep it real instead of using all those flowers in his sentences What are you talking about? Flowers? Do you mean big words? I think The Writer is very firmly entrenched in "the real".... it's your flippant remark that needs a reality check. Show us, don't tell us. The proof's in the pudding. Or is that too flowery for you?
  19. QUOTE (KublaKhan @ Jul 27 2007, 12:50 PM) Hope. my least favorite song from the album. Oh, and dude, thanks for taking over. I'll take over at some point... Oh, and people, One Little Victory won VT, so the Winners Circle is: Finding My Way, By-Tor and the Snowdog, The Fountain of Lamneth, 2112, Xanadu, La Villa Strangiato, Natural Science, Tom Sawyer, Subdivisions, The Enemy Within, Marathon, Mission, The Pass, Dreamline, Leave That Thing Alone, Test For Echo, One Little Victory So, once S&A is over, unless Rush puts out another record before its done, the next thing will be the All Star sort of thing. Wow, interesting to see what Rush fans think are the best of the best off each album... As for S&A, it's going to be fun watching how high the instrumentals make it, and what's even going to be #1.
  20. 212. The perfect fit for the fan-made MalNar video.
  21. Every song is great on this album if you like "adult contemporary" Rush as someone put it Time Stand Still is great lyrically and all, but it does get a bit tiresome hearing over and over. I especially like a lot of Alex's guitar melodies on this album, as well as Geddy's vocal melodies and Neil's best emotional relationship lyrics. Open Secrets is a great example of this. High Water and Prime Mover are actually pretty deep philosophical lyrics. Great loud. Lock and Key and Mission are good as well, a bit poppish, like Force Ten. Tai Shan is in a class all its own, and you either love it or hate it. Love it. But for me, being a bass player, loving Alex's bright textures and harmonics in his searing solos, loving aggressive synths, and agreeing so much with Neil on his lyrics in this one, my #1 pick for this song is --- TURN THE PAGE Still raises the hairs on the back of my neck when I get a chance to crank it really loud and am looking for a pick-me-up That bass line is one of those that, even though your left hand is fatigued and about to give out, the RUSH of adrenaline it gives forces you to go on anyway. And the chaos at the end... yummm
  22. Is having friends from a former life who are beer connoisseurs a good thing?
  23. Omg awesome thread There are so many moments for me, I'm so glad there are the same for so many others. Believe me when I say I will go over each and every response in this thread and sonically locate that sexy moment that does it. I have so many, I cannot even begin. Off the top of my head, here are a few for starters: Territories: the pinched harmonics in Alex's main riff Turn the Page: not exactly sure, but where the lyrics say truth is so poorly lit, and Alex does a tremolo drop that just say "ummm" as in a disorienting "omg I can't believe he said that"... Dreamline: Once I was pretty stoned with this really hot chick into NIN present, and Dreamline was playing.... the stereo backward masking sounds and multi-layered tracks were climactic... Turn the Page: didn't I already mention this one? So many "moments" here. The Trees: live and studio version, the part where Alex plays the musical part to trees being chopped down....duhn duhn duhn duhn duhn So many more here, but I'll stop for now. Again, awesome thread. I think this is a key area that many of us Rush fanatics get off on.
  24. 187: That even though other people might be more into the trend of the day, they say they know of Rush and respect them as a band. 188: Father and son jamming out together covering Hemispheres. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PocY88MsUns 189: New guitarists, bass players, and drummers getting inspired to actually "elevate the norm" because of Rush.
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