jnoble

it always cracks me up how utterly horrified Rolling Stone is that anyone could possibly like or agree with Ayn Rand's writings. If I was Neil I would have stuck up for myself a little more instead of quickly dismissing his 2112 era thinking. For a magazine that likes to tout themselves as so open minded, they sure don't act that way when it comes to politics

It's not horrible but there's not much going on that resonated or stuck with me. I like the story, I enjoyed reading along with the lyrics, I like that they ditched the acoustic/folk crap and it's mostly hard rock as opposed to the folk crap from Snakes, but I don't have any desire to listen to any of it again. There's no hooks or melody to most of it and that's what I need most in a song, any song, not just Rush. I give it a B+ for the concept and packaging and performance, but a C for the songs themselves start to finish. Sorry guys, you need to do more than tape together a bunch of heavy riffs to make a great song that lasts the test of time.

I don't find it nearly as dull and negative as most of S&A, but unfortunatly it still has the SAME EXACT problems that's plagued them starting with TFE....heavy riffs awkwardly pasted together, no strong hooks or melodys that stick in your head after listening, songs with too many words, Geddy sounds like he's inventing the melody on the spot on most songs. I like the concept, I like the story, I like the imagery, I like the little story notes in the booklet above the lyrics that tell us what's going on, I like the return to a more epic sound and concept, I like the album art cover with the deep crimson color. I just don't remember most of what I've heard outside of a part here and there and that's one of the worst things to say about a rock album....not having any of it stick with you after ejecting the CD and moving on with your day. Sorry Rush, I love you guys, but your songwriting/composing skills just aren't there anymore. Heavy loud riffs and busy playing aren't enough to keep the casual fan coming back for future listens....not only that, but most of these songs don't even make much sense to want to listen to out of sequence of the story.

I'd come back to VT more if, aside from the obvious production issues that's been discussed to death on here, it was three or four songs shorter. I'm a fan of quality not quanity. There have been too many filler songs on the last two studio albums.

some easy Rush songs on bass: The Pass New World Man Bravado Dreamline Freewill (yes, even the middle part isn't too tough) Chemistry

let me put this diplomatically....Tai Shan isn't awful either lyrically or musically....it's just not the style of music that a talented rock band like Rush should've been making. I'll say what lots of others have said on here for years....HYF would be so much better if the last two songs on it didn't exist.

QUOTE (The Owl @ May 24 2012, 08:58 AM) One small P.S about the lack of heaviness/"umph" that I felt this album had, even on the songs I praised. Of all Rush's material I prefer live versions of Roll The Bones material to the studio versions.... I probably would not say that about any other live vs studio versions of Rush songs...(well Vapor Trails would qauify too but more on that when we get there)....and it is because when RTB songs are played live the do have the balls live in terms of heaviness that the studio versions did not have. Alex has mentioned in interviews that while recording his guitar parts on albums like HYF and RTB, it sounded fine in the studio but sometime during postproduction, all the power he thought was there was pushed down/lost in the final mix. Geddy was also expressing disappointment in the overall sound of RTB soon after it came out and that those songs sounded much better live than what they recorded.

the end of Panacea, one of the most touching lines Neil ever wrote that no-one ever seems to bring up: "My heart will lie beside you And my wandering body grieves..."

I don't listen to it very often, but I've always liked 'Half The World' and am not ashamed to admit it. Like someone else pointed out, TFE had a very fuzzy overdistorted sound that annoyed me. I remember when it came out my friend Dave who got me into Rush complaining that Limbo "just sounds like Alex is playing noise"

QUOTE (ArrowSnake @ May 17 2012, 02:29 PM) I love Vapor Trails. I think it's one of the most personal, emotional albums Rush has made. Music wise it's very original and shows a side of the band I hadn't heard before. Lyric wise it's very moving and inspiring. The production wasn't very good and that's a shame. But they will release a remixed version so I'll listen to that one in the future. The only thing I don't like about this album and also S&A is the choir of Geddy's. I agree that Rush should use less overdubs, especially with Geddy's voice. that's my biggest gripe with all the albums starting with TFE....too many layers of everything, especially guitar, which results in a thick muddy wall of sound. Don't like it for any band, especially Rush. Say what you want about Presto and RTB, those albums were much more listenable and easier to follow. Also, it would be nice if they could write shorter songs. Anything over 5 minutes just seems to go on way too long with too many repeats.

QUOTE (Rushman14 @ May 25 2012, 01:21 PM) this I do not like. the latest from Geddy regarding a VT remix: That was an idea but it's now been shifted down. Rather than remix the entire album we might now take a bunch of different songs from albums and get different people to remix them for fun, rather than just do Vapor Trails. It's an idea in flux. I can only guess that they didn't consider it cost effective or worth their time to remix an entire album that didn't really sell well to start with and that they don't seem too crazy about in hindsight given that barely any VT songs were carried over to the more recent setlists.

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ May 25 2012, 08:01 AM) I think it's affected my fandom in positive ways as well as negative. Both. The positive: 1. Sometimes, like "chain lightning," the enthusiasm other online fans have for the band rubs off on me, and gets ME more charged up. 2. Information! Thank you! No more wondering when new albums are coming out, when the tour will come through my town, etc. Heck, even biographical information has been a Godsend; before the Net, we only had infrequent magazine articles and the book Visions, and nothing else. The negative: 1. Yeah, sometimes we OVER-analyze this stuff, eh? 2. Sometimes your online life overshadows REAL life, when you really ought to be spending more time with breathing people instead. 3. The (capital R) "Romantic" notion of fandom is gone. No more taping new singles off the radio onto cassette, then playing it over and over with your best buddy. No more pouring through magazines and library materials for information about the band, or information about lyrical references. No more Mystery; everything you want to know is a mouse click away... and that's not necessarily a good thing. I remember paying the large sum of $30 bucks at one point in time just for a bootleg VHS of a Rush show and eagerly watching it even though it was a crappy hand held camera with crappy sound sort of far away from the stage and every once in awhile it would be blocked by someone's head or get ducked under the seat to avoid detection. Thank God for the internet and the non-stop stream of DVD's of all the recent tours.

2112: "We've taken care of everything the words you EAT the songs you sing.... and later "..never need to work or have a wife..." At the time I really thought those were the words given the context of the song Working Man, the beginning: "I get up at seven-YAY!..." Working Man, at the end: "Well they call me the working MAID!" The first time I listened to Beneath Between and Behind, I didn't understand ONE WORD he sang....Not one!: "Plastic dreams come due inventing subcanoe..."

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ May 8 2012, 09:21 AM) QUOTE (Storm Shadow @ May 8 2012, 06:49 AM) I like it just as much. Haven't played it a ton, but still think it's great. Yeah, I still like it the same, I think... although I haven't been spinning it a lot. I still think the musicianship, especially the bass, is great on "Headlong Flight." It's a fast and fun song to listen to. But I'm off listening to different stuff these days, and seldom listening to Rush. It could even be said that Rush music doesn't have the same pull on me anymore than it did when I was in my teens and twenties or even my thirties. (Gasp!) They'll probably always be "my favorite band of all time," because of their impact on my formative years (if nothing else), but I'm not a daily Rush listener anymore by any means. When the full album comes out, perhaps it'll take over my listening time and maybe even dominate it for awhile. We'll see. I've felt the same way for a number of years now, it just took me awhile to fully accept it. I'll always love the band, how they influenced me in many ways, grew up with them, learned many songs on bass and keys, played in a cover band for many years, went to at least one show from every tour starting with RTB in 1992, the whole nine yards. But I'm just not the eager super fan that I used to be and don't care for most of the newer stuff and am tired sick of most of the old 'classic' stuff. Heck, I turn off Tom Sawyer now when it comes on the radio because I've only heard it a zillion times. Same with Limelight. I've gotten into other bands like Velvet Revolver, Jet, Plain White T's, The Black Keys over the years than being just another obsessive Rush fan who doesn't branch out muscially So I'll buy the new album when it comes out more out of habit than anything else, but Im not expecting to love it and take a week off of work just to stay home and geek out on it like some on TRF will.

If I never hear Tom Sawyer again....either on the radio or live in concert or even played by a tribute band that'd be fine by me. Natural Science, The Pass, Signals, and Animate are overrated by fans. Neil's drumming on Fly By Night...both the playing itself and the sound of his drums kicks ass and is much more enjoyable than his "more mature and technologically advanced Gruber-influenced" current style HYF is underrated. Yes, it's not hard rock and it's lush and overproduced, but the song writing and arrangments are for the most part very very good. Rupert Hine's thin production worked better for Presto than it did for RTB. Geddy's Wal era bass playing was more enjoyable than his post Counterparts distorted Fender Jazz flamenco "play as many notes as fast as possible in every song" style I like the narroration in songs like The Necromancer and Cygnus X-1 Geddy ability to compose and sing a decent melody largely disappeared around Test For Echo I enjoy screechy '70s young Geddy's singing much more than straining cracking "more mature and soulful" Geddy of now. VT is more listenable than the preachy borefest of Snakes Neil Pearts ability to write enjoyable understandable lyrics started going downhill starting with Counterparts and got worse with every album since Grace Under Pressure is an OK album but doesn't make me convulse with joy like most other fans the three new songs, especially Headlong Flight, aren't all that great. Headlong Flight is overlong, needlessly complicated, and the melody is almost non-existant. Which is what I think of most of their stuff from the last 10 years. Superconductor is a fun song I've always liked. Ditto Where's my Thing. I'm tired of hearing the band and fans discuss Moving Pictures....either the songs themselves or the recording of it. And definatly I'm tired of hearing any of those songs on radio or in concert. Drum solos bore me. The last Peart solo I liked was the one on ASOH.

QUOTE (Workaholic Man @ Apr 24 2012, 07:03 AM) QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Apr 23 2012, 01:43 PM) I think what I don't like about it is the monotony. It's broken up in parts like Alex's solo (which is welcoming) but the song just plays and plays with little variety. Same reason I never really cared for Peaceable Kingdom. I get bored quickly. The song could be shorter for what it's delivering. I agree. The added length is unnecessary. Redundant verses as well as riffs. I know they like to indulge themselves, but it gets to a point where the listener gets bored and hits the "Next" button....... The Main Monkey Business falls into the catagory of "repetitive for no reason other than to be repetitive". They're usually great at writing instrumentals, but that one just chugs ON and ON and ON with no payoff or purpose.

QUOTE (Snaked @ Apr 22 2012, 05:34 PM) QUOTE (CruisingInPrimetime @ Apr 22 2012, 05:27 PM) QUOTE (Slack jaw gaze @ Apr 22 2012, 03:46 PM)Luckily, I listened to VT before I read about how bad the sound was and how much I was supposed to not like it. I like the original mix of Earthshine much better than the remix FWIW. It's amusing to me that there seems to be almost a fear of not including the disclaimer of "the sound sucks" (or whatever) when praising any VT song. The dynamic of every special interest web forum is the same. - People are drawn to a site based on an interest in topic X - Prolific posters impose a de facto hierarchy of what is good and bad within topic X - Many people parrot that hierarchy until it becomes "common knowledge" I like VT the way it is and that's How It Is. But the mixing/mastering on Vapor Trails actually is bad. That's common knowledge. I learned that on TRF. Oh wait It's actually not the mixing or the mastering that is bad, it's the recording which went awry. The tracks were recorded too hot and by the time they realized there was a problem it was too late. This is also why we dont have a remaster of VT yet. I know Chycki has been working on it for some time and they do expect to release it at some point but the reality is GIGO, Garbage In - Garbage Out. He'll be able to smooth out some of the edges.. negate some of the noise.. but ultimately since the actual 1's and 0's are out of whack I dont have much hope in the final product. And it's such a shame considering the material itself really is excellent. If that's the case, then how come the remixed versions of OLV and Earthshine sound so much better? The recording may have been too hot, I don't know enough to argue with you about that, but things were definatly screwed up much more on the mastering end.

QUOTE (That One Guy @ Apr 23 2012, 12:34 PM) Rush Update: I can't stop listening to HYF and Presto. Caress of Steel will come soon You can stop listening to HYF after Turn The Page ends. Trust me, you won't be missing anything.

QUOTE (H. P. L. @ Apr 23 2012, 02:36 AM) I guess it will be better in the sense that it won't get boring after the first 3 songs. That's what S&A does for me. I've always thought the worst thing you could say about a rock bands music is that it's boring or dull. If I was in a band myself, the last thing I'd want said about my material is that it's uninteresting or boring. That's why Snakes is my least fav Rush album. They committed the worst sin, to my ears, that an established legendary band like themselves could do....made an album mostly full of boring songs.

QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Apr 23 2012, 12:10 AM) Snakes & Arrows has aged poorly for me. I wasn't really a big fan when it came out, but I dug it. But with more time going by, I just can't stand the album. Apart of it definitely has to do with Neil's lyrics. But musically I just found it very unfulfilling as well. I'm not one of those people that have to have Rush be like they were in the old days. I get it, Rush aren't ever going to sound like they used to. And honestly, I don't think they need to. At their age, it's pretty ridiculous to expect them to write music they way they used to 10-20 years ago. Plus, Rush has always been a band that has changed from album to album, decade to decade. It's not like they haven't gone through a change of sound before. I'll be honest, the last Rush album I really liked was Presto. Every album after that has been kind of spotty for me. Test For Echo, Roll The Bones, Counterparts etc. My favorite run was definitely 2112-Presto. And every album after that has been hit and miss (as an overall album), with most of the albums having songs I really liked. I just don't really like any songs off of Snakes & Arrows. Even Roll The Bones had stand out songs IMO. But that's just me. Maybe I just don't like their recent material. Who knows. I really did like HF, and I have hope this album will at the very least produce a handful of songs I really like. The days of Rush putting out albums I think are great front to back have been gone for a while (for me). So I'm not really expecting that. I'm also not complaining, or upset. New material is new material. And I'm always happy to listen to new Rush. When S&A didn't move me, I was okay with that. Roll The Bones was the last Rush album that I enjoyed for the most part end to end. Every album after that just didn't do it for me on a consistant basis or just had something about it that didn't work for me....Counterparts sounded great sonically but I didn't like a lot of the lyrics... TFE was OK, had a couple of decent songs but sounded fuzzy and nothing on it really sticks out as great....VT had energy and passion (and a couple of songs that I do really like, How It Is is one) but was too noisy, too loud, too convoluted, too long, too chaotic....S&A was just a boring droning Neil Peart "the world sucks and people are mean" preach-fest that I never plan on listening to ever again outside of one or two songs.

QUOTE (Gedneil Alpeart @ Apr 20 2012, 04:47 PM) QUOTE (rushgoober @ Apr 20 2012, 11:49 AM) the one thing a poll like this cannot factor in is time. when S&A came out, 95% of everyone did nothing but rave about it. it was only with time, when people got over the initial hysteria of hearing new rush after years of nothing were they able to get cooler heads and assess what they really thought, giving it time to sink in and more objectively compare it to their catalog. all i'm saying is everyone tends to be over the moon by new rush, but will they feel the same way in a month? in 6 months? usually it seems to take at minimum of a year before people can approach anything resembling objectivity, but of course no one has the patience for that. Good point. The initial excitement/ honeymoon period for a new Rush album is nice, but the real test is with our opinion of the product over time. Good to keep things in perspective. TRF (if it had existed then) circa 1996: TEST FOR ECHO KICKS ASS!!! OMG TEST FOR ECHO IS AWESOME!!! BEST RUSH ALBUM SINCE MOVING PICTURES!!! TRF circa 2002: ONE LITTLE VICTORY KICKS ASS!!! OMG VAPOR TRAILS IS AWESOME!!! BEST RUSH ALBUM SINCE MOVING PICTURES!!! TRF circa 2007: FAR CRY KICKS ASS!!! OMG SNAKES AND ARROWS IS AWESOME!!! BEST RUSH ALBUM SINCE MOVING PICTURES!!! TRF now: HEADLONG FLIGHT KICKS ASS!!! OMG CLOCKWORK ANGELS IS (shaping up to be presumably) AWESOME!!! BEST RUSH ALBUM SINCE MOVING PICTURES!!! and so it goes....

Seems like almost everything "heavy" they've recorded starting with Test For Echo has sounded clunky and/or a glued together mish-mosh of parts that don't always flow well

QUOTE (Rushman14 @ Apr 20 2012, 12:11 PM) I remember reading an interview with Geddy after T4E came out and he said it was the best thing they've done since Moving Pictures. From what I know, Geddy's fav albums are Moving Pictures, Power Windows and Roll The Bones. And all three don't really care for Presto, Alex mentions it as an album they wish they could re-record.

QUOTE (Majestyk @ Apr 20 2012, 11:11 AM) Don't they say that about all their new albums? yes they do. Every album starting with TFE, usually by Neil when he's talking during the writing sessions, is hyped as "some of the best songs we've ever done!" I understand most artists say that. Like some others here have pointed out, it's not like they're going to say "hey, this new album is sort of half-assed, we really mailed it in when writing, recording and the mix job is a bit screwed up. So basically it's about two good songs and a bunch of filler to pad out the rest of the CD. But please, spend some money and buy it anyway!"