Rush Cocky

QUOTE (Rush-O-Matic @ Jun 6 2012, 10:40 AM) I think it's a combination of several things, included some of those mentioned in the OP. But, also . . . When they were on a break-neck pace releasing albums, they weren't successful yet. There was pressure from themselves and their label to produce and succeed. Once they had achieive a certain measure of success, they could begin to negotiate better deals for revenue from touring, album sales, gear endorsements, merchandise, etc. Haven't you know young professionals who bust their ass early in their career so they can ease up later in life, retire early, and/or start another career with less time demands to fully enjoy their families and hobbies. Touring is where the money is at for them. Planning tours, shooting videos, and doing second legs of tours takes time - time away from being able to hit the studio. There are only so many bullets in the gun, so to speak. At some point, the inspiration available so that you're not repeating yourself (a challenge for any artist) begins to fade away. Think of authors that wrote classic novels - how many of them continue to do that over the length of time Rush has been making music? I think Rush has a bit of self-awareness to recognize that if they churn out an album every 18 months, they could quickly find themselves irrelevant if the quality slips beyond what even their most diehard fans will tolerate. And, fwiw, this is one of the reasons that I am amazed at how good Clockwork Angels is. The album, as a whole, is much better than SnA. (imho, there are some great songs on SnA, but too many clunkers.) This is the best answer of the original question so far.

QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Jun 6 2012, 11:35 AM) It didn't happen in your lifetime so you don't understand why we should remember it?! As was said in another thread recently: whiskey tango foxtrot? Logic here: how can I remember what I never personally experienced? That was really the point.

QUOTE (SchemingDemon @ Jun 6 2012, 07:38 AM) Reminds me of this http://i.imgur.com/9VEez.jpg

QUOTE (Snowman @ Jun 6 2012, 11:23 AM) I would love to see them many times live, but I would rather have new music. QFT

QUOTE (Snaked @ Jun 6 2012, 11:20 AM) QUOTE (Rush Cocky @ Jun 6 2012, 11:16 AM) QUOTE (Snaked @ Jun 6 2012, 11:13 AM) RUSH is a commodity. And in the marketplace, a commodity is going to be priced for maximum profit. The question was why so long, not why so expensive. The point I dispute is that it's not about the money. Sure it's well known that albums don't make the money that touring does, and that explains the emphasis on touring.....to make money. If Rush didn't care about money, they'd be in the studio ALL THE TIME and not tour at all. Especially since they're old, and touring takes a lot of energy out of you. They've ALWAYS said they enjoy touring. "It's what a band does" - Neil Peart Then you just collapsed your own argument about how it's not about the money. Congrats.

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Jun 6 2012, 11:25 AM) QUOTE (Lerxster @ Jun 5 2012, 08:25 AM)According to rush.com, CA is their 20th studio album. Makes sense to me. If you want to be a Feedack denier and pretend it didn't happen, then whatever. The thread title is correct. Sounds like a marketing ploy to me. 20th simply sounds nicer than 19th. It doesn't mean it's accurate, but it does make for a punchier headline! This was on the wiki Rush Discography page. I thought it relevant somehow. http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/rushgoober6/rushdiscography2.jpg

Not trying to be controversial here, but I just wanted to make this point. I understand and appreciate the patriotism associated with D-Day. The part that trips me up is "let us not forget". This even didn't happen in my lifetime, and it didn't even happen in my parents' lifetime. To most of the world today, this is an event in a history book. At some point, it becomes like somebody citing the Battle of Gettysburg (or the shots fired on Fort Sumter, depending on your part of the country) and saying "let us not forget". On the other hand, what happened on 9-11 is totally relateable to today's world because nearly everyone on the planet remembers what they were doing/where they were when they first heard the news. All I got, carry on.......

QUOTE (Snaked @ Jun 6 2012, 11:13 AM) RUSH is a commodity. And in the marketplace, a commodity is going to be priced for maximum profit. The question was why so long, not why so expensive. The point I dispute is that it's not about the money. Sure it's well known that albums don't make the money that touring does, and that explains the emphasis on touring.....to make money. If Rush didn't care about money, they'd be in the studio ALL THE TIME and not tour at all. Especially since they're old, and touring takes a lot of energy out of you.

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Jun 6 2012, 11:02 AM) Geddy Lee Net Worth Alex Lifeson Net Worth Neil Peart Net Worth This might somehow factor in to this conversation. The "new guy" is getting shafted! He has 6 million less than the other two!

QUOTE (trenken @ Jun 6 2012, 10:58 AM) They're old dude. They have other crap going on in their lives. They arent 25 anymore when everything they did revolved around the band. The band is now just 1 part of their lives, which is probably why the writing is not as good as it once was. And anyone who says 60 is not old must be 60 themselves, because it is old. We all have other crap going on in our lives, doesn't mean we quit our jobs because of that "crap". Especially when you love what you do.

QUOTE (H. P. L. @ Jun 6 2012, 10:56 AM) QUOTE (Snaked @ Jun 6 2012, 04:38 PM) It's no longer a full time job for them. They are all well beyond wealthy, yet they still enjoy playing music.. especially with each other. Back in the 70's, 80's and even early 90's RUSH was how they made a living. Today RUSH is what they enjoy. this. I disagree with both of you. If it's not to make money, why do they tour so much? And why are premium seats to any show hundreds of dollars? It's hard to even get a nosebleed seat for $50. It is about the money, because Rush knows they aren't going to be around forever.

Loved that. So....is there going to be an MVI for this album like there was for Snakes & Arrows? If so, that's a must-have as well.

QUOTE (1-0-0-1-0-0-1 @ Jun 6 2012, 09:42 AM) This is a little different. It's Jag's site, the lyrics are posted on there instead of here -- he just linked to it here. Also, RIAB is linking to it on their site, and if it's okay with them, it's okay with us. Yeah, I figured that's what it was. Anyway, glad to be studying the lyrics, it really heightens my anticipation for this Tuesday morning!

QUOTE (1-0-0-1-0-0-1 @ Jun 6 2012, 10:48 AM) There's a record store What is this "record store" of which you speak? I remember when most stores around me in the mall were so-and-so "records and tapes"

QUOTE (Rushgoober)6 years only to get VT I want to be clear.....I do NOT fault the band in any way for taking a hiatus during the tragedies that Neil suffered. My emphasis is on what they have been doing since that time. And I tend to agree that VT was not an incredibly strong album. It resonates well with a lot of fans, but I've never really gotten it. But I do remember at the time being so grateful that we finally got NEW RUSH! Especially when we thought we'd never hear from them again.

QUOTE (Rush-O-Matic @ Jun 6 2012, 10:40 AM) I think it's a combination of several things, included some of those mentioned in the OP. But, also . . . When they were on a break-neck pace releasing albums, they weren't successful yet. There was pressure from themselves and their label to produce and succeed. Once they had achieive a certain measure of success, they could begin to negotiate better deals for revenue from touring, album sales, gear endorsements, merchandise, etc. Haven't you know young professionals who bust their ass early in their career so they can ease up later in life, retire early, and/or start another career with less time demands to fully enjoy their families and hobbies. Touring is where the money is at for them. Planning tours, shooting videos, and doing second legs of tours takes time - time away from being able to hit the studio. There are only so many bullets in the gun, so to speak. At some point, the inspiration available so that you're not repeating yourself (a challenge for any artist) begins to fade away. Think of authors that wrote classic novels - how many of them continue to do that over the length of time Rush has been making music? I think Rush has a bit of self-awareness to recognize that if they churn out an album every 18 months, they could quickly find themselves irrelevant if the quality slips beyond what even their most diehard fans will tolerate. And, fwiw, this is one of the reasons that I am amazed at how good Clockwork Angels is. The album, as a whole, is much better than SnA. (imho, there are some great songs on SnA, but too many clunkers.) QUOTE There are only so many bullets in the gun, so to speak. At some point, the inspiration available so that you're not repeating yourself (a challenge for any artist) begins to fade away. So does this mean that CA is their swansong?

QUOTE (Rush-O-Matic @ Jun 6 2012, 09:48 AM) The 30 second clips have been removed from Walmart.com And, THIS ALBUM KICKS ALL KINDS OF ASS! Damn. There are certainly some songs that are stronger than others on this album, but I haven't been skipping songs like I usually do on their last few (8?) releases. Good thing "Half The World" has already downloaded these!

QUOTE (Alexmai @ Jun 6 2012, 10:29 AM) they could have their first #1... And they might still, but the fact that somebody put the whole damn album on YouTube -- and it stayed up there for a couple of days -- that's going to slow sales a good bit.

QUOTE Of course the band will tell you now it's because albums don't make money anymore, and only touring does. Then why make any new music at all if that's the case? Or is it that the albums themselves become a reason to not only tour, but to make gross amounts of money off of ticket sales, to record a show near the end of that tour, sell the CD of the recording of that show and sell the DVD and/or BluRay of that show? Not to mention the merchandising.....

QUOTE (Workaholic Man @ Jun 6 2012, 09:51 AM) It's not the cure for cancer, or the winning Powerball numbers Really? But they said.....

Today it's "Caravan"

When I finally buy Clockwork Angels at the earliest possible time on Tuesday, June 12th, I'm sure it will be flat-out awesome and blow me away just like I expected that it would. But my question is: why does it take so friggin' long for Rush to make albums now? And please don't give me the standard answer that they're old. IMO, that's a copout, because inspiration to write lyrics and music has nothing to do with one's age. If they were building houses for a living, then yeah I can totally see why it might take longer. So what is it then? Is it family obligations? Seems like they all had those 25 years ago as well, when they were in the midst of putting out an album nearly every year, instead of once every 5 years (Vapor Trails 2002, Snakes & Arrows 2007 and Clockwork Angels 2012; Feedback doesn't count). Is it the fact that they have nothing interesting to write about anymore? Does Neil have some sort of depression that makes the lyrics come slower? Are they all getting arthritis? There are meds for all that. I just can't see that if they love what they do and are passionate about it why they have not just slowed down, but come to a tortoise-pace in fact. (oh, and treeduck, feel free to make a 40-choice poll about this, I'm sure it would be hilarious as usual..... ) Thoughts anyone?

QUOTE (1-0-0-1-0-0-1 @ Jun 6 2012, 09:37 AM) I'm off to Best Buy on Monday night to see if they'll sell it to me early. Yeah, I wondered about that too. Let us know what you find out about that!

QUOTE (rocketom @ Jun 6 2012, 09:23 AM) I have seen next weeks Best Buy ad, it lists the cd for $9.99. Since there is a Best Buy mere minutes from my house.