Hiding in plain sight

I have been hearing the echo of "Carve Away the Stone" also, combined with those high back-up vocals that I don't personally care for, just like "The Stars Look Down". Or *was* hearing those things, but now I'm skipping that track.

QUOTE (alphseeker @ Jun 9 2012, 07:26 PM)I purposely did not listen to "The Garden" for the last 4 days just to see if i would feel the same after taking a break from it and maybe get a little different perspective perhaps - I just listened to it 20 minutes ago - Same Goose Bumps, Same Choked up feeling in my throat that i had the first time I heard it - This song is extraordinary - I applaud you. I have done the same thing with masturbation--days 3 and 4, it doesn't seem possible and doesn't seem safe for yourself or others. And then you're back and the feeling is unmistakable.

Well I'm younger than the 44 crowd and I get this song and agree 100% that it is one of their finest achievements, especially in terms of emotionally-centered songs. It reminds me quite a bit of Bravado in terms of sophisticated power achieved in a way that seems effortless and simple. And sometimes a great song like this can come easy if you have the ear and talent to channel it. But for sure there is a type of listener that does not gravitate to this type of material, dating back to Tears. For me it's refreshing. I'm that other type that thinks La Villa Strangiato is a tiresome mess containing the phenomenal, sweet 2 minutes going into Alex's emotive lead. If focused, that could have been a dream of a developed song. I know, sacrilege to say! Or Malignant Narcissism--an insane 2-minute jam, tossed out like a snack when it could have been the main course. RUSH sound great and play wonderfully. But there has always been the battle in song structure between piling on and piecing together as opposed to stripping away and sharpening the arrow. I'll choose a song like The Garden every time. Ok, I'm 43.

I'm frustrated with this one because I love it until the blues-y bridge. The song is already a mix of colors, but the bridge seems like one too many crammed in, something that also bugged me on some of the Snakes & Arrows tracks. The song builds up a lot of great intensity and then the bridge is kind of wonky; for me it fizzles very strangely there. Still one of the best songs. The verses are gorgeous.

Wouldn't skip it, but it's probably my least favorite. Great opening riff but then it backs off and it's like "what happened?" I prefer how they let the heavy riff in BU2B really dominate the song.

"The Garden" no question about it. One of the very best songs they have ever written. This song is so hypnotic and emotionally potent. Like so many past classics--Bravado and the acoustic version of Resist come immediately to mind, but also The Pass, Available Light, Middletown Dreams. However the flavor is fresh, so restrained and controlled. Imagine if My Favorite Headache had been a RUSH album. And after all these years of keyboards, thank you Ged for just some clean simple unaffected piano.

One of my all-time favorites. I've also wondered why it never went live. My best guess is--as others suggested--maybe the solo is too dicey for Alex to consistantly reproduce. Hurts me to even fathom that thought!

I was already upset they never played Nocturne. Now on top of that, you left it off your list.