Snyder80

I have never nor will I ever understand this endless obsession with the fact that Neil Peart doesn't like to meet fans face to face. Who cares? The idea that he should be approachable in public or sitting around stage side giving meet and greets or that he owes his fans something tangible is, in a word, disturbing. I don't read the news every day but I sure can't remember the last time I saw where he was charged for holding a gun to someones head and making them come to a show or buy an album.

 

Quite frankly I'm pretty introverted, especially at work. I'm not rude to people, I just don't small talk most of them unless it's a close friend. Unfortunately I have this reputation amongst some that I'm this cold hearted son-of-a-bitch because I don't walk around radiating sunshine and talking to the world about my problems.

 

I think people should really learn to get over themselves. He doesn't owe any of us a damn thing. Isn't 40+ years of great and inspiring music enough?

Keep going on till dawn

How many times must another line be drawn

We could be down and gone

But we hold on

 

 

Neil should go back to pedaling instead of throttling. He was in such good shape back then. Routinely did 100 mile bicycle rides. That's about 8 hours or more on the bicycle for those of you keeping score:)

 

Sorry to be blasphemous yet again, but he was a cocaine user at the time. So was Jane Fonda when she did her workout videos.

 

I'm amazed at how much personal knowledge some of you seem to have about people you have never known personally. It defies logic, really.

If the band were of the opinion that Geddy couldn't endure another tour (let alone two or three), then I don't think they would continue to do what they do. And whatever they do next, they ought to be able to do without a chorus of people wondering if they can still hack it.

 

It's amazing...they make new music and tour consistently, almost without stopping, for 10-11 years, and then they take a break for one year, and all this starts up. It's inevitable with some people, I suppose. "What if Geddy can't do it anymore?", "What if Neil crashes his bike?"...Neil is a big boy, and he can take care of himself. And in 2013, I went to my first Rush show since the Counterparts tour, and Geddy sounded flippin' great.

 

So there.

 

Thank you! I too think Geddy sounds just fine. I don't understand really. Did you all think he would be twenty-five forever?

just kidding, but anyway, I just usually judge music on how pleasing it is to the ears... I don't care how flashy you play, or how shitty you play. if it rocks, it rocks

 

if music started with king crimson and ended with dream theater for me, life would get pretty boring

 

Gotta agree here. For a few years there I really went through a pretty snobby phase with the music I listen to. Then one day I was riding home from work and Back in Black came on and it had been years since I heard and I was so blown away by how f***ing awesome that riff still is that I just cranked the shit out of it. Much more versatile again. I've always listened to a bunch of styles of music but for a long time, I listened to complex stuff almost exclusively. And sometimes it's not about that.

It was a great return to their power trio roots and one of the better sounding drum albums, in my opinion. I get so lost in the middle section of Animate when I listen to it that I'm just a swarm of goosebumps listening to Geddy sing those lyrics over that syncopated drum section with Alex adding that emotional guitar in there. Animate is clearly my favorite song from the album. As a whole it works on some levels and not on others. It isn't really a complete effort and I feel as though they are unstoppable on some tracks and others they are trying to find a direction for the record. I'd be curious to know what order the tracks were recorded in.

 

Fav songs: Animate, Between Sun & Moon, Everyday Glory, Stick it Out, Leave that Thing Alone.

I miss the 80s for mostly nostalgic reasons anymore. Listening to vinyl, NES, Mike Tyson, Penn State was good and free of scandals that ended me being a fan, The Wonder Years, Ron Hextall, horror films, etc. All kid stuff and I've grown up now so living without those things no longer bothers me. It was a cool decade and musically, probably Rush's finest. The rest, unfortunately, is quite forgettable.

 

On the other hand, I used to hate the 90s and I've actually come to appreciate them quite a bit now. I started having sex in the 90s. How the hell do you beat that?

I WISH I LIVED IN THE 80'S!

 

The films were awesome.

 

That part was cool. But remember, when travelling back, you have to hand in your:

 

Cell phone

Computer

Internet Access

99% of TV stations

HD

3D

 

and about 1000 other conveniences.. :)

 

The bonus here is there was a lot less fat people. I actually remember being in elementary school from 85-90 and I'm here to tell you that a fat kid was still a rare sight. Not a common denominator. Maybe all of those so called conveniences aren't so great.

Sad to hear Vital Signs isn't more difficult because I love it

 

Doesn't have to be hard to love it.

 

Plus, don't get me wrong. It ain't gonna be the first thing you learn at your first lesson, it's just not as hard as it sounds.

 

I know. It's just one of those bass lines that when I hear it, I can just picture Geddy standing there, playing it like, that's right f*ckers, another killer line!

Kid Gloves and Bravado are walks in the park and Vital Signs is surprisingly not difficult. The rest... yeah.

 

Playing bass and singing Circumstances is always something I have to really pay attention on. My favorite bass line also, btw. Busy, aggressive and melodic.

 

Bravado I was more referencing the drum parts towards the end. Like I said, I don't play but I've heard many a drummer say the ending section is incredibly difficult. Sad to hear Vital Signs isn't more difficult because I love it. The bass in that song is gorgeous. I just love everything about that song. It's one of my absolute favorites.

Most of their stuff seems to have some technical prowess to it. Some songs seem simple when you're watching one person cover a single aspect of it on YouTube but three people trying to pull it off comes off as a train wreck. Anyway, I no longer play an intrument (something I highly regret) but here are some that I think sound difficult.

 

 

Circumstances, Freewill, YYZ, La Villa Strangiato, Natural Science, Digital Man, Vital Signs, The Big Money, Kid Gloves, Subdivisions, Bravado, Test for Echo, Animate, Tom Sawyer, The Weapon, One Little Victory, Malignant Narcissism.

 

Just my .02.

The Anarchist. The title track or The Garden are close seconds. Still love this album front to back though!

One of all time favorite Rush songs. Great lyrical material, great solo and kick ass drum outro. I've been waiting for this one to be played live for years! If they would play it, I'd go nuts.

Truthfully, in my opinion, CoS was a pretty weak follow up to the stellar Fly By Night. I've listened to it time and again but somehow cannot locate the superior greatness that others find in this album. Bastille Day is by far my favorite track and while the two long epics were decent attempts at much greater things to come, I still feel as though the album fell flat coming off of Fly By Night. When I listen to Anthem, Fly by Night or By-Tor and the Snowdog, I almost can't believe that CoS came after that album.

Yet another "modern" soul-less, generic sound/"effort" by Alex. No depth or character, as per usual.

You are completely wrong. As usual.

 

Sorry, Goose. Sounds like cheap, random shit to me. Its hard to perceive that this is coming from someone with such a rich and diverse background in musical styles/sounds. Maybe his brain is fried and/or he's too lazy to put serious effort into his sound (which has been more or less the same for past 14 years).

If Alex could hear into the future from the zenith of his career, I think he would be utterly disgusted with himself. Its appalling and unconscionable to me. Seriously.

 

Really? You do realize that music is a form of art and by definition it's subjective material? You're opinion is a bit harsh of a man whose musical accomplishments rival that of some of the greatest guitarists of all time. His sound is just fine, as is his compositions. Maybe they aren't your flavor but then again you come off like someone who can't escape Hemispheres so that's to be expected.

I'd love to have the money for this because, believe it or not, my wife has taught me such an appreciation and love for wine that I could spend this day without f***ing it up by bugging them about their music careers all day. Good luck to whomever gets this!

Might not be the smartest thing to reveal in this day and age but my profile name has zip to do with Rush, however, my first and middle names: Marshall Lee have quite a bit to do with music and Rush. Marshall-as in the amplifier and Lee-as in, you guessed it: the man himself. What can I say? Dad's a fan. According to family legend, he threw around the idea of naming me 2112 before my mother and grandfather intervened.

Great album, almost perfect. I adore every track with the exception of Red Lenses. Not sure what happened with that one but it doesn't have the drive or energy of the rest of the album. The Enemy Within and Kid Gloves are my favorite tunes from this one but overrall I can listen to it front to back with a smile. Distant Early Warning was one of my first Rush videos I recall. It's crazy how long ago that seems and I'm only 33. What the hell will I do when these guys aren't doing this anymore? It's a scary thought.

I saw a trailer for it on YouTube and refuse to watch it. It's a documentary, by all appearances, chronicling the band from its inception to the late 70's. Obviously created by one of the people on these forums who refuse to acknowledge the bands existence beyond Hemispheres

What Spectre said. Someones ass is going to get sued.

Albums with no over all theme:

 

Rush

Fly By Night

Caress of Steel

2112

A Farewell to Kings

Hemispheres

Moving Pictures (?)

Presto

Test for Echo

Vapor Trails

Feedback

 

All of these are debatable, of course. Albums not listed are ones I consider to have a theme running throughout, but there might be a song or two that do not fit.

 

Moving Pictures-the dangers and pitfalls of conformity and oppression. Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, Limelight, Vital Signs, Witch Hunt- all of these songs deal with that centralized issue, whether it's religious oppression (witch hunt), or fitting in with what society sees as cool and acceptable (vital signs, tom sawyer) or government oppression (red barchetta) or even self-directed oppression (limelight).

 

Just listen to some of the lyrics from Vital Signs-"A tired mind become a shape shifter" (molding yourself into something you're not just to fit in), "Everyone has to elevate from the norm." (finding yourself and forgetting what everyone else might think.)

 

Red Barchetta-Same principle. The easy route would be to let the car parked, let it in the past, let someone else dictate what you can and can't do with your life. The resistant soul jumps in, straps in and steps on the gas. It's an adventure and who is anyone to hold us all from that?

 

Witch Hunt-If I have to describe what can be conforming and oppressive about religion we're going to be here a while.

 

Limelight-This is Neil dealing with his discomfort of fame and popularity. Like it or not, it changes the way you live and interact in regular settings; like the grocery store. It's a microcosm of his profession, therefore choosing to deal with it against his better wishes is a form of conformity. No matter how small.

 

Tom Sawyer-The anthem for people who choose to stand up for their own beliefs and values and not be tied to a cause or religion or carved in stone set of values. It's a cry of individuality and humanity that all of us have. The line "always hopeful yet discontent" is one lyric that I've felt has described how I feel about many things for a long time.

 

Sorry for that rant and hopefully I made some lick of sense.

I prefer STP, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Rage Against the Machine to anything Pearl Jam ever did. And I never said they suck, I just said they aren't worthy of comparison to Rush. If being on rock radio makes you think they're better then so be it but I personally find the majority of their music very overrated. Also, if you need to hear someone compare Vedder as one of rocks all time greatest voices or hear McCready's name mentioned alongside the likes of EVH or Hendrix, go to one of their shows. The fact is they are a good rock band but they lived on an image just like all of the glam metal bands that they helped to banish. That entire genre of music (grunge) lived on plaid shorts and not washing your hair. I was alive and coherent through all of it from Nevermind down to when grunge lost it's foothold on the rock universe and none of it was as compelling as it's remembered.

I don't get all the Pearl Jam hate. They are among the best bands that led a resurgence of rock music in popular culture after over a decade of crappy pop music which also very negatively affected Rush. They weren't built to last, but they had 4 great albums in 7 years...that's nothing to sneeze at.

 

It's not so much hate as it is realism. Is Pearl Jam really worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with Rush? I suppose that's a subjective question and everyone is entitled to their own opinion but personally I find it a bit ridiculous.

 

Secondly, some of the things I've heard regarding Pearl Jam over the years overshadow any fanboy comment you can make about anyone else. Claiming Eddie Vedder as the best vocalist on the 20th century, comparing Mike McCready to Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton. And I especially love how Eddie Vedder had to force feed his radical political views upon the viewing eyes and ears of anyone whoever dared listen to them, going so far as to sit side by side with three men in Memphis who were convicted of murdering a couple of little boys.

 

Some of their music may have been good, but it certainly won't be remembered next to the likes of Rush 100 years from now.

The Decades Tour

 

Set 1

----------

Show Don't Tell

Hand Over Fist

Afterimage

Turn the page

Force Ten

Chemistry

Roll The Bones

The Color of Right

The Anarchist

Marathon

Cut to the Chase

Closer To the Heart

 

Set 2

------------

YYZ

The Spirit of Radio

Freewill

Jacobs Ladder

A Farewell To Kings (Tuned down if needed)

Cygnus X1 Book 1 (instrumental)

Hemispheres (prelude)

2112(O/ToS

Working Man

By Tor and the Snow Dog

The Trees

La Villa

 

Encore

--------------

Tom Sawyer

Red Barchetta

Limelight

 

The encore is three songs from the same album? Having dreams is what makes life tolerable, I guess.

Is this a real question? Rush vs. Pearl Jam?

 

Who in the f**k comes up with these contests? Eddie Vedder is one of the most pretentious douche bags that has ever walked the earth. f**k him and his band.

Most of it is very emotional and intelligently written. Of course, like any artist, he's had his brighest moments and his dullest. I won't try to narrow my selection down to an album or two. I'm just going to list some of my personal favorites lines.

 

"Well weathered leather, hot metal and oil, the scented country air. Sunlight on chrome, the blur of the landscape, every nerve aware."

 

"Reflected light to another's sight and the moon tells a lover's story. My borrowed face and my third hand grace, only reflect your glory."

 

"When the dust has cleared and victory denied. A summit too lofty, river a little too wide. If we keep our pride, though paradise is lost, we will pay the price but we will not count the cost."

 

"Growing up it all seems so one sided, opinions all provided, the future pre-decided, detached and subdivided in the mass production zone. Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone."

 

"All of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer by the stars. All of us do time in the gutter, dreamers turn to look at the cars."

 

"Leave out the fiction, the fact is this friction will only be won by persistence. Leave out conditions, courageous convictions will drag the dream into existence." (I also love how Geddy will sing "emancipate from the norm" during live performances).

 

Obviously, there are many many more and I could keep going but you get the idea.