LeChuck

All my Rush shirts have holes in them, so can't be worn anymore :( I think the last one I wore was my Time Machine tour shirt. Note to self: Buy more Rush shirts!

I found one version of the synth track, which appears to be the same one from Jammit (this link actually has all the Rush Jammit tracks): https://www.mediafire.com/folder/xc0sxq2y8ks8x/Rush But the Subdivisions isolated synth track I was after is different from this one. The synth mix was different, and the choir / phaser effect was a lot more prominent. I always figured they layered multiple tracks of synths for Subdivisions, so perhaps this was another one. I'd love to track it down, it's driving me crazy!

At this moment I'm looking for an isolated Subdivisions synth track that used to be on YouTube. I've got the isolated track that I bought from Jammit (when it was still around), but this one from YouTube sounded different. I'm guessing there are several layers of synths on that song. That being said, I like listening to any Rush isolated tracks .. so having a huge collection saved would be cool (so I don't have to worry about them disappearing in the future). I'm sure it's on the hard drive. If it was on youtube, it is on the hard drive. Wow, I can't believe it took this long for me to finally get the drive (since it went AWOL with someone right after I signed up on the list). But finally it's all copied over! Lorraine - Do you happen to know where all the isolated tracks are on here? I haven't found them yet, but there are a million folders (and I'm not really sure how people would categorize them). It would be kind of comic/tragic if they are no longer on the drive after waiting all this time ;)

So in your opinion, how do we make contact with one another? Electricity? Biology?

Chemistry is great musically, I love listening to it. Especially that opening synth chord! They really do abuse that chord, it's used in many of their synth songs that have ominous or tense moods (e.g. The Camera Eye, The Weapon). I always like the switchover between synth bass and raunchy bass guitar too. I will admit the lyrics are kind of nerdy, but it kind of comes with the territory ;)

I will throw down the gauntlet and nominate Rivendell. Soft and slow, beautiful lyrics and imagery, perfect acoustic backing. That being said, I would pay a million dollars to hear Geddy sing 'Lying in the warm grass, feel the sun upon your ass' in the beginning. I wonder if they set that rhyme up on purpose as a joke. My backups (in order of preference) would be Madrigal, Tears, Losing It, Different Strings, Mission, Marathon

Nope, never heard of 'em

I like this song a lot musically. Especially once I listened closer to the bass line - wow he is busy! It’s also one of the few times Geddy plays a lead on his new Oberheim 8-voice synth. French lyrics, rocking sound, great playing from everyone.

One of my favorite Rush songs .. it will be cool to hear it live, but not so cool if he butchers it. I don’t mind quirky or unique singing styles. But that Spirit of Radio rendition just sounds bad to me.

I will admit to knowing nothing about Primus .. but am considering going to this since AFTK is my favorite album. Who will do the singing? Can Les Claypool or someone else in the band sing anywhere in Geddy's AFTK range? I watched a clip of him covering Spirit of Radio and the vocals were so bad that my wife demanded I turn it off (which I gladly did). Hopefully that's not the treat they have in store for us ..

That's a good point about Geddy on rhythm. Might've sounded a bit thin. I wish they had given it the old college try anyway. I've always thought that was a strange reasoning too. They have a lot of early songs that lose rhythm guitar when Alex moves to solo .. so I'm not sure why this one would have sounded any thinner than the others in that regard. These guys are masters at filling out the sound with only three of them. Hmm? If they were looking for songs to add Taurus pedals / rhythm guitar to though, this was probably one of the few choices at the time (since the bassline during the solo is relatively slow and steady).

Neat thread! I'm not a drummer, but I always wonder what it would cost to recreate some of his old kits (particularly from AFTK and Hemispheres)

Different Strings, Tears, Madrigal are all pretty slow and easy to follow on the bass. Just a few fills here and there. Madrigal has that great sliding bass sound too with the chorus effect - I never get tired of it! Different Strings is also one of the few songs from that era where he has a very mellow (low treble) bass tone. Twilight Zone is pretty simple technique-wise, but a little faster than the above. Still fun to play, I love that song.

Wow! We did it! Hurrah! Now if we all keep it tuned in 24/7, maybe they’ll keep it permanently. Wonder if they already have some guests and specials lined up for it?

Out of curiosity, is this the essence of what's in that Godsmack story/interview/quote? I keep seeing posts here about him not speaking and being in a wheelchair. I've done my best to avoid that story, but I have a feeling it's going to be impossible to avoid all the references to it around here. Hopefully he didn't go into more details than that .. PS - Count me in the camp that thinks nobody should be talking publicly about what his last days/months/years were like. Seems like common decency and respect, especially to someone that was close enough to him to find this out.

Still can't believe it, but it's gotten easier by re-listening to Rush every day since. Hopefully the Sirius channel sticks around .. I love having the random mix of songs I wouldn't have necessarily picked. I also love listening to the drums on By-Tor .. he just sounds like he was hitting the ground running, totally on fire with his playing on that track. One tangent thought I've had lately is that I bet this also marks the end of Geddy's book signings. Doesn't seem like like he would want to be bombarded by fans asking about Neil, apologizing for his loss, bringing him flower bouquets, etc. At the signing I went to (right before Halloween) I remember thinking he didn't seem particularly happy to be there .. I've wondered in hindsight if it had to do with Neil's condition.

Farewell to Kings, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures

I always wondered if they played certain songs slower on purpose, or if they just happened to play it slow unintentionally (even though I like to think of Neil as a human metronome). I've noticed that same slowing even on older albums like Exit Stage Left. Some of them (I can't recall which right now) are so much slower that I have to think it's intentional for whatever reason.

Unfortunately I can't really watch the most recent tours. It hurts to hear him reaching for high notes with that yodel (sometimes multiple times per line - like on The Spirit of Radio). I know it makes some songs sound weird, but I always wished they would just drop the keys on more songs so they're easier for him to sing. I remember being amazed the last time they did Freewill and he hit those high notes after the solos - wow! I'm guessing they retired that song for that reason .. although to me it would be perfectly reasonable to just sing that verse in the same range as the rest of the verses.

Indeed, this is the explanation I've always gone with (since it did come directly from the man himself). You can't sing like that forever without tearing up your throat .. I'm actually surprised he could do it as long as he did. Bringing his voice down and singing more naturally seems like a good move. On a side note, I've always wondered how he could sing that high with so much power. I can barely sing in the car, and the only way I can sing along with Geddy's higher vocals is via falsetto (which probably sounds like Barry Gibb - good thing the volume is always cranked). I can't even fathom what it must be like for a person to not only be able to hit those notes, but to be able to scream them out like that.

Good one! Where is that from? I didn't realize Neil ever parodied that 2112 outfit / moustache

I suppose the short answer is "nope". I figured they would be around a lot longer, so hadn't even considered the possibility of one of them leaving us. They always seemed so youthful and goofy in photos and interviews. I shed tears on Friday a few times, mostly because I felt bad for him / his family and also because it meant Rush was dissolved forever and will never be again. It seems a little strange or irrational, but apparently they must mean that much to me.

Someone posted it in another thread, but there was a post by someone close to Neil who said he loved Hold Your Fire and they would listen to it together on 10. That's the main album I've had on while driving all weekend. Mostly listened to Grace Under Pressure on Friday since I couldn't get Afterimage out of my head, and that album is great musically/lyrically.