Is Grace Under Pressure darkwave?

[treeduck]

The Enemy Within progression steals wholesale from Spirits in the Material World by the Police, which is on their dark-wave inspired Ghost in the Machine.

 

Listen to the outro of TEW and then the intro of Spirits.

 

Don't hear it.

 

I've listened to both songs countless times but usually not one right after the other. Some have said they're ripping off The Police at various points on this album and I just don't hear it.

 

Sure some of the technique is similar and I don't discount there was some influence but I never hear a direct connection that some say is there. Never did an A-B comparison before with any of these songs but I've done a ton of miles with both bands so the music kind of hard-wired by now.

 

Maybe I need to hear one right after the other.

 

The keyboards in Spirits at the intro - off beat, fast reggae. Enemy Wothin could very well be the same chords - same progression, fast reggae.

 

Alex blatantly ripped off the Police again with Red Tide 5 years later.

 

I do hear what you're referring to but it's a different tempo and different timbre so I really don't see it as a direct ripoff. I think the context is different and maybe that's why I'm not seeing it.

 

Since I was in that deliberate mindset I tossed on disc three of the Police Box and noticed that the live version of Driven To Tears , the short guitar burst sound sounds exactly like one Red Sector A. It's very sort but it's repetitive. It also might be a choice related to the technology at the time. Never made that connection before but that short burst does sound exactly the same to me in this case.

 

That Andy solo on that live Driven to Tears is absolute fire.

 

Greatest Police song ever.

Earl has recently joined Old Men Anonymous!

[treeduck]

According to wikipedia, "Dark wave or darkwave is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s.^[5][6] Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics, and have been perceived as being dark, romantic, and bleak, with an undertone of sorrow." Essentially synthpop with dark, depressing lyrics.

 

Based on this definition alone, I think that Grace Under Pressure falls under this category. Every single track on this record showcases some kind of darkness, sadness, or unpleasantry about life.

 

1. Distant Early Warning: Cold War tensions and nuclear war

2. Afterimage: Loss of a loved one

3. Red Sector A: The Holocaust

4. The Enemy Within: Anxiety and the power of fear

5. The Body Electric: Technology taking over humanity

6. Kid Gloves: Bullying and hatred

7. Red Lenses: McCarthyism and The Red Scare

8. Between The Wheels: Living in times of war.

 

 

What do you guys think?

It's heavy metal with synths and ridiculous robot dance music thrown in.

[lerxt1990]

the whole vibe for g/p is dark, cold, bleak...especially Alex's guitar tone, it sounds like he was recorded in some moonless, frozen wasteland.

 

I've been thinking this about G/P for years. It is a cold album, it is a Cold War album. The last drum crash of Between the Wheels is very cold. And Alex's tone. throughout, is consistently cold, but not in an unpleasant way.

 

 

This is one of the best Rush Threads all year. "GUP" will always be my second favorite Rush record. "Dark Wave" is a great term for such a moonless masterpiece. Yet the stars still shine brightly in the Rush Universe. The irony for me on "Between The Wheels" is for my ears, Alex's solo is one of the most beautiful and melodic guitar solos on the planet. When I play my drums to that song and Alex's solo starts I drift into an inspired zone that leaves me uplifted and and excited.

:goodone:

 

The whole album affects me that way...as though below all the bleak observation there's an underlying optimism.

Well put.

[ytserush]

And it’s not just that.

 

Andy Summer’s playing on Walking on the Moon literally influenced all of Alex’s playing on so much of GuP and about all of Power Windows .

 

Not sure I'd go that far. but it's there to a degree.

[fraroc]

I agree that rush were among the fathers of prog metal. When they were doing such no one i know was using the term prog or progressive.

 

They were imo quite a bit more heavy than their peers in what we used to call art rock

RUSH became a heavier version of what early Kansas and Styx were doing. Compare Kansas 1974 to RUSH 1974. Peart made the transition away from Zep-rock possible.

 

I always thought that Kansas was more of an "Americana" version of Yes.

 

Not that it's a bad thing :)

[Segue Myles]

I agree that rush were among the fathers of prog metal. When they were doing such no one i know was using the term prog or progressive.

 

They were imo quite a bit more heavy than their peers in what we used to call art rock

RUSH became a heavier version of what early Kansas and Styx were doing. Compare Kansas 1974 to RUSH 1974. Peart made the transition away from Zep-rock possible.

 

I always thought that Kansas was more of an "Americana" version of Yes.

 

Not that it's a bad thing :)

 

Yes? Nah I don't hear it myself.

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Revisionist history imo.

 

Reversed engineered horseshit....

 

I’m with you. With a little elbow grease, it’s possible to wedge Rush into nearly every musical genre out there. In 30 years when there’s another musical category that is created, it’ll probably be possible to argue that Rush was that too.

 

They combined rap and rock before nu-metal made a massive impact.

 

I'm reaching, but still!

 

 

lol

 

 

tbf though, Aerosmith and Run DMC arguably did it first...and less arguably did it better. That was followed by Anthrax and Public Enemy, then came Rush, then came nu-metal.

[Entre_Perpetuo]

I agree that rush were among the fathers of prog metal. When they were doing such no one i know was using the term prog or progressive.

 

They were imo quite a bit more heavy than their peers in what we used to call art rock

RUSH became a heavier version of what early Kansas and Styx were doing. Compare Kansas 1974 to RUSH 1974. Peart made the transition away from Zep-rock possible.

 

I always thought that Kansas was more of an "Americana" version of Yes.

 

Not that it's a bad thing :)

 

I've always thought Kansas's interpretation of british prog rock became the template for a lot of Dream Theater's catalogue two decades later.

[JohnnyBlaze]

Revisionist history imo.

 

Reversed engineered horseshit....

 

I’m with you. With a little elbow grease, it’s possible to wedge Rush into nearly every musical genre out there. In 30 years when there’s another musical category that is created, it’ll probably be possible to argue that Rush was that too.

 

They combined rap and rock before nu-metal made a massive impact.

 

I'm reaching, but still!

 

 

lol

 

 

tbf though, Aerosmith and Run DMC arguably did it first...and less arguably did it better. That was followed by Anthrax and Public Enemy, then came Rush, then came nu-metal.

 

1981. pop/rock + rap :

 

 

And it wasn’t even THE first. But it was the first big hit of this type of combo.

 

 

[goose]

Revisionist history imo.

 

Reversed engineered horseshit....

 

I’m with you. With a little elbow grease, it’s possible to wedge Rush into nearly every musical genre out there. In 30 years when there’s another musical category that is created, it’ll probably be possible to argue that Rush was that too.

 

They combined rap and rock before nu-metal made a massive impact.

 

I'm reaching, but still!

 

 

lol

 

 

tbf though, Aerosmith and Run DMC arguably did it first...and less arguably did it better. That was followed by Anthrax and Public Enemy, then came Rush, then came nu-metal.

 

1981. pop/rock + rap :

 

 

And it wasn’t even THE first. But it was the first big hit of this type of combo.

Faith No More (1989) is another example