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Studio work declined, but live performance improved: any other bands?


Weatherman
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I think Rush was always better live than on vinyl.

 

They certainly were for a very long time, but when Geddy lost his consonants and range, and when Al's left hand could no longer keep up with is right, live shows largely became a source of disappointment for me rather than joy. Probably the last 4 or 5 tours I went to, I mostly went to marvel at how Geddy's bass playing was still in top form.

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I don't think I'm being controversial when I point out that Rush's studio output was of, um, mixed quality starting with Test For Echo. They made no classic albums or even classic songs from 1996 onwards.

However, they improved as a live band. Their stage show got really good as time went on, they played more evenly, Geddy even tamed his singing voice.

My earliest tour was Roll the Bones, but I imagine that any Rush show in 1980 was inferior to -- for example -- Rush in Rio in 2003.

 

I can't listen to anything from the last two or three tours because of Geddy's faltering voice, god bless him. Their playing on those tours was good but felt slowed down and even mannered which was understandable given the band's age. Their 70s and 80s live playing was the best for me although they were still pretty awesome up to R30.

 

For my money, his voice changed in 2008.

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Best tour for me was Roll the Bones. They were amazing. Check out the vids on YouTube.

 

I missed the test 4 echo tour - but everything I’ve seen confirms that they were probably at their best on that tour.

 

A shame they don’t have a properly produced Vapor Trails concert. Rio is a tough listen, but the band were in good form for certain.

 

Live, the wheels started to fall off at S/A.

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Best tour for me was Roll the Bones. They were amazing. Check out the vids on YouTube.

 

I missed the test 4 echo tour - but everything I’ve seen confirms that they were probably at their best on that tour.

 

A shame they don’t have a properly produced Vapor Trails concert. Rio is a tough listen, but the band were in good form for certain.

 

Live, the wheels started to fall off at S/A.

 

Roll the Bones tour was my first. Saw 'em twice. I was only 16 and had no frame of reference.

I saw one show in 2007 on S/A tour and they sounded even better at that time. Probably worked out for the best that was my last show.

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I missed the test 4 echo tour - but everything I’ve seen confirms that they were probably at their best on that tour.

 

I'll jump on the bandwagon. I loved the Devore, CA show. Side 1 of 2112? Are you kidding me?

I was at the San Diego show 2 nights before. Opening night of the 2nd leg. Also saw the first leg also in San Diego. I thought both shows killed.

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I missed the test 4 echo tour - but everything I’ve seen confirms that they were probably at their best on that tour.

 

I'll jump on the bandwagon. I loved the Devore, CA show. Side 1 of 2112? Are you kidding me?

I was at the San Diego show 2 nights before. Opening night of the 2nd leg. Also saw the first leg also in San Diego. I thought both shows killed.

I saw the Gorge, WA, show, which was incredible. I caught them in Potland, too.
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I missed the test 4 echo tour - but everything I’ve seen confirms that they were probably at their best on that tour.

 

I'll jump on the bandwagon. I loved the Devore, CA show. Side 1 of 2112? Are you kidding me?

I was at the San Diego show 2 nights before. Opening night of the 2nd leg. Also saw the first leg also in San Diego. I thought both shows killed.

I saw the Gorge, WA, show, which was incredible. I caught them in Potland, too.

 

Potland? lol. I think Ged and Al have summer homes there, as well. :D-13:

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I think Rush was always better live than on vinyl.

 

They certainly were for a very long time, but when Geddy lost his consonants and range, and when Al's left hand could no longer keep up with is right, live shows largely became a source of disappointment for me rather than joy. Probably the last 4 or 5 tours I went to, I mostly went to marvel at how Geddy's bass playing was still in top form.

 

Second set of R40 was when it really started hampering my enjoyment.

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I don't think I'm being controversial when I point out that Rush's studio output was of, um, mixed quality starting with Test For Echo. They made no classic albums or even classic songs from 1996 onwards.

 

I wholeheartedly disagree. Presto-Vapor Trails are my most listened to Rush albums by far. I appreciate all eras, and I don't think Rush have a bad album. But I'll listen to Fly by Night-Hemispheres maybe twice a year, but the 90's-00's are on a monthly, sometimes weekly basis.

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Their performance was good enough in their peek time, around Moving Pictures that I prefer their end of 70's shows and 80's over the 90's performance
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I wholeheartedly disagree. Presto-Vapor Trails are my most listened to Rush albums by far. I appreciate all eras, and I don't think Rush have a bad album. But I'll listen to Fly by Night-Hemispheres maybe twice a year, but the 90's-00's are on a monthly, sometimes weekly basis.

 

My comment said starting with Test For Echo.

Most people agree that Presto, half of Roll the Bones, and Counterparts are terrific records.

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I wholeheartedly disagree. Presto-Vapor Trails are my most listened to Rush albums by far. I appreciate all eras, and I don't think Rush have a bad album. But I'll listen to Fly by Night-Hemispheres maybe twice a year, but the 90's-00's are on a monthly, sometimes weekly basis.

 

My comment said starting with Test For Echo.

Most people agree that Presto, half of Roll the Bones, and Counterparts are terrific records.

 

They do? Where is this majority of people who love Presto? I've always thought I was in a minority for that one.

 

Seriously though, I think Presto is where the more mediocre parts of Rush's catalogue started gaining traction. I love the album, but Hand Over Fist and Anagram are more or less disposable to me, and I don't feel that way about many Rush songs prior. From then on there's usually at least one track that tends to let me down, or as you said in the case of Roll The Bones, about five.

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I wholeheartedly disagree. Presto-Vapor Trails are my most listened to Rush albums by far. I appreciate all eras, and I don't think Rush have a bad album. But I'll listen to Fly by Night-Hemispheres maybe twice a year, but the 90's-00's are on a monthly, sometimes weekly basis.

 

My comment said starting with Test For Echo.

Most people agree that Presto, half of Roll the Bones, and Counterparts are terrific records.

 

You can count me out on Counterparts.

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Seriously though, I think Presto is where the more mediocre parts of Rush's catalogue started gaining traction. I love the album, but Hand Over Fist and Anagram are more or less disposable to me, and I don't feel that way about many Rush songs prior. From then on there's usually at least one track that tends to let me down, or as you said in the case of Roll The Bones, about five.

 

Yeah, Presto-RTB-Counterparts is when they stopped exploring new sounds (at least for more than a few bars). Synths went back to normal, guitar went back the forefront, etc.

They began erring on the side of caution.

But there is terrific work on all three of those albums. They're actually my favorites (except for Moving PIctures/Signals).

You'd be hard pressed to say the same about Test For Echo onwards.

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Seriously though, I think Presto is where the more mediocre parts of Rush's catalogue started gaining traction. I love the album, but Hand Over Fist and Anagram are more or less disposable to me, and I don't feel that way about many Rush songs prior. From then on there's usually at least one track that tends to let me down, or as you said in the case of Roll The Bones, about five.

 

Yeah, Presto-RTB-Counterparts is when they stopped exploring new sounds (at least for more than a few bars). Synths went back to normal, guitar went back the forefront, etc.

They began erring on the side of caution.

But there is terrific work on all three of those albums. They're actually my favorites (except for Moving PIctures/Signals).

You'd be hard pressed to say the same about Test For Echo onwards.

 

I once again submit Clockwork Angels as proof that they still had a classic album in them late in their career.

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I was at the San Diego and Devore shows on the T4E tour. The thing that makes that tour so special is that it was the first "evening with Rush" format with no opening band and 2.5 hours of glorious playing. As a result, they were able to play 2112 in its entirety. I remember Alex played something very strange at the beginning of Discovery. Other then that, the best Rush concert ever for my money
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I was at the San Diego and Devore shows on the T4E tour. The thing that makes that tour so special is that it was the first "evening with Rush" format with no opening band and 2.5 hours of glorious playing. As a result, they were able to play 2112 in its entirety. I remember Alex played something very strange at the beginning of Discovery. Other then that, the best Rush concert ever for my money

 

Which show? I was at Devore and don't recall that.

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I was at the San Diego and Devore shows on the T4E tour. The thing that makes that tour so special is that it was the first "evening with Rush" format with no opening band and 2.5 hours of glorious playing. As a result, they were able to play 2112 in its entirety. I remember Alex played something very strange at the beginning of Discovery.

I loved the extra noodling as a lead-in.
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I was at the San Diego and Devore shows on the T4E tour. The thing that makes that tour so special is that it was the first "evening with Rush" format with no opening band and 2.5 hours of glorious playing. As a result, they were able to play 2112 in its entirety. I remember Alex played something very strange at the beginning of Discovery. Other then that, the best Rush concert ever for my money

 

I remember my first Rush concert, on the RTB tour, had Eric Johnson opening. I was 16. My friend knew all about him, but I didn't.

Eric was incredible. A better player than Alex -- a better player than ANYbody except maybe Vai -- but his songs weren't as good.

Nonetheless, I ended up becoming a huge fan and seeing him perform 3 more times.

At the last Eric Johnson show, in 2003, the opening act was a young guy named Derek Trucks.

Stunning. My mouth actually dropped open a couple times.

That led me to become a Derek Trucks fan.

And so it goes on and on...

The circle of life. LOL

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Every album onwards starting with Test till the end of the road Clockwork was highly flawed and only contained a handful of songs each that were either great or very good. A ton of mediocre to poor songs on each of those last four studio albums along with dodgy producing and sound
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I was at the San Diego and Devore shows on the T4E tour. The thing that makes that tour so special is that it was the first "evening with Rush" format with no opening band and 2.5 hours of glorious playing. As a result, they were able to play 2112 in its entirety. I remember Alex played something very strange at the beginning of Discovery. Other then that, the best Rush concert ever for my money

 

I remember my first Rush concert, on the RTB tour, had Eric Johnson opening. I was 16. My friend knew all about him, but I didn't.

Eric was incredible. A better player than Alex -- a better player than ANYbody except maybe Vai -- but his songs weren't as good.

Nonetheless, I ended up becoming a huge fan and seeing him perform 3 more times.

At the last Eric Johnson show, in 2003, the opening act was a young guy named Derek Trucks.

Stunning. My mouth actually dropped open a couple times.

That led me to become a Derek Trucks fan.

And so it goes on and on...

The circle of life. LOL

 

I wish I could have seen Eric Johnson or Primus on that tour. We got stuck with Vinnie Moore and Mr. Big over 4 shows. Not exactly my idea of fun.

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Every album onwards starting with Test till the end of the road Clockwork was highly flawed and only contained a handful of songs each that were either great or very good. A ton of mediocre to poor songs on each of those last four studio albums along with dodgy producing and sound

I still think T4E sounds fantastic. Excellent production imo. I'm fine with differing tastes in songs/albums, but to my ears it's clean and clear. After that album, not so much to my ears anyway.

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Every album onwards starting with Test till the end of the road Clockwork was highly flawed and only contained a handful of songs each that were either great or very good. A ton of mediocre to poor songs on each of those last four studio albums along with dodgy producing and sound

 

The way I see it:

 

T4E - great sound and too much filler

VT - bad sound but great songs

Snakes - great sound and too much filler

CA - little too loud and maybe one or two songs that don't need to be there, but otherwise a total return to form and perfect swan song.

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