The whip cracks in YYZ

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Listening to Moving Pictures right now (fabulous) and I was just thinking about this thing with the whip cracking noises in YYZ during Alex's solo. It would've been so easy to put them all on the same beat each time, but instead Neil chose to put the first one about a half a beat ahead of the downbeat and the second one just a fraction of a second ahead of it, and then the third one is right on it. To me it's a wonderful little detail that I've always loved about the song and just thought I'd gush about it somewhere, so why not in a new thread?

[treeduck]

Listening to Moving Pictures right now (fabulous) and I was just thinking about this thing with the whip cracking noises in YYZ during Alex's solo. It would've been so easy to put them all on the same beat each time, but instead Neil chose to put the first one about a half a beat ahead of the downbeat and the second one just a fraction of a second ahead of it, and then the third one is right on it. To me it's a wonderful little detail that I've always loved about the song and just thought I'd gush about it somewhere, so why not in a new thread?

I remember once sitting next to him on a plane bound for Stockholm. After a while we got talking a little and he suddenly said to me: “Y’know, that guitar riff you did on You Really Got Me was a real landmark.” You can imagine how I felt. To be endorsed by Hendrix was really something. It was a great compliment.

[treeduck]

Listening to Moving Pictures right now (fabulous) and I was just thinking about this thing with the whip cracking noises in YYZ during Alex's solo. It would've been so easy to put them all on the same beat each time, but instead Neil chose to put the first one about a half a beat ahead of the downbeat and the second one just a fraction of a second ahead of it, and then the third one is right on it. To me it's a wonderful little detail that I've always loved about the song and just thought I'd gush about it somewhere, so why not in a new thread?

I never got to play with Chuck Berry, but I did get to play with Jerry Lee Lewis. That was a big mistake. He’d been another big hero as a kid. It was at an all-star tribute gig for him. I saw Brian May there, and teased him with the You Really Got Me riff, and all of sudden, from being the super-cool Brian May he turned into a little punk Brian May: [in a falsetto voice] “Oh, great to meet you, man!”

[RushFanForever]

Listening to Moving Pictures right now (fabulous) and I was just thinking about this thing with the whip cracking noises in YYZ during Alex's solo. It would've been so easy to put them all on the same beat each time, but instead Neil chose to put the first one about a half a beat ahead of the downbeat and the second one just a fraction of a second ahead of it, and then the third one is right on it. To me it's a wonderful little detail that I've always loved about the song and just thought I'd gush about it somewhere, so why not in a new thread?

 

The crashing noise you hear between the breaks of the guitar solo is the sound of wind chimes tied to a 2x4 slapped against a wood table. The band confirmed this in an interview on WNEW New York in the winter of 2002.

[dream & vapour]

The 'whip cracking noise' is a 1/4" piece of plywood being enthusiastically smacked upon a wooden stool (with a flavourful dash of reverb). The assertion of wind chimes being attached to said plywood is a case of somebody misremembering a wee bit.

[JARG]

Uh oh.

[Timbale]

Listening to Moving Pictures right now (fabulous) and I was just thinking about this thing with the whip cracking noises in YYZ during Alex's solo. It would've been so easy to put them all on the same beat each time, but instead Neil chose to put the first one about a half a beat ahead of the downbeat and the second one just a fraction of a second ahead of it, and then the third one is right on it. To me it's a wonderful little detail that I've always loved about the song and just thought I'd gush about it somewhere, so why not in a new thread?

 

I have literally never thought of that sound as "whip cracking". Is that what they were going for?

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Listening to Moving Pictures right now (fabulous) and I was just thinking about this thing with the whip cracking noises in YYZ during Alex's solo. It would've been so easy to put them all on the same beat each time, but instead Neil chose to put the first one about a half a beat ahead of the downbeat and the second one just a fraction of a second ahead of it, and then the third one is right on it. To me it's a wonderful little detail that I've always loved about the song and just thought I'd gush about it somewhere, so why not in a new thread?

 

I have literally never thought of that sound as "whip cracking". Is that what they were going for?

 

Maybe, I just didn't know how else to describe it. When I think about it it's a little close to vase smashing, but very concisely.

[JARG]

Listening to Moving Pictures right now (fabulous) and I was just thinking about this thing with the whip cracking noises in YYZ during Alex's solo. It would've been so easy to put them all on the same beat each time, but instead Neil chose to put the first one about a half a beat ahead of the downbeat and the second one just a fraction of a second ahead of it, and then the third one is right on it. To me it's a wonderful little detail that I've always loved about the song and just thought I'd gush about it somewhere, so why not in a new thread?

 

I have literally never thought of that sound as "whip cracking". Is that what they were going for?

 

Maybe, I just didn't know how else to describe it. When I think about it it's a little close to vase smashing, but very concisely.

 

I wonder where in the process it was decided to add that. Was it part of the composition from early on and Alex composed his solo so as not to play over them, or did Alex compose/record the solo and later someone said, "we need something to fill those gaps"?

[Your_Lion]

No time to argue. Throw me the idol, and I'll throw you the whip

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Listening to Moving Pictures right now (fabulous) and I was just thinking about this thing with the whip cracking noises in YYZ during Alex's solo. It would've been so easy to put them all on the same beat each time, but instead Neil chose to put the first one about a half a beat ahead of the downbeat and the second one just a fraction of a second ahead of it, and then the third one is right on it. To me it's a wonderful little detail that I've always loved about the song and just thought I'd gush about it somewhere, so why not in a new thread?

 

I have literally never thought of that sound as "whip cracking". Is that what they were going for?

 

Maybe, I just didn't know how else to describe it. When I think about it it's a little close to vase smashing, but very concisely.

 

I wonder where in the process it was decided to add that. Was it part of the composition from early on and Alex composed his solo so as not to play over them, or did Alex compose/record the solo and later someone said, "we need something to fill those gaps"?

 

Great question. Someone should ask Alex or Geddy about it. Maybe Rod can get a TRF special interview with one of them?

[Lurkst]

Neil is credited with playing plywood in the liner notes.

 

[goose]

Neil is credited with playing plywood in the liner notes.

Yep.

[Jaminbenb]

The 'whip cracking noise' is a 1/4" piece of plywood being enthusiastically smacked upon a wooden stool (with a flavourful dash of reverb). The assertion of wind chimes being attached to said plywood is a case of somebody misremembering a wee bit.

 

Yeah, I read somewhere the exact same thing.