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The debut and cover songs: An argument


Nova Carmina
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Proposed:  The debut album would have been improved if Rush had substituted a couple of cover songs they often performed in those days -- say, "Bad Boy" and "Not Fade Away,"  for "Take a Friend" and "Before and After."  The presence of cover songs on early/debut albums was quite common in that era, and it would have solved some of the lyrical weaknesses recently brought up in another thread. Those are quite lively songs that would have given the album a little more credibility and punch.

 

Wrong or right? Or did I pick the wrong substitutions? 

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I like take a friend and before and after but do think they are the two weakest songs on the debut.

 

I can't see not fade away or bad boy adding much. It seems that better covers could of been though. Perhaps from a business standpoint it would of been smart.

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Before And After is 2nd only to Working Man for most indispensable song on the album. But yes, Take A Friend could easily have been replaced with a good song, Garden Road, for example. As for early Rush covers, they're pretty hideous, so I'm glad they didn't make it onto the debut.

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Maybe they could have included a cover or two, but I probably wouldn`t dispense with the two songs you mention. More problematic for me would be my dislike of Feedback and how I prefer Rush to not perform covers.

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Before and After? I'm with Jarg in that its 2nd behind Working Man. I'd much prefer Need Some Love to be outed, if this were to happen. However, I don't really think the covers would make the debut any better.

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Nah I love the debut exactly as it is. Zeppelin didn't cover anything on their debut (well...not officially), so I'm sure Rush saw no reason to do their covers when they had 8 original songs ready to go.

 

Also, if I were going to sub two out, lyrically speaking Need Some Love and In The Mood are the obvious candidates imo. I find take a friend rather charming, and though I can't recall the lyrics of Before And After, it's a very important song musically in documenting how Rush started doing slightly progressive things even early on.

 

EDIT: I was wrong about Zeppelin's debut

Edited by Entre_Perpetuo
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Given that only 3 songs on the debut really stick with me, I am unsure how many covers would have saved that.

 

The best thing about the debut may be the drumming of John Rutsey.

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There were no lyrical weaknesses to 'solve'.  Ged and Al were a couple of kids writing lyrics, and fantastic music.  At that point in their lives, that was the output.  It's not fair to compare those lyrics to those of someone 'better' like Neil. 

Non-discussion. IMO. 

Edited by grep
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Imo the second most important song on the debut after working man is in the mood. A fan fave with the hey cookie lyrics and included on atwas.

 

As a fan I am glad for no covers.

 

But if they did do a cover, they should of played the slade classic.

 

Cum on feel the noize. 

 

I can can hear ged belting it out now.....

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My friends and I played the debut album all the time back in the day.  Great riffs and solos, good bass work and competent drumming.  I like every track,  and  Take A Friend rocks hard!

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I have always had a soft spot for that record, and for Rutsey.  I love it. It's not modern Rush, but it's still Rush. Damned fine record.

TBH, I like to play it back to back with CA.... and every now and then Finding My Way with The Garden. They sort of work together..at least in my twisted mind. 

Edited by grep
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There's a reason that first 45 has never been officially reissued and anything around that time only survives on period bootlegs.

 

Don't have much love for In The Mood, Working Man or Need Some Love, but those are stronger songs than anything that didn't make it that I've heard (Which admittedly isn't anything that hasn't been out there unofficially already.)

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If you don't consider "Before and After" to be a 10/10 song, then you're not listening to it correctly!

 

Actually, to each his own (or his moan).  If you're not crazy about BaA, then that's fine for you.  I honestly place every song on the debut high in rankings.  "Take a Friend" perhaps is lowest, but that still gets at least a 7/10 from me.  And I feel the need to say this here as well, John Rutsey was a damn good drummer.  He pounds them things just fine on that debut album, in my op.

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I really like Before and After, so that shouldn't be ditched at all. I like the opening and closing riff of Take a Friend, so that should be incorporated into any new track. I agree with the people who think Garden Road would have made a better choice than either Take a Friend or Need Some Love, but Not Fade Away was rubbish imo, Bad Boy was a bit better but not sure I prefer it to either Take a Friend or Need Some Love. Can't Fight It wasn't a better option either. 

 

Take a Friend is my least liked song on the debut but it isn't so bad that it ruins the record. Inclusion of Not Fade Away would have been a noticeable step down from the rest of the album

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I love the debut album, I really do, and "Working Man" is in my top ten songs, easily. I just think it's interesting at a time when so many other bands used cover tunes as a way of establishing connections, influences, and bona fides that Rush was already so Rush that they were going to stick with their own stuff, even if it wouldn't have had the immediate recognition and perhaps playability of songs by the likes of The Beatles or Buddy Holly.

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On 7/30/2022 at 12:52 AM, Rush Didact said:

The only problem with the debut is that they left Garden Road off of it.  I don't know why, it's a better song than almost any of the ones that made the cut.

 

Was it written before the debut was recorded? There was a gap of around a year between Rush being taped and the actual release.

 

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