yetz Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 C'mon people we have over 3000 registered users and only 10 people reply??? http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/coverpics/COScov.jpg Bastille Day (4:37) I Think I'm Going Bald (3:37) Lakeside Park (4:08) The Necromancer (12:30) I. Into Darkness (4:12) II. Under The Shadow (4:25) III. Return of the Prince (3:52) The Fountain of Lamneth (19:59) I. In the Valley (4:18) II. Didacts and Narpets (1:00) III. No One at the Bridge (4:19) IV. Panacea (3:14) V. Bacchus Plateau (3:13) VI. The Fountain (3:49) Geddy Lee - Bass/Accoustic Guitar/Vocals Alex Lifeson - Accoustic And Electric Guitars Neil Peart - Drums/Percussion All songs by Lee, Lifeson and Peart except "Panacea" and "Bacchus Plateau" by Lee and Peart Produced by Rush and Terry Brown Mercury/Polygram, September 1975 Dedicated to the memory of Mr. Rod Serling -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trivia: Certified Gold by RIAA: December 1, 1993 - Highest Billboard Chart Position: 148 "We were touring a lot with Kiss in those days and they had a song called 'Goin' Blind'. So we were kind of taking the piss out of that title by just coming up with this...Pratt came up with this line, 'I think I'm going bald,' because Alex is always worried about losing his hair. Even when he was not losing his hair, he was obsessed with the fact that he might lose his hair. So he would try all kinds of ingredients to put on his scalp. And I think it just got Neil thinking about aging, even though we weren't aging yet and had no right to talk about that stuff yet. It would be much more appropriate now." - Geddy Lee, Contents Under Pressure "I remember that Caress of Steel, in the old days of cassettes, had very uneven side lengths. I think one side was 20 minutes and the other was 25, and the record company wanted us to drop a song. We said, 'No way! We went to all that trouble, it's going on the record.' So there is literally nothing unreleased. For us, there really is no vault to clean out." - Neil Peart Billboard.com, Sep. 14, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelcaressed Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 Hope you don't mind. I posted this earlier this week in response to the following question: (GeddyLeeFender @ Jan 24 2007, 05:40 PM) QUOTE I recently bought Caress of steel and i enjoy parts of it but im afraid i wont enjoy the album as much as I hoped, and i hate to not enjoy a RUSH album! Did you have the same thoughts when you first bought it? I did...but that was 25 years ago, and the album was part of their older catalogue even then. I was expecting something more polished, like 2112. They spent three weeks recording and mixing. It shows. More importantly, their musicianship shows. There are some truly great gems, and pieces of gems on the album. The Necromancer is a manic opus of intensity at the zenith, and a smooth triumph for the denouement. Lakeside Park features one of my favorite lines ever from Neil... QUOTE Days of barefoot freedom Racing with the waves Nights of starlit secrets Crackling driftwood flames Drinking by the lighthouse Smoking on the pier Still we saw the magic Fading every year A very smooth song that finishes with just the right touch. Bastille Day needs no explanation...it just rocks. Then there is The Fountain of Lamneth. I love the whole thing. But at first I was expecting another 2112. It's not though. It's not nearly as connected. It does fit, it just took a while to grow on me. Each part fits, but in a much more eclectic way than 2112. The extremely emotional "No one at the Bridge" followed by the tenderness of "Panacea" (reminiscent of Rivendell, only miles better) into "Bacchus Plateau." Then for the end, returning to the music of the beginning while finishing the thematic scheme. Truly, it is pure genius. (and very underappreciated) I love it. Draw another goblet...and give it another spin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alph Seeker Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 I became a Rush fan with Moving Pictures, right after it came out. That is significant to me because you will often hear (read) on these forums and such, about how MP was THE Apex for Rush, and is THE must-have album. Although I can understand that perspective, here's my point: (This is where I actually discuss Caress of Steel, in case you were wondering if I was on dope or something and got CoS mixed up with MP. ) After wearing out my turntable belt on MP, I wanted more Rush, so went to the record store and bought CoS because "Why not, it's Rush -and this cover is COOL!" So, I bring it home, open it up, slap it down (ok, gently place it) on the platter, and...whoa, this is HEAVY, and WIERD, and...It ROCKS!!! I loved CoS right from the start and realized that I was a full-on Rush fan because I liked both the shorter songs on MP and the Epic style of CoS. I distinctly remember liking the heavy songs and the mellow parts of Necromancer and The Fountain of Lamneth. Most important, it was listening to albums like CoS and 2112 that made me realize what was driving Geddy, Alex and Neil to keep producing quality music like what got me hooked - Moving Pictures. Know what -still true today (but you already knew that...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Presto-digitation Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuppetKing2112 Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 There was a time when this was my absolute favorite Rush album, and I remember when I heard it for the first time. April 2004, I had ordered five Rush CDs, CoS among them, which completed my collection. I brought it over to my friend's house where he was having a birthday party, and he had the radio on like the whole time. It was all garbage, and so I was listening to CoS. And it was absolutely amazing. As for the songs: Bastille Day is a fantastic opener. Great riff, one of Geddy's most inspired vocals to date. I Think I'm Going Bald is kind of stupid, but it's not terrible. Lakeside Park is pretty good, although I can kind of see why the boys hate it now. The Necromancer has some amazing guitar work in it. The spoken word stuff is a little cheesy, but I like it. And Lamneth is just fantastic. Their first side-long epic, and some of it is just stunning. Particularly No One At the Bridge and Bacchus Plateau. Overall, this is my favorite album of the pre-AFTK era, better than 2112 and the first two. As far as their "transitional albums," this is the one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finbar Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 I consider Caress of Steel Rush's strongest album lyrically. Just five songs, each one with very strong lyrics, appealing in many different ways, (and therefore, not usually all appreciated.) I can't figure out why this album is so underappreciated, so I'm not going to try to wrap my mind around it. I will say that the underrated I Think I'm Going Bald gets a lot of unfair ribbing. It's reminiscent of In the Mood from the debut album, and the lyrics are about growing older and not having time for friends. And it's a lot better than songs like Dog Years and Cold Fire from later Rush albums, which undeservedly get HEAPS of praise. I put to you that if I Think I'm Going Bald came out in the 90's, it wouldn't be nearly as underrated! Anyways, rant over. Back to Caress of Steel. My favourite piece on the album is the demonic side-long epic, The Fountain of Lamneth, a story of birth, temptation, death, and rebirth. The main guitar riff that pervades the atmosphere is the rockingest thing Rush has ever done. After 2112, the album after this one, Rush didn't really rock out in the studio again until Counterparts, about two decades later. (With exceptions here and there, like the 7/8 section in Natural Science, "A QUANTUM LEAP FORWARD, THROUGH TIME AND SPACE!" etc.) Which isn't really a bad thing, a lot of great rock bands never really rocked out, like Pink Floyd, who never really "rocked out" after Syd Barrett left, but still "rocked." But there's just something about a loud, rockin' riff played through a destroyed guitar tone with throbbing bass and bone-rattling drums right behind that you can shake your head to that just boils my blood. It's not for everybody, but it's the cornerstone of rock and metal. I got a little off topic again. The point I was making was, that's the kinda rocking out I enjoy most, The Fountain of Lamneth. When you surround the rockin' parts with quiet ballady kind of stuff to give maximum contrast. (Opeth do this to great effect, and if you like this song, I suggest giving them a listen, a lot of their stuff has the same kind of appeal as many parts of this song.) With recorded music, it's the only real way to rock out because you can always turn the volume down. The other epic on the album, The Necromancer, has very D&D-esque lyrics and Yes-influenced music. I heard in an interview that Rush saw Yes (during their Relayer tour ) when they were recording this album and, quote, "didn't wanna finish it." It's a great piece, and the treated vocals telling the story of the song as it goes along... it is what it is, and enjoyable if you learn to appreciate it, but it's the kinda thing that might be better left out if you're gonna it. Lakeside Park is a beautiful song, and it features Geddy Lee's young voice at its best. I, too, grew up in Toronto, but never went to Lakeside Park. Nonetheless, the lyrics evoke my own childhood memories of places like Centreville and the CNE. The line "a pocket full of silver, the key to heaven's door" gets me every time. This album took a long time to grow on me, but I never disliked it like a lot of other Rush fans seem to. I consider it a very rewarding listen. 10/10 Caress of Steel is a jagged masterpiece. If at first it doesn't grab you, give it time. It is so worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortkort Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 it's a masterpiece! i like it alot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickslikk2112 Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 Don't get me going on Caress of Steel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necromancer Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 To this day, Caress of Steel is STILL one of my favorite albums. When I bought it, I was seriously into my "metal phase". So the name alone promised sonic enjoyment. The fact that it was by my favorite band... only made things better. I was a bit dissapointed at first. The album was nowhere near as heavy as I thought it would be. Some were downright very "un-metal". I was taken aback a bit. Immediately THE NECROMANCER grabbed me. I thought it was awesome. It's obviously been a large part of my years. I didn't pick the name just cuz it was available. It was my first pick and luckily, by dropping THE... it was available. Slowly THE FOUNTAIN OF LAMNETH grew on me. I now think it is the best of their epics. It doesn't rock with the same amount of power as 2112, and it may not be as epic as Cygnus... but I love its beauty and story. I've listened to it repeatedly during the course of a day. It's just that good of a song. Finally the other songs bit me as well. The beauty of LAKESIDE PARK and the drive of BASTILLE DAY sank their teeth into me. The foretelling future of Neil's follicle problems make me laugh with I THINK I'M GOING BALD, and I now regard Caress of Steel as my second favorite album. After Signals. I believe I'll put it on now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finbar Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Yetz, I think, if you want more people to compete, you should post an icon like an exclamation mark or question mark (like I have done as an example) in the original threads from now on, that way it will catch people's attention and they'll be like, "Ooh, bootleg giveaway? I'll talk about 2112/A Farewell to Kings/Hemispheres, etc. for a free bootleg!" The key is to catch their attention first. Like Homer Simpson said, "FREE SEX! Now that I have your attention..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirbradford117 Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Caress of Steel is my 2nd favorite early Rush album, behind Fly By Night. Bastille Day - as said before, needs no explanation (5 out of 5) I Think I'm Going Bald - (intentionally??) poor lyrics but the opening riff is probably my favorite Rush riff. And the bridge riff kicks as well. (4 of 5) Lakeside Park - a classic "greatest-hits" type song but it was never a favorite of mine. (2.5 of 5) The Necromancer - a terribly underrated early epic piece. Musically, just as interesting as 2112. The "Into Darkness" section is my favorite early Rush piece. (4.5 of 5) The Fountain of Lamneth - I can't get into this one as much as Necromancer. Still musically interesting and underrated. (3.5 of 5) Overall rating: 3.9 of 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReRushed Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 Caress of Steel is definately a neglected favorite. I always tend to overlook Caress of Steel when I am in a Rush mood. And it's a shame. It's so good. "Bastille Day" is one of Rush's greatest performances. Every facet of Rush was at its peak with this song. "I Think I'm Going Bald" is simply a little ditty. A joke song. It's funny. And it's intentionally funny! Its message is one Rush took to heart - even when they're gray, they're still gray their way. I don't know why people knock this song so much! "Lakeside Park" for some reason doesn't grab me. It's not that I don't like it, it just doesn't stick in my head. "The Necromancer" just rocks. It really took the blues based riffs prominent in their early years and progged them out. Finbar mentioned Yes in comparison to this song and I hear it too. The Return of the Prince section reminds me of, in a way, the Wurm section of "Starship Trooper." Also, the narration even works for me. Great stuff. "The Fountain of Lamneth" is a masterpiece. 'Nuff said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 QUOTE (ReRushed @ Jan 28 2007, 10:53 PM) "The Fountain of Lamneth" is a masterpiece. 'Nuff said. It's a great epic song and the solo from "No one at the Bridge" is one of my favourite Alex solos... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willowroolz Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 Ah, the three men of Willowdale The first thing that springs to mind when I listen to this album is Alex's guitar - the solos sound incredible. Then, round about halfway through The Necromancer Geddy's bass starts to grab my attention. The next things to spring to mind are vinyl and gatefold covers. I originally got the album as part of the Archives set. I remember searching for ages after that for a copy of the original gatefold release of the album because, iirc (it was a long time ago ), by that time CoS had been re-released in a measly single sleeve, without lyrics etc. I finally found it in a record shop in Wembley and recall sitting on the bus on the way home feeling extremely pleased with myself In a lot of ways this is the band's most unusual album. It has, for some reason, a very different atmosphere about it. I think this is because when I listen to the opening three tracks there's always the thought of The Necromancer and Lamneth to come, and those two songs have a feel unlike any other the band has recorded, for me at least. The former has a darkness and foreboding about it that works beautifully. During the Under The Shadow section Geddy's voice sounds quite simply amazing. It feels like he's really acting a part and he sells it for all he's worth. Then, after the fateful line "They bow defeated", the band launch into one of their most memorable instrumental sections, with Alex and Geddy fighting for attention in the way only they can. And to finish on the wonderful melodic Return of the Prince... And here is where, lyrically, Neil starts to ask questions of his audience. Just one album beforehand Prince By-Tor had been a nemesis, a knight of darkness, centurion of evil, devil's prince, if you will. Now he's a champion, slaying his foe and freeing his people. Intriguing. The Fountain of Lamneth. I really think there should be a campaign to get the band to play this on the next tour (it'd fail, but what the hell ). Hugely underrated, imo. No-one At The Bridge, Panacea and Bacchus Plateau (God, how I love The Gedster's brief solo basslines at the end of each chorus ) are some of the best pieces of music that the band recorded during the 70s and, for me, still stand the test of time today. In terms of structure and texture I actually think it's better than 2112 - there's more light and shade, more room to breathe, and it creates terrific atmosphere. It's not as angry, aggressive or heavy as 2112, and is different in so many ways that it deserves to stand proudly on its own, rather than be compared unfavourably to the band's breakthrough release. And perhaps that sums up the album as a whole, destined to hide in 2112's shadow as it appears to be, and maybe to have been the album that killed the band's career, allowing their anger and determination on 2112 to rip through the surrounding mediocrity and announce the band's arrival on the big stage. As such Caress of Steel could be considered the band's undiscovered gem. That's the way I like to think of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finbar Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 QUOTE (willowroolz @ Jan 29 2007, 05:15 AM) And here is where, lyrically, Neil starts to ask questions of his audience. Just one album beforehand Prince By-Tor had been a nemesis, a knight of darkness, centurion of evil, devil's prince, if you will. Now he's a champion, slaying his foe and freeing his people. Intriguing. I've always found that very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yetz Posted February 1, 2007 Author Share Posted February 1, 2007 Drawing Monday @ ~ 6:00pm est Plenty of time to get more thoughts on this one!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skullchrist Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 My favorite album of all time! And I have an extensive vinyl, tape, 8 track and cd collection. Powerful enough to stand the hairs on the back of your neck but beautiful enough to bring a tear. I first heard this on the Archives double tape and there was no turning back. I try not to analyze this album at all. To me it is wholly on a spiritual level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmotionDetector Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 ...HMMM, "THE MOST UNSUCCESSFUL RUSH ALBUM COMERCIALLY" Wow...I always found it a real shame that most people associate this quote with the term "CARESS OF STEEL". This album is completely underrated, unappreciated, and ofter forgotten about amongst Rush's extensive catelog! The boys themselves have said many times that without CoS, there would never be a '2112'. That says it all folks. When I think of 'Caress of Steel', the term "VINTAGE" immediately comes to mind for me. CoS has always given me a feel and an aura of a vintage/classic feel. From the album cover, to the production, to the music itself, it has that great classic feel that I just can't describe. Thinking back to the fact that this album was written and recorded in 1975 just blows my mind. I mean, listen to the raw power of this album. Broon did an amazing job with the production as well...just fantastic music, and a fantastic feel. BASTILLE DAY - the major 'single' off of this album, it has great energy, some great lyrics, many fans consider this to be the strongest track on the album. It's another song full of powerful lyrics that measure up another historic event...which Neil always seems to do well with! I THINK I'M GOING BALD - the track that is usually given the least amount of credit on CoS. Yes, the lyrics certainly are not among Rush's best in terms of quality, but they serve the purpose of being used for comedic relief. Geddy mentioned that Neil wrote these based on Alex's obession with his hair when they were only 20. The main riff is raw and rockin'...but I do feel that this song is the most out-of-place track on this album. LAKESIDE PARK - the happiest-sounding song of the bunch. A light-hearted track that sends us back in time to when Neil was just a little boy growing up in the outskirts of Toronto. I personally love this song, but more for it's light-heartedness. It kind of sets a nice little mood to end off the short set of smaller songs...making way for the EPICS that would make up the second half of CoS. THE NECROMANCER - for the longest time, this was my favourite track on this album. It starts off nice and slow, gaining little bits of steam...leading into a powerful series of guitar-work by Lerxst. This song is full of raw power, and is probably the most rockin' song on this album. The song is very dark...and is just a fantastic sounding epic. Like its other epic counterpart (Fountain), this track is extremely underrated. THE FOUNTAIN OF LAMNETH - my favourite track on CoS...this song is full of so many emotions. 20 minutes that can take you to distant lands, bring to a feel of light-hearted happiness (Bacchus Plateau), and then bring you down (No-one at the Bridge). Unbelivable song that I could listen to over and over. One of Rush's strongest epics, which in my opinion could easily do battle with 2112. It's that strong in my opinion. This song planted the seed for '2112'...enough said! Overall, this album is just extremely underrated. I am upset that this album did so poorly when it first came out (of course, I wasn't born at the time to pick up a copy myself! ). But I think that because of its failure comercially, the boys have been hesistant to bring back material from that album in concert. It has led them to believe that many fans hate this album, although when you listen to most of the Rush fans on this board, it's actually the opposite. Look at how many people want 'The Fountain' played in concert!!! Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yetz Posted February 5, 2007 Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 Sorry for the delay, let me get the names together, and we'll get this show underway!!! Hey Finbar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yetz Posted February 5, 2007 Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 Here's the list of entrants. 1) Steelcaressed 2) Alph Seeker 3) Presto-digitation 4) PuppetKing2112 5) Finbar 6) Necromancer 7) sirbradford117 8) Re-Rushed 9) willowroolz 10) Skullchrist 11) Emotion Detector Drawing afer a much needed smoke break Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yetz Posted February 5, 2007 Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 The Lucky Winner is: http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/animated.gif Lucky Number: 9 Congrats willowroolz!!! pm me your information, and pick a prize from my boot list (link below)and I'll get it out to you asap!!! My Boot List Next up 2112 Up in a Few!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finbar Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 QUOTE (yetz @ Feb 5 2007, 06:22 PM) Hey Finbar... Hey Yetz! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willowroolz Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 QUOTE (yetz @ Feb 5 2007, 11:59 PM) The Lucky Winner is: http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/animated.gif Lucky Number: 9 Congrats willowroolz!!! pm me your information, and pick a prize from my boot list (link below)and I'll get it out to you asap!!! My Boot List Next up 2112 Up in a Few!!! Ooh, thanks, will do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmotionDetector Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 CONGRATS WILLOWROOLZ!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willowroolz Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Thanks And thanks for the advice regarding boots, Yetz, I really had no idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.