TheRocinanteKid Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 We need another nice big discussion going like the concept album thing or the Moving Pictures thread... I personally love I.T.I.G.B. but I know a lot of people really dislike it. "It's horrible, it's like Dog Years but 20 years before!" whatever but to me it always seemed to be a great song that showcases some brilliant playing with Alex especially. Sometimes us Rush fans can get too caught up in the whole thought-provoking lyrics thing, analysing Freewill or Faithless or whatever else... You have to take Bald for what it is, a fun lighthearted, straight ahead Zeppelinesque rocker that we might as well enjoy because chances are we'll never see anything quite as shallow from Rush again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonfiredaman02 Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I think the music is pretty good, ITIGB and Bastille Day are the only ones i really like off CoS anyway, even though FoL is ok. Just when i listen to ITIGB i just try not to think so much, and it makes me smile. but everyone knows that song is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gleamingalloyaircar81 Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I like it. Its just fun to listen to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRocinanteKid Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 A major problem a lot of people have is the subject matter and even though I just claimed in my last post how people need to stop looking for deeper meaning in the lyrics of Rush all of the time I always saw Bald as more than what most people suspect. I've heard people claim it's about Alex worrying about going bald, I've heard people claim it's about Geddy worrying about going bald and since Neil wrote it I would bet there are people who think it's about him thinking he's losing his hair. I don't think it's specifically about any of the members of Rush. I think it's written from the point of view of an ex-1960s Hippie who ended up getting a job the likes of which he would never have dreamt about before; The evidence? I looked in the mirror today My eyes just didn't seem so bright I've lost a few more hairs I think I'm going bald I think I'm going bald Seems like only yesterday We would sit and talk of dreams all night Dreams of youth And simple truths Now we're so involved So involved with life Walk down vanity fair Memory lane everywhere Wall Street shuffles there Dressed in flowing hair Once we loved the flowers Now we ask the price of the land Once we would take water But now it must be wine Now we've been And now we've seen What price peace of mind Take a piece of my mind My life is slipping away I'm aging every day But even when I'm grey I'll still be grey my way I've higlighted what I think are the best examples but the entire song can be viewed in that way and by me it is... Obviously not everyone will share the view but I love how it can be seen as either a simple comedy song or something a little more deep yet still fun, like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The O' Sullivan Factor Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Dog Years Ownz... the bridge is a tad corny but so what? "The higher level static of talk" lyric is more than enough to make up for that... especially when coupled with how passionately Geddy sings the song, and how magically Al and Neil play off each other throughout anyways (on topic) I've always liked this song, it's certainly not one to love but its humorous and definitely "an ode" if you will to the first album... and in that regard it succeeds. It still sounds REALLY REALLY similar to Led Zeppelin though EDIT: I just read the post above my own and now I have even more respect for the song... I figured it was just a silly little ditty but that actually puts the lyrics in perspective. Neil mentions woodstock at one point in his book and this might be light-hearted stab at that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BestIKenster Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Think? I know I'm going bald! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRocinanteKid Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 QUOTE (The O' Sullivan Factor @ Feb 11 2008, 01:28 AM) Dog Years Ownz... the bridge is a tad corny but so what? "The higher level static of talk" lyric is more than enough to make up for that... especially when coupled with how passionately Geddy sings the song, and how magically Al and Neil play off each other throughout anyways (on topic) I've always liked this song, it's certainly not one to love but its humorous and definitely "an ode" if you will to the first album... and in that regard it succeeds. It still sounds REALLY REALLY similar to Led Zeppelin though I have no problem with Dog Years, was just using a made up quote to give a better example. Totally agreed though, other than the lyrics; 'I'd rather be a tortoise from Galapagos Or a span of geological time' I love the song. I also like how Geddy sings it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCFIELDS Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 "Dog Years Ownz"........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRocinanteKid Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 QUOTE (The O' Sullivan Factor @ Feb 11 2008, 01:28 AM) Dog Years Ownz... the bridge is a tad corny but so what? "The higher level static of talk" lyric is more than enough to make up for that... especially when coupled with how passionately Geddy sings the song, and how magically Al and Neil play off each other throughout anyways (on topic) I've always liked this song, it's certainly not one to love but its humorous and definitely "an ode" if you will to the first album... and in that regard it succeeds. It still sounds REALLY REALLY similar to Led Zeppelin though EDIT: I just read the post above my own and now I have even more respect for the song... I figured it was just a silly little ditty but that actually puts the lyrics in perspective. Neil mentions woodstock at one point in his book and this might be light-hearted stab at that Thanks man, that's just my way of seeing it, glad you understand where I'm coming from and maybe that is what they were aiming at with this one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakeHaste Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I agree, this is a good song. Very interesting guitar part, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsmith Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Speaking as one who 1)has grown from idealistic youth with little responsibility and big dreams to a father of two with a mortgage and mucho responsibility, with lots of attention having to be paid to mundane detail, and 2) has gone bald to the point that I just shave what little is left, "I Think I'm Going Bald" makes perfect sense to me now. It didn't make any sense to me at all when I was a teenager. I do often fondly look back at my carefree youth, and see with dismay that the man in the mirror has little in common with that person from long ago. Plus, I also think Dog Years is cool. I like that Sirius (the dog star) sounds like "serious", I like the grungy, dirty sound of the song, and the idea that time goes by way too fast is universal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonfiredaman02 Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Wasn't this song inspire by Goin' Blind by Kiss? On a side note: I hate Kiss. With all the passion of a span of geological time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCFIELDS Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Dog Years owns the turd on the bottom of my shoe.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weatherman2112 Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I like Bald...always have...and I'm not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReflectedLight Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 QUOTE (wordsmith @ Feb 10 2008, 09:07 PM) Speaking as one who 1)has grown from idealistic youth with little responsibility and big dreams to a father of two with a mortgage and mucho responsibility, with lots of attention having to be paid to mundane detail, and 2) has gone bald to the point that I just shave what little is left, "I Think I'm Going Bald" makes perfect sense to me now. It didn't make any sense to me at all when I was a teenager. I do often fondly look back at my carefree youth, and see with dismay that the man in the mirror has little in common with that person from long ago. Plus, I also think Dog Years is cool. I like that Sirius (the dog star) sounds like "serious", I like the grungy, dirty sound of the song, and the idea that time goes by way too fast is universal. Yup, I like Dog Years also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReflectedLight Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 QUOTE (Weatherman2112 @ Feb 10 2008, 09:25 PM) I like Bald...always have...and I'm not I like ITIGB, and I can relate to it more and more every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancient Ways Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 nice analysis. it's not about going bald. at least not literally. As usual, Neil's lyrics leave a lot of room to interpret. I love the fact that he experiments and is not afraid to really let loose and not worry about what everyone will say. This is hard to do in this world but marks any true art. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 QUOTE (TheRocinanteKid @ Feb 10 2008, 08:32 PM) QUOTE (The O' Sullivan Factor @ Feb 11 2008, 01:28 AM) Dog Years Ownz... the bridge is a tad corny but so what? "The higher level static of talk" lyric is more than enough to make up for that... especially when coupled with how passionately Geddy sings the song, and how magically Al and Neil play off each other throughout anyways (on topic) I've always liked this song, it's certainly not one to love but its humorous and definitely "an ode" if you will to the first album... and in that regard it succeeds. It still sounds REALLY REALLY similar to Led Zeppelin though I have no problem with Dog Years, was just using a made up quote to give a better example. Totally agreed though, other than the lyrics; 'I'd rather be a tortoise from Galapagos Or a span of geological time' I love the song. I also like how Geddy sings it. It seems we are of like mind on both these songs. The intro growl of ITIGB is enough to make me like this song. And most of the lyrics are a pretty decent jab at lost idealism. Dog Years is sadly weakened by the galapagos bit, but the rest of lyrics make up a pretty clever, tongue-in-cheek lament about the aging process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUSHHEAD666 Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 QUOTE (jonfiredaman02 @ Feb 10 2008, 07:13 PM) Wasn't this song inspire by Goin' Blind by Kiss? On a side note: I hate Kiss. With all the passion of a span of geological time. Very good! You are correct. "I Think I'm Going Bald" was inspired by the KISS song "Going Blind." Rush opened for KISS I think over a hunderd times in 1975. They wanted to pay homage to that song and that long ass tour so they wrote that song. Also even back then, Alex was always worried about losing his hair. I do find it interesting that Alex really is going bald now. He has that halo hair helmet going on. Maybe they should play this song on the Second Leg! RUSH ON! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoorsdk Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I almost never listen to this song. I understand why it was written and all that, but it definitely hasn't stood the test of time, and stands out as an unfortunate low-point on an otherwise fantastic album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slacker Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I never cared much for the lyrics, but the music is kick ass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoorsdk Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I do like the music, but it sounds like something you'd hear on the first album, really. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that, but when they're doing FOL on this album you expect even a filler track to be slightly more...ambitious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I love it. it's a wry whimsical look at the loss of innocence and youth, and ther lyrics are quite well put together actually. Ireally don't understand how some people can dismiss the lyrics to ITIGB whilst in the next breath praising awful ill-conceived prose such as Nobodys Hero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRocinanteKid Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 QUOTE (jonfiredaman02 @ Feb 11 2008, 02:13 AM) Wasn't this song inspire by Goin' Blind by Kiss? On a side note: I hate Kiss. With all the passion of a span of geological time. Trust me, you're not the only one. Anyway back to I Think I'm Going Bald. It would be interesting to see what Geddy, Alex and Neil think of it now. I would guess Neil especially would dismiss it as utter garbage. You also have to wonder why it was never played live. Did the band after writing and releasing it instantly start to feel it was a weak point the same way many fans did or was it because of the fans general response to the album why they choose only to play Bastille Day and Lakeside Park on a regular basis? After logging off last night I was listening to the song on my iPod just before I went to bed and realised Geddy's bassline is almost identical to the guitar riff played by Alex which makes it pretty difficult to play and sing at the same time (I tried, I failed) could it be simply because it wouldn't work well in a live situation?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callmejim Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I love this track.The lyrics have a jokey/realist/seriousness all at the same time.And the bass playing is awesome,and the end fade-out has a great jam feel to it,just think what they could do to that live huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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