The strong possibility of no new album

[rushgoober]

QUOTE (softfilter @ Feb 4 2010, 01:34 AM)

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 3 2010, 07:32 PM) QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 3 2010, 11:48 AM) QUOTE (softfilter @ Feb 3 2010, 11:36 AM)   Of course it's indulgence to make new music, it's what they enjoy doing. Haven't they earned the right, and enough money, to "indulge" if that's what they enjoy doing? And another thing - they mention that they pretty much break even with an album. What about making an album in one of the many off years when they're not doing anything anyway? All of the sudden it's like they're ready to do something and it has to be one or the other, so touring wins? Why couldn't they have been working on an album this past year if they enjoy it so much?   Does not compute. Why do they have to schedule a time table and appropriate order based on fans demands? Well of course they don't HAVE to do anything just because fans want it. That's obviously not something they care about , but three albums of orginal studio material in 17 years??? Is it really that much to ask for as a fan for an album more often than that? I guess it is...

[Pagon]

i say get rid of peart cause his playing is just lame as hell. lets not kid ourselves here. let him write the lyrics cause he does a great job at that. get another drummer out there who will do the music justice. i'm sure the person they get will be stellar and bring the music to life. then again they might not need to cause the music they are writing these days is not that complex. rush is over. very over. they will do a tour here and there so they can have their lifestyle.

[Tick]

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 3 2010, 09:03 PM)

QUOTE (tick @ Feb 3 2010, 05:40 PM) Neil was just thinking out load. There will be another Rush album. IDK, Alex has been "thinking out loud" along the same lines. They know people pay attention when they say things like that and run with it, so I'm suspecting they aren't just saying it as passing thoughts.   Then again, I would LOVE to be wrong and have them release an album the way they always have. They will, you can bank on it.

[rushgoober]

QUOTE (Tarkus407 @ Feb 3 2010, 06:40 PM)

Or do you want a collection of real albums and a memory stick labeled "Rush songs - 2010"

Welcome back. We just heard a rock block of Rush spanning their career. From 1980's Permanent Waves we heard "Freewill," from their self-titled 1974 debut we heard "Working Man," from 1991's Roll the Bones we heard "Dreamline," from 1978's Hemispheres we heard "The Trees," from 2007's Snakes & Arrows we heard "Far Cry," and finally from the album Internet Download Only released in... I mean from our memory stick that contains an MP3-only song that we downloaded from the official Rush website in 2010, we played "Compressed."

[metaldad]

QUOTE (trenken @ Feb 3 2010, 09:42 PM)

I think S&A sold somewhere under 500k

Way under bro . I think together V.T. and S&A sold 500,000 . Sad but true

[Mara]

QUOTE (Earthshine @ Feb 4 2010, 03:27 AM)

I think it is Neil who does not want to record and does not want to tour. I have the feeling that Alex and Geddy are always raring to go and have to drag Neil to writing sessions, rehearsals, recording sessions to the tour bus and ultimately to the stage. If this is all too much of a burden to Neil, he needs to leave and let Alex and Geddy get on with things. Enough is enough. There are other drummers out there who they could play with. It won't be Rush but it will be great. Guaranteed!

What, exactly, has Neil said or done that makes people think this? It gets old, everything being blamed on Neil, from the hiatus between albums to what gets played on tour.

In the recent rushpetition.com thread, someone posted the interview with Skip Daly where "The Camera Eye" was discussed in terms of its making it back on the setlist at some point. Alex very clearly stated that the band knows fans want it, and that he and Geddy talked about it prior to the last tour and weren't ready to add it back in. Nowhere did I see anything like, "Well, Ged and I wanted to do it, but Neil was a dick and said 'no'."

 

Yet later in the same thread someone was bitching that it was all Neil's fault that they won't play TCE.

 

There are 3 of them. They've said repeatedly that everything they do as a group is a group decision. Not "2 of 3, majority rules", but all three.

 

And if Neil leaves, it won't be Rush, as you said. Not even a pale imitation. If Neil leaves, they'll quit as a band. They've said as much in the past. One member leaves=Rush is done.

[wrekinboy]

Most likely scenario:

 

They will probably tour in 2012/13 to cover the 2112 link and the 40th anniversary of the first album and that may be the end. They'll be nearly 60 and Neil has a daughter he wants to see grow up.

 

They will probably tour before then but probably only Stateside. Hopefully they'll go wider in 2012/13.

 

From band interviews and his website it seems fairly clear that Neil finds touring harder to enjoy than the others, despite his biking diversions. In fact I think Geddy is not far behind on that; Alex seems to be the one that would be happiest playing live.

 

As for the motivation and the money issues, it is obvious from recent DVD and compilation releases that there has been a change of strategy by their management at least, if not by the band. The 'Working Men' thing before Xmas was pretty crappy, although I'm sure most of us would do it to generate revenue. But given their approach earlier in their career it now seems to be driven more by commercial considerations than ever before.

 

If they are able to generate more revenue from touring, and the sales of Sand A were in the region mentioned earlier, then they are in a bit of a bind, i.e. at this stage they would probably want to tour less but if they want to make what they can before quitting they will have to get out on the road, possibly at the expense of creating new material. Or maybe that might turn out to be quite convenient, depending on what new ideas for songs they have left. Only 3 people know the real story.

[GeminiRising79]

Not that I care, but why won't they do camera eye? Does it give somebody an anxiety attack?

[trenken]

QUOTE (Pagon @ Feb 4 2010, 07:31 AM)

i say get rid of peart cause his playing is just lame as hell. lets not kid ourselves here. let him write the lyrics cause he does a great job at that. get another drummer out there who will do the music justice. i'm sure the person they get will be stellar and bring the music to life. then again they might not need to cause the music they are writing these days is not that complex. rush is over. very over. they will do a tour here and there so they can have their lifestyle.

Never gonna happen. If he leaves the band is over. They wouldnt replace him. It doesnt matter at this point, these guys are almost 60. Seriously, how long will they be around? Not too much longer. Might as well just ride it out, put out another album maybe, couple more tours, call it a career.

 

Then Neil gets to live out his days writing his stories on his site, raising his kid, riding his bike, im pretty sure he wont miss all that comes along with being in Rush.

[ReflectedLight]

QUOTE (GeminiRising79 @ Feb 4 2010, 09:30 AM)

Not that I care, but why won't they do camera eye? Does it give somebody an anxiety attack?

i haven't used this one in a while.

[trenken]

QUOTE (GeminiRising79 @ Feb 4 2010, 09:30 AM)

Not that I care, but why won't they do camera eye? Does it give somebody an anxiety attack?

They talked about this before the VT tour. Geddy said they are well aware its a fan favorite, and went on to explain that if they have to play a song 60 times, they better enjoy playing it.

 

He said straight up they arent out to please the fans, they do this for themselves. We're just along for the ride. They dont like playing that song anymore, end of story.

[MainMonkey]

QUOTE (Pagon @ Feb 4 2010, 07:31 AM)

i say get rid of peart cause his playing is just lame as hell. lets not kid ourselves here. let him write the lyrics cause he does a great job at that. get another drummer out there who will do the music justice. i'm sure the person they get will be stellar and bring the music to life. then again they might not need to cause the music they are writing these days is not that complex. rush is over. very over. they will do a tour here and there so they can have their lifestyle.

Wow! What are you doing on this forum? You probably should find another forum for your mindless ramblings. We may all gripe from time to time about something with Rush but I don't think anybody thinks Neil's drumming is lame.

[trenken]

QUOTE (MainMonkey @ Feb 4 2010, 09:46 AM)

QUOTE (Pagon @ Feb 4 2010, 07:31 AM) i say get rid of peart cause his playing is just lame as hell. lets not kid ourselves here. let him write the lyrics cause he does a great job at that. get another drummer out there who will do the music justice. i'm sure the person they get will be stellar and bring the music to life. then again they might not need to cause the music they are writing these days is not that complex. rush is over. very over. they will do a tour here and there so they can have their lifestyle. Wow! What are you doing on this forum? You probably should find another forum for your mindless ramblings. We may all gripe from time to time about something with Rush but I don't think anybody thinks Neil's drumming is lame. Well in that guys defense, he might just be talking about his lack of creativity. Its just not nearly what it used to be. You listen to some of his old beats, fills, his work on albums like power windows, his work now is just not even close to being as good as it once was.   I think he's just fine for what Rush is doing, which is really just pretty straight forward rock songs, but if you want to compare it to when he was younger, there is a huge difference in quality from top to bottom.   My point was that replacing him is useless. You're going to bring in a guy thats far more technically talented, and for what? So he can play complex beats on tops of safe bass lines and guitar riffs? They just arent that kind of band anymore that they were in the 70s and 80s, so what Neil is doing fits. Nothing he's done as of late is great, and I think thats okay.

[ReflectedLight]

QUOTE (Pagon @ Feb 4 2010, 07:31 AM)

i say get rid of peart cause his playing is just lame as hell. lets not kid ourselves here. let him write the lyrics cause he does a great job at that. get another drummer out there who will do the music justice. i'm sure the person they get will be stellar and bring the music to life. then again they might not need to cause the music they are writing these days is not that complex. rush is over. very over. they will do a tour here and there so they can have their lifestyle.

stay away from the for a while.

it's turning your brain into mush.

[Finding IT]

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 4 2010, 07:05 AM)

QUOTE (softfilter @ Feb 4 2010, 01:34 AM) QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 3 2010, 07:32 PM) QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 3 2010, 11:48 AM) QUOTE (softfilter @ Feb 3 2010, 11:36 AM)   Of course it's indulgence to make new music, it's what they enjoy doing. Haven't they earned the right, and enough money, to "indulge" if that's what they enjoy doing? And another thing - they mention that they pretty much break even with an album. What about making an album in one of the many off years when they're not doing anything anyway? All of the sudden it's like they're ready to do something and it has to be one or the other, so touring wins? Why couldn't they have been working on an album this past year if they enjoy it so much?   Does not compute. Why do they have to schedule a time table and appropriate order based on fans demands? Well of course they don't HAVE to do anything just because fans want it. That's obviously not something they care about , but three albums of orginal studio material in 17 years??? Is it really that much to ask for as a fan for an album more often than that? I guess it is... That's one perspective, Gary. How about 19 total Studio albums? How many in Rock have give you more? I, for one, am very appreciative of what I have received. My favorite Rock band is also one of the industry's most prolific in terms of total studio albums.

[rushgoober]

QUOTE (MainMonkey @ Feb 3 2010, 12:34 PM)

QUOTE (metaldad @ Feb 3 2010, 10:57 AM) Where did the 1  or 2 million "Fans" go that bought all the older albums when they came out ?  They know it's never going to happen agian and We know it's never going to happen agian . Those fans, or at least alot of them, are illegally downloading the albums. Thanks to Napster for starting all of this. I don't think illegal downloading is to blame, or even primarily to blame. From HYF through T4E, every album domestically went gold, with RTB going double-platinum.   Then there was a SIX YEAR gap until VT. Now of course hardcore Rush fans know the tragedies that befell Neil, but it isn't widely known by casual or non-Rush fans. Basically they lost a TON of momentum.   Add to that the fact that T4E was NOT a great Rush album by most people's standards, so they didn't exactly take an extended break leaving on a high note. And VT was NOT the album to garner them critical or commercial success upon their return, for the sound problems if nothing else.   I remember speaking to some people about S&A shortly after it came out, people who were at one point big Rush fans, and many of them had no clue whatsoever that they were still around and making new albums. So at that point with a serious lack of momentum, very little radio airplay, a major decline in the popularity of rock music and consequently very few newer fans, it was mostly the hardcore Rush fans who will buy anything of theirs that were sustaining any album sales.   I went to an S&A show, and most of the people who were going crazy and singing along with their classic material, went practically silent when they played stuff from S&A. Most of them clearly hadn't bought the album. Conversely, when I would see them in the 80's, I remember a LOT more people singing along with and getting excited about material from whatever their latest album was.   There are a lot of factors at play here besides illegal downloading...

[Finding IT]

QUOTE (Pagon @ Feb 4 2010, 07:31 AM)

i say get rid of peart cause his playing is just lame as hell. lets not kid ourselves here. let him write the lyrics cause he does a great job at that. get another drummer out there who will do the music justice. i'm sure the person they get will be stellar and bring the music to life. then again they might not need to cause the music they are writing these days is not that complex. rush is over. very over. they will do a tour here and there so they can have their lifestyle.

You are right on ... CRACK.

 

 

[nobodys hero]

QUOTE (Lady April @ Feb 3 2010, 03:58 PM)

QUOTE (shaun3701 @ Feb 3 2010, 05:40 PM) they could always do "Feedback II" and throw some Zeppelin on there lol please God no... Horrible idea! If they go out and do another Feedback type recording they have lowered themselves to the level of the older bands like Journey, Styx, Reo who now tour at county fairs and such.

[rushgoober]

QUOTE (Finding IT @ Feb 4 2010, 07:57 AM)

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 4 2010, 07:05 AM) QUOTE (softfilter @ Feb 4 2010, 01:34 AM) QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 3 2010, 07:32 PM) QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 3 2010, 11:48 AM) QUOTE (softfilter @ Feb 3 2010, 11:36 AM)   Of course it's indulgence to make new music, it's what they enjoy doing. Haven't they earned the right, and enough money, to "indulge" if that's what they enjoy doing? And another thing - they mention that they pretty much break even with an album. What about making an album in one of the many off years when they're not doing anything anyway? All of the sudden it's like they're ready to do something and it has to be one or the other, so touring wins? Why couldn't they have been working on an album this past year if they enjoy it so much?   Does not compute. Why do they have to schedule a time table and appropriate order based on fans demands? Well of course they don't HAVE to do anything just because fans want it. That's obviously not something they care about , but three albums of orginal studio material in 17 years??? Is it really that much to ask for as a fan for an album more often than that? I guess it is... That's one perspective, Gary. How about 19 total Studio albums? How many in Rock have give you more? I, for one, am very appreciative of what I have received. My favorite Rock band is also one of the industry's most prolific in terms of total studio albums. I understand, and as much as I complain, I am grateful for their 18 albums, 14 of which I think are really great. I just wish they had been more active making new music.   As a long time fan, it's hard to ignore the fact that in their first 20 years they made 15 albums, and in the next 17 years they made 3 albums and 1 ep of cover tunes.   I appreciate all they have given us, but at the same time I miss new albums from my favorite band.

[ReflectedLight]

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 4 2010, 09:57 AM)

QUOTE (MainMonkey @ Feb 3 2010, 12:34 PM) QUOTE (metaldad @ Feb 3 2010, 10:57 AM) Where did the 1  or 2 million "Fans" go that bought all the older albums when they came out ?  They know it's never going to happen agian and We know it's never going to happen agian . Those fans, or at least alot of them, are illegally downloading the albums. Thanks to Napster for starting all of this. I don't think illegal downloading is to blame, or even primarily to blame. From HYF through T4E, every album domestically went gold, with RTB going double-platinum.   Then there was a SIX YEAR gap until VT. Now of course hardcore Rush fans know the tragedies that befell Neil, but it isn't widely known by casual or non-Rush fans. Basically they lost a TON of momentum.   Add to that the fact that T4E was NOT a great Rush album by most people's standards, so they didn't exactly take an extended break leaving on a high note. And VT was NOT the album to garner them critical or commercial success upon their return, for the sound problems if nothing else.   I remember speaking to some people about S&A shortly after it came out, people who were at one point big Rush fans, and many of them had no clue whatsoever that they were still around and making new albums. So at that point with a serious lack of momentum, very little radio airplay, a major decline in the popularity of rock music and consequently very few newer fans, it was mostly the hardcore Rush fans who will buy anything of theirs that were sustaining any album sales.   I went to an S&A show, and most of the people who were going crazy and singing along with their classic material, went practically silent when they played stuff from S&A. Most of them clearly hadn't bought the album. Conversely, when I would see them in the 80's, I remember a LOT more people singing along with and getting excited about material from whatever their latest album was.   There are a lot of factors at play here... not for nothing dude, but even though i like some of s & a, it's not exactly jimmy buffet sing along type songs anyway. alot of rush and groups are like that.

[rushgoober]

QUOTE (ReflectedLight @ Feb 4 2010, 08:15 AM)

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 4 2010, 09:57 AM) QUOTE (MainMonkey @ Feb 3 2010, 12:34 PM) QUOTE (metaldad @ Feb 3 2010, 10:57 AM) Where did the 1  or 2 million "Fans" go that bought all the older albums when they came out ?  They know it's never going to happen agian and We know it's never going to happen agian . Those fans, or at least alot of them, are illegally downloading the albums. Thanks to Napster for starting all of this. I don't think illegal downloading is to blame, or even primarily to blame. From HYF through T4E, every album domestically went gold, with RTB going double-platinum.   Then there was a SIX YEAR gap until VT. Now of course hardcore Rush fans know the tragedies that befell Neil, but it isn't widely known by casual or non-Rush fans. Basically they lost a TON of momentum.   Add to that the fact that T4E was NOT a great Rush album by most people's standards, so they didn't exactly take an extended break leaving on a high note. And VT was NOT the album to garner them critical or commercial success upon their return, for the sound problems if nothing else.   I remember speaking to some people about S&A shortly after it came out, people who were at one point big Rush fans, and many of them had no clue whatsoever that they were still around and making new albums. So at that point with a serious lack of momentum, very little radio airplay, a major decline in the popularity of rock music and consequently very few newer fans, it was mostly the hardcore Rush fans who will buy anything of theirs that were sustaining any album sales.   I went to an S&A show, and most of the people who were going crazy and singing along with their classic material, went practically silent when they played stuff from S&A. Most of them clearly hadn't bought the album. Conversely, when I would see them in the 80's, I remember a LOT more people singing along with and getting excited about material from whatever their latest album was.   There are a lot of factors at play here... not for nothing dude, but even though i like some of s & a, it's not exactly jimmy buffet sing along type songs anyway. alot of rush and groups are like that. I think if Rush had the momentum going, Armor & Sword or Far Cry could have been monster hits. Had songs of that quality come out when they were much more in the public eye and rock music was still as popular, those songs could have been huge and really helped propel album sales. Of course it's all speculation...

[ReflectedLight]

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 4 2010, 10:19 AM)

QUOTE (ReflectedLight @ Feb 4 2010, 08:15 AM) QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 4 2010, 09:57 AM) QUOTE (MainMonkey @ Feb 3 2010, 12:34 PM) QUOTE (metaldad @ Feb 3 2010, 10:57 AM) Where did the 1  or 2 million "Fans" go that bought all the older albums when they came out ?  They know it's never going to happen agian and We know it's never going to happen agian . Those fans, or at least alot of them, are illegally downloading the albums. Thanks to Napster for starting all of this. I don't think illegal downloading is to blame, or even primarily to blame. From HYF through T4E, every album domestically went gold, with RTB going double-platinum.   Then there was a SIX YEAR gap until VT. Now of course hardcore Rush fans know the tragedies that befell Neil, but it isn't widely known by casual or non-Rush fans. Basically they lost a TON of momentum.   Add to that the fact that T4E was NOT a great Rush album by most people's standards, so they didn't exactly take an extended break leaving on a high note. And VT was NOT the album to garner them critical or commercial success upon their return, for the sound problems if nothing else.   I remember speaking to some people about S&A shortly after it came out, people who were at one point big Rush fans, and many of them had no clue whatsoever that they were still around and making new albums. So at that point with a serious lack of momentum, very little radio airplay, a major decline in the popularity of rock music and consequently very few newer fans, it was mostly the hardcore Rush fans who will buy anything of theirs that were sustaining any album sales.   I went to an S&A show, and most of the people who were going crazy and singing along with their classic material, went practically silent when they played stuff from S&A. Most of them clearly hadn't bought the album. Conversely, when I would see them in the 80's, I remember a LOT more people singing along with and getting excited about material from whatever their latest album was.   There are a lot of factors at play here... not for nothing dude, but even though i like some of s & a, it's not exactly jimmy buffet sing along type songs anyway. alot of rush and groups are like that. I think if Rush had the momentum going, Armor & Sword or Far Cry could have been monster hits. Had songs of that quality come out when they were much more in the public eye and rock music was still as popular, those songs could have been huge and really helped propel album sales. Of course it's all speculation... don't forget mal nar. i think that's the only tune i've ever heard that i can hit the replay button about 10 times in a row.

[Pound of Obscure]

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 2 2010, 04:44 PM)

It ONLY pays for itself?

I don't buy it. Plenty of bands make money making records. Perhaps if they made a good one that sold to more than just the diehards. Also get in the studio and get out. None of this year and a half in the studio absurdity. Can you imagine the cost of that? Their best songs are almost routinely the "afterthoughts". They wrote 2 good songs on their last album, both afterthoughts. That's why they don't make money making albums. There aren't any good songs on them.

 

I love Rush btw. Still, always will.

[Tick]

Recognize one fact folks. Whether or not you liked Snakes And Arrows or not, (for me its a middle of the road Rush album) the buzz of that album months before its realease and the juice a new album carries in general gets fans excited and keeps the band relevant.

 

If there was no new album in 2007, there is no way Rush is able to tour in past 2007 into 2008 with nearly the same success. The fact they actually hit the road in 08 says a lot about the power of a new product. New Rush fans are born every year and the excitement of a new record is no less exciting then it was for us oldtimers back in the day.

 

If Rush hits the road with no new product, or say 3 new songs, they will not have the same success as they will with the excitement of a new album. If touring is now the bands cash cow, an album to support them when they hit the road will greatly increase the revenue numbers. If they want to yield the rewards of the road, a new album is imperative.

 

[ReflectedLight]

this next tour will be 1/2 the size of the last one.