Rush, the New Wave band, playing Classic Rock

[Xanadoood]

QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 16 2010, 07:06 PM)

QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 06:20 PM) QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 16 2010, 06:07 PM) QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 02:36 PM) I dont think anyone came out of the 80's unscathed. I mean, look at those pants on Alex!...What the hell were they thinking?...but really, Rush was one of the few bands from the 70s who were able to blend into the new era and still progress with their music. Look at bands like Foghat, UFO, Thin Lizzy, etc..they just didnt progress with the times. What's funny is that a lot of people consider Rush to be an 80's band. Thin Lizzy did fine in the 80s considering half the band were hooked on heroin and they quit in 1983 anyway, well before most of the 80s bullshit got going... True. Maybe Lizzy wasnt the best example. But i think part of the problem for them was that they didnt break open big time, and by the time '83 rolled around, they were looked at as a washed up 70s band. Rush changed their sound to fit the era. I mean, if Rush were still writing stuff like Working Man in '84, they would have been looked at as a joke. Well Lynott was going in different directions with synths on his solo albums and the hard rock was kept for Lizzy... Im sorry i used Thin Lizzy as an example! You know what i mean though. Lizzy, in'83, was considered 70s, while Rush was adjusting their sound. Have you ever seen that show that Lizzy did , i believe it was on their final tour in '83, in Germany. Snowy White on guitar. And they look TIRED, and very much stuck in '77.

[treeduck]

QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 07:13 PM)

QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 16 2010, 07:06 PM) QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 06:20 PM) QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 16 2010, 06:07 PM) QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 02:36 PM) I dont think anyone came out of the 80's unscathed. I mean, look at those pants on Alex!...What the hell were they thinking?...but really, Rush was one of the few bands from the 70s who were able to blend into the new era and still progress with their music. Look at bands like Foghat, UFO, Thin Lizzy, etc..they just didnt progress with the times. What's funny is that a lot of people consider Rush to be an 80's band. Thin Lizzy did fine in the 80s considering half the band were hooked on heroin and they quit in 1983 anyway, well before most of the 80s bullshit got going... True. Maybe Lizzy wasnt the best example. But i think part of the problem for them was that they didnt break open big time, and by the time '83 rolled around, they were looked at as a washed up 70s band. Rush changed their sound to fit the era. I mean, if Rush were still writing stuff like Working Man in '84, they would have been looked at as a joke. Well Lynott was going in different directions with synths on his solo albums and the hard rock was kept for Lizzy... Im sorry i used Thin Lizzy as an example! You know what i mean though. Lizzy, in'83, was considered 70s, while Rush was adjusting their sound. Have you ever seen that show that Lizzy did , i believe it was on their final tour in '83, in Germany. Snowy White on guitar. And they look TIRED, and very much stuck in '77. Yeah I know what you mean, but not many bands are like Rush are they?   The final tour was a bit flat, but hey if you announce you're quitting before the album is even out it's not a good sign. It's not like the band were 50 year old veterans. To be fair though, they WERE tired, the years touring on drugs and booze made them tired. A lot of the Lizzy songs are autobiographical, eg Got to Give it Up and on Bad Reputation Phil sings "your bad reputation has made you old" that almost sums up the band in 1983.

[Xanadoood]

QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 16 2010, 07:24 PM)

QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 07:13 PM) QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 16 2010, 07:06 PM) QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 06:20 PM) QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 16 2010, 06:07 PM) QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 02:36 PM) I dont think anyone came out of the 80's unscathed. I mean, look at those pants on Alex!...What the hell were they thinking?...but really, Rush was one of the few bands from the 70s who were able to blend into the new era and still progress with their music. Look at bands like Foghat, UFO, Thin Lizzy, etc..they just didnt progress with the times. What's funny is that a lot of people consider Rush to be an 80's band. Thin Lizzy did fine in the 80s considering half the band were hooked on heroin and they quit in 1983 anyway, well before most of the 80s bullshit got going... True. Maybe Lizzy wasnt the best example. But i think part of the problem for them was that they didnt break open big time, and by the time '83 rolled around, they were looked at as a washed up 70s band. Rush changed their sound to fit the era. I mean, if Rush were still writing stuff like Working Man in '84, they would have been looked at as a joke. Well Lynott was going in different directions with synths on his solo albums and the hard rock was kept for Lizzy... Im sorry i used Thin Lizzy as an example! You know what i mean though. Lizzy, in'83, was considered 70s, while Rush was adjusting their sound. Have you ever seen that show that Lizzy did , i believe it was on their final tour in '83, in Germany. Snowy White on guitar. And they look TIRED, and very much stuck in '77. Yeah I know what you mean, but not many bands are like Rush are they?   The final tour was a bit flat, but hey if you announce you're quitting before the album is even out it's not a good sign. It's not like the band were 50 year old veterans. To be fair though, they WERE tired, the years touring on drugs and booze made them tired. A lot of the Lizzy songs are autobiographical, eg Got to Give it Up and on Bad Reputation Phil sings "your bad reputation has made you old" that almost sums up the band in 1983. I concur. I do believe that had Phil lived, he would have gone in to other areas.

[red sector animal]

QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 06:00 PM)

QUOTE (Mara @ Apr 16 2010, 02:54 PM) QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 03:36 PM) I dont think anyone came out of the 80's unscathed. I mean, look at those pants on Alex!...What the hell were they thinking?...but really, Rush was one of the few bands from the 70s who were able to blend into the new era and still progress with their music. Look at bands like Foghat, UFO, Thin Lizzy, etc..they just didnt progress with the times. What's funny is that a lot of people consider Rush to be an 80's band. What, you didn't like Alex's parachute pants? Alex was the original M.C Hammer LOL..that was good.   I think overall, Rush as always been a product of the times.. The look and feel fit right in as cool look for rush based on what was out and happening at the times.   At the time of these video's... New wave was huge, Punk was making a stand .. you heard The Fixx, The Police, U2, Thomas Dolby, Electric avenue..ect. Maxx Hedromm - "Where's the Beef" Pac - Man/ Atari...   The Regular Rock sound was being fully covered by Van Halen / Scorpions.. and a wave of bands were rushing in to fill in where zeppelin left off, creating "Hair Metal" bands like, Ratt, twisted sister, whitesnake, whitethis, whitethat,..ect   Nothing better for rush to do at the time, but to try to be a bit more progressive that the rest, and attempt to combine the impossible, and hopefully land some tunes that FM radio would throw into regular rotation behind, the bands listed above...U2 The Fixx, ect.   At least thats what it all looks like to me.

[GeddyRulz]

I think half of you are missing what I meant.

 

Certainly Rush weren't really a "New Wave" band, but they definitely were trying for New Wave acceptance, as evidenced by subtle and unsubtle changes in the music, the clothing and haircut styles they were sporting, the other artists they were listening to, their attempts to reach out and work with Steve Lillywhite (unsuccesful; Lillywhite snubbed them) and Aimee Mann (successful), etc. So while they weren't a New Wave band per se, they somewhat wanted to be seen as one.

 

When I was growing up in the 80s it didn't seem unnatural to me to see the boys looking as they did, playing what they were. But now, in retrospect, I'm watching the GUP concert video and seeing, well, essentially A Flock of Seagulls playing "Closer to the Heart," a 70s Classic Rock song if ever there was one. It seems odd to me, whereas before - when I was living in the times - it didn't. Imagine seeing The Fixx playing "Roundabout" and you're kind of close to what I'm seeing on the GUP video: a distinctly 80s-looking "New Wave" act performing classic rock songs from the 70s.

 

I sometimes wonder if Rush had thought at the time of bagging the 70s material during those GUP and PoW tours. It's kind of out-of-the-question to not play older songs that diehard fans want to hear, but for a band who aspired to New Wave acceptance, they may have second-guessed playing stuff like "Finding My Way" and "Temples of Syrinx," etc.

Edited April 17, 2010 by GeddyRulz

[Xanadoood]

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Apr 16 2010, 09:56 PM)

I think half of you are missing what I meant. Certainly Rush weren't really a "New Wave" band, but they definitely were trying for New Wave acceptance, as evidenced by subtle and unsubtle changes in the music, the clothing and haircut styles they were sporting, the other artists they were listening to, their attempts to reach out and work with Steve Lillywhite (unsuccesful; Lillywhite snubbed them) and Aimee Mann (successful), etc. So while they weren't a New Wave band per se, they somewhat wanted to be seen as one. When I was growing up in the 80s it didn't seem unnatural to me to see the boys looking as they did, playing what they were. But now, in retrospect, I'm watching the GUP concert video and seeing, well, essentially A Flock of Seagulls playing "Closer to the Heart," a 70s Classic Rock song if ever there was one. It seems odd to me, whereas before - when I was living in the times - it didn't. Imagine seeing The Fixx playing "Roundabout" and you're kind of close to what I'm seeing on the GUP video: a distinctly 80s-looking "New Wave" act performing classic rock songs from the 70s. I sometimes wonder if Rush had thought at the time of bagging the 70s material during those GUP and PoW tours. It's kind of out-of-the-question to not play older songs that diehard fans want to hear, but for a band who aspired to New Wave acceptance, they may have second-guessed playing stuff like "Finding My Way" and "Temples of Syrinx," etc.

Yeah, it is funny looking at it now. I always felt they transitioned well though. It just LOOKS right when watching them on that GUP vid, even though you know they started out as a classic 70s hard rock looking band. A lot of bands couldnt have pulled it off.

[KillerInstinct]

maybe this is what they'll dress like this tour

[Xanadude69]

QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 07:55 PM)

QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 16 2010, 07:24 PM) QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 07:13 PM) QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 16 2010, 07:06 PM) QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 06:20 PM) QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 16 2010, 06:07 PM) QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 02:36 PM) I dont think anyone came out of the 80's unscathed. I mean, look at those pants on Alex!...What the hell were they thinking?...but really, Rush was one of the few bands from the 70s who were able to blend into the new era and still progress with their music. Look at bands like Foghat, UFO, Thin Lizzy, etc..they just didnt progress with the times. What's funny is that a lot of people consider Rush to be an 80's band. Thin Lizzy did fine in the 80s considering half the band were hooked on heroin and they quit in 1983 anyway, well before most of the 80s bullshit got going... True. Maybe Lizzy wasnt the best example. But i think part of the problem for them was that they didnt break open big time, and by the time '83 rolled around, they were looked at as a washed up 70s band. Rush changed their sound to fit the era. I mean, if Rush were still writing stuff like Working Man in '84, they would have been looked at as a joke. Well Lynott was going in different directions with synths on his solo albums and the hard rock was kept for Lizzy... Im sorry i used Thin Lizzy as an example! You know what i mean though. Lizzy, in'83, was considered 70s, while Rush was adjusting their sound. Have you ever seen that show that Lizzy did , i believe it was on their final tour in '83, in Germany. Snowy White on guitar. And they look TIRED, and very much stuck in '77. Yeah I know what you mean, but not many bands are like Rush are they?   The final tour was a bit flat, but hey if you announce you're quitting before the album is even out it's not a good sign. It's not like the band were 50 year old veterans. To be fair though, they WERE tired, the years touring on drugs and booze made them tired. A lot of the Lizzy songs are autobiographical, eg Got to Give it Up and on Bad Reputation Phil sings "your bad reputation has made you old" that almost sums up the band in 1983. I concur. I do believe that had Phil lived, he would have gone in to other areas. Damn I missed all this talk about Thin Lizzy. I think Xanadood was spot on about Lizzy and Phil.   sorry I just like adding my 2 cents

[treeduck]

QUOTE (Xanadude69 @ Apr 16 2010, 11:31 PM)

QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 07:55 PM) QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 16 2010, 07:24 PM) QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 07:13 PM) QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 16 2010, 07:06 PM) QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 06:20 PM) QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 16 2010, 06:07 PM) QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Apr 16 2010, 02:36 PM) I dont think anyone came out of the 80's unscathed. I mean, look at those pants on Alex!...What the hell were they thinking?...but really, Rush was one of the few bands from the 70s who were able to blend into the new era and still progress with their music. Look at bands like Foghat, UFO, Thin Lizzy, etc..they just didnt progress with the times. What's funny is that a lot of people consider Rush to be an 80's band. Thin Lizzy did fine in the 80s considering half the band were hooked on heroin and they quit in 1983 anyway, well before most of the 80s bullshit got going... True. Maybe Lizzy wasnt the best example. But i think part of the problem for them was that they didnt break open big time, and by the time '83 rolled around, they were looked at as a washed up 70s band. Rush changed their sound to fit the era. I mean, if Rush were still writing stuff like Working Man in '84, they would have been looked at as a joke. Well Lynott was going in different directions with synths on his solo albums and the hard rock was kept for Lizzy... Im sorry i used Thin Lizzy as an example! You know what i mean though. Lizzy, in'83, was considered 70s, while Rush was adjusting their sound. Have you ever seen that show that Lizzy did , i believe it was on their final tour in '83, in Germany. Snowy White on guitar. And they look TIRED, and very much stuck in '77. Yeah I know what you mean, but not many bands are like Rush are they?   The final tour was a bit flat, but hey if you announce you're quitting before the album is even out it's not a good sign. It's not like the band were 50 year old veterans. To be fair though, they WERE tired, the years touring on drugs and booze made them tired. A lot of the Lizzy songs are autobiographical, eg Got to Give it Up and on Bad Reputation Phil sings "your bad reputation has made you old" that almost sums up the band in 1983. I concur. I do believe that had Phil lived, he would have gone in to other areas. Damn I missed all this talk about Thin Lizzy. I think Xanadood was spot on about Lizzy and Phil.   sorry I just like adding my 2 cents He may have a point, but I've always enjoyed the 80s albums, Chinatown, Renegade and Thunder and Lightning rock! And did back in the day!! All had excellent hit singles and Lizzy were big right to the end.

[circumstantial tree]

I'm glad they went the route they went. They could have ended up being hair metal. Although, I liked some hair metal back in the day.

[quickfree]

Then its been strange for 25 years. In other news, water is wet.

[Xanadude69]

QUOTE (treeduck @ Apr 17 2010, 01:22 AM)

He may have a point, but I've always enjoyed the 80s albums, Chinatown, Renegade and Thunder and Lightning rock! And did back in the day!! All had excellent hit singles and Lizzy were big right to the end.

Don't get me wrong I enjoy those albums too

[Lerxst UK]

Rush are on record many times as stating they have always (and quite deliberately) tried to stay 'relevant' to the era they were in at the time.

 

That's always included absorbing the fashions of the time as well as the music (and its all part of a pro bands commercial package at the end of the day). Can you imagine the ridicule they would have garnered from donning robes in the 80's?

 

Even hardened fans would likely have deemed them totally uncool and outdated if they had stuck with old 70's images.

 

Street cred is a wierd and transient thing. I was a teenager up until 1987 and I have some really cringe worthy photos in the family album.

 

Alex made a comment about himself not long ago saying that he looked like a waiter in a restaurant circa Hold Your Fire era!

 

The thing is it was cool back then to look trendy but play old style rock... it was de rigeuer.

 

It was also very common for bands to give their old material a modernised sound. The 80's was all about moving on and development into the future by embracing 'the new'... and all the technology that was perceived to embody that. Gibsons were seriously uncool and pointy headstock Super Strats and their more wirey sounds were the order of the day.

 

It certainly does look dated now but it was wonderfully cool at the time.

Edited April 18, 2010 by Lerxst UK

[Mara]

QUOTE (Lerxst UK @ Apr 18 2010, 12:47 PM)

Rush are on record many times as stating they have always (and quite deliberately) tried to stay 'relevant' to the era they were in at the time. That's always included absorbing the fashions of the time as well as the music (and its all part of a pro bands commercial package at the end of the day). Can you imagine the ridicule they would have garnered from donning robes in the 80's? Even hardened fans would likely have deemed them totally uncool and outdated if they had stuck with old 70's images. Street cred is a wierd and transient thing. I was a teenager up until 1987 and I have some really cringe worthy photos in the family album. Alex made a comment about himself not long ago saying that he looked like a waiter in a restaurant circa Hold Your Fire era! The thing is it was cool back then to look trendy but play old style rock... it was de rigeuer. It was also very common for bands to give their old material a modernised sound. The 80's was all about moving on and development into the future by embracing 'the new'... and all the technology that was perceived to embody that. Gibsons were seriously uncool and pointy headstock Super Strats and their more wirey sounds were the order of the day. It certainly does look dated now but it was wonderfully cool at the time.

Yep, and there's Ged's remark about his 1970's hairstyle - "Why was I wearing a ponytail that made it look like I had on a beaver skin cap?"

[shaun3701]

QUOTE (Mara @ Apr 18 2010, 11:57 AM)

QUOTE (Lerxst UK @ Apr 18 2010, 12:47 PM) Rush are on record many times as stating they have always (and quite deliberately) tried to stay 'relevant' to the era they were in at the time. That's always included absorbing the fashions of the time as well as the music (and its all part of a pro bands commercial package at the end of the day). Can you imagine the ridicule they would have garnered from donning robes in the 80's? Even hardened fans would likely have deemed them totally uncool and outdated if they had stuck with old 70's images. Street cred is a wierd and transient thing. I was a teenager up until 1987 and I have some really cringe worthy photos in the family album. Alex made a comment about himself not long ago saying that he looked like a waiter in a restaurant circa Hold Your Fire era! The thing is it was cool back then to look trendy but play old style rock... it was de rigeuer. It was also very common for bands to give their old material a modernised sound. The 80's was all about moving on and development into the future by embracing 'the new'... and all the technology that was perceived to embody that. Gibsons were seriously uncool and pointy headstock Super Strats and their more wirey sounds were the order of the day. It certainly does look dated now but it was wonderfully cool at the time. Yep, and there's Ged's remark about his 1970's hairstyle - "Why was I wearing a ponytail that made it look like I had on a beaver skin cap?" That was his 80s hairstyle... from the HYF era.

[Texas King]

Signals and Grace Under Pressure could be considered new wave records.

 

Take a listen to songs Body Electric, Countdown, New World Man, Chemistry, Red Lenses or Kid Gloves - new wave-type tunes by Rush!

[EagleMoon]

Yeah there was a time when they incorporated elements of new wave in their music. Especially around HYF. Completely understandable since it was so prevalent in the culture of the time.

[JohnRogers]

...isn't it a little odd to see these "New Wave" guys playing old, classic 70's stuff in concert? If we're to accept them as a (then-)contemporary New Wave band, what are we supposed to think of them playing "Closer to the Heart," for example? It doesn't seem to fit. It's like watching A Flock of Seagulls play "Layla."

 

Anyone else think the juxtaposition is strange? Classic Rock songs being played by these New Wave-looking dudes, this New Wave Wannabe band?

It never really crossed my mind. I just saw them as guys maturing, growing up, they never looked out of place playing the classics...IMHO.

[jnoble]

I rarely watch the GUP tour video specifically because it's soooooooo '80s what with their hair and clothes and sound. Geddy with that goofy Steinberger bass and suit jacket and mullet hair.... :eyeroll:

[lifeson90]

Would've died as a band if just kept doing what already done, every Rush album shows a marked level of progression really some more radical than others, Just a handful of years from Hemispheres to GUP pretty remarkable

[Blue J]

Would've died as a band if just kept doing what already done, every Rush album shows a marked level of progression really some more radical than others, Just a handful of years from Hemispheres to GUP pretty remarkable

 

Yes! I've said that same thing many times...just listen to Circumstances or La Villa Strangiato, and then listen to Red Lenses and The Body Electric...barely more than five years separates them. It's really remarkable.