Tommy Sawyer Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 QUOTE (Cosy Toes @ Apr 24 2011, 05:52 AM) It didn't fail. It was more successful than VT and S&A CoS has been out for forty years longer than VT and SaA. Also, CoS had its sales helped by the success of MP, 2112, and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosy Toes Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 And the success of quality albums like 2112 and to a lesser extent MP will ensure that vile filth like Vapid Trials and Snakes & Arseholes will never achieve the sales or popularity of the competent Caress of Steel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancient Ways Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Ahead of it's time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drbirdsong Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 QUOTE (StellarJetman @ Apr 23 2011, 07:13 PM) Maybe the shift toward a more psychedelic/spacey sound pitted it against Yes's and Pink Floyd's output, putting it at a commercial disadvantage? Maybe "The Fountain of Lamneth"'s transparent nature as six disparate songs was a turn-off to progressive rock fans accustomed to "Close to the Edge" and its ilk? Maybe "I Think I'm Going Bald" and that awful narration in "The Necromancer" kept people from taking it seriously? I can't imagine that its weird split between conventional rock ("Bastille Day") and out-and-out progressive fare ("The Necromancer") did it any favors, either. This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg2112 Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 QUOTE (Cosy Toes @ Apr 24 2011, 04:52 AM) It didn't fail. It was more successful than VT and S&A Ha - good observation! Its also 10X better than either of those albums as well, I might add. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnify Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 There's a good explanation in the documentary - think about it this way: Rush had been opening up for Kiss who described Rush as Led Zeppelin Junior. Then they played Caress of Steel for Paul Stanley. Can you honestly imagine Paul Stanley digging on CoS? Of course, he did not dig it. Imagine the suits that thought they had something in a band that went along nicely with Kiss. That is why CoS was considered a failure at the time. Rush had aspirations for something higher than what they were originally sold for (thank goodness!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the masked drummer Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Too dark, songs very long and hard to digest for the average joe. In comparison, 2112 was bright and bursting with energy and enthusiasm. Both great albums, but cos was just not as accessible. But for me and many rush fans, we like the fact that it didn't fare well commercially. It's "our" secret treasure. Luckily, they put the pot pipe down to record/write 2112. Neil was sleeping on a friend's couch that year, & it really was an opportunity more than a failure. It taught them something, which saved their career. They worked very very hard in those days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circumstantial tree Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I like Caress of Steel more than I used to. I bought it the day after Fly By Night. I thought Fly By Night was all around better and I consider these two albums to be sister albums - similar styles. I thought the narration was a bit silly and Geddy was shrieking just to be shrieking. He could get way with it on Fly By Night, but on Caress of Steel it's wasted effort. "once we would take water, but NOWWWWWW it must be wine, NOWWWWWW we've BEEEEEN and now we've SEEEEEEN. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apetersvt Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 It's because they got the colo(u)r of the album wrong. I know I have probably heard this album more than Presto through S&A combined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen of Megadon Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 COS was my gateway drug to RUSH. It will never be a failure to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D3strukt Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 QUOTE (Queen of Megadon @ Apr 25 2011, 03:54 PM) COS was my gateway drug to RUSH. It will never be a failure to me. This. I heard COS at the tender age of 5. Shit was grand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnals Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 When I first heard CoS I hated it (backtracking on buying Rush albums after being turned onto them by MP, ESL and Signals in the early 80's), only liking Bastille Day. But after revisiting it when I got it on cd (to complete the collection on that medium), something clicked in me--I finally 'got' what this album was about. Now it's one of my faves. Very dark yes, but underrated too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soni Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 Maybe it wouldn't have "failed" if it came after 2112! I feel 2112 is a much easier transition into the prog Rush than CoS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytserush Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 It was way ahead of its time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Krinkle Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 I don't think it failed at all. Look at the music selection from 1975. There were a LOT of crappy records out then that were 100 times more of a "failure". Maybe thats the problem. It wasn't crappy enough to join the rest of the 1975 releases and therefore it wasn't part of any crap-rotation on FM radio. Caress Of Steel is probably one of their best sounding albums and the songs are awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mighty Dudad Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 QUOTE (JohnnyBlaze @ Apr 24 2011, 08:05 AM) QUOTE (J2112YYZ @ Apr 24 2011, 11:13 AM)Sales wise I wouldn't say it "failed". The album was certified gold in the US, so it's not like it wasn't successful in a way. Surely, it only went gold because of the successful albums AFTER it. I'd wager that sales of CoS really went up after PeW then again after MP. It was kind of hard for CoS to be popular at the time since folks were buying up The Captain & Tenille's Love Will Keep Us Together and other bullshit like that According to the RIAA, Caress of Steel (which was released in 1975) didn't go Gold until 1993. It's easy to look back from 2011 and say CoS was a success, but at the time it most certainly was a failure. For those who think otherwise, I suggest you rewatch that portion of Beyond the Lighted Stage. No one seemed to "get it", the record company was up in arms and ready to drop the band, and live shows were getting smaller and smaller (the "Down the Tubes" tour anyone??). Heck, 2112 was a direct result of the band thinking they were done and wanting to go out on their own terms. "Failure" doesn't mean the music wasn't good (although I scratch my head over I Think I'm Going Bald and the Necromancer narration), it simply means it didn't connect commercially or artistically at the time it was released. The fact that it eventually sold over 500K copies (thanks only to Rush's continued growth and success) and in hindsight is viewed as a favorite by many fans doesn't change the fact that it failed upon release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circumstantial tree Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 Just goes to show that just because Neil Peart, the mighty drummer, is in the band doesn't mean they can't have a dud. I wonder how the first album compares to COS with regards to sales and popularity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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