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When did the keyboard Era start?


losingit2k
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When did the Keyboard Era actually start?  

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  1. 1. When did the Keyboard Era actually start?

    • Moving Pictures
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    • Signals
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Question? Didn't the Keyboard Era really begin with MP? Don't you think?

 

There's an awfull lots of keyboards in there!

 

Tom Sawyer, The Camera Eye, Witch Hunt, Vital Signs, YYZ(Middle)

 

The only songs that Truly don't have keyboards are Limelight and Red Barchetta!

 

think about it!

 

 

 

 

 

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I honestly think it was 'Signals' that started it all off. Your point about the amount of keyboards in MP is valid. But from what I hear in comparing 'Signals' to MP, the keyboards are given way more attention than on MP.
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QUOTE (Sir Lerxst @ May 20 2011, 07:58 PM)
The difference between Moving Pictures, and Signals, is that in Moving Pictures, the guitar is still at the forefront of the sound - much more so than in signals.

What Sir Lerxst said ... the guitar started to disappear more around Signals sad.gif

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I feel that Signals was the beginning of the keyboard era, and my measuring stick is the lack of guitar on Signals.

 

Put it's important to note that Grace Under Pressure had some brilliant guitar work, and wile being in the synth era, and belonging there, it didn't do it, in my opinion, at the expense of the guitar.

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There may be a lot of synth on MP, but Signals was the start of the era as far as how prominent they were and how necessary they were to building the sound. (note that I didn't say anything about other instruments being pushed back since I know that's a favorite argument amongst the haters). There was a lot of synth on Xanadu, for instance, but it's certainly not classified as a "synth" song.
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Don't get me wrong, the guitar work in the Signals - Hold Your Fire era, is brilliant, but it isn't right up in your face like it was before that, and how it is now.

 

The guitars did get pushed back on the most part in that period - it doesn't mean that they are less important.

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Definitely Signals.

 

Were there keyboards on MP? Sure. There have been keyboards on Rush albums since at least 2112, but not to the extent of Signals through Hold Your Fire.

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Signals was Rush shifting on its axis. They went into a whole different direction, never to return to there beginning sound.

They are still evolving today and that is probably why they are still standing.

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QUOTE (tick @ May 20 2011, 04:37 PM)
Signals was Rush shifting on its axis. They went into a whole different direction, never to return to there beginning sound.
They are still evolving today and that is probably why they are still standing.

yes.gif

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QUOTE (Sir Lerxst @ May 20 2011, 02:58 PM)
The difference between Moving Pictures, and Signals, is that in Moving Pictures, the guitar is still at the forefront of the sound - much more so than in signals.

My thoughts exactly.

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QUOTE (losingit2k @ May 20 2011, 02:39 PM)
Question? Didn't the Keyboard Era really begin with MP? Don't you think?

There's an awfull lots of keyboards in there!

Tom Sawyer, The Camera Eye, Witch Hunt, Vital Signs, YYZ(Middle)

The only songs that Truly don't have keyboards are Limelight and Red Barchetta!

think about it!

I'd have to agree with you that the era started with MP. Btw, Limelight and Red Barchetta both have 'keys' (synths) in them, if you consider the taurus pedals as synths, which they are.

 

The shift in Signals was the use of synth as textures and relying more on keys to expand their sound, even though there was nothing wrong with their sound in the first place! I loved the emptiness of the 3 piece sound, but I guess they felt that they needed a sustaining synth chord going on to fill it out. I love Signals, but this is when I believe they got off track. I thought MP was about as far as they should have gone toward the synth shift and was a very good use of synthesizers in their music.

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Another vote for Signals. The difference being that before that the synths were added for atmosphere and texture after the majority of the writing was complete. Beginning with Signals, I think Geddy started writing a lot of the music on keyboards. Though side two of MP was a sign of things to come.
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Moving Pictures and previous featured keyboards, but Signals through Hold Your Fire were driven by keyboards. Nobody calls Roll the Bones a product of the synthesizer era because of its keyboards; it's the same for Moving Pictures. Edited by StellarJetman
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QUOTE (StellarJetman @ May 20 2011, 03:24 PM)
Moving Pictures and previous featured keyboards, but Signals through Hold Your Fire were driven by keyboards. Nobody calls Roll the Bones a product of the synthesizer era because of its keyboards; it's the same for Moving Pictures.

you rock those italics.

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QUOTE (losingit2k @ May 20 2011, 03:39 PM)
Question? Didn't the Keyboard Era really begin with MP? Don't you think?

There's an awfull lots of keyboards in there!

Tom Sawyer, The Camera Eye, Witch Hunt, Vital Signs, YYZ(Middle)

The only songs that Truly don't have keyboards are Limelight and Red Barchetta!

think about it!

Tom Sawyer - killer guitar solo

Red Barchetta - awesome riffs and a short but sweet Alex solo

YYZ - more killer riffs

Limelight - Maybe Alex's finest riff, awesome guitar solo

TCE - Definitely guitar driven, IMO

Witch Hunt - another good riff

 

 

I think I'll go with Signals tongue.gif

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QUOTE (losingit2k @ May 20 2011, 03:39 PM)
Question? Didn't the Keyboard Era really begin with MP? Don't you think?

There's an awfull lots of keyboards in there!

Tom Sawyer, The Camera Eye, Witch Hunt, Vital Signs, YYZ(Middle)

The only songs that Truly don't have keyboards are Limelight and Red Barchetta!

think about it!

Let's take a look at MP's guitars...

 

Tom Sawyer - killer guitar solo

Red Barchetta - awesome riffs and a short but sweet Alex solo

YYZ - more killer riffs

Limelight - Maybe Alex's finest riff, awesome guitar solo

TCE - Definitely guitar driven, IMO

Witch Hunt - another good riff

 

 

I think I'll go with Signals tongue.gif

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Vital signs could have been on Signals so the answer is Moving Pictures.

 

Edited to ask why the amount of guitar has anything to do with the amount of keys. They aren't mutually exclusive.

Edited by Ancient Ways
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MP is sort of a transitory album; it's too progressive to be considered part of the synth era, but it's too synth-driven / new wave-y (i.e. "Tom Sawyer," "Witch Hunt (Part III of Fear)," and "Vital Signs") to NOT be put alongside Signals --- Hold Your Fire.

 

Also ~ all things considered ~ half the songs on Signals are mostly guitar-driven ("Ana. Kid," "Chem.*," "Digi. Man," and "NW Man").

 

As for the start of the synth era, I'd say Caress of Steel started it off.

 

...What? That little bit in the beginning to "The Necromancer ~ II. Under the Shadow" has to some form of synth! moon.gif

 

 

*Sorta

Edited by BringOutYourDead
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