What is so appealing about ATWAS?

[Rushian King]

QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Nov 22 2011, 11:06 PM)

QUOTE (Rushian King @ Nov 22 2011, 09:41 PM) The first 2 live albums are the only 2 albums worth spending time on. Raw, unpolished, sloppy, unrefined, overplaying, blah, blah, blah. These are hardly negatives in describing what they're playing live: rock 'n' roll. I wish I was old enough to have seen them then. This.   One of the complaints about Rush is that they are stiff musicians who play perfect all the time with no edge....this album shows the raw side of them...I prefer this era over A Show of Hands... . Ugh, ASOH. The newer songs were alright in the context of their studio albums but on a live album? They seem so muted, dull and frankly, cheesy. Barely listenable at the time-- nothing's changed.

Edited November 24, 2011 by Rushian King

[goose]

QUOTE (Rushian King @ Nov 22 2011, 09:41 PM)

The first 2 live albums are the only 2 albums worth spending time on. Raw, unpolished, sloppy, unrefined, overplaying, blah, blah, blah. These are hardly negatives in describing what they're playing live: rock 'n' roll. I wish I was old enough to have seen them then.

 

Sloppy overplaying is what live albums should be about, not re-recordings of the studio tracks with crowd noise added.

 

Actually, the latter is why I didn't like "Exit..." when it came out. I wondered what the point was, since the songs didn't change much from their studio counterparts.

 

Much prefer the rawness of "All the World's a Stage".

[ucsteve667]

QUOTE (Rushian King @ Nov 23 2011, 09:03 PM)

QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Nov 22 2011, 11:06 PM) QUOTE (Rushian King @ Nov 22 2011, 09:41 PM) The first 2 live albums are the only 2 albums worth spending time on. Raw, unpolished, sloppy, unrefined, overplaying, blah, blah, blah. These are hardly negatives in describing what they're playing live: rock 'n' roll. I wish I was old enough to have seen them then. This.   One of the complaints about Rush is that they are stiff musicians who play perfect all the time with no edge....this album shows the raw side of them...I prefer this era over A Show of Hands... . Ugh, ASOH. The newer songs were alright in the context of their studio albums but on a live album? They seem so muted, dull and frankly, cheesy. Barely listenable at the time-- nothing's changed. I think the live stuff from HYF sounds better on ASOH...a bit more raw

[MMCXII]

The ultimate power trio at the height of their "young and hungry" phase back into their home town after hitting the big time... Such raw power and intense playing!

 

When I was in Toronto last year for the time machine shows I HAD to stop by Massey hall and smoke one on the fire escape. Almost listened to the whole album on my ipod right there

 

Could picture Neil lugging all them drums through the back door..

 

So awesome

[micgtr71]

Because it is a phenomenal album...to me it sounds great, has a great setlist and contains the power that band was able to churn out. The only thing I would have liked to hear would be a version of the Necromancer from back then.

[Ghostnotes]

QUOTE (Jaminbenb @ Nov 23 2011, 07:25 AM)

It was the album that got me INTO the band...(not long after it came out)

Same here

 

 

[Weakly Criminal]

Let's see...

 

No keyboards on the stage so of course the guitar has to be prominent. I wish it had been more prominent on the MP tour.

 

The guys were young and the testosterone is just dripping off the stage. I know, ewww... but its a good thing in R&R. The genre is after all, sex-centric.

 

The performance isn't as tight as we came to expect later on, but compare it to other live performances of young bands. It holds up brilliantly, particularly the vocals. Bob Plant, perhaps the best ever, never did so well live. Hell, Ian Gillan could hardly be heard in concert.

 

Ok, we're geeky, anal-retentive RUSH fans so finding fault is what we do. But really, this album is the shit.

 

[The Cat 3]

After reading this I had to check to see if the thread was started by reani14 just to get folks riled.

 

Seriously, this live album is simply amazing in so many ways.

 

It might come down to, "you had to be there".

 

Not in a new-Rush / old-Rush kind of way.

 

Here's a young and hungry band just rocking out with all intensity that is the heart and soul of who they were (and still are) as musicians and performers.

 

I was all of 13 years old at the time it was released and just played the record over and over and over and over again.

 

I love this album...always have, always will.

 

~Peace, Love Rush

 

[dakota2112]

Bytor on ATWAS is one of the best Rush performances ever recorded imho. Ged's vocals are sheer power. The guitar is in your face. And the things Alex does during the middle section gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. I hope no one bursts my bubble and tells me that was added in the studio after-the-fact... but the way he used the volume swells and delay effects is simply incredible. It puts Jimmy Page and his violin bow to shame.

[furie]

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Nov 22 2011, 10:00 PM)

What's so appealing about ATWAS? To me, absolutely nothing. I hate live albums and the sound on this one is indicative of why I hate them. The best I can say is: the original record included some good photos.

Yes, exactly my sentiment.

 

the only live rush album worth a damn is exit stage left.

[Hear Again]

QUOTE (dakota2112 @ Nov 25 2011, 12:18 AM)

Bytor on ATWAS is one of the best Rush performances ever recorded imho. Ged's vocals are sheer power. The guitar is in your face. And the things Alex does during the middle section gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. I hope no one bursts my bubble and tells me that was added in the studio after-the-fact... but the way he used the volume swells and delay effects is simply incredible. It puts Jimmy Page and his violin bow to shame.

No bursting of bubbles here. In fact I guarantee it sounds pretty much exactly as it did live. That's what I love about ATWAS is that it sounds like Massey Hall the same way disc 3 of DS sounds like Hammersmith (which is a similar venue).

There were probably a dozen microphones hung around the second balcony and you can tell they were used extensively in the mix. You can really hear the room.

 

 

Take Care

[01GT Eibach]

QUOTE (ReRushed @ Nov 22 2011, 05:22 PM)

... it's my favorite Rush live album and the only one I listen to with any regularity ...

I have every Rush studio album but only ONE live album. The one live being ATWAS. I really do not like listening to Geddy's voice recorded live at all. He sounds much better in a studio setting. But the one exception to my ears where he sounds really good is on ATWAS ... I really like this live album alot. Quite brilliant, actually.

[metallithrax]

Not heard this album, but while helping out a friend on his market stall this weekend (xmas market in York), noticed he had an original magazine advert for the 1977 Rush tour supporting the album.

 

The tag line of the advert being

 

You'll see they were worth waiting for.

RUSH

In Britain at last.

 

A few people commented on it, and someone bought it this morning as a Christmas present for their son.

[reani14]

atwas is a great live recording. raw, great energy and its like a real bootleg. geddys banter is upfront and seems just kick ass.. Love lakeside park on that.

[reani14]

actually i'd rather listen to worlds a stage more than recent live offerings..

[circumstantial tree]

I'm not one to usually listen to live albums, but ATWAS is definitely one of the best. Side 3 in my opinion is the best. That would be "By Tor and the Snowdog" and "In the End".

 

It's just so "1976". It's the kind of album one might be playing after coming home from the movies seeing the remake of "King Kong" or "Carrie" or after watching that new cop show "Charlie's Angels" with Farrah Fawcett.

 

And I can say that the ATWAS version of What You're Doing is even better than the studio version.

[tjtull]

I agree with many who have posted the rawness and the power of this recording is its appeal. I'll also add that, for many of us, this was the very first time we heard the band in a live format. The live version of Lakeside Park on ATWAS simply blows me away.

[Tommy Sawyer]

QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Nov 27 2011, 04:16 PM)

And I can say that the ATWAS version of What You're Doing is even better than the studio version.

That is the truest statement in this thread, IMO.

[Rush!]

Easily their most raw and unhinged live album.

 

I like the rest of their live albums but the production on most of them are mediocre.

 

Also, it was the 70s...the 70s were all about the 'rawk geetar'.

 

But yeah ATWAS possesses a ferocious fire about it - the songs are played with such adrenaline and energy.

I even prefer a couple of the songs live versions over the original studio ones.

 

Easily their best live album, for me.

[Slim]

Certainly the band's finest live album and for me, their best album full stop. Sounds fantastic, the selection of material is superb, and it has a peerless energy and drama. This album is of course home to the definitive version of 2112, the band's signature piece.

[John V]

The thread got me to open the archive and listen and I am listing right now. Its great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Syrinx]

I was there! My first Rush concert. Vague memories of awesomeness.

[RushBoingo]

Speaking for the minority opinion out there, but there is nothing appealing to me for ATWAS, it sounds rough unpolished, etc. And though it may be the sound that the generic 70s only Rush fans like, it does not strike many chords for me. Unlike Rush's other Live Albums, I rarely give this one a play, partly because it's from my least favorite era of Rush, and partly because it's just unfriendly on the ears. For me the best of the old live albums is ASOH because it added a little raw feel to the nicely polished synth era to give a new feeling to the music, meanwhile finding a good balance between the overpowering audience from ATWAS and the non-existant audience from ESL. Quite frankly as soon as my IPod space runs out, this will be the first album to go.

[Syrinx Priest]

ATWAS is the only live Rush album worth a damn.

It is the only live Rush album that gets any play on my Ipod now.

I cannot express how disappointing ESL was when it came out (except for Xanadu) when the bar for live albums was set so high with their first.

[Animate]

Yep- rough and unpolished- I love it! The raw, powerful sound of live Rush and the enthusiasm from the crowd.

 

By-Tor on ATWAS is particularly cool, it is almost 3 minutes longer then the studio version and has lots of cool extras in it. Like the daa-da-da-daa- da squeal at 3:12.