Why Test for Echo failed so miserably

[GotRush]

[jnoble]

I just re-listened to most of TFE last night while playing some old-school arcade games on my PS2.

 

I dunno....I still like the title track and (unlike most here) I've always enjoyed Half The World. But the album as a whole isn't that good. It's not BAD or unlistenable like the horrid production/sound of VT, but most of the songs and lyrics are just....meh. I guess that's the best way to put it.

 

Overall it just sounds like Rush went into the studio without any kind of concept or big ideas and just recorded some average songs to make an album out of. Even Limbo sounds uninspired.

 

TFE also marks the beginning of the bad habits that annoy me continuing to the current day...the Geddy choir, the 'wall of noise' layers of distorted guitars and basses, Neil's lyrics taking a turn for the worse, Geddy awkwardly shoehorning lyrics into musical phrases that don't quite fit.

Edited December 10, 2011 by jnoble

[Weakly Criminal]

QUOTE (danielmclark @ Dec 3 2011, 08:46 AM)

QUOTE (Weakly Criminal @ Dec 3 2011, 07:06 AM) QUOTE (danielmclark @ Nov 25 2011, 10:45 AM) QUOTE (Weakly Criminal @ Nov 25 2011, 06:08 AM) TFE is a great album, and Dog Years is demented genius. How RUSH fans fail to get what they're going for with this song amazes me, particularly on the heels of Anagram (for Mongo). Ged's dog like yelping might have been a clue. Oh, for fk's sake. Here comes another one. Another one who's smarter than all of us poor retards who don't "get" Dog Years. You, sir, must be a goddamn genius.   Those of us that don't like the song? We GET Dog Years. We UNDERSTAND what he was going for in the lyrics. We DON'T find it funny, clever or any good at all.   He didn't write some complicated treatise on the fragile state of mankind in the greater view of the cosmos. We get the comparison of dog years to human years. We just don't like the way he executed the idea.   And that doesn't make you smarter than us. You're right, that post was somewhat condescending.   And thank you for proving that I'm smarter than you. That doesn't even make sense. It looks like you were going for some kind of witty retort, but failed. Well done. Still don't ged it? It was intentionally condescending and you took the bait. Why so serial?

[drbirdsong]

I wish I had read this thread sooner because it takes a while to wade through seven pages.

 

Geddy called Test For Echo a weird album. I think the problem is that for years each album had not a concept, but a theme. If there is a theme on T4E then I don't get it. So Rush hands us a collection of songs along with a not so intense and engaged music performance as they had in the past and perhaps T4E is Rush coasting. Sure some some songs jump out at you, but even a fan boy like me could see that something was missing.

 

After Neil's family died and Different Stages came out the entire catalog became very important to me because for all anyone knew that was it forever. After the long break and the return I can look back on the album as that 90s period of Rush. Some of it is great, some of it is ok, but all of it is still part of the soundtrack of that decade for me.

 

But really, that 'net boy, net girl' bit was silly when it was new.

[New World Kid]

I love Test for Echo. Well, most of it.

 

It's easy to admit that Dog Years and Virtuality are missteps lyrically. And a few other songs have never clicked with me, like Color of Right and Carve Away the Stone.

 

But I would rank Test for Echo above:

 

the debut

Fly by Night

Caress of Steel

2112

A Farewell to Kings

Hemispheres

Power Windows

Hold Your Fire

Roll the Bones

Snakes and Arrows

 

I love Totem, Driven, Half the World and Resist especially.

[An Enemy Without]

QUOTE (New World Kid @ Dec 11 2011, 03:15 PM)

I love Test for Echo. Well, most of it. It's easy to admit that Dog Years and Virtuality are missteps lyrically. And a few other songs have never clicked with me, like Color of Right and Carve Away the Stone. But I would rank Test for Echo above: the debut Fly by Night Caress of Steel 2112 A Farewell to Kings Hemispheres Power Windows Hold Your Fire Roll the Bones Snakes and Arrows I love Totem, Driven, Half the World and Resist especially.

This is the saddest post I have ever seen from you.

[Tommy Sawyer]

QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Dec 11 2011, 04:20 PM)

QUOTE (New World Kid @ Dec 11 2011, 03:15 PM) I love Test for Echo. Well, most of it. It's easy to admit that Dog Years and Virtuality are missteps lyrically. And a few other songs have never clicked with me, like Color of Right and Carve Away the Stone. But I would rank Test for Echo above: the debut Fly by Night Caress of Steel 2112 A Farewell to Kings Hemispheres Power Windows Hold Your Fire Roll the Bones Snakes and Arrows I love Totem, Driven, Half the World and Resist especially. This is the saddest post I have ever seen from you. Well, TFE is better than some, of those albums, but as far as 1976-1979, TFE can't even come close and I think about 99% of the forum would agree.

[New World Kid]

QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Dec 11 2011, 04:20 PM)

QUOTE (New World Kid @ Dec 11 2011, 03:15 PM) I love Test for Echo. Well, most of it. It's easy to admit that Dog Years and Virtuality are missteps lyrically. And a few other songs have never clicked with me, like Color of Right and Carve Away the Stone. But I would rank Test for Echo above: the debut Fly by Night Caress of Steel 2112 A Farewell to Kings Hemispheres Power Windows Hold Your Fire Roll the Bones Snakes and Arrows I love Totem, Driven, Half the World and Resist especially. This is the saddest post I have ever seen from you.   Songs about dudes falling into black holes seem silly to me. Or endlessly recycling the name By-Tor into quasi fairy tales. Or...whatever the hell is going on in Fountain of Lamneth.   Most of Rush's back catalog strikes me as sillier than Dog Years, and they were taking it seriously!

[Todem]

QUOTE (New World Kid @ Dec 11 2011, 04:15 PM)

I love Test for Echo. Well, most of it. It's easy to admit that Dog Years and Virtuality are missteps lyrically. And a few other songs have never clicked with me, like Color of Right and Carve Away the Stone. But I would rank Test for Echo above: the debut Fly by Night Caress of Steel 2112 A Farewell to Kings Hemispheres Power Windows Hold Your Fire Roll the Bones Snakes and Arrows I love Totem, Driven, Half the World and Resist especially.

2112

AFTK

Hemispheres

Power Windows

Hold Your Fire

 

 

Listing those 5 you lost me bro.

 

But to each his/her own. I enjoy Test For Echo a bunch. But it is no where near the level of brilliance those 5 records attained.

 

 

[An Enemy Without]

QUOTE (New World Kid @ Dec 11 2011, 03:24 PM)

QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Dec 11 2011, 04:20 PM) QUOTE (New World Kid @ Dec 11 2011, 03:15 PM) I love Test for Echo. Well, most of it. It's easy to admit that Dog Years and Virtuality are missteps lyrically. And a few other songs have never clicked with me, like Color of Right and Carve Away the Stone. But I would rank Test for Echo above: the debut Fly by Night Caress of Steel 2112 A Farewell to Kings Hemispheres Power Windows Hold Your Fire Roll the Bones Snakes and Arrows I love Totem, Driven, Half the World and Resist especially. This is the saddest post I have ever seen from you.   Songs about dudes falling into black holes seem silly to me. Or endlessly recycling the name By-Tor into quasi fairy tales. Or...whatever the hell is going on in Fountain of Lamneth.   Most of Rush's back catalog strikes me as sillier than Dog Years, and they were taking it seriously! I take that back; this is the saddest post I have ever seen from you.

[Weakly Criminal]

QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Dec 11 2011, 03:20 PM)

QUOTE (New World Kid @ Dec 11 2011, 03:15 PM) I love Test for Echo. Well, most of it. It's easy to admit that Dog Years and Virtuality are missteps lyrically. And a few other songs have never clicked with me, like Color of Right and Carve Away the Stone. But I would rank Test for Echo above: the debut Fly by Night Caress of Steel 2112 A Farewell to Kings Hemispheres Power Windows Hold Your Fire Roll the Bones Snakes and Arrows I love Totem, Driven, Half the World and Resist especially. This is the saddest post I have ever seen from you. ...and the most beautiful turds I could ever lay...

[Gompers]

QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Dec 11 2011, 05:20 PM)

QUOTE (New World Kid @ Dec 11 2011, 03:15 PM) I love Test for Echo. Well, most of it. It's easy to admit that Dog Years and Virtuality are missteps lyrically. And a few other songs have never clicked with me, like Color of Right and Carve Away the Stone. But I would rank Test for Echo above: the debut Fly by Night Caress of Steel 2112 A Farewell to Kings Hemispheres Power Windows Hold Your Fire Roll the Bones Snakes and Arrows I love Totem, Driven, Half the World and Resist especially. This is the saddest post I have ever seen from you. ?!?!?! Can a person not have an opinion?

[Todem]

QUOTE (Gompers @ Dec 12 2011, 11:25 AM)

QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Dec 11 2011, 05:20 PM) QUOTE (New World Kid @ Dec 11 2011, 03:15 PM) I love Test for Echo. Well, most of it. It's easy to admit that Dog Years and Virtuality are missteps lyrically. And a few other songs have never clicked with me, like Color of Right and Carve Away the Stone. But I would rank Test for Echo above: the debut Fly by Night Caress of Steel 2112 A Farewell to Kings Hemispheres Power Windows Hold Your Fire Roll the Bones Snakes and Arrows I love Totem, Driven, Half the World and Resist especially. This is the saddest post I have ever seen from you. ?!?!?! Can a person not have an opinion? Of course. We all do.   Hence what spurs discussion of those opinions and makes this place interesting and why I lurk around here having intelligent discussions about Rush and other great music.   Otherwise everyone would post with no responses.....we would just read everyones opinions......and not repsond.   How friggin boring.   Now no one should ever attack or insult someone's opinion on music. It's not like we are talking about world affairs. You can disagree with someones thoughts on music and post why in a mature manner.   Otherwise what is the point of a forum?

Edited December 12, 2011 by Todem

[Gompers]

QUOTE (Todem @ Dec 12 2011, 12:50 PM)

QUOTE (Gompers @ Dec 12 2011, 11:25 AM) QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Dec 11 2011, 05:20 PM) QUOTE (New World Kid @ Dec 11 2011, 03:15 PM) I love Test for Echo. Well, most of it. It's easy to admit that Dog Years and Virtuality are missteps lyrically. And a few other songs have never clicked with me, like Color of Right and Carve Away the Stone. But I would rank Test for Echo above: the debut Fly by Night Caress of Steel 2112 A Farewell to Kings Hemispheres Power Windows Hold Your Fire Roll the Bones Snakes and Arrows I love Totem, Driven, Half the World and Resist especially. This is the saddest post I have ever seen from you. ?!?!?! Can a person not have an opinion? Of course. We all do.   Hence what spurs discussion of those opinions and makes this place interesting and why I lurk around here having intelligent discussions about Rush and other great music.   Otherwise everyone would post with no responses.....we would just read everyones opinions......and not repsond.   How friggin boring.   Now no one should ever attack or insult someone's opinion on music. It's not like we are talking about world affairs. You can disagree with someones thoughts on music and post why in a mature manner.   Otherwise what is the point of a forum? It was actually rhetorical. The post from AEW seemed a bit harsh, an attack on NWK's opinion. Calling his post sad? I expect name calling next.