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If Bulletin Boards were around in the 80's...


clem
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Just read that long "Vapor Trails" thread that has been around since September. In summary, most dislike it for many reasons, yet a significant number of people really like it (for the record, I give it a "thumbs down").

 

Something I've always admired about the guys, though, is their willingness to evolve their sound over their long history. They've never seem to want to release a new album filled with "Spirit of the Radios", which, although many here might find appealing, I'm guessing the novelty would wear thin after awhile, and the band would have faded into history many years ago.

 

Which brings me to my point - before we could all "communicate" with one and other, Rush seemed to alienate a lot of their fans during the 1980's starting with "Grace Under Pressure" through "Hold Your Fire". Do you think they would have been bashed on bulletin boards if we had such a thing back then?

 

I seem to remember most Rush fans seriously disliked GUP when it came out. It looked so.......eighties. I mean, all the guys had short haircuts, they made music videos, and Neil played something called "electronic percussion". Very weird indeed. It seemed as though they were out of flavor for many moons with many fans until they started to go back to the basics on Presto.

 

Ironically (and I think Neil mentions this on one of the DVD interviews), many people now look at GUP as one of their all time favorites. How exactly did this happen when it was so coldly received at the beginning??

 

So I guess my questions are:

1) Do you like their stuff from 84-88?

2) If so, did you like it back then? Or have you come to appreciate it more over the years?

3) Do you hate it like the "Rage Against the Machine" guy? And will always?

4) (and this one is the biggie) Do you think that maybe one day in the future, Vapor Trails will grow on you and you'll like it more one day?

 

I guess, in summary, like most of you, I feel they've put out good stuff and bad stuff during the last couple of decades, but I applaud them for always evolving and always taking chances in the studio. I'm sure there will be plenty of bitching about "Clockwork Angels" when it comes out, but I think the two songs we've all heard are pretty good - so I'll continue to be a happy Rush fan. When I saw my first Rush concert back in 1984, I never thought they'd still be at it 28 years later. And for this, I am very thankful

 

Clem

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QUOTE (clem @ Nov 29 2011, 08:59 AM)
So I guess my questions are:
1) Do you like their stuff from 84-88?
2) If so, did you like it back then? Or have you come to appreciate it more over the years?
3) Do you hate it like the "Rage Against the Machine" guy? And will always?
4) (and this one is the biggie) Do you think that maybe one day in the future, Vapor Trails will grow on you and you'll like it more one day?

1. Some of it , Yes

2. Not Really, only GUP . I have grown to like P.W.

3. I have no idea what that means

4. I have always liked V.T. but i think it sounds like Shit

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QUOTE (clem @ Nov 29 2011, 08:59 AM)
So I guess my questions are:
1) Do you like their stuff from 84-88?
2) If so, did you like it back then? Or have you come to appreciate it more over the years?
3) Do you hate it like the "Rage Against the Machine" guy? And will always?
4) (and this one is the biggie) Do you think that maybe one day in the future, Vapor Trails will grow on you and you'll like it more one day?

1. It was a mixed bag for me. Loved most of p/g, liked a lot of PoW, didn't even get HyF until much later.

2. I've come to LOOOOOOVE p/g, I appreciate most of the songs on PoW and love some of them, and I've gone hot/cold on HyF over the years...kind of cold on it at the moment.

3. wtf.gif

4. I've always loved the music and lyrics on VT. The clipping kills it for me though. As many others have pointed out; RUSH has a sonic standard and they didn't live up to it on VT. Once this one is remixed, it'll be one I listen to (front-to-back) often. Right now, I can't get through more than a song at a time.

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"The Rage Against The Machine Guy" refers to Beyond The Lighted Stage where Tim Commerford states that doesnt like the Rush music from that era and never will because as a bass player, he was disappointed that his hero Geddy Lee made keyboards and synths his main focus during this time.
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QUOTE (L. Wince @ Nov 29 2011, 09:24 AM)
"The Rage Against The Machine Guy" refers to Beyond The Lighted Stage where Tim Commerford states that doesnt like the Rush music from that era and never will because as a bass player, he was disappointed that his hero Geddy Lee made keyboards and synths his main focus during this time.

In that case:

 

3. No

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As long as there are message boards for something there will be bashing going on. If boards like this were around back in the 80s there would be just as much bashing as there is today.

 

As for their sound changing with GUP, I was only a little kid back then and didn't go through that change like some of the old time fans did. I can understand why they would be upset with it. I never was though because my local radio station used to play a lot of Rush back in the late 80s and early 90s. So, as I was becoming a fan I was already somewhat familiar with the musical changes they had made and when I started collecting their stuff. The synth era wasn't a shock or turnoff for me because I already had heard songs like Subdivisons, NWM, DEW, TBM being played all the time on the radio.

 

While they've recorded songs I don't like, I love the bulk of the material they've put out. That's why Rush has been my favorite band for almost 20 years now biggrin.gif

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QUOTE (clem @ Nov 29 2011, 06:59 AM)
So I guess my questions are:
1) Do you like their stuff from 84-88?
2) If so, did you like it back then?  Or have you come to appreciate it more over the years?
3) Do you hate it like the "Rage Against the Machine" guy?  And will always?
4) (and this one is the biggie) Do you think that maybe one day in the future, Vapor Trails will grow on you and you'll like it more one day?

1. I love everything they did back in the 80's except for the last 2 songs on HYF and most of Presto. All the rest was top notch.

 

2. Power Windows took a LITTLE while to grow on me, but not long. For the most part all the material on their 80's albums I either loved right away or didn't like right away and that never changed. There was a brief moment when someone played Presto for me after not hearing it for awhile and I was swept up in her enthusiasm and really enjoyed it because it was so damn catchy. Then I came back to reality when I realized that most of the lyrics still kinda sucked.

 

3. I LOVED their 80's period and dearly miss the keyboard era. They've made one great album since (CP) and one very good album since (S&A), but mostly it was the end of their era of great albums.

 

4. No chance. I tried so hard to like this album, listening to it many times, spacing it out over time, listening to the mItA remaster that removes some of the clipping, listening to the new remixed tracks, etc. This puppy is one clusterfuck of an album that cannot be fixed.

Edited by rushgoober
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Well hey... I started hanging out on internet "bulletin boards" in the late 80's (Compuserve and Prodigy) and that's how I discovered Rush and other music at the time.

 

The general consensus indeed was that "old Rush" was the best and many people didn't like Rush's current direction.

 

"Classics" like Signals, GUP and Power Windows were still new enough to be bashed on a regular basis.... while there were certainly folks in the minority who enjoyed those records and would constantly defend them (similar to Vapor Trails).

 

I actually never thought I'd see the day when more and more people would start to appreciate these records.

 

One interesting thing I remember is that EVERY Rush record starting with Presto was "the best thing they did since Moving Pictures".... then, after some time, people wouldn't really like those records all that much anymore. A bummer... cause I love 90's Rush. I think that still happens today.

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With the exception of S&A, every release since PoW took time for me to get into especially HYF, unfortunately, Presto, RTB, and VT still are doing well in the Rush rankings.

 

This thread brings me back to the days of alt.music.rush where I would frequent often.

Edited by Gompers
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QUOTE (clem @ Nov 29 2011, 07:59 AM)
1) Do you like their stuff from 84-88?
2) If so, did you like it back then? Or have you come to appreciate it more over the years?
3) Do you hate it like the "Rage Against the Machine" guy? And will always?
4) (and this one is the biggie) Do you think that maybe one day in the future, Vapor Trails will grow on you and you'll like it more one day?

1) p/g yes.gif PoW, not as much, HYF, meh...

2) I've come to appreciate p/g and PoW a lot more, HYF has always left me cold

3) Hate's a strong word, but I far prefer MP and prior.

4) Probably not. Time is limited and I'd rather spend it listening to the classics or hearing something for the first time

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QUOTE (clem @ Nov 29 2011, 02:59 PM)
So I guess my questions are:
1) Do you like their stuff from 84-88?
2) If so, did you like it back then? Or have you come to appreciate it more over the years?
3) Do you hate it like the "Rage Against the Machine" guy? And will always?
4) (and this one is the biggie) Do you think that maybe one day in the future, Vapor Trails will grow on you and you'll like it more one day?

I haven't been a fan as long as many people here so I can only say that the I like the 84-88 albums, although I can see how it would put some people off if they were used to the earlier style of Rush's sound (ie: no synths). I honestly can't remember hearing any Rush at all in my youth so when I got into them it wasn't like a problem for me. I like how they've changed styles and experimented over the years.

 

I like Vapour Trails. I can't hear the poor sound quality that many of you have complained about but I think thats just me. I do have a hearing loss that requires me to wear hearing aids.

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So I guess my questions are:

1) Do you like their stuff from 84-88?

yes, very much

 

2) If so, did you like it back then? Or have you come to appreciate it more over the years?

my drifting away from Rush in the mid-to-late 80's was slow and steady with each album. I love it now, even though to me it will always be the "80's Rush".

 

3) Do you hate it like the "Rage Against the Machine" guy? And will always?

um, no.

 

4) (and this one is the biggie) Do you think that maybe one day in the future, Vapor Trails will grow on you and you'll like it more one day?

It will never grow on me enough to say "I love Vapor Trails", but I like it a little bit more each time I hear it. I like every album Rush has ever recorded, just some more than others. Vapor Trails is near the bottom of my list, but I still dig it for what it is.

Edited by Bastille Dave
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Your line in the sand, GUP, is too late. I remember serious fan angst over their new direction with Signals. If forums had existed in '83, I guarantee they would have lit up with Rush bashing upon Signals' release.
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1) Do you like their stuff from 84-88?

 

Add Moving Pictures and Signals in there and you're talking my very favorite era of Rush (and music in general).

 

2) If so, did you like it back then? Or have you come to appreciate it more over the years?

 

I wasn't a serious Rush fan back then, but still liked and knew their better-known songs. Of these, I gravitated towards the 80's tunes, and as I got to know the entire catalog more recently, it's predominately the 80's songs that have become my new/additional favorites.

 

3) Do you hate it like the "Rage Against the Machine" guy? And will always?

 

Nope. Then again, I'm a synth-rocker and New Waver, so Geddy picking up keyboards was a good thing for me. That's part of the beauty of Geddy Lee - whether it's bass, keys, or his voice (yep, even now), there's so much to love [Put your ******* rotten tomatoes down for a second]. I do understand that he didn't like how wrapped up in it he got and missed bass playing. If that's what makes him happy, I can sacrifice a few keyboards. I'm still glad he went in that direction for a while, though, nd hope he keeps a few of them in the new album.

 

4) (and this one is the biggie) Do you think that maybe one day in the future, Vapor Trails will grow on you and you'll like it more one day?

 

Probably. I don't listen to it a lot right now, and see myself seeking it out when I've listened to the other albums enough to get tired of them. I enjoy the songs more than I think I will when I do listen to them. If the album is re-worked and sounds better, I'll probably do this a lot sooner. But will it ever be up there with Power Windows, GUP, Signals, or even a lot of other Rush albums? I doubt it, because it's not my musical style the way the 80's albums are.

 

I love Caravan and BU2B, so I'm hoping the new album'll be a new favorite musical style for me. I remember when I was getting ready for the show a little over a year ago, I listened to the two songs, wanting to catch up on what the band was doing since I'd lost track of them 19 years earlier. My first reaction was, "Holy ****, these guys have gotten heavy (again)", but followed closely by, "but I LIKE it"! So maybe there are new days ahead. 2.gif

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