A Generation Y members perspective

[circumstantial tree]

QUOTE (hem @ Mar 23 2012, 10:49 AM)

I first heard Rush back in the early 80s as a teen (old, yep) and was immediately a fan. I dug back from Signals to the beginning and then bought the next few albums from GUP as they were released. I loved the music, but it was the timing that was important in retrospect. I was 15, enjoying life, new to playing the guitar, probably had a nice girlfriend etc. Rush was part of the soundtrack of those years to me. I lost interest in Rush after Roll the Bones for quite a few years. I had changed. So had the band. I think a lot of us older ones can say, if we are being honest, that most music goes far beyond just the music itself. It is a complete package of everything in our lives at a particular time. Those first few albums I bought (basically Permanent Waves to Grace under Pressure) mean more to me than all the others put together. Are they better? They are for me. But I won't pretend that I am being objective and basing my opinions solely on the music. My feelings are based on a time of which those albums were a part. I'm looking forward to Clockwork Angels because I really do like Caravan. But I don't expect Rush to ever make me feel like I did when I was 15, because I'm not 15 anymore. Except for when I play the albums that I had when I was 15.

Your post is nearly identical to how I'd respond. After Roll the Bones, I was moving into other musical territory. I bought Counterparts and Test for Echo just to keep adding to my Rush catalog, but they had become secondary at that point.

 

My interest was renewed with Geddy's solo album and Vapor Trails. Was never into Snakes and Arrows too much (great music, depressing lyrics).

 

No matter how the new album sounds, I think once I lost my initial interest, I never regained as much interest.

[psionic11]

QUOTE (hem @ Mar 23 2012, 09:49 AM)

I first heard Rush back in the early 80s as a teen (old, yep) and was immediately a fan. I dug back from Signals to the beginning and then bought the next few albums from GUP as they were released. I loved the music, but it was the timing that was important in retrospect. I was 15, enjoying life, new to playing the guitar, probably had a nice girlfriend etc. Rush was part of the soundtrack of those years to me. I lost interest in Rush after Roll the Bones for quite a few years. I had changed. So had the band. I think a lot of us older ones can say, if we are being honest, that most music goes far beyond just the music itself. It is a complete package of everything in our lives at a particular time. Those first few albums I bought (basically Permanent Waves to Grace under Pressure) mean more to me than all the others put together. Are they better? They are for me. But I won't pretend that I am being objective and basing my opinions solely on the music. My feelings are based on a time of which those albums were a part. I'm looking forward to Clockwork Angels because I really do like Caravan. But I don't expect Rush to ever make me feel like I did when I was 15, because I'm not 15 anymore. Except for when I play the albums that I had when I was 15.

Your post has a lot of weight with me, but I want to highlight these lines:

 

"I think a lot of us older ones can say, if we are being honest, that most music goes far beyond just the music itself. It is a complete package of everything in our lives at a particular time."

 

That applies to any of us at any age at any particular time. The music, the songs, the style, speaks to us that relate to it ACROSS our whole lifetime.

 

Imagine you're 18 again. Today.

 

What a foreign world it would be, compared to when we were 18 and loving RUSH...

 

Yet if you're actually 18, what a strange juxtaposition it's gotta be... amidst cheesy Muzak, tired rock radio, FOTM dubstep/IDM/electronica, countless *alternative* sub-genres or faked rebellious screamcores... here we are in 2012 anticipating another RUSH album, rooted in musical 70's sensibilities, from which everything else vaguely musical in a power trio context suggests....

 

BOTTOMLINE: Enjoy the m0ment, and if it connects to something historically significant, then relish your artistic wisdom....

 

 

[JohnnyBlaze]

QUOTE (psionic11 @ Mar 24 2012, 02:17 PM)

QUOTE (hem @ Mar 23 2012, 09:49 AM) I first heard Rush back in the early 80s as a teen (old, yep) and was immediately a fan. I dug back from Signals to the beginning and then bought the next few albums from GUP as they were released. I loved the music, but it was the timing that was important in retrospect. I was 15, enjoying life, new to playing the guitar, probably had a nice girlfriend etc. Rush was part of the soundtrack of those years to me. I lost interest in Rush after Roll the Bones for quite a few years. I had changed. So had the band. I think a lot of us older ones can say, if we are being  honest, that most music goes far beyond just the music itself. It is a complete package of everything in our lives at a particular time. Those first few albums I bought (basically Permanent Waves to Grace under Pressure) mean more to me than all the others put together. Are they better? They are for me. But I won't pretend that I am being objective and basing my opinions solely on the music. My feelings are based on a time of which those albums were a part. I'm looking forward to Clockwork Angels because I really do like Caravan. But I don't expect Rush to ever make me feel like I did when I was 15, because I'm not 15 anymore. Except for when I play the albums that I had when I was 15. Your post has a lot of weight with me, but I want to highlight these lines:   "I think a lot of us older ones can say, if we are being honest, that most music goes far beyond just the music itself. It is a complete package of everything in our lives at a particular time."   That applies to any of us at any age at any particular time. The music, the songs, the style, speaks to us that relate to it ACROSS our whole lifetime.   Imagine you're 18 again. Today.   What a foreign world it would be, compared to when we were 18 and loving RUSH...   Yet if you're actually 18, what a strange juxtaposition it's gotta be... amidst cheesy Muzak, tired rock radio, FOTM dubstep/IDM/electronica, countless *alternative* sub-genres or faked rebellious screamcores... here we are in 2012 anticipating another RUSH album, rooted in musical 70's sensibilities, from which everything else vaguely musical in a power trio context suggests....   BOTTOMLINE: Enjoy the m0ment, and if it connects to something historically significant, then relish your artistic wisdom.... When I was approaching 18, Mandela was released from prison, East & West Germany reunited, Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace prize, and Garth Brooks seemed to be everywhere (f***ing hell). In my Rush years, I was getting ready to see the band for the 2nd time in my life (New World Tour being my first). They had bunnies on their new album but at least MTV was still playing them regularly. Classmates of mine were surprised that Rush were "still around" since they "hadn't been good since Tom Sawyer." (f***ing hell)

[goose]

QUOTE (treeduck @ Mar 19 2012, 08:14 PM)

Let me just say one thing: "X"

Great band from the LA punk scene!

 

 

Always looking forward to new RUSH and another tour! Thrilled that there are new, young fans out there too!

 

(root beer)

[goose]

QUOTE (Union 5-3992 @ Mar 23 2012, 10:16 PM)

To me, Snakes & Arrows is somewhat new since I only had about 5 songs from it downloaded. So now that I have the entire album, it feels fresh to me.

Now there's an idea...pick up new stuff a few tracks at a time. That's essentially what the old vinyl format required anyway, with a 40-minute limit.

[Gilbertk]

I'm in the same boat as you time-wise. I saw my first Rush show on the S&A tour in the summer after 8th grade. I remember me and a drummer friend of mine rode the bus everyday and were so excited about the tour, and we would talk about what time signature the intro Far Cry was. Good times..

[hem]

QUOTE (psionic11 @ Mar 24 2012, 12:17 AM)

QUOTE (hem @ Mar 23 2012, 09:49 AM) I first heard Rush back in the early 80s as a teen (old, yep) and was immediately a fan. I dug back from Signals to the beginning and then bought the next few albums from GUP as they were released. I loved the music, but it was the timing that was important in retrospect. I was 15, enjoying life, new to playing the guitar, probably had a nice girlfriend etc. Rush was part of the soundtrack of those years to me. I lost interest in Rush after Roll the Bones for quite a few years. I had changed. So had the band. I think a lot of us older ones can say, if we are being  honest, that most music goes far beyond just the music itself. It is a complete package of everything in our lives at a particular time. Those first few albums I bought (basically Permanent Waves to Grace under Pressure) mean more to me than all the others put together. Are they better? They are for me. But I won't pretend that I am being objective and basing my opinions solely on the music. My feelings are based on a time of which those albums were a part. I'm looking forward to Clockwork Angels because I really do like Caravan. But I don't expect Rush to ever make me feel like I did when I was 15, because I'm not 15 anymore. Except for when I play the albums that I had when I was 15. Your post has a lot of weight with me, but I want to highlight these lines:   "I think a lot of us older ones can say, if we are being honest, that most music goes far beyond just the music itself. It is a complete package of everything in our lives at a particular time."   That applies to any of us at any age at any particular time. The music, the songs, the style, speaks to us that relate to it ACROSS our whole lifetime.   Imagine you're 18 again. Today.   What a foreign world it would be, compared to when we were 18 and loving RUSH...   Yet if you're actually 18, what a strange juxtaposition it's gotta be... amidst cheesy Muzak, tired rock radio, FOTM dubstep/IDM/electronica, countless *alternative* sub-genres or faked rebellious screamcores... here we are in 2012 anticipating another RUSH album, rooted in musical 70's sensibilities, from which everything else vaguely musical in a power trio context suggests....   BOTTOMLINE: Enjoy the m0ment, and if it connects to something historically significant, then relish your artistic wisdom.... Correct yes, my wording wasn't the best. I was trying to respond to the original poster and how some of the older folk here might disparage newer material and that very often we are not being objective.   I think that for many of us, music has more freight during our teenage years than at any other time in life. That's probably why the music we discover at that age can never be topped. It's an emotional response as much as anything else.

[psionic11]

Could be, probably is. But while most may have the best memories during their teenage years, for me it was different.

 

Don't if it was being a musician all those years, but I really relate to the grunge years. Yeah, some of the 80's music holds some memories, but the 90's do more for me. The 2000's are mostly blah, with a very few standout songs. Electronic music is more prevalent now (and for those who like it, hiphop also).

 

For some unexplainable reason, Rush seems to transcend these decades (70's, 80's, 90's, '00's). Sure, some of it is stale or immediately tired upon release, but the best simply has a life all its own and will accompany us to the grave, yes?

 

I think maybe 1% of the world population alive in 2112 will appreciate the significance, but hey, it's the 1% that really counts, right?

 

[Gilbertk]

Edited March 26, 2012 by Gilbertk

[Gilbertk]

QUOTE (Union 5-3992 @ Mar 22 2012, 06:59 PM)

QUOTE (spock @ Mar 22 2012, 12:44 PM) After ignoring my friend's assurances that I would LOVE Rush, I (finally) first heard The Trees on the radio back in 1978 and the rest is history. I'm psyched about CA for one reason: Nick R is clearly a fan of elder Rush and so that influence combined with so many great years of experimentation and growth should (IMHO) produce a GREAT Rush album (sorry - still think of them things as 'albums'). I'm thinking it'll be the best of old Rush and new Rush embodied (as opposed to disembodied) in the newest Rush. What's wrong with calling them "albums". It's not like people have stopped calling them that. I believe "LP" is the "hip" term.

[Pound of Obscure]

QUOTE (treeduck @ Mar 19 2012, 08:14 PM)

Let me just say one thing: "X"

I was born before they gave generations letters.

[Test4Eggo]

QUOTE (Coltonz @ Mar 19 2012, 06:46 PM)

Hello everybody! I like to consider myself an "official lurker" as I don't post here very often unless I feel compelled to... And well, this is one of those times. Snakes and Arrows was released when I was only in Grade 8, at the end of my elementary school education.. I am now graduated from high school, and Snakes and Arrows is still the last album that has been released by Rush. The time between the end of elementary school and the end of high school feels like a span of geological time (see what I did there?) when you're going through it, and that thought kinda just made me realize how long its been since the last album. However, when I listen to S&A, it still feels exciting and fresh, not dated like so many current-generation albums would sound like after such a span of time. And I love it just as much as any other album the band has put out. Looking forward to Clockwork Angels, I feel more excited for the release than mostly anything I've had to look forward to recently. I consider myself one of those Rush fans that loves the music that the band has produced throughout the all their decades, and I feel like this next album will be absolutely terrific (and its been a looooong time waiting). I check these forums nearly every day for CA news and rumors (because why search for news on the upcoming album when I can just get other Rush nerds to do it for me?) and lately I've had a hard time having to read the grating comments from certain users on this board. I don't know why so many people are bashing the album before it even comes out.. I think Caravan & BU2B are fantastic. I also think that younger people are generally more open-minded about Rush's newer releases (and dont give me that crap about liking the stuff because I was raised on NSYNC etc etc.... I was raised on my dads old record collection) Anyways.. I might be starting to ramble, so I'll just finish this thread by saying.. I wish the less-optomistic people on here would just keep their crummy comments to themselves and let the people who are actually looking forward to the next album and are excited about it, do so. Because I am 19 years old and have a spent great portion of my adolescent life just waiting for the next Rush album to come out, and gosh darn it, I think its gonna be awesome. So there!!

I'm right there with you man!

[losingit2k]

QUOTE (Test4Eggo @ Mar 30 2012, 07:52 AM)

QUOTE (Coltonz @ Mar 19 2012, 06:46 PM) Hello everybody! I like to consider myself an "official lurker" as I don't post here very often unless I feel compelled to... And well, this is one of those times. Snakes and Arrows was released when I was only in Grade 8, at the end of my elementary school education.. I am now graduated from high school, and Snakes and Arrows is still the last album that has been released by Rush. The time between the end of elementary school and the end of high school feels like a span of geological time (see what I did there?) when you're going through it, and that thought kinda just made me realize how long its been since the last album. However, when I listen to S&A, it still feels exciting and fresh, not dated like so many current-generation albums would sound like after such a span of time. And I love it just as much as any other album the band has put out. Looking forward to Clockwork Angels, I feel more excited for the release than mostly anything I've had to look forward to recently. I consider myself one of those Rush fans that loves the music that the band has produced throughout the all their decades, and I feel like this next album will be absolutely terrific (and its been a looooong time waiting). I check these forums nearly every day for CA news and rumors (because why search for news on the upcoming album when I can just get other Rush nerds to do it for me?) and lately I've had a hard time having to read the grating comments from certain users on this board. I don't know why so many people are bashing the album before it even comes out.. I think Caravan & BU2B are fantastic. I also think that younger people are generally more open-minded about Rush's newer releases (and dont give me that crap about liking the stuff because I was raised on NSYNC etc etc.... I was raised on my dads old record collection) Anyways.. I might be starting to ramble, so I'll just finish this thread by saying.. I wish the less-optomistic people on here would just keep their crummy comments to themselves and let the people who are actually looking forward to the next album and are excited about it, do so. Because I am 19 years old and have a spent great portion of my adolescent life just waiting for the next Rush album to come out, and gosh darn it, I think its gonna be awesome. So there!!     I'm right there with you man! You're going to love it! I must warn you RUSH is addictive!