Captain Avatar Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I've seen many here complain about Nick R. as the producer, but I think he's been the best thing to happen to them in a long time. Sure he's a fan of the band, and while others may think that's a negative, I think it's worked out perfectly. Other producers have, it seems, pushed them to minimize their eccentricities (odd time signatures, Geddy's screech, Neil's crazy fills, etc.) so as to create songs that everyone will love (take Roll the Bones as an example), something I don't think worked as well as it might have with more mainstream bands. I think Booujzhe, however, being a fan, has tried to convince them to accentuate what they do best, critics be damned, and create songs that Rush fans will love. As a fan, he's pushed them to return to the sound that defined them, and I, for one, am grateful, as I think Clockwork Angels will be the album many of us have been longing for, as the absolutely killer clip of HF seems to attest. Anyone else agree? Disagree? [/i] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losingit2k Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 He's the second Terry Brown! He's brought them all the way back to their roots! ........And they liked it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielmclark Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I think he's probably the best producer they've had since Terry Brown, but I'll reserve final judgment until I hear all of CA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossedSignals Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 We'll see when the album comes out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Money Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 QUOTE (CrossedSignals @ Apr 11 2012, 03:43 PM) We'll see when the album comes out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Avatar Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 I'm not saying he's better than Terry Brown, but since they're obviously not going with Broon anytime soon, I'm glad they've gone with Booujzhe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmotionDetector Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Nick is great...though again, I'll reserve judgement until I hear all of CA. With that said, people should not forget Peter Collins. The guy is a fantastic producer, and I think he did some of the best work with Rush. PoW and CP are both amazing sonically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snaked Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 The jury is still out on Nick. I reserve the right to judge until I hear the full album.... about 100 times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColdFireYYZ Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 QUOTE (EmotionDetector @ Apr 11 2012, 04:52 PM) Nick is great...though again, I'll reserve judgement until I hear all of CA. With that said, people should not forget Peter Collins. The guy is a fantastic producer, and I think he did some of the best work with Rush. PoW and CP are both amazing sonically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godeater2112 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Yar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossedSignals Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 QUOTE (EmotionDetector @ Apr 11 2012, 03:52 PM) Nick is great...though again, I'll reserve judgement until I hear all of CA. With that said, people should not forget Peter Collins. The guy is a fantastic producer, and I think he did some of the best work with Rush. PoW and CP are both amazing sonically. Yeah, Power Windows and Counterparts sound phenomenal. It's weird, though, he also produced Hold Your Fire and Test For Echo, both of which sound rather dull to my ears. They lack punch. Hold Your Fire's still a good album though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presto123 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 QUOTE (CrossedSignals @ Apr 11 2012, 03:59 PM) QUOTE (EmotionDetector @ Apr 11 2012, 03:52 PM) Nick is great...though again, I'll reserve judgement until I hear all of CA. With that said, people should not forget Peter Collins. The guy is a fantastic producer, and I think he did some of the best work with Rush. PoW and CP are both amazing sonically. Yeah, Power Windows and Counterparts sound phenomenal. It's weird, though, he also produced Hold Your Fire and Test For Echo, both of which sound rather dull to my ears. They lack punch. Hold Your Fire's still a good album though! Some of you confuse producer with engineer. A producer is USUALLY more responsible for arrangement ideas and performances while an engineer is sound. Peter Collins produced PW but probably more James "Jimbo" Barton(if memory serves me right) that is responsible for that sonic masterpiece. Actually probably a good combination of both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossedSignals Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 QUOTE (presto123 @ Apr 11 2012, 04:06 PM) QUOTE (CrossedSignals @ Apr 11 2012, 03:59 PM) QUOTE (EmotionDetector @ Apr 11 2012, 03:52 PM) Nick is great...though again, I'll reserve judgement until I hear all of CA. With that said, people should not forget Peter Collins. The guy is a fantastic producer, and I think he did some of the best work with Rush. PoW and CP are both amazing sonically. Yeah, Power Windows and Counterparts sound phenomenal. It's weird, though, he also produced Hold Your Fire and Test For Echo, both of which sound rather dull to my ears. They lack punch. Hold Your Fire's still a good album though! Some of you confuse producer with engineer. A producer is USUALLY more responsible for arrangement ideas and performances while an engineer is sound. Peter Collins produced PW but probably more James "Jimbo" Barton(if memory serves me right) that is responsible for that sonic masterpiece. Actually probably a good combination of both. Good point!! I didn't even think to check the engineers.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rushman14 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 QUOTE (danielmclark @ Apr 11 2012, 01:42 PM) I think he's probably the best producer they've had since Terry Brown, but I'll reserve final judgment until I hear all of CA. and who was their worst producer? themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenken Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I like that he helped clean up their sound after the mess that was VT, production values much higher, the issue I have with him is he is basically just a standard issue safe rock producer. He's not really a very creative or artistic producer. Why do I say this? Listen to some of the other albums he's produced, they all sound just like this. He doesnt really do anything very different for each album to make each unique. This sounds like a Foo Fighters album. Im just talking about the sound, not the songs. It SOUNDS like a FF album, and that bugs me. Doesnt Rush deserve a true artists, like say a Rick Rubin, to do an album for them? I know they wanted Rick for S&A but I believe he was busy with Metallica at the time and couldnt do S&A. That guy is a real artist. Each of his albums sound so unique. He's always experimenting with different ways to record and tries to make each album its own standalone work of art with a very original sound. These new songs sound clean, but can I say the actual sound of them is original? Hell no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Presto-digitation Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I like Nick's work both in an out of Rush. And regardless, it could always be that Paul Northfield POS called Vapor Trails. Whatever you think of S&A's sound, it's INFINITELY improved over VT's production/mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Presto-digitation Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) QUOTE (trenken @ Apr 11 2012, 06:41 PM) I like that he helped clean up their sound after the mess that was VT, production values much higher, the issue I have with him is he is basically just a standard issue safe rock producer. He's not really a very creative or artistic producer. Why do I say this? Listen to some of the other albums he's produced, they all sound just like this. He doesnt really do anything very different for each album to make each unique. This sounds like a Foo Fighters album. Im just talking about the sound, not the songs. It SOUNDS like a FF album, and that bugs me. Doesnt Rush deserve a true artists, like say a Rick Rubin, to do an album for them? I know they wanted Rick for S&A but I believe he was busy with Metallica at the time and couldnt do S&A. That guy is a real artist. Each of his albums sound so unique. He's always experimenting with different ways to record and tries to make each album its own standalone work of art with a very original sound. These new songs sound clean, but can I say the actual sound of them is original? Hell no. Rush's music should stand on its own, even with the simplest of production. In other words, no production tricks were going to make S&A a good album if you don't like it now, short of getting really into the songs and forcing the band's hand on their writing and arrangement. That doesn't happen all that often. Mostly what the band brings is just that. The meat is in the tune itself. If you don't like a Rush album, you have but one place to look...at the band. That said, Nick challenged Neil, for example, when Peart's playing was a bit pedestrian for his taste...so I believe he made them push themselves without becoming the fourth songwriter on the album. He wasn't satisfied with Neil getting by on a unsatisfactory beat and had him change his approach and the song was a better tune for it. THAT is what a producer is supposed to do. Sonically, Counterparts is a great sounding album...but it's very stripped down and raw. ZERO bells and whistles. What did Collins bring to this ho-down specifically? Also it sounds NOTHING like Collins' work on Power Windows either. You wouldn't even guess that was the same producer. Edited April 12, 2012 by Presto-digitation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReflectedLight Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 QUOTE (losingit2k @ Apr 11 2012, 03:42 PM) He's the second Terry Brown! He's brought them all the way back to their roots! ........And they liked it! he's no terry brown. s & a sucked and well, i'm not a fan of caravan and bu2b so he didn't do much with those two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReRushed Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Terry Brown is no big deal. He benefited more from Rush than Rush benefited from him. Is he really that good of a producer? Or did he have the luxury of working with Rush during their reputation defining era? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnoble Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Producers get too much credit and too much blame. For example, Rupert Hine gets slammed as being responsible for the "light" sound of Presto and RTB, but he wasn't the one who chose to record with Wal basses and PRS guitars with tons of processed effects and echo, neither of which will result in a meaty aggressive sound. Neither did he write the lyrics or songs or perform them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReflectedLight Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 not sure what he was trying to do with s & a, maybe try too hard to jumpstart them and tell them what to do but s & a sounds overproduced, too much guitar layering, and it sounds like nick r is in their faces everywhere. sometimes being too much of a fan like he is isn't a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presto123 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 (edited) Edited April 12, 2012 by presto123 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReflectedLight Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossedSignals Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Avatar Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 QUOTE (presto123 @ Apr 11 2012, 07:59 PM) SnA was already pretty much written when he came on board so I will not judge him based on that record. This is my thinking too. In addition, the songs he worked on the most, or encouraged the band to pursue, such as Far Cry and Malignant Narcissism, are my favorites on that album. I'm heading into CA with great optimism. I hope I'm correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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