OH MY GOD!

[losingit2k]

QUOTE (Unobtrusive Companion @ Apr 18 2012, 03:40 PM)

QUOTE (canadianice @ Apr 18 2012, 09:30 PM) QUOTE (Alexmai @ Apr 18 2012, 03:25 PM) Is it me or it's a FANTASTIC song? Can't wait for a live version!!! It sure is, i went away from it it for about an hour, i just listened again, and i am totally BLOWN AWAY Just did exactly the same thing, amazingly it sounded cleaner after an hour's break! Maybe I was over-imagining it in my hour off though   Have listened a total of 11 times now, and it's just getting better with every listen. The hard rocking side of Rush is revealing itself once more, and as well as being anticipated by more people than ever, it's also almost a "best of Rush" song, with bits and pieces from 35 year old albums, right through to the most recent album.   Sales-wise, I think CA is going to blow S&A out of the water, even though I've only heard a quarter of the album. Exciting times indeed! Can you imagine the production of this song LIVE! Lights going crazy all over the place! This album is going to be Epic! OMFG!

[They Bow Defeated]

QUOTE (presto123 @ Apr 18 2012, 03:37 PM)

Can we all just give kudos to Nick now? I have no doubt he is partly responsible for Rush getting their old mojo back.

 

And it's most evident with Neil, who seems to be just about back to the energy level of Counterparts.

 

I can't wait to see the behind-the-scenes footage of Nick "conducting" Neil during his drum takes.

 

 

 

 

[eshine]

First Impressions:

 

Wow - this track just zips right by. That's a quick seven minutes!

 

The playing is fantastic - these guys were obviously pumped and having a blast in the studio. I think it was a very smart decision to record after the long tour.

 

Geddys bass is f*ckin SICK.

 

Neil is playin his tits off - no wonder he lost weight lol

 

Alex is shredding.

 

vocals - Ged is really pushing it without sounding like he's killing himself. He's found a good balance here within his range and love the way he's holding some of those notes. He's playing on his strengths.

 

Is it the most "melodic" vocal he's ever done? No - but it gets the job done and propels the narrative. Let's not forget there are nine more songs on this puppy

 

I personally love the "I stoke the fires of the big steel wheel" melody. Nicely done.

 

This is, as I expected, a continuation of the sound they have been exploring for the past decade. It's not a return to the seventees, eighties or nineties - and that is perfectly fine. It's a heavy track but the space and separation of the instruments is considerably better on this.

 

All said - this is a kick ass track and only wets my whistle for the whole "story".

 

And f*ckin A - if the dates on RIAB are correct, they are opening the tour on my Bday!!!

 

[rummut71]

QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Apr 18 2012, 02:39 PM)

QUOTE (presto123 @ Apr 18 2012, 12:37 PM) Can we all just give kudos to Nick now? I have no doubt he is partly responsible for Rush getting their old mojo back. What if I didn't like his previous work with them?     I'll give a healthy semi-kudos until I hear the rest of the album. I am encouraged as well, but will wait for the whole body of work as well...   I do like that the music has a strong pulse.

[ILSnwdog]

I'm so blown away by the blistering bass line!!!

[thesweetscience]

QUOTE (Rushman14 @ Apr 18 2012, 03:00 PM)

QUOTE (Godeater2112 @ Apr 18 2012, 11:58 AM) QUOTE (thesweetscience @ Apr 18 2012, 02:54 PM) Listening to it for the first time. I have goosebumps. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back a few hours and listen to it for the first time all over again!     We spoiled all the "surprises" we expected for tomorrow. How long before the remorse kicks in? I've only listened to it 4 times and I seriously can't understand those complaining it's not catchy. It's totally stuck in my head   I know right? I can't stop humming it.   It served its purpose too because now I am really excited to hear the rest of the album.

[eshine]

I would like to think we are old enough to give our differing opinions without attacking each other guys.

 

It's a Rush song - of course not everyone is going to love or even like it - but EVERYONE is entitled to share an opinion even if it's negative.

 

All that's important is how YOU feel about the song.

 

[Animate]

In fact, the song being an allegory for Neil and just Rush is even more fitting.

The big steel wheels he stokes are his drums,

The airship he has been steering into the stars is Rush,

The headlong flight describes his plummet into the whole early experience of Rush- touring and playing, going along for the ride, living from gig to gig, not looking back or planning too far ahead.

 

[losingit2k]

This song is all about that bass line! Geddy is sick on the bass!

 

[trenken]

QUOTE (udanax @ Apr 18 2012, 03:10 PM)

QUOTE (trenken @ Apr 18 2012, 01:25 PM) QUOTE (CrossedSignals @ Apr 18 2012, 01:18 PM) I get the impression that the vocal part was worked into the music after the fact, because the two don't mesh incredibly well, but I could be wrong. Thats usually how songs are written though. You have to write the vocals later. You cant write vocals first, then the music. Doesnt work too well that day.   The issue is anyone who writes songs here knows it really does take serious effort to write an entire song, then fit some vocals perfect over it. Anyones capable of doing this really well, it just depends on how much time you put into it.   If its rushed then you get something that sounds awkward and forgettable which is what Im hearing here. Good music, shit vocal melodies. They could be MUCH better. The dude from Mars Volta is fantastic at writing really great vocal melodies over odd music, but he's said it takes him a long time. Listen to this music, its strange, but the vocals are completely awesome. Takes time to come up with this stuff.   Well, how you approach song writing really just depends on what kind of composer you are. You're right, Rush in this case most likely were just messing with a chord progression before slapping a vocal melody on top of it. In theory class, I've had to get used to building up songs from bass to melody and from melody to bass, so it is possible to do both although building a melody first is usually more difficult. I think that Rush has also built songs from the melodic line as well. The difference between a good melody and a bad one however, is the amount of thought put into it. Also, the vocal line doesn't always have to be the line of melody. Rush in the past has given melody lines to the guitar that mingle and expand on the main melodic theme. That is a difficult task, but when executed right it can sound REALLY good, and can offer an interesting development of the piece as a whole. In this song however, it sounds like a very traditional and predictable melody line was given to Ged, while Alex just slammed on a bunch of chords. I would like to hear him do some counter melody work in this song (as well as arpeggiation). Add in some interesting cadences and a few more progressions and you've got yourself (in what would be my opinion) a really strong piece of music. I'm also wondering if some of the indistinguishable parts of the song that people are attributing to bad mixing, are just coming from voice leading mistakes. I'd have to look at the sheet music to say for sure because my ear isn't that well tuned yet, but I wouldn't be surprised.... This song sounds like a few jam sessions thrown together to me, and not something that the band thought about for a significant period of time. They are a very talented improvisational band, but doing that and then calling it a piece doesn't work unless you're playing jazz, and this isn't jazz (except for maybe, the guitar solo part). I love a huge amount of Rush, but I definitely don't think that everything they touch is gold. Does anyone else on this forum with some tonal theory knowledge have any answers? Well they've talked about this, that's how they've always written songs. Jam parts out, record them, listen back later and try to put the parts together, look through pages of lyrics and try to fit them in, it's like a big puzzle.   But doing it this way you sometimes get those awkward transitions. This song goes from pretty heavy to like a 50's rock n roll bridge section. It doesnt seem like it should be there and in the past maybe they had the energy to step back and say, "wait, this doesnt work as well as it possibly could", so they would put the time into fixing it.   Well now they're old so they just leave it. This gets down to my issue with the vocal melodies. Damn near everything from 2112-HYF has excellent melodies, but they started dropping off after that. There was next to nothing memorable on VT, some stuff here and there vocally but not much, and S&A was just really bad in terms of vocal melodies.   I like the melodies on BU2B, although they arent stellar, and dont like them at all on caravan or this one. Dont know what the deal is. Only thing I can possibly pin it to is laziness, not willing to keep working on 1 song for many days to make sure the melodies are all kinds of kick ass.

[default236]

I hear all those odd time signatures in it as well . One riff reminds me of a faster Armor and Sword with the way the guitar notes are. I'm not the only one right? . So full of energy. Best so far!!

[Rushman14]

I'm thanking the Rush Gods they decided NOT to make this an instrumental.

[snowdog2112]

[ReflectedLight]

QUOTE (Animate @ Apr 18 2012, 03:47 PM)

In fact, the song being an allegory for Neil and just Rush is even more fitting. The big steel wheels he stokes are his drums, The airship he has been steering into the stars is Rush, The headlong flight describes his plummet into the whole early experience of Rush- touring and playing, going along for the ride, living from gig to gig, not looking back or planning too far ahead.

dude that's pretty deep.

[trenken]

QUOTE (eshine @ Apr 18 2012, 03:46 PM)

I would like to think we are old enough to give our differing opinions without attacking each other guys. It's a Rush song - of course not everyone is going to love or even like it - but EVERYONE is entitled to share an opinion even if it's negative. All that's important is how YOU feel about the song.

I learned real quick that is not the case on this site. Someone doesnt like something? They're just a troll and should not be allowed to talk about what they dont like.

 

If you love the song, you can post it multiple times, but even if you do it in an adult manner you cant even once say what you dont like. Thats how Rush fans are apparently. Have to like everything that put out.

[1-0-0-1-0-0-1]

QUOTE (thesweetscience @ Apr 18 2012, 04:45 PM)

QUOTE (Rushman14 @ Apr 18 2012, 03:00 PM) QUOTE (Godeater2112 @ Apr 18 2012, 11:58 AM) QUOTE (thesweetscience @ Apr 18 2012, 02:54 PM) Listening to it for the first time. I have goosebumps. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back a few hours and listen to it for the first time all over again!     We spoiled all the "surprises" we expected for tomorrow. How long before the remorse kicks in? I've only listened to it 4 times and I seriously can't understand those complaining it's not catchy. It's totally stuck in my head   I know right? I can't stop humming it. For those who say this song lacks melody, I give you this. ^^^

[Mara]

QUOTE (thesweetscience @ Apr 18 2012, 04:45 PM)

QUOTE (Rushman14 @ Apr 18 2012, 03:00 PM) QUOTE (Godeater2112 @ Apr 18 2012, 11:58 AM) QUOTE (thesweetscience @ Apr 18 2012, 02:54 PM) Listening to it for the first time. I have goosebumps. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back a few hours and listen to it for the first time all over again!     We spoiled all the "surprises" we expected for tomorrow. How long before the remorse kicks in? I've only listened to it 4 times and I seriously can't understand those complaining it's not catchy. It's totally stuck in my head   I know right? I can't stop humming it.   It served its purpose too because now I am really excited to hear the rest of the album. I have listened to it ONCE (was at work, then had to leave for a Dr's appt.), it stuck in my head!

[losingit2k]

This song doesn't let up, once you thinks its over they hit you with something else! I think this is the best rocking song has ever recorded!

 

[trenken]

QUOTE (default236 @ Apr 18 2012, 03:48 PM)

I hear all those odd time signatures in it as well . One riff reminds me of a faster Armor and Sword with the way the guitar notes are. I'm not the only one right? . So full of energy. Best so far!!

Most of it is in 8/8. They do little things to make it sound off, especially with the drums, but its actually not if you just keep counting it, you can see each starts after 8 counts, so its a normal sig.

[Presto-a RUSH fan!]

I hear so many little bits that remind me of earlier RUSH songs and later songs for that matter, intertwined in Headlong Flight.

 

I remember someone at the listening party saying HF had parts that sounded like Bastille Day and Bytor...and at parts of the song, I can hear the reason for both comparisons.

 

I can already say 100% I LOVE the music. I suck at hearing lyrics even when most can hear them easily, so I can't wait to read the lyrics and listen.

 

I already have a crappy burnt copy on a CD that I'm gonna listen to when I'm driving tomorrow and I can't wait!

 

 

"I stoke the fire of the big steel wheels"

 

 

[MMCXII]

QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ Apr 18 2012, 10:10 AM)

Ged sounds fine to me, I don't hear any straining as was commented on but of course now I've got to hear it another 20 times. There's not much of a hook to it, really.

 

"Oh I wish that I could

Oh I wish that I could live it all again"

 

the hook is in the melody and the message

Edited April 18, 2012 by MMCXII

[Mara]

Sounds like Neil's continuing what he started with Caravan - this definitely reminds me of "old Rush". More rolls and complexity, at least to my ears. Less restrained than what we got from T4E thru S&A.

[snowdog2112]

QUOTE (Unobtrusive Companion @ Apr 18 2012, 02:40 PM)

QUOTE (canadianice @ Apr 18 2012, 09:30 PM) QUOTE (Alexmai @ Apr 18 2012, 03:25 PM) Is it me or it's a FANTASTIC song? Can't wait for a live version!!! It sure is, i went away from it it for about an hour, i just listened again, and i am totally BLOWN AWAY Just did exactly the same thing, amazingly it sounded cleaner after an hour's break! Maybe I was over-imagining it in my hour off though   Have listened a total of 11 times now, and it's just getting better with every listen. The hard rocking side of Rush is revealing itself once more, and as well as being anticipated by more people than ever, it's also almost a "best of Rush" song, with bits and pieces from 35 year old albums, right through to the most recent album.   Sales-wise, I think CA is going to blow S&A out of the water, even though I've only heard a quarter of the album. Exciting times indeed! Albums aren't selling, period. Especially not rock albums. Even if CA is so incredibly great that Headlong Flight is the worst song on it it'll still be a struggle to even go gold after a year or more and maybe not even then. It's just the way it is. About the only exceptions are things like AC/DC's and Metallica's most recent albums where they had a Walmart-exclusive promotional deal and I'm not sure I trust their numbers because they're so out of line with everything else.

[FountainOfSyrinx]

Sounds alot like vapor trails to me..

 

f*ckin' BADASS.

[Animate]