Expectations Lowered or Raised, or Didn't Change?

[robertrobyn]

Cant wait to here Clockwork Angels and The Garden!!

[Shredder2]

Of course, as excited as I am to hear the two batch of clips, I'm only curious to know what is in between the beginning and the sampled section of the songs. THAT is what makes it exciting and interesting! You can't come to a final opinion on it until you listen to it in it's full and intended form.

[Enemy Within 77]

QUOTE (EmotionDetector @ Jun 3 2012, 02:25 PM)

Haven't listened...and don't plan to. Looking forward to reserve judgement until after June 12.

[ColdFireYYZ]

QUOTE (treeduck @ Jun 3 2012, 03:37 PM)

I have to admit I wasn't so impressed with the second batch of clips. Maybe my expectations were raised too high after hearing the other ones, but now that they've been lowered I'll hopefully like the full album more than I may have done if I had only heard the first batch of mainly intros...

This.

[UltimoGuitarist]

QUOTE (snowdogged @ Jun 3 2012, 12:35 PM)

Mine were lowered after hearing the second set of clips.

This.

[GeddyRulz]

I'll say mine were lowered after hearing the "Italian" (IBS) clips.

 

The Wal-mart clips had me WAY pumped, but the IBS clips brought me back to Earth: there'll be some merely "okay" stuff along with the awesome.

 

[presto123]

The Wreckers clips are oh so good. What a chorus in that one.

[SchemingDemon]

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Jun 3 2012, 04:34 PM)

I'll say mine were lowered after hearing the "Italian" (IBS) clips. The Wal-mart clips had me WAY pumped, but the IBS clips brought me back to Earth: there'll be some merely "okay" stuff along with the awesome.

 

I agree. I'm sure the "okay" will still be better than most of VT imo. But I'm really just saving judgment for release day.

[kbomb106]

QUOTE (Xanaseb @ Jun 3 2012, 03:39 PM)

QUOTE (Analog_Bro @ Jun 3 2012, 02:15 PM) Just as exited as I was before, I really love what I have heard so far Grammar Nazi time!   'excited' not 'exited'     Wouldn't that make you more of a spelling Nazi? What you pointed out is really not much of a grammatical mistake - just a spelling mistake. The sentence is grammatically incorrect; it should have had a semicolon instead of a comma, but you didn't point that part out.   Since we're on the topic of grammatical correctness, your correction should also have read, "'Excited,' not 'exited.'"

[Gilbertk]

Sorry..

 

but...

 

it's COULDN'T care less.

 

 

[GUP1771]

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Jun 3 2012, 02:14 PM)

Let me the first to predict that with 53% of the people saying their expectations were lowered (I'm assuming especially after the 2nd set of clips), that there's going to be a lot of backlash once this album comes out. I know a lot of people are predicting best album since Moving Pictures or best album since people started banging rocks together, but if we get 53% of people thinking 30 seconds in the middle of the songs lowered their expectations ONE DAY AFTER THEM BEING RELEASED, there's going to be a lot of disaffected fans with this album. I'm not saying this is good or bad, just an observation. I'm still hoping to love some songs, and doubtlessly many people will love all of it, but I'm definitely seeing more than the seeds of discontent being sewn. Certainly it won't have the VT-like backlash, but easily at least at the level of S&A-like backlash.

We don't know exactly where the Italian samples were taken from the songs. Obviously it's not the beginning, but sometime after (for most of them that is), but that's all we know. And we also gotta remember that some of the songs are pretty lengthy, so therefore the samples that we heard might not be even close to the overall song.

 

I will say that my expectations were lowered a bit from the Italian samples, but that's because they were raised sky high from Walmarts samples. I voted that my expectations were lowered after hearing each Italian sample once. However, hearing them a few more times afterwards, I have warmed up up to them. It's definitely a waiting game. We all know that we can't judge a book by the cover. The album might have the backlash as you said, but many people who voted like I did might be pleasantly surprised by giving careful listens.

 

Hell, just to throw out there, it took me many listens for Rush's classics like 2112, Hemispheres, Xanadu, all of Moving Pictures (besides Limelight and Tom Sawyer) to warm up to them. It always takes me many listens to process the songs before I can like them. There's only been a few select songs that have made me go, "HOLY CRAP, I LOVE THIS!!!"

 

Rush is a band that surely requires an acquired taste, so I'll be giving it a try. Let's just hope that people give it a fair try, and don't go into this and convince themselves they already hate it. If people give a fair listen of the new material, and still decide it's not their cup of tea, no worries. It's all good.

[LeaveMyThingAlone]

You know what the biggest difference bewtween the Walmart clips and these clips is? The majority of walmart clips had no vocals, and all of the new clips do have vocals.

 

I've been trying to pinpoint why the new clips aren't doing much for me, and so far Geddy sounds off on what I've heard.

 

 

I think musically this is going to be a fantastic album, but I think the million dollar question will be how Geddy's vocals sound and specifically how they sound meshing with this very heavy music.

 

Remember, Caravan and BU2B were recorded a few years ago and that's a long time for a vocalist Geddy's age and style....I am concerned about the vocals a bit. I think one of the reasons The Wreckers sounds great is that there are some harmonies and backing melodic vocals

[Rushman14]

Pretty much what I expected and all good

[Rushman14]

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Jun 3 2012, 12:14 PM)

Certainly it won't have the VT-like backlash, but easily at least at the level of S&A-like backlash.

I think you are wrong on this one.

[Shredder2]

Alright, so here's what I finished doing just now; I re-played each sample from each song on the album once, starting with the Walmart sample, and then with the Italian sample.

 

Ex. I played the Walmart sample first for Caravan, and when that was over, I played the Italian sample for the same song immediately after the Walmart sample.

 

I did that for every song on the album, and my expectations has risen again. But still, I shall wait to listen to the whole album before I make any final judgement on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

because I have no life

[lifeson90]

QUOTE (GUP1771 @ Jun 3 2012, 05:47 PM)

Hell, just to throw out there, it took me many listens for Rush's classics like 2112, Hemispheres, Xanadu, all of Moving Pictures (besides Limelight and Tom Sawyer) to warm up to them. It always takes me many listens to process the songs before I can like them. There's only been a few select songs that have made me go, "HOLY CRAP, I LOVE THIS!!!" Rush is a band that surely requires an acquired taste, so I'll be giving it a try. Let's just hope that people give it a fair try, and don't go into this and convince themselves they already hate it. If people give a fair listen of the new material, and still decide it's not their cup of tea, no worries. It's all good.

i'll certainly agree with the aquired taste thing for some rush tunes which is a big point to make, too many fans kinda automatically write a track off from the start and end up never giving it a chance.... for a couple days after release i thought bu2b was some of the worst stuff rush ever produced then the track kinda hit me like a brick and became one of my all-time favs

 

there's been a song or two like that on virtually every rush album over the past couple decades and they always turn out to be masterpieces

 

heck, i remember back in the eighties the whole powerwindows album was too much for me at the time too much pop divergence going on shiny suits collar n ties etc didnt even rate mystic rhythms for chrissakes and i gave the band a break for a couple years.... which is unbelievable to me now as that album, along with all the eighties stuff, is simply awesome rush at their finest

 

good point though, rush really are that type of band where they can sometimes be a step or two too much ahead of you at the time being the great artists they are, and you yourself just need a little time to catch up

 

i mean, the very first time i heard AFTK and Hemispheres as a teen into Queen and ELO and ACDC and shit it was like really strange goofy stuff i thought id never be interested in..... a couple years later i was a disciple of the temples of syrinx

 

just dont write off anything from clockwork angels for a while give it time to settle and sink in... the trolls with a natural need for negativity can do all the complaining bless em

Edited June 3, 2012 by lifeson90

[trenken]

The only Rush albums that I didnt initially like much that grew on me was Presto and RTB, neither of which I think is great, but I did grow to like enough songs on them to say they're at least good albums for what they were trying to do at the time.

 

I didnt love Counterparts and still dont, but the bass work is so funky that I did like that about it right from the start. And everything prior to Presto I liked immediately on first listen and have loved them ever since.

 

T4E, VT and S&A never grew on me, and I really tried. Ive listen to each a hell of a lot, and do like a couple tracks on each at least, but not enough to say they were good Rush albums.

[LeaveMyThingAlone]

QUOTE (trenken @ Jun 3 2012, 06:54 PM)

The only Rush albums that I didnt initially like much that grew on me was Presto and RTB, neither of which I think is great, but I did grow to like enough songs on them to say they're at least good albums for what they were trying to do at the time. I didnt love Counterparts and still dont, but the bass work is so funky that I did like that about it right from the start. And everything prior to Presto I liked immediately on first listen and have loved them ever since. T4E, VT and S&A never grew on me, and I really tried. Ive listen to each a hell of a lot, and do like a couple tracks on each at least, but not enough to say they were good Rush albums.

I always go through the same pattern with a new Rush album.

 

1. I don't get it at all. Don't like it.

2. After numerous listens, realize the errors in my ways and the sheer brillance of the band and the specific album

3. Listen to the album tirelessly until I'm sick to death of it.

4. Put it away for a while and listen to other stuff

5. Come back to it...

 

What happens next has totally depended on the album. Some remain in my playlist for the rest of my music listening career and many others just don't hold up.

 

I agree with you about the last 3 albums. IMO T4E, VT and SnA just don't hold up, save for a few songs from each. The last album as a whole that has remained a classic was Counterparts.

 

That being said, excuse me for being a fanboy, but the boys still deliver on enough songs from each of those albums to make them as good as most other stuff out there. And the first 3 releases off CA are enough for me to still believe that, regardless of the rest of the album, and I'm sure there will be a few more that rank up there as well, regardless of whether or not the album live up to my lofty expectations or not!

[micgtr71]

I said it before and I'll say it again...I am 41 and for 25 years I have been experiencing new Rush albums. Some have been better than others. Still, I think that it is fantastic that I can still experience this kind of anticipation. I am sure that I will like it. Maybe not as much as Hemispheres or Signals, but probably better than RTB.

[micgtr71]

Sorry, my math is off...That is 30 years!

[Tigershark2112]

This is one, big, messed-up puzzle with some pieces missing. Can't wait to see what the whole picture looks like (someone put up a leak, please).

[WCFIELDS]

very interesting to see how much hype there has been around CA (and how, for some reason expectations were sky high by alot of people), and now that the clips have come out, most people are disappointed in what they hear...

[Bangster of Goats]

QUOTE (micgtr71 @ Jun 3 2012, 07:47 PM)

I said it before and I'll say it again...I am 41 and for 25 years I have been experiencing new Rush albums. Some have been better than others. Still, I think that it is fantastic that I can still experience this kind of anticipation. I am sure that I will like it. Maybe not as much as Hemispheres or Signals, but probably better than RTB.

Totally agree with you there. I've been in the business of eagerly anticipating new Rush albums since 1985 when Power Windows was going to be my first "new" Rush album. I honestly have not been let down yet! Though speaking of RtB... I loved the album at the time, but I just can't listen to it much anymore. I feel it's probably their weakest release. But what do I know -- the band always seemed to love it and it seemed to also sell really well.

[ReflectedLight]

QUOTE (micgtr71 @ Jun 3 2012, 07:47 PM)

I am sure that I will like it. Maybe not as much as Hemispheres or Signals, but probably better than RTB.

that's not hard to do.

[LeaveMyThingAlone]

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 3 2012, 07:58 PM)

very interesting to see how much hype there has been around CA (and how, for some reason expectations were sky high by alot of people), and now that the clips have come out, most people are disappointed in what they hear...

Like I said, I think it's the vocals. THAT is the biggest thing that sounds amiss to these ears.

 

Geddy's style is so unique and so well suited to Rush, but it's also very straining and difficult to hit....it's been catching up to him.

 

Look at the new Van Halen album. The music is really good, but the same theme was emerging...Roth just didn't have it anymore. And he's 10 years younger, with a much less demanding style, and many less concerts under his belt.

 

It's a tough thing because the boys are clearly still on top of their game musically, but it's hard to get my arms around the vocals...it really started with the Time Machine Tour

 

Would love to see Rush do one more album of nothing but instrumentals and just hear them totally let it rip