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Official Clockwork Angels Initial Reactions thread


The Owl
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Bought it on June 12 and did my Rush ritual for a new album: Went home, put on the headphones, got out the lyrics and listened to it uninterrupted.

 

Well, I did this 3 times in a row! ohmy.gif Every time I listened to it, I heard more and understood more. The album is NO DOUBT a concept album.

 

Maybe it is new album excitement, but at the moment, I feel this could be the greatest album they have EVER done. Next only possibly to Hemispheres.

 

My only thing is that the drums are too much in the background and Neil's drums and cymbals are way too far back in the mix. Alex is dominant with Geddy 2nd. I love the strings and vocals.

 

My other feeling is that this entire album should be performed in its running order live. Otherwise, I do not think the songs will make sense and the effect might be lost. I say do a first set of old stuff (maybe even all of Signals), a very few others; Tom Sawyer, Spirit of Radio, Earthshine, Leave that Thing Alone (with drum solo) and a second set of all of Clockwork Angels. Encore with Middletown Dreams and Mission and you have a perfect show! 2.gif

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QUOTE (Captain Avatar @ Jun 12 2012, 08:57 PM)
QUOTE (theredtamasrule @ Jun 12 2012, 08:50 PM)
Many, many listens under my belt & read thru the lyrics a couple of times. Don't know if I'm the kind to give a track by track review but here are my thoughts on the album as a whole:

The first thing I noticed, and Corgan mentioned it in his interview w/Ged & Al, is the spirit, energy and sense of urgency in the playing by all three. I'm not sure where they found their inspiration but it's pretty evident that they know something special is developing and the playing is intense, powerful and precise.

I'm a drum geek and of course something else that stood out to me is Peart's playing. It's simply phenomenal. It's such a shock after several years of seeming safe playing on the last few albums. I'm guessing he's finally internalized the work over the past few years and now he's letting that great technique loose with fire and purpose. Fill after fill, double bass blast after double bass blast...this is his freshest, most bombastic (and I mean that in the best possible sense) playing in a very long time. This recording captures the energy of a young Peart being channeled and controlled by his new sense of time and mastery of the kit. This is the drum hero I remember.

The whole of CA is strewn with memorable riffs, melodies and lyrics; I find myself humming, whistling and singing CA, Anarchist, Carnies, Halo...hell, the entire damn thing throughout the day. Personally the era of Presto - TFE is a bit of a dry run of albums, they seemed to be more focused on melody and typical pop/rock tunes rather than stretching instrumentally...I found a big chunk of that work uninspired and lacking that something special. Well here on CA I think all of that work has come to full fruition by marrying their craft of structure and catchy melodies with flat out kick ass musicianship and intensity...just like the Rush I know and love up to HYF (some will argue this but, hey, it's my review). This here is Rush in full flight shaping a great song and injecting it with soul and passion and precision.

In the end I feel something different on CA that I haven't noticed in a very long time from...a sense that they're not afraid to, well, be Rush. They've let loose, rocked out and produced one of their best albums. I love the whole thing from beginning to end.


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goodpost.gif

 

Yes, definitely to all the above.

 

Is it just me, or does CA, despite it's length, and because of it's top-to-bottom brilliance, absolutely fly by when you're listening to it?

 

I guess time flies when you're having fun!

 

 

 

2.gif

I agree, great post... and I also agree that it does fly by.

 

Right now, I cannot pick a favorite, just because my knowing Caravan, BU2B and Headlong flight are screwing with my ability to rank the songs... I do know that Wish Them Well is my least favorite so far, WAY too repetitive.

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QUOTE (theredtamasrule @ Jun 12 2012, 09:50 PM)
Many, many listens under my belt & read thru the lyrics a couple of times. Don't know if I'm the kind to give a track by track review but here are my thoughts on the album as a whole:

The first thing I noticed, and Corgan mentioned it in his interview w/Ged & Al, is the spirit, energy and sense of urgency in the playing by all three. I'm not sure where they found their inspiration but it's pretty evident that they know something special is developing and the playing is intense, powerful and precise.

I'm a drum geek and of course something else that stood out to me is Peart's playing. It's simply phenomenal. It's such a shock after several years of seeming safe playing on the last few albums. I'm guessing he's finally internalized the work over the past few years and now he's letting that great technique loose with fire and purpose. Fill after fill, double bass blast after double bass blast...this is his freshest, most bombastic (and I mean that in the best possible sense) playing in a very long time. This recording captures the energy of a young Peart being channeled and controlled by his new sense of time and mastery of the kit. This is the drum hero I remember.

The whole of CA is strewn with memorable riffs, melodies and lyrics; I find myself humming, whistling and singing CA, Anarchist, Carnies, Halo...hell, the entire damn thing throughout the day. Personally the era of Presto - TFE is a bit of a dry run of albums, they seemed to be more focused on melody and typical pop/rock tunes rather than stretching instrumentally...I found a big chunk of that work uninspired and lacking that something special. Well here on CA I think all of that work has come to full fruition by marrying their craft of structure and catchy melodies with flat out kick ass musicianship and intensity...just like the Rush I know and love up to HYF (some will argue this but, hey, it's my review). This here is Rush in full flight shaping a great song and injecting it with soul and passion and precision.

In the end I feel something different on CA that I haven't noticed in a very long time from...a sense that they're not afraid to, well, be Rush. They've let loose, rocked out and produced one of their best albums. I love the whole thing from beginning to end.


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Great write up. I agree about Presto thru T4E. While I have enjoyed each and every release. I agree that they went in a song writing only direction for the most part (they still had numerous moments of streching out....but not on most songs in that period).

 

This does take me back to the 80's and the band being able to blend precise playing and chops with great melody.....that perfect marriage if you will.

 

I think Snakes and Arrows was the pinnacle of the Presto-T4E era. Some may disagree and point to CP and that was a great album among the others. But in CA we are finding a renewed energy that was attempted on Vaportrails but really was very uneven.

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QUOTE (Django @ Jun 12 2012, 09:04 PM)
Initial reaction - It is better than Snakes and Arrows, and I thought Snakes and Arrows was their best since Grace Under Pressure.

Almost completely agree, except I'm tempted to say S&A was the best album since Signals.

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QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ Jun 14 2012, 07:30 PM)
QUOTE (Weakly Criminal @ Jun 14 2012, 08:26 PM)
Really, when do you people find the time to write all this shit? 

Work biggrin.gif

So you're paid to do it.

 

That makes sense.

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Ear Swallowing headphones on! 4th or 5th listen... 7 Cities of Gold playing right now! - This 8th wonder of the world for me is nothing short of fleeting ecstacy!!! My fav Rush Album? The latest one of Course! smile.gif The Wreckers was my 1st fav - Then The Anarchist - Then Halo Effect, and so on... The Garden, I'll admit it, made me cry tears of Joy! Just like The Mission Live! smile.gif - Wish Them Well, struck a very personal chord with me. I am so amazed that not only are they still here, they are still evolving, still potent! Still relevant!!! It's not the music of Bill & Ted that will unify this world. It is RUSH! - I cannot wait to see them in Vegas, and Colorado in 2013 at the Red Rocks! smile.gif

 

I feel so lucky to have found these guys at the tender age of 13. My introduction to Rock! An influence I am forever grateful for! Thank you Guys! smile.gif Rush - Endlessly Rocking!!!

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I think I missed this thread first time around...

 

I remember playing it over and over when it came out.. just stunned at what I was hearing.

 

4 years later, I still love it. It's probably in my Top 5-6 Rush albums, although it's so hard to rank them.

 

I can't listen to The Garden too often, cause it turns me into a blubbering mess and reminds me of what I've been through over the last 5 years. So moving and powerful. That said, I wouldn't have minded if they had played it on the R40 tour. :)

 

The "dark horse" of this record for me is The Wreckers. GREAT lyrics... damn....

Edited by Mystic Slipperman
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4 years later, I have listened to this album in it's entirety 4 times.

I have heard more of this record live ...it's overrated.

I have never once said..wow today seems like a CA day....

I would listen to Hemispheres for the 10,000th time and be wayyyy more happy

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It's still every bit as great to me now as it was four years ago. Clockwork Angels was, is, and always will be, an utter masterpiece in my eyes.
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I loved it from first listen, and still love it now. Between Clockwork Angels and the Vapour Trails remix, the Rush of the 21st Century is up there for me with that of the 70s.
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QUOTE (danielmclark @ Jun 4 2012, 11:26 AM) I said in a thread a while back that I thought this might be a top five album... I think I was basing that on the first three releases because it was before the clips came out.

 

I think I wasn't wrong. I'm on my third listen now, and I do think this is a top five album for me... or close to it.

 

I like the album a lot but after 3 listens no way is it top 5 for me. This isnt on the same level as 2112, Hemispheres, PeW, MP and PoW. It's in the top 10 though.

 

For the folks that don,t know,Trenken won vocalist of the year (2012),for those of us who do know, he stunk!!!!!!

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