Guitarists- what do you think of Alex's playing

[GeminiRising79]

QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Jun 29 2012, 09:20 PM)

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 29 2012, 08:19 PM) QUOTE (trenken @ Jun 29 2012, 05:43 AM) On this album they sound like regular stock rock riffs. Nothing really iconic sounding or anything like that. Most of it just sounds jammed out to me and not really slaved over to write amazing riffs. There is not a single part on this album that sounds cool and iconic like 1:35 of Jacobs Ladder. He just doesnt write like that anymore, and it makes me look at this album like it's almost not even Rush, at least not the Rush I loved. They used to sound very unique, Alex played a big role in that, and now they sound kind of like any other rock band out there. The playing itself is fine. I dont need him to be John Petrucci, Alex never was that technical, but I would like some more parts that sound like he didnt just jam them out for 5 minutes then go take a nap. I agree with a lot of this. His guitar playing is average on this album.....definitely nothing iconic about any of it..... WC, you're so negative man. It's borderline funny. Every time I see one of your posts it's negative towards the band, no matter the subject. Even for your signature you choose a quote that blasts the band and how much S&A sucks.   Come on man, dig deep! Think about the positive things you like about Rush! What's your favorite song off Clockwork? What is it about that song that you love so much? What do you like about their live performances?   You can do it! I don't believe WC is negative. I think he's more of a realist.

[WCFIELDS]

QUOTE (GeminiRising79 @ Jun 30 2012, 12:04 PM)

QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Jun 29 2012, 09:20 PM) QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Jun 29 2012, 08:19 PM) QUOTE (trenken @ Jun 29 2012, 05:43 AM) On this album they sound like regular stock rock riffs. Nothing really iconic sounding or anything like that. Most of it just sounds jammed out to me and not really slaved over to write amazing riffs. There is not a single part on this album that sounds cool and iconic like 1:35 of Jacobs Ladder. He just doesnt write like that anymore, and it makes me look at this album like it's almost not even Rush, at least not the Rush I loved. They used to sound very unique, Alex played a big role in that, and now they sound kind of like any other rock band out there. The playing itself is fine. I dont need him to be John Petrucci, Alex never was that technical, but I would like some more parts that sound like he didnt just jam them out for 5 minutes then go take a nap. I agree with a lot of this. His guitar playing is average on this album.....definitely nothing iconic about any of it..... WC, you're so negative man. It's borderline funny. Every time I see one of your posts it's negative towards the band, no matter the subject. Even for your signature you choose a quote that blasts the band and how much S&A sucks.   Come on man, dig deep! Think about the positive things you like about Rush! What's your favorite song off Clockwork? What is it about that song that you love so much? What do you like about their live performances?   You can do it! I don't believe WC is negative. I think he's more of a realist. Let him be an ass....I care.

[sammy]

Guess a lot depends on what floats your boat - it's music after all and opinions will always differ - just like no two people can 100% agree on what their best songs are.

 

Off the top of my head Alex was incredibly inspiring as a guitarist on songs like Force Ten, Afterimage, Vapor Trail, Villa, Dreamline, Ghost of a Chance (great story behind his solo), Middletown Dreams, and Counterparts not only for his playing but for the awesome tone.

 

Alex has his own certain style, like in Red Barchetta, where how he starts his solo on the fretboard is very unnatural to most of us mere mortals.

 

The acid test is probably going to be if someone you know were to play CA in its entirety including the various guitar tracks - if I had been able to write & play that I'm pretty sure I'd be classed as a guitar god.

 

Which Alex is

[lonelymoon]

I saw rush on the Moving Pictures tour, and several thereafter. His guitar work on CA is incredibly bland and lacklustre. As a teen learning guitar I had many Lifeson riffs I wanted to learn... opening acoustic in CTTH, classical in the trees, broons bane, all the parts in xanadu, opening chords in Red Sector A, harmonics in Red Barchetta, etc, etc, . I could learn these and play these for friends and they would recognize them immediately. There is no riff on CA that I hear that I care to learn, or that anyone would recognize. It's just tour promotion fluff. Crap.

[Ancient Ways]

QUOTE (lonelymoon @ Jun 30 2012, 09:35 PM)

I saw rush on the Moving Pictures tour, and several thereafter. His guitar work on CA is incredibly bland and lacklustre. As a teen learning guitar I had many Lifeson riffs I wanted to learn... opening acoustic in CTTH, classical in the trees, broons bane, all the parts in xanadu, opening chords in Red Sector A, harmonics in Red Barchetta, etc, etc, . I could learn these and play these for friends and they would recognize them immediately. There is no riff on CA that I hear that I care to learn, or that anyone would recognize. It's just tour promotion fluff. Crap.

didn't know you were back.