CA opens the Rush catalog

[CygnusGal]

As my affair continues with CA (all swoony with batting eye lashes), I'm taking breaks and relistening to the catalog. CA is a unique achievement (I believe it is a masterpiece) but I can hear CA in previous work in places I never expected. Obviously, the reverse it true but it is a fascinating illusion.

 

I remember when I was a child living around Moncton, New Brunswick and going to a place called Magnetic Hill where both the water in the ditch beside the road and a car placed in neutral at the bottom of the hill seemed to defy gravity and roll uphill to the squealing delight of the children. To me, CA is like Magnetic Hill; it defies my senses (squealing with delight).

 

For some reason, Totem keeps running through my head, particularly:

QUOTE

I believe in what I see, I believe in what I hear I believe that what I'm feeling changes how the world appears Angels and demons dancing in my head Lunatics and monsters underneath my bed Media messiahs playing on my fears Pop culture prophets whisper in my ear

One of my observations is that I never really cared for Totem but now find that CA has provided me with a new depth to the song and I've reconsidered my opinion of the song. I started wondering if this was true of other songs/albums. Presto and TFE albums opened up (not favourites of mine, but some great songs and a *much* better direction than HYF, imo) and I discovered previously unconsidered gems.

 

Has anyone else noticed this effect with Totem or another song/album in Rush's catalog?

[OGr8imL84AD8inF8sBlackSedan]

Totem ....that's on T4E...I don't do T4E.

[NYM86]

No, Clockwork Angels has not had that effect on me. I like the album in its own right, but it hasn't made me go back and appreciate any of their other stuff more than I already do.

[That One Guy]

QUOTE (OGr8imL84AD8inF8sBlackSedan @ Jul 21 2012, 10:57 AM)

Totem ....that's on T4E...I don't do T4E.

Shame, it's a good album. I "do" all the albums. Driven is on the CD in my car's player right now.

[CygnusGal]

QUOTE (That One Guy @ Jul 21 2012, 03:29 PM)

QUOTE (OGr8imL84AD8inF8sBlackSedan @ Jul 21 2012, 10:57 AM) Totem  ....that's on T4E...I don't do T4E. Shame, it's a good album. I "do" all the albums. Driven is on the CD in my car's player right now. Good for you. I'm actually playing HYF right now. Must...maintain...open....ears....   I exclude no Rush albums. It is Rush, after all. Even HYF has its high points.

[Mika]

I can't give complete credit to CA for this, but... early June I decided to put the entire Rush catalog on my ipod, as I hadn't yet fully explored their music. Some albums were sorely lacking in my listening of them: Test for Echo, Presto, Roll the Bones, Caress of Steel (the two long songs, anyway), most of Hold Your Fire... it's been incredible hearing 'new' Rush songs for the first time!

 

I remember when Test for Echo first came out, I was a casual fan, enjoying Counterparts and a few albums before that like Hemipsheres and their earlier stuff. As it was mostly my brother that had influenced my listening to Rush, because he didn't care that much for T4E, it didn't register on my sonic radar. I kind of pushed it aside all these years, never really giving it a chance.

 

T4E songs have been popping up on my ipod, and they deserve better than the mis-judgement I've been giving them all these years! It's exciting to hear 'new' stuff that I've been missing out on. 'Virtuality' is great, even though the lyrics sound dated. 'Test for Echo' is particulary good because of the 'vertigo' mention, which is something I've been dealing with for the past few months ( ), and 'Totem' has been standing out to me lately. Those lines you quoted is my favourite part in the song.

 

So, not really because of CA am I gaining new appreciation for 'other' Rush songs, but the onset of the new album has at least encouraged me to explore unfamiliar Rush territory. And what a fantastic time I'm having! Each few days I have a new 'favourite'!

[CygnusGal]

QUOTE (Mika @ Jul 21 2012, 04:13 PM)

I can't give complete credit to CA for this, but... early June I decided to put the entire Rush catalog on my ipod, as I hadn't yet fully explored their music. Some albums were sorely lacking in my listening of them: Test for Echo, Presto, Roll the Bones, Caress of Steel (the two long songs, anyway), most of Hold Your Fire... it's been incredible hearing 'new' Rush songs for the first time! I remember when Test for Echo first came out, I was a casual fan, enjoying Counterparts and a few albums before that like Hemipsheres and their earlier stuff. As it was mostly my brother that had influenced my listening to Rush, because he didn't care that much for T4E, it didn't register on my sonic radar. I kind of pushed it aside all these years, never really giving it a chance. T4E songs have been popping up on my ipod, and they deserve better than the mis-judgement I've been giving them all these years! It's exciting to hear 'new' stuff that I've been missing out on. 'Virtuality' is great, even though the lyrics sound dated. 'Test for Echo' is particulary good because of the 'vertigo' mention, which is something I've been dealing with for the past few months ( ), and 'Totem' has been standing out to me lately. Those lines you quoted is my favourite part in the song. So, not really because of CA am I gaining new appreciation for 'other' Rush songs, but the onset of the new album has at least encouraged me to explore unfamiliar Rush territory. And what a fantastic time I'm having! Each few days I have a new 'favourite'!

I must admit that I am reminiscent reading your post. All of the discovery of the all of the textures and all of the threads in my (our) life(s).

 

You have a wonderful ride coming up.

 

[Tombstone Mountain]

QUOTE (CygnusGal @ Jul 21 2012, 07:26 AM)

As my affair continues with CA (all swoony with batting eye lashes), I'm taking breaks and relistening to the catalog. CA is a unique achievement (I believe it is a masterpiece) but I can hear CA in previous work in places I never expected. Obviously, the reverse it true but it is a fascinating illusion. I remember when I was a child living around Moncton, New Brunswick and going to a place called Magnetic Hill where both the water in the ditch beside the road and a car placed in neutral at the bottom of the hill seemed to defy gravity and roll uphill to the squealing delight of the children. To me, CA is like Magnetic Hill; it defies my senses (squealing with delight). For some reason, Totem keeps running through my head, particularly: QUOTE I believe in what I see, I believe in what I hear I believe that what I'm feeling changes how the world appears Angels and demons dancing in my head Lunatics and monsters underneath my bed Media messiahs playing on my fears Pop culture prophets whisper in my ear One of my observations is that I never really cared for Totem but now find that CA has provided me with a new depth to the song and I've reconsidered my opinion of the song. I started wondering if this was true of other songs/albums. Presto and TFE albums opened up (not favourites of mine, but some great songs and a *much* better direction than HYF, imo) and I discovered previously unconsidered gems.   Has anyone else noticed this effect with Totem or another song/album in Rush's catalog? You're right. Going back to Totem, viewing it through that lense, really enhanced my listening experience. Felt natural and revealing!!!

[OGr8imL84AD8inF8sBlackSedan]

[Tarkus406]

The album that took me the longest to warm up to was Presto. But after many listens I "got it" and it became SOOO much more awesome to me than it was initially. You can really do that with any Rush album, even Test for Echo with its Dog Years

[losingit2k]

Well I haven't gone back to hear entire albums, but I have create playlist with different themes so see how the CA songs work in juncture with other RUSH songs. Like my Mini-Epics CD. It was great to hear how Seven Cities of Gold works after Jacobs Ladder. Also Hope going into Halo Effect on my Softer Side of Rush CD. CA is a great album and like you I believe its a masterpiece. It works great as a whole, individually as songs and in the company of others.

 

[Tombstone Mountain]

QUOTE (losingit2k @ Jul 21 2012, 07:16 PM)

Well I haven't gone back to hear entire albums, but I have create playlist with different themes so see how the CA songs work in juncture with other RUSH songs. Like my Mini-Epics CD. It was great to hear how Seven Cities of Gold works after Jacobs Ladder. Also Hope going into Halo Effect on my Softer Side of Rush CD. CA is a great album and like you I believe its a masterpiece. It works great as a whole, individually as songs and in the company of others.

Thx dude...I appreciate that insight. Never crossed my mind. Anything else?

 

[Tommy Sawyer]

[LedRush]

I love the ideas in this thread. I make tons of playlists with Rush songs, and I love getting different ideas for new ones. I gotta say, CA hasn't reignited much interest in the back catolog for me, but I do go and reexamine the old albums every couple of years. Even albums I don't like, like Counterparts and Presto, have great songs and interesting themes.

 

I love reading a thread like this. Maybe it's time to go back to Presto and Counterparts and remember the good parts.

[GeddyLeeFender]

Totem is awesome, the chorus comes out of no-where and is very unique. A hidden Gem, but thats T4E for you its pretty hit or miss.

[drbirdsong]

Clockwork Angels didn't make me go running to Test For Echo right away.

 

The first thing that hit me was that last chord that Alex hits on The Anarchist. It sounds like the end of The Camara Eye to me. The solo sounds straight out of Grace Under Pressure, but then the song as whole reminds me of Signals.

 

I'm in the crowd that thinks that CA is best album since Signals and so I hear 1980 - 2012 on this album. There is something here that we haven't got in a long time. Geddy said in a recent interview that they just let themselves sound like what they sounded like on this record. "I guess we just have a style after so many years of doing it" he said. Indeed. Give me that Rush style any day.

[That One Guy]

QUOTE (GeddyLeeFender @ Jul 24 2012, 06:19 PM)

Totem is awesome, the chorus comes out of no-where and is very unique. A hidden Gem, but thats T4E for you its pretty hit or miss.

I agree, fantastic chorus. And lyrics.

[psionic11]

I just wanna bump this thread for a few reasons:

 

-- I relate lyrically to Totem and all of its lyrical kin (Hemispheres, Freewill, Ghost of a Chance, BU2B, Prime Mover, et al)

 

-- I catch your and others' drift when you say that CA throws you back to some back catalog stuff... I hear it positively here and there, but I also cringe or turn off when I hear it elsewhere as well (mostly old school, simplistic rock riffs that sound half-hearted... come on Lerxst, hanging up the alterna-inspiration already?)...

 

Um, I think that's it for now.

 

PS. I'm envious of you new Rush fans who have yet to hear the whole catalog. I was pure inspiration and anticipation since first hearing MP and Hemispheres as a teen. Only with T4E and VT did I feel let down, even though I struggle to give them a fair shake.