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My Favorite Headache


ragz06
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I'm listening to My Favorite Headache today, haven't for a while. I don't know if I just never noticed before, but it really reminds me of Vapor Trails. I know they were done around the same time, but it made me wonder if Geddy has a bigger role in VT as far as musical direction. Although I do feel that the tracks "The Angel's Share" and "Slipping" sound right at home on S&A.

Anybody else get the same feeling when listening to MFH that it is oddly similar to VT? Or maybe this is something brought up before and I am just unaware.

BTW, I firmly in the camp of "please remaster Vapor Trails". It has grown on me over the years but man it is thick and muddy.

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I think both you guys are right... MFH sounds like another Rush album to me. I like Ben Mink too, he's a great player. Back in the late 70s and early 80s he played in a Toronto band called, "FM." GREAT band. He played viola, mandolin... anything with strings.
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I'm listening to My Favorite Headache today, haven't for a while. I don't know if I just never noticed before, but it really reminds me of Vapor Trails. I know they were done around the same time, but it made me wonder if Geddy has a bigger role in VT as far as musical direction. Although I do feel that the tracks "The Angel's Share" and "Slipping" sound right at home on S&A.

Anybody else get the same feeling when listening to MFH that it is oddly similar to VT? Or maybe this is something brought up before and I am just unaware.

BTW, I firmly in the camp of "please remaster Vapor Trails". It has grown on me over the years but man it is thick and muddy.

 

I always thought Vapor Trails had more in common with Victor. VT may be more complex and layered, but they're both dark, gritty hard rock albums. By comparison, the songs on My Favorite Headache are more subtle and melodic.

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Vapor Trails probably sounded more like My Favorite Headache because I bet Geddy had a little bit more of a drive to create the album. So, he probably produced a large chunk of it.

 

I would like to add in, if you go to Grooveshark..type in "Vapor Trails Less Vapor" and you will get a very good version of if.

 

PS: random fact...I hate Victor and My Favorite Headache is decent.

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I love Al, he's the greatest and most imaginative rock guitarist there'll ever be imo, but as a member of rush he obviously needed Ged to compose songs most of the time, as evident in their solo works... MFH blows Victor outa the water is a true musical masterpiece, whereas Victor is merely an interesting exercise from the guitar genius he is.
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Watch the My Favorite Headache documentary if you haven't already. It's between 10-15 minutes long and has some cool insights into the making of that album.

 

Victor was a lot more experimental and benefitted (and possibly suffered slightly) from that. I think the best of Victor is better than the best of MFH but as a whole, I prefer the latter. Both projects clearly show that Lee and Lifeson need each other to make true magic.

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I love My Favourite Headache. Every song on the album rocks, even when they are more personal, softer tunes. Some really nice composing and arranging in terms of strings, piano, backing vocals and everything else in there. Great album.

 

It gives you some insight into their musical personalities, doesn't it? Geddy is more of a driving, melodic kind of guy while Alex is more of a spontaneous, kind of jazzy, moody modal player. At least thats how it seems to me. Geddy (along with Neil) provides a tight, driving bass section which creates the structure of the song, while Alex is effectively using his guitar to kind of paint over that structure and give it color and mood, as well as filling in the missing scenery. Its a really amazing style that I just love.

 

Ahh but anyways yeah. MFH is great. Victor is great too. :rush:

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Any past members of Geddy board? I wasnt.i didnt know about it back then.

 

GeddyRulz and circumstantial tree were on there under the same names. I was too but used a different sn. I'm sure there must be others. Good board. So long ago when I think about it

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It's quite interesting that My Favorite headache sounds like Rush while Victor sounds different.

 

I agree! Its clear that MFH sound much like RUSH, minus the drumming! You can't reproduce that unless its Portnoy behind the skins.

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It's quite interesting that My Favorite headache sounds like Rush while Victor sounds different.

 

I agree! Its clear that MFH sound much like RUSH, minus the drumming! You can't reproduce that unless its Portnoy behind the skins.

 

Not that they're bad but the guitars sound nothing like what Lifeson would do. So yeah, MFH sounds like Rush minus the drums, guitar, and other stuff that I won't even mention. :P

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Mr Soul from Feedback sounds like it could maybe fit on MFH, Al's sound much more relaxed with the 'rush' feel taken out making him sound much more of a simple very accomplished and groovy rock guitarist
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I love My Favourite Headache. Every song on the album rocks, even when they are more personal, softer tunes. Some really nice composing and arranging in terms of strings, piano, backing vocals and everything else in there. Great album.

 

It gives you some insight into their musical personalities, doesn't it? Geddy is more of a driving, melodic kind of guy while Alex is more of a spontaneous, kind of jazzy, moody modal player. At least thats how it seems to me. Geddy (along with Neil) provides a tight, driving bass section which creates the structure of the song, while Alex is effectively using his guitar to kind of paint over that structure and give it color and mood, as well as filling in the missing scenery. Its a really amazing style that I just love.

 

Ahh but anyways yeah. MFH is great. Victor is great too. :rush:

 

I think the bolded is a really good description of the fundamental musical dynamic of :rush: Agree wholeheartedly with the last sentence, too! :yes:

Edited by GeddysMullet
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MFH sounds nothing like Vapor Trails.

 

Nothing.

 

It sounds like a quality Rush album written by Geddy Lee.

 

Victor absolutely sounds more like VT. Layers of guitars and very crunchy. VT had a lot of Alex's influence and Geddy's vocal choirs everywhere. Instead of keys they did tons of guitar layers and vocal layers as well as some bass layers (which I am glad they never did again...bass layers to me was a bit too much in hindsight).

 

VT was over layered looking back. But at the same time....it was a 14 month project. It was their first album in 5 years. There were a lot of emotions that went into that album. It was a huge labor of love and you can hear and feel it despite it's sonic shortcomings. Without VT we would have never had the already epic and soon to be new Rush classic:

 

Clockwork Angels

Edited by Todem
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I think MFH shows just how much pull Geddy has on the musical and arrangement direction than anyone else in Rush. Certainly the documentary about S&A shows that Geddy does the lions share of writing and arranging. That's why MFH sounds like a Rush album and Victor does not. IIRC Victor was also about being therapeudic for Alex as this came out shortly after the keyboard phase, where Alex got mostly shut out of a lot, musically because of the keys. So he lets his rocker out in a big bad way.

 

Both albums are great in their own way. Just like Neil's BFB's disks, but they're a totally different kettle of fish... but all great creative outlets for each.

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MFH just roated in on my CD player, I haven't listened to it in a bit. I like it. It isn't Rush but some of the songs really grew on me. I suprisingly have not listened to Victor, I need to do that.

 

I would love to watch Ged playing some of the songs from MFH just to see what kind of emotion he would bring to them.

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