Alex Lifeson's guitar bits I like, what are yours?

[tas7]

Alex Lifeson has been a huge influence on my guitar playing and it's not always the obvious solo's that have given me the most pleasure. Here's a selection of bits, some I can play and in order of album.

1.The rhythm guitar of Beneath, Between & Behind. I like playing the chords and the lead riff.

2.The guitar solo in The Necromancer. On vinyl it used to shriek across the speakers, never the same on CD.

3.Discovery, easy to play but gives you a big grin, and when you play it to people who've never heard of Rush they always ask what's that?

4.Intro to Xanadu, who's not played it all over the fretboard but whenever I hear it, it gives me goosebumps. Always expect the wind to come blowing through the house as it kicks in.

5.The harmonics at the beginning of Cygnus x-1, quite tricky to get right.

6.The lead break in the third part of Natural Science, possibly my favourite bit of lead guitar by Alex.

7.Thechords in the verse of Red Barchetta.

8.The chorus of The Analog Kid, and the middle of The Weapon

9.Guitar solo in Kid Gloves

10.Middle bit of Marathon

11.Jangly bit in the middle bit of Mission

Edited May 17, 2013 by tas7

[hammerofthor]

Love what he plays in the intro to The Camera Eye, particularly at around the 1:54 mark. Love the ESL version of La Villa, the solo rips and is so much smoother than other versions. Love his playing on the first album, sorry. His solo on By tor from atwas is phenomenal. Signals has some vastly underrated pkaying on it.

[tas7]

Know what you mean about The Camera Eye, like a harmonic with a shriek. Sure that used to sound better on vinyl, compressed on CD.

[ILSnwdog]

I love Alex's more explosive stuff. I love Grand Finale, almost all of La Villa and YYZ, and the solos in Analog Kid and Time And Motion. I also like how he is out in front on Far Cry. :haz:

 

And I love the bluesy solo he does on live performances of Bravado. The feel is amazing.

[tas7]

I love the arpeggio in Clockwork Angels, there's that extra note before Geddy starts singing. Pity the mixing wasn't a bit more subtle as the dynamic would have been greater.

[custom55]

I've been focusing on "Far Cry" and "Cut to the Chase" this week. He blew me away last Saturday in Atlantic City with Far Cry so that's stuck in my head. :finbar: Cut to the Chase is just plain brilliant. :guitar:

[tas7]

Some other bits; That note that rings off Alex's guitar in New World Man never reproduced to my satisfaction live. The middle section of The Big Wheel. The middle section of Driven, what is it with those middle sections. That Permanent Waves type riff in The Anarchist.

[Animate]

Alex has a lot of bits that I like :P

 

(Guitar bits of course)

[TheWinslowOfWillowdale]

No particular order:

1) Opening riff in Working Man

2) Lessons -- The whole song

3) Solo in Something for Nothing

4) Intro to AFTK's

5) This is crazy!! I could go on all night!!

[bathory]

solo to kid gloves

[lifeson90]

yeah i love the solo in the live version to kid gloves going around, but otherwise too many to mention really the guy's obviously a god but i'll throw out the solo bit in time & motion for arguments sake

[Amy Farrah Fowler]

Alex has a lot of bits that I like :P

 

(Guitar bits of course)

 

LOL I read it quickly and I'm thinking "Alex's bits??? Where??!??" :P

[Animate]

Alex has a lot of bits that I like :P

 

(Guitar bits of course)

 

LOL I read it quickly and I'm thinking "Alex's bits??? Where??!??" :P

The title of this thread is *ahem* distracting!

[driventotheedge]

All of La Villa for starters............

[tas7]

The idea was not to list the obvious solos but to list those little bits of guitar work that give you goose bumps.

[HowItIs]

All of the above!

 

Alex can do so much with even a few notes... In Force Ten, after the break and right after Geddy sings "look out for the force without form...: and Alex plays three notes there... THREE notes! And they are sublime. I miss them in the live versions.

[Del_Duio]

My first thought was the awesome scream towards the middle of the guitar solo in Emotion Detector. You'll know it when you hear it.

[Del_Duio]

6.The lead break in the third part of Natural Science, possibly my favourite bit of lead guitar by Alex.

 

Do you mean the part where he comes out of the 1st guitar solo and it flows back into the verse "Wheels within wheels, in a spiral array"?

The guitar leads that goes:

 

DOO DOO DOO DOO do do

DOO DOO DOO DOO do do?

 

I love that part!!

[JARG]

yeah i love the solo in the live version to kid gloves going around, but otherwise too many to mention really the guy's obviously a god but i'll throw out the solo bit in time & motion for arguments sake

 

No argument from me. It's one his most amazingly creative solos.

[tas7]

6.The lead break in the third part of Natural Science, possibly my favourite bit of lead guitar by Alex.

 

Do you mean the part where he comes out of the 1st guitar solo and it flows back into the verse "Wheels within wheels, in a spiral array"?

The guitar leads that goes:

 

DOO DOO DOO DOO do do

DOO DOO DOO DOO do do?

 

I love that part!!

No, During the Science without nature can also be tamed ...blah blah blah bit there's a lead break. He doesn't play it in the live versions

[andreww]

Anybody that doesn't start their list with La Villa is nuts.

 

After that my favorite bits are...

 

1. Descending 12 string power chords at the start of Xanadu

2. Spirit if Radio intro/chorus

3. Harmonic bits of Red Barchetta

[greyfriar]

just a few...

 

Here Again - whole song

Middletown Dreams - the boy walks with his best friend...

Hope

Broon's Bane - The Trees

The Garden - Solo

Start Today - Solo

Earthshine - Opening Riff

Clockwork Angels - Intro

[coventry]

1. The beautiful infinitely held note from the end of the solo to the end of the song on "Limelight". It fades back in the mix, but is there to hear throughout.

 

2. His chords in the chorus of "Totem"- only Alex can ever make that tone.

[greyfriar]

Oh how could I forget the Jacob's Ladder part on E...SL, right after "all at once the clouds are parted".

[OneLittleVictory]

camera eye intro