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

[Ancient Ways]

The riffs in free will are some of my fave work. I love the two main single note variations but the chords are basically the same riff. He's really a genius at taking something that others would have left in its original form and tweaking it to make it more interesting.

[drbirdsong]

I'm not a player so I don't know all the technicalities, but Red Barchetta is amazing. All of Permanent Waves in indispensable. Beneath, Between And Behind. La Villa Strangiato. YYZ. Aww, heck, all of it. He's easily in my top five guitar players in the history of the universe.

[Hemisteers]

The solo to The Analog Kid. What an adrenaline rush!

[coventry]

That note leading into the "Limelight" solo sets up the tension/release beautifully.

[The Analog Grownup]

When he starts the chorus to Subdivisions with those arpeggios and the way the melody flows. Got goose bumps just writing this ;)

[goose]

 

 

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

Speaking of great Alex blues playing, how about the intro to The Way the Wind Blows?

[Bhawk2112]

The last six notes of the Xanadu solo, the way that last note trails off...

 

The "dive bombs" on RTB in the Dreamline and Face Up solos.

 

The first dozen or so notes of the Red Barchetta solo...that through an AM radio sound...

[RushIslander]

A little into the beginning of the solo in Limelight, after those three low notes (G#~B~G#[octave lower]....), there a slide sound with ghost like reverb, for a second, going into the higher note section....love it!!! Well, that's one of MANY. :)

[WavesandWindows]

All of them!

[MMCXII]

The Spirit of Radio solo, they way he ends the solo with that fast whammy bar action

[Hemisteers]

The acoustic strumming in presto overall is amazing. But I like the dingadingadingading part when Geddy sings "I'm not one to believe in magic". The guitar really makes that song, especially that nifty part!

[gjptest]

The instrumental part of the Trees leading up to (and including) the solo, and until "the maples formed a union".

 

Eh, I guess that's not really a "bit", but oh well.

[tas7]

The instrumental part of the Trees leading up to (and including) the solo, and until "the maples formed a union".

 

Eh, I guess that's not really a "bit", but oh well.

I never get fed up with those arpeggios leading up to the solo, in fact that is possibly the best piece of total Rush; the guitar, then those bass pedals then that ride cymbal then bass kicks in. That is Rush heaven.

[coventry]

The acoustic strumming in presto overall is amazing. But I like the dingadingadingading part when Geddy sings "I'm not one to believe in magic". The guitar really makes that song, especially that nifty part!

 

Good call. Especially as well on "Scars" and "Hand over Fist." Once you know they're there. they make the song's shine.

[ShlappinDahBass]

The Anarchist is pretty simple, but yet catchy when it's just Alex playing before the lyrics kick off. I find my self air-guitarist to that bit a lot.

 

And, of course, The Garden solo, La Villa, Xanadu, and Between the Wheels solo.

[twwells]

Some sections that I really enjoy are:

 

La Villa Strangiatio - about 5:03 into the song he just hits this note, and picks the strings really fast for maybe 2 sets of up and down strokes, and I've only heard it that way on the album, just awesome!

 

No One At the Bridge - That solo at the end just blows me away every time, probably my favorite

 

Open Secrets - I love the guitar part right before Geddy starts singing, about 20 seconds in

 

What You're Doing - DAT RIFF!!

 

Before and After - Love the Riff that kicks in after that long intro

 

I Think I'm Going Bald - I really enjoy the heavy playing Alex does on the "My life is slipping away" part

 

Witch Hunt - I enjoy the agressive playing he does after the first chorus on A Show of Hands and the Time Machine Tour

 

Hand Over Fist - I enjoy his twangy playing and that isolated little diddy that shows up sparsely throughout

 

Neurotica - I've always loved his part during the pre-chorus, my parents bought me RTB and Moving Pictures for Christmas in 1995 and I've always held those records in high esteem

 

Alien Shore - Great guitar at the beginning

 

Test for Echo - Title track always reminded me of Tool, the rest of the album has a lot of heavy riffs on it that I like, despite some weird lyrics

 

I tried to mention more obscure selections, but the last one I'll mention are those great pinch harmonics in Carnies! I don't know why he doesn't play them live, it's not like it's very difficult to do, but t's a minimal gripe and I don't regret forking out the cash to go to 3 shows this tour.

[Mr. JD]

I really like the guitar in Everyday Glory. The solo at the end of Mission also gets me every time.

[The Analog Grownup]

I really like the guitar in Everyday Glory. The solo at the end of Mission also gets me every time.

 

This is off topic but I just have to say I really like your signature photo :)

[BobBBQ]

Hope is the first thing that comes to mind :)

[tas7]

The outros to The Trees and Red Barchetta. On the past few albums they appear to have forgotten the light and shade that gave classic Rush albums their dynamism, if that's a word.

[The Analog Grownup]

Test For Echo reminds me of Tool also. Or I should say, Tool reminds me of Test For Echo ;)

[Citizen of the World]

The guitar at the end of Different Strings is incredible, except that it is way too short.

[beneathbetweenbehindyourmom]

Lessons destroys me. The guitar tone and agressive soloing just gets me all fired up.

 

The intro to the Camera Eye is pretty fantastic as many have said before. He always plays the perfect thing to build up a song.

 

Lock and Key obviously has a great solo, but my favorite thing about it is the arpegiated riff during the chorus at the "on the price of being free" and "...under lock and key" parts. It makes the song for me.

 

Mission has that great riff before the first verse starts and then during the second verse that is like 4 notes (or 5 or whatever it is. sorry haven't listened to it in a minute) that rings out capturing the mood perfectly. Brilliant stuff.

 

RTB had Alex with not my favorite guitar tone, but his playing was pretty bad ass. Someone earlier mentioned the "dive bombs" in Face Up and Dreamline and I second that notion for sure. I always do the air guitar full whammy bar press when I hear those parts.

 

Natty Sci features some incredible guitar work throughout, but that last short and sweet guitar solo is so f'n rad. I can't believe they don't play that part live. Of all the parts of a song you could shorten WHY do they have to skip over that solo!?! Arghh.

 

Best I Can solo is epic.

 

AFTK title track whole thing is great especially the solo over the odd time signiture. Best thing ever.

 

DEW has really cool riffage during the verses. It works cause its not right up in your face so Geddy's vocals can be up front, but essentially its like hes just soloing away. He does that on a lot of the synth era stuff and I find that kind of guitar presence to be pretty genius.

 

Oh yeah and the outro to Different Strings is pretty much my favorite thing ever.

[driventotheedge]

Speaking of great Alex blues playing, how about the intro to The Way the Wind Blows?

YES!!

Edited August 16, 2013 by driventotheedge

[losingit2k]

This is obviously a thread for guitarist but I'll give it a shot:

 

1. Alex Sus4 chord in Hemispheres

 

2. Everything on The Spirit of Radio

 

3. Lead on Limelight

 

4. harmonics on Red Barchetta

 

5. Lead during slow part of La Villa Strangiatto

 

6. Most Leads during Keyboard Years!

 

Honorable Mention: (Kid Gloves, Open Secret, Turn The Page, Marathon, Middletown Dreams, The Analog kid, Mission)

 

7. Sound on rhythm part of Mystic Rhythms

 

8. Everything in The Trees

 

9. Lead on YYZ

 

10. Most of his work on Clockwork Angels

 

Well that wasn't so hard after all!