Can you tell me what it was like to listen to Rush in 'their prime'

[Syrinx]

I was a fan of Rush since some time after the first album. A friend got me to listen and I was hooked. My band in high school covered Working Man and a couple of other tunes. My first concert was at Massey Hall for the ATWAS shows and I saw virtually every Toronto show for the next 10 years or so. They were such a huge part of my teenage years and continue to be to this day. I distinctly remember buying Fly By Night and Caress of Steel the days they were released, down at Sam the Recordman in downtown Toronto. Rush concerts were ritual events for me and my friends. So many great memories!

[drbirdsong]

I saw them for the first time on the Signals tour and after the show there was some bitching that they didn't play enough old stuff. I guess one man's prime is another man's over the hill. I recall a great performance, plenty of old songs, a wailing Geddy, a massive-ground-shaking drum solo and guitar to die for. It was really something and I have never stopped paying attention. 1979 to present for me and it is all prime.

[losingit2k]

It felt exactly the same way you felt when you were listening to Clockwork Angels.

 

"My God, these guys are f@cking genius....Oh crap I just Jizzed in my pants:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIeAOsNX_Es

Edited January 1, 2014 by losingit2k

[Rush_Experience_Band]

Saw them in 1979 and they were just on fire, the intensity and youthful energy were just something to behold...

[Rushman14]

Seen every tour since AFTK. words can't express....

[KennyLee]

The biggest differences between now and then:

 

1) Never a question about Ged's voice. Wasn't always perfect bu he always went for it.

 

2) Didn't care (or know) what the set list was going to be. They were all brilliant and there were not songs they couldn't or wouldn't do.

 

On their PeW tour they did versions of Tom Saywer and Limelight before MP came out. Absolutely fearless band.

 

Alex's solos weren't even worked on yet and the format of Tom Sawyer wasn't complete.

 

Edited January 6, 2014 by KennyLee

[KennyLee]

Here's Tom Sawyer before MP. Different words, structure and Alex's solo is just shredding as a place holder.

 

[Segue Myles]

I love being a new fan of Rush...I have 40 years of history at my feet and it is FUUUUN!

[jnoble]

I'm of the opinion that they're still in their prime musically. Haven't lost a thing. Geddy's voice has changed with age of course but that can't be stopped.

 

However, put those guys behind their instruments—better than ever!

 

That's pretty much it. They can still play their instruments just fine, it's just that Geddy's voice is nowhere NEAR what it used to be. I was listening to ATWAS in the car yesterday and What Your Doing (which always makes me want to violently headbang and/or want to run through a brick wall) was playing and I got sad remembering how Geddy used to have such a great hard rock voice. He could wail like a young Robert Plant, hit those super high notes without strain, the whole nine.

Also visually, seeing these guys age takes away from it a bit too. Geddy still looks pretty much like he did 20 years ago for the most part but Alex and especially Neil havnt really aged too well and I guess I like to associate rock and hard rock with younger fresh-faced guys running around the stage with energy. Again, like they did circa 1976 not the balding chubby faced guys sweating and struggling to make it through a show. I don't mean that with any disrespect towards the guys. Time is a bitch none of us can escape.

Edited January 7, 2014 by jnoble

[jnoble]

I started listening to them in 1980 and they immediately became my favourite band. The biggest differences between then and now, stylistic changes aside, were the ease of finding other Rush fans, and the information that is available about the band.

 

Back then I think the only other person I knew who was into Rush was my boyfriend at the time. Now I know many other people who like them. That's partially because I know more people in general, but also because with the Internet it is much easier to get to know/stay in touch with/learn about friends. And music is much better if you can share it.

 

The Internet is also the reason why it's so easy to get information about the band, their plans, and their tours. In the early 80s the only information I ever saw was in the few magazines I bought, and the only tour info was in the Sunday paper when tickets went on sale. Now we've got band websites, Wikipedia, online interviews, fan pages, online ticket sales and show schedules, etc. etc. It's incredibly easy to become immersed in the band, and younger people may not realize it wasn't always this way.

 

Yep, this. Back in the pre-early internet '90s, excitedly driving to the record store to get the new CD, see the cover-art for the first time, struggle to open the packaging without snapping the plastic casing, looking at the shiny no-fingerprints or scratches yet CD, playing it and taking in all the songs in for the very first time. No spoilers, no message boards, maybe if heard one of the songs on FM radio I might have some idea of what I'm going to hear.

 

I remember very clearly sitting in my parents living room taping on cassette the radio premere of Counterparts. I still have it somewhere. The first song played was Between Sun and Moon which I assumed was going to be the first song on the album.

Edited January 7, 2014 by jnoble

[JARG]

I was listening to ATWAS in the car yesterday and What Your Doing (which always makes me want to violently headbang and/or want to run through a brick wall) was playing and I got sad remembering how Geddy used to have such a great hard rock voice. He could wail like a young Robert Plant, hit those super high notes without strain, the whole nine.

 

Absolutely. Geddy's vocal performance on that version of the song is sublime.

[andreww]

In Toronto going to those Rush shows in the 70s was a religious experience. Ged, Alex & Neil were still just kids really, 23 years old the first time I saw them. Things were changing fast, they could feel it and we could feel it. Suddenly this trio that was playing the Gasworks mere months before was selling out the Gardens three or four nights in a row. It was a celebration, a victory for all of us. Critics hated them. Our parents hated them. Even our girlfriends hated them. But if you were a teenage guy in Toronto you got it, and you didn't give a crap what anybody else thought. Rush making it big had validated everything you believed in and it felt great. For those few hours we felt that we owned the city. As we filed out of the gardens on to Carlton street, a swarming mass of denim and Greb Kodiacs, we felt unified and those teenage problems that Neil talks about in Subdivisions all seemed to disappear.

 

Talk to anybody in Toronto who experienced those shows and I guarantee you that their fondest memories won't be about the concerts themselves, but about the good times the had with friends getting there. And the shows themselves were pretty f_cking awesome as well!

[ThinkingBig]

Clockwork Angels is easily one of the their 3 best albums.

 

They are sill in their PRIME.

 

They've had many Primes.

[GeddysMullet]

Talk to anybody in Toronto who experienced those shows and I guarantee you that their fondest memories won't be about the concerts themselves, but about the good times the had with friends getting there. And the shows themselves were pretty f_cking awesome as well!

 

Another thing that I experience as a Rush fan today :D :rush:

[JARG]

Clockwork Angels is easily one of the their 3 best albums.

 

They are sill in their PRIME.

 

They've had many Primes.

 

Somebody doesn't understand what "prime" means.

[Starman.2112]

I personally think they are more in their prime today then ever before. In fact, CWA seems to have ruined older Rush for me, I prefer to listen to CWA now!

[EagleMoon]

Clockwork Angels is easily one of the their 3 best albums.

 

They are sill in their PRIME.

 

They've had many Primes.

 

Somebody doesn't understand what "prime" means.

 

Well baked.

[ThinkingBig]

Hey Everyone!

 

This post may come off as rather odd or weird but I wanted to get this down because I have been thinking about it for quite a while. Please don't argue with me and say the band is still in 'their prime'. I saw the Clockwork Angels tour and it blew my face off - it was amazing. For the purposes of this post I am talking about the earlier years (release of Moving Pictures, etc etc)

 

I am a relatively 'new' fan. I am 31 years old - most of the band's material was released before I really got into them and dove into their entire catalog. That being said, whenever I watch older videos like the Limelight or Tom Sawyer vids from LeStudio I get this overwhelming feeling of sadness mixed with nostalgia that I will never know what it was like to hear those albums when they were released - never see those tours when they happened, etc. I can only experience the band in that era via the catalog of music and watching old videos on YouTube.

 

I know what you might be thinking: "he shouldn't feel sad listening to Rush! They are amazing and the music should be celebrated!". This is true and believe me I feel this. I am just taking a moment to whine and wish I was around when those albums were fresh and totally new at the time.

 

Does anyone want to chime in on this? What it was like to run out and buy those albums when they were released, see those tours, so on and so forth!

 

 

Vibrations were detected by my ear and transduced into nerve impulses that were then perceived by my brain, primarily in the temporal lobe. This experienced was often enhanced by THC .

 

 

take note, shelly, that's how it's done.

[jjgittes]

Thinkingbig makes a good point. When you say Rush in their prime, for me the whole concert going experience was different. Bringing illegal herbs and liquor into the venue was acceptable and much easier than it is today. When Rush went on stage, the party could just begin rather than end given the security hassles of today. Also, others have commented how us old guys brings the excitement level at shows down a bit. Seeing them in their prime meant the majority of the crowd were in their teens to mid-20's and the crowd was more in unison demographically, if that makes sense. Naturally, their material was a lot less so they couldn't upset people with the set list as some here were during this CA tour.

 

But bottom line, forget the setlist and security today. Seeing them live is still a must-see for me, as is spinning their CD's when I take a long drive. Their prime lives forever!

Edited January 15, 2014 by jjgittes

[John V]

Can you tell me what it was like to listen to Rush in 'their prime'

 

Just like listening to them today. They actually sound better in some regards as the technical aspect of music has drastically improved. With the exception of vocal decline, they are as good today as they were in 1977.

[Narps]

Can you tell me what it was like to listen to Rush in 'their prime'

 

Just like listening to them today. They actually sound better in some regards as the technical aspect of music has drastically improved. With the exception of vocal decline, they are as good today as they were in 1977.

"Back in the day" would have been a better term than "prime". It was different. Anybody around then could tell you.... :)

[Thunder Bay Rush]

To me, there was never a better Rush than the Rush from 77 - 81, which was the MP tour.

 

One thing that they've done in the last 10 - 15 years that I'm not really a fan of, is the whole comedy thing. Every tour these days, we can think "I wonder what the funny opening video will be like this year." Kind of repetitive... I preferred Rush back in the late 70s when they came out, no opening video (they didn't need one, nor do they today) and just kicked ass.

 

I used to think Rush was a cool band, not a funny one. Today, it seems they want to be comedians.

 

So, back in their prime, they were an awesome band. And, cool as hell too.

[EagleMoon]

It was more exciting because you had no idea what they were going to do. With the advent of the Internet, now everyone knows what the setlist is, what clothes they're wearing, how much weight they've gained since the last tour, and with YouTube, we get to see it. Part of the fun was the surprise.

[Bluefunk]

I used to think Rush was a cool band, not a funny one. Today, it seems they want to be comedians.

 

 

They've always had a sense of humour though- it's just that some never realised that they were being funny. I think I'm Going Bald, La Villa Strangiato, By-Tor and the Snow Dog... the liner notes betrayed this too ('A special thank you to Dirk, Lerxst, and Pratt' on A Farewell to Kings) as well as the album art (the covers of Hemispheres or Moving Pictures, for example).

[GeddysMullet]

I used to think Rush was a cool band, not a funny one. Today, it seems they want to be comedians.

 

 

They've always had a sense of humour though- it's just that some never realised that they were being funny. I think I'm Going Bald, La Villa Strangiato, By-Tor and the Snow Dog... the liner notes betrayed this too ('A special thank you to Dirk, Lerxst, and Pratt' on A Farewell to Kings) as well as the album art (the covers of Hemispheres or Moving Pictures, for example).

 

This is true. I remember back in the 70s Rush having a reputation for taking themselves too seriously and having absolutely no sense of humour at all. This, in fact, was one of the reasons I found them unappealing at the time. That pretty much the diametric opposite is true was one of many pleasant surprises for me thirty years on when I came late to the Rush party.