Cygnus 2112 Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 I am enjoying Test For Echo a lot right now. Because of this, I am going to give all the albums I struggle with another go. VT can't be as bad as I think it is, and the last time I played SA I found it a lot better than I remembered (even Spindrift!).Have you heard the original Vapour Trails or just the Re-Master? If you haven't yet, you should check out the original and listen to it 5 or 6 times and then listen to the Re-Master. It'll make the Re-Master sound so much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Segue Myles Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Ok will do! But I don't like the songs themselves at the moment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Ok will do! But I don't like the songs themselves at the moment...Have you read Ghost Rider? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhyta Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 (edited) Ok will do! But I don't like the songs themselves at the moment...Have you read Ghost Rider?Vapor Trails is fantastic to me, when I watched Rush in Rio and saw that crowd getting into the songs, I fell in love with it. Ghost Rider the novel really gives you the backstory behind those songs. All the grieving Neil did and how it looked like the band was done for , many saw Vapor Trails as a triumph over those odds against the group recording again. I listen to it all the time and I prefer some of the original cuts, but I am glad they did the remix so many can see what they have been missing with VT Edited January 13, 2014 by Rhyta 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Segue Myles Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 I must admit, the live songs on Rush In Rio were really good, I guess I just don't like the studio recordings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThinkingBig Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 It's been 6 years since this album was released, and we've been through another album, the remixing of another, and a handful of live albums, so I'm curious how this album sitting with everyone currently. While I think Clockwork Angels blows Snakes and Arrows out of the water, I still think Snakes and Arrows is a very solid album. I mean, it has its clunker (Bravest Face) but the album as a whole is still ranked around middle-of-the-pack for me. I like it better than Vapor Trails, yet Vapor Trails is also very good. Thoughts? It's a far cry from Clockwork Angels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toscanobarga Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Snakes and Arrows is an OK album, but suffers from the disease that afflicts so many CD-era albums. It's just too damn long. I long for a return to the days of the 40-minute album, cut the filler, not EVERY riff/melody idea deserves it's own song. Incorporate them into other songs, or save for the occasional "outtakes" type release. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefox4000 Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Snakes and Arrows is an OK album, but suffers from the disease that afflicts so many CD-era albums. It's just too damn long. I long for a return to the days of the 40-minute album, cut the filler, not EVERY riff/melody idea deserves it's own song. Incorporate them into other songs, or save for the occasional "outtakes" type release. Totally agree. Rush has definitely Fallen prey to this. CA too. Way to long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Segue Myles Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 To be honest, the CD generation hasn't always been bad...we got a four disc box set of unreleased songs from Bruce Springsteen in 1998! Its a lovely, lovely boxy thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnoble Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Snakes and Arrows is an OK album, but suffers from the disease that afflicts so many CD-era albums. It's just too damn long. I long for a return to the days of the 40-minute album, cut the filler, not EVERY riff/melody idea deserves it's own song. Incorporate them into other songs, or save for the occasional "outtakes" type release. Having not one, not two, but THREE instrumentals on one album just reeked of "we're trying to fill space" to me when I first got this CD. And only one of those three songs even fit the tone of the album. Malignant Narcissism, as fun as it is, sticks out like a sore thumb to my ears. Oddly enough, some of Rush's best songs on certain albums turned out to be the ones they recorded literally last minute as an afterthought: Force Ten, New World Man, Far Cry, Twilight Zone, Malignant Narc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnoble Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Snakes and Arrows is an OK album, but suffers from the disease that afflicts so many CD-era albums. It's just too damn long. I long for a return to the days of the 40-minute album, cut the filler, not EVERY riff/melody idea deserves it's own song. Incorporate them into other songs, or save for the occasional "outtakes" type release. Totally agree. Rush has definitely Fallen prey to this. CA too. Way to long.I'm pretty sure that album wouldve have been loved just as much by the fans if Halo Effect, BU2B2 and Wish Them Well were left in a jumble of tape on the mixing room floor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAccountant Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 This may offend some (or course that has not stopped me in the past - e.g. my dislike of VT) but not only do I like S & A but I like it more that CA. S & A starts fast with a bunch of very good, solid songs. Far Cry, A & S, Working Them Angeles, The Larger Bowl, The Main Monkey Business, The Way the Wind Blows, Hope. All very good. Spindthrift may not be anything special but its not a complete nightmare either. Faithless is not exactly 100% to my personal taste but its not a bad song. It does make me think. Mal Nar is nothing special but is not a complete nightmare either. Yes their are some weak songs near the end of the album but it does close with We Hold On, another very good song. CA on the other hand starts with a bunch of dogs (IMO). All of a sudden you get Halo Effect - which is very good - and the album takes off. 7 Cities of Gold, Headlong Flight, The Wreckers, Wish Them Well, The Garden - all very good songs. Yes you get BU2B2 - sigh. But I actually don't dislike it as much as most folks seem to. If it was a relay race S & A would jump to a huge early lead and then hang on for the win. CA would make a determined comeback and would get reasonably close but just could not catch up. So yes, I do like S & A - like it more than the strong T4E as well. Don't get me started comparing it to the original VT. I have only listened to the remix once - so far. All I will say is the remix is much better - the again, it could hardly be worse. So yes - good album which I would recommend. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnoble Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 This may offend some (or course that has not stopped me in the past - e.g. my dislike of VT) but not only do I like S & A but I like it more that CA. S & A starts fast with a bunch of very good, solid songs. Far Cry, A & S, Working Them Angeles, The Larger Bowl, The Main Monkey Business, The Way the Wind Blows, Hope. All very good. Spindthrift may not be anything special but its not a complete nightmare either. Faithless is not exactly 100% to my personal taste but its not a bad song. It does make me think. Mal Nar is nothing special but is not a complete nightmare either. Yes their are some weak songs near the end of the album but it does close with We Hold On, another very good song. CA on the other hand starts with a bunch of dogs (IMO). All of a sudden you get Halo Effect - which is very good - and the album takes off. 7 Cities of Gold, Headlong Flight, The Wreckers, Wish Them Well, The Garden - all very good songs. Yes you get BU2B2 - sigh. But I actually don't dislike it as much as most folks seem to. If it was a relay race S & A would jump to a huge early lead and then hang on for the win. CA would make a determined comeback and would get reasonably close but just could not catch up. So yes, I do like S & A - like it more than the strong T4E as well. Don't get me started comparing it to the original VT. I have only listened to the remix once - so far. All I will say is the remix is much better - the again, it could hardly be worse. So yes - good album which I would recommend. TFE is a "strong" album? Ok then. Different strokes for different folks.... :D 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedRush Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Snakes and Arrows is an OK album, but suffers from the disease that afflicts so many CD-era albums. It's just too damn long. I long for a return to the days of the 40-minute album, cut the filler, not EVERY riff/melody idea deserves it's own song. Incorporate them into other songs, or save for the occasional "outtakes" type release. Totally agree. Rush has definitely Fallen prey to this. CA too. Way to long.I'm pretty sure that album wouldve have been loved just as much by the fans if Halo Effect, BU2B2 and Wish Them Well were left in a jumble of tape on the mixing room floor Not by me. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnoble Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Snakes and Arrows is an OK album, but suffers from the disease that afflicts so many CD-era albums. It's just too damn long. I long for a return to the days of the 40-minute album, cut the filler, not EVERY riff/melody idea deserves it's own song. Incorporate them into other songs, or save for the occasional "outtakes" type release. Totally agree. Rush has definitely Fallen prey to this. CA too. Way to long.I'm pretty sure that album wouldve have been loved just as much by the fans if Halo Effect, BU2B2 and Wish Them Well were left in a jumble of tape on the mixing room floor Not by me. Well if the songs were never recorded thus never heard by the fans, you wouldnt know what you were missing in the first place. And that album would still have gone on to be loved by most fans I'm sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughes&kettner Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Anyone own snakes & arrows on vinyl? Cant seem to finda copy for less than $300....yikes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 This may offend some (or course that has not stopped me in the past - e.g. my dislike of VT) but not only do I like S & A but I like it more that CA. S & A starts fast with a bunch of very good, solid songs. Far Cry, A & S, Working Them Angeles, The Larger Bowl, The Main Monkey Business, The Way the Wind Blows, Hope. All very good. Spindthrift may not be anything special but its not a complete nightmare either. Faithless is not exactly 100% to my personal taste but its not a bad song. It does make me think. Mal Nar is nothing special but is not a complete nightmare either. Yes their are some weak songs near the end of the album but it does close with We Hold On, another very good song. CA on the other hand starts with a bunch of dogs (IMO). All of a sudden you get Halo Effect - which is very good - and the album takes off. 7 Cities of Gold, Headlong Flight, The Wreckers, Wish Them Well, The Garden - all very good songs. Yes you get BU2B2 - sigh. But I actually don't dislike it as much as most folks seem to. If it was a relay race S & A would jump to a huge early lead and then hang on for the win. CA would make a determined comeback and would get reasonably close but just could not catch up. So yes, I do like S & A - like it more than the strong T4E as well. Don't get me started comparing it to the original VT. I have only listened to the remix once - so far. All I will say is the remix is much better - the again, it could hardly be worse. So yes - good album which I would recommend. TFE is a "strong" album? Ok then. Different strokes for different folks.... :DThe hypothesis kind of crumbles at that point, doesn't? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aikenrooster Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Can I be honest? I think Snakes and Arrows was Neil Peart just laying all the cards down on the table. I believe it is about as honest as it can get, lyrically. Take it or leave it. He wrote it like there was not going to be another album. Clockwork Angels is written as a veiled allegory, perhaps, for his new daughter to be able to enjoy now, but not fully understand until later. But, it wasn't "in your face" like Snakes & Arrows. I think Snakes & Arrows was militant atheism, and I love it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleMoon Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Can I be honest? I think Snakes and Arrows was Neil Peart just laying all the cards down on the table. I believe it is about as honest as it can get, lyrically. Take it or leave it. He wrote it like there was not going to be another album. Clockwork Angels is written as a veiled allegory, perhaps, for his new daughter to be able to enjoy now, but not fully understand until later. But, it wasn't "in your face" like Snakes & Arrows. I think Snakes & Arrows was militant atheism, and I love it. I never thought of it quite that way but it makes perfect sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USB Connector Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Most of the album suffers from being overly formulaic. soft part, heavy distortion, soft part, heavy distortion and Hope feels like blatant filler or a scrapped idea for a proper acoustic song/instrumental. That being said: Far Cry and Workin' Them Angels are among the best song Rush has put out. We Hold On, Malnar and The Main Monkey Business are also solid tracks but nothing truly noteworthy. The rest IMO is among the weakest Rush has ever made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnoble Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Most of the album suffers from being overly formulaic. soft part, heavy distortion, soft part, heavy distortion and Hope feels like blatant filler or a scrapped idea for a proper acoustic song/instrumental. That being said: Far Cry and Workin' Them Angels are among the best song Rush has put out. We Hold On, Malnar and The Main Monkey Business are also solid tracks but nothing truly noteworthy. The rest IMO is among the weakest Rush has ever made. I remember quite well trying to get as excited about Snakes as everyone else on here seemed to be. Listening at home. Listening in the car. Listening on my PC while on the internet. None of it worked. I'd get like 30 seconds into a song and just stop caring and skip to the next one. And the more I tried the more I hated it. I must have yelled "f**k this album!!" while angerly ejecting it from the player a bunch of times before giving up. The lyrics sucked and the music was boring and hooklessI'd also like to nominate Spindrift as another example of "a good riff in search of a better song" along with Virtuality. Spindrift starts off good and then goes nowhere and has no resolve or hook. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toscanobarga Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Anyone own snakes & arrows on vinyl? Cant seem to finda copy for less than $300....yikes Seriously ? I got it for 40 when it came out, on Amazon. Yikes indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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