Why was Signals "the end" for some of you?

[Xanadoood]

Rush was a lot more accessible than Yes, King Crimson, 70s Genesis, Jethro Tull etc.. In fact, you could say they were the most juvenile, lyric wise, of all those bands.. They wrote stuff that was a lot more out there than Boston and Foreigner, but was definitley not Larks Toungues In Aspic... They changed up their sound at the the dawn of MTV and took it to the next level, but they always had catchy, accessible tunes Edited June 24, 2014 by Xanadoood

[Rutlefan]

As someone who was there, my experience at the time was that Rush was not widely liked among my peers not because they were "out there" but because they were considered a geeky/nerdy sci-fi band. My friends were into Molly Hatchet, AC-DC, The Cars, Jackson Brown, Van Halen, etc. Admitting you liked Rush was like admitting you were REALLY into Star Trek. Some people would be "you like Rush? That's cool," but most in that insecure, self-image conscious Jr. High age bracket would react with feigned disapproval (though few that didn't like them actually knew their music).

 

So, looking back, Rush wasn't rejected because they were non-commericial (Yes and others were far less commercial yet were both popular and mostly accepted by the masses), but because they sang songs about black holes and warring trees in a really high register. I loved them for it but it wasn't a popular opinion for sure. PeW and MP changed all that, but it seemed like a long climb to acceptance at the time.

[andreww]

I became less interested the day that Alex stopped being a master riff player and started being a textural background player. A lot of Rush's appeal in the 70s and 80s was that they were a musicians band. A great gauge for a bassist, guitarist or drummer's abilities. Their new sound was layered, convoluted and the instruments that we wanted to hear were hidden beneath so many layers of keyboards and were almost impossible to decipher. I also think that the lyrical content drifted from a heavy science fiction theme towards a more personal human relationship direction. Not that any of this was terrible, but as a young rocker, I really didn't appreciate the change in direction. Still don't.

[toymaker]

I think there are a lot of great guitar riffs on Signals.

[JARG]

I think there are a lot of great guitar riffs on Signals.

 

"Riff" is one of those words that means different things to different people. I can only think of two examples of what I would consider guitar riffs on the album: Analog Kid & The Weapon, and of those two, only AK is what I would consider a "great" riff. There is definitely some fine guitar playing on the record, but it's pretty short on actual riffs. (Again, "riff" being one of those funny sorts of words.)

[toymaker]

I think there are a lot of great guitar riffs on Signals.

 

"Riff" is one of those words that means different things to different people. I can only think of two examples of what I would consider guitar riffs on the album: Analog Kid & The Weapon, and of those two, only AK is what I would consider a "great" riff. There is definitely some fine guitar playing on the record, but it's pretty short on actual riffs. (Again, "riff" being one of those funny sorts of words.)

 

Curious to know if you think riff should be considered a sort of defining feature of the song? Then there's the other elusive term, "lick"...is the weedly-deedly thing Alex does in Chemistry a riff or a lick?

[JARG]

I think there are a lot of great guitar riffs on Signals.

 

"Riff" is one of those words that means different things to different people. I can only think of two examples of what I would consider guitar riffs on the album: Analog Kid & The Weapon, and of those two, only AK is what I would consider a "great" riff. There is definitely some fine guitar playing on the record, but it's pretty short on actual riffs. (Again, "riff" being one of those funny sorts of words.)

 

Curious to know if you think riff should be considered a sort of defining feature of the song?

 

It's a bit tough to define...it's more of a case that you know it when you hear it. The figure that Alex plays at the start of Finding My Way (and elsewhere in the song) is what I'd call a riff...the opening of TSOR is what I'd call a lick...but is shortly followed by a riff! Same thing with Free Will...it starts with a lick and switches to a riff.

That repetitive high-pitched thing he does in various spots in Chemistry is what I'd call a lick.

It's all subjective, of course...there are no rules for what constitutes a riff vs. a lick.

 

[Fridge]

I think that with Signals they made a bit of a hash of the production to be honest......if you actually deconstruct the music and separate out the instruments, the guitar is really quite bombastic and often even heavier than MP, but due to the keys being slightly too prominent in the mix, it really reduced the impact quite significantly.

 

I think at the time they were listening to a lot of their contemporaries and were trying to achieve a bit of a Simple Minds style mix (they were trying this a couple of years later when they nearly managed to get Steve Lillywhite to produce them).

 

As for the songs I think they are very strong indeed, though they were clearly listening to a lot of Police/U2 records then.

[Jaminbenb]

It wasn't the end for me, but it was an album that sort of put me at a loss for unrivaled support for the band. I was in pure heaven during the AFTK and Hemispheres era...when PW came out, I gave them a slight "pass" for the shorter songs, but "got" that they were trying to gain more fans by getting a "radio presence"... I DID eventually love that album, but it took a little while to really dig in to it...MP was another slight departure from their older style, but also felt like a next step from PW, and I figured that they'd push THAT into another direction with the next album...which I REALLY didn't like at that time! I still don't put Signals on the top of the playlist like some others... GuP was a "next step" sort of album for me from MP, skipping the Signals...then when Power Windows and HyF came out, I got into a....ok..they're losing their edge....sort of feeling with them, and even though I still picked up their albums the day they came out, I wasn't as thrilled as I once was....

[RobC]

I thought Signals was an excellent album at the time (and still do) the only track on it back then I didn't really get on with was Chemistry.

Thought Countdown was decent enough to buy the shaped picture disc of (or was it because it was a picture disc of the space shuttle ;) )

The Signals tour was also immense.

P/G on the other hand, total change in direction imo, I remember the first time i put that piece of vinyl on.

Gutted really is all I can say :|

I have "grown" to like it over the years but at the time it was a massive disappointment to me, like others all I could compare it to were the Police etc

Totally not what I was expecting as a follow up from Signals

Also like others i was listening to a lot of early 80s Synth stuff like Ultravox, John Foxx, Japan, Simple Minds etc so it wasn't just a case of "too much synth" for me.

Wasn't it also the first non Terry Brown Album? Just a thought

[KennyLee]

Signals was the last Terry Brown album. That is what makes it the end in a lot of ways. Broonsy was the best at making Rush sound like Rush.

 

What killed Broonsy for Alex was that mix I think. He recalled leaning over and pushing his guitar up in the mix and Broon just smiled at him and pulled it back down.

[Lorraine]

I don't think the Grace Under Pressure album sounds like The Police at all. And I like The Police. I will put the album on my list of Rush Things To Listen To today and see if I can hear what some of you are hearing on it. If you can, point me to one specific song on the album that you think sounds like The Police.

[GeddysMullet]

I don't think the Grace Under Pressure album sounds like The Police at all. And I like The Police. I will put the album on my list of Rush Things To Listen To today and see if I can hear what some of you are hearing on it. If you can, point me to one specific song on the album that you think sounds like The Police.

 

I don't think that Digital Man SOUNDS LIKE the Police, but I do think it sounds like a response to a Police influence.

[Lorraine]

Signals was the last Terry Brown album. That is what makes it the end in a lot of ways. Broonsy was the best at making Rush sound like Rush.

 

What killed Broonsy for Alex was that mix I think. He recalled leaning over and pushing his guitar up in the mix and Broon just smiled at him and pulled it back down.

 

Wow! I think if I had been Alex, I would have decked him for doing that.

[Rick N. Backer]

I've always loved Signals. I get that there is a heavy synth presence on the album, but songs like Subdivisions and The Weapon are still phenomenal. The Analog Kid and Digital Man are pretty heavy, guitar driven songs. For me, GUP is the first album on which they sound, start to finish, like an 80s New Wave band. I enjoy that album, but PoW was when I realized that GUP wasn't just a change of pace, but maybe a change of style, and I lost interest in the band for a long, long time.

[Lorraine]

I've always loved Signals. I get that there is a heavy synth presence on the album, but songs like Subdivisions and The Weapon are still phenomenal. The Analog Kid and Digital Man are pretty heavy, guitar driven songs. For me, GUP is the first album on which they sound, start to finish, like an 80s New Wave band. I enjoy that album, but PoW was when I realized that GUP wasn't just a change of pace, but maybe a change of style, and I lost interest in the band for a long, long time.

 

What album brought you back?

[Powderfinger]

Signals was the last Terry Brown album. That is what makes it the end in a lot of ways. Broonsy was the best at making Rush sound like Rush.

 

What killed Broonsy for Alex was that mix I think. He recalled leaning over and pushing his guitar up in the mix and Broon just smiled at him and pulled it back down.

 

I've seen this point about Broon smiling and lowering the fader before. I always find it odd, because the prevailing narrative is that Broon did not like the emphasis on keyboards and the general direction in which the band was headed—and of course stepped away as a result.

 

I've ranted about this in other threads: Signals, my favorite Rush album, is in my interpretation the most misrepresented, perhaps even misunderstood, album in the group's catalog.

[KennyLee]

Signals was the last Terry Brown album. That is what makes it the end in a lot of ways. Broonsy was the best at making Rush sound like Rush.

 

What killed Broonsy for Alex was that mix I think. He recalled leaning over and pushing his guitar up in the mix and Broon just smiled at him and pulled it back down.

 

I've seen this point about Broon smiling and lowering the fader before. I always find it odd, because the prevailing narrative is that Broon did not like the emphasis on keyboards and the general direction in which the band was headed—and of course stepped away as a result.

 

I've ranted about this in other threads: Signals, my favorite Rush album, is in my interpretation the most misrepresented, perhaps even misunderstood, album in the group's catalog.

 

I would love to see them reunite with Broon for one more album. That to me is their worst faux pa. Splitting from Terry.

[Rutlefan]

I don't think the Grace Under Pressure album sounds like The Police at all. And I like The Police. I will put the album on my list of Rush Things To Listen To today and see if I can hear what some of you are hearing on it. If you can, point me to one specific song on the album that you think sounds like The Police.

 

Second Digital Man as an example. Compare that guitar to say, Walking on the Moon. That said, I don't think of The Police when I hear GUP, but The Fixx, though harder and darker (which helps it).

[Lorraine]

I don't think the Grace Under Pressure album sounds like The Police at all. And I like The Police. I will put the album on my list of Rush Things To Listen To today and see if I can hear what some of you are hearing on it. If you can, point me to one specific song on the album that you think sounds like The Police.

 

Second Digital Man as an example. Compare that guitar to say, Walking on the Moon. That said, I don't think of The Police when I hear GUP, but The Fixx, though harder and darker (which helps it).

 

The Fixx! Now that's a blast from the past.

 

I listened to the album. Almost every band in the early to mid-eighties had that "sound". I happen to like it, but I know that not everyone did or does.

[toymaker]

I wonder if Terry Brown would have tried steering Lifeson and Lee away from all the layered, textured stuff. Just double the guitar parts and keep it simple. What would Vapor Trails have sounded like more stripped down, for example.

[JARG]

Signals was the last Terry Brown album. That is what makes it the end in a lot of ways. Broonsy was the best at making Rush sound like Rush.

 

What killed Broonsy for Alex was that mix I think. He recalled leaning over and pushing his guitar up in the mix and Broon just smiled at him and pulled it back down.

 

I've seen this point about Broon smiling and lowering the fader before. I always find it odd, because the prevailing narrative is that Broon did not like the emphasis on keyboards and the general direction in which the band was headed—and of course stepped away as a result.

 

I've ranted about this in other threads: Signals, my favorite Rush album, is in my interpretation the most misrepresented, perhaps even misunderstood, album in the group's catalog.

 

I would love to see them reunite with Broon for one more album. That to me is their worst faux pa. Splitting from Terry.

 

Everybody had mixed feelings about the function and the form (of Rush), but maybe those feelings have subsided by now.

[Turbine Freight]

Signals is ace. Synth - heavy or not, Rush could still write good songs back then. Solid album.

[JARG]

I wonder if Terry Brown would have tried steering Lifeson and Lee away from all the layered, textured stuff. Just double the guitar parts and keep it simple. What would Vapor Trails have sounded like more stripped down, for example.

Indeed.

[EagleMoon]

I wonder if Terry Brown would have tried steering Lifeson and Lee away from all the layered, textured stuff. Just double the guitar parts and keep it simple. What would Vapor Trails have sounded like more stripped down, for example.

Indeed.

 

I think he did try to steer them away from it. That's why he's gone.