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You acknowledge and accept that he's 62, but seemingly can't for the life of you understand why he doesn't sing like a younger Geddy.

My apologies for not making my point clear, which is this:

 

Why has Geddy chosen to push himself so hard vocally?

He is not young anymore.

Surely no one would hate on Geddy if he delivered his vocals in a more 'relaxed' manner.

 

Anyhow, it does seem wrong criticising Geddy.

I will always love Geddy regardless of what I state about his vocals for this particular video.

They shoud have filmed the Vegas show.

 

He pushed himself because he knew that this was probably on e of the last times he sings those songs with Rush, so he wanted to leave a good impression. As far as Ged's vocals go on recent 4 tours would rate them:

 

1. Snakes And Arrows

2. R40

3. Clockwork Angels

4. Time Machine

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This is one of the better performances of this song in recent live albums. Last rendition of TSOR I really liked was on R30.

 

The R30 rendition of almost every song played there is the best version. I'll still argue that Red Barchetta on R30 is still their best single recorded live song ever. It's perfect. That album is an incredible mix of an incredible performance.

 

That said, this is easily the best version of SoR since then, and an all-around excellent live rendition. Geddy is singing incredibly, there are even flashes where, I shit you not, he sounds just like he did in the early 2000's. The drums are mixed well, hi-hat is fully audible, and the end solo is killah.

 

Like most Rush fans, I know this song (and all the live recordings of it) incredibly well, so it's good to have it available as an anchor to gauge the overall quality. With that in mind, I am very, VERY excited to have this album in my hands and to play it non stop :)

 

Wow. After reading this I was pretty excited and decided to check out the video. Once Geddy started singing it was over for me; I just can't listen to that nasally, low-timbered whine he has used for the last few tours. Guess we all hear things differently.

 

I think we hear things the same, one of us just has unrealistic expectations ;)

 

Not at all. My expectations were that Geddy can't sing any more because on the last several live CDs I've heard he's obviously lost his voice. My expectation was exactly met.

Edited by MrMan
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Yeah some of you people cant admit. geddys voice blows now. to me, the last time he sounded good was the first leg of the snakes and arrows tour. The time machine tour wasn't needed. But he really sounded god awful on the 2 songs they did on rock n roll hall of fame.. Yeah, he voice also just changed and he struggles and just whines rather than sing. No one here could ever use geddy as a great singer in an argument against many great singers. Rush fans are like sport team fans. no matter how bad they go they still have loyal fan base..

 

I guess I just don't understand the point you're trying to make. I don't think his singing has turned terrible at all, I think it's literally the natural progression that aging would take on the kind of singing he does. Same with Brian Johnson and AC/DC. Dude doesn't sound anyyyyything like he used to, but he's still a boss. Mick Jagger too, he can be hard to understand, but like Geddy, he's an admirably old man that's still putting on a show.

 

Neil Young still sounds really good, but his singing style has never really stressed out his voice in any way, so he can comfortably rest there. And that's totally fine too. But that doesn't mean he's any better, it means he has a style that has its benefits.

 

You make it sound like Geddy should be compared to Bob Dylan or Ozzy Osbourne, who at this point in their musical careers barely register as coherent human beings. Geddy doesn't sound as good as he did in the 80's, 90's or even 2000's, it's true. You mention the S&A tour, but even that was pushing 10 years ago now. That's a long f***ing time. But he still sounds good to me, he just sounds different, because lo and behold, turning 60 means you can't wail like you used to. Listen to the Led Zeppelin 2007 reunion concert, and you'll see the exact same thing. Plant just can't do it like he once did, sing in such a high register. But he still sounds pretty f***ing good considering it's a bunch of old-ass men up there on stage.

I guess I just don't understand people who think the reality of a singer's aging somehow negates the fact the singing is terrible. You can defend Geddy all you want; if you enjoy listening to nasal whining knock yourself out. But most music fans feel differently. I absolutely GUARANTEE you if Geddy of the 70;s / 80's sang the original versions of all their great songs in the manner he currently sings them...this web site wouldn't exist. Rush wouldn't be an iconic rock band but instead they would be Budgie or April Wine or Brownsville Station: bands that had short runs of success but were almost completey forgotten after that short run.

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For anyone who is complaining about Geddy's voice, the man IS 62, right?

 

Give your head a shake.

 

Well, let's just say we have different views on this. I hear this from fans of older bands all the time..."well, they're xty years old, give 'em a break". But I don't evaluate how enjoyable music is based upon how old the musician; I evaluate music based upon how enjoyable the listen. I simply cannot stand listening to Geddy at this point in his career. Those of you who aren't bothered by his current voice...good for you! I'm happy - perplexed - but happy that you're still able to enjoy Rush's great music sung in a completely different manner than for most of their career.

 

But for many of us, that simply isn't true. And telling us what we already know (the band has aged) doesn't change how we feel or think about this.

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For anyone who is complaining about Geddy's voice, the man IS 62, right?

 

Give your head a shake.

 

You're right. Geddy is 62 years old.

So why he chooses to push his voice into a register that sounds so tortured is anyone's guess.

 

Honestly not meaning to be an a-hole. Just think Geddy has done himself a disservice with the yodel voice.

You acknowledge and accept that he's 62, but seemingly can't for the life of you understand why he doesn't sing like a younger Geddy.

 

There is a lot more I could add, but it would seem to be pointless. I kind of feel the analogy of Geddy is the quarterback who threw multiple touchdowns to help his team win the Super Bowl, and all some people will focus on is the few errant passes he made.

 

No. The analogy is of a QB who once was the MVP of the league...but now plays like a 3rd-stringer yet fans still think he's an MVP.

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For anyone who is complaining about Geddy's voice, the man IS 62, right?

 

Give your head a shake.

 

You're right. Geddy is 62 years old.

So why he chooses to push his voice into a register that sounds so tortured is anyone's guess.

 

Honestly not meaning to be an a-hole. Just think Geddy has done himself a disservice with the yodel voice.

You acknowledge and accept that he's 62, but seemingly can't for the life of you understand why he doesn't sing like a younger Geddy.

 

There is a lot more I could add, but it would seem to be pointless. I kind of feel the analogy of Geddy is the quarterback who threw multiple touchdowns to help his team win the Super Bowl, and all some people will focus on is the few errant passes he made.

 

No. The analogy is of a QB who once was the MVP of the league...but now plays like a 3rd-stringer yet fans still think he's an MVP.

Geddy a third stringer? Don't post until you've had your coffee. I've done that before and sounded like a fool too. Here- :coffee: :coffee: :coffee:

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I'm surprised they released a fourth song already

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jxfDuiDtzU

 

I *know*, right!?

 

Don't these guys know that pre-releasing so much free content does *not* fit with the narrative of them as money grubbers!?

 

I mean, come on guys, get with the narrative..... you are money grubbing jackwads who don't give a damn about the fans and sit around all day drinking fancy wine while wearing a top hats and monocles, smoking cigarettes with extra long filters, going "Mwuh ah ahhhhhh, aahhh, aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"!

 

Stop it with the free content. The fans hate that.

 

(Seriously, that's the narrative around some corners of TRF)

Edited by WorkingAllTheTime
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You can defend Geddy all you want; if you enjoy listening to nasal whining knock yourself out. But most music fans feel differently.

These kind of retorts always make me :LOL:. Know all these "music fans" personally, do you? Nice job of passively insulting the people who choose not to obsess over the fact that a 62 year-old vocalist isn't able to sing with the same power he had 35 years ago (a fact so obvious that even Geddy himself wouldn't deny it). Sure, if I wanted to just listen to live TSOR, I wouldn't reach for a 2015 version over one from 1980. But in the context of a 2015 concert video, I still find Geddy's vocals more than passable and I respect him for still getting up there at his age and trying to entertain Rush fans (TSOR has always been more about the great ensemble playing in it than Geddy's vocals for me anyway). Just don't understand this need people have to go on and on that Geddy "sucks". We get that's how you feel, but if you find it unlistenable, then don't listen. We would-be "music fans" don't need to be shown the light. :P Edited by TexMike
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Yeah some of you people cant admit. geddys voice blows now. to me, the last time he sounded good was the first leg of the snakes and arrows tour. The time machine tour wasn't needed. But he really sounded god awful on the 2 songs they did on rock n roll hall of fame.. Yeah, he voice also just changed and he struggles and just whines rather than sing. No one here could ever use geddy as a great singer in an argument against many great singers. Rush fans are like sport team fans. no matter how bad they go they still have loyal fan base..

 

I guess I just don't understand the point you're trying to make. I don't think his singing has turned terrible at all, I think it's literally the natural progression that aging would take on the kind of singing he does. Same with Brian Johnson and AC/DC. Dude doesn't sound anyyyyything like he used to, but he's still a boss. Mick Jagger too, he can be hard to understand, but like Geddy, he's an admirably old man that's still putting on a show.

 

Neil Young still sounds really good, but his singing style has never really stressed out his voice in any way, so he can comfortably rest there. And that's totally fine too. But that doesn't mean he's any better, it means he has a style that has its benefits.

 

You make it sound like Geddy should be compared to Bob Dylan or Ozzy Osbourne, who at this point in their musical careers barely register as coherent human beings. Geddy doesn't sound as good as he did in the 80's, 90's or even 2000's, it's true. You mention the S&A tour, but even that was pushing 10 years ago now. That's a long f***ing time. But he still sounds good to me, he just sounds different, because lo and behold, turning 60 means you can't wail like you used to. Listen to the Led Zeppelin 2007 reunion concert, and you'll see the exact same thing. Plant just can't do it like he once did, sing in such a high register. But he still sounds pretty f***ing good considering it's a bunch of old-ass men up there on stage.

I guess I just don't understand people who think the reality of a singer's aging somehow negates the fact the singing is terrible.

 

Full stop.

 

I said something similar a couple of weeks ago. Some people excuse Geddy's singing with the caveat, "He sounds great for a man in his 60s" as if that means he actually sounds good. I'll say it again, if the video in question was from a tribute band many people, Zumbi included, would be commenting on how bad the singer was.

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For anyone who is complaining about Geddy's voice, the man IS 62, right?

 

Give your head a shake.

 

Well, let's just say we have different views on this. I hear this from fans of older bands all the time..."well, they're xty years old, give 'em a break". But I don't evaluate how enjoyable music is based upon how old the musician; I evaluate music based upon how enjoyable the listen. I simply cannot stand listening to Geddy at this point in his career. Those of you who aren't bothered by his current voice...good for you! I'm happy - perplexed - but happy that you're still able to enjoy Rush's great music sung in a completely different manner than for most of their career.

 

But for many of us, that simply isn't true. And telling us what we already know (the band has aged) doesn't change how we feel or think about this.

 

Take any rocker who sings and plays a primary instrument, and Geddy sings in tune at a far greater percentage than most anyone else. Geddy wasn't exactly an American idol candidate on many live 70s recording either ya know....

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For me, he sounds fine when singing in his range. Like when he sings anything from the 90s forward he sounds fine. The problem comes when he sings the old stuff, or tries to sing songs that are normally in his range higher for some reason.
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This version for TSOR is OK for me. I really like the audio, but not the vocals. The vocals dont kill it for me yet. Its not the best but could have been up there if the editing could have focused more on each individual in the band playing their instruments and capture a little more energy from the band members. The problem with film crews is they don't come from the die-hard fan perspective. RiR would have been the best version hands down but I can't get past the audio mix. As a tangent my go-to version for Ghost Rider is RiR. Simply fantastic!

 

One thing I do wonder though is with the constant concerns over Geddy's voice and other comments (I personally don't think Alex makes any more mistakes than he did in the 70s/80s based on boots) in these forums if that has a semi to moderate effect on the boys looming decision to hang up the gloves or not. Wwe'll never know.

Edited by rtmed
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This version for TSOR is OK for me. I really like the audio, but not the vocals. The vocals dont kill it for me yet. Its not the best but could have been up there if the editing could have focused more on each individual in the band playing their instruments and capture a little more energy from the band members. The problem with film crews is they don't come from the die-hard fan perspective. RiR would have been the best version hands down but I can't get past the audio mix. As a tangent my go-to version for Ghost Rider is RiR. Simply fantastic!

 

One thing I do wonder though is with the constant concerns over Geddy's voice and other comments (I personally don't think Alex makes any more mistakes than he did in the 70s/80s based on boots) in these forums if that has a semi to moderate effect on the boys looming decision to hang up the gloves or not. Wwe'll never know.

I seriously doubt it. They know their own skill levels better than we ever could
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For me, he sounds fine when singing in his range. Like when he sings anything from the 90s forward he sounds fine. The problem comes when he sings the old stuff, or tries to sing songs that are normally in his range higher for some reason.

I've actually noticed a bit of the opposite. The CA songs didn't sound super awesome this time around, but I was thoroughly impressed with how he hit the high notes in Hemispheres (even down tuned it's still hard to sing) and he absolutely KILLED Lakeside Park
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One thing I do wonder though is with the constant concerns over Geddy's voice and other comments (I personally don't think Alex makes any more mistakes than he did in the 70s/80s based on boots) in these forums if that has a semi to moderate effect on the boys looming decision to hang up the gloves or not. Wwe'll never know.

 

Haha, I can't imagine they read these forums and take out opinions so heavily into account.

 

If anything Geddy is continuously the sole member who says he'd like to keep going.

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Yeah some of you people cant admit. geddys voice blows now. to me, the last time he sounded good was the first leg of the snakes and arrows tour. The time machine tour wasn't needed. But he really sounded god awful on the 2 songs they did on rock n roll hall of fame.. Yeah, he voice also just changed and he struggles and just whines rather than sing. No one here could ever use geddy as a great singer in an argument against many great singers. Rush fans are like sport team fans. no matter how bad they go they still have loyal fan base..

 

I guess I just don't understand the point you're trying to make. I don't think his singing has turned terrible at all, I think it's literally the natural progression that aging would take on the kind of singing he does. Same with Brian Johnson and AC/DC. Dude doesn't sound anyyyyything like he used to, but he's still a boss. Mick Jagger too, he can be hard to understand, but like Geddy, he's an admirably old man that's still putting on a show.

 

Neil Young still sounds really good, but his singing style has never really stressed out his voice in any way, so he can comfortably rest there. And that's totally fine too. But that doesn't mean he's any better, it means he has a style that has its benefits.

 

You make it sound like Geddy should be compared to Bob Dylan or Ozzy Osbourne, who at this point in their musical careers barely register as coherent human beings. Geddy doesn't sound as good as he did in the 80's, 90's or even 2000's, it's true. You mention the S&A tour, but even that was pushing 10 years ago now. That's a long f***ing time. But he still sounds good to me, he just sounds different, because lo and behold, turning 60 means you can't wail like you used to. Listen to the Led Zeppelin 2007 reunion concert, and you'll see the exact same thing. Plant just can't do it like he once did, sing in such a high register. But he still sounds pretty f***ing good considering it's a bunch of old-ass men up there on stage.

I guess I just don't understand people who think the reality of a singer's aging somehow negates the fact the singing is terrible. You can defend Geddy all you want; if you enjoy listening to nasal whining knock yourself out. But most music fans feel differently. I absolutely GUARANTEE you if Geddy of the 70;s / 80's sang the original versions of all their great songs in the manner he currently sings them...this web site wouldn't exist. Rush wouldn't be an iconic rock band but instead they would be Budgie or April Wine or Brownsville Station: bands that had short runs of success but were almost completey forgotten after that short run.

 

I understand your viewpoint. I think to some extent there is a bit of hero worship going on (and I mean this in the politest possible sense). For some of us, perhaps, if you've grown up with the band, there is a satisfaction in hearing Lee gamely working to reach the notes, to show that he can still reach them for the most part, even if some quality is sacrificed in the effort. He'll never achieve that amazing shriek again, but he's also not totally conceding defeat. It's the 62-year-old Lee's version of what the 27-year-old Lee could once do. Of course anyone can take it or leave it, enjoy it or not enjoy it. I find it sort of brave, in a way, and a lot of fans support his efforts. I don't say "most" fans, like you did, because who am I to know for certain? Except that on their last tour they were selling out or close to selling out rather large venues - it can't possibly be that all of those fans were thinking, "well, Geddy's voice kind of sucks now, but let's go see them anyway."

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For me, he sounds fine when singing in his range. Like when he sings anything from the 90s forward he sounds fine. The problem comes when he sings the old stuff, or tries to sing songs that are normally in his range higher for some reason.

I've actually noticed a bit of the opposite. The CA songs didn't sound super awesome this time around, but I was thoroughly impressed with how he hit the high notes in Hemispheres (even down tuned it's still hard to sing) and he absolutely KILLED Lakeside Park

 

He certainly killed it for me. I couldn't get more than a few seconds past the point where he starts "singing" in any of the youtubes I saw.

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and singing since time machine tour "emotional feedback on A timeless wavelength" instead of singing "on timeless wavelength" like the studio likes done up until he decided to change it by adding that extra lyric on time machine and never looked back..
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and singing since time machine tour "emotional feedback on A timeless wavelength" instead of singing "on timeless wavelength" like the studio likes done up until he decided to change it by adding that extra lyric on time machine and never looked back..

 

He sings "on a timeless wavelength" even on the studio cut; he just sort of runs the "on" and "a" together, so that it comes off as "ona".

 

Here's a pre-time machine show where you can clearly hear it.

 

http://youtu.be/5QylVq8enyk

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