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The Camera Eye


Lorraine
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From a drummer's perspective...I don't know if I'm an exception or not, but I rarely know where to come in by counting. Sometimes, yes, in some passages. But as far as The Camera Eye is concerned- I think it's really hard to count, especially during the intro to that song, with what the keyboard is doing, before the guitar or the drums come in. But I've listened to it enough times, I know every segment of the intro well enough, that I can just feel the rhythm before it hits.

 

It is very subtle, in that one. But that's the best way I can describe it. It isn't a matter of counting. I can just feel it coming.

That's very much how you learn and play Rush. You simply have to listen over and over and absorb it so it's second nature. Trying to keep count, especially with the crazy time signature changes, is harder than Calculus. The beginning riff of YYZ for example.

 

I was going to cite YYZ as one that I almost never come in on the beat, at the start. I've never even been able to pick out the rhythm that's being played on the triangle!

 

The fact that all three of them have it mastered, and played it live for so many years...it just blows my mind.

 

How can you not pick it out? It mimics the the guitar riff when EVERYBODY kicks into that song. It's based on morse code right?

Y _ . _ _ Y _ . _ _ Z _ _ . .
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I'm watching Tapehead2's video bootleg from MSG during the Time Machine tour. I have to hand it to her. Whatever she does is excellent, and I am so grateful to her for preserving so many shows for Rush fans.

 

Anyway, I notice Neil is wearing headphones.

 

Edit: I'm also thankful to her for keeping the camera on Neil at the beginning of Witch Hunt. :cheers:

 

I'm guessing the headphones are so Neil can listen to the click track, to help keep himself in time. He uses it in Red Sector A as well. And he used to during The Weapon. Don't remember what other tracks he uses them on.

He had them on the whole concert. I don't know why. Maybe someone here knows.

 

Were they headphones or just in-ear type plugs? I know the guys use those earbud type things so they can hear everything, in-ear monitors I guess they are called. But then I do recall reading somewhere Neil didn't like those and preferred headphones. I have the TMT dvd and I saw them twice on that tour, and danged if I can remember at the moment him wearing headphones the whole time? Maybe at that one show he used them because of his dislike of the in-ear monitors? Like you said, maybe someone here can shed some light on that for us.

 

I'm pretty sure he had an ear infection for a while on the Time Machine Tour, thus the headphones for a few shows.

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The Camera Eye is Xanadu rewritten for MP-era Rush. Similar length, structure, variance in levels of intensity, placement of guitar solo, use of ambience in the intro, other notable factors. However the lyrics are quite different and they aren't at all the same song. Xanadu is much more exciting IMO, and much more adventurous. It took me quite a while to shake the feeling that TCE just doesn't really go anywhere.
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It would've been great if they didn't have to feel the pressure of only a 90 minute set.

 

The one I have from April 9th is a two hour show.

 

4/8 and 4/9 are/have both been on youtube. You really can't tell the difference between them.

 

Is there a difference? Could it bee the same show? I know they were at the Forum both nights, but were they both filmed?

 

If I recall correctly, 4/8/83 is the first time a full fan shot Rush video was recorded.

Edited by ytserush
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I love The Camera Eye. In my opinion,the third best song on the album after Limelight and Red Barchetta.

 

These three songs are better than any of the songs from the two previous albums, and ANYTHING they released up until Presto.

 

stop-right-there-weird-art-work.gif

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Can someone tell me what's the deal with the two odd voices at the 8:56 and 8:58 mark of the song ?

 

The second one ( 8:58 ) I have always heard, but the other one is new to me ( after getting the CD )

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwDQGkjG1FM

 

Just Al and Ged messing around. Saying Hello and Morning guv.

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I love The Camera Eye. In my opinion,the third best song on the album after Limelight and Red Barchetta.

 

These three songs are better than any of the songs from the two previous albums, and ANYTHING they released up until Presto.

 

stop-right-there-weird-art-work.gif

I don't really agree with your always praising the debut as an all time classic either, buddy! Haha (opinion...opinion...I am glad you look outside the box!).

Edited by Segue Myles
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From a drummer's perspective...I don't know if I'm an exception or not, but I rarely know where to come in by counting. Sometimes, yes, in some passages. But as far as The Camera Eye is concerned- I think it's really hard to count, especially during the intro to that song, with what the keyboard is doing, before the guitar or the drums come in. But I've listened to it enough times, I know every segment of the intro well enough, that I can just feel the rhythm before it hits.

 

It is very subtle, in that one. But that's the best way I can describe it. It isn't a matter of counting. I can just feel it coming.

That's very much how you learn and play Rush. You simply have to listen over and over and absorb it so it's second nature. Trying to keep count, especially with the crazy time signature changes, is harder than Calculus. The beginning riff of YYZ for example.

 

I was going to cite YYZ as one that I almost never come in on the beat, at the start. I've never even been able to pick out the rhythm that's being played on the triangle!

 

The fact that all three of them have it mastered, and played it live for so many years...it just blows my mind.

 

How can you not pick it out? It mimics the the guitar riff when EVERYBODY kicks into that song. It's based on morse code right?

 

How can I not pick it out?

 

I must not be as brilliant as you. Mea culpa.

 

It's just one of those songs, for me. I can play about four minutes and twenty seconds out of its four minute and twenty-four second length...it's just the start of it, coming in at exactly the right time, after the triangle opening.

 

There are other things I can time perfectly that other people have trouble with. :huh:

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From a drummer's perspective...I don't know if I'm an exception or not, but I rarely know where to come in by counting. Sometimes, yes, in some passages. But as far as The Camera Eye is concerned- I think it's really hard to count, especially during the intro to that song, with what the keyboard is doing, before the guitar or the drums come in. But I've listened to it enough times, I know every segment of the intro well enough, that I can just feel the rhythm before it hits.

 

It is very subtle, in that one. But that's the best way I can describe it. It isn't a matter of counting. I can just feel it coming.

That's very much how you learn and play Rush. You simply have to listen over and over and absorb it so it's second nature. Trying to keep count, especially with the crazy time signature changes, is harder than Calculus. The beginning riff of YYZ for example.

 

I was going to cite YYZ as one that I almost never come in on the beat, at the start. I've never even been able to pick out the rhythm that's being played on the triangle!

 

The fact that all three of them have it mastered, and played it live for so many years...it just blows my mind.

 

How can you not pick it out? It mimics the the guitar riff when EVERYBODY kicks into that song. It's based on morse code right?

 

How can I not pick it out?

 

I must not be as brilliant as you. Mea culpa.

 

It's just one of those songs, for me. I can play about four minutes and twenty seconds out of its four minute and twenty-four second length...it's just the start of it, coming in at exactly the right time, after the triangle opening.

 

There are other things I can time perfectly that other people have trouble with. :huh:

try listening with headphones and just do a single 'clap' exactly when the drums come in. eventually it might sink into the gray matter and become 2nd nature.

 

It's almost like getting the timing down for a beginning of a song when there's no actual countdown...like timing the end of the pause before 'freewill' starts. On a good day I'm 50/50 on that one.

Edited by 2112FirstStreet
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...how do you stop from coming in a few seconds too soon?

 

 

I think about baseball.

 

I tried not to laugh.

 

In the future, I better proof what I am about to post with a fine-tooth comb to be certain nothing I've written can be taken in any way other than intended. :unsure:

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From a drummer's perspective...I don't know if I'm an exception or not, but I rarely know where to come in by counting. Sometimes, yes, in some passages. But as far as The Camera Eye is concerned- I think it's really hard to count, especially during the intro to that song, with what the keyboard is doing, before the guitar or the drums come in. But I've listened to it enough times, I know every segment of the intro well enough, that I can just feel the rhythm before it hits.

 

It is very subtle, in that one. But that's the best way I can describe it. It isn't a matter of counting. I can just feel it coming.

That's very much how you learn and play Rush. You simply have to listen over and over and absorb it so it's second nature. Trying to keep count, especially with the crazy time signature changes, is harder than Calculus. The beginning riff of YYZ for example.

 

I was going to cite YYZ as one that I almost never come in on the beat, at the start. I've never even been able to pick out the rhythm that's being played on the triangle!

 

The fact that all three of them have it mastered, and played it live for so many years...it just blows my mind.

 

How can you not pick it out? It mimics the the guitar riff when EVERYBODY kicks into that song. It's based on morse code right?

 

How can I not pick it out?

 

I must not be as brilliant as you. Mea culpa.

 

It's just one of those songs, for me. I can play about four minutes and twenty seconds out of its four minute and twenty-four second length...it's just the start of it, coming in at exactly the right time, after the triangle opening.

 

There are other things I can time perfectly that other people have trouble with. :huh:

 

You can hear the beat much easier if you listen to it on any of the live recordings. The studio version is harder to hear.

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If you're talking about YYZ, it's one of the easiest Rush songs to play, drum wise. Edited by Thunder Bay Rush
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For you drummers - do you count between or do you just anticipate your next drum beat? If the latter, how do you stop from coming in a few seconds too soon? I would think if you anticipate rather than count, it would be easy to jump the gun. At least that happens to me when I try to air drum. I do better when I don't think ahead and just go with the song.

 

Neil has spoken often that even though GedAl write complex pieces of music he tries to learn the music or riffs rather than doing hardcore counting out measures. Being able to do that and learn and play new material is what makes a great musician in my opinion. Being able to count and having some technical proficiency on an instrument is not as hard as bringing music to life.

 

That being said...I learned these rush songs by listening & counting and the synth running throughout the background of TCE helps a lot. TCE is one of my all time favorite songs. Al's chords and harmonics are so BIG and dark...layered with those keyboards is an awesome deep minor key feeling (or melancholy that someone mentioned earlier)..and his solo is fantastic. Love it.

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For you drummers - do you count between or do you just anticipate your next drum beat? If the latter, how do you stop from coming in a few seconds too soon? I would think if you anticipate rather than count, it would be easy to jump the gun. At least that happens to me when I try to air drum. I do better when I don't think ahead and just go with the song.

 

Neil has spoken often that even though GedAl write complex pieces of music he tries to learn the music or riffs rather than doing hardcore counting out measures. Being able to do that and learn and play new material is what makes a great musician in my opinion. Being able to count and having some technical proficiency on an instrument is not as hard as bringing music to life.

 

That being said...I learned these rush songs by listening & counting and the synth running throughout the background of TCE helps a lot. TCE is one of my all time favorite songs. Al's chords and harmonics are so BIG and dark...layered with those keyboards is an awesome deep minor key feeling (or melancholy that someone mentioned earlier)..and his solo is fantastic. Love it.

 

I agree. Like I said yesterday (I think), in my opinion the song has been overshadowed by other Rush songs. I don't know what made me even look at the R40 video of it the other day, but I suddenly realized, when intently watching them play it, what a complicated song it must be to play and how amazing a song it is.

Edited by Lorraine
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It would've been great if they didn't have to feel the pressure of only a 90 minute set.

 

The one I have from April 9th is a two hour show.

 

4/8 and 4/9 are/have both been on youtube. You really can't tell the difference between them.

 

Is there a difference? Could it bee the same show? I know they were at the Forum both nights, but were they both filmed?

 

If I recall correctly, 4/8/83 is the first time a full fan shot Rush video was recorded.

 

They're wearing different clothes. You can probably find subtle differences in the music, but..... they're essentially the same show since they have the same setlist.

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If you're talking about YYZ, it's one of the easiest Rush songs to play, drum wise.

 

I beg to differ.

 

It may not be La Villa Strangiato or Cygnus Book I...but I would venture to say that Entre Nous, Different Strings, The Pass, and Bravado (and a host of others I'm not thinking of at the moment) are all much simpler than YYZ.

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So has anyone ever noticed how playful Geddy's bass is at in some of the first "verses" of TCE? I just noticed today and it really adds a new color to that section.
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So has anyone ever noticed how playful Geddy's bass is at in some of the first "verses" of TCE? I just noticed today and it really adds a new color to that section.

:goodone:

 

"Playful" is a good way to describe everyone's performances on this one. The moog noodling, Neil's intro snare work, as you note, Geddy's bass work, and Alex's killer solo.

 

Even the " 'ello. Mornin' Guv."

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If you're talking about YYZ, it's one of the easiest Rush songs to play, drum wise.

 

I beg to differ.

 

It may not be La Villa Strangiato or Cygnus Book I...but I would venture to say that Entre Nous, Different Strings, The Pass, and Bravado (and a host of others I'm not thinking of at the moment) are all much simpler than YYZ.

Yes, there are quite a few songs that easier to play than YYZ, but, even still, YYZ is very easy to play on drums... the solos are very basic.

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For you drummers - do you count between or do you just anticipate your next drum beat? If the latter, how do you stop from coming in a few seconds too soon? I would think if you anticipate rather than count, it would be easy to jump the gun. At least that happens to me when I try to air drum. I do better when I don't think ahead and just go with the song.

 

I was going to respond but I realized I'd already done that long ago!

Edited by theredtamasrule
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