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Post by mummifiedstalin on Dec 30, 2010 11:42:25 GMT -5
This was really interesting and I learned a lot. I'm curious what other bands you might give this kind of attention to. You should do more of this, though. Not many people can talk as well about albums from both an audience and musician standpoint, which I think was why I like this the most.
In the end, I just don't think that Genesis pushes my buttons. But it says a lot that after reading all of this, I really WANT to like them more.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Dec 30, 2010 15:48:13 GMT -5
Thanks, mummi. There are a few artists I could jump in and do this with right now, without any research. RUSH, Radiohead, and Sting come immediately to mind. I thought Genesis would work the best because their music is so diverse and their history is so interesting. Plus, I haven't been able to stop listening to them for the last 4 months.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Dec 30, 2010 16:12:29 GMT -5
One last Genesis post.
After going through each album, some songs really stuck with me. So for you list thread lovers, here is a list of what I think are the best songs in the band's catalog. Perfect if you're looking for a place to start or (like me) want to compile your own greatest hits.
Peter Gabriel era: Trespass "Looking for Someone" "The Knife"
Nursery Cryme "The Musical Box" "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" "Harold the Barrel" "The Fountain of Salmacis"
Foxtrot "Watcher of the Skies" "Supper's Ready"
Selling England By the Pound "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight" "I Know What I Like" "Firth of Fifth" "The Cinema Show"
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" "In the Cage" "Back in NYC" "Carpet Crawlers"
Phil Collins era: A Trick of the Tail "Dance on a Volcano" "Robbery, Assault, and Battery" "Ripples" "A Trick of the Tail"
Wind and Wuthering "Your Own Special Way" "Afterglow"
And Then There Were Three "Down and Out" "Undertow" "Many Too Many" "The Lady Lies"
Duke "Behind the Lines" "Misunderstanding" "Turn it On Again"
Abacab "No Reply At All"
Genesis "Mama" "That's All" "Just a Job to Do" "It's Gonna Get Better"
Invisible Touch "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" "Land of Confusion" "Anything She Does" "Domino"
We Can't Dance "No Son of Mine" "Driving the Last Spike" "Living Forever" "Fading Lights"
Finally, if you're already a fan, here are the B-sides you really need to track down:
"Twilight Alehouse"-- a jazzy/poppy Gabriel number, with GREAT drumming.
"Inside and Out"-- Recorded during the W&W sessions. Could have made the album much better.
"You Might Recall"-- a B-side that's miles better than anything that actually made it on the Abacab album.
"Me and Virgil"-- Phil HATES this song, and has called it the worst song in his career. I completely disagree (cough..."Who Dunnit?"...cough). It's a fun, bouncy story song.
"On the Shoreline"-- A great extra from the We Can't Dance sessions.
"Anything Now"-- A good song they recorded with Ray Wilson.
"Sign Your Life Away"-- ibid.
"Run Out of Time"-- ibid. Seriously, how does such a terrible album produce such good B-sides? I don't get it.
----------------------------- And that's that. I said I was going to enjoy the process with gusto, and I have! But now I'm spent.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 1, 2011 16:08:25 GMT -5
Okay, back at it.
My summer has sucked hard so far. There's been a lot of personal backstabbings and frustrations.
So to help keep me distracted, I'm returning to this blog. This time, it's going to be different. This time, it's personal.
Nah, just kidding. I think I'll do a RUSH album-by-album review. Why? Because Phantom & MJ will love it. And because I've listened to their albums so many times in my life, I can sit here and listen to each one in my head from memory.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 1, 2011 19:03:42 GMT -5
If you don't know who RUSH is, then here's a quick primer:
"As a group, Rush possesses 24 gold records and 14 platinum (3 multi-platinum) records. Rush's sales statistics place them third behind The Beatles and The Rolling Stones for the most consecutive gold or platinum studio albums by a rock band." - Wikipedia
Neil Peart is almost always credited as the best rock drummer in the world. Geddy Lee is almost always credited as one of the best bassists in the world. Alex Lifeson is almost always overlooked.
The biggest criticisms of the band are that (1) Geddy's voice is shrill and shrieky and (2) Their music and lyrics are too complicated and pretentious. I'll touch on these as I go, but I'll say that both complaints are sometimes legitimate and sometimes lazy whining by people who aren't really listening.
They've put out 18 studio albums. After every 4 studio albums, they released a live album. This creates a nice breakdown of their various phases as a band, as each 4-album section comprises a stylistic era.
Here's a breakdown: Phase 1: '70s Rock & Roll Rush, Fly By Night, Caress of Steel, 2112 Live album: All The World's A Stage
Phase 2: Progressive A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures Live album: Exit Stage Left
Phase 3: Synths Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, Hold Your Fire Live album: A Show of Hands
Phase 4: Return to Rock Presto, Roll the Bones, Counterparts, Test for Echo Live album: Different Stages
Phase 5: Even Louder Vapor Trails, Snakes & Arrows Live album(s): Rush in Rio, Snakes & Arrows Live
And away we go...
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 1, 2011 23:44:13 GMT -5
RUSH (1974)In the beginning, RUSH was like every other band. Geddy, Alex, and their childhood friend & drummer John Rutsey met in school, played dances and church basements, and carved out a niche being a Led Zeppelin wannabe band from Canada. If there's a single characteristic from this album, it's that they are really trying hard to make a Zeppelin album. Geddy's caterwauling is an obvious attempt to sound like Robert Plant (he doesn't), and Alex's riffs are an obvious attempt to sound like Jimmy Page (he almost does). Rutsey is passable on drums, but nothing like Bonham or his own successor. In spite of the overnight production and pedestrian songwriting, the guitar & bass sound great. Alex's Gibson 355 hollow body is the standout piece, and the hooks just keep coming. "Finding My Way" is a good opener, and a song they played live for decades. It shows up on a lot of the greatest hits compilations and for good reason. A fun rocker with a great guitar track. "Need Some Love" is by-the-numbers '70s stoner rock. "In the Mood" is based around a boogie blues riff with a lot of cowbell and pubescent lyrics. Chuck Berry would be proud. "Take a Friend" and "What You're Doing" are vintage Zeppelin rip-offs ("Good Times, Bad Times" and "Heartbreaker", respectively). In fact, they should have to pay royalties to Page for the riff on "What You're Doing". However, it's become one of their most covered songs because it's simple and has a great solo jam. "Here Again" and "Before and After" are two of the least known RUSH songs, but I love 'em. They're nice slow-burn rockers-- very spacey with some impressive playing. When I go back to this album, these are the first two songs I listen to. The album closer is the rock radio staple, "Working Man". It's the one song on the record that sounds the most like RUSH. Legend has it that a DJ in Cleveland put it on for a bathroom break (it's over 7 minutes long), and the switchboards lit up. Apparently a song about working hard all day and coming home for a nice cold beer appealed to Clevelanders. Who knew? After this album, the boys jettisoned Rutsey and the obvious Zeppelin sound. Both were good moves. Overall, it's a good album for what it tries to be, and I find myself in the mood for it more often than some of the later albums. ***1/2
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Post by Mighty Jack on Jul 2, 2011 6:25:49 GMT -5
Oh dear God in Heaven... Edit: The great Dylan vs Rush war --- was there an actual thread for that? I have no doubt I must have said something somewhere, but honestly I don't remember being embroiled in that debate - yet my name always pops up when we talk Rush (or, Dylan, which goes without saying). The idea of the war tickles me - because they are operating in two different universes to my mind. Rush is primarily about musicianship, Dylan is primarily about lyrics. How did they ever get mixed together?
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 2, 2011 19:26:05 GMT -5
Edit: The great Dylan vs Rush war --- was there an actual thread for that? I have no doubt I must have said something somewhere, but honestly I don't remember being embroiled in that debate - yet my name always pops up when we talk Rush (or, Dylan, which goes without saying). The idea of the war tickles me - because they are operating in two different universes to my mind. Rush is primarily about musicianship, Dylan is primarily about lyrics. How did they ever get mixed together? I don't think it was a war between Dylan and Rush. If my memory serves, it was Forrest, TS69 & Phantom (with a couple others) who debated the merits of Rush. I made a snarky comment in a separate thread about Dylan, which created a stir from you and phantom. I don't think they were necessarily connected, except that this all happened in the first 2 weeks of the board's existence. That's probably why it's still an issue- it's more legend than truth. But no, you won't see me doing an album-by-album breakdown of Bob Dylan anytime soon.
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Jul 2, 2011 20:25:35 GMT -5
Edit: The great Dylan vs Rush war --- was there an actual thread for that? I have no doubt I must have said something somewhere, but honestly I don't remember being embroiled in that debate - yet my name always pops up when we talk Rush (or, Dylan, which goes without saying). The idea of the war tickles me - because they are operating in two different universes to my mind. Rush is primarily about musicianship, Dylan is primarily about lyrics. How did they ever get mixed together? I don't think it was a war between Dylan and Rush. If my memory serves, it was Forrest, TS69 & Phantom (with a couple others) who debated the merits of Rush. I made a snarky comment in a separate thread about Dylan, which created a stir from you and phantom. I don't think they were necessarily connected, except that this all happened in the first 2 weeks of the board's existence. That's probably why it's still an issue- it's more legend than truth. But no, you won't see me doing an album-by-album breakdown of Bob Dylan anytime soon. I'll do it for you. ::ahem:: Bob Dylan sucks. (insert album being discussed at the moment here) proves it. There. Was that so hard Atari?
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 2, 2011 21:01:08 GMT -5
I'll do it for you. ::ahem:: Bob Dylan sucks. (insert album being discussed at the moment here) proves it. There. Was that so hard Atari? Easy now. Dylan is a genius*, and I won't have his amazing harmonica solos besmirched in my thread. *I'm told
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 2, 2011 21:53:35 GMT -5
Fly By Night (1975)Some versions of the story say that John Rutsey was fired because he was diabetic. Others say he was too much into the drugs & booze scene, frustrating the other two meticulous musicians. I choose to believe Alex's version from their recent documentary, Beyond the Lighted Stage. He recalls that Rutsey didn't want to move beyond the Zeppelin and Cream grooves, whereas Alex & Geddy were listening to Genesis & Pink Floyd and wanted to expand the horizons of musical complexity. So they fired him. The reason I believe that story is because of the immediate change in sound. The addition of Neil Peart is noticeable right away, but you can also hear the major shift in the songwriting & extra goodies coming out of the guitar and bass. On this album, Neil's drumming and lyrics separated Rush from every other '70s stoner band, and the "what-the-hell-am-I-hearing?" impressiveness reared it's head for the first time. "Anthem" is the first great Rush song. It's such a departure from the simple riffs and beats of the first album, it almost gives the listener whiplash. Neil has a otherworldly ability to play crisp and jaw-dropping fills and is a militant evangelist for humanism. Both are on display in full force on this, his first song with the band. "Live for yourself, there's no one else more worth living for." I disagree with that pretty strongly, but that's Neil. And that ideology of "power of self is the greatest good" hasn't changed in 17 albums. Still, it's a great song. "Best I Can" and "Making Memories" are Geddy songs, and you can tell they were written with minimal input from the other two. They're average at best, with "Memories" being a bit catchier. "Fly By Night" is another rock radio staple, and my least favorite Rush "hit". I remember playing it for Mrs. Atari when we were first dating. She had never heard Rush before. Her comment: "You know, I just don't like bands with female lead singers." She wasn't joking. It's not a great hook, and the song doesn't go anywhere. "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" is the band's first attempt at extended songwriting. It's a dumb story about animals fighting over the threshold of Hades, and Geddy & Alex use their guitars to simulate the sound effects of the fight. I thought it was cool when I was 14. On an ironic level, it's fun because it's so cheesy. On a musical level, it's got amazing drumming and that's about it. "Rivendell" is terrible. I love Tolkein. Zeppelin loved Tolkein. I love Zeppelin. Rush loved Zeppelin. I love Rush. I hate this song. If you hate Rush, then this is the song to play for the obnoxious fanboys like me to make your point. "Beneath, Between, Behind" and "In the End" are personal favorites here. Both songs hit their grooves nicely, and both songs go somewhere. "B,B,B" has a great, dirty riff and poetic lyrics. "In the End" is a great album closer with its slow build and jamming solo section. One of the hidden gems of the band's early years. Overall, it's an unbalanced record. The signs of greatness are there, but the duds are really duds. Also, Geddy's painful screeching is in full effect, maybe more than on any other album. **1/2
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Jul 2, 2011 23:21:37 GMT -5
I'll do it for you. ::ahem:: Bob Dylan sucks. (insert album being discussed at the moment here) proves it. There. Was that so hard Atari? Easy now. Dylan is a genius*, and I won't have his amazing harmonica solos besmirched in my thread. *I'm told Don't tell a butcher how to tenderize his meat, Atari. And if there's one thing I know, it's how to work my own meat.
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Jul 2, 2011 23:59:55 GMT -5
This is interesting. I was never a Rush fan, but I learn from your stuff.
So one album has Tolkien, Ayn Rand, and vague mythological retellings. Is that a trend with them?
To quote Pavement: "What about the voice of Geddy Lee? / How did it get so high? / I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy. / "I know him, and he does!" / And you're my fact-checkin' 'cuz."
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 3, 2011 14:41:04 GMT -5
So one album has Tolkien, Ayn Rand, and vague mythological retellings. Is that a trend with them? Yes, yes, and yes. Tolkein shows up again on the next album, Ayn Rand is all over the following album, and vague mythological retellings are all over the two albums after that.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 5, 2011 0:46:34 GMT -5
I was at a 4th of July party tonight where I got made fun of for my Puma Man T-Shirt. There was a guitar handy, so I started noodling on some Rush songs, only to get made fun of for that, too. It quickly became "let's rip on the nerd for liking MST and Rush...now let's blow stuff up!" So to celebrate my preferences without fear of reprisal, I'm back with the next entry on my Rush list here on the MST board. Caress of Steel (1975)If Rush fans voted in a poll for worst album, Caress of Steel would win by a landslide. It is roundly derided, even by the band members themselves. On the Fly By Night tour, Rush was opening for Uriah Heep and KISS, playing to sold-out arenas. CoS was released and immediately tanked. Suddenly, they were playing to 100-seat clubs again and running out of money. They facetiously called it the "Down the Tubes" tour. Critics and fans alike say that it was a creative blunder. They say the band was trying to create something epic and it collapsed under it's own pretentiousness. A failure on every level. They're all wrong. So very wrong. I like this album. Not every part, but a lot of it. It's trashed, disregarded and mocked. But like the runt of the litter, that's part of what makes it special. The album's opener, "Bastille Day", is a classic Rush song. The lyrics are more poetic than rock lyrics are supposed to be: "See them bow their heads to die, as we would bow when they rode by...the king will kneel and let his kingdom rise." The music is complex and also somewhat majestic. "I Think I'm Going Bald" was a bad choice. It was written as a joke to their tour-mates, KISS. Calling it insipid is being nice. "Lakeside Park" is also disappointing. It's a nice laid-back story about hometown nostalgia, but it doesn't blow any wind up my skirt. Rounding out side 1 is a 12-minute song (divided into 3 parts) called, "The Necromancer". It's about 3 travelers (hmm, I wonder who?) in the land of the Dark Lord, who need to be rescued by the Prince. The lyrics are pretty sparse, but it's clearly a nod to Tolkein. The music is very Pink Floyd, with a great stop-time jam in part 2. There's some dumb narration at the beginning of each part that I could do without. Excepting that, "The Necromancer" is one of my favorite Rush songs. Side 2 is all about "The Fountain of Lamneth". It's over 20 minutes long, but it's really 6 songs that fade into one another. It's a good predecessor for 2112, and they obviously learned from this and got better at the long-form story songs. But it's not bad. The story has no real hook-- I've listened to the album for over 20 years, and I still have no idea what it's about. Some of the musical parts are cool, some are forgettable, and there's a mini-drum solo that isn't Neil's finest work. But the recapitulation of the musical themes at the end is fun, and it's an interesting piece of work. I imagine it would be just the thing for a hazy, midnight laser light show in 1975. Caress of Steel is not for Rush neophytes. It's dense and meandering, with only one real hit. The band has all but disowned it, and only hardcore fans show much appreciation for it. As one of those fans, I'll admit that I enjoy it. Most of it, anyway. ***
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