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Post by Mr. Atari on Aug 7, 2011 23:28:50 GMT -5
Signals (1982)It's a common tale in rock & roll that a band follows up an incredible album with a dud. Rush entered their 3rd stylistic stage as a band with Signals, and the emphasis on synthesizers and bass pedals is a big let-down. It's not just the comparisons to the classic Moving Pictures that make this a subpar album, a lot of it stinks all on its own. That's not to say it's all bad, and definitely not to besmirch the synth era of the band. If you know me, you know I have no problem with '80s synths, and an upcoming album in this era is my favorite Rush album of all. No, the real problem here is that there are too many ingredients and styles that clearly interested the guys, but they just couldn't pull off very convincingly. Signals has some high moments and has some low moments, but mostly has middling moments. This was the last album produced by their longtime collaborator Terry Brown, who was dismissed because he objected to the electronic direction that Geddy was intent on following. The boys were listening to a lot of their contemporaries, especially new wave and pseudo-reggae bands like the Police. Gone were the big fat power chords and fuzz boxes. They were replaced with chorus effects and midi triggers. Thematically, there is a lyrical conceit running through the album using the idea of the digital age and how we relate to one another in a changing society. Neil seems to both reject the advancements, nostalgically reminiscing about simpler times, but also is fascinated by "this magic day when super-science mingles with the bright stuff of dreams". The songs: "Subdivisions" is the classic song from this album. It is a decent synth hook and a catchy number, but poor Alex doesn't have anything to do. The lyrics and the video cemented Rush's place in the nerd pantheon. It's all about being a social outcast in high school, where the culture is as pre-fab and cookie-cutter as the neighborhoods in suburbia: "Any escape might help to smooth the unattractive truth that the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth." I think this song shows that MSTies and Rush fans have a lot in common. "Analog Kid" is one of the best songs in the Rush catalog. It's a tremendous riff by Alex over a bouncy, head-bobbing groove. The chorus is actually quieter and more open than the hard driving verses. Lyrically, it's the antithesis to "Subdivisions". It's about a young boy lying in the fields on a hot August afternoon, chewing on a blade of grass, and dreaming about what his life might be one day. Easily the best song on the album and in the top 10 for me. "Chemistry" is in the bottom 10 for me. It starts off with a decent vibe-- the verse could have fit on earlier albums just fine, but the chorus comes to a screeching halt. It sounds like they're working desperately to channel Gary Numan or Thomas Dolby. It's unsettling. In fact, an old scientist yelling out "SCIENCE!" wouldn't seem out of place here. Don't get me wrong, I love Numan and Dolby, but Rush just shouldn't be in that territory. "Digital Man" is as bad as "Chemistry". Take the previous comments about that song, replace "Thomas Dolby" with "The Police", and you've got it. Even though Alex does a passable imitation of Andy Summers, and Geddy has more impressive bass lines than Sting, Neil just can't emulate Stewart Copeland. Copeland is brilliantly sloppy and never plays the same pattern twice in a song. Neil...well, Neil is the exact opposite of that. To top it off, the reggae is just embarrassing. "The Weapon" is interesting, with great lyrics, but never really goes anywhere. It's all about how what we fear becomes a weapon that can be used against us. Along with "Witch Hunt" on the last album, and "The Enemy Within" on the next album, it forms a trilogy of reflections on what fear can do to people. A decent song, but nothing special beyond the lyrics. "New World Man" was written in an afternoon because they needed a three-minute and forty-three second song so that both sides of the cassette would line up. It remains the highest-charting single in their career. Huh. It's actually a pretty good song, straightforward in its arrangement, and based on a fun riff. Some clever lyrics on this one, as well. "Losing It" is a fascinating song. As deep cuts go, it might be the deepest in their catalog. It's hardly ever mentioned, even by Rush freaks, and it's never been played live. However, I wouldn't call it a forgettable song. It's a haunting tale of two characters- a dancer and a writer- who are facing old age, with the loss of their gifts and affirmation. There's some neat allusions to Hemingway, and as a special bonus, there's a very cool violin solo. "Countdown" was written after the boys were invited by NASA to be special guests at the very first shuttle launch. It's about exactly that, even including the original audio conversations between mission control and the shuttle crew. It's almost a novelty song, but for a space geek like me, it's seriously cool. I enjoy listening to the song, but the critic in me knows it's not nearly as good as other album enders like "Natural Science" or "Cygnus X-1". With Signals, Rush entered their '80s synth phase. There are some missteps and stumbles here, but mainly when they're trying to copy someone else's sound. Over the next 3 albums, they figure out the form and master it. What works here are the lyrical themes and a riff or two. What doesn't work here is everything else. ***
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Post by Mr. Atari on Aug 3, 2011 23:31:19 GMT -5
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 29, 2011 11:30:06 GMT -5
Moving Pictures (1981)Moving Pictures is Rush's finest hour. It's their biggest selling album by far, and the most recognizable to the common music fan. In some ways it's their best album, in some ways it's not, but it is their most identifiable work. It's their Citizen Kane, their Seven Samurai, their Manos. Moving Pictures was the first Rush album I ever heard. I was 13 and was told that, as an aspiring drummer, I HAD to listen to "Tom Sawyer." I popped the cassette into my walkman and gave it a whirl. It didn't do much for me, but I kept at it. "Red Barchetta" came on next, and I liked it a lot more. It was peppier and sounded more fun, so I kept going. "YYZ" was next and I probably disturbed the people around me with my noticeable drooling. By the time side 1 finished with "Limelight", I was a fully-formed Rush fanatic. Moving Pictures is a tight album, one they were building towards their entire career. It's the perfect mix of complicated playing and good songwriting. The pop-rock is finally accessible, but the prog-rock isn't watered down. The mix is perfect, the tone of the instruments is perfect, the solos and fills are perfect, the riffs and grooves are perfect, the singing is...pretty okay. This is their one, true, "classic" album. And you know, it actually deserves it. The songs: "Tom Sawyer" really is the band's "Manos" moment. It's the one that even non-fans recognize, and usually assume characterizes the entire catalogue. It reminds me of "Hey Jude" in that they can't go a night without including it on the setlist, it gets the crowd fired up more than any other song, yet it's not really as amazing as its reputation. Don't get me wrong, it has some amazing moments, and Neil's fills deliver the goods. But there's no chorus, the groove is sluggish, and the lyrics are cryptic. Not exactly the formula for a hit single. However, the fact that it's as famous as it is without sounding like anything anyone else has ever done earns it some major respect points from me. "Red Barchetta" is a story about an era where cars are outlawed (like music in 2112), and the protagonist finds a Ferrari and takes it on the open road (like the protagonist & his guitar in 2112. Huh.) It starts with a brilliant harmonics riff from Alex, follows with tasteful guitar work throughout, while Neil lays down a perfect groove featuring fun ride cymbal accents. The whole thing sounds like a Sunday drive in a red convertible. Good times. "YYZ" is sublime. Genius. Otherworldly. Pick a superlative. It's better than anything your favorite band has ever done. Okay, that might be an overstatement, but it's how I feel. It's an instrumental that starts with the morse code for "YYZ", which is the code for the Toronto Airport. Halfway through the song, Geddy and Neil trade fills that will make your eyes roll into the back of your head. This is followed by a patented Alex solo that's equal parts noodley and melodic. Oh yeah, the main riff is guaranteed to make you bounce in your car. If you're a musician and you don't appreciate what's happening in this song, you're not a musician. "Limelight" is another rock radio staple with an amazing riff. The time signature is all over the map on this one (the riff is in 7/4, the verse is in 6/4, the chorus alternates between 3/4 and 4/4), and the amazing thing is that you'd never know if I didn't point it out just now. It sounds like a normal rock & roll number. The lyrics are all about the trappings of fame and the false reality of "living in the limelight". It includes what might be my favorite Alex solo- atmospheric and bendy. A great song worthy of the fame that the lyrics reject. "The Camera Eye", a bit synth-heavy, but not at the expense of the guitars. More like the experimental moog-synths of 1981 than the cheezy synths of 1986. Very futuristic sounding with a great guitar hook throughout. The lyrics compare the masses on city streets (New York and London) with the beauty of streets after a rainstorm. Or something. Anyway, it's poetic. The only problem with this song is that it's 4 minutes too long. Even Geddy said, as they prepared the song for a recent tour, "Oh my God! It goes on forever! What the hell were we thinking?" It's not like those 4 minutes are wasted, they're just repetitious and a bit unnecessary. "Witch Hunt" always reminded me of Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine". It shares the same sound effect-laden dark groove. The instrumentation is sparse, but the vibe is unmistakable. It's another song where Neil goes after groupthink, and how when someone else tells you what to be afraid of, people do terrible things. It's a good theme for our time, but one that each side will say the other side needs to listen to. I think it's the weak link on the album, but plenty of Rush aficionados would disagree. "Vital Signs" is their attempt to mix a Pete Townshend-ish synth loop with Police-ish reggae punches and a lot of digital effects. And you know what? It works. The pizza place I frequented as a teenager had a jukebox that played warped 45s. They had a bootleg live version of this song that we wore out. To this day, I expect the warbles and warps of that version to come out of my pristine CD version, and I'm always disappointed that they don't. A great album closing song. Like Permanent Waves before it, Moving Pictures is an essential Rush album. It's tightly mixed, tightly written, and tightly performed. After listening to this album, I went back to Led Zeppelin and the Who (both bands I love) and thought, "These guys are so stinkin' sloppy! Why didn't I notice that before?" Moving Pictures is exacting and impressive. But that precision doesn't mean it lacks the guts of rock & roll. By no means. This thing cooks from beginning to end, and I've yet to hear a criticism of this album that has any serious validity. One of the best ever. *****
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 29, 2011 0:27:09 GMT -5
There'd better be bars and punch in the fellowship hall.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 23, 2011 16:35:22 GMT -5
Permanent Waves (1980)Permanent Waves is the first commercial-sounding album Rush did, but that doesn't mean they lost their progressive intricacies. The orchestral percussion section is toned down, but the synths and bass pedals are increasing. It still follows the pattern of the previous two albums with a nice mix of short rockers, longer complex songs, and a ballad. However, what separates Permanent Waves from the previous two albums are the hooks. You can tell that they are getting tighter at writing in odd-time signatures because they don't sound as odd. You can tell that they are getting tighter at writing melodies because the songs sound like songs. Alex's guitars are starting to get more shimmery and less crunchy, but his solos are still outstanding. Geddy is starting to spend more time on the synths and less on meandering bass lines, but he still comes up with some amazing runs. Neil plays more regular beats than before, but his creativity on the time signatures is still remarkable. As I said before, what stands out the most are the hooks; the riffs they build the songs around are interesting and catchy. The perfect blend of progressive and mainstream. I once played drums in a band that covered this entire album, front to back (and not badly, I might add). So I can testify that the musicianship is exceptionally difficult, but incredibly fun to play (and listen to). Lyrically, there isn't a driving theme here. One song is about the radio industry, another is about the sun breaking through the clouds, and another is about the importance of making up one's own mind about life, the universe, and everything. Neil's humanism is still prevalent, but that might be the only common link to the songs this time. The songs: "The Spirit of Radio" jumps out of your speakers with one of the most recognizable and impossible guitar riffs on rock radio. Next comes a riff that the Stones or Zeppelin would have been proud of. Then you get the quarter-note triplet build into the main chords of the song. The pseudo-reggae break towards the end is goofy, but fun. "CONCERT HALL!"..."OF SALESMEN!" Alex ends things with a classic wah-wah solo. This was their first huge hit, and one that holds up very well 30 years later. "Tom Sawyer" may be more iconic for them, but I think "The Spirit of Radio" is their best radio hit. "Freewill" is Neil's manifesto against organized beliefs. It's a theme that he visits again and again. It seems that whatever you believe in isn't nearly as important as the ability to choose your beliefs: "You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice/ If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice...I will choose a path that's clear- I will choose freewill!" Hoo-rah for humans, I suppose. The music on this one is fantastic. The main riff is in 13/8 (except when it has an extra beat). The groove is head-bobbingly awesome. Then the solo section kicks in and shows the world what good music is all about. A fun song to see live. "Jacob's Ladder" is an overlooked classic. It starts slow with a military march groove, building to the halfway point of the song with some great solo work by Alex. Then comes a synth interlude-- an intermission of sorts. The second half is all about the catchy riff in 13 that gets bigger and bigger. What little vocals there are on this one are about storm clouds brewing, only to be interrupted by sunbeams. It's more impressive than I'm making it sound. "Entre Nous" is just like "Cinderella Man" and "Circumstances" from the last 2 albums. It's in the same position on the album, and like those two, it is exceptionally straightforward. There's nothing special here, and it's an okay song. I always get this and "Circumstances" confused because this one has the French title, but "Circumstances" has the French lyrics. Pretty interchangeable and somewhat forgettable. "Different Strings" is a slow acoustic number. There are some piano accents and guitar effects. Slow songs aren't Rush's strong suit, and this is the weak link on the album. Still, it's executed well and it isn't hokey or embarrassing. "Natural Science" is wall-to-wall amazing. It's about the complexity of nature and how we mistreat it. A great song for Earth Day, even for us non-hippies. The arrangement starts with a shimmery acoustic intro and moves into an arpeggio jam. Then the floor drops out and you wake up in a vortex of vocal effects and a mind-blowing riff. Mind. Blowing. Did I mention the part when the guitars stop and Neil takes over with a stumbling triplet fill? Then another vintage Alex solo, and we're almost halfway through the song. A quarter-note stomping groove comes up, leading into the anthemic and thematic climax of the song ("Science like nature must also be tamed..."). It's stunning how many different grooves and styles are in this song, but even more stunning is how seamlessly they move from one to the next. Like the rest of the album, it's the perfect mix of meticulous musicianship and catchy listenability. If I were going to introduce the band to a Rush virgin, I'd give them a copy of Permanent Waves first. It's accessible, but still loaded with intricate playing. This album, along with its successor, are the sweet spot of the band. They had great moments before and after, but here is where they reached their tightest groove creatively. It is the quintessential Rush. *****
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 18, 2011 22:02:06 GMT -5
The one thing that doesn’t work, here or in the books, are the kids relationship pairings. I never understood why Ron and Hermione hooked up and Ginny and Harry are worse, there’s zero chemistry there. All that felt shoe horned in there. At least Harry had a nice scene with his son at the end (while Ginny hovers nearby, looking/acting neither wifely or motherly) I have to disagree about Harry & Ginny. I thought their chemistry was perfect for a grown-up relationship. She wasn't needy; she was tough, independent, and not impressed that he was "the Chosen One". She didn't treat him like a celebrity or act like a fangirl, and he knew that he could trust her with anything. I think she was the exact person he needed, and their relationship was the most emotionally mature and healthy romance in the entire series. Ron & Hermione made sense in the story, but it didn't work onscreen very well. The actors didn't play it like something was building for 7 years. It was more smirks and giggles and a very abrupt payoff.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 17, 2011 1:27:35 GMT -5
Saw it today and loved it. One review pointed out how remarkable it is that in a culture that is so full of the ironic, Rowling (et al) could create something so iconic. That's how I felt when I left the theater. I loved that there wasn't an ewok yub-nub celebration or a LOTR hug-a-thon at the end. Just harsh post-battle reality and a lot of quiet moments. I also liked the pacing of all of the different story climaxes, especially the Snape memory story. And Radcliffe had some great moments in his performance, such as the initial confrontation with Snape in the Great Hall and the way he told off Dumbledore's brother. The one thing that bothered me was... Neville should have killed the snake right after his speech in front of everyone. The timing was perfect, and it felt like Yates missed his opportunity. I understand that adding an extended fight scene with Nagini gave Ron & Hermione something to do while Harry was dueling Darth Volder, but it seemed tacked-on and extraneous. Neville's moment was before. I also totally ruined the most powerful moment because: The glowing ghosts of his various guardians in the forest totally made me think of the glowing Jedi, and when his mom was telling him to be brave, I kept waiting for Yoda to chime in. Or for the camera to pan to the wrong Anakin.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 15, 2011 13:33:02 GMT -5
Hemispheres (1978)Hemispheres is the companion album to A Farewell to Kings. They go together like Rubber Soul and Revolver, like Selling England by the Pound and A Trick of the Tail, like Peter Gabriel and Peter Gabriel. Musically, it continues the experimentation with complex rhythms, multi-movement songs, and everything-in-the-box percussion sounds. There's a lighter sound to the mix-- more shimmer and less crunch-- and it makes for a nice listen. The openness of the mix means you can hear each layer more clearly, and the best parts cut through very effectively. Lyrically, it continues Neil's fascination with metaphor and allusion-based storytelling, this time using mythology as his foundation. I hope you like nerdy references to Apollo and Dionysus and themes about balance and equality, 'cause that's what you're gonna get here. The songs: "Hemispheres" is another mega-song, taking up side 1 of the album and clocking in at over 18 minutes. It's the continuing story of "Cygnus X-1" from the last album, and reveals what happened to our luckless space pilot after he got sucked into the black hole. Well, as you would expect, he wakes up to witness Greek gods battling for the rule of mankind. Wait, what? Yep. Apollo wants to rule with wisdom and intellect, Dionysus wants to rule with emotion and intuition. The fight leads to chaos and one big, bloody mess, until our hero speaks out and is rewarded with a promotion to deity, becoming Cygnus, the god of balance. Is it ridiculous and nerdy? Sure, but what other band would even try to be this erudite? Aerosmith? The story doesn't hold together as well as 2112, and the music isn't as triumphant, either. Like all sequels, it isn't as good as the first chapter, lacking the hooks and the impressive fills of "Cygnus X-1". But it's a good piece in their catalogue, if mainly for the overall sound and feel. "Circumstances" isn't as good as "Cinderella Man" from the last album, although it tries to accomplish the same things. It's a nice, straightforward song that drives fun time-signatures in under 4 minutes. The chorus has some French lyrics. Those crazy Canadians! "The Trees" is a song people often reference when they're making fun of Rush. It's another nylon-string intro song that turns into a bouncy '70s anthem. Then there's the instrumental break with temple blocks and a moog solo and a solo section in 11/8 with a lot of cowbells. Oh, did I mention it's about an argument between oak trees and maple trees about getting enough sunlight? And that the solution is to cut them all down? No? Okay then. I'll be honest, it is pretty mockable. But it's also a damn fine song. "La Villa Strangiato" is the all-time greatest instrumental any rock band has ever recorded and is the all-time greatest song Rush ever recorded. There're no vocals, so all of the critics who whine about Geddy's voice can't complain here. Instead, there is just 9:37 of untouchable and incomparable musical genius. It's the apex of their progressive phase, mixing all of the atmospheric coloring with technical complexity. The hooks are everywhere, Geddy's bass lines are mesmerizing, and Neil's grooves and fills are more proof that he's the best rock drummer ever. But the real star on this one is Alex. He has at least 4 different solos here, and each one is exactly perfect. They are beautifully melodic and incredibly dextrous. Then you realize that he has the added degree of difficulty of doing all of this over messed-up time signatures. Sick is what it is. Sick. If anyone asks me why I'm a Rush fan, this is the song I play them. It's exhibit A in why Rush is awesome. I'm not sure there needs to be an exhibit B. Overall, Hemispheres isn't as good as it's predecessor. But that's not too big of a criticism. It's still a solid album in the heart of their best period. The mix is outstanding, and the complexity is impressive, even if the lyrics go a bit overboard on the nerdy prog-rock spectrum. It also earns extra points for having my favorite song the band ever did. ****1/2Also worth watching is the version from Rush in Rio. 60,000 Brazilians singing along to an instrumental:
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 9, 2011 20:10:42 GMT -5
A Farewell to Kings (1977)After four studio albums, Rush put out a live album called All the World's a Stage. It marked the end of the first chapter of their career. A Farewell to Kings introduces phase 2, an era of unmatched progressive rock mastery. Get ready for odd time signatures, expanded orchestration, nerdy mythological & sci-fi allusions, and instrumental sections that will twist and stupefy your little listening minds. After listening to this album again, three things stood out to me: 1) Neil's expanding drum kit. At this point, it's not really a drum kit, it's an entire percussion section. Wind chimes? Sure. Temple blocks? Why not? Agogo bells? But of course. Tubular bells/chimes? You bet! 2) Geddy's bass sound. Geddy had some great lines in the first 4 albums, but AF2K is the first album where he really stands out. A big reason is the tone he gets on his Rickenbacker bass, and his syncopated punches with Neil that are all over this album. 3) Alex's space effects. Instead of chugging on power chords and taking screamy solos like he did on earlier albums, Alex is much more colorful here. He messes about with volume swells, phaser effects, and single-line riffing, which brings a different dimension to their sound. The songs: "A Farewell to Kings" opens the album with a peaceful nylon string guitar & glockenspiel intro. Once it bursts into the groove, it's a pretty straightforward song, with vintage Neil & Geddy playing (especially over the solo). Lyrically, it's another of Neil's critiques of the establishment: "The hypocrites are slandering the sacred walls of truth / Ancient nobles showering their bitterness on youth." I guess you don't have to be a folk artist to be all whiny about authority. Anyway, it's one of my favorite Rush songs. "Xanadu" is nothing short of amazing. Taken from the Coleridge poem, it tells the story of...oh, just read the poem. It starts with 2 minutes of mood-setting volume swells and percussion before launching into one of the world's all-time greatest guitar riffs, punctuated with more vintage Neil & Geddy syncopated punches. And THEN, the song really gets going over a groovy bass line and some amazing playing in 7/4 time. The vocals don't start until the 5 minute mark, but even then it never settles into a normal song vibe. It's a sequence of different jams held together by incredible musicianship. An amazing song from beginning to end. And way better than that Olivia Newton-John disco movie. "Closer to the Heart" might be the most normal song the band ever wrote. It's a simple 3-chord progression, with a verse-chorus-verse arrangement, so it's no wonder it's one of their most played songs on the radio. For a standard pop song, it's okay. For a Rush song, it's nothing special. "Cinderella Man" is a deep cut gem. It's acoustic and poppy, but also complex enough to be interesting. Both Geddy & Neil play their parts more complicatedly than they need to, which makes for a fun listen. The lyrics are about a rich man who, because he is moral and generous, people think he's insane. "Madrigal" is slow and...um....madrigal. It's simple and pretty, which makes it stand out on an album with such intricate playing. It's essentially a love song with some nice poetry. Together with "Closer to the Heart", and "Cinderella Man", they make for some of the most positive and optimistic lyrics the band ever did. "Cygnus X-1" closes the album with a nuclear bomb. There's this black hole, see, and it draws in our hero and his ship. The ship is called the "Rocinante" (hi DQ!). The entire song is a buildup to the finale when the poor sap gets sucked into the astral void and atomized (Or so it would seem. To be continued...). Musically, there is nothing like it in the universe. There's the opening bass riff that starts miles away and gradually grows into an odd-time groove. It turns into an instrumental overture that hints at all the musical themes to come. There's space effect guitars, drum fills that thousands of wannabes will never get right, and the inimitable rat-a-tat bass & drum punches. It just builds and builds until the final blow-out, empty the kitchen sink, rip the roof off jam of an ending. The whole thing sound like an outer space adventure of flying into a black hole; which, I suppose, is kind of the point. A top 5 Rush song for me. Overall, A Farewell to Kings is a great album. The prog stuff isn't too long or weird to be unaccessible, and the pop stuff isn't too weak to be embarrassing. Geddy's wail is starting to get toned down and the instrumental playing is as good as any rock band has ever played. One of my top-3 favorite Rush albums. *****
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 9, 2011 16:29:12 GMT -5
What about Woody Allen's movies? Sweet and Lowdown comes immediately to mind.
I'm sure there are a lot of movies like that where the only real villain is the protagonist's own inner conflict.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 9, 2011 16:21:59 GMT -5
I'm sad that I never got to see a launch in person.
I remember the first launch of the Columbia in '81. I remember Sally Ride in '83. I remember the explosion in '86. It was 2 days after Super Bowl XX, when the Bears clobbered the Patriots. I was home from school because I had gotten sick at a Super Bowl party. I was watching The Price is Right, and they interrupted the show with footage of the launch. When it blew up, my mom gasped/screamed and ran out of the room. I don't remember feeling anything about the astronauts, but the memory of my mom's reaction has always stuck with me. I was in 5th grade at the time, and what I really remember were the schoolyard jokes about it all. (Need Another Seven Astronauts, etc.)
After that, I lost interest. I'm sure the jokes & the tragedy somehow implanted in my subconscious that the shuttle program was dumb (at least) or doomed (at worst).
In the late '90s, one of my best friends from high school got a job in Houston with NASA and the shuttle program. This prompted me to take up space pursuit as a major hobby. When Columbia blew up in '03, it was far more personal to me because it directly affected someone I knew. The same goes for this week's final mission.
All that to say, my memories are a mixed bag. I'm sure the shuttle program did more to bring about our technophile society than a couple more missions to the moon would have. Everything from satellites to wireless to my beloved iPhone wouldn't have happened without NASA. And just the thought of a vehicle that can go into space, orbit for a while, land safely, and do it all again later is pretty mind-blowing. However, the adventurer side of me says, "Screw the pragmatic and obvious cultural advances of orbital travel, and get to Mars already!" Where's my escalator to the moon, dammit?!
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 6, 2011 13:09:47 GMT -5
2112 (1976)After the failure of Caress of Steel, the band sent their manager to Mercury Records to plead for one last chance. The label demanded that the next album be radio friendly and that the band work harder on writing hits. In other words, no more concept records about mystical lands with 20-minute songs. When the band heard this, they went into the studio and wrote a 20 minute epic about the a single man standing up to the demands of the totalitarian leaders. Oops. 2112 is the most important album in Rush's catalog. I think it's a fair guess to say that more Rush fans became Rush fans through 2112 than any other album. It catapulted them into stardom, it bought them the ability to have creative independence on every subsequent album, and it still holds up 35 years later. Actually, replace the words "holds up" with the words "rocks the poopie out of your speakers and hits you like a 12-pound sledge" and you're close. The song, "2112", takes up the first side of the album. It's a 7-part suite that tells the story of a dystopian society in the year 2112 where work, leisure, and art are controlled by the technologically-minded priests. A lonely man discovers an ancient guitar and is overwhelmed by the power and beauty it can produce. His discovery is outrightly rejected by the priests, who smash the guitar ("Just think about the average, what use have they for you?"). He goes home and has a dream of what the world could be with real music. When he awakes back to reality, he slits his wrists. As he dies, there is a new galactic war, where the Elder Race returns to depose the priests. Complete with spacey, sci-fi effects and cannons. Hooray! A year later, Star Wars came out and ignited an entire generation on the idea of the little man in outer space leading a rebellion against the dark, oppressive empire. Take that idea, put it to music, add in the plot device of music itself, and you can start to understand why 2112 blew up the way it did. It's dripping with Ayn Rand's influence (Neil even thanked her in the liner notes), and it spoke to every rebellious teenager and any rabid music fan who has had enough of corporate rock. It still does. Musically, it works on every level. The drumming is some of Neil's best work, the songwriting matches the epicness of the lyrics, and Alex's solo work is outstanding. The instrumental Overture at the beginning and the Grand Finale at the end deliver the goods. Geddy is still in screech mode, which detracts a bit. But if you can get past that (and there aren't a whole lot of vocals for a 20-minute song), it's an amazing ride. The rest of the album is a mixed bag: "A Passage to Bangkok" is about getting baked on a drug highway around the world. It's a fan favorite for some reason. "Twilight Zone" was written and recorded in one day, and you can tell. It's about the TV show, so it has some nerd value, but that's about it. I like "Lessons" a lot. It's a happy, strummy number that's pretty innocuous, but fun. It's a good companion piece to "Making Memories" from the Fly by Night album. "Tears" is a quiet and pretty song. Rush never did ballads very well, but this is probably their best attempt. "Something for Nothing" rounds out the album, and it's one of my top 10 favorite Rush songs. The lyrics are right on the nose and empowering. The riff is a great hook, Alex's guitar sounds amazing, the staccato punches are pure Rush, and everything Neil does on the drums is jaw-dropping. Almost a perfect album. It loses minor points because it was still in the shrieky Geddy era, and because a couple songs on side 2 aren't quite up to the level set by side 1. ****1/2
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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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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 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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