Weak effort! Sounds like a young band still unsure of themselves and what direction to take!
Weak effort! Sounds like a young band still unsure of themselves and what direction to take!
"Men of Willowdale..."Originally Posted by Koreabruce
I haven't listened to this album in ages, but I certainly loved it to death in college. I was probably smoking as much pot as they were back then, and my band even learned The Necromancer, even though we didn't know anyone who could actually come close to singing it "properly" (not sure Geddy sings it "properly" for that matter, LOL!). I remember playing the song in my parents car for a friend who'd never heard it, and he actually snickered because he though I was joking that it was Rush. He said he couldn't believe Rush did something that silly (I think the bombastic, simple heavy riffs were what made him laugh.....along with Geddy's screechy vocals over top of it all). Now, of course, I see what he was talking about. Though at the time I was deeply offended (lol......I was young, earnest, and deeply into early Rush, what can I say?).
In retrospect I think the stand alone songs (minus "I think I'm Going Bald", which I've never really liked much, even back in those college days.......though it was humorous the first few times, especially to a long haired 20 year old like myself) are much stronger than the two "epics". However, Lamneth has some really awesome parts in it; In the Valley and No One At The Bridge come to mind; even though I never felt it hung together as a complete piece (certainly nowhere near as well as 2112 does).
Still, count me in the group that likes the innocence and naivete about it. It was a band doing whatever they wanted to do, still young and still learning. It shows, but all things considered, I think most of us would have been happy to have done something as good as that in our early 20's.
Exactly as I mentioned earlier (post #28): gave it more spins this weekend and my thoughts are the same and/or intact!.
Last edited by TCC; 03-27-2017 at 02:34 PM.
Pura Vida!.
There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
Duke Ellington.
I've always liked this album. I could do without "Going Bald" and the narrator on the Necromancer, but other than that, I dig it. I'll definitely take it over either of the first two, and as others have said, anything after Signals. I don't know why Lakeside gets so much flak. I think it's a really nice tune. And Ged's vocals - I miss the wild shrieks and over the top vibrato. There was a lot of passion there. I love the dynamics of Fountain - the acoustic guitar, the drum break...
Wow. IMO, Power Windows make Caress of Steel sound like three Neanderthals banging rocks together.
And Yet, I find I can enjoy both albums pretty much equally. Though, of course, they are quite different and I certainly won't deny that Power Windows is the far more "mature" album in every department. Of course, I can also understand people who would think Caress was the better album, as I certainly thought that way back in my 20's, before I became more familiar with the post Signals albums.
Absolutely love it. Of their 70s output, I probably listen to this one most these days. Top 5 Rush album for me.
I feel the same.
At least "I Think I'm Going Bald" was their last attempt at a humerous song I believe. They had done this with the debut as well with "In The Mood" which I also find funny to this day.
"The wind is slowly tearing her apart"
Sad Rain
Anekdoten
It's interesting that some say post-Signals was a turning point. I always considered that point to be post-Grace Under Pressure.
...I don't know if the things I'm thinking are normal thoughts or not.
AC
But not for for those of us who place the Terry Brown produced albums on a higher pedestal.
I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.
I'd say one major shift was with Permanent Waves and the mostly shorter songs and then after the mighty Power Windows which has always been one of Geddy Lee's favorites.
Well, in heavy rock, I'll go for youthful hunger over sterile perfectionism. And Rush are a heavy rock band above all.
Last edited by spacefreak; 03-28-2017 at 02:16 AM.
True that's often cited as such. I tend to agree, as I feel it marks the end of what i refer as their golden era. I'll also admit bias as it was my first rush album/tour. That being said I love GUP, and PW/HYF are both good albums.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Power windozzzzzzz...
Well, I just listened to CoS after decades and it's surprising how fresh it sounds. They wish they could write anything close to Necromancer's crushing riffs nowadays. I think it's their most guitar-oriented album, Alex is clearly in the forefront here. And his play is brillant, mixing hazy, lyrical parts with furious axe attacks, he reminds me a bit of M. Schenker.
Wish there were more Neanderthals with the spirit of these 3 young explorers in our days...
to me the first turning point is Permanent Waves and then moving Pictures... they're both transitional albums, IMHO... there are still long pieces, but the synths have taken a big part and Geddy's voice really became less screechy.
thern, of course there is the GUP era
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
I think Signals is the start of the new phase for them, myself. The first album they made since the debut without a (nine/ten minutes-plus) epic...they never did one again either. That was definitely their most streamlined album up to that point IMHO. It also goes further with the synths than before, although admittedly not as far as what was to come. So I can see why that album is seen as the line in the sand.
I found the 90s/00s stuff was what really didn't hold up for me with these guys (and never did hear some like Test For Echo at all). I got swept up in the 'return to form' hype of Snakes And Arrows at the time but it didn't last, I even got sick of that one.
Last edited by JJ88; 03-28-2017 at 09:55 AM.
Yeah, I land here too most of the time.
Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.
Alex's guitar sounds from the s/t until Moving Pictures were the best imo, and some of my favorite 70's rock guitar tones (along with FZ, Fripp, Frith, Hillage, Phil Miller, and Barre). Sonically, he took a back seat on Signals - I do love the album - but it started the murkiness and lost the definition. His playing and sound served the subsequent albums well (Grace, PW, Fire, Presto, Bones, etc) , but like Spiros said - the perfectionism replaced the hunger and youthful exuberance. I know that he went back to basics (so to speak) in the 90's, but I don't care for those albums for the most part.
I do sort of wish that Alex improvised more in his live solos instead of playing the album versions (basically) verbatim, but that aspect aside, his playing from 74 - 81 was just phenomenal. He commands such a great rhythmic approach in his solos, and along with unusual phrasing in a (usually) highly syncopated manner, those aspects combined with glorious tones make him an absolutely stellar and unique player. Blah, blah, blah.....blah blah blah blah.
This was one of the first "prog" albums I ever listened to, with the Fountain of Lamneth being the first long form rock track I ever heard. I of course fell in love with it immediately, and while it is by no means a structural masterpiece, it has some of my favorite Rush moments in their entire discography.
A vie, a mort, et apres...
I think what Alex came up with for the Grace Under Pressure album is nothing less than stunning. The dude totally re-invented rhythm guitar, to me anyway. Man, that album has some of the best rhythm-type guitars I've ever heard. I think GUP is where the band got the perfect marriage between guitars and synths. It remains one of my favorite Rush albums, it still sounds fresh to me. I love it.
One of the first albums I owned aged about 15, love it. The Necromancer is the jewel in the crown and Lamneth is great too.
Yeah, Alex was back to the (almost) fore on that one, and his playing is great indeed. I'm not blown away by the overall sonics of the thing, though. The "Kid Gloves" solo is masterful
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks