I'm on a Rush rush today.

[PeterG]

Hemispheres. I don't think anything was overdubbed.

But with Taurus pedals, synths, and great musicians - it all can be played by just three juggling people.

Wow!!! I had no idea. That is a heck of an achievement IMO. Must be bloody hard work though to play it live.

[PeterG]

If you really want a history lesson

Yes, I do. Thanks for the link.

[DGuitarist]

Just seen on a Toronto newscast that a park will be named after Geddy & Alex...

WeinribZivojinovichPeart(Park): WZP

[DGuitarist]

Wow!!! I had no idea. That is a heck of an achievement IMO. Must be bloody hard work though to play it live.

There's nine time changes in La Villa. I've used it as an audition tune for many of the drummers I've formed bands with. If I can convince our band, maybe we'll cover it, again. They feel it loses some of the non-prog audience - whereas I feel it's Rush's single greatest achievement they ever did.

What do others here think about it?
Would you rather hear the FM radio hits from Rush, or something longer, like La Villa?

[Frumious B]

There's nine time changes in La Villa. I've used it as an audition tune for many of the drummers I've formed bands with. If I can convince our band, maybe we'll cover it, again. They feel it loses some of the non-prog audience - whereas I feel it's Rush's single greatest achievement they ever did.

What do others here think about it?
Would you rather hear the FM radio hits from Rush, or something longer, like La Villa?

My favorite period of Rush is roughly Permanent Waves through Hold Your Fire so I guess I prefer the band's more song oriented approach.

[Trane]

I also feel that Villa strangiato is Rush's apex... Actually, if it wasn't for that track, Hemisphere might not be in my top 3 Rush album

LOL! Just listened to The Trees again, brilliant song...but man, WTF were they on when they wrote the lyrics for it?

Neil had just read another trash AZyn rand publication.... That'll fuck up your brains worse than a heroine overdose....

[polmico]

I liked that aspect of the music, the spaciousness that was created making the song slightly different live.

Same here. And even on a song like "Fly by Night" where there are three guitar parts, there's still a lot of space for each player. And it sounded so clean.

But they've gotten away from that and now feel the need to include every little coloring from the albums on stage (and the albums have had increasingly more layerings and colorings in the second half of their career), to the point where you have Alex pretending to be singing backup vocals while a triggered sample is playing "Geddy choirs." I wish they would strip the sound down just a bit live; its okay with me if they would omit some of these sounds from the studio albums to give the tunes a slightly different flavor live.

Clockwork Angels got rid of a lot of the clutter. It's a much cleaner album than Vapor Trails or Snakes. The live album from the tour is quite good, too--their best in a long while. Lifeson did a lot more actual singing with less Geddy choirs.

Oh. And I figure the "Rush Rush" (it's like a "bang bang") is a good way to spend a few days. I'm up to 2112. For some reason, I don't own Presto or Roll the Bones, so it looks like my "Rush Rush" will be a little incomplete.

Hmmm. Which version of Vapor Trails should I play?

[Phlakaton]

Hemispheres would be my favorite as well. It has it all. I agree Clockwork Angels is just fantastic compared to the previous couple albums. Lots of hooks and driving "electric" guitar. I tend to gloss over when I hear acoustic guitar on rock albums.

[Valen]

Hmmm. Which version of Vapor Trails should I play?

Go for the reissue - it's a little lower on volume, and the sound mix is more open and coloured, and is not such an exhausting listen.

The original version can be hard going after a few songs, and I pretty much gave up on it, but the reissue addresses this and is the more rewarding listen. The songs are actually pretty good.

[polmico]

Funny enough, I have both versions of VT. But agreed on all points above. I'm not sure why I'm hanging on to the original mix.

[Vic2012]

Funny enough, I have both versions of VT. But agreed on all points above. I'm not sure why I'm hanging on to the original mix.

I haven't bothered with the remaster/remix/whatever of VT but I still have the original. I'm thinking it might be a rarity or collector's item in 10-20 years. If Metallica ever remasters "And Justice For All" I'd be all over it, but I'd still keep the original.

[Phlakaton]

I haven't bothered with the remaster/remix/whatever of VT but I still have the original. I'm thinking it might be a rarity or collector's item in 10-20 years. If Metallica ever remasters "And Justice For All" I'd be all over it, but I'd still keep the original.

Ha. I too - would be all over a remastered And Justice For All. Such a good one - but damn... what a crappy cd.

[Ken]

I recently saw country megastar Tim McGraw perform here in Chicago. The t-shirt he wore on-stage during the show was from an old Rush tour! had no clue he was a big Rush fan.

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[polmico]

Making it through Hold Your Fire right now. It's got quite a few good tunes on it. "Tai Shan" is also a song on the album.

[cavgator]

LOL! Just listened to The Trees again, brilliant song...but man, WTF were they on when they wrote the lyrics for it?

Certainly not Ayn Rand. John Galt would say "Screw the maples. Shoulda been an oak..."

[Score2112]

Making it through Hold Your Fire right now. It's got quite a few good tunes on it. "Tai Shan" is also a song on the album.

Prime Mover is great.

[spacefreak]

Two days ago I revisited "Moving Pictures" and "Signals". It's been 20 years or more since last played. Still very enjoyable!

[Paulrus]

"Tai Shan" is also a song on the album.

That's the one song Geddy singled out as a "WTF were we thinking?" moment in their careers.

[Garden Dreamer]

I'm up to 2112. For some reason, I don't own Presto or Roll the Bones, so it looks like my "Rush Rush" will be a little incomplete.

Hmmm. Which version of Vapor Trails should I play?

You're not missing anything. Presto and RTB are so far removed from how I want Rush to sound. Rush Lite. But there are plenty of people who love these albums so I guess it comes down to which era of Rush you joined the bandwagon in.

The remastered Vapor Trails is a very listenable and enjoyable album for me now, whereas the original gave me severe ear fatigue and I couldn't listen to more than 2-3 songs in a row.

[TheLoony]

Hmmm. So am I the only one who got that The Trees is about unions?

As for a remastered ...and Justice...., I don't know enough about recording but after listening to Jason Newstead talk about why it sounds so bad, he put most of the blame on himself for how he recorded his bass parts and I wonder if anything could be done to fix that.

I had CMFA stuck in my car for a couple of months. Totally dig the album. After getting intimately familiar with it, I went and watched the live video. Man, those songs are really great live. The studio is so sterile and those songs really come off better in concert. The CA String Ensemble really adds flavor to the tunes.

I don't know if I like either of the VT issues. Both just sound very odd to me.

[yamishogun]

Hmmm. Which version of Vapor Trails should I play?

As a huge fan of VT, I don't think the remaster comes close to the power of the original. I agree with one fan who summed it up: "You don't fuck with Secret Touch"
Earthshine and Celing Unlimited also are much more powerful in the original version. They erased the jam in the end of Ceiling Unlimited on the remix!

[Trane]

Hmmm. So am I the only one who got that The Trees is about unions?

That's one theory, but I still think it's about Canadian Maples wanting the Unitedstatians Oaks giving them too much shadow (or grabbing the sunlight, if you wish), and asking for justice...

[Garden Dreamer]

I don't know if I like either of the VT issues. Both just sound very odd to me.

It is indeed a very odd album. At first listen it sounds like they're going for a stripped-down garage-band sound -- no keyboards, acoustic guitars or guitar solos. But then you realize there's a lot of layering going on with multiple guitars and even multiple bass tracks! So it's a cluttered stripped-down sound, sort of an oxymoron! But the remixed version allowed me to hear everything better and I found I liked the melodies and lyrics, much better than 90% of Snakes & Arrows.

[Paulrus]

I still think it's about Canadian Maples wanting the Unitedstatians Oaks giving them too much shadow (or grabbing the sunlight, if you wish), and asking for justice...

That's my theory as well, and I'm stickin' to it.

[Garden Dreamer]

Making it through Hold Your Fire right now. It's got quite a few good tunes on it.

HYF is where Rush stopped using a certain style of soloing that I call the "breakaway solo." It's where the song has a certain coloring in the verses or choruses by using rhythm guitar or sustained Taurus keyboard notes, but the coloring drops out for the guitar solo and it's just Alex wailing away while Geddy and Neil shift into hyperdrive. The sonic contrast between the verses/choruses and the solo is dramatic. They stopped doing that and it didn't return until Clockwork Angels.

I missed that dynamic aspect of their music and it's part of why I don't like Presto, RTB or Counterparts.