Rush Discography Discussion 2: Caress of Steel (1975)

I'd like to like this post more times Cornfed but alas I can only like it once! Nice writing here :)

Anyone interested in hearing Working Man slowed down to Sabbath sludge tempo? :D If so, I'll gladly provide a link.
 
Track 1:
As a whole I find Cygnus book II duller than book I. Compared to book I, in II we get: more repetition, more monotonousness and less groundbreaking efforts.

Still good but not as surprising. The coolest part is the calm part in which some moments of book I are integrated. Not because of the quality but because of the change it brings.
It takes about 12(!) minutes before that moment comes. Then for the first(!) time we truly get to a change in atmosphere. I repeat: 12 fucking minutes! Before that, even though there are changes (there are different parts) the whole thing keeps returning to the same tones. Makes it more monotone, more predictable. Basically, one keeps waiting til something happens. In long songs, that kind of waiting should take less long. It takes less long in any other Maiden and Rush epic. Basically: in any epic, done in the history of rock or metal music.
So, I don't think Cornfed and I can disagree more about anything else as about (the progress) of this song and book I. He says it gets less interesting in the calm book of II and I think the opposite: finally a change in this overlong continuity.

Also I like the end of book I (great mystical end!) more than the end of II (a turdy, anti-climactic piece) as well. By the way, that very end of I also returns in the beginning of the calm part in book II.

Track 2:
Circumstances has an annoying chorus but later on we get a nice instrumental bridge.

Track 3:
The Trees is magnificent. The build-up of the rhythmic pulsations in the instrumental part is unsurpassed.
Did you guys notice the comparison with the title track of the previous album? The acoustic beginnings are quite similar and both songs also have bird sounds.

Track 4:
Villa would have been my favourite Rush song if it were 6 minutes. But alas, after 5.50, it gets worse.
4 minutes of not that great parts which all get repeated too much. The jazzy and freaky parts are more out of place in this song (especially because they follow such a grand build-up of tension and most excellent musicianship) compared to anything else that happens in Cygnus book I. So, I really don't get why Cornfed applauds these moments here, while he can't stand them on the previous album.

Rush made the same mistake in Natural Science. Fantastic beginning, build-up and couplets and then it all gets worse when they start jamming some totally irrelevant and unfitting music. More about that on the next album.
 
OK cool, we're talking about Hemispheres now. This is my favorite Rush album. Being the progger that I am, this shouldn't come as a surprise. It's the album that really got me into Rush and even progressive music as a whole. I knew Moving Pictures and 2112 as well as a lot of their synth era material, but most of their 70's stuff was new territory. Hemispheres couldn't have been a better introduction to their heavy prog side.

I too, prefer Cygnus Book II to Book I. I feel like this is when they finally perfected the side long epic. While it doesn't have anything that matches the greatness of the 2112 Overture/Temples, as a whole I find Hemispheres to be much better. It's not too heavy on the slower bits (which is something that dragged 2112 down a bit.) and there's no sections that drag on. Everything is perfect length, 18 minutes go by very quickly. I also like the lyrics a lot more than Book I. The left vs right brain concept is pretty cool. I also like how it ends with a ballady movement in The Sphere, an unconventional ending and a nice little tune. It's good that they didn't try to recreate 2112 with this, and instead went with something new. I'm also a sucker for reprises, and the Book I samples are pretty cool. Aside from that, I actually don't associate the two books that much, two very different pieces.

Hemispheres is a cool piece, but Side B is really where the album gets great. This is Rush at their most consistent; where 2112 showed a heavy focus on the one song causing side B to be less than stellar, Hemispheres shows Rush giving proper care and attention to the entire album as a whole. All three songs on side B stand alone as great tracks.

Circumstances is a bit underrated I think, it gets overshadowed by The Trees and La Villa Strangiato, it's easy to forget about it. It's progressive, yet concise. Something that a lot of prog bands today can't accomplish. I especially like the slow keyboard interlude thing at around 2:20. I also really like Geddy's singing on this, the vocal reverb was a nice touch. His vocals on previous albums tended to be pretty dry.

The Trees is so good. Just like Circumstances, progressive but concise at the same time. But even more so. I remember when I first heard it I was very surprised that it only came out to 5 and a half minutes. There was so much going on, so many different parts. The 10/8 middle section is sublime. Some of my favorite lyrics too. Definitely a top ten song.

And finally we have my favorite Rush song. La Villa Strangiato. This epic instrumental is the apex of Rush's progressive rock era. I'm with Cornfed in thinking that this song should've elevated Lifeson to guitar god status. The solo is one of the best of all time, everything about it is perfect. Great phrasing, very dynamic, and an unbeatable buildup. The chaotic sections that follow are mindblowing too. So many changing parts, so much variety and yet somehow it manages to come back to the theme with ease. Another thing about this song that I love is the drums. This is maybe the only song that I can listen to only the drums and be satisfied. This is the song where we really see that Peart is a world class drummer.

Also on a slightly unrelated note, there was a very special guest at Rush's concert in Chicago last night:

1003956_10151429364327062_1020727924_n.jpg
 
Agree that Book II gets a bit repetitive. So does Beethoven's 9th Symphony. I don't think Book II is in that league, of course, but just sayin' -- that it repeats themes the way a concerto or symphony movement repeats themes isn't necessarily a bad thing. Foro is right, we couldn't disagree more completely about Cygnus.

Also disagree with Foro's blasphemous critique of "Villa" -- the "monsters" bits starting at 5:50 and going until about 8:15 are the "strangiato" part. Yes, these parts are different from the first six minutes of the song, but are not out of place at all. If anything, they serve as a welcome and playful bridge between the two main themes.
 
Well it plays with that Electric Company theme for the most part anyway. I don't even think the chord changes are different from the rest of the song. For a song 9 minutes long, I'd be disappointed if those zany bits weren't there.
 
harrisdevot said:
Thanks for asking. The reason for my late answer is related to Rush : I've bought Snakes and Arrows three weeks ago... and I'm like unable to listen to anything else since :blink: . But I won't anticipate.
Farewell to Kings is exactly what I was expecting from Rush when I started to buy their records : ambitious, varied, great music and vocal melodies. To me, Xanadu is the highlight of the album, and the best song they had ever recorded at the time : a complex song, with a lot of variation (the most dynamic passages are great) and the vocal melodies are fantastic. It is a long song, but this length sounds necessary to develop all the potential of the song. Cygnus though, which I began to listen to as a suite, still doesn't really make it to me. But I shall try again and again. I am actually bored by some passages. I understand that, when played live, it helps to create a certain atmosphere, but, alone in your living room, it is sometimes difficult to get into (to make my point clear, I often have this problem with the central part of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner). All in all, though, this album is clearly a big step forward. While I thought 2112 was a bit overated, Farewell to Kings really deserves its reputation.
Click to expand...
Forgot to respond to this earlier. Glad you're enjoying the band. :ok:I look forward to hearing your take on S&A when the time comes, since that is a record with a rather mixed reception.
 
Away camping but had to check in on this thread.
Nice writing people!

Don't have time to get into the whys at the moment, but:
Circumstances is an underrated track - heavy meets prog at its finest, great tune.
The Trees (as I listen to the birds chirp outside the tent) see above, but even better. Among their best.
"Bows and worships at Strangiato."
Hemispheres...meh

My favourite observation here is Cornfed's about the pause. Rush does this better than anyone.
And don't forget the pauses where one member ends it half a beat ahead of the other two.
Moving Pictures is a monument to this.
 
Permanent Waves (1980)
Rush_Permanent_Waves.jpg

For the words of the prophets were written on the studio walls..

Released on January 1st, 1980, Permanent Waves was the first album to be released in the 80's, making The Spirit Of Radio the opening song for a very video oriented decade. This is a very transitional record for the band. The side length epics and long instrumental odysseys are gone but many of the progressive rock elements are still present. It's very much a bridge from Hemispheres to Moving Pictures and the beginning of a more commercial Rush.

Permanent Waves is a very short record (in fact it still remains to be the shortest Rush album) with only 6 relatively short, songs. But like Hemispheres, each song on this album is carefully crafted and meticulously arranged, making 6 strong songs. The synthesizers have started to take a more dominating role, being featured prominently in a few songs. Despite the stripped down song structures, experimentation is still very present on this record. Spirit of Radio, for example, shows Rush's first use of a reggae beat, something they would expand upon with several other songs. By this point, the band has mastered the use of odd time signatures while still making a short rock song natural sounding (something that started with Circumstances). Geddy's high pitched screaming vocals are absent from this album, replaced by a natural singing style that has remained since.

Despite the catchy radio friendly nature of this album, Rush hadn't lost the ability to write long proggy songs. In fact this album has two. Jacob's Ladder is a very unique Rush track, relying heavily on atmosphere and creating a buildup. Natural Science is also new territory for Rush, squeezing what could be seen as a 3 movement suite into a relatively short time frame. Had it been written a few years earlier, it may have been a side long epic. Pure speculation on my part, though.

Permanent Waves marked the beginning of a period of commercial success for Rush. Debuting at #4 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the UK album charts, it was the first Rush album to crack the US top 5. The Spirit Of Radio and Freewill were also successful singles and have remained classic rock staples to this day, Spirit Of Radio still being a live favorite. The 80's were shaping up to be a great time for Rush.
 
Nice and usefull review ! It helps to understand the position of this record in Rush's dicography. Reflecting on what you wrote, the idea of transition is really here, but I failed to catch it by myself.
This is a very consistent album I think, and a rather easy one to appreciate. The highlights are The Spirit of Radio (except for that horrible reggae beat !) and the fantastic Jacob's Ladder. This one sounds very much like a 1970s number. Some of the riffs are quite simple, the song is quite repetitive at times... but it works ; I love the passage beetween 1:33 and 2:21.
 
Mosh said:
Permanent Waves is a very short record (in fact it still remains to be the shortest Rush album)
Click to expand...

Actually, Hemispheres is about a minute shorter: 36.1 minutes vs. 37.4 minutes according to iTunes. :innocent:



It's funny that, historically, this is regarded as a transitional record, from the heavy prog to the more radio-friendly sound -- as Mosh calls it, a "bridge" from Hemispheres to Moving Pictures. It's kind of a shame that Moving Pictures ended up overshadowing it in almost every way, as consequently this album does not get its due. 2112 is regarded as more of a classic nowadays, but I think Permanent Waves is a superior overall record. (But again, it's hard to top "Overture/Temples.") The fact is, if Moving Pictures had never happened, this album would be Rush's greatest record and would have cemented them as rock legends anyway. It is a classic in its own right, and Rush was operating at the peak of their creative powers. Yes, they topped it a year later with arguably the greatest hard rock record ever recorded (and Side A is definitely the greatest album side ever recorded, of any genre, IMO), but Permanent Waves is still spectacular.

As for the individual songs, I don't have much more to add to Mosh's remarks, except to make two points. First, "Entre Nous" is a very underrated track. It was also released as a single, but it had neither the initial appeal nor the staying power of "Spirit of Radio" or "Freewill" for some reason. It is not as memorable as those two tracks, true, but I nevertheless find it a very strong track that is always a pleasure to hear, perhaps because it has not been as heavily played. Second, at some point Forostar will likely come in to bash "Natural Science," particularly the latter part of the song, as he already did earlier in this thread. Again, we disagree. I think the song builds very nicely throughout, and I especially like the bit from about 5:27 through 7:40, very anthemic. This isn't Rush's greatest "long song" of the '80s -- I like "Jacob's Ladder" better, as well as "The Camera Eye," more on that in a week or so -- but it's still damn good.
 
Permanent Waves is another masterpiece.
It and Moving Pictures mark my favourite era of Rush, where the power, technical mastery and songwriting prowess come together in equal parts.

The Spirit of Radio is a fine example. Another one of those songs that gets underrated because of its popularity, it sits exactly at the crossroads of metal, prog and classic rock.
It's a mighty mix of riffs, airtight playing, rhythmic holds and releases, and power.
Peart is absolutely at the top of his game — his playing is so catchy it might as well be the melody. How anyone can hear this and not air drum is beyond me.

Free Will is a similarly structured song — not nearly as soaring or anthemic, but still powerful and memorable, if in a more sombre key.
Again, the playing is top-notch, but it serves the song, as opposed to the other way around.

Jacob's Ladder is a delight — perhaps the last true prog piece the band did.
It's right up there with Cygnus: Book I as the band's most cinematic composition.
Such musical atmosphere. Love the lyrics too — Peart simply allows his words to paint pictures.

Anyone dismissing Entre Nous as a commercial rock song is missing out on how good a commercial rock song it is.

Earlier on this thread I pointed out how long it took for Rush to master the quiet song. Different Strings is their first unqualified success.
Melancholy and the infinite sadness is a perfect description for the chorus (Billy Corgan was a big fan of the album), and it has some nice understated playing — love the too-brief outro.
 
Glad to see some love for Entre Nous. It's my 2nd favorite on the album, behind Jacob's Ladder. I love every song though, even Different Strings. Mckindog is right, they mastered the quiet song with that one. Great calm before the storm of Natural Science, one of their more aggressive tracks.
 
Cornfed Hick said:
Actually, Hemispheres is about a minute shorter: 36.1 minutes vs. 37.4 minutes according to iTunes.
Click to expand...
Strange. The CDs say otherwise.

Well, I have already made my point on Natural Science, haven't I? Couldn't help spotting Mckindog ignoring the song in his commentary. :innocent:

Even though I am getting more used to the happy, over the top "let's have FUN"-hallalujah mood of the opening track, I prefer music of a different vibe.
And hearing it as the constant (or at least very often?) setlist opener is coming a bit out of my nose (sorry, Dutch expression). Besides, live, Geddy doesn't sound that nice on it. I really like Peart's drum patterns on it though.

Also not a big fan of Entre Nous (this was the song Billy Corgan talked about). Not very enthralling melodies and I feel that the jumpy, happy music in the couplets and choruses are out of place, when comparing it with the more concerned theme of the lyrics. The instrumental parts are more dramatic though, but not very captivating. I prefer Different Strings, much more. Jacob's Dream is suspenseful and has nice Lifeson riffing. Freewill has some monstrous playing and Natural Science's first couple of couplets are divine. That guitar playing with that astounding rhythm section underneath and Lee's excellent vocal melodies culminate into some of the best minutes they've ever done.
 
Forostar said:
Strange. The CDs say otherwise.

Well, I have already made my point on Natural Science, haven't I? Couldn't help spotting Mckindog ignoring the song in his commentary. :innocent:
Click to expand...

Just waiting for yours. Can't always give you the last word ;)
 
Well, I've done my take on Natural Science already. :)
Forostar said:
Rush made the same mistake in Natural Science. Fantastic beginning, build-up and couplets and then it all gets worse when they start jamming some totally irrelevant and unfitting music. More about that on the next album.
Click to expand...
In hindsight, this is pretty much it. An apt description. To emphasize where the disappointing part starts (really, this is 10 times worse than the preceding music; this sort of song build-up should be forbidden, especially in longer songs!), it gets annoying from 5.08 in this clip:
OK, we get a little positive hick-up at 7:19-7:41. After that we get Hemispheres boredom again.
 
Natural Science is an interesting song. Like it's prog counterpart, Jacob's Ladder, it's uncharted territory for the band. Instead of another Xanadu or Necromancer, which were really based on the one theme, they wrote 3 distinct themes and managed to cram them into a relatively short time frame. Perhaps the greatest example of the band's new knack for writing interesting, yet concise songs. I kind of take them as 3 different pieces with an outro that wraps up the themes and connects them. They're all in the same key but with different chord progressions so it's different, yet not out of place. Each part also seems to have a verse chorus structure but there plenty of things to tie them together. The Tide Pools part is one of my all time favorite Rush moments, especially the way it suddenly kicks in, so cool. The style of riffing is some of Rush's most aggressive and I can tell that Tool must've been hugely influenced by this. Their entire style of songwriting comes from that one Rush riff. The Permanent Waves section is aptly titled, as it highlights the upbeat catchy nature of the album. Like Temples Of Syrinx, it could stand alone as its own tune. And then it goes into what would be the grand finale, had they made it a side long epic. All the themes are tied together for an explosive ending.

Permanent Waves shows that Rush is more than over playing and writing long extremely difficult songs. I feel that Natural Science accents this more than any other song on the album. Why? Because it goes for 10 minutes without getting boring or repetitive, but not getting extremely technical like Strangiato, or turning into an over the top progressive rock suite like 2112.
 
Moving Pictures (1981)
Moving_Pictures.jpg


This is the classic Rush album. Continuing in the more commercial nature of Permanent Waves, for many fans, this is Rush's crowning achievement. Even Neil Peart says that this is his favorite Rush album. Even saying that Rush was "born with Moving Pictures". Many classic songs are on this album that remain staples both live and on classic rock radio stations everywhere. It would be hard to find someone who hasn't heard Tom Sawyer.

Rather than further pursuing songs like Jacob's Ladder and Natural Science, the band decided to move in the more commercial direction of songs like The Spirit Of Radio. The arrangements are tighter and each song has its own mood, as opposed to Permanent Waves' general upbeat nature. Rush was also able to give some songs a test drive before hitting the studio in Quebec during the winter of 1980. The synthesizers have really started to take the forefront here and have become just as important as the other instruments. With keyboard melodies on many of the songs, notably Tom Sawyer, The Camera Eye, and Vital Signs. This album would really go on to be the start of what many call Rush's "synth era".

Like Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures doesn't show Rush abandoning their progressive roots completely, but rather mixing them into more radio friendly songs. Something that was starting to become a trend with progressive rock bands, Genesis and the supergroup Asia were following similar formulas. Even newer bands like Marillion were writing MTV hits. Odd time signatures are still present and YYZ gives the band a chance to flex their technical muscles. The technical edge being something that wasn't very present on Permanent Waves. Red Barchetta is also a pretty modern (at the time) prog rock piece The one epic on this album, The Camera Eye, would be Rush's last epic and their last song to pass the 10 minute mark. With this album they also revisit their more riff oriented harder edged roots with Witch Hunt, easily the heaviest song on the record. They also take the experiments with reggae beats further in Vital Signs.

Moving Pictures was a huge success for Rush, hitting #1 in their home Canada and #3 in both the Billboard 200 and UK Chart. Also had successful, top 100 singles in Limelight and Tom Sawyer. Vital Signs was also released as a single, but never charted. Videos were also made for these three songs (see below). Since then, Red Barchetta and YYZ have joined as classic rock staples with the entire album being considered an all time classic. The band still perform much of it to this day, even performing the entire album live on their 2011 Time Machine Tour, celebrating the 20th anniversary. Moving Pictures is timeless and certainly deserves its place as a classic album.

 
Ah, Moving Pictures, perhaps the best album of all time...
But first, some unfinished business.

Over the weekend, I was, quite literally, "watching the ebbing tide retreat over the rocky shoreline."
And I was struck for the first time just how cinematic Natural Science is.
As the water lapped at the edges of the tidal pools, I felt the sun and the breeze and the muted comfortable sounds of the seashore, and a comfortable disconnect. And as I soaked it in, I realized how perfectly Geddy's disembodied vocal and the slow acoustic guitar mirrored what I was experiencing.
Then, as the water gathered speed over the edges and through the cracks into the rocky bowls, "Wheels within wheels in a spiral array..." chimed in an internal soundtrack. And as the water thrust through, slamming over "all the busy little creatures" the irresistible force of the main riff of Hyperspace kicked in with all its destructive power.

Mosh is right, Natural Science stands out because of discipline and tight songwriting craftsmanship the band embedded in this, it's penultimate epic. But let's not dismiss how well the band married musical and lyrical themes. And let's not overlook the technical brilliance of three musicians working in perfect concert: the mad riffing in the second section and the smooth time shifts in section three and the exquisite tone of Lifeson's solos. Really everything that makes the band special is here. It's not my favourite Rush song, but it is top ten and it is the touchstone of one of their best albums, and, indeed, this entire, extremely fertile period for the band.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top