With Rush on hiatus for a years after
Test for Echo, I figured now would be a good time to check out the two solo albums that Alex and Geddy did around this time.
Alex Lifeson
Victor (1996)
1.
Don’t Care - An alt-tinged, groovy slammer comes storming right out of the gates. Alex’s playing is pretty heavy. This is the first of several tracks with singer Edwin on vocals. It’s a bit of a weak introduction to him, as he’s mostly using a lower, gravelly approach. Which does make sense; Alex’s lyrics are in-your face about some rough sex he wants to do. This one’s grown on me a bit. I think it’s solid, although doesn’t properly hint at the better material to come.
6/10
2.
Promise - Another track with Edwin on vocals, but this one has a greater emphasis on melody. Honestly think that musically it could’ve slotted in pretty well on
Test for Echo as one of the album’s better tracks. The chorus here is pretty good, although adding an extra beat in the fourth bar makes it feel slightly awkward. Maybe also a little overlong and repeated too much. What really makes this song though is the instrumental section. Feels like an entrance into a different dimension entirely as Alex builds up a really cool solo. Good stuff.
7/10
3.
Start Today - Dalbello makes a guest appearance and takes over the vocal duties from Edwin on this track. On the verse she’s using a quiet, almost spoken word approach; then in the pre-chorus she’s throwing her lungs right to the wind. Her voice is a bit warbly, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In a way it feels like if you genderbent Geddy Lee’s ‘70s scream approach. The chorus is really cool, building up to a big held note that sounds awesome. I don’t know if this song is fully
great, but it’s definitely really good.
7/10
4.
Mr. X - Our first instrumental track. An electronic opening, and then Peter Cardinali and Blake Manning lay down a groovy rhythm that Alex comes soloing over with style. Cool chorus section in here too, love that rising melody. Only complaint is that it’s a bit short and the ending is a bit abrupt. Otherwise, great stuff. It’s all vibes.
8/10
5.
At the End - For all his fighting about keyboards in Rush, Alex is surprisingly happy enough to use them right here. This track is really cool, built around an electronic program with a steady streaming in of his guitar playing, from jangly riffs to calm noodling. Alex does a cool spoken word with Edwin coming in at the end for extra effect. It’s a pretty dark song that takes time to build to its climax, about a man whose yearning for a deceased lover leads him to commit suicide. Best listened to in the dark.
8/10
6.
Sending Out a Warning - Fun groovy track about fighting within a relationship. Chorus is simple but effective and Edwin sounds quite good on it.
7/10
7.
Shut Up Shuttin’ Up - Atypical track with Alex rockin’ in the background while two women (one of whom being his wife) are chatting about how weird men are. I think it’s fun and there’s a great solo in here too.
7/10
8.
Strip and Go Naked - Another really cool instrumental, this one has some classic vibes thanks to the mandola and it builds into a roaring finale. Can definitely see this as being the musical capturing of a late night or early morning skinny dip.
7/10
9.
The Big Dance - A gradually building track with a big beat and a roaring storm coming from Alex’s guitar. I really like that freight train feel it has, not stopping for anything, which matches the lyrics (guy is taking advantage of a rich woman). I do wish there was a little more variety here because the vocals are basically doing the same thing from beginning to end. Also Les Claypool is on bass in this song, but the mix unfortunately buries him.
6/10
10.
Victor - An adaptation of a poem, this like “At the End” is based around an electronic piece with Alex reciting lines about a kid who loses his father and grows up to kill his adulterous wife. It’s a little awkward in places, but I enjoy the story. Wish there was a little more to the music though.
6/10
11.
I Am the Spirit - Our final track is a jumper. Edwin is back on vocals and the entire ensemble sounds like they’re having great fun. Good melodic work in this slamming alternative tune. It’s a belter. I really love how the bridge goes into a new dimension (similar to what they did with “Promise”), coming out into a rockin’ guitar solo and then back to the verse. Great song, great way to close the album.
8/10
OVERALL
I really didn’t know what to think going into this album, but
Victor is actually a really fun record. Alex is allowing alternative influences to seep into his work and the cast of characters he assembled for the record are giving it their all. Not every song is one to write home about, but all of them are solid or better. Some legitimately good material on here, very consistent. I also like that Edwin gets a lot of time on the mic, which gives the record a flowing identity throughout it as opposed to a collection of work with Alex as the only mainstay.
Alex’s guitarwork is really good here. Some great solos and riffs throughout. You can also tell that he’s allowing himself to be silly, although there seems to be a recurring theme of relationship issues that makes me wonder if his marriage was on the rocks in 1996. I do think it’s possible that after doing this album he was a bit spent creatively, leading to the lackluster
Test for Echo when Rush started working on their own material.
Total:
70%
Geddy Lee
My Favorite Headache (2000)
1.
My Favorite Headache - Bass intro begins our bass wizard’s solo record. The verses here are driving; groovy alt-tinged riffs courtesy of Ben Mink roll across the speakers. The pre-chorus adds in some acoustics with some discordant strings as Geddy sings about watching the sea and TV to ground himself. The chorus builds on the acoustic guitar and strings and adds in piano for greater effect, but the mood is brought down a ton. Eventually we get an instrumental section that extends this feeling. A really cool song with a lot of uneasy treading; kinda reminds me of “Force Ten” in the way the chorus contrasts with the verses. Probably able to round up to an
8/10, great start to the album.
2.
The Present Tense - Kicking things off with the chorus here, which isn’t
dark per se, but it has a moodiness to it that is absent elsewhere. The verses by contrast are really bright; it feels like a young person stepping into the sun for the first time. The bridge is even brighter, full of hope and opportunity and the rush that comes with embracing life and ignoring your surroundings. Then in comes that dour chorus and the moment is gone. Weird. I think it’s a very decent song. Don’t think it quite goes where it wants to, though.
6/10
3.
Window to the World - A more fun track than the last. A sparkly guitar with a dull ring to it that continues to play in the background offsets the otherwise happier feeling of this little tune. Doesn’t really go anywhere enticing, but it’s very much a decent song.
6/10
4.
Working at Perfekt - Love the vocal intro that repeats throughout the song. Some cool synths in the background here that buzz like a powerplant. This one stays in more drab territory throughout and is a lot more successful IMO than the previous two. I’m very much taken by the narrative Geddy’s voice is taking me on. The only problem here is the chorus, which adds some cool strings but also plods. I’m a little torn, but I think that chorus holds it back enough for me to give it another, but a stronger,
6/10.
5.
Runaway Train - Fun song with a lot of drive to it. I just don’t think it’s all that memorable. Probably the strongest song overall out of these past four but I genuinely couldn’t remember how it went before I pressed play.
6/10
6.
The Angels’ Share - A softer ballad type track which starts out quite decently. I love the way the instruments build themselves up in the pre-chorus. Unfortunately, the chorus is a complete plodder. Wasted potential, ehhhhhhhh
5/10.
7.
Moving to Bohemia - Midly silly song. There’s some drive here but it’s cancelled when we get to the pre-chorus. The chorus itself is decent, but never pops. Geddy is completely stuck in first gear on this album.
5/10
8.
Home on the Strange - The riff here is really cool; groovy and twisty, almost Tool-like. Unfortunately the drumming comes in and they are played way too straight. I really like the “home, home on the strange” line where the music drops out, but that’s about it. I find the rest of this song to be pretty boring, especially the bridge that just plods on and on. What a shame.
4/10
9.
Slipping - Another ballad, but this one is way more successful than “The Angels’ Share”. It feels like a confessional about a personal failing in a relationship and is incredibly tender and mournful. Finally the album is on an upswing.
8/10
10.
Still - Like a continuation of the previous song, this one is about a personal journey through like, still working your way up that hill. Geddy’s voice is tender and emotional, as though his slipping might have gotten him down but he will keep moving forward. The drumming plods a bit, but the music is great and Geddy’s performance is awesome, weathered by age. The way his voice lingers over the notes in the verses is so good, and the hopeful turn of the bridge is a nice change-up. Great song.
8/10
11.
Grace to Grace - And we close with a proper banger. This one feels like it’s closing out the narrative from the past two tracks with both drive and serenity. The verses are properly pumping, but that chorus is much calmer and properly poetic. Geddy has come a long way as a lyricist since the Rush debut, even if we haven’t gotten to see much of his work. Man that chorus is beautiful! I wish the music were a little more interesting in this one. I would have loved to have heard a Rush version of this track, with Neil’s exploratory drumming and Alex’s shimmering guitarwork. Great song, great note to end the album on.
8/10
OVERALL
Geddy’s solo record is very much a mixed bag. It starts off great, but then never seems to push itself until the very end, when a trilogy of tracks brings the record to a stately finale. It’s a shame, because those four great songs on here are legitimately great, but the rest really feels like post-
Test for Echo burnout. It definitely feels more Rush-like than Alex’s album, and to a degree I miss Alex and Neil on here. Ben Mink and Matt Cameron do some solid jobs here, but never fully shine.
An album with serious peaks and valleys.
Total:
64%
