Rush Discography Discussion 2: Caress of Steel (1975)
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Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Bastille Day is a fine track! Very fine actually. I love that punk-rockish riff.
I think I'm going Bald: bad both musically and lyrically.
Lakeside Park is ok.
After quite some years, I heard this album earlier this week and I was shocked to hear how bad these next epic tracks are. The Necromancer is terribly annoying for a certain reason: the voice's volume in the beginning is so ridiculously low that I need to put the volume up. But then when it finished I need to turn it down again. Something went terribly wrong in the production. Some idiot must have paid not enough attention. The rest of the song consists of repetitive, and not very adventurous parts. The solo is way too long and ear-hurting loud in the mix. The bass playing is cool though. And I like the ending calm part.
The Fountain of Lamneth is just six pieces with silences in between. Seconds of silences! Really, it doesn't attribute to the idea of building an epic cohesive song. And the parts themselves are not to write home about.
Suite III has nice atmospheric guitar work though.
I never realized it before but I find this the worst Rush album of the seventies (I even enjoy the debut album more)!
When listening to these long songs I can't disagree with Geddy Lee who said in 1993:
I think I'm going Bald: bad both musically and lyrically.
Lakeside Park is ok.
After quite some years, I heard this album earlier this week and I was shocked to hear how bad these next epic tracks are. The Necromancer is terribly annoying for a certain reason: the voice's volume in the beginning is so ridiculously low that I need to put the volume up. But then when it finished I need to turn it down again. Something went terribly wrong in the production. Some idiot must have paid not enough attention. The rest of the song consists of repetitive, and not very adventurous parts. The solo is way too long and ear-hurting loud in the mix. The bass playing is cool though. And I like the ending calm part.
The Fountain of Lamneth is just six pieces with silences in between. Seconds of silences! Really, it doesn't attribute to the idea of building an epic cohesive song. And the parts themselves are not to write home about.
Suite III has nice atmospheric guitar work though.
I never realized it before but I find this the worst Rush album of the seventies (I even enjoy the debut album more)!
When listening to these long songs I can't disagree with Geddy Lee who said in 1993:
I'll hold off until we get there, but the songwriting in HYF is quite good, it is the glossy synth sheen that sucks.
TFE is uninspired, but it's not pointless and aimless.
CoS is just...bad.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
I thought about this as well, especially Hold Your Fire. I have not even bought that album, so bad is it. But I'll give it, plus some nineties albums I am not a fan of, another chance when we get there.
2112 (1976)
"Attention all planets of the Solar Federation, we have assumed control..."
In Spring of 1976, it was time for Rush to once again hit the studio to record the album that would make or break them. After the failure of Caress of Steel, the band was pressured by their label to take a step back and write more radio friendly material as opposed to the extended pieces that were found on the previous albums. Rush instead chose to go out with their morals in tact and write the album that they wanted.
Despite the fact that the album opened with one side length epic and contained no obvious hit, 2112 was a surprise success. It was to be the first Rush album to break the Billboard charts and was met with much acclaim. Now thought of as a classic album, 2112 would open the door for continuous success for the band and as a result, Rush was finally given the liberty to make the albums they wanted without pressure from the label.
However, 2112 was not without its share of controversy. The dedication to Ayn Rand and themes of non-conformity did not sit well with many critics. The band was often accused of things such as being right-wing extremists and were even compared to Nazis in some cases. Obviously these claims did not hold much weight and did not hurt the band's credibility much. Since then, Neil Peart has outgrown Ayn Rand; when asked by Rolling Stone if her words still spoke to him, he replied,
2112 has since stood the test of time and is considered by many to be Rush's signature album. Arguably their most important, as without it we probably wouldn't be discussing them today.
"Attention all planets of the Solar Federation, we have assumed control..."
In Spring of 1976, it was time for Rush to once again hit the studio to record the album that would make or break them. After the failure of Caress of Steel, the band was pressured by their label to take a step back and write more radio friendly material as opposed to the extended pieces that were found on the previous albums. Rush instead chose to go out with their morals in tact and write the album that they wanted.
Despite the fact that the album opened with one side length epic and contained no obvious hit, 2112 was a surprise success. It was to be the first Rush album to break the Billboard charts and was met with much acclaim. Now thought of as a classic album, 2112 would open the door for continuous success for the band and as a result, Rush was finally given the liberty to make the albums they wanted without pressure from the label.
However, 2112 was not without its share of controversy. The dedication to Ayn Rand and themes of non-conformity did not sit well with many critics. The band was often accused of things such as being right-wing extremists and were even compared to Nazis in some cases. Obviously these claims did not hold much weight and did not hurt the band's credibility much. Since then, Neil Peart has outgrown Ayn Rand; when asked by Rolling Stone if her words still spoke to him, he replied,
Neil Peart said:
2112 has since stood the test of time and is considered by many to be Rush's signature album. Arguably their most important, as without it we probably wouldn't be discussing them today.
Vap
Ancient Mariner
Caress of Steel: the only song worth anything here is Bastille Day. I Think I'm Going Bald is one of the worst Rush songs. Lakeside Park is listenable but unremarkable. The Necromancer and Fountain of Lamneth are confusing wankfests. Definitely one of Rush's weakest albums.
2112: I like this one, even though Rush did so much better later. 2112 is somewhat uneven, parts III and IV (the solo is great though!) are weak in an otherwise excellent song. A Passage to Bangkok is the best song from the album (unless individual parts from 2112 count, then it's part I). After that the album drops down considerably. The Twilight Zone is passable, Lessons is Lessons and Tears doesn't do much for me. Something for Nothing is pretty fun. Overall it's an enjoyable album to listen to, even the weaker tracks don't bother me so much, I rarely listen to them otherwise.
2112: I like this one, even though Rush did so much better later. 2112 is somewhat uneven, parts III and IV (the solo is great though!) are weak in an otherwise excellent song. A Passage to Bangkok is the best song from the album (unless individual parts from 2112 count, then it's part I). After that the album drops down considerably. The Twilight Zone is passable, Lessons is Lessons and Tears doesn't do much for me. Something for Nothing is pretty fun. Overall it's an enjoyable album to listen to, even the weaker tracks don't bother me so much, I rarely listen to them otherwise.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Would someone explain me a bit more in detail, how using Ayn Rand in lyrics could be seen as right wing extremism?
And is her work very libertarian? Why then why does this stuff not appeal to him anymore? He still is a libertarian, not?
I don't get it. I am probably missing something here.
And is her work very libertarian? Why then why does this stuff not appeal to him anymore? He still is a libertarian, not?
I don't get it. I am probably missing something here.
Ayn Rand was certainly not Libertarian. In fact she was very much against the Libertarian movement. Objectivism does have an influence on Libertarianism, however. The right wing accusations come from the individualist nature of Rand's work and 2112's theme as a whole (Anthem is like this too). Individualism is very much a right wing trait, while left wingers tend to lean toward collectivism. Even today, many right wingers are opposed to social programs such as welfare and even more relevant, government run health care. Ayn Rand style objectivism is very right wing.
Since then, Neil has described himself as a bleeding heart libertarian, the polar opposite. The opening definition on wikipedia is a fitting description:
"Bleeding-heart libertarianism is a species of libertarianism that focuses on the compatibility of support for civil liberties and free-market capitalism on the one hand, and a concern for social justice and the well-being of the worst-off on the other."
I bolded the last line because I think it highlights the difference. Neil is simply more interested in helping others and puts less importance on himself, which I suppose would be natural as one gets older. He no longer believes things like
Since then, Neil has described himself as a bleeding heart libertarian, the polar opposite. The opening definition on wikipedia is a fitting description:
"Bleeding-heart libertarianism is a species of libertarianism that focuses on the compatibility of support for civil liberties and free-market capitalism on the one hand, and a concern for social justice and the well-being of the worst-off on the other."
I bolded the last line because I think it highlights the difference. Neil is simply more interested in helping others and puts less importance on himself, which I suppose would be natural as one gets older. He no longer believes things like
I think it's interesting to see his views evolve in context of Rush lyrics. Especially with Clockwork Angels, which isn't thematically similar to 2112, but it reflects his current views on life in a similar way that 2112 did 30 years earlier.
2112 is indeed known as both a great and a landmark album.
I'll explain why it's not a great album in another post. But it certainly is a landmark album.
The reason is simple: the opening 6:45 are like nothing anyone had ever heard before.
Picture yourself at age 15 back in 1976. Your buddy invites into the basement, with a smile and and a "you gotta hear this."
He pulls out a striking looking album with a vivid red star on the cover, and four numbers.
The needle hits the vinyl, and you are gone.
The spacey, psychedelic swirls that open the album immediately catch your attention.
And then power chords, dramatic and arresting - clearly something grand and portentous is about to happen.
Then BAM! A explosion of music - powerful, overwhelming, a barrage of drums just mows you over as the guitar and bass crank out riff after irresistible riff. This is not just huge, but frenetic as well. Some heavy shit is going down.
It pauses to gather its strength time and again, hurling itself at you ears - no voice, just sortie after sortie of instrumental thunder like nothing that had ever come out of any speaker before.
Until finally the walls come crashing down...and the meek shall inherit the earth? WTF?
But before you can ponder, the thunder is back, relentless, yet melodic.
And it's accompanied by a banshee wailing about priests taking care of everything and every time the banshee stops, those drums roll and fill in the gaps leaving your senses reeling.
Finally the barrage rests on the wings of a light folky guitar fill and you finally breathe - pulse thudding, mind racing.
You're not sure what just hit you, but you know it was immense.
And finally you figure it out - you've just heard the greatest album opener that had ever been put on record.
I'll explain why it's not a great album in another post. But it certainly is a landmark album.
The reason is simple: the opening 6:45 are like nothing anyone had ever heard before.
Picture yourself at age 15 back in 1976. Your buddy invites into the basement, with a smile and and a "you gotta hear this."
He pulls out a striking looking album with a vivid red star on the cover, and four numbers.
The needle hits the vinyl, and you are gone.
The spacey, psychedelic swirls that open the album immediately catch your attention.
And then power chords, dramatic and arresting - clearly something grand and portentous is about to happen.
Then BAM! A explosion of music - powerful, overwhelming, a barrage of drums just mows you over as the guitar and bass crank out riff after irresistible riff. This is not just huge, but frenetic as well. Some heavy shit is going down.
It pauses to gather its strength time and again, hurling itself at you ears - no voice, just sortie after sortie of instrumental thunder like nothing that had ever come out of any speaker before.
Until finally the walls come crashing down...and the meek shall inherit the earth? WTF?
But before you can ponder, the thunder is back, relentless, yet melodic.
And it's accompanied by a banshee wailing about priests taking care of everything and every time the banshee stops, those drums roll and fill in the gaps leaving your senses reeling.
Finally the barrage rests on the wings of a light folky guitar fill and you finally breathe - pulse thudding, mind racing.
You're not sure what just hit you, but you know it was immense.
And finally you figure it out - you've just heard the greatest album opener that had ever been put on record.
Awesome description. 
2112 is an interesting album for me. It's never my go to album for 70's Rush (that usually be A Farewell To Kings or Hemispheres) and it's actually a bit uneven, yet it's always an enjoyable listen. It's such a bold artistic statement and the greatest "fuck you" in my music collection. Whenever I listen to it I don't think about its numerous flaws and how the following albums are light years better, but more about how awesome it is that Rush had the guts to do things their way even if it meant the death of the band. It's what makes Rush so great and has really become their trademark. They are a band for outsiders, nonconformists, rebels. Nothing says that more than 2112. It's awesome.
Not much needs to be said about the title track. I think it still holds up, one of their best songs. The first 6 minutes, as Dog pointed out, are beyond this universe. I especially like the split second of silence after "and the meek shall inherit the earth" before blasting into Temples, such an epic transition.
Passage to Bangkok is fun and a good side opener. I always considered side 2 as a sort of mini album and Bangkok is a strong start.
I really dislike the intro to Twilight Zone, I don't know what it is but I never liked it. The rest of the song is good, however. The eerie chorus is a nice touch and the sort of left field (albeit goofy at times) lyrics are a nice change of pace from what we're used to with Rush.
Lessons is completely forgettable. I swear to H, every time I listen to it I hear a brand new song. I wouldn't be able to hum a few bars of it to save my life. It's frustrating really, but it also says a lot about the song, and not good things.
Tears is a nice song. I've always had a soft spot for it, I especially enjoyed the 5.1 mix (I'll get to more of that later) and how it filled the room. Love the mellotron too. Very prog!
Something For Nothing is a decent closer. It's kinda celebratory in a way, almost saying that despite what others might think, 2112 is going to be a triumph for a band. And so it was. I also like the lyrics. Not one of the best songs on the album, however.
Also worth noting, when revisiting 2112 for this topic, I decided to listen to the new 5.1 mix (it had been sitting on my shelf for awhile but I never got around to listening to it), it's very awesome. Almost like listening to a brand new album, they really utilized the 5.1 thing well without exploiting it. Not only does it sound great, but each song has an accompanying on screen comic book to go with the lyrics, the one for 2112 is especially awesome. It all synchronizes very well. Totally worth checking out, the remastered CD sounds really good too, although I'm not sure if it's different from the other one that's been floating around for years; I only have the first CD pressing to compare.
2112 is an interesting album for me. It's never my go to album for 70's Rush (that usually be A Farewell To Kings or Hemispheres) and it's actually a bit uneven, yet it's always an enjoyable listen. It's such a bold artistic statement and the greatest "fuck you" in my music collection. Whenever I listen to it I don't think about its numerous flaws and how the following albums are light years better, but more about how awesome it is that Rush had the guts to do things their way even if it meant the death of the band. It's what makes Rush so great and has really become their trademark. They are a band for outsiders, nonconformists, rebels. Nothing says that more than 2112. It's awesome.
Not much needs to be said about the title track. I think it still holds up, one of their best songs. The first 6 minutes, as Dog pointed out, are beyond this universe. I especially like the split second of silence after "and the meek shall inherit the earth" before blasting into Temples, such an epic transition.
Passage to Bangkok is fun and a good side opener. I always considered side 2 as a sort of mini album and Bangkok is a strong start.
I really dislike the intro to Twilight Zone, I don't know what it is but I never liked it. The rest of the song is good, however. The eerie chorus is a nice touch and the sort of left field (albeit goofy at times) lyrics are a nice change of pace from what we're used to with Rush.
Lessons is completely forgettable. I swear to H, every time I listen to it I hear a brand new song. I wouldn't be able to hum a few bars of it to save my life. It's frustrating really, but it also says a lot about the song, and not good things.
Tears is a nice song. I've always had a soft spot for it, I especially enjoyed the 5.1 mix (I'll get to more of that later) and how it filled the room. Love the mellotron too. Very prog!
Something For Nothing is a decent closer. It's kinda celebratory in a way, almost saying that despite what others might think, 2112 is going to be a triumph for a band. And so it was. I also like the lyrics. Not one of the best songs on the album, however.
Also worth noting, when revisiting 2112 for this topic, I decided to listen to the new 5.1 mix (it had been sitting on my shelf for awhile but I never got around to listening to it), it's very awesome. Almost like listening to a brand new album, they really utilized the 5.1 thing well without exploiting it. Not only does it sound great, but each song has an accompanying on screen comic book to go with the lyrics, the one for 2112 is especially awesome. It all synchronizes very well. Totally worth checking out, the remastered CD sounds really good too, although I'm not sure if it's different from the other one that's been floating around for years; I only have the first CD pressing to compare.
Here's my issue with 2112 (the song): the trailer is better than the movie.
Yes, it's a good story and I enjoy listening to it unfold. But nearly every good idea in this 20-minute epic is delivered in the 4 1/2 minute overture.
It is so clearly influenced by the band's heroes, The Who. But if you compare it to Tommy it falls short because it just doesn't have the depth of melodic hooks and musical themes.
That album has songs that all fit together into a story. Much of 2112 is a story set to music.
Not that any of the movements outside Syrinx and Overture are bad, they just don't stand up well outside the context of the suite.
Bangkok is a very cool tune, essential to the album's appeal. Without it, 2112 is a strange collection of offbeat music. But this is completely accessible and just rocks. The lyrics are stoner heaven and that little Oriental fill...
And the critics said Rush had no sense of humour. What a great riff and solo! In fact, recent careful listening to Rush has really renewed my appreciation for Lifeson. His bandmates are considered the best in the world at their instruments and, as such, he gets a short shrift some times. But he is incredibly versatile, unique and eclectic with tons of emotion.
I quite like the intro/main theme to Twilight Zone, different for Rush.
The song itself is kind of cool and kind of creepy, just like I’m sure they intended. And the outro solo fits the mood perfectly — nice moment.
Lessons has bland verses and a decent chorus. Not a lot going on here and it comes across as quite dated, essentially mimicking the Zeppelin blueprint.
I have to be in the right mood for it, but Tears is actually quite a beautiful track.
Something for Nothing is good basic rock song with a catchy melody and some solid guitar crunch. Stylistically it mirrors the Overture quite well and, with the lyrical message, it works as an album closer.
Overall, I can listen to 2112 from back to front; I respect it's artistic ambition and integrity. But there are only two tracks I go out of my way to listen to: Overture/Syrinx and Bangkok
So, to me, the album is landmark in the grandness of its vision, and in the bold declaration it made about what Rush was and could be.
But it is a good album, not great, in that musically they could, and did, offer so much more.
Yes, it's a good story and I enjoy listening to it unfold. But nearly every good idea in this 20-minute epic is delivered in the 4 1/2 minute overture.
It is so clearly influenced by the band's heroes, The Who. But if you compare it to Tommy it falls short because it just doesn't have the depth of melodic hooks and musical themes.
That album has songs that all fit together into a story. Much of 2112 is a story set to music.
Not that any of the movements outside Syrinx and Overture are bad, they just don't stand up well outside the context of the suite.
Bangkok is a very cool tune, essential to the album's appeal. Without it, 2112 is a strange collection of offbeat music. But this is completely accessible and just rocks. The lyrics are stoner heaven and that little Oriental fill...
And the critics said Rush had no sense of humour. What a great riff and solo! In fact, recent careful listening to Rush has really renewed my appreciation for Lifeson. His bandmates are considered the best in the world at their instruments and, as such, he gets a short shrift some times. But he is incredibly versatile, unique and eclectic with tons of emotion. I quite like the intro/main theme to Twilight Zone, different for Rush.
The song itself is kind of cool and kind of creepy, just like I’m sure they intended. And the outro solo fits the mood perfectly — nice moment.
Lessons has bland verses and a decent chorus. Not a lot going on here and it comes across as quite dated, essentially mimicking the Zeppelin blueprint.
I have to be in the right mood for it, but Tears is actually quite a beautiful track.
Something for Nothing is good basic rock song with a catchy melody and some solid guitar crunch. Stylistically it mirrors the Overture quite well and, with the lyrical message, it works as an album closer.
Overall, I can listen to 2112 from back to front; I respect it's artistic ambition and integrity. But there are only two tracks I go out of my way to listen to: Overture/Syrinx and Bangkok
So, to me, the album is landmark in the grandness of its vision, and in the bold declaration it made about what Rush was and could be.
But it is a good album, not great, in that musically they could, and did, offer so much more.
harrisdevot
Priest of the Holy Wristband
I am not among them.
Frankly, this inconsistency is found on all of Rush's early albums (including their breakout, 2112): one or two memorable tracks mixed in with forgettable filler, though nothing too embarrassingly bad.
It perfectly sums up my thoughts about the three first albums. It sounds as if they had gone into the studio too early. They were still looking for themselves as a band. Hearing those albums makes me think this was a great luck for Maiden not to be signed to early and to be forced to work again and again.
harrisdevot
Priest of the Holy Wristband
Given the very high appreciations of many fans, I expected much more from 2112. The suite is at times great (part I stands out I think), but sometimes boring. Some of the riffs have nothing original. Side two is not very consistent, as said before. I absolutely love A Passage to Bangkok : the riff, and the strange pace of the lyrics ; it has a special feel that seems almost impossible to reproduce live, from what I've heard so far. Something for Nothing is very good. But the other songs have no effect on me. This is obviously a great step ahead compared to the previous records, but I can't see it as a monument of prog music (I've listened to Thick as a Brick after giving an ear to 2112, and Tull's record sounds way superior to me).