Cornfed Hick
Ancient Mariner
Enjoy. I've seen them a couple times, missed them on this tour though. Rush may be the only band with more passionately devoted fans than Maiden.
Rush Discography Discussion 2: Caress of Steel (1975)
- Thread starter Mosh
- Start date
Loved Cornfed's bit about being scared of Witch Hunt when he was 11. The beginning is so menacing with the crowd noises and the jangling percussion and then that monstrous riff.
The reason the song doesn't measure up to the rest of the album is because the bulk of the song doesn't live up to that promise. Scary turns into sad at about 1:30. The rest of the song is good and atmospheric, but I just don't think the two moods mesh as well as they might.
The reason the song doesn't measure up to the rest of the album is because the bulk of the song doesn't live up to that promise. Scary turns into sad at about 1:30. The rest of the song is good and atmospheric, but I just don't think the two moods mesh as well as they might.
When I was 11 — OK, I think it was actually 14, must be a couple years older than Cornfed — I was fascinated by the way the intro of this final track went swirling through the headphones.
Vital Signs has a very cold, computerized sound in the verses, with a much warmer pre-chorus and then that reggae chorus.
I always found it very hypnotizing — a cool deviation from the norm, if you will.
People point to Permanent Waves as a transition album, but this song really pointed the way in a new direction for Rush.
It pushed them away from this, their best album, but it remained well worth exploring and simply cemented their status as great artists.
Vital Signs has a very cold, computerized sound in the verses, with a much warmer pre-chorus and then that reggae chorus.
I always found it very hypnotizing — a cool deviation from the norm, if you will.
People point to Permanent Waves as a transition album, but this song really pointed the way in a new direction for Rush.
It pushed them away from this, their best album, but it remained well worth exploring and simply cemented their status as great artists.
harrisdevot
Priest of the Holy Wristband
Going back to Permanent Waves, I'd like to know if there a particular reason for the quotes of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" in "The Spirit of Radio". Is this just because this song was a massive hit at the time, or are there special connexions beetween those two bands ?
This is a shot in the dark, but I think the general idea was to change the meaning from being about the Holy Spirit to describe "the spirit of radio". As for why they chose that song, probably because it was a massive hit at the time. The song is about the radio, after all.
You won't be disappointed. Fucking. Incredible.
Speaking of live Rush..
Exit...Stage Left (1981)
(VHS artwork)
With 4 more studio albums under their belt, it was time for Rush to release a new live album. With a slew of new material, Rush was able to put together a live release that contained no songs already represented on All The World's A Stage, making this a very worthwhile album. Similar to its live predecessor, this album was recorded over the course of multiple shows. But to take it a step further, it was also recorded over multiple tours. Side B of the album was recorded in the UK on the 1980 Permanent Waves Tour while the rest of the album was recorded in Canada on the Moving Pictures Tour. With the crowd fade outs in between songs, its somewhat obvious that this is a compilation of different live shows, rather than a complete concert recording.
Where All The World's A Stage captured the bands hard rock edge and power as a live entity, Exit...Stage Left showcases the band's technical chops and a setlist that would work on a "Greatest Hits" compilation. Many of these songs would find their way on most of Rush's recent live albums. Though this album is not without its exclusives; this is the only Rush live album to include Jacob's Ladder, Beneath Between and Behind, and the short Lifeson solo piece, Broon's Bane. Interestingly, the one live staple from Moving Pictures that doesn't appear on this album, Limelight, would not find its way on a live album until 1998 on Different Stages!
Apart from being a solid live release, there are some alterations of songs that really make Exit...Stage Left worth checking out. YYZ features a blistering extended drum solo from Mr. Peart. Two extended guitar intros, the classically tinged intro to The Trees titled Broon's Bane, and a more rocking version of the opening La Villa Strangiato intro by Mr Lifeson. The recordings of Closer To The Heart and Xanadu are also in tune.
La Villa Strangiato even includes some lyrics in the Danforth and Pape section. Here's a rough translation taken from the liner notes:
“Patty-cake, patty cake,
Mother’s going to buy you shoes,
Father’s going to buy you socks,
Baby’s going to have red cheeks.”
For the artwork, the band utilized a Somewhere In Time style retrospective of their previous album covers. All eight studio albums are represented in one form or another. The title Exit...Stage Left comes from the cartoon character, Snagglepuss.
Exit...Stage Left was a successful live release, reaching #10 on Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart. The album really captures Rush at the top of their game live, and despite the fact that most of the songs have been reproduced live since, the versions found here are among the best. A companion video was released in 1982 with a different setlist and showed one complete concert in Montreal. It has since been released on DVD.
Exit...Stage Left (1981)
With 4 more studio albums under their belt, it was time for Rush to release a new live album. With a slew of new material, Rush was able to put together a live release that contained no songs already represented on All The World's A Stage, making this a very worthwhile album. Similar to its live predecessor, this album was recorded over the course of multiple shows. But to take it a step further, it was also recorded over multiple tours. Side B of the album was recorded in the UK on the 1980 Permanent Waves Tour while the rest of the album was recorded in Canada on the Moving Pictures Tour. With the crowd fade outs in between songs, its somewhat obvious that this is a compilation of different live shows, rather than a complete concert recording.
Where All The World's A Stage captured the bands hard rock edge and power as a live entity, Exit...Stage Left showcases the band's technical chops and a setlist that would work on a "Greatest Hits" compilation. Many of these songs would find their way on most of Rush's recent live albums. Though this album is not without its exclusives; this is the only Rush live album to include Jacob's Ladder, Beneath Between and Behind, and the short Lifeson solo piece, Broon's Bane. Interestingly, the one live staple from Moving Pictures that doesn't appear on this album, Limelight, would not find its way on a live album until 1998 on Different Stages!
Apart from being a solid live release, there are some alterations of songs that really make Exit...Stage Left worth checking out. YYZ features a blistering extended drum solo from Mr. Peart. Two extended guitar intros, the classically tinged intro to The Trees titled Broon's Bane, and a more rocking version of the opening La Villa Strangiato intro by Mr Lifeson. The recordings of Closer To The Heart and Xanadu are also in tune.
La Villa Strangiato even includes some lyrics in the Danforth and Pape section. Here's a rough translation taken from the liner notes:“Patty-cake, patty cake,
Mother’s going to buy you shoes,
Father’s going to buy you socks,
Baby’s going to have red cheeks.”
For the artwork, the band utilized a Somewhere In Time style retrospective of their previous album covers. All eight studio albums are represented in one form or another. The title Exit...Stage Left comes from the cartoon character, Snagglepuss.
Geddy Lee said:
Cornfed Hick
Ancient Mariner
Generally speaking, I have mixed feelings about drum solos. If I am at the live performance myself, they can be fun. If the drummer is as good as Peart, they can be breathtaking. On live albums, the first time I hear a drum solo, I can enjoy it, and I appreciate that a live album serves as an accurate (overdubs, anyone?) historical record of the actual performance. Same for the second or maybe even third time I hear it. But after repeated listens, a 10-minute drum solo becomes an irritant, no matter how great it is. I end up fast-forwarding through the solos, wishing they had been edited out. I found myself skipping the solo on YYZ a couple of months ago. Felt a little guilty for an instant, but then was immediately glad I did.
Rush is a great live band, and this is a very good live album. While we're on the subject of Rush playing live, it occurs to me what it is about songs like "La Villa Strangiato" and "Natural Science" that I like so much, and Forostar does not: a tongue-in-cheek playfulness. This is most evident in their live performances, in which they regularly include pre-recorded comedy bits in their act and have absurd stage props like rotisserie chicken ovens and laundry machines. But that playfulness is also reflected in their studio work. I like that they throw in reggae beats and have ridiculous passages in their epics with subtitles like "Monsters!" While Maiden also has a playfulness on stage, thanks to the likes of Bruce and Nicko, on the main studio releases they take themselves pretty seriously and don't goof around. (B-sides are another story.) Rush, in contrast, doesn't mind being a little goofy on records. Heck, they followed up the "2112" suite with a song about getting stoned! Their studio stuff has gotten more serious since Permanent Waves, but the early stuff sounded like what it was, music that a trio of nerds thought was cool and fun.
harrisdevot
Priest of the Holy Wristband
You are rightly speaking about their playfulness. It was a rather general tendency back in the 70s : I'm thinking about Genesis and Tull (the not-so-brilliant theater play in the middle of A Passion Play). Personnaly I'm not a big fan of this. Certainly, music is not that serious, but, generally, those things don't do any good to the songs or the live shows.
I'm with you on drum solos (and I would expand that comment to most bass solos). A great drummer enough occasions to prove his value (and Peart does it all the time). But some of them could not accept that simple fact : they can't provide a melody line.
I'm with you on drum solos (and I would expand that comment to most bass solos). A great drummer enough occasions to prove his value (and Peart does it all the time). But some of them could not accept that simple fact : they can't provide a melody line.
harrisdevot
Priest of the Holy Wristband
You are rightly speaking about their playfulness. It was a rather general tendency back in the 70s : I'm thinking about Genesis and Tull (the not-so-brilliant theater play in the middle of A Passion Play). Personnaly I'm not a big fan of this. Certainly, music is not that serious, but, generally, those things don't do any good to the songs or the live shows.
I'm with you on drum solos (and I would expand that comment to most bass solos). A great drummer enough occasions to prove his value (and Peart does it all the time). But some of them could not accept that simple fact : they can't provide a melody line.
I'm with you on drum solos (and I would expand that comment to most bass solos). A great drummer enough occasions to prove his value (and Peart does it all the time). But some of them could not accept that simple fact : they can't provide a melody line.
I'm the same way, I don't really care for the way Neil Peart writes his solos, rather than improvise, but YYZ is one I'm particularly fond of. It's not too long either, unlike a lot of drum solos.
Also, agreed about the playfulness. It might not show up in studio albums anymore, but it's more prevalent in live shows now, which is very cool.
I don't know about Tull but aside from Gabriel's stage presence, Genesis was pretty boring live, from a visual perspective. Their arrangements were pretty tight too, so it almost sounded like a studio recording. Hell, Steve Hackett wouldn't even stand up on stage.
Peart can.
Love the playfulness. Always thought it was ironic the Rolling Stone hipster critics belittled Rush for being too serious, when it was the critics who were really the ones taking themselves too seriously.
I also love how the recent documentary really captured this aspect of the band.
Exit...Stage Left was my first Rush album and was among the first albums I ever bought.
I also love how the recent documentary really captured this aspect of the band.
Exit...Stage Left was my first Rush album and was among the first albums I ever bought.
Yes. Yes he can.
There are 2 drum solos on the Clockwork Angels tour. The first is about 6, 7 minutes long and it is breathtaking; the second is shorter and he showcases electronic drumming hooked up to a synth. He plays a synth with his drums. Yeah. Figure that out. Epic.
Signals (1982)
After the monster hit of Moving Pictures, the pressure was on to make a worthy followup. Signals marked the beginning of a controversial era among Rush fans. The synthesizers had gone from a supporting role with frequent melodies to being for the most part, a constant presence and a part of Rush's signature sound. The synth often doubled the guitar melodies and on many occasions, overpowered the guitar. The new modern sound, combined with the lack of progressive elements on the next few albums left many Rush fans polarized. Even to this day, the "synth era" remains a point of controversy for fans.
Writing for Signals began during soundchecks on the Moving Pictures Tour. While the band kept use of odd time signatures, many of the progressive elements had completely disappeared. No more showcases of the band's technicality, no more multi-part pieces, and no more long songs. In fact, Signals became the first Rush album to not have a song exceeding 7 minutes. The longest song, The Weapon, is 6:25. We wouldn't see another Rush song pass the 7 minute mark until Clockwork Angels in 2012.
Signals also marked a bit of a change of pace lyrically. Instead of themes inspired by Ayn Rand, the search for knowledge and eternal life, or mysterious figures, we are given more contemporary lyrical themes. Such as the new technology, space shuttle launches, and even more personal lyrics like Subdivisions, which deals with the feelings of being an outcast. A fitting shift, considering the mood of the music the band was writing.
While none of the songs were really as memorable as the smash hits found on Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves, Signals contained some of Rush's biggest hits. Both Subdivisions and New World Man remain classic rock radio staples, the latter being Rush's only song to break the US top 40. It was also a #1 hit in Canada. The Analog Kid, The Weapon, and Countdown were also released as singles but were less successful. Signals was overall another success for the band, charting at #10 on Billboard, #3 in the UK, and certified platinum 2 months after release.
Signals was the start of yet another chapter in Rush's long history. A more contemporary, mainstream friendly era for the band. For some, it was the start of a long period of decline for the band, for others it was the start of another exciting period for the band.
After the monster hit of Moving Pictures, the pressure was on to make a worthy followup. Signals marked the beginning of a controversial era among Rush fans. The synthesizers had gone from a supporting role with frequent melodies to being for the most part, a constant presence and a part of Rush's signature sound. The synth often doubled the guitar melodies and on many occasions, overpowered the guitar. The new modern sound, combined with the lack of progressive elements on the next few albums left many Rush fans polarized. Even to this day, the "synth era" remains a point of controversy for fans.
Writing for Signals began during soundchecks on the Moving Pictures Tour. While the band kept use of odd time signatures, many of the progressive elements had completely disappeared. No more showcases of the band's technicality, no more multi-part pieces, and no more long songs. In fact, Signals became the first Rush album to not have a song exceeding 7 minutes. The longest song, The Weapon, is 6:25. We wouldn't see another Rush song pass the 7 minute mark until Clockwork Angels in 2012.
Signals also marked a bit of a change of pace lyrically. Instead of themes inspired by Ayn Rand, the search for knowledge and eternal life, or mysterious figures, we are given more contemporary lyrical themes. Such as the new technology, space shuttle launches, and even more personal lyrics like Subdivisions, which deals with the feelings of being an outcast. A fitting shift, considering the mood of the music the band was writing.
While none of the songs were really as memorable as the smash hits found on Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves, Signals contained some of Rush's biggest hits. Both Subdivisions and New World Man remain classic rock radio staples, the latter being Rush's only song to break the US top 40. It was also a #1 hit in Canada. The Analog Kid, The Weapon, and Countdown were also released as singles but were less successful. Signals was overall another success for the band, charting at #10 on Billboard, #3 in the UK, and certified platinum 2 months after release.
Signals was the start of yet another chapter in Rush's long history. A more contemporary, mainstream friendly era for the band. For some, it was the start of a long period of decline for the band, for others it was the start of another exciting period for the band.
Cornfed Hick
Ancient Mariner
As made clear in the Beyond the Lighted Stage documentary film, the "some" included Alex Lifeson, who is evidently still bothered that synthesizers began to dominate the band's sound more than his guitars. (I happen to agree with him.) Still plenty of guitars and hard rock on Signals, though, and I play this album quite a bit. "Losing It" is a lesser-known track that I particularly like. No time to add more -- finishing up a brief and then leaving for Yosemite on Sunday -- but I strongly recommend this album. Rush would have several more good albums to come, but this was, in my opinion, the last truly great Rush album.
Cosmiceddie
Back From The Edge
'Signals' is easily my favourite Rush album. 'Subdivisions', 'The Analog Kid' and 'Chemistry' are some of the very best tracks they've ever written. I cannot believe they don't play 'Chemistry' live any more. 'New World Man' is the only song I will skip.