Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst

[ytserush]

I'm also glad to hear that similar books are being created about the 80's/90's/00's.

I think you missed Rodrigo's response to my question. As of the moment, doesn't look like there's a book for the 2000s. I'd imagine if he was working on one, comments would've been made about it, as they were for the books on the 80s and 90s. Happy to be wrong, but doesn't look good for the moment. 

Ahhh...yeah, I should've looked up a few posts. I had the Sea Of Tranquility interview in the background so maybe I just misheard about the 2000's. I feel like 2000-onward has been documented pretty heavily just through internet articles/social media anyway so I'm not too disappointed about that. I'm really interested in hearing more about obscure albums like Caress of Steel, Grace Under Pressure, Hold Your Fire, and Presto that only get a brief mention before they move on to the more popular stuff. The detail given to pre-Rush and the debut album in this book is unreal, so I'm hoping that continues through its entirety.

I felt that there is progressively LESS information about each album/song as the book advances, but still lots of great insights. The band's frustration with Hemispheres is really well detailed in the book. And the fact that Martin devotes one chapter for a LIVE album says something about the level of care and dedication to telling the story properly. At least early on, the live albums were as pivotal for the band's history as the studio ones. I felt that after R30, with the way the industry changed, they started to release live albums after each and every tour, and this kind of release had less of an impact.

I was afraid of that.  Definitely not picking this up right away. Might wait a few years.

I'm up to 2112 chapter right now and it's definitely been an insightful book with lots of cool stories, though there is an unusual amount of sidetracking I could do without. There's like 5 pages just talking about the band's relationship with Kiss. Plus, I'm noticing certain anecdotes that I've seen online for years make their way into this, most notably, the fact that Fountain of Lamneth was played at the January 1976 Massey Hall show which is a rumor that nobody has really ever corroborated being presented as fact. I'm guessing it's just too much to ask for people to remember this far back accurately, but minor things like that bug me. I'd say it's worth it...I've never read another Rush biography (aside from Neil's books and the recent Tour History book), but this one seems comprehensive enough to be enjoyable.

That would drive me nuts (but most of the rest of his Rush books have already done that.)

[ytserush]

I would be curious to hear other people's thoughts on Album by Album, because that's one book on your list that I don't have, and at the moment, don't see any need to get.

That could be a Popoff favorite, only because of the people he interviewed. He found people that like the albums that they are commenting on for the most part. Of course, the ubiquitous Doug Maher and Robert Telleria feature as overbearing contributors and that was a negative for me, but overall it's not as bad as I thought it would be because Popoff leaves himself out of a lot of it. Being me of course I would have wanted focus on more of the live albums, but he's not really of a fan of those it seems.

[ytserush]

The Visions book by Banasiewicz was like the Bible for Rush fans for many years.  The writer was a bit too "look at me!" with the writing, but there was a ton of great stuff in there, and that was back when we knew very little about the band outside of the music.

That was only the third Rush book published (1988) It still really is one of the few totally insider accounts although it only covers through 1987)

The other two were from 1984 and those were more general bios, but it was before the internet so they were perhaps a bit more relevant then than they might otherwise be.  But there's still some great stuff in there anyway. Like Neil's letter explaining to Steve Get why he does not want to participate in his bio while understanding that in the time he took to write it, he could have easily answered the author's questions. (I don't think that ever made it to the internet.)

[ytserush]

Definitely avoid Merely Players - from what I've read, all Robert Telleria did was just copy and paste a bunch of stuff off the internet and made a book. I had a copy, but it's not impressive at all. Even the title itself was misspelled Mereley Players, which should tell you a lot about the quality control of the book.

LOL!  I never noticed that about the misspelling.  Sounds like the best thing about the book might be that it resulted in an Amazon review that might be longer than the book itself!

I've never seen more of a backlash against an author that published a Rush book ever. There was supposed to be a corrected version or a followup, but I've never seen one. 

To be fair if you are familiar with the accuracy issues and realize it's not completely comprehensive, there's enough there to make it useful as a quick collector's reference though after nearly 20 years it's a bit dated.

[Setlist Scotty]

John, thanks for listing all the books. There's a few titles that don't sound familiar, so would you mind giving just a brief analysis of what these books focus on?

Rush -- Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Excellence

Chronology

Experiencing Rush

 

I would be curious to hear other people's thoughts on Album by Album, because that's one book on your list that I don't have, and at the moment, don't see any need to get.

That could be a Popoff favorite, only because of the people he interviewed. He found people that like the albums that they are commenting on for the most part. Of course, the ubiquitous Doug Maher and Robert Telleria feature as overbearing contributors and that was a negative for me, but overall it's not as bad as I thought it would be because Popoff leaves himself out of a lot of it. Being me of course I would have wanted focus on more of the live albums, but he's not really of a fan of those it seems.

That sounds familiar, and exactly why I probably won't bother picking it up. I'm more interested in getting the insight into how these albums developed and the like, rather than a bunch of (in some cases) famous people and others simply giving us their personal perspectives on these albums, which is basically what I get the impression this is. Of course, if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me.

[Cool Chris]

Definitely avoid Merely Players - from what I've read, all Robert Telleria did was just copy and paste a bunch of stuff off the internet and made a book.

Maybe it was intentional on his part, emulating how Hugh Syme designs album artwork?

[Setlist Scotty]

Definitely avoid Merely Players - from what I've read, all Robert Telleria did was just copy and paste a bunch of stuff off the internet and made a book.

Maybe it was intentional on his part, emulating how Hugh Syme designs album artwork?

Not possible - this was before the quality Hugh's work started to drop off in terms of execution. (Not that it matters - I know you're joking.) 

[Cool Chris]

 

[pg1067]

Thanks for the comprehensive list.  The Harrigan book is the one I have that I forgot the name of.  I recall liking it a lot.

[jammindude]

New interview with Alex...and it addresses why the creative silence.

https://www.rushisaband.com/blog/2020/05/31/5442/Alex-Lifeson-talks-golf-Rush-and-Neil-Peart-with-Ann-Liguori-in-new-radio-interview

... It's been very difficult. After Neil passed in January I've played very little guitar. I don't feel inspired and motivated. It was the same thing when [Neil's] daughter died in a car accident in 1997. I didn't really play for about a year. I just don't feel it in my heart right now. Every time I pick up a guitar I just aimlessly kind of mess around with it and put it down. Normally I would pick up a guitar and I would play for a couple of hours without even being aware that I'm spending that much time. So I know it will come back. ... I don't know if the motivation is there for [Geddy and I] to do anything right now. We're certainly proud of our track record and we still love music. But it's different now ...

[ytserush]

New interview with Alex...and it addresses why the creative silence.

https://www.rushisaband.com/blog/2020/05/31/5442/Alex-Lifeson-talks-golf-Rush-and-Neil-Peart-with-Ann-Liguori-in-new-radio-interview

... It's been very difficult. After Neil passed in January I've played very little guitar. I don't feel inspired and motivated. It was the same thing when [Neil's] daughter died in a car accident in 1997. I didn't really play for about a year. I just don't feel it in my heart right now. Every time I pick up a guitar I just aimlessly kind of mess around with it and put it down. Normally I would pick up a guitar and I would play for a couple of hours without even being aware that I'm spending that much time. So I know it will come back. ... I don't know if the motivation is there for [Geddy and I] to do anything right now. We're certainly proud of our track record and we still love music. But it's different now ...

Thanks.

Could say I'm surprised, but then I'd be lying based on what transpired after 1997.

[ytserush]

John, thanks for listing all the books. There's a few titles that don't sound familiar, so would you mind giving just a brief analysis of what these books focus on?

Rush -- Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Excellence

Chronology

Experiencing Rush

 

I would be curious to hear other people's thoughts on Album by Album, because that's one book on your list that I don't have, and at the moment, don't see any need to get.

That could be a Popoff favorite, only because of the people he interviewed. He found people that like the albums that they are commenting on for the most part. Of course, the ubiquitous Doug Maher and Robert Telleria feature as overbearing contributors and that was a negative for me, but overall it's not as bad as I thought it would be because Popoff leaves himself out of a lot of it. Being me of course I would have wanted focus on more of the live albums, but he's not really of a fan of those it seems.

That sounds familiar, and exactly why I probably won't bother picking it up. I'm more interested in getting the insight into how these albums developed and the like, rather than a bunch of (in some cases) famous people and others simply giving us their personal perspectives on these albums, which is basically what I get the impression this is. Of course, if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me.

The end of the Art of Rush Book (which you may have picked up as well given your field) is kind of like that where a list of musicians/celebs is compiled with a paragraph or three stating what Rush meant to them.) Don't usually like that approach and I don't know how that fits in with the art but maybe the questions were asked and just not answered.

None of these three books focus on "the making of" aspect at all but I really enjoy them because the focus on different things.

Rush -- Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Excellence

This book is very philosophical in nature and ties in with Aristotelian individualism. While it is more academic than most Rush books it's well written and easier to understand than a lot of books that take this approach. There is a lyrical focus that fuses the individual songs with with the bigger picture of the bands ideals and their effect on politics and pop culture.

For what it's worth it's a 160 pages  and the guy who runs the Rush is a Band website wrote the forward. I liked it a lot and learned a few things (which I always enjoy.) but I think it depends on your level of interest about the impact of Rush and how it applies to everyday life.

Chronology

This one is kind of what you would expect. A reference book that marks events in the Rush universe. It's a comprehensive chronological accounting of Rush history in a day by day format which covers album releases, single releases, tours, side projects, appearances, recording information etc. I think I remember catching a few typos or errors, but they are few and far between. (For example, it seems like the accepted release date of 2112 is April 1, but I still think it may have been mid to late March based on album advertising and reviews from that period. ) But based on your interest in details, this seems like a good one for you to look into. (Dream Theater could use one of these books too.)

There's a bit of Wandering The Face Of The Earth as far as the touring history, but it's most just listings and I never bothered cross reference to see if there are inconsistencies.
[/quote]

Experiencing Rush A Listeners Companion

This book is more of a mix of musical bio and song analysis that focuses on the music more than the lyrics to the point that songs are broken out by time ranges (so you can follow along) to explain what the band is doing and what equipment is being used to create the music. There is some information about what went on in the studio specifically but it's more about what hardware was being used.  Not really much here that is new, but if you're not familiar Rush and their music it might be helpful. It's just not a straight bio.

Hopefully this helps.

[KevShmev]

New interview with Alex...and it addresses why the creative silence.

https://www.rushisaband.com/blog/2020/05/31/5442/Alex-Lifeson-talks-golf-Rush-and-Neil-Peart-with-Ann-Liguori-in-new-radio-interview

... It's been very difficult. After Neil passed in January I've played very little guitar. I don't feel inspired and motivated. It was the same thing when [Neil's] daughter died in a car accident in 1997. I didn't really play for about a year. I just don't feel it in my heart right now. Every time I pick up a guitar I just aimlessly kind of mess around with it and put it down. Normally I would pick up a guitar and I would play for a couple of hours without even being aware that I'm spending that much time. So I know it will come back. ... I don't know if the motivation is there for [Geddy and I] to do anything right now. We're certainly proud of our track record and we still love music. But it's different now ...

Thanks for posting that.

If you listen to the interview, he sounds like he has almost no interest anymore in playing his guitar or doing anything resembling touring.  He is 66, as is Geddy.  Those guys have earned their retirement.   

[HOF]

New interview with Alex...and it addresses why the creative silence.

https://www.rushisaband.com/blog/2020/05/31/5442/Alex-Lifeson-talks-golf-Rush-and-Neil-Peart-with-Ann-Liguori-in-new-radio-interview

... It's been very difficult. After Neil passed in January I've played very little guitar. I don't feel inspired and motivated. It was the same thing when [Neil's] daughter died in a car accident in 1997. I didn't really play for about a year. I just don't feel it in my heart right now. Every time I pick up a guitar I just aimlessly kind of mess around with it and put it down. Normally I would pick up a guitar and I would play for a couple of hours without even being aware that I'm spending that much time. So I know it will come back. ... I don't know if the motivation is there for [Geddy and I] to do anything right now. We're certainly proud of our track record and we still love music. But it's different now ...

Thanks for posting that.

If you listen to the interview, he sounds like he has almost no interest anymore in playing his guitar or doing anything resembling touring.  He is 66, as is Geddy.  Those guys have earned their retirement.   

Yeah, it’s hard to see them kind of down like that (though it’s completely understandable and kind of touching), but I’d rather they just enjoy being retired (like Neil couldn’t) than try to make more music or perform again just for the fans’ sakes.

[Architeuthis]

I completely understand!  I've been through my fair share of tragedies in the last few years.  After something really heavy happens, it's hard to be enthusiastic about playing music.
 

[Samsara]

Totally understandable. As fans, we're all crushed about Neil. But to those guys, it was losing a brother who you had the closest bond to. There's no really getting over that. I mean, naturally, if Alex picks up a guitar, and plays a Rush riff, he'll be thinking of the drums, which would obviously make him put it down.

I don't expect Alex to ever tour again. Maybe release some songs in a few years, but nope. I expect Ged to do another solo album, maybe in a couple of years, and possibly tour. But I wouldn't expect to hear any Rush songs at all. I suspect it will be tough to look out on a sea of fans in Rush shirts. But then again, maybe seeing that will help the healing process.

Either way, whatever Alex and Ged need to do, they will do it, and I'll support it.

[Stadler]

Totally understandable. As fans, we're all crushed about Neil. But to those guys, it was losing a brother who you had the closest bond to. There's no really getting over that. I mean, naturally, if Alex picks up a guitar, and plays a Rush riff, he'll be thinking of the drums, which would obviously make him put it down.

I don't expect Alex to ever tour again. Maybe release some songs in a few years, but nope. I expect Ged to do another solo album, maybe in a couple of years, and possibly tour. But I wouldn't expect to hear any Rush songs at all. I suspect it will be tough to look out on a sea of fans in Rush shirts. But then again, maybe seeing that will help the healing process.

Either way, whatever Alex and Ged need to do, they will do it, and I'll support it.

I think that's really the important thing; for every Alex or Ged, there are 10 or 20 musicians that have lost a brother.  Some roll up the carpet and call that a day (Led Zeppelin), others get a fire and burn even brighter than before (Def Leppard, Paul McCartney, The Allman Brothers (twice)).  Some do a little of both (Grateful Dead, Mother Love Bone/Pearl Jam, Bill Berry isn't dead, but I'd put REM here). 

I'm reluctant to guess or judge what either man does, and why they do it.  I think the best we can do is to honor whatever choice they make.

[Bentower]

Producer Dennis Ward's solid fanboy analysis of the sonics of Red Barchetta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzzxS29I7Pw

[Setlist Scotty]

Hopefully this helps.

It helps out a lot John - thanks!  . Chronology sounds like something I'd check out, but I will skip the other two.

[ytserush]

Hopefully this helps.

It helps out a lot John - thanks!  . Chronology sounds like something I'd check out, but I will skip the other two.

I thought that one would interest you the most.  It's a favorite of mine too.

[Architeuthis]

Producer Dennis Ward's solid fanboy analysis of the sonics of Red Barchetta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzzxS29I7Pw

That was cool, thanks for the link.  l like how he discussed the tone of the guitar solo that was brought up earlier in this thread.

[HOF]

Just saw on Facebook that Rupert Hine passed away. Presto will always hold a special place for me, and I’m sure he was a big part of it (even if the sound on that one and Roll the Bones is oddly thin).

https://www.loudersound.com/news/rush-producer-rupert-hine-dead-at-72

[Polarbear]

Just saw on Facebook that Rupert Hine passed away. Presto will always hold a special place for me, and I’m sure he was a big part of it (even if the sound on that one and Roll the Bones is oddly thin).

https://www.loudersound.com/news/rush-producer-rupert-hine-dead-at-72

Sad news!

Both of the Rush albums he produced are great!

[Stadler]

Presto is one of my favorite albums by Rush.  I love it. 

I think it's the start of getting a real balance in the band between guitar, bass, keys, drums... I go back to it as much as any Rush album. 

[Lowdz]

I played Roll The Bones yesterday. Sad news.

[Orbert]

Presto is one of my favorite albums by Rush.  I love it. 

I think it's the start of getting a real balance in the band between guitar, bass, keys, drums... I go back to it as much as any Rush album. 

Same here.  One of my faves.  It got me through a pretty tough time in my life.  Those two things might be related.

[Architeuthis]

Presto is one of my favorites too,  it's a stand alone album.  Part of the soundtrack to my senior year in high school. My first Rush concert. 

[TAC]

I love Presto.

[Lupton]

I too love Presto. Though I must admit it wasn't love at first sight. I had to go on fairly long musical journey about 10 years long to come back to it in my mid-20s just to realize that there was no crime in appreciating it's uniqueness in Rush's output. But then again I do have a very strong appreciation of what people would probably regard the "lesser" cuts (Anagram, Red Tide, Hand over Fist, Chain Lightning, Scars, War Paint).

[KevShmev]

Rupert Hine takes some heat from Rush fans because of the thin sound of Presto and Roll the Bones, but I seem to recall that he was pretty integral in making Geddy a better singer in the late 80's/early 90's, so he deserves mad props for that if nothing else. 

R.I.P.

[Orbert]

I guess things like "thin sound" don't bother me as much as they do some people, and I'm glad.  It does bother me if the sound is just plain bad, like objectively bad because it's clipping or something (Vapor Trails) but I grew up with a crummy little portable stereo and having to turn up the Bass or adjust the Treble all the time.  No big deal.  What matters most is the material itself, the songs and the playing.  I really like the songs on Presto for some reason.  A tight collection of songs.  So I don't even think about how it sounds.

I didn't know that about Rupert Hine and Geddy, though.  I think Geddy and everyone else knew he wasn't going to be able to sing like he did in the 70's when he got to be 40 or 50+ years old.  I mean, maybe, but no surprise when the 80's came and Geddy already had to adjust how he sang.  If Rupert Hine helped with that, then props to him. 

[Fritzinger]

I also love Presto, including the slim sound.

Also, Available Light is one of the best songs in Rush's entire catalogue if you ask me.

[gazinwales]

I have always loved Presto but RtB never clicked for me, in fact it's my least like Rush album of their entire catalogue.

[Mladen]

Presto is fantastic. Roll the bones is solid. I've always though the records sounded fine. Granted, they're not as powerful as Counterparts, but not as dissasterous as people make them to be.

[IDontNotDoThings]

To me, Roll The Bones is just Presto but done horribly wrong. Presto has a lot of soft songs & many of the harder-hitting songs are really groovy, though neither feel out of place. With Roll The Bones, the two sides don't mesh together at all, & neither of them are enjoyable for me. Songs like the title track, Face Up, Where's My Thing, The Big Wheel & You Bet Your Life have so much forced """"edge"""" that they make me cringe (the attempt at being cool being especially pathetic considering the album charted alongside Nevermind & The Black Album), while songs like Heresy or Ghost Of A Chance put me to sleep, & then there's Neurotica which has the worst of both worlds. The only songs I like from Roll The Bones are the first two (Dreamline & Bravado, though I don't like the lyrics in the former). Presto on the other hand, feels a lot more like its own style. It feels a lot less pandering to me, & I can enjoy every song on Presto without facepalming into oblivion, if that says anything.

I was expecting this post to be a comparison of the two albums, but it turned into a rant against Roll The Bones. oof