Let's keep in mind the whole reason why this Rush vs. Kansas derailment happened - because some are saying that DT is like a heavy metal version of Kansas. While that may be the closest description (as I said, I don't know enough Kansas to say either way), many people won't be familiar with the band outside of 2 songs to really have an idea of what DT's music is really encompassing.
So while Kansas may have been a household name in the 70s and even into the early 80s, 30 years on, not many people are gonna know who they are.
I disagree.
And the only thing this was about was singles.
Yes it is about the singles, but also about how aware people are of their respective bands because of them. Those singles are 35+ years old now. Ask most 20-somethings who Kansas is and you'll get a blank stare. Ask the same people who Rush is, and I'll bet that more will respond with knowing who they are.
To that end, not being a Kansas fan, I can name two songs that I've heard on the radio (the obvious two), but I can name at least five off the Rush list above that I've heard fairly recently. In fact, the only two Kansas singles that I ever hear anyone talking about are Carry On and Dust, whereas Rush has a whole plethora. I've only recently become a Rush fan, but even before that happened I could tell you many songs by Rush just from hearing them on the radio, and only the two by Kansas. Take that for what it's worth (which, admittedly, is not much).
EDIT: unsure if any of this makes sense.
Thank you OYE311. It makes a lot of sense and helps verify the point I was trying to make. Doesn't matter who was a bigger/more popular band back in the 70s/80s. We're talking about familiarity today since we're comparing these bands to DT in an effort to describe what DT's sound is like.
And while those 2 Kansas tracks may have been hit singles, I'd wager they're hardly representative of the whole Kansas catalog. OTOH, with all the Rush songs that received (and still receive) airplay, such as Working Man, Fly By Night, 2112 (first 2 parts), Closer to the Heart, the Trees, The Spirit of Radio, Freewill, Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ, Limelight, Subdivisions, New World Man, Time Stand Still and maybe a track or two later, there is much more for a person to use as a basis for how DT compares - of course there's a lot of styles/variety that a person won't know about Rush just based on these songs alone, but it's far more than just 2 Kansas songs.
Wow, this got derailed. My point was (in conjunctoon with Hef) that Carry on Wayward Son was/is huge (Dust in the Wind to a much lesser extent, of course). It's one of the biggest rock hits of all time, it has been featured in movies, TV shows (basically the Supernatural theme), and even people who are not rock fans recognize it instantly. Rush has nothing comparable to that, not even close.
Those two songs might be familiar to a lot of people, but that doesn't mean that they're gonna know that the band that did them is Kansas, nor will it give them a good idea of the wide variety of styles that both DT and (I'm guessing) Kansas have done. The number of Rush tracks that are regularly played and well known will give a much better idea.
Interesting thing about Rush is that apparently they're relatively obscure in the former eastern block. My father was a big prog fan in the '70s and he hasn't even heard about them. I know many people who have vintage vinyls from that period, there's an abundance of Yes, ELP, Floyd, Genesis, but no Rush. Maybe it was easier for British bands to penetrate this market than for Canadians, who knows. Also, even after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the relentlessly touring Rush never played in Eastern Europe (except I think the Czech Rep.). Wonder why that is.
This is actually a very interesting point - for some parts of the world, it would make more sense to compare DT to some bands rather than others, based on how familiar people generally are with them. So in a place like the former eastern block, comparing DT to Rush doesn't make sense. But in North America, western Europe and probably South America, it probably does moreso than Kansas.
Topic: Your Controversial Opinions on DT (Read 994667 times)
