Poll

What are the 3 best songs on Clockwork Angels?

Caravan
71 (12.2%)
BU2B
46 (7.9%)
Clockwork Angels
85 (14.6%)
The Anarchist
44 (7.6%)
Carnies
19 (3.3%)
Halo Effect
11 (1.9%)
Seven Cities of Gold
21 (3.6%)
The Wreckers
46 (7.9%)
Headlong Flight
87 (14.9%)
BU2B2
4 (0.7%)
Wish Them Well
16 (2.7%)
The Garden
132 (22.7%)

Total Members Voted: 199

Author Topic: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst  (Read 490308 times)

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Offline Setlist Scotty

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3815 on: November 29, 2018, 09:40:29 PM »
Add me to the list of those that love Counterparts! For me, one of the 3 Rush albums that I hold in highest regard, along with Power Windows (sorry Timmy) and Hemispheres. The one song I rarely see given any praise from that album is Alien Shore - my favorite song alongside Cut to the Chase. AS has such a great groove to it - such a shame that neither it nor CttC ever got an airing in the live setting.  :-[
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3816 on: November 29, 2018, 09:49:32 PM »
Totally agree! Alien Shore has long been on my list of "most overlooked great Rush songs."  The lyrics and music are a perfect marriage, and I love how the verses feature Alex's guitar ringing out and Geddy's pulsating bass sounding like waves crashing against the shore. Perfect.

Offline RodrigoAltaf

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3817 on: November 30, 2018, 07:10:20 AM »
 I just realized that i never posted here the story of how I met Geddy and Alex last month. There you go!!!

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Offline ytserush

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3818 on: December 03, 2018, 04:38:09 PM »
Ah, Abbey Road remasters for the win! The album sounds so good.

Listened to Xanadu from the Pinkpop show through headphones and it's a little disconcerting. The mix is strange. Geddy's bass is pretty much solely right channel. Makes me feel like something's wrong with my left ear. Alex is balanced pretty well. Neil's snare sounds terrible. Ged's vocals are pretty darn good.

All in all, pretty uneven mix but still pretty decent sound considering the time and the source. I think it might sound better without headphones.

Haven't really dug into the box yet. The book looks really nice with some great photos. I will probably spend some time giving it a good look on Saturday.

I just have the 2CD set.

The highlight is definitely that 2015 master, right there with the Audio Fidelity Gold and the original Mercury atomic.

To me, the bootlegs I have of Pink Pop sound better than disc 2 of this release.

Expectations for any extras are very much lowered from here on out, but I'll be more than satisfied if they just keep cranking out those 2015 masters.

Offline ytserush

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3819 on: December 03, 2018, 04:47:35 PM »
I'd still put up Vapor Trails, Snakes and Arrows and Clockwork Angels up against any three other albums. I think they are that good. Might even put Geddy's solo album in there too. Very listenable.

Offline jammindude

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3820 on: December 03, 2018, 08:31:34 PM »
I'd still put up Vapor Trails, Snakes and Arrows and Clockwork Angels up against any three other albums. I think they are that good. Might even put Geddy's solo album in there too. Very listenable.

I'm shocked anyone would include VT on that list.   There is some amazing stuff on that album, and the remix saves it a bit (even if it does take away some of the "teeth")...but there are quite a few duds on that album too.   The other two are just front to back great.    In fact, that's one of the things I really love about S&A and CA is that there's not a single track from either one that I don't enjoy. 
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Offline pg1067

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3821 on: December 04, 2018, 11:21:55 AM »
I'd still put up Vapor Trails, Snakes and Arrows and Clockwork Angels up against any three other albums. I think they are that good. Might even put Geddy's solo album in there too. Very listenable.

I'm shocked anyone would include VT on that list.   There is some amazing stuff on that album, and the remix saves it a bit (even if it does take away some of the "teeth")...but there are quite a few duds on that album too.   The other two are just front to back great.    In fact, that's one of the things I really love about S&A and CA is that there's not a single track from either one that I don't enjoy.

I'm on the other side of this.  21st Century Rush is littered with duds.  IMO, Clockwork Angels is full of duds and hugely overrated.  Snakes and Arrows is better but still has a bunch of filler.  Vapor Trails might be the best of the three, but it is still weighed down by forgettable tracks.  This penchant for including filler to write to the limits of the CD format and Geddy's yodeling are the two big negatives of the second half of Rush's career.
"There's a bass solo in a song called Metropolis where I do a bass solo."  John Myung

Offline Architeuthis

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3822 on: December 04, 2018, 11:42:34 AM »
Geddys Yodeling??  :lol   Example please..
On another note, I like the original version of VT better than the remix. The vocals have this weird bathroom reverb effect on the remixed version of the title track, which ruins it for me.  I do like the added guitar solos on the remix that should have been in the original versions of the songs..
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Offline pg1067

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3823 on: December 04, 2018, 03:10:56 PM »
Geddys Yodeling??  :lol   Example please..

Needless to say, it's not actually "yodeling."  It's that thing he started doing where his voice jumps by a significant interval and has a little "hiccup" when he does it.  "Secret Touch" is a good example.
"There's a bass solo in a song called Metropolis where I do a bass solo."  John Myung

Offline Architeuthis

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3824 on: December 04, 2018, 03:17:51 PM »
Geddys Yodeling??  :lol   Example please..

Needless to say, it's not actually "yodeling."  It's that thing he started doing where his voice jumps by a significant interval and has a little "hiccup" when he does it.  "Secret Touch" is a good example.
"The way out is the WAY-aye-aye - in".    :lol
You can do a lot in a lifetime if you don't burn out too fast, you can make the most of the distance, first you need endurance first you've got to last....... NP

Offline pg1067

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3825 on: December 04, 2018, 05:31:48 PM »
Geddys Yodeling??  :lol   Example please..

Needless to say, it's not actually "yodeling."  It's that thing he started doing where his voice jumps by a significant interval and has a little "hiccup" when he does it.  "Secret Touch" is a good example.
"The way out is the WAY-aye-aye - in".    :lol

If they ever need someone to re-do the vocals for this Price Is Right game, Geddy would be the obvious choice.

"There's a bass solo in a song called Metropolis where I do a bass solo."  John Myung

Offline Cool Chris

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3826 on: December 04, 2018, 09:07:01 PM »
That was my favorite Price is Right game. The tension got high when that dude got close to the top!

Never knew till now I had a favorite Price is Right game.
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Offline jammindude

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3827 on: December 05, 2018, 07:28:44 AM »
The oooooooooo’s on Earthshine even annoy the crap out of me, and I like his voice. Sounds like the Slim Whitman song that made all the aliens heads explode in Mars Attacks!
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Offline Architeuthis

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3828 on: December 05, 2018, 10:06:34 AM »
The oooooooooo’s on Earthshine even annoy the crap out of me, and I like his voice. Sounds like the Slim Whitman song that made all the aliens heads explode in Mars Attacks!
Especially when they play it live, Geddy is faking singing that section as you can clearly tell those oooooo's are triggered or piped in.  Geddys almost making fun of it onstage as he's nowhere near the microphone... R30, RIO..lol!
    What's even worse is the hey-hey-ee's in the VT title track, even though I love the song.
 
« Last Edit: December 05, 2018, 10:12:32 AM by Architeuthis »
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Offline Samsara

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3829 on: December 05, 2018, 01:01:46 PM »
It's so odd how people view Rush. Add me to the group that really likes what they've done in the 21st century a great deal. I dig it way more than the Grace Under Pressure - Hold Your Fire, and arguably, better than Signals, with the exception of "Subdivisions."

I think Vapor Trails is a great record. Not perfect, that would eventually arrive in the form of Clockwork Angels, which I think is a perfect cap to their career.

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Offline Architeuthis

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3830 on: December 05, 2018, 01:58:44 PM »
Oh absolutely! Clockwork Angels is a perfect way to cap their career,  it captures in one album what Rush is all about. Easily in my top 3 favorite Rush albums..
You can do a lot in a lifetime if you don't burn out too fast, you can make the most of the distance, first you need endurance first you've got to last....... NP

Offline pg1067

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3831 on: December 05, 2018, 05:38:19 PM »
It's so odd how people view Rush. Add me to the group that really likes what they've done in the 21st century a great deal. I dig it way more than the Grace Under Pressure - Hold Your Fire, and arguably, better than Signals, with the exception of "Subdivisions."

I think Vapor Trails is a great record. Not perfect, that would eventually arrive in the form of Clockwork Angels, which I think is a perfect cap to their career.

Well...I agree that VT through CA is (slightly) better than GUP through HYF.  It's certainly heavier, and a lot of the sounds on GUP through HYF haven't aged well at all.  Also, there are at least three really good songs on each of the 21st Century albums, whereas there's almost nothing redeeming about HYF, and only GUP has as many as three songs that I would describe as "pretty good" or better.

We part company, however, with CA.  I think it's definitely the worst of the three 21st Century albums and generally overrated by the fanbase.
"There's a bass solo in a song called Metropolis where I do a bass solo."  John Myung

Offline ytserush

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3832 on: December 06, 2018, 05:33:04 PM »
I'd still put up Vapor Trails, Snakes and Arrows and Clockwork Angels up against any three other albums. I think they are that good. Might even put Geddy's solo album in there too. Very listenable.

I'm shocked anyone would include VT on that list.   There is some amazing stuff on that album, and the remix saves it a bit (even if it does take away some of the "teeth")...but there are quite a few duds on that album too.   The other two are just front to back great.    In fact, that's one of the things I really love about S&A and CA is that there's not a single track from either one that I don't enjoy.

Vapor Trails succeeds for me in spite of the sonic disaster that it is. The songs are that good. (They really shine live.)

The remix was tinkered with by the engineer and the band signed off on it because they never look back. It might "sound better" in places but it isn't the raw opened wound that the original is. Still amazes me 16 years later.


Offline ytserush

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3833 on: December 06, 2018, 05:38:26 PM »
It's so odd how people view Rush. Add me to the group that really likes what they've done in the 21st century a great deal. I dig it way more than the Grace Under Pressure - Hold Your Fire, and arguably, better than Signals, with the exception of "Subdivisions."

I think Vapor Trails is a great record. Not perfect, that would eventually arrive in the form of Clockwork Angels, which I think is a perfect cap to their career.

Well...I agree that VT through CA is (slightly) better than GUP through HYF.  It's certainly heavier, and a lot of the sounds on GUP through HYF haven't aged well at all.  Also, there are at least three really good songs on each of the 21st Century albums, whereas there's almost nothing redeeming about HYF, and only GUP has as many as three songs that I would describe as "pretty good" or better.

We part company, however, with CA.  I think it's definitely the worst of the three 21st Century albums and generally overrated by the fanbase.

......or underrated by others....

No solid consensus for Rush albums.  Embarrassment of riches in that body of work.

Offline RodrigoAltaf

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3834 on: December 06, 2018, 05:58:17 PM »
Did anyone get tickets for Geddy's book signing event in Toronto on December 17th?

Offline jammindude

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3835 on: December 06, 2018, 08:33:54 PM »
I'd still put up Vapor Trails, Snakes and Arrows and Clockwork Angels up against any three other albums. I think they are that good. Might even put Geddy's solo album in there too. Very listenable.

I'm shocked anyone would include VT on that list.   There is some amazing stuff on that album, and the remix saves it a bit (even if it does take away some of the "teeth")...but there are quite a few duds on that album too.   The other two are just front to back great.    In fact, that's one of the things I really love about S&A and CA is that there's not a single track from either one that I don't enjoy.

Vapor Trails succeeds for me in spite of the sonic disaster that it is. The songs are that good. (They really shine live.)

The remix was tinkered with by the engineer and the band signed off on it because they never look back. It might "sound better" in places but it isn't the raw opened wound that the original is. Still amazes me 16 years later.

I've been meaning to revisit this album for awhile.  I like your description of "opened wound".   It fits, and might even change the way I approach the album.   But looking at the song list...there are some amazing songs.    Freeze is my favorite, and is just criminally underrated.   A *perfect* addition to the Fear suite.    But really, the entire album starts very strong.   It starts to lose me with How it Is, and then really falls off at the end with Sweet Miracle, Nocturne, and Out of the Cradle.   Nothing interesting in those songs at all the last time I listened.   But I'll spin it again in the near future.
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Offline ProfessorPeart

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3836 on: December 06, 2018, 09:51:05 PM »
Don't remember if I ever mentioned this here, but the 2013 remaster of Vapor Trails by Andy VanDette is my go-to for that album. It's much better than the original and miles better than the remix. It still has the balls attached to it and I can really hear the difference between it and the original. It's not perfect but it is far better than the remix.

The catch is that you can only get it from HD Tracks. It's worth it, in my opinion.

https://www.hdtracks.com/vapor-trails

This was Andy's comment on his remaster:

https://news.2112.net/2013/05/andy-vandette-comments-on-mix-of-latest.html

These are the original mixes, but with a much different treatment. For what it is worth........A typical album takes me about 8 hours to master. I spent 4 days on VT, trying to find a way to emphasize the positive, and downplay the negative, with a "car test" every morning on my way in to the studio. I knew this album in particular would receive tremendous scrutiny.  Being a musician, growing up on the other side of Niagara Falls from the band, Rush had a huge influence on me. I hope I have done their catalog justice.

Check it out. I hope you will agree that VT sounds much less 'overblown'. I tried to design it to be more open and dynamic.

I hope you enjoy it.

Cheers,
Andy VanDette
Chief Mastering Engineer
Masterdisk NYC


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Offline Snow Dog

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3837 on: December 06, 2018, 10:35:45 PM »
Don't remember if I ever mentioned this here, but the 2013 remaster of Vapor Trails by Andy VanDette is my go-to for that album. It's much better than the original and miles better than the remix. It still has the balls attached to it and I can really hear the difference between it and the original. It's not perfect but it is far better than the remix.

The catch is that you can only get it from HD Tracks. It's worth it, in my opinion.

https://www.hdtracks.com/vapor-trails

I completely agree. I think I’ve mentioned it several times in this thread so I won’t repeat it again, but this particular mix is my go to. More listenable than the original, still retains the aggression that got neutered in the remix.

Offline ytserush

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3838 on: December 11, 2018, 05:24:35 PM »
Did anyone get tickets for Geddy's book signing event in Toronto on December 17th?

It's the 18th for me.

Offline ytserush

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3839 on: December 11, 2018, 05:30:57 PM »
Don't remember if I ever mentioned this here, but the 2013 remaster of Vapor Trails by Andy VanDette is my go-to for that album. It's much better than the original and miles better than the remix. It still has the balls attached to it and I can really hear the difference between it and the original. It's not perfect but it is far better than the remix.

The catch is that you can only get it from HD Tracks. It's worth it, in my opinion.

https://www.hdtracks.com/vapor-trails

I completely agree. I think I’ve mentioned it several times in this thread so I won’t repeat it again, but this particular mix is my go to. More listenable than the original, still retains the aggression that got neutered in the remix.

Maybe I'll try that one of these days. The Japanese original is my go to for this album although I don't doubt the download is a enhanced listening experience.

Offline SoundscapeMN

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3840 on: December 12, 2018, 10:47:58 AM »
Battlescar live the other night

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Offline Orbert

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3841 on: December 12, 2018, 11:33:20 AM »
The second time I saw Rush was the Moving Pictures tour, which had Max Webster opening.  "Battlescar" was on radio every hour, and since both bands were present, we figured it was a no-brainer that they would perform the song together.  Just the one song, like a special thing.  Nope.  Max Webster did the song "solo".  Talk about a missed opportunity.

Offline Architeuthis

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3842 on: December 13, 2018, 11:21:16 AM »
I wish I could have seen Rush on the MP tour, I was 10 years old at the time.  The first time I saw them was on the Presto tour my senior year in high school. Mind blown!!!  :omg:

You can do a lot in a lifetime if you don't burn out too fast, you can make the most of the distance, first you need endurance first you've got to last....... NP

Offline Orbert

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3843 on: December 13, 2018, 11:30:03 AM »
I've seen Rush more than any other band.  They were mind-blowing every time.

Offline ytserush

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3844 on: December 15, 2018, 03:55:15 PM »
The second time I saw Rush was the Moving Pictures tour, which had Max Webster opening.  "Battlescar" was on radio every hour, and since both bands were present, we figured it was a no-brainer that they would perform the song together.  Just the one song, like a special thing.  Nope.  Max Webster did the song "solo".  Talk about a missed opportunity.


Only one time at Maple Leaf Gardens and Geddy was the only one on stage. Unfortunately no known recording exists.

Somewhat related, Geddy did sing Take Off with Bob and Doug at a charity gig within the last five or ten years.

Offline Orbert

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3845 on: December 15, 2018, 04:58:40 PM »
That would be interesting to see, mostly because Rick Moranis is basically retired from acting, though he's been known to make an occassional appearance at things.

Offline RodrigoAltaf

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3846 on: December 17, 2018, 01:49:15 PM »
Ooops, I dit it again...


Offline Architeuthis

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3847 on: December 17, 2018, 02:07:08 PM »
Dude..................AWESOME!!!!
You can do a lot in a lifetime if you don't burn out too fast, you can make the most of the distance, first you need endurance first you've got to last....... NP

Offline RodrigoAltaf

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3848 on: December 17, 2018, 02:10:42 PM »
This event wasn't as good as the Grapes Under Pressure one. I felt a bit like cattle, with the bookstore staff hurrying us up...but still, it was worth it!

Offline Samsara

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Re: Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst
« Reply #3849 on: December 17, 2018, 03:28:07 PM »
So cool. GEDDY F'IN LEE!!!!!
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