Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst

[ytserush]

I’m going to change the subject here to open it up to what you guys think.

How many of you think we have a possibility of getting a Signals 40th anniversary box set? Personally, I think the odds are extremely slim. As much as I love that album, I’m thinking their big hurrah boxed sets will be restricted to their “classic period” of 2112-MP.

What do you think?

Probably. It still went Platinum.

I want all of the 2015 Magee masters on CD at least. Even the live albums. Anything else will be icing on the cake for me. Hopefully more live unreleased recordings.

[RodrigoAltaf]

I think Signals will still have a 40th anniversary release. And if the band still had any creative control, I'd say it would have stopped there. But with the record company having the say un this, I believe they'll milk it to the extent that people are buying.

[HOF]

Designs for the statues of Neil Peart to be installed in Lakeside Park revealed:

https://www.loudersound.com/news/design-revealed-for-bronze-neil-peart-statue-in-lakeside-park

Those are really cool!

[frogprog]

Awesome! My wife and I took a segway tour of the area this past summer and the guide was telling us about the proposed statue. He asked me to give a brief description of Neil and his work to other couple on the tour since I was a big fan. They were younger couple and couldn't have cared less about Neil and Rush. The guide was digging my enthusiasm and information though!

[Setlist Scotty]

I think Signals will still have a 40th anniversary release. And if the band still had any creative control, I'd say it would have stopped there. But with the record company having the say un this, I believe they'll milk it to the extent that people are buying.

I hope they continue releasing them. Would be nice to have professionally recorded and mixed copies from all of their tours. I just wish they had released full shows for each of those releases. Hopefully they will from here on out though I'm not banking on it.
 
 

Designs for the statues of Neil Peart to be installed in Lakeside Park revealed:

https://www.loudersound.com/news/design-revealed-for-bronze-neil-peart-statue-in-lakeside-park

Those are really cool!

They look good overall and I like them, and I don't mean to complain, but is it just me or do the faces for Neil make him look like an old elderly man? Especially the "modern" one, but even the 70s era one makes him look older than someone in his 20s.

[pg1067]

In fairness, does this really look like a 25-26yo?

[Setlist Scotty]

In fairness, does this really look like a 25-26yo?

Honestly? Yes. The mustache may age him a bit but not much. Compare that photo to the brass statue and you'll see the face of the statue looks way older than that photo. Look at the eyebags and wrinkles down from his nose to each side of his mouth.

[ytserush]

Designs for the statues of Neil Peart to be installed in Lakeside Park revealed:

https://www.loudersound.com/news/design-revealed-for-bronze-neil-peart-statue-in-lakeside-park

Those are really cool!

It looks great! Very tasteful. Perhaps I'll make it back up there one day.

[ytserush]

Here's a tease of a show recorded a few weeks before 2112 was released when Rush was on a bill with Kansas and Starcastle  I have to think that the whole show is out there and may be released soon. If I'm not mistaken, this is the opening night of the tour and the atmosphere is a bit "loose." There's a brief description of this show in the "Wandering The Face Of The Earth" Book.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnEUIeVT-cY


My mind was blown when I first heard this as I'd never heard the song live before. Here's hoping this gets released sooner rather than later.

[TAC]

Wow! That's amazing!

[The Letter M]

Here's a tease of a show recorded a few weeks before 2112 was released when Rush was on a bill with Kansas and Starcastle  I have to think that the whole show is out there and may be released soon. If I'm not mistaken, this is the opening night of the tour and the atmosphere is a bit "loose." There's a brief description of this show in the "Wandering The Face Of The Earth" Book.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnEUIeVT-cY


My mind was blown when I first heard this as I'd never heard the song live before. Here's hoping this gets released sooner rather than later.

Is this real?!? For YEARS (and I mean over two decades) of being a fan, I've always read that this and "The Fountain Of Lamneth" were never played live from COS (though I have to believe they at least attempted a full performances of TFOL at some point). This recording sounds AMAZING for its age. I really hope the whole show surfaces soon! Is there any information regarding the setlist?

-Marc.

[TAC]

This recording sounds AMAZING for its age. I really hope the whole show surfaces soon! Is there any information regarding the setlist?

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rush/1976/randhurst-twin-ice-arena-mount-prospect-il-3bdb0cc8.html

[The Letter M]

This recording sounds AMAZING for its age. I really hope the whole show surfaces soon! Is there any information regarding the setlist?

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rush/1976/randhurst-twin-ice-arena-mount-prospect-il-3bdb0cc8.html

Thanks! Looking at the song stats for ITIGB, I see it's listed as having been performed three times. The second show is REALLY interesting, with performances of "Making Memories" and "The Fountain Of Lamneth". Surely this is *THE* Holy Grail show for early Rush bootleg collectors, assuming the setlist is accurate. It looks like a headlining COS Tour show, and I'm sure there weren't many of those.

-Marc.

[Orbert]

I live in the Chicago north suburbs and know exactly where that venue is.  Was, actually.  There's a Home Depot there now.

[KevShmev]

I just can't pretend to be excited about there now being a live version out there of a song as blah as I'm Think I'm Going Bald. What's next, a rare live version of Rivendell?

[Orbert]

I always thought the main riff from I Think I'm Going Bald was basically the main riff from In The Mood, just slightly altered.  The live version wasn't bad, but yeah, a little hard to get excited about even if it's a pretty rare track.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I just can't pretend to be excited about there now being a live version out there of a song as blah as I'm Think I'm Going Bald. What's next, a rare live version of Rivendell?

I don't know. The completionist in me wants at least a bootleg live version of every song Rush ever did. I'd love to have a professional recording of The Fountain of Lamneth and The Necromancer though. And Available Light, but I believe they never did that one live.

[jammindude]

To tell you the truth, I think I’m going bald has always been one of my favorites from that album, and I never noticed that the main riff was a rehash of in the mood until somebody pointed it out to me on this forum just a few years ago

[KevShmev]

I just can't pretend to be excited about there now being a live version out there of a song as blah as I'm Think I'm Going Bald. What's next, a rare live version of Rivendell?

I don't know. The completionist in me wants at least a bootleg live version of every song Rush ever did. I'd love to have a professional recording of The Fountain of Lamneth and The Necromancer though. And Available Light, but I believe they never did that one live.

Correct, Available Light was never played live by the band.  Presto was definitely one of the albums that drew the short straw in the live sets in the 21 century, as The Pass and the title track were the only ones played.

[Orbert]

To tell you the truth, I think I’m going bald has always been one of my favorites from that album, and I never noticed that the main riff was a rehash of in the mood until somebody pointed it out to me on this forum just a few years ago

Probably me.  That riff caught my ears right away, but when I mention it to my friends, who are all even bigger Rush fans than me, they're all "What?  Huh, I never noticed."

[The Letter M]

To tell you the truth, I think I’m going bald has always been one of my favorites from that album, and I never noticed that the main riff was a rehash of in the mood until somebody pointed it out to me on this forum just a few years ago

Probably me.  That riff caught my ears right away, but when I mention it to my friends, who are all even bigger Rush fans than me, they're all "What?  Huh, I never noticed."

When I started diving into Rush over 20 years ago, I felt like I immediately noticed that riff being so similar to "In The Mood". It was weirdly similar to the point of suspecting self-plagiarism. I don't think they did it on purpose, but I found it hilarious either way.

-Marc.

[Lethean]

I just can't pretend to be excited about there now being a live version out there of a song as blah as I'm Think I'm Going Bald. What's next, a rare live version of Rivendell?

I don't know. The completionist in me wants at least a bootleg live version of every song Rush ever did. I'd love to have a professional recording of The Fountain of Lamneth and The Necromancer though. And Available Light, but I believe they never did that one live.

I think you're right, and  I think it's one of their very best songs, best lyrics, I would have loved to have heard it live. 

[pg1067]

This recording sounds AMAZING for its age. I really hope the whole show surfaces soon! Is there any information regarding the setlist?

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rush/1976/randhurst-twin-ice-arena-mount-prospect-il-3bdb0cc8.html

Thanks! Looking at the song stats for ITIGB, I see it's listed as having been performed three times. The second show is REALLY interesting, with performances of "Making Memories" and "The Fountain Of Lamneth". Surely this is *THE* Holy Grail show for early Rush bootleg collectors, assuming the setlist is accurate. It looks like a headlining COS Tour show, and I'm sure there weren't many of those.

-Marc.

This has been out there for YEARS, but I think it's pretty well-accepted that it's not genuine.

I always thought the main riff from I Think I'm Going Bald was basically the main riff from In The Mood, just slightly altered.  The live version wasn't bad, but yeah, a little hard to get excited about even if it's a pretty rare track.

It is.  Compare https://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/rush-in-the-mood-tab-s52458 to https://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/rush-i-think-im-going-bald-tab-s408807

[Setlist Scotty]

This recording sounds AMAZING for its age. I really hope the whole show surfaces soon! Is there any information regarding the setlist?

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rush/1976/randhurst-twin-ice-arena-mount-prospect-il-3bdb0cc8.html

Thanks! Looking at the song stats for ITIGB, I see it's listed as having been performed three times. The second show is REALLY interesting, with performances of "Making Memories" and "The Fountain Of Lamneth". Surely this is *THE* Holy Grail show for early Rush bootleg collectors, assuming the setlist is accurate. It looks like a headlining COS Tour show, and I'm sure there weren't many of those.

-Marc.

This has been out there for YEARS, but I think it's pretty well-accepted that it's not genuine.

What's not genuine? The live recording of ITIGB or the setlist from the second show?

[jammindude]

He means the 2nd show.

That setlist has never been verified by anyone. Even members of Rush have stated that they don’t believe Fountain was ever played live. (although to be fair, I do believe that there was some “squishy“ language involved. Statements were made like “I don’t think…“ etc. etc..)

[nobloodyname]

There's a bit of discussion about The Fountain of Lamneth and whether it was played here: https://www.therushforum.com/index.php?/topic/91720-rush-concerts-setlists-a-history-lesson/

[pg1067]

This recording sounds AMAZING for its age. I really hope the whole show surfaces soon! Is there any information regarding the setlist?

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rush/1976/randhurst-twin-ice-arena-mount-prospect-il-3bdb0cc8.html

Thanks! Looking at the song stats for ITIGB, I see it's listed as having been performed three times. The second show is REALLY interesting, with performances of "Making Memories" and "The Fountain Of Lamneth". Surely this is *THE* Holy Grail show for early Rush bootleg collectors, assuming the setlist is accurate. It looks like a headlining COS Tour show, and I'm sure there weren't many of those.

-Marc.

This has been out there for YEARS, but I think it's pretty well-accepted that it's not genuine.

What's not genuine? The live recording of ITIGB or the setlist from the second show?

He means the 2nd show.

More specifically, what I meant was that, AFAIK, it's pretty well accepted that they didn't play Fountain.  I recall reading an interview with Howard Underleider in which he said it was never played, but I can't find that interview now.  On the other hand, there is stuff like the anecdotal comment on the Rush forum.  Also, while I haven't read the book yet, Martin Popoff's book Anthem apparently takes the side that it was played, as mentioned in this article:  https://www.sonicperspectives.com/features/book-review-anthem-rush-in-the-1970s/

I have no concern that the recording of Bald isn't genuine.

[Setlist Scotty]

That setlist has never been verified by anyone. Even members of Rush have stated that they don’t believe Fountain was ever played live. (although to be fair, I do believe that there was some “squishy“ language involved. Statements were made like “I don’t think…“ etc. etc..)

IIRC, before or during the Time Machine tour, Neil was even quoted as saying they hadn't played TCE live before which obviously wasn't true. So just because the band themselves say they didn't play TFoL doesn't mean they didn't, especially if they "think" they didn't. I'm sure memories of the Down the Tubes Tour were far more hazy than the Moving Pictures tour.

[DragonAttack]

Saw Rush in ‘76, never cared for ‘Bald’ on the CoS LP, but that was one great listen👍

Thanks

[Samsara]

That setlist has never been verified by anyone. Even members of Rush have stated that they don’t believe Fountain was ever played live. (although to be fair, I do believe that there was some “squishy“ language involved. Statements were made like “I don’t think…“ etc. etc..)

IIRC, before or during the Time Machine tour, Neil was even quoted as saying they hadn't played TCE live before which obviously wasn't true. So just because the band themselves say they didn't play TFoL doesn't mean they didn't, especially if they "think" they didn't. I'm sure memories of the Down the Tubes Tour were far more hazy than the Moving Pictures tour.

Yeah. I agree with Scotty on this one. While I'm no expert on Rush touring lore, I am an expert on a couple of other bands, and I've found that Scotty's point of view tends to be correct a lot. The band themselves aren't the best keepers of information like that.

And setlist.fm is garbage, particularly for older shows. That's why when you've got a reliable catalog of dates and information that is painstakingly verified, I tend to rely on that. I can't tell you how many Queensryche shows from the 80s people have wrong on setlist.fm. 

[DTA]

Whether or not Fountain was played live is probably the biggest unsolved mystery in all of Rush's history. The musician in me just has to believe that a band who has just released their first side-long epic would stop at nothing to play it live at least once. but unfortunately, there's just no reliable proof that any part of it was played.

[jammindude]

For anyone who didn’t click… The link that nobloodyname provided has a guy who swears up and down that he followed them from the beginning and swears he was there.  The does say that the setlist is incorrect as they opened with Bastille Day and not FBN (which admittedly sounds more plausible considering it was also from the (then) new album) and also claims that it was played…but not in its entirety. It was a truncated medley of highlights. Which admittedly (to me anyway) sounds like something they would do rather than play the whole thing. I mean, think about it. They didn’t even play 2112 in full until 1996.

I’m just saying that the story has an air of “reality” to it that leans me in the direction of believing him.

[Orbert]

never cared for ‘Bald’ on the CoS LP, but that was one great listen👍

Yeah, Rush has a way of making pretty much any song really good live.  There are a lot of songs, especially in the later catalogue, that don't really thrill me, but on the live videos they all rock, every single song.

[pg1067]

Well...the guy certainly does not equivocate.  On the other hand, he says the show was just shy of his 16th birthday.  I think that, at the time, hearing Fountain (or, as he wrote, "a weird kind of medley with the heavy parts of The Necromancer thrown in") would have stood out as being particularly noteworthy.  If you asked me about set lists from when I was that age, I might remember a couple things (e.g., I remember that, at the first Rush show I saw (on the GUP tour, they opened with The Spirit of Radio, and the speakers were such that the first half of the song was nearly inaudible on the lawn at the back of Irvine Meadows), but I wouldn't say I remember much of anything with certainty.

The 1/10/76 show was apparently the last date of the "Down the Tubes Tour," and it was at Massey Hall in Toronto.  Despite how dismal they've always said that tour was, they apparently closed out with a headlining show, without more than 90 minutes of material.

The guy on the Rush forum criticized the setlist.fm set as it existed in February 2015, but it's now changed to look more like what he said.  Looking at the setlist.fm edit history, the list was changed in May 2015, apparently based in part on the Rush forum posts.

Interestingly, cygnus-x1.net reports that Fountain was "reputedly performed on November 28th and 29th."  https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/setlists.php#CARESSOFSTEEL  But it does not otherwise comment on the Massey Hall show being a headlining set that was longer than the typical set.

There are certainly indicia of legitimacy here.  However, it's really hard for me to accept that, on the last night of an incredibly difficult tour, they pulled out a 20 minute "epic" that they hadn't been playing all along.  It's not like they had abundant rehearsal time to get it ready for performance.  If they'd been playing it at soundchecks leading up to that show (or if they did hardcore rehearsals for that show during the five days they had off before that show), you'd expect someone affiliated with the band to remember that.  And, if they hadn't been sounchecking it or didn't rehearse it, that means that, 74 dates into the tour, they pulled out a song they hadn't played in 5-6 months (since the album was recorded) for its first live performance.  Without a recording, it's hard for me to believe this.

[Setlist Scotty]

There are certainly indicia of legitimacy here.  However, it's really hard for me to accept that, on the last night of an incredibly difficult tour, they pulled out a 20 minute "epic" that they hadn't been playing all along.  It's not like they had abundant rehearsal time to get it ready for performance.  If they'd been playing it at soundchecks leading up to that show (or if they did hardcore rehearsals for that show during the five days they had off before that show), you'd expect someone affiliated with the band to remember that.  And, if they hadn't been sounchecking it or didn't rehearse it, that means that, 74 dates into the tour, they pulled out a song they hadn't played in 5-6 months (since the album was recorded) for its first live performance.  Without a recording, it's hard for me to believe this.

Good point. With that said, I find it hard to believe that they didn't perform it at any of their headlining gigs at all. The fact that it is claimed that it was only played at 3 shows doesn't mean it wasn't played at others. Without any boots to confirm one way or the other, I doubt we'll ever know for certain. But to imagine them not playing their brand new first side-long epic at any of the shows on that tour seems a bit hard to believe.