Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst

[Stadler]

I know I remember hearing GEDDY'S side of the story; it's when I first heard the notion that he doesn't sing Neil's words verbatim,  but rather has collaborative input into the final lyrical output of the band.   Which is fine, but it was new to me at the time. 

[Bacong]

1 Body Electric dropped for Middletown Dreams
2 Bravado for The Pass
3 Carnies for Seven Cities
4 Manhattan Project for Dreamline
5 Spirit of Radio for 2112

1B, 2B, 3B, 4equal, 5B.

Just got around to really comparing this now. If this is true, Philly is going to be fucking insane.

Nick, I would agree with this. Bravado is actually the one song that is worse than The Pass.
Strange setlist relying on the 80's stuff. Body Electric, Red Sector A, Grand Designs???
At least I can appreciate the fact that they are playing deep tracks. I think that's cool.

dude, The Pass is the best song on Presto.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

1 Body Electric dropped for Middletown Dreams
2 Bravado for The Pass
3 Carnies for Seven Cities
4 Manhattan Project for Dreamline
5 Spirit of Radio for 2112

1B, 2B, 3B, 4equal, 5B.

Just got around to really comparing this now. If this is true, Philly is going to be fucking insane.

Nick, I would agree with this. Bravado is actually the one song that is worse than The Pass.
Strange setlist relying on the 80's stuff. Body Electric, Red Sector A, Grand Designs???
At least I can appreciate the fact that they are playing deep tracks. I think that's cool.

dude, The Pass is the best song on Presto.

You misspelled Available Light 

[Architeuthis]

1 Body Electric dropped for Middletown Dreams
2 Bravado for The Pass
3 Carnies for Seven Cities
4 Manhattan Project for Dreamline
5 Spirit of Radio for 2112

1B, 2B, 3B, 4equal, 5B.

Just got around to really comparing this now. If this is true, Philly is going to be fucking insane.

Nick, I would agree with this. Bravado is actually the one song that is worse than The Pass.
Strange setlist relying on the 80's stuff. Body Electric, Red Sector A, Grand Designs???
At least I can appreciate the fact that they are playing deep tracks. I think that's cool.

dude, The Pass is the best song on Presto.

You misspelled Available Light 

 

[Architeuthis]

I know I remember hearing GEDDY'S side of the story; it's when I first heard the notion that he doesn't sing Neil's words verbatim,  but rather has collaborative input into the final lyrical output of the band.   Which is fine, but it was new to me at the time.

  "I AM GEDDY LEE,  AND I'LL SING WHATEVER LYRICS I WANT" !!!     

[pg1067]

1 Body Electric dropped for Middletown Dreams
2 Bravado for The Pass
3 Carnies for Seven Cities
4 Manhattan Project for Dreamline
5 Spirit of Radio for 2112

1B, 2B, 3B, 4equal, 5B.

Just got around to really comparing this now. If this is true, Philly is going to be fucking insane.

Nick, I would agree with this. Bravado is actually the one song that is worse than The Pass.
Strange setlist relying on the 80's stuff. Body Electric, Red Sector A, Grand Designs???
At least I can appreciate the fact that they are playing deep tracks. I think that's cool.

dude, The Pass is the best song on Presto.

You misspelled Available Light 

You beat me to it.

Also, Bacong, the post you quoted is 7 1/2 years old!

[King Postwhore]

That's how influential Rush is. Lol

[Samsara]

Been listening to Snakes and Arrows a lot over the last week, and really have been digging it. I of course bought it when it came out back in 2007, but didn't really go back to it after that first year until now. Not sure why, it's a great record. But I thought I've seen comments that it isn't thought of as highly by the majority or Rush fans.

Anyone have anything to say about S&A?

[jammindude]

Been listening to Snakes and Arrows a lot over the last week, and really have been digging it. I of course bought it when it came out back in 2007, but didn't really go back to it after that first year until now. Not sure why, it's a great record. But I thought I've seen comments that it isn't thought of as highly by the majority or Rush fans.

Anyone have anything to say about S&A?

Brilliant return to form after the very disappointing VT.    The production, the songwriting, the lyrics, the instrumentals....it was nice to hear Rush firing on all cylinders for the first time since the tragedy.   They just needed to get their "St. Anger" out of their system.

[TAC]

Sam, it's one of my least favorite Rush albums. I love Far Cry and the intro to The Way The Wind Blows. I have always felt that it feels like they wrote the music around or to fit the lyrics. The album indeed sounds great, and that always helps the aging process.

I did listen to it with an open mind during the Neil Peart Bereavement Discography Run, and I quite enjoyed it, but overall, I feel it's quite weak and not memorable.

[Architeuthis]

Even though the production of S&A is good, I like Vapor Trails better as an album.  Plus, the the VT tour and R30 slayed the S&A tour. It seemed that the band lost a little steam for S&A and even the volume levels were low at the shows. I remember people yelling "Turn it up". 
 They returned to form for the Time Machine tours.   

[TAC]

Even though the production of S&A is good, I like Vapor Trails better as an album. 

Easily.

[Samsara]

I'm a bigger fan of Vapor Trails myself. But I don't dislike S&A at all. It ran out of a little steam, but I dig it. I will say, of the three "return era" Rush records, I like S&A the least, but still dig it.

Although for whatever reason (I am assuming it was mid-week and in an inconvenient location) I didn't see the tour for S&A. I saw the first show in Hartford for Vapor Trails, and then saw the summer 2004 tour (not sure what that was -- Feedback perhaps, or was it R30?), and then the Time Machine tour, but did not see that S&A tour. And sadly, as much as I love Clockwork Angels, I didn't see that tour, or R40, because both shows were mid-week, and a 2.5-3 hour drive to get to. Sucks. They just never played anywhere closer.

[King Postwhore]

Even though the production of S&A is good, I like Vapor Trails better as an album. 

Easily.

I agree as well.

I remember reading that the writing process was done on acoustic guitar so it has an old school songwriting vibe to it. 

[Architeuthis]

Yes, the 2004 tour was R30 and they played several songs from Feedback. That was one of my favorite Rush tours ever! 

[King Postwhore]

Out of the 31 Rush shows I have attended, the 2 best was opening night for the Vapor Trails tour.  Very emotional & the 1996 show that they recorder "2112" & "Leave That Thing Alone" in Mansfield Ma.  They were on fire that night.

[Stadler]

Out of the 31 Rush shows I have attended, the 2 best was opening night for the Vapor Trails tour.  Very emotional & the 1996 show that they recorder "2112" & "Leave That Thing Alone" in Mansfield Ma.  They were on fire that night.

I read that very quickly as "the two best shows were opening night for the Vapor Trails tour" and I was going to ask you what you were drinking that night.       

If you're referring to the live 2112 from Different Stages, I would have committed a felony to be there. That's my favorite version of that.

[TAC]

The show at Great Woods was 1997, wasn't it?

[KevShmev]

Snakes & Arrows is one of those albums where I enjoy it when listening to it from start to finish, but I rarely seek out any of the songs on their own anymore when grabbing Rush songs from random.  While it has that old school feel with all of the acoustic guitar, there is no other Rush album that sounds like it.

[King Postwhore]

The show at Great Woods was 1997, wasn't it?

Yup, you are correct  Tim.

[TAC]

The weird thing about that show is that I had no idea they were even playing.

[King Postwhore]

I was in the 6th row in front of Geddy.

[Architeuthis]

Out of the 31 Rush shows I have attended, the 2 best was opening night for the Vapor Trails tour.  Very emotional & the 1996 show that they recorder "2112" & "Leave That Thing Alone" in Mansfield Ma.  They were on fire that night.

Oh man, I wish there was a live dvd from the Test For Echo tour.  I heard that it was filmed but never got released for some reason.  Perhaps Neil's tragedies,  I dunno.
It would be cool if they dug it up and finished the product as a tribute release.  I'm sure it would sell.

[Samsara]

It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if RUSH emptied the vaults at this point. They are more popular now than they've ever been. I fully expect a variety of stuff to be released over the next 10 years. Looking forward to seeing what treasures we'll be seeing/hearing.

[King Postwhore]

I think that was the Chicago show they filmed.

[ProfessorPeart]

I think that was the Chicago show they filmed.

The majority of Different Stages is from that show, which I was at. I vaguely remember reading something a long time ago about the fact that there was supposed to be a video from that tour but the footage had major problems or something like that. Whatever it was, they deemed whatever they had as unreleasable.

[King Postwhore]

Some of it is on a box set DVD I own.

[Setlist Scotty]

I think that was the Chicago show they filmed.

Definitely wasn't at the Chicago show - I was there and I know I would have remembered seeing cameras all over the place if they were filming it. As PP says, that's where most of the tracks that were selected for Different Stages were from. But it was just a matter of them taping every single show on that tour, and realizing that the Chicago show was a really good performance overall, hence why more tracks come from that show than any other.
 
 

I vaguely remember reading something a long time ago about the fact that there was supposed to be a video from that tour but the footage had major problems or something like that. Whatever it was, they deemed whatever they had as unreleasable.

I remember that too. I think it had to do with the audio not being in sync with the video or something. But given where audio editing is at these days, I don't think that would be an issue any more. In fact, that might be the reason why part of the Toronto show ended up on the R40 video box set, which I believe was the show that they filmed and intended to release.

[pg1067]

Been listening to Snakes and Arrows a lot over the last week, and really have been digging it. I of course bought it when it came out back in 2007, but didn't really go back to it after that first year until now. Not sure why, it's a great record. But I thought I've seen comments that it isn't thought of as highly by the majority or Rush fans.

Anyone have anything to say about S&A?

I recently listened to VT for the first time in a while.  I recalled liking it quite a bit, but it really fell flat for me.  One Little Victory is a good start, but then there's a whole 70s-length album before they get to another really good song (Earthshine).  It ends pretty well, but there's a LOT of sameness.

That's pretty much exactly how I remember S&A.  Far Cry is really good, and Armor and Sword might be my favorite 21st Century Rush song.  But then it gets pretty bogged down.  The three instrumentals are good, but not great, and The Way the Wind Blows is pretty good, but the rest of the songs just feel lifeless.  It was rather disappointing given all the hype around working with Nick R. and the supposed return to a "classic" Rush sound.

I'm due for another pass through S&A, so we'll see.

[The Curious Orange]

I feel the same, but different.

Vapor Trails starts brilliantly with One Little Victory, Ceiling Unlimited is an incredibly strong song, and Peaceable Kingdom is one of the best things the band have done, but the next 3 songs are a bit dull. it's kind of OK, because this is a very loud album, and the listener needs a break. Secret Touch, Earthshine, Sweet Miracle, Freeze and Out of the Cradle are all very strong songs. So while the album has a dip in the middle, it really only is 3 songs.

S&A starts well with Far Cry, then both Armor & Sword and Working Them Angels are OK, but it then falls into a mid-album rut (Spindrift is OK,) with the best songs being the instrumentals and the ones at the end - Bravest Face and We Hold On are the two strongest on the album IMO. Yet somehow the whole thing is slightly more listenable than Vapor Trails.

[HOF]

Vapor Trails remains one of my Rush favorites, although I admit even the remix doesn’t quite fix all the audio problems and that kind of keeps me from revisiting it too often. For me, the songwriting is some of Neil’s finest, and the lyrics are made more meaningful by his personal context out of which they were born.

The standout tracks for me are Vapor Trail and Freeze, and I also really like Earthshine and How it Is, while Peaceable Kingdom, Ghost Rider, Secret Touch, and Sweet Miracle are all strong tracks. One Little Victory and Out of the Cradle open and close on a solid, upbeat note. I like Ceiling Unlimited much better with the remix and the added guitar solo, though it has never been a favorite.

The album is a little over-long. I could do without The Stars Look Down and Nocturne. For the most part though I feel like the only thing holding VT back is the production (and Geddy’s voice to a lesser degree), but I can overlook that because the songs are strong.

[King Postwhore]

I think that was the Chicago show they filmed.

Definitely wasn't at the Chicago show - I was there and I know I would have remembered seeing cameras all over the place if they were filming it. As PP says, that's where most of the tracks that were selected for Different Stages were from. But it was just a matter of them taping every single show on that tour, and realizing that the Chicago show was a really good performance overall, hence why more tracks come from that show than any other.
 
 

I vaguely remember reading something a long time ago about the fact that there was supposed to be a video from that tour but the footage had major problems or something like that. Whatever it was, they deemed whatever they had as unreleasable.

I remember that too. I think it had to do with the audio not being in sync with the video or something. But given where audio editing is at these days, I don't think that would be an issue any more. In fact, that might be the reason why part of the Toronto show ended up on the R40 video box set, which I believe was the show that they filmed and intended to release.

Molson Amphitheater in Toronto. 

[Nick]

I feel the same, but different.

Is that you Kevin?

(Not KevSchmev, and I'm literally just making this post to see if anyone else gets the reference)

[pg1067]

I feel the same, but different.

"Everything is different, but the same... things are more moderner than before... bigger, and yet smaller... it's computers... San Dimas High School football rules!!!"

[jammindude]

I feel the same, but different.

"Everything is different, but the same... things are more moderner than before... bigger, and yet smaller... it's computers... San Dimas High School football rules!!!"