Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst

[Lupton]

For a while there, Alex seemed to be channeling Andy Summers (of The Police).  Lots of 7ths and 9ths, somehow distorted and clean-sounding at the same time, compressed but ever-so-slightly low in the mix.  I happen to like the sound, but Rush's reggae/ska period did seem to borrow heavily from The Police.

That's really a great way to describe it. And I thought the sound was great too!

What's funny to me is Summer's similarly would be corrupted by Robert Fripp. And Synchronicity would be dominated by synth guitar gas clouds (ala Crimson Nuage style) in a departure from Summer's approach with previous Police records. Even the tune Mother has that distinctive tritonal Crim-blues vibe. Good musicians influencing other good musicians is a great thing.

[Orbert]

Summers and Fripp made an album together, I Advance Masked, released in 1982.  So it makes sense that they would influence each other.

I have this album, but must admit that I don't like it as much as I thought I would.

[jammindude]

I remember interviews with Geddy and Alex in Circus and Hit Parader at that time, and I remember them saying that it wasn’t accidental. They were absolutely enamored with The Police around this time period and wore their influence on their sleeves.

[Lupton]

Summers and Fripp made an album together, I Advance Masked, released in 1982.  So it makes sense that they would influence each other.

I have this album, but must admit that I don't like it as much as I thought I would.

I had trouble getting into both of the albums they did together. But they're on my list of stuff to revisit. I'll admit a lot of what Fripp does leaves me cold, even though I think he's a great guitarist/composer/visionary.

[Orbert]

Some cool stuff, great playing of course, but not exactly catchy.  You have to listen actively to it, and you have to really get into what it is they're doing.  Most of the tunes, I listen, then think "Okay, that was... interesting".  But it's been a while for me, too.  I might be due for a re-listen.

I actually forgot about Bewitched, the follow-up.  I should revisit that one, too.

[Orbert]

I remember interviews with Geddy and Alex in Circus and Hit Parader at that time, and I remember them saying that it wasn’t accidental. They were absolutely enamored with The Police around this time period and wore their influence on their sleeves.

I've always like some stuff by The Police, and some not so much.  But they're all great musicians, so I can see Rush being impressed by them.  I can even imagine Neil maybe picking up a new trick or two from Stewart Copeland.

[Stadler]

I remember interviews with Geddy and Alex in Circus and Hit Parader at that time, and I remember them saying that it wasn’t accidental. They were absolutely enamored with The Police around this time period and wore their influence on their sleeves.

I've always like some stuff by The Police, and some not so much.  But they're all great musicians, so I can see Rush being impressed by them.  I can even imagine Neil maybe picking up a new trick or two from Stewart Copeland.

I always thought that Copeland, Bruford, Peart and (later) Tim Alexander were all of a style. I don't know dick about drums, so that could be silly, but they all seemed to have some things that reminded me of each other.

[Orbert]

I'm not familiar with Tim Alexander, but I think I get what you're saying.  They each have a very "musical" approach (for lack of a better term) to drumming and percussion.  Not just keeping the beat, but finding specific licks and fills that highlight and augment the music.  That's theoretically true of every played in a band, but it is not true of a lot of drummers.  Most just keep the beat, and maybe come up with an interesting fill at the end of each line.

We've all seen the video of "Tom Sawyer" where basically the entire audience is air-drumming the fills.  That's because those are composed parts.  Neil's drum parts are as much a composition and part of the song as what Geddy and Alex are playing.  Maybe even moreso, since Geddy and Alex mess around a bit, and Neil does not.

[pg1067]

Power Windows has no weak songs.

I mean, how can you really tell?

I mean...compared to Hold Your Fire, I suppose....

[Lupton]

It's true. Some people don't like Rush in the 80s. It's understandable, I think, because in terms of the sound of the band it's radically different. It's almost like being a fan of two different bands.

[Stadler]

I'm not familiar with Tim Alexander, but I think I get what you're saying.  They each have a very "musical" approach (for lack of a better term) to drumming and percussion.  Not just keeping the beat, but finding specific licks and fills that highlight and augment the music.  That's theoretically true of every played in a band, but it is not true of a lot of drummers.  Most just keep the beat, and maybe come up with an interesting fill at the end of each line.

We've all seen the video of "Tom Sawyer" where basically the entire audience is air-drumming the fills.  That's because those are composed parts.  Neil's drum parts are as much a composition and part of the song as what Geddy and Alex are playing.  Maybe even moreso, since Geddy and Alex mess around a bit, and Neil does not.

I think I've written this before, but I was watching... I think it was Snakes and Arrows on Blu-ray and Tom Sawyer came on, and my daughter (who is NOT a Rush fan) walked by and stopped and started waving her arms.  She ended up watching the rest of the song.

[nick_z]

I think I've written this before, but I was watching... I think it was Snakes and Arrows on Blu-ray and Tom Sawyer came on, and my daughter (who is NOT a Rush fan) walked by and stopped and started waving her arms.  She ended up watching the rest of the song.

Nice! And yes - that is, in a nutshell, why NP is and will always be one of the greats. Beyond technical skills (which, of course, are crazy good too), he created so many iconic and memorable parts. A true composer on the drumkit.

[HOF]

It's true. Some people don't like Rush in the 80s. It's understandable, I think, because in terms of the sound of the band it's radically different. It's almost like being a fan of two different bands.

And then some people like me got into the 80s and beyond stuff first, and then had a hard time with the 70s era, especially the difference in Geddy's voice and some of the more awkward songwriting from that era. For me, Rush became really really good from 1980 on, but were hit or miss before then (arguably hit or miss from about 1990 on too, but I still prefer that era to the 70s). 

[Architeuthis]

It's true. Some people don't like Rush in the 80s. It's understandable, I think, because in terms of the sound of the band it's radically different. It's almost like being a fan of two different bands.

And then some people like me got into the 80s and beyond stuff first, and then had a hard time with the 70s era, especially the difference in Geddy's voice and some of the more awkward songwriting from that era. For me, Rush became really really good from 1980 on, but were hit or miss before then (arguably hit or miss from about 1990 on too, but I still prefer that era to the 70s).

Exit Stage Left and Presto were the first two that got me into Rush.  Then I saw the Presto tour live in Seattle my senior year in high school and was completely blown away! 

[Lupton]

It's true. Some people don't like Rush in the 80s. It's understandable, I think, because in terms of the sound of the band it's radically different. It's almost like being a fan of two different bands.

And then some people like me got into the 80s and beyond stuff first, and then had a hard time with the 70s era, especially the difference in Geddy's voice and some of the more awkward songwriting from that era. For me, Rush became really really good from 1980 on, but were hit or miss before then (arguably hit or miss from about 1990 on too, but I still prefer that era to the 70s).

  That's a great way of explaining it from the other side. It always seems this is an age old axe Rush fans have been grinding for decades.

I had the distinction of getting into Rush when Presto was their latest release. It took me years to really come to terms their more "mature" sound. Lets just say we were all thrash metal kids at the time. I never forget just how embarrassed I felt when, after talking up Rush to my little brother, we both witnessed the video for The Pass. I was mortified! Basically..I was: "No they're not really like that. These guys are not wimpy soft rock! I know you can't tell from the song, but that drummer actually really does kick ass!". And I had tickets to see this band in a week. Was the whole set going to be like that if they played lots of new stuff? Dull, Gray and lukewarm with low energy? And then of course the concert kicked ass totally destroying my impressionable mind! And the tunes from Presto kicked ass live. I thought..hey, this new record probably is really good, right? So...I got Presto the week after the show....and....man this is lightweight and not heavy at all?? What's wrong? These songs sounded so powerful live?

Now of course I love Presto (and the Pass) but my experiences trying to "get" the current version of the band at that time was very, very confusing. I couldn't figure out if I should hate this? Try to get into it more? Try to force myself to like it because it's the latest album from the band that's just become my favorite? I was in 8th grade at the time so I was already confused about a lot as it was!

[Lupton]

It's true. Some people don't like Rush in the 80s. It's understandable, I think, because in terms of the sound of the band it's radically different. It's almost like being a fan of two different bands.

And then some people like me got into the 80s and beyond stuff first, and then had a hard time with the 70s era, especially the difference in Geddy's voice and some of the more awkward songwriting from that era. For me, Rush became really really good from 1980 on, but were hit or miss before then (arguably hit or miss from about 1990 on too, but I still prefer that era to the 70s).

Exit Stage Left and Presto were the first two that got me into Rush.  Then I saw the Presto tour live in Seattle my senior year in high school and was completely blown away! 

 

[King Postwhore]

So roll call.  How many times have you seen Rush and what was the first tour. 

I've seen Rush 31 times. 1st was on the Grace Under Pressure Tour.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Only 4 times:

2002 - Sao Paulo and Rio

2010 - Sao Paulo and Rio

[Lupton]

So roll call.  How many times have you seen Rush and what was the first tour. 

I've seen Rush 31 times. 1st was on the Grace Under Pressure Tour.

March 1, 1990 - Dallas, TX  was my 1st show. Presto tour.

I saw them everytime they came to Dallas since. Didn't miss a show. Makes for a grand total of 12 shows in Dallas.

[Snow Dog]

Twice.  1997 on the T4E tour, and 2002 for VT.

Had a few more chances to see them live after that when I was living in Salt Lake City, but didn't go because the set lists didn't appeal to me.  I regret my choices.

[King Postwhore]

Only 4 times:

2002 - Sao Paulo and Rio

2010 - Sao Paulo and Rio

Well, you were at a famous show so!!!

I got to see 3- 1st night shows.

Power Windows - Maine
Vapor Trails - Connecticut
Clockwork Angels - New Hampshire.

[jammindude]

8 times total.

First show was Power Windows in Seattle 1986.

Then:

Presto  in Seattle 1990
Test for Echo in George, WA 1997 (an amphitheater in Central Washington)
Vapor Trails in George 2002
Snakes and Arrows Auburn, WA 2007
Time Machine Tour Auburn, WA 2010
Clockwork Angels Tour Seattle 2012
R40 in Seattle 2015

[King Postwhore]

Oh, and I've been to 2 shows with DTF'ers.


Nick in 2012 & Jingle.boy in 2015.

[Kram]

I've seen Rush 20 times.  First show was in September of 1983 at Radio City Music Hall.  They played 4 or 5 shows at Radio City that September.  These shows were between Signals and GUP and they actually premiered some early versions of a few GUP songs (different arrangements etc.)

[Stadler]

I think I've seen four shows:

Power Windows in Hartford
Roll The Bones in Hartford
Roll The Bones, Second Leg, New Haven
Test For Echo, Hartford

[KevShmev]

12 shows:

Roll the Bones tour (2)
Counterparts tour
Test for Echo tour (2)
Vapor Trails tour
R30 tour
Snakes and Arrows tour
Snakes and Arrows Live tour
Time Machine tour
Clockwork Angels tour
R40 tour

In other words, I saw them every time they came to St Louis from 1991 to 2015.

[King Postwhore]

I've seen Rush 20 times.  First show was in September of 1983 at Radio City Music Hall.  They played 4 or 5 shows at Radio City that September.  These shows were between Signals and GUP and they actually premiered some early versions of a few GUP songs (different arrangements etc.)

Pictures of that Radio City Music Hall was in the GUP tourbook.

[nick_z]

Only 3 times total - it got a bit easier after I moved to the US...

1. Snakes & Arrow tour -  July 8, 2007, PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ
2. Clockwork Angels Tour - October 20, 2012, Prudential Center, Newark NJ
3. R40 - June 29, 2015, Madison Square Garden, New York NY

Loved the 80s-heavy setlist of the Clockwork Angels tour (yes, it was almost a Power Windows party ). And R40 was very, very special.

[Orbert]

Hemispheres
Moving Pictures
Counterparts

Only 3 times, but that's more than any other band I've seen.  I don't do a lot of concerts.

[Setlist Scotty]

19 times, the first being on the HYF tour, and the last being their very last gig (so happy I was able to witness it).

[pg1067]

It's true. Some people don't like Rush in the 80s. It's understandable, I think, because in terms of the sound of the band it's radically different. It's almost like being a fan of two different bands.

And then some people like me got into the 80s and beyond stuff first, and then had a hard time with the 70s era, especially the difference in Geddy's voice and some of the more awkward songwriting from that era. For me, Rush became really really good from 1980 on, but were hit or miss before then (arguably hit or miss from about 1990 on too, but I still prefer that era to the 70s).

And that's what keeps this thread jumping!

I've posted about this before, but I first got into Rush between Signals and GUP, which is when we first got cable and MTV.  I'm pretty sure I knew that Rush existed going back to elementary school, but I didn't get into popular/rock music until the summer between 8th grade and high school (1981).  The Countdown and Subdivisions videos were my introduction to Rush, and I borrowed a lot of the back catalog from a friend's brother during late '82 and into '83.  I was super excited for GUP -- my first "new" Rush album -- but I can recall seeing the video for Distant Early Warning on MTV and thinking "hmmmm...."  And then I bought the album when it was released in April 1984, and I was seriously bummed -- especially by that infamously bad inner sleeve photo (at that time, a band's look still mattered to me).

So roll call.  How many times have you seen Rush and what was the first tour. 

I've seen Rush 31 times. 1st was on the Grace Under Pressure Tour.

My first time was also on the GUP tour (June 2, 1984 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre to be specific), and I saw them a total of 20 times (once or twice on every tour from GUP through R40), including the very last show at the Forum on August 1, 2015.

[jammindude]

I've seen Rush 20 times.  First show was in September of 1983 at Radio City Music Hall.  They played 4 or 5 shows at Radio City that September.  These shows were between Signals and GUP and they actually premiered some early versions of a few GUP songs (different arrangements etc.)

Were those the infamous Marillion dates? The shows were Marillion almost got booed off the stage?

Still seems hard to imagine.

[XeRocks81]

I've seen Rush 20 times.  First show was in September of 1983 at Radio City Music Hall.  They played 4 or 5 shows at Radio City that September.  These shows were between Signals and GUP and they actually premiered some early versions of a few GUP songs (different arrangements etc.)

Were those the infamous Marillion dates? The shows were Marillion almost got booed off the stage?

Still seems hard to imagine.

I think that was 1986, Marillion straight up played Misplaced  Childhood as their set (albums were shorter then obvs) which makes it even harder to believe but then again all fandom is trash and has always been.

[King Postwhore]

Yeah, I saw Marillion play all of Misplaced Childhood opening for Rush.  Amazing.

PG, very cool. What other bands have you seen that much?

[Architeuthis]

I've seen Rush 10×.
Presto Tour Seattle
Roll the Bones tour- Seattle
T4E tour- The Gorge amphitheater
Vapor Trails tour - The Gorge
R30 tour- White River Amphitheater  4th row Alex's side
SNA Tour - White River amphitheatre near Seattle
SNA Tour (second leg) The Gorge
Time Machine tour (first leg) White River amphitheater
Clockwork Angel's tour - Seattle
R40 - Seattle

My biggest regret is Missing Rush at The Gorge on the second leg of the Time Machine tour. It was the final show of the tour and Neil mentioned later that that particular show was the best they had ever played in their whole career!
Geddy Lee even dropped an F-Bomb at the end of the show after Working Man. Lol!
One of my friends was there and said the concert was the most awesome thing he had ever seen in his whole life..
 
 https://youtu.be/yvOREMts5eg    Working Man at The Gorge 

 https://youtu.be/hU5byOVo5Og  Limelight at the Gorge.  This video gives a good view of the venue and Alex's solo is amazing,  and the end of the song.