Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst

[nick_z]

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).

Clearly my Rush story is different - first album I heard was Counterparts and then I went back in a pretty random fashion (I guess whatever happened to be available at the local store when I was actually able to purchase something)...If I remember correctly, it was something like 2112, then Fly By Night, and Power Windows. After that, I thought maybe I should do it more chronologically  And so I went with phase 2 in order, Farewell, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures. By then, I was 100% sold and had cemented my Rush fandom.

I do love the synth phase. Power Windows is my favorite, GUP is a close second, then Signals and Hold Your Fire. Signals has Subdivisions which, no matter how many times I've heard, I never get tired of. There's plenty of other songs I love (Analog Kid, Losing It...), but IMO it doesn't quite reach the heights of GUP and PoW - I don't know, those two albums are truly special to me.

What was about GUP that bummed you out, in comparison to Signals? Was it the sound (which admittedly is not my favorite, especially in the drums department)? Or was it the songs overall? And then I imagine it got even worse for you with PoW 

[King Postwhore]

Moving Pictures was my gateway.  I immediately went and bought the back catalog. While I love Iron Maiden, I loved The Fixx, Duran Duran and Simple Minds.  I think that's why I was more open to Rush's stylistic changes in the 80's compared to pg.

[hunnus2000]

All the World's a Stage was my first foray into the Rush universe. I was immediately hooked by the opening riff of Bastille Day and thoroughly wet my pants after hearing 2112. 

As for how many times I've seen Rush, somewhere between 15 and 20 times. We started traveling to multiple shows on tour in the 2000's but on their last tour we skipped the last LA show. I was convinced that they would put out more music and do small tours of like 5 to 10 dates and then tragedy struck. 

I'm still kicking myself for not going! 

[HOF]

So I grew up with Rush as a classic rock radio staple that I never thought too deeply about other than wondering why The Spirit of Radio seemed to change so much, and my older brother explaining to me that’s what progressive rock does (something that stuck with me). I knew all the hits, and my older brothers owned all of the 90s albums so I was somewhat familiar with them. I remember hearing a radio broadcast around 98 that did a retrospective on Grace Under Pressure. This was the same time I was getting into DT, and the drums stood out to me as similar. I remember really loving Distant Early Warning in particular.

Then I started getting online more and finding out that Rush were a huge influence on DT. So eventually I picked up the Retrospective II set because it had those songs from GUP. That was my first Rush CD, and I really loved all of it. The next thing I ever got was Vapor Trails, which I liked a lot despite the sound. Then I started borrowing all my brother’s Rush albums (Roll the Bones and Test for Echo), and I remember really loving Test for Echo at the time.

The next things I bought were 2112 and Fly By Night. 2112 was supposed to be the classic album, and I was really excited to check it out, but I remember thinking “what is this?” It just seemed kind of ham fisted and a bit juvenile (I was also getting into 70s Genesis at the time and thought they were much more sophisticated). Fly By Night didn’t do much for me either beyond the title track and By-Tor. So that all kind of turned me off of 70s Rush for a long time.

I would go on to collect all the 80s and 90s stuff, and by the time Snakes and Arrows rolled around I was a pretty big fan (the R30 DVD was another thing that really hooked me around that time). But it was a long time after that before I went back and got all the other 70s albums (I only just last year picked up Caress of Steel, which might be my favorite from the 70s. Have still never bothered with the debut though). Now I tend to enjoy large parts of all of them, but it’s not my favorite stuff in the world. But that run of Permanent Waves through Vapor Trails I really love (despite a few misses in there).

[Lupton]

Loving all these Discovery stories! 

And yes Caress of Steel is an overlooked gem.

[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.)

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

Still seems hard to imagine.

Yes, that's correct.  Marrilion was the opener and they were booed loudly throughout their set.  I didn't know who they were at the time.  Funny, as now Pete Trewavas has slowly become my second favorite bass player (after Geddy of course), and I had no idea who he was back then (and I'm a bass player) - albeit only 13 years old back then..

[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.)

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.

They may have opened up for Rush in 1986 as well (someone can look that up) but they definitely opened up the Radio City shows in 1983.  I didn't know who they were at the time, so no idea what they played - but they were booed loudly their entire set

[King Postwhore]

Kram, you are correct. They played both tours.

[pg1067]

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

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

Marillion never opened for Rush on the shows I saw.  We got Gary Moore (GUP), Steve Morse and The Fabulous Thunderbirds (POW), Tommy Shaw (HYF), Mr. Big (Presto), and Primus and Mr. Big (RTB).  Candlebox opened for them on the Counterparts tour, but I don't have any recollection of seeing them.  As a result of having opened for Rush, I saw Mr. Big as many times as I saw Dio.  LOL!

The only other band I've seen in double digits is DT -- 16x -- 4 I&W shows, 1 Awake show, and once or twice on every tour from TOT through present.  I completely missed FII and SFAM for unknown reasons and missed SDOIT because it was right after my son was born.

[King Postwhore]

I saw Fastway for GUP tour, The Steve Morse band and Marillion for the PW tour.  I saw Vinnie Moore open but i forget what tour.  Mr. Big twice on 2 separate tours.  I would have killed to see Gary Moore live.

[ReaperKK]

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

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

Candlebox opened for them on the Counterparts tour

That's really cool and unexpected, Candlebox is a great band to open a Rush tour with.

[pg1067]

I saw Fastway for GUP tour, The Steve Morse band and Marillion for the PW tour.  I saw Vinnie Moore open but i forget what tour.  Mr. Big twice on 2 separate tours.  I would have killed to see Gary Moore live.

I had no idea who he was.  Same with Steve Morse when he opened, so both were lost on me.  Fabulous T-birds SUCKED (they got a lot of boos).  My friend and I were kinda hoping for Marillion (solely based on reputation), and to this day I've never gotten into them.  Might have been very different if they'd opened for Rush.


Also....

[frogprog]

GUP was my first concert ever. In Philly we had Y&T open. They had a 10' tall robot that came out and walked around the stage. Blew my 16 year old mind! Then Rush came out and i was mesmerized for the rest of the night. Pretty good start to my concert going career!

[TAC]

  I saw Vinnie Moore open but i forget what tour. 

Vinnie signed my ticket after the show.

[King Postwhore]

AHHA!  Presto tour.  LOL  Damn old age.

[pg1067]

I just found this ad for the first Rush show I saw:



I cannot describe how much I dislike that picture.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

That mullet....

[Setlist Scotty]

AHHA!  Presto tour.  LOL  Damn old age.

Wat.

[King Postwhore]

AHHA!  Presto tour.  LOL  Damn old age.

Wat.

See!  Old age,  RTB.

I've seen them so many times it blurs all together.

[KevShmev]

They may have opened up for Rush in 1986 as well (someone can look that up) but they definitely opened up the Radio City shows in 1983.  I didn't know who they were at the time, so no idea what they played - but they were booed loudly their entire set

Rush fans were notoriously hard on other bands (it's like many didn't realize that they were allowed to like other bands ), but I suspect the laid back nature of Marillion's music did not help their cause.  I am sure Rush fans showed up ready to rock, and to get an opener playing an album that doesn't really rock hard at all was probably a killjoy.   And remember that this was the 80's when music fans were really segregated - new wave fans wanted only new wave, metal fans wanted only metal, etc. - so fans of a hard rock band in 1983 were not going to take to a band that was much more prog than rock. 

[Cool Chris]

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!

I read that as well.

I only saw one show at the Gorge. Long story. Great experience. Not sure I would enjoy it as much at this stage in my life.

[pg1067]

So...here's a question (a couple of them actually).

I just read that the guy who directed Rush's Exit...Stage Left video release died.  That release contained about an hour's worth of footage from Rush's March 27, 1981 show at the Montreal Forum.

I bought that video sometime in the mid-'80s (I actually had to get a store to special order it).  I played the crap out of that VHS tape and even had to transfer the tape into a new case at some point.  I held onto the VHS until the Replay x3 set was released, which included ESL on video.

So...the death of the director of ESL prompted a question about what became of the rest of the footage from the 3/27/81 show.  I mean, they must have filmed the entire show, right?  We're missing two sections each from 2112 and Cygnus Book II, and The Spirit of Radio and Natural Science and La Villa Strangiato, and many others.  For everything I've read about Rush, I don't think I've ever heard anything about the rest of the footage.  Is there anything out that that hints at what became of this footage and whether it still exists?

On a related note, I had been hoping we might get the complete concert as part of the 40th anniversary release for Moving Pictures.  Are they even going to do a 40th anniversary release for their most popular album?  Maybe a 40th anniversary release for Exit...Stage Left?

[Trav86]

So...here's a question (a couple of them actually).

I just read that the guy who directed Rush's Exit...Stage Left video release died.  That release contained about an hour's worth of footage from Rush's March 27, 1981 show at the Montreal Forum.

I bought that video sometime in the mid-'80s (I actually had to get a store to special order it).  I played the crap out of that VHS tape and even had to transfer the tape into a new case at some point.  I held onto the VHS until the Replay x3 set was released, which included ESL on video.

So...the death of the director of ESL prompted a question about what became of the rest of the footage from the 3/27/81 show.  I mean, they must have filmed the entire show, right?  We're missing two sections each from 2112 and Cygnus Book II, and The Spirit of Radio and Natural Science and La Villa Strangiato, and many others.  For everything I've read about Rush, I don't think I've ever heard anything about the rest of the footage.  Is there anything out that that hints at what became of this footage and whether it still exists?

On a related note, I had been hoping we might get the complete concert as part of the 40th anniversary release for Moving Pictures.  Are they even going to do a 40th anniversary release for their most popular album?  Maybe a 40th anniversary release for Exit...Stage Left?

As far as the 40th anniversary for MP, the last I heard was that the person who worked at Anthem Records, who was in charge of doing those other anniversary editions, doesn’t work there now. So…that doesn’t bode well for that, and one for ESL is highly unlikely.

The video footage issue. More than likely, they probably only recorded key songs, or if there were others, it was scrapped years ago. People weren’t thinking about the type of archival stuff like that back then.  It’s a similar issue with Van Halen’s infamous Oakland 1981 show. There were three songs that had amazing videos shot. People have been wanting to know if the rest of the show was filmed. I heard Michael Anthony asked about it and he said that he only remembered them shooting three songs because it was about promotion for the singles. I think Wolfgang Van Halen even said that he asked his dad once, he he told him that there wasn’t anything else.

[Stadler]

And yet some bands.... I watched the new Kiss documentary (EXCELLENT! by the way) and there are little snippets of a TON of stuff that Sean Delaney filmed back in the day.  They even have video footage of the photo shoot of the Alive! cover (that was staged; that was not at a concert.  Swear to God, not making this up, Gene Simmons told me that to my face.  Seriously.)

I would give one of TAC's testicles to get into the Kiss vaults. 

[TAC]

Gee, that's awful generous of you.

[Trav86]

You mean that the Alive! Album cover is fake? Just like the album?? 

Before you say anything, I realize parts of it are live. Not necessarily at a concert though.

[Setlist Scotty]

On a related note, I had been hoping we might get the complete concert as part of the 40th anniversary release for Moving Pictures.  Are they even going to do a 40th anniversary release for their most popular album?  Maybe a 40th anniversary release for Exit...Stage Left?

Don't remember what interview, but I could swear I read something on rushisaband.com that mentioned in an interview with Hugh Syme, he confirmed that he was working on a deluxe package for the 40th anniversary of MP, but that it would be released later in the year. No clue as to what will be included, but I would hope a full MP live show that doesn't sound lifeless like ESL.

[Stadler]

You mean that the Alive! Album cover is fake? Just like the album?? 

Before you say anything, I realize parts of it are live. Not necessarily at a concert though.

There's debate, but Paul and Eddie Kramer both agree there was a fair amount of work there.  But I think Paul has it right:  you're not listening for the mistakes.  That album DOES, for better or worse, put you at A Kiss concert, just not the exact Kiss concert that was recorded that night in Cobo Hall in Detroit, the hall in Davenport Iowa, or wherever (there were four shows, I don't remember all four).

[KevShmev]

Discussing Kiss in the Rush thread should be permanent ban-worthy.

[romdrums]

You mean that the Alive! Album cover is fake? Just like the album?? 

Before you say anything, I realize parts of it are live. Not necessarily at a concert though.

There's debate, but Paul and Eddie Kramer both agree there was a fair amount of work there.  But I think Paul has it right:  you're not listening for the mistakes.  That album DOES, for better or worse, put you at A Kiss concert, just not the exact Kiss concert that was recorded that night in Cobo Hall in Detroit, the hall in Davenport Iowa, or wherever (there were four shows, I don't remember all four).

I remember seeing something on VH1's Classic Albums episode about Alive that most of the audience track was actually from a Yes show at Cobo around the time the Alive album was put together. Likely the same show Yes used for the recordings of Ritual and The Gates of Delirium on Yesshows.

[Stadler]

Discussing Kiss in the Rush thread should be permanent ban-worthy.

For sheer greatness!   

EVERY thread should have at least one Kiss diversion.   

[King Postwhore]

Kiss and Rush is like using your 2 different heads.

[TAC]

You mean that the Alive! Album cover is fake? Just like the album?? 

Before you say anything, I realize parts of it are live. Not necessarily at a concert though.

There's debate, but Paul and Eddie Kramer both agree there was a fair amount of work there.  But I think Paul has it right:  you're not listening for the mistakes.  That album DOES, for better or worse, put you at A Kiss concert, just not the exact Kiss concert that was recorded that night in Cobo Hall in Detroit, the hall in Davenport Iowa, or wherever (there were four shows, I don't remember all four).

Sounds like they need a Strangers In The Night styled deluxe release.

[Stadler]

You mean that the Alive! Album cover is fake? Just like the album?? 

Before you say anything, I realize parts of it are live. Not necessarily at a concert though.

There's debate, but Paul and Eddie Kramer both agree there was a fair amount of work there.  But I think Paul has it right:  you're not listening for the mistakes.  That album DOES, for better or worse, put you at A Kiss concert, just not the exact Kiss concert that was recorded that night in Cobo Hall in Detroit, the hall in Davenport Iowa, or wherever (there were four shows, I don't remember all four).

Sounds like they need a Strangers In The Night styled deluxe release.

There's a couple like that:  I want a box of the Long Beach and Hammersmith shows for Maiden's Live After Death, and I'd love the four shows from the Alive! sessions.   Maybe the three Massey Hall shows and the shows taped for ...ESL.

[TAC]

You mean that the Alive! Album cover is fake? Just like the album?? 

Before you say anything, I realize parts of it are live. Not necessarily at a concert though.

There's debate, but Paul and Eddie Kramer both agree there was a fair amount of work there.  But I think Paul has it right:  you're not listening for the mistakes.  That album DOES, for better or worse, put you at A Kiss concert, just not the exact Kiss concert that was recorded that night in Cobo Hall in Detroit, the hall in Davenport Iowa, or wherever (there were four shows, I don't remember all four).

Sounds like they need a Strangers In The Night styled deluxe release.

There's a couple like that:  I want a box of the Long Beach and Hammersmith shows for Maiden's Live After Death, and I'd love the four shows from the Alive! sessions.   Maybe the three Massey Hall shows and the shows taped for ...ESL.

I’m with you brother.

That’s Strangers set is one of the all time coolest packages.