>Hypothesis: There's a nearly 1:1 correlation
>between gadget freaks and Rush fans. Discuss.

I think it's the other way around, 1:1 correlation between Rush fans and gadget freaks.

I know lots of gadget freaks who are not Rush fans, but know of no Rush fans who are not also gadget freaks.

Not too suprising, I suppose. There seem to be way fewer gadget freaks here in Canada than certain other countries, same as for Rush fans.. (Rush being a Toronto band)

-ml

My all time favorite album is "Roll The Bones" and my second favorite Rush album is "Hold Your Fire"

Funny, I think those are two of their weakest outings. And I, too, prefer most of their recent stuff to most of their older stuff.

Both of those albums have moments of absolute brilliance, but they strike me as having... dare I say it... a lot of filler. I think I've finally broken down and simply deleted "Tai Shan" and "High Water" from the empegs and Jupiter... And except for "Ghost of a Chance", the entire second side of Roll the Bones should have been binned. In my opinion, of course. I'm sure that Dirk, Pratt, and Lerxst would disagree with me.

For me, the Rush albums that have the most staying power are the ones that hang together as an album the best. The ones where, when a song comes on from that album, you have an urge to hit the un-shuffle button on the remote. For me, that's primarily Moving Pictures and Power Windows.

Just as an aside to this discussion... if any of you have the old, original Rush CDs, you owe it to yourselves to go out and get the Re-Mastered versions. The difference is astounding. By comparison, the old CDs are like listening to them through the wall as they play in the next room. You simply will not believe La Villa Strangiato if all you've heard is the original mix.

tanstaafl.

Amazing, to me both "Hold Your Fire" and "Roll The Bones" have more synergy than any other album I own. As a matter of fact, synergy is one of the reasons I like Rush so much: every album of theirs seems greater than the sum of its parts.
I have heard people say that "Bones" has too much filler, but I just don't hear it (Of course, like I think I may have said before, I don't think any of their songs are filler to me). I guess thats why we have empegs that allow us to hear stuff the way we like it. I'm glad to hear you like their new stuff and I'm not the only one.

BTW, did you like "Test For Echo" the first time, or did you have to listen a couple of times. I'll admit that I really didn't "get it" the first time out, but after a few listens it became one of my favorites.

-Jeff

BTW, did you like "Test For Echo" the first time, or did you have to listen a couple of times.

Having to listen to a Rush album several times before I really "get into it" is the normal pattern of behavior for me and Rush albums. In fact, falling madly in love with a Rush album on the first listen is the exception rather than the rule.

As always, repeated listenings are the most rewarding part of listening to Rush. There are many examples of pop songs that sound neat the first couple of times you listen to them, but they grate on you after the third, fourth, or ten thousandth time (thank god I don't listen to pop radio). Rush tunes, although they might not all have a "hook", don't get old fast. There's always new layers of subtlety to discover.

A perfect example is the aforementioned "Hemispheres". I think I must have had to listen to that one about six times before I even began to like it. Now, I'm totally enthralled by it, beginning to end.

On the other hand, Moving Pictures and Power Windows both blew me away when I first heard them, and still do so to this day.

But I agree that TFE is one of the "has to grow on you" albums.

"Rush tunes, although they might not all have a "hook", don't get old fast."

You know, I had never really thought about it this way before, but you are very right. Though some Rush songs do have a good hook ("Analog Kid", "Time Stand Still", etc.) none, rely on a hook to move (and sustain) the song. To me, listening to Rush feels to me like being a fly on the wall where three passionate musicians are just doing what they love because they love it, not because they want me to hear it. My wife just bought me the "Chronicles" DVD, and it was just so much fun to watch these guys be so into their music (I really enjoyed the studio stuff from "Moving Pictures"). They seemed a little out of place in the more MTVish videos, but just watching them play is a real pleasure.

I'm a little different from you in that I like just about all kinds of music (my favorite artist after Rush is David Wilcox, pretty much as oposite from Rush as you can get). My primary musical talent is as a song writer (I was a theory/ comp major for 2 years in college before I switched to computers/ business), and unfortunately my gift in writing music is as a melody writer (Yes, I'll admit it. . . I'm a hook writer). I am always hearing stuff on the radio and think to myself (in my arrogance), "Yeah, I could do that". But with Rush, I am always just overwhelmed by how I could never approach their level of musicianship (same goes for David Wilcox by the way).


On another subject. . .

"I think it's the other way around, 1:1 correlation between Rush fans and gadget freaks."

So does this mean (as every drummer I've ever met likes Rush) that all drummers are gadget freakes?

-Jeff

So does this mean (as every drummer I've ever met likes Rush) that all drummers are gadget freakes?

I have yet to meet a musician who isn't a gadget freak. Or would be if they could afford to buy gadgets.

To me, listening to Rush feels to me like being a fly on the wall where three passionate musicians are just doing what they love because they love it, not because they want me to hear it.

Which has been their goal all along. They've always said, over and over again, that they've tried very hard to make the music they wanted to play, rather than try to second-guess what the public wants to hear.

My wife just bought me the "Chronicles" DVD, and it was just so much fun to watch these guys be so into their music (I really enjoyed the studio stuff from "Moving Pictures"). They seemed a little out of place in the more MTVish videos, but just watching them play is a real pleasure.

I agree that they've never made very good "MTV" style videos. I much prefer simply watching them play, such as the examples you cite from the Moving Pictures era. In fact, looking at the reviews of this DVD from Amazon, I didn't realize it included studio images of the Tom Sawyer recording sessions (something that didn't exist on the VHS version), so I might have to get this DVD soon.

If you like watching them play, the VHS concert tapes of the Grace Under Pressure tour and the Hold Your Fire tour (tape is titled "A Show of Hands") are excellent in that regard. Don't know where you can get the P/G tape these days, though...

I had hardly heard any Rush stuff (aside from whichever album that was with the Cygnus X-thingy song on) until I got my empeg, then my brother popped all the Rush albums on. He's been an addict for years. After having Rush songs pop up fairly regularly in a random shuffle (more Rush than anything else except guitar wizards - JS, SV, Y(f)M, JMcL, AdiM) I've got really into the complexities.

I concur with the gadget thing, for I AM GADGET BOY!! You have to be, otherwise you limit yourself a little.

Power windows too I think. Farewell... Hemispheres and Permanent Waves rank up there for me too. Its difficult to list a "favorite" when you like them all.

Anyway, I think the reference to Rush had more to do with the sound of the Prick album... like if you listen to the first cd, "Rush" or even Caress... that older sound it has.

Rush kicks ass. Their music is so timeless.

So does this mean (as every drummer I've ever met likes Rush) that all drummers are gadget freakes?

Wow. Almost every drummer I know hates* Rush because of the soul-less-ness of the drumming. They all admit that Neil Peart is a phenomenal technician, but his drumming is nothing more than that. All the drummers I know are in love with Stewart Copeland.

* Okay, not ``hates'', but there's a certain backlash against the exalted position Neil Peart has been given by who they consider to be the unknowledgeable.

"Almost every drummer I know hates* Rush because of the soul-less-ness of the drumming"

Ouch! Of course you know I think his drumming is far from soulless - but really I was making a small joke anyway. I should modify this to mean every drummer I've ever played with. I have met a few anti-Peart drummers in music stores, but they always come off sounding like they just don't like Peart because everyone else does (which you did mention). Every drummer that I've played with really likes Peart (and Picaro - I meet very few non-drummers who still listen to Toto). Truth is, I like Rush for other reasons; I'm not a drummer so I can't really say much on the subject.

-Jeff

Interesting, every drummer I've met always expresses nothing but respect and admiration for Neil. I've haven't met any drummers who've said anything bad about him.

As far as the "soul-less-ness" comment, I can understand where they're coming from, but I think it's more to do with the musical style of the band as a whole than the drumming specifically. In order to hear the soul in their playing, you've got to be in tune with what they're doing musically. It definitely comes from a bit of a different place than most other music. Those I've met who don't like Rush tend to prefer more "earthy" music, and consider Rush (as a band) to be rather cold and analytical. I don't disagree with them, I totally understand where they're coming from. It's just that I find the soul in Rush's music on a different level than I find it in other music.

And I will say this: As much as I like Rush, and as much as I adore Neil's playing, I think I'd rather have Manu Katche' in my band than Neil Peart. For all of those same reasons: He's more earthy, but no less of a brilliant technician.

Remastered?? Damn you

Until I realised CDs weren't a flash-in-the-pan I had bought all of the currently available Rush albums on vinyl.
Once CDs seemed like they were here to stay I replaced all my current Rush with CD copies and never looked back.

After I read your post, I checked Amazon and there are LOTS of Remastered Rush albums that I'm simply going to HAVE to buy!
Given what you said about La Villa Strangiato and considering that my Hemispheres CD is stuck in my recently disconnected CD-changer (doh!) at least I know where I'm going to start re-collecting, thanks

Edit: Just ordered (remastered Hemispheres, Fly By Night & 2112 (Tony, I'm still not another "They peaked at 2112" if you're following this )

Rue

"Those I've met who don't like Rush tend to prefer more "earthy" music, and consider Rush (as a band) to be rather cold and analytical."

Actually, every single person I have ever met who doesn't like Rush just dosn't like the vocals. That's seems to be the real deal killer. My wife will listen to the instrumental stuff, but the moment Geddy sings, its all over.

-Jeff

The remasters are generally good. However, I take a slight issue with the remastered Power Windows. The original recording was slightly harsh and fatiguing to listen to. The remaster simply makes it a tad harsher and more fatiguing to listen to.

Still, the slight additional presence and clarity of the remaster means that it's the one I've ripped for my player.

I wonder if there's a such thing as a "warming" algorithm available as a digital signal processing tool? Something to make a harsh, strident recording sound warmer? Something other than just re-EQ'ing the recording, I mean an overall analysis and re-shaping of the sonic structure.

PRICK! heehee

So anyone pick this up yet? Or is it mail order only? I've been aching for more from this band (I almost wrote I've been aching for Prick oops!) for years!

That new KMFDM looks good too...

I think we need a Prick bootup logo.

My wife will listen to the instrumental stuff, but the moment Geddy sings, its all over.

My wife is the same way, but only with their earliest material. He started using is voice a bit differently somewhere in the early eighties, and my wife is fine with his vocals from that era and beyond. It's only the early stuff that she has a problem with.

I think everyone will agree that his voice is an acquired taste.

It is mail order only. I got it in the mail last Tuesday. While ripping it I listened to a couple tracks. All I can say is that I will have to listen to it more (well, listen to it once through for that matter). It seems to be a huge departure from the first album.

yes it is a huge differece, and i do like the first album more, but i would say that at least half of these songs are great on the new one.. i have ben listening for about 10 days now and it has grown on me hugely. tracks 1-4 are great, as are the last tracks. Ialso like humanerace. Give it time.

Personally i don't like Rush at all.. i can't see a comparo to it in prick. For those who want the best dose of prick get the first album. I have a feeling that the new lucky pierre album will be a lot more like the old one then the new prick

Well I just got the disk. Sounds like Ziggy Stardust to me. I'll have to listen to it more but it has a real Bowie sound to it to me.

ahh, are you new to prick then?

as i said new people may want to try the 1st cd if you can find it.

Yes I am new to them. It isn't that I don't like the music. It just has a Bowie flavor to it, to me. Like all albums, but a very few, it has songs I like and songs I don't.