posted
Okay, it's a no-brainer that T. Analog Kid is a Rush fan. There have to be some more. I'm a rabid fan. I got all their albums in about 1989, and since then I've picked up every album as it came out. Although I don't like every album they've ever made, I think on the whole they're one of the best bands I've heard, and they're the only band that I honestly like as much now as I did in high school. They seem to have done much less selling out than most other bands that have been around for that long as well.
The reason that I bring it up is because I'm watching the new concert DVD, Rush in Rio. I'm wondering if anyone else here has seen it, and what you think.
It's nice to see Rush live. I've never gone to one of their concerts. They played the night of my high school graduation, and all my friends went, but my mom made me walk. I've never forgiven her.
Anyway, the DVD is cool, but it seems a bit hastily put together. It's in 5.1 surround, and when the sound is good, it's very good. But it kind of seems to fade in and out, which is distracting. Also, they mixed in way too much crowd sound. The crowd filling the stadium is an amazing sight, but at times it seems like I can hear the crowd singing louder than Geddy, and the white-noise of crowd shouting drowns out some of the playing.
The picture looks very nice, and there are some good angles. But it seems like the editor was nervous about leaving anyone out. You never get to see anyone for more than about a second or two at a time, other than during Neil's flawless drum solo. I guess that's the perils of filming a supergroup, rather than the usual singer-and-accompanists band format.
The playing is absolutely incredible, although Alex seems to have put on some weight (but who am I to talk) and Geddy looks really goofy when he dances around stage. I love the way the songs from Vapor Trails came out. I liked that album a lot, but I think the producer was too enamoured with the wall-of-sound power chords, and all the songs kind of sounded the same in the studio. My ears feel numb after I listen to the album. But hearing them in concert, they sound brilliant. More like Rush songs, and some of the best songs they've made in years. I also loved the version of La Villa Strangiato. They do a free-form jazz parody, with Alex providing dialogue, in the middle. It's absolutely hilarious. I'm really glad they did that song. It's one of my absolute favorites. Whenever I hear a band that can do a seriously solid instrumental number like that, my respect for them increases exponentially.
Anyway, if you're a Rush fan, I'd get the DVD. It's not flawless, and nowhere nearly as well-done as the Led Zeppelin DVD that came out a few months ago. So if you're not a fan, you can skip it. But as a fan, I found it well worth the investment.
If no one has the DVD, I'd at least like to take a census of the Rush fans on the board, and perhaps what are your favorite albums.
posted
I wouldn't exactly say that I am a *fan*, but I do have a deep appreciation of Rush, and used to have all of their stuff up to...hmmm...is it called Presto?
My favorite album was probably Hemispheres, but really, they were all fantastic. Cinderella Man was one of my favorite songs for a long time.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
It's funny you should say that. The first time I'd ever heard of Rush Limbaugh, about 10 years ago someone told me to write in Rush for president, and I thought they meant the band. I guess that's how differently we think.
I don't know which would be a more frightening choice for president, the Limbaugh or the Canadian power trio. Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Rush got me through high school. If not for them I hate to think how much more a goober I would be as an adult.
Noemen - Hemispheres remained my favorite for many, many years. Sweet Jebus, I love that album.
I've seen them live twice now. "Driven" is, quite possibly, the best song I've ever seen played live, ever.
Posts: 7600 | Registered: Jan 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Haven't missed a tour since frst seeing them in 1983.
"Bravado" and "Resist" are some definite favorites, and I can't tell you how cool it was that they picked them back up for this tour and, apparently, the DVD, which I do not have yet but will in short order.
Seeing "Natural Science" live was probably worth the price of admission by itself, though.
When they play "Availible Light" live, I can die peacefully.
posted
As a Canadian I am often confused as to what exactly "back bacon" is. I have seen it on pizza menus in the U.S. as "Canadian Back Bacon" but when the pizza comes, it has ham on it. Nobody I have ever met in Canada actually calls anything "back bacon". Where did this come from?
Edit: To add an on topic comment, I had never really gotten into Rush in the past, but all the comments I have seen here have led me to look into them a little more and I must say that I am really enjoying Moving Pictures. I think I will have to find more to listen to.
[ October 24, 2003, 06:23 PM: Message edited by: solo ]
Posts: 1336 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Solo, I believe it was popularized as a Canadian stereotype because of SCTV, and the hilarious "great white north," featuring Bob and Doug McKenzie. They liked to drink beer, eat donuts and back bacon, and listen to Led Zeppelin. Funny stuff.
Posts: 1855 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I too thought of the pundit on reading the title.
I like Rush OK, but not a huge fan. I caught a bit of their Rio concert on the radio, and I thought that their last big single (do not recall the name) sounded better live than in the studio. Actually, all the songs I heard that I recognized were better live. Well, not live, because I was listening to it on the radio, but you get the point. Posts: 1364 | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I did not think of the pundit when I saw this title. In fact, when I see "Rush Delivery" on infomercials my first thought is "that would be soooooooooooo cool to have Rush delivered to my house to play for me, live". But I guess that's the price of being a fan.
quote:and Geddy looks really goofy when he dances around stage
This is just who Geddy is. He dances funny. But he's a really really good bassist and all around musician. Alex has put on a bit of weight, but I'm just glad it hasn't stopped them from touring. Neil's just a god. That's why he stays seated the whole time. Gods don't need to dance. They're too cool.
I'm not surprised that the Rush DVD isn't well done. If you take a look at their past videos, or even take a look at their Chronicles video collection *shudder* then you will see what I mean. They just produce good music. Very little image that needs to be maintained. They aren't particularly photogenic. Trendy pop band they are not, which may account for their staying power.
Some notes: Their last album was really progressive. I mean, I know Rush is progressive to start off with but this album took more than a few listens for me to get into it.
Geddy Lee's solo album rocks. Alex's doesn't. Although, Alex is still a pretty damn good guitar player. Neil, being a god as previously mentioned, doesn't need to put out a solo album because everyone knows he rocks.
Ralphie the Rush fan? That caught me by surprise! Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
LOVE Rush. Have all the albums (some a couple times), and have seen them on a couple occasions. Heck, I even quite my job and moved 2 weeks earlier than planned in order to see them in concert (Vapor Trails tour).
Haven't got the DVD yet, but look forward to picking it up.
Posts: 240 | Registered: Jun 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
When they went to an "Evening with Rush" format with no opening band, that was so cool. And then, when they were playing 2112, and doing their stop time thingy when everyone pumped their fist in the air and yelled at once, that was really cool. I felt so close to those fans that night...and being 3 sheets to the wind helped too...
Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I just wanted to add something about the DVD. When I wrote the first post, I was watching the end of the concert. After I was done, I saw the documentary made about the band. It was great. It's worth the $20 for that alone. For a band with such deeply serious lyrics, I never realized that they were so funny.
Okay, I did. They used to put some things on their old vinyl album covers that were pretty good parodies of the type of music they were creating. For example, I remember listening to my uncle's record collection when I was a kid. A lot of old hard rock bands thought it was cool to put a label on their albums reading, For Best Results, Play at Maximum Volume or something like that. I remember reading on a Rush album cover (I think it was "Fly By Night") For Best Results, Play This Album. I think that, at the end of the acknowledgement section of the liner notes of one of their albums, they informed us that it was Brought to you by the letter "D" or something like that. But that was the only evidence I've ever had for their wit.
The documentary is great. Half of it is the regular serious type of documentary. Then they'll decide they've had enough and, without changing the tone of their dialogue, they'll turn it into a mockumentary. They even make an allusion to "Best In Show" in the middle of it. They make fun of each other and themselves (Alex does a particularly amusing rant about how fat he's getting, and Geddy complains about what the Brazilian humidity is doing to his Jewish hair). They even let the documentary crew have it, and the parts showing them getting pissed about making the documentary end up in the film. I own comedies that haven't made me laugh as much as this featurette.
Get it, watch it, love it.
Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:I think that, at the end of the acknowledgement section of the liner notes of one of their albums, they informed us that it was Brought to you by the letter "D" or something like that.
I'm almost positive that's on the Presto sleeve, and Roll the Bones was brought to you by the letter "B".
posted
I dated a Rush fan in high school. He painted a pentagram in his Humanities class and then we set it up at a park barbecue and burned our gym uniforms before it. Kind of scary. Maybe I should discuss this with my bishop. I was more of a pre-artist formerly known as Prince-messed-with-them Bangles fan, also some Howard Jones, INXS and Depeche Mode type.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
pooka - He did that stuff because he was a dorky high schooler, not because he was a Rush fan.
Posts: 7600 | Registered: Jan 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm pretty sure the "Brought to you by the letter..." labels started in the early '80s. It was somewhere around Moving Pictures or Signals that I saw the first one.
I never answered my own question. I have a hard time picking a favorite Rush album, because they're all so good in different ways. I've always had a hard time getting into Hold Your Fire, and Test For Echo gave us "Virtuality", which is the worst song they ever wrote. But other than that I like just about all of them. If I had to pick a desert island album, though, it would probably be 2112. There's such an amazing amount of good stuff on there. Hemispheres, Signals and Grace Under Pressure wouldn't be far behind, though. And I've been developing a greater appreciation for Presto. You know, come to think of it, I think almost all of their albums would be a close second, so I'd better just leave it at 2112 and shut up.
Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
SWEET!!! Just went to Best Buy this afternoon and found out they had a deal. I picked up both the DVD and the 3 disc CD for $35. Not too shabby.
Read the liner notes, nice and insightful, especially as to the reason for a new live CD set when it is against tradition (in the CD) and it addresses the issue of the sound quite nicely (really primitive conditions for the recording). Man, Rush just rules.
Posts: 240 | Registered: Jun 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Just finished watching the documentary portion. Well worth the price of the DVD alone. In addition to the humor, I really thought it was great to see the extremely friendly way they interact with each other. I loved hearing them refer to each other by their nicknames, Pratt, Lerxst, Dirk.
All in all, very pleased with the purchase and would highly recommend it to all Rush fans.
Posts: 240 | Registered: Jun 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Solo, I believe it was popularized as a Canadian stereotype because of SCTV, and the hilarious "great white north," featuring Bob and Doug McKenzie. They liked to drink beer, eat donuts and back bacon, and listen to Led Zeppelin. Funny stuff.
Alright eh. I don't remember Bob and Doug talking aboot back bacon eh ya hoser. Anyway the reason I am posting this reply after so long is because I was just searching through my old posts to find something and I found this. This made me remember the Bob and Doug McKenzie 12 days of Christmas parody. Check it out ya hoseheads And they do mention backbacon in this song so take off eh!
(Speaking of which, Rush did a theme song with Bob and Doug McKenzie at some point. It was called either "Take Off" or "Great White North" or something like that.)
[ December 10, 2003, 01:16 PM: Message edited by: solo ]
Posts: 1336 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
The album is called Great White North and the song is called Take Off (the only hit on the album, mind you, but the rest is fairly funny). There was also a combo song that was popular where they spliced Come Sail Away and Take Off. I actually heard the combo song before I heard Take Off.
Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah, I wasn't sure if it was the whole band or just Geddy. I find it strange that "Take Off" was more popular than any Rush song. Is that a U.S. statistic? It doesn't seem like that would be true in Canada.
EDIT: This was a response to TAK
[ December 10, 2003, 02:38 PM: Message edited by: solo ]
Posts: 1336 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
yep... talking US. Might not be sales, either... just that it was an actual, cross-genre top 40 hit. They've had songs break top 40 for AOR/Hard Rock before (New World Man, The Pass, Cold Fire) but never had an overall top 40 single in the US... which "Take Off" was. It probably hasn't sold as much overall as many of their singles, but for the moment, it was hotter property than anything they ever did.
Posts: 2112 | Registered: Sep 1999
| IP: Logged |
I have been listening to more and more of my Rush collection lately. Ah, such fantastic music!
And I still contest that "Rush in Rio" is a fabulous piece of work, both the DVD and the CD, simply because I have never heard or seen live music that so completely put you there at the actual show.
And I actually love "Victor". In fact I enjoy listening to it much more than "My Favorite Headache". While MFH is far better musically, I think that "Victor" is much more interesting and ambitious. Very fun album. I can't help but laugh every time I listen to "Shut up Shuttin' Up". But now I think I will need to listen to MFH again.
Posts: 240 | Registered: Jun 2003
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
![[Wall Bash]](graemlins/wallbash.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
![[Confused]](confused.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Laugh]](graemlins/laugh.gif)
![[Grumble]](graemlins/grumble.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
