The National Midnight Star #24

Errors-To: rush@syrinx.umd.edu Reply-To: rush@syrinx.umd.edu Sender: rush@syrinx.umd.edu Precedence: bulk From: rush@syrinx.umd.edu To: rush-list-all Subject: RUSH Fans Digest of 08/06/90 (#24)
RUSH Fans Digest, Number 24 Monday, 6 August 1990 Today's Topics: Note from the Management Rush & Metal YES albums, FEAR trilogy some info on Yes Live music Rush things to do in Toronto Re: Countdown, Tai Shan, and Caress of Steel Beneath, Between, and Behind Re: RUSH Fans Digest of 08/03/90 (#23) thanks...and more Who wrote those songs? YYZ, Toronto, Countdown, etc YYZ and flying, The Pass Rand and Rush ... to be found within a song. stand a little closer, and I'll smack you with my soapbox! Returned mail: User unknown Metallica (none) Random thoughts.... Album Cover Art and Liner Note Fun! Various and sundry bits and pieces II Usenet ( Was Re: 1001001 ) Saga ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 6 Aug 90 From: RUSH Fans Digest Manager <rush-mgr@syrinx.umd.edu> Subject: Note from the Management Ok, I thought the duplicates problem had been taken care of by last week's software upgrade, since we went the following three days with- out any problem. Then, last Friday (8/3), Digest #23 was duplicated. Since I got mail from about 30 of you, I declined to reply individually to each of you, and decided to post here. (Thanks for the prompt res- ponses on the subject!) Digest #23 was a fairly large mailing (31K), and this is probably the reason the dup occured. At the risk of beating a dead horse (for you longer-time members), I'll go over apparently why this happens. When a mail item sits in the outgoing queue for a long period of time (what is long?), the system sees it as having died, and restarts it, hence the second copy. When we re-loaded the system, the mailer became more efficient, and we had no more problems for a few days. Then we sent out the big one, and the problem reoccured. What this tells me is that while the situation is better, it may still occur. This is especially true with a large Digest (like todays). The next step is to load an entirely different mailer & see what happens. Until further notice, please cease mailing me about duplicates. I'm aware of the problem, and will try to fix it. That's all for now; on with the good stuff! Manager, RUSH Fans Mailing List ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Aug 90 11:54:27 EDT From: pxp@r2d2.EEAP.CWRU.Edu (Peter Paul) Subject: Rush & Metal I agree with the person who wants to hear a Rush metal song (or album!?!). The interview in which Geddy says he likes Metallica is in a Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine of last summer. It was a really good interview - some of you might want to check it out. Do any of you know if he likes other heavy metal groups? Iron Maiden perhaps? And do any of you know the musical perferences of Neil or Alex?? ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Aug 90 12:13:53 -0400 (EDT) From: Christopher Gene BeHanna <cb2s+@andrew.cmu.edu> Subject: YES albums, FEAR trilogy A YES discography, off the top of my head (may have left out a few things): Yes (1969) - I've only listened to this one once. Some of the stuff seems kind of wishy-washy, but I grow into Yes albums the more I listen to them. The Yes Album (1970) - A definite must-have. Includes "Yours Is No Disgrace" and "Starship Trooper." Fragile (1971) - Another definite must-have. Includes "Roundabout," "Mood for a Day," "Long Distance Runaround," and "Heart of the Sunrise." Close to the Edge (1972) - Another definite must-have. There are only three songs on this album, but the first ("Close to the Edge") is 18 minutes, the second ("You and I") is 10, and the third ("Siberian Khatru") is 8. >From here on, things may not be chronologically ordered: Relayer (1974?) - You may or may not like this. The feature piece, titled "The Gates of Delirium," is a 25 minute symphonic piece, the end of which was excerpted as the track "Soon" on the 9012Live album. Tales from Topographic Oceans (197?) - a double album. Contains four very long concept pieces, all of which I like very much. You may have to special-order this one. Yessongs - a compilation album. Skip it. Yesshows - double-live album, including some fantastic work by Rick Wakeman that is unavailable on any other Yes album. XTC - never heard it. Dance Traxx - again, never heard it. Tormato - never heard it. Drama - an anomaly. This one did not have Jon Anderson singing vocals on it, as he was not a member of the band at this time. Instead, I think Geoff Downes (later a member of Asia) sang. Classic Yes - another compilation. Unless you want to spend the bucks on songs you've heard on other albums for the sake of the live versions of "All Good People" and "Roundabout," skip it. 90125 - Well, you all know this one. Big Generator - pretty surreal at spots, nonsensical at others, but the music is great. Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe - more nonsense in spots, stellar stuff in others. I haven't yet grown into this one. You may also find the three Jon and Vangelis albums (_Private Collection_, _The Friends of Mr. Cairo_, and one I can't remember right now) interesting, as well as Jon's Christmas album (_3 Ships_). Now, the FEAR songs, as I remember them: Part 3: Witch Hunt (from _Moving Pictures_) Part 2: The Weapon (from _Signals_) Part 1: I cannot remember (sorry). Chris BeHanna "I get home at five o'clock, and I take myself out a nice, cold beer." ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Aug 90 11:57 CDT From: "Help, I'm A Bug" <CWALTERS@ducvax.auburn.edu> Subject: some info on Yes All right! A question I can answer! :) I like Rush well enough, but Yes is my MAIN group ever! 90125 has a different sound than any of the rest of the albums by them. It has a more "pop" feel to it (aka "Owner Of A Lonely Heart"). Its closest competitor is "Big Generator" which is even more commercial. neither album has the "classic" Yes sound to it. Lyrically, Yes' best stuff can be found on "Close To The Edge" and "Tales >From Topographic Oceans." (WARNING: "Tales" is *not* an album for the uninitiated. Four 20-minute songs. Great album, tho.) Yes lyrics are traditionally hard to figure out in any case ("Hold me, my love/ Hold me today/ Call me 'round./ Travel, we say/ Wander we choose/ Love tune.") The difference between the lyrics Jon Anderson writes and the lyrics Neil Peart writes is: in a Rush song, you can take the lyrics at face- value, and then try and delve deeper into the symbolism. In a Yes song, it's normally ALL symbolism (or allegory, or simply surreal). Musically, the best stuff can be found on "The Yes Album" and on "Relayer." The songs on "TYA" flow very well, and you notice something new almost every time you listen to it. "Relayer" has some of the most amazing technical stuff I've heard on a rock album. (The bass line at the beginning of "Sound Chaser" for example). Someone mentioned "Fragile" which is a great album, but half of it is solo songs - one from each band member. The best of these, IMHO, is Steve Howe's classical guitar solo "Mood For A Day". (By the way, 90125 has the WEAKEST bass playing I've ever heard out of Chris Squire. Did he have his hands taped together or what?) Whoever decided to not compare Bill Bruford to Neil Peart was wise :) The two don't have anything in common with their playing styles (Bill is more into jazz and jazz fusion than rock these days, although he's 1/5th of the way through a 5-album contract with ABWH) Well, i hope I helped answer a question or two. Anyone know why there isn't a Yes mailing list? (or is there? hmm...) Christian cwalters@ducvax.auburn.edu ---------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Live music Date: Fri, 03 Aug 90 12:53:19 EDT From: David Arnold <davida@umd5.UMD.EDU> In Digest # 23, Greg Barish wrote: >My request is this: if any of you have the time, email me a list >of the RUSH albums I should listen to (IN ORDER), so that I get >an appropriate introduction to these guys. THANK YOU. Hooboy, will *you* get floods of mail, all different! One of 'em will be from me... :-) In a previous issue, 'Digital Man' asked about a live version of "Circumstances". I think this is an excellent song, and would love to hear a live version. Alas, after 11 years of concerts, and hearing numerous boots, I have yet to hear a live version. *sigh* If anyone knows where I might get ahold of a live version of this, I'd really appreciate it greatly! (Who knows, I was successful in finding "Cygnus X-1" thanks to this list!) On the subject of bootlegs, I'm curious to know what bootleg *albums* exist. I know of a few: Name Date Number of disks ---- ---- --------------- "Stellar Dynamics" 1974 2 "Pinktop" 1979 1 "Xanadu" 1980 2 "Sailing Into Destiny" 1983/1981 2 "Looking Through a Window" 1985/6(?) ? These can be found (sometimes) by going to record conventions, or frequenting alternate-type music shops. This is probably an incomplete list; can anybody add to or correct it? OBRQ: "One likes to believe in the freedom of baseball" David Arnold Keywords: Rush, Neville Brothers, Squeeze, Crack the Sky, Peter Gabriel, ELP, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Inet: davida@umd5.umd.edu Talking Heads, Arc Of Ones (RIP), Stones, BOC, UUCP: uunet!umd5.umd.edu!davida King Crimson, Police, Grass Roots, Hollies ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Aug 90 10:20:47 PDT From: Ron Chrisley <chrisley@parc.xerox.com> Subject: Rush things to do in Toronto Scott: Why not visit the corner of Danforth and Pape? I doubt that there is a corner of Didacts and Narpets. Any real Rush fan knows that they don't intersect. ;^} Ron Chrisley chrisley@csli.stanford.edu Xerox PARC SSL New College Palo Alto, CA 94304 Oxford OX1 3BN, UK (415) 494-4728 (865) 793-484 ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Aug 90 13:23 EDT From: James <JWWALDEN%MIAVX1.BITNET@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU> Subject: Re: Countdown, Tai Shan, and Caress of Steel "Countdown" is a great song, but I unfortunately have not seen the video. It is one of my favorites from Signals (well, it's difficult to pick a favorite song since it's my favorite album and I'd probably say that about all the songs). Signals was the first RUSH album I listened to and one of only two that I liked on the first listen (Hold Your Fire, my second favorite and the last RUSH album I acquired, was the other). "Tai Shan" is a beautiful song which is quite a surprise on your first listen to Hold Your Fire. The lyrics are wonderful and the music conveys their meaning very well. And my third favorite RUSH album, Caress of Steel - it was nice to see my three favorites all in the same message :). The tape order is screwed up in that "I think I'm going bald" and "Didacts and Narpets" are exchanged. Also, there seem to be more lyrics than just "Listen!" to "Didacts and Narpets," but I can't understand them and haven't seen them reproduced anywhere - are they something like Alex's words to "La Villa Strangiato?" Personally, I don't really have a favorite era for RUSH. The main thing I miss in modern RUSH are the epic songs. ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Aug 90 11:50:26 PDT From: spike@d31mf0.Stanford.EDU (John T. Fourkas) Subject: Beneath, Between, and Behind Everyone seems to agree that B, B, & B obviously is talking about the US. I have a friend who has always maintained that Between the Wheels is a sequel to B, B, & B. I'm interested to hear what other persons have to say about this. ____________________________________________________________ John Fourkas spike@d31mf0.stanford.edu Stanford University ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Aug 90 15:22:28 EDT From: gordon@Stars.Reston.Unisys.COM Subject: Re: RUSH Fans Digest of 08/03/90 (#23) Hello out there, -> As far as our favorite band being made up of computer geeks (hey, -> aren't a lot of us in that category? ;'), I doubt it. (Particularly -> considering Neil's reaction to Usenet and this list.)'; [...] Okay, I'll take the bait. Just what *is* Neil's reaction to Usenet and this list? [ He saw the issue where people were discussing a possible symbolism to the time on his watch on _Presto_; it seems to be set to 9:12, or 21:12 on the 24-hr clock. When he read it, he said "Get a life!" He's not big into rock-idol-worship... :rush-mgr ] Re: "Countdown" -- I can't stand by and let most of you bash one of my all-time Rush favorites. If I had a Top 10 list of best Rush songs, "Countdown" would be in it. Have you ever noticed how your speakers bottom out with a short woofer blast just after the shuttle launches and the words "the air is shattered by that awful sound" (I'm paraphrasing, I don't have the words in front of me). Is that Geddy stomping on a Taurus pedal? Maybe I just need new speakers? Caveat: I was a die-hard space-buff long before I became a die-hard Rush-fanatic. ;^) (Note to Mike Bear: yes, I like "Tai Shan", too; it also hits me emotionally; another favorite!) -> [...] ending in War Paint. "Boys and girls together, -> paint the mirror black." I hate that! I love it! I found it very relevant to the song's theme of adolescent angst, and the perfect ending to the song. What do you do with all that "war paint"? "Paint the mirror black." It's good advice, because "the mirror always lies." I take the meaning as: Don't give in to all the peer pressure; accept yourself as you are; what's inside you is more important than your exterior appearance. What a great contrast to the theme of "The Pass"! -> [...] i was wondering if someone might suggest a way -> i might obtain them (lyrics) short of buying the lp's. And speaking of lyrics: Does anybody have Rush lyrics on-line that they'd like to share? I've typed in most of the _Presto_ album's lyrics because I like to play around with them and read them while I'm at work. (hee-hee, they think I'm working right now.... Shhhh!) For example, I work on a Sun workstation, and on SunOS, there's a program called 'random' in /usr/games that I use in the following alias: alias rush 'cat ~/info/text/rush.txt | /usr/games/random 50' where "~/info/text/rush.txt" is the pathname to the lyrics file and "random 50" is a text filter that randomly selects lines with the specified probability. So, from a few _Presto_ songs I get output like: I want to look at life-- in the canyons of the city moments caught in flight Turn around and walk the razor's edge If I'm bored I'll type "rush", my all-Rush fortune generator, and get a few snippets of lyrics. Inevitably, I'll then start playing the associated tune in my head and it's stuck there, thus making the rest of the day a little more pleasant. Just imagine what it would be like to have *all* of Rush's lyrics on-line. Has anybody done this already? If so, can you e-mail them to me? I'll volunteer to collect and re-distribute upon request if a collection does not already exist. Thank you! And thanks, Mr. Rush-Mgr, for this list! Enough already. So long, and thanks for all the bandwidth. /\ /\ /\ 1-0-0-1-0-0-1, S.O.S. 1-0-0-1-0-0-1, in distress. / \ /\/ \ /\/ \ /------------------------------------------------------- \/ \/ \/ Del Gordon gordon@stars.reston.unisys.com |><- ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Aug 90 14:51:05 CDT From: storey%batse.span@Fedex.Msfc.Nasa.Gov (SCOTT STOREY X7700) Subject: thanks...and more Hi everyone.... Many thanks to Brad about information on Toronto City Hall. I had no idea where that picture was taken. I'll get there! I'm still looking for more things to do while I'm visiting up there, so let's hear about it Rush fans! A short note to the management... I am still getting two copies of the digest. It stopped for a while though. To the Yes fan: I also am a big fan. 90125 was a pretty big departure from what they had played previously. More of a hard edge to it. Big Generator is probably the closest album to that one though. But, don't overlook the old stuff. The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Relayer, and Going for the One are very good albums in my opinion. However, none of them sound very much like 90125. Later...on a passage to Bangkok scott ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Aug 90 13:00:43 -0700 From: David Conley <dmc@u.washington.edu> Subject: Who wrote those songs? Geddy and Alex have contributed lyrics to a few songs, but not many. Paul Ackerman wrote in the last digest about some of those tunes, but perhaps not all that accurately.I believe it was Neil who wrote Something For Nothing, Different Strings, and Chemistry....I will have to go look this up to be sure. But I do know that it was Geddy, not Alex who wrote Tears on 2112. Alex wrote Lessons on the same album, to my knowledge the last time he has written the lyrics for a song. BUT.... everyone is over- looking one of the truly underestimated Rush songs, Cinderella Man, from AFTK, written by Geddy.. A simply great song on a great album. I also recall that perhaps Geddy contributed some lyrics on Fly by Night... was it Best I Can??? Also, I think I asked this question before but got no responses. Anybody else on the list a runner? I think that Marathon on PoW is the most inspirational song Neil ever wrote. I know he is a serious bike rider and I have wondered what was his motivation was for writing Marathon....i.e. did he run a Marathon? That song is always on my mind whether I am simply on a training run or racing. Anybody else have that one Rush song that really inspires, you know, sends chills up your spine. Of course Mission and also Second Nature run a close second and third respectively. D ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Aug 90 16:24:13 EDT From: "Robyn Landers [MFCF]" <rblander@maytag.waterloo.edu> Subject: YYZ, Toronto, Countdown, etc I joined this list in the midst of the P/G wars. I've been a Rush fan since Hemispheres, and extend both directions from there. I play guitar in a band which does some Rush covers. So much for personal background; now some comments on recent posts. Regarding YYZ, yes that's the letter code for Pearson International Airport in Toronto, just like LAX is for Los Angeles. The song, according to the interviews I heard, is intended to conjure the multi-ethnic sights and sounds and excitement and energy they experience when in the airport. And yes the intro is Morse code for YYZ. Somebody calling him/herself god@ucscb.UCSC.EDU says >I don't know if this is old news or not, but has anybody noticed that >if you pronounce YYZ phoneticaly, you get "easy?" Perhaps that's how you pronounce it, but it is correctly pronounced "why-why-zed". Rush is Canadian. So, sorry, but no hidden messages about "easy" stuff here. Now, anyone want to discuss that great southern band, Zed Zed Top? :-) Perhaps I missed it, but is there any credible direct evidence to support the claim that Neil intentionally wrote 1001001 to be an ASCII 'I', or is this coincidence. As someone pointed out, 1001001 sure flows nicely in a rhythmic sense. Brad Armstrong asks for great Rush fan things to do in Toronto. Go visit the area of town around the intersection of Danforth and Pape streets. Recognize this from La Villa Strangiato? It's the Greek area. Mike Bear says > Someone was talking about Countdown being a bad song on Signals, >I must disagree. If you don't like it, try watching the video. I disagree with this as a justification (my personal opinion of the song is irrelevant). We're talking about the *song* here, not some multimedia presentation. This is the problem with the whole MTV/MuchMusic phenomenon. It has generated the mentality that if you've got great looking people in great looking videos then that's enough to sell albums. Without the video push, lots of substandard bands wouldn't have made it. Argue Countdown the song on its merits as a song, not on its merits as the soundtrack to some video. Finally, somebody asked about Max Webster. MW was a great Canadian band that never really broke in the U.S. They've been defunct since about 1981. The driving force was Kim Mitchell, whom those of you in the US may know from "Go For Soda" a few years ago. The Websters toured with Rush a fair bit on the early albums. Max was a Toronto based band. Max/Kim have legions of fanatic fans in parts of Canada, mainly Ontario, but alas never made it big elsewhere. Robyn rblanders@watmath.waterloo.edu "I'm just doing my rock'n'roll duty" -Dubois ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Aug 90 15:26:18 PDT From: ronz@imager3.llnl.gov (Ron Zasadzinski) Subject: YYZ and flying, The Pass YYZ: Being a pilot, perhaps I can clarify a few things about how YYZ and it's representation in morse code relate to aviation. First, all airports have a three character identification code, for example San Francisco's is SFO and Toronto's is YYZ. When one travels by airline, the luggage tags often have the three character identifier of the destination airport printed on them (as Brad A. noticed on a friend's bag). Paul Ackerman writes: "Neil got the idea for that from the beacon signal that is sent out by all airports to incoming airplanes. I believe the signal is a message to the pilot assuring him/her as to what airport they are approaching." Almost. The signal Paul is referring to is sent out by radio navigation aids (like VORs and NDBs). Every VOR has a three letter identifier, and it's morse code representation is broadcast when the VOR is operating. Whenever a pilot tunes in a VOR s/he *listens* to the VOR for a short time to be sure that the correct and expected morse code identifier is heard. This verifies that a) the correct navigation aid is being received, and b) it is operational. When a VOR is physically located at an airport the VOR is often if not always given the same three letter identifier as that of the airport itself. Note that not all airports have VOR's and the vast majority of VOR's are not physically located at airports. As one might surmise, Toronto International does have a VOR located on the field and its code is YYZ. THE PASS: I found Ron C's interpretation of The Pass as having christian references (or anti-christian as it were) interesting, and have been following the debate as to whether Neil intended that or not. I was looking at the lyrics as printed in the CD and noticed something interesting. All of the words to the entire album are *not* capatalized except for the choruses and proper pronouns and nouns. The last line of the song, (which is not a part of the chorus) is "Christ, what have you done?" Christ *is* capitalized, and the punctuation *is* a comma, not an exclamation point. (Boy I can just *feel* those emotions stirring out there!) The song certainly relates to teenage suicide and may even have been inspired by a personal experience, but the way the last line is printed makes me think that Neil is at least *aware* of the possiblility that the line could be intrepreted from a religious standpoint. One comment about the debate is that it is most fascinating to see how strongly people posting to the newsletter project their *own beliefs* onto what "Neil Intended". Let's give Neil the room to be Neil Peart. No matter how much we may want him to be like ourselves, we know that we are all unique individuals with our own set of life experiences and ways of seeing the world. ---------------------------------------------------------- From: evanh@sco.COM (Evan A.C. Hunt) Date: Fri, 3 Aug 90 14:41:19 PDT Subject: Rand and Rush > From: David T. Sandberg <dts@quad.sialis.mn.org> > It's also true that Ayn Rand may not be a big influence on Peart any > more - but even if that's true, undoubtedly a few of the things he > gained from her works have stuck with him. Clearly the importance > of "I" is something he still believed in when he wrote 'The Body > Electric', even disregarding the binary code. Therefore, I think > it's entirely possible that he did mean it in exactly this way. A song about the importance of the word "I" is just as likely to be based on Descarte, or a zillion other people, as it is on Rand. Lots of people feel strongly about the word "I", including me, and I mostly don't like Ayn Rand. The now nearly 20-year-old connection between the two of them is no longer a justification for searching Rand's work for clues about the vagaries of Peart's. And in a song about free will and self determination, and _not_ about capitalism, I doubt if Neil would've gone out of his way to insert a dollar-sign reference. It just seems more plausible to me that it was a coincidence. (But I don't think the "I" was.) > From: "Brad_Armstrong.WBST129"@Xerox.COM > > (the song on Hold Your Fire, with > > the lyric "We fight the fire while we're feeding the flame," would make > > Ayn Rand retch) > Sure a particular line may seem this way, but what is the meaning of the > song? The song (whose title I now recall is "Second Nature") is about the need for humanity to start subverting its relatively short-term profits in favor of having a pleasant world to live in. "Progress has no patience, but something's got to give...I know perfect's not for real, but I thought we might get closer." In a strict objectivist sense, there's nothing wrong with this song; as long as you aren't calling for government interference in capitalistic ventures, there's no problem with asking capitalists to volutarily start being nicer people and taking better care of their fellow humans. But Rand, particularly in her later years, was heavily into denying that unchecked capitalism had ever caused any problems. She would've hated the song for suggesting that "captains of industry" were at any fault for the world's problems. I wasn't citing it as a particularly anti-Rand song; it's just an example of the (to me, obvious) fact that Neil is an independent thinker, not a slavish follower of Rand or anyone else. Which means that Rand's works aren't going to offer any more insight into most of his lyrics than any of the other books he's read and enjoyed. The only reason Rand gets so much attention on this mailing list is that she's the only author Neil's ever specifically mentioned. I don't think that's fair to Neil. > From what I've seen, Neil is subtle, yet > direct and still applies at least some of Ayn's tenents to get his world > view. Sure. So do I. She's not without merit. > I'll reiterate, have you read the books *and* the essays? You got me. :) No, not all of them, only a few of each. She gets on my nerves. eh ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: 3 Aug 90 15:56:30 PDT (Friday) Subject: ... to be found within a song. From: "Brad_Armstrong.WBST129"@Xerox.COM antonyc%chamber.caltech.edu@Tybalt.Caltech.Edu asked about the early lyrics. Well..., ok; I work at the company whose name equals photocopy in this country. If I get some requests for this mailed to my net address, I'll see what I can do about copying the inner sleeves for Fly By Night, Caress of Steel, and 2112 (although this one is red on black so it might be quite a trick to photocopy) and mailing them out. I don't think Rush ever came with an inner sleeve, just a note about how to get the best results from the album :) . I'm willing to do this on my own funds, unless of course I get 100 requests (100 requests would end up costing me at least $30 bucks that I don't have to spend). Aside from this, I recommend buying the lp's, as they are worth owning, even if you have the CD's, for the 'pretty pictures'. The early shots of the boys are really cool! Greg (the novice) asked for recommendations on the order in which to experience Rush. All I can say is buy them all, and play them in order, lots. As to mood setting environments: I've only found a few songs that suit one environment better than all others. One obvious one is driving while listening to Red Barchetta. Careful though, I caught myself following the dotted line down the center of Rt. 17 at 'excessive' speed while doing this! Anyone who caught the couple of tours following the release of Moving Pictures will understand that one. The recent suggestion about catching the Countdown video is definitely a must, along with the idea about 'making your own'. One other is Camera Eye, which is such a good sound-painting of NYC that it fit perfectly into the headphones of my walkman while on the streets of Manhattan. Kinda makes me wonder if Subdivisions would sound good in the Toronto suburbs. I did spend a week in Missisauga (a suburb of Toronto) back in '80 or so (before Subdivisions was written), and did all of the things described in the song. I must say it is a perfect description of high school life in that suburb. But I digress..., the only other suggestion I can make is wait 'till you are in a very frustrated or depressed mood and crank the first album in private for an instant cure, sort of a therapy by sound. A friend of mine pointed out that things like my comments about Metallica in my last post could be misinterpreted, so, to head off any flaming metal arguments: I don't know much about the group but what I commented. I should have included a :) at the end of that paragraph to clarify my intent. Any comments I make are my own, and are designed to enlighten and entertain, not to inscense; and if you find anything offensive in them, oh well. Different eyes see different things,... I agress with Paul Z.'s suggestion about the Yes album to get. Fragile would be my recommendation as well. The bass guitar on it is phenomenal. I have a very accurate stereo, and the bass is so dry that you have to go get a drink after listening to Roundabout! I think the album also represents a variety of their earlier styles, though I am not a Yes-aholic (I only have about 5 Yes albums and don't play them very often). Now for my request for info: I'm interested in the bootlegs I keep hearing about, but never get to actually hear. Anyone with information on these, please spill. I've heard rumour of the existence of a whole album released in Europe called Through Time. I've heard of many others as well. If you would prefer, you can mail to me at my net address below, but I'm sure the group here can control themselves where it comes to copyright infringement, right? Till next time... Electronic communication, making your life better; Magician. ---- Brad Armstrong Lion.Wbst129@Xerox.COM Xerox MB Lab, Webster, NY W: (716) 422-9688 ... everybody got to elevate from the norm. - N. Peart >None of these opinions has anything to do with anyone but me.< ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Aug 90 13:52 EDT From: AlberCrombie - The one and only <CESNYD01%ulkyvx.bitnet@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU> Subject: stand a little closer, and I'll smack you with my soapbox! Greetings! I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I might say somethings to stay alive. First off, after reading what Neil wrote about his feeling on Satanism,etc. in music, I feel that 'The Pass' has no connection with religious stuff (actually, I never did). (my $0.02) I don't think Neil would ever write anything about religions unless it was in an article like was just posted. Next! There has been a little conversation about the different albums and what they mean to individuals and how they stack up to other Rush albums. I'd like to add something to this. I'm 19, and I listen to EVERYTHING. Literally. (I can even stomach Disco for about 30 minutes. ouch!) So I would say I have a very good taste in music. I was force feed '2112' about 4/5 years ago and fell in love with it. It was unreal! I mean this was pure rock and roll! I went out and over the next two years, bought all of Rush's stuff. I love it all, but I believe that they have definitely changed. I fell in love with '2112' and 'Power Windows' right off the bat. They were, and still are my top two Rush albums. If you look at the albums in sequence, a noticeable pattern is discovered. Rush changes after every live album. In the first four albums, they were a hard hitting rock group. (I have to admit in the past, I have argued with my self which album was 'rocky-er', 'Rush' or '2112') After ATWAS came into being, they started to experiment with synths and such. At this point, Terry Brown split the band (actually, because the band asked him to, for he was strong with guitars, but not with synth music). ESL was released and another Rush era was about to be born. The electricity was redirected from Alex's guitar and sent to Geddy's keyboards. The next four albums had a large flavoring of progressive rock. Then we have, ASOH and then, 'Presto'. Now, a new Rush must begin (if the sequence is to continue as such). I believe that 'Presto' shows a Rush that is trying to mix rock/pop/progressive. (for your information, at this point I have lost all train of thought, of what little I had. I will now try to figure out what the hell I was talking about with out boring everybody to death.) I can not say which group of four I am partial to because I like too much in all the different 'eras'. I will say that I do not care totally for HYF or 'Presto'. I do not really care for so much synth. (my type of synth rock goes along with Uriah Heap, old Elton John, and 'Subdivisions'). I think that what I want to do is reply to some past mentioned stuff, like someone said that Rush should do another instrumental to prove they can still rock. I agree. I started right when PoW came out (there abouts) and am sad that I haven't heard a really rockin' album come out since I have been listening to them. I think that Rush should do an instrumental to show people they can still do it. I *know* they can do it, but think of the people who discovered Rush off of HYF or even 'Presto'! They wont really know of what type of power Rush is able to give (even by listening to all the other albums). Now, I personally believe that PoW was the last STRONG album Rush put out (excluding ASOH), so that is how I make that assumption. I think I person is more influenced by the stuff that comes out while they listen to it, than what they pick up in the record stores. I think that that is enough rambling from the soapbox for now. For those of you who figure out what I'm talking about, LET ME KNOW! lost in oblivion, AlberCrombie. "All this machinery, making modern music..." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ | AlberCrombie | "life's a bitch, then you marry one." - Anon. | | <CESNYD01@ULKYVX | "...A click comes from the hammer that couldn't | | .BITNET> | drive a nail. Sense the numbing cold blue, or | | ELSE | the red of Hades grill..." 'My Last Words' | | P.O. BOX 666, HELL | -------------- M E G A D E T H ---------------- | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 4 Aug 90 12:41:32 -0400 (EDT) From: Gregory Ross Thompson <gt0t+@andrew.cmu.edu> Subject: Metallica Brad Armstrong wrote: >Metallica?!, really?! They are one of those teen-fan, screaming, >no-talent, waste of time metal bands, no? Perhaps I'll have to find >someone with a copy of the Master of Puppets album you mentioned. I hope >it isn't catching. You have obviously never listened to Metallica... I used to think they were trash thrash type crap. Welp, I was very wrong. In my opinion, some of their lyrics are better than Neil's. Hard to believe, eh? Most of their stuff has some serious meaning behind it. Songs like "Lepper Messiah" about Televangelists, or "Disposable Heroes" about soldiers dying and no one giving a shit, or even "Harvester of Sorrow" about child abuse and infanticide. The only music that they play that could be considered trash would have to be the stuff that they didn't write. One of their albums, "Garage Days Re-revisited", has 5(?) songs that they didn't write. Those are the only songs that are socially un-acceptable. Anyway, listen to Master of Pupetts and/or ...And Justice for All. Both incredible albums... -Greg T. ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 4 Aug 90 14:19 EST From: "I'll see you on the Dark Side of the Moon." <ORION%WSU.BITNET@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU> Greetings RUSHan -- Greg Barish asked the other day what order should he listen to the Boyz' albums. That's simple: IN ORDER The best way to get acquainted with Rush is to progress through their 3 stages. At least, I think that there are three stages (1: Rush to ATWAS; 2: Hemispheres to Signals; 3: Grace Under Pressure to Present) IMHO, that's the best way! Have a Marathon! Go to it! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Adam Dickson | Nuke us if you like! Wright State University | We don't care! Dayton, Ohio | Actually, we encourage it! -=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ---------------------------------------------------------- From: Roger Swanson <rswanson@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> Subject: Random thoughts.... Date: Sun, 5 Aug 90 18:25:37 CDT Hello all! Couple of questions and comments to get out of my system. With all the recent postings about what John Rutsey is doing now, I was wondering if anyone knows if he's ever made a guest appearance with the band at a concert during the encore or something where he's played on one of the songs from the first album. Probably not, but it was just a thought I had when I was reading through the digest. In response to the favorite album after ESL, I would have to say it would probably be Presto. Most of the albums took time to grow on me, just as with a lot of other people on the list, but Presto blew me away from the first listen (especially the lyrics!). Having first gotten into Rush in the late 70's, my favorite albums are still from this period (I could listen to Cygnus X-1 today, and the mental images I get are still really vivid of the Racinante and the captains adventures. That song with the two parts combined is just amazing). And now for a bit of business.... Just in case any of you may be interested, there is a new Jethro Tull digest mailing list which is just starting (the second issue will be coming out the same day this does). The basic format and set-up are the same as the Rush digest. If you're interested in this band and it's music, and want to have somewhere to discuss it, mail JTull-request@uiuc.edu and ask to be added to the list. It's just began, but already has over 60 subscribers, and has some interesting discussions just beginning. A special note of thanks to our own List Manager for all his help and wisdom from his experience in helping to set this thing up. Also, for keeping the Rush list going and running smoothly. You don't begin to appreciate the work that he puts into running a digest until you try it yourself. Way to go, David! [ *blush* Thanks. Keep it up, I love it. :-) :rush-mgr ] ---------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Album Cover Art and Liner Note Fun! Date: Sun, 5 Aug 90 17:39:55 PDT From: todd@ivucsb.sba.ca.us (Todd Day) This is long, please bear with me... I think you'll enjoy the ride... First, a bit of background. I got "into" Rush around 1984 through a friend who had a couple albums. My first exposure to them was Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures. I still have a tape that has them back to back (although, now I've gone completely CD, even in the car). For me, they were the first (and, even now, the only) band who's lyrics were as worthwhile listening to as their music. I've always responded emotionally to their songs (the whole gamut, even tears, when played at the right times (and not just tears of sadness, but tears of joy, as well)). Some one had mentioned earlier that Rush's work tended to be secular-humanist, but I've gotten more of a "religious" feeling while listening to their music than I've ever gotten in church. I might mention here that I have everything since and not including Hemispheres, but I do have 2112. The reason is that I can't handle Geddy's screechiness on the earlier albums (2112 is about all I can handle). I may get flamed here, but I prefer the smoother sound that has developed after 2112. Anyway, on to album art. I have often found the album art and liner notes to be as full of hidden messages as their music. Unfortunately, I only have the CDs, so some art may be missing (please tell me!). 2112 (1976): Well, this is a bad example to start out with, as the CD art is pretty bleak. All it has the the red star in a circle (which many parents think is a sign of the devil!), apparently projected onto troubled waters (well, I guess this is symbolic, after all!). Inside, we find that the boyz didn't quite escape the disco revolution themselves :-). I just gotta laugh everytime I see this photo. At least the notes on the opposite page give us some insight into what exactly this album is all about. This is the only album I have by them that doesn't have the lyrics :-(, which are, of course, half the fun. Permanent Waves (1980): This cover definitely suffers on the CD. I can't make out what is on the newspaper (can anyone help, here?). Let's move on to the more obvious. What Permanent Waves do we see in the picture? First, we have the sea storm which is flooding the town with waves. They are permanent because they have been captured on film. Then, we have the woman with the perm (permanent hair waves) in her hair. Also, we have the guy "waving" to her (and it will probably be the last thing he does, as he seems to get swallowed by the waves). Finally, we have the red line of waves near the top of the album that are, I beleive, what a heart beat looks like on an ECG. Oh, and then there are the store front names on the very right which have Lee, Peart, and Lifeson on them. Homework for you... what is the signifigance of her dress being up plus what is on the newspaper? Moving to the liner notes... why do they thank Second City TV and is the Henry Spencer that's mentioned the same guy who wrote Cnews and resides at utzoo at the University of Toronto? We note that they like to play video games and watch reruns. Note mentions of Daisy the Dog as voice coach and Oak Manor (what is this place?) that will be mentioned again. The three pictures in the back of the boyz prove they did indeed survive the disco era... But, why do they thank NASA here? Is this the year the shuttle launched? Moving Pictures (1981): Front cover shows the obvious... pictures moving into a museum. The first one in looks like a composite of 2112 and Hemispheres, the second one is the famous "dogs playing poker", and the third looks like something that would accompany the song "Witchhunt". I have no idea what the signifigance of the people on the right are... the woman looks like she might be crying, but for what reason, I don't know. On the back, we find that a film crew is making a moving picture about these pictures moving. I find it interesting that the little girl is staring intently at the person who is burning at the stake, but what signifigance this is, I'm not sure. Inside, we see photos of Geddy and Alex in action, but where is Neil? Probably off playing his new instrument called "plywood". It's hats off to Saga and 38 Special. They still play volleyball and videogames. Daisy is back as "Ski-Bane", and they're still hanging out at Oak Manor. The (xx - xx) where xx is some number usually less than 30 appear to be volleyball scores. These appear on PW as well. Signals (1982): Cover appears to have something to do with the dog picking up chemical signals (perhaps this is Daisy?). The only other thing I can say is that it's got to be one of the most striking covers I've seen in terms of color contrast. Looks like somethink Kodak would put in an ad. Back cover has plans for a subdivision, which is the first song. I was never quite sure what the yello line and red thumbtacks were for until just now, as I'm studying the liner notes. It had always reminded me of the shape of the inside of stadium for some reason, and now I know why. The liner notes and the back cover are full of links to baseball. One of the roads is called Line Drive. There is a school named Warren Cromartie. Inside, they thank Warren Cromartie and the Montreal Expos. Their videogame this time is Intellivision Baseball. They thank Trevors Tramps (34-15) [this last part must be their season record]. I think this last group is the name of a team the boyz played on, with Geddy as Pitcher, Alex as First Base, and Neil as Third Base. Other people are mentioned as Catcher, Coach, Shortstop, and Second Base. NASA is thanked (for Countdown). Oak manor gets another mention, but Daisy and volleyball are now out. Grace Under Pressure (1984): This cover is so abstract, I've never been able to make anything out of it, other than the obvious p/g on the right side. The inside, picture, however, defines grace under pressure. I find it interesting that they're putting the egg in tension along the axis that is the most difficult to break. An interesting find is that they dedicate the album in memory of Robbie Whelan, who is mentioned as a general assistant on the three previous albums. Could this be the person that Neil writes about in Afterimage? Could this have also caused the generally gloomy feel of this entire album? NASA and the Johnson Space Center get thanks, as well as Golden Earing. Power Windows (1985): This cover is fairly obvious, also. TVs are the biggest "power window" around. However, it's interesting that they use really old sets (the movie Brazil did this also, kinda like a future regression in technology). For some reason, this picture seems more powerful because of the old sets... it just wouldn't have the impact with a Sony XBR Trinitron sitting there. Also, interesting that this kid seems to be wanting to control outside events "remotely". If you look VERY closely, you can see the back cover picture very faintly in the rightmost set. The back cover reveals little, except that you can see the umbrellas they use for lighting in the binoculars. Doesn't this kid remind you of the type of kid who'd appreciate a song like "Subdivisions"? Inside, we have "big thank you's go around the world" to the Manor again. Interestingly, His Royal Highness King Lerxst is mentioned... is this they guy Lerxstwood Mall is named after on the back of Signals? Red Rider is thanked. More refs to baseball in "on the mound" and "at home plate". Brought to us by the letter "M"... these guys are watching too much Sesame Street! Hold Your Fire (1987): Nothing revealing about the cover, other than the fact there are three red marbles (planets?) and three members of the band (I love this cover, is it available as a poster?). Inside are three pix of the band... Neil looks hagard. I heard around this time that he had cancer, and this picture may have started that rumour. Then we see a picture which has the literal translation of "hold your fire". Interesting that he is juggling three balls, like the front cover. Look closely in the left window of the building behind him... do you see the TVs from Power Windows there? The black cat in the alleyway seems to be exactly one step ahead of his shadow! Is that fire hydrant from Signals? What does the lettering on the Chinese restaurant say? Tai Shan? Liner Notes - It says recorded at the Manor; so I guess that's what the Oak Manor is? Also, assisted by Lerxst. Mac Plus, Lynda Barry, and Pee Wee's Playhouse get mentions. A Show of Hands (1989): Nothing really interesting here, except the double entendre (sp?) of the title. Anyone know who Sam Charters is? I do love the three stooges intro to the album, though... Also, the last few notes on Big Money are from that Cheech and Chong song where the parent makes the kid turn down the music and go to school. Presto (1989): Cover is obvious (although, I can't help but think of "Between the Wheels" :-). Inside, we have the rock, paper, scissors hand game. Opening further, we have Alex, Neil, and Geddy. Any parallels between the items in the game and the guys in the band? One thing I might add here, is that one thing I've always respected about RUSH is that they never bought into that "A rock star must have really long hair and look like a rebel." Okay, Geddy's hair is pretty long, but he doesn't look like he bites the heads off of chickens :-). Nothing interesting inside, except for the swipe they take at Mike Roberts from Atlantic Records for providing them with the idea for "Superconductor". Oh, BTW, you guys 'get' "Anagram", don't you? -- Todd Day | todd@ivucsb.sba.ca.us | ucsbcsl!ivucsb!todd "I believed what I was told, I thought it was a good life, I thought I was happy. Then I found something that changed it all..." --- Anonymous, 2112 ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 5 Aug 90 22:04:51 hst From: Hinano Akaka <bigtuna!hinano@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu> Subject: Various and sundry bits and pieces II FEAR TRILOGY: I think the "Fear" trilogy is one of Neil's best works. After getting the GUP album, I noticed that "The Enemy Within" was 'Part I' of Fear. Part I? Then I noticed that MP and Signals had Parts II and III. Uh, Neil...um, aren't you supposed to write part I _first_? Can anyone figure out why Neil wrote it "backwards"? the only explanation I can come up with is that Neil was taking 'fear' apart by going from the outside in--examining the result of fear ("Witch Hunt"), going through the "second layer" (I'm not sure how to explain this part) of fear ("The Weapon"), and finally going to the source ("The Enemy Within"). Comments? LYRICS: Both Geddy and Alex helped out with "Chemistry" on Signals. Speaking of lyrics, it was rather funny on Friday--I had "The Trees" going through my mind while I was working. Without really thinking about what I was singing, I came up with: "There is unrest in the forest, there is trouble with the trees, For the maples want more syrup, And the Oaks ignore their pleas." I started laughing when I realized what I had just "said" and I thought it sounded like something Alex might've written! Sort of how the maples ended up with being famous for syrup. Maybe it's just as well that Neil does the lyrics! (Perhaps I'll start up a collection--what the lyrics _would_ have been if Alex wrote them...) LISTENING TO COMPLETE ALBUMS: Well, this isn't exactly advice for which albums to listen to when and in what order, but I laughed when someone brought up the subject of listening to an entire album (not out of spite, mind you). I can recall, several years ago, when this intense "Rush Mood", as I call it, swept over me with a vengeance, and I ended up listening to all of their albums (Rush to HYF and including live albums) TWICE in one day!!! Groan. I would've gone on listening to them if it hadn't been so late... RED BARCHETTA: I'm glad someone asked for the poem that inspired one of my favourite songs. If Neil thinks tearing around a valley is 'A Nice Morning Drive', I'd hate to drive with him... COUNTDOWN: For all those who have just been added to this wonderful Digest within the past few weeks, there was some discussion awhile back about the transmissions at the end of the song. Bob Joslin, if you don't mind, I'd like to reiterate your question. Bob asked about a transmission that was garbled: It comes after, "What a view, what a view..." and right before, "Columbia, we have 40 seconds to LOS [loss of signal]. Configure to LOS. You're lookin' good for an over the hill, we'll see ya in Madrid." It sounds something like, "She had it on us." It's real difficult to understand. Can anyone figure this out? The reason I ask is because, well, I was trying to find the transcripts for that flight but we don't have it. Sorry, Bob. TAI SHAN: I like that song! He wrote it during/after a three-week bicycle tour he did of China, right before the PoW tour. And he leaves Larry to do everything! What a guy! ROCK GROUPS ARE SATANISTS: Yes, well I've come to the conclusion that Rush _is_ indeed (forsooth!) trying to corrupt the minds of today's youth. I mean, let's face it--they have that symbol with that red star and the man, they have songs like "Witch Hunt", "Tom Sawyer", which is, of course, a book written by a man whose works should be _banned_ (!), and they have that...that 'Fear' trilogy--trying to get teenagers to be afraid of all that's good and decent... Frankly, I'd like to thank the person who sent that letter in from Neil...I needed a good laugh. Boy, that sounded good! Great going! SIGNALS TOUR BOOK: I just received the Signals Tour Book from the Rush Backstage Club and was delighted when I saw the pictures of the crew. However, I haven't the vaguest (well, o.k., slightly vague) idea of who is who, except for Larry Allen, of course. Can anybody help me? allright, I've taken up enough space. Until next time... "because if you don't have your 3D glasses, you'll only be seeing this thing in 1-half D..." Count Floyd 'Grace Under Pressure Tour" Puanani Akaka ---------------------------------------------------------- From: Adrian N Ogden <ano@csres.cs.reading.ac.uk> Date: Mon, 6 Aug 90 10:12:46 BST Subject: Usenet ( Was Re: 1001001 ) >As far as our favorite band being made up of computer geeks (hey, >aren't a lot of us in that category? ;'), I doubt it. (Particularly >considering Neil's reaction to Usenet and this list.)'; What was Neil's reaction to Usenet and this list? I've not heard about it (but I only joined this list a week ago). [ See my note above about this. :rush-mgr ] // "Always hopeful yet discontent / Adrian Ogden \\ << He knows changes aren't permanent / University of Reading >> \\ But Change is." / ano@uk.ac.rdg.cs.csres // ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 6 Aug 90 15:19:56 -0100 From: Frank Schaapherder <schaaphe@serc.nl> Subject: Saga Hi, Though I think this is not the appropiate place to discuss other groups than Rush, I'd like to react on previous postings on Saga on this list. It appears to me, that you over there in the US have no knowledge of their latest album. It's out here (in Europe) on BMG/Ariola for about 8 months (At least, I own it that long) and the album is marvellous, after 10 times listening. It's called: 'The beginner's guide to throwing shapes'. Go get it! Someone wrote lately that on 'Digital Man', Geddy sings 'Babylon' instead of 'Avalon'. I may be wrong, but I have another (more remakable ?) discrepancy of lyrics on sheet and on record. On 'A Passage To Bankok', which is concerned with drugs imho, I hear "We've been smoking Lebanon' instead of 'Wreathed smoke in Lebanon'. Any others hear the same? Bye Frank. ----------------------------------------------------------
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