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Subject: RUSH Fans Digest of 08/13/90 (#29)
RUSH Fans Digest, Number 29
Monday, 13 August 1990
Today's Topics:
Re: RUSH Fans Digest of 08/10/90 (#28)
A Passage to Bangkok
Song Credits
RE: RUSH Fans Digest of 08/10/90 (#28)
Gowan, and Reading Material
Marijuana references in "A Passage To Bangkok"/Rush and Satanism
Top 25 News Submitters
... to be found within a song.
Red Tide
Chronicles
Turn the Page, pass the toilet paper
"Show Don't Tell" and religions
Ultimate Band
(none)
"Noise" in Distant Early Warning
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 90 11:08 EDT
From: "Derek D. Lichter [MacLover]" <DEREK%ALBNYVMS.BITNET@UACSC2.ALBANY.EDU>
Subject: Re: RUSH Fans Digest of 08/10/90 (#28)
Ron Z., thanks for your description of "The Fountain of Lamneth." Most of
what you said meshes with my own opinions, although I'd never taken the time
to work it through before -- I've just loved the song. It's underlying theme
of hope is powerful and ubiquitous. And I totally agree with you about it
being underrated along with "Cinderella Man," another one of my favourites.
As for "A Passage to Bangkok," most of the concept of drugs comes from the
"Bogota...Columbian fields" line, and also, about 3/4s of the way through the
song, Geddy makes a sound like sucking on a bong or a joint. At least, people
were saying that on the list a few months ago...
Derek L.
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Subject: A Passage to Bangkok
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 90 11:29:55 EDT
From: David Arnold <davida@umd5.UMD.EDU>
In Digest # 28, Fred Peabody wrote:
> Someone said that they thought A Passage to Bangkok was about drugs.
>Can you explain? I didn't think Rush would be the kind of band to be into
>drugs...
Explain?? It's quite obvious. (Well, at least to me; I've had a 'chequered
past'. :-) ) When you say "drugs", be careful in todays climate; this is
about the 'softer' drugs, pot & hash. I doubt they'd be as open to things
like speed, crack & heroin, which are bad news in most lights!
A Passage To Bangkok
--------------------
Our first stop is in Bogota <-- Bogota, Columbia
To check Columbian fields <-- Columbian pot; the 'standard'
The natives smile and pass along
A sample of their yield <-- 'Try some of our dope, man'
Sweet Jamaican pipe dreams <-- Jamaica is also famous for pot
Golden Acapulco nights <-- Acapulco, Mexico; 'Acapulco Gold' (pot)
Then Morocco, and the East, <-- Let's get serious now; probably hash
Fly by morning light <-- Party all night, then leave as the sun
comes up...
We're on the train to Bangkok <-- Bangkok, Thailand
Aboard the Thailand Express <-- Thai stick - incredible stuff
We'll hit the stops along the way
We only stop for the best <-- Only good dope is worth it
Wreathed in smoke in Labanon <-- Middle east; probably hash and
We burn the midnight oil <-- hash oil
The fragrance of Afghanistan <-- More hash or pot
Rewards a long day's toil
Pulling into Katmandu <-- Katmandu, Nepal (?) (And me w/a GEOG
Smoke rings fill the air degree!!)
Perfumed by a Nepal night <-- Nepal is famous for opiated hash
The Express gets you there
I'll be the first to agree, though, that a drug-related song is not what
you'd expect from RUSH/Neil. Remember, though, this was written 14 years
ago, back in the mid-70's. Neil & the guys were probably in their mid- or
late 20's, and still young enough to 'indulge'. Nowdays, it's probably
just a memory, fond or otherwise... Also, the 70's were a more relaxed
time (remember Democrats & Jimmy C.?), so this was more acceptable. We
won't get into an argument here on the pros & cons of marijuana, tho.
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, 10 Aug 90 10:21:35 PDT
From: spike@d31mf0.Stanford.EDU (John T. Fourkas)
Subject: Song Credits
The Rush complete songbook lists for almost all songs, "Music by Geddy and Alex,
Words by Neil". Therefore, I have to imagine that "Music and Words by Geddy, Alex, and
Neil" has to mean something different, although it may mean as little as Neil having
written a bar or two of the music or as much as everyone having collaborated on everything.
__________________________________________________________________________
John Fourkas spike@d31mf0.stanford.edu
Stanford University
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 90 13:54 EDT
Subject: RE: RUSH Fans Digest of 08/10/90 (#28)
From: "<@UMD2.UMD.EDU:SIMON@HUXTAL.bitnet>" <@UMD2.UMD.EDU:SIMON@HUXTAL.bitnet>
I've always assumed that 'lovers pause to find an open store'
is a comment about the AIDS epidemic (the lovers are pausing to
pick up some condoms).
And 'Passage to Bangkok' is clearly about marijuana.
take care,
ejs
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 10 Aug 90 13:29 -0500
Subject: Gowan, and Reading Material
From: yackob@eeserv.ee.umanitoba.ca!
>X-Mailer: Mail User's Shell (7.0.4 1/31/90)
Yesterday someone mentioned they had seen an interview with
Larry Gowan. I wrote a while back and said that his new album (featuring
Alex Lifeson and Ken Greer on guitars) was ok, but really for Gowan fans
as opposed to Lifeson fans. If you want a copy to "complete your set
of Rush paraphernalia", fine, but I warn you that not a lot of
"obvious Lifeson stuff" shines through. He's playing more of a
"working man"'s role, i.e. a hired hand. BTW, the guitarist on
Gowan's self-titled debut was Kim Mitchell, then just out of
Max Lobster - his character showed more on that album than does
^^^^^^^^^^^
[ This is a joke, right? Max Webster for those new to the list. :rush-mgr ]
Lifeson's on the new Gowan album.
Someone also listed some of Neil Peart's old reading
material - they were looking for the name John dos Passos. I haven't
read any, but it's next on my list (after the Marx Bros. biography,
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, and Carrie Fisher's Postcards From the
Edge.) If anyone can recommend one of his books to start, I'd
appreciate it.
Kerry
--
Kerry Yackoboski <yackob@eeserv.ee.umanitoba.ca>
The Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Laboratory in the Cellar
U of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
----------------------------------------------------------
From: rlr%software@rti.rti.org (rader)
Subject: Marijuana references in "A Passage To Bangkok"/Rush and Satanism
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 90 16:22:03 EDT
>
> Someone said that they thought A Passage to Bangkok was about drugs.
> Can you explain? I didn't think Rush would be the kind of band to be into
> drugs...
>
> >>>>*Freddy*<<<< [The Only Living Peabody]
I hope I don't get any flames about this from well-meaning but misguided
moralists, but...
Sure enough, "A Passage To Bangkok" is chock full of references to smoking
weed. I don't have a lyric sheet with me, so I can't detail them out right
now, but look at yours and take my word for it. "the fragrance of
Afghanistan rewards a long day's toil" is pretty clear. There is even a "toke"
sound effect just before the guitar solo/bridge.
No, this doesn't mean that Rush is "into" drugs. All this means is that
Rush created a song that dealt with drug use in an innocuous manner.
Now to digress just a bit, and bring up a very important issue: Does
this point to something wrong in Rush's attitude concerning drugs?
Hopefully this will generate lots of discussion, but here is my 2 cents:
All this goes to prove is that intelligence and creativity are not necessarily
affected adversely by smoking marijuana.
You can see that perfectly normal, reasonable, and intelligent
persons have smoked (do smoke?) marijuana, with no permanent ill effects.
Hmmmm, could that mean that lots of the War on Drugs media blitz is
nothing more than negative propaganda? Think about it ...
>
> included Neil's editorial on Rush being accused of satanism.
>
I would appreciate it if someone could email me (addresses below) this
article. I just got on the list and I'd really like to get my hands on
this editorial.
--
ron rader, jr rlr%bbt@rti.rti.org = Opinions are my own and do not
| | i gotta six- rlr%bbt$rti.rti.org@CUNYVM = necessarily reflect those of
| | pack, & nothin' to do ...!mcnc!rti!bbt!rlr = BroadBand Tech. (SO THERE!)
*** Punk ain't no religious cult, punk means thinking for yourself - DKs ***
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Top 25 News Submitters
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 90 14:21:58 PDT
From: todd@ivucsb.sba.ca.us (Todd Day)
Look what I found in the list of the top twentyfive news submitters:
8 24 415.5 0.3% anagram@desire.WRIGHT.EDU (For Mongo)
95% rec.games.frp
Does this guy subscribe to this list?
[ They're not currently in my list of members, nor do I have any record of
them adding then dropping. We do have one member from "desire.wright.edu";
maybe they know them? :rush-mgr ]
--
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: 10 Aug 90 16:07:00 PDT (Friday)
Subject: ... to be found within a song.
From: "Brad_Armstrong.WBST129"@Xerox.COM
There is a lot of comment on the crackling noise near the beginning of
Distant Early Warning. It exists both on album and CD, so I'm sure it
belongs. I got the vinyl edition before the CD and thought that the
pressing was bad, as it does sound like poor pressing type noise. I took
my copy back, got another, and still there was noise! I figured our store
must have gotten a bad batch and left it at that. Later, when I got the CD
I was surprised (not really) at what I heard. The same noise was there, in
better fidelity than ever! Anyway, the point is that the noise belongs. I
(et. al.) suspect it is meant to be a Geiger counter and it was probably
generated by one of those Macinwhatevers ( :), Derek!).
Freddy writes:
> Someone said that they thought A Passage to Bangkok was about drugs.
> Can you explain? I didn't think Rush would be the kind of band to be into
> drugs...
I don't think the boys are into drugs, but that song sure is! It is full
of drug-related places and slang for drug-related activities. For example:
'midnight oil' is hash oil. All of the cities are drug producing and/or
drug smuggling hot spots. This is the most clever drug song to make it
past the censors since Penny Lane by the Beatles (oops, hope I didn't ruin
another one for you :) ). Maybe they simply wanted to see if anyone would
notice?
Ron Z. wrote an excellent analysis of side 2 of Caress of Steel, and I
have only one small addition. The word 'still', used three times at the
end of the side has two meanings as well, every time it is spoken: not in
motion, and 'yet'. I have always felt that both meanings were intend all
three times.
A few days back someone asked about the radio traffic at the end of
Countdown. I relistened to that song and am able to make out most of the
radio traffic, but the particular line that was asked after seems
hopelessly garbled. I still want to know where they got "And we enjoyed
the music, Bob, thank you" "... we just wanted to share something" (or
whatever it is, I can't remember precisely) as the song fades out! It's so
perfect! The only thing I can think of is that I have observed that the
ground crew has been know to pipe music up to the space travelers at times.
Now that I mailed a check to the Backstage Club, what can I expect to
receive?
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, 10 Aug 90 16:57:43 PDT
From: Ron Chrisley <chrisley@parc.xerox.com>
Subject: Red Tide
Fred Peabody asks:
"In Red Tide, what does "Lovers pause to find an open store" mean? It
just doesn't seem to fit."
It certainly does fit. I won't go into an analysis of the whole song, but:
"Fugitives of the bedroom door, lovers pause to find an open store" is
about AIDS. Get it? One of nature's new plagues running in our streets.
Notice the "running... open store" and "running... open sore" symmetry?
Cool, eh?
Don't worry if you can't understand all the lyrics. Neil said it was full
of in-jokes, and he doesn't expect people to get it all. I know I don't.
I suppose that "bringing a sea-change to the factory floor" is one of those
in-jokes, like "he won't need a bed..."
I hate it when Peart does that...
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: Sat, 11 Aug 90 01:01:59 -0700
From: Ted Ives <tedi@apple.com>
Subject: Chronicles
Hi everybody, I haven't posted anything in awile. I'm seeing a lot of new
names here lately. Anyway, Polygram said yesterday, (August 10) that
Chronicles will be released in the US on September 8th (if memory serves me
correct). THey said that the video release would accompany the CD release,
(A 2 CD set in 1 jewel case). All they said about the video was that it was
80's stuff, apparently nothing earlier. That really stinks! I had my hopes
up for finally getting an absolutely perfect copy of La Villa, Xanadu, CLoser
to the Heart, FBN and all those other early promos. It looks like we will be
seeing everything after the Camera Eye, but probably not new stuff like
Superconductor or The Pass, (but then again, who knows?). Does anybody have
a video lineup of "Chronicles?". I don't think the song lineup from the CD
set has changed since the original press release a year ago.
By the way...I'm seeking virgin vinyl....Original releases of Rush LPs
which are still sealed or have only been played once or twice. They have to
be "original" releases, not vinyl purchased several years after the album
debut. If anybody has any of these, (pre 1980 only), I am interested in buying.
I'm also seeking a MINT copy of the ST. Louis 1980 promo album from the FM
broadcast, (the Anthum or Polygram promos, NOT the cheap bootleg "temples..").
Happy reading,
- Chris Michael (via tedi@apple.com)
"Anthem of the heart and anthem of the mind....
....with the heart and mind united in a single, perfect sphere"
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Turn the Page, pass the toilet paper
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 90 20:04:27 PDT
From: todd@ivucsb.sba.ca.us (Todd Day)
I don't know... is it just me? Every time I hear this song
and here the lyrics the lyrics at the end of the song,
"How can anybody be enlightened?
Truth is after all so poorly lit."
I always end up substituting in my head,
"Truth is after all so full of sh*t."
This is what I thought I heard Geddy say the first time I
heard this song, and even though repeated listenings have
proved me wrong, I can't help but keep substituting my
version... especially in light of some of the politics
that have been going on lately.
--
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, 12 Aug 90 16:27:19 PDT
From: kumasawa@cory.Berkeley.EDU (KUMASAWA DARREN TROY)
Subject: "Show Don't Tell" and religions
When I first heard "Show Don't Tell," my first thoughts were that it was
about religions in general. Something along the lines of, "Don't just tell
me these things exist, show me!" I later realized the song could be about
politicians, journalists, scientists, and the various other sources for
information that we don't generally question. Fortunately, science is its
own questioner, journalism is checked by the law and other journalists, and
politics is an adversarial system, so these three don't seem to me what Neil
would be concerned with much. But religious claims usually cannot likewise
be cleansed of the dirt of falsehoods and the essense of truth left bare.
Anyone else think the song is primarily about religions?
- Carl Johnson
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Mark S. <mserda%hydra.unm.edu@ariel.unm.edu>
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 90 22:41:05 MDT
Subject: Ultimate Band
Since in the previous months we have discussed favorite songs, albums, etc.,
I thought of another question to ask: what would be the ultimate band? Now
I know that you die hard Rush fans would say: "Isn't Rush the best band?"
Seriously, though, what would the ultimate band consist of both of older
and newer generatio of musicians. I came up with the following:
Drummer and Percussionist: Neal Peart (a must!)
Sound Effects and Synthesizers: Richard Wright--Pink Floyd
Bass Guitarist: Geddy Lee
Lead Guitarist: Joe Satriani (If Jimi Hendrix were alive II'd picked him instead
Back-up Guitarist: (Two of these) Eddie Van Halen, Alex Lifeson, Jimmy Page,
--Led Zeppelin, or David Gilmour--Pink Floyd
Lead vocalist: Robert Plant--Led Zeppelin
What would you guys come up with?
--Mark
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 90 11:39:20 -0100
From: Frank Schaapherder <schaaphe@serc.nl>
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 90 11:24:23 MDT
>From: nyx.UUCP!fpeabody%nyx.uucp@nike.cair.du.edu (Fred Peabody)
Subject: CoS
Could someone please post the correct order of all the songs on the
Caress of Steel album? I'm afraid my tape has them all scrambled up.
Thank you very much.
In digest 28 Fred Peabody writes:
> Someone said that they thought A Passage to Bangkok was about drugs.
> Can you explain? I didn't think Rush would be the kind of band to be into
> drugs...
Well, I am the person who wrote that, so let me explain:
It is simply that in the lyrics of A Passage to Bankok, I find all kinds of
references to, what we in Holland call, soft-drugs, like hash and marihuana.
A journey though various soft-drug producing countries is desribed. I'll
provide the lines that provide the references:
' Our first stop is in Bogota, to check Columbian fields'
' Sweet Jamaican pipedreams, golden Acapulco nights,
then Marocco and the East..'
' Wreathed smoke in Lebanon, we burn the midnight oil'
' The fragrance of Afghanistan..'
' Pulling into Catmandu, smoke rings fill the air'
To me, these are all references to soft-drugs. But as far as the remark about
Rush not being a band for being into drugs (anymore), I think you're right.
A few years ago, after the release of HYF, Alex visited Holland for promoting
the album and our local newspaper had an interview with him (I can't believe
I threw it away), and the topic of drugs was crossed. He said that Rush did not
use drugs and he preferred running instead. He added that partying after shows
just made you lazy, and they liked to see something of the county and visit
some museums instead.
Enough..
Frank
you
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 90 07:19:13 -0700
From: David Pakman <pakman@apple.com>
Subject: "Noise" in Distant Early Warning
Someone asked of the "crakling sound" about 20 seconds into Distant Early Warni.
That sound is quite intentional...it is actually a "steam bubbler" according
to Alex. It seems that on p/g, they were encouraged to add more "events"
to their songs. They experimented with various sound effects and keyboard
triggered events as well. There are other such "hdden" sounds if you
listen carefully enough.
Take off,
David
----------------------------------------------------------
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