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 10/05/90 (#60)
RUSH Fans Digest, Number 60
Friday, 5 October 1990
Today's Topics:
RUSH Fans??
Classifying RUSH
Rush fans Objectivist rationalizations
More info...
Stuff
wanted: A Nice Mornings Drive
Hold Your Fire inside photo
In Search of RUSH posters
true RUSH fan
Exit...ADD
Clarification on the RUSH.FANS file
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 90 10:48 EST
From: David Arnold <davida@umd5.umd.edu>
Subject: RUSH Fans??
In the last Digest, Steven Owen <dunadan@u.washington.edu> wrote:
>pohl@cs.swarthmore.edu (Walt Pohl) writes:
>> Let's face it. Rush is great, Tiffany is great, everyone else is great,
>> but Rush sucks, Tiffany sucks, and everyone else sucks. I like Rush, but my
>> god, they're not perfect. It's not my religion.
>then you're not a true RUSH fan. i don't you think you understand the point
>of view of the RUSH fan.
[ some stuff deleted ]
> any teenybopper can say that they "like" a particular song, but a
>true RUSH fan does not listen to RUSH because he "likes" their songs. "like"
>is a word which implies some sort of emotionally-controlled subjectivity on
>the part of the agent. a true RUSH fan makes the choice of his own free
>will to listen to RUSH out of a carefully researched appreciation of their
>rational message.
Whoah, waitaminnit! Sorry, Steven, I have to agree with Walt on this one.
How can you say that I don't listen to RUSH because I 'like' their music?
Call me what you will (and you just might :-) ), but I first began to get
into RUSH because I liked the music. The first song I heard was "A Passage
to Bangkok", which even you'll have to admit, is *not* a deeply meaningful
song! Of couse, the first side of the album does evoke some thought, but
some of the songs on side B are good, but NOT for their lyrical content!
Another example from this album is "Twilight Zone"; this is merely a salute
to Rod Serling and T.Z. (I believe this is one of the albums where Rod is
thanked in the credits.) Other cases in point are "YYZ" and "La Villa
Strangiato", two of my favorites by them. No lyrics at all, meaningful or
not!
True, their later stuff tends to be much more deeply philosophical, but
you can't make the blanket statement above. When I listen to a new RUSH
album, I play it without looking at the lyrics the first time, to see if
I'll like the *music*. Then I go back and re-listen to it, following the
lyric sheet this time. It helps me find deeper meaning in the songs, and
I really can appreciate Neil's writing talent. You can try to call me a
'teenybopper', but at 28, I hardly fit the bill! :-)
An example from the _Presto_ album: the first song that grabbed my
attention was "Chain Lightning", mainly for the guitar riffs, and the
feel of the song. After listening several more times, and going over
the lyrics, I really began to appreciate "The Pass", and am not surprised
that it is *their* favorite song from the album. It says a lot to the
troubled teenagers out there, and having been one once (a long time ago,
in a galaxy far away...), I can remember having troubled times, and even
thinking about suicide. Obviously, not that seriously, but still, the
thoughts were there.
So, while I appreciate your opinion, I can't say I agree with it. But
hey, that's what discussion lists are for, right?
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: Thu, 4 Oct 90 11:09 CST
From: ORANGE AND LEMONS <BAWOLTERS%UALR.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Classifying RUSH
To me, the music by Rush can be classifyed in many ways. Jazz, Rock, Hard Rock,
Classical, Pop. You noitice I didn't not say Heavy Metal! A jazzy type song
can be heard in Digital Man. Good ole Rock would be In The Mood. Classical would
be Hemispheres, it's well written, except using bass, drums, guitars instead of
flutes, violins, ect. Hard Rock, well thats a hard one, but I feel the best
example would be The Spirt of Radio. Pop would be Superconductor or New World
Man. But these are only my opinions. I would like to hear what others think of
this!
----------------------------------------------------------
From: rlr%software@rti.rti.org (rader)
Subject: Rush fans Objectivist rationalizations
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 90 12:33:15 EDT
>
> From: Steven Owen <dunadan@u.washington.edu>
>
(hey, Steven, I like your Tolkien-based userid!)
I saved the choice bits from Steven's post, and edited a lot of it out
for brevity's sake.
> i don't you think you understand the point of view of the RUSH fan.
> we are born into a world of irrational, emotionally-swayed, crazy people.
> we can think logically, and we can appreciate things for their true
> aesthetic value.
["true aesthetic value?" Pretty subjective term, if you ask me! ;)]
> [Rush fans] focus our minds on RUSH, who represent the only proper ideal
> form of creativity, for their creativity is focused rationally.
> but a true RUSH fan does not listen to RUSH because he "likes" their
> songs. "like" is a word which implies some sort of emotionally-controlled
> subjectivity on the part of the agent. a true RUSH fan makes the choice of
> his own free will to listen to RUSH out of a carefully researched
> appreciation of their rational message.
>
Jeez, dude, have you been reading too much Objectivist material in
philosophy class?
Just so you know, I recognize a lot of strengths in Objectivism, but just
like every philosophic school, it has it's weaknesses as well. The main
weakness is that it completely ignores the significance and importance of
the subjective evaluation.
Music's primary function is emotional impact. Broken down into components,
music creates and releases emotional tension in the listener. This process
is accentuated by lyrical content. Since the appeal is primarily emotional,
different people like different types of music. The subjective mind at
work!
Rush fans listen to Rush for an infinite number of reasons. But since the
messages come across in a musical form, emotional reasons dominate.
You can appreciate the virtuosity of the musicians, you can appreciate
the meaning of the lyrics, but it all boils down to the OBJECTIVE FACT
that Rush fans SUBJECTIVELY "like" Rush's music. New Kids On The Block
fans may or may not "like" Rush (doubt it :)), but it all depends on their
emotional, subjective feelings about the music. I doubt any of us would
listen to Rush if Rush didn't impact us emotionally in some way.
A completely objective evaluation of music is devoid of any true
appreciation. Try talking to a few "snobbish" classical music or jazz
adherents, and you'll see what I mean. After all, you're just some yokel
who listens to rock music, so obviously you aren't capable of perceiving
the fine details of traditional jazz! (;) ;) ;) )
--
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 ***
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 90 13:07:24 -0400
From: Michael S Savett <savvy@brahms.udel.edu>
Subject: More info...
Greetings to all - a few comments....
Kudos to Steven Owen for his eloquent piece on Rush fans - I couldn't have
said it any better!
Add Alex's appearance on the 'Smoke on the Water' track for Armenian
eathquaictims to the list of other works.
About Max Webster...Pye Dubois, the group's lyricist, not only wrote
"Battlescar," recorded live in the studio with Rush, but also penned
"Tom Sawyer" and "Force Ten" with Neil.
Does anyone know which of the band's albums went gold or platinum?
___________________________________________________________________
Michael Savett - - savvy@brahms.udel.edu
'So many things I think about when I look far away; things I know, things I wonder, things I'd like to say.'
-- Neil Peart, 'Mystic Rythyms'
-------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 90 16:27:43 -0400
From: cs021045@cs.brown.edu (Jason Rosenberg)
Subject: Stuff
People,
Its really strange. I was trying to think of something to talk about
while listening to my RUSH albums this afternoon, and I began to wonder
why RUSH is such an obsession with me. More importantly, why are they
and obesession with such a HUGE portion of their fans? The first easy
one Idea I came up with was the intelligence factor. Any random Rush
song is more intellgent than just about any song on the Billboard charts.
But, is that it? I find it hard to believe that something so brutal,
something so forceful could be closely tied to intellect, not to emotion.
Maybe that sounds immature, but you don't love with your head. Rush's
songs truly move me, and that is coming from below the neck. The
intelligence factor is big, I love them all the more because they stimulate
my mind. But there IS something else. Any ideas as to what it is?
Jason Rosenberg
----------------------------------------------------------
From: art@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Arthur L Miller)
Subject: wanted: A Nice Mornings Drive
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 90 15:34:58 CDT
If anyone has an electronic copy of the short story that "Red Barchetta"
was based on, please post it or send it to me!
Thanks very much,
Art Miller
art@casbah.acns.nwu.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Hold Your Fire inside photo
From: casavant%eng.ithaca.ncr.com@RELAY.CS.NET
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 90 17:48:28 -0400 (at ncrlnk.Dayton.NCR.COM)
To: Rush newsgroup
From: Scott Casavant
A few weeks back, a few people were discussing Rush symbols
in the inside photo of the "Hold Your Fire" jacket. Among
those mentioned (I have since deleted the original postings
so I'm working from memory here) were:
-- the fire hydrant from "Signals"
-- the TV from "Power Windows"
-- the clock indicating 9:12 (21:12 military time)
Since then, a friend and I have put our heads together and
come up with the following additions:
-- the number 15 on the main building...in the "Hold Your Fire"
tour book, they mentioned that this was their 15th album to
date (I believe they counted "Archives" as one of the
releases).
-- the juggler is clearly holding his fire.
-- at the very far left, underneath the chains is a trunk with
the logo from their first album. This was spotted on a 12
inch picture disk from the album. It cannot be seen in many
other versions of the picture.
-- The Chinese neon sign above the restaurant reads "Tai-Shan".
A friend from China confirmed this.
-- Finally, could that be Jacob's ladder above the restaurant,
rising above Tai-Shan? This one may be stretching things a
bit, but who knows?
If anyone else has spotted anything else in this picture, I'd
be interested in hearing about it.
------------
Scott Casavant
casavant@eng.ithaca.ncr.com
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 90 22:10:42 EDT
From: Kenneth Suzan <kdsu_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu>
Subject: In Search of RUSH posters
I have been looking for some RUSH posters in the Rochester area, but cannot
find a single one. The other day I did manage to buy a "Grace Under Pressure"
poster for $7 from a vendor visiting the University of Rochester. Do you
know of any mail order vendor which sells RUSH posters?
[ Check with the Backstage Club, dude! If nothing else, you get a poster
when you join, as part of the membership package. I believe they also
sell posters, but I don't remember specifics. Check a couple of Digests
back for the address - it was in the Frequently Asked Questions List (FAQL).
:rush-mgr ]
Thanks
Kenneth
kdsu_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu
********************************************************
My uncle has a country place, that no-one knows about
He says it used to be a farm, before the Motor Law
-RUSH "Red Barchetta" - Moving Pictures
********************************************************
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 90 19:09:19 -0700
From: mikea@cadence.com (Mike Abeyta)
Subject: true RUSH fan
Steven Owen <dunadan@u.washington.edu> writes:
>rather than writing songs designed solely to appeal to primitive
>urges (such as mating or dancing) in the listeners, RUSH's songs are
>structured . . . .
I don't know; listening to YYZ makes me want to dance and mate :-)
Mike
----------------------------------------------------------
From: wolf@xenitec.on.ca (Dave Wolf)
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 1990 23:34:32 EDT
Subject: Exit...ADD
> A couple of questions I have in mind. Does anyone know if an ADD
> version of Exit...Stage Left exists out there? I believe it is supposed
> to be a Canadian import that they did in ADD, though I've never seen it
> or heard about it. Someone on USENET posted about it a few years back,
> and I would love to get my hands on it if anyone knows more details.
My copy of Exit... is ADD. I bought it at the regular (Canadian) price,
so I assume all Canadian releases would be ADD as well.
-Dave
Dave Wolf
wolf@xenitec.on.ca
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 5 Oct 90 01:20:05 -0700
From: Steven Owen <dunadan@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Clarification on the RUSH.FANS file
The file from the Rush Archives I sent yesterday, RUSH.FANS, was sent without
proper attribution; some of you may have assumed the opinions originated from
myself. This is not so. I saved the original post, in alt.rock-n-roll I
believe, without the header. I do not know who posted the comments, but I
found them sufficiently interesting (perhaps representing one end of the Rush
fans spectrum) to save them.
More files from the Rush Archives when I call next from my other machine.
The next file on the queue are my OWN comments about Rush, and why I consider
them to be my favorite group. When you read *that* file, THEN you can flame
me for my opinions. :)
[ Yes, if you submit something that is not your original work, please
attribute it as best you can. In this case, if nothing else, note it
with "I got this off of alt.rock-n-roll", or something like that. Also,
if you do intend to do something like this, it's always best to check
with the original poster (if you can) to make sure they don't mind you
re-posting their work.
This isn't intended to be a flame aimed at you, Steve, rather a general
policy statement to the list. I made a similar mistake a while ago in
rec.music.misc when I posted the list of mailing lists w/out proper
attribution. :rush-mgr ]
ORQ: "He's a writer and a ranger and a young boy bearing arms"
--Mike Owen
----------------------------------------------------------
To submit material to the Rush mailing list, send mail to:
rush@syrinx.umd.edu
For administrative matters (additions, deletions & changes), send
mail to:
rush-request@syrinx.umd.edu
The contents of the Rush Fans Digest are solely the opinions and comments
of the individual authors, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
the management.
List Management
********************************
End of RUSH Fans Digest
********************************