The National Midnight Star #102

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_mailing_list Subject: 11/14/90 - The National Midnight Star #102
** ____ __ ___ ____ ___ ___ ** ** / /_/ /_ /\ / /__/ / / / / /\ / /__/ / ** ** / / / /__ / \/ / / / / /__/ / \/ / / /___ ** ** ** ** __ ___ ____ ** ** /\ /\ / / \ /\ / / / _ /__/ / ** ** / \/ \ / /___/ / \/ / /___/ / / / ** ** ** ** ____ ____ ___ ___ ** ** /__ / /__/ /__/ ** ** ____/ / / / / \ ** The National Midnight Star, Number 102 Wednesday, 14 November 1990 Today's Topics: Re: Anthem, B,B,B Lyrics Rush live !! ...Catch a Yes song ?!!??! Re: 11/13/90 - The National Midnight Star #100 Karen Post and other stuff Sampled backing vocals? Probably. To be found within a song ... Top 3 Songs (Again!) Fact or Fiction? Various bit and pieces... Neil New B-man book, Alex Pedals Rush Lyrics Geeks? Us?? ---------------------------------------------------------- From: madrap@ecn.purdue.edu (Wyzard) Subject: Re: Anthem, B,B,B Lyrics Date: Tue, 13 Nov 90 12:45:13 EST Earlier in TNMS, Kerry Yackoboski stated: > > Subject: lyrics request > > Anthem > > Live for yourself, there's no one > More worth living for > Begging hands and bleeding hearts > Will only cry for more You know, this might be one of my all-time favourite Rush quotes! It just says so much!! > > Beneath, Between, & Behind > > (chorus) > Beneath the noble bird Hmmm...I once had the sheet music to this song, and the lyrics were a bit different. Seems I recall that line as "Beneath the noble birth". Can anyone tell me what Neil might have meant by the "noble bird"? [ As the song is written about the United States, I'd say it's safe to assume the "noble bird" is the American eagle. But you know what they say about assuming... :-) :rush-mgr ] > By the way, are we just a bunch of computer-oriented stereotypical > physical scince techno geeks :-) on the NMS list, or do we have some, say, > historians, social scientists, or literature specialists with us? > Or am I the only science nerd here? I'm a third year CEE undergrad here at Purdue... Wyzard ********* But what the hell is this world coming to? -Metallica ********** * Name: The Wyzard * #include <stdisclaim.h> * * Internet: madrap@ecn.purdue.edu * Further quotes as events warrant. * ********************* Image is just a mindless game. ********************** ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 13 Nov 90 12:55 EST From: Lewis A Bernstein <V087N562@ubvmsc.cc.buffalo.edu> Subject: Rush live !! I happened to see both Toronto Rush shows, and the one in Albany, NY too. It seems to me that the material in all of them was about identical. The drum solo was longer on the second night in Toronto, but besides that there were no major surprises. I thought that they did a really good job with just about everything, Geddy made a mistake at one point on the keyboard and kind of made a over exaggerated shrugging with his shoulders, like he knew he screwed something up. I liked all three of the shows, even though the large rabbits weren't a surprise the second two times around. I was dissapointed that they didn't play Presto though. By the way, I just subscribed to NMS this week and think that it is a great idea, and loved the first one I got (100) ---------------------------------------------------------- From: robin_m@apollo.com Date: Tue, 13 Nov 90 14:26:41 EST Subject: ...Catch a Yes song ?!!??! [ Please keep your postings to less than 80 chars!! :rush-mgr ] I think that too much is being made out of the "Catch a fish" line. Geddy was in all likelyhood screwing around with the lyrics, for no particular reason. He probably stuck it in because it fit. He's done it before: "One likes to believe in the freedom of baseball","We are the plumbers who fix your sinks". I doubt if there's any deeper reason to it than that. -Marshall "Our mighty wrenches will fix your clogs" ---------------------------------------------------------- From: bold%astroatc.UUCP@cs.wisc.edu (Jeff Beck) Subject: Re: 11/13/90 - The National Midnight Star #100 Date: Tue, 13 Nov 90 13:39:31 CDT > Date: Sat, 10 Nov 90 22:24:06 -0500 > From: Patrick.Quairoli@cyber.widener.edu > Subject: Live Rush > > I don't ever put the boyz down but... i have to admit i was not thrilled with > the sound quality at the show in philly. sure it was loud but geddy's bass > wasn't disernable...and alex's guitar was distorted.... I saw them at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. Being in the third row and hearing mostly stage noise, I didn't like the sound either. But I did hear that it was much better farther back. > sorry! You're forgiven :-) > From: atz@clmqt.marquette.Mi.US (dweezilbub) > Subject: Just thought I'd say hi > Date: 11 Nov 90 19:48:45 EST (Sun) > Anyways, it was kinda neat (to me) when during YYZ, Alex broke a > string and we got to hear about 10 seconds of the song with just > drums and bass... Definitely not record material, but I got off > on it. > [ Yep, I heard a tape where Alex broke a string during "Red Barchetta", > and Geddy & Neil had to continue. He did an amazingly fast switch, and > picked back up in about 7 seconds! (GUP tour) :rush-mgr ] I'm starting to wonder if this isn't part of the stage act. When I saw them a few years ago in Milwaukee, Alex broke a string right before the solo to YYZ. Geddy just carried on with a little longer of a bass solo and then Alex came in after he got a new guitar. This is part of the act, or Alex breaks a hell of a lot of strings at inopportune moments. When he did it in Milwaukee, the crowd went wild because he kindof made a big deal about it. He looked off-stage and held his hands up, like he was saying "What is this thing around my neck" to let people know his guitar wasn't working. Oops, I take that back. He didn't break a string, his wireless went out. I remember him playing for a few seconds with no sound coming out. Then he realized it himself and switched guitars. Rush is just the kind of band that would work something like this into their show. They have a sense of humor and do strange things sometimes. I wouldn't be too surprised if this was intentional. Maybe they noticed the crowd reaction when they handled it accidentally one time and decided to keep it as part of the show. Notice that two people above thought it was impressive. I thought they did a good job of it during YYZ in Milwaukee. Who knows? -- ****************************************************************************** * Jason Bold - Madison,WI= [(rutgers||ames)!uwvax||att!nicmad]!astroatc!bold * * "Science like nature, must also be tamed" - Rush ****************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 13 Nov 90 16:09:29 -0500 From: zawada@ecn.purdue.edu (Paul J Zawada) Subject: Karen Post and other stuff Yeah, It seems the last time I heard from Karen was about 2 years ago. I remember she had to leave school for some reason (financial maybe?). She retained her account at OSU for over a year and a half on the premise that she would eventually return to school. She *never* logged into it after supposedly starting to work off campus. May be she left Columbus? Who knows? All of her (previous) accounts are now gone and I think she's gone for good. :-( Too bad... The lady really knew her Rush... On Alex and pedals... Yes, I also noticed he was triggering background vocals by foot... I first noticed it during _Subdivisions_. You could barely hear him sing "Subdivisions" at the HYF tour, but at the Presto tour he was really singing! At least that what it sounded like at first... A few measures later you realized that it wasn't his voice, it was his foot... I was also "lucky" enough to see Alex break a string during YYZ. It was really cool hearing Geddy and Neil playing on while Alex switched guitars... (Sorry Alex...) It took him a little extra time after he switched guitars...evidently the guitar the roadie gave him was slightly out of tune. He played two notes, shut the volume off, tweaked the tuning slightly, and then picked up the solo again after a total of about 15 seconds... What is this? Guitar pitstop timing? Reminds me of the story Joe Walsh tells about when he was in the James Gang... "We didn't have roadies back then... If you broke a guitar string you went to a drum solo... If you broke a drum head, you went to a guitar solo..." pjz... Paul J Zawada | zawada@ei.ecn.purdue.edu Titan P3 Workstation Support | ...!pur-ee!zawada Purdue University | Engineering Computer Network | KB9FMN _ .... . ... .__. .. ._. .. _ ___ .._. ._. ._ _.. .. ___ ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: 13 Nov 90 16:14:00 EST From: "Mike Andrews" <kramer@wittenberg.edu> Subject: Sampled backing vocals? Probably. Todd Oliver (OLIVER_T@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu) mentioned something about Alex's pedals and backing vocals: > I noticed (during the Albany show) that Alex would step on pedals that were > hidden from the crowd by his monitor when he stepped up to the mike (and even > when he didn't). I finally figured out, with help from a friend who knows > quite a bit about music, recording, and the like, that Alex was stepping on > these pedals to turn on the backing vocals during each song... I thought that > this was interesting, if not wierd. I had figured that the vocals would be on > a tape played during the songs, not a sampler. Can anybody refute or confirm > this observation? I saw them in Cincinatti the second time they stopped there on the Presto tour.. During "Show Don't Tell" on the first chorus, the background vocals ('show me don't tell me') popped in just a bit late.. Sounded an awful lot like a sample of Ged's voice to me.. and it wouldn't surprise me if Alex had triggered it (late). Through the rest of the song that same backing vocal line sounded dead on the same.. Samplers would be easier to trigger onstage than a tape would be anyway. (Not to mention more reliable and better sounding.) Other than that little flaw, I thought the show was GREAT, despite my seats (sigh) and the fact that Ged's bass didn't have enough low end.. There was a big, big difference between when he played bass and when he/Alex were using bass pedals instead. The bass pedals sounded great, the Wal, not-so-great.. Oh well.. Mike Andrews kramer@wittenberg.edu kramer@wittenbg.bitnet ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 13 Nov 1990 13:53:07 PST From: Brad_Armstrong.Wbst129@xerox.com Subject: To be found within a song ... Hello all, I've been unable to send outgoing mail for a few months, but the situation is largely cleared up now. I have been reading the digests all along though, thanks to our fearless editor... My contribution today is this: Kerry writes that she doesn't think that "history's debt" refers to the founding of the U.S. That violent founding is exactly what I always thought it was referring; "history's debt" being the independence that we wrested from the rest of the world (the "kingly foe", in particular) so proudly. I think the reason it is mentioned is to point out the possibility that the "cracks" which are appearing in our system could lead to some sort of revolution, or our downfall, just as we fought against what we saw as cracks in the Colonial system. I see the song, therefore, as a warning, as well as as a portrait. Electronic communication, making your life better; Magician. ---- Brad Armstrong Lion.Wbst129@Xerox.COM Xerox, 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: Tue, 13 Nov 90 14:36:10 -0800 From: ppierald@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Perdle) Subject: Top 3 Songs (Again!) Well folks, this is it. I can't remember when I have seen a closer race! There have been almost 90 votes and 2 are tied for first! So I need more votes. I will continue to take votes until Friday November 15, 1990 @ 1:00 PST. After this, I will accept no more votes and I will post the results. In addition to the top 3 Rush songs, I will post the entire listing of entries with their respective number of votes. To all of you who have participated, I thank you for making this a success. I am sorry that I couldn't reply personally, but I figured I could thank you all publically. So get out there and vote! Send your responses in the format of: song 1 song 2 song 3 to: ppierald@polyslo.calpoly.edu If you could follow this format, it makes the mail easier to strip. Thanks again!!!!! - Paul Pieralde ppierald@polyslo.calpoly.edu ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 13 Nov 90 16:41:07 +0100 From: bijan@chorus.fr (Bijan Forutanpour) Subject: Fact or Fiction? Greetings Hosers, I've heard *something* which is either a very filthy rumor or an interesting bit of trivia. In either case, I'd like to know whether this is true or not: 1) Neil Peart used to be a very hardcore chain smoker. 2) He got lung cancer. 3) *One* of his lungs had to be removed. 4) He quit smoking. 5) He still kicks butt on the drums. I know #5 is true, but the rest.....??? Question: What languages do the Boyz speak besides English? Parlez Francais? Anything else? Question: Where did the term "the Boyz" come from? Some album cover? [ I got it from Barry. Ask him. :-) :rush-mgr ] Question: Considering Alex has his private pilot's license, has he ever gone skydiving? -Bijan ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 13 Nov 1990 18:52:54 EST From: Mark "Crimson" Friedman <friedman@cis.ohio-state.edu> Subject: Various bit and pieces... "catch the fish": Well, personally, I thought it was an attempt a zany madcap humor! I don't think there's anything important to it, although I believe that "those damn fish" were mentioned in the credits to, um, "Hold Your Fire", I believe... "Anagram =?= noigileR": Well, here too I really don't see any deep meaning! There's a tendency to read a lot into Rush lyrics (heck, I did a 45 minute dissertation on "Fountain of Lamneth"!). However, depth isn't always present or neccessary. I think Mr.Peart was just having a bit-o-fun... "Hugh Syme": I think he did Bon Jovi's "New Jersey", though I believe it's a bit embarrassing to mention! :-) "Rush Goddess...gone?": A pity, but I just can't seem to find any Karen Post here at The Ohio State University, Inc. (over 1 billion served). Perhaps she went on to a better place... "Chronicles Video": Got mine: $16.99 at Singin' Dog Records! Cowtown pulls through again. "Rush rasters have met their Waterloo": Well, who has them in their personal Archives? I would definately like to have these, though I'm getting some nice Rush GIFs from "dweezilbub" (e-mail address withheld to keep his mailbox small!). Thanks, Jeff! "100 already?" Hooray! That's nice to hear. Heck, I was an original member, I believe. Ah, I remember the good old days when I received 50 mailings a day, all dealing with Rush. Those were the days, eh Rush-Mgr? :-) [ Yep, I got quite a bit of pissed mail at that point in time... along the lines of "this is ridiculous!" :rush-mgr ] "We've got Mars on the Horizon", - Crimson +----====>>>))) Mark Friedman is friedman@cis.ohio-state.edu (((<<<====----+ | "There is nothing former | (Disclaimer : the opposite of Datclaimer) | | about King Crimson." | "I used to have a photgraphic memory | | - Robert Fripp, 5/11/90 | but it was never developed..." | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------+ ---------------------------------------------------------- From: quairoli@cs.widener.edu (Patrick Quairoli) Subject: Neil Date: Tue, 13 Nov 90 19:05:14 EST greetings brothers (and sisters), i've heard a lot about when rush found out about 'the digest', i was wondering if someone could tell me exactly what happened and if they ever said anything to or about 'the digest'. [ Ok, would the original poster (Dan? I forget now) be interested in re- posting the experience? Kind of put things in perspective ... :rush-mgr ] pq the_analog_kid patrick.quairoli@cyber.widener.edu SOON TO BE.... quairoli@cs.widener.edu ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 13 Nov 90 16:43 EST From: Shane Faulkner <V127L2QZ@ubvmsc.cc.buffalo.edu> Subject: New B-man book, Alex Pedals Just heard, straight from the horse's mouth..... Bill 'B-Man' Banasiewicz is working on another Rush book. I have no idea what he could possibly include that wasn't in Visions, but who knows. Concerning the guy who mentioned Alex controlling the background vocals. The Boyz have always been adamant about controlling everything you hear at a Rush concert. Everything you hear that they aren't actually playing, they are either playing on Taurus pedals or triggering via midi pedals. The most amazing aspect of this was when I went to the Presto show in Detroit last March. I was Stage Left, high up with a great view of everything the Boyz were doing. I concentrated on Alex during Manhattan Project and watched him trigger all the violin parts. I mean, if his cues aren't dead on, the whole song would fall to pieces. Amazing stuff. A little bit o' trivia that occured to me a few days ago... Name a Rush song besides 'Anagram' that uses Anagrams!!!! There are only 2 lines in the song that do. -Shane ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 14 Nov 90 10:25 EST From: V068J6JK@ubvmsc.cc.buffalo.edu Subject: Rush Lyrics Hey guys (and girls) Does anybody out there have the lyrics for the first album? I've been listening to the boyz for quite a while now and have pretty much gotten used to figuring out what Ged is singing, but some of the stuff on Rush is impossible to figure out(for me at least :) So if anybody has the official lyrics, or something they've figured out, please mail them to me. My adress is V068J6JK@UBVMS.BITNET Thanks in advance Mike P.S. I have the lyrics for all the other albums if anybody needs anything. ******************************************************************************* "Once we loved the flowers, now we ask the price of the land." I Think I'm Going Bald ******************************************************************************* ---------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Geeks? Us?? Date: Wed, 14 Nov 90 11:21:36 EST From: David Arnold <davida@umd5.UMD.EDU> In The N.M.S. Number 100, Kerry <yackob@eeserv.ee.umanitoba.ca> wrote: > By the way, are we just a bunch of computer-oriented stereotypical >physical scince techno geeks :-) on the NMS list, or do we have some, say, >historians, social scientists, or literature specialists with us? >Or am I the only science nerd here? Well, for what it's worth, my degree was in Geography; specifically computer cartography. That sort of puts me 'on the fence', as it were. I took a lot of physical geography courses (geomorphology, climatology, etc), some urban studies (yawn) stuff, and several cartography courses. I also served as a computer lab "first aider" while a student, and now (when I'm not stuck programming IDEAL on an MVS {just say no!} system) I'm a general consultant for the University of Maryland Comp. Sci. Center. Consultant: One who knows a little about a lot of things; knowing less and less about more and more, until they know nothing about everything. Hey, maybe I should put a little RUSH content in this post? On the topic of the triggering of sampled sounds in concert ("Subdivisions"), I read in one of the recent Backstage Club newsletters (Neil) that while many of their concert sounds are now sampled and stored digitally, *all* of the sounds you hear are either played or triggered by the three of them. I believe they can all three trigger certain things; I know Alex does with his pedals and Neil does with his drum pads - I assume Geddy can from his keyboards. One last bit, in reference to flubs on stage (Alex/guitar string), on the Moving Pictures tour, Geddy came in (singing) too early on one of the new songs. He immediately realized what he'd done, and stopped after uttering part of the first syllable (sounded like "Uh"). He then immediately re- made the sound (for fun), then started singing at the correct place. Just coincidentally, the large video monitor in the hall was on him as he did it, so you could see him smile (in a semi-embarassed way). OBRQ: "" - La Villa Strangiato 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 ----------------------------------------------------------
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