The National Midnight Star #614

From temples@syrinx.umd.edu Thu Feb 4 19:11:00 1993 Return-Path: <temples@syrinx.umd.edu> Received: from syrinx.umd.edu by dsys.ncsl.nist.gov (4.1/NIST-dsys) id AA11727; Thu, 4 Feb 93 19:10:58 EST Received: by syrinx.umd.edu (5.57/Ultrix2.4-C) id AA22314; Thu, 4 Feb 93 18:30:08 -0500 Date: Thu, 4 Feb 93 18:30:08 -0500 Message-Id: <9302042330.AA22314@syrinx.umd.edu> Errors-To: rush-request@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@syrinx.umd.edu Subject: 02/04/93 - The National Midnight Star #614 Status: R
** ____ __ ___ ____ ___ ___ ** ** / /_/ /_ /\ / /__/ / / / / /\ / /__/ / ** ** / / / /__ / \/ / / / / /__/ / \/ / / /___ ** ** ** ** __ ___ ____ ** ** /\ /\ / / \ /\ / / / _ /__/ / ** ** / \/ \ / /___/ / \/ / /___/ / / / ** ** ** ** ____ ____ ___ ___ ** ** /__ / /__/ /__/ ** ** ____/ / / / / \ ** List posting/followup: rush@syrinx.umd.edu Administrative matters: rush-request@syrinx.umd.edu or rush-mgr@syrinx.umd.edu (Administrative postings to the posting address will be ignored!) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The National Midnight Star, Number 614 Thursday, 4 February 1993 Today's Topics: New Album ? Several things... Cygnus X-1 rythm Alex cutting loose ... Alan White Spirit of Radio and other stuff Yes and Yes and Rush and Rush Re: Question for guitarists NMS Shirts! Roll the Bones Poster and Scott (Yes Defense) Re: 02/03/93 - The National Midnight Star #613 Drum Charts non-Rush fans and various stuff lodging suggestion for convention Temples of Polka PoW tour, p/g MTV concert, Alex letting loose Various Ramblings ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 Feb 93 20:22 GMT From: Terence Moore-read <se2tm@cix.compulink.co.uk> Subject: New Album ? I haven't had time to read much on the NMS lately so if this has already been covered just humor me ok ? Is there any definate word on when the new album will appear ? [ New Album slated for Sept. 93, New producer will be Peter Collins, and yes, they are in their writing stage. :rush-mgr ] What happened to the video release ? [ Exactly! It didn't happen :( :rush-mgr ] Thanks TJM P.S. I anybody has details of a decent source of laserdisks (preferably in the states to take advantage of better pricing) could they email me with their details ? se2tm@cix.compulink.co.uk ---------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Several things... Date: Thu, 04 Feb 93 08:27:00 From: SMills@ncagccsu.telecom.com.au! Hey guys! I was at the studio last night and I was wearing a 2112 T-shirt I got from the states. (Ishould say at this point that I live in Sydney, Oz). Anyway this guy from another band yells out "Cool T-shirt!". So we start talking and it turn out his band is full of Rush fans....In Australia finding ONE other fan is amazing but finding _5_ was great! THEN they tell me their band name is "Presto" !! Ripper! Unfortunately they're not a Rush cover band (though here is Oz you could be and people would think they were originals!!) but they play similar sort of stuff. Anyway, we exchanged numbers and agreed to call eachother for support. Also, HERE HERE to the comment about the Hi-Hat work in The Weapon. _Very_ unpredictable - I wonder if Neil always plays it exactly the same. Next, my comment on the latest project....I would _dearly_ love it to continue to supplement my fairly generic collection. We are talking non-profit, low circulation, _exclusive_ circulation and hard-core fan stuff only. Keep a low profile and just make the thing. I can't seriously see anyone taking the trouble to hassle us for the above 4 reasons. In Oz we _need_ thie sort of thing. We can't even get Over the Europe or ANY thing like that here! SUCKS! (Still, I have my mates in the States don't I guys! Eh!) OK, enough from down under. Later Stum ---------------------------------------------------------- From: Dan Dickerman <dickermn@hpcugsya.cup.hp.com> Subject: Cygnus X-1 rythm Date: Wed, 3 Feb 93 15:41:40 PST In an effort to help whomever it was who wanted to rhythm to the part of Cygnus X-1 where the Bass is joined by the Drums (about 2:12 on the CD track, where things have begun to seem countable), I made and effort to write down the patterns. If you count straight 8th notes, the time signatures alternate between 3/4 4/4 and 7/8. To make life easy, consider counting even 8ths, change 3/4 to 6/8 and change 4/4 to 8/8. The remainder are a couple of creative rests. I'm sure there are other ways to get the same thing, but I like to think of patterns as repeating at the start of a measure. The patterns (rough ascii translation): x x. x | | 6 | | | x | /| --- | | -| |--| | 8 x ---- ---- 12 3 4 5 6 /---\ x x x x. x | /| | | 7 | | | x | /| |/ | (in some cases, the final note leaves --- | | -| |--| | |/ |/ out the initial 16th note tie, leaving 8 x ---- ---- just the 8th note on the last beat) 12 3 4 5 6 7 /---\ x x x x x. x | /| | /| | | 8 | | | x | /| |/ /| |/ | --- | | -| |--| | |/ | |/ |/ 8 x ---- ---- 12 3 4 5 6 7 8 That in mind, the signatures starting where the drums enter can be written: 6 4 7 4 7 4 8 - - - - - - - (all three 4/8 measures are completely rests) 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 Add guitar, and things become more regular (without rests) 6 7 6 8 6 7 6 8 6 7 6 8 6 7 6 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - *Chord* (in 4/4) 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 Once you get the rhythm, counting in 3/4 and 4/4 is a little smoother. Then after a bit of 4/4 and 3/4, there's another good section with the guitar going back and forth between pairs of: 6 5 6 6 - - and - - 8 8 8 8 Happy motoring, -- Dan ---------------------------------------------------------- From: jtkung@netcom.com (Joseph T. Kung) Subject: Alex cutting loose ... Date: Wed, 3 Feb 93 16:05:54 PST The only times I have ever heard Alex really cut loose is the opening to "La Villa Strangiato" on ESL where he plays some really fast notes (tremolo picking) and is basically unsupported by the band. He also has cut loose on the end of "Witch Hunt" in concert and in "YYZ", but most of the time, he plays the solo note-for-note except for some minor embellishments. As for "Spirit of Radio," the lick in the beginning is all hammer-ons and pull-offs except for the initial pick of the open E (he states this in an issue of Guitar For The Practicing Musician many years ago), pulling off to the open high E while hammering onto notes on the E and B. It's played with almost no reverb, with a bit of hollow flange, my guess on a Gibson ES-335 with Sunn amplification. Alex was a Gibson man for a long time until _Signals_ I believe, where he switched to Strat-style guitars (Fenders for a lot of P/G, and then Signature guitars until _Presto_, where he's now using Paul Reed Smith guitars). - Joe ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 Feb 93 19:19:42 EST From: Scott Kaplan <sfkaplan@cs.amherst.edu> Subject: Alan White In the NMS #613, Scott Clark wrote: >Besides, Alan White's lack of ability to play syncopated rythms like Bill Bruford hurt the band more, in my opinion. Have you ever heard him play Heart of the Sunrise or Roundabout? CHEESE! I hate to burst your bubble about Bill Bruford's playing with Yes here, but the syncopated rhythms he played for Heart of The Sunrise and Roundabout just aren't that difficult. I would stake my life on a bet that Alan White could play these rhythms, and could also create some interesting syncopated rhythms, to go along with Yes music. He, like many professional musicians, only display a few of the different styles that they can play, while many others remain hidden. Alan White was most certainly NOT a detriment to Yes after he joined, and I need only to point you to Going For The One for a demonstration of some very tasteful and effective contributions. His preferred style is *different* than Bruford's. Moreover, Cheese? Heh, I hope you had the fine opportunity to see the Union tour (and fantastic show if ever there was one). Bill's playing lacked many of the delicate touches that you hear on the studio albums. This is not his fault. This is very normal for live performances with drummers who normally add such subtle detail in the studio...simply because it can't be heard in a live arena. Carl Palmer does much of the same in the current ELP tour. That's just the nature of this type of music. Neil doesn't lose much live because he does less of the delicate improvisation. His parts are more composed and his style has always been one of strong, convincing play. My apologies for taking up Rush bandwidth on this discussion. But to add a bit here, Scott, don't talk too poorly of Alan White. Many consider him a stylistic precursor to Neil. [ If you wish to discuss this thread further, perhaps you might consider taking it to e-mail? Also watch the 80 line limit : rush-mgr ] Scott Kaplan sfkaplan@cs.amherst.edu ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 Feb 93 18:52:43 -0600 From: irsman@iastate.edu Subject: Spirit of Radio and other stuff For Scott McCaskill: I can tell you that the opening riff for Spirit of Radio is hammerons and pulloffs all the way...my brother actually can play it completely accurately, and I hate him for it :) If anyone would be interested, I can make up some TAB for TSoR and post it on the usual groups and ftp sites. About the top songs by instrument: Geddy: Freewill, RTB, Turn the Page (bass), Subdivisions (bass and kbds), and Dreamline (bass and kbds). Alex: Freewill (amazing amazing solo!), all of 2112, The Spirit of Radio, Presto, Analog Kid, Kid Gloves (had to make this a top 6 :) Neil: Tom Sawyer, all of 2112, Mystic Rhythms, Bravado, Subdivisions. Why people don't like Rush: I'd go for lack of danceability more than anything. There are bands out there with vocalists I think are a lot nastier than Ged, and it doesn't stop them from being popular if they have the right beats. --- Ian Schmidt: irsman@iastate.edu or aol.com, BITNET: twbv4@isuvax "I will choose a path that's clear: I will choose free will." - Neil Peart ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 19:55:35 -0500 From: mcmahan@cs.unca.edu Subject: Yes and Yes and Rush and Rush |Trevor Rabin ... is an excellent guitarist, and a decent songwriter. That's true. He shares a lot of stuff with Alex, the sort of guitar approach is the same. Harder edge than Howe, but with less sheer technical overkill. |Besides, Alan White's lack |of ability to play syncopated rythms like Bill Bruford hurt the band more, in |my opinion. Have you ever heard him play Heart of the Sunrise or |Roundabout? Alan's pounding back beat gives Yes some PUNCH! Bill was very much another instrumentalist, who played as complex as everyone else. Alan gives a good framework in which to take in all the other stuff. Alan is no slouch -- he's played some very bizarre rhythms with ease. One thing the Rabin oriented Yes does is play weird times. |How can anyone say that |Yes's music of the 80's compared to their earlier material changed from good |to bad, when I can't think of a better example of anyone doing this more than |Rush themselves? I think you ought to say that it's *CHANGED* and leave the value judgements to the listener. :) So far, the post 80 Rush has impressed me more than the old stuff. That can change as I get more into the old stuff. I love all the Yes stuff, old and new. (I have a tape with Rhythm of Love followed by Ritual! :)) Scott -- The more we live, the more we learn, the more we know. (Yes, 1990) ---------------------------------------------------------- From: Blake Butterworth <butterwo@rex.cs.tulane.edu> Date: Wed, 3 Feb 93 19:04:58 CST Subject: Re: Question for guitarists That opening riff is: p p p = pull-off e-2-0---0-5-0---0-2-0---0-4-2-0---0- B-----3-------3-------3---------3--- Its all fast picking except for the triplet. ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 Feb 93 20:42:40 -0500 From: meg (******* Meg *******) Subject: NMS Shirts! I am *very* grateful for all those patient people (doug, puanani & paul!) who have been waiting for the other sizes of shirts. I just ordered the shirts today (Feb. 3rd), sizes medium, large & xtra large. The shirts should be in by Friday or Monday of next week, so all you who've been waiting for other sizes now's the time to order some! Also, I still have the Rush CD Boot list, if you'd like a copy or have updates for me please don't hesitate to send me e-mail! (I might eventually put out a nicely-formatted list with pix of the covers of boots if there's enough interest -- hard copies of course!) -Meg meg@syrinx.umd.edu ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 20:58:33 -0500 (EST) From: Chad H Hutchinson <06819@brahms.udel.edu> Subject: Roll the Bones Poster and Scott (Yes Defense) Hi kids, I don't have that much to say today. First of all, I'm glad to see things are going well for the convention. I'm looking forward to meeting all you other freaks!! Second is this. I was at a local record store today in DE and found a full size poster of the Roll the Bones cover. The one twist to it is that in the bottom left hand corner, a couple of dice are knocked out and the two "leg" bones are coming through from the blue sky. It's pretty cool lookin'. I think it's the same size as the Hemispheres poster that's been mentioned lately, the p/g cover poster, and the '83 European Tour poster with the _A Farewell to Kings_ and _Moving Pictures_ covers on it. One last thing, hey Scott, I know you took offense to my Yes related post the other day and I want to explain myself. What is your exact address? I have a letter ready to send to you but something ain't working! ______________________________________________________________________________ \ _____ \ \ \ _____ \ The Ghost \ \ \ \ \ 06819@brahms.udel.edu \ \ \ \_____ \ ____ University of Delaware \ \ \ \ \ \ Chemical Engineering \__ \_______ \_______ \__ \__ * * * * * * * * Better people, better food and better beer * * * * * * * * ______________________________________________________________________________ ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: 03 Feb 1993 20:39:41 -0600 (CST) From: BRUHNJB@CAB.MRS.UMN.EDU Subject: Re: 02/03/93 - The National Midnight Star #613 Well, I'm glad that Peter Collins is with them. My favorite Rush album to date has got to be Hold Your Fire. It came out right after I started liking them. Great Album, and the insert design is cool in trying to pick out all the neat things around the juggling fire guy. Does anybody out there have a clue if Hugh Syme is going to design the new(well, in the making) album. I really hope so. Wouldn't want to break a string of excellent album covers as Iron Maiden did on their latest. It's still good but I liked Derek Riggs. Anyway, I believe for those who asked before, Hugh Syme has done plenty of covers. Like: The Storm, Kiss:Revenge, Styx:Edge of the Century and plenty others. And one other thing..... Does Hugh Syme play synthesizers on any other album or song other than Witch Hunt? Just Curious..... Not my usual short and to the point message but......who cares! -Bassman J (bruhnjb@cab.mrs.umn.edu) ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 4 Feb 93 00:18:52 EST From: Greg.Andrade@um.cc.umich.edu Subject: Drum Charts Hopefully, this will be the last time I have to post information on Rush drum transcriptions. Both Drum Techniques of Rush and More Rush are available from Steve Weiss Music in Philadelphia, PA. They are both priced at $12.95, and may be purchased for delivery with a credit card. Any order will be shipped via UPS within three working days. The number for Steve Weiss Music is (215) 324-3999. I am almost certain this is the correct number. If it is not, just call information. ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 04 Feb 1993 01:05:27 EST From: The Longshot <c2mxbir@fre.fsu.umd.edu> Subject: non-Rush fans and various stuff About Non-Rush fans, my current girlfriend was a rather strict devotee to dance music. I introduced her to Rush and she likes it very much, which suprised me. The first song lyrics that I quoted were from "Ghost of a Chance" She liked it so much, she framed it and had it hanging on the wall. I guess it helps that she is a poet! I find it interesting that popular isn't popular anymore. (As far as I know, there are no top 40 stations in DC anymore. They are all Rap and Oldies stations now.) Has anyone noticed that Dream Theater has been pluged a lot lately on MTV? I've seen their video for "Pull Me Under" (which is OK for a first video) on about 3-4 times in the past couple of weeks. Sounds good to me! Jason Birzer Frostburg State University anonymous c2mxbir@fre.fsu.umd.edu ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 4 Feb 93 01:50:33 EST From: "Jason McNamara, UCS PCF Consultant" <JMCNAMAR@ucs.indiana.edu> Subject: lodging suggestion for convention For (perhaps) cheaper housing for the convention, you might want to check out the U of Toronto (specifically Victoria College). They rent out dorm rooms at what I remember to be reasonable prices (maybe Can$35/night/person). Anyway, breakfast was included, and the college is right by the U of T art museum, a metro stop (also Museum as I recall) and the Yorketown district - neat shops etc - kinda like Georgetown (don't hold me to that). Any Toronto folks out there to clarify / correct this info? And I'll try this again, in case you missed it: PLEASE DON'T USE THE TERM 'BOYZ' IN A NMS MAILING! Les Canadiens crush the Kings 7-2; sun comes up in the morning; life goes on. (no 25-line Habs logo here, even though they now lead the Adams by 5 pts.) Jason McNamara, token conservative, Russian and East European Inst., Indiana U. Hoosiers #1 in the country, to sign Ivan Renko soon. Just ask Bob Knight. ;-> PS> If anyone wants, I can try to dig up more lodging info @ U of T. I was in Toronto last summer. Great city & rooms were nothing special but good value ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: 04 Feb 1993 10:29:35 -0500 (EST) From: FISHBOY <AACUNZO@ccmail.sunysb.edu> Subject: Temples of Polka I don't know why it's taken so long for me to post this, but here goes. I'm in a band called Canned Jams. Last year we made a tape of strange songs on my 4-track. Most are originals, a few are covers/parodies. One is called "Temples of Polka," which is a parody of "Temples of Syrinx." Lyrically, the song is a celebration of beer drinking. Musically, it's like the original, but it's a polka. Also, I arranged the bass part in an oom-pah style for tuba. Unfortunately, the tuba player was never able to record with us so we used bari sax instead. Anyway, here's the lyrics, I thought someone might get a laugh out of them. Most Rush fans I've played it for think it's hilarious. Here goes, but you really have to hear it to get the full effect: "Temples of Polka" And the meek shall inherit a stein... We've taken care of everything The beer you drink and the songs you sing The steins are brought out right before your eyes It's ale for all and ale for one We like to drink out in the summer sun Never need to wonder how or why We are the priests of the Temples of Polka Operate the polka machine in our hallowed halls We are the priests of the Temples of Polka All the gifts of Germany are held within these walls Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Look around at this world we've made Come and see how German beer is made Come and join the Oktoberfest of man Every night we come and whirl This quality beer as it unfurls Hold your steins up proudly hand in hand We are the priests of the Temples of Polka Operate the polka machine in our hallowed halls We are the priests of the Temples of Polka All the gifts of Germany are held within these walls! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Polka! - lyrics by Chris Buckley, 1992 (parody of Rush, 1976) One note: the polka machine referred to is my friend's cheezy red casio keyboard in the "demo" mode. Andy Acunzo aacunzo@ccmail.sunysb.edu ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: 04 Feb 1993 08:56:53 -0600 (MDT) From: BROWNEA@CC.UVCC.EDU Subject: PoW tour, p/g MTV concert, Alex letting loose Hello, again! I saw the Power Windows concert in Salt Lake City, UT. They did play Closer to the Heart (I remember being pissed because my throat was already sore from yelling, and I couldn't sing along as well). Was a good tour - brighter and more up-beat than p/g (King Dome - Seattle, WA)(the only 2 shows I've been able to afford). I first heard Rush in high school. CttH was the theme for my freshman year homecoming. As for the MTV power windows concert - I've got it on video tape. Only the one I recorded was played at 8:30 (Utah time) pm. I think it was a re-run of the 11:30 show becaus it was around 85 when I saw it. And Alex quoted in an early 80's (I think it was King Biscuit) interview that he 'let loose' on the solo for 'Kid Gloves'. That he didn't follow any format like he usually does; instead just 'winging it'. He said he was pleased with the result (and I got the impression he was surprised at how well he did). Bye... Earl brownea@cc.uvcc.edu ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 4 Feb 1993 07:58:55 PST From: JJones.wbst129@xerox.com Subject: Various Ramblings Hi again fellow Rushians, I have been getting caught up on the various topics that are being discussed in the NMS. I have a few comments and maybe a story. First off, "Hi Scott", a fellow new guy, great! OK Definately a story. As I said before in my first mail note that I have been a fan since '78 but that was actually the first time that I had ever heard them. A friend and I were in his basement doing what 13 year olds will do, and he said, "Do you want to listen to Rush?" I said,"Who?" ( Do you believe that?) He couldn't either, so he proceeded to play ATWAS for me, specifically Working Man. Needless to say I have been hooked ever since. However, the first album that I bought was 2112, unfortunately I was in California at the time on vacation with my family (I live in Roch, NY) soooo I couldn't listen to it. I could only read the lyrics. That is what REALLY got me started on the long road I've traveled to Rush Nirvana. :-) From that point I have made it my life's work to collect all the albums that they have ever produced on the best possible media (EXCEPT 8track!!!!) I would tend to agree with Scott on the mythical Bootleg. I don't like the idea only because I have become used to the rigid standards that our favs have put upon themselves. Their music excels because of it. 'Nuff said. There has been alot of talk about Rush normalizing their music over the years. This is an old and tired subject. My argument for those that think Rush has gone pop is this: They are a band with strict principles and musical talent to back it up. They make music (IMHO) the way that THEY want to make music. When MP came out, I started to see a trend developing for the band, they were making shorter and shorter songs, with the exception of Camera's Eye. All the Rockline interviews had questions like, "When are you going to make another concept album?" To which they replied (as I recall) that they were tired of making those types songs, that they were too easy for them to do anymore. The real challenge to them these days is to produce a potent song in a limited time frame, such as they have been doing for the past 10 years. This bummed me right out, because that was why I listened in the first place, long songs. They have proven my wrong time and time again on each new album. Their new stuff is different from their older classic material, but then again Time Does Not Stand Still. They move on to greater and greater challenges. I used to like the characters that they used to embelish their songs, but now I like the social consciousness that has taken over the songs. One final note, on the reasons other people don't like their music. I agree with all the previous reasons, but no one has mentioned the similar structure of Rush songs and jazz fusion. Both need a specific type of ear to hear the intricasies of the songs. To hear what is actually being done in a song you have to listen intently and alot of people, as has been mentioned, don't want to spend the time to really understand the song, like we do. Pop songs kind of wash over you and are background, while to really apreciate Rush you have to listen to the words and relationships to the music. Just my thoughts on the subjects. Sorry to be long-winded. "I see Red..." Jeff ----------------------------------------------------------
To submit material to The National Midnight Star, send mail to: rush@syrinx.umd.edu For administrative matters (subscription, unsubscription, changes, and questions), send mail to: rush-request@syrinx.umd.edu or rush-mgr@syrinx.umd.edu There is now anonymous ftp access available on Syrinx. The network address to ftp to is: syrinx.umd.edu or 128.8.2.114 When you've connected, userid is "anonymous", password is <your userid>. Once you've successfully logged on, change directory (cd) to 'rush'. There is also a mail server available (for those unable or unwilling to ftp). For more info, send email with the subject line of HELP to: server@ingr.com These requests are processed nightly. Use a subject line of MESSAGE to send a note to the server keeper or to deposit a file into the archive. The contents of The National Midnight Star are solely the opinions and comments of the individual authors, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the authors' management, or the mailing list management. Copyright The Rush Fans Mailing List, 1993. Editor, The National Midnight Star (Rush Fans Mailing List) ******************************************** End of The National Midnight Star Number 614 ********************************************