From temples@syrinx.umd.edu Wed Jun 2 19:42:38 1993
Return-Path: <temples@syrinx.umd.edu>
Received: from syrinx.umd.edu by dsys.ncsl.nist.gov (4.1/NIST-dsys)
id AA19533; Wed, 2 Jun 93 19:42:36 EDT
Received: by syrinx.umd.edu (5.57/Ultrix2.4-C)
id AA09050; Wed, 2 Jun 93 18:30:08 -0400
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 93 18:30:08 -0400
Message-Id: <9306022230.AA09050@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: 06/02/93 - The National Midnight Star #690
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 690
Wednesday, 2 June 1993
Today's Topics:
Administrivia
Interesting observation from Signals...
Howe, Rap, Holding Out
RAP...yet another post
Re: Rap: I think differently
my life with rush
Over the Europe (plus rap, etc)
Identities of the Unknown
Take 28
Re: 05/27/93 - The National Midnight Star #688
Re: 05/28/93 - The National Midnight Star #689
man, this school thing sucks!
Re: 05/28/93 - The National Midnight Star #689
Award (reprise)
Bootes
Trivia: Origin of Syrinx
Rap, sloppy playing
Roll The Bones Rap Lyric and HYF debate
Updated RCB Catalog
Rhythm Method
RTB "rap"
Rush Mods???
The General Over The Europe Euphoria
Writings that influenced Rush
Blue Elephants
----------------------------------------------------------
From: rush-mgr@syrinx.umd.edu <The RUSH Fans Digest Manager>
Date: Wed Jun 2 11:04:01 EDT 1993
Subject: Administrivia
There was no digest for either Mon or Tues (May 31 or June 1.)
- rush-mgr
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 28 May 1993 16:20:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: Rob Halsey <rhalse20@ursa.Calvin.EDU>
Subject: Interesting observation from Signals...
Hello Rushians...
I was looking through the liner of Signals the other day, and I discovered
something interesting (although I'm sure that people other than me have
noticed. I looked at the bloueprint drawing and noticed that "Dirk",
"Lerxt", and "Pratt" all were included as various names of streets, etc.
(I don't have the disc with me, or I would be more specific). Maybe this
could be a part of the "Obscure Rush Trivia" FAQ (or whatever it is called...)
Thanking God Almighty that exams are over (but now I only have internet
access whenever I feel like driving 15 miles to campus :-)
* rhalse20@calvin.edu is...* =SARCASTIC HUMOR= * "A spirit with a
Rob Halsey (A.K.A. Trebor) * "Men are pigs...it's * vision is a dream...
171 Manzana Ct. N.W. Apt 2B* just too bad we own * with a mission"
Walker, MI 49504 * everything!" -T. Allen * -Rush
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 28 May 1993 20:28:52 -0400
From: mcmahan@cs.unca.edu
Subject: Howe, Rap, Holding Out
Howe: *is* one of the greatest, no question, and by the time of Asia
neither he nor Carl palmer had anything to prove to anyone.
Kinda like Rush -- they can do what they want, like rapping.
|In this whole discussion it seems everyone has a base assumption that
|the genre of rap is inherently bad.
Yep, that's the basic assumption you have to make about rap in order
to discuss it. The problem with rap is that there's nothing original
-- people rip off riffs, melodies, grooves, and anything you can
digitally sample from *other* artists and speak over it. People
getting credit for "music" when all they do is use what others have
already created and speak on top of it doesn't cut it with anyone who
appreciates music. Especially disgusting are the ones who rip others
off without even acknowleging it.
I don't think the rap in RTB even sounds all that much like rap proper
-- lots of songs long before rap was even invented had speaking, and
some of them had speaking that rhymed.
|[ This has been waiting for a while on the rush-mgr account.. enjoy!
Quit holding out on us!!!
[ What? You mean I haven't mailed out the letter Alex sent in about
how wonderful the NMS is and all? :) :rush-mgr ]
Scott
--
The hands that build could also pull down (U2, 1986)
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 28 May 93 18:31:38 -0600
From: miesch@solarz.Colorado.EDU (MIESCH MARK)
Subject: RAP...yet another post
greetings Rushland,
I've been reading some of these posts about the RTB rap, and to be honest,
I'm surprised that the thread has lasted this long. But seeing that it has,
I thought I'd add my humble opinion.
First, let me say that I don't think it's in any way meant to poke fun at
rap as a form of music. I agree with whomever it was (sorry, I forgot the
name) who said that rap _can_ be a very creative and interesting way to
get a point across. I definitely would not say that I'm a rap fan, and I
don't own a single rap album, but there are a few songs that I've heard on
the radio that have impressed me with the wordplay and the rhythm. Think
about it - what is the fundamentalaracteristic that defines the
genre: rap is an attempt to synchronize lyrics with some kind of beat -
some kind of rhythm. Most rap bands aren't too creative, but I think
rap as a form of music, or a form of expression is pretty much unlimited.
I mean, Neil's a poet, right? What better challenge than to try to
design your lyrics in the rhythmical way that rappers (attempt to) do? Neil
wasn't trying to make fun of anything, he just saw it as a challenge to try
to write a rhythmic passage, that kind of flows off the tongue without
need for a creative musical underscore. It's just one way of playing with
words, and if anyone likes to do that, it's Neil (look at some of the
songs on PRESTO, especially anagram). I'm not saying that all rap music
is worthy of respect as poetry, by any stretch of the imagination,
but it is an interesting mode of communication and has alot of potential -
a very well done rap is a great opportunity to do some pretty impressive
wordplay, and I think Neil wanted to experiment with it a little.
And, for all you people that think it should have been left out - come on,
it's about 2 minutes out of the hundreds of minutes of recorded rush
material. If you don't appreciate it as music, then that's fine, but
I wouldn't bad mouth it and say they sold out. Why would they sell out?
Do you think rap fans would buy RTB just for those 2 minutes? You've
got to be kidding. It's just an attempt at something different. I
doubt we'll ever see it again, but I'm glad it was included on the album-
why the hell not? Would you rather they left it out altogether and
put out a shorter album? I thought it was interesting to hear, if for
nothing else than the novelty of it and way it was nestled into their
more traditional (at least later) sound. If you are a truly creative
musician, you want to explore all of the avenues of creativity, and there
is definitely that potential in rap.
Sorry this was so long,
adios,
Mark
miesch@mhd.colorado.edu
"It is better to fail in innovation than to succeed in imitation"
(or something like that) - H. Melville
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 28 May 93 17:39:29 PDT
From: matte@pluto.gvg.tek.com (Matt Elkins)
Subject: Re: Rap: I think differently
In response to Will Geeslin's query about why more of us don't give
RAP a chance. Personally, I have a big problem with a genre whose
two major themes are mysogyny and racism. Somewhat beside the point,
RAP, lacking melody, harmony, counterpoint, etc, can't really even
be considered music.
-- Matt C. Elkins |Theres a thought that fills your mind, A vision
|of a time, when knowledge was confined. And
elkinsm@athena.ecs.csus.edu|then we wonder how machines can steal each others
|dreams. From points that are unseen...It's real
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 28 May 1993 20:42:43 +0500 (EST)
From: bennett jason <bennej9@ac.wfunet.wfu.edu>
Subject: my life with rush
Howdy rushians,
This is my first post to the newsgroup, so it may be kind of long, since
the last few issues of TNMS have been quite interesting. First of all, I
loved the article that Neil wrote in #687. Friends have always presented
him to me as being cold, eccentric, and downright nasty when it comes to
the fans. That article showed me a great guy(not just a drummer or
lyricist) that I could sit down and just jam with, some great
conversations. BTW, that book, "Confederacy of Dunces," is great. I read
it a couple of years ago, and laughed from cover to cover. Check it out.
Of course, I just saw in some article that it might not be from Neil himself,
so I guess that whole little plug above was just pointless. Second,
everyone has been throwing in their Rush "testimonies" so here's mine. I
HATED RUSH. I thought that Geddy was a girl the first time I heard the group
(not flaming women, just didn't think the voice went with the music) in my
friend's truck. It was by pure accident, not by some fanatic or newsgroup
that got me hooked. I heard "Dreamline" on the radio last spring when I
was in my car, driving down the highway, sunroof open, and windows down.
I identified with the song in some strange way. The lyrics combined with
the incredible mix of guitar, drum, and bass, made a great driving tune as
well. I recognized the voice, and thought it might be Rush. Immediately,
my fanatic friend begins to shower me with albums, at least to his
ability. I began with RTB and ASOH, and then I heard Chronicles. That
hooked me on their harder rocking sound, and the rest is history. I have
now surpassed this "fanatic," though I guess he didn't get caught up in
it, as much as I did. I have over half their albums, and I'm working on
completing with the remaining ones(MP-HYF). I just listened to P, after a
long hiatus of criticizing it. Like everyone else, I put it on the shelf
to gather dust, and just picked it up again today. I listened to lyrics
of "The Pass," and almost got teary-eyed, because I identified it with my
past year in a lot of ways. The point is, I think Presto is a much
improved album from the last time I heard it. Not that the album's
changed, but I have. I think that's why there's a delayed reaction in
liking some of Rush's songs(IMHO). We don't always identify or understand the
lyrics and the great combination of music to accompany it when we first
hear it the first time. But coming back, things are always just a little
different. About Rush's "chat session," on RTB: you've got to respect A, G
& N for putting out something as original as that on a rock album, and still
manage to keep their identity. Throughout the short, somewhat inane
verses, you could still catch Neil's witty lyrics just pounding away and
keeping with the song. Besides that I just like some Rap anyway, at least
as respect for another type of art form. Groups like Arrested
Development, and Digable Planets. Like Rush, I think all art should
evolve. Gangster rap is also good, and has a vicarious quality to it but it
definitely gets redundant after a while. Anyway off the soapbox. Mgr:if
this is too long, I'm sorry. I'm hoping to keep up the posts, now that I've
started. I'm glad while I was home for a few days on break, everyone got
away from the black hole issue; that was getting quite boring and pointless
(IMHO). Later.
Jason Bennett
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Over the Europe (plus rap, etc)
Date: Fri, 28 May 1993 22:57:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: Dreaming <snort@eng.umd.edu>
In reply to Kemarin' <ma2paw@sunlab1.bath.ac.uk>,
>Just got OTE. It's brilliant! The quality is the best I have heard
>on a boot. It's nice and long aswell. Just what I needed. RECOMMENDED!!!!!
No argument here! I think it's some of the best Rush music I have. I
loved the version of "Bravado" they did on tour, and I'm happy to have
it, "Ghost of a Chance", and "Where's My Thing" live.
>What is said in Big Money (about 6:13).
It sounds to me like Alex saying "Geddy Geddy Geddy" but it could just
as easily be "buddy" or "bubba", it's pretty distorted.
>On Where's My Thing, I think Ged says 'Nobody expects the Spanish
>Inquisition; (beginning at 5:25).
It's a sample from Monty Python (I believe Michael Palin is the one
who speaks this line).
>What is it that goes on in CTTH starting at 2:46? The only word I
>can make out is 'autograph'.
I _think_ this is Alex restaging the Battle of the Bulge with some
stuffed animals or hand puppets or something. He's just being
typically Alex-weird. Wish he'd done it at the shows I saw... :-)
>At the start of Tom Sawyer, a voice says 'Moving Pictures take 28'
>amongst other things. What is the significance, if any, of the fact
>that it's take 28?
Maybe it's the 28th time they've redone this little short film for the
big video screen? Your guess is as good as mine.
Oh, and I agree with Will Geeslin <geeslinw@uklans.uky.edu>:
Public Enemy is a great musical act, and probably the most accessible
hard-rap (heavily influenced by african-american history and anger;
I've heard that the majority of their fans are white middle class,
btw). They address serious subjects and NO ONE can match Chuck D's
power of delivery. I like other rap and hip-hop too, but not as much.
'course, I don't dismiss any genre offhand, except elevator music.
As an aside to Jimmy--
I think you're being a little hard on Reva about his t-shirt comments.
I bought it sight-unseen because I _knew_ it would be an attention-
grabber. Everyone likes being "in" on a joke or a private club, and
our shirts are like our badges, or our secret masonic handshakes. How
better to distinguish yourself from the rest of Madison Square Garden?
:-) The fact that I think the shirt came out well is nice, but its
quality wasn't the issue for me, and I suspect for others as well.
(It's one of those things I wear because I like people to look at it.)
I think the quotes on the shirt are great, and I'm very happy with the
color and material -- unlike my other concert T's, it'll actually last
for a few years!
--
snort@eng.umd.edu Dreaming
there's a little bit of me in each electron on your phosphor
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 28 May 93 22:22:55 CDT
From: Scott Tullos <JTULLOS1@UA1VM.UA.EDU>
Subject: Identities of the Unknown
Just a thought. Has anyone ever wondered if rush-mgr, or Meg, might actually
be Mr. Neil himself? Just something to think about. We all know that Neil
likes the written word -- and a bit of anonymity. The main thing that
makes me doubt this hypothesis is that Meg's comments are very minimal. I
suspect that NP wouldn't be able to resist more wordy, though brilliant,
comments in the margains. Not that Meg's marginal commments haven't been
brilliant enough! :-)
[ Ha! Why if I were indeed Neil -- let's see here, "Ok boys, listen
up, Alex/Ged you guys learn By-Tor and the Snow Dog, and next tour
we'll be playing that along with Natural Science.." :-) rush-mgr]
----------------------------------------------------------
From: djbarans@eos.ncsu.edu
Subject: Take 28
Date: Fri, 28 May 93 23:33:51 EDT
I believe the snippet you are referring to is the woman's voice in the video
before Tom Sawyer (Escape from Moving Pictures I believe is the name of the
video). I think (this is from memory on the ASOH video) she says, "Escape
from Moving Pictures, take 28." Then there's some garble talk and then the
woman counts "1..2..3..4.." and the boyz bang on in to Tom Sawyer.
David J. Baranski
djbarans@eos.ncsu.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 28 May 93 21:18:43 PDT
From: "dkumasaw.US1" <dkumasaw@us.oracle.com>
Subject: Re: 05/27/93 - The National Midnight Star #688
>From: tm1cy1 <tm1cy1@greenwich.ac.uk>
>Date: Thu, 27 May 93 17:35:48 BST
>Subject:- RTB rap part live.
>
>Did they not perform the rap live in the US? When I saw them at Wembley in
>London, they performed it really quite well, I was quite amazed... the
>Skeleton was on Video singing, it would stop then RUSH would continue, they
>would stop, and then the Skeleton would carry on singing.. etc...
Let me clarify what I said before: when I saw RUSH they *played* the music
during the rap section of "Roll the Bones" but Geddy did not sing/rap/speak
the words at that point - the vocal part of the song was pre-recorded.
In fact, Alex and Geddy were jamming away on their instruments away from
all of the microphones at that part of the song, which was fun to see.
In fact, I think they were even rolling around on the floor! Even though
I enjoyed that part of the song, I would have enjoyed it more if Geddy
had done the rap live...
Darren
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 28 May 93 21:18:40 PDT
From: "dkumasaw.US1" <dkumasaw@us.oracle.com>
Subject: Re: 05/28/93 - The National Midnight Star #689
>>From: frick@cs.utexas.edu (Baltasar Allende Reva)
>>Date: Thu, 27 May 1993 09:05:22 -0500
>>Subject: Rush Vs Dream Theather
>>
>>TNMS shirt! I couldn't believe the number of people that approached me...
>>I personally don't like the shirt that much, but it was a magnet.
>
>Date: Fri, 28 May 93 15:29:33 -0400
>From: jlang (~ Rush Fanatic ~)
>Subject: Shirt/Convention/Flame(s)
>
>Hmm.. so in other words, you didn't really like the shirt but you decided
>to wear it and while you're at it, if it got you the unbelievable attention
>of people approaching you, you didn't mind? So basically as long as the
>shirt was a magnet you didn't care how it looked. You're really in it
>for the attention getter aspect of it then I take it?
Whoa, Jimmy, no need to go ballastic on Albertr!! It seems to me like you
are misinterpreting his post... probably intentionally because you didn't
like his earlier comments about the convention. I don't think you read what
he said from an unbiased point of view.
You criticize him for wearing a shirt he doesn't like to the Dream
Theater concert. Personally, I *intentionally* wear clothing I do not like
to concerts because there is a high probability that the clothing will get
thrashed and ruined at most shows. You also attack him for not liking the
shirt, and for not returning it when he didn't like it. First of all,
just because the shirt is related to RUSH doesn't mean that everyone has to
like it, and that he is any less of a fan for not liking it, especially
since he probably didn't get to see it before it arrived in the mail.
Second, it's a pain to return something that you mail ordered, and sometimes
it is more practical and convenient to accept the loss and keep what you order
even if you don't like it.
You also accuse him of being a self-absorbed attention seeker who will
do anything, even (gasp!) wear a shirt that he doesn't like (horror!), just
to be the most popular guy at the concert. This may be true, but I don't
see how you could have come to this conclusion from what he said.
All he said was that he was surprised that so many people approached him
because of the shirt that he was wearing. He never said that he wore the
shirt intentionally because he wanted to be king of the concert and gather
a royal court around himself. He also never said that he tried to impress
the people that he met by pretending that the shirt was the greatest piece
of clothing in the history of the universe. Also, he never said that he
changed his opinion about the shirt just because it attracted the attention
of some of the other concert goers. From my understanding, it sounds like
he still doesn't like the shirt, but now he realizes that other people
find it really interesting.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to meet people at concerts. It is
ironic, however, when the reason you meet people is because you are wearing
a shirt that you don't even like very much.
Darren
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 29 May 1993 12:49:17 -0400 (EDT)
From: ahung@discover.wright.edu (The Omega Concern)
Subject: man, this school thing sucks!
I'm stuck in the middle of exam prep! This really sucks!
Oh well, at least I have the music of Rush to comfort me and
to kick out the jams to! As they sing, "tough times demand tough
hearts, demand tough songs"! Be talkin' at you all soon!
Me
-BTW, HYF is a great album! I loved to see the debate raging away!
Time Stand Still and Prime Mover are where it's at!
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 29 May 1993 13:05:16 -0500 (EST)
From: FAC_JROUSE@VAX1.ACS.JMU.EDU
Subject: Re: 05/28/93 - The National Midnight Star #689
My bad! Sorry for being so stupid as to mix up which album "Vital Signs"
is on. Also, I don't think that the fellow who responded about Steve Howe
quite noticed that I think that Howe is an incredible guitarist but I just feel
that the solo on "Heat of the Moment" could have been much better. I didn't
mean to bash Howe, I actually have most of his recorded work, I just think
that the solo in question is far below the quality level of what is usually
expected from such an awesome guitarist.
BTW, how about that Primus list address?
Sorry for the lack of Rush content.
See ya!
Tim Rouse
FAC_JROUSE@VAX1.ACS.JMU.EDU
FAC_JROUSE@JMUVAX
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 29 May 93 13:10:22 EDT
From: Greg.Andrade@um.cc.umich.edu
Subject: Award (reprise)
Since my post regarding the Musicians Institute award was cut off, I'll
re-transcribe the text from the brochure featuring the presentation. "This
award is presented to musicians, who, over a substantial length of time,
have made a lasting impression on the music world. Their longevity has been
proven through their continued performances and recordings which carry a
message of hope for a better world. They have also demonstrated a genuine
interest in music education and have become role models to which musicians
can aspire." This award was presented to Rush following their show at the
Great Western Forum on January 23, 1992. Again, they were the first ever
recipients.
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 29 May 93 20:28:45 GMT
From: "RAD232" <INFORMM.RAD232@UIAMVS.WEEG.UIOWA.EDU>
Subject: Bootes
Fellow Rush-non-Limbaughians:
Actually, this is all about Bootes, the constellation, and has
nothing whatsoever to do with illicit recordings. Seriously. I kid
you not.
But while we're on the subject, do the names Steve Tibbetts and
Marc Anderson ring bells with anyone out there? Should some good live
uh, constellations...exist out there...*ahem*...I'd appreciate a line
dropped....um....for my astronomy club, yeah...(Rush IS awesome, but
you knew that, hence the IMPLIED Rush content:)
Named "Change" to predict the insolent
<scott-edgar@uiowa.edu>
*Another Actual Fact: Most states fit so closely together that almost
no space is wasted.*
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Jason Merrill <jason@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Subject: Trivia: Origin of Syrinx
Date: Sat, 29 May 93 19:06:28 PDT
>From The Facts On File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, the
entry dealing with the Greek demigod Pan:
Pan invented the seven-reed flute, calling it Syrinx after the nymph Syrinx
who, when he tried to rape her, was transformed into a reed, which Pan used
for his first flute pipe.
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 30 May 93 00:13:32 -0400
From: Alan H Ristow <ristow@engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Rap, sloppy playing
Ditto Will Geeslin's comments about tolerating (and maybe even listening to)
rap. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean that it's valuless. Many
rappers have something very important to say, and many of them are very
intelligent. And even if you don't like the music or like the sometimes
offensive way in which the lyrics are presented, they do have their audience.
Many of us have been deeply affected by the music and lyrics of Rush, but no
inner city kid is going to identify with a song like Subdivisions. Rap is music
spawned of a very legitimate and very significant American culture, and is as
worthy as blues, jazz, folk, and the rest of its place in music history. If you
don't want to listen to it, fine, but don't slam it and call it worthless.
And in TNMS #689, someone implies that sloppy playing = bad music. Last night,
I saw one of my favorite bands; they use so many alternative tunings that they
had to stop between almost every song and retune. They also often clipped the
necks of their guitars in various places, effectively making the neck shorter.
I watched the lead guitarist's fingering during one of the songs where the
intro sounds like two or three slightly different notes; in fact, they are all
the same note -- he just jerked the whammy bar around to get the different
inflections. I don't know how well you can picture all this, but it was truly
sloppy playing. And it sounded fabulous. It's a matter of what you want to
hear. There are times when the intricacies and complex arrangement of a band
like Rush sound great. But there are other times when it's the last thing I
want to hear.
Bottom line: If you don't like a band or a sound, fine. Say it, that's fine. But
don't go slamming entire genres of music -- besides, chances are your favorite
band is drawing off of it! :-)
Alan
----------------------------------------------------------
From: ssudavia@reading.ac.uk
Date: Sun, 30 May 93 16:46:30 BST
Subject: Roll The Bones Rap Lyric and HYF debate
Perhaps its another play on words
Remember 'For the words of the profits were written on the Studio Walls'
from 'The Spirt of Radio'.
I have also had a similar experience with Rush albums as Rob Reynolds, I hated
side two of Grace Under Pressure when I first heard it (The same with Side two
of Power Windows) but now I rate both albums as first Class.
But compared with the versions on a 'Show of Hands' the same songs on HYF do
not have the same spirt. (re Mission)
Al Davies ssudavia@uk.ac.reading
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 31 May 1993 01:00:07 -0500 (CDT)
From: BEEZUS@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: Updated RCB Catalog
Hello, Rusheads!
Yes, it's true: the latest, most recently updated RUSH CASSETTE BUREAU Catalog
is available now. Gone are the days that we at the RCB break the arms of the
unfortunate and bootleg-less. We are a kindler, gentler RCB.
The catalog currently boasts upwards of seventeen titles. Among those are two
recordings from the "Hemispheres" and "A Farewell to Kings" tours. Also, there
happens to be a recording of a "Moving Pictures" show at which "Hemispheres"
(Prelude) was performed. Also, the "Hemispheres" recording contains a perform-
ance of "Cygnus X-1" (Book 1). Aw, enough o' this crap...just ask for the
catalog.
That's right, kiddies! Ask for the catalog from yer Uncle Beezus (his Internet
address is riiiight up there).
Anyhow--that's enough for now. Oh, yeah, did I fail to mention that "Red
Lenses" is perhaps one of the BEST Rush compositions? Nahhhh...didn't think so.
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Rhythm Method
Date: Mon, 31 May 93 16:52:10 EDT
From: Paul Jung <Paul.Jung@lambada.oit.unc.edu>
I find the new method of incorporating (or not-incorporating, as the case
may be) Neil's drum solos in recent concert tours unimaginative. I
remember in the good old days when when friends and I would try to guess
which song would contain Neil's solos. But now, we just wait until Geddy
says, "And now, ladies and gentlement, Mr. Neil Peart and The Rhythm
Method." There's no surprise. When Neil's solo snuck into the middle of
Red Lenses in the p/g tour, I was enthralled.
Does anyone know why the group did thiis? I would think that Rush today
retains at least enough creativity to let Neil have his way with the
middles of some tunes during a show.
And does anyone else think Neil stole the drum-trigger ideas for his solos
from his Modern Drummer contests a few years back? The winner of one of
them did exactly what Neil does now with synthesizers hooked up to the drums.
Paul Jung
Paul.Jung@launchpad.unc.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 31 May 93 19:49:57 -0500
From: bgc1@cec2.wustl.edu (Brian Glenn Carlson)
Subject: RTB "rap"
As for the "rap" on RTB, I must say that it is not a rap at all, but spoken
words which are done in that manner so as to accentuate the lyrics which are
being spoken. If you listen to the background, you will find none of the
beat which is characteristic of true rap music. I believe that Rush was
doing much the same thing as Queensryche did in
"Spreading the Disease," which used spoken words not to imitate or make fun
of rap, but rather to enhance the power of the lyrics. I don't see why
everyone is calling this rap in the first place, when it really should not
even be considered in the same category.
I also don't quite understand why people are so willing to dislike this
section simply because they think it is rap. I would have thought that on
the Rush Fans mailing list, people would have an open mind and not judge
things based solely on superficial things like <perceived> musical genres.
Oh well.
-Brian G. Carlson
P.S. THREE-PEAT!
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 31 May 1993 21:36:43 -0600 (CST)
From: SIGNALS@VAX1.Mankato.MSUS.EDU
Subject: Rush Mods???
Weren't there going to be some rush mods put on to syrinx? I've been patiently
waiting for them for a while now, but no show... BUT, I was looking around for
an Amiga Demo called "The Crusaders Do Genesis" and I came across a Crusaders
demo called "Sweet Tunes" So I downloaded it, and to my surprise, not only was
there a Genesis Mod, there was also a mod called "New World Man!" So I fired up
the old ripper and ripped the mod out. I just put it on syrinx in
/rush/incoming. It is called MOD.new_world_man.z and is compressed with gzip.
(Yeah, I know... I wasn't thinking, I should've used compress. Deal with it.)
-Kevin McCarthy
signals@vax1.mankato.msus.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 93 15:42:40 CET
From: "Richard Karsmakers" <lets2780@stud.let.ruu.nl>
Subject: The General Over The Europe Euphoria
Everybody seems to be over the moon about "Over the Europe". Indeed I am
quite satisfied with it myself, most particularly because it's a complete
gig as opposed to the RTB bootleg CD "The Fly". But has nobody actually
noticed the lack of volume on the bass guitar? Especially during the
beginning of "Subdivisions" this is almost painfully obvious. I rank "Over
the Europe" as an excellent bootleg 2CD, but with more volume on the bass
(i.e., I suppose, a better mix) it would have been indistinguishable from a
commercial one.
By the way, I would like to put in my .02 Dutch guilders worth of comments
on the supposed best ever guitar solo and Alex' superbness. I once had a
discussion with a friend about Alex being good but not very much so. In the
end we concluded that Alex was probably the best guitarist in the world with
an ego to match the band in which he plays. There are plenty of better
guitarists, like Malmsteen for example, but they wouldn't be compatible
within Rush. There are exceptions to the the-better-the-more-arrogant rule,
for example Joe Satriani, Jason Becker and Cyril Whistler.
Someone said that Steve Morse did the best guitar solo ever. Well, I
haven't heard it anywhere yet but I would like to place bets that Steeler's
"Hot on your Heels" (intro guitar solo available on their self-named debut)
beats hell out of *any* guitar solo *ever*. The guitarist, by the way, is a
young Yngwie Malmsteen (who is a pratt and who is very much into plgiarizing
himself lately, but who used to be genuinely and jaw-droppingly amazing).
Hope my two Dutch cents weren't too long.
````````
(/ - o O \)
\ \ /
-=ooo=-=-=ooo=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Richard Karsmakers "Don't worry about your life -
R.C.Karsmakers@stud.let.ruu.nl You'll be dead some day."
Editor of 'Twilight Zone' online magazine
Telephone +31-(0)30-887482
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 01 Jun 1993 12:49:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: ahung@discover.wright.edu (The Omega Concern)
Subject: Writings that influenced Rush
I've seen some people mention "Anthem" by Rand as having influenced
Neil's lyrics. This has piqued my curiousity as to other writers/
writings that have influenced Neil. Fellow NMSers, please post
(or respond to me by e-mail) with writers/writings that have
influenced Neil. I mean authors that Neil has talked about, not some
writer that you "think" that Neil digs, ok?
Can't wait to see the reponses!
HYF is great! If I had to choose only 1 Rush song to sum up what
I get out of them, "Time Stand Still" would be it. Any other thoughts
from you NMSers? What one Rush song best sums up your thoughts on Rush,
and why?
To the dude who ripped on HYF, I really don't think that Lock and Key is
about sex....if it is, then tell me, what does "the killer instinct" have to
do with sex? Also, since you asked so politely, Tai Shan is about a mountain
in China. You can read more about it in the FAQ (I think that's where I read
about it). Come on fellow NMSers, stand up for HYF!
Later,
Me
-I've been meaning to get this in for a week.....Look for Courier to
three-peat at the French. Courier always delivers!
-go Kings! The Great One will rise to the occasion in the playoffs....
'cause the Dream always rises!
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed Jun 2 12:07:35 EDT 1993
From: (~ Rush Fanatic ~) <jlang@syrinx.umd.edu>
Subject: Blue Elephants.
>Date: Fri, 28 May 93 21:18:40 PDT
>From: "dkumasaw.US1" <dkumasaw@us.oracle.com>
>Subject: Re: 05/28/93 - The National Midnight Star #689
>
>Whoa, Jimmy, no need to go ballastic on Albertr!! It seems to me like you
>are misinterpreting his post... probably intentionally because you didn't
>like his earlier comments about the convention. I don't think you read what
>he said from an unbiased point of view.
Well, perhaps you're right. And it's not just the convention, we've had some
rather nice flames through email over things like bootlegs and such. All of
course might have factored into how I read the post.
>You criticize him for wearing a shirt he doesn't like to the Dream
>Theater concert.
Actually, I don't mind that he wore the shirt to the concert, that was not
what I was criticizing him about. He can wear what he wants. I was given
the impression from his post of something along the lines "yeah oh the shirt
was no good but hey I'll wear it because yeah it'll bring me a lot of
attention" type of attitude. Of course as you've said I may be reading
into it too much.
>You also attack him for not liking the shirt, and for not returning it when
>he didn't like it.
No I didn't. If it sounded that way, it must have came out wrong. It's okay
not to like the shirt, but that was not his comment. Had he wrote in and
said "I got my shirt today, personally I didn't like it much" then I mean
that's ok, it's his opinion. It's kinda like the two-face approach to the
convention, yeah, people don't have to like the convention but if you're
gonna go and say well this and that sucks and you didn't listen to me and
blah blah blah.. that's what I don't like.
>First of all, just because the shirt is related to RUSH doesn't mean that
>everyone has to like it, and that he is any less of a fan for not liking it.
Agreed here. And again this was not the point I was trying to make.
>especially since he probably didn't get to see it before it arrived in the
>mail. Second, it's a pain to return something that you mail ordered, and
>sometimes it is more practical and convenient to accept the loss and keep
>what you order even if you don't like it.
Well, again you're right about this. I supposed I will scan in a picture of
the shirt and place it in the ftp area. One of the things we first did when
some of us help come up with a simple shirt design is put the GIF of the
design in the ftp area. There's also a description file people could have
gotten. So in a way it's not 100% a "didn't get to see it beforehand" case.
But this part is trivial. Anyway, I will probably do that soon, scan in a
picture of the shirt for anyone who doesn't want to be stuck in a scenario
like that. Secondly, while it is a pain to return something and just take
what you got as a loss - this is not true with the shirt (he will get his full
refund and yes, the s/h as I've discussed with him is included.)
>You also accuse him of being a self-absorbed attention seeker who will
>do anything, even (gasp!) wear a shirt that he doesn't like (horror!), just
>to be the most popular guy at the concert. This may be true, but I don't
>see how you could have come to this conclusion from what he said.
Ok, I will grant you this :-) You have a good argument, so perhaps I have
read too much of my personal flames with him in the past in email, and his
postings about the conventions and such when I made my posting. To this I'll
apologize to the list and to him in the public forum, but *not* for what I've
posted.
>Subject: Over the Europe (plus rap, etc)
>Date: Fri, 28 May 1993 22:57:44 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Dreaming <snort@eng.umd.edu>
>
>In reply to Kemarin' <ma2paw@sunlab1.bath.ac.uk>,
>As an aside to Jimmy--
>
>I think you're being a little hard on Reva about his t-shirt comments.
Perhaps.. This is probably the point where we go into email, so I won't post
anymore about this. Make your own opinion. I'm still waiting for the email
response back from him.
Have a good day.
-Jimmy
----------------------------------------------------------
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 129.2.8.114
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 690
********************************************