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----------------------------------------------------------------------
The National Midnight Star, Number 2164
Tuesday, 19 Jan 1999
Today's Topics:
Administrivia
Mac-using Rush fans, and a question for all...
Counterparts Nicknames...
Time Signatures/DS Video/Hemispheres Inspiration/Geddy Lee Signature Fender Jazz
Bravado
Theory: Assymetry and Everything Inbetween
Irony
In defence of Yngwie
Chords in Show Don't Tell
Rush fans in Plymouth, England
RE: Crappy Snare-Drum Sound
Bass Players
Don't Tread on Me, you hoser! <-- said in my best Geddy Lee voice
The Defenders Comic Book
Rush sighting &question
Good News/Bad News
Kinda funny, don't ya think??
The Greatest Guitar Player
Commercial Success of Rush/King's X
gracefully waltzing under pressure
Working Man / Men
"Different Stages video?"
Hard rock radio news....
Re: Noble Prize for Neil
Shut Up & Shuttin Up Solo
Ged, Alex, and music theory
Rush Sighting
Fish Islands
fish islands
Time signatures
Subject: Fish Islands
More examples of 12/8 time sig
Whoops!!!!
Fastest Guitarist
styx
----------------------------------------------------------
From: rush-mgr@tnms.com (The RUSH Fans Digest Manager)
Date: Tue Jan 19 12:29:46 PST 1999
Subject: Administrivia
Don't forget that Geddy & Alex will be on Rockline TOMORROW NIGHT! Tune
in to your local classic rock station, they might just be carrying it...
- rush-mgr
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Caroline in the City <lulu@macconnect.com>
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 99 21:33:55 -0500
Subject: Mac-using Rush fans, and a question for all...
Hello Rush freaks!
I seem to have missed most of this thread, but I wanted to stand up and
be counted among the Mac-using Rush freaks (Tom Slovik...SPEAK UP!)! I'm
currently writing this on my killer G3. I've also got two laptops. In
fact, if any of you members of the Rush family would like to buy my 1400
laptop, I'm going to sell it so I can get an iMac! :-)
OK, here's my question. I want your opinions about what I should use for
a Rush-related license plate for my own Red Barchetta (a red Miata). I'm
trying to think of something original...not 2112 or 1RUSH1. Help! I've
also considered FRIZFRY (from a Primus song). Any suggestions?
Take care, everyone!
Caroline in the City
***********************************************************************
"What I've seen, I saw because I wanted to believe. If we look too
hard, maybe we become mad. But if we continue to look, we become
liberated. And we come awake as if from a dream..." --Fox Mulder
***********************************************************************
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Kurt Smith <earlkese@erols.com>
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1999 21:43:55 -0800
Subject: Counterparts Nicknames...
To the Best of my Recollection-
Meadowlands NJ April 25, 1994--
Geddy--Howard Stern
Neil--Tony Bennett
Alex--Fabio
Philadelphia PA April 27, 1994--
Geddy--Rocky Balboa
Neil--Rocky Balboa II
Alex--The Alien
Alex was Fabio again on April 30 in Philly, but I don't remember who
Neil and Geddy were. For crying out loud, I have a life! (chuckle)
Kurt
----------------------------------------------------------
From: seanj@execpc.com (Sean Jones)
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1999 23:06:15 -0600
Subject: Time Signatures/DS Video/Hemispheres Inspiration/Geddy Lee ...
Scott Aiken wrote:
>I don't know if there is are 'standard' beat divisions for asymetric times like
>5/x or 7/x. Does anyone else know?
"Standard" isn't quite the correct term. "Usual" is better. Normally, 5/8
is subdivided either as 2+3 or 3+2, while 7/8 is usually 3+2+2 or 2+2+3.
Distant Early Warning has examples of 3 of those in the prechorus section,
right before "The world weighs on my shoulders". It goes as follows:
7 12 34 567 / 12 34 567 / 12 34 567 / 12 34 567 / 5 123 45 / 7 123 45 67
8 8 8
Look familiar? Anyway, there's no one right way to subdivide them.
The DS video is rumored to be released in March. Exact date I haven't
heard. Sorry if this is old news. I've been behind.
Chris Palo wrote:
>For Rush material, does anyone know where Neil drew his inspiration for
>the lyrics of Hemispheres. There is nothing concrete about the
>mythology in Hemispheres, but much of what is present in that song is
>intrinsic to the Apollonian vs. Dionysian mindsets that I teach my
>students in classical mythology. If anyone knows, please give me a
>call.
It was inspired by a passage in a pop psychology book of the time called
"Powers of Mind". I can't remember the author. In any case, the author
gives the metaphor of Apollo & Dionysus and relates it to everyday conflict
within a person's mind, and how our brains are split into two
"hemispheres", the left brain and right brain (we've all heard that one,
right? One side is artistic, the other logical?). So Neil used the Greek
figures to represent "...the basic conflict between thoughts and
emotions..."
Lester Godsey asked about basses:
The Geddy Lee signature Fender Jazz is a pretty nice bass. Not terribly
special, as I would expect from a signature series, but not bad. We all
have our own ideas as to what a good allpurpose bass is, but I do like the
Fender Jazz basses for what I feel is their versatility. The only kind of
sound you really can't elicit from a Jbass without customizing is a nice
funk slap/pop kind of sound, which doesn't interest me, so I'm fine with
that. You can get an ok one, but nothing special. The sustain and fretboard
smoothness is what drew me to mine (I have a '69 American Standard for
anyone who cares)
As far as the Geddy bass goes, the sustain and neck aren't as nice as the
American models (The signature is Japanese), but the sound and electronics
are good, and as a starting bass, one could do a lot worse, but I'd pay the
extra $200 and get an American J bass and have a bass you can play for the
rest of your life. This is all, of course, my own opinion.
Or you could throw caution to the wind and buy a Rickenbacker 4001 :)
And just to catch up :)
CPU: Mac and IBM both
Political Leaning: None of anyone's damn business, but for the record, I'm anti
politician
College Education: Yes
Marital Status: Engaged
Nerd Status: Dues paid through 2112 (meaning I like Tolkein and RPG's....still)
Sean Jones
Bass Tablature Editor for the Rush Tablature Project
----------------------------------------------------------
From: mmaholch@kusd.kusd.edu
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1999 23:26:31 -0500
Subject: Bravado
Hey folks...
I need to correct a couple of errors. First, I posted a little while
ago my opinion on the "top ten" Rush songs, then proceeded to list only
five. Not only that, I mistakenly listed the song "Different Strings".
I MEANT to list "Natural Science" instead, but I guess the word
"Different" is on everyone's brain lately. :) So, here's the list
again...in its entirety, this time.
1) Red Barchetta
2) Spirit of Radio
3) Xanadu
4) Natural Science
5) The Trees
6) Closer to the Heart
7) La Villa Strangiato
8) Freewill
9) A Farewell to Kings
10) YYZ
I guess 1977-1981 was pretty much a creative apex, huh? :)
To the guy who heard "Bravado" in between houses...I've always loved
"Bravado" too...it's a really haunting song. I've always wanted to play
that song onstage, and when it gets to the line "and if the music stops,
there's only the sound of the rain; all the hope and glory, all the
sacrifice in vain....and if love remains..." Right in between that
"vain" and "and if" I've always wanted to stop the music and just let
that pause linger...then bring back the beat in the middle of "remains".
:) I don't think the boys will go for it, though.
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "B.J. Morgan" <bjmorgan@indstate.edu>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 01:49:35 -0500
Subject: Theory: Assymetry and Everything Inbetween
Hola Rush Fanatics,
This is just in addendum to Scott Aiken's romp with simple and compound
meter. This is the whole she-bang, so if you don't like long posts consider
skipping this one. It's all the result of three years of Music Theory (and
I'm STILL having nightmares).
First, a round of definitions:
Simple meter and compound meter differ mainly because the beat emphasis
within each measure is different. Simple meter only has one beat per
division. Thus we tend to feel 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 as being a single beat per
measure that is usually on the downbeat of the measure. In theory, we also
describe the meter by its beats per measure as being either duple, triple,
or quadruple. So there's actually two terms to describe every symmetric
form of meter, much like scientific names require a genus and a species.
Simply put, simple meters consist of those signatures that have either 2, 3,
or 4 for their beats per measure.
For example: (notice the beat emphasis per measure)
2/4 = ONE two, ONE two, ONE two = simple duple
3/4 = ONE two three, ONE two three, ONE two three = simple triple
4/4 = simple quadruple
Compound meter on the other hand has multiple beats per measure. It
consists of signatures containing 6, 9, 12, and multiples of 3. Notice how
6/8 divides into 2 beats of emphasis per measure, as well as 9/8 dividing
into 3 beats per measure. However with compounded compound meters (i.e.
18/8, very rare) each group of 3 is given lesser emphasis than the main
beats.
6/8 = ONE two three FOUR five six = compound duple
9/8 = ONE two three FOUR five six SEVEN eight nine = compound triple
18/8 = ONE four seven TEN thirteen sixteen = compound duple
Asymmetric meters are way cool. Most of the time the composer will define
what the divisions of beats are by the way the notes grouped. Usually, the
subdivisions are in groups of two's or three's. Here are some examples of
common asymmetric 5/x meter divisions:
ONE two three, FOUR five (we call it 3+2) 123,12
Listening example: "Mars" by Gustav Holst
OR it can be reversed:
ONE two, THREE four five (2+3) 12,123
HECK, I've even played some contemporary music that uses (4+1) groupings
7/x is definitely a favorite of the boys. You can hear 7/8 ostinato
patterns all OVER Rush's music, particularly in Alex's guitar. It's
subdivided similarly to 5/x, in groups of two's, three's, and/or four's.
Examples:
ONE two, THREE four, FIVE six seven (2+2+3)
"LaVilla Strangiato: IV A Lerxst in Wonderland"
"Natural Science: II Hyperspace"
AND the very popular:
ONE two three four, FIVE six seven (4+3)
"Xanadu" ostinato guitar in introduction
Others:
ONE two three, FOUR five, SIX seven (3+2+2)
ONE two three, FOUR five six seven (3+4)
and there's the funky ones, too: 2+3+2
I apologize about the length, but I'm just brimming with theory knowledge
and I felt like sharing. Besides, having a better knowledge of music can
only help to deepen the appreciation for Rush's genius.
See You In Xanadu,
B.J.
-
_ . _ _ _ . _ _ _ _ . . _ . _ _ _ . _ _ _ _ . .
If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music he hears,
however measured or far away. - Henry David Thoreau, "Walden," 1854
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "PAUL SMITH" <Paul.Smith@nottingham.ac.uk>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 08:48:17 GMT0BST
Subject: Irony
One of the advantages of living in Britain is that we write dates
shorthand with the day first, so for us 21st December is always
21/12... Well, on the evening of the 21 of December last I was
heading down to Farnham from Nottingham with the first disc of
Different Stages in the machine, and at twelve minutes past nine in
the evening I wa lsitening to you guessed it. At 21:12, on the
21/12, I was listening to 2112! Naturally, I pulled over onto the
hard shoulder and had a hand shandy. Irony button off.
Paul
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Heath, Martin" <Martin.Heath@exchange.mcps.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 10:12:36 +0000
Subject: In defence of Yngwie
Richard Coppel and Michael Z. Williamson said:
>>In Yngwie's own words using humbuckers is cheating.
>
>Yngwie thinks everything anyone else does is cheating. He's a knob.
He uses stacked humbuckers that look like single coils.
> Great technician, lousy musician.
Just because his personality is unpleasant, doesn't mean he can't play. Just
because you don't like him, doesn't mean he isn't a good musician. Yngwie is
a very emotional player, you just have to be tuned into it.
I have a load of Al di Meola records that I like from the technical
standpoint but
he does not much for me on the emotional side. Yngwie, for me has both. He
improvises great convincing melodic solos - an amazing ability, but most
people
get caught up in the fact that he plays super fast and don't listen to the
music.
Rush content: Alex is obviously not as good TECHNICALLY as Yngwie but his
forte is
the emotional side. When he does play fast, he does so more in the Page vein,
not as precisely picked, extraneous noise, but because it is only used
sparingly, it is more effective.
Its funny that fans that pride themselves on their band's technical ability
should criticise someone else for the same reason.
Peace & all that,
Martin.
p.s. what was all that gun garbage? oh dear (non-US viewpoint).
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Cyg7@aol.com
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 07:24:46 EST
Subject: Chords in Show Don't Tell
Hi to the guitarist (I didn't get the name) who wanted help working out Show
Don't Tell.
The chords I think you're talking about are 7th suspended 4s. Play an A chord
in the open position with your first finger, then cover the D and G on the top
two strings with your second and third fingers. This is A7sus4. Slide this
shape up to the 7th fret to give you A7sus4#9. This is the first chord in the
song (main riff). At the end of the riff, Alex plays the open position chord,
slides up to the inversion (see above) and removes his finger from the top
string on the last stab, giving A7sus4(add9).
These chords appear again in the last part of the verse section as: A7sus4,
A7sus4#9, Fsus2, Gsus2. The sus2 chords are also just played on the top 4
strings (fingers 3 and 4 on the D and G strings, 1st finger barre across the
top two), fret positions 8 and 10 respectively.
The chords in the chorus are a little harder to hear because of the heavy
synth lines, but I'm guessing they're Dsus4 followed by Cadd9(no third) both
in the open position.
The middle-8 is simply Am, F, C, G, then Dm7(add11). This chord is played by
barring at the 3rd fret and fretting the A and G strings at the 5th fret
(don't play the bottom E string).
One of the things I've always loved about Alex's playing is that ambiguous,
mysterious sound he gets by frequently using suspended chords like this (no
major/minor tonality). Sus2s are another device he often employs, as is using
upper open string drones in 6-string chords to derive exotic sounds.
If anyone else has any other Rush guitar queries, feel free to email me. I'm
not a virtuoso by any means, but I'll do my best for anyone struggling with
the guitar parts, if only because I've found the available tab sources on the
net to be misleading if not wholly inaccurate.
By the way, mmaholch?, why didn't you include Animate in your list of Love
Songs?
Cheers, Cyg
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Andrew Segal" <aisegal@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 13:54:30 GMT
Subject: Rush fans in Plymouth, England
Just a little e-mail to see if there are anuy Rush fans in Plymouth,
England, who fancy trying to see if there enough interest to get one of
the Rush tribute bands down here some time.
Keep the Spirit (of Radio)
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Flynn, Jason R" <Jason.R.Flynn@UNISYS.com>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 08:59:04 -0600
Subject: RE: Crappy Snare-Drum Sound
>From: mmaholch@kusd.kusd.edu
>Subject: Love Songs
>
>Side Two--
>Emotion Detector (one of the most underrated Rush songs ever...)
>Time Stand Still
>Second Nature
>Presto
>Bravado
>Ghost of a Chance
>Alien Shore
>Resist
>Cold Fire
>Mission
Missing In Action: Animate, the ultimate love song. I'd also say Chain
Lightning but I'd be nitpicking. Not so with Animate. Come on, mmaholch,
what were you thinking?
>P.P.S. To guitarists: I can play most any Rush song pretty
accurately, >even "Strangiato", but "Show Don't Tell" perplexes the hell out
of me. >What the heck kinds of chords is Big Al playing? Inversions?
I don't play guitar so my info is a bit uninformed, but I read a guitar mag
article back in 89/90 that said something like, "A fourth is a fourth of
course of course. Lifeson uses 4th century B.C. quartal chords to create
21st century sounds." So there you have it, quartal chords, whatever that
means.
Jason
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Jose Ramos <jose.ramos@digital.com>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 10:23:05 -0500
Subject: Bass Players
Hey Rush-heads,
Chris Palo asked who is the fastest bass player. I am not a musician. I
never have been nor will I ever be one. So I am only stating my opinion.
Please do not flame!
I always thought Steve Harris from Iron Maiden was really awesome. When I
was growing up in the 80's, my two favorite bands were Rush and Iron Maiden,
in that order. While I have no doubt as to the quality of music and lyrics
as a whole definitely goes to Rush first, I always thought Steve Harris took
the cake on the bass. Can any bass players out there with technicl
knowledge or at least a trained ear help me out on this? Once again, I am
only speaking from a layman's perpective.
As a matter of fact, I may actually be predjudiced here because my older
cousin used to play bass and used to jam to "The Number of the Beast" album.
Just my opinion.
Max
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Krista Kokko" <kmp@wa-net.com>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 10:50:35 EST
Subject: Don't Tread on Me, you hoser! <-- said in my best Geddy Lee voice
I really hate discussing politics here, but I had to respond to this:
> I am quite liberal and I have always enjoyed Rush and the way that
> their music stands for personal responsibility, independence,
> and rights.
As you used in your post the term Republican, as in Republican=conservative,
I'll use liberal=Democrat. I agree with your comment on what Rush's music
stands for, but these are three points that the Democratic party tries to
limit and or take away. For the most part the Democratic party doesn't belive
"the people" are responsible enough to manage their own lives.
> I know of many Republicans who would literally froth at the
> mouth after listening to such as Nobody's Hero, Freewill,
> Prime Mover, not to mention 2112!
> Perhaps I just don't get it.
No you don't. You are generalizing, which is what started this whole debate
in the first place. Part of the problem with political debates is that not
everyone perceives issues the same way. The same can be said about music.
"Prime Mover" tells me not to believe the polarized mainstream liberal media.
Now Hillary Clinton, that's one person I could see frothing at the mouth to
"Prime Mover". And "Freewill" is about freewill, making your own choices,
pure and simple. Please do not try to twist the purity of Rush into a
political forum, it just won't work.
Cheers from Colorado, inaugurating its first Republican Governor in 26 years!
Hanstones
http://www.2112.net/powerwindows <-- "choose a path that's clear"
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Derek Bacharach <lrw2@is2.nyu.edu>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 11:09:59 -0500
Subject: The Defenders Comic Book
I'm selling The Defenders comic book which was dedicated to Rush back in
March 1976 and quotes from The Twilight Zone. Excellent-mint
condition. E-mail me your best offer. Also I'm selling the Rush banner
from Enemy Within video (44"X44") in VG-EX condition and the Polygram
promo for ESL, "Rush N Roulette" in Excellent Condition. E-mail me your
best offer.
Derek
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Jeffrey Robinson" <Tefe@concentric.net>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 15:59:15 -0500
Subject: Rush sighting &question
Hello fellow Rushians...
at 3:16 pm on Jan 12, MTV 2 (in Jacksonville FL) played not one, not two,
but three consecutive Rush videos. They played Limelight, Tom Saywer, and
then finished up with Early Distant Warning. The only real upsetting thing
was that is was They didn't put up the labels that they use for giving the
bands name, the song, and the album. I did notice that they did that for
the Red Hot Chilli Peppers songs that immediately followed. Oh well, at
least they got a bit of exposure...
I have a question for anyone that was at the Great Woods show
(6/23/97)during the "An Evening with Rush" tour. I distinctly remember Neil
having a brace, or something, on one of his wrists. I think it was the left
wrist. Can anyone out there who was at the show confirm or dispute this. I
can't fully remember, but I'm pretty sure he did. I was surprised to hear
that 2112 was put on the Different Stages CD, but it was still a killer
show.
Happy Drumming
Jeff
Mad props to all the Lambda Chi's out there
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Jon Lane <primemover@roadrunner.nf.net>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 17:29:36 -0330
Subject: Good News/Bad News
I just received an email from SRO/Anthem Entertainment as to whether
Rush would be on Rockline and if a video was in the works. This was the
reply;
Yes, Alex & Geddy will be featured on Rockline on Wed. Jan 20 at 11:30pm
EST.
At this time there are no plans for a video.
Best regards,
Anthem Entertainment
Rats on the video news but I'm still crossing my fingers that the boys
will make a great revelation, on Rockline, about it.
Keep on Rushing,
Jon Lane
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael Allan Leach <maleach@freenet.tlh.fl.us>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 16:53:19 +0000
Subject: Kinda funny, don't ya think??
January 12, 1999
To all fellow Rush fans,
Don't you think that it is indeed funny that I make a true and accurate
statement that all true Rush fans are "thinking people," and the debate
goes on for over a month?
I told you. Rush fans think. Maybe not as correctly as me all the
time, but nevertheless, they think.
Have a nice day.
Michael
http://members.wbs.net/homepages/d/a/r/darecop2112.html
-
----------------------------------------------------------
Michael Allan Leach
Deputy Sheriff--Drug Task Force
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
Kenneth W. Fortune, Sheriff
Monticello, Florida
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.grolier.com/presidents/preshome.html
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael Allan Leach <maleach@freenet.tlh.fl.us>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 17:11:57 +0000
Subject: The Greatest Guitar Player
January 12, 1999
To all Rush fans,
I must make another one of my humble, but true statements: John Petrucci
from Dream Theater is the best guitar player alive right now.
To those who don't concur, I'm still right.
Long live the Gipper!
Michael
http://members.wbs.net/homepages/d/a/r/darecop2112.html
----------------------------------------------------------
From: David Gracey <david.gracey@ucr.edu>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 15:25:02 -0800
Subject: Commercial Success of Rush/King's X
Dear Fellow Rush Fans,
I have heard many members of this list lament the fact that Rush does not
get the respect, the radio air play, the commercial success, etc. that they
truly deserve. I also share the opinion that too often Rush is overlooked
and underrated.
Recently, however, this notion was put into perspective when I learned that
one of my other long-time favorite bands (King's X) would be playing a
concert at a local venue. I was glad to hear that King's X would be
playing so close to my home. What really shocked me was the size of the
venue (only 500 seats). This reminded me that maybe Rush doesn't have it
so bad after all. They can still pack the big arenas when they go on tour.
Anyway, I will be at the King's X show this Saturday night (1/16) in
Yucaipa, CA. I hope to meet some fellow TNMSers there. Please send
private e-mail if you are interested in the King's X concert. Oh, by the
way, tickets are only $14. See you there!
-David.
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Dogyears@aol.com
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 20:27:14 EST
Subject: gracefully waltzing under pressure
Hello all good people out there in TV land.
>From: Alvaro Graves <agraves@cec.uchile.cl>
>And the question is... What's the difference between 3/2, 6/4, 12/8? I mean,
>matthematically it represents the same quantity
Well, I promise to shut up about this soon, but not yet I'm afraid. If I may,
this is the whole point: these signatures "feel" different. That's what I
find interesting, and that's why I was [am] appealing to the great and the
good of TNMS to offer opinions as to the "waltz" part of RMii on DS. It's
just a bug that I'd like to clear up. And another thing -
>From: Hanstones@aol.com
>Dinky drums on P/G? I think I know what the original poster meant when
>describing the drums on P/G as dinky.
Well, without being all "I remember when.....", but, yes, I remember when p/g
came out. In my opinion it is hard to under-estimate the impact that the
Simmons SD9 sound had on contemporary music, and later the SDX. To me, at the
time, they represented a new wonderful instrument [and before them the SD5/7
via Mr.Collins and others]. I am biased, as a Bruford devotee, and the owner
[at the time and beyond] of an SD7 kit. I see Neil as a kit player who likes
the sounds of other non traditional kit percussion, and who could blame him
for trying out the Simmons gear? I think that the instruments brought out a
different kind of playing in Neil, and I am thankful for that. Sure, the
drums on most older Rush albums [CDs?] sound "dinky" compared to say CP and
T4E - except perhaps Moving Pictures [Oooo, bit political]. You can't really
blame the Simmons gear for this. Time, and tide, and technology wait for no
one. In addition to this, I would suggest a listen to other recorded drum
performances from 1984, or their abouts. Can anyone recall any drum tracks
that sound so much better than p/g ? And another, another thing. The marimba
sounds of RM and what I call RMii - well, they sound like electronic versions
of "true" marimbas. So, should we knock that sound too? I don't think so,
it's just another instrument after all.
Ok, at the risk of taking up too much of everyone's time, I would also like to
offer another thought, pretty unrelated.
Does anyone else check out the musicians section of the NMS notice board? It
seems to me that lately, the majority of input has been negative and at times,
quite, and I pick my words carefully, sad. People saying things along the
lines of, "I have been playing X instrument for X years, and I think that
Alex/Geddy/Neil on DS are poor/inaccurate/past their sell-by....etc. Well, I
am no longer a musician [and I feel fine now, ta very much], so thought I'd
sound this out here to a wider spread of opinion. Have these people, on the
notice board, been listening to a different CD to us? I mean some of the
comments have been beyond belief. Quotes available on request. In fact, at
great risk of getting shot down, some of the content has been so trivial I
wonder whether these people actually enjoy music at all anymore? For example,
not a quote, but pretty much the content: "how dare you even speak Geddy's
name in the same sentence as Jaco? Geddy can't improvise, and he can't
grooove....." Er, hello? Planet earth calling.
If this is to boring then feel free to flame me again.
That's my penneth for today. Sorry it's so long.
Go well, and pomder something that a guitarist once said to me: "Yeah, Alex
Lifeson's ok, but he's a bit of a rhythm guitarist isn't he?"
Keith
Dogyears@aol.com
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "David Ayers" <lerxst@voicenet.com>
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1999 20:39:22 -0500
Subject: Working Man / Men
B J Morgan wrote:
"Based purely on fan loyalty, I recently purchased the "Working Man" =
Rush=20
tribute album (Which was produced in correlation with Mike Portnoy, of=20
course). Oops! Silly me! That's probably what the guys up in =
marketing=20
were hoping for because deep down they knew that Rush in any other form=20
just couldn't be the same."
Dude, I'm there! That CD was such a disappointment to me. I am one of =
those people who loves to hear remakes, if they're done well. In my =
opinion, if you're going to do a note-for-note redition of a song, don't =
bother. I want to hear something new done with the song. Good =
examples: Chicago redid their own "25 or 6 to 4," Far Corporation redid =
"Stairway to Heaven," (rockin' in some parts, cheesy in others) and Blue =
Oyster Cult did an awesome remake of their own "Astronomy" on Imaginos. =
Working Man did nothing to give us a new perspective on any of the Rush =
songs covered. I expected much more from members of DT.
DA
<rent this space>
----------------------------------------------------------
From: ERIC BARBRADY <cartman_72@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 16:32:57 -0800 (PST)
Subject: "Different Stages video?"
Greetings fellow Rush freaks-
For all I know, I may be incredibly out of touch about this, but I
need to ask anyhow. Does anybody know if there will be a video or dvd
for "Different Stages"? I'm really keeping my fingers crossed on this
one.
Also, if I may break the mould and be slightly critical of our
beloved band of music makers, did anyone else notice that Geddy's
voice is a little weak on some of the tracks? I'm assuming that this
was overlooked due to the strong musical performances which are
excellent. Later.
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "~~Hawk~~" <buckley@globalserve.net>
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 21:06:58 -0500
Subject: Hard rock radio news....
Dunno if this has been posted before but this on their website...
The next single from RUSH's live extravaganza, Different Stages, is =
'Closer To The Heart'. Expect the video/DVD that coincides with the =
record to appear in March. The band are scheduled to appear on Rockline =
in a rare, non-Monday interview segment on January 20...
This would be awesome if they released the video!!!!!! WHOOO HOOOO
Paul
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "John Villasana" <refab@neptune.ConnectI.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 21:55:23 -0600
Subject: Re: Noble Prize for Neil
Cristiano wrote:
<The Nobel Comittee, presided over
by Her Majesty Queen Victoria of Sweden, announced today the winners of
the Nobel Prize for 2037. The Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to
Neil Peart of Canada.>
Good one Cristiano. That was a nice fantasy.
jOhn
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Mikey" <bytor@lanset.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 13:39:27 +0000
Subject: Shut Up & Shuttin Up Solo
*grabs his knife and paste*
>mmaholch@kusd.kusd.edu
>Favorite songs and solos
>I think one of Alex's most beautiful solos ever is the second one in
"Shut up shuttin' >up" on the Victor album, where he uses a delay
pedal. That's smooth as silk.
The second solo right? The one with the Wah-Wah Pedal, and the heavy
delay? I think that's not Lerxt... I think the solo was played by Bill
Bell. I'm not too sure, but let me know if I am indeed wrong...:)
----------------------------------------------------------
From: seanj@execpc.com (Sean Jones)
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 18:57:31 -0600
Subject: Ged, Alex, and music theory
Il Yum Kim wrote:
>Does anybody know if Alex and Geddy have any knowledge of music theory(not
>that it's necessary to write great music or anything)?
Yes, they do, though they're largely (almost entirely) self taught. But to
answer the next question that's running through many heads right now, they
do not sit and count out each time change and such. They do sometimes, such
as the little 3/4 guitar/bass 4/4 drum part in Limelight, and the 7/8 and
4/4 same kind of thing in A Passage to Bangkok, but that's pretty
simplistic. Especially later on, you'll see a some "sophisticated" (for
rock) chord structures with the guitar and vocals (I'm thinking of PoW and
HYF stuff) that I'm sure Ged and Alex looked at on paper, or on screen, or
something like that, with the vocals creating and resolving suspensions and
the guitar doing likewise. Nothing spectacular, but very cool to listen to.
To sum up, if you asked Alex about playing a Dm7b9 in C Dorian, he'd know
what you're talking about, more or less. (and probably have 8 voicings you
never thought of!)
Sean
----------------------------------------------------------
From: rodney beeson <rodbeeson@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 17:04:22 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Rush Sighting
On the most recent Primus video ("Videoplasty") Les Claypool holds up
his bass and yells "Geddy Lee signed this". The you see a shot of
Geddy's signature on Les' bass. I told my husband I might have to
start liking them now!
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Bryan 'Max' Dobberstein" <bmaxd@anet-stl.com>
Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 17:23:24 -0600
Subject: Fish Islands
I REALLY HOPE THIS IS A JOKE!
Just in case it isn't, it's
"fish-eye lens"
> Do the Fish Islands really exist? You know, the ones mentioned in
> Limelight, "Living in the Fish Islands." What do they have to do with
> the rest of the song?
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Taj Dickinson <sunnyjim@csionline.net>
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 20:43:01 -0500
Subject: fish islands
in response to Bryan Dobberstein.....Fish Islands??...hahahaha. Not to
bust your chops bud....but read the lyrics. It's fisheye lens :) I sense
many more flames brewing with this one.....
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Drs. Samuel A. and Marta P. Scott" <scott1@uswest.net>
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 20:41:57 -0600
Subject: Time signatures
"The difference is that with 3/2 you have 3 *beats* per measure, with
6/4 you have 6, etc."
I think the fellow originally asking the question understood that as
well as what the "fraction" means. He's saying, well, don't two quarter
notes equal one half note (etc.)? The main distinction between 3/2, 6/4,
and 12/8 (or 24/16 for that matter) is feel. If the "oomph", often
dictated by percussive placement, is ONE-2-3-4-5-6-ONE-2-3-4-5-6, as
opposed to ONE... TWO... THRE... ONE... TWO... THREE, the time should be
written as 6/4 versus 3/2.
"12/8 is a little odd, though; every time I've seen a time sig that was
a number divisible by 3 over 8, the beat is actually on every third
note, giving you a triplet feel."
That's correct. 12/8 would presumably have the feel
ONE-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-ONE-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12. With this
degree of partitioning, however, accents can be placed quite elsewhere -
for example, once every third beat, as described above
(ONE-2-3-FOUR-5-6-SEVEN-8-9-TEN-11-12...). If this constitues one "bar"
(based on vocals, for example) in the overall context of the song, it is
more appropriate to describe this as 12/8 versus 3/4 or even 3/8.
"The question *I* have, then, is what's the difference between 3/2 and
3/4? How does it change the feel of the music in any arbitrary way? The
best I can figure is you use the half note as the beat instead of using
the quarter note when you want to subdivide the notes without having to
have a whole bunch of flags on them."
Again, the phrasing of the song, which segregates the tune into parts
(verses, for example) plays a major role here. It's not just
mathematics. Listen to songs supposedly written in 3/8 versus 12/8 and
feel the difference in terms of where the "oomph" is happenening; where
one "phrase" ends and another starts.
I'm talking out of my ass but what the hell.
Sincerely,
Neil Peart
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "None of your business." <jamesq@one.net>
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 21:36:04 -0500 (EST)
Subject:Subject: Fish Islands
"Bryan 'Max' Dobberstein" <bmaxd@anet-stl.com> Wrote:
"Do the Fish Islands really exist? You know, the ones mentioned in
Limelight, "Living in the Fish Islands." What do they have to do with
the rest of the song?"
I laughed, I cried, I wondered why...
I'll chalk this up to the "Most Mis-Heard Lyrics" thread - I'm sorry my
friend but that's "fish-eye lense", not a place called the "Fish Islands."
Neil is refering to a photo or video effect. When you take a picture
through such a lense, it tends to magnify the center of the picture while
distorting the far edges - much like the lense of the eye of a fish..
Therefore, "Living in a fish-eye lense" is another way of saying "living
under a microscope" which, when you consider the rest of the songs lyrics,
make perfect sense.
Please don't flame this person - I'm sure it was an honest mistake.
Well, it COULD be an honest mistake. <grins>
Jim -
_________________________________ ___
| | | \ Jim Questa - Unix Shell
| jamesq@one.net | | \ http://w3.one.net/~jamesq/
|_______________________________|_|_____| Questa Songworks / Bad Habit
(_)(_) (_)(_) (_)
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Colin Miller <ckmiller@pond.net>
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 18:56:17 -0800
Subject: More examples of 12/8 time sig
Juno wrote in NMS #2163:
<12/8 is a little odd, though; every time I've seen a time sig
that was a number divisible by 3 over 8, the beat is actually
on every third note, giving you a triplet feel.>
snip
On 311's Transistor disc track #3 "Galaxy" sounds an awful lot like a
12/8 time sig. at 1:43. The beginning of the measure could be at each
crash cymbal hit. If you count 1-2-3 really fast you can get 4 sets of 3
in between each crash of the cymbal. This portion of the song has a very
heavy triplet feel. Also the phrasing seems to fit 1-2-3; 1-2-3; 1-2-3;
1-2-3. That's my .02 Although I don't think that 311 wrote it to be
12/8. This is similar to NP's statements in AWIP that the AL & GL don't
write in odd meter; it just sounds better that way sometimes. There you
go everyone.
Colin
"Try Me,I Rock"
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Colin Miller <ckmiller@pond.net>
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 18:57:45 -0800
Subject: Whoops!!!!
Michael Z. Williamson wrote:
it is too much to ask to listen to anything involving Kim "look how well
I hold a bass" Thayil--the woman who insists that music notation is a
sexist thing developed by men to keep women subservient.
Whoops. That sad excuse for a musician is Kim "GORDON". Kim Thayil is a
man who played with Soundgarden. Your observation seems alright to me,
though. For someone who's never met Sonic Youth, mind you. What I can
say is I think they have the idea that it's "Cool to be uncool" They use
the most noise possible when recording their music. This is my own
little thing I noticed after Beck hit big. Beck just throws everything
into the mix and says, "Here you go kids, like it" BTW, Sonic Youth has
no production value in my opinion. It sounds so BAD. I see the cool to
be uncool thing a lot with local kids in my area. It seems like they
listen to the most obscure music just to be different. I mean who really
listens to New Zealand truck driver music? This is no shit. I heard it
at a record store and the kid knew all the words. Whee.
Colin
"Try Me, I Rock"
----------------------------------------------------------
From: loric.vilesilencer.ii@grnet.com
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 22:10:10 -0500
Subject: Fastest Guitarist
Being an aspiring guitar virtuoso, I thought I would interject my
opinion on who the fastest guitarist is. The thing to keep in mind is
that Jazz players are MUCH faster in general than Rock players. However,
here is a list of the fastest players I can think of for whoever wants
to listen to them.
Yngwie Malmsteen - The man who launched the "Neoclassical Metal" fad of
the 80's. Nuno Bettencourt is fast, but he's copying Yngwie. The guy set
new standards for just about everything in the world of guitar.
Paul Gilbert - Guitarist for "Mr. Big". Likes to pick in groups of five
and six to a beat, which was his trademark among guitarists. He has very
fast acoustic chops, which can be a rare thing.
Al DiMeola - Incredible Fusion/Jazz guitarist. Used to play for the Prog
Rock band "Return To Forever" with Chic Corea.
John Petrucci - Guitarist for Dream Theater, and the man who gets my
vote as the fastest non-jazz guitarist. The guitar/keyboard duets that
this band does are INCREDIBLE. On the live album "Once in a LIVEtime"
Petrucci plays Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee",
which is straight chromatic 16th notes, at about 200bpm! For non
guitarists, that means the guy is playing 800 notes per minute as this
speed, or over 12 notes per second. FAAAAASSST!
Others include Mike Stern, John McLaughlin, Steve Vai, Frank Gambale
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Michael Z. Williamson" <daggers@indy.net>
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 23:07:31 -0800
Subject: styx
>COP42194@aol.com said:
>I just saw a "Where Are They Now" show on VH1. One of the artists they
>featured was Styx. Tommy Shaw was bitching about playing hotels instead
>of staying in them now, jokingly adding, "no, I'm not bitter."
>I was wondering what the level is, if any at all, of professional
>jealousy that other musicians hold toward Rush because of their
>longevity.
I saw Styx with Pat Benatar last July 4th here in Indy. Kick ass show,
and a filled hall (well, amphitheater). I think the problem is that
they got too typecast for the industry in the 1980's, and branded with
that scarlet letter, "80's band." No one would back them for a tour.
They financed it on their own, and did well as far as I could see. They
are very talented, very versatile, and it's sad the "industry knows
best" types have shut them out.
A lot of bands seem to be jealous of Rush--I heard some people at NIN
made cracks about needing a wheelchair ramp for access. (That would be
the Stones or the Who.)
My reply: What has 200 legs and no pubic hair? Front row at a NIN
concert.
-
mike
http://cloak-dagger.com Edged weaponry, from the stone age to the space
age.
----------------------------------------------------------
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End of The National Midnight Star Number 2164
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