Did not appreciate this LP unti "A Farewell To Kings". I was listening to that in my barracks room, When a guy next door brought over Fly By Night. I'd only heard a few tracks. We played both LP's back to back. Next day at PX we both bought what we were missing. Thanks again Kevin. You rock brother!
Mine is a similar story. 2112 grabbed me by the ears. I was aware of the band prior to that, but hadn't taken much notice. Back then, there was a lot happening in music and not much money around to take advantage of it.
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...The poster came home with me from this show....
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Track list:
1. Bastille Day
2. I Think I'm Going Bald
3. Lakeside Park
4. The Necromancer
5. The Fountain Of Lamneth
The second album of 1975 was Caress Of Steel, which made the lukewarm reception of Fly By Night seem like the heat of a supernova by comparison.
Criticism was rife and it seemed that Rush had made a huge mistake. The album was a failure and neither it nor the band were going any further.
I'm pretty well convinced that those who berate the album haven't listened to it at all. From the opening bars of Bastille Day to the last notes of Fountain Of Lamneth, it's clear that this was a work of art, and one of the better albums of the era. The first three tracks show the band to be powerful, humorous and thoughtful. The 4th and 5th develop the program material and Lee's powerful voice conveys Peart's lyrics admirably.
I think that what the fans initially missed and what the critics found unforgivable was that this was a band who intended to progress, and were prepared to take risks in order to do so. Constant reinvention of Working Man was not going to happen, even if it meant that feathers were going to be ruffled.
Like the rest of the catalogue, Caress Of Steel now stands up as a shining example of how to do program material. Any and all of the tracks could be played at a concert to rapturous applause. 4 decades on and Caress of Steel takes its place proudly in the discography, as indeed it should.
However close Mercury came to letting Rush go, or whether that was even going to happen, history reveals that the band survived and of course, the next part of the story will tell us that not only did they survive, but began to achieve iconic recognition. As 1975 gave way to 1976, a phenomenon was in preparation and nothing would ever be quite the same again.
Kevin, if you drive that big rig like you write, then the roads of Canada are a much safer place when you're hauling product.This thread will detail the music of one of rock's most enduring bands. I intend to write a post for each album and explore some of what was going on at the time of release of each one.
The work of Rush has been part of my playlist for many years, but I don't intend to make this thread a personal journey. The fact that I buy my coffee from the gas station where Neil Peart's motorcycle was inadvertently filled with diesel is neither here nor there. It doesn't give me a single degree of separation from the band, nor does it make me feel that I've walked in the footprints of the gods. The music has been important to me and it has certainly impressed me, but this thread will collate the thoughts of others, hopefully finding some anecdotes that long time fans will find familiar and introducing the band to those who are not so familiar with the Canadian trio.
I've no idea how long it will take to work my way from Rush to Clockwork Angels. I'd rather take my time over it and do a good job than present a list of albums and little else. I spend long periods away from my sound and computer equipment and would rather not attempt to do it on my phone, my only link to the civilized world, so in the main, I'll be waiting until I'm home to post to the thread, but taking notes at other times for inclusion in the posts.
Anyway, this is more of a statement of intent rather than an informative post. Exploring the 40 year history of one of the most influential bands of all time will be an interesting study.
Thanks to @Ethan25 for planting the seeds of the idea. I encourage you to take a look at a similar thread he is working on following the life and work of Phil Keaggy.
Kevin, if you drive that big rig like you write, then the roads of Canada are a much safer place when you're hauling product.
Very well done!
Kevin, if you drive that big rig like you write, then the roads of Canada are a much safer place when you're hauling product.
Very well done!
This thread inspired me to run off and order the Blu Ray Audio version of Farewell to Kings to go with my 1978 version. Ordered Alan Parson's Project / Tales of Mystery and Imagination at the same time. As well as the 2112 LP. This forum is expensive.
That's what music forums are all about. Nothing better than helping spend someone else's money. Enjoy those disks. I may have to follow your lead and buy that FtK BluRay myself. Obviously, there's a hole in my collection that requires patching.