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From: jeff@dciem.UUCP (Jeff Richardson)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re:  R U S H  (new or old?)
Message-ID: <1534@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Apr-85 10:29:06 EST
Article-I.D.: dciem.1534
Posted: Thu Apr 25 10:29:06 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 25-Apr-85 12:09:06 EST
References: <10048@brl-tgr.ARPA> <mtu.178>
Reply-To: jeff@dciem.UUCP ( Richardson)
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 32
Summary: 

Rush's career can be divided into three eras:  early ("Rush", "Fly By Night",
and "Caress Of Steel"), middle ("2112", "A Farewell To Kings", and
"Hemispheres") and recent ("Moving Pictures", "Signals" and "Grace Under
Pressure").  (I've avoided putting "Permanent Waves" in one period.  I think
it belongs mostly in the middle period, but it sounds like it was an attempt
to do an album in the style of their more recent period, except that they
hadn't yet developed their new sound nor were they able to leave behind
their old sound.)  A couple of people have stated recently
that they definitely prefer the middle period, and other people have told
me that they like their more recent work better.  Personally, I like them
both, and I find it difficult to compare them because they are very
different.  There are good and bad points of both periods, and I think that
if they could combine the best elements of their middle and recent periods,
they would be one of my all-time favourite groups.  I'll elaborate on that:
I love the long, varied, thematic, storybook type pieces that they did in
their middle period, but I never liked Geddy Lee's screaming, and they
always seemed to have an overpowering heavy-metal feeling that I didn't really
like.  (I used to describe Rush at the time as being a cross between heavy
metal and "progressive" rock.  The heavy metal element made them different
from other progrock bands, but it didn't have to be so overpowering.)
In their recent period, they've abandoned the long, varied pieces and resorted
to doing less ambitious, more ordinary pop songs, but they do them so well.
Geddy Lee never screams anymore (I never thought I'd like his voice, but I do
now.) and the heavy metal sound is completely gone, and has been replaced
by a much smoother, more professional and more pleasant sound.  (Don't get
me wrong--sometimes I prefer a rougher sound, but sometimes smoothness
sounds better.)  I'd love to hear what it would sound like if they did a long,
varied, progressive piece in their new smoother sound without screaming vocals.
-- 
Jeff Richardson, DCIEM, Toronto  (416) 635-2073
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