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Subject: 03/14/91 - The National Midnight Star #192
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The National Midnight Star, Number 192
Thursday, 14 March 1991
Today's Topics:
Administrivia
RUSH - when did I get hooked
Is Through Time on CD??
Re: 03/13/91 - The National Midnight Star #191
Xanadu lyrics interpretation
Lyrical quality and mated music
Re: 03/13/91 - The National Midnight Star #191
(none)
Various and sundry bits and pieces VIII
Broon & 2112
Finding My Way on video
Yet another Neil rumour?
Re: Randy on Rush lyrics
Chronicles Video
A compilation request
Finding My Way (video)
LYNCH THAT BASTARD RANDALL STARK
(none)
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Editor, The National Midnight Star <rush-mgr>
Subject: Administrivia
Notice: Syrinx will be going down from around 16:00 until 19:00 on
Friday, 3/15/91. This means two things: first, ftp will not work
during that time, and mail will probably bounce, and secondly, the
regularly scheduled 17:30 mailing will be at 12:00 instead.
rush-mgr
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 13 Mar 91 15:16:00 CDT
From: "KESHAV UTHURUSAMY" <keshav@zeus.unomaha.edu>
Subject: RUSH - when did I get hooked
Fellow RUSH mavens,
I thought you'd like to hear my two cents worth (or maybe not).
I got into RUSH when I was in high school in Houston; when I
went to college, I was mostly a Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin fan.
But, when I heard HYF; it was over!
>From that CD, I got totally enthralled with the boyz. They are the
best band I know of, and believe me, I know of a few. I heard the
words and the music and I haven't stopped since. The are the ONLY
band that I can listen to everyday, over and over (and I do).
I think that ESL and HYF are their best albums and I have one question
for the physicists and engineers out there: Why is it that when I walk
by the radio station on campus, my portable CD player (with RUSH CD, of
course) always stops? Is the EMP that powerful?
Well, that is about it. Ciao!! :)
Daredevil
ORQ: "I will choose a path that's clear; I will choose Freewill"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DAREDEVIL - THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR
Internet : keshav@zeus.unomaha.edu (VAX/VMS)
keshav@alf.unomaha.edu (Ultrix)
kasey@pogo.ai.mit.edu (BSD UNIX)
kasey@churchy.ai.mit.edu (BSD UNIX)
Bitnet : keshav@unoma1
UUnet : uunet!zeus.unomaha.edu!keshav@uunet.uu.net
"INVICTUS MANEO"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Date: Wed, 13 Mar 91 16:37:46 EST
From: stcroix@caen.engin.umich.edu (William Stcroix)
Subject: Is Through Time on CD??
Hello to all,
I recently posed a question to a friend in the UK. Is the Through Time album
available on CD?? He wasn't able to come up with an answer and suggested
that I post here to find an answer.
Right now, all I know is that it can't be found or purchased by record stores
in the SE Michigan area. Therefore, I can't get it. As far as the stores
know, this CD doesn't exist. Can anyone help?? I think it is an import
from Canada, but I'm not sure. I know that I'm close to Canada and would be
willing to drive over there to get it, if I know that I can get it there.
[ I have it on vinyl; I haven't seen it for sale in about 8 years. I've
never seen it on CD; I'd like to get a copy if anyone knows where! It's
on the Mercury label, for what that's worth. I'll go home and see if
there's any pertinant info on the jacket.
:rush-mgr ]
Any and all help will be appreciated!
P.S. Does anyone know what Alex is saying/singing during the censored part
of the A Show of Hands video? I have heard that this was posted around
here in the past. I just started to subscribe on 3/8/91.
[ Nobody knows; the mike wasn't turned on. Alex is known for his nonesense
lyrics, like "La La La La La", etc. :rush-mgr ]
Thanks again,
Bill St. Croix
E-mail: stcroix@caen.engin.umich.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 91 18:26 EST
From: "Who is John Galt?" <JPJ103@PSUVM.PSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: 03/13/91 - The National Midnight Star #191
Hello all. It's nice to be back posting again... I haven;t posted here since
the near-flame war over "The Pass" (Yes, it's the elusive 'Prime Mover').
Just wanted to address a rather interesting point that was brought up in this
issue.
Randall Stark writes:
>Actually, (and I have been holding back on saying this because
>I have no desire to start a flame war), I think, on the whole,
>Rush's lyrics are basically quite poor. Now I say this as a massive
>fan, seen them every tour since 1979, listen five hours a day, etc. etc.,
>but I listen for the *music* and have developed the fine art of ignoring the
>often atrocious lyrics.
Oh, no! I don't doubt Randall's sincerity about his devotion to Rush...
This is the first complaint about Rush's lyrics that I've heard. Usually, the
lyrics are what make Rush so attractive to listeners (especially myself). They
don't deal with the typical "Moon/June" or "Love & Teenage Crisis" $hit that
much "mainstream" music today does.
>My basic complaint can be summed up using one of their songs. Neil
>tends to *tell* not *show* things. He tends to write very rational,
>"left brain" stuff, while the music is so intensly emotional. He
>often deals with emotions as a theme, but writes *about* them rationally.
>A good example of this is "Emotion Detector" on PoW. "When we lift
>the covers from our feelings, we expose the insecure spots." The entire
>song writes about emotions without itself being emotional! The *music*,
>on the other hand, is quite good.
Hm. Neil's writing is also quite emotional, IMHO. I can't listen to "Marathon"
without getting gooseflesh. The same goes for "Countdown" and in fact many
other pieces. As far as dealing with emotions rationally: The only way to deal
with emotions *is* with rationality (again, IMHO). You can't separate the two.
Emotions are a part of one's rational perception of the world.
>I guess I find Neil's writing style a bit immature. It is sort of
>overly sincere, and often pretentious.
I'd rather have Neil's sincerity than pablum from a "Superconductor"-type
pop-boy or girl. ("THey really mean it." Do they?)
>Rush lyrics are often ponderous.
Ponderous, or take thinking to understand? :-)
>flames to a minimum, please-
Actually, this isn't a flame, though perhaps you couldn't tell the difference.
Anyway, there's my $0.02 on that subject. Interesting topic...
Another point: Whilst reading the February 1991 issue of _Popular Communi-
cations_ I noticed a section on pirate radio stations. It noted that a station
somewhere in NYC calling itself WORK, Working Man's Radio, had "been heard
playing Rush's 'Working Man'" at some time & frequency that I forget. The same
article mentioned an outfit in Canada called FBN Fly By Night Radio. I'm
sure they used the sone of the same name at some point.
Here at Penn State, we in the Amateur Radio Club have been compiling a list
of songs with lines relating to radio. Of course, I had to put in "Spirit of
Radio", and someone else added parts of "New World Man" and "Chemistry". Anyone
have more radio-related Rush lines?
Later, all...
Michael Sensor <accessing JPJ103@psuvm.psu.edu>
Penn State University (ha-ha to UM, we're in the Tournament!)
OPRQ: "Invisible airways crackle with life, bright antennae bristle with the
energy"
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Date: Wed, 13 Mar 91 18:38:20 -0500
From: jtkung@caf.MIT.EDU (Joseph Kung)
Subject: Xanadu lyrics interpretation
I always thought that Neil was making a comment on 'Xanadu,' from
"Kubla Khan." People love to write about intangible things like
Xanadu, some sort of utopia. You tend to imagine things in a certain
way without ever working out all the consequences. Thus, you think
you'll like this 'Xanadu' but as it turns out, it's some sort of
living hell. Sort of like setting a singular goal and reaching it,
only to find that the thrill of it all was in the actual journey and
not the destination. Neil has written about this many times, and it's
a recurring theme.
- Joe
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Date: Wed, 13 Mar 91 17:26:41 PST
From: eric%wdl47@wdl1.wdl.loral.com (Eric Kuhnen)
Subject: Lyrical quality and mated music
I must agree in part with Randall Stark's (TNMS #191, Sub: "I drank 12 beers")
assessment of Rush lyrical quality, but I can only do so when the entire
breadth and depth of written literature is considered. Indeed, within the realm
of Rock-n-Roll that Rush reigns, the lyrics possess a quality that extends far
beyond the "do-it-till-we're-black-n-blue" dreck of other groups. In citing
"Countdown" as an example of poor lyrical style, one can find a counter-example
in "Losing It", and leads one to conclude that Peart has his good days and
bad days. For in "Losing It", I find some of the most powerful imagery avail-
able in Rock: "The Writer stares with glassy eyes/Defies the empty page/His
beard is white; his face is lined/And streaked with tears of rage." I can see
this man; he is real to me. Or how about this: "Stiff as wire, her lungs on
fire/With just the briefest pause/And flooding through her memories/The echo
of old applause"? This combines for me the experiences of playing basketball
without practicing for years and remembering the old days when I was gigging
three nights a week. If Peart's lyrics do not show emotion in and of them-
selves, they certainly evoke images that have are tied to powerful, emotional,
and personal experiences. And this may be the lyricist's legacy: one will
never write a lyric of emotion as powerful as one's own emotion.
"Losing It" exemplifies the fine art of matching lyrics with music. I would
say that "Red Barchetta" does the same. Each song has that blend of lyric and
music permitting emotional images described in the words to reflect in the
melody of the tune and the phrasing of the chords. Mr. Stark's comments point
to the important question: "How well does Rush blend their music to their
words?" I spent a considerable amount of time asking myself this question,
especially after the release of "Grace under Pressure" and after repeated
listenings of "A Fairwell to Kings" and "Hemispheres." The music is great and
the lyrics are portentous, but in the mating of lyrics and music, I think these
"greatnesses" were not combined as effectively as in other albums. Perhaps the
reason that "Moving Pictures" is my favorite album is not because it is such a
popular album, but that Rush found that rare quantity of the "right stuff"
in their lyrics, their music, and the combination of the two. The enduring
appeal of Rush, then, could be found in an ability to combine the "telling" of
the lyrics with the "emotion" of the music in an effective manner most of the
time.
"Q"
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 91 21:03 EST
From: "Derek D. Lichter [Cinderella Man]" <DEREK%ALBNYVMS.BITNET@UACSC2.ALBANY.EDU>
Subject: Re: 03/13/91 - The National Midnight Star #191
In response to a couple of separate items on the same topic, really...
I've never been one to look at Neil as a lyrical poet (apologies to the
grand master Vanilla Ice hahahahahaa... :-). His writing can be strong,
but usually it's the shorter, punchier stuff that I like (i.e "Red Lenses"
"Time Stand Still" "The Enemy Within"). It's interesting, though, how
sometimes the most archetypal Peart lyrics go into the most musically
interesting songs: "Xanadu" "Freewill" "The Trees" -- I'm usually getting
into the music to the point where I don't consciously hear the words.
And of course my favourite song of all is "La Villa Strangiato..." :-)
For the real passion in lyrics I lean more towards Peter Gabriel, Kate
Bush, Frank Zappa, Living Colour, and Public Enemy.
Oh and Keith, I'm a fan of "Cinderella Man" too...
Derek L.
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 14th March 1991, 2:20pm EST.
From: "Mark Connell" <markcon@sydvm1.vnet.ibm.com>
Subject: Additions to discography
The following 2 items are not listed in the discography from Dave Datta.
I'll also send Dave a note to include them:
1987 Time Stand Still
5.07 Time Stand Still
4.28 Force Ten
4.40 The Enemy Within (live)
4.45 Witch Hunt (live)
CD (DDD) United Kingdom Vertigo RUSCD 13
1988 Marathon (live)
6.32 Marathon (live)
CD (ADD) Canada Anthem PRO1
Mark Connell Internet: markcon@sydvm1.vnet.ibm.com
Melbourne, Australia
[ I've recieved the updated discography from Dave D. - it will be posted
as a special edition in the next day or two (or four). :rush-mgr ]
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 91 18:29:39 hst
From: Hinano Akaka <bigtuna!hinano@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu>
Subject: Various and sundry bits and pieces VIII
Good day --
Well, nice to see you're back Albercrombie! Been wondering where
you've disappeared to. Ahem... cute chick, huh? Ha ha! Thanx (I
think!)... At any rate, nice to see you're back, dude...
The story about Stuart Hall and rush-mgr's ASOH album reminds me
of...yup, you guessed it ...yet, another drole account of some obscure
Rush experience... -- I was in Finland (Moi, Rauli! Mita kuuluu?) when
Power Windows came out. Incidentally, one of the magazines in Finland
(Voi Jumalauta, I forgot the name...) had printed the name of the album
wrong. They had "The Power Wind" which really threw me off -- that
didn't make sense, and it didn't sound like a Rush-title! Oh
well... Anyway, my brother told me over the phone that the video for
"The Big Money" was o.k.. Now, I was in Finland for a year, and didn't
get back home until early July (this was in 1986). I watched MTV like
a hawk and did not once see any video from PoW. A friend of mine
taped "Mystic Rhythms", so I did see that, but not Big Money. Well, a
couple of years later, at a party at my friends house, we were watching
TV and she was flipping channels and came across the Big Money video
-- twenty seconds later the video ended. Two years later, I finally
happened to get my hands on the GUP video and FINALLY managed to see
the video for "The Big Money". So I know how it feels to wait for
something!
Frankly, speaking of waiting, I personally don't mind waiting for
Rush's next album. Aside from the ole saying that good things take a
long time (or something to that effect), I guess one could think of it
in the sense that they will, ultimately, be around longer if they take
their time, and take a long time between albums. Maybe I'm just
paranoid after their short 'hiatus' -- just the idea of a break up is
so depressing (then why're you bringing it up?!) -- I mean they've been
around, literally, all my life (born in '69. Yeah!) -- I grew up
listening to their music and I sort of think of them as my big brothers.
Sigh...
Ooops, sorry, folks. Didn't mean to end on such a sour note. What
can I say, I've got a major mid-term tomorrow, I've only had 2 hours
of sleep (I'm awake! I'm awake!), and there's all these slow songs on
the radio... Sheesh! Alright, enough...
Puanani
BTW, Ed -- thanx for the note... I actually had a good laugh over
that!
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 91 21:32:12 -0800
From: Ted Ives <tedi@apple.com>
Subject: Broon & 2112
Hi,
Just a quick note. I just heard that Terry Brown is producing the new
"Fates Warning" album. Has anyone ever heard of this group?
Also, there's been a lot of discussion about 2112, with questions about
it's rumored satanic references. I think most fans agree that there really
isn't anything satanic about the album and that Rush was just in a pretty
fired up state of mind, after the commercial failure of their previous album.
It's not like 666 was written all over the album or anything! But now that
I think about it, there are 6 tracks on the album....and, omigosh! It was
released in 1976!!!!! And, oh my god, this can't be happening!!!!
2 + 1 + 1 + 2 is 6! 666!!! Oh no, the walls are shaking, the ceiling! it's
caving in, somebody heeelllppp! Agggghhhhhhh
h
h
h
h..........<click>
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 14 Mar 91 00:46:00 EST
From: "Mike Andrews" <kramer@wittenberg.edu>
Subject: Finding My Way on video
Isn't "Finding My Way" on the p/g concert video? A small bit of it, anyway.
(in reference to our humble rush-mgr's comment in #191 somewhere near the
beginning (my quoter is broke))
[ I'll check. I know it's NOT on Exit... :rush-mgr ]
---
Mike Andrews Springfield, OH | A (by)product of the heart of the Bluegrass
Bitnet: kramer@wittenbg.bitnet | Rush: "Tough times demand tough talk demand
Internet: kramer@wittenberg.edu | tough hearts demand tough songs demand...."
uucp: ...!wittenberg.edu!kramer | Quote: "Bass players do it deeper..." :-)
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 91 00:58:52 EST
From: Rob_Harris@ub.cc.umich.edu
Subject: Yet another Neil rumour?
As a new member to this posting, I'm not sure if this question has been
brought up here, but I might as well ask it anyway. A friend of mine in
Toronto told me that there was a rumour going around that Neil had con-
tracted some kind of Luekemia...I have no idea whether or not this is true,
but if anyone has heard the same thing (or something to the contrary), I
would really appreciate their feedback...
[ Here we go again! (No offense intended to the original poster.) These
rumours crop up now and again; I've been hearing them since around the
time of Signals. What I've heard:
- Neil is dying of cancer
- Geddy is dying of cancer
- Geddy has throat cancer; he's not dying, but can never sing again
Anybody heard any others? I wonder if all of these are due to the fact
that John Rutsey had health problems? :rush-mgr ]
For the next matter, I was wondering if anyone had successfully downloaded
any of the Rush images at the ftp site...I have been having trouble doing
it...but the odd thing is, is that I have been able to download text with-
out any problem. I know that this is an issue which doesnt need to be
discussed here, so anyone who has done it successfully, and wants to take the
time out to tell me how to do it right, I would appreciate it...PLEASE send
your messages to me, and NOT to this location....I'm sure they dont need the
clutter...anyway, you can reply to my address at the beginning of the letter.
Thanks for the help....
::::::::::::::::::::::::)))) Rob Harris
"...sometimes our big splashes
are just ripples in the pool..."
---we love Hulme---
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Randy on Rush lyrics
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 91 09:48:40 N
From: Gordon MacKinney <gordon@hpbblb.bbn.hp.com>
Well Randy, you let the cat out of the bag, and with courage.
Your words will raise the hackles of a number of TNMS readers,
but I agree with you. The brilliance of Rush is the music, not
the lyrics. Rush can weave sounds in among each other like
colors in a masterpiece painting. But I've never found the
lyrics particularly insightful, as I do Paul Simon's lyrics.
Neil Peart does an adequate job as a lyricist, and actually
stands out among other rock lyricists because the competition is
weak. Success in the rock business is only marginally influenced
by lyric quality; successful bands rise on the sound they create.
But I applaud Neil for the themes he chooses to write about,
which do "deviate from the norm" among rock music themes.
Gordon
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 91 09:06 EDT
From: "Douglas G. Schwabe" <DGSST4@vms.cis.pitt.edu>
Subject: Chronicles Video
ATTENTION ALL RUSH FANS!!!!
If you haven't picked up the "Chronicles" video now is the best time to do
it. Starting March 20 and finshing the 31st, Musicland and Sam Goody stores
will sell this great video for the outstanding price of only $17.99!!!
That's right, $17.99!!!!! So Rush on over (pun intended) to pick up your copy
of possibly the greatest video compilation ever. I know I will
Thank Y'all
Doug
dgsst4@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Let's Go Pens!!!!!!
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1991 12:06:45 -0000
From: john9@pooky.cs.mun.ca (John Palfrey)
Subject: A compilation request
> From: "John W Connelly" <connelly@unix.cis.pitt.edu>
> Subject: title of Rush compilation book
>
> The title of the Rush compilation I mentioned last week (TNMS 186) is
> "Retrospective", and it *was* published in 1988. And by the way, for the guy
> who was looking for "Broon's Bane" in ESL, it's in this book as well.
I have the book Visions and I am interested in the above compilation. Does
anybody have the address or info on it?
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
| "A Spirit with a vision || |
| Is A Dream with a Mission" || john9@pooky.cs.mun.ca |
| Mission - HYF || |
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 91 10:47:33 -0500
From: rjf@maxwell.physics.purdue.edu (Robert J. Friedman III)
Subject: Finding My Way (video)
Ahem,
Sorry Rush mgr. "Finding My Way" does appear on a video release. Check
out the P/G video in the medly of old tunes. I taped this from eMpTyV years
ago though I don't know whether "I drank 12 beers" appears in there (ask my
brother "Crimson" at OSU--he has the tape). I assume this concert is the same
one you can rent/buy in video stores. Later.
-Bob Friedman
ORQ-"You can raise objections
Reality won't budge...!"
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 91 11:45 EST
From: CRANMER@MPS.OHIO-STATE.EDU
Subject: LYNCH THAT BASTARD RANDALL STARK
[ Now, now, let's keep it civil... :rush-mgr ]
In reply to Randall Stark's statements about Neil's lyrics...
I really didn't want to "flame", especially on the NMS, but.......
Neil's lyrics IMMATURE? PRETENTIOUS? (are we listening to the same Rush?)
And what, please tell me, is wrong with being "overly sincere"?? In
addition, the claim that Neil "tells" and does not "show" is a completely
subjective judgement. For every example one can produce "proving" one
side, I can find another "proving" something different! Neil's writing
has evolved in maturity over the years, and this has peaked in "Show Don't
Tell," which at least goes to show that he is trying and maturing.
Neil never claimed to be a wonderful poet, but his words, from "Anthem"
to "Available Light," say a lot to those who listen.
Now this is completely my own opinion. I'm not telling anyone what to
think about anything, and I uphold the right of the Randall Starks of the
world to express their opinions, also. Even if I think they are asinine.
Steven Cranmer
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 91 10:15 EST
From: V120P993@ubvmsc.cc.buffalo.edu
i have a semi- relevant question i hope someone can answer. on ESL, before
the song "JACOB'S LADDER", geddy says: "we'd like to do an old song for
you right now; this was done a long time ago by the..." and i simply cannot
make out (or understand) the rest of his statement. does someone know and
understand what is said- any enlightenment would be appreciated. as always,
many thanks to the rush-mgr for all efforts to this board.
KEVIN HULME
----------------------------------------------------------
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Copyright The Rush Fans Mailing List, 1991.
Editor, The National Midnight Star
(Rush Fans Mailing List)
********************************************
End of The National Midnight Star Number 192
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