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Subject: 07/18/91 - The National Midnight Star #289
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** / /_/ /_ /\ / /__/ / / / / /\ / /__/ / **
** / / / /__ / \/ / / / / /__/ / \/ / / /___ **
** **
** __ ___ ____ **
** /\ /\ / / \ /\ / / / _ /__/ / **
** / \/ \ / /___/ / \/ / /___/ / / / **
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** ____ ____ ___ ___ **
** /__ / /__/ /__/ **
** ____/ / / / / \ **
The National Midnight Star, Number 289
Wednesday, 17 July 1991
Today's Topics:
Administrivia
Songs with "Paracetamol" in the title ... NOT!
Rush in an EcoPak??!!!?!
Presto in BMG...
Geddy && VoiVod
New Album Update?; plus YES info
The wail of the Ged-shee!
dune......
Time Signatures and MD Magazine
>..."she's got leeeegs(bootlegs, that is), and she knows how to sue them"
Re: 07/15/91 - The National Midnight Star #287
Bootlegs
trilogies...
Re: The meaning of "PART IV" in trilogy
Rush & REM
News on Rush/Kim/Max Party in Toronto
mission!
The Peart interview.....
More on Internet Relay Chat
Tired of bootleg convos :)
a MUSICIAN speaks out!
(none)
Neil writing a book?
Some thoughts (skip me if you're an Objectivist)
Rush & REM
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Administrivia
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 08:36:07 -0400
From: RUSH Fans Digest Manager <rush-mgr>
There were two NMS #287 mailed out yesterday due to a timing error.
I was editing the file for sending at 6:30, when the cron run to mail
the digest fires off. Since there was the raw edition of the NMS on
disk (I was editing up in memory), the software grabbed the image that
was on the disk. I assumed that it wouldn't if I had it for editing,
but was wrong. The copy sent at 18:30 is superceded by the copy sent
at 18:45 (missed it by that much). I've arranged it so that there is
only the later copy in the ftp archive. The issue which appeared to be
number 288 was really the correct version of #287.
This edition is really Wednesday's issue - the safeguards I built in
to prevent the above happening worked too well; I left a flag set wrong
during testing, so this wasn't sent at the apropriate time. Oh, well.
Things have been a bit hectic here lately, but I think they're actually
leveling off now...
rush-mgr
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Songs with "Paracetamol" in the title ... NOT!
Date: Mon, 15 Jul 91 14:20:52 -0700
From: dougo@soda.berkeley.edu
I've been hearing BAD II's new song "Rush" on the radio, so I thought I'd
come up with a list of songs with "Rush" in the title. Can anyone add any
more?
BAD II -- "Rush" *
Paula Abdul -- "Rush Rush" **
Mr. Big -- "Addicted to that Rush"
Joe Satriani -- "One Big Rush"
Should these count?
Joe Satriani -- "Crush of Love"
OMD -- "Crush"
The Smiths -- "Rusholme Ruffians"
REM -- "Orange Crush"
Sting -- "Russians"
The Church -- "Russian Autumn Heart"
* Big Audio Dynamite II is ex-Clash-vocalist Mick Jones's new band. It
sounds a little more like the Clash than did BAD I, and less like hip-hop.
** What the hell is Ted "Theodore" Logan doing in a Paula Abdul video?
-- Doug "He's got to make his own mistakes" O.
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Rush in an EcoPak??!!!?!
Date: Mon, 15 Jul 91 18:09:19 EDT
From: mjkobb@media-lab.media.mit.edu
Greetings,
It didn't hit me until just recently, but since Rush moved to Atlantic, it
seems likely that their future CDs (hopefully not Roll the Bones) will be
released in the EcoPak packaging farce. Warner/Elektra/Atlantic president
Henry Droz announced that all his label's records will soon be released in the
EcoPak (similar to the DigiPak that Sting's Soul Cages came out in). Of
course, the EcoPak is made by Ivy Hill packaging, which is owned by WEA.
BTW, the supposed purpose of the EcoPak is to cut down on waste caused by
the longbox. However, instead of using the system used everywhere else in the
world -- CD's in jewel boxes, shrinkwrapped -- WEA proposes the EcoPak, which
uses 80% of the paper of the longbox. Granted, you don't throw all that paper
away immediately, but what if it gets [wet, torn, smudged]? You then have to
replace it with a jewel box, and you can't transfer the artwork!
I'm not at home now, but when I get in, I'll mail WEA's address to the
digest. If you don't want your Rush CD's to be in crummy packaging, WRITE!!
--Mike
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Jul 91 19:16:04 edt
From: "Dylan Kaufman" <morgan@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu>
Subject: Presto in BMG...
yes, it is in fact... I bought it for a friend from them a few months
ago...
-<>Dylan<>- MA EMT-M, CA EMT-1A, BEMCo 107
Dylan Kaufman Major in Computer Science
morgan@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
------<< Support your local Emergency Medical Services >>-------
One can never have too much RAM or too much disk space.
-- Ancient American Proverb, c. 1980
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Jul 91 18:21:25 -0700
From: Doug Orleans <dougo@soda.berkeley.edu>
Subject: Geddy && VoiVod
Seen on alt.rock-n-roll.metal:
[Re: Voivod's new album due in October]
> Has Geddy Lee played anything on it or just been producing?
Is Geddy really producing Voivod? I knew they were Canadian, but I
hadn't heard this. For those who haven't heard Voivod, they're a
French-Canadian band that plays a strange brand of cyber-punk-thrash
music. They covered Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine" on their last
album, _NothingFace_.
Can you imagine Rush doing a song in Voivod style? Wow, what a
concept... Actually, come to think of it, it would probably sound a
lot like "Natural Science".
Always glad to spread an unconfirmed rumor...
DougO
OBRQ: "Tide after tide will flow and recede
Leaving life to go on as it was...."
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Jul 91 21:45 EST
From: <NIDSTER%JHUVMS.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: New Album Update?; plus YES info
I just came back from summer vacation and I've been off the list
since finals in May. I'm wondering whether anyone posted any update on the
arrival of the new album while I was gone. Last I heard, it was due out in
late August. If someone can bring me up to date on this without my having
to go through all the back issues, I'd really appreciate it.
Also, Sean Flanegan (wilkinso@darkside.com) wondered why Toramto
(sorry, Tormato) and Yesshows was only available as imports. Well, about
three to four weeks ago, Tormato was released as a domestic CD for around
$10. At least this was the case in NJ-NY area. I don't know about
Yesshows, though.
Nidhip Mehta, Johns Hopkins Univ.
ORQ: "A simple kind of mirror to reflect upon our own,
All the busy little creatures chasing out their destinies;
Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea....."
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Jul 91 22:17:43 EDT
From: Macon N. Pegram <csc8mnp@cabell.vcu.edu>
Subject: The wail of the Ged-shee!
Yes, I too was flipping channels Sat (?) night and caught Tom Sawyer on the
Global Jam show (which, since they make it painfully clear that what you are
watching is currently for sale, makes this program to me seem like a great
marketing ploy to me - once again the words of the profits are written on the
concert halls!) and not having the ASOH video (poor college student ect...)
was the first time I had asctually seen that clip. I enjoyed the odd noise
at the end of the song ... caused by Lerxt's string breaking, adding an
interesting harmonic variation to the song. But best of all was the 'Thank You!'
Geddy says at the very end of the tune. Some time ago, a friend of mine proposed
the theory that the real change in Rush's post-Signals sound was due to the fact
that Geddy's voice has grown deeper (or less shrill) with each successive album,
so no more to we hear the hair-raising hysteronics of Hemispheres (howzat for
alliteration, eh?) - and that Geddy can't shriek like he used to...Cygnus X-1
as a classic example of this. WELL, that 'Thank-You' proves him wrong - it was
in a range that brings back joyful memories of All the World's...
the grinch
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: dune......
From: wilkinso@darkside.com (Sean Flanegan)
Date: Mon, 15 Jul 91 21:32:49 PDT
I may have sounded a bit uninformed on my comments about Dune...
I think it should have been phrased " ...a little more artistic integrity,
Like Something neil Wrote Himself. " I just don't see dune as
something Neil would use as material.
Ps thanks for the mail concerning the yes albums. I think I will go
to TOwER and get Tormato right now.
sean-----------
" Those who know whats best for
us,
Must Rise and Save Us From
Ourselves!"
- --- -- - -Pratt
(narpet)
----------------------------------------------------------
From: stedmant@LONEX.RADC.AF.MIL (Terrance A. Stedman)
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 01:50:56 EDT
Subject: Time Signatures and MD Magazine
Ok-
Since the time-signature thread has come up again, I guess it's
my duty as a Rush fan to post a portion of a Style & Analysis column featuring
Neil in the Oct. '85 issue of Modern Drummer magazine. Although it's not
possible to reproduce the transcribed drum parts, I'll do the "Best I Can."
--
Style & Analysis
Neil Peart
Mention the name Neil Peart, and most fans picture someone furiously playing
away behind a large drumkit. While Neil has a flashy image, a closer look
will reveal a gifted and creative musician. He has the ability to play
effortlessly through time changes and still keep the beat rocking.
One of Rush's most popular records is _Moving Pictures_, from 1981. Example
1 is the opening section of "YYZ" from that LP. The rhythm is based on
the Morse Code for the letters Y, Y, and Z. Within this two-bar pattern,
Neil shifts the feel between the bass and snare drums. This is Neil at
his best.
Ex. 1
Tempo: 1/4 note = 200
Time Signature: 5/4
BTW, the opening bars are played on a Crotale.
Ex. 2
>From the same LP, Example 2 looks at "Tom Sawyer." Starting after the first
chorus, Neil lays down a heavy beat in 4/4. In bar 5, he drops the last
8th note, shifting the beat to 7/8. This is a subtle but effective change.
Tempo: 1/4 note = 86
Time Signature: 4/4 & 7/8
Ex. 3
Moving on to the _Signals_ LP, Example 3 is from "Losing It." Taken from
the break after the first verse and into the second, these three phrases
show Neil "building up" the rhythm. Starting with rimshot and hi-hat, he
adds bass drum, and then snare drum and open hi-hat.
Tempo: 1/4 note = 122
Time Signature: 5/4
Ex. 4
Example 4, "Chemistry," is also from the _Signals_ album. This shows Neil
catching the accents with his crash cymbals. Even with the crashes and
fills, he keeps the beat right on target.
Tempo: 1/4 note = 125
Time Signature: 4/4
Ex. 5
The last two examples are from the _Grace Under Pressure_ LP. Example 5
is the beat from "The Body Electric." The two-bar phrase is first stated
on the toms and snare. He then shifts it to the ride pattern. The offbeat
accents help make this simple beat very effective.
Tempo: 1/4 note = 135
Time Signature: 4/4
Ex. 6
Example 6 is from "Distant Early Warning." This again shows how Neil builds
up a rhythm. Verses one and two use rimshots and bass drum. Verses three
and four add the snare drum accents.
Tempo: 1/4 note = 144
Time Signature: 4/4
--
The following is taken from the Dec. 89 issue of MD which features several
transcribed phrases of Neil's work.
--
Peart On Record
If you go back and analyze Neil's playing from his first recorded performance
with Rush, _Fly By Night_, and listen to each subsequent album, you'll notice
a very interesting progression. In general, the band's earlier material
was more simple, allowing Neil to stretch out in regard to his use of fills
and especially the length of the fills. As the band progressed into more
involved time signatures and arrangements, Neil seemed to concentrate on
those areas. And in more recent times, Neil has become more concerned with
locking in the feel of the songs, coming up with interesting patterns, and
selecting the different sounds he is generating, either acoustically or
through sampling. But no matter what period of Rush's career, Neil has
continued to come up with some inspired drumming.
The following examples are taken from several Rush albums. When looking
at the different beats that Neil has come up with, it's easy to understand
why he has had such an impact on drummers. In most cases, the patterns
shown are the basic beats Neil embellished.
These first three examples are from the aggressive 7/8 introduction of
"Anthem," from _Fly By Night_ (recorded 1975). These are some of the patterns
Neil played after the opening eight-bar drum fill section.
Tempo: 1/8 note = 288
Time Signature: 7/8
This next rather syncopated pattern is from "Lakeside Park," off of the
_Caress Of Steel_ album (1975).
Tempo: 1/4 note = 104
Time Signature: 4/4
The following beat is from the chorus of "The Temples Of Syrinx," from _2112_
(1976).
Tempo: 1/4 note = 138
Time Signature: 4/4
This example is from "Cygnus X-1," off of _A Farewell To Kings_ (1977).
This driving 11/8 pattern appears near the end of the tune.
Tempo: 1/8 note = 320
Time Signature: 11/8
The next two beats appear in the verse section of "Circumstances," from
the _Hemispheres_ album (1978).
Tempo: 1/4 note = 132
Time Signature: 4/4
The next pattern is from the instrumental section of "Freewill," from
_Permanent Waves (1979).
Tempo: Dotted 1/4 note = 104
Time Signature: 6/8
The next two examples are from "Vital Signs," off of _Moving Pictures_ (1980).
The first example is from the first verse, and the second is from the second
verse.
Tempo: 1/4 note = 72
Time Signature: 4/4
Neil played this two-bar pattern in the verses of "The Weapon," from
_Signals_ (1982).
Tempo: 1/4 note = 112
Time Signature: 4/4
The next example is from the _Grace Under Pressure_ album (1984). This
is the 5/4 verse pattern to "Kid Gloves."
Tempo: 1/4 note = 170
Time Signature: 5/4
This example is taken from the later verses of "The Big Money," from _Power
Windows_ (1985). Even though it appears to be in 3/4, due to the 8th-note
feel of the song it is written in 6/8.
Tempo: 1/4 note = 160
Time Signature: 6/8
The last example is from the _Hold Your Fire_ collection (1987). This pattern
is played during the verses of "Turn The Page." (The hi-hat is occasionally
played partially open).
Tempo: 1/4 note = 160
Time Signature: 6/4
--
Sure this post is of limited use without the transcriptions, but at least
it sheds a bit of light on the time signatures employed on various songs.
And of course, the time signatures often vary within a single tune. The
time signatures specified above are for certain phrases within a particular
song. Other phrases may or may not vary.
Terry Stedman Internet: stedmant@lonex.radc.af.mil
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I ) I I <~ I_I "It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will
I \ I_I _> I I is the only edict I must respect." - Rand from _Anthem_
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: ..."she's got leeeegs(bootlegs, that is), and she knows how to sue
them"
From: easy@darkside.com (Phil D. Croix)
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 02:03:57 PDT
I think that an ABL(available bootlegs list) is an excellent Idea!
Let's get the ball rollin' and trade some live RUSH!! Does anyone know WHY
it is so hard to find a CoS bootleg? I'm sure they are out there somewhere.
Did they ever play Lamneth live? That would be orgasmic if I could ever get
ahold of a live version of that!! I would be more than happy to contribute
to the list of boots. I have a couple, including one homegrown one of the
Presto concert(meaning, I done taped it meself). I always seem to bring it
up whenever I post, huh? That's becouse I'm so damn proud of it!!!
On to other things: I think that with any upcoming albums, and if
they decide to try another "epic side-long song", they would definately come
up with their own original story line. Why rehash some old story(Robin
Hood?), or do something that has already been told in books and a
movie(Dune)? Yeah! He should write a story about jack the ripper!(saucy
jack!)Or maybe Aliens! Or Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys. Or better yet, the
life and times of Saddam Hussein! Yeah, scuds 'n all! (sarcasm mode is now
off)---Whatever Neil Writes, I'm sure it will be brilliant. Rush has not let
me down yet, and I don't see them letting up at all in the future.
That's enough for me.....Sean, you butthead!! How ya doin'!!! Come on in to
the Boulanger and I'll flow you some free bread and pastries!
I just bought the new Marillion album and Duuuuuuude! It is sweet! I had to
buy it from the import section*(20 bucks!!) but it was worth it. The song No
ON CAN is just sweet. The whole album is sweet. I also heard the Fish album.
It is very good also. Tis good stuff, maynerd! BYE!
P.S. Did any of you out there remember to listen to Bastille Day on sunday?
It was Bastille day on sunday, dammit! Special significance for an awesome
songster!
Here I go with a nice Quote: "For you-the blind who once could see-The bell
tolls for thee..." That song(losing it) Just brings me near tears when I
listen to it......
----Matt(Phil D. Croixter)
SEAN! Drummage! I just bought me a new splash at Showcase. Now I can do some
awesome Peart fills!
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 09:01:02 EDT
From: Wes Morgan <morgan@engr.uky.edu>
Subject: Re: 07/15/91 - The National Midnight Star #287
>From: wilkinso@darkside.com (Sean Flanegan)
>
> Time sig. can also be in 8/8 or 8 eighth notes to a measure. This
>would be twice as fast as 4/4
Actually, since there are 2 eighth notes per quarter note, 8/8 isn't
automatically faster than 4/4. I think that you're thinking of 2/2,
also known as "cut time".
Given the recent surge in "technical" music questions, I think it's
time for an introduction to music notation. Here we go......
Let's start by just tapping your foot. Count as you tap; 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,
et cetera. You are tapping quarter notes in 4/4 time; four beats per
measure, and the quarter note gets the beat.
|
A quarter note looks something like this: @
Keep tapping 1,2,3,4 with your foot, but only count aloud on beats 1 and 3.
You are counting half notes. A half note takes the same amount of time as
two quarter notes.
|
A half note looks something like this: O
Notice that the quarter note was "filled
in" at the bottom; the half note is not.
Keep tapping 1,2,3,4 with your foot, but only count aloud on beat 1.
You are counting whole notes. A whole note takes the same amount of
time as four quarter notes.
A whole note looks something like this: O
Now, keep tapping 1,2,3,4 with your foot, but divide each beat in half;
you are now counting aloud like this "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 1 and 2....".
You are counting eighth notes; each quarter note can be subdivided into
two eighth notes.
|~
An eighth note looks something like this: @
____
If you have more than one eighth note, they can | |
be joined by a vertical bar, like this: @ @
Now, we're going to get a bit tricky. Keep tapping quarter notes with
your foot, but vocally divide each quarter note into 4 parts, like this:
"1 e and a 2 e and a 3 e and a 4 e and a 1 e and a 2 e and a.......".
Notice that the "1 and 2 and 3 and...." of the eighth notes is still
there; we're just splitting them one more time. You're counting sixteenth
notes; each eighth note can be subdivided into two sixteenth notes. Since
each quarter note can be subdivided into two eighth notes, we can say that
there are 4 sixteenth notes to a quarter note.
__
|-
Sixteenth notes look something like this: @
_______
If you have more than one sixteenth note, they can |-|-|-|
be joined by a DOUBLE vertical bar, like this: @ @ @ @
Since this is just an introduction, I'm not going to go into 32nd or
64th notes; just remember that it's a binary system all the way down.
Here's what the entire "subdivision tree" looks like:
---------CLIP AND SAVE! 8)--------------------
O whole note
/ \ divide into
| |
O O half notes
/ \ / \ divide into
| | | |
@ @ @ @ quarter notes
/ \ / \ / \ / \ divide into
|~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eighth notes
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ divide into
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
|~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~ |~
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sixteenth notes
-----------------CLIP AND SAVE! 8)----------------------
Now that we know how the notes relate to each other, we can start
describing some common patterns heard in music. For instance, let's
do the "William Tell Overture", aka "The Lone Ranger theme". Most of
us probably hum the tune as "da da dum da da dum da da dum dum dum, da
da dum da da dum da da dum dum dum", et cetera. Let's turn that into
notation.
The hardest part of all of this is finding the initial downbeat. This
example, "William Tell Overture", doesn't start on beat one; it has
some "pickup", or leadin, notes. Here's the first two bars in musical
notation ( the straight lines separate measures):
___ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ____
|-| | | |-| | |-| | | | |-| | | |-| | |-| | | | |
4 @ @ | @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ | @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ |
4 | | |
& a | 1 & a 2 & a 3 & 4 & a | 1 & a 2 & a 3 & 4 |
That's wasn't painful, now, was it?
Now, let's talk about time signatures.
First, let's give numeric values to each type of note:
Whole note = 1
Half note = 2
Quarter note = 4
Eighth note = 8
Sixteenth note = 16
32nd note = 32
et cetera, it's binary......
Now, let's look at a common time signature, oh, 4/4, for example:
4 <-- The top number is the number of beats per measure
4 <-- The bottom number is the type of note that gets the beat
So 4/4 translates to "4 quarter note beats per measure".
Using this method, 7/8 would be "7 eighth note beats per measure".
For a strange one, 15/16 would be "15 sixteenth notes per measure".
So a typical measure of, say, 7/8 time could look like this:
____ ____ _______ _______ ____ ____
| | | | | | | or maybe | | | | | | |
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
Why did I "group" the notes differently in the two examples? Because
the grouping of notes implies an accent. The first 7/8 example has
accents on beats 1, 3, and 5; the second has accents on 1, 4, and 6.
Try tapping them out; they are *distinctly* different feels.
Percussioninsts will often play in more than one time signature
at the same time; this is especially common is jazz. For instance,
I might play the hi-hat and snare in a 4/4 pattern while compressing
a 6/4 pattern on the bass drum into each measure. This time signature
would be notated as 4/4 6/4; confusing, isn't it? This was called
"compound time" when I learned it; the contemporary term may be
different.
If you have any more questions, feel free to send email; if I can't
answer them, I'll try to find a reference that does.
Rush-mgr: I'd be willing to write a "Theory Corner" column for TMNS,
if you think that there's a demand.
Best,
Wes
----
Wes Morgan, not speaking for \ !{any major site}!ukma!ukecc!morgan
the University of Kentucky's \ morgan%engr.uky.edu@UKCC
Engineering Computing Center \ morgan@engr.uky.edu
Lint is merely the compiler's means of controlling the programmer's ego.
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 08:36 CST
From: BSUTESCH@wsuiar.wsu.ukans.edu
Subject: Bootlegs
I am NOT interested in trading bootlegs but I would appreciate some info.
I would like to buy some CD bootlegs. Do stores carry them? What kind of
quality are we talking about with these boots? Thanks in advance.
-bRi-
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 10:48:15 EDT
From: adam@paix.sw.stratus.com (Mark Adam)
Subject: trilogies...
i don't know? part 4 of a trilogy sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
douglas adams (no relation, he's plural :-) said that "so long and
thanks for all the fish" was the 4th book in the "hitchhikers"
trilogy.
the gangster of boats sounds like it should be one of the cards in a
taro<sp?> deck... the ten of cups... the knave of lerxtwood... the
ganster of boats!
mark ----------------------------
"Logic is a wreath of pretty flowers that smell bad."
"I am NOT a merry man!"
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 11:29:37 -0400
From: MICHAEL HACKETT <hackett@gaul.csd.uwo.ca>
Subject: Re: The meaning of "PART IV" in trilogy
> You guys are missing the point!!! This is obviously Mr. Lifeson , always
> the comedian, making a little joke. Of course there are only 3 parts in
> a trilogy, but this will be part 4, a joke.... get it.... ????
>
> And they say Rush has no humour.
Tell that to Douglas Adams! As someone already pointed out, his
hilarious "trilogy" of novels "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"
currently consists of 4 books, with a 5th on the way (and there was much
rejoicing!! Yaaaaaayyyyyyy!).
P.S. I hope there are a few bootleggers up here in Ontario (or at least
in Canada). I'd love to get my hands on some, but my local store never
seems to have anything anymore. They used to have lots of Zeppelin and
Floyd boots, but I don't think I ever saw a Rush boot. Oh well, that
flicker of hope has been rejuvenated.
Mike Hackett
hackett@gaul.csd.uwo.ca
----------------------------------------------------------
From: daveh@fisher.psycha.upenn.edu (David Hamilton)
Subject: Rush & REM
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 11:55:49 EDT
Recently I've been thinking about how many people that I personally know
that both are fanatics about Rush and REM. I was wondering bhow many
people on this digest are into Rush and REM and, since we like to
analyze things to death here (aint it great?) WHY? Why would someone be
as much into REM as they are Rush? I mean, the two groups are about as
diversified as you can get while still staying in the mainstream of
Rock. Any comments?
--
________________________________________________________________________________
David L. Hamilton | "How can anybody be enlightened?
daveh@fisher.psycha.upenn.edu | When truth is, after all, so poorly lit."
Compuserve: 70244.322 | -Neil Peart
________________________________________________________________________________
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 14:02:10 -0400
From: "Douglas G Schwabe" <cschwabe@unix.cis.pitt.edu>
Subject: News on Rush/Kim/Max Party in Toronto
Saturday, August 17 has been slated for the Toronto Rush/Kim party. There
will be a jam session :-). So far I have a guitarist and a guitarist/Taurus
Pedals player. All we need now is a drummer and possibly a keyboardist.
If you happen to be one of these please send mail. Also, we need a place to
have the jam session. If there is someone who has a place in or around Toronto
or who know someone who has a place big enough for a jam, please send mail at
the following addresses:
cschwabe@unix.cis.pitt.edu
DGSST4@vms.cis.pitt.edu
DGSST4@PITTVMS.BITNET
CSCHWABE@PITTVMS.BITNET
As stated previously the Laser Rush show held at the Buhl Science Center in Pgh
runs Friday and Saturday nights at 10:30. Tix are 5.50 each. I called Buhl
recently for group rates and if you have a group of 25 or more tix are 4 dollars
each. Suggestion for the August 3 Rush Party: if we can get 25 people for
the party lets go down to Buhl and catch Laser Rush. Chuck, Ian, Hersh,
whaddaya think about this?
Douglas Schwabe
Remember folks, "You can have anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant"
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Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 17:57:52 EDT
From: jaeger@buphy.bu.edu (Gregg Jaeger)
Subject: mission!
Hi Everyone,
In the last posting Patrick Widener wrote (aside: Pat, that
ICBM_net address joke was really _black_! -- therefore, I liked
it!!) his musings on the words
"If their lives were exotic and strange
they would likely have gladly exchanged them
for something a little more plain
maybe something a little more sane"
these were:
>And it struck me as odd - for certain, in history there have
>been plenty of notable individuals who didn't ask for their
>notoriety, didn't want it, and took every opportunity to escape
>from it. However, there have also been plenty of people who
>seem to have "known" their place in history, enjoyed their
>eventful lives, and repeatedly maintained that they wouldn't
>have it any other way.
I think that this misses the point; this section is referring
not to those people who went on to fulfill their missions in
life, but rather to those who weren't able to fulfill their
ambitions (because of either a luck of ability, or `greatness').
The four lines preceeding the above are:
``It's cold comfort
To the one's without it
To know how they struggled --
How they suffered about it''
The quoted lines thus refer to ``the ones without it'' --
``without it'' being `without a mission' (note also
that `a vision' is related to the ``it'' of `Losing It',
it seems to me, in that that ``it'' is ability, or `talent,'
or `greatness'). This seems to me to be Neil's way of offering
solace (``cold comfort'') to people who may be failing to
fulfill their dreams. This section of `Mission' I think has a
close connection to one of the themes of `Middletown Dreams'
(see the Guitar Player `songwriting interview' with Neil to
appear soon in the NMS). Namely, that one needn't be one of
the greats of history to live pleasantly (as in `And life's
not so unpleasant/ In their little neighborhood').
Now, for a musical musing! I'm no guitarist but I've read
interviews with Alex where he says he was (is) influenced
by Allan Holdsworth's playing. I think I see this in MP
(in particular `YYZ') and also in PoW. Guitarists (Holdsworth
fans?) what do you think about this and/or where do you see
the Holdsworth influence?
Gregg
-----------------------------------
Gregg Jaeger (jaeger@buphy.bu.edu) ``Truth is after all a moving target''
Dept(s). of Physics (and Philosophy)
Boston University, Boston MA 02215 ->>READ DOS PASSOS!(his books, i.e.)<<-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Subject: The Peart interview.....
From: wilkinso@darkside.com (Sean Flanegan)
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 15:03:32 PDT
On the subject that there are different factions of rush fans.
New vs. Old,........ Long vs. Short, these are my
opinions.....
Many people who are the older rush fans listened to the band dont find
their new stuff their new music as interesting.......
Example: While I was at the Mountain veiw, CA Presto show I met
a really cool guy he was probaly in his late 20's and said the following
" Rush are like Demi-gods, Hemispheres is just so incredible"
My friends and I then began talking about the Presto. The guy then
said
"Superconducter?, Presto? I don'T even listen to that new
stuff!"
He seemed very proud of this which made me feel like he didn't get a
chance to experience their new material. If he did, He probably would be a
little more positive about it. On the other hand I have met people that
said " WoW!!!!!! Superconducter is my favorite Rush song!!!!!"
That is fine but this person also sounds a little uninformed.
I think that the main thing that I am trying to point out is that these
people didnt change with the music. They couldnt grow when the band did.
It is very important that you do this or you will probably find yourself
dissapointed with certain Rush material.
A friend of mine recently bought Presto andlikes it alot. I suggested
that for her next rush purchase, she buy HYF, then PW, P/G, and so on. It
would then be easier to adjust to the changes. Not a Big difference between
presto and HYF or HYf and PW or PW and P/g, ........ but there is a
difference between presto and P/G....
well... those are my thoughts
sean
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Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 19:43:48 edt
From: "Dylan Kaufman" <morgan@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu>
Subject: More on Internet Relay Chat
Due to a number of requests for more information, I am posting this
here rather than being super repetetive and re-typing it over and over
again...
Internet Relay Chat is a server/client protocol which allows lots of
people from all over the world to chat with eachother in real-time
(there are lags due to the distances involved sometimes...)
To connect to it, you must have a client to run... the clients come in
3 flavors. Two are written in C, one in Elisp... the C clients are
IRC and IRCII and may have program names of irc, irc2, or ircii. The
elisp client is irc.el or irc.elc.
If none of those ways are currently available on your machine, you
will have to ftp to bucsd.bu.edu and look in the /irc or /pub/irc
directory (not sure which). There you will find .tar.Z files
containing the irc and ircii clients as well as the irc server daemon
(which is irc2.6.1 or something like that.. possibly ircd...) In
addition there will be a file called ircbeta263c or something which is
the .el client.
After ftp'ing those, untar/uncompress them and compile... read the
docs and modify the config.h files as necessary. You will then be
able to connect into the irc network and talk to people (the docs
should explain how to do that...)
Enjoy, and good luck
-<>Dylan<>- MA EMT-M, CA EMT-1A, BEMCo 107
Dylan Kaufman Major in Computer Science
morgan@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
------<< Support your local Emergency Medical Services >>-------
And on the seventh day, even He rested. We don't. -Emerg. Med. Svcs.
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Subject: Tired of bootleg convos :)
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 20:05:21 EDT
From: David.Spencer@samba.acs.unc.edu!wilkinso@darkside.com
I am posting this merely to change the subject from bootlegs
and arguemnts about Rand/Rush/whoever philosophy.
Which albums do you play most often?
Rush...and non-Rush.
(but of course, mostly Rush, since it IS a rush list :) )
Here's me -- Exit Stage Left
A Farewell to Kings
Hold Your Fire
Grace Under Pressure
Master of Puppets (metallica)
Reign in Blood (Slayer)
Operation: Mindcrime (Queeensryche)
Black Sabbath and Master of REality (Black Sabbath)
I'm very curious about what albums get played the most, and
what else tyou listen to. And it's far more interesteing than
pawn shops and lyric-abshing (IMHO :) )
ORQ: Some of them burned on our ceilings...
O(other)Q: Learn the sacred words, 'Praise Hell Satan!' -Slayer
(from memory, no flames on accuracy plez :) )
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Subject: a MUSICIAN speaks out!
From: dave.bbs@shark.cs.fau.edu
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 91 21:52:38 EDT
in order to settle all the talk about 13/8 time, i thought i'd tell
you all how they REALLY write music. i have all of their music, in
book form, and i play all of it from memory. i have been a pianist
for 20 years now, and i think i can answer this with some authority.
RUSH doesn't write in 13/8 -- they write in alternating 6/8 | 7/8
measures. the reason they don't write in 13/8 is that it is a con-
vention among musicians that you write music so that others can read
it. (that is the point) ;-)
when counting it, you normally count it in "quarter notes," meaning
you count it 1-2-3, 1-2-3-& where the "&" is pronounced "and." it
is easier to count this way, just like 7/4 is counted 1-2-3-4 1-2-3
or 1-2-3 1-2-3-4.
Rush has been using alternating time-signatures since early in their
career. it is one of their "trademarks." not to say that others
don't do it, but they are known for it. the Steve Morse Band (for-
merly the Dixie Dregs) also uses this style of writing to add the
"progressive" touch to their music. Jacob's Ladder (which was
written about the astronomical event, not the movie or religious
event) ;-) uses alternating 5/4 | 6/4 measures in the beginning.
one of the things that alternating time-signatures does is it helps
to add a feel of motion to the music even if the tempo isn't all
that fast to begin with. the anticipation of that "extra" beat
makes the music exciting.
dangerous dave (keyboardist, musician, and rush fan)
][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][
If Rock 'n' Roll is responsible for teenage sex, does that mean that
Country-Western is responsible for incest? - (heard on radio)
dave.bbs@shark.cs.fau.edu (current CYBERNET address)
dave@cybernet.cs.fau.edu (future CYBERNET address)
weissd@tuna.cs.fau.edu (UNIX account, Gary Moore mailing list)
weissd@shark.cs.fau.edu (something to call my own)
---------------------------cut here---------------------------------------
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Date: Wed, 17 Jul 91 00:26:56 edt
From: Donna Skarbo <skarbo@hp800.lasalle.edu>
Hello to one and all!
It is interesting how RUSH-related things appear in our lives. A
friend of mine mentioned that they saw one of those yellow "caution" signs
that people hang in their car windows. This one said something like "Quiet
I'm listening to RUSH." All I want to know is where can I get one! :-)
Is there anyone else out there who is not from the Pittsburgh area
who is interested in attending the possible August 3 RUSH party? I don't
have a car but am interested in going. I am willing to split travel costs
with someone with a car. Hey, it could be "The Great Pittsburgh Journey."
Seriously, though, if anyone is interested please e-mail me. I'm in
Philadelphia, BTW.
Another thing. I am also interested in obtaining a copy of "Pieces
of Eight." If you have it please drop me a line. For anyone who hasn't
heard it and can get a copy of it, check it out. It is really pretty cool.
Reminds me a lot of "Hyperspace" in "Natural Science."
Well, thanks for the bandwidth. Send any replies to:
skarbo@hp800.lasalle.edu
Good day!
Donna
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 91 02:22:27 edt
From: "Dylan Kaufman" <morgan@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu>
Subject: Neil writing a book?
Someone just asked me when Neil's book is coming out.. it's the first
I've heard of it though... anyone know anything about it?
-<>Dylan<>- MA EMT-M, CA EMT-1A, BEMCo 107
Dylan Kaufman Major in Computer Science
morgan@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
------<< Support your local Emergency Medical Services >>-------
"Don't ask me, I'm just improvising" -RUSH
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 91 14:40:18 -0400
From: abramsc@knoc.dnet.dupont.com
Subject: Some thoughts (skip me if you're an Objectivist)
I noticed in the _RS_ review of _Presto_ that the reviewer
accused Rush of ripping off the Police in the song "Red Tide"--he
said it borrowed the melody from "Message in a Bottle". Now, I
am a *big* Police fan too, and I've probably listened to those
particular song hundreds, thousands, of times each, and I have
never drawn a similarity between them--until I listened to them
close together. They are very similar, especially in the
beginning, but many songs are "very similar" to one another
without "borrowing melodies" from one another. Musically, I
think the two songs sound very different--"Red Tide" is very
energetic and powerful while "Message in a Bottle" has that jumpy
"white reggae" sound to it (obviously I employ the same ambiguous
description of music that the reviewers do...). I'm no reviewer,
so does that make me more or less qualified to analyze music?
Anyway, I agree that the opening tunes in both songs are similar,
but they are not the same. I can't explain it in detail--just
listen to them yourself. I mean I wouldn't be surprised if Alex
had been playing a little bit of "Message" when he became
inspired to the tune of "Red Tide", but let's be honest, it's not
the same music. Incidently, Alex has in many interviews
mentioned Police guitarist Andy Summers as being among his
favorite modern guitar players, along with U2's Edge and Yes'
(sort of) Steve Howe. Hmm, that pretty well takes care of my
four favorite guitarists too.
So basically what I've done is said I disagree with the
reviewer. Most people do anyway. But if it had never occurred
to you that "Red Tide" and "Message" sound alike before that
over-paid reviewer said something, and you enjoyed and still
enjoy both songs, you're not the only one. And if anyone with
more than a year of piano lessons under their musical belt, much
unlike myself, who can specifically explain the differences may
consider explaining them to people like that reviewer.
Should I jump into this raging philosophical discussion
as well? I guess all I can say is that even though I do not
claim to be an Objectivist and I don't always agree with what it
appears Neil believes, I love Rush. I have my own copy of _The
Fountainhead_ but I have yet to finish it. BTW, Ayn Rand really
does a lot for Objectivists when she includes a tacky business
reply card in the middle of her books offering Objectivist
merchandise and information. (maybe a cheap shot, but remember,
I'm no Objectivist, so don't take me too seriously :^) Oh, and I
actually drove by a pawn shop this morning which had a sign out
front with three balls on it, but it did't remind me of the _HYF_
album cover at all (The shops in downtown of booming metropolis
Kinston, NC, if you don't believe me -=:-). And since we now all
know what those three balls symbolize in _The Fountainhead_ and
supposedly on the cover, what does the red dot on ABC stores
symbolize? W. C. Fields' nose? "Drinking by the lighthouse..."
Anyway.
--cam
abramsc@knoc.dnet.dupont.com
cfabrams@eos.ncsu.edu
"`The only true knowledge consists in knowing that you know
nothing'..." "That's us, dude!"
----------------------------------------------------------
From: amy@arla.austin.mcd.mot.com (Amy Moseley)
Subject: Rush & REM
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 91 13:57:27 CDT
I'm a subscriber to the Rush AND REM groups, and there's a big
debate going: some people like both, and think there's a correlation,
while others flame Rush. Isn't it disappointing to flame on a news
list when that's the reason to leave usenet?
>From the REM mailing list:
-our listmistress (vjohm@cirrus.com) input:
>While I'm here I'll mention that I was quite distressed to see the Rush
>thread. One oif (sic) the reasons I started the list was so that I could
>(selfish! selfish!) read about R.E.M. without having to plow through
>Rush articles in alt.rock-n-roll and rec.music.misc. Oh well. For the
>record, I have no interest in Rush whatsoever.
Sigh. Why do we Rush fans have such bad reputations? If I weren't
such a nice person I'd start forging fanatical letters about just
about every group so that people would see that every band has
its die-hards and whackos.
All you true Rush fanatics, quit posting to alt.rock-n-roll unless
it's REALLY important. Apparently there are people not reading
the group just because of us! Why we've been singled out I don't
know but I'd sure like to put a stop to it.
--
Amy J. Moseley
Motorola Computer Group
(512) 891-2426 :)
amy@austin.mcd.mot.com or
uunet!cs.utexas.edu!oakhill!arla!amy
----------------------------------------------------------
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Once you've successfully logged on, change directory (cd) to 'rush'.
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The contents of The National Midnight Star are solely the opinions and
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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 289
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