The National Midnight Star #620

From temples@syrinx.umd.edu Fri Feb 12 19:13:03 1993 Return-Path: <temples@syrinx.umd.edu> Received: from syrinx.umd.edu by dsys.ncsl.nist.gov (4.1/NIST-dsys) id AA05967; Fri, 12 Feb 93 19:13:01 EST Received: by syrinx.umd.edu (5.57/Ultrix2.4-C) id AA24306; Fri, 12 Feb 93 18:30:17 -0500 Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 18:30:17 -0500 Message-Id: <9302122330.AA24306@syrinx.umd.edu> Errors-To: rush-request@syrinx.umd.edu Reply-To: rush@syrinx.umd.edu Sender: rush@syrinx.umd.edu Precedence: bulk From: rush@syrinx.umd.edu To: rush_mailing_list@syrinx.umd.edu Subject: 02/12/93 - The National Midnight Star #620 Status: R
** ____ __ ___ ____ ___ ___ ** ** / /_/ /_ /\ / /__/ / / / / /\ / /__/ / ** ** / / / /__ / \/ / / / / /__/ / \/ / / /___ ** ** ** ** __ ___ ____ ** ** /\ /\ / / \ /\ / / / _ /__/ / ** ** / \/ \ / /___/ / \/ / /___/ / / / ** ** ** ** ____ ____ ___ ___ ** ** /__ / /__/ /__/ ** ** ____/ / / / / \ ** List posting/followup: rush@syrinx.umd.edu Administrative matters: rush-request@syrinx.umd.edu or rush-mgr@syrinx.umd.edu (Administrative postings to the posting address will be ignored!) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The National Midnight Star, Number 620 Friday, 12 February 1993 Today's Topics: Great Cover Re: 02/10/93 - The National Midnight Star #618 license plate Perfect Album Side Rush at homecoming? NECRO-philia-MANCER All of you anti-fourth-member weenies! women and rush another glitch Fourth member...food for thought Female fans ... Peter Collins-----Awright! Ayn Rand (mildly long) Fourth Member Rare Rush Recordings No 4th Member comic response and some questions... 4th Member/New Album? Unbelievable!!!!! Neils new drums John Dos Passos Signals/4th member Origins Of By-Tor and the Snowdog 4th member, a capella Rush? Hidden sounds and "Ayn" 4th member poll ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 11 Feb 93 13:35:06 -0700 From: Greg Thorwald <thorwald@mars.Colorado.EDU> Subject: Great Cover Took a look at the gif file from Syrinx that would possibly be used for you know what. I like the three sail boats as it seems to continue the idea of three objects in an etherial environment seen in previous cover art. In order to see the picture, I had to increase the overall brightness by a gamma warp factor of 5. Is this just the local X-utility or has anyone else had a similar difficulty? Of course, I'm sure we would all like to see it in hard copy form, if you know what I mean. Later, Greg ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1993 14:03:01 -0700 (MST) From: MEZA <jomeza@nmsu.edu> Subject: Re: 02/10/93 - The National Midnight Star #618 Hey RUSH Nuts, I have something to say about "STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND'S" comment concerning Neil Peart, the master of rudimental percussion. Yes, he is right about Neil being an awesome percussionist, not a drummer cuz' Tommy Lee (Lord forbid me associating him here) is a drummer. All these poser mop-haired freaks are drummers. If any of you PERCUSSIONISTS are out there, they would agree that Neil uses many of the 42 technical rudiments. For example, listen all of the movements on Hemispheres. I can hear flam accents and swiss army triplets back to back (Prelude!). The Rhythm Method is also an example of his incredible technique. Indeed, he is truly amazing to see. He also uses jazz feels in his playing. Take the drum fill on La Villa Strangiato, WOW!! However, I was somewhat disappointed to hear him playing almost the same solo on the Roll The Bones Tour that he used for the Rhythm Method. A thought for the PERCUSSIONISTS... Did you guys know that he uses a drum machine???? I have a RTB bootleg to prove it, listen to him. Almost a downer for me. He is still bad ass!!! NMSU PRIDE BAND WORSHIPS RUSH, Joe Meza ---------------------------------------------------------- Subject: license plate Date: Thu, 11 Feb 93 10:11:20 CST From: Wungram T.A. Shishak <tellab5!wheaton!david.wheaton.edu!wtshisha@uunet.UU.NET> Adding to the Rush related license plate sightings... Seen in the Chicagoland area: RUSH YYZ ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1993 17:17:41 EST From: rsw2@Lehigh.EDU (ROB WAGNER) Subject: Perfect Album Side Perfect album side...hmmm... I'd have to go with Dreamline, Witch Hunt, Subdivisions, Ghost of a Chance, and Time Stand Still. They don't have any particular theme in common, and the side would sound just about as "top-40" as Rush can get, but oh well. As for this mysterious fourth member, I agree with what some people have said: the chance of this happening is very, very slim. I think they'd only add another person (keyboard player, I guess) if Geddy's parts didn't allow him to alternate between bass and synth- and they've never written that way in the past. -Rob ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: 11 Feb 1993 19:40:56 -0600 (CST) From: Roll the Bones <TBEAUDOIN@VAX1.UMKC.EDU> Subject: Rush at homecoming? I'm a bit behind in my NMS reading and recently discovered that Earl mentioned that CttH was the homecoming theme for his freshman year of high school (when DID you graduate? -- 1980?). I'm curious if anyone else out there has ever had a Rush theme at a high school/ college dance/homecoming/prom(!) or other big event. It's so completely unbelievably cool that I can't imagine it ever happening. Thomas Beaudoin TBEAUDOIN@VAX1.UMKC.EDU ORQ:"I will chew on papa's ear; I will chew three-wheel!" ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 11 Feb 93 20:50:26 EST From: USUG4%UCONNVM.bitnet@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu Subject: NECRO-philia-MANCER Sorry to beat a dying horse, but I wanted to respond to J.T.Moore's comments about any relationship between Tolkien and The Necromancer. . . I always equated the "Three Travelers" to Frodo, Sam, and Gollum, as they made thier way "southward" to the lair of the Necromancer. Also, at the beginning of Return of the Prince there is a mention of "The Wraith of the Necromancer sails away . . ." Throughout the Lord of the Rings the "Ringwraiths", servants of Sauron, are searching for Frodo and the Ring. As for By-Tor, I forget who exactly, but one of the hobbits slays the Leader of the Ringwraiths during the final battle with Sauron. References to the "Dark Lands" also seem similar to the Descriptions of Mordor ("Where the shadows lie . . . "). Obviously, I see a definite connection to Tolkien in "The Necromancer", just as in "Rivendell" on FBN. Just my wordy opinion, however. A big HELLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! to Scott in FLA ! Didacticly, Floyd F. <USUG4@uconnvm.uconn.edu> sorry, no funky note trailer . . . ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 11 Feb 93 21:00:22 CST From: S116193@UMRVMA.UMR.EDU Subject: All of you anti-fourth-member weenies! This is not a contest to see who can deify Rush, people... and Ghost, I'm surprised to see your closed-mindedness on this discussion!!! Why not welcome the creativity and artistic expression of another member? Do you want to hear the same stuff all of the time? O.K., different stuff, same source... I think Rush is ready for another. It has little to do with freeing up the parts on stage. It has to do with injecting a little creativity from another source. If Rush does get a fourth, but doesn't let him/her contribute to the material, I'll simply quit listening to them. I don't think they'd do that, though. They know what sounds good, and they like to experiment. I can't believe how many of these no-life worshippers want to keep a threesome! Talking about "disrupting the chemistry" is cheese. Who are we to decide what would disrupt any "chemistry?" And why make such a big deal out of a retarded issue? I think if the members of Rush read most of the discussions lately, they would say, "Where are your lives, people?" Let's get some real discussions going, please. I'm about to barf from everyone trying to get into the minds of Neil, Alex, and Gary. Oops, Geddy, sorry! I still am praying for a fourth to get rid of the staleness. Go ahead, flame me for the stale reference; many are afraid to admit it. Scott s116193@umrvma.umr.edu ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 00:10:26 -0500 From: cdean@gmuvax2.gmu.edu (Christopher Dean) Subject: women and rush It's been my experience that you don't find many females that like/know about/listen to Rush.... So it's always a nice surprise to find one who does. In fact, my last girlfriend was a Rush fan, which really surprised me! Anyway, just out of curiosity, does everyone agree? It seems like 1 out of 10 Rush fans is female (if you're having a good day! >:) ) "Hey baby, it's a quarter to eight, I feel I'm in the mood...." ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 01:15:21 -0600 From: Jeremy Todd Strzynski <jtstrzyn@cherry.wustl.edu> Subject: another glitch With all the recent talk on the "glitch" in The Twilight Zone, I have to ask about another glitch in one of Rush's songs. It occurs in The Camera Eye, about 7-8 minutes into it, during the second time they do the chorus. (Or thereabouts, I'm not exactly sure where.) Anyway, it sounds like they were recording the song live, and one of them belched, and someone says "Come on, guys." Or something like that--it's all very unclear. Anyway, if anyone has any clue what it is, I'd really like to know. a smiling native, jeremy ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 2:01:55 cdt From: "LaVllaStrngiato (Krauss,Eric B)" <KRAUSS@AC.GRIN.EDU> Subject: Fourth member...food for thought It seems that the major complaint about adding a fourth member (keyboardist) would be his/her musical influence on the band. I hate to burst your bubble, but in an interview last year in "Bass Player" magazine, Geddy stated that Rupert Hine had written 90% of the keyboard parts on "Presto" and "Roll the Bones," with very little of the original parts which were sequenced on demo tapes (along with...ugh!...drum machine). Additionally, musicians such as Andy Richardson, Hugh Syme, and others not credited on the albums (I have a list from a book which I can photocopy and mail to those interested) have played keyboards and other instruments on albums since "Caress of Steel." I feel that Peter Collins is not the ultimate choice for producer; he is not know for a "leaner, meaner sound," but tends towards overproduction and artificiality (my opinion, plus stuff I've read). One of the bands that he has been producing recently is Queensrych (sp? I don't listen to them), btw. Rupert Hine's sound is interesting, but it doesn't really fit Rush (it fits Stevie Nicks and Tina Turner, whose albums Hine has produced). His tendancy towards mega-compressed background vocals (not only for Rush) is annoying. Actually, disregard the Queensrych thing; Peter Henderson might be their producer. EK ---------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Female fans ... Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 8:30:36 GMT From: Dominic Binks <binks@compsci.bristol.ac.uk> I don't know, I may just be spouting crap, but here's my reading of the situation - In the early days of Rush, a lot of the ideas and imagery were of a nature that was more likely to appeal to a male population, e.g. the Tolkein influence 2112 and the like (Note I only said likely) Nowadays it isn't so clear cut. Also Rush are sometimes quite heavy and this doesn't always go done well with females, often, it seems to me, that if females like hard rock, they prefer stuff heavier than Rush. Nowadays Rush are so heavy and have many times of restful, gentle music. Females (as a *HUGE* generalisation) tend to be more governed by fashion - Rush certainly aren't fashionable (well not at the moment - and I guess probably won't be). Having said that I can find no good reason why females shouldn't like Rush. But it does still comes as a pleasant surprise to find women who like Rush. I guess as you say there just aren't that many of them. Or maybe as a final thought it's because most male fans become totally absorbed in Rushness and female fans don't - oh well I don't know. Dominic Binks ---------------------------------------------------------- From: easy@west.darkside.com (Phil D. Croix) Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 02:08:57 PST Subject: Peter Collins-----Awright! I haven't posted here in a loooooong time, so I thought I would express how happy I am that Peter Collins is allegedly producing the next album. I think Power Windows and HYF are Rush's best sounding records! Power Windows is a masterpiece of music. I hope that Peter Collins will bring their music back to more technical passages like in the Middle of Territories, Big Money, and Mystic Rhythms. The songs on Power Windows and HYF are so full of sweet stuff that I just sit there and cry when I listen to it!! And about this 4th member B.S., I don't think another belongs in the writing part of the band, but I would not mind at all if they had a dude to play live. Maybe he would bring back the keyboard parts in Tom Sawyer that they leave out in the live shows. I don't think that they are considering adding a member, and I also think that that rumor is just that-a rumor. As for Boots, I have Rosemont,IL (2 cds), and I do NOT recommend getting it when there are such fine-ass sounding recordings like Over The Europe. Rosemont is for hardcore collectors only, and there are some bright moments on it like the reaction of the crowd when Alex makes his guitar cry for mercy in the second part of the solo in La villa. LAter Rush dudes abd dudetts! Matthew Van Horn ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1993 06:57:34 CST Subject: Ayn Rand (mildly long) From: pbryant@cs.ukans.edu! In my computer ethics class we are discussing Ethical Egoism. Of course Ayn Rand's name has come up. Here are some of the things my book says about her: "The achievement of his own happiness is man's highest moral purpose." - from The Virtue of Selfishness (1961) "...Ayn Rand, a writer little heeded by professional philosophers but who nevertheless was enormously popular on college campuses during the 1960's and 1970's. Ethical Egoism, in her view, is the only ethical philosophy that respects the integrity of the individual human life." "Ethical Egoism has haunted twentieth-century moral philosophy. It has not been a popular doctrine; the most important philosophers have rejected it outright.... Although no thinker of consequence has defended it, almost everyone has felt it necessary to explain why he was rejecting it...." All quotes from The Elements of Moral Philosophy by James Rachels After reading the entire chapter I certainly agree that EE bites as a moral theory. What I found interesting, however, was picturing Neil Peart as a thinker of no consequence! It's interesting to see how NP's opinion has (apparently) changed since the 2112 days. Then he would acknowledge "the genius of Ayn Rand". Now, he quietly shys away from discussing what he wrote back then. To me, this supports what NP has said about growing and maturing as a lyricist. It follows that he has matured as a musician as well. Maybe Rush associates their "old style" with their "old philosophy" and that is why they have progressed to the RTB style? I personally think it is just a natural development - Look at the early vs. late stuff of The Beatles or Zeppelin. Whether their later stuff is better is irrelevant, they are doing what comes natural. If I were a professional musician I would never want to stay the same. I would hope that my fans trust me enough to allow me to seek newer, and hopefully better ways of expressing myself. BTW, I'm not trying to reopen the new vs. old can 'o worms. That chapter on Ayn Rand just got me thinking. Besides, with a long post I feel more comfortable offering a large quote at the end :) "Radiation. Yes indeed! You hear the most outrageous lies about it. Half-baked, gogglebox do-gooders telling everybody it's bad for you. Pernicious nonsense. Everybody could stand a hundred chest x-rays a year. They oughta have them too." - Repo Man ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 09:28:36 CST From: nbruels@romulus.cray.com (Nick Bruels {66705 CF/DEV}) Subject: Fourth Member Everyone, The on-going discussion (really for many years now) about the fourth member for keys certainly seems to be bringing out people's opinions of Rush's music, and their individual talents. However, what about how Ged & Alex feel about using these "new" instruments to add texture and challenge to their own performances??? I've been a dedicated fan since '77 (ooohhh, wow, I know...) when I was a kid, so I've seen them evolve. I started playing bass in school because of guys like Ged. I also was fascinated by synth's back then (still am), so it seemed natural for me to try to emulate Ged's skills - not just his mastery of the bass, but also his mastery of PERFORMANCE to coordinate all the instruments together live. Would anyone suggest that Neil should stick to a `straight' kit, never using even a chime? Also, the sequenced parts are written by the band to be sequenced live, so why do some of us think it's `cheating' to use them? I've always found playing along with a sequencer to be a challenge, given the natural human tendency to wander with rythm. Rush writes their own music their own way - this is what we all profess to love about them - so why do we presume to say things like they *should* be more guitar/bass/drums oriented or they *should* play more old songs live, or...... I say (IMHO), "long live the threesome!" I we don't see a fourth member (ever), and I certainly LOVE seeing them play live the way they have for the last 16 years with keys/sequencers. They are musicians, not simply a guitarist, drummer, and bassist/vocalist trio. Thanks for listening, and forgive me if I seem worked up about this! nick.bruels@cray.com BTW, I agree with the points Mike Hansen made about _The Necromancer_ and the Tolkien influence, and wishing to know more about their inspirations from their earlier periods. "...innocence gave me confidence/to go up against reality..." ---------------------------------------------------------------- | | | Any opinions expressed herein are my own, and do not reflect | | those of my present or previous employers. -- Nick Bruels | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 11:28:08 -0500 From: hallg@egr.msu.edu Subject: Rare Rush Recordings I thought I'd share with everyone my awesome find recently. I was able to obtain copies of the Electric Ladyland and La Villa Strangiato rare recordings! Both of these recordings sound incredible for rare recordings (i.e. footwear). Electric Ladyland was recorded live in the studio in late 1974 and contains a cover of the Beatles' song Bad Boy. LVS was recorded live in 1980 on the PeW tour and contains one of my all-time favorites Natural Science live! Does anyone else who has Electric Ladyland get as much of a kick as I do listening to Geddy between songs? Also, this recording is hilareous because after Geddy, Neil, and Alex get done wailing away on a tune, there is a very subdued applause from 3 or 4 people. :) If anyone wants more info on these recordings, feel free to email me. Greg Hall hallg@egr.msu.edu Time after time we lose sight of the ways, our causes can't see the effects * N. Peart 1980 ---------------------------------------------------------- From: Rohit Keswani <keswani@UMDNJ.EDU> Subject: No 4th Member Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 11:26:18 EST You see, this is how rumors get started. Who knows, maybe somebody who has something to do with MTV first heard of the 4th member rumor hear a while back. Personally, I don't believe it unless I am provided with a source I can look into myself. I think Oprah should conduct a 90 minute prime time interview with Geddy where he can dispel any such rumors about the band. Oh, by the way, someone mentioned Power Windows, the Rush cover band in NY, again. I saw them at the Rock n Roll cafe after reading about them here and I must agree, they're pretty incredible. They play just about all the good stuff (Rush music that Rush fans think is good, not just Rush music that the general public thinks is good). So I, too, would recommend seeing them if you can. ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 08:47:38 PST From: brent@ufo.llnl.gov (Kevin B. Fournier) Subject: comic response and some questions... Howdy ya'll In respons to my query about wether rush fans read comics, Adam Coles wrote >From: colesa@spot.Colorado.EDU >Subject: re: Geddy in his own comic book? > >Wasn't there a Marvel Comic featuring RUSH, or at least mentioning the Trio? > >Somebody with a better memory help! I also think there was an issue put out by the cheese-ball title *Rock and Roll* comics that profiled Rush. I believe it appeared last summer, but I never picked it up. If some one did and would care to comment... Now, I in relation to comic books, I must mention the work of another Canadian. Dave Sim's comic book, Cerebus, is a beautifully drawn black and white comic which develops intricate stories over long periods of time. The basic themes which come through in many of the stories are a distrust of both big governments and more often, anyone with a fanatical belief in any idea, the ability and responsiblity for an individual to shape his or her own destiny, the whimsies of fate in an ordinary Joe's life, and the accumilated weight of all the experiences and memories we carry with us. These ideas can be found in all of Rush's songs from as far back as Anthem up to Time Stands Still and even Roll the Bones and Heresy (the attitude in this song toward the caprices of history could come right out of a Cerebus issue). Does anyone else read Cerebus or another title they think compliments Rush well??? Why do Canadians seem so talented when it comes to insightful writing??? (unrelated: isn't Margret Atwood from Canada? If so, why do our Northern Neighbors seem so distrustful of authority???) Thanks for your time, Brent ============================================== The coffee's not bad for Nectar of the Gods ============================================== ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 12:00:30 EST From: "Michael L. Sensor" <RUSH-LMB@VM.TEMPLE.EDU> Subject: 4th Member/New Album? A comment on the 4th member rumor (I doubt if it is anything more than that): The point has been made that Rush could use the 4th member as a keyboardist. I hold that with sequencing, a 4th member is really unnecessary. Rush use keyboards so infrequently these days that hiring someone just to play keyboards would be useless. Besides, what's next? A horn section? Female backup singers? Saxophones? :-) A question, too: This has probably already been addressed, but please bear with me as I have just resubscribed after a year-long hiatus. When (or if?) is the next album going to be released? I have heard rumors placing the release date in September or October, but nothing definite. Anyone with information, please advise. Did anyone notice on Tuesday's Rush Limbaugh (radio) Show that he played the second cut from RTB (I for some reason completely forgot its name) about 1:45 as he was coming back from a commercial break? ---------------------------------------------------------- From: Wayne Torman <wayneto@microsoft.com> Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 09:48:40 PST Subject: Unbelievable!!!!! Hi all. This morning, I awoke at 7:15 to complete astonishment..... they were playing "The Locomotion" on my favorite local hard rock station here in Seattle, KISW. Then I remembered that today they are having a Comic Relief 'Radiothon', where you can call up and pay for them to play "ANY" request. (Where's the Rush content????? you may ask......) The very next song (and therefore the first COMPLETE song that I heard today) was <drumroll, please> "The Rhythm Method"!!!!!!!!!!! Three cheers for Kevin Oliver who shelled out $60.00 for them to play this on the radio. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!!! EAT YOUR HEART OUT, IOWA!!!!! (nothing personal, mind you!) Wayne ---------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Neils new drums From: wilkinso@west.darkside.com (Sean Flanegan) Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 09:46:38 PST Well I have some news on Neils kit. It will still be Ludwig, but with a different color. If you want to be surprised by it stop reading here....... It will be a lighter green/blue color. For those of you drummers out there it is about the same as the greenish finish on the Yamaha Maple Custom drumkit. I heard this from a drum shop owner who orders drum cases from Larry Allen, who not only is Neil's drum tech. but who owns his own drum accesories company ( I think it is called XL percussion ) I don't know anything about drum demensions yet but this drum shop owner said that Ludwig was going to wait and introduce the new finish with Neil's ad. The Gods have shined on us Rush fans PETER COLLINS is BACK! sean ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 13:45:12 -0600 From: Eric Steven Liebman <esliebma@lime.wustl.edu> Subject: John Dos Passos I opened a Dos Passos book in a used book store recently, and it was missing two things: punctuation (?!) and coherence. "I don't know what Neil sees in that guy." Of course, I am only telling you what I saw after looking a couple of minutes, so I cannot attest to the fact the Dos Passos never uses punctuation etc. I also noticed a lot of anti-capitalist propaganda within the covers. In case you're counting, that's three strikes against J.D.P. for me, anyway. Eric Alex Liebman ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: 12 Feb 93 14:33:11 EST From: "Will Geeslin" <WILL.GEESLIN@UKWANG.UKY.EDU> Subject: Signals/4th member I disagree with whoever said that Signals isn't up to par. I think it is a great album. "Losing it" is a wonderfully introspective song that is very haunting. "Countdown", however, is not one of my favorites. The rest of the album is fabulous and I suggest that you go listen to it again. The 4th mem- ber rumor is an old one and it is one that I fell confident will never occur. People have said it would free them up onstage: well, if Rush hired a whole band they could sit on lawn chairs and drink herbal tea during the concert, watching it along with us. Then they would be completely free. They utilize all this technology because it keeps playing interesting for them. Someone wanted them to do "Fly By Night" Part II: taking nothing away from that album (which I really do love) but I think they would be bored doing regular old trio rock and roll. It makes them concentrate on hitting the trigger at the right place and timing this and that perfectly. Otherwise, they wouldn't still be doing this Rush-thing because each tour is a new challenge. If you want stage antics from showmen, not muscians, go see Def Leppard. ---------------------------------------------------------- From: murpup@wpi.WPI.EDU (Christopher James Murray) Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1993 15:22:38 -0500 Subject: Origins Of By-Tor and the Snowdog This is in response to someone in the last NMS who wanted to know where the idea for BY-TOR came from. Simply put, the name of the song came from the nicknames one of the bandmembers (I think Alex) gave to a friend's two dogs. One of the dogs was white as snow, hence snow dog, and the other had its name derived from "biter" or BY-TOR because it was famous for biting people. I am not sure of the exact details of the entire story but I do know that the derivations of the two names above are true. For the entire story of why a song was inspired from these two dogs you will have to consult the Rush biography, VISIONS. It give the whole lowdown. Anyway that is all I have to say for now. see ya ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 14:32:41 -0600 From: bgc1@cec1.wustl.edu (Brian Glenn Carlson) Subject: 4th member, a capella Rush? I was just wondering exactly how these rumors keep coming up about a fourth member and why they are given so much credence. Has anyone actually heard these rumors straight from the collective mouths of Rush or is it just a rumor from that bastion of journalistic integrity, MTV. I personally don't think that this fourth member idea has much merit as I have heard numerous times that Rush is happy with three members because it doesn't allow factions within the group as well as various other reasons. Anyway, I was recently talking to a member of a male a capella group here on campus and he was trying to find a Rush song which would sound good a capella. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas which they might like to share about what you think might sound good a capella. If you have ideas, please mail me. Thanks. P.S. How 'bout them Blackhawks! 1st place in the Norris (the best division in the NHL). BTW, Hawks 6, Bruins 3. Brian G. Carlson bgc1@cec2.wustl.edu "It takes a big man to cry, but it takes an even bigger man to laugh at that man." - Jack Handey ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 15:09:51 -0600 From: Eric Steven Liebman <esliebma@lime.wustl.edu> Subject: Hidden sounds and "Ayn" I've found some intersting sounds on Rush albums that I'll throw out to see if anyone else has heard them: 1) On AtWaS, in the intro to Lakeside Park, some guy yells something like "Let him drum!" Does anybody else have a different interpretation of what he says? 2) This is probably known by many of you, but it took me a very long time to realize that Alex plays rhythm through the whole second half of the Freewill solo, even under the lead phrases (of course, the live performances alternate between lead phrase and rythms as Alex is not Stanley Jordan). 3) According to a friend of mine, the intro to Witchhunt features yells of "Kill the children of Ft. Lauderdale", but I can't be sure. 4) At the end of Digital Man, Ged says "but he won't need a bed because... he happens to be... a digital man..." 5) Some of the Mission Control transmission during Countdown sound like it is integrated into the song, for example, "We enjoyed the music, thank you." "Oh, we enjoyed it, we just wanted to share something with you" at the very end of the album. I mention points 4) and 5) because they were not readily audible off om my cassettes, and it wasn't until I got CDs that I was able to enjoy these lines. 6) At the end of Neurotica, Ged yells, "Stop!" By the way, this can also be heard on Led Zeppelin III, on (I think) Out On the Tiles, after Plant says "I'm so glad I'm leavin'" Also, I think my first memo to this effect was lost, so I'll say again that Ayn Rand's first name rhymes with MINE. This can be seen in both the intro to her Playboy interview, which has just been reprinted in a Playboy interview compilation, and on any of the scores of lecture tapes given by fellow Objectivist philosophers, e.g., Dr. Leonard Peikoff. Her name at birth was Alyssa Rosenbaum (same initials), but after escaping the clutches of the Communist Death Machine in Russia, she came to the U.S. and wanted a more American name. She chose AYN which was the name of a Finnish author she liked (I'm pretty sure), and RAND was from her Remington-Rand typewriter. Her name can be seen in the credits of several 1940s Hollywood films, including "Love Letters" and "You Came Along", for which she wrote screenplays. Eric Alex Liebman, President, the Objectivist Club of Washington University P.S. Dave B., my contact person at the AYn Rand Institute, told me that about one half of the members of his local Objectivist Club in Minnesota were drummers, and had become interested in Rand because of Rush and Neil!! Anyone interested in free little pamphlets dealing with Rand's ideas, please contact me. ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 17:37:29 -0500 From: nam2@po.CWRU.Edu (Nicholas A. Mascari) Subject: 4th member poll Once again, get your votes in!!! 1. I think a 4th permanent member of Rush is a good idea. 2. I think a 4th member to play keyboards IN CONCERT ONLY is a good idea. 3. I think Rush should remain a threesome, even live. Send your vote to: nam2@po.cwru.edu Thanks! Nick -- Nick Mascari - Mechanical Engineering - CWRU |~~~\ | | /~~~\ | | "Live for yourself, there's no one else more worth |___/ | | \__ |____| living for." - Neil Peart of Rush | \ | | \ | | "Beer: Man's greatest discovery" - NM | \ \__/ \___/ | | ----------------------------------------------------------
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