Date: Thu, 28 Oct 93 18:48:30 -0400
From: rush-mgr@syrinx.umd.edu (The National Midnight Star Editor)
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Subject: 10/27/93 - The National Midnight Star #800
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
The National Midnight Star, Number 800
Wednesday, 27 October 1993
Today's Topics:
Pensacola in January
Remember???
reaction to Open Letter
Name suggestion for Rush country band.
2112 Ultradisc
"Ahh yes to yes, why the sun?"
Saves a drowning child
Re: Neil's new look
Re: 10/26/93 - The National Midnight Star #798
Nobody's Hero
scoreboard in liner notes
Something for Nothing
Billboard
Stop
Pearl Jam and MTV
Geddy's playing on CP
Setlist predictions for Counterparts tour
Nobody's Hero, Counterparts, Available Light
Briefly...
Geddy's Bassing
Various and Sundry
RE: some thoughts on Nobody's Hero
it's a bin'ry thang! Or is it?
Another bass player's review of Cp...
Cp on vinyl in the UK...anywhere else?
3 1/2 hour shows???? only in heaven
Rolling Stone
Between Sun and Moon conjecture
Binary digits (the last time, honest!)
RUSH influenced by Nirvana??
"Darkness falls across the land ... "
confused about NH
binary and The Body Electric
Re: 10/26/93 - The National Midnight Star #799
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 16:20:24 -0400
From: Scott David Daly <skipdaly@wam.umd.edu>
Subject: Pensacola in January
Hi
I know this is borderline legitimate...but I can't resist...
Anyone know if the guy that taped that incredible Pensacola RTB
audience tape is still down in that area? I hope he's on the ball
for the opening night of this tour...
If any of ya'll know him, and he can come out with a tape as good as
last time, I'll buy his ticket to the show if he'll send me a first
gen copy!!!
Skip
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 26 Oct 93 16:31:00 -0400
From: USR3438A@cbos.uc.edu
Subject: Remember???
Remember on FBN Neil's lyrics, "rock-n-roll in the streets, making
millions my dream....."? The second release, but his 1st, came to be
a prophecy/dream come true....
BTW - I taped Geddy's 'Oh Canada' performance.......killer!!
Glen
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 93 16:55:09 -0400
From: karaffa@scus1.ctstateu.edu (Gabriel Karaffa)
Subject: reaction to Open Letter
Dear Nancy Reagan,
I have never issued forth a flame before, and don't intend to now.
Your opinion is valued as much as anyone's here, however, your attitude
in your letter, expecially in the postscript is incredibly belligerent. Neil
probably doesn't have an internet address, but if he does, and he actually read
that letter, do you think he would even have a reply? That was not an open
letter, it was simply a means to ridicule Pye Dubois, who incidentally copenned
some classic rush lyrics! If you have a legitimate gripe with something, and
are willing to argue it, please do so, otherwise, why take up the bandwidth?
gabriel d. karaffa
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 93 14:39:17 PDT
From: rking@scopus.com (Robyn King-Nitschke)
Subject: Name suggestion for Rush country band.
Hi,
Somebody suggested "Buck" for the name of the band doing the
country version of Cold Fire. I dunno... "Rush" sounds so
fast, and we all know that country music is generally slower
and more laid-back than rock, so I suggest:
"MOSEY." :-)
--Rat
(Who's having a lot of fun today switching between CP and
the new one by Alan Parsons, fresh out today...)
"That which I imagine
Is that which I believe..."
--NP
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 18:31:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: Rolaant Loyd McKenzie <rlm@umich.edu>
Subject: 2112 Ultradisc
When will the 2112 Ultradisc be available?
[ I checked previous issues of the digest, all I found was November 1993.
: rush-mgr ]
Does Superconductor at Wembley '92 really have those rare songs on them?
How is the sound quality?
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 93 16:33:33 PDT
From: aliki@isi.com (Alexandra Schmidt)
Subject: "Ahh yes to yes, why the sun?"
"Because the sun!"
(roll the bones)
Thanks to RUSH, rhetorical questions will never be the same again.
. . .Alexandra
enjoys the song tremendously, but can't help thinking that
I suppose it beats having a 'Circumcise me' association with 'Animate'
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 93 20:19:19 -0400
From: Gregg Jaeger <jaeger@buphy.bu.edu>
Subject: Saves a drowning child
>From: "James F. Hranicky" <jfh@beach.cis.ufl.edu>
>> From: Gregg Jaeger <jaeger@buphy.bu.edu>
>> My claim is that Neil now identifies himself as a libertarian and
>> NOT as a Randian. This is just the most recent change in his
>> philosophical evolution. He's rejected the extremist Objectivist
>> ethic that would have one allow a child to drown before one's very
>> eyes as there is nothing to be gained personally from such an attempt
>> that could compensate for the risk to one's own life, just as he
>> earlier rejected the simplistic Marxist ethic that says everyone
>> should have the same amount of material wealth. Neil calls a
>> HERO someone who "saves a drowning child" in "Nobody's Hero."
>> This is NOW.
>Um, I've read most of Rand's stuff, and all I can say is that this is
>a gross misrepresentation. In _The Virtue of Selfishness_, she covers the
>ethics of emergencies, and you should know she doesn't advocate this kind
>of heartless existence. I get pretty tired of this kind of thing.
What's so gross about it? It's a unfortunate implication of the ethic.
Sorry you get tired of it, but it's a reality. Rand cops out of such
problems by claiming that they represent abnormal situations for which
Objectivist prescriptions were not designed (as they are not
"realistic," however there is nothing unrealistic about this example).
>Pride is one of Rand's highest virtues. What person could feel pride
>for just letting someone drown without helping them? I couldn't.
>To allow something like this to happen would be the sacrifice of your
>own conscience.
It really depends on how your pride is *composed.* If what gives you
pride is only your own _personal_ development and wealth, then letting
someone drown will be basically irrelevant. "Check you premisses."
If there is a 50% chance you'll die trying to save a child from
drowning in a storm, there is no way Objectivism would sanction it:
the child's life and any gain in pride simply isn't worth the personal
risk.
>If you think that the above is representative of Objectivism, you are wrong.
Why? Because you say so? Sorry, you'll have to provide an argument.
To email, please: jaeger@buphy.bu.edu for followup.
Gregg
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 19:29:06 -0500
From: irsman@iastate.edu
Subject: Re: Neil's new look
I agree completely that Neil with the beard looks stunningly like a somewhat
thinner version of Jonathan Frakes (Commander Riker from ST:TNG), and several
non-netted friends with CP have mentioned this also. Oh, dear, this could
be interesting :)
RikerPeart: "This is the USS Rocinante, on a course to Cygnus X-1".
Ian Schmidt
irsman@iastate.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
From: gt3144a@prism.gatech.edu (Sir Real)
Subject: Re: 10/26/93 - The National Midnight Star #798
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 20:47:53 -0400 (EDT)
> It seems that there's a trend in the music business to go to more simplistic
> album covers since the advent of the CD. Let's face it, comparing a CD card
> to the old vinyl sleeves . . . . it's like compressing a magazine cover down
> to the size of a postage stamp. Do ya'll think that the current cover is a
> victim of CD shrinkage? Granted, RTB showed no signs of this syndrome . . .
> so I may be barking up the wrong tree.
Maybe, but I really don't think so. If you think that CD covers seem
shrunk down, think about tapes. Those are considerably smaller than
CD's. Simplicity was sometimes found on vinyl sleeves as well...
Consider Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". That was much more
simplistic than the CP cover, and it was released in 1972. For that
matter, look at _2112_. It's not nearly as detailed as, say, Moving
Pictures, or PeW.
> Still, it occurs to me that the multitude of images in the CP liner notes
> would have looked _really_ cool on an album cover. It also occurs to me that
> they would make a great poster. Hmmm . . . .
Hmmm... Maybe some of them would have looked good, but to use them would
have made the album look more like it dealt with that particular case,
rather than the abstract idea of "Counterparts". Actually, this may be
the reason the cover design was simple... They avoided putting in details
that would have obscured the more abstract theme of "Counterparts".
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 19:32:22 -0500 (CDT)
From: Jennifer Dawn Adamson <jadamson@owlnet.rice.edu>
Subject: Nobody's Hero
Comments made by Juno , Julie etc the other day have prompted me to add
my opinion concerning the theme of Nobody's Hero. I don't think this song
was meant to be a ballad about AIDS, homosexuality etc. Rather, (this
opinion is based on the song itself and the transcription of the Cp
premier interviews) a larger theme of heroism, hero-worship and "what is a
hero?" is being addressed here. Neil is presenting his own versions of
"heroes" and contrasting them to those who are commonly considered
"heroes" or someone to idolize. By using lyrics such as "different in his
sexuality" and "never a threat to my masculinity" Neil avoids saying
something like " I knew this gay dude ..." and also perhaps emphasizes the
fact that although this man's lifestyle was opposite/contrasting to
Neil's, Neil could widen his horizens and include him as a friend in a
normal "no big deal" kind of way.
Well, Neil explains it best himself. But, I think that perhaps what
Julie/Juno meant to say is that she wishes that Neil would write a song
about AIDS, etc since I really don't think this song was. Or it is at
least not the main focus of the song and wasn't meant to be either.
Jennifer
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 93 22:57:24 EDT
From: Jason Isner <R3JMI@VM1.CC.UAKRON.EDU>
Subject: scoreboard in liner notes
Hello...
Hey, did anyone else notice that the baseball scoreboard in the
Counterparts liner notes is backwards? By that I mean that the "HOME"
score is on the top and the "VISITOR" score is on the bottom. It should
be the other way around. The visting teams bat in the tops of baseball
innings and the home teams bat in the bottoms of innings. What's up with
this? Is it just a mistake or does someone want to suggest a deeper meaning?
Jason
+-------------------------+------------------+-------------------------+
| | Union Building 6 | Internet: |
| Jason M. Isner | Akron, Ohio | R3JMI@VM1.CC.UAKRON.EDU |
| The University of Akron | 44325-3501 +-------------------------+
| Network Operations +------------------+ Bitnet: |
| | (216)-972-5919 | R3JMI@AKRONVM.BITNET |
+-------------------------+------------------+-------------------------+
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Something for Nothing
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 93 23:02:45 -0400
From: Ill Omen <Laurence.H.Zill@williams.edu>
I've been seeing a lot of talk about what Rush should play on tour for
Cp, and I've noticed that my perhaps favorite Rush song has not been
mentioned as a "Must Play". Am I the only one who likes Something for
Nothing? I really hope not.
BTW, since everyone else is telling us their favorite songs off Cp, I
figured I should to. Double Agent. The mixing of the deep (both
voice and lyrics) with the lighter singing is really cool, and the
bass line is really groovy. ("groovy"! What kinda word is groovy?)
Anyway, just *my* 2 cents.
-I.O.
"And when the music stops, there's only the sound of the rain..." -NP
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 23:39:25 -0400
From: pco101@psu.edu (Philip Craig Ovadia)
Subject: Billboard
Since so many people are asking where the album debuted on Billboard, I'll
tell ya. I think Imentioned this in my last post but hey, I'll repeat it
anyway....
It was #1 on the Album-Oriented Rock Chart. To give you an idea what this
means others on the chart were Pearl Jam (#2, this is not gloating, I like
that album too) and Nirvana (#5 if I remeber correctly, I like this album
too). This isn't the Pop charts, and if history is a lesson, I doubt we'll
see them very high on this chart, although I seem to remeber RTB cracking
the Top 10 on this chart, but I may be wrong.
One more comment. Rush-mgr you seem to be getting more sarcastic,
I like it, especially you're handling of [word frat deleted] discussion.
Keep up the good work. BTW just to add in my ultimate fantasy for this
tour. ..Rush plays Beaver Stadium. Can you imagine it.. Outdoors...100,000+
Rush fans, it could be like Rushstock...Rushapalooza...Joe Paterno could
intoduce them..or open for them (not sure what he'd do though)..Oh well,
just a thought.
-Phil O
BTW..If anyone else is interested in an audio or video tape of Geddy doing
"O Canada", e-mail me.
**************************GO PENN STATE***************************
* pco101@psu.edu *
* "Hold your fire, *
* Keep it burning bright. *
* Hold the flame til the dream ignites. *
* A spirit with a vision, is a dream with a mission. *
* -Rush *
*****GO METS******GO JETS*******GO ISLANDERS*******GO NETS********
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 26 Oct 1993 22:50:29 -0600 (CST)
From: THYNEAJ@CAB.MRS.UMN.EDU
Subject: Stop
I agree, don't all you people analyzing the liner notes have lives?
I mean, enough! Get a life! I haven't bothered with the binary code, but
I like to think it says "GET A FUCKING LIFE!!!", or something to that
effect. All I'm saying is that there are better things to do, try
listening to the music, instead of fooling around with the decorations.
To the person who reported on the "Weak in Rock", I agree. PJ is
a good band, but they don't deserve that much attention compared to Rush,
especially when Rush's album is rivalling their's for sales (I hope).
NObody reads long posts, so I'm leaving now, bye.
----------------------------------------------------------
From: jtkung@netcom.com (Joseph T. Kung)
Subject: Pearl Jam and MTV
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1993 00:30:05 -0700 (PDT)
To all those real Rush fans out there -- ignore the Pearl Jam hype and
MTV. Sure, Pearl Jam are pretty good musicians, but they didn't *earn*
where they are like Rush did -- which is tour for 7 fucking years.
You'd think Pearl Jam is the next U2 (even they had 3 decent albums
before all the hype killed them off). We all know that the new Rush
album is much better than the new Pearl Jam (while the members are
double the age of the grunge boys), and I can live with MTV ignoring
them. And it wouldn't be surprising if they radically changed their
minds (along with Rolling Stone, the literary refuse equivalent). You
have to remember that MTV and Rolling Stone are not musically
consistent in their reviews. The bottom line for them is profit, so
what's trendy and hot is good, or whatever they think will be hot,
they'll market heavily to create that market. It's the equivalent of
"Manufacturing Consent" in the music business -- "superconductors," if
you will. I hope Rush never make the Rolling Stone cover -- surely the
kiss of death.
- Joe
----------------------------------------------------------
From: jim.hamilton@permanet.org (jim hamilton)
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 19:46:23 -0500
Subject: Geddy's playing on CP
Jon Godin- It's funny that you mention that. The first time I heard
Animate, I was under the impression that he was using a pick (The Speed Of
Love also sounds picked). It is possible to synthesize pick sound with
REALLY good technique (which Ged has coming out his ass) and the right
tone. I guess we'll have to wait for the obligatory guitar mag
interviews....
Jim Hamilton
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 26 Oct 1993 23:37:20 -0500 (EST)
From: "Fluffhead was a man with a horrible disease..." <JAVAUGHN@DEPAUW.EDU>
Subject: Setlist predictions for Counterparts tour
Well, I was a little bored so I decided to try and guess what songs Rush are
going to play on the upcoming tour. Here's two setlists of my best guesses:
Show Don't Tell, Big Money, Freewill->Distant Early Warning, Time Stand Still,
Animate, Stick It Out, Cut to the Chase, Limelight, Dreamline, Bravado, Roll
the Bones, The Analog Kid, The Trees, Leave That Thing Alone!->Neil's Solo,
Closer to the Heart, Natural Science, Tom Sawyer.
Encore: 2112 Overture/Temples->Fly By Night->In the Mood.
[ Natural Science eh? :-) ah... wishful thinking but I sure do hope you're
right! I see you have the return of In the Mood too! :rush-mgr]
Or if they get tired of that one they can try:
Dreamline, Limelight, Marathon, Bravado, Force Ten, Animate, Stick It Out,
Roll the Bones, Show Don't Tell, Freewill->Subdivisions->Distant Early Warning,
Between Sun and Moon, Leave That Thing Alone!->Neil's Solo, Closer to the
Heart, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, Tom Sawyer.
Encore: Spirit of Radio2112 Overture->Finding My Way->La Villa Strangiato->
Superconductor->Cygnus X-1.
[ This sounds pretty feasible. Myself, I think they will bring back By-Tor
And the Snow Dog. Wouldn't that just be a treat! :rush-mgr ]
Disclaimer: This is 100% speculation.
I don't think they'll play Xanadu this tour since they've played it the last
two tours, and they only played half of it on the RTB tour. I predict we'll
either see one ten-minute song in it's entirety on this tour, either Natural
Science, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, Cygnus X-1 Book One: The Voyage, or La
Villa Strangiato.
[ They also played 1/2 of Xanadu on the Presto tour as well. :rush-mgr ]
Whaddayall think?
Josh
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Nobody's Hero, Counterparts, Available Light
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1993 01:40:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: Dreaming <snort@eng.umd.edu>
"Patty/Maxene/Laverne" == The Andrews Sisters
On `Nobody's Hero' -- I think Tracey's assessment was dead on. Neil
grabbed an important, "hot" issue, but unfortunately embodied it in
(IMHO) rather sophomoric lyrics. (I feel similarly about `Heresy' and
`Countdown' (again, MHO).) The rhyme scheme in the first verse of NH
is distracting, sing-songy, something I might have written at age 14.
But I admire his intent and agree with his sentiment. I also feel
that the rest of NH stands fairly well on its own.
To Cygnus (Dave): please, your hostile tone will only invite
flames. I haven't seen any complaints on the underlying message of
`Nobody's Hero,' only its execution, and I agree with those
complaints. Neil could have written it in a subtler fashion.
You're raging against phantoms here.
In general:
Counterparts seems like an exercise in "hooks" to me; and most of them
work: `Cut to the Chase' and `Double Agent' especially, but also the
chorus of `Cold Fire.'
And I'll add to the recent praise of `Available Light.' It's been my
favorite Rush song since Presto came out -- best use of keyboards and
harmony I've ever heard in a Rush song. I'll be in heaven if they play
it on the upcoming tour.
--
snort@eng.umd.edu Dreaming
there's a little bit of me in each electron on your phosphor
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 93 01:56:10 EDT
From: glen reed <reed@cs.odu.edu>
Subject: Briefly...
Rushppl --
><MWEINTR@american.edu>
>Amidst all this discussion of the CP sleeve, I haven't seen anyone question
>the baseball scoreboard. Why is the home team listed on top?
Why the hell not? Is this usually not the case? Looks like just an archive
photo to me... nothing special....
> [ Ok very funny Mike. /kill Jedi :rush-mgr]
^^^^
You gotta get yourself on IRC more often, Mr. rush-mgr... it's Jvi, not Jedi.
Look at his signature! But this brings up the topic of IRC again, anyway :)
For those of you who don't know, IRC (Internet Relay Chat) has a somewhat
"official" Rush fans' channel on it -- #p/g! If you know about it, join it,
if you don't, find out. Come visit Jvi, Trroy (me), occasionally the
"ubiquitous" rush-mgr himself, and our "friendly" robot RushServ.
You'll be able to get tour updates via RushServ once they start coming in
(not any quicker than on here, of course). Now ending IRC advertisement.
[ Ok, so I'm forgetful- Jvi, Jedi, I'm just tired. The volume of the
digests now that Counterparts is out is overwhelming! :rush-mgr ]
Hey, does anyone else think Geddy sounds like Roy Orbison when he hits the
high notes in Everyday Glory?? Oh, and thanks for the signature compliment,
rush-mgr... if only I could get the 1st and last lines to line up right!!
___ ...........................................
___// \ / : Glen Reed : reed@cs.odu.edu :
/ | / :...........: cj631@freenet-in-a.cwru.edu :
/ __/ / ............:.............................:
/ \ /| | /| /__ : Formerly : greed@udel, 3tanvoz@cmich :
/ | / | /| / \ // \ :...........:.............................:
__/ X /_/ |/ __|/ \_____ : I woke up one day, I was 23. Lost a :
reed@ \ cs.odu.edu : whole year -- 365 days down the drain. :
\_______________________:_________________________________________:
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 93 01:12:03 CDT
From: smithm@stolaf.edu (Matthew D Smith)
Subject: Geddy's Bassing
Hi all...
A certain David Bell made mention to Geddy's bass playing in a
previous
post. Something about a pick was mentioned. I have been listening to
"Animate" verrryyy closely and have encountered the same dilemma...did he
pick or did he finger? I _think_ he probably fingered, running his fingernail
up and down (perpendicular to the string itself) the string, one upstroke,
one downstroke. However, he would have been using his middle finger, the
one that got slammed in a car door when he was younger. The fingernail grew
back really thick and tough. I remember him mentioning that in an interview
a while back, saying that if he needs a picked tone, he uses that nail. Now,
I may be totally wrong about this one, but I don't care. It
's...oops..
It's a nice thought, and if I'm right, I can gloat...heehee ;)
Matt Smith
smithm@stolaf.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 93 03:04:00 CDT
From: smithm@stolaf.edu (Matthew D Smith)
Subject: Various and Sundry
Howdeeeee...
Just a couple of points to bring up...
1) I'm pretty sure that "Stick It Out" is the first song that Rush has
ever done in "Drop-D" tuning. For the non-guitar/bass playing type out there,
"Drop-D" means that the muscian tunes the lowest string on the instrument,
usually an "E" (unless you have a 7-string guitar or a 5- or 6-string bass),
down a full step to a "D". I really like doing that with my bass, and try to do
>..oops..... try to do so with my bass as much as possible. However, this
is also something that the Seattle bands like to do as well. Pearl Jam's
"Evenflow", almost all Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, and Nirvana. Neil did
say that Rush is a sponge, and I'm happy to see them altering the tunings.
Be prepared to see both Alex and the Ged-ster changing instruments both before
and after "Stick It Out". All in all, I have found that "Drop-D" tuning makes
a song sound heavier than if it were in standard "E" tuning. For more "Drop-D"
you might want to check out some Black Sabbath as well. I'm sure there are
many more out there who use this, but I can't think of them just yet.
Along the lines of lower tunings, examine "In the Mood" off of Fly
By Night, NOT off of All the World's A Stage. As the first part of the song
is fading out, if you listen closely, you can hear the instruments raise a
half-step in tuning. This, however was done by the recording engineer, I'm
almost positive. I think that the boys were simply playing with recording
techniques to make the parts of the song sound different from each-other.
As for any other different tunings used by Rush, I THINK I heard mention
that Alex used a guitar tuned to "F#" for "The Big Money", but I can't be
positive. Does anyone else out there have info on the subject of alternate
tunings used by Rush?? Please either post or e-mail me directly.
2) Did Geddy use a Wal or his Fender...the Burning Question:
As was mentioned in an earlier post about album credits, they usually invlove
the PREVIOUS tour. Along the same lines, possibly Geddy was thanking Wal for
their supprot on PREVIOUS albums. Of course, it is possible that he used
it on some of the songs on Counterparts. In listening closesly, however,
I really think that he was NOT using a Wal on most of these songs, "Animate"
in particular. It is true, speaking from experience, that, with the right
equipment, one can make almost any bass sound like any other bass. Or
guitar for that matter. For those of you who saw the "Roll the Bones" tour,
try to remember Alex's guitar sounds. Using only two or three basically
identical Paul Reed Smith guitars (amazing things, those) he managed to
accurately capture the appropriate sounds for everything from "Anthem" to
"Ghost of a Chance". It's mainly the effects and amplification. On the
subject of basses, Mike Watt from fIREHOSE is a prime example of this. He
uses a Fender Telecaster bass guitar (great neck, terrible tone), but manages
to get a GREAT tone through his amplification. For those of you who are
wondering what the hell a Telecaster bass is, to put it simply, it is a
fun bass to play, but it has almost NO high end to it. Lots of low and
muddiness. Mike Watt's tone is replete with high end. It's the amp. To get
back to the subject at hand, I think Geddy is using the Fender, but then again,
it could be almost anything.
[ According to an interview that Geddy had with Mick from Spirit of Rush-UK
(Hello Mick!), I'm told Geddy used exclusively his Fender Jazz Bass -
yes, this is the same one from Moving Pictures. Alex used a Les Paul,
Stratocaster and his PR Smith. :rush-mgr ]
3) Harmonizing vocals: Again, for those of you who remember the
"Roll the Bones" tour, Alex spent a lot of time at his mic doing backup vocals.
My guess is that he'll be doing a lot more on this tour. While I don't think
that they'll be doing the multi-layered harmonies present on the album, I
do think that the songs will still sound O.K. Just be listening for Alex's
singing.
Well, enough of my yakkin'
Matt Smith
smithm@stolaf.edu
I'm the old-fashioned type. I manually enter my sig ;).
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 14:41:35 EST
From: Goldman@ldybug.ci.net (Amy Goldman)
Subject: RE: some thoughts on Nobody's Hero
In Digest 796, from Tracey <TMCCART3@UA1VM.UA.EDU>
First of all, kudos to you, Tracey! The discussion was about Neil's
courage on writing Nobody's Hero, but I wanted to acknowledge that it
definitely takes some courage to come out publicly to a list this size!
[ I agree whole heartedly, and Tracey did have some excellent points I
might add. :rush-mgr ]
I have also thought a lot about that first verse, and it occurred to
me that maybe Peart had "diluted" his message. But then I thought about it
more, and arrived at a different conclusion.
>In that first verse, two of the four lines consist of Peart reasserting
>his own heterosexuality. His friend's story could have been told much
>more powerfully if there was a little more about *him* and a little
>less about how "straight" Peart is. But hey, some of his best friends
>are gay, right?
>I hope this doesn't sound like a bitter diatribe, because it's not.
>I do wish Peart had waited until he was a little better prepared
>intellectually and emotionally to deal with this issue before he took
>it on. Obviously the issue *did* threaten him a little, at least in
>terms of how he thought his audience might react.
If we assume that the majority of Rush listeners are straight (as
opposed to a band, say, like Erasure, where it's not nearly so clear :^) )
and probably men (and I *know* that all different types of people listen
to Rush, but I would guess that, having been to 3 shows, and having been
on this list since its inception, my assumption is a fair one - I'm talking
majority here), Neil might have been appealing to them. If he talks about
being a straight minority, and how that feels, it's something straight
people probably don't think about! I think that people often identify
with like people, and give more credit to what they say. If they are
perceived as different, it's too easy to say, "well, that's because of how
they are, and I'm not like that." Perhaps Neil was trying to have a bigger
impact on his audience.
I realize this may be a stretch - we have no idea why he wrote it
the way he did. Was he threatened by possible reactions? Was he trying to
tell straights that maybe by accepting gays, they might learn new realities,
might even see that people are just people?
I wondered why, if he just wanted to tell a story about his friend,
did he mention himself at all? That's how I got to the conclusion above.
I don't know if you heard Neil speak about this during the premiere (or
read the transcript), but I thought he did a nice job describing it, how
his friend prevented him from being homophobic or thinking being gay was
sick or unnatural. He knew and worked with the guy, and because of that,
was able to see him as a "hero".
Obviously, there's no "right" answer here, but I just wanted to
offer another viewpoint, another possible interpretation.
Amy
--
Amy Goldman "If you want it, you've got it,
goldman@ldybug.ci.net you've just got to believe,
(508) 842-3854 believe in yourself "
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1993 05:50:37 -0400 (EDT)
From: Vernon H Harmon <vh00+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: it's a bin'ry thang! Or is it?
>From: JIM COLLINGWOOD <ECGEEAB@grove.iup.edu>
>
>To address the 100100111 controversy...could it somehow be related to the
>dice sequence on RTB? Not that I have enough free time to compare the two..
>but I know some of y'all do.
what is "dash-dot-dot-dash-dot-dot-dash-dash-dash" in morse code? Or
rather what could it be interpreted as? I'm thinking that perhaps this
is a "counterpart" to the skull-and-bone morse -- instead of skulls
and bones, it's 1's and 0's....hmm, "YYZ" perhaps?
--Vernon.
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 93 13:45:14 GMT
From: "Roger G Haworth userid " <SRGH0%IBM-B.RUTHERFORD.AC.UK@ib.rl.ac.uk>
Subject: Another bass player's review of Cp...
>...errm it's rather good actually!
Rodge
PS: I can't see Ged using a pick. He grows his nails long-ish on his right
hand, so it's probably that which we hear on Animate.
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 93 13:48:34 GMT
From: "Roger G Haworth userid " <SRGH0%IBM-B.RUTHERFORD.AC.UK@ib.rl.ac.uk>
Subject: Cp on vinyl in the UK...anywhere else?
I got Cp on vinyl on the day of release. I don't know how many were pressed on
record, but I know that the new Hawkwind album is limited to something like
2000 copies. Anybody have any clues?
Anybody else got it on vinyl? I still prefer records to CDs...maybe one day
I'll get used to the twentieth century!
Rodge
----------------------------------------------------------
From: bawest@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Brad West)
Subject: 3 1/2 hour shows???? only in heaven
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1993 10:28:13 +22306512 (CDT)
You know...
I've been thinking a lot about this concept of hitting every album.
Well...it could be done and still play a lot of stuff off the new album.
Wouldn't we all shit if they did like the generous boys from Metallica did this
last tour and play 3 and 1/2 hours of nothing but pure, old, new RUSH!
Imagine this.... 20th year celebration tour. No openers, no comedians, no
Rush wanna-be's opening... Just RUSH playing all OUR favorite songs for over 3
hours... Could a miracle such as this ever happen to us great RUSH fans??
What you guys think about something like this? You think the guys would
ever pull that off? Geddy said expect the unexpected.... Let's probe this
situation a little and Roll the responses.... (Can you imaging a RUSH concert
for 3 hours or more) I can't stop thinking about it...
Few other quick things
----------------------
I agree that the better shows are usually at the end of the tour. Everybody
in Chicago knows this! Correct me if I'm wrong, but when they played the last
RTB show at the "world", didn't Neil sport his mohawk for the crowd? I heard
the place was just dying. I saw them on their second to last RTB show at Alpine
Valley (near Chicago), and what a kick ass show. Neil and his famous
windmill... Alex on the side of the stage talking to all the hot blondes while
playing "vital signs", nerf balls and rockets.... God, I love this band. There
is definitely a sense of "hey this is almost the last show...let's have some
fun."
[ The World Theater show was definitely a kicker last tour. Spiders
falling from the ceiling attacking Neil, arrows flying through the air.
Definitely worth it to see them on their last few shows. :rush-mgr ]
Also... One gentlemen wasn't familiar with the song "Hemispheres" !???
What? That is 18 minutes (i think off the top of my head) of pure RUSH.
Check it out... I promise you'll love it. The WHOLE ALBUM IS LAW
KEEP IT UP!
"I'm young enough to remember the future!
And the way things out to be!" -CTTC (Best song in years)
bawest@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 93 10:35:50 -0500
From: c512052@monad.missouri.edu
Subject: Rolling Stone
Hi all,
Remeber to pick up the Rolling Stone issue with P**** J** on the
cover and fill out the annual poll. It is somewhere around page 40.
I tore it out and threw the magazine away. Didn't even read it. Ha.
Regards,
David
----------------------------------------------------------
From: holy one <btk@christa.unh.edu>
Subject: Between Sun and Moon conjecture
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1993 11:45:43 -0400 (EDT)
Well, here my contribution to the question on all of our minds...
WHAT THE HECK IS BSAM ABOUT? (and what is the deal with the ahh to yes)
My take on the song as a whole is the sun represents emotion, wonder
and the moon is realization, rationality. The "fine place" in between the
two is the middle ground between extremes.
Often , people get carried away in their first reactions to something
new, (e.g. something like a new Rush album...) and lose the ability to
see it in a rational light (the pale light of the moon).
On the other end, people who approach something with a total lack of
feeling miss the warmth that an emotional view can bring (brightness of the
sun).
So the song is talking about keeping a balanced view of things, enjoying
the contribution both outlooks can give.
Considering Neil's love for the theme of balance, this all seems pretty
logical to me. The "ahh to yes" part is probably nothing more than a
catchy phrase but it could be "ahh" is wonder, "yes" is rationality,
and the phrase as a whole is talking about going from one "to" the other.
I would give quotes from the song to back up my views, but I don't have
the lyrics with me, maybe I'll followup with them later if there's any
discussion.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ben Kerwin Remember, Information is not knowledge; Knowledge is not
aka Wisdom; Wisdom is not truth; Truth is not beauty; Beauty
[Holy One] is not love; Love is not music; Music is the best. (Zappa)
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed Oct 27 09:50:25 1993
From: hammel@skisas.usask.ca
Subject: Binary digits (the last time, honest!)
>From: ASILVERM@umiami.ir.miami.edu
>
>Hahdee.
>
> All youse can forget the DDD theory about the binary code on the back
>of the CD booklet. They are phasing out the AAD, ADD, DAD and DDD codes
>because they mean absolutely nada. They don't necessarily correspond to the
>actual recording process and since they really don't accurately tell you
>anything at all about the quality of the recording, they're useless.
>
> Aaron
> ASILVERM@UMIAMI
Well, this one peaked my curiosity so I checked some of the more recent cd's
that I've bought and, sure enough, out of a random sampling of 6 or 7, only 2
had any mention of "DDD" or the like. So maybe the binary digits are just
pretty combinations of 1's and 0's. It looks like we'll never know.
Greg Hammel.
HAMMEL@skisas.usask.ca
>P.S. Death to the Habs.
Them's fightin' words! Prepare to defend yourself! :)
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 93 09:07:36 PDT
From: aliki@isi.com (Alexandra Schmidt)
Subject: RUSH influenced by Nirvana??
Seems to me that it's much easier to pinpoint musical influences (i.e. specific
bands, as well as general styles) on CP than on other albums. I'm not
sure how much I like this, though RUSH's style evolves so much I don't
want to start screaming 'adulteration'! Lots of people have commented on
the U2-ish sound of 'Everyday Glory'; it occurred to me last night (as I
was lying in bed playing 'Animate' in my head) that the 'Animate' chorus
('Compensate me/Animate me/Complicate me/Elevate me') sounds a lot like
the chorus to Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' ('A mulatto/An albino/A
mosquito/My libido').
What a chilling realization. (I sort of liked 'SLTS' but I'm not proud that
I liked it. And I'm not sure RUSH should be proud to have a song that sounds
so similar.)
. . .Alexandra
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1993 12:19:33 EDT
From: ADS@GEMS.HARVARD.EDU
Subject: "Darkness falls across the land ... "
So I'm listening to "Double Agent", and my roommate comes in
and says, "what the hell is this? `Thriller'"? you've got
to admit ... Geddy's spoken passages are remarkably close to
Vincent Price's little monologue.
"Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize your neighborhood ..." barf.
andrew
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 93 10:20:18 -0600
From: DOVE JAMES BRIAN <dove@shapley.Colorado.EDU>
Subject: confused about NH
To me, Nobody's Hero is a song about the difference between 'true deserving'
hero's and the 'undeserving heros (players and movie stars, etc).
Thus, I am confused about the two specific examples Peart uses.
I don't see how the friend who died of AIDS is a hero. The song
says nothing about his struggle, or any kind of heroism. All
he did was 'introduce Peart to a broader reality.' But
this probably was more of Peart's doing (by going to the parties, etc)
than the friends. Secondly, how is the friend who was murdered "in
a nightmare of brutality" a hero? It seems to me that the family and
friends who have had to deal with the sadness and emptiness, and move
on in life are the ones deserving of applause. It seems to me
that Peart 'misses' in his two examples to 'animate' his point.
For comparison, the two characters in Losing It are much better tied in
with the theme of the song.
Now, in Cold Fire, anyone want to guess who it is that is "leaving for the
door"? My fiancee thinks it is the guy leaving since the woman is being
"difficult and complex", but I think it is left as being general. Again, it
seems Peart is using one conversation as an example to the more general theme
of the complexity of relationships, and the line "The look in your eyes
as you reach for the door is a Cold Fire" seems to be general.
Anyone agree?
Also, what does "the phosphorescense in a tropical sea" have to do with cold
fire? Is it simply glowing (fire) in water (cold)?
[ Actually I just learned about this in bio class yesterday -- biologists
tend to call bioluminescence a "cold fire" because it generates no heat.
Incidentally, it happens more often in tropical seas than temperate ones...
And for those *really* interested, the phosphorescense is usually caused
by microscopic animals called "dinoflagellates". And this concludes
today's lecture.. any questions? :-) :rush-mgr ]
Is it just me, or is Stick it Out lyrically a repeat of Lock and Key and
is Between Sun and Moon very reminescent of Mystic Rhythms?
Jim
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Elizabeth A. Everson" <elanna@indirect.com>
Subject: binary and The Body Electric
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 93 9:33:05 MST
Has anyone yet considered the possible relationship between the 1's and 0's
on the CP album, and the "1-0-0-1-0-0-1" in GUP's The Body Electric?
"Crack the code" :-)
elanna@indirect.com
----------------------------------------------------------
From: gt3144a@prism.gatech.edu (Eric Lorenzo)
Subject: Re: 10/26/93 - The National Midnight Star #799
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1993 13:47:43 -0400 (EDT)
>Or maybe my problem is that I have an
>open mind, and don't look down on the human behavior, that I don't find harmful
>to others, that is different from my own.
You call yourself open-minded, yet you've already decided that everybody
who dislikes the first verse of NH is a homophobe. Guess what... I don't
like the first verse of NH, yet I am not a homophobe. (If you want to
call me a liar, go ahead - I'll gladly provide examples to back myself
up) The lyrics of the first verse are, (as I mentioned before) not at all
subtle. It's as if Peart is trying to brag about his open-mindeness. (Sort
of like you did in the above quote. Maybe that's why you like the song so
much). Furthermore, the song isn't really about homophobia. It's about
the nature of heroism. That first verse distracts the listener from the real
meaning of the song. I don't mind Neil dealing with homosexuality. I just
think he can do a better job of it.
>For those homophobic people out there you are probably also offended at the
>song Animate for its thoughts on the female's influnce on the male and the
>female within the male kinda thing; and probably also think that Neil is now
>becoming gay!
You're mistaken again. I like Animate. It's one of the best songs on the
album, easily. It sounds to me like you *want* to find some close-minded
homophobes so as to brag about your own open-mindedness and seem superior
in comparison. In your own words, you need to get off your high horse.
Incidentally, I don't think anybody could interpret Animate as meaning
"Neil is now becoming gay". He was quick to assert his own straitness
in the first verse of NH, which is part of what makes that verse bad.
"And now for something completely different!"
>If I remember right the word fugazi came into use in Vietnam. It means
>"all f**ked up" or "totally f**ked up" or something like that. Fish
>used it for a song title ("This world is totally fugazi") and album
>title and I suspect the American band came up with it completely
>separately.
I think that you are thinking of the acronym fubar, which stands for
"Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition". It's commonly used as a variable
name by psychopathic programmers like myself who intentionally misspell
it "foobar". Incidentally, the word snafu is a similar acronym.
"Situation Normal: All Fucked Up"
----------------------------------------------------------
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