RUSH …. It’s time

[Draconomics]

He was also using some kind of distortion pedal with the Hiwatts wasn't he? An MXR or something? Whatever it was, he got a really good balance between having some grit and sustain, and letting all those odd chord voicings ring out without turning to sludge. And yeah, that 9th fret harmonic, I find I have to dig that one extra hard to get it to ring out. One of my favorites ever to play. Some day I'll learn the whole thing through...

I dont think he was, maybe using the old Pete Towsend trick and hitting the amp with an MXR Dyna-Comp. I cant recall seeing him use OD's, I think most of the time he used straight amp distortion. As much as I love Alex, his selection of pedals has kinda been a mystery to me, other than the obvious stuff like chorus effects and wah.

The whole song is challenging but not as difficult as Strangiato. What makes Hemispheres easier is the structure. The Prelude has pretty much all the chord shapes you will use. If you can play the Prelude, you can play the whole shebang. Strangiato's movements are all pretty different to each other, and its one of those that if you eff up its hard to get your footing again.

BTW, a special mention for one the most undervalued Rush tunes: Circumstances. I remember reading an interview with Paul Gilbert, and he brought it up, saying it was one of his favorite little Rush rockers. It in many ways is the pioneer for the direction the band would go in post Hemispheres: Shorter, tighter pop influenced songs with prog elements. Its one of my favorites and that riff before the chorus is badass.

 

[Herr Squid]

I dont think he was, maybe using the old Pete Towsend trick and hitting the amp with an MXR Dyna-Comp. I cant recall seeing him use OD's, I think most of the time he used straight amp distortion. As much as I love Alex, his selection of pedals has kinda been a mystery to me, other than the obvious stuff like chorus effects and wah.

The whole song is challenging but not as difficult as Strangiato. What makes Hemispheres easier is the structure. The Prelude has pretty much all the chord shapes you will use. If you can play the Prelude, you can play the whole shebang. Strangiato's movements are all pretty different to each other, and its one of those that if you eff up its hard to get your footing again.

BTW, a special mention for one the most undervalued Rush tunes: Circumstances. I remember reading an interview with Paul Gilbert, and he brought it up, saying it was one of his favorite little Rush rockers. It in many ways is the pioneer for the direction the band would go in post Hemispheres: Shorter, tighter pop influenced songs with prog elements. Its one of my favorites and that riff before the chorus is badass.

I'm such a nutcase that Strangiato was the second thing I tried to learn on guitar, after figuring out a little bit of "Hell's Bells." It's in my DNA at this point. But also I'm such a lazy player that a lot of it is wrong, so each year that goes by I learn the correct way to play a few more bars. I hope to have the solos note-for-note before I die. I think that's attainable, but again I'm lazy -- I could be practicing at this very moment.

 

[Draconomics]

I'm such a nutcase that Strangiato was the second thing I tried to learn on guitar, after figuring out a little bit of "Hell's Bells." It's in my DNA at this point. But also I'm such a lazy player that a lot of it is wrong, so each year that goes by I learn the correct way to play a few more bars. I hope to have the solos note-for-note before I die. I think that's attainable, but again I'm lazy -- I could be practicing at this very moment.

The hardest parts of Strangiato for me is the timing in the Waltz of the Shreives section. I got better at it, but used to flub it everytime. The others are those two notes that begin the solo that have volume swells. The solo is pretty much all A minor, so I dont play it note for note, I take some liberties here and there. I think it would be hard to do it note for note since when Alex does his fast runs he picks more notes than he frets so you will have doubled notes here and there. Its an absolute beast of a song. I'd put it up there with Sound Chaser in complexity.

 

[ViperDoc]

He was also using some kind of distortion pedal with the Hiwatts wasn't he? An MXR or something? Whatever it was, he got a really good balance between having some grit and sustain, and letting all those odd chord voicings ring out without turning to sludge. And yeah, that 9th fret harmonic, I find I have to dig that one extra hard to get it to ring out. One of my favorites ever to play. Some day I'll learn the whole thing through...

Lifeson's tone on Moving Pictures combined an MXR "Distortion +" with an MXR MicroAmp into a Hiwatt/Marshall. Not sure what went into what. On the Hemispheres Tour, Lifeson used THREE 100W Hiwatt heads into multiple 412 cabs. Who wouldn't love to have heard that?!!

 

[RobRiggs]

Excellent interview/how to:

 

[Draconomics]

Lifeson's tone on Moving Pictures combined an MXR "Distortion +" with an MXR MicroAmp into a Hiwatt/Marshall. Not sure what went into what. On the Hemispheres Tour, Lifeson used THREE 100W Hiwatt heads into multiple 412 cabs. Who wouldn't love to have heard that?!!

Wow. That's a good amount of gain stages into already high gain amps for that time. Three 100W Hiwatts must have been loud. I'm sure he dimed all those too.

 

[ViperDoc]

The hardest parts of Strangiato for me is the timing in the Waltz of the Shreives section. I got better at it, but used to flub it everytime. The others are those two notes that begin the solo that have volume swells. The solo is pretty much all A minor, so I dont play it note for note, I take some liberties here and there. I think it would be hard to do it note for note since when Alex does his fast runs he picks more notes than he frets so you will have doubled notes here and there. Its an absolute beast of a song. I'd put it up there with Sound Chaser in complexity.

Dude, pre-bending those notes is tough. I think you have to use a volume pedal to swell AND bend those notes properly (and a strobe tuner to hit the note!--I did that at the end of the Limelight solo before hitting the delay). And yes, delivering a note-for-note performance of that solo might require enough ayahuasca to kill a T-Rex. Close is good enough!

 

[ViperDoc]

Check this out:

https://rush.fandom.com/wiki/Alex_Lifeson_equipment#Hemispheres_Tour

 

[Tony M.]

Check out their tracks La Villa Strangiato and YYZ. Two of the best rock instrumentals you'll ever hear.

I will do that.
Thank you.

 

[Draconomics]

Check this out:

https://rush.fandom.com/wiki/Alex_Lifeson_equipment#Hemispheres_Tour

Ah, so he was using the Sportscaster then. I thought it was a year later. Also, the Pyramid guitar! I've only seen a couple pics of him with it, it was some custom made thing he bought then. I found an old forum thread talking about it...not here, maybe the gear page, something like that. Interesting, he used an Ashley poweramp. That's a rare bird.

Dude, pre-bending those notes is tough. I think you have to use a volume pedal to swell AND bend those notes properly (and a strobe tuner to hit the note!--I did that at the end of the Limelight solo before hitting the delay). And yes, delivering a note-for-note performance of that solo might require enough ayahuasca to kill a T-Rex. Close is good enough!

I think a volume pedal is a must. Using a volume knob on a guitar isnt quite as smooth, but it works well enough. I'll share a trick for the Limelight solo. At the end for that sustained D# note, I continue to pick it all the way through the chorus, but hit it super lightly and hide the picks in the snare hits and youll never hear em. Works like a charm.

Lifeson's fast runs are often hard to replicate because of his attack. He tends to throw caution to the wind and just goes for it, which can again result in more notes being picked than fretted and/or sorta not very clean sounding runs. Its part of his style though, so its like trying to cop Jimmy Page. the looseness and "go for broke" approach is sometimes the hardest thing to capture.

 

[Andrew Paul]

Check this out:

https://rush.fandom.com/wiki/Alex_Lifeson_equipment#Hemispheres_Tour

Such a cool website

 

[Andrew Paul]

Excellent interview/how to:

Excellent interview, came up on my YouTube feed last week.

 

[Bill SAS 513]

OY...huge fan here. Named my Son Alex...
Saw them first for Hemispheres, and never missed a nearby show since...except for a wedding. (Silly Love...)
Keep "car" copies of the best CDs in my car, cuz I never know when the mood will strike.
(Hemi's, P-Waves, Pictures, Signals, T4E, Vapor Trails, S&A, Clockwork Angels (The best swansong, EVER!!!)

 

[bodia]

Ok, here's a sample of my Rush fandom.

License plate on my previous Ridgeline

Did the VIP ticket package for one of the Clockwork Angels shows. Took all of the goodies that came with that package to Michael's and had them frame it up. It turned out awesome, but way bigger than I expected.

Had to have this

A tube showed up in the mail one day, from Scotland. I was shocked when I opened it. Hand drawn by @Alnus Rubra (thanks buddy!). Another trip to Michael's for a frame job.

When Shawn gave me a factory tour in 2018 he made me wait in the lobby after we finished while he went up to his office/cubical and came back with one of Alex's guitars that was in for some work. Made my day!

More Rush artwork.

And a couple of Rush tattoos. The Farewell to Kings crowned skull and a symbol from Clockwork Angels. They're both more than 10 years old and have faded quite a bit. I really should go in and have them touched up. Sorry, should have warned you to don the sunglasses to protect you from my pasty legs!

I've got the 40 year anniversary box sets that they released for 2112, FWTK, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and Signals. Not sure if I'll do any more of those.

 

[Tone-y]

Late 90s and early 20s for me when I found rush

 

[aamefford]

Ok, here's a sample of my Rush fandom.

License plate on my previous Ridgeline

Did the VIP ticket package for one of the Clockwork Angels shows. Took all of the goodies that came with that package to Michael's and had them frame it up. It turned out awesome, but way bigger than I expected.

Had to have this

A tube showed up in the mail one day, from Scotland. I was shocked when I opened it. Hand drawn by @Alnus Rubra (thanks buddy!). Another trip to Michael's for a frame job.

When Shawn gave me a factory tour in 2018 he made me wait in the lobby after we finished while he went up to his office/cubical and came back with one of Alex's guitars that was in for some work. Made my day!

More Rush artwork.

And a couple of Rush tattoos. The Farewell to Kings crowned skull and a symbol from Clockwork Angels. They're both more than 10 years old and have faded quite a bit. I really should go in and have them touched up. Sorry, should have warned you to don the sunglasses to protect you from my pasty legs!

I've got the 40 year anniversary box sets that they released for 2112, FWTK, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and Signals. Not sure if I'll do any more of those.

Epic. That’s all I’ve got…

 

[tbp0701]

Dig it. Rush was the only band I saw in a full arena venue, and it was spectacular. I've liked them since I was a music major in the mid 80s. Two of my closest friends were drummers, so Rush was played often, and I got hooked.

I also still listen to full albums, which probably makes me old at this point. I shuffle playlists when driving and doing yardwork, but other than that, it's mostly pick an album.

As an aside, I got Lasik about 12 years ago. The doctor was also a Rush fan, and the live recording of "YYZ" played as lasers reshaped my eyeballs.

 

[veinbuster]

Ok, here's a sample of my Rush fandom.

License plate on my previous Ridgeline

Did the VIP ticket package for one of the Clockwork Angels shows. Took all of the goodies that came with that package to Michael's and had them frame it up. It turned out awesome, but way bigger than I expected.

Had to have this

A tube showed up in the mail one day, from Scotland. I was shocked when I opened it. Hand drawn by @Alnus Rubra (thanks buddy!). Another trip to Michael's for a frame job.

When Shawn gave me a factory tour in 2018 he made me wait in the lobby after we finished while he went up to his office/cubical and came back with one of Alex's guitars that was in for some work. Made my day!

More Rush artwork.

And a couple of Rush tattoos. The Farewell to Kings crowned skull and a symbol from Clockwork Angels. They're both more than 10 years old and have faded quite a bit. I really should go in and have them touched up. Sorry, should have warned you to don the sunglasses to protect you from my pasty legs!

I've got the 40 year anniversary box sets that they released for 2112, FWTK, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and Signals. Not sure if I'll do any more of those.

But do you have Rush beer?

 

[Draconomics]

Ok, here's a sample of my Rush fandom.

License plate on my previous Ridgeline

Did the VIP ticket package for one of the Clockwork Angels shows. Took all of the goodies that came with that package to Michael's and had them frame it up. It turned out awesome, but way bigger than I expected.

Had to have this

A tube showed up in the mail one day, from Scotland. I was shocked when I opened it. Hand drawn by @Alnus Rubra (thanks buddy!). Another trip to Michael's for a frame job.

When Shawn gave me a factory tour in 2018 he made me wait in the lobby after we finished while he went up to his office/cubical and came back with one of Alex's guitars that was in for some work. Made my day!

More Rush artwork.

And a couple of Rush tattoos. The Farewell to Kings crowned skull and a symbol from Clockwork Angels. They're both more than 10 years old and have faded quite a bit. I really should go in and have them touched up. Sorry, should have warned you to don the sunglasses to protect you from my pasty legs!

I've got the 40 year anniversary box sets that they released for 2112, FWTK, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and Signals. Not sure if I'll do any more of those.

Damn! Well, color me green with envy!

 

[ViperDoc]

First saw them in '78, I believe a band called Max Webster opened, at the International Amphitheater on Chicago's south side...setlist was dynamite (below), and before some of the newer musical direction. Pretty much hooked after that.

Anthem
A Passage to Bangkok
By-Tor & The Snow Dog
Xanadu
Something for Nothing
The Trees
Cygnus X-1
Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres Part I: Prelude
Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres Part II: Apollo
Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres Part III: Dionysus
Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres Part IV: Armageddon
Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres Part V: CygnusCygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres Part VI: The Sphere
Closer to the Heart
Circumstances
A Farewell to Kings
La Villa Strangiato
2112 Part I: Overture
2112 Part II: The Temples of Syrinx
2112 Part III: Discovery
2112 Part IV: Presentation
2112 Part VI: Soliloquy
2112 Part VII: Grand Finale
Working Man
Bastille Day
In the Mood
Drum Solo

2112 AND Hemispheres in their entirety in the same show. MIND BLOWN.