RUSH …. It’s time

[bodia]

Ohhhhh this is the band you mentioned in an earlier post!! They play this most excellent!!! Man I would never expect to hear that live anywhere!! Freaking love it when bands play covers of songs that are not the most popular ones! That is so hard to sing, Geddy’s voice was so high back then. Thanks for sharing!!

They’ve got a different singer now. Still female, and can do justice to the songs. They’ve got 3 albums of origina music out, too. Very Rush leaning.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

I didn’t get to “caress of steel” yet I am listening to “fly by night” this weekend and possibly “caress of steel” so I will read your comments after listening to “caress of steel”
Look forward to reading your comments. Thanks for sharing.

I was going to do them in order but whatever you want to do is OK. However, in order may be the best way to do it because as others have pointed out already, the band seemed to find a groove and style by 2112, and stick with it. A more progressive Style and obviously Neal was in the band.

It may be work week before I get to do the next one anyway because this holiday weekend is pretty busy but let me know what you want to do next and I’ll keep checking in.

Also, I hope couple of our other Rush brothers will take part in this with us.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

I’ll give “Fly by Night” a bit of time this weekend. It suffers from a common issue with me. I like the versions of any of the songs on ATWAS better, because I heard them first.

I didn’t dwell on this, since my post was specifically on the first album, but when we get to all the worlds a stage, I will have an awful lot to say about it!

 

[Andrew Paul]

I was going to do them in order but whatever you want to do is OK. However, in order may be the best way to do it because as others have pointed out already, the band seemed to find a groove and style by 2112, and stick with it. A more progressive Style and obviously Neal was in the band.

It may be work week before I get to do the next one anyway because this holiday weekend is pretty busy but let me know what you want to do next and I’ll keep checking in.

Also, I hope couple of our other Rush brothers will take part in this with us.

I agree. Definitely want to do them in order It to relive those albums one by one chronologically. Fly by night next.. I’ll wait for your comments and then I’ll publish mine so don’t worry when you get to it.

 

[Andrew Paul]

I was going to do them in order but whatever you want to do is OK. However, in order may be the best way to do it because as others have pointed out already, the band seemed to find a groove and style by 2112, and stick with it. A more progressive Style and obviously Neal was in the band.

It may be work week before I get to do the next one anyway because this holiday weekend is pretty busy but let me know what you want to do next and I’ll keep checking in.

Also, I hope couple of our other Rush brothers will take part in this with us.

And whoever wants to take part the more the merrier!!

 

[Andrew Paul]

I didn’t dwell on this, since my post was specifically on the first album, but when we get to all the worlds a stage, I will have an awful lot to say about it!

My original post was to listen to studio albums, but I think ATWAS it should be the exception because it includes Neil playing songs from the first album. Actually, maybe we should include live albums because it starts getting neat later on in their career when they do all three parts of fear, etc..

 

[PRSAK]

Sorry late to the discussion. My all time favorite band. I'm a disciple! Where are we now? FbN?

Comments for Rush: Finding my Way may be the best introductory song by any band ever! (Yeah - oh -yeah!) And Working Man could be the best album closer. Such a rocking first album. And I still love the simple album cover. Bleached out the back of my jeans jacket in college and airbrushed the cover art onto it. I was so proud of that thing! Everyone knew who my favorite band was!

I'll listen to Fly by Night tonight and give comments. And really looking forward to CoS cuz I need to refresh on some guitar parts that I enjoy playing on that album anyway.

Cheers Rush brothers!

 

[PRSAK]

So FbN...what a ridiculous leap in terms of overall musicianship. Anthem is such a powerful song. Neil's steals the show immediately! And I actually have to admit that it's nice to hear some "real" lyrics as opposed to Rush which (everyone knows the story) Geddy had to scratch out at the last second. Terry Brown makes his debut as their Producer and man does that ever show! Beneath, Between, and Behind is one of my all time favorite Rush songs. The drumming is beyond bad-azz. And what else can be said about By-Tor? Listening to it right now. I'd still love to learn that whole song on guitar. The Bass/Guitar jam is the coolest freakin thing. Who else but Rush would ever do that?! And I'll unapologetically state that I love Rivendell too. It's pretty. And it was the first finger-picked song I ever learned to play on guitar. FbN is just a special album. It's really where it all begins. There are identifiable elements that we will hear for the next 40 years. Pretty damn cool.

 

[Permanent Waves]

Apologies for contributing to derailing the original thread. I thought I would go with the original idea of reviewing the albums after a recent re-listen, so here it goes. I'll do it in 3-album blocks. This will take me awhile...

Rush (1974)
The album is raw and barely polished but reflects the energy the band named itself after. The Zeppelin influence is unmistakable as they were still trying to find their sound at the time. One of the things that sticks out is Lifeson's soloing - you could tell he was really trying to make his mark as a lead guitar player and riff master in a crowded 1974 market. The much maligned vocals by Geddy lend themselves quite well to the music, despite what many might have said at the time. I find that Rutsey's drumming is highly underrated and overshadowed by his successor. His playing is not only tight but exactly what the songs call for given how they were written. Those who read the history and saw the high-school gig footage would remember that the more experienced John Rutsey was very much setting the pace, the fashion, the style and the stage presence for the early version of Rush. Had he stayed on, they likely would have never morphed into what they became with Peart, but he played a key role in the band's early years and without him, there may have never been a Rush as we know it. For me, the penultimate "Before and After" is a personal favourite in terms of songwriting.

Fly By Night (1975)
They say you have your entire youth to produce your first album but only months to create the second effort. For Rush, this was compounded by a major lineup change and though this would prove to be a benefit in the long run, the stylistic adaptation took a while to settle in. The album still features a lot of the raw energy of their initial effort, but adding more complex songwriting themes and a more varied tonal palette. The production improved and seemed more deliberate than the last-minute haphazard salvation of the first album. Peart's lyrics added a new literate aspect to the songwriting and his drumming took the music to a whole new performance direction. The lyrics used to be an afterthought but no more - here we get material influence by Ayn Rand and Tolkien, but still set to the energy the band is known for. By-Tor is the precursor of progressive epics we would hear in later albums, with long evocative passages and some tasteful guitar riffage. Rivendell is probably one of the oddest Rush compositions but still an example of their creative flexibility. Still a good sophomore effort showing a lot of creative progress and a harbinger of things to come, it was recognized at the 1975 Junos (Canadian Grammys).

Caress Of Steel (1975)
A fine example of a band trying to grow too rapidly and potentially biting off more than they could chew, it would have benefitted from a longer production cycle. Props for the creative effort and risk-taking, but the delivery leaves something to be desired. It seems Rush had a very grandiose idea to put forward but somewhat missed the mark in the delivery. There are some moments of brilliance that would foreshadow some of their later triumphs, but overall a lot if the music is cumbersome, pompous and over-burdened. Not one of my favourites, but there are some mind-blowing jams in this album that would hint at the virtuosity put forth in their later albums. Their first of 3 attempts at the side-long progressive epic would only be perfected 3 years later with Hemispheres. "The Fountain of Lamneth" has its moments but is still a fairly disjointed representation of a life from start to finish. There are some amazing lyrical and rhythmic contributions from Peart, as well as some great guitar performances from Lifeson, but unfortunately I didn't get any new perceptions from a recent listening that I might have missed in the past - still a flawed record in my mind. Highlights are the guitar solos in "No One At The Bridge" and "Bacchus Plateau", the latter one sadly faded out. The guitar solos in that album were really showing Lifeson as an evocative writer rather than trying to impress with the shredding.

 

[aamefford]

I’m enjoying this thread a bunch. I’m not nearly enough of a player to comment on that front. I’m enough of a fanboi of the first half dozen or so albums to maybe chime in some more on that front. Otherwise, I’m definitely along for the ride.

 

[Draconomics]

Apologies for contributing to derailing the original thread. I thought I would go with the original idea of reviewing the albums after a recent re-listen, so here it goes. I'll do it in 3-album blocks. This will take me awhile...

Rush (1974)
The album is raw and barely polished but reflects the energy the band named itself after. The Zeppelin influence is unmistakable as they were still trying to find their sound at the time. One of the things that sticks out is Lifeson's soloing - you could tell he was really trying to make his mark as a lead guitar player and riff master in a crowded 1974 market. The much maligned vocals by Geddy lend themselves quite well to the music, despite what many might have said at the time. I find that Rutsey's drumming is highly underrated and overshadowed by his successor. His playing is not only tight but exactly what the songs call for given how they were written. Those who read the history and saw the high-school gig footage would remember that the more experienced John Rutsey was very much setting the pace, the fashion, the style and the stage presence for the early version of Rush. Had he stayed on, they likely would have never morphed into what they became with Peart, but he played a key role in the band's early years and without him, there may have never been a Rush as we know it. For me, the penultimate "Before and After" is a personal favourite in terms of songwriting.

Fly By Night (1975)
They say you have your entire youth to produce your first album but only months to create the second effort. For Rush, this was compounded by a major lineup change and though this would prove to be a benefit in the long run, the stylistic adaptation took a while to settle in. The album still features a lot of the raw energy of their initial effort, but adding more complex songwriting themes and a more varied tonal palette. The production improved and seemed more deliberate than the last-minute haphazard salvation of the first album. Peart's lyrics added a new literate aspect to the songwriting and his drumming took the music to a whole new performance direction. The lyrics used to be an afterthought but no more - here we get material influence by Ayn Rand and Tolkien, but still set to the energy the band is known for. By-Tor is the precursor of progressive epics we would hear in later albums, with long evocative passages and some tasteful guitar riffage. Rivendell is probably one of the oddest Rush compositions but still an example of their creative flexibility. Still a good sophomore effort showing a lot of creative progress and a harbinger of things to come, it was recognized at the 1975 Junos (Canadian Grammys).

Caress Of Steel (1975)
A fine example of a band trying to grow too rapidly and potentially biting off more than they could chew, it would have benefitted from a longer production cycle. Props for the creative effort and risk-taking, but the delivery leaves something to be desired. It seems Rush had a very grandiose idea to put forward but somewhat missed the mark in the delivery. There are some moments of brilliance that would foreshadow some of their later triumphs, but overall a lot if the music is cumbersome, pompous and over-burdened. Not one of my favourites, but there are some mind-blowing jams in this album that would hint at the virtuosity put forth in their later albums. Their first of 3 attempts at the side-long progressive epic would only be perfected 3 years later with Hemispheres. "The Fountain of Lamneth" has its moments but is still a fairly disjointed representation of a life from start to finish. There are some amazing lyrical and rhythmic contributions from Peart, as well as some great guitar performances from Lifeson, but unfortunately I didn't get any new perceptions from a recent listening that I might have missed in the past - still a flawed record in my mind. Highlights are the guitar solos in "No One At The Bridge" and "Bacchus Plateau", the latter one sadly faded out. The guitar solos in that album were really showing Lifeson as an evocative writer rather than trying to impress with the shredding.

Yup, my thoughts exactly, though I'm sorta critical of the First album. I'll have to fill in my thoughts later. Fly by Night....yeah, I feel the same. I'm a big fan of Rivendell. I think it's too bad Rush didn't do more LOTR themed songs, though I get it. It was probably cliche by then and Zep was kinda owning that area. Glad you mentioned Alex's solo in Bacchus Plateau. It's one of my faves of his and it never gets love.

 

[PRSAK]

Pretty wild to think of the musical output (Rush - CoS) from these super young dudes in less than 2 years! Extend that to 3 and you get 2112. Holy shitballs.

 

[ViperDoc]

OK, time for a question: What do you think is the toughest Rush song to play, be it drums, guitar, or bass, or spoons.

For me, on guitar...Jacob's Ladder

I know what youre thinking. "Jacob's Ladder?! Seriously?"

Seriously.

So why is it so difficult? Let's start at the beginning. First we have a guitar theme played in alternating bars of 5/4 and 6/4 meter. OK, not easy but not terrible. Then, once the vocals kick in, we have a polyrythym. The instrumentation is keeping the same alternating meter, but the vocals are in 4/4. Great. The chord shapes arent the most challenging, all are variations of a Lifeson chord, using your top two open strings. Solo is short but one of Alex's best. So up to the end of the synth section, its more or less straighforward with small changes in how the theme is played.

Then...it comes.

e|--------------|-----------------|
B|--------------|-----------------|
G|o----4-----7-|----4-----7--o|
D|o--7---5-4---|--7---5-4---7o|
A|-5------------|5---------------|-
E|--------------|-----------------|

This riff isnt the most complicated thing ever. Its tricky, but not overly tricky. What makes it hard is this:

- You must play the riff over 40 times in a row, for nearly two minutes.
- You must play it in three different positions
- The riff is in alternating 5/8 and 6/8 bars
- You must play it with increasing volume. You will need either a volume pedal or be some kind of wizard with your guitar's volume knob.
- You must have tight control over your picking. You must play it softly sometimes, palm mute the notes other times, and sometimes play all notes as pinch harmonics.
- You are basically the only one keeping time. Drums and bass get to play more or less around you. You can't rely on them to tell you where you are.
- Its near impossible to correct yourself if you flub the riff. It's too fast.

This part is the most difficult section of any Rush song I've played. Even over Freewill, even over Strangiato. I often use this part as a practice riff to test both finger dexterity and endurance. There's only a handful of times I've played it perfectly. There's guitar lines that are more challenging, but usually I get to move around the fretboard, which I find far easier. Repeating a line over and over in one position tests your endurance like nothing else. My hand cramps up almost everytime. Then theres the meter change. It would kill my runs all the time, I'd always miss that last note in the 6/8 bar. This part sucks...straight up.

That's definitely a challenge for sure. The key for me is having my guitar set-up properly, using efficient left hand technique (not mashing the f6ck out of each note), using alternate picking the whole way through, and not overthinking the pattern. Moving it down to the F# is even harder. Leave it to Lifeson.

Out of the songs our band played (we didn't play Jacob's Ladder or La Villa, the other guys didn't feel like they could do them justice, although our set list was still stacked <( ), the hardest for me was Freewill on account of that blistering solo. I would sh!t a brick until we stepped up to that song and once it was done, the rest of the show was easier.

I think the tallest challenge with Lifeson's playing is to interpret his parts correctly. It's often you'll see bu77shit interpretations of his parts online for most of his songs. Many of his parts are much different than you might think. And once I learn what the correct part actually is, it's not uncommon I have to choose a compromise that gets the point across. Like the C major chord at the end of the verse on Tom Sawyer. It's not a C major barre chord. That works in a pinch, but it's THIS:

e|---------0-----------0-------------3--------------0-----
B|---------9-----------5-------------3--------------3-----
G|---------9-----------7-------------2--------------5-----
D|---------9-----------7-------------2--------------5-----
A|---------7-----------7-------------0--------------5-----
E|--0-0-0-0---0-0-0-0------0-0-0----------0-0-0-------

I understand this is a pot that wants to be stirred, so have fun with that.

 

[PRSAK]

Gotta chime in on the Jacobs Ladder deviation. After seeing the original "what's the hardest song to play on guitar? and the response where I literally did think to myself "really?" then I had to try it. And you know what? It's freakin hard! It's coming along but, damn, I'm still flubbing that C punctuated rhythm at the beginning though and it's making me all too aware of one reason that I generally suck as a guitar player - I can't really keep time! But I'm going to get it dammit! It's going to be a fun one to have in the arsenal. I was having a blast earlier with some soloing through that whole B-C-A, F#-G-E section. E dorian (at least that's the way i was looking at it) with lots of squealy bits sounded wicked cool. Alex should have done that!

 

[Draconomics]

That's definitely a challenge for sure. The key for me is having my guitar set-up properly, using efficient left hand technique (not mashing the f6ck out of each note), using alternate picking the whole way through, and not overthinking the pattern. Moving it down to the F# is even harder. Leave it to Lifeson.

Out of the songs our band played (we didn't play Jacob's Ladder or La Villa, the other guys didn't feel like they could do them justice, although our set list was still stacked <( ), the hardest for me was Freewill on account of that blistering solo. I would sh!t a brick until we stepped up to that song and once it was done, the rest of the show was easier.

I think the tallest challenge with Lifeson's playing is to interpret his parts correctly. It's often you'll see bu77shit interpretations of his parts online for most of his songs. Many of his parts are much different than you might think. And once I learn what the correct part actually is, it's not uncommon I have to choose a compromise that gets the point across. Like the C major chord at the end of the verse on Tom Sawyer. It's not a C major barre chord. That works in a pinch, but it's THIS:

e|---------0-----------0-------------3--------------0-----
B|---------9-----------5-------------3--------------3-----
G|---------9-----------7-------------2--------------5-----
D|---------9-----------7-------------2--------------5-----
A|---------7-----------7-------------0--------------5-----
E|--0-0-0-0---0-0-0-0------0-0-0----------0-0-0-------

I understand this is a pot that wants to be stirred, so have fun with that.

I hear you on the Freewill solo. It's chaos. It reminds me of the opening solo in Close to the Edge, you just gotta go for broke. Personally it's one of my favorites to play. I love the interplay between solos and small chords.

I think everyone makes that mistake on chords when they first play Rush tunes. From AFTK on, Alex pretty much exclusively uses open string chords or some variations of add9 voicings. Tom Sawyer is great example of it. I really love the part after those chords where he plays a lower octave riff in Em while holding the b at the 4th fret of the g string and plays the open b. Or Limelight, where he plays an E with a flat 5th during the verse with an open b. I love little touches like that.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

Fly By Night!

Again, at least a year or more AFTER ATWAS, So I was familiar with some songs, but the live versions.

1- Anthem- the album starts off with a song I'd heard, and a great one. I love this song. The may song riffs are both progressive AND catchy. Love this song! Loved it live, love the studio version.

2- Best I Can- We're off to a great start. As was mentioned in this thread, going back to Rush (1) over a year after ATWAS was a bit of a surprise. The original album was not as progressive, and didn't have Neil. This album was off to a great start.

3- Beneath, Between & Behind- now we're cookin' Hadn't heard this one before getting this album and immediately loved this song! I remember clearly hearing this song, after the first two which I had heard the live versions of, and saying "this is what I was expecting" when I went back to the studio albums after hearing the live one first. So glad they did this one on the next live album!

4- By-Tor.... yep, knew it well from the live one and loved it. 4 songs in and still cookin.

5- Fly By Night- as much as I love this song, at this point it was the least great song so far on the album. Nothing against this song, which is a Rush classic! But the rest were all REALLY good.

6- Making Memories- like this song. Nice change of pace. Was that slide? LOL ok, so this is their "change of pace song" for this album. it's cool I dig it.

7- Rivendell- ooops! I thought the last song was the albums slow or "change of pace" song. Ok, I'll listen. A much more intimate song. No cutting loose and going for broke here. It's a BIG change... but I like the song and love the band so much at this point I NEVER skipped past this song, whether album, cassette or CD.

8- In The End- Of course, familiar from ATWAS. Love the dynamic contrast and structure of the song. REALLY like the studio version, but the live version was epic.

All in all, this is probably an album that if I heard it first, I'd have immediately been a big Rush fan. Overall, love this album!

 

[Draconomics]

Fly By Night!

Again, at lest a year or more AFTER ATWAS, So I was familiar with some songs, but the live versions.

1- Anthem- the album starts off with a song I'd heard, and a great one. I love this song. The may song riffs are both progressive AND catchy. Love this song! Loved it live, love the studio version.

2- Best I Can- We're off to a great start. As was mentioned in this thread, going back to Rush (1) over a year after ATWAS was a bit of a surprise. The original album was not as progressive, and didn't have Neil. This album was off to a great start.

3- Beneath, Between & Behind- now we're cookin' Hadn't heard this one before getting this album and immediately loved this song! I remember clearly hearing this song, after the first two which I had heard the live versions of, and saying "this is what I was expecting" when I went back to the studio albums after hearing the live one first. So glad they did this one on the next live album!

4- By-Tor.... yep, knew it well from the live one and loved it. 4 songs in and still cookin.

5- Fly By Night- as much as I love this song, at this point it was the least great song so far on the album. Nothing against this song, which is a Rush classic! But the rest were all REALLY good.

6- Making Memories- like this song. Nice change of pace. Was that slide? LOL ok, so this is their "change of pace song" for this album. it's cool I dig it.

7- Rivendell- ooops! I thought the last song was the albums slow or "change of pace" song. Ok, I'll listen. A much more intimate song. No cutting loose and going for broke here. It's a BIG change... but I like the song and love the band so much at this point I NEVER skipped past this song, whether album, cassette or CD.

8- In The End- Of course, familiar from ATWAS. Love the dynamic contrast and structure of the song. REALLY like the studio version, but the live version was epic.

All in all, this is probably an album that if I heard it first, I'd have immediately been a big Rush fan. Overall, love this album!

I think this sums up how I feel about Fly by Night. It's one of the few albums from any group I can think of that's shows such a huge amount of growth in such a short time. If Rush had made a repeat of the first record I think that might have been it. Let me put it like this: If I had been alive in 1975 and picked up the first Rush album, I would have probably filed it away in a box and forgotten about Rush. I mean...c'mon, Yes had released f$#kin RELAYER the previous year and would make GOING FOR THE F$#KIN ONE in 1975. Are you Kidding me? King Crimson released RED? What a time to be alive, but man...Rush's contemporaries were light years ahead at this point. Go figure in only three years with Hemispheres, Rush would basically be carrying the Prog torch into the 80's.

BUT

There's a bootleg that made me change my opinion on the first album alot. That is Fifth Order of Angels. So, from what I gather, this was August of 1974, several months before Fly By Night, and was a show that was one of Neil's first. I think there's a little bit of stuff from FbN but mostly the first album. My god...Neil makes this thing. His drumming is so powerful and energetic, he takes those songs and gives them the shot of power they needed. John Rutsey was a competent drummer for sure, but you can feel the difference a guy like Neil made. If the first album was done like this, I might change my tune on how I feel about it.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

It's one of the few albums from any group I can think of that's shows such a huge amount of growth in such a short time. If Rush had made a repeat of the first record I think that might have been it. Let me put it like this: If I had been alive in 1975 and picked up the first Rush album, I would have probably filed it away in a box and forgotten about Rush. I mean...c'mon, Yes had released f$#kin RELAYER the previous year and would make GOING FOR THE F$#KIN ONE in 1975. Are you Kidding me? King Crimson released RED? What a time to be alive, but man...Rush's contemporaries were light years ahead at this point. Go figure in only three years with Hemispheres, Rush would basically be carrying the Prog torch into the 80's.

After later going through them chronologically, I'd completely agree with this. Coming in, as I did, with ATWAS set the bar incredibly high. And going back to studio versions after such incredible live ones, is ALWAYS tough! (I remember how I immediately fell in love with Pat Traverse Band after getting "Go For What You Know" and wore that album out. later when back and bought the studio albums and was not nearly as much into them as the live one. He freaking ROCKED live!).

Anyway, I was already into prog when I discovered Rush. A HUGE fan of Yes. So, going back from album one and starting over with Rush made this "change" you talk about very evident and the progress as a band undeniable. You think about bands that came out swinging with an all time classic first album, like Van Halen or Boston, and this is truly a very different path. This band evolved significantly over the first few years, found a groove, and settled into being one of the greatest bands ever.

 

[Permanent Waves]

I hear you on the Freewill solo. It's chaos. It reminds me of the opening solo in Close to the Edge, you just gotta go for broke. Personally it's one of my favorites to play. I love the interplay between solos and small chords.

I think everyone makes that mistake on chords when they first play Rush tunes. From AFTK on, Alex pretty much exclusively uses open string chords or some variations of add9 voicings. Tom Sawyer is great example of it. I really love the part after those chords where he plays a lower octave riff in Em while holding the b at the 4th fret of the g string and plays the open b. Or Limelight, where he plays an E with a flat 5th during the verse with an open b. I love little touches like that.

(Sorry, just deviating again to address some playing points - I will return to our regularly scheduled album review shortly ).

I started learning Rush songs in the 80's using a reel-to-reel recorder and cutting the speed down to half with the IPS switch, along with wearing out 2 copies of the "Exit.... Stage Left" VHS tape for visual reference. There were no accurate tabs out there and no YouTube so I learned a lot of the chord voicings by ear (i.e. wrong). In the 90's I was collecting bootleg VHS recordings that showed Lifeson's hand positioning on the neck and that helped a lot. Nowadays, there are so many Rush DVDs out there, along with tons of YouTube videos (and all of them seem to be doing it differently) so I try to average all of these out into what is the most comfortable and accurate to my ear.

I find the beauty in Lifeson's playing is in the subtleties in the way he chooses his chord voicings, arpeggios, etc. and I am constantly reviewing and refining my interpretations. As for solos, it is impossible to get it note for note, especially fast stuff like Freewill or La Villa Strangiato. Again, I try to make an average of what I hear, what I see, how others are playing it and what I can physically play. The most important is to try to get the feel or "spirit" of the solo. I sometimes see guys who can shred like Petrucci and they tend to try to "outdo" Lifeson, but since I am not capable of that, I am just trying to follow the record as best I can. Here is Freewill from one of our rehearsals a few weeks ago:

 

[Draconomics]

(Sorry, just deviating again to address some playing points - I will return to our regularly scheduled album review shortly ).

I started learning Rush songs in the 80's using a reel-to-reel recorder and cutting the speed down to half with the IPS switch, along with wearing out 2 copies of the "Exit.... Stage Left" VHS tape for visual reference. There were no accurate tabs out there and no YouTube so I learned a lot of the chord voicings by ear (i.e. wrong). In the 90's I was collecting bootleg VHS recordings that showed Lifeson's hand positioning on the neck and that helped a lot. Nowadays, there are so many Rush DVDs out there, along with tons of YouTube videos (and all of them seem to be doing it differently) so I try to average all of these out into what is the most comfortable and accurate to my ear.

I find the beauty in Lifeson's playing is in the subtleties in the way he chooses his chord voicings, arpeggios, etc. and I am constantly reviewing and refining my interpretations. As for solos, it is impossible to get it note for note, especially fast stuff like Freewill or La Villa Strangiato. Again, I try to make an average of what I hear, what I see, how others are playing it and what I can physically play. The most important is to try to get the feel or "spirit" of the solo. I sometimes see guys who can shred like Petrucci and they tend to try to "outdo" Lifeson, but since I am not capable of that, I am just trying to follow the record as best I can. Here is Freewill from one of our rehearsals a few weeks ago:

Thats the way I learned too, pretty much by ear. The F#maj7/add9 (I guess that's how you'd write it) was such a mystery until I saw Alex play it live in a video. That's when it clicked for me what he was doing. After that and figuring out Limelight, I got the gist of how he was looking at chords and his role in playing rhythm. It's like taking a rock approach to Holdsworth chord voicings. As far as solos, my way has always been to learn "key notes" that need to be hit to make the solo feel right, but finding new ways to join them together. Again, all of it by ear. Back in 2005 or so when I got into Rush, YouTube was nearly getting off the ground and tabs for Rush was pretty limited. I had a book my Mom got me of just a bunch of random songs, but Tom Sawyer was one. I still couldn't figure it out. Lol.

Btw, for me hardest solo is easily Limelight, and always will be. I've seen people shred over it and it sounds terrible (like those Stairway to Heaven shred covers). It's such a weird, elastic solo, and that fluid and lonely feeling is so damn hard to get right. It's like you need to be Jeff Beck and Holdsworth in one solo.