Who are the shittest?

There are 2 people on this board constantly trying to ram crap down our throats. One of them likes 'Rush' and the other one likes 'Kiss'.

I hate them both (the bands!) but I must say I hate Rush most, simply because I do not have a fucking clue who they are. Kiss are utterly pathetic, they are just a bunch of guys who wear makeup. They tried not wearing makup once but as soon as they realised the makeup was all they had they put it on again.

But..... who the hell are Rush?

Rush are a Canadian trio who have been going since the early 70's. They consist of Gary "Geddy" Lee Weinrib (known as just Geddy Lee) - singer and bassist, Alex Lifeson - guitarist and drummer Neil Peart. They have had many albums out. For me, their best stuff was on 2112, A Farewell To Kings and Presto.

Just because someone tries to ram them down your throat is no reason to not like a band. I like Rush. I dont care that much for Kiss simply because they have become a piss poor comedy rock act. Which is shame really as they did do some great stuff early in their career.

Some Rush trivia:  The only thing I have ever won on the radio was a collection of Rush vinyl ending at Signals.  They all had holes punched in the corners, and that made me mad.  Also, I went to school with a great guy who was completely obsessed with Rush.  He and I took a road trip 20 years or so ago to see them on the 'Roll the Bones' tour, which was his first time seeing them live.  I have a snapshot in my mind of watching him watching their opening number - 'Spirit of Radio' - and the look on his face was the most amazing combination of excitement and rapture.  A few years later he wanted to legally change his first name for personal reasons relating to a long time estrangement from his father.  He changed it to Geddy Lee, and he has been Geddy ever since.   He was also obsessed with the Philadelphia Flyers.  No word on whether he has replaced his right arm with a hockey stick.  One final triviality:  Geddy Lee (the original) is known as such because his Eastern European (?) grandmother couldn't pronounce 'Gary', and it came out 'Geddy'.

Moog, if you're not kidding about knowing who Rush is, I'd bet you've heard some and just not known who it was.

alice cooper loves them [rush]....not!

Their guitarist used to make everyone else sound like a one-armed child strumming a broken banjo.

Their drummer makes Roger look like a second child banging his potty with a spoon.

Their singer ....... sounds like a girl.

They are amazing. Or at least they used to be, up until the great Signals album. Almost everything after that I can't get into.

Rush - amped up Dungeons and Dragons with a soundtrack.  95% of their fans are male.

[QUOTE]Mooghead wrote:

There are 2 people on this board constantly trying to ram crap down our throats.[/QUOTE]

Well, this IS a Freddie website.

Rush are great musicians and also a great band. Kiss, on the other hand, suck ass. I can tolerate a few of their harder songs only, like God of Thunder or the "Creatures of the Night" album.

[QUOTE]

[b]Holly2003 wrote: [/b]

Their singer ....... sounds like a girl.
[/QUOTE]
And looked like an honest to god witch. A girl witch.  And not a good girl witch either.

To celebrate this thread I am listening to Red Barchetta on YouTube and typing this sentence, rather than working.

I say only one thing :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgkLhfiGIqY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Env5iMrBjws&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqwdl1CpWhI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJBV_kas9-I

:-)

Kiss, for the most part, are corporate, bland rock.  Take away the gimmicks and pyro, and there's not much left.

Rush are the thinking man's rock band.  Neil Peart is a brilliant lyricist (The Trees, Limelight, and Mission for starters), and their musicianship has always been excellent.  Alex Lifeson has the thickest guitar sound in rock, Geddy Lee is an outstanding bassist, and Peart is a world-class drummer.

They have greatly evolved throughout their career.  No two records sound alike.  Earlier on they combined the Yes/Genesis style prog with the bad-ass nature of Zeppelin, creating a sound of their own.  Their 80s work was influenced by new wave, and keyboards were more prominent.  They returned to more straight-ahead rock in the 90s and beyond, retaining elements of their 70s and 80s sound.

While plenty of fans will say Moving Pictures or Signals was the last great Rush record, their latest record, Snakes And Arrows, is arguably their strongest record since that creative and commercial peak in the early 80s.

They have sold 40 million records without a top 10 hit.  No other band can say they've come even close to that.

Here endeth the lesson.

Brilliant Sir GH :)  And just to illustrate your fine points: Fine, fine band.  But Geddy Lee does look like a witch. Specifically, Grizelda.

As for Rush: Mooghead is very likely refering to me. I've been posting Rush-related links here for some time already, and I've done so three times in the thread about QP's policy. I've been a big fan since I was a kid and started off with their mid 80's stuff, which some people think are among their weakest material, though I love it anyway.

It was not intended as a means of convincing anyone that they should like Rush; it was, I think quite obviously, an ironic device to drive some points home. It was meant in a light-spirited, playful way. I think one does not have to enjoy their music to acknowledge their musical prowess and their awe-inspiring live performances. And these guys have been releasing original albums and touring extensively for decades, and even so they were able to release a wonderful set called "Retrospectives", and many wonderful live gigs. So, they've been happy and productive, and none of this has kept them from releasing relevant material for their fan-base.     

Now, if Mooghead asked me whether do I think it'd be worth listening to Rush more carefully, my answer would be positive, no doubt. 

Not only I think Geddy Lee is one of the finest, most clever and skilled bassists out there doing good and relevant music, but I think Neil Peart is probably the very best drummer I had the chance to see playing live; or, more broadly put, the finest who's still been active in my generation. Besides, I think Geddy is a wonderful singer, though his timber is the "love it" or "hate it" kind of sound, miles away from the muscular, round and smooth voice that Freddie possessed. Even so, a great singer, to my taste.

I think Neil Peart's lyrics are among the finest in rock. Even when I happen to fiercely disagree with his philosophical stances, I'm still able to enjoy and acknowledge the beauty and the cleverness of his lyrics: "Free Will", "Manhattan Project", "Roll The Bones", "Time Stand Still", "The Pass" and "Nobody's Hero" all feature amazing lyrics.
 
What always struck me the most about Rush was the importance given to the music. It seems obvious, but it's not so these days...music comes first: not only in terms of composition, but also as regards technical improvement within their respective instrumental expertises. Music always comes first - AS A MATTER OF RESPECT FOR THEMSELVES AND THE FANS. There's a great deal people can learn with them in this regard...

The bassist is not there to "fill in the gaps" - their music is unconceivable without the sophisticated, exquisite and highly creative input from each instrument. The music is usually very counterpunctual, which is something I particularly enjoy.  

This is a recent performance of Free Will: [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhcM_hx0zxw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhcM_hx0zxw[/url]

Wonderful song, amazing vocals, especially in the end of the song when Geddy just soars through the higher register, and mind-boggling drumming and guitar-playing, not to mention the bass-lines, always beautifully structuring the songs and giving them their basic melodic, rythmic and harmonic contours. 

So, why not give these guys a chance, if you don't know their music that well yet? I think great music, wherever it comes from, should always be stimulated and highlighted. 

Cheers!

[QUOTE]

[b]Yara wrote: [/b]

"Free Will", "Manhattan Project", "Roll The Bones", "Time Stand Still", "The Pass" and "Nobody's Hero" all feature amazing lyrics.
[/QUOTE]
Add 'Resist' to the list.  One of his very best.

[QUOTE]The bassist is not there to "fill in the gaps" - their music is unconceivable without the sophisticated, exquisite and highly creative input from each instrument.  The music is usually very counterpunctual, which is something I particularly enjoy.[/QUOTE]
Beautifully worded.

Excellent post.