Camp 90210 is on Sat. So we're doing 90s songs.
"Are you doing a Rush song again?" my girlfriend just yelled at me. Yes. Yes I am.
You know when bands that are way past their prime release albums and say things like "yeah, we'll be playing shows and the hardcore fans will be there, but there are all these new fans and they know all the words from the new album! It's great!" and you're like "yeah right grandpa face". Well... that actually sort of happened to me. I used to have Rush's seminal prog rock album Moving Pictures on cassette tape in the 4th grade. My older friend (a drummer in marching band) made it for me. I think I just pretended to like it since I thought he was cool, and I had pretty much forgotten about Rush by the early 90s when I was involved in the who is better Nirvana or Pearl Jam debates. Then I saw a new Rush album in my BMG catalog (or was it Columbia House?), and decided to give it a try for some reason. The first track that came on was Animate, a 6 min driving alternative rock monster. Woah. These guys were actually bad ass.
Basically Rush got a lot of shit for getting too synth heavy and pop friendly in the late 80s, so they put out a series of more guitar driven albums, but they were still pretty wussy. I mean, there are some good moments here or there, but give me a break. Counterparts on the other hand, while still not a return to prog form, was some serious hard rock. Supposedly guitarist Lifeson banned synths from even coming into the studio. And, probably for the first time in their career, Rush actually sounded sort of hip. These guys obviously had a few more worthy ideas to share with us. Even the album art was classy. Rush had cool album art in the 90s!
They've continued with the guitar driven trio formula for a number of subsequent releases, but never quite achieved this level of quality again. The first single, Caravan, off their upcoming 2011 album sounds really promising though. Yes, Rush is still making good music. So anyway, enjoy some non-sucky 90s rock from a band who has been putting out albums since 1974:
Previously in BYT Fav Song of the Day:
- 5/18: BYT Favorite Song of the Day: Donna Summer
- 4/24: BYT Fav Bingo Song of the Day: Basement Jaxx
- 3/30: Song Of The Day: The Funk Ark
- 3/19: BYT Fav Song of the Day: Doldrums
- 3/12: BYT Fav Song of the Day: The Byrds
- 3/6: BYT Fav Song of the Day: John Zorn
- 3/5: BYT Fav Song of the Day: Quincy Jones
- 3/1: BYT Fav Song of the Day: They Might Be Giants
- 2/27: BYT Fav Song of the Day: Trey Anastasio
- 2/13: BYT Fav Song of the Day: The Hood Internet
God loves a cheerful giver.
Man I remember seeing them on this tour, with Primus opening of all people.
Great show.
Though I don't care what anyone says about the shit they were doing in the late 80s, I loved me some Roll The Bones.
Cale...excellent choice. Hadn't heard this in years. I love that you love Rush! My older brother was a drummer, and thus a huge Neil Pert fan, and I spent my adolescence hearing this shit reverberating down the hall, at home. Cheers.