New Rush - Caravan and BU2B

[Jind]

So today I received my copy of the new Rush documentary "Beyond the Lighted Stage" and I'm getting ready to watch it but I also just discovered that they have released two new tracks titled "Caravan" and "BU2B" (Brought Up 2 Believe), from their new album "Clockwork Angels", both of which are great signs of whats to come - they have definitely continued in the harder mold that they got back into with the release of "Vapor Trails" and the subsequent "Snakes & Arrows" which is a very welcome sign for me.

I just bought both tracks off of Amazon and while I would prefer a lossless format, they are pretty good sounding as far as MP3s go.

Time to watch "Beyond the Lighted Stage" - I'll report back on that later.

Here some links to the songs - probably come down quickly however.



[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSgiFuGOZW4&[/ame]

 

[guitarguru777]

VH1 ran it on saturday. Its fucking GREAT!

you really get into their minds on it and its great to see Alex and Geddy dicking around back stage! Neil really gets into some deep shit with the death of his wife and daughter.

I loved every minute of it and it is on my Blu-Ray purchase list!

 

[guitarguru777]

The news songs are great. Love em!

 

[Jind]

I've been a guitar player since about 1982, but I'll tell you what, every time I listen to Geddy Lee play bass I think I made the wrong choice - he simply amazes me with the talent he has on that instrument. Don't get me wrong, there is not a slouch to be found in Rush, but hid bass playing lays such a deep foundation to everything they do and without it it would not be the same.

Just my little Rush moment for you all. Very few bands bring out the fire in me like anything new by Rush.

 

[IronMaiden15]

The instrumental section in Caravan made me very happy when I first heard it and it still does. The synth is also back although in a way it was used around the Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures era which is good.

The documentary is great. It was interesting to know that Hemispheres was a very frustrating and difficult album for them to make. I can see why though, since every song on that album is pretty much perfect.

 

[vespiz]

Wha..? New album?

Sounds good!

 

[Russtopher]

I flipped the hell out when I was channel surfing at 9:01pm on Sunday and saw that the documentary was on VH1. It was fantastic to watch, even better than the second DVD that came with the Rush In Rio set. Lots of old footage of the guys in high school, playing with John Rutsey, right up through current day. Plenty of studio footage, and yeah, lots of funny stuff between Ged and Alex. As a 20+ year Rush fan, I was in fanboy heaven.

I'll be at Worst Buy later to grab my copy.

Re: new songs - both are definitely good, and like others have said, still in the heavier vein they brought back with Vapor Trails.

 

[guitarguru777]

This is my new fave thread

Hello all my Rushing brothers!!

 

[James Murphy]

oh yes.. i'm there too... do they have it on Blu-Ray?

i'm all over the album as soon as it's out as well... those 2 tracks from it are killer.

 

[guitarguru777]

Yup its on Blu-Ray too !!

http://www.google.com/products/cata...og_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCIQ8wIwAQ#

 

[Jind]

oh yes.. i'm there too... do they have it on Blu-Ray?

i'm all over the album as soon as it's out as well... those 2 tracks from it are killer.

Yup - Blu-Ray is the format I bought it in.

You really need to see it James, I consider myself a pretty big Rush fan and it still had info I was unaware of. All the pre-high school stuff was really interesting especially some footage of a pimple faced Alex debating quitting high school with his family as well as all the commentary by other musicians was great to see, especially how smart and insightful Billy Corgan is - you can really tell he appreciates Rush on the same level that fans do. I also like the dynamic that Alex and Geddy have - you can tell they are meant to be lifelong friends, they will be two old men sitting in the park making each other laugh long after the music stops.

Like many others Rush exemplifies the perfect band to me - people that genuinely like each other, respect each other, and understand each others capabilities and weaknesses. I long ago decided that a power trio is the ultimate band dynamic - Rush is the epitome of how to make it work.

Rush is also the band that speaks to me like no other - I've never been a lyrics guy, I listen to a ton of music an never learn the lyrics, except for Rush - I know almost all their songs by heart. They just connect with me both musically and lyrically.

I'll be seeing them next month and can't wait. I just saw that they posted the setlist at Rush.com and think it's a pretty good one:

SET 1

THE SPIRIT OF RADIO
TIME STAND STILL
PRESTO
STICK IT OUT
WORKIN' THEM ANGELS
LEAVE THAT THING ALONE
FAITHLESS
BU2B
FREE WILL
MARATHON
SUBDIVISIONS

SET 2

TOM SAWYER
RED BARCHETTA
YYZ
LIMELIGHT
CAMERA EYE
WITCH HUNT
VITAL SIGNS
CARAVAN
LOVE 4 SALE
CLOSER TO THE HEART
2112 OVERTURE / TEMPLES
FAR CRY

ENCORE

LA VILLA STRANGIATO
WORKING MAN

I can talk about Rush any day of the week - keep up the conversation.

 

[guitarguru777]

Seeing Peart re-learning to play and see his thought process after taking so much time off was incredible. It really shows how intelligent the man really is.

You finally really get to see his personal side for once which is rare as he is such a quiet man

 

[Jind]

By the way - if ever an multi-album trilogy was ever created dedicated to individual thought and the dangers of organized religion, it is them playing these three songs back to back to back live:

FAITHLESS
BU2B
FREE WILL

"Faithless"

I've got my own moral compass to steer by
A guiding star beats a spirit in the sky
And all the preaching voices -
Empty vessels of dreams so loud
As they move among the crowd
Fools and thieves are well disguised
In the temple and market place

Like a stone in the river
Against the floods of spring
I will quietly resist

Like the willows in the wind
Or the cliffs along the ocean
I will quietly resist

I don't have faith in faith
I don't believe in belief
You can call me faithless
I still cling to hope
And I believe in love
And that's faith enough for me

I've got my own spirit level for balance
To tell if my choice is leaning up or down
And all the shouting voices
Try to throw me off my course
Some by sermon, some by force
Fools and thieves are dangerous
In the temple and market place

Like a forest bows to winter
Beneath the deep white silence
I will quietly resist

Like a flower in the desert
That only blooms at night
I will quietly resist

"BU2B"

BU2B

I was brought up to believe
The universe has a plan
We are only human
It's not ours to understand

The universe has a plan
All is for the best
Some will be rewarded
And the devil take the rest

All is for the best
Believe in what we're told
Blind men in the market
Buying what we're sold
Believe in what we're told
Until our final breath
While our loving Watchmaker
Loves us all to death

In a world of cut and thrust
I was always taught to trust
In a world where all must fail
Heaven's justice will prevail

The joy and pain that we receive
Each comes with its own cost
The price of what we're winning
Is the same as what we've lost

Until our final breath
The joy and pain that we receive
Must be what we deserve
I was brought up to believe

"Freewill"

There are those who think that life has nothing left to chance
A host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance

A planet of play things
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive
'The stars aren't aligned
Or the gods are malign...'
Blame is better to give than receive

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose freewill

There are those who think
That they were dealt a losing hand
The cards were stacked against them
They weren't born in Lotusland

All preordained
A prisoner in chains
A victim of venomous fate
Kicked in the face
You can't pray for a place
In heaven's unearthly estate

Each of us
A cell of awareness
Imperfect and incomplete
Genetic blends
With uncertain ends
On a fortune hunt that's far too fleet

 

[Jind]

Man is that one beautiful kit Neil is using this tour - love the gold hardware.

 

[Jackal_Strain]

Boy, I'm ashamed to say that I've never really listened to Rush, but those two tracks you posted here, Jind, really grabbed my attention! If I was to get into Rush, what album do you recommend I start with?

 

[Gustavo_Loureiro]

moving pictures!

 

[Kazrog]

Looking forward to the DVD and the album. Rush continues to be an amazing band with every record. Geddy Lee's vocals continue to improve, it's so cool to hear a band that gets better with age and stays humble. I can't think of any band their age with their level of work ethic and commitment to making great art.

 

[Jind]

Boy, I'm ashamed to say that I've never really listened to Rush, but those two tracks you posted here, Jind, really grabbed my attention! If I was to get into Rush, what album do you recommend I start with?

You can never go wrong with what might be the quintessential Rush album "Moving Pictures", but I tend to recommend new listeners experience them live through one of their DVDs such as the recent "Snakes & Arrows - Live" DVD or the 30th anniversary DVD titled "R30" - it will give you a broad selection of tunes covering their entire catalog and also show you why they are considered by many, one of the best live acts ever.

These are a few cuts I could find from those DVDs and other performances on youtube.

Rush "La Villa Strangiato"



Rush "2112" from Snakes & Arrows Live DVD



Rush "YYZ" R30



Rush "Subdivisions" R30 DVD



Rush "Working Man" R30 DVD



Rush "Ghost of a Chance" Snakes & Arrows DVD



Other albums to look into:

2112 (1976)

Hemispheres (1978)

Permanent Waves (1980)

Power Windows (1985)

Roll the Bones (1991)

Counterparts (1993)

Vapor Trails (2002)

Note: This album is rightfully critiqued for having been one of the early examples of the "Loudness Wars" and was extremely over-compressed. There has been talk of doing a remix of this album as the band thinks it is an important album in their history as it is the first one the band did after a lengthy break, and almost end to the band, after the death of Neil Peart's (drummer) daughter and wife in about a years time from an accident and cancer. Neil needed almost 4 - 5 years away to get things settled in his life and then approached Alex and Geddy about doing another album.

Snakes & Arrows (2007) - One of my favorites. They just seemed so invigorated on this release and it was a sign that good things were still to come even after almost 33 years.

The 80's had several releases that are very much a splitting point for many fans - Rush had taken a very synth heavy/pop sound that many fans were very unhappy about. I'm one of the fans that like all of Rush's music - I like the fact that they experiment and reinvent their sound, but to each his own.

Well - there is some stuff to look into.

I think you will be a big fan if you investigate their back catalog and I highly recommend that if you get a chance to see them live that you take it - they never disappoint.

 

[slashvanyoung]

For some reason, they never reached such a broad appeal in Europe (with the exception of the UK). While they draw many "casual" and pop music listeners in the US, the audiences in Europe are made up of die hard prog-heads mostly. Consequently they used to show up vary rarely here, like once a decade. It got a bit better ever since "Vapor Trails", they've been here in 04 (when they filmed the DVD) and in 07 again, but I still haven't managed to see them which bums me out.

I'm hopeful that they'll come over with the new record.

 

[Jind]

I'm hopeful that they'll come over with the new record.

In a recent interview I listened to the question about a European tour came up and they stated that they will be over in Europe in 2011 after the new album release. They are just doing this North American tour as a warm-up of sort.