*Hi there readers. My apologies for taking so long between posts; school and other stuff really keeps me busy. I would like to note that from here on out, I'll be sure to include the album cover right at the beginning of each post so that you can recognize the album better if you do indeed decide to go out and pick it up. Thanks for reading.* --G.H.
This progressive rock band shows that not all popular songs are the best songs with a great set of tunes.
 |
| I see what you did there. |
Turns out I was dead on.
Diverting from my main subject here, I have the inkling feeling that this happens all too often with bands. We’ll hear one song by a certain band on the radio or somewhere else and not enjoy it, and unfortunately our brains will make the lovely assumption that the rest of their music must also be bad. Why we make such grand enveloping notions, I will never know. But I feel like the purpose of this Reverberate blog is revealing itself very loudly in this review; the whole point was to find music that I’ve never heard and give it an honest listen to expand my music tastes. And here we are: after listening to one album by these guys, I’m already reasonably hooked.
You’d think that I would know more about these guys since their bassist/lead singer is one of rock’s most renowned bass players. You’d also think that my affinity for progressive-style music would also cause me to gravitate towards this band. However, as I mentioned before, I had only heard a song that I really didn’t care for and also was caught off-guard by their (predictably) retro sound, which caused a premature dismissal. What an unfortunate action on my part; it seems that Rush rocks pretty hard, despite their 1968 founding. Who knew a band that is nearly 44 years old could still be not only relevant to modern progressive music but also something that a new-age metalhead like me would enjoy?
 |
| There are more guitar necks in this picture than there are members in the band. Nice. |
Anyways, back to the music: this album has a good sound to it as a whole. For an album that came out in 1981, the production quality is very high. Granted, it does have a bit of that older, less refined recording feel to it; but as a whole everything is quite clear and crisp. I am a large supporter of making one’s recordings sound nice and clear so that everything is heard, and Rush answered my request very nicely. Too often do older bands—especially thrash metal bands—allow the recording to get mushy with tons of thrash distortion and drums.
As for the instruments, I will admit right now that I am not a huge fan of Geddy Lee’s distortion and setting choice; I feel that the mids are very high and that the bass has a very flat tone to it. There are parts here and there where it does somehow manage to achieve a full bass tone, but for the most part it is very dull. One could argue that he is achieving a very good vintage sound with his setup, or that he needs the extra clarity to allow his surprisingly intricate bass lines to stand out and not turn into mud. That may be very true, but that darn bass tone just sort of grates me the wrong way. Is it distracting? No. Does it detract from the music? No; in fact, it fits the music very well. This complaint is just coming from a bassist who likes more fullness in a bass tone. The rest of the band sounded very good too; I have to make special mention of the guitarist since he brilliantly uses harmonics and interesting chording throughout the album. It all sounds good.
I cannot talk about my usual complaint of repetitiveness with this band because, if I did, I would be flat-out lying to you. Rush is by definition a progressive rock band, and one of the first ones, too. No two songs sound the same; you can expect something different for each segment of music.
That being said, there are a couple things that one must keep in mind before going out and picking up this album. The first is this: you have to enjoy progressive-style music. If you want to hear the same crunchy rock riff over and over again, or if you like the security of predictable song structure, then this album (and probably the band too) is not for you. There is nothing wrong with the afore mentioned preferences; obviously everyone has different tastes, which is totally fine. The thing is, though, that there is none of that in this album. Themes will come back again for another showing, yes, but as a whole there is not any sort of familiar song structure here. Rush dances around with their music and doesn’t care where it goes, leaving behind anyone wanting to hear “that one line” again. Be prepared for randomness and ever-shifting time/key signatures.
 |
| Even after 44 years, these guys still know how to rock. |
The second thing is that one must be ready for the one fly in the entire pot of Rush soup. It is, of course, Geddy Lee’s vocals. Unless you really enjoy them, they will grate on you after a while, and you’ll have to learn to tune them out. I know that sounds a bit weird, but I have to do that with this album. There’s just something about the way he sings that can just… well, dig under your skin. Maybe it’s his enunciation when he sings, maybe it’s the soaring vocals he achieves here and there in the album—I have no idea. The opening track, “Tom Sawyer”, is by far the worst offender; the rest of the album leaves you alone with respect to his vocals. You might be able to get used to them if you listen to the songs enough times, as I did, but still—they are… different. Just be prepared. If you loved the vocals on that opening track, then more power to you. Once again, this is just my ear and opinion; the vocals are not bad, they just rub me the wrong way.
As a whole, this album is very enjoyable, with the exception of the track “Tom Sawyer”. It surprises me that such a song is their most famous when the other ones are so much better in every aspect. My assumption is that the popularity stems from the fact that it is a less progressive song. Yes, it does switch around its time signatures a few times, but in all other regards it is a very simple song. And, as we all know, the general public loves its simple music.
What else is there to say? The album is good: it sounds good, it has good grooves, and it’s a great example of good progressive rock. “Just good?” you ask. Basically. It is good. It’s not great, it’s not bad—it’s just good. I have all good things to say about it, but it’s not the best thing that I’ve ever heard. It’s something that I could sort of zone out to—which can be both negative and positive since I like to listen to stuff that makes me think. However, I will not say that it is just “average” since it is much more than that. It is good. If you like progressive rock and/or a vintage, retro style, then you’ll probably enjoy this album. But if you’re not into that kind of stuff, then it might take a few listens before it becomes truly enjoyable. Realize this, though: this album is indeed good, and I can definitely see why this one is one of their more popular albums. Rush’s “Moving Pictures” gets a:
 |
| 5 octaves above a normal man's voice out of 7. |
No comments:
Post a Comment