YTSEJAM Digest 2719
Today's Topics:
1)
by imposter@wee.wee
2) Re: Mood Songs
by marioo@plugnet.plugnet.com.br (Mário)
3) For Guitarists - and anyone else who appreciates guitar! (long)
by "NEVANS.US.ORACLE.COM" <NEVANS@us.oracle.com>
4) Moody Blacks
by eckie@asu.edu
5) stuff
by The Digital Man <cmerlo@uvm-gen.emba.uvm.edu>
6) Inside the Storm Prototype for Sale
by brian.kirk@USVGI.mail.abb.com
7) Re: For Guitarists - and anyone else who appreciates guitar! (long)
by drkhoe@gms.gmsnet.com (Dr. Mosh)
8) Squeezing more songs on the new album ("Fn2I"or "FiI"?)
by "The Notorious B.I.G. S.W.I.F.T.Y." <swifty@auburn.net>
9) This is a test...
by bogie@MIT.EDU
10) A History of the British Working Class
by Adam Barnhart <adamb@cfmc.com>
11) random replies...
by Steve Zebrowski <szebro1@gl.umbc.edu>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 16:05:23 -0400
From: imposter@wee.wee
To: (Recipient list suppressed)
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970708160517.007fd770@wee.wee>
>To the guy posing as the impostor...FUCK YOU! Spice Girls RULE. And, that's
>not how you spell 'loser'
No, fuck you. If you didn't have your head stuffed up your bald anus you'd
know that it's "looser".
>you's best be caeful about whom you call "losers," because some of the
>guys here will, "flatten you like a fucking pancake, boy"
Ahem, I believe the correct term is: "Say that to my face and I'll flatten
you like a fucking pancake, boyeeeeEEEE!!!"
> And by what standard does one determine a "penis-length?" I've heard that
> if a man makes a "gun" shape with his hand (bangbang!), it's the distance
> from the tip of his index finger to the tip of his thumb. This theory
Speak for yourself Bafu! If your dick's that short, you must be gayer than
a wootananny! BTW, I just want to announce to the Ytsejam that I am as gay
as a wootananny. Every weekend me and Bafu have wild orgys with Derek and
Neil Peart. I just thought I'd mention that, because I'm not a hypocrite,
and I love to brag about my greatness and always get the last word in! How
many of you have fucked Neil Peart, Derek, or Bafu??? I fucking kick ass
like a wootananny!
This has been a presentation of:
The Imposter of the Imposter That Took the YtseJam
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 17:43:21 -0300
From: marioo@plugnet.plugnet.com.br (Mário)
To: ytsejam@ax.com
Subject: Re: Mood Songs
Message-ID: <199707082043.RAA06181@plugnet.com.br>
>I'm wonderin' what songs are out there that ppl listen to when they feel
>they're in the shitter, tha dumps, really low 'n shit. Something to
>bring you up or just keep your mind preoccupied to prevent the really bad
>thoughts to start churning.
My favorites are:
"Icarus Dream Suite","Far Beyond The Sun","As Above So Below" (Yngwie Malmsteen)
"Air" (Jason Becker)
"Rebellion In Dreamland","Land Of The Free" (Gamma Ray)
"Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen)
"Black Diamond","Visions" (Stratovarius)
"A Change Of Seasons","Learning To Live"
Mario
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jul 97 13:18:10 -0700
From: "NEVANS.US.ORACLE.COM" <NEVANS@us.oracle.com>
To: ytsejam@ax.com
Subject: For Guitarists - and anyone else who appreciates guitar! (long)
Message-ID: <199707082056.NAA18420@mailsun2.us.oracle.com>
Lovin' the guitar content on the jam lately.. Since we've been throwing old
80s Shrapnelish names around lately...
GREG HOWE: Comments, opinions? I fookin' *love* this guy's debut album on
Shrapnel. I wasn't too taken with his second release, the one with vocals. I
haven't heard any of the newer discs - can anyone tell me if he has returned
to the instrumental fusion format?
TONY MACALPINE: This guy is extremely talented, a virtuoso on both guitar and
piano. However, I have trouble getting into a lot of his songs. I may just
need to digest the music a little more, but methinks he needs to salt his
tunes with a few hooks now and then. Then again, maybe his particular hooks
just don't click with my brain.. hmm..
JASON BECKER: His story is IMO the greatest tragedy in guitar history. He
has not even been granted the quick demise of another tragic figure, Randy
Rhoads. His album "Perpetual Burn" is probably the standard to which all
shred guitar must be measured (and inevitably it falls short). Someone
recently mentioned a classification of this album as "Neoclassical". I have
never thought of it in that way, although it does apply to some parts of some
songs. However, "neoclassical" now has such a Yngwie connotation that I find
it to be an inadequate label for an album of this depth and variety. Becker
does not employ harmonic minor only, for example; rather, he explores a wide
variety of scales. I think Becker is at his finest in major keys, actually
(or pseudo-major keys like Lydian mode). His work with Cacophony always stood
out to me above Friedman's because of the brilliant major-sounding melodies he
wrote (see the album and song "Go Off!").
MARTY FRIEDMAN: Becker's partner in crime in Cacophony and current
shredmaster of Megadeth, Friedman is responsible for IMO the greatest metal
album of all time, Megadeth's "Rust In Peace." I think his earlier work with
Cacophony was superior to his early solo effort, "Dragon Kiss", possibly due
to Becker's influence. I haven't heard all of his recent solo albums,
although I do enjoy the ethereal, almost new-age sound of "Scenes." His
penchant for wicked bends and cool-sounding minor scales is what sets him
apart from other metal guitarists, I think. I just wish he'd "go off" a
little more in the more recent Megadeth releases. I'll have to catch them
live and see if I can get a taste of that..
MICHAEL LEE FIRKINS: Anyone remember this guy? He's got a totally unique
sound, very reliant upon rather subtle uses of the tremelo bar. He creates
the effect of a slide guitar - in fact, his first album had a disclaimer on it
to the effect that "no slides were used on this album". I loved that first
album and waited years for him to release something, but.. nothing. Then
finally, recently, I noticed that he had released a couple more solo albums.
Picked a couple up - about the same, stylistically, but he's got a gift for
melody and he can shred when he tries. Recommended listening.
JOEY TAFOLLA: What the hell happened to this guy? I got his disc "Infra
Blue" and immediately categorized him in the "pretty decent but just like
everyone else" shrapnel guitarist category. Maybe everyone else did too...
RITCHIE KOTZEN: This guy is a very cool guitarist. I've said it before and
I'll say it again: "Shred guitarists are usually about 1,000 times more
interesting playing 'the blues' then so-called blues guitarists." For a
fantastic example of why I say this, check out the tune "Things Remembered
Never Die" from the "Fever Dream" album for some *cool* blues-ish guitar
playing. His "Electric Joy" album kicks some ass too. Another shred-blues
example is the tune "Slow Blues". Awesome. Haven't heard his work with
Poison.
VITO BRATTA: I am a fan of White Lion, mostly because I think Vito was
perhaps the cream of the crop of EVH sound-alikes. He wasn't entirely an EVH
ripoff, but the influence is central to Vito's style. Vito was also an
amazing solo "writer." Check out the solo for "Goin' Home Tonight", or
"Wait", or "Little Fighter," etc.. I always think of him and Nuno Bettencourt
as taking the same approach to soloing - they create a little "song within a
song" in their solos.
NUNO BETTENCOURT: Great, great guitarist. I loved his rhythm playing with
Extreme (see albums "Pornograffitti" and "Three Sides to Every Story") and his
soloing, as mentioned above, was very inventive and lyrical at times. At
other times (see "Warheads") he just shredded with style. One of his coolest
techniques is his ability to play very fast picked runs with heavy string
muting, adding a very percussive feel to the solo and a great separation of
notes. Oh yeah, he can sing too. I haven't heard his latest solo album as of
yet.
JAKE E. LEE: A technically skilled guitarist with a very pentatonic sound,
Jake was with Ozzy for "Bark at the Moon" and "The Ultimate Sin" before the
Badlands project. His work in these two defining projects was vastly
different, I think, but pretty strong overall. Anyone remember seeing a
lesson or interview in one of the guitar mags in which he demonstrated some
weird chord fingerings in which he used his left *thumb* to help finger some
large-stretch chords?
MICHAEL FATH: This guy is pretty good, but most of his work did not move me.
He didn't seem to be as original as some of the others in this list, and that
turned me off initially. I have only one of his albums, however. Can anyone
else comment further?
SHAWN LANE: I saw this guy's instructional video once. He can play so damned
fast that the notes blur together into a distorted mass - and this is NOT
because he's not playing cleanly! He's also a gifted composer and virtuoso
pianist. If you *ever* see his disc "Powers of Ten" just buy it. Then listen
to it and let it digest. It will take a few listens, but the compositions
will almost definitely reach you. Here's a guy with all the shredding ability
in the world who uses it *sparingly* on an extremely tasteful album. Highly
Recommended. Incidentally, there is an album out there called "Centrifugal
Funk" on which he plays, along with Frank Gambale and one or two other
guitarists of note. The music is all funk/fusion with tons of *amazing* solos
thrown in by these juggernauts. Pick it up if you can find it.
PAUL GILBERT: Paul is an awesome guitarist. I have a live RacerX disc
(Extreme Volume) in which he goes off quite a bit, although the songwriting is
somewhat lacking. His work with Mr. Big is great, although I wish he would
play out a little more on some of the tracks. The solos on "Anything for You"
and "How Can You do What You do" from the first album kick ass. Mr. Big is an
exercise in melodic restraint from an acknowledged shred master. I have a Mr.
Big concert on video (the officially released one) which really shows how cool
their tunes can be in a live setting, with Gilbert and Billy Sheehan just
going off.
JOHN PETRUCCI: Not much needs to be said on this list. JP is *the* guitarist
of the decade, *the* defining guitarist of the new progressive rock/metal
movement, *the* role model for disciplined, thoughtful, melodic shredding, and
a great song/lyric writer to boot. From two brief meetings, he seems like a
pretty nice guy too.
That's it for now. Comments?! Discuss!
cheers,
-Neil.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 13:55:19 -0700 (MST)
From: eckie@asu.edu
To: Ytsejam Mailing List <ytsejam@ax.com>
Subject: Moody Blacks
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.970708134617.8726B-100000@general1.asu.edu>
I'm suprised I forgot to mention (and it _still_ hasn't been mentioned,
or maybe I juss didn't see it) Queensryche's Silent Lucidity. I don't
care HOW overplayed it was (hell, I hear it at least twice a week on the
radio) that ballad has to be the best rock ballad, in my not so humble
opinion of course. ;)
Oh, and to whoever out there thinks you're the only person who likes to
sit in the dark side of thier psyke sometimes, you're not. I've been
doin' it a lot lately, thanks to some fuckin' acne medication. I'm not
talkin' about clearisil here.
It's cool to know _I'm_ not the only person who likes some music in the
background with the lights turned down and voodoo doll with needles
sitting in a circle of candles in front of you....
>;D
I was thinkin', ya know, again, yeah, laugh, this sentence structure
sucks,
With DT finishing up thier album, they'll be making promo performances,
right? Maybe some Leno/Letterman exposure? I'd like to see Portnoy up
there on Politically Incorrect...heh. If Mustaine and Scott Ian can do
it, so can DT!
Anyhoo, I think I'll end it here and crawl back into my hole.
~Eckie
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 17:07:53 -0400 (EDT)
From: The Digital Man <cmerlo@uvm-gen.emba.uvm.edu>
To: A Pleasant Shade of Ytse <ytsejam@ax.com>
Subject: stuff
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.970708165819.9855A-100000@griffin.emba.uvm.edu>
> From: "M. Morton" <mooman@u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Re: YTSEJAM digest 2717
>
> HELP! Someone! I need to unsubscribe to this garbage and I deleted the
> instructional message. How do I do it? I thought it was an update list
> on Dream Theater, but is instead a group of internet geeks bitching at
> each other with too much time on their hands. SOS!
So, after deleting the instructions, you post for the first time to insult
us and then ask for our help doing something that your own incompetence
precludes you from doing for yourself? Hahahahahahaha!!!! Nice meeting
you too. Enjoy the barrage of e-mail.
----> From: Syrinx <syrinx@dreamt.org> > Subject: Yes/Buggles History lesson.
Yeah, what he said.
----
> From: "Andrew Miller" <subtlerage@subtlerage.com> > Subject: finneus gauge > > you ever buy an album that makes you want to haul all your musical > equipment down to the nearest pawn shop? or pile it up in the > backyard and have a huge bonfire? or just dump it on the street
Agreed. This is that album. If you like jazz/funk/fusion/prog stuff, get this one. http://ghostland.com/finneus.html or something.
----
> From: drkhoe@gms.gmsnet.com (Dr. Mosh) > Subject: THE "FUCKING" FAQ PART I > > Part III: Who the hell runs the REAL FAQ? > > That hairy lesbian named D-Man. Watch out for him, he's scary.
Grunt grunt. (That means, the real FAQ is new and improved and you all should give it a decent read-through, even if you think you know it all.)
----
> From: Adam Barnhart <adamb@cfmc.com> > Subject: Se Habla Deutch > > it's a bluesy song, and one which has some soul-lifting kind of resonance as > well. The blues can be that way, as a couple of folks here have already > pointed out.
Indeed. To anyone that's down because your woman is treating you like shit, I recommend Led Zeppelin's "Your Time Is Gonna Come." Works like a charm for me. :)
Then, of course, there are those harmonies in To Live Forever...
------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Digital Man \|/ ____ \|/ Secretary & Webmaster cmerlo@cs.uvm.edu "@'/ ,. \`@" UVM Comp Sci Student Assn d-man@dreamt.org /_| \__/ |_\ "He won't need a bed http://www.emba.uvm.edu/~cmerlo \__U_/ He's a digital man" - Peart ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maintainer of the Official Dream Theater Frequently Asked Questions List http://www.emba.uvm.edu/~cmerlo/dtfaq.html
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 16:55:25 -0400 From: brian.kirk@USVGI.mail.abb.com To: " - (052)ytsejam(a)ax.com" <ytsejam@ax.com> Subject: Inside the Storm Prototype for Sale Message-ID: <0010200000804287000002L072*@MHS>
For anyone who didn't see the original announcement:
I have decided to sell one of Mike Bahr's rarest productions ever, Tori= Amos, "Inside the Storm". If you missed out on the original production run b= ecause Mike had to cut it short, then this is your chance. There were only 15= 0 of these made, so don't think an opportunity like this one will come along= again any time soon. Only "The Wrath of God", at 100 copies, is harder to fi= nd.
Do not reply to the 'Jam.
Send all bids to brian.kirk@usvgi.mail.abb.com
"Briiiaaaaan!!" "Kiiirrrrrrk!!" - Joe, Wings - Khan, Wrath of Khan brian.kirk@usvgi.mail.abb.com bkirk@blkbox.com Write me. If you dare! =
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 14:17:27 -0700 From: drkhoe@gms.gmsnet.com (Dr. Mosh) To: ytsejam@ax.com Subject: Re: For Guitarists - and anyone else who appreciates guitar! (long) Message-ID: <199707082117.OAA08587@gms.gmsnet.com>
On the Eve of Destruction, "NEVANS.US.ORACLE.COM" said: > >VITO BRATTA: I am a fan of White Lion, mostly because I think Vito was >perhaps the cream of the crop of EVH sound-alikes. He wasn't entirely an EVH >ripoff, but the influence is central to Vito's style. Vito was also an >amazing solo "writer." Check out the solo for "Goin' Home Tonight", or
Too bad he's not that serious about guitar... he started half his solos in wrong key when I saw him live and people were booing and stuff... he didn't give a damn either...
>JOHN PETRUCCI: Not much needs to be said on this list. JP is *the* guitarist >of the decade, *the* defining guitarist of the new progressive rock/metal >movement, *the* role model for disciplined, thoughtful, melodic shredding, and >a great song/lyric writer to boot. From two brief meetings, he seems like a >pretty nice guy too. >
Wow... do you like get on your hands and knees often too?? Petrucci has good technique but lets not go overboard. His writing is better than average.
-The Doc
-- #$%*#$*@ E-MAIL: drkhoe@gmsnet.com #$%#$#$% *$%&%#$* Global Micro Solutions #$#$#@@# *$*$*$*# Reality Enhancement Software - Engineering Reality *$&#*#@$ #$@#$#@# http://progmetal.gmsnet.com @#$@##@$
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 16:37:56 -0500 From: "The Notorious B.I.G. S.W.I.F.T.Y." <swifty@auburn.net> To: ytsejam@ax.com Subject: Squeezing more songs on the new album ("Fn2I"or "FiI"?) Message-ID: <33C2B334.2F13@auburn.net>
> I think the next song to be recorded should be "Trial of Tears" > total time to present : 53 minutes > + Trial of Tears : 12:40 > ______ > about 65 minutes
Or how about a kick-ass version of Free Bird? Seriously, though, the titles that sparks my imagination the most are "Anna Lee" and "A New Millenium." Like it matters :) -- *********************************************************************** * Mark Peters -- swifty@auburn.net -- Auburn University, Class of '99 * * Ytsejammer, tape trader at http://www.auburn.net/~swifty/index.html * * * * "When they took away the Fourth Amendment, I was quiet because I * * didn't deal drugs. When they took away the Sixth, I was quiet * * because I was innocent. When they took away the Second, I was * * quiet because I don't own a gun. Now they've taken away the First, * * and I can say nothing about it." -- author unknown. * ***********************************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 17:38:47 EDT From: bogie@MIT.EDU To: ytsejam@ax.com Subject: This is a test... Message-ID: <9707082138.AA12721@helpdesk3.MIT.EDU>
Sorry to take up bandwidth - I'm just testing to see if I can send mail to the Jam from this address again..
Bogie
------------------------------
This is just a test.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 15:05:48 -0700 From: Adam Barnhart <adamb@cfmc.com> To: ytsejam@ax.com Subject: A History of the British Working Class Message-ID: <199707082205.PAA16500@main.cfmc.com>
>From: Egils Kaljo <kaljoe@rpi.edu> > >Well, someone mentioned that they wanted discussion on >the new Enchant album - "Wounded". I picked it up a few >weeks ago and having listened to it a few times now, was >not too taken with it. The songs all sounded slightly too >similar, and at times they seemed to be trying too hard. > >But I haven't heard "Blueprint of the World" yet, and I >haven't ruled out picking it up if I see it, but for now, >I would pass on "Wounded".
I'll take the converse and recommend it. I'm still getting into it somewhat, having imported a load of music and had not nearly enough time to listen to it all. My feeling is that Enchant, rather than Altura, is the band that hasn't quite reached their potential yet, but their potential is quite impressive. Still, seeing them get to where they are on the new one is enough for me to give it my thumbs up.
>From: The Digital Man <cmerlo@uvm-gen.emba.uvm.edu> > >> From: Steve Zebrowski <szebro1@gl.umbc.edu> >> Subject: replies to past digests... >> >> On the Rush/eras topic: > >I agree, but you have like 10 eras there. :) I was trying to be more >general, but still define some areas of cohesiveness. > >I think it's safe to say we really like Rush, and that's about where the >agreement ends. :)
I actually think that if you take each set of two Rush albums, you get a really satisfying set of pairings. The most problematic is the first pair, but, beyond that, it's really quite remarkable. They make a right turn, pretty predictably, with every other album, and mix it up somewhat between the two related albums. Which is why I think Steve's probably onto something. We're lumping component parts on a larger level, while he's broken them down into something else. Atoms vs. molecules....something along those lines.
Five Gratuitous CD's: ===================== 1. Rush: Counterparts 2. Brand X: Livestock 3. Carl Verheyen: Garage Sale 4. Polygram: Sampler 3 5. Polygram: Sampler 4
Adam D. Barnhart adamb@cfmc.com ydnt85a@prodigy.com http://www.cfmc.com/adamb
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 18:25:10 -0400 (EDT) From: Steve Zebrowski <szebro1@gl.umbc.edu> To: ytsejam@ax.com Subject: random replies... Message-ID: <199707082225.SAA11064@umbc8.umbc.edu>
> I wouldn't know about the Pantera thing. But when you think about it, > "Rush" was from a band that was basically doing original Zeppelin covers, > and "Fly By Night" was the first from a great, intellectual band. "Ooh > yeah, ooh yeah" to "Anthem of the heart and andthem of the mind." As much > as I love that first album ("Before and After" always finds its way onto > my mix tapes), I just don't think of it as a Rush album.
Yes, but further down the road, let's not forget that "the more...things change/the more they stay the same" <Hemispheres> is a far cry from "he knows changes aren't permanent/but change is" <Moving Pictures> and these were BOTH from Neil's pen.
I don't know what I mean by that, just sumpin' about which to think. :)
> I don't think of TFE as a guitar album as much as I do CP, because CP to > me was shockingly guitar-oriented (especially after RTB), whereas TFE > seems "just right." I also like the songs on TFE far better than nearly > any other Rush album. With the exception of "Limbo," I think Rush has once > again become the premier songwriting team in rock.
Well, it seems that as the years go by, Alex gets less and less interested in soloing. The solos on RtB are great. The solos on Counterparts are stellar <Cut to the Chase, Cold Fire>, but few and far between. The solos on TfE are almost nonexistent, but the riffing <Driven, Time & Motion, Dog Years, Virtuality> kicks my ass all over Annapolis.
> Just to be precise, the Buggles (both of them) joined Yes and recorded the > Drama album (which I think Syrinx has heard once or twice :). Trevor > Horn, the singer, left the band after that and stayed on as a producer. > My timeline is probably off here, but Geoff Downes (the keyboardist) did > some work with Asia after this (and maybe before it as well. Anyone?) > > And I'd think the contradictory thing is Trevor and Geoff doing "Video > Killed...", not the other way around. :)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGHHHHH!!!!!!!
Talking about the history of Yes makes my head hurt! :)
It reminds me of when Randy Meisner left the Eagles to join Poco after Timothy B. Schmidt quit. When the time came for the Eagles to tour again, they thought, "Whom do we know who can play bass that well and sing that high?" So, they called up Timothy B. Schmidt and the rest is history. :)
> Just got back from getting hitched and spending a week in St. Martin in > the Caribbean. It is amazing how that even though St. Martin is 85 > degrees year round, the sun is so much more abusive in July than it is in > December. I used 4 spf in December and got hardly any tan. I had to use > 15 spf last week and got toasted. One good thing about being back is that
I know what you mean! It takes forever to get a tan in July up here in Ocean City, MD. But, last year on Spring Break my roommate and I fried within an hour in West Palm Beach, FL. That equatorial sun will get you!
> After "The The Age Of Plastic," the Buggles (Geoff Downes and > Trevor Horn) started working on their new album. They had a song written > as a tribute to Yes. As luck would have it, the Yes troupe (minus Jon > Anderson and Rick Wakeman, who had already split by then) was working on > their new album next door. The Buggles, now knowing that Jon and Rock > had left, presented this song to Yes (i.e. Steve, Chris and Alan). Soon > afterwords, both Geoff and Trevor joined Yes (and that song is now called > "Tempus Fugit", by the way). > > After th DRAMA tour, Trevor went back to the Buggles (along with > Geoff), Alan and Chris started XYZ (with Jimmy Page, but then changed to > Cinema when Trevor Rabin joined and back to Yes when Jon Anderson joined) > and Steve joined with John Wetton to form Asia (which, we all know, Geoff > Downes is in...and is the only original member on every Asis album). > > Trevor Horn produced 90125 (and co-wrote Hold On, i believe) with > Yes in 1983. He then joined the group "Art Of Noise" and later produced > Frankie Goes To Hollywood's albums (and is now the producer of Seal, that > guy who sings "Kiss From A Rose" and "Crazy", a song that i really like).
NOT AGAIN! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGGGHH!!!! :)
> >POWER WINDOWS: A new definitive Rush sound. Another balance is > >HOLD YOUR FIRE: struck between the original trio sound, and the > >PRESTO: use of keys to attain the studio polish they like > >ROLL THE BONES: so much. Each of these albums, however, follows a > > natural progression <regression?> to the original > > "power trio" sound. > > That underscores something else to me. To my ears, "Hold Your Fire" is a > more guitar-oriented album than "Power Windows." It still, however, seems > to have more synth ideas...and a little more bass playing, for that matter.
Actually, I agree here. HYF IS a more guitar-oriented album than PoW. That's kind of what I was trying to say as each of these albums seems to get progressively more guitar-oriented, culminating in the "Counterparts"/ "Test for Echo" era.
> I suppose that's what makes all of these terms a somewhat inexact > science, but it all adds up to "more." Which, I think, is why "Hold > Your Fire" is my favorite Rush album and "Power Windows" is in the > bottom half of the Rush canon.
I like PoW best of all. :)
"Canon." Cool word.
> >COUNTERPARTS: Yet another redefined sound, as Alex goes through > >TEST FOR ECHO: his guitar mid-life crisis, if you will, and > > rediscovers the stack. Couterparts has some real > > dregs on it, but by the same token, it has some of > > their best work to date. The same goes for Test > > for Echo, althouh the riffing is better here. > > I don't really agree with the idea that "Counterparts" is more uneven than > "Test For Echo." Basically, my favorite songs on the two albums -- the > leadoff tracks and the "power ballads" (such as they are in Rush music), > "Animate" and "Cold Fire" vs. "Test For Echo" and "Resist" -- are a wash, > but the rest of "Counterparts" I like a fair sum better. I'd actually place > it somewhere among my favorite five or six Rush albums, where "Test For > Echo" is in the "Power Windows" neighborhood for me.
I love 'em both. I do, however, think that the songs "Alien Shore," "The Speed of Love," and "Everyday Glory" from CP need to go far away <as i just don't like them musically or lyrically>, much in the same way I feel that "Half the World," and "The Color of Right" are the worst songs on TfE. The guitars <and music in general> is much heavier and better on TfE than on CP <I already mentioned a few tracks>, but it seems to me that on TfE Neil's lyrical well has all but dried up. Counterparts, on the other hand, has some of the greatest lyrics. BOTH albums contain first-rate songs in terms of both lyrics AND music:
Counterparts: Animate Nobody's Hero Double Agent Cold Fire
Test For Echo: Driven Time and Motion Virtuality
I love the music on "Dog Years" a LOT...but those lyrics? Come ON! :)
Steve Z
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End of YTSEJAM Digest 2719 **************************
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