I really don't know how to offer up any context about this band. You either love them or you hate them, and I'm not going to change anyone's mind; God knows I've tried. Over the years I've had to defend myself from attacks by haters, even going in the closet about them, but that time seems to have passed. Against all odds, Rush has become, if not loved, grudgingly respected by the rock world. It's safe to say that when you get slobbery wet kisses from the likes of the Judd Apatow crew The Colbert Report, it's OK to break out the T shirt again
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Rush is Here | ||||
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The first time I really stated getting into them was back in 1986. I would spend most weekends with some other buddies at Trey Watson's house, eating, wasting time, listening to music, all the monotonous stuff kids do before they are able to drive. He put on Rush's best-known classic Moving Pictures, and once I heard Geddy Lee's voice hit the high note on "...what you say" in "Tom Sawyer", I was enthralled. After that, I began buying their tapes at KMart in the $4.99 rack and loved them all - Hemispheres, Fly By Night, Rush, A Farewell to Kings. Permanent Waves (still my favorite of theirs) was the first CD I ever bought after I got my first CD player in 1989.
I caught up to the bands back catalogue pretty quickly in time for their first release as a new fan, 1989's Presto. On my eighteenth birthday, May 1st, 1990, I saw them in concert for the first time, pretty much cementing their all-time #1 status with me.
I can't really describe why I like the band the way I do. Rush fans are pretty much known for being obsessive about the band, exalting them to near-deity status. I think being a musician helps, as they are very much a band loved by other band / guitar geeks. For me, a big part is Neil Peart's lyrics. He gets lots of shit for pretentious navel-gazing and has a bad rap for writing Dungeons and Dragons nonsense he can't seem to shake (Rush hasn't written lengthy narrative songs in years), but I like the fact that this band addresses the spectrum of human existence and human interaction - not just love.
Now having praised Peart's lyrics, I have to admit this particular song doesn't come off without a couple of missteps. "Hold On" is the final song off of their most recent album, Snakes & Arrows. It's the best album they have done in twenty years, in my opinion, maybe even more. They have really stripped down their sound these days, sounding much more organic and comfortable. "We Hold On" is a classic Rush album closer, as they are known among fans as some of the strongest tracks on their albums over the years.
It begins with a slow build - Geddy's voice over Alex Lifeson's arpeggios and a simple beat from Peart. The music is low to highlight the first verse:
How many times
Do we tire of all the little battles
Threaten to call it quits
Tempted to cut and run
How many times
Do we weather out the stormy evenings
Long to slam the front door
Drive away into the setting sun
Then at :39, the song takes off - kicking up the tempo and introducing Lifeson's little riff (really, if you follow this band, Alex Lifeson is the clear star of this album). Unfortunately, as previous mentioned, I find one line in the chorus a little painful:
Keep going on till dawn
(Ouch. Really, Neil, you're better than that.)
How many times must another line be drawn?
We could be down and gone
But we hold on
Yeah, the second line in the chorus saves it - I love the determination behind it. The second verse is even better:
How many times
do we chaff against the repetition
Straining against the faith
Measured out in coffee breaks
How many times
Do we swallow our ambition
Long to give up the same old way
Find another road to take
See, here's why I love this band. That couplet - "Straining against the faith / Measured out in coffee breaks" is a clear allusion to a line in T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock":
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
This adds another layer to the song's meaning. It's not merely about longevity, it's about putting your foot down (not "drawing another line" as the song puts it), and as Prufrock does in the famous poem, breaking out of a mundane, everyday existence.
There are, literally, hundreds of these types of intricacies to Preart's lyrics .I can listen to a song I've heard thousands of times before and sometimes I will suddenly figure out a lyric I've puzzed over or never payed attention to. It's a band that rewards careful listening, and I appreciate that they respect themselves and their audience that way.
The song carries on through a short bridge then back to the chorus at which point they are locked in instrumentally. (In particular, listen so Peart's stops, starts, off-beats, rolls, and the like at the end of the bridge - 3:12 to 3:17. There's a reason "The Professor" might be the most famous rock drummer....ever). The only thing that bothers me about this song is the tempo. If is was just a hair faster, it would be a new Rush classic. As it is, it's still great for a bunch of dudes pushing sixty, thirty years into their career.
There. That wasn't so unbearable, was it? Now listen to the song. It's not going to kill ya.
5 comments:
Ahh, Rush.
I remember those Polygram tapes with their gold colored back plastic.
My first Rush album, and still favorite, was Caress of Steel. "I Think I'm Going Bald" is a strange one, but the rest of the tracks still have their proto-metal sentimentalities and is a long way away from the synth of their middle years (which I don't dislike, but have to be in the right mood to listen to (love "The Weapon").
I miss the days of epic songs and bands who would release an album with just five songs. Their new music is good, but for me, nothing compares to the overtures.
Over the years I have bought more Rush cassette's and CDs than any other band. Through losing them, the awkward transition to digital, and a few giveaways, I just never seem to be able to hold on to the albums. I'm pretty secure now, fully digital.
But they're marching to Bastile Day/La Guillotine will claim her bloody prize/Free the dungeons of the innocent/The king will kneel/And let his kingdom rise
I almost took an interest in French history because of this song. Hell, started reading poetry because of Iron Maiden.
Everytime I think about rush I think about the 8minte mark on this:
http://it.truveo.com/Harvey-Birdman-Blackwatch-Plaid/id/292908625
Obviously, when the coast is clear, when it's no longer "Moving Pictures" alert, it would be "Permanent Waves."
Josh, I read many a Rush blog and message board, and I've never, ever heard someone refer to CoS as their favorite album (despite the awesomeness of Bastille Day, as you note. "See them bow their heads to die / As we would bow when they walked by." Great line. Peart's first album with them too).
And you are right on about the cassette cases. I know exactly of that gold color of which you speak.
Oh, and nice catch there Darrell. I can't remember if you were part of the "Time Stand Still" in Marty's car on graduation night. I know it was Mike and I, but not you?
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