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  #1  
Old 05-13-2007, 01:16 PM
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Rush - Snakes and Arrows

I'm out for most of the day, but wanted to get this thread started.

Rush will never be making the music they once were. I think with this record they finally realized it, and really go into new and exciting directions. There will never be any more epics, but there's a return to acoustic guitar throughout, and only a smattering of keys (Mellotron only).

What do you who have heard the record think?
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Old 05-13-2007, 01:55 PM
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Re: Rush - Snakes and Arrows

I enjoy this new recording, just to get that out first.

I found pieces of the old style there, but that can't be helped in that they are who they are. I think what this album shows is how proficient they have become over the years. And with age we also lose that young edge. Some may call it angst - that seems to be the new word these days. As a young artist, it's about the feelings and messages you're putting into the songs. That's what makes it so special. Then as you grow as musicians the music itself and your proficiency becomes more important.

So while the music is very proficient, has their sound for the most part. It lacks the overall power and emotion of the earlier material. But they can certianly still rock.
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Old 05-13-2007, 02:18 PM
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Cool Re: Rush - Snakes and Arrows

liked it much better than vapour trails kinda wish for more soloing
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Old 05-15-2007, 06:23 AM
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Re: Rush - Snakes and Arrows

I think this is their best in years, though I have enjoyed just about everything they've put out over the years.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing them in June. They never disappoint live.

Snakes and Arrows seems to be the album that Neil has been trying to write for a long time. It covers all the topics he talks about in his books.

Some may not like it due to it's lack of long songs, but the songs here are better because of their lack of length. The longest song is 6:38. There's even an instrumental that is only 2:17. Imagine that.


Listen to it. Then, listen again. You'll like it.
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Old 05-15-2007, 07:10 AM
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Re: Rush - Snakes and Arrows

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Originally Posted by cribguy View Post
I think this is their best in years, though I have enjoyed just about everything they've put out over the years.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing them in June. They never disappoint live.

Snakes and Arrows seems to be the album that Neil has been trying to write for a long time. It covers all the topics he talks about in his books.

Some may not like it due to it's lack of long songs, but the songs here are better because of their lack of length. The longest song is 6:38. There's even an instrumental that is only 2:17. Imagine that.


Listen to it. Then, listen again. You'll like it.
Their last long song was The Camera Eye in 1981. I don't think there's been one over 7 minutes in 26 years! So those looking for long songs will truly be diappointed.

The instrumentals are the highlights of the recent records. The short one is an Alex acoustic piece that's very pretty. Actually there are three on S&A. The Monkey business song is a great track.

I will miss them this year (Nearfest)...look for S&A on the show in a few weeks..

Cool smiley..is that Niacin?
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Old 05-15-2007, 07:22 AM
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Re: Rush - Snakes and Arrows

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Originally Posted by Rick and Roll View Post
Their last long song was The Camera Eye in 1981. I don't think there's been one over 7 minutes in 26 years! So those looking for long songs will truly be diappointed.

The instrumentals are the highlights of the recent records. The short one is an Alex acoustic piece that's very pretty. Actually there are three on S&A. The Monkey business song is a great track.

I will miss them this year (Nearfest)...look for S&A on the show in a few weeks..

Cool smiley..is that Niacin?
Oops. I forgot about the third instrumental. I'm listening to the album now. Sounds great. Look forward to hearing it on the Moon.
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Old 05-15-2007, 09:01 PM
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Thumbs up Re: Rush - Snakes and Arrows

Quote:
Originally Posted by cribguy View Post
I think this is their best in years, though I have enjoyed just about everything they've put out over the years.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing them in June. They never disappoint live.

Snakes and Arrows seems to be the album that Neil has been trying to write for a long time. It covers all the topics he talks about in his books.

Some may not like it due to it's lack of long songs, but the songs here are better because of their lack of length. The longest song is 6:38. There's even an instrumental that is only 2:17. Imagine that.


Listen to it. Then, listen again. You'll like it.

I agree. Can't wait to see them in July as well
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Old 05-23-2007, 02:33 PM
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Re: Rush - Snakes and Arrows

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Originally Posted by Rick and Roll View Post
What do you who have heard the record think?
Long time no post. Howdy all.

Well, I've listened to it about fifteen times now. I'm posting this without having read any of this thread except KW's post.

Musically I like it a lot. It's less complicated than a lot of earlier stuff, but it's very "busy" with a lot of chops and actual singable melodies. It's actually pretty in places, and pretty is not a word I usually think of with Rush. Though it's not obvious, there are some passages with multiple time signatures overlapping, intricate passages that don't sound intricate... etc. I have a co-worker who doesn't like prog, but he played me a track by a band called "The Illustrated Band" that was in different time signatures. I mentioned prog and he said, "Yeah, but when Yes, Rush, and Crimson play in 11 it SOUNDS like it's in 11. I prefer it when you can't really tell that it's complicated. It's not showy then." He has a point, and this album does that. It's complicated but it doesn't SOUND complicated.

I like the liberal use of acoustics here too. Alex's guitar work is very strummy this time, without the weird solos of yesteryear. I do miss those weird solos, but hey, Vapor Trails had NO solos. Also the production is much better than that on Vapor Trails and Feedback.

With that said, I dislike this album intensely lyrically. It's extremely cynical, negative, and anti-religious, especially at Christianity. As a Baptist minister, that makes it hard for me to really get into. I just can't drive down the interstate singing along to "I don't have faith in faith. I don't believe in belief. You can call me faithless. But I still cling to hope, and I believe in love." If you know your Bible this is a reference to I Corinthians 13's famous "These three things remain: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love" passage. There are a lot more of these, such as the dig against shepherd who count their sheep (a common metaphor in Scripture for ministers is shepherd). There's also the line "we hold beliefs as a consolation"-to-get-us-through-the-day, which is Karl Marx-religion-is-the-opium-of-the-masses thinking. Neal has always been a New-Age syncretistic all-religions-are-the-same guy (see Totem), and this seems to be even dropped in favor of anti-religion. There's the two lines about "I've got my own moral compass to guide me" and the parallel line in the second verse of that song. This is moral relativism. He wants to build his morality on humanity, not the eternal God. There's many more, but in sum I just can't get into it lyrically, which will probably, once I tired of it musically, keep this one from being a common disc in my players.

I'm not necessarily trying to get into a debate on this issues (it's a prog forum, not a worldviews forum). I'm just saying from where I sit I'm ambivalent on the disc. There's my two cents.

Yesspaz out.
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Old 05-23-2007, 02:49 PM
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Re: Rush - Snakes and Arrows

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Originally Posted by Yesspaz View Post
Long time no post. Howdy all.
Hi Spaz.....some quick things..

It has been awhile. So long that you referenced a post by KW....he's not posted on this thread yet.

Musically I agree with most everything you've said, especially the acoustics and the soloing.

Anyway, about the lyrical content... I don't ever care about lyrics unless they're really offensive. That in mind, I can usually take a more objective view of content.

I really believe Neil is just against organized religion. Not anti-religion. He's also very tolerant of differing points of view. Just because it takes a cynical view that doesn't mean it's "anti".

Now I will agree that lyrically I don't like the Faithless song because of the "own morality" line, especially. That hits me the wrong way, too Spaz - I don't mind someone stating their views, but don't tell me your morality is "right". I think Neil errs on that one.

However - isn't organized religion a vehicle to do the same thing?


Miss our discussions...hope you're doing well.
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Old 05-23-2007, 02:57 PM
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Re: Rush - Snakes and Arrows

I'm guessing I'll like this one a lot.
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Old 05-23-2007, 08:08 PM
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Cool Re: Rush - Snakes and Arrows

s&l made number 3 on the rolling stone top 40 albums (rush vs christians nearly 100,000 prog fans emerged from there parent`s basements to buy rush`s eighteenth lp-a theme album about the pernicious influence of evangelicals) quote from magazine i dont live in my parents basement?
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Old 05-31-2007, 09:09 PM
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Re: Rush - Snakes and Arrows

I believe OHD is going to see the first show, and I will be at the second in West Palm Beach, FL. Apparently Rush concerts are legendary, so I just had to get this album to get psyched. While I don't consider myself an avid Rush fan, the track they picked to open the bidding, Far Cry, is perfect and should be GR8 live. I have listened to this album almost a dozen times now. These could change over time therefore these ratings are just a snapshot in time from my perspective.

Far Cry............................Excellent
Armor and Sword...............Excellent
Workin' Them Angels..........Excellent
The Larger Bowl................Excellent
Spindrift..........................Very Good
The Main Monkey Business..Excellent
The Way The Wind Blows....Excellent (Cream anyone?)
Hope...............................Very Good
Faithless..........................Excellent
Bravest Face....................Excellent
Good News First................Very Good
Malignant Narcissism..........Very Good
We Hold On......................Very Good


I did catch the beginning of Rick's show where this album was first played on AM. Hopefully I'll be coherent enough after the concert to give my opinions of the live versions of whichever of these tracks get played.
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