MUSIC REVIEW: Rush - Roll the Bones

"Get busy with the facts."

Although the overall quality of songcraft is a notch or two below Presto, Roll the Bones is similar in style -- very melodic rock, although this one has a tendency to rock a little harder. I suppose this might be attributable to producer Rupert Hine's influence (he worked on Presto, too). If you liked Presto, you should like Roll the Bones, although if Presto wasn't your cup of tea Roll the Bones may still be likable given the harder edge.

In terms of melody, the band still shines. The title track is a positively groovy number with a killer vocal hook in the chorus. There's also...ready for this?...a rap section in this song! It's weird, but it's pretty funny and has its own element of charm, and heck, it fits perfectly. While that melodic sensibility is still here, the more hard-hitting production charges inspiring songs like "Dreamline" and "Face Up" with an absolutely infectious quality. One also has to appreciate the band's first instrumental in 10 years with "Where's My Thing?" It's not the same virtuoso material as "La Villa Strangiato" or "YYZ," but the arrangements are stellar and the solid melodies are present. "Bravado" is one of the few Rush songs with vocal melodies I'd call beautiful, and "The Big Wheel" has an ultra-catchy chorus and fun verses. And, it's been awhile, but Lifeson's guitar solos are suddenly energized like they haven't been in a long time. There's a lot of power in the solos here, especially on the first two songs.

I don't think there's any filler here...the songs are either great or good. No, it's not Hemispheres or Moving Pictures...it's Roll the Bones, and it's different...but still awesome.

MUSIC REVIEW: Rush - Exit...Stage Left

"Killer songs and performances."

Suitably enough, Rush recorded a live album to top off the most successful period in their careers. Permanent Waves and especially Moving Pictures had secured reams of popularity for the power-prog trio, so a high-energy live compilation was the perfect coda to this hallowed chapter in the band's history.

The tracks here cover a fairly broad range of Rush's catalogue up to this point, but skip over the debut and Caress of Steel. Although this collection largely covers the band's shorter, more commercial songs, they never forget the progressive rock wings on which they once soared. I'd say the song selection is perfect. Alongside hits like "Freewill," "Tom Sawyer," and "The Spirit of Radio" are progressive epics like "Xanadu" and "Jacob's Ladder." One of my favorite moments on the album comes with "La Villa Strangiato," an astounding instrumental tour-de-force that concretizes the band's standing as musicians' musicians. Live, this song SMOKES. Lifeson's first solo in this song is infused with tenfold the passion of the original, and I can't help but get chills up and down my spine listening to it. Still, while the energy is there and the songs are great, there is major overdubbing that renders the album a wee bit too polished, and the band's blazing live ebullience is diluted somewhat.

Still, this album many wonderful moments. The precise, stunning drum solo during "YYZ," "Closer to the Heart" with the entire crowd joining in with Geddy on vocals, the ultra-high energy performance of "Red Barchetta," the serene melodies of "Broon's Bane" as a seque into the hard-rocking "The Trees"...the list is endless.

I was kind of disappointed by the album's dubious representation of the concert experience. At the end of most tracks, the sound fades out and then comes back in for the next song. It's like it's taking snippets from several concerts instead of capturing the seamless performance. Most live albums cut superfluous crowd noise and chitchat, but blend crowd noise together so that it flows smoothly from song to song anyway. This works better in preserving the feel of the actual show. Annoyingly, here you'll often hear silence between the tracks and it creates a frustrating disjointed "concert" experience.

But it's not so bad. As a high-energy live "greatest hits" type package, Exit Stage Left can't be beat. Rush rules the world, and this captures them at their best.

(Oh, and make sure you get the Remastered edition, which has "A Passage to Bangkok," a rockin' song that was not included on some of the earlier pressings.)

MUSIC REVIEW: Rush - Presto

"Up there with the best the band has to offer."

As the self-designated music snob and uncompromising progressive rock fan, you might have expected me to hate Rush's mega-synthesizer laden phase that began with Signals and ended with Hold Your Fire. Well, not quite. I love all those albums, and Hold Your Fire especially sits comfortably with Rush's other greats. The 80s was a time when Rush drifted farther away from their progressive roots, and began writing more melodic, groovier songs. Although Presto is very different from the four preceding records, I believe it captures that melodic quality best. It goes a bit more towards the "rock" than the "synth-fest". It is one of my favorite Rush albums.

Lifeson and Lee, who write the music, clearly have an incredible ear for melody. This album is just bursting with hooks...every song features an infectious chorus, an ear-catching guitar lick, or a tuneful arrangement...though, often, it's all of the above. Here, they've toned down on the use of synthesizers, although they are still present, but now they add a subtle texture to the music. Instead of driving the song, they supplement it, like on "Superconductor" where the keyboard helps elevate the song's intensity as they build under the song's catchy refrain. Lifeson's guitar is back in the forefront on many most, although his riffs seem more designed for tight, hooky rhythms and not technical flash or big crunch. Here, it's all about fantastic melodies. There are also a lot of simple piano chords that set a nice melodic foundation on songs like "Available Light." And lyrically, Peart would be hard-pressed to match the quality here. "The Pass" is some of his most touching writing. Also, his call for environmental awareness on "Red Tide" isn't cheesy like it is with other lyricists who tackle the issue. The song rocks too. I've also noticed "Chain Lightning" doesn't get a lot of praise, but I think it's a great song with an unforgettable melody.

I could discuss every song individually, but I don't see the need. Each track is a perfectly crafted song, concise, musically arresting, with superb vocal melodies with an emotional redolence that sometimes evades Rush's music. I must say one thing though. I resent Peart for telling me "The mirror always lies" (from "War Paint") when basically every other "mirror" song I've heard says the mirror _never_ lies. This makes me screw up the line when I try and sing along. Shucks... But ah well. It's a stupid, dumb complaint, and it doesn't change the fact that this is one of my favorite albums from one of my favorite bands.

MUSIC REVIEW: Rush - All the World's a Stage

"In the flesh."

Wow... I've never heard a live recording where the crowd whistles so much. Anyway, that's not so important. Rush had just released their pivotal power-prog release 2112, which featured the phenomenal side-long title track based on the writings of Ayn Rand. And the highlight of this live release is, in my opinion, an awesomely energetic performance of that epic. Some parts are cut out, reducing the song to 16 minutes, but it still rocks, man. At this stage in their career, Rush was rockin' hard, evident with crushing cuts like "Bastille Day," "Something for Nothing," and "Working Man," which has one of Lifeson's most exciting guitar solos to this day. The band also performs "By-Tor and the Snow Dog," which features some sublime instrumentation in the middle. Neil Peart's drum solo is interesting and very musical...I mean, it's more than just a guy hitting stuff. This is a great live album from the days when Rush was young and gushing energy.

MUSIC REVIEW: Rush - Power Windows

"Attack of the 80s, part deux."

This is part two of what I call "The Rush 80s Trilogy," preceded by Grace Under Pressure and followed by Hold Your Fire. (Signals really felt like a transition.) With all three of these albums, Geddy's keyboards were BIG, sometimes cheesy, and sometimes more important than Lifeson's guitars as the source of power for the songs. Of the 80s Trilogy, Power Windows is the hardest rocking of the bunch, and the mix of New Wave in with their staple hard rock direction made for some good music.

What's important here is that the synths are lumped back with the feel they had in Signals -- that is, a better balance is struck between the guitar riffs and the keyboards. The bass sounds bigger on this album too, so I'm thinking that Peter Henderson (from P/G) wasn't the right producer for Rush.

To me, there are few Rush songs better than "Marathon." This song has the tremendous power to raise mood with its high spirits. This song just gushes power...anytime you're feeling down and out, just throw on "Marathon" and everything will be cool. Peart's lyrics are inspirational, and the intensity of Lifeson's solo raises the song to dizzying heights that peaks with the final chorus, incorporating vocal harmonies, choral synths, and real strings. It's just awesome.

There's a bunch of other good stuff too. On "Middletown Dreams" is a good anthemic cut with some of Lee's most interesting synthesizers. Lifeson's guitars here work in bursts that works neatly with the synthesizers. "Mystic Rhythms" is one of the band's most magical compositions, with echoic percussion and synths and ambient guitars. It's sort of ghostly but beautiful. "Manhattan Project" is gutsy and evocative with cool keyboard speckling. "Territories" uses some world influences to spice up the composition, but unfortunately the chorus lacks any punch and the lyrics are pretty ambitious. "Big Money" is the extensive opener with fiendishly catchy riffs and lyrics. "Grand Designs" and "Emotion Detector" are fine songs as well, but I'm tired and running out of things to say.

Not everyone likes this form of the former power-prog trio, but for the rest of us, it's another rockin' album from Rush. Now, what is the best album of the 80s Trilogy is up for debate, but Power Windows definitely has the best song. ("Marathon.")

MUSIC REVIEW: Rush - Signals

"Rush hits the synths hard!"

There is a chorus of voices that aver Rush went downhill after Moving Pictures. I like all of Rush's work, so I would instead say that they changed without depreciating in quality. Deftly merging with the 80s' music climate, Rush's synthesizers -- which, up to this point, had always added texture and ambience -- now became one of the band's main thrusts, working alongside Lifeson's groovier, lighter rhythms. Lee was singing at much lower ranges, and many were finding that he had a very pleasant voice when he wasn't shrieking. Hey, I love his old voice, but it was a bit much for some people.

The fantastic MTV hit "Subdivisions" opens the album with an urgency propelled by lush synthesizers and big hooks, which sets the tone for the rest of the disc. Alongside this commercial triumph is the other radio hit, "New World Man," which is a catchy blend of rock and reggae. "Chemistry" is similar in style to this one, but the lack of a vocal or lyrical hook kills the song. Other highlights include the sad "Losing It," which includes delightful electric violin and some of Peart's most touching lyrics; "Digital Man," which is up-tempo yet mellow and catchy; and the superb "Analog Kid," which rocks hard with the verses but slows to a placid exquisiteness with the unforgettable chorus.

The overall feel had altered, but Rush retained their passion and songcraft that allowed them to survive -- and prevail -- with the change in bearing. That's why this is a great album.

MUSIC REVIEW: Rush - Moving Pictures

"The crush of Rush."

I find it delightfully ironic that Rush, a band critics loved to hate, released Moving Pictures, the album I'm sure critics hate to love -- it had them eating their words, after all. An undeniably great album from those pretentious and nerdy progressive rockers? Yeah right! Seriously, it is difficult to contest this disc's perfection, which is the logical extension of its predecessor, Permanent Waves (it could very well be called Permanent Waves Part II). Moving Pictures is a highly engaging, accessible, and timeless piece of work.

Although the touted folds of progressive rock were being peeled off, the improvements over their previous releases are manifold. Very importantly, Lifeson's solos are more melodic than ever, but the style is still unmistakably his. The songwriting is intense and the musicianship is brilliant, but this is catchy stuff. This is probably the most welcoming progressive rock album ever recorded. I mean, you didn't have to like progressive rock to like Moving Pictures. That's part of this record's magic...but only part, mind you. We all know Rush is terrific in terms of ability, but we would have never guessed they could write such great songs? Yes, we had hints of it with "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill," but here the songs are better than you'd be led to expect. (Although I must say I prefer Permanent Waves to this, on the whole...heresy, I know!!)

Moving Pictures is ultra-sleek, commercially accessible but not-necessarily-commercially-directed songwriting is done impossibly well. The album's production is perfect, hitting the right balance between Rush's power and clarity, which is just right for this kind of release. (Before this, rawness and power were good...after, clarity and slickness were preferable.) Rush's lyrics were changing to accommodate the shift in musical direction. Less broadly philosophical, more modern and "normal," but still intelligent and socially intuitive. "Red Barchetta" is the last sci-fi song Peart ever penned (unless the you count the robot songs). The concept seems simple, but there's an interesting bit of underlying commentary that we expect from Peart. "Witch Hunt's" lyrical message is fairly acidic because of the scathing metaphor involved. Clever stuff. What I always liked about Peart is that it was easy to understand what his songs were about, but his diction and intelligence were always inspired.

Some call it the best Rush album. Some call it the best rock album. I'll avoid the extremes and just say it's a must-have classic that belongs in the musical library of any rock n' roll or progressive rock fan. Oh yeah, and if you like Rush but you don't have this, something's seriously wrong with you.

MUSIC REVIEW: Rush - Rush

"Hard to review."

Rush's first recording isn't a Rush album, per se. It's actually a little hard to judge fairly as it is pretty forgettable in the grand scheme of Rush's career.

Before Neil Peart joined, before Rush gained notoriety as a respectable progressive rock band, they were a becoming Led Zeppelin-esque band that rocked hard. And they rocked hard well. Former drummer John Rutsey was no Peart, but it doesn't matter. This is rock n' roll, with no trace of the progressive ambition the band would later embrace with Peart's vision.

So what does it offer? Sleek guitar licks, melodic and lyrical hooks, and energetic arrangements and performances. Some of the lyrics are embarrassingly banal at times, and in many ways the album is disappointingly straightforward, but what the album lacks in instrumental pyrotechnics and progressive factors, it makes up for it with the infectious exuberance of a band's first album. Even at this first step of their career, the band shows high spirits and a good knack for songwriting.

The band would quickly change for the better with the departure of Rutsey and the arrival of Peart. Although many dismiss this album as the forgettable debut, I can't help but be amused by its simple charm. It does nothing to show how they were destined for greatness, but the music is good. Isn't that what matters?

MUSIC REVIEW: Queensryche - Empire

"Empire is commercial, and darn good too."

Many of the Queensryche fans who loved the band for their heavy metal days despise this album, but that doesn't change the fact that one of the most listenable rock albums of the 90s. Yes, Queensryche went commercial, but they maintained their high standard of excellence that made them so distinguished when they were a brash heavy metal band. Other metal bands went commercial, and they turned into crap. Queensryche remained excellent... at least at first. Geoff Tate sings in lower ranges this time around (making the band's music more accessible to those outside of the heavy metal crowd), and his emotional clarity and skill that made him one of the best metal singers carries over and makes him one of the best rock vocalists. The band shows tremendous versatility in crossing over to the mainstream. Chris DeGarmo, the group's principal writer, has a keen sense of balancing commercial appeal with quality. It really shows here.

"Anybody Listening?" is my favorite song here. Slow and heavy, it is an introspective examination of the loneliness and sadness that accompanies life in the spotlight. It ranks "up there" with my other favorite 'Ryche songs, "Roads to Madness" and "Eyes of a Stranger." "Silent Lucidity" (about dream control, of all things) is the group's best-known song, and it resonates emotion with simple yet exquisite musicianship, validating the fact that a band smacked into the "heavy metal" genre can still write beautiful music. In fact, all the songs here evince astute emotional expression. Although I've never liked "One and Only" due to cheese-factor, the rest of this album is truly some of the best hard rock you'll ever hear.

GUEST MUSIC REVIEW: Queensryche albums, post-Promised Land

Submitted by: ASTRO CHIMP


Astro Chimp, one of Lord Chimp's allies in the fight for justice, has provided Lord Chimp's Revenge with a comprehensive overview of all Queensryche's albums since Promised Land, which we regard as their last really great album. So is everything since then as bad as some people say? The answer is: probably not! Read on to find out more.

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I little while back I kinda ripped on Queensrcyhe, and I think I want to moderate that opinion a bit. Now, Queensrcyhe was clearly at their best up to Promised Land. But I think that if one gets over expecting them to be a progressive metal band (which they only really were on a couple of albums anyway), and just take them as being a hard rock/metal band that will always keep you on your toes, then there's been some good stuff since. I'm going to take the time to go through their albums since Promised Land, since many people have not given them much attention due to a more-or-less knee-jerk reaction.

Hear in the Now Frontier




Ok, this one is not that great, There's a couple of songs on it that are nice ("Sign of the Times", "Some People Fly"), but mostly it's blah. And not because it's not metal (remember, I'm disposing of the metal requirement here), but just because it's not very inspired. Maybe there's a few other decent songs in there, but I can never get through it from start to finish (although I do like those songs I mentioned).

Q2K




Well, I know this one gets a bad rap as being "Q2Gay", but I actually dig a fair amount of it. There are some blah songs, and some bad lyrics (typically the ones where Geoff lusts after his wife, which reappears in uncomfortable fashion at times on Dedicated to Chaos), but songs like "Liquid Sky" and "Falling Down" are decent rockers, When the Rain Comes is quite wicked, and "Right Side of My Mind" is a bonafide QR classic. Maybe it's the rock fan in me, but Q2Gay is not all that gay. I do listen all the way through from time to time and enjoy myself.


Tribe




I actually dug this one a lot when it first came out, although now I find it a bit depressing. It has DeGarmo back on it (although he didn't rejoin as a member), and it has some cool songs...but like I said, it's got an overall dark vibe and production that rather than setting a mood gets rather depressing at times. Still, not bad. Not great, but not terrible.


Mindcrime II




This one is actually quite wicked. It has the exact same sound as the first one (they went to great lengths to get the same equipment and relearn tunings, etc...and they did a good job). The one thing that is not so good, especially considering how the original built and built and built to an amazing end...is that there is a substantial section after the middle part, or a few songs, that is just kinda blah...not much happens musically, and I'm not sure what is going on story wise. The disc ends decently, but its the first half that really kicks ass. "I'm American", "Hostage", "One Foot in Hell", "Signs Say Go"...all kickass straight up metal tunes that fit well in a MC sequel. It would be an decent album for old school QR, but it's pretty wicked for new QR. Worth a listen, and goes good back to back with the original. Cannot come close to that original Perfect Masterpiece, though.


American Soldier




Ok, this one is actually wicked. Not like their old stuff (not much in the way of solos and stuff), but it is just wicked. Concept story about the affect of war on people from the view of actual military members and their families (interspersed with actual interviews that the band made), the album claims no bias whatsoever and just lets the people tell their story. Really awesome stuff that totally maintains the spirit of QR from the day, if not the sound. I think this on is really really good, even though it took me years to get around to picking it up.


Dedicated to Chaos






A strange one. The band is afflicted by some wish to be popular again, and is falling into the trap of saying 'people just listen to their iPods on shuffle, so there's no need to make a structured album' and 'groups like Lady Gaga are huge these days, which rely on rhythm rather than guitar riffs and solos, etc...', so that's the approach that we need to try (these are paraphrases, but are admissions that the band made on numerous occasions). There are actually some good songs on it. Get Started is a decent rocker to open up, even if the lyrics are a bit lame, Around the World is actually a sweet ballad that reflects the Beatles calls of "All you need is love" that is actually quite moving, and album closers "The Lie" and "Big Noize" have that QR spirit. And the album sounds great (really nice production). But most of he rest of the songs are kinda blah (I don't claim to know the middle songs very well yet), and some of the songs go back into the Geoff-trap of drooling over his wife...which is just awkward. Nothing wrong with being turned on by your wife...but man, keep it out of the lyrics, dude. Yeesh. I break this disc out every now and then, but its a case of tune in to the good stuff, tune out during most of it.

They're already working on their new one (prolific!), so hopefully Wilton has his way and they put guitar melodies and riffs back in...it doesn't have to be metal, just more inspired and less lame lyrics! There's so much fucked in the world now, socially and politically, that this should be QRs time to shine!!!

So yeah, as a rock fan I don't mind Q2K, MC2 is pretty wicked for about half of it, and I actually dig American Soldier a lot. Maybe also because I come from a family with lots of military service, my wife is in the military, I have a strong interest in military history, and have long considered joining (I know, that clashes hard with libertarian views...what can I say), but I don't think so...it's just a really cool album.

Anyway, thanks for reading my thoughts! Love QR.

MUSIC REVIEW: Queensryche - Promised Land

"The last great Queensryche album."

Queensryche has evolved considerably over the past 20 years of their prolific careers. They've gone from fiery heavy metal in the days of their EP to the lush rock-opera of Operation: Mindcrime, to the sublime perfection of the commercially successful Empire, to their current status as a more-or-less generic rock band. In the middle of these last two phases comes Promised Land. Compared to the remarkable accessibility of Empire, Promised Land is a little more unusual, and difficult to appreciate. Living up to the amazing success and quality of Empire is nearly impossible, and I do not envy Promised Land for what it tried to do.

The problem lies in the fact that Promised Land's excellent songs are not as densely packed as those on Empire. Most of the songs are good, but not all the songs are excellent. There are moments of mediocrity that drag the album down from levels of excellence. The superlative production alleviates some of the boredom associated with the passable tracks, as do the thick wall-of-sound arrangements. However, interspersed amongst the middling pieces are some of the best tracks they've ever recorded, including some of the finest lyrics. The acoustic balladry of "Bridge" made for a lucrative single that deserved all its enjoined success. The sad, thoughtful "Out of Mind," the ominous "Lady Jane," and the hard rock trappings of "Disconnected" are all great. The true standouts are the stormy title track, with those monstrous arrangements and the harrowing tone, and the moving closer, "Someone Else?" The latter is the most un-Ryche song they've ever done, consisting only of piano and Geoff Tate's emotive vocals. The memorable piano lines, thoughtful lyrics and Tate's passion are what makes this one special. Tate even strains on a note...guess he's human after all! Without the songcraft to elevate it to pure greatness, the production helps.

A good Queensryche. Mostly great, even. Still, it can't touch the monolithic status of Mindcrime and Empire. In terms of songcraft, those albums are the band's best. But this is still awesome enough for you to care, and wish the band was still churning out this level of quality in its newer material.