Alex Lifeson and his 80s "minimalism"

For all you Rush freaks out there, I have always wondered about the drastic change in Alex Lifeson's guitar playing in the 1980s. I'm talking specifically about the change that occurred on Signals but really progressed to Grace Under Pressure. There were hints of this coming change as far back as Permanent Waves I think and it certainly is there on Moving Pictures. However, in 1982, his playing changed dramatically with heavy use of the tremlo bar, and those "shiny", angular chords. Prior to that, his playing was very loose and heavy like Jimmy Page. From 82 till 93, he played a diminished role and since it went on for the better part of a decade, I can only assume he willingly let the keyboards take over the mids previously handled by guitar. Has anyone ever heard why he changed his playing style so dramatically? To me, this was the part of Rush's synth period I liked the least. There were moments of heavy guitar solos (Analog Kid, Kid Gloves, Red Tide), but for the most part he seemed to hang back until Counterparts came out and since then, the guitar has become more forward with the keys taking a back seat. He's been quoted as saying he always wanted to emulate Page, so why did he willingly take on such a reduced role in the bands playing?

 

I think 'Countdown' says a lot about where Alex was at guitar-wise. It's the last of the old style heavy Rush and I can't help but feel they couldn't continue as such and still move forward.
I feel Alex had to move ahead, even if he didn't really want to or had a clear, strong vision of what his new sound should be.

 

Well, its one thing to move forward and another to basically changed ones sound so much that they sound like a different player all together. It just seemed like a really radical change that served to almost take him out of the music. I just don't understand why he willingly gave up his role in the band. Seems weird to me.

 

I don't really understand the stress Rush fans feel about guitar vs. keyboards. There is not one single song in the oeuvre of Rush that does not prominently feature Alex Lifeson's guitar playing, no matter how many tracks of synthesizer there may be. Why not worry about the absence of Geddy Lee's bass playing?

 

Just a sign of the times. It was the early 80's, New Wave was taking over and Rush didn't want to get left behind as another 70's hard rock band so they modified their sound to feature more synths & keys and less guitar.

 

And they did a good job of it too.

 

Personally I really miss the "old" Alex. He used to be one of my all time faves but now I don't really listen to Rush anymore at all. And the change in guitar is what did me in. Sector 1 will alway be my "go to" Rush. I sure wish AF would do the first self titled album in SACD. To me that was a Rock Guitar Clinic.

 

The 80s was a time of Alex Lifeson in a pressure cooker. It took a while to get what you were waiting for, but every time they opened the lid, the result was juicy and delicious. And always cooked just right. Some of the decade's most tasteful and beautiful solos belong to Alex, IMO.

 

Grace Under Pressure is my least favorite Rush album, but Power Windows and Hold Your Fire are among my favorites, so who knows.

 

I saw Rush play four songs from Power Windows almost in a row a week ago, and Alex looked pretty involved to me.

The biggest cheer he got all night was playing the solo from "The Analog Kid," from another album where he allegedly doesn't play enough guitar.

 

Yeah, it mystified me too, I moved on. Each new release just didn't cut it for me. Heard it all though, my friends loved the 80's stuff.

 

The solo in Red Sector A is fantastic, one of the better guitar solos by anyone, imo.

 

Most bands in the mid to late 80s started to go soft compared to their earlier harder stuff. Rush, Kansas, Sabbath, BOC, Maiden, Van Halen, Styx, and the list goes on and on. That is why I stopped listening to most new music in 1985.

 

The band was heavily influenced by The Police, and I think Alex was smitten with that sound. I think by '87 or '88 he was ready to beef his sound back up, but Geddy had taken over with the synths. Alex basically had to push his way back, startin with Presto and RTB, and wasn't fully back until Couterparts, where he and Kevin Shirley convinced Geddy to leave the keyboards at home.

 

I think his change of guitar styles pretty much coincided with his adoption of the Flock of Seagulls mullet

 

I ran...

 

I did not like it at the time - they lost me a little with Signals and completely with Grace. I came back to that decade years after the fact and now absolutely love Signals>Power Windows. It gets a bit hit and miss after that for me, but I also love Vapor Trails>Clockwork Angels, with the latest album being one of my all time favorites, standing very well aside the 70s stuff.

 

I think a lot of bands tried to sell out for commercialism at the time, like Rush and Sabbath. Time Stands Still and No Stranger to Love are pretty radio friendly, but I don't blame them for making money. The songs are very nicely done, but not heavy like the old stuff.

 

I do remember in the Rush documentary he kind of resented the keys in the sense that he felt subdued, but he still liked creating new sounds and textures

I can only assume the band (and Alex) wanted Alex's biting guitar work back as by Counterparts he was out in full force again and has continued to be to this day

 

I wasn't bothered as much by the shift to more kbd/synth sound & less guitar than I was by Alex's decision to stop playing guitar solos/leads AT ALL & instead just play "guitar textures", starting in a very big way with Vapor Trails. The lack of guitar solos/leads kills that record for me even more than the headache inducing mastering. Thankfully Alex has gone back to playing some solos again with the last 2 records.

 

He cut back on the guitar alright!


80's minimalism.

 

I think Alex was heavily influenced by Andy Summers and what some of the new wave bands were doing. It coincides with his switch from Gibson to Fender guitars (though I seem to recall reading that he had a Gibson PAF in the bridge position of his Stratocasters). Rush were trying -- and largely succeeding -- to remain current and relevant by incorporating new styles and sounds. I'm not a big fan of Grace Under Pressure, but I recognize it as a relatively daring experiment for a band that could have kept cashing big checks simply regurgitating Moving Pictures until retirement.

 

That's got to be a photshop, right? Four necked guitars?

 

Well, I know all about the existence of 4 necked guitars, but I had never seen a picture of Alex or Geddy playing one. Where did that picture of them come from?