Rush Album by Album, Song By Song

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mark winstanley, Jan 11, 2020.

  1. Melllvar

    Melllvar No Matter Where You Go, There You Are!

    Location:
    Anchorage, Alaska

    Caravan:
    When I heard the original release from the digital version around 2010, it didn't click with me at first. However, that would change when I heard it in the context of the album. For starts, it's a bit shaky for an album opener, but it gels together nicely and gets the story underway. Musically, love the guitar work and just scream vintage Rush to me. I also love the ear worm 'Just Can't Stop Thinking Big".

    BU2B:
    Now this track I like. The band are great here musically, despite the lyrical content. With some memorable riffs and a sold rhythm section, it's just fantastic all around.
     
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  2. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Clockwork Angels

    songfacts
    • This is the title track from Rush's nineteenth studio album, the Canadian trio's debut set for Anthem/Roadrunner Records. The conceptual record was recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville and Revolution Recording in Toronto. The storyline traces a young man's journey through a world of steampunk and alchemy and an unyielding Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life.
    • Speaking with Spin magazine, Rush bassist Geddy Lee explained how the band approached the project. "I didn't want the details of the story to start weighing down the individuality of any one song. I wanted the songs to be a collection that could stand on their own, outside of context of the whole story," he said. "When you look at a collection of songs like those on the Who's Tommy, you could pull 'I'm Free' out of that and it still stands on its own. But in connection to the story, it takes on another interpretation. So there was a lot of discussion about that. I think at one point, Neil (Peart, drummer-lyricist) was a little frustrated with my determination to keep the story-line minimal in a sense."
    • Producer Nick Raskulinecz told MusicRadar.com that every track on Clockwork Angels was born out of Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson jam. "Geddy and Alex would sit in a room and jam with a click track or a simple drum beat," he recalled. The songs were very different without Neil. So that was the first stage of the demos; the next demo stage was to get Neil on the songs."

      "Songs constantly changed," he continued. "Half of the album was written between 2008 and 2010. The second half was written in two weeks in the studio. While Neil and I were tracking drums on some of the finished songs, Geddy and Alex were down the hall working on the other ones."
    • Raskulinecz recalled to MusicRadar: "The first time Neil played to 'Clockwork Angels' was when he sat down in the studio with his headphones on and went for it. It was amazing to watch it all happen. A lot of the drum parts on this album, and especially this song, he only played one time. There weren't multiple, multiple, multiple takes."
    • The Alex Lifeson guitar solo you hear on the record is the original one he recorded for the demo. It's just him playing by himself without the other band members.
    • Clockwork Angels reached #2 on the Billboard 200. In doing so Rush equaled American band leader Ray Coniff's record of achieving 12 top ten albums without ever reaching #1.
    • Clockwork Angels was named Album Of The Year at the inaugural Progressive Music Awards, which were held in London on September 5, 2012. The event, created by Prog Magazine, honors the work of progressive music artists.
    • The album was influenced by Candide, a work by the French philosopher Voltaire that is a favorite of Neil Peart. There are parallels between the title character in Voltaire's work and Owen Hardy, who is the star of Clockwork Angels. Both lead a life of adventure and discovery, concluding that there is no grand plan to the universe and that we are in control of our destiny.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------


    THE PLACE I HAD MOST WANTED TO SEE – Chronos Square, at the heart of Crown City. I had seen many images of the city before, and Chronos Square, but nothing could convey its immensity – the heaven-reaching towers of the Cathedral of the Timekeepers, or the radiant glory of the Angels – Land, Sea, Sky, and Light – bathed in the brilliant glow of the floating globes.

    High above the city square
    Globes of light float in mid-air
    Higher still, against the night
    Clockwork angels bathed in light

    You promise every treasure, to the foolish and the wise
    Goddesses of mystery, spirits in disguise
    Every pleasure, we bow and close our eyes
    Clockwork angels, promise every prize

    Clockwork angels, spread their arms and sing
    Synchronized and graceful, they move like living things
    Goddesses of Light, of Sea and Sky and Land
    Clockwork angels, the people raise their hands – As if to fly

    All around the city square
    Power shimmers in the air
    People gazing up with love
    To those angels high above

    Celestial machinery – move through your commands
    Goddesses of mystery, so delicate and so grand
    Moved to worship, we bow and close our eyes
    Clockwork angels, promise every prize

    Lean not upon your own understanding
    Ignorance is well and truly blessed
    Trust in perfect love, and perfect planning
    Everything will turn out for the best”

    Stars aglow like scattered sparks
    Span the sky in clockwork arcs
    Hint at more than we can see
    Spiritual machinery


    I – THE PEDLAR 1
    A foggy woodland road, a crowded village square, the busy streets of Crown City – a wandering pedlar travels the land, uttering the ageless call.

    “What do you lack?”

    Clockwork Angels lyrics © Ole Media Management Lp


    We open with another atmospheric section, and a pulse builds underneath, and then we are pummelled by the guitar bass and drums, in a way that kind of reminds me of the late seventies material, even the chord voicings sound that way to me.
    Then we almost jarringly move into an airy guitar, that sort of borrows from the eighties guitar sounds and styles.
    Then we burst into a sort of punkish guitar that leads us into what feels like the first verse proper.
    This has a driving feel and I think the melody works pretty well for the styling of the song.

    Lyrically we have a scene setting track, with our journeyer witnessing the apparently overwhelming effect of Chronos Square and its fancy adornments.
    Essentially this is vision of pure fantasy, and the lyrics never really move out of fantasy. Again well written, but contextually confused.

    Musically the guys have gone for a grand sounding track in an attempt to capture the feelings that our traveller has looking up into the upper reaches of the square.
    We move through the soft - heavy rotation a few times, and we get an Alex lead break. Here Alex stays within the melodic zone and it works very well.
    Some of Geddy's vocals here enter the questionable zone, and we get an effected vocal after the lead, then we get some reverse reverb vocals. layered quite a bit actually.

    This is really well put together and ends up being another good song, with some interesting sections.

     
  3. Al Gator

    Al Gator You can call me Al

    The Clockwork Angels title track transitions several times between a great drum rhythm and quieter sections. The chorus is downright majestic. Again the lyrics could easily be applied to the modern world - I’m beginning to sense a theme here. It’s a really good track.
     
  4. dirkster

    dirkster Senior Member

    Location:
    McKinney, TX, USA
    Clockwork Angels (the song)

    I feel like the album should have started with this track. It sets up the narrative and is a statement of purpose in a way that Caravan and BU2B are not. This song sounds like it belongs on a prog-leaning steampunk concept album and those two don’t. The guitar solo is excellent and I like the way song breaks down into a different section after it ends.

    Yes, and I think they succeed here.
     
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  5. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    For sure ... I'm a bit hungover, so I'm not sure if I conveyed that well or not to be honest :)
     
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  6. Megastroth

    Megastroth Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    Clockwork Angels
    Wow. This track is a highlight of the album and a highlight of late period Rush in general. Here they mix the adventurous prog rock structures of the 70s with their modern heavy sound, to fantastic results. I love the melodic verse with arpeggiated guitar contrasted with the driving portion "you promise every treasure." It all flows smoothly. Neil goes off with the tribal drumming. Geddy does some really cool vocal stuff as well. There is a little thing he does singing "high above" at 3:08 which is just beautiful. Oddly those same sort of vocal tricks didn't work for me in many places on S&A, but here it just sounds sublime and is perfect for what the track is trying to convey. Alex comes through with a great guitar solo. When the track takes a totally unexpected turn at 5:00 into a mellow bluesy section, I knew they had hit gold with this one. Lyrically this is a descriptive track. It seems this fictional society has some sort of pseudo-religion where people are almost worshiping these beautiful mechanical creations. I suppose this is in keeping with the overall streampunk world and is some sort of analogy about our modern consumerism that like the angels "promise every treasure." This track is exceptional.

     
  7. The MEZ

    The MEZ Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    Clockwork Angels song 5/5
     
  8. RicB

    RicB Certified Porcupine Tree Fan

    Location:
    Pacific NW, USA
    Clockwork Angels

    The song works alright in context, but doesn't stand alone well at all. The music is not very "Rush", but it is rather lush. Geddy's voice is not great here. I do like the little interlude done with the distorted vocals, in terms of sound, but the way Geddy sings it, I can't understand a word.

    It did work well in concert with everyone in the stands raising their hands "as if to fly".
     
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  9. Lamus

    Lamus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    Hmmm, I was more with RicB on this one but I’m going to have to give it a few more listens based on these comments...
     
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  10. dirkster

    dirkster Senior Member

    Location:
    McKinney, TX, USA
    :edthumbs:
     
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  11. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    The title track is awesome, one of the top 3 songs on CA.
     
  12. SurrealCereal

    SurrealCereal Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    "Clockwork Angels" is another great song with more of a proggy feel. It's an interesting progression from the chiming guitars and slowly unraveling melody of the opening first section, to the jagged main riff that suddenly tramples it, to the exultant chorus that builds out of the chaos. The chorus melody is one of the most memorable on the album and the whole song is an epic standout. The lyrics here definitely feel like they're at the core of the album's concept (which makes sense considering it's the title track).
     
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  13. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    "Clockwork Angels" is a very interesting song that I so wish had received better production. It's too bad that what could have been brilliant from a sonic perspective has been reduced to mush. That said, there is a lot to praise about this track. I love the journey it takes you on, particularly the shift around 2/3 through into a slow section with distorted vocals. I'm not too sure about the lyrics but I suppose they tie into the overall storyline of the album by setting a rather fantastical scene being observed by our protagonist. Overall, this is one of the stronger tracks on the album - I just wish it had been recorded better.
     
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  14. Lamus

    Lamus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    Clockwork Angels

    I’m playing this on the hi-if and it sounds so good until that first big chord kicks in. I’m with Al in not wanting to harp on this over and over but I’ll keep pointing it out when the disappointment peaks here and there.

    As I said earlier, I wasn’t completely sold on this one until so many started raving about it. I’ve given it a few more isolated and concentrated listens and have found a lot more to like. First, I want to say that the 16th note triplets that Neil is playing on the hi-hats in the verses (“High above the city square...”) are just so cool. It might be my favorite drum part of the album so far. The tribal stuff he is doing elsewhere in the song is cool, but it gets mired in the general loudness. How about the stick click count-in for the elevated second half of the verses? 1-2-3-4-5-6! Glad they left those in.

    Alex’s solo is impressive. I like how Geddy is playing a rhythmically interesting part underneath it. Neil has some good licks towards the end of it, too.

    I gotta say, I’m buying into the lyrical concept of the album. In fact, at three songs in, I think they are giving 2112 a run for it’s money.
     
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  15. Megastroth

    Megastroth Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    When you listen closely to the bass and drums after those stick clicks, you hear a super-intense groove. It reminds me of the groove at the end of Cygnus X-1 when the ship is getting pulled into the black hole.
     
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  16. Lamus

    Lamus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    Just listened and you are right. Cygnus is about 25% faster but they have a similar 6 groove.
     
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  17. Melllvar

    Melllvar No Matter Where You Go, There You Are!

    Location:
    Anchorage, Alaska
    Clockwork Angels (song): ...And now the show begins. The first two tracks being a prelude of sorts, CA gets the narrative underway. Love the instrumentation on this track. Just superb. I suppose, if had to be nitpicky, the chorus feels a bit flat to me. Aside from that, it's still a great track.
     
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  18. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    The Anarchist

    songfacts
    • Clockwork Angels is a concept album about a young man's quest to follow his dreams, in which he encounters an anarchist during his travels across an alternative world. Explaining during an interview with Rolling Stone what gave Rush the initial idea to make a concept record, drummer and lyricist Neil Peart said: "The nice thing is that it sort of grew in the telling. It started with a conversation in 2009. We got together in Los Angeles and started to think about our next year. One of the projects we discussed was doing a compilation of all of our instrumentals, which [bassist] Geddy [Lee] suggested. I said, 'Yeah, maybe we could make a new one to go with it. Maybe something a little more extended.'"

      "Those words 'a little more extended' in the course of this comfortable conversation got me thinking," he continued. "I said, 'Well, I've been thinking lately about this setting ...' And I explained this whole steampunk thing to the guys and they seemed kind of intrigued. So I started working, and the story came together organically."
    • Producer Nick Raskulinecz told MusicRadar.com why this boisterous rocker is one of his favorites on Clockwork Angels: "To me, it's all about the riff," he said, "and this riff takes me back to the old days. That was one of the cool things about working on this record, helping Rush to know that it was OK to be like this. 'You guys can do this. You guys did it a long time ago, you can do it again. You own it!'

      There's a lot of interplay happening between everybody," he continued. "There was a demo, but we added a keyboard and the high strings – it morphed. Vocally, it was about getting Geddy up in that high register where he belongs. His energy level is pretty cool here."
    --------------------------------------------------------------

    WALKING AMONG THE PEOPLE – who are so content, so blind – the Anarchist hears the pedlar’s call, and sneers derisively. “What do I lack? Ah … vengeance?”

    Will there be world enough and time for me to sing that song?
    A voice so silent for so long
    For all those years I had to get along, they told me I was wrong
    I never wanted to belong – I was so strong

    I lack their smiles and their diamonds; I lack their happiness and love
    I envy them for all those things, I never got my fair share of

    The lenses inside of me that paint the world black
    The pools of poison, the scarlet mist, that spill over into rage
    The things I’ve always been denied
    An early promise that somehow died
    A missing part of me that grows around me like a cage

    In all your science of the mind, seeking blind through flesh and bone
    Find the blood inside this stone
    What I know, I’ve never shown; what I feel, I’ve always known
    I plan my vengeance on my own – and I was always alone

    Oh – They tried to get me
    Oh – They’ll never forget me

    The Anarchist lyrics © Ole Media Management Lp

    This opens with some nice rolling toms, that I guess some will describe as tribal, and we get a nice extended opening. We get a descending chord line and Geddy is giving those bass strings a good slapping.
    Neil may have adlibbed his drums, but they sound fine to me.
    The opening run through a few stages and we get a breakdown to the descending chord pattern, and Geddy comes in on the vocals.

    Lyrically this seems to be a person who feels they haven't lived off the fat of the land, and seems to want to take what everybody else has to satisfy this. Certainly there are folks around like this ... Not really a helpful thing.

    Geddy vocals at times on here sound a little strained, but the vocal comes across well.
    We have layers and layers of sound here. Multiple guitars, mellotron, sound effects, and a thick pumping bass.

    This is a good song, but to some degree a lesser track for me musically. It has plenty of urgency and intent, but I don't think on the whole it delivers its full potential.....
    That doesn't mean I don't like it, I just don't think it quite reaches the heights it is aiming for.
    I enjoy the lead break.
    Good track.

     
  19. dirkster

    dirkster Senior Member

    Location:
    McKinney, TX, USA
    The Anarchist

    Here comes another 7 minute song, so you know this is a different album from Rush. When was the last time they had so many 7 minute tracks on an album? Following the title track, this keeps up the energy and I start to feel this is going to be a special album.
     
  20. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    Anarchist is a good track. The only thing I don't like are the distant distorted vocals.
     
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  21. Lamus

    Lamus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    The Anarchist

    Good “A to B” track - it moves the story along and provides some strong musical moments.

    The melody for “A missing part of me that grows around me like a cage” is good and the music that immediately follows that part is great (not sure how to describe it - let’s just say “the lead line”). Neil’s double bass at the end of each lead line in this part is really cool. Killer arranging when this section comes around again after the distorted vocal part. Instead of immediately going into the lead line they go into a soaring bridge - “Oh they tried to get me, Oh they will never forget me” and then they play the lead line again, which leads into Alex’s solo, another late-career example of a solo with an eastern flair. Love it.
     
  22. Al Gator

    Al Gator You can call me Al

    I think The Anarchist is a solid angry-young-man rock track (a little ironic for an old band). I like the extended introduction, but the melodies in the main part of the song feel weak to me, especially after the majesty of the title track. That may be intentional as it's describing an unsatisfied and furious young man, and presumably the music is intended to highlight that fact. We get another excellent Alex solo near the end.
     
  23. RicB

    RicB Certified Porcupine Tree Fan

    Location:
    Pacific NW, USA
    The Anarchist

    Not a terrible track, but the music (though very, very good) is too "happy" for the lyrics - just seems like a bad fit. Again, Geddy's voice is shot - he's wailing, but not in a good way.
     
  24. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    "The Anarchist" is a song that I think had the potential to be great but, for several unrelated reasons, never achieves liftoff. I think the intro section is fantastic, with a lot of energy and excitement. Again, however, the muffled, muddled sonics and Geddy's weak vocal sort of deflate everything that the intro pumps up. The strings seems a bit lost here when they come in and don't have the majesty of the earlier Rush string arrangements (such as "Marathon"). I'm normally a fan of the way David Campbell arranges strings (plus, he's Beck's dad!), but this one doesn't ever take flight for me. Lyrically, the song seems to be about a dangerous loner who feels shut out of the society and is building up a wave of resentment and envy that might potentially explode into violence. Certainly a disturbing character study, but not one we should be unaware of at this point.

    A good song that could have been much better, I think.
     
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  25. Fischman

    Fischman RockMonster, ClassicalMaster, and JazzMeister

    Location:
    New Mexico
    Clockwork Angels

    Great song. Cool vibe; solid atmosphere. Here, we also have a new take on an old theme, but delivered with more originality and freshness than BU2B (lyrically speaking). Neil is rockin'. Geddy is jammin'. Alex is highly creative. It all works.
     

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