Rush Album by Album, Song By Song

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

  1. SurrealCereal

    SurrealCereal Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    "Carnies" isn't a standout track but it's a perfectly enjoyable moment on the album. The twisted opening guitar riff is cool but unfortunately nothing after that delivers on the intensity it seems to promise. I also like the "glint of iron wheels" hook and some of the other turns the song takes. I generally think Geddy sounds pretty good on Clockwork Angels (especially compared to his live renditions of older songs) but I do think he sounds a bit strained here.
     
  2. The MEZ

    The MEZ Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    Carnies 3/5
     
    JulesRules and mark winstanley like this.
  3. Melllvar

    Melllvar No Matter Where You Go, There You Are!

    Location:
    Anchorage, Alaska
    Carnies: It has a nice groove with the excellent guitar work, but as mentioned, Geddy's voice is a bit strained here.
     
    The MEZ and mark winstanley like this.
  4. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Halo Effect

    songfacts
    • Rush's twentieth studio album, Clockwork Angels, is built around a narrative of a young man's journey to follow his dreams in an alternative world where, instead of fossil fuels, modern machinery runs on the power of steam. "What did I do before there were words?" Geddy Lee asks on this power ballad. Producer Nick Raskulinecz commented to MusicRadar.com: "A really cool ballad, kind of a reflective moment of the character in the story."
    • The song features strings arranged by Beck's father, David Campbell, who has also worked with Evanescence, Metallica and My Chemical Romance, amongst others. Raskulinecz told MusicRadar: "We always knew we were going to put strings on the song. Alex (Lifeson, guitar) wrote and played demo strings on a keyboard. At first, we thought about using that, but then we decided to go for it and have a real string section."
    • Regarding Lifeson's guitar work on this tune, Raskulinecz said: "Alex played his Gibson Dove acoustic. We two tracks, miking him with a U47 tube mic. I put the mic about three feel away so you can get the nice body of the guitar. It's a pretty gorgeous sound."
    -------------------------------------------------------------------

    I HAD FALLEN HELPLESSLY IN LOVE with one of the performers. She was so different from “the girl I left behind,” and I was beginning to understand I had only pretended she was right for me. I pursued my beautiful acrobat obsessively until she let me be with her – then I suffered her rejection and contempt. Once again, I had created an ideal of the perfect soulmate, and tried to graft it onto her. It didn’t fit. Such illusions have colored my whole life.

    What did I see?
    Fool that I was
    A goddess, with wings on her heels
    All my illusions
    Projected on her
    The ideal, that I wanted to see

    What did I know?
    Fool that I was
    Little by little, I learned
    My friends were dismayed
    To see me betrayed
    But they knew they could never tell me

    What did I care?
    Fool that I was
    Little by little, I burned
    Maybe sometimes
    There might be a flaw
    But how pretty the picture was back then

    What did I do?
    Fool that I was
    To profit from youthful mistakes?
    It’s shameful to tell
    How often I fell
    In love with illusions again

    So shameful to tell
    Just how often I fell
    In love with illusions again

    A goddess with wings on her heels . . .

    This track take the form of a ballad and the strings work pretty well here. We move nicely between a rock feel and a ballad feel and the song holds together really well.

    This seems almost like a personal song, and I appreciate the lyrics, because Neil takes the blame, rather than looking to pass it off on someone else. It is very easy, and particularly popular these days to blame everyone else for our own mistakes and shortcomings, but here the reality that most bad decisions are our own fault. We often tend to idealise things and look for what we want, other than what is really there. that is just part of life. Also Neil very pointedly relates the fact that our friends can't tell us, because when we are in that mindset, we can't be perturbed.

    Again we start with an atmospheric landscape, this leads into a really nice acoustic guitar, with Geddy supporting nicely on the bass end. There is a nice floating synth in the background. Then we move into a grinding guitar section. Again in the back ground Geddy is playing some nice stuff. Neil is laying down a nice groove, with some nice fills, but for the most part his section here is playing to the song, rather than blowing our minds.
    I really like the instrumental break, I think it has almost a folkish type arrangement, and works really well.

    Not my favourite track on the album, but I think it works well.


     
  5. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    Beside the opener the weakest song on the album.
     
    mark winstanley likes this.
  6. Megastroth

    Megastroth Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    Halo Effect
    After 5 rockers, we get something much more mellow. I find this song pleasant enough but not incredible. The lyrics are pretty solid. "All my illusions projected on her. The ideal, that I wanted to see." I think that is a place many of us have been in at some point in our younger days. Alex provides a nice little guitar intro in the live version. Definitely getting a Jimmy Page vibe from that part.

     
  7. Al Gator

    Al Gator You can call me Al

    For me, Halo Effect never takes flight - it lumbers along with an uninteresting melody and a clunky rhythm. Lyrically it's an interesting idea, almost an anti-love ballad, actually rather cynical to my ears. I'm not sure how it moves the album along and I agree with Claus that it's a weak track.
     
    Wil1972 and mark winstanley like this.
  8. Fischman

    Fischman RockMonster, ClassicalMaster, and JazzMeister

    Location:
    New Mexico
    Halo Effect

    I'll agree that it's not up to the standard of the other songs thus far on the album, but it does have a lot going for it.

    The acoustic work is beautiful. Sometimes, I think Alex should do an entirely acoustic solo album.

    I love Geddy's bass line. It's somewhat reminiscent of Half the World but yet fits perfectly here as well.

    Lyrically it's solid and covers a theme many of us are aware of but never really talk about.

    Well done overall, even if not as dynamic as the rest of the album. And let's be honest.... most of this album is so intense, a little interlude is really necessary at this point, and Halo Effect serves quite well in that context.
     
  9. RicB

    RicB Certified Porcupine Tree Fan

    Location:
    Pacific NW, USA
    Carnies

    An unmelodic sonic mess and pro-tools disaster. Geddy's voice has never been worse. The words and music feel like bits of leftovers that they just assembled into a "song". Without the extra text, the songs lyrics are meaningless. Absolutely unlistenable. One of the worst songs on a relatively poor album.
     
    mark winstanley and Lamus like this.
  10. RicB

    RicB Certified Porcupine Tree Fan

    Location:
    Pacific NW, USA
    Halo Effect

    A song with promise that never delivers. Again the singing ruins it, though the lyrics feel unfinished - like Neil couldn't come up with just the right words.

    If it sounds like I'm don't like this album, it's because I'm don't... There are a few redeeming tracks and one is coming up next.
     
    mark winstanley and Al Gator like this.
  11. Lamus

    Lamus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    Halo Effect

    It’s been quite a run but this is the first dud for me since the beginning of Vapor Trails. It’s still Rush, so it isn’t horrible, but it just doesn’t do anything for me. The strings are completely overwrought, in my opinion.

    Lyrically.....hmmm. Beginning each verse with “What did I [insert word here]” is a hack and I am surprised to see Neil do this 35 years in.
     
    mark winstanley likes this.
  12. Lamus

    Lamus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    Given that I wasn’t expecting to like this album, I have been viewing it from a “the glass is half full” perspective and enjoying it quite a bit. I will say, however, unlike with Snakes and Arrows, your viewpoint is definitely lurking in my brain. I know your comment was specific to Carnies and not the whole album, but the Pro Tools shadow looms large on this one.
     
    JulesRules and mark winstanley like this.
  13. Cheevyjames

    Cheevyjames Forum Resident

    Location:
    Graham, NC
    BU2B

    I love all the weirdness at the beginning, along with the acoustic guitar strumming and ethereal Geddy haunting us. That first 48 seconds is my favorite part of the song. The rest is pretty stock "heavy, modern-day Rush" with a strong RATM/Tool influence in the syncopated riffs. The heaviness is kind of clumsy in a way. Maybe it's more "lumbering". It's not graceful. The bridge does pull it all back a slight bit and add some poppiness and I think that's welcome with a song that's so heavy. The middle/solo section doesn't really give any indication that there's a theremin there. I never would've picked it out unless I saw it mentioned in the write-up. Since it's so buried in the mix, that section just becomes a huge mush of sound without much having any real definition. It's a heavy track so I see what they're going for. Lyrically this one really brings me back to 2112 and the Priests - all-knowing, all-controlling everyone's lives...no room for deviation/elevation from the norm. Neil's strongly showing his atheist side here and that's cool I guess. He hits you over the head with it, but so does the music so in that sense they work together. As for my enjoyment of the song, I think it's decent but the overbearing heaviness makes it kind of a bore. The chorus is good and catchy so I'm cool with that. Still, a big let down from the opener. I prefer the mix on the single version; it's less "in your face", even if it misses the cool intro. So, final grade: single is Good, album version is Decent. That's annoying!

    Clockwork Angels

    You know, I haven't felt this exhilarated from a Rush song in a long time. Feels like it anyway. Maybe Driven, maybe Dreamline...Not sure. It's been a while, though. I mean, this music is so exciting! It's such a rush of adrenaline. The riffing reminds me of the last section of Cygnus-X1, not in terms of being a copy or anything, but it just gives me that feeling. AND I LOVE IT. The change to the verse riff is really unexpected and at first it seems like it doesn't belong, being so poppy and happy, but the more I hear this the more I feel that it works so well. Neil's just raging on this tune. In the second half of the choruses when he drops down to half time is brilliant. It's such a weird stop in the action...all while the rest of the action is going on behind him. Alex's guitar solo is absolutely wonderful and the transition out of it hitting that mellow weird bridge is fantastic. Geddy's disembodied vocal is great too. I love how proggy this song is and how they really embraced going back to that writing style. This song is nothing but exciting for me. I love all of the "as if to fly" vocal tags, but I especially love the last one before the song closes out. I love every second of this song.
     
  14. Cheevyjames

    Cheevyjames Forum Resident

    Location:
    Graham, NC
    The Anarchist

    This one is a solid "good" for me. I enjoy this tune a lot. My biggest issue is with the lyrics. Neil presents this view of the Anarchist (the character) from a place of deep self-reflection. These are the Anarchist's thoughts about himself, but he's seeing himself with such clarity that it doesn't seem possible. Other people could surely see this about him and psychoanalyze his actions and why he is the way he is, but in real life I don't know of anyone who can see themselves from that far back. Now, I'm following the lyrics of this story for the first time. Every other time I've heard this album it's been more of a musical listen. So I don't know what all happens in the story and I like going day by day to experience the whole thing. Maybe there's some reason why the Anarchist is able to see himself in such a way. Still, right now, I wish that this song was in third person rather than first. There's clearly a narrator in this story so it would make sense that he could give us this psychological profile of The Anarchist. All that said, it's such a minor nitpick of how much I like this song. Musically it takes me back to Signals and it's more than obvious by this point that the band is tapping into their whole career and in a sense making a summation of everything they've done, just slightly askew. I bet they knew this would be their last album. So yes, heavy doses of the Signals Vibe along with some ON POINT bass playing from Geddy. I've missed him playing like this. We get some more disembodied Geddy voice as well so that's a cool thread running through this album. I love the use of the strings on this song too. It's a real psychedelic effect that works perfectly. The intro riff is one that I love; it frames the song well. Alex's solo sounds like he's playing in the same mode as his YYZ solo along with mixing in the heavy whammy use like he did in the 80's. I approve of all this. As I said, solid good all around here.

    Carnies

    This is the first lesser track for me on the album. The only part that really grabs me is the chorus (how I prayed just to get away). The "glint of iron wheels" is pretty good too, but as a song the whole thing doesn't hold together well. In the story we seem to be hitting an important plot point where The Anarchist is going to detonate a bomb at the city's summer festival (probably a couple months after the 24th of May) but everything goes wrong when he's recognized by the main character (Owen, in the book). It's interesting at least how the only action in this song happens in the bridge and if you don't read the background above the lyrics you might miss what happens. I just think this song could be more impactful if it was written better. Overall it's a decent track.

    Halo Effect

    This is a good place to have a sonic break from all of the heaviness. It's good to get a breather. I like the use of the acoustic here by Alex, as well as his mandola in the middle section. It's pretty straightforward from everyone, but I think they've written a good song here. It's not particularly inventive, but I enjoy it. The lyrics hit me pretty hard, esp. the idea of projecting this ideal onto someone, who clearly isn't "all that". Boy, I've done that so many times in my life, both in romantic areas and other ways too. You see the world how you want to see it, rather than how it is...and then you get burned when the reality hits. The repeated use of "fool that I was" is a great call-back to Presto with its "what a fool I was for you/what a fool I used to be". Very enjoyable song for me, rating it as Good.
     
    JulesRules, mark winstanley and Lamus like this.
  15. Lamus

    Lamus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    I was surprised this song didn’t get more love. The bridge of this song (coupled with the transition from the chorus before it) remains my favorite part of Clockwork so far. The ascending/descending lead line with Geddy singing “Until our final breath...” is just so good. One of my favorite Rush melodies ever. No joke.
     
  16. RicB

    RicB Certified Porcupine Tree Fan

    Location:
    Pacific NW, USA
    It got a little love from me, and I don't even like the album that much.
     
    mark winstanley and Lamus like this.
  17. Veovis

    Veovis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    The La Villa ride pattern! Maybe the most signature Neil beat of them all. Never thought about it appearing on La Villa first, but I guess it did (although he plays kind of an embryo of that beat in the chorus of The Temple of Syrinx). The fully developed beat appeared again already on Spirit of Radio and then again on YYZ and then again on Subdivisions etc... The last time I recall him using it (from memory) is on Time Stand Still. Love it! But I agree it's not heard that clearly in the studio version of Carnies.
     
    mark winstanley likes this.
  18. Lamus

    Lamus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    Right, you can clearly hear that he is playing a ride cymbal but the distinctive pattern doesn’t jump out. Now on a quest to confirm that La Villa is truly the first place it appeared...
     
    mark winstanley and Veovis like this.
  19. Veovis

    Veovis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    It just struck me that Neil played it in one of the instrumental interludes/guitar solos a few minutes into Hemispheres (the song) so I guess chronologically speaking that was the first time (I think). It's great to be a nerd!:)
     
    Lamus and mark winstanley like this.
  20. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    I actually like "Halo Effect", mainly because it offers us a bit of a break from the loudness. The acoustic section is lovely and I think I'd have preferred it if the entire song was kept in the acoustic arrangement. Once the drums and electric guitars come in, we're back to the sort of sonic onslaught of the first 5 tracks. The lyrics are fine, if nothing truly remarkable for a writer like Neil. It's a worthy subject, of course, but I'm not sure I see how it fits into the album's storyline. The strings work pretty well on this song.

    A lot of the songs on this album (so far) are falling into the "this is pretty good" category, without ever reaching above that.
     
  21. SurrealCereal

    SurrealCereal Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    "Halo Effect" is a nice change of pace. The slower tempo and lighter arrangement is a nice contrast against the heavy sound of the preceding songs. The loud guitars on the chorus make it sound kind of like a power ballad but not in a cheesy way. I wish it would have stayed acoustic all the way through and maybe made more use of the string section I hear somewhere in the background.
     
  22. The MEZ

    The MEZ Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    Halo Effect 2.25/5
     
    mark winstanley and Lamus like this.
  23. Melllvar

    Melllvar No Matter Where You Go, There You Are!

    Location:
    Anchorage, Alaska
    Halo Effect: It's a nice breather that's for sure. The song musically, is melodic and just love the laid back arrangement that kicks off the song. While I have no issue with the rest of the song going into full on rock mode; I, just like the others, would of preferred more the acoustic arrangement. The other issue is Geddy's voice isn't working for me on this one. Overall, it's an okay track, but really could of stayed focused by being laid back as to break up the loud rock of the previous tracks.
     
    robcar and mark winstanley like this.
  24. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Seven Cities Of Gold.

    songfacts
    • Real world history inspired drummer and lyricist Neil Peart as he developed the tale. "The Seven Cities of Gold always fascinated me," he told Rolling Stone. "Southwestern US history especially fascinates me. The whole spur of the Spanish exploration of the Southwestern US was the search for these mythical Seven Cities of Gold. The Spanish ones would go back to Mexico City and say, 'I saw it! I saw it! I just couldn't get to it, but I could see this city of gold in the distance!' They kept believing it and sending expeditions."
    • Producer Nick Raskulinecz discussed his production work on this song with MusicRadar.com. He said: "There's a lot going on, so as a producer, I want to make sure that we don't lose the song. I love the way it builds up, coming out of this chaotic funk, and then you have Neil just slamming. It makes me want to drive fast.

      We created a lot of spacey stuff in the middle section," he continued. "For his solo, Alex (Lifeson, guitar) played live off the floor. We put him out in the room with his headphones on, and he was right in front of his amp. We wanted to get the screaming feedback coming at him. I think he nailed it in one take. I'm so privileged to have witnessed it - and many moments like it."
    --------------------------------------------------------------------

    THE LEGEND HAD PASSED DOWN FOR GENERATIONS. Far across the Western Sea, where the steamliners could not fly, lay a wilderness land hiding seven cities of gold. I dared the crossing on one of the stout ships that followed the trade route to Poseidon, a tough port city. I worked there for a while on the steamliners that served the alchemy mines, then eventually set out into the Redrock Desert. The stones were sculpted into unearthly monuments, and the country grew cold as I traveled north in search of the most famous City of Gold: CÃbola. Its name had sounded in my dreams since childhood.

    A man can lose his past, in a country like this
    Wandering aimless
    Parched and nameless
    A man could lose his way, in a country like this
    Canyons and cactus
    Endless and trackless

    Searching through a grim eternity
    Sculptured by a prehistoric sea

    Seven Cities of Gold
    Stories that fired my imagination
    Seven Cities of Gold
    A splendid mirage in this desolation
    Seven Cities of Gold
    Glowing in my dreams, like hallucinations
    Glitter in the sun like a revelation
    Distant as a comet or a constellation

    A man can lose himself, in a country like this
    Rewrite the story
    Recapture the glory
    A man could lose his life, in a country like this
    Sunblind and friendless
    Frozen and endless

    The nights grow longer, the farther I go
    Wake to aching cold, and a deep Sahara of snow

    That gleam in the distance could be heaven’s gate
    A long-awaited treasure at the end of my cruel fate

    Songwriters: Alex Lifeson / Geddy Lee / Neil Elwood Peart
    Seven Cities of Gold lyrics © Ole Media Management Lp

    I love the way this song starts. We get this sort of stop start funk pattern on the bass, and Alex gives us some kind of atmospheric noise guitar that has little melodic bits ringing out and then we burst into a stomping guitar riff groove, and Geddy comes in with the vocals.

    Lyrically this is a pretty straight forward story of exploration with some of the pitfalls thrown in for good measure. I think it is pretty well written, and I think that its focus on the character of the story helps make it work well.

    This is a dense layered track and it steams along nicely. Again for me, Geddy just barely manages to carry off the vocal. It isn't bad, and some parts are good, but I think the effected certain parts to try and soften those high vocals.
    We get a couple of nice breakdowns.... only short ones to break up the thump a little.
    Strangely one of the things here that is a little much is Neil's consistent straight beat. There is certainly some good playing, and some nice fills, but normally Neil would have done something really interesting to colour this one in a bit. Aside from the breakdown, it feels just a little too straight beat for a Rush track.

    Alex gets a lead break that starts with a held note and then we get some delay and vibrato bar stuff, and it works pretty well, but it is an effect guitar more than a lead break.
    Finally towards the end Neil does a few interesting fills and beats.

    I don't dislike this song, but for me, this doesn't live up to the high standards Rush have set for a track of this sort


     
  25. Al Gator

    Al Gator You can call me Al

    I like Seven Cities of Gold - the song has the right feeling and propulsive forward motion for the lyrics, and that strange little break in the middle fits well. It's one of the better tracks on the album IMO.

    Incidentally, way back in the early 1980s when I was in high school, there was a game with the same name that I played a ton on my Atari 800. It randomly generated a continent that you had to explore and settle. It was one of the best games of that era.
     
    Stormrider77 and mark winstanley like this.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine