Rush Album by Album, Song By Song

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

  1. Megastroth

    Megastroth Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    Seven Cities of Gold
    This one is just OK for me. I like the accoutrements more than the core of the song. Things like Geddy's bass intro or the various guitar sounds and effects at the midsection are all cool. The space that the track provides for that does harken back the to 70s. The actual main riff and chorus is a pretty plodding affair. Lyrically, I see the search for the cities of gold as a metaphor for striving to attain the unattainable in the journey of life. In this way, I see a connection with the lyrics from Bravado. Overall, I would have to put this song as one of the lesser ones on the album. I think live it comes off a little better. There is a part where Alex seems to be playing two electric guitars at once (about 5:40 in the live track below). That's sort of cool.

     
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  2. Fischman

    Fischman RockMonster, ClassicalMaster, and JazzMeister

    Location:
    New Mexico
    Seven Cities of Gold

    This was a fave when I bought the album and while I still think highly of it, it's no so much as it used to be. Musically, this is up there for sure. Geddy's bass line alone makes it worth repeated listens; sort of a three way cross between classic Geddy, Tool, and some funk. Killer for sure. The atmospheric mood to start, and Alex's varied and creative guitar work are also exemplary.

    Lyrically, it's a moderately interesting topic, really one that sounds like it would be better in Iron Maiden's hand... I can even imagine the cool stage props they'd come up with for a live performance! But we've got a concept album here, and this one just seems kind of out of place here, like an unnecessary tangent.
     
  3. RicB

    RicB Certified Porcupine Tree Fan

    Location:
    Pacific NW, USA
    Seven Cities of Gold

    Best riff the band has written in a long time. The playing is solid, the lyrics are great, the melodies and harmonies, spot on. If Geddy could still sing, this song would be pure gold. I like the song so much that I put up with the incoherent wailing that has replaced singing and it makes it onto the short list included in my 6 CD compilation of All the Rush You Need.
     
  4. Lamus

    Lamus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    Seven Cities of Gold

    I overlap perfectly with Mark on this one. Excellent intro then just maintains a moderate level of interest with Neil laying back, like, oddly laying back. He can do whatever he wants but, yeah, I noticed that he was really playing this one straight.

    I had an Atari 800 and played the heck out of this game for a couple of weeks until I suspected that the 7 Cities of Gold did not exist. Did you ever find them, Al?
     
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  5. Al Gator

    Al Gator You can call me Al

    I remember having a couple of successful games, but don't remember the details. This is almost 40 years ago...
     
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  6. Melllvar

    Melllvar No Matter Where You Go, There You Are!

    Location:
    Anchorage, Alaska
    Seven Cities of Gold:

    Opening with a funky drum and bass workout from Geedy & Neil, the song soon kicks in with blistering guitar work from Alex. In short, everything in this song is memorable right down to the very end. It's definitely a personal favorite.
     
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  7. Dalav

    Dalav Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Seven Cities Of Gold

    Probably among the top 3 or 4 songs on the album. Nice moody opening segment with Geddy's bass at the forefront. Great riff from the guys--yes RicB, one of best in quite some time. And while Alex's feedback solo is ok, I'm not as big a fan of it as Nick R is.
     
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  8. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    The opening lines of "Seven Cities of Gold" makes me think of the opening part of the film Paris, Texas. This is a very good song, although I have to say that I don't see how it really fits into the album's storyline. There's a strong, punchy melody here that keeps me interested over the full 6 and a half minutes. The intro to the song is fairly dramatic and the intensity is kept up to the instrumental break, which provides us with some more "Rush-ian" sounds, with a wildly distorted guitar solo and some percussion bits from Neil to break up the steady beat of the rest of the song. I wouldn't call this a masterpiece or anything, but I think it's a solid album track that stands out to me as one of the better ones on Clockwork Angels.
     
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  9. The MEZ

    The MEZ Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    Seven Cities Of Gold 2.75/5
     
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  10. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    The Wreckers

    songfacts
    • Clockwork Angels is a concept album about a young man's quest to follow his dreams, in which he encounters pirates during his travels across an alternative world. Drummer and lyricist Neil Peart told Rolling Stone how a Daphne Du Maurier story inspired this melancholy song. "This Daphne Du Maurier novel Jamaica Inn describes these people called 'The Wreckers' on the coast of the Cornwall in Britain." he explained. "They would not would not only plunder shipwrecks, but they would actually put up a fake light and attract the ships in a storm to crash on their shores so they could loot them. It's just a shocking example of inhumanity, and it happens to be a true story. I wove it all of that into the story of this album."
    • Guitarist Alex Lifeson and bassist Geddy Lee switched instruments for the writing of the song, but they went back when it was time to get serious. Producer Nick Raskulinecz told MusicRadar.com: "The song didn't exist until we were in the studio – there was no demo of it. Geddy was in the writing room, playing guitar, and Alex came in and picked up the bass. So the song was written with the two of them playing what aren't their main instruments.

      It's probably what gives it such a different feel," he continued. "I tried to get the two of them to switch for the tracking - Alex on bass and Geddy on guitar - but they decided to stick to their designated instruments."
    • At first Lifeson struggled with the part Lee wrote for him. Said Raskulinecz to MusicRadar: "The tune is so big, it's got such bounce and swing, but it took some effort. The guitar part in the verse was probably the hardest thing on the record for us to find. Alex had some difficulty playing the part Geddy had written - it was great, but it didn't feel right to him. He had to search for the right part, and it took all day with me going, 'Nope, that's not it… Nope, that's not it.' Finally, he stumbled onto a picking figure, and Geddy and I just stood up and went, 'That's it! That's the part.' The tune came together real fast after that."
    ------------------------------------------------------------------

    NARROWLY ESCAPING A FROZEN DEATH IN THAT DESERT, I made my way back to Poseidon, and found a berth on a homeward ship. Caught in a terrible storm, we seemed to find salvation in an unexpected signal light. Steering toward it, we soon learned it was false – placed by the denizens to lure ships to their doom on the jagged reefs. They plundered the cargos and abandoned the crews and passengers to the icy waves.

    I was the only survivor.

    The breakers roar on an unseen shore
    In the teeth of a hurricane
    We struggle in vain
    A hellish night – a ghostly light
    Appears through the driving rain
    Salvation in a human chain

    All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary
    Of a miracle too good to be true
    All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary
    Everything in life you thought you knew
    All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary
    ‘Cause sometimes the target is you

    Driven aground, with that awful sound
    Drowned by the cheer from ashore
    We wonder what for
    The people swarm through the darkling storm
    Gather everything they can score
    ‘Til their backs won’t bear any more

    The breakers roar on an unseen shore
    In the teeth of an icy grave
    The human chain leaves a bloody stain
    Washed away in the pounding waves

    All I know is that memory can be too much to carry
    Striking down like a bolt from the blue

    Songwriters: Alex Lifeson / Geddy Lee Weinrib / Neil Elwood Peart
    The Wreckers lyrics © Ole Media Management Lp

    I really like this song.
    The opening guitar kind of reminds me Cheap Trick. that bright ringing chordal riff could have been on a Dream Police track .... not a criticism, I am uncool enough to love that album.
    Neil is playing a nice drop beat groove, and I like that.
    We get the change of feel and come in with a fast strummed clean guitar ... there may be an acoustic in the background, I can't tell. Geddy's bass is a nice flowing melodic rolling line. Then Neil comes in with a straight beat, and the vocals come in.

    On the whole I am not really sure what the message with the verses is here, but the writing is pretty good, and it has some good descriptive lines. I really like the chorus, because no matter what side of the fence you sit on, these are true words.
    It pays to be wary, and it also pays to discern "miracles" with a level head. Sometimes the truth is contrary to our conditioning, and the wise accept and readjust accordingly. At some point we are all targets, of good or evil, and again discernment in these matters is very important.
    Anyway, for me this is one of the best lyrics on here, as it is grounded and solid in reality.

    This song has an easy flowing feel about it. I like the dynamic change in the chorus and I like the rhythmic structure of the chorus also. Geddy doesn't try and over sing this, and so for me, the vocal comes across very well.
    I think the string arrangement here also works very well, adding some colour where needed, or at least contextually adding rather than distracting.
    We get a pretty cool bridge, and it gets some nice accents from Neil.

    The chorus section repeats a couple of times and we move into an instrumental section and we get one more chorus vocal to a fade.

    On the whole, this is a really good song, with a well measure structure that for me works very well.


     
  11. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Rush 1970 - Nov 1998

    Nov 2000 Geddy Lee My Favourite Headache
    My Favourite Headache
    The Present Tense
    Window To The World
    Working At Perfekt
    Runaway Train
    The Angel's Share
    Moving To Bohemia
    Home On The Strange
    Slipping
    Still
    Grace To Grace

    May 2002 Vapor Trails - interview
    One Little Victory
    Ceiling Unlimited
    Ghost Rider
    Peaceable Kingdom
    The Stars Look Down
    How It Is - live
    Vapor Trail
    Secret Touch - live
    Earthshine - live
    Sweet Miracle
    Nocturne
    Freeze (pt iv of Fear)
    Out Of The Cradle

    Feb 2003 Spirit Of The Radio - Greatest Hits 74-87

    Oct 2003 Rush In Rio with concert
    Boys In Brazil

    June 2004 Feedback
    Summertime Blues - live
    Heart Full Of Soul
    For What It's Worth
    The Seeker
    Mr Soul
    Seven and Seven is
    Shapes Of Things
    Crossroads

    Nov 2005 R30

    Apr 2005 Gold

    June 2006 Replay x3


    May 2007 Snakes And Arrows
    Far Cry
    Armour And Sword - live
    Workin them Angels - live
    The Larger Bowl - live
    Spindrift - live
    The Main Monkey Business - live
    The Way The Wind Blows
    Hope
    Faithless - backtrack for discussion. posts deleted
    Bravest Face - backtrack for discussion. posts deleted
    Good News First
    Malignant Narcissism
    We Hold On

    Apr 2008 Snakes And Arrows Live
    Outtakes

    Mar 2009 Retrospective 3

    Nov 2009 Working Men


    2009 Grace Under Pressure live cd

    Mar 2010 Time Stand Still the Collection


    2010 Icon 1 and 2

    Nov 2011 Time Machine

    Nov 2011 Sector 1,2 and 3

    June 2012 Clockwork Angels
    Caravan - live 2011
    BU2B - Live Time Machine
    Clockwork Angels - Live
    The Anarchist - live
    Carnies - live
    Halo Effect - live
    Seven Cities Of Gold - live
    The Wreckers
     
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  12. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    Seven Cities of Gold and The Wreckers are good tracks. Very listenable.
     
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  13. RicB

    RicB Certified Porcupine Tree Fan

    Location:
    Pacific NW, USA
    The Wreckers

    My first impression of this song was good, but it started to grate on me after just a few listens. The liner notes help explain the song (though it could be taken symbolically as well). The music is good, but too upbeat for the lyrics (note: Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree nicked the opening riff for a song on his solo album Hand. Cannot. Erase.). The chorus is decent, but the whole song just feels like a decent, unfinished idea to me. Bonus credit for use of the word "darkling" in the lyrics.
     
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  14. Cheevyjames

    Cheevyjames Forum Resident

    Location:
    Graham, NC
    Seven Cities of Gold

    I like the intro, funky and aggressive bass from Geddy. It ties in directly to the middle freakout section, which I also love. The rest of the song is a bit of a bore. Geddy's voice is at the top of his current range for a good chunk of this song and he sounds pretty bad. In terms of the story this is weird left turn that seems to only exist so that the narrator has another story to tell. It's a pointless detour. In listening again, the middle section is way too short. Right as it starts to get going, the rhythm guitar overdub comes in leads us right back out. So, it's not long enough to save this track. I really don't like it at all.

    The Wreckers

    The opening guitar figure is really simplistic. It's that stupid D-based "hippie riff" that every guitarist does. It does remind me of some of the late 60's tunes, so it kind of ties in with a Feedback track or two. Mostly the song tends to hang out in a Roll the Bones (album) vibe with some bits of Hold Your Fire. Most of the song is fine, but that middle section is really great. It's both cinematic and very dramatic. It works really well with the lyrics. I like Neil's "waves crashing" cymbal hits in different parts of the song. As with Halo Effect, this tune is a good change of pace after the heavier Seven Cities. I really like the progression of the story in the lyrics and how it goes from hopeful to terrible. Musically the main parts of the song don't offer much for me, but that middle really brings it and that's enough to bump the whole thing up to Good for me.
     
  15. Lamus

    Lamus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    The Wreckers

    Where did this poppy chorus come from? Yes, Cheevyjames, it’s like we’re back at Hold Your Fire. I like it, but, as RicB said, it can grow a bit tiresome when you are listening to the album repeatedly (as most of us are doing for this thread). I do like the lyrics and how Neil has used the verses to tell the specific story and the choruses to state the more general theme - Mark, I think the message in the verses is stated in the chorus.

    One nitpicky thing that sticks out to me is the way Geddy has phrased the “Striking down like a bolt from the blue” line. He turns “blue” into two syllables - “buh-lou”. I’m a big fan of the lyric but the awkward phrasing takes me out of the moment.
     
  16. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    :righton: Cheers. I'm more rushed than I like to be at the moment (no pun actually intended :) )
     
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  17. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    I like "The Wreckers" quite a lot and appreciate the Cheap Trick comparison, Mark. The lyrics don't really work for me, at least if there was an attempt to make a larger point about existence. One thing I find a little disconcerting is the way Geddy's voice sounds like Rodney Crowell here (I'm guessing I'm the only Crowell fan on this thread). This song has one of the album's stronger melodies, which of course highlights (yet again) the terrible production of this album. Still, it's one of the better songs here.
     
  18. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I'm not familiar with him
     
  19. Fischman

    Fischman RockMonster, ClassicalMaster, and JazzMeister

    Location:
    New Mexico
    All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary
    Of a miracle too good to be true

    The Wreckers
    I'll just say right up front that I loved this song upon first listen, and that hasn't changed one bit. Why? Mostly because of that fantastic chorus... so melodic, so moving, and so very true, and so very truly delivered by Geddy (and he's not having to strain on this one).

    Coming out of the chorus, I hear some chording reminiscent of The Byrds' "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" and, interestingly the sound is equally reminiscent of the same song as covered years later (and better IMO) by a short lived group called Little America. It all works exceptionally well... as does the dramatic extension later in the song. This is a unique, solid, and for me a completely enduring song. The more I listen to it, the more I think of it.
     
  20. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    Country singer/songwriter who first emerged in the mid-1970s as a member of Emmylou Harris' Hot Band and then landed a solo deal with Columbia. Wrote several big country hits for other artists (as well as a big pop hit for Bob Seger in "Shame On The Moon") before having a massively big seller of his own in 1988 with Diamonds & Dirt, the first album to produce five #1 singles on the country charts. In the 1990s, he moved away from commercial country and established himself as more of an Americana, country-rock artist. His lyrics became more personal and political/socially conscious (which effectively banned him from Nashville and country radio) and he produced his best work in this field on albums such as The Houston Kid and Fate's Right Hand - each a masterpiece in the Americana genre. He's a solid guitarist as well.

    He was married to Rosanne Cash during the 1980s and he produced/co-wrote many of her most commercially successful albums (Seven Year Ache among them). Their breakup was the inspiration for her 1990 masterpiece Interiors as well as his excellent Life Is Messy album. He remained close to Johnny Cash for the rest of the latter man's life and Cash provided a wonderful surprise guest vocal on Crowell's "I Walk The Line Revisited" from The Houston Kid.

    Geddy's lower vocal register on Clockwork Angels sounds a lot like Crowell's voice.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2020
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  21. Al Gator

    Al Gator You can call me Al

    That killer chorus makes The Wreckers into one of the best tracks on the album. It's a good, cautionary tale with appropriately stormy music. It could be one of my favorite songs from the last couple of Rush albums.
     
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  22. Melllvar

    Melllvar No Matter Where You Go, There You Are!

    Location:
    Anchorage, Alaska
    The Wreckers:

    At this point, I had to pull out my vinyl copy since my digital copy's smooshed dynamics were driving me crazy.

    anyway, it's definitely a catchy track. The highlights to me are the Byrds inspired jangly guitar and the strings that add some emotional oomph to the song. The chorus, I must say, it quite memorable and gets stuck my head. Great track all around.
     
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  23. Dalav

    Dalav Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    The Wreckers

    I'm compelled to attribute more meaning to this song than likely is warranted--it's almost like they decided to reach into their songwriting bag of tricks for a parting gift to those fans like myself who think that side of them has been largely lost for the last 20 years; the feeling of hearing Rush recapture their more moving and melodic days definitely put a huge smile on my face. Probably the most enjoyable track for me since the Counterparts era. It's a great chorus, but there's melody and feeling in the verses, too, with Geddy's subdued and easy delivery of "the breakers roar..." and "driven to ground..." setting up the chorus nicely. There's emotion and, as Fischman said, truth to be found in the world-"wary" lyrics. "All I know is that memory can be too much to carry" is a favorite. The emergence of the orchestra shortly after that heightens the emotional impact of the track and ends the song well. (Although...there is just the slightest tease of a guitar solo in the fade. Would have been nice to hear that develop.)
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2020
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  24. The MEZ

    The MEZ Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    The Wreckers 4.5/5
     
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  25. Megastroth

    Megastroth Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    The Wreckers
    This is one of the top tracks on the album. Unlike many tracks where he is pushing near the top of his range and you can hear the strain, this one is more relaxed and Geddy sounds much better. Apparently Geddy and Alex swapped instruments when they first wrote this and maybe that gives it a fresh feel. Its not an aggressive tune but as others have noted, the instrumental break brings the drama necessary to match the lyrics. The lyrics are evocative and of the chorus spells out the message pretty clearly. Of course it's a little too wordy to really be a hit, but this is a good little tune. Soneone mentioned the fadeout guitar solo and that gets fleshed out in this live version.

     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2020
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