Out Of The Cradle songfacts This was inspired by the Walt Whitman (1819–1892) poem called Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking, which came out around 1858. This poem is about loss and love and life then death, and the rhythm that is given to life from the beginning that continues throughout. It is a grand and spectacular poem! The "sunbeam" that illuminated a great deal of Whitman's poetry was Music. It was one of the major sources of his inspiration. Many of his four hundred poems contain musical terms, names of instruments, and names of composers. He insisted that music was "greater than wealth, greater than buildings, ships, religions, paintings." When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed and O Captain! My Captain! (1866) are two of Whitman's more famous poems. A poet who was ardently singing on life and himself, Whitman is today claimed as one of the few truly great American men of letters. >> ---------------------------------------------------------- We open with a really cool staccato bass line and the guitar and drums come to join the fun. It's not a place, it's a yearning It's not a race, it's a journey It's not an act, it's attraction It's not a style, it's an action It's a dream for the waking It's a flower touched by flame It's a gift for the giving It's a power with a hundred names Surge of energy, spark of inspiration The breath of love is electricity Maybe time is bird in flight Endlessly mocking Here we come out of the cradle Endlessly rocking Endlessly rocking It's a hand, that rocks the cradle It's a motion, that swings the sky It's method on the edge of madness It's a balance on the edge of a knife It's a smile on the edge of sadness It's a dance on the edge of life Surge of energy, spark of inspiration The breath of love is electricity Here we come out of the cradle Endlessly rocking Endlessly rocking Surge of energy, spark of inspiration The breath of love is electricity Maybe time is bird in flight Endlessly rocking Here we come out of the cradle Endlessly rocking Endlessly rocking Endlessly rocking Endlessly rocking Endlessly rocking (Endlessly rocking, endlessly rocking) Endlessly rocking Endlessly rocking Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Alex Lifeson / Geddy Lee / Neil Peart Out of the Cradle lyrics © Carl Fischer, LLC When I first heard this song, I thought, "really, Rush is writing one of these type of songs?" The main lyric standing out was endlessly rocking, and I assumed it was one of those rock and roll party tonight tunes. Obviously when we get a little closer we have a completely different point of reference. This seems to be like a sort of coming of age type song.... The cradle representing the idea of being a child, and although we have come out to face the reality of adulthood, we are still in someway attached to that cradle of out childhood, hence the endlessly rocking. It seems to be about growing up and facing life in spite of our attachment to the comfort of being the cradled baby, protected by our extreme youth.... I don't know, that's what it seems like to me. The verse vocal opens up really well, and the guitar riff, bass and vocals work together really well, although the music sounds helplessly overblown on this version. We get a kind of drop off for the first chorus. I really love the use of the harmony vocals here. For me melodically it works really very well. The song has a kind of stop-start feel about it, but that seems to work quite well here. Just after the 2:30 point we get a sort of breakdown where a lead break would probably have originally gone, but we get Geddy doing some vocalising and it works well, but I feel like a lead break would have been more suitable. The second half of it we get a bit of guitar, but I am not sure I would call it a lead break. The song has a kind of extended fade out.... In a lot of cases I would have said they let it go on too long, but being the last track on the album, I think it actually works really well. The end playing is kind of frantic and kind of beautiful.
Out Of The Cradle remix I think this works quite a bit better. The clarity helps to define the individual instruments. We don't have that blaze of white sound so much, and the instruments sound a little more natural. I think this actually helps to define the vocal's melodic strength to some degree too. I think the vocal in the instrumental break is mixed a little lower and I think that works better too, and the guitar in that section seems to work a little better in that environment. I think this works really well, for me at least.
For me Vapor Trails is an excellent album. There aren't any songs I particularly dislike at all, and again for me there are a couple of real gems. I suppose to some degree the album may be seen as one paced, but i don't really hear it that way. Although there are quite a few songs that have a similar methodology in their writing... rocking verse, gentle chorus... I think there is a surprising amount of diversity within that framework. I think we have a bunch of strong tracks that stand up well on their own, and also in the context of the album.... Towards the very end I guess it starts to feel a little long, but I am not sure there is anything I would take off.... as we read from everyone's reviews, there aren't any tracks that everyone dislikes.... so that somewhat knocks the idea of filler on the head. To some degree again, the album may have been tighter if the guys had limited it to 10 tracks, but I am kind of glad they decided to just issue them all. For the shortcomings the album may well have, for me it isn't the songs. The production and mixing issues baffle me.... the band has been doing this for years, and one assumes they hired professionals.... I know that the aspect of a mix can come from different angles to emphasise different features of the songs/album, but essentially you normally know what you want a song to sound like. There really isn't any excuse for over boosting the signal to the point of distortion..... in the studio you listen and listen and listen. Whether recording, mixing or mastering, you listen to things a thousand times.... have a coffee, and listen again with fresh ears.... so the audio issues are bewildering to me, and not acceptable.... I can imagine a fan buying the original mix, and just hating it because of the sound, and never allowing it to sink in as an album... as music listeners, it is funny the things that can turn us towards or away an album or band. So I understand that in time some would have really disliked the mess that the audio presented.... Having come after the fact, and being more familiar with the remix, I like this album a lot. Having now gone through both mixes, I can see where some songs, sections etc, work better in the original mix, but for me the majority sounds better on the remix. Anyway, again, for me, this is an excellent album, tainted by some either poor, or lazy audio decisions initially.... to a degree the mix/audio probably still isn't quite right, but the album as a batch of songs is excellent.
Out Of The Cradle I feel like this time out they at least tried to end the album with a true “closer”. I’m not sure if the “endlessly rocking” lyrics repeated to fade out is the best way to do it, but this a rousing song and ends the album nicely. Vapor Trails This is an amazing album when you consider it was a bit of a surprise that Rush even made it in the first place. It was not a given that there would be any more albums after Test For Echo. Overall the lyrics on this album are some of the bleakest most soul-searching and personal that NP ever wrote. Musically I think the album suffers a bit from the artistic decision they made concerning “no guitar solos and no keyboards”. Some solos ended up on the album anyway (at least in the remix) but for the most part some longtime Rush signatures are missing here. However, I applaud them for getting out of a comfort zone and trying different things instead of just rehashing what worked in the past. There’s enough good songs here for anyone to enjoy, so the album is a success on that front too. Next up, are we doing the covers album/EP?
Out of the Cradle This is a strong closer. Lots of energy, nice melody, good lyrics. Endlessly rocking, man...Rush is back. After the disappointment that was Freeze, its great they could wrap it up on a high note.
Out of the Cradle is a decent closer. I think it's about love, although it could be heard as a "rocker". Musically it doesn't have that Rush magic, and that's something I've said too many times on this album. Especially at the end - the last four tunes are all bottom-tier Rush for me, and in combination with the sameness that makes the album one I never reach for. If you can get past the less than stellar sound quality on Rio, you'll find an amazing performance. IMO it's arguably the best live Rush release. The band and audience feed off each other, and the result is super high energy and a band that's totally going for it the whole time.
Out of the Cradle A decent closer. Somehow it just misses being a great song, but I still like it. Some great harmonies and I like how it builds in intensity. I think the chorus is where it stumbles a bit.
"Out Of The Cradle" Here's a track that I find more interesting by focusing on the music rather than the lyrics, both which don't seem to gel during the "Surge of energy"/chorus sections. It's weird, because I genuinely enjoy listing to the trio play during the verse sections of this song, and then I get lost when the chorus part kicks in. It's almost like two different tracks. Anyway, I don't particularly dislike this one, but as a closer, it comes across as a bit of a disappointment relative to the rest of the album. ___________________________ I think that Vapor Trails could be considered somewhat of a resurrection for a band that, for all intents and purposes, was considered at worst finished, particularly from the band's perspective, but also indefinitely in limbo, from the most optimistic point of view. With that in mind, this was quite a comeback for them. It might not seem as either a classic or high point in their overall career, but I'd say that not only was it a reaffirmation to their commitment to their music, it sparked a new phase in their musical evolution. It's really a good album, and every time I give it a listen it surprises me by it's strengths.
Out of the Cradle I don’t find this song any more interesting than the bad parts of Freeze and Out of the Cradle doesn’t have the stunning chorus payoffs. I haven’t really loved a a Rush album closer since Available Light. I do like the lyrical inspiration with the Whitman poem. That took it up a notch for me. Vapor Trails overall This was, by far, the toughest album for me to crack but I’m glad I kept trying. I really enjoyed the middle third of this album and still found a few things to like in the first and last thirds. Putting aside the sound quality, I might reach for Vapor Trails before Roll the Bones and maybe Caress of Steel. Considering the sound, however, I doubt I ever listen to it again all the way through. I keep thinking back to the Alex/Geddy interview for Vapor Trails posted earlier, where Alex said Geddy was “pulling his hair out and saying, “I hate this record, it sounds horrible!” Yep, it sure does!
That is what really surprises me... surely they knew before release that it sounded doughy? Surely they participated in the mixing and mastering? I don't know how most folks do it, and I know that I am not any kind of rockstar, but the few proper albums I made, I was sat at the desk every step of the way... I don't trust babysitters and those songs are my babies ... having said that though, I am a terrible engineer, and I am not the bug in the ear of a mastering guy lol
Nocturne Cool drum intro! Did I have a dream or did the dream have me is a good lyric, sounds good vocally. When it transitions to the heavy part, it's a little too much and a bit jumbled. Overall it's OK, but the beginning held so much more promise than what I finally got.
Freeze Weird, almost no one else likes this? I like it quite a bit, it's more interesting than at least half of the songs on Vapor Trails. Its biggest sin for me is being 6 minutes. Five would have been plenty. But it worked for me - that BASS!
Out of the Cradle On paper, I should be able to decry this song as "not Rush" and really dislike it. But I can't. It's got a slightly infectious groove, almost a B-52s kind of fun streak, and lyrics with just enough depth to keep it from being a total lark. What's most amazing is that this is this is a thoroughly upbeat tune to top off an album with some seriously dark themes and plenty of pain along the way... and it still works! Very cool. Not necessarily one of Rush's great tunes as a stand alone, but in sequence here, as a sort of antidote to much of what came before, it's an unexpected, and rather fantastic twist! Kudos.
Ranking Vapor Trails: This is a fascinating album to consider in it's totality. It is probably the group's most consistent effort. Nobody should see red when they see Ghost Rider at the bottom of my list, as there is but a sliver between songs from top to bottom on this one. The drawback is that that consistency comes with a bit of sameness, and while there are no throwaway low points, there aren't really any Rush top 10 type high points either. It's just a really good album through and through, although getting through it all can be a bit much. While I do really like the album, this is where I start thinking that a CD being able to hold 35 minutes more than an LP isn't always something to be thrilled about. But as others have said, there's nothing here I'd really bother to cut either. It's kind of a musical paradox. Ceiling Unlimited How it Is One Little Victory Secret Touch Peacable Kingdom Sweet Miracle The Stars Look Down Out of the Cradle Freeze Earthshine Nocturne Vapor Trail Ghost Rider 1. Moving Pictures (#1 in 1981) 2. 2112 (#3 in 1976) 3. Hemispheres (#1 in 1978) 4. Permanent Waves (#2 in 1980) 5. Signals (#1 in 1982) 6. A Farewell to Kings (#2 in 1977) 7. Hold Your Fire (#1 in 1987) 8. Fly By Night (#5 in 1975) 9, Roll the Bones (#2 in 1991) 10. Power Windows (#4 in 1985) 11. Rush (#7 in 1974) 12. Caress of Steel (#14 in 1975) 13. Grace Under Pressure (#5 in 1984) 14. Test for Echo (#2 in 1996) 15. Vapor Trails (#4 in 2002*) 16. Counterparts (#10 in 1993) 17. Presto (#14 in 1989) *behind Echolyn/Mei, Pat Metheny/Speaking of Now, Spock's Beard/Snow)
1 - A Farewell To Kings - Hemispheres - Moving Pictures - Grace Under Pressure 4 - Counterparts, Permanent Waves, Signals 8 - 2112, Vapor Trails Presto/Roll the Bones Test For Echo Caress Power Windows/Hold Your Fire Fly Rush seventies La Villa Strangiato Xanadu A Farewell to Kings 2112 Cygnus X1 book 1 and 2 Circumstances Anthem Passage To Bangkok Closer To the Heart Something For Nothing eighties Afterimage YYZ Distant Early Warning Red Barchetta Red Sector A Spirit Of the Radio Tom Sawyer The Camera Eye Subdivisions Available Light nineties Alien Shore Nobody's Hero Animate Dreamline Cold Fire Driven Double Agent Leave That thing Alone Cut To the Chase 2000's Secret Touch One Little Victory Sweet Miracle Ceiling Unlimited Ghost Rider Out Of The Cradle Peaceable Kingdom Earthshine Stars Looked Down Vapor Trail So difficult for me to rate stuff ... I suppose at the end of the thread I need to try and merge these decades lists into one ..... hmmm ... I don't know about that, it would probably take me another 8 months lol
Peoples tastes are so interesting sometimes! To me, Vapor Trails is the worst album Rush ever put out and by quite a large margin. The songs are all too long and lack melody. I have tried to like it over the years and revisit it once every two or three years but it always leaves me flat. Test for Echo was another stinker for me and after VT, I was seriously worried the band had lost their mojo. I was so happy when the next album came out as Snakes and Arrows was a true return to form IMO.
Fear, Part IV: Freeze: the metallic overtone is really out there, another of those 'stand in front of the sub' tracks where the reverb travels right through you. I actually quite like the effect in itself, and the "coiled for the spring / blood running cold" vocal sections are also solid. Overall, it doesn't quite mesh into a cohesive track and it is also a touch on the long side for what it does. I applaud the intention though. Out of the Cradle: I have little to say about this one, it isn't memorable as an album closer. Vapor Trails overall: an interesting album to compare and contrast. It has quite obvious flaws: the sound the length Sound wise, it is horrid in places - the antithesis of the equally-poor Presto. What decisions led to such an album are truly mystifying: personnel, time, band preference? Were Rush caught in the early 00's zeitgeist of 'loud', coming at the tail end of the nu-metal phase? Who knows. Either way, it is dire and does limit to an extent how highly the album can be rated. The length is also problematic because of the relative lack of dynamism between the tracks. This is an album, maybe the only album, where I could genuinely not tell you anything about one or two of the tracks mere days after reviewing them and despite prior familiarity with them. Paradoxically, though, this is also an album where the lows are not that low and it doesn't have any write-off tracks despite it's length. That is also counterbalanced by the fact that none of it's best tracks are currently troubling my top 40. It's an album of a certain level of consistency that neither demands repeated investment of time, yet where that investment does not feel in vain. For that reason, Vapor Trails sits comfortably mid-table. It is a marked improvement over Test For Echo. *Caress of Steel also sees a minor rise above Presto.
My LP-length edit (what a great 40 minute album start to finish! - actually clocks in Vapor Trails Side A (21:09) One Little Victory Ghost Rider Peaceable Kingdom Vapor Trail Side B (20:41) Secret Touch Earthshine Sweet Miracle Nocturne
Could have a companion EP (or the other songs could have been "b-sides" to singles) "Ceiling Unlimited" (25:25) 1. How It Is 2. The Stars Look Down 3. Ceiling Unlimited 4. Freeze 5. Out of the Cradle
Wow. "Out of the Cradle" is a really good closing track. It's far better than I remembered, and I'm really digging it. Solid lyrics that inventively recast the "rebirth" concept for an adult in the wake of grave personal losses. Despite the overcooked mix of the original album version, this song has a ton of energy and sounds intense coming out of the speakers. I love Geddy's massed vocals and frenetic bass playing. The remix has, again, that wider, more cinematic soundstage and sounds better overall, although some of the intensity of the original mix is lost here. Great way to close things out.
Since the thread is moving on to album number 22 next, a few thoughts on summing up Vapor Trails. This is such a tough album to rate due to both its length and its overall sound. I think the decision to omit keyboards was a poor one as too many of the songs occupy the same musical territory and, lacking memorable melodies, are difficult to distinguish after the first few listens. As we have all noted, the production was terrible and the mastering worse. The remixed version of the album is, on balance, an improvement, but still doesn't sound all that great. In terms of the material, I think a very good 48-minute album could be created out of Vapor Trails. However, at 67 minutes, it's too long. I think the album peaks in the middle and loses steam considerably near the end. I think Neil's lyrics are a considerable improvement here compared to the bulk of his 1990s work. On the whole, this album finds Neil in a more poetic and mystical frame of mind. His lyrics are less literal here than on virtually any previous album. I think I would like this album more if it simply sounded better than it does in either incarnation. Three songs in particular stand out to me: "Ceiling Unlimited", "How It Is", and "Vapor Trail". These are excellent tracks and I just wish they had been recorded better (particularly "How It Is", where neither mix is satisfactory but I still love the song). The songs I would kick off to get the album down to a reasonable length would be "One Little Victory", "Nocturne", and "Freeze (Part IV of Fear)". If another had to go, "Sweet Miracle" would get the boot. Vapor Trails tracks in order of preference: "Ceiling Unlimited" "How It Is" "Vapor Trail" "Secret Touch" "Earthshine" "Ghost Rider" "Out Of The Cradle" "The Stars Look Down" "Peaceable Kingdom" "Sweet Miracle" "Nocturne" "Freeze (Part IV of Fear)" "One Little Victory" Rating the Rush albums to this point: 1. Power Windows 2. Moving Pictures 3. Hold Your Fire 4. Permanent Waves 5. A Farewell To Kings 6. Signals 7. Caress Of Steel 8. Grace Under Pressure 9. Hemispheres 10. A Show Of Hands 11. 2112 12. Fly By Night 13. Vapor Trails 14. Different Stages 15. Test For Echo 16. Roll The Bones 17. Exit...Stage Left 18. Presto 19. All The World's A Stage 20. Counterparts 21. Rush Top 6 songs: 1. "Time Stand Still" 2. "The Big Money" 3. "Red Barchetta" 4. "The Spirit Of Radio" 5. "Xanadu" 6. "Subdivisions" Dropping out: None
Out of the Cradle: This is a pretty decent album closer, not perfect, but still good none of the less. The dizzying guitar sounds along with a solid rhythm section stand out for me. In closing, it was great revisiting, reevaluate 'Vapor Trails'. I hadn't listened to the album in full in over a decade and recently, forgot how much I liked it despite the loud mastering job. Also, I am grateful that the band continued on to make music again after a long hiatus . The album may not be perfect, but I feel it captured lyrically what Neil was feeling during those dark times and yeah, I've grown to appreciate the back to basic guitars and drum sound that the band was doing. With that, off to Rio!
