Comments on: Kids covering Rush

Kids covering Rush

fstutzman — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 07:41:11 -0800

The true spirit of radio. It is hard to do Geddy Lee justice, but nothing is going to stop kids from trying. Some results better than others. [Youtube]

By: gregvr

gregvr — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 07:55:19 -0800

/gets out his Rush CDs.

By: e.e. coli

e.e. coli — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:07:58 -0800

Awesome. I have nothing but affection for all of the awkward attempts and the earenstness with which they're shared. My tastes outgrew Rush a long time ago, but I've never lost my respect for their musicianship and their respectful attitude towards their fans. As those clips show, the respect is returned many times over. And I have recorded my own cover of Limelight, anyway.

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:09:46 -0800

"This is a personal not to be shared with others, private, scholarly interpretation of Rushs Spirit of Radio." Somebody is not understanding YouTube.

By: pracowity

pracowity — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:11:11 -0800

By the sound of it, Geddy Lee has trouble sounding like Geddy Lee.

By: brain_drain

brain_drain — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:12:21 -0800

This was fun, both for the spirited cover music and the struggles with making the videos. I particularly liked the one where people with drinks and plates of food kept walking right in front of the camera.

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:17:39 -0800

Who would have guessed the hardest part of doing a Rush cover wouldn't be the drums, bass, or guitar, but the vocals?

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:19:02 -0800

That video under the "kids" link is one of the best things I've seen on the internet in a long, long time. Thanks for the awesome post.

By: maudlin

maudlin — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:21:19 -0800

Am I the only Torontonian here old enough to remember that this song was a tribute to the old CFNY (and its slogan), before it was neutered into yet another faux-alternative Edge radio station?

By: davebush

davebush — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:23:25 -0800

Fanimation (Quicktime file)

By: gcbv

gcbv — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:24:47 -0800

I just spent my morning watching every single version available. Thanks, Night Ranger!

By: davebush

davebush — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:24:56 -0800

maudlin - CFNY was my church back in high school. Remember Marsden? All Night Andre? Liz Janik?

By: maudlin

maudlin — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:35:12 -0800

davebush, I was listening as soon as its signal limped into Scarborough in the summer of 1977, so, umm, yeah. *g* Church isn't too far off. Remember the little yellow house on Main Street in Brampton? Schubert and Sex Pistols during the morning show (pre-Pete and Geets?) Reiner Schwartz's short-lived evening show?

By: davebush

davebush — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:47:38 -0800

I listened from the very beginning as well. Speaking of Schwartz - he reviewed the Ramones debut album on his TVO "Nightmusic" show (30 years ago!) and I happened to be watching. My life changed that night. I assume you know about this? So many memories from that era. Nash the Slash, Teenage Head...

By: Bookhouse

Bookhouse — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:48:19 -0800

A fictional clip.

By: davebush

davebush — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:50:01 -0800

Sorry, this

By: Flashman

Flashman — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:59:22 -0800

Wow, I'd always thought CFNY's slogan was a reference to the Rush song.

By: furtive

furtive — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 09:02:57 -0800

No fair, the "better" band was using a woman vocalist. That's cheating! what about the voice of geddy lee how did it get so high? i wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy? (i know him and he does!) and you're my fact-checkin' cuz

By: davebush

davebush — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 09:07:12 -0800

maudlin - forgive me, I overlooked your original link. Idiot, me. I'm done.

By: chococat

chococat — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 09:11:38 -0800

Dave Marsden has an awesome show he streams on Pulver Radio.

By: ch1x0r

ch1x0r — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 09:13:20 -0800

Kids was my favorite, but I think the real Geddy Lee still sounds pretty freakin good, pracowity.

By: dirigibleman

dirigibleman — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 09:33:43 -0800

Legal Sea Foods?

By: davetill

davetill — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 09:37:27 -0800

I'm another CFNY fan from way back - I remember Marsden, McNally, All Night Andre, and the rest. Yes, the Rush song is named after the radio station, not the other way around. David Marsden has a show on Thursday and Friday nights at 94.9 FM in Oshawa. You can listen online from there.

By: allelopath

allelopath — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 09:56:27 -0800

>>My tastes outgrew Rush a long time ago, but I've never lost my respect for their musicianship e.e.coli: I'm glad to hear this, because I've felt this way for years now, but can't quite resolve. All 3 are virtuoso musicians, yet when I listen to something new by them, I 'get it' immediately and it isn't so interesting. Granted, my musical abilities/intellect have evolved since those days when I was huge Rush fan (classical training on piano, able to play Beethoven piano sonatas) but still, I am nowhere near advanced as Geddy, Alex, and Neal are.

By: StopMakingSense

StopMakingSense — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 10:07:42 -0800

Why, why, why, why, why is this not in Guitar Hero 2?

By: jca

jca — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 10:10:26 -0800

This brings back so many memories of high school ("battle of the") band careers beginning and ending when they tried to perform this song publicly. So many land mines in the song to trip up anyone trying to perform it, yet it is the go-to song for every band that wants to be able to play at least one Rush song.

By: the_bone

the_bone — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 10:15:54 -0800

When I was in high school, the drummer in my band could play "Tom Sawyer" note-for-note, a talent which always impressed me. We ended up doing several Rush covers.

By: Slarty Bartfast

Slarty Bartfast — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 10:19:34 -0800

Heh. I have always wanted my band (slacker punk) to bust out the perfect Rush cover in the middle of a set, the audience would go freaking nuts, maybe Working Man or Subdivisions. Unfortunately, we suck too much. As corny as these bands are, I'm throwing my horns in air for them this morning.

By: saladpants

saladpants — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 10:52:43 -0800

This post made my morning. Thanks.

By: deadmessenger

deadmessenger — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 11:04:58 -0800

This is a great post. Rush was one of my favorite bands back in high school, but like others have noted in this thread, my musical tastes have outgrown them. I still think it's cool that 20 or so years after I did, some kid is listening to the radio, hearing a Rush tune, and saying "hell yeah, I want to do that". I remember learning to play and sing a few Rush tunes (I think the first one I learned to play was Red Barchetta) and thinking I was the shit - just like those kids linked above. Hell, I even bought a Rickenbacker because that's what Geddy played (and Chris Squier from Yes, and about a bazillion other 70s rock bassists). And, even though some of those covers suck royally, listening to them still get nostalgic for the days when I played in a crappy cover band in high school and sucked just as bad as they did. And no, Geddy can't quite hit those high notes anymore, but what 50-year-old can? /runs off to break out Hemispheres

By: deadmessenger

deadmessenger — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 11:06:16 -0800

Why, why, why, why, why is this not in Guitar Hero 2? Will YYZ do?

By: elendil71

elendil71 — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 11:14:48 -0800

All I know is there have been few concerts that made me "see God" in my time.. even without drugs.. and Rush was one of them. 'Bout 1981-82--ish, Cal Expo Amphitheatre Sacramento CA, the Moving Pictures tour. Asbso-fucking amazing. Nice link. Some of those kids did damn good.

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 11:41:19 -0800

deadmessenger : "Will YYZ do?" That is one of the reasons I thought, momentarily, about getting that game.

By: stenseng

stenseng — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 13:17:02 -0800

Really? YYZ is about the worst song in the game...

By: deadmessenger

deadmessenger — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 13:41:43 -0800

bugbread: That is one of the reasons I thought, momentarily, about getting that game. For the sake of your free time and sanity, don't do it to yourself. Trust me on this one. I have the first game, and I keep going back and forth between "why oh why did I buy this game" to "What did I ever do before I met you, Guitar Hero".

By: tkchrist

tkchrist — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 13:44:22 -0800

Thanks. This was good. Bout 1981-82--ish, Cal Expo Amphitheatre Sacramento CA, the Moving Pictures tour That would have gotten you laid in my highschool. RUSH was THAT big in 1981.

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 13:48:47 -0800

deadmessenger : "For the sake of your free time and sanity, don't do it to yourself." No worries. I have no choice: they haven't released Guitar Hero here, let alone Guitar Hero 2, and I don't have a modded PS2, so I couldn't play it even if I wanted to. Long live region coding!

By: allelopath

allelopath — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 14:57:19 -0800

Just listened to Signals for the first time in 10 years or so. Jesus-tap-dancing-christ is it good. Also, concerts...I stopped going to their concerts when they started doing medleys. Pissed me off.

By: elendil71

elendil71 — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 15:18:00 -0800

That would have gotten you laid in my highschool. RUSH was THAT big in 1981. Well, not to brag but..... naw, never got laid because of that show *sigh*. Then again I think I was seventeen, a skinny geek playing DnD when I wasnt listening to Rush. Damn, I really should have gone to your school...

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 15:26:57 -0800

"One likes to believe in the freedom of music But glittering prizes and endless compromises Shatter the illusion of integrity"

By: spoobnooble

spoobnooble — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 16:04:03 -0800

Since when did listening to and/or being a fan of Rush ever get anyone laid? I thought they were famous for having zero female fans. Except Ayn Rand, maybe. (yeah I remember the concert footage of a hot blond chick dancing to "YYZ". Even that was probably just some Van Halen concert footage dubbed in.)

By: bardic

bardic — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 16:35:00 -0800

Everything after 2112 was shite.

By: Fupped Duck

Fupped Duck — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 18:09:45 -0800

Saw em in HS (1978) Saw em again in College (1981) A quarter century later, my musical tastes vastly expanded, I still love this band.

By: elendil71

elendil71 — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 18:34:25 -0800

Everything after 2112 was shite. Hmm. It occurs to me that there are at least two, if not three phases in the evolution of RUSH and it seems that folks choose one or two and balk at the rest. There's the heavy rock, thematic RUSH prior to Moving Pictures, the more synthesized, produced phase that ran through, I dunno, Presto, and well, everything after that. I grew up with the Moving Pictures etc era and although I dearly love the prior albums, that pretty much defined my RUSH moments (personally, I think Moving Pictures and Signals are their finest works). After that.... meh, not so impressed. I think Peart kinda lost his muse, although Roll the Bones was good and there's always a song or two on every album that smacks of their greatness. So I choose the first two phases and conveniently forget the rest.

By: stiggywigget

stiggywigget — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 19:37:04 -0800

These were great. All of them. As for Rush, everything before and everything after Spirit of Radio was shite in comparison to it. It was their peak. I still love it.

By: emelenjr

emelenjr — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 20:40:05 -0800

Female Rush fans are rare. My little sister is a gigantic Rush fan, and I'm not entirely sure why.

By: elendil71

elendil71 — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 21:06:01 -0800

Female Rush fans are rare. Hehe, I knew a gal, the girlfriend of my roommate at the time, who was a huge Rush fan. "There is truth in every Rush song," she used to say. Damn if she wasnt right.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 23:27:27 -0800

As someone else who was a big Rush fan when he was a 15 year old boy, I'd like to note that Geddy Lee is awesomely ugly. Not just a regular kind of funny-lookin' like Steve Buscemi, but the sort of Ronnie James Dio brand of ugly that frightens children and causes pregnant women to miscarry. The sort of ugly that's inspiring, because if he can make it... Of course, I had a copy of A Farewell to Kings on LP with a biiiiig picture of all of them in 70s bellbottomed glory, so I was hit by the ugly bigger than you kids with the cd's were. To this day, I can't stop seeing it. It's worse than Naomi Watts' giant nipples.

By: Optamystic

Optamystic — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 05:32:36 -0800

Thanks for this dose of pure awesome.

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 05:33:38 -0800

ROU_Xenophobe : "I'd like to note that Geddy Lee is awesomely ugly." Was awesomely ugly. Checking out pracowity's link, it appears that his face was one that had to be grown into with time. His middle-aged face works much better than his young face (kind of like an inverse Macaulay Culkin).

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 07:39:28 -0800

I'm sure that it also helps that he no longer takes the fright-wig approach with his hair. But see, the ugly of AFtK was so big that it broke time. Even if he looks different now, his 1977-ugly persists in a parallel dimension, following him around like a bouncy puppy of doom and causing the occasional natural disaster.