Web Scheme Update: "Vapor Trails Remixed"

Celebrate the moment...the time is now again!  Power Windows has gone Vapor Trails Remixed!

Transcript: "All The World's A Stage Review" - Sounds, November 1976

All The World's A Stage was released 37 years ago today, and here's a new transcript to mark the occasion.  Back in '76, Sounds magazine's Geoff Barton was one of Rush's biggest UK supporters. Check out Barton's review of All The World's A Stage from November 1976.

Transcript: "Power, Pomp, Purity, Pretension, Popularity...The RUSH Problem" - New Music Express, June 24, 1978

Do you remember the infamous March 1978 Neil Peart interview with Britain's "New Musical Express" where writer Barry Miles dubbed the band fascists? If you thought this was a singular slander of the band by the NME, check out this review of the Archives compilation package, which appeared in the NME just three months later: "Power, Pomp, Purity, Pretension, Popularity...The RUSH Problem". The writer Paul Morley goes out of his way to ridicule Rush, their music, and their fans, in every manner possible, and yes, it ends with "Fascism lurking beneath the volume and noise? Sure." - Thanks to RushFanForever for the original article.

Transcript: "It's A Modern Rush: Bombast, Humor, & Excellence" - Good Times, August 17, 2010

Here's a new addition to the Transcript Archive for your Friday perusal. Rush was on the cover of the August 17th, 2010 issue of New York's "Good Times" entertainment newspaper, which included "It's A Modern Rush: Bombast, Humor, & Excellence", a concert review following their performance at Jones Beach on the Time Machine tour.

Transcript: "A Farewell To Kings (Review)" - Sounds, September 1977

A Farewell To Kings was released 36 years ago, in September 1977 (exact date unknown).  One of Rush's earliest advocates in the UK was rock journalist Geoff Barton, and before his view of Rush was soured by Hemispheres, he was positively giddy about the band. Check out his review of A Farewell To Kings which appeared in Sounds in September, 1977. Geoff writes "'A Farewell To Kings' is a triumph. A total, out-and-out, honest-to-God, five star studded, complete, utter, unmitigated triumph." I agree!

Transcript: "Canadian Musicians And Their Money" - Canadian Musician, July 1986

My latest transcript is "Canadian Musicians And Their Money", from the July 1986 issue of Canadian Musician magazine. This story features five Canadian bands: The Nylons, Saga, Platinum Blonde, Rush and Triumph, and discusses the difficulty for a Canadian band to achieve international success, and the differences which sets those bands apart. - Thanks to Heiko Klages for providing the original article.

Transcript: "On The Spot: Geddy Lee of Rush" - Guitar Shop, December 1996

For the 17th anniversary of the release of Test For Echo, I've transcribed "On The Spot: Geddy Lee of Rush" from the December 1996 issue of Guitar Shop.  This is a short but very informative interview where Geddy discusses the gear used to record Test For Echo. Geddy also gives a short yet succinct breakdown of basses he has used through the years Rush, from his first bass, the Conora he bought at the age of 14, to the '69 Fender Precision which he "ruined by cutting the horns off and painting it like a '57 Chevy in a fit of mental retardation! I hate when that happens: 'Wouldn't it be cool if I did this?' Yeah, for about 5 minutes..." - Thanks to Mark Rosenthal for the original article!

Transcript: "Prime Groover" - Kerrang!, May 21, 1988

Here is another odd story by the UK's Kerrang! magazine published immediately after the Hold Your Fire tour on May 21, 1988. "Prime Groover" is ostensibly an interview with Neil Peart, but is typically full of sneers and jibes by a UK rock journalist. Regardless it does include some great comments by Neil about the process of writing lyrics, touring as a job, the stress of professional musicians, the lionization of musicians after death, and his refusal to play down to his audience: "If we're capable of understanding it then our audience is as well. If we don't communicate with them then it's our fault for not being clear enough. It's not because our audience is stupid." - Thanks to Erwin De Lathouwer for providing the original article!

Transcript: "Sometimes Rush Is In A Hurry" - Philadelphia Inquirer, March 24, 1981

Here is a fresh Rush transcript for your Friday enjoyment. "Sometimes Rush Is In A Hurry" was published in the May 22, 1981 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the band performed Philly on the Moving Pictures tour.  Geddy Lee tells how the band's original plan was to release a live album following Permanent Waves, but decided to record another studio album instead. He also explains the interesting thought that once Rush became the headline band they were left with less time to write new music: "Back when we were a support band, there was always so much time just waiting around. We'd finish our set and then have to wait around for the headliner to play before going back to the hotel. So working on new material was a good way to kill time."

Transcript: "Three Is Never A Crowd" - The Music Paper, December 1991

To celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the release of Roll The Bones, I've transcribed "Three Is Never A Crowd", a feature interview with Geddy Lee from the December 1991 issue of Canada's The Music Paper. Geddy talks about writing music that makes them happy first and foremost, using keyboards in a more sparse fashion, strength as a trio, and simplifying song arrangements, as in the case of "Bravado":

"'Bravado' was a tune where almost everything you did felt good about it. And then you're left with the problem where you could very easily overdo a song like that because everything sounds good on it. And for us, I think pulling things out of that song was the key, simplifying the arrangement."

- Thanks to Monica Zimmerman for the original article!

Transcript: "Off The Record With Geddy Lee and Neil Peart" - 1981

My latest transcript addition is Geddy Lee and Neil Peart on "Off The Record with Mary Turner" from 1981. The interview includes questions which cover Geddy's mom not being happy with his choice of career, Neil's joining the band, constant touring, going solo, and more.

Transcript: "'A Port Boy's Story' by Neil Peart" - St. Catharines Standard, June 24 & 25, 1994

This article has been in the Transcript Archive since the beginning, but I have just updated it to include the original photos of a young Neil Peart which appeared along with the original article, courtesy of Chris Irwin: "'A Port Boy's Story' by Neil Peart" - St. Catharines Standard, June 24 & 25, 1994

"Thinking Big" - Clockwork Angels: The Watchmaker's Edition, March 1, 2013

From the linernotes to the Clockwork Angels: The Watchmaker's Edition audiobook, here is the essay "Thinking Big" by Kevin J. Anderson. Kevin looks back on his 20+ year relationship with Neil Peart, and how they worked together to create Clockwork Angels, the novel.

Desktop Wallpaper Update: Clockwork Angels Watchmaker's Edition, plus Vapor Trails Remixed

To the Desktop Wallpaper gallery, I've added a wallpaper for the Vapor Trails Remixed edition, as well as eight images from the Clockwork Angels Watchmaker Edition. Read by Neil Peart, this special audiobook release includes deluxe packaging of seven CDs, each contained in their own unique CD sleeve featuring the clock indicating the disk number (one through seven). The back cover of each disk features the alchemical symbol which appears on the clockface at that time.   Click here for the full collection.

Transcript: "Neil Peart: Learning To Swing Has Everything To Do With Learning To Rock" - Drums Etc., September/October 1997

I've just transcribed "Learning To Swing Has Everything To Do With Learning To Rock" by Neil Peart, from the September/October 1997 issue of Canada's Drums Etc. magazine. Neil appeared on the cover, and tells of how he came to be "coached" by Freddie Gruber and the subsequent change in his technique which included the switch from matched to traditional grip.  Neil concludes this interview given just before the start of his personal tragedies by stating his immediate plans were to start the followup to Test For Echo in early 1998, as well as writing a book about the Test for Echo tour called "Landscape With Drums" (sound familiar?). - Thanks to Monica Davidson for providing the original article!

Transcript: "Interview: Alex Lifeson" - Sym Info, November 1987

Alex Lifeson appeared on the cover of November 1987 issue of the Netherland's "Sym Info" magazine along with an exclusive interivew. This interview includes a few interesting bits of trivia, such as:  "on almost every album we make...a lyric about a subject which Geddy and I feel completely different about won't make it. For this record...(laughs) - it is funny because it would be very topical now - there was a lyric entitled Holy Walter. It had to do with TV evangelists...that lyric dealt with the complete...circus [surrounding the Jim Bakker/Jessica Hahn scandal] and we thought that was a very strong statement about a subject which we didn't want to make a statement about at all. And now it would have been perfect, after all attention in the media." - Thanks to Alex van Loon for translating the text from Dutch for us!

Transcript: "Open Ears: On The Road With Rush, Part One" - Guitar For The Practicing Musician, July 1986

My latest transcript is "Open Ears: On The Road With Rush, Part One" from the July 1986 issue of Guitar For The Practicing Musician. This is part one of a story written by Steve Morse in which he documents when his band opened for Rush on the Power Windows tour. Unfortunately, this is only the start of the story, which was continued in a subsequent issue. If you can provide the continuation of this article, please let me know!

Transcript: "PROG: RUSH Limited Edition" - PROG, April 2013

The Clockwork Angels tour came to a close earlier this week, but I have one final transcript for your weekend entertainment. To kick off the 2013 leg of the tour, PROG magazine published the April issue as a Limited Edition hard cover edition with three additional Rush feature stories. On the Clockwork Angels tour, Geddy said: "It's like we're two bands out there. The first set we're the opening act for ourselves. The second set is everything but the kitchen sink. And there's quite a wide variety of stuff that we're doing." He also comments on the immediate future/anniversary tour: "I wouldn't say no to a 41st or a 42nd anniversary tour. I'm not against the idea of doing an anniversary tour - I just don't know why it has to be the number 40. I think a 42nd anniversary tour is much funnier." - Thanks to John Patuto for sharing the transcript!

Transcript: "Time and Motion" - Music's Bottom Line Magazine, November 1, 2002

With the buzz surrounding the upcoming release of Vapor Trails Remixed, I thought I'd share this transcript with you.  In 2002 Cleveland music industry icon Jim Clevo wrote a letter to the local free music magazine "Music's Bottom Line" about Rush. The magazine reprinted Jim's letter "Time and Motion", in full, and included Rush on the cover. Well worth the read, Jim is a long time Rush fan who "gets" Rush, knows their history, and this story includes more than just a reminder that Rush was in town on tour.

Transcript: "Rush Busy, But Not Hurried" - Toronto Sun, July 30, 2003

Ten years ago today, Rush played Sarsstock (Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto).  This latest transcript addition appeared in the Toronto Sun on July 29th, 2003, the day before the show. "Rush Busy, But Not Hurried" includes an interview with Alex Lifeson where he talks about planning the setlist for Sarsstock, working on mixing Rush In Rio, and of his thoughts of being on the same bill with AC/DC once again. - Thanks to Jordan Finkelstein for the original transcript.