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Disappointing follow-up albums

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verslibre View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2024 at 15:28
Originally posted by Steve Wyzard Steve Wyzard wrote:

Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Originally posted by Steve Wyzard Steve Wyzard wrote:

3. RUSH - Signals/Grace Under Pressure


IMO, that's one of Rush's strongest double-punches. Diff'rent strokes!


From the day it came out, I always found Grace Under Pressure to be a gloomy/morose album. It has some good moments, and it's still in my collection, but I rarely listen to it. My favorite Rush double-punch is Hemispheres/Permanent Waves.


Yeah, Grace is tonally meaner, gloomier and tougher than its post-'70s predecessors. The lyrical themes are darker, Alex's guitar sounds like a buzzsaw, Geddy's PPG sounds are futuristic if colder. Songs like "Afterimage," "Red Sector A" and "Between the Wheels" are dark and compelling. It all coalesces into one of my favorite rock albums by any band. It's perfect. There's not one thing they could do to improve it, and that's hard for me to say about any album by any band. They were at the top of their game.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jared Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2024 at 15:31
Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:



Yeah, Grace is tonally meaner, gloomier and tougher than its post-'70s predecessors. The lyrical themes are darker, Alex's guitar sounds like a buzzsaw, Geddy's PPG sounds are futuristic if colder. Songs like "Afterimage," "Red Sector A" and "Between the Wheels" are dark and compelling. It all coalesces into one of my favorite rock albums by any band. It's perfect. There's not one thing they could do to improve it, and that's hard for me to say about any album by any band. They were at the top of their game.

I see the evolution from Signals to GUP to be similar to that from Performance to Metromania... same year, too.
Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jeffro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2024 at 15:34
Originally posted by Steve Wyzard Steve Wyzard wrote:

Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Originally posted by Steve Wyzard Steve Wyzard wrote:

3. RUSH - Signals/Grace Under Pressure


IMO, that's one of Rush's strongest double-punches. Diff'rent strokes!

From the day it came out, I always found Grace Under Pressure to be a gloomy/morose album. It has some good moments, and it's still in my collection, but I rarely listen to it. My favorite Rush double-punch is Hemispheres/Permanent Waves.

I'm with you. I enjoy Signals far far more then GuP and rarely listen to it these days. It is rather gloomy. Its sound is a bit jarring to me. Other than Between The Wheels, I've never connected with that album. It's not like I hate the songs or anything, it just doesn't work for me. Thankfully, they followed that up with their best post-MP record, Power Windows.


Edited by Jeffro - July 26 2024 at 09:19
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jared Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2024 at 15:35
Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Mechanical pertaining to Rendez-Vous? Interesting take, I never thought of it that way. It feels much more organic and a return to formula after the (very interesting, admittedly) detour that was Zoolook. (Les Chants Magnétique ended up being my overall favorite.)

Revolutions has its moments but, like you say, the variance is too steep. It feels like a backslide compositionally.

No! the 'Mechanical' is in the early part of Revolutions, to give the idea of mechanisation and the Industrial Rev.. Rendez-Vous is much more organic, as you say and is one of favourites of his.
Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hrychu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2024 at 15:57
Budka Suflera - Przechodniem Byłem Między Wami -> Na Brzegu Światła. The latter album was in fact a state-commissioned tie in with the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow. The concept as well as the lyrics were all pure pro-USSR blurb.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2024 at 16:14
Originally posted by Jared Jared wrote:

Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Mechanical pertaining to Rendez-Vous? Interesting take, I never thought of it that way. It feels much more organic and a return to formula after the (very interesting, admittedly) detour that was Zoolook. (Les Chants Magnétique ended up being my overall favorite.)

Revolutions has its moments but, like you say, the variance is too steep. It feels like a backslide compositionally.


No! the 'Mechanical' is in the early part of Revolutions, to give the idea of mechanisation and the Industrial Rev.. Rendez-Vous is much more organic, as you say and is one of favourites of his.


Oh, right! I do like the first side, the "Révolution Industrielle" suite and "London Kid." I really must revisit it because the second side didn't grab me. But you never know, listening with a different ear years later does things. The whole affair does rely heavily on the Roland D-50, and TD did the same that year with Optical Race.

Edited by verslibre - July 24 2024 at 16:14
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2024 at 16:17
Originally posted by Jeffro Jeffro wrote:

Originally posted by Steve Wyzard Steve Wyzard wrote:

Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Originally posted by Steve Wyzard Steve Wyzard wrote:

3. RUSH - Signals/Grace Under Pressure


IMO, that's one of Rush's strongest double-punches. Diff'rent strokes!


From the day it came out, I always found Grace Under Pressure to be a gloomy/morose album. It has some good moments, and it's still in my collection, but I rarely listen to it. My favorite Rush double-punch is Hemispheres/Permanent Waves.


I'm with you. I enjoy Signals far far more then GuP and rarely listen to it these days. It is rather gloomy. It's sound is a bit jarring to me. Other than Between The Wheels, I've never connected with that album. It's not like I hate the songs or anything, it just doesn't work for me. Thankfully, they followed that up with their best post-MP record, Power Windows.



Power Windows is likewise perfect to my ears. I see that as the second chapter of an unofficial "digital" trilogy, sitting between P/G and Hold Your Fire.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jared Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2024 at 23:21
Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Oh, right! I do like the first side, the "Révolution Industrielle" suite and "London Kid." I really must revisit it because the second side didn't grab me. But you never know, listening with a different ear years later does things. The whole affair does rely heavily on the Roland D-50, and TD did the same that year with Optical Race.

Now that's interesting. I'm afraid I'm not technically adept enough to have drawn the parallels between Revolutions and Optical Race in terms of the equipment used. Side 2 of Revolutions never did much for me (although I haven't revisited it in a while), while OR, Lily and Melrose also left me fairly cold... I'd put this down partly to the sound, lack of inspiration in the compositions and the fact that their music doesn't work as well for short, stand alone compositions as it does for longer suites?
Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote essexboyinwales Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2024 at 01:33
IQ - Road Of Bones/Resistance
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cstack3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2024 at 09:40
King Crimson:  In The Wake of Poseidon/Lizard/Islands

Edited by cstack3 - July 25 2024 at 09:41
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jared Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2024 at 09:50
Originally posted by cstack3 cstack3 wrote:

King Crimson:  In The Wake of Poseidon/Lizard/Islands

all three are very good, especially Lizard...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hrychu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2024 at 10:06
I think Lizard is as good as "Court" in terms of songwriting, performance, arrangement experimentation, Mellotron use etc. It's just not as iconic.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2024 at 10:44
Originally posted by Jared Jared wrote:

Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Oh, right! I do like the first side, the "Révolution Industrielle" suite and "London Kid." I really must revisit it because the second side didn't grab me. But you never know, listening with a different ear years later does things. The whole affair does rely heavily on the Roland D-50, and TD did the same that year with Optical Race.


Now that's interesting. I'm afraid I'm not technically adept enough to have drawn the parallels between Revolutions and Optical Race in terms of the equipment used. Side 2 of Revolutions never did much for me (although I haven't revisited it in a while), while OR, Lily and Melrose also left me fairly cold... I'd put this down partly to the sound, lack of inspiration in the compositions and the fact that their music doesn't work as well for short, stand alone compositions as it does for longer suites?


I really like roughly half the compositions on Optical Race. "Mothers of Rain" is a dynamite track, but it's the only one composed while Franke was still in the group. The rest of the album was largely done by Haslinger, though Froese's presence is most apparent on "Sun Gate" with that fantastic guitar lead, "Turning Off the Wheel," and his unmistakable chord progression on "The Midnight Trail."

Optical Race is a showcase for multiple D-50/550 units, and Yamaha DX/TX tech. There's presumably a Matrix 6 (owned by Wadephul) on "Sun Gate," but I couldn't tell you which sound comes from it.

I've no idea what was added for Lily on the Beach except for the Korg M1, which replaced the D-50 as the synth du jour. For reasons, Miracle Mile emerged the clear winner in terms of both the music and the overall sound and it's terrific.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Steve Wyzard Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2024 at 11:13
Originally posted by Hrychu Hrychu wrote:

I think Lizard is as good as "Court" in terms of songwriting, performance, arrangement experimentation, Mellotron use etc. It's just not as iconic.

It's all about the ALBUM COVERS!!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2024 at 11:30
Hi,

I can't say I ever thought a band lost its track or ideas ... people change and tomorrow they will do and say things differently ... it's to be expected, or it will sound the same the whole time.

But there are some things I kinda stopped purchasing anything, because a lot of the European scene was better and more enjoyable for me. These would include Jethro Tull, Moody Blues, Santana, Chicago, Yes, Genesis, and a handful of others ... not because the music was not as good, but because my money was now being spent on imports of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Guru Guru, Banco, Le Orme, and many other things that to my ear were much nicer than the well known stuff, some of which many folks think it went downhill. Some I did not specifically listen to, and that happened with Bill Bruford, and most of it was not his work in KC, but the money was limited so I did not get KC stuff, despite all of it being really nice to listen to and not repetitive, and formatted like so many bands that stopped being creative.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Jared Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2024 at 11:31
Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

I really like roughly half the compositions on Optical Race. "Mothers of Rain" is a dynamite track, but it's the only one composed while Franke was still in the group. The rest of the album was largely done by Haslinger, though Froese's presence is most apparent on "Sun Gate" with that fantastic guitar lead, "Turning Off the Wheel," and his unmistakable chord progression on "The Midnight Trail."

Optical Race is a showcase for multiple D-50/550 units, and Yamaha DX/TX tech. There's presumably a Matrix 6 (owned by Wadephul) on "Sun Gate," but I couldn't tell you which sound comes from it.

I've no idea what was added for Lily on the Beach except for the Korg M1, which replaced the D-50 as the synth du jour. For reasons, Miracle Mile emerged the clear winner in terms of both the music and the overall sound and it's terrific.

An interesting read... thanks for the info Thumbs Up
Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote presdoug Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2024 at 12:27
Le Orme-Contrappunti/Smogmagica
Beggar's Opera-Pathfinder/GYDOM
Banco-Banco '75/As In A Last Supper
Terje Rypdal-What Comes After/Odyssey
Eloy-Inside/Floating
Soft Machine-Seven/Softs
Solution-Cordon Blue/Fully Interlocking
Tangerine Dream-Encore/Cyclone



Edited by presdoug - July 25 2024 at 15:13
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote I prophesy disaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2024 at 14:23
Originally posted by someone_else someone_else wrote:

Van der Graaf Generator: A Grounding in Numbers / Alt
 
I was going to say that.
 
But perhaps also:

Van der Graaf Generator: Pawn Hearts / Godbluff
 
or even:
 
Van der Graaf Generator: Godbluff / Still Life
 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote someone_else Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2024 at 15:26
^I'd prefer Godbluff over Pawn Hearts and Still Life is my favourite VdGG album. Pawn Hearts just escapes being mentioned after H to He in my book Smile.

Still Life / World Record could be an interesting option.

Edited by someone_else - July 25 2024 at 15:28
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote I prophesy disaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2024 at 16:21
^ Well, at least we agree on Van der Graaf Generator: A Grounding in Numbers / Alt Tongue
 

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