I Talk To The Wind: Prog Blog and Reviews

gj, i don't like Cares of Steel THAT much, it is still a good album

Review 21, Caress Of Steel, Rush, 1975

My favourite Rush album, from the seven that I currently own, and likely to remain there. In good conscience, I can give it the full five stars. I can't really comment on the resemblance to Led Zeppelin, because I don't know Zep nearly as well as I should. What I can comment on is how the album affected me, and still affects me after quite a few listens. I was blown away from the first listen (I had only heard Snakes And Arrows previously), and still am. From the emotions of The Necromancer to the reminiscing of Lakeside Park to the rocking of Bastille Day, everything works for me. I can understand why some people would take issue with some of this album, but I love it anyway, and consider it perfect for me.

Bastille Day opens with a kicking bass riff, and Peart and Lifeson both come in neatly. The screaming, high vocals burst into life, carrying some enjoyable (if simple) lyrics from Peart. Great opener, with a very strong rhythm section, and I like the slightly softer instrumental break, with the occasional withdrawals of the other instruments to leave Lifeson alone. The concluding burst, however, is the highlight of the song, ascending with a great guitar-drums combination.

I Think I'm Going Bald is a great semi-sarcastic, riff-based (although it is varied, and done very neatly) song with a couple of solid short guitar solos from Lifeson. The lyrics are pretty decent, Lee's weird, not-quite-clear vocals work brilliantly, and the fade works very neatly, I think.

Lakeside Park is widely accepted as a Led Zep rip-off. I really don't mind. Nice subdued bass performance, a good example of Peart's softer percussion and I love the vocals and lyrics, with their nostalgic tone. The small escalation at the end to an almost-celestial guitar tap is perfectly done. Basically, a really good song, whether or not it's a rip-off.

Now we come to my joint-favourite (with Cygnus X-I) Rush song, The Necromancer. The division into three sections works pretty neatly, since while each section is a distinct entity, they flow very well and have a couple of constants that glue them together. Each of the musicians stands out perfectly, with Peart handling the transitions from fairly intense drumming to sparse drumming and vice versa very well. Alex Lifeson moves between soloing and rhythm neatly, and Geddy Lee provides his usual excellent bass-playing. The biggest criticism that I could give this one is the lyrics, which are unabashedly nerdy and inspired by Lord Of The Rings, even if I like them. Could have been worse... (*coughTheWhiteRiderbyCamelcough*)

Into The Darkness begins with a haunting atmospheric guitar, and develops slowly, with a hollow Lord Of The Rings inspired narrator, very sparing percussion from Peart and a developing bass part. The way it all comes together into a song, which retains all its elements and yet is a complete entity, is unforgettable and indescribable. Geddy Lee's entrance on the vocals is superb, and the strange guitar continues behind him, echoing the ideas in the vocals before turning into temperate solo that expresses the longing and mental breakdown of the travelers. Music as a form of expression. Post-perfect.

The second section (Under The Shadow) begins with a sort of swirling (presumably guitar) effect, that conveys some sort of distance and power, and then bursts out in with Peart's hard-hitting drumming and biting stabs of guitar and near-growly vocals before bursting into a heavy, rocking part with the first of two vicious solos from Lifeson. After a twisting, thick guitar effect, it moves onto the second part of the instrumental with a more pronounced bassline. Whereas the first part was travelling through a grey, soulless wood and succumbing to its destruction, this is a medieval dungeon of horrors and torture, and visions of terror and chaos. Another post-perfect. If the rest of the album was at the level of these two parts, it would never leave my CD player.

Out of this horror, the third section, The Return Of The Prince, comes with a gentle, uplifting guitar melody, bringing back the light and life to the Necromancer's dungeon. Peart contributes with a nice drum part, while Lee and Lifeson intertwine their bass and guitar. Uplifting, cheerful, potent and unassuming. Perfect as an expression of hope.

So, there you have it. Three emotions: sadness, fear and hope, three sections. A truly amazing song.

The Fountain Of Lamneth is not as strong as its predecessor, and there are admittedly some sections that people with a sense of cheese might look down upon. There are some repeats (verbatim) of the album's main parts (acousting opening echoed in the closer, The Fountain's theme and chorus are repeated a few times, and the other sections also haven't got obscene amounts of variation within them), however, no matter how hard I try, I can't bring myself to care. The main theme is an absolute killer, with a savage bass-drums combination, and the acoustic parts are very neat and back-up the lyrical themes. All the other themes work as intended, I think, even the Panacea section. The reason I love this song, though, is probably to be found in the ambitious lyrical exploration of the human condition (cheesy metaphors and all) and stunning, poetic lines ('My eyes have just been opened and they're open very wide/Images around me don't identify inside/Just one blur I recognise: the one that soothes and feeds/My way of life is easy and as simple are my needs'). I love this piece, though the criticisms of it are mostly fair.

The side-long suite begins with a gentle, hesitant, acoustic opening, accompanied by a soft vocals introducing the lyrical search and leading pretty neatly into the main, heavy Fountain riff with a drum battery from Peart and a tearing guitar part (accompanied by stunning, powerful lyrics [just my opinion, normal people may not like them]). Geddy Lee lays down a whirling bass part which hasn't grown old yet and provides his. Peart continues pretty neatly through this section of the song, having a semi-directed soft drumming style that reminds me of Bill Bruford's finest hour (Close To The Edge).

Didacts And Narpets is a weird section, beginning with a chaotic, hollow, rolling drum solo with shifting guitars and opposed vocals chiming in with an argument of sorts. The guitar returns and the whole group scream out 'LISTEN!'

The following section, under the melancholy title of Noone At The Bridge, complete with sailing metaphor, begins with a guitar part from Alex Lifeson that holds up almost the entire section, with Peart and Lee working around it very well. Peart is particularly stunning, and Lee does an impressive job holding up completely solo on vocals for a couple of moments, and giving life to the great 'SCREAM OUT DESPERATION, BUT NOONE CARES TO HEAR!' line (sorry for the capitals). At its end, Lifeson provides us with an interesting solo over a slightly morphing beat, and Peart fades the song out effectively with his percussion and some birdsong effect.

Panacea is perhaps the weakest section of the song, having more clichéd lyrics, even if I love them, and as an acoustic piece, it sounds poor and generic unless you pay attention to the subtleties, shimmering guitar (could be keyboards, I'm not sure) and throbbing bass, as well as Neil Peart's fairly nice drum additions at time.

Bacchus Plateau rocks in with a pretty standard guitar part, decent drumming and bass. The brief rhythm section solos are enjoyable, and Geddy Lee is perhaps taking a risk with his vocals, which sounds a little dubious if I try really hard not to like it. Lifeson's ending solo, while in keeping with the song, could probably afford to rock a little more. Nonetheless, the softness of this section is perfect as a lead up to the main theme driving in again.

A slight bulking up of the earlier Fountain theme slams in, with especially superb high vocals from Geddy Lee, and the guitar effect is very interesting. Alex Lifeson provides a solo (which feels more typical of him than the previous one) which works very neatly, and Peart's drumming is especially welcome. A minor escalation of the theme leads up to a reprise of the acoustics on the opening, continuing and rounding off the grand lyrical themes. A slow instrument hum concludes the song.

All in all, a much-loved song, with one of my favourite Peart performances (I'm not the greatest fan of his drumming elsewhere, but this is brilliant). The lyrics were really my thing, even if they might come off poorly with some listeners. Not a general epic masterpiece, but a masterpiece for me.

This is one of those albums that has a sort of personal resonance with me, which is fairly rare, and also not the most loved of Rush albums, but I feel that I can justify why I think it's so brilliant, and love it so much. What distinguishes this album, and 2112, from later Rush albums that I've heard, is that it is emotional, open and honest throughout, and conjures up images in a way that Moving Pictures never will. I can understand that this may not be the album for some people, but it's the album for me. Consequently, it gets the highest of ratings from me.

Rating: Five Stars

Favourite Track: The Necromancer (especially Into The Darkness)

----

About time I finished this one. Might have been optimistic with the fifth star, given that I admitted the weaknesses (similar to Trespass, which I only gave four stars to). Perhaps it's just that the weak spots feel right and don't disrupt the flow of the album like those on Trespass sometimes do.

Anyway, opinions most welcome, and I'm offering a general invitation for Caress Of Steel lovers/haters to post here.

Also, forgive me for saying this, but this album feels much more progressive to me than, say, Moving Pictures or Permanent Waves. The guitar effects on the Necromancer and the drumming for the last couple of tracks are distinctly unusual, as are the format and performances of The Fountain. Any thoughts on this outlandish view?

Lizard will be up soonish.

Album of the Week: Tales From Topographic Oceans - Yes
Song Of The Week: U Bring Me Down - Asia (from Arena)

^

Albums that deserve better ratings, imho:

Tarkus, underrated because of the B side being so different from the A side, plus it has short tracks (boo! hiss!), which apparently is not prog.
Tales From Topographic Oceans, underrated because you really need to listen to it. Hard album to absorb, but I love it.
To Watch The Storms (Hackett), underrated compared to his earlier 70s stuff, I think.
Asia, underrated because reviewers know big words like 'AOR' and can somehow turn that into a one star rating
Lizard, see Tales
Islands, BECAUSE IT DOES!

Also, Caress Of Steel and Lizard reviews both almost finished.


Edited by TGM: Orb - April 20 2008 at 18:08

yes.. Tarkus does deserve the 5th star 

^ Absolutely, second most rocking album in my collection (after Godbluff, and just before Look At Yourself).

@ Micky, I'm trying to justify not giving said album many stars, since I can see the small flaws, and failing. Probably going for it next, though I'm not sure whether it'll come before or after Lizard.
Lizard still merits five, and I think I might give Tarkus the fifth star as well, now.


Edited by TGM: Orb - April 19 2008 at 18:39

ahhh nice review...  how about Caress of Steel next

OK; thought I'd get back to reviewing, but couldn't be bothered to break down Lizard at this time of night.

Review 19 (not thingummy), Very 'Eavy, Very 'Umble, Uriah Heep, probably 1970, not 1967, as I said in the review I actually put up, which was a product of writing reviews at 2.00 in the morning instead of sleeping, because I have a (I kid you not) fear of being dragged off for a haircut if I get up before 3.00 in the afternoon.

In their debut album, Heep show off their mindblowingly-utterly-amazingly-super-amazing singer, David Byron, great organ and guitar parts, and the embrionic status of the heavy progressive rock that they'll move onto by 1971's Look At Yourself album. It is the case, however, that this album would probably have benefited from a bit of touring prior to the album's release to iron out some of the kinks in the music. Occasionally immaturity and weak lyrics drag some of the songs down, and they are rather riff-based at this point, which sometimes turns out badly. The biggest problem of this album, however, is that it is dominated by the truly masterful hard rock song 'Gypsy', while most of the rest is pretty standard, if excellent, heavier blues. Very good fun, but non-essential if you have Gypsy already.

Gypsy is the song that makes the entire album more-than-worthwhile. Great opener, and one that's so powerful that it even makes the rest of the album look unsuccessful. I suspect I may have overplayed it. Great rhythm section, a very strong guitar duo of Ken Hensley and Mick Box, an absolutely stunning performance from David Byron, superb quiet and heavy organ sections, great riff, which doesn't dominate the song too much, and a stunning moment when everything comes together again after the organ interlude. The harmonies, which are often a bit hit and miss for me with Heep (from what I've heard so far: this album, Look At Yourself and the samples on PA), work perfectly. Lyrically, it works. All the adrenaline and passion of the song are intensified by the lyrics. A masterpiece of hard rock.

Walking In Your Shadow is somewhat a step down from this energy. Hugely based on a repetitive guitar riff, rather generic lyrics and uncertain drumming from Paul Newton. David Byron does a great job, but the harmonies, while they are something that defined Heep, just annoy me here.The short break from the riff was a damn good idea, but the execution was lacking, with more of those whiny harmonies. The instrumental break is fairly good, with a decent bit of guitar-work over the riff. The ending is a fairly lame fade. A complete shambles.

Come Away Melinda is a definite step-up, and an example of the band producing something with a lot of potential, even if I feel they went overboard. A nice acoustic side to the band, with mostly gorgeous vocals, tolerable lyrics and lush mellotron additions from Colin Wood. The drums kick in with good effect on the third verse. It is a slight shame that the attempted shift from personal to epic on the third verse is very clumsy, relying on massive harmonies, and extending the last words of each line a bit. The conclusion, however, is alright, and the song as a whole is passable.

Lucy Blues is a laid-back blues (surprise) with an odd, likable piano-and-organ-and-bass theme, with a little variety added by Mick Box's guitar. The instrumental organ section is very neatly done. The vocals are superb, and the ending is nice. The lyrics increase the feel. A very good, relaxed blues song.

Dreammare opens with nice organ fiddling. The other instruments enter quite heavily, and a long guitar chord gives way to the main riff, which is good. The harmony vocals are right on. The guitar soloing over the theme, and the weird whispering in the background, give it a lot of character and quality. A break in the vocals and riff gives way to a superb guitar solo, with occasional stabs from the others. The lyrics are pretty good, certainly above most of the album's attempts to do something lyrically a little more unconventional. The concluding part has more great soloing from Mick Box and David Byron (yes, singers can solo, but I can't exactly describe the difference from normal singing very well) over the harmony. Great song. I guess that the lalalalala partway through could annoy a few people, but not me.

Real Turned On is another heavy blues song, with a good riff, superb vocals and entertaining lyrics, an enjoyable bluesy jam, good use of the bass echoing the main theme, a strong moment for the rhythm section. The ending's chaotic guitar thing is a massive foreshadower for the later Shadows Of Grief, but feels a little out of place here, but the final conclusion, a good bass-and-drums affair, works well. Good song, but could have been polished a little more.

I'll Keep On Trying starts with a classy organ part, and has pretty good drumming. I find the harmonic aa-ah aa-ah... thing, which is repeated a couple of times, somewhat clichéd and annoying. The bass performance here is my sort of basswork, hitting high notes and bursting with energy, and there are some stellar ascending guitar moments as well as a killer riff. Again, amazing lead vocals, really managing the standard 'evil woman' theme with class and individuality. The break is a little slow and light, and only really catches on when the organ kicks in again. A particularly fine moment for the rhythm section. Flawed, but I enjoy it.

Wake Up (Set Your Sights) is a rather awkward song, really, as well as a victim of positioning (it doesn't flow very well from the last song). It is musically mediocre, and lyrically a little more intelligent than most of the other things on the album. However, the lyrics are very often cringeworthy and melodramatic, and David Byron's delivery, while the only way it could really be done, increases this. The first half of the song is rather based around the vocals and pretty repetitive and occasionally even cringeworthy. Nonetheless, the second half is great: soft, mainly instrumental, with a mellotron and gentle background vocals. Great ending.

My remaster includes a few bonus tracks, two versions of Gypsy, one version of Come Away Melinda, two versions of Born In A Trunk, one version of Wake Up..., and Bird Of Prey. Of these, one version of Gypsy is just slightly extended, Born In A Trunk is forgettable, or even irritating, depending on mood, though the instrumental version is by miles the better of the two. The BBC session version of Gypsy, however, is pure, unadulterated 'win'. Every bit as good as the original version, with its slightly more energetic guitar part and small vocal improvisation. The version of Come Away Melinda feels a little tentative, but I think that works for the song, the guitar seems to be focussed on a little more, and the harmonies are changed a little, but the differences aren't huge. The first half of Wake Up (SYS) works a bit better than the one included on the album, the second half is still good, but  maybe not *as good* as the one included on the album.

Bird Of Prey is simply a great song, with another stunning vocal performance, a couple of nice sarcastic harmonies, decent lyrics that work very well in the song, an excellent guitar solo (really, ignore my comments on guitar solos, I usually like them) over a killer riff. I love it to pieces.

In the end, a lot of talent, some great playing from Mick Box, stunning vocals, but the album has a lot of times when the flaws of a song have simply not been ironed out. Worth the price if only for Gypsy, even if the rest of the album doesn't really hit the same high. Generally, good work, but often flawed.

Favourite tracks: Gypsy, Gypsy and Gypsy
Rating: Three Stars.

---

[tired]My opinions on

Grace Under Pressure, Yeti, Rubycon, Black Moon, Welcome Back My Friends, La Masquerade Infernale, Space Shanty haven't changed much.

I now love Stand Up to pieces, especially We Used To Know.

Kobaia was very good, but also indescribable, and I simply need to know more of their stuff to suggest a rating. Still Life was enjoyable, even if it never rocks as hard as Godbluff and Pawn Hearts do in places, lyrically very good, but I feel I haven't been in quite the right mood when listening to it so far. Angherr Shisspa (Koenjihyakkei) was very weird. Occasionally it felt a bit showy, rather than honest, and the merge of vocal styles wasn't nearly as amazing as that one on the sample here (Lussessogi Zom from Nivraym), I believe. Seeing as that vocal merge was basically the reason I got the album, I think I really should get Nivraym when it's available again. Musically interesting, but I found it hard to visualise anything (rare for me), which was not the case with Magma. Maybe a cultural background thing. Ys was a superb album, even if I (shame on me! ) loved the bonus track more than any part of the album itself. A radio-friendly song, I feel, but nonetheless very clever and lovable.
[/tired]


Edited by TGM: Orb - April 11 2008 at 22:04

^
Nevermind. I was posting too late last night.

Mini-reviews based on first listens:

Grace Under Pressure - Solid Rush album, but maybe a few more vocals than I like. Standout track was The Enemy Within. 2-4 stars.

Yeti - Wow. Absolute stunner, and an excellent introduction to the Krautrock scene. 4-5 stars. Standout track was the final improvised one, but everything was superb.

Rubycon - Again, wow. Again, absolute stunner. Very interesting electronic album. Enjoyable listen, great theme. 4-5 stars.

Space Shanty - Very enjoyable rock, with good musicianship all round. Vocals seemed a little overwrought in some places, but still great. Couldn't decide on a standout. 3-4 stars.

Welcome Back My Friends - Everything I want in a live album. Standout track was Karn Evil 9, which I enjoyed much more than the studio version. Greg Lake's vocals are absolutely gorgeous on this album. 5 stars, possibly.

La Masquerade Infernale. Great album, even if I don't usually like metal. 3-5 stars, with Ad Astra as a standout track.

Stand Up. Good fun, very bluesy, distinctly Tull. Anderson's vocals are a bit weak in comparison with the later stuff, but there are a few really great tracks on it. The standout was Bouree. 3-4 stars.

Black Moon. Enjoyable stuff, but a couple of weak spots, and Lake's voice just ain't what it was. Highlights are the title track and Romeo and Juliet. 3-4 stars.

Still Life and Magma have yet to receive proper spins.

CCVP wrote: lol, did my comment really needs translation?

Ahem. Too little walking has scrambled my brain. My comment-reading skills have fallen down as a result of this.




Edited by TGM: Orb - April 01 2008 at 17:36

@ Micky + Kenmartree



@CCVP
Hm. Pictures Of A City was one of the Sinfield-dominated tracks for me. I love Fripp's jazz-rock guitar on that one, too.

@Everyone
Just got back from a five-day charity walk, which was good, even if the distance we did wasn't up to my levels of energy. However, there will be a short break for several reasons:

1) I physically don't know what some of the instruments from Lizard and Islands sound like individually. I need to youtube up on them.
2) The cats are angry with me. They insist on standing on the keyboard if I sit still for two minutes.
3) Got some reading to catch up on.

and most importantly,

Kobaia / s/t - Magma
Welcome Back My Friends, Black Moon - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Stand Up - Jethro Tull
La Masquerade Infernale - Arcturus
Rubycon - Tangerine Dream
Grace Under Pressure - Rush
Still Life - Van Der Graaf Generator
Space Shanty - Khan
and Yeti - Amon Duul II
have just arrived, while a Koenjihyakkei album and Ys - Il Balletto di Bronzo are yet to come.

Thanks to everyone who's given a recommendation, started an interesting thread, written a good review, or put up a sample that's led to me getting one of these. Mini-reviews and, at some point, real reviews, will follow.


Edited by TGM: Orb - April 01 2008 at 16:50