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FunkyM 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 12 2010
Location: Funkytown
Status: Offline
Points: 134
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 Posted: January 30 2013 at 20:02 |
 Dellinger wrote:
Now, Clockwork Angels felt fresher to me, something different (well, it had to be, after 30 years), and though it may sound like heresy, I belive I enjoy it more than their 70's classic albums. I really liked it's heaviness and so. Now, the thing is, given this, which other album would you recommend me to check? Some other of the 2000's albums? Or perhaps some recent live album from them? |
If you liked Clockwork Angels, I'd recommend checking out Snakes & Arrows. It's their previous studio album and I think there's a fair chance fans of one album would enjoy the other.
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ProgMetaller2112
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 08 2012
Location: Pacoima,CA,USA
Status: Offline
Points: 3150
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Posted: January 30 2013 at 20:48 |
I like Clockwork Angels quite a bit though it suffers from loudness wars like Vapor Trails did in some cases I feel it's weak but it always comes back to bite me, it has a diverse set of songs like Caravan, Brought Up To Believe, Clockwork Angels, The Anarchist, Halo Effect, Seven Cities Of Gold, The Wreckers, Headlong Flight, Wish Them Well, and The Garden.All those songs have something that will stay with you. I pretty much just named the whole album  . I think it's the best album since Hold Your Fire for me  It is one of their worst the answer to that is no(that honor goes to Test For Echo which to me is still good  ) "I wish that I could live it all again" 
Edited by ProgMetaller2112 - January 30 2013 at 21:11
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“War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.”
― George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four
"Ignorance and Prejudice and Fear walk Hand in Hand"- Neil Peart
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Horizons
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: January 20 2011
Location: Somewhere Else
Status: Offline
Points: 16952
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Posted: January 30 2013 at 20:53 |
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I think Snakes and Arrows is MILES past Clockwork Angels. I think i prefer S&A to Vapor Trails too, i know i listen to it more. I'd say it's their best album since Counterparts, then Hold Your Fire (which is better than PW and GUP).
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Crushed like a rose in the riverflow.
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Dellinger
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: June 18 2009
Location: Mexico
Status: Offline
Points: 12810
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Posted: January 30 2013 at 20:59 |
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So, I guess I'll be going with Snakes and Arrows, and then Counterparts, since many people keep sayint "the best album since Counterparts", thus, Counterparts must be a great album too.
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ProgMetaller2112
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 08 2012
Location: Pacoima,CA,USA
Status: Offline
Points: 3150
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Posted: January 30 2013 at 21:07 |
wjohnd wrote:
Funny how different racks are appealing to different people.Caravan and BU2B didn't click with me at all when they were first released but sound much better in the context of the album. I agree that Geddy's voice is just a bit monotone in places, for example on the otherwise excellent Headlong Flight, but I've managed to get past that and enjoy the balls out rock that it settles in to.
For me this is the best of their recent albums and while some may prefer VT or S&A I think we can all agree that it's a darned site better than Test For Echo if only because there is no Dog Years on it ;-)
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Dog Years  and I like Rush
Edited by ProgMetaller2112 - January 30 2013 at 21:12
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“War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.”
― George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four
"Ignorance and Prejudice and Fear walk Hand in Hand"- Neil Peart
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Ambient Hurricanes
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 25 2011
Location: internet
Status: Offline
Points: 2549
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Posted: January 30 2013 at 21:49 |
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Wow, just realized it's been a long time since I've listened to CA. I need to give it a spin this weekend. I did listen to it a lot when it came out; I liked it, but it wasn't as if it was a masterpiece or anything like that.
I do really love Halo Effect.
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I love dogs, I've always loved dogs
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Metalmarsh89
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 15 2013
Location: Oregon, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 2673
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Posted: January 31 2013 at 01:13 |
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I've given it many listens now, and I would say that I enjoy it more than any album since Counterparts. I purchased the book when it came out too, and read it. While the book was just so-so, it gave me more insight and knowledge about the story in the album, so now I enjoy it even more.
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JediJoker7169
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 05 2009
Location: West Coast, NA
Status: Offline
Points: 195
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Posted: February 01 2013 at 03:20 |
FunkyM wrote:
If you liked Clockwork Angels, I'd recommend checking out Snakes & Arrows. It's their previous studio album and I think there's a fair chance fans of one album would enjoy the other. |
Probably true, but the reverse is definitely not true in my case. I was very much a fan of Snakes & Arrows when it came out. At that point, the only other Rush album I owned was Moving Pictures. I went to see them live on the Snakes & Arrows Tour and was an instant fan, gobbling up their entire catalogue as fast as I could. Unfortunately, between then and the release of Clockwork Angels, Geddy Lee's voice took a serious turn for the worse. He sounds reasonably natural on Snakes & Arrows, but has had so much pitch correction applied to his vocals on Clockwork Angels it should be illegal. And it's not just that he can't sing in tune anymore, he's clearly having a hard time singing, period. As a trained singer and recording/mixing engineer, I notice these things. If you don't... Ignorance is bliss. 
Both albums suffer terribly from overuse of dynamic range compression (loudness wars), with Clockwork Angels suffering a bit more than Snakes & Arrows. I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of this was already present in the mix before it got sent off to be mastered, which falls squarely on the shoulders of Richard Chycki (Snakes & Arrows) and Nick Raskulinecz (Clockwork Angels). Rush and Nick Raskulinecz apparently have a great working relationship. He's probably the right producer for them right now. What he definitely isn't is the right mixing engineer. Somebody get that man away from the console! (I did like Richard Chycki's 5.1 mix of Moving Pictures, so I'm not ready to give up on him yet.)
As far as the songwriting goes... Well, Clockwork Angels is certainly not without merit. It's difficult to appreciate the songwriting, though, when the record sounds like it does. I still find that Snakes & Arrows edges it out in that department, which is too bad: the concept of Clockwork Angels was a promising one. Neil Peart is one of my favorite lyricists, but I really don't think this is some of his best work. I find some of his most compelling lyrics to be those dealing with relationships, especially between the sexes, such as "Entre Nous," "Cold Fire," and "Alien Shore." He is also a great storyteller, as evidenced by "2112." I'm afraid that without having read the novel (I do plan to), the story of Clockwork Angels is rather lost on me.
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rdtprog
Special Collaborator
Heavy, RPI, Symph, JR/F Canterbury Teams
Joined: April 04 2009
Location: Mtl, QC
Status: Offline
Points: 5379
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Posted: February 01 2013 at 03:34 |
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It sounds to me like a very entertaining jam session with 3 excellent musicians, which is not exactly what i would prefer. In some songs, the idea, or inspiration is lacking a good melody, but the band sticks to their first impulse and extended the songs for too long when the songs are interesting , its ok but it's not the case on the whole cd. They improvise a lot on this cd, it could be a easier way for them, but i think they could have made a better cd with a better songwriting. This is my way of seeing a band that has been to close to my heart in the past and now it's like i want them to be perfect.
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Music is the refuge of souls ulcerated by happiness.
Emile M. Cioran
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Clockwork Angels: Any opinion