Apparently, when Rush toured for 'Roll the bones', their opening band was Primus, who were huge fans... Rush heard the stripped-down sound that they had... and also bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam that were emerging w/ a more basic rock sound... heavy guitars and bass. They sensed the grunge rock sound was shuffling the scene, so they decided to push that aspect and go back to their 70's roots. Rush turned to producer Peter Collins (who did their 80's synth records) and had worked on major records w/ Queensryche, Alice Cooper, and Suicidal Tendencies... Kevin Shirley (who would later produce Silverchair, Aerosmith, The Black Crowes and Iron Maiden) was the engineer, and he demanded Rush use all their old instruments & equipment to track 'Counterparts'... and it was not an easy collaboration, but they were very happy w/ how the album sounded in the end... Alex's guitar was much more like it was on the Early Rush records... Geddy's bass was slamming... Neil's drums were sounding heavy once again. 'Counterparts' beat the odds and went to #2 on the US charts, next to Pearl Jam's 'Vs.' and Nirvana's 'In utero'... but went gold (half million copies sold) like their last few records... But the tour for the album was massive - Rush played 3 hr sets in arenas, at a time when 70's and 80's rock bands were falling fast.
As always, Animate and Stick It Out are my two favorite Rush songs because they are the last two I listened to. 48 years of new favorites since my first experience of 2112 live. Rush is practically the only band I listen to and I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. Rush and old blues and soul, that’s plenty for me, I’m happy.
This is an underrated Rush album, in my opinion. It was released during the height of the grunge era so it is sometimes characterized as Rush's attempt at grunge/alternative.
@@B2BRestaurantReviews I think Stick it Out definitely sounds like grunge. Not Pearl Jam or Nirvana but more like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. Grunge is such a strange "genre" anyways because it's defined by a city rather than a style of music. Soundgarden was like a mix of Sabbath and Beatles, Nirvana was something between punk and pop, Pearl Jam was alternative rock and Alice in Chains was mostly a metal band. They all had lyrics that were very personal and I guess that's mostly what separated them from what other hard rock / metal bands were doing. But anyways, Alex was very much influenced by Alice in Chains and Soundgarden and he made the solo album in the nineties that's even more in the same vein.
@@petrilampela I agree with that, I think that's why one of rush's greatest ability was to take their influences and then make them their own where you never feel like they are copying or mimicking anyone in particular as they have Rush-ified it lol
As with many Rush records, the songs on Counterparts carry a theme. In this case the theme is based on interpersonal relationships. Excellent reaction! There was a two year wait between RTB and Counterparts. That heavy riff at the opening of "Animate" blew the cobwebs out of my brain, that's for sure. I just love Alex's tone on the solo, gritty and expressive as hell. Is there anyone better than Lerxst at pinch harmonics? Freaking awesome bass lines, too. The guitar/bass intro to "Stick It Out" is intense. Then Neil comes in with the drums and it really rocks. The thing I can tell you is that while these riffs might sound fairly simple, they aren't. Dirk & Lerxst just make it seem like that. Love this album! But then, in my opinion, Rush never recorded a bad track. Not everyone agrees with me, and that's okay. "Everyday Glory" and "Nobody's Hero" are really powerful songs.
"Animate" was a favorite of Neil's. He once said he thought they did a great job on it and that it was a really good song. It's one of their standout songs. It's got great structure, great musicianship, and very thoughtful lyrics. It's one of my favorites. And yeah.... the dramatic chords at the end give it a sense of grandeur. I love when Rush does stuff like that.
I bought this CD on release day, and first time Animate kicked in, I basically made the same face you did… loved it ever since. Such a driving, animated (😜) beat.
The other really awesomely different song like Stick It Out is on Snakes & Arrows and it’s called Spindrift!! RUSH ALWAYS SURPRISES AND IT’S GLORIOUS!!! 🤘🤘🤘🤘
The greatest thing about rush is that they always remained relevant they evolved they didn't stay with their seventies sound they changed their sound based on what's going on in the world and they were experimental which was so cool
I might be a bit biased because this was my first Rush album proper (I only had the compilation album Chronicles before this), but these two tracks hit me like a Mack truck! I was 15 and REALLY getting into Rush - my best friend already had Roll The Bones - we were beginning to eat up all that they had to offer! I still LOVE this album immensely!! Seeing these two tracks live in '97 (Test For Echo tour - my first time seeing Rush) was something special! Animate in particular - Geddy's bass was just driving through you! That concert was also special as they played 2112 in it's entirety! First time since it was released. It was a beautiful summer night in Toronto, outdoor venue, breeze off Lake Ontario and some sweet smells in the air - amazing time! You're in for a real treat of an album John!
Animate is acknowledging & embracing what can be interpreted as the “female” side of the male ego. Neil is saying It’s ok to show tenderness and compassion etc. and not think of these traits as a weakness but rather powerful, inner strengths. “The sister to the boy inside me.”
This tour was great. It would also be the last tour that they had an opening act. After this it will be all them for three hours with an intermission. We got "Candlebox" for an opener on the shows we saw. They were really good.
I remember waiting for this album to come out and anticipating it being heavily grunge influence, considering what was going on musically. One of the few times I perfectly predicted what a Rush album might sound like before it was released. I certainly did not disappoint. Animate is the hardest hitting song that talks about dealing with a man’s feminine side. I think Stick It Out may be the most predictable song on the album, but still a banger for sure. One of my favorite memories of this song was watching Beavis and Butt-Head roast it on MTV.
The video of Stick it Out on Headbanger's Ball was my introduction to Rush. I really thought they were a grunge metal band based on that single track and as I went to the record store and they didn't have Counterparts I bought Roll the Bones on CD and you can guess how puzzled I was. There wasn't a single heavy riff on the album. It took a long time and many albums since I got a clue what was going on, but when I finally landed on Hemispheres I fell in love. I still think the production on Counterparts is the best since Hemispheres, I just wish Presto and Roll the Bones were mixed like this. Kevin Shirley was the engineer on this album, he produced A Change of Seasons for Dream Theater. And that's one of the few songs I sometimes listen to just because of the production. It has the best snare sound I've ever heard and it gives me the chills every time.
@@carlgibbons5777 Really? For me Hemispheres has easily the best production of Rush's albums. Every instrument sounds so perfect. But it's a matter of taste of course.
@@petrilampela yep. It's subjective for sure just like music is:) Hemisphere's production is good, but certainly not close to Neil's best drum sound IMO. This coming from a drummer's ear so maybe I'm extra picky from that persepective. lol
The loudness wars had been going on for quite a while by this point, apparently, but this was the first album where I realized something weird and dark was happening. It especially hit me when listening to Cut to the Chase and Double Agent.
IIRC Primus opened for Rush, on the "Roll the Bones" tour (I saw it in Oakland), so that bass line on "Stick it Out" might be influenced by Les Claypool, since this album came after it.
For a clue on what the lyrics in Animate may mean, look up Hugh Syme's pretty profuse artwork for the physical version of the album; it all points towards the album name in various expressions of the concept.
Wait til you hear Cold Fire. This album was Rush's answer to grunge. I feel it is the best mixed and produced album in their discography (besides MP, obviously).
Produced by Kevin 'Caveman' Shirley who wanted Rush to get back to a hard, more guitar-driven sound.He and Alex argued a lot about how each of them wanted to achieve this sound...but it works superbly imho..good review
This album, to the end (Clockwork Angels) is my personal favorite phase of Rush's output. That's not to put anything else they've done down, of course. But from here on out, I'm jumping and shaking to see your reaction to this last portion of their careers. IMO, it's that good.
This is the album where I became a fan of Rush. My boyfriend at the time was given tickets from a friend of his and I couldn't get over the fact that there was only three of them producing this much sound and I was an instant fan! I think if more girlfriends were drive to Rush shows there'd be more female fans lol!
I, for one, can attest to that! The boys have been my enduring, deepening, and singular obsession since Signals. Life without music would suck; Life without Rush is no life at all.
Counterparts...Neil's theme is relationships throughout this album...even love songs that could only be written in an un-typical way...his lyrics from Hold Your Fire through this album are as good as it gets for me...and Geddy's delivery is superb...this tour was incredible !
The producer for this album was again Peter Collins (Power Windiws, Hold Your Fire) and Queensryche (Operation Mindcrime and Empire). All productions are fantastic!
Love power Windows production, but Hold Your Fire sounds way too "tinny" and "jangly" IMO. Production not bad overall, but not great either. Step backwards from Power Windows.
It's the same producer as Power Windows and Hold Your Fire, as well as Test For Echo (the album after this one). Regardless of whether you like the albums or not, sonically, I think they're Rush's best sounding albums.
I agree with you that, at this point, they were just getting better and better, but sometimes i wonder, were they getting better or did they achieve an early position G.O.A.T. and just properly maintain that position right through until the end?
So now they move from experimentation to consolidation. From here on, they become a more fully balanced trio, less dependant on artifice and synths. The Golden Age has begun, the preamble performed, now let's get to the best stuff.
My two favorite Rush Albums are Power Windows and Counterparts. No Rush albums have a better one two punch to start out an album as these two (Big Money/Grand Designs; Animate/Stick it Out).
I remember listening to this my junior year in college. They had released stick it out as a single which I was not thrilled with. WBCN in Boston played the entire album with interviews with the band about a week before release and I was happily surprised at how amazing this album was. This album was in my car CD player for months.
Their performance of Animate on the R40 tour was awesome! I gotta be honest.. when I first heard this album.. I didn’t like it. But it has grown on me over the years. This was 1993 and grunge was still in. Wait till you hear Nobody’s Hero. One of the best tracks off the record.
This came out during the Nirvana, NIN, and (early) Tool days, and it shows! Stick it Out was one of the first Rush songs I ever remember seeing on MTV's Headbanger's Ball and Beavis and Butthead, if that tells you what era Rush was shifting into. Sadly... Alex abandoned guitar solos for a few albums after this, so absorb what you can here, because beyond this is a barren wasteland for us guitarists :(
For me, Animate explores the influence of female energy. The first part mentions various symbols fo female mystical energy as the mother. The next part focuses on relationships. Ultimately, we all (male and female) must balance the male and female energies that we inherit from mother, father, society. These energies complicate us and our relationships. But they also motivate/animate us.
During the 80s they were listening a lot to the Police, among other bands (the sound on the previous two albums in particular was really thin..Neil was even using a piccolo snare drum). On Counterparts. they switched gears big time..you can tell they'd been listening to Nirvana and Pearl Jam..and probably Metallica. They deliberately went for a heavier, less sterile, and more wide open sound. For example, pretty much from the Signals album on, Alex had recorded all of his guitar parts from the control room, plugging into the board. For Counterparts he actually stepped out to the other side of the glass, plugged into an amp, and blasted it, and they recorded it the old fashioned way, through a mic. You can hear the difference. Guitar sounds a lot dirtier and less processed.
@@Peart5220 Vapor Trails was the band's return after a long hiatus (and almost retirement) because of the tragic deaths of Neil's daughter and then his wife within the space of a year or 2. Neil documented this change in style in a video he made called A Work In Progress...in which he talks about the work he did..and plays through every song on TFE to demonstrate.
A different producer gave them a fuller sound. In Animate he is talking about his own inner feminine. All of us have a masculine and feminine side. Mind = Masculine Heart = Feminine Neil was a very sensitive person along with his great intellect. He is talking about balancing the duality within. Stick it out is about not letting negatively control you. Don't swallow the lies, listen to the truth within. Throw out what is harmful to you. Alex wanted to return to a harder sound on this and further albums. Counterparts is in my top Rush albums. Cheers
My first impressions of this album were that is was very full on and hard hitting, perhaps a bit too much at times. But certainly a marvellous head banger.
Glad you love these two tunes...but...To open an album....Permanent Waves...Moving Pictures...and Signals...nothing better than the opening two songs of those 3 albums...IMO🤘
Counterparts is ok and I certainly have had my time loving it but at the moment it's quite low in the rankings for me. You're right about Stick it Out it's pretty dischordant for Rush. They kept elements of this heavier sound for the rest of their career. For me Snakes and Arrows is the best later Rush album will be interested to see what you make of that one if you decide to react to it.
These 2 songs are a very strong start and I LOVE this record, but let's get real, better start than Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures? I don't think so Tim. lol
"Rush just keeps getting better" In some ways yes. But beware on this album and the next 3 albums there are a few uninspired stinker songs for sure, I have no idea why they made the cut. Just my .02
@@carlgibbons5777 With Counterparts, for the first time in their catalog the songs at the end just came across as boring or uninspired. Something about the execution didn't work out. I'm thinking of Double Agent, Cold Fire, and Everyday Glory. I guess I'll have to give Everyday Glory another chance, I've not heard it very much because I just can't make it to the end of this album. But it left no positive impression on me. "Stinkers" comes off a bit harsh, on most any other bands of the era these songs would still be solid album fillers. In context of Rush, I felt like they were having a hard time keeping up the standard.
You can’t pigeonhole Rush into any genre man! I’ve seen these guys live 13 times and this tour is one of my favorites. I miss seeing them so bad!!!
Apparently, when Rush toured for 'Roll the bones', their opening band was Primus, who were huge fans... Rush heard the stripped-down sound that they had... and also bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam that were emerging w/ a more basic rock sound... heavy guitars and bass. They sensed the grunge rock sound was shuffling the scene, so they decided to push that aspect and go back to their 70's roots.
Rush turned to producer Peter Collins (who did their 80's synth records) and had worked on major records w/ Queensryche, Alice Cooper, and Suicidal Tendencies... Kevin Shirley (who would later produce Silverchair, Aerosmith, The Black Crowes and Iron Maiden) was the engineer, and he demanded Rush use all their old instruments & equipment to track 'Counterparts'... and it was not an easy collaboration, but they were very happy w/ how the album sounded in the end... Alex's guitar was much more like it was on the Early Rush records... Geddy's bass was slamming... Neil's drums were sounding heavy once again.
'Counterparts' beat the odds and went to #2 on the US charts, next to Pearl Jam's 'Vs.' and Nirvana's 'In utero'... but went gold (half million copies sold) like their last few records... But the tour for the album was massive - Rush played 3 hr sets in arenas, at a time when 70's and 80's rock bands were falling fast.
As always, Animate and Stick It Out are my two favorite Rush songs because they are the last two I listened to. 48 years of new favorites since my first experience of 2112 live. Rush is practically the only band I listen to and I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. Rush and old blues and soul, that’s plenty for me, I’m happy.
The live track of ANIMATE from the R30 DVD is killer!!
“Animate” is a great tune. The drum groove is amazing. (RIP Professor).
This is an underrated Rush album, in my opinion. It was released during the height of the grunge era so it is sometimes characterized as Rush's attempt at grunge/alternative.
I wouldn't say attempt more of an influenced by...but none of it sounds grunge.
@@B2BRestaurantReviews I think Stick it Out definitely sounds like grunge. Not Pearl Jam or Nirvana but more like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. Grunge is such a strange "genre" anyways because it's defined by a city rather than a style of music. Soundgarden was like a mix of Sabbath and Beatles, Nirvana was something between punk and pop, Pearl Jam was alternative rock and Alice in Chains was mostly a metal band. They all had lyrics that were very personal and I guess that's mostly what separated them from what other hard rock / metal bands were doing. But anyways, Alex was very much influenced by Alice in Chains and Soundgarden and he made the solo album in the nineties that's even more in the same vein.
@@petrilampela I agree with that, I think that's why one of rush's greatest ability was to take their influences and then make them their own where you never feel like they are copying or mimicking anyone in particular as they have Rush-ified it lol
Same way "Rush" was Rush's attempt at Hard Rock, "2112" was Rush's attempt at Prog Rock, and "Signals" was Rush's attempt at New Wave.
@@surfeit5910 attempt?!? Think they were successful in taking those influences and making them their own.
Counterparts is so unrated and overlooked. LOVE this album - it rocks.
Cut to the Chase and Cold Fire are nasty too!
By whom is it underrated? certainly not by any Rush fan@@kato0828
As with many Rush records, the songs on Counterparts carry a theme. In this case the theme is based on interpersonal relationships. Excellent reaction!
There was a two year wait between RTB and Counterparts. That heavy riff at the opening of "Animate" blew the cobwebs out of my brain, that's for sure. I just love Alex's tone on the solo, gritty and expressive as hell. Is there anyone better than Lerxst at pinch harmonics? Freaking awesome bass lines, too.
The guitar/bass intro to "Stick It Out" is intense. Then Neil comes in with the drums and it really rocks.
The thing I can tell you is that while these riffs might sound fairly simple, they aren't. Dirk & Lerxst just make it seem like that.
Love this album! But then, in my opinion, Rush never recorded a bad track. Not everyone agrees with me, and that's okay.
"Everyday Glory" and "Nobody's Hero" are really powerful songs.
"Animate" was a favorite of Neil's. He once said he thought they did a great job on it and that it was a really good song. It's one of their standout songs. It's got great structure, great musicianship, and very thoughtful lyrics. It's one of my favorites. And yeah.... the dramatic chords at the end give it a sense of grandeur. I love when Rush does stuff like that.
Just another reason why RUSH is the greatest and most talent rock group of all time... Great video!
I bought this CD on release day, and first time Animate kicked in, I basically made the same face you did… loved it ever since. Such a driving, animated (😜) beat.
When I listen to Rush, so do my neighbors!
The other really awesomely different song like Stick It Out is on Snakes & Arrows and it’s called Spindrift!! RUSH ALWAYS SURPRISES AND IT’S GLORIOUS!!! 🤘🤘🤘🤘
I was totally going to say that!!! Spindrift is one of my all time favorite Rush songs!
You had a hell of a stank face going on with Stick It Out. Guess that one hit a spot :)
“Stick It Out” rocks out. So does “Animate”. Those are two great songs to start Counterparts.
You feel it and understand the greatness of Rush. No matter what style of music they have, they got it right. Rush always had it right... Boom.
One of their best albums in my books!
Great reaction!! Just wait till the rest.
My favorite Rush album from the 90's. The mix on this album makes Rush sound so heavy and bad ass! So many cool songs on this album!
I have a Rush playlist that is 21 hrs, 7 mins, and Animate leads it off. I love this song.
So much appreciate what you're experiencing on this Rush journey and look forward to following your discoveries.
The greatest thing about rush is that they always remained relevant they evolved they didn't stay with their seventies sound they changed their sound based on what's going on in the world and they were experimental which was so cool
I might be a bit biased because this was my first Rush album proper (I only had the compilation album Chronicles before this), but these two tracks hit me like a Mack truck! I was 15 and REALLY getting into Rush - my best friend already had Roll The Bones - we were beginning to eat up all that they had to offer! I still LOVE this album immensely!!
Seeing these two tracks live in '97 (Test For Echo tour - my first time seeing Rush) was something special! Animate in particular - Geddy's bass was just driving through you!
That concert was also special as they played 2112 in it's entirety! First time since it was released. It was a beautiful summer night in Toronto, outdoor venue, breeze off Lake Ontario and some sweet smells in the air - amazing time!
You're in for a real treat of an album John!
Yes John...these guys push the sound barrier for the remaining albums of their careers together.
There is a great live video of this song floating around the tube. Might give it a watch,
Rush kept raising the bar.
I've never seen anyone so into the music before.
One of my top Rush albums. SOOO good. Favorite is Double Agent. Wait til you get to that song.... wow.
,,,on the edge of sleep, I was drifting for half the night....
Animate is acknowledging & embracing what can be interpreted as the “female” side of the male ego. Neil is saying It’s ok to show tenderness and compassion etc. and not think of these traits as a weakness but rather powerful, inner strengths. “The sister to the boy inside me.”
New producer on this from the previous 2 albums...hence the fullness you were talking about.
This tour was great. It would also be the last tour that they had an opening act. After this it will be all them for three hours with an intermission. We got "Candlebox" for an opener on the shows we saw. They were really good.
The song is based on the idea of the "Anima" or the feminine side of the man.
Stick It Out...is Rush's progressive answer to Grunge so tasty.
Love this album and the conscious decision to return to a more guitar driven sound.
Peart said Animate was one of his favorite Rush songs.
I think Alex said that the riff for Stick It Out was inspired by Aqualung by Jethro Tull.
I can definitely hear that!
Great choice.
No lie. Animate destroys me, every flippin' time. My second favorite Rush song, ever!!!
I remember waiting for this album to come out and anticipating it being heavily grunge influence, considering what was going on musically. One of the few times I perfectly predicted what a Rush album might sound like before it was released. I certainly did not disappoint.
Animate is the hardest hitting song that talks about dealing with a man’s feminine side.
I think Stick It Out may be the most predictable song on the album, but still a banger for sure.
One of my favorite memories of this song was watching Beavis and Butt-Head roast it on MTV.
Rush always had a full musical bag of tricks to unleash on the listener.
"Rush is variety"
Lol, LOVE it.👍🏻 Til now, I'd been thinking I was the only one paying attention! 😊
The video of Stick it Out on Headbanger's Ball was my introduction to Rush. I really thought they were a grunge metal band based on that single track and as I went to the record store and they didn't have Counterparts I bought Roll the Bones on CD and you can guess how puzzled I was. There wasn't a single heavy riff on the album. It took a long time and many albums since I got a clue what was going on, but when I finally landed on Hemispheres I fell in love. I still think the production on Counterparts is the best since Hemispheres, I just wish Presto and Roll the Bones were mixed like this. Kevin Shirley was the engineer on this album, he produced A Change of Seasons for Dream Theater. And that's one of the few songs I sometimes listen to just because of the production. It has the best snare sound I've ever heard and it gives me the chills every time.
I don't even like the production on Hemispheres that much. Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Counterparts, and Power windows much better IMO.
@@carlgibbons5777 Really? For me Hemispheres has easily the best production of Rush's albums. Every instrument sounds so perfect. But it's a matter of taste of course.
@@petrilampela yep. It's subjective for sure just like music is:) Hemisphere's production is good, but certainly not close to Neil's best drum sound IMO. This coming from a drummer's ear so maybe I'm extra picky from that persepective. lol
Love the Change of seasons track. Awake still remains my favorite DT record.
In my top 5 RUSH albums!!
In my top 6:)
This was Rush's response to the grunge era that was happening at the time.
In the words of Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy... " 3 musicians and so much power ". One of my favourite RUSH albums.
The loudness wars had been going on for quite a while by this point, apparently, but this was the first album where I realized something weird and dark was happening. It especially hit me when listening to Cut to the Chase and Double Agent.
IIRC Primus opened for Rush, on the "Roll the Bones" tour (I saw it in Oakland), so that bass line on "Stick it Out" might be influenced by Les Claypool, since this album came after it.
Hello John you are a great man , thank you for your wonderful videos
For a clue on what the lyrics in Animate may mean, look up Hugh Syme's pretty profuse artwork for the physical version of the album; it all points towards the album name in various expressions of the concept.
Wait til you hear Cold Fire. This album was Rush's answer to grunge. I feel it is the best mixed and produced album in their discography (besides MP, obviously).
Maybe Neil's best drum sound on record. He should have never left Ludwig and switched to DW drums.
Produced by Kevin 'Caveman' Shirley who wanted Rush to get back to a hard, more guitar-driven sound.He and Alex argued a lot about how each of them wanted to achieve this sound...but it works superbly imho..good review
Soz,my mistake..produced by Peter Collins but engineered by Mr Shirley
This album, to the end (Clockwork Angels) is my personal favorite phase of Rush's output. That's not to put anything else they've done down, of course. But from here on out, I'm jumping and shaking to see your reaction to this last portion of their careers. IMO, it's that good.
Amazing lyrics on both Animals and Stick It Out.
CP #3 on my list. Love it
This is one of my top Rush albums. I was 24 years old married
This album should have been called "The Return of Alex the Master"!!! He had been "missing" for a while.
This is the album where I became a fan of Rush. My boyfriend at the time was given tickets from a friend of his and I couldn't get over the fact that there was only three of them producing this much sound and I was an instant fan! I think if more girlfriends were drive to Rush shows there'd be more female fans lol!
I, for one, can attest to that! The boys have been my enduring, deepening, and singular obsession since Signals. Life without music would suck; Life without Rush is no life at all.
It's about cultivating that inner feminate in our male selves.
Counterparts...Neil's theme is relationships throughout this album...even love songs that could only be written in an un-typical way...his lyrics from Hold Your Fire through this album are as good as it gets for me...and Geddy's delivery is superb...this tour was incredible !
wanna see proffessionals at high levels,,,,,animate live from francfurt, masterfull....
This is my "go to" Rush album.
The producer for this album was again Peter Collins (Power Windiws, Hold Your Fire) and Queensryche (Operation Mindcrime and Empire). All productions are fantastic!
Love power Windows production, but Hold Your Fire sounds way too "tinny" and "jangly" IMO. Production not bad overall, but not great either. Step backwards from Power Windows.
@@carlgibbons5777 Correct - the pop album by Rush. But a very good one! Die Songs sind besser als auf den 90er Alben.
No, it was a different producer Caveman Kevin Shirley.
@@debbieplato5107 No, Peter Collins was the Producer!
@@zanderalex2463 Not for Counterparts. Watch Beyond the Lighted Stage if you don't believe me. Others have stated this as well in the comments.
It's the same producer as Power Windows and Hold Your Fire, as well as Test For Echo (the album after this one). Regardless of whether you like the albums or not, sonically, I think they're Rush's best sounding albums.
I agree with you that, at this point, they were just getting better and better, but sometimes i wonder, were they getting better or did they achieve an early position G.O.A.T. and just properly maintain that position right through until the end?
So now they move from experimentation to consolidation.
From here on, they become a more fully balanced trio, less dependant on artifice and synths.
The Golden Age has begun, the preamble performed, now let's get to the best stuff.
My two favorite Rush Albums are Power Windows and Counterparts. No Rush albums have a better one two punch to start out an album as these two (Big Money/Grand Designs; Animate/Stick it Out).
I remember listening to this my junior year in college. They had released stick it out as a single which I was not thrilled with. WBCN in Boston played the entire album with interviews with the band about a week before release and I was happily surprised at how amazing this album was. This album was in my car CD player for months.
Hope Stick It out grew on you. It's a great song.
@@carlgibbons5777 it did. It’s still not my favorite on the album. Animate, nobody’s hero and everyday glory are probably my favorites.
@@mpkelley20 Great! my favs on here are Cut to The Chase, Between Sun and Moon, Leave That Thing Alone, and Cold Fire:)
Their performance of Animate on the R40 tour was awesome! I gotta be honest.. when I first heard this album.. I didn’t like it. But it has grown on me over the years. This was 1993 and grunge was still in. Wait till you hear Nobody’s Hero. One of the best tracks off the record.
I loved counterparts so grungy after presto and roll love the backdrop forming
"Weird goosebumps", ahahaha!
If you like those Diminished sounding Lerxt chords you just might like VOIVOD
Another gem from Canada
This came out during the Nirvana, NIN, and (early) Tool days, and it shows! Stick it Out was one of the first Rush songs I ever remember seeing on MTV's Headbanger's Ball and Beavis and Butthead, if that tells you what era Rush was shifting into. Sadly... Alex abandoned guitar solos for a few albums after this, so absorb what you can here, because beyond this is a barren wasteland for us guitarists :(
It sounds pretty much the same as the original maybe they upped the quality? I have both versions and I don't notice a difference without headphones
For me, Animate explores the influence of female energy. The first part mentions various symbols fo female mystical energy as the mother. The next part focuses on relationships. Ultimately, we all (male and female) must balance the male and female energies that we inherit from mother, father, society. These energies complicate us and our relationships. But they also motivate/animate us.
🎸🥁🎸
This album has grown on me over time.
During the 80s they were listening a lot to the Police, among other bands (the sound on the previous two albums in particular was really thin..Neil was even using a piccolo snare drum). On Counterparts. they switched gears big time..you can tell they'd been listening to Nirvana and Pearl Jam..and probably Metallica. They deliberately went for a heavier, less sterile, and more wide open sound. For example, pretty much from the Signals album on, Alex had recorded all of his guitar parts from the control room, plugging into the board. For Counterparts he actually stepped out to the other side of the glass, plugged into an amp, and blasted it, and they recorded it the old fashioned way, through a mic. You can hear the difference. Guitar sounds a lot dirtier and less processed.
this is after Neil studied with Freddie Gruber
Sorry.. Test For Echo was the post Freddie Gruber album.
@@michaelenosmusic I thought it was Vapor Trails...
@@Peart5220 Vapor Trails was the band's return after a long hiatus (and almost retirement) because of the tragic deaths of Neil's daughter and then his wife within the space of a year or 2.
Neil documented this change in style in a video he made called A Work In Progress...in which he talks about the work he did..and plays through every song on TFE to demonstrate.
@@michaelenosmusic Thanks for correcting. i wasnt sure
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Like the new setup!
Smok'n!
A different producer gave them a fuller sound. In Animate he is talking about his own inner feminine. All of us have a masculine and feminine side. Mind = Masculine
Heart = Feminine
Neil was a very sensitive person along with his great intellect. He is talking about balancing the duality within. Stick it out is about not letting negatively control you. Don't swallow the lies, listen to the truth within. Throw out what is harmful to you. Alex wanted to return to a harder sound on this and further albums. Counterparts is in my top Rush albums.
Cheers
Caveman Kevin Shirley! Did an amazing job on this record.
@@carlgibbons5777 He certainly did!
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what the police were to signals
Sound garden is to counterparts
'Happy Sounding'?
My first impressions of this album were that is was very full on and hard hitting, perhaps a bit too much at times. But certainly a marvellous head banger.
Glad you love these two tunes...but...To open an album....Permanent Waves...Moving Pictures...and Signals...nothing better than the opening two songs of those 3 albums...IMO🤘
Stick It Out had a video that got aired on MTV for a week or so, worth checking it out.
ruclips.net/video/32AcJkB2vbY/видео.html
Counterparts is ok and I certainly have had my time loving it but at the moment it's quite low in the rankings for me. You're right about Stick it Out it's pretty dischordant for Rush. They kept elements of this heavier sound for the rest of their career. For me Snakes and Arrows is the best later Rush album will be interested to see what you make of that one if you decide to react to it.
has the witch hunt vibe
These 2 songs are a very strong start and I LOVE this record, but let's get real, better start than Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures? I don't think so Tim. lol
see it live broo
Animate is about WOMEN!!
Nope, it is the inner feminine.
The original was basically the same as the remaster. The only difference might be in a bit more clarity.
JUST A COOL HARD CHARGING ALBUM! FROM HERE THE LAYERS JUST KEEP GETTING PULLED AWAY!
I've never liked the chorus to Animate. It sounds like Neil's rhyming dictionary possessed him
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"Rush just keeps getting better"
In some ways yes. But beware on this album and the next 3 albums there are a few uninspired stinker songs for sure, I have no idea why they made the cut. Just my .02
What are the stinkers on this record?
@@carlgibbons5777 With Counterparts, for the first time in their catalog the songs at the end just came across as boring or uninspired. Something about the execution didn't work out. I'm thinking of Double Agent, Cold Fire, and Everyday Glory.
I guess I'll have to give Everyday Glory another chance, I've not heard it very much because I just can't make it to the end of this album. But it left no positive impression on me.
"Stinkers" comes off a bit harsh, on most any other bands of the era these songs would still be solid album fillers. In context of Rush, I felt like they were having a hard time keeping up the standard.
Cold Fire was a huge hit. Pretty good considering it was the 10th track of the album.