The sketch at the beginning is from SCTV (Second City TV), a sketch comedy show about a fictional TV station in "Melonville, USA" and starring such greats as John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Andrea Martin, Joe Flaherty, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, and Harold Ramis. Joe Flaherty played news anchor Floyd Robertson alongside Eugene Levy's Earl Camembert. Floyd Robertson had a weekend gig as the station’s “Count Floyd” host of “Count Floyd’s Monster Chiller Horror Theater.” The shtick was that they always showed movies in 3-D, which consisted mostly of the actor leaning into and out of the camera shot. When the film would go to break, Count Floyd would always try to sell what had just been shown as "scaaaaary" even though generally, it hadn't been. "Did you see the way that plate of spaghetti just... leapt out of the screen? Scary!" This is actually one part of a long Rush/SCTV collaboration starting, I believe, with Geddy singing on Bob & Doug McKenzie's (Rick Moranis & Dave Thomas) "hit single" "Take Off." The Rush song "Red Lenses" also makes mention of SCTV's National Enquirer-esque tabloid, "The National Midnight Star." In those sketches, newsreaders would read a bizarre and unbelievable headline like, "Your Underwear can kill you" and then would turn to an "expert," such as John Candy dressed in a lab coat, who'd say, "It's true!" In "Red Lenses" Geddy sings, "We've got Mars on the horizon, says the National Midnight Star" and you hear presumably Alex and Neil shout, "It's true!" To me, the fact that Rush could produce such fantastic music and never take themselves too seriously is one of the reasons for their greatness.
Now that you did the weapon, you need to do the entire fear series of songs...Part I: "The Enemy Within" (from 1984's Grace Under Pressure),[1] Part II: "The Weapon" (from 1982's Signals),[2] Part III: "Witch Hunt" (from 1981's Moving Pictures)[3] and Part IV: "Freeze" (from 2002's Vapor Trails).
Here's what Neil himself said in Modern Drummer in 1984 about the headphones: "The headphones are basically for when we use programmed sequencers or the synthesizers that are driven by arpeggiators. They're triggered by a drum machine with a click-track pulse. Then the arpeggiator picks that up. The song on Signals called The Weapon is based around an arpeggiator. Ironically, usually drummers are used to a band that follows them. If I feel something should be pulled back a bit or anticipated a bit, the band follows me. When you use something that's as mathematical as a sequencer or arpeggiator, there's no way those machines are going to follow you. You have to follow them." "With headphones on, drums do not sound like drums. Period. That's certainly a fact. But the essense of it is that I know what my drums sound like, and I know that if I play a certain pattern, it has such and such an effect on people -- a certain excitement, drama, or whatver. And when I have the headphones on, yes, I have to use my imagination. It is, in a sense, a limitation, that in order to be able to follow those things effectively, I have to be able to hear them well. And the most sensible way to do that is through headphones. I just decided that it's not going to make me play worse. It's just going to make me have to work harder, because when I have those headphones on, I'm going to have to think about what my playing really sounds like. I can't be lazy and just hear it. I have to think about it and imagine it. It's a hard thing."
Modern Drummer recently put out an anthology containing every one of the Neil Peart interviews, as well as a long, long list of tributes from famous drummers across the world.
Neil Peart, the one and only human to ever look cool with a rat tail. 👍You simply must react to "Subdivisions" from the same album, "Signals." The song, the arrangement, the drum track, and especially the lyrics are some of the finest work Rush ever did. It is an anthem for weird kids who don't fit in. And the entire album, released 1982, is full of songs which are some of the best commentaries on the digital age you will ever hear, written years before anyone had the internet in their lives.
I totally agree! There's no way to get past 'Subdivisions'! 🙂 Alternatively maybe also 'Free Will' in the 'Exit... Stage Left' version. 'Jacob's Ladder' from the same live album is also great, however there are only audio clips of it on YT.
If I want to listen to Rush but can't decide on the song, I listen to Subdivisions while I make up my mind. That song is amazing.....the whole Signals album is amazing, but what a powerful first track!
I'm sure people have mentioned it before, but even back in these years Geddy and Alex had multiple Moog Taurus Pedals for playing a lot of synth sounds. Rush also had a technology developed for them (pre MIDI) to use those pedals to control the sequencers and arpeggiators you hear as well. In later years they both switched to sets of Korg MIDI pedals to trigger all backing vocals, keyboard parts, sound effects, etc. As far as Neil's headphones go, I'm fairly certain there was no click, but just a more direct way to monitor those keyboard parts to ensure tempo consistency.
Headphones were also to hear the start cues for the video screen since they couldn't see or really hear the front of house audio. But yes, mostly it was to keep in time with the synth arpeggiators.
@Free Beat - indeed; watching this and remembering Grace Under Pressure era Rush, they did get a great deal more synthesizer heavy for the next few recordings. I remember an interview with Neal from 1984 where he said they were want to experiment more with textures than with chops and that he had been listening to bands like the Police, Thompson Twins and Flock of Seagulls. At the same window of time, Neal’s lyrics began displaying more first-person stories and mentioning temporal issues with greater frequency.
For me, it had happened in '89, when a friend (who wasn't actually a Rush fan!) gave me a bag with some of his LP records to check out, and one of them was 'Grace Under Pressure' - and I was instantly hooked! Thank you, dear friend Martin! 😁🙏
Not only is Geddy playing pedals, synth and singing... not only is he the best bass player in rock history, but he's not even the best player in the band! Love you Neil 🥁
I was given a ticket to see this concert from a friend who was a huge Rush fan, it was at the maple leaf gardens in Toronto,during their Grace under Pressure tour. Fun fact they played 3 sold out shows, and donated the sales for the 3 Rd show to the United way.first time Neil showcased his cherry red Simmons electronic kit on his rotating hydrolic drum riser
Neil has written that the main reason Rush stayed together for a lifetime was that they never added a dedicated lead singer or keyboardist (which positions tended to be the most prone to ego trips in his experience), they just had an overworked bassist.
Technically, Neil did not use a click track. In the early days when he wore headphones (and later the in ear monitors), he did so to hear the sequencers to keep in time with them. But when the sequencers stopped at various points within each song, it was up to him to keep the same tempo so everything was in sync when the sequencers inevitably kicked back in at various points throughout the song. People can argue about whether he's the best or not, but his timing was great. At some point early on he helped Alex with his timing (on the songs that started with guitar), by telling him to start playing the song with the second verse in his head. As a musician myself, I get this, because more often then not live I tent to start playing songs faster than they should be. And the only isolated I could find for this song (which I'm sure you did), is with the bass and synth. I'm guessing the drums alone have to exist though, because this album is available in 5.1.
You 've got the rush radar now ! Neil has the sequenced part in his cans .. They don't use tracks as such they have sequences that are triggered by hand (or foot) live . Geddy didn t want to have backing tracks , he still wanted an element of risk even when setting off a sequence .. I also know Neil set sequences going too which may be the case on this track ? Peace and love brother and we'll done for passing the first rush test ! ..... subconscious recognition . Welcome to the Rush rabbit hole. 👍🏻☮❤
FYI (on this track): Neil is playing to a click track at all times which is brought front of house and through monitors for them to keep time through the keyboard and overlays pre-programmed through MIDI triggers, The Taurus Pedal were designed like a floor organ with foot pedals specific to playing Bass parts with his feet while using both hands on keys - the odd note or hands on bass parts are no doubt the parts that could not be programmed so had to be played IN TIME, hence the all important road map of the Click track. Rock and Roll with a lot of performance magic - sort of like the "overnight success" myth that's going round...(hope this helps) RUSH and all the boys including Neil Peart (RIP) are the prime example of dedication to hard work and professionalism which they have had even back in the days when we would crowd into a small sweaty gymnasium at St Jerome's HS or St Mary's HS playing in front of just over 100 kids with John Rutsey (RIP) on drums and then through the bar gigs at Goldie's in Grand Bend and arena rock shows with Neil in the band - everyone hears the stories of when they were on the road with Kiss and Uriah Heep ie the "GLee" story but the significance is the reality of all of the bands who deliver our best moments - hard work and a dream coupled with determination is the best beginning, where we choose to take it is entirely up to us and look where it brought them through the years. What I find most interesting about his playing on this track is just how relaxed he is while transitioning from "open" sound of cymbals and hi-hat and the "tight" and concise attack on the drums as the reference to the center of all things happening in the composition with a mix of the Reggae style he implements throughout this album and period in his ever evolving style. The one thing I know about Mr Neil Peart is that he prided himself on self education and the ability to participate in the journey of discovery in almost everything he did, and it is my personal feeling that it was this ability that helped him through the most difficult times of his large life when he took his much needed hiatus to begin to heal his soul due to the tragic loss of his daughter and wife. Most of all I am glad beyond measure he was able to find love again and to remember to breathe because Life will happen in spite of us and we just have to learn to live with it (I guess). Thank you for the soundtrack to part of that life and for all the lessons I learned from being just one more open mind who dared to see that rudimentary drumming in Rock is awesome and so was the time we continue to share with Neil through his legacy in drumming, but also as a life well lived. Geddy and Alex - can't wait to see you "out there" because you just know you can't sit still for long with that artistic "itch" - it's a "curse" and the "cure". Keep on rocking. Shoutout to the "4th" member of RUSH - Howie Ungerleider without which the RUSH sound would not have happened; good ear on ya. (hope i spellT it right) Andrew: first time seeing one of your videos, well done! - I like that you actually listen and then give your honest opinion/evaluation or question. You must be an amazing teacher and keep it up because it is refreshing especially with how much Neil's playing always "blows them away" but then that is what Neil was famous for with everyone I have ever heard speak of his indomitable influence on anyone who hears him, musicians and fans alike - it just opens our minds to not just the Drums, but also the possibilities of just realizing the only boundary we are held fast to are ones we create ourselves unless we are ourselves open. Much respect. Hope all is well brother. Thank you Hope all is well with you and yours. Be well We are our brother's keeper. Pay It Forward May peace be with you and yours always
I believe Neil was wearing headphones in order to be able to hear the arpeggiated synth bass lines better and thus to be able to play along to them with perfect timing. He also wore them when playing 'Red Sector A' from the 'Grace Under Pressure' album live, which also had such synth bass lines in it. That was the next album after 'Signals' and my very first Rush impression 🙂
Always. Alex is a guitar hero of mine. People often say or write that Rush reproduced studio songs note for note, but not every time they didn't. This is superior to the album and sonically more interesting to me, as is Digital Man live. Oh my, what a band they were, and will be judged as. I'll be listening to them until my dying day.
Hey Andrew. Canadian dude here & Rush fan since 1975. Count Floyd was from SCTV, he was the host of "Monster Chiller Horror Theatre", which constantly promised scary movies, but always failed to deliver. Other people from SCTV you might recognize: John Candy, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Rick Moranis. Btw, NZ will always get love from me for the show "The Almighty Johnsons", one of my all time favourites. I even like Gin Wigmore's theme song. Cheers!
You really need to listen to the studio version. Even though Rush are great live, Neil's amazing drumming in this track is drowned out a bit. Especially his high hat work.
Rush was a band that didn’t believe that they had any following of fans in many places. Though they were told they did. Since Rush didn’t release music in Cantrell or South America they never believed there was a fan base. So they never thought to tour there. Till after Vapor trails. They were skeptical till they did. Those people shocked the guys. Those people knew every word to all their songs.
I was 10 and my mom took me to a free concert put on by a local radio station in 1975. it was Charlie Daniel's band with a unknown act from Canada RUSH . I became a lifelong fan instantly, thanks mom for having such good taste in music .
Yes, there is a sequencer used on this song. Neil is playing to a click. One of the few songs he uses a click on. He prefers not to be a "slave" to the click.
It’s amazing they knew where to end all instruments on this song. I’ve watched it many times and just can’t figure how they each knew it was the last note.
They are videos called Neil Peart takes center stage and it’s isolated drum tracks with video of him playing the songs live. Digital man is pretty awesome and when I would recommend
I do believe that Neil is playing to a click. I vaguely remember that on Grace Under Pressure, he used the click on several tracks. Yet, I’m not sure if there is ANY drummer that could play this without one???
There's an interview where Alex Lifeson was banned from using his beloved stereo reverb+effects setup by a record producer around late 80's, maybe early 90's. "It sounds like shit", the producer said. Here, though, the way Alex fills the space is great! They really must have put on the work in pre-prod to pull off that sound live.
Watching them live was always astonishing--the three of them produced so much music without backup. And yes, Lee sang, played bass, keyboards, and pedals.
Geddy Lee also used sequencers for keyboards that he controlled with foot pedals .....while singing and playing bass .....it was an incredible thing to see live .....I couldnt imagine trying to play an instrument, sing and time foot pedals all at once ...these guys were unreal......
Neil did use a click track during this time but only for a couple of songs. The Weapon being one of them due to the underlying sequencer at the start of the song. The other song was Red Sector A which also uses a sequencer. And the later tours he would use a click as a back up for songs synced with the screen behind them. Great stuff, and yes Tom Sawyer should be next. It’s a quintessential drum song that he never tired of playing due to its difficulty. You could do each song off the Moving Pictures album and be amazed.
I love this song and the others from the "fear" trilogy. And as with a good percentage of Rush's creative output the wisdom that's woven into the lyrics is what initially drew me in. I can't help but wonder what might have been put to music in response to the current world political climate had Neil stayed here with us a little longer. We miss you a great deal my friend.
One of my favourite Neil quotes many years later came from being asked about using samples on-stage. “Sure we use samples, but only samples of ourselves!” The cool part was that it didn’t matter to them who triggered the sample. Geddy didn’t trigger just Geddy samples. From Neil again “It didn’t matter who triggered what. Whoever had a free hand or foot at that moment got the job.”
Can you please react Clowncore - Earth..their music is so unique, freak and awesome..rumours about this band is a side project of Louis Cole..please check it, thx a lot
If I recall, Neal would be playing with headphones when he was listening to the sequences, which were mostly the arpeggios that you’re hearing. If I remember correctly, he is able to count and keep time even in blank space. There’s no click track maybe others can either verify or deny this.
This is Part 2 of their fear series. If you were to listen to "Fear" in order, it would be "the Enemy Within", "The Weapon", "Witch Hunt", and "Freeze"
Lots of comments here and I won't try to read them all, so I hope my response here is not too untimely or already made. I saw this song performed in Heidelberg, Germany when they toured for the Signals album. Among the t-shirts and other merchandise being sold in the lobby, was a brochure written by Peart. In it, he mentioned that the beat was created by a producer who then challenged Neil to learn it backward - the result is what we now hear in the song (with the added embellishment).
Unusual for me to discover a new (to me) Rush video from someone else’s reaction, but this is one! Of course, I knew the song (still have the vinyl album I bought when Signals was released), but never saw this performance. Very cool!
That snare you have on your desk... I had one just like it when I was a teen, first snare. Its a click track... there were only a few songs he would have them for.
The other thing that is so impressive about Rush as a band is how their sound evolved through time and how they incorporated whatever was influencing them at the time.. Relentless exploration of sound, tone and rhythms.. That is why, IMO, they have been so influential amongst many musicians and fans a like..
He wore cans once in a while before in-ears became standard for a stage mix. If he was playing to a click, this would have been the song he needed it for. Who cares? No sin to play to a click if you need it for the occasional tune.
Rob, I’m pretty sure the bass arpeggio is playing to him while he plays to a click. NP was not shy about it. Tight time was everything to him back then.
This tour astonished me. Geddy doing everything at once and sounding amazing Neil wow and Alex jammin. It was unforgettable. Grace Under Pressure tour was filled with amazing high tech sounds. After that tour I never missed another concert tour from Rush.
thanks again, Andrew -- glad you're diving deeper into the Rush catalog; and this one's pretty deep. That 1984 show was a VHS release in its entirety, so you can find that whole show online. You will be able to easily find an isolated drum track for Tom Sawyer, so feel free to check that one out - with live performance and then isolated track -- well worth your time; Neil said they would always play it in every concert, because it brought him so much joy to play because it was always such a challenge. for you specifically, would be worth a breakdown. (that, and La Villa Strangiato - the ultimate!) and just found out recently my niece is headed to Univ of Auckland for college - so I might be down your way in a couple of years. Cheers Andrew!
Coming upon 40 years as a Rush fan....still love The Weapon and that first album I owned, Signals. A master class album of prog meeting new wave. Subdivisions is the standout track, but I just love this whole album.
Dude Im 51 and had RUSH concert tshirts since Moving Pictures....NEVER heard this! WOW!!!!!!!!! Neil tossig sticks lft and rt..........................
Geddy jumps from a sequenced synth bass to his regular bass during the song, thats also why Neil is wearing headphones, to play with the sequenced bass
This is the only song from this tour that Neil had headphones on because of the sequencer Geddy was using for this song, the headphones were giving him a click track from the sequencer.
Watch the whole show, the head phones are on ONLY when there are a lot of keyed sound effects. They are not used in Show of Hands. Moon(ey), Neil's hero, did the same for Who shows in the 70s after Pete added keyboards for Who's Next. I think Phil Collins, another Peart influence, did the same for Genesis shows when drumming between singing parts. Nick Mason did the same for the Floyd. PAs got better. BTW, I found a RUclips video of someone's favorite Neil moments and one of the clips has Neil play through a song while a tom was being replaced. He smiles to the tech when he is done, and keeps on going.
As much as I LOVE me some RUSH, I checked out, during this period. Three years earlier (1981), I was rocking to Moving Pictures, probably their last pure rock album, from their early years. I was 17 and did not approve, of the Synthesizer rock, at THAT time. RUSH went this way for a decade, maybe less, then slowly drifted back into the ROCK, that most early RUSH fans grew up with. Looking back now, Neil (and Geddy and Alex)were still, very good.
@@AndrewRooneyDrums Yes, from 1974 to 1981 they were full steam ahead. Progressive Rock requires precision, which, in turn, is VERY tiring. Adding Neil in 75 added new dimension, of practicing and getting music just right. I assume they were just exhausted playing shows, in those early years. I understand better now, that that change was welcome. I believe, it was Alex that wanted to slow things down, a bit, and try the electronics, at that time. I am just glad they came back to what made them Great, early on.
Pretty sure the headphones were in place of floor monitors. Later replaced by in-ears. I always wondered if the stick flips were a way of not rushing the time. “Signals” is one of my favourite Rush albums, very underrated, in my opinion. “Count Floyd” was a character on SCTV. Do yourself a favour and check out some clips from that show on RUclips.
Rush was very proud that all the sounds at a concert were created or triggered by the three guys on stage. So although some tracks had sequencers and created click tracks they were largely in control of it. They did feel though that by the time of the tour of "Hold Your Fire" they had boxed themselves into such a complex of triggers that the live show was technically difficult and less enjoyable to do. Hence a steady drift back to a rock sound over the later albums. You have to do Tom Sawyer the track that even Neil said challenged him to play live. For a laugh watch the film Adventures of Power where they do Tom Sawyer at an Air Drumming competition.
Rush have more mind-bending moments in one six and a half minute song than most bands have on an entire album
The sketch at the beginning is from SCTV (Second City TV), a sketch comedy show about a fictional TV station in "Melonville, USA" and starring such greats as John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Andrea Martin, Joe Flaherty, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, and Harold Ramis. Joe Flaherty played news anchor Floyd Robertson alongside Eugene Levy's Earl Camembert. Floyd Robertson had a weekend gig as the station’s “Count Floyd” host of “Count Floyd’s Monster Chiller Horror Theater.” The shtick was that they always showed movies in 3-D, which consisted mostly of the actor leaning into and out of the camera shot. When the film would go to break, Count Floyd would always try to sell what had just been shown as "scaaaaary" even though generally, it hadn't been. "Did you see the way that plate of spaghetti just... leapt out of the screen? Scary!"
This is actually one part of a long Rush/SCTV collaboration starting, I believe, with Geddy singing on Bob & Doug McKenzie's (Rick Moranis & Dave Thomas) "hit single" "Take Off." The Rush song "Red Lenses" also makes mention of SCTV's National Enquirer-esque tabloid, "The National Midnight Star." In those sketches, newsreaders would read a bizarre and unbelievable headline like, "Your Underwear can kill you" and then would turn to an "expert," such as John Candy dressed in a lab coat, who'd say, "It's true!" In "Red Lenses" Geddy sings, "We've got Mars on the horizon, says the National Midnight Star" and you hear presumably Alex and Neil shout, "It's true!"
To me, the fact that Rush could produce such fantastic music and never take themselves too seriously is one of the reasons for their greatness.
When watching... you’re also not catching that both Geddy and Alex are playing Moog pedals with the extra synth sounds...
Now that you did the weapon, you need to do the entire fear series of songs...Part I: "The Enemy Within" (from 1984's Grace Under Pressure),[1] Part II: "The Weapon" (from 1982's Signals),[2] Part III: "Witch Hunt" (from 1981's Moving Pictures)[3] and Part IV: "Freeze" (from 2002's Vapor Trails).
Here's what Neil himself said in Modern Drummer in 1984 about the headphones:
"The headphones are basically for when we use programmed sequencers or the synthesizers that are driven by arpeggiators. They're triggered by a drum machine with a click-track pulse. Then the arpeggiator picks that up. The song on Signals called The Weapon is based around an arpeggiator. Ironically, usually drummers are used to a band that follows them. If I feel something should be pulled back a bit or anticipated a bit, the band follows me. When you use something that's as mathematical as a sequencer or arpeggiator, there's no way those machines are going to follow you. You have to follow them."
"With headphones on, drums do not sound like drums. Period. That's certainly a fact. But the essense of it is that I know what my drums sound like, and I know that if I play a certain pattern, it has such and such an effect on people -- a certain excitement, drama, or whatver. And when I have the headphones on, yes, I have to use my imagination. It is, in a sense, a limitation, that in order to be able to follow those things effectively, I have to be able to hear them well. And the most sensible way to do that is through headphones. I just decided that it's not going to make me play worse. It's just going to make me have to work harder, because when I have those headphones on, I'm going to have to think about what my playing really sounds like. I can't be lazy and just hear it. I have to think about it and imagine it. It's a hard thing."
Wow! Thanks Warren!!!
Ahh… the 80s. Weekends at the mall, where if the new issue of MD had Neil on the cover, it was an instant buy. 🤷🏻♂️
@@Steve_Blackwood That was me too!
Modern Drummer recently put out an anthology containing every one of the Neil Peart interviews, as well as a long, long list of tributes from famous drummers across the world.
Nice, Warren! Long live RUSH!!!!🤘♥️🇧🇷
The more you listen, see them live, you'll start to realize what a unique band they are. Some of us got it the very first time we heard them😉
Yeah this is nuts!
a tip : you can watch movies on KaldroStream. Me and my gf have been using them for watching a lot of movies these days.
@Marley Colin Yup, have been using kaldroStream for since november myself :D
@Marley Colin Definitely, been watching on kaldrostream for since november myself :)
@Marley Colin Yea, have been watching on Kaldrostream for years myself =)
The show is SCTV. very funny from the 80's A lot of great Canadian comedians started on it. Love Rush. R.I.P. Neil
Hands-down one of my favorite Rush tracks. That beat, coupled with one of Alex's best solos.... 😌
Listen to Fade To Grey
Neil Peart, the one and only human to ever look cool with a rat tail. 👍You simply must react to "Subdivisions" from the same album, "Signals." The song, the arrangement, the drum track, and especially the lyrics are some of the finest work Rush ever did. It is an anthem for weird kids who don't fit in. And the entire album, released 1982, is full of songs which are some of the best commentaries on the digital age you will ever hear, written years before anyone had the internet in their lives.
I totally agree! There's no way to get past 'Subdivisions'! 🙂 Alternatively maybe also 'Free Will' in the 'Exit... Stage Left' version. 'Jacob's Ladder' from the same live album is also great, however there are only audio clips of it on YT.
@AndrewRooneyDrums You really should consider Subdivisions...
If I want to listen to Rush but can't decide on the song, I listen to Subdivisions while I make up my mind. That song is amazing.....the whole Signals album is amazing, but what a powerful first track!
Neil is my drum hero and inspiration. I even grew a rat tail. But I looked like a dork 😅 RIP Neil 🙏🏼
I'm sure people have mentioned it before, but even back in these years Geddy and Alex had multiple Moog Taurus Pedals for playing a lot of synth sounds. Rush also had a technology developed for them (pre MIDI) to use those pedals to control the sequencers and arpeggiators you hear as well. In later years they both switched to sets of Korg MIDI pedals to trigger all backing vocals, keyboard parts, sound effects, etc. As far as Neil's headphones go, I'm fairly certain there was no click, but just a more direct way to monitor those keyboard parts to ensure tempo consistency.
You're 100% correct.
Yes, very well explained! 😀👍
Headphones were also to hear the start cues for the video screen since they couldn't see or really hear the front of house audio. But yes, mostly it was to keep in time with the synth arpeggiators.
@Free Beat - indeed; watching this and remembering Grace Under Pressure era Rush, they did get a great deal more synthesizer heavy for the next few recordings.
I remember an interview with Neal from 1984 where he said they were want to experiment more with textures than with chops and that he had been listening to bands like the Police, Thompson Twins and Flock of Seagulls.
At the same window of time, Neal’s lyrics began displaying more first-person stories and mentioning temporal issues with greater frequency.
They had sequencers for the Moogs and Oberheims. The technology existed, just wasn't used much outside of composers like Jarre.
Beware falling down the Rush rabbit hole Andrew. I went down there in 1980 when I was 12 years old and still haven't reappeared!
Ditto. I’m still there, too. I forget who told me to buy Moving Pictures when it was released, but I owe them 40 years of thanks! 😂
For me, it had happened in '89, when a friend (who wasn't actually a Rush fan!) gave me a bag with some of his LP records to check out, and one of them was 'Grace Under Pressure' - and I was instantly hooked! Thank you, dear friend Martin! 😁🙏
im with you we were so blessed with the music we had back then
When you hear about a band being "tight", this is a good example of what they mean. So much going on live and yet it's still perfection.
Not only is Geddy playing pedals, synth and singing... not only is he the best bass player in rock history, but he's not even the best player in the band!
Love you Neil 🥁
More Rush on the way David! 👌
I was at this concert on Geddy's stage side. My first Rush concert 1984 Grace under Pressure tour.
Oh wow!!! Tell me more
I was given a ticket to see this concert from a friend who was a huge Rush fan, it was at the maple leaf gardens in Toronto,during their Grace under Pressure tour. Fun fact they played 3 sold out shows, and donated the sales for the 3 Rd show to the United way.first time Neil showcased his cherry red Simmons electronic kit on his rotating hydrolic drum riser
Neil has written that the main reason Rush stayed together for a lifetime was that they never added a dedicated lead singer or keyboardist (which positions tended to be the most prone to ego trips in his experience), they just had an overworked bassist.
And they agreed early on to just split everything three ways. It avoided arguments.
RUSH - Leave That Thing Alone & Neil Peart Drum Solo - 1997/06/30 - Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto
Thanks Cessa!
Technically, Neil did not use a click track. In the early days when he wore headphones (and later the in ear monitors), he did so to hear the sequencers to keep in time with them. But when the sequencers stopped at various points within each song, it was up to him to keep the same tempo so everything was in sync when the sequencers inevitably kicked back in at various points throughout the song. People can argue about whether he's the best or not, but his timing was great. At some point early on he helped Alex with his timing (on the songs that started with guitar), by telling him to start playing the song with the second verse in his head. As a musician myself, I get this, because more often then not live I tent to start playing songs faster than they should be.
And the only isolated I could find for this song (which I'm sure you did), is with the bass and synth. I'm guessing the drums alone have to exist though, because this album is available in 5.1.
Count Floyd from a tv programme called SCTV. Classic. Also, hearing “Rush in the wild” is now a phrase I will use forever.
hahahaha indeed
The image I get is a moose roaming about Algonquin Park, with a ghetto blaster between its antlers playing "Moving Pictures"....
I remember being at this concert like it was yesterday. Best Rush performance I've been to.
Been waiting for someone to react to this song. Excellent choice. Atmospheric but so much going on beneath the surface.
“And the things that we fear are a weapon to be held against us.”
Utterly profound lyric. Utterly profound truth.
Dude was a g*****n poet. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼😊
And still more relevant than ever!
You 've got the rush radar now !
Neil has the sequenced part in his cans ..
They don't use tracks as such they have sequences that are triggered by hand (or foot) live . Geddy didn t want to have backing tracks , he still wanted an element of risk even when setting off a sequence .. I also know Neil set sequences going too which may be the case on this track ?
Peace and love brother and we'll done for passing the first rush test ! ..... subconscious recognition . Welcome to the Rush rabbit hole.
👍🏻☮❤
I don't care what anyone says...that Steinberger bass Geddy is playing here sounds phenomenal. 👍
FYI (on this track): Neil is playing to a click track at all times which is brought front of house and through monitors for them to keep time through the keyboard and overlays pre-programmed through MIDI triggers, The Taurus Pedal were designed like a floor organ with foot pedals specific to playing Bass parts with his feet while using both hands on keys - the odd note or hands on bass parts are no doubt the parts that could not be programmed so had to be played IN TIME, hence the all important road map of the Click track. Rock and Roll with a lot of performance magic - sort of like the "overnight success" myth that's going round...(hope this helps)
RUSH and all the boys including Neil Peart (RIP) are the prime example of dedication to hard work and professionalism which they have had even back in the days when we would crowd into a small sweaty gymnasium at St Jerome's HS or St Mary's HS playing in front of just over 100 kids with John Rutsey (RIP) on drums and then through the bar gigs at Goldie's in Grand Bend and arena rock shows with Neil in the band - everyone hears the stories of when they were on the road with Kiss and Uriah Heep ie the "GLee" story but the significance is the reality of all of the bands who deliver our best moments - hard work and a dream coupled with determination is the best beginning, where we choose to take it is entirely up to us and look where it brought them through the years.
What I find most interesting about his playing on this track is just how relaxed he is while transitioning from "open" sound of cymbals and hi-hat and the "tight" and concise attack on the drums as the reference to the center of all things happening in the composition with a mix of the Reggae style he implements throughout this album and period in his ever evolving style.
The one thing I know about Mr Neil Peart is that he prided himself on self education and the ability to participate in the journey of discovery in almost everything he did, and it is my personal feeling that it was this ability that helped him through the most difficult times of his large life when he took his much needed hiatus to begin to heal his soul due to the tragic loss of his daughter and wife. Most of all I am glad beyond measure he was able to find love again and to remember to breathe because Life will happen in spite of us and we just have to learn to live with it (I guess).
Thank you for the soundtrack to part of that life and for all the lessons I learned from being just one more open mind who dared to see that rudimentary drumming in Rock is awesome and so was the time we continue to share with Neil through his legacy in drumming, but also as a life well lived.
Geddy and Alex - can't wait to see you "out there" because you just know you can't sit still for long with that artistic "itch" - it's a "curse" and the "cure".
Keep on rocking.
Shoutout to the "4th" member of RUSH - Howie Ungerleider without which the RUSH sound would not have happened; good ear on ya. (hope i spellT it right)
Andrew: first time seeing one of your videos, well done! - I like that you actually listen and then give your honest opinion/evaluation or question. You must be an amazing teacher and keep it up because it is refreshing especially with how much Neil's playing always "blows them away" but then that is what Neil was famous for with everyone I have ever heard speak of his indomitable influence on anyone who hears him, musicians and fans alike - it just opens our minds to not just the Drums, but also the possibilities of just realizing the only boundary we are held fast to are ones we create ourselves unless we are ourselves open.
Much respect. Hope all is well brother.
Thank you
Hope all is well with you and yours. Be well
We are our brother's keeper. Pay It Forward
May peace be with you and yours always
I see Rush, I click. Super deep cut, but I love the synth backing during the end of Alex's solo. Sooooo good.
I believe Neil was wearing headphones in order to be able to hear the arpeggiated synth bass lines better and thus to be able to play along to them with perfect timing. He also wore them when playing 'Red Sector A' from the 'Grace Under Pressure' album live, which also had such synth bass lines in it. That was the next album after 'Signals' and my very first Rush impression 🙂
If you like horror - "Witch Hunt" is great track for that feel.
Witch hunt is my favorite of the four.
rush digital man live drum cam please .great reaction thanks
yes!!!!!! the end....OMG...try to follow that
Geddy is an absolute freak musically speaking! Rock’s ultimate multi tasker
In 2013, when Rush was inducted into the rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame, they played first Tom Sawyer &
Then Spirit of Radio…..
Nice info. Thanks Dominic
RUSH my all time favourite band !!! They are soooo talented its overwhelming..
Alex’s sublime guitar. Very under rated. So creative.
Always. Alex is a guitar hero of mine. People often say or write that Rush reproduced studio songs note for note, but not every time they didn't. This is superior to the album and sonically more interesting to me, as is Digital Man live. Oh my, what a band they were, and will be judged as. I'll be listening to them until my dying day.
That sounded FABULOUS 🔥 not a big Rush fan but that got my total attention 😜
You have to watch the isolated drums on Digital Man.
Nothing like a Rush concert. I was privileged to see them play 2112 in its entirety in concert the last time they did. 🥰
Hey Andrew. Canadian dude here & Rush fan since 1975. Count Floyd was from SCTV, he was the host of "Monster Chiller Horror Theatre", which constantly promised scary movies, but always failed to deliver. Other people from SCTV you might recognize: John Candy, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Rick Moranis. Btw, NZ will always get love from me for the show "The Almighty Johnsons", one of my all time favourites. I even like Gin Wigmore's theme song. Cheers!
Cheers Rob!!
You really need to listen to the studio version. Even though Rush are great live, Neil's amazing drumming in this track is drowned out a bit. Especially his high hat work.
Rush was a band that didn’t believe that they had any following of fans in many places. Though they were told they did. Since Rush didn’t release music in Cantrell or South America they never believed there was a fan base. So they never thought to tour there. Till after Vapor trails. They were skeptical till they did. Those people shocked the guys. Those people knew every word to all their songs.
The fans in Rio were absolutely wild. Singing along to YYZ, FFS!
Count Floyd and your 3d glasses via SCTV 😂😂😂
I was 10 and my mom took me to a free concert put on by a local radio station in 1975. it was Charlie Daniel's band with a unknown act from Canada RUSH . I became a lifelong fan instantly, thanks mom for having such good taste in music .
Yes, there is a sequencer used on this song. Neil is playing to a click. One of the few songs he uses a click on. He prefers not to be a "slave" to the click.
It’s amazing they knew where to end all instruments on this song. I’ve watched it many times and just can’t figure how they each knew it was the last note.
Vocals, Bass, Keyboards (lots). Oh and don't forget your feet..... lets see... Oh yeah Bass & midi interfaced pedals and triggers.
HHHHhhhaa The Great Rush Humor during Shows, they do it like 4-5 times per show for years since the 2000s !!! Lol : D
Love it Ronnie
Saw the grace under pressure tour in 84. This was a huge transition for Rush. I was on the fence. The older i get the more i appreciate this era
👌
Rush was a band that never did the stupid stuff bands did back then, all they did was work hard to perfect their craft. I think they nailed it.
Yup the rock star antics get a bit old...
They are videos called Neil Peart takes center stage and it’s isolated drum tracks with video of him playing the songs live. Digital man is pretty awesome and when I would recommend
Starts with an amazing drum intro, too! 😀
I do believe that Neil is playing to a click. I vaguely remember that on Grace Under Pressure, he used the click on several tracks. Yet, I’m not sure if there is ANY drummer that could play this without one???
There's an interview where Alex Lifeson was banned from using his beloved stereo reverb+effects setup by a record producer around late 80's, maybe early 90's. "It sounds like shit", the producer said. Here, though, the way Alex fills the space is great! They really must have put on the work in pre-prod to pull off that sound live.
Great Song, Great Reaction 😮😮😮Thanks Man😮😮😮😮😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
This is my favorite video for The Weapon ... Neil just playing with the sticks waiting for the rhythm to increase .... Beautiful!!!
Dam, I really wish Rush had a CLEAR video from back then.
Drum Teacher, do Working Man - Live from Cleveland!!!!!
Thank you!
Watching them live was always astonishing--the three of them produced so much music without backup. And yes, Lee sang, played bass, keyboards, and pedals.
You can't wipe this smile of your face. The were awesome and still are for me now.
Geddy Lee also used sequencers for keyboards that he controlled with foot pedals .....while singing and playing bass .....it was an incredible thing to see live .....I couldnt imagine trying to play an instrument, sing and time foot pedals all at once ...these guys were unreal......
Neil used headphones in the early days. In the latter days he still used headphones but they were the kind thatfit in his ears like a hearing aide.
An unbelievable performance from an unbelievable band. Greatness is used a lot, but it's no hyperbole for these three gents!
That's it Dave!! Great
Neil did use a click track during this time but only for a couple of songs. The Weapon being one of them due to the underlying sequencer at the start of the song. The other song was Red Sector A which also uses a sequencer. And the later tours he would use a click as a back up for songs synced with the screen behind them. Great stuff, and yes Tom Sawyer should be next. It’s a quintessential drum song that he never tired of playing due to its difficulty. You could do each song off the Moving Pictures album and be amazed.
Thanks George!
Neil used the headphones to listen to a rhythm track so he could stay in sync with the videos.
I love this song and the others from the "fear" trilogy. And as with a good percentage of Rush's creative output the wisdom that's woven into the lyrics is what initially drew me in. I can't help but wonder what might have been put to music in response to the current world political climate had Neil stayed here with us a little longer. We miss you a great deal my friend.
Count Floyd 😂 SCTV was the best
One of my favourite Neil quotes many years later came from being asked about using samples on-stage. “Sure we use samples, but only samples of ourselves!” The cool part was that it didn’t matter to them who triggered the sample. Geddy didn’t trigger just Geddy samples. From Neil again “It didn’t matter who triggered what. Whoever had a free hand or foot at that moment got the job.”
Can you please react Clowncore - Earth..their music is so unique, freak and awesome..rumours about this band is a side project of Louis Cole..please check it, thx a lot
Stewart Copland influenced hihat work on this tune love it.
If I recall, Neal would be playing with headphones when he was listening to the sequences, which were mostly the arpeggios that you’re hearing. If I remember correctly, he is able to count and keep time even in blank space. There’s no click track maybe others can either verify or deny this.
Hey Andrew please check out the Rush Time Machine Live in Cleveland 2011 RUclips Classic Rock-Live Concerts
Thanks Daniel!
This is Part 2 of their fear series. If you were to listen to "Fear" in order, it would be "the Enemy Within", "The Weapon", "Witch Hunt", and "Freeze"
Glad you remembered to add Freeze. Some people think that Fear had 3 parts.
You got to listen to Rush the song Red barchetta
I'll get to it Ray for sure!
You had never heard Tom Sawyer? And a drummer. Regardless if they’d ever broke in NZ.
Well glad you finally have.
Glad to check it out after all this time Doug
That was Count Floyd, from the Canadian Comedy sketch show SCTV. Something Canadians of the time would of known. Does look a bit strange now though.
Nah I love that horror host stuff Keith!
How fuckin smooth that 1sr drum toss
Lots of comments here and I won't try to read them all, so I hope my response here is not too untimely or already made. I saw this song performed in Heidelberg, Germany when they toured for the Signals album. Among the t-shirts and other merchandise being sold in the lobby, was a brochure written by Peart. In it, he mentioned that the beat was created by a producer who then challenged Neil to learn it backward - the result is what we now hear in the song (with the added embellishment).
That's awesome Steven! Love the story
Such a random song to do a reaction too, hahaha. But more Peart >> Less Peart.
Unusual for me to discover a new (to me) Rush video from someone else’s reaction, but this is one! Of course, I knew the song (still have the vinyl album I bought when Signals was released), but never saw this performance. Very cool!
Great Steve!
I was there .... tremendous concert and this song one of my favorites.
That snare you have on your desk... I had one just like it when I was a teen, first snare.
Its a click track... there were only a few songs he would have them for.
🥁👌
It's sobering to know that Jackie and Selena were probably at this Toronto show. RIP
Maybe, maybe not -- by the mid-1980s, they were living many hundreds of km away in rural Quebec.
This is why neil hated mtg fans.
I doubt they were there, but they were at least here.
The other thing that is so impressive about Rush as a band is how their sound evolved through time and how they incorporated whatever was influencing them at the time.. Relentless exploration of sound, tone and rhythms.. That is why, IMO, they have been so influential amongst many musicians and fans a like..
He wore cans once in a while before in-ears became standard for a stage mix. If he was playing to a click, this would have been the song he needed it for. Who cares? No sin to play to a click if you need it for the occasional tune.
Absolutely Sean!
I've done plenty of shows with headphones/click/backing. Love it
I don’t know if it’s already said to here in the comments but his headphones are because he’s playing along to the bass arp
Rob, I’m pretty sure the bass arpeggio is playing to him while he plays to a click. NP was not shy about it. Tight time was everything to him back then.
This tour astonished me. Geddy doing everything at once and sounding amazing Neil wow and Alex jammin. It was unforgettable. Grace Under Pressure tour was filled with amazing high tech sounds. After that tour I never missed another concert tour from Rush.
I just watched this in 1/2 d.
thanks again, Andrew -- glad you're diving deeper into the Rush catalog; and this one's pretty deep. That 1984 show was a VHS release in its entirety, so you can find that whole show online.
You will be able to easily find an isolated drum track for Tom Sawyer, so feel free to check that one out - with live performance and then isolated track -- well worth your time; Neil said they would always play it in every concert, because it brought him so much joy to play because it was always such a challenge. for you specifically, would be worth a breakdown. (that, and La Villa Strangiato - the ultimate!)
and just found out recently my niece is headed to Univ of Auckland for college - so I might be down your way in a couple of years. Cheers Andrew!
Coming upon 40 years as a Rush fan....still love The Weapon and that first album I owned, Signals. A master class album of prog meeting new wave. Subdivisions is the standout track, but I just love this whole album.
Listening to a time track, whether he did or not, does not diminish his performance, so....
Definitely not David.
He's a legend
He used headphones on certain songs, mostly the keyboard heavy ones.
Thanks Andrew!
Dude Im 51 and had RUSH concert tshirts since Moving Pictures....NEVER heard this! WOW!!!!!!!!! Neil tossig sticks lft and rt..........................
My favorite Rush song is the Weapon off Signals Neil goes off at the end
Awesome Robert!
Geddy jumps from a sequenced synth bass to his regular bass during the song, thats also why Neil is wearing headphones, to play with the sequenced bass
This is the only song from this tour that Neil had headphones on because of the sequencer Geddy was using for this song, the headphones were giving him a click track from the sequencer.
Exactly. Rush never played to a click live....except when using a sequencer.
He took them off immediately after this song.
@@wizardsuth Yep
They were really really good right here.
Watch the whole show, the head phones are on ONLY when there are a lot of keyed sound effects. They are not used in Show of Hands. Moon(ey), Neil's hero, did the same for Who shows in the 70s after Pete added keyboards for Who's Next. I think Phil Collins, another Peart influence, did the same for Genesis shows when drumming between singing parts. Nick Mason did the same for the Floyd. PAs got better. BTW, I found a RUclips video of someone's favorite Neil moments and one of the clips has Neil play through a song while a tom was being replaced. He smiles to the tech when he is done, and keeps on going.
Thanks Peter!
As much as I LOVE me some RUSH, I checked out, during this period. Three years earlier (1981), I was rocking to Moving Pictures, probably their last pure rock album, from their early years. I was 17 and did not approve, of the Synthesizer rock, at THAT time. RUSH went this way for a decade, maybe less, then slowly drifted back into the ROCK, that most early RUSH fans grew up with. Looking back now, Neil (and Geddy and Alex)were still, very good.
It can be difficult for fans when the band changes direction for sure
@@AndrewRooneyDrums Yes, from 1974 to 1981 they were full steam ahead. Progressive Rock requires precision, which, in turn, is VERY tiring. Adding Neil in 75 added new dimension, of practicing and getting music just right. I assume they were just exhausted playing shows, in those early years. I understand better now, that that change was welcome. I believe, it was Alex that wanted to slow things down, a bit, and try the electronics, at that time. I am just glad they came back to what made them Great, early on.
and the 2nd
etc.......
I think I used to have that same Ludwig snare on your desk at one time?!
Supra! It’s a classic
Pretty sure the headphones were in place of floor monitors. Later replaced by in-ears. I always wondered if the stick flips were a way of not rushing the time. “Signals” is one of my favourite Rush albums, very underrated, in my opinion. “Count Floyd” was a character on SCTV. Do yourself a favour and check out some clips from that show on RUclips.
Tom Saywer is an excellent tune to review and drum isolate.
I'll get to it Aaron!
Rush was very proud that all the sounds at a concert were created or triggered by the three guys on stage. So although some tracks had sequencers and created click tracks they were largely in control of it. They did feel though that by the time of the tour of "Hold Your Fire" they had boxed themselves into such a complex of triggers that the live show was technically difficult and less enjoyable to do. Hence a steady drift back to a rock sound over the later albums.
You have to do Tom Sawyer the track that even Neil said challenged him to play live.
For a laugh watch the film Adventures of Power where they do Tom Sawyer at an Air Drumming competition.
at there prime just freakin untouchable!!!