I rather like the idea of Rush fans being more of a family than an army, per se. I have come to think that Neil would be far more comfortable with that concept. Not that we aren't fierce in our defense of our favourite band, just as we would be of family. But that is an entirely personal thing, whether family or army, we definiely approve of this reaction.
Yes, this album came out in 1978 and that was only 4 years on from their "humble beginnings". In fact, that's one of the coolest things about Rush. In 1974, they put out a song called "In The Mood". Great rocker, nice single for the time, standard issue Blues-based Rock. Then they got Neil Peart in the band and the Universe stood up to take notice: something special had occurred in Canada and things were about to get very interesting in the world of music! They made several significant progressions, call them quantum leaps, in their sound and song-writing skills between '74 and '78. Like...astonishing leaps in technique and skill. Breathtaking. It's crazy how good they had gotten by 1976 and they kept taking to the next level, on each album!
Just to let you guys know that "Lerxst" in part IV "A Lerxst In Wonderland" (at 3:16) is Alex's nickname. In that part of the song (roughly 3:40) the question was asked, "What instrument is that?" It was Alex on the guitar. He used a technique known as "volume swells". What he's doing there is turning the volume all the way down then he hits the note on the guitar. As the note is already sounding he brings the volume up slowly. The effect is what you heard and it was an extremely influential song among guitar players for the tone as well as the nuance Lerxst put into it. There is an excellent live version of this that it would be cool to see you react to now that you know the song. The fact that they could even do that in the studio is impressive enough. As you clearly heard. That they did it live (hundreds of times) and nailed it - in front of fans that knew what they are supposed to play - is something extraordinary. Here's a Rush suggestion that's a little different, "Cinderella Man" - Dirk gets funky in 'the middle eight'. In case you're wondering, Geddy's nickname is "Dirk". Neil was "Pratt" to the band, "The Professor" to fans.
@Joseph Holly After reading your reply I went and dug out my copy of the record. Now to be clear, I'm referencing the time points as they appeared on the original album track. I have never actually timed out any of the live versions. As they were listening to the album track, that made the most sense. From listening to it as I type, "A Lerxst In Wonderland" is part IV of XII and starts at roughly the 3:16 mark. - 8:50 would be "XI. Strangiato Theme (Reprise) which runs from roughly 8:17 to 9:17 when it transitions to part XII "A Farewell To Things".
Alex Lifeson is the guitarist. Geddy Lee is on bass, synths, and singing ... Neil Peart is the professor on drums and was the primary lyricist. Geddy is pronounced like Gary but with the Ds. Lol. This song is based on Alex's nightmare. Lol. Great reaction! Loved the look on your faces when the song ended. The video version is great as its a live performance and they are young here and you know how they do. . just badasses putting it down and raising the bar! Natural Science or time for the epic 2112.
Thank you very much for putting a big smile on my face. Watching you enjoy this amazing band brings such joy to my ❤. They are from my home country of Canada. I've seen them live and they are sooooo good.
As others have said, it’s a nightmare so if you think of it as Alex falling asleep, dreaming, being chased by monsters, etc then it makes more sense. That solo at 4 minutes is beloved by many Rush fans. It’s a slow burn but so well-crafted. I just love the way that bass sound drops in right at the end of it and gives it a kind of dark feel as the monsters approach.
Alex is one of the most underrated guitarist ever, he’s a true master of his craft. If you guys also like Geddy’s bass playing, check out “The Big Money” from Power Windows. It’s amazing how he is able to play that song and sing at the same time!
I would suggest watching the official video. Then you will see them playing it live. It is the official music video with no audience. Even if you don't react to it just watch. Alex Lifeson is an amazing guitarist! They are three masters. This is one song but with different moments somewhat like classical music. ✌🇨🇦
Well done dad!!! THIS is the way to bring a young man up to appreciate some of the best music ever crafted and is the standard by which other musicians are graded by.
Awesome reaction!!! You really owe it to yourselves to watch this live performance of La Villa Strangiato [ Rush ~ La Villa Strangiato ~ R30 Tour ~ [HD 1080p] ~ 9/24/2004 at the Festhalle Frankfurt, Germany ]. An amazing performance with the added bonus of Alex's crazy sense of humor. Hilarious! You can tell these guys were closer than brothers and loved being in a band together. Have fun!! Thanks for all of your reactions!!
Well done gentlemen... you survived “La Villa Strangiato” by Rush. That was just the tip of the iceberg of REAL musical jems that people of my age have been seeking out and listening to for years. It’s out there, the talent for bands like Rush, Yes, Genesis, Alan Parsons, The Who, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Uriah Heep, Kansas, and more recently: Porcupine Tree (Steven Wilson), Marillion, RPWL, Riverside, Transatlantic. All pushing the envelope musicianship wise... keep up the good work! New subscriber from MN.
Okay, I have to respond to your acknowledgement of Alex Lifeson's greatness. The guy is one of the top rock 10 guitarists ever IMHO. His technical prowess is matched by few (EVH, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen, etc.) . His emotional engagement is rivaled by few (David Gilmour, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, etc.). His sheer creativity is over the top (Jimi Hendrix, EVH, Randy Rhodes, etc). This album was fairly early in their 42 year career, being their 6th studio album out of 19. Alex receives few accolades outside of those that are well acquainted with his extended works. So many of his masterworks received very little airplay, due to the extended nature of the songs. Thus, Alex really isn't as well-known to the masses as he should be.
Great reaction y’all!! I love watchin y’all react to these songs!! This is their musical masterpiece from one of my favorite albums! Released in 1978 when they were in their mid 20’s! When they wrote this, they almost wrote beyond their capabilities! It took them 10 days to try to record this in 1 take, but finally admitted defeat and do it in 3 parts! After they toured it for a bit, the label wanted them to lip sync a video for it and they said “No Way... we’ll just record ourselves playing it live..hence the “official video”(you should check that out and see how they do it). They also subtitled this song... “An Exercise in Self Indulgence”! It’s one of the few songs that Neil Peart (drummer) is penned with the writing of the music! So fun to watch you enjoy the band that gave us the soundtrack of our lives!! Be well and God Bless... from Texas!!
A lot of these longer songs are titled like pieces of classical music, where you have a main title, then multiple “movements” within the composition with their own title, or sometimes the movement is just numbered. As others have mentioned, this song was inspired by a dream Alex (the guitarist) had, and each movement is named to reflect a part of the dream or their musical interpretation of it.
It gives me the chills when people are able to appreciate what they hear. Actually I think you experience a wonderful aspect of life.. It's called Rush
Glad to see Geddy on bass and Alex on guitar getting recognition. The drummer Neil is rated as possibly the best of all time (see below) Awards and honours Peart received the following awards in the Modern Drummer magazine reader's poll: Hall of Fame: 1983 Best Rock Drummer*: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2006, 2008 Best Multi-Percussionist*: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 Best Percussion Instrumentalist: 1982 Most Promising New Drummer: 1980 Best All Around: 1986 1986 Honor Roll: Rock Drummer, Multi-Percussion (* - As a member of the Honor Roll in these categories, he is no longer eligible for votes in the above categories.) Best Instructional Video: 2006, for Anatomy of a Drum Solo Best Drum Recording of the 1980s, 2007, for "YYZ" from Exit... Stage Left Best Recorded Performance: 1980: Permanent Waves 1981: Moving Pictures 1982: Exit... Stage Left 1983: Signals 1985: Grace Under Pressure 1986: Power Windows 1988: Hold Your Fire 1989: A Show of Hands 1990: Presto 1992: Roll the Bones 1993: Counterparts 1997: Test for Echo 1999: Different Stages 2002: Vapor Trails 2004: R30 2007: Snakes & Arrows 2011: Time Machine 2012: Clockwork Angels
This is one of my favorite guitar pieces from Alex. During his lead, it's like the notes are clawing to get out before they build up and start pouring out. This song they had wanted to record in one take in the studio, but it was so complex they had to break it down into three parts. The whole album was one of their most complex and ambitious they had done, and they decided to scale back a bit on their future ones.
Best instrumental ever. So hard they couldn’t even play it through in the recording studio, admitted defeat and did it in 3 takes I believe. Later they said they could play it with their eyes closed
During the R-30 tour Alex steps up to the mic and re-enacts his nightmare I guess...while Getty and Neil egg him on by speeding up the tempo on the bass and drums to such a point...Alex starts screaming into the mic like he is a punk rocker before resuming the song!
Some of Rush's best live performances were from "Exit Stage Left". I would highly recommend this song from that live concert. That or Xanadu. You can't beat Xanadu live IMO.
Hope you enjoy the reaction! Please recommend future Rush songs. Check out our RUSH playlist. We also have a list of the songs and links in the description. Full Playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLLq-KSjMOQHmGMNEj-i1IDiGDdd5rDpP7
Guys, great reaction! Yes, Rush has a tradition of pulling out mind-blowing instrumentals from time to time, throughout their catalog. You have now heard 3 of them. Well played! So, what's next? I think you two are ready for the epic, side-long concept piece called "2112"! But, that said, you should still write it down on a piece of paper and put it in the hat and let's see if/when it comes up. That's really fun that you guys do that, pulling the song from a hat. Good stuff! By the way, the title "La Villa Strangiato" is loosely translated as "The strange (or weird) town".
Many drummers will tell you that this is one of the hardest songs to play on drums. In the documentary beyond the lighted stage, many of the drummer’s are like yeah you can play YYZ, But can you play the Villa Strangiato?
Really enjoyed this reaction a lot. R. U. S. H. has a lot to dive in and never get tired, never equalled, always great, forever admired. Greetings guys, from south of the border. 🇲🇽👍
Deceptively, if I am not mistaken, the drums is the hardest part of this song. When I was in high school, I had friends who were drummers and they would boast all the time about learning to play new songs from Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, etc., but the inevitable question that always came up was 'Yes, but can you play La Villa Strangiato?', that told me everything about who actual drummers thought was the greatest. RIP Neil.
I would suggest Closer to the Heart live version from. 1998 as they did an extended version and Geddy Lee's bass playing is totally badass on the extention. Also there is a really old video of them playing live from 1974 of finding my way just after Neil Peart joined the band. The video quality is not that great but you will see just how good they are right from the beginning of their career. 🇨🇦✌
It’s a guitar during the beginning of the solo. He’s using a volume pedal and hitting the string first, then pressing the volume pedal to make it sound like a swell.
This was their 6th album in 1978. This was within my personal favorite era which is inbetween 2112 and Permanent waves/1976-1980. Alex was ripping it up before anyone heard of van halen AND had covered more musical ground by then that eddie ever has.
Alex lifeson is one of the most underrated guitar players in history! Glad you guys are checking out Rush just subscribed please go down the rush rabbit hole you will not be disappointed! Rock on!
For your own pleasure, watch them play this in Cleveland during their Time Machine tour. It immediately preceded Working Man as part one of the final encore. The Hemispheres album may well be my favorite, especially side 1, Cygnus X-1 (Book II - Hemispheres).
Geddy Lee plays the bass, sings, AND plays the keyboards with his feet. 😳 How ‘bout those apples?! Next do Xanadu (live) off their Exit Stage Left album. You will not be disappointed!
Scott Neal thanks for the suggestions. The By-Tor and the snowdog too. We have a Rush playlist. Check it out. We have about 6 songs including Xanadu...which we totally geeked out on. Forgive our many pausing and talking over the music. We were newer at reactions and kinda went crazy talking and being amazed the whole time lol.
Please watch the Official Music Video to see Alex, Geddy & Neil play this masterpiece live! Next: 2112, By-Tor & the Snow Dog (not the medley version), Witch Hunt, The Necromancer, Anthem, Twilight Zone, Natural Science & Countdown. Early RUSH is truly progressive and shows how they started out before they changed in each new era of their music over the decades.
I'd like to see your reaction to "By-Tor and the Snow Dog." Of course, you dudes will have to eventually listen to their magnum opus, "2112." This epic work of art established Rush as musicians in competition with Mozart and Beethoven
As mentioned earlier, 2112 is a goodie. It’s a 7-part suite made up of instrumental sections and sung vers es. Tells the story of a dystopian society where music is banned. The hero of the story finds an old guitar and presents it to the “priests” who control everything but they dismiss it
(Oops) and he’s sent away in shame. He dreams of a world where music and people are free but sees no way out for himself. It’s a stunning piece of music and what really launched their career. They wrote it at a time when they were on the verge of being dropped by their label after their previous album had ranked. Rather than give in and write the hits the executives wanted them to write, they came up with this instead. It’s mind blowing.
Add to the list...if you do 2112, I'd recommend the comic book version so that you can follow along with the story, it helps first time listeners alot. It does usually get blocked by RUclips though. In my opinion, even better than 2112 is the 2 parter Cygnus X-1. Do Book I, The Voyage, and then follow that up with Hemispheres, Cygnus X-1 Books II. Red Barchetta, Losing It, Marathon, Mission, Headlong Flight, One Little Victory (Live in Rio is good), By-tor and the Snowdog, Anthem, Something for Nothing, The Garden (Live is great), Far Cry. Just a few to add to the hat.
My favorite part of this reaction is you guys trying to bop your heads while they're playing in 7/8 and looking just a bit confused. Great video guys. Awesome appreciation of masters of the craft.
It's an instrumental showcasing the trio's talents as musicians especially Alex on this song. Rush have done loads of instrumentals maybe 12+> It was so hard to play Geddy is quoted as saying in early 80's that they overreached their ability at the time to play this piece and had to record it in several takes not their usual one take in the recording studio!
Always when in question, do a Live version of RUSH. It is amazing to watch three guys do this live. YYZ live Rock in Rio.. When Eddie Van Halen was asked what it was like to be the greatest guitar player, he replied "You'd have to ask Alex Lifeson."
B.Well - thanks. I keep hearing that Eddie quote and now I 1 million percent agree! He is now my favorite guitarist!!!! I think on The Analog Kid is reaction is when I said that's it...Alex is #1 now for me.
lol - you know it is a first time reaction when you cant pronounce the title and are looking forward to the singing part of the greatest instrumental rock song ever created!
I love your guys reactions. They are so real, so genuine. Geddy Lee is my favorite bass player. Behind him is Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Les Claypool of Primus.
Julie, thanks for mentioning Flea, I have been wanting to react to Red Hot Chili Peppers live at Woodstock and forgot what a great bass player he is. Primus also a good suggestion! Julie you ROCK!
Great reaction! Now you two need to watch the official video, which is the three of them performing this live on a soundstage with no audience. Awesome!!!
The Holy Trinity from Toronto strikes again! Great reaction to an incredible song! As others have mentioned, you MUST check the music video - it's done live, and now that you've heard the studio, you can hear the differences (it's not just them 'acting out' a live performance to the studio track!) Alex, especially, is off the chain! Never apologize for stopping - this is YOUR reaction, and as much as it may break the flow of a song, it's best to get your thoughts out when you have them! Only suggestion, on restart, just backtrack 10 seconds - that way you get the flow of the song complete! Anyone who complains should just go listen to the track on their own! Should definitely check Subdivisions & 2112 as your next foray into Rush!
Thanks for the input about stopping. The backing it up 10 seconds is a great tip. Yea we are getting more comfortable with our style of stopping and commenting. We like that format best. No more apologies! Also, we will definitely add the video for this song to the hat and the 2112 keeps getting suggested. Subdivisions too!
Loving the channel guys! Great to see a father and son interacting like you two. Check out the official vid of this. They play the whole thing in one take... It's unreal.
Yes. There’s an added element to this masterpiece of a song by WATCHING THEM perform in the official video. There you can watch how and where all the sounds are coming from plus it’ll come close to listening to this song in “3D”. You won’t be disappointed. It would make for a cool part 2 reaction.
Great job guys! Keep in mind this song was released over 40 years ago. RUSH was the best ever, end of discussion! 2112 next for the full RUSH effect. It's awesome seeing you guys appreciate the musicianship, and I do believe RUSH to be the best ever. Now I would like to suggest who I believe to be the best group of musicians around today...Band Maid- Domination-live 2/14/20 🎶🎸🥁🎸🎶🔥🙂
Ok, let's talk about hidden gems: Entre Nous (with lyrics) Jacob's Ladder (Live R40 Tour) Red Sector A (with lyrics, and knowing that Neil wrote about Geddy's parents, who were survivers from Auschwitz in WW2) Middletown Dreams (with lyrics) Mystic Rhytms (my favorite Rush song) There are MANY more, Rush is my favorite band, but I don't want to name too many songs. Loving your reactions, the generation gap between father and son is very nice
Great react! Please react to "Rush - Nobody's Hero" from the album "Counterparts" (1993). Either the music video or the lyric video It's gonna sound very different and contemplative compared to the songs you have heard so far. :)
Funny you said "they loved their keyboards." I believe that was the first album where they used keyboards. Before that, they were a strictly guitar-bass-drums ensemb. Ok, guitar-bass-percussion.
So awesome you guys are doing this together. Alex definitely shines in this one - so many different sounds and styles all packed into one. And Geddy and his bass - he is without a doubt my favorite rock bass player. He adds so much melody to the bass part, and in many Rush songs the bass actually carries the melody with the guitar part providing rhythm. I'm a guitar player who had to go out and buy a bass just to learn some of those awesome basslines - I think Limelight and Red Barchetta were the first ones I learned. Loving the channel guys - keep it up, and here's some songs for the hat (all lyric videos). Cheers! Red Barchetta - A song about a car: ruclips.net/video/uukZgfHZIoc/видео.html The Trees - all is not well in the forest: ruclips.net/video/8_D0wkLyCXE/видео.html One Little Victory - hear how Rush sounded in their later years (they never lost it!): ruclips.net/video/iDp_wEKiVE4/видео.html 2112 - you guys have to set aside the 20 minutes to hear the most epic sci-fi rock opera ever created. Definitely do this one with lyrics so you can follow the story: ruclips.net/video/4WlK8syJrx8/видео.html
Oh, and I think you should react to [ Analog kid, Live ]. Just copy and paste the stuff I put between the brackets and You'll find them easily. Love you guys! Made my night!
new subscriber here. great reaction. yes. masters. this was their earlier days....6th album i believe...and for my money, their best. fantastic. at the beginning of the guitar solo that WAS guitar you were hearing. he is either manipulating the volume knob on the guitar, or using a volume pedal. what that does is takes away the 'pick attack' that you would normally hear during the guitar playing. the volume is down, the note is picked, then the volume is turned up...it gives it a 'violin type effect. anyway...great reaction
RUSH Army approves this reaction.
Thank you for approving
And we deliver some shock and awe
To anyone that will listen!
I rather like the idea of Rush fans being more of a family than an army, per se. I have come to think that Neil would be far more comfortable with that concept. Not that we aren't fierce in our defense of our favourite band, just as we would be of family. But that is an entirely personal thing, whether family or army, we definiely approve of this reaction.
Yes we do!!!!
@@JimiBurleigh So perfectly worded...
What I love most about this song is that it has enough awesome riffs for any five or six normal rock songs.
Yes, this album came out in 1978 and that was only 4 years on from their "humble beginnings". In fact, that's one of the coolest things about Rush. In 1974, they put out a song called "In The Mood". Great rocker, nice single for the time, standard issue Blues-based Rock. Then they got Neil Peart in the band and the Universe stood up to take notice: something special had occurred in Canada and things were about to get very interesting in the world of music! They made several significant progressions, call them quantum leaps, in their sound and song-writing skills between '74 and '78. Like...astonishing leaps in technique and skill. Breathtaking. It's crazy how good they had gotten by 1976 and they kept taking to the next level, on each album!
Don't apologize for stopping. This is a reaction - people who complain about stopping should be listening to the track.
Thanks, so true. Your one of the few that understand.
"Practice makes Perfect!!" 🔥🔥🔥
Alex Lifeson is Underrated.
Just to let you guys know that "Lerxst" in part IV "A Lerxst In Wonderland" (at 3:16) is Alex's nickname. In that part of the song (roughly 3:40) the question was asked, "What instrument is that?" It was Alex on the guitar. He used a technique known as "volume swells". What he's doing there is turning the volume all the way down then he hits the note on the guitar. As the note is already sounding he brings the volume up slowly. The effect is what you heard and it was an extremely influential song among guitar players for the tone as well as the nuance Lerxst put into it.
There is an excellent live version of this that it would be cool to see you react to now that you know the song. The fact that they could even do that in the studio is impressive enough. As you clearly heard. That they did it live (hundreds of times) and nailed it - in front of fans that knew what they are supposed to play - is something extraordinary.
Here's a Rush suggestion that's a little different, "Cinderella Man" - Dirk gets funky in 'the middle eight'.
In case you're wondering, Geddy's nickname is "Dirk". Neil was "Pratt" to the band, "The Professor" to fans.
@Joseph Holly After reading your reply I went and dug out my copy of the record. Now to be clear, I'm referencing the time points as they appeared on the original album track. I have never actually timed out any of the live versions. As they were listening to the album track, that made the most sense. From listening to it as I type, "A Lerxst In Wonderland" is part IV of XII and starts at roughly the 3:16 mark. - 8:50 would be "XI. Strangiato Theme (Reprise) which runs from roughly 8:17 to 9:17 when it transitions to part XII "A Farewell To Things".
Alex Lifeson is the guitarist. Geddy Lee is on bass, synths, and singing ... Neil Peart is the professor on drums and was the primary lyricist. Geddy is pronounced like Gary but with the Ds. Lol. This song is based on Alex's nightmare. Lol.
Great reaction! Loved the look on your faces when the song ended. The video version is great as its a live performance and they are young here and you know how they do. . just badasses putting it down and raising the bar!
Natural Science or time for the epic 2112.
Thank you very much for putting a big smile on my face. Watching you enjoy this amazing band brings such joy to my ❤. They are from my home country of Canada. I've seen them live and they are sooooo good.
As others have said, it’s a nightmare so if you think of it as Alex falling asleep, dreaming, being chased by monsters, etc then it makes more sense.
That solo at 4 minutes is beloved by many Rush fans. It’s a slow burn but so well-crafted. I just love the way that bass sound drops in right at the end of it and gives it a kind of dark feel as the monsters approach.
Alex is one of the most underrated guitarist ever, he’s a true master of his craft.
If you guys also like Geddy’s bass playing, check out “The Big Money” from Power Windows. It’s amazing how he is able to play that song and sing at the same time!
Lifeson is the BEST ALL AROUND ROCK GUITARIST of ALL TIME !!!!
I would suggest watching the official video. Then you will see them playing it live. It is the official music video with no audience. Even if you don't react to it just watch. Alex Lifeson is an amazing guitarist! They are three masters. This is one song but with different moments somewhat like classical music. ✌🇨🇦
Well done dad!!! THIS is the way to bring a young man up to appreciate some of the best music ever crafted and is the standard by which other musicians are graded by.
Thanks for the kind words!
Amazing seeing you guys react to groups I grew up idolizing because of their ability, good job!!!
Great reaction. I never get tired of seeing people listen to this for the first time. Btw, it’s pronounced, La Villa Strahn-jee-atto
Nope its pronounced strange ee a toe
It's in 12 parts. This was Rush's first instrumental. It was an exercise in indulgence. And to show their chops.
Awesome reaction!!! You really owe it to yourselves to watch this live performance of La Villa Strangiato [ Rush ~ La Villa Strangiato ~ R30 Tour ~ [HD 1080p] ~ 9/24/2004 at the Festhalle Frankfurt, Germany ]. An amazing performance with the added bonus of Alex's crazy sense of humor. Hilarious! You can tell these guys were closer than brothers and loved being in a band together. Have fun!! Thanks for all of your reactions!!
Well done gentlemen... you survived “La Villa Strangiato” by Rush. That was just the tip of the iceberg of REAL musical jems that people
of my age have been seeking out and listening to for years. It’s out there, the talent for bands like Rush, Yes, Genesis, Alan Parsons, The
Who, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Uriah Heep, Kansas, and more recently: Porcupine Tree (Steven Wilson), Marillion, RPWL, Riverside, Transatlantic.
All pushing the envelope musicianship wise... keep up the good work! New subscriber from MN.
if6wuzz9 - thanks for the sub and the list of great bands! I want to do Yes but your list might be inspiration for other bands too!
Okay, I have to respond to your acknowledgement of Alex Lifeson's greatness. The guy is one of the top rock 10 guitarists ever IMHO. His technical prowess is matched by few (EVH, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen, etc.) . His emotional engagement is rivaled by few (David Gilmour, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, etc.). His sheer creativity is over the top (Jimi Hendrix, EVH, Randy Rhodes, etc). This album was fairly early in their 42 year career, being their 6th studio album out of 19. Alex receives few accolades outside of those that are well acquainted with his extended works. So many of his masterworks received very little airplay, due to the extended nature of the songs. Thus, Alex really isn't as well-known to the masses as he should be.
He is the soul of Rushs sound to me.
Well said and we couldn't agree more. Thanks for the comment!
Heads melted :DDDD I love it! haha I felt the same over 20 years ago when heard La Villa for the first time...
imagine the skill and memory for all those riffs. thanks for reviewing. 😎 Great reaction as always. up next for the Hat Red Brachetta.
Check out the official music video too, it’s them playing it live and it’s incredible seeing them do it live🔥
Great reaction y’all!! I love watchin y’all react to these songs!! This is their musical masterpiece from one of my favorite albums! Released in 1978 when they were in their mid 20’s! When they wrote this, they almost wrote beyond their capabilities! It took them 10 days to try to record this in 1 take, but finally admitted defeat and do it in 3 parts! After they toured it for a bit, the label wanted them to lip sync a video for it and they said “No Way... we’ll just record ourselves playing it live..hence the “official video”(you should check that out and see how they do it). They also subtitled this song... “An Exercise in Self Indulgence”! It’s one of the few songs that Neil Peart (drummer) is penned with the writing of the music! So fun to watch you enjoy the band that gave us the soundtrack of our lives!! Be well and God Bless... from Texas!!
A lot of these longer songs are titled like pieces of classical music, where you have a main title, then multiple “movements” within the composition with their own title, or sometimes the movement is just numbered. As others have mentioned, this song was inspired by a dream Alex (the guitarist) had, and each movement is named to reflect a part of the dream or their musical interpretation of it.
For the 😎 hat: 2112, Roll The Bones or Red Barchetta! 🤞🏿 Pulling for 2112 tho'! 🍕🐰
La Villa and Hemispheres are the only songs on the album with multiple songs inside of them.
It gives me the chills when people are able to appreciate what they hear. Actually I think you experience a wonderful aspect of life.. It's called Rush
So true!
The definition of the Mighty Rush:
A band of Supermen!
Glad to see Geddy on bass and Alex on guitar getting recognition. The drummer Neil is rated as possibly the best of all time (see below)
Awards and honours
Peart received the following awards in the Modern Drummer magazine reader's poll:
Hall of Fame: 1983
Best Rock Drummer*: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2006, 2008
Best Multi-Percussionist*: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
Best Percussion Instrumentalist: 1982
Most Promising New Drummer: 1980
Best All Around: 1986
1986 Honor Roll: Rock Drummer, Multi-Percussion
(* - As a member of the Honor Roll in these categories, he is no longer eligible for votes in the above categories.)
Best Instructional Video: 2006, for Anatomy of a Drum Solo
Best Drum Recording of the 1980s, 2007, for "YYZ" from Exit... Stage Left
Best Recorded Performance:
1980: Permanent Waves
1981: Moving Pictures
1982: Exit... Stage Left
1983: Signals
1985: Grace Under Pressure
1986: Power Windows
1988: Hold Your Fire
1989: A Show of Hands
1990: Presto
1992: Roll the Bones
1993: Counterparts
1997: Test for Echo
1999: Different Stages
2002: Vapor Trails
2004: R30
2007: Snakes & Arrows
2011: Time Machine
2012: Clockwork Angels
That is astonishing.
This is one of my favorite guitar pieces from Alex. During his lead, it's like the notes are clawing to get out before they build up and start pouring out. This song they had wanted to record in one take in the studio, but it was so complex they had to break it down into three parts. The whole album was one of their most complex and ambitious they had done, and they decided to scale back a bit on their future ones.
Best instrumental ever. So hard they couldn’t even play it through in the recording studio, admitted defeat and did it in 3 takes I believe.
Later they said they could play it with their eyes closed
During the R-30 tour Alex steps up to the mic and re-enacts his nightmare I guess...while Getty and Neil egg him on by speeding up the tempo on the bass and drums to such a point...Alex starts screaming into the mic like he is a punk rocker before resuming the song!
Gentlemen, this riff on bass is obtainable @12:39 and @16:08. It's the same notes, ones played fast one played slow. It's about tempo rush rules.
Some of Rush's best live performances were from "Exit Stage Left". I would highly recommend this song from that live concert. That or Xanadu. You can't beat Xanadu live IMO.
Hope you enjoy the reaction! Please recommend future Rush songs. Check out our RUSH playlist. We also have a list of the songs and links in the description. Full Playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLLq-KSjMOQHmGMNEj-i1IDiGDdd5rDpP7
Guys, great reaction! Yes, Rush has a tradition of pulling out mind-blowing instrumentals from time to time, throughout their catalog. You have now heard 3 of them. Well played! So, what's next? I think you two are ready for the epic, side-long concept piece called "2112"! But, that said, you should still write it down on a piece of paper and put it in the hat and let's see if/when it comes up. That's really fun that you guys do that, pulling the song from a hat. Good stuff! By the way, the title "La Villa Strangiato" is loosely translated as "The strange (or weird) town".
Many drummers will tell you that this is one of the hardest songs to play on drums. In the documentary beyond the lighted stage, many of the drummer’s are like yeah you can play YYZ, But can you play the Villa Strangiato?
Really enjoyed this reaction a lot.
R. U. S. H. has a lot to dive in and never get tired, never equalled, always great, forever admired.
Greetings guys, from south of the border.
🇲🇽👍
Deceptively, if I am not mistaken, the drums is the hardest part of this song. When I was in high school, I had friends who were drummers and they would boast all the time about learning to play new songs from Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, etc., but the inevitable question that always came up was 'Yes, but can you play La Villa Strangiato?', that told me everything about who actual drummers thought was the greatest. RIP Neil.
I would suggest Closer to the Heart live version from. 1998 as they did an extended version and Geddy Lee's bass playing is totally badass on the extention. Also there is a really old video of them playing live from 1974 of finding my way just after Neil Peart joined the band. The video quality is not that great but you will see just how good they are right from the beginning of their career. 🇨🇦✌
Check out the official live version. Watching them in their formative years playing this level is a mind blower.
It’s a guitar during the beginning of the solo. He’s using a volume pedal and hitting the string first, then pressing the volume pedal to make it sound like a swell.
This was their 6th album in 1978. This was within my personal favorite era which is inbetween 2112 and Permanent waves/1976-1980. Alex was ripping it up before anyone heard of van halen AND had covered more musical ground by then that eddie ever has.
Alex lifeson is one of the most underrated guitar players in history! Glad you guys are checking out Rush just subscribed please go down the rush rabbit hole you will not be disappointed! Rock on!
Thanks for the sub! We are definitely going down the rabbit hole. Awesome ride!
Now imagine a 3-piece playing this live! Brilliant.
For your own pleasure, watch them play this in Cleveland during their Time Machine tour. It immediately preceded Working Man as part one of the final encore. The Hemispheres album may well be my favorite, especially side 1, Cygnus X-1 (Book II - Hemispheres).
Geddy Lee plays the bass, sings, AND plays the keyboards with his feet. 😳 How ‘bout those apples?! Next do Xanadu (live) off their Exit Stage Left album. You will not be disappointed!
Scott Neal thanks for the suggestions. The By-Tor and the snowdog too. We have a Rush playlist. Check it out. We have about 6 songs including Xanadu...which we totally geeked out on. Forgive our many pausing and talking over the music. We were newer at reactions and kinda went crazy talking and being amazed the whole time lol.
Please watch the Official Music Video to see Alex, Geddy & Neil play this masterpiece live! Next: 2112, By-Tor & the Snow Dog (not the medley version), Witch Hunt, The Necromancer, Anthem, Twilight Zone, Natural Science & Countdown. Early RUSH is truly progressive and shows how they started out before they changed in each new era of their music over the decades.
La Villa Strange-e-ot-toe
With Italian accent.
There is a song by Rush, written by Geddy Lee called Tears. It is one I've never seen anyone react to.
Saw them live on this tour 1979. My first Rush show.
My All Time Fav!
I'd like to see your reaction to "By-Tor and the Snow Dog." Of course, you dudes will have to eventually listen to their magnum opus, "2112." This epic work of art established Rush as musicians in competition with Mozart and Beethoven
Thats the first we have had By-Tor and the snow Dog suggested. Adding it to the hat!
As mentioned earlier, 2112 is a goodie. It’s a 7-part suite made up of instrumental sections and sung vers
es. Tells the story of a dystopian society where music is banned. The hero of the story finds an old guitar and presents it to the “priests” who control everything but they dismiss it
(Oops) and he’s sent away in shame. He dreams of a world where music and people are free but sees no way out for himself. It’s a stunning piece of music and what really launched their career. They wrote it at a time when they were on the verge of being dropped by their label after their previous album had ranked. Rather than give in and write the hits the executives wanted them to write, they came up with this instead. It’s mind blowing.
Tanked, not ranked
Add to the list...if you do 2112, I'd recommend the comic book version so that you can follow along with the story, it helps first time listeners alot. It does usually get blocked by RUclips though. In my opinion, even better than 2112 is the 2 parter Cygnus X-1. Do Book I, The Voyage, and then follow that up with Hemispheres, Cygnus X-1 Books II. Red Barchetta, Losing It, Marathon, Mission, Headlong Flight, One Little Victory (Live in Rio is good), By-tor and the Snowdog, Anthem, Something for Nothing, The Garden (Live is great), Far Cry. Just a few to add to the hat.
My favorite part of this reaction is you guys trying to bop your heads while they're playing in 7/8 and looking just a bit confused. Great video guys. Awesome appreciation of masters of the craft.
It's an instrumental showcasing the trio's talents as musicians especially Alex on this song. Rush have done loads of instrumentals maybe 12+> It was so hard to play Geddy is quoted as saying in early 80's that they overreached their ability at the time to play this piece and had to record it in several takes not their usual one take in the recording studio!
Always when in question, do a Live version of RUSH. It is amazing to watch three guys do this live. YYZ live Rock in Rio.. When Eddie Van Halen was asked what it was like to be the greatest guitar player, he replied "You'd have to ask Alex Lifeson."
B.Well - thanks. I keep hearing that Eddie quote and now I 1 million percent agree! He is now my favorite guitarist!!!! I think on The Analog Kid is reaction is when I said that's it...Alex is #1 now for me.
This is also known as Alex's Nightmare. This instrumental came about from a dream/nightmare that Alex had. It is a multi part story in musical form.
"Maybe he says it!"
Lol... Love it! 😀
I hope he sings ... nope. No need with this performance.
church!
😁 I laughed so hard! 😂🐰
lol - you know it is a first time reaction when you cant pronounce the title and are looking forward to the singing part of the greatest instrumental rock song ever created!
I love your guys reactions. They are so real, so genuine. Geddy Lee is my favorite bass player. Behind him is Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Les Claypool of Primus.
Julie, thanks for mentioning Flea, I have been wanting to react to Red Hot Chili Peppers live at Woodstock and forgot what a great bass player he is. Primus also a good suggestion! Julie you ROCK!
@@reactioninaction7415 Gotta love a slap bass!
Great reaction! Now you two need to watch the official video, which is the three of them performing this live on a soundstage with no audience. Awesome!!!
Love your reactions. Keep up the good work!
You’re correct. Geddy the GOAT
The Holy Trinity from Toronto strikes again!
Great reaction to an incredible song! As others have mentioned, you MUST check the music video - it's done live, and now that you've heard the studio, you can hear the differences (it's not just them 'acting out' a live performance to the studio track!) Alex, especially, is off the chain!
Never apologize for stopping - this is YOUR reaction, and as much as it may break the flow of a song, it's best to get your thoughts out when you have them! Only suggestion, on restart, just backtrack 10 seconds - that way you get the flow of the song complete!
Anyone who complains should just go listen to the track on their own!
Should definitely check Subdivisions & 2112 as your next foray into Rush!
Thanks for the input about stopping. The backing it up 10 seconds is a great tip. Yea we are getting more comfortable with our style of stopping and commenting. We like that format best. No more apologies!
Also, we will definitely add the video for this song to the hat and the 2112 keeps getting suggested. Subdivisions too!
Loving the channel guys! Great to see a father and son interacting like you two. Check out the official vid of this. They play the whole thing in one take... It's unreal.
I cant wait to see it live! Thanks for the encouragement!
Yes. There’s an added element to this masterpiece of a song by WATCHING THEM perform in the official video. There you can watch how and where all the sounds are coming from plus it’ll come close to listening to this song in “3D”. You won’t be disappointed. It would make for a cool part 2 reaction.
I agree. We need to see this video and live too!
I like you two! Very amiable, and into the good stuff. Love from 🏴
Thanks Christian!
Getty - plays bass , sings , plays keyboards and peddles with his feet , TALENT
Complete talent!
It’s a shame y’all will never get to see them live in person
Great job guys! Keep in mind this song was released over 40 years ago. RUSH was the best ever, end of discussion! 2112 next for the full RUSH effect.
It's awesome seeing you guys appreciate the musicianship, and I do believe RUSH to be the best ever. Now I would like to suggest who I believe to be the best group of musicians around today...Band Maid- Domination-live 2/14/20
🎶🎸🥁🎸🎶🔥🙂
Rush is incredible, thanks for the comment and suggestions. 2112 is in the hat.
This song is a musical interpretation of a dream the guitarist Alex Lifeson had.
Hemispheres that Villa La Strangiato was on was released in 1978.
Ok, let's talk about hidden gems:
Entre Nous (with lyrics)
Jacob's Ladder (Live R40 Tour)
Red Sector A (with lyrics, and knowing that Neil wrote about Geddy's parents, who were survivers from Auschwitz in WW2)
Middletown Dreams (with lyrics)
Mystic Rhytms (my favorite Rush song)
There are MANY more, Rush is my favorite band, but I don't want to name too many songs. Loving your reactions, the generation gap between father and son is very nice
Since you were asking that sound was a guitar, the effect you were hearing was done by manipulating the volume knob or using a volume pedal.
One of my favorite Rush songs...
This song was from 1978 (4 years into their touring career). Check them out playing this Live in Cleveland in 2011. They have fun with the intro.
😒 I was all about Alex rocking "Tommy Shaw" hair & Geddy not being afraid to flash nipple.... 😳 Oh, 🙄 that was just me. 😏🐰
When Van Halen was asked what it was like to be a guitar god, he replied, "I don't know. Ask Alex Lifeson."
That's an urban legend, it never happened.
Great react! Please react to "Rush - Nobody's Hero" from the album "Counterparts" (1993). Either the music video or the lyric video
It's gonna sound very different and contemplative compared to the songs you have heard so far. :)
One song broken up into "movements", yes
I'm glad you like Geddy Lee as a singer a lot of people didn't care for his voice I thought he was great he matched the band
Masterpiece
Thanks for the rush reaction love to see "Bi-tor and the snow dog" reaction
Thanks, Great fun. I'd like to throw "Half the World" in the hat as a song to be listened to.
Funny you said "they loved their keyboards." I believe that was the first album where they used keyboards. Before that, they were a strictly guitar-bass-drums ensemb. Ok, guitar-bass-percussion.
Love the Young Listen to Rush
There actually is a cover of this song somewhere on you tube done by iconic musicians they do a decent job of it
People can cover it. The beauty about Rush is, can you write it...
Well said.
If you like the bass, listen to Rush's "Digital Man", liked the reaction, cheers.
So awesome you guys are doing this together. Alex definitely shines in this one - so many different sounds and styles all packed into one. And Geddy and his bass - he is without a doubt my favorite rock bass player. He adds so much melody to the bass part, and in many Rush songs the bass actually carries the melody with the guitar part providing rhythm. I'm a guitar player who had to go out and buy a bass just to learn some of those awesome basslines - I think Limelight and Red Barchetta were the first ones I learned. Loving the channel guys - keep it up, and here's some songs for the hat (all lyric videos). Cheers!
Red Barchetta - A song about a car: ruclips.net/video/uukZgfHZIoc/видео.html
The Trees - all is not well in the forest: ruclips.net/video/8_D0wkLyCXE/видео.html
One Little Victory - hear how Rush sounded in their later years (they never lost it!): ruclips.net/video/iDp_wEKiVE4/видео.html
2112 - you guys have to set aside the 20 minutes to hear the most epic sci-fi rock opera ever created. Definitely do this one with lyrics so you can follow the story: ruclips.net/video/4WlK8syJrx8/видео.html
La Villa Strange-E-otto. That was fun guys! 🐰 #ENRGYZRBunny
Thanks for the Pronunciation lesson. 👍
spirit of radio
We already reacted to spirit of radio.
ruclips.net/video/-YMYj6S_YGU/видео.html
Oh, and I think you should react to [ Analog kid, Live ]. Just copy and paste the stuff I put between the brackets and You'll find them easily. Love you guys! Made my night!
Seeing this made my night! ✌️💜
I subscribed yesterday- Rush + a fellow Breaking Bad fan? Yes please 👍🏼
Oh, you might want to look at the isolated drum track for this song....absolutely amazing!
Also, Neil Peart’s drum solo live in Frankfurt.
The bass player, Geddy Lee, is playing the keyboards with his feet while playing the bass.
Should have done the official ... then you could have watched Alex make that 'what instrument is that' sound on his guitar .... killer stuff to see
Best. Instrumental. Ever.
new subscriber here. great reaction. yes. masters. this was their earlier days....6th album i believe...and for my money, their best. fantastic. at the beginning of the guitar solo that WAS guitar you were hearing. he is either manipulating the volume knob on the guitar, or using a volume pedal. what that does is takes away the 'pick attack' that you would normally hear during the guitar playing. the volume is down, the note is picked, then the volume is turned up...it gives it a 'violin type effect. anyway...great reaction
Thanks for the sub. Pick Attack...describes it perfectly. Saw your comment on breaking bad too!
Meant saw your comment on Bad Finger too!
In the case of Alex, he is using the foot pedal
Loved this reaction and your point about no band able to cover this tune. Thinking YYZ is another no one dare cover.
For real!
The multiple parts are called "movements". "Lah veeya strahn-jee-ah-toe"
Someone once asked Eddie what it was like being a guitar god and he responded he didn’t know so as Alex.