The record label told them to make more radio friendly songs. So they made this in response. They figured they were not going to compromise their musical integrity and may as well go out doing what they want. But it was such a huge hit, from that point on, their label never tried to tell them what to do again.
Was just watchin Straight Out Of Compton. Just realized the similarities between these two bands, completely diff genre’s the establiment told NWA that gangsta rap wouldn’t sell. Both these HOF bands did it they’re way ultimately
B side is pretty radio friendly though. And aside from the length, the tittle track has some catchy sections that could have been turned into a single for airplay purposes. 2112 is much more commercially viable than Caress of Steel I think.
Attention all planets of the Solar Federation: 7 words repeated 3 times = 21 We have assumed control: 4 words repeated 3 time = 12 2112 - absolute masterpiece
@@dieselbourbon3728Good one. I have been using Fanfare For A Common Man from ELP for my ring tone for years. Have yet to come across someone who knows what it is. Most are like WTF is that?
There will never be a lyricist like The Professor and Alex and Geddy were the perfect accompaniment to his words. The fact that they pulled this off in the 70s and were just 3 men was nothing short of phenomenal. Rest in Peace Mr. Peart.
To be fair, there are some overdubs. Nevertheless, as you state, they pull 2112 off quite well live. I've been listening to Rush In Rio over the past couple of days. While the audio quality is a bit dodgy, the performances are stellar!
The crowd jumping up and down and singing all the songs with such mad energy makes the concert interplanetary. Limelight, they sing the melody. It’s E P I C!!!
@@vvrroomm68 - Ha! So, I'm not the only one who "sings" the instruments as well as the words! I generally stick to the lower register these days and weave between the bass and guitar parts. For the record, I generally do a very simplified version of many bass lines. People like Geddy Lee, Chris Squire, Greg Lake, etc are impossible to follow note-for-note vocally.
From a Rolling Stone article with Neil in 2012: This is somewhat random, but you were interested in the writings of Ayn Rand decades ago. Do her words still speak to you? Oh, no. That was 40 years ago. But it was important to me at the time in a transition of finding myself and having faith that what I believed was worthwhile. I had come up with that moral attitude about music, and then in my late teens I moved to England to seek fame and fortune and all that, and I was kind of stunned by the cynicism and the factory-like atmosphere of the music world over there, and it shook me. I’m thinking, “Am I wrong? Am I stupid and naïve? This is the way that everybody does everything and, had I better get with the program?” For me, it was an affirmation that it’s all right to totally believe in something and live for it and not compromise. It was a simple as that. On that 2112 album, again, I was in my early twenties. I was a kid. Now I call myself a bleeding heart libertarian. Because I do believe in the principles of Libertarianism as an ideal - because I’m an idealist. Paul Theroux’s definition of a cynic is a disappointed idealist. So as you go through past your twenties, your idealism is going to be disappointed many many times. And so, I’ve brought my view and also - I’ve just realized this - Libertarianism as I understood it was very good and pure and we’re all going to be successful and generous to the less fortunate and it was, to me, not dark or cynical. But then I soon saw, of course, the way that it gets twisted by the flaws of humanity. And that’s when I evolve now into . . . a bleeding heart Libertarian. That’ll do.
Somehow I can even hear his voice when reading it. He had such a clear and soothing voice in interviews, and the articulacy (if that's a word) of his lyrics comes through in his spoken words. RIP Neil.
yeah. he was basically using the label to mean the opposite of what most people who use that label mean. at least it's good to know that when he reached adulthood he escaped the rand mentality.
@@sabin97 if by Rand mentality you mean her definition of the virtue of selfishness, then yeah I agree with you. Her philosophy of Objectivism is a very static conception to me that seemed to need a lot more work to be taken seriously.
@@stantheman9072 i mean EVERYTHING that people who label themselves "libertarian" stand for. EVERY SINGLE THING. they are a fringe minority for a reason. their ideas are too dumb for even the dumb masses. when you press them for specifics of what they believe it ALWAYS ends up in(and i'm paraphrasing because they lack the testicular fortitude to tell you straight like they think about it): "the poor should just fuck off and die, because maaaah properteeeeehhhh"
@@sabin97 so good to know you have such fortitude and insight to know what libertarians “really” mean when they dare say what they think. What I hear of libertarians is more like leave me alone to mind my business and I’ll leave you alone to mind yours. It’s hard to build any sort of civic activity on that basis, so they always sound squishy on practical matters like how you would accomplish some social goal. They don’t really have any because their idea of society is built from the individual out, not defined from the top down. Your interpretation of their guiding philosophy is hackneyed and puerile, and you sound like a typical “progressive” bully...the kind of ideologically-driven zealot that radicalism grows. Personally I like public policy that is built on consent rather than grand schemes of great societies to build. Human beings have always failed at that and America will too as we try it.
@17:19 Such a beautiful moment of music. I spent so many nights as a young lad listening to this from a cassette, lying in bed before sleep, headphones wrapped around my head, and being taken to a different world. Who would've thought the lyrics of this album would be more relevant know than they were back in '76?
Doug, the artist were the winners. Rush gained complete control of their music after this album. The record labels left them alone to do what they wanted. True story
_We are the priests of the Temples of Syrinx._ It was more than 45 years before I found out that a syrinx is a songbird's voice box, like our larynx. True Story. {:-:-:}
Rush created their own subsidary within the label, called Anthem Records, to have absolute control on their output from 1976 onwards. No executive in the record company could tell them what to do, so they just did what they wanted, and were brilliant at that.
Similar to Eli's response, they always "assumed control" (hehehe). They created on their own terms, to the dismay of the priests of the record company. If the record didn't work, their lifeblood (with the record company) would have spilled over.
What is your song about? Most bands: Sex Rush: A guy in a future society discovers an ancient musical relic, is shot down, dreams of a world so beautiful and when he realizes it will never be real he kills himself
I am pretty sure the guy was about to kill himself, until the people the Oracle showed him to (the Elder Race) came back and bombed the Solar Federation. Still, it is a ripper song.
On one interview with Geddy, he was talking about Rush not getting radio play because of their esoteric and fantastical lyrics. " I mean, 'By-Tor and the Snow Dog', what the hell is THAT??" Ha ha ha ha!!!
After 20 years of listening to me playing this song, and many other Rush songs on my bass, my wife would tune them out because she is not into Rush at all and didn't get why I love their music so much. Last year, she confessed to having listened to 2112 all the way through while reading the lyrics, and said she finally understands why I love them. :) I was a classically-trained youth musician from an early age (viola, Bb clarinet and then ended with Bb bass clarinet in a youth Mozart quartet), but dropped out of playing music for three years until I heard Rush in 1981 and, for a whole year, I'd go to sleep with my headphones on with a Rush cassette of their live album "Exit... Stage Left" set to loop continuously from Side A to Side B and I'd play air bass to it as I fell asleep (I played viola for a number of years, which is also bass cleff, so I knew the basic finger poisitions needed to play the sequences of notes properly, and just enlarged them to fit a bass guitar neck). Then I bought a $50 pawnshop bass guitar, and maniacally dove back into music. I still play to this day, 40-years later, every day, but now I'm on a six-string bass (Ibanez with EMG 45JX pickups & active electronics, played through a Tech 21-NYC VT Bass Deluxe and a Boss GT-10B fx pedalboard, for any gearheads out there who might read this) and at least two good Rush songs a day, and "The Fountain of Lamneth" and "2112" are two of my favorite long ones to play. :)
I never cry. Or? OK, Elwood - gone? OMjove. On my knees. Thank you my X Minnesotan one for her saving my sore sorry. IMHO, God needed The Professor home. Safe.
No the elder race was on another planet and time that the oracle took him to. In the end his life blood spills over because he's stuck in that world of enslavement, socialism
I think the story goes that Neil was too wrapped up in his books to be able to write a Bad Company kind of song. He wrote what he knew at the time, and that was the books he read while on your.
I bought this album as soon as it came out, it blew me away. They basically told the label to go pack sand, and did what they wanted. Big balls, real men, class act. This guy said it's been 45 years...holy sht...seems like yesterday.
after the release of "caress of steel" rush's previously released, dismally received, album in 1975, the record company pretty much told RUSH, "we need a hit album" which RUSH wasn't going to succumb to the tyrannical music industry. this was their "F*CK YOU" and "out the door, in flames" record. of "well, at least we went out with a bang" record. magically, it resonated like no other album has for them. i cried hearing this watching your reaction to this record. it changed the course of history for so many bands. and the voice at the end is neil's.
Truth be told, "Caress of Steel" was my very first complete album RUSH experience and in my opinion is very underrated and one of my favorite RUSH albums.
It was their final album under the band's original contract. I had the feeling they thought this may be their last time with access to a major recording studio so they decided to check off everything they wanted to try, then pour it into one album.
I heard this album at a friend's house when I was in middle school. It was brand new and his older brother was jamming the album really loud. The second I heard the intro drum fill for Temples of Syrinx I instantly knew I wanted to play drums. Now, all these years later, I'm still playing. And still devoted to Neil's influence.
I was 13 years old when my older cousin showed up with this new album by a band called Rush. I think I wore that album out on him. When I found out about the Ayn Rand book Anthem I went to my school library and signed it out. Only thing is I didn't sign it out in my own name. I signed it out as Neil Peart! Once a week Neil was called to come to the main office when they called everyone else who had overdue books. Oh to be young again.
Neil definitely deserves a lot of credit on this song, but the part where Alex is doing the 'learning to play' bit is some sheer genius guitar-smithery...
The record company hated it, and hated where Rush were going. This was accepted purely by the fans, and was such a success that the record company never tried to interfere with them ever again.
Probably a large part of how this resonated with people was growing up with parents who saw rock music as a frivolous pastime that wouldn’t support them as a career, or other people feeling like having their dreams crushed by systems that preferred conformity to individuality. It’s a pretty common feeling and the song was crafted well to tap into it.
"2112" was basically Rush reacting to the cold reception to their previous album which had TWO epic length tracks. "We do this and it's our last album ever, or people love it and we get more freedom". Dream Theater had the same thing going for them with "Scenes from a Memory". The record label spent too much time intervening on "Falling into Infinity" and even forced an outside songwriter on one track... and their next album was kind of just "we're gonna pour our passions into a concept album and if it breaks us, at least we went out on OUR terms", and it turned out to be one of their most successful albums, due to the PASSION that went into it. "2112" is much the same story. They poured their passion into it, and it paid off.
This song is the most important piece of music iv ever heard, personally in my life. It compelled me to play music from a young age. I had never heard anything like it before. To me its not just music...its a masterful painting of music that has inspired millions just like me. This song belongs up there with Stairway to Heaven, Rapsody, and satisfaction as the greatest of all time. Its just as important in my view... this song changed my life. I can never repay Rush for that.
You seem like a hell of a great person doug and you appreciate great music doesn't matter what genre. You're open minded and definitely not a musical snob.
Rush was considered and called "Intellectual Rock" because of the time changes, key changes, and story telling. RIP N.Peart. a true master of the Arts.
@@elimalinsky7069 Exactly, they often aren't progressive, compared to all the Prog bands before them, they sound like a more thoughtful version of 70s hard rock, its good music, just not that progressive
@@sapiensfromterra5103 Some people claim Rush is hard rock with prog rock elements, rather than a true prog band. Their prog era was quite brief in comparison to the band's 50 years of operation (1968-2018), starting with Caress of Steel in 1975 and ending in Moving Pictures in 1981. From Signals onwards it's mostly hard rock/alt rock with prog elements and some new wave elemenets in the 80s.
Rush was the pinnacle of prog rock. Even though they came a bit early, no one has ever really topped them in complexity. Just like you said, no one else really had as many time changes, key changes, real story-telling and put it together in a cohesive way. That’s why even their very long songs never get boring, like many others. With Neil, there was no ambiguous lyrics that can be interpreted a thousand ways. At least not in the early years. It was straight out, old fashion story-telling. There has never been anything like them. Like Gene Simmons says, “what is Rush? Rush is Rush”. They created their own genre and morphed it over the years to keep things fresh. I dare anyone to name a group like Rush. Some have tried, but no one really captured the essence of what makes Rush great and a legend. I watched a reaction from two guys in Las Vegas react to La Villa Strangiato. They said that their fans had requested a lot of other prog rock prior to hear La Villa and they just couldn’t get it with the other music. They said they could now see what the others were trying to do, but just missed the target. They said every other prog rock stuff requested was complicated, with lots of changes in time signature, key and everything else, but just wasn’t coherent. After hearing La Villa Strangiato, they said they finally got what all the other were trying to do, but failed. They finally understood why Rush fans were so fanatical about the group. They said only Rush was able to make a song with so many changes and keep their attention the entire 9 minutes. According to them, only Rush really captured what was prog rock, fusing elements of jazz, classical, R&B and metal together to create an instrumental that tells the story of Alex’s dream. They saw what all Rush fans know. There is no other prog rock group like Rush, if you want to call their music prog rock? I think they’re right. All of the other prog rock bands go overboard trying to make a song complex, but forget the first rule, it has to be a song. It can’t get so bogged down in quick time signature changes and crazy key changes and forget that it has to meld together to create a musical story, a coherent song. Rush never lost sight of the music and that making a good song was first. That was why they fought the record executives on that fact and thankfully for all,of us, they won. Had 2112 failed, there’d be no Rush. It’s funny how we can do our best work when our ass is against the wrecking machine and that’s what Rush did. They took all that angst and frustration out in the music and boy did it work. We all got a masterpiece. 2112 is nothing short of a masterpiece because it never forgets to be a song first. It tells a great story of individuality and how the creativity of the artist or artisan cannot be stifled by society.
This album made me a Rush fan for life . Then I saw them live and was completely astonished that they were even better live . Amazing. Lesser bands are a disappointment live. Which is just about all the rest of them . RIP Professor . You set the bar so high it will never be touched by anyone else .
After seeing Rush live 10 times I have somewhat given up on seeing other acts I like live because they don't usually come anywhere close to sounding as good or better than the albums like Rush did. RIP Neil
I got this from a friend's brother. I asked him for his Fleetwood Mac album, Tusk, to make a copy for myself. He gave me that and then handed me 2112 and told me that was the album I needed to hear. No one has ever been so right in suggesting music for me.
How lucky is the world that Geddy, Alex and Neil found each other. Their music not only rocks, but sparks so much emotion. And most of the time I have no idea what Neil is talking about......
I think in light of the way the world has been headed in the last decade it's more relevant than ever... the "priests" have amused control. When it comes to the music still being resonant... that's just a mark of it's brilliance... Beethoven is still popular!
The greatest testament to this progressive rock masterpiece was the shared reaction you, as a classically trained composer and I, as a pimply-faced stoner in the 70’s, both had..... “Holy Shit!”.... well-done my good man
I recall my "Holy Shit" moment too: a powerful recommendation lead to that moment in my bedroom in 1982, my brother's hand-me-down stereo and 2112 on 8 track. Made my heart race and brought tears to my eyes. Played that 8 track through many repairs. Thank you Ritchie B., for your insistence and the glimmer in your eyes.
Fantastic hearing you break that down! And after 45plus years it's still a fantastic song to listen to. From my early years as a teen to an older (58) matured male,,, I STILL LOVE IT and I love everyone discovering RUSH this many years later...SUCH A WIDE VARIATION of music through their whole library, it's easy for people to find something they like by these 3 AMAZING MUSICIANS! R.I.P Neil.🙏
@@randyfurness5588If you can prove it, do so. The Test For Echo tour was an event because it was the first tour where they played without an opening act and the first time they played all of 2112 live.
@UCuDm-G3nVBEDPZOeWwnf6Ww Of 2112? Man that’s tough for me. I’m gonna have to go with 3 though. I mean, gosh those guitar chords sound beautiful. And it’s incredibly genius that it’s actually part of the story, of him discovering the guitar after so long and learning to play. It’s captured musically so well and captures the image of the cave just as well. But honestly, every movement in this song is executed so well I can’t even be sure which is my favorite to be honest.
@@navydad1475 well, technically if you do the Necromancer, you have to start with By-Tor and the Snow Dog. Im down for all 3 songs, so doesn't matter to me lol
Neil, was an introvert, a voracious reader, highly intelligent. His nickname was "the professor ". In the few interviews he gave, (a very private person who hated the "Limelight ") his answers to questions were always very analytical. A perfectionist that showed in his performance every time he sat down on his throne. Arguably the best drummer ever.
I don't think it is even arguable. Neil was the best drummer - period. In fact, I would say all three of them are in the top five of their respective talents. Alex was overshadowed a lot by Neil and Geddy, but he is a master guitarist!
The lyrics were inspired by an Ayn Rand novel but the story in the song is an original concept by Neil, it's not based on or referencing a specific novel by Rand. Later in his life Neil distanced himself from her and called himself a "Bleeding Heart Libertarian". Neil is the voice at the end, he's playing the role of the good guys coming back to overthrow the priests.
If you've ever read "Anthem" by Ayn Rand, it's very nearly the same story as 2112, only in Rand's telling, it was (literally) a lightbulb rather than a guitar. Neil gave a tip of the hat to Ayn when someone handed him a copy of Anthem and he realized how incredibly similar the two stories were. He didn't "swipe it", as some have said, but after reading Anthem , he recognized how close to identical they are, and so we have the liner note "With acknowledgement to the genius of Ayn Rand".
@@manmoth_1990 that's interesting to note. I always thought the voices at the end were the Elder Race of man coming to liberate humanity from the priests. Obviously, given their capacity to grow culturally, they would easily outstrip the technological and organizational capabilities of the priests. For me, the tragedy came because the starman protagonist had given up hope, and committed suicide right before the liberation. He had betrayed his ideals and was not saved with the rest of humanity from the tyranny of syrinx. Which also felt like an allegory for the band.
@@manmoth_1990 I always read it as the protagonist commits suicide after his appeal to the Priests is met with absolute condemnation, only to do so just before The Elder Race of Man returns to liberate. He tragically gives up hope on the eve of the change he pleads for. That is, its message has always been don't surrender. In fact, during countless discussions of the story over 40 years, that's been the majority consensus. Interesting.
Gosh you guys, I had remembered it all wrong! It's the good guys at the end all along. I think I actually might have confused some old fan theory with Neil's comments. Here is Neil explaining it: th-cam.com/video/iBGxDjF7VXI/w-d-xo.html
I have been a Rush fan since 1980 (7th grade for me). I never knew until just recently that the last two phrases of the song were each repeated 3 times for a reason: 7 words "Attention all planets of the Solar Federation" times 3 = 21 words; and 4 words "We have assumed control" times 3 = 12 words. 21 and 12, 2112! Masterful. RIP Professor!
The voice at the end was Neil's. It is distorted with a very similar way to the spoken word part of The Necromancer of their prior album, Caress of Steel, which was also performed by Neil. As for your other questions, the story ends in tragedy, as the protagonist kills himself in Soliloquy (probably misspelled that, however implicated by the line "My lifeblood spills over") over what he saw in the dream was seemingly unattainable. For the remainder of humanity it does end better though, as those who left the Solar Federation return in the Grand Finale as described in the dream earlier (Home to tear the temples down, home to change) and assume control. The tragedy being that the protagonist does not live to see his dream become reality. What 2112 stands for is up to interpretation, it is however referenced in the final part. "Attention all planets of the Solar Federation" consists of seven words and is repeated three times, which makes 21. "We have assumed control" is four words, also repeated three times, which makes 12. The sound effect at the beginning was a stock sound, they chose it since it reminded them of sci-fi movies of the 60s (Source: A documentary about Rush, though I fail to recall which one exactly.). The waterfall sound was also stock, although I don't think it is supposed to be a waterfall. It does sound more like heavy rain on an open field.
The ending words are spoken by Neil. Also at the end it's the calvalry coming in to overthrow the priests!! The amazing thing about this, is that this is Rush's fourth album in two years. They were around 22 years old for Alex & Geddy & I think Niel was 23!! That is an amazing piece of music for such young musicians!!!
The only time I saw them live they played this entire piece. That was the first time that they played it since the release of the album. They were amazing to see live. They did everything perfectly just like on each album.
The Grand Finale: Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation 7 words 3x = 21 We have assumed control 4 words 3x - 12 That is how you end an epic opus!!
I've been a fan of this band since the late 90's when a good friend of mine enlightened me with this band. I am forever grateful to him for opening my eyes and my mind. I never realized this previously! This is amazing! I hope my fan card will not be revoked for being so late to the party!
I love how the Overture is comprised of all the primary elements of the successive sections of 2112... Brilliant. The album changed my teenage life. Still moves me to this day on every listen.
@@DrWhom I love how Doug hears the 1812 overture in there towards the finale of the 2112 overture. For 44 years, I have played air guitar to that and never placed it.
One thing about 2112 that seems to get overlooked a lot is the production. Holy cow if it isn’t some of the best mixed music I’ve heard. It’s incredible how you can clearly focus in on any individual instrument without losing any clarity on the others. It’s incredible.
Right on @Xander Daniels! Check out the remastered versions. The production is indeed awesome. Listen for the acoustic guitar throughout the first couple movements.
The merging of the agendas of our corporate elites with our government officials. Computers fill the hallowed halls of our new big tech overlords. How prophetic.
Saw Rush in 1976 for the first time. Incredible experience for a 17 yr old. General admission where we ran to the front and stood the whole concert. Ringing in my ears for 2 days. It was mesmerizing to see this live. Alex, Geddy & Neil tearing it up. Saw them another 5 times (twice with my sons) 2112 is a masterpiece
Ayn Rand was wrong about some things, but her defense of the individual against an oppressive state that demands conformity is an important contribution. The bigger and more comprehensive the state, the more conformity is always demanded... She has been unfairly characterized as a far right Nazi by just the kind of people she skewered. This is not a retelling of Anthem, it was inspired by Rand's work though.
welcome to the great Reset, remarkable that this happens in 2021, 90 years to go to full World Control by the Globalists. Neil was foreseeing things, at more levels and in more songs.
@@MarcoBosma The thing that you're convinced keeps the "Globalist Thought Ray" from reaching your brain, but which in reality just keeps you from rational thinking. :-)
@@arudegesture they don't need to develop a globalist thought ray. They already have Facebook, Instagram, et al. Humans are easy to manipulate. Brexit and 2016 US Election proved that. Globalization of manufacturing and the concentration of wealth and media control in fewer and fewer hands. Think I'm not thinking rationally? How many media companies has Facebook taken over the last few years? Or how about Microsoft (something like 27 game studios now?), Apple, Google/Alphabet, Electronic Arts, Activision/Blizzard? You might want to look around before you accuse someone of being irrational. Mate.
According to Terry Brown, Rush producer Alex played the enterity of Discovery as a single take, from tuning to Presentation. You're correct, I think he must be a savant.
Hi Doug. At the end, you were congratulating Rush for their musicianship and skills. I want to congratulate you for continually presenting such top shelf content. You listen without prejudice, and your efforts are massively appreciated! Thank you.
In "Anthem," it's the electric lightbulb that is re-discovered and presented to the priests. Peart changed it to an electric guitar to better fit a rock concept album.
I’ve just recently found your channel and love your reactions. I was 18 yrs old when I saw RUSH 2112 live in concert. After 47 years my mind is there again. This music is a masterpiece.
Many years ago, I was in a band with a singer who had the annoying tendency of tuning her acoustic guitar between songs without muting. Eventually, the bass player started singing "It has wires that vibrate, and give music" and I about died. We did it every time after that until she quit the band.
Exactly. Individualism and individual liberty (same thing really) are being destroyed by real-world Priests of Syrinx. Such is the way of human history.
Fun fact. As a RUSH fan and bird lover, Syrinx is a birds vocal box and it allows them(covids and parrots) to mimic and make amazing sounds. RIP Verde bird(31 years) I love you and will forever miss you. Same as Neil, RIP. There is a reason I named my first born son Neil.
My dad heard it in its entirety on the radio during a midnight radio show where they played album sides. He went out to buy it the next day and got the last copy. Everybody and their brother had grabbed it after that broadcast!
I've decided that I greatly enjoy and appreciate your reaction videos primarily (among other reasons) because you give each selection your full, unadulterated attention. You don't just casually listen and toss out an initial impression. You put in the time and effort required to explore each work so as to truly understand what it's actually about, what it represents, why it's iconic or so meaningful for the performers and their fans. Really great! Thank you.
@@Doug.HelveringI don't know if you noticed this, but the STRANGE DEVICE was first used in The Revealing Science Of God by Yes 2 1/2 years earlier. Where in that Yes song on the record that STRANGE DEVICE is found is directly "behind my beloved waterfall." on the front cover of Tales From Topographic Oceans like in the story before Discovery. Yes followed up on them in 1987 on the song Big Generator. That is the only occurrences of the STRANGE DEVICE in all music. If anyone knows of more STRANGE DEVICE references, please devulge here.
I was 9 when this was released and remember my 18 year old sister and her friends basically wearing the record out. We were driving around not long ago and a car next to us had 2112 blaring. She said she hadn’t heard it since the 70’s. We downloaded it immediately and sat in the parking lot of the mall and listened to all of side A full blast. She’s 63.
My sister gave me Fly by Night, she's also 63 now. At the time, my dad emptied our swimming pool so we could skateboard in it... I'd have a speaker in my window with Fly by Night playing ALL DAY LONG! lol! Every now and then I'd go in and flip sides. We put a lot of miles on that empty pool!
I have often been moved to tears by 2112 - the struggle against ignorance and stubborn adherence to tradition. Being told there was nothing left to try in treating my son's cancer; that we had to give up and let go. Things may change in the future, but it's futile to hope for change in our lifetime. And also, 2112 is my absolute favorite music to wash dishes to! Thank you so much for your astute analysis. It truly blows my mind when someone discovers the music of Rush, and it truly warms my heart to see someone accepting the challenge of Neil's provocative lyrics. Keep up the good work!
My first 2112 was in the 70's also. My cousins and I traded cassettes sometimes. I believe I got Rush 2112 and Aerosmith Rocks cassettes for my Floyd Wish You were Here and Animals cassettes ( I already had both of those on vinyl so it was a great trade for me.) 2112 made me a lifetime Rush fan and ended my Top 20 countdown days-- PS: Aerosmith Rocks is still their best album in my opinion, would love to hear Nobody's Fault on the radio
Would be interesting to see Doug react to "Cygnus X-1" and "Cygnus X-1 Book II - Hemispheres" back to back. Discuss how they connect to and contrast from one another.
Dude. You are just getting started with Rush and I can see your excitement building. You have no idea what you are in for! It's a near endless stream of greatness!
this is my favorite ever reaction video. yes, it's well past time that someone produces it for the stage. "They" is "the elder race". In the end, in a twilight zone-like twist, the Protagonist kills himself just as the Elders return to bring back the society the Oracle showed him.
My introduction to the meaning of ‘tragedy.’ “Oh no, surely he didn’t kill himself just before his dream came true…”. The emotion is so much more powerful, and 45 years later, it still hurts. Awesome!
2112 was inspired by Rand's "Anthem". Peart was a voracious reader and a Rand fan in his early years, but grew away from it as he aged (evidenced by his lyrical catalog after 2112), and considered himself a "bleeding-heart Libertarian".
Agreed. Peary clarified that it was Rand’s concept of artistic liberty that appealed to him and that he and the band were not “Rand disciples” as some in the rock press labeled them.
Neil does the voice over at the end. One of the few times you hear his voice. 2112 was the first Rush album I owned (A Farewell to Kings the first I heard). The album blew me away then and it still does today.
Say what you want about Ayn Rand, but her motif in her philosophy was grounded in the importance of the individual’s struggle against the “machine” of group think. Very relevant to today’s culture...in my humble opinion....
Exactly. Groupthink can be a dangerous thing. Digging deep and using your own discernment is always a good thing. (And yes I see the irony in agreeing with everyone in this thread. 😆)
@@LBart218 Haha!! I love that point you made about the irony. We’re all saying that groupthink is bad, but to dissent would be to say groupthink is good. I find myself in a strange position from my original post. Lol! Does anyone remember that scene from the Life of Brian (Monty Python) where the whole crowd is chanting “we are individuals!,” but this guy stands up in the back and says “I’m not.” 😂
I’m genuinely amazed that many people my age (late Gen X) have gone their entire life never having listened to 2112. I first heard it in my mid-teens and was pretty amazed by it then. 30 years since, the song has not only aged unfathomably well, but sounds better than ever. The whole piece has so many elements that sound so current, and there’s this very palpable switchover from the old sounds to the new. It is dynamically stunning. It is engaging throughout its run time. Its as gentle as Jim Croce and as head-banging as thrash metal. It is both old and new. It is emotively powerful. It is a creative magnum opus.
This just popped in my feed and I was genuinely interested in a classically trained composer's take on it. In my mind, it is simply the pinnacle of rock. Truth be told, it transcends the genre - to which you allude. Considering that was your first listen, you picked up on some neat things - like the 1812 Overture. However, there is sooooo much more going on. Think on when the protagonist finds the guitar. A few string plucks, tuning (as he begins to learn), harmonic tuning (a more advanced skill) and beginning on a simple theme. And then building on that theme. Remind you of Moonlight Sonata? And Für Elise for that matter? When you have the time, give it another listen - without having to be distracted by recording a video for YT. It will be time well spent. Oh, and the last movement - it's the other portion of humanity that fled when society fell apart (this previous society was referenced as 'the elder race of man' by the priests.) They return and destroy the priests / their tyrannical rule. Unfortunately, too late for our protagonist, who committed suicide. The frenetic music of the last movement represents the battle between the priests and humanity's other sect. And no, NP wasn't a Rand devotee. Just very well read and drew lyrical inspirations from a myriad of sources.
I thought they had admitted to being fond of Ayn Rand in their youths, and then falling away from her (rightfully so, in my mind, as someone who enjoyed Ayn Rand in high school and then very much came to hate her). I could be wrong, but I thought I read this in an interview they did. (I know this was only a small piece of your comment, and I have no real reason to say this at all, because you're probably right, but I would like to know if what I read online was incorrect, as it often ends up being so.)
@@wallasboyd I hope people don't hate her. Pity her (some people may think that is worse) and learn from her mistake. Margret Lawrence wrote The Stone Angel which explores this type of vanity, it is a classic, many Russian writers too). She forced herself to hold to this singular convictions instead of experiencing and expanding the human existence. Those who exalted her writing ended up abandoning her, ironically by forming their societal clique, abandoning the concept of only the self in a tribal world. She died alone and in poverty.
Fun fact : The words during The Grand Finale count to 21 12 : You have 21 words in the first 3 repeated sentences and 12 words in the following (last) words (We have assumed control). Neil liked Rand books but not necessarily follow all her visions. They actually did the whole version live a couple of times. But mostly they were doing sections of it. Funny, you did that video tonight as I was playing it this afternoon. Nice timing :) !! Great video !
It was our wedding’s song! Which was nothing more than appropriate on the 21st of december! My tennis coach back in the day, Piet, introduced me to Rush. Immediately after hearing 2112 I was completely hooked. I grew fond of the attacking bass-playing of Geddy and decided (MUCH) later to pick up the bass myself. Nowadays, nothing satisfies me more than playing Geddy’s riffs. Not nearly as good as him, but I’m okay with that. Just playing along is greatly rewarding. It’s almost biblical…. You reviewed this very well, I thank you for it!
I'm 24, just recently got into them, its been an amazing experience but I envy you for actually getting to watch them when they were at their peak as musicians
Belated birthday greetings, Scott. I only saw Rush on the PW tour, in the UK...twice. Then I sort of "wandered off" to get into other music. Came back to Rush 3 or 4 years ago, and have been obsessively listening to the "big 5" albums Hemispheres, 2112, Farewell to Kings, PW and Moving Pictures since Neil left us.
@@symbiosisai Watch his Xanadu reaction video... you can see Alex and Geddy goofing around... even with those double-necks. Moving Pictures was indeed their pinnacle (Saw that tour in April '81), and you can see the smiles on their faces as if to say "we finally made the big time". As good as that concert was... I saw Ozzy with Randy Rhoads about two months after seeing Rush!
@@JF-kv1gm Thanks. I saw Moving Pictures tour in '81, then got out of Rush after Signals. I saw Ozzy with Randy Rhoads a couple of months after seeing Rush in '81!
I can't imagine willfully going 40+ years of my life without hearing 2112. I listened to it as quickly as I could and was never the same. Such rebellious art, made specifically to reject repel notions of popularity and yet achieving such universal appeal. It's an important rock album. Fun to watch someone first-time it. Yes, Neil was a genius.
Neil Peart performed the vocals at the end. He had a deep and resonating voice that was perfect for the sound of 'Authority' at the end. RUSH the band, stands as testament to Excellence and Humility melded together in one organ in consideration of their decades together as a band but more importantly as friends.
"I can totally see it" Yes I get that. I saw all of it in images the first time I heard this, back in 1976 when I was in 10th grade. I was at Tom Reilly's house in the basement, and Tom had bought the new RUSH album 2112. Everyone had gone somewhere and I was alone with the new 2112, a dish of weed, and a bong. I employed all 3, and played the album while reading the lyrics. I saw each scene in each movement, my imagination fired like never before, the weed intensifying every second of it. I played both sides and then played side 1 again. I left that basement with a new window on the world, a RUSH fan forever, for LIFE. It is deeply personal to the point of leaving me speechless. To this day, as I listen to 2112, I see that same movie that formed in my mind 45 years ago - FORTY FIVE YEARS AGO. Thank You Neil, Geddy, Alex.
I've listened to rock radio my whole life in a few different states(USA) and never heard this on there. Some friends introduced me to this in 2012 and still to this day rarely does a person even know the track when I mention it.
Welcome to the world of those who have known Rush since before this album came along. They rocked hard back in the day - which isn't to say they didn't rock hard all the way to the end. Neil's brilliance, lost with his passing, was one of a kind. We'll never see his like again. But they left us a 40 year catalog of greatness. Re: Dead air around 33:30 - 33:42 is about a typical reaction for a Rush neophyte encountering 2112 for the first time. Brain-blast! :) Continue your journey down the Rush rabbit-hole. You won't regret it, I promise. Pinky-swear and all! :)
After the previous album, caress of steel, they were facing getting the boot by their record label. They were told to go in a different direction musically. Rush decided if they were going to get the boot they’d go out their way so this was their “swan song”. Thank god they chose to “go out” their way some 45 odd years later. They were the greatest. RIP Neil
I am so bummed that we will never hear Neil and ultimate wisdom and foresight and beauty of his writing the world has truly lost a genius. If the heads of state in this world ever listen to this music things would be different I truly believe. This is divine intervention being brought to the world through music and I believe everybody on the planet should listen to what Neil has to say
The same way that I haven't heard all the classical music that's been written. Or heard all the good musicians that toil away in obscurity because they don't fit into the syringe that the music industry wants to stick in our arms.
"our great computers fill the hallowed Halls". Like the giant basements full of computer servers that now run the entire world. The vision of this song was truly decades ahead of its time!
Yep, and those who operate the computers want conformity and not individuality, and the ones who control those computers are the 'priests'...we're there already, except we're 91 years early
@@thewildgoose7467 No, we're on track. The song takes place in a future where the computers and the new breed of technology-based priests are fully in control and have crushed the human spirit, not unlike the rebellion in the song Red Barchetta from the Moving Pictures album. We're not all the way there just yet, but that's where we are currently headed.
@@p3x1967 Well the 'technology-based priests' have essentially locked down practically the entire planet for over a year so we may be closer than you think? All major decisions are now being based on computer modelling which has been shown to be totally inaccurate on previous occasions (the term GI-GO or "garbage in - garbage out springs to mind) yet is being regarded as "science" so it must be infallible, right? Red Barchetta - Essentially a version of agenda 2030 where people are moved off the land and confined to big cities ("he said it used to be a farm, before the motor laws") Natural Science - Modern 'science' has sold out and is being used as a manipulation tool. ("Science like nature, must also be tamed, with a view towards it's preservation") Also all the lies being told by media, politicians, scientists, health 'experts'...("The most endangered species, the honest man") Freewill - ("A planet of playthings, we dance on the strings, of powers we cannot perceive") Digital Man - Essentially this whole song ("His world is under observation, we monitor his station") or.... ("His world is under anesthetic, subdivided and synthetic, his reliance on the giants, in the science of the day")
@@alanfine9825 I totally agree. Genesis and Rush are some of my favorite bands and they’re both musically different but they are probably the basics of Prog Rock.
What makes your reaction videos so amazing is that you really do possess perfect pitch and can name everything they’re doing just by ear! With such a great talent, it’s a shame your not in a band of your own! You would be a huge influence on any group of musicians you’d work with.
I just discovered your show and I am feeling good about it. My first two shows featured Rush. I was a Rush freak way back when these were new. Before airtime. We(Rush fanatics) had our band and no one understood why we didn't care about much else musically. 35-40 years later I still get excited. It's euphoric and it is that thing they have always brought with them. You get what it's all about. You are experiencing that "Rush" for the first time. It never goes away. It is and will always be that way. Thank you for the show and I am so glad that you are excited about the band Rush.
![BEAT (Steve Vai, Danny Carey, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin) Live in Richmond 2024 [full show in 32bit]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gm4AMqDOIio/mqdefault.jpg)
It's mindblowing to think that Geddy and Alex were 22 and Neil 23 at the time of the recording.
That's how old lots of the founding fathers of the US were too. Good years.
The record label told them to make more radio friendly songs. So they made this in response. They figured they were not going to compromise their musical integrity and may as well go out doing what they want. But it was such a huge hit, from that point on, their label never tried to tell them what to do again.
Rush did not become a legend with time, they already started being legends.
Was just watchin Straight Out Of Compton. Just realized the similarities between these two bands, completely diff genre’s the establiment told NWA that gangsta rap wouldn’t sell. Both these HOF bands did it they’re way ultimately
Specifically, they were told to sound "more like Bad Company".
@@SylviusTheMad Wow. They ignored the hell out of that!
B side is pretty radio friendly though. And aside from the length, the tittle track has some catchy sections that could have been turned into a single for airplay purposes. 2112 is much more commercially viable than Caress of Steel I think.
3 of the most talented musicians you'll EVER hear. Period.
ElectraGlide In Blue? Like the movie
100%
No doubt.
4 SURE!
Wrong
Attention all planets of the Solar Federation: 7 words repeated 3 times = 21
We have assumed control: 4 words repeated 3 time = 12
2112 - absolute masterpiece
😲😲😲😲
I never noticed that. Thank You. 👍🇨🇦👍
I use it for my ring tone. Never fails to get a wtf in public.
@@dieselbourbon3728 I used it as my email signature at work for years and people were totally lost.
@@dieselbourbon3728Good one. I have been using Fanfare For A Common Man from ELP for my ring tone for years. Have yet to come across someone who knows what it is. Most are like WTF is that?
I was usually too engrossed in the music to ever count, and I've been listening to 2112 for over 30 years. Never too old to learn. Thanks!
The "holy shit" at the end is a genuine and perfect reaction to hearing that for the first time.
brill!!! ;0
Exactly! I've no idea how many times I've heard it and I still get chills up my spine at the end. Holy shit indeed!
I kinda think that it was my first reaction too
Said same when I first heard and read lyrics in 1976. 46years ago… 😜
There will never be a lyricist like The Professor and Alex and Geddy were the perfect accompaniment to his words. The fact that they pulled this off in the 70s and were just 3 men was nothing short of phenomenal. Rest in Peace Mr. Peart.
Tomas Haake (the drummer for Meshuggah) also has some amazing lyrics. Tomas even credits Neil as one of his biggest inspirations.
When I saw Rush perform this when I was a teen, I couldn't comprehend how this song could be performed by just three people.
To be fair, there are some overdubs. Nevertheless, as you state, they pull 2112 off quite well live. I've been listening to Rush In Rio over the past couple of days. While the audio quality is a bit dodgy, the performances are stellar!
The crowd jumping up and down and singing all the songs with such mad energy makes the concert interplanetary. Limelight, they sing the melody. It’s E P I C!!!
@@vvrroomm68 - Ha! So, I'm not the only one who "sings" the instruments as well as the words! I generally stick to the lower register these days and weave between the bass and guitar parts. For the record, I generally do a very simplified version of many bass lines. People like Geddy Lee, Chris Squire, Greg Lake, etc are impossible to follow note-for-note vocally.
Very well said. The better players are very hard to voice their lines. If you watch Limelight in Rush Live in Rio you will see what I mean. Cheers.
I felt the same way!! Such an unreal band to see live
From a Rolling Stone article with Neil in 2012:
This is somewhat random, but you were interested in the writings of Ayn Rand decades ago. Do her words still speak to you?
Oh, no. That was 40 years ago. But it was important to me at the time in a transition of finding myself and having faith that what I believed was worthwhile. I had come up with that moral attitude about music, and then in my late teens I moved to England to seek fame and fortune and all that, and I was kind of stunned by the cynicism and the factory-like atmosphere of the music world over there, and it shook me. I’m thinking, “Am I wrong? Am I stupid and naïve? This is the way that everybody does everything and, had I better get with the program?”
For me, it was an affirmation that it’s all right to totally believe in something and live for it and not compromise. It was a simple as that. On that 2112 album, again, I was in my early twenties. I was a kid. Now I call myself a bleeding heart libertarian. Because I do believe in the principles of Libertarianism as an ideal - because I’m an idealist. Paul Theroux’s definition of a cynic is a disappointed idealist. So as you go through past your twenties, your idealism is going to be disappointed many many times. And so, I’ve brought my view and also - I’ve just realized this - Libertarianism as I understood it was very good and pure and we’re all going to be successful and generous to the less fortunate and it was, to me, not dark or cynical. But then I soon saw, of course, the way that it gets twisted by the flaws of humanity. And that’s when I evolve now into . . . a bleeding heart Libertarian. That’ll do.
Somehow I can even hear his voice when reading it. He had such a clear and soothing voice in interviews, and the articulacy (if that's a word) of his lyrics comes through in his spoken words. RIP Neil.
yeah. he was basically using the label to mean the opposite of what most people who use that label mean.
at least it's good to know that when he reached adulthood he escaped the rand mentality.
@@sabin97 if by Rand mentality you mean her definition of the virtue of selfishness, then yeah I agree with you. Her philosophy of Objectivism is a very static conception to me that seemed to need a lot more work to be taken seriously.
@@stantheman9072
i mean EVERYTHING that people who label themselves "libertarian" stand for.
EVERY
SINGLE
THING.
they are a fringe minority for a reason.
their ideas are too dumb for even the dumb masses.
when you press them for specifics of what they believe it ALWAYS ends up in(and i'm paraphrasing because they lack the testicular fortitude to tell you straight like they think about it):
"the poor should just fuck off and die, because maaaah properteeeeehhhh"
@@sabin97 so good to know you have such fortitude and insight to know what libertarians “really” mean when they dare say what they think. What I hear of libertarians is more like leave me alone to mind my business and I’ll leave you alone to mind yours. It’s hard to build any sort of civic activity on that basis, so they always sound squishy on practical matters like how you would accomplish some social goal. They don’t really have any because their idea of society is built from the individual out, not defined from the top down. Your interpretation of their guiding philosophy is hackneyed and puerile, and you sound like a typical “progressive” bully...the kind of ideologically-driven zealot that radicalism grows. Personally I like public policy that is built on consent rather than grand schemes of great societies to build. Human beings have always failed at that and America will too as we try it.
@17:19 Such a beautiful moment of music. I spent so many nights as a young lad listening to this from a cassette, lying in bed before sleep, headphones wrapped around my head, and being taken to a different world. Who would've thought the lyrics of this album would be more relevant know than they were back in '76?
Doug, the artist were the winners. Rush gained complete control of their music after this album. The record labels left them alone to do what they wanted. True story
We the listeners were also winners! By record sales, the company was also a winner! Everyone wins!
_We are the priests of the Temples of Syrinx._
It was more than 45 years before I found out that a syrinx is a songbird's voice box, like our larynx.
True Story.
{:-:-:}
Rush created their own subsidary within the label, called Anthem Records, to have absolute control on their output from 1976 onwards. No executive in the record company could tell them what to do, so they just did what they wanted, and were brilliant at that.
Similar to Eli's response, they always "assumed control" (hehehe). They created on their own terms, to the dismay of the priests of the record company. If the record didn't work, their lifeblood (with the record company) would have spilled over.
@@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095 I remember when I learned this. Now. It was now that I learned this.
What is your song about?
Most bands: Sex
Rush: A guy in a future society discovers an ancient musical relic, is shot down, dreams of a world so beautiful and when he realizes it will never be real he kills himself
I am pretty sure the guy was about to kill himself, until the people the Oracle showed him to (the Elder Race) came back and bombed the Solar Federation. Still, it is a ripper song.
@@robertziel2294 no, he killed himself after the Oracle showed him the elder race's society.
@@gojifan54gaming15 eh whatever. People can interpret it how they want.
On one interview with Geddy, he was talking about Rush not getting radio play because of their esoteric and fantastical lyrics. " I mean, 'By-Tor and the Snow Dog', what the hell is THAT??" Ha ha ha ha!!!
@@robertziel2294 "...my life blood spills over." The young protagonist most definitely takes his own life.
After 20 years of listening to me playing this song, and many other Rush songs on my bass, my wife would tune them out because she is not into Rush at all and didn't get why I love their music so much. Last year, she confessed to having listened to 2112 all the way through while reading the lyrics, and said she finally understands why I love them. :)
I was a classically-trained youth musician from an early age (viola, Bb clarinet and then ended with Bb bass clarinet in a youth Mozart quartet), but dropped out of playing music for three years until I heard Rush in 1981 and, for a whole year, I'd go to sleep with my headphones on with a Rush cassette of their live album "Exit... Stage Left" set to loop continuously from Side A to Side B and I'd play air bass to it as I fell asleep (I played viola for a number of years, which is also bass cleff, so I knew the basic finger poisitions needed to play the sequences of notes properly, and just enlarged them to fit a bass guitar neck). Then I bought a $50 pawnshop bass guitar, and maniacally dove back into music. I still play to this day, 40-years later, every day, but now I'm on a six-string bass (Ibanez with EMG 45JX pickups & active electronics, played through a Tech 21-NYC VT Bass Deluxe and a Boss GT-10B fx pedalboard, for any gearheads out there who might read this) and at least two good Rush songs a day, and "The Fountain of Lamneth" and "2112" are two of my favorite long ones to play. :)
I wish you lived in our neighborhood (in Hawaii). We need a bassist for our rush music ;)
I used to use the women’s restroom at Rush concerts because they were empty.
@@garse70 !!funny!! rush fans all have a sense of humar lol
Nearly 50 years later and this song still gets me emotional.
Blew my mind as a child...still does today. Note. Songs on side 2 are awesome too.
This song Completely directed my musical listening since third grade
Especially now that we've last Neil.
I never cry. Or? OK, Elwood - gone? OMjove. On my knees. Thank you my X Minnesotan one for her saving my sore sorry.
IMHO, God needed The Professor home. Safe.
@@stephendedalus4566 well, Neil would disagree, but I understand the sentiment.
As a student of 2112 since 1977, IMHO the grand finale is the "good guys" coming back to kick out the priests.
Correct. Peart said later it was the Elder Race (of men) that came back to challenge the Priests and they battled and the Elder Race won.
The Priests of the Temple of Syrinx are Jack Dorsey, Mark Zuckerberg . . . etc.
@@t00by00zer I'd say the red star is communism i.e. collectivism. Collectivism vs individuality.
And let's hope that happens .
No the elder race was on another planet and time that the oracle took him to. In the end his life blood spills over because he's stuck in that world of enslavement, socialism
As a poor kid in the early 80's I used the water fall section to tune my guitar. It will forever retain a special place in my heart.
Can you imagine 2112 being your response to the record company saying "Can you try to sound a little bit more like Bad company? Holy shit
Perfect
I think the story goes that Neil was too wrapped up in his books to be able to write a Bad Company kind of song. He wrote what he knew at the time, and that was the books he read while on your.
I bought this album as soon as it came out, it blew me away. They basically told the label to go pack sand, and did what they wanted. Big balls, real men, class act. This guy said it's been 45 years...holy sht...seems like yesterday.
'is this radio friendly enough for you?'
One of probably 2,112 reasons why they're the best band ever
after the release of "caress of steel" rush's previously released, dismally received, album in 1975, the record company pretty much told RUSH, "we need a hit album" which RUSH wasn't going to succumb to the tyrannical music industry. this was their "F*CK YOU" and "out the door, in flames" record. of "well, at least we went out with a bang" record.
magically, it resonated like no other album has for them. i cried hearing this watching your reaction to this record. it changed the course of history for so many bands.
and the voice at the end is neil's.
Nicely put, young man.
Truth be told, "Caress of Steel" was my very first complete album RUSH experience and in my opinion is very underrated and one of my favorite RUSH albums.
so funny, their FU to the record company ended up being a huge record for them. poetic
It was their final album under the band's original contract. I had the feeling they thought this may be their last time with access to a major recording studio so they decided to check off everything they wanted to try, then pour it into one album.
I heard this album at a friend's house when I was in middle school. It was brand new and his older brother was jamming the album really loud. The second I heard the intro drum fill for Temples of Syrinx I instantly knew I wanted to play drums. Now, all these years later, I'm still playing. And still devoted to Neil's influence.
I was 13 years old when my older cousin showed up with this new album by a band called Rush. I think I wore that album out on him. When I found out about the Ayn Rand book Anthem I went to my school library and signed it out. Only thing is I didn't sign it out in my own name. I signed it out as Neil Peart! Once a week Neil was called to come to the main office when they called everyone else who had overdue books. Oh to be young again.
Neil definitely deserves a lot of credit on this song, but the part where Alex is doing the 'learning to play' bit is some sheer genius guitar-smithery...
Alex has said in interviews that he didn't know what to do, so he just started tuning his guitar.
There's so much pure magic in that sequence. Then it gets into the next movement and goes SO dark...
@@ConceptJunkie He did one heluva good job at " tuning" .
The world is truly not a better place with the absence of RUSH. RIP PROFESSOR🙏🙏🙏
For sure. First time i heard it, i thought, oh, yeah. I'll just do THAT and learn to play...🙄😤😅
The record company hated it, and hated where Rush were going.
This was accepted purely by the fans, and was such a success that the record company never tried to interfere with them ever again.
Probably a large part of how this resonated with people was growing up with parents who saw rock music as a frivolous pastime that wouldn’t support them as a career, or other people feeling like having their dreams crushed by systems that preferred conformity to individuality. It’s a pretty common feeling and the song was crafted well to tap into it.
"2112" was basically Rush reacting to the cold reception to their previous album which had TWO epic length tracks. "We do this and it's our last album ever, or people love it and we get more freedom".
Dream Theater had the same thing going for them with "Scenes from a Memory". The record label spent too much time intervening on "Falling into Infinity" and even forced an outside songwriter on one track... and their next album was kind of just "we're gonna pour our passions into a concept album and if it breaks us, at least we went out on OUR terms", and it turned out to be one of their most successful albums, due to the PASSION that went into it.
"2112" is much the same story. They poured their passion into it, and it paid off.
The record company hated Caress of Steel. This was their response to "fix it or else"
@@jsmctch Yeah, they went with ‘or else’.
@@sean---the-other-one well said
I saw Rush do this song live in 1976. It was incredible.
Everyone has been waiting for this 2112 is a masterpiece of progressive rock.
“I’ve read ahead.. the priests aren’t gonna like it” 😂
Right up there with his dumbfounded "Holy Shit" at the end.
This song is the most important piece of music iv ever heard, personally in my life. It compelled me to play music from a young age. I had never heard anything like it before. To me its not just music...its a masterful painting of music that has inspired millions just like me. This song belongs up there with Stairway to Heaven, Rapsody, and satisfaction as the greatest of all time. Its just as important in my view... this song changed my life. I can never repay Rush for that.
You seem like a hell of a great person doug and you appreciate great music doesn't matter what genre. You're open minded and definitely not a musical snob.
Rush was considered and called "Intellectual Rock" because of the time changes, key changes, and story telling. RIP N.Peart. a true master of the Arts.
Precursors to prog
@@MrDeactivator2 Rush were precursors to prog metal but they actually came after the peak years of prog rock, which were roughly 1971-1975.
@@elimalinsky7069 Exactly, they often aren't progressive, compared to all the Prog bands before them, they sound like a more thoughtful version of 70s hard rock, its good music, just not that progressive
@@sapiensfromterra5103 Some people claim Rush is hard rock with prog rock elements, rather than a true prog band. Their prog era was quite brief in comparison to the band's 50 years of operation (1968-2018), starting with Caress of Steel in 1975 and ending in Moving Pictures in 1981. From Signals onwards it's mostly hard rock/alt rock with prog elements and some new wave elemenets in the 80s.
Rush was the pinnacle of prog rock. Even though they came a bit early, no one has ever really topped them in complexity. Just like you said, no one else really had as many time changes, key changes, real story-telling and put it together in a cohesive way. That’s why even their very long songs never get boring, like many others.
With Neil, there was no ambiguous lyrics that can be interpreted a thousand ways. At least not in the early years. It was straight out, old fashion story-telling. There has never been anything like them. Like Gene Simmons says, “what is Rush? Rush is Rush”. They created their own genre and morphed it over the years to keep things fresh.
I dare anyone to name a group like Rush. Some have tried, but no one really captured the essence of what makes Rush great and a legend.
I watched a reaction from two guys in Las Vegas react to La Villa Strangiato. They said that their fans had requested a lot of other prog rock prior to hear La Villa and they just couldn’t get it with the other music.
They said they could now see what the others were trying to do, but just missed the target. They said every other prog rock stuff requested was complicated, with lots of changes in time signature, key and everything else, but just wasn’t coherent.
After hearing La Villa Strangiato, they said they finally got what all the other were trying to do, but failed. They finally understood why Rush fans were so fanatical about the group.
They said only Rush was able to make a song with so many changes and keep their attention the entire 9 minutes. According to them, only Rush really captured what was prog rock, fusing elements of jazz, classical, R&B and metal together to create an instrumental that tells the story of Alex’s dream.
They saw what all Rush fans know. There is no other prog rock group like Rush, if you want to call their music prog rock? I think they’re right. All of the other prog rock bands go overboard trying to make a song complex, but forget the first rule, it has to be a song. It can’t get so bogged down in quick time signature changes and crazy key changes and forget that it has to meld together to create a musical story, a coherent song.
Rush never lost sight of the music and that making a good song was first. That was why they fought the record executives on that fact and thankfully for all,of us, they won. Had 2112 failed, there’d be no Rush.
It’s funny how we can do our best work when our ass is against the wrecking machine and that’s what Rush did. They took all that angst and frustration out in the music and boy did it work. We all got a masterpiece.
2112 is nothing short of a masterpiece because it never forgets to be a song first. It tells a great story of individuality and how the creativity of the artist or artisan cannot be stifled by society.
Im 61 years old ..this album will always be one of the greatest albums ever...Ever .END ..i love you all ❤❤❤
This album made me a Rush fan for life . Then I saw them live and was completely astonished that they were even better live . Amazing. Lesser bands are a disappointment live. Which is just about all the rest of them . RIP Professor . You set the bar so high it will never be touched by anyone else .
Neil was my hero from a very young age. His death was a very sad time for me.
After seeing Rush live 10 times I have somewhat given up on seeing other acts I like live because they don't usually come anywhere close to sounding as good or better than the albums like Rush did. RIP Neil
I got this from a friend's brother. I asked him for his Fleetwood Mac album, Tusk, to make a copy for myself. He gave me that and then handed me 2112 and told me that was the album I needed to hear. No one has ever been so right in suggesting music for me.
So true Randy, even better live...how the hell it was possible defies all expectations
@@Ram-2112 It helped me living in Canada and them being Canadian ! Touring Canada once a year in the 70's was mandatory, LOL !!
How lucky is the world that Geddy, Alex and Neil found each other. Their music not only rocks, but sparks so much emotion. And most of the time I have no idea what Neil is talking about......
Neil was a true poet.
The staying power of this album is incredible. It's older than you are, yet it still resonates with you. That's the mark of great music.
I think in light of the way the world has been headed in the last decade it's more relevant than ever... the "priests" have amused control. When it comes to the music still being resonant... that's just a mark of it's brilliance... Beethoven is still popular!
Also worth having in the back of your mind, they were all less than 25 years old when they wrote and recorded this.
Yeah, Geddy and Alex were 22 and Neil was 23. Crazy
Been playing bass 30 years I still can’t touch this
@@chrisbassartist4344 I hear you. 40 years for me this year and it’s well beyond me.
Blows my mind that they were even younger when writing Caress Of Steel!
@@manmoth_1990 they were even younger before then, too!
The greatest testament to this progressive rock masterpiece was the shared reaction you, as a classically trained composer and I, as a pimply-faced stoner in the 70’s, both had..... “Holy Shit!”.... well-done my good man
I recall my "Holy Shit" moment too: a powerful recommendation lead to that moment in my bedroom in 1982, my brother's hand-me-down stereo and 2112 on 8 track. Made my heart race and brought tears to my eyes. Played that 8 track through many repairs. Thank you Ritchie B., for your insistence and the glimmer in your eyes.
Fantastic hearing you break that down! And after 45plus years it's still a fantastic song to listen to.
From my early years as a teen to an older (58) matured male,,, I STILL LOVE IT and I love everyone discovering RUSH this many years later...SUCH A WIDE VARIATION of music through their whole library, it's easy for people to find something they like by these 3 AMAZING MUSICIANS! R.I.P Neil.🙏
This was written and played live by three guys in their early twenties. And they played it live perfectly with no added effects . Amazing .
But it wasn't played in its entirety until they were in their 40s on the Test For Echo tour. That's my favorite live performance of it.
@@DamienDrake Look around some more . It was played it it's entirety decades ago many times.
@@randyfurness5588If you can prove it, do so. The Test For Echo tour was an event because it was the first tour where they played without an opening act and the first time they played all of 2112 live.
Do you mean “no added tracks?” There are plenty of effects.
Amazing indeed
If you want another 20 1/2 minute adventure from Rush at some point, The Fountain of Lamneth is another one you should check out!
lol. he's not ready for that
@Julian Slavin A good trip
Beginning with The Necromancer.
@UCuDm-G3nVBEDPZOeWwnf6Ww Of 2112? Man that’s tough for me. I’m gonna have to go with 3 though. I mean, gosh those guitar chords sound beautiful. And it’s incredibly genius that it’s actually part of the story, of him discovering the guitar after so long and learning to play. It’s captured musically so well and captures the image of the cave just as well. But honestly, every movement in this song is executed so well I can’t even be sure which is my favorite to be honest.
@@navydad1475 well, technically if you do the Necromancer, you have to start with By-Tor and the Snow Dog. Im down for all 3 songs, so doesn't matter to me lol
Absolutely love the sound of Alex’s guitar in the 70’s. The best band to ever to walk the earth!!
Neil, was an introvert, a voracious reader, highly intelligent. His nickname was "the professor ".
In the few interviews he gave, (a very private person who hated the "Limelight ") his answers to questions were always very analytical.
A perfectionist that showed in his performance every time he sat down on his throne. Arguably the best drummer ever.
I don't think it is even arguable. Neil was the best drummer - period. In fact, I would say all three of them are in the top five of their respective talents. Alex was overshadowed a lot by Neil and Geddy, but he is a master guitarist!
Absolutely the Best Drummer Ever. No argument!
Neil had a PHD is why they called him the professor
Arguably. I can think of two I think are better.
@@coachhannah2403 name them
The lyrics were inspired by an Ayn Rand novel but the story in the song is an original concept by Neil, it's not based on or referencing a specific novel by Rand. Later in his life Neil distanced himself from her and called himself a "Bleeding Heart Libertarian". Neil is the voice at the end, he's playing the role of the good guys coming back to overthrow the priests.
If you've ever read "Anthem" by Ayn Rand, it's very nearly the same story as 2112, only in Rand's telling, it was (literally) a lightbulb rather than a guitar. Neil gave a tip of the hat to Ayn when someone handed him a copy of Anthem and he realized how incredibly similar the two stories were. He didn't "swipe it", as some have said, but after reading Anthem , he recognized how close to identical they are, and so we have the liner note "With acknowledgement to the genius of Ayn Rand".
@@manmoth_1990 that's interesting to note. I always thought the voices at the end were the Elder Race of man coming to liberate humanity from the priests. Obviously, given their capacity to grow culturally, they would easily outstrip the technological and organizational capabilities of the priests.
For me, the tragedy came because the starman protagonist had given up hope, and committed suicide right before the liberation. He had betrayed his ideals and was not saved with the rest of humanity from the tyranny of syrinx. Which also felt like an allegory for the band.
@@manmoth_1990 I always read it as the protagonist commits suicide after his appeal to the Priests is met with absolute condemnation, only to do so just before The Elder Race of Man returns to liberate. He tragically gives up hope on the eve of the change he pleads for. That is, its message has always been don't surrender. In fact, during countless discussions of the story over 40 years, that's been the majority consensus. Interesting.
Gosh you guys, I had remembered it all wrong! It's the good guys at the end all along. I think I actually might have confused some old fan theory with Neil's comments. Here is Neil explaining it: th-cam.com/video/iBGxDjF7VXI/w-d-xo.html
I always saw it as the bad guys taking control at the end - I guess the futile nihilistic reading appealed to me!
I have been a Rush fan since 1980 (7th grade for me). I never knew until just recently that the last two phrases of the song were each repeated 3 times for a reason: 7 words "Attention all planets of the Solar Federation" times 3 = 21 words; and 4 words "We have assumed control" times 3 = 12 words. 21 and 12, 2112! Masterful. RIP Professor!
I never thought of that. Bravo, Stuart.
Never hit me til now
I thought is was simply the year of a time in the future where this story takes place, but I like your explanation too.
@@MrYatesj1 it’s both
👏
The voice at the end was Neil's. It is distorted with a very similar way to the spoken word part of The Necromancer of their prior album, Caress of Steel, which was also performed by Neil.
As for your other questions, the story ends in tragedy, as the protagonist kills himself in Soliloquy (probably misspelled that, however implicated by the line "My lifeblood spills over") over what he saw in the dream was seemingly unattainable.
For the remainder of humanity it does end better though, as those who left the Solar Federation return in the Grand Finale as described in the dream earlier (Home to tear the temples down, home to change) and assume control. The tragedy being that the protagonist does not live to see his dream become reality.
What 2112 stands for is up to interpretation, it is however referenced in the final part. "Attention all planets of the Solar Federation" consists of seven words and is repeated three times, which makes 21. "We have assumed control" is four words, also repeated three times, which makes 12.
The sound effect at the beginning was a stock sound, they chose it since it reminded them of sci-fi movies of the 60s (Source: A documentary about Rush, though I fail to recall which one exactly.). The waterfall sound was also stock, although I don't think it is supposed to be a waterfall. It does sound more like heavy rain on an open field.
Thanks! Great info.
Arrived too late. But frankly, I couldn't do better. Well done, sir!
Sounds like a babbling brook to me, not a waterfall or heavy rain.
It is a waterfall as he is in a cave behind.....a waterfall.
@@OriginalMergatroid Yes, but I have my doubts that the sound is actually a waterfall, even though it is indeed supposed to represent one.
The ending words are spoken by Neil. Also at the end it's the calvalry coming in to overthrow the priests!! The amazing thing about this, is that this is Rush's fourth album in two years. They were around 22 years old for Alex & Geddy & I think Niel was 23!! That is an amazing piece of music for such young musicians!!!
We could use that to overthrow the Democrats and the BS they are pulling. We need to ASSUME CONTROL again!
@@michaelt3308 Well said.
@@michaelt3308 Just get off the internet and live your life. Nothing has been taken from you.
@@tomwisniewski8988 Yeah I'll prolly not take your advice. Don't think anything been taken from us..? 🤣😂😭 Wait and see. Where do I start? 🤔
@@michaelt3308 Name a freedom taken from you.
The only time I saw them live they played this entire piece. That was the first time that they played it since the release of the album. They were amazing to see live. They did everything perfectly just like on each album.
Side A of 2112 is one of the top 5 musical achievements of mankind.
Side B is pretty damned good as well. 😊
YES!!! 2112 is a masterpiece!
What 4 are behind
The whole album is!
The whole album is a masterpiece.
The Grand Finale:
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation 7 words 3x = 21
We have assumed control 4 words 3x - 12
That is how you end an epic opus!!
Came here looking for this comment. How genius was Neil frikkin Peart?
I've been a fan of this band since the late 90's when a good friend of mine enlightened me with this band. I am forever grateful to him for opening my eyes and my mind. I never realized this previously! This is amazing! I hope my fan card will not be revoked for being so late to the party!
Never made that connection before. Brilliant.
Okay, so if that is not a coincidence, then an excellent observation, and yes, Neil Peart was a genius.
@@RJrod34 love for Rush is always gladly shared...never revoked. I’ve been a fan since All the Worlds a Stage hit the streets. Always room for more!
I love how the Overture is comprised of all the primary elements of the successive sections of 2112... Brilliant. The album changed my teenage life. Still moves me to this day on every listen.
this is generally the case with overtures
@@DrWhom I love how Doug hears the 1812 overture in there towards the finale of the 2112 overture. For 44 years, I have played air guitar to that and never placed it.
Tommy- so true. This was the album of my youth and still one of favorites more than 40 yrs later
Well that's what an overture is.
Cause IS AN OVERTURE?!
One thing about 2112 that seems to get overlooked a lot is the production. Holy cow if it isn’t some of the best mixed music I’ve heard. It’s incredible how you can clearly focus in on any individual instrument without losing any clarity on the others. It’s incredible.
Absolute truth!
Right on @Xander Daniels! Check out the remastered versions. The production is indeed awesome. Listen for the acoustic guitar throughout the first couple movements.
Yeah that’s what I noticed as well, for the mid 70s this is top tier sounding production.
Rush foreshadowing:
We’ve taken care of everything
The words you read
The songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure
To your eye
so deep
Democratic Socialists. Scares the hell out of me.
The merging of the agendas of our corporate elites with our government officials. Computers fill the hallowed halls of our new big tech overlords. How prophetic.
Foreshadowing? This was happening long before Rush made 2112.
@@timz9862 and now made manifest before our very eyes.
Saw Rush in 1976 for the first time. Incredible experience for a 17 yr old. General admission where we ran to the front and stood the whole concert. Ringing in my ears for 2 days. It was mesmerizing to see this live. Alex, Geddy & Neil tearing it up. Saw them another 5 times (twice with my sons) 2112 is a masterpiece
Ayn Rand was wrong about some things, but her defense of the individual against an oppressive state that demands conformity is an important contribution. The bigger and more comprehensive the state, the more conformity is always demanded... She has been unfairly characterized as a far right Nazi by just the kind of people she skewered.
This is not a retelling of Anthem, it was inspired by Rand's work though.
welcome to the great Reset, remarkable that this happens in 2021, 90 years to go to full World Control by the Globalists. Neil was foreseeing things, at more levels and in more songs.
@@MarcoBosma
I think you've dropped your tin-foil hat. mate.
@@arudegesture de wat?
@@MarcoBosma
The thing that you're convinced keeps the "Globalist Thought Ray" from reaching your brain, but which in reality just keeps you from rational thinking. :-)
@@arudegesture they don't need to develop a globalist thought ray. They already have Facebook, Instagram, et al. Humans are easy to manipulate.
Brexit and 2016 US Election proved that.
Globalization of manufacturing and the concentration of wealth and media control in fewer and fewer hands.
Think I'm not thinking rationally? How many media companies has Facebook taken over the last few years? Or how about Microsoft (something like 27 game studios now?), Apple, Google/Alphabet, Electronic Arts, Activision/Blizzard?
You might want to look around before you accuse someone of being irrational. Mate.
According to Terry Brown, Rush producer Alex played the enterity of Discovery as a single take, from tuning to Presentation. You're correct, I think he must be a savant.
On a borrowed guitar, no less. And a Strat, which isn't Alex's thing.
No not a savant…A professional.
Hi Doug. At the end, you were congratulating Rush for their musicianship and skills. I want to congratulate you for continually presenting such top shelf content. You listen without prejudice, and your efforts are massively appreciated! Thank you.
To think these guys were 23-24 years old when they did this is mindblowing.
I was JUST thinking that ...
What's also impressive to me is that they released Eight studio albums and 2 live albums while they were still in their twenties
In "Anthem," it's the electric lightbulb that is re-discovered and presented to the priests. Peart changed it to an electric guitar to better fit a rock concept album.
I’ve just recently found your channel and love your reactions. I was 18 yrs old when I saw RUSH 2112 live in concert. After 47 years my mind is there again. This music is a masterpiece.
"When Alex Lifeson gives you a shirt, you wear it"
-Ricky
Bubbles
@@siddokis2945 You are correct, been a while since I've seen it.
Ricky was a fan of Helix, not Rush.
@@TheInsaneShecklador R-O-C-K, and the crowd yells rock! Now that’s a fucking show! Lol
@@Luckypants2113 I'm not givin' anyone a fuckin' R.
Many years ago, I was in a band with a singer who had the annoying tendency of tuning her acoustic guitar between songs without muting. Eventually, the bass player started singing "It has wires that vibrate, and give music" and I about died. We did it every time after that until she quit the band.
That your bass player did that is so appropriate.
That is hilarious!
Lmao 🤣
That is a good bit. She didn’t think it was amusing?
Don't be confused.. this is a song about tyranny and mob rule. It lays out, explicitly, the hellscape we live in now.
Exactly. Individualism and individual liberty (same thing really) are being destroyed by real-world Priests of Syrinx. Such is the way of human history.
The fact that they thought they were committing musical suicide by giving THIS album to the label really gives the rebirth at the end poignancy.
Fun fact. As a RUSH fan and bird lover, Syrinx is a birds vocal box and it allows them(covids and parrots) to mimic and make amazing sounds. RIP Verde bird(31 years) I love you and will forever miss you. Same as Neil, RIP. There is a reason I named my first born son Neil.
Corvids, not covids.
I actually have heard this on the radio. Usually a 6 minute excerpt, but occasionally the whole thing comes on. We love our Rush up in Canada!
My dad heard it in its entirety on the radio during a midnight radio show where they played album sides. He went out to buy it the next day and got the last copy. Everybody and their brother had grabbed it after that broadcast!
You should as it's all you've got. Neil Young left in 1966. Wonder why?
Typically on the radio you will hear the Temples of Syrinx, not the whole song unfortunately.
97.7 used to play it through on the nightshift, the DJ would say it was time for bathroom/ smoke break time .
@@apollomemories7399 Get over yourself.
This guy’s a savant. Almost spit out my drink. Brilliant.
Leans into the camera, "This guy's a savant!" Yeah, I laughed too. Doug seems a fun guy. I'd drink with him :)
@@jeffreyboyer3714 agreed
@@robbiburrell1168 Ill third that!
I've decided that I greatly enjoy and appreciate your reaction videos primarily (among other reasons) because you give each selection your full, unadulterated attention.
You don't just casually listen and toss out an initial impression.
You put in the time and effort required to explore each work so as to truly understand what it's actually about, what it represents, why it's iconic or so meaningful for the performers and their fans.
Really great! Thank you.
Thanks Eric
Please read: Ballad of the Whiskey Robber , amazing!@@Doug.Helvering
@@Doug.HelveringI don't know if you noticed this, but the STRANGE DEVICE was first used in The Revealing Science Of God by Yes 2 1/2 years earlier. Where in that Yes song on the record that STRANGE DEVICE is found is directly "behind my beloved waterfall." on the front cover of Tales From Topographic Oceans like in the story before Discovery. Yes followed up on them in 1987 on the song Big Generator. That is the only occurrences of the STRANGE DEVICE in all music. If anyone knows of more STRANGE DEVICE references, please devulge here.
I was 9 when this was released and remember my 18 year old sister and her friends basically wearing the record out.
We were driving around not long ago and a car next to us had 2112 blaring. She said she hadn’t heard it since the 70’s. We downloaded it immediately and sat in the parking lot of the mall and listened to all of side A full blast. She’s 63.
Ah, a Sister-Lover! There's an album in there somewhere...
My sister gave me Fly by Night, she's also 63 now. At the time, my dad emptied our swimming pool so we could skateboard in it... I'd have a speaker in my window with Fly by Night playing ALL DAY LONG! lol! Every now and then I'd go in and flip sides. We put a lot of miles on that empty pool!
I'm 58 and drive my wife nuts when they come on.
@@grumpyoldbastard0563 my wife knows not to interrupt when Rush is on the radio
@@MartyDick Marty, she only goes nuts because I crank it to 11//// scratch that 12... lol
It's crazy how as a grown ass man Discovery still makes me tear up at how beautiful it is
My favorite part of the song. The whole song is incredible, but Discovery is my favorite part
Exactly
Yes.
I have often been moved to tears by 2112 - the struggle against ignorance and stubborn adherence to tradition. Being told there was nothing left to try in treating my son's cancer; that we had to give up and let go. Things may change in the future, but it's futile to hope for change in our lifetime.
And also, 2112 is my absolute favorite music to wash dishes to!
Thank you so much for your astute analysis. It truly blows my mind when someone discovers the music of Rush, and it truly warms my heart to see someone accepting the challenge of Neil's provocative lyrics.
Keep up the good work!
I realy miss Neal. RIP Neal. 😢
Neal who?
neal lives john gaulted
*neil
@@JimGeigerMusic okay I get it...I mean Neil.
Me too❤️
The guitar is found as a relic from a time past when creativity was not banished and he rediscovers it and brings it back to life
Great breakdown, Doug. My friend Terry produced this and many of their other records. It was a great time for the band!
Broon!!
My first Rush album. Bought in fall of 77 10th grade. The best FU to a record label ever. Side B is damn good too
I bought it in the summer of '77 and saw them live in the fall. I was so excited when I heard they would be playing in my area.
My first 2112 was in the 70's also. My cousins and I traded cassettes sometimes. I believe I got Rush 2112 and Aerosmith Rocks cassettes for my Floyd Wish You were Here and Animals cassettes ( I already had both of those on vinyl so it was a great trade for me.)
2112 made me a lifetime Rush fan and ended my Top 20 countdown days-- PS: Aerosmith Rocks is still their best album in my opinion, would love to hear Nobody's Fault on the radio
@@jaxindabox6221 I bought Rocks the same day I got 2112. You're right its Aerosmith's best album.
Delve into "Hemispheres" my friend.
The story actually starts at the end of "A Farewell to Kings" and is a Masterpiece in my opinion.
Underrated 🎸
Indeed a masterpc!
Agreed!
There is unrest in the forest..there is trouble with the trees for the maples want more sunlight but the oaks ignore their pleas.
Would be interesting to see Doug react to "Cygnus X-1" and "Cygnus X-1 Book II - Hemispheres" back to back. Discuss how they connect to and contrast from one another.
That duology of A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres is their greatest work for me.
Dude. You are just getting started with Rush and I can see your excitement building. You have no idea what you are in for! It's a near endless stream of greatness!
this is my favorite ever reaction video. yes, it's well past time that someone produces it for the stage.
"They" is "the elder race". In the end, in a twilight zone-like twist, the Protagonist kills himself just as the Elders return to bring back the society the Oracle showed him.
My introduction to the meaning of ‘tragedy.’ “Oh no, surely he didn’t kill himself just before his dream came true…”. The emotion is so much more powerful, and 45 years later, it still hurts. Awesome!
2112 was inspired by Rand's "Anthem". Peart was a voracious reader and a Rand fan in his early years, but grew away from it as he aged (evidenced by his lyrical catalog after 2112), and considered himself a "bleeding-heart Libertarian".
Agreed. Peary clarified that it was Rand’s concept of artistic liberty that appealed to him and that he and the band were not “Rand disciples” as some in the rock press labeled them.
I'm amazed that the one-size-fits-all crowd deifies Rand's writings. They adolescently fail to distinguish liberty from freedom.
Neil does the voice over at the end. One of the few times you hear his voice. 2112 was the first Rush album I owned (A Farewell to Kings the first I heard). The album blew me away then and it still does today.
Jack... relax... get busy with the facts.
@@eccehomer8182 -- I read that the Roll the Bones rap was Geddy's voice slowed down... although I would have guessed it was Neil.
Say what you want about Ayn Rand, but her motif in her philosophy was grounded in the importance of the individual’s struggle against the “machine” of group think. Very relevant to today’s culture...in my humble opinion....
Love rand for that very thing..the system hates her therefore demonises her
There is little more sacred then having the freedom of rugged individualism.
Exactly. Groupthink can be a dangerous thing. Digging deep and using your own discernment is always a good thing. (And yes I see the irony in agreeing with everyone in this thread. 😆)
@@LBart218 Haha!! I love that point you made about the irony. We’re all saying that groupthink is bad, but to dissent would be to say groupthink is good. I find myself in a strange position from my original post. Lol! Does anyone remember that scene from the Life of Brian (Monty Python) where the whole crowd is chanting “we are individuals!,” but this guy stands up in the back and says “I’m not.” 😂
@@brettking1014 Yes! We are all individuals!
I’m genuinely amazed that many people my age (late Gen X) have gone their entire life never having listened to 2112. I first heard it in my mid-teens and was pretty amazed by it then. 30 years since, the song has not only aged unfathomably well, but sounds better than ever. The whole piece has so many elements that sound so current, and there’s this very palpable switchover from the old sounds to the new.
It is dynamically stunning.
It is engaging throughout its run time.
Its as gentle as Jim Croce and as head-banging as thrash metal.
It is both old and new.
It is emotively powerful.
It is a creative magnum opus.
This just popped in my feed and I was genuinely interested in a classically trained composer's take on it.
In my mind, it is simply the pinnacle of rock. Truth be told, it transcends the genre - to which you allude. Considering that was your first listen, you picked up on some neat things - like the 1812 Overture. However, there is sooooo much more going on.
Think on when the protagonist finds the guitar. A few string plucks, tuning (as he begins to learn), harmonic tuning (a more advanced skill) and beginning on a simple theme. And then building on that theme. Remind you of Moonlight Sonata? And Für Elise for that matter?
When you have the time, give it another listen - without having to be distracted by recording a video for YT. It will be time well spent.
Oh, and the last movement - it's the other portion of humanity that fled when society fell apart (this previous society was referenced as 'the elder race of man' by the priests.) They return and destroy the priests / their tyrannical rule. Unfortunately, too late for our protagonist, who committed suicide. The frenetic music of the last movement represents the battle between the priests and humanity's other sect.
And no, NP wasn't a Rand devotee. Just very well read and drew lyrical inspirations from a myriad of sources.
Funny that you would say that this is The Pinnacle of rock. I actually think that The Pinnacle, by Kansas is the pinnacle of rock.
I thought they had admitted to being fond of Ayn Rand in their youths, and then falling away from her (rightfully so, in my mind, as someone who enjoyed Ayn Rand in high school and then very much came to hate her). I could be wrong, but I thought I read this in an interview they did.
(I know this was only a small piece of your comment, and I have no real reason to say this at all, because you're probably right, but I would like to know if what I read online was incorrect, as it often ends up being so.)
@@wallasboyd I hope people don't hate her. Pity her (some people may think that is worse) and learn from her mistake. Margret Lawrence wrote The Stone Angel which explores this type of vanity, it is a classic, many Russian writers too). She forced herself to hold to this singular convictions instead of experiencing and expanding the human existence. Those who exalted her writing ended up abandoning her, ironically by forming their societal clique, abandoning the concept of only the self in a tribal world. She died alone and in poverty.
Fun fact : The words during The Grand Finale count to 21 12 : You have 21 words in the first 3 repeated sentences and 12 words in the following (last) words (We have assumed control).
Neil liked Rand books but not necessarily follow all her visions.
They actually did the whole version live a couple of times. But mostly they were doing sections of it.
Funny, you did that video tonight as I was playing it this afternoon. Nice timing :) !! Great video !
YYYYEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS I'm so happy do Cygnus X-1 Book II !!!
Why did it take three years for this to appear in my feed?
Finally, a video to make me subscribe 😎
Lee, Lifeson & Peart just telling the music world they are taking over...
It was our wedding’s song! Which was nothing more than appropriate on the 21st of december!
My tennis coach back in the day, Piet, introduced me to Rush. Immediately after hearing 2112 I was completely hooked. I grew fond of the attacking bass-playing of Geddy and decided (MUCH) later to pick up the bass myself. Nowadays, nothing satisfies me more than playing Geddy’s riffs. Not nearly as good as him, but I’m okay with that. Just playing along is greatly rewarding. It’s almost biblical…. You reviewed this very well, I thank you for it!
I turned 55 yesterday. Rush Permanent Waves tour was my first concert at age 13 in Phoenix in 1980 (.38 Special opening). What memories.
I'm 24, just recently got into them, its been an amazing experience but I envy you for actually getting to watch them when they were at their peak as musicians
Belated birthday greetings, Scott. I only saw Rush on the PW tour, in the UK...twice. Then I sort of "wandered off" to get into other music. Came back to Rush 3 or 4 years ago, and have been obsessively listening to the "big 5" albums Hemispheres, 2112, Farewell to Kings, PW and Moving Pictures since Neil left us.
I just turned 55 and my first show was Permanent Waves, too! In Houston, though... I think Max Webster opened?
@@symbiosisai Watch his Xanadu reaction video... you can see Alex and Geddy goofing around... even with those double-necks. Moving Pictures was indeed their pinnacle (Saw that tour in April '81), and you can see the smiles on their faces as if to say "we finally made the big time". As good as that concert was... I saw Ozzy with Randy Rhoads about two months after seeing Rush!
@@JF-kv1gm Thanks. I saw Moving Pictures tour in '81, then got out of Rush after Signals. I saw Ozzy with Randy Rhoads a couple of months after seeing Rush in '81!
I can't imagine willfully going 40+ years of my life without hearing 2112. I listened to it as quickly as I could and was never the same. Such rebellious art, made specifically to reject repel notions of popularity and yet achieving such universal appeal. It's an important rock album. Fun to watch someone first-time it. Yes, Neil was a genius.
I made the entire trip with you. This was great! Rush absolutely rules. RIP beloved Neil.
I'll be checking more of your content. Thank you.
These guys were in their very early 20's when they wrote the album. Think about that for a second. Amazing.
Neil Peart performed the vocals at the end. He had a deep and resonating voice that was perfect for the sound of 'Authority' at the end.
RUSH the band, stands as testament to Excellence and Humility melded together in one organ in consideration of their decades together as a band but more importantly as friends.
"I can totally see it" Yes I get that. I saw all of it in images the first time I heard this, back in 1976 when I was in 10th grade. I was at Tom Reilly's house in the basement, and Tom had bought the new RUSH album 2112. Everyone had gone somewhere and I was alone with the new 2112, a dish of weed, and a bong. I employed all 3, and played the album while reading the lyrics. I saw each scene in each movement, my imagination fired like never before, the weed intensifying every second of it. I played both sides and then played side 1 again. I left that basement with a new window on the world, a RUSH fan forever, for LIFE. It is deeply personal to the point of leaving me speechless. To this day, as I listen to 2112, I see that same movie that formed in my mind 45 years ago - FORTY FIVE YEARS AGO. Thank You Neil, Geddy, Alex.
Worth noting that the first 2 movements of 2112 still get plenty of radio play on classic rock stations. Its the most digestible chunk of the song.
I've listened to rock radio my whole life in a few different states(USA) and never heard this on there. Some friends introduced me to this in 2012 and still to this day rarely does a person even know the track when I mention it.
@@DustyRh0d3s Maybe it depends on your locale. Of course when it first came out, the rebel FM stations played the whole 20 minutes.
@@katherinebarich3192 it wasn't rebellious, it'a the kind of song the DJ puts on when they gotta go poop.
Welcome to the world of those who have known Rush since before this album came along. They rocked hard back in the day - which isn't to say they didn't rock hard all the way to the end. Neil's brilliance, lost with his passing, was one of a kind. We'll never see his like again. But they left us a 40 year catalog of greatness. Re: Dead air around 33:30 - 33:42 is about a typical reaction for a Rush neophyte encountering 2112 for the first time. Brain-blast! :) Continue your journey down the Rush rabbit-hole. You won't regret it, I promise. Pinky-swear and all! :)
Yes, yes, yes!
My first Rush album was Caress of
Steel, my first concert was 2112. It was a great time to be a teen in the 1970s.
After the previous album, caress of steel, they were facing getting the boot by their record label. They were told to go in a different direction musically. Rush decided if they were going to get the boot they’d go out their way so this was their “swan song”. Thank god they chose to “go out” their way some 45 odd years later. They were the greatest. RIP Neil
I am so bummed that we will never hear Neil and ultimate wisdom and foresight and beauty of his writing the world has truly lost a genius. If the heads of state in this world ever listen to this music things would be different I truly believe. This is divine intervention being brought to the world through music and I believe everybody on the planet should listen to what Neil has to say
I'm 55. This album came out when I was like 10
I knew every word of this album by the time I was 12. How could you have missed this?
The same way that I haven't heard all the classical music that's been written. Or heard all the good musicians that toil away in obscurity because they don't fit into the syringe that the music industry wants to stick in our arms.
54 and ditto.
55 and been here since the beginning. Thanks to my big “brothers”. ✌🏻❤️
"our great computers fill the hallowed Halls". Like the giant basements full of computer servers that now run the entire world. The vision of this song was truly decades ahead of its time!
Yep, and those who operate the computers want conformity and not individuality, and the ones who control those computers are the 'priests'...we're there already, except we're 91 years early
@@thewildgoose7467 No, we're on track. The song takes place in a future where the computers and the new breed of technology-based priests are fully in control and have crushed the human spirit, not unlike the rebellion in the song Red Barchetta from the Moving Pictures album. We're not all the way there just yet, but that's where we are currently headed.
@@p3x1967 Well the 'technology-based priests' have essentially locked down practically the entire planet for over a year so we may be closer than you think? All major decisions are now being based on computer modelling which has been shown to be totally inaccurate on previous occasions (the term GI-GO or "garbage in - garbage out springs to mind) yet is being regarded as "science" so it must be infallible, right?
Red Barchetta - Essentially a version of agenda 2030 where people are moved off the land and confined to big cities ("he said it used to be a farm, before the motor laws")
Natural Science - Modern 'science' has sold out and is being used as a manipulation tool. ("Science like nature, must also be tamed, with a view towards it's preservation")
Also all the lies being told by media, politicians, scientists, health 'experts'...("The most endangered species, the honest man")
Freewill - ("A planet of playthings, we dance on the strings, of powers we cannot perceive")
Digital Man - Essentially this whole song ("His world is under observation, we monitor his station") or....
("His world is under anesthetic, subdivided and synthetic, his reliance on the giants, in the science of the day")
You should read "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison.
@@thewildgoose7467 AI is supposedly running the usa, all the capitals are deserted.
I had never heard most of Rush's 70's stuff on the radio. When I heard it I was blown away- loved it.
Rush embodies what i really love about good prog rock... the ability to tell a story through music
I agree, Clockwork Angels is a worthy successor to 2112 IMHO
2112, in my ever so humble opinion, is the greatest rock album ever produced. It nails the balance between prog rock and just good 'old hard rock.
It is the perfect balance.
It's a good one, that's for sure
As did The Lamb and Selling England.....I love this Music.....we'll neve see this again.
@@alanfine9825 I totally agree. Genesis and Rush are some of my favorite bands and they’re both musically different but they are probably the basics of Prog Rock.
What makes your reaction videos so amazing is that you really do possess perfect pitch and can name everything they’re doing just by ear! With such a great talent, it’s a shame your not in a band of your own! You would be a huge influence on any group of musicians you’d work with.
Thank You for affirming what Rush fans have known for decades.
Doug you hit a home run with this reaction. Your genuine appreciation for what these guys (as kids really) have done here is so awesome to see.
I just discovered your show and I am feeling good about it. My first two shows featured Rush. I was a Rush freak way back when these were new. Before airtime. We(Rush fanatics) had our band and no one understood why we didn't care about much else musically. 35-40 years later I still get excited. It's euphoric and it is that thing they have always brought with them. You get what it's all about. You are experiencing that "Rush" for the first time. It never goes away. It is and will always be that way. Thank you for the show and I am so glad that you are excited about the band Rush.