$UPER THANK$!!! Thanks for watching my videos! Please SUBSCRIBE to my channel!! I appreciate it! Check the Description for Amazon Affiliate Links to VINYL/DVDs/Books and other cool products related to this video! Check the description for a link to Camilla's TH-cam channel!
Whenever people can hide behind the shield of anonymity, you're gonna see shit like that..a wise old guy I knew once said, "that's why they make chocolate and vanilla ice cream " everybody doesn't like everything!. Life would be boring if that was the case..
Bought my 1972 Rickenbacker after hearing this song, in 1984. Wish I had kept it. Great sound. That 5/4 section in the middle, was what made me fall in love with them. So smooth.
Rush was ALWAYS so far ahead of the trends, they were actually doing music videos, albeit just the three of them ACTUALLY playing live, showcasing their musicianship on a sound stage, usually a sound check or rehearsal. But yeah, those are out there if you want to check them out.🤘🎸🖖🥁✌️🎤👍🎹👌
Hi Justin glad you like our Canadian trio eh! LOL we love ‘em and are proud of them . Seen them 5 times , Amazing show, don’t worry about Exit stage left , true rush fans don’t care , we know it by HEART. It’s the SOUND we need . Love your show cheers! Wow your gonna love this sound , La villa strangiato.
I see the lyrics as a metaphor for any conflict between "Haves" and "Have Nots" a frequent theme in our daily lives. You can imagine the compromise being as mundane as taxation or as aberrant as war
I think the other aspect is how all this sounded live. When they played this on R30 in the Charlotte Amphitheater, the guitar really filled the air. i felt like they were showing off Alex’s guitar on those songs. guess it’s a matter of perspective 🤷♂️
I’ve loved The Trees since I first heard it on ESL. Apparently The Trees was the B-side of Circumstances. But unlike Circumstances it would go on to be a staple of Rush live sets being performed regularly since its release. Neil never really explained the meaning of the song (like most of his lyrics he leaves it up to the listener). Most people interpret this song as an allegory on class conflict. Unfortunately because of the greediness of the Oaks (rich, powerful, ruling elite, etc) it ends in violence instead of compromise. But perhaps it’s just a song about trees. It is rumored that Neil saw a cartoon of trees arguing that inspired the lyrics.
Great contribution from Alex here, the composition with Geddy, classical intro section, alternating heavy chords and pizzicato plucking. Beautiful arpeggios throughout. For a prog band, I like a guitarist who knows the genre through and through, a player at 75 or 80 percentile would not cut it in Rush.
Those f*#king maples! Lol. This has always been one of my favorite Rush songs. I play it for people (younger) and ask them if they can figure out what the lyrics are about.
Neil never posed naked for a Rush album cover haha. The Trees. Such a Rush classic in their cannon. So well constructed. A fantastic song. Alex is playing among the greatest to ever play .. but he holds his own every now and again, eh??
This is my first time commenting but I've been following your Rush journey from the beginning. As a 40 year fan I can say your honest opinions are ok and I hope they keep coming. I have my favorite eras and songs like most fans so don't worry about not liking something. In my experiences I've never really met many lukewarm fans. Most folk either love them or hate them. Very few "ah they are ok" folks in my experiences. To comment on Geddy being all over the place, this is my take. I am not a musician or know anything about production but as a music fan in general I feel the bass is turned up louder in the mix for Rush than most bands. Rush is one of the few bands that I, with an untrained ear can follow the bass easily vs some other bands where the bass can sometimes sound non existent or lost in the mix.
I love this song!! I’ve read in interviews there was no deep meaning to this song. That he just got the idea from a comic strip and thought “how would people act if they were trees”… seems a little too easy for Neil.. LOL! Be well and God bless… from Texas!
I really like this song and yes of course you need to listen to it more than once. I love the organic feel to it with the wooden blocks and the birds chirpping. The one part where Alex is plucking going up and down today I envisioned squirrels running up and down the trees. No , I haven't smoked any thing. LOL Again, all sorts of layers in the lyrics.
THE TREES: This song is made up of three distinct time signatures: 6/8, which is used through most of the acoustic sections, the traditional 4/4, which is used in the heavier lead guitar sections, and an unusual 5/4 time signature used in the instrumental bridge. Lyrically one of Neil’s more amusing songs relating the relationship between The OAKS AND MAPLES and a commentary on humanity…SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST to quote: Herbert Spencer!
The Trees was a live favourite for many tours. On the studio version once again we hear the singing of birds from Rockfield Studios in Wales where the acoustic section was recorded outdoors again. Whilst playing live they pipe in other animal noises on the outro, like cows, sheep, and gradually added to the sound effects over the years. Homer Simpson can be heard going "d'OH" as the music fades on one tour, it's on TH-cam somewhere.
Eddie Van Halen was stop at LAX by reporters and asked "How he felt being considered the best guitar player in rock music" His reply was"I wouldn't know, you would have to go ask Alex Lifeson how it feels".
I don't think Neil is the show-my-butt-for-art's-sake type of guy. Ggle: "The Magritte man in the bowler hat was my old and dear friend, Bobby King, also from the Niagara region where Neil and I both hail from! I'm not sure a lot of people know this, but Bobby was also my model for the original Rush nude Starman logo." "The naked man here [Hemispheres' cover] was a dancer we found who was studying at the Toronto Ballet School."
One thing that I will totally agree with you, Justin, is that an initial listen to Rush is challenging because there's soooo much going on both musically and lyrically. My first opportunity to hear the album was when it was new, now almost FORTY FOUR years ago!! Eeeeek! And to be totally honest, sometimes it took 10 or more listens for me to start really liking their records. "The Trees" is metaphorically about the foolishness of most people. Rarely can we control our situation, we can only control our actions and reactions to life. Peace and love! ✌❤
Neil has said this song was written about a cartoon he saw about trees (literally). With his writing style it can be left to the listener. I take this song as a metaphor for humans and class wars, rich vs poor, corporations vs workers etc. This is my least favorite on this album but I do like the middle breakdown section and the intro they did for it on exit stage left. Do you find Geddy’s bass work hard to play? What’s your take on his work?
Its been many years since I've played any Rush song for a gig... He definitely has his own style and plays a lot of notes sometimes. He's a great bass player and the fact that he is the vocalist just adds to the greatness. His bass lines are definitely doable, playable, learnable etc. Sometimes it's easier to sing and play at the same time when the line is 'busy'.
@@JustinPanariello What I found easy about Geddy's bass parts (as opposed to someone like Chris Squire) is that the bass is usually following what the vocal is doing rhythmically. So you don't have to split your brain nearly as much.
It could also be about demographics like race. Imagine if the lyrics weren't in metaphor, and it went "And they wonder why the blacks can't be happy in their slums" lol
@@GaryHighFruit I don’t think so I see this as dealing with classes. The lyrics state the oaks are just too lofty. Keeping the rest the others in there shade. The song only mentions only two kinds of trees there is plenty more races. In any case many people of all races live in slums too! The slums are not exclusively a black problem. However slums are a poor problem being lofty and apathetic are rich problems. As I said though it could mean different things to different people. This was just my take.
@@gritter2112 @Glenn Ritter Yeah, I agree we can only guess the song is about rich & poor. Neil writes in a way that's vague, and highly interpretive, so that the listener can get different things out of it.
The album artwork was meant to represent the yin/yang of the left brain versus the right brain; the nude model, who was meant to represent the right brain, was actually a local ballet student; and the man in the suit, who was meant to represent the left brain, was a friend of artist Hugh Syme, previously seen as the Starman character in 2112. Great reaction as always; on to La Villa Strangiato, and then Permanent Waves!! 🎤 🎹 🎸 🥁 🎸
“The Trees” is about how we share - the lofty oaks don’t leave enough light for the maples, and don’t understand why they can’t be happy in the oaks’ shade. (Sort of “let them eat cake” attitude.) This leads to enforced equality - “by hatchet, axe and saw”. You can interpret that a lot of ways, and I like the ambiguity of it. My preference is to see the oaks like the French nobles in “Bastille Day”, with the maples like the mob roused by Robespierre (and others). Yeah, how many bands create parables about the social contract for their lyrics? Only Rush. Plus ca change, plus c’est La meme chose.
Political tension in Canada in 60's to today, even, with the French speaking Quebecois versus rest of the country. clue might be the French lyrics. Or is it about unions vs Corporations ? or you decide what it means to you?
@@JohnnyMegabyteCanada I doubt it has to do with the FLQ crisis, or anything that specific. (The French phrase is from “Circumstances”, so I doubt it relates directly to Quebec, tbh.) More likely to do with elite vs mob, or class strife (remember, they were recording in the UK at this point). Maybe to do with political economics, too. As I say, there’s enough ambiguity to allow for multiple interpretations.
@@markmilner842 Quebec nationalism was around since. .. forever. Even Pierre Trudeau was before he joined the Liberals. But the ambiguity leaves it open for interpretation.
I read in another comment further up that the man in the suit also was Pentagram Guy on the '2112' cover (a friend of Hugh Syme) and the naked dude was a ballet dancer 🙂
I enjoy watching your reactions of RUSH, my almost home town band. Here's another for you to have a listen to. Max Webster Universal Juveniles. This is a special song from another Canadian band, but there is a surprise. Please trust me in saying that this is an excellent tune, if you indeed have a listen, you WILL be pleased. Thanks, Rodger
The "woody marimba sounds" were done with so-called templeblocks, and it may indeed be an actual timpani on this studio recording. However, Neil had a couple of gong drums in his _live_ kit in those days, which are kinda like a timpani but open at the bottom, as opposed to rounded like a bowl 🙂 And I hadn't listened to this version in yonks! But also because I prefer the 'Exit...Stage Left' live version, which slaps more, especially after said "woody" part and when that awesome-sounding bass re-enters 🤩👍
Actually Neil is playing woodblocks and actually stands to play them during that section also referred as TEMPLE BLOCKS. As only a Priest from the TEMPLES of SYRINX COULD! Ha-ha!
Neil shyed away from meet an greets, was very uncomfortable meeting fans who acted like they were long lost friends. I'm pretty sure that's not naked Neil on the cover.😂
usually rush will have one song per album that sounds like it belongs on the next one ( like a hint of what's coming next). not The Trees though, it belongs on the previous album.
Love. This. Song. So much fun to play on bass. IMO side 2 of this album is Rush entering the height of their powers. Also, not only has Alex redefined his role as a harmonic colorist, but here he's thinking of his solo not as shredding exercise but as a song with a memorable tune (something he actually started doing on "No One at the Bridge" from CoS.) This will pay dividends down the road. And am I the only person reading a subtle political message into the lyrics, as in Oaks = U.S.A. and Maples = Canada (always in the other's shade)?
I think you'll like this studio version of La Villa, I know you're looking for Alex to do a little more and I think you'll get some of that in this, but I'm predicting it's Permanent Waves that you'll REALLY start to enjoy Rush more
Justin has reacted to a couple of live versions of LVS, but those were a while ago, so let's tune in tomorrow for the next instalment and the studio version...
@@grahamkey8496 yep I've seen those videos, but the studio version is unique in it's own way too. My fave La Villa version is off ESL, that solo, Alex shreds!!
There’s no hidden meaning, just Neil having a bit of fun. I think he once sued the Libertarians to stop using his lyrics, but that might be apocryphal. Ever played Rush trivial pursuit? It used to be a thing for the fans following them on their tours. Good times.
So someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think some of audio from Exit... Stage Left is from different shows than the video. For example, one of the sides was recorded in Scotland but the entire video was from Montreal. If that is the case, you may want to review just the album takes from Exit instead of the video version. So where Alex shines for me is how unconventional his solos are. The solo in the Trees, for example, is just weird. And it's played over 5/4. But yeah, when you are in a band with Neil and Geddy and you write your parts to serve the song and let those guys shine, it's hard to stand out! They've said that when there is a guitar solo they treat that section as a "band solo" and all of them go nuts. So Alex may be doing cool stuff but Geddy and Neil are not holding back to let Alex shine! They are right up there with him! Also interesting how both Trees and Circumstance were written/arranged with a slow middle part. I mentioned that the middle is in 5/4. I've said this before but one thing great about Rush is that they can play an odd time part and you just don't notice unless you count it out. They do them so smoothly. A lot of prog bands do odd time and make them jarring on purpose to call attention to the extra (or dropped) beats. Rush incorporates them organically in their music. With regard to the "naked man", it is not Neil. The album is called Hemispheres and describes the battle between the Heart and the Mind and how you have to bring the two into Balance to have a good existence. So the analogy is that one hemisphere of your brain is where emotions are centered and the other is where logic and reason are centered. The two guys on the cover represent those two ideas which is why they are standing over different hemispheres of a brain. The protagonist flew his spaceship (the Rocinante) through a black hole in Cygnus X1 (book 1 on AFTK) and ended up in the battle between Apollo (god of reason) and Dionysius (god of love). He thought their fighting was dumb so he screamed, called out that you can't live on reason alone or love alone so the gods made him "Cygnus, the god of Balance you shall be".
what got blocked by TH-cam you mean? I don't remember which specifically got blocked. I reacted to the video of The Trees at Exit Stage Left soooo idk. Hopefully when I get to the audio it won't get blocked that would definitely suck and throw a wrench in my full discography reactions... so far so good though!
@@JustinPanariello yeah that's what I thought. The videos from the Exit Stage Left concert video often get blocked. Usually the live album audio doesn't. Plus the set list on the album version is what everyone wants to hear.
Been watching your reviews from the beginning. I generally like them, however you continued ignorance of Alex's playing is beginning to frustrate me. He is not just strumming chords.
I'm not saying he's just strumming chords the whole time... where did I say that? I'm observing... he's not playing like your run of the mill rock guitar player. The bass and drums play more of a lead role than other bands. Many people are commenting that Alex's genius is in his soundscape creation, chord voicings, arpeggios... what do you think those things are??? CHORDS!!! I'm not even saying the guy doesn't solo. Listen to my literal words and take them LITERALLY instead of making up insinuations and scenarios that are made up.. not by me. But you. My literal words is what I mean.
Unfortunately Justin you will never appreciate rush like the fans because of your lack of interest in lyrics. That is what the fanatics like the most about their songs You are Just not nerdy enough. lol
thats obviously ridiculous and a crazy outlandish thing to say... NEVER.. really. I highly doubt decades long Rush fans listened to their music with the lyrics in front of them during their first listen let alone first dozen or so listens. Music/Ears come first.
@@JustinPanariello I know I didn't. In some cases I still do not know the lyrics - these music videos with lyrics do sometimes fill in some gaps. Also, some of the music videos with lyrics are wrong. Oops.
I’ve loved The Trees since I first heard it on ESL. Apparently The Trees was the B-side of Circumstances. But unlike Circumstances it would go on to be a staple of Rush live sets being performed regularly since its release. Neil never really explained the meaning of the song (like most of his lyrics he leaves it up to the listener). Most people interpret this song as an allegory on class conflict. Unfortunately because of the greediness of the Oaks (rich, powerful, ruling elite, etc) it ends in violence instead of compromise. But perhaps it’s just a song about trees. It is rumored that Neil saw a cartoon of trees arguing that inspired the lyrics.
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$UPER THANK$!!!
Thanks for watching my videos! Please SUBSCRIBE to my channel!! I appreciate it!
Check the Description for Amazon Affiliate Links to VINYL/DVDs/Books and other cool products related to this video! Check the description for a link to Camilla's TH-cam channel!
Whenever people can hide behind the shield of anonymity, you're gonna see shit like that..a wise old guy I knew once said, "that's why they make chocolate and vanilla ice cream " everybody doesn't like everything!. Life would be boring if that was the case..
It's a poem with music. Pure Art. Chef's Kiss.
One of my all time favorite Guitar solos ever.
Bought my 1972 Rickenbacker after hearing this song, in 1984. Wish I had kept it. Great sound.
That 5/4 section in the middle, was what made me fall in love with them. So smooth.
This song has always been a favorite of mine!
Rush was ALWAYS so far ahead of the trends, they were actually doing music videos, albeit just the three of them ACTUALLY playing live, showcasing their musicianship on a sound stage, usually a sound check or rehearsal. But yeah, those are out there if you want to check them out.🤘🎸🖖🥁✌️🎤👍🎹👌
Hi Justin glad you like our Canadian trio eh! LOL we love ‘em and are proud of them . Seen them 5 times , Amazing show, don’t worry about Exit stage left , true rush fans don’t care , we know it by HEART. It’s the SOUND we need . Love your show cheers! Wow your gonna love this sound , La villa strangiato.
I see the lyrics as a metaphor for any conflict between "Haves" and "Have Nots" a frequent theme in our daily lives. You can imagine the compromise being as mundane as taxation or as aberrant as war
This track has been my fave on this album since I first heard it. From a Maidiac.
I think the other aspect is how all this sounded live.
When they played this on R30 in the Charlotte Amphitheater, the guitar really filled the air. i felt like they were showing off Alex’s guitar on those songs. guess it’s a matter of perspective 🤷♂️
Justin , Get ready for tomorrows blockbuster ending 👍take care and keep up the good posts , enjoying 🙏
You are living the lyrics my friend, & yes you are smart enough get it, I pray you do!
Love the lyrics in this one.
The last line was really powerful.
The trees were all kept equal by hatchet, axe and saw.
Interesting stuff.
Quirky. The song is quirky, and that makes it really fun.
I your comment is brilliant in it's elegant simplicity, and it would make a great t-shirt.. "Rush, it takes more than one listen"
Geddy; Making bassists say wtf since 1974. Love this piece, so majestic.
Love it John!
Lyrics that I'm sure Peart had in mind when he said he wished that Permanent Waves was their first album.
I’ve loved The Trees since I first heard it on ESL.
Apparently The Trees was the B-side of Circumstances. But unlike Circumstances it would go on to be a staple of Rush live sets being performed regularly since its release.
Neil never really explained the meaning of the song (like most of his lyrics he leaves it up to the listener). Most people interpret this song as an allegory on class conflict. Unfortunately because of the greediness of the Oaks (rich, powerful, ruling elite, etc) it ends in violence instead of compromise. But perhaps it’s just a song about trees. It is rumored that Neil saw a cartoon of trees arguing that inspired the lyrics.
"Trees are a lot like people"
I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to ignore the lyrics on this one. 😉
Great contribution from Alex here, the composition with Geddy, classical intro section, alternating heavy chords and pizzicato plucking. Beautiful arpeggios throughout. For a prog band, I like a guitarist who knows the genre through and through, a player at 75 or 80 percentile would not cut it in Rush.
Those f*#king maples! Lol. This has always been one of my favorite Rush songs. I play it for people (younger) and ask them if they can figure out what the lyrics are about.
Neil never posed naked for a Rush album cover haha. The Trees. Such a Rush classic in their cannon. So well constructed. A fantastic song. Alex is playing among the greatest to ever play .. but he holds his own every now and again, eh??
This is my first time commenting but I've been following your Rush journey from the beginning. As a 40 year fan I can say your honest opinions are ok and I hope they keep coming. I have my favorite eras and songs like most fans so don't worry about not liking something.
In my experiences I've never really met many lukewarm fans. Most folk either love them or hate them. Very few "ah they are ok" folks in my experiences. To comment on Geddy being all over the place, this is my take. I am not a musician or know anything about production but as a music fan in general I feel the bass is turned up louder in the mix for Rush than most bands. Rush is one of the few bands that I, with an untrained ear can follow the bass easily vs some other bands where the bass can sometimes sound non existent or lost in the mix.
Yes, Rush is bass-driven music, so it's important to hear the bass clearly.
I love this song!! I’ve read in interviews there was no deep meaning to this song. That he just got the idea from a comic strip and thought “how would people act if they were trees”… seems a little too easy for Neil.. LOL! Be well and God bless… from Texas!
I really like this song and yes of course you need to listen to it more than once. I love the organic feel to it with the wooden blocks and the birds chirpping. The one part where Alex is plucking going up and down today I envisioned squirrels running up and down the trees. No , I haven't smoked any thing. LOL Again, all sorts of layers in the lyrics.
That part always reminds me of the cat in Tom & Jerry tiptoing after the mouse, trying to sneak up on it and catch it 😁
THE TREES: This song is made up of three distinct time signatures: 6/8, which is used through most of the acoustic sections, the traditional 4/4, which is used in the heavier lead guitar sections, and an unusual 5/4 time signature used in the instrumental bridge. Lyrically one of Neil’s more amusing songs relating the relationship between The OAKS AND MAPLES and a commentary on humanity…SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST to quote: Herbert Spencer!
The Trees was a live favourite for many tours. On the studio version once again we hear the singing of birds from Rockfield Studios in Wales where the acoustic section was recorded outdoors again. Whilst playing live they pipe in other animal noises on the outro, like cows, sheep, and gradually added to the sound effects over the years. Homer Simpson can be heard going "d'OH" as the music fades on one tour, it's on TH-cam somewhere.
Eddie Van Halen was stop at LAX by reporters and asked "How he felt being considered the best guitar player in rock music" His reply was"I wouldn't know, you would have to go ask Alex Lifeson how it feels".
I don't think Neil is the show-my-butt-for-art's-sake type of guy.
Ggle: "The Magritte man in the bowler hat was my old and dear friend, Bobby King, also from the Niagara region where Neil and I both hail from! I'm not sure a lot of people know this, but Bobby was also my model for the original Rush nude Starman logo."
"The naked man here [Hemispheres' cover] was a dancer we found who was studying at the Toronto Ballet School."
😂
A metaphor song for so many things.
One thing that I will totally agree with you, Justin, is that an initial listen to Rush is challenging because there's soooo much going on both musically and lyrically. My first opportunity to hear the album was when it was new, now almost FORTY FOUR years ago!! Eeeeek!
And to be totally honest, sometimes it took 10 or more listens for me to start really liking their records. "The Trees" is metaphorically about the foolishness of most people. Rarely can we control our situation, we can only control our actions and reactions to life.
Peace and love! ✌❤
Beautiful message!!
Neil has said this song was written about a cartoon he saw about trees (literally). With his writing style it can be left to the listener. I take this song as a metaphor for humans and class wars, rich vs poor, corporations vs workers etc.
This is my least favorite on this album but I do like the middle breakdown section and the intro they did for it on exit stage left. Do you find Geddy’s bass work hard to play? What’s your take on his work?
Its been many years since I've played any Rush song for a gig... He definitely has his own style and plays a lot of notes sometimes. He's a great bass player and the fact that he is the vocalist just adds to the greatness. His bass lines are definitely doable, playable, learnable etc. Sometimes it's easier to sing and play at the same time when the line is 'busy'.
@@JustinPanariello What I found easy about Geddy's bass parts (as opposed to someone like Chris Squire) is that the bass is usually following what the vocal is doing rhythmically. So you don't have to split your brain nearly as much.
It could also be about demographics like race. Imagine if the lyrics weren't in metaphor, and it went "And they wonder why the blacks can't be happy in their slums" lol
@@GaryHighFruit I don’t think so I see this as dealing with classes. The lyrics state the oaks are just too lofty. Keeping the rest the others in there shade. The song only mentions only two kinds of trees there is plenty more races. In any case many people of all races live in slums too! The slums are not exclusively a black problem. However slums are a poor problem being lofty and apathetic are rich problems.
As I said though it could mean different things to different people. This was just my take.
@@gritter2112 @Glenn Ritter Yeah, I agree we can only guess the song is about rich & poor. Neil writes in a way that's vague, and highly interpretive, so that the listener can get different things out of it.
The album artwork was meant to represent the yin/yang of the left brain versus the right brain; the nude model, who was meant to represent the right brain, was actually a local ballet student; and the man in the suit, who was meant to represent the left brain, was a friend of artist Hugh Syme, previously seen as the Starman character in 2112. Great reaction as always; on to La Villa Strangiato, and then Permanent Waves!!
🎤 🎹 🎸 🥁 🎸
Thanks for that detail Linda. I had forgotten who was on the cover.
“The Trees” is about how we share - the lofty oaks don’t leave enough light for the maples, and don’t understand why they can’t be happy in the oaks’ shade. (Sort of “let them eat cake” attitude.) This leads to enforced equality - “by hatchet, axe and saw”. You can interpret that a lot of ways, and I like the ambiguity of it. My preference is to see the oaks like the French nobles in “Bastille Day”, with the maples like the mob roused by Robespierre (and others). Yeah, how many bands create parables about the social contract for their lyrics? Only Rush. Plus ca change, plus c’est La meme chose.
Political tension in Canada in 60's to today, even, with the French speaking Quebecois versus rest of the country. clue might be the French lyrics.
Or is it about unions vs Corporations ? or you decide what it means to you?
@@JohnnyMegabyteCanada I doubt it has to do with the FLQ crisis, or anything that specific. (The French phrase is from “Circumstances”, so I doubt it relates directly to Quebec, tbh.) More likely to do with elite vs mob, or class strife (remember, they were recording in the UK at this point). Maybe to do with political economics, too. As I say, there’s enough ambiguity to allow for multiple interpretations.
@@markmilner842 Quebec nationalism was around since. .. forever. Even Pierre Trudeau was before he joined the Liberals. But the ambiguity leaves it open for interpretation.
Lyrics are based on a short story Neil read. He evidently thought interesting enough to build music around.
Neil still had long hair at this point. So I think it is guy from 2112 who was resisting the star symbol who is now pointing perhaps? At a brain?
I read in another comment further up that the man in the suit also was Pentagram Guy on the '2112' cover (a friend of Hugh Syme) and the naked dude was a ballet dancer 🙂
I enjoy watching your reactions of RUSH, my almost home town band. Here's another for you to have a listen to. Max Webster Universal Juveniles. This is a special song from another Canadian band, but there is a surprise. Please trust me in saying that this is an excellent tune, if you indeed have a listen, you WILL be pleased.
Thanks, Rodger
The "woody marimba sounds" were done with so-called templeblocks, and it may indeed be an actual timpani on this studio recording. However, Neil had a couple of gong drums in his _live_ kit in those days, which are kinda like a timpani but open at the bottom, as opposed to rounded like a bowl 🙂
And I hadn't listened to this version in yonks! But also because I prefer the 'Exit...Stage Left' live version, which slaps more, especially after said "woody" part and when that awesome-sounding bass re-enters 🤩👍
Those were china blocks that Neil was playing
Actually woodblocks called Temple Blocks
@@garylagstrom3864 six of one, half dozen of the other.
Actually Neil is playing woodblocks and actually stands to play them during that section also referred as TEMPLE BLOCKS. As only a Priest from the TEMPLES of SYRINX COULD! Ha-ha!
Check out the actual video on VEVO to see what I’m talking about
Neil shyed away from meet an greets, was very uncomfortable meeting fans who acted like they were long lost friends. I'm pretty sure that's not naked Neil on the cover.😂
usually rush will have one song per album that sounds like it belongs on the next one ( like a hint of what's coming next). not The Trees though, it belongs on the previous album.
Love. This. Song. So much fun to play on bass. IMO side 2 of this album is Rush entering the height of their powers. Also, not only has Alex redefined his role as a harmonic colorist, but here he's thinking of his solo not as shredding exercise but as a song with a memorable tune (something he actually started doing on "No One at the Bridge" from CoS.) This will pay dividends down the road. And am I the only person reading a subtle political message into the lyrics, as in Oaks = U.S.A. and Maples = Canada (always in the other's shade)?
I think you'll like this studio version of La Villa, I know you're looking for Alex to do a little more and I think you'll get some of that in this, but I'm predicting it's Permanent Waves that you'll REALLY start to enjoy Rush more
Justin has reacted to a couple of live versions of LVS, but those were a while ago, so let's tune in tomorrow for the next instalment and the studio version...
@@grahamkey8496 yep I've seen those videos, but the studio version is unique in it's own way too. My fave La Villa version is off ESL, that solo, Alex shreds!!
There’s no hidden meaning, just Neil having a bit of fun. I think he once sued the Libertarians to stop using his lyrics, but that might be apocryphal. Ever played Rush trivial pursuit? It used to be a thing for the fans following them on their tours. Good times.
Here is my Reaction to RUSH La Villa Strangiato (Hemispheres Studio Version) out today!! --> th-cam.com/video/4KdOUjfvXyY/w-d-xo.html
So someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think some of audio from Exit... Stage Left is from different shows than the video. For example, one of the sides was recorded in Scotland but the entire video was from Montreal. If that is the case, you may want to review just the album takes from Exit instead of the video version.
So where Alex shines for me is how unconventional his solos are. The solo in the Trees, for example, is just weird. And it's played over 5/4. But yeah, when you are in a band with Neil and Geddy and you write your parts to serve the song and let those guys shine, it's hard to stand out! They've said that when there is a guitar solo they treat that section as a "band solo" and all of them go nuts. So Alex may be doing cool stuff but Geddy and Neil are not holding back to let Alex shine! They are right up there with him!
Also interesting how both Trees and Circumstance were written/arranged with a slow middle part.
I mentioned that the middle is in 5/4. I've said this before but one thing great about Rush is that they can play an odd time part and you just don't notice unless you count it out. They do them so smoothly. A lot of prog bands do odd time and make them jarring on purpose to call attention to the extra (or dropped) beats. Rush incorporates them organically in their music.
With regard to the "naked man", it is not Neil. The album is called Hemispheres and describes the battle between the Heart and the Mind and how you have to bring the two into Balance to have a good existence. So the analogy is that one hemisphere of your brain is where emotions are centered and the other is where logic and reason are centered. The two guys on the cover represent those two ideas which is why they are standing over different hemispheres of a brain. The protagonist flew his spaceship (the Rocinante) through a black hole in Cygnus X1 (book 1 on AFTK) and ended up in the battle between Apollo (god of reason) and Dionysius (god of love). He thought their fighting was dumb so he screamed, called out that you can't live on reason alone or love alone so the gods made him "Cygnus, the god of Balance you shall be".
This song, almost as goofy as ‘I Think I’m Going Bald’ but somehow more brilliant! Am I right?🤘🖖✌️🎸🥁🎹🎤
Was the trees audio only from the Exit Stage Left album or video from the Exit Stage Left concert video?
what got blocked by TH-cam you mean? I don't remember which specifically got blocked. I reacted to the video of The Trees at Exit Stage Left soooo idk. Hopefully when I get to the audio it won't get blocked that would definitely suck and throw a wrench in my full discography reactions... so far so good though!
@@JustinPanariello yeah that's what I thought. The videos from the Exit Stage Left concert video often get blocked. Usually the live album audio doesn't. Plus the set list on the album version is what everyone wants to hear.
Do you have a crush on Neil?😂
You really want the naked guy to be Neil don’t you?😂😂
Its a polemic on socialism.
Is a desk without a roll of toilet paper on it, really a desk? “All kept equal by hatchet, axe, and saw.”
I work so much I shit here also... you're not the first time bring it up but the first in several months. I blow my nose with it.
Been watching your reviews from the beginning. I generally like them, however you continued ignorance of Alex's playing is beginning to frustrate me. He is not just strumming chords.
I'm not saying he's just strumming chords the whole time... where did I say that? I'm observing... he's not playing like your run of the mill rock guitar player. The bass and drums play more of a lead role than other bands. Many people are commenting that Alex's genius is in his soundscape creation, chord voicings, arpeggios... what do you think those things are??? CHORDS!!! I'm not even saying the guy doesn't solo. Listen to my literal words and take them LITERALLY instead of making up insinuations and scenarios that are made up.. not by me. But you. My literal words is what I mean.
Unfortunately Justin you will never appreciate rush like the fans because of your lack of interest in lyrics. That is what the fanatics like the most about their songs You are Just not nerdy enough. lol
thats obviously ridiculous and a crazy outlandish thing to say... NEVER.. really. I highly doubt decades long Rush fans listened to their music with the lyrics in front of them during their first listen let alone first dozen or so listens. Music/Ears come first.
@@JustinPanariello I know I didn't. In some cases I still do not know the lyrics - these music videos with lyrics do sometimes fill in some gaps. Also, some of the music videos with lyrics are wrong. Oops.
Hemispheres is a masterpiece so you decided to listen to The Trees. Lol. Whatever.
You are living the lyrics my friend, & yes you are smart enough get it, I pray you do!
I’ve loved The Trees since I first heard it on ESL.
Apparently The Trees was the B-side of Circumstances. But unlike Circumstances it would go on to be a staple of Rush live sets being performed regularly since its release.
Neil never really explained the meaning of the song (like most of his lyrics he leaves it up to the listener). Most people interpret this song as an allegory on class conflict. Unfortunately because of the greediness of the Oaks (rich, powerful, ruling elite, etc) it ends in violence instead of compromise. But perhaps it’s just a song about trees. It is rumored that Neil saw a cartoon of trees arguing that inspired the lyrics.