This one is long. Rush "Xanadu" Vocal ANALYSIS by Opera Singer
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ธ.ค. 2023
- By popular demand. You all said this song by Rush was too long to analyze. I accepted that challenge! Enter: "Xanadu" - a mythical place that brings happiness and joy to all! Or was it despair. All I know is - it's been touted as one of the most epic progressive songs of all time, and I am all here for it!
Join professional opera singer Elizabeth Zharoff, as she listens to Rush performing "Xanadu" for the first time.
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Written and Performed by Rush
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I definitely recommend watching the original video without interruptions. Here's the link: • Rush - Xanadu
Show Rush some love: / @rush
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Elizabeth Zharoff is an international opera singer and voice coach, with 3 degrees in voice, opera, and music production. She's performed in 18 languages throughout major venues in Europe, America, and Asia. Currently based somewhere between Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth spends her days researching voice, singing, teaching, writing music, and recording TONS. She also plays Diablo and Dungeons & Dragons.
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We have a sister channel: THE SINGING HOLE. Join us there to examine how ordinary creatures create extraordinary sounds. / @thesinginghole
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Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
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We need a Tea Time with Geddy. I bet he would love to hear from an opera singer who loves his voice after he took so much grief for it.
Pretty please!
I think you're right and I think it would blow him away to hear somebody describing how much they like his voice and all the reasons why. He'd probably get a kick out of somebody enjoying how obsessively compulsive he is, even with his voice.
Absolutely yes. Geddy would be someone I would be interested in hearing from. I'm a big fan of his voice. Rush is a really cool band.
He's also promoting his new memoir right now too!!
Yes! That would be awesome!
FYI: The synthesizer sound you referred to is actually Alex using a volume pedal to "swell in" each note from his guitar, usually with some delay as well. It's a technique that he really mastered on this song (IMO) and while easy to do, it's hard to master the timing of hitting the note just early enough to get the effect.
Also without using Pro-tools. All Tape.
They used a lot of Roland guitar synth in that era also
@@highrx - I believe there were some early analog delay pedals and rack units that used capacitors (IIRC) instead of tape. Don't know which one Alex was using at the time, but his gear setup was quite extensive, even early on from what I've read.
fairly easy to do on the guitar itself if you wrap your right little finger around the volume knob - on a strat at least - and control the volume with each note
@@svennystrom4203 - True, but I found it easier with a good volume pedal.
Ya know, I'm a guitar player and I've listened to this song hundreds of times since the day it was made, but watching you experience it and listening to you explain things I never knew has caused me to have a whole nuther level of appreciation for a song that is nothing but epic on all levels. For that I thank you. And yes, listen to Xanadu thousands of times for the rest of your life.
This 100%
One of the greatest songs ever recorded and played by only THREE PEOPLE!!! The amount of work and multi tasking to create this from all three is truly astonishing!!! And play it live to perfection!!! Wow!!!
That track was taken directly from A Farewell To Kings. It was made to look like a live performance but it wasn't.
@@martinmurphy-ke2ge most bands with this much going on would have 20 people on stage... when Rush played live, how many people were on stage?
Seen rush live 3 times, late 70s , 80s,and 90s..always enjoyed Neil, and the boys, putting it all out there, every performance!! Great reactions 😊
@martinmurphy-ke2ge she should have reviewed the Exit Stage Left version. Better in every way than this. And live!
Primus performed it live as a three piece on their Farewell to Kings tour. It was incredible.
There's been a bare handful of "celebrities" whose passing I truly mourned. Neil Peart was one of them. His genius was an exquisite gift to us.
Agreed, that one hit me hard and that usually doesn't happen.
I'm just 40 pages into Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road, Neil's 2002 memoir about his daunting solo motorcycle trek across Canada and far north into Alaska, the Yukon and Northwest Territories. I'm just one-tenth into the tome and I've almost cried a couple of times reading it as he recounts the pain of losing his young adult daughter and longtime wife less than a year apart. It's also apparent that Neil was a great writer as well as a great lyricist. What tremendous losses he experienced and now we have experienced.
RIP Professor….your music and soul will live forever in us Blessed enough to experience your brilliance! ❤️🙏
Miss Neil.
@@timwhitnell7145 a great read as he dealt with his losses. A time where the whole entire Rush fan club was unsure if he would return. A genius gone before his time as God needed drum lessons and called him home.
You should have used the 1981 live version off Exit Stage Left. Best ever live performance I've ever seen. Having said that, there are no bad versions lol.
And let me just say I concur and must personally recommend the definitive 2023 Terry Brown Laserdisc Project uploaded by an unnamed individual...
You have to watch the Stickhits upload of The Trees/ Xanadu on your own time. It's a 3-man symphony.
Agreed - Exit stage Left is the definitive version for me. But I wouldn't mind seeing her listen to BOTH
@@StickHits- "Unnamed individual", yeah right! 😄
I always mention your channel, whenever I recommend 'Exit...Stage Left' clips 😊👍
Is actually 1980, the 1981 version sounds completely different I've heard both
My friend Forest (RIP) and I saw Rush introduce this song Xanadu at an "All the World's a Stage" tour concert back around 1977. Geddy said "this is a new song from our upcoming album". We were about 10' from the stage and it was the most amazing thing! What is almost missed in this video is the fact that Alex is playing 12 and 6 string double neck, Geddy is playing 6 string and bass double neck, plus the keyboard and both are playing synths with their feet. And the stuff Neil has going on, mind blowing. Love the reactions and descriptions also. Pure joy and surprise.
Saw them in Boise ID 77 best concert ever
You and Forest were blessed to have seen the preview of Xanadu on that tour and you are right - it was 1977. I saw the same thing tour st Sheffield City Hall in 77 and they previewed Xanadu there as well. Didn't know what it was, but hell I knew it was special.
I've been told that Geddy is actually playing a 12 string too. Half the tuning keys are behind the head of the guitar so it is easy to mistake it for a six string I thought it was a six string for about 30 years until I was educated on TH-cam a few months ago.
@@schafn Ah yes, the famous Rickenbacker staggered tuners. Very elegant compared to the massive Gibson headstock.
You are correct, apparently the black Rick doubleneck is 4 string bass 12 sting combo and the white Rick doubleneck is 4 string bass 6 string combo. You live and learn..........
Beautiful dude 😍
You nailed it there at the end. One of the main reasons I absolutely LOVE Rush is because you can listen to their songs 100 times and you will always be able to notice something new and understand something better. The level of creativity in each of their respective instruments is a joy to experience.
As a longtime fan of this channel, I just want to humbly thank you for featuring so much Rush content. They're my favorite band of all time and it warms my heart to see other talented musicians recognize them.
well said !
They're my favorite band too!! Since 1979.
I would like to humbly suggest that Moving Pictures is the greatest album of all time.
My favorite since 1978, because of Neil Peart initially, Geddy & Alex later. I had never heard drums played the way Neil did it. It was similar to the way I felt hearing Eddie Van Halen on VH's first album.
And I loved reading Neil's lyrics to my parents. My dad was a preacher so my parents were hard on me about rock music. I said, "see, no sex, drugs, etc. 😂
She didn't really mention it in the video, but to have this kind of vocal technique while also playing bass to the level he is, is pretty much inhuman. Amazing musician!
Throw in the fact that he also played keyboards and juggled all that like some multi-tasking mad man when they played live. The talent level of those 3 Canadians is un matched IMO.
One of my favorite concert moments was watching them open with “The Big Money” with Geddy singing, triggering sequences and playing Taurus pedals, all while playing a really involved funky bass part. Truly amazing looking back on it. Those guys sure could play!
Bassist on great levels of amazement are Geddy ,Geezer Butler,Steve Harris,Les Claypool, Flea, Cliff Burton, Lemmy just some personal favorites no particular order
Y'all need to listen to more Mastodon
I'm a Rush fan since 1977. Well, they became my #1 band by '79/80 probably. So a little while ago. But I was snobby about later shorter, more synth use songs. But their later music is growing on me. "Territories" might be their best song under 5 minutes. It's so important. While Neil & Alex certainly were sharing credits because Ged is generous like that, that's gotta be Geddy's song. Read the lyrics. Timeless. Really his parents gifted that to Geddy. And vice versa. Fair warning however: "Territories" has an ear worm. It's a good one, but really difficult to erase.
I love the way you are loving this! I have heard Xanadu hundreds of times. As a teenager through headphones. As a twenty-something on long road trips. On an iPod during long distance runs in my 30s and 40s. I thought I had really analyzed this to death. However, never have I been more emotional about it, than today. Something about the way you are enjoying it and breaking it down, makes it new for me again in my 50s! Thank you!
My exact thoughts! I know every detail of this piece because I've listened to it so many times, but seeing her reactions literally brought tears to my eyes several times. Thanks, Elizabeth!
My exact thoughts as well! I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. I love when someone fully appreciates my favorite band.
I've come to believe that we music lovers all have an "Elizabeth" buried in our psyche. And our "Elizabeth" is filled with joy at finding this kindred spirit who so eloquently states the things we don't quite know how to articulate but love just the same.
A Farewell To Kings, is probably my favorite RUSH album.
The "Synth" you refer to around the 4 minute mark, is actually Alex Lifeson doing volume swells with his 6 string guitar.
This is why you hear the "delay" He picks the note in time, then reaches down and turns the volume up to sound it and then back down to pick the next note to swell.
I was fortunate enough to see RUSH live twice.
I read back through the comments to make sure nobody else pointed this out before I did, but you beat me to the punch. When I was 18, I was in a band that played 20 cover songs and 18 of them were Rush songs. That was way before people started talking about tribute bands and alas, we were a 4 piece, not a 3 piece anyway.
I never thought that I'd ever sit through watching a 40-minute analysis of Xanadu. But seeing the sincerity and absolute joy of your smile made me feel like I hearing this song for the first time again.
At times, I couldn't decide if it was really joy or a smile masking a feeling of horror, but it was cool. And I have always said, those three guys can make a lot of racket. And it's wonderful. I also bet she needed a nap after that one. It's... epic.
Hey because of your comment I decided not to skip along, instead I stayed to watch and you are right my friend! PEACE great group RUSH :)
I also watched the whole video, having read these comments. Love Rush
Agree ❤
The genius of Rush is difficult to quantify... Despite how beautifully intelligent she is....
There are times in the history of music where pivotal artists change our fundamental knowledge of what music can be. Rush was a paradigm shift. Their influence on music is monumental.
I totally agree
Elizabeth and The Charismatic Voice is another one of those monumental influences
@@Phreddieboy I have to totally agree....I just love her to pieces. Her reactions are so adorable, but most of the other reaction types are mostly vapid, just trying to sell their cuteness to us old Rocker dudes. Elizabeth is truly educational. I love to sing, have a pretty strong voice, wide range, can mimic a lot of styles. All its ever led to is I went to state in HS swing choir and am always one of the stars of bar karaoke.....LoL. Still I love to sing for the enjoyment of it. I have learned so much about singing and music from Elizabeth I feel like I should be paying her for lessons. She is the complete package with both style and substance.
Yes, this is the best prog rock song. No contest. Seen Rush live (by tee shirt count) at least 9 times. Close your eyes and try to believe its only three musicians. The best.
One of top 10 PROG Rock songs for sure but not top three. Close to the Edge is one of those 3.
That was a lot of fun! I'm one of those old dudes who grew up with Rush. I think I might have taken it for granted a little bit. Your perspective really opens it back up for me, thanks!
Elizabeth, if you really want your mind blown listen to a live version of La Villa Strangiato. Alex' guitar playing is phenominal. No singing throughout the whole song, but Geddy, Alex, and Neil play in such a way together it just puts you in a state of awe.
agreed! one of the greatest instrumental songs ever.
Preach on. 👊
I loved watching a video about how difficult La Villa was to perform in just one take. It really pushed all 3 of their abilities to the limit, but that's just the type of band they were. Always seeking perfection at their craft. I love seeing how people are starting to grasp how good they really were together as a band. Long overdue imo.
Yes!!! And Yes
Even just the studio version of the song is amazing.
Probably three of the most talented players in modern rock and possibly three of the most humble and “regular” people who made it as far as they did. I wish Neil could have lived to bask in the, much deserved, recognition that they’re getting now on TH-cam.
It's like the speed of Neil's neurons firing synapses so fast millions of times bursting from his brain to the tip of his sticks so fast and so precisely it wore out his computer. There's many layers of brain usage by Peart. He must have had a very unusual brain physically. Definitely not mortal the level of skills and excellence Neil attained... I believe he must have arrived from Cygnus X1 !!! Dun dun dannunt!!
@@Greg-io1ipnot to mention the lyrics he wrote, so much thought went into those lyrics and how they would flow and tell a new story every time. That writing style is evident in the way he speaks too, how he built average sentences with so much care. The vocabulary he had was unlike anything I've ever seen.
"Probably"? C'mon. Just say it. Definitely.
@@Eternal_Satyr Well… there are some very talented people in the world. I didn’t want to go over the top.
Well said. Neil's death was the one time in my 56 years I've ever shed a tear for the death of a public personality or celebrity of any kind. The world, and my soul, took a massive hit that day.
"There's a specifity to his sound that works so perfectly with this power trio"
THANK YOU !!! I'm so tired of the disrespect that gets hurled at Geddy's voice. Rush would not be Rush without Geddy's voice. And I think it's AWESOME !!!
The birds you are hearing were actually in the hedgerows surrounding the studio where this was recorded, just north of Monmouth, on the England - Wales border, the very famous Rockfield Studios, same place as where Queen recorded Bohemian Rhapsody, worth looking up on Google for a full list of the iconic albums that were recorded there.
Anyway the offspring of those very birds still inhabit the same hedgerows today..
Alex Lifeson said this was a one take song. They had rehearsed it. Played part of it so sound engineer could work placement of microphones. They then played the whole 11 minutes. That is what you hear on the record. Their first take in the recording the song. Here is what was said about the song.
Despite its complexity and length, Xanadu is a rare "one take wonder" song. Guitarist Alex Lifeson said, "Xanadu was well rehearsed before going to Rockfield, I remember that. On the day we recorded it, Pat Moran, the resident engineer, set all the mics up and we ran the song down, partially to get balances and tones. Because it was a long song, we didn't need to complete that test run.
"We then played it a second time from top to bottom and that's what you hear on the album. Needless to say, Pat was shocked that we ran an 11-minute song down in one complete take. Practice doesn't always make perfect, but it sure helps!"
That is truly insane. I didn't know that. It gives me an entirely new perspective on the song.
The solo and birds were overdubbed, but yeah the rhythm track is entirely one take, which is real damn impressive.
I heard this as well. It blows my mind that they could record something so complex, so sublime and so monumental with such expertise and perfection in just two takes! This is my favorite Rush song.
The birds were live...they recorded outdoors at Rockfield.@@ChandlerTV100
I was going to tell this story, but you not only told it, but quoted an interview from which I learned this amazing story!
Keep in mind they had just come off of the longest tour of their whole careers and had not only written this on the road using brand new instruments (double neck guitars and basses, synth, bass pedals, extra percussion, new drum kit), but they had performed this song, pre-release, about 30 times live (that we know of). So they were a tight, well oiled machine by the time they hit the studio.
That being said, I can tell you from experience, performing ANY song for 5 minutes let alone 11, LIVE off the floor, especially as a whole band, whether it be relatively simple, or incredibly complex like this one, without a single duff note, errant squeak or noise from anyone is astonishing!
A year later they would attempt to do the same thing in the same studio with La Villa Strangiato and it took them over 40 takes and more time recording than the entire Fly By Night album (2 weeks) and they STILL couldn't get it down in one continuous live band take.
They had to use 2 or 3 takes plus the classical guitar intro to get it to their satisfaction.
A couple of months later they could practically play it in their sleep on the Hemispheres tour though. And there are MANY great live tapes from that tour to prove it.
Just goes to show that you never know which songs are gonna go down like magic right outta the gate, and which will be like pulling teeth to get right!
Not only that 3 people can create so much sound together, but even more impressive they could recreate it live. All three of them are phenomenal musicians.
So one thing I absolutely love about these reviews - you were very detailed and specific to explain Geddy Lee's vocals and his extreme precision and detailed choices with his enunciation, inflection and focus - while speaking with extreme enunciation, inflection, and focus... It's just FUN!!!!
Just a quick little story that you, as a parent, might appreciate. My very first concert experience was in 1977. I was 16 and the band was Rush on their A Farewell To Kings tour. Absolutely extraordinary. Fast forward almost 40 years. My son had just turned 16 when I took him to his first concert. The band was Rush on their Snakes and Ladders tour. I’ve seen so many great concerts over the decades (my constant tinnitus is proof of that) but those are the two most memorable.
I feel some great Karma...AFTK was also my first concert the day before my 16th birthday, it was the first time hearing the album immensely enjoyable and absolutely an unforgettable performance
i must add I find it frustrating this song was never played on the radio
To me, this is an absolute orchestral masterpiece, Rush at the pinnacle of their craft.
Geddy is amazing. He's playing bass, keyboards, and singing at the same time! One of the ways he pulls this off is with pedals. He can play bass and use pedals to trigger keyboard sounds, and when he's playing keyboards (with his hands), he has pedals to carry the bass sounds. It's almost like patting your head, rubbing your tummy, and repeating the alphabet backward simultaneously. Bravo!
He also plays 6 string guitar in this one
Seen him do this in person at least 8 times. He is an absolute virtuoso and a fantastic bassist.
Felix Hanneman of Zebra would do something similar. Obviously Geddy was an inspiration to Felix. I ran into him at Eddie Trunk's 40 years of radio celebration in Vegas. I didn't want to bother him with any questions. He like everyone else there, just wanted to enjoy the show, and what a show it was!!😄😄😄
Exactly! He's absolutely amazing. Unique.
Alex is also playing bass pedals on this song.
Really great review!
You do so well what I cannot, you put into words the way that I feel when I listen to this song.
I saw a Rush in 1972 when they played at my high school and once they released their first album I was hooked.
I was only 11 or 12 years old at the time.
Then, in 1977, they released “A farewell to kings”
For some reason I totally resonated with the music and the message.
I lived and breathed RUSH proudly which for me was big. I was not brave as a teen. Rush’s music and message were instrumental in building my confidence and my ability to appreciate all the good things in my life, and to not focus very long on the bad stuff. Don’t let others actions steal your power. If that’s all you do in life, it’s still considered a great accomplishment and a success.
Thanks for making me a proud Canadian from Toronto🙋🏻♂️✨
I got to experience Max Webster that way as my first concert in high school long before they were truly popular.
Your statement "Neil Piert is def warning us that we are def going somewhere so much bigger," was so correct. Great statement.
Elizabeth, with this choice you have unlocked the door to the "High Priest" level of epic progressive music. There is one more step in this quest and it can only be found in Cygnus X-1: Book II. This is your final challenge for ultimate ascendence. You effort and knowledge are unrivaled and served you well so far. Thank you. 🤘😁🤘
Yeah, I mean so many songs, such as the duet with Aimee Mann on "Time Stand Still" or the great final song, "The Garden (live)".
Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres is my favorite out of all of Rush's prog epics, tbh. A great song off of an insanely great album.
We're all pulling for you, Elizabeth - you can do it! 😁🤟💖
I've never got the love for Hemispheres. I find it boring, and twee in the lyric department. Not a patch on this, 2112 or even the original Cygnus song. Side 2 of Hemispheres is so much better than side one for me.
100%. It was my everlasting privilege to discover Rush in 1978 as a 13 year old in the UK and Hemispheres was the first vinyl I bought for myself - a mind blowing entry to the Rush experience.
When Rush performed Xanadu on their Rush 40+ Tour in 2015 they proved this is their greatest song each night they played it!! One of the greatest Rock masterpieces of all time!!
My favorite version of the song too! Beat the Exit Stage Left classic version imo, and I was able to see it live! (Just a baby when ESL came out lol).
Saw it on that tour, too. It was incredible. They did it right, Neil had the huge kit again with percussion, and the two double necks.
The only tour where Neil took a bow out front of his kit with Geddy and Alex.
Late 1977, my older brother and i sitting on the floor in front of our Telefunken stereo system as Q107 debuted the album in it's entirety. a very nice core memory.
When they performed this on R 40 it was stunning how tight and lovely it was from beginning to end. Part of my soul left my body and floated above being lifted toward heaven. Brilliant in every way.
I've been listening to that song for almost 50 years. Watching the lovely Elizabeth listen to it for the first time is such a joy and takes me back to my early days of discovering Rush.
I love the genuine delight you get whenever you hear this band.
I think she was as amazed as I was the first time I heard it. The thing is it never gets old.
The most amazing thing, IMO, about this song is the basic track is *one take* , start to finish! Favorite band, great talents!
I'll never forget hearing this live. My first time hearing it was exit stage left, live in super good headphones and i had recently finished reading David Edding's "The Belgariad" and WOW. It fit that world so well, too.
PLEASE do the 1981 Exit Stage Left version. The original studio version is superb, but that live version is NEXT LEVEL brilliance.
If I'm not mistaken, I believe this 'studio' version is actually live also. IOW it was done as if it were on stage. No tricks.
@@peterhodgkins6985 Doesn't matter, the definitive version of that magnificent work of art is the ESL version.
@@peterhodgkins6985 Correct, but the Exit Stage Left version is still so much better.
@@peterhodgkins6985 - Nah, they're miming to the studio version here, but spot-on. There are videos of 'La Villa Strangiato' and 'The Trees' with a similar look, and _those_ actually are being played live 🙂
Sure instrumentally it is next level, I'm not sure a vocal analysis would provide much more, except to see Geddy's bass/vocal dexterity live without a safety net
Thank you, I never thought in a million years that I needed soo desperately to hear this wonderful analysis. Bravo.
I'm so grateful for this deeply detailed breakdown of and thoughtful reflection on this amazing song. Not only is your technical analysis of vocal techniques and dynamics, but the ambience, transitions, storytelling, image and mood creation, textual interpretation. This video is a real masterpiece. I've been listening to this song for 40 years. It's the song I've chosen for the scenario where we are all told a comet is going to hit the earth and we have 11 minutes left. And now, you've given me so much more to enjoy and appreciate about the song. You're brilliant. As are Geddy, Alex and Neal.
Spent tens of thousands of dollars in travel and broker front row tickets to go to a total of 105 RUSH concerts starting in 1981 at the Philadelphia spectrum and ending with their last two shows in Irvine and Inglewood. My only regret is that I wasted the rest of my money on food and shelter 😮
Hahaha! I only saw them in the 70s. Lucky you...
Nice. I can only claim one concert. I envy you.
I was at the Irvine show R40. Fantastic show
Hemispheres, Perm Waves, Moving Pics, Snakes…….and owning all material good enough for me.
You, Sir, are a credit to the entire human species. I applaud you!
50 years later and this song still gives me chills !!
That little jump just before the 1st beat (at 14:00) is kind of a signature that Rush uses in a lot of their songs regardless of time signature - it sometimes sounds like they're "rushing" a bit, but they're not. It would sometimes fool my old drummer, who was excellent, when we were trying to figure out time signatures.
Just found your channel. I'm a gigantic Rush fan and really enjoyed your analysis of a epic classic. Plus your bubbly personality made me smile. 😊 I'll have to check out more
Speaking of “Subdivisions,” that’s another awesome Rush song.
She need to do that song since she mentions “it” here so often
I was thinking the same thing. i heard at least 5 mentions @@SuperDoubleTs
I jumped every time that word came up lol
I believe I have personally funded the majority of Geddy and Alex's retirement in worn out vinyl, magnetic tape and scratched up cd's over the last 45ish years.
Yeah, every time she said "subdivisions", I kind of chuckled. :D
The live version of Xanadu from their Exit Stage Left tour is the most insane thing you’ll ever hear. To hear this recorded in studio, where they can layer tracks, is one thing, but to hear three men play all of these sounds in a live setting and do an even better job than this studio cut is beyond amazing.
I have heard them do this song, which is one they always do, over 30 times live. It’s just mind blowing. Geddy singing, shredding the bass, all while playing the keyboards with his feet is just not to be believed. If I hadn’t seen them so many times live, I wouldn’t believe that three man can do this kind of stuff live.
By the way, this song predates Guns And Roses by a decade or more, so if any one influenced the other, it would be Alex’s intro that inspired Slash, not the other way around. This song was off of their Farewell To Kings Album which came out in 1977, I believe. I know that I was in high school, so it was ‘77 or ‘78, anyway, years ahead of Sweet Child Of Mine.
Yes that version is Outstanding 👍
that tour was the first time I saw them and yeah. it was mind blowing. so I saw them 18 more times over the years 🙂
@@damnyankeefl I didn’t see that exact performance, but I did go see them on that tour, which was the tour following Moving Pictures, but they later called it the Exit Stage Left tour because of the live album that came out of that tour. They did do Xanadu the night I saw them when they came to central Florida on that tour. I never missed a Rush tour beginning with Permanent Waves, this was my second time seeing them. They did Xanadu on the Permanent Waves tour too. In fact, I believe that they did Xanadu at every show I ever saw them at, including Clockwork Angels and the Farewell Tour. Like La Villa Strangiato and Tom Sawyer, it was a staple of every concert.
@@damnyankeefl me too, except I had first saw them the year before on their Permanent Waves tour. Never missed them on tour after that. They were the best concerts I have ever been too. Rush fans are a different breed than the average concert going fans. Not a bunch of screaming 13 year olds, but more mature and musically seasoned fans, who really appreciate the music of this band, not because they’re the hottest thing going at any particular time. Rush was never that. Those that go to see them are very, very familiar with their music and can sing every lyric and air drum to every Peart drum fill. A completely different concert experience for sure.
That album and the Broons Bane/Xanadu section got me into Rush. It was a revelation.
Your enthusiasm is addictive. As a Rush fan for over forty years, to see your reaction to, what I believe, is the best rock band ever, is simply fun. You have reviewed earlier Rush. If you want to experiment with the last Rush album, Clockwork Angel, you may want to give the song Headlong Flight a sample. The TH-cam version of the song, has the lyrics following along with the song. It is one of Rush’s most high energy driving songs. The video has a nice collection of Rush stage performances images throughout their years. And Geddy really stretches out his vocals in this one. The Garden on the album is a fantastic slow piece.
it would be interesting to get her take on how Geddy's voice and technique has evolved over the years. yes his range has changed as he's aged, but I think he also definitely changed how he sang a song (is it just as simple as key?) between hemispheres and earlier and permanent waves and later....
As a vocalist, my personal favorites to practice with are "Entre Nous" and "Different Strings". Both are extremely simple, very clean and well laid out vocally. The order of the lyrics on those two are SO easy to remember! This one's almost as easy. I always wanna drag "The Trees" along with it though. They naturally fit together. These two ("The Trees" and "Xanadu" are two of the most beautiful pieces they've ever done! They're very.. hypnotic. Especially Neil Peart's percussion during the transition.
I haven't been this excited since you reacted to 2112 last year 😀
The “expanding synth sound” you’re talking about in the opening of this amazing song is Alex’s guitar. He is using a volume pedal to swell the notes in. Geniuses, all three of them.
You should try another Canadian trio called Triumph. "Fight the good fight" or "Follow your heart". They have a ton of great songs. Very high voices. Rik Emmett(Guitar) and Gil Moore(Drums) harmonize very well together. Awesome channel.
Elizabeth, having found you in the recent years, I love love love how you catch so many nuances. One thing I heard Geddy ( Gary) say about his vocals, was especially poignant. That is how Neil would write lyrics and somehow Geddy would have to master not only how to deliver them especially as poetic, complex and emotive as they needed to be to get Neil's messages across. Think about how hard enough that is for a person who is a vocalist, but add keys, bass, synth etc into the mix and that is the magic of Geddy Lee.
Two double neck guitars, a keyboard, an array of foot pedals and a drum kit the size of Belgium. Welcome to Rush World... Magic!
A Keyboard? His keyboard setup is in the neighborhood of a Professor’s drum kit!
In the comments made on Rush by other musicians, many mention the double neck guitars and Neil’s kit and say “come on, that is just for show. No way they use all of that.” Then they say “and then they use it in the first five minutes.”
@@smilerpink SMH at that assumption, THEY ARE HEAVIER. And musicians don't think that way.
@@blairphifer1554the keyboard setup was huge at the time, but it basically consisted of an Oberheim 8 voice and a Minimoog in a custom case, with Taurus pedals on the floor partially wired into the Oberheim (those ancient times before midi).
I don't think there is another reactor on the planet who could even attempt to break this down in the way you have and it's just really super impressive. It opens my mind to completely different aspects of a song I've heard so many times. For a vocal person like yourself to even attempt this song that is almost 12 minutes long with a solid 5 minutes before we get to any vocals kind of blows me away....kudos to you.
Next RUSH review....Subdivisions.
You get much more of Geddy's mid-range voice throughout without the high-pitched stuff.... it's definitely a different sound. It's a great song that was an Anthem to a lot of high school kids in the 80s
I grew up listening to Rush and Neil was a massive influence in getting me started on drums. Other drummers influenced me as well but Neil was different. I'm older now, obviously, and I grew a distaste for his overplaying while realizing that his playing helped make the distinct sound of Rush. I was 14 when I started listening to Rush's 2112 when it came out and quickly bought their previous 3 recordings. By the time I was 18-19 I had learned every note that Neil plays up to Moving Pictures. Soon after that I kinda grew out of that phase and moved on to other forms of music and playing.
Listening to it now after all these years with your insightful comments has brought me tears a few times in fond reminiscence of why I loved Rush SO much so, thank you for that! You're a special kind of human to elicit that response from me. Love you!
The synthesizer "bounce" I think you mention during the pedal tone intro are actually the guitar using volume swells. Great video!
Everytime Elizabeth listens to Rush, there is so much joy in her feelings. ☺
I thought you said you prefer live versions. 😢 Please, Elizabeth, even if it's on your own time, you must see the Exit Stage Left version of this masterpiece. Neil is everywhere. Geddy is amazing on bass, keys, pedals and vocals. And Alex shreds the double-neck, 6 and 12-string like he was born with it in his hands. It's so good, a little tear forms every time I see it. God bless.
I concur! 😀 And I love your description of Alex's swift switching between both guitars! 😁👍 He too plays a pedal synth in that performance, by the way 😊
this is live.
I've been saying this for over 40 years...Alex Lifeson is a horrendously underrated guitarist.
I've heard that when Eddie Van Halen was asked what it was like to be the best guitar player in the world, he said "I don't know, you'd have to ask Alex Lifeson...." 😛@@n5iln
@@n5iln with respect: I hear this a lot, but I don't ever hear anyone underrating him. Most pro guitarists recognize his brilliance, as do I and many others.
I've always loved when Alex quotes the melody from Abba's "Fernando" toward the end of the intro! (It had come out the year before.)
One of the great things about Rush for me as a young (and now old) musician is that as my knowledge and ability grew so did my appreciation for their music.
I fell head over heels for RUSH about ‘80 at the age 10 because of older than me mentor, as one does… Despite playing numerous saxophones as a kid for 10 years, no musician am I. Practice and patience did pay off and I was, they all said, “proficient”. The thing was i
Funny that you mentioned 'Subdivisions', you should totally do that song too!
I love the accident that you refer multiple times to the 'subdivisions' within a Rush song, when one of their best tunes is called 'Subdivisions'.
Subdivisions is another great one for another analysis, for sure.
I was scrolling through the comments just to say SUBDIVISIONS! 😎
Thought the same.
@@TH-camChris23 Conform or be cast out!
first song i ever learned on keyboard
This is what the song Xanadu does to everyone the first time that they listen to it, you get the feeling like you have heard it before and brings you back to an earlier time. You automatically can sense what direction the song is going to build to the next chapter. This is what progressive masterpieces do to a person, they inherently flow and take you to a different place. Thank you for sharing cutie pie 😊
EPIC, TIMELESS, MASTER CLASS MASTERPIECE!!!
How have I listened to this piece for 45 years and not realized the intricacies Elizabeth points out in the first listen?! A master analyzing masters!
She hasn't found the river Ralph though.
I was thinking the same thing. How have I never heard the bells in the beginning modulating?
The insight is more valuable with Rush because they were so freaking good at perfectly nailing a song live. So well rehearsed. So precise- athletes in their prime.
It's honestly one of the things that initially drew me to progressive rock/metal... it seems every time I listen I hear something new I never noticed before. As a drummer, I've probably spent *countless* hours rewinding and listening to one of Neil's sections over and over and over because it turns out there was more going on than I initially thought.
Critics. Critics are for tourists
Just wait until you experience the Exit Stage Left version of this song. A flawless and powerfully mesmerizing performance.
I dont know if anyone else has touched on this in the comments already - and if so - forgive me. Twice - in two different videos - you have mentioned the specificity of Lee's phrasing.. I have been a Rush fan for (gulp) forty years(?) - and it hadn't occurred to me till you pointed it out - one of the reasons Im so hooked on your videos - you have listened to so many songs that important to me - I do have a list (Im nurophenominal of course I have a list lol) - and you mentioned again spot on - regarding the fact that hes a bassist - I am a singing bassist - but both at the same time for me - deeply challenging - but - also - Neil was the lyricist. The man whos time was metronomic wrote all those words - and he was a very precise cat. So I can imagine that had a profound effect on the way Geddy approached the phrasing. If you havent yet - I highly recommend the documentary "All The Worlds A Stage" if you havent seen it yet. Its four hours long - but it doesn't feel like it. By the end of it - you will not just love the music more - but the three cats who made that music - are some incredible human beings - and each one fascinating in their own right. OK - my nerd work is done here - great videos - its a gift to be able to revisit the music thats shaped me - as an artist and a human , through someone else's ears/eyes. Im moved by your earnest reactions.. I have similar reactions to music - deep, like nervous system deep - I warn folks when I play with them that once I hit the stage and "unmask" im the equivalent of a "funk muppet" - well - that is too say when Im not playing music. - Im wearing my people mask... when I play I get to be me.. a big funk muppet..
Love that observation of the house finches and the tubular bells (wedding gone wrong) which feeds perfectly with the sense that Xanadu is not the paradise we think it will be…
It's amazing Geddy is able to sing at all, while playing two instruments at the same time.
....and throw in some Taurus pedals for good measure LOL
4 instruments, bass, keys, guitar, & taurus pedals with his feet
@@edwardziff3274 At the same time
@@allenfackler well keys and pedals or bass or guitar and pedals he's playing a double neak Rickenbacher bass/6 string guitar
@@edwardziff3274while singing in time
Another great 10-minute masterpiece to check out is “The Camera Eye.” Ridiculous vocal range. There are a lot of difficult jumps in that song. You should also try to get Geddy on for Tea Time. He’s such an amazing interview and kind person.
In the beginning part, that sound that seems like a synth..is Alex plucking a note on his guitar. , and using the volume control to produce that synth tone. The song 'based on the writing 'Kublah Kahn" and also the book, 'Paradise Lost" accentuates the endless search of man for immortality. It is found in Xanadu, yes, but once there, you can never leave. 'Frozen in an Ever-lasting youth" . This paradise found, now becomes a prison. One longs for the mundane , fleeting pleasures of normal life, but once you leave Xanadu, you instantly die. Perhaps of the sin of lust for life itself. Thank you Lisbeth for this wonderful and much awaited run through of Rush's magnum opus.:)
Rush has been an inspiration to me since I first heard Tom Sawyer on cassette tape with headphones. It has a timeless feel to it. It's real music. It's extremely technical and sophisticated. Without Neil Peart, Rush would not exist.
Yes !!! More rush !!!!!!!
Now that you have done the studio version you will face a tidal wave of fans rightfully insisting you react to the live Montreal 1981 performance, and totally unrelated coincidence I just spent like half the summer working on a newly restored version of it! 😃
The work you've done you are an unheralded saint to us Rush fans
Yes...let me add my thanks as well...I have enjoyed your work greatly, and I am deeply grateful for how you have refreshed and renewed these works of art. It makes me wish that there was an old video of the boys live performance of ByTor from the All the World's a Stage album...but I am not aware of any video that exists of that specific performance.
glad I found you in the comments - instant sub for me to explore another Rush rabbit hole of content🤤
Funny seeing you here! You do great work!
I concur, the Stickhits version is the absolute best. Thanks for all the work you’ve put in to restoring so many epic Rush performances! Excellent!
On Rick Beato's analysis of this song he says that the intro part isn't played with a synth, like what this video claims, it's played on the electric guitar using a volume expression pedal, which also sounds more accurate to me having played using volume controls in a similar fashion.
I've seen Rush 17 times, even got the "Man In The Red Star Of The Solar Federation tattoo (2112). I've enjoyed your reviews! You know how some folks say facial and body language can be stronger than words? You showed it--almost dancing to some of the chapters, looks of suprise, confusion, pleasure, and bewilderment. That is so cool, coming from you on that camera. You explain your analysis pure and raw, yet educational, and just all about 3 guys from Canada making hugs prog rock/metalized hits.
The entire A Farewell to Kings album is an incredible piece of work. Love your approach to analyzing this music and sound.
Totally agree....for some reason I always think of Closer to the Heart as one of their songs after the Moving Pictures demarcation and forget it was on Farewell to Kings.....man I love Rush......Top 5 favorites, and maybe even number #1.....I drift away from them for years and years but every time I come back their songs are always fresh, and are timeless classics.
Probably the only person I ever cried for who I never met. His passing hit me hard and I mourn him every December. RIP Professor.😢
Same. Had to leave the room and have a private moment
This is my favorite video you have ever done. First off, Rush is my favorite band and this is in the top 5 of songs (Side one of 2112 is at the top) second, you have eloquently described the music and the voice of one of the most unique bands ever. Thank you for your sincere love, joy and understand of this band.
Kindred souls. Side one of 2112 is my favorite rush creation. I hear geddy and Alex may collaborate on some new music in the near future. Anxiously awaiting that but know deep down there will never be another group that I love more than rush.
You should forget the ancient and listen carefully to everything starting with Grace Under Pressure, Rush Change 3 hears Alex playing guitar 4 different ways in a song. Hard to explain but as Al says, it’s his most difficult period. Same with Power Windows. All RUSH ages well! I’m afraid to overuse the great stuff, like this.
Wow she made me tear up with her excitement, thank u for your expression of love for such a phenomenal song from a phenomenal band!!
Geddy, master of vocals , master Bass
Player , moog pedals , keyboard's !
Humble human being, we are not worthy!!!! Canada proud, 😁🇨🇦
Xanadu (RUSH) from Exit, Stage Left is a must.
La Villa Strangiato is one of their best but no lyrics. I’m currently reading Geddy’s book. It is beyond great.
I concur on La Villa Strangiato!! My fave by Rush.
I bought geddys book it's great
@@kennethreid2794 it’s so good. I loved the nostalgia of the early 70’s and then learning about their party days of the early 80’s.
I'm up to where they are recording Hemispheres, very well written, must read for any Rush fan.
@@5thPhoenix Oh yeah, one of my favorite solos as well! From those slow, atmospheric cries with the volume pedal, to that bluesy feel, to a touch of the middle eastern, and then just utter face melting shredfest.
What a journey! Listening to Xanadu straight through can be a satisfying musical experience in itself for anyone, but you have brought a little more depth and insight into this theatrical and dramatic work of art by pointing out things I've never quite heard in it, or even thought about. 🎉
Xanadu is that rare song that you love the first time you hear it and every time thereafter. The song is 47 years old and works just the same today as it did in 1977.
Just checked out a video of you singing opera from 11 years ago. Holy cow. You are quite a talented woman!
Hard to believe this sonic masterpiece is almost 50 years old. Sounds as refreshing today as it did way back in the day. As vital and important as ever. The legend of Rush will only continue to grow.
I love watching people break down the music side of Rush songs because how they wrote the music just fits so well thematically with the lyrics and I understand the song so much better
Never looked at this song in the way you have presented it. Thank you "The Charismatic Voice", I appreciate your perspective. This is one of my two favorite Rush songs. This one, and Fly by night. cheers
wow.....how 3 band members can make the sound that many bands need 5 or 6 players! Rush is incredible! R.I.P. Neil !
It's true. The Exit stage Left live version is just about the only time in the history of man, and I'm counting 40 years of Rush concerts, that a song was performed better live than in the studio with tracks and editing.
Some are fun, like YYZ in Rio and Working Man in Cleveland, and some were spot on versions of the studio cuts (just about every song in every concert from 1980-1996) But this was an elevation.
Ok, ok, Leave That Thing Alone, (Time Machine) for sure.
Check out Dire Straits Romero and Juliet from the live album Alchemy. Even better than the studio version.
I would argue that the live versions of "Something For Nothing" from many of the bootlegs on the Hemispheres tour are better than the studio recording on 2112.
The other time is the Siouxsie and the Banshees' live version of "Night Shift" on the album Nocturne.
The whole VH live right here right now was better than the album songs.
The whole ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE is better live than studio, LED ZEPPELINs "NO QUARTER" is better live than studio, just a thought.😊
I played this for a summer school English class of seniors back in 1991 (actually, a mix of early-grad juniors and taking-it-again seniors) to supplement our reading of the associated Coleridge poem. Those poor kids had already been through four hours of U.S. government from 8am-Noon and I taught the afternoon 1pm-5pm session. I figured this would be a great way to help them understand the esoteric mystery of what was being described. During the song, I could tell some were into it while others were not -- but I paid close attention to their body language at certain points, especially when Geddy hits that last "is it paradise?" wail of desperation, because that summed up the tragedy for me personally as the teacher. I'm sure "escape these caves of ice" resonated with kids that had to be there all day as well. It was fun to get paid a pittance to be creative in the classroom and get to listen to my favorite Rush song.
To show my musical nivety at the time I wasn't really aware of Rush in 1981 when I discovered them. Rock has always been my thing limited to mainstream Heavy Metal. I knew that some school friends had gone to the Exit Stage Left concert at the (long lamented) Glasgow Apollo and decided to buy the album out of curiosity. The fact it's the Glasgow recording of Closer to the Heart that pushed me. Best album I ever bought and introduced me to what I believed Rock music should be. It was when I heard Xanadu for the first time, it totally blew my mind and been a Rush fan ever since.
Mr. Peart has , on this set,
Ludwig 4" cowbell
LP standard Agogo Bells
LP Black Beauty Cowbell
Gon Bops Agogo Tri- Bells
LP Rock Cowbell
For a total of 8 bells and the way he uses them is the reason he's called the
" Professor " .
This has been my favourite Rush song for over 40 years. Love it!
in the past I have occasionally, when watching your analyzations of classic rock material, find myself asking in my head, 'how doesn't anyone know these songs.' however your enthusiasm reminds me of my 'first listen' experiences to these epic masterpieces from my youth. There are a few that the moment they come on the radio, come up randomly on Alexa, or even show up in a movie, my eyes tear up and my soul fills with joy: Xanadu is one of those! your genuine joy is beautiful to experience with you.
That bitter, agonized wail of "paradise" Gets me every time
Your facial expressions are timeless. You always are able to put a smile on my face no matter how crummy of a day I'm having.
Someone has probably already mentioned this but Neil the drummer wrote almost all the lyrics. This one is based on the Samuel Coleridge poem Kubla Khan. It’s the curse of immortality- is it paradise?!?
“In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree…”
Many years ago, a DJ in San Antonio read Kubla Khan on the radio, then played this song.
"Rime of the Ancient Mariner" but close enough.
Yes - he wrote it while tripping out on opium! Sad thing is, he never finished the poem as his trip was disrupted by the postman🤷🏻
Not the postman, "a person from Porlock".
@@nicholasvinen Ahhh yes - you're right!
Elizabeth, I am becoming a big fan of your channel, and it is analyses like these that are doing it. I was struck by your comment near the end about how the musical variations differ from performance to performance. With that, I think you have hit upon the very reason why so many Rush fans went to see so many of their concerts. I and my wife are huge Rush fans, but we are lightweights--I saw them live eight times and my wife seven. (I know fans that have gone to hundreds of their performances.) Rush was the band we saw more performances of than any other, and by a wide margin.
I really love hearing your perspective because my wife and I enjoy a pretty wide musical range, but it was opera that brought us together. During the 1990s, we were supernumeraries at the San Francisco Opera, and we met during a production of Rossini's "Guillaume Tell." She got her degree in music at Cal and is a trained coloratura soprano. I only took a voice class at a community college, but I am a huge fan. What I enjoyed the most about working a the opera was seeing a show come together from the earliest rehearsals (with just piano) and the quest to find the drama that is written between the staffs on the sheet music. Watching you do the same is a treat, and reminds me of that wondrous process.
I look forward to enjoying many more of your analyses!
What an awesome analysis of one of the greatest songs from,imo, the greatest band in history, Rush. You pointed out so many things I’ve noticed but never been able to explain, until now. Excellent! Thank you!