Speaking of Alex, a few days ago, he received the Lifetime Achievement award from the National GUITAR Museum. Well deserved and I'm so happy to see him be recognized for his 60 years of wonderful, spontaneous work as a guitarist. He's my absolute most favourite guitarist of all time.🍁 Merry Christmas from Ontario, Canada!
Give this another listen knowing that they are the three helpless and the necromancer is the music industry executive. Much like in by tor and the snow dog, the battles was in the music.
"Prince By-Tor", the hero of this track, was the villain on the previous album, in 'By-Tor and the Snowdog' (where he was described as "Knight of Darkness"... "Devil's Prince"). He was defeated by the Snowdog and "retreats to hell". Hence his "battle for freedom from chains of long years" in 'The Necromancer '. By-Tor redeemed himself, freeing the three travellers by defeating the Necromancer, who fled elsewhere to terrorise other people. By-Tor and the Snowdog is a classic, too. The Battle is immense! Hope this helps
"Alex is a guitarist I trust".. what a perfect statement to describe his abilities as a guitarist to do what is right for the song rather than for the ego.
Thanks for reviewing RUSH, my favorite band. Three great musicians that didn't get the recognition they deserved because they "rocked" the system. That makes them all the much better.
Well said. Alex Lifeson, is a very capable guitar player, excellent with the effects of his 100 pedals, as well as synthesizer, but he's about the song sounding good; instead of showcasing himself.
Thanks for enjoying Rush as much as we have - and for speaking up for Alex. It’s what many of us have been saying since the 70s. There was a time when it was so uncool to be a Rush fan. We stuck with them - now the whole world loves them. Keep rocking bro 🤘
I think one of the things that gets overlooked is the number of albums put out by Rush in that first 8 years while still touring worldwide. All of that complex, awesome music in such a compressed timeframe- Rush - 1974 Fly By Night - 1975 Caress of Steel - 1975 2112 - 1976 A Farewell to Kings - 1977 Hemispheres - 1978 Permanent Waves - 1980 Moving Pictures - 1981 Signals - 1982
Rush takes you on journeys my friend! I personally think this contained some of Alex’s greatest work, he truly has the ability to weave through Geddy’s baselines and Neil’s drum fills that pulls all the music together… Incredible musicians
3 members that sound like there's 5. Over the years, each member were voted best at their instruments from one time to another, and they all come from the same band.
Same here im not much of a fan of their stuff after moving pic There are some i like The Garden being one I was a teen in the late 70s Early Rush in burnt in to my brain The Fountain will be in my ear buds when i am 80 if i make it there Peace to ya
This is the one song I wish I could have seen them play live. I've seen them well over 20x starting with the Signals tour and literally would have died (happily) to hear this played live 😊❤️🎶😊❤️🎶😊❤️🎶
"Did they break the spell with the music?" YES! YES! I only recently began watching your Rush reactions and I'm really enjoying them. You're a pretty sharp guy how you pick up the music and lyrics. But I think what stands out more is your intense curiosity to figure out what these songs are about...again, musically and lyrically. You don't give up easily but will admit when you're stumped (don't feel bad, Rush can do that to you). And YES, Alex is a guitarist who plays with purpose. He always tries to match his guitar mood/effects with the story of the song. He plays with so much expression. Great reaction!
when it came out it was so out there that people didn't know how or what to feel about it. Its so prog that it scared many people away. Over the years since its release it has been re-evaluated as being a fairly solid album with Fountain and Necromancer being some of the best "long" songs Rush ever did
I’ve always thought this song was about themselves, the band coming to America being sucked dry by promoters,stretched to their limits, record labels and managers. Just a thought.
Widely dubbed their worst album by the dullards of the mainstream media and rock criticism of the day, "Caress of Steel" is an absolutely incredible album.
@katskillz funny, I've never heard any of them say that. In fact Neil and Geddy have both said they were proud of this and were disappointed at the reaction. With that said without this record 2112 would never have existed. Cheers 🍻
Change in tone is the Bass guitar has a switch to alter which pickups are used (or mixed in studio?), like with how some six string guitars do? Yea man, this whole band are all legendary. I'm one of those super crazy fans for over 40 years already. It really warms my heart watching many reactions to their music by people new to hooking up with Rush! My next recommendation is to do By-Tor and the Snow Dog which is another story song that I know that you'll dig man! Enjoy Rush, the Rush family welcomes you, brother. Peace on earth and goodwill toward all men. Merry Christmas & Holidays and Happy New Year!
In an interview recorded since the band retired, Geddy was asked what his honest opinion of Alex Lifeson was, without an instants hesitation he replied He's the best rythym guitarist in the world .
When they are going ham and playing fast represents the "battle". They did this same concept on Bytor and the Snowdog on the previous album to this one. They were definitely in a conceptual experimental phase. Bytor, Necromancer and Fountain of Lamneth all were learning experiments leading up to the epic 2112 opus.
Great reaction! The part where you said “they’re going ham”, was the actual fight between the Necromancer and Prince By-Tor! Merry Christmas and God bless… from Texas!!
The Necromancer is easily a top ten song for me from Rush, and that is still praising it considering Rush's song discography of 178 original songs. More, if you count every part of their multi-part epics as a separate song, which they really are by normal standards, but of course one can't fit Rush into normal standards. And by extension, Caress of Steel is in the top 5 of Rush albums for me, even though Neil did go a little hay-wire with the lyrics of the song 'I Think I'm Going Bald.' I can appreciate it at my age of 56 with the fact that I am going bald now, but I didn't care for the song content when I was a teenager and young adult. And it just really isn't subject matter that should be combined with rock music, maybe a late song number played by a blues band in some dive at 1 am when everyone is passing out anyway. The music and instrumentality of 'I Think I'm Going Bald' is fantastic, but it's no wonder this album was initially a failure for them with low sales and low show attendance, when your core audience is teenage and twenty-something guys at the time and you put a song like that on the album?!? What young man has anyone ever known that wants to rock to a song of that title and lyrical content?!? That all being said, I am requesting a reaction from you to Rush's 'I Think I'm Going Bald' from Caress of Steel album.
When I was a young Rush fan, this song was the measuring stick on whether you were a true fan or not. I have always absolutely loved this song. Merry Christmas brother to you and yours.👍
Great reaction. You should now do the first part By-tor and the snowdog. I really like your analysis. You are musically gifted as well you pick up your bass on a first listen and mostly nail what your listening to. Pretty admirable! I believe Rush is the greatest band ever the musicianship and the messages are like no other.
Rush is hands down my favorite band and has my whole life(my dad’s favorite band too) however this song is even to out there even for me. I do love the fountain of Lamneth though!
I love the earlier Rush. I’ve only seen them live once on the Vapor Trails tour. The Necromancer is one of my favorite rush tunes; but, I have to say this would be impossible to play live as a 3 piece. I wonder if they’ve ever performed it live.
I remember listening to this Album when it first came out and like Rush, this song has grown on me like no other.Thanks for giving Alex the praise he deserves. His Soul-los have so much emotion in them, it brings a song up to another emotional level. All Rush is good, but I grew up on the early Albums and I just love those first 5 Albums.Thanks for playing Rush Church Boy.
There was a huge battle played out through the music ... that was when By-Tor came in. Spectacular, often overlooked album. 'The Fountain of Lamneth' (also on this album) has always been my favorite. Great reaction.
Hi Church, thank you for this. You definitely picked up on the strengths of this song on your first listen. I remember my first reaction to this was "WTF was that??". Over time, as a hard core Rush fan, the Caress of Steel album became one of my favorites. There's just something about it, the fusion of youthful energy and wonder, along with their musical experimentation that makes it so fascinating, knowing what will come in the future. Thank you for what you do, and my best wishes to you and your Family for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
The guys were a little out over their skis on Caress of Steel. It proved to be too much to take on at that point in their careers. Still, they did manage to make some majestic music. It sounds a little dated now that we're 50 years out from it, but there's incredible energy on it. And they all showed flashes of the sublime brilliance to come, especially Geddy.
The engineer/producer was Terry Brown, one of Canada's legendary producers. He produced album nos. 2 to 11 (8 studio and 3 live) for Rush. This song is from Rush's third studio, Caress of Steel. It's the one that sort of flopped on release, setting the stage for their all or nothing gambit with their fifth studio release, 2112. Fun fact: Terry Brown's very first gig, as engineer, was for a 1967 release by an obscure little group callled... The Jimmy Hendrix Experience.
I believe Geddy used two different basses on this track. The middle 'Battle' section with his old '68 Fender P bass after it was altered and modified with a J pickup close to the bridge and the front and rear sections with his '73 Rickenbacker.
Im a huge Rush fan since 1978 I love that you enjoy reacting to these Rush,but with respect to everyone involved they didnt have too many songs on their first 2 albums with neil,only a few like,lakeside park,fly by night,in the end, anthem,bastille day,no one at the bridge,a couple more,but all in all they made much better songs from a farewell to kings onwards to clockwork angels IMHO,Thanks for helping to spread the Rush gospel they inspired me a lot!
Now you're gonna have to listen to the song, "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" off the first Rush album to feature The Professor called "Fly By Night" from 1975. Neil has a special drum cameo in that song...
You need to go back to the “Fly By Night” album and a song titled “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” to see where their progression to the long form story songs like “2112” and “Hemispheres” began - as well as the first appearance of By-Tor. (By-Tor was a German Shepherd and the snow dog was a little white yap dog of a crew member) In addition, Neil really shows his chops in that one. You’ll love it!
Alex is one of the greatest for the people who know. He can't hit a wrong note except for the second solo in 2112 where he seems to target all of them. 😅
As a teenager in the early 80s i would headphone this album at bedtime and fall asleep to it with a cassette that would continuously play the whole night long😂
This song makes me think of how young they were at this time - the story is a bit basic, very Lord of the Rings type, but the music is so raw and, ss you said, dark at times. It's emotional and gripping, fast and furious. Excellent!
Folks, most Rush fans know this but there are some who do not. The Necromancer is a spinoff song from J.R.R. Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings novels. Neil was big into Tolkien well before all the LotRs movies came out.
This song is a tour de force and criminally under-appreciated. Thanks for sharing your awesome musically-experienced reactions with us Church Boy!!! You absolutely MUST next react to Rush’s song “Cygnus X-1: Book I. The Voyage” next!!! I feel it’s the next progression and level of a rollercoaster ride from Rush! Merry Christmas to all!!
Great content and reaction. Rush semi-jokingly dubbed this album cycle tour the “Down The Tubes Tour” based on the record company’s rejection of their musical direction and tepid and confused reactions by critics. However, Caress of Steel was the precipitate to their defiant follow on masterpiece: 2112. That would be a perfect next reaction. Merry Christmas sir!
I'm speechless, you said it man... it is something that just can't be understood. well, dude, understand. Just like love, it's hidden in the music; I get so angry when Neil, and Geddy get their props, like Alex. it seems like he just takes it all in stride, as he sees his buds; constantly revile in the attention, almost constantly. He is bigger than your Van Halen types, and other flashy types who do it from their own self at the middle; the world keeps rewarding them by way there of God. Come on guys... don't compare your influences by God. So, if you choose to live that way, please show even a tiny bit of of that which what you do in your Dailey day to day of resistance... I'm tired, long day... thus I will be back... thanks for the time. Marty
Absolutley love your content, keep up the amazing work! You need to check out "Rush - Xanadu (Live From The Montreal Forum / 1981)". It may be the best live rock performance of all time! God bless and Merry Christmas!
I hadn't thought about it until now, but the beginning of this sounds a lot like Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs". Another good one worth looking into.
im so happy you found the engineers work ... in the unlikely event you read this ...plz look at more of their early work ... its all about experimenting... edit ... nice tone from that bass dude... also thank you for isolating and conglomerating the virtuosity and the synchrinicity as a bass player i would like to say 2 things ... 1. i miss my rick ... 2. the drums and the bass together ...shit dude ,,, isnt that just heaven right there ?
another dark story like this is Queensryche's "No Sanctuary" an awesome story and song. And of course BlueOysterCult's "Black Blade" based on Micheal Moorecock's Elric saga. Elric and his sentient demonic sword tell the story of the hapless eternal Cosmic Champion of the Lords of Chaos.
Thank you for the Christmas gift for this reaction ha, you are best music reaction. I knew you’ll love this! Thats right bang that head like the rest of us lol. This song was recorded in 1975 too, 3rd album when Neil first added 4 new small toms. For more roller coaster rides, “By-Tor & The Snow Dog”(1975) “The Fountain Of Lamneth” (1975)(with Neil’s crazy crazy studio drum solo), “2112”(1976) “Cygnus X-1” (1977), “Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres” (1978). Thanks again and Merry Christmas!
Speaking of Alex, a few days ago, he received the Lifetime Achievement award from the National GUITAR Museum. Well deserved and I'm so happy to see him be recognized for his 60 years of wonderful, spontaneous work as a guitarist. He's my absolute most favourite guitarist of all time.🍁 Merry Christmas from Ontario, Canada!
They shredded the shit out of that spell!😎🤣🤘🔥🔥🔥
Alex is among the most underrated guitarists ever!
Eddie Van Halen was asked what it was like to be considered the greatest guitar player in the world...
His reply.
"Ask Alex Lifeson."
Give this another listen knowing that they are the three helpless and the necromancer is the music industry executive. Much like in by tor and the snow dog, the battles was in the music.
"Prince By-Tor", the hero of this track, was the villain on the previous album, in 'By-Tor and the Snowdog' (where he was described as "Knight of Darkness"... "Devil's Prince"). He was defeated by the Snowdog and "retreats to hell". Hence his "battle for freedom from chains of long years" in 'The Necromancer '. By-Tor redeemed himself, freeing the three travellers by defeating the Necromancer, who fled elsewhere to terrorise other people.
By-Tor and the Snowdog is a classic, too. The Battle is immense!
Hope this helps
"Alex is a guitarist I trust".. what a perfect statement to describe his abilities as a guitarist to do what is right for the song rather than for the ego.
Alex is a guitar God as Neil is a Percussion & Geddy is a Bass God
Thanks for reviewing RUSH, my favorite band. Three great musicians that didn't get the recognition they deserved because they "rocked" the system. That makes them all the much better.
The 3 Alex layers in the first part always blew me away.
Does anyone else hear The Who’s “Teenage Wasteland” during Part III (Return of the Prince) ??? Jumps right out at me every time.
Terry Brown was the recording engineer. Another musical genius, he was perfect for the band.
Shout-out to Broonsie!
The spoken parts was by Niel Pert.
This song is like an entire fantasy movie in 12 minutes.
Rush is my favorite BAND. I consider myself lucky to be alive while they made albums.
Well said. Alex Lifeson, is a very capable guitar player, excellent with the effects of his 100 pedals, as well as synthesizer, but he's about the song sounding good; instead of showcasing himself.
Such an overlooked album. One of my favorites!
"Hey man....this is DOPE!!" Yup, thats exactly what spawned this Lol
Alex was doing shizz as a teenager that others couldnt even dream of. Well done.
How this one is overlooked is beyond me .❤
Thanks for enjoying Rush as much as we have - and for speaking up for Alex.
It’s what many of us have been saying since the 70s.
There was a time when it was so uncool to be a Rush fan.
We stuck with them - now the whole world loves them.
Keep rocking bro 🤘
Terry Brown, their engineer, was the 4th genius on this band. Alex's guitar work on this is sublime.
Church Boy meets the Necromancer. How ironically cool is that! Great reaction! 🎄
100% agree on your Alex Lifeson comments. He knows how to fill space, but also fit into the mood the drums and bass are conveying.
I think one of the things that gets overlooked is the number of albums put out by Rush in that first 8 years while still touring worldwide. All of that complex, awesome music in such a compressed timeframe-
Rush - 1974
Fly By Night - 1975
Caress of Steel - 1975
2112 - 1976
A Farewell to Kings - 1977
Hemispheres - 1978
Permanent Waves - 1980
Moving Pictures - 1981
Signals - 1982
Rush takes you on journeys my friend!
I personally think this contained some of Alex’s greatest work, he truly has the ability to weave through Geddy’s baselines and Neil’s drum fills that pulls all the music together…
Incredible musicians
A Necromancer is someone that has the power to animate the dead. Thankyou and a Merry Christmas to you sir.
The absolute best outro guitar solo, bar none. 2 things that Alex does very well and that he has very few peers with are layering and setting a mood.
And just a note, that's Neil's voice doing the talking. This album is just pure classic.....
3 members that sound like there's 5. Over the years, each member were voted best at their instruments from one time to another, and they all come from the same band.
If anyone had any doubts that Rush can Rock, just listen to this one,a lot of Sabbath ish, Zeppelin ish, But all Rush!!! Fantastic musicians!!!
I could listen to 1970s Rush jamming all day.
Same here im not much of a fan of their stuff after moving pic There are some i like The Garden being one I was a teen in the late 70s Early Rush in burnt in to my brain The Fountain will be in my ear buds when i am 80 if i make it there Peace to ya
This is the one song I wish I could have seen them play live. I've seen them well over 20x starting with the Signals tour and literally would have died (happily) to hear this played live 😊❤️🎶😊❤️🎶😊❤️🎶
"Did they break the spell with the music?" YES! YES! I only recently began watching your Rush reactions and I'm really enjoying them. You're a pretty sharp guy how you pick up the music and lyrics. But I think what stands out more is your intense curiosity to figure out what these songs are about...again, musically and lyrically. You don't give up easily but will admit when you're stumped (don't feel bad, Rush can do that to you). And YES, Alex is a guitarist who plays with purpose. He always tries to match his guitar mood/effects with the story of the song. He plays with so much expression. Great reaction!
Caress of steel and moving pictures are my favorite Rush albums. Good reaction video. Will check out more. 👍🙂
Some of the best Rush! Caress of Steel is an amazing album!
Took years to get the love it deserved ... but it was always my favorite album. There's a special place in your heart for your first 😉
when it came out it was so out there that people didn't know how or what to feel about it. Its so prog that it scared many people away. Over the years since its release it has been re-evaluated as being a fairly solid album with Fountain and Necromancer being some of the best "long" songs Rush ever did
My favourite RUSH album of all time. Was not well received at the time and still not by many now...oh well we are all entitled to our opinions! Cheers
RUSH 2112,
Twentyone Twelve
RUSH's masterpiece
Alex lifeson , Rock and rolls most under appreciated musician
"Three travellers, men of Willowdale..."
Geddy and Alex lived in a Toronto suburb (now just a part of Toronto) called Willowdale.
Cute, eh?
I’ve always thought this song was about themselves, the band coming to America being sucked dry by promoters,stretched to their limits, record labels and managers. Just a thought.
Widely dubbed their worst album by the dullards of the mainstream media and rock criticism of the day, "Caress of Steel" is an absolutely incredible album.
Rush themselves consider it a poor album, too.
@katskillz funny, I've never heard any of them say that. In fact Neil and Geddy have both said they were proud of this and were disappointed at the reaction. With that said without this record 2112 would never have existed. Cheers 🍻
Best Rush reactions going on with Church Boy. Love your reactions. Plenty more to go.
Ive been a RUSH fan since i first heard them in 74, this is a favorite for me..
Your reactions are Fire!!!
Change in tone is the Bass guitar has a switch to alter which pickups are used (or mixed in studio?), like with how some six string guitars do? Yea man, this whole band are all legendary. I'm one of those super crazy fans for over 40 years already. It really warms my heart watching many reactions to their music by people new to hooking up with Rush! My next recommendation is to do By-Tor and the Snow Dog which is another story song that I know that you'll dig man! Enjoy Rush, the Rush family welcomes you, brother. Peace on earth and goodwill toward all men. Merry Christmas & Holidays and Happy New Year!
After the reference to By-Tor, you have to check out "By-Tor & the Snow Dog"...prepare for battle, let the fight begin!!!!
The part where they were all jamming was the battle where the necromancer was defeated.
In an interview recorded since the band retired, Geddy was asked what his honest opinion of Alex Lifeson was, without an instants hesitation he replied He's the best rythym guitarist in the world .
You have to listen to Clockwork Angels. The entire album is FIRE. Rush's only concept album front to back
Bu2B is one of my all time faves
When they are going ham and playing fast represents the "battle". They did this same concept on Bytor and the Snowdog on the previous album to this one. They were definitely in a conceptual experimental phase. Bytor, Necromancer and Fountain of Lamneth all were learning experiments leading up to the epic 2112 opus.
no Rush journey is complete without a deep dive into 2112 and the story of how that song/album came to be
Yes, quintessential Rush. He HAS to listen to it.
can't do 2112 without Fountain of Lamneth first
Great reaction! The part where you said “they’re going ham”, was the actual fight between the Necromancer and Prince By-Tor! Merry Christmas and God bless… from Texas!!
you got it. Love the warm fuzzy I get with Prince stealthily advancing..........
This album, Caress Of Steel, was the predecessor to 2112, and showed what the trio had coming in the next 4 albums! So great! Love your reaction!
The Necromancer is easily a top ten song for me from Rush, and that is still praising it considering Rush's song discography of 178 original songs. More, if you count every part of their multi-part epics as a separate song, which they really are by normal standards, but of course one can't fit Rush into normal standards.
And by extension, Caress of Steel is in the top 5 of Rush albums for me, even though Neil did go a little hay-wire with the lyrics of the song 'I Think I'm Going Bald.'
I can appreciate it at my age of 56 with the fact that I am going bald now, but I didn't care for the song content when I was a teenager and young adult. And it just really isn't subject matter that should be combined with rock music, maybe a late song number played by a blues band in some dive at 1 am when everyone is passing out anyway.
The music and instrumentality of 'I Think I'm Going Bald' is fantastic, but it's no wonder this album was initially a failure for them with low sales and low show attendance, when your core audience is teenage and twenty-something guys at the time and you put a song like that on the album?!? What young man has anyone ever known that wants to rock to a song of that title and lyrical content?!?
That all being said, I am requesting a reaction from you to Rush's 'I Think I'm Going Bald' from Caress of Steel album.
When I was a young Rush fan, this song was the measuring stick on whether you were a true fan or not. I have always absolutely loved this song. Merry Christmas brother to you and yours.👍
Neil had been reading Tolkein, the Necromancer was a avatar of Sauron ( the big baddy of the series )
Great reaction. You should now do the first part By-tor and the snowdog. I really like your analysis. You are musically gifted as well you pick up your bass on a first listen and mostly nail what your listening to. Pretty admirable! I believe Rush is the greatest band ever the musicianship and the messages are like no other.
Rush is hands down my favorite band and has my whole life(my dad’s favorite band too) however this song is even to out there even for me. I do love the fountain of Lamneth though!
yes, it was the music simulating the fight
I love the earlier Rush. I’ve only seen them live once on the Vapor Trails tour. The Necromancer is one of my favorite rush tunes; but, I have to say this would be impossible to play live as a 3 piece. I wonder if they’ve ever performed it live.
I remember listening to this Album when it first came out and like Rush, this song has grown on me like no other.Thanks for giving Alex the praise he deserves. His Soul-los have so much emotion in them, it brings a song up to another emotional level. All Rush is good, but I grew up on the early Albums and I just love those first 5 Albums.Thanks for playing Rush Church Boy.
RUSH … Natural Science next.
There was a huge battle played out through the music ... that was when By-Tor came in. Spectacular, often overlooked album. 'The Fountain of Lamneth' (also on this album) has always been my favorite. Great reaction.
Neil Peart was very into Science Fiction and Sword and Sorcery Fantasy and used it in his song writing
The second part of the second movement is the wizards battle, the Necromancer was defeated and flees to find another land to conquer and rule over
As a musician, I know what you mean by "went in". Excellent.
Hi Church, thank you for this. You definitely picked up on the strengths of this song on your first listen. I remember my first reaction to this was "WTF was that??". Over time, as a hard core Rush fan, the Caress of Steel album became one of my favorites. There's just something about it, the fusion of youthful energy and wonder, along with their musical experimentation that makes it so fascinating, knowing what will come in the future. Thank you for what you do, and my best wishes to you and your Family for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
The guys were a little out over their skis on Caress of Steel. It proved to be too much to take on at that point in their careers. Still, they did manage to make some majestic music. It sounds a little dated now that we're 50 years out from it, but there's incredible energy on it. And they all showed flashes of the sublime brilliance to come, especially Geddy.
The engineer/producer was Terry Brown, one of Canada's legendary producers. He produced album nos. 2 to 11 (8 studio and 3 live) for Rush. This song is from Rush's third studio, Caress of Steel.
It's the one that sort of flopped on release, setting the stage for their all or nothing gambit with their fifth studio release, 2112.
Fun fact: Terry Brown's very first gig, as engineer, was for a 1967 release by an obscure little group callled... The Jimmy Hendrix Experience.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing! My Birth year🙌🏻
His work on Moving Pictures and Signals is amazing, a little better equipment at his command than on Caress.
Bro…I love you. In an appropriate way. Once you hit that bass line and got those feels, it just made me grin ear to ear.
I believe Geddy used two different basses on this track. The middle 'Battle' section with his old '68 Fender P bass after it was altered and modified with a J pickup close to the bridge and the front and rear sections with his '73 Rickenbacker.
Im a huge Rush fan since 1978 I love that you enjoy reacting to these Rush,but with respect to everyone involved they didnt have too many songs on their first 2 albums with neil,only a few like,lakeside park,fly by night,in the end, anthem,bastille day,no one at the bridge,a couple more,but all in all they made much better songs from a farewell to kings onwards to clockwork angels IMHO,Thanks for helping to spread the Rush gospel they inspired me a lot!
Now you're gonna have to listen to the song, "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" off the first Rush album to feature The Professor called "Fly By Night" from 1975. Neil has a special drum cameo in that song...
You need to go back to the “Fly By Night” album and a song titled “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” to see where their progression to the long form story songs like “2112” and “Hemispheres” began - as well as the first appearance of By-Tor. (By-Tor was a German Shepherd and the snow dog was a little white yap dog of a crew member)
In addition, Neil really shows his chops in that one. You’ll love it!
Wow, deeeeeeepppp dive, not the mots popular album. Love that 3rd part with the Alex long solo! Great review, as always!
Musicians appreciate Alex's approach and contribution to the band better than the ones who rank best guitarists in polls.
I just love the music from Part III. The beautiful guitar work from Alex and that triumphant outro. Superb.
AWESOME REACTION!!! Love RUSH! ♥ Psalm 18:32 It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect.
Love your reactions! More Rush please
Alex is one of the greatest for the people who know.
He can't hit a wrong note except for the second solo in 2112 where he seems to target all of them. 😅
As a teenager in the early 80s i would headphone this album at bedtime and fall asleep to it with a cassette that would continuously play the whole night long😂
This song makes me think of how young they were at this time - the story is a bit basic, very Lord of the Rings type, but the music is so raw and, ss you said, dark at times. It's emotional and gripping, fast and furious. Excellent!
Folks, most Rush fans know this but there are some who do not. The Necromancer is a spinoff song from J.R.R. Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings novels. Neil was big into Tolkien well before all the LotRs movies came out.
Some Rush fans know this but most do not: The "Narrator" on this song/story is Neil Peart's voice slowed down.
This song is a tour de force and criminally under-appreciated. Thanks for sharing your awesome musically-experienced reactions with us Church Boy!!! You absolutely MUST next react to Rush’s song “Cygnus X-1: Book I. The Voyage” next!!! I feel it’s the next progression and level of a rollercoaster ride from Rush! Merry Christmas to all!!
I think you’ll like Primus,
Tommy the cat ,, wicked bass
Primus loves Rush.
Always loved this album.
Ahhh to hear this on my Walkman on the bus on my way home from 5th grade. With all of your same reactions.
Great content and reaction. Rush semi-jokingly dubbed this album cycle tour the “Down The Tubes Tour” based on the record company’s rejection of their musical direction and tepid and confused reactions by critics. However, Caress of Steel was the precipitate to their defiant follow on masterpiece: 2112. That would be a perfect next reaction. Merry Christmas sir!
I'm speechless, you said it man... it is something that just can't be understood. well, dude, understand. Just like love, it's hidden in the music; I get so angry when Neil, and Geddy get their props, like Alex. it seems like he just takes it all in stride, as he sees his buds; constantly revile in the attention, almost constantly. He is bigger than your Van Halen types, and other flashy types who do it from their own self at the middle; the world keeps rewarding them by way there of God. Come on guys... don't compare your influences by God. So, if you choose to live that way, please show even a tiny bit of of that which what you do in your Dailey day to day of resistance... I'm tired, long day... thus I will be back... thanks for the time.
Marty
I understand what you mean by Alex's playing, he's great but not ostentatious, not over indulgent.
Absolutley love your content, keep up the amazing work! You need to check out "Rush - Xanadu (Live From The Montreal Forum / 1981)". It may be the best live rock performance of all time! God bless and Merry Christmas!
It IS the finest live rock performance ever recorded!
I hadn't thought about it until now, but the beginning of this sounds a lot like Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs". Another good one worth looking into.
Could The Necromancer be the record company trying to box them in and the three invaders be Geddy, Neil and Alex?
Indeed
im so happy you found the engineers work ... in the unlikely event you read this ...plz look at more of their early work ... its all about experimenting... edit ... nice tone from that bass dude... also thank you for isolating and conglomerating the virtuosity and the synchrinicity
as a bass player i would like to say 2 things ... 1. i miss my rick ... 2. the drums and the bass together ...shit dude ,,, isnt that just heaven right there ?
another dark story like this is Queensryche's "No Sanctuary" an awesome story and song. And of course BlueOysterCult's "Black Blade" based on Micheal Moorecock's Elric saga. Elric and his sentient demonic sword tell the story of the hapless eternal Cosmic Champion of the Lords of Chaos.
Alex is a master at using double track, in part 1 I'm not sure but it sounds like he is actually triple tracking some of it.
Now you need to do By Tor and the Snow Dog studio
Dude, I like your bass tone a lot. What are you running that through?
Alex’s playing is great. Hear strong influences of Jimmy Paige during a couple parts.
Can you please add Alien Shore to the list?
Happy New Year!!
Thank you for the Christmas gift for this reaction ha, you are best music reaction. I knew you’ll love this! Thats right bang that head like the rest of us lol. This song was recorded in 1975 too, 3rd album when Neil first added 4 new small toms. For more roller coaster rides, “By-Tor & The Snow Dog”(1975) “The Fountain Of Lamneth” (1975)(with Neil’s crazy crazy studio drum solo), “2112”(1976) “Cygnus X-1” (1977), “Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres” (1978). Thanks again and Merry Christmas!
🎄☃️ Happy Holidays! Glad you finally got to Necromancer! 🖖🏿🥰🐰
It is time to experience 2112!
Full 20 minutes, studio or cartoon version. 🎉
wo wo wo, is he really ready for this masterpiece?!
@@PierreRanger-QC B'en oui, Pete!
Church, I recommend the animation version to understand better what the song's about.
Cheers to that