Rush - Snakes And Arrows


Year of Release: 2007
Label: Anthem/Atlantic
Catalog Number: B000OCZ8C4
Format: CD
Total Time: 65:44:00

I always had a lot of respect for trios. Whether it was Cream, Taste or the Jimi Hendrix Experience, ELP, the Police, or the Jam, I applauded the way they could produce a full sound with only three people. It even goes one better where Rush is concerned as they are probably the only trio in the world who have been going strong for so long, yet time after time try to re-invent themselves. Things haven't been easy for our Canadian friends as previous albums did not receive a warm welcome by their strong fanbase. So maybe it has something to do with the choice of producer after all?

Having been around since 1974, Rush has created its very own sound which, as progressive rock kind of demands, has changed over the years. This change wasn't always greeted with enthusiasm from their enormous number of fans, and although Geddy Lee's high vocals remain an absolute trademark, certain albums and periods fared much better than others. With the help of the young yet experienced producer Nick Raskulinecz Snakes And Arrows has become a fresh, open produced album with a certain reflection towards the band's heyday. Nick even asked the guys to delve into their successful past, come up with some vintage instruments and also include three instrumentals in order to create a perfect balance. It had been from the band's Test For Echo album in 1996 that they released an instrumental track, the song then being "Limbo." Known from his work with Foo Fighters, System Of A Down, Ash and Queens Of The Stone Age to name but a few, Raskulinecz once said in an interview that his all time dream was to work on a new album with Rush. Asked why, he said: "nobody plays like these guys anymore!"

So instead of adding a producer who might have a good idea about the sound but doesn't have a clue as to how the band operates, Nick Raskulinecz entered as a fan and arranged, produced, engineered and mixed the new album. How far can commitment go? You don't have to be an expert to hear that the "everything is possible" idea overruled every other possible negotiation. As an example, this even resulted in some blues being introduced in "The Way The Wind Blows," in alternating electric and acoustic parts, and in rootsy sounds in "Hope." Full marks for the instrumental "Malignant Narcissism," which nicely highlights some tasty bass parts.

As has happened frequently in the past, both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifseon wrote the music for this album in their respective Toronto homes, whilst buddy Neil Peart concentrated on the lyrics. These are based around Peart's personal reflections on faith, inspired by his motorcycle journeys through North America, a lot of which can also be found in his book Roadshow: Landscape With Drums, A Concert Tour By Motorcycle. Armed with rough demos, most of which were mainly written on acoustic guitars, it was Nick Raskulinecz who, as a longtime Rush fan, encouraged the guys to go back to the complex rhythmic and melodic patterns that characterized their early works. Nick wanted to take the band back to their 2112, A Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres period, yet with a natural and logical approach. In fact, it was the band's playing with covers on the Feedback album that took them back to the simplicity and directness of music. As for the sound, Nick went as far as using vintage microphones and amps just to nail the sound he was looking for.

The first single pulled from the new album is "Far Cry," which also opens this new studio effort. This track alone proves that Rush has gone back to their most successful period. In fact in between their last studio offering Vapor Trails and this new album is a five year gap. This period has been filled by several live albums both on CD as well as on DVD, a covers album and some compilation albums, yet maybe it has given our three friends sufficient time to look back at their impressive output and decide which direction to take next.

Snakes And Arrows will be one of the first albums released on Warner Music's MVI (Music Video Interactive) format. This edition will be a 25,000-copy limited edition. The album will come in a deluxe box and will include all of the album's thirteen tracks in hi-resolution audio, the entire album in 5.1 surround sound, a video documentary on the making of the album and a 26-page booklet.


Tracklisting:
Far Cry (5:18) / Armor And Sword (6:36) / Workin: Them Angels (4:46) / The Larger Bowl (4:07) / Spindrift (5:23) / The Main Monkey Business (6:01) / The Way The Wind Blows (6:28) / Hope (2:02) / Faithless (5:31) / Bravest Face (5:12) / Good News First (4:51) / Malignant Narcissism (2:17) / We Hold On (4:12)

Musicians:
Geddy Lee - bass, vocals
Alex Lifeson - electric and acoustic guitars, mandola
Neil Peart - drums, cymbals

Discography:
Rush (1974)
Fly By Night (1975)
Caress Of Steel (1975)
2112 (1976)
All The World's A Stage (1976)
A Farewell To Kings (1977)
Hemispheres (1978)
Archives (1978)
Permanent Waves (1980)
Moving Pictures (1981)
Exit ... Stage Left (1981)
Signals (1982)
Grace Under Pressure (1984)
Power Windows (1985)
Hold Your Fire (1987)
A Show Of Hands (1989)
Presto (1989)
Chronicles (1990)
Roll The Bones (1991)
Counterparts (1993)
Test For Echo (1996)
Different Stages (1998)
Vapor Trails (2003)
Rush In Rio (2003)
Feedback (2004)
R30 (2005)
Gold (2006)
Snakes And Arrows (2007)
Snakes And Arrows Live (2008)
Retrospective III (2009)
Working Men (2009)
Grace Under Pressure: 1984 Tour (2009)
Icon (2010)
Time Stand Still: The Collection (2010)
Icon 2 (2011)
Rush ABC 1974: The First American Broadcast (2011)
Sector 1 (2011)
Sector 2 (2011)
Sector 3 (2011)
Moving Pictures: Live 2011 (2011)
Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland (2011)
Clockwork Angels (2012)
The Studio Albums 1989-2007 (2013) (boxset) Clockwork Angels Tour (2013)

Exit-Stage Left (VHS) (1982)
Through The Camera Eye (VHS) (1984)
Grace Under Pressure Tour 1984 (VHS) (1986)
A Show Of Hands (VHS) (1988)
Chronicles (VHS/DVD) (1990/2001)
Rush In Rio (DVD/VID) (2003)
R30 (DVD) (2005)
Music In Review 1974-1981 (2006)
Replay X3 (DVD) (2006)
Snakes And Arrows Live (DVD) (2008)
Working Men (DVD) (2009)
Beyond The Lighted Stage (DVD) (2010)
Classic Albums: 2012 - Moving Pictures (2010)
Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland (2011)
Clockwork Angels Tour (2013)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin CA

Added: July 8th 2007
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.rush.com
Hits: 4168
Language: english

  

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