Showing posts with label Geddy Lee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Geddy Lee. Show all posts

Book Review – Primus, Over The Electric Grapevine: Insight Into Primus and the World of Les Claypool

Book Review  Primus, Over The Electric Grapevine: Insight Into Primus and the World of Les Claypool
Author: Greg Prato
Akashic Books
All Access Rating: A-

Greg Prato - Primus, Over
The Electric Grapevine
Most recently, noted music writer Greg Prato chronicled the heady early years of Iron Maiden, compiling a fast-paced, absolutely engrossing oral history of the brief, but explosive, Paul Di'Anno era. Last fall, the ever prolific Prato meticulously traced the long, strange trip of Les Claypool and the oddball alternative-rock circus called Primus in "Primus, Over The Electric Grapevine," out via Akashic Books.

While the Iron Maiden book was more of a snapshot of a band on the brink of greatness, just as the movement that would become known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was gathering strength, Prato's Primus primer covers the entire history of this wildly original combo and one of the most unlikely success stories to emerge from the '90s alternative-rock zeitgeist.

A master storyteller, skilled in the art of assembling oral histories that not only examine their subjects in great depth but also spin a great yarn, Prato is able to combine a thorough study of Claypool's eccentric genius with a relaxed, free-flowing narrative of the Primus' origins story, detailing influences and lineup changes, early performances and the making of landmark Primus albums from Suck on This to Frizzle Fry and the breakthrough LP Sailing the Seas of Cheese on through Tales From the Punchbowl and more, while also tracking their rise to fame and tours with Rush and U2.

Casting a wide net in terms of interview subjects, Prato weaves together commentary from a multitude of sources. Everyone from former and current Primus members to Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett – a friend of Claypool's from childhood – and Rush bassist Geddy Lee, Public Enemy's Chuck D, "South Park" creator Matt Stone, Phish's Trey Anastasio, and Tom Waits, just to name a few, gets a say and contributes to the tale, but Prato doesn't stop there, interviewing less famous friends and associates, including "Trouz," the band's road manager to develop a well-rounded and rich portrayal.

Done in conjunction with Primus, "Primus, Over The Electric Grapevine" doesn't get bogged down by minutiae, and although it could called an "exhaustive" work, it's far from an exhausting read. It is dense with anecdotes and behind-the-scenes revelations, the whimsical, all-over-the-map read revealing how music videos for "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" and "Tommy The Cat," among others, were created, while sharing tales of the characters that inspired such classic songs as "Fish On" and "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweakers."

And yet for all the conversation regarding their insane musical chops and the hilarious mayhem caused by the inimitable Bob C. Cock, the greatest accomplishment of Prato's work is how it paints Claypool as an artist able to craft something sublime and absurdly funny out of the mundane, all while staying surprisingly grounded. Remarkably candid and often irreverent, Claypool and the universe he inhabits – where fishing is not only a favorite pastime, but also provides comedic fodder, and people like "Flouncin' Fred" play key supporting roles – could be the subject of a Fellini movie. Not that Hollywood would ever have the gumption to turn Prato's book into a screenplay. Or, would they?
– Peter Lindblad

'That Metal Show' announces first guests

Rush, Dream Theater fans ought to be excited
By Peter Lindblad

'That Metal Show' returns Feb. 21 with
hosts Jim Florentine, Eddie Trunk
and Don Jamieson
The waiting is over. "That Metal Show" returns Feb. 21 on VH1 Classic, and, drum roll please, who will be the first guest? Why it's none other than today's Tom Sawyer Rush's Geddy Lee!

It'll be his second appearance on the acclaimed hard rock/heavy metal program, hosted by Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine. Lee will be there ostensibly to promote this summer's highly anticipated Rush R40 Live 40th Anniversary Tour, a 34-city run through North America.

"Back when 'TMS' was first born Geddy & Alex were nice enough to fly to New York and be a guest in our very first season. I've always had a great relationship with the Rush guys and it meant so much to me they were willing to support something that I was doing that at that point hardly anyone had seen or heard of," said host/co-producer Eddie Trunk. "Amazingly, almost seven years have passed and we're now about to debut our 14th season of 'That Metal Show' and I couldn't be more honored to welcome back Geddy to the set to celebrate 40-plus years of Rush and the return of 'TMS'!"

There's another little surprise in store for viewers of the season premiere, as Dream Theater's seven-string virtuoso John Petrucci will make his inaugural appearance on the debut episode. Dream Theater is currently working on a new album, expected to be released later this year.

All the TMS favorite segments are back, including "Metal Modem," "TMS Top 5," "Rank" and "Take It Or Leave It," as well as "Stump The Trunk" and Ms. Box Of Junk, Jennifer.

Fans can watch previous episodes and other exclusive bonus clips at ThatMetalShow.VH1.com and the new VH1 app.


TMS debuted on VH1 Classic in November 2008. Check out That Metal Show's Facebook page for more information at https://www.facebook.com/thatmetalshow

Rush show 'Grace Under Pressure'

A look at the paradigm-shifting album that just turned 30
By Peter Lindblad

Rush - Grace Under Pressure 1984
Signals was polarizing. Songs of teenage isolation in suburbia and the uneasy transition from an analog world to a digital one, a heavy dependence on synthesizers and sequencers at the expense of Alex Lifeson's guitars ... reggae? What in the name of John Rutsey was going on?

While Rush was embracing the modern technology of the 1980s and adapting to a quickly changing musical landscape, where New Wave was all the rage and classic progressive-rock was all but extinct, a large portion of its fan base was pining for elaborate concept albums and a renewed emphasis on the word "power" in Rush's fundamental power-trio format.

Some hadn't even stayed with Rush past the transitional Moving Pictures, where the integration of keyboards and a focus on composing shorter, more compact songs with self-contained stories, rather than long, drawn-out storytelling with vague resolutions, was still under construction. Those clinging to the hope that Rush would come to their senses and return to "real" guitar-driven prog-rock would run screaming for home upon hearing 1984's Grace Under Pressure, click their heels and throw on Caress of Steel or 2112 and chant, "There's no place like Toronto. There's no place like Toronto."

Rush's 10th album, Grace Under Pressure turned 30 years old on Saturday, and for those who not only hated the band's new direction, but took it as an outright betrayal, it was the final straw. Geddy Lee's synthesizers continued to push forward, becoming a dominant element in Rush's transformation, and it was clear they weren't going away. That was a bridge too far for some. The Rush they had come to know and love was gone. They were now new world men.

There were loyalists, though, who appreciated Rush's artistic fearlessness and willingness to experiment with new sounds and work in seemingly incongruent mediums like ska and reggae. And it's entirely possible that Rush did win over a new audience that had previously dismissed them as relics of the past, although that's debatable. Most of the punk and New Wave crowd was never going to accept Rush in any form. Their minds were made up.

So, revolution really was in the air when Grace Under Pressure came out. To hardliners, anything past Hemispheres or maybe Moving Pictures was heresy. There were no record burnings or a mob that "moves like demons possessed. Quiet in conscience, calm in their right, confident their ways are best." Those lines are from "Witch Hunt," of course, and in a sense, there was a somewhat similar atmosphere of fear and dread in Rush's fandom as to where the band was going next.

Not quite oblivious to it all, but certainly not in a mood to make any kind of artistic retreat, Rush calmly practiced its craft, forging ahead creatively with a sense that what they were doing was an essential and logical next step. What gets lost in conversations about Grace Under Pressure is that it's one of Rush's most accessible and well-constructed albums. With all of the critical worship that 2012's Clockwork Angels received, and rightly so, it being a record that brought some of the lapsed believers back to the faith, it's not as direct or as fluid as Grace Under Pressure.

Seamlessly, Rush toyed with ska on "The Enemy Within," the clipped rhythmic stabbing of Lifeson's guitar adding energy to the track. And "Afterimage" had a more languid reggae feel to it, but on the whole, Grace Under Pressure was almost futuristic, its clean, contemporary sound shaped by a new producer, Peter Henderson. After Signals, Rush amicably divorced itself from the only producer they'd ever had to that point in Terry Brown, who had butted heads with Rush during the making of Signals. Brown wasn't convinced they were on the right path either.

Heavy subjects like the holocaust and nuclear war were addressed in the  "Red Sector A" and the briskly paced "Distant Early Warning," respectively, with "Red Sector A" taking much of its inspiration from Lee's mother's horrible experiences in Nazi concentration camps. Some have described Grace Under Pressure as a dark record, and with Neil Peart exploring the impact of pressure on human behavior, it's not an LP that's all sunshine and lolly pops. Even the affecting vulnerability of "Kid Gloves" has a world-weary quality to it.

Lee has said of Rush's past lyrical concept journeys that "what you have to say ends being very nebulous." Not so with Grace Under Pressure, which featured compelling stories and ideas that made their points clearly and succinctly. Instrumentally, Lifeson pops up everywhere, his solos so pure of tone, so piercing and agile, and his flashing riffs dynamic and moving with inspired purpose, while Peart's precision and energy startles, Lee's rolling bass lines and complex figures brimming with momentum and natural drive.

And then there's that cover art by Hugh Syme that was so imaginative and alien, juxtaposing turbulence and calm in a way that was perfectly in sync with its music, the urgency and tension of "Distant Early Warning," "The Enemy Within" and "Between the Wheels" providing such striking contrast to Lee's watery synth floods and the occasional airy oasis-like clearings of breathtaking beauty you'd come across. There's an earnest intelligence to Grace Under Pressure that's a breath of fresh air in this age of irony and cynicism, and the melodic topography of the record is not at all flat, but rather it has expansive scenery and interesting peaks and valleys.

Grace Under Pressure continued Rush's evolution, and, on a personal level, it paralleled my own musical exploration. I was getting into The Police at that time. I was listening to the Talking Heads. I was questioning whether or not to hold on to the past and hold close those records I loved from Led Zeppelin, from Yes, from Uriah Heep ... the list goes on and on. U2, Ultravox, The Replacements, and all manner of U.K. and U.S. punk and New Wave acts were taking me further away from my roots, and that was exciting.

Rush would always stay with me, and the plot twists to their career were continually interesting and never boring. I saw them live only one time, and that was on the "Grace Under Pressure" tour, and it was, as it always is with Rush, an awakening. Lifeson has said of Grace Under Pressure that it is the "most satisfying of all our records." For me, it's Moving Pictures, but who am I to argue with Alex freaking Lifeson!

CD Review: Anthrax – Anthems


CD Review: Anthrax – Anthems
Megaforce
All Access Review: B+

Anthrax - Anthems 2013
The usual mosh pit at an Anthrax show is ramping up its cyclonic fury in anticipation of the raging sonic back-alley brawls Scott Ian and company are about to start. Perhaps they’ll launch into “Madhouse” or “Indians” next or any of the other blazing thrash-metal classics they have at their disposal. And then, those crashing bodies in riotous motion come to a sudden and complete halt, the reason being that Anthrax has just launched into a Journey cover of all things.

Quizzical looks are directed at the stage, as Journey’s “Keep on Runnin’” flies out of their Marshall Stacks. Is that Joey Belladonna singing or Steve Perry? It could be either of them; it really could, as Belladonna’s wail climbs to heights few can reach. Those who’ve heard Anthems, the new Megaforce eight-song EP of classic-rock covers and two versions of the epic, slow-burning “Crawl,” off their sensational Worship Music album, would be prepared in case of such an event and not be thrown by it.

Like a raging bull that sees nothing but red, Worship Music bucked and contorted its massive, muscular bulk in such a way as to make it almost impossible to ride. Arguably the best metal album of this century, the last record from New York City’s most aggressive thrash-metal street gang was a relentless attack from beginning to end. The hurricane-like intensity, the dizzying dynamics, the simmering tension and high drama, not to mention the impassioned vocals of the prodigal son Belladonna – all of this nuclear energy was barely contained within the reactor known as Worship Music, until it melted down so spectacularly in 2011.

Considering how powerful and ferocious Worship Music was, and what unexpectedly strong melodies and what bold, high-impact production it had, Anthrax has earned the right to a fun indulgence like Anthems. Unexpectedly, Anthrax plays it straight on Anthems, with vigorous workouts of Rush’s “Anthem,” Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak” and a crawling prowl through AC/DC’s “T.N.T” not deviating much from the originals; yet, in typically enthusiastic fashion, they inject each with fresh energy and lively performances. And their playing is more impassioned on “Keep on Runnin’” and Boston’s “Smokin’” – which has a particularly rowdy atmosphere – than on any of the others, as the pulse of both covers absolutely races.

Clearly, they cherish these songs, and they’re so respectful of them that they don’t take any unnecessary chances in their handling of these treasures. It is surprising, though, how they treat these Anthems with kid gloves and avoid giving them a good thrashing. Ultimately, what Anthems proves is that, if they wanted, Anthrax could simply be a great no-frills hard-rock band, especially with Belladonna on the mic. His vocals are astonishingly clear and melodic, fitting the material like a glove. And if Geddy Lee ever chooses to relinquish his singing duties with Rush, Belladonna could step right in and the Canadians would not miss a beat, as evidenced by his piercing treatment of “Anthem” from 2112.

Why Anthrax chose to give the expansive, chugging epic “Crawl,” one of the heaviest songs off Worship Music, a makeover is anyone’s guess. Taking a stab at a remixed version, Anthrax fleshes out “Crawl” with strings, giving it a darker, moodier and more menacing character. Undoubtedly a labor of love for Anthrax, Anthems does no harm to the songs of their heroes, and the thicker, heavier groove they give to “Big Eyes” by Cheap Trick improves the original. Could they have made less obvious choices? Maybe, but then, this is what Anthrax wanted, and had they picked deeper cuts, that pure joy and unabashed eagerness that is so prevalent here might be tempered. And that would be a shame.
   Peter Lindblad