For all those commenting that there are better technical players than Geddy, ya, sure there are, but this video ain't about that. It's about his playing on this album and what he created there. He came up with the parts and they're all memorable. Doesn't matter if everyone with a bass can play them now. Geddy thought them up and they've endured over the decades. That's what makes him a Monster Musician.
It's one reason why I don't exactly understand the appeal of cover bands who just cover the repertoire of another band as closely as possible. Sure, it's impressive to sound quite like that band, but I'm much more curious about what new things the musicians bring to the table. How will they surprise me? And you don't need to be a technical master musician to still make some surprising or great or fun original music. I've walked away from small concerts of small bands being completely blown away by the creativity. There's a lot of power in being original and Geddy Lee is a hell of a machine when it comes to that.
There are better technical players than Geddy - perhaps, but they're not interesting. Technique is a means to an end, not an end in itself. You can play a blizzard of 32nd notes on your fretless 6-string impeccably, all by yourself, and not reach ANYONE. And what's the point in that?
Ask those critics to name a bass player/vocalist/keyboard player that wrote and performed better. The answer is...there aren't any! Geddy IS the best at what he did as the bassist. Pete Townshend is the most all-around talented musician in rock history. Geddy is in the top three. The other is for whoever reads this to decide. You may disagree...but I still have made a choice. 😁👍
Moving Pictures is one of the greatest albums ever. A true masterpiece that’s right up there with their other bodies of work such as 2112, Hemispheres and Power Windows. 3 incredible musicians who remained humble and dedicated, making Rush one of the greatest bands ever.
POWER WINDOWS. Apart from MP, this is their masterpiece. I know it is all Synthed up, but the lyrics and music, just cinematic. Im gonna go listen to it now.
My 89 year old mother is at a rehab hospital after getting a new knee and femur. We were sitting in the sun after a difficult physical therapy yesterday and I shared another great Neil Peart lyric, from Losing It. "Sadder still to watch it die than never to have known it." We then discussed the things we once did that we will never do again, but the importance of doing all we can, and the pleasant memories of past deeds done well. Rush has had an immeasurable positive influence of our society and that's a legacy that should make them very proud.
+1 - Tom Sawyer was the first song I ever learned to play. Headphones on, tape rewinding, stopping, and playing over and over. It's still the first thing my hands instinctively do when I pick up a bass and still sounds f**king awesome.
There are definitely bassists that are far more technically talented than geddy lee. John myung from dream theater is an example. I can play every rush song on bass but some dream theater songs like the glass prison are just an absolute nightmare on bass. Like insanely beyond anything in rush. BUT, geddy also plays keys and sings, so he gets extra points for that.
Agreed. I've listened to an enormous number of albums from a wide range of genres. That album still tops them all, and by some way. Unbelievable that some of those album tracks were done in one take. Incredible musicians.
Geddy has such perfect timing and grooviness in Red Barchetta. Especially at the end. It is not only the notes he plays but exactly when and how he plays them. Not a split second early or late. Just perfect groove.
This album changed my life. Yes, Geddy made me a bass player, but Rush’s philosophical lyrics and their personal and artistic integrity made me a better person. They were great role models growing up, and they’ve walked beside me now for over thirty years.
Amen to that, brother! Very well said. Name another band where each of the respective musicians could have that effect on the next generation of players. And not just as musicians but like you said as role models (which is as important or more important than musicianship). Geddy did it for you as a bassist, Neil did it for me (drummer, of course) and Alex has undoubtedly done it for many young guitarists. What a legacy.
I am a bassist used to listen punk and grunge. Then, i listened for Moving Pictures. And the world was never the same. In Rush in Rio i was there! Cheers from Brazil
I watched the concert video and that crowd looked absolutely amazing! I think every US and Canadian fan thought “we suck” after seeing Brazilian fans. 😊
Geddy, Alex and Neil. Simply my musical heroes. I love them from the bottom of my heart. They are my life's soundtrack, they are in my blood and will forever. When Neil passed away, I felt the sting of genuine pain and sadness only losing a brother could provoke. God blessed them with this gift, and they nurtured it. One thing's for sure, the paradise is now clockworked to the beat of Neil's drums. Thanks for your love of them too, it radiates from your words.
OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH IAN!!!!!!!. Thanks for listening, and once again, thanks for such a great video about this amazing album. Can't wait for the next one😊😊😊
I loved ‘Hemispheres’ and ‘Moving Pictures’ when they were released. Such quality musicianship and weird and wonderful time signatures. Incidentally, you looked as though you were loving this whole video, Ian - and probably were.🙏☀️🇬🇧🙏
Re. Is it the Fender or the Rickenbacker? Tom Sawyer video shows Geddy using the Rick and you choose the Fender 🤔.. No matter, excellent video. Saw Rush live twice ; best live band ever!
I can count one one hand how many bassists can sing while they play. Geddy is one of the very few. Imagine trying to play lead guitar while you sing. Its darn tough. His time remains impeccable.
On one hand? Off the top of my head, Paul McCartney, Jack Bruce, Sting, Suzi Quatro, Les Claypool, Geddy Lee, Tal Wilkenfeld, Lemmy, Esperanza Spalding... not to mention all the bassists who also sing backing. Vocals+bass really isn't _that_ uncommon. Of course Geddy _is_ pretty much in a league of his own though in terms of what _complexity_ both his bass and vocal parts have.
@@leftaroundabout While I understand the point that @StratmanDarrell makes, my initial reaction was similar to yours, and I think that "complexity" may have been what he was getting at - so let's take it up another notch: Live performances - where Geddy sings, plays keyboards, AND covers his bass tracks with key pedals o_O As he explains in an interview: "It's a bit of a mental pretzel".
Geddy is the reason why I picked up the instrument and practiced singing and playing at the same time. This further lead me down the path of researching other singing bass players such as McCartney, Jack Bruce, JOHN WETTON, Peter Cetera and his successor Jason Scheff, Phil Lynott, Mark King, Greg Lake, John Lodge, Benjamin Orr, Gene Simmons, Chris Squire, STING, and many more. All these guys are great but Geddy imo does it the best. Singing while playing complex bass lines and hitting pedals.
I’ve always felt like Witch Hunt was such an under-appreciated song on that album. I absolutely love everything about it from the insightful lyrics to the haunting melody, the song is just incredible. This whole video was great, I really really really hope to see a bass tales with Geddy, he changed my life.
Rush is one of the reasons why I'm happy to be Canadian (specifically from Toronto), those guys are just so damn iconic and definitely one of the best rock bands to come from the Great White North
2112jonr Exactly, they’re one of my favourite bands and one of the greatest rock bands in general, myself being Canadian and from the same city as them is just my own added praise to the guys
It´s an amazing feeling when you listen one album through the years and love it more and more and one day you can watch YT videos like this and increase a lttle bit this loving feeling. Thanks Lee for your fantastic bass work on Rush.
🎶 I have mostly focused on the work of Neil Peart, because I'm a drummer myself. However, I did pay attention to Geddy Lee's contribution to the band throughout the years as well. After all, not only did he shred on bass, but he sang too (and played keyboards!). Now, I'm totally in awe of his amazing talent. Your video proves to me that he was a genius and such a huge contribution to Rush, and an influence to millions. I miss the band terribly, but their music will live on for generations.
Huge Rush fan since the late 70s. While 2112 gave the band new life with their label, Moving Pictures pulled them from the "prog-rock" pigeon-hole and thrust them literally into the Limelight. A special thank you for proper pronunciation of Neil's surname. Too many RU-vidrs just dismiss it as insignificant. You are missed Professor. Geddy's real name is Gary, and my grandmother, who was from Vienna, called me "Geddy" as well. If only I had picked up a guitar or bass earlier in my life 🤔 This was a great trip down memory lane.
What an album! I love it, although it's a neverending source of frustration to me, as, having been playing the bass for 26 years, I still cannot nail YYZ ;-) Geddy's playing is absolutely unmistakable just as the music of Rush in general. One of the most important bands in my musical development. What always baffles me is how music critics have always hated them. Actually, it seems to have been a sort of an unspoken duty of a music critic to have a deeply rooted hatred of Rush (and another of my all-time favourite bands - Queen). Well, within next decades more people will remember Rush than any of those critics' names ;-) Oh, and "barchetta" is pronounced with a "k", not with a "ch" - in Italian, it's pretty much the other way round than in English: c (except for when it's the 1st letter in a given word) is usually pronounced "ch" and ch is almost always pronounced "k". ;-)
You’re absolutely right, Geddy’s dynamics is a big part of his sound. His attack on those strings is brutal. I read an interview with him where he said that he had to break his fingernail on his index finger hundreds of times before it started growing in so think it wouldn’t break anymore. When he wants to accent a note, he pops the string by pushing it down with the nail and letting it pop back up. I have never heard another bass player who accents every beat of a drum fill the way he does. That’s why him and Neil were a band alone, so everything Alex added was just gravy on top. Everyone wonders how three guys can sound so full? It’s because they had the fullest rhythm section in rock music. You could remove the guitar from about any Rush song and still recognize the song because Peart and Lee could lay down a rhythm track like no one else.
Yeah I mean I agree with you but you can't minimise Alex's impact. He is an amazing guitarist, one of the best with the textures he lays down and the way he's constantly changing sounds on the same track. And he helped compose virtually all of their music. All three are real legends!
Among 8 Rush concerts for me, the Time Machine Tour with Moving Pictures in its entirety was the very best one. Red Barchetta is my fave Rush song, and The Camera Eye was phenomenal to see live.
I think we have all been chasing Geddy Lee for years. Your comment on attack is so spot on. I also find that an lighter gauge Rotosounds and overly low action helps a lot too. You don't have to pluck as hard so you can relax your fingers a bit for better control. You nailed that tone to the point where I ordered a Line 6, unfortunately they are expensive. Thanks for sharing the settings. I have an Ashley and it is a pain to use because you really have to use two amps and crank the hell out of the Ashley to the point that it is useless outside of a recording studio or a hockey stadium :). Although I Like Tech 21, their 2112 pedals don't really get that older Geddy Lee tone.
I agree on the Tech21 issue. That YYZ pedal and the 2112 rack/pedal is more of Geddy's recent tone from the late 90's to now since he had his '72 jazz bass pickups, especially the bridge as it was acting weird when he first got it (possibly due to improper care for the bass before it was pawned off) and was now re-wounded properly by Tom Brandtley and it's more aggressive mid-range as a result for Geddy going after the Ricky neck sound when transitioning to the jazz. I ordered the new MP-40 with some new functions added to the existing YYZ pedal so I can't wait for that!
To be honest, I only wanted to start and actually did start my bass career on a Jazz Bass, just because that's what Geddy Lee played. This album changed my life when I first heard every track. I covered Limelight back in 2011 on guitar and drums, before I had a bass. I remember seeing The Camera Eye on iTunes being "album purchase only" and I didn't buy albums back then. I think that track alone changed how I see bass and guitar played, how a bass can be so forefront and the guitar as just a rhythm instrument. I don't play guitar much anymore, but my style can be heavily attributed thanks to Alex Lifeson. And not to mention, I took up drums from playing Rock Band and stuff, but like I mentioned, Limelight was the first full song I ever learned (as a beginner!) and can attribute most of my drumming technique to Neil Peart. RIP, you're missed by everyone.
Thanks . That was a great tribute to a great band, album and bass player. By the way. If you want to see Geddy go "Beast Mode", check out Working Man live in Cleveland . Its impossible to describe. Scott has to feature this some day.
_Moving Pictures_ is no more of a "bass album" than any other Rush album. When I think bass album, I think of something by Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten, or Primus where bass guitar is the featured instrument. That's not Rush. That being said, I do think and have always thought that _Moving Pictures_ had one of the most amazing bottom-end EQs of any album from that era. Smooth-yet-punchy, full-yet-filtered. In analog it is damned near perfect. The kick drum sound is hot ambrosia.
I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he double tracked s lot of these contested tracks with both basses, making both camps correct. Also giving a natural chorusing effect. Live he clearly used a chorus. It's too bad that their true masterpiece "Hemispheres" doesn't get the love it truly deserves.
Hemispheres is my absolute favourite Rush LP and Geddy mind blowingly good throughtout. As a guitarist I distinctly remember trying to play Geddys lines and failing, even on guitar. And then in a moment of realisation, repeatedly saying to myself "and he SINGS at the SAME TIME!!?" They've arguably done better, more accessible, albums but nothing can match the sheer scale and audacity of Hemispheres for their musicianship. Totally at the top of their musical game.
That album was what made me a bass player for life! I would come home from school every day put Moving Pictures on the turntable and spend countless hours trying to figure out those songs. Finally, after weeks and weeks I was able to play Red Barchetta though without flubbing it. That watershed moment gave me the confidence that I can actually be a bass player. Thank you Geddy Lee!
Excellent video, Ian!! Thank you! Geddy is the reason I first picked up the bass and his passionate and musical approach to the instrument have never failed to inspire. Thank you for exuding all the adoration and enthusiasm so many of us feel for this legendary Bass Master!
I'm only 2 mins in to this but this guy knows his stuff..REALLY knows... The sound is spot on (the highs are just right, I wish Geddy had not gone so clickety clackerty in future releases), continual vibrato on each note (could go even stronger?) Technique and feel is there, a masterful portrayal.
Thank you!❤️ That album really changes my life When i Was fifteen.... I am working on big band arrangement of Tom sawyer and YYZ (and “Show don’t tell”) to celebrate 40 years With Rush and with the bass in my hands. Thank you again! You make my day ❤️ Great video and Great playing! Love it!
And the opening rhythmic sequence of YYZ is based on the morse code they heard while Alex Lifeson was flying them in a private plane while landing at Toronto airport. ( A VHF omnidirectional range system at the airport broadcasts the YYZ identifier code in Morse code.) See Wikipedia "YYZ (song)".
Amazing work, Ian, very well done (as usual)! Only one (minor) remark: in Italian the "c" followed by "e" is called "c dolce" ("sweet c") and pronounced as in "chair". The "h" makes the "c" a so-called "c dura" (“hard c”), pronounced as a “k” in “key”. In short, think of "Barchetta" as "Barketta".
@HALF MT My guess is that they did takes with both basses for most of the songs in the studio. He's used several different basses live since that record before settling on the JBass as his #1 for the past 25+ years.
BSSM followed by Moving Pictures. It’s like a trip back to my foundations of bass playing. Throw some quadrophenia or Live at Leeds and we’d have the whole trifecta..
For me, Bass started with Rush. I just couldn't grasp how in the world Geddy Lee could do ALL those things at the same time. And I didn't play at the time. But I knew deep down at heart that I found my living legend. Now, 40yrs later, playing bass less then 1 decade, I truly admire his genius and hope, one day, I'll be able to play this album. At least reasonably that is. No singing. Not hitting as hard as he does. 'Cause he can and I can't. Just that simple. He's a legend beyound comprehension. Thank you, SBL, for reviewing his skills on Moving Pictures!
Fantastic video , thankyou Geddy is the master , and i love your enthusiasm at breaking down these masterpieces. I still weep when i think about the passing of Neil and I agree some of my favourite lyrics from Witch Hunt. Great video.
Thanks a lot for this amazing walkthrough! Very accurate transcription, great playing and awesome sounds, man! Your Ric just kills it. I'm really glad, I have a 70's JB and a Ric myself and an HX Stomp, too. Lucky me! 😎 I think I got work to do now...
Ok story incoming...so I'm a bass player and a huge Rush fan and I came across this video and this channel for the first time (bless the algorithm) and I loved it, especially digging into the deeper cuts and the album entirely. As I'm watching, I'm thinking "Something about this guy seems familiar, but I can't recognize it. It's like I already know him...". And then I hear your name and I'm like HOLY CRAP ITS THE BASS PLAYER FROM DOWN AND ABOVE!!! And I was immediately transported to over a decade plus years ago rocking out to DNA and learning some of the songs on bass as a beginner at the time just out of HS. The guitarist of the band I was in at the time was from MN and got me into DNA. Still have all the records and listen to them often, especially Anodyne. You've been a huge influence on my playing. Anyways TLDR...who would of thought I'd be learning from Ian again all these years later? What a crazy world.
Man, you nailed this. Especially when you drooled all over Vital Signs. Yep - the biggest hidden Gem in the entire Rush catalog .. For me, it is Vital Signs and Jacob's Ladder - the way Ged's Bass finally joins Alex's guitar on the final arpeggios is UNEQUALLED!
That is defiantly one of my favorite lyrics as well. i sing it and get goose bumps every time i hear it. im glad you dove into all the songs, so many hit the 2 or 3 most popular and call it a day. witch hunt is one of my most fav of all the songs
Ian, you might want to check out Max Webster (also on the Anthem label) for some of the fine work by Mike Tilka or Dave Myles. Rascal Houdi from A Million Vacations is 🔥🇨🇦
36 year fan, playing drums for 35 years, what I learned from this video: Geddy plays hard. His attack never occured to me, but considering who was sitting down right behind him, I don't think he had much choice. Those two must have pushed each other musically so hard those first ten years.
Good stuff, man. Played so many of those songs in a Rush tribute band, always challenged our bassist. I wore the grooves off Moving Pictures as a teen, too!
Maybe I'm missing something? The video clips he shows in this video clearly show what bass Geddy is playing. How is there any doubt about which bass is played on which song?
If not the date, I know exactly where I was the first time I heard this record in february 1981. I was just about to turn 14 and was switching from bass to guitar, but regardless my whole musical universe turned somewhere between 45 and 90 degrees then, and I didn't know whether to learn how to play the bass or the guitar parts, so I went for both. Guess I started with YYZ, followed by Red Barchetta. Soon I had all the RUSH records.
