What's YOUR favorite Rush bass line of all time? I think "YYZ" is my favorite Rush song, but I always find myself coming back to "Show Don't Tell" for that bass break 🥵
Red barchetta, hands down. The nifty open and bass solo we get mixed with the beautiful story🤘🏽 honestly this whole album needs to be listened by everyone. A staple to progressive rock.
How the feck did The Police win the 1981 grammy award for best instrumental with "Behind my Camel" and beat YYZ into 2nd place? Yes 1 of life's deep mysteries!!!
No offense but why does anyone give a damn about awards related to art? Rock hall of fame, Grammys, whatever…. Does having an award for best album of the year mean someone had the best album of the year?
@@AtomizedSound at the time Rush were considered to be heavy metal/heavy rock so doubt it was anti prog sentiment just ignorance and of course commercial influence, if anything The Police had more prog credentials than Rush in 1981, you will no doubt be aware that Stewart Copeland played with Curved Air quintessential mid 70's proggers
@@compnnburns8831that was their 70’s outfit more so, but this was ‘81 so I guess yeah they didn’t get labeled more proggish yet but still most weren’t open to their sound then on the higher up’s associated with the Hall of Fame. Even though my comment was more tongue in cheek still
One of my best friends growing up was Neil’s cousin (he is also a great drummer, so I think genetics plays a part). He told me that YYZ was inspired by the feelings and emotions they experience when they come home from a tour stint. The first section is the excitement of going home and the break from touring and the chaos of getting ready for the trip home. The slower mid section is the flight and he wind down from the pressure of the tour and the third part is the excitement of arriving in TO and getting home to be with family. I can’t say for sure that this is true, but this is how he said Neil described YYZ to him. When I listen to the song, I can see it and it kind of jives with your take on it as well.
I'm glad you mentioned touring. This song brings such deep memories of taking my then-11-year-old boy to his one and only Rush show on their final tour. Still can't believe Neil is gone... Thanks for keeping his legacy alive.
God Bless You for that! He will NEVER forget that evening his ENTIRE life. No other concert will EVER match it. My brother took me to MY first concert to see YES' 9012LIVE show when I was fourteen (14) years old. I was so excited when he handed me the ticket, that I stared at it for DAYS! That was thirty-nine (39) years ago and the image of that ticket is still burned into my memory: It had a sky-blue tie-dye background and printed on it was: SPARKOMATIC Presents: YES at the ROSEMONT HORIZON, Chicago, IL March 9, 1984
SPARKOMATIC is out of business and "The Rosemont Horizon" is now called "Allstate Arena." But YES, with its "Perpetually Changing" lineup, is STILL an active band! 😀
Great analysis. They actually did write this song on the way back home from a tour. Neil heard the Morse code and that was the impetus of the song. They also wanted to emulate the excitement and busyness of being at an airport, which is generally the beginning, or the ending of an adventure. So you kinda nailed it.
Not quite. They were recording at Le Studio and decided to go back to Toronto for a break. Alex's flight instructor picked them up for the trip. Alex was flying when they tuned the plane's ADF to the Pearson NDB which transmits the airport's identifier YYZ in Morse code. Geddy and Neil (particularly Neil) thought the rhythm was interesting and the two of them worked out the bones of it while jamming. Alex came in later and together they fleshed it out.
@@CanadianTimeLord what I read was the the basics of the song was a sound check jam the Neil and Geddy had been working up for a while, then once Alex put some music to it they decided to turn it into a instrumental. They were hesitant about it at first because they did not want to end up with another La Villa
Sheesh, I wish I could've played those in high school! 😅 - "YYZ" was one of the first songs I printed out tabs for and all the black ink scared me. I had my wisdom teeth out a few months later and returned to it because I had nothing to do for a week while I was recovering. I remember getting a few of the lines down and feeling really accomplished. I was about 16 at the time!
I didn’t say we were any good!! 😂 Btw what’s with us trumpet players playing bass later? I remember in jazz band when unsupervised I’d run over and grab the bass and start trying to go over this song with my drummer who just so happened to be our HS jazz drummer as well 😉😎
The Rush In Rio version is arguably even better in that it's live AND 40k plus manic Brazilians singing the song along with the guys takes it to another level. Any version, of course, is amazing...
i agree.. rush in rio was epic.. i couldn't go to 2002 (too young, no cash, etc), went to 2010, expecting the same vibe but the audience was as excited as a news anchor.. anyway, amazing experience, and i saw the impossible: neil mistaking to countertime m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8PhPO6rYYvE.html @6:30
@@LuizAlexandre_lalex Tenho dor de cotovelo!!! Valeu! Eu assistí Eric Clapton em Brasília em 1990 e era incrível, mas nada como os shows de Rush que você assistiu. Parabéns!
I saw Rush live 31 times. When you heard this song live, you could feel the best frequency of those clashing keyboard scales. It pulsed right through you at those decibels. It was always amazing. It always sounded as if Geddy made a mistake until the chords eventually resolved. There was no other band as amazing live as those guys. I first saw them on Permanent Waves, so this song wasn’t even out yet. They played YYZed every concert after that starting with Moving Pictures, which was a mind blowing concert. No one hits bass strings harder then Geddy. Its a big part of his sound. He plays this so fast, but while slamming those strings.
Everything you said is spot on man! I'm 62 and as a teen in the 70s when I first heard 2112 I was hooked. You reiterated '3 piece band' several times I think. I say they are a 3 piece symphony of rock and roll of the best quality. Very few can come close. I still get goose bumps at times. I'm no musician and I don't understand your music theory descriptions, but but your descriptions reinforce what I already knew about the band. Good job man. As an addition, I just wish I could have seen then Live.
Interesting thing is that Alex and Geddy are obviously very close friends whereas Neil was more solitary - especially on the road. Yet, musically, Neil and Geddy were like two arms from the same brain - they were so connected. I am just not sure we will ever see this kind of combination again - 3 people who were all very close, good friends, loyal, equally talented (and it was equal in my view) and very giving.
The finest, in-depth deconstruction of one of the greatest instrumentals of the past 60yrs we've seen to date. Agreed about Rush's Easter Eggs, the pointed lack of resolution, the apparent joviality of the players, the interplay (call/answer) of Lee n Peart, the textural weave of Lifeson, and the madness of on-tour/off-tour impact on artists. The fact that these three would play musical jokes in the middle of the heavy lifting of superprog speaks to your assertion that they simply exuded the tricks, flips, and subtle variations. Well peeled and talked through, my trumpeter brother. Cheers for your insight. YYZ vs Donna Lee vs Squib Cakes. All Master Classes in cool... as for me, I'll rank em in that order. Thanks again and keep up the good work (hits subscribe and resumes his seat). ~R
I was not a big Rush fan when I started playing bass, but they have really grown on me in the past 30 years and I've really come to appreciate them as musicians. They're Primus if Primus took themselves seriously and decided to be a 70s prog rock band. New World Man is probably my favorite Rush bass line because it's the only one I can halfway play.
Me too! (Started playing in about ‘72) Imagine someone running around about 15 years ago crowing “Hey have you heard of Rush? They’re awesome!”. That’s me.🤦🏻♂️
They didn't really get a lot of playtime, especially nationally, until Tom Sawyer hit the charts, so you can't blame a lot of us for coming in later on. Also I was 4 in 1972. Still, started really listening to Rush in the fall of 83 and got 100% hooked. Still listen to them nearly daily and even started drum lessons at the youthful age of 50. Cheers.
4:13 It's something else to watch Geddy play this riff. It looks like he's almost not doing anything. Incredible economy of motion that comes with playing the same riff for decades.
Oh, I absolutely do listen to the synth because I've heard this song so many times since 2015. A lot of people also forget Geddy plays synth and when they talk about him, they only tend to mention bass and vocals and leave out synth for some reason. My favorite Rush bass line is the sheer acrobatics of La Villa Strangiato, which I consider their #1 instrumental and YYZ #2.
One amazing song that NEVER gets old!! That intro is absolutely insane always! It’s so cool hearing DT play it with Myung slaying the bassline so perfectly
Outstanding analysis. I LOVE listening to musicians (especially those who understand music theory) analyze Rush songs. As many times as I have listened to their entire catalog there is still so much going on that I don't understand so hearing someone do this level of music theory analysis brings all the Rush songs to life for me again.
If I had to choose one Rush bass line as my favourite, it would likely be either Free Will or Digital Man. But Geddy just has so many great lines, it’s really hard to choose.
I would almost be embarrassed by the number of hours I've logged on this entire record, as well as this song in particular. Geddy's tone is perfect. I think this record as a whole, is the greatest record for bass playing and this song is the greatest bass performance ever, in my opinion. Geddy is THE goat.
The way you described this song (no lyrics so in classical music it’s a piece) reminds me of what they call a scherzo. A whimsical piece of a larger sonata or symphony that’s light hearted and contains Easter eggs from other movements or maybe inspired by folk music. Sometimes a scherzo is written as a stand alone piece but always humorous and light hearted. I think this piece is a scherzo!
i must have heard this song hundreds of times and i still get goosbumps during the guitar solo, this song is a thing of beauty, a slippery sinister chaotic beauty.
One of the best tracks that showcases their collective prowess. I believe Ged and Neil possibly initially came up with it, and Al came in later to add his stuff Alex’s bit is what I often refer to as his snake charmer solo.
This man just dropping a proper, native-sounding "Toronto" there at 1:11 like it's no big deal. 😲 I actually had to go look at your "About" page to make sure you weren't "oop north" here with us Canadians, Mark. 😆😆
I think the story goes that they were on their way back from a tour on a plane (I'd assume private), kind of keen to get back (their early tours were punishing) and they heard the morse for the airport over the radio from the cockpit. So for them, it's a feeling of coming home.
Yeah it was a friend of Alex's (his flight instructor) and they heard the identifier for Lester B. Pearson airport (YYZ) and thought it sounded kind of cool.
Fantastic breakdown! I've always thought that Alex's part (the Phrygian dominant part) after the drum and bass duel sounds like a score written for a bumblebee that figure skates.
You really know what you are talking about. I'm very impressed. You actually give us some analysis, unlike many other people on RU-vid who just watch a music video and then say goodbye. My favourite Rush song is Subdivisions.
I was 17 and set to see Rush at the Cape Cod Coliseum but Geddy broke his hand. They rescheduled and we got to hear Limelight and Tom Sawyer several months before the release of Moving Pictures as a compensation for waiting!
This was awesome. Absolutely awesome. Great job! The only thing I wish - I *wish* - the video was 29 seconds shorter to hit that 21:12 mark 😅 As for my favourite Geddy bass line, there are just too, too many. Practically every song. I will mention the bass line behind Lerxst's solo in "The Camera Eye", just because it doesn't seem to get mentioned all that often.
The way you articulate Geddy's plaything is exactly how I want to explain it to others who say " ya he's good but not the best". Yes in this song he's not singing but he is busy with other things and when you add in the singing in other songs it's mind blowing how he can do it all live!!
Thank you so much for this. It made me think that the entirety of Moving Pictures is an ode to their touring years. As if they had finally come home to who they were going to be. It's the perfect nexus of the chaos of the 1970's with the great studio art to come. Beautiful.
The bass A note during the synth part is a literal pedal tone, because he's holding it on a pedal synth with his foot, as opposed to plucking the A string on his bass 😀 Thank you for this very interesting video and also for your good vibes, Mark! 😊👍
Amazing what an incredible Power Trio were able to bring to the table- Progressive intricacy in a world of ordinary R&R that caught the masses and educated so many listeners and musicians. Me as a drummer- always blown away by Geddy- And Lifeson, Leaves you without words. Makes you want to meet other players to try to emulate them just to cop the feel of it all. I really feel like Neil wants Alex and Geddy to continue on with Rush.
although I would argue they are the equivalent to a 7 man band. geddy and Alex combine for 4 and the master was equivalent to 3 drummers plating at once.
One of my favourite parts about this song is how there are times when to my ear it sounds like they are all soloing at the same time to different motifs, and having it still be cohesive. The call and response sections, and the smooth keyboard break are just so tasty!
The 11:37 mark of this video is a little bass run towards end of guitar solo. The live version from Exit Stage Left, Geddy uncorks an INSANE version of that little run that has made me wig out for 25 years now. Check it out you’ll see what I’m saying.
The whole resolving thing (or not resolving as you pointed out) I think intertwines with airports in general really. I used to work at Ohare Airport and EVERYDAY was the same. Millions of people each and EVERY day running through that airport trying to catch their initial flight or their connecting flight or whatever. There was never a resolution because it would just all start up again the next day. This song is perfect at exemplifying the day to day things happening at ANY major airport. I remember my first trip to Fort Myers Airport in Florida... Talk about a peaceful airport! Compared to Ohare!?!?! But I know, they had their all day hustle and bustle as well. They just didn't have 60,000+ employees there on the property to manage it all. This is also one of my favorite songs by Rush. Subdivisions being my most fav at the moment. But yeah, this is a great example of what airports in general are like for the people that run them. And it's amazing that that they totally told this story without a single spoken/sung word! That's the way to tell a story without words! And they did it so perfectly too! BTW, I LOVE all 3 of their parts!
Found your channel pretty recently and have been enjoying every video I've watched. Found it super cool that you play trumpet as I also play both trumpet and bass!
1981 Rush Moving Pictures, Styx Paradise Theater, REO speed wagon Hi Infidelity in late 1980, Van Halen Women and children first also in late 1980, Journey also had a big hit about that time, AC/DC their seminal album Back in Black also 1980. Man there was some good music coming out at the time. Iron Maiden Killers 1981, Ozzy Osbourne Crazy Train 1981. Just to name a few.
“Hi I’m Mark Michell. I’m doing thousands of bass reviews and play throughs for all these incredible artists and songs. Did I mention my primary instrument is the trumpet?”
I may not be able to understand all the technical complexity of YYZ but I know a Jam Session when I hear it. This is one of the best. Geddy's bass play is just inspiring.
Some Rush song came on one time when we had eaten mushrooms(this was over 10 years ago), and I remember being extremely anxious because it felt like it was just an intro the entire time. 😂😂 it was either this song or 2112.
Canada's best export ;-) Love when reaction video's are done by people in that field. Watching this video's took me to another dimension of RUSH :-) thanks.
We are going to let this thing play out... and pauses two more times :). But hey, there is so much to this piece yo comment on and analyse. Absolutely brilliant.
Thank you! I have to pause frequently for copyright reasons, but working hard to balance it and be as strategic as I can. I appreciate you stopping by! 🙏🏼
Brilliant man. La Villa Strangiato's bass break was what did it for me. I dropped the needle on that spot on the red vinyl a dozen times when i first heard it.
This is an analysis! So much more interesting than all these "reaction" videos. I like Beto, but this analysis is much more detailed. Well done. At the end, I still just love the song...
I like how you wrapped it up, with Rush its always important to note what incredible storytellers they are through song. I think its what really seperates them from alot of other technical bands and fusion type music, at least for me.
You taught me something important today. I have always been intimidated in learning to play an instrument because of the memory work it takes to learn songs. This has always been a fear of mine because I don't have a particularly efficient memory although it certainly remembers the most strange things in unexpected ways. Entertaining? Sure but not efficient. What I learned from this video is, it is not straight memory work that goes into being able to play a song (especially in terms of classical music which can be extraordinarily complicated); there is also being able to understand how a piece is music is put together and how it is structured. Once you know the characteristics of what you're playing and how it does or doesn't follow certain rules, then you have far more understanding about how to actually play the music. I would compare it to have directions to someone's house. If someone gives you directions verbally such as "turn here" or "go 5 miles before you turn right", you will have a hard time getting there by memory. Even if they write the directions on a piece of paper for you to refer to, it will still be difficult. Now, if they take a map of the city and draw a line in a bright, clearly visible colour, to their place, you will have a better chance of remembering and, if you live in the city and know many landmarks, the success in learning the way will go up exponentially. Conclusion: if one wants to learn to play an instrument successfully, it is more than just trying to imitate the notes on a page (or in a video); one must also learn how the music is written to make it easier to understand what the song-writer was trying to do. Not sure why this didn't occur to me as a theme previously; however, I am glad I realized it in watching your video. Thank you.
I remember an easter egg Geddy sang in Montreal in 1984. In Spirit of Radio, instead of singing "One likes to believe in the freedom of music." he sang "One likes to believe in the freedom of baseball". Geddy was always such a baseball fan. You can find a recording here on RU-vid.
YYZ is my favorite Rush song as well, however it really is difficult to pick a super top favorite song above all others. Geddy Lee is an absolute wizard with the base and synths, Alex Lifeson is incredible, and do I really need to remind everyone that Neil Peart was the literal GOD of drums?
I don't read music but I was intrigued when you said the songs breaks so many rules right at the start. I was just listening to a podcast this morning with Alex Lifeson breaking down the solo from LIMELIGHT for Chris Shiflett of FOO FIGHTERS , but also talking about their writing in general. He mentioned Geddy would spend HOURS trying everything so then he knew what did NOT work for the song. Alex on the other hand would lay down 5 - 6 solo attempts per song "on the day' so they would be spontaneous. He then let Geddy and producer Terry Brown cut together what they wanted from the takes. Even though these were different approaches they both had the same end-goal of capturing the feel and emotions the song needed. So it was interesting to hear you mention how chaotic it felt which of course was representing being at a busy international airport.
Great video. Here's something which was not mentioned: at the 2:45 mark, Geddy plays a Dorian mode (flat 3 and flat 7) starting on C# with a leading tone of C on the 8th fret of the E string. In other words, he starts on a C, goes a half step up to the C# (9th fret), and then plays a Dorian up from there. Pretty cool eh?
The smoky bar powerhouse jam vibe is unsurprising. They learned their chops as a working bar band for a long time from when they were very young. FWIW.
Motion Pictures was purchased by my 11 year old self in 1981. In 1984 I started playing bass in my first band. I could always pick out bits and pieces of my favorite Geddy lines but I was unnecessarily intimidated to really work on Rush. The only song of theirs I ever played in a band was Limelight. Now I'm 53 and I still get as much out of listening to Rush as I ever did and it always cracks me up listening to Limelight and realizing all that I was missing 4 decades ago. The thing about Geddy that it took me decades to figure out was how to relax more when I play and the reason so much of his stuff was so difficult was because of how tense I was with a heavy attack. It was actually Iron Maiden that broke me of that bad habit on the song The Trooper. I was playing with a pick back then SMDH and my forearm would be so tight and cramped up by the end of the song had to figure out a better way and that required not trying to kill the bass. I finally got with the program about 4 years into playing with my fingers and never looked back. This was definitely the best bass presentation of Rush I've ever seen! Thanks!
Thoroughly enjoyed this!! You should consider diving into Rush’s “The Big Money” from 1985’s Power Windows album. Some interesting driving bass playing there for sure.
Going deep into dorky waters with the nuances of the cheating or shortening the second note in the intro triplet to denote subtle changes in, OH MY GOD IM DOING IT TOO!!!😂😂 This song is so amazing and i love getting a vest on with enthusiastic knowledgeable people 😊
It's not sometimes known as YY zed, it's ALWAYS known that way. It's only in the U.S people say "zee", which is 100% incorrect. YYZ is the code for Pearson Airport in Toronto.
Would like you to go over the bass in The Analog Kid. Loved your assement and comentary. And no the song never resolves, the string part of the guitar solo is the closest it comes to resolution. But only for a bit, ha ha. Also Geddy embellishes his bass parts on this song live also.
I agree with every word! When I was in a band called Gridlock, bass of course. The other guitarist one was my twin and the other guitarist found a drummer to audition, who just arrived to FL from MI. Getting to your YYZ video the Drummer Frank broke out Start to Finish YYZ! I’ve always heard it on the radio hell I had the album so I was familiar with the song but far from it as a bass player! The drummer got the job now I had learn and attempt the song seeing it as a challenge found tabs and just section by section drilled and drilled “Repetition is the mother of all skills!” I learned it to the best of my abilities and performed it. And yes you only have one shot per show. My girlfriend asked me couple weeks ago “ What is the hardest song you’ve played?” No hesitation no delay! My answer Yankee Yankee Zulu YYZ yes I was in the US Army.🇺🇸🤘🏻😎🤘🏻🇺🇸 Thank you brother enjoyed the hell out of your video! Eddie
@@LowEndUniversity thank you for the reply brother! May I suggest another song which along with Geddy Lee and Eddie Jackson, D.D. Verni of Over Kill are my main influences and mentors. I have to add you to my list! The song I am referring you to check out is Over Kill’s version of Frankenstein which we also added to Gridlock’s set list. I would appreciate you doing a reaction video to! 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻I believe I have me doing the song on my RU-vid channel. Cheers Rock on Brother!
To me (IMO and all that), this was the Eruption for rhythm sections in its time. It just floored everyone and set a new bar. We all say around our mediocre vinyl decks listening like 😯😌🥴🫢🤔🫨😵💫 Amazing still and maybe unmatched because of its complexity and accessibility to the common music fan. ❤
