Listening to Rush: Caress Of Steel, Side 2
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
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You seem to not realize that this a side-long piece. It's a single journey. They're not meant to be standalone songs.
Alex: "Fly By Night we recorded in ten days. Caress Of Steel in three weeks ... The Fountain Of Lamneth was a story about life, which was a little precocious of us, three guys in their early twenties. When we made that record, we were still a very young band, learning our skills ... We’d only been touring a year when we made that record. It was our jumping-off point ... The intent was always pure. Maybe the execution was not. But the last time I listened to Caress Of Steel, it reminded me of how important that record was to us at that time."
Geddy: "The problem was that nobody really understood what the hell we were doing with that record. And I can’t say we really knew what the hell we were up to either ... The influences we had - those great progressive rock groups, Yes and Genesis - it was so visible in our writing. Looking back, sometimes it makes you go, ‘ouch’ ... At that point, we didn’t possess the requisite objectivity to know how much was wrong with Caress Of Steel ... We’ve made a lot of mistakes on record, but we’ve been able to learn from them and move forward."
Neil: "I don’t think it really stands up. It is all over the shop, and it is experimental, and it’s only real virtue is its sincerity, but at least that’s something ... I can trace the roots of all our material from our previous experiments. Sometimes the experiment didn’t work but the lesson is learned and it becomes a template for the future."
OMG, this may be my favorite album. Next to hemispheres. Gosh I love this one.
Thanks for getting to this sleeper album by Rush. I like it, but it was quite a departure from Fly By Night , and had much less commercial success.
Totally agree. So many great tracks on the album. Even, I think I'm going bald, is a decent track!!!!😃
I've always enjoyed it for the humor parts of it, but I also think it has some good parts in those lyrics which are still interesting to think about all these years later.
Great analysis, Jim. Very much enjoyed listening with you.
The side was a suite, like 2112. "Didacts and Narpets" only does NOT sound weird if it's within the context of the entire piece. It still sounds weird to me, but I get what's happening in the story.
Jim it's a file side piece, an opus split into parts which make up a whole, telling a story. Go back and LISTEN 👍😉
The Fountain of Lamneth is right up there with Cygnus X1 from Hemispheres for me - what a suite of music! Thanks for sharing again Jim.
The No One at the Bridge section contains some of Geddy’s best vocal work ever and I love the solo from Alex as well, so emotional.
Caress of Steel and Hemispheres are my favorite Rush albums. Caress has some of Lifeson's best guitar work. Fabulous but underrated album. The critics got it painfully wrong when they dismissed this album.
Gotta love a critic!
Side Two is so good!!!
Agree!😎
If you were 15 yrs old in the late 70s with no internet but did have this album and a good set of headphones . Today you would never say this was not a great album . Its my favorite from them and its burnt into my memory for life
I am a similar age and did the same thing....I do rather this LP and this track is the shape of things to come...Their Supper's Ready perhaps ?
NOW we're talking *criminally underrated*. We go from AC/DC and Heart on side 1 to Led Zeppelin and Steve Hackett here (Alex has admitted to copping SH on the solo to "No One at the Bridge".) The lyrical themes also move on from "teenagers hanging out, smoking pot and playing D&D" to more ambitious and literary prose that presages "Xanadu". Yes, it's transitional, and they are still finding their way as writers and players. But it definitely holds up, even if it's a bit embarrassing for them. Full of naive charm, perhaps.
There's lots to like on Caress of Steel and when compared to both 2112 and Hemispheres you can hear some of the embryonic ideas being tried out. It's quite a majestic album in many ways. I think you're right about the drum sound because for me it does sound a bit wooden and perhaps not their best sound. If the album hadn't been panned by critics and the band nearly dumped by their label afterwards we would never have had 2112. Their attitude was 'we're gonna get dumped so let's go out on a high and make the album we want to make' and came up with 2112 which really boosted their career.
It feels more pastoral I guess. The band was realising that they could provide light and shade to their music, perhaps taking guidance from their Yes and Genesis influences. But you're right Jim, this album had to be made, the pathway to their future. As an aside... Alex is such an interesting guitarist, he chooses wonderful sounds and colours. If I had to choose just one guitarist to listen to, it would be him. A great reaction Jim, thank you.
This has got to be some of Alex Lifeson's best guitar work. So many wonderful textures. And I love his tone on this album. I nearly went crazy trying to work out some of his chords by ear.
There are so many bands that you can put on an album and listen to one or two songs that you like. However, with Rush it is a start to finish listen. Caress of Steel more so than most of the other Rush albums. Being Canadian, I am inclined to be prejudiced towards them in my opinion of them. Thanks for posting both sides of this wonderful, powerful piece of art.
You’re very welcome, and thanks for watching!
I watched your reaction and listened to the album again and I think, this is Rush trying to find their own style. And in the context of the time back then it's a pretty good start into their prog journey
Yes, I really enjoyed this record. Not surprising really, it’s Rush!
I believe Fountain is one of the songs they never played live.
Deride? F*** that, I love this album.
First rush album I heard , great listen especially the second side ,the next rush album 2112 is fantastic.
This album makes Jimmy Page jealous...😁 I LOVE this Record!!
There appears to be a lot of love for this album in general...I certainly agree with this....Fountain of Lamneth is such a classic track....Someone mentioned "pastoral" in the comments below....What a good description of this particular track....A bit of a Supper's Ready moment for Rush.
I actually had this on in the car a couple of months ago and....it's really good and still sounds good after first listening to it in the late '70's, courtesy of my slightly older sister.....I got it on the Archives LP set when I was 16 (1979).....
And, after this, I'm bunging the first 3 alums in the Yeti as it has a CD player.....Hell yeah !!!
I think Caress of Steel is Rush's most progressive rock album in the sense of the thematic song structures of the classic era defining 1969-74 prog-rock years. It's perhaps Rush's most Genesis influenced album, and you can hear that influence (think 'Watcher Of The Skies' dididah dih dih dih dih dididah) on a few tracks on CoS. Rush's earlier Led Zeppelin influence can still be heard too, but is much more subtle and malleable (think side two of Led Zeppelin 3). Saying that, Caress of Steel is its own man and still a remarkably bold album for the classic 'rock trio' format. I personally find CoS up there with the best of Rush's 70's albums and personally enjoy it more than the album that followed it, 2112.
I remember buying the Archives vinyl triple album at school when I was 14 just after Christmas 1981. Archives compiled the first three Rush albums Rush, Fly By Night & Caress Of Steel, and that same night I remember listening to all three albums chronologically in a row. I loved the first album, was a bit iffy with Fly By Night, and instantly fell in love with Caress of Steel. As you mention, the production is a bit muddy (apparently everybody was stoned out their nuts - who knew?), but the boldness of the three young guys not long out their twenties, and keen to push the boundaries of the rock power trio, is all over this album, and that's why I fell in love with it as a 14 year old in 1981, and still love it as a ..ahem.. 40 year old, in 2023 😉🙂
It may be heresy, but I agree with you. In terms of reading this album above 2112. I like the title track on that record more than any single track here, but the second side of 2112 doesn't hold a candle to the consistent greatness of this album.
This is on my short list of albums that I routinely just spin and let go in the background, without the need to skip a single track or the urge to make it a playlist with the best songs, or anything like that.
Side two is one piece called "The Fountain of Lamneth".
A 20 minute piece woven together as beautifully as one song is already 'going places' for that time.
An absolute melodic and prog joy
Bass, guitars, drums all excellent but the bass work is simply sensational.
What you're not getting Jim, is all of Side Two is one song: "The Fountain of Lamneth" with 6 subtitles. So what you may think of as individual tracks are all connected to tell one story. Much like "2112" or "Hemispheres".
Jim, get ready to have your mind blown!! I'm not sure why, but I put Caress of Steel over 2112, which is a lot of Rush Fan's favorite.
I found out why you didn't know that Side 2 is one work called "The Fountain of Lamneth". I dug up a picture of the vinyl album cover and can see that on the back side it lists all the songs without giving them a heading or overall title of "The Fountain of Lamneth". And that's what you were looking at while making this video. Seems like yet another misstep in the creation and production of this album. Don't get me wrong, though, I very much enjoy this album. It's so fun to hear them in development. Same reason I love Yes' first two albums. These hint at the greatness to come next!
Great comments Jim. Always appreciate your channel.
"Didacts and Narpets" is an anagram for "addicts and parents," for what it's worth. Still don't get the song outside of Neil abusing the hell out of his kit.
I usually avoid this song, but am always pleasantly surprised how much I do enjoy it.
Good evening Jim,
Did all my comments yesterday so I’ll just listen to the music
still a great album. long live Rush.
Thanks for doing this album. This song always makes me cry when i hear it. One of my top songs by Rush
Personally i find F of L to be lacking a decent climax, and a few of the riffs seem to be re-cycled from their previous album, but yeah it’s a stepping stone and a fairly sturdy one. 👍
Side 2 is the kind of genius that probably inspired many great prog influenced acts...yes im thinking Opeth...this side is especially Opethian in turns of movements🖤
Morning Jim,
Debating whether to treat myself to new headphones or just replace the pads on my current set. Walt
Maybe your album doesn't list it as such, but this is a single piece called The Fountain Of Lamneth, and the "songs" are movements in the suite.
No, it lists just the individual tracks on the back without hinting at a longer piece. Even the gaps between the parts are big enough to feel like separate tracks. If I’d looked at the label I’d have realised this was a bigger song made up from smaller pieces. Ah well!
Hey Jim! RUSH❗️❗️❗️Side 2❗️😎😎