@@billwoods9302 - That's also _my_ favourite version 🙂 Alex' solo in this piece is my #2 favourite, after Gilmour's in 'Another Brick In The Wall - Pt.II' 🙂 Great solo also in the (sadly incomplete) Pink Pop video!
So true! And . . . the solo in the "Lexerst in Wonderland" section is one of the best guitar solos and drum combinations I've ever heard. Completely ethereal!
I would agree that it's one of the greatest but since I'm sure that I haven't heard all of the hundreds & hundreds of rock instrumentals ever recorded I will say it's "one of" not "the" greatest that I've heard.
How do musicians do that? You ask. Well the answer is that not many can. Utter genius here from three guys who were so lucky to meet each other. Lucky for us too. I've been listening to them for over 40 years and still find it unbelievable.
This such a great instrumental, which shows each of these brilliant artists capabilities! The precurser to YYZ, Leave That Thing Alone, & other great instrumentals from the 3 masters from the North! Love your reaction!
Of course they did this live, they prided themselves as being able to play live and accurately, anything in their catalog without any technical compromising or cheating. Musical integrity in concert. Super clean live band! Extremely impressive in concert. I know, I was there. 😁
They eventually played songs live that were never intended to be played live when recorded i.e. Losing It. It would be easier to list songs that they have NOT played live.
@@fknbuflobo I didn't like " loosing it " until I realized that I have peaked and now are on the downward slope into retirement. Damn , the things I could do effortlessly all day , and all night long. young folks, talk with your elders , you might be surprised what they say. they have been through just what you are going through now. .and they did just fine.The internet knows nothing .
I love this instrumental, a classic by any standard! But I also really enjoy seeing the pleasure that it gave you listening to it for the first time, it never gets old!
Synestesia! I never knew there was a name for what i have been experiencing my entire life or that it was considered a condition? Mind blown! Thank you so much redheadedneighbor! Long live Rush baby!!!
You are so on point with your comments!!! Very impressive on one listening!!! And yes, they did this live countless times....it's a fan favorite. They ended the night with it on a few tours. You may want to check this song out on their Time Machine tour.....quite impressive!!!! Cheers!
Hi 'Red', as I'm watching this video, I see you're blown away. My friend, listen to (and react if you want) to this on EXIT...STAGE LEFT. All I can tell you is BRACE YOURSELF; YOU WILL BLOWN AWAY ABSOLUTELY BIG TIME by this performance. TRUST ME; listening to Alex' solo, and Neil's drumming; seeing how excited you are listening to this studio version, the live concert version from that Moving Pictures tour, you may not be able to contain yourself. Again, TRUST ME. I'm sure many here who comment will agree, La Villa Strangiatto from EXIT...STAGE LEFT is a SUPERB ABSOLUTE TREMENDOUS MASTERPIECE.
You said the other day bold words about Rush and I thought the same like you 35-40 years ago when I heard those groups from the 70 and early 80’s. Nothing compares with them. Who are them? Well……. Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Rush, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Jean Michel- Jarred, Kansas, Genesis, Rainbow Chicago…….. I don’t need today’s music, I have my pills already since long ago. Keep swimming in this warm musical ocean.
I think the live version from EXIT... STAGE LEFT (1981) surpasses the quality of the studio recording. I have a favorite memory of this song that happened in the late eighties. I was driving to my sisters house in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains, in the darkness of night. It began snowing and it looked like the star scape when the Millenial Falcon jumped to light speed. This was the last track on the cassette tape and the snow wizzing past the car, gave the tune a surreal feeling. One of my all time favorite tracks from Rush!
YOU GET AN "A+" IN ADVANCED RUSH THEORY!!! WE LOVE THE "THEATER OF THE MIND"... EVERY NOTE AND EMOTION "GIFTED" TO US BY RUSH IS DEEPLY APPRECIATED... RUSH NEVER PLAYED TO US LIKE WE ARE IDIOTS... THEY NEVER "DUMBED IT DOWN"... I THINK YOU'RE READY TO EXPERIENCE THE CYGNUS X-1 SAGA NEXT... MUCH LOVE TO ALL!!!
One of their all time best instrumentals. Always a highlight at concerts often either an encore or a late in the set song where the boys can just let loose and jam out. Definitely shows just how great they are musicians!
Alex Lifeson: RUSH guitarist and Guru Extraordinaire! The HEART ❤️ AND SOUL OF RUSH! THE FUNNIEST MAN ON THE PLANET AND GREATEST SPEECH GIVER OF ALL TIME!!! ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: BLAH…BLAH…BLAH! HATS 🎩 OFF TO ALEX LIFESON 😎😎😎👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎸🎸🎸
Hemispheres is my second favorite Rush album out of 20, so yeah, La Villa has a special place in my heart. I literally wore out the 8-track tape in 1978.
2 місяці тому
It's fun to listen to, left right up down, take your pick, have a great one young lady!
I heard the Hemispheres album in its entirety on a local FM station shortly after it's release while I was trying to write a paper for a college class. I didn't listen to is closely and couldn't say afterwards that I had a very indepth knowledge of the band. Just under a year later, I bought two tickets to a Rush show in my town still not having much knowledge of them but at 20 years of age, a concert was a concert. I was completely overwhelmed. This show was phenomenal. Opening with 2112, including Cygnys X1, Bytor and the Snow Dog, and two versions of yet unreleased songs from their upcoming album Permanent Waves - Spirit of Radio and Freewill. The coup de grace of the show was Working Man and then this masterpiece, La Villa Strangiato. Needless to say, after that show I was an unrepentant fan of what I came to understand was the best live band I would ever get to see. La Villa is, in my mind the best song Rush ever performed and might one of the four or five best songs of any genre that has ever been recorded. It simply is an exquisite sonic experience.
This is in the top 5 of most Rush fans, I am guessing.. Your reactions to Rush songs are the best on UA-cam. Try Necromancer for some early Rush trying to discover themselves. One of my favorites.
It was my first album played on a crappy mono record player. I thought that is why it sound so tintty, bad/ cheap mixing i guess. but the lyrics and stories where awesome.
I had a half ass rock band in high school when I was 16 ( 1977 ) I was the drummer . We covered typical tunes of the time : Rolling Stones , Max Webster, Aerosmith , Styx , etc. . Then we tried to play La Villa Strangiato . HA ha . But it changed my drumming style/ technique / until this day . I leave for tour ( with a different band ! ) on the west coast of Canada /U.S.A on Sept .11 . Cheers .
This whole album is outstanding! I can't count how many times I've heard this instrumental. It is so progressive. (Alex Lifeson is such an underrated guitarist, but I think he likes it that way ... lol) Thanks for sharing, your reaction reminds me of me, when I first heard these Rush tunes. 👍
It would seem that you found that one band that checks all the boxes! 3 friends that were able to take us on so many musical/lyrical journeys and leave us all with wide smiles on our faces! Another great one Red!!!
Alex (Lerxst) is playing out his dream in sections and Geddy and Neil are right with him perfectly. I love this amazing instrumental. You need to witness it live from their Time Machine Tour and their R30 Tour. There are other really great live ones from 1978 & 79, so young and amazing. Maybe you won't be overwhelmed by synesthesia experiencing it live because it is magnificent live.
One of my favorite instrumentals ever. ❤ This ought to be interesting. And you were damn close - yeah it just means the Strange Village in Italian, and at least on the album liner notes, it's got like seven movements within it and each one has a title. It's kind of a weird Twilight Zone story, but it's told musically without any words. Mostly it's a chance for them to absolutely once again show that they can be the most extreme of badasses. In fact I believe that they consider this to be one of the most difficult things that they ever accomplished.
Fun reaction. The critics hated that Rush approached their craft much like athletes. Especially at this stage of their career, they were looking for ways to challenge themselves.
This is my all time Rush fav song. I also believe that it's the best instrumental rock song ever written. All that album is a masterpiece. As for if I listened to this song a lot, I'm a guitarist since I was 13-14, I'm 60 now. I first had the vinyl of this record then the CD and when I lost everything to fire I bought the CD again. I can play perfectly about 90% of that song on the guitar and I learned it by ear. That means pressing play, stop, rewind and play again... hundreds of times if not thousands.
This is my "if you were on a deserted island and could only have one......" song. Alex's Magnum Opus. Greatest guitar solo ever, imo. Alex had a nightmare and told the guys and they made this song to tell the story of the nightmare. If you look at the section titles there is a sort of hodge podge of languages used. Alex once said in an interview that the dream (nightmare) kept switching languages and locations on him. During the main solo (pt IV) it starts very subdued and melodic and the solo slowly builds up in intensity to the climax. I love how Geddy and Niel slowly build with Alex as well in such a skilled way, accompanying him perfectly. It's almost like a John Williams score. Lerxst is Geddy's nickname for Alex.
I am a very big Rush fan, and this is my all time favorite song, both by Rush and by anybody ever. Beethoven's 9th Symphony takes second place next to La Villa Strangiato, in my opinion. You correctly saw that the song tells a story, with a plot and characters. What the story is depends on each individual listener. Nobody can say that anyone is interpreting it incorrectly. While the story says one thing to me, it might be a completely different tale to you. And both of us can be fine with this difference. As you undoubtedly know by now, there are numerous live versions of this song available. Each sounds distinctly different from both this studio version, and from each other; Rush has never been a band to rest on their laurels. I am only sad that you never had a chance to see them perform it live in concert, because this was spectacular. No video can do it justice, but I do encourage you to seek out some video performances of it here on UA-cam.
Yeah, that’s one of my favorites of theirs. I’ve seen Rush live a few times, but I was super excited when I finally heard them so that one live. 😊 That being said, The Enemy Within is probably my fav.
I'm a huge Rush fan, I couldn't possibly pick a favorite song, each one has a meaning and a unique memory for me. I miss them everyday 😞 RIP Professor 🥁
I am so happy that you are coming to age of being a Rush fan, someone that can appreciate the album version with out the visual aids of a video. Just put on the headphones, turn it up, close your eyes and just enjoy. I always seem to be carried away with imagination.
Alex Lifeson delivered an onslaught of playing here. He had the expressiveness of David Gilmour, and the technical capabilities rivalling Eddie Van Halen.
This song was my gateway into Rush. My friend played this for me in 1982, and I literally could not comprehend what I was hearing. My 13-year-old brain just was just being blown.... like destroyed and remade at the exact same time... My life was never the same after hearing this song for the first time. I have always had a mild case of synesthesia since childhood, and almost always with colors when it comes to music.
"Strangiato" (STRAHN-gee-ah-toe) is a nonsense word that they made up. The song was inspired by a dream Alex had. Though they recorded a few takes before this particular one, this was recorded live in the studio, meaning they refrained from recording drums first with a scratch vocal, then bass, then guitars, etc.. They did this in ONE take, in the same room with each other, with no "punch-ins" (fixed flubs). Of course there are a few overdubs (the intro acoustic part in particular), but the majority of this song was done in one take. Simply awesome. Cheers!
Not quite correct! They'd tried over and over again and for days on end to record it in one single take but in the end gave up, and it was comped together from _two_ takes. That experience also was one of the reasons why Rush decided to step away from such long and super-intricate songs, which reflects already in the next album, 'Permanent Waves', despite its last song also being fairly long ('Natural Science') but not as complicated 🙂
What great fun that was! Admittedly, the Exit Stage Left version is THE live version to see, but the studio version is the original and it’s the one I connect with the most. It’s seared into my psyche because I remember my reaction the first time I heard it. “Are they allowed to do this?” I’d ask myself - because everything else I’d heard up to this point followed a pretty standard rock song structure. THIS WAS DIFFERENT. Yes - this was in rotation when they played live. Sometimes we got the entire thing; other times portions of it were part of a medley with parts of other songs. Thoroughly enjoyed this reaction! 🙏🏼
This was the song that made them realise they were stretching the limits of their capabilities. A true masterpiece but also it heralded the end of their really long, complex compositions. I think recording this left them exhausted! So glad they made the effort!
I love that even they struggled to play this in a single take when recording it. ButN being our boys, they now make it look like a cinch LIVE. They wrote a masterpiece with this one. And all based on a dream Alex had. Amd I really REALLY want to experience that dream while listening to this song.
Seamless chaos and beauty. I remember my wife and I with a group of friends around a campfire with this song playing. Everyone was quiet and just watched the fire crackling. Cool moment I will never forget.
@@gr8whyte66 I had reds on Alex Lifeson's side if the stage for that concert and to top it off a girl in my class in high school asked me out to this concert I had a clipboard with all three members on it that I used to takes notes she noticed lol The one and only time a girl asked me out on a date GLAD SHE DID RUSH was awesome. She complained to her friends I air drummed all night which was a lie usually I do but I was trying to be on my best behavior and didn't she pissed me off. Lol
Geddy Lee - Bass guitars, Oberheim polyphonic; OB-X; Mini-Moog; and Taurus pedal Synthesizers, vocals Alex Lifeson - Six and twelve string electric and acoustic guitars, Taurus Pedals Neil Peart - Drums kit, timbales, gong bass drums, orchestra bells, glockenspiel, wind chimes, bell tree, tubular bells, crotales, cowbells, plywood, wood blocks, triangles, tympani, and Gong!
This goes out to all those people that don't think Alex Lifeson is a world class guitarist. Alternatively titled " An Exercise In Self Indulgence " it's based on a series of nightmares Alex had.
This is one of my ALL TIME favorites. I first listened to this around age twelve (1980ish) and it so overwhelmed my brain I thought I was going crazy. I think my frontal lobe had a long way to go before I could parse what I was hearing in this song. I still listen to it all the time.
And How they did it live! Interestingly, it's the only song they could not record in one take. They recorded it in segments and spliced it together. It took them a while to learn to play this song that they wrote. Not only did they master it, but in later years they played around with this song so much, inserting goofy bits in the middle, playing strange versions of it, they were just astounding!
I really enjoyed listening to this with you. I do not have synesthesia for anything else but this song gives me full body shivers and head rushes EVERY TIME. This album (Hemispheres) was what sold me, 100% Rush fan for life when I heard this song as a teenager. Probably 8 years after it was released! I was just a little kid in 1978 and it would have gone right over my head but I heard it at the right time in my life and was hooked. Like, are they even human?
The are other great and fantastic bands like Rush with Amazing Musician ship and it's found in the Top Classic Prog bands and they are all Favs of Rush also ! 👍 Yes/ Genesis "Gabriel Era 1970-75"/ King Crimson/ Jethro Tull/ Pink Floyd/ ELP/ Gentle Giant/ Nektar/ Camel/ Focus and many more from 1969' - 1979' the Best Era 🎶
One of the best instrumentals from Rush. It contains my favorite guitar solo from Alex. You must watch the live version of this song. Rush played it live for many years. I remember loving the laser light show during Alex's guitar solo. It was amazing. This was such a fun reaction!
Watching your reaction to a song that’s been popping into my head for like 40 years is priceless. It gives me (and so many other diehard RUSH fans out there) so much joy to get a new recruit! Thank you! I want a redheaded neighbor like you!
Fun fact on this one Red. When in the studio their goal was to record this in one take together. Eventually Terry Brown (producer) convinced them to do it in 3 separate takes....together. And YES, they did pull this off live.....even better in my book.
I was kind of wondering about your beautiful and intense reactions. Not completely out of the ordinary for new people, but I cannot even imagine what having synesthesia and listening to this is like. I’ve seen them live in concert, up close and personal, many, many times over the decades under the influence of various things in my youth and it was about the best it can get for a Rock concert experience. Like I said before, you would’ve been the perfect RUSH NIGHT date. It was something set apart, special and different from most other Rock concerts. It was the vibe, the huge BUZZ of anticipation, the PEOPLE (RUSH ARMY) and of course these guys doing this flawlessly right in front of you at top volume with clouds of weed smoke filling the arena! It was a SCENE unlike no other, no dummies in a RUSH crowd! 🙂
My favourite Alex quote about this song is that he couldn't play it when he wrote it, now he plays it while sitting on the couch watching tv. One of their all time best.
There's so many time signatures, timing cues , "chaos "and interaction between them in this song you almost have to do a live version - I've watched it dozens of times & I see something new everytime !
Awesome reaction Red. Again I say, “you’re authentic and awesome”! You could have been the 8th woman in the audience had you joined before😉 (inside Rush joke)
The absolute best version of this song is the live version on Exit Stage Left. It contains what many fans believe to be Alex Lifeson's best live solo.
Concur,! Best live version I have seen!
@@billwoods9302 - That's also _my_ favourite version 🙂 Alex' solo in this piece is my #2 favourite, after Gilmour's in 'Another Brick In The Wall - Pt.II' 🙂
Great solo also in the (sadly incomplete) Pink Pop video!
Yep. Rush, ESL is the best.
@@highstepperARF - Also my favourite Rush album of them all! 😊
Definitely… I strongly encourage an additional reaction to the live version 1981
Yes, they played this in concert. The studio version that you just listened to was also mostly live in the studio. Amazing band!!
Best rock instrumental in history!
So true! And . . . the solo in the "Lexerst in Wonderland" section is one of the best guitar solos and drum combinations I've ever heard. Completely ethereal!
Should have won the Grammy. Lost to an instrumental by the police. The music industry was always slighting Rush. Time is making fools of all of them!
@@gritter2112 pretty sure YYZ lost to The Police, not this one
@@nedmac624 I stand corrected! Still should have won a Grammy. And the industry did slight them at almost every turn.
@@gritter2112 I 100% agree!
They titled this song with the sidebar..."an exercise in self indulgence "....they're showing off ! Theyre just that good...thanks for the reaction!
Probably my single most favorite instrumental of my life of 60 years. I never get tired of listening to it…Enjoy 🎉
@kevinharpham6396 This is my "desert island song" (assuming I was only allowed one). It has everything!
This is quite simply, the greatest rock instrumental song of all time in my opinion
Yours is an absolutely defensible position!
I would agree that it's one of the greatest but since I'm sure that I haven't heard all of the hundreds & hundreds of rock instrumentals ever recorded I will say it's "one of" not "the" greatest that I've heard.
@@graciefolden2359 Okay, listen to all of the rest and let us know!
How do musicians do that? You ask. Well the answer is that not many can. Utter genius here from three guys who were so lucky to meet each other. Lucky for us too. I've been listening to them for over 40 years and still find it unbelievable.
You can understand that these are best friends. How a true band is
This such a great instrumental, which shows each of these brilliant artists capabilities! The precurser to YYZ, Leave That Thing Alone, & other great instrumentals from the 3 masters from the North! Love your reaction!
Of course they did this live, they prided themselves as being able to play live and accurately, anything in their catalog without any technical compromising or cheating. Musical integrity in concert. Super clean live band! Extremely impressive in concert.
I know, I was there. 😁
They eventually played songs live that were never intended to be played live when recorded i.e. Losing It. It would be easier to list songs that they have NOT played live.
Me too. 5 times.😊
@@fknbuflobo I didn't like " loosing it " until
I realized that I have peaked and now are on the downward slope into retirement. Damn , the things I could do effortlessly all day , and all
night long. young folks, talk with your elders , you might be surprised what they say. they have been through just what you are going through now. .and they did just fine.The internet knows nothing .
I love this instrumental, a classic by any standard! But I also really enjoy seeing the pleasure that it gave you listening to it for the first time, it never gets old!
Synestesia! I never knew there was a name for what i have been experiencing my entire life or that it was considered a condition? Mind blown! Thank you so much redheadedneighbor! Long live Rush baby!!!
We Rush nerd fans LUV your compassion!
@@G-DOGBONEY - She's really getting into it! 😄👍
You are so on point with your comments!!! Very impressive on one listening!!! And yes, they did this live countless times....it's a fan favorite.
They ended the night with it on a few tours. You may want to check this song out on their Time Machine tour.....quite impressive!!!! Cheers!
Hi 'Red', as I'm watching this video, I see you're blown away. My friend, listen to (and react if you want) to this on EXIT...STAGE LEFT. All I can tell you is BRACE YOURSELF; YOU WILL BLOWN AWAY ABSOLUTELY BIG TIME by this performance. TRUST ME; listening to Alex' solo, and Neil's drumming; seeing how excited you are listening to this studio version, the live concert version from that Moving Pictures tour, you may not be able to contain yourself. Again, TRUST ME. I'm sure many here who comment will agree, La Villa Strangiatto from EXIT...STAGE LEFT is a SUPERB ABSOLUTE TREMENDOUS MASTERPIECE.
I agree! The ESL version is SICK!!
Facts! And what makes it so incredible is that the Exit Stage Left live concert version is done to perfection… 😉
Precision and perfect
agree 100%
You said the other day bold words about Rush and I thought the same like you 35-40 years ago when I heard those groups from the 70 and early 80’s. Nothing compares with them. Who are them?
Well……. Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Rush, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Jean Michel- Jarred,
Kansas, Genesis, Rainbow Chicago……..
I don’t need today’s music, I have my pills already since long ago.
Keep swimming in this warm musical ocean.
I've listened and played this on guitar every single day for the past two years. Yes, we listen to it a lot. 😅🎉😎❤🇨🇦
I think the live version from EXIT... STAGE LEFT (1981) surpasses the quality of the studio recording. I have a favorite memory of this song that happened in the late eighties. I was driving to my sisters house in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains, in the darkness of night. It began snowing and it looked like the star scape when the Millenial Falcon jumped to light speed. This was the last track on the cassette tape and the snow wizzing past the car, gave the tune a surreal feeling. One of my all time favorite tracks from Rush!
I would always say I love this Strange Villa, then i would love another song and then yet come back and say my fav again! 😂 Rush plays mind games! 🤣
YOU GET AN "A+" IN ADVANCED RUSH THEORY!!! WE LOVE THE "THEATER OF THE MIND"... EVERY NOTE AND EMOTION "GIFTED" TO US BY RUSH IS DEEPLY APPRECIATED... RUSH NEVER PLAYED TO US LIKE WE ARE IDIOTS... THEY NEVER "DUMBED IT DOWN"... I THINK YOU'RE READY TO EXPERIENCE THE CYGNUS X-1 SAGA NEXT... MUCH LOVE TO ALL!!!
One of my favorite RUSH songs.... imagine your self crawling through a D&D dungeon adventure!
One of their all time best instrumentals. Always a highlight at concerts often either an encore or a late in the set song where the boys can just let loose and jam out. Definitely shows just how great they are musicians!
This entire album is a ride,,
Alex Lifeson: RUSH guitarist and Guru Extraordinaire! The HEART ❤️ AND SOUL OF RUSH! THE FUNNIEST MAN ON THE PLANET AND GREATEST SPEECH GIVER OF ALL TIME!!! ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: BLAH…BLAH…BLAH! HATS 🎩 OFF TO ALEX LIFESON 😎😎😎👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎸🎸🎸
Lerxst!
TELL IT!!!
Hemispheres is my second favorite Rush album out of 20, so yeah, La Villa has a special place in my heart. I literally wore out the 8-track tape in 1978.
It's fun to listen to, left right up down, take your pick, have a great one young lady!
NOW, YOU REALLY NEED TO WATCH THEM DO THIS LIVE...
Amazing REEEE-ACTION! WOW…
I heard the Hemispheres album in its entirety on a local FM station shortly after it's release while I was trying to write a paper for a college class. I didn't listen to is closely and couldn't say afterwards that I had a very indepth knowledge of the band. Just under a year later, I bought two tickets to a Rush show in my town still not having much knowledge of them but at 20 years of age, a concert was a concert. I was completely overwhelmed. This show was phenomenal. Opening with 2112, including Cygnys X1, Bytor and the Snow Dog, and two versions of yet unreleased songs from their upcoming album Permanent Waves - Spirit of Radio and Freewill. The coup de grace of the show was Working Man and then this masterpiece, La Villa Strangiato. Needless to say, after that show I was an unrepentant fan of what I came to understand was the best live band I would ever get to see. La Villa is, in my mind the best song Rush ever performed and might one of the four or five best songs of any genre that has ever been recorded. It simply is an exquisite sonic experience.
One of the most brilliant and moving guitar solos in rock. Starts so subtle and slowly builds to complete eargasm!
Alex going full Spanish guitar is awesome. The guy is so versatile.
Alex Lifeson's Finest Moment... That Main Solo In The Middle❤
Reds having eargasms again guys it's a beautiful thing to see . Wintersun Alex in Texas ❄️😍❤️
This is in the top 5 of most Rush fans, I am guessing.. Your reactions to Rush songs are the best on UA-cam. Try Necromancer for some early Rush trying to discover themselves. One of my favorites.
It was my first album played on a crappy mono record player. I thought that is why it sound so tintty, bad/ cheap mixing i guess. but the lyrics and stories where awesome.
I had a half ass rock band in high school when I was 16 ( 1977 ) I was the drummer . We covered typical tunes of the time : Rolling Stones , Max Webster, Aerosmith , Styx , etc. . Then we tried to play La Villa Strangiato . HA ha . But it changed my drumming style/ technique / until this day . I leave for tour ( with a different band ! ) on the west coast of Canada /U.S.A on Sept .11 . Cheers .
This whole album is outstanding!
I can't count how many times I've heard this instrumental. It is so progressive.
(Alex Lifeson is such an underrated guitarist, but I think he likes it that way ... lol)
Thanks for sharing, your reaction reminds me of me, when I first heard these Rush tunes. 👍
As you can tell, this his an Alex masterpiece with Geddy and Neil just keeping the jam going and adding a few tasty parts!
Yyyy bueno RUSH es así!!! Majestuoso!!!! Gracias RUSH Argentina!!!
It would seem that you found that one band that checks all the boxes! 3 friends that were able to take us on so many musical/lyrical journeys and leave us all with wide smiles on our faces! Another great one Red!!!
When they recorded this tune it was so complicated they recorded in three sections. They played it to a tee live. Thanx for more Rush!
Great music needs no words, obviously
You waited your whole life to hear this best instrumental rock song ever
Alex (Lerxst) is playing out his dream in sections and Geddy and Neil are right with him perfectly. I love this amazing instrumental. You need to witness it live from their Time Machine Tour and their R30 Tour. There are other really great live ones from 1978 & 79, so young and amazing. Maybe you won't be overwhelmed by synesthesia experiencing it live because it is magnificent live.
Live in Rio where Alex gets to be Alex....too funny.
One of my favorite instrumentals ever. ❤ This ought to be interesting. And you were damn close - yeah it just means the Strange Village in Italian, and at least on the album liner notes, it's got like seven movements within it and each one has a title. It's kind of a weird Twilight Zone story, but it's told musically without any words.
Mostly it's a chance for them to absolutely once again show that they can be the most extreme of badasses. In fact I believe that they consider this to be one of the most difficult things that they ever accomplished.
One of my favorite Alex Solo's in this one. Thanks for getting this reaction out.
Fun reaction. The critics hated that Rush approached their craft much like athletes. Especially at this stage of their career, they were looking for ways to challenge themselves.
This is my all time Rush fav song. I also believe that it's the best instrumental rock song ever written. All that album is a masterpiece. As for if I listened to this song a lot, I'm a guitarist since I was 13-14, I'm 60 now. I first had the vinyl of this record then the CD and when I lost everything to fire I bought the CD again. I can play perfectly about 90% of that song on the guitar and I learned it by ear. That means pressing play, stop, rewind and play again... hundreds of times if not thousands.
This is my "if you were on a deserted island and could only have one......" song. Alex's Magnum Opus. Greatest guitar solo ever, imo.
Alex had a nightmare and told the guys and they made this song to tell the story of the nightmare. If you look at the section titles there is a sort of hodge podge of languages used. Alex once said in an interview that the dream (nightmare) kept switching languages and locations on him. During the main solo (pt IV) it starts very subdued and melodic and the solo slowly builds up in intensity to the climax. I love how Geddy and Niel slowly build with Alex as well in such a skilled way, accompanying him perfectly. It's almost like a John Williams score. Lerxst is Geddy's nickname for Alex.
Based on a series of Alex's dreams (nightmares?). La villa Stran-jee-ato at last ❤. What a masterpiece! Thank you very much for the reaction❤❤❤.
I am a very big Rush fan, and this is my all time favorite song, both by Rush and by anybody ever. Beethoven's 9th Symphony takes second place next to La Villa Strangiato, in my opinion.
You correctly saw that the song tells a story, with a plot and characters. What the story is depends on each individual listener. Nobody can say that anyone is interpreting it incorrectly. While the story says one thing to me, it might be a completely different tale to you. And both of us can be fine with this difference.
As you undoubtedly know by now, there are numerous live versions of this song available. Each sounds distinctly different from both this studio version, and from each other; Rush has never been a band to rest on their laurels. I am only sad that you never had a chance to see them perform it live in concert, because this was spectacular. No video can do it justice, but I do encourage you to seek out some video performances of it here on UA-cam.
Live long and prosper Rush Nerd. Don't worry I'm one in the same.
IMHO......this still sets the standard for rock instrumentals.....fuckin masterpiece
Awesome as always...love the reaction...and I love the gold-fish painting...thanks again, Todd from Ohio...
Yeah, that’s one of my favorites of theirs. I’ve seen Rush live a few times, but I was super excited when I finally heard them so that one live. 😊
That being said, The Enemy Within is probably my fav.
I'm a huge Rush fan, I couldn't possibly pick a favorite song, each one has a meaning and a unique memory for me. I miss them everyday 😞 RIP Professor 🥁
Rush is phenomenal and will never die❤ i love them my favorite band.
I am so happy that you are coming to age of being a Rush fan, someone that can appreciate the album version with out the visual aids of a video. Just put on the headphones, turn it up, close your eyes and just enjoy. I always seem to be carried away with imagination.
Yes this one sounds great live
Here we go ,, Finally.
It's OK to be flabbergasted by the sheer brilliance of this song!😂❤
Alex Lifeson delivered an onslaught of playing here. He had the expressiveness of David Gilmour, and the technical capabilities rivalling Eddie Van Halen.
This song was my gateway into Rush. My friend played this for me in 1982, and I literally could not comprehend what I was hearing. My 13-year-old brain just was just being blown.... like destroyed and remade at the exact same time... My life was never the same after hearing this song for the first time.
I have always had a mild case of synesthesia since childhood, and almost always with colors when it comes to music.
redheadedneighbor, your smile says it all. Now you know what Rush were capable of on sooo many levels. Love your experience. Thankyou fellow Rush fan.
"Strangiato" (STRAHN-gee-ah-toe) is a nonsense word that they made up. The song was inspired by a dream Alex had. Though they recorded a few takes before this particular one, this was recorded live in the studio, meaning they refrained from recording drums first with a scratch vocal, then bass, then guitars, etc.. They did this in ONE take, in the same room with each other, with no "punch-ins" (fixed flubs). Of course there are a few overdubs (the intro acoustic part in particular), but the majority of this song was done in one take. Simply awesome. Cheers!
Not quite correct! They'd tried over and over again and for days on end to record it in one single take but in the end gave up, and it was comped together from _two_ takes.
That experience also was one of the reasons why Rush decided to step away from such long and super-intricate songs, which reflects already in the next album, 'Permanent Waves', despite its last song also being fairly long ('Natural Science') but not as complicated 🙂
@Gitano_Music would be right if we were watching the official video of the song, I believe. There they finally nailed it in one pass!
@@mightyV444 Ah. I guess I was thinking of the video. Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.
@@Gitano_Music - Sure! No problem 😊 My info comes from a Rush documentary. Probably 'Beyond The Lighted Stage' 🙂
You’re thinking of Xanadu which was recorded in one take…
Finally !!, knew you'd like this one. Great reaction. Yup, they did all there stuff live. The story here was a nightmare dream from Alex.
Cheerz!!!!
What great fun that was! Admittedly, the Exit Stage Left version is THE live version to see, but the studio version is the original and it’s the one I connect with the most. It’s seared into my psyche because I remember my reaction the first time I heard it. “Are they allowed to do this?” I’d ask myself - because everything else I’d heard up to this point followed a pretty standard rock song structure.
THIS WAS DIFFERENT.
Yes - this was in rotation when they played live. Sometimes we got the entire thing; other times portions of it were part of a medley with parts of other songs.
Thoroughly enjoyed this reaction! 🙏🏼
This was the song that made them realise they were stretching the limits of their capabilities. A true masterpiece but also it heralded the end of their really long, complex compositions. I think recording this left them exhausted!
So glad they made the effort!
How many bands can have that much complexity in just one song
I love that even they struggled to play this in a single take when recording it. ButN being our boys, they now make it look like a cinch LIVE. They wrote a masterpiece with this one. And all based on a dream Alex had. Amd I really REALLY want to experience that dream while listening to this song.
none 🙂
Another GREAT REACTION!! Live version of this, from Exit Stage Left, is phenomenal!
I havent enjoyed this song so much since I first heard 40+ years ago. Thank You!
This is my favorite RUSH song!
Yes they did it live boy did they.
Seamless chaos and beauty. I remember my wife and I with a group of friends around a campfire with this song playing. Everyone was quiet and just watched the fire crackling. Cool moment I will never forget.
Loved this song and it was a definite gateway into jazz-fusion back in the day.
Imagine hearing this entire album live as your first RUSH concert was amazing Maple Leaf Gardens 1978
I was there.....totally awesome experience as a teenager.😁
@@gr8whyte66 I had reds on Alex Lifeson's side if the stage for that concert and to top it off a girl in my class in high school asked me out to this concert I had a clipboard with all three members on it that I used to takes notes she noticed lol The one and only time a girl asked me out on a date GLAD SHE DID RUSH was awesome. She complained to her friends I air drummed all night which was a lie usually I do but I was trying to be on my best behavior and didn't she pissed me off. Lol
Geddy Lee - Bass guitars, Oberheim polyphonic; OB-X; Mini-Moog; and Taurus pedal Synthesizers, vocals
Alex Lifeson - Six and twelve string electric and acoustic guitars, Taurus Pedals
Neil Peart - Drums kit, timbales, gong bass drums, orchestra bells, glockenspiel, wind chimes, bell tree, tubular bells, crotales, cowbells, plywood, wood blocks, triangles, tympani, and Gong!
This goes out to all those people that don't think Alex Lifeson is a world class guitarist.
Alternatively titled " An Exercise In Self Indulgence " it's based on a series of nightmares Alex had.
This is one of my ALL TIME favorites. I first listened to this around age twelve (1980ish) and it so overwhelmed my brain I thought I was going crazy. I think my frontal lobe had a long way to go before I could parse what I was hearing in this song. I still listen to it all the time.
And How they did it live! Interestingly, it's the only song they could not record in one take. They recorded it in segments and spliced it together. It took them a while to learn to play this song that they wrote. Not only did they master it, but in later years they played around with this song so much, inserting goofy bits in the middle, playing strange versions of it, they were just astounding!
Ah, La Villa Strange EE ah toh! One of My favorites! Nice to see Your Rushgasm, R.H.N.! Keep up the great work! ❤❤❤
For almost 50 years I’ve loved this song! And in all that time, I’ve known but never understood one thing. There are only 3 of them. How the hell?!?
Headlong Flight is an absolute must. I cannot stress this enough! LOL
What a fantastic reaction, it was like you felt every beat every tempo change , thank you
It's in my top three favorite Rush songs. The Camera Eye is #1 for me
Far and away a favorite, and I feel the same way every time! I've seen them do it live several times and they nailed it every time.
Extremely satisfying 😄
thank you for doing my suggestion :)....that is one my favorite, ever ....an absolute joy to listen to !!! it’s like being struck by lighting !
I really enjoyed listening to this with you. I do not have synesthesia for anything else but this song gives me full body shivers and head rushes EVERY TIME. This album (Hemispheres) was what sold me, 100% Rush fan for life when I heard this song as a teenager. Probably 8 years after it was released! I was just a little kid in 1978 and it would have gone right over my head but I heard it at the right time in my life and was hooked. Like, are they even human?
The are other great and fantastic bands like Rush with Amazing Musician ship and it's found in the Top Classic Prog bands and they are all Favs of Rush also ! 👍
Yes/ Genesis "Gabriel Era 1970-75"/ King Crimson/ Jethro Tull/ Pink Floyd/ ELP/
Gentle Giant/ Nektar/ Camel/ Focus and many more from 1969' - 1979' the Best Era 🎶
One of the best instrumentals from Rush. It contains my favorite guitar solo from Alex. You must watch the live version of this song. Rush played it live for many years. I remember loving the laser light show during Alex's guitar solo. It was amazing. This was such a fun reaction!
Scott Ian said that it wasn't until he played this all the way through without errors that he felt he could truly call himself a musician.
Watching your reaction to a song that’s been popping into my head for like 40 years is priceless. It gives me (and so many other diehard RUSH fans out there) so much joy to get a new recruit! Thank you! I want a redheaded neighbor like you!
Maybe give Natural Science a try next time?
Fun fact on this one Red. When in the studio their goal was to record this in one take together. Eventually Terry Brown (producer) convinced them to do it in 3 separate takes....together. And YES, they did pull this off live.....even better in my book.
I was kind of wondering about your beautiful and intense reactions. Not completely out of the ordinary for new people, but I cannot even imagine what having synesthesia and listening to this is like. I’ve seen them live in concert, up close and personal, many, many times over the decades under the influence of various things in my youth and it was about the best it can get for a Rock concert experience. Like I said before, you would’ve been the perfect RUSH NIGHT date. It was something set apart, special and different from most other Rock concerts. It was the vibe, the huge BUZZ of anticipation, the PEOPLE (RUSH ARMY) and of course these guys doing this flawlessly right in front of you at top volume with clouds of weed smoke filling the arena! It was a SCENE unlike no other, no dummies in a RUSH crowd! 🙂
And so ends the Hemispheres album. Every song on this album is a 10.
Fantastic album! Fantastic Song!!❤❤❤❤
My favourite Alex quote about this song is that he couldn't play it when he wrote it, now he plays it while sitting on the couch watching tv. One of their all time best.
There's so many time signatures, timing cues , "chaos "and interaction between them in this song you almost have to do a live version - I've watched it dozens of times & I see something new everytime !
So good! Exit Stage Left album is the best performance of this song.
Always been one of my favourites, and I saw them play it live a couple of times......absolutely fantastic. Thanks again for posting!
Awesome reaction Red. Again I say, “you’re authentic and awesome”! You could have been the 8th woman in the audience had you joined before😉 (inside Rush joke)
Definite favorite❣️They tried to record this in 1 take and couldn’t, ended being 3 takes. Absolute MASTERPIECE❣️