I would like to take this opportunity to mention one of my favourite places on the entire web: TNMS - The National Midday Sun, the home for European Rush fans. I have been a member on this site since 2004, and it has brought me lots of joy and interesting discussions through all these years. The atmosphere is just how I like it, the tone can be a bit harsh from time to time, but if you just remember not to take comments and/or posts to seriously you'll be just fine. It was through this forum that I managed to get 7th row seats at Rush concert in Stockholm in 2004. So if you live in Europe and you like Rush and a bit of banter, come join the fun.
/H
Thursday 28 June 2012
Thursday 21 June 2012
Other music
I listen to almost any kind of music, as long as it's good. But there's one genre that I can't stand, and that's the Swedish "dansbandsmusik". I'm not even going to soil my blog by posting any more about it here.
But lately, apart from the obvious listening to the new Rush album, I've been exploring older music. And I don't mean older as in 70s or 80s, I mean even all the way back to the 20s and 30s. Early blues, jazz and all that stuff. And along the way, I have found other stuff that I've really enjoyed. Some of it has been bands that I've already heard, some of it bands that I've only heard of, and the rest has been entirely new stuff for me. For example, yesterday I realised that I've never really explored Rockabilly, even though I like Stray Cats. So now I've started with them and I'm working my way into the happy world of Rockabilly, Psychobilly and that sort of music. One of the first interesting acquaintances i came across was Reverend Horton Heat.
So here we go with one of the songs I've listened to lately:
/H
But lately, apart from the obvious listening to the new Rush album, I've been exploring older music. And I don't mean older as in 70s or 80s, I mean even all the way back to the 20s and 30s. Early blues, jazz and all that stuff. And along the way, I have found other stuff that I've really enjoyed. Some of it has been bands that I've already heard, some of it bands that I've only heard of, and the rest has been entirely new stuff for me. For example, yesterday I realised that I've never really explored Rockabilly, even though I like Stray Cats. So now I've started with them and I'm working my way into the happy world of Rockabilly, Psychobilly and that sort of music. One of the first interesting acquaintances i came across was Reverend Horton Heat.
So here we go with one of the songs I've listened to lately:
/H
Sunday 17 June 2012
O2 - May 2013!
I'm excited, last night I bought the tickets for Rush concert at O2 Arena in London May 2013. That's the biggest part of the puzzle done! The rest should be a piece of cake. Plane tickets and some place to stay over that particular weekend should be much easier to arrange. Well, now it's time for some breakfast.
/H
/H
Thursday 14 June 2012
Comparing
I've been meaning to post something in here for a couple of days now, but I never seem to come around to actually doing it. Since my last post I've been listening a lot to Clockwork Angels. I posted on TNMS (The National Midday Sun - The Home for European Rush Fans) that CA is their best album since Hold Your Fire, and yesterday I decided I had to compare the two. When I first got into Rush, I wasn't too keen on their output in the 80s. I thought everything before Moving Pictures was great, but I couldn't see what was so great about Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows and Hold Your Fire. Since then I've discovered so much in those albums, that I love them too. And that's one of the reasons why I love Rush. There's just so much to explore and discover. But at the same time, this means that these albums are nowhere near safe from upcoming contenders like CA.
Anyway, back to my comparison. Before I posted that CA is their best album since HYF, I didn't compare it with the albums in between the two, since it was so clear to me that CA was better than those six albums (Presto, Roll the Bones, Counterparts, Test For Echo, Vapour Trails and Snakes & Arrows). And I stick by that opinion without comparing them. But HYF is such a strong album that I had to draw the line there. Then I started thinking, what if it's even better than HYF? So, yesterday I finally compared them. And I came to the conclusion that Hold Your Fire wins, for now. I prefer the sound on CA, and CA rocks harder, but so far the songs on HYF are still slightly stronger on the whole. I'm not too sure I'll prefer HYF in the long run though...
/H
Anyway, back to my comparison. Before I posted that CA is their best album since HYF, I didn't compare it with the albums in between the two, since it was so clear to me that CA was better than those six albums (Presto, Roll the Bones, Counterparts, Test For Echo, Vapour Trails and Snakes & Arrows). And I stick by that opinion without comparing them. But HYF is such a strong album that I had to draw the line there. Then I started thinking, what if it's even better than HYF? So, yesterday I finally compared them. And I came to the conclusion that Hold Your Fire wins, for now. I prefer the sound on CA, and CA rocks harder, but so far the songs on HYF are still slightly stronger on the whole. I'm not too sure I'll prefer HYF in the long run though...
/H
Tuesday 5 June 2012
On second thought...
Change of plans...I've skipped my planned playlist for this week, in favour of something brand new instead. And what a stunner the new album is! So far I'm loving it, and I've noticed that I even enjoy Caravan and BU2B more than I've done when listening the single versions. Someone said that the album versions are remastered, it wouldn't surprise me if they are.
Anyway, I haven't been this excited about an album since the first time I heard Exit...Stage Left (My first contact with Rush, and a live album that will always have a special place in my heart.). Sure, it isn't old Rush, but it's new and revitalised Rush. They sound like they're having fun playing. In my book, that's a good thing.
I'm really looking forward to the tour next year!
/H
Anyway, I haven't been this excited about an album since the first time I heard Exit...Stage Left (My first contact with Rush, and a live album that will always have a special place in my heart.). Sure, it isn't old Rush, but it's new and revitalised Rush. They sound like they're having fun playing. In my book, that's a good thing.
I'm really looking forward to the tour next year!
/H
Monday 4 June 2012
Marathon
Although Rush is my favourite band of all times, I don't always listen to Rush. My listening seems to go in cycles. Sometimes I listen very little, sometimes very much. With the upcoming album release approaching, I tend to listen more. Last time they released an album I decided to do a Rush marathon a few times before the album was released. So I listened to all the albums (including their first single) in chronological order. Now I'm happy to say that I can do the same thing again, adding S&A + their latest single to the playlist.
So, today I'm doing the First single, Rush, CoS, FbN and 2112, on Tuesday it's AFtK, Hemispheres, PeW and MP, on Wednesday Signals, GuP, PoW and HYF. Thursday means Presto, RtB, Cp and TfE, and on Friday I'll do VT, S&A and the Caravan/BU2B single. Then, this coming weekend I can do them all without interruption. But no Live albums, and certainly no Feedback.
/H
So, today I'm doing the First single, Rush, CoS, FbN and 2112, on Tuesday it's AFtK, Hemispheres, PeW and MP, on Wednesday Signals, GuP, PoW and HYF. Thursday means Presto, RtB, Cp and TfE, and on Friday I'll do VT, S&A and the Caravan/BU2B single. Then, this coming weekend I can do them all without interruption. But no Live albums, and certainly no Feedback.
/H
Friday 1 June 2012
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog, where I'll be posting mostly about the mighty Canadian Power Trio RUSH, but also about other music. Music is my passion in life, and my favourite band by far is Rush. If you're a Rush fan, you probably already know that they are touring Europe in 2013.
I've been a Rush fan since about 1991, but I didn't get to see them play live until 2004, in Stockholm, at the "Penultimate Show at the Globe" on their R30 tour. I thought that it might be their final tour ever, so I knew right away that I had to go see them as soon as I found out that they were touring Europe. That time I was very lucky to find out about the tour well before it started, so I learned through TNMS that there was a password for the pre-sale tickets. Knowing this, I was able to get a ticket for the 7th row on Alex's side, a very good seat for a newbie. And during the first half of the show, I went all the way up to the stage, along with a lot of the other fans in the first few rows. Before the second half of the show, the arena security guys came and told everyone that they had to stay in their own seats. But I didn't mind that, the first half of the show had already made my day. And the ferry trip from Stockholm to Turku the following day was great fun, the ferry was filled with Finnish Rush fans.
In 2007 they toured Europe again, this time I had already been a TNMS member for a few years, so I knew some of the other Finnish TNMS members in person (and some of the Swedes as well). I was thrilled to learn that they were coming to Helsinki, so I talked to some of my friends and fellow Rush fans and I got seats for all of us at once. Not as good seats as in 2004, but good enough for me. Through TNMS, we had decided to do a pre-gig meet in one of the most original restaurants in Helsinki, Zetor. I made a reservation way before the gig, to make sure we had somewhere to meet up, and we even got our own little room to sit in and talk. Even a few forum members from the British isles came to that pre-gig meet. This pre-gig meet was possibly even more fun than the gig itself. I got to meet a whole bunch of other Rush fans. I still dream of organising a Finnish Rush convention, but that's another story.
I'm planning on going to the O2 arena in London in 2013 to see them play live on my birthday. That should make a memorable birthday, don't you think?
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
/H
I've been a Rush fan since about 1991, but I didn't get to see them play live until 2004, in Stockholm, at the "Penultimate Show at the Globe" on their R30 tour. I thought that it might be their final tour ever, so I knew right away that I had to go see them as soon as I found out that they were touring Europe. That time I was very lucky to find out about the tour well before it started, so I learned through TNMS that there was a password for the pre-sale tickets. Knowing this, I was able to get a ticket for the 7th row on Alex's side, a very good seat for a newbie. And during the first half of the show, I went all the way up to the stage, along with a lot of the other fans in the first few rows. Before the second half of the show, the arena security guys came and told everyone that they had to stay in their own seats. But I didn't mind that, the first half of the show had already made my day. And the ferry trip from Stockholm to Turku the following day was great fun, the ferry was filled with Finnish Rush fans.
In 2007 they toured Europe again, this time I had already been a TNMS member for a few years, so I knew some of the other Finnish TNMS members in person (and some of the Swedes as well). I was thrilled to learn that they were coming to Helsinki, so I talked to some of my friends and fellow Rush fans and I got seats for all of us at once. Not as good seats as in 2004, but good enough for me. Through TNMS, we had decided to do a pre-gig meet in one of the most original restaurants in Helsinki, Zetor. I made a reservation way before the gig, to make sure we had somewhere to meet up, and we even got our own little room to sit in and talk. Even a few forum members from the British isles came to that pre-gig meet. This pre-gig meet was possibly even more fun than the gig itself. I got to meet a whole bunch of other Rush fans. I still dream of organising a Finnish Rush convention, but that's another story.
I'm planning on going to the O2 arena in London in 2013 to see them play live on my birthday. That should make a memorable birthday, don't you think?
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
/H
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