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Rush 'Presto'


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Another advantage of working from home is getting to go through the giant stack of CDs I've accumulated over the years. One is Rush's 'Presto', found at a garage sale about 5 years ago, and never listened to.

I really like it. More than I'd expected to. I was a huge Rush fan early on, up through 'A Farewell to Kings'. After that I still listened, just not as intensely. Maybe they got too prog for my feeble brain? Anyway, 'Presto' is very good. I don't know how it was received critically 30 years ago, but I like it.

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10 minutes ago, hamerhead said:

I don't know how it was received critically 30 years ago, but I like it.

I don't think it received as much attention as Power Windows or Hold Your Fire. Presto was heavy into Geddy's synth mania and may have alienated some of the lightweight fans (not me though).

I do remember that Presto received a Juno award (Canada's Grammy) for 'Best Album Cover' - I always thought that was an insult on the level of receiving a consolation prize.

My personal favorites from that era are Power Windows and Counterparts.

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12 minutes ago, killerteddybear said:

....was heavy into Geddy's synth mania...

That's funny, because I heard it as being less synth-centric than, say, their late '70s-thru-mid '80s stuff. It has some great guitar tones on it while the keys stay more in the background and less of a lead instrument.

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Look-I'm a big Rush guy. 60 shows over 35 years, and I know the catalog forward and backward.

Presto is a far better record than many people give it credit for. I listen to it more than I do most of the older material. The guitar tones are really cool-very wiry and layered. 

A lot of the time the line between acoustic and electric is blurred. "The Pass" is one of their best constructed songs, period. The title track is my favorite. 

If you want to see why I feel strongly about this album, try to find the following-

The performance of "Presto" from the Time Machine tour in 2011-it's on that DVD and probably on YouTube somewhere

Even Moreso, the bonus clips on the "Time Stand Still DVD" are from the Presto tour. The whole band is really on-you can see/hear/feel it. 

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Rush is my favorite. 

I think by Presto they were trying to work their way out of the "Jazz Synth" stage.  The Guitar finally seemed to be ebbing back to the forefront after Power Windows and Hold Your Fire. 

I like every era, but that era's music seems to have Lerxst's guitar weaving in and out trying to find a sonic space in all the pads.  It made for interesting play by him and a study in fitting in. 

Roll The Bones always seemed more so to me, though the CD mix I had was absolutely anemic.  There is a 2004 remaster on Spotify that I find much better listening. 

Test for Echo is where the guitar is finally back, but then tragedy struck Neil and, well, that was that until Vapor Trails.

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You all have inspired me to work through their later catalog. I've heard parts and pieces, it gets pretty "prog" and outside of the "rawk" of the 70's I fell in love with but that didn't bother me, it was just different. I was only able to see them a few times over the years, I was thrilled I got to see Time Machine with all of Moving Pictures; that was a dream come true and it was an incredible show.

My neighbor down the street is a crazy Rush/Rash fan. He snuck his way into the book signing at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame last year (is that right, Covid time has zapped my brain!). He and his wife got to meet Alex and Geddy personally, book signed, got pictures and stuff and he was so stunned he couldn't talk, so his wife filled in. He was so embarrassed afterwards but it was kind of heart warming too, and Geddy and Alex were obviously used to it. He's still furious with himself, his ONE opportunity to talk to them and he's shell-shocked, damnit! 😉

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4 hours ago, Drew816 said:

You all have inspired me to work through their later catalog. I've heard parts and pieces, it gets pretty "prog" and outside of the "rawk" of the 70's I fell in love with but that didn't bother me, it was just different. I was only able to see them a few times over the years, I was thrilled I got to see Time Machine with all of Moving Pictures; that was a dream come true and it was an incredible show.

My neighbor down the street is a crazy Rush/Rash fan. He snuck his way into the book signing at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame last year (is that right, Covid time has zapped my brain!). He and his wife got to meet Alex and Geddy personally, book signed, got pictures and stuff and he was so stunned he couldn't talk, so his wife filled in. He was so embarrassed afterwards but it was kind of heart warming too, and Geddy and Alex were obviously used to it. He's still furious with himself, his ONE opportunity to talk to them and he's shell-shocked, damnit! 😉

There is great stuff across the catalog. I think the later stuff has a built in resistance from people who built such a bond with the stuff of their teens (Permanent Waves would be that one for me) but they kept on working at their craft. 
There is a documentary on the making of Snakes and Arrows that is on the MVI disc that goes pretty deep into tracking in the studio and you can really get a peek behind the curtain into their process. It’s worth trying to get your hands on it. I could go on but I’ll spare y’all.

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Presto was just enough of a rock guitar focused album that we fans who had been waiting since Grace Under Pressure for songs we could actually play again were delighted at what we hoped was a return to form.... I devoured Show Don't Tell and Superconductor as a guitar player - you could ignore the synth and still play these songs with your band.... but alas it didn't remain/stay in this trajectory... I've never "learned" another Rush song since....... As much as I love the band I recognize that at one time or another I could probably play every single song of their's from the first album right through to Grace with my band.... outside of Presto, nothing the band ever recorded again caught my attention where I was inspired to learn/play it. I listened to stuff -- but never wanted to learn or play it.

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I've been a Rush fan since my teens, I bought 'Archives' when I was 15 and have a good number of their albums in my CD collection now.  I haven't heard every album they've made but I'm listening to 'Presto' on You Tube as I'm typing this.  My own current favourite album is 'Snakes And Arrows'.  I've always been blown away by the technical abilities of each individual band member and only wish I'd been to more of their gigs.  Maybe if I lived in Canada/USA whilst they still existed as a band there would have been more opportunities.

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On 7/21/2020 at 10:18 PM, Brooks said:

Huge fan growing up, I fell off after Grace...

Which album is Earthshine on? Great riff. 

Kind of the same.  Like many, I really became aware of Rush when Moving Pictures was released.  I had that, Exit Stage Left, Signals, and Grace Under Pressure growing up but about 10 years ago I got everything from the first album through Permanent Waves also.  I've never owned or REALLY listened to anything beyond Grace except Clockwork Angels which I bought because I was going to see them on that tour.  I need to listen through all that "newer" stuff while I'm working from home.

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