Rush

That pretty much describes my Rush tastes as well, although I'm not all that fond of the self-titled album. It was, after all, pre-Neil. :D

My problem with Vapour Trails was that it was well-nigh unlistenable -- the recording levels were pumped up so high there is no 'headroom' in the signal. :mad:

I've seen them on every tour since Signals, and twice on the Counterparts tour (the infamous TNMS meet-up at the Pensacola show, first show on that tour). Always great shows, of course! :kickass:

Vapor Trails is completely unlistenable... I never bothered to figure out why, but now that you mention it, there it is... it has no sonic depth...:ill:

The Counterparts Tour was one of the best and I've been going to see them since the old days too.... Then sound was perfect on that tour (at least at the arena I was in) and when that 2001 overture starts playing and that nut and bolt started flying though space until that climatic screwing! haha! Awesome!! A visual I'll never forget....The other live video that was cool was the kid flying on the missle during Distant Early Warning (Grace Under Pressure tour)
 
I pretty much was that kid in the "Subdivisions" video....even down to the hair, the glasses, the lack of social life and a great desire to hang out in arcades.

For the space of several albums, Rush really 'spoke' to me. I was discovering rock music and FM radio when "The Spirit Of Radio" was fresh -- and that song was included in a planetarium laser show called LaserDrive that completely altered my musical listening tastes in just 90 minutes. (It also included Pink Floyd and Billy Thorpe. :kickass: )

From Permanent Waves up through Grace Under Pressure at least, it always seemed like there was a song or two directed right at me.
 
The Counterparts tour stop at the Meadowlands was my first rock concert.

There are pages online through the Wayback machine which detail textually and graphically why Vapor Trails sounded bad.

rush.jpg
is one image of "hot" mastering in action

As explained by Rip Rowan on the ProRec website, the damaged production is the result of overly-compressed (clipped) audio levels during mastering, though Rush have admitted that there was digital distortion during recording, which also contributed to the damage. Remastering the album would not correct the damage from digital distortion that was introduced during recording, but it could correct the other, more destructive damage that is the result of overly-compressing the audio during mastering. Fans continue to pan the sound of Vapor Trails and many are outraged that uncertainty remains whether the album will be remastered and reissued.taken from
 
New RUSH Album To Be Completed By End Of The Month!

The following report is courtesy of RUSH fansite Power Windows:
On Monday (January 15th), RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson spoke with Canada's Rock Station about the new album. Alex states the band came to LA on Monday, January 15th to mix album and should be done by the end of the month. The album took only 30 days to record, the shortest time they have taken to record an album since A Farewell To Kings. Andrew MacNaughtan has been video taping the entire project, with the possibility of including a making of DVD. The band plans on launching a North American tour on June 12th or 13th, running through the end of the year, to be followed by dates in Europe and South America. When asked about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Lifeson states "I couldn't care less, look who's up for induction, its a joke". To hear the entire 15 minute interview, click on "Rock Interviews" at Therock951.com.
 
He's right. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 have no place there. They aren't rock and roll.

And the Hall of Fame is a joke. But Rush will get in eventually.
 
I am really excited by this. 2112 is my favorite album by them. They are great live. The last few tours they've been playing close to 3 hours. So I would recommend to anyone to go see them live!!!