By far Neil Peart's most concise,underrated lyrics
341097
I have been a rush fan since 1982,a between the moving pictures and signals time period. When signals came out,I was dissapointed that rush "changed"their sound. Likewise,Grace under pressure was also a big  dissapointmen and i along with other rush fans yearned for the glory days  of hemispheres. I felt the same "letdown" in 1985 with the release  of power windows.however,almost 14 yrs later,i can appreciate the sound of  Rush's "new stuff".This album is arguably neil pearts most  spiritual album lyrically. For example,marathon deals with the fact that  life is difficult,and you "got to pick up the pace if you want to stay  in the race".He uses a great metaphor of long arduous marathon race in  relation to the difficulties of life ("the heartbreak climb  uphill).Emotion Detector deals with our vulnerabilities and shortcomings we  face as human beings especially whe our ego's get in the way. Middletown  dreams deals with the importance of having hope amidst the dullness in life  that we all feel sometimes. And how important it is to accept our lot in  life but always to hope for the best. Territories deals with the fact that  humanity is really one brotherhood of man despite the fact the people  create teritories(countries,social groups)that divide us and cause  strife. In reality it is just one world. Grand designs deals with how crucial  it is not to be fooled by flashy appearances and we must look beyond the  superficial "grand designs" to get to the substance not just the  style. Big money is obviously a response to the Reagan era fascination with  materialism and how in reality "big money got no soul".And of  course,Mystic rythms deals with the fact that there must be some  "HIGHER POWER",that can help explain the thingswecannot control.  guess peart was feling  mystical when he penned this album the lyrics are  brlliant and  to the point>With the fine blend of synth,keyboards and  drums ,a very excellent album by a very excellent band>
1317493
Rush's 2002 VAPOR TRAILS sees the famed power trio of Alex Lifeson (guitar), Geddy Lee (vocals, bass) and Neil Peart (drums) back after a six-year hiatus due to Peart's tragic loss of his wife and daughter within months of each other. Reflections on this tragedy endow the lyrics with poignant meaning, and the joy of finally returning to music-making ultimately gives the album an optimism and joie de vivre that makes for great rock music. The original release of VAPOR TRAILS was a "loudness wars" disaster, the recording levels pushed up so high that all dynamic range was lost and even committed fans found it hard to listen to the resulting wall of noise. That was a great shame, as underneath the botched production was some great music. With VAPOR TRAILS REMIXED we finally have these sessions restored to better sound, and I can give this album a universal recommendation.

Though they were pushing 50 when recording the album, the trio sounds here as if they were enjoying a second youth. After years of pleading, Alex Lifeson finally succeeding in banishing synthesizers from the studio completely, allowing him to fully occupy the melodic spotlight with his guitars. While there is something to the accusation that Neal Peart's drumming has stagnated, covering only the same sonorities we've heard many times before, he nonetheless hands in a solid performance here. Geddy Lee's bass has become aggressive like never before; witness for example how in your face he gets towards the end of "Ceiling Unlimited" and "Freeze".

The songwriting is excellent, with some twists and turns that recall the band's 1970s prog rock, but with a succintness and maturity. A few of the songs touch on the then-recent events in Neil Peart's life, though only "Ghost Rider" sees him open up completely to the listener. Elsewhere the lyrics are less personal, exploring instead themes that everyone can relate to. "Earthshine", "Nocturne" and "Freeze" speak of fear, loneliness and delusion. "The Stars Look Down" and "Peaceable Kingdom" deal with the idea of predestined fate. Two songs touch on the events of September 11, which were fresh in these musicians' memories as they began to record in late 2001. Peart wrote "Peaceable Kingdom" after encountering the disturbing tarot card called The Tower, which depicts bodies falling from a structure going up in flames. The title track too alludes to the planes that hit the Twin Towers. However, unlike so many musical meditations on that day that seem oversentimental and cloying, Peart's lyrics abstract that tragedy to refer instead to a universal history of calamity.

As for the remastered sound, the album is now entirely listenable from start to finish. It is worth noting, however, that engineer David Bottrill could only do so much. Remixing salvaged the majority of the album, but since many of the parts were boosted too high in the recording process, it stills sounds a bit "loudness wars". Don't come to VAPOR TRAILS REMIXED expecting the ambience of their 1970s work or even the two albums they had released prior, but this is now a minor quibble.
4297250
Got this for my husband for Christmas and it was a big hit. We both love RUSH. Neil Peart is a very fascinating and deep person. His writing is the fuel behind RUSH. This dvd does not disappoint!!! We've watched it many times. And if you have a budding songwriter or band member in your family, I'd recommend this. Probably has some language in it, but lots of pearls of wisdom around and among great performances.
1991613
If your idea of a good Buzzcocks tune is "You Say You Don't Love Me" or "Autonomy," this brace of their first songs may shock you. Recorded in half an hour in December, 1976 with nothing but bass, drums, Starway guitar and youthful vigor, it makes their later work sound like A Flock of Seagulls. Howard Devoto's lyrics are terse genius, slashing through a gamut of issues with a witty, nihilistic edge, and at a pace almost too rapid for their richness. You find yourself asking, "Did he really say 'let it ringa-ringa-f***ing ding?' or, "Is he singing 'friends of mine' or 'amphetamine'?" His words bend language backwards, wielding double-edged imagery while remaining curt and to-the-point.
Perfectly suiting this air of jumpy dislocation, his vocals are miles beyond later singer Pete Shelly's camp monotone. Devoto runs through as many voices as verses, one minute evoking an adrenalized Johnny Rotten, the next some demented cartoon mouse. Raging, snarling, stuttering like a machine gun, snapping at his own words almost before they've left his mouth, he's a man choked with doubt and disgust, yet swept on by rage. The music is more than his equal: a pandemonium of drum rolls, ringing guitar and careening bass lines that power forward like a freight train. It's the perfect marriage of the Sex Pistols' atonality to the Ramones' sheet-metal blur, and the Buzzcocks have never sounded darker, harder, or better.
After twenty-one years this punk landmark is finally back in print, so buy it before the curse strikes again! You will never be sorry.
2245356
Four songwriters, four distinct voices, one uniquely touching sound.  Although this album captures the lost innocence of sixties-into-seventies youth, the wide gap between the WWII generation and their hippie children, several types of songs populate this record.  Without a doubt, Graham Nash writes his songs ("Teach Your Children" and "Our House") with the most emotional optimism of the band.  On the other end is Stephen Stills whose songs ("Carry On" and "4 + 20") deal with the darker aspects of life which are rarely, if ever, resolved.  David Crosby concerns himself with the how hippies are perceived by the outside world in "Almost Cut My Hair," but then delves right into a "trip" in "Deja Vu."  Neil Young, who, in his own right, is very politically critical, puts forth songs on this album more emotionally stirring on an individual level.

This album is the definitive CSNY album; it's as if a perfect moment in time was captured in this album.  Listen to it and look at the cover and the insert - it's all carefully put together to form one multi-layered masterpiece to be enjoyed at any age and at any time.
893699
I'm not a Neil Young completist by any stretch but when I first put this CD on I felt the urge to email a friend to tell him I'd discovered the best Neil album since "Rust Never Sleeps". But at that point I'd only listened to the first three songs and I thought it might be prudent to wait til I'd heard the entire album. Naturally the CD is front-loaded with the best songs but this is still a good album.

Definitely better than "Sleeps With Angels", and for my taste preferable to "Prairie Wind" or "Harvest Moon", though your mileage may vary.

The long and the short of is that if you lined up every recording artist who had or started a legacy in the 1960s, Neil is #1, the top of the pack when it comes to still being relevant in the 21st century, with David Bowie's 90's renaissance bringing him in at #2. If only there was a 6CD box set containing "Decade II", "Decade III", and "Decade IV". If you like "Comes a Time" or "Rust Never Sleeps" you'll enjoy this album.
1670723
If you like great singing voices, of almost any genre, "Cup of Loneliness" is not to be missed. I picked up a version of this 'Mercury Years' material about 20 years ago and it's one of those desert island discs that I just keep going back to. Songs about drinking, heartache, regret, feeling like a fool -- the real gritty Texas honky-tonk sound with lots of weeping steel guitar and perhaps the greatest male voice ever in country music. There are songs on here that I skip over, but many I absolutely love, especially "Color of the Blues."
1719402
Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist for the band Rush is a notoriously private man. This anthology of travel writing lets you into his world just a little bit, from riding all over America to snowshoeing in Quebec to yes, the wear and tear of being in a rock band. A fascinating entry in his series of travel anthologies, with photographs and reminiscences that remind one point of a journey is not to arrive."
1603579
The lyrics to this song are amazing. It is like getting a glimpse to the answers of the riddles of the universe.  I love the Byrds remake of the song for Easy Rider probably more than the original Bob Dylan version. But Bob wrote it so hats off to you Mr. Zimmerman. This is  a classic.
843783
Eleven solid cuts here-showcasing the creative side of Pink Floyd's founder the one,the eccentric and only (thank goodness) Syd Barrett. 'Relics' is honestly the fastest 48 minutes I believe I've ever encountered on an audio disc as such. Tunes here that I have always been quite fond of include "Arnold Layne" (love seeing the old B&W promo), "See Emily Play", "Julia Dream", "Careful With That Axe,Eugene", "The Nile Song" (possibly Floyd's heaviest song ever) and the quirky "Bike". What IS that duck-call sound at the song's end all about anyway? An absolute must-have. So highly recommended, it almost hurts.
37218
If Bruce Springsteen in his entire career only wrote "Born to Run", he would still be enshrined in Rock n' Roll stardom and history. Romanticism and rock n' roll are fused and alive in this song.

"Wendy let me in ... Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims and strap your hands 'cross my engines" is just one of the most eloquent verses of poetry ever uttered from a man's mouth. "I want to know if love is wild, babe, I want to know if love is real" just shows that Bruce is not a Man but a force of Nature.

If one could pick the greatest rock n' roll song ever, perhaps this would be the one.
54179
While some of these lyrics (mainly the song War For Sale) are the usual liberal propaganda that is heard in rock songs so often that the "message" simply becomes a joke, this is some of the most amazing music I've heard in a LONG while. To give you an idea of what this sounds like, take Dream Theater's song "Surrounded" or some of their other mellower stuff, take away the annoying operatic singer, and add better melodies. Styx's Grand Illusion album often pops into my head as well when this is playing--especially on tracks five through the end.  This music is adventurous, well-composed, and dramatic like old Queen, Pink Floyd, or any good concept rock album. The gorgeous, simple melodies here will melt you even on the first listen, and believe me, these guys can PLAY. If you're a fan of Marillion, Styx, Queen, later Queensryche, or mellow Dream Theater, you'd do well not to miss this treasure.
1530108
Along with the Allman Bros at Fillmore East, "Everybody Knows this is Nowhere" were the two LP's that I played over and over when I was 12 years old. I "borrowed" them from my big brother's LP collection when he was out doing the drugs & that VietNam revolution thing while I had to stay home. I later received my brothers whole collection when he passed away in a car accident when he was 23 and I was 14. Man I used to crank these songs up to 9 and a half on an old Kenwood stereo that my stepdad always played Willie and Johnny Cash on. "I proceeded to buy every Neil Young solo album and this is a great compilation if you want a Neil Young primer without hearing all the regular songs he wrote, I was suprised "Tonight's the Night" wasn't on here but every other great song Neil ever did is here in a clean sounding CD. " Like a Hurricane" makes me think of my 1st wife because it describes my relationship with her perfectly. In the Katrina and Rita aftermath it could have been written in Sept.of 2005. I would recommend this set to everyone like me that has all their Neil songs on LP and just want to hear him at his very best on every song. "Southern Man","After the Gold Rush", and "Ohio"(I read it was done in 2 takes) still hit me in the chest like they did the first time I heard them in the early seventies. I even learned to play "Needle and the Damage Done" on guitar and I'm a drummer. That's the song he wrote about Danny Whiten's heroin addiction and subsequent deathe which scared Neil straight. Just to hear that song evokes emotions that'll trounce your emotional buttons every time you hear it. Especially if you've lived it. "Rockin in the Free World" is near the end and a fitting send off of a great Neil Young set. Even if you're just a casual Neil Young listener this is the CD to have.
563508
If you're not interested in 20 minute long songs, hard drving guitar and  rhythm sections, sci-fi inspired lyrics, long instrumentals, a high pitched  voice singing the lyrics, then 2112 is not for you.  This is Rush's fourth  album, their breakthrough which legitimately set them to become one of the  most lyrically profound and musically astute power trios in the entire  world.  2112 (pronounced "twenty one, twelve") is the main song  on the album.  It tells of a society ruled by the communist priests of the  Temples of Syrinx who believe in crushing the human spirit so every one  lives according to a lifeless conformity.  The hero dares to defy them and  leads the revolution through music.  How does it end?  Listen to the album.  Also  present are five lesslengthy songs like A Passage to Bangkok, which  sounds like a shopping list for drugs, Something for Nothing, a song that  defines reality itself, the acoustic show-stopper Tears, the Twilight Zone  and Lessons.  The lyrics of most songs are done by drummer Neil Peart, who  sounds like a college professor.  Alex Lifeson contributes hard-rocking  guitar lines which soar and frighten.  And bassist, vocalist, keyboardist  Geddy Lee sounds like a Medieval minstrel.  At times you almost start to  think that he is the hero of the story.  A classic album and a must have  for any serious lover of heavy  metal and lyrical profundity.
3809572
If you're a Neil Diamond fan, get this album. If you aren't a Neil Diamond fan, come out from under your rock and get this album!

On "If I Don't See You Again" Neil sings with so much feeling, that if you aren't moved by this song, you must be dead inside. His voice and the music flow flawlessly together, and the lyrics alone are a work of art.

"Pretty Amazing Grace" is one of the more upbeat songs on the album. Its melody is infectious and I guarantee you will be humming this song to yourself after one listen!

"Don't Go There", another upbeat song, shows the "gritty" side of Neil. It has a wonderful groove to it and is definitely a toe tapper/finger snapper sort of song. And of course, there's the little laugh Neil does in the middle of the song.

Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks is a wonderful addition to "Another Day (That Time Forgot)". Their voices complement each other nicely, and their sincerity shows. It's a very melodic song, and like "Pretty Amazing Grace" it will crawl into your memory and stay there after just one listen.

While "One More Bite Of The Apple" is basically Neil, a guitar, and a piano, it is still a rocker. The lyrics seem to be about one more big tour, but it is definently a motivator song, and it makes you want to do something spectacular.

"Forgotten" is more of a folk/country rocker with a nice little groove. You'll definitely want to sing along to this one, you may even find yourself spelling out the title...

With "Act Like A Man", the music is soft and Neil's rough, yet smooth, voice is enough to lull you into a daydream. Don't expect to get anything done while listening to this song!

"Who's Hands Are These" is another toe tapper. Full of catchy lines and imagery, it's a sweet little song to sing to the love of your life. Or with your little one in the car.

"No Words" is so upbeat and happy that it's hard to not sing and dance. Crank it up and have fun!

"The Power Of Two" has some of the best lyrics Neil has ever written. The way he sings is wonderful, and the song has a great message. So listen up, Neil's gonna explain the mathematics of love.

On "Slow It Down", Neil does just that. It's a good warm-summer-day-on-the-front-porch-just-relaxing type of song. And he's trying to tell you something, so listen to the words and take them to heart, okay?

On "Home Before Dark", the way Neil sings could melt the frozen heart of anyone that doesn't believe in love. It's a lovely song about realizing that you love someone more than you ever thought you could. If you think that Neil wrote this song after he read your mind, and every word describes the one you love, tell that person you love them. It was meant to be.

This version of the album has two bonus cover tracks, Harry Nilsson's "Without Her" and Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love". Neil puts his own spin on these songs, but stays true to how the songs make you feel.

This version also comes with a DVD with four songs. The first two are "Pretty Amazing Grace" and "If I Don't See You Again" done in an intimate setting. The other two songs are "Forgotten" and Simon and Garfunkle's "The Boxer". These are videos of Neil recording those songs in the studio.
2744017
i heard this album on tape about ten years ago when my dad said if you want to play drums you should listen to this. enter: neil peart into my life. i thik that this album is perfect and that any musician should own it. it is classic. the things that this band does with three guys is amazing, all in all this album is great and the story is awesome.
301702
Once upon a time when Billy Collins was doing his stint as America's Poet Laureate at the Library of Congress,  his weekly poem in The Washington Post's book section was one of my Sunday must-reads.  This is a collection of  poems from his books "Nine Horses," "The Trouble With Poetry,"  "Ballistics" and "Horoscopes for the Dead,"  along with  71 new poems. The poem that gives this book its title, "Aimless Love," opens with

  "This morning as I walked along the lakeshore
 I fell in love with a wren
 and later in the day with a mouse
 the cat had dropped under the dining room table."

Among others are: "Ode to a Desk Lamp," "Biographical Notes in an Anthology of Haiku," "Dining Alone," "If This Were a Job I'd Be Fired," "Looking for a Friend in a Crowd of Arrriving Passengers,"  "Drinking Alone,"  "Cheerios," "Poetry Workshop Held in a Former Cigar Factory in Key West," "The Chairs That No One Sits In," "Divorce," "Oh, My God!," "Brightly Colored Boats Upturned on the Banks of the Charles," "Scenes of Hell," "Bathtub Families," "Boy Shooting at a Statue," "The Trouble With Poetry," and "Returning the Pencil to its Tray." The book ends with a poem titled "The Names (for the victims of September 11th and their survivors.)"

No one describes this book better than his editor who writes in his intro "If you've read Billy, if you think you know him as a poet, then I ask you to open this book and see how many times he will surprise you.  And if you've never read Billy, if you think of yourself as Not A Poetry Person, then it will take you five minutes max to change your mind."

I couldn't agree more.