Saturday, May 31, 2008
WHAT CAN THIS STRANGE DEVICE BE......
In my previous post I discussed the musical impact of the year 1989/90. Another watershed musical year for me was 1979/80, the year I spent in Heidelberg, Germany.
1979/80 saw the release of many Hard Rock classics. Judas Priest alone provided 'Hell Bent For Leather', 'Unleashed In the East', and 'British Steel' over the course of 79/80. AC/DC gave us 'Highway To Hell', and 'Back In Black'.
While in Germany I got turned onto a lot of great music by the delinquents I hung out with that year. The Scorpions, Deep Purple, Motorhead.....
...and this record:
In the spring of 1980 there was a period of about a month where I listened to Rush '2112' every day. It was simply a mesmerising record. At that point I had not yet caught the Prog Rock bug, and I had no experience with Concept Rock. The fact that the entire first side of the record was dedicated to telling a story captivated my imagination. It was heady stuff for a fourteen year-old. The Priests of the Temple, the Discovery, the Dream, the Big Ending; all very fascinating.
Certainly some suspension of disbelief was required, I mean, how did the guy know how to tune the guitar? If the guitar was found in a damp cave, how could it possibly be in playable condition?
Well, as far as that goes, '2112' is certainly no worse off than The Bible.
The power was undeniable. From the very start of the 'Overture' I was enthralled by the heavyness, but it wasn't a lumbering Zepplin heavy, nor was it a chunky Priest heavy, it was a smooth heavy, a giant sound that wound it's way around your brain and kept you guessing all the way through.
The second side, which was not a part of the 2112 story cycle, featured a selection of nimble and satisfying Rock gems.
'A Passage To Bangkok', 'Twilight Zone', 'Tears', 'Lessons', and 'Something For Nothing' made sure that I flipped the LP over as I played it again and again.
Ahhh, to be fourteen again.........
In my previous post I discussed the musical impact of the year 1989/90. Another watershed musical year for me was 1979/80, the year I spent in Heidelberg, Germany.
1979/80 saw the release of many Hard Rock classics. Judas Priest alone provided 'Hell Bent For Leather', 'Unleashed In the East', and 'British Steel' over the course of 79/80. AC/DC gave us 'Highway To Hell', and 'Back In Black'.
While in Germany I got turned onto a lot of great music by the delinquents I hung out with that year. The Scorpions, Deep Purple, Motorhead.....
...and this record:
In the spring of 1980 there was a period of about a month where I listened to Rush '2112' every day. It was simply a mesmerising record. At that point I had not yet caught the Prog Rock bug, and I had no experience with Concept Rock. The fact that the entire first side of the record was dedicated to telling a story captivated my imagination. It was heady stuff for a fourteen year-old. The Priests of the Temple, the Discovery, the Dream, the Big Ending; all very fascinating.
Certainly some suspension of disbelief was required, I mean, how did the guy know how to tune the guitar? If the guitar was found in a damp cave, how could it possibly be in playable condition?
Well, as far as that goes, '2112' is certainly no worse off than The Bible.
The power was undeniable. From the very start of the 'Overture' I was enthralled by the heavyness, but it wasn't a lumbering Zepplin heavy, nor was it a chunky Priest heavy, it was a smooth heavy, a giant sound that wound it's way around your brain and kept you guessing all the way through.
The second side, which was not a part of the 2112 story cycle, featured a selection of nimble and satisfying Rock gems.
'A Passage To Bangkok', 'Twilight Zone', 'Tears', 'Lessons', and 'Something For Nothing' made sure that I flipped the LP over as I played it again and again.
Ahhh, to be fourteen again.........
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