is RUSH the most technically gifted rock band ever, still?

Mike B. · « **Reply #20 on:** 5 Feb 2015, 05:41 pm »

It requires excellent musicians to pull off a three piece for this long IMO. I recently streamed a doc about them on netflix. Well worth viewing.

TF1216 · « **Reply #21 on:** 5 Feb 2015, 06:23 pm »

Quote from: barrows on 5 Feb 2015, 05:16 pm

No,

Many examples out there. Here are a couple of rock bands which were/are both fairly successful commercially and technically gifted on every instrument:

King Crimson, Yes (see Relayer). I would put in Mahavishnu Orchestra, but bass playing was only average until the 80s version with Jonas Hellborg (he is a monster). Frank Zappa's bands were always loaded with technical wizards.
Nowadays, in the Prog Metal world there are a lot of gifted musicians as well.

To my mind, the one real virtuoso in Rush is Neal Peart

Hey Opeth fans, could you recommend an album of theirs considering I am more interested in the prog side of the balance than the metal?

When Jonas Hellborg teamed up with Shawn Lane and Jeff Sipe that was the top of the food chain when it came to musical mastery.

One band rockin' today that has three masterful musicians is The Aristocrats with Brian Beller, Marco Minnemann, and Guthrie Govan. These three names pop up a lot when you step out of mainstream charts.

simoon · « **Reply #22 on:** 5 Feb 2015, 08:41 pm »

Quote from: Mike B. on 5 Feb 2015, 05:41 pm

It requires excellent musicians to pull off a three piece for this long IMO. I recently streamed a doc about them on netflix. Well worth viewing.

Actually, bigger bands require more skill, than trios.

simoon · « **Reply #23 on:** 5 Feb 2015, 08:48 pm »

Quote from: tf121682 on 5 Feb 2015, 06:23 pm

When Jonas Hellborg teamed up with Shawn Lane and Jeff Sipe that was the top of the food chain when it came to musical mastery.

Yep.

All beasts.

We lost Lane too early. Who knows what he'd be doing today?

Quote

One band rockin' today that has three masterful musicians is The Aristocrats with Brian Beller, Marco Minnemann, and Guthrie Govan. These three names pop up a lot when you step out of mainstream charts.

Beller is the weakest member of the band.

Minnimann is one of the best drummers on the planet. Possibly only surpassed by Virgil Donati, Thomas Lang and Damien Shmitt.

Govan is a great technician, but at this point in his career, his fusion vocabulary is a bit lacking.

Compared to these guys, the Rush musicians are not in their class.

Rclark · « **Reply #24 on:** 6 Feb 2015, 08:37 pm »

You guys are forgetting each member of this band is stratosphere. 100% of this band is legendary. I don't think that's ever been matched, and be honest, many of their songs are incredibly complex and also listenable, unlike something like Opeth, which just sounds like dirgy depressing noodling for 20 minutes to me.

dougme57 · « **Reply #25 on:** 6 Feb 2015, 09:28 pm »

Most have been mentioned but I would rank ahead of Rush:

YES
Genesis
ELP
King Crimson
Return to Forever
Jeff Beck
Steely Dan
Pink Floyd

I am trying to listen to Steve Wilson's music, I love prog. Some of the Dream Theater really excites me but I liked the LTE albums better.

JoshK · « **Reply #26 on:** 6 Feb 2015, 09:36 pm »

Quote from: barrows on 5 Feb 2015, 05:16 pm

Hey Opeth fans, could you recommend an album of theirs considering I am more interested in the prog side of the balance than the metal?

Opeth fan here: However, I will say my taste in "death metal" or any metal with cookie monster style vocals is limited to a handful of bands (Opeth, Anciients, In Flames, Lamb of God to name a few). I grew more and more attached to Opeth through some of their more accessible stuff like Damnation (softer and all clean vocals). Pale Communion is the most traditional prog rock like, its sort of like a prog rock album from the '70s released in the teens. Heritage just before it was quite similar but a bit less good as a whole IMO. So there is the 3 albums with clean vocals, but far from their overall best work.

Opeth's Blackwater Park is considered by many fans to be their masterpiece. Its the album that Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, etc) helped produce. Its an amazing album but it isn't the most accessible to folks who aren't into real 'metally metal'. Even when Opeth use growly vocals and really hard riffing sections they usually bounce back and forth between clean beautiful vocals and light instrumentals making it very intellectually appealing, for me at least. However, I think the best album to bridge the gap between their softer clean vocal albums and the harder stuff is Watershed. Its about 40/60 hard to clean styling.

Basically I like all of Opeth's albums from Still Life onward, the earlier ones I haven't gotten into yet.

Quick guide to Opeth's albums in reverse chronology (added song from each album to check out on YT or streaming):
Pale Communion - clean vocal prog rock album (Cusp of Eternity)
Heritage - clean vocal prog rock album (The Devil's Orchard)
Watershed - mixed vocal styling, prog metal (Heir Apparent or Hex Omega)
Ghost Reverie - mixed vocal styling, prog metal (Soldier of Fortune or The Grand Conjuration)
Damnation - clean vocals, mellower (slower tempo) darker rock; I personally don't think of this as very proggy (Closure)
Deliverance - mixed vocal styling, prog metal (Deliverance or Master's Apprentice)
Blackwater Park - mixed vocal styling, prog metal (The Funeral Portrait for a harder one; Harvest is clean/mellower)
Still Life - mixed vocal styling, prog metal (The Moor)

mixed vocal styling = both clean vocals and cookie monster type growling, usually most songs are a mix of both

Those songs are just my picks of good tunes on those albums.

wushuliu · « **Reply #27 on:** 7 Feb 2015, 03:12 pm »

Quote from: Rclark on 6 Feb 2015, 08:37 pm

You guys are forgetting each member of this band is stratosphere. 100% of this band is legendary. I don't think that's ever been matched, and be honest, many of their songs are incredibly complex and also listenable, unlike something like Opeth, which just sounds like dirgy depressing noodling for 20 minutes to me.

Lol

Don't ever change bro.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #28 on:** 12 Feb 2015, 05:08 am »

The only Opeth stuff I really like is the album they did with Porcupine Tree. I do dig Rush, though.

lowtech · « **Reply #29 on:** 12 Feb 2015, 05:19 am »

I'm going to see them at the Key in July. Are you, Mr. Clark?

TF1216 · « **Reply #30 on:** 12 Feb 2015, 05:23 am »

Quote from: simoon on 5 Feb 2015, 08:48 pm

Yep.

All beasts.

We lost Lane too early. Who knows what he'd be doing today?

Beller is the weakest member of the band.

Minnimann is one of the best drummers on the planet. Possibly only surpassed by Virgil Donati, Thomas Lang and Damien Shmitt.

Govan is a great technician, but at this point in his career, his fusion vocabulary is a bit lacking.

Compared to these guys, the Rush musicians are not in their class.

Cool, thanks for your reply. I have not heard of Damien Schmitt before.

Who is your favorite guitarist? Have you heard Guthrie Govan's recordings of him mimicking other famous guitarists?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaIzEo013iI

sfox7076 · « **Reply #31 on:** 12 Feb 2015, 05:56 am »

I have to say that when this came up, I was sure Led Zeppelin would be thrown out there. You don't get much more technically proficient than John Paul Jones and Jimmy Paige. Most of that probably came from session work. I will not advocate for them, just thought it was interesting no one tossed them out there.

Rclark · « **Reply #32 on:** 25 Feb 2015, 06:52 am »

Quote from: lowtech on 12 Feb 2015, 05:19 am

I'm going to see them at the Key in July. Are you, Mr. Clark?

No, I've got too much going on IRL, and I missed that they were coming. But it doesn't seem like they are stopping any time soon. I'll get my chance to see the most technically+musically gifted rock band of all time one of these years.

(although, I would pay for a spare ticket and the bar tab is definitely on me)

lowtech · « **Reply #33 on:** 25 Feb 2015, 07:07 am »

Quote from: Rclark on 25 Feb 2015, 06:52 am

No, I've got too much going on IRL, and I missed that they were coming. But it doesn't seem like they are stopping any time soon. I'll get my chance to see the most technically+musically gifted rock band of all time one of these years.

(although, I would pay for a spare ticket and the bar tab is definitely on me)

First concert I've ever bought a solo ticket for in many recent years. Just recently told my wife about it; she's not happy.

Rclark · « **Reply #34 on:** 25 Feb 2015, 07:51 am »

well, if you find a spare, let me know. We can share our loathing of overrated speaker manufacturers then go listen to the real deal.

GregC · « **Reply #35 on:** 28 Feb 2015, 12:50 am »

I am a big fan of Rush but when it comes to 3 piece rock bands we cannot forget Jimi Hendrix Experience (Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell, and Noel Redding).

FireGuy · « **Reply #36 on:** 28 Feb 2015, 01:23 am »

Hey Opeth fans, could you recommend an album of theirs considering I am more interested in the prog side of the balance than the metal?

Yes. Their latest release - Pale Communion. From Loudwire: "Pale Communion’ explores the heavy progressive rock elements covered in ‘Heritage,’ takes a page from ‘Damnation’ and injects brand new dynamics into Opeth’s vast sonic library."

Woodsea · « **Reply #37 on:** 28 Feb 2015, 02:35 am »

Gotta throw my hat in for a bit of Zeppelin myself. John was more than a proficient tom tom beater, and Robert has been professionally singing since he was 16. What he puts into his vocals is astounding.
I love RUSH and La Villa Strangiato is a masterpiece.

S Clark · « **Reply #38 on:** 28 Feb 2015, 03:00 am »

After nearly 40 replies, it's clear that the answer to the OP question about the Rush being the most technically gifted is..... NO.
There have been many groups proposed as best, but no one else seems to nominate Rush. Interesting.
Sorry, R Clark. Not many seem to place them at the pinnacle.

OzarkTom · « **Reply #39 on:** 25 Apr 2015, 07:11 pm »

A new drummer for Rush.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x4bfHllX2A&feature=youtu.be