Composer Reacts to Rush - The Spirit Of Radio (REACTION & ANALYSIS)

[@toddashton9696]

Remember the track is celebrating what the band loved about radio, particularly in their youth. The song was written with elements that support this concept. From the opening riff that simulates radio waves, to the simple 4/4 opening. Also the different musical styles provide the idea of the variety of music you have access to through the radio. The guitar solo gives the idea of changing radio stations and what that sounds like.

[@HALberdier17]

The 'glittering prizes and endless compromises' part I interpreted it as radio stations forcing their DJs to hold contests. While the endless compromises I interpreted it as FM radio stations in the late 60s and early 70s started out as commercial free and they were mostly free-form where they played whatever they wanted. Eventually FM stations had to start compromising with ad breaks and they also had to start having setlists of songs that they were required to play by the executives.

[@debbieplato5107]

If you listen to the lyrics it is about the radio and the different change ups in the music genres represents the different types of music depending on the station.

[@jimtatro6550]

This was my entry point to Rush in 1980 when I was 12 years old, I’m going to be 56 this year and I’m still obsessed with this band.

[@bdc1117]

the extra complexity represents suddenly changing radio stations with the dial, that moment of chaos. the opening riff represents a radio signal.

[@scott4482]

You didn't listen to the lyrics, the song is a metaphor for switching around on the radio, looking for a song you want to hear.

[@mrnobody3161]

The lyrics always provide context to the music when listening to Rush.

[@konradkanuckle5920]

Can't have one without the other! People are silly, lyrics add a whole new context! ( pun intended ). Peace.

[@mrnobody3161]

@@konradkanuckle5920 Yes, as a former progrock musician, the number of Clones who don't even acknowledge the lyrics in a song, are just,........

[@progperljungman8218]

Although many of us in the Patreon community suggested songs that gives us nostalgic feelings for our own childhood (myself included) I'm pretty sure this was chosen for being ABOUT nostagia - just as you pictured the theme 😊 Anyways, great song, reaction and analysis!

[@SnowDogisVictorious]

Yes, channel surfing! Exactly. That’s what they said they were trying to do. With Permanent Waves, on which Spirit of Radio was the lead track, the guys purposively sought to move beyond their complex epics to write shorter tunes. They still did complex, mind you (e.g. Natural Science, which appeared at the end of the same album). The album also serves as a gateway into Rush’s “synth” period, which would last until their tack back to harder, guitar-led works in the mid 1990’s.

[@janeg6759]

I love Rush and enjoyed your analysis. It is nostalgic for me. I don't know why I started mentally thinking about their song Subdivisions after this. Also I know I put a comment about this somewhere and I don't know where it went. So this is like my third attempt. Happy Monday 😁

[@JeromeDukes]

I think the album Permanent Waves was like the changing of the guard when it comes to Rush and prog music in general. Instead of grand experimental musical ideas in a 10 to 20 min format, the songs got shorter and more compact. This was a trend for most prog bands from the 70's, to produce shorter more radio friendly songs. Neil Peart I believe wrote the lyrics about a radio station in Hamilton that didn't give into corporate pressures to play popular cookie cutter songs. That's why you see a clip of the pirate radio broadcast in the video. Permanent Waves has one song (Natural Science) in a long format, Rush's next and most famous album Moving Pictures, also has one song (Camera Eye) in a long format. All Rush albums after MP, their song idea's are more compact in a 5 min format.

[@jeffbruns2421]

At that time Rush was under so much pressure to get a mega hit something that would play on the radio because you know that’s the focus of every record company. Right after this is when they started saying we are going to make our own music -radio be damned, and if it sells 2 million copies then execs can’t say anything about it.

[@sequentialscott]

Thanks for doing another Rush song. I have heard that the guitar at the start and the choruses is meant to simulate spinning the radio tuning knob. You didn’t specifically call out the “backbeat” section as reggae, but Neil in particular (the drummer) has talked about being fascinated with The Police and how they were incorporating reggae into rock music. This was perhaps their first attempt at doing that themselves, and I think they integrated it more smoothly later on. I don’t find it jarring here, just obvious. It seems that you find a lot to like in the Rush tracks you’ve done so far, but that they don’t click completely with you either. I’d be interested to hear your ideas on their later work to see they managed to combine the things you do like in a more balanced way. They ended up closer to Metal than I expected. I suggest either Headlong Flight or The Anarchist, both from their final album, the steampunk themed concept album Clockwork Angels. Cheers!

[@CriticalReactions]

I didn't feel that the backbeat idea was reggae \*enough* to call out specifically. It was certainly alluding to it rhythmically but sonically I felt it was still enough within the realm of rock. I'll definitely be checking out more Rush in the future though!

[@SnowDogisVictorious]

‘For the words of the profits” was a direct allusion to Simon & Garfunkel’s Sound of Silence. The Rush backstory includes a near-death commercial experience that followed the lacklustre performance of their 3rd record, Caress of Steel. The band came under tremendous pressure from their label to turn back from Prog experimentation and write hits. They resolved to stay the course nevertheless and came up with what many say was a Prog masterpiece, 2112. When it sold well, notwithstanding, the band gained its professional freedom and never allowed anyone from management or the label so much as drop by when recording. They produced their remaining 14 albums on a take it or leave it basis. Perhaps needless to say, nobody ever chose the latter option. So, this song is being written just a few years later, which pretty much explains Peart’s detest for the commoditization of music.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

Love Rush, love this song and the album it's from. This is the beginning of Rush's shift from their ambitious 70s prog style to their more commercial 80s style where they'd pare down their prog elements to fit in more accessible song structures, but without really diluting their intelligent musicality. You can hear it here in the unusual rhythms and the big stylistic shifts, but all within the context of a 5 minute song with a lot of catchy hooks. Like a lot of prog bands I think Rush felt they'd taken the sprawling, ambitious prog style as far as they could between 2112 and the two-part Cygnus and wanted to see what they could do in a more accessible style. Obviously they massively succeeded given the commercial success they had immediately after this. I will say I discovered Rush too late for it to be childhood nostalgia, but the theme of the song fits with the theme itself!

[@wadesworld6250]

The signature guitar riff of the song was Alex's attempt to capture the sound of scrolling quickly through the radio dial back in the day.

[@landrec2]

I love the radio. Especially CKCU 93.1 FM, fantastic DJs and epic playlists that truly shine in the Ottawa Valley.

[@pinio5132]

Love this analysis. Very nuanced and thoughtful. Made me think deeper about a song I've been listening to my whole life.

[@CriticalReactions]

That's what I do around here. The genre representation is fairly wide so you probably won't be interested in every single reaction but I'm sure you'll find a plethora of videos that match your interests. And all of that are the same format -- deep dives into music, how they work, and what's interesting about them.

[@bobcarn]

Talk about feeling old.... I was an adult when this album came out. So.... no childhood nostalgia here, LOL. This was definitely more approachable. "Hemispheres" was a very complex and difficult album to record, and it almost burned them out. On this album, they wanted to reign it in a bit. To me, this song represents them more than any other song. It's interesting, energetic, complex (but has some simplicity at the same time), has time and tone and style changes, thoughtful lyrics, a bit of whimsy and quirkiness... I think it's a great song that encapsulates them better than anything else.

[@greedynewt6149]

I think if you actually have a chance to read the lyrics and then re-listen to the song you will understand how the different pieces of music fit together to tell the story of the song. Rush tends to mirror the lyrical ideas in their music or vice versa. Some of the portions of the song are meant to simulate radio static, others radio waves and still other parts simulate the different musical styles that you find on the radio. Most of the song speaks about the positive aspects of radio but then towards the end it talks about how music and the radio becomes more commercial. The DJs start to have less control over what they play.

[@Projacked1]

I really hope you can do an episode on Mark Almond's 'Here Comes The Rain'... My girlfriend played me their album, so this is for her. I would like to hear your opinion towards the sound design vs. the lyrics. To me, it's one of the best pieces of music that really matches the feel of the subject. I still wonder what their secret is....probably practice practice practice. It actually translates (to me) like rain on the window, when you're inside.

[@tomperugini189]

Long live RUSH

[@MikeHudson-fb4hn]

When and before Rush made the song spirit of radio; yes commercials were added to the radio channels and sogs picked and required to play. But, the sailsmen on a military ship off shore would play all the music desired by the ones protesting against the radio change from the executives. Where in the song it says sailsmen 3 times. So there is more to the song than we know or that I had known. Peace out

[@ekted]

"On a Saturday Afternoon in 1963" by Rickie Lee Jones. It's very impressionistic, but to me, it's about remembering how life was when we were young, how innocent and naive we were, how life is so much more complicated, dysfunctional, and corrupt, and that all we can do is hold on to a little bit of that child inside. Some songs have a sad verse and happy chorus ("Chiquitita" by Abba). This one is sad all the way. The Bb note at the end of the line "Where as you watch the hour snow" kills me.

[@sequentialscott]

A question if you get to it. Are you able to turn off the “analysis brain” for music when you’re first hearing it, or for repeated listens? What kinds of things give you goosebumps?

[@CriticalReactions]

It's not really about turning off the analytical side as much as engaging it. There are certainly songs that force me to get into that mode but by default I listen to music just like anyone else, for the most part. As for music that gives me goosebumps, it's all about strong emotion for me. Primarily I find this in excellent composition with nuanced performances, which makes classical a great genre for me. In mainstream styles I tend to find this in emotive vocal performances since the music is usually background or technically oriented in most mainstream music. A couple of tracks that give me goosebumps or push me to tears would be In This Moment's "11:11" - the peak before the ending Periphery's "Reptile" - the overwhelming second verse Alan Menkin & Jodi Benson's "Part of Your World" - the ending payoff starting at the empowering key change

[@sequentialscott]

@@CriticalReactions Cool - I’ll check them out. :)

[@ricktreat]

I think that the "machinery" thing had a lot to do with the way a portion of the Rush fanbase reacted to their adoption of synths.

[@arcademaster1]

Sad that this generation won’t know the magic and genius of rush

[@CriticalReactions]

That could be said about any number of artistic geniuses. The beauty of the modern age of music is that so many people have the means to create and distribute. There's hundreds, if not thousands, of albums being released each week. More than any of us could feasibly explore. In within those are bound to be music created by geniuses with only a handful of fans. With each passing day the number of phenomenal music experiences increases exponentially. It's a shame that Rush get less exposure as time goes on but the same can be said about a bunch of other music. So instead of looking at this is a negative about Rush, look at it as a directive to continue exploring music and finding the "next Rush".

[@jeffbruns2421]

How do you start your day as I finish watching your reaction? I heard you say it was surprisingly simple. I think I can remember Geddy saying in an interview that they had to simplify some of their music because the average radio listener likes the simple songs. Some of the most popular radio hits are the most simple dribble that you can come up with and the more hooks the better that’s the executives influence and making music during that period. And I have to say that I bet Rush lost 20% of their audience when they started playing the synth accompaniments Some people were incensed that Geddy could possibly take his hands off the bass in order to play synthesizers because he can’t play the bass with his feet like he does with his hands.

[@ryancraig2795]

This one does have some abrupt and seemingly odd transitions. Somehow it works and is one of their most popular songs. It's actually never been one of my favorites, though it's undeniably catchy.

[@ianhewitson2738]

How odd it is to see just about every music reactor on You Tube listening to this ancient, now defunct, Canadian band that I discovered as a teenager forty odd years ago.

[@tomperugini189]

Listen to rush album hemispheres...rush album 2112..rush album counterparts..rush album farewell to kings....there's more..every 4 years over 40 years change of concept..perception..with rush the sauce never runs out

[@jeffbruns2421]

There’s no way to express how much I hate talk to text. It’s never ever right.

[@motodork]

"I thought the beginning was a little rough..." What??

[@rushrules81]

Clearly you didn't get it so you need to just listen to it a few more times. Song is amazing, made to sound like you are listening and changing the channels on a radio

[@TheAlibabatree]

Calm down

[@rushrules81]

@@TheAlibabatree why am I calming down?

[@muskett00]

Funny, but the older I got, the older the songs I listened to.