FIRST TIME HEARING Rush- "Red Sector A" (Reaction)

[@retroreactions....]

Love this side of Rush...heavy on the electronics, but their musical passion and excellence still tearing through in every moment... Thanks for watching! 🥰

[@mightyV444]

Many people describe this album as "dark". They must be referring mostly to the lyrics?! The only song that actually _sounds_ dark to me is the final one, 'Between The Wheels'. This album also has my favourite Geddy vocals; I love the tone of his voice on it. I've never been too keen on ultra-high-pitched 70's Geddy 😅

[@benredmond6636]

Hi Brandon! You should check out Marathon or Middletown Dreams from the next album, Power Windows

[@Joelster-og4pf]

80s Rush in general just rocks so hard dude.

[@helenespaulding7562]

Holy Cow: Listening to Peart’s drumming here is pure joy!

[@retroreactions....]

Neil and Carl P are drum gods!! Such a joy to hear that level of drumming. Thanks for stopping by, hope all is well!

[@helenespaulding7562]

@@retroreactions.... hmmmmm. Carl P? Sorry? Which band?

[@retroreactions....]

Oh, Carl Palmer from Emerson, Lake & Palmer 🙂

[@drmagic60]

How about Ian Paice from Deep Purple…..he’s an amazing drummer? He’s currently the only ORIGINAL member of Deep Purple since 1968!

[@helenespaulding7562]

@@retroreactions.... ah…of course. Tried to listen to your last reaction to them but no cigar. 😏

[@emjem99]

Do you ever play a song knowing it's going to leave you blubbering but you play it anyway? This song, every time.

[@WillLlamas]

RUSH CHRONICLES may be one of the best compilations ever. You can play it non-stop because there isn't a bad tune.

[@benredmond6636]

That's the CD that I bought at CD Warehouse in 1995 and started my journey with the band. Limelight was the only song I was familiar with because it was on some 80's hits compilation album, but hearing those songs on Chronicles and then the guitar rips into the intro of A Passage To Bangkok I was hooked. Great album!

[@Andrelour]

The scariest of all is ...this song describes something that still hangs in the horizon

[@yugolago]

Grace under pressure is one of the best album from Rush!!

[@johnanderson290]

Yesss Brandon!! One of my absolute favorites from Rush!! Alex’s guitar work here is so unique and impressive. The live version from “A Show of Hands” (filmed performance) is also incredible. Thank you Brandon for another fantastic reaction! 🔥🎶

[@retroreactions....]

Great! Alex also can do no wrong musically I think! I will look that live performance up on KZbin. You're welcome and thanks for watching and for the compliment 😊

[@the_proteus_void]

It's cool that you mentioned "A Show of Hands". It's been a while since I've heard this song but my mind immediately went to the memory of that specific live performance.

[@mightyV444]

Yes, that particular live performance is cool indeed 😀👍 Neil's e-drums sound quite a bit better there, too 🙂 I've always wondered why Geddy sings certain lines differently, though?! Like the one in the chorus, "All that we can do to help ourselves is stay alive".

[@markh6014]

Great choice, Brandon! I absolutely love this era of Rush too. Alex's guitar work is so especially creative during these years in my opinion as he navigates all those synth parts. They really leaned into the keys on their next album "Power Windows", a personal fave. I know you would love "Grand Designs" (nice mix of that powerful Rush drive and classic 80's synths), "Middletown Dreams" (beautiful vocal melodies from Geddy), and "Mystic Rhythms" (love the icy keyboard textures!). Enjoy!

[@retroreactions....]

Thanks Mark, I agree! Ooh, even more keys on PW?! Perfect! Your 3 suggestions now on my list, thanks for the guidance!! 🙂

[@pauloles2475]

This album is the tour I saw Rush for the 1st time. Loved the early 80's Rush

[@retroreactions....]

Very lucky! Must have been an incredible experience seeing the 3 of them live..

[@pauloles2475]

It indeed was

[@michaelbriefs9764]

If you liked that, you will really LOVE 1980's Rush! Other great songs from the '80s are: "Middletown Dreams", "Force 10", "Subdivisions", "Analog Kid", "Early Distant Warning", and "Marathon", are a few of many!

[@retroreactions....]

Hello! Yes, excited for more 80s Rush for sure. Thanks for the suggestions, I added your votes for them to my list. I have reacted to Subdivisions already. Here is the link if interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZuYoYyabsesZqc

[@babylonsister118]

This was/is one of my favorite albums by them. I am partial to Distant Early Warning! Great reaction to an incredible song. MORE from this album, please!!

[@retroreactions....]

Nice! I added your vote for DEW. Excited for tons more 80s Rush!! Thanks for tuning in..

[@donnacarter2617]

This proves how the changes Rush goes through the years, they still give us the amazing music and band that they are. Name another band that had so many changes that still are on top still this day. RIP Neill

[@RonnieMcNairney]

Hey Brandon, Excellent Track. Great Album, also. After image is a great track,also. Ronnie SCOTLAND

[@retroreactions....]

Hey Ronnie. Thank you.. I added Afterimage to my list.. have a good night!

[@johnanderson290]

Yes please! 👍 Afterimage is another incredible track from this epic album.

[@retroreactions....]

Your vote added..

[@AirDOGGe]

Rush was at their peak in popularity in the 1980s. The Weapon is another I loved from that period. There is a live video from back then that I had on videotape that I assume is on DVD now.

[@retroreactions....]

I'm excited for much more 80s Rush! I added Weapon to my list, thanks for watching!

[@bigjapi1]

Anything from Rush is welcome, GREAT band, you didn't react yet to the short and beautiful "Closer To The Heart", a classic, that you can combine in the same reaction with "Different Strings" wich is also short and great, it would be a perfect combination IMO.

[@retroreactions....]

Sweet, had forgotten whether you liked Rush or not! Thanks for the suggs my friend 🙂

[@matthewhoag2609]

I know you like the synths, so you will definitely love this era of Rush. Even though Signals brought synths to the front in the mix, Grace Under Pressure had the first use of the digital PPG Wave keyboard. This gave the album a completely new sound for Rush that evolved through Power Windows and Hold Your Fire. Check out Between the Wheels (also from GUP) for some haunting synths and an incredible solo from Alex. Cheers!

[@Musiquesaecouter]

Yes, it was an interesting area were Geedy were trying to add Synth colors to the band, I believe he succeeded in his own manner. I remembered some earlier picks showing his gigantic Oberheim 8 voice system with a MiniMoog build in, massive and heavy anyway, but this must have been already before 1980.

[@ischmidt]

The synth bass is actually pretty unusual for mid-80s Rush, as this period has a lot of Geddy's most insane bass playing. There are songs where the bass and the vocal part are essentially different songs in different time signatures and I wouldn't believe he played and sang them at the same time if I hadn't seen and heard it myself in concert. This is the first time I've heard this song since I finished Geddy's recent book "My Effin Life", which has a terrifyingly detailed account of what his parents went through in the camps. And it definitely hits a bit different now because of that.

[@reneelyons6836]

Nice!! 💙💙🎹🥁🎸🎶🎶 🎤🎶🎶

[@retroreactions....]

Another band with guaranteed excellence, every time... Thanks for being first today! 🥇

[@michaelschroeck2254]

This is the song that made me a Rush fan. I was jaded by other bands who could not replicate songs live. I heard this studio version and thought “ they can’t reproduce this live.” Then I heard the live version!!! Boom! A Rush fan was born!

[@williamjones6031]

One of my top 3 RUSH songs. RIP Neil😇

[@mightyV444]

'Grace Under Pressure' had been my very first Rush impression (in '89), when a good friend had lent me a bag with several of his latest vinyl LP purchases to check out, and one of them was this album. And already its opener 'Distant Early Warning' had me hooked to Rush instantly 😄 Still my favourite band today! 😊

[@compnnburns8831]

Love the way you do some research before diving in, as you now know it really informs and improves the listening experience. Well done you.

[@michaelkeller6223]

Grace Under Pressure is a unique and beautifully cold star in the Rush firmament.

[@WillLlamas]

Yeah, the good shit.

[@retroreactions....]

Agreed! Thanks for watching..

[@drmagic60]

Weird….I honestly was just thinking about Rush showing up! I haven’t listened to this song in a while though, but really enjoyed it. I don’t think they have a bad album. Sticking with the color scheme, I recommend “Red Barchetta” for an upcoming Rush turn.

[@retroreactions....]

Telepathy I tell ya my friend... Love 80s Rush! Added another vote for RB. Man I have a bunch of to-do Rush on my list!

[@michaelbaucom4019]

One of Neil Peart's(RIP Professor) better lyrical works, IMHO. Geddy Lee's vocals also among his best

[@retroreactions....]

Really enjoy the all around musical vibe of this one...Rush is amazing!

[@av40229]

This was about Geddy's stories of his parents in concentration camps of the Holocaust. This is the reason of why the lyrics hit hard.

[@imadbasayev8541]

@@av40229 That's not what it's about according to Peart, who wrote the song. It was only inspired by Lee's story.

[@av40229]

@@imadbasayev8541 That's what Geddy contested, so. I'd like to see where Neil stated that.

[@av40229]

@@imadbasayev8541 Here you can look this up on wiki "Lyricist Neil Peart has stated that the detailed imagery in the song intentionally evokes concentration camps of the Holocaust, although he left the lyrics ambiguous enough that they could deal with any similar prison camp scenario.[1] The song was inspired in part by Geddy Lee's mother's accounts of the Holocaust."

[@juliebrockett3471]

Great reaction! This is actually based on stories by both Geddy’s parents and close family friends who were all Holocaust survivors! That line that you missed… “Are we the last ones left alive? Are we the only human beings to survive?” Those words were actually thought by Geddy’s family..They really thought everyone else HAD to be dead! Very emotional song! Be well and God bless… from Texas!! #🟦🇮🇱

[@ginamarandino6451]

I highly recommend you to listen to the concert a show of hands it will blow your mind. Mission, turn the page, Manhattan project, Force 10, between the Wheels and the pass for a few good ones.

[@mjm5081]

Permanent Waves is my favorite Rush album. And the greatness of Moving Pictures is undeniable. But my God do I love Grace Under Pressure!!! She's the dark mistress that has me under her spell. A spell I have no desire break. Okay maybe that's a little dramatic 😂. What I'm saying is I dig it, I REALLY DIG IT!!!

[@lindaward5376]

It has been said that Geddys voice is like a fourth instrument, and here he uses it to great effect. I hope you have a chance to read his book My Effin' Life; Chapter 3 gives a harrowing account of what his parents went through during the Holocaust, and page 284 includes his account of how these experiences came back to haunt him when the Hemispheres Tour landed in Germany. Another WW2-themed song I'd like you to hear is Manhattan Project from Power Windows, which was based on the events surrounding the development and deployment of the first atomic bomb; the way he uses his voice here, combined with the instrumental composition, really brings these events to life. Have a great day, and Rush on! 🎤 🎹 🎸 🥁 🎸 🐐 🐐 🐐

[@bookhouseboy280]

Neil: "It is not meant to portray a specific human atrocity, although many of the historical accounts which inspired it were of course set in World War II. There have been many periods of slavery and mass imprisonment in the world and also many fictional accounts of the future. I was thinking of all these things, and wanted to try to express something timeless enough to encompass them all." ... "I think this album is the cohesive realization of all those experiments that took place on Signals, and I think that it has an integrity to it as an album from the first song right through to the last song, they all belong together, and they all sort of follow one from the other very naturally ... It has that little thread of a theme to it. After the songs were written, I sort of looked at it and saw this connection, and it became something that all of those songs somehow had had in common, without it happening by design." Alex: "We ended up co-producing the Grace Under Pressure album with Peter Henderson. So we were working a lot more on that record. We were in the studio for months during a very cold, snowy winter in Quebec. But in the end, there’s something about the sound and the power and the quality of the songwriting that really strikes me. I really love that record."

[@dogtownczar]

😍

[@Alberto_1965_BR]

Great choice. My top 3 album from "The Three Guys Orchestra"

[@Musiquesaecouter]

Rush in that area, you can pick up anything and like it! For me it was more easy to like Geedy's structured vocals in this lower register. And of course for the Synth exploration typical from early 80's, it's a beautiful mix of Rush Rock meeting electronics in times everything could be tested. Real drumming by Neal Peart with just some electric Simmons pads, unique sound overused in those days. Great song writing as usual. I remember they had a more wild side in the 70's, but it was a bit too much for me 😉 I guess it was liked also by many when Geedy's voice were flying higher. I remember Rush turned back to more heavy material after 1988. This was my favorite period from them. Cheers Brandon!

[@larrylangley9128]

Seek out the live version.

[@megazillion2946]

You gotta do Marathon

[@davidbarker77]

Interesting track with no bass. Wonder what a bass cut would do for the song. Still, a terrific album. Thanks, Brandon.

[@retroreactions....]

Makes it stand out for me, as Geddy's amazing bass guitar is the norm. You're welcome and thanks for tuning in!

[@gerryweed7697]

😎👍🎶🎶

[@retroreactions....]

Great stuff.. Thank you for watching Gerry!

[@grahamharley4895]

I 've got my own personal 'take' on prog right or wrong. Not delved deeply into Rush. I liked it and the storytelling is a plus. Good, but no big change-up and finish to turn a good song into a great one.

[@retroreactions....]

Thanks as always for listening and giving your honest opinion. Love hearing everyone's takes on the songs.

[@thatsnice99]

Song is ok. Score: 4.1