REACTION! RUSH The Weapon 1982 Signals Album FIRST TIME HEARING

[@JustinPanariello]

$UPER THANK$!!! Thanks for watching my videos! Please SUBSCRIBE to my channel!! I appreciate it! Check the Description for Amazon Affiliate Links to VINYL/DVDs/Books, Bass gear, Music gear, and other cool products related to this video! If you want to support the channel you can Super Thanks, direct Paypal or Venmo, hit our Mailing Address or our Amazon Wishlists... ALL IN THE DESCRIPTION! Check the description for a link to Camilla's KZbin channel! Thank you everyone!

[@JonEFever1]

A live version of this, taken from the Grace Under Pressure tour is on youtube. A must watch.

[@BrakRulesAll]

Yes.. the remastered version... kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqqzoXWmfM6Nbrs

[@RushAss]

Yes X 1000

[@Phlakaton88]

Dare I say some improv in the middle! RARE.

[@jimtatro6550]

“Like a steely blade in a silken sheath we don’t see what they’re made of. They shout about love but when push comes to shove, they look for things they’re afraid of.” Great lyric. This is one of those songs that improved in my opinion as time went on.

[@youtoo2233]

To consistently write amazing lyrics for All those years you can tell Peart was a very intelligent guy

[@kennyplay5982]

@@youtoo2233 He was an elite genius

[@charlieYTonly]

I do remember reading that Neil said in order to learn that crazy drum part, he had to do a "four on the floor" beat which is just not something he was used to doing. This song is totally appropriate for our times right now with the fear mongering about how we are in danger of losing our country if we don't worry about (name whatever the opposite party is doing right now).

[@aspackblaze3583]

The live version from 1984 is so great to watch! Neil is playing that super quirky sequence while flipping his right stick in between hits... it's really cool to watch :)

[@ljcalhoun]

Watching them play these songs live is something to behold. Very challenging but they sound just like the album live. You were bobbing your head a lot in this one.

[@martydavis547]

Yea awesome song live version from grace under pressure video is amazing!

[@jons3808]

I think most Rush albums just get better and better the more you listen to them because you’ll pick up something different with each listen.

[@warde3]

Alex’s solo performance on the live version of this song is fantastic… one of his best

[@ResilientOne2112]

"Synth like cowboy feel" I love that comment!! BAM

[@carlgibbons5777]

Neil's snare/hi hat syncopation over his four on the floor bass drum during the verses is creative brilliance. Way back when I was cutting my teeth on Peart as a drummer, I used to love to play that groove while practicing the stick tosses with the right hand in between the snare notes as seen on the GUP TOur video. Something I still use from time to time to this day.

[@nodrush80]

Rush were and will always be cool. When this was released, it was so ahead of its time.

[@michaelkeller6223]

Really fun to watch Neil play this live and Alex ‘ssolo takes on a soaring/searing dimension to it…

[@motodork]

The song is even better live

[@diverdown631]

So glad I got to see Rush 20 times and the last two decades no opening act,just them perfectly for three hours.

[@markyrogers2466]

Justin - watch the live version from the Grace Under Pressure concert (1984) when you get a chance. Great version...

[@The_Eric_Burt]

This song is excellent live!

[@markjensen5517]

So glad you decided to do this Rush discography. I never really listened to this album when it came out because I was more into iron maiden and the harder rock scene at the time. Even though I was a Rush fan, I ventured away from it. Listening to the songs now are giving me a new appreciation for this album. I am really liking most of the songs.

[@terrywood4350]

One of my favorite Rush songs

[@MsBenlane]

i like the live show, alex lying on the floor kicking and dancing around with a big grin and neil casually tossing his sticks

[@hardenscragg3796]

Dude watch the live version from Grace Under Pressure concert video!

[@bobcarn]

In concert, Peart wore headphones during this song to get clearer feedback so he could better focus on the drumming. I always liked this song. Drumming, lyrics, complexities.... it's got a lot going on! In concert, they played this song in order with the other ones that make up the trilogy. What's fun is that in 2002, their "Vapor Trails" album had Part IV of the Fear trilogy.

[@Tonyr0206]

The headphones had a click track in them, so he stayed in sync with the sequencers.

[@Babyseal2002]

All the more impressive with the stick tosses in that crazy drum pattern.

[@ericvonsteuben7533]

@@Tonyr0206 Neil wasn't listening to a click track, he was listening to the sequencers.

[@Tonyr0206]

@@ericvonsteuben7533 As someone who's read every interview that Neil has done in every drum publication and has studied his playing and drumming for the past 43 years, I can say unequivocally, I am not wrong.

[@ericvonsteuben7533]

@@Tonyr0206 You're incorrect.

[@JaDem148]

My favorite from the album. I wouldn't want to miss any of the rest though.

[@jimwillis2318]

Being a rush myself, a rush is a band that you to listening to over and over to understand we’re they coming from with every album

[@michaelbriefs9764]

Yes, really cool, dark, layered, proto-techno/industrial Rock song! I remember riding my bike to Georgetown (in Washington D.C.) to catch a "Listening Party" at a classic live club, put on by the local Rock station (DC101), when Signals came out. The place was packed out and side one had really gotten everyone buzzing and grooving to the jams. In between sides, the DC101 Jockey did some promos and crowd-interaction stuff before getting back into side 2. So, there were various people down, including some women, in front of the stage (getting free swag and whatnot). Well, they got back into side 2 and the opening of that track, "The Weapon", came on and all of the sudden one of the women started dancing to the Rush song!! We were all pointing in shock, and everyone was going "This is a Rush song??" A song that a lady can dance to? What in the world? Of course, pretty soon, the Prog-Rock elements started coming in, then Geddy's voice, and we settled down a bit. But Signals was, in some ways, a pretty controversial album for us Rush fans, especially coming after the incredible fame of Moving Pictures. Justin, you should see the live version of this song, from the Grace Under Pressure tour video! It's really excellent!

[@JohnnyMegabyteCanada]

women dancing .... it sort of has a disco beat to it.

[@nicholassmith479]

In concert back in the day, they had a Second City alum on a projection screen as a Dracula 🧛‍♂️ speak to the audience as the song was fading in. They also used the screen for Countdown as well. Interesting

[@donnelson6694]

Interesting song. Thanks for checking it out.

[@eoinjennings519]

My fav on the album - very under rated

[@MarcoBosma]

The live version of the Weapon is bizar !

[@patrigilligan2112]

"He's a little bit afraid of dying, but he's a lot more afraid of your lying "

[@Phlakaton88]

I learned to play this when the Live Laserdisc came out. SEEING Neil play it was a revelation. OHhhhh... left hand!

[@youtoo2233]

Love the way he sings the lyrics on this one, the drum work as usual second to none

[@mpkelley20]

As others have said, this song live is even better. Grace Under Pressure tour has an official video of this with Count Floyd from SCTV doing the intro. They even used 3d for people at the concert so you see everyone put on their cheap old style 3d glasses. It is also one of the few songs where Neil wears headphones with a click track to assist him since the drumming and some sequencer triggers needed to be spot on. Red Sector A is another one where he has them on. Alex's solo is so good on the live version.

[@davemiii]

Scary stuff!!! Eh kids?!?!

[@LeviRamsey]

Since the mid 1990s, Neil effectively played every song with headphones: the magic of in-ear monitors

[@anthonypallen7919]

Smart, Country feel absolutely.

[@howardbrown8432]

Good you enjoyed it. Great song and album. Loved the drumming. Still do. Yes you need to listen to it again! lol

[@timlamb6196]

One of my favorite Alex solos

[@AnthonyKellett]

Love this track.

[@stevemunro2018]

"I need to hear that again", Justin says more and more often lately, lol. That's how every new Rush album was for me over the years. There's too much to just take in at once.

[@matthewhoag2609]

One of the few songs they were dependent on the timing of a sequencer, necessitating the need for Neil to wear headphones. To see them pull it off live was something to behold.

[@stevepreece2931]

This was amazing live, the middle section reminds of the middle section of bytor so powerful and atmospheric, but lots more technology. The tone of these guys on this album blows me away.

[@rmim3015]

Love the drum mix on this entire album, more direct and up front, a righteous place for the professor... hi hat work is awesome. the drifty breakdown fade out and the reggae hop step beat are my favorite parts.. thanks for reacting to the catalog.

[@kenstewart8318]

In the Album's moving forward. It would always take me 4 or 5 spins before I felt like I got it. THERE IS A LOT GOING ON IN RUSH SONGS. I had to trust the band. It was always well worth it.

[@LeviRamsey]

Dark disco, topped only by "Red Sector A" on Grace Under Pressure.

[@kennyplay5982]

Love the weapon

[@markandersen5187]

Glad you like this one...in my top 20 of Rush tunes...great B side starter...the B side of albums from Hemispheres through Power Windows have some of my favorite tunes...as everyone here is saying you need to watch this live from the official Grace Under Pressure tour... Alex is on fire literally!(sweat)

[@gregxite]

Glad you dig this one. It’s very Rush (IMO). Unmistakable sound which is what defines an iconic band. This is a great B side album. I love the turnaround in the guitar solo just towards the end…just before the last section…always has a sense of magic. That’s all we want isn’t it…magic!?

[@markmilner842]

Such a great song. I remember quoting it in an essay in high school English class. The second side is stronger than side 1, with the exception of Digital Man.

[@PROGROCK-tr9hw]

The grace under pressure tour video version is great

[@debbieplato5107]

Cat approved, can't go wrong with that. 😻 I haven't heard this on in a long time and I found I liked more than I did before. Yeah, it's a good one.

[@kevinhampton6986]

Ah yes, the old Rush/Pink Floyd mashup...well that section leading into Alex's solo reminds me of something Floyd might do anyway, lol...cool song

[@squamishfish]

The live version of this is a lot of fun the three of them get into it Neil showing off more then normal twirling sticks and just having fun, Check out the live version Toronto remastered, it seems the Bass is louder , Geddy is playing a bass with no tuning keys , please excuse me not being a bass player I don’t know how to describe it buts it’s different

[@davide.pedersen3378]

As I eluded to during your reaction of Witch Hunt. On your own time you should check out Rush, Grace Under Pressure concert DVD. They play the Original Fear Trilogy. And I'm telling you that you should check it out on your own, or do the trilogy live in full. Either way you should check it out. And thanks for doing the deep dive into all these records. I've enjoyed your take on the albums you've reacted to so far. 😎☮️

[@ViciousAlienKlown]

I didn't like this song when I first heard it but it grew on me.

[@davemiii]

A buddy of mine used to half-jokingly / half-disparagingly call Rush "Math-rock for smart kids". This is definitely one of those songs in both they lyrics and everything that's going on musically. I've even been doing "homework" and listening to the albums a couple days ahead while I drive around or clean the garage or whatever, and I'm still re-discovering stuff I've been missing. I hadn't really noticed everything Alex was doing in that bit from about 6:34-7:04, where he seems to be bringing back a bit of the chorus in that kinda ethereal quasi-solo he's doing. Cool stuff.

[@richierich398]

I would say this song gives you a slight preview of what’s to come regarding rush.

[@yes_head]

"Is any killer worth more than his crime." Phew, Neil. Love your "cowboy rhythm" comment, Justin. I've never listened to this song that way before, but I hear it now. I've always likened it to a disco backbeat, which Neil had used before. The live video version of this from A Show of Hands is worth checking out, especially for the special guest appearance in the video intro. 😉 But yeah, The Weapon is a really cool song, one where they're definitely trying to make a break from their traditional sound and style.

[@yes_head]

​@@Yes-gz9qs You're right. I meant the G/P live video. Whatever that's called...

[@luiscarmona7126]

Hey, Justin, I just wat to say that I fully respect your reactions simply because they are honest and sincere despite your knowing that you might get hell from the Rush army. I love Rush but I also love independence of thought. I have been watching a lot of dudes and girls reacting to Ruch music, and most of the time I feel they pretend to freak out with their music and so on. On the other hand, I dig your not liking Moving Pictures that much, perhaps because its been overplayed or whatever, however, I knew you were going to appreciate Witch Hunt and Vital Signs because they are different and the lyrics do shine. Just like Signals, Digital man and The weapon which you have liked the most so far, are great songs, again, different, but thats what Rush is about...never know what you are going to get. You are only sure that it will be very different.... I am looking forward to the rest of Signals.....waiting for Countdown.... take care.

[@obiwanbenobi4943]

It's hard to say any one song is "odd" for Rush, but for some reason this one does strike my odd meter. Still like it.

[@toddc28]

Yes, a very cool and underrated song. The Weapon is part two of the "Fear" series of songs (comprised of The Enemy Within, The Weapon, Witch Hunt and Freeze). It speaks about the terror or tyranny. It has a cool electronic-sounding beat. Another cool Lifeson solo too. Right up there with his best solos. The Weapon was played live in 82 and 83 and then again on the Grace Under Pressure tour in 84 when they played the then "Fear” trilogy sequentially for the first time live. They didn’t play it again when they added the 4th song Freeze in 2002.

[@johnnyboy4711]

brilliant album and live track (check it out) 3d glasses!!!

[@anglik666]

super thanx

[@mandingo9999998]

A suggestion, don't know how feasible it is. But with Moving Pictures and Signals we've entered the age of MTV and actual Rush videos. Maybe for Countdown do the actual original music vid? Also for any other Rush fans out there, there is a YT channel called: Still Kickin. Whoever this is.... they've put together the most gorgeous videos for songs, Countdown, Natural Science, Camera Eye. Amazing.

[@hfd413]

@mandingo9999998 Those videos are awesome, especially the one for Countdown. A friend of mine from our Air Force days (John Mase) posted down in the comments not too far of a scroll on this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaqkZ4l6mdxsgLs the lyrics to Countdown in it's accurate entirety which includes all the NASA radio traffic intermingled with the song in order as it happens in the song. He found the Columbia launch recordings from that flight and pieced it all together.

[@garylagstrom3864]

Yeah trust me Signals grows on you and after you go from 84-94 you’ll look back and go for a musicianship and players The Terry Brown years to me are the best! Can’t wait for you to hear Losing It and Countdown!

[@retnal08]

riff a little like world turning fleetwood mac cool song i like it

[@joesixpack8305]

You mentioned how you "got" Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures right away whereas every other Rush album you needed more listens. I mentioned to you recently that I never "got" any of their records on first listen. I became a Rush fan in 1975 before 2112 so with every album I had to wait a couple years. Everything I had heard was ingrained in my head so anything new was a big twist for me. I find it interesting how you receive these albums having listened to them pretty much back to back to back. BTW, I'm going to listen to your Yes Going for the One stuff soon. Love that album and was kind of their last album before leaning into more poppy stuff.

[@leemcintyre3943]

Justin, I honestly thought you wouldn't dig this one:) Side-note...When I like a song on the first listen sometimes I'm bored by the third listen. Obviously I'm not talking about this song! Sometimes when something makes me uncomfortable on the first listen it becomes part of my life!

[@chrisdover2634]

Watch the Weapon from the Grace under Pressure tour. Just watch Neil 👌

[@seano2112]

New World Man = awesome

[@jacquesjrviens3384]

I truly hope you like the song losing it. It is a beautiful piece of music which feature Peter Dinklage's (Tyrion Lannister) brother on the electric violin. Some of Neil's best lyrics

[@toddashton9696]

I did not know who played violin on that track. Thanks! There are some cool covers on you tube. Looking forward to hearing that reaction.

[@HansMcGruber]

Got it a mixed up there. Ben Mink from FM plays electric violin on the record. Peter's D's brother played it live a few times with Rush on R40 tour, as well as Mink himself who joined them at least once to play it on that tour.

[@HansMcGruber]

@@toddashton9696 Bink Mink from FM plays on the record.

[@squamishfish]

I would say if you have a 2nd listen to this song I highly recommend A live Version Toronto Remastered, well worth the time

[@jeffhauf5598]

If you have cat approval, you have to like it. I definitely have found the more I listen to their songs the more I get them. You may find this true as well(except for Cinderella Man. You got that one immediately and said no thank you).

[@youtoo2233]

I loved Cinderella Man immediately, what's there to not like about it!!

[@toddashton9696]

Alex solo is totally buried by Geddy synth. Another okay song. Next please.

[@Mattrino101]

I've been watching your videos for about a month now and I get SUCH A KICK out of you pointing out Rush's tendencies to be high falutin 😄 I've been listening to them for about 15 years and absolutely love their music but feel that I'd need a PhD to spend an afternoon with them and hold a conversation 😄 my beer drinking and country-living ways wouldn't mesh well with their chalets and manner houses, that's for sure

[@hardenscragg3796]

Lifeson was listening to Holdsworth during this period. Think about it.

[@highrx]

No effect pedals used at all! Alex was obviously a Connoisseur of effects pedals.

[@kennyplay5982]

Synth Cowboy

[@michaelzack5581]

Check out the live version. Really gives an appreciation for Alex's slow burn solo. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqqzoXWmfM6Nbrs

[@cpmf2112]

I don't think any of them owned chalets or manors at this point, just visiting.

[@JohnnyMegabyteCanada]

secluded vacation spots. Chill and write songs

[@kesleycottrell1416]

This is the strange part of Rush and Pink Floyd. When you listen to it now as a young man the meaning will be different as an old man. Yes I'm, well l like to call it aged. The album's and songs you are listening to now a say it's ok when you get aged you say oh my god so that's what it means. Best case scenario is Pink Floyd Time. Listen to it every 10 years and it will change.

[@seano2112]

next time put on your 3D glasses

[@charleysmith2757]

Professor, don't judge lol

[@patrigilligan2112]

If you skip over "New World Man," it won't hurt my feelings one bit.

[@mda037]

In my opinion Rush never puts out another 5 star record after Moving Pictures. There are exceptions .. like my affinity for Power Windows and some of the songwriting on that album. The next album .. Grace Under Pressure I found really disappointing when it debuted. Too many synths. And I didn't think the lyrical melodies were all that creative.

[@toddashton9696]

Wow. I concur. It was tough to get into albums after Power Windows.