Audio-Visuals
RUSH: R30
Directed by Pierre Lamoureux
(Anthem/Zoë)
Rush, the most successful Canadian power trio of all time, turned 30 in 2004. That's hard to imagine for someone who listened diligently to this band in high school; thanks for reminding me of how much time has passed, dudes. Anyway, Rush: R30 is a 2-DVD set celebrating this achievement. Disk one of the video is a full-length concert recorded in Frankfurt, Germany, with a setlist that covers the trio's entire career. That said, there's a definite emphasis on the 80s, from "Tom Sawyer," "Limelight," "Red Barchetta" and "The Spirit of Radio" to "Mystic Rhythms," "Between the Wheels," "Force Ten" and "Subdivisions." The 70s are covered by the opening "R30 Overture," which includes elements of "Finding My Way, "Cygnus X-1," "A Passage to Bangkok" and others, and a late-show medley that folds "2112" (portions thereof, anyway), "Xanadu" and the truly ancient "Working Man" into each other. The band's 90s work is also touched on, with the undistinguished "Animate" and "Earthshine," as well as the more fulsome gems "Dreamline" and "Roll the Bones" (the infamous rap of which is taken by an animated skeleton on the massive viewscreen above the band). Some standards are missing (no "Free Will" or "Closer to the Heart," for example), but some sacrifices had to be made to avoid a 5-hour show, I suppose.
The group also dubiously includes some of the 60s covers it recorded on the 2004 EP Feedback, and while that may have been a fun studio excursion, Cream's version of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads," the Who's "The Seeker" and Eddie Cochran-via-Blue Cheer's "Summertime Blues" hardly benefit from the Rush stamp of approval. (The Yardbirds' "Heart Full of Soul" gets done in an unusual acoustic arrangement, at least.) There's also the matter of singer/bassist/keyboardist Geddy Lee's bizarre stage setup: there are two coin-operated dryers (both spinning with Rush T-shirts the band tosses out to the crowd at the encore) and a large vending machine behind him…all miked. What the heck? Are those his amps (otherwise not in evidence) in disguise? Wherever his amplification is coming from, his warm bass tone contrasts nicely with guitarist Alex Lifeson's icy distortion. Drummer Neil Peart, as usual, has more drums than any one human being should, but he uses them tastefully, hitting just the right fill at just the right time.
Lee (who can still hit those high notes, by the way) and Lifeson seem to be having a blast; neither of them show any sign of being sick of playing any of these songs. Lee even appears at the end of the show with a bass whose strap boasts a bright red parrot on the shoulder. (Don't ask me why, or why a couple of guys dressed as pirates wielding cardboard swords briefly duel behind him during "2112.") As for perpetually unsmiling drummer Neil Peart (who ends his obligatory drum solo "Der Trommeler" with an excerpt of Count Basie's "One O'Clock Jump"), who can tell? One thing is definite, though: with the light show, deftly employed video footage and the band's precision and enthusiasm, this is arena rock the way it should be made. Thirty years hasn't dimmed Rush's flame at all.
The second disk has interviews from various periods in the band's career, including a pair around the making of 1980's Permanent Waves (a watershed for the band as it signified the turning point away from conceptual suites) and footage from the group's induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. There are also a brace of performance clips, from promos for "A Farewell to Kings," "Xanadu" and "Fly By Night" to live cuts of "La Villa Strangiato," "Circumstances" and "Free Will," the latter from a massive 2003 concert in Toronto. A couple of fascinating cuts from Don Kirshner's Rock Concert show the band romping through "Finding My Way" and "In the Mood" from the band's first album, both songs far simpler, even cruder, than those for which Rush would become known. Disk 2 ends with a new recording of "Closer to the Heart" from something called Canada For Asia, which was presumably a Canuck benefit for tsunami victims. It's a faithful remake, though the trio is joined by members of Barenaked Ladies and the Trailer Park Boys. Easter eggs are hinted at, but I suck at finding those, so I didn't try.
The set also comes with a 2-CD soundtrack to the concert, plus a booklet and a pair of signed picks.
Rush: R30 is a big, nostaglic, ahem, rush for me. When I was in high school, I was devoted to this band, and I continued to buy their records up through 1991's Roll the Bones. But I lost track of them in the 90s, eventually selling off all of the other (vinyl) records as well. At this point I own no Rush at all, except for this DVD package. So much of the band's music simply quit making sense to me after I reached a certain age. But it's fun to hear these old classic rock warhorses again—"Red Barchetta," "Limelight," "The Spirit of Radio" and even "Roll the Bones" hold up extremely well. And it's a pleasure to notice that the band still enjoys playing this music. I don't know if this is going to spark a Rush renaissance in my personal music library, but it'll be nice to pull out this set once in a while and rock in a complex and unselfconscious way. Michael Toland [buy it]
THE STORY OF UFO: TOO HOT TO HANDLE (1969-1993)
Directed by various
(Cherry Red Films/MVD)
What to make of poor old UFO? Vocalist Phil Mogg and bassist Pete Way were the guts of this blue collar band that never got big in the U.S. or in their native U.K. Stylistically they were a bit of a bridge between the bombast of big bands like Led Zeppelin and the hair metal bands of the 80s. Dated outfits aside, they didn't embarrass themselves…not often, at least…with the music; check out "The Coming of Prince Kujuku" to laugh along with the band. In fact, they churned out a number of good songs, including "Lights Out," "Too Hot to Handle," and "Doctor Doctor."
This DVD is mostly concert footage taken from their numerous tours, and it's interspersed with commentary from Mogg, Way, Michael Schenker (whose fluid playing was sorely missed after he left), Def Leppard's Joe Elliot, Iron Maiden's Steve Harris and more.
The band wielded respectable power live, knocking out not only the "hits," but energetic reworkings of Eddie Cochran's "Come On Everybody" and Elvis Presley's "Mystery Train." Heck, just watching Michael Schenker play is reason enough to give this one a spin. Brian Briscoe [buy it]
