Rush 2112

There's a scene in the movie Almost Famous where the character of Lester Bangs makes a comment about music and the relationship the listener has.

Music..true music...not just Rock n' Roll ...it chooses you!
It lives in your car or alone listening on your headphones
with the vast scenic bridges and the angelic choirs in your brain

If you've ever had that feeling when you're sonically and emotionally bankrupt, and then you find a song, an album or an artist that lifts you up, you are filled to the brim. There is a giant smile that starts on your face and works its way through your whole body. You even find (if you're driving) that you may be driving faster and smoother and everything is just right in the universe.  Today, that happened when I found myself flipping through album titles on my MP3 player for something to listen on my commute to work.  The album I found is one that consisted of nothing but numbers.  That would be Rush's 1976 album 2112. 

Of course, I've listened to this album for ages. I've stated before of those friends that have introduced these bands to me...either by name or playing an album or two for me.  For a lot of music we come across in our lives, someone has planted that seed of musical excitement. In this case, it was my friend Tom who had an older brother with a pretty cool collection of classic rock gems. I remember him going on and on about the band Rush and the album 2112.  He was over-the-top excited about this album being about a story on another planet or in the future or something like that.  I just kinda brushed it off at the time.

 

As the years go by, myself and my drum friends would congregate together and praise "the Professor" Neil Peart of Rush and how great he is or was or whatever. There are countless articles and testimonial accounts of his greatness. Enough praise that I was interested and really wanted to suscribe to his awesome reputation. But, in the years after Rush's Moving Pictures, the band embraced the technology of the 80's and began to feature keyboards and Simmons electronic drums. Synthesizers and electronic drums weren't my favorite sounds.  I remember seeing the video for Red Sector A from the album Grace Under Pressure and didn't see what the big deal about Neil's playing.  It wasn't until I heard the live version of YYZ from the live album Exit...Stage Left that I sat up and paid attention.  Soon after that, I was a fan and out to get every last album by Rush.  I saw them on their Hold Your Fire tour in 1987.  I was hooked. I expanded my music collection by another artist's catalog with Rush. I think I bought a used LP copy of the album (2112) from Dustys. I kept it in my collection and would put it on occasionally.  I knew the songs like the 2112 Overture, A Passage to Bangkok & Something for Nothing. During the late 80's, my brother Mike picked up the guitar and later the bass and began to play. Most bass players are quick to praise the playing of Geddy Lee. So, He became a fan too. Of course, Alex Lifeson rounds out the trio on Guitar and has often been overshadowed by the other two. But, after watching their most recent live DVD's, Alex has the funniest sense of humor.

 

It wasn't until I bought my first CD player that I truly let it all soak in. I was working at Dustys (in Grand Island) when I thought 2112 would be a great album to have on CD.   I remember putting the CD in the player (in my little country rental house). I had the lights off (late in the evening) and just listened to the album without any of my other senses to distract me from what my ears heard.  I had known the Overture. The band had been playing it as their encore at their concerts at that time. 

 

 

But, it was the story told during the parts of the Overture that drew me in. After the Overture is The Temples of Syrinx which sets up the story about a time in the future where music, books, work and play are ....basically censored and controlled by the powers that be known as the Priests of the Temples of Syrinx.  The original album had the lyrics and liner notes that set up the story behind the lyrics.

..."The massive grey walls of the Temples rise from the Heart of every Federation city. I have always been awed by them, to think that every single facet of every life is regulated and directed from within! Our book, our music, our work and play are all looked after by the benevolent wisdom of the priests....

The song is very agressive sounding about the controlling "priests" and then we go into the story of an individual coming across a Discovery which (as you listen) is an acoustic guitar.

..."behind my beloved waterfall, in the little room that was hidden beneath the cave, I found it. I brushed away the dust of the years , and picked it up, holding it reverently in my hands. I had no idea what it might be, but it was beautiful"...

as I listen to this in the dark, I can hear the waterfall flowing and then you hear the character taking the "discovery" and begins to pluck it and tune it

..."I turned to lay my fingers across the wires and to turn the keys to make them sound differently. As I struck the wires with my other hand, I produced my first harmonious sounds and soon my own music! How different it could be from the music of the Temples! I can't wait to tell the priests of it!"...

The music becomes rather "folky" as Geddy Lee becomes the protagonist and sings about his discovery. The acoustic guitar goes from an acoustic sound to more of that of maybe a hollow body Gibson electric. The lyrics seem so innocent as it describes the musical discovery.

What can this strange device be?

When I touch it, it gives forth a sound
It's got wires that vibrate and give music

What can this thing be that I found?

See how it sings like a sad heart

And joyously screams out its pain

Sounds that build high like a mountain

Or notes that fall gently like rain

I can't wait to share this new wonder

The people will all see its light

Let them all make their own music

The Priests praise my name on this night

Follow along with the liner notes and there is more added to the song through the presentation of the listeners imagination...

 '...In the sudden silence as I finished playing, I looked up to a circle of grim,

expressionless faces. Father Brown rose to his feet, and his somnolent voice echoed

throughout the silent Temple Hall...'

'...Instead of the grateful joy that I expected, they were words of quiet rejection!

Instead of praise, sullen dismissal. I watched in shock and horror as Father Brown ground

my precious instrument to splinters beneath his feet...'

I know it's most unusual

To come before you so

But I've found an ancient miracle

I thought that you should know

Listen to my music

And hear what it can do

There's something here as strong as life

I know that it will reach you

This is the line that hit me years ago in the privacy of my own little country house, this week in my car on the commute and it still rings true for me now. For me and many others, music is what lifts us up and becomes more than just background noise to our lives. It is the score, the soundtracks to our lives. It may seem idealistic to some. But, it's what works for me.

1001 Albums says this about the 2112 Overture:

this track tells the tale of a man who leads a revolution through music after rejecting the Priests of Syrinx, a story that mirrored the band's own frustration with the music business.

The 2112 Overture is as much a Mini Rock Opera for Rush as Tommy and Quadrophenia is for the Who. This year the band is being celebrated with a tour and a documentary on the history of the band. Guitarist Alex Lifeson and Bassist Geddy Lee have been bandmates and friends for close to 40 years and still making music.  So, the music revolution they started still resonates by single-mindedly following their own path.

 

For me, it's a new discovery every time I listen to it! It started with just listening to a drummer and then 3 musicians making one incredible sound. Then, it became an intellectual thing as I listened to the insightful lyrics. Then, lyrics became a story and from there it becomes a way of relating to this old music like an old friend that puts a smile on your face, a laugh in your belly and a spring in your step.

 There's something here as strong as life
                 I know that it will reach you