Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, Neil Peart: Signals 30 year Anniverary and 2112 Deluxe Edition

Signals 30 year Anniverary

In the current Volkswagen television commercial in North America, the driver sitting stopped at an intersection does some spirited “air drumming” while the Rush song“Fly By Night” plays over the car sound system…complete with a simulated Neil Peart toss & catch of the invisible drumstick into the air! It’s so funny because I’ve watched guys doing that for thirty years now. By 1981, Rush had built a fiercely loyal fan base through eight albums, only one of which did not sell more than its predecessor, and road-dog touring, all the while honing their chops, their arrangements, and lyrical themes into a laser-tight focus. These efforts finally resulted in Rush’s worldwide blockbuster Moving Pictures. So what did the band do for the follow-up when all of their hard work paid off ?

Rush changed. Because the album also contained the the Top Ten hit “New World Man” and sold over a million copies in its first two months, there is tendency to assume that Signals was easily embraced by all of the Rush faithful.

It wasn’t. With back-to-back million sellers Permanent Waves in 1980 and then the massive Moving Pictures, Rush risked their new-found fame and fortune with the 1982 album Signals, expanding their sound with new instrumentation and additional layers of sound on songs “Subdivisions”,”The Analog Kid”,”Chemistry”, and“The Weapon”. But if Rush had not challenged themselves and their fans by continuing to innovate and explore all four corners of the studio with their evolving sound with Signals in Fall 1982 , would there even be a Rush in the 21st century? Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart all weigh in for this classic rock interview.- Redbeard

http://www.inthestudio.net/redbeards-blog/rush-signals-30th-anniversary-2/

Plus 2112 - Deluxe Editions of 2112

JUST IN TIME FOR DECEMBER 21/12 – Deluxe Editions of 2112

In time for 21/12 celebrations,

Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) will release deluxe editions of Rush’s landmark album 2112 that will feature 5.1 Surround Sound Mixes, Unreleased Live Tracks and the First Ever Rush Comic Book, available globally starting December 18, 2012.

There will be 3 configurations of 2112: DELUXE EDITIONS (CD/DVD and CD/Blu-Ray) and a special SUPER DELUXE EDITION (CD/Blu-Ray/Hardbound book case).

The deluxe editions contain a CD/DVD or CD/Blu-Ray material including the remastered 2112 CD with 3 live bonus tracks and a DVD or Blu-ray™ disc with a 5.1 surround sound audio mix and an interactive digital comic book, a new album cover by original album designer Hugh Syme, liner notes and unpublished photos.

The super deluxe contains the CD/Blu-Ray and is meticulously assembled in a hardbound bookcase packed with a 40-page comic book representing every song on 2112.

2112: SUPER DELUXE EDITION

2 DISC: CD + BLU-RAY version

Housed in a hardbound book with a 40 page comic book by story artist Tom Hodges (Star Wars “The Clone Wars,” The Simpson’s “Treehouse of Horrors #17″) and a 24 page book with expanded artwork, liner notes, lyrics and unreleased photos. New liner notes written by David Fricke, Rolling Stone.

2112: DELUXE EDITIONS (DVD Version and Blu-Ray Version):

2 DISC: CD + DVD AUDIO/VIDEO

2 DISC: CD + BLU-RAY

Expanded artwork, liner notes, lyrics and unreleased photos by original album designer Hugh Syme. Brand new liner notes by David Fricke, Rolling Stone.

CD – Digitally remastered plus 3 unreleased bonus live tracks:

- Overture (Northland Coliseum, Edmonton, AB – June 25, 1981)

- The Temples of Syrinx (Northland Coliseum, Edmonton, AB – June 25, 1981)

- A Passage To Bangkok (Manchester Apollo, Manchester, England – June 17, 1980)

DVD AUDIO/VIDEO AND BLU-RAY CONTAIN:

- Digital Comic Book – experience the comic book formatted for widescreen televisions during playback of the album.

- Photo Gallery – unreleased photos and handwritten lyrics by Neil Peart

DVD AUDIO/VIDEO SPECS:

-5.1 Surround Sound mix by Richard Chycki in PCM (DVD-Audio players) and 48kHz / 24-bit Dolby Digital (DVD-Video players)

- 96kHz / 24-bit PCM Stereo (DVD-Audio players) and 48kHz / 24-bit Dolby Digital Stereo (DVD-Video players)

BLU-RAY SPECS:

-5.1 Surround Sound mix by Richard Chycki in 96kHz / 24-bit PCM and DTS-HD Master Audio

- 96kHz / 24-bit PCM Stereo

“Every album is a point in Rush’s history,” Geddy Lee said in 1978. “And if it’s not getting better, something’s wrong. Every album has to be the perfect Rush album.”

“The first record,” Alex Lifeson says about 2112, “where we sounded like Rush.”

“2112 is, more than anything, a record about being Rush: loving music, moving it forward and taking it to the world, whatever the price. And it is perfect.” – David Fricke

Originally released in 1976, Rush’s epic, landmark release 2112 was their creative and commercial breakthrough as well as one of the band’s most highly regarded releases among both fans and critics alike. With lyrics written by Neil Peart, and influenced by author Ayn Rand, 2112 kicks off with the ambitious seven-suite title track (side one), set in a futuristic world run by the “Priests of the Temples of Syrinx” who regulate “every single facet of every life,” which includes books, music, work and play. “2112” conveys the story of humanity’s instinctual, inner need for one’s free will.

After the mythological journey through “2112,” side two brings you back to the present and continues with five stand-alone tracks. From hard-rocking tracks such as “A Passage to Bangkok,” “Lessons,” and a trip to into the fourth dimension with “The Twilight Zone,” to the album’s soaring conclusion, “Something For Nothing,” 2112 is the album that ushered in the next stage in their continuing evolution as artists.