Happy Birthday, Grace Under Pressure!

Some Rush related happiness! Got this in the mail on Friday night:

Glad to hear that you're alright, man! Why must pedestrians always get a raw deal?!

Congrats, Walter! Cheers to you and your family! Here's to a brand new and exciting chapter in your lives!

I got so excited when I received this in the mail, last night! This box set is a beauty! A treasure trove! It was worth every penny, IMHO. But will I invest this much in any other band on this planet? Oh, hell no!

You're very welcome!

Read Rush's Enthusiastic Yes Rock Hall Induction Speech "Through Yes, I was tuning into a wider world of possibilities. One where music seemed to have no limitations," says Geddy Lee Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson inducted Yes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Friday night at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. It came four years after Rush's own entrance into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a memorable event in which Lifeson said nothing but "blah blah blah" over and over as a way to mock long-winded speeches. But when it came time to honor one of his greatest influences, Lifeson found he had a lot more to say than gibberish. Alongside Geddy Lee, who told the crowd how early Yes albums influenced his own upbringing and music, it was a very moving tribute to the forefathers of prog rock. Read the full speech below. Lifeson: We're honored to be here tonight doing this. It's really, really great. We all start somewhere. For me, my journey with Yes began when I was a teenager gently fishing out the Yes album out of its sleeve being just a bit freaked by the disembodied head on the cover, placing the needle on the groove, sitting back, letting the music wash over me. I may have smoked a cigarette or something [laughter] but Yes were my gateway band in so many ways. There's nothing so fleeting yet enduring about the way music feels when you're 17 years old. As Yes played in my room, I played too. I spent hours picking my way through songs like "Starship Trooper" and "Yours Is No Disgrace." How wonderful is that swirling outro in "Starship Trooper"? I must've played that a million times. But I loved their music. Even more, once I learned to master ... not that I never really did. I never did them justice. But I loved them still. Yes helped give me the gift of music, which is everything as you know. They made me want to be a better musician and that provided some of the determination to one day stand on this stage giving tribute to this amazing band. I'll leave you with this: the musical choices we make in our youth help to mold who we become. Choose the guitar intro for "Going for the One." Choose learning to play "Starship Trooper" on a cheap secondhand guitar. Choose Chris Squire's amazing bass tone. Choose Jon Anderson's ethereal vocals. Choose Fragile. Choose wearing a cape before Rick Wakeman did. This guy right here. Choose staying out all night to see your favorite band. Choose "Roundabout." Choose the glorious guitar work in "Owner of a Lonely Heart." So beautiful. Choose the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And definitely, choose Yes. Lee: Blah, blah, blah. [Laughter] I'd like to ask the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to indulge me a few moments to share some personal experiences of Yes, the band. So picture this: in the early Seventies, I spent from one to three years in Grade 10 in high school seated at the back of the class with my new pal Oscar. He sat just across from me, and the teacher's words were bouncing aimlessly off us as Oscar riffed on some of our favorite Monty Python skits. He had me at the dead parrot gag. How could we not become friends? But it wasn't just the Ministry of Silly Walks that we bonded over. I could still recall one of the days that we opted out of school and were sitting cross-legged on the floor of Oscar's room as he introduced me to an album called Time and a Word by a band called Yes that I never heard of. I still thrill to the bass part in "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" the way I did the first time I heard it that day. For years people asked me why I played a Rickenbacker bass, and all I have to do is point to that album, that song and Chris Squire's incredibly original playing. Then Oscar played me "Yours Is No Disgrace" then "I've Seen All Good People." We both sat there open-mouthed as the songs rose up around us and our musical worlds shifted and fell from its axis. I might've been a young musician jamming in basement grooves in Toronto, but through Yes, I was tuning into a wider world of possibilities. One where music seemed to have no limitations. It was a crisp night in 1972 when Oscar and myself and this guy, Alex Lifeson, wind up overnight around the block in what was then Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens to finally witness Yes live for ourselves. The sky was a high dome of stars, and as I recall, Alex kept us going by nipping to the store and bringing back honeydew drinks. Really. I could close my eyes now and I'm back there. Intellectually, visually, viscerally sitting in row 10. It was like nothing I'd ever seen or experienced before. It was actually profound. It's not overstating things to say it changed the way I played and listened to music forever. So here we are, decades later, and the music of Yes is still echoing down through the years, showing me that music truly is a continuum. On behalf of Oscar, my good friend and Alex's Neil, who is not here tonight, Alex and myself, I say thank you, Yes. It's our great, great privilege and our great honor to right a terrible wrong and to finally welcome Yes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/read-rushs-enthusiastic-yes-rock-hall-induction-speech-w475774

Well, one of my co-workers, who subsequently became a good friend of mine, decided to leave the company today. I am really going to miss her, but thankfully, there are numerous ways to stay in touch.

Yeah, I heard about this. I really hope it's true!

I know that this is rather old news, but this book sure looks interesting (from a little peek that I had over at Amazon) and I think I'll buy it when it comes out in May! Rush: Album by Album Book Coming May 2017 Martin Popoff, the author behind the 2004 Rush biography Contents Under Pressure as well as 2013's Rush: The Illustrated History, will be publishing his third Rush-inspired book in May of 2017. Rush: Album by Album, which will be published by Voyageur Press, will include reviews of each of Rush's 20 studio albums by 20 rock journalists. From the book's description: Formed in Toronto in 1968, the rock trio Rush has gone on to multiplatinum success behind the distinctive high register and virtuosic bass-playing of frontman Geddy Lee, the legendary drumming and lyric-writing of Neil Peart, and the guitar heroics of Alex Lifeson. Despite having just four chart-topping singles since the release of their debut LP in 1974, Rush has nonetheless sold more than 25 million albums in the U.S. and more than 40 million worldwide. Indeed, the Canadian trio may be the definition of an "album band," and this new book from prolific rock journalist and acknowledged Rush authority Martin Popoff pays tribute to the band's discography by moderating in-depth, frank, and entertaining conversations about all 20 of Rush's studio albums. Inside, the author gathers 20 rock journalists and authors who offer insights, opinions, and anecdotes about every release. Together, the conversations comprise a unique historical overview of the band, as well as a handsome discography. Popoff also includes loads of sidebars that provide complete track listings, details on album personnel, information on where and when the albums were recorded, and sidebar facts about the albums, their songs, and the band. The book is currently available for pre-order via this LINK. Source: http://news.cygnus-x1.net/2016/09/rush-album-by-album-book-coming-may-2017.html

Can totally relate! I'll need one ASAP!

A really cool series that was originally on VHS:

More Rush related humor! If my future girlfriend (whoever she may be) isn't a fan of the band, then maybe this will be one of the conversations that she and I will have in the living room!

Watching documentaries.

Yeah, CP! And I can't wait!