Date: Fri, 11 Mar 94 21:49:23 PST From: email_address_removed To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: YTSEJAM digest 346 Contents: Re: YTSEJAM digest 344 (email_address_removed (Ken Higginson)) Re: seats (email_address_removed (Dr. Mosh)) Comparisons ("Alan J. Mallery" ) Lotsa stuff (Stephen Bajzek ) re: seats (Stephen Bajzek ) Re: drum solos (Stephen Bajzek ) Re: Porntoy vs. Ulrich? (J|rgen Bergstr|m ) Re: 5/3 time ("Mark A. Parker" ) Re: Porntoy vs. Ulrich? (JUST TAKE MY HEART WHEN YOU GO ) Re: wdadu/liveu (email_address_removed (Chris White)) okay already! (Michael Bahr ) RE: ACOS (email_address_removed.AC.UK) Company of Wolves (Alex Reinelt ) Re: Porntoy vs. Ulrich? (Michael Bahr ) Re: Porntoy vs. Ulrich? (I LOVE PICKLES ) Are inspirations better? (BERTAPELLE ADAM RAYE ) The Man, R U a hater? (BERTAPELLE ADAM RAYE ) Re: seats (BERTAPELLE ADAM RAYE ) Re: Rush vs. DT... ENOUGH!!! (John Cheng-Yung Yuan ) Re: (William T Bajzek ) Re: Is Learning To Live a "perfect song" (William T Bajzek ) Re: YTSEJAM digest 341 (email_address_removed (Dave Re)) Re: seats (email_address_removed (Dave Re)) Re: Porntoy vs. Ulrich? (email_address_removed (Dave Re)) Re: Damn the Machine (email_address_removed (Dave Re)) Re: Rush vs. DT... ENOUGH!!!! (email_address_removed (Dave Re)) Re: Porntoy vs. Ulrich? (email_address_removed (Dave Re)) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 11 Mar 94 02:20:03 MST From: email_address_removed (Ken Higginson) Subject: Re: YTSEJAM digest 344 Nah, I disagree... If you're playing a bass with passive pickups, well, you aren't playing bass... Lee should've stuck with the Steinberger, or the original black Wal, not the red one... The bass sound on Counterparts is because of Peter Collins, not Fender instruments... I think a lot of Myungs sounds comes from the Bartolini pickups, which are excellent. Steinbergers come with EMG's, which I guess if they are like their guitar pickups, produce a lot of high-end. Don't all Tobias basses come with Bartolini's? They are amazing. A friend of mine put them in his Ibanez 6-string... ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 01:52:19 PST From: email_address_removed (Dr. Mosh) Subject: Re: seats MOSHING IS ONE THING!!!! BUT STAGE DIVING IS JUST ANOTHER!!!!! AAAAAAHHH!!!! Yes... stage diving is a rush... Hmmm... hey... I for one condone Moshing to anything... including Dream Theater... of course I would have to stand about quietly and watch all the interesting parts, but when riffs like the beginning of Pull Me Under begin... I want CHAOS... One thing that was kinda stupid was Dream Theater here in Anaheim, Califlowernia was that the crowd was a bunch of lame-brainers who sat in their seats!!!! At least get into the music people!!! Hey, at least Petrucci was getting into it when he jumped out in the first row of empty seats right next to me and started ripping it... But alas, different strokes for different folks... but me, no way... let's have a good time!!! -The Doc ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 03:32:21 -0700 (MST) From: "Alan J. Mallery" Subject: Comparisons Jeez all this talk of who's better than who. Who cares? They're all great musicians and we should appreciate them all. But, to leave you with something. You should check out Mark King of Level 42 if you want great bass playing. Blows both Lee and Myung out of the water. (Quickly exiting before flames arrive :) ) ______________________________________________________________________________ Alan Mallery | (email_address_removed) | (insert quote here) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 08:12:35 -0500 (EST) From: Stephen Bajzek Subject: Lotsa stuff > My feeling is that LtL and Metropolis kind of exemplify what DT is all >about. I don't know what the perfect song sounds like, but I suspect >that both tracks must come awfully close. Right...Metropolis is the perfect dark, hyperactive song, LTL it the perfect dark, slightly more laid-back song... Oh, and Pull Me Under is the perfect heavy metal song, A Change of Seasons is the perfect long song, etc... Next: > intricate beats than portnoy (without a doubt more subtle- Come on, > Portnoy uses a sampler on his snare for god's sake!) That was a production decision, one that Mike was not happy with. He doesn't use a sampler live. > First of all, I suggest anyone who has something to say about this > topic to READ THE DT FAQ before commenting. Every DT member (with the > exception of Moore and LaBrie) was influenced by Rush... > in the cases of Myung, Portney, and Petrucci, the three of them were > influnced by Lee, Peart, and Lifeson (respectively). > So what? Just proves they (DT) had good taste in music...you can be influenced by someone without being forever inferior to them. And if you're comparing the bands, Moore is a rather large exception. The two bands are very different, and Kevin is a major reason why (though by no means the only reason). Also a major reason why DT is better, in my opinion (that's just an opinion, not worth arguing.) > and not as a collection of three. It ultimately meant sacrificing > individual talent, but considering Rush's track record past and present, > it's hard to argue (try to imagine DT staying successful that long). How do you define "successful?" I've heard a lot of people who know a lot more about Rush than I do who feel that Rush's music has gotten much weaker over the last decade. And it seems that almost every time someone talks about how great Rush is, they always say "especially their early stuff." My question is, did Rush stay successful musically, or commercially (or in popularity with aspiring musicians)? This might not be as hard to argue as you seem to think. And the ultimate strength of DT, I think, is their ability to use their individual talent to make a song a song work without compromising anything...see the perfect song thread. >The only cover DT has ever done is Freewill Is that in the FAQ? It shouldn't be...I know they've covered at least one Beatles song, the Mission Impossible theme, Chrismas carols, etc... > but can YOU see DT doing > the same stuff, oh, say ten years down the road (let alone when the guys > all turn 40 like Neil (the youngest of the three) did a few months ago)? Trying to predict the future is a good way to lose an argument, so I'll pass on this. > (after all, there's no way in hell you'll ever catch either Myung > or Portney claiming they were better than Lee or Peart.). Of course not. Only someone like Yngwie Malmsteen would claim to be better than his influences. Next: > Like I said, comparing DT to Rush is just silly. Anyone who buys a > Rush CD thinking they are gonna hear something like DT is going to > be sorry. Very true. DT is faster, more exciting, and more complex. And they will always be more complex, unless Rush hires a keyboard player. (and I don't mean a bass player playing keyboards.) Also DT's singer is way better. >I love Rush, but DT... well, "I'm more into that band..." - James That's a great quote...I'm gonna have to get me a copy of that bootleg. For those who don't know, to paraphrase the entire quote..."I remember when we were here with Saigon Kick...Now we've got the Galactic Cowboys, and *I'm more into that band!*" (yelled) >bye, Freak That'd be a cool line in a Schawrzenegger movie. > And why compare muscians ? Why don't we all just enjoy their excellent > music! :)* Because we can't play their music over the internet. And anyway it's nice to have something to discuss once in a while that takes more thought than "what bootlegs do you have" and such. Which brings me to my final topic...Under A Glass Moon has me really stumped. I think maybe it's just about a dream, so it's intentionally surreal/incoherent. But would anyone care to speculate what it's about? I'll listen to anything...would the guy who thinks it's about Star Trek mind explaining? Sorry to ramble...it's just nice to have the list back AND stuff to talk about for a change... -max ----------------- "You've gotta understand that this is home, and there's no tomorrow-land, and that I ain't Captain Walker." "I would not, could not with a goat." ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 08:27:08 -0500 (EST) From: Stephen Bajzek Subject: re: seats Excerpts from mail: 10-Mar-94 YTSEJAM digest 344 by Michael Burstin > I think that by seat, he means room in the first 2 rows... when I saw > them, it was actually in a tent! There were seats there, but everyone > stood and shoved the seats out of the way... I ended up rushing the > stage, and there were 2 people between me and the fence in front of > the stage... INCREDIBLE!!! Yes, that is what I meant...it was the same show, as a matter of fact, I.C. Light tent...I almost touched Kevin's hand after the show...The talent transfusion would have been so awesome (I had myself rigged so this would have happened.) -max ----------------- "You've gotta understand that this is home, and there's no tomorrow-land, and that I ain't Captain Walker." "I would not, could not with a goat." ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 08:35:38 -0500 (EST) From: Stephen Bajzek Subject: Re: drum solos > I know he is a better player than that! > Hopefully, as DT matures, so will his solo ability. Hopefully, as DT matures, his solo will die. Sorry, I'm from the "all drum solos are boring and pointless and kill the energy that has been built up" school of thought. I would much rather hear another song. Guitar solos are boring too, but not as boring as drum solos. Unaccompanied guitar solos are unacceptable unless they're very short. Bass solos are cool only because you don't hear them every day. Keyboard solos rule. -max ----------------- "You've gotta understand that this is home, and there's no tomorrow-land, and that I ain't Captain Walker." "I would not, could not with a goat." ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 15:06:38 +0100 (MET) From: J|rgen Bergstr|m Subject: Re: Porntoy vs. Ulrich? Ulrich is one of the worlds most overrated drummer. J.B ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 09:31:58 -0500 From: "Mark A. Parker" Subject: Re: 5/3 time Methinks this chap has been smoking something ;) They don't write time signatures with anything that is not a power of 2 on bottom. I'm not saying it isn't possible... I have been considering doing something similar myself, but it is not written that way. going into this from another meter, above the staff would be written d = d. (doing my damnedest to put up quarter notes) or the metronome time would be marked as 1.5 times what it was originally and the signature at that point would be 5/2 A case of this is Machine Messiah, by Yes, where they have a number of triplets that will not add up to a multiple of 3 during one of the riffs. Hope this confuses you ;) (it has me) Dom'ny Parker ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 09:40:39 -0400 (EDT) From: JUST TAKE MY HEART WHEN YOU GO Subject: Re: Porntoy vs. Ulrich? >As for Ulrich... ... he's had no formal training. Um... geee... What about all those lessons from um.... hm.... what was his name again... NEIL PEART you moron!!!!!!! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 94 09:59:39 EST From: email_address_removed (Chris White) Subject: Re: wdadu/liveu Everyone always has such high praise for Ytse Jam. Am I the only one who really doesn't find this song all thatgreat? I dont know... Maybe it's because I love Status Seeker, and Ytse Jam is such a letdown after SS. I don't know ,but Ireally don't like it all that much. Chris ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 08:07:24 -40962758 (MST) From: Michael Bahr Subject: okay already! Clarification: Mike Portnoy's drum set is NOT an exact duplicate of Peart's drum set. It IS Peart's OLD drum set, from the p/g tour. I know I have this in an interview somewhere, but even if I don't manage to dig it up, I have Peart's old custom set from the p/g tour on video several times, and drum for drum it's what Portnoy's playing now, give or take some movement on the cymbal positions. Let your eyes see and your mind believe. :) But I think I might shed a bit of comedy on this whole Rush vs. DT thread.... last night at Rush's show at Madison Square Garden in New York, who should show up but... yep, Dream Theater! The Rush TNMS mailing list was abuzz with chat about this. Petrucci, Portnoy, Moore, and Myung showed up, apparently, and chatted with different fans as well as signing autographs and answering a deluge of questions about their next album. Yes, it's still in production, until we hear otherwise. Mike/email_address_removed ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 94 14:08 GMT From: email_address_removed.AC.UK Subject: RE: ACOS >>Well, I have not heard the disc, but I have a copy of the show from a video >>and they don't do ACOS there... As I said, I have not heard this disc, but >>it is possible that the makers of the CD stuck on ACOS from another show >>as they did with the majesty stuff? Well it sounds to me like it came from the same show, in quality and performance... the LILI set is 2 CD`s, the live tracks on disc 2 are Take The Time, Wait For Sleep, Learning To Live and A Change Of Seasons. I can`t remember what LaBrie says in the introduction, but I`m pretty sure it`s taken from the same show.. unless TTT, WFS and LTL are from a different show as well... Clive. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 94 16:45:39 MET From: Alex Reinelt Subject: Company of Wolves Somebody here just mentioned Company of Wolves reminding him of Images and Words... I found (and listened to) a COW CD of (I think) 1990 with "call of the wild" on it in the WOM-Store in Munich today. Maybe nice Rock-Music but in my opinion not to be compared to Dream Theater! bye, Freak >>>>> Freak has always been Alexander Reinelt from Munich/Germany <<<<< # contact via uucp:email_address_removed fidonet: Alex_Reinelt@2:2480/66 # # voice: ++49-89-68 33 40 tape: ++49-511-900-6220340 GSM-D1: -622 03 40 # >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Der Mond machts! (Alex) <<<<< ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 07:50:42 -40962758 (MST) From: Michael Bahr Subject: Re: Porntoy vs. Ulrich? > > As for Ulrich... he's not even in the same league buddy... he's never had > formal training and he can't play double bass wortha sh*t... he was > interviewed in Drum magazine and he complained about how hard it was to > play Dyer's Eve live because of the double bass... bleah.... Well, alas this is true. Lars' drum solos are an embarasment to percussion as a whole. I thought Lars was heavy duty at one time, but now I can name a load of better drummers... in fact now that I've heard concert solos, I'd say Ulrich is the WORST successful drummer out there. And yeah, I was the one who started the Rush vs. DT thing and I NEVER expected it to get so fiery.... I agree that they are both separate entities... I guess it's my fault for coming to Peart's defense when Portnoy was mentioned as "the best"... having heard Peart's solos thanks to the magic of bootlegs since the getgo, I just couldn't believe what I was reading. For anyone interested in Hearing this Peart fellow, I'd be glad to trade you a composition tape (made from his various solos over the years) that also includes The Pieces of Eight, a 15 minute drum solo he did for Modern Drummer magazine in the mid eighties, and IMHO one of the best pieces of percussion ever put to tape. Mike/email_address_removed ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 11:32:52 -0500 (EST) From: I LOVE PICKLES Subject: Re: Porntoy vs. Ulrich? Let's not start on the subject of drummers now! Lars and Portnoy are both good. leave it at that. I don't want to get into a stupid flame war. Being that I am a metallica fan ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 11:08:46 -0700 (MST) From: BERTAPELLE ADAM RAYE Subject: Are inspirations better? I read a post today that basically said Geddy Lee was a better bass player than Myung because Lee is a "pioneer," even though Myung has eclipsed Lee in technique. Sorry, but that's just not logical. Sure you can give Lee credit for "pioneering" new and inovative techniques, but if Myung has advanced on that, doesn't that make him the better bass player? Gosh, Eddie Van Halen was a pioneer on guitar, so he must be better than Petrucci. NOT! -=Adam ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 11:20:29 -0700 (MST) From: BERTAPELLE ADAM RAYE Subject: The Man, R U a hater? Ouch! That was some harsh shit! Whew, I feel like I need a cigarette after I read such cruelty to the octopus! I'm disappointed! -Luvah ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 11:35:59 -0700 (MST) From: BERTAPELLE ADAM RAYE Subject: Re: seats I've seen DT twice (so far) and I agree with Pat. DT is NOT a band for moshing or stagediving. Those people obviously don't have respect for the music being performed. My first show was in Denver, and I was in the middle of the floor area. I had to constantly worry about getting hit or trampled on, which really distracted me from the show. The second time was in San Francisco, and I was up against the barricade for the whole show! It was incredible, and all the moshing that was going on was a few layers behind. The moral of the story is, get to the club two hours before the doors even open, and go claim your spot in front. -Adam ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 13:59:00 -0500 (EST) From: John Cheng-Yung Yuan Subject: Re: Rush vs. DT... ENOUGH!!! Excerpts from mail: 10-Mar-94 YTSEJAM digest 344 by email_address_removed > > please! Folks, just about everything taught today about proper drumming in > > rock was pioneered by Peart (Portney should know - he went to Berklee.). > > Just hold on a minute here so I can laugh my ass off. This is too much. > I'm sorry, but you are *HORRIBLY* misinformed. Really. First off, the cats > are Berkeley could give a crap about rock. Second, what the hell is "proper > drumming in rock"??? > I can guaran-damn-tee that drum profs at Berkeley don't get up there > and say "Ok, now here's the Neil Peart double-stroke roll applied to going > around the toms". Naw. Ain't gonna happen. Sorry. > Most of the guys who invented that stuff are *DEAD*. Howdya like that?? > Buddy Rich, guys like that. Hey, guess what, they were *Peart's* influences. > Ringo Starr. Yep, the man actually played most of his drum parts. Need I go > on??? Yeah, you're right... the folks at BERKELEY could probably care less, as they're probably concerned more with following the policies of the University of California (Pause while I laugh MY ass off :)). Now as for BERKLEE (which you misspelled TWICE) the drum instructor at my High School went there... and they DID mention Neil SEVERAL times as a source (granted, he doesn't do much for classical stuff, but he is mentioned in jazz and rock.). As for Buddy Rich... yes, I know he is a source. Neil played at the Buddy Rich Tribute a while back. Now Neil isn't that great as a jazz drummer (William Calhoun and Dave Weckel (sp?) are much better IMHO) but he can hold his own.. although Calhoun was awesome at the tribute. But, getting back to the original thread... Portney is the best at what he does - the best prog.- metal drummer. But, I'll reserve my judgement with him against Neil until he does other stuff - jazz, big band, country, whatever... >> A classic example was the one-handed snare roll. But, don't take my > Oh god. First off, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "ONE-HANDED ROLL". Its >a trick that takes a lot of practice, but you can still hear separations >between strokes, etc. Its not a roll. Its an extened multiple bounce. > Second, he didn't invent it. He didn't invent anything that he plays >(except for some of his triggered sounds). Noone left alive has invented >anything that they play. Some people rip-off other better, thats all. *sigh* Modern Drummer asked him in 1984 to show their readers how it was done, and he showed them (I wonder if Portney read this...). He also said that much of what he does is simply a matter of technique and practice. (He also happens to play his sticks with the fat end hitting the drums... I don't know of many drummers who do that!). That said, what he does is still incredible. >> now. If *that* doesn't convince you, consider the fact that Portney's >> entire set is the EXACT SAME set that Peart used in the Grace Under >> Pressure tour (not counting MIDIs and triggers, which have obviously >> improved with age). > Nope. Sorry. You're wrong there, too. Before you go throwing words >like "exact" around, I suggest you think about what they mean. Beyond that, >Mike is only playing an 10 piece kit. 3 toms, two floors, 2 kicks, a snare, >and two timbales. Neil's acoustic kit is somewhere around 13 to 14 pieces >(add in a couple concert toms and a gong bass drum). Plus, Neil has many >more non-traditional drum set instruments. On the kit he played before he >went electronic, he had a xylphone, orchestra bells, chimes, wind chimes, >temple blocks, wood blocks, etc. Mike has an LP Jam-Blok (quasi woodblock), >wind chimes, and a tambourine. Maybe a cowbell, as well. > I won't even get into cybmals. Needless to say, both cymbal setups >differ *significantly*. Tell that to Portney, because it came out of HIS mouth (Also out of Modern Drummer, sometime last year). And the setup that Neil uses NOW is differ- ent then the one he used in the GUP tour (circa 1985.). And, if you look at the setup, it reinforces what I'm saying... Portney can slam the snares with the best of them, but let's see what he can do with "xylophones, orchestra bells, chimes, wind chimes, temple blocks, wood blocks, etc." Look, I'll admit I was a little tired when I wrote the original post... Dream Theater is nothing short of incredible. The collective talent (AND individual talent) in that band is mind-boggling. Yes, they can play faster that Rush (they are also 20 years YOUNGER than Rush). However when it comes to the "Who's better" dept., I REFUSE to judge a band as accomplished as Rush to a band that only has two albums out (remember all the comparisons that Dwight Gooden had his first two years in the Bigs? I rest my case.). Believe me, I'd like nothing more than to have DT be that successful if for only two reasons - they are fellow Long Islanders and they are my generation. But, they're NOT! At least let us wait a few years or albums... then, let the comparisons begin. Just to give you an idea, a much better comparison to Myung is Cliff Burton... yet Cliff Burton has never been mentioned once here as a comparison to Myung - why? Anyone who's ever heard "Orion" can't help but admit that he was one the greatest of all time... yet because he died just before Metallica made it "big" he's never mentioned outside of the world of Metallica fans. See? Time is the ultimate judge. Now, since a rarity has occured in Pittsburgh (a beautiful day out), I will end this, go out, and enjoy the day. L8r! -*-- -*-- --** -*-- -*-- --** -*-- -*-- --** -*-- -*-- --** -John Yuan email: barchetta+@CMU.EDU "Are the liberators here, do I hope or do I fear..." -Rush, "Red Sector A" 1995 Ferrari F130 Barchetta: 500hp, 217mph, 0-60 in 3.5 sec. ("Throwing Bones in Maranello", Road and Track, March 1994) -*-- -*-- --** -*-- -*-- --** -*-- -*-- --** -*-- -*-- --** ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 14:06:49 -0500 (EST) From: William T Bajzek Subject: Re: someday I'll get around to typing in my guitar tab for everything (but the solos) before the drum solo. It's all at least 95% correct, because it's based on my excellent ears and the videos and having heard the song more times than mcdonalds has sold burgers -------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Bajzek impaler+@cmu.edu "What's a little fallout, eh?" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 14:20:28 -0500 (EST) From: William T Bajzek Subject: Re: Is Learning To Live a "perfect song" a couple other songs that I can think of that fit our definition of "perfect": Speak To Me - Galactic Cowboys I do what I do - GC The Crush Of Love - Joe Satriani Hill Of The Skull - Satch TIme Machine - Satch Edge Of Thorns - Savatage Labyrinths - Savatage Blackened - Metallica Mr Crowley - Ozzy Osborne Believer - Ozzy Wish - Nine Inch Nails Last - NIN Something I can Never Have - NIN Sanctified - NIN Estranged - Guns N Roses Double Talking Jive - GNR Los Endos - Genesis The Knife - Genesis Hollow - Pantera They all keep me interested and I could listen to them over and over again, so they qualify in book. btw, did anyone else notice the Galactic Cowboys' nasty little habit of writing a song so emotional that it makes you feel like you're gonna cry and then they end it with a minute and a half of barnyard sounds? -------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Bajzek impaler+@cmu.edu "What's a little fallout, eh?" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 14:36:45 -0500 (EST) From: email_address_removed (Dave Re) Subject: Re: YTSEJAM digest 341 Wonder when someone is going to accuse me of flaming just for flaming's sake :) > he take what Lee has done, and not expand on it? Clapton & Page > were good in their time, but compared to Petrucci, Skolnick, Friedman, > Satriani, Vai? You just don't get it, do you??? Sure, the modern techno wizards fit great in hard rock/heavy metal. Clapton and Page don't fit as well because of *their* influences and style, and still, Page hasn't done a horrible job of it. Stick one of the young guns in Page and Clapton's positions, though, and see what happens. There's a big thing that often gets overlooked by some: feel. You don't have to be able to do sweep arpeggios and string skipping to be a good guitarist, and it damn sure doesn't make you better than someone if you can. For blues influenced rock, I'll still take Clapton and Page. I'd hate to hear them in a metal setting, though, cause they wouldn't quite fit. It's not their style. Period. Can't compare apples to oranges. BTW- the only new guy I've heard who could possibly step into Clapton's shoes and do a good job is Richie Kotzen...... > If you totally ignore the fact that even with 3 other guys filling > up space with their instrument, Myung still shines and songs > like Ytse Jam, Status Seeker, Fortune in Lies, Metropolis, Take the Time, Got news for you. Myung holds down the low end on all those songs. He has some brief "solo" fills, but mostly he's sitting there, locked in to the drums, and pounding the low end out (as a rhythm section should, in my opinion (and the opinions of *many* others). > Learning to Live, Glass Moon... When was the last time Geddy Lee > even ventured past the 12th fret on his bass? Has he ever experimented > with tapping, slap/pop, harmonics? Stick it Out is the only > Rush song that's not it standard tuning, over 20 albums! Ok, so, since when does playing above the 12th fret, playing using tapping slap/pop, and harmonics have anything to do with being a better bass player?? Does that mean that, since I can play above the 12th fret, tap, slap/pop, and play harmonics on the bass, that I'm a better bass player than those who can't/don't???? And where the hell do alternate tunings fit into that??? Just because I can tune my instrument to a different tuning (oooh, turn the knob) makes me a better musician?? I guess that means that Nirvana must be the ultimate band, since *every* tune is in a different tuning. Beyond that, mind telling me where DT tunes down???? > I don't want this to sound like I don't like Geddy Lee either, he's > why I started playing bass. But Myung's speed, right-hand technique, > odd-time signatures, and fluid lines take what Geddy started and > expands upon it. Nothing wrong with that, but none of that makes him a better player inherently. -- Dave Re |"I am your master, when you're all alone. OIT/TS/ISD | You can come to me child, when you're without home. email_address_removed | I will share your pain, of long lost dignity. | Happiness evades you, you'll get no sympathy." | "Father of the Night", Crowdad "Heh Heh. I know where there's a dead raccoon!! Heh heh." "FIRE!!! FIRE!!! FIRE!!!" "The juggernaut that is Early Warning will CRUSH you!!!!" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 14:38:54 -0500 (EST) From: email_address_removed (Dave Re) Subject: Re: seats > Dream Theater is not a band for moshing or stage diving. I guess a lot > of idiots will mosh to anything. Sure standing is the way to see the show, > but moshing, etc takes away from the show, in my opinion. What band is a band for moshing??? Some people actually like that, believe it or not. I can sure tell you that, from the band on stage's point of view, its a hell of a lot nicer than a bunch of dweebs standing there like stone, trying to figure out every lick you play!!! Give those that want to mosh their space, and you stand in the back and let *everyone* enjoy themselves..... -- Dave Re |"I am your master, when you're all alone. OIT/TS/ISD | You can come to me child, when you're without home. email_address_removed | I will share your pain, of long lost dignity. | Happiness evades you, you'll get no sympathy." | "Father of the Night", Crowdad "Heh Heh. I know where there's a dead raccoon!! Heh heh." "FIRE!!! FIRE!!! FIRE!!!" "The juggernaut that is Early Warning will CRUSH you!!!!" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 14:57:01 -0500 (EST) From: email_address_removed (Dave Re) Subject: Re: Porntoy vs. Ulrich? > How come nobody is comparing Mike to Lars? The first time I Cause Mike blows Lars totally away?? :) > heard DT, I thought: Metallica!!! (with keyboards and better > lyrics, etc...). I'd say that Portnoy's style sounds much closer > to what Lars plays for Metallica (pre- Black album) rhythm-wise, > double bass playing, etc, than Peart. True, Mike plays quite a bit of double-kick, but he's not heavy handed, like Lars is (more a feel thing, than anything else). The more I listen to Portnoy, the more I hear his fusion/jazz influences, than anything else. Just in the ways his four limbs interact, and such. Oh, and I'm glad you put "pre-Black album" above :) I'm a firm believer in the theory that Lars had some terrible accident after the Justice tour and has since forgotten how to play drums. :) > As for Mike's soloing ability, to the guy who said Peart's > solos were boring, well, there's only so much variation one > can do over the thousands of shows the've done in the past > 20 years. When I saw DT, I was dissapointed in Mike's solo. Well, that was me :) Surprise :) Actually, it would nice if he'd have *some* spontaneous stuff in there. Oh well. Overall, I'm usually left feeling that a solo was a wasted piece of a show, unless the drummer (or any other musician) really said something during the solo. Doesn't have to be chops filled, just musical. Unfortunately, its real tough to pull that off on the drums. I still think the best soloist I've ever heard is Rod Morgenstein. The man is incredible. If you want to hear a solo that's worth listening to, listen to the last song on the Dixie Dregs album "Bring 'Em Back Alive". Simply Incredible. There's a section where he plays along with a sequencer that came from one the keyboard player's solo albums, where Rod and Danny Gottlieb played against each other on this one song. Its real cool..... > prepared for the solo of the century, but I was let down. His > solo, IMO, of course, was sorely lacking in the power I was used > to hearing in the songs. I know he is a better player than that! Of course it sounds less powerful. There's no bass thumpin' away, no guitars providing all the midrange body. So, the drums end up sounding empty on their own.... -- Dave Re |"I am your master, when you're all alone. OIT/TS/ISD | You can come to me child, when you're without home. email_address_removed | I will share your pain, of long lost dignity. | Happiness evades you, you'll get no sympathy." | "Father of the Night", Crowdad "Heh Heh. I know where there's a dead raccoon!! Heh heh." "FIRE!!! FIRE!!! FIRE!!!" "The juggernaut that is Early Warning will CRUSH you!!!!" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 14:41:10 -0500 (EST) From: email_address_removed (Dave Re) Subject: Re: Damn the Machine > We've probably been through this before, and it's not particularly > DT related, but what does everyone think of Damn the Machine? > I get the impression that they're in the same heavy-progressive vein as DT, Not really. They're not really all that heavy. The vocalist isn't bad, and the songs are OK, but that's it. They keeping getting to a point in each song where it feels like they're going to just cut loose and rip, and then it never happens. Kind of anti-climactic..... And, they're not all that progressive, either..... -- Dave Re |"I am your master, when you're all alone. OIT/TS/ISD | You can come to me child, when you're without home. email_address_removed | I will share your pain, of long lost dignity. | Happiness evades you, you'll get no sympathy." | "Father of the Night", Crowdad "Heh Heh. I know where there's a dead raccoon!! Heh heh." "FIRE!!! FIRE!!! FIRE!!!" "The juggernaut that is Early Warning will CRUSH you!!!!" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 15:03:35 -0500 (EST) From: email_address_removed (Dave Re) Subject: Re: Rush vs. DT... ENOUGH!!!! For the record, 5/3 is not a valid time signature..... > Far as I can tell, the bottom number in any sig has to be a power of 2. > 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, nobody can really go faster. The top can be any > number of thjings, but not 1. The top most *certainly* can be a one. There was a solo I played in high school on snare that went through time signatures like: 4/4, 5/8, 7/8, 1/8, 3/4, 5/16, and a couple others I can't remember. The only limitations are that the bottom number must represent a legal note. Now, with the understanding that there really aren't any rules, overall, in music, I'm sure someone could invent 5/3. Not sure how you'd conduct or play it, though..... -- Dave Re |"I am your master, when you're all alone. OIT/TS/ISD | You can come to me child, when you're without home. email_address_removed | I will share your pain, of long lost dignity. | Happiness evades you, you'll get no sympathy." | "Father of the Night", Crowdad "Heh Heh. I know where there's a dead raccoon!! Heh heh." "FIRE!!! FIRE!!! FIRE!!!" "The juggernaut that is Early Warning will CRUSH you!!!!" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 15:06:24 -0500 (EST) From: email_address_removed (Dave Re) Subject: Re: Porntoy vs. Ulrich? > As for Ulrich... he's not even in the same league buddy... he's never had > formal training and he can't play double bass wortha sh*t... he was > interviewed in Drum magazine and he complained about how hard it was to > play Dyer's Eve live because of the double bass... bleah.... Heh. he didn't even play the song in the studio. He cut about 30 seconds, and stopped. The cut another thirty seconds, and stopped. etc. Still better than what he did on their newest album, though.... However, he *can* play double bass well. He just doesn't do much with it anymore (too bad, that was his strong point, to me). You have to be careful with a kick sound like that, cause too much will just muddy up the sound. Any man who can play "Battery" all the way through, properly, and up tempo can play double kick pretty well. OF course, Lars can't do it anymore, since he forgot how to play drums, and all..... :) -- Dave Re |"I am your master, when you're all alone. OIT/TS/ISD | You can come to me child, when you're without home. email_address_removed | I will share your pain, of long lost dignity. | Happiness evades you, you'll get no sympathy." | "Father of the Night", Crowdad "Heh Heh. I know where there's a dead raccoon!! Heh heh." "FIRE!!! FIRE!!! FIRE!!!" "The juggernaut that is Early Warning will CRUSH you!!!!" ------------------------------ End of Digest ************************