Alex Lifeson (Rush) fans - Describe what you love about his playing.?!
Question: Be specific
Answers: Be specific
Man did you just touch a receptive nerve of mine !
Absolutely under-rated, because he is surrounded by 2 other talented musicians that often overshadow his talent. But he is so good, he holds his own and has a legion of fans like me.
My first guitar hero was Pete Townshend, when I first started playing guitar at 12. Loved all The Who stuff. Soon after I started listening to Rush, my friends and I become big fans.
The night we saw them during the post Signals tour at Radio City Music Hall was one of those moments easily I mark as a definitive change in what I admire in a guitar player. I was unexpectedly blown away. What ever guitar solos and songs I had already found cool on record was transcendent live!
I became obsessed with Rush and specifically Alex Lifeson's musicianship. I stepped up to a challenge from my band mate, and learned as many songs and solos from Lifeson as I could by ear and tablature.
I studied his guitar amps and outboard gear, and tried to recreate his sound with whatever I could work with. Sometimes I would buy an guitar amp just because he used them. I still use a Dean Markely amp because of him, but my GallienKruger does not see the light of day much, LOL. I went through fair amount of chorus pedals too.
What I think moves me is his ability to create solos that skirt melodic and out of left field notes and bends, and the beauty of how he makes them flow within the song. With his solid chord work, I find his choice to use the right effect with the right riff or progression to be brilliant.
With no disrespect to his earlier work I think "Permanent Waves" represents a bridge from his old school style to a very definitive sound, technique and musical approach that would soon solidify and define him in the coming years.
Even when competing with keyboards his choice of chords were always interesting. I believed because the guitar was no longer THE chord producing instrument, it caused his solos to become little focused masterpieces.
A small list of my favorite solos in no order:
Freewill
Between the Wheels
Subdivisions
La Villa (obvious - a Lerxtfest)
Natural Science
The Spirit of Radio
Limelight (possibly my fave in it's simplicity)
Big Money
YYZ
Analog Kid
Chemistry
Afterimage
Middletown Dreams
I could go on about Alex Lifeson, and embarrass myself further about my old obsession but I will stop, LOL. I will admit that after seeing them almost every tour since "Signals", and often having tix within the first few rows, this coming June 14th, I will have 10th row seats FINALLY on Alex's side! Next stop, I need to pilgrimage to his bar in Toronto. When I was lucky enough to do sound for another guitar hero of mine, Canadian "Triumph" guitarist Rik Emmet, after sound check I half jokingly asked him if he could get me in touch with Lifeson, he politely laughed me often, Soo close!
OK end of fanboy lameness
It's good...and it sounds good too.
Hes fantastic.
But I am more impressed with Neil Peart's drum playing, he will be a living legend.
I've always loved his arppeggio stylings.
But I also like his prog rock-inspired, multi-guitar approach. He'll go from electric to acoustic 6-string to 12-string etc...
& of course, his heavy attack!
Eclectic, awesome, one of the most underrated guitarists of his generation. Alex is obviously an accomplished, innovative and creative musician to those who really know him musically.
Echoing Fonzie, his approach to arpeggiated riffs is not to be found anywhere else in rock. For me, the quintessential element in his playing is the way he creates textures and fills space in the music. He creatively uses controlled feedback, looped riffs, slashing, Pete Townshend-esque chords, and other guitar stylings the way a master chef uses ingredients for a five-course meal. Weaving all these in between Geddy's bass lines and over the top of Neil's drumming helps give Rush its signature sound.
Clean and powerful Listen 2-----> 1.Working Man 2.Fly by night 3.Take off :}
as I've said before, his opening Riff on Finding My Way is the most creative and unusual, that I've ever heard - it's in common-time, but the way he pllays it without an almost "lagging" effect, is so odd - and original !
After 2112, I felt that he was getting into a Rut with his chord selections - they just all seemed to sound the same - but I do think that he is an original - and his best Soloing is probably on Hemispheres.
.
Just the simple cleanness of his playing style.