Rush, Musicians' Rock, and the Progressive Post-Counterculture
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Permanent Change: Rush, Musicians’ Rock, and the Progressive Post-Counterculture A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Musicology by Durrell Scott Bowman 2003 © Copyright by Durrell Scott Bowman 2003 The dissertation of Durrell Scott Bowman is approved. ____________________________________ _ Susan McClary ____________________________________ Mitchell Morris ____________________________________ Christopher Waterman ____________________________________ Robert Walser, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2003 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Figures and Tables (lists of) ......................................................................................... iv Musical Examples (lists of).............................................................................................v Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... vi Vita ............................................................................................................................... viii Publications and Presentations.................................................................................... ix Abstract of the Dissertation ......................................................................................... xi Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1 Cast in This Unlikely Role: Song Interpretations and Cultural Musicology.......................................12 Chapter 2 Endlessly Rocking: Post-1960s’ Rock Music and Socio-Musical Cultural Contexts.............57 Chapter 3 Keep on Looking Forward: Individualism and the Progressive/Hard/Metallic Alloy, 1975-78.........95 Chapter 4 All This Machinery: Music Technology and Stylistic Ambivalence, 1980-87......................163 Chapter 5 Due Reflection: Human Nature and Other Horizons, 1989-2002........230 Appendixes A Rush Albums, Billboard Chart Peaks, and RIAA (U.S.) Certifications .........279 B The Ten Main Rush Cities, 1977-2002 ...........................................................280 C Thirty Representative Secondary Rush Cities, 1977-2002 .............................282 D “Each Another’s Audience:” a Rush Fan Survey, November 2000...............283 E Summary of Rush Fan Survey Responses (161 respondents).........................285 F Rush Fan Surveys—Initiate Group Listening Contexts..................................286 G Rush Fan Surveys—the Twelve Leading Top 3 Artists..................................287 H Professional Musicians Interested in Rush’s Music, ca 1983-2002................288 J Neil Peart’s Reading Lists...............................................................................289 K Album Track Listings, with Selected Song Charts .........................................291 Bibliography ................................................................................................................302 iii FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1.1: Rush in Concert, ca 1985-86................................................................35 Figure 2.1: Rush in Concert, ca 1974-75................................................................87 Figure 3.1: Rush Performing “Xanadu” (1977), ca 1978-79 ...............................122 Figure 4.1: Album Cover of Permanent Waves (1980)........................................163 Figure 4.2: Album Cover of Moving Pictures (1981)..........................................177 Figure 4.3: Album Cover of Grace under Pressure (1984).................................206 Figure 4.4: Album Cover of Power Windows (1985) ..........................................216 Figure 4.5: Geddy Lee on the video set of “The Big Money” (1985)..................218 Figure 5.1: Rush in Concert, ca 1996-97..............................................................271 Table 3.1: Overview of “2112” (2112, 1976) ......................................................111 Table 3.2: Overview of “Xanadu (A Farewell to Kings, 1977) ...........................125 Table 3.3: Overview of “Cygnus X-1” (A Farewell to Kings, 1977)...................131 Table 3.4: Overview of “Hemispheres” (Hemispheres, 1978).............................139 Table 3.5: Solutions to the “Hemispheres” Cadential Figure ..............................145 Table 3.6: Overview of “La Villa Strangiato” (Hemispheres, 1978)...................155 Table 4.1: Lyrics and Form of “Limelight” (Moving Pictures, 1981) .................191 iv MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example 2.1: Main Riff of “Working Man” ..........................................................58 Example 2.2: Vocal Line Opening of “Working Man” (with Riff) .......................59 Example 2.3: “Working Man” Chorus ...................................................................60 Example 2.4: Instrumental Middle Pattern of “Working Man” .............................61 Example 3.1: 7/8 Introductory Riff of “Anthem” ..................................................98 Example 3.2: Instrumental Ending of “Anthem” .................................................101 Example 3.3: Introductory Riff of “Bastille Day” ...............................................103 Example 3.4: Main Riff of “Bastille Day” ...........................................................103 Example 3.5: First Half of Chorus 3 of “Bastille Day”........................................106 Example 3.6: Last Half of Chorus-Derived Ending of “Bastille Day” ................107 Example 3.7: Excerpt from “2112—Overture”....................................................110 Example 3.8: Excerpt from “2112—The Temples of Syrinx”.............................112 Example 3.9: 7-note/E major Guitar Gesture of “Xanadu”..................................124 Example 3.10: Verse 3 (i.e., vocal ending) of “Xanadu”.....................................128 Example 3.11: Excerpt 1 from “Cygnus X-1—Prologue”....................................133 Example 3.12: Excerpt 2 from “Cygnus X-1—Prologue”...................................134 Example 3.13: Excerpt from “Cygnus X-1—Part I”............................................135 Example 3.14: Excerpt from “Cygnus X-1—Part III”.........................................137 Example 3.15: “Prelude”/Vocal Interlude excerpt, “Hemispheres”.....................140 Example 3.16: “Cygnus—Bringer of Balance,” “Hemispheres” .........................144 Example 3.17: Verse 1 of “The Trees” ................................................................150 Example 3.18: Verse 2 of “The Trees” (first half) ...............................................151 Example 3.19: Excerpt from “Powerhouse” (Raymond Scott)............................158 Example 3.20: Rush’s Versions of “Powerhouse” (“La Villa Strangiato”).........159 Example 4.1: Beginning of Verse 2 of “The Spirit of Radio” .............................168 Example 4.2: Energy Riff of “The Spirit of Radio”.............................................170 Example 4.3: Opening Guitar Melody of “Freewill”...........................................172 Example 4.4: Verse 1 of “Freewill” .....................................................................173 Example 4.5: Bass Guitar and Guitar Solo Excerpt from “Freewill” ..................175 Example 4.6: Introduction of “Tom Sawyer” ......................................................179 Example 4.7: Verses 1 and 2 of “Tom Sawyer”...................................................180 Example 4.8: 7/4 Instrumental Pattern of “Tom Sawyer”....................................182 Example 4.9: Excerpts from Unison/Contrapuntal Sections of “YYZ”...............189 Example 5.1: Main Riff of “Show Don’t Tell”....................................................236 Example 5.2: Verse 1 Opening of “Stick It Out” (with Riff)...............................255 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My time in graduate school—and my period of dissertation writing—covered a wide variety of activities, including teaching and research assistantships, part-time and full-time course instruction (undergraduate and graduate), presenting conference papers, computer-related work, semi-professional choral singing, running a choral music library, and administrative work for a summer music festival. Many of these things would have threatened to disrupt my degree-specific research and writing if I hadn’t ended up working within the orbit of Robert Walser’s exemplary multi-tasking. I have always known him to be active in areas such as administration, teaching, research, publishing, presenting papers, organizing conferences, co-editing a book series, editing one or another journal, and performing, and yet he always found it possible to communicate his expectations, feedback, and advice. The context of his role as my adviser persisted when I found myself “out of the loop” for about three years, during which time I lived in various places in Canada and also worked at various things other than this study. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee: Susan McClary, Mitchell Morris, and Christopher Waterman, plus professors Raymond Knapp and Elizabeth Le Guin and various graduate school colleagues from my time at UCLA: David Ake, Kate Bartel, Steven Baur, Andrew Berish, Dale Chapman, Maria Cizmic, Stuart De Ocampo, Francesca Draughon, Charles Garrett, Daniel Goldmark, Gordon Haramaki, Maiko Kawabata, Erik Leidal, Mark Martin, Andrew Maz, Louis Niebur, Glenn Pillsbury, Cecilia Sun, Mel Surdin, Grace Tam, and