Rush Sectors Box Set - Liner Notes, Tracks and Images Now Online

The highly anticipated Rush box set "Sectors", which covers all of the band's studio and live albums during their Mercury Records years, was released last week. Rather than just a re-issuing of the albums, each one was remastered with three albums (Fly By Night, A Farewell to Kings and Signals) also receiving the 5.1 treatment.

Outside of the sonic changes made to the albums, the box set was packaged with new - and some rarely seen photos - while each album has been packaged in a replica vinyl mini-jacket of the original album release. All three box sets, when stacked together, form a Rush CD road case. All of the liner notes, tracks, album information - and package images - are now available here at Cygnus-X1.Net. Check them out via the links below:

Sector 1: | Album Info |---| Album Images|
Sector 2: | Album Info |---| Album Images|
Sector 3: | Album Info |---| Album Images|

There's also a great article by Andy VanDette, Masterdisk's chief engineer, on the remastering of the Rush albums for the Sectors box set. Check it out HERE. Thanks Ed from RushIsABand).

Ordering of all three box sets is available at Amazon.Com via the links below:

Rush: Sector 1
Rush: Sector 2
Rush: Sector 3

Enjoy-

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Related News Stories
[Rush "Sectors" Box Set Video Trailer Now Online - November 17th, 2011]
[Rush "Sectors" Box Sets Coming November 21st - October 7th, 2011]

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Geddy Lee Honoured by Scholarship Endowment

Decanter.Com, "the world’s best wine magazine", is reporting that Geddy Lee has had a wine scholarship created in his name.

The honour has been conferred on the Rush vocalist and bass guitarist by his fellow directors at the charitable foundation Grapes for Humanity.

The board voted unanimously to create a scholarship in his name, in perpetuity, for a student of winemaking at Niagara College in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

To establish the scholarship Grapes for Humanity Canada has committed $26,500, which will be matched by the Ontario provincial government.

The income will be used to provide an annual scholarship for a student in the second year of Niagara College’s Wine and Viticulture Technician programme who intends to pursue a career path in winemaking after graduation.

To read the entire article, please click HERE.

Triumph's Rik Emmett Covers Red Barchetta

Sonic Reality, the organization behind last year's release of Neil Peart Drums Vol. 1: The Kit, a sample library featuring recordings of Neil utilizing the digitized sound of the Snakes and Arrows Custom DW Drum Kit, has now put together a unique project where musicians from around the globe play classic rock covers and originals songs using the library samples.

One of the covers is Rush's classic Red Barchetta which is sung by the lead singer of another popular Canadian Power Trio; Triumph's Rik Emmett. In addition to Rik on vocals as well as lead guitar, the cover of Red Barchetta also includes Sonic Reality's CEO Dave Kerzner on keyboards and Matt Dorsey on bass.

Furhter, Sonic Reality is preparing a video of the song which will include Neil Peart on drums. For more information, click HERE or check them out on Facebook.

Below are two teaser samples of Red Barchetta.

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Update: There's also a sample of the outro segment of Limelight which you can listen to below.

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Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for passing along the news.

Alex Lifeson Makes Rolling Stone List of Top 100 Guitarists of All Time

Rolling Stone magazine recently assembled a panel of top guitarists and other experts to rank their favorites guitarists while explaining what separates the legends from everyone else. Not only was Alex Lifeson among the panel of those casting their votes, he also made the list, coming in at position #98 (yes, he should have placed significantly higher, but that goes without saying):

Even if he had never progressed beyond the brain-rattling riffing of "2112" and "Xanadu," Rush's guitarist would have left his mark on Metallica and other like-minded metalheads. But he went on to fill out Rush's power-trio sound with a seamless mix of lush arpeggios and rock crunch that sounded like at least two players at once. "The guitar just had to make a broader statement," he says. Alex Lifeson reserves his most daring playing for his solos – just try wrapping your head around the extra­terrestrial lunacy of "Freewill."

Key Tracks: "La Villa Strangiato," "The Spirit of Radio"

Not surprisingly, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page took the top three spots respectively. You can check out the entire Top 100 List via this LINK.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for passing along the news.

An Intimate Interview with Geddy Lee of Rush

Tidings, Canada’s only national food and wine publication, has published an interview/article with Geddy Lee where the discussion centers around Geddy's love of wine, the band's recent involvement in the Grapes of Humanity Charity and more.

Tidings: One thing I’ve noticed is that, given your love of wine and Alex’s love of wine, I don’t notice any wine references in your songs. Since Neil is the lyricist, can I assume that he’s not a wine buff?

Lee: He loves wine and he loves food. He’s not as mental as I am, but he’s always happy to come out and eat and drink with us. He also loves to cook. But he’s got so many interests I don’t know if he would have room to become a serious wine nut.

Click HERE to read the entire article.

Thanks to reader Amy Lee Myer-Seaman for passing along the news.

Alex Lifeson Interview on Planet Rock - Now Online

Earlier this morning, Alex Lifeson (on location in Toronto) spoke with Darren Redick of UK internet radio station Planet Rock.

We spoke to Alex in the studio where he and his Rush bandmates are currently recording their brand new studio album, Clockwork Angels.

In the interview he reveals that the band are aiming to release their new album in the spring and they are hoping to tour in the summer, with European dates almost a certainty. He also reveals that the band are looking at perhaps doing some festival shows in 2013.

The guitarist also gives an insight into how the new album will sound, revealing that the songs are starting to take an epic shape.

The 10-minute long interview is now online and can be listened to via this LINK.

Ed from RushIsABand posted some bullet points from the interview (courtesy of reader Distant Early Warning:

• Currently in the studio in Toronto putting in long hours.
• They already had the 5 songs written of which 2 had been recorded so needed 5 or 6 more.
• After a slow first week, they got on a roll and after 4 weeks, all songs had been written.
• In response to a question about whether the direction of Clockwork Angels had changed, Alex said yes: BU2B and Caravan had set the tone, but last month some other pieces came together that were more melodic and had different arrangements and presentation than they were used to doing. However, the rest are heavy.
• 3 or 4 songs are over 7 minutes long and most of the rest are over 6 minutes - there's a lot of intense playing.
• Alex did not have much to do with the recent box sets - Neil does the design side of things.
• The 'I Love You Man' sketch was left off the concert DVD because of union issues (Screen Actors Guild) - it was difficult to get all the releases for it.
• They want to finish CA by Christmas but Alex was not confident about this. They have mixing booked for the New Year and he reckoned they would do a bit of recording and mixing at the same time, in time for a spring release.
• They hope to be out on tour in May or June, with Europe on the agenda but maybe not until 2013.
• On the subject of festivals, while they find it intriguing and potentially lucrative, they've never felt comfortable with it, as they would want more control over it (the time and the 'show' itself). However, if the right one came up where they had the control over the show, with a decent timeslot, they would consider it.
• Lastly, a big no to doing any small scale 'bar' gigs to 500 people.

Thanks to Ed for sharing the news.

Rush Sectors Box Set Video Trailer Now Online

Rush.Com has just posted an impressive 1 minute and 30 second trailer for the upcoming release of "Sectors" box set. You can view the trailer below or directly at Rush.Com

Pre-Ordering of all three box sets is also available at Amazon.Com via the links below:

Rush: Sector 1
Rush: Sector 2
Rush: Sector 3

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Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for assistance in extracting the video from the main Rush.com site.

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Related News Stories
[Rush "Sectors" Box Sets Coming November 21st - October 7th, 2011]

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Rush Clockwork Angels Article in Rolling Stone Magazine

The November 24th issue of Rolling Stone magazine contains a short article on Rush and their upcoming Clockwork Angels album. The issue also contains a large advertisement for the Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland CD/DVD.

Scans of both the article and advertisement can be viewed by clicking the thumbnail images to the right.

Here's a transcription of the article itself:

Rush spent the past two years looking back - performing their 1981 classic Moving Pictures in its entirety. But at the same time, the Canadian prog heroes started cranking on thier 20th LP, Clockwork Angels. "We're almost finished writing," says frontman Geddy Lee. "Hopefully we'll have all of the recording done before Christmas."

Last year, Rush tested the waters, releasing two tracks from the album = the Metallica-ish riff monsters "Caravan" and "BU2B" - and playing them on tour. "We figured we had nothing to lose," says Lee. "It was a lot of fun for the fans, and fun for us." The disc is shaping up to be the trio's heaviest in decades. Says Lee, "The two tracks we released point in the direction we're going."

Rush haven't scored a Top 40 hit since 1982's "New World Man," but they've maintained one of rock's biggest cult audiences. And last year's acclaimed documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage helped make them more popular than ever. "We feel invigorated," says Lee. "I think we've come to a point in our lives where we're playing the best we've ever played as a live band.

"You don't know how long that's going to go," he adds. "Rock & roll does have its limits as far as the aging process. You want to go out there and play while you're at your peak." - Andy Greene

Thanks to Conrad J. Simpson, Joe Pesch and RushFanForever for the scans/information.

Rush's Neil Peart Takes A Ride In His Ohio Time Machine: Exclusive

In connection with the release of Rush's live CD/DVD Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland, Neil Peart has written an exclusive article for Cleveland's Plain Dealer newspaper. Neil looks back at the band's first concert in Cleveland back in 1974, his time cycling and riding between shows and the band's decision to film the Cleveland show for their official live release from their Time Machine Tour.

The band had decided to film the show in Cleveland for a few reasons. In past years, we had released concert videos from shows in Toronto, Montreal, Rio de Janeiro, Frankfurt and Rotterdam, but we had never filmed a concert in the United States.

We decided to rectify that.

It was felt that the "Time Machine" show in particular looked better indoors, without the lingering twilight of an outdoor amphitheater, and with control over ambient light and air currents. Also, the audio side of things tends to be more controllable in a contained acoustic environment. (Wind, for example, can play havoc with sound waves and microphones.) So we wanted an arena.

To read the entire entry, please click HERE.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for sharing the news.

Rush Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland - Now Available

The wait is finally over. Rush's latest concert film - Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland is now available on DVD, Blu-Ray and CD. In addition, a vinyl edition of Moving Pictures Live also taken from the April 15th Cleveland show, is available (though quantities are limited).

As expected, the Blu-Ray version of the concert film is currently only available at Best Buy as well as the Rush Backstage Club. The Blu-Ray version will be released world-wide to all retailers on or about December 20th.

To order your copy, use one of the links below.

Rush Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland DVD - $14.99
Rush Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland Blu-Ray - $17.99
Rush Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland CD - $12.99
Moving Pictures: Live 2011 Vinyl - $16.77

We'll have complete details on the package liner notes, images, full track listings and more within the next week or so.

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[Rush Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland - In Theaters Tonight - October 26th, 2011]
[Rush Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland - Theaters and Showtimes Now Online - September 30th, 2011]
[Here We Go Again - Blu-Ray Version of Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland Delayed - September 25th, 2011]
[Rush Unveils Time Machine 2011 Live Releases - September 20th, 2011]
[Rush: Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland to Premiere on VH-1 Classic - September 17th, 2011]
[Rush Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland DVD Delayed Again - August 24th, 2011]
[Rush: Live in Cleveland Concert Movie - New Details Emerge - August 16th, 2011]
[Rush Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland DVD Release Date Pushed Out - July 28th, 2011]
[Rush Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland DVD Now Available for Pre-Order - July 21st, 2011]
[Rush Rock Cleveland / New Concert DVD Information - April 16th, 2011]

Walk Your Dog in Neil Peart Park

Neil Peart is one of 42 names added to St. Catharines' list of "Significant Local Individuals". Neil, who grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario which is now part of St. Catharines, was added to the list where local developers & the town's council can draw on to name new streets & parks.

According to an article at Newstalk 610 CKTB:

"...The list has been going through an update for about 2 years. It's the first time the list has been changed since it was first drafted in 1999.

Councillor Mat Siscoe who represents council on the heritage committee tells 610 CKTB News deciding who was on the list & who was left off was a painstaking process.

When streets are named, they have to be cleared first with the fire department to make sure there's no confusion about where emergency responders have to go.

I guess RushCon can have their next convention at Neil's park :)

Alex Lifeson Interview on Humble and Fred Radio

Alex Lifeson was the guest on Toronto's Humble and Fred's morning show this morning. In the half-hour long interview, Alex discussed numerous topics including touring, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, his love of golf, Rush's growing popularity and the band's recording progress on Clockwork Angels. According to Alex, the band is about "...a week ahead of schedule..."

The interview is available online via an audio stream at this LINK. The interview can also be downloaded as an MP3 via this LINK.

Alex's interview begins around the 35 minute mark.

Thanks to reader RushFanForever for alerting us to the interview and Ed from RushIsABand for the interview links.

Ace Frehley Talks Rush In His New Autobiography "No Regrets"

The new autobiography from KISS's lead guitarist Ace Frehley titled No Regrets includes a humorous story and photo about the times when Rush and KISS were on the road together touring. From the book:

Ace Frehley of KISS fame has published a new biography titled No Regrets. The book, which hit store shelves on Monday, includes the following story and accompanying photo: "I have so many road stories, but one that always comes to mind is the tour we did in the summer of 1975 with Rush opening for us. I always liked Rush (and still do). After a few weeks on tour I started to get to know the guys in the band, and their very funny tour manager, Howie. One thing led to another and before long Peter and I were getting visits from the Rush boys.

It usually turned into late evenings filled with beer and grass and whatever else was around. Alex Lifeson, the band's guitarist, used to do this hysterical routine with a large paper laundry bag. He'd draw a ridiculous giant face on the bag with a black marker and put it over his head with a couple of holes poked in it so he could see and breathe.

Everyone in the room at this point was either drunk or stoned, but usually a little of both. Anyway, Alex would go into this routine with the bag over his head and while smoking a joint out of his eye he put everyone into total hysterics. He really milked the routine until everyone was gasping for air!" - Ace Frehley, No Regrets

The above segment appears on pages 188-189 of chapter 13 titled Fast Cars, Celebs, and Betty White.

The autobiography is on sale now and can be ordered HERE.

Thanks to RushFanForever for the news.

Win An Autographed Rush ‘Moving Pictures’ Lithograph

Ultimate Classic Rock and Universal Music Enterprises are currently sponsoring a contest where one lucky winner will receive a Rush ‘Moving Pictures’ Lithograph. The contest is being held in connection with the upcoming release of Rush's Sectors box set.

The lithograph features the classic ‘Moving Pictures’ album cover autographed by Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart. Click HERE for a larger image of the lithograph.

To enter the contest, click HERE.

Neil Peart: The Modern Drummer Interview - Now Online

Update: The complete transcription has been removed in place of a small excerpt, with ordering instructions for the issue. Apologies for any inconvenience. We hope to have the complete article back online in the future. Thanks.

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Last month we let you know that Neil Peart would be the cover-story feature in the December 2011 issue of Modern Drummer Magazine. The issue hit the newsstands earlier this week and now the entire article with photos can be viewed online.

In the interview/article, Neil touches upon several topics including how he prepares for a tour - and the riggers behind touring itself, his approach to composing drum segments of new songs and also the inspiration behind his latest drumming instructional video Taking Center Stage: A Lifetime of Live Performance.

Neil Peart might well have been born with an innate inclination toward understanding and creating rhythm, but he also knows a thing or two about hard work. He's certainly been blessed with the brain of a seeker, which has led him to travel the world, geographically and rhythmically, and to remain ever open to fresh inspirations. But, again, his long and staggeringly productive career with his Rush bandmates, bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson, could not be had without keeping the ol' shoulder to the wheel.

Check out the entire article via this LINK.

And also check out all the "new" vintage articles recently uploaded to the site. They're all available on the Biographies & Articles section of the site.

Enjoy-

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Related News Stories
[Neil Peart Featured in December 2011 Issue of Modern Drummer Magazine - October 18th, 2011]

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