Review Summary: I am born.
Back in the day I heard numerous ranting about Caress of Steel being bad, or being good, or being in beetween. It is one of their most disputed over albums. But I decided to give it a listen, I did, and I found quick that only a few quantities of the disputers were right. The true Rush fans, the defenders of the true music, the great ones to whom hearing IS listening, they say ths album is quite excellent.
Geddy lee lets loose what he never has before on this album. His voice is like a necromancer, wavelengths distorted by magic. As always his voice is like a soft cheese. His passion can easily be heard and distinguished in the music, specially on Bastille Day. He can do anything with that voice of his, some may call it magic. His tongue is like a snake, manipulating his voice into exactly what he imagines it to be. But he has more tricks up his sleeve than his voice. While he sings, he masters the bass with absolute perfection. It rumbles and roars and gives reeks passion. He is a top notch musician, and deserves the galaxy to bow to his lordship.
Alex lifeson is a pure master on the album. I could call it one of his best guitar work albums besides Hemispheres. My ears are filled with sour cream, soft, creamy, excellent sour cream. And his solos show the absolute mood of the album, it would take a worthless pheasant like me years to create, but I would not be surprised to know that he did it in less than a minute. His eye is the cats eye nebula, it hardly misses a bit of information, and it stares at you constantly lightyears away. His guitar is like an animal he torture to the will of his own sounds in his head. But beware, for his music is magic, and the guitar may suck your brain.
Neil Peart is the meat of the album. He knows just where to add the drumbeat, whether it is the cymbol, the snare, or the bass drum, he knows all. And his drum solo in Fountain of Lamneth is just a sample of what he can do. He is the reason the tree actually falls if you do not see it, for he knows and sees all things. His mind is surely as large as the planet, but you cannot perceive all of the dimensions of his mind, for they are numerous, and unknown.
That basically sums up the album. It is passion. It is part of the soul of Neil Peart, part of the fire of his life, beat out of him with the beat of the drum. It is part of the soul of Alex Lifeson, part of his very own fire, shook out of him with the vibration of his strings. It is part of Geddy Lee, for as he moans the energy leaks out of him to make this and all of the other masterpices by Rush. It is the work and energy of the band, therefore it is the soul of the band. This is the magic of being a musician, you open up your soul to let people hear it, see it with your minds eye, and I see the power of each of these musicians fire. And when I hold one of thier albums, I know now what it truly means to Hold Your Fire.
