Too funny, ‘What You’re Doing’ came on my playlist while I was reading your reply . . .

“Oooooo yeah! Ooooooo yeah!”

Back on topic, I think Geddy definitely had some hair moments, but it’s excusable from someone who can sing and play “Turn The Page” at the same time….

One other thing, I agree with you on VT as far as roots are concerned. I hate the engineering on that recording, but then again most people who haven’t blasted their ears out do. There are some great songs there and it is terrific return to straight forward rock. I just thought S&A took it to the next level.

One thing is for sure about being a Rush fan . . . it’s never boring. ALWAYS something to talk about at the very least.

Electric Phase
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdtpbg0uOLE

You Don’t Fool Me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcHSmL5_gLc

Try it out.

Hard Rock
Hair Rock
Blues Rock
Grunge Rock

Radley, “Panama” is my least favorite VH song. It ranks down there with “Dance The Night Away” YUCK!!

Try something rockier like “Dirty Movies”!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p28wayd-oAo

“Drop Dead Legs”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jPLXF-lWOQ

Have you ever heard 999? A lot of their stuff was produced by Martin Rushent (who also produced The Buzzcocks). They had a heavier sound, but today it sounds less like punk and more like just good old-fashioned guitar oriented rock. If you haven’t heard them, check out this live video of Homicide; it’s pretty representative of their sound.

I’m not too into The Queers (I have a secondhand horror story about them), but I dig Screeching Weasel and The Riverdales. Oddly enough, my 68 year-old mom is into Screeching Weasel, too (although she calls them The Screeching Weasels).

I actually rented a concert VHS long ago, just for the hell of it basically, and actually was more impressed than I thought I’d be. I’m sure this was on there as it was that tour – no newer stuff was on there.

“The best album to come out from them since Moving Pictures”

Disagree. I think S&A is generic, lame, and I just don’t get it. I’m in the camp (yes friends and neighbors, this one has polarized Rush fans, many love it) that can’t find anything particularly Rush-y about this one. Other than sound quality issues, I think Vapor Trails was the return to form, and I rank it right there with MP as my 2 favorites.

One hair band I thoroughly enjoyed is Cinderella. They just hit the right buttons for me. And I pretty much HATED glam/hair rock. Another that comes to mind is L.A. Guns. They had some attitude and chops. One more that came from that scene/era that is a guilty pleasure of mine was called Loudness, a Japanese metal band that rocked pretty hard. Their lyrics probably suffered from the fact that English was their second language, but I still found myself banging my head a bit to the tunage.

Queensrÿche CONSTANTLY gets classified as a hair band. And yeah, they looked the part for awhile there but their music was NEVER in the same class as those they are compared to. An overlooked gem from them is 1986′s Rage For Order. This album employed my favorite ‘sound’ for QR, a deliciously visceral mix of power guitar chords, samples and keyboards that has not been equaled since by them. If anyone knows of something comparable, I’d love to hear the suggestion.

I thought 95% of that glam/hair stuff was pedestrian, cookie cutter drivel. The best thing about those groups I’d say was that they inspired bands like Metallica and Slayer to really change the face of metal in the insipid direction it was headed . . .

That’s why I vastly prefer Van Hagar over the Roth period. I couldn’t stand Roth. That band only really came alive to me after Sammy got involved.

I know I have a modest collection compared to a lot of people, like 60 gig, but a lot of that is newer stuff I’ve picked up in just the last few years. Flogging Molly, Big D and the Kids Table, Rise Against, bands I heard of for the first time thanks to video games and satellite radio.

Speaking of obscure punk, anyone else heard of The Queers? How can you ignore an album title like “love songs for the retarded”?

One interesting thing about any Hagar-related project is the fact that his lyrics tend to be more thoughtful than the typical “let’s party/drink/screw” themes of the heavy rock genre.

Oh, sure, Hagar’s just as big a Sybarite as the next front man (although he’s the only one I know to have celebrated marital fidelity — check out Van Halen’s “Poundcake”). But on Chickenfoot’s “Avenida Revolucion” he appears to offer a sympathetic view of the plight of illegal immigrant workers and on “Runnin’ Out” he alludes to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hagar also has the distinction of being the only rock lyricist to express Austrian School views regarding fiat currency and inflation — anybody else remember the title track of Montrose’s second album, “Paper Money”?

First album I ever owned – Nevermind the Bollocks (someone gave it to me when I was 8, hooked on punk ever since). First concert – REM back in 85…

And let me also recommend…CHICKENFOOT!
aka Joe Satriani, Sammy Hagar (VH), Michael Anthony (VH) and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers).

http://www.chickenfoot.us/

They were my gateway to Husker Du, Wire, Iggy and a dearth of other old-school, underground(?) rock and punk acts. Let’s just say Pandora has been my bestest friend now that I can get it on the palm pre and my car deck comes equipped with bluetooth. After a couple of years of fine tuning, I have a pretty consistent set of music to listen to that I don’t even have to skip over.

So in a way, I owe my musical tastes in part due to my distaste for hair, glam and powerbalads. It’s a love/hate relationship.

I was production coordinator in a Midwest university arena in the mid-80′s and worked with ‘em all: Van Halen, Great White, Poison, Tesla, Cinderella, Skid Row, Def Leppard, The Crue, Ratt, Quiet Riot, G n’ R, etc, etc. While that was my paying gig, I much preferred Replacements, Husker Du, REM, Ramones, Iggy and the Stooges, The Clash, Talking Heads, Black Flag…

Ahhh… those were the days! There was good music wherever your head was at!

Your Slade story is pretty common – my older brother was stationed in Scotland when he was in the Navy, so he came back as a huge Slade fan. I got turned on to them as a teen, hanging with Brits when my dad worked in Libya.

Watching some of their videos might be a little embarrassing due to the platform shoes and sequined capes, but their music has aged quite nicely.

So I’ll just leave this here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m-loYwaCJI&feature=related