Friday, November 23, 2018

A Window Above: Tom Sawyer

Song: "Tom Sawyer"
Writers: Geddy Lee, Neil Peart, Alex Lifeson and Pye Dubois
Original Release: February 12, 1981
Band: Rush
Album: Moving Pictures



When I was in high school, I developed a theory not unlike Quentin Tarantino's Elvis/Beatles theory.  Basically people, by which I meant teenage boys, could be divided into two camps: Led Zeppelin people and Rush people.  The Led Zeppelin people could enjoy Rush just as surely as Rush people could enjoy Zeppelin.  But no one liked both equally.  It simply wasn't possible.  I was definitely a Led Zeppelin person.  It wasn't until much later that I truly learned to appreciate Rush.

The two groups are on a very short list of the most technically accomplished rock bands of all time, along with Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.  The Beatles wrote better songs.  The Stones, The Who and Queen had greater stage presence.  But if what you want is instrumental masters, there's no topping those four.

Rush, more than any of the others, is built from the bottom up.  Neal Peart, master of the toms, is legendary for the size of his drum kit alone.  Geddy Lee's is certainly one of rock's stranger lead voices but his bass work is beyond question.  Alex Lifeson is the rare lead guitarist who is overshadowed by his rhythm section but he's still plenty good.

And of course as always, I am a sucker for any and all allusions to the work of Mark Twain.

Want to hear all of the songs I have featured in a convenient playlist?

Enjoy: A Window Above

What are you listening to these days?

14 comments:

  1. I too am a fan of Tom Sawyer, from the time I first read that book in the 1950s. I now treasure the bit of John Whittier's poem:

    "Blessings on thee, little man,
    Barefoot boy, with cheek of tan!
    With thy turned-up pantaloons,
    And thy merry whistled tunes;
    With thy red lip, redder still
    Kissed by strawberries on the hill;
    With the sunshine on thy face,
    Through thy torn brim’s jaunty grace;
    From my heart I give thee joy,—
    I was once a barefoot boy!"

    As to Rush or Zeppelin, I cannot say, but I like the song "Tom Sawyer", which represents learning in freedom. As to what I'm listening to now: I strain to hear my world, my wife's gentle voice, through tinnitus ringing in my old ears --and, with the help of my audiologist, I succeed.

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    1. Thank goodness for audiologists. Happy Friday, my friend.

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  2. What if I wasn't in either camp as a teenage boy?
    But I'll touch on a bit of my music history in my upcoming review of Bohemian Rhapsody.

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    1. Queen came later for me. Hearing "Bohemian Rhapsody" for the first time - that was a magical moment!

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  3. I was always a Led Zeppelin fan- but did enjoy Rush. I have come to appreciate them even more as an adult- but still Led Zeppelin wins for me. :)
    ~Jess

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    1. Me, too. In truth, my affection for Rush centers on probably three songs. With Zeppelin, I can still completely lose myself in the early albums.

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  4. My youngest son is a fan of Rush.
    Are you snowed in ? We had a overcast Thanksgiving Day but back to the 70's this weekend.

    cheers, parsnip and badger

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    1. Snow has been less of an issue than the cold - all-time low on Thanksgiving. It's supposed to warm up a bit today, getting us above freezing, at least.

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  5. Listening to a Tom Sawyer audiobook with my mother in-law (I look after her on Wednesdays). Barefoot cheer :-)
    I can't choose between Rush and Led Zepplin, it's dependant on my mood. Rush would be more contemplative.

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    1. We listened to a Tom Sawyer audiobook on a road trip a few summers ago. Twain is wonderful read aloud. Huck Finn will always be my favorite but Tom's book is delightful for entirely different reasons. The Mysterious Stranger is pretty amazing, too.

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  6. I always figured I got bang for buck with the beatles, yeah they rocked:)

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    1. Again, no argument here. For me, no other band truly compares with the Beatles but it's also worth considering why they were better than everyone else. It's the songs. Other bands sing better - Queen or, better yet, take your pick of soul acts. By all accounts, the Beatles were genuinely tight instrumentally but others were better. But the songs? No one can touch that level of dependable quality. Their best 10 against anyone else's? Easy choice. The longer you make that list - top 20, top 50, top 100 - the more ridiculous the comparison becomes. They are the standard. Forever.

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  7. I was a Zepplin fan (I don’t remember Rush until I was in college—maybe I’m showing my age), but as a Mark Twain fan, I do like that song.

    www.thepulpitandthepen.com

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    1. Rush did come a little later. Vocally, Geddy Lee was definitely inspired by Plant, early on at least.

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