Gary Rossington...dead

[Rikk]

Both Rush drummers are dead, by the way.

[Terry]

Which, no disrespect to John Rutsey, but as Rikk mentioned Rush were one of those bands like Deep Purple where the original lineup wasn't the definitive one.

Even with Skynyrd, they were on their 3rd or 4th lineup change when the plane crashed in 1977.

Very few aging rock bands ended their career with as much class as Rush did, though. They didn't explicitly say their last tour was THE FAREWELL TOUR (only to keep coming back 'by popular demand!') but said it would most likely be the last major tour of that scale in terms of the amount of gigs/dates. And a large part of that was Peart realizing physically he was finding it difficult to keep up with the demand of playing his instrument at the level of expectation he set for himself.

They quietly disbanded a few years after the tour and when Peart passed the other two members said Rush would never reform again.

I contrast that with countless numbers of aging rock bands who can't cut the mustard live, have few (if any) of the members of the definitive lineup left yet keep on playing at substandard levels because people are still willing to pay to see them. I suppose if these bands are still getting paid there surely is a value in what they are doing to somebody. For me, Rush did it right.

[FORD]

Peart was dealing with tendonitis even before he had the brain cancer that killed him. Tendonitis sucks ass. I get flareups of it every once in a while myself, and right now my right arm is damn near paralyzed. I couldn't even imagine trying to play drums in that condition. Pretty much why I had to give it up myself, though my drumming was never anywhere near his level, obviously.

[Kristy]

Both Rush drummers are dead, by the way.

As is this guy

[Seshmeister]

Agreed. The lyrics of a song like IN THE MOOD are as embarrassing as pooping in your underwear at a Gala.

Hey baby!

To me it just sounds like 1970s shit than super terrible like Hagar.

Also to be fair they stopped playing it in 1990 some 14 years before Van Halen finally stopped playing Dreams.

[Von Halen]

I contrast that with countless numbers of aging rock bands who can't cut the mustard live, have few (if any) of the members of the definitive lineup left

Rammstein still has all the original members!

[Rikk]

Hey baby!

To me it just sounds like 1970s shit than super terrible like Hagar.

Also to be fair they stopped playing it in 1990 some 14 years before Van Halen finally stopped playing Dreams.

Oh, I don't personally feel they're as bad as Hagar (lyrics on debut). Hagar writes awful lyrics...but what's even more embarrassing is how "deep" he thinks some of his sentiments are (DREAMS, WHEN IT'S LOVE, RIGHT NOW, FEELIN'..."Got politicians smokin' crack"). The lyrics on Rush's debut ARE bad...but no worse than typical 70s bands' lyrics, like Foghat (whom I still enjoy).

I don't know about you guys here...but AC/DC was a totally different band with Bon Scott. I have nothing against Brian Johnson, but Bon Scott was so much cooler and his lyrics were great.

[Rikk]

Rammstein still has all the original members!

One thing that was pretty cool about Cream was that they NEVER played with any other members (besides Pappalardi playing overdubs on the records). A few people ragged on it, but I truly enjoyed their 2005 reunion (I wasn't there but I have the official Blu-Ray and other gigs). When Baker & Bruce teamed with Gary Moore, at least they didn't dare call it Cream.

[Seshmeister]

Rammstein still has all the original members!

U2 as well - up until next week anyway.

Those poor bastards imagine having to listen to Bono preaching for over 40 years...

[Terry]

Rammstein still has all the original members!

Thank fuck for that!

[FORD]

Oh, I don't personally feel they're as bad as Hagar (lyrics on debut). Hagar writes awful lyrics...but what's even more embarrassing is how "deep" he thinks some of his sentiments are (DREAMS, WHEN IT'S LOVE, RIGHT NOW, FEELIN'..."Got politicians smokin' crack"). The lyrics on Rush's debut ARE bad...but no worse than typical 70s bands' lyrics, like Foghat (whom I still enjoy).

I don't know about you guys here...but AC/DC was a totally different band with Bon Scott. I have nothing against Brian Johnson, but Bon Scott was so much cooler and his lyrics were great.

Ac/Dc made 6 albums with Bon Scott and they were all very different records. Ac/Dc with Brian Johnson has made the same record over and over again for the last 40 years. It's a damned shame we never got to hear what else they might have been capable of, if Bon had lived longer. Don't think they would have gone the cheese ballad route like so many bands did in the 80s though. They got that shit out of their system in 1974, and never went back...

[Terry]

U2 as well - up until next week anyway.

Those poor bastards imagine having to listen to Bono preaching for over 40 years...

For me, it's often been the thing where I've liked the band in spite of Bono's affect. Never reached the level of a hardcore U2 fan, but I've liked their stuff...War was a great album. Joshua Tree...Achtung Baby. Some good tracks here and there post-Achtung.

And for what he preaches about and his activism or whatever, I suppose in a way that is admirable...perhaps more admirable than yet another rock star merely singing about getting laid and acting like a perpetual enfant terrible (surely there is no shortage of those).

No, the key word for Bono is smug. He is beyond merely well-pleased with himself and gives off the vibe where it's perhaps more important for him to be known as an activist than just being one and not advertising it. And his own sense of achievement is miles beyond his actual importance.

[Terry]

Anyway, what was this thread about?

Oh, yeah, fuck Gary Rossington.

[Rikk]

The Harlem Globetrotters have all their original members still!!

[Rikk]

Ac/Dc made 6 albums with Bon Scott and they were all very different records. Ac/Dc with Brian Johnson has made the same record over and over again for the last 40 years. It's a damned shame we never got to hear what else they might have been capable of, if Bon had lived longer. Don't think they would have gone the cheese ballad route like so many bands did in the 80s though. They got that shit out of their system in 1974, and never went back...

ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY. It's so hard for me to pick my favorite original AC/DC album. Laugh at me, I still use iTunes (and a massive CD collection in my mancave basement). And all the AC/DC albums I have from that era are the original Australian LPs, but the watered-down international versions. But if I had to pick a favorite, I'd probably lean towards the original DIRTY DEEDS album (which has JAILBREAK as the closing track)...or maybe LET THERE BE ROCK (Australian)...or even HIGHWAY TO HELL...though I have to also take a hat off to POWERAGE.

Just listen to songs like WALK ALL OVER YOU, CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU GIRL, RIDE ON, BAD BOY BOOGIE, SIN CITY... This is a creative band that doesn't just repeat themselves (which, as FORD correctly pointed out, is all they do now).