Yep. Tom Sawyer, the Rush song that everyone has heard, has quite prominent synths. I know because the metalheads on the bus were always trying to convince me of their awesomeness with this song. As well as AC/DC’s Back in Black (no keyboards there).
I’ve seen Geddy Lee canoodling on keys in many a Rush video, so I assumed that he knew what he was doing.
I can empathize with the “synths suck” sentiment - there was a soullessness to many of the 80s synth pop bands (while some is actually quite good). But all of my favorite bands from that time - Joy Division/New Order, The Police, U2, The Smiths - featured synths in their music at some point. To arbitrarily say that one instrument automatically wussifies a song just proves that some musicians are so incredibly talented that they know how to use new technology to rawk.
The synths on “Tom Sawyer” were an anomaly during that period, and the song would have been better without them. So would those Who songs. Keyboards have never improved a song.
You might be right. I haven’t listened to that album in a long time. When I do, I just tune out the synths. I wish they weren’t there, but at least the music is still basically driven by guitar.
If you insist on sticking to this ludicrous position, please say what you actually mean. Keyboards is a category of instruments that includes piano, organ, harpsichord, Mellotron, etc., as well as most synthesizers. If Rick Wakeman plays one, it’s a keyboard. If you mean synthesizers–not all of which have keyboards–then say synthesizers. No one cares if you used to hang out with a crowd that didn’t know the difference.
A lot of Rush fans feel like Diogenes does as well. I’m very much into progressive rock, so the keyboards don’t bother me. I do know that Alex Lifeson was reputed to have threatened to quit at times during the 80s because he felt like the guitar was getting a little lost. That’s definitely not the case on their recent stuff.
As much as any Rush song has a hook, the keyboards on Tom Sawyer are probably that. The interplay in the bridge between the keybaords and drum fills leading into the guitar solo are … iconic? No, not that, but certainly are distinctly memorable.
But see, this is Dio expressing forcefully an opinion I completely disagree with. This is me not flipping my lid as a result. It’s no skin off my nose if he ever knuckles under and agrees about keyboards and Rush music, or in rock more generally.
“Keyboards” was always shorthand for electronic keyboard instruments. I was was a working musician for a long time and never heard anybody call a piano a “keyboard.” They called them pianos.
This basic position is ludicrous - and I state that as one of the biggest guitar geeks on the Dope. You are welcome to feel that way, but then to assert “expertise in rock” is a non-starter. Whether or not the person making this statement can see that is immaterial.
I don’t mean to pick on you, but I’m quoting this as an example, since I think it represents part of the problem. You don’t have to ask if you can move on from a disagreement with Diogenes or anyone else on the internet. Just move on.
Seems like people think that because he expresses a different opinion in some kind of way that they are compelled to be locked in a death struggle about it. If that were true, I would understand being upset about how he expresses his opinions. It’s just not the case. Move on, whether he agrees with you or not.
Fine by me. I’m normal looking for open-minded, civil discourse. But you’re correct, if someone demonstrates inflexibility, it is not worth investing the time to engage in an online setting…
For that matter, every Rush studio album from A Farewell to Kings to Test for Echo features synths*. Which apparently makes 2/3 of Rush’s discography an anomaly.
*Plus a pair of albums outside that range which feature mellotron, which I’m omitting until we get an official Dio ruling on whether or not they’re part of class of keyboards that render songs sucky.
And I can’t believe that I’m just now focusing on the utter cluelessness on display when Dio singles out (and bags on) a band like Talking Heads as being overly reliant on keyboards (which I guess is Dio-speak for “synth pop”), when nothing could be further from the truth. True, they’ve always explored various forms of ethnic music and have ventured down many different rhythmic avenues as a result, but I guess since wank-ish, blooze-based rawk isn’t their preferred idiom, then they’re a bunch of art fags who limp-wristedly suck silverback gorilla 'nads.
It would be much better if you would quote specifically what it is that Diogenes said when you decide to go off on it, because in searching back, your paraphrase of what he said seems off to me. He didn’t even bring up the Talking Heads first.
Despite this being an inaccurate representation of what he said, I can guarantee you that a bunch of people will come in to echo your paraphrase, jumping up and down, howling and flinging poo at the same time.
