Standards... A Re-Post

By ArchMiro

Just this past weekend, I was listening to a concert on Facebook put on by some talented artists. Their goals were to entertain us while sheltered in place and to raise money for some charities. While they were quite good, it started me thinking about what is the perfect concert…?

A few years back, I went to a Rush concert on a summer Saturday night, at what was then called Riverport Amphitheatre, which is an outdoor concert venue in St. Louis. The weather was amazing, especially for a summer night in Missouri… almost no humidity, a gentle, cooling breeze that made the ambiance perfect for a concert. And that concert rocked; that is really all that needs to be said. 

Rush, for lack of a better term, retired, back in 2014, after having been making music together for over 40 years. Neil Peart, their percussionist, passed away in 2020. The music world suffered a great loss from his passing. Even though they were around for a while, their music remains almost timeless (more on that “almost” word later). For a band that has been around since 1974, they have some of the best music I have ever listened to and that is saying a lot.

Growing up, my mom did not allow me to listen to rock music. She has a degree in music from the conservatory at UMKC and she believed that children should only listen to classical music. I was not allowed to play the instrument I really wanted to learn (drums). Instead, I was forced to play violin. I still play (several instruments in fact), though I almost quit along the way – frustrations with the instrument, the teachers, the practicing – oh the practicing. I wanted to be an instant virtuoso… that was not happening, especially with something as complex and nuanced as an orchestral instrument. Eventually I realized that the only way I would get good at violin (and later viola and bass guitar) was to practice every day. Now a kazoo… 

My point is that I had to sneak in my fix of rock music until I was on my own in college, when I was first introduced to Rush during my freshman year. That sneaking consisted of some fantastic bands: Starship, U2, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kansas, Styx, Led Zeppelin, etc. Even Eddie Murphy (yes, I do mean Eddie Murphy) once. All of them are great bands, no question about it (maybe not so much Eddie Murphy). These days, I listen to almost anything. If a band or artist plays good music, I am all over it. But to my ears, none is as consistent in their excellent sound as Rush.

A three-person band has, to my knowledge, never produced the quality and amount of sound that this band does. And they did it for over 40 years. Wow. If you are not a Rush fan, you might want to listen to their music. Start with Fly By Night, 2112 and Moving Pictures to give you an introduction, which is mid-70’s – 1981. There are some other albums in the70’s and 80’s that I would recommend listening to, but this is where that “almost timeless” comes into play. Most of their 80’s songs are very heavy on the synthesizer, so they do sound a little dated. It does not detract from their overall genius but I recommend skipping the rest of the albums until you get to Roll the Bones. Listen to that one and every single album afterwards, progressing in time forward from there. Then go back and listen to more of their seminal music from the 70’s and 80’s. Oh, one other word of advice – listen to their live albums as much as you can. To my ear, Rush sounds even better live than they do on their studio recorded albums (Exit Stage Left comes highly recommended). And that is no small feat. 

Neil Peart wrote the lyrics to almost all their songs, in addition to playing drums/percussion. And he is arguably one of the best drummers to have lived. Yes, that is a controversial statement, but difficult to argue with, I would posit, considering the standards he held himself to and the musicality he produced. One of his beliefs was that every performance needed to be better than the previous performance. 

Geddy Lee plays bass, keyboards, and is their primary vocalist. With his voice, you either love it or hate it, there is really not much in between. But I happen to think his vocals got better as he got older. And his bass playing? Goodness. He is one of very few musicians that makes the bass guitar sing with melody. His high performance standards make him a master of his craft.

Alex Lifeson is the guitarist. And like Geddy, his guitar sings when he plays. Alex is another performer that holds himself to high standards. And he is funny to boot (almost to the point of being obnoxious). If you want evidence, I recommend listening to Rush’s acceptance speech when they were inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Particularly Alex’s part of the speech. To this day, I am not sure whether I am disappointed or awed.

Each of them alone is good. Very good, in fact. They have all done some work away from each other. Neil produced Burning for Buddy – A Tribute to Buddy Rich. Alex and Geddy did some solo albums that were fun to listen to. But together, the three of them made magic.

That concert back in St. Louis really rocked. And every Rush concert I have been to since then has also rocked. But that one’s perfection, to this day, still stands out in my mind as being fantastic, thanks to a great band, great company, and perfect weather for listening to some fantastic music.

What does this have to do with BIM and/or BIM Standards? Nothing really. I could make plenty of tie-ins: the frustration that hits when you do not practice in your chosen software platform enough, the need to have an open mind when trying new software, learning how to pick and choose what is appropriate and what is not, figuring out the best tools, getting training on live projects, following standards and sticking to them to bring a team together for high quality and excellence in your deliverables… If you read this article and take any of that out of it, I applaud you. But then you are reading too much into it.

BIM Standards Tip: Just go listen to some good music (preferably Rush).