Customer Reviews

My Favorite Headache

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(69)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

4.5 stars actually.

Make no mistake, "My Favorite Headache" is NOT a preview of the next Rush album. It can and does stand on it's (or the bands) own two feet. Songs like "Still", "The Angels Share" & "Grace to Grace" are tasteful personal statements for Geddy, definitely outside the realm of Rush in my opinion. The lyrics on this record make for a lot of the difference; Neil Peart pens 96% of Rush lyrics. Geddy's lyrics are not so masked in Peart's more cryptic style. Though rhyming nihilistic with realistic does remind me a bit of Neil <smile>.

Rush fans will no doubt love MFH still, and it should attract some folks less familiar with Rush. Sonically MFH does have some very Rushlike moments, how could it not? The title track for instance, but I congratulate Geddy in that as well. He has been in "that" band for 80% of his life after all. In addition, "Window to the World", though lighter, reminds me at times of the wonderfully melodic "Half the World" from Rush's "Test For Echo".

There is a cohesive band feel to this record too. Though it is obviously Geddy Lee, it's not just Geddy's playing and singing. There are other wonderful players here, and Geddy is careful to "hush" and allow them to express themselves often. Ben Mink and Geddy simply must work together again.

I feel sorry for those who turn their nose up without a listen, because they dislike Rush. They will miss a finely crafted modern rock album by a guy who knows how to do it right.

Congratulations Geddy, this is simply a wonderful album. It comes through that you enjoyed working with these musicians and they with you. I wish you all success and good fortune.

This CD is incredible. Being a fan of Rush's for over 20 years, I was eagerly awaiting this release and "My Favourite Headache" did NOT let me down. From the thunderous opening bass lines in MFH, to the last chord in "Grace to Grace" this is Geddy Lee at his finest. His vocals sound great! "The Angel's Share" is one of my favorite. It's an Acoustic beauty. I think what Ged is talking about here is Angels and other entities having control over our lives. It's really beautiful. "Slipping" is a total departure from anything we might expect from any member of Rush. It's a bona fide love song and a quite beautiful one at that :) "Runway Train" is definite straight rock and roll..this definitely has "hit" written all over it and a video to this song would be great too. "Home on the Strange", "Grace to Grace", "Moving to Bohemia", "The Present Tense", "Window to the World", "Working at Perfekt", round out this killer CD. Matt Cameron and Ben Mink are superb as well. Without a doubt I recommend running to the music store to purchase this CD whether you're a Rush fan or not. This is truly rock and roll at it's finest.

I am a huge Rush fan and I was very excited to hear that Geddy Lee was going to have a solo album. While somewhat disappointed with Alex Lifeson's Victor, I had higher hopes for My Favorite Headache. This solo effort is strong with consistent rhythms and melodies. Sure, they feature the famous Rush "tempo changing and slow down parts" but most of the songs are chorus driven. I was disappointed with the bass in this album. I was counting on some strong bass parts and extended solos, but we don't get it. However, we do get catchy songs and some really well arranged melodies. If you are a Rush fan, you must own this album.

Most of the positive reviews sum up my thoughts on this CD. But I have to admit, I love it when a CD exceeds my expectations, and this one does just that.

I have been a Rush fan since "Hemispheres" came out way back when, and on the first listen this CD gave me the same great feeling that every Rush album has through the years. I didn't expect that, and it turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.

I highly recommend this CD not only to Rush fans, but to people who are tired of today's boring dirge and long to hear some genuine talent.

Admittedly, I had some fears about picking this album up. Geddy was my hero in High School, but I am also a realist. Test for Echo was not my favorite Rush project and overall I did not like Lifeson's Victor. I carried around My Favorite Headache in my sweaty palm for about forty-five minutes tossing around the possibilities.

Opening the liner notes in the car generated some hope. It appeals to me when an artist "creates" a band for an album. Sometimes solo projects fall into the trap of having one song performed by one set of musicians, and another by another. This approach usually results in an uneven album (I think Victor suffered from this). I knew that Matt Cameron (Soundgarden) played some drums, but he and Ben Mink actually form the core of what could be considered the "Geddy Lee Band" (with one exception - Jeremy Taggart from Our Lady Peace on "Home on the Strange"). This "band" approach helps to give a recording continuity within itself.

Overall, the playing is great, and is possibly the album's greatest asset. Geddy sounds in top form. It's striking to hear Geddy play with a different drummer than Peart, especially one that grooves like Cameron. You can get a pretty good idea of where he's been headed with the funkier approach that has been appearing on more recent Rush recordings. Mink has some fantastic contributions, as well. Strangely, some of his guitar playing is reminiscent of Larry "Herb" LaLonde's (Primus): generally subdued, but essential to the overall atmosphere of the work.

None of this surprised me. I did not doubt that the playing would be at the very least above average. My fears came from the writing department. I always thought that Rush's best work was done when they were sort of writing instrumentals with vocals. Around Presto, they started trying to be songwriters, and things got a little weird. When they got it right, it was great (Counterparts was the most consistent), but there were some stumbles along the way.

Also attractive is the length of the album. Just because a CD can hold 74 minutes does not mean that it has to. At 47 minutes, this is "just right" album length.

My Favorite Headache, although not wrought with them, has a few of those writing stumbles. I go between feeling like I'm hearing something that Rush has already done and that I didn't like (Working at Perfekt, Window to the World), and hearing something that Rush has never done and maybe should do (Slipping, Still).

There is also the slight problem of the lyrics. One is used to hearing Neil's usually profound lyrics from Geddy's mouth. While Geddy's lyrics aren't really bad or embarassing, I would not call them profound by any means.

By the way, I know that this is not a Rush album. However, I do not think that it is unfair to compare it to Rush' work. After all, Geddy is responsible for half(?) the writing and lots of the sound that comprises Rush's work. If Rush was not on hiatus, the work shown here would more than likely have shown up on a Rush album.

In short, nothing super-groundbreaking, but a decent album with sone great musical performances. Rush fans will find it particularly interesting, although you don't have to be a long-time fan to like it.

Well, well... Rush having been my favorite band since 1981, I suppose I'm as qualified as anyone else to drop a review.

My assessment is that this is a good, but not great, album. Of course, I am comparing it to Rush albums, which is a pretty damn stiff standard to live up to. The title track is a killer, and could easily have been taken from Rush's last studio effort. (Test for Echo, 1996) Unfortunately, IMHO, it goes kinda downhill from there. The songs sound much like post-grunge pop-rock of the day, with nothing terribly distinguishing except Ged's inimitable voice, of course.

GL is unequivocally one of the best bass players in rock, yet there is little evidence of that on this album. Rather surprisingly, save for the title track, the bass is actually much more in the back ground than is typical for a Rush album. That might be acceptable if Ged had picked a really rave guitarist for this recording, but, speaking as a guitarist myself, I find Ben Mink pretty banal as a player. (He's no Alex Lifeson, that's for sure!) Matt Cameron is a good 4/4 type rock drummer, but I can't say his playing here excites me any more than it did with Sound Garden. Sadly, I think Ged may have made the same mistake that Al did with the Victor album... trying too hard to be "contemporary" instead of just unbridling his talents and letting it flow.

On the positive side... there is a personal bent to each one of these songs that is appealing. I think Ged is being honest here, and relating things that are real in his life, which is an interesting counter point to Peart, who by his own admission, rarely writes in the personal. Still, if MFH shows what Ged brings to Rush, it also shows what he doesn't, and it makes me appreciate the synergy of My Favorite Band all the more.

In summation: Rush fans, you are going to buy it anyway. Enjoy playing the title track at high volumes, and there are some other songs you will like too. Just don't expect compositions on a par with Driven, Resist, Animate or Bravado. Non-Rush fans... hell, the playing and songwriting is probably better than a lot of other stuff you are listening too, so give it a listen.

Great progessive rock bands share a common trait: two distinctive songwriters who contribute conflicting styles -- one writes the dark, disturbing, serious riffs; the other contributes the "hooks" or memorable melodies. Lennon/McCartney changed musical history with this songwriting chemistry, as did Waters/Gilmour, Pinnick/Tabor, and -- of course -- Lifeson/Lee.

But "My Favorite Headache" reveals something unique about Rush's bespectacled bassman: when it comes to songwriting, Geddy Lee is both Lennon AND McCartney. The title track is a perfect example, with its masterful interweaving of heavy, scary-sounding riffs and thoughtful, melodic choruses. And Geddy's lyrics are insightful, vulnerable, unpredictable, and refreshing.

This CD is chock full of everything I admire about Geddy Lee. His dry sense of humor. His melodic, meandering, lyrical bass riffs. His clever, unpredictable musical arrangements. And, my goodness, that voice. One moment you're jumping on the furniture, air-guitaring like a madman; the next, smiling intellectually at turns of phrase that would make Michael Franks jealous.

And anyone who doesn't get goosebumps listening to "Still" -- and a lump in the throat when Geddy pulls out all the stops singing about "absolution" -- just doesn't understand how much this album means to those of us who consider this guy a personal hero.

This album is not perfect, but why should it be? For those who have long maintained that Geddy Lee is a musical genius, "My Favorite Headache" is yet another vindication. Thanks, Ged.

After a 4 year studio hiatus, one of Rush's members goes back in and turns out a piece of work. "My Favorite Headache" is NOT a Rush album. It's Geddy. Just Geddy. No Neil, no Alex. Which for once is not a bad thing. Mr. Lee has written a fine album with Ben Mink (He played the violin on "Losing It") and Matt Cameron. The music's great; Geddy's bass is top notch (this is just a guitar player speaking), and his vocals shine. Ben Mink's a very competent guitar player in his own right, and there's a good blend of acoustic and electric. No real over playing. Matt Cameron does quite well on percussion (He's no Neil but who is?) and plays great. All in all I identified with the lyrics on the album ("Still" and "slipping" are my favorites) and I loved every bit of it. A MUST for any Rush fan, and definitely something for nonbelievers to check out. I just can't wait until the new Rush album, but I'm happy with this.

This cd is a must own for a Rush fan, not necessarily for the rest of the world. I looked forward to this cd as a companion cd to Alex Lifeson's Victor. I wanted to see what Geddy and Alex add to Rush as individuals. These cd's in combination do just that. Alex's cd was the absolute picture of experimentation and cutting loose with musical ideas of his own. It told you something of his personality, and of where some of the edge comes from in Rush's music. Unfortunately, many of the songs on Victor suffer from a disease we will call "painfully bad vocalizations". My Favourite Headache isolates what Geddy Lee has tended to do musically within Rush for the past several albums - become a much better melody writer/song writer. He is able to stand alone as a songwriter musician much better than Alex. Yes, there are a couple of brick wall changes (style and/or key) in some songs that just don't cut it and never will, and there are a few melodic lines that seemed more like searching for a next unusual note that would fit rather than writing a melody, but this is a pretty strong effort. In combination with Victor, you can see the balance that occurs between Lee and Lifeson within Rush. One additional note, by the way, is that one must remember that Lee and Lifeson didn't have the benefit of Neil Peart's lyrics to work with - pretty fair solo album efforts in the absence of that guy. Lastly, just a comment - listening to these two solo albums will show you that the synergy that occurs between the members of Rush is a pretty special thing. This cd is a fun way to break down that synergy a little bit to see who brings what to the table.

Having been a huge Rush fan for over twenty years now I wasn't sure what to expect with Geddy's solo project. I wasn't thrilled with Alex's solo project (Victor) and with my least favorite Rush period being the `Ged loves his synthesizer' era (Power Windows, Hold your Fire) I didn't have high hopes with this latest entry into the Rush family catalog. What a pleasant surprise, this album is truly special. Every song is unique, expertly crafted, and memorable. From the beginning driving bass line of the title track to fun/funk of `Home on the Strange' to the beauty of `Still' and `Grace to Grace' we have an album that sits proudly with any of the post `Moving Pictures' offerings from Ged's other band. I recommend it to anyone who remotely enjoys Rush or just simply enjoys good music.