|
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
My Favorite Headache, Indeed, November 27, 2000
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.
|
by Geddy Lee 
