Outside of the tour, the big news this past week was the release of the Snakes & Arrows MVI. For details and fan reviews, check out this post.

For last week's poll I asked you what the highlight of the setlist was (excluding S&A songs). For the results click here (*** SPOILER ***). Since the MVI release was this week I'd thought that for this week's poll I'd ask you what you think makes the MVI worth buying (or not worth buying). Take the poll and let us know what you think.

Snakes & Arrows remains in the top 100 albums in the US; it fell from #78 last week to #93 this week on the Billboard Album Charts in the US. However, last week's chart does not include any of the MVI sales. My sources tell me that the MVI numbers are expected to push the album back into the top 20 on the US charts next week - which is about what I'd expected.

Nearly 2 months after its release the reviews for Snakes & Arrows keep coming in. John Metzger of The Music Box gives the album a respectable rating of 3 stars; the full review can be read here. Martin Popoff (author of the Rush bio Contents Under Pressure) gives the album 4 stars in this positive review from Goldmine (thanks to John W for the heads up). Here's one from several weeks ago that had slipped through the cracks (thanks 1-2-bucklemyshoe). Reader Tom also tells me that Q Magazine gave the album a lowly 2 stars while Mojo Magazine gave it a gushing 4-star review.

Far Cry continues to chart well in its 15th week of release but is starting to show signs of slippage. It's #5 on both the MediaBase Mainstream Rock Chart and the Radio & Records Rock Chart but it has fallen to #9 on the MediaGuide Mainstream Rock Chart. Also, for those who have digital cable in the US, the Far Cry music video is now available on Music Choice ON-DEMAND - assuming your cable provider offers this service. And while Far Cry is charting well, the second single from the album - Spindrift - is not. So start calling your local rock stations and request it if you get a chance.

Michael of NeilPeartDrumsticks.com has informed me that Neil Peart will be featured in issue #4 of Drumhead Magazine. Here's the preview blurb:

Promising to be Drumhead's biggest issue to date, Issue 4 with Rush's Neil Peart debuting his new drumkit is currently being printed. Look for copies in Barnes & Noble, Borders, Guitar Center, Sam Ash and independent retailers at the end of July. Issue 4 contains an in-depth 14 page interview with Neil Peart, including pages of photos detailing the intracacies of his new drum kit. ...

Reader rosmakloma let me know that Sabian and Neil Peart have teamed up once again and added the Diamondback Chinese Cymbal to the Paragon Series. From the press release:

The 20" Paragon Diamondback Chinese is the latest collaboration between legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart and award-winning cymbal maker SABIAN. The thin, highly responsive model features a wide-flanged circumference punctuated by industrial cotter pins holding a total of four jingles that vibrate when the cymbal is struck. To increase the sound, the jingles are positioned in the shallow of the flange so they vibrate on both the bow and the edge, while a single rivet is positioned between each of the four jingle placements. ...

For the recording of Snakes & Arrows Neil Peart used the Diamondback prominently in such songs as The Larger Bowl and The Main Monkey Business.

Donna Halper, the Cleveland radio DJ that helped to get Rush their start back in 1974, wrote a gushing letter to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in response to their positive review of the show Monday night. Here's the letter:

I very much enjoyed Scott Mervis' article about Rush
(Snakes and Arrows finds the Canadian trio vital after nearly 40 years, June 21). I'm the woman who discovered them, and I am always pleased to see positive reviews, not just because they are my friends even after all these years, but because I think they are talented and dedicated musicians.

For years, all too many critics had contempt for them -- a factor, I believe that keeps them out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So thanks for taking their side, and I really appreciated your assessment of their work.

Now if only we who love and admire them could figure out a way to get the critics who are keeping them out of the Rock Hall to have a change of heart.

Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine was featured on the front of the iTunes music section under Celebrity Playlists this week. Prominent on his list is Rush's 2112. Thanks to Blabbermouth.net for the heads up.

The Rush Bootleg Video Archive has a bunch of Snakes & Arrows world tour bumper sticker artwork available on their website at this location.
There are currently 15 quality high-res images available.

Ben D alerted me to this little Rush reference at Engadget.com:

We know how annoying it is when you're trying to bounce all of your old Rush LPs to FLAC (you know, so you can jam to Moving Pictures on the go), and your files are filled with ugly surface noise. Well, ELP (the company, not Emerson, Lake, and Palmer) feels your pain -- and it wants to help. For the low, low price of $2500 you can supposedly rid your music of pops and clicks (but not hiss, strangely) with the turn of a knob. Of course, there are much cheaper software options for this sort of thing, and you can't use it on 78s, but you probably won't be worried about that once you hear how good Tom Sawyer sounds.

Remember all those custom Rush legos that were up for sale on eBay a while back? The creator of these legos has made updated versions which include Neil's red Snakes & Arrows kit and recently listed them on eBay. This time you can get all three band members together. The auction ends later today; you can check it out and make your bid at this link.

That's all for now. On to Scranton!

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