Mystic Rhythms

Background and Commentary

The piece is a very different one for the band. “Instead of describing what should be done, it tries to capture things we feel but can’t describe. Musically, it goes after that sense of wonder which occurs when that feeling of something far beyond us grips our imagination. Neil beats his electronic primitive drum kit on the choruses to capture an exotic sound, using African rhythms, while the keyboards play an Oriental pattern. It is hard to pin down all the musical styles and elements that are being employed.”—Bill Banasiewicz, Rush Visions

“I don’t really believe in astrology, but I don’t discount it out of hand either. It’s one of those things the piece talks about. ‘We suspend our disbelief, and we are entertained.’ As long as the President isn’t being guided by astrologers (I know, I know), then it doesn’t hurt anybody.” (Backstage Club, 1990) I’m agnostic, but curious, and romantic enough to want [astrology] to be true. (1986)—Neil in Merely Players

The President being guided by astrologers refers to news reports at the time that President Ronald Reagan revised travel plans based in part on recommendations from a mystic his wife Nancy consulted regularly.

It “seems to sum up the collective mind-space of neo-prog positors and those old proggers renewed such as Yes, Genesis, and Peter Gabriel, the track lunging forward into six minutes of eastern exotics.”—Martin Popoff, Contents Under Pressure

“Chaos theory, circadian rhythms—everything is revolving in the universe to an unknown mystic rhythm. ‘Canopy of stars’ is a term referring to astrological beliefs, another mystic rhythm.”—Robert Telleria, Merely Players

The piece was used as the opening song for the NBC show 1986.—Wikipedia

Lyrics

So many things I think about
When I look far away
Things I know, things I wonder
Things I’d like to say
The more we think we know about
The greater the unknown
We suspend our disbelief
And we are not alone…

Mystic rhythms
Capture my thoughts
Carry them away
Mysteries of night escape the light of day
Mystic rhythms
Under northern lights
Or the African sun
Primitive things stir
The hearts of everyone

We sometimes catch a window
A glimpse of what’s beyond
Was it just imagination
Stringing us along?
More things than are dreamed about
Unseen and unexplained
We suspend our disbelief
And we are entertained

Mystic rhythms
Capture my thoughts
Carry them away
Nature seems to spin
A supernatural way
Mystic rhythms
Under city lights
Or a canopy of stars
We feel the powers and wonder what they are

Mystic rhythms
Capture my thoughts
Carry them away
Nature seems to spin
A supernatural way
Mystic rhythms
Under city lights
Or a canopy of stars
We feel the push and pull of restless rhythms from afar

Tablature (Bass)

By Sean Jones (seanj2112@ameritech.net)

Excerpted from Ultimate Guitar.

Note: When there are only two lines, the notes are played on a synth.

H s s e Q e e e q w h+e e q H s s e w+ w
———-|-r——-|-r-20-r-18-r-|-r-|-r—20—-||-r——-|-r-|——|
-4:-4 mm.-|-e-4H6P4-|-e—-e—-e-|-e-|-e——20\||-e-4H6P6-|-e-|——|
-4:–rest-|-s——-|-s—-s—-s-|-s-|-s———||-s——-|-s-|——|
———-|-t——-|-t—-t—-t-|-t-|-t———||-t——-|-t-|——|
| | | | || | | |-
| | | | || w+ | w | w+ |-
-4:——-|———|————-|—|———–||-D#1—–|—|-F#1–|
-4:——-|———|————-|—|———–||———|—|——|

w+ H e e w+ w+ w+ H s s e w+ w+ Q e q e e w+
|—-|——-|—-|—–|—-|———|-r–|—–|—–r—–||–r—–|
|—-|—4P1-|—-|—–|—-|—4H6P4-|-e–|—–|—–e—–||*-e—–|
|—-|——-|—-|—–|—-|———|-s–|—–|—4-s-4H6-||*-s—–|
|—-|——-|—-|—–|—-|———|-t–|—–|—–t—–||–t—–|
| | | | | | | | | ||
| w | w+ | w | w+ | w | w+ | w | w+ | w || w+
|—-|-D#1—|—-|-F#1-|—-|-D#1—–|—-|-F#1-|———–||*-D#1—|
|—-|——-|—-|—–|—-|———|—-|—–|———–||*——-|

w+ w+ w+ 3x w+ H s E w+ H q w+ w+ w+ w
|—-|—–|—-||—–|—18H20\|-r—|——||–r—|—-|—–|—-|-|
|—-|—–|—*||—–|———|-e—|——||*-e—|—-|—–|—*|-|
|—-|—–|—*||—–|———|-s—|——||*-s—|—-|—–|—*|-|
|—-|—–|—-||—–|———|-t—|—14\||–t—|—-|—–|—-|-|
| | | || | | | || | | | ||-
| w | w+ | w || w+ | w | w+ | w || w+ | w | | w ||-
|—-|-F#1-|—*||-D#1-|———|-F#1-|——||*-D#1-|—-|-F#1-|—*|-|
|—-|—–|—*||—–|———|—–|——||*—–|—-|—–|—*|-|

w+ w+ w+ w w+ w+ w+ w w+ w w+ w+ w w+
||-C#1-|—-|—-|—|-D#1-|—-|—-|—|-C#1-|—|-B1-|—-|—|-D#1–|
||—–|—-|—-|—|—–|—-|—-|—|—–|—|—-|—-|—|——|

e q q e e e e q q e e e e q q e e e e q q e e e
|—|—–|—||—r———|—r———|—r———|—r———-|
|—|—–|—||—e———|—e———|—e———|—e———-|
|—|—–|—||-6-s-6-4—4-|-6-s-6-4—–|—s———|—s——-4–|
|—|—–|—||—t—–6—|—t—–6-4-|-2-t-2-4-2-4-|-6-t-6-4-6—-|
| | | || | | | |
| w | w+ | w || | | | |
|—|-C#1-|—||————-|————-|————-|————–|
|—|—–|—||————-|————-|————-|————–|

e q q e e e e q q e e e q e q e e e q e e e e e e e q q e e
|—r———|—r———|—r———|—r———–|—r——–|
|—e———|—e———|—e———|—e———–|—e——–|
|-6-s-6-4—4-|-6-s-6-4—–|—s———|—s———4-|-6-s-6-4—-|
|—t—–6—|—t—–6-4-|-2-t-2-4-2-4-|-6-t-6-6-4-6—|—t—–6–|

For complete tab, go to Ultimate Guitar.