Jack Secret is Angry, but the Music is Good

In the Signals tour book, Neil talks about some down time the band had while it was mixing its live album Exit . . . Stage Left. “There was really not much for us to do except say “it sounds good” or “it doesn’t sound good.” The result of that inactivity was “Tough Break,” a piece that Neil helped Tony Geranios (Jack Secret) and Skip Gildersleeve put together. Geranios was the band’s guitar and keyboard tech, and Gildersleeve was its stage left technician. Geddy and Alex jumped in on keyboards and rhythm guitar. Jack Secret was the frontman. Neil doesn’t say what Skip Gildersleeve’s part in all of it was. Maybe bass. (Update: In sad news, Skip passed away in Sept. 2013.)

They called themselves the Fab Pros and the piece is about a roadie who learns his wife is fooling around while he’s on tour. He says he was ready to play the family man when he got back home, but his wife can forget that now! He then laments, “Every woman that I’ve ever known / Has been the same.”

The piece appears as a bonus track on a bootleg CD of the band’s show at the Spectrum in Philadelphia on April 16, 1986. In 2008, two blogs, Counterparts and Rush is a Band, linked to the piece and talked about its origins.

Listen on Jack Secret’s MySpace page.

Tough Break

Lyrics:

Girl, I heard some people talking
On the road the other day
It was some of the boys from the other band
And they were saying your name

I just stood there listening
Growing angry, feeling wronged
I couldn’t believe that you would deceive me
Could I be that wrong?

Am I a fool?
Playing your game
Every woman that I’ve ever known
Has been the same
Has been the same
Been the same, yeah

Your boys know of my life on the road
Something I had to do with the band
And when I was through I would be home with you
Playing the family man
But now things are different
Girl, what was your plan?
Why you lied to me when you could have been free
This I don’t understand

Am I a fool?
Playing your game
Every woman that I’ve ever known
Has been the same
Has been the same
Been the same, yeah

Causing me pain
Causing me pain
Been the same, yeah

By the Fab Pros

Vocals: Tony Geranios (Jack Secret)
Bass: Skip Gildersleeve [?]
Rhythm guitar: Alex Lifeson
Keyboards: Geddy Lee
Drums: Neil Peart

Recording: Le Studio, Moran Heights, Quebec, 1981

Listen to Jack Secret’s other song, “White Flag,” with lyrics by Neil.

Read post on how Jack Secret enabled Geddy to play two different instruments at the same time through his Taurus pedals.

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