Cail's big honking Rush thread

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Cail's big honking Rush thread

Post by Cail »

But y'all can post in it too. I guess.

With the release of Clockwork Angels, I've started venturing back into the Rush catalog. My impression, as of this moment, is that CA is the best Rush record since Moving Pictures, and it may even be better.

Only one thing to do.....Re-listen to all the albums with a critical ear. In some cases, this'll be difficult, as I'm so intimately familiar with MP and Permanent Waves. In other cases, it'll be a breeze, as I haven't listened to Power Windows, Rush, Caress of Steel, or Test for Echo in years.

What's struck me in my casual listening over the past month or so, is how good some of their songs are when everything works, and how others just didn't work for one reason or another.

Overall, Rush's signal/noise ratio is pretty good; better than most, actually. At this moment, I can only think of four songs I'd label as "awful" (though I haven't braved Power Windows in 25 years or so). That's damn good, and far better than much more high-profile bands like The Who, The Rolling Stones, or Pink Floyd.

It would probably make sense to go through the albums in order, but I'm not. I've been listening to Grace Under Pressure quite a bit lately, so that'll probably be first. Or not. I might change my mind and plow back into Rush so I can do this chronologically.

Regardless, I have the benefit of listening to a lot of this stuff in the actual historical context the first time around, so it'll be interesting to see how the mid-40s me hears this stuff in comparison to the much younger me.
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Post by Cail »

Grace Under Pressure:

Or as I like to call it, the best Police album ever.

Unfortunately, this isn't a Police album, it's a Rush album, and as such was really disappointing when it initially came out. It also continued the synthesizer trend from Signals (another album I wasn't really happy with).

Like Signals, I bought it the day it came out. Unlike Signals, I gave P/G a much shorter chance to grow on me. The reggae/ska thing didn't work for me at all (and no, I don't like "Vital Signs" either).

Distant Early Warning - This, on the other hand, worked. Great song, great video. I wish (and this is going to be a near-constant theme, I think) that the mix was more muscular, but we can't have everything. It's a great cold-war anthem, and a great way to kick the album off.

Afterimage - Not awful. Better now than it was in 1984, but not outstanding. Lyrically pretty strong, but the ska stuff just doesn't serve it well.

Red Sector A - Another standout. Even with the heavy keyboards and Alex relegated to texture, this is a great song, even though it's about a sci-fi holocaust.

The Enemy Within - More ska, though not awful. More upbeat than the prior song, and catchy. Only Rush can make a lyric like "experience to extremes" work. I find myself liking this one more with each listen. Four songs in, and I'm really digging this record a whole lot more than I remember.

The Body Electric - Puzzling. I really liked this song in 1984, not so much now. I think the sci-fi theme caught my attention then (sort of the same way "Countdown" did on Signals), but didn't age well.

Kid Gloves - Awful. Which is also puzzling given the similarities to "Subdivisions". This song just doesn't work for me at all.

Red Lenses - Also doesn't work for me at all. I kind of get what they were trying to do....more of the prog-y thing, it just doesn't gel to my ears.

Between the Wheels - Holy smoke! Best song on the album, by far. It's got a little "Witch Hunt" to it, and some otherworldly playing by Alex. How in the world this song escaped my memory for 28 years is beyond me, but this could easily be one of the band's top 10 songs.


Overall, P/G is a much better album than I remembered (or I've grown into it, dunno). The writing is top-notch. Even "Kid Gloves" and "Red Lenses", though I don't like them, are well-written (I think the music fails them both). Geddy's singing is really strong, especially on "Red Sector A" and "Between the Wheels". Neil's Neil.

P/G was the beginning of Alex's use of Gallien-Krueger amps (fully realized on Power Windows). G-K's were soulless solid-state amps that robbed guitars of all warmth. They made for a really clear but empty sound that was perfect for adding all sorts of signal processing. It'd be interesting to find out whether or not the change in equipment precipitated the change in sound, or a desire to change the sound precipitated the change in equipment.

So yeah, P/G was a nice surprise to revisit.
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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Post by Zarathustra »

Between the Wheels was one of those "vault" favorites of fans for a long time, one which had never (or rarely) been played live, and consequently topped fan wish-lists for being added to live shows. It was brought back in 2004 and 2007-8 for the live shows, and was a powerful addition.

Grace was one that I had to warm up to as adult, too. I didn't like it for the same reasons you listed (keyboards, ska, textural guitar, etc.). I didn't even like the "hits" off this one. I think they sound much better live, with a beefier guitar tone. Now I like just about every song, especially The Body Electric. I love that bass at the beginning, Ged's verse melody, and the chorus. Kid Gloves is definitely the weak spot, however. Red Lenses isn't bad. I like the atmospheric bridge with the complex drums, from electronic sounds to cow bells. It kind of reminds me of Mystic Rhythms drums.

I'm curious to hear your opinion of Power Windows, because I think it's a much better album, one that I've liked for decades and didn't have to warm up to as an adult.
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Post by Cail »

Power Windows:

Or as I like to call it, the album that put me off the band for 5 years.

So I freely admit that 16-year old Cail was wrong about Grace Under Pressure. I was sorely disappointed with that record when it came out, but upon recent review, it's actually quite good. 18-year old Cail hated Power Windows. Hated it so much that he gave the record away after not quite making it all the way through it once. Seriously, there were three songs on this record I've never heard before today.

So was 18-year old me right?

Yup, this record is awful. It's a poster child for everything that was wrong about music in the mid-80s. It's so disappointing that I'm almost sorry I listened to it.

It's biggest sin - and it's inescapable - is that it's horrifically overproduced. On top of that, Neil was playing electronic drums, and Alex was full-on into those soulless Gallien-Krueger amps. The album's sound is thin and brassy. It's completely overrun with glitz and gloss, as though there's nothing below 5,000mHz in the recording. The mix is utterly bizarre, as the vocals are obscured quite a bit, with enormous synth washes front and center, with the odd stereo effect thrown in for good measure.

The Big Money - I remember plain as day sitting in the family room waiting impatiently for the MTV World Premier Video for the new Rush song. It started with those big, sweeping synthesizers, the rolling guitar, and the staccato drums, and I said, "oooooohhhhhh". At exactly the 28-second mark, the song goes straight to hell, and I said, "DAMMIT!". I sat through the rest of that awful video wondering what the hell had happened to what had been my favorite band.

Grand Designs - Ugh. Terrible. Alex has gone from aping Andy Summers on P/G, to The Edge here. Why? This is a generic song that could have been by anyone. It's not even a good generic song.

Manhattan Project - There's a decent song somewhere in here, I think. It's hard to say though, because the lyrics are so far back in the mix. Yet another reedy and thin-sounding song, at least this is recognizable as Rush.

Marathon - I actually breathed a sigh of relief when the CD player got to track 4; it was a song I knew I could stand to listen to. Marathon is, unequivocally, a great song. The lyrics work, as does the pace. What doesn't work is the ridiculous choir at the end, but listen to the live version from their last tour, and the song holds up remarkable well without all the studio foofery.

Territories - 20 seconds into this song, and I have a splitting headache. At least someone remembered to turn up Alex's guitar. Still, not even his playing can save this clunker.

Middletown Dreams - I've never heard this song before. It's fraught with the overly busy keyboards and distracting production, but there's a decent song here. Shades of Subdivisions, this is downright good. Holy crap! I've found a genuine diamond in this pile of excrement! God I wish someone would get Geddy off of the damn keyboards.

Emotion Detector - Here it is folks, the worst Rush song to this point in their careers. There is utterly nothing redeeming about this. To be clear, I'd never heard this song until today, and I forced myself to listen to it 3 times to make sure, but oh my God this is bad.

Mystic Rhythms - I have no idea how this could have been a single.


Harsh, I know, but it is what it is. There are two good songs and one passable song. All three are marred by overly-glossy and busy production and a terrible mix (and that damn choir).

But the worst part about it is that it doesn't sound like Rush. If not for the odd off-tempo drumming every once in a while, this could be the work of any number of generic Euro-pop bands of the era. That's damning, especially considering that the guys know how to write and record smart songs that are commercially successful. The songwriting is subpar; especially looking at how well they were able to co-opt this sound and make it work in P/G.

I went into Power Windows wondering if it was me. At 18 I was listening to a lot of metal and hard rock; the direction Rush was moving away from. They were embracing a sound and a style that held no interest to me, and it still doesn't. It's been 28 years since I've listened to this record all the way through, and it'll probably be at least as long until I do it again.
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Post by wayfriend »

I loved P/G when it came out.

I went through a long time where I didn't listen to it anymore. (Having mostly to do with never upgrading to a CD.) Then I started listening to it again. (Got MP3s).

Don't like it much any more. The lyrics, as you point out, are good. But the heavyhanded keyboards don't entertain me any more. Either the music didn't age well, or I didn't. But I cannot help but compare Red Sector A with, say, Subdivisions ... sounds to me like the problem is the keyboards.

Never had Power Windows, but I have Chronicles (I was caller number 7 one day). Chronicles has Big Money, Manhattan Project, and Mystic Rhythms ... for the most part, I enjoy them very much, far more than P/G. The lyrics are exceptional.
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Post by dlbpharmd »

These retrospective analysis threads are fun and informative. I know little about Rush. Their musicianship has always amazed me, but I've never been a fan of Geddy's vocals. I have MP, but only ever listen to Limelight, Red Barchetta and YYZ. I have a smattering of other songs on my iPod, like Working Man and Subdivisions. Discussions like this are educational for me, keep it coming.
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Post by Cail »

Permanent Waves:

Or as I like to call it, the album that turned me on to the band.

I was 11 when this record came out. I was voraciously consuming AOR radio like a starving man, having been raised in a house full of classical music, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, and John Denver. My mother was dating (soon to marry) a man with two sons 2 & 4 years older than I. That was a blessing as far as music was concerned.

We moved into his house at some point in '79. I had heard Rush at that point on the radio, and I know there were copies of 2112 and Fly By Night floating around the house, but nothing really made an impression until this record.

As with Power Windows, I wasn't looking forward to writing about this record, but for completely different reasons. PW is a touchstone for me; an integral part of my childhood and development. Though I'm pretty familiar with the record, I can't say that I've listened to it all the way through (or critically) in years.

The Spirit of Radio - Here it is, the song that hooked me. It's the guitar mostly, that did it. But sonically, this song is amazing on all fronts. The glockenspiel, the whatever Neil's hitting that sounds like a hollowed-out log, the cheers of the crowd, the late-'70s synthesizer sounds (love them)....There isn't a single element of anything other than awesome in this song. And the lyrics.....
One likes to believe in the freedom of music
But glittering prizes and endless compromises
Shatter the illusion of integrity, yeah

.....That should sound stupid, but it doesn't.

Freewill - Creating one of the finest one-two punches on any record, Freewill tackles an awfully weighty subject for what's otherwise a superb hard rock anthem. This is one of my favorite of Alex's solos. It's also a great showcase for the three of them, as they're all playing their butts off.

Jacob's Ladder - Loved this one as a kid, especially the live version on Exit...Stage Left. Loved the military-sounding drums at the beginning, loved the imagery of the lyrics, loved the epic sound of the song. It hasn't aged well for me. It's too light on lyrics and too long on the instrumentals. Instrumentals which don't seem to go anywhere. It's not awful by any stretch, just overly indulgent without much of a payoff.

Entre Nous - No 11 or 12 year old kid should have liked this song. I don't know why I did, and I really can't explain why I still do. It's ostensibly a love song, and there's nothing really flashy about the music. I dunno, I just like it. I'll say though that it's interesting in the fact that Alex's playing is mostly textural here, but it's far enough forward in the mix that you can hear it (unlike vast portions of Power Windows).

Different Strings - This wasn't high on my list in 1980, and it's not now either. Some interesting guitar work towards the end, but otherwise there's nothing special here.

Natural Science - To my ears, one of the top 5 Rush songs, and I've felt this way for decades. This is Rush at their Rushiest, especially in the second movement (Hyperspace). Voice, guitar, drums, keyboards, and bass all work fluidly together (along with a ton of sound effects) to create 9-plus minutes of spacey nirvana. It was awesome that they played it live on the S&A tour.


A couple of random notes.....I was struck with how short this album is, even given the fact that it was a vinyl release. It's a big transition from its predecessor (which has all of four songs), but it still retains two vestiges of that era (Jacob's Ladder and Natural Science).

It's also a testament to the band that the bulk of the record stands up so well to the test of time. It's not unusual to hear 3 songs from this record not just on classic rock stations, but regular AOR stations as well.

I still have a big thumbs-up for this record, even given the loss of luster of Jacob's Ladder.
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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Post by sgt.null »

cail - if i may? in your opinion have Rush redeemed any of the songs you don't like when they played them live?

I enjoy reading your reviews. I know we may disagree on politics, but i really respect your musical opinions.

in fact you are the reason i bought (and enjoyed) my first Van Halen album this year (the newest.) your reviews and analysis convinced me to look past my personal dislike for Roth.

as far as Rush goes - a friend in high school turned me on to them (and Styx) my favorite song is Time Stand Still.
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Post by Cail »

sgt.null wrote:cail - if i may? in your opinion have Rush redeemed any of the songs you don't like when they played them live?
Absolutely. I doubt I ever would have given Marathon a second listen had I not heard them play it live.

In review, I think my dissatisfaction with '80s Rush is firmly rooted in their equipment and production choices. Starting with Signals, and not really petering out until Presto, Alex moved from humbucker to single-coil pickups, and from tube to solid-state amplifiers. Combined with Geddy's fascination with synthesizers and Neil's illicit flirtation with electronic drums, and the production trends of the times, and it's surprising that there's anything listenable that came out in the '80s.

I think that actually makes some of the songs on Grace (particularly Afterimage and Between the Wheels) even more impressive. They're really good in spite of the way they were recorded.

I'm going on a bike trip this weekend, so I won't get to Moving Pictures until next week. I'll go to Signals from there, then jump back to the beginning.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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Post by Zarathustra »

I've always viewed Rush as more of a live band than a studio band, despite having 19 studio albums. They've always had interesting music, but it's never been about hits. Their virtuosity has been at least as significant a factor in their appeal as the songs themselves, something that comes off better when you can see it (ironically). These are flesh and blood human beings pounding on the drums, crafting all those notes millisecond by millisecond, a fact that's easier to forget--or at least fail to appreciate--when you're not watching, focusing, being in the moment with them (a situation that's becoming more prevalent as music becomes "background" noise with our portable libraries. I only listen to music on my couch, through my stereo, or in concert). The fact that three men (with the help of a few triggered samples) can make that much music live is a thing of wonder. This virtuosity is one reason why even bad Rush songs are always interesting, even if they fail. But most of their music comes off better live than on CD. Playing 2+ hour shows with no opening act, and 6 official live CDs, 6 official live videos (with slight overlap), the band certainly seems to agree. [I believe that's where they make most of their money nowadays, too, given how much CD sales have dropped.]

The slower songs and the ones with "wimpier" production (mostly 80s) were the ones that impressed me the most live, in terms of changing my opinion of those song. Mystic Rhythms, Mission, Distant Early Warning, Red Sector A, etc. never did anything for me until I heard them on the 2002-2007 tours. And then there were songs that I've always liked, but thought the live versions were superior, like Xanadu and Trees off of Exit Stage Left. Both of those songs suffered from cheap 70s production on the studio release, and much more passion and depth on the live version.

Unfortunately, nothing could help the 90s music. I'd rather that they didn't play anything off of Roll the Bones or Test For Echo. Those are mostly bland songs in both formats, with the exception being Counterparts, mainly.

Time Stand Still has always been a great song, though I don't think the recent live performance added much. Both versions are powerful, emotional songs.
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Post by Sorus »

Cail wrote:The Body Electric - Puzzling. I really liked this song in 1984, not so much now. I think the sci-fi theme caught my attention then (sort of the same way "Countdown" did on Signals), but didn't age well.
I'd have to agree there, which is a shame because I credit TBE as being one of the songs that got me into Rush. Sentimental value, but you're right. It really didn't age well.
Cail wrote:Between the Wheels - Holy smoke! Best song on the album, by far. It's got a little "Witch Hunt" to it, and some otherworldly playing by Alex. How in the world this song escaped my memory for 28 years is beyond me, but this could easily be one of the band's top 10 songs.
That motivated me to give it another listen. Wow. Not sure where I would rank it overall, but it definitely nudged TBE off my top 3 for P/G.

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Post by Mortice Root »

Fantastic thread Cail! Very much looking forward to your (and every one else's) opinions.

I agree that the production is the downfall of much of the 80s output. It makes you have to work to find the great songs (and there definetly are some) and it takes average songs and makes them... well, less than average.

I agree that the stand outs on p/g are the ones you mentioned - Distant Early Warning, Red Sector A and Between the Wheels, with an "honorable mention" to Enemy Within. The others, while not painful don't stand out as anything great. Though I do like Alex's lead on Kid Gloves enough to listen to that one.

As for Power Windows, well, yeah, very 80s. Waaaayyy overblown production. However, I really like the "80's glitz" on Big Money. That one has been one of my favorites for a long time. And of course, Marathon is phenomenal. As for the rest of the record - some of them have interesting bits ( the lyrics to Middletown Dreams are fantastic - with the character sketches of people yearning for "more" than they have. I also really like the lyrics to Territories - "While their invaders dream of lands they left behind/ with better people/ better food/ better beer! / Why move around the world, when Eden was so near?") But the songs never quite gel. And sometimes they seem to be using sound effects as a replacement for song writing (I'm looking at you, Mystic Rhythms :lol: ).

And then Permanent Waves. Wow, was this one good. This was actually the first Rush album I purchased. A buddy gave me his casette copy of Presto (that he got free from a tape club - you know 12 tapes for $1.00!) when it came out. I liked it (didn't love it) enough to pick up Chronicles. And from there it was on to Waves. Holy crap is this a great record! Again I agree that Radio, Freewill and Science are the best, but there's not a song on this one that I'm tempted to skip. Fantastic stuff, all around. The "group solo" section of Freewill is one of the most jaw dropping things they've ever recorded - and it remains fantastic in every concert recording I've heard too. If there's ever anyone who doesn't "get" Rush I play them Radio and Freewill. If they don't get those two - it's hopeless. :lol:
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Post by Cail »

So a funny thing happened this weekend....I was riding around on the bike, listening to a playlist of Rush songs primarily from the albums I'm currently working on. I haven't removed the stuff from P/G or PW yet. Because it's a pain in the ass to pull over, take my gloves off, and change playlists (and Siri is an even bigger pain in the ass), I listened to the same two dozen songs pretty much all weekend.

The first side of P/G is fantastic, overblown production and all. Afterimage has worked its way up to my favorite song on the record. Side two is just ok, with the previously mentioned Between the Wheels being another standout.

I still don't like Power Windows, and it still makes me angry. The songwriting is pretty good for the most part, but the production is just gawdawful.

The standouts, as before, are Marathon and Middletown Dreams, both of which are magnificent songs that deserve better production and a better album to be on.

MR's right, the rest of the songs are reasonably well-written, they just suffocate under the weight of the schmaltz.
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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Post by Mortice Root »

Another thing that I thought of with regards to p/g that really stands out is how dark the record is, lyrically. Off the top of my head I can think of other songs, on other albums, that have a darker content, but this whole record is that way. Every song seems to be about fear, anger, loss. A very different stance for the band, who's songs are generally pretty positive. It makes p/g unique in the catalog.

Also, for those that are interested, on the Replay x3 dvd set, one of the shows is from the p/g tour. And outside of some drastically bad hairstyles :lol: it's a great concert. Plus there's live versions of Enemy Within and The Weapon (from Signals) which don't show up on any other live record. Worth checking out.
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Post by Zarathustra »

Mortice Root wrote: Also, for those that are interested, on the Replay x3 dvd set, one of the shows is from the p/g tour. And outside of some drastically bad hairstyles :lol: it's a great concert. Plus there's live versions of Enemy Within and The Weapon (from Signals) which don't show up on any other live record. Worth checking out.
I've got it. Three awesome shows, but that one is my favorite. Really like The Weapon. Until the Blu-rays came out, I was playing this all the time.

After this is done, we should rank all 19 of the studio albums (original music, not Feedback). It would be interesting to compare lists.
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Post by Cail »

It's gonna be tough to rank them in any meaningful way, I think.

It's heresy, I know, but I'm not a big fan of the band's output prior to Permanent Waves. Sure, there are exceptions, but by-and-large, I don't think the older material has aged particularly well.

Similarly, I think there's a decent argument to be made that the '80s stuff was phenomenally written, but hamstrung by production and arrangement.

I think the '90s stuff generally sounds good, but the writing isn't up to par, and the post-sabbatical stuff just keeps getting better.

But across the board, there's so much variety in their stuff that there's something interesting on every record (though T4E and HYF are both working hard to disprove that).

What's impressive is that there are so few "bad" songs post-Permanent Waves.
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Zarathustra
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Post by Zarathustra »

Permanent Waves was definitely a step forward, where everything seemed to come together for the band. However, it couldn't have happened without everything that came before, and all those steps are each unique and worthwhile in their own right. Hemispheres is my favorite CD. Side 1 is Rush perfection, for me, but the whole album is fantastic. Besides that, Xanadu, 2112 (side 1), Cygnus X1, By-Tor and Snow Dog, even Fountain of Lamneth are all revolutionary songs unlike anything else that any other band in the 70s was doing (though admittedly there was plenty of prog rock). Hell, I even enjoy some parts of the first album.
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Post by Vraith »

Zarathustra wrote:, it couldn't have happened without everything that came before, and all those steps are each unique and worthwhile in their own right.

Yea, I agree. 2112 and Hemispheres still really grab me...in part some nostalgia I suppose even if subconscious. But, among other things, even today they seem to me to have a grasp on both virtuosity and viscerality.
I'm not sure if this will make sense, but then and now they appealed to me cuz they filled the space between the part of me loving Sabbath and Deep Purple and the part loving Yes and Tangerine Dream.
heh...I still have Hemispheres album...it was one of the ones [maybe all that album were this way, I don't know] on the slightly translucent red vinyl.
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Post by aTOMiC »

I get the feeling that (when I read threads like this) that I am just not paying attention to, or interested in, the same elements of Rush that the rest of you are. Nothing wrong with that but it seems to be true.

I certainly listened to Rush prior to Permanent Waves (I had All The World's A Stage entering high school) but it wasn't until Permanent Waves that I noticed how much I liked the band and its music.
I myself think of Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures to be the greatest double album I've ever heard. (Yes I know they were released separately).

I think 2112 is by far the most generally listenable recording prior to the PW, even though there are some great songs on all of the earlier albums, including the first.

I do agree, somewhat about the late 80s recording but I don't seem to hold them in contempt the way some of you do. They are all genuinely Rush recordings its just the band was passing through a period in music history that could not help but leave a mark on their musical flavor.

My next two favorite albums (double shot if you will) are Counterparts and Test For Echo, two of the least favorite recordings by those in this discussion, apparently. I like 90s Rush. I even like most of Roll the Bones in that it seemed as though that recording began the general flavor and approach found on the next 2 albums, which I appear to be alone in my appreciation of.

The recordings that have been released beginning with Vapor Trails have all had at times a very dissonant quality in the lyrics in that Peart has shed the constraints of conforming to rhyming and has embraced a more stream of consciousness approach which I find difficult to completely enjoy.
That's me though. I'm pretty "surface" and "shallow" when it comes to art forms and when I am confronted with something that doesn't immediately fall into my narrow view its hard for me to adapt. Therefore I have found Vapor Trails, Snakes and Arrows and Clockwork Angels slightly less appealing at times than other recordings, however the musical arrangement, compositions and performances are some of the best the band has ever produced.


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Post by Zarathustra »

I don't think your opinions are drastically different, aTOMiC. I like Counterparts the best out of the 90s Rush (though I hate T4E). I'd agree the Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures are two of their best, 2nd and 3rd for me, though I could see how people would rank them 1 and 2. I don't hold late 80s stuff in contempt at all. I like it better than most of the 90s stuff, especially if you count Presto as late 80s. Though it's very much like Roll the Bones--more so than HYF--it has much better songs. I have a soft spot for Presto, because it's the first new release the band put out after I got into them. My first tour.

However, I do really like the 21st century Rush, and that's what I listen to the most now.
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