Author Topic: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures  (Read 9738 times)

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Offline Prog Snob

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Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« on: February 05, 2017, 12:33:43 AM »
I just started this exact discussion on the ProgArchives forum. I'm really curious to see the different opinions.

When I see those five albums I see five brilliant pieces of music that any group would be lucky to have as part of their career. It's not just that though. It's five straight albums of great music. Sure, you can even include Caress of Steel, but I think that comes behind the other five. To me, that five album run is one of the best in prog  istory. Can anyone think of any other runs that match up with it? I'm sure there are a few.

I can't even say Pink Floyd. You do have Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall, which is arguably the best four album run in all of music history. Flanking that you have Obscured by Clouds (good but not great) and The Final Cut, so you can't say five. Does Yes have five great albums in a row? The Beatles (if you want to call all of their stuff prog, which it isn't)?

Let's see what everyone has. I think this will be an interesting discussion.

Offline jjrock88

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2017, 12:39:08 AM »
Those albums would get my vote as well when it comes to prog!

Offline IDontNotDoThings

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2017, 01:02:34 AM »
Does Yes have five great albums in a row?

Yep,

The Yes Album / Fragile / Close To The Edge / Tales From Topographic Oceans (debatable) / Relayer

plus Going For The One if you wanna go for six.
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Offline Zydar

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2017, 01:12:49 AM »
Genesis has a great album run as well:

Nursery Cryme / Foxtrot / Selling England By The Pound / The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (I guess you can add A Trick Of The Tail there too).
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Offline bundy

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2017, 01:20:05 AM »
That is a very strong run and personally I would make it 6 by including Caress, which to my mid is the most progressive of them all.

Here's a few more that come to my, although it's debatable wether some of these artists would be considered prog.

Moody Blues (Days of Future Passed -> Seventh Sojourn 7 albums)
David Bowie ( Space Oddity -> Aladdine San 5 albums)
Black Sabbath (debut -> Sabotage 6 albums)
Yes (The Yes Album -> GFTO 6 albums)
Jethro Tull (Stand Up -> A Passion Play 5 albums)
Genesis (Nursery Chryme -> ToTT 5 albums)
Elton John (Tumbleweed Connection -> Goodbye yellow Brick Road 5 albums)
Steely Dan (Can't Buy a Thrill -> Gaucho 7 albums)

and to my mind the most consistently brilliant run of albums in a row (ironic I can't remember ever having seen this group discussed in these forums before)

Eloy (Dawn, Ocean, Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes, Colours, Planets 5 consecutive 5 star albums to these ears!) :hat
« Last Edit: February 05, 2017, 01:50:58 AM by bundy »

Offline The Letter M

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2017, 01:28:11 AM »
The first five Kansas albums spring that mind. Also the first five Queen albums, as well.

For Porcupine Tree, I'd say the Stupid Dream  to FOABP run is pretty unbeatable.

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Offline Polarbear

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #6 on: February 05, 2017, 01:41:14 AM »
To me Rush's big 5 album streak is Permanent Waves to Power Windows, their songwriting took a giant leap in Permanent Waves. But i digress..


I would give a shout out to Toto and their first 4 albums, 5 if you want to count Isolation.

Faith no More has a legendary album streak with: The Real Thing, Angel Dust, KFaD... FfaL and Album of the Year.

I'm sure there are some others that i'm forgetting...

Offline bundy

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2017, 01:56:50 AM »
The first five Kansas albums spring that mind. Also the first five Queen albums, as well.


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Definitely.

Offline erwinrafael

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2017, 02:02:17 AM »
The Beatles has a six-album run that I like a lot. Rubber Soul -> Revolver -> Sgt. Pepper -> Magical Mystery Tour -> The Beatles -> Abbey Road.

Queen also has a seven-album run that I really like. Queen -> Queen II -> Sheer Heart Attack -> A Night at the Opera -> A Day at the Races -> News of the World -> Jazz. If I don't count the Flash Gordon album, I would even include The Game.

Offline Zantera

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2017, 04:56:48 AM »
I'm surprised nobody has said Maiden yet.

Number of the Beast > Piece of Mind > Powerslave > Somewhere in Time > Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

Offline IDontNotDoThings

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2017, 04:59:25 AM »
Oh yeah... :lolpalm:
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Offline Mladen

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2017, 05:06:32 AM »
Are we talking prog only? If so, I've got a streak of five great albums from these bands:

Yes: The Yes album > Fragile > Close to the edge > Tales from topographic oceans > Relayer
Pink Floyd: Dark side of the moon > Wish you were here > Animals > The Wall > The Final cut
Van der Graaf Generator: H to he, who am the only one > Pawn hearts > Godbluff > Still life > World record

Speaking of Rush, that is a solid streak, but I find A Farewell to kings not up to par with the others. I would go with Permanent waves to Power windows instead.

If we're counting non prog bands, these two are among the many that come to mind:
Iron Maiden: The Number of the beast > Piece of mind > Powerslave > Somewhere in time > Seventh son of a seventh son, as well as Brave new world > Dance of death > A Matter of life and death > The Final frontier > The Book of souls
Radiohead: The Bends > OK Computer > Kid A > Amnesiac > Hail to the thief

Offline Zantera

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #12 on: February 05, 2017, 07:14:21 AM »
If we're talking progressive music I definitely agree with the people saying Yes having a stronger 5 album run than Rush (as great as theirs is).

A few other personal favorites that comes to mind in the prog genre:

Cardiacs: The Seaside > A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window > On the Land & in the Sea > Heaven Born and Ever Bright > Sing to God
Opeth: Morningrise > My Arms Your Hearse > Still Life > Blackwater Park > Deliverance (some might switch Damnation with Morningrise or start later and include Ghost Reveries)
Porcupine Tree: Signify > Stupid Dream > Lightbulb Sun > In Absentia > Deadwing > Fear of a Blank Planet (that's 6!)

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2017, 07:31:13 AM »
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Dream Theater yet - Images and Words through Six Degrees (since we are counting consecutive studio albums and not factoring in EPs or compilations).

Offline erwinrafael

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #14 on: February 05, 2017, 07:59:11 AM »
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Dream Theater yet - Images and Words through Six Degrees (since we are counting consecutive studio albums and not factoring in EPs or compilations).

Maybe many are wary with including Falling Into Infinity in the list.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #15 on: February 05, 2017, 08:21:18 AM »
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Dream Theater yet - Images and Words through Six Degrees (since we are counting consecutive studio albums and not factoring in EPs or compilations).

Maybe many are wary with including Falling Into Infinity in the list.

They shouldn't be. Despite having a few average/medicore songs. FII is mostly great.  It's as good as most of the least best albums from most of the runs being listed thus far.

To me, the Rush one is hard to beat, but DT's is definitely in the running for 2nd place.

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #16 on: February 05, 2017, 08:27:26 AM »
I'm so biased about Rush so I think it's the greatest 5 album run.  I do love The Who;s 5 album run of

Tommy
Who's Next
Quadrophenia
The Who By Numbers
Who Are You
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Offline Lowdz

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #17 on: February 05, 2017, 08:36:33 AM »
I'm surprised nobody has said Maiden yet.

Number of the Beast > Piece of Mind > Powerslave > Somewhere in Time > Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

You missed Killers, the best of the lot. I'd have to stop after Powerslave though.

Offline RoeDent

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #18 on: February 05, 2017, 09:30:53 AM »
Falling Into Infinity is the only thing stopping DT's run of I&W to 6DOIT from counting here. Many amazing songs (Peruvian Skies, Lines in the Sand, Trial of Tears), but some downright duds (You Not Me, Just Let Me Breathe) too.

Offline Train of Naught

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #19 on: February 05, 2017, 10:04:05 AM »
Personally speaking, the best 5-album run in prog that comes to mind - not counting EP's - would have to be:

Between The Buried And Me: Alaska > Colors > The Great Misdirect > Parallax II > Coma Ecliptic
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Offline Prog Snob

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #20 on: February 05, 2017, 10:16:08 AM »
I wouldn't include Dream Theater. Falling Into Infinity comes nowhere near Images and Words or Awake in terms of being amazing albums, albums that people remember them for. It's not just from my personal standpoint; it just has never been received well in comparison to the others.

I also think some people are picking what they think is great based on what they like. For example, see above. BTBAM, while a good band, do not match up to the likes of a Rush or Beatles or Iron Maiden. It's just not the same thing.

Offline Mosh

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #21 on: February 05, 2017, 10:27:19 AM »
It has to be Rush and Maiden. Dream Theater is close but FII is too flawed. It's a good album, but it doesn't even touch the other 4 DT albums of that run, let alone the near flawless classics that Maiden and Rush produced.
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Offline Prog Snob

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #22 on: February 05, 2017, 10:32:14 AM »
Rush and Maiden are definitely in there. I mean, those 80s Maiden albums were stellar. Anything by Rush from Caress of Steel up to and including Moving Pictures are part of their best period. After that, I feel like that hit or miss the bullseye. Just an opinion though, based on their stuff from the 70s which was their best era.

Offline TAC

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #23 on: February 05, 2017, 03:42:57 PM »
Metallica - KEA through TBA.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #24 on: February 05, 2017, 03:54:01 PM »
Only two bands other than some previously mentioned come to mind.

Queensr˙che - Warning, Rage For Order, Operation: Mindcrime, Empire, Promised Land.  Granted, Promised Land is a polarizer to a lot of fans, but I personally love it and would stack it up against anything else in their catalogue.  Regardless, this five-album run is pretty incredible with a lot of stylistic difference from record to record.

Threshold - Hypothetical, Critical Mass (probably the weakest in this chain), Subsurface, Dead Reckoning, March of Progress.  Probably bordering on my preferences with this one rather than overall public opinion (if there is one of this criminally underrated band...), but this string of releases punches all my buttons in the right way for sure.

Offline TAC

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #25 on: February 05, 2017, 03:55:39 PM »
I'd stack Promised Land up too. I'd stack it up next to the other CDs in my collection that I never listen too. ;D
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline TheCountOfNYC

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #26 on: February 05, 2017, 09:09:26 PM »
Outside of prog, Kill 'Em All to The Black Album is a pretty solid run of five albums.
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Offline Prog Snob

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #27 on: February 05, 2017, 09:28:26 PM »
That's a good one! I completely forgot about them.

Offline The Letter M

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #28 on: February 05, 2017, 09:36:10 PM »
Here are some other Five-Album Runs i consider to be pretty good, if not great:
The Flower Kings: Back In The World Of Adventures -> Space Revolver - their first five albums are all really amazing in their own ways, lots of classic TFK songs in those albums!

Journey: Infinity -> Frontiers - their greatest hits all come from these five albums, and it's pretty amazing considering they were all released in 6 years! These are about the only 5 Journey albums I ever listen to anyway.

King Crimson: Larks' Tongue In Aspic -> Beat - the Wetton-era, for me, is one of the best 3-album runs in prog history, and I've never really gotten into Lizard or Islands, but the first two 80's KC albums are pretty stellar, so I'm listing these five here.

Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin -> Houses Of The Holy (and maybe Physical Graffiti too) - LZ's first five albums are staples of classic rock, and while there are a couple of "just okay" songs here or there, as a whole run of five albums, this is pretty great in my opinion.

Marillion: Script For A Jester's Tear -> Season's End - while I haven't personally listened to Fish-era Marillion on quite some time, I will say that I recall all four of those albums being really good, as was the first album with H. These five albums are the height of 80's Neo-Prog, and I think they should definitely be mentioned as one of the better five-album runs.

One Honorary "Almost Made It" Mention - Neal Morse: If it weren't for the lackluster Lifeline, any run of Neal's albums between Testimony and The Similitude Of A Dream could quality, but Lifeline finds itself smack dab in the middle of 9 albums. Perhaps with Neal's next album, the run of Testimony 2 -> __________ could claim a spot as one of the great five-album runs?

Now, if we're talking strictly ANY album Neal has been a part of, his 2000-2003 run of SMPT:e - V - Bridge Across Forever - Snow - Testimony would be great, but it cuts out It's Not Too Late. There's also the 2009-2014   run of The Whirlwind - Testimony 2 - Flying Colors - Momentum - Kaleidoscope - Second Nature is phenomenal - 2 Transatlantic albums, 2 Flying Colors albums, and 2 of his best solo albums.

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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #29 on: February 05, 2017, 09:45:38 PM »


One Honorary "Almost Made It" Mention - Neal Morse: If it weren't for the lackluster Lifeline, any run of Neal's albums between Testimony and The Similitude Of A Dream could quality, but Lifeline finds itself smack dab in the middle of 9 albums. Perhaps with Neal's next album, the run of Testimony 2 -> __________ could claim a spot as one of the great five-album runs?



 ???

Testimony 2
Momentum
Songs for November
The Grand Experiment
TSOAD

That is five official releases in a row.  Songs for November is probably just good, but it still belongs in his run since it was an official release.

Offline Mosh

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #30 on: February 05, 2017, 09:47:39 PM »
Now, if we're talking strictly ANY album Neal has been a part of, his 2000-2003 run of SMPT:e - V - Bridge Across Forever - Snow - Testimony would be great, but it cuts out It's Not Too Late. There's also the 2009-2014   run of The Whirlwind - Testimony 2 - Flying Colors - Momentum - Kaleidoscope - Second Nature is phenomenal - 2 Transatlantic albums, 2 Flying Colors albums, and 2 of his best solo albums.

-Marc.
V/Bridge Across Forever/Snow is perhaps the finest trilogy in prog rock. Considering Neal is the primary writer in both Spock's and Transatlantic, it is mindblowing that he was able to come up with 3 masterpieces in 3 consecutive years. Especially one being an ambitious double album. Plus Testimony came a year later.
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Offline TAC

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #31 on: February 05, 2017, 09:47:57 PM »
No offence M, but..

The Flower Kings: Back In The World Of Adventures -> Space Revolver - 
Who?

King Crimson: Larks' Tongue In Aspic -> Beat - the Wetton-era, for me, is one of the best 3-album runs in prog history, and I've never really gotten into Lizard or Islands, but the first two 80's KC albums are pretty stellar, so I'm listing these five here.
???

Marillion: Script For A Jester's Tear -> Season's End - 
Ok, let's include "any" 5 album run by "any" band.

while I haven't personally listened to Fish-era Marillion on quite some time, 
Case in point.

 
Now, if we're talking strictly ANY album Neal has been a part of, his 2000-2003 run

Who??


would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline TAC

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #32 on: February 05, 2017, 09:52:51 PM »
Sorry Marc, I'm being an ass. ;D
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline Prog Snob

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #33 on: February 05, 2017, 09:58:17 PM »
I'm with you, TAC. I think some of M's list is more a list of favorites. There's no way LZ put out 5 albums worthy of the same recognition as Led Zeppelin IV. Also, leaving out King Crimson's ITCOTCK is just silly. M might like those later KC releases, but again, this isn't about favoritism. It's about picking quintessential releases from a band who did it more than three or four times in a row.

But then I disagree with your confusion about The Flower Kings. Just because they aren't mainstream doesn't mean they aren't great releases in the prog world. Rush's best albums are not their most popular as far as radio play.

Offline Mosh

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Re: Rush's Five Album Run From 2112 To Moving Pictures
« Reply #34 on: February 05, 2017, 10:06:55 PM »
It is notable that Iron Maiden and Rush both had 5 album runs that are widely regarded as classics by general rock/metal audiences. That is no slight to smaller bands, but credit where credit is due. If you're a Metal fan, the first five (or seven, depending on who you talk to) Maiden albums are essential. If you're a prog rock fan 2112-Moving Pictures are essential. Can't think of many others with that distinction.

Van Halen comes close. I personally love Diver Down and think their run from the debut all the way up to OU812 is near flawless, but Diver Down seems to be a blemish to a lot of fans.
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