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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: KevShmev on February 09, 2022, 07:44:04 PM

Title: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on February 09, 2022, 07:44:04 PM
Similar to the DT thread, we will now to a top 75 songs for Rush countdown.

I will count down the top 75 Rush songs in order, and they will be taken from lists of anyone who wants to send me theirs via PM. Do not post them on the forum here. Send them to me via PM.  I will take all of the lists and come up with a top 75 based on all of them and count the songs down from 75 to 1.

The rules:
-Songs must be listed from 75 to 1 in order (in reverse order), with no ties.  No having three songs at number 1 or anything like that. 75 songs, listed from 75 to 1.
-Anyone wanting to submit a list must do so by February 27th.  I will then begin the countdown at the beginning of the following week.
-The list will be tallied numerically in a simple way. On each list, whatever song is at number 1 gets 75 points, number 2 gets 74 points, number 3 gets 73 points, etc.

Feel free to post in this thread as well that you have PM'd me, if for no other reason than to bump this back up for others who may want to participate who may not have seen the thread yet.

This ranking engine link below works great. You can input all of the songs, and then you pick your favorite of every 1 on 1 matchup and then it spits out your list.

https://rankingengine.pubmeeple.com/

Songs listed below, which you can input into the engine and off you go.  I trusted that Marc's list from the other thread was correct, but someone let me know if anything is missing.  No covers, and I changed both Cygnus X-1 and Hemispheres to their original names.  Cygnus X-1 refers to the song on A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres refers to song from the album of the same name. Period, end of story. ;)  Multiple songs cannot be combined to count as one.  In other words, no putting the Fear "trilogy" in reference to all four songs and counting that as one song, and same goes for Cygnus X-1 and Hemispheres.


Top 75:

75 Roll the Bones
74 Double Agent
73 Prime Mover
72 Open Secrets
71 Test for Echo
70 Fly by Night
69 Presto
68 Countdown
67 The Necromancer
66 Emotion Detector
65 Everyday Glory
64 Show Don't Tell
63 Something for Nothing
62 Driven
61 Cut to the Chase
60 Cold Fire
59 Bastille Day
58 A Passage to Bangkok
57 Different Strings
56 Working Man
55 Clockwork Angels
54 New World Man
53 Entre Nous
52 Ghost of a Chance
51 Vital Signs
50 Force Ten
49 The Enemy Within
48 The Weapon
47 Digital Man
46 Headlong Flight
45 Cirumstances
44 Mission
43 Closer to the Heart
42 Caravan
41 Bravado
40 Leave That Thing Alone
39 Witch Hunt
38 By-Tor and the Snow Dog
37 Grand Designs
36 Anthem
35 Mystic Rhythms
34 Time Stand Still
33 The Pass
32 Dreamline
31 Middletown Dreams
30 The Big Money
29 Afterimage
28 Animate
27 The Garden
26 A Farewell to Kings
25 Losing It
24 Territories
23 Cygnus X-1
22 Manhattan Project
21 Red Sector A
20 Distant Early Warning
19 Available Light
18 The Trees
17 The Camera Eye
16 The Analog Kid
15 Jacob's Ladder
14 Hemispheres
13 Between the Wheels
12 YYZ
11 Freewill
10 Marathon
09 2112
08 Limelight
07 Natural Science
06 Tom Sawyer
05 La Villa Strangiato
04 Red Barchetta
03 The Spirit of Radio
02 Xanadu
01 Subdivisions
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Cool Chris on February 09, 2022, 07:46:32 PM
Good decision to go with 75 songs, at least from my personal standpoint I just can't dig much deeper in to the 76-100 territory for just about any band.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Setlist Scotty on February 09, 2022, 08:03:40 PM
I trusted that Marc's list from the other thread was correct, but someone let me know if anything is missing.
I doubt they'll make the cut, but for completeness' sake, don't forget about the two non-album originals that were played at that Laura Secord gig:
I've Been Runnin'
The Loser
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: KevShmev on February 09, 2022, 08:06:49 PM
Got it, added!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Setlist Scotty on February 09, 2022, 08:07:43 PM
Got it, added!
Also, Not Fade Away needs to be removed - it's a cover, not an original.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: KevShmev on February 09, 2022, 08:08:42 PM
It's times like this where your fact checking tendencies come in handy. :P
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Setlist Scotty on February 09, 2022, 08:09:21 PM
Thanks!   :biggrin:

Also, all the tracks from Feedback need to be pulled.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: KevShmev on February 09, 2022, 08:11:33 PM
Oops, I left one in there.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: TAC on February 09, 2022, 08:13:05 PM
So I took the original list of 171 songs and have it down to 82 to put into the ranker.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Setlist Scotty on February 09, 2022, 08:13:38 PM
And Bad Boy needs to be pulled - I'm discovering them as I'm ranking them on the website.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: KevShmev on February 09, 2022, 08:13:47 PM
So I took the original list of 171 songs and have it down to 81 to put into the ranker.

Damn, only 73 non-Power Windows songs made it?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: TAC on February 09, 2022, 08:16:59 PM
So I took the original list of 171 songs and have it down to 82 to put into the ranker.

Damn, only 73 non-Power Windows songs made it?

Hah! There are four Power Windows songs up for consideration.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 09, 2022, 09:02:55 PM
Can I send my entire list or do you just want the top 75?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: KevShmev on February 09, 2022, 09:05:34 PM
Can I send my entire list or do you just want the top 75?

Top 75 only.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: HOF on February 09, 2022, 09:08:26 PM
Ah, man, I’m having a hard time cutting it down to 100. But 75 is better than 50 at least.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 09, 2022, 09:09:23 PM
Can I send my entire list or do you just want the top 75?

Top 75 only.
Ah, so no outlier stats like in the DT top 100 thread, then.

Okie dokie. I'll send me list in a little bit. I've had it ready to go for the last week.  :corn
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Cool Chris on February 09, 2022, 09:10:43 PM
We only sent our Top 100s for the DT thread, at least I thought that was the case.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: HOF on February 09, 2022, 09:18:00 PM
Can I send my entire list or do you just want the top 75?

Top 75 only.
Ah, so no outlier stats like in the DT top 100 thread, then.

Okie dokie. I'll send me list in a little bit. I've had it ready to go for the last week.  :corn

There should still be songs ranked outside the top 75 since not everyone will send the same 75 songs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 09, 2022, 09:23:18 PM
Ah, man, I’m having a hard time cutting it down to 100. But 75 is better than 50 at least.
Yeah, I was just thinking, everything in my top 140 I absolutely love. After that songs start to drop in quality, but really hard to leave off some of the stuff below 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 09, 2022, 09:27:12 PM
I'm willing to bet right now there will be at least 10 songs that make the overall top 75 that didn't make my list at all.  :corn

At any rate I've sent my top 75. :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: wolfking on February 09, 2022, 09:46:25 PM
Looks like some Rush CDs are coming out of the rack.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 09, 2022, 09:51:05 PM
Looks like some Rush CDs are coming out of the rack.
That's never a bad thing :2metal:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Cool Chris on February 09, 2022, 09:52:09 PM
I'm willing to bet right now there will be at least 10 songs that make the overall top 75 that didn't make my list at all.  :corn

My list will be heavily skewed toward 2112-MP; outside of maybe 5 songs, my Top 20 might come from those 5 albums exclusively.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 09, 2022, 10:10:22 PM
I'm willing to bet right now there will be at least 10 songs that make the overall top 75 that didn't make my list at all.  :corn

My list will be heavily skewed toward 2112-MP; outside of maybe 5 songs, my Top 20 might come from those 5 albums exclusively.
Well you have a couple weeks to blitz through the rest of their catalog and see if anything jumps out at you. Although I wouldn't fault anyone for having the majority of their top 20 be exclusively from 2112-MP.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: wolfking on February 09, 2022, 10:23:17 PM
Looks like some Rush CDs are coming out of the rack.
That's never a bad thing :2metal:

Definitely not.  :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: jammindude on February 09, 2022, 11:00:14 PM
Believe it or not, I was so crushed by Neil’s death, but I haven’t been able to go on a Rush binge since he died two years ago.

It’s time.

This is going to be cathartic.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 09, 2022, 11:23:19 PM
Believe it or not, I was so crushed by Neil’s death, but I haven’t been able to go on a Rush binge since he died two years ago.

It’s time.

This is going to be cathartic.
Yeah it was hard for me to listen to Rush for a while after he died. He was my inspiration to start playing drums and his lyrics have made more of an impact on me that any other lyricist out there. I did eventually do the Rush binge and you are right, it was a cathartic experience. A lot of his lyrics just hit me really deep, it's hard to explain.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Tomislav95 on February 10, 2022, 01:10:59 AM
An excuse to binge Rush? Why not :P
I've always felt I'm in minority when it comes to my favorite song (let's keep it a secret for now) and Grace under pressure doesn't seem to be a fan favorite (at least here) but it's possibly in my top 3.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: wolfking on February 10, 2022, 03:52:09 AM
An excuse to binge Rush? Why not :P
I've always felt I'm in minority when it comes to my favorite song (let's keep it a secret for now) and Grace under pressure doesn't seem to be a fan favorite (at least here) but it's possibly in my top 3.

It's in my top 3.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Tomislav95 on February 10, 2022, 04:58:40 AM
An excuse to binge Rush? Why not :P
I've always felt I'm in minority when it comes to my favorite song (let's keep it a secret for now) and Grace under pressure doesn't seem to be a fan favorite (at least here) but it's possibly in my top 3.

It's in my top 3.
Nice.
Needless to say, run from 2112 to Power Windows is so good it's hard to even rank it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 10, 2022, 05:19:55 AM
How does one follow a thread? I’m looking forward to watching the chaos.


Btw, don’t care what anyone says, Analog Kid is in my top 20, probably always will be.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: HOF on February 10, 2022, 06:06:21 AM
An excuse to binge Rush? Why not :P
I've always felt I'm in minority when it comes to my favorite song (let's keep it a secret for now) and Grace under pressure doesn't seem to be a fan favorite (at least here) but it's possibly in my top 3.

It's in my top 3.

Same (well, top 3 or 4).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: KevShmev on February 10, 2022, 06:31:39 AM
Grace Under Pressure is not one of my favorites, but will likely have three songs in my top 25-30, and then two others will likely make my top 75. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: DragonAttack on February 10, 2022, 07:22:51 AM
^
Probably the same here.

I did a copy/paste onto a spreadsheet, and then have a column with '1's' for those that should be Top Ten, '10's' for the next ten, etc before I relisten to most of their catalogue.  Others had no number in the column.  When I did a filter, my number of songs was 75 !!!

So many titles from 'Grace Under Pressure' onwards that I simply could not recall.  I had to look up albums and then place the names in a separate column.  I know I haven't heard so many of them in decades, because the majority just seemed so similar (or I just got older.....)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: romdrums on February 10, 2022, 07:40:12 AM
Sent.  Very interested to see how mine differs from the rest, as my favorite era of the band is from Permanent Waves to Presto.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Dream Team on February 10, 2022, 07:57:24 AM
I'm willing to bet right now there will be at least 10 songs that make the overall top 75 that didn't make my list at all.  :corn

My list will be heavily skewed toward 2112-MP; outside of maybe 5 songs, my Top 20 might come from those 5 albums exclusively.

Kinda my situation, Fly by Night through Signals and then a couple from Vapor Trails and Clockwork Angels. Tried listening to some other albums during work last night, remember liking Dog Years and Limbo from Test for Echo. Still my knowledge of GUP thru TFE is extremely limited. Gonna be an exercise . . .
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Stadler on February 10, 2022, 08:33:20 AM
How does one follow a thread? I’m looking forward to watching the chaos.


Btw, don’t care what anyone says, Analog Kid is in my top 20, probably always will be.

It's in mine.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: HOF on February 10, 2022, 08:38:58 AM
How does one follow a thread? I’m looking forward to watching the chaos.


Btw, don’t care what anyone says, Analog Kid is in my top 20, probably always will be.

It's in mine.

Same. I’ve assumed it would be in most peoples’ though! 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 10, 2022, 09:00:26 AM
How does one follow a thread? I’m looking forward to watching the chaos.


Btw, don’t care what anyone says, Analog Kid is in my top 20, probably always will be.

It's in mine.

Same. I’ve assumed it would be in most peoples’ though!

Really? I thought most people disregarded everything post MP. There ya go. Happy to be wrong!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: TAC on February 10, 2022, 09:09:52 AM
Really? I thought most people disregarded everything post MP. There ya go. Happy to be wrong!

I don’t know. I love A Dramatic Turn Of Events and AVFTTOTW is fantastic.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: DTA on February 10, 2022, 10:32:40 AM
Sent the list
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Stadler on February 10, 2022, 10:49:57 AM
Sent!   

I'm assuming we can't post the lists here, but can we post like the bottom 10 or something?  I found this to be VERY illuminating.

I have songs I've never even HEARD before ahead of two officially released songs.  :) :) :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: pg1067 on February 10, 2022, 11:45:09 AM
Submit by private message?

What about Broon's Bane?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: romdrums on February 10, 2022, 12:21:01 PM
Really? I thought most people disregarded everything post MP. There ya go. Happy to be wrong!

I don’t know. I love A Dramatic Turn Of Events and AVFTTOTW is fantastic.

This is an underrated joke.  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: KevShmev on February 10, 2022, 12:31:00 PM
I would say no on Broon's Bane, as that is similar to Neil's live drum solos in that it is a solo live piece.  Hope is a solo piece as well, but it's on a studio album.

Bill, I would say hold off on posting bottom 10 lists for now, at least until the submitting process is over. :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: TAC on February 10, 2022, 03:52:34 PM
I'm doing the ranker now. Holy shit is this hard.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: pg1067 on February 10, 2022, 03:54:44 PM
I'm doing the ranker now. Holy shit is this hard.

Great song v. great song is hard.

Bottom tier song v. bottom tier song is equally as hard, although I stopped agonizing over it since these songs aren't gonna make the top 75.

Mid-tier songs from different eras are also really hard (e.g., Double Agent v. A Passage to Bangkok).

I'm about 85% done at this point.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: TAC on February 10, 2022, 03:59:35 PM
I'm doing the ranker now. Holy shit is this hard.

Great song v. great song is hard.

Bottom tier song v. bottom tier song is equally as hard, although I stopped agonizing over it since these songs aren't gonna make the top 75.

Mid-tier songs from different eras are also really hard (e.g., Double Agent v. A Passage to Bangkok).

I'm about 85% done at this point.

Exactly. I self whittled it down to 82 songs, but that's still almost 300 head to heads.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: SoundscapeMN on February 10, 2022, 04:40:48 PM
this is why I have always struggled to rank songs vs albums.

I would do better just listing 75 songs in Alphabetical order and just send in my votes that way, but it goes against the way this is being done.

Also why when wanting to make Annual Playlists from historical years, I've been struggling to do that, or rather, than ranking them, just making the Playlist totally random.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Trav86 on February 10, 2022, 05:14:12 PM
I'm doing the ranker now. Holy shit is this hard.

What he said.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: TAC on February 10, 2022, 05:24:45 PM
I'm doing the ranker now. Holy shit is this hard.

What he said.

(http://mrwgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Not-That-Theres-Anything-Wrong-With-That-Reaction-Gif-On-Seinfeld.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: DragonAttack on February 10, 2022, 06:21:13 PM
Really? I thought most people disregarded everything post MP. There ya go. Happy to be wrong!

I don’t know. I love A Dramatic Turn Of Events and AVFTTOTW is fantastic.

This is an underrated joke.  :lol

Doncha wish there were 'like' buttons here?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Trav86 on February 10, 2022, 06:25:43 PM
I have my 75 songs. The harder part for me is putting them in order.  I’m going to have to devote time on the weekend for this!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: KevShmev on February 10, 2022, 07:13:54 PM
Well, I ended up with 7 Power Windows in my top 44, but only 3 in the top 25. *ducks*
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: TAC on February 10, 2022, 07:20:57 PM
As I predicted, 4 Power Windows songs made my Top 75, and as I also predicted, the highest would be around 30.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: nick_z on February 10, 2022, 07:32:45 PM
Kev, what's your preferred format for the list in the PM? My guess is you said this already in the DT thread...but it doesn't hurt to ask again  ;D

List in the body of the message, reverse order...I assume it's easier for you to copy/paste in a spreadsheet if there's no ranking numbers by the song names, correct?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: KevShmev on February 10, 2022, 07:33:58 PM
Reverse order works best, 75 to 1, but either way is fine.   :tup :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: HOF on February 10, 2022, 07:35:26 PM
Let’s just say Power Windows is well represented on my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: nick_z on February 10, 2022, 07:44:21 PM
List sent! It was hard, but the ranking engine was great help. Cut down original list to 100 first, and worked with that.

Since we are all talking about Power Windows...well, it's very well represented in my list too, as expected  :biggrin: Without revealing anything more, I have 3 in the top 25  :metal

Looking forward to discussing this!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: TAC on February 10, 2022, 07:48:13 PM
You mean the Top 125?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: nick_z on February 10, 2022, 07:54:30 PM
You mean the Top 125?

 :rollin
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: The Realm on February 10, 2022, 07:55:14 PM
I think I might give this a go. This isn't something I am very familiar with doing - ie making list of favourite songs etc..

Also, while I do really like Rush they aren't one of very favourite bands and I only regularly listen to around half their discography but that should get me 75 songs plus I'll give the other albums a spin.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: KevShmev on February 10, 2022, 07:57:03 PM
To everyone, my bad earlier.  To be clear, when sending me your PMs, please make sure to number each song 75 to 1 rather than just listing them.  I input them into the spread sheet manually by sight and without numbers I am more likely to mess up.  :lol :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Cool Chris on February 10, 2022, 08:39:11 PM
Man you guys are fast!

I sorted out all the songs in my top 6 or 7 albums plus all the other songs I know would easily make my Top 75. That got me to about 50. Fleshing out the next 25 might be a challenge, I do not know. There are a bunch of mid-80s Rush songs that all run together for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: jammindude on February 10, 2022, 10:52:01 PM
I’m going through the ranker right now and it’s VERY painful.

The top tier stuff is pretty easy to separate from anything below it, but once you get into mid-tier stuff (which is probably the majority of their catalog) the head to head matches become excruciating. I’ve literally winced at a couple. And if they are from different eras it’s even worse, because you like them about the same, but it’s apples and oranges and it can come down to mood.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Tomislav95 on February 11, 2022, 03:38:09 AM
...And if they are from different eras it’s even worse, because you like them about the same, but it’s apples and oranges and it can come down to mood.
This. Never thought I'd have to pick between some of them :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 11, 2022, 05:54:20 AM
How long do we have to submit them again, I’m new here, missed the deadline, but would like to participate
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Stadler on February 11, 2022, 06:10:29 AM
I can't believe how many times I had to say "wow, I have to choose ONE?"  But I didn't do any pre-ranking before.  I put all of them in there and started from scratch, so to speak.   It was really illuminating.   I often say "that's a top five" or "that's a top ten" song, and when it comes down to it there are only 5 or 10 spots for like 25 songs!  It's interesting how that plays out.  But there were few surprises in my list. 

I had three Power Windows songs in my list, one top ten.  I was surprised how many Hold Your Fire songs made it, though.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: KevShmev on February 11, 2022, 06:25:17 AM
Only one made my top 40, but I ended up with six Hold Your Fire songs in my top 75.  Underrated album, one loaded with good tunes.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: T-ski on February 11, 2022, 06:36:02 AM
This seems like way to much work for me to join.

Can I just put Subdivisions first and call it a day?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: HOF on February 11, 2022, 06:52:22 AM
My biggest issue right now is choosing from about a dozen songs to give my one point to for number 75. Probably shouldn’t keep overthinking it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Stadler on February 11, 2022, 09:31:01 AM
Only one made my top 40, but I ended up with six Hold Your Fire songs in my top 75.  Underrated album, one loaded with good tunes.

I've long said that record is probably their best collection of SONGS, i.e. their best written material.  I would have loved to have heard an acoustic or re-recorded version of that record, to make it less of it's time and more... timeless.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: HOF on February 11, 2022, 09:55:43 AM
Only one made my top 40, but I ended up with six Hold Your Fire songs in my top 75.  Underrated album, one loaded with good tunes.

I've long said that record is probably their best collection of SONGS, i.e. their best written material.  I would have loved to have heard an acoustic or re-recorded version of that record, to make it less of it's time and more... timeless.

Wouldn’t expect anything like this to happen, and I’m not sure Geddy could even pull it off vocally, but it would be cool for him and Alex to do some of those songs just the two of them acoustically.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: pg1067 on February 11, 2022, 10:03:59 AM
As I predicted, 4 Power Windows songs made my Top 75, and as I also predicted, the highest would be around 30.

My top song from POW was #40, and I had three in the top 75.  The other 5 ranked between 84-132.


I’m going through the ranker right now and it’s VERY painful.

The top tier stuff is pretty easy to separate from anything below it, but once you get into mid-tier stuff (which is probably the majority of their catalog) the head to head matches become excruciating. I’ve literally winced at a couple. And if they are from different eras it’s even worse, because you like them about the same, but it’s apples and oranges and it can come down to mood.

Yup.

Great song v. great song is hard.

Bottom tier song v. bottom tier song is equally as hard, although I stopped agonizing over it since these songs aren't gonna make the top 75.

Mid-tier songs from different eras are also really hard (e.g., Double Agent v. A Passage to Bangkok).


I had three Power Windows songs in my list, one top ten.  I was surprised how many Hold Your Fire songs made it, though.

Only one made my top 40, but I ended up with six Hold Your Fire songs in my top 75.  Underrated album, one loaded with good tunes.

I have only one from HYF in the top 75 (at #41).  The next highest is at #86, and the lowest is at #143.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Tomislav95 on February 11, 2022, 12:44:35 PM
Is not liking Power windows meme here or what?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: pg1067 on February 11, 2022, 12:46:18 PM
Is not liking Power windows meme here or what?

The banter back and forth between those who don't like it and people who are wrong kind of is.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Tomislav95 on February 11, 2022, 12:55:51 PM
Is not liking Power windows meme here or what?

The banter back and forth between those who don't like it and people who are wrong kind of is.
(https://i.imgflip.com/64vrjg.jpg)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: HOF on February 11, 2022, 12:59:51 PM
Is not liking Power windows meme here or what?

The banter back and forth between those who don't like it and people who are wrong kind of is.
(https://i.imgflip.com/64vrjg.jpg)

 :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Trav86 on February 11, 2022, 01:04:36 PM
I have six from Power Windows. That’s subject to change though.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: TAC on February 11, 2022, 01:05:40 PM
I have six from Power Windows. That’s subject to change though.

Six what? Six minutes?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: pg1067 on February 11, 2022, 04:31:17 PM
Is not liking Power windows meme here or what?

The banter back and forth between those who don't like it and people who are wrong kind of is.
(https://i.imgflip.com/64vrjg.jpg)

Don't know who she is, but you've got the concept.   :biggrin:


I have six from Power Windows. That’s subject to change though.

Six what? Six minutes?

I have 6 songs from POW ranked below Broon's Bane.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: The Letter M on February 11, 2022, 04:51:33 PM
Is not liking Power windows meme here or what?

The banter back and forth between those who don't like it and people who are wrong kind of is.
(https://i.imgflip.com/64vrjg.jpg)

Permanent Waves isn't that bad.  ;)

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Cool Chris on February 11, 2022, 06:40:32 PM
I have a ways to go but there might not be any songs from GUP/PW/HYF on my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: Trav86 on February 12, 2022, 09:09:07 AM
I have six from Power Windows. That’s subject to change though.

Six what? Six minutes?

 :rollin
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: jammindude on February 12, 2022, 09:16:44 AM
We have until tomorrow right?

Like the DT one, I wanted to take a couple lists to make sure. I finally finished my first time through and there are definitely a couple of tweaks I want to make before I submit my list.

As far as POW songs go. On my first try, 1 made my top 5, 2 in my top 10, 3 in my top 20, 4 in my top 40 and 6 in my top 50.

I’m actually a bit surprised that 2 didn’t make the top 75 at all, but like Stadler said, there’s probably about 20 songs that we commonly refer to as “top 5 songs” and it pushes everything else down.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: KevShmev on February 12, 2022, 09:19:49 AM
It's in the first post, peeps. ;)


Anyone wanting to submit a list must do so by February 26th. 

I added it to the thread title as well. :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: devieira73 on February 12, 2022, 06:17:42 PM
This was hard to do! It was like to make just one top 75 out of 4 very different and equally great bands.
Kev I'm sending to you my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: KevShmev on February 12, 2022, 09:04:58 PM
Like Dream Theater, I am seeing tons of songs I like a lot not making my final list.  Just too many good Rush songs.  :coolio :coolio
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 13, 2022, 03:13:39 AM
I better get started on this.  I just know that one era is absolutely going to flood most of the top 50.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: devieira73 on February 13, 2022, 06:34:04 AM
Because of this list, I just realized that Rush released 7 albums in the 80's! And that decade - that have 3 of the 5 eras of the band (in my point of view), made 50% of my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: devieira73 on February 13, 2022, 06:47:55 AM
About Rush eras, of course the end of one blends a bit with the begginning of the next and it's an aproximation - after all, Rush's music complexity defies any categorisation, but I hear them this way: heavy blues rock (Rush-FBN), prog (CoS-MP), keyboard  (Signals -HYF), pop (Presto-RTB) and hard rock (Counterparts-CA).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: KevShmev on February 13, 2022, 08:34:52 AM
Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Cool Chris on February 13, 2022, 09:03:47 AM
Like DT, there are a few songs here that I listened to as much as any of theirs back when I was heavier in to classic rock, but have since been elevated (relegated?) to "retired favorites" status. They were favorites of mine for decades, that I just don't have any desire to listen to again. Those are hard to rank.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 13, 2022, 02:49:24 PM
Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: romdrums on February 13, 2022, 03:13:45 PM
Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2112.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 13, 2022, 03:20:54 PM
Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2112.

Ahhh.....you're probably right.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 13, 2022, 03:26:33 PM
Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2112.

Definitely Tom Sawyer.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 13, 2022, 03:39:05 PM
Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2112.

Definitely Tom Sawyer.

Yeah.....I guess MP would be considered their peak as opposed to 2112.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: nick_z on February 13, 2022, 09:03:46 PM
I have Tom Sawyer very high...more generally, it would surprise me if it did poorly overall, no matter how overplayed it is...

Maybe Hemispheres (the song)...? If we think of the AFTK-MP run as peak "era"...

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 14, 2022, 06:56:40 AM
Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2112.

I only have one data point out of seven, but this is my guess too.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 14, 2022, 07:02:55 AM
Submitted my list today. Gotta say, I’m surprised what songs didn’t manage to make my list. 75 sounds like a lot, then you start seeing great songs not make the list, and when you count up all the ones that didn’t make it that you love, it can be kinda sad.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: pg1067 on February 14, 2022, 12:31:11 PM
About Rush eras, of course the end of one blends a bit with the begginning of the next and it's an aproximation - after all, Rush's music complexity defies any categorisation, but I hear them this way: heavy blues rock (Rush-FBN), prog (CoS-MP), keyboard  (Signals -HYF), pop (Presto-RTB) and hard rock (Counterparts-CA).

I'm not sure about labels, but for me:

- Rush kinda stands by itself (heavy blues, standard rock lyrics)
- FBN through 2112 (proto-prog - By-Tor is probably the most prog song; other than the length, 2112 isn't all that proggy, and side 2 really isn't much at all)
- AFTK through Signals (prog hard rock; could split this even further between Hemispheres and PEW; Signals is MUCH more connected with MP than with the next 3 albums)
- GUP through HYF (the synth era)
- Presto through T4E (adult contemporary Rush; the corrected most of the production issues that plagued the synth era; every album has some super clunkers, and every album except RTB has some great songs)
- VT through CA (this is really a continuation of the prior era, but with Alex's guitar playing more focused on chords than on melodic lines; also Geddy's yodeling vocals)


Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2112.

All three in the top 20 for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: romdrums on February 14, 2022, 12:33:08 PM
The only album that doesn't have any representation in my top 75 is Caress of Steel.  Every other album has at least one track.  Additionally, no album had every track make my Top 75.  There were three albums that had all but one track make my Top 75.  Also, like Stadler, I had an album that had a lot of songs make it in even though I wouldn't consider that album one of my favorites.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: pg1067 on February 14, 2022, 12:55:32 PM
The only album that doesn't have any representation in my top 75 is Caress of Steel.  Every other album has at least one track.  Additionally, no album had every track make my Top 75.  There were three albums that had all but one track make my Top 75.  Also, like Stadler, I had an album that had a lot of songs make it in even though I wouldn't consider that album one of my favorites.

I have every album (even RTB) in my top 75.  Looking back now, neither of the songs that made it from T4E are my favorite song on the album, but I'm not broken up about it.  I have three albums with every song in top 75.

And now that I think upon it some more, I'm thinking that the song to which Kev referred is NOT any of the three mentioned.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: romdrums on February 14, 2022, 01:12:54 PM
The only album that doesn't have any representation in my top 75 is Caress of Steel.  Every other album has at least one track.  Additionally, no album had every track make my Top 75.  There were three albums that had all but one track make my Top 75.  Also, like Stadler, I had an album that had a lot of songs make it in even though I wouldn't consider that album one of my favorites.

I have every album (even RTB) in my top 75.  Looking back now, neither of the songs that made it from T4E are my favorite song on the album, but I'm not broken up about it.  I have three albums with every song in top 75.

And now that I think upon it some more, I'm thinking that the song to which Kev referred is NOT any of the three mentioned.

I think you're right.  Of those 3, I'd still say 2112, but I wonder if it could be something like Closer to the Heart.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 14, 2022, 02:12:46 PM
I have one album that is wholly represented.  I have three albums that are represented by all but one song.  Two albums are not represented at all. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: romdrums on February 14, 2022, 02:27:29 PM
I have one album that is wholly represented.

Let me guess...Grace Under Pressure? :neverusethis:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 14, 2022, 02:37:55 PM
The debut, Feedback, and Snakes and Arrows are the three that are not represented on my list (haven’t filed yet, but don’t think that will change).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 14, 2022, 02:52:02 PM
I have one album that is wholly represented.

Let me guess...Grace Under Pressure? :neverusethis:

Believe it or not.... no.  Two songs from GUP made the list.

In all fairness, I didn't listen to every song again before doing this list.  I went off memory for most of it, and I feel like one of the two albums - T4E - would have done a lot better had I just listened to it.  I always say that album blows, but when I listen it's not THAT bad.   Then I forget, and it doesn't make the list.  :) :) :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 14, 2022, 02:54:09 PM
I did some listening, especially on some of the tough head to head battles.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on February 14, 2022, 03:00:19 PM
The debut, Feedback, and Snakes and Arrows are the three that are not represented on my list (haven’t filed yet, but don’t think that will change).
Well, I would hope Feedback wouldn't be represented, seeing as it's just covers and no covers are permitted.   :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 14, 2022, 03:08:36 PM
I may break the record for the number of albums not represented.  Only slowly worked out a top 10 but can see where it's going. 

I have always been funny with Rush.  A number of albums I absolutely love but a number I also don't resonate with at all.  We have a funny relationship.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 14, 2022, 03:16:50 PM
I'm pretty sure I can name three songs right now that I will get stick for not including on my top 75, and one that didn't make the top 50.

I love my Top 10, though.  May go and make a playlist........
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: pg1067 on February 14, 2022, 03:18:45 PM
I wonder if it could be something like Closer to the Heart.

That's my guess.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 14, 2022, 03:23:43 PM
I have one album that is wholly represented.

Let me guess...Grace Under Pressure? :neverusethis:

Believe it or not.... no.  Two songs from GUP made the list.

In all fairness, I didn't listen to every song again before doing this list.  I went off memory for most of it, and I feel like one of the two albums - T4E - would have done a lot better had I just listened to it.  I always say that album blows, but when I listen it's not THAT bad.   Then I forget, and it doesn't make the list.  :) :) :)

I don't know, but my thinking for the most part with these sorts of rankings, it should be done by memory and gut feel, some a little sprinkled listening here and there.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: 425 on February 14, 2022, 03:29:39 PM
I feel the same way, after having tried to do rankings in the past by listening through all the songs. I find that it can actually distort the ranking if I'm listening to every song trying to find things to like or dislike.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 14, 2022, 03:32:33 PM
The debut, Feedback, and Snakes and Arrows are the three that are not represented on my list (haven’t filed yet, but don’t think that will change).
Well, I would hope Feedback wouldn't be represented, seeing as it's just covers and no covers are permitted.   :biggrin:

Ah, well, wouldn’t have anyway!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 14, 2022, 03:33:07 PM
I feel the same way, after having tried to do rankings in the past by listening through all the songs. I find that it can actually distort the ranking if I'm listening to every song trying to find things to like or dislike.

Yep.  I think the best representation for yourself is to not overthink it all.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: KevShmev on February 14, 2022, 04:29:29 PM
The only album to not get represented on my list is Vapor Trails, although Freeze, Nocturne and Earthshine were all not far behind.

Test for Echo, which I do treat like the band's red-headed step child :P :lol, did squeeze one in at 74.  :tup :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: devieira73 on February 14, 2022, 04:58:34 PM
I feel the same way, after having tried to do rankings in the past by listening through all the songs. I find that it can actually distort the ranking if I'm listening to every song trying to find things to like or dislike.

Interesting thought! Yes, also my approach is like wolfking's, I think it works more faithfully.
By the way, every Rush album is represented in my list! Even the first one, although I must admit I always hear the song in its amazing ATWsAS live version.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: devieira73 on February 14, 2022, 05:11:46 PM
Yesterday I was listening on Spotify the good sounding bootleg "The First US Tours" and 2 things:
- It is really incredible to hear Neil Peart playing like a maniac, overplaying all the John Rutsey songs! :D
- I never knew that a By-Tor instrumental section originated from the jams of Working Man live. Really cool to hear!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 14, 2022, 06:45:56 PM
My list is sent!


Here is how the list is spread across the albums..

Rush....3
Fly By Night....4
Caress Of Steel....2
2112....3
A Farewell To Kings....4
Hemispheres....4
Permanent Waves....5
Moving Pictures....7
Signals....7
Grace Under Pressure....5
Power Windows....4
Hold Your Fire....3
Presto....5
Roll The Bones....4
Counterparts....6
Test For Echo....3
Vapor Trails....3
Clockwork Angels....3
Snakes & Arrows....0


Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 14, 2022, 07:49:01 PM
My list is sent!


Here is how the list is spread across the albums..

Rush....3
Fly By Night....4
Caress Of Steel....2
2112....3
A Farewell To Kings....4
Hemispheres....4
Permanent Waves....5
Moving Pictures....7
Signals....7
Grace Under Pressure....5
Power Windows....4
Hold Your Fire....3
Presto....5
Roll The Bones....4
Counterparts....6
Test For Echo....3
Vapor Trails....3
Clockwork Angels....3
Snakes & Arrows....0

Yeah, Power Windows sucks alright.   :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 14, 2022, 07:51:19 PM
But those 4 songs occupy spots 72-75. :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 14, 2022, 08:10:48 PM
But those 4 songs occupy spots 72-75. :lol

 :rollin
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!!
Post by: wolfking on February 14, 2022, 08:15:41 PM
Looks like some Rush CDs are coming out of the rack.

I have one album that is wholly represented.

Let me guess...Grace Under Pressure? :neverusethis:

Believe it or not.... no.  Two songs from GUP made the list.

In all fairness, I didn't listen to every song again before doing this list.  I went off memory for most of it, and I feel like one of the two albums - T4E - would have done a lot better had I just listened to it.  I always say that album blows, but when I listen it's not THAT bad.   Then I forget, and it doesn't make the list.  :) :) :)

I don't know, but my thinking for the most part with these sorts of rankings, it should be done by memory and gut feel, some a little sprinkled listening here and there.

I guess I should call myself out here.  To clarify (not that anyone cares) but the contradiction between these two comments fall in line with this comment;

I may break the record for the number of albums not represented.  Only slowly worked out a top 10 but can see where it's going. 

I have always been funny with Rush.  A number of albums I absolutely love but a number I also don't resonate with at all.  We have a funny relationship.

Felt obliged to maybe check out the albums I neglect to try and be fair but I'm just finding myself reaching for my favs.  I'm enjoying listening through some albums but I don't think it's going to impact my intuitive approach to this.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: jammindude on February 14, 2022, 08:25:51 PM
I just did a check on my first list and discovered that all 19 albums are represented within my top 51. And I’m not necessarily happy with where 51 ended up. I’m definitely going to take a second crack at this over the weekend
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Cool Chris on February 14, 2022, 08:37:12 PM
I may break the record for the number of albums not represented.  Only slowly worked out a top 10 but can see where it's going. 

I have always been funny with Rush.  A number of albums I absolutely love but a number I also don't resonate with at all.  We have a funny relationship.

Let's compare notes at some point. This describes me as well, so much so I wasn't sure I was "qualified" enough to participate in this.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: The Realm on February 14, 2022, 08:40:53 PM
I may break the record for the number of albums not represented.  Only slowly worked out a top 10 but can see where it's going. 

I have always been funny with Rush.  A number of albums I absolutely love but a number I also don't resonate with at all.  We have a funny relationship.

Let's compare notes at some point. This describes me as well, so much so I wasn't sure I was "qualified" enough to participate in this.

Yes, I also feel exactly the same way. I've worked on a list, probably just about there and in the end it is much more varied than I thought. Even though there are a couple of Rush albums I pretty much never listen to I have every album represented in my list. I'm feeling something can't be right...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Cool Chris on February 14, 2022, 08:46:08 PM
If anything this is giving me the impetus to listen to those albums I would otherwise never listen to, and probably haven't more than a couple times many years ago.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 14, 2022, 09:23:06 PM
If anything this is giving me the impetus to listen to those albums I would otherwise never listen to, and probably haven't more than a couple times many years ago.

Which was what I was aiming to do.  However, I don't see anything changing my thoughts or rankings too much on a whole.

I'll be finalising my list down to the wire but I will post some notes on how it's shaping up.

I understand your 'not qualified' take also.  I briefly had that thought with a few albums....BUT...I think if you can safely enough rank 75 songs with credibility, I don't see an issue ignoring albums you are not very familiar with.  Me personally, I'm not that familiar with some albums for a reason, so therefore they would rank low anyway.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Cool Chris on February 14, 2022, 09:32:32 PM
I initially did a quick scan of the full list on my spreadsheet and tagged all songs that had to make my Top 75, and I got over 50, so I felt it would be a reasonable exercise for me. I know what my #1 is (as I list it as one of my all time favorite songs) and I could easily pull out the Top 10. I am curious how the ranking engine sorts everything after that.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 14, 2022, 10:46:30 PM
Sent my list off. Here are numbers of songs for each album on it:

Rush - 0
Fly By Night - 2
Caress of Steel - 1
2112 - 1
A Farewell To Kings - 2
Hemispheres - 2
Permanent Waves - 4
Moving Pictures - 4
Signals - 7
Grace Under Pressure - 7
Power Windows - 8
Hold Your Fire - 4
Presto - 9
Roll the Bones - 4
Counterparts - 7
Test for Echo - 6
Vapor Trails - 6
Snakes & Arrows - 0
Clockwork Angels - 1

It's distorted a bit by the later albums having more tracks, but it still tracks well with what I consider to be my favorite albums. Although I will say if we had gone out to 100 Caress of Steel and Clockwork Angels would have gotten at least 2 more, and Snakes and Arrows would have had two at least.

I kind off think in the future we should submit larger lists than how ever many get counted down. So if we do 75, everyone submits a list of 100. I think that would give a better picture of the consensus as someone might have had a song at 80 that didn’t make their 75 but made some higher lists. If you rank 100, that song still gets 20 points, etc. It would also make just getting on someone’s top 75 more valuable off the bat (25 points instead of 1). It might all be a wash though since the songs at the top would be more valuable too, dunno.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: romdrums on February 15, 2022, 07:25:09 AM
Here’s my breakdown per album:

Rush - 1/8
Fly By Night - 1/8
Caress of Steel - 0/5
2112 - 1/6
A Farewell to Kings - 2/6
Hemispheres - 2/4
Permanent Waves - 5/6
Moving Pictures - 6/7
Signals - 6/8
Grace Under Pressure - 4/8
Power Windows - 7/8
Hold Your Fire - 4/10
Presto -  6/11
Roll the Bones - 4/10
Counterparts - 6/11
Test For Echo - 4/11
Vapor Trails - 5/13
Snakes and Arrows - 3/13
Clockwork Angels - 8/13
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: nick_z on February 15, 2022, 07:59:37 AM
I'm enjoying this...

Here's my top 75 breakdown:

Rush: 0/8
Fly by Night: 0/8 (two were real close, though)
Caress of Steel: 1/5
2112: 1/6
A Farewell to Kings: 3/6
Hemispheres: 4/4
Permanent Waves: 5/6
Moving Pictures: 7/7
Signals: 4/8
Grace Under Pressure: 6/8
Power Windows: 7/8
Hold Your Fire: 6/10
Presto: 3/11
Roll the Bones: 4/10
Counterparts: 10/11
Test for Echo: 3/11
Vapor Trails: 5/13
Snakes and Arrows: 2/13
Clockwork Angels: 4/12
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 15, 2022, 08:50:17 AM
Counterparts was a tough one. Almost everything on it was in consideration for me, but I just ran out of room. Would have gotten at least two more in a top 100.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 15, 2022, 09:00:19 AM
Rush....3/8  (Same as TAC)
Fly By Night....4/8  (Same as TAC)
Caress Of Steel....2/5  (Same as TAC)
2112....3/6  (Same as TAC)
A Farewell To Kings....5/6  (One more than TAC)
Hemispheres....4/4 (Same as TAC)
Permanent Waves....4/6  (One less than TAC)
Moving Pictures....6/7  (One less than TAC)
Signals....7/8  (Same as TAC)
Grace Under Pressure....2/8
Power Windows....3/8  (TAC has more PW songs than I do!!)
Hold Your Fire....7/10
Presto....9/11
Roll The Bones....2/10
Counterparts....6/11  (Same as TAC)
Test For Echo....0/11
Vapor Trails....0/13
Snakes & Arrows....6/13
Clockwork Angels....2/12
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 15, 2022, 09:01:34 AM
Counterparts was a tough one. Almost everything on it was in consideration for me, but I just ran out of room. Would have gotten at least two more in a top 100.

I know I must like Counterparts more than my conscious brain realizes, because so many of those songs brought fond feelings when they came up.   Couple clunkers, but some good tunes on that record. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: nick_z on February 15, 2022, 09:04:55 AM
Counterparts was a tough one. Almost everything on it was in consideration for me, but I just ran out of room. Would have gotten at least two more in a top 100.

I know I must like Counterparts more than my conscious brain realizes, because so many of those songs brought fond feelings when they came up.   Couple clunkers, but some good tunes on that record.

Counterparts is a top 3 Rush record for me
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 15, 2022, 09:26:24 AM
Counterparts was a tough one. Almost everything on it was in consideration for me, but I just ran out of room. Would have gotten at least two more in a top 100.

I know I must like Counterparts more than my conscious brain realizes, because so many of those songs brought fond feelings when they came up.   Couple clunkers, but some good tunes on that record.

There is one song in particular that I made a point to rank that I expect is a bit divisive, but I listened to it again last night after submitting my list, and I really think it is just really great track. Neil and Geddy are really locked in for that particular sound and for the whole album really (though when were they not!).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: pg1067 on February 15, 2022, 10:03:21 AM
Mine:

Rush....2/8
Fly By Night....4/8
Caress Of Steel....4/5
2112....4/6
A Farewell To Kings....5/6
Hemispheres....4/4
Permanent Waves....6/6
Moving Pictures....7/7
Signals....6/8
Grace Under Pressure....4/8
Power Windows....3/8
Hold Your Fire....1/10
Presto....6/11
Roll The Bones....1/10
Counterparts....4/11
Test For Echo....4/11
Vapor Trails....5/13
Snakes & Arrows....2/13
Clockwork Angels....3/12

If I hadn't relied quite so much on the ranking engine, I might have one more for T4E at the expense of either Presto or Counterparts.  Also, I'm a little surprised that I don't have more S&A songs -- especially since I like the album as a whole better than CA.  On CA, there is a precipitous drop off after the top three songs.  There's also a drop after the top two on S&A, but it's not as steep.

Also, if we had been allowed to include it, Broon's Bane would have made the top 75, at the expense of either a Presto or Counterparts song.

Also also, I'm seeing that Vapor Trails is a hugely back-half heavy album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 15, 2022, 10:57:53 AM
I really put all my faith in the ranking engine, and I don't think I even made one tweak (to the top 75; I did reorder the bottom 10 to take the songs I've never heard out).   I trust the process.  :)

I love this discussion, and can't wait until Kev starts revealing the actual songs.  Even though we have a lot of close calls in terms of number of songs from each album, I feel like the ACTUAL songs are going to be very different!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: pg1067 on February 15, 2022, 12:41:07 PM
I really put all my faith in the ranking engine, and I don't think I even made one tweak (to the top 75; I did reorder the bottom 10 to take the songs I've never heard out).   I trust the process.  :)

I mostly left it to the ranking engine.  After spending all that time using it, I didn't want to spend a ton more tweaking it.  However, when I looked at the songs in the 70-80 range, I saw a couple songs that I felt needed to move from one side of the cutoff line to the other.  I might have also made a change around the top 10, but the margins between those songs are so slim that I'd probably come up with five different orders if I redid it every day for a week.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 15, 2022, 01:15:22 PM
Rush....3/8  (Same as TAC)
Fly By Night....4/8  (Same as TAC)
Caress Of Steel....2/5  (Same as TAC)
2112....3/6  (Same as TAC)
Permanent Waves....4/6  (One less than TAC)
Power Windows....3/8  (TAC has more PW songs than I do!!)
Counterparts....6/11  (Same as TAC)

The thing is...I bet you actually have DIFFERENT sings than me. :lol


Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 15, 2022, 01:29:05 PM
Rush....3/8  (Same as TAC)
Fly By Night....4/8  (Same as TAC)
Caress Of Steel....2/5  (Same as TAC)
2112....3/6  (Same as TAC)
Permanent Waves....4/6  (One less than TAC)
Power Windows....3/8  (TAC has more PW songs than I do!!)
Counterparts....6/11  (Same as TAC)

The thing is...I bet you actually have DIFFERENT sings than me. :lol

And songs too.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 15, 2022, 01:30:58 PM
Hahaha.  Yes, that too.  :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 15, 2022, 01:35:34 PM
Rush....3/8  (Same as TAC)
Fly By Night....4/8  (Same as TAC)
Caress Of Steel....2/5  (Same as TAC)
2112....3/6  (Same as TAC)
Permanent Waves....4/6  (One less than TAC)
Power Windows....3/8  (TAC has more PW songs than I do!!)
Counterparts....6/11  (Same as TAC)

The thing is...I bet you actually have DIFFERENT sings than me. :lol

And songs too.


(https://media2.giphy.com/media/3o7btUg31OCi0NXdkY/giphy.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 15, 2022, 01:38:43 PM
*Celebration Dance*

:king:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: DragonAttack on February 15, 2022, 01:41:25 PM
^
The world is off kilter when king is correcting TAC's spelling... :D   (btw, I've fired hundreds of proofreaders in my life)

Well, for the heck of it

Rush....5
Fly By Night....4
Caress Of Steel....1
2112....3
A Farewell To Kings....4
Hemispheres....4
Permanent Waves....5
Moving Pictures....7
Signals....7
Grace Under Pressure....6
Power Windows....4
Hold Your Fire....5
Presto....4
Roll The Bones....2
Counterparts....4
Test For Echo....3
Vapor Trails….1
Snakes & Arrows....4
Clockwork Angels....2

Not sure how the debut would not have at least one song on everyone’s list.


Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 15, 2022, 02:00:30 PM
^
The world is off kilter when king is correcting TAC's spelling... :D   (btw, I've fired hundreds of proofreaders in my life)

Well, for the heck of it

Rush....5
Fly By Night....4
Caress Of Steel....1
2112....3
A Farewell To Kings....4
Hemispheres....4
Permanent Waves....5
Moving Pictures....7
Signals....7
Grace Under Pressure....6
Power Windows....4
Hold Your Fire....5
Presto....4
Roll The Bones....2
Counterparts....4
Test For Echo....3
Vapor Trails….1
Snakes & Arrows....4
Clockwork Angels....2

Not sure how the debut would not have at least one song on everyone’s list.

It’s fine, but there are just a ton of Rush songs I enjoy more than it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: nick_z on February 15, 2022, 02:37:21 PM

Not sure how the debut would not have at least one song on everyone’s list.

It’s fine, but there are just a ton of Rush songs I enjoy more than it.

Yeah, same here...wasn't far off the top 75, but didn't quite make it...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: DragonAttack on February 15, 2022, 02:39:05 PM
Guess I was reading into some not knowing about the album.  Instead, you chose your 'free will' ;)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 15, 2022, 03:36:24 PM
Jeez you guys are quick.  I've only just done my rough top 15 haha.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 15, 2022, 03:41:28 PM
On another note, anyone more invested and excited about this than the DT one?  I rank DT higher than Rush but this one feels more exciting and challenging to me.  I guess the broader range of styles throughout their career is most probably the reason.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 15, 2022, 03:44:09 PM
On another note, anyone more invested and excited about this than the DT one?  I rank DT higher than Rush but this one feels more exciting and challenging to me.  I guess the broader range of styles throughout their career is most probably the reason.

Me.  I regretted not doing the DT one, but this one just feels more... fun. I don't know. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: The Realm on February 15, 2022, 03:46:24 PM
On another note, anyone more invested and excited about this than the DT one?  I rank DT higher than Rush but this one feels more exciting and challenging to me.  I guess the broader range of styles throughout their career is most probably the reason.

Yep, I agree with this. I didn't participate in the DT one but I followed it closely and found it fairly easy to predict the top 10 - not the exact order though. However, with Rush this could be anything! I have no idea. It appears the love of Rush is very diverse, just like the bands eras/albums.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: romdrums on February 15, 2022, 03:50:48 PM
On another note, anyone more invested and excited about this than the DT one?  I rank DT higher than Rush but this one feels more exciting and challenging to me.  I guess the broader range of styles throughout their career is most probably the reason.

Me.  I regretted not doing the DT one, but this one just feels more... fun. I don't know.

Same here, though with less regret about the DT one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 15, 2022, 03:52:57 PM
On another note, anyone more invested and excited about this than the DT one?  I rank DT higher than Rush but this one feels more exciting and challenging to me.  I guess the broader range of styles throughout their career is most probably the reason.

Definitely a wider range of Rush material that I’m passionate about, and a lot more difficulty coming up with an order I’m happy with.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: romdrums on February 15, 2022, 03:58:57 PM
On another note, anyone more invested and excited about this than the DT one?  I rank DT higher than Rush but this one feels more exciting and challenging to me.  I guess the broader range of styles throughout their career is most probably the reason.

Definitely a wider range of Rush material that I’m passionate about, and a lot more difficulty coming up with an order I’m happy with.

For real.  My top ten has a span of 30 plus years between entries!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 15, 2022, 04:17:08 PM
Kev needs to start this countdown before everyone gives their results!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 15, 2022, 04:31:37 PM
Kev needs to start this countdown before everyone gives their results!

Yeah, people getting fidgety.  I need these 10 days for my list haha.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: KevShmev on February 15, 2022, 06:50:59 PM
My album breakdown is:

Power Windows 75/8

Nothing from any other album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: KevShmev on February 15, 2022, 07:09:29 PM
Friendly request to everyone still making submissions:

Please look your lists over before sending them to make sure you do not have songs listed more than once.  Nothing more aggravating than being in the middle of inputting someone's lists and having to stop because they listed a song more than once.  :censored :censored
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 15, 2022, 07:19:49 PM
Friendly request to everyone still making submissions:

Please look your lists over before sending them to make sure you do not have songs listed more than once.  Nothing more aggravating than being in the middle of inputting someone's lists and having to stop because they listed a song more than once.  :censored :censored

Er..


My album breakdown is:

Power Windows 75/8

Nothing from any other album.

 ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 15, 2022, 07:29:14 PM
Friendly request to everyone still making submissions:

Please look your lists over before sending them to make sure you do not have songs listed more than once.  Nothing more aggravating than being in the middle of inputting someone's lists and having to stop because they listed a song more than once.  :censored :censored
I hope I didn't do this....  :blush
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: KevShmev on February 15, 2022, 07:40:51 PM
Unless you got a retort from me, you did not.  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 15, 2022, 11:56:08 PM
Friendly request to everyone still making submissions:

Please look your lists over before sending them to make sure you do not have songs listed more than once.  Nothing more aggravating than being in the middle of inputting someone's lists and having to stop because they listed a song more than once.  :censored :censored

This was hopefully more than only me… twice… sorry  :eek
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 16, 2022, 07:03:15 AM
Friendly request to everyone still making submissions:

Please look your lists over before sending them to make sure you do not have songs listed more than once.  Nothing more aggravating than being in the middle of inputting someone's lists and having to stop because they listed a song more than once.  :censored :censored

This was hopefully more than only me… twice… sorry  :eek

I did it for the DT one, so you are not alone!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 16, 2022, 08:34:24 AM
Three times now. Holy  :censored I failed bad on this one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on February 16, 2022, 09:02:08 AM
Three times now. Holy  :censored I failed bad on this one.
Use the rating website - that will guarantee that you don't have any duplicates!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: nick_z on February 16, 2022, 09:32:27 AM
Yeah, that ranking engine is super-handy. And of course you can make tweaks ex-post if you want...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 16, 2022, 11:44:43 AM
I found Deadeye's list on the interwebs:    :tup :tup.   (Just having fun, bud!)

75   2112
74   La Villa Strangiato
73   Tom Sawyer
72   2112
71   La Villa Strangiato
70   Tom Sawyer
69   2112
68   La Villa Strangiato
67   Tom Sawyer
66   2112
65   La Villa Strangiato
64   Tom Sawyer
63   2112
62   La Villa Strangiato
61   Tom Sawyer
60   2112
59   La Villa Strangiato
58   Tom Sawyer
57   2112
56   La Villa Strangiato
55   Tom Sawyer
54   2112
53   La Villa Strangiato
52   Tom Sawyer
51   2112
50   La Villa Strangiato
49   Tom Sawyer
48   2112
47   La Villa Strangiato
46   Tom Sawyer
45   2112
44   La Villa Strangiato
43   Tom Sawyer
42   2112
41   La Villa Strangiato
40   Tom Sawyer
39   2112
38   La Villa Strangiato
37   Tom Sawyer
36   2112
35   La Villa Strangiato
34   Tom Sawyer
33   2112
32   La Villa Strangiato
31   Tom Sawyer
30   2112
29   La Villa Strangiato
28   Tom Sawyer
27   2112
26   La Villa Strangiato
25   Tom Sawyer
24   2112
23   La Villa Strangiato
22   Tom Sawyer
21   2112
20   La Villa Strangiato
19   Tom Sawyer
18   2112
17   La Villa Strangiato
16   Tom Sawyer
15   2112
14   La Villa Strangiato
13   Tom Sawyer
12   2112
11   La Villa Strangiato
10   Tom Sawyer
9   2112
8   La Villa Strangiato
7   Tom Sawyer
6   2112
5   La Villa Strangiato
4   Tom Sawyer
3   2112
2   La Villa Strangiato
1   Tom Sawyer
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: DragonAttack on February 16, 2022, 12:22:59 PM
 :D
(I think mine was close to this.....)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 16, 2022, 02:34:45 PM
Tim also sent me a sneak peak of his list before he had to edit it.


75. The Big Money
74. Grand Designs
73. Manhattan Project
72. Marathon
71. Territories
70. Middletown Dreams
69. Emotion Detector
68. Mystic Rhythms
67. The Big Money
66. Grand Designs
65. Manhattan Project
64. Marathon
63. Territories
62. Middletown Dreams
61. Emotion Detector
60. Mystic Rhythms
59. The Big Money
58. Grand Designs
57. Manhattan Project
56. Marathon
55. Territories
54. Middletown Dreams
53. Emotion Detector
52. Mystic Rhythms
51. The Big Money
50. Grand Designs
49. Manhattan Project
48. Marathon
47. Territories
46. Middletown Dreams
45. Emotion Detector
44. Mystic Rhythms
43. The Big Money
42. Grand Designs
41. Manhattan Project
40. Marathon
39. Territories
38. Middletown Dreams
37. Emotion Detector
36. Mystic Rhythms
35. The Big Money
34. Grand Designs
33. Manhattan Project
32. Marathon
31. Territories
30. Middletown Dreams
29. Emotion Detector
28. Mystic Rhythms
27. The Big Money
26. Grand Designs
25. Manhattan Project
24. Marathon
23. Territories
22. Middletown Dreams
21. Emotion Detector
20. Mystic Rhythms
19. The Big Money
18. Grand Designs
17. Manhattan Project
16. Marathon
15. Territories
14. Middletown Dreams
13. Emotion Detector
12. Mystic Rhythms
11. The Big Money
10. Grand Designs
9. Manhattan Project
8. Marathon
7. Territories
6. Middletown Dreams
5. Emotion Detector
4. Mystic Rhythms
3. The Big Money
2. Grand Designs
1. Manhattan Project
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 16, 2022, 02:36:50 PM
 :lol

I've been exposed! :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: nick_z on February 16, 2022, 02:52:35 PM
Tim also sent me a sneak peak of his list before he had to edit it.

It's a great list  :rollin
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 16, 2022, 02:59:47 PM
Tim also sent me a sneak peak of his list before he had to edit it.

It's a great list  :rollin

I'd send it myself if it were allowed.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 16, 2022, 03:00:29 PM
Nutted out my top 25.  Pretty happy with it.  Now it gets tougher but looking at it, my approach has worked well up til now.

EDIT:  Fuck me though, this band is just fucking off the charts.  Absolutely incredible.  This exercise is making me appreciate them more than I did when I got into them.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: pg1067 on February 16, 2022, 03:43:51 PM
Tim also sent me a sneak peak of his list before he had to edit it.

I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 16, 2022, 03:45:45 PM
Tim also sent me a sneak peak of his list before he had to edit it.

I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit.

I threw up in my pants typing it out.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: nick_z on February 16, 2022, 04:59:17 PM
Tim also sent me a sneak peak of his list before he had to edit it.

I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit.

The truth is, this exercise is helping the (few) nonbelievers realize the greatness of Power Windows  :biggrin: Admit it, as you are putting together your list, you can't help but think - how did I not see?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 16, 2022, 05:13:19 PM
Tim also sent me a sneak peak of his list before he had to edit it.

I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit.

The truth is, this exercise is helping the (few) nonbelievers realize the greatness of Power Windows  :biggrin: Admit it, as you are putting together your list, you can't help but think - how did I not see?

Speak the truth brother!  :hefdaddy
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 16, 2022, 07:32:01 PM
Tim also sent me a sneak peak of his list before he had to edit it.

I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit.

The truth is, this exercise is helping the (few) nonbelievers realize the greatness of Power Windows  :biggrin: Admit it, as you are putting together your list, you can't help but think - how did I not see?

Speak the truth brother!  :hefdaddy
Amen!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 16, 2022, 07:36:36 PM
Tim also sent me a sneak peak of his list before he had to edit it.

I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit.

The truth is, this exercise is helping the (few) nonbelievers realize the greatness of Power Windows  :biggrin: Admit it, as you are putting together your list, you can't help but think - how did I not see?

Speak the truth brother!  :hefdaddy
Amen!

*Meryl Streep shouting and pointing in agreement GIF*
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 16, 2022, 07:37:38 PM
Tim also sent me a sneak peak of his list before he had to edit it.

I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit.

The truth is, this exercise is helping the (few) nonbelievers realize the greatness of Power Windows  :biggrin: Admit it, as you are putting together your list, you can't help but think - how did I not see?

Speak the truth brother!  :hefdaddy
Amen!

*Meryl Streep shouting and pointing in agreement GIF*
(https://media4.giphy.com/media/YPKIJdwYWJ3Ik/giphy.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 16, 2022, 07:46:55 PM
 :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 16, 2022, 07:54:48 PM
(https://c.tenor.com/KZlts8LDU1EAAAAC/minions-yippie.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 16, 2022, 07:57:56 PM
Power Windows is a great album, but two of the songs didn’t make it to my top 75, and on,y one track from it hit my top 10. The answer to which one that is may surprise you!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 16, 2022, 07:59:48 PM
That fact that any song from Power Windows made the Top 10 is surprise enough.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 16, 2022, 08:01:31 PM
Power Windows is a great album, but two of the songs didn’t make it to my top 75, and on,y one track from it hit my top 10. The answer to which one that is may surprise you!

There’s a 1 in 4 chance it’s the same as mine. ;-)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 16, 2022, 08:13:44 PM
Power Windows is a great album, but two of the songs didn’t make it to my top 75, and on,y one track from it hit my top 10. The answer to which one that is may surprise you!

There’s a 1 in 4 chance it’s the same as mine. ;-)

Well, what’s yours?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 16, 2022, 08:14:56 PM
You guys better take it to PM before Kev comes in with a retort.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 16, 2022, 08:15:08 PM
That fact that any song from Power Windows made the Top 10 is surprise enough.

Ouch!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 16, 2022, 08:16:45 PM
That fact that any song from Power Windows made the Top 10 is surprise enough.

Ouch!

(https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-7b05db84d9f1bf2ba7bad72732e1421e)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Cool Chris on February 16, 2022, 08:53:28 PM
So as I work on my list, I have been listening to the Rush albums I would generally never listen to, and while most of this isn't going to sniff my Top 75, I will say I honestly cannot recall a time when I thought a song needed to be skipped or was a drag to listen to.

I easily identified my Top 10 and as a quick exercise put those through the RE, and outside of #1, that was tough.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: The Letter M on February 16, 2022, 11:26:02 PM
Sent my list. And yes, all of Power Windows made my Top 75 (actually a lot higher than I expected, but more on that later). That sorting thing took a LONG time, but kind of worth it.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: DragonAttack on February 16, 2022, 11:33:25 PM
Tim also sent me a sneak peak of his list before he had to edit it.

It's a great list  :rollin

So does wolfking win the DT 'won the internets' award for the month? :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: pg1067 on February 17, 2022, 09:49:49 AM
Tim also sent me a sneak peak of his list before he had to edit it.

I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit.

The truth is, this exercise is helping the (few) nonbelievers realize the greatness of Power Windows  :biggrin: Admit it, as you are putting together your list, you can't help but think - how did I not see?

I thought to myself, #106 seems a bit high for Territories.


Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Dream Team on February 17, 2022, 10:50:07 AM
It's been a little bit of a slog trying to learn about 10 albums or so in the past week. Still a week to go. Just not a big fan of that run from HYF through TFE. GUP and PW ain't exactly my thing either but I can find plenty of songs on both that will make the list. This would have been a lot easier if those 70s albums had 10 songs each instead of 6.  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 17, 2022, 10:57:11 AM
It's been a little bit of a slog trying to learn about 10 albums or so in the past week. Still a week to go. Just not a big fan of that run from HYF through TFE. GUP and PW ain't exactly my thing either but I can find plenty of songs on both that will make the list. This would have been a lot easier if those 70s albums had 10 songs each instead of 6.  :lol

Something I want to give some thought to is what would the latter Rush albums be like if you paired them all down to LP rather than CD length. There’s not a lot of fat to trim from Counterparts, but Roll the Bones and Test for Echo would both benefit, and I think Vapor Trails would too. Not sure Snakes and Arrows would be too much improved, but you could at least make it less onerous to get through. Clockwork Angels probably doesn’t work as well paired down, but honestly I don’t even know what if anything is happening in the story. Just seems like a series of random scenes from whatever steampunk world Neil concocted.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 17, 2022, 01:14:20 PM
I know I sound more and more like TAC every day, but for me some of those 70's records that were a concise 35, 40 minutes are really special in their own way. They are a sort of snapshot.  And the shorter albums, more frequently, sometimes give you a really cool glimpse of a band's growth and progress.   
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: romdrums on February 17, 2022, 01:36:38 PM
I know I sound more and more like TAC every day, but for me some of those 70's records that were a concise 35, 40 minutes are really special in their own way. They are a sort of snapshot.  And the shorter albums, more frequently, sometimes give you a really cool glimpse of a band's growth and progress.

When you add in the fact that they basically released an album a year up through Power Windows, you can basically hear it in real time when you listen in chronological order.  It's fun to hear them go from a fresh-faced, guitar-based power trio to this mountain of sounds and textures on Power Windows, and then gradually scale it back down to the power trio, but with the lessons learned from their upward climb, by the time they get to Clockwork Angels.  Each album is a necessary step to get to the next album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 17, 2022, 01:41:08 PM
I know I sound more and more like TAC every day, but for me some of those 70's records that were a concise 35, 40 minutes are really special in their own way. They are a sort of snapshot.  And the shorter albums, more frequently, sometimes give you a really cool glimpse of a band's growth and progress.

When you add in the fact that they basically released an album a year up through Power Windows, you can basically hear it in real time when you listen in chronological order.  It's fun to hear them go from a fresh-faced, guitar-based power trio to this mountain of sounds and textures on Power Windows, and then gradually scale it back down to the power trio, but with the lessons learned from their upward climb, by the time they get to Clockwork Angels.  Each album is a necessary step to get to the next album.

What's fascinating to me - and of all bands, Judas Priest is in this group too, as are the Scorpions - is hearing an album that is largely consistent, and having one or two songs that seem like outliers - Vital Signs on Moving Pictures is one example - then hearing the NEXT album and it's largely like that outlier.  You see the seeds of the growing plants as you go, for lack of a better analogy.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: romdrums on February 17, 2022, 01:54:12 PM
I know I sound more and more like TAC every day, but for me some of those 70's records that were a concise 35, 40 minutes are really special in their own way. They are a sort of snapshot.  And the shorter albums, more frequently, sometimes give you a really cool glimpse of a band's growth and progress.

When you add in the fact that they basically released an album a year up through Power Windows, you can basically hear it in real time when you listen in chronological order.  It's fun to hear them go from a fresh-faced, guitar-based power trio to this mountain of sounds and textures on Power Windows, and then gradually scale it back down to the power trio, but with the lessons learned from their upward climb, by the time they get to Clockwork Angels.  Each album is a necessary step to get to the next album.

What's fascinating to me - and of all bands, Judas Priest is in this group too, as are the Scorpions - is hearing an album that is largely consistent, and having one or two songs that seem like outliers - Vital Signs on Moving Pictures is one example - then hearing the NEXT album and it's largely like that outlier.  You see the seeds of the growing plants as you go, for lack of a better analogy.

And at the end of it all, you finally get to see The Garden.  ;)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: pg1067 on February 17, 2022, 02:06:35 PM
Something I want to give some thought to is what would the latter Rush albums be like if you paired them all down to LP rather than CD length. There’s not a lot of fat to trim from Counterparts, but Roll the Bones and Test for Echo would both benefit, and I think Vapor Trails would too. Not sure Snakes and Arrows would be too much improved, but you could at least make it less onerous to get through. Clockwork Angels probably doesn’t work as well paired down, but honestly I don’t even know what if anything is happening in the story. Just seems like a series of random scenes from whatever steampunk world Neil concocted.

- Presto would be greatly improved by losing Superconductor and Hand over Fist, which would take it from 52+ minutes to about 44 minutes (and you can scratch Scars if you want to go lower.

- Roll the Bones is only 48 minutes and would be much better as a 4 song EP.

- There are a few songs you could ditch to get Counterparts down from 54:24 to about 40 minutes.  I'd go with Nobody's Hero, The Speed of Love and Cold Fire (which would take it under 40 minutes).

- T4E is about as long as Counterparts.  I'd lose Dog Years and Carve Away the Stone.

- Vapor Trails is a bloated 67+ minutes.  I'd get rid of Ceiling Unlimited, How It Is, Secret Touch and Sweet Miracle.

- S&A could lose most of its back half (pretty much everything after Hope) to get down below its 63 minute run time.

- Clockwork Angels probably needs to be what it is because of the story, but I'd be fine with a 3-song EP (Caravan, BU2B and Headlong Flight).


I know I sound more and more like TAC every day, but for me some of those 70's records that were a concise 35, 40 minutes are really special in their own way. They are a sort of snapshot.  And the shorter albums, more frequently, sometimes give you a really cool glimpse of a band's growth and progress.   

YES!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 17, 2022, 02:30:08 PM
No way Cold Fire should get cut.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 17, 2022, 02:31:14 PM
I know I sound more and more like TAC every day, but for me some of those 70's records that were a concise 35, 40 minutes are really special in their own way. They are a sort of snapshot.  And the shorter albums, more frequently, sometimes give you a really cool glimpse of a band's growth and progress.

May God have mercy on your soul.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 17, 2022, 02:34:18 PM
No way Cold Fire should get cut.

I'm pretty sure all the songs PG cut from Presto are on my list.  :) :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 17, 2022, 02:35:15 PM
I know I sound more and more like TAC every day, but for me some of those 70's records that were a concise 35, 40 minutes are really special in their own way. They are a sort of snapshot.  And the shorter albums, more frequently, sometimes give you a really cool glimpse of a band's growth and progress.

May God have mercy on your soul.

I, have, no, idea, what, you're, talking, about.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 17, 2022, 02:47:51 PM

- Presto would be greatly improved by losing Superconductor and Hand over Fist, which would take it from 52+ minutes to about 44 minutes (and you can scratch Scars if you want to go lower.

- Roll the Bones is only 48 minutes and would be much better as a 4 song EP.

- There are a few songs you could ditch to get Counterparts down from 54:24 to about 40 minutes.  I'd go with Nobody's Hero, The Speed of Love and Cold Fire (which would take it under 40 minutes).

- T4E is about as long as Counterparts.  I'd lose Dog Years and Carve Away the Stone.

- Vapor Trails is a bloated 67+ minutes.  I'd get rid of Ceiling Unlimited, How It Is, Secret Touch and Sweet Miracle.

- S&A could lose most of its back half (pretty much everything after Hope) to get down below its 63 minute run time.

- Clockwork Angels probably needs to be what it is because of the story, but I'd be fine with a 3-song EP (Caravan, BU2B and Headlong Flight).

Holy moly, that’s a bad take to me. In pretty much all instances, you’re taking at least one of my absolute favourites out of it.

Presto: Dump War Paint and Scars. Under no circumstances should you lose Hand Over Fist
Roll the Bones: There are 7 great songs on the album, so cutting it down to 4 would be a great loss. Trim Face Up, Big Wheel and Neurotica though. Even though I have a guilty pleasure for Neurotica.
Counterparts: Speed of Love can definitely go, but I’d dump Alien Shore and Between Sun and Moon before the others you listed. Sun and Moon is still awesome though.
T4E: Title track, Driven, Time and Motion, Resist, Limbo. If you’re not one of these, you’re not needed.
VT: Now here’s a tricky one. Peaceable Kingdom, Stars Look Down and Nocturne are pretty much the ones that I can remove at all. I love his album.
S&A: Yeah, you’re right, the back half isn’t as strong as the front, and yet, I can’t think of anything more than Good News First that I actually would cut off of this one.
CA: I mean, pretty much only BU2B2 counts as a clunker here. Halo Effect could also go if we really need to trim this one down.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 17, 2022, 02:50:33 PM
For S&A, I removed the first 13 tracks. It's fantastic.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 17, 2022, 02:51:22 PM
I know I sound more and more like TAC every day, but for me some of those 70's records that were a concise 35, 40 minutes are really special in their own way. They are a sort of snapshot.  And the shorter albums, more frequently, sometimes give you a really cool glimpse of a band's growth and progress.

May God have mercy on your soul.

I, have, no, idea, what, you're, talking, about.

 :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 17, 2022, 02:52:11 PM
For S&A, I removed the first 13 tracks. It's fantastic.

 :lol

Yep, I'll be doing the same thing.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: nick_z on February 17, 2022, 03:05:42 PM
No way Cold Fire should get cut.

Agreed. Cold Fire is awesome (and VERY high on my list)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 17, 2022, 03:08:25 PM
No way Cold Fire should get cut.

Agreed. Cold Fire is awesome (and VERY high on my list)

 :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 17, 2022, 03:16:37 PM
No way Cold Fire should get cut.

Agreed. Cold Fire is awesome (and VERY high on my list)

 :tup

 :tup :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 17, 2022, 03:20:46 PM
(https://c.tenor.com/flEYKOdzCrgAAAAd/homer-skinner.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 17, 2022, 03:27:56 PM
No way Cold Fire should get cut.

Agreed. Cold Fire is awesome (and VERY high on my list)

 :tup

 :tup :tup

Yeah, that song is amazing. Neil’s drumming on the chorus especially is outstanding.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: pg1067 on February 17, 2022, 03:33:21 PM
Holy moly, that’s a bad take to me. In pretty much all instances, you’re taking at least one of my absolute favourites out of it.

Presto: Dump War Paint and Scars. Under no circumstances should you lose Hand Over Fist
Roll the Bones: There are 7 great songs on the album, so cutting it down to 4 would be a great loss. Trim Face Up, Big Wheel and Neurotica though. Even though I have a guilty pleasure for Neurotica.
Counterparts: Speed of Love can definitely go, but I’d dump Alien Shore and Between Sun and Moon before the others you listed. Sun and Moon is still awesome though.
T4E: Title track, Driven, Time and Motion, Resist, Limbo. If you’re not one of these, you’re not needed.
VT: Now here’s a tricky one. Peaceable Kingdom, Stars Look Down and Nocturne are pretty much the ones that I can remove at all. I love his album.
S&A: Yeah, you’re right, the back half isn’t as strong as the front, and yet, I can’t think of anything more than Good News First that I actually would cut off of this one.
CA: I mean, pretty much only BU2B2 counts as a clunker here. Halo Effect could also go if we really need to trim this one down.

I wouldn't be heartbroken to lose War Paint, but Hand over Fist came in at #165 on my list (ahead of only BU2B2).

The Big Wheel is the only RTB song in my top 75.

The back half of Vapor Trails is criminally underrated.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 17, 2022, 03:42:01 PM
I like Hand Over Fist. Get rid of War Paint and The Pass.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 17, 2022, 03:48:47 PM
Get rid of The Pass.

The fuck is this??
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 17, 2022, 03:56:45 PM
Get rid of The Pass.

The fuck is this??

It's a song on Presto.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 17, 2022, 03:58:47 PM
Get rid of The Pass.

The fuck is this??

It's a song on Presto.

I have no comeback.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 17, 2022, 04:21:02 PM
Hmmm....as partial as I am to 80s Rush, I'm not sure how many Presto songs make the cut.  It's easily my least favourite of the GUP-CP run for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 17, 2022, 04:24:24 PM
Hmmm....as partial as I am to 80s Rush, I'm not sure how many Presto songs make the cut.  It's easily my least favourite of the GUP-CP run for me.

I actually don't really consider Presto as an 80's Rush album. I put the Presto tracks on my 90's Rush Compilation, actually. I know technically, it was released in 1989, but the touring was done in 1990, and I consider it a 90's album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: pg1067 on February 17, 2022, 04:47:22 PM
Get rid of The Pass.

The fuck is this??

It's a song on Presto.

 :lol :lol

That said, The Pass is really good, and Hand over Fist is best described with a term whose use is no longer socially acceptable.


Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 17, 2022, 04:49:45 PM
Hmmm....as partial as I am to 80s Rush, I'm not sure how many Presto songs make the cut.  It's easily my least favourite of the GUP-CP run for me.

I actually don't really consider Presto as an 80's Rush album. I put the Presto tracks on my 90's Rush Compilation, actually. I know technically, it was released in 1989, but the touring was done in 1990, and I consider it a 90's album.

I never considered that but I get what you mean.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 17, 2022, 05:07:11 PM
I felt that A Show Of Hands closed the 80's Era. Presto was the first album on a new label and they went in a totally different direction musically.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 17, 2022, 05:08:37 PM
I love Hand Over Fist. The lyrics are clunky as heck, and it shouldn’t work, but it does. Much like a lot of Presto. Something about the sound of it just strikes a chord.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: T-ski on February 17, 2022, 06:22:50 PM
Get rid of The Pass.

The fuck is this??

No, kidding. If I were to put a list together “The Pass” is easily top 20.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 17, 2022, 06:38:21 PM
Get rid of The Pass.

The fuck is this??

No, kidding. If I were to put a list together “The Pass” is easily top 20.

You’ve got until the 26th!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 17, 2022, 06:40:35 PM
The only thing worse than The Pass is Bravado.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 17, 2022, 07:36:31 PM
The only thing worse than The Pass is Bravado.
(https://c.tenor.com/SSUg_-zG0CoAAAAM/get-out-leave.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 17, 2022, 07:38:03 PM
(https://media.giphy.com/media/26FxGPtjnVeS6qiJ2/giphy.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 17, 2022, 07:49:07 PM

- Presto would be greatly improved by losing Superconductor and Hand over Fist, which would take it from 52+ minutes to about 44 minutes (and you can scratch Scars if you want to go lower.

- Roll the Bones is only 48 minutes and would be much better as a 4 song EP.

- There are a few songs you could ditch to get Counterparts down from 54:24 to about 40 minutes.  I'd go with Nobody's Hero, The Speed of Love and Cold Fire (which would take it under 40 minutes).

- T4E is about as long as Counterparts.  I'd lose Dog Years and Carve Away the Stone.

- Vapor Trails is a bloated 67+ minutes.  I'd get rid of Ceiling Unlimited, How It Is, Secret Touch and Sweet Miracle.

- S&A could lose most of its back half (pretty much everything after Hope) to get down below its 63 minute run time.

- Clockwork Angels probably needs to be what it is because of the story, but I'd be fine with a 3-song EP (Caravan, BU2B and Headlong Flight).

Holy moly, that’s a bad take to me. In pretty much all instances, you’re taking at least one of my absolute favourites out of it.

Presto: Dump War Paint and Scars. Under no circumstances should you lose Hand Over Fist
Roll the Bones: There are 7 great songs on the album, so cutting it down to 4 would be a great loss. Trim Face Up, Big Wheel and Neurotica though. Even though I have a guilty pleasure for Neurotica.
Counterparts: Speed of Love can definitely go, but I’d dump Alien Shore and Between Sun and Moon before the others you listed. Sun and Moon is still awesome though.
T4E: Title track, Driven, Time and Motion, Resist, Limbo. If you’re not one of these, you’re not needed.
VT: Now here’s a tricky one. Peaceable Kingdom, Stars Look Down and Nocturne are pretty much the ones that I can remove at all. I love his album.
S&A: Yeah, you’re right, the back half isn’t as strong as the front, and yet, I can’t think of anything more than Good News First that I actually would cut off of this one.
CA: I mean, pretty much only BU2B2 counts as a clunker here. Halo Effect could also go if we really need to trim this one down.
Alright, I'll play along....

Presto - Get rid of Stupidconductor and Hand Over Fist that brings the runtime down to about 43 minutes.
Roll the Bones - get rid of Roll the Bones and Neurotica which makes it roughly a 38 minute album
Counterparts - get rid of Stick it Out and Between Sun and Moon and the album would be perfect at about 45 minutes
Test for Echo - Eliminating Dog Years and Carve Away the Stone would make the album about right. Carve Away the Stone already feels like an afterthought track, even though it's fairly decent.
Vapor Trails - Chop out Peaceable Kingdom, The Stars Look Down, How It Is, and Nocturne, which puts it at roughly 48 minutes.
S&A - get rid of Workin Them Angels, The Larger Bowl, and Good News First, which leaves the album at about 49 minutes
Clockwork - take out Wish Them Well, BU2B2, and The Wreckers. That only brings it down to about 54 minutes, but I wouldn't want to widdle it down anymore than that.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: jammindude on February 17, 2022, 08:53:13 PM
You want songs that can “go” A Passage to Bangkok would be on my short list. Really, you can chuck all of side 2 of 2112 with the possible exception of The Twilight Zone. Especially the boring as heck Something for Nothing. You can lose Closer to the Heart as well. Madrigal while we’re at it.

From latter day albums, there’s quite a few. Neurotica, Between the Sun and Moon, Stick It Out, Nobody’s Hero, Double Agent, Red Tide, Totem, Dog Years, and at least half of Vapor Trails.

Love Superconductor, that one stays.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 17, 2022, 09:02:53 PM
The only thing worse than The Pass is Bravado.

Surely we’ve got rules that allow the excommunication of forum members for such poor opinions?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 17, 2022, 10:20:16 PM
The only thing worse than The Pass is Bravado.

 :lol  Mate, you're a crackup!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: Stadler on February 18, 2022, 06:17:13 AM
You want songs that can “go” A Passage to Bangkok would be on my short list. Really, you can chuck all of side 2 of 2112 with the possible exception of The Twilight Zone. Especially the boring as heck Something for Nothing. You can lose Closer to the Heart as well. Madrigal while we’re at it.

From latter day albums, there’s quite a few. Neurotica, Between the Sun and Moon, Stick It Out, Nobody’s Hero, Double Agent, Red Tide, Totem, Dog Years, and at least half of Vapor Trails.

Love Superconductor, that one stays.

For the love of God.   
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: pg1067 on February 18, 2022, 10:01:09 AM
The only thing worse than The Pass is Bravado.

Well...Bravado is definitely worse than The Pass.


Love Superconductor, that one stays.

It's not a horrible song on the whole, but that chorus makes it all but unlistenable.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 18, 2022, 10:07:18 AM
Get rid of The Pass.

The fuck is this??

It's a song on Presto.

I have no comeback.

I do.

(https://i.postimg.cc/vZTBNJDw/4df7e88fb82dd9e0-1.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 18, 2022, 10:18:49 AM
The only thing worse than The Pass is Bravado.

Well...Bravado is definitely worse than The Pass.


Not according to my rankings! (Both are amazing though)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: KevShmev on February 18, 2022, 11:37:23 AM
If the later albums had to be narrowed down to lengths of earlier albums, as I think all four songs are amazing, the last four songs on Counterparts would have made an awesome side, and then for the first side, I think I'd move Alien Shore up to the 2nd slot and do away with Stick It Out, Between Sun and Moon and The Speed of Love.  I like all three of those songs a lot, but I am just playing the game.

Side 1:

Animate
Alien Shore
Cut to the Chase
Nobody's Hero

Side 2:

Double Agent
Leave That Thing Alone
Cold Fire
Everyday Glory

 :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: wolfking on February 18, 2022, 12:09:25 PM
No way Stick it Out gets cut.  Wonderful song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 18, 2022, 12:11:59 PM
If the later albums had to be narrowed down to lengths of earlier albums, as I think all four songs are amazing, the last four songs on Counterparts would have made an awesome side, and then for the first side, I think I'd move Alien Shore up to the 2nd slot and do away with Stick It Out, Between Sun and Moon and The Speed of Love.  I like all three of those songs a lot, but I am just playing the game.

Side 1:

Animate
Alien Shore
Cut to the Chase
Nobody's Hero

Side 2:

Double Agent
Leave That Thing Alone
Cold Fire
Everyday Glory

 :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

I like this a lot, though it's a toss up for me between Double Agent, Between Sun & Moon, and The Speed of Love for that first song on Side 2. I'm also on team "don't care for Stick it Out."
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 18, 2022, 12:40:05 PM
Here's what I did for Test for Echoes a while back. It's a bit short at 38 minutes. Could sneak Limbo back on there, but I like it as just 8 tracks too. Tried to do the same for Vapor Trails yesterday,

Test for Echo

1. Test for Echo
2. Driven
3. Half the World
4. The Color of Right
5. Totem
6. Virtuality
7. Resist
8. Carve Away the Stone

Vapor Trails

1. One Little Victory
2. Ceiling Unlimited
3. Ghost Rider
4. Vapor Trail
5. How it Is
6. Secret Touch
7. Earthshine
8. Freeze Part IV of "Fear"

I hate to not end VT on Out of the Cradle, but that's just over 43 minutes. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: pg1067 on February 18, 2022, 12:47:49 PM
Here's what I did for Test for Echoes a while back.

Ummm...excuse me...it's Test for Eggos.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 18, 2022, 12:49:02 PM
Here's what I did for Test for Echoes a while back.

Ummm...excuse me...it's Test for Eggos.

LOL. I even caught it and fixed it once, and then I think I typed it again wrong.

Test for Echoes was Kevin Bacon's companion album to A Stir of Echoes.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: romdrums on February 18, 2022, 12:49:53 PM

Vapor Trails

1. One Little Victory
2. Ceiling Unlimited
3. Ghost Rider
4. Vapor Trail
5. How it Is
6. Secret Touch
7. Earthshine
8. Freeze Part IV of "Fear"

I hate to not end VT on Out of the Cradle, but that's just over 43 minutes.

I'd put Nocturne in the place of Earthshine.  That would be a solid record for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: KevShmev on February 18, 2022, 01:27:56 PM
I cannot get on board with any version of Vapor Trails that retains One Little Victory.  Hell, the actual album starting off with it is already pretty brutal once you get past the first minute (awesome intro, the rest of the song blows, ugliest melodies they ever wrote).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 18, 2022, 01:42:21 PM
I cannot get on board with any version of Vapor Trails that retains One Little Victory.  Hell, the actual album starting off with it is already pretty brutal once you get past the first minute (awesome intro, the rest of the song blows, ugliest melodies they ever wrote).

I agree about the melodies, but I do love the drumming and the lyrics, and it has a great energy. If it weren't such a fitting intro to their comeback album following Neil's tragedies ("the spirit breaking free"), I'd drop it. But it feels like it has to be there.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 18, 2022, 01:45:26 PM
I've never had a problem with One Little Victory, and I enjoy most of Vapor Trails.


The first two cuts I would make would be Ceiling Unlimited and Peaceable Kingdom.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: pg1067 on February 18, 2022, 02:37:01 PM
I cannot get on board with any version of Vapor Trails that retains One Little Victory.  Hell, the actual album starting off with it is already pretty brutal once you get past the first minute (awesome intro, the rest of the song blows, ugliest melodies they ever wrote).

I won't go that far, but the back half of VT is MUCH better than the front.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: nick_z on February 18, 2022, 02:56:43 PM
Vapor Trails

1. One Little Victory
2. Ceiling Unlimited
3. Ghost Rider
4. Vapor Trail
5. How it Is
6. Secret Touch
7. Earthshine
8. Freeze Part IV of "Fear"

I hate to not end VT on Out of the Cradle, but that's just over 43 minutes.

I can 100% get behind this shortened version of VT. In fact I might actually sub Out of the Cradle in for Freeze
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: nick_z on February 18, 2022, 03:00:05 PM
I've never had a problem with One Little Victory, and I enjoy most of Vapor Trails.


The first two cuts I would make would be Ceiling Unlimited and Peaceable Kingdom.

Ha! Ceiling Unlimited is one of my favorites on VT. Peaceable Kingdom, yes, I wouldn't be too heartbroken if it was dropped...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: HOF on February 18, 2022, 03:09:12 PM
I've never had a problem with One Little Victory, and I enjoy most of Vapor Trails.


The first two cuts I would make would be Ceiling Unlimited and Peaceable Kingdom.

Ha! Ceiling Unlimited is one of my favorites on VT. Peaceable Kingdom, yes, I wouldn't be too heartbroken if it was dropped...

Yeah, I think Ceiling Unlimited is a fairly strong Rush song, especially the remixed version with the added guitar solo. I don't love Geddy's vocal delivery on it, but that's a problem with all of Rush's post-2000 material.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 18, 2022, 05:52:06 PM
I've never had a problem with One Little Victory, and I enjoy most of Vapor Trails.


The first two cuts I would make would be Ceiling Unlimited and Peaceable Kingdom.

Ha! Ceiling Unlimited is one of my favorites on VT. Peaceable Kingdom, yes, I wouldn't be too heartbroken if it was dropped...

Yeah, I think Ceiling Unlimited is a fairly strong Rush song, especially the remixed version with the added guitar solo. I don't love Geddy's vocal delivery on it, but that's a problem with all of Rush's post-2000 material.
Yeah, you start to see the decline of Geddy's vocals with Vapor Trails, but it didn't become a real problem until the Snakes and Arrows tour.

I think Geddy's peak vocally was 1988-1997. In my opinion...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: nick_z on February 18, 2022, 05:58:31 PM

Yeah, you start to see the decline of Geddy's vocals with Vapor Trails, but it didn't become a real problem until the Snakes and Arrows tour.

I think Geddy's peak vocally was 1988-1997. In my opinion...

Yeah, he sounded really good then.

I actually thought his vocals were pretty decent on the S&A tour. To me, a more noticeable decline started with Time Machine...I haven't watched in a while, but I thought I noticed it on the official DVD releases too...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: KevShmev on February 19, 2022, 11:54:50 AM
I cannot get on board with any version of Vapor Trails that retains One Little Victory.  Hell, the actual album starting off with it is already pretty brutal once you get past the first minute (awesome intro, the rest of the song blows, ugliest melodies they ever wrote).

I agree about the melodies, but I do love the drumming and the lyrics, and it has a great energy. If it weren't such a fitting intro to their comeback album following Neil's tragedies ("the spirit breaking free"), I'd drop it. But it feels like it has to be there.

I get that it is important to the band, given that just getting back to being a band was their "one little victory" after a 4-year sabbatical, but that doesn't make me enjoy it any more regardless.  Would have been a killer instrumental, but I just dislike the vocal melodies too much.


I actually thought his vocals were pretty decent on the S&A tour. To me, a more noticeable decline started with Time Machine...I haven't watched in a while, but I thought I noticed it on the official DVD releases too...

Agreed.  I rarely revisit the Blu-rays/DVDs from the last three tours, mainly because Geddy's vocals are too rough across the board on all of them.  And that sucks because the set lists on those last two tours were mostly amazing (the Time Machine set list was good, but not one I would call amazing). 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: TAC on February 19, 2022, 12:33:51 PM
Time Machine is almost unlistenable due to the vocals. It's too bad because (sorry Kev) the setlist was amazing.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 20, 2022, 07:18:27 PM
I pushed the submissions due date back a day to the 27th (end of the day), so that gives anyone who still wants to submit a list a week.  I have 14 so far (counting my own), so am hoping to get at least six more to get to 20 total. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Cool Chris on February 20, 2022, 07:19:42 PM
I'll have mine in to you shortly.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 20, 2022, 07:20:01 PM
I pushed the submissions due date back a day to the 27th (end of the day), so that gives anyone who still wants to submit a list a week.  I have 14 so far (counting my own), so am hoping to get at least six more to get to 20 total.

I can't believe you only have 14. Let's go people!!!!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on February 20, 2022, 09:10:34 PM
I've gone through the ranking engine twice; gonna try for a third time and average out the results. You should have my list before the deadline Kev!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 20, 2022, 10:21:31 PM
I’ve had a rough weekend. But I’ve got the day off tomorrow so I will go through the ranking engine at least once more. Maybe a couple of times.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 20, 2022, 10:25:56 PM
I thought knowing the catalog really well would make it easier. But it actually makes it harder. You guys have no idea. But Rush was my first love.

My hometown is Renton, WA  and I used to call into radio stations as The Renton Rush Raver (actually won a early release of GUP that way). In fact, RRR was my original BBS pseudonym back in the days of cradle modems.  Kids in middle school made fun of me because I could turn just about any conversation into a conversation about Rush. I was completely obsessed.

I chilled way out in my later days, but when I was 13 to 15 years old, Rush was God.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 21, 2022, 04:11:51 AM
I pushed the submissions due date back a day to the 27th (end of the day), so that gives anyone who still wants to submit a list a week.  I have 14 so far (counting my own), so am hoping to get at least six more to get to 20 total.

I can't believe you only have 14. Let's go people!!!!

Yeah, I gotta get my ass moving on this and quick.  Got a solid top 30 though.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 21, 2022, 11:39:32 AM
I pushed the submissions due date back a day to the 27th (end of the day), so that gives anyone who still wants to submit a list a week.  I have 14 so far (counting my own), so am hoping to get at least six more to get to 20 total.

I can't believe you only have 14. Let's go people!!!!

Yeah, I gotta get my ass moving on this and quick.  Got a solid top 30 though.
Hurry up Kip Lightwinger!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 21, 2022, 11:43:55 AM
Man....I used to think Totem was one of the few misfires on TFE.  But I'm listening to it now and really digging it.   TFE is such an amazing overlooked album. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 21, 2022, 11:52:14 AM
Man....I used to think Totem was one of the few misfires on TFE.  But I'm listening to it now and really digging it.   TFE is such an amazing overlooked album.
I agree. I got the album when it first released and I thought Totem was the weakest track on there. It has really grown on me over the years. Overall I love TFE. It was the second Rush album I bought with my own money after Roll the Bones (I somehow missed Counterparts at the time), but I played TFE to death when I was a kid. My mom hated it!  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: HOF on February 21, 2022, 12:00:40 PM
Man....I used to think Totem was one of the few misfires on TFE.  But I'm listening to it now and really digging it.   TFE is such an amazing overlooked album.

Always liked Totem. The middle section is great, and I love that sort of tribal drumming Neil does throughout (similar to the middle/ending section of Vapor Trail and on Clockwork Angels).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: DragonAttack on February 21, 2022, 12:05:14 PM
First, it slightly amazes me that from ALL the prelisting chatter, that there are so few submissions.

Then again, I remember the many community Zoom meetings I was attending near the deadline of DT, turning off my camera, and opening my spreadsheet to adjust the song rankings :D

<btw.....still wish a separate thread would be opened in regards to comments for songs that we ranked that didn't make the Top 100.  I found some of those comments enlightening.   And Kev, I know, there are more important things going on right now.   :heart )
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 21, 2022, 12:17:07 PM
Oh mine is in the works.  Trust me.  I'm using my paid holiday (OMG I LOVE MY NEW JOB WORKING FOR THE CITY!!!) to sit in my man cave, go through the ranking engine, and doing A/B comparisons for all the close calls from my music database.   
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 21, 2022, 12:53:02 PM
I pushed the submissions due date back a day to the 27th (end of the day), so that gives anyone who still wants to submit a list a week.  I have 14 so far (counting my own), so am hoping to get at least six more to get to 20 total.

I can't believe you only have 14. Let's go people!!!!

Yeah, I gotta get my ass moving on this and quick.  Got a solid top 30 though.

I feel your list is going to be shocking.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 21, 2022, 12:59:06 PM
I pushed the submissions due date back a day to the 27th (end of the day), so that gives anyone who still wants to submit a list a week.  I have 14 so far (counting my own), so am hoping to get at least six more to get to 20 total.

I can't believe you only have 14. Let's go people!!!!

Yeah, I gotta get my ass moving on this and quick.  Got a solid top 30 though.

I feel your list is going to be shocking.

If it didn't include The Body Electric, it sure as hell does now.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: romdrums on February 21, 2022, 01:00:58 PM
I pushed the submissions due date back a day to the 27th (end of the day), so that gives anyone who still wants to submit a list a week.  I have 14 so far (counting my own), so am hoping to get at least six more to get to 20 total.

I can't believe you only have 14. Let's go people!!!!

Yeah, I gotta get my ass moving on this and quick.  Got a solid top 30 though.

I feel your list is going to be shocking.

If it didn't include The Body Electric, it sure as hell does now.

Wondering where Chain Lightning ends up.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 21, 2022, 01:09:38 PM
Not nearly as high as Superconductor.


EDIT:  We're dicks.   :) :) :) :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 21, 2022, 01:15:17 PM
 :rollin Oh you guys are killing me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 21, 2022, 01:38:37 PM
I guess Vital Signs should have to find a way in there too.......
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: romdrums on February 21, 2022, 01:46:38 PM
I guess Vital Signs should have to find a way in there too.......

 :rollin

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 21, 2022, 03:47:59 PM
That's sick I know, but I need to find ways to deal with it I guess haha.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 21, 2022, 03:53:41 PM
And I don't speak for anyone else, but that's my way of showing gratitude that you made it through.  I don't mean to cheapen or minimize your experience in any way.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 21, 2022, 03:55:01 PM
And I don't speak for anyone else, but that's my way of showing gratitude that you made it through.  I don't mean to cheapen or minimize your experience in any way.

I don't take it that way from anyone Bill, don't stress about that.  I take it as love.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 21, 2022, 03:56:29 PM
I am actually revisiting some older Rush stuff that just never quite fully clicked with me.  It's all good stuff, but my sentiment hasn't really changed.

Funny how the eras of this band can fully divide the fan base.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: HOF on February 21, 2022, 04:00:46 PM
And I don't speak for anyone else, but that's my way of showing gratitude that you made it through.  I don't mean to cheapen or minimize your experience in any way.

I don't take it that way from anyone Bill, don't stress about that.  I take it as love.

Dude, had no idea what the ribbing was about but just went over to the General Discussion and saw your post. That’s really scary stuff! Glad you pulled through.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 21, 2022, 04:01:16 PM
I am actually revisiting some older Rush stuff that just never quite fully clicked with me.  It's all good stuff, but my sentiment hasn't really changed.

Funny how the eras of this band can fully divide the fan base.
It's funny that. Even bad Rush is still good music! :metal Rush is just on a whole other level when it comes to songwriting and musicianship from the rest of the music industry. In my opinion of course.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 21, 2022, 04:07:59 PM
And I don't speak for anyone else, but that's my way of showing gratitude that you made it through.  I don't mean to cheapen or minimize your experience in any way.

I don't take it that way from anyone Bill, don't stress about that.  I take it as love.

Dude, had no idea what the ribbing was about but just went over to the General Discussion and saw your post. That’s really scary stuff! Glad you pulled through.

Thanks mate.  Reading back my OP, I didn't really fully portray that well how fucking intense and scary it was the more that comes back to me.  Coming to terms now how fucked up it was and how close to death I actually came.  I'll get there though.

Rush helps haha.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: romdrums on February 21, 2022, 04:08:37 PM
That's sick I know, but I need to find ways to deal with it I guess haha.

Sometimes laughter is the best medicine!  Glad to hear you made it through that, btw.   :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 21, 2022, 04:09:56 PM
That's sick I know, but I need to find ways to deal with it I guess haha.

Sometimes laughter is the best medicine!  Glad to hear you made it through that, btw.   :metal

Thanks mate.  :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 21, 2022, 05:50:56 PM
I don't know how high it will go on my list, but I just heard High Water for the first time in probably 30 years and I was completely blown away.  I do not remember that song being THAT awesome!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 21, 2022, 05:54:31 PM
Got this as a present Christmas 2002.

(https://i.postimg.cc/kgFn1174/Screenshot-20220221-194726-Photos.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/pmrbyBhb)

Picked my 75 songs. Now for placement. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 21, 2022, 05:57:47 PM
Got this as a present Christmas 2002.

(https://i.postimg.cc/kgFn1174/Screenshot-20220221-194726-Photos.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/pmrbyBhb)

Picked my 75 songs. Now for placement.
Someone needs to make you an updated version :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 21, 2022, 06:02:33 PM
I don't know how high it will go on my list, but I just heard High Water for the first time in probably 30 years and I was completely blown away.  I do not remember that song being THAT awesome!

That's because it's not. ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 21, 2022, 06:03:06 PM
Got this as a present Christmas 2002.

(https://i.postimg.cc/kgFn1174/Screenshot-20220221-194726-Photos.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/pmrbyBhb)

Picked my 75 songs. Now for placement.

Please tell me you have pants on.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 21, 2022, 06:14:08 PM
That's an old picture and yes, I had pants on then.  But now.....
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 21, 2022, 06:34:18 PM
That's an old picture and yes, I had pants on then.  But now.....

 :rollin :rollin :rollin
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 21, 2022, 06:38:45 PM
I liked Totem a lot when TfE was first out.  In fact, it was my initial favorite from the album and I was majorly bummed when it wasn't played on the tour. Considering how much the band talked that one up in pre-release interviews, I thought for sure it would get played.  Ironically, at the time, I was like, "How could not play Totem, but play Resist?" And here we are 25 years later and Resist is my favorite song from the album and Totem is probably now middle of the pack.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 21, 2022, 06:43:27 PM
That's an old picture and yes, I had pants on then.  But now.....

Nice blanket, though, but it's now ruined for me.  :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 21, 2022, 06:47:58 PM
Just one side is ruined.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 21, 2022, 06:49:32 PM
(https://c.tenor.com/Qxok1Fu1WXsAAAAd/eww-no.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: nick_z on February 21, 2022, 06:53:15 PM
And I don't speak for anyone else, but that's my way of showing gratitude that you made it through.  I don't mean to cheapen or minimize your experience in any way.

I don't take it that way from anyone Bill, don't stress about that.  I take it as love.

Dude, had no idea what the ribbing was about but just went over to the General Discussion and saw your post. That’s really scary stuff! Glad you pulled through.

Yes, same here! I was a bit confused, as I rarely check that section. As I said over there, so very happy you are ok. Can't quite imagine how scary that must have been.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: HOF on February 21, 2022, 07:07:59 PM
I don't know how high it will go on my list, but I just heard High Water for the first time in probably 30 years and I was completely blown away.  I do not remember that song being THAT awesome!

With you on this one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 21, 2022, 07:09:51 PM
High Water is one I don't revisit as much as I should, but I definitely love it.  I just love too many songs from that record just a little more. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 21, 2022, 07:41:44 PM
High Water is one I don't revisit as much as I should, but I definitely love it.  I just love too many songs from that record just a little more.

What are you, a politician??
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Cool Chris on February 21, 2022, 09:10:52 PM
Rush....5/8
Fly By Night....7/8
Caress Of Steel....0/5
2112....6/6
A Farewell To Kings....6/6
Hemispheres....4/4
Permanent Waves....6/6
Moving Pictures....7/7
Signals....1/8
Grace Under Pressure....0/8
Power Windows....3/8
Hold Your Fire....1/10
Presto....4/11
Roll The Bones....4/10
Counterparts....2/11
Test For Echo....3/11
Vapor Trails....0/13
Snakes & Arrows....6/13
Clockwork Angels....10/12

5 albums batted 1.000. 3 albums posted donuts. Song #1 was obvious, 2-9 were easy to identify, impossible to rank. 11-20 were easy to spot, hard to rank. 21-50 were solid picks but started to blend together in the 40s. 51+ got to be a challenge.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 21, 2022, 10:20:02 PM
Here's my per album breakdown

Rush - 1/8
Fly By Night - 2/8
Caress of Steel - 3/5
2112 - 1/6
A Farewell to Kings - 4/6
Hemispheres - 3/4
Permanent Waves - 5/6
Moving Pictures - 7/7
Signals - 4/8
Grace Under Pressure - 6/8
Power Windows - 8/8
Hold Your Fire - 6/10
Presto - 3/11
Roll the Bones - 3/10
Counterparts - 6/11
Test for Echo - 2/11
Vapor Trails - 5/13
Snakes & Arrows - 0/13
Clockwork Angels - 6/12

Every album but S&A represented (that album hasn't aged very well for me, still some good songs on it though). Only MP and PoW got all songs on my list. As it should be. I was a little surprised Presto wasn't more well represented on my list, but several of those songs ended up just outside my top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 22, 2022, 03:45:28 AM
I don't know how high it will go on my list, but I just heard High Water for the first time in probably 30 years and I was completely blown away.  I do not remember that song being THAT awesome!

That's because it's not. ;D

No kidding.  The real hidden gem on that album is Open Secrets.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 22, 2022, 04:27:08 AM
I don't know how high it will go on my list, but I just heard High Water for the first time in probably 30 years and I was completely blown away.  I do not remember that song being THAT awesome!

That's because it's not. ;D

No kidding.  The real hidden gem on that album is Open Secrets.

And Prime Mover. I absolutely love that song!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 22, 2022, 04:39:25 AM
Ok, 25 to go.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Podaar on February 22, 2022, 05:42:18 AM
And I don't speak for anyone else, but that's my way of showing gratitude that you made it through.  I don't mean to cheapen or minimize your experience in any way.

I don't take it that way from anyone Bill, don't stress about that.  I take it as love.

Yeah, that's kinda guy culture in a nutshell, add in the Aussie factor and jabbing someone's sore spot is the ultimate expression. Isn't it?

I have no electricity jokes for you, Kade. Sorry, mate.  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 22, 2022, 06:20:29 AM
I don't know how high it will go on my list, but I just heard High Water for the first time in probably 30 years and I was completely blown away.  I do not remember that song being THAT awesome!

That's because it's not. ;D

No kidding.  The real hidden gem on that album is Open Secrets.

And Prime Mover. I absolutely love that song!

Me too.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: nick_z on February 22, 2022, 07:55:11 AM
No kidding.  The real hidden gem on that album is Open Secrets.

And Prime Mover. I absolutely love that song!

Agreed, they both made my list. I've always loved Prime Mover. And "hidden gem" describes Open Secrets well - There are a few songs on HYF that I rank higher, but Open Secrets is great and I rarely see it mentioned. Peart's drumming on it is sublime.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Dream Team on February 22, 2022, 08:37:11 AM
Sent my list in. I'm sure it will provide some laughs. For frame of reference here is how I rank the albums:

Moving Pictures
Hemispheres
Permanent Waves
Signals
Clockwork Angels
A Farewell to Kings
Fly By Night
Power Windows
Grace Under Pressure
Caress of Steel
Vapor Trails
2112
Test For Echo
Counterparts
Rush
Roll the Bones
Hold Your Fire
Presto
Snakes and Arrows
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: pg1067 on February 22, 2022, 10:27:59 AM
I don't know how high it will go on my list, but I just heard High Water for the first time in probably 30 years and I was completely blown away.  I do not remember that song being THAT awesome!

That's because it's not. ;D

No kidding.  The real hidden gem on that album is Open Secrets.

And Prime Mover. I absolutely love that song!

Hey...y'all finally found an album that's worse than POW!   :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 22, 2022, 10:56:27 AM
I used the Ranker this time; couple surprises, but I don't back away from any of it.   Yes, p/g has gained a few places.  I had the direct choice of "MP or Hemispheres", and while Hemispheres always seemed to win, I picked MP this time.  It could change in an hour or so.

Rank   Item
1   Moving Pictures
2   Hemispheres
3   A Farewell to Kings
4   Signals
5   Presto
6   Hold Your Fire
7   Fly By Night
8   Snakes and Arrows
9   Counterparts
10   Power Windows
11   Permanent Waves
12   2112
13   Clockwork Angels
14   Caress of Steel
15   Grace Under Pressure
16   Rush
17   Vapor Trails
18   Test For Echo
19   Roll the Bones
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 22, 2022, 01:22:02 PM
And I don't speak for anyone else, but that's my way of showing gratitude that you made it through.  I don't mean to cheapen or minimize your experience in any way.

I don't take it that way from anyone Bill, don't stress about that.  I take it as love.

Yeah, that's kinda guy culture in a nutshell, add in the Aussie factor and jabbing someone's sore spot is the ultimate expression. Isn't it?

I have no electricity jokes for you, Kade. Sorry, mate.  :biggrin:

I truly appreciate keeping me on my toes with the back and forth between Aussie jokes and electricity jokes.....it's refreshing Gregg.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 22, 2022, 01:41:44 PM
I'm waiting for Gregg to use the hair comparisons with Young Einstein. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 22, 2022, 01:42:47 PM
I'm waiting for Gregg to use the hair comparisons with Young Einstein.

 :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: pg1067 on February 22, 2022, 04:48:30 PM
Using the ranker without any adjustments (the margins in the 8-13 range are paper thin):

1   Hemispheres
2   Moving Pictures
3   Permanent Waves
4   A Farewell to Kings
5   Signals
6   Fly by Night
7   2112
8   Presto
9   Vapor Trails
10   Caress of Steel
11   Rush
12   Counterparts
13   Test for Echo
14   Grace Under Pressure
15   Power Windows
16   Clockwork Angels
17   Snakes & Arrows
18   Hold Your Fire
19   Roll the Bones
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 22, 2022, 07:30:39 PM
I’m still working on my song list, but I did take a few minutes to follow everyone’s lead and throw the albums into the ranking engine.

I was happily surprised that my top five is exactly what I have always said it was. I was a little surprised to see the Test for Echo got beaten out by A Farewell to Kings…which placed probably about 3 spots higher than it does when I just make my own list. Everything else was almost exactly as I suspected.

Ranking Engine

Rank   Item
1   Hemispheres
2   Permanent Waves
3   Power Windows
4   Moving Pictures
5   Clockwork Angels
6   A Farewell to Kings
7   Test for Echo
8   Signals
9   Snakes and Arrows
10   Grace Under Pressure
11   Caress of Steel
12   2112
13   Fly By Night
14   Rush
15   Hold Your Fire
16   Presto
17   Counterparts
18   Roll the Bones
19   Vapor Trails
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 22, 2022, 07:37:23 PM
My albums list would be..

1. Moving Pictures
2. Hemispheres
3. Permanent Waves
4. 2112
5. Signals
6. Counterparts
7. Grace Under Pressure
8. Presto
9. Rush
10. Fly By Night
11. Clockwork Angels
12. Vapor Trails
13. A Farewell To Kings
14. Power Windows
15. Roll The Bones
16. Test For Echo
17. Hold Your Fire
18. Caress Of Steel
19. Snakes & Arrows
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Cool Chris on February 22, 2022, 08:07:24 PM
1   Permanent Waves
2   A Farewell to Kings
3   Moving Pictures
4   2112   
5   Hemispheres

I've said that I'd put this stretch of 5 albums against any bands as my favorite 5 album run. If Rush only released these 5 albums, they'd still be one of the most influential bands of my musical journey.

There is a pretty big drop-off here:
6   Clockwork Angels
7   Presto
8   Fly By Night
9   Rush

Then another big drop:
10   Power Windows
11   Snakes and Arrows

And another smaller one, where things bunch together where I almost don't care: 
12   Grace Under Pressure
13   Signals
14   Caress of Steel
15   Vapor Trails
16   Roll the Bones
17   Counterparts
18   Test for Echo
19   Hold Your Fire   
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 23, 2022, 07:32:44 AM
My albums list would be..

1. Moving Pictures
2. Hemispheres
3. Permanent Waves
4. 2112
5. Signals
6. Counterparts
7. Grace Under Pressure
8. Presto
9. Rush
10. Fly By Night
11. Clockwork Angels
12. Vapor Trails
13. A Farewell To Kings
14. Power Windows
15. Roll The Bones
16. Test For Echo
17. Hold Your Fire
18. Caress Of Steel
19. Snakes & Arrows

Not gonna lie; mildly surprised at how low AFTK is on your list, given the albums around it are #2 and #4.  That intro to the title track is just massive, and Xanadu! That's like the better version of A Passage to Bangkok and Twilight Zone all mashed together!  :) :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 23, 2022, 07:35:35 AM
I've never been a fan of the AFTK's title track. I don't know, it doesn't do anything for me. I love Xanadu and well, let's just say it made my list. But AFTK is easily my least favorite of the that era.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: HOF on February 23, 2022, 08:02:24 AM
This is what the ranker spit out for me just now, and it was close enough that I didn’t change anything. Closest call is Signals v. Presto v. Grace Under Pressure. Those three could probably go in any order on any given day.

1   Power Windows
2   Signals
3   Presto
4   Grace Under Pressure
5   Counterparts
6   Test for Echo
7   Vapor Trails
8   Permanent Waves
9   Hold Your Fire
10   Moving Pictures
11   Roll The Bones
12   Hemispheres
13   Caress of Steel
14   Clockwork Angels
15   Fly By Night
16   A Farewell To Kings
17   2112
18   Snakes and Arrows
19   Rush
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 23, 2022, 08:18:40 AM
Looking at some of these lists, it's interesting to me how varied the "groupings" are.   It's kind of well-accepted that Rush has "eras": 

Rush - 2112
AFTK - MP
S - HYF
P-TFE
VT-CA

Some people have a mix, some people have clumps.  Neither is a right answer, but it's interesting to me.  I think there's an arc to their career; there are no HUGE jumps from album to album, but certainly, comparing "CoS" and, say, "RtB", the differences are stark.  I would argue that the only constant is Neil Peart's drumming and Geddy's bass; Neil's lyrical approach is different across the various eras, Geddy's singing is different across the various eras, the keyboards are different across the various eras, the guitars are different across the various eras, the songwriting is different across the various eras...

What a fascinating band, from this perspective.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: HOF on February 23, 2022, 08:34:16 AM
Looking at some of these lists, it's interesting to me how varied the "groupings" are.   It's kind of well-accepted that Rush has "eras": 

Rush - 2112
AFTK - MP
S - HYF
P-TFE
VT-CA

Some people have a mix, some people have clumps.  Neither is a right answer, but it's interesting to me.  I think there's an arc to their career; there are no HUGE jumps from album to album, but certainly, comparing "CoS" and, say, "RtB", the differences are stark.  I would argue that the only constant is Neil Peart's drumming and Geddy's bass; Neil's lyrical approach is different across the various eras, Geddy's singing is different across the various eras, the keyboards are different across the various eras, the guitars are different across the various eras, the songwriting is different across the various eras...

What a fascinating band, from this perspective.

I’d probably go broadly with:

Rush - Fly By Night (bluesy hard rock)
Caress - Moving Pictures (progressive hard rock)
Signals - Roll the Bones (keyboard era)
Counterparts - Clockwork Angels (grungy/modern hard rock)

But then you have Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures really being sort of on the bubble between those eras, and Presto and Roll the Bones also leaning away from the keyboards a bit towards the next era. If you were making a Venn diagram of the Rush eras, the circles would definitely overlap somewhat.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 23, 2022, 08:54:18 AM
I can't really argue with that. 

I've noted that before; one of the coolest things about Rush is how there IS overlap.  A Passage To Bangkok could absolutely be on A Farewell To Kings.   Vital Signs could absolutely be on Signals.   There are other examples as well.  It's almost like foreshadowing.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 23, 2022, 04:48:54 PM
Oh, we are doing this? Okay.

Using the ranking engine...

1   Moving Pictures
2   Power Windows
3   Permanent Waves
4   2112
5   Counterparts
6   Hemispheres
7   Signals
8   A Farewell to Kings
9   Clockwork Angels
10   Grace Under Pressure
11   Hold Your Fire
12   Roll the Bones
13   Fly by Night
14   Presto
15   Caress of Steel
16   Rush
17   Snakes & Arrows
18   Test for Echo
19   Vapor Trails
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: devieira73 on February 23, 2022, 06:00:45 PM
About Rush eras, of course the end of one blends a bit with the begginning of the next and it's an aproximation - after all, Rush's music complexity defies any categorisation, but I hear them this way: heavy blues rock (Rush-FBN), prog (CoS-MP), keyboard  (Signals -HYF), pop (Presto-RTB) and hard rock (Counterparts-CA).

Really cool, HOF, you see the Rush eras almost exactly the way I do! :tup

Stadler made interesting observations about the eras/albums, it is really fascinating to think about them and how the fans hear them differently.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 23, 2022, 06:52:44 PM
Sorry lads, random post in the middle of this conversation but threw Different Stages in the car today and this is a great set.  Another one I don't think I've ever listened to.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 23, 2022, 06:56:44 PM
In before Kingshmegland says "I was there!".
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 23, 2022, 07:15:26 PM
Sorry lads, random post in the middle of this conversation but threw Different Stages in the car today and this is a great set.  Another one I don't think I've ever listened to.
Different Stages is my absolute favorite live album, and not just for Rush. Of all live albums in my library, that is my favorite.

In before Kingshmegland says "I was there!".
I saw them on the TFE and Counterparts tours, but not the shows that are highlighted on the album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 23, 2022, 07:17:49 PM
In before Kingshmegland says "I was there!".
I saw them on the TFE and Counterparts tours, but not the shows that are highlighted on the album.

As did I.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 23, 2022, 07:44:56 PM
My ears were burning.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: nick_z on February 23, 2022, 07:57:02 PM
Sorry lads, random post in the middle of this conversation but threw Different Stages in the car today and this is a great set.  Another one I don't think I've ever listened to.

Couldn't agree more. I listened to that live a ton when it came out, as I was in peak-Rush fandom mode. Fantastic set of songs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 24, 2022, 04:00:40 AM
Yeah nice, glad I brought it up!  :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 24, 2022, 04:13:13 AM
Should be working on my song ranking but......

1. Power Windows
2. Grace Under Pressure
3. Counterparts
4. Permanent Waves
5. Signals
6. Roll the Bones
7. Hold Your Fire
8. Moving Pictures
9. Presto
10. Hemispheres
11. A Farewell to Kings
12. Snakes and Arrows
13. A Caress of Steel
14. Fly By Night
15. Vapor Trails
16. Test for Echo
17. Clockwork Angels
18. Fly By Night
19. Rush
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 24, 2022, 04:31:29 AM
Is that in reverse order??
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 24, 2022, 05:18:58 AM
Is that in reverse order??

I guess I'd have to have some side effects from the accident right?  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 24, 2022, 05:21:37 AM
It's Bizaro Tim!  Lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Podaar on February 24, 2022, 05:22:57 AM
No 2112, either.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 24, 2022, 05:29:30 AM
No 2112, either.

He likes Fly By Night
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 24, 2022, 06:00:28 AM
That's just keeping in line with the many submitted lists I have gotten with the same song listed twice.  :facepalm: :lol

With only a future days left, no more Mr Nice Guy...any new submitted list now that lists a song more than once will be disregarded and not count towards the cumulative ranking, so, to anyone still looking to send one, proofread it before sending.  :biggrin: :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Dream Team on February 24, 2022, 06:36:23 AM
What in heck are my eyes seeing?? Moving Pictures 10th?? Hemispheres 12th??  :facepalm:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Dream Team on February 24, 2022, 06:36:53 AM
That's just keeping in line with the many submitted lists I have gotten with the same song listed twice.  :facepalm: :lol

With only a future days left, no more Mr Nice Guy...any new submitted list now that lists a song more than once will be disregarded and not count towards the cumulative ranking, so, to anyone still looking to send one, proofread it before sending.  :biggrin: :biggrin:

Yikes. Was I one of the culprits?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: nick_z on February 24, 2022, 06:40:29 AM
No 2112, either.

He likes Fly By Night

 :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 24, 2022, 06:52:15 AM
That's just keeping in line with the many submitted lists I have gotten with the same song listed twice.  :facepalm: :lol

With only a future days left, no more Mr Nice Guy...any new submitted list now that lists a song more than once will be disregarded and not count towards the cumulative ranking, so, to anyone still looking to send one, proofread it before sending.  :biggrin: :biggrin:

You should keep all the lists but make any duplicate a vote for "The Great White North". 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 24, 2022, 07:04:03 AM
That's just keeping in line with the many submitted lists I have gotten with the same song listed twice.  :facepalm: :lol

With only a future days left, no more Mr Nice Guy...any new submitted list now that lists a song more than once will be disregarded and not count towards the cumulative ranking, so, to anyone still looking to send one, proofread it before sending.  :biggrin: :biggrin:

You should keep all the lists but make any duplicate a vote for "The Great White North".

If he did that, my list would feature about 5 votes for GWN… no matter how you cut it, 😱
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: BRGM on February 24, 2022, 07:09:41 AM
Should be working on my song ranking but......

As should I but...

1   Permanent Waves
2   Hemispheres
3   Moving Pictures
4   2112
5   A Farewell to Kings
6   Grace Under Pressure
7   Clockwork Angels
8   Power Windows
9   Signals
10   Counterparts
11   Presto
12   Hold Your Fire
13   Roll the Bones
14   Caress of Steel
15   Fly By Night
16   Test For Echo
17   Snakes and Arrows
18   Vapor Trails
19   RUSH
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: pg1067 on February 24, 2022, 10:24:17 AM
Sorry lads, random post in the middle of this conversation but threw Different Stages in the car today and this is a great set.  Another one I don't think I've ever listened to.

It's been quite a while for me, and I've listened to the third disc (from the AFTK tour) a LOT more often than the first two discs.  Probably time to revisit.


That's just keeping in line with the many submitted lists I have gotten with the same song listed twice.  :facepalm: :lol

With only a future days left, no more Mr Nice Guy...any new submitted list now that lists a song more than once will be disregarded and not count towards the cumulative ranking, so, to anyone still looking to send one, proofread it before sending.  :biggrin: :biggrin:

You should keep all the lists but make any duplicate a vote for "The Great White North". 

That'd be a beauty way to go, eh!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: nick_z on February 24, 2022, 11:59:57 AM
I'll add mine (this didn't use the ranking engine...):

  1   Moving Pictures
  2   Permanent Waves
  3   Counterparts
  4   Power Windows
  5   Grace Under Pressure
  6   A Farewell to Kings
  7   Hemispheres
  8   Signals
  9   Hold Your Fire
10   Roll the Bones
11   Test for Echo
12   Clockwork Angels
13   Presto
14   Vapor Trails
15   Snakes and Arrows
16   2112
17   Fly By Night
18   Caress of Steel
19   Rush


Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: DTA on February 24, 2022, 01:04:39 PM
Sorry lads, random post in the middle of this conversation but threw Different Stages in the car today and this is a great set.  Another one I don't think I've ever listened to.

Different Stages is such a great live album, and the third disc is really cool. Part of me wishes they would've gone just one year further and put a show from the Hemispheres tour instead since it had essentially the same songs as the AFTK tour (minus Cinderella Man) but with Hemispheres the song also.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 24, 2022, 02:56:31 PM
That's just keeping in line with the many submitted lists I have gotten with the same song listed twice.  :facepalm: :lol

With only a future days left, no more Mr Nice Guy...any new submitted list now that lists a song more than once will be disregarded and not count towards the cumulative ranking, so, to anyone still looking to send one, proofread it before sending.  :biggrin: :biggrin:

Yikes. Was I one of the culprits?

Nope. 

That's just keeping in line with the many submitted lists I have gotten with the same song listed twice.  :facepalm: :lol

With only a future days left, no more Mr Nice Guy...any new submitted list now that lists a song more than once will be disregarded and not count towards the cumulative ranking, so, to anyone still looking to send one, proofread it before sending.  :biggrin: :biggrin:

You should keep all the lists but make any duplicate a vote for "The Great White North".

Or better yet, any duplicate gets my favorite Power Windows song missing from their list already inserted into their list into that slot.  And for anyone who has all eight on their list, they get a gold star from the solar federation.  :hat :hat
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 24, 2022, 03:03:55 PM
Should be working on my song ranking but......

1. Power Windows
2. Grace Under Pressure
3. Counterparts
4. Permanent Waves
5. Signals
6. Roll the Bones
7. Hold Your Fire
8. Moving Pictures
9. Presto
10. Hemispheres
11. A Farewell to Kings
12. Snakes and Arrows
13. A Caress of Steel
14. Fly By Night
15. Vapor Trails
16. Test for Echo
17. Clockwork Angels
18. Fly By Night
19. Rush

Fuck lol......so there are side effects.  :lol

I'll try again.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 24, 2022, 03:06:09 PM
1. Power Windows
2. Grace Under Pressure
3. Counterparts
4. Permanent Waves
5. Signals
6. Roll the Bones
7. Hold Your Fire
8. Moving Pictures
9. Presto
10. Hemispheres
11. A Farewell to Kings
12. 2112
13. A Caress of Steel
14. Vapor Trails
15. Snakes and Arrows
16. Test for Echo
17. Clockwork Angels
18. Fly By Night
19. Rush


Fuck it, that'll do.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Cool Chris on February 24, 2022, 08:38:12 PM
Chalk me up as one of the idiots who posted a song twice.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on February 24, 2022, 09:05:57 PM
Kev, check your PMs - just sent my list after going through the ranking site a third time and averaging the results out.  :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 24, 2022, 09:09:09 PM
Chalk me up as one of the idiots who posted a song twice.

I posted an album twice and there's only 19 of them......I'm fucked come song time.  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 25, 2022, 02:56:12 PM
Placing the last 20-30 songs is tricky.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 25, 2022, 07:21:09 PM
At a Rush tribute band show tonight. Lotus Land.

(https://i.postimg.cc/SKbp4XCD/20220225-211910.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/zy7QSGdg)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 25, 2022, 07:36:06 PM
Sent.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 25, 2022, 09:11:57 PM
I saw a Rush tribute band tonight too.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 25, 2022, 09:17:08 PM
 :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 25, 2022, 10:05:26 PM
My album breakdown;

Rush - (1/8)
Fly By Night - (1/8)
The Caress of Steel - (1/5)
2112 - (4/6)
A Farewell to Kings - (3/6)
Hemispheres - (3/4)
Permanent Waves - (4/6)
Moving Pictures - (6/7)
Signals - (7/8)
Grace Under Pressure - (6/8)
Power Windows - (8/8)
Hold Your Fire - (7/10)
Presto - (4/11)
Roll the Bones (5/10)
Counterparts - (5/11)
Test for Echo - (2/11)
Vapor Trails - (2/13)
Snakes and Arrows (2/13)
Clockwork Angels (4/12)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 26, 2022, 06:11:50 AM
21 lists have now been submitted.

The end of tomorrow is the cutoff to submit one, for those who have not yet.

Only three songs from Rush's 19 studio albums of original material have not been listed yet on anyone's top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 26, 2022, 06:50:37 AM
21 lists have now been submitted.

The end of tomorrow is the cutoff to submit one, for those who have not yet.

Only three songs from Rush's 19 studio albums of original material have not been listed yet on anyone's top 75.

WOW! That’s cool. I’m kinda tempted to ask which?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: devieira73 on February 26, 2022, 07:09:37 AM
21 lists have now been submitted.

The end of tomorrow is the cutoff to submit one, for those who have not yet.

Only three songs from Rush's 19 studio albums of original material have not been listed yet on anyone's top 75.

 :omg:

Tai Shan, Neurotica and I Think I'm Going Bald?... :corn
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: The Letter M on February 26, 2022, 08:53:38 AM
21 lists have now been submitted.

The end of tomorrow is the cutoff to submit one, for those who have not yet.

Only three songs from Rush's 19 studio albums of original material have not been listed yet on anyone's top 75.

I'd say at least two of them are from their debut (probably some combination of "Take A Friend", "Need Some Love", and "Before And After").

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: nobloodyname on February 26, 2022, 08:59:51 AM
21 lists have now been submitted.

The end of tomorrow is the cutoff to submit one, for those who have not yet.

Only three songs from Rush's 19 studio albums of original material have not been listed yet on anyone's top 75.

 :omg:

Tai Shan, Neurotica and I Think I'm Going Bald?... :corn

Hmmm ::)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on February 26, 2022, 09:07:33 AM
Only CoS didn't make my top 75, and just missed it! One of the tracks was #76. Anyhoo, here's my breakdown:

Rush - (1/8)
Fly By Night - (4/8)
The Caress of Steel - (0/5)
2112 - (2/6)
A Farewell to Kings - (2/6)
Hemispheres - (3/4)
Permanent Waves - (4/6)
Moving Pictures - (6/7)
Signals - (6/8)
Grace Under Pressure - (5/8)
Power Windows - (5/8)
Hold Your Fire - (6/10)
Presto - (5/11)
Roll the Bones (4/10)
Counterparts - (5/11)
Test for Echo - (4/11)
Vapor Trails - (4/13)
Snakes and Arrows (4/13)
Clockwork Angels (5/12)

Pretty surprised at how balanced my list ended up being.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 26, 2022, 11:00:41 AM
21 lists have now been submitted.

The end of tomorrow is the cutoff to submit one, for those who have not yet.

Only three songs from Rush's 19 studio albums of original material have not been listed yet on anyone's top 75.

 :omg:

Tai Shan, Neurotica and I Think I'm Going Bald?... :corn
I'm guessing Rivendell, I Think I'm Going Bald, and BU2B2
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 26, 2022, 11:04:13 AM

Only three songs from Rush's 19 studio albums of original material have not been listed yet on anyone's top 75.

Apparently Stadler hasn't submitted his list yet.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Cool Chris on February 26, 2022, 11:09:06 AM
I Think I'm Going Bald making anyone's list might depend on who is contributing. Is Chad participating?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 26, 2022, 11:29:57 AM
I Think I'm Going Bald making anyone's list might depend on who is contributing. Is Chad participating?
:neverusethis:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: pg1067 on February 26, 2022, 11:57:34 AM
21 lists have now been submitted.

The end of tomorrow is the cutoff to submit one, for those who have not yet.

Only three songs from Rush's 19 studio albums of original material have not been listed yet on anyone's top 75.

 :omg:

Tai Shan, Neurotica and I Think I'm Going Bald?... :corn
I'm guessing Rivendell, I Think I'm Going Bald, and BU2B2

BU2B2 was at the very bottom of mine.  Frankly, I'm surprised that any of these made anyone's top 75, but apparently at least three made it:

Need Some Love
Take a Friend
Rivendell
I Think I'm Going Bald
Neurotica
BU2B2
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 26, 2022, 11:58:43 AM
I'm surprised Big Money made anyone's list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: HOF on February 26, 2022, 12:18:01 PM
21 lists have now been submitted.

The end of tomorrow is the cutoff to submit one, for those who have not yet.

Only three songs from Rush's 19 studio albums of original material have not been listed yet on anyone's top 75.

I’m having a hard time believing that last part. Between the first three albums, and some of the lesser liked songs from the 80s and 90s, and 00s, this is quite a surprise (though I may be filling in a bunch of the gaps with my list. Not all of them though!).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 26, 2022, 12:30:59 PM
21 lists have now been submitted.

The end of tomorrow is the cutoff to submit one, for those who have not yet.

Only three songs from Rush's 19 studio albums of original material have not been listed yet on anyone's top 75.

 :omg:

Tai Shan, Neurotica and I Think I'm Going Bald?... :corn
I'm guessing Rivendell, I Think I'm Going Bald, and BU2B2

BU2B2 was at the very bottom of mine.  Frankly, I'm surprised that any of these made anyone's top 75, but apparently at least three made it:

Need Some Love
Take a Friend
Rivendell
I Think I'm Going Bald
Neurotica
BU2B2

I'm not finished yet, but I'm sure ITIGB will make mine.  I absolutely LOVE that song.  Easily my second favorite from CoS.   (Ok...maybe third or in a tie with BD)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on February 26, 2022, 01:00:10 PM
21 lists have now been submitted.

The end of tomorrow is the cutoff to submit one, for those who have not yet.

Only three songs from Rush's 19 studio albums of original material have not been listed yet on anyone's top 75.
:omg:

Tai Shan, Neurotica and I Think I'm Going Bald?... :corn
I'm guessing Rivendell, I Think I'm Going Bald, and BU2B2
BU2B2 was at the very bottom of mine.  Frankly, I'm surprised that any of these made anyone's top 75, but apparently at least three made it:

Need Some Love
Take a Friend
Rivendell
I Think I'm Going Bald
Neurotica
BU2B2
Definitely hard to say for sure, but yeah I'm guessing BU2B2 was one (finished in last place all 3 times I did the ranking website) and Rivendell was near the bottom too. Unless Ben votes for it, I'll guess the third song was ITIGB.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: romdrums on February 26, 2022, 02:00:08 PM

Only three songs from Rush's 19 studio albums of original material have not been listed yet on anyone's top 75.

Apparently Stadler hasn't submitted his list yet.

 :rollin
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: devieira73 on February 26, 2022, 04:05:07 PM
Thinking better, BU2B2 must be one of the 3. It's not terrible, but it sounds more like a segue than an actual song.
About Neurotica, it's impressive how just an annoying chorus can crush down the entire song. I think this also happens with Freeze from VP (I know many of you love this one).
Although I mentioned it, I think I like ITIGB more than half of first album and maybe more than some songs from RTB, VP and S&A.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 27, 2022, 12:45:22 AM
I DID IT!!! What a labor of love that was. I even screwed up …sent in a list with a repeated song and things I forgot to edit…so I had to RESEND a new list.

In the end (no pun intended) there was a lot I really disliked about list #2, and felt that my first list was much closer to my feelings about the songs. But I did feel that list #2 did have about a small handful of songs that were better placed, so I used list 2 as a guide to retool list 1 and came up with a final list I was very pleased with.

Not too many spoilers….but I will say that all 19 albums are represented in the top 50, and ITIGB did make it into the final top 75.

Album representation:

RUSH - 3/8
Fly by Night - 3/8
Caress of Steel - 3/5
2112 - 1/6
A Farewell to Kings - 3/6
Hemispheres - 4/4
Permanent Waves - 6/6
Moving Pictures - 7/7
Signals - 6/8
Grace Under Pressure - 2/8
Power Windows - 6/8
Hold Your Fire - 3/10
Presto - 4/11
Roll the Bones - 3/10
Counterparts - 4/11
Test for Echo - 4/11
Vapor Trails - 2/13
Snakes and Arrows - 5/13
Clockwork Angels - 6/12
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 27, 2022, 07:00:12 AM
24 list have now been submitted, and today is the last day anyone else can submit one.

The three songs which have not appeared on any of the 24 lists so far are:

Take a Friend
Face Up
Neurotica

Every other song on a studio album has been on at least one list.  Yes, someone included BU2B2, and yes, someone included Tai Shan.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Deadeye21 on February 27, 2022, 08:15:34 AM
I almost had Neurotica actually. I do love that song.

Bet I’m the highest placement of a certain RtB track though.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 27, 2022, 08:44:19 AM
I almost had Neurotica actually. I do love that song.

Bet I’m the highest placement of a certain RtB track though.

Yep.  You are one of only two people to have that song in their 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on February 27, 2022, 08:48:43 AM
I almost had Neurotica actually. I do love that song.
That song would be great if not for the absolutely lame chorus. Completely ruined the song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 27, 2022, 08:53:28 AM
I remember for the first time seeing the Rio documentary where they used bits of Neurotica, but without the vocals, as the background music, and thinking, "Hmmm, maybe that song is better than I thought," and then when I went and listened to it again, I was like, "Nope, the chorus is still boring."  I will never skip anything from that record if I am doing a full listen (even the lesser ones like that, You Bet Your Life and Face Up are ones I can enjoy enough within the flow), but a good chorus would have elevated Neurotica by leaps and bounds.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 27, 2022, 08:54:57 AM
On my complete list, Neurotica came in dead last. You Can’t Fight It and I’ve Been Runnin were next.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 27, 2022, 08:56:28 AM
jammindude, I was a little shocked by your list.  In all of our CP vs TfE fun debates over the years, I have lost track at how many times you have said something along the lines of the first five songs from TfE being one of their best 5-song runs ever, so I was surprised when only four of those five songs made your top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 27, 2022, 09:03:14 AM
jammindude, I was a little shocked by your list.  In all of our CP vs TfE fun debates over the years, I have lost track at how many times you have said something along the lines of the first five songs from TfE being one of their best 5-song runs ever, so I was surprised when only four of those five songs made your top 75.

That one surprised me as well. I had to do a double take.

I stand my my assessment of the complete albums. The strength and/or weakness of either one lies in the tracks that didn’t make it. Rush just simply has so much good material. It’s just impossible to include everything I love.

For what it’s worth, CP had 4 songs that didn’t even make the top 150. The only song that got that low from TFE was Dog Years.

EDIT - If you had made this a top 100, you would’ve seen a bigger difference.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 27, 2022, 09:10:12 AM
Great point. As I input all of these lists, I keep thinking about all of the good songs that didn't crack my top 75.  Vapor Trails was the one album that didn't have any song make my top 75, but they had three in the 76-85 range for me (Freeze, Earthshine, Nocturne), and another (Vapor Trail) was not far behind.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: The Letter M on February 27, 2022, 09:19:08 AM
24 list have now been submitted, and today is the last day anyone else can submit one.

The three songs which have not appeared on any of the 24 lists so far are:

Take a Friend
Face Up
Neurotica

Every other song on a studio album has been on at least one list.  Yes, someone included BU2B2, and yes, someone included Tai Shan.

Well I got TAF right, I guess, but I didn't expect the other two to be BOTH from RTB. Granted, I don't rate much of RTB very highly either, so I'm not terribly surprised.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 27, 2022, 10:22:20 AM
I'm actually a little surprised Face Up didn't make anyone's list. Even though it didn't quite make mine, it's still a great song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 27, 2022, 11:10:14 AM
and sent!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: nobloodyname on February 27, 2022, 11:53:12 AM
[...]and yes, someone included Tai Shan.

:hat
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: pg1067 on February 27, 2022, 02:13:48 PM
I'm surprised that Need Some Love made someone's top 75!  That someone thinks that song is better than half of Rush's catalog is just staggering.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 27, 2022, 02:58:19 PM
I'm surprised that Need Some Love made someone's top 75!  That someone thinks that song is better than half of Rush's catalog is just staggering.
Indeed! That one ended up at #158 for my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 27, 2022, 03:52:51 PM
I'm surprised that Need Some Love made someone's top 75!  That someone thinks that song is better than half of Rush's catalog is just staggering.

Granted, I don’t have it ranked in my top 75. But I actually really love that entire first album. It probably depends a lot on when and how you heard it.

I did first discover Rush with Moving Pictures when I was 12 years old. But my next two albums as I recall were when a friend of mine bought COS and Rush because they were in a bargain bin. Because we were at an age where we were living on a glut of AC/DC and Led Zeppelin, and probably about 13 or 14 years old, we thought those albums were almost the coolest thing we had ever heard. To this day I don’t consider anything from that album to be a skip track.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 27, 2022, 03:59:27 PM
I love the first album. Two of its tracks ranked pretty high on my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 27, 2022, 04:18:36 PM
(https://i.imgflip.com/66toxc.jpg)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 27, 2022, 04:27:27 PM
The Veapon!  And you can only see it in 3D!!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: MrMike on February 27, 2022, 04:37:34 PM
Reviewing my submitted list, it appears that Presto is the only album that didn't have any songs making the cut.  Even though I can think of one now that probably deserves to be in there.  It's difficult trying to decide between what I consider to be objectively better and others that are just favorites.  And besides that, Rush just has too damn many good songs!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: The Realm on February 27, 2022, 05:19:15 PM
I'm surprised that Need Some Love made someone's top 75!  That someone thinks that song is better than half of Rush's catalog is just staggering.
Indeed! That one ended up at #158 for my list.

Ha! Well Need Some Love made my list. I love the first album. I'm a huge fan of Rush up to Hold Your Fire then I'm not as familiar with the albums after this. However I do have all albums represented on my list. While you may be shocked to see Need Some Love on a list I am just as shocked to see someone only include one song from 2112 on their list!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 27, 2022, 05:32:55 PM
I'm surprised that Need Some Love made someone's top 75!  That someone thinks that song is better than half of Rush's catalog is just staggering.
Indeed! That one ended up at #158 for my list.

Ha! Well Need Some Love made my list. I love the first album. I'm a huge fan of Rush up to Hold Your Fire then I'm not as familiar with the albums after this. However I do have all albums represented on my list. While you may be shocked to see Need Some Love on a list I am just as shocked to see someone only include one song from 2112 on their list!

Ya. Side 2 is really spotty. Twilight Zone came really close, but the others were pretty far back.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: The Realm on February 27, 2022, 05:37:36 PM
I'm surprised that Need Some Love made someone's top 75!  That someone thinks that song is better than half of Rush's catalog is just staggering.
Indeed! That one ended up at #158 for my list.

Ha! Well Need Some Love made my list. I love the first album. I'm a huge fan of Rush up to Hold Your Fire then I'm not as familiar with the albums after this. However I do have all albums represented on my list. While you may be shocked to see Need Some Love on a list I am just as shocked to see someone only include one song from 2112 on their list!



Ya. Side 2 is really spotty. Twilight Zone came really close, but the others were pretty far back.

All good but as a contrast I have two songs from 2112 in my top 10 and another 3 in my top 30! Really looking forward to seeing how the countdown works out, not sure any of us can predict anything at this point!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Cool Chris on February 27, 2022, 05:47:46 PM
I'll take the debut over most of the synth era material any day.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: HOF on February 27, 2022, 05:50:38 PM
I'm surprised that Need Some Love made someone's top 75!  That someone thinks that song is better than half of Rush's catalog is just staggering.
Indeed! That one ended up at #158 for my list.

Ha! Well Need Some Love made my list. I love the first album. I'm a huge fan of Rush up to Hold Your Fire then I'm not as familiar with the albums after this. However I do have all albums represented on my list. While you may be shocked to see Need Some Love on a list I am just as shocked to see someone only include one song from 2112 on their list!

Ya. Side 2 is really spotty. Twilight Zone came really close, but the others were pretty far back.

I only included one, and it’s from side 2…
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 27, 2022, 05:57:15 PM
I'll take the debut over most of the synth era material any day.

That's a huge no for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 27, 2022, 06:00:53 PM
I'll take the debut over most of the synth era material any day.

That's a huge no for me.

Not everyone is a dork though.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 27, 2022, 06:07:40 PM
Not everyone it trapped in a time warp from 1974.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: pg1067 on February 27, 2022, 06:08:40 PM
I'm surprised that Need Some Love made someone's top 75!  That someone thinks that song is better than half of Rush's catalog is just staggering.

Granted, I don’t have it ranked in my top 75. But I actually really love that entire first album. It probably depends a lot on when and how you heard it.

I did first discover Rush with Moving Pictures when I was 12 years old. But my next two albums as I recall were when a friend of mine bought COS and Rush because they were in a bargain bin. Because we were at an age where we were living on a glut of AC/DC and Led Zeppelin, and probably about 13 or 14 years old, we thought those albums were almost the coolest thing we had ever heard. To this day I don’t consider anything from that album to be a skip track.

You and I are about the same age, although it seems like you were younger when you discovered Rush.  I started with the videos that played in the early das of MTV.  I initially didn't think much of Signals, other than Subdivisions and Countdown.  2112 was probably my initial favorite when I started with the back catalog.  I probably had a fair grasp on 2112 through MP before hearing the debut (my friend and I always referred to it as "Rush Rush").  I probably had heard ATWAS and was familiar with Working Man and What You're Doing, and my friend had warned me ahead of time that there was a different drummer.  Forty years later, unless I'm doing a complete catalog listen, I have zero interest in Need Some Love, Take a Friend, Before and After and Here Again.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 27, 2022, 06:14:31 PM
I almost had Neurotica actually. I do love that song.
That song would be great if not for the absolutely lame chorus. Completely ruined the song.

It wasn't far off of my list either.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 27, 2022, 06:16:05 PM
Parts of that song are amazing but that chorus is atrocious
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 27, 2022, 07:47:12 PM
A couple of friends who are a little older than me and who grew up listening to Rush swear by the early albums and both are massive fans of Here Again.  I like it a lot, but it didn't make the cut for me.  I love the solo and it is definitely one of those "they never did any other song like that" instances, but I feel like the production wasn't as sharp as it should have been for that kind of tune on the debut, as opposed to the rockers, all of which sound really good. 

Overall, I like the debut, but I rarely listen to it, and whenever I think of the best debuts by any artist, this one never comes to mind.  Some bands crushed it on their first album (Boston, LZ, VH, etc.), but I don't think Rush was one of them.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: wolfking on February 27, 2022, 08:17:25 PM
Parts of that song are amazing but that chorus is atrocious

Have to agree with this.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 28, 2022, 05:38:15 AM

Only three songs from Rush's 19 studio albums of original material have not been listed yet on anyone's top 75.

Apparently Stadler hasn't submitted his list yet.

Har har.  It's not entirely wrong, though.   :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 28, 2022, 05:42:31 AM
24 list have now been submitted, and today is the last day anyone else can submit one.

The three songs which have not appeared on any of the 24 lists so far are:

Take a Friend
Face Up
Neurotica

Every other song on a studio album has been on at least one list.  Yes, someone included BU2B2, and yes, someone included Tai Shan.

Tai Shan didn't make my list, but I actually like that song. I do not get the hate for it, honestly.  It's not a popular opinion, but I think a fair number of people assume it's bad because the band have spoken poorly of it.   
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 28, 2022, 05:46:09 AM
A couple of friends who are a little older than me and who grew up listening to Rush swear by the early albums and both are massive fans of Here Again.  I like it a lot, but it didn't make the cut for me.  I love the solo and it is definitely one of those "they never did any other song like that" instances, but I feel like the production wasn't as sharp as it should have been for that kind of tune on the debut, as opposed to the rockers, all of which sound really good. 

Overall, I like the debut, but I rarely listen to it, and whenever I think of the best debuts by any artist, this one never comes to mind.  Some bands crushed it on their first album (Boston, LZ, VH, etc.), but I don't think Rush was one of them.

I think some - well, except for TAC - will be mildly surprised at how high "Here Again" is on my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 28, 2022, 06:24:59 AM
I had actually forgotten to put Herr Again on my list somehow. I made the revision yesterday. It’s not really high but it’s on there.

That’s an early Schenker solo right there.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 28, 2022, 07:20:46 AM
I had actually forgotten to put Herr Again on my list somehow. I made the revision yesterday. It’s not really high but it’s on there.

That’s an early Schenker solo right there.

I'm slowly infecting you.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 28, 2022, 07:26:31 AM
I had actually forgotten to put Herr Again on my list somehow. I made the revision yesterday. It’s not really high but it’s on there.

That’s an early Schenker solo right there.

See, I get that vibe as well.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 28, 2022, 09:10:31 AM
I had actually forgotten to put Herr Again on my list somehow. I made the revision yesterday. It’s not really high but it’s on there.

That’s an early Schenker solo right there.

I'm slowly infecting you.

Fucking cooties.  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 28, 2022, 09:35:20 AM
 :lol

Sent my list in yesterday to Kev.  I found ranking the top 30 easy.  The other songs were harder for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 28, 2022, 09:45:53 AM
So - and I mean this constructively, and in good faith - when can we start sharing our BOTTOM ten?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: pg1067 on February 28, 2022, 10:34:48 AM
Tai Shan didn't make my list, but I actually like that song. I do not get the hate for it, honestly.  It's not a popular opinion, but I think a fair number of people assume it's bad because the band have spoken poorly of it.

It's Rush's "You Not Me."  I swear 75% of the hate for that song is because MP dumped on it publicly.


I had actually forgotten to put Herr Again on my list somehow. I made the revision yesterday. It’s not really high but it’s on there.

That’s an early Schenker solo right there.

Freudian slip?

Also, I believe it should be "Herr Wieder"...or maybe "Hier Wieder."
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: SoundscapeMN on February 28, 2022, 12:10:06 PM
Tai Shan didn't make my list, but I actually like that song. I do not get the hate for it, honestly.  It's not a popular opinion, but I think a fair number of people assume it's bad because the band have spoken poorly of it.

Used Bin Radio-ism  ;)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 28, 2022, 12:50:38 PM
Tai Shan didn't make my list, but I actually like that song. I do not get the hate for it, honestly.  It's not a popular opinion, but I think a fair number of people assume it's bad because the band have spoken poorly of it.

Used Bin Radio-ism  ;)

To this day, I miss that show.  I still hear Joe saying "dia-monded", and I often say "ten bucks is ten bucks!". 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 28, 2022, 12:57:32 PM
What show are we talking about?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on February 28, 2022, 01:19:26 PM
Tai Shan didn't make my list, but I actually like that song. I do not get the hate for it, honestly.  It's not a popular opinion, but I think a fair number of people assume it's bad because the band have spoken poorly of it.
It's Rush's "You Not Me."  I swear 75% of the hate for that song is because MP dumped on it publicly.
Perhaps, but I fall outside that for both songs. TS is an OK song that is an outlier for me; it didn't make the cut because I prefer a lot of other music over it. For me it averaged out to #145 after I ranked all the Rush songs 3 different times.

In the case of YNM, my dislike for it doesn't come from MP's comments but especially because of the way it feels like 2 separate songs slapped together, especially with that pause before the chorus. Plus I think having it in the key that it was played a factor - I know it was originally in a higher key, but they ended up lowering it while recording it, I'm guessing to make it easier for JL to sing live since they probably expected to play it at many shows because it was going to be a single. I'd love to hear it in its original key, as well as the original demo that Desmond Child and JP put together - perhaps I would like the song more then.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 28, 2022, 01:48:08 PM
What show are we talking about?

There used to be an internet radio show called "Used Bin Radio"; two guys from Los Angeles, Joe and Brad, and they were hilarious.  I don't know all the deets, but Joe, apparently, was in bands that played the Sunset Strip, and they had great stories of that time and place.  They had some great guests now and again (including Mr. Portnoy) and they had awesome collections of music; the bumpers (the songs in between segments) were almost always obscure demos or live stuff. 

It was live, so people could call in, but for some reason I was only able to get it a week late, so I think I only called in one time.   Brad used to post at Portnoy's forum for a while.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 28, 2022, 01:49:19 PM
Oh OK cool.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: nick_z on February 28, 2022, 02:23:32 PM
Overall, I like the debut, but I rarely listen to it, and whenever I think of the best debuts by any artist, this one never comes to mind.  Some bands crushed it on their first album (Boston, LZ, VH, etc.), but I don't think Rush was one of them.

This is pretty much me. I think the debut sounds great, but I'll go a little further and say this: the fact it has the "Rush" name attached to it, somewhat paradoxically, hurts the way I assess it. In a vacuum, the album is musically very strong. But I can't help it - the "band" Rush to me really starts with Neil joining. It's not fully rational, I know. There's a lot on Fly By Night that could be from the debut (and, more broadly, CoS and 2112 still have traces of that general approach). And, surely, an album like Hold Your Fire is so much more far removed from, say, Hemispheres than FBN is from the debut, despite the musicians being the same people. Yet, to me, these are all "Rush" records in a way that, um, "Rush" isn't.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on February 28, 2022, 02:41:35 PM
Overall, I like the debut, but I rarely listen to it, and whenever I think of the best debuts by any artist, this one never comes to mind.  Some bands crushed it on their first album (Boston, LZ, VH, etc.), but I don't think Rush was one of them.

This is pretty much me. I think the debut sounds great, but I'll go a little further and say this: the fact it has the "Rush" name attached to it, somewhat paradoxically, hurts the way I assess it. In a vacuum, the album is musically very strong. But I can't help it - the "band" Rush to me really starts with Neil joining. It's not fully rational, I know. There's a lot on Fly By Night that could be from the debut (and, more broadly, CoS and 2112 still have traces of that general approach). And, surely, an album like Hold Your Fire is so much more far removed from, say, Hemispheres than FBN is from the debut, despite the musicians being the same people. Yet, to me, these are all "Rush" records in a way that, um, "Rush" isn't.

I don't think there's anything wrong with that point of view, at all.  There are plenty of bands whose first release is sort of "separate" from the rest of the catalogue.   Genesis started, for me, with Trespass.  Dream Theater started, for me, with Images and Words.   UFO started, for me, when Michael Schenker joined.   So? 

I know for me, not all of Neil's lyrics resonate with me, and I don't necessarily think he's the lyrical God that many do (still good, though), but with the exception of Best I Can (which could easily be on the first album) the lyrics from Fly By Night onward - even the ones from Geddy and Alex - are a real cut above, and that's the difference for me.  I don't mind dumb lyrics - I'm a Kiss fan - but there has to be SOMETHING.  (And for some reason, the line "tell you all my lies!" is so cliched as to be cringe-inducing).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 28, 2022, 03:32:01 PM
I'd rather wait for everyone to post any of their lists or bottom 10s or whatever till I finish doing the countdown, which will start in a couple days.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: nick_z on February 28, 2022, 04:27:00 PM
I actually didn't rank anything beyond 100...I trimmed the whole list down to 100, ranked those and then sent the top 75.

Anyway - can't wait for the countdown to begin!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 28, 2022, 04:36:02 PM
I self whittled it down to 80-85 songs and then I ran the ranker twice.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: HOF on February 28, 2022, 05:12:43 PM
So apparently today is the 48th anniversary of the release of RUSH, so that’s kind of a cool coincidence.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: SoundscapeMN on February 28, 2022, 05:19:02 PM
What show are we talking about?

There used to be an internet radio show called "Used Bin Radio"; two guys from Los Angeles, Joe and Brad, and they were hilarious.  I don't know all the deets, but Joe, apparently, was in bands that played the Sunset Strip, and they had great stories of that time and place.  They had some great guests now and again (including Mr. Portnoy) and they had awesome collections of music; the bumpers (the songs in between segments) were almost always obscure demos or live stuff. 

It was live, so people could call in, but for some reason I was only able to get it a week late, so I think I only called in one time.   Brad used to post at Portnoy's forum for a while.

I dunno if you've found them for nostalgia, but they have been uploading the old shows to YouTube.

It almost feels like going back in time hearing them, the ones I called in especially which was like every other week, lol.

https://www.youtube.com/user/UsedBinRadio
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 28, 2022, 05:26:58 PM
Overall, I like the debut, but I rarely listen to it, and whenever I think of the best debuts by any artist, this one never comes to mind.  Some bands crushed it on their first album (Boston, LZ, VH, etc.), but I don't think Rush was one of them.

This is pretty much me. I think the debut sounds great, but I'll go a little further and say this: the fact it has the "Rush" name attached to it, somewhat paradoxically, hurts the way I assess it. In a vacuum, the album is musically very strong. But I can't help it - the "band" Rush to me really starts with Neil joining. It's not fully rational, I know. There's a lot on Fly By Night that could be from the debut (and, more broadly, CoS and 2112 still have traces of that general approach). And, surely, an album like Hold Your Fire is so much more far removed from, say, Hemispheres than FBN is from the debut, despite the musicians being the same people. Yet, to me, these are all "Rush" records in a way that, um, "Rush" isn't.

It becomes even more paradoxical when you consider the fact that fully half the album was regularly performed by Neil for many years after.  And even after they quit playing those four songs regularly, one of them would get revisited pretty much on the regular all the way up until their retirement

EDIT - In fact, I don’t have the tourography in front of me, but I’d be willing to bet that the debut was more commonly represented than fly by night was in later tours
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: pg1067 on February 28, 2022, 06:07:35 PM
Tai Shan didn't make my list, but I actually like that song. I do not get the hate for it, honestly.  It's not a popular opinion, but I think a fair number of people assume it's bad because the band have spoken poorly of it.
It's Rush's "You Not Me."  I swear 75% of the hate for that song is because MP dumped on it publicly.
Perhaps, but I fall outside that for both songs. TS is an OK song that is an outlier for me; it didn't make the cut because I prefer a lot of other music over it. For me it averaged out to #145 after I ranked all the Rush songs 3 different times.

In the case of YNM, my dislike for it doesn't come from MP's comments but especially because of the way it feels like 2 separate songs slapped together, especially with that pause before the chorus. Plus I think having it in the key that it was played a factor - I know it was originally in a higher key, but they ended up lowering it while recording it, I'm guessing to make it easier for JL to sing live since they probably expected to play it at many shows because it was going to be a single. I'd love to hear it in its original key, as well as the original demo that Desmond Child and JP put together - perhaps I would like the song more then.

I disliked Tai Shan before I ever knew that Geddy had bad-mouthed it (and I think it was just Geddy).  On the other hand, I think YNM is both vastly superior to YOM and one of the five best songs on FII.


EDIT - In fact, I don’t have the tourography in front of me, but I’d be willing to bet that the debut was more commonly represented than fly by night was in later tours

I'm sure that's right, but it was primarily Working Man, which (if setlist.fm is accurate) was their 12th most played song (905 times).  In the 17th spot, By-Tor is the most played song from FBN (although I'm sure at least half of those were the very abbreviated medley version), with 726 plays, the last of which was in 2004 on the R30 tour.  After that, you have Anthem at #20 with 555 non-medley plays, but the last time before R40 was in 1980.  Finding My Way is next at #41, with 312 non-medley performances, the last of which were in 1985.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on February 28, 2022, 06:11:01 PM
Anthem was played on the Roll the Bones tour, although it might have been part of the encore medley.

Not sure how setlist.fm calculates the songs that were played in medleys, but In the Mood has to be up there as well. That was played on practically every tour from the debut through Presto (but never played after that).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: nick_z on February 28, 2022, 06:29:39 PM
Overall, I like the debut, but I rarely listen to it, and whenever I think of the best debuts by any artist, this one never comes to mind.  Some bands crushed it on their first album (Boston, LZ, VH, etc.), but I don't think Rush was one of them.

This is pretty much me. I think the debut sounds great, but I'll go a little further and say this: the fact it has the "Rush" name attached to it, somewhat paradoxically, hurts the way I assess it. In a vacuum, the album is musically very strong. But I can't help it - the "band" Rush to me really starts with Neil joining. It's not fully rational, I know. There's a lot on Fly By Night that could be from the debut (and, more broadly, CoS and 2112 still have traces of that general approach). And, surely, an album like Hold Your Fire is so much more far removed from, say, Hemispheres than FBN is from the debut, despite the musicians being the same people. Yet, to me, these are all "Rush" records in a way that, um, "Rush" isn't.

It becomes even more paradoxical when you consider the fact that fully half the album was regularly performed by Neil for many years after.  And even after they quit playing those four songs regularly, one of them would get revisited pretty much on the regular all the way up until their retirement

EDIT - In fact, I don’t have the tourography in front of me, but I’d be willing to bet that the debut was more commonly represented than fly by night was in later tours

Absolutely. And, clearly, Working Man is an iconic song for them, for a variety of reasons. It's just that for me, even when those songs were played live, it was more of a fun celebration of their beginnings rather than a "oh that's such a cool Rush song they are playing!" moment. It didn't make it any less enjoyable. But, again, more like a tribute to an earlier version of the band.
 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 28, 2022, 06:29:55 PM
That was my point. It was more often Working Man than anything else, but it was almost almost always *something* from the debut. It was FMW on the GUP tour. And it was a pleasant surprise when WYD made an appearance at R40.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 28, 2022, 06:35:37 PM
I would argue that the title track from FBN is nearly as iconic (from a radio play standpoint) as Working Man is. But for some reason they never really cared for that one and avoided it after the 2112 tour. By-Tor is probably almost as iconic from a fan standpoint, and that rarely resurfaced.

That along with the fact that more songs in general made an occasional appearance from the debut than FBN. Heck, you could almost say it was nearly as well represented as 2112 itself. Yes, Overture/Temples *always* got played, but everything from side 2 was ditched after the AFTK tour, and other than the full performance on the TFE tour, the grand finale was just once in awhile.

EDIT - I just remembered they brought back Bangkok once for the Time Machine tour…but still.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 28, 2022, 06:50:37 PM
By-Tor is probably almost as iconic from a fan standpoint, and that rarely resurfaced.

By-Tor And The Snore Dog. Yawn.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on February 28, 2022, 06:54:05 PM
By-Tor is probably almost as iconic from a fan standpoint, and that rarely resurfaced.

By-Tor And The Snore Dog. Yawn.
By-tor is an amazing song! The extended version on AtWaS is even more amazing!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: jammindude on February 28, 2022, 06:56:42 PM
By-Tor is probably almost as iconic from a fan standpoint, and that rarely resurfaced.

By-Tor And The Snore Dog. Yawn.

Tim, haven’t we already established that you are not a good barometer for “the fanbase”…..of anything.  :rollin :rollin :rollin


We are just going to have to turn, “DAMMIT TIM  :facepalm:” into an official catchphrase at this point
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 28, 2022, 06:56:53 PM
I've always felt like I should like it more than I do. I just don't care for it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: HOF on February 28, 2022, 07:26:48 PM
I've always felt like I should like it more than I do. I just don't care for it.

I like it, but it would be better without the spacey quiet part where the song basically stops for two minutes.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: DTA on February 28, 2022, 07:28:12 PM
In The Mood somehow made it to the setlist for every tour from the debut through Presto. I guess it was just a fun, dumb song to play at the end of a show. It's probably is the most consistently played song outside of 2112/Spirit/Tom Sawyer
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on February 28, 2022, 07:49:46 PM
I've always felt like I should like it more than I do. I just don't care for it.

I like it, but it would be better without the spacey quiet part where the song basically stops for two minutes.

Wow, that's an illuminating theory.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Cool Chris on February 28, 2022, 08:17:48 PM
Looked at Ultimateclassicrock.com's ranking of all Rush's songs, just to see how my list stacked up against theirs. In the Mood was listed as the #1(?)worst song. Made my Top 75 fairly easily.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on February 28, 2022, 08:34:14 PM
By-tor is an amazing song! The extended version on AtWaS is even more amazing!
Very true! My favorite part of AtWaS.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: nick_z on March 01, 2022, 07:59:21 AM
I've always felt like I should like it more than I do. I just don't care for it.

I like it, but it would be better without the spacey quiet part where the song basically stops for two minutes.

Wow, that's an illuminating theory.

 :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on March 01, 2022, 08:20:22 AM
I've always felt like I should like it more than I do. I just don't care for it.

I'm in this crowd too.  Just doesn't resonate (and I LIKE Fly By Night as an album).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on March 01, 2022, 09:06:06 AM
I've always felt like I should like it more than I do. I just don't care for it.

I'm in this crowd too.  Just doesn't resonate (and I LIKE Fly By Night as an album).

Yes same here.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: pg1067 on March 01, 2022, 10:04:17 AM
Anthem was played on the Roll the Bones tour, although it might have been part of the encore medley.

Not sure how setlist.fm calculates the songs that were played in medleys, but In the Mood has to be up there as well. That was played on practically every tour from the debut through Presto (but never played after that).

Yeah...it was part of a medley -- both on RTB and R30 (hence my reference to "non-medley plays").  In this case, setlist.fm has separate entries for Anthem and for "2112 Part I: Overture / Finding My Way / La Villa Strangiato / Anthem / Red Barchetta" and "Finding My Way / Anthem / Bastille Day / A Passage to Bangkok / Cygnus X-1 / Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres Part I: Prelude."

And you're right about In the Mood.  I completely overlooked it when I posted yesterday (I kind of had it in my head that WM would be the most played from the debut and didn't look to see if anything else was higher).  Setlist.fm shows it with 1,045 plays.  I'm sure a lot are the By-Tor/In the Mood/In the End/Grand Finale medley, but there's no separate listing for that.


Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: MrMike on March 01, 2022, 11:32:52 AM
I get that In The Mood is catchy and the audience seemed to like it as a "fun" ender to the Rush set.  But I've never cared for it and easily thought of 75 songs I like better.  To me, the lyrics are among the most embarrassing in the whole catalog.  Thank God Neil came along!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: pg1067 on March 01, 2022, 12:02:28 PM
I get that In The Mood is catchy and the audience seemed to like it as a "fun" ender to the Rush set.  But I've never cared for it and easily thought of 75 songs I like better.  To me, the lyrics are among the most embarrassing in the whole catalog.  Thank God Neil came along!

If he hadn't, DT probably wouldn't exist, and people would be posting stuff on message boards like, "Anyone familiar with a Canadian band called Rush?  They had a couple albums in the mid-'70s.  Very derivative of Zeppelin, but they had a song called Working Man that was really good."
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on March 01, 2022, 12:35:51 PM
"They opened for Kiss a lot, and on their last album, they rocked these bad-assed kimonos! "
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 01, 2022, 03:05:56 PM
I'd rather wait for everyone to post any of their lists or bottom 10s or whatever till I finish doing the countdown, which will start in a couple days.

Wait, do you actually want the bottom 10s?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 01, 2022, 03:19:12 PM
I'd rather wait for everyone to post any of their lists or bottom 10s or whatever till I finish doing the countdown, which will start in a couple days.

Wait, do you actually want the bottom 10s?

75 through 65.  Kev wants to wait until they are through the reveals. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: pg1067 on March 01, 2022, 04:07:47 PM
I'd rather wait for everyone to post any of their lists or bottom 10s or whatever till I finish doing the countdown, which will start in a couple days.

Wait, do you actually want the bottom 10s?

75 through 65.  Kev wants to wait until they are through the reveals.

I think my actual bottom 10-12 would make some folks rather upset.   :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 01, 2022, 04:21:00 PM
Funny - I was under the impression you all were speaking about the bottom bottom, as in #161-170.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on March 01, 2022, 04:21:29 PM
Funny - I was under the impression you all were speaking about the bottom bottom, as in #161-170.

Same here.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: HOF on March 01, 2022, 04:54:17 PM
Funny - I was under the impression you all were speaking about the bottom bottom, as in #161-170.

Same here.

I’ m pretty sure that was the idea, not 75-65.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: nick_z on March 01, 2022, 05:46:13 PM
That's how I took it too - and why I mentioned I actually didn't rank anything beyond 100...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 01, 2022, 06:08:50 PM
Sorry. I thought you were talking about Kev.  Oops.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: KevShmev on March 01, 2022, 06:54:39 PM
Okay, I will kick this off shortly.

Also, I want to give props to all 24 Rush fans who submitted lists to me.  Thanks again for participating!  :tup :tup

The top 75 will be based off of the lists from the 25 posters:

ReaperKK
Dream Team
jammindude
CoolChris
Stadler
The Realm
DragonAttack
The Letter M
HOF
TAC
Deadeye21
devieira73
nick_z
pg1067
DTA
romdrums
Puppies_On_Acid
wolfking
BRGM
nobloodyname
Setlist Scotty
MrMike
Tomislav95
kingshmegland
KevShmev
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on March 01, 2022, 06:56:22 PM
(https://i.imgflip.com/66toxc.jpg)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 01, 2022, 06:59:00 PM
Let's start with two tonight and I will play it by ear as to how many I will feature each day...

75 Roll the Bones
Appeared on 10 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (nick_z)


I was pleasantly surprised that this made the top 75. I had it at 42.  I know some dislike it, but I have always loved it.  I still know the rap by heart.  :coolio


74 Double Agent
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 19 (DAT)


Another longtime favorite of mine, I had this at 29.  Not sure Rush ever got this dark again in their later years with that kind of vibe, but they did it really well.  That song kicked my ass the first time I heard it, and still does.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: TAC on March 01, 2022, 07:01:40 PM
(https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/64365454.jpg)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Dream Team on March 01, 2022, 07:02:53 PM
I’ll probably be the culprit for the situation when Kev says “highest ranking: dream team” and I’ll have forgotten how the song goes  :lol  :facepalm:. Oh well tried my best to assimilate a lot of songs in a short period of time.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 01, 2022, 07:19:05 PM
75 Roll the Bones
Appeared on 10 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (nick_z)



74 Double Agent
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 19 (DAT)



I have Roll The Bones at #61. It's actually a pretty decent song. It'd rate much highwr without that ridiculous rap section.
I must say that RTB is one of the most dissappointed I've ever been in a Rush album. I thought Presto was so classy, but they followed it up with ..nothing really, save for a few cool tunes. This simply could not be the same band that recorded Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, and Moving Pictures. WTF happened to them??

I had Double Agent at #40. This is a great tune with tons of character. Yeah, as Kev says, it's kinda dark. I love the chorus as it is juxtaposed to the verses. Oh, and Neil's drumming in the verses is incredible.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 01, 2022, 07:23:15 PM
Roll the Bones - This one ended up at #150 on my list. It's not a terrible song, but if I never heard it again I wouldn't be upset. It's the lowest ranking song on that album for me. I am slightly surprised it made the overall top 75.

Double Agent - This one just barely squeaked into my list at #73, so 74 overall feels right. Kev's assessment is pretty much spot on, although I like quite a few other songs more. Neil has yet another tour de force drum workout in this song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 01, 2022, 07:24:50 PM
Roll the Bones - This one ended up at #150 on my list. It's not a terrible song, but if I never heard it again I wouldn't be upset. It's the lowest ranking song on that album for me. I am slightly surprised it made the overall top 75.

Wow, you must hate this song because that album blows.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DTA on March 01, 2022, 07:27:06 PM
Love both of these. Double Agent is a song that's really grown on me as of late, and I've always had a soft spot for RTB.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 01, 2022, 07:27:14 PM
Only seven Rush studio albums have more songs in the top 75 than Roll the Bones.

Okay, four other albums then also have the same amount as Roll the Bones, but still...:lol

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 01, 2022, 07:27:25 PM
Roll the Bones (ranked #18)

ok - first song in the countdown, and I'm the highest ranker for it...not sure if this is what we'd call a "good start" or not  :biggrin:
Love this song. It's my second favorite on an album that I always enjoy putting on. Great performances by everyone and the rap section(s) is good fun.

Double Agent (ranked #37)

I'm a huge fan of Counterparts. There are a few songs on it that I ranked higher than Double Agent, but I like how this brings a bit of "crazy Rush" to the table, with aggressive riffing but also great melodies.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 01, 2022, 07:31:49 PM
Roll the Bones - This one ended up at #150 on my list. It's not a terrible song, but if I never heard it again I wouldn't be upset. It's the lowest ranking song on that album for me. I am slightly surprised it made the overall top 75.

Wow, you must hate this song because that album blows.
Hate is a strong word. I'd say there are only 7 or 8 songs that I actively dislike in Rush's entire discography.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 01, 2022, 07:33:25 PM
Roll the Bones (ranked #18)

ok - first song in the countdown, and I'm the highest ranker for it...not sure if this is what we'd call a "good start" or not  :biggrin:
Love this song. It's my second favorite on an album that I always enjoy putting on. Great performances by everyone and the rap section(s) is good fun.
I'm disowning you as my long lost brother  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 01, 2022, 07:34:22 PM
Roll the Bones (ranked #18)

ok - first song in the countdown, and I'm the highest ranker for it...not sure if this is what we'd call a "good start" or not  :biggrin:
Love this song. It's my second favorite on an album that I always enjoy putting on. Great performances by everyone and the rap section(s) is good fun.
I'm disowning you as my long lost brother  :biggrin:

Pup, you need to get busy with the facts.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 01, 2022, 07:35:29 PM
Roll the Bones (ranked #18)

ok - first song in the countdown, and I'm the highest ranker for it...not sure if this is what we'd call a "good start" or not  :biggrin:
Love this song. It's my second favorite on an album that I always enjoy putting on. Great performances by everyone and the rap section(s) is good fun.
I'm disowning you as my long lost brother  :biggrin:

Pup, you need to get busy with the facts.
Don't make me kick some gluteus max  ;)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 01, 2022, 07:36:27 PM
I think y'all need to get out there and rock and roll the bones.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 01, 2022, 07:40:28 PM
(https://i.imgflip.com/673i49.jpg)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 01, 2022, 07:46:35 PM
Roll the Bones is a fine enough song - I remember I used to really like it when the album first came out, but over time, I got tired of it - especially when it seemed to keep reappearing in their setlists over and over and over again. That kinda ruined it for me in the same way that I really don't like The Spirit Carries On - overplayed by the band. The rap never really bothered me - lyrically it's pretty clever as you would expect from Neil. Would've been interesting if they would've gotten John Cleese to do the rap like I remember reading they had considered. For me the song ended up ranking at #122.

As for Double Agent, it's one of my favorites from CP which in turn is one of my favorite Rush albums - loved it from the first time I heard it, right up to the present. So glad they added it as a last minute edition. The only disappointing thing was that Geddy didn't do the spoken word lyrics live - never could understand why he didn't. This song ranked #20 for me (so almost made top ranking with DAT - whoever dat is!)  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 01, 2022, 07:51:43 PM
It’s kind of weird to be so against the Roll the Bones rap section but like Double Agent, which seems to have a similar tongue in cheek angle.

I have always liked Roll the Bones, rap and all. It came in at 41 on my list. I think the chorus is tremendous, and I remember hearing it on the radio at a relatively young age and really latching on to that part for whatever reason. Love the overall groove of the song.

Double Agent didn’t make my list, but it was given consideration for the range where it landed here. Would have probably been in my top 100 if we went that far, though the next 30-35 songs would have been a bit hard to differentiate. My brother and his friends made up a fictitious boy band called “So Tight” once, so that part always cracks me up.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 01, 2022, 07:53:09 PM
I think y'all need to get out there and rock and roll the bones.

Jack, relax.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 01, 2022, 07:55:31 PM
Roll the Bones (ranked #18)

ok - first song in the countdown, and I'm the highest ranker for it...not sure if this is what we'd call a "good start" or not  :biggrin:
Love this song. It's my second favorite on an album that I always enjoy putting on. Great performances by everyone and the rap section(s) is good fun.
I'm disowning you as my long lost brother  :biggrin:

 :lol

Brothers wouldn't be brothers if they agreed on everything!  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 01, 2022, 08:08:30 PM
Let's start with two tonight and I will play it by ear as to how many I will feature each day...

75 Roll the Bones
Appeared on 10 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (nick_z)



74 Double Agent
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 19 (DAT)



Roll The Bones - I had this at 59. I like this song and the rap doesn't bother me too much.

Double Agent - I didn't rank this. I'm not a fan of the voice over but musically it is a good song with some really cool things going on.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 01, 2022, 08:10:58 PM
#75. Roll the Bones - Me #60

I loved it, then I got sick of it, and then when I saw some live performances much later, I realized what a fun song it is. I wouldn’t want to listen to it all the time, but I love the riff, the chorus, and yes…even the rap section. One of Rush’s better “accessible” songs.

#74. Double Agent - Me - Did not rank. My two original lists both had it in the mid-140’s.

I always thought this song was a mess. The spoken word thing is ok I guess, and the riff is ok. But I just don’t think it works at all. Like Stick It Out, I felt like this was Rush trying a bit too hard to remain relevant after the grunge explosion.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 01, 2022, 08:27:09 PM
#74. Double Agent - Me - Did not rank. My two original lists both had it in the mid-140’s.

I always thought this song was a mess. The spoken word thing is ok I guess, and the riff is ok. But I just don’t think it works at all. Like Stick It Out, I felt like this was Rush trying a bit too hard to remain relevant after the grunge explosion.
Unlike Stick it Out, I don't hear much if any grunge influence in Double Agent.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 01, 2022, 08:28:48 PM
#74. Double Agent - Me - Did not rank. My two original lists both had it in the mid-140’s.

I always thought this song was a mess. The spoken word thing is ok I guess, and the riff is ok. But I just don’t think it works at all. Like Stick It Out, I felt like this was Rush trying a bit too hard to remain relevant after the grunge explosion.
Unlike Stick it Out, I don't hear much if any grunge influence in Double Agent.

I was thinking the same thing. I never heard a chorus like that on a Nirvana album. I actually think Double Agent is one of the most interesting songs they have ever done. It's so different.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 01, 2022, 08:38:56 PM
The whole CP album had several places where they realized that “heavy” was cool again and they had to try and tell the world, “Hey! We can be heavy too! Look at how heavy we are! GRRRRRR! Don’t you see how heavy we are? GRRRR!!! Aren’t you impressed at our overwhelming heaviness? GRRRRR!!!!”

EDIT - TO ME. I understand I’m in the minority on this one. But it’s why I feel TFE is so much better. After getting CP out of their system, they “settled down” into who they really were as a heavy band again. It felt like they found themselves and their own brand of heavy instead of putting on a display.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 01, 2022, 08:42:26 PM
The whole CP album had several places where they realized that “heavy” was cool again and they had to try and tell the world, “Hey! We can be heavy too! Look at how heavy we are! GRRRRRR! Don’t you see how heavy we are? GRRRR!!! Aren’t you impressed at our overwhelming heaviness? GRRRRR!!!!

I think you were watching too much Home Improvement.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 01, 2022, 08:43:19 PM
The whole CP album had several places where they realized that “heavy” was cool again and they had to try and tell the world, “Hey! We can be heavy too! Look at how heavy we are! GRRRRRR! Don’t you see how heavy we are? GRRRR!!! Aren’t you impressed at our overwhelming heaviness? GRRRRR!!!!”

EDIT - TO ME. I understand I’m in the minority on this one. But it’s why I feel TFE is so much better. After getting CP out of their system, they “settled down” into who they really were as a heavy band again. It felt like they found themselves and their own brand of heavy instead of putting on a display.
Hmm, this is all subjective, but again I think Stick it Out is really the only example of them being heavy for heaviness sake. Overall I find Test for Echo heavier than Counterparts. In my humble opinion.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 01, 2022, 08:49:21 PM
There are definitely high points on CP that I absolutely love, but I don’t want to get into spoiler territory. Suffice to say that I had an equal number of songs from CP and TFE in the top 75, but about half of CP didn’t make my top 100, and a couple were very near the absolute bottom.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 01, 2022, 08:51:29 PM
There are definitely high points on CP that I absolutely love, but I don’t want to get into spoiler territory. Suffice to say that I had an equal number of songs from CP and TFE in the top 75, but about half of CP didn’t make my top 100, and a couple were very near the absolute bottom.


(https://media3.giphy.com/media/FcuiZUneg1YRAu1lH2/200.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 01, 2022, 09:27:38 PM
^
I understand the shorthand.

I mean, I dug TMOTBQ, FOTW, ITLOTG and ITLOTG...R, as well as CLTCL and DOTL and BR and BR.  Oops, thought I was on a Queen forum ;)

Spock here:  I find it fascinating that the first two rated songs weren't listed by over 50% of the respondents.  I'll bet there were a few songs that didn't make the DT Top 100 where 2/3 of the people did rate them.  This is going to be 'quirky' (for lack of a better term).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 01, 2022, 10:07:23 PM
Let's start with two tonight and I will play it by ear as to how many I will feature each day...

75 Roll the Bones
Appeared on 10 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (nick_z)




74 Double Agent
Appeared on 12 of 25
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 19 (DAT)



Roll the Bones is probably my number 76 choice - in all fairness, it’s a great song, but if we’re ranking studio performances only, it’s a little lifeless without the audience. The Bones Rap is such a fun little oddity in Rush history that it’s very notable. Glad this was represented again on R40.

Double Agent was my number 74. To be fair, I think it probably should’ve ranked a lot higher. Always thought it had an ill-fitting title, I’d have called it “The Edge of Sleep”. Spoken vocal, an intriguing story, and a chaotic instrumental supporting it’s story. Almost want to amend my list now, but ot definitely deserves to be here.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Tomislav95 on March 02, 2022, 01:11:18 AM
Neither of those made my top 75. Both are fine, especially Double agent but I don't like the spoken parts. Surprised by Roll the bones, though it's pretty hated among Rush fans.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nobloodyname on March 02, 2022, 03:35:44 AM
Double Agent is 68 on my list while Roll the Bones is a respectable 36. I really like it. But I was a late starter with Rush, only really finally getting them in the mid-00s, so I'd have missed all the wailing and gnashing of teeth!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 02, 2022, 03:48:42 AM
I think I had RTB somewhere around the 30 mark.  One if the first Rush songs I heard and always loved it.  Great chorus.

Didn't rank DA, never really cared for it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 02, 2022, 06:24:36 AM
Both songs didn't rank in my Top 75, but I do think Double Agent is really cool, it could have been there - at the time, it reminded me, in parts, like something that could came directly from Hemispheres. Roll the Bones is not bad - indeed it has a very good melody in the chorus and a beautiful (although a bit short) guitar solo, but surely isn't one of my favorites from the album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: ReaperKK on March 02, 2022, 06:28:11 AM
I think RTB was either the last song on my list or near the bottom. I really, really dislike RTB, it's almost at the same level as my hatred for "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 02, 2022, 07:00:20 AM
RTB wasn't on my list.  I've never really liked that song, and I thought they overplayed it live.  Double Agent has always been one of my favorites from Counterparts, and it ended up at 55 for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 02, 2022, 07:07:40 AM
Adding about RTB, I also think it would be better the instrumental beneath the spoken part was louder, with the words complementing the instrumentation (it's really cool what Lifeson is doing there!) - not the other way round, like actually happens in the song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/27)
Post by: Stadler on March 02, 2022, 09:26:49 AM
Funny - I was under the impression you all were speaking about the bottom bottom, as in #161-170.

Same here.

That's certainly what I meant. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 02, 2022, 09:53:08 AM
#74. Double Agent - Me - Did not rank. My two original lists both had it in the mid-140’s.

I always thought this song was a mess. The spoken word thing is ok I guess, and the riff is ok. But I just don’t think it works at all. Like Stick It Out, I felt like this was Rush trying a bit too hard to remain relevant after the grunge explosion.
Unlike Stick it Out, I don't hear much if any grunge influence in Double Agent.

I was thinking the same thing. I never heard a chorus like that on a Nirvana album. I actually think Double Agent is one of the most interesting songs they have ever done. It's so different.

That's exactly me.  I thought Double Agent was a throwback to an earlier era.  It's one of the more progressive songs in that way.  I love the different parts and how they fit together.  For me, this song was #28 on my list.   I really like Counterparts, and this is one of the better, more interesting ones from that album.  I will also go out on a limb and say this is one of Neil's better lyrics - I view it as a man conflicted between his good side and bad side; the angel and the devil on his shoulders, if you will - and flat out, Alex's BEST solo.

Roll The Bones is a different story; it's #159160* on my list, and while I'll sort of cop to it being symbolic, this is a song that embodies an album that I don't really care for, and not only that, it harkens back to another album I don't really care for.  RtB to me could be on p/g and that's not a compliment.  I don't HATE the rap section; in fact I sort of like it, and while some of it is cringe-y, some of it is clever too.  I just don't like the record and, as title track, this is emblematic of that.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 02, 2022, 09:57:18 AM

Roll The Bones is a different story; it's #159 on my list, and while I'll sort of cop to it being symbolic, this is a song that embodies an album that I don't really care for.  I don't HATE the rap section; in fact I sort of like it, and while some of it is cringe-y, some of it is clever too.  I just don't like the record and, as title track, this is emblematic of that.

I'm with you on the album. I thought it was way beneath them. But the song is fun and catchy enough.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 02, 2022, 10:13:11 AM
Let's start with two tonight and I will play it by ear as to how many I will feature each day...

75 Roll the Bones
Appeared on 10 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (nick_z)


I was pleasantly surprised that this made the top 75. I had it at 42.  I know some dislike it, but I have always loved it.  I still know the rap by heart.  :coolio


74 Double Agent
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 19 (DAT)


Another longtime favorite of mine, I had this at 29.  Not sure Rush ever got this dark again in their later years with that kind of vibe, but they did it really well.  That song kicked my ass the first time I heard it, and still does.

Gotta say I'm a little shocked that RTB made the top 75.  It's at #159 for me (out of 166*).  It's the second worst song on the band's worst album.  Unfortunately, it got played A LOT.

Double Agent, on the other hand, came in at #53 on my rankings.  So many cool elements combined into a single song.  Great guitar throughout.  Heavy riffing.  The spoken word part is oddly cool.  The "wilderness of mirrors" melody is super cool.  Being the #53 Rush song is not a bad thing at all, and this is a super underrated song.  Unfortunately, it never returned to the set list after the Counterparts tour.

* - The 166 songs I ranked included every song on the 19 studio albums plus Broon's Bane.  I didn't include the stuff from Feedback or the proto-Rush songs like Garden Road (mostly because none of them had any chance of making the top 75, and including them would make the process take longer).


That's exactly me.  I thought Double Agent was a throwback to an earlier era.  It's one of the more progressive songs in that way.  I love the different parts and how they fit together.  For me, this song was #28 on my list.   I really like Counterparts, and this is one of the better, more interesting ones from that album.

Same.  I generally don't like grunge and don't hear that at all in the song.  Although I don't agree, I can understand Ben's "mess" comment.  Like Bill, I just think the various sections fit together really well.


Roll The Bones is a different story; it's #159 on my list, and while I'll sort of cop to it being symbolic, this is a song that embodies an album that I don't really care for.  I don't HATE the rap section; in fact I sort of like it, and while some of it is cringe-y, some of it is clever too.  I just don't like the record and, as title track, this is emblematic of that.

What are the odds?!  And, while "hate" seems like too strong of a word, I REALLY dislike the rap section.  It's one of the more embarrassing/"what were they thinking" moments in Rush's catalog.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 02, 2022, 10:19:08 AM
Haha, maybe I'm more lenient of the rap section because my hockey team used to take the ice to "All Hell's Breakin' Loose" by Kiss.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 02, 2022, 10:38:18 AM
I think you guys take it too seriously. It's tongue and cheek.  It works well in the song.  Fans respond well to it lve.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 02, 2022, 11:22:46 AM
I think you guys take it too seriously. It's tongue and cheek.  It works well in the song.  Fans respond well to it lve.

Yeah, I think Rush have a sense of humor that pervades kind of their whole catalog. If you can’t get on board with something like the RTB “rap,” you’re probably not going to like a big chunk of their stuff.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 02, 2022, 11:30:18 AM
Haha, maybe I'm more lenient of the rap section because my hockey team used to take the ice to "All Hell's Breakin' Loose" by Kiss.

I think you guys take it too seriously. It's tongue and cheek.  It works well in the song.  Fans respond well to it lve.

I know it's tongue in cheek, but that doesn't make it good.

I also think the difference between the RTB "rap" and the spoken word bits in AHBL (along with those in Double Agent) is entirely in the execution.  I'm not much of a KISS fan, but AHBL is one of my favorites.

And I like the bulk of Rush's catalog.  I do not, however, seem to share a chunk of their sense of humor.  I found most of the "funny" videos they did over the last 10 years of their career to be downright stupid.  Fortunately, that didn't usually pervade the music.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 02, 2022, 12:05:50 PM
They do gravitate to a sort of "Three Stooges" humor, which I largely do not share.  Having said that, though, some of the bits and pieces on the various DVDs are - or can be - pretty funny.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 02, 2022, 01:15:38 PM
There are two kinds of people. Those who get “the bag” (Ace), and those who don’t get “the bag” (Gene).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 02, 2022, 03:21:33 PM
There are two kinds of people. Those who get “the bag” (Ace), and those who don’t get “the bag” (Gene).
Gotta love the bag!   :lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykGIq_fBa3U
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 02, 2022, 06:06:15 PM
Today's two are from the same album!

73 Prime Mover
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (Stadler)


This is on my "I can't believe this only got played on one tour" list. Such a great song.  I had it at 41, and it's another that feels like it could have been 10 spots higher if you had asked me where to rank a few years ago.


72 Open Secrets
Appeared on 11 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (Tomislav95)


This is another that I feel like I underrated, as I had it at 60.  The bridge really stands out.  This is the first of seven songs to make the top 75 that Rush never played live.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 02, 2022, 06:32:20 PM
73 Prime Mover
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (Stadler)



72 Open Secrets
Appeared on 11 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (Tomislav95)


I had Prime Mover at #66. I like the chorus. It's a pretty catchy tune.

I had Open Secrets as unrated. If this was a Top 100, it might've squeaked in.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 02, 2022, 06:35:36 PM
Open Secret was born from the guys jamming on soundchecks. It's on of my favorite album cuts.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 02, 2022, 06:36:42 PM
Open Secret was born from the guys jamming on soundchecks. It's on of my favorite album cuts.

Where did you rank it?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 02, 2022, 06:38:59 PM
Open Secret was born from the guys jamming on soundchecks. It's on of my favorite album cuts.

Where did you rank it?

I don't remember. I'd have to turn on my computer. Lol

Edit: Found it. #47
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 02, 2022, 06:41:00 PM
Interesting to have a pair from HYF back to back.

Primer Mover is decent enough, but never really grabbed me. Probably my second least favorite from the album behind Tai Shan. In all honesty, I do think that a newspaper review of HYF colored my view of this song that I've never shaken. Can't remember exactly what was said, but the reviewer complained about the lyrics being a bit obscure and I've never forgotten that. Still, I think I like just about everything else on this album better musically, too, which plays a bigger role in why it ended up ranking as #109 for me.

OTOH, I absolutely LOVE Open Secrets. It quickly became one of my favorites on HYF and has continued to be until this day. Such a shame they never played it live. For whatever reason (must be subconsciously), I've always connected to it lyrically, too. My highest ranking HYF track at #28.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 02, 2022, 06:52:02 PM
Neither of these made my top 75, but Prime Mover for sure would have been in the next 25. Open Secrets  would have been considered. I do think both of these suffer a bit from sounding like Power Windows rejects/retreads. Similar style but the lyrics are a bit awkward and it just doesn’t all come together in the same way for me.

I did recently learn something cool about Prime Mover from a Rush YouTube channel. They were talking about Power Windows, and apparently the middle section of Prime Mover was supposed to be about the kid from the Power Windows cover looking out the window and imagining/believing he could control the whether and world outside his window. The whole “I set the clouds in motion” section.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 02, 2022, 06:53:11 PM
See, I don't agree about Power Windows and Hold Your Fire. Even though both are heavy on the synths, they sound very, very different, sonically and tonally.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 02, 2022, 06:53:41 PM
From memory Prime Mover was around 50 and Open Secrets was around 30.  Open Secrets is so damn underrated.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 02, 2022, 06:54:05 PM
Neither of these made my top 75, but Prime Mover for sure would have been in the next 25. Open Secrets  would have been considered. I do think both of these suffer a bit from sounding like Power Windows rejects/retreads.

You might talk me into Prime Mover in regard to this, but to me, Open Secrets feels like a precursor to Presto.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 02, 2022, 06:54:27 PM
See, I don't agree about Power Windows and Hold Your Fire. Even though both are heavy on the synths, they sound very, very different, sonically and tonally.

I can't argue with that.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 02, 2022, 06:58:34 PM
Neither of these made my top 75, but Prime Mover for sure would have been in the next 25. Open Secrets  would have been considered. I do think both of these suffer a bit from sounding like Power Windows rejects/retreads.

You might talk me into Prime Mover in regard to this, but to me, Open Secrets feels like a precursor to Presto.

I can see that, but I also think Open Secrets is awfully similar in places to Middletown Dreams.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 02, 2022, 06:59:58 PM
Er..I'll have to take your word for it. ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 02, 2022, 07:03:43 PM
73 Prime Mover
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (Stadler)



72 Open Secrets
Appeared on 11 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (Tomislav95)

Prime Mover - This ended up at #50 on my list. I really love all the little bass trills on this song, plus the general groove of the song is amazing. To kind of counter what Setlist Scotty said about the lyrics, I feel like the lyrics resonate with me. Actually the whole HYF album resonates with me a lot lyrically.

Open Secrets - This was just a few spots lower at #56. I love how open (pun intended) this song feels. And again lyrically is really resonates with me. Like Prime Mover the bass really stands out to me and Neil's drumming is perfect.

See, I don't agree about Power Windows and Hold Your Fire. Even though both are heavy on the synths, they sound very, very different, sonically and tonally.
I agree with this 100% and yet I love them both a lot. Power Windows a bit more though.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 02, 2022, 07:10:04 PM
Prime Mover (ranked #34)

Great song. Lifeson's clean arpeggiated guitar work is so tasteful here. And the "I set the wheels in motion" middle section is fantastic. I always though the band Enchant was strongly influenced by that type of atmosphere in their first record, A Blueprint of the World.


Open Secrets (ranked #47)

I mentioned this before, but strongly agree with Wolfking here. A sleeper track in the album, such a well constructed song. Again, beautiful guitar (and bass!) work. Love the tempo change coming out of the bridge into the solo around 3:30
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 02, 2022, 07:22:19 PM
Love that solo section from Alex.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: 425 on March 02, 2022, 07:36:37 PM
So, I'm going to follow along with y'all even though I did not submit a list. About half of Rush's discography I know very well, and the other half is almost completely unfamiliar to me. I'm going to follow along with every song either way and give either my defined opinions or my first impressions, as the case may be.


75. Roll the Bones

I've heard this one a few times.

I enjoy it, even though it's somewhat outside my usual wheelhouse. I like the groovy approach to the verses, and the choruses are pretty catchy. The rap is... something? I think it's funny, which may or may not have been what they're going for? I can see myself finding it to jar with the more serious lyrics on the rest of the song.


74. Double Agent

I think I may have listened to this once, the one and only time I listened to Counterparts, years ago. So it's essentially new to me.

The verses didn't really grab me here, but I really like the "Wilderness of mirrors" part, which I guess is the chorus. Not sure how well the spoken parts are really working for me, but I could imagine this being a grower.


73. Prime Mover

Like Counterparts, Hold Your Fire is an album I heard once many years ago, so this song and the next one are virtually new to me.

This one is alright, but not something I find immediately compelling. I do like the chorus, and could see it resonating more with me over time.


72. Open Secrets

There's some cool stuff going on musically here. I was immediately struck by what was going on under "I never meant what you're thinking." I also like the guitar tone under the chorus. Also feels pretty proggy in terms of the song structure and middle section, so it could be interesting to dig into over time.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 02, 2022, 07:56:10 PM
Today's two are from the same album!

73 Prime Mover
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (Stadler)


72 Open Secrets
Appeared on 11 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (Tomislav95)



Prime Mover - I didn't rank this but I'd say it just missed out.

Open Secrets - I had this at 57. I just really like the vibe of this song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 02, 2022, 08:11:08 PM
Interesting to have a pair from HYF back to back.

Interesting to have a pair from HYF on this list at all.  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 02, 2022, 08:40:20 PM
Neither of these made my top 75, but Prime Mover for sure would have been in the next 25. Open Secrets  would have been considered. I do think both of these suffer a bit from sounding like Power Windows rejects/retreads. Similar style but the lyrics are a bit awkward and it just doesn’t all come together in the same way for me.

I did recently learn something cool about Prime Mover from a Rush YouTube channel. They were talking about Power Windows, and apparently the middle section of Prime Mover was supposed to be about the kid from the Power Windows cover looking out the window and imagining/believing he could control the whether and world outside his window. The whole “I set the clouds in motion” section.

Listening back to them now, I think I’d probably have ranked Open Secrets higher than Prime Mover if I had built out my list further. I remember now that when I first did the ranker I somehow got Open Secrets and Second Nature confused and it ended up way down on my list. I didn’t really go back and arrange things carefully after number 75, though I do think I thought about both of these tracks for the last few spots on my list. I ended up going with another HYF track at 75 actually (which I’m guessing won’t place at all on the overall list).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 02, 2022, 10:09:00 PM
Today's two are from the same album!

73 Prime Mover
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (Stadler)


72 Open Secrets
Appeared on 11 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (Tomislav95)



Prime Mover was my number 57. Really strong bop of a song, not surprised it made it that high up someone’s list, and really wish they’d have brought this back at least once after HYF.

Open Secrets, another that made it so close to the list. That bass run in the intro sells me on the song immediately, the solo is fantastic, and the bridge is awesome! Actually, why didn’t this make the list?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Tomislav95 on March 03, 2022, 12:46:19 AM
Had Prime Mover on #61, could've been even higher. Anything can happen. It has that nostalgic feeling to it, is catchy and instrumentally very interesting.

Open Secrets in one of my recent favorites, I like how dreamy and spacey it is. Again, catchy tune, and I'm sucker for catchy choruses.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nobloodyname on March 03, 2022, 01:35:30 AM
Open Secrets 140 - all a bit tuneless
Prime Mover 149 - heard this on a hard rock compilation in the very early 90s before I became familiar with Rush. It was so out of place; I just couldn't understand why such an uncool looking and distinctly un-hard rock band was featured. Dream Evil were on the same compilation. I didn't like their song, either. But there was a bigger problem, one that would affect my musical outlook for another 13 years or so: I managed to conflate Prime Mover with Dream Evil who I later thought were Dream Theater. I dismissed Dream Theater as a consequence and actually actively avoided listening to them until I circled back around in late 2002. Strange and shocking but I got to DT eventually and became a fan of Rush, too! I actually had the opportunity to see DT in a tiny club in the west midlands here in the UK in 1992 and turned it down. Dear me.

So two relative turkeys for me, I'm afraid. But what do I know? Tai Shan made my list at 75, after all.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 03, 2022, 01:39:32 AM
So two relative turkeys for me, I'm afraid. But what do I know? Tai Shan made my list at 75, after all.

Oh… so it’s you… Was wondering who had that one in their list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DTA on March 03, 2022, 06:03:01 AM
Prime Mover and Open Secrets are both outstanding tracks. The bass in Prime Mover is really overlooked when it comes to talking about Geddy's catchy bass lines. There's so much going on underneath the vocal melodies.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 03, 2022, 06:22:04 AM
Alright, let's slip in two more this morning...

71 Test for Echo
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 26 (devieira73)


This was unranked for me, but I do like the song, and consider it one of the better songs from what I consider a bottom 3 Rush album.  It is one of two songs from the album that made the top 75.


70 Fly by Night
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (DragonAttack)


Considering what a classic rock radio mainstay this was and still is, I always found it interesting that the band ignored it since the 70s in the live sets.  It's another I like, but can't say I love. That bass line is killer, though.  It's the first of three from the album of the same name.


Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: ReaperKK on March 03, 2022, 06:31:27 AM
I didn't have Prime Move or Open Secrets on my list at all, I don't really think they're terrible songs, just didn't much for me.

Test for Echo and Fly by Night were ranked 58 and 66 respectively. Test for Echo was really hard to rank because some days I feel more enamored with the song than others. Fly By Night suffers from overplay to me which why it landed where it did.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 03, 2022, 06:43:48 AM
Test For Echo (ranked # 40)

Test for Echo - the album - was the first I bought "live" as a fan. While it has sentimental value that way, it's not among my favorites. In this respect, I feel differently than jammindude, as I actually tend to see it as a slightly "muddier" version of Counterparts. There are some very good songs on it, though, and this one is my favorite. Great opening, setting the right tone.

Fly By Night (did not rank)

This one didn't rank for me. It was one I trimmed before I ranked the top 100. I actually like the song, and it does have that "classic rock staple" feel. Like Kev said, great bass work.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 03, 2022, 06:47:15 AM
Test for Echo didn’t rank for me. I do like that album a lot, but this is actually one of the weaker tracks to me. Just a little too slow paced I think. The parts where the song picks up a bit and Neil especially cuts loose are pretty cool though. Not a bad song at all, but not my favorite either.

I have Fly By Night at 39, and listening back to my list the other night I felt it might have been too low. As it is, it’s my second highest ranked song from the 70s and one that just always puts me in a good mood when I hear it. The drums especially are just so lively. Great song!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Tomislav95 on March 03, 2022, 06:55:10 AM
Fly by night is at #55 for me, probably one of their firsts songs I heard, short and sweet. Also, beside Limelight, the only Rush riff I know how to play on guitar :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 03, 2022, 07:11:50 AM
Test For Echo was # 67 for me.

Fly By Night, (My first Rush song I was taught on guitar) I ranked #49.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 03, 2022, 07:31:07 AM
73 Prime Mover (-) - There's a lot of parts that I love, but some with too much programmed keyboards that put me a bit off (by the way, my only real complain about PoW and HYF). It's only my 8th favorite song from HYF.

72 Open Secrets (#31) - Always loved this song and it's a rare case in Rush discography that they allowed something a bit more jazz rock to surface. They should have done something like this more often!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 03, 2022, 07:35:38 AM
From a pair of songs on the same album to a pair of title tracks that seem like they come from 2 completely different bands!

I've always like T4E - it has always been one of the tracks I like most on a very uneven album (sorry Ben!) In particular I love the guitar sound at the very beginning of the song and I also agree with the message that the lyrics convey, even if a bit dated in some respects now. Ended up as #54 on my list.

FBN is a decent enough song. One that I heard plenty on the radio when I was young and to a limited degree may have helped with turning me on to Rush, but once I started to get into them, picking up their albums and becoming familiar with their catalog, it quickly dropped in favor. For my list, it ended up at #139 although in hindsight I think that ranking is lower than it should be.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 03, 2022, 07:49:34 AM
Interesting to have a pair from HYF back to back.

Interesting to have a pair from HYF on this list at all.  :biggrin:

I have a TON of HYF on my list.  Prime Mover is #10 (that BASS LINE!), though Open Secrets is #9495* and didn't make the cut here. That's really a function of "there's better on that record"; the melodies just aren't quite as strong as some of the others.  It's not a bad song, and another that I would kill to hear acoustically. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 03, 2022, 07:57:47 AM
Can we stop taking shots at Tai Shan? Haha.  It's #145 on my list, but I almost want to go back and put it at #75 out of spite.  In fact, I'm going through my list again to find the songs Kev is posting and I'm bewildered how the Ranker put it at #145; Test For Echo is #113114* and I would listen to Tai Shan on repeat all day long over T4E.

EDIT: I did it.  I edited my list. *Tai Shan is now #92. 

Fly By Night is #30.   I got the Sector 1 set, and listened to the album in 5.1 and it REALLY opened my eyes to that record.  Plus the sort of "throw back" deja vu of looking at the gatefold with the hand-written lyrics...  an album of it's time, but WHAT a time!   
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 03, 2022, 08:00:19 AM
71 Test for Echo
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 26 (devieira73)


70 Fly by Night
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (DragonAttack)



Test For Echo made it into my number 68 slot. If it weren’t for the acoustic version of Resist, this would easily be the only thing from T4E on my list. I like the music well enough, and the lyrics are decent. The solo isn’t a great one, but I do love Neil’s drumming in that intro riff.

Fly By Night… hmm… yuck. I just never liked this song that much. One of my lowest ranked songs from the 70s, just ahead of Madrigal, Rivendell and I Think I’m Going Bald. Ok, it’s got decent lyrics, but that’s it. And then they’re really far from the best lyrics on its parent album. Just not a fan!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 03, 2022, 08:09:05 AM
Open Secrets 140 - all a bit tuneless
I dunno about you Paul!   :omg:    :biggrin:
 
 
Prime Mover 149 - heard this on a hard rock compilation in the very early 90s before I became familiar with Rush. It was so out of place; I just couldn't understand why such an uncool looking and distinctly un-hard rock band was featured. Dream Evil were on the same compilation. I didn't like their song, either. But there was a bigger problem, one that would affect my musical outlook for another 13 years or so: I managed to conflate Prime Mover with Dream Evil who I later thought were Dream Theater. I dismissed Dream Theater as a consequence and actually actively avoided listening to them until I circled back around in late 2002. Strange and shocking but I got to DT eventually and became a fan of Rush, too! I actually had the opportunity to see DT in a tiny club in the west midlands here in the UK in 1992 and turned it down. Dear me.
What a crazy and sad story! Funny how we ignorantly make bizarre connections sometimes. IIRC, way back around 1980 when I first started listening to rock radio, I remember hearing Smoke on the Water and for whatever reason, I thought it was from the Rolling Stones for at least a year or two. Not that it had a severe impact on me one way or the other, but in a small way, I can relate to your experience.
 
 
So two relative turkeys for me, I'm afraid. But what do I know? Tai Shan made my list at 75, after all.
Well nobody's perfect!   :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 03, 2022, 08:21:09 AM

Open Secrets - This was just a few spots lower at #56. I love how open (pun intended) this song feels. And again lyrically is really resonates with me. Like Prime Mover the bass really stands out to me and Neil's drumming is perfect.


Many times yes to the bolded part. Sometimes I think Power Windows/Hold Your Fire is "peak-Neil" when it comes to "compositional drumming" (if that makes any sense). His drumming on Rush's 70s-early 80s run is groundbreaking and iconic, but I just can't get enough of what he does on the synth-heavy albums, and especially these two. HYF is most certainly not a "heavy" album and yet, Neil manages to pound those drums with such power (powah) and finesse at the same time. Fantastic stuff.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: billboy73 on March 03, 2022, 08:33:37 AM
I have Test for Echo (the song) much higher, and rate the album much higher than most.  It's a great album opener, and I love the darker vibe of the track.  I can't believe it was only played on the T4E tour.  I was really hoping it would find it's way into the R40 set, but the whole album was passed over for the setlist.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 03, 2022, 10:16:38 AM
71 Test for Echo (#26) - Amazing song (almost a Top 20 for me), with amazing drumming by NP, specially that paradiddle part in the toms - it sounds like an avalanche! It has a great groove, excellent guitar parts, riffs and solo. All of it is really well crafted and at the point. As for all T4E album, a stronger sound production like in Counterparts would benefit the song more.

70 Fly By Night (-) - Good song, it has that more embrionary Rush vibe, but it's cool.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 03, 2022, 10:41:51 AM
73 - Prime Mover (N/A) Didn't make my list, but I never skip it when it comes on.  Lots of cool little details in this one.
72 - Open Secrets (68) Under appreciated in my book.  Love Alex's solo.
71- Test for Echo (48) I've always liked this song.  I love Neil's drumming on this, especially on the pre choruses.  It's also a nice change to hear him playing on coated drum heads for this album, because it gives his drums a bit of a darker, warmer sound that really ended up fitting the vibe of this record.
70 - Fly By Night (N/A) Just missed the cut on my list.  Solid tune, but there's so much I like more.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 03, 2022, 11:44:47 AM
Today's two are from the same album!

73 Prime Mover
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (Stadler)


This is on my "I can't believe this only got played on one tour" list. Such a great song.  I had it at 41, and it's another that feels like it could have been 10 spots higher if you had asked me where to rank a few years ago.


72 Open Secrets
Appeared on 11 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (Tomislav95)


This is another that I feel like I underrated, as I had it at 60.  The bridge really stands out.  This is the first of seven songs to make the top 75 that Rush never played live.

Yeesh...I've made no secret that HYF right at the bottom of my album rankings (I think only above RTB).

I had Open Secrets at 98 and Prime Mover at 137.  I could never understand why the band seemed to like PM and was SHOCKED years later to learn that it's something of a fan favorite.  I'm very happy it never returned to the set list after the HYF tour.  Open Secrets is decent but not at all great.  Part of a series of songs on that album that "just lie there and don't do anything interesting."

So...that's 3 of 4 songs so far that came nowhere near my top 75.   :biggrin:



Alright, let's slip in two more this morning...

71 Test for Echo
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 26 (devieira73)


This was unranked for me, but I do like the song, and consider it one of the better songs from what I consider a bottom 3 Rush album.  It is one of two songs from the album that made the top 75.


70 Fly by Night
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (DragonAttack)


Considering what a classic rock radio mainstay this was and still is, I always found it interesting that the band ignored it since the 70s in the live sets.  It's another I like, but can't say I love. That bass line is killer, though.  It's the first of three from the album of the same name.


Now we're getting somewhere.  I had T4E at #59.  It's a solid track.  I really liked the main riff when it first came out, but it's a bit garbled.  Fly by Night just missed my top 75, coming in at #82.  In retrospect, if I had it to do over again, I might do a bit of re-arranging of songs 70-85.  Not sure FBN would make the top 75, but seeing it come in at #70 is pretty reasonable.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: MrMike on March 03, 2022, 12:07:39 PM
I'm a little shocked that FBN rated so low.  It ended up #13 on my list.  Very catchy and singable song with a great Alex guitar lead.  Even this early in their formation, the perfect chemistry between the three guys in terms of performance is undeniable.

In general, I'm more of a "bare bones" Rush fan, meaning I prefer just guitar/bass/drums with moderately used keys or snyths.  That's mainly why 71-75 didn't rank for me, although I do like Double Agent enough that it probably should have.  HYF and TFE are among my least favorite albums with only 2 songs from the albums combined making my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 03, 2022, 01:32:49 PM
Test for Echo was 41 for me.  FBN didn't rank.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 03, 2022, 02:03:33 PM
I'm a little shocked that FBN rated so low.  It ended up #13 on my list.  Very catchy and singable song with a great Alex guitar lead.  Even this early in their formation, the perfect chemistry between the three guys in terms of performance is undeniable.


Color me surprised by this too. Obviously there are a ton of songs to choose from, so things are gonna get squeezed out, but this is a classic cut that really seems to show the band at the top of their game with Neil joining the band. That album as a whole is not one of my favorites, and I wonder if this song kind of gets a little forgotten because of the album it’s on? Whatever the case, I think it’s just a really great tune.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 03, 2022, 02:04:44 PM
71 Test for Echo
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 26 (devieira73)



70 Fly by Night
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (DragonAttack)


I had Test For Echo at #57. It's a decent enough song. I enjoy it.

I had Fly By Night at #74. They just have so many more interesting songs. It's catchy and all, but..that's all.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 03, 2022, 02:47:07 PM

71 Test for Echo
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 26 (devieira73)


70 Fly by Night
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (DragonAttack)



Test for Echo - I had this at 60. I like the song and it has a really cool vibe.

Fly by Night - I had this at 72. Even so I'm also a little surprised it didn't rank higher. Great bass line and it is a really catchy rock song.

So far, there are no real outliers to my own list but I know they are coming!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 03, 2022, 03:20:14 PM
I'm a little shocked that FBN rated so low.  It ended up #13 on my list.  Very catchy and singable song with a great Alex guitar lead.  Even this early in their formation, the perfect chemistry between the three guys in terms of performance is undeniable.


Color me surprised by this too. Obviously there are a ton of songs to choose from, so things are gonna get squeezed out, but this is a classic cut that really seems to show the band at the top of their game with Neil joining the band. That album as a whole is not one of my favorites, and I wonder if this song kind of gets a little forgotten because of the album it’s on? Whatever the case, I think it’s just a really great tune.

I would take Fly By Night over Caress of Steel any day.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 03, 2022, 03:25:07 PM


I would take Fly By Night over Caress of Steel any day.

Oh hell yes!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 03, 2022, 03:32:34 PM
I'm a little shocked that FBN rated so low.  It ended up #13 on my list.  Very catchy and singable song with a great Alex guitar lead.  Even this early in their formation, the perfect chemistry between the three guys in terms of performance is undeniable.


Color me surprised by this too. Obviously there are a ton of songs to choose from, so things are gonna get squeezed out, but this is a classic cut that really seems to show the band at the top of their game with Neil joining the band. That album as a whole is not one of my favorites, and I wonder if this song kind of gets a little forgotten because of the album it’s on? Whatever the case, I think it’s just a really great tune.

I would take Fly By Night over Caress of Steel any day.


This is another way that Rush is like Kiss; both bands have pretty good 2nd and 3rd albums, but for both bands, the better ALBUM is the 2nd album ("Hotter Than Hell", "Fly By Night") even if the best SONG is on the third album ("She" and "The Fountain Of Lamneth").  I think in both cases there was one classic album across the two records, but at the time, you put out an album every six months and toured the shit out of it.  That's what you did. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 03, 2022, 03:35:45 PM

This is another way that Rush is like Kiss; both bands have pretty good 2nd and 3rd albums, but for both bands, the better ALBUM is the 2nd album ("Hotter Than Hell", "Fly By Night") even if the best SONG is on the third album ("She" and "The Fountain Of Lamneth").  I think in both cases there was one classic album across the two records, but at the time, you put out an album every six months and toured the shit out of it.  That's what you did.

That is Fake News, brother.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 03, 2022, 03:45:32 PM
Did you expect anything different?   :)

Honest question, what are your favs from those records?   "She" is a top 10 Kiss song overall, actually.  Maybe even top 5.

I'm addicted to the Ranker now; I might have to do a "Kiss songs ranking".
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 03, 2022, 04:02:57 PM

I'm addicted to the Ranker now;


I know, right?  :lol

I did my Maiden albums yesterday, but forgot to post them.


Honest question, what are your favs from those records?   "She" is a top 10 Kiss song overall, actually.  Maybe even top 5.

My Top 5 from the first three KISS albums..

1. Black Diamond
2. Strange Ways
3. Let Me Go Rock n Roll
4. Rock Bottom
5. C'Mon And Love Me

You?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 03, 2022, 04:11:34 PM
I'm a little shocked that FBN rated so low.  It ended up #13 on my list.  Very catchy and singable song with a great Alex guitar lead.  Even this early in their formation, the perfect chemistry between the three guys in terms of performance is undeniable.


Color me surprised by this too. Obviously there are a ton of songs to choose from, so things are gonna get squeezed out, but this is a classic cut that really seems to show the band at the top of their game with Neil joining the band. That album as a whole is not one of my favorites, and I wonder if this song kind of gets a little forgotten because of the album it’s on? Whatever the case, I think it’s just a really great tune.

I would take Fly By Night over Caress of Steel any day.

Ironically, I prefer Caress of Steel as a whole, though there isn’t a song on there that I like as much as Fly By Night (the title track).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 03, 2022, 04:25:02 PM

I'm addicted to the Ranker now;


I know, right?  :lol

I did my Maiden albums yesterday, but forgot to post them.


Honest question, what are your favs from those records?   "She" is a top 10 Kiss song overall, actually.  Maybe even top 5.

My Top 5 from the first three KISS albums..

1. Black Diamond
2. Strange Ways
3. Let Me Go Rock n Roll
4. Rock Bottom
5. C'Mon And Love Me

You?

Surely this is the wrong thread but where is 100,000 years?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 03, 2022, 04:28:03 PM
You know what..I did that quickly. The first two are set in stone.100,000 Years would be right there too. That and the 5 I listed would be the Top 6. It could be anywhere from 3-6.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 03, 2022, 04:34:48 PM
Cool, yeah I am not sure it is that easy! Quick story, I actually used to perform as Gene Simmons in a Kiss tribute band (full costume, make up, fire breathing, blood spitting etc...) today though I very rarely listen to Kiss.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 03, 2022, 04:50:19 PM
Ugh, can we not pollute this thread with Kiss talk? That will make me want to post the rest of the top 75 all at once just to end the thread.  :lol :lol :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 03, 2022, 04:53:59 PM
Sorry Kev, but I was asked a direct question...

I know, right?  :lol

I did my Maiden albums yesterday, but forgot to post them.

I did too; let's post them.

Quote
Honest question, what are your favs from those records?   "She" is a top 10 Kiss song overall, actually.  Maybe even top 5.

My Top 5 from the first three KISS albums..

1. Black Diamond
2. Strange Ways
3. Let Me Go Rock n Roll
4. Rock Bottom
5. C'Mon And Love Me

You?

1. She
2. Deuce
3. Let Me Go, Rock And Roll
4. Cold Gin
5. Goin' Blind

6, 7, and 8 are 100,000 Years, Parasite, and Black Diamond in no particular order.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 03, 2022, 04:55:40 PM
Gonna be hard for me to post updates in this thread then if I have to actively avoid it.  :lol :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 03, 2022, 04:56:37 PM
Cool, yeah I am not sure it is that easy! Quick story, I actually used to perform as Gene Simmons in a Kiss tribute band (full costume, make up, fire breathing, blood spitting etc...) today though I very rarely listen to Kiss.

That's really cool!!  What part of the country?  Ever play in the Northeast?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 03, 2022, 04:59:33 PM
Okay, someone PM me when the Kiss talk is done and I will resume updates.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 03, 2022, 05:02:31 PM
Cool, yeah I am not sure it is that easy! Quick story, I actually used to perform as Gene Simmons in a Kiss tribute band (full costume, make up, fire breathing, blood spitting etc...) today though I very rarely listen to Kiss.

That's really cool!!  What part of the country?  Ever play in the Northeast?

Yeah, that's interesting!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 03, 2022, 05:03:16 PM
Gonna be hard for me to post updates in this thread then if I have to actively avoid it.  :lol :lol

Sorry, boss; I'll stop.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 03, 2022, 05:07:06 PM
(https://i.redd.it/m7fv45et1o421.jpg)

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 03, 2022, 05:10:10 PM
Geddy has a Yes shirt on, cool.   Does that mean that Neil and Ace were off doing crosswords together?  Or coke? 

And even though Peter's a tool on wheels, at least he's giving the finger correctly.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 03, 2022, 05:18:17 PM
Cool, yeah I am not sure it is that easy! Quick story, I actually used to perform as Gene Simmons in a Kiss tribute band (full costume, make up, fire breathing, blood spitting etc...) today though I very rarely listen to Kiss.

That's really cool!!  What part of the country?  Ever play in the Northeast?

Yeah, that's interesting!

I'm actually from Australia, so played around Australia and also New Zealand.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 03, 2022, 05:32:46 PM
Cool, yeah I am not sure it is that easy! Quick story, I actually used to perform as Gene Simmons in a Kiss tribute band (full costume, make up, fire breathing, blood spitting etc...) today though I very rarely listen to Kiss.

That's really cool!!  What part of the country?  Ever play in the Northeast?

Yeah, that's interesting!

I'm actually from Australia, so played around Australia and also New Zealand.
Awesome to meet a fellow Aussie on here! Which state are you in?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 03, 2022, 06:07:31 PM
Cool, yeah I am not sure it is that easy! Quick story, I actually used to perform as Gene Simmons in a Kiss tribute band (full costume, make up, fire breathing, blood spitting etc...) today though I very rarely listen to Kiss.

That's really cool!!  What part of the country?  Ever play in the Northeast?

Yeah, that's interesting!

I'm actually from Australia, so played around Australia and also New Zealand.
Awesome to meet a fellow Aussie on here! Which state are you in?

Nice one. I'm from Melbourne.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 03, 2022, 06:46:50 PM
Come on guys!!  There IS a Kiss thread for this!! :loser:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 03, 2022, 07:07:06 PM
71 Test for Echo
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 26 (devieira73)



70 Fly by Night
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (DragonAttack)

Test for Echo - This climbed all the way up to #33 on my list. I love the feel of this song and the drumming is just phenomenal throughout the song. I'm constantly picking up new things that Neil does on the drums almost every time I listen to it.

Fly by Night - This came in at #91. It's a good song, but it's way overplayed. Besides there are 90 other Rush songs that are better  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 04, 2022, 03:21:18 AM
Cool, yeah I am not sure it is that easy! Quick story, I actually used to perform as Gene Simmons in a Kiss tribute band (full costume, make up, fire breathing, blood spitting etc...) today though I very rarely listen to Kiss.

That's really cool!!  What part of the country?  Ever play in the Northeast?

Yeah, that's interesting!

I'm actually from Australia, so played around Australia and also New Zealand.
Awesome to meet a fellow Aussie on here! Which state are you in?

Nice one. I'm from Melbourne.

Excellent, we're taking over.  About fucking time!  Brissie boy right here.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 04, 2022, 04:33:31 AM
Wow this is so… Aussome.

Get it?




Sorry…
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nobloodyname on March 04, 2022, 05:08:56 AM
Has anyone messaged Kev? :lol

Fly By Night? 39 for me. I'd definitely have ranked it higher had I run the ranking engine more than once. Love the guitar textures.

78 for Test for Echo. It's okay.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 04, 2022, 05:24:18 AM
Wow this is so… Aussome.

Get it?




Sorry…

Jesus.....
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 04, 2022, 05:38:58 AM
H.


Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 04, 2022, 06:16:40 AM
Come on guys!!  There IS a Kiss thread for this!! :loser:

I get that, I do.   But there ARE a lot of parallels between the two bands early on (and, in the sense that they tangled for a while for bands with the most gold records, later too) and they toured together a lot. It's an interesting side bar to some of these songs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 04, 2022, 06:18:00 AM
Cool, yeah I am not sure it is that easy! Quick story, I actually used to perform as Gene Simmons in a Kiss tribute band (full costume, make up, fire breathing, blood spitting etc...) today though I very rarely listen to Kiss.

That's really cool!!  What part of the country?  Ever play in the Northeast?

Yeah, that's interesting!

I'm actually from Australia, so played around Australia and also New Zealand.
Awesome to meet a fellow Aussie on here! Which state are you in?

Nice one. I'm from Melbourne.

Excellent, we're taking over.  About fucking time!  Brissie boy right here.

I’m a Bunbury boy myself. 2 hours south from Perth!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 04, 2022, 07:00:53 AM
C'mon guys!  There's an Aussie thread for this!    :) :)  :) :)  :) :) :) :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 04, 2022, 08:33:36 AM
C'mon guys!  There's an Aussie thread for this!    :) :)  :) :)  :) :) :) :)


Wait, there is? Legit, please link it and I’ll be right there!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 04, 2022, 08:34:48 AM
C'mon guys!  There's an Aussie thread for this!    :) :)  :) :)  :) :) :) :)
Wait, there is?  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 04, 2022, 08:36:38 AM
I know in my Swimming With Crocs Thread, every other post was Australia WTF??  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 04, 2022, 09:36:49 AM
This is another way that Rush is like Kiss; both bands have pretty good 2nd and 3rd albums, but for both bands, the better ALBUM is the 2nd album ("Hotter Than Hell", "Fly By Night") even if the best SONG is on the third album ("She" and "The Fountain Of Lamneth").  I think in both cases there was one classic album across the two records, but at the time, you put out an album every six months and toured the shit out of it.  That's what you did.

I can't speak intelligently about those two KISS albums or any song on either of them (other than the one everyone knows), but The Fountain of Lamneth isn't the best song on COS, much less the best song on both FBN and COS.


And, before we get too far removed from Double Agent, I just found out last night that there's a Cold War spy novel called Wilderness of Mirrors and that "wilderness of mirrors" is a term used to describe the "spy game."  I had never before taken the time to look into the meaning of the lyrics of that song.  Kinda makes it even cooler than I already thought it was.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 04, 2022, 09:44:53 AM
This is another way that Rush is like Kiss; both bands have pretty good 2nd and 3rd albums, but for both bands, the better ALBUM is the 2nd album ("Hotter Than Hell", "Fly By Night") even if the best SONG is on the third album ("She" and "The Fountain Of Lamneth").  I think in both cases there was one classic album across the two records, but at the time, you put out an album every six months and toured the shit out of it.  That's what you did.

I can't speak intelligently about those two KISS albums or any song on either of them (other than the one everyone knows), but The Fountain of Lamneth isn't the best song on COS, much less the best song on both FBN and COS.


And, before we get too far removed from Double Agent, I just found out last night that there's a Cold War spy novel called Wilderness of Mirrors and that "wilderness of mirrors" is a term used to describe the "spy game."  I had never before taken the time to look into the meaning of the lyrics of that song.  Kinda makes it even cooler than I already thought it was.

Apparently the term "wilderness of mirrors" is from TS Elliot, who inspired the song. But Neil also acknowledged the spy world aspect of it:

"In a deeper level, without wanting to get too profound about it, but it's a style of writing which I've been wanting to get towards, which I've read with John Dos Passos is a prose writer who exemplifies it, T.S. Eliot is a poet who exemplifies it, where they throw so much at you, so many images and so many pictures that are all individually beautiful, not necessarily interconnecting, but they just come at you and they come at you, and all the way through it your head is spinning, and you think, 'oh, I'm not understanding this, why am I not understanding this, am I stupid?' And then at the end of it, you sort of put it aside and after the dizziness subsides, you're left with something. You're left with something beautiful. And when one will mention that book to you or that poem to you that story to you, then this beautiful thing, indescribable, intangible, image which you have drawn out of all that comes into your mind. So I just, just wanted to get towards that style of writing where its carefully refined, each little image is worked out so that on its own its something, but all together its a little bit obscure and a little bit vague, so you almost seem to be saying nothing, but in fact you're saying, you know, a great many things. This was probably the hardest song I have ever worked on, it just, in spite of the pleasure it gave me and how much I enjoyed doing it, it went through so many rewrites and changed its title so many times, everything about it just went through constant refinement, each little image was juggled around and I just fought for the right words to put each little phrase together and to make it sound exactly right to me, so that it sounded a little bit nonsensical. I wanted to get that kind of Jabberwocky, uh, word games thing happening with it and also there's little things going on that your mind sort of catches without identifying, like a lot of poetic devices. You take the, uh, number of words that sound the same or start with the same letter or whatever, you just certainly don't start in the middle of it and go, "oh, that's alliteration!" But those words fall upon your ear in a melodious way, or if you're reading them they, they run through your mind in a rhythmic and attractive way." Neil Peart, Jim Ladd "Innerview", 1984

"'Wilderness of mirrors' is a phrase from T.S.Eliot's 'Gerontion,' and was also applied by former CIA counterintelligence chief James Jesus Angleton to describe the world of espionage-hence the twist on 'Double Agent,' reflecting the clandestine workings of dreams and the subconcious. Disinformation or intelligence? Let the mirror decide." - Neil Peart, "Reflections in a Wilderness of Mirrors"


http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/rushinspirations.html
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 04, 2022, 12:03:42 PM
Yup.  That's one of the things I read.  There's another one where he said that a friend was writing a novel about the "war" between FBI and CIA and wanted NP to read what he had written.  Not surprisingly, this caused NP to read a bunch of other spy related stuff.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 04, 2022, 12:59:55 PM
Fish had a vigil there, as well.  ;)

Anyone interested in good spy novels would do well to read "The Company" by Robert Littell.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 04, 2022, 01:04:16 PM
C'mon guys!  There's an Aussie thread for this!    :) :)  :) :)  :) :) :) :)

There is?  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 04, 2022, 01:05:50 PM
Cool, yeah I am not sure it is that easy! Quick story, I actually used to perform as Gene Simmons in a Kiss tribute band (full costume, make up, fire breathing, blood spitting etc...) today though I very rarely listen to Kiss.

That's really cool!!  What part of the country?  Ever play in the Northeast?

Yeah, that's interesting!

I'm actually from Australia, so played around Australia and also New Zealand.
Awesome to meet a fellow Aussie on here! Which state are you in?

Nice one. I'm from Melbourne.

Excellent, we're taking over.  About fucking time!  Brissie boy right here.

I’m a Bunbury boy myself. 2 hours south from Perth!

Nice mate.  Great to have you here.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 04, 2022, 01:13:00 PM
C'mon guys!  There's an Aussie thread for this!    :) :)  :) :)  :) :) :) :)

There is?  :lol

Yes, look in the General Discussion forum.   :king:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 04, 2022, 01:21:08 PM
C'mon guys!  There's an Aussie thread for this!    :) :)  :) :)  :) :) :) :)

There is?  :lol

Yes, look in the General Discussion forum.   :king:

And it's separate from the "Swimming With Crocs" thread?  I thought that was the Aussie thread!!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 04, 2022, 01:30:19 PM
Sure, take a look. :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: faizoff on March 04, 2022, 02:13:00 PM
Cool, yeah I am not sure it is that easy! Quick story, I actually used to perform as Gene Simmons in a Kiss tribute band (full costume, make up, fire breathing, blood spitting etc...) today though I very rarely listen to Kiss.

That's really cool!!  What part of the country?  Ever play in the Northeast?

Yeah, that's interesting!

I'm actually from Australia, so played around Australia and also New Zealand.
Awesome to meet a fellow Aussie on here! Which state are you in?

Nice one. I'm from Melbourne.

Excellent, we're taking over.  About fucking time!  Brissie boy right here.

My brother lives in Brisbane, I'll ask him to look out for pools that have broken tiles.  ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 04, 2022, 03:15:33 PM
Isn't there a thing called 'private messages'?  Just asking.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 04, 2022, 03:20:28 PM
Isn't there a thing called 'private messages'?  Just asking.
You would think, but I know at least some Kiss fans can't keep their PM boxes from being full....   :biggrin:

But yeah, let's get back to the discussion about Rush! What are the next few selections Kev?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 04, 2022, 04:18:29 PM
Isn't there a thing called 'private messages'?  Just asking.
You would think, but I know at least some Kiss fans can't keep their PM boxes from being full....   :biggrin:

But yeah, let's get back to the discussion about Rush! What are the next few selections Kev?

I PM'd him, and he said he'll probably get to it later today when he's home and has time.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 04, 2022, 04:19:52 PM
So..a couple more hours of KISS talk?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 04, 2022, 04:39:21 PM
So..a couple more hours of KISS talk?

I'm going back to the Aussie thread then.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 04, 2022, 04:41:25 PM
So..a couple more hours of KISS talk?

I'm going back to the Aussie thread then.

Cool, meet you there!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 04, 2022, 04:52:19 PM
Alright, no more KISS or Aussie talk. I wanna know the next lot of songs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 04, 2022, 07:28:30 PM
Okay, as we continue with Rush's greatest songs, tonight's two will be presented by one of the greatest songwriters of the 21st century...

(https://c.tenor.com/KQkBNhj4nbUAAAAd/taylor-swift-magician.gif)

69 Presto
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (kingshmegland)


It feels like this song got the live bump, as it seemed like this song was rarely talked about until it got played on the Time Machine tour. I admittedly liked it more after seeing it live, although it still didn't crack my top 75.


(https://c.tenor.com/5TgH8mSYg9sAAAAC/taylor-swift-fireworks.gif)

68 Countdown
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Dream Team)


I had to admit that I was quite shocked at how much love this song got.  I like it, but always thought it was somewhat of an average ending to an otherwise fantastic record.  Feels like one of those songs where the end result didn't meet the ambition they had for it. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 04, 2022, 07:30:53 PM
WTF.  Presto is absolutely amazing. I was always screaming for them to play it live.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 04, 2022, 07:32:01 PM
WTF.  Presto is absolutely amazing. I was always screaming for them to play it live.

I guess Boston is too far from St Louis for me to have heard ya. ;)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 04, 2022, 07:35:59 PM
69 Presto
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (kingshmegland)



68 Countdown
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Dream Team)

Presto - I really like this song, even though it's not one of my favorites from the album and it didn't make my top 75. Just missed in fact at #78. I really like the creative drumming and how the band weaves in and out of various time signatures and tempos.

Countdown - I know some people really love this song. I honestly, for the life of me, have no idea why. I get the sentimentality of it, but the lyrics feel forced and awkward and the music is uninteresting. Therefore this finished at #154 on my list. And looking my list over again, it probably should have been lower at about #162.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 04, 2022, 07:36:33 PM
Okay, as we continue with Rush's greatest songs, tonight's two will be presented by one of the greatest songwriters of the 21st century...

Gene and Paul?   ;D



69 Presto
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (kingshmegland)



68 Countdown
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Dream Team)


I had Presto as Not Rated. It a fine song. I definitely don't not like it.

I had Countdown at #68. Hey, whaddya know? Kev, I understand what you're saying about it. Like maybe it doesn't quite get there, but I definitely like it. Maybe you just had to be there youngster.
 

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 04, 2022, 07:36:59 PM
Kev, I will send you a voice text you will never forget.  Lolol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 04, 2022, 07:38:35 PM
Okay, as we continue with Rush's greatest songs, tonight's two will be presented by one of the greatest songwriters of the 21st century...

Gene and Paul?   ;D

In no century should either of them ever be considered "greatest songwriters"
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 04, 2022, 07:43:11 PM
Countdown doesn't strike me as a "you had to be there" song.  Although I swear I sorta remember seeing the video for Distant Early Warning a few times on MTV back in the mid 80s, I wasn't "there" for any of the synth era in real time, yet I have mad love for the vast majority of the songs from the four albums that generally comprise that era.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 04, 2022, 07:50:15 PM
Countdown doesn't strike me as a "you had to be there" song.  Although I swear I sorta remember seeing the video for Distant Early Warning a few times on MTV back in the mid 80s, I wasn't "there" for any of the synth era in real time, yet I have mad love for the vast majority of the songs from the four albums that generally comprise that era.

Well, I say that because if that song wasn't with me from the time I was 12, I may not hold it in as high regard, though I'm not sure listing it at #68 is high regard. I got Signals at a sensitive time and while I was thrown back by the direction of the music, it still occupies a soft spot for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 04, 2022, 07:51:46 PM
I get that. While neither made my top 75, I doubt I'd like Stick It Out and The Speed of Love nearly as much if they hadn't been on Counterparts, which was the first new Rush album after they became my favorite band.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 04, 2022, 07:56:44 PM
I get that. While neither made my top 75, I doubt I'd like Stick It Out and The Speed of Love nearly as much if they hadn't been on Counterparts, which was the first new Rush album after they became my favorite band.

And conversely neither made my list, and I think The Speed Of Love is one of their worst songs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 04, 2022, 07:57:26 PM
Can't argue with that Tim.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: MrMike on March 04, 2022, 08:01:12 PM
I remember seeing a YouTuber's video where John Petrucci and a few other panelists tried to make the ultimate Rush album.  They each suggested like 5 songs and one of JP's was Countdown.  That surprised me since it's one of Rush's least technical songs and not one I'd have expected him to pick.  It definitely feels a bit under baked, but I still like it enough that it ranked at 52.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 04, 2022, 08:02:31 PM
Under baked is a good way to put it.  Again, I like it, but it feels like it builds to a peak that never happens.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 04, 2022, 08:22:11 PM
Presto didn't rate for me.  I just never found much to like about that song.

Countdown came in at 58.  Very nice song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 04, 2022, 08:32:35 PM
I didn't rank Presto or Countdown. Not sure either were that close to top 75 either.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 04, 2022, 08:37:11 PM
I love Presto, both the album and the song. The song came in at 37 for me. Something about this whole album gets me in the feels. The “I radiate more heat than light” is just a great, evocative line. When I first got into this album, this song in particular seemed like it described me. Just improvising life, a little bit aimless, wanting to have some sort of impact on the world but feeling like I was just hot air, rather than “light.” Still feel that way I guess!

I had Countdown at 59. It may be one that I rate higher simply because it concludes one of my favorite albums, but I really like the whole theme of Signals and this is a great closer. It is actually kind of a Red Barchetta re-write, but that OK. It’s different enough that the similarities don’t bother me. Just a unique song lyric wise, and it has one of the proggier keyboard solos you’ll find in a Rush song.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 04, 2022, 08:39:20 PM
. It is actually kind of a Red Barchetta re-write, but that OK. It’s different enough that the similarities don’t bother me.

Huh. I've never made the connection.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 04, 2022, 08:45:27 PM
Okay, as we continue with Rush's greatest songs, tonight's two will be presented by one of the greatest songwriters of the 21st century...

(https://c.tenor.com/KQkBNhj4nbUAAAAd/taylor-swift-magician.gif)

69 Presto
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (kingshmegland)


It feels like this song got the live bump, as it seemed like this song was rarely talked about until it got played on the Time Machine tour. I admittedly liked it more after seeing it live, although it still didn't crack my top 75.


(https://c.tenor.com/5TgH8mSYg9sAAAAC/taylor-swift-fireworks.gif)

68 Countdown
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Dream Team)


I had to admit that I was quite shocked at how much love this song got.  I like it, but always thought it was somewhat of an average ending to an otherwise fantastic record.  Feels like one of those songs where the end result didn't meet the ambition they had for it.

Let’s start with the obvious. PLEASE NO MORE TAYLOR SWIFT!

Right. Presto. Didn’t rate it, but I love it. Kinda hating how much this ranking is making me realise I put in songs that comparatively I shouldn’t have.

Countdown. Number 38. It’s a damn good closer about a great advancement in human history. Great drumming, massively epic feel. Can’t say much better than that.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 04, 2022, 08:49:04 PM

Let’s start with the obvious. PLEASE NO MORE TAYLOR SWIFT!

Thank you. The next Taylor Swift gif will be met with...


(https://amyrossi.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/kdedex.gif?w=348)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 04, 2022, 08:50:29 PM
The greatness of Taylor Swift is needed to wash off the stench of the worst rock band ever that shall go unnamed.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 04, 2022, 08:52:27 PM
And mark me down as another who sees zero connection between Red Barchetta and Countdown. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 04, 2022, 08:52:58 PM
The greatness of Taylor Swift is needed to wash off the stench of the worst rock band ever that shall go unnamed.


Taylor And The Swifties?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 04, 2022, 08:53:05 PM
And mark me down as another who sees zero connection between Red Barchetta and Countdown.

Yeah......I don't understand that either.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 04, 2022, 08:57:10 PM
The greatness of Taylor Swift is needed to wash off the stench of the worst rock band ever that shall go unnamed.

Even if your not into her music you have to admire her music and how she evolves every album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 04, 2022, 09:01:48 PM
And mark me down as another who sees zero connection between Red Barchetta and Countdown.
Yeah......I don't understand that either.
Add me to the list.

I have Presto ranked at #65, so my feelings for it balance out pretty closely to the general consensus. I'm not a huge fan of acoustic based songs in general (although I've really grown to love Making Memories which I doubt will make the list), but I think this is one of the better ones. Glad they finally played it on the Time Machine tour.

Countdown is also a good song, though compared to the rest of the album, it's in the lower half of my rankings for that album. Still it made #53 on my list. Definitely takes me back to my pre- and early teen years and that whole time when the space shuttles were regularly being launched.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 04, 2022, 09:07:36 PM
Wait, you guys really don’t see the similarities between the two songs? The vocal melodies are similar, the way the verses lead into short little instrumental passages in places rather than a chorus, just the general rhythm and cadence are similar.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 04, 2022, 09:15:02 PM
Yeah, even with the brief explanation - I don’t see any connection between Red Barchetta and Countdown apart from the fact they’re an album apart and both hold even numbered slots on their records. Oh, and they were both played on the Signals tour. And Countdown is exactly 20 seconds shorter and both fade out. Both are about vehicles and use sound clips.

That’s literally it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 04, 2022, 10:05:38 PM
Wait, you guys really don’t see the similarities between the two songs? The vocal melodies are similar, the way the verses lead into short little instrumental passages in places rather than a chorus, just the general rhythm and cadence are similar.

Nah mate.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 04, 2022, 10:34:31 PM

Let’s start with the obvious. PLEASE NO MORE TAYLOR SWIFT!

Thank you. The next Taylor Swift gif will be met with...


(https://amyrossi.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/kdedex.gif?w=348)
I'd rather look at Taylor Swift...

Wait, you guys really don’t see the similarities between the two songs? The vocal melodies are similar, the way the verses lead into short little instrumental passages in places rather than a chorus, just the general rhythm and cadence are similar.
Yeah, I've never made that connection either. I still don't hear it. But that's one of the great things about music, we all hear it differently. :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Tomislav95 on March 05, 2022, 02:07:07 AM
Have Presto at #56. Tbh I didn't expect to see it in top 75 at all  ;D kinda cheesy but I love it.

Countdown is my #58. Great song, not underwhelming closer at all. On the contrary, I think it's epic even though it's not a long song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 05, 2022, 05:53:48 AM
Wait, you guys really don’t see the similarities between the two songs? The vocal melodies are similar, the way the verses lead into short little instrumental passages in places rather than a chorus, just the general rhythm and cadence are similar.

Nope.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 05, 2022, 05:58:27 AM
Also, a few fun facts about the list to chew on for a bit...

-There are four albums where every song is represented in the top 75.
-There are two albums that didn't have a single song make the top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 05, 2022, 06:08:23 AM
Also, a few fun facts about the list to chew on for a bit...

-There are four albums where every song is represented in the top 75.
-There are two albums that didn't have a single song make the top 75.
[/quote

Willing to bet PeW, MP, Signals and Hemispheres?

Maybe Vapor Trails and S&A?

Also, can anyone tell me how to do a multi quote? I’d like to be able to quote multiple people.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 05, 2022, 06:53:49 AM
69 Presto (#64) - I love the melodies on this one, great acoustic song!

68 Countdown (-) - It's a good song, but I think it lacks a bit the excitement of the scene the song describes.  Anyway, I also think Signals has 6 songs that are better.
Is it the only Rush song with a proper keyboard solo?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 05, 2022, 07:47:16 AM
Yo… how did I manage to type my entire last reply to Kev as a quote of Kev? That makes NO sense.

Man, I’m bad at this.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 05, 2022, 08:54:26 AM
Yo… how did I manage to type my entire last reply to Kev as a quote of Kev? That makes NO sense.

Man, I’m bad at this.

After you click in "reply", you should just click in "insert quote" on the messages you want to quote (they will appear under the box that you write) and, after you you click those quotes, you write your message under them.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 05, 2022, 08:57:05 AM
Also, a few fun facts about the list to chew on for a bit...

-There are four albums where every song is represented in the top 75.
-There are two albums that didn't have a single song make the top 75.
[/quote

Willing to bet PeW, MP, Signals and Hemispheres?

Maybe Vapor Trails and S&A?

Also, can anyone tell me how to do a multi quote? I’d like to be able to quote multiple people.

I would bet on those too (maybe swapping Signals for PoW), although personally I have selected 3 songs from S&A and 2 from VP.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 05, 2022, 09:13:00 AM
Presto (did not rank in top 75, had it at #99)

This is a neat song. It didn't make my top 75, but if anything that's a testament to the overall quality of this band's songs. Real nice melodies and drumming.

Countdown (did not rank in top 75, had it at #86)

See above. I agree with the general statement that it doesn't quite get to "great song" status, but I always enjoy it as the closer for Signals. I don't see a ton of parallels to Red Barchetta either, but the song does have that signature open-string Lifeson pattern, here around 2:55 and then again around 5:00 (thinking about Subdivisions, or even Tom Sawyer...)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 05, 2022, 09:53:31 AM
Guessing the two that didn’t have a song make the top 75 are Caress of Steel and Snakes and Arrows.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 05, 2022, 10:15:46 AM
Guessing the two that didn’t have a song make the top 75 are Caress of Steel and Snakes and Arrows.
That's what I was thinking.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 05, 2022, 11:28:54 AM
One of those guesses will be proven wrong quickly with today's two!

67 The Necromancer
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 15 (Puppies_On_Acid)


This was a borderline top 10 Rush song for me when I was first a fan. I am still a big fan, but it settled in at 39 for me this time around. Rush has never rocked as hard as they did in the middle section of this song, and that ending section with Alex's glorious solo is magnificent.  The lyrics and spoken word bits are a bit silly, but musically this song is killer.


66 Emotion Detector
Appeared on 11 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 3 (HOF)


This was the only song from Power Windows that did not appear in my top 75, and I have to admit to being a little surprised at how well it did here.  I didn't think it would make the list. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 05, 2022, 11:32:44 AM
69. Presto (34).  I have Presto up at 34 in my list.  It’s one that has grown on me over time.  I was 11, almost 12 when the album came out, and it was a song that I couldn’t relate to then, but as I’ve grown up, the lyrics have become more meaningful to me.  Also, I think they did a fantastic job of matching music and lyrics on this song. 

68. Countdown (N/A).  Even though Signals has really grown on me over the years, I still find Countdown to be a bit of a failure to launch with me.  Not that it’s bad, but as someone else stated, there are 6 songs on Signals that are cooler than this one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 05, 2022, 11:42:36 AM
Neither made my top 75 though the guitar solo in ED is amazing. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 05, 2022, 11:54:17 AM
One of those guesses will be proven wrong quickly with today's two!

67 The Necromancer
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 15 (Puppies_On_Acid)


This was a borderline top 10 Rush song for me when I was first a fan. I am still a big fan, but it settled in at 39 for me this time around. Rush has never rocked as hard as they did in the middle section of this song, and that ending section with Alex's glorious solo is magnificent.  The lyrics and spoken word bits are a bit silly, but musically this song is killer.


66 Emotion Detector
Appeared on 11 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 3 (HOF)


This was the only song from Power Windows that did not appear in my top 75, and I have to admit to being a little surprised at how well it did here.  I didn't think it would make the list.
The Necromancer - Well, I am very glad to be proven wrong in my prediction. As Kev said, this song rocks so hard in the middle section. I used to play this album (and by extension, this song) over and over when I first got it when I was a kid. The guitar solos and interplay between the guitar and bass still fascinate me to this day. It's like the band decided to just go nuts when writing this song and hold nothing back and see what would happen. There really is nothing else that sounds like this in all of the rest of Rush's catalogue. This is one of those songs that I fantasize about what it would have sounded like had they played it live at the Hammersmith Odeon show in '78. In an alternate universe maybe.....

Emotion Detector - With the inclusion of this song from Power Windows, I'd be willing to bet the rest of the album made the list. I had this at #46. I love the heavy usage of toms in the drumming throughout the song, mainly throughout the verses. Then the explosion of sound into the chorus. Neil's creative drumming really shines on this song, like it does on the rest of Power Windows. And yet another awesome and emotive guitar solo by Alex, just 1 of hundreds he has done.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 05, 2022, 12:38:16 PM
Glad to be wrong about COS. The Necromancer was the only song from it to make my list at 74, but Bastille Day and Lamneth were close and I almost put them on as well. I think COS is an underrated album, and I think those epics are superior to some of the more lauded ones. Lakeside Park is a decent song as well. It is a weird album though. Those epics are trippy, and the sound is a bit messy. But I like it.

Not surprised that I was the high person on Emotion Detector at number 3. This is just a song that I relate to personally, and I think it’s just a really lovely sentiment and one of Neil’s best lyrics. Being honest and introspective with yourself is hard, but being open and and honest with other people and trusting someone else not to crush you is even harder. It’s easier to wrap yourself in cynicism or throw up defensive mechanisms, or go to the other end of the spectrum and be driven by approval and others’ opinions of you.

I love how the whole song comes together, from the more synth and electronic drum driven verse to the explosive chorus, and the tremendous instrumental section that features some amazing bass and one of Alex’s finest solos. Lots of great drumming as well, and vocally this one is right in Geddy’s sweet spot. This is the deepest of Rush cuts in a way, and yet it’s an utterly amazing song to me. The kind of song that sets Rush apart.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 05, 2022, 12:46:25 PM
I didn't rate either song. Emotion Detector would be in my Bottom 5 worst Rush songs...sorry HOF.

If this went to 100, The Necromancer would likely get in. I've just never warmed up to it. I love the last part, but it's just too much to get there.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 05, 2022, 01:21:44 PM
I didn't rate either song. Emotion Detector would be in my Bottom 5 worst Rush songs...sorry HOF.


As it should be. Universe (or at least the DT forum) has to balance itself out.  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 05, 2022, 01:45:52 PM
 “Why are we here?  Because we’re here.  Roll the bones.
Why does it happen?  Because it happens.  Roll the bones.”  Simply ‘ouch’.
Tthe rap part vocals reminded me of a Roger Taylor of Queen solo non album B side called ‘Two Sharp Pencils’  from ’84   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlxcVDGWc4s  (no idea wtf he was thinking on this as well).  With that said,

75 Roll the Bones (NR)

74 Double Agent (NR)

73 Prime Mover (#70)

72 Open Secrets (NR)

71 Test for Echo (#61)

70 Fly by Night (#12) Glad someone also had it in their Top 15.  I was going to be semi-snobbish and rate it lower.  It's a song from my HS days, with an intro that is widely recognized.  Good tempo changes, and one notices that the new drummer is pretty damn good. Even if one is tired of it, it deserves to be recognized for what it is, …a damn good memorable rock n roll song.  Hits help, and it helped me decide to see them in concert in ’77.

69 Presto (#18) From ‘Signals’ onwards, only 2-4 songs per album would stand out for me.  The rest just all kind of blended into ‘sameness’.  This song did not.  As to my often 'falling into affinity'  ;) for good pop songs, I fell for this one.  Or blame it on its tie in to the rabbits on the album cover.

68 Countdown (NR)

67 The Necromancer (NR)

66 Emotion Detector (NR)

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 05, 2022, 03:07:10 PM
I didn't rate either song. Emotion Detector would be in my Bottom 5 worst Rush songs...sorry HOF.

If this went to 100, The Necromancer would likely get in. I've just never warmed up to it. I love the last part, but it's just too much to get there.

I have to say this pretty much sums up me on these two songs as well.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 05, 2022, 03:28:51 PM
67. The Necromancer (N/A).  Nothing from Caress of Steel made my top 75, but I feel like I should go back and listen to this one again.

66. Emotion Detector (31).  One of my favorite deep album cuts. I love Neil’s use of the electronic drums on this track, the synth patches, and Alex’s scorching guitar solo.  Such a cool song!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 05, 2022, 04:44:38 PM
67. The Necromancer (#74)  - Pretty much what Kev said, it's really a great song on CoS.

66. Emotion Detector (-) - I love the solo section (Pow is full of great ones!) and I truly like the rest of the song until the end, but I think the eletronic drum sound and programmed keyboard in the beggining of the song are really annoying (sorry, romdrums!) - it prevents me from liking the music more as a whole.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 05, 2022, 05:07:47 PM
One of those guesses will be proven wrong quickly with today's two!

67 The Necromancer
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 15 (Puppies_On_Acid)



66 Emotion Detector
Appeared on 11 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 3 (HOF)


Necromancer appeared on my list at number 47, my highest ranked track from CoS. I love it. The three movements are quite distinct, and while the third is the most upbeat, I must admit that it’s the section between sections (after the By-Tor sounds) that always stood out the most to me, and inspired part of my upcoming EP.

Emotion Detector, finally a song appears on this list that doesn’t make me think “oh, I should’ve had this on mine”. This one is the only song off of PoW that didn’t warrant a place on my list. It’s basically the first filler song since Madrigal in 1977 for my ear.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 05, 2022, 05:44:45 PM
The Necromancer (did not rank - outside of top 100)

This song actually grew on me over time, and it's my favorite of the two "epics" on CoS, but it never quite stuck with me. Some crazy stuff on it, though, and  the heavy riffage really IS heavy.

Emotion Detector (did not make top 75, I had it at #84)

The only song from Power Windows that didn't make my top 75, but I feel like it could (should?) have. I actually always enjoy listening to it and yes, the solo part is wonderful.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 05, 2022, 09:14:42 PM
69 Presto
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (kingshmegland)


It feels like this song got the live bump, as it seemed like this song was rarely talked about until it got played on the Time Machine tour. I admittedly liked it more after seeing it live, although it still didn't crack my top 75.

I remember some degree of excitement upon hearing that Alex's acoustic guitar would make a return on Presto.  It's a fine song.  I had it at #60.


68 Countdown
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Dream Team)


I had to admit that I was quite shocked at how much love this song got.  I like it, but always thought it was somewhat of an average ending to an otherwise fantastic record.  Feels like one of those songs where the end result didn't meet the ambition they had for it.

I'm honestly surprised someone ranked this song higher than I did.  I had it at #22.  I fucking LOVE this song.  I've loved it since the first day I saw the video on MTV back in '82 or '83.  It's possibly the biggest hole in my list of songs I never saw live.  I was really hoping it would make a return to the set list after the Challenger blew up, but no.


67 The Necromancer
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 15 (Puppies_On_Acid)


This was a borderline top 10 Rush song for me when I was first a fan. I am still a big fan, but it settled in at 39 for me this time around. Rush has never rocked as hard as they did in the middle section of this song, and that ending section with Alex's glorious solo is magnificent.  The lyrics and spoken word bits are a bit silly, but musically this song is killer.

I'm a little surprised this song isn't higher.  I had it at #27, but I don't listen to it as much as I think I should.  It's unique and a really, really good song.  The progression from basic rock to scorching metal to uplifting ending works so very well.


66 Emotion Detector
Appeared on 11 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 3 (HOF)


This was the only song from Power Windows that did not appear in my top 75, and I have to admit to being a little surprised at how well it did here.  I didn't think it would make the list. 

I'm REALLY surprised this is here.  I had it at #84, but it's my #4 song on POW, and the top 3 made my top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 06, 2022, 07:45:13 AM
Let's do three today, shall we? ;)

65 Everyday Glory
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (Deadeye21)


I thought I'd be the high on this one, as I had it at 27, but that happily did not turn out to be the case.  Love the melodies in this one, that chorus is magnificent, and the "If the future's looking dark..." section features some of Neil's best lyrics ever.


64 Show Don’t Tell
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (romdrums)


This one went unranked for me, but it got a lot of love in the rankings, appearing on 15 of the lists.  I like it, but it's not a terribly exciting song, even when listening to the live versions. 


63 Something for Nothing
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Stadler)


As much as I love 2112 as a full album, this is one I always thought the fanbase overrated a little.  It's another I like, but do not love.  My least favorite song from 2112. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 06, 2022, 07:58:53 AM
So I've been following along but it's been a busy week for me, so here's my first reply since the ranking posts began. Let's catch up on the bottom ten thirteen of the Top 75:

75 Roll the Bones - ranked 89th for me. I like it enough, but I guess not Top Half of Rush material.
74 Double Agent - ranked 113th. It's good, but I guess the sorter showed me I didn't like it all that much.
73 Prime Mover - ranked 61st. Very good song, one of the better ones off HYF.
72 Open Secrets - ranked 83rd. Another good one from HYF.
71 Test for Echo - ranked 104th. TFE was never my favorite Rush album, and as good as the title track is, I guess I didn't sort it highly.
70 Fly by Night - ranked 121st. Early Rush probably didn't get very far in my sorter ranking, though I do enjoy this one a bit.
69 Presto - ranked 85th. I'm surprised it landed in the overall top 75, but it's an enjoyable tune. I think the live bump definitely helped it.
68 Countdown - ranked 105th. I like it well enough, but I never got overly excited about this Signals closer.
67 The Necromancer - ranked 87th. A strong "epic" from early Rush, and probably my favorite track off COS. Surprised to see it so high!
66 Emotion Detector - ranked 30th. I wonder if the other 7 POW songs are ranked higher in this Top 75? I mean, I love Power Windows, soooooo...
65 Everyday Glory - ranked 76th for me. It just barely missed my Top 75, but it's a good closer from one of my favorite Rush albums.
64 Show Don't Tell - ranked 72nd. Probably one of the best tracks on Presto, a very good opener.
63 Something For Nothing - ranked 94th. As much as I enjoy "2112" the song, Side B was never really something I truly enjoyed, as good as this album closer is. Also, there have been quite a few album openers/closers so far...interesting.

Very interesting ranking so far, a very good spread across Rush's career from FBN up to TFE and only one album with two songs so far.

It'll be interesting to see how many of these Top 75 were songs that weren't played live by the band. So far, it looks like "Open Secrets", "Emotion Detector" and "Everyday Glory".

(As I was typing this, Kev threw out 65-63, so I've edited my post before posting it. lol)

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 06, 2022, 08:02:46 AM
Let's do three today, shall we? ;)

65 Everyday Glory
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (Deadeye21)


I thought I'd be the high on this one, as I had it at 27, but that happily did not turn out to be the case.  Love the melodies in this one, that chorus is magnificent, and the "If the future's looking dark..." section features some of Neil's best lyrics ever.


64 Show Don’t Tell
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (romdrums)

 

63 Something for Nothing
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Stadler)

 

So, I don’t actually have to give away where I ranked Everyday Glory, being that I am Deadeye21. But this js a straight up blast of positivity in a bleak world, and it always leaves me happy. And Geddy’s high notes on the “no matter what they say” sections are just beautiful.

Show Don’t Tell didn’t make my list. It honestly deserves to be this high though. Great riff, and after an atmospheric intro, you’re hit with Alex’s guitar with the most perfect riff to say “hey, did you know we brought back the guitars on this album?” Could’ve done with a bit more of a solo though, and some of the lyrics are a bit goofy, though it serves as a bit of a precursor to Test For Echo to me. Great quirky riff too.

Something for Nothing, I don’t rate it. Eh, it’s nice enough, but it’s not one that really pops up often for me. This song suffers for being the final track on 2112, since it not only follows the title track, but also follows after Lessons and Tears, where I kinda start to check out. It’s a solid rocker, but that’s about the best I can give it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 06, 2022, 08:04:20 AM
65 Everyday Glory (NR)  so many of the post 90s songs I have to listen to on ytube because I do not recognize the title.  I heard a lot of U2 in this one.

64 Show Don’t Tell (#25)  shows a bit more balls than other songs on 'Presto.

63 Something for Nothing (#49) because of the AtWaS live version, and the countless times hearing that album with others during my youth.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 06, 2022, 09:26:10 AM
Everyday Glory (ranked #33)

Great song, fantastic melodies. Such a good closer for Counterparts. I always thought there was a bit of U2 influence in Lifeson's guitarwork during the verses, and it works so well. Love Geddy's vocals too.

Show Don't Tell (ranked #35)

As it turns out, this is my highest ranked song from Presto. Lots of cool stuff going on here, including Geddy's spotlight moment on the bass starting around 3:15

Something for Nothing (did not rank - outside of top 100)

This one never did much for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 06, 2022, 11:02:37 AM
Let's do three today, shall we? ;)

65 Everyday Glory
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (Deadeye21)


I thought I'd be the high on this one, as I had it at 27, but that happily did not turn out to be the case.  Love the melodies in this one, that chorus is magnificent, and the "If the future's looking dark..." section features some of Neil's best lyrics ever.


64 Show Don’t Tell
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (romdrums)


This one went unranked for me, but it got a lot of love in the rankings, appearing on 15 of the lists.  I like it, but it's not a terribly exciting song, even when listening to the live versions. 


63 Something for Nothing
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Stadler)


As much as I love 2112 as a full album, this is one I always thought the fanbase overrated a little.  It's another I like, but do not love.  My least favorite song from 2112.
Everyday Glory - This one ranked pretty high, #31, and for good reason. This song is so uplifting and triumphant!

Show Don't Tell - This one ended up at #42 for me. When I first heard this it was the drumming that immediately stood out to me. Neil beats the crap out of that snare drum, and not in a "Lars Ulrich I don't know what to do" kind of way. I was especially drawn to the live version on Different Stages, which is the definitive version of this song, imo.

Something For Nothing - This was the highest ranked song from Side B of 2112, but it didn't quite make the top 75, dropping in at #81. I really liked Side B when I was younger, but it hasn't aged well for me. This song was benefited by the live version on Different Stages and to a lesser degree on AtWaS.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 06, 2022, 11:16:30 AM
Regarding Side 2 of 2112, while I was not surprised, I was a little bummed about not many others showing some love in their lists for The Twilight Zone and Tears, both of which made my top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 06, 2022, 11:52:14 AM
Not a super huge fan of Caress of Steel, so it's not surprising that nothing from it made my top 75, although The Necromancer just barely missed it by being #76. To be honest, I have come to appreciate this song more now than I did in the 80s and 90s because of DT's cover of it. I still favor it over the original, but it has helped me to enjoy the original more than before.

Emotion Detector is definitely an underrated gem on PoW, IMO. This is another song that I loved from the very first listen and still love to this day. In particular I love build up of the entire intro of the song up to the beginning of the first verse as well as the powerful anthemic chorus. It made it to #17 on my list.

As much as I love Counterparts, Everyday Story is one of the songs that has never clicked with me, and therefore ended up at #140 on my list.

Show Don't Tell is a decent enough song, but the awkwardness of the opening riff never sat really well with me even though the rest of the song is great. I'd rate it probably in the bottom third of the album and as such ranked only at #118 for me.

OTOH, I absolutely love Something For Nothing, especially the live versions on both AtWaS and the 1978 show that was released with the 40th anniversary version of AFtK. So energy! So powah! A fiery way to end 2112. It ranked it at #31.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 06, 2022, 01:03:02 PM
Love Everyday Glory. It’s up at 16 on my list, and the 4th highest album closer. Great energy musically. Has sort of a pensive yet triumphant lyric. Just hits all the right notes to close out a great album. “Though we live in trying times, we’re the ones who have to try.” Certainly appropriate these days. One of several Rush songs that has a tendency to put a lump in my throat.

Show Don’t Tell was at 47 for me. It’s a fun song and kind of unique in terms the funkiness of the rhythm part (at least at the time. Feels like they kind of went back there on Roll the Bones and Caravan). Sets the tone for what was a very different and unique album, with those airy guitar tones in the verses and faint keyboards. Chorus is kind of an oddball too, but like a lot of Presto, is somehow works for me.

Something for Nothing was not on my list, probably wouldn’t have made a top 100 either. Just not a song (or album) I’ve ever cared for or listened to very much.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 06, 2022, 02:17:55 PM
Everyday Glory - I didn't rank this. I rarely listen to Counterparts and as this is the last song, I probably struggle to get to it often. It is nice enough I guess.

Show Don't Tell - I ranked at 63. It is a fun song with some great drumming.

Something for Nothing - I ranked at 21. I love this song, it could have been higher. I'm a huge fan of 2112 album as a whole but something is telling me not everyone else is?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 06, 2022, 02:26:41 PM
65 Everyday Glory
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (Deadeye21)


64 Show Don’t Tell
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (romdrums)


63 Something for Nothing
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Stadler)


I had Everyday Glory at #71, though it probably deserves a slightly better position on my list. I think it's a really enjoyable song.

I had Show Don't Tell at #53. It starts Presto of with a nice punch. And no synths!

I had Something For Nothing at #14. I love this song. Nice job Stadler putting this in the Top 10. It wasn't far off on my list. This has always been one of my favorite Rush songs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 06, 2022, 02:28:49 PM
Something for Nothing - I ranked at 21. I love this song, it could have been higher. I'm a huge fan of 2112 album as a whole but something is telling me not everyone else is?

Early on in my discovery of Rush, 2112 really put me off of early Rush. I only really knew their radio material and a couple of the later albums at that point, and I could not handle banshee Geddy Lee. It took me a long time to circle back to their 70s material, and it’s still not my favorite era.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 06, 2022, 02:38:01 PM
65 Everyday Glory (-); 63 Something for Nothing (-) - good songs - Something for Nothing is clearly more memorable than Everyday Glory, it's just that Rush has better songs in their body of work.

64 Show Don’t Tell (67) - Really good song - at the time, it was great to hear Lifeson's guitar a bit more dominant again, with some heavy parts. The bass solo in this song is amazing!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 06, 2022, 02:55:22 PM
65 Everyday Glory
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (Deadeye21)


I thought I'd be the high on this one, as I had it at 27, but that happily did not turn out to be the case.  Love the melodies in this one, that chorus is magnificent, and the "If the future's looking dark..." section features some of Neil's best lyrics ever.

This is a hugely underrated song which, unfortunately, never got played live.  Geddy's vocal performance was a definite highlight.  I had it at #34.


64 Show Don’t Tell
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (romdrums)


This one went unranked for me, but it got a lot of love in the rankings, appearing on 15 of the lists.  I like it, but it's not a terribly exciting song, even when listening to the live versions. 

#65 for me.  Good but not great.  I dig the main riff.


63 Something for Nothing
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Stadler)


As much as I love 2112 as a full album, this is one I always thought the fanbase overrated a little.  It's another I like, but do not love.  My least favorite song from 2112.

If I had done my rankings in 1985, I'd have probably had this in the top 10.  This time, I had it at #67.  It's good; not great.  Surprised that less than half of the entries had it ranked.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 06, 2022, 06:00:10 PM
65 Everyday Glory
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (Deadeye21)


I thought I'd be the high on this one, as I had it at 27, but that happily did not turn out to be the case.  Love the melodies in this one, that chorus is magnificent, and the "If the future's looking dark..." section features some of Neil's best lyrics ever.

This is a hugely underrated song which, unfortunately, never got played live.  Geddy's vocal performance was a definite highlight.  I had it at #34.


Ha! I didn't know that...which Counterparts songs never got played live? This one, then I guess Speed of Love, and...anything else...?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 06, 2022, 06:05:20 PM
65 Everyday Glory
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (Deadeye21)


I thought I'd be the high on this one, as I had it at 27, but that happily did not turn out to be the case.  Love the melodies in this one, that chorus is magnificent, and the "If the future's looking dark..." section features some of Neil's best lyrics ever.

This is a hugely underrated song which, unfortunately, never got played live.  Geddy's vocal performance was a definite highlight.  I had it at #34.


Ha! I didn't know that...which Counterparts songs never got played live? This one, then I guess Speed of Love, and...anything else...?
Cut to the Chase and Alien Shore were also never played live, unfortunately.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 06, 2022, 06:16:29 PM
Why they never dragged out Cut to the Chase is quite baffling to me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 06, 2022, 06:20:34 PM
Something for Nothing - I ranked at 21. I love this song, it could have been higher. I'm a huge fan of 2112 album as a whole but something is telling me not everyone else is?

Early on in my discovery of Rush, 2112 really put me off of early Rush. I only really knew their radio material and a couple of the later albums at that point, and I could not handle banshee Geddy Lee. It took me a long time to circle back to their 70s material, and it’s still not my favorite era.

Yeah,  I get that and can see how the 'banshee' Geddy doesn't appeal to all however I actually love the vocals on 2112. Geddy in general can be an acquired taste but I personally find this style the most appealing. Having said that though, I also love most of his later vocals too.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 06, 2022, 06:23:50 PM
It's a year old, but here's MP and JP on The Prog Report choosing the ultimate Rush compilation album..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7VDF457u7w
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 06, 2022, 06:28:10 PM
Too long to watch again.

Can someone sum up what their picks were?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 06, 2022, 06:28:21 PM
It's a year old, but here's MP and JP on The Prog Report choosing the ultimate Rush compilation album..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7VDF457u7w

I had this one saved, and realized just now I never got around to watching it. Thanks for the reminder!  :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 06, 2022, 07:02:59 PM
Let's do three today, shall we? ;)

65 Everyday Glory
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (Deadeye21)


I thought I'd be the high on this one, as I had it at 27, but that happily did not turn out to be the case.  Love the melodies in this one, that chorus is magnificent, and the "If the future's looking dark..." section features some of Neil's best lyrics ever.


64 Show Don’t Tell
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (romdrums)


This one went unranked for me, but it got a lot of love in the rankings, appearing on 15 of the lists.  I like it, but it's not a terribly exciting song, even when listening to the live versions. 


63 Something for Nothing
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Stadler)


As much as I love 2112 as a full album, this is one I always thought the fanbase overrated a little.  It's another I like, but do not love.  My least favorite song from 2112.

65. Everyday Glory (23). LOVE this song.  As my signature states.

64. Show Don’t Tell (17).   One of the first songs I heard from Rush when I was a kid, and Presto was the first album of theirs I purchased.  Also, one of my favorites to play on drums.

63. Something for Nothing (N/A).  Didn’t make my list, but I don’t listen to 2112 that much outside of the title track and Bangkok.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 06, 2022, 07:07:08 PM
65. Everyday Glory (23). LOVE this song.  As my signature states.

Stadler wrote Everyday Glory?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 06, 2022, 07:11:35 PM
Show Don't Tell #42 for me.

Something For Nothing is #58 for me.

Everyday Glory not in my 75 but it's close.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 06, 2022, 07:28:58 PM
All things considered, it is kind of surprising that Show Don't Tell was never brought back on one of the tours in the 21st century.  Granted, it did get played on three tours in the 90s, so it's not like it didn't get its fair shake, unlike Test for Echo, which was the only Track 1 from a Rush studio album to get the one tour and done treatment.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 06, 2022, 07:29:41 PM
Apparently, the test revealed no echo.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 06, 2022, 08:13:28 PM
Why they never dragged out Cut to the Chase is quite baffling to me.
That and Alien Shore are the best two songs on CP, IMO. A real tragedy that neither of them was ever played. Was really hoping for one of those two to get aired on the R40 tour, but sadly they dragged out Animate yet again (which is a decent song, but overplayed).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 06, 2022, 08:15:23 PM
Both songs made my top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 06, 2022, 08:15:58 PM
Too long to watch again.

Can someone sum up what their picks were?
Just watch the last 10 seconds of the video.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 06, 2022, 08:38:51 PM
It's a year old, but here's MP and JP on The Prog Report choosing the ultimate Rush compilation album..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7VDF457u7w

Sounds fun, look forward to watching this one tonight.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 06, 2022, 10:12:27 PM
Because of this thread, I'm going to give 'Everyday Glory' a spin or three on Monday.

That's why I enjoy playing along and reading all the in depth comments.

And, Kev, once again, 'thank you' for all of your efforts on this and the DT rankings.  :tup 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Tomislav95 on March 07, 2022, 01:11:22 AM
Emotion Detector - at #24, uplifting, catchy with great chorus.
Everyday Glory - #46, love that guitar, so lush. Bridge is one of the best, always give me chills.
Something for Nothing - #68 couldn't not include it, classic, one of their first songs I heard.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 07, 2022, 05:30:25 AM
It's a year old, but here's MP and JP on The Prog Report choosing the ultimate Rush compilation album..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7VDF457u7w

Sounds fun, look forward to watching this one tonight.

Fuck, it's 65 minutes long.  Pass.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Tomislav95 on March 07, 2022, 05:48:30 AM
I listened it in background, it's fun podcast. Fun fact: they included my top 2 songs :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 07, 2022, 06:16:53 AM
Here are two for this lovely Monday morning...

62 Driven
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (wolfking)


I didn't rank this one, but this is definitely one of the better songs from Test for Echo.  And, in fact, it is the highest ranked song from that record in the top 75.  Great riff, fun song to crank up on the highway.


61 Cut to the Chase
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (wolfking)


I guess it's fitting that we were just talking about this one.  I had it at 48.  Definitely very high on my "I can't believe they never played this song live" list when it comes to Rush songs.  That guitar solo is like running water...so fluid.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: ReaperKK on March 07, 2022, 06:25:13 AM
Emotion Detector - I never really clicked with this song, it didn't make my list
Everyday Glory - Number 67 on my list. I never really cared for this song but my recent Rush discog playthrough I changed my mind on it. I enjoy a fair bit now.
Something For Nothing - Number 69 (nice) on my list. Looking at it now I'm wondering if I should've ranked it higher. These rankings are tough :lol. I feel like so many songs could be shuffled around on a daily basis.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 07, 2022, 06:42:06 AM
Here are two for this lovely Monday morning...

62 Driven
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (wolfking)


I didn't rank this one, but this is definitely one of the better songs from Test for Echo.  And, in fact, it is the highest ranked song from that record in the top 75.  Great riff, fun song to crank up on the highway.


61 Cut to the Chase
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (wolfking)


I guess it's fitting that we were just talking about this one.  I had it at 48.  Definitely very high on my "I can't believe they never played this song live" list when it comes to Rush songs.  That guitar solo is like running water...so fluid.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

Man, that’s a disappointing showing for T4E. I had six songs from that album ranked, and the two that made it are two I didn’t rank! Not surprised about The Color of Right (which I had at 17), but I thought maybe Half the World (31) might do better. Now I kind of wish I had ranked it higher.

I do like Driven though. Probably would have made my top 100. I like the chorus a lot, and the heavier verse with some cool bass work from Geddy. But like the title track it chugs on a bit slowly, and I feel like the album doesn’t really get going until Half the World. Which is part of why I’m surprised those two did so well, but those are two of the heavier and maybe more proggy songs (along with Time and Motion).

I had Cut to the Chase at 63. It’s a really fun rocker, with that great, quiet intro with the bass, then the drums kick in, then the heavy guitars in the chorus, and I love the momentum it has throughout. And absolutely, that guitar solo is amazing.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 07, 2022, 06:49:25 AM
Driven (ranked #44)

My second favorite from T4E, after the title-track. Always liked this song, alternating between the heavier riff and the acoustics, and the cool tempo change to close it...

Cut to the Chase (ranked #43)

Kinda interesting these two songs had consecutive ranking on my list too  ;D 100% agree with Kev's and HOF's comments. Love this one. The clean guitars at the beginning, with the drums and the bass coming in...the solo...really brings back memories of when I discovered Rush with Counterparts...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 07, 2022, 06:53:09 AM
Driven # 33 for my rankings

Cut To The Chase# 45 for my rankings

Cut To The Chase is one of 2 rocking tracks on Counterparts I wished they would have played live.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 07, 2022, 06:54:47 AM
I listened it in background, it's fun podcast. Fun fact: they included my top 2 songs :biggrin:

Had it as background too, last night. If anyone's interested, here's the 12-song list they picked:

By-Tor and the Snow Dog
Red Barchetta
Subdvisions
Countdown
Jacob's Ladder
2112
Animate
La Villa Strangiato
Xanadu
Marathon
YYZ
Mission

MP's picks were By-Tor, Jacob's Ladder and Xanadu. JP's were Countdown, La Villa Strangiato and Mission.

It's a pretty cool list. Of course, with only 12 songs, some crazy "omissions" are bound to happen. Very interesting that JP went with Countdown as one of his.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 07, 2022, 07:22:08 AM
Here are two for this lovely Monday morning...

62 Driven
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (wolfking)


61 Cut to the Chase
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (wolfking)



Driven, I didn’t rate it. A huge rockin’ feel but honestly, apart from the live bass solo extension, there is nothing that wasn’t done better on other tracks. However, if this is the highest ranked track from T4E, does that mean there’s no hope for a song that’s technically from this album that took on fresh life on live albums?

Cut to the Chase, my number 73. Yeah, I think this one deserved better. Barely scraped onto my list, but it should be in the top half. I find the little drum led section after the bridge is a little odd with the “cut, cut” vocal, but this is easily one of Lerxst’s best solos and some of the best riffs.

🤔 is it too late to completely overhaul a lot of my list? 🤔
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 07, 2022, 07:25:12 AM
Btw, check out 0:55 in this one. Always reminded me of the main riff from Driven, and would be great to hear your thoughts.
https://youtu.be/do9XlWvb5ko
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 07, 2022, 07:42:53 AM
62 Driven (#71)

61 Cut to the Chase (#58)

Both are excelent songs and great examples of Rush going heavier in the 90's. Cut to the Chase indeed has an amazing Lifeson solo. Also I would highlight the perfect NP drumming on Driven - on T4E he managed to put more groove in his signature style and Driven shows that: a lot of hi-hat going on beneath the syncopated rhythm of the song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 07, 2022, 07:58:58 AM

Man, that’s a disappointing showing for T4E. I had six songs from that album ranked, and the two that made it are two I didn’t rank! Not surprised about The Color of Right (which I had at 17), but I thought maybe Half the World (31) might do better. Now I kind of wish I had ranked it higher.


Ugh, I would hope no one is ranking like that, as that is trying to goose the order.  Now, this is obviously all for fun, and everyone can do their rankings however they want, but if someone is putting a song higher because they think it won't get enough love from others, or lower because they want to knock it down because they think it will get too much love from others, that is not playing fair, IMO.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 07, 2022, 08:27:28 AM
Man, that’s a disappointing showing for T4E. I had six songs from that album ranked, and the two that made it are two I didn’t rank! Not surprised about The Color of Right (which I had at 17), but I thought maybe Half the World (31) might do better. Now I kind of wish I had ranked it higher.
Ugh, I would hope no one is ranking like that, as that is trying to goose the order.  Now, this is obviously all for fun, and everyone can do their rankings however they want, but if someone is putting a song higher because they think it won't get enough love from others, or lower because they want to knock it down because they think it will get too much love from others, that is not playing fair, IMO.
Agreed. It kinda defeats the purpose of this thread, which is *not* a Survivor type thing like Marc is presently doing. This is more an average of how DTF ranks Rush songs. While I'm bummed that some of my favorites won't make the cut (such as Time and Motion, my favorite on T4E), it's interesting to see everyone's thoughts on each of the tracks that did make it.

As for the latest two, as I've said before, T4E is an uneven album to me. Driven is one of the more "middle of the road" tracks for me. It's OK but it's not one of my favorites on the album. As such, it only made it to #104 on my list. However, I do have to give props to the video for that song. Rush's videos have largely been an iffy affair for me, but I really like the one they did for Driven. Very clever, entertaining and it shows Rush's humor.

Cut to the Chase is my favorite song on CP, so I would have loved to see it ranked higher than it got, but it is what it is. As has already been said, it's a real tragedy that it was never played live. Cool to see that Wolfking even rated it higher than I did - I put it at #9.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 07, 2022, 09:07:53 AM

Man, that’s a disappointing showing for T4E. I had six songs from that album ranked, and the two that made it are two I didn’t rank! Not surprised about The Color of Right (which I had at 17), but I thought maybe Half the World (31) might do better. Now I kind of wish I had ranked it higher.


Ugh, I would hope no one is ranking like that, as that is trying to goose the order.  Now, this is obviously all for fun, and everyone can do their rankings however they want, but if someone is putting a song higher because they think it won't get enough love from others, or lower because they want to knock it down because they think it will get too much love from others, that is not playing fair, IMO.

I mean, I didn’t do that, but in retrospect I do kind of think I under ranked it a bit. It probably wouldn’t have made a difference anyway. Was just looking at my list and thinking it could have probably been higher. I’d say the songs from about 23-36 on my list I could have fairly put in any order.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 07, 2022, 10:07:45 AM
Okay, as we continue with Rush's greatest songs, tonight's two will be presented by one of the greatest songwriters of the 21st century...

Gene and Paul?   ;D

In no century should either of them ever be considered "greatest songwriters"

What!?! :)


So I had Countdown at #19 and Presto at #31.   I like the atmosphere of Countdown.  I am a sort of fan of NASA and space, and I think the lyrics (and Geddy's delivery of same) really got to the mood and emotions of what I imagine a launch is like.  This is a lot like Double Agent in a way, as it's a really creative piece of work. It might not be the best "song" in the way that one of the top ten songs might be, but it's a great piece of art, in my opinion.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 07, 2022, 10:11:01 AM
Okay, as we continue with Rush's greatest songs, tonight's two will be presented by one of the greatest songwriters of the 21st century...

(https://c.tenor.com/KQkBNhj4nbUAAAAd/taylor-swift-magician.gif)

69 Presto
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (kingshmegland)


It feels like this song got the live bump, as it seemed like this song was rarely talked about until it got played on the Time Machine tour. I admittedly liked it more after seeing it live, although it still didn't crack my top 75.


(https://c.tenor.com/5TgH8mSYg9sAAAAC/taylor-swift-fireworks.gif)

68 Countdown
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Dream Team)


I had to admit that I was quite shocked at how much love this song got.  I like it, but always thought it was somewhat of an average ending to an otherwise fantastic record.  Feels like one of those songs where the end result didn't meet the ambition they had for it.

Let’s start with the obvious. PLEASE NO MORE TAYLOR SWIFT!

Right. Presto. Didn’t rate it, but I love it. Kinda hating how much this ranking is making me realise I put in songs that comparatively I shouldn’t have.

Countdown. Number 38. It’s a damn good closer about a great advancement in human history. Great drumming, massively epic feel. Can’t say much better than that.

PLEASE MORE TAYLOR SWIFT!   There, like Larry David says, we've cancelled each other out.  In fact, I wouldn't mind if Kev used that red magicians GIF for each and every posting!   :) :) :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 07, 2022, 10:16:01 AM
Guessing the two that didn’t have a song make the top 75 are Caress of Steel and Snakes and Arrows.
That's what I was thinking.

No.  I have a song from one at #20 and a song from the other at #29.   

It's going to be either Vapor Trails or Test For Echo, because I have a song from every other album in the top 75.  EXCEPT...  one song from T4E is already in the top 75, and someone said they have a song from VT on there.  Did I misunderstand the fun fact?  Or is it one of those that is neither fun, nor a fact. :)

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 07, 2022, 10:34:40 AM
Guessing the two that didn’t have a song make the top 75 are Caress of Steel and Snakes and Arrows.
That's what I was thinking.

No.  I have a song from one at #20 and a song from the other at #29.   

It's going to be either Vapor Trails or Test For Echo, because I have a song from every other album in the top 75.  EXCEPT...  one song from T4E is already in the top 75, and someone said they have a song from VT on there.  Did I misunderstand the fun fact?  Or is it one of those that is neither fun, nor a fact. :)

I believe this was a reference to the aggregate top 75, so it doesn't matter what any particular submitter had in his/her top 75.  For example, I had songs from all 19 albums in my top 75, and I believe that's true of several folks.  We already know that COS has at least one song in the top 75, and I'd be absolutely shocked if at least one other doesn't make it.  We've also seen two from T4E so far.  We haven't yet seen a VT or S&A song, so they're still in the running.


Here are two for this lovely Monday morning...

62 Driven
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (wolfking)


I didn't rank this one, but this is definitely one of the better songs from Test for Echo.  And, in fact, it is the highest ranked song from that record in the top 75.  Great riff, fun song to crank up on the highway.


61 Cut to the Chase
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (wolfking)


I guess it's fitting that we were just talking about this one.  I had it at 48.  Definitely very high on my "I can't believe they never played this song live" list when it comes to Rush songs.  That guitar solo is like running water...so fluid.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy


I didn't have either of these songs in my top 75.  I had Driven at #80 and Cut to the Chase at #96.  I like Driven, but I never really cared for the extended bass stuff when it was played live, and that probably influenced my ranking.  CTTC is good but not great.


Here's a running album count so far (bold indicates no more songs to come):

Rush -
Fly by Night - 1 song (Fly by Night - #70)
Caress of Steel - 1 song (The Necromancer - #67)
2112 - 1 song (Something for Nothing - #63)
A Farewell to Kings -
Hemispheres -
Permanent Waves -
Moving Pictures -
Signals - 1 song (Countdown - #68)
Grace Under Pressure -
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 2 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 1 song (Roll the Bones - #75)
Counterparts - 3 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails -
Snakes & Arrows -
Clockwork Angels -

10 of 19 albums have made an appearance through the first 15 songs, with Counterparts thus far being the most represented album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 07, 2022, 10:34:57 AM
Necromancer: 93
Emotion Detector: 99
Everyday Glory: 121
Show Don't Tell: 40
Something For Nothing: 7
Driven: 117
Cut To The Chase: 85

I LOVE Something For Nothing; I'm not a fan of the "banshee" Geddy either, but the introduction and the bridge are nice set offs for that.  It's also one of the first songs I was able to play on guitar all the way through, so there's that.   Show Don't Tell is a personal favorite, from a personal favorite album (I have 9 out of the 11 songs from that record on my list).

The rest of this list is a bunch of songs that are good not great, and just don't rise to the level of what I would consider to be Rush CLASSICS.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 07, 2022, 10:39:12 AM
I believe this was a reference to the aggregate top 75, so it doesn't matter what any particular submitter had in his/her top 75.  For example, I had songs from all 19 albums in my top 75, and I believe that's true of several folks.  We already know that COS has at least one song in the top 75, and I'd be absolutely shocked if at least one other doesn't make it.  We've also seen two from T4E so far.  We haven't yet seen a VT or S&A song, so they're still in the running.

Gotcha; that makes a lot more sense.  Thanks!

Quote
Here's a running album count so far (bold indicates no more songs to come):

Rush -
Fly by Night - 1 song (Fly by Night - #70)
Caress of Steel - 1 song (The Necromancer - #67)
2112 - 1 song (Something for Nothing - #63)
A Farewell to Kings -
Hemispheres -
Permanent Waves -
Moving Pictures -
Signals - 1 song (Countdown - #68)
Grace Under Pressure -
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 2 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 1 song (Roll the Bones - #75)
Counterparts - 3 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails -
Snakes & Arrows -
Clockwork Angels -

10 of 19 albums have made an appearance through the first 15 songs, with Counterparts thus far being the most represented album.

So from that list, I imagine it's going to be two of the three out of Grace Under Pressure, Vapor Trails, or Snakes and Arrows.   I kid, I kid.  I can't imagine it's not VT and S&A, even though I have a couple S&A songs pretty high.  PRITTY HIGH, as Larry David would say. 

The albums with all songs would be:  Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and... I can't decide on the fourth.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 07, 2022, 10:46:55 AM
I feel pretty confident that all of Power Windows is making it if Emotion Detector made it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 07, 2022, 10:52:05 AM
So from that list, I imagine it's going to be two of the three out of Grace Under Pressure, Vapor Trails, or Snakes and Arrows.   I kid, I kid.  I can't imagine it's not VT and S&A, even though I have a couple S&A songs pretty high.  PRITTY HIGH, as Larry David would say. 

The albums with all songs would be:  Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and... I can't decide on the fourth.

I will be blown over if these songs don't make the list:  Between the Wheels, Earthshine and Far Cry (all are in my top 35), but I think it's pretty obvious that two of them will be off the top 75.  I'm not entirely certain that PEW will have all of its songs.  While it's in my top 50 (and probably higher for you), it wouldn't surprise me if Different Strings didn't make it.  My guess is that, bafflingly, POW will get all 8 songs in the top 75 (which now amounts to 7 in the top 60).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 07, 2022, 11:07:58 AM
I feel pretty confident that all of Power Windows is making it if Emotion Detector made it.

Yep, that seems very likely
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 07, 2022, 11:34:22 AM
So from that list, I imagine it's going to be two of the three out of Grace Under Pressure, Vapor Trails, or Snakes and Arrows.   I kid, I kid.  I can't imagine it's not VT and S&A, even though I have a couple S&A songs pretty high.  PRITTY HIGH, as Larry David would say. 

The albums with all songs would be:  Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and... I can't decide on the fourth.

I will be blown over if these songs don't make the list:  Between the Wheels, Earthshine and Far Cry (all are in my top 35), but I think it's pretty obvious that two of them will be off the top 75.  I'm not entirely certain that PEW will have all of its songs.  While it's in my top 50 (and probably higher for you), it wouldn't surprise me if Different Strings didn't make it.  My guess is that, bafflingly, POW will get all 8 songs in the top 75 (which now amounts to 7 in the top 60).

I guess there is a chance the debut could be one of the two? I'd be shocked if at least Working Man didn't make the aggregate top 75 (didn't make mine, although it was close), but maybe there wasn't enough of a critical mass of people with more of an appreciation for very early Rush...?

Also, nothing baffling about Power Windows having all songs in the top 75  :biggrin: :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 07, 2022, 12:19:25 PM

PLEASE MORE TAYLOR SWIFT!   There, like Larry David says, we've cancelled each other out.  In fact, I wouldn't mind if Kev used that red magicians GIF for each and every posting!   :) :) :)

I get that any mention or picture of Taylor Swift makes some see red (see what I did there? :P), but no one noticed that I used her magicians gif to introduce Presto.   :( :(
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 07, 2022, 01:48:58 PM

PLEASE MORE TAYLOR SWIFT!   There, like Larry David says, we've cancelled each other out.  In fact, I wouldn't mind if Kev used that red magicians GIF for each and every posting!   :) :) :)

I get that any mention or picture of Taylor Swift makes some see red (see what I did there? :P), but no one noticed that I used her magicians gif to introduce Presto.   :( :(

All I know is that, in four years, the 1/2 + 7 rule will be on my side.   :coolio
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 07, 2022, 02:21:38 PM
62. Driven (29).  One of my favorites from Test for Echo, and another fun song to play on drums.
61. Cut to the Chase (42).  Like just about everyone else here, I can’t believe this never got played live.  Alex’s solo is fantastic.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 07, 2022, 02:44:59 PM
While I'm bummed that some of my favorites won't make the cut (such as Time and Motion, my favorite on T4E), it's interesting to see everyone's thoughts on each of the tracks that did make it.

It's mine as well. It didn't make the cut?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 07, 2022, 02:50:01 PM
62 Driven
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (wolfking)


61 Cut to the Chase
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (wolfking)


I had Driven at #52, three spots behind Time And Motion. I like the song. Nice and heavy. Not nearly as interesting as Time And Motion though, which feels more Rush-like.

I had Cut To The Chase at #64, so pretty close to the aggregate.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 07, 2022, 03:00:13 PM
While I'm bummed that some of my favorites won't make the cut (such as Time and Motion, my favorite on T4E), it's interesting to see everyone's thoughts on each of the tracks that did make it.

It's mine as well. It didn't make the cut?

Apparently not, based on Kev's comment that this is the highest ranked song from T4E...

I'm actually not a huge fan of Time and Motion - I was kind of excited with the first few listens at the time, as it felt like Rush wanted to be a bit proggier...but then the excitement waned as it started to feel like they did want to write a quirky song, but ended up not going anywhere particularly interesting (for me, of course).

For contrast, Double Agent managed to be weird and interesting at the same time  :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 07, 2022, 03:15:31 PM
While I'm bummed that some of my favorites won't make the cut (such as Time and Motion, my favorite on T4E), it's interesting to see everyone's thoughts on each of the tracks that did make it.

It's mine as well. It didn't make the cut?

Apparently not, based on Kev's comment that this is the highest ranked song from T4E...

I'm actually not a huge fan of Time and Motion - I was kind of excited with the first few listens at the time, as it felt like Rush wanted to be a bit proggier...but then the excitement waned as it started to feel like they did want to write a quirky song, but ended up not going anywhere particularly interesting (for me, of course).

For contrast, Double Agent managed to be weird and interesting at the same time  :)

Time and Motion always sounded a bit like it was sort of trying for fit into the 90s prog metal sphere a bit with the mix of heavier bits and the keyboard hook. My biggest issue is it just kind of drones vocally and melodically.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 07, 2022, 03:17:09 PM
While I'm bummed that some of my favorites won't make the cut (such as Time and Motion, my favorite on T4E), it's interesting to see everyone's thoughts on each of the tracks that did make it.

It's mine as well. It didn't make the cut?

Apparently not, based on Kev's comment that this is the highest ranked song from T4E...

I'm actually not a huge fan of Time and Motion - I was kind of excited with the first few listens at the time, as it felt like Rush wanted to be a bit proggier...but then the excitement waned as it started to feel like they did want to write a quirky song, but ended up not going anywhere particularly interesting (for me, of course).

For contrast, Double Agent managed to be weird and interesting at the same time  :)

Time and Motion always sounded a bit like it was sort of trying for fit into the 90s prog metal sphere a bit with the mix of heavier bits and the keyboard hook. My biggest issue is it just kind of drones vocally and melodically.

My thoughts exactly.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 07, 2022, 03:19:43 PM
Here are two for this lovely Monday morning...

62 Driven
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (wolfking)


61 Cut to the Chase
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (wolfking)



Driven - I had at 33. I actually love this song and have grown to love it more recently. I've been listening to Different Stages a lot lately and the version on that live album is awesome. I'm a bit surprised this ranked so low.

Cut to the Chase - I didn't rank but agree the guitar solo is great. Counterparts isn't an album I connect with but appears others do. There have been 3 songs from this album already in the top 75 none of which I ranked. However, I do have 2 songs from this album in my top 75 so they may be yet to come...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 07, 2022, 03:57:54 PM
I'm not surprised I ranked both these songs higher than everyone else.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 07, 2022, 06:07:38 PM
Time and Motion finished 109th out of 165 songs.  In other words, it still finished about 45-50 spots higher than it should have. :P  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 07, 2022, 06:36:25 PM
Here are two for this lovely Monday morning...

62 Driven
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (wolfking)


I didn't rank this one, but this is definitely one of the better songs from Test for Echo.  And, in fact, it is the highest ranked song from that record in the top 75.  Great riff, fun song to crank up on the highway.


61 Cut to the Chase
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (wolfking)


I guess it's fitting that we were just talking about this one.  I had it at 48.  Definitely very high on my "I can't believe they never played this song live" list when it comes to Rush songs.  That guitar solo is like running water...so fluid.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Driven - This song didn't make my list, although I do like the song. I prefer the live versions they've done over the years. This one finished at #95.

Cut to the Chase - This one barely made my list at #72. It's a great song with some great dynamics and an amazing guitar solo. A pity they never played it live.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 07, 2022, 07:49:26 PM
I wish Alex shredded like this more.  Killer solo.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 07, 2022, 07:54:57 PM
What was that?  Y'all want two more today? Oh, okay.

 :biggrin: :biggrin:

60 Cold Fire
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 14 (nick_z)


This song floored me when I first heard it.  Geddy's voice is in top form here on the studio version, and some of the best vocal melodies they ever wrote are in this song.  I had this at 33.  It's too bad this song got the "one tour and done" treatment, but I think Geddy struggled with it vocally live (based on the live versions I have heard).  Studio version is marvelous, regardless.


59 Bastille Day
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (nobloodyname)


A fun as hell rocker from the early days! I had this at 62.  This is the highest ranked song in the list from Caress of Steel.  Sorry, folks, there will be no I Think I'm Going Bald in the top 10. :P
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 07, 2022, 07:57:15 PM
Someone placed Cold Fire higher than me.  Nice.  Amazing song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 07, 2022, 08:05:52 PM
60 Cold Fire
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 14 (nick_z)



59 Bastille Day
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (nobloodyname)


I had Cold Fire at #29. It a great song. I think the lyrics are really interesting. I also love both the prechorus and the chorus.


I had Bastille Day at #36. Great tune, especially the ATWAS version.



@Kev...Does Bastille Day at 18 out of 25 lists appear on the most lists so far?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 07, 2022, 08:07:25 PM
What was that?  Y'all want two more today? Oh, okay.

 :biggrin: :biggrin:

60 Cold Fire
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 14 (nick_z)


This song floored me when I first heard it.  Geddy's voice is in top form here on the studio version, and some of the best vocal melodies they ever wrote are in this song.  I had this at 33.  It's too bad this song got the "one tour and done" treatment, but I think Geddy struggled with it vocally live (based on the live versions I have heard).  Studio version is marvelous, regardless.


59 Bastille Day
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (nobloodyname)


A fun as hell rocker from the early days! I had this at 62.  This is the highest ranked song in the list from Caress of Steel.  Sorry, folks, there will be no I Think I'm Going Bald in the top 10. :P

Cold Fire (ranked #14)

Ha! Another one where I'm the highest ranker  ;D Echoing all of Kev's comments, except the fact that I rank it even higher. I love this song SO very much. Some of my favorite vocal melodies in any Rush song. The "I'll be around..." part, with all the subtle background additions in the guitar parts as it's repeated throughout the song, the chorus with Neil's brilliant drumming (and a rediscovery of sorts of his signature ride pattern), the softer, clean mood in the verses with the steady rhythm underneath. Fantastic stuff, and my second favorite song on Counterparts.

Bastille Day (ranked #75)

Just made my top 75, and it's the only song from CoS. Great early rocker, the initial riff almost sounds a precursor to epic metal. Always enjoy this one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 07, 2022, 08:13:27 PM

@Kev...Does Bastille Day at 18 out of 25 lists appear on the most lists so far?

Yes.  What's a bit strange is that a song coming up here pretty soon made only 15 lists and did not appear in anyone's top 20, yet finished at 55.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 07, 2022, 08:17:36 PM
What was that?  Y'all want two more today? Oh, okay.

 :biggrin: :biggrin:

60 Cold Fire
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 14 (nick_z)


This song floored me when I first heard it.  Geddy's voice is in top form here on the studio version, and some of the best vocal melodies they ever wrote are in this song.  I had this at 33.  It's too bad this song got the "one tour and done" treatment, but I think Geddy struggled with it vocally live (based on the live versions I have heard).  Studio version is marvelous, regardless.


59 Bastille Day
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (nobloodyname)


A fun as hell rocker from the early days! I had this at 62.  This is the highest ranked song in the list from Caress of Steel.  Sorry, folks, there will be no I Think I'm Going Bald in the top 10. :P
Cold Fire - This song just missed my top 75, coming in at 76. This was a hard one to leave off the list. You know, this probably should have been a top 100 Rush song ranking  ;) I do kind of feel this should have been higher in the ranking for me, but there are just waaaay too many amazing Rush songs. Like 95% of them.... :biggrin: And yes I said amazing!

Bastille Day -  This clocked in at #34. Just a great hard rocker from CoS. This was made even better on the Different Stages Hammersmith Odeon live show. They ripped through this song!

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 07, 2022, 08:19:19 PM
Now, this is obviously all for fun, and everyone can do their rankings however they want, but if someone is putting a song higher because they think it won't get enough love from others, or lower because they want to knock it down because they think it will get too much love from others, that is not playing fair, IMO.

As I did with my DT ranking, if there is a match-up on the ranking engine that just has me pulling my hair out, I go with the one that I think would rank lower with the other participants. I do not do it to skewer the overall results, just to break a tie between songs. I consider it Ranking Engine Affirmative Action. :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 07, 2022, 08:21:18 PM
Now, this is obviously all for fun, and everyone can do their rankings however they want, but if someone is putting a song higher because they think it won't get enough love from others, or lower because they want to knock it down because they think it will get too much love from others, that is not playing fair, IMO.

As I did with my DT ranking, if there is a match-up on the ranking engine that just has me pulling my hair out, I go with the one that I think would rank lower with the other participants. I do not do it to skewer the overall results, just to break a tie between songs. I consider it Ranking Engine Affirmative Action. :)

Cool Chris..man of the people.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 07, 2022, 08:42:52 PM
OH MY GOD I'M SO FAR BEHIND!!!!  :lol

Sorry guys.  I just started a brand new job at the beginning of the year.  FINALLY got out of the construction trade and into an inspector position for a local municipality.   BEST job I've ever had...but I'm neck deep in training.   I'm cramming on building codes like a first year law student, and I think I've hit the point of saturation.   But I digress...

73. Prime Mover - Me #37

This has always been my favorite from HYF and was the only song from that album to make my top 50.  Love Alex's catchy guitar work, love the lyrics, love the chorus.  Definitely a highlight from a so-so album.

72. Open Secrets - Me (Did not rank.  Original 2 lists had it in the 140s)

Everyone here is calling this one a classic, and I don't get it.  I liked it when the album came out, but now I find it kinda klunky.   

71. Test for Echo - (Did Not Rank - but one list had it just inside the top 100)

I brag about this album all the time, but this is a great song that had too many better songs to compete against.   I stand by my claim that TFE has one of the best opening 5 of their entire catalog....but if I had to pick the least of those 5, it would be this one.

70. Fly By Night - (Did not rank.   Both lists had it in the mid-80s)

Both of these last two REALLY had me wishing this had been a top 100.  But this was an early favorite.   After I heard Tom Sawyer for the first time, I tried finding as much Rush as I could.  But AFTK and forward were all full priced albums, whereas Rush-COS were all available in the bargain bin.   And I had heard FBN on the radio, so it prompted me to pick this up and it became my second ever Rush album.   

69. Presto - (Did not rank)

Actually, this one hurts even more than the other two.  Because in both of my final lists from the engine, this song DID make it to the upper 60s.   But in my final collection of top 75 songs, I found a few songs that I truly loved that were just outside the top 75 and couldn't bear to see them not just a bit higher.  So to make room, I had to make some difficult choices with the bottom 10 of my top 75, and this was a song that fell victim to that.    I do love this song.  I think it was the first time I had heard Alex play an acoustic on a Rush album since Permanent Waves....and I loved it instantly. 

68. Countdown - Me #55

I just don't get the hate for this song at all.   Yes...it is not one of Neil's finer lyrical moments, and the "excitement so think you can cut it with a knife" is particularly cringe-worthy.   But there are a couple of gems.   "This magic day when super science mingles with the bright stuff of dreams" is quite good.   And the music is off the chart.   The mood building in the song is PERFECT for the subject matter.  And that ending riff would put me in front of a mirror with a tennis racket every time!

67. The Necromancer - Me #50

Definitely the highlight of CoS.   It doesn't get any better than this.  Worth the purchase price of the album all by itself.   And Dream Theater's cover was amazing.   There isn't a moment or a section of this song I don't think isn't wonderful just the way it is.   I even love the old school "panning" of the guitar solo in Under the Shadow.   No one ever does that anymore and I can't figure out why. 

66. Emotion Detector - (Did not rank - one list had it just inside the top 100)

I love every moment from the Power Windows album.   But I have to agree with the general consensus that this is the "least best".   Great chorus, and I love the actual lyrics themselves, but some of the verses end up sounding just a tad too "pretty".   

65. Everyday Glory - (Did not rank - another one where the two lists had it just inside and outside the top 100)

One of the better moments from Counterparts.   Beautiful ending to what was otherwise a pretty raw album. 

64. Show Don't Tell - (did not rank) :P

Same as Presto.  One list had it at 120 and the 2nd had it at 69.   But it was another really great song that just barely got bumped from my top 75 in a last minute reshuffle.   It was a great comeback after the keyboard burnout of HYF.   I remember hearing it on the radio a few days before the album came out, and everyone was praising the song because Rush was back to being a "rock" band.   Too bad the production never quite lived up to the punch.  But this song is a standout.

63. Something for Nothing - (did not rank the two lists had it at 140 and 132)

Loved it when I was 13.  And yes, the live version is FANTASTIC.   But it's actually a fairly repetitive song that gets really boring on repeated listens.   

62. Driven - Me #36

Now we're talking!!  What a BEAST!!!   My feelings about TFE and CP are completely summed up in the respective 2nd tracks.   When I heard that Rush was back to being "heavy" again, *this* was what I wanted to hear.    The improvement of the execution of heaviness with musicality hits full stride on this song.   I still want to crank it up every time I hear it.

61. Cut to the Chase - Me #35

Interesting that I also had this back to back on my list, though much higher.   My top rated CP song.  Probably Rush's most underrated song of all time.  Shame it never got played live. 

60. Cold Fire - Me #64

Well, at least if you guys were going to rank CP songs...you got the right ones!   :rollin
Seriously though.  Neil's insightful lyrics into the more realistic side of a long term relationship is a breath of fresh air, and Alex's riff is fantastic.   And the chorus is one of their better ones.  An earworm for the ages.

59. Bastille Day - Me #74

This was one of the songs that I just could not bear to see not make my list and first list had it at 76.   Sometimes I feel like I'm sick of it, but when that opening riff kicks in, I can't get enough of it.  Great opening for both the album, and on several tours to follow.



WHEW!!!!   I did it!! :xbones
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 07, 2022, 08:44:14 PM
Congrats JD on the new job. What city are you working for?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 07, 2022, 08:55:24 PM
I enjoy Cold Fire for the most part, aside from the very opening of the song. Alex's guitar during the first verse in particular is just absolutely dreamy - love it! And lyrically I appreciate this song, too. Ended up at #64 on my list, so pretty close to the general consensus. Funny thing about this song - I remember picking up a Rush bootleg (silver) back in late 92 or early 93 and IIRC, it was rumored that one of the songs on Rush's new album was gonna be called Cold Flame, so lo and behold, guess what the title of the bootleg was?  :lol

As for Bastille Day, it's an OK rocker, but there's many other songs that I prefer over it by a large margin. It's at #117 on my list. No surprise that I Think I'm Going Bald won't make the cut, but I am a little surprised that Lakeside Park didn't make the top 75 list. I actually prefer it to Bastille Day.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 07, 2022, 08:59:29 PM
Cold Fire came in at 42 for me, and it’s a great track for sure. Some of Neil’s most intense drumming, especially on the pre-chorus and then again on the outro. Just a great concise rocker with some nice lyrics. Kind of similar to Emotion Detector thematically. Another great Lifeson solo, the whole band sounds great really.

Bastille Day missed my top 75 but was right on the bubble and would have likely been in the next 5-10 on a top 100. This is a fun rocker, but also has more of a proggy edge than most of what Rush had done before this.



Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 07, 2022, 09:43:20 PM

60 Cold Fire
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 14 (nick_z)


59 Bastille Day
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (nobloodyname)



Cold fire - did not rank. It is a good song but suffers from Counterpoints syndrome for me (ie don't listen to this album).

Bastille Day - I had at 36. Awesome rocker.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 07, 2022, 09:55:08 PM
Congrats JD on the new job. What city are you working for?

Des Moines (Washington for those that didn’t know that we have a Des Moines as well.  ;D )
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 07, 2022, 09:58:52 PM
We don't do any work that far south, just wondering if ever our professional lives might cross.

On topic, without looking, I don't think any of these songs made my Top 50; I doubt most of them made my list at all.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 07, 2022, 10:02:14 PM
Just realized that I called Cut to the Chase my “top rated” CP song and then immediately placed Cold Fire one spot higher.  :facepalm: :loser: :rollin

To be honest, there were many runs of songs that I was copying directly from one or the other of my two lists, and if I had looked at this a bit closer, I would have swapped them because I honestly do like CTTC a bit more. But it is what it is now.

EDIT - OH WAIT! I was confusing my rankings with the final tally.

Ugh!!! I am so burnt out my brain is shutting down.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 07, 2022, 10:34:07 PM
Congrats JD on the new job. What city are you working for?

Des Moines (Washington for those that didn’t know that we have a Des Moines as well.  ;D )
That's not too far from where my wife grew up in Puyallup. She's still got family in Lakewood and up in Port Angeles.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 07, 2022, 10:35:04 PM
I grew up in Lakewood, my parents still live there  :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 07, 2022, 10:42:24 PM
I grew up in Lakewood, my parents still live there  :)
Nice! It's a cool little town. I remember there being some weird, wonky streets in Lakewood and between Lakewood and Tacoma.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 07, 2022, 10:47:01 PM
Congrats JD on the new job. What city are you working for?

Des Moines (Washington for those that didn’t know that we have a Des Moines as well.  ;D )
That's not too far from where my wife grew up in Puyallup. She's still got family in Lakewood and up in Port Angeles.

Don’t want to pull another “Aussie/Kiss” derailment, but nice to see another with ties to the northwest.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nobloodyname on March 07, 2022, 11:25:37 PM
As for Bastille Day, it's an OK rocker, but there's many other songs that I prefer over it by a large margin. It's at #117 on my list. No surprise that I Think I'm Going Bald won't make the cut, but I am a little surprised that Lakeside Park didn't make the top 75 list. I actually prefer it to Bastille Day.

Lakeside Park finished at 21 for me. Always loved it, particularly the fireworks display part.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Tomislav95 on March 08, 2022, 12:33:24 AM
Cold Fire (46) - has that nostalgic feel I like, always singing to the chorus, very catchy
Bastille Day (74) - great rocker
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 08, 2022, 04:27:51 AM
What was that?  Y'all want two more today? Oh, okay.

 :biggrin: :biggrin:

60 Cold Fire
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 14 (nick_z)


59 Bastille Day
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (nobloodyname)



Firstly, YES!!! Always more!

Cold Fire, not a ranker. Fun enough though, but certainly an intriguing song in the discography as a whole. Almost country, in a way.

Bastille Day, I’ve got it inside my top 20! Huge rocker, and I love that punk standard riff that kicks off under the solo. There’s no bread, so let them eat cake!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 08, 2022, 06:53:05 AM
60 Cold Fire (-) - It isn’t, but it could have been easely between my Top 65 to 75. Indeed great vocal melodies in the entire song, which is remarkable.

59 Bastille Day (#20) – Well, it’s a Top 20 song for me, killer riffage and soloing by Lifeson, great and very energetic performance by the band.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 08, 2022, 07:19:54 AM
What was that?  Y'all want two more today? Oh, okay.

 :biggrin: :biggrin:

60 Cold Fire
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 14 (nick_z)


This song floored me when I first heard it.  Geddy's voice is in top form here on the studio version, and some of the best vocal melodies they ever wrote are in this song.  I had this at 33.  It's too bad this song got the "one tour and done" treatment, but I think Geddy struggled with it vocally live (based on the live versions I have heard).  Studio version is marvelous, regardless.


59 Bastille Day
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (nobloodyname)


A fun as hell rocker from the early days! I had this at 62.  This is the highest ranked song in the list from Caress of Steel.  Sorry, folks, there will be no I Think I'm Going Bald in the top 10. :P

Cold Fire:  61
Bastile Day: 73

Bummed, though, to read that about Caress Of Steel. I don't like either Lakeside Park or I Think I'm Going Bald (even though it is an offhand Kiss reference), but Fountain of Lamneth is shockingly high on my list.   
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 08, 2022, 07:41:13 AM
What was that?  Y'all want two more today? Oh, okay.

 :biggrin: :biggrin:

60 Cold Fire
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 14 (nick_z)


This song floored me when I first heard it.  Geddy's voice is in top form here on the studio version, and some of the best vocal melodies they ever wrote are in this song.  I had this at 33.  It's too bad this song got the "one tour and done" treatment, but I think Geddy struggled with it vocally live (based on the live versions I have heard).  Studio version is marvelous, regardless.


59 Bastille Day
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (nobloodyname)


A fun as hell rocker from the early days! I had this at 62.  This is the highest ranked song in the list from Caress of Steel.  Sorry, folks, there will be no I Think I'm Going Bald in the top 10. :P

Cold Fire.  I have at as #32

Bastille Day as # 65
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 08, 2022, 07:47:18 AM

Cold Fire:  61
Bastile Day: 73

Bummed, though, to read that about Caress Of Steel. I don't like either Lakeside Park or I Think I'm Going Bald (even though it is an offhand Kiss reference), but Fountain of Lamneth is shockingly high on my list.

I really like Lamneth too, even if I think it has at least one major flaw (The Panacea section). That main riff is great though. Kind of had to choose between it and The Necromancer for my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 08, 2022, 08:24:10 AM

Bummed, though, to read that about Caress Of Steel. I don't like either Lakeside Park or I Think I'm Going Bald (even though it is an offhand Kiss reference), but Fountain of Lamneth is shockingly high on my list.

Out of curiosity, may I ask how high is "shockingly high"?  ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 08, 2022, 10:24:09 AM
60 Cold Fire
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 14 (nick_z)


This song floored me when I first heard it.  Geddy's voice is in top form here on the studio version, and some of the best vocal melodies they ever wrote are in this song.  I had this at 33.  It's too bad this song got the "one tour and done" treatment, but I think Geddy struggled with it vocally live (based on the live versions I have heard).  Studio version is marvelous, regardless.

Cold Fire came in at #135 for me.  I always hated the way it starts, and the verses are huge duds lyrically (talk about cringe-worthy:  "just don't disappoint me; you know how complex women are"?!?!).  I can distinctly recall thinking, "WTF is he doing?"  The bridge and chorus parts aren't bad, though.


59 Bastille Day
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 17 (nobloodyname)


A fun as hell rocker from the early days! I had this at 62.  This is the highest ranked song in the list from Caress of Steel.  Sorry, folks, there will be no I Think I'm Going Bald in the top 10. :P

This is surprisingly low.  I have always loved Bastille Day.  My band used to play it live.  So much fun.  I ranked it at #37 (and looking at my list, I had Lamneth seven slots higher, which, in retrospect, I'd have changed).  I also had Lakeside Park at #55, but the ATWAS version is MUCH better than the album version.


The album count so far:

Rush -
Fly by Night - 1 song (Fly by Night - #70)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 1 song (Something for Nothing - #63)
A Farewell to Kings -
Hemispheres -
Permanent Waves -
Moving Pictures -
Signals - 1 song (Countdown - #68)
Grace Under Pressure -
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 2 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 1 song (Roll the Bones - #75)
Counterparts - 4 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails -
Snakes & Arrows -
Clockwork Angels -

Still 10 of 19 albums represented, with Counterparts having twice as many as any other album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 08, 2022, 10:28:24 AM
62 Driven (#39)

61 Cut to the Chase (NR)

60 Cold Fire (NR)

59 Bastille Day (#71)  for all the ATWAS listens I gave that album

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 08, 2022, 10:52:24 AM
60. Cold Fire (73).  I still really like this song, even if I didn’t rate it as high as others.  I still think the “you know how complex women are” line is a bit cringey, but otherwise, a solid song.

59. Bastille Day (N/A).  I think they did a better job repurposing this riff in Headlong Flight.  This may have been my highest ranking song from COS, but it still didn’t make my Top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 08, 2022, 11:10:49 AM

Bummed, though, to read that about Caress Of Steel. I don't like either Lakeside Park or I Think I'm Going Bald (even though it is an offhand Kiss reference), but Fountain of Lamneth is shockingly high on my list.

Out of curiosity, may I ask how high is "shockingly high"?  ;D

#29.  That's not a song that is barely making the list.   :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 08, 2022, 03:17:35 PM
I love the No One at the Bridge section, and other parts of it are good, but The Fountain of Lamneth, when taken as a whole, is a mess.  It's not cohesive at all, and feels like a band spitting out a rough draft of an album side.  They obviously got significantly better at it on the next record.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 08, 2022, 04:35:55 PM
I love the No One at the Bridge section, and other parts of it are good, but The Fountain of Lamneth, when taken as a whole, is a mess.  It's not cohesive at all, and feels like a band spitting out a rough draft of an album side.  They obviously got significantly better at it on the next record.
This just about sums up my feelings on it. I could do without Panacea, and Bacchus Plateau to a lesser degree, but the rest of it is great, especially No One at the Bridge. But as much as I like the individual parts, it definitely doesn't feel cohesive, aside from the fact that The Fountain reprises parts of In the Valley. It's funny - CoS was one of the very first Rush cassettes I ever bought (never bought vinyl) because it was the cheapest option, and the tracklisting for the cassette was wonky. I just checked online now, and it seems the label swapped ITIGB with Didacts and Narpets. On top of that, the J-card listed the individual parts as songs, so I had no idea that all these "songs" were actually parts of an epic until several years later.  :P
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 08, 2022, 04:42:04 PM
I literally couldn't even name the sections of that song...or for Illumination Theory either.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 08, 2022, 05:01:21 PM
I literally couldn't even name the sections of that song...or for Illumination Theory either.

Your Walkman batteries died in your time capsule.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 08, 2022, 05:14:43 PM
I literally couldn't even name the sections of that song...or for Illumination Theory either.

Let's see...off the top of my head:

1. In the Valley
2. Didacts and Narpets
3. No One at the Bridge
4. Bacchus Plateau
5. Panacea
6. The Fountain

For IT, I have NO idea except that one section is "Live, Die, Kill" and another one is in French.

How'd I do?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 08, 2022, 05:15:45 PM
I think that's amazing you could do that off the top of your head.


I literally couldn't even name the sections of that song...or for Illumination Theory either.

Your Walkman batteries died in your time capsule.

Hah!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 08, 2022, 05:18:34 PM
I literally couldn't even name the sections of that song...or for Illumination Theory either.

1. Paradoxe De La Lumiere Noire
2. Live, Die, Kill
3. The Embracing Circle
4. The Pursuit of Truth
5. Surrender, Trust and Passion

6. Easter Egg

I had to look up the spelling of the French words, but I’m pretty sure that’s right.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 08, 2022, 06:00:20 PM
60. Cold Fire (73).  I still really like this song, even if I didn’t rate it as high as others. I still think the “you know how complex women are” line is a bit cringey, but otherwise, a solid song.
I honestly don't know why this part is considered cringy. :dunno:

I love the No One at the Bridge section, and other parts of it are good, but The Fountain of Lamneth, when taken as a whole, is a mess.  It's not cohesive at all, and feels like a band spitting out a rough draft of an album side.  They obviously got significantly better at it on the next record.
This just about sums up my feelings on it. I could do without Panacea, and Bacchus Plateau to a lesser degree, but the rest of it is great, especially No One at the Bridge. But as much as I like the individual parts, it definitely doesn't feel cohesive, aside from the fact that The Fountain reprises parts of In the Valley. It's funny - CoS was one of the very first Rush cassettes I ever bought (never bought vinyl) because it was the cheapest option, and the tracklisting for the cassette was wonky. I just checked online now, and it seems the label swapped ITIGB with Didacts and Narpets. On top of that, the J-card listed the individual parts as songs, so I had no idea that all these "songs" were actually parts of an epic until several years later.  :P
I LOVE Bacchus Plateau. I could see how Panacea could bring the whole song to a halt. It almost sounds like Rivendell Pt. 2.

And while we are on the subject of the rest of Caress of Steel. I had The Fountain of Lamneth at #48. I Think I'm Going Bald was at #149. Lakeside Park ended up at #118, which may seem low, but I still really like the song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 08, 2022, 06:19:54 PM
I had Lakeside Park just making the list at #75. That and Bastille Day at #36 were all I had from COS.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 08, 2022, 07:04:05 PM
Diehard fans of the earlier material will appreciate today's featured songs...


58 A Passage to Bangkok
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (The Realm)


Despite my love for 2112 the albums as a whole, I did not rank this song in my top 75.  Always enjoyed it a lot, but never was a major favorite. Love the toke before the solo, though.  :hat :hat


57 Different Strings
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (Cool Chris, Tomislav95)


This is one I feel like I underrated, as I had it at 55.  Big, big fan, and it goes without saying that Rush never had another song like this one. Too bad they never found a way to play it live.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 08, 2022, 07:16:29 PM
Diehard fans of the earlier material will appreciate today's featured songs...


58 A Passage to Bangkok
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (The Realm)



57 Different Strings
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (Cool Chris, Tomislav95)



A Passage to Bangkok at number 43 on my list, the only track other than the epic of the same name from 2112. I mean, the song speaks for itself, but just to highlight how much this song has stayed with me, I watched The 355 with my parents the other night. Straight off the bat, we get a subtitle that shows that the first scene takes place in Bogotá, Colombia and a shot of a bunch of trees from overhead. I had the most intense battle with my own impulses, just trying to tell myself don’t do it, don’t do it! Didn’t matter though. Out of my mouth it came. “Our first stop is in Bogotá, to check Colombian fields!”
Thankfully, we were streaming it…

Different Strings, I had at 48.  It’s a truly beautiful song. Nothing else quite like it in their catalog, which makes it even sadder that this song never got the live treatment it deserved. Holds a special place in my heart, and I’m sure the hearts of many Rush fans around the world.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 08, 2022, 07:18:33 PM
57 Different Strings
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (Cool Chris, Tomislav95)


This is one I feel like I underrated, as I had it at 55. 

Seems you were right in line, actually.





58 A Passage to Bangkok
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (The Realm)


57 Different Strings
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (Cool Chris, Tomislav95)



I had A Passage To Bangkok at #76. Just missed out on the list. I like the song for sure.


I had Different Strings at #58, so pretty much in line with the countdown. It's a really cool song. Love Neil's high-hat on this.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 08, 2022, 07:24:39 PM
Both failed to make my top 75.  I think Bangkok just missed.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 08, 2022, 07:30:38 PM
A Passage to Bangkok (did not rank - outside of top 100)

I actually quite like this song - it just didn't get there. Might be my favorite of 2112's side 2. The chord progression under Alex's solo is cool.

Different Strings (did not rank - outside of top 100)

The only song from Permanent Waves that didn't rank for me. I do feel like I underrated it, as it's a very pretty tune, especially when the whole band comes in. Real nice guitar work overall.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 08, 2022, 07:32:47 PM
58 A Passage to Bangkok
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (The Realm)


Despite my love for 2112 the albums as a whole, I did not rank this song in my top 75.  Always enjoyed it a lot, but never was a major favorite. Love the toke before the solo, though.  :hat :hat

I had A Passage to Bangkok at #50.  One of two songs on which Geddy played his double-neck.  Would have liked to have seen that live.  My favorite on side 2 of 2112.


57 Different Strings
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (Cool Chris, Tomislav95)


This is one I feel like I underrated, as I had it at 55.  Big, big fan, and it goes without saying that Rush never had another song like this one. Too bad they never found a way to play it live.

This one came in at #48 for me.  A cool song, but it took me a while to warm up to it at first (just because it wasn't heavy).  I'd say it's an ancestor to songs like Available Light and (to a lesser extent) Everyday Glory.  It was one of those "never intended to be played live" songs, featuring Hugh Syme's second guest appearance, this time on piano.


Rush -
Fly by Night - 1 song (Fly by Night - #70)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings -
Hemispheres -
Permanent Waves - 1 song (Different Strings - #57)
Moving Pictures -
Signals - 1 song (Countdown - #68)
Grace Under Pressure -
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 2 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 1 song (Roll the Bones - #75)
Counterparts - 4 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails -
Snakes & Arrows -
Clockwork Angels -

We now have 11 of 19 albums represented.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 08, 2022, 07:34:24 PM
Heads are gonna explode when you see that Moving Pictures is one of the two albums to not have any song make the top 75.


:P :P :P
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 08, 2022, 07:36:36 PM
(https://media1.giphy.com/media/7Uj0tJ6r2CeOs/giphy.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 08, 2022, 07:42:34 PM
A Passage to Bangkok came in at 67 for me. My only entry from 2112 and the only song I ever really listen to on that album. The lyrics are dumb, but the song is a lot of fun regardless.

Different Strings just missed for me, though it would have been in my top 85 probably. I like it a lot, but it’s a bit on the somber side, and I get a little annoyed by how short they cut Alex’s solo at the end. It sounds like he’s just about to get really going and then it fades so suddenly. Would love to have heard them jam out on that part for another minute (or more).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 08, 2022, 07:57:35 PM
(https://media1.giphy.com/media/7Uj0tJ6r2CeOs/giphy.gif)

 :rollin
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 08, 2022, 08:09:26 PM
 :rollin :tup

58 A Passage to Bangkok (-) - It didn't rank for me, but I really like the song, specially the ESL version, which is rhythmically a bit more elaborated in some places.

57 Different Strings (#57!) - Great song, I just wish the outro would last more... what a cool and weird vibe on it!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 08, 2022, 08:18:14 PM

58 A Passage to Bangkok
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (The Realm)


57 Different Strings
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (Cool Chris, Tomislav95)



A Passage to Bangkok - not surprised at all I ranked this the highest, probably more surprised it ranked this high overall as I actually thought it may not make the top 75. I have always really loved this song, just something about it really appeals to me, maybe my ranking is still a bit high but it just has awesome nostalgia vibes to me, as the whole 2112 album does.

Different Strings - my rank 29. Just a really beautiful song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 08, 2022, 08:47:03 PM
58 A Passage to Bangkok
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (The Realm)


Despite my love for 2112 the albums as a whole, I did not rank this song in my top 75.  Always enjoyed it a lot, but never was a major favorite. Love the toke before the solo, though.  :hat :hat


57 Different Strings
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (Cool Chris, Tomislav95)


This is one I feel like I underrated, as I had it at 55.  Big, big fan, and it goes without saying that Rush never had another song like this one. Too bad they never found a way to play it live.
A Passage to Bangkok - This is a good song, despite placing at #127 in my list. Rush just has that many more better songs. Lots of interesting things the band does in this song, both in the studio version and the live versions.

Different Strings - This one finished just outside of my top 75 at #79. I can echo most of the other sentiments so far. It's a beautiful song that is unlike almost anything else in there discography. Wish it was played live and wish it didn't fade out. One of my biggest pet peeves in music...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 08, 2022, 10:13:29 PM
58. A Passage to Bangkok - Me (did not rank - both original lists had it just outside the top 100)

A decent song. It’s fun. I never saw what the big deal was. I think it gets a bit overhyped just because it’s a pot anthem.

57. Different Strings - Me #68

This and Losing It are IMO Rush’s greatest ballads. Most of their early attempts (Rivendell, Panacea, Tears, Madrigal) are just ok at best. So this being the first ballad that they really hit out of the park just underscores how much they were firing on all cylinders at this point.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Tomislav95 on March 09, 2022, 02:50:58 AM
A Passage To Bangkok (#35) - one of the best classic rockers
Different string (#7) - one of those songs I hear at the back of my head on a daily basis and not in annoying kind of way. Great lyrics, emotive song that hits hard. Not a typical Rush but still one of my favorites.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: ReaperKK on March 09, 2022, 06:33:08 AM
A Passage To Bangkok was #17 on my list, great song. I'd argue most days that the second half of songs are better than the title track.

Different Strings was #28 on my list. Just a killer song with a beautiful guitar melody, I was just listening to it yesterday.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 09, 2022, 08:19:37 AM
Two songs that rank fairly high for me.

A Passage to Bangkok: #33.  DESPITE the lyrics (I guess this is their "Cold Gin"?), I love the riff and the chorus is money.
Different Strings: #39.   What a beautiful song.  This is just a great example of beautiful songwriting.  This is one of those songs I've written about that just as easily could have appeared on a later album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 09, 2022, 09:33:17 AM
58. A Passage to Bangkok - Me (did not rank - both original lists had it just outside the top 100)

A decent song. It’s fun. I never saw what the big deal was. I think it gets a bit overhyped just because it’s a pot anthem.

I think that's fair, and I might have ranked it higher if the subject matter were different.  That said, I think Neil did a fairly good job making the lyrics appealing despite the subject matter.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 09, 2022, 10:35:13 AM
58. A Passage to Bangkok - Me (did not rank - both original lists had it just outside the top 100)

A decent song. It’s fun. I never saw what the big deal was. I think it gets a bit overhyped just because it’s a pot anthem.
Overhyped or just plain overrated - either way, I'm sure the lyrics play a big part in that. And it's for that same reason I don't really care for it, despite the great guitar solo. Ended up at #114 on my list.

I really do like Different Strings. It's a great song, and I think I'd agree with Ben in that it is one of their better ballads (Losing It being the best of the bunch), but if I'm being honest, there are many other songs in Rush's catalog that I'd prefer to listen to instead. So it didn't make my top 75 either, although it just barely missed at #78.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 09, 2022, 01:11:17 PM
I really do like Different Strings. It's a great song, and I think I'd agree with Ben in that it is one of their better ballads (Losing It being the best of the bunch), but if I'm being honest, there are many other songs in Rush's catalog that I'd prefer to listen to instead. So it didn't make my top 75 either, although it just barely missed at #78.

DS reminds me of a movie whose name I can't remember.  It was about this gorgeous woman who moved into an apartment with I think four other women who all happened to be models.  Because of this, the gorgeous lead got treated as though she was a dog.  That's Different Strings, which has to be a "roommate" with a bunch of "models" on Permanent Waves.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 09, 2022, 01:32:28 PM
I really do like Different Strings. It's a great song, and I think I'd agree with Ben in that it is one of their better ballads (Losing It being the best of the bunch), but if I'm being honest, there are many other songs in Rush's catalog that I'd prefer to listen to instead. So it didn't make my top 75 either, although it just barely missed at #78.

DS reminds me of a movie whose name I can't remember.  It was about this gorgeous woman who moved into an apartment with I think four other women who all happened to be models.  Because of this, the gorgeous lead got treated as though she was a dog.  That's Different Strings, which has to be a "roommate" with a bunch of "models" on Permanent Waves.

Which may be why it's so high on MY list, because it's not that way with me;   Different Strings and Jacob's Ladder are the models and the rest are... cute, but out of their league.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 09, 2022, 01:42:20 PM
Two songs that rank fairly high for me.

A Passage to Bangkok: #33.  DESPITE the lyrics (I guess this is their "Cold Gin"?), I love the riff and the chorus is money.
Different Strings: #39.   What a beautiful song.  This is just a great example of beautiful songwriting.  This is one of those songs I've written about that just as easily could have appeared on a later album.

I love this comment! Also my love for A Passage to Bangkok has nothing to do with the lyrics/subject matter. Musically it is a great song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 09, 2022, 03:05:29 PM
I really do like Different Strings. It's a great song, and I think I'd agree with Ben in that it is one of their better ballads (Losing It being the best of the bunch), but if I'm being honest, there are many other songs in Rush's catalog that I'd prefer to listen to instead. So it didn't make my top 75 either, although it just barely missed at #78.

DS reminds me of a movie whose name I can't remember.  It was about this gorgeous woman who moved into an apartment with I think four other women who all happened to be models.  Because of this, the gorgeous lead got treated as though she was a dog.  That's Different Strings, which has to be a "roommate" with a bunch of "models" on Permanent Waves.

Which may be why it's so high on MY list, because it's not that way with me;   Different Strings and Jacob's Ladder are the models and the rest are... cute, but out of their league.

BTW, I figured out what movie it was...Head over Heels, with Monica Potter as the non-model.  What a dog....

For me, the stars of PEW are Natural Science and Jacob's Ladder.  DS comes in 6th for me on the album, but it's still a Monica Potter.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 09, 2022, 05:23:41 PM

For me, the stars of PEW are Natural Science and Jacob's Ladder.  DS comes in 6th for me on the album, but it's still a Monica Potter.

Permanent Waves is so good...I agree with the stars...although I'd add The Spirit of Radio in between those two. Doesn't matter how much of a "standard" it is...never gets old for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 09, 2022, 05:28:30 PM
Let's keep it moving, yo.

56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)


I get the love for many have for this song, but while I always enjoyed rocking out to it when the band played it live, it has never been one I've gone out of my way to hear.


55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)


I had this at 36, making me one of eight people to have it in their top 40, which is why it finished at 55 despite having no top 20 finishes.  Great song.  I remember hearing those verses for the first time and thinking, "This is the kind of song I always wanted Rush to write!"
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 09, 2022, 05:49:06 PM
Let's keep it moving, yo.

56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)


55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)



Working Man arrived at #30. The song that started it all for the band. Not surprised it arrived at #2 for someone, a little more surprised it didn’t finish in more people’s top 10.

The title track from CA didn’t make my list. I do love the song though, for the most part. The vocals and lyrics in the bridge have never landed for me. Kinda prefer it as just a jam there.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 09, 2022, 05:51:40 PM
Let's keep it moving, yo.

56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)


I get the love for many have for this song, but while I always enjoyed rocking out to it when the band played it live, it has never been one I've gone out of my way to hear.


55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)


I had this at 36, making me one of eight people to have it in their top 40, which is why it finished at 55 despite having no top 20 finishes.  Great song.  I remember hearing those verses for the first time and thinking, "This is the kind of song I always wanted Rush to write!"

Working Man (did not rank in top 75, had it at #85)

Could basically quote your comment word by word. Riff is pretty iconic, though.

I guess the case for no song in top 75 for Vapor Trails and Snake and Arrows is getting stronger and stronger...

Clockwork Angels (ranked #52)

I like that the song goes through a variety of moods, although I don't love the "bluesy" section. The "You promise every treasure..." and "Celestial machinery..." verses are pretty exciting, and the band is really going for it on those. Very cool mini-epic of a song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 09, 2022, 05:53:24 PM
Let's keep it moving, yo.

56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)


55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)



Both are great songs but I didn't rank either of them, in some ways not sure why! Especially Working Man, I feel that was a miss for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 09, 2022, 05:58:40 PM
56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)


I get the love for many have for this song, but while I always enjoyed rocking out to it when the band played it live, it has never been one I've gone out of my way to hear.


55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)


I had this at 36, making me one of eight people to have it in their top 40, which is why it finished at 55 despite having no top 20 finishes.  Great song.  I remember hearing those verses for the first time and thinking, "This is the kind of song I always wanted Rush to write!"
Working Man - Even if Rush never made another album after their first, they really caught lightning in a bottle with this song. It's just so far above anything else on the album. Which is why I had it at #58. Just goes to show the quality of 57 other Rush songs.

Clockwork Angels - This one came in at #47 for me, so #55 overall seems like a good spot. Despite the issues Geddy had with his vocals on their last few albums, this album as a whole was an amazing way to end their recording career. The only issue I have with this song, and by extension the album, is the production. I still can't get over how badly they screwed up the production on this one. I hope it gets remixed/remastered at some point.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 09, 2022, 06:12:03 PM
56. Working Man (44).  Can’t deny the power of that riff, or the power of the jam in the middle section.

55. Clockwork Angels (30).  The whole album was very inspired, and at this point in the flow of the album, this is where, for me, it feels like the band is really going to some unknown places musically for the first time in a while.  I love this album (it’s in my Rush top 5), and for me, this is where the real magic of the album begins.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 09, 2022, 06:35:19 PM
56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)


55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)



I had Working Man at #65. It was a staple on rock radio growing up. I still think it's an excellent song. I have the first album represented fairly high on my list, and while the band evolved big time when Neil joined, it in no way diminishes the outstanding first album for me.

I had Clockwork Angels as Not Rated. I do have three songs from the album on the list, but this isn't one of them. I am guilty of severely under listening to this album. In fact, I just brought it upstairs and it's going in the car for the next few days. Noticed it's a 2012 release. Ten years since Rush put out their final album..
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 09, 2022, 06:47:55 PM
I just brought it upstairs and it's going in the car for the next few days. Noticed it's a 2012 release. Ten years since Rush put out their final album..

This is truly nuts. Hard to believe.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Dream Team on March 09, 2022, 07:40:12 PM
Heads are gonna explode when you see that Moving Pictures is one of the two albums to not have any song make the top 75.


:P :P :P

I think I’m misunderstanding . . . are you saying Red Barchetta, Camera Eye, etc didn’t make the top 75??
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 09, 2022, 07:44:04 PM
Heads are gonna explode when you see that Moving Pictures is one of the two albums to not have any song make the top 75.


:P :P :P

I think I’m misunderstanding . . . are you saying Red Barchetta, Camera Eye, etc didn’t make the top 75??

You are definitely misunderstanding.  ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 09, 2022, 07:44:46 PM
Did not rank Working Man or Clockwork Angels, though I almost did rank CA at the back of the list. It’s in the next group of 10-15 songs probably. It does have some really great drumming and is really a pretty powerful song for a band who had been around for almost 40 years. Like TAC, I just never listen to this album. I like most of the songs, but it sounds so muddy and I struggle with Geddy’s vocals a bit. The other thing about this song I don’t like is the “Geddy sings through the radio” section. But aside from that, it’s a pretty great song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 09, 2022, 07:46:53 PM
56 Working Man (#73) - although I think it's a great song, I must admit that I've always saw the first album as a kind of a pre-Rush album, so it's was hard for me to rank any song of it. But I love all the versions of WM with NP, so it had to be in the Top 75!

55 Clockwork Angels (-) - I chose 7 songs from CA for the Top 75, but not its title track. It's not bad, but kind of disappointing and I don't like much that blues part in the middle neither. And yes, why Rush didn't keep the production team of S&A, like they did with the Caravan/BU2B EP? CA would have been much better sonically.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 09, 2022, 07:48:48 PM
And yes, why Rush didn't keep the production team of S&A, like they did with the Caravan/BU2B EP? CA would have been much better sonically.

I think S&A sounds amazing. Too bad the album blows.  ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 09, 2022, 07:50:30 PM
I'll take the muddy mix of Clockwork Angels over the dry mix of Snakes and Arrows (there is no pop on that record when it is supposed to rock, but the more laid back moments sound really good), but the CA mix is still maddening. Clockwork Angels would probably be a top 20 tune for me with the right mix, but I doubt we will ever get a remaster or remix that cleans it up, and the live version doesn't elevate it because Geddy's live vocals were too rough at that point.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 09, 2022, 08:49:49 PM
I'll take the muddy mix of Clockwork Angels over the dry mix of Snakes and Arrows (there is no pop on that record when it is supposed to rock, but the more laid back moments sound really good), but the CA mix is still maddening. Clockwork Angels would probably be a top 20 tune for me with the right mix, but I doubt we will ever get a remaster or remix that cleans it up, and the live version doesn't elevate it because Geddy's live vocals were too rough at that point.
I don't know, it took 12 years before we got a remix of Vapor Trails. We may still get one. Maybe for a 40th anniversary release  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 09, 2022, 08:54:16 PM
I had the lowest #1 on the DT Top 100 (Beneath the Surface, somewhere in the 60s maybe?), curious what it will be here. Also curious what will be the highest ranking song to not appear on everyone's list (I think it was A Change of Seasons at #2).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 09, 2022, 09:10:42 PM
Heads are gonna explode when you see that Moving Pictures is one of the two albums to not have any song make the top 75.


:P :P :P

I think I’m misunderstanding . . . are you saying Red Barchetta, Camera Eye, etc didn’t make the top 75??
When three of the songs from MP hit my top 10, I’d be baffled if this is actually true.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 09, 2022, 09:43:31 PM
Heads are gonna explode when you see that Moving Pictures is one of the two albums to not have any song make the top 75.


:P :P :P

I think I’m misunderstanding . . . are you saying Red Barchetta, Camera Eye, etc didn’t make the top 75??
When three of the songs from MP hit my top 10, I’d be baffled if this is actually true.
I do believe Kev was messing with us.....maybe... :corn
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 10, 2022, 04:48:10 AM
I had the lowest #1 on the DT Top 100 (Beneath the Surface, somewhere in the 60s maybe?), curious what it will be here.

Pretty sure Beneath The Surface will rank even lower here.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 10, 2022, 05:38:33 AM
A Passage To Bangkok # 56 for me

Different Strings. Missed my top 75

Working Man. Missed my top 75. Burnt out on it.

Clockwork Angels  # 34 for me

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Zydar on March 10, 2022, 05:50:21 AM
I had the lowest #1 on the DT Top 100 (Beneath the Surface, somewhere in the 60s maybe?), curious what it will be here.

Pretty sure Beneath The Surface will rank even lower here.

:lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 10, 2022, 06:14:26 AM
Onward and upward! :metal :metal

54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)


I gotta admit that I was a tad surprised that this one did this well.  I thought much of the fanbase had realized what I had - that it is a solid tune, no more, no less - but many still have love for it. Who knew? ;)


53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)


I had this at 61, which was lower than I would have put it had I eyeballed the ranking, but I guess I just prefer more songs to it than I thought. Still a big fan, and Permanent Waves is one of my three favorite Rush albums.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 10, 2022, 06:30:21 AM
New World Man (ranked #49)

A cool Rush single - short and lively, I like this song a lot. Brilliant interplay between Neil and Geddy.

Entre Nous (ranked #66)

A little gem within Permanent Waves. Always enjoy it - particularly the verses. It was cool when they dug it out for the S&A tour.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Tomislav95 on March 10, 2022, 07:02:22 AM
Working Man - #73
New World Man - #65
Entre Nous - #33
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 10, 2022, 07:11:25 AM
Onward and upward! :metal :metal

54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)



53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)



New World Man is a song that I am now baffled did not make my list, I like this a lot more than some songs which actually hit my list. This is a filler song, in the same way that Paranoid was for Black Sabbath. “There’s too much room not being used, you need to write 3 and a half more minutes”. And they came out with this, a loving nod to The Police. This really works for me.

Entre Nous hit number 31 for my list. It’s not really a stand out track in Permanent Waves, but it’s one of my highest rated from the album. Have to agree with you Kev, this is one of my favourite albums from Rush through and through. It was a great live track on the S&A tour too.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 10, 2022, 07:12:30 AM
I have New World Man at 36. I’ve always loved this song. It’s concise Rush and it keeps the song from overstaying it’s welcome. But it’s also a fairly unique style for Rush (even though they’d continue to explore it on the next album). The lyrics are classic Peart. Some of my favorites from him even. They’re super singable but also really interesting without being too intellectual. Just one of those type of songs that Neil did so well.

Entre Nous is at 54 for me. I love love the verse part of this song, the way the guitar and vocals kind of push you forward, but then I’ve always felt the chorus was a bit of a let down in comparison. But it’s still a great little song, with another fine lyric. Also, I once hit a deer with my car (or he hit me) while listening to this song, so that will always be an association for this song.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 10, 2022, 07:33:02 AM
Onward and upward! :metal :metal

54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)


I gotta admit that I was a tad surprised that this one did this well.  I thought much of the fanbase had realized what I had - that it is a solid tune, no more, no less - but many still have love for it. Who knew? ;)


53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)


I had this at 61, which was lower than I would have put it had I eyeballed the ranking, but I guess I just prefer more songs to it than I thought. Still a big fan, and Permanent Waves is one of my three favorite Rush albums.

54. New World Man (N/A).  Great Police song.

53. Entre Nous (41).  Great track to kick off side two of Permanent Waves.  Glad I got to see it live on the Snakes and Arrows tour in 2007.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 10, 2022, 08:37:13 AM
Working Man has always been a good solid tune. Like Shmegland, I’m a little burnt out on it, but I still enjoy it. Love the way they really stretched the song out in live performances back in 74-75, and in recent times how Alex would go purposefully over the top during the guitar solo. It ended up at #63 for me.

I really like Clockwork Angels – I’d rank it in the top half of the album. And so it placed at #45 on my list.

I’ve always had fond memories of New World Man. I remember hearing it on the radio when it was Rush’s brand new single, and I was glad they resurrected it for the Vapor Trails tour so that I was able to see it live. Short, sweet and to the point, but still Rush. #51 for me.

Entre Nous is another track that I enjoy, but given the overabundance of Rush songs that I love, it just missed making my top 75, placing at #77. Still, it was a pleasant surprise that they finally performed it live during the Snakes and Arrows tour. Great mid-paced song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 10, 2022, 09:00:41 AM
Working Man: #68
Clockwork Angels: #97
New World Man: #13
Entre Nous: #57

I love New World Man; one of my favorites from one of my favorite albums.   I'm sort of surprised I put Entre Nous so low compared to Different Strings. They aren't the same song, but they are of a type in that way; songs about relationships, shorter, more concise...  I think it's because while I love the intro - one of their best, actually, the verses, with the Police rhythm guitars bring the song down for me.   

The rest I sort of like, but...  Working Man is a great first album track, if that makes sense.  It's not a "Freebird" or "Stairway To Heaven", but it's certainly an indicator of things to come.  Clockwork Angels is an eh song from an eh album as far as I am concerned.  Well, the album is better than "eh", but I think my highest CA song is at #46, and the two others are at #60 and #62.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 10, 2022, 10:18:27 AM
56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)


I get the love for many have for this song, but while I always enjoyed rocking out to it when the band played it live, it has never been one I've gone out of my way to hear.

Working Man is one of those songs that I never really go out of my way for, but when I hear it, I'm reminded just how good it is.  Coincidentally, I listened to side 4 of ATWAS on the way into work this morning.  I ranked it at #29.  Perhaps a tad high, but no question it's a top 40 song.  Interestingly, Kev did not tell us that this is the highest ranked song from the debut (as he has done with other albums).  Does that mean another song from the album ranked higher?!


55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)


I had this at 36, making me one of eight people to have it in their top 40, which is why it finished at 55 despite having no top 20 finishes.  Great song.  I remember hearing those verses for the first time and thinking, "This is the kind of song I always wanted Rush to write!"

Bleh...like most of CA.  I had it at #144, which puts it in the ether of songs that I didn't think too hard about when ranking, so it probably could come in anywhere between 120-150.


54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)


I gotta admit that I was a tad surprised that this one did this well.  I thought much of the fanbase had realized what I had - that it is a solid tune, no more, no less - but many still have love for it. Who knew? ;)

New World Man is a fine little song, but #54?!  I had it at #88.  That said, the pre-chorus is GREAT.


53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)


I had this at 61, which was lower than I would have put it had I eyeballed the ranking, but I guess I just prefer more songs to it than I thought. Still a big fan, and Permanent Waves is one of my three favorite Rush albums.

This is such a good song, and everything I wrote yesterday about the "regular" hot girl living in the apartment with a bunch of models applies even more to Entre Nous.  I had it at #36.  Alex's playing is stellar, and I was so happy when they FINALLY played it live on the Snakes & Arrows tour.  As a somewhat random aside, I'd love to hear a cover version in which someone seizes on the opportunity to do harmony vocals in the chorus.



Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 1 song (Fly by Night - #70)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings -
Hemispheres -
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures -
Signals - 2 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54)
Grace Under Pressure -
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 2 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 1 song (Roll the Bones - #75)
Counterparts - 4 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails -
Snakes & Arrows -
Clockwork Angels - 1 song (Clockwork Angels - #55)

We now have 13 of 19 albums represented.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 10, 2022, 02:14:46 PM

54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)


53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)



New World Man - I ranked at 75 so just made it in. Was probably lucky to make it in the end.

Entre Nous - I ranked at 24. I love this song and I love this album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 10, 2022, 02:43:31 PM
54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)


53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)


I had New World Man at#28. Wow, that feels kind of high. I was horrified when I first heard it, but damn, it's a guilty pleasure.

I had Entre Nous as Not Ranked.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: MrMike on March 10, 2022, 02:52:23 PM
Working Man - 57.  The uptempo jam in the middle is fantastic.  The rest of the song though is a little too plodding and bloated for me to rank it higher.

Clockwork Angels - Didn't rank.  Count me among those who hate the CA mix.  Even if it were cleaner sounding though, still not sure if this one would be top 75.  Still it's fine and I do like it.

New World Man - 46.  I get why many old schoolers dislike it, but I've always enjoyed it.  So damn catchy.  I actually wish they'd extended it so we could hear more of that ending jam.

Entre Nous - Didn't rank.  Again a fine song, just not one that ever deeply resonated with me.  Probably my least fave on PeW.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 10, 2022, 03:09:52 PM
New World Man I ranked at #36

Entre Nous did not make my top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 10, 2022, 03:15:55 PM

New World Man - I ranked at 75 so just made it in. Was probably lucky to make it me smile in the end.

Entre Nous - I ranked at 24. I love this song and I love this album.

ftfy   :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 10, 2022, 04:42:56 PM
New World Man is an OK song (the reagge part drags a bit) and Entre Nous is a good one, but they are my less favorites from their respective (excellent) albums and didn't enter in my top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 10, 2022, 06:02:53 PM

New World Man - I ranked at 75 so just made it in. Was probably lucky to make it me smile in the end.

Entre Nous - I ranked at 24. I love this song and I love this album.

ftfy   :biggrin:
Wrong song  ;)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 10, 2022, 06:07:20 PM
54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)


I gotta admit that I was a tad surprised that this one did this well.  I thought much of the fanbase had realized what I had - that it is a solid tune, no more, no less - but many still have love for it. Who knew? ;)


53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)


I had this at 61, which was lower than I would have put it had I eyeballed the ranking, but I guess I just prefer more songs to it than I thought. Still a big fan, and Permanent Waves is one of my three favorite Rush albums.
New World Man - Color me extremely surprised this made the top 75, I had it at #145. I get that it was a fairly popular single back in the day, but it's a poor Rush song. The chorus is catchy, but that's about it. This is just one of those songs where the everything about it kind of puts me off.

Entre Nous - This song on the other hand is a very bright and upbeat song and I love it! I ranked it at #25 and I thought for sure I would have the highest ranking for it, but Cool Chris had to come in and beat me by 7 spots.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 10, 2022, 07:20:32 PM
I had the lowest #1 on the DT Top 100 (Beneath the Surface, somewhere in the 60s maybe?), curious what it will be here. Also curious what will be the highest ranking song to not appear on everyone's list (I think it was A Change of Seasons at #2).

To circle back to this, someone's number 1 song on their Rush top 75 ended up at number 128 in the entire list (I will post 76-165 once we get close to the end).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 10, 2022, 07:54:54 PM
Wow that is crazy.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 10, 2022, 07:55:30 PM
I had the lowest #1 on the DT Top 100 (Beneath the Surface, somewhere in the 60s maybe?), curious what it will be here. Also curious what will be the highest ranking song to not appear on everyone's list (I think it was A Change of Seasons at #2).

To circle back to this, someone's number 1 song on their Rush top 75 ended up at number 128 in the entire list (I will post 76-165 once we get close to the end).

(https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/forumavatars/avatar_8505_1631373251.jpeg)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 10, 2022, 09:06:17 PM
54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)


I gotta admit that I was a tad surprised that this one did this well.  I thought much of the fanbase had realized what I had - that it is a solid tune, no more, no less - but many still have love for it. Who knew? ;)


53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)


I had this at 61, which was lower than I would have put it had I eyeballed the ranking, but I guess I just prefer more songs to it than I thought. Still a big fan, and Permanent Waves is one of my three favorite Rush albums.
New World Man - Color me extremely surprised this made the top 75, I had it at #145. I get that it was a fairly popular single back in the day, but it's a poor Rush song. The chorus is catchy, but that's about it. This is just one of those songs where the everything about it kind of puts me off.

Entre Nous - This song on the other hand is a very bright and upbeat song and I love it! I ranked it at #25 and I thought for sure I would have the highest ranking for it, but Cool Chris had to come in and beat me by 7 spots.

Nice one - I ranked Entre Nous at 24 so beat you by 1 place but I actually never thought I would be the highest rank for this song. I was expecting it to be much higher overall.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 10, 2022, 09:36:24 PM
There's a song for which I'm pretty confident I have the highest ranking, but I have a feeling it won't make the top 75.  We shall see.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 10, 2022, 09:40:05 PM
My #6 is going to be way higher than the consensus - I still think it will make the 75, but honestly I cannot always gauge how the Rush winds blow here.

Also thank you for the ongoing album count update!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 10, 2022, 09:42:42 PM
My #6 is going to be way higher than the consensus - I still think it will make the 75, but honestly I cannot always gauge how the Rush winds blow here.

Also thank you for the ongoing album count update!

[butthead voice] huh uh huhuhuhuh huhuhu ….you said ‘blow’….   huhuhuhuhhhuhuhuhhhuh [/butthead voice]
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 10, 2022, 09:43:53 PM
(https://media4.giphy.com/media/3juoDRmltfufK/200.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 10, 2022, 09:54:19 PM
My #6 is going to be way higher than the consensus - I still think it will make the 75, but honestly I cannot always gauge how the Rush winds blow here.

Is that a hint as to which song you're talking about?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 10, 2022, 09:55:55 PM
Nope, just an awkward turn of the phrase.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nobloodyname on March 10, 2022, 11:12:15 PM
There's a song for which I'm pretty confident I have the highest ranking, but I have a feeling it won't make the top 75.  We shall see.

I'm fairly confident my number 1 will be this particular tune's highest ranking.

Bearing in mind Kev's comment ("To circle back to this, someone's number 1 song on their Rush top 75 ended up at number 128 in the entire list"), I'd be surprised if the song I have at number one isn't in the 75. But stranger things have happened at sea :biggrin:

Hmm... now I've thought about it... yeah, my number one could be 128 :lol Be fun to find out nonetheless and won't change what I think of the song, of course.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 11, 2022, 06:13:08 AM
Let's roll.  :metal :metal

52 Ghost of a Chance
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (wolfking)


I suppose this one has been downgraded for me a tough, as I used to call it a top 20-25 song, but had it at 34 in this. Still love it. This was a key song in making me a fan in the earliest days of my fandom, and it was admittedly a favorite of the girlfriend I had for most of that year as well.  :coolio


51 Vital Signs
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DTA)


I only had this at 70, but I am still a fan.  I chuckled when I read how the band thought fans didn't love it enough back in the day, so they kept putting it in prime spots in the set lists, almost forcing fans to love it, haha.  The first of seven songs to appear from Moving Pictures in the top 75! 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 11, 2022, 06:29:21 AM
Another top rated song by me.  :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 11, 2022, 06:33:44 AM
Ghost of a Chance (did not rank in top 75, had it at #88)

Good song - probably my favorite of RtB's second "half". I enjoyed it when they played on the S&A tour

Vital Signs (ranked #36)

Love it. It's definitely my favorite of the, um, "non-side A" Moving Pictures' songs  ;D I remember the first time listening to the album...the way the whole thing sounds at the beginning was a bit jarring, and I didn't quite appreciate what they were doing with it. But, over time, Vital Signs has grown on me so much. And that ending, so so good.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 11, 2022, 07:00:07 AM
Let's roll.  :metal :metal

52 Ghost of a Chance
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (wolfking)



51 Vital Signs
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DTA)



Ghost of a Chance, not a ranker but a very good song. Probably hits around 80 for me.

Vital Signs, I had this at 26. Not my highest ranking Moving Pictures song by a long shot, but a great song. This is basically the point where the classic era blends into the synth era, and I absolutely love it!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 11, 2022, 07:06:15 AM
Ghost of A Chance was at 22 for me. I think this might be my favorite Lifeson solo. I love the tone of the whole song though. Kind of eery sounding, the tension builds with the pre-chorus, and then releases with the lovely, gentle chorus. Great song.

Vital Signs is one I’ve just never liked. It would have ranked pretty close to the bottom if I’d gone and ranked all the way through the catalog.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 11, 2022, 07:36:39 AM
52 Ghost of a Chance (#44) - Love this one! One of the most unique songs in terms of style in Rush's catalogue. Something that it could have been in a Eric Johnson album easily.

51 Vital Signs - Although MP is my favorite Rush album, even it didn't make all the songs in my Top 75, just because I feel every Rush album has songs that are top level in its discography. But I still like Vital Signs a lot - that ending is really great, goosebumps!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 11, 2022, 07:42:05 AM
Ghost of a Chance I ranked at # 23

Vital Signs just missed my top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 11, 2022, 08:56:40 AM
Ghost of a Chance:  #134
Vital Signs: #150

Neither one is a favorite, to be honest.  I know they played it live - there's a b-side - but I for some reason thought that Vital Signs was that one song that was "no holds barred"; was that not the song from Moving Pictures?  Was it Witch Hunt, instead?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 11, 2022, 08:58:18 AM
Neither of those songs made my list, and I don't remember where they ranked overall.  Vital Signs was the only song from MP that didn't make my Top 75.  It's grown on me over the years, but it's still my least favorite on the album by far. 

Stads, Vital Signs was the one they wrote in the studio.  Witch Hunt was the big production number.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 11, 2022, 09:50:24 AM
GoaC is my favorite song on RtB. As someone else mentioned, I love the contrast between the verses and the sublime chorus. And could it be that Rush did a *love* song?!?  :omg:  But as expected, a quality love song that only Neil could pen. It made it all the way up to #14 on my list.

VS on the other hand is a kinda "meh" song to me. Never was a big fan of the song, although I like the live renditions from early p/g tour bootlegs (Milwaukee in particular) with the extended intro and the final leg of the RtB tour where Alex added an outro solo. Also props to Geddy for the bass line during the verses. Nonetheless, it barely made my top 100 at #97.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 11, 2022, 10:38:05 AM
52 Ghost of a Chance
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (wolfking)


I suppose this one has been downgraded for me a tough, as I used to call it a top 20-25 song, but had it at 34 in this. Still love it. This was a key song in making me a fan in the earliest days of my fandom, and it was admittedly a favorite of the girlfriend I had for most of that year as well.  :coolio

I had this song at #105.  It's one of the better songs on RTB, but that's like saying that someone is one of the better ice hockey players in Namibia.


51 Vital Signs
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DTA)


I only had this at 70, but I am still a fan.  I chuckled when I read how the band thought fans didn't love it enough back in the day, so they kept putting it in prime spots in the set lists, almost forcing fans to love it, haha.  The first of seven songs to appear from Moving Pictures in the top 75!

I freakin' LOVE this song and had it at #46.  It's the first Rush song I learned to play on bass, and I can still play the main bass riff.  It's a great example of how Rush was able to incorporate different styles of music but still retain the innate Rushness.


Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 1 song (Fly by Night - #70)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings -
Hemispheres -
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 1 song (Vital Signs - #51
Signals - 2 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54)
Grace Under Pressure -
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 2 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 2 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52)
Counterparts - 4 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails -
Snakes & Arrows -
Clockwork Angels - 1 song (Clockwork Angels - #55)

We now have 14 of 19 albums represented.  Pretty obvious which two albums won't be represented.  Given some of the songs that have already made the top 75, that's a freakin' travesty.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 11, 2022, 10:48:17 AM
Specially sad for the amazing The Main Monkey Business … (# 16 for me)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 11, 2022, 11:02:30 AM
Time for another catch-up post before heading into the Top 50!

62 Driven - ranked 40th for me. Probably my favorite song from the album, next to Limbo and the title track.
61 Cut To The Chase - ranked 71st. Another favorite off of CP, a shame it was never played live.
60 Cold Fire - ranked 112th. I like it well enough, and I guess the band did too, considering they played it live.
59 Bastille Day - ranked 70th. A truly classic Rush tune, I'd be surprised if it wasn't in most Rush fans' Top 75.
58 A Passage To Bangkok - ranked 79th. Barely made my Top 75, but outside of the title track, it's one of the better songs from 2112.
57 Different Strings - ranked 22nd. PEW is one of my favorite Rush albums, and this one song that never got played live is a stand-out for me.
56 Working Man - ranked 51st. Pretty close to my actual ranking. The album version is fine, but the song really lifts off live.
55 Clockwork Angels - ranked 46th. CA's title track is a stand-out on the album for me. about as epic as they were going to get in latter days.
54 New World Man - ranked 39th. A catchy single for sure, one of the more fun tunes on Signals.
53 Entre Nous - ranked 97th. The lowest ranked PEW song for me, though if I edited my list after the sorter finished, I might have moved it up further into my Top 75. It's good, but probably my least favorite on PEW anyway.
52 Ghost Of A Chance - ranked 60th. I think this song got a boost after it was brought back live, but it was always a fine tune, one of the better ones on RTB.
51 Vital Signs - ranked 45th. My lowest ranked song from MP, and while it's a good tune, it's probably my least favorite on an otherwise amazing album.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 11, 2022, 11:37:07 AM
52 Ghost of a Chance
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (wolfking)


I suppose this one has been downgraded for me a tough, as I used to call it a top 20-25 song, but had it at 34 in this. Still love it. This was a key song in making me a fan in the earliest days of my fandom, and it was admittedly a favorite of the girlfriend I had for most of that year as well.  :coolio

I had this song at #105.  It's one of the better songs on RTB, but that's like saying that someone is one of the better ice hockey players in Namibia.


51 Vital Signs
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DTA)


I only had this at 70, but I am still a fan.  I chuckled when I read how the band thought fans didn't love it enough back in the day, so they kept putting it in prime spots in the set lists, almost forcing fans to love it, haha.  The first of seven songs to appear from Moving Pictures in the top 75!

I freakin' LOVE this song and had it at #46.  It's the first Rush song I learned to play on bass, and I can still play the main bass riff.  It's a great example of how Rush was able to incorporate different styles of music but still retain the innate Rushness.


Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 1 song (Fly by Night - #70)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings -
Hemispheres -
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 1 song (Vital Signs - #51
Signals - 2 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54)
Grace Under Pressure -
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 2 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 2 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52)
Counterparts - 4 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails -
Snakes & Arrows -
Clockwork Angels - 1 song (Clockwork Angels - #55)

We now have 14 of 19 albums represented.  Pretty obvious which two albums won't be represented.  Given some of the songs that have already made the top 75, that's a freakin' travesty.

Not really; Grace Under Pressure just isn't that good.  :) :) :) :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 11, 2022, 11:57:12 AM
I would be shocked if there aren't at least 2 songs from GUP in the final tally.  I'm not saying it'll be Red Lenses and Kid Gloves, but I would think that any two of Between the Wheels, Distant Early Warning and Red Sector A would be in there somewhere.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 11, 2022, 12:00:23 PM
I have 6 tracks from Vapor Trails in my top 75, 5 in my top 51, and 2 in my top 25. Would be kind of amazed that at least one of those wouldn’t make the list, but it does seem more likely that AFTK, Hemispheres, and GUP would be represented than either VT or S&A.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 11, 2022, 12:27:43 PM
Between the Wheels & Distant Early Warning will definitely make the top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 11, 2022, 12:37:15 PM
Between the Wheels & Distant Early Warning will definitely make the top 75.

Yup (if my list is any indication at least).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 11, 2022, 12:49:28 PM
I would be shocked if there aren't at least 2 songs from GUP in the final tally.  I'm not saying it'll be Red Lenses and Kid Gloves, but I would think that any two of Between the Wheels, Distant Early Warning and Red Sector A would be in there somewhere.

I have 6 tracks from Vapor Trails in my top 75, 5 in my top 51, and 2 in my top 25. Would be kind of amazed that at least one of those wouldn’t make the list, but it does seem more likely that AFTK, Hemispheres, and GUP would be represented than either VT or S&A.

I have 5 songs from VT in the top 75 (highest being #23) and 4 from GUP (and now that I look at it, I'm a little surprised about the fourth song).  But I know that I rank a lot of the VT songs a lot higher than a lot of folks, and given the other options....  :-(
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 11, 2022, 02:56:49 PM
Will be really sad if nothing from VT or SaA makes the cut. At the very least the title track of VT and Secret Touch, as well as Far Cry and Main Monkey Business should've made it, IMO. I had those 4 tracks plus 2 others from each album in my top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 11, 2022, 03:07:49 PM
52 Ghost of a Chance
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (wolfking)


51 Vital Signs
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DTA)


I had Ghost Of A Chance at #16. I love this song. Alex's smoky guitar is amazing. A very bright spot on a pretty bad album.

I had Vital Signs at #48. I have always loved this tune as well. I love it's quirkiness.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 11, 2022, 03:32:39 PM
I actually have 5 tracks from VT in my top 75, but they overall don't rank super-high: 3 of those are in the 65-75 stretch...then one just makes the top 50 and the highest is #42. On the other hand, only 2 from S&A make my top 75, and the highest is #54.

I like both albums, VT a little more than S&A. VT is harsher, but overall more interesting, and with more peaks. S&A is a very pleasant listen, but without much of a "wow" factor.

Regardless (and assuming we are right about this), it is a bit surprising NO song from these two ranked in the aggregate top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 11, 2022, 03:36:13 PM
Will be really sad if nothing from VT or SaA makes the cut. At the very least the title track of VT and Secret Touch, as well as Far Cry and Main Monkey Business should've made it, IMO. I had those 4 tracks plus 2 others from each album in my top 75.

For me, Earthshine and the last three songs are the best of VT, while Far Cry and Armor & Sword are the best songs on S&A.  All of those songs plus VT are in my top 75.  MMB didn't make the cut for me, although I think it's a really good song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 11, 2022, 03:47:09 PM
52 Ghost of a Chance
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (wolfking)


51 Vital Signs
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DTA)


I had Ghost Of A Chance at #16. I love this song. Alex's smoky guitar is amazing. A very bright spot on a pretty bad album.

I had Vital Signs at #48. I have always loved this tune as well. I love it's quirkiness.

The fun little nugget about the solo on Ghost Of a Chance is that it's the demo solo. He couldn't replicate it in the studio so they digitally added it into the recording.  Alex's demo was originally recorded in his home studio. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 11, 2022, 03:51:28 PM
Will be really sad if nothing from VT or SaA makes the cut. At the very least the title track of VT and Secret Touch, as well as Far Cry and Main Monkey Business should've made it, IMO. I had those 4 tracks plus 2 others from each album in my top 75.

For me, Earthshine and the last three songs are the best of VT, while Far Cry and Armor & Sword are the best songs on S&A.  All of those songs plus VT are in my top 75.  MMB didn't make the cut for me, although I think it's a really good song.

Agreed on Far Cry and Armor & Sword. MMB is a cool sounding instrumental - didn't make the cut for my 75, but it's in the top 100.

Interesting take on VT. I really like Earthsine, but for me it's kind of the opposite - I don't particularly love the last three songs. My favorites are Vapor Trail and Ceiling Unlimited...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 11, 2022, 05:53:24 PM
Will be really sad if nothing from VT or SaA makes the cut. At the very least the title track of VT and Secret Touch, as well as Far Cry and Main Monkey Business should've made it, IMO. I had those 4 tracks plus 2 others from each album in my top 75.
For me, Earthshine and the last three songs are the best of VT, while Far Cry and Armor & Sword are the best songs on S&A.  All of those songs plus VT are in my top 75.  MMB didn't make the cut for me, although I think it's a really good song.
I'm right with you on Nocturne and Freeze, the other two from VT that made my list. I can see why you like Earthshine and Out of the Cradle - both are good songs, but for me, more mid-tier on that album. It's funny - I remember Secret Touch not doing much for me when I first got the album, but when I saw them perform it live, I really came to love it. It has so much energy and a great groove to it.

Armor & Sword is a great song - one of the better ones on SaA for sure, though I don't rank it quite as high. I'm more partial to Spindrift (that riff!) and MalNar. And on my list Working Them Angels ranks a bit higher although I could swap it with Armor & Sword without a thought.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 11, 2022, 06:04:55 PM
Y'all are correct in that Vapor Trails and Snakes and Arrows are the two albums that didn't have anything make the top 75, but a few did not miss by much.

Here is a sneak peek at how songs from the two did in the 76-100 range.

76 Far Cry
79 The Main Monkey Business
81 Ghost Rider
84 Vapor Trail         
94 One Little Victory
98 Faithless
100 Earthshine

How Faithless rated as the 3rd best song from S&A was a major WTF for me, and I was a little bummed to see how poorly Freeze and (especially) Nocturne did. Nocturne finished as a bottom 10 songs in this entire thing.  :eek :eek 

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 11, 2022, 06:18:52 PM
Damn. I really like a lot of songs off of those albums. Shame that they won’t be receiving any due love on this ranking. I have to wonder where You Bet Your Life fell overall, being one of the most controversial choices in my list. If VT and S&A are entirely ruled out, there’s no way that made the list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 11, 2022, 06:24:54 PM
I was a little bummed to see how poorly Freeze and (especially) Nocturne did. Nocturne finished as a bottom 10 songs in this entire thing.  :eek :eek
Yikes! I guess you, me and pg1067 were the only ones to put it in our top 75 lists - everybody else must've put it in their bottom 5!    :omg:
 
 
Damn. I really like a lot of songs off of those albums. Shame that they won’t be receiving any due love on this ranking. I have to wonder where You Bet Your Life fell overall, being one of the most controversial choices in my list. If VT and S&A are entirely ruled out, there’s no way that made the list.
Oh that's a guarantee. You Bet Your Life is definitely a controversial choice that probably also ranked in the bottom 10-20 overall. It was within the bottom 20 of my list, although Face Up and Big Wheel rank immediately below it for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 11, 2022, 06:33:01 PM
52 Ghost of a Chance
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (wolfking)


I suppose this one has been downgraded for me a tough, as I used to call it a top 20-25 song, but had it at 34 in this. Still love it. This was a key song in making me a fan in the earliest days of my fandom, and it was admittedly a favorite of the girlfriend I had for most of that year as well.  :coolio


51 Vital Signs
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DTA)


I only had this at 70, but I am still a fan.  I chuckled when I read how the band thought fans didn't love it enough back in the day, so they kept putting it in prime spots in the set lists, almost forcing fans to love it, haha.  The first of seven songs to appear from Moving Pictures in the top 75!
Ghost of a Chance - I love this song. It was my highest rated from RtB, landing at #27. The atmosphere is amazing and Alex's solo is otherworldly.

Vital Signs - This one slotted in at #51 for me, so I think the collective DTF ranking got it right  ;) As others have said, it's the perfect bridge between the style of MP and Signals. Love that funky bass too!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 11, 2022, 06:33:30 PM
That is a shame Kev. Especially Vapor Trails.  It's a fantastic album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 11, 2022, 06:49:09 PM
That is a shame Kev. Especially Vapor Trails.  It's a fantastic album.

Yeah, I had the following..

How It Is..#63
(You Bet Your Life)...#62
The Stars Look Down...#51
Secret Touch...#42


Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 11, 2022, 06:53:33 PM
I was a little bummed to see how poorly Freeze and (especially) Nocturne did. Nocturne finished as a bottom 10 songs in this entire thing.  :eek :eek
Yikes! I guess you, me and pg1067 were the only ones to put it in our top 75 lists - everybody else must've put it in their bottom 5!    :omg:
 

I had Freeze in my top 20.  Lots of fun to play on drums, especially with the way Neil plays around the 5/8 time signature used throughout the song.  All three of them are doing really cool things instrumentally, and I  love the structure and arrangement of the song overall.  Definitely an under appreciated Rush tune. 

Nocturne is another fun one to play on drums (Neil was clearly inspired on this record!), and I really like the overall vibe to it.  It conjures up images of riding a motorcycle through the desert at dusk for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 11, 2022, 06:54:46 PM
Earthshine #46
Vapor Trails #15

For me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 11, 2022, 07:04:06 PM
For the record, Nocturne did not make my top 75 (it just missed the cut), but I was just hoping others would have put it in theirs so its overall ranking would be good.  Oh well.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 11, 2022, 07:15:32 PM
No S&A song made my list. Might literally be my least favorite album of theirs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 11, 2022, 07:35:38 PM
No S&A song made my list. Might literally be my least favorite album of theirs.
You mean you like Power Windows - keyboards, 80s production and all - more than a guitar driven album of theirs?!?!?  :omg:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 11, 2022, 07:44:00 PM

52 Ghost of a Chance
Appeared on 13 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (wolfking)


51 Vital Signs
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DTA)



Ghost of a Chance - unranked for me. I guess it is a nice enough song but not one that has ever appealed to me much. The guitar playing and solo is great and I do also enjoy the bass line. But I guess that is the thing about Rush, even if the actual song doesn't appeal the musicianship is always stellar.

Vital Signs - now we are talking. I ranked this at 11. This song is awesome, a bit surprised it ends up so low overall. Just has a great vibe and feel and has always been one of my favourite Rush songs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 11, 2022, 07:55:06 PM
Y'all are correct in that Vapor Trails and Snakes and Arrows are the two albums that didn't have anything make the top 75, but a few did not miss by much.

Here is a sneak peek at how songs from the two did in the 76-100 range.

76 Far Cry
79 The Main Monkey Business
81 Ghost Rider
84 Vapor Trail         
94 One Little Victory
98 Faithless
100 Earthshine

How Faithless rated as the 3rd best song from S&A was a major WTF for me, and I was a little bummed to see how poorly Freeze and (especially) Nocturne did. Nocturne finished as a bottom 10 songs in this entire thing.  :eek :eek

I didn’t rank anything from Snakes and Arrows, but these were my ranks for Vapor Trails

14. Vapor Trail
23. Freeze
49. Earthshine
50. Ghost Rider
51. How It Is
65. Secret Touch

If we had gone to 100, Armor and Sword probably would have made it, and maybe Far Cry as well. I think the biggest issue with S&A is the songs all seem to be moving in slow motion. The tempos on that album were unusually low by Rush standards.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 11, 2022, 07:56:47 PM
No S&A song made my list. Might literally be my least favorite album of theirs.
You mean you like Power Windows - keyboards, 80s production and all - more than a guitar driven album of theirs?!?!?  :omg:


Hah!

You know what my problem with S&A is? I feel like they wrote the music to fit the lyrics. And while Neil's lyrics are great, the lyrical lines should never dictate where the song goes, and I feel that S&A suffers because of that. At least that's how it sounds to me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 11, 2022, 08:14:30 PM
How Faithless rated as the 3rd best song from S&A was a major WTF for me,

I'm with you on that one. It's a pretty bland song...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 11, 2022, 08:32:48 PM
How Faithless rated as the 3rd best song from S&A was a major WTF for me,

I'm with you on that one. It's a pretty bland song...
I take offense to all of this  >:(




 :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 11, 2022, 08:53:54 PM
Y'all are correct in that Vapor Trails and Snakes and Arrows are the two albums that didn't have anything make the top 75, but a few did not miss by much.

Here is a sneak peek at how songs from the two did in the 76-100 range.

76 Far Cry
79 The Main Monkey Business
81 Ghost Rider
84 Vapor Trail         
94 One Little Victory
98 Faithless
100 Earthshine

How Faithless rated as the 3rd best song from S&A was a major WTF for me, and I was a little bummed to see how poorly Freeze and (especially) Nocturne did. Nocturne finished as a bottom 10 songs in this entire thing.  :eek :eek

This is bat crap crazy.  Earthshine at #100?!  And Nocturne as a bottom 10 song?!  Next thing you're going to tell me is that Mystic Rhythms made the f'ing top 10.

I actually have a theory about VT.  It's a very fatiguing album to listen to (at least the original release), and I have a feeling that a lot of folks didn't carefully listen to the very end.  I'm a bit guilty of that with S&A (although not for the same reason).

BTW...

23. Earthshine
28. Armor & Sword
35. Far Cry
44. Vapor Trail
56. Out of the Cradle
57. Nocturne
64. Freeze
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 11, 2022, 09:27:08 PM
snip
This is bat crap crazy.  Earthshine at #100?!  And Nocturne as a bottom 10 song?!  Next thing you're going to tell me is that Mystic Rhythms made the f'ing top 10.
snip

Next thing you guys are going to tell me is that 'Working Man' didn't make the Top 30, and that some people left it off the list, when I ranked it at #2.

"Wait....it came in at #56?  And eight people didn't rank it?  Now that is bat crap crazy!" :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: MrMike on March 11, 2022, 10:13:43 PM
My main problem with VT (and why only 1 song from it makes my top 75) is that it's missing a very important ingredient for me in the Rush stew and that's Alex guitar solos.  I read that he thought doing solos would've seemed too much like showing off on what's supposed to be Neil's emotional comeback album and so he refrained, but I think that's kinda lame.  I seriously doubt Neil would've been offended if he had.  On the live versions, he DID play solos and it really elevated those songs.  I was hoping when they remixed and re-released VT that he would've taken the opportunity to add some leads then, but sadly he didn't.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 11, 2022, 10:35:36 PM
My main problem with VT (and why only 1 song from it makes my top 75) is that it's missing a very important ingredient for me in the Rush stew and that's Alex guitar solos.  I read that he thought doing solos would've seemed too much like showing off on what's supposed to be Neil's emotional comeback album and so he refrained, but I think that's kinda lame.  I seriously doubt Neil would've been offended if he had.  On the live versions, he DID play solos and it really elevated those songs.  I was hoping when they remixed and re-released VT that he would've taken the opportunity to add some leads then, but sadly he didn't.

Bottrill did add some additional guitar parts on One Little Victory and a solo on Ceiling Unlimited (I don't think they were re-recorded, I think he just found some takes and added them, but I could be mis-remembering). May have been a few other parts added here and there.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nobloodyname on March 11, 2022, 10:53:37 PM
Interesting discussion around Snakes & Arrows and Vapor Trails.

30   Ghost Rider
54   Bravest Face
61   The Larger Bowl
62   Good News First
64   Faithless
69   Ceiling Unlimited
74   One Little Victory

Earthshine came in at 79 for me. Slightly surprising since I do rather like it. Nocturne was at 93 while Freeze made it only to 152.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 11, 2022, 11:01:39 PM
Interest discussion around Snakes & Arrows and Vapor Trails.

30   Ghost Rider
54   Bravest Face
61   The Larger Bowl
62   Good News First
64   Faithless
69   Ceiling Unlimited
74   One Little Victory

Earthshine came in at 79 for me. Slightly surprising since I do rather like it. Nocturne was at 93 while Freeze made it only to 152.

I wanted to put both Ceiling Unlimited and One Little Victory on my list, but ultimately had to make way for other stuff. Ceiling Unlimited in particular is one that I hear and think “man, this should be considered a Rush classic.” It’s not quite there, but it feels like it could have been.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 12, 2022, 06:14:21 AM
I will do three today, and one of them is the first appearance we see of a song someone had at number 1 in their top 75.

50 Force Ten
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (HOF)


I didn't rank this, as I got burned out on a long time ago, and gravitate towards the vast majority of songs from Hold Your Fire over it now, but it's still a damn good song. 


49 The Enemy Within
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 1 (DAT)


I had this at 59; it would have been a lot higher years ago. I still love it just as much, but I guess it's a case of certain songs just elevating over time.  Love the bass line.


48 The Weapon
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (DAT)

I have to admit that I chuckled when I saw these two parts of Fear finish next to each other.  This was my favorite song from Signals for a long time; it is now my 2nd favorite. I had it at 24.  Scary!!!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 12, 2022, 07:20:07 AM
I will do three today, and one of them is the first appearance we see of a song someone had at number 1 in their top 75.

50 Force Ten
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (HOF)



49 The Enemy Within
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 1 (DAT)



48 The Weapon
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (DAT)


Force Ten - not a ranker, but a good song.

Enemy Within - 52 for me. This song SCREAMS 80s at the top of it’s lungs. I get a huge White Wedding vibe from this one.

Weapon - not a ranker. My least favourite of the 4 Fear tracks.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 12, 2022, 07:58:44 AM
Force Ten is awesome. It felt appropriate to rank this one at 10! It’s such a great opener, but my first experience with it was as a closer on the Retrospective II compilation. Either way works! Love the build at the start of the song, Neil and Geddy to start with Alex weaving in and out. Great lyrics, some of my favorite probably. Also love how the song builds up to the outro. This one was really great on R30.

I had The Enemy Within at 56. Good to see Grace Under Pressure on the board! This is probably one of the more Police-ish songs, but I’ve always liked the lyrics a lot and Geddy’s delivery on lines like “pou-pou-pou-pounding in your temples!” I like all the short little instrumental passages throughout as well. It’s a fun track that’s a bit different for the band.

The Weapon has always been the one song on Signals that I didn’t connect with. It didn’t help that I originally thought the lyric went “he’s a lot more afraid of your lion.” You can’t unhear that! I didn’t rank it, but I will say in recent years I’ve grown to like it a bit more. Just hasn’t ever been one of my favorites.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 12, 2022, 08:38:12 AM
Falling behind again!

#56. Working Man - Me: 46

One of my early favorites. Really hard not to love that main riff! And it’s easy to forget what an incredible lead guitarist Alex is. They obviously ditched the really long guitar solos later but his solo on this song is incredible! if I recall correctly, the alternate solo which was only featured on a version from rock band is very nearly its equal.

#55. Clockwork Angels - Me: 33

This one was a grower for me. But now it’s one of my favorites and I see it as being the corner stone of the entire album.

#54. New World Man - Me: Did not rank. Neither of my original lists had it in the top 100.

Can’t decide if this or Digital Man is my least favorite from Signals. The bass line is pretty and I still like it enough to sing along when it’s on, but just an ok song.

#53. Entre Nous - Me: 23

LOVE this song. I always thought that this song had “hit“ written all over it. I would occasionally hear this on FM radio when I was growing up. But I think the local DJs were Rush fans. The fact that this is usually one of the lowest rated songs from PEW just speaks to the strength of that album.

#52. Ghost of a Chance - Me: Did not rank. Neither list had it in the top 100.

Probably the only passable song on the second half of Roll the Bones. But that’s not enough to put it on my list.

#51. Vital Signs - Me: 61

The least best from one of their greatest albums is still a home run. as other people of said, it perfectly bridges the gap to Signals.

#50. Force Ten - Me: Did not rank. My two test lists had it at 77 and 85…so it just missed.

Really good song. Just suffers from having too many fantastic songs in front of it. This is another one that makes me wish we had done a top 100. Rush actually deserves a top 100 more than DT does because their catalog is bigger.

#49. The Enemy Within - Me: Did not rank. Neither list had it in the top 100.

My least favorite song from GUP, and my least favorite Fear song. But it has been growing on me. I went from actively not liking it to actively liking it. It’s just still the “least best”.

#48. The Weapon - Me: 15

Total opposite for The Weapon! My favorite Fear song and my #1 Signals song. Can’t get enough of it! And the live version is definitive! Knowing that this song is mostly not liked by most around these parts, I was actually surprised that this made the final list at all! And I was even more surprised to discover that I was not the one who rated it the highest!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 12, 2022, 09:30:47 AM
Force Ten (ranked #30)

Great song and opener. It's urgent, catchy, and interesting. It's my second favorite on Hold Your Fire

The Enemy Within (ranked #53)

Ranked pretty close to the aggregate. There are a few songs on GUP that I prefer, but I've always had a soft spot for this one. A great example of Rush-ified Police song (really interesting how someone had it at #1, though !!)

The Weapon (did not rank in top 75, had it at #92)

I like it, but I don't love it....although the overall mood is cool, and for some reason it gained a little more appreciation after I saw the live performance on GUP Live.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 12, 2022, 10:17:27 AM
58 A Passage to Bangkok (NR) it was cute when I first heard it. 

57 Different Strings (NR) very enjoyable as a Side 2 listen.  I figured that NO ONE here would list this, so I didn’t bother.  Otherwise, it would be somewhere in the 60s, which would have only bumped each one up a slot.

56 Working Man (#2)  What can I say?  A staple on AOR, I loved it when I first heard it, millions recognize the beginning riff, which drew countless many to their discography.  A great freshman effort that is timeless.  I had recorded it on tape years earlier thanks to my college roommate Rush junkie, and finally bought the album in '85 on a day I was offered a great job during a very stressful time.  I’ll never forget playing that song first at my best friend’s home while popping a bottle of champagne.  And then listening to the album from start to finish as other friends arrived (pretty sure Side Four of Queen's 'Live Killers' was played next).  One of the best days of my life. :)

55 Clockwork Angels (#30) 

54 New World Man (#31) so oddly appealing.

53 Entre Nous (#52)  almost nailed it!  A 'simple' ballad, the synth really adds to this when used, and Alex shows his diverse skills.  Just between us, a great Side Two opener.

52 Ghost of a Chance (NR)

51 Vital Signs (#24)  On its own, #51 is about right.  A damn good album closer on a terrific album, I gave it a huge bump.  Always the last or next to last song on my ‘best ofs’.   I love to deviate from the norm, so it fits me quite nicely.  Love the percussion during the fade out.

50 Force Ten (#37)  Good song, great album opener. Kinda of a tease, as nothing else on HYF rocked as hard.

49 The Enemy Within (#69)

48 The Weapon (#48 ) NAILED IT!  Such a good opener for Side 2. 

At least I'm starting to see a few similarities on some of my rankings with those who are posting.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 12, 2022, 10:29:00 AM
50. Force Ten (13). Again, one of my favorites to play on drums.  I love all the different things going on in this song.  The drum samples, the different keyboard parts, the bass lines, Alex’s textural guitar work, it’s a real feast for the ears.  Additionally, I love the intensity of the verses contrasted with the calmer nature of the choruses.

49. The Enemy Within (N/A).  The weakest part of the Fear tunes for me.

48. The Weapon (72).  Geddy does some really cool stuff on bass and keys on this one, and, despite the rigidity of the sequenced synth bass lines, I like how the band keeps this somewhat loose.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 12, 2022, 10:58:01 AM
Force Ten is a decent enough song - still remember hearing it played a lot on rock radio when it first came out and being hyped for a new Rush album. But while I like it, I don’t I’ve ever loved it, and neither it nor The Big Money ever struck me as being great concert openers. (For me The Spirit of Radio was always the quintessential concert opener - perhaps because the Grace Under Pressure Tour video was my first exposure to seeing Rush live.) Force Ten did make the cut on my list, though just barely at #73.

I absolutely love the Fear Trilogy - all 4 parts of it! And yes, it still is a trilogy with 4 parts because it can be, so there!  :biggrin:  (See the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for further argument on that topic!) I've always liked The Enemy Within, although seeing it on the Grace Under Pressure Tour video elevated my appreciation for it. The same is true for The Weapon, although the difference in my opinion of it from listening to the album version to seeing the live video was probably much greater. Biggest travesty is that the R40 tour was the *perfect* opportunity for them to resurrect the original 3 parts of the Fear Trilogy and they completely blew it. Ah well. TEW placed at #24 and TW at #49 on my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 12, 2022, 12:45:14 PM
50 Force Ten
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (HOF)


I didn't rank this, as I got burned out on a long time ago, and gravitate towards the vast majority of songs from Hold Your Fire over it now, but it's still a damn good song. 


49 The Enemy Within
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 1 (DAT)


I had this at 59; it would have been a lot higher years ago. I still love it just as much, but I guess it's a case of certain songs just elevating over time.  Love the bass line.


48 The Weapon
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (DAT)

I have to admit that I chuckled when I saw these two parts of Fear finish next to each other.  This was my favorite song from Signals for a long time; it is now my 2nd favorite. I had it at 24.  Scary!!!
First off, someone ranked The Enemy Within at #1? I would say that's surprising except I couldn't really argue with just about any song being someone's #1.

Force Ten - I like this song, but it's one of the weaker ones on HYF for me. I ranked it at #125. I do like how it sounds like nothing else on the album.

The Enemy Within - This just squeaked into my top 75 at #75. It's a really good song and I love the almost Police-like sound to a lot of it, but with a Rush twist.

The Weapon - This one landed at #84. It's a good song, maybe even great song, but there are better songs on Signals, let alone throughout the rest of the discography. It is, however, another of many Rush songs that sound like nothing else in their catalogue.


Enemy Within - 52 for me. This song SCREAMS 80s at the top of it’s lungs. I get a huge White Wedding vibe from this one.

Also, wat??  ??? :huh:


 :corn
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 12, 2022, 01:00:46 PM
50 Force Ten
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (HOF)



49 The Enemy Within
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 1 (DAT)



48 The Weapon
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (DAT)

I had Force Ten as Not Rated. It just never did anything for me. I don't find it catchy like a couple of other songs on HYF.

I had The Enemy Within at #17. I absolutely love the chorus in this song. I actually really love most of Grace Under Pressure.

I had The Weapon at #27. I was a bit confused, even disappointed, when I first heard Signals. But The Weapon was the one song that I liked right away.


And not to insult any of you Rush dorks  ;D, but I have never in my life ever considered any of these songs part of the Fear Trilogy, or even thought of what that meant. They're just songs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 12, 2022, 01:15:10 PM
And not to insult any of you Rush dorks  ;D, but I have never in my life ever considered any of these songs part of the Fear Trilogy, or even thought of what that meant. They're just songs.
(https://i.gifer.com/embedded/download/GKtU.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DTA on March 12, 2022, 01:15:29 PM
The Enemy Within is absolutely my favorite Rush song. The bassline, the lyrics, the vocals, the drums, the reggae influence...it all just works so well for me. Also, why Vital Signs is my number 2. I hold the synth era in very high regard compared to other Rush eras so most of my top picks came from that period.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: ReaperKK on March 12, 2022, 02:20:59 PM
Y'all are correct in that Vapor Trails and Snakes and Arrows are the two albums that didn't have anything make the top 75, but a few did not miss by much.   

A shame considering S&A is a top tier Rush, album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 12, 2022, 03:52:51 PM
And not to insult any of you Rush dorks  ;D, but I have never in my life ever considered any of these songs part of the Fear Trilogy, or even thought of what that meant. They're just songs.

I get what you mean.  The connection is lyrically, not musically, and even the lyrical connection is pretty loose since they all address different parts of fear.  Even adding Freeze as part of it later on seemed more cheeky than anything.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 12, 2022, 04:53:55 PM
50 Force Ten
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (HOF)


I didn't rank this, as I got burned out on a long time ago, and gravitate towards the vast majority of songs from Hold Your Fire over it now, but it's still a damn good song. 

I can still remember the disappointment of hearing this as the first song on HYF.  After the disappointment of the prior two albums, I still had some hope for HYF, but this song told me "nope."  It's not terrible or anything, but neither is it very good.  I had it at #118.


49 The Enemy Within
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 1 (DAT)


I had this at 59; it would have been a lot higher years ago. I still love it just as much, but I guess it's a case of certain songs just elevating over time.  Love the bass line.

My close second favorite song on GUP.  Geddy's playing is excellent, and I only wish he had used the Rick or Jazz instead of the Steinberger.  The Police influence is fairly obvious, but it's all good.  The tempo is great.  Definitely my favorite of the Fear Tetralogy.  I had it at #32.


48 The Weapon
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (DAT)

I have to admit that I chuckled when I saw these two parts of Fear finish next to each other.  This was my favorite song from Signals for a long time; it is now my 2nd favorite. I had it at 24.  Scary!!!

And now we have the weakest of the Fear Tetralogy and the worst song on Signals.  It portended a lot of the badness to come on the three "synth era" albums.  Again, not terrible, but not good.  #95 for me.


And not to insult any of you Rush dorks  ;D, but I have never in my life ever considered any of these songs part of the Fear Trilogy, or even thought of what that meant. They're just songs.

I mean...it's not like the SDOIT debate.  They ARE part of the tetralogy (formerly trilogy).  That said, I don't disagree that they're "just songs."  That they're connected as "Fear" doesn't really mean anything to me as far as listening enjoyment.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 12, 2022, 05:48:25 PM
Listen to that fertilizer try to make fun of us. Lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 12, 2022, 08:22:07 PM

50 Force Ten
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (HOF)


49 The Enemy Within
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 1 (DAT)


48 The Weapon
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (DAT)


Force 10 - my rank 51.

The Enemy Within - my rank 30. This song is all kinds of awesome to me so I am not surprised to see someone rank this as their number 1 song. I could easily have ranked this higher. I really connect with this one. I guess some people don't go for the reggae feel.

The Weapon - unranked by me. Unlike The Enemy Within, this is the opposite! Struggle to see the love people have for this one. Just a very mediocre song all the way.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 13, 2022, 12:49:23 PM
Two for Sunday!

47 Digital Man
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (HOF)


This is another that seemingly got a bump in popularity after it was brought back on the Snakes & Arrows tour.  Oddly, it went the other way for me, as it ranks a lot lower for me than it did 15-20 years ago. It used to be a top 3 song for me from Signals, but it was the 5th highest on my top 75.  In fact, it barely made it, finishing at 75.


46 Headlong Flight
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Puppies_On_Acid)


What an awesome song.  Like many Rush fans, that was pure joy getting this song two months before the release of Clockwork Angels.  Just a bad ass song all-around, one I had at 35.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 13, 2022, 01:02:04 PM
47 Digital Man
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (HOF)


This is another that seemingly got a bump in popularity after it was brought back on the Snakes & Arrows tour.  Oddly, it went the other way for me, as it ranks a lot lower for me than it did 15-20 years ago. It used to be a top 3 song for me from Signals, but it was the 5th highest on my top 75.  In fact, it barely made it, finishing at 75.


46 Headlong Flight
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Puppies_On_Acid)


What an awesome song.  Like many Rush fans, that was pure joy getting this song two months before the release of Clockwork Angels.  Just a bad ass song all-around, one I had at 35.
Digital Man - This ranked at #44 for me. I like the the overall groove and the funky bassline. Neil's drumming is yet another example of perfection (or as near to perfect as you can get). The fadeout at the end hurts it a bit. I hate fadeouts!!

Headlong Flight - I'm not surprised I got the highest ranking on this song. But I am surprised it didn't rank higher overall. This song is just plain badass. Name me one other band that had a song that rocked this hard nearly 40 years into their careers. And this song is just so technical and melodic at the same time, I just love it. I even like Geddy's vocals here as well. He couldn't pull it off live, but that was to be expected.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 13, 2022, 01:04:28 PM
47. Digital Man (67)- I would be one of those people who gained a new appreciation for this song after seeing it on the Snakes and Arrows tour. 

46. Headlong Flight (40).  Not too far off the consensus here. I love the repurposing of the Bastille Day riff for this song, and it’s great to hear the band in full flight!  Neil, in particular, just gets after it, turning in one of his most inspired performances.  I wish that he could do it all again.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 13, 2022, 01:07:24 PM
In hindsight, Headlong Flight probably should have ranked around #14 for me, had I gone through what ranking engine spit out and shuffled things around, but I decided to let what it came up with speak for me in the moment.  :corn
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 13, 2022, 01:26:06 PM
Digital Man (did not rank - outside of top 100)

Don't particularly care for this one. Nothing offensive about it, just nothing very interesting either. Feels too long, although it's rhythmically kinda cool.

Headlong Flight (didn't make top 75, had it at #96)

I guess I don't share the enthusiasm of the comments so far. I agree it's a pretty badass song, and it's certainly a joy to see the band just going for it (witnessing it live was fun too). But, I don't know, it doesn't quite do it for me. Maybe it's Geddy's vocals, maybe it's not my favorite side of Rush....
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 13, 2022, 01:28:00 PM
Digital Man is so great! Probably my favorite Geddy bass line. I can’t imagine not liking this song. It’s so catchy and quirky. The story behind they lyric really cracks me up. Also an outstanding Alex solo. Easily a top 10 Rush track for me.

Headlong Flight did not rank. It’s just kind of a muddy rocker, nothing special about it. Probably one of the tracks that suffers the most from the production on CA. Just feels like a filler piece on that album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 13, 2022, 02:35:36 PM
47 Digital Man
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (HOF)


This is another that seemingly got a bump in popularity after it was brought back on the Snakes & Arrows tour.  Oddly, it went the other way for me, as it ranks a lot lower for me than it did 15-20 years ago. It used to be a top 3 song for me from Signals, but it was the 5th highest on my top 75.  In fact, it barely made it, finishing at 75.

I did NOT care for this song at first, and I have no idea why.  This song kicks all kinds of ass (particularly Geddy's bass playing, and Neil's drums sound amazing), and I was so happy it got brought back in 2007/08.  I ranked this at #15.


46 Headlong Flight
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Puppies_On_Acid)


What an awesome song.  Like many Rush fans, that was pure joy getting this song two months before the release of Clockwork Angels.  Just a bad ass song all-around, one I had at 35.

After being told for so long that Rush was going to make a return to its old rockin' song, this song probably came closest to doing it.  I had it at #38 -- the highest ranked of three songs from CA in my top 75.


Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 1 song (Fly by Night - #70)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings -
Hemispheres -
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 1 song (Vital Signs - #51)
Signals - 4 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47)
Grace Under Pressure - 1 song (The Enemy Within - #49)
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 3 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 2 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52)
Counterparts - 4 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS

Clockwork Angels - 2 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46)

We now have 15 of 19 albums represented.  Since VT and S&A are shutout, the only two yet to be heard from are AFTK and Hemispheres.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 13, 2022, 03:17:56 PM
47 Digital Man
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (HOF)


46 Headlong Flight
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Puppies_On_Acid)


I had Digital Man at #32. This is a great song that I never hear mentioned very much. The drumming is incredible as is the bass playing. Great solo by Alex too.

I had Headlong Flight at #55. It's a great tune, old school. I was so happy to hear it. Unfortunately, I rarely listen to Clockwork Angels..a mistake on my part for sure.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 13, 2022, 03:27:10 PM
50. Force Ten (#22) - Rush brought a lot of sounds in arranging this song, with a lot of dynamics - very original. Amazing song!
49. The Enemy Within (#42) - Rush mixing perfectly his style with The Police. One of my favorites drums compositions by NP.
48. The Weapon (#30) - Amazing atmosphere, it sounds apocalyptic and futuristic until nowadays. Love the construction of Lifeson's solo here and the drum parts made almost exclusively by variations on hi-hat and snare drums are brilliant.
47. Digital Man (#62) - The way they mixed a great rocker with reggae/ska parts was great. Geddy Lee and NP destroys in the entire song (also excellent solo by Lifeson).
46. Headlong Flight (#23) - Amazing rocker with great guitar/bass parts and a bit of a jam feel in the soloing - very impressive Rush doing something like this at the end of its career.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 13, 2022, 03:37:58 PM
Two for Sunday!

47 Digital Man
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (HOF)


46 Headlong Flight
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Puppies_On_Acid)



Digital Man didn’t make the cut here. It’s a great song, but sometimes it lands it for me and sometimes it doesn’t.

Headlong Flight made it to number 17 for me though. Great rocker, great message. Almost doesn’t hit like part of the concept album it’s on, but rather a separate message to the fans, expanded to fit the story.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 13, 2022, 03:46:29 PM
Rick Beato has revealed his number 1.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0UeGt2DcPHk
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 13, 2022, 03:55:37 PM
Rick Beato has revealed his number 1.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0UeGt2DcPHk

I *just* posted that in the Lerxt thread
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 13, 2022, 04:30:33 PM

47 Digital Man
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (HOF)


46 Headlong Flight
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Puppies_On_Acid)



Digital Man - I ranked at 65. I think it is the bass playing and drums that get the most love from me on this track. Not actually sure how great a song it is.

Headlong Flight - unranked for me. But totally agree it is a great rocker, which is my normal wheelhouse so I think I missed on this one...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 13, 2022, 05:11:10 PM
Rick Beato has revealed his number 1.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0UeGt2DcPHk

I *just* posted that in the Lerxt thread

My bad. Didn’t check the other thread.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 13, 2022, 07:52:35 PM
Rick Beato has revealed his number 1.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0UeGt2DcPHk

I *just* posted that in the Lerxt thread

My bad. Didn’t check the other thread.

No worries. I just figured that was the closest thing we have to an official Rush thread around here.  :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 13, 2022, 08:02:18 PM
Good call.

And as I noted in the DT list thread, I am not of blatant spotlighting, so keeping it in the other thread is better.

And for anyone wondering, blatant spotlighting would be if we get down to the last two and someone posts, "I guess song A and song B are the two left, it's just a matter of what number 1 is," while mentioning the songs by name.  I think it's a dick move.  Even if the songs are obvious, let them get featured before calling them out.  I got this idea for this whole thing elsewhere, and courtesy was always shown to the thread starter to not spotlight.  :) :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 13, 2022, 08:25:11 PM
Um, I’m assuming Rick Beato is not contributing to the rankings. It seemed like a fun thing to point out in this thread, that’s all.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 13, 2022, 08:31:41 PM
I hear ya, that was not directed at you. It was more of a general statement. :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 13, 2022, 09:16:07 PM
I hear ya, that was not directed at you. It was more of a general statement. :)

 :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 14, 2022, 01:49:48 PM
Digital Man is OK, and I'm glad they played it on the 2007-08 tour, but it's always been one of my least favorite tracks from Signals, along with Chemistry. So it only made it to #119 on my list.

By comparison, I love Headlong Fight - one of the best tracks on Clockwork Angels, IMO. Yeah, it's funny how the band accidentally rewrote Bastille Day - I prefer it over BD by a country mile. On my list it ended up at #30 with only two other CW tracks ranking higher (and no, neither track was The Garden).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 14, 2022, 03:35:53 PM
Digital Man is OK, and I'm glad they played it on the 2007-08 tour, but it's always been one of my least favorite tracks from Signals, along with Chemistry. So it only made it to #119 on my list.

By comparison, I love Headlong Fight - one of the best tracks on Clockwork Angels, IMO. Yeah, it's funny how the band accidentally rewrote Bastille Day - I prefer it over BD by a country mile. On my list it ended up at #30 with only two other CW tracks ranking higher (and no, neither track was The Garden).

AKA the single most overrated track in Rush's catalog (as it's likely presence among the top 46 songs will confirm).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 14, 2022, 04:53:20 PM
Digital Man is OK, and I'm glad they played it on the 2007-08 tour, but it's always been one of my least favorite tracks from Signals, along with Chemistry. So it only made it to #119 on my list.

By comparison, I love Headlong Fight - one of the best tracks on Clockwork Angels, IMO. Yeah, it's funny how the band accidentally rewrote Bastille Day - I prefer it over BD by a country mile. On my list it ended up at #30 with only two other CW tracks ranking higher (and no, neither track was The Garden).

AKA the single most overrated track in Rush's catalog (as it's likely presence among the top 46 songs will confirm).


If this many people (in this thread, anyway) collectively put in at least the Top 46, I'd say it's appropriately rated.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 14, 2022, 05:09:24 PM
Sorry for the delay today, didn't have time to post these up before leaving for work this mornin'.

45 Circumstances
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (Cool Chris)


This one was unranked for me, as it is another I like, but do not love.  I know the story behind Geddy's vocals on this album, but it just feels  like the chorus just doesn't land right as a result.


44 Mission
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (KevShmev)


Yeah!  I finally am the high on one of these!! I was a bit dismayed to see this left off nearly 1/3 of the lists, but oh well.  I will swear by this song to my last gasp.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 14, 2022, 05:22:36 PM
45 Circumstances (-) - Good song, but it's the only song on Hemespheres that didn't make my Top 75.

44 Mission (#17) - Gorgeous song, with one of the most beautiful Lifeson's solos in the outro and maybe my favorite Rush lyrics :heart
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 14, 2022, 05:36:49 PM
Circumstances (ranked #56)

Great song. So many cool things happening in its short runtime. Love that pre-chorus brief riff - feels like it's the kind of pattern that's been borrowed by a ton of prog-metal bands since. Other highlights: the quiet interlude, followed by Alex doing his "thing" even without a solo...

Mission (ranked #46)

Ranking this pretty much in line with the aggregate. This one, what a fantastic song too. The bass almost "carrying" the melody in the verse, the progression under "A spirit with a vision is a dream..." (sure sounds like Dream Theater love it too), the section between 2:48 and 3:05, the "grand finale"...again, great song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 14, 2022, 05:40:14 PM
45 Circumstances
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (Cool Chris)


This one was unranked for me, as it is another I like, but do not love.  I know the story behind Geddy's vocals on this album, but it just feels  like the chorus just doesn't land right as a result.


44 Mission
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (KevShmev)


Yeah!  I finally am the high on one of these!! I was a bit dismayed to see this left off nearly 1/3 of the lists, but oh well.  I will swear by this song to my last gasp.
Circumstances - I'll echo the above. It's a good song, but landed a bit outside my top 75 at #93. It does pale quite a bit compared to the other 3 songs on the album.

Mission - This was another I thought I might have gotten the top spot, but I guess Kev loves this song way more than I do, I only had it at #24 :P Either way it's a fantastic song with great lyrics/vocals, awesome atmosphere, and an epic guitar solo that should never have been faded out...Let Alex go for another minute or so!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 14, 2022, 05:42:58 PM

45 Circumstances
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (Cool Chris)


44 Mission
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (KevShmev)



Circumstances - 27 for me. Love this song. A really interesting song musically, kind of feels at times like guitar, bass and drums are all playing a different song but it comes together. I also like the vocals, I know others don't like this style of singing from Geddy but it works for me.

Mission - unranked by me. Sorry, not much of a fan of this one. Maybe I need to give it another listen.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 14, 2022, 05:51:36 PM
45 Circumstances
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (Cool Chris)


This one was unranked for me, as it is another I like, but do not love.  I know the story behind Geddy's vocals on this album, but it just feels  like the chorus just doesn't land right as a result.

I dig both of today's songs!  I had Circumstances at #26.  It's such a banger in a small package.  Geddy's playing during the verses is absolutely off the charts and blends perfectly with Alex's riffing.  I was super happy when I figured out the pre-chorus riff on my own, but I could never do justice to the bass in the verses.  The middle section with the alternating 5/8 and 6/8 pattern on synth, guitar and glockenspiel is super unique.  I also have to give this song the award for best use of a French idiom in a rock song!


44 Mission
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (KevShmev)


Yeah!  I finally am the high on one of these!! I was a bit dismayed to see this left off nearly 1/3 of the lists, but oh well.  I will swear by this song to my last gasp.

Mission is the only HYF song in my top 75.  Time Stand Still was second at #86.  Ironically, it took a cover version (the Working Man tribute version by three guys I've never heard of) for me really to appreciate the song.  The middle instrumental section in 5/4 is sublime, and the ensuing vocal section ("It's cold comfort...") is incredibly executed by Geddy.  I ranked the song at #41, so I'm pretty close to the aggregate.  Is this the highest ranked HYF song or is there another still to come?


Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 1 song (Fly by Night - #70)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings -
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 1 song (Vital Signs - #51)
Signals - 4 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47)
Grace Under Pressure - 1 song (The Enemy Within - #49)
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 4 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 2 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52)
Counterparts - 4 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS

Clockwork Angels - 2 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46)

AFTK is now the only album yet to be heard from.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 14, 2022, 06:11:31 PM
45 Circumstances
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (Cool Chris)


44 Mission
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (KevShmev)


I had Circumstances at #46, so pretty close to its result. It's Hemispheres forgotten song, honestly. It does for Hemispheres what Entre Nous does for Permanent Waves, but better.

I had Mission as Not Ranked. It's a harmless enough song, even nice. But it's not something I ever look to listen to.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 14, 2022, 06:16:56 PM

45 Circumstances
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (Cool Chris)



44 Mission
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (KevShmev)



My number 58 and 59 respectively!

Circumstances starts as a run of the mill rocker, but with the chorus being one of the few times Geddy is multilingual in a song and the melodic “carnival” sounding instrumental, this really takes on a life of its own. The more that things change, the more they stay the same.

Mission, I’ve just always found to be super beautiful. While it can fluctuate over wether or not I think this is the best song on the album (which I kinda do, I wish I’d traded this to my 57 and had Prime Mover in 59th now), this has one of my absolute favourite instrumental moments of the entire Rush catalogue after the first solo. The bass and xylophone unison run at 3:23 stands as an absolutely amazing moment, and I rarely hear anyone talk about it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 14, 2022, 06:52:24 PM

Mission, I’ve just always found to be super beautiful. While it can fluctuate over wether or not I think this is the best song on the album (which I kinda do, I wish I’d traded this to my 57 and had Prime Mover in 59th now), this has one of my absolute favourite instrumental moments of the entire Rush catalogue after the first solo. The bass and xylophone unison run at 3:23 stands as an absolutely amazing moment, and I rarely hear anyone talk about it.

Yes, that part is excellent as the resolution of the instrumental section that comes after it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 14, 2022, 06:53:06 PM
45. Circumstances (52).  A bit under appreciated considering the other songs on the album, I personally really like it.  I was super glad they dusted it off for the Snakes and Arrows tour.  Definitely a nice, “oh shit!! They’re playing that!!” Moment.

44. Mission (N/A).  Double checked my list, and I can’t believe I didn’t rank this one.  I think it ended up at like 77.  I think it’s a great example of Rush’s skills as arrangers, and I really like the twists and turns of its middle section. I think, if I redid my list, this would make it. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 14, 2022, 07:00:05 PM
Mission was at 27 for me. I love this lyric, especially the “if their lives were exotic and strange” passage. This is a just one of those songs that hits you in the feels. Really cool middle instrumental section, awesome solo on the outro. Just a great song.

Circumstances is a song that I kind of forget about unless I’m listening to Hemispheres, which to be honest I haven’t revisited in a while. It didn’t make my list, though I don’t dislike it. Just doesn’t really register with me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 14, 2022, 09:39:11 PM
I don’t have my list with me but Mission is high.   I love that song, and that’s the song - along with Second Nature - that makes me want to hear HYF acoustically. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 14, 2022, 10:15:36 PM
Circumstances is a good song, although I agree with all those who pointed out that it's the least best compared to the rest of the album. I am glad that they pulled it out of the mothballs for the 2007 tour. IMO, the way they did it was the right way. There's no way Geddy was gonna come near to hitting those high notes, so they tuned down and changed the vocal melody to something Geddy was able to do comfortably and still be enjoyable for the audience. DT should take notes.... Anyhoo, Circumstances didn't make my top 75, but not missing by much as it place #84 for me.

Mission is a nice song as Timmy said. Not one that I'll go back and listen to regularly, but it is inspirational. Just barely made the cut at #74 on my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 14, 2022, 10:18:49 PM
45 Circumstances
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (Cool Chris)


This one was unranked for me, as it is another I like, but do not love.  I know the story behind Geddy's vocals on this album, but it just feels  like the chorus just doesn't land right as a result.

What's the story?

I love Rush's longer songs, as will be shown by my Top 10, but love how concise and packed Circumstances is. It's like a roller coaster ride: it feels longer than it is while riding, and when it is over, you are surprised it was so quick, and you want to get right back on.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 14, 2022, 10:28:08 PM
45 Circumstances
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (Cool Chris)


This one was unranked for me, as it is another I like, but do not love.  I know the story behind Geddy's vocals on this album, but it just feels  like the chorus just doesn't land right as a result.

What's the story?

I love Rush's longer songs, as will be shown by my Top 10, but love how concise and packed Circumstances is. It's like a roller coaster ride: it feels longer than it is while riding, and when it is over, you are surprised it was so quick, and you want to get right back on.

What I think he's referring to is that they wrote the music without regard for the key or whether or not Geddy could hit some of the notes. He really had to reach for some of those passages as a result.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: KevShmev on March 15, 2022, 06:12:46 AM
Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

One of today's featured songs was the one I was referring to when I said the above...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 15, 2022, 06:14:33 AM
43 Closer to the Heart
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 16 (kingshmegland)


Early results were not kind to this classic, but a lot of the later submitted lists were, so it managed to climb up to 43.  I had it 28.  It feels like it's one that is easy to overlook, but it really is a fantastic song.


42 Caravan
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (ReaperKK)


I had this at 65 and wasn't sure it would make it, so was shocked to see it a) finish this high, and b) finish ahead of Headlong Flight.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 15, 2022, 07:00:58 AM
43. Closer to the Heart (N/A). Just missed the cut for me.  Good song but there's so much I like more.
42. Caravan (32).  Great song, and a really strong opener for Rush's final album.  The middle section really feels like a band solo.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (submissions due by 2/26)
Post by: nick_z on March 15, 2022, 07:33:58 AM
Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

One of today's featured songs was the one I was referring to when I said the above...

Ha! Mystery solved!  :biggrin:

43 Closer to the Heart
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 16 (kingshmegland)


Early results were not kind to this classic, but a lot of the later submitted lists were, so it managed to climb up to 43.  I had it 28.  It feels like it's one that is easy to overlook, but it really is a fantastic song.


42 Caravan
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (ReaperKK)


I had this at 65 and wasn't sure it would make it, so was shocked to see it a) finish this high, and b) finish ahead of Headlong Flight.


Closer to the Heart (ranked #68)

It is a very pretty song, and it sure has that "timeless" feel, with a great build-up. I enjoy it in the context of the album, but I don't go out of my way to listen to it.

Caravan (ranked #45)

Another one where I'm more or less in line with the aggregate. So, yes, count me in as one that definitely prefers it to Headlong Flight. Always liked this song, ever since they released it as an isolated "single". After the pleasant but relatively unexciting S&A, it felt like they were having a little more fun with this one, but still in the context of a compact, coherent song with cool riffs, time signatures and melodies. Great instrumental section (small nod to La Villa Strangiato?)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Tomislav95 on March 15, 2022, 07:40:44 AM
Oops forgot to update for quite some time

Vital Signs - #37
Force Ten - #60
The Enemy Within - #24
The Weapon - #40
Digital Man - #67
Circumstances - #63
Closer to the Heart - #32
Caravan - #48
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 15, 2022, 07:50:57 AM
Closer to the Heart was number 26 for me, and my highest ranked song from the 70s. I grew up with this as a classic rock staple, and it was one of the first Rush songs that I took a real interest in. Then when I got AFTK, it took on a little more significance. Something about the place where it sits in that album and the lyrical connection to the title track. I’ve always tried to take that line “the men who hold high places must be the ones to start” to heart. Not that I hold an especially high place in society, but I do have a position of responsibility. This has been a bit of a motto for me. Musically, I love how much it packs into a short song. That acoustic part in the beginning is gorgeous, and the song just sort of keeps building until it rocks out at the end, with one of Neil’s most memorable fills just before the song fades.

Caravan is a song that I like a lot more than my ranking would suggest. I do think the funky groove in the verse is really good. I like the overall atmosphere and it’s a good mood setter for the album. It didn’t make my top 75 on account of me just not listening to it very much. I probably would have found a way to get it into a top 100. I do think I need to dust off CA and give it another good listen.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 15, 2022, 07:53:33 AM
43 Closer to the Heart
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 16 (kingshmegland)


42 Caravan
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (ReaperKK)



I did not rank Closer to the Heart. It’s a good song, but it’s also kinda overrated. Great guitar work though.

Caravan, I had at 62. One of my favourite opening tracks, great upbeat chorus, and that instrumental section is killer.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 15, 2022, 09:41:39 AM
43 Closer to the Heart
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 16 (kingshmegland)


Early results were not kind to this classic, but a lot of the later submitted lists were, so it managed to climb up to 43.  I had it 28.  It feels like it's one that is easy to overlook, but it really is a fantastic song.

Using the ranker, CTTH came in at #76.  However, I played around with the songs right on the line, so I may have put it a slot or two higher on the list I sent to Kev.  Not sure because I don't have the final list.  Anyway.  CTTH is fine.  It's a nice little song.  A place to catch one's breath on a beast of an album.  The ESL version (both album and video) destroys the album version.


42 Caravan
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (ReaperKK)


I had this at 65 and wasn't sure it would make it, so was shocked to see it a) finish this high, and b) finish ahead of Headlong Flight.

This is the second of three songs from CA that made my top 75.  I had it at #39.  When I heard this song, I thought, "hey...maybe we'll finally get what they've been promising for the past couple albums!"  Unfortunately, after Caravan, BU2B and Headlong Flight, the album turned out to be a big dud.


Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 1 song (Fly by Night - #70)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 1 song (Closer to the Heart - #43)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 1 song (Vital Signs - #51)
Signals - 4 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47)
Grace Under Pressure - 1 song (The Enemy Within - #49)
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 4 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 2 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52)
Counterparts - 4 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS

Clockwork Angels - 3 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42)

We now have 17 of 19 albums represented, which means all of the albums that will be represented.  Currently, Signals, Counterparts and, bafflingly, Hold Your Fire hold the lead with four songs each.  And, since Kev hasn't told us we're done with any albums other than COS and T4E, we can look forward (or not) to at least one more song from each of those albums.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 15, 2022, 10:55:48 AM
43 Closer to the Heart (-) - Although I recognize it's a classic song for Rush and it's nice and all, I never was super fan of it. But I do think the ASoH live version is great.

42 Caravan (#34) - Great, great song! Sure it could have a better chorus, but all the instrumentation is killer.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: MrMike on March 15, 2022, 02:40:59 PM
I had Caravan at 15 and it's easily my favorite track on CA.  That middle jam section especially is what I was really missing from Rush for many years.  Since the late 80s, it felt like the musical arrangements had mostly just become vehicles to deliver Neil's lyrics rather than being their own interesting beast.  With Caravan, Headlong Flight and Anarchist, Rush was finally moving back toward more progressive arrangements that originally made me a fan.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 15, 2022, 03:11:16 PM
Since the late 80s, it felt like the musical arrangements had mostly just become vehicles to deliver Neil's lyrics rather than being their own interesting beast.

I clearly felt this way about S&A, and for a number of songs on Vapor Trails and Test For Echo.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 15, 2022, 03:34:29 PM
Since the late 80s, it felt like the musical arrangements had mostly just become vehicles to deliver Neil's lyrics rather than being their own interesting beast.
I clearly felt this way about S&A, and for a number of songs on Vapor Trails and Test For Echo.
I think I can agree with this point for at least a handful of songs on each of their last 4 albums, including Clockwork Angels (looking at you Wish Them Well).

Closer to the Heart is a good song and certainly was part of what got me into Rush back 80-81, but over time, I got somewhat burned out on the song. I do like the way they kinda reinvigorated the song with the extended outro on the GUP Tour video and the later bass solo that Geddy added. Bummed they didn't include that when they brought it back for the R40 tour. Anyhoo, CttH still made my list at #70.

Love Caravan. One of my favorites from CA and one of the two that placed higher than Headlong Fight on my list. In this case, at #26. Great way to open up what ended up being their final album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 15, 2022, 03:42:44 PM
43 Closer to the Heart
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 16 (kingshmegland)

 
42 Caravan
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (ReaperKK)


I had Closer To the Heart at #70. Not nearly a favorite, but a nice enough track.

I had Caravan as Not Rated. Maybe I need to hear it again, as it seems like a pretty favorable track here with it being on 19 lists.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 15, 2022, 03:45:47 PM
43 Closer to the Heart
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 16 (kingshmegland)


42 Caravan
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (ReaperKK)



Closer to the Heart - my rank 62. Yes, it is a classic and a beautiful song. Has maybe lost a bit of love over the years though.

Caravan - my rank 34. Just a great rocking song. Have always really enjoyed this one from the first time I heard it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 15, 2022, 06:12:27 PM
Let's knock out two more today.  :hat :hat

41 Bravado
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 6 (HOF)


I had this at 31. Definitely a song that helped win me over as a new fan in the fall of '91.  Crazy good melodies.


40 Leave That Thing Alone
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (KevShmev)


I normally call this a top 10 Rush song, but it settled it at 11 for me this time.  Instrumental goodness all-around, and Alex guitar literally sings in this one.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 15, 2022, 06:31:46 PM
41 Bravado
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 6 (HOF)


40 Leave That Thing Alone
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (KevShmev)


Two songs I didn't rank. Leave That Thing Alone is fine enough, but holy shit does Bravado blow monkey chunks. For me, it's one of the fucking worst things they've ever done.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 15, 2022, 06:35:29 PM
Might have said this before... my (Jesuit) high school had optional retreats for the junior class. Each one had its own theme and associated song, which was played several times a day: before every meal, every meeting, every gathering... which meant the song eventually got old. The theme and song for the one I ended up going on was Closer to the Heart. I was just getting in to Rush at the time, particularly late 70s/early 80s Rush and by the end of the weekend, even I was burned out on that song. 30 years later hearing that song makes me think of that retreat.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 15, 2022, 06:38:03 PM
Yes, let's do it!

Bravado (ranked #57)

I love this song, and I should've ranked it higher. I agree 100% on "crazy good melodies". The live version on Different Stages is brilliant too.

Leave That Thing Alone (ranked #21)

One word: fantastic. I rank this one even higher than YYZ. The way the bass and the drums are interlocked for the groove, with the eerie guitar playing supporting role at  first, then taking center stage, with riffs and leads. Sublime.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 15, 2022, 06:39:54 PM

Two songs I didn't rank. Leave That Thing Alone is fine enough, but holy shit does Bravado blow monkey chunks. For me, it's one of the fucking worst things they've ever done.

 :rollin :rollin

Boy, that's harsh  :biggrin: Why the hate on poor Bravado?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 15, 2022, 06:40:46 PM

Two songs I didn't rank. Leave That Thing Alone is fine enough, but holy shit does Bravado blow monkey chunks. For me, it's one of the fucking worst things they've ever done.

 :rollin :rollin

Boy, that's harsh  :biggrin: Why the hate on poor Bravado?

Because it blows. I call it The Pass Pt. 2.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 15, 2022, 06:41:45 PM
Let's knock out two more today.  :hat :hat

41 Bravado
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 6 (HOF)



40 Leave That Thing Alone
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (KevShmev)



Bravado hit my 69. Beautiful song, I used to use this one as my opener for solo gigs. Won me my first ever proper gig too.

Leave That Thing Alone arrived at number 42 for me. One can’t simply disagree with the groove and swagger that tune has!

Also, TAC’s opinions here aren’t opinions, but objectively wrong.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 15, 2022, 06:42:38 PM
Also, TAC’s opinions here aren’t opinions, but objectively wrong.

Oh, I'll vouch for that. :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 15, 2022, 06:44:34 PM
Also, TAC’s opinions here aren’t opinions, but objectively wrong.

Oh, I'll vouch for that. :lol

I couldn't second this fast enough. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 15, 2022, 06:52:16 PM

41 Bravado
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 6 (HOF)



40 Leave That Thing Alone
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (KevShmev)



Bravado - I didn't rank. Nice enough song I guess if you like this sort of thing. The solo is great. I can appreciate the love for this one.

Leave That Thing Alone - I didn't rank. Another Counterparts song? I feel like this whole album is being represented and it is one I very rarely if ever revisit! This is a pretty cool instrumental, so again I can appreciate the love for this one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 15, 2022, 07:10:53 PM
41 Bravado (#46) – Yes, it’s all about great melodies. Also the guitar solo and the drumming before the fadeout are really nice. But that ending on Different Stages version is really gold.

40 Leave That Thing Alone (#38) – I think it was really a different instrumental for them at the time, focused on a great groove and very melodic guitar lines. When I first heard it, it reminded me of Joe Satriani in parts.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 15, 2022, 07:29:08 PM
43 Closer to the Heart
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 16 (kingshmegland)


Early results were not kind to this classic, but a lot of the later submitted lists were, so it managed to climb up to 43.  I had it 28.  It feels like it's one that is easy to overlook, but it really is a fantastic song.


42 Caravan
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (ReaperKK)


I had this at 65 and wasn't sure it would make it, so was shocked to see it a) finish this high, and b) finish ahead of Headlong Flight.
Closer to the Heart - This probably should have ranked higher, maybe....but it did land at #87. So while technically not in the top 75 for me, I do really like the song, great lyrics and melodies, and my opinion of it went up a lot after hearing the awesome jam at the end of the Different Stages version.

Caravan - This shot up my list and I was a bit surprised how high it landed at #22. This ranking it based purely on the EP version that was released before the album. The album version was sort of ruined by some questionable changes to vocal melodies and the album mix/master.


41 Bravado
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 6 (HOF)


I had this at 31. Definitely a song that helped win me over as a new fan in the fall of '91.  Crazy good melodies.


40 Leave That Thing Alone
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (KevShmev)


I normally call this a top 10 Rush song, but it settled it at 11 for me this time.  Instrumental goodness all-around, and Alex guitar literally sings in this one.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Bravado - Boy TAC couldn't be more objectively wrong about a song :biggrin: This one ended up at #36 on my list. The mix of the melodies with the moving lyrics, not to mention the incredible drum patterns that Neil is laying down, this song is outstanding.

Leave That Thing Alone - Instrumentals don't typically rank that highly for me, which is why this one only landed at #67. However, this is a Rush instrumental and between the great guitar melodies matched perfectly with Geddy's bass and the incredibly musical drumming of Neil, it ends up being a great song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 15, 2022, 07:31:28 PM
You know that a mark of a great song is if TAC hates it with a special passion. Bravado has been a favorite Rush tune since the first time I heard it. On an album full of weird lyrics, Neil still managed to pen a masterpiece. Maybe it took all of his energy to put that one together (along with Dreamline and Ghost of a Chance). Anyway, this might be the best U2 song U2 never wrote. Definitely has some Eno-ish vibes with the airy keyboards and the high hat pattern is very Larry Mullen Jr. It’s in the perfect range for Geddy’s voice, has a lovely bass line, an emotional Alex solo, and generally just hits all the right notes. Chef kiss.


I’m pumped that Leave That Thing Alone ranked. I only had it at 66, but it’s my favorite Rush instrumental (and the only one on my list!). Something about Rush instrumentals in general just doesn’t resonate with me, but this one has a strong hook, that killer bass line, and that awesome Lifeson solo that propels the song to another level.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 15, 2022, 07:40:44 PM
You know that a mark of a great song is if TAC hates it with a special passion.

I gotta sig that! :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 15, 2022, 07:49:52 PM
You know that a mark of a great song is if TAC hates it with a special passion.

I gotta sig that! :lol
:rollin
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 15, 2022, 07:51:26 PM
You know that a mark of a great song is if TAC hates it with a special passion.

I gotta sig that! :lol

 :lol :rollin :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 15, 2022, 08:44:28 PM
Another chunk to reply to here, so let's go!

50 Force Ten - ranked 96th. It's a fun tune, but I think for me, I got a bit over it after awhile.
49 The Enemy Within - ranked 48th. Wow, surprisingly close to my ranking here! Underrated tuned from GUP.
48 The Weapon - ranked 13th. I didn't realize this was so high on my list (and the highest Signals tune), but it is one of my favorites from the album. I would've put "Subdivisions" higher had I edited my sorted list.
47 Digital Man - ranked 14th. Coincidence that these were back to back on MY list as well. Another stand-out track on Signals, loved that the band brought it back in the 21st century.
46 Headlong Flight - ranked 44th. Another one closely ranked to my list, one of my favorites from Clockwork Angels.
45 Circumstances - ranked 102nd. My least favorite from Hemispheres, but still a rocking song. Another one I'm glad the band brought back for their latter tours.
44 Mission - ranked 33rd. A bit lower here than my own list, and probably my favorite song from HYF (and I think my highest rated HYF song on my list).
43 Closer To The Heart - ranked 35th. A classic Rush tune, what else can you say about it. One of their best hits, IMO.
42 Caravan - ranked 49th.  Another favorite of mine from CA, I enjoyed it the moment I got my hands on the single in 2010 and think it's one of their best album openers (definitely my favorite album opener since maybe "Animate").
41 Bravado - ranked 16th. I think this ended up so high on my list because I love the song in its live version with the extended jam and guitar solo. The studio version is nice, but live is where they took the song to new heights, and I absolutely love what Neil does on the kit on this one, such a unique and fun groove.
40 Leave That Thing Alone - ranked 36th. Probably my second or third favorite Rush instrumental, this is a blast to play on drums, and was a tour highlight through the 90s and 00s, especially with Neil's solo following it.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 15, 2022, 08:46:04 PM
and I absolutely love what Neil does on the kit on this one,

Literally describes every Rush song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 15, 2022, 08:54:37 PM
and I absolutely love what Neil does on the kit on this one,

Literally describes every Rush song.

Yeah, he really crushes it on the debut album, doesn't he?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 15, 2022, 08:55:47 PM
and I absolutely love what Neil does on the kit on this one,

Literally describes every Rush song.

Ha! I love this! Not sure we have seen anyone post yet that a song missed their top 75 because they didn't like the drumming on the track...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 15, 2022, 09:11:12 PM
and I absolutely love what Neil does on the kit on this one,

Literally describes every Rush song.

Yeah, he really crushes it on the debut album, doesn't he?

That's how good he is. :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 15, 2022, 09:41:46 PM
and I absolutely love what Neil does on the kit on this one,

Literally describes every Rush song.

Yeah, he really crushes it on the debut album, doesn't he?

That's how good he is. :lol

In all seriousness, his versions of the debut album's songs on their first tour in 74 are brilliant, if a bit overzealous and out-there, but he pumps a LOT of energy into those rockers. If you've never heard the 12/16/74 Cleveland, OH show (usually titled "Here Again At The Agora"), it's an immaculate FM broadcast of a complete Rush concert, and they play 6 songs off the debut, plus four songs off what would be their next album Fly By Night, plus "Fancy Dancer", "Garden Road", and "Bad Boy". It's quite fortunate that such pristine recordings of their first tour exist!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 15, 2022, 10:19:14 PM
4 of my top 10 have already been revealed, and I guess not surprisingly I've been the high person on all of them.

1.
2.
3. Emotion Detector (66)
4.
5.
6. Bravado (41)
7.
8.
9. Digital Man (47)
10. Force Ten (50)

I'm guessing I'll be the high person on at least one, and maybe two or three of the others. Just the way I roll (but not the bones, that one was 41 on my list).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 15, 2022, 11:00:48 PM
41 Bravado
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 6 (HOF)


I had this at 31. Definitely a song that helped win me over as a new fan in the fall of '91.  Crazy good melodies.

This song is just so...meh.  It completely exemplifies Roll the Bones.  Came it at #94 for me.


40 Leave That Thing Alone
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (KevShmev)


I normally call this a top 10 Rush song, but it settled it at 11 for me this time.  Instrumental goodness all-around, and Alex guitar literally sings in this one.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

This one really surprises me.  Not because I don't like it, but #40 seems CRAZY high.  I had it at #126 (and the other "Thing" at 127).  They really lost their way with instrumentals after YYZ until TMMB.


The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 1 song (Fly by Night - #70)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 1 song (Closer to the Heart - #43)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 1 song (Vital Signs - #51)
Signals - 4 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47)
Grace Under Pressure - 1 song (The Enemy Within - #49)
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 4 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 3 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41)
Counterparts - 5 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS

Clockwork Angels - 3 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42)

Counterparts retakes the lead with 5 songs out of the 36 that have been revealed, followed by Signals and Hold Your Fire with four songs each.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 15, 2022, 11:01:38 PM
and I absolutely love what Neil does on the kit on this one,

Literally describes every Rush song.

Ha! I love this! Not sure we have seen anyone post yet that a song missed their top 75 because they didn't like the drumming on the track...

We haven't gotten to Red Sector A yet (and hopefully won't).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 15, 2022, 11:17:14 PM
and I absolutely love what Neil does on the kit on this one,

Literally describes every Rush song.
Absolute truth here!

and I absolutely love what Neil does on the kit on this one,

Literally describes every Rush song.

Yeah, he really crushes it on the debut album, doesn't he?

That's how good he is. :lol
In fairness Neil did end up playing drums to all the songs from the debut album live, with the exception of Take A Friend. And he definitely elevated them to another level!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 15, 2022, 11:19:13 PM
and I absolutely love what Neil does on the kit on this one,

Literally describes every Rush song.

Ha! I love this! Not sure we have seen anyone post yet that a song missed their top 75 because they didn't like the drumming on the track...

We haven't gotten to Red Sector A yet (and hopefully won't).
Is this just because of the drum sounds on that song?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 16, 2022, 12:28:54 AM
That main melody in LTTA is absolutely incredible.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Tomislav95 on March 16, 2022, 01:50:34 AM
I thought I would be the one who put Bravado highest on the list (#10). It's just my type of song, emotional with great melodies. And TAC, The Pass is even better  :P
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: BRGM on March 16, 2022, 01:52:44 AM
Yes! Leave That Thing Alone is such a great song, happy it made the list. I had it at 13 so it's nice to see that Kev had it even higher. Such a great rocking tune
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 16, 2022, 06:26:37 AM
Get ready for some really old tunes today!

39 Witch Hunt
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (Setlist Scotty)


The highest ranked song from the Fear trilogy!  Great, great song, one I put at 26.  The atmosphere in this one is pretty incredible, and Neil penned some terrific lyrics in this one.


38 By-Tor and the Snow Dog
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (Dream Team)


Not surprised to see this one all over the map, as it seems to be a love or not like so much song amongst the younger fans (meanwhile, nearly every Rush fan I have known who was a fan since the 70s or early 80s considers this a top 10 Rush tune).  I am a big fan, placing it at 22.  The jam in the middle is incredible.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 16, 2022, 06:38:36 AM

40 Leave That Thing Alone
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (KevShmev)


I normally call this a top 10 Rush song, but it settled it at 11 for me this time.  Instrumental goodness all-around, and Alex guitar literally sings in this one.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

This one really surprises me.  Not because I don't like it, but #40 seems CRAZY high.  I had it at #126 (and the other "Thing" at 127).  They really lost their way with instrumentals after YYZ until TMMB.


I agree and disagree at the same time - Where's my Thing is kinda fun but certainly not essential, and Limbo is just ok, but I'll take Leave That Thing Alone over TMMB every single time.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: ReaperKK on March 16, 2022, 06:48:57 AM
43 Closer to the Heart
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 16 (kingshmegland)


Early results were not kind to this classic, but a lot of the later submitted lists were, so it managed to climb up to 43.  I had it 28.  It feels like it's one that is easy to overlook, but it really is a fantastic song.


42 Caravan
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (ReaperKK)


I had this at 65 and wasn't sure it would make it, so was shocked to see it a) finish this high, and b) finish ahead of Headlong Flight.


I really love these two songs. I think that Closer to the Heart suffers a bit from too much overplay for me; Caravan I've loved since the first time I heard it. That chorus melody is fantastic.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 16, 2022, 06:58:40 AM
41. Bravado (47).  "We will pay the price, but we will not count the cost" is one of my favorite Neil lyrics.  I like the simplicity of this song, and I like that they stretch this out a little bit live.  I kinda wish they had stretched it out live even more.  I get the feeling Alex could've really done some cool stuff on an extended live ending.

40. Leave That Thing Alone (53).  Fun instrumental, and probably my favorite of their 90s/00s instrumental tracks.

39. Witch Hunt (18).  My second favorite part of the Fear trilogy (I put Freeze a few spots higher), I've always loved the double tracked drums on this.  Getting to see it live on the Snakes & Arrows tour was really cool, as well.

38. By-Tor and the Snow Dog (35).  My favorite track from Fly By Night and a great precursor to what they would go on to do later in the decade.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 16, 2022, 07:45:56 AM
Get ready for some really old tunes today!

39 Witch Hunt
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (Setlist Scotty)


38 By-Tor and the Snow Dog
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (Dream Team)



Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand. Witch Hunt nabbed my number 50, the highest ranked of the Fear trilogy+. I find this quote really appropriate though, as for ages this was a song I couldn’t really get into. Took me forever to finally get it to click, and it’s my lowest Moving Pictures ranking, but I really like this song now.

By-Tor arrived at number 56. If we were going with the abridged live versions, I think it would be higher. However, I stayed to the album versions for the rankings and the 5/4 War Hymn onwards never really did much for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 16, 2022, 07:53:35 AM
Get ready for some really old tunes today!

39 Witch Hunt
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (Setlist Scotty)


The highest ranked song from the Fear trilogy!  Great, great song, one I put at 26.  The atmosphere in this one is pretty incredible, and Neil penned some terrific lyrics in this one.


38 By-Tor and the Snow Dog
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (Dream Team)


Not surprised to see this one all over the map, as it seems to be a love or not like so much song amongst the younger fans (meanwhile, nearly every Rush fan I have known who was a fan since the 70s or early 80s considers this a top 10 Rush tune).  I am a big fan, placing it at 22.  The jam in the middle is incredible.

Witch Hunt (ranked #63)

It's my lowest-ranked song from Moving Pictures, but it's still great. Really cool riff, and when it "opens up" with the synths it's pretty amazing.

By-Tor and the Snow Dog (didn't make top 75, I had it at #77)

JUST missed the top 75, unfortunately (along with Anthem, another close one from Fly By Night that I was sad to exclude). I don't love it, but it's packed with a bunch of very "Rush" things in it, and Neil is on fire...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 16, 2022, 07:59:29 AM
39 Witch Hunt
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (Setlist Scotty)


38 By-Tor and the Snow Dog
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (Dream Team)


I had Witch Hunt at #26. Same as Kev! ;D
I think this is one of their most unique songs in their catalog. Those over arching keyboards coupled with the haunting and brooding guitar line make this very interesting . Love this song!

I had By-Tor as Not Rated. I don't know. I really should like it more than I do, but I have always found this a chore to get through.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 16, 2022, 09:17:22 AM
Have never been able to “get” Witch Hunt. That and Vital Signs tend to bring MP down quite a bit for me. Needless to say, this one didn’t rank for me.

By-Tor & the Snowdog made it on at 73. This one is a lot of fun, and I love the verse and chorus. But I do think the spacey middle section hurts it a bit. Rush’s epic songs always seem to have one section that just kills momentum and adds unnecessary length.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 16, 2022, 10:25:35 AM
39 Witch Hunt
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (Setlist Scotty)


The highest ranked song from the Fear trilogy!  Great, great song, one I put at 26.  The atmosphere in this one is pretty incredible, and Neil penned some terrific lyrics in this one.

I'm surprised by the rankings of both of today's songs.  I'm pleasantly surprised to see Witch Hunt this high.  I really like the song and had it at #47, but I was a little concerned that we were getting to the point where it might not be ranked at all.  There's nothing about this song that isn't really cool, and I think we can now confidently conclude that Moving Pictures is one of the albums that will have 100% representation in the top 75.


38 By-Tor and the Snow Dog
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (Dream Team)


Not surprised to see this one all over the map, as it seems to be a love or not like so much song amongst the younger fans (meanwhile, nearly every Rush fan I have known who was a fan since the 70s or early 80s considers this a top 10 Rush tune).  I am a big fan, placing it at 22.  The jam in the middle is incredible.

This one I'm surprised it's not higher.  It just missed out on my top 10:  I had it at #11.  It's such an epic.  The album version is awesome, but the ATWAS version takes it to the next level, and the ESL video version adds yet another layer.  I can recall buying Fly by Night and seeing Geddy with the "By-Tor" pseudonym and Alex as "Snow Dog" (with their freshly shampooed and conditioned hair, in stark contrast to the greasy mess on the back of the debut  :lol) and wondering what it all meant.  I got a later pressing that didn't have the lyrics on the inner sleeve, but I later found a used version with the original inner sleeve, which I still have today.  Discovering that By-Tor was not only broken into sections but also had a section with sub-sections blew my mind as a 16 or 17 year old.  I felt very satisfied when I later figured out what "7/4 War Furor" meant.  I'm guessing we'll see one more song from FBN.


The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 2 songs (Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 1 song (Closer to the Heart - #43)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 2 songs (Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38)
Signals - 4 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47)
Grace Under Pressure - 1 song (The Enemy Within - #49)
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 4 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 3 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41)
Counterparts - 5 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS

Clockwork Angels - 3 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 16, 2022, 10:36:09 AM
and I absolutely love what Neil does on the kit on this one,

Literally describes every Rush song.

Ha! I love this! Not sure we have seen anyone post yet that a song missed their top 75 because they didn't like the drumming on the track...

We haven't gotten to Red Sector A yet (and hopefully won't).
Is this just because of the drum sounds on that song?

That's a big part of it, but I also think that GUP, as a whole, features some of Neil's least interesting drumming.  The only things that really stand out for me are things that aren't good.



40 Leave That Thing Alone
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (KevShmev)


I normally call this a top 10 Rush song, but it settled it at 11 for me this time.  Instrumental goodness all-around, and Alex guitar literally sings in this one.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

This one really surprises me.  Not because I don't like it, but #40 seems CRAZY high.  I had it at #126 (and the other "Thing" at 127).  They really lost their way with instrumentals after YYZ until TMMB.


I agree and disagree at the same time - Where's my Thing is kinda fun but certainly not essential, and Limbo is just ok, but I'll take Leave That Thing Alone over TMMB every single time.

Fair enough.  I have a block with distinguishing the "Things" (unless I've just listened to them back-to-back).  LTTA kinda gets going after about 1:10, but the intro section (which they return to for the last minute of the song) is SO SOFT AND WIMPY that it really drags down the song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 16, 2022, 12:29:56 PM
39 Witch Hunt (-) - Really good song, very interesting arrangement, but, like Vital Signs, unfortunately didn't manage to make the Top 75.

38 By-Tor and the Snow Dog (#29) - One of my favorites from early Rush. Although there's a lot of resemblance between the riff from Bastille Day and Headlong Flight, when I listen to HF I always feel more similarity with By-Tor because of that jam part.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 16, 2022, 12:34:32 PM
Always liked Bravado - a mid-tempo tune that always stood out to me, in comparison to tracks on later albums (Speed of Love, Half the World, Color of Right, etc.) In particular I was glad to see them extend this one and Dreamline beginning on the RtB tour, and continued doing so whenever they appeared in the setlist. #60 for me.

For me LTTA has always been one of the better Rush instrumentals. I know this is gonna be extremely controversial, but I actually prefer it to YYZ. I think I just got tired of YYZ after a while - never felt that way about LTTA. And am I the only one who feels there is a connection between LTTA and Where’s My Thing? I’m not just speaking about “Thing” being in the title of both, but I’ve always thought this. Coulda been part III of the Gangster of Boats Trilogy, IMO. Anyhoo, it placed as #15 on my list.

Regarding WH, the fact that I ranked it highest says a lot right there. It has been my second favorite of theirs for well over 35 years. I just love the atmosphere at the beginning and then as nick_z says, when the song opens up with the synths, WOW!! In particular I like the little “extra” Alex plays during the second verse live as can be heard on ASOH and Time Machine (and *not* heard on SaA Live) - dunno how to better describe it as I'm not a musician. So happy they brought this back and I got to see them perform this song a few times.

BTatSD was a track that grew on me. When I first got FBN, I don’t remember it doing all that much for me, especially with those weird sounds. But when I heard the live version on AtWaS, that’s when I came to really love it. In fact, I remember going back to listen to the studio version and being bummed out that it didn’t have everything that the live version did. And I was thrilled to finally get to see them perform it live (well, the first half of it) when they resurrected it for the Vapor Trails tour - what a killer way to start off the encore! I ended up ranking it at #22.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 16, 2022, 12:51:49 PM
For me LTTA has always been one of the better Rush instrumentals. I know this is gonna be extremely controversial, but I actually prefer it to YYZ.

Great minds...and all that  :biggrin:

Leave That Thing Alone (ranked #21)

One word: fantastic. I rank this one even higher than YYZ. The way the bass and the drums are interlocked for the groove, with the eerie guitar playing supporting role at  first, then taking center stage, with riffs and leads. Sublime.

I actually haven't grown tired of YYZ, and I think it's amazing too...but LTTA is just special to me, and my favorite of the "shorter" Rush instrumentals (i.e., excluding THAT one, of course  ;D)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: MrMike on March 16, 2022, 02:45:57 PM
Bravado - Didn't rank, but I've come to like it more after hearing it live a few times.  Alex delivers a great solo.

LTTA - 14.  Love this one almost as much as my two favorite Rush instrumentals.  That bass line never fails to get me moving.

Witch Hunt - 20.  Always been a favorite, but I wish it didn't end so abruptly.  Even live, Alex never stretched the ending solo out which I never understood.

By-Tor - 19.  Quirky tune that has really grown on me over the years.  Would be even better without that near minute of silence.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 16, 2022, 04:16:59 PM

39 Witch Hunt
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (Setlist Scotty)


38 By-Tor and the Snow Dog
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (Dream Team)



Witch Hunt - my rank 35. Always loved this tune, great vibe and atmosphere.

By-Tor - my rank 50.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 16, 2022, 05:17:41 PM
39 Witch Hunt
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (Setlist Scotty)


The highest ranked song from the Fear trilogy!  Great, great song, one I put at 26.  The atmosphere in this one is pretty incredible, and Neil penned some terrific lyrics in this one.


38 By-Tor and the Snow Dog
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (Dream Team)


Not surprised to see this one all over the map, as it seems to be a love or not like so much song amongst the younger fans (meanwhile, nearly every Rush fan I have known who was a fan since the 70s or early 80s considers this a top 10 Rush tune).  I am a big fan, placing it at 22.  The jam in the middle is incredible.
Witch Hunt - This one dropped in at #43 for me. Just a great atmospheric tune. I first heard this when I was 5 or 6 years old. I used to borrow my dad's copy of Moving Pictures when I was young and listen to it all the time. This song really stood out at that age as just being so different from anything else I ever heard at the time.

By-Tor and the Snowdog - Another one I'm surprised I didn't get highest rank on. I only had it at #16. The studio version is great. The AtWaS version is beyond epic! Then the Different Stages version brought a metal edge to it. I've loved every incarnation of this song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 16, 2022, 06:36:08 PM

I had Witch Hunt at #26. Same as Kev! ;D
 

(https://media1.giphy.com/media/26BRNUOfm06Ka8Uco/giphy.gif?cid=790b76119379cbb1fe0bc53b700eab251fc67adb8344cf79&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 17, 2022, 06:18:39 AM
Here is today's update!

37 Grand Designs
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (DTA)


I had this at 32, but didn't think it would finish nearly as high as this.  Guess there are more Power Windows fans here than I thought (see: smart Rush fans :P).


36 Anthem
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (MrMike)


As this was the first song on the first Rush album with Neil on drums, he announced his presence in kick ass fashion. Killer song that has held up well.  I had it at 49.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 17, 2022, 06:58:13 AM
Here is today's update!

37 Grand Designs
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (DTA)


I had this at 32, but didn't think it would finish nearly as high as this.  Guess there are more Power Windows fans here than I thought (see: smart Rush fans :P).


36 Anthem
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (MrMike)


As this was the first song on the first Rush album with Neil on drums, he announced his presence in kick ass fashion. Killer song that has held up well.  I had it at 49.

Grand Design (ranked #27)

Smart Rush fan here!  :biggrin:
Just a great song. Love the melodies, and the ever-evolving drum patterns in the different verses and chorus (and in the song's coda!)

Anthem (didn't make top 75, had it at #82)

After By-Tor, this was the other tune from Fly By Night JUST outside my top 75. A bit of a shame, really, as it's pretty great. As you said, Neil in on fire, as if he were saying "Here I am!".
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 17, 2022, 07:00:08 AM
37. Grand Designs (25).  Great song.  I love the big, bright synths on this.  Power Windows, in general, has some of the best synth and keyboard work of the 80s.  And, of course, Neil's drumming is spectacular.

36. Anthem (N/A).  Another solid early song that I ended up ranking outside of my top 75.  I think it came in at number 90.  Great introduction for Neil into the band.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 17, 2022, 07:25:48 AM
Here is today's update!

37 Grand Designs
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (DTA)


36 Anthem
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (MrMike)



Grand Designs arrived at 67 on my list, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT, much as I do the rest of Power Windows (with the exception of Emotion Detector).

Anthem arrived at number 20. Explosive, rockin, and a hell of an intro for the second lineup of Rush.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 17, 2022, 09:12:13 AM
Grand Designs is a brilliant song! It came in at 11 for me. Love the brightness of the arrangement, programmed keys and all, but it’s the lyrics that propel it this high. “So much poison in power, the principle gets left out. So much mind on the matter, the spirit gets forgotten about.” Sooo good. I do really like Alex’s playing on this. Actually reminds me of The Edge on the verses. Like all of PW, an outstanding middle section with a great solo by Alex. And of course the drumming is stellar. So much momentum coming out of the instrumental section into the last chorus and the outro. I moved this one in and out of my top 10 a few times while finalizing my rankings, and it could have been as high as 7 or 8, but ended up just outside instead.

Anthem did not rank, but it’s one of their better early rockers for sure.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 17, 2022, 09:24:40 AM
I'm behind and need to play catch up tonight.  Weird thing about Grand Designs was that Rush played it as the 1st encore on the Power Windows tour.  It felt out of place back then. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 17, 2022, 09:25:35 AM
I'm behind and need to play catch up tonight.  Weird thing about Grand Designs was that Rush played it as the 1st encore on the Power Windows tour.  It felt out of place back then.

It sure as hell did.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 17, 2022, 09:27:28 AM
I'm behind and need to play catch up tonight.  Weird thing about Grand Designs was that Rush played it as the 1st encore on the Power Windows tour.  It felt out of place back then.

It sure as hell did.

It would have been great in the set.  Not as an encore.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 17, 2022, 09:52:25 AM
I'm behind and need to play catch up tonight.  Weird thing about Grand Designs was that Rush played it as the 1st encore on the Power Windows tour.  It felt out of place back then.

It was the 2nd encore song, sandwiched between "2112 Overture/The Temples Of Syrinx" and "In The Mood", which was even weirder. AFAIK, it was the only time a new song was used in the encore (but I could be wrong on that, I'm too lazy to double check).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 17, 2022, 09:53:30 AM
You may be right.  My memory isn't as good as it was 37 years ago.  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 17, 2022, 10:00:07 AM
You may be right.  My memory isn't as good as it was 37 years ago.  :lol

 :lol

Well I doubled checked setlist.fm (https://www.setlist.fm/stats/average-setlist/rush-13d6dd1d.html?tour=3d7e553) to confirm its place in the encore, but also having done the Rush Tourography thread several years ago here, I was already pretty sure.

It's interesting that they kept the encore almost exactly the same for the HYF tour but swapped out "Grand Designs" for the more classic "La Villa Strangiato".

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 17, 2022, 10:06:19 AM
I have a vivid memory of traveling through a blizzard for the 2nd night of the HYF tour and my buddy was mad at me for not telling him the lasers were in 3D colors and he would have brought his glasses.  He also asked a information both in a mall across the street from the venue if they knew the diameter of the sun.  the guy at the booth asked him why he wanted to know that.  My buddy then said, "Well, isn't this an information booth?!" 

That dude yelled at us to take off in a not so subtle way. :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 17, 2022, 10:06:59 AM
I'm behind and need to play catch up tonight.  Weird thing about Grand Designs was that Rush played it as the 1st encore on the Power Windows tour.  It felt out of place back then.

It was the 2nd encore song, sandwiched between "2112 Overture/The Temples Of Syrinx" and "In The Mood", which was even weirder. AFAIK, it was the only time a new song was used in the encore (but I could be wrong on that, I'm too lazy to double check).

-Marc.

Well, whatever. It was still out of place.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 17, 2022, 10:09:27 AM
Cinderella Man was the only encore on the tour for A Farewell to Kings.

And I think Red Lenses was part of the encore on the Grace Under Pressure tour.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 17, 2022, 10:13:56 AM
I was THRILLED when they dug out so many Power Windows songs (including Grand Designs) on the Clockwork Angels tour. Such a treat  :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 17, 2022, 10:15:24 AM
Red Lenses was odd as well.  For it's placement.

I was THRILLED when they dug out so many Power Windows songs (including Grand Designs) on the Clockwork Angels tour. Such a treat  :)

I saw the opening night of the CA tour and had no idea.  I was texting my buddies who were in other seats like teenagers hearing songs live for the 1st time since the 80's.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 17, 2022, 10:22:44 AM
Cinderella Man was the only encore on the tour for A Farewell to Kings.

And I think Red Lenses was part of the encore on the Grace Under Pressure tour.

You're correct. I guess I'm still brain-tired, but that all checks out. So they've done encores with new songs three times - AFTK, GUP, and POW, and two are some of my favorite Rush albums!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 17, 2022, 10:57:58 AM
37 Grand Designs
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (DTA)


I had this at 32, but didn't think it would finish nearly as high as this.  Guess there are more Power Windows fans here than I thought (see: smart Rush fans :P).

Bleh.  The "against the run of the mill" part is cool, but that's about it.  I had it at #122.


36 Anthem
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (MrMike)


As this was the first song on the first Rush album with Neil on drums, he announced his presence in kick ass fashion. Killer song that has held up well.  I had it at 49.

I've gone up and down over the years with this song.  An early favorite because of how metal it is, but I kind of got bored with it after a while.  It's had a bit of a resurgence for me with it being a staple of YYNOT's live set.  I had it at #52.  I'll be surprised if this isn't the last song we see from FBN.


The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 3 songs (Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 1 song (Closer to the Heart - #43)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 2 songs (Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38)
Signals - 4 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47)
Grace Under Pressure - 1 song (The Enemy Within - #49)
Power Windows - 2 song (Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37)
Hold Your Fire - 4 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 3 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41)
Counterparts - 5 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS

Clockwork Angels - 3 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 17, 2022, 11:10:50 AM
37 Grand Designs (-) - It didn't rank, but I do think it's a really good song. Those programmed keyboards annoys me just a bit, as it happens in some songs on PoW and HYF. Great bass lines and the usual solo section top notch from PoW.

36 Anthem (#25) - What a intro!! And to think that it came from one of the first jams when they met NP, it was really a strong sign of the great things that were to come... :hefdaddy How in the hell Alex wasn't convinced right away that NP was THE guy?! :D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 17, 2022, 12:50:17 PM
37 Grand Designs
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (DTA)


36 Anthem
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (MrMike)



I had Grand Designs as Not Rated. I think it's awful, honestly, and it's not the kind of Rush that I like.

I had Anthem at #41. Really cool song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 17, 2022, 01:10:26 PM
37 Grand Designs
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (DTA)


I had Grand Designs as Not Rated. I think it's awful, honestly, and it's not the kind of Rush that I like.

What's worse is that it's ranked at #37 and is only the second ranked POW song  to this point.  I'm dreading the possibility/probability that 6 of the top 35 songs will be POW songs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 17, 2022, 01:18:31 PM
37 Grand Designs
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (DTA)


I had Grand Designs as Not Rated. I think it's awful, honestly, and it's not the kind of Rush that I like.

What's worse is that it's ranked at #37 and is only the second ranked POW song  to this point.  I'm dreading the possibility/probability that 6 of the top 35 songs will be POW songs.

You willing to put Big Money on that?  ;D ;)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 17, 2022, 01:37:16 PM
37 Grand Designs
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (DTA)


I had Grand Designs as Not Rated. I think it's awful, honestly, and it's not the kind of Rush that I like.

What's worse is that it's ranked at #37 and is only the second ranked POW song  to this point.  I'm dreading the possibility/probability that 6 of the top 35 songs will be POW songs.

Grand Designs and Emotion Detector were the two I worried wouldn’t make it, so I’m liking the thought of all 8 ranking and 6 in the top 40!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 17, 2022, 01:40:40 PM
Watching Tim and pg bemoan tickles me. Lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 17, 2022, 01:41:59 PM
37 Grand Designs
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (DTA)


I had Grand Designs as Not Rated. I think it's awful, honestly, and it's not the kind of Rush that I like.

What's worse is that it's ranked at #37 and is only the second ranked POW song  to this point.  I'm dreading the possibility/probability that 6 of the top 35 songs will be POW songs.

Grand Designs and Emotion Detector were the two I worried wouldn’t make it, so I’m liking the thought of all 8 ranking and 6 in the top 40!

The question is - how many complete Rush albums will feature in this Top 75? I figured all of Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, and Power Windows would. What about Signals? 2112? A Farewell To Kings? I haven't been keeping track, but I think pg has, so I'm interested in seeing how that goes.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 17, 2022, 01:58:52 PM
Watching Tim and pg bemoan tickles me. Lol

Every time a Power Windows song is featured going forward, I may make it the only song to be featured that day.  If they are going to bitch and moan about it every time, might as well not distract from the other song(s) to get featured that day.  :P :P
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 17, 2022, 02:00:20 PM

The question is - how many complete Rush albums will feature in this Top 75? I figured all of Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, and Power Windows would. What about Signals? 2112? A Farewell To Kings? I haven't been keeping track, but I think pg has, so I'm interested in seeing how that goes.

-Marc.

I'd say Hemispheres (Circumstances was the potentially shaky one, I guess, and that's already in there), Permanent Waves (especially so with Entre Nous and Different Strings already in there), Moving Pictures (unless The Camera Eye doesn't make it?).

Power Windows has a good chance. Not sure about Signals at this point (Chemistry?). Also doubt A Farewell to Kings will be 100% represented (Madrigal?). I'm pretty sure 2112 won't be.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 17, 2022, 03:00:49 PM
Temp ranking of the albums as of Kev's last update (i.e. with 35 songs to go):

This assigns to each song in the aggregate ranking a score using the same convention used to generate the top 75 (#75--> 1 point, #74--> 2 points etc.)

1   Signals   87
2   Clockwork Angels   85
3   Fly By Night   84
4   Counterparts   80
5   Hold Your Fire   65
6   Moving Pictures   62
7   Roll the Bones   60
8   Power Windows   49
9   Permanent Waves   42
10   A Farewell to Kings   33
11   2112   31
12   Hemispheres   31
13   Grace Under Pressure   27
14   Caress of Steel   26
15   Rush   20
16   Presto   19
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0


Of course, the heavy hitters (worth big points) are coming...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 17, 2022, 03:02:48 PM
You guys are gonna piss Kevin off if you continue with this.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: MrMike on March 17, 2022, 03:10:41 PM
37 Grand Designs
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (DTA)




36 Anthem
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (MrMike)


Grand Designs - 21.  One of those late growers that I didn't get initially.  I even saw Rush on the PoW tour and it did nothing for me back then.  But when they brought it back for the CA tour, it suddenly resonated and has since become my favorite from that album.  Same thing happened with The Body Electric.

Anthem - 10.  Yay, I'm finally high on something.  LOVE Anthem!  One of my favorite Alex riffs and Neil immediately begins elevating his new band to the next level.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 17, 2022, 03:12:36 PM
You guys are gonna piss Kevin off if you continue with this.

You are probably right  :rollin

Apologies, Kev - I'll keep doing this privately, within the confines of my own, um, spreadsheets  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 17, 2022, 03:34:41 PM
Nah, I like both your running tally of the cumulative points for each album, as well as pg1067's updates on how many songs have made it from each album and where.  It's a little less work I have to do. :lol :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 17, 2022, 04:52:39 PM
Nice to see Grand Designs so high.  I had it at 40.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 17, 2022, 05:03:41 PM
37 Grand Designs
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (DTA)


I had this at 32, but didn't think it would finish nearly as high as this.  Guess there are more Power Windows fans here than I thought (see: smart Rush fans :P).


36 Anthem
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (MrMike)


As this was the first song on the first Rush album with Neil on drums, he announced his presence in kick ass fashion. Killer song that has held up well.  I had it at 49.
Grand Designs - This was a song that I hated when I first heard the PoW album, but it grew on me a ton over time. It ended up at #55. The bright keyboards mixed with Neil's very enthusiastic drumming just somehow captivates me now.

Anthem - An old favorite, landing at #57. The live version on Different Stages is the definitive version, imo. They took the already heaviness and speed of the studio recording and amped it up to 11. Just a blistering performance of an already fast song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 17, 2022, 05:11:27 PM
I loved learning the solo to Grand Designs as a teen. Alex's solos were almost poetry to my ears.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 17, 2022, 05:14:41 PM
Here is today's update!

37 Grand Designs
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (DTA)



36 Anthem
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (MrMike)



Grand Designs - my rank 26. A great song that has grown on me over the years as the whole Power Windows album has.

Anthem - my rank 54. Always loved this one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 17, 2022, 05:17:51 PM
What planet am I on?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 17, 2022, 05:27:19 PM
37 Grand Designs
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 8 (DTA)


I had Grand Designs as Not Rated. I think it's awful, honestly, and it's not the kind of Rush that I like.

What's worse is that it's ranked at #37 and is only the second ranked POW song  to this point.  I'm dreading the possibility/probability that 6 of the top 35 songs will be POW songs.

You willing to put Big Money on that?  ;D ;)

If we're betting straight up, I'd say it's more likely that the 6 remaining POW songs will be in the top 35 (as bass ackwards as that seems to me).


The question is - how many complete Rush albums will feature in this Top 75? I figured all of Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, and Power Windows would. What about Signals? 2112? A Farewell To Kings? I haven't been keeping track, but I think pg has, so I'm interested in seeing how that goes.

Didn't Kev already tell us this?  I think he did (same time he told us that two albums are unrepresented), but I don't remember the number (my obsessive nature will force me to look after I click "post").  At this point, there's no way Signals (Chemistry), 2112 (Lessons and Tears) or AFTK (Madrigal) will be 100% albums.  The PEW and MP songs that seemed kinda sketchy have made the top 75, so I think it's a virtual certainty that they, along with Hemispheres, will make it.  And, as I mentioned above, I think the odds are now that 100% of POW makes it too.


Nah, I like both your running tally of the cumulative points for each album, as well as pg1067's updates on how many songs have made it from each album and where.  It's a little less work I have to do. :lol :tup

:tup  I figured you'd have said something by now if you minded.  By the way, now that we're more than halfway through, THANKS for doing this!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 17, 2022, 05:32:06 PM
The question is - how many complete Rush albums will feature in this Top 75? I figured all of Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, and Power Windows would. What about Signals? 2112? A Farewell To Kings? I haven't been keeping track, but I think pg has, so I'm interested in seeing how that goes.

Didn't Kev already tell us this?  I think he did (same time he told us that two albums are unrepresented), but I don't remember the number (my obsessive nature will force me to look after I click "post").  At this point, there's no way Signals (Chemistry), 2112 (Lessons and Tears) or AFTK (Madrigal) will be 100% albums.  The PEW and MP songs that seemed kinda sketchy have made the top 75, so I think it's a virtual certainty that they, along with Hemispheres, will make it.  And, as I mentioned above, I think the odds are now that 100% of POW makes it too.

Ahhh, makes sense. Thanks. I haven't thoroughly read every reply in this thread so I may have missed all of that information the first time. I may or may not have helped getting all of POW in the Top 66... 😅
Not like POW is one of my all-time favorite Rush albums, or that my username here comes directly from that album's liner notes...

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 17, 2022, 05:33:31 PM
What planet am I on?


What part of the earth were you buried for 2 decades?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 17, 2022, 05:36:06 PM
What planet am I on?


What part of the earth were you buried for 2 decades?


(https://i.imgflip.com/692ovl.jpg)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 17, 2022, 05:42:01 PM
(https://i.postimg.cc/nzgkHwHb/Zombo-Meme-17032022194123.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 17, 2022, 05:44:17 PM
(https://i.imgflip.com/692pvk.jpg)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 17, 2022, 05:48:00 PM
(https://i.postimg.cc/PJK5W0N0/Zombo-Meme-17032022194729.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 17, 2022, 05:50:52 PM
I figured you'd have said something by now if you minded.  By the way, now that we're more than halfway through, THANKS for doing this!

All good. :)  I am already plotting the next one, and it won't be me just going with the band that finished with the 2nd most votes in that poll I ran. I have a few ideas in mind.  :hat :hat
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: SoundscapeMN on March 17, 2022, 06:24:16 PM
curious where Middletown Dreams ends up.

As I posted a few weeks back, I struggle to rank songs, but if I had participated, I would have had a hard time not including that in my top 10.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 17, 2022, 06:36:20 PM
What planet am I on?

The one where power windows are everywhere.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 17, 2022, 06:38:21 PM
curious where Middletown Dreams ends up.

As I posted a few weeks back, I struggle to rank songs, but if I had participated, I would have had a hard time not including that in my top 10.

As it turns out, it's my favorite on Power Windows...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 17, 2022, 06:42:01 PM
Watching Tim and pg bemoan tickles me. Lol

Chris is bemoaning as well, he is just doing it quietly.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 17, 2022, 06:46:49 PM
You are not as adamant.   Plus, it's so much more fun to pick on Tim. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 18, 2022, 06:13:41 AM
As promised, featuring just one today since it is from Power Windows!!  :metal :metal

35 Mystic Rhythms
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (DTA)


I had this at 37, so pretty close to where it finished.  I love how this is one of those songs that is unlike anything else the band ever did, and yet is still pretty damn amazing.  Neil's drumming, which was so creative and so different from his normal rock approach, goes to another level.  Killer stuff all-around.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 18, 2022, 06:38:41 AM
As promised, featuring just one today since it is from Power Windows!!  :metal :metal

35 Mystic Rhythms
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (DTA)


I had this at 37, so pretty close to where it finished.  I love how this is one of those songs that is unlike anything else the band ever did, and yet is still pretty damn amazing.  Neil's drumming, which was so creative and so different from his normal rock approach, goes to another level.  Killer stuff all-around.

 :rollin

Mystic Rhythms (ranked #32)

Same here, pretty close to the aggregate ranking and I'm quoting everything you said. Beautiful song, and so different. Alex's guitar creates some wonderful textures as well (as usual).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 18, 2022, 06:57:27 AM
As promised, featuring just one today since it is from Power Windows!!  :metal :metal

35 Mystic Rhythms
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (DTA)



Mystic Rhythms was my number 40 pick. As you said, Neil’s drums. There’s really not a whole lot more that needs to be said. The lyrics are actually quite beautiful, and I love the guitars in this one, even if they”re completely overshadowed by synth.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 18, 2022, 07:22:05 AM
Love Mystic Rhythms. It came in at 12 on my list, and is such a great atmospheric track. You’re right, I don’t think Rush really attempted another track like this. Maybe a little bit with High Water, but that didn’t have the same swath of big keyboard and bass sounds. The whole thing is very cinematic. I love how it picks up for a second in the instrumental section and then kind of glides back down tempo wise. Some really amazing playing by Geddy on this track. So much cool stuff from Neil as well, and Alex ties it all together.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 18, 2022, 07:52:32 AM
35. Mystic Rhythms (N/A).  This was the only song from Power Windows that didn't crack my Top 75.  It's an interesting track, for sure, but it's never really resonated with me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 18, 2022, 07:56:25 AM
35 Mystic Rhythms (#21) - Great and unique song, with a very ethereal vibe. Totally amazing the drum composition and the use of eletronics here, it's like all the song was composed around the drum parts.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 18, 2022, 09:47:40 AM
35 Mystic Rhythms
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (DTA)


I had this at 37, so pretty close to where it finished.  I love how this is one of those songs that is unlike anything else the band ever did, and yet is still pretty damn amazing.  Neil's drumming, which was so creative and so different from his normal rock approach, goes to another level.  Killer stuff all-around.

(https://c.tenor.com/CfEWe4UYfbkAAAAC/vomit-monty-python.gif)

When I was taking bass lessons, my teacher challenged me to pick a song I didn't like and learn the bass part.  This was the song I picked.  Having this at #35 is downright shameful.  I had it at #132.


The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 3 songs (Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 1 song (Closer to the Heart - #43)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 2 songs (Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38)
Signals - 4 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47)
Grace Under Pressure - 1 song (The Enemy Within - #49)
Power Windows - 3 songs (Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35)
Hold Your Fire - 4 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 3 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41)
Counterparts - 5 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS

Clockwork Angels - 3 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 18, 2022, 11:58:42 AM
Grand Designs is another great track on PoW - one of the reasons I really love that album, although several others (including Emotion Detector) rank higher for me. It placed at #29 on my list.

Always loved Anthem from the first time I listened to the whole FBN album. The version on AtWaS far surpasses the studio version, with Geddy going crazy during the chorus. And this song is another example of how to properly change the vocal melody later on in the band’s career - glad they brought it back for the RtB (in part) and R40 tours. It ended up at #34 for me.

OTOH, I’ve never been a huge fan of Mystic Rhythms. For the longest time, it never really clicked with me and would probably be my least favorite on PoW. However over time, I have grown to appreciate it more, especially after seeing it live on the Counterparts tour and then again on the R30 tour. Love that they kinda extended and jammed out the outro on the Counterparts tour. That would be my favorite version of this song. Still, it’s one of the PoW tracks that didn’t make my top 75, although this one missed by only a little, making it to #82.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 18, 2022, 12:36:49 PM

(https://c.tenor.com/CfEWe4UYfbkAAAAC/vomit-monty-python.gif)

You certainly didn't disappoint  :rollin

Now curious to see what Tim comes up with

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 18, 2022, 01:06:20 PM
Wow, that is fucking gross. :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 18, 2022, 01:08:24 PM
OK, I actually had Mystic Rhythms at #43. It wasn't until A Show Of Hands that the song caught my attention. It's so much stronger than the studio version.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 18, 2022, 01:12:52 PM
OK, I actually had Mystic Rhythms at #43.

(https://c.tenor.com/rhTjHqzjUxQAAAAM/rickcosnett-eddiethawne.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 18, 2022, 01:15:59 PM
You certainly didn't disappoint  :rollin

Now curious to see what Tim comes up with

At least it won't get any worse.  Three of the five remaining POW songs were in my top 75 (although none as high of the levels we're at right now).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 18, 2022, 01:20:23 PM
I had 4 and this was the second highest.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 18, 2022, 01:33:51 PM
OK, I actually had Mystic Rhythms at #43.

(https://c.tenor.com/rhTjHqzjUxQAAAAM/rickcosnett-eddiethawne.gif)

 :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 18, 2022, 01:38:56 PM
OK, I actually had Mystic Rhythms at #43.

(https://c.tenor.com/rhTjHqzjUxQAAAAM/rickcosnett-eddiethawne.gif)

(https://c.tenor.com/2azSQu1xYI0AAAAC/i-did-what-i-had-to-do-had-to-do-it.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 18, 2022, 03:32:42 PM
 :lol :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 18, 2022, 06:11:40 PM
I have 3 Power Windows songs on my list, and all are 50+
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 18, 2022, 07:38:46 PM
35 Mystic Rhythms
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (DTA)


I had this at 37, so pretty close to where it finished.  I love how this is one of those songs that is unlike anything else the band ever did, and yet is still pretty damn amazing.  Neil's drumming, which was so creative and so different from his normal rock approach, goes to another level.  Killer stuff all-around.
Mystic Rhythms - This came in at #23 for me. I love this song! The atmosphere and how open and cavernous it sounds just demands my attention. This is also another one of those songs like Bravado that I just love the overarching drum pattern that Neil plays throughout most of the song. They are both songs I love to play to warm up on the drums and focus on limb independence. I also love the way the synths explode into the chorus. And as was mentioned this is yet another Rush song that sounds like nothing else they've done. It's interesting and damn impressive how many of those songs they have.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 18, 2022, 09:33:50 PM
Mystic Rhythms - 52 for me.

I'm a bit surprised in myself that I have 6 PW songs in my top 75. I would never call PW one of my fav Rush albums so not sure what is going on. Actually I can see it is a very polarising album on the forum and I actually get that. But with 6 songs in the top 75 maybe I like it more than I thought!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 18, 2022, 09:39:37 PM
Mystic Rhythms was number 15 for me.  What a song, what an atmosphere.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 19, 2022, 12:07:39 AM
Mystic Rhythms - 52 for me.

I'm a bit surprised in myself that I have 6 PW songs in my top 75. I would never call PW one of my fav Rush albums so not sure what is going on. Actually I can see it is a very polarising album on the forum and I actually get that. But with 6 songs in the top 75 maybe I like it more than I thought!
(https://watanabesmith.rbind.io/img/searchyourfeelings.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 19, 2022, 07:01:25 AM
One of today's songs is another that someone has as their number 1, and the other made a top 5!


34 Time Stand Still
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 1 (nobloodyname)


I put this at 51.  Some of Neil's best and most timeless lyrics.  Just a wonderful tune.  It was also possibly their worst video. :lol


33 The Pass
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 4 (wolfking)


Speaking of great lyrics, this is also among Neil's best.  I had this at 38.  The music matches the tone and message of the lyrics perfectly.  A brilliantly crafted song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 19, 2022, 07:21:25 AM
to semi catch up

53 Entre Nous (#52) just between us, I almost nailed it. 

52 Ghost of a Chance (NR)

51 Vital Signs (#24)  On its own, #51 is about right.  A damn good album closer on a terrific album, which gave it a huge bump for me.  Always the last or next to last song on my ‘best ofs’.   I love to deviate from the norm, so it fits me quite nicely.  Love the percussion during the fade out.

50 Force Ten (#37)  Good song, great album opener. Kinda of a tease, as nothing else on HYF rocked as hard.

49 The Enemy Within (#69)

48 The Weapon (#48 ) NAILED IT!  Such a good opener for Side 2 of 'Signals'.

47 Digital Man (#47) NAILED THIS ONE AS WELL!

46 Headlong Flight (#67)  one of the best from their final releases.

45 Circumstances (#16) starts off my favorite band album side in very good fashion.

44 Mission (NR) perhaps by this point of HYF I needed a bit more ‘oomph’.  Damn good instrumental ending.

43 Closer to the Heart (#34)  beautiful beginning that just keeps getting heavier and heavier.  There's nothing wrong with 'hits'.  The ‘Show of Hands’ version is top notch.

42 Caravan  (NR) I did have three CA songs listed, so it’s not that Geddy’s vocals interfered in my enjoyment of those songs.  It did for me on this one.

41 Bravado (NR)  I had two rated from RtB, this wasn’t one of them.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 19, 2022, 07:54:21 AM
Kev, you accidentally posted songs 134 & 133.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 19, 2022, 08:02:58 AM
Ah yes, this is where Tim shows his ass again. :P

(https://media2.giphy.com/media/ugiBvEhMnEo0M/giphy.gif?cid=790b7611d01d46c2810aeb260a274b10bd5e22526c761c49&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 19, 2022, 08:18:03 AM
 :lol
I had 'Time Stand Still' at #36, and 'The Pass' at #60.

I guess I don't deviate from the norm as much as some might think, unlike others who shalll remain nameless. :D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 19, 2022, 08:52:46 AM
34 Time Stand Still (#49) - Such a delicate song, with a theme that everybody can relate to and so well written. Great melodies all around.

33 The Pass (-) - Good song, not great to me. About its lyrics... I liked them much more, but now, I don't know... my understanding is that the majority of people commit suicide because they suffer from depression, which is a serious disease - and, in those cases, nobody is choosing to suicide.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 19, 2022, 08:53:58 AM
Time Stand Still (ranked #29)

My favorite song from Hold Your Fire. All-around wonderful tune, love Neil's drumming (shocking!) and the brief instrumental section is goosebump-worthy.

The Pass (ranked #38)

Love this one too. From a few interviews I've seen/read, it seems like it's one of the band's favorites. Certainly sounds very heartfelt, both musically and lyrically.
 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 19, 2022, 10:08:12 AM
I was beginning to think The Pass wasn't going to make it. Pleasantly surprised it made 3 Top 10s. I had it at #6.

Loved it from the first listen, and didn't even know it was Rush right away. Didn't sound like the Rush from the 70s I loved, or from the 80s that I hated.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Lethean on March 19, 2022, 10:16:24 AM
I don't think I could ever have ranked 75 Rush songs in any kind of order.  But I looked at the list so far and I am happy to see a bunch of Counterparts songs on there.  :)

On this page - I think Time Stand Still and The Pass are both awesome.  Great songs, great lyrics; the vocal melodies really fit the lyrics well in both cases.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 19, 2022, 10:20:27 AM
34 Time Stand Still
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 1 (nobloodyname)


I put this at 51.  Some of Neil's best and most timeless lyrics.  Just a wonderful tune.  It was also possibly their worst video. :lol


33 The Pass
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 4 (wolfking)


Speaking of great lyrics, this is also among Neil's best.  I had this at 38.  The music matches the tone and message of the lyrics perfectly.  A brilliantly crafted song.
Time Stand Still - Another great song from HYF with some timeless lyrics from Neil. I had this at #52. Yes, the video was hella cheesy, but somewhat entertaining.

The Pass - This one came in at #29, so fairly close to the consensus. I love the atmosphere here. More great lyrics by Neil, that resonate with me a lot. As some of you may know, I had a really close friend commit suicide several years ago and the lyrics to this song just really hit home for me after that.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 19, 2022, 10:28:52 AM
Two good ones!

I have Time Stand Still at 21. Love the lyrics, and it has everything else you’d expect from a great Rush musically. One that gets more poignant with each year. The third really exceptional song from HYF (along with Force Ten and Mission). Also really love the Jacob Moon cover of this.

The Pass came in at 13. One of the things I love about this song is it’s primarily built around Geddy’s bass in the verses. Just an unusual approach, especially for a ballad but it gives it some extra gravitas. I really love Neil’s drumming on the pre-chorus. Love the “dreamers learn to steer by the stars/turn to look at the cars line (even if it is borrowed/modified). One that has gotten me choked up many times for sure.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 19, 2022, 01:04:04 PM
So, WAY behind, need to catch up:

50 Force Ten 69
49 The Enemy Within 48
48 The Weapon 22 (I really dig this song)
47 Digital Man 34
46 Headlong Flight 84 (Good not great, not good enough to make the list).
45 Circumstances 41
44 Mission 8 (I LOVE this song; I'm surprised I'm not the highest rank, but I'll take it!)
43 Closer To The Heart 35 (I like this a lot, but it pales next to the rest of the album; the intro is the ringtone for my dad).
42 Caravan 109
41 Bravado 100
40 Leave That Thing Alone 44
39 Witch Hunt 51
38 By-Tor And The Snow Dog 128 (I just think this is a silly song, even for 1974)
37 Grand Designs 135
36 Anthem 72
35 Mystic Rhythms 79 (After the Big Three, this is next.  The rest of the album blows).
34 Time Stand Still 47 (One of my favorite ALBUMS, but there are better on there than this).
33 The Pass 56

And for comparison, I have Tai Shan at 91.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 19, 2022, 02:08:00 PM
A few fun facts as we keep moving forward:

-14 songs were placed at number 1 on a top 75
-The only song to get four votes at number 1 does not finish in the top 10
-One number 1 song did not finish in the top 75
-Only five songs were listed on all 25 top 75 lists

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 19, 2022, 02:21:42 PM
Those are 4 pretty amazing facts. I was wondering about that last one, as we haven't seen a song yet represented on every list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 19, 2022, 02:26:26 PM
A few fun facts as we keep moving forward:

-14 songs were placed at number 1 on a top 75
-The only song to get four votes at number 1 does not finish in the top 10
-One number 1 song did not finish in the top 75
-Only five songs were listed on all 25 top 75 lists
These are not only amazing facts, but at the same time not at all surprising. I think I said near the beginning of this that I could conceivably see almost any rush song placed as someone's #1
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 19, 2022, 04:03:50 PM
34 Time Stand Still
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 1 (nobloodyname)


I put this at 51.  Some of Neil's best and most timeless lyrics.  Just a wonderful tune.  It was also possibly their worst video. :lol

34 seems really high for this song.  The verses are good, and the middle section is really good.  The chorus is not very good.  I had it at #86.


33 The Pass
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 4 (wolfking)


Speaking of great lyrics, this is also among Neil's best.  I had this at 38.  The music matches the tone and message of the lyrics perfectly.  A brilliantly crafted song.

The Pass is a really good song.  33 is a tad high, IMO.  I had it at #49.  The song is fairly typical of the best songs on Presto in that it's a slow build.  The verses are just OK, but the chorus is excellent.  Just a really well-crafted song.


The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 3 songs (Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 1 song (Closer to the Heart - #43)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 2 songs (Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38)
Signals - 4 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47)
Grace Under Pressure - 1 song (The Enemy Within - #49)
Power Windows - 3 songs (Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35)
Hold Your Fire - 5 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34)
Presto - 3 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33)
Roll the Bones - 3 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41)
Counterparts - 5 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS

Clockwork Angels - 3 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42)

Hold Your Fire regains a tie with Counterparts for most songs so far at 5.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 19, 2022, 04:06:37 PM
A few fun facts as we keep moving forward:

-14 songs were placed at number 1 on a top 75
-The only song to get four votes at number 1 does not finish in the top 10
-One number 1 song did not finish in the top 75
-Only five songs were listed on all 25 top 75 lists

I'm confident my #1 is in the top 75, but I really hope it's not the song to miss the top 10!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 19, 2022, 04:22:42 PM
A few fun facts as we keep moving forward:

-14 songs were placed at number 1 on a top 75
-The only song to get four votes at number 1 does not finish in the top 10
-One number 1 song did not finish in the top 75
-Only five songs were listed on all 25 top 75 lists

I'm really curious to see what those 5 songs that made everyone's list are.  I'm sure there's at least one of those songs that is surprising!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 19, 2022, 04:23:25 PM
Rush in Rio was my introduction to Rush and the Pass stuck out on that.  So that live version is the reason it ranks so high.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 19, 2022, 04:28:18 PM
34 Time Stand Still
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 1 (nobloodyname)


33 The Pass
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 4 (wolfking)



I had Time Stand Still as Not Rated. It's a fine enough song. Love Neil's drum part in the chorus. I don't have anything against the song, I just didn't rate it.


I had Bravado Pt. 1 as Not Rated.


(https://media2.giphy.com/media/ugiBvEhMnEo0M/giphy.gif?cid=790b7611d01d46c2810aeb260a274b10bd5e22526c761c49&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 19, 2022, 04:51:46 PM
I know at least one other person here has my #1 as theirs, but I would be very surprised if it is in the Top 10.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 19, 2022, 04:56:50 PM

34 Time Stand Still
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 1 (nobloodyname)


I put this at 51.  Some of Neil's best and most timeless lyrics.  Just a wonderful tune.  It was also possibly their worst video. :lol


33 The Pass
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 4 (wolfking)




Yes, two good songs today.

Time Stands Still - my rank 16. Really love this song. The verses are just great and I actually enjoy the female vocals (I know this isn't for everyone...)

The Pass - my rank 58. Really good song. Love the middle part breakdown and build up.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 19, 2022, 04:59:48 PM
A few fun facts as we keep moving forward:

-14 songs were placed at number 1 on a top 75
-The only song to get four votes at number 1 does not finish in the top 10
-One number 1 song did not finish in the top 75
-Only five songs were listed on all 25 top 75 lists

These facts are crazy! Out of interest how many songs were on everyone's list in the Dream Theater top 100?

Pretty sure my number 1 will be in the top 75 but it has a very good chance of missing the top 10.

The five songs on everyone's list would nearly have to come from MP or Perm Waves albums?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: SoundscapeMN on March 19, 2022, 05:26:44 PM
A few fun facts as we keep moving forward:

-14 songs were placed at number 1 on a top 75
-The only song to get four votes at number 1 does not finish in the top 10
-One number 1 song did not finish in the top 75
-Only five songs were listed on all 25 top 75 lists



I'm really curious to see what those 5 songs that made everyone's list are.  I'm sure there's at least one of those songs that is surprising!

Odds seem likely some of them are the Epics (2112, Hemispheres, Cygnus X-1).

A song like Natural Science maybe as well, per I've always got the impression that track has become more and more loved with age as when I became a fan back in the early 90's, it was not often mentioned, but since they played it live over the last couple decades, it seems to have become a massive favorite among Prog fans.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 19, 2022, 06:11:14 PM
I'm shocked at how quickly I can fall so far behind.   But I'm loving the reactions so far.

47. Digital Man - Me - Did not rank.  Both original lists had it outside the top 100.

My least favorite song from Signals.  But I did gain a better appreciation for it when they resurrected it on the Snakes and Arrows Tour.   

46. Headlong Flight - Me #52

Fantastic rocker.  I was giddy when I heard it the first time.  Still can't believe how they ended their career on such a high note.  And this is honestly one of the main reasons. 

45. Circumstances - Me #16

I think this was the song I heard on the radio that made me run out and buy Hemispheres.   Might be one of the most perfect albums in existence.  Every song made the top 30.   It's difficult to pick a least favorite from this album because every song is perfection.  I was shocked when they dusted this one off for the S&A tour.   I was actually worried about Geddy trying something that is one of his higher songs...but the tuning down sounded great and I think it turned out much better than I expected.

44. Mission - Me #70

I hate to see that I ranked this one so low.  I actually love it more than this ranking suggests.  That "cold comfort" breakdown section gives me goosebumps every time.

43. Closer to the Heart - Me: Did not rank.   Neither list had it in the top 100.

Very overrated song.   It's pleasant enough.   It's just a little surprising that after swearing up and down that they were not going to try to write a radio hit...and then making it big with 2112 and not having a radio hit...that they would then turn around and write a radio hit.   3 minutes?  Check.  Catchy chorus?  Check.   Verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-verse-chorus structure?  Check.   The live version with the extended jam is kindof cool.  I do enjoy playing it on the guitar.   It's fun I guess.

42. Caravan - Me #54

In spite of the repetition in the chorus, I think it somehow works.   I actually got this stuck in my head for a whole week last week. 

41. Bravado - Me #40

I used to be with Tim on this one.  But then one day it just grabbed me and wouldn't let go.  Now I think it's one of the most beautiful things they've ever done.  Just a gorgeous and hypnotic melody.    And the punctuation on the "when the music stops" line is sublime. 

40. Leave That Thing Alone - Me: Did not rank.  This actually made #74 on my 2nd list and then got bumped on a last minute shuffle.  First list had it at 90. 

Love this song.  It's so much better than its predecessor which I actually don't care for that much.  Still, I'm a bit surprised that it made it this high in the ranking.    :tup

39. Witch Hunt - Me #45

This song creeped me out as a kid.  But in a good way.   I LOVED the lyrics straight away because they really shine a spot light on the ignorant people of the time who were seeing devil worship in even the slightest thing.   It really got ridiculous.   Excellent execution of the subject matter.  Captures the mood perfectly.

38. By-Tor and the Snow Dog - Me #21

I love EVERY SINGLE SECOND of this song.  I'm starting to worry about you guys calling out the "Aftermath" section in "Of the Battle".    Haven't you heard of storytelling?  Atmosphere?    It's a perfect follow up to the "7/4 War Furor" section.   The aftermath of the battle would be brooding.   It literally makes me feel like I'm standing on the battle field in the aftermath....and it's totally quiet.  And then right into Alex's beautiful solo on "Hymn of Triumph".   Na son.  The entire Of the Battle section SLAYS and is way better than parts 1, 2 and 4 which almost seem like an afterthought.   Of the Battle is the entire point of the song. 

37. Grand Designs - Me #34

When my friend first gave me Power Windows, I wasn't very impressed with The Big Money at all.  But when track 2 started, I was hooked almost immediately.    That intro synth going into the power chords is just perfection.   And the lyrics peaked my interest for the rest of the album.   Then it was just song after song after song pulling me in.   

36. Anthem - Me #32

In going from the first album to FBN, this was the PERFECT introduction to "the new Rush".   There was no doubt whatsoever that Neil made an immediate impression not only as a lyric writer, but as a musician.   Night and day difference.  When I put this record on, I think my face melted immediately.   

35. Mystic Rhythms - Me #51

boom....boom chi-chi.....boom.....boom chi-chi PAAAA

I wasn't as quite as high on this one at first...it had to grow on me a bit.   I still liked it, but now I absolutely love it.   I don't get for the life of me how people don't think this is one of Rush's musical masterpieces.  There is SO MUCH going on in these songs.   Tons of layering.   I think I still hear something new every time I listen to Power Windows. 

34. Time Stand Still - Me #66

The sentiment of the song is beautiful.   The delivery is a bit over polished and slick.   It's one of those songs that I love it when I hear it....but then I immediately don't feel like listening to it again. 

33. The Pass - Me #24

Wow.  How can anyone compare this with Bravado?   I mean.   I get that Bravado musically speaking is a bit repetitive and relies more on melody and mood and lyrics.   But I think The Pass is much more engaging song musically.   And the lyrics are even more heavy hitting than Bravado.     I have actually gotten a bit teary eyed when listening to The Pass.   Just a beautiful upbuilding song that screams at you to not give up when you sometime feel like packing it in. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 19, 2022, 06:39:26 PM
One of today's songs is another that someone has as their number 1, and the other made a top 5!


34 Time Stand Still
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 1 (nobloodyname)


33 The Pass
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 4 (wolfking)



Time Stand Still, unranked. I like the song plenty, but I’m just never seeking this one out. Aimee Mann does a great job with the backing vocals, Geddy has some extremely tasty bass lines in this one and Neil penned a great lyric that stays with me. Just overall, not one I’ll come back to often.

The Pass came in at 53 for me. While I’m aware this is easily the fan favourite for Presto, this is definitely not my highest ranked off the album (and I’m pretty sure the two I had in front of it will not meet the list). Copy my sentiments about Geddy and Neil from TSS and you have a lot of my comment for this one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: hunnus2000 on March 19, 2022, 06:43:08 PM
One of today's songs is another that someone has as their number 1, and the other made a top 5!


34 Time Stand Still
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 1 (nobloodyname)


33 The Pass
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 4 (wolfking)



Time Stand Still, unranked. I like the song plenty, but I’m just never seeking this one out. Aimee Mann does a great job with the backing vocals, Geddy has some extremely tasty bass lines in this one and Neil penned a great lyric that stays with me. Just overall, not one I’ll come back to often.

The Pass came in at 53 for me. While I’m aware this is easily the fan favourite for Presto, this is definitely not my highest ranked off the album (and I’m pretty sure the two I had in front of it will not meet the list). Copy my sentiments about Geddy and Neil from TSS and you have a lot of my comment for this one.

Well - you can always revisit this one. :(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAPSK_cV5n0
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 19, 2022, 06:45:11 PM
One of today's songs is another that someone has as their number 1, and the other made a top 5!


34 Time Stand Still
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 1 (nobloodyname)


33 The Pass
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 4 (wolfking)



Time Stand Still, unranked. I like the song plenty, but I’m just never seeking this one out. Aimee Mann does a great job with the backing vocals, Geddy has some extremely tasty bass lines in this one and Neil penned a great lyric that stays with me. Just overall, not one I’ll come back to often.

The Pass came in at 53 for me. While I’m aware this is easily the fan favourite for Presto, this is definitely not my highest ranked off the album (and I’m pretty sure the two I had in front of it will not meet the list). Copy my sentiments about Geddy and Neil from TSS and you have a lot of my comment for this one.

Well - you can always revisit this one. :(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAPSK_cV5n0
To be fair, this is very much responsible for me not listening to the original more.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 19, 2022, 06:58:54 PM

The Pass came in at 53 for me. While I’m aware this is easily the fan favourite for Presto, this is definitely not my highest ranked off the album (and I’m pretty sure the two I had in front of it will not meet the list). Copy my sentiments about Geddy and Neil from TSS and you have a lot of my comment for this one.

I actually didn't know The Pass was the fan favourite from the album. I also have 2 songs ranked higher than The Pass from Presto, hoping at least one makes it, pretty sure the other one doesn't but yes the odds aren't looking good now for either of them.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 19, 2022, 07:16:05 PM
My brother and I were recording The Pass on our home 8 track.  My brother spent a month working on programming the drums only to have the program disappear.   He was flabbergasted.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 19, 2022, 07:17:02 PM
43. Closer to the Heart - Me: Did not rank.   Neither list had it in the top 100.

Very overrated song.   It's pleasant enough.   It's just a little surprising that after swearing up and down that they were not going to try to write a radio hit...and then making it big with 2112 and not having a radio hit...that they would then turn around and write a radio hit.   3 minutes?  Check.  Catchy chorus?  Check.   Verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-verse-chorus structure?  Check.   The live version with the extended jam is kindof cool.  I do enjoy playing it on the guitar.   It's fun I guess.

Closer to the Heart doesn't have a chorus (unless you consider the repeated last line of each verse as a "chorus").


38. By-Tor and the Snow Dog - Me #21

I love EVERY SINGLE SECOND of this song.  I'm starting to worry about you guys calling out the "Aftermath" section in "Of the Battle".    Haven't you heard of storytelling?  Atmosphere?    It's a perfect follow up to the "7/4 War Furor" section.   The aftermath of the battle would be brooding.   It literally makes me feel like I'm standing on the battle field in the aftermath....and it's totally quiet.  And then right into Alex's beautiful solo on "Hymn of Triumph".   Na son.  The entire Of the Battle section SLAYS and is way better than parts 1, 2 and 4 which almost seem like an afterthought.   Of the Battle is the entire point of the song. 

Yes, yes, yes, and also...YES!  I can't help but think that the structure of By-Tor was HEAVILY influenced by Gates of Delirium.  The Aftermath and Hymn of Triumph sub-sections are directly analogous to the "Soon" section of GoD.  Likewise, Challenge and Defiance and 7/4 War Furor are analogs to the long, chaotic instrumental section of GoD.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 19, 2022, 07:31:04 PM
I don't think Closer to the Heart was an attempt to write a radio hit.  It just turned out to be one.

Also, Time Stand Still is indeed the highest ranked song from Hold Your Fire.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 19, 2022, 07:32:33 PM
Yeah, I don’t know that I would call Closer to the Heart an intentional radio hit. It was short, but hardly a traditional pop structure. I’m always amazed by how proggy that song is for being less than 3 minutes. I think on the album it almost serves as more of a segue, but it works just fine as a commercial track too.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 19, 2022, 07:39:39 PM
I don't think Closer to the Heart was an attempt to write a radio hit.  It just turned out to be one.

Also, Time Stand Still is indeed the highest ranked song from Hold Your Fire.

Agreed. Rush never tried to write a hit.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 19, 2022, 08:14:06 PM
Also, Time Stand Still is indeed the highest ranked song from Hold Your Fire.

Huh. I had Turn The age at #35 and Lock And Key at #37. Those were my highest HYF tracks.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 19, 2022, 09:14:36 PM

The Pass came in at 53 for me. While I’m aware this is easily the fan favourite for Presto, this is definitely not my highest ranked off the album (and I’m pretty sure the two I had in front of it will not meet the list). Copy my sentiments about Geddy and Neil from TSS and you have a lot of my comment for this one.

I actually didn't know The Pass was the fan favourite from the album. I also have 2 songs ranked higher than The Pass from Presto, hoping at least one makes it, pretty sure the other one doesn't but yes the odds aren't looking good now for either of them.

I kind of hate those “fan favourite” speculations.  I mean, how do you even arrive at that?   I know for me when someone says “fan favourite” I invariably think “I guess I don’t count as a fan, then!”  😄😄😄
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 19, 2022, 09:16:52 PM
Also, Time Stand Still is indeed the highest ranked song from Hold Your Fire.

Huh. I had Turn The age at #35 and Lock And Key at #37. Those were my highest HYF tracks.

Highest ranked in this cumulative top 75, fool. :P

And the fact that I got you to repost a Taylor Swift gif earlier made me giggle.  I just won the day.  :metal :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 19, 2022, 09:32:45 PM
Tim a fool?   Ot surprised. Lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 19, 2022, 09:53:16 PM
34. Time Stand Still (N/A).  Didn’t make my list, but I do enjoy this song.

33. The Pass (28).  Not too far off from the consensus, and of my favorites from Presto.  Great use of dynamics, and I love how they end it with the vocal. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 19, 2022, 10:13:52 PM

The Pass came in at 53 for me. While I’m aware this is easily the fan favourite for Presto, this is definitely not my highest ranked off the album (and I’m pretty sure the two I had in front of it will not meet the list). Copy my sentiments about Geddy and Neil from TSS and you have a lot of my comment for this one.

I actually didn't know The Pass was the fan favourite from the album. I also have 2 songs ranked higher than The Pass from Presto, hoping at least one makes it, pretty sure the other one doesn't but yes the odds aren't looking good now for either of them.

I kind of hate those “fan favourite” speculations.  I mean, how do you even arrive at that?   I know for me when someone says “fan favourite” I invariably think “I guess I don’t count as a fan, then!”  😄😄😄

Yes good point! And I agree.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 19, 2022, 10:22:15 PM
Also, Time Stand Still is indeed the highest ranked song from Hold Your Fire.

That's disappointing.  I had Time Stand Still at 21 but had Lock and Key ahead of it at 18.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Lethean on March 19, 2022, 11:54:19 PM

The Pass came in at 53 for me. While I’m aware this is easily the fan favourite for Presto, this is definitely not my highest ranked off the album (and I’m pretty sure the two I had in front of it will not meet the list). Copy my sentiments about Geddy and Neil from TSS and you have a lot of my comment for this one.

I actually didn't know The Pass was the fan favourite from the album. I also have 2 songs ranked higher than The Pass from Presto, hoping at least one makes it, pretty sure the other one doesn't but yes the odds aren't looking good now for either of them.

I didn't vote, but if I did, Available Light would have been the highest from Presto and pretty high overall.  (Not trying to get either of you to reveal yours, just suspecting AL might be one of them).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nobloodyname on March 20, 2022, 01:53:53 AM
On a different day, Time Stand Still might not have been my number one. But it'd always be there, somewhere near the top.

It's my number one on this occasion, partly because of this verse:

Summer's going fast
Nights growing colder
Children growing up
Old friends growing older

It has the ability to make me tear up. Not every time. But often enough.

My (favourite) nephew, in his late teens now, actually wrote that verse in my birthday card a couple of months ago without having any idea how I felt about the verse or indeed the song itself.

The song as a whole is also 'our', mine and my partner's, tune. At least, it has been for the last ten years. In the time since we did the rankings, we've taken the mutual decision to split-up. I'm now house hunting. But the worst fucking thing is I am going to miss our dog utterly and absolutely.

I don't suppose Time Stand Still will get any easier to listen to from here on out :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 20, 2022, 07:04:05 AM
Sorry to hear that! Hopefully, the song can be one you can enjoy again sooner rather than later.  :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 20, 2022, 07:09:38 AM
Sunday funday brings about three songs!!

32 Dreamline
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 6 (nobloodyname)


This song is nothing short of magnificent, which is why I had it at 18.  Amazing live tune as well, especially when it was the opener, and of course it utilized the lasers.  Roll the Bones sees it representation on the top 75 end with this one, but what a way to end it.


31 Middletown Dreams
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (wolfking)


Despite my mad love for Power Windows, this was just another good deep cut for me for probably the first decade of having the record, but then it was like one day it went from good to freaking amazing.  This one was at 23 for me, and we get some more fantastic lyrics from Neil in this one.


30 The Big Money
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (DTA, devieira73)


I had this one at 43.  As I watched the A Show of Hands VHS more times than I can count back in the day, and this was the opener, I pretty much know this song like the back of my hand. A bit overplayed for me in that sense, but still pretty damn great.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: ReaperKK on March 20, 2022, 07:29:50 AM
A few fun facts as we keep moving forward:

-One number 1 song did not finish in the top 75

I'm pretty sure I know what song this is :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 20, 2022, 07:32:02 AM
A few fun facts as we keep moving forward:

-One number 1 song did not finish in the top 75

I'm pretty sure I know what song this is :lol

I have no intention of outing the poster ;), but if he or she wants to own it in this thread, they can have at it.  :biggrin:

If not, I will reveal what song it is when I post the 76-165 songs here later next week (probably before I start the top 20).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: ReaperKK on March 20, 2022, 07:34:58 AM
I'll own up to it but I'll let you post the song :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 20, 2022, 07:36:38 AM
I'll own up to it but I'll let you post the song :lol

Haha, okay.  The reveal will come when I post 76-165 next week. 

Your number 1 finished at 128.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: ReaperKK on March 20, 2022, 07:38:28 AM
That's honestly better than I expected..
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 20, 2022, 08:11:30 AM
32. Dreamline (70).  I would imagine, if I redid my list, this would probably end up ranking higher.  I go through phases where I like this song a lot, and then not so much.  Great album opener, and really cool to see live.

31. Middletown Dreams (33).  Not too far off the consensus again.  I love the arrangement of this tune, and those huge synth textures on the choruses.  I had Power Windows blasting in the house yesterday, and this one sounded really good on my speakers.

30. The Big Money (22).  Synth era Rush is my favorite Rush, and this song is a big reason why.  The way they incorporated the synths into their sound is really cool and interesting.  I know Trent Reznor agrees with me!  I like how they go into the chorus before they hit the first verse, which is a really cool arrangement trick.  The middle section is also brilliant, in particular Alex’s solo and Neil’s drumming underneath the solo.  Fantastic tune.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 20, 2022, 08:21:26 AM
Three more amazing songs today.

Dreamline came in at 20 for me. Just a flat out great opener, fun to sing along to, great drumming, classic Alex making amazing sounds on the solo, one of my earlier Rush memories hearing this on the radio. Still love it.

Middle Town Dreams was 33. It’s a flat out beautiful song, and again a fantastic Alex solo. Really a lot of Alex on this song in general. Some really tasty drumming, and generally great lyrics again. The one part that’s always sort of bugged me is the rhyming of “guitar” and “star,” for some reason. But otherwise it’s a lyric that really lands for me. And Geddy really cuts loose on the outro.

The Big Money was my number 8 song. Another tremendous opener, and this also opened the Retrospective II set that was my first Rush purchase, so it holds a special place for me. What a burst of light and energy coming out through your speakers! Neil really drives this one with that huge snare sound. But I also love how he plays the main figure at the start on all the different drums. Geddy and Alex are rocking out, and Alex really blows his solo out of the water too. Just a great rocker, especially the big vamp after the chorus which comes back on the outro. Those snare rolls on the outro are amazing and one of my favorite moments from Neil. I half expected to be the high person on this one, the first of my top 10 where I wasn’t so far, but I’m glad I’m not alone in loving this one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 20, 2022, 08:28:38 AM

The Pass came in at 53 for me. While I’m aware this is easily the fan favourite for Presto, this is definitely not my highest ranked off the album (and I’m pretty sure the two I had in front of it will not meet the list). Copy my sentiments about Geddy and Neil from TSS and you have a lot of my comment for this one.

I actually didn't know The Pass was the fan favourite from the album. I also have 2 songs ranked higher than The Pass from Presto, hoping at least one makes it, pretty sure the other one doesn't but yes the odds aren't looking good now for either of them.

I kind of hate those “fan favourite” speculations.  I mean, how do you even arrive at that?   I know for me when someone says “fan favourite” I invariably think “I guess I don’t count as a fan, then!”  😄😄😄

I don't know if The Pass is a "fan favorite"...from a few relatively more recent band interviews, it was mentioned a couple of times it was one of their favorites...whatever it's worth, of course  :) There are many instances where fan favorite/band favorite are very different concepts, and I suspect that's all the more frequent with Rush  ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 20, 2022, 08:30:28 AM
Also, Time Stand Still is indeed the highest ranked song from Hold Your Fire.

That's disappointing.  I had Time Stand Still at 21 but had Lock and Key ahead of it at 18.

Time Stand Still was my highest ranked on HYF as well, but I did, too, rank Lock and Key (#50)...great song...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 20, 2022, 08:59:36 AM
My apologies for the multiple posts - I was catching up on the thread and replied to individual posts instead of quoting them in a single response...

Anyway, on to this (exciting!) batch:

Dreamline (ranked #13)

What is there to say? Fantastic song, fantastic opener. My top ranked from Roll the Bones, with great performances from everyone.

Middletown Dreams (ranked #10)

My first top-ten in the aggregate ranking! I think I have commented extensively on this one already, either earlier on this thread, or the main Rush thread.  I guess I can say this is my favorite "deep" Rush track. I remember it struck me from the very first time I listened to Power Windows, and it's my highest ranked from that record. I love everything about it, the way the verses build, the magnificent chorus, the "middle-aged Madonna" section, the amazing drum and bass work, Alex's playing. Brilliant.

The Big Money (ranked #70)

I like this song (it's in the top 75 after all!), but clearly a little less than the aggregate consensus. It works great as an opener, and I always enjoy it when it comes up...I just don't love it as much as many other songs on the album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 20, 2022, 09:38:21 AM
Sunday funday brings about three songs!!

32 Dreamline
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 6 (nobloodyname)


31 Middletown Dreams
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (wolfking)



30 The Big Money
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (DTA, devieira73)



Dreamline, didn’t rank it, but it’s pretty great. Only thing is Alex never did a solo that wowed me on this one. There’s a lot of tension and relief moments on this one too, perhaps too many.

Middletown Dreams, I’m one of the top 10 holders for this one, with it coming in at number 4. I’m not at all surprised to see someone holds this one higher than I do, but dud think it would be someine’s number one. Killer solo, amazing intro, perfection of lyrics. Love it!!

The Big Money arrives at number 14. The second highest album opener on my list (to one that I’m really expecting to be in the top 20, if not 10 (if not 5). Bit cheesy, but when Power Windows is such a pizza of an album (even when it’s at its lowest, it’s still great), for this to come out swinging the way it does, it deserves to be in my top 20!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 20, 2022, 11:04:06 AM
32 Dreamline
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 6 (nobloodyname)


This song is nothing short of magnificent, which is why I had it at 18.  Amazing live tune as well, especially when it was the opener, and of course it utilized the lasers.  Roll the Bones sees it representation on the top 75 end with this one, but what a way to end it.


31 Middletown Dreams
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (wolfking)


Despite my mad love for Power Windows, this was just another good deep cut for me for probably the first decade of having the record, but then it was like one day it went from good to freaking amazing.  This one was at 23 for me, and we get some more fantastic lyrics from Neil in this one.


30 The Big Money
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (DTA, devieira73)


I had this one at 43.  As I watched the A Show of Hands VHS more times than I can count back in the day, and this was the opener, I pretty much know this song like the back of my hand. A bit overplayed for me in that sense, but still pretty damn great.
Dreamline - This came in at #28. This was the first song I heard by Rush outside of the Moving Pictures album. I used to listen to this song (and album) all the time when it first came out. Still love this song and it was made even better when they played it live! Love the lyrics on this one especially.

Middletown Dreams - Love, love, love this song! Ranked at #19 for me, but looking at my list it probably could have ranked a little higher. No matter. Everything about this song is perfection. The lyrics are thought provoking, the music interplay between everyone is perfect, and Geddy's vocals continue to build in intensity throughout the song. And this is still only my second favorite track from Power Windows. I'm sure my favorite is still to come...stay tuned.

The Big Money - This is my least favorite on Power Windows, but still landed at #63. It's a great song and I absolutely love the live version on Rush In Rio. Great rockin outro and just the right amount of cheesy synths spread throughout the song! Not the biggest fan of the lyrics, but as was mentioned above, it's fun to sing along to.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 20, 2022, 12:06:00 PM
Just to get y'all thinking, the next song (#29) is one that if you had asked me before I saw any lists if it would make the top 75, I would have leaned towards yes, but it not making it would not have surprised me, so to say I was stunned to see it finish at 29 would be an understatement.

Hint: I believe it was played on only one tour by the band ever.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 20, 2022, 12:19:52 PM
32 Dreamline
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 6 (nobloodyname)



31 Middletown Dreams
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (wolfking)



30 The Big Money
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (DTA, devieira73)


I had Dreamline at #10. It's such a high energy song that always gets me going. I was surprised at how high I actually had it, but in a way, I'm not because this is a great and consice song.

I had Middletown Dreams as Not Rated.

I had Big Money as Not Rated. I really felt they tried to shove this song down my throat. And it's not even that good.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 20, 2022, 12:27:51 PM
Wow...I'm not surprised these three songs made the top 75 (although only one made my top 75), but these rankings are MUCH higher than I'd have expected.

32 Dreamline
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 6 (nobloodyname)


This song is nothing short of magnificent, which is why I had it at 18.  Amazing live tune as well, especially when it was the opener, and of course it utilized the lasers.  Roll the Bones sees it representation on the top 75 end with this one, but what a way to end it.

I had it at #108.  It's not a bad song...in the way that the lead singles from POW and HYF aren't bad.  It's just not great.


31 Middletown Dreams
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (wolfking)


Despite my mad love for Power Windows, this was just another good deep cut for me for probably the first decade of having the record, but then it was like one day it went from good to freaking amazing.  This one was at 23 for me, and we get some more fantastic lyrics from Neil in this one.

This is the one of today's three songs that made my top 75.  I had it at #69.  It's pretty far and away the best song on side 2 of POW and my third highest ranked song from POW.  I initially didn't care for it but have grown more fond of it recently.


30 The Big Money
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (DTA, devieira73)


I had this one at 43.  As I watched the A Show of Hands VHS more times than I can count back in the day, and this was the opener, I pretty much know this song like the back of my hand. A bit overplayed for me in that sense, but still pretty damn great.

I don't remember if I first heard this song on the radio or via the video.  I recall thinking the bass tone was better than most of GUP, and I was happy when Geddy didn't have the Steinberger in the video.  This song was never great, and it has dropped a bit for me over time.  I had it at #86.


The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 3 songs (Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)

2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 1 song (Closer to the Heart - #43)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 2 songs (Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38)
Signals - 4 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47)
Grace Under Pressure - 1 song (The Enemy Within - #49)
Power Windows - 5 songs (Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30)
Hold Your Fire - 5 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34)
Presto - 3 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33)
Roll the Bones - 4 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32)
Counterparts - 5 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS

Clockwork Angels - 3 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42)

Power Windows charges up to take a tie (with Hold Your Fire and Counterparts) for most songs so far at 5.  Unless I've missed something, there are only 11 of 19 albums that will be represented in the top 29.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DTA on March 20, 2022, 01:18:46 PM
Just to get y'all thinking, the next song (#29) is one that if you had asked me before I saw any lists if it would make the top 75, I would have leaned towards yes, but it not making it would not have surprised me, so to say I was stunned to see it finish at 29 would be an understatement.

Hint: I believe it was played on only one tour by the band ever.

Hmmm…Presto maybe? Or possibly Cinderella Man, Afterimage, or Losing It
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 20, 2022, 01:23:03 PM
Just to get y'all thinking, the next song (#29) is one that if you had asked me before I saw any lists if it would make the top 75, I would have leaned towards yes, but it not making it would not have surprised me, so to say I was stunned to see it finish at 29 would be an understatement.

Hint: I believe it was played on only one tour by the band ever.

Hmmm…Presto maybe? Or possibly Cinderella Man, Afterimage, or Losing It

He may be getting at my number one song, though I don’t think I was the only one to feature it there.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 20, 2022, 01:36:54 PM
I'm guessing Presto.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 20, 2022, 01:37:44 PM
I'm guessing Presto.

Presto was 69.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 20, 2022, 01:38:22 PM
I'm guessing Presto.

Presto was 69.


Thanks for playing, Joe! :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 20, 2022, 01:39:20 PM
My #29 was Cold Fire, which was listed at #60 on the Countdown.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 20, 2022, 01:48:48 PM
Was it? :lol

Oops. :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 20, 2022, 02:21:36 PM
And here's another catch-up post for the next batch of ten songs!

39 Witch Hunt - ranked 38th. Another close one for me, definitely worthy of its place here, especially as I always found their penultimate pieces so fascinating given their propensity of being studio-only songs that would likely never get played live (a few exceptions exist, of course, or like with "Witch Hunt" and "Losing It", they would visit the song on a later tour)
38 By-Tor and the Snow Dog - ranked 19th. Probably one of my favorite songs from their first few albums, it's got a lot of fun riffs and power to it, really showcasing their creativity and chops, and to think it all stemmed from "Working Man" jamming!
37 Grand Designs - ranked 10th. Another case of where it might have ranked lower had I edited my Top 75 before submitting, but it's a good tune. Not my favorite from POW, but one that stands out. The band seemed to like it enough to put it in their encore that tour.
36 Anthem - ranked 93rd. I'm not sure how it ended up so low, but I do really enjoy this one. It's got a powerful opening section, but I think it sort of settles into early-Rush territory after that. It's a fun song to jam to, but after the intro, it gets a bit repetitive (which is maybe why the band truncated it on some tours later on).
35 Mystic Rhythms - ranked 9th. Just above "Grand Designs" on my sorted list, definitely a great album closer, and while it's one of my favorites from POW, it's not my TOP favorite although the sorter put it there.
34 Time Stand Still - ranked 53rd. Another good one from HYF, probably a Top 3 HYF song for sure. I remember liking the music video a lot when I first discovered Rush.
33 The Pass - ranked 15th. Like "Bravado", this is another favorite off its home album, and when they played it back-to-back with "Bravado" on the VT Tour, it was a highlight to me. Everytime Geddy gets to the "Christ, what have you done" part, I get chills. So good!
32 Dreamline - ranked 111th. I honestly don't know how this ended up not even breaking 100, but it's definitely worthy of a Top 40 spot for sure. Quite an anomaly on my part, maybe when I was doing my sorting, I just felt like I had had enough of the song, as good as it is. Live, it really kills, as do most of the tracks from RTB when performed live.
31 Middletown Dreams - ranked 24th. Not too far from my own ranking, this was one I was super glad to see them bring back for the Clockwork Angels Tour, and easily one of the more underrated and underappreciated songs from POW.
30 The Big Money - ranked 29th. Yet another song that ended up being close to my own ranking. I used to not really like this one when I was first getting into the band, and I think the kind-of-cheesy music video sort of tainted my opinion of the song, but after listening to it more over the years, I've grown to like it a lot more.

And there we have another chunk of ten songs as we break the top 30. Half of Power Windows in this grouping alone, which I think leaves "Manhattan Project", "Marathon", and "Territories", which are probably my three favorites songs off the album. I'm excited to see that they'll all be in the Top 30 (most likely).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 20, 2022, 02:26:48 PM
Marc, my experience with the ranking engine is that if you slip up once with a selection, it can just burry a song. When I did DT, I must have done that with Lines in the Sand, because it ended up way at the bottom of my list. Good thing I edited it afterward. It was my number 2 song!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 20, 2022, 02:29:26 PM

32 Dreamline
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 6 (nobloodyname)


31 Middletown Dreams
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (wolfking)


30 The Big Money
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (DTA, devieira73)



Three good songs today.

Dreamline - I didn't rank but I still like this song, once again it is probably a miss for me in the rankings but I am a bit surprised it ranked this high.

Middletown Dreams - my rank 43. Great song.

The Big Money - my rank 42. Really didn't like this song at all when I first heard it. Probably turned me off the whole album but like most of Power Windows has grown on me over time.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 20, 2022, 02:30:04 PM
Marc, my experience with the ranking engine is that if you slip up once with a selection, it can just burry a song. When I did DT, I must have done that with Lines in the Sand, because it ended up way at the bottom of my list. Good thing I edited it afterward. It was my number 2 song!

Makes sense. Yeah, I think when I did my sorting, I was coming off a long day at work and was pretty tired/distracted when sorting, so I only skimmed the final ranking and submitted it. I'm not entirely too upset with my final ranking, but as we continue this countdown, I've been noticing a few songs that were "buried at the bottom" as you said, like with "Dreamline" for me. I'm sure there's a few more that I didn't realize would bury by slipping up in the song selecting, but we will see how things work out in the final 29 songs.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 20, 2022, 03:18:18 PM

The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 3 songs (Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)

2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 1 song (Closer to the Heart - #43)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 2 songs (Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38)
Signals - 4 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47)
Grace Under Pressure - 1 song (The Enemy Within - #49)
Power Windows - 5 songs (Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30)
Hold Your Fire - 5 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34)
Presto - 3 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33)
Roll the Bones - 4 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32)
Counterparts - 5 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS

Clockwork Angels - 3 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42)

Power Windows charges up to take a tie (with Hold Your Fire and Counterparts) for most songs so far at 5.  Unless I've missed something, there are only 11 of 19 albums that will be represented in the top 29.

I was going to ask about Rush (the album) - I didn't recall Kev saying that was it for songs from the debut, and in your last list before this one you didn't have it bolded yet, so I was starting to wonder. Would've been kinda surprising to have another song from it (that wasn't Working Man!) THIS high in the aggregate ranking..

Did we actually have confirmation that there were no more songs from Rush? Or is that what the mysterious #29 song is about?  ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 20, 2022, 03:26:42 PM
It is bolded, therefore it's confirmed..
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 20, 2022, 03:31:20 PM
Yep, I saw it got bolded on the last list...I just didn't recall Kev explicitly mentioning it...

Insider info?   :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 20, 2022, 04:06:04 PM
I'm surprised Big Money ranked so highly, especially ahead of Middletown Dreams too.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 20, 2022, 05:31:12 PM
Yep, I saw it got bolded on the last list...I just didn't recall Kev explicitly mentioning it...

Insider info?   :biggrin:

(https://c.tenor.com/C3lhE73FgLoAAAAM/it-could-be-it-possible.gif)

And no, I know nothing about song #29, although one mentioned by DTA was also my first thought.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 20, 2022, 07:28:02 PM
Let's knock out 29 tonight...

29 Afterimage
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (Tomislav95)


To reiterate, I am stunned by this song finishing this high.  I had it at 66, but with as much Rush as I have listened to in the last month or so, I have not listened to this one as it might be a bit too heavy for me right now given that my mother passed 32 days ago.  And I get why Rush never played it again after the P/G tour as it might have a tough one for them to play as well given that it was about a friend of theirs who died in a car accident.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 20, 2022, 07:52:39 PM
32 Dreamline (#39) - Great song and another one that benefits a lot from the extended live versions already done in the RTB tour (so why Rush didn't recorded those songs this way in the album?)

31 Middletown Dreams (-) - My 6th favorite song on PoW and one of the 3 of that album that didn't make my top 75. But I like it a lot.

30 The Big Money (#6) - Always loved this song since I've heard its intro played in a TV commercial here in Brazil. I think the ASoF version was the first that I've heard this song in full and since then I NEVER got tired of it. I think this song represents the best result of the sound Rush was aiming on PoW and HYF, with a great balance between prog, acessibility, punch and and all the new music technology at the time.

29 Afterimage (#27) - Well-deserved position IMO. I love GUP and it's my favorite keyboard era album. The atmosphere of the song - great arrangement the way the keyboard blends with the guitar, by the way! - represents very well the album's overall dark and apocalyptic mood and Geddy's vocals are really soulful.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 20, 2022, 07:52:58 PM
29 Afterimage
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (Tomislav95)


I had Afterimage at #23. There's just something about this song that hits me. It's not the typical Rush song that I think I would like, but there's just something about it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 20, 2022, 08:02:50 PM
32 Dreamline (#39) - Great song and another one that benefits a lot from the extended live versions already done in the RTB tour (so why Rush didn't recorded those songs this way in the album?)
 

I would imagine that rehearsals for the live shows were when they got ideas to tweak a song a bit. Rush never seemed like a band who thought, "Yeah, we will save that tweak for when we play it live."

Somewhat along those lines is the live versions of The Big Money.  Neil said at one point that he added certain accents live that he wish he would done in the studio, and while he didn't mention The Big Money by name, the drum fill he does live after the guitar solo after Geddy sings, "It's the power and the glory," (as well as after the following lines) for example is one I am sure he wish he had done in the studio, as he always played it that way live.  It's a very simple fill, but it gives that little section a bit more oomph than the studio version.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 20, 2022, 09:26:05 PM
I have Afterimage at 24. Fantastic song and an amazing tribute to a lost friend. That first line hits you like a ton of bricks, and the intensity never really let’s up, even with the quieter synthy section leading into Alex’s wonderful solo. Just a powerful track all around.

Was just watching this round table discussion of GUP the other night, with the wonderful Donna Halper giving her thoughts on Afterimage. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mKzMrMn7Cp4
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 20, 2022, 09:31:39 PM
29 Afterimage
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (Tomislav95)


I had Afterimage at #23. There's just something about this song that hits me. It's not the typical Rush song that I think I would like, but there's just something about it.

I'll just use this for me - (I also had Afterimage as 23 and agree there is just something about this song that hits me). I really like this one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 20, 2022, 09:34:07 PM
29 Afterimage
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (Tomislav95)


To reiterate, I am stunned by this song finishing this high.  I had it at 66, but with as much Rush as I have listened to in the last month or so, I have not listened to this one as it might be a bit too heavy for me right now given that my mother passed 32 days ago.  And I get why Rush never played it again after the P/G tour as it might have a tough one for them to play as well given that it was about a friend of theirs who died in a car accident.
Afterimage - I'm not sure why this was a surprise finishing this high. I thought this was an almost universally loved Rush song. I had it at #14. Great lyrics, great vocal melodies, and a masterful guitar solo from Alex. A great emotionally driven song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 20, 2022, 10:09:42 PM
Let's knock out 29 tonight...

29 Afterimage
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (Tomislav95)

 I have not listened to this one as it might be a bit too heavy for me right now given that my mother passed 32 days ago.

Ok, song ranking. I didn’t have it. I’m one of the five. I’m not ashamed of that fact either, I never really got behind this one. The prices have always felt kinda jarring to me. I like the parts, I don’t care for the sun.

That said, onto the other part of this. Kev, I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope you are ok, and if you ever need an ear (albeit one you don’t know), I’m here for you mate.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Tomislav95 on March 21, 2022, 01:32:38 AM
I hindsight, I may have put it even higher (at #1 even) because I'm crazy about it lately. It's full of emotions and instrumental break in thr middle of the song is something else, even though it doesn't sound like the typical Lifeson solo. Also, I love his playing in this song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 21, 2022, 06:15:20 AM
Today's featured songs see two more albums see their journey on this top 75 come to an end...

28 Animate
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (nick_z)

I had this at 30...so close!!  Counterparts was a monster album for me at the age of 20, what a way to kick off the album.  The band is on fire on the studio version, and while it was always good live, it always felt like it didn't have the energy and urgency of the studio version.  Geddy's bass tone and playing in this song is just ridiculous, in particular.


27 The Garden
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 8 (romdrums, The Realm, ReaperKK)

I figured this would finish pretty high, even though I had it at 57.  Very nice song, and a helluva way to end their studio career.  I still feel like Neil, deep down, knew that Clockwork Angels would be their last album, and wrote the lyrics to this one accordingly, knowing it would be the final track.  Pretty impressive.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 21, 2022, 06:34:03 AM
Today's featured songs see two more albums see their journey on this top 75 come to an end...

28 Animate
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (nick_z)


27 The Garden
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 8 (romdrums, The Realm, ReaperKK)

Animate, I had at 32. Great rocker. Great drum intro from Neil too. Lyrics could’ve been better, but what can you do?

Garden, I had at number 11. I can’t pick one of my top 10 it should dethrone, but I also feel like it deserves to be higher? This song is about as perfect of an ending to a career that one could ever hope for. Each of them plays their parts perfectly, and it’s a true testament to what Rush meant to us.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 21, 2022, 07:10:16 AM
29. Afterimage (75).  Just made the cut on my list, though I'm sure if I redid the list, it would be a little higher. 

28. Animate (N/A).  I've never really understood why this song is so popular with the fanbase.  Tastes, right?

27. The Garden (8).  When I first listened to this album, this song really flattened me.  Here's Rush, on what ended up being their final album, surprising me with a song I never expected from them.  Clockwork Angels as an album is something I didn't really expect from them, considering that Snakes and Arrows was good but not great.  They just sounded so inspired and driven to come up with a killer album, and they succeeded.  This song is so emotional.  I was mowing my lawn one day last summer and listening to this album, and when this song was playing, I lost it.  It must've been a sight to see a guy in his mid 40's all teary-eyed mowing his back yard!  My Dad and Neil Peart were the same age, born about 3 weeks apart and died about 3 weeks apart, both from cancer.  Whenever I listen to this song, I can't help but think of the impact they both had on me.  Anyway, I really love this song, in particular Geddy's bass line in the intro, and Alex's perfect guitar solo that really ties it all together.   
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 21, 2022, 10:27:06 AM
Let's knock out 29 tonight...

29 Afterimage
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (Tomislav95)


To reiterate, I am stunned by this song finishing this high.  I had it at 66, but with as much Rush as I have listened to in the last month or so, I have not listened to this one as it might be a bit too heavy for me right now given that my mother passed 32 days ago.  And I get why Rush never played it again after the P/G tour as it might have a tough one for them to play as well given that it was about a friend of theirs who died in a car accident.

I'm surprised by this being this high too.  I had it at #97, and it's probably my #5 song on GUP.  This song reminds me of one of my best friends (although not for the reason you might think).  GUP came out when I was a junior in high school, and my friend sat behind me in American History class, and he would constantly make Rush related comments to whatever the teacher was saying.  One of his most frequent was "suddenly you were gone."  At the time, I'm not sure either of us really comprehended the meaning of the lyrics.


28 Animate
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (nick_z)

I had this at 30...so close!!  Counterparts was a monster album for me at the age of 20, what a way to kick off the album.  The band is on fire on the studio version, and while it was always good live, it always felt like it didn't have the energy and urgency of the studio version.  Geddy's bass tone and playing in this song is just ridiculous, in particular.

This song is just ok.  I had it at #92, but I feel like it's more than 5 spots better than Afterimage.  Verses are ok, but not a fan of the choruses, and I'm not a fan in general of starting a song with a chorus.  VERY surprised it's ranked this high and is the highest ranked song on Counterparts -- especially given how many songs Counterparts got into the top 75.


27 The Garden
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 8 (romdrums, The Realm, ReaperKK)

I figured this would finish pretty high, even though I had it at 57.  Very nice song, and a helluva way to end their studio career.  I still feel like Neil, deep down, knew that Clockwork Angels would be their last album, and wrote the lyrics to this one accordingly, knowing it would be the final track.  Pretty impressive.

I'm not surprised this song is ranked this high.  In fact, given all the love I see it get, I'm actually somewhat surprised it isn't higher.  I had it at #155.  Zzzzzzz.....  Of course, I now know that my #3 song on the album, BU2B, won't be in the top 75.


The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 3 songs (Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)

2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 1 song (Closer to the Heart - #43)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 2 songs (Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38)
Signals - 4 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47)
Grace Under Pressure - 2 songs (The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29)
Power Windows - 5 songs (Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30)
Hold Your Fire - 5 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34)
Presto - 3 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33)
Roll the Bones - 4 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32)
Counterparts - 6 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS
Clockwork Angels - 4 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27)


Counterparts retakes the lead with its 6th and final song.  I'm guessing it won't hold the lead very long.  Only 2112 through POW and Presto to be represented in the top 26.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 21, 2022, 12:00:36 PM
I have Animate at 30, so right around the consensus. It’s a great opener, just a fantastic drum groove with a really strong bass line under it. Really like the subtler keyboard on the verses. The bridge is really nice too. The lyrics are a bit weird (don’t necessarily subscribe to that Jungian notion, though it probably has some merit), but they actually sing really well I think and set up the “counterparts” theme for the whole album. Just a really strong way to kick off the album.

The Garden was hard to rank. I really like it a lot, but despite some sentimentality with it being Rush/Neil’s final song, I was kind of consciously trying not to rank it higher than some other songs that I just enjoy more. As it is, it’s a lovely farewell to an amazing career. Wish the production weren’t so muddy, but it’s still good. I ended up ranking it at 60, but it could have gone up another 10-15 spots theoretically.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 21, 2022, 12:16:11 PM
Surprising no one, least of all TAC, it looks like I'm going to have a fair number of songs in my top 50 that didn't even make the 75 list. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 21, 2022, 12:35:21 PM
Surprising no one, least of all TAC, it looks like I'm going to have a fair number of songs in my top 50 that didn't even make the 75 list.

Looking at my list, none of my top 10 have appeared, but I'm relatively confident all of them will appear.  In the next group of 10, two have appeared.  With one exception, I think the rest will appear.  In the next couple groups, I've got four that I either know or am fairly sure won't appear and ten that have already appeared.  By my estimation, that's 35 of my top 40 that have appeared or I think will appear, which I think is pretty good.  Rounding out my top 50, four of my 41-50 songs are for sure shut out.

Looking only at albums that we know are done, I'm a little surprised Finding My Way didn't make the top 75, and I'm a little bummed (but not that surprised) that Beneath, Between & Behind didn't make it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 21, 2022, 01:08:31 PM
Time Stand Still is a good song, and one that's nice to play for non-Rush fans. In fact, for our wedding reception, the wedding party entrance music was TST. I remember one friend who's a huge country fan asked me who it was after the fact, since she really liked it. Still, there are many others in Rush's catalog that I'd listen to first, so I ranked it as #92.

I appreciate the sentiment and lyrics of The Pass, but I never really gravitated to the song musically. Plus using "Christ" in the song has always bothered me a bit. It's #120 on my list.

Dreamline is one of the better songs on RtB and I've always appreciated it, although it felt a bit weird when they used it to open up some of their shows - to me it starts off too light and I'd rather see something more bombastic (TSoR has always been my #1 choice as Rush concert opener). At least this one made it to my top 75 list, at #52.

Middletown Dreams is kind of a mid-tier song for me within PoW itself, but given how much I love the album, I still really like the song a lot! I know Alex has commented that he didn't quite like the way it turned out, and that he kind of tried to do the same thing on Cold Fire with (in his opinion) better results, although I still prefer MD. #39 for me.

OTOH, Big Money is just OK. One of my least favorite tracks on the album. Part of that is due to "Big money" being the beginning of each line in the verses, which I always found a bit annoying. That said, the instrumental section and especially Alex's guitar solo are amazing - just wish I felt the same way about the rest of the song. #88 on my list.

Afterimage is one of my highest ranking p/g songs. It may have a bit of a dated sound to it, but the mood and emotion that are conveyed throughout the song are some of the most moving in light of the lyrics. It's a shame they never revisited it live after the p/g tour and so therefore I never got to see it live, but it's understandable, especially after Neil's tragedies. It ranked as #27.

Add me to the list of those who don't really get the appeal of Animate. It's an OK song, and I love the breakdown with Geddy's bass, but other than that, there's nothing that really stands out about the track to me. Was bummed that they chose it to play as opposed to one of the CP tracks that never got aired live on the R40 tour. #100 on my list.

But unlike pg1067, I am among the majority that loves The Garden - definitely a beautiful way to close out their recording career. I ranked it as #32.

With that said, I'm disappointed that there won't be any other CP or CA tracks to yet make the list. While I didn't necessarily expect Alien Shore (#11 - 2nd highest ranking CP track) to make it, I did have an outside hope that The Anarchist (#16 - highest ranking CA track) would. Guess not.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 21, 2022, 01:22:06 PM
Alien Shore is a really fun track, really great energy. I had it on my list at 64. The other from CP on my list to not make it was Nobody’s Hero at 55. A little surprised that one didn’t rank.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Dream Team on March 21, 2022, 01:29:19 PM
So the 4 people who had The Garden in the top 10 all had it either 8, 9, or 10. Funny coincidence.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 21, 2022, 02:15:39 PM
So the 4 people who had The Garden in the top 10 all had it either 8, 9, or 10. Funny coincidence.

I don't know about the others, but for me, as much as I love the song, I couldn't rank it higher than the ones I had above it. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 21, 2022, 03:20:33 PM
28 Animate
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (nick_z)

I had this at 30...so close!!  Counterparts was a monster album for me at the age of 20, what a way to kick off the album.  The band is on fire on the studio version, and while it was always good live, it always felt like it didn't have the energy and urgency of the studio version.  Geddy's bass tone and playing in this song is just ridiculous, in particular.


27 The Garden
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 8 (romdrums, The Realm, ReaperKK)

I figured this would finish pretty high, even though I had it at 57.  Very nice song, and a helluva way to end their studio career.  I still feel like Neil, deep down, knew that Clockwork Angels would be their last album, and wrote the lyrics to this one accordingly, knowing it would be the final track.  Pretty impressive.
Animate - This came in at #64. I am a bit surprised it finished overall in the top 30. And the top song on CP? Weird. I like the song. As was mentioned above it has a great drum and bass groove. Plus it's another Rush song that is fun to sing along to.

The Garden - I liked this song waaaaaay more when the album was first released. I have since cooled on the song a bit, hence why it ended up at #66 for me, which feels right looking at the songs around it on my list. I really like the lyrics and how sentimental they are and it really is the perfect closer to the band's career. It's also another one of those songs that sounds nothing like anything else they've done.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 21, 2022, 03:34:53 PM

28 Animate
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (nick_z)

27 The Garden
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 8 (romdrums, The Realm, ReaperKK)


OK, too really great songs today. Also the end of songs from these two albums in the Top 75. Not surprised at all these are the two highest rankers.

Animate - my rank 32. Just a great song. I'm not a big fan of Counterparts as an album, but always liked this one.

The Garden - my rank 8. Not the only person to rank this top 10 or number 8! Just a magical song, the music and melodies on this one are just awesome. I have always loved this song and Geddy also does it justice vocally.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 21, 2022, 04:44:56 PM
28 Animate (#51) - It has a great groove and very hypnotic/repetitive feel, in a good way. It shows very well the new sound of the band/album right from the start.
 
27 The Garden (#63) - It's a great song with beautiful lyrics and a truly emblematic position in Rush's catalogue.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 21, 2022, 06:16:07 PM
Afterimage (ranked #16)

So glad to see this so high. My second favorite on p/g, I just love the melodies and the "driving" guitar in the verses, and in general the whole song's atmosphere.

Animate (ranked #8)

Another highest-ranker (and the only one having it in the top 10)! I'm actually going to quote Kev's comment here, as I echo much of his sentiment:

Today's featured songs see two more albums see their journey on this top 75 come to an end...

28 Animate
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (nick_z)

I had this at 30...so close!!  Counterparts was a monster album for me at the age of 20, what a way to kick off the album.  The band is on fire on the studio version, and while it was always good live, it always felt like it didn't have the energy and urgency of the studio version.  Geddy's bass tone and playing in this song is just ridiculous, in particular.


...clearly, I rank this song even higher, but I couldn't agree more on the impact Counterparts had on me. Keep in mind it was the very first thing I had heard from Rush. Back in 1993, believe it or not, I had no knowledge of any of the "hits"...no Tom Sawyer, no Spirit of the Radio, nothing...I had read a review of Counterparts that was praising the band for re-introducing some "crunch" in the guitars, and I gave the album a whirl. So Animate was my first Rush song ever. And it is, to this day, one of my favorites. Also agree that it always seemed difficult for the band to re-create that same drive and groove in the live versions - although I have to say when I saw R40 at the MSG that was one of my personal highlights. Maybe it was the setting, maybe it felt right that time, I don't know...but I remember getting goosebumps with the song's ending.

Sad but not unexpected to see this as the last from Counterparts to make the top 75.

The Garden (ranked #39)

Without overthinking it - masterpiece? No, but certainly a lovely song (especially the ending), and a great finale to one of the greatest runs in rock history
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 21, 2022, 06:35:44 PM
28 Animate
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (nick_z)

27 The Garden
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 8 (romdrums, The Realm, ReaperKK)

I had Animate at #34. So pretty close. I love the energy and it's a major head bobbing track. Really sets the stage for Counterparts.

I had The Garden at #54, which I guess seems kind of low. That said, it will go down lyrically as one of the most poignant final tracks of any bands career.

"The Watchmaker has time up his sleeve,
The hours tick away, they tick away

...The treasure of a life is a measure of love and respect,
The way you live, the gifts that you give

In the fullness of time,
It's the only return that you expect"


I mean, what a way to go out.
 :hefdaddy



One other band's final track was just as poignant, but for different reasons. Thin Lizzy's last album track was Heart Attack with the fatefully foretelling "Mama. I'm dying" line from Phil.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 21, 2022, 06:48:29 PM
Ten to list until 21-30 are listed:

40. Leave That Thing Alone (#72)  on one of my three ‘best ofs. 

39. Witch Hunt (#53) on its own, it's OK.  The album that its on, and where it’s placed, is perfect.

38. By-Tor and the Snow Dog (NR) I’ve heard it countless times, the instrumental is glorious and a precursor of things to come, but lyrically....

37. Grand Designs (#64) good placement and change of pace after ‘The Big Money’

36. Anthem (#32) Just thought it was a knock down kick axe rocker when it was released. 

35. Mystic Rhythms (#23)  another album closer that gets bonus points for where it is placed, and I enjoy ‘drifting’ to it.

34. Time Stand Still (#36)  when HYF was released, I ‘liked’ it, but thought it was very sugary pop music for Rush. I  put it on my second Rush era ‘best of’ simply because it was a single.  After a spell, ‘Force Ten’, this, and ‘Second Nature’ pulled me in.  Three of my favorite late 80s tracks.  A bit disappointed that ‘Second Nature’ didn’t make the list (I had it at #20).  (To ‘nobloodyname’:  I went through the same thing over twenty years ago.  It really suxx, but I hope you get to see your buddy on occasion. I didn’t)

33. The Pass (#60) its already been said.

32.  Dreamline (#38)  great kickoff to a very disappointing album for me

31. Middletown Dreams (NR)  it’s nice,  and even though I grew up in 'middletown' or 'nowheresville', this was a rather mellow 'Subdivisions'  type follow up. 

The last twenty songs listed have been an enjoyable read and listen.  Nice to see that I'm not far off at all on many song ratings, and very similar to some individuals.  Others that I don't rate as high, perhaps due to 'generational' differences, were still on my list.  Guess I'm not quite the dinosaur some might think. ;)  And, I'm getting an appreciation of others' perspectives, especially the live references.  I had the first three within months of their releases, but none afterwards other than 'Time Machine'.  Gotta check out some of the versions listed soon.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 21, 2022, 06:54:48 PM
With more than half (10/19) albums "done" with their contribution to the top 75, and 26 songs to go, here's the temp aggregate album ranking:

1   Power Windows   181
2   Clockwork Angels   134
3   Counterparts   128
4   Hold Your Fire   107
5   Roll the Bones   104
6   Signals   87
7   Fly By Night   84
8   Grace Under Pressure   74
9   Moving Pictures   62
10   Presto   62
11   Permanent Waves   42
12   A Farewell to Kings   33
13   2112   31
14   Hemispheres   31
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0

Clearly, the "best" is yet to come, but with so many albums done for, some meaningful relative rankings are being established. A bit bummed to see Counterparts below Clockwork Angels (I like the latter, but CP is a big favorite). That's what happens when there are a bunch of songs that show up early in the rankings...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 21, 2022, 06:57:02 PM
That's it, the countdown ends now, that way Power Windows finishes at number 1 in the aggregate.  :biggrin: :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 21, 2022, 06:58:33 PM
(https://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/tumblr_inline_nmuxhyPQnZ1qmrla4_500.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 21, 2022, 07:02:19 PM
(https://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/tumblr_inline_nmuxhyPQnZ1qmrla4_500.gif)

(https://c.tenor.com/KQkBNhj4nbUAAAAd/taylor-swift-magician.gif)

(https://64.media.tumblr.com/7c25d712dd959f7ecab9932a3a47e58d/d21365a2fc1b8f6c-be/s540x810/6383842cb98ddd02cb5580c28189c78d3605c0c7.gifv)

(https://c.tenor.com/DoXqYbVIf8gAAAAM/taylor-swift-red.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 21, 2022, 08:27:51 PM
I had The Garden at #54, which I guess seems kind of low. That said, it will go down lyrically as one of the most poignant final tracks of any bands career.

"The Watchmaker has time up his sleeve,
The hours tick away, they tick away

...The treasure of a life is a measure of love and respect,
The way you live, the gifts that you give

In the fullness of time,
It's the only return that you expect"


I mean, what a way to go out.
 :hefdaddy
I couldn't agree more.  :hefdaddy

When I first heard the song the day the album was released, I got all teary eyed when this song ended. I think even back then I knew in the back of my mind that this was probably it for Rush, as far as studio recordings. As was stated earlier, I think Neil did too.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 22, 2022, 06:23:55 AM
Today's songs are very different from one another...


26 A Farewell to Kings
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Stadler)


After a recent listen, I wanted to smack myself for having this only at 63.  It's a bummer that this was never brought back live in the later years, and they had supposedly rehearsed it for one tour (cannot recall which), but ultimately did not play it. I do wonder if an old Geddy had a tough time singing it, as he hits some good stuff on the original that would have been hard for him to come close to doing later.  Either way, fantastic song, very deserving of a top 30 spot.


25 Losing It
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Setlist Scotty)


I had this at 25...bingo!  I think this one definitely got the live bump after it was played at a handful of shows on the R40 tour.   It definitely did for me, as I rank it higher now than I ever did before, although that could have been a case of time and age.  Lovely little song, and I love how unique it stands in the band's history.  It's another one of their "they don't have anything else that sounds like this" songs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 22, 2022, 06:52:08 AM
26. A Farewell to Kings (N/A).  This one just missed the cutoff for me.  I like it, but there's so much I like more.

25. Losing It (39). Totally agree with the "they don't have anything else that sounds like this" idea.  The violin work really adds a nice dimension to this song, and when they finally worked it out for dates on the R40 tour, that was the coolest. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 22, 2022, 06:56:44 AM
A Farewell To Kings did not rank for me. Surprised this was on 20 of 25 lists and finished this hight to be honest. It’s not a bad song, but it’s not one you hear talked about very much I don’t think. I guess it’s probably my third favorite from this album though.

Losing It is a wonderful song, and definitely one of those “Rush never did anything else like it” type of songs. I had it at 28, just a little off of the consensus, and that feels a bit low. But the competition ahead of it was pretty fierce. It is very somber and almost a bit of a dirge, but that’s kind of the point right? Definitely the electric violin is a nice, unique touch, but the way it builds with synths first before the guitar comes is also very cool. I love the middle section, such a great build before it slows back down again for the ending. Another one of Neil’s finer lyrics, made more poignant by the song’s inclusion on their last tour for sure.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 22, 2022, 07:24:54 AM
Today's songs are very different from one another...


26 A Farewell to Kings
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Stadler)



25 Losing It
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Setlist Scotty)



A Farewell to Kings arrived at 29 for me. Not far off the mark. Maybe the second best intro to an album? (To my mind, 2112’s synth intro goes on just a little too long.) Anyway, great song, very strong lyrics that still hold up, and a line that leads into another track on the album. Brilliant.

Losing It came at number 41. Much like you, I feel like smacking myself. This song definitely deserves its current place in the list, and the 5 people that didn’t have it on the list need to be spoken to. One of very few songs with a guest artist, and the one that leaves the most impact. Leaving this til the very end meant that when it finally saw it’s live debut, we knew it was over.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 22, 2022, 08:25:10 AM
26 A Farewell to Kings (#45) - It's really an excellent song and it packs a lot of prog in only 6 minutes. I love the almost jazz drumming beneath the solo section.

25 Losing It (#41) - Really beatiful and sad song with an awesome violin solo. Yes, Rush managed to create a lot of unique songs as it's the case here.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 22, 2022, 10:46:52 AM
26 A Farewell to Kings
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Stadler)


After a recent listen, I wanted to smack myself for having this only at 63.  It's a bummer that this was never brought back live in the later years, and they had supposedly rehearsed it for one tour (cannot recall which), but ultimately did not play it. I do wonder if an old Geddy had a tough time singing it, as he hits some good stuff on the original that would have been hard for him to come close to doing later.  Either way, fantastic song, very deserving of a top 30 spot.

Hey look!  It's one of my top 10 songs!  I have it at #7.  Such an amazing song.  The production of the intro section is incredible:  the ambient sounds of rural Wales with Alex at his classical best.  Some of Neil's absolute best lyrics.  The tasty bass/drum jam in the middle before Alex's trademark, frenetic guitar solo kicks in.  Do people still record in places like this?  Sure doesn't seem like it.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Rockfield_Studios%2C_Monmouthshire.jpg)


25 Losing It
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Setlist Scotty)


I had this at 25...bingo!  I think this one definitely got the live bump after it was played at a handful of shows on the R40 tour.   It definitely did for me, as I rank it higher now than I ever did before, although that could have been a case of time and age.  Lovely little song, and I love how unique it stands in the band's history.  It's another one of their "they don't have anything else that sounds like this" songs.

Wow!  I had actually given up hope that this song would make it onto the ranking.  I wrote yesterday that, of the songs I ranked between 21-40, "I've got four that I either know or am fairly sure won't appear and ten that have already appeared."  Losing It is one of those four, so I'm very pleasantly surprised.  Like Kev, I had this at #25.  When I first heard Signals, I quickly wrote off this song because, ewwww...synths.  It's gone ever uphill since then.  There's barely a 4/4 bar in the song, the lyrics are super poignant, and jam underneath the violin solo (especially the drums), in alternating 6/8 and 5/8 is just some amazing stuff.  It's the only time I've ever videoed an entire song at a concert.  https://www.facebook.com/1250126515/videos/10205001832586085/


The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 3 songs (Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)

2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 2 songs (Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 2 songs (Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38)
Signals - 5 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25)
Grace Under Pressure - 2 songs (The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29)
Power Windows - 5 songs (Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30)
Hold Your Fire - 5 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34)
Presto - 3 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33)
Roll the Bones - 4 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32)
Counterparts - 6 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS
Clockwork Angels - 4 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27)


Signals moves into a tie for second with POW and HYF with five songs each, while Counterparts holds its lead.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 22, 2022, 10:50:12 AM
A Farewell to Kings (didn't make top 75, I had it at #81)

Ha! Didn't quite expect this to land so high in the aggregate ranking. It just missed my top 75, but I actually really like the song. The intro, the way the band enters as a whole (the main riff before the verses always sounded a touch awkward, though), the crazy drum/bass interlude with the solo. It just doesn't quite make the upper echelon of Rush songs for me. I had always assumed it was more of a "sleeper" tune, but I guess not - almost top 25!

Losing It (ranked #26)

So close! Wonderful, wonderful song, musically and lyrically. The violin is a great addition, but Alex's understated guitar work is special too. Agree with the general sentiment that it's so different for Rush, and it just works. My favorite of their "slower/ballad-y" songs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 22, 2022, 10:55:41 AM

Wow!  I had actually given up hope that this song would make it onto the ranking.  I wrote yesterday that, of the songs I ranked between 21-40, "I've got four that I either know or am fairly sure won't appear and ten that have already appeared."  Losing It is one of those four, so I'm very pleasantly surprised.  Like Kev, I had this at #25.  When I first heard Signals, I quickly wrote off this song because, ewwww...synths.  It's gone ever uphill since then.  There's barely a 4/4 bar in the song, they lyrics are super poignant, and jam underneath the violin solo (especially the drums), in alternating 6/8 and 5/8 is just some amazing stuff.  It's the only time I've ever videoed an entire song at a concert.  https://www.facebook.com/1250126515/videos/10205001832586085/


Agreed. Great stuff.


Signals moves into a tie for second with POW and HYF with five songs each, while Counterparts holds its lead.

...only in terms of number of songs, unfortunately...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 22, 2022, 11:50:00 AM
30. The Big Money (#13)  a balls to the walls tune to let you know they can still kick axe, after a somewhat timid prior album.  A question:  anyone annoyed at what seemed like a 'loudness war' with PoW as opposed to other discs?  I have 'The Big Money' after 'Distant Early Warning' and 'Red Sector A' on my second 'best of', and if I'm not near the stereo when this comes on, I almost jump through the ceiling.

29. Afterimage (#50) I truly enjoy the first three cuts of 'Grace'.

28. Animate (#40)  another stand out album opener.

27. The Garden (NR)  Their ‘The Show Must Go On’ .  I would have had it around #80 for the sentimentality.

26. A Farewell to Kings (#19)  A good song on its own.  For those of us from the vinyl era, you put the needle down at the beginning of Side One and enjoyed the ride. 

25. Losing It (NR) guess I'm one of those who needs to be spoken to. :sad:  Just didn't do anything for me then.  I watched a MSG '15 audience recording of it today.  Very poignant.  Then I listened to the studio version.  Did not like the screeching guitar pitch during the instrumental <ducks for cover>
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 22, 2022, 01:22:13 PM
Did not like the screeching guitar pitch during the instrumental <ducks for cover>
/smacks DragonAttack even though he tried ducking - that's electric violin, you dork!   :lol

I'm another of the 5 that didn't include the title track to AFtK on my list. It actually ended up at #134! I love the opening acoustic bit, but after the full band kicks in, the song loses me. I may have liked the song more when I first heard it, but as I became more intimately familiar with their catalog, it quickly dropped in my rankings and never recovered.

Like pg1067, LI didn't do much for me when I first got Signals. In fact, it was probably my least favorite song on the album... it was just so WEIRD! But as I'v grown older and my perspective has changed in life, I've come to love the song more and more to the point that it's become one of my favorite Rush songs. I feel so fortunate to have gotten to see it performed live at Rush's last ever show - it's a memory that I hope to always have. Before Rush brought it out for the R40 tour, I had always hoped that DT would cover the song themselves - I'd love to hear their interpretation of it with JR doing the electric violin parts on whatever keyboards/apps he finds most appropriate. I still hope it happens, although I doubt it ever will.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 22, 2022, 02:20:06 PM
Looking at my list, I've only had one song of my top 25 not make it so far, and I've only had the highest rating on two songs so far (Show Don't Tell and The Garden).  I'm interested to see if my number one is the one that doesn't make the top 10.  It could happen! 

Also, I've been listening to a ton of Rush since this thing started, which has been awesome.   :metal :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 22, 2022, 02:54:30 PM
Looking at my list, I've only had one song of my top 25 not make it so far, and I've only had the highest rating on two songs so far (Show Don't Tell and The Garden).  I'm interested to see if my number one is the one that doesn't make the top 10.  It could happen! 

Also, I've been listening to a ton of Rush since this thing started, which has been awesome.   :metal :metal

I've got 12 of my top 25 not appearing yet, with 3 of those already identified as not making it. Expect all the rest will show up though.

And I've also been listening to lots of Rush since this started. Been trying to listen to each song as it's revealed.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 22, 2022, 03:43:21 PM
For now, the plan is to do two more tomorrow, two more Thursday, which gets us to 21, and then Friday I will post the order of the songs that didn't make the top 75, and then give a few days for chatter and grumbling on that before diving into the top 20.  That is the tentative plan.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 22, 2022, 03:49:45 PM
I had it Number #2; it just scratches every itch that Rush is intended to scratch.  Cool intro, great wall of guitars, Neil, a good melody that actually complements Geddy's voice, cool timeless lyrics...  I've always liked it, but when I got the Sector box set and played it on my home stereo, it just took on new life.  I love that song.   
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 22, 2022, 03:52:50 PM
I had it Number #2; it just scratches every itch that Rush is intended to scratch.  Cool intro, great wall of guitars, Neil, a good melody that actually complements Geddy's voice, cool timeless lyrics...  I've always liked it, but when I got the Sector box set and played it on my home stereo, it just took on new life.  I love that song.

Honestly, had I done a deep dive through the discography again when doing my ranking, as opposed to right now as we move through the top 75, A Farewell to Kings likely would have finished a lot higher for me.  I can chalk that up as one that I had forgotten how good it is.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 22, 2022, 03:55:14 PM

26 A Farewell to Kings
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Stadler)


25 Losing It
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Setlist Scotty)



Yes, two very different songs today.

A Farewell to Kings - my rank 20. Just a great song, excellent driving rhythm, just love the musicianship on display on this one. Beautiful intro. I always thought this was a bit of a recognised classic? So it feels a little strange to me that 5 people didn't rank it. I guess on the other hand it had 3 top 10 finishes, and a number 2 ranking..

Losing It - my rank 41. Really beautiful song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 22, 2022, 03:56:06 PM
Sounds like a plan  :tup

Looking back, instead of ahead, so far:

- the highest ranked in the aggregate that did NOT make my top 75 was A Farewell to Kings (the song) (#26). I did rank it in my top 100, though (#81)
- the highest ranked in the aggregate that I did not rank at all (i.e. not in the top 100) was Digital Man (#47)
- Song with the largest "positive" difference in ranking vs. aggregate: Roll the Bones (#18 vs. #75 in aggregate)
- Song with the largest "negative" difference in ranking (among those I did rank in the top 75): The Big Money (#70 vs. #30 in aggregate) - which is kinda funny, since I really like the song and LOVE the album. I guess that's just the way it worked out with the rest of the songs.

Overall, nothing too outrageous  ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 22, 2022, 04:00:12 PM

I've got 12 of my top 25 not appearing yet, with 3 of those already identified as not making it. Expect all the rest will show up though.


All of my top 25 that haven't appeared yet (18) haven't been ruled out yet. Really curious to see how this shapes up.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 22, 2022, 04:29:39 PM
Looking at my list, I've only had one song of my top 25 not make it so far, and I've only had the highest rating on two songs so far (Show Don't Tell and The Garden).  I'm interested to see if my number one is the one that doesn't make the top 10.  It could happen! 

So...24 of your 25 have been in the 25-75 range?  Interesting.

Five of my top 25 have appeared and only one of the remaining 20 is locked out.


- the highest ranked in the aggregate that did NOT make my top 75 was A Farewell to Kings (the song) (#26). I did rank it in my top 100, though (#81)
- the highest ranked in the aggregate that I did not rank at all (i.e. not in the top 100) was Digital Man (#47)
- Song with the largest "positive" difference in ranking vs. aggregate: Roll the Bones (#18 vs. #75 in aggregate)
- Song with the largest "negative" difference in ranking (among those I did rank in the top 75): The Big Money (#70 vs. #30 in aggregate) - which is kinda funny, since I really like the song and LOVE the album. I guess that's just the way it worked out with the rest of the songs.

For me, the highest ranked that wasn't in my top 75 was The Garden -- aggregate was 27; I had it at 155.

I think you're talking about "positive difference" as a song that you ranked much higher than the aggregate.  Mine is Countdown.  I had it at 22 versus the aggregate ranking of 68.  The Garden is also my biggest negative difference song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 22, 2022, 04:46:35 PM
26 A Farewell to Kings
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Stadler)



25 Losing It
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Setlist Scotty)


I had A Farewell To Kings at #69. I don't think it's a great song by any stretch. That album, to me, is easily the weakest of the whole first half of their career up until Power Windows/Hold Your Fire.


I had Losing It at #39. Always loved this song. Feels a bit low. Great hi-hat work by Neil on this one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 22, 2022, 04:54:41 PM
Five of my top 25 have appeared and only one of the remaining 20 is locked out.


Five of my Top 25 have appeared and four are locked out.

The four that are locked out are:

What You're Doing #15
Nobody's Hero #12
In The End #11
Finding My Way  #9



And I still have not had the highest rating for any song yet...not including the locked out ones. ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 22, 2022, 04:56:21 PM
Did not like the screeching guitar pitch during the instrumental <ducks for cover>
/smacks DragonAttack even though he tried ducking - that's electric violin, you dork!   :lol

Call me a double dork, since I had just watched the live performance :facepalm: (hopefully having nailed the exact positions of two consecutive songs earlier gets me a pass ;)).

Enjoyed your write up of the song.  Curious as to what your ranking was.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 22, 2022, 05:15:24 PM
I still have 17 of my top 25 in the running, none of the 17 have been locked out. The other 8 have already all been included in the top 75. So I guess I am a chance to have all my top 25 appear in the top 75..

The 8 seen so far that were in my top 25 are:

The Garden (my rank 8)
A Passage to Bangkok (9)
Vital Signs (11)
Time Stands Still (16)
A Farewell to Kings (20)
Something for Nothing (21)
Afterimage (23)
Entre Nous (24)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 22, 2022, 05:16:01 PM
Five of my top 25 have appeared and only one of the remaining 20 is locked out.


Five of my Top 25 have appeared and four are locked out.

The four that are locked out are:

What You're Doing #15
Nobody's Hero #12
In The End #11
Finding My Way  #9



And I still have not had the highest rating for any song yet...not including the locked out ones. ;D

I can't wait to do that analysis when I get home (my list is on a different computer).  I think I have two of the highest ratings so far, maybe three (I think "Mission" and I know "AFTK").
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 22, 2022, 05:24:16 PM

I've got 12 of my top 25 not appearing yet, with 3 of those already identified as not making it. Expect all the rest will show up though.


All of my top 25 that haven't appeared yet (18) haven't been ruled out yet. Really curious to see how this shapes up.

Ok, so to elaborate further on this - The seven songs in my top 25 that showed up so far:

Leave That Thing Alone: #21 (#40 in the aggregate)
Roll the Bones: #18 and top ranker (#75 in the aggregate)
Afterimage: #16 (#29 in the aggregate)
Cold Fire: #14 and top ranker (#60 in the aggregate)
Dreamline: #13 (#32 in the aggregate)
Middletown Dreams: #10 (#31 in the aggregate)
Animate: #8 and top ranker (#28 in the aggregate)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 22, 2022, 05:26:05 PM
26 A Farewell to Kings
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Stadler)


After a recent listen, I wanted to smack myself for having this only at 63.  It's a bummer that this was never brought back live in the later years, and they had supposedly rehearsed it for one tour (cannot recall which), but ultimately did not play it. I do wonder if an old Geddy had a tough time singing it, as he hits some good stuff on the original that would have been hard for him to come close to doing later.  Either way, fantastic song, very deserving of a top 30 spot.


25 Losing It
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Setlist Scotty)


I had this at 25...bingo!  I think this one definitely got the live bump after it was played at a handful of shows on the R40 tour.   It definitely did for me, as I rank it higher now than I ever did before, although that could have been a case of time and age.  Lovely little song, and I love how unique it stands in the band's history.  It's another one of their "they don't have anything else that sounds like this" songs.
A Farewell to Kings - This came in at #30 for me. I'm actually a little surprised I ranked it this high. I do love the song, plus the live version on Different Stages is amazing, but I had figured on it ranking lower when I started my rankings. The Classical guitar is great and I really like the chorus.

Losing It - This was at #41. As was mentioned multiple times, this was a unique Rush song that didn't sound like anything else. Partly due to the use of Electric Violin, but also the overall atmosphere. Love the lyrics, they especially seem to apply more and more the older I get.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 22, 2022, 05:32:54 PM
Five of my top 25 have appeared and only one of the remaining 20 is locked out.


Five of my Top 25 have appeared and four are locked out.

The four that are locked out are:

What You're Doing #15
Nobody's Hero #12
In The End #11
Finding My Way  #9



And I still have not had the highest rating for any song yet...not including the locked out ones. ;D

Wow, two songs from the debut in the top 25, uh? (or maybe more? Don't remember where you ranked Working Man)

By the way, I love Nobody's Hero...sad to not see it ranked in the aggregate top 75...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 22, 2022, 05:41:13 PM
I had Working Man at #65. And I had Here Again at #73.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 22, 2022, 06:51:38 PM



And I still have not had the highest rating for any song yet...not including the locked out ones. ;D

Fear not. You are the high rater for one of the big dogs that we will still not see for a while.  :hat


By the way, I love Nobody's Hero...sad to not see it ranked in the aggregate top 75...

I would have been surprised if it had made the top 75, to be honest.  I love it and rated it at 40, but I know that a lot of fans are not crazy about it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 22, 2022, 06:52:45 PM
I kinda wish the 76+ songs were not revealed till the entire 75 are listed. It would leave room for at least the possibility of a surprise or two, even if at the individual level.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 22, 2022, 06:54:51 PM
I had Working Man at #65. And I had Here Again at #73.

Here Again made my list, too.  I love that song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 22, 2022, 06:55:41 PM
I kinda wish the 76+ songs were not revealed till the entire 75 are listed. It would leave room for at least the possibility of a surprise or two, even if at the individual level.

Hmmm, that might not be a bad idea.  I will think that one over.  :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 22, 2022, 07:36:58 PM
It is your thread, but you know I would ‘second’ that motion. It would keep the discussion mostly on the countdown. And then see follow up lists together of our songs that did not make the lists which should make for an interesting discussion on its own.

Sidebar: did your friend let you play his pinball machine, or was it ‘hands off’😉?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 22, 2022, 07:42:25 PM
It is your thread, but you know I would ‘second’ that motion. It would keep the discussion mostly on the countdown.

Sidebar: did your friend let you play his pinball machine, or was it ‘hands off’😉?

Nope, we both played a few games.  I am not a big pinball wizard :P, but it was cool to see all of the stuff, and of course Geddy and Alex did all of the voices you hear in the game.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 22, 2022, 07:43:52 PM
It is your thread, but you know I would ‘second’ that motion. It would keep the discussion mostly on the countdown.

Sidebar: did your friend let you play his pinball machine, or was it ‘hands off’😉?

Nope, we both played a few games.  I am not a big pinball wizard :P, but it was cool to see all of the stuff, and of course Geddy and Alex did all of the voices you hear in the game.

So Geddy and Alex told you that you suck at pinball?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 22, 2022, 08:18:17 PM
Looking at my list, I've only had one song of my top 25 not make it so far, and I've only had the highest rating on two songs so far (Show Don't Tell and The Garden).  I'm interested to see if my number one is the one that doesn't make the top 10.  It could happen! 

So...24 of your 25 have been in the 25-75 range?  Interesting.

What I meant to say was that I’ve only had 1 of my top 25 songs not make the aggregate Top 75.  Of my Top 25, I’ve had 7 named so far, including 2 where I had the highest ranking (Show Don’t Tell at #17, and The Garden at #8).  So 17 of my top 25 are still in play.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nobloodyname on March 23, 2022, 12:04:39 AM
It is your thread, but you know I would ‘second’ that motion. It would keep the discussion mostly on the countdown.

Thirded! :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 23, 2022, 12:16:09 AM
It is your thread, but you know I would ‘second’ that motion. It would keep the discussion mostly on the countdown.

Thirded! :biggrin:

I also agree, fourthed kinda sounds wrong though.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 23, 2022, 06:00:57 AM
Works for me, and in the meantime...

24 Territories
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (jammindude)


This song was an instant favorite for me, and has remained one of my favorites, landing at 13 in my ranking.  I think a very strong case can be made that this song was Neil at his lyrical best.  Just amazing.


23 Cygnus X-1
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 5
Highest Ranking: 4 (The Letter M, Cool Chris, Dream Team)


I don't quite genuflect to this song like I used to, but I still had it at 47.  In the conversation of "When did Rush rock the hardest?", there are two moments, the latter half of the second section of The Fountain of Lamneth, and then the last few minutes of this song.  The edgier production and mix of A Farewell to Kings really benefits this song. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 23, 2022, 06:06:35 AM
I got Big Money on a 10" album single with Territories as the B side so I got to hear it before the album came out. I loved it right away.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 23, 2022, 06:11:52 AM
24 Territories
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (jammindude)


23 Cygnus X-1
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 5
Highest Ranking: 4 (The Letter M, Cool Chris, Dream Team)



I had Territories at #50. This was really the only song that appealed to me when Power Windows came out. It was the only song that, at the time, I thought sounded like Rush. Plus, it was the heavier track on the album.

I had Cygnus X-1 at #67. I just consider AFTK a weak album. This is a cool enough song with lots of cool parts, but I guess they never seem to tie it all together for me. I've never loved this track.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 23, 2022, 06:43:45 AM
Territories (ranked #72)

Great song (like pretty much everything on Power Windows  :metal), but in the bottom tier of that album for me, actually. I guess the consensus is a little different here (if even Tim likes it! :biggrin:). Love Alex's guitar on this.

Cygnus X-1 (ranked #12)

Fantastic song. That was the great thing about discovering Rush and exploring their catalog - there were so many cool surprises and left turns. First time I listened to A Farewell to Kings and I got to Cygnus X-1, I was floored by how heavy and "riffy" it was, especially the first part. I always felt it had such an influence on bands like Voivod. And, yes, the last few minutes are kinda nuts.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 23, 2022, 06:56:56 AM
24. Territories (12).  What a showcase for Neil, as both a drummer and a lyricist.  His lyrics are relevant, especially today, as we watch the war in Ukraine.  And goddamn, his drumming!!  This is one of my all time favorite Neil drum parts.  It's so powerful and so expertly orchestrated.

23. Cygnus X-1 (37).  I like what they were going for on this, and this is a great example of them really pushing themselves as players.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 23, 2022, 07:37:13 AM
Oh, wow, I was worried Territories wouldn’t make it since we hadn’t seen it yet through the first 50 songs. Maybe we get all of them on after all! I have this one at 34, and at first it was my least favorite track on PW. But once I sort of figured out what he was saying in the lyrics it started to click, though I’d say it was really only a couple of years back that the music really clicked for me too. Now I really love everything about it, even the “better beer” line. I think Neil really nails the topic lyrically. Some great bass lines from Geddy on this one. ALSO: those fills from Neil following the “colorful rag is unfurled” line.

Cygnus X-1 is one of my least favorite Rush songs. I even (randomly) listened to it again just last night trying to give it another shot and just don’t get it. There is no flow, just a bunch of random different riffs and sections bolted together and weird space noises. Some of the individual parts are pretty cool and probably could have been worked into a memorable song, but this one is not it!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 23, 2022, 08:03:07 AM
Works for me, and in the meantime...

24 Territories
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (jammindude)


23 Cygnus X-1
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 5
Highest Ranking: 4 (The Letter M, Cool Chris, Dream Team)



Dang! These are really far apart for me.

Territories is my number 75. Never been a favourite on Power Windows, and very barely scratched through instead of Nobody’s Hero. Idk, this one’s cool, but, just never really phased me.

Now Cygnus X-1, on the other hand, hit at 33! While it”s easily my lesser two of the Cygnus Duology, the opening jam is awesome, and even through the slower sections, this thing never loses it’s way. 10:27 long and once it kicks off, it flys by.   
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 23, 2022, 08:43:39 AM
24 Territories (#36) - My first exposure to it was seeing ASoH VHS and I really enjoyed it - at the time I was discovering Rush and wasn't quite sure what to think about them from GUP to HYF. But, this song immediately went along with the ones I liked a lot from that era and sure it was one of the most guitar-oriented songs from that time.

23 Cygnus X-1 (#50) - This intro and the very heavy ending are great! But all its instrumental parts are very interesting.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 23, 2022, 09:56:16 AM
Five of my top 25 have appeared and only one of the remaining 20 is locked out.


Five of my Top 25 have appeared and four are locked out.

The four that are locked out are:

What You're Doing #15
Nobody's Hero #12
In The End #11
Finding My Way  #9

I'm REALLY surprised that Finding My Way didn't make the top 75.  I had it at #58.

The only songs from my top 25 that have appeared are Cygnus Book I, AFTK, Digital Man, Countdown and Losing It, and my one locked out song is Earthshine, which I had at #23.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 23, 2022, 10:00:51 AM
So far, my highest-ranked song that's locked out is Alien Shore (had it at #41), followed by Vapor Trail (had it at #42)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 23, 2022, 10:14:10 AM
24 Territories
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (jammindude)


This song was an instant favorite for me, and has remained one of my favorites, landing at 13 in my ranking.  I think a very strong case can be made that this song was Neil at his lyrical best.  Just amazing.

I REALLY don't like this song.  I had it at #106, and looking at where some other songs fell out behind it, that's WAY too high.  It's pretty much everything that's wrong with that era.  With this as the side 2 opener and Mystic Rhythms as the closer, it's no wonder it took me a while to recognize that the two songs that came between were actually pretty decent.


23 Cygnus X-1
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 5
Highest Ranking: 4 (The Letter M, Cool Chris, Dream Team)


I don't quite genuflect to this song like I used to, but I still had it at 47.  In the conversation of "When did Rush rock the hardest?", there are two moments, the latter half of the second section of The Fountain of Lamneth, and then the last few minutes of this song.  The edgier production and mix of A Farewell to Kings really benefits this song.

Damn!  I just missed having the highest ranking for a song.  The Voyage came in at #5 for me.  It's the epitome of epic.  Geddy's vocals are just ridiculous, and this might be Rush's heaviest song.  Just a perfect weaving of prog elements with heaviness.  Possibly the only Rush song I was able to learn all the way through on bass just by ear.  I can remember sitting in my room for hours going over each section.  So much good stuff!  Completely mind-boggling that this song was left off two more rankings than Territories.


The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 3 songs (Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)

2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 3 songs (Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26; Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - #23)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 2 songs (Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38)
Signals - 5 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25)
Grace Under Pressure - 2 songs (The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29)
Power Windows - 6 songs (Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30; Territories #24)
Hold Your Fire - 5 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34)
Presto - 3 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33)
Roll the Bones - 4 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32)
Counterparts - 6 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS
Clockwork Angels - 4 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27)


POW back in a tie with Counterparts for most songs to appear so far, and any doubt that POW would get all 8 of its songs in the ranking is now completely gone.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 23, 2022, 11:36:12 AM
Works for me, and in the meantime...

24 Territories
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (jammindude)


This song was an instant favorite for me, and has remained one of my favorites, landing at 13 in my ranking.  I think a very strong case can be made that this song was Neil at his lyrical best.  Just amazing.


23 Cygnus X-1
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 5
Highest Ranking: 4 (The Letter M, Cool Chris, Dream Team)


I don't quite genuflect to this song like I used to, but I still had it at 47.  In the conversation of "When did Rush rock the hardest?", there are two moments, the latter half of the second section of The Fountain of Lamneth, and then the last few minutes of this song.  The edgier production and mix of A Farewell to Kings really benefits this song.

Oh hey, my first mention in the rankings! I guess I'll do another catch-up post:

29 Afterimage - ranked 55th. A very poignant song these days, this is an underappreciated GUP song, and I wish the band had played it more after the GUP tour (which even then, it was dropped halfway through that tour).
28 Animate - ranked 92nd. Had I edited my final ranking, this would've ended up higher, though I sort of agree with how the band edited it for the 21st century when they brought it back. Parts of it felt a bit long, though it's still a strong album opener.
27 The Garden - ranked 17th. Probably my favorite song off of Clockwork Angels, and my highest ranked CA song on my list.
26 A Farewell To Kings - ranked 34th. A pretty strong opener from one of my favorite Rush albums. I was sad to find out that they dropped it from their live shows after the Hemispheres Tour, though given the direction their music would take, I understand why.
25 Losing It - ranked 42nd. I've always enjoyed this one, so when it was got played live on the R40 tour, I was ecstatic that the band brought it out (finally), even if it was only for five shows. I might've ranked it higher had I edited my final list.
24 Territories - ranked 23rd. Another really close one to the actual ranking (I feel like I've been getting a LOT of these). Great song from POW, in my top half of the album.
23 Cygnus X-1 - ranked 4th (as stated above). Definitely worthy of a Top 5 Rush Song spot. What else could I say that hasn't been said before? This has some great playing from the band, a lot of hard and fast riffs and fills, just expert performances from everyone.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 23, 2022, 12:08:47 PM
Did not like the screeching guitar pitch during the instrumental <ducks for cover>
/smacks DragonAttack even though he tried ducking - that's electric violin, you dork!   :lol
Call me a double dork, since I had just watched the live performance :facepalm: (hopefully having nailed the exact positions of two consecutive songs earlier gets me a pass ;)).

Enjoyed your write up of the song.  Curious as to what your ranking was.
Going for a "triple dork"?
25 Losing It
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Setlist Scotty)

:biggrin:

But seriously, thanks for your kind words about my comments on LI! Maybe in time it will grow on you like it did for me.  :)

It's funny that for my highest ranking PoW song, I didn't really like it much on first listen. In fact, I think it took a couple years before I came around to liking it - kinda like how I felt about LI, but it didn't take as long. I actually got to see it performed live on the HYF tour, but didn't appreciate it at the time - I just remember seeing some weird tribal African or Indian masks floating around on the video screen for parts of the song. I'm so glad that they brought it back for the CA tour so that I got a chance to truly enjoy it live. Not much else I can say that hasn't been said before. It's a lyrical masterpiece with some great guitar riffs and musically just fits in so well with what the lyrics are all about. It made it to #5 on my list, just under my buddy Jammindude.

Once again, I'm one of the outliers that doesn't really like Cygnus X-1 that much. It's OK and I'll listen to it, but I won't actively go out of my way to give it a spin. With all that said, I did enjoy when they finally started playing more of it on the VT tour - I just LOVE that heavy feedback transition that Alex used as they drifted from By-Tor into Cygnus X-1 during the encore! Nonetheless, the song didn't make my top 75, ending up at #93.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 23, 2022, 02:37:06 PM

24 Territories
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (jammindude)


23 Cygnus X-1
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 5
Highest Ranking: 4 (The Letter M, Cool Chris, Dream Team)



Territories - unranked for me. I don't get it? Sorry, this is the first time I am absolutely shocked by the placement of a song. I did have 6 songs from PW in my top 75 so I do like the album but to me, Territories is one of Rush's weakest songs. I do like some of the music but the vocals and vocal melody are just extremely unappealing and jarring to me. It really puts me off.

Cygnus X-1 - my rank 56. Always liked this one but it isn't near the top of the more prog era Rush tunes.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 23, 2022, 03:20:19 PM
You know, has any song appeared on more lists so far than Territories (21 of 25 lists)?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 23, 2022, 03:37:46 PM
The people who don't like Territories are looking through the eyeglass in reverse.  ;) ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 23, 2022, 03:54:53 PM
They don't like better food and better beer.  Obviously.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 23, 2022, 04:06:34 PM
Territories in the top 25, very nice.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 23, 2022, 05:38:41 PM
24 Territories
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (jammindude)


This song was an instant favorite for me, and has remained one of my favorites, landing at 13 in my ranking.  I think a very strong case can be made that this song was Neil at his lyrical best.  Just amazing.


23 Cygnus X-1
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 5
Highest Ranking: 4 (The Letter M, Cool Chris, Dream Team)


I don't quite genuflect to this song like I used to, but I still had it at 47.  In the conversation of "When did Rush rock the hardest?", there are two moments, the latter half of the second section of The Fountain of Lamneth, and then the last few minutes of this song.  The edgier production and mix of A Farewell to Kings really benefits this song.
Territories - This ranked just a little ahead of Big Money for me at #60. I really like the lyrics and the drumming here. The rest of it is merely just OK to me. Good song overall, but obviously 59 songs placed higher than it.

Cygnus X-1 - This almost cracked the top 10 at #12. I loved this song from the first moment I heard it. It's everything I love in music; atmosphere, heaviness, technical playing, melody, great vocals, great lyrics. The whole package. Also, like PG this is one of the few Rush songs I actually learned on bass by ear. Back probably 24 years ago a friend and I learned this on guitar and bass, we didn't know anyone that could play the drums at the time so we couldn't play it for people. This was the final shoe that dropped that made me decide to pick up drums. Well, mostly it was my fandom of Rush and Neil, but this was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 23, 2022, 05:55:45 PM
They don't like better food and better beer.  Obviously.

In this case, I like better songwriting and better performing.   :biggrin:


You know, has any song appeared on more lists so far than Territories (21 of 25 lists)?

Going back to song #45, no.  However, The Garden also appeared on 21 lists.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 23, 2022, 06:03:52 PM
 :lol

Says the violin player on the Titanic. :lol

Just teasing!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 23, 2022, 06:22:29 PM
This is where I will be accused of being crazy, but as I am doing a run through of Rush's discography again right now, while the song A Farewell to Kings would rank a lot higher for me than it did a month ago, conversely, Cygnus X-1 would rank a lot lower for me.  I listened to both yesterday and today and was kind of stunned at how much I didn't really enjoy it.  And I enjoyed the hell out of the first four songs from that record (Madrigal is always a snoozer for me), so it's not like I am off of 1977 Rush right now.  I just think Cygnus X-1 isn't as great as I always thought it was.   
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 23, 2022, 06:40:58 PM
This is where I will be accused of being crazy, but as I am doing a run through of Rush's discography again right now, while the song A Farewell to Kings would rank a lot higher for me than it did a month ago, conversely, Cygnus X-1 would rank a lot lower for me.  I listened to both yesterday and today and was kind of stunned at how much I didn't really enjoy it.  And I enjoyed the hell out of the first four songs from that record (Madrigal is always a snoozer for me), so it's not like I am off of 1977 Rush right now.  I just think Cygnus X-1 isn't as great as I always thought it was.

It’s just a bunch of ideas in search of a song. I also listened to all of AFTK last night and would agree that the first 4 songs are good to great, and then the last two just don’t land at all.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 23, 2022, 07:02:38 PM
They don't like better food and better beer.  Obviously.

In this case, I like better songwriting and better performing.   :biggrin:


HAHAHAHA!   I wish I thought of that line!   :)  :) :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 23, 2022, 07:27:55 PM
This is where I will be accused of being crazy, but as I am doing a run through of Rush's discography again right now, while the song A Farewell to Kings would rank a lot higher for me than it did a month ago, conversely, Cygnus X-1 would rank a lot lower for me.  I listened to both yesterday and today and was kind of stunned at how much I didn't really enjoy it.  And I enjoyed the hell out of the first four songs from that record (Madrigal is always a snoozer for me), so it's not like I am off of 1977 Rush right now.  I just think Cygnus X-1 isn't as great as I always thought it was.

Doing the same thing, and listened to A Farewell to Kings today. Agreed on the title-track, I wish I had ranked it higher (it did pretty well anyway  :)). Differently from you, though, today's session confirmed Cygnus X-1 is exactly as great as I remembered  :biggrin: Love it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 23, 2022, 08:21:55 PM
They don't like better food and better beer.  Obviously.

In this case, I like better songwriting and better performing.   :biggrin:


HAHAHAHA!   I wish I thought of that line!   :)  :) :)


Yes, great comeback here.

(That better food and better beer line just kills me - just so lame)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 23, 2022, 11:56:22 PM
That’s my second favorite line in the entire song. It’s PERFECT!

Full write up later. Just got back from two day training convention for work. I’m getting over a bad cold (cough won’t go away) and I’m exhausted.

But I’m PUMPED that POWs best song made it to the top 25!!!

:panicattack:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 24, 2022, 04:43:23 AM
They don't like better food and better beer.  Obviously.

In this case, I like better songwriting and better performing.   :biggrin:


HAHAHAHA!   I wish I thought of that line!   :)  :) :)


Yes, great comeback here.

(That better food and better beer line just kills me - just so lame)

Lame?  Please. It's a fantastic line.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 24, 2022, 06:08:28 AM
We get the last two before we hit the top 20...

(https://64.media.tumblr.com/efaaf355ca3fba5052e0094e9c3d07e5/66b12084d374d6e0-2d/s400x600/22275dedc393e3bb528c688385c4567c3e2ae636.gifv)

22 Manhattan Project
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 7 (wolfking)


Love, love, love the cinematic feel of this song.  It finished at 44 for me, and was my 7th highest ranked song from Power Windows because, hey, they couldn't all be the top rated one, but being (for me) the 7th best song from such a tremendous record is still pretty darn impressive.  :hat


21 Red Sector A
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (Tomislav95, nobloodyname)


This has been one of my favorites since I became a fan. I thought I might be the high on it, as I had it at 12, but happily that was not the case.  This is a rare case where it felt like the studio version was a letdown, but then it became a beast live.  I literally never listen to the studio version of this song (it sounds too stiff and Alex sounds like he doesn't even care when playing the solo).  The version on A Show of Hands is, for me, the definitive one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 24, 2022, 06:41:41 AM

22 Manhattan Project
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 7 (wolfking)



21 Red Sector A
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (Tomislav95, nobloodyname)



Manhattan Project arrived at number 36. As you said, this song is super cinematic, and that “pilot of the Enola Gay flying out of the shock wave” line is reason enough to grant it such a high placement on my list. If I were taking into account the live versions, I’m sure this would’ve gone even higher, as the Clockwork Angels String Ensemble really made this song into a beast on the CA Tour.

Red Sector A hit at 70. As I have said from the start, my rankings are based solely upon live versions (otherwise a few tracks from the upper echelons of my list would not exist as high as they do). You kinda hit the nail on the head though.
This is a rare case where it felt like the studio version was a letdown, but then it became a beast live.  I literally never listen to the studio version of this song (it sounds too stiff and Alex sounds like he doesn't even care when playing the solo).  The version on A Show of Hands is, for me, the definitive one.
   
The studio version is very cold and clinical. While that kinda meets the bleakness of the subject matter, I don’t know if that’s a great testament to their songwriting prowess or utterly problematic. Oddly, it’s a problem that I don’t find on other tracks on the album, as evidenced by picks 12 and 27 on my list, which to me feel full of life.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 24, 2022, 07:02:27 AM
22 Manhattan Project (#28) - Like all 5 PoW songs that are on the ASoH LP or VHS, I first heard/saw the Manhattan Project there and fell in love with its (their) live version(s) - maybe that's why I see these 5 songs at a higher level than the other 3 even today. Awesome music and maybe it's Rush at its most cinematic!

21 Red Sector A (#15) - Personally this is the most iconic song of the keyboad era, as I saw it a lot on TV (the Grace Under Pressure tour's version) which played a lot in music video TV shows - at the time I was also shocked by the stage production, I had never seen anything like that! So, I alredy loved this song immensely before I even became a Rush fan.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 24, 2022, 07:19:59 AM
22. Manhattan Project (9).  I love everything about this song.  Rush at their most dramatic.  My Grandpa worked at NASA in nuclear propulsion in the 50's and 60's and knew many of the scientists involved with the Manhattan Project. 

21. Red Sector A (20).  I also prefer the live versions of this song to the studio version.  I know Geddy really liked doing this one live because it was a moment where he could be a keyboardist and not a bassist. 

With both these songs and others, like Territories, Distant Early Warning, Between the Wheels, and later Heresy, Neil really captured what it was like to live during the Cold War.  I don't know of any other lyricist that captured the spirit and different aspects of how the Post WWII and Cold War attitudes affected everyone quite like Neil did.  And he did it in a way that was never overtly preachy and political.  And, given the current state of global affairs, those songs are just as relevant now.  For someone who started off writing fantasy lyrics and things of that nature, he grew into an excellent chronicler of the human condition. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 24, 2022, 07:25:30 AM
Awesome that Manhattan Project made it this high! I have it at 35, and it’s actually my lowest rated from Power Windows, but I obviously still rate it very highly overall. This, Territories, and Middle Town Dreams were all bunched up at 33-35, and they really could go in any order. One of Rush’s last really proggy songs (and albums). Love love the “riding out of the shockwaves on an August day” part. Really great, cinematic feel to this song.

Red Sector A came in at 46 for me. I don’t have any issues with the studio version. I think it sounds excactly like it’s supposed to sound - cold, fearful, grim, slightly detached yet determined, just like the subjects of the song. It’s not always an easy one to listen to, but I think it is a really great lyric from Neil and one of the more memorable Rush songs even if you don’t care for the production or whatever.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 24, 2022, 09:43:40 AM
But I’m PUMPED that POWs best song made it to the top 25!!!

:panicattack:

Well...we don't know that yet, but I'm pretty sure Marathon will make it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 24, 2022, 09:54:18 AM
22 Manhattan Project
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 7 (wolfking)


Love, love, love the cinematic feel of this song.  It finished at 44 for me, and was my 7th highest ranked song from Power Windows because, hey, they couldn't all be the top rated one, but being (for me) the 7th best song from such a tremendous record is still pretty darn impressive.  :hat

Solid song.  Good, but not great melodies in the verses.  It's a little sing-songy, but they really figured it out with the string patches in that ending section.  One of three POW songs in my top 75.  I had it at #61.  Definitely was playing in my head when I snapped this shot a decade ago.

(https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/26771_1252953084513_3290029_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=cdbe9c&_nc_ohc=yV1aKZTJG5AAX_GDlp9&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-2.xx&oh=00_AT9YzD9VDqZ7FwabCBUbZmXACyc1tWBGaqwjJCQGErLcOQ&oe=6260B0F9)


21 Red Sector A
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (Tomislav95, nobloodyname)


This has been one of my favorites since I became a fan. I thought I might be the high on it, as I had it at 12, but happily that was not the case.  This is a rare case where it felt like the studio version was a letdown, but then it became a beast live.  I literally never listen to the studio version of this song (it sounds too stiff and Alex sounds like he doesn't even care when playing the solo).  The version on A Show of Hands is, for me, the definitive one.

At #21?  Really?  I thought we had dodged this bullet because it couldn't possibly be above #60 or so.  A Rush song without Geddy Lee playing bass is pretty much a waste.  I had it at #93, and it's only that high because the 21st century live versions show that it's a better song than was demonstrated on GUP.


The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 3 songs (Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)

2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 3 songs (Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26; Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - #23)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 2 songs (Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38)
Signals - 5 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25)
Grace Under Pressure - 3 songs (The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29; Red Sector A - #21)
Power Windows - 7 songs (Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30; Territories #24; Manhattan Project - #22)
Hold Your Fire - 5 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34)
Presto - 3 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33)
Roll the Bones - 4 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32)
Counterparts - 6 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS
Clockwork Angels - 4 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27)


POW takes the lead for most songs to appear so far, and (absent what would be a more shocking result than any thus far) will clinch the top spot in that regard (since none of the other albums have more than 8 songs).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 24, 2022, 10:01:59 AM
When I first got PoW, MP was definitely one of the tracks that I gravitated to quickly, but over the years I've grown tired of it and haven't listened to it in ages. Perhaps I'll need to give it a spin and see if that rekindles my initial love for the song. That said, I full agree that it is a cinematic song. But it didn't even make my top 100, although just barely at #102.

Like MP, RSA was a song that I loved from the initial listen, but I've never burned out on it. While I might prefer one or two other tracks to it, I'd probably say that RSA is the quintessential track on p/g. And yes, add me to the list of those who prefer the live versions over what is on the album. Plus the lasers and the explosions always made it a stand out moment in their live shows. I ranked it at #18. Funny thing about the imagery the lyrics always paint in my mind is that I never envisioned it as being from WWII (which I know is where they are inspired from), but rather more of a futuristic battle (like the future scenes in the original Terminator movie) - I'm guessing a combination of the title, the videos from that album and the lasers during the light show all had that effect on me. Am I the only one?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 24, 2022, 10:31:51 AM
Catching up:

32. Dreamline  54
31. Middletown Dreams  107  Power Windows is either great or it's not, and this is in the "not" category.
30. The Big Money 58 This is in the great.
29. Afterimage 138  This song is sort of indicative of what's wrong with p/g in general; great idea, great promise, and, unusually for Rush, poor execution.
28. Animate  45 I'm actually not sure why this is so low; I think it's beacuse there is just so much better in the catalogue, but I love this song.
27. The Garden  60  Not a bad song, and the lyrics are very strong, but one of the more overrated songs in the catalogue for me.  I think everyone goes gaga over it because of it's place on the record (and the record's place in the catalogue) but this is not ever, for me, going to be a song I hold in any special regard.
26. A Farewell To Kings 2  Nuff said.  I LOVE this song. 
25. Losing It 12 I'm a Signals fan, to begin with, and this is one of the special songs on the record.  I particularly love how Geddy sings this song.
24. Territories  104  Baffling how this song is that high.  Baffling. 
23. Cygnus X-1  86  I wrote about this; I think this and Natural Science ought to be switched (NS is at 65). 
22. Manhattan Project 9  My highest Power Windows song; I think it helped seeing it live, but I LOVE this song.
21. Red Sector A  63  I think this is my second highest p/g song (The Enemy Within is at 48).   I like this song, especially live, but it's got the one moment that is indicative of my dislike of p/g:  that fill before "I hear the sound of gunfire at the prison gates..." is so lame; that should be an epic moment of an epic song, and the drum sound is so thin and plastic and fake and it's unworthy of the great Neil Peart and Rush.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 24, 2022, 10:45:15 AM
So can I start listing those songs I had in my top 75 that didn't make it?   As I count, sixteen of my top 75 are not in the main list.    I've got five songs in the top 30 that didn't make the overall 75. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 24, 2022, 11:28:54 AM
21. Red Sector A  63  I think this is my second highest p/g song (The Enemy Within is at 48).   I like this song, especially live, but it's got the one moment that is indicative of my dislike of p/g:  that fill before "I hear the sound of gunfire at the prison gates..." is so lame; that should be an epic moment of an epic song, and the drum sound is so thin and plastic and fake and it's unworthy of the great Neil Peart and Rush.

Yup.  Territories epitomizes all that is bad about that era of the band, and RSA does the same for GUP.  I'm actually surprised you have it as high as 63.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 24, 2022, 12:45:26 PM
I never envisioned it as being from WWII (which I know is where they are inspired from), but rather more of a futuristic battle (like the future scenes in the original Terminator movie) - I'm guessing a combination of the title, the videos from that album and the lasers during the light show all had that effect on me. Am I the only one?

You are not the only one.  I know the story/stories, I know what Neil has said, but I struggled with the WWII reference too (I always sort of reconciled it by saying - to myself - that Neil went less literally out of respect for Geddy).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 24, 2022, 12:52:22 PM
At the risk of incurring Kev's wrath (and I don't want to, since I think he's doing a PHENOMENAL job with this; I'm having so much fun here), I'm going to note one song that I had pretty high and didn't make the list at all:

The Way The Wind Blows.   

I had it at 20 (I had six songs from Snakes and Arrows in my top 75).  I'm still enamored with the documentary, where Neil was talking about the physicality of playing the drums like he does, and his approach to composing his parts.  He speaks to having four different approaches behind each verse, and puts down his track.  Then you see Nick agonizing because he feels it's missing something, an energy, and Nick tells Neil "can you do one more?".  Neil is like "WTF", then though he's not happy, he is a team player and then goes in and NAILS a completely new take of the song, and you can see the rest of the band literally grooving to what he's playing.  I think that's one of my favorite stories about any band ever, and shows what kind of people the guys in Rush are.   The art comes first, but not at the expense (as too many artists do) of respect and friendship between the bandmembers. 

Knowing how it was created is powerful to me, and makes the song special to me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 24, 2022, 01:08:37 PM
I never envisioned it as being from WWII (which I know is where they are inspired from), but rather more of a futuristic battle (like the future scenes in the original Terminator movie) - I'm guessing a combination of the title, the videos from that album and the lasers during the light show all had that effect on me. Am I the only one?

You are not the only one.  I know the story/stories, I know what Neil has said, but I struggled with the WWII reference too (I always sort of reconciled it by saying - to myself - that Neil went less literally out of respect for Geddy).

When I was a kid, I always had a mental image of WWII combined with the movie Red Dawn when watching the live version from A Show of Hands.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 24, 2022, 01:55:02 PM
I never envisioned it as being from WWII (which I know is where they are inspired from), but rather more of a futuristic battle (like the future scenes in the original Terminator movie) - I'm guessing a combination of the title, the videos from that album and the lasers during the light show all had that effect on me. Am I the only one?

You are not the only one.  I know the story/stories, I know what Neil has said, but I struggled with the WWII reference too (I always sort of reconciled it by saying - to myself - that Neil went less literally out of respect for Geddy).

Interesting takes.  I had never even conceived of this being anything other than a story told from the perspective of someone in a Nazi concentration camp.  This is also why I sort of scratched my head at the comment earlier about RSA and Manhattan Project having anything to do with the Cold War.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 24, 2022, 02:10:21 PM
Another one I've ranked the highest.   :metal

God damn, Power Windows.  :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 24, 2022, 02:41:22 PM
God damn, Power Windows.  :metal

God damn, Power Windows.  :censored
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: wolfking on March 24, 2022, 02:43:41 PM
God damn, Power Windows.  :metal

God damn, Power Windows.  :censored

 :lol  Right on cue.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 24, 2022, 02:53:04 PM
22 Manhattan Project
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 7 (wolfking)


21 Red Sector A
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (Tomislav95, nobloodyname)


I had Manhatten Project at #32. This and Marathon really were impressive when I saw them on the HYF tour, as well as the Show Of Hands album. Even though I saw the Power Windows tour, I did not know the songs real well and really didn't care to. The animations were really impressive as the band played it live. I love the musical break, filled with tension.

I had Red Sector A at #30. If you had told me in 1984 that I would rate this song this high many years later as an adult, young TAC would've said to go screw. This song has aged really well for me. It has a driving beat to it that really pulls me in.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 24, 2022, 03:03:18 PM
God damn, Power Windows.  :metal

God damn, Power Windows.  :censored

 :lol  Right on cue.

Where's his Batman signal? :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 24, 2022, 03:21:56 PM

22 Manhattan Project
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 7 (wolfking)


21 Red Sector A
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (Tomislav95, nobloodyname)



Manhattan Project - my rank 67. Unlike Territories, I can concede the love for this one. Not my favourite from PW though and also looks like we are getting the whole album in the top 75?

Red Sector A - my rank 15. A definite highlight from this era for me. Just a great song, driving beat and I really enjoy the vocals and melodies and love the use of the keyboards/synths. A really powerful tune.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 24, 2022, 05:48:44 PM
Manhattan Project (ranked #22)

Nailed it!  :biggrin: My third favorite from Power Windows. Fantastic song. If I remember correctly, in my pretty erratic discovery of Rush's back catalog (after my first taste when Counterparts was released), Power Windows came after 2112 and Fly By Night (told you it was erratic). So, well, that was a different-sounding Rush  ;D. In particular, I recall the first verse of Manhattan Project, with the lower key vocals and the sparse accompaniment, being VERY different from the Rush I had experienced up to that point. I love how the song builds, with each verse and chorus, with Neil's incredible drumming. Epic stuff.

Red Sector A (ranked #20)

Almost nailed it! First time I heard this song was actually via the Show of Hands VHS. Loved it, even though it was different from anything else I'd heard from Rush (even within the keyboard-heavy era). When I finally got to buy p/g, I remember I didn't enjoy the studio version quite as much. In time, I've come to appreciate it more and more, though. It has a coldness to its sound and yet it manages to sound epic. As for the song itself, it's an amazing one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 24, 2022, 05:55:48 PM
With 20 songs to go, here's the temporary aggregate album ranking:

1   Power Windows   287
2   Signals   138
3   A Farewell to Kings   136
4   Clockwork Angels   134
5   Grace Under Pressure   129
6   Counterparts   128
7   Hold Your Fire   107
8   Roll the Bones   104
9   Fly By Night   84
10   Moving Pictures   62
11   Presto   62
12   Permanent Waves   42
13   2112   31
14   Hemispheres   31
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 24, 2022, 06:00:13 PM
Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves will climb very fast here.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 24, 2022, 06:07:03 PM
Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves will climb very fast here.

Yep - Hemispheres too, but with the handicap of having the smallest number of songs among all...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 24, 2022, 06:42:12 PM


Like MP, RSA was a song that I loved from the initial listen, but I've never burned out on it. While I might prefer one or two other tracks to it, I'd probably say that RSA is the quintessential track on p/g. And yes, add me to the list of those who prefer the live versions over what is on the album. Plus the lasers and the explosions always made it a stand out moment in their live shows. I ranked it at #18. Funny thing about the imagery the lyrics always paint in my mind is that I never envisioned it as being from WWII (which I know is where they are inspired from), but rather more of a futuristic battle (like the future scenes in the original Terminator movie) - I'm guessing a combination of the title, the videos from that album and the lasers during the light show all had that effect on me. Am I the only one?

I get what you mean.  The name of the song always stood out to me as being pretty unique, and given the lyrical nature of the song, it just has a certain feel and vibe, one they managed to capture musically as well.  It's the perfect marriage of music and lyrics.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

So can I start listing those songs I had in my top 75 that didn't make it?   As I count, sixteen of my top 75 are not in the main list.    I've got five songs in the top 30 that didn't make the overall 75.

How can you know that when you haven't seen 20-1 yet? ;)

At the risk of incurring Kev's wrath (and I don't want to, since I think he's doing a PHENOMENAL job with this; I'm having so much fun here), I'm going to note one song that I had pretty high and didn't make the list at all:

The Way The Wind Blows.   

I had it at 20 (I had six songs from Snakes and Arrows in my top 75).  I'm still enamored with the documentary, where Neil was talking about the physicality of playing the drums like he does, and his approach to composing his parts.  He speaks to having four different approaches behind each verse, and puts down his track.  Then you see Nick agonizing because he feels it's missing something, an energy, and Nick tells Neil "can you do one more?".  Neil is like "WTF", then though he's not happy, he is a team player and then goes in and NAILS a completely new take of the song, and you can see the rest of the band literally grooving to what he's playing.  I think that's one of my favorite stories about any band ever, and shows what kind of people the guys in Rush are.   The art comes first, but not at the expense (as too many artists do) of respect and friendship between the bandmembers. 

Knowing how it was created is powerful to me, and makes the song special to me.

No worries.  It was official a while back that nothing from Snakes and Arrows made the top 75, so songs from that are fair game for chatter. I would just prefer that a lot of chatter about songs likely to still be featured be kept to a low roar until I feature them. :)

As for The Way the Wind Blows, I do like that song quite a bit, but it feels like one where the mix of S&A let it down.  My beef with that record is that when it rocks, it has no balls. There is no oomph, no ass kick, so the rocking parts of this song fall a bit flat.  The mellow parts of it sound terrific.  And I guess that's why the more laid back songs tend to my favorites from this record now.  I need to revisit the live version of this song to see if that one is a little better.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 24, 2022, 06:52:32 PM
With 20 songs to go, here's the temporary aggregate album ranking:

1   Power Windows   287
2   Signals   138
3   A Farewell to Kings   136
4   Clockwork Angels   134
5   Grace Under Pressure   129
6   Counterparts   128
7   Hold Your Fire   107
8   Roll the Bones   104
9   Fly By Night   84
10   Moving Pictures   62
11   Presto   62
12   Permanent Waves   42
13   2112   31
14   Hemispheres   31
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0

I love the fact that power windows is not just number one, but is handedly beating number two by a 100% margin. It’s not even close. It’s like looking at Wayne Gretzky’s name on the all time assist leaders….and Power Windows lead is even bigger than that!

My update is coming soon. I was at a building official convention for a couple of days and I’m still recovering from a cold
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 24, 2022, 06:53:20 PM
22 Manhattan Project
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 7 (wolfking)


Love, love, love the cinematic feel of this song.  It finished at 44 for me, and was my 7th highest ranked song from Power Windows because, hey, they couldn't all be the top rated one, but being (for me) the 7th best song from such a tremendous record is still pretty darn impressive.  :hat


21 Red Sector A
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (Tomislav95, nobloodyname)


This has been one of my favorites since I became a fan. I thought I might be the high on it, as I had it at 12, but happily that was not the case.  This is a rare case where it felt like the studio version was a letdown, but then it became a beast live.  I literally never listen to the studio version of this song (it sounds too stiff and Alex sounds like he doesn't even care when playing the solo).  The version on A Show of Hands is, for me, the definitive one.
Manhattan Project - This came in at #38. It's a great song, with great lyrical imagery. Powerful song.

Red Sector A - This landed at #59. First off, I'm not sure how you get anything out of the lyrics other than from the perspective of a Nazi concentration camp, but :dunno: At any rate this song is only let down a little by Geddy not playing bass on it. However, I do like the drums samples. Yes, they are very '80s sounding, but that was the cost of being cutting edge at the time.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 24, 2022, 06:56:10 PM

So can I start listing those songs I had in my top 75 that didn't make it?   As I count, sixteen of my top 75 are not in the main list.    I've got five songs in the top 30 that didn't make the overall 75.

How can you know that when you haven't seen 20-1 yet? ;)


I think Stadler is referring to the songs in his ranking from the albums we already know are locked out.

When I look at mine, I have 15 of my top 75 that didn't (and won't) make it. But they are all ranked #41 or worse...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 24, 2022, 07:04:26 PM
With 20 songs to go, here's the temporary aggregate album ranking:

1   Power Windows   287
2   Signals   138
3   A Farewell to Kings   136
4   Clockwork Angels   134
5   Grace Under Pressure   129
6   Counterparts   128
7   Hold Your Fire   107
8   Roll the Bones   104
9   Fly By Night   84
10   Moving Pictures   62
11   Presto   62
12   Permanent Waves   42
13   2112   31
14   Hemispheres   31
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0

I love the fact that power windows is not just number one, but is handedly beating number two by a 100% margin. It’s not even close. It’s like looking at Wayne Gretzky’s name on the all time assist leaders….and Power Windows lead is even bigger than that!


Yeah, but unlike Wayne Gretzky, I don't think that substantial lead is going to last.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 24, 2022, 07:06:15 PM
Sorry The Realm.  We all know Marathon will be #1.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 24, 2022, 07:06:28 PM
If we’re free to talk about songs we’re sure won’t make it then that’s an easier post for me to make. I’ve got quite a few in the top 40 that are not going to make the list at all.

What You’re Doing at 27
Workin Them Angels at 28
BU2B at 30
Half the World at 31
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 24, 2022, 07:08:40 PM
And another bunch that just missed the top 40

The Color of Right at 41
Faithless at 42
Ghost Rider at 43
Time and Motion at 44
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 24, 2022, 07:13:31 PM
That’s my second favorite line in the entire song. It’s PERFECT!

I saw this post this morning and I laughed my ass off. I'm not picking on J-Dude but this is such a Rush dork thing to say. :lol

Like my Top 5 lines in Big Money:
1. Big Money goes around the world
2. It's a Cinderella story
3. Big Money take a cruise
4. It's that old time religion
5. Big Money make no sound
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 24, 2022, 07:19:45 PM
The Way The Wind Blows.   

I had it at 20 (I had six songs from Snakes and Arrows in my top 75).  I'm still enamored with the documentary, where Neil was talking about the physicality of playing the drums like he does, and his approach to composing his parts.  He speaks to having four different approaches behind each verse, and puts down his track.  Then you see Nick agonizing because he feels it's missing something, an energy, and Nick tells Neil "can you do one more?".  Neil is like "WTF", then though he's not happy, he is a team player and then goes in and NAILS a completely new take of the song, and you can see the rest of the band literally grooving to what he's playing.  I think that's one of my favorite stories about any band ever, and shows what kind of people the guys in Rush are.   The art comes first, but not at the expense (as too many artists do) of respect and friendship between the bandmembers. 

Knowing how it was created is powerful to me, and makes the song special to me.

I had The Way the Wind Blows JUST miss my top 75 (I ranked it #76). I really like the song too.

I LOVE that bit of the S&A "Making of". Makes me smile every time. The way Neil looks at Nick as he's explaining how he feels something is missing...and then he's (half-)jokingly muttering "...the FU**ER" as he goes back to his drumset. And then boom! And yes, the way Geddy and Alex groove to it, with Geddy going "wo-hoo" in the end  :) Makes my heart happy.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 24, 2022, 07:23:38 PM
Sorry The Realm.  We all know Marathon will be #1.

Haha! Yes, it could be but still not sure that will help overall.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 24, 2022, 07:35:07 PM
I got some great oldies in my top 10 as we all should.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 24, 2022, 07:35:52 PM
I guess I am lucky as every song that I had in my top 39 made the top 75, but then four of my next seven did not:

Nobody's Hero 40
Prime Mover 41
Turn the Page 45
Where's My Thing 46

Also, it was mentioned a few days ago, and I meant to comment on it, but I am a little surprised that The Anarchist didn't make it.  I had it 56 and figured it would be make it for sure.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 24, 2022, 07:38:28 PM
Wait…Prime Mover didn’t make it? I thought it did! I had that at 37
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 24, 2022, 07:39:14 PM
Oops, brain fart, it did. I can't keep all of this shit straight.  :lol :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 24, 2022, 07:40:20 PM
I'd laugh at you but it hurts to the core. Lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 24, 2022, 08:22:40 PM
I love the fact that power windows is not just number one...

For the love of Pete, please Kev continue with the countdown so this can no longer be true!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 24, 2022, 08:25:06 PM
Top 20 starts tomorrow.

I will post the songs that didn't make the top 75 after I finish the top 20.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 24, 2022, 08:32:37 PM
I must say that at this point I have absolutely no idea what songs with make the top 5. There is only one song I feel remotely confident about making the top 5, but would still not bet more than a dime on it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 25, 2022, 05:55:54 AM
24. Territories (#42)  the message, the music, and once again its album placement.

23. Cygnus X-1 (NR)  somewhat like ‘By Tor’ is to me…..I like the music, but the lyrics and a few moments of Geddy going waaaay too high up there keep me away from this one.

22. Manhattan Project (#57)

21. Red Sector A (#22) almost nailed another one! Absolutely love the high hat.  And like others, I thought it was science fiction related at first, not related whatsoever with real events (and those in Geddy's family).

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 25, 2022, 06:11:12 AM
"Let's get the top 20 going," say these guys below! :metal

(https://secure.static.tumblr.com/be54b2ff4d6528feb77470d2aac35814//Gu9n6bb8a/tumblr_static_tumblr_static__640.gif)

20 Distant Early Warning
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (wolfking)


I have couple friends who are longtime Rush fans as well, and both, while still liking this song, are a bit sick of it, but it is one I have never got tired or and probably never will. I still love it like crazy, and still enjoy it just as much as I did many years ago when I first heard it.  I had it at 14, and am pleased to see it made the top 20.


19 Available Light
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 1 (HOF)


I double checked the math on everything to make sure I had correct, but I was so stunned by how this finish, I tripled checked this one, just to make sure it was correct.  I knew the online fans loved this song, but it finishing this high? Wow. I had it at 54, which I still think seems about right, but many have mad love for it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 25, 2022, 06:21:42 AM
"Let's get the top 20 going," say these guys below! :metal

(https://secure.static.tumblr.com/be54b2ff4d6528feb77470d2aac35814//Gu9n6bb8a/tumblr_static_tumblr_static__640.gif)

20 Distant Early Warning
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (wolfking)


19 Available Light
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 1 (HOF)



Roll out the red carpet. Time for the top 20!
Distant Early Warning came into my 37th slot. Nice and upbeat actually. Sometimes drives me crazy, but I’m never worried and pretty much always in for the ride.

Available Light was, admittedly, my number 46. However, I’m ecstatic to see this rank as highly as it has. Knowing that there are several other choices from Presto that likely aren’t here, this is a great consolation!
Beautiful song, and probably one of the last great high notes from Geddy (other than the glory of Everyday, well, Glory). Solo on this one is magnificent too. Kind of a tearjerker overall. Sad this one never got the attention it deserved live.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 25, 2022, 06:36:06 AM
Distant Early Warning (ranked #19)

About the same as the aggregate. Certainly haven't gotten tired of it either and I enjoy every minute of it. Great ending too.

Available Light (ranked #58)

Great song, but I am, too, a bit surprised it made the overall top 20 (although in retrospect I think I could've ranked it a little higher myself). Really like the arrangement for the verse, and the "Oh, the wind can carry..." pre-chorus is fantastic (and so is the solo on that same progression). I'm listening to it as I write.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 25, 2022, 06:39:11 AM
"Let's get the top 20 going," say these guys below! :metal

(https://secure.static.tumblr.com/be54b2ff4d6528feb77470d2aac35814//Gu9n6bb8a/tumblr_static_tumblr_static__640.gif)

20 Distant Early Warning
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (wolfking)


I have couple friends who are longtime Rush fans as well, and both, while still liking this song, are a bit sick of it, but it is one I have never got tired or and probably never will. I still love it like crazy, and still enjoy it just as much as I did many years ago when I first heard it.  I had it at 14, and am pleased to see it made the top 20.


19 Available Light
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 1 (HOF)


I double checked the math on everything to make sure I had correct, but I was so stunned by how this finish, I tripled checked this one, just to make sure it was correct.  I knew the online fans loved this song, but it finishing this high? Wow. I had it at 54, which I still think seems about right, but many have mad love for it.


BINGO!  I had Available Light at #19!

DEW I had at # 29
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 25, 2022, 06:49:53 AM
Two of my very favorite Rush tracks today!

Distant Early Warning was my number 7. Even though I knew lots of Rush songs from the radio, this is the one that I heard one morning soon after I first started getting into DT that made me go, “oh, that’s where DT got their style.” I’ve just always loved the energy of this song, how it starts off with that weird sound and bass line and explodes into that big keyboard theme. Great chorus, another great build in the instrumental/solo, with the kind of crowd noises during the big keyboard theme again. Just tremendous. The “Absolom, Absolom, Absolom” line is also one that really gets me. So good.

Available Light was my number 1, and I’m not surprised I was the high person on it, but I knew there were a few others who had it up there so I’m a little disappointed it finished at only 19 (and left off of 6 lists!). Everything comes together on this song. The lyric is really really powerful, and it’s easily one of Geddy’s finest vocal performances. I love how they really built the arrangement around him and let him be the center of the song. Still, a bunch of great performances though, from that subtle guitar riff in the verse and Alex’s bluesy soloing over the second verse, to Neil really cutting loose on the pre-chorus and chorus, and a really great middle section and solo. I also like the piano on the verses. Not a lot of that in Rush songs really. A bunch of Rush songs have choked me up, but this one especially does at times. And again, what a performance from Geddy on the chorus. If this one doesn’t do it for you, you might be dead!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 25, 2022, 06:56:28 AM
20. Distant Early Warning (N/A).  I must have been in a weird mood when I did my original rankings, because this song should have been much, much higher for me on this list.  Not Top 20, but Top 50 at least.  Great song.

19. Available Light (5).  What HOF said.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 25, 2022, 07:33:31 AM
19 Available Light
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 1 (HOF)


I double checked the math on everything to make sure I had correct, but I was so stunned by how this finish, I tripled checked this one, just to make sure it was correct.  I knew the online fans loved this song, but it finishing this high? Wow. I had it at 54, which I still think seems about right, but many have mad love for it.

Hey Kev, I assume this is it for Presto now...?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 25, 2022, 07:35:43 AM
So can I start listing those songs I had in my top 75 that didn't make it?   As I count, sixteen of my top 75 are not in the main list.    I've got five songs in the top 30 that didn't make the overall 75.

How can you know that when you haven't seen 20-1 yet? ;)

Yeah, Nick has it right:  I meant those songs from albums that are "done" as of now.   I had I think six songs from S&A; I think I had Fountain of Lamneth at like #21 or something, that kind of thing.  But this is your baby (seriously) and I'm having fun as it is, I don't want to rock the boat.   I can wait to discuss my failures!  :) :) :)

Quote
No worries.  It was official a while back that nothing from Snakes and Arrows made the top 75, so songs from that are fair game for chatter. I would just prefer that a lot of chatter about songs likely to still be featured be kept to a low roar until I feature them. :)

As for The Way the Wind Blows, I do like that song quite a bit, but it feels like one where the mix of S&A let it down.  My beef with that record is that when it rocks, it has no balls. There is no oomph, no ass kick, so the rocking parts of this song fall a bit flat.  The mellow parts of it sound terrific.  And I guess that's why the more laid back songs tend to my favorites from this record now.  I need to revisit the live version of this song to see if that one is a little better.

I don't know what it is, but S&A really resonated with me. It's by far my favorite of the "post-trauma" records, and the only one I listen to with any regularity.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 25, 2022, 07:42:35 AM
"Let's get the top 20 going," say these guys below! :metal

(https://secure.static.tumblr.com/be54b2ff4d6528feb77470d2aac35814//Gu9n6bb8a/tumblr_static_tumblr_static__640.gif)

20 Distant Early Warning
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (wolfking)


I have couple friends who are longtime Rush fans as well, and both, while still liking this song, are a bit sick of it, but it is one I have never got tired or and probably never will. I still love it like crazy, and still enjoy it just as much as I did many years ago when I first heard it.  I had it at 14, and am pleased to see it made the top 20.


19 Available Light
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 1 (HOF)


I double checked the math on everything to make sure I had correct, but I was so stunned by how this finish, I tripled checked this one, just to make sure it was correct.  I knew the online fans loved this song, but it finishing this high? Wow. I had it at 54, which I still think seems about right, but many have mad love for it.

Distant Early Warning just missed my list at #76.  Not a bad song, not a great song.  A song.

Available Light was #21 on my list.  I'm a huge Presto fan to begin with - I think I had 9 out of 11 songs on my list - but this was highest (Superconductor is next at 25).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 25, 2022, 08:39:51 AM
19 Available Light
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 1 (HOF)


I double checked the math on everything to make sure I had correct, but I was so stunned by how this finish, I tripled checked this one, just to make sure it was correct.  I knew the online fans loved this song, but it finishing this high? Wow. I had it at 54, which I still think seems about right, but many have mad love for it.

Hey Kev, I assume this is it for Presto now...?

There’s one more Presto track that I really love that I’ll be sad if it doesn’t reach, but I’m think it’s probably not going to be a top 18 track so it’s probably off. But maybe!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 25, 2022, 08:40:57 AM

Hey Kev, I assume this is it for Presto now...?

Correct.



Yeah, Nick has it right:  I meant those songs from albums that are "done" as of now.   I had I think six songs from S&A; I think I had Fountain of Lamneth at like #21 or something, that kind of thing.  But this is your baby (seriously) and I'm having fun as it is, I don't want to rock the boat.   I can wait to discuss my failures!  :) :) :)


Discuss away!   :tup :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 25, 2022, 08:44:21 AM

Hey Kev, I assume this is it for Presto now...?

Correct.


Damn, no Hand Over Fist or Anagram? I love those tracks. I knew I wasn’t getting You Bet Your Life, but I was really hoping one of those severely underrated gems would get a nod.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 25, 2022, 08:46:21 AM

Hey Kev, I assume this is it for Presto now...?

Correct.


Damn, no Hand Over Fist or Anagram? I love those tracks. I knew I wasn’t getting You Bet Your Life, but I was really hoping one of those severely underrated gems would get a nod.

Yeah, love both of those. Anagram was the one I was hoping would make it. I had it at 29, but it’s my third favorite on Presto after Available Light and The Pass. There is an absolutely epic NP drum fill at the end of the last chorus that’s easily a top 10 NP moment for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 25, 2022, 09:13:07 AM
Hand Over Fist was originally going to be an instrumental.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 25, 2022, 09:27:09 AM
Hand Over Fist was originally going to be an instrumental.

So Hand was lyrics and Fist was instrumental? Seems Hand won.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 25, 2022, 09:33:30 AM
Hand Over Fist was originally going to be an instrumental.

So Hand was lyrics and Fist was instrumental? Seems Hand won.

(https://i.postimg.cc/FKbJ6hvb/Finished-Terrible-Grasshopper-size-restricted.gif) (https://postimages.org/)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 25, 2022, 10:43:22 AM
Couldn't be more perfect. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 25, 2022, 10:44:18 AM
20 Distant Early Warning
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (wolfking)


I have couple friends who are longtime Rush fans as well, and both, while still liking this song, are a bit sick of it, but it is one I have never got tired or and probably never will. I still love it like crazy, and still enjoy it just as much as I did many years ago when I first heard it.  I had it at 14, and am pleased to see it made the top 20.

I have no qualms about this song being in the top 75, but #20?  That's just crazy stuff.  It's a fine song that would be much better with better bass tone and more aggressive playing in the verses.  I had it at #68.


19 Available Light
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 1 (HOF)


I double checked the math on everything to make sure I had correct, but I was so stunned by how this finish, I tripled checked this one, just to make sure it was correct.  I knew the online fans loved this song, but it finishing this high? Wow. I had it at 54, which I still think seems about right, but many have mad love for it.

Almost nailed it.  I had it at #18.  Probably the single most underrated song in Rush's catalog (although it being #19 here clearly shows that's not the case among this group).  It's not a song that really clicked with me at first.  But when it did click...damn!  I would just hit the "back" button over and over and listen to this repeatedly.


The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 3 songs (Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)

2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 3 songs (Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26; Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - #23)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 2 songs (Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38)
Signals - 5 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25)
Grace Under Pressure - 4 songs (The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29; Red Sector A - #21; Distant Early Warning - #20)
Power Windows - 7 songs (Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30; Territories #24; Manhattan Project - #22)
Hold Your Fire - 5 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34)
Presto - 4 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33; Available Light - #19)
Roll the Bones - 4 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32)
Counterparts - 6 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS
Clockwork Angels - 4 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 25, 2022, 11:03:40 AM
Damn, no Hand Over Fist or Anagram? I love those tracks. I knew I wasn’t getting You Bet Your Life, but I was really hoping one of those severely underrated gems would get a nod.

Hand over Fist was my #165 song...beating out only BU2B2.   :)  Anagram is better, but the clever lyrics only take it so far.  I had it at 102.


If we’re free to talk about songs we’re sure won’t make it then that’s an easier post for me to make. I’ve got quite a few in the top 40 that are not going to make the list at all.

I already mentioned that my only top 25 song that's locked out is Earthshine (#23).  I've only got four others in my top 40 that are locked out (although there's one other that I'm 99.9% certain won't make it):

28 - Armor and Sword - Just LOVE it when the heavy section kicks in.  So great live.
30 - The Fountain of Lamneth - In retrospect, 30 seems a bit high.  It's super spotty.  TFOL is here on the strength of No One at the Bridge.
33 - Chemistry - Not a ton to say about it.  I just really like it.
35 - Far Cry - Without this song and Armor and Sword, S&A would probably be Rush's worst album.  It's like they shot their wad with the first two songs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 25, 2022, 11:29:16 AM
The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 3 songs (Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)

2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings - 3 songs (Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26; Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - #23)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 2 songs (Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38)
Signals - 5 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25)
Grace Under Pressure - 3 songs (The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29; Red Sector A - #21)
Power Windows - 7 songs (Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30; Territories #24; Manhattan Project - #22)
Hold Your Fire - 5 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34)
Presto - 3 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33)
Roll the Bones - 4 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32)
Counterparts - 6 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS
Clockwork Angels - 4 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27)




So going by the albums that aren't done yet, there are 27 songs left (from those eight albums, 2112-POW), which means there are nine songs of those 27 that didn't make the Top 18. Of those ten, I'm willing to bet "Lessons", "Tears", and "The Twilight Zone" are among them, as well as "Chemistry", "The Body Electric" and "Red Lenses". Just my guess.

Also, pg, did you purposely leave out "Available Light" and "Distant Early Warning" in your "score so far" above?

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 25, 2022, 11:51:43 AM
I guess I am lucky as every song that I had in my top 39 made the top 75, but then four of my next seven did not:

Nobody's Hero 40
Prime Mover 41
Turn the Page 45
Where's My Thing 46

Also, it was mentioned a few days ago, and I meant to comment on it, but I am a little surprised that The Anarchist didn't make it.  I had it 56 and figured it would be make it for sure.

Same here when I look at my Top 40 - at least based on the songs revealed so far. The 15 that have been locked out past that:

Alien Shore (#41)
Vapor Trail (#42)
Ceiling Unlimited (#48)
Lock and Key (#50)
Between Sun & Moon (#51)
Far Cry (#54)
Where's My Thing? (#55)
Nobody's Hero (#59)
Stick It Out (#61)
BU2B (#62)
Armor and Sword (#65)
Ghost Rider (#67)
Virtuality (#69)
Secret Touch (#73)
One Little Victory (#74)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Stadler on March 25, 2022, 12:08:24 PM
So going album by album:

Off the Rush album, I had Here Again at #27 and Before and After at #55.  Neither is a fantastic song, but they have a real place on that record, and they have a real place in my love of Rush.  I think Here Again is a quintessential early '70's song.  I can so imagine being in a concert - at an arena, of course - and hearing that.  I only wish that I could hear those, in the studio, with Neil.  I think it would be amazing.

From Fly By Night, I had Beneath, Between And Behind at #32 and In The End at #52.  I'm sort of surprised at least ONE of those didn't make it, especially B,B&B.  Maybe it's because Anthem started the album off, but I think B,B&B is a fine example of what Neil brought to the band and how he elevated already good players to the next level.

From Caress Of Steel, I had Fountain Of Lamneth at #29 (I think I said 21 before, but it's 29).   I know this isn't a perfect song, but I like it, and I do go back to it fairly frequently.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 25, 2022, 12:20:26 PM
Now that Presto is "done" too, here's what the up-to-date album ranking looks like:

1   Power Windows   287
2   Grace Under Pressure   185
3   Signals   138
4   A Farewell to Kings   136
5   Clockwork Angels   134
6   Counterparts   128
7   Presto   119
8   Hold Your Fire   107
9   Roll the Bones   104
10   Fly By Night   84
11   Moving Pictures   62
12   Permanent Waves   42
13   2112   31
14   Hemispheres   31
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0

I'm maybe a bit surprised Presto ended up higher than Hold Your Fire - I know there are fans that have a special appreciation for it (I enjoy it too), but I didn't think it would overall be rated better than HYF. And, as I said before, as much as I enjoy Clockwork Angels (certainly a great way to bow out after such a long career), I would certainly not have it above Counterparts.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 25, 2022, 12:26:29 PM
Also, pg, did you purposely leave out "Available Light" and "Distant Early Warning" in your "score so far" above?

Nope.  I oofed and have now fixed it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: jammindude on March 25, 2022, 12:40:11 PM
So now that Presto is done I’m sad that my favorite from the album didn’t make the cut. I had Chain Lightning at 22.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 25, 2022, 12:42:05 PM
I have a strong suspicion that these four albums...

1   Power Windows   287
2   Grace Under Pressure   185
3   Signals   138
4   A Farewell to Kings   136

Will soon be overtaken completely by these four albums...

11   Moving Pictures   62
12   Permanent Waves   42
13   2112   31
14   Hemispheres   31

Well, maybe not 2112, which I think only has one more song to go, but depending on its ranking, could get a lot of points. I'm sure the rest of HEMI, PEW, and MP will make the Top 18, giving them huge boosts in points. I think, the current top four albums (POW, GUP, SIG, and AFTK) all have one song left each in the Top 18, but it would be surprising if they were all in the Top 5.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 25, 2022, 12:48:54 PM
My Presto rankings:

1. Available Light
13. The Pass
29. Anagram (For Mongo)
37. Presto
38. Hand Over Fist
47. Show Don’t Tell
48. War Paint
57. Chain Lightning
58. Superconductor

Red Tide would have also probably made the top 100, Scars probably not. For some reason it grates on me a bit, but I don’t hate it or anything.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 25, 2022, 01:04:52 PM
I have a strong suspicion that these four albums...

1   Power Windows   287
2   Grace Under Pressure   185
3   Signals   138
4   A Farewell to Kings   136

Will soon be overtaken completely by these four albums...

11   Moving Pictures   62
12   Permanent Waves   42
13   2112   31
14   Hemispheres   31

Well, maybe not 2112, which I think only has one more song to go, but depending on its ranking, could get a lot of points. I'm sure the rest of HEMI, PEW, and MP will make the Top 18, giving them huge boosts in points. I think, the current top four albums (POW, GUP, SIG, and AFTK) all have one song left each in the Top 18, but it would be surprising if they were all in the Top 5.

-Marc.

As you said, it's likely 2112 has one song left to appear (the "biggie"  ;D)...even if that were to show up as #1, thus getting 75 points, at most 2112 will end up with 106 points...Hemispheres, with likely three songs left, can at most (i.e. in the extreme scenario where the three rank #1, #2 and #3) rack up 222 points, putting it at 253 max.

Given this and the points of the current top 4, I think this means Power Windows is very likely to end in the top 5   :metal

Can't wait to see how this plays out!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: TAC on March 25, 2022, 01:07:01 PM
20 Distant Early Warning
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (wolfking)


19 Available Light
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 1 (HOF)



I had Distant Early Warning at #13. I'm kind of shocked how high I ranked it, but it's a great song. I remember when Grace Under Pressure came out and this was the single. I liked it then, though I thought the band started to look a little..um..light. This song has a fantastic chorus that I never get sick of hearding, and it ends so damn strong.

I had Available Light at #38. It's a song I love, even when I first heard the album. This song, and album, was different, but it was still cool. In my Rush Compilation CDs, I actually include the Presto tracks on my 90's CD.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: devieira73 on March 25, 2022, 01:14:53 PM
20 Distant Early Warning (#19) - I've always loved this song and its cold, apocalyptic vibe - it really shows what's the album is all about and is a great opener! Also I admire how Rush still managed to make a big arrangement on this song and keep it more or less acessible for them to play it live as a trio.

19 Avaible Light (#24) - Awesome song and this one's surprised me a lot to be so cherished between the fan base or, at least, here. It's a truly gem in Presto and a keyboard era song hidden in that album. Love the lyrics, like free-form poetry. I just wish that Lifeson's solo was at least a bit longer for the song to be perfect.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 25, 2022, 01:24:39 PM
Like pg1067, I can understand DEW making the top 75 list, but I too am surprised at it ranking as high as it did. For me it’s another one of those tracks that got overplayed and I got burned out on, and even then, it was always a mid-tier track from p/g IMO. So no surprise that it didn’t make my top 75 list, placing at #83.

But add me to the list of those who absolutely love AL - such an amazing and heartfelt track. Their second best ballad, only behind LI in my book. One of the best closers on any of their albums, something that I personally feel was not Rush’s strong suit. AL made it to #13 on my list.

As for those on my list that have been locked out as of now, they are:
Making Memories (72), Beneath Between & Behind (57)
High Water (69), Lock and Key (62), Turn the Page (42)
Scars (67), Chain Lightning (61), Red Tide (56)
Where’s My Thing (50)
Alien Shore (11)
Limbo (75), Resist (58), Time and Motion (36)
Nocturne (66), Freeze (59), Secret Touch (47), Vapor Trail (44)
Malignant Narcissism (71), Spindrift (55), The Main Monkey Business (40), Far Cry (38)
Clockwork Angels (45), The Anarchist (16)
 
 
I'm a huge Presto fan to begin with - I think I had 9 out of 11 songs on my list - but this was highest (Superconductor is next at 25).
You had Stupidconductor *that* high on your list?!   :eek
 
 
Hand over Fist was my #165 song...beating out only BU2B2.
You like Rivendell and I Think I’m Going Bald more?!?  :omg:
 
 
30 - The Fountain of Lamneth - In retrospect, 30 seems a bit high.  It's super spotty.  TFOL is here on the strength of No One at the Bridge.
I'd say the opening and closing sections are right up there too. It's just the other 3 parts that are very meh and that it's so disjointed that it didn't make my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: romdrums on March 25, 2022, 01:49:24 PM
I have a strong suspicion that these four albums...

1   Power Windows   287
2   Grace Under Pressure   185
3   Signals   138
4   A Farewell to Kings   136

Will soon be overtaken completely by these four albums...

11   Moving Pictures   62
12   Permanent Waves   42
13   2112   31
14   Hemispheres   31

Well, maybe not 2112, which I think only has one more song to go, but depending on its ranking, could get a lot of points. I'm sure the rest of HEMI, PEW, and MP will make the Top 18, giving them huge boosts in points. I think, the current top four albums (POW, GUP, SIG, and AFTK) all have one song left each in the Top 18, but it would be surprising if they were all in the Top 5.

-Marc.

As you said, it's likely 2112 has one song left to appear (the "biggie"  ;D)...even if that were to show up as #1, thus getting 75 points, at most 2112 will end up with 106 points...Hemispheres, with likely three songs left, can at most (i.e. in the extreme scenario where the three rank #1, #2 and #3) rack up 222 points, putting it at 253 max.

Given this and the points of the current top 4, I think this means Power Windows is very likely to end in the top 5   :metal

Can't wait to see how this plays out!

Power Windows still has a song left, so that score goes even higher.  I don't see how it falls below the 3rd spot.  I think MP and PeW will end up 1 and 2, PoW 3, Signals 4, and Hemispheres 5.  Depending on where Between the Wheels finishes, that might put GuP in the top 5 over Hemispheres.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Letter M on March 25, 2022, 02:05:19 PM
I have a strong suspicion that these four albums...

1   Power Windows   287
2   Grace Under Pressure   185
3   Signals   138
4   A Farewell to Kings   136

Will soon be overtaken completely by these four albums...

11   Moving Pictures   62
12   Permanent Waves   42
13   2112   31
14   Hemispheres   31

Well, maybe not 2112, which I think only has one more song to go, but depending on its ranking, could get a lot of points. I'm sure the rest of HEMI, PEW, and MP will make the Top 18, giving them huge boosts in points. I think, the current top four albums (POW, GUP, SIG, and AFTK) all have one song left each in the Top 18, but it would be surprising if they were all in the Top 5.

-Marc.

As you said, it's likely 2112 has one song left to appear (the "biggie"  ;D)...even if that were to show up as #1, thus getting 75 points, at most 2112 will end up with 106 points...Hemispheres, with likely three songs left, can at most (i.e. in the extreme scenario where the three rank #1, #2 and #3) rack up 222 points, putting it at 253 max.

Given this and the points of the current top 4, I think this means Power Windows is very likely to end in the top 5   :metal

Can't wait to see how this plays out!

Thank you for doing all of that math! It's very exciting, and I, too, cannot wait to see which albums end up where. Honestly, if the top 3 are some order of MP/PEW/POW, I'd be pretty happy, those are probably three of my Top 5 Rush albums as well (with AFTK and HEMI rounding that out).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 25, 2022, 02:43:46 PM

Power Windows still has a song left, so that score goes even higher.  I don't see how it falls below the 3rd spot.  I think MP and PeW will end up 1 and 2, PoW 3, Signals 4, and Hemispheres 5.  Depending on where Between the Wheels finishes, that might put GuP in the top 5 over Hemispheres.

Yeah, it will be interesting to see what happens with Signals vs. Grace Under Pressure. Signals has a 47-point gap and likely two songs left vs. one likely for p/g. It might be a difficult gap to make up...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 25, 2022, 02:47:04 PM
I have a strong suspicion that these four albums...

1   Power Windows   287
2   Grace Under Pressure   185
3   Signals   138
4   A Farewell to Kings   136

Will soon be overtaken completely by these four albums...

11   Moving Pictures   62
12   Permanent Waves   42
13   2112   31
14   Hemispheres   31

Well, maybe not 2112, which I think only has one more song to go, but depending on its ranking, could get a lot of points. I'm sure the rest of HEMI, PEW, and MP will make the Top 18, giving them huge boosts in points. I think, the current top four albums (POW, GUP, SIG, and AFTK) all have one song left each in the Top 18, but it would be surprising if they were all in the Top 5.

I could be wrong, but I believe Nick gives the songs points in reverse order of their ranking -- i.e., song #75 got 1 point and song #1 will get 75 points.  If I'm right about that, and if your assumption about 2112 is correct (which I think it is), then 2112 will likely finish between 89-106 points, which means it cannot finish ahead of any of the current top 4.

POW, on the other hand, could finish anywhere between 345-362 points.  For the sake of argument, if Marathon comes in at #1, and if the five MP songs that have yet to appear come in at 14-18, then both POW and MP will finish with 362 points (heck of a coincidence!).  I think even the most ardent POW supporters would agree this is HIGHLY unlikely.

Hemispheres has the potential for, at most, 253 points, which means it has no chance of passing POW, which demonstrates the flaw in any album ranking based on numbers of songs.

Signals probably has two songs left, which means it will finish with no less than 257 points, which (if my assumption is correct) means that Hemispheres has no chance of overtaking Signals.

The big question is whether Hemispheres can overtake GUP.  GUP probably has only one song left, so it will finish between 243-260.  As mentioned above, the max Hemispheres can get is 253 points, but it could be as low as 208.  My guess is that it will be very close, but GUP probably will finish just ahead of Hemispheres.

My guess is that MP will end up at #1 by virtue of having 7 total songs and 5 of those songs in the top 18.  PEW and POW will likely finish 2 and 3 in whatever order, followed by Signals in 4th, GUP in 5th, Hemispheres in 6th, AFTK in 7th, and 2112 in 11th.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: The Realm on March 25, 2022, 03:11:31 PM

20 Distant Early Warning
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (wolfking)


19 Available Light
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 1 (HOF)



Two great songs today!

Distant Early Warning - my rank 19, so pretty much with consensus. Always loved this one.

Available Light - my rank 10. This is just a magical song. I have to admit, I thought it may not even make the top 75 as I don't believe it is a song that ever really gets mentioned. So it is great to see it rank this high, should have been higher though. I really agree with HOFs write up on this one - well said.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: pg1067 on March 25, 2022, 03:47:14 PM
My Presto rankings:

Mine:

18. Available Light
43. Red Tide
49. The Pass
60. Presto
65. Show Don't Tell
73. Chain Lightning*
87. War Paint
102. Anagram
146. Superconductor
154. Scars
165. Hand over Fist

* - Chain Lightning is at #73 per my Ranking Engine results, but I played around with a few songs on the border of 75, and I believe I moved it lower and that it wasn't on the list I sent to Kev.


Hand over Fist was my #165 song...beating out only BU2B2.
You like Rivendell and I Think I’m Going Bald more?!?  :omg:
 
 
30 - The Fountain of Lamneth - In retrospect, 30 seems a bit high.  It's super spotty.  TFOL is here on the strength of No One at the Bridge.
I'd say the opening and closing sections are right up there too. It's just the other 3 parts that are very meh and that it's so disjointed that it didn't make my list.

I've said before that I find HOF embarrassing and that it's best described with a term that is no longer socially acceptable to use.  I cannot stand to listen to it.  In my Ranking Engine results, Bald came in at 134, Rivendell at 162 and HOF at 165.  Do I think Bald is a bit embarrassing?  Maybe, but I'd say more silly than anything else, and it's musically solid.  It's definitely well ahead of the other two.  Rivendell is boring.  Is 162 all that much higher than 165?  Not at all.  All that said, when I was doing the Ranking Engine and started getting presented with matchups between songs that I knew had NO hope of cracking the top 100, much less top 75, I really didn't think too much about them.  Therefore, my results below...say...126 are not going to be super accurate.

With respect to Fountain, the only section that's really weak is Panacea.  Didacts is weird, but it's only a minute, so it doesn't really tip things either way.  If we ranked the individual sections, Bridge would probably rank higher than 30, and I'm guessing one or two of the others would be in the lower parts of the top 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: KevShmev on March 25, 2022, 03:54:54 PM

Hey Kev, I assume this is it for Presto now...?

Correct.


Damn, no Hand Over Fist or Anagram? I love those tracks. I knew I wasn’t getting You Bet Your Life, but I was really hoping one of those severely underrated gems would get a nod.

Yeah, love both of those. Anagram was the one I was hoping would make it. I had it at 29, but it’s my third favorite on Presto after Available Light and The Pass. There is an absolutely epic NP drum fill at the end of the last chorus that’s easily a top 10 NP moment for me.

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but did either of you actually think Anagram or Hand over Fist was making the top 20 here?  I mean, come on. :P
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 25, 2022, 03:57:28 PM

Hey Kev, I assume this is it for Presto now...?

Correct.


Damn, no Hand Over Fist or Anagram? I love those tracks. I knew I wasn’t getting You Bet Your Life, but I was really hoping one of those severely underrated gems would get a nod.

Yeah, love both of those. Anagram was the one I was hoping would make it. I had it at 29, but it’s my third favorite on Presto after Available Light and The Pass. There is an absolutely epic NP drum fill at the end of the last chorus that’s easily a top 10 NP moment for me.

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but did either of you actually think Anagram or Hand over Fist was making the top 20 here?  I mean, come on. :P

No, and I said that earlier actually. Heck it wasn’t in my top 20. But I do think it’s a great track and one of the best things on Presto.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on March 25, 2022, 03:58:25 PM
I've said before that I find HOF embarrassing and that it's best described with a term that is no longer socially acceptable to use.

Harsh!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 25, 2022, 05:01:19 PM
well....getting back to the songs just listed ....

20. Distant Early Warning (#15) my cousin's boyfriend was in a western Michigan bar band in the mid 80s / early 90s.  Mostly Top 40 rock hits, along with 'Abacab', ‘Afterglow’, ‘Turn It On’.  Anyhoo, of all songs, this was in their setlist.  Their guitar was heavier and deeper, the same with the keyboards.  I do wish the Rush studio version had a bit more of the PoW type of mix and 'oomph', but as you can tell with my rating, I really like it.

19 Available Light (NR).  This didn’t even register with me back then, when reviewing songs for the ratings, or today. Some day down the road perhaps.  And I thought I was one of the old softies on this forum.   
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 25, 2022, 05:05:04 PM
Since we're heading into the Top 20, I'll try to keep up a bit more often, so here's the next four I haven't covered yet...

22 Manhattan Project - ranked 12th. Not my highest ranked/sorted POW song from my list, but had I edited it, it would definitely be up there, probably the first or second. This has always been one of my favorites from POW.
21 Red Sector A - ranked 43rd. My highest sorted GUP song, and rightfully so. Probably my favorite on the album, although had I edited my list, I might have put BTW over it.
20 Distant Early Warning - ranked 99th. From one GUP song to another, this one never really fully clicked with me. I like it well enough, but it's not one of my more favored Rush album opener.
19 Available Light - ranked 91st.  The more we get through this Top list, the more I wish I had actually gone through my list and edited it a bit because I really feel like I sorted this one WAY too low. Maybe not my favorite Presto song, but it's definitely up there. If there was one Rush song I wish they could've played live, this is one of them, but after POW, it really seemed like they would never play album closers live.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: nick_z on March 25, 2022, 06:08:29 PM

I could be wrong, but I believe Nick gives the songs points in reverse order of their ranking -- i.e., song #75 got 1 point and song #1 will get 75 points.  If I'm right about that, and if your assumption about 2112 is correct (which I think it is), then 2112 will likely finish between 89-106 points, which means it cannot finish ahead of any of the current top 4.

Yep, that' exactly right - I'm mimicking what Kev did to build the aggregate song ranking from our submissions

POW, on the other hand, could finish anywhere between 345-362 points.  For the sake of argument, if Marathon comes in at #1, and if the five MP songs that have yet to appear come in at 14-18, then both POW and MP will finish with 362 points (heck of a coincidence!).  I think even the most ardent POW supporters would agree this is HIGHLY unlikely.

Hemispheres has the potential for, at most, 253 points, which means it has no chance of passing POW, which demonstrates the flaw in any album ranking based on numbers of songs.

Signals probably has two songs left, which means it will finish with no less than 257 points, which (if my assumption is correct) means that Hemispheres has no chance of overtaking Signals.

The big question is whether Hemispheres can overtake GUP.  GUP probably has only one song left, so it will finish between 243-260.  As mentioned above, the max Hemispheres can get is 253 points, but it could be as low as 208.  My guess is that it will be very close, but GUP probably will finish just ahead of Hemispheres.

My guess is that MP will end up at #1 by virtue of having 7 total songs and 5 of those songs in the top 18.  PEW and POW will likely finish 2 and 3 in whatever order, followed by Signals in 4th, GUP in 5th, Hemispheres in 6th, AFTK in 7th, and 2112 in 11th.

And yes, that's precisely the kind of scenario analysis I did a few posts above. The GUP vs. Hemispheres head-to-head will be interesting. Also GUP vs. Signals. Signals is 47 points behind but, as noted, has likely 2 songs left vs. one for GUP. I suspect one of the two from Signals will be especially high, so that might tip the balance.

Yeah, this ranking is of course affected by the number of songs (Hemispheres with just 4 is inherently penalized). Maybe we can come up with some adjustment factor to correct for that bias.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: jammindude on March 25, 2022, 06:45:16 PM
I’m not sure if this would help but it’s an idea.

If you wanted some thing that represented the popularity of the albums a little bit better, you could tack on to the 1-75 score an additional score that reflects how much of the album that song represents.

If you give every album a base score of 100, and divide by the number of songs, then every song from that album would receive those additional points. Hemispheres would get 25 additional points per song, Moving Pictures would get 14.3 pts per song, Power Windows and Signals would get 12.5 pts per song. Etc etc

How nerdy is that?  :rollin
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 25, 2022, 07:18:44 PM
I’m not sure if this would help but it’s an idea.

If you wanted some thing that represented the popularity of the albums a little bit better, you could tack on to the 1-75 score an additional score that reflects how much of the album that song represents.

If you give every album a base score of 100, and divide by the number of songs, then every song from that album would receive those additional points. Hemispheres would get 25 additional points per song, Moving Pictures would get 14.3 pts per song, Power Windows and Signals would get 12.5 pts per song. Etc etc

How nerdy is that?  :rollin

OK Chad.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 25, 2022, 07:35:29 PM


No, and I said that earlier actually. Heck it wasn’t in my top 20. But I do think it’s a great track and one of the best things on Presto.

 :tup :tup


20. Distant Early Warning (#15) my cousin's boyfriend was in a western Michigan bar band in the mid 80s / early 90s.  Mostly Top 40 rock hits, along with 'Abacab', ‘Afterglow’, ‘Turn It On’.  Anyhoo, of all songs, this was in their setlist.  Their guitar was heavier and deeper, the same with the keyboards.  I do wish the Rush studio version had a bit more of the PoW type of mix and 'oomph', but as you can tell with my rating, I really like it.


I have to whole-heartedly disagree with this, as I think Distant Early Warning benefits greatly from the cold, wintery mix of P/G.  Alex's playing, in particular, is outstanding in this song, and the mix really brings it out.  The way he slowly builds up his guitar line in the second verse is one of those awesome Rush moments where you just  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: wolfking on March 25, 2022, 07:40:19 PM
Another song I ranked the highest.  DEW was so high again because of Rush in Rio.  My introduction to Rush.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 25, 2022, 07:42:22 PM
Another song I ranked the highest. 

No shit! I'm beginning to think this is the Wolfking Countdown.

The only tracks that I ranked the highest are the ones that didn't even make the countdown. :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: wolfking on March 25, 2022, 07:44:31 PM
Another song I ranked the highest. 

No shit! I'm beginning to think this is the Wolfking Countdown.

The only tracks that I ranked the highest are the ones that didn't even make the countdown. :lol

 :metal

That's probably it, but there may be one or two more, but that's reaching.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 25, 2022, 07:48:34 PM
I’m not sure if this would help but it’s an idea.

If you wanted some thing that represented the popularity of the albums a little bit better, you could tack on to the 1-75 score an additional score that reflects how much of the album that song represents.

If you give every album a base score of 100, and divide by the number of songs, then every song from that album would receive those additional points. Hemispheres would get 25 additional points per song, Moving Pictures would get 14.3 pts per song, Power Windows and Signals would get 12.5 pts per song. Etc etc

How nerdy is that?  :rollin

It HAS to be nerdy - this is a Rush thread, after all  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 25, 2022, 08:13:40 PM
wolfking does indeed reign supreme. Below is how many times each list submitter was the high on a song in the top 75.

Keep in mind that many songs have multiple voters as the top rater, so the total of the numbers below far exceeds 75.

wolfking – 8
DTA – 7
nobloodyname – 6
The Realm – 6
HOF - 6
Stadler – 5
Tomislave95 – 5
Cool Chris – 5
Dream Team – 5
Puppies_On_Acid – 5
romdrums – 4
ReaperKK – 4
nick_z – 4
DragonAttack – 4
kingshmegland – 3
devieira73 – 3
KevShmev – 3
Setlist Scotty – 3
Deadeye21 – 3
MrMike – 2
jammindude – 2
The Letter M – 2
pg1067 – 1
TAC – 1
BRGM - 1
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 25, 2022, 08:19:05 PM
It would be interesting to see which submitters had the most number of songs from their 75 make it into the final top 75, and ranked by number of songs each submitter had in the 75.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: devieira73 on March 25, 2022, 08:21:25 PM
I’m not sure if this would help but it’s an idea.

If you wanted some thing that represented the popularity of the albums a little bit better, you could tack on to the 1-75 score an additional score that reflects how much of the album that song represents.

If you give every album a base score of 100, and divide by the number of songs, then every song from that album would receive those additional points. Hemispheres would get 25 additional points per song, Moving Pictures would get 14.3 pts per song, Power Windows and Signals would get 12.5 pts per song. Etc etc

How nerdy is that?  :rollin

Not enough... you are not considering the points proportionally to songs lengths.  :biggrin: :corn
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 25, 2022, 08:23:18 PM
It would be interesting to see which submitters had the most number of songs from their 75 make it into the final top 75, and ranked by number of songs each submitter had in the 75.

-Marc.

I will let each submitter figure that out for themselves once this is done.  :lol :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 25, 2022, 08:23:31 PM
(https://c.tenor.com/GtM1UDihknQAAAAM/brain-freeze-ice-cream.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 25, 2022, 08:31:39 PM
wolfking does indeed reign supreme. Below is how many times each list submitter was the high on a song in the top 75.

Keep in mind that many songs have multiple voters as the top rater, so the total of the numbers below far exceeds 75.

wolfking – 8
DTA – 7
nobloodyname – 6
The Realm – 6
HOF - 6
Stadler – 5
Tomislave95 – 5
Cool Chris – 5
Dream Team – 5
Puppies_On_Acid – 5
romdrums – 4
ReaperKK – 4
nick_z – 4
DragonAttack – 4
kingshmegland – 3
devieira73 – 3
KevShmev – 3
Setlist Scotty – 3
Deadeye21 – 3
MrMike – 2
jammindude – 2
The Letter M – 2
pg1067 – 1
TAC – 1
BRGM - 1

This is pretty cool! I think I have only been the top ranker twice so far, so I have 4 more to go...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: wolfking on March 25, 2022, 08:32:07 PM
wolfking does indeed reign supreme. Below is how many times each list submitter was the high on a song in the top 75.

Keep in mind that many songs have multiple voters as the top rater, so the total of the numbers below far exceeds 75.

wolfking – 8
DTA – 7
nobloodyname – 6
The Realm – 6
HOF - 6
Stadler – 5
Tomislave95 – 5
Cool Chris – 5
Dream Team – 5
Puppies_On_Acid – 5
romdrums – 4
ReaperKK – 4
nick_z – 4
DragonAttack – 4
kingshmegland – 3
devieira73 – 3
KevShmev – 3
Setlist Scotty – 3
Deadeye21 – 3
MrMike – 2
jammindude – 2
The Letter M – 2
pg1067 – 1
TAC – 1
BRGM - 1

 :metal  I knew my tastes would be varied enough to be somewhat up there.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 25, 2022, 08:32:20 PM
wolfking does indeed reign supreme. Below is how many times each list submitter was the high on a song in the top 75.

Keep in mind that many songs have multiple voters as the top rater, so the total of the numbers below far exceeds 75.

Deadeye21 – 3

Ok, so I was named on Everyday Glory, so I’m willing to bet I’m the highest for two songs that completely didn’t make the list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 25, 2022, 08:43:18 PM
I am totally loving these next level stat breakdowns!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 25, 2022, 09:17:52 PM
If you wanted some thing that represented the popularity of the albums a little bit better, you could tack on to the 1-75 score an additional score that reflects how much of the album that song represents.
That doesn't sound too far off from the Excel document I created to rank individual DT songs (whose scores were affected by how much of a percentage of the album they took up) to more objectively determine how I should rank DT's albums. So yeah, I'm a nerd!   :P
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 25, 2022, 09:35:47 PM
I will save my overall comments for the end, but scanning my list, only one thing immediately jumps out at me. I am really disheartened my #14 didn't make the Top 75. I didn't think it would be high, but was certain it would make an appearance somewhere.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 25, 2022, 10:47:05 PM
20 Distant Early Warning
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (wolfking)


I have couple friends who are longtime Rush fans as well, and both, while still liking this song, are a bit sick of it, but it is one I have never got tired or and probably never will. I still love it like crazy, and still enjoy it just as much as I did many years ago when I first heard it.  I had it at 14, and am pleased to see it made the top 20.


19 Available Light
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 1 (HOF)


I double checked the math on everything to make sure I had correct, but I was so stunned by how this finish, I tripled checked this one, just to make sure it was correct.  I knew the online fans loved this song, but it finishing this high? Wow. I had it at 54, which I still think seems about right, but many have mad love for it.
Couple of great songs here

Distant Early Warning - This one came in at #49. It might have gone a little higher but, like many here, I suffer from burnout on this track. It's a great song with great lyrics and I love the vocal melodies. I'm also a fan of the general mix on GUP. I like that cold, stark sound when it fits the music like it does on GUP.

Available Light - I had this at #11, but looking at my list now it probably could have gone a few spots higher. This song is the complete package. Great vocals, check! Perfect usage of keyboards, check! Spine tingling melodies, check! Fantastic drum workout by Neil, check! Short, but oh so sweet, guitar solo, check! I just absolutely love this song!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 25, 2022, 11:43:52 PM
wolfking does indeed reign supreme. Below is how many times each list submitter was the high on a song in the top 75.

Keep in mind that many songs have multiple voters as the top rater, so the total of the numbers below far exceeds 75.
snip
DragonAttack – 4

This makes me feel a bit more 'normal'.  What did I have, ten listed ones for the DT countdown?  Though I do know some of them were by only one or two places.

And I probably had a couple more that didn't rate that I had as the top spot..... 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 26, 2022, 05:58:45 AM
I will save my overall comments for the end, but scanning my list, only one thing immediately jumps out at me. I am really disheartened my #14 didn't make the Top 75. I didn't think it would be high, but was certain it would make an appearance somewhere.

Ah yes, The Wreckers.  That one finished at 101, which is probably around where I would have guessed. Good song that seemed to be liked by most, but never seemed like one that was a fan favorite from Clockwork Angels.

wolfking does indeed reign supreme. Below is how many times each list submitter was the high on a song in the top 75.

Keep in mind that many songs have multiple voters as the top rater, so the total of the numbers below far exceeds 75.
snip
DragonAttack – 4

This makes me feel a bit more 'normal'.  What did I have, ten listed ones for the DT countdown?  Though I do know some of them were by only one or two places.

And I probably had a couple more that didn't rate that I had as the top spot.....

Cannot recall.  Not sure I dug into the stats as deeply with the DT one as I am with the Rush one, to be honest.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DTA on March 26, 2022, 06:06:53 AM
The Anarchist not making the top 75 seems like such a huge oversight. It's the most old-Rush sounding song from CA and has a really solid bass line and chorus.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 26, 2022, 06:07:25 AM
In the meantime, we plunge forward today with two more!

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/43/40/ef/4340ef83e75766df8a7cfdbb5f2d8d43.gif)

18 The Trees
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (DragonAttack)


I had this at 15, which seems about right as I usually have this one in that 10-15 sweet spot.  This is one I thought was awesome the first time I heard it, and my view in that regard has never wavered.  I get that some do not like the lyrics, but they work when viewing them metaphorically, IMO.


17 The Camera Eye
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 5
Highest Ranking: 2 (Puppies_On_Acid)


I like this song a lot; it came in at 53 on my list.  I do think a stronger hook could have made it an all-timer (in the sense of Rush classics for me, as it is already set in stone as the long song on Rush's most iconic record), but it's still damn great from start to finish. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 26, 2022, 07:52:43 AM
The Trees (ranked #24)

Just CLASSIC Rush. So much goodness in a tight package. And THAT instrumental interlude and solo - one of my absolute favorite Rush moments

The Camera Eye (ranked #60)

Rush's last "long song". I wasn't quite sure what the consensus was going to be on this one - I wouldn't have guessed top 20, for sure. It's a cool song, but there is something about it that prevents it from crossing into greatness for me. Maybe the riff is a little more predictable than the usual, maybe the structure is a bit repetitive given the song's length...I don't know. Still enjoy it a ton when it comes up, though.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 26, 2022, 08:03:30 AM
The Trees is a definite Rush classic, but one that I don’t love as much as I used to. I always found the lyrics to be a lot of fun, but I’m not a huge fan of the music, except I think the middle instrumental section is very cool. I find myself wanting to skip ahead to it when I listen to this (I guess it makes up about half of the song anyway). At any rate, it came in at 69.

Really surprised that The Camera Eye made it this high as I thought it was a little more divisive. It’s a fantastic song though, and I probably have it too low looking at my list now. It’s one I don’t revisit as often as I tend to ignore MP as an album. I’m not sure why it only clocked in at 71 for me, as I’ve thought it was one of their strongest “long” tracks in the past, but I have several ahead of it anyway. I love the atmosphere and keys on it, and it really rocks in places. Very cool, extended solo as well.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 26, 2022, 09:40:14 AM
I will save my overall comments for the end, but scanning my list, only one thing immediately jumps out at me. I am really disheartened my #14 didn't make the Top 75. I didn't think it would be high, but was certain it would make an appearance somewhere.

Ah yes, The Wreckers.  That one finished at 101, which is probably around where I would have guessed. Good song that seemed to be liked by most, but never seemed like one that was a fan favorite from Clockwork Angels.

Hey you spoiled the reveal  :) When I first heard that song, I thought "wow, that has the be my favorite Rush chorus" [knowing Rush songs don't always have a typical chorus]. And I still think that today.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 26, 2022, 09:57:37 AM
Heh, a small reveal, but I like to drop reveals here and there to keep it a little fun.  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 26, 2022, 10:07:16 AM
And there still hasn't been a song that has appeared on all 25 lists! (unless I missed it).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 26, 2022, 10:13:21 AM
Nope, we won't get to a song that appeared on all lists until we get to number 8.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: romdrums on March 26, 2022, 10:22:43 AM
18. The Trees (N/A).  So I was one of the two people who didn’t have this in my top 75.  It’s never really resonated with me. 

17. The Camera Eye (27).  I love the overall atmosphere of this song, and to me, this is one of the best examples of Rush’s ability to craft a compelling piece of music.  Moving Pictures, on the whole, is where I can tell Rush was really starting to learn how to arrange and orchestrate their songs.  I remember reading in a Modern Drummer interview with Neil around the release of Presto that Neil was discussing how everything up to Hemispheres was them pushing themselves as players, and then they turned their focus to arranging, song construction, and orchestration with the 80’s albums, so that, when Presto came around, they felt they had a full tool box.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: devieira73 on March 26, 2022, 12:33:21 PM
18 The Trees (#18) - A perfect concise prog song. Always good to hear it attached to Broon's Bane at ESL. About The Trees lyrics, I think they were inspired by Animal Farm, a George Orwell's novel, which uses metaphorical language indeed, so it's the "right way" to view them.

17 The Camera Eye (#32) - It's a shame that this one was the last Rush big epic - like romdrums said, just when they were getting even better with its arrangements and melodies. It's a great song, sure it could have more remarkable melodies, but it is great the way it is - great instrumentation all around.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 26, 2022, 02:07:45 PM
I had The Trees at #49.  Good song, love the lyrics, but it's slight compared to all that surrounds it on Hemispheres.

I had The Camera Eye at #5.  One of my favorite songs of theirs.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 26, 2022, 02:13:02 PM
18 The Trees
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (DragonAttack)


17 The Camera Eye
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 5
Highest Ranking: 2 (Puppies_On_Acid)


I had The Trees at #22 . It's a really great song. I've always loved it.

I thought this Reaction Video was kind of funny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-PVfycaxQ0


I had The Camera Eye at #56. I like it a lot, but for some reason, I've never considered it in the pantheon of Rush songs. I'm kind of surprised it's this high in the countdown.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 26, 2022, 04:21:30 PM
We still haven't had a song with 100% representation, but we're getting awfully close!


18 The Trees
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (DragonAttack)


I had this at 15, which seems about right as I usually have this one in that 10-15 sweet spot.  This is one I thought was awesome the first time I heard it, and my view in that regard has never wavered.  I get that some do not like the lyrics, but they work when viewing them metaphorically, IMO.

This is just an excellent, concise song.  Alex shines throughout.  The 5/4 section followed by the transition into the final verse is so well-crafted.  Geddy's bass tone is incredible, as is Neil's use of tuned percussion.  I had it at #17.  I'll always remember Neil's answer in the Backstage Club newsletter when asked what the song was about:  "an allegorical metaphor about human behavior."  Hardly subtle or profound, but still clever and well done.


17 The Camera Eye
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 5
Highest Ranking: 2 (Puppies_On_Acid)


I like this song a lot; it came in at 53 on my list.  I do think a stronger hook could have made it an all-timer (in the sense of Rush classics for me, as it is already set in stone as the long song on Rush's most iconic record), but it's still damn great from start to finish.

This has always been an odd song for me.  I love it, but I always feel like I should love it more than I do.  Very atmospheric at times.  Very evocative lyrics.  I love the slow build up.  Neil's fills as the song starts to kick in are excellent, and I love the way he modifies them just slightly the second time around.  I almost wish it were longer with a couple other cities.  I had it at 21.


The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song of 8 (12.5% or 17.86% of album time):  Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 3 songs of 8 (37.5% or 43.67% of album time):  Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36
Caress of Steel - 2 songs of 5 (40% or 38.15% of album time):  The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59

2112 - 2 songs of 6 (33.33% or 19.42% of album time):  Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58
A Farewell to Kings - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 51.57% of album time):  Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26; Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - #23
Hemispheres - 2 songs of 4 (50% or 23.40% of album time):  Circumstances - #45; The Trees - #18
Permanent Waves - 2 songs of 6 (33.33% or 23.42% of album time):  Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53
Moving Pictures - 3 songs of 7 (42.86% or 51.25% of album time):  Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38; The Camera Eye - #17
Signals - 5 songs of 8 (62.5% or 63.96% of album time):  Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25
Grace Under Pressure - 4 songs of 8 (50% or 49.98% of album time):  The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29; Red Sector A - #21; Distant Early Warning - #20
Power Windows - 7 songs of 8 (87.5% or 86.19% of album time):  Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30; Territories #24; Manhattan Project - #22
Hold Your Fire - 5 songs of 10 (50% or 40.19% of album time):  Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34
Presto - 4 songs of 11 (36.36% or 39.62% of album time):  Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33; Available Light - #19
Roll the Bones - 4 songs of 10 (40% or 41.62% of album time):  Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32
Counterparts - 6 songs of 11 (54.55% or 54.24% of album time):  Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28
Test for Echo - 2 songs of 11 (18.18% or 19.41% of album time):  Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS (0%)
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS (0%)
Clockwork Angels - 4 songs of 12 (33.33% or 41.58% of album time):  Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 26, 2022, 04:29:03 PM
wolfking does indeed reign supreme. Below is how many times each list submitter was the high on a song in the top 75.

...

pg1067 – 1

Hmmm...I think I'm pretty consistent with the consensus on most of my top picks, so I'm guessing this one song is going to be one of my top 3-4 picks and that I won't be alone.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 26, 2022, 04:31:54 PM
wolfking does indeed reign supreme. Below is how many times each list submitter was the high on a song in the top 75.

....


pg1067 – 1
TAC – 1

And because we suck so much, we probably have the same song, so we only get like half credit. :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 26, 2022, 04:34:44 PM
 :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 26, 2022, 04:47:47 PM
18. The Trees (#5) Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (DragonAttack)

Take my favorite ten Rush songs, put the names in a hat, and then start picking them one by one.  The order would probably change weekly.  This stays top five for the intelligent lyrics. The 'Animal Farm' references, along with the underlying comment about communism and not socialism (in the end, no one benefits, rather than everyone benefits equally well).  Oh, and the percussion, and guitars, the light use of synthesizer, and Geddy's somewhat whimsical voice.

Surprised that there were only two Top Ten voters, but there were obviously a bunch who had it in their Top Thirty.  I am surprised I had it highest of all here.  (Since I don't suck, at least I'll get full credit :D)

17. The Camera Eye (#26)
A great song?  Maybe, maybe not.  But it's really really really frickin good.  I enjoy the fact that I can just kick back and 'drift' with it after such a hard driving side one.  Fortunate to have seen this performed in person.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 26, 2022, 06:37:48 PM

18 The Trees
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (DragonAttack)


17 The Camera Eye
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 5
Highest Ranking: 2 (Puppies_On_Acid)



The Trees - my rank 70. I guess this is classic Rush but I have never been a huge fan of this one. I do concede though that my ranking is probably a bit low.

The Camera Eye - my rank 22. Just a really interesting song musically, it kind of meanders along but at the same time sucks you in.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: jammindude on March 26, 2022, 09:02:03 PM
Sheesh!!  I can't believe how quickly one can fall behind on this thing!

32. Dreamline - Me #39

Fantastic album and concert opener!  I was so excited when I first heard the new track from Roll the Bones.  Too bad the rest of the album turned out to be mostly a disappointment.  It's not just a great riff and a great beat, but the lyrics perfectly capture the mood that the music is trying to convey and vice versa.   Just an excellent well crafted song.

31. Middletown Dreams - Me #49

Can't believe I had this one that low.  Just too much competition.  The intro is the perfect example of how something can be done with a synth that still sounds like it's being played organically.   The change up in the beats and the way they have slight variations on different bars.   "All this machinery making modern music can still be open hearted" indeed.   That ideal was perfectly completed on the entire Power Windows album and this track in particular.   The third verse being very different from the first two is a nice change up.  And the lyrics are beautiful.

30. The Big Money - did not rank.  Both my trial lists had it outside the top 100.

One of only two Power Windows songs that did not make my top 75.  And to be honest, it is still my least favorite song from the album.   The lyrics are just too repetitive, and the musical ideas are not as interesting as the rest of the album.

29. Afterimage - Me #73

Grace Under Pressure is just an album onto itself isn't it?   Many many years ago, Stadler was one of the first people I remember describing the album as "cold" and I had never really thought about it before, but it totally is.   Not just cold, but actually downright bleak.    Afterimage is extremely emotionally packed, but it's about as bleak as a Cure song.   But the impact itself is still something that resonates if you're in the right mood.    It carries the weight of someone who has (edit) hasn't really dealt with the full impact of the death yet...but it's hard to tell exactly the stage they are at.  Either denial or bargaining.   It still perfectly coveys the mood.

28. Animate - Me #56

This was one of the reasons I truly loved Counterparts at first.  (it just didn't age well to me...but I digress)  But Animate is a fantastic album opener.   I will say that I love the sound on the entire album.  I remember in an interview at the time that Alex said that rather than plugging into the sound board, they actually did the old fashioned method of mic'ing up the amps to do this album and I personally think it really shows.  You can almost hear the "space" in the studio and it gives the whole album a more natural feel.   Neil's drum intro in particular sounds (to me) like you can hear the natural "echo" of the room.   Great riff, great driving beat, fantastic lyrics.

27. The Garden - Me #29

Man.  Still almost too soon to talk about this one.   What a statement.  Even my cousin (a bit of a daughter figure) who doesn't like Rush that much was completely floored by this song.   How many 40 year bands can say they ended on one of their best albums...and ended that album with one of their best songs?   Even when I heard it the first time, I had a little voice in the back of my mind telling me it was going to be the last.  There was just something about it.   But I pushed it away because I didn't want to believe it.

26. A Farewell to Kings - Me #47

Running out of adjectives here.   But I do love this song.  I still remember hearing it for the first time when I bought the cassette as a kid.   The slow intro built my anticipation because I knew something was coming.  And then when it hit, I just got a euphoric....well...RUSH.   Good memories.   And I can't help but think how cool it would have been to have been waiting for that album after the success of 2112.   I'm sure many had gone back and become obsessed with the first three and were just waiting to see what the boys had in store for the next chapter.   I'm sure no one was disappointed when this song came on.

25. Losing It - Me #48

Another "writing on the wall" song.   None of us wanted to believe it was coming to an end.   But when they pulled this one out for the R40 tour, you really got the feeling Neil was trying to tell us something.   "This is it.  I can't do this anymore."   Beautiful words that still make me misty eyed to this day. 

24. Territories - Me #4 BABY!!!

YYYYYEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!   Actually, my first list had it at #3, but after some soul searching I swapped 3 and 4 and it really really really really hurt to have to take this down to four.   I love the music on this, but the lyrics take the cake.  My #1 Neil Peart lyrics of any song he ever did hands down.  I've memorized the entire thing, and I often look for opportunities to recite it wherever opportunity arises.   I've always hated nationalism and tribalism.   But hearing the idea clarified in this way helped me to convey not just the emotion of distaste, but to truly communicate to others how toxic the entire idea of nationalism and tribalism is.    The "better beer" line is particularly brilliant to me because it underscores the whole idea that the conqueror will always complain about the land he just conquered...lamenting that things were so much better where he came from.... ugh....then why did you leave to conquer?   And of course, Neil's #1 single line of all time is in my sig.   It's an entire world outlook for me now.  A rejection of nationalistic pride.  No matter what nation you're from.   

23. Cygnus X-1 - Me #13

The perfect first half (third?) of what I consider to be one of the greatest compositions in rock history.   I wasn't even sure what had just hit me when the cassette came to an end.  Air guitaring to the ending section would send me into an absolutely frenzy and then my mom would burst in and scare me because she thought I was having some kind of conniption fit.    :rollin     But hey, a *performance* was taking place!!!    Man, parents just don't understand.     The ups and downs on this song is off the chart.   I love the way every single section is wonderfully crafted to communicate the story.   The music is telling the story just as much as the lyrics are.   The hopefulness before the journey, the panic at the danger, the calm before the storm, and then the explosive damage as the full strength of the black hole takes over.   Just beautiful.

22. Manhattan Project - Me #18

Another gem from this nearly perfect album.   Who doesn't get goosebumps at the "flying out of the shock waves" line?   And then the small musical bridge that builds up to the final chorus.   I also really enjoy the way that the chorus is sung in two different ways.   Stuff like that really keeps these songs interesting and completely separates a composition that happens to have synths, from a completely synthesized pop song that is mostly cut and pasted to get the desired results.   There's a very organic and human element in even the most digitized Rush song.

21. Red Sector A - did not rank. 

It now KILLS me that this didn't make my final list.  I go back and forth on it.   My first list it was 102, and my second list it was 57 (huge jump).   Why it got lost in the last minute shuffle to the final list I don't know.  But this alone makes me want to tweak my list again.   Fantastic song.   

20. Distant Early Warning - Did not rank - my two test lists had it at 80 and 95

I like the driving main riff.  I actually like the whole song.  The chorus is a bit odd on this one.  Parts of the lyrics come across as so non-sensical.   I know what the song is about...but someone to sweep the floors? What??   And Absalom? (The biblical character I'm familiar with...but what has he got to do with any of this?)  I don't know.   It's got its moments.  But it's quite a jarring song.   

19. Available Light - Me #57

Just a beautiful song.   I think we all knew as soon as we heard the album that Geddy was never going to be able to hit that note in the chorus on a full tour, so I knew right away they'd never play it.   But what a beautiful sentiment.   Alex's bluesy guitar play over the second verse followed by the upbuilding hopefulness of the chorus is just a wonderful moment.

18. The Trees - Me #26

My first exposure to this song was the *PERFECT* Side 3 of Exit...Stage Left  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Still knocks my socks off to this day.  I will concede that the lyrics come across a bit hokey these days, but I think the cautionary tale still works.   I mean, it almost reads as classic child's literature ala Dr. Suess or the like.  But that doesn't make it a bad thing.  I still quite love some of of Dr. Suess' cautionary tales for children (The Sneeches are my favorite).   But the song itself is probably one of the best examples of something you could show a newcomer to Rush so they know what they are getting into.  It compacts a lot of prog into a smaller package.   

17. The Camera Eye - Me #17

I hate to say it, but I almost feel I overrated this one slightly.  Maybe nostalgia got to me that day.  If I did it over, I'd probably have it just barely outside the top 20, but this ranking is pretty close so there's no sense splitting hairs.   It's a beautiful song.  Just probably the "least best" of their works in the 8-15 min range.  I do have particular fun playing Rock Band version on drums.  I haven't pulled that game out in years.  This makes me want to dust it off.  (if my game system still works)

 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 26, 2022, 09:10:59 PM
Epic write-up!!  :metal :metal

It's funny to think that if I redid this using the ranking engine now, how different it might look.  My top 20-25 would remain intact, with maybe a few moving up and down a spot or two, but there'd likely be some major movement with the rest. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 26, 2022, 09:12:57 PM
Also, for anyone who thinks they know what my specific Rush tastes are, tomorrow's songs will be one that I think is way too high (but I am not surprised where it finished) and another I think finished way too low (should have been 10-12 spots higher).  Chew on that for 8-10 hours. :P :P
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 26, 2022, 09:15:16 PM
This Rush idiot will not be surprised.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 26, 2022, 09:19:38 PM
It's just too bad we don't have live looks at reactions when everyone sees the posted songs, because I'd love to see the collective gasps when War Paint finishes in the top 5.

Oops on the spoiler.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 26, 2022, 09:34:05 PM
It's just too bad we don't have live looks at reactions when everyone sees the posted songs, because I'd love to see the collective gasps when War Paint Cinderella Man finishes in the top 5.

Oops on the spoiler.

 :metal :metal :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 26, 2022, 09:35:29 PM
23. Cygnus X-1 - Me #13

The perfect first half (third?) of what I consider to be one of the greatest compositions in rock history.   I wasn't even sure what had just hit me when the cassette came to an end.  Air guitaring to the ending section would send me into an absolutely frenzy and then my mom would burst in and scare me because she thought I was having some kind of conniption fit.    :rollin     But hey, a *performance* was taking place!!!    Man, parents just don't understand.     The ups and downs on this song is off the chart.   I love the way every single section is wonderfully crafted to communicate the story.   The music is telling the story just as much as the lyrics are.   The hopefulness before the journey, the panic at the danger, the calm before the storm, and then the explosive damage as the full strength of the black hole takes over.   Just beautiful.

Is there any one of us who hasn't been there?!   :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 27, 2022, 06:34:08 AM
Here come numbers 16 and 15!

(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DismalBountifulIrishwolfhound-max-1mb.gif)

16 The Analog Kid
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (Deadeye21)


It would appear that most like this song a lot more than I do.  Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan, but it only finished at 52 for me; I guess there are just many I like more.  It was always great live, with the lasers during the chorus, although I was always surprised that it wasn't played more often (just 1 tour in the 21st century).


15 Jacob’s Ladder
Appeared on 22 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 6
Highest Ranking: 1 (Tomislav95)


This is always in my top 5, and when I did the ranking engine, it finished at 3, so I must have been in a "Jacob's Ladder is more awesome than normal" mood that day.  Just a flawless piece of music, and easily one of their best songs ever.  I was hoping it would finish top 10, but 15 isn't bad at all, all things considered.  The three who left it off of their lists need to be publicly shamed, however. :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 27, 2022, 07:10:56 AM

18 The Trees
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (DragonAttack)


17 The Camera Eye
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 5
Highest Ranking: 2 (Puppies_On_Acid)



Ok so The Trees was my number 63, and easily my least favourite from Hemispheres. But, that doesn’t mean it’s not a great song. My favourite part of this song is actually the clean riff after the synth solo and the solo that follows. Lyrics are a bit meh though.
The Camera Eye was my number 5. I don’t know why. The lyrics aren’t overly gripping, but there’s just a great chemistry between the trio in songs like these where they’re just jamming overall, as we see in one of the other songs on the list.


16 The Analog Kid
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (Deadeye21)


15 Jacob’s Ladder
Appeared on 22 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 6
Highest Ranking: 1 (Tomislav95)



G’day, I’m Deadeye21, so quite obviously this song is my number 3. I think this song is basically a condensed version of the history of the Rush sound. The distinctive, punchy riff followed by the groove of the verse chords, and then a chorus filled with synth. And then to cap that all off with one of Alex’s most monumental solos? This song is utterly amazing.

Jacob’s Ladder arrived at 15 (wait a minute, I got this one right!!). You could easily copy and paste my Camera Eye comments here. This song has one of my favourite Rush riffs of all time in it too.
So why did this one end up ten ranks lower than Camera Eye for me when the majority opinion puts this one ahead? For me, I actually find some sections drag on a little too long. The synth led section (post vocal) is led by one riff that doesn’t really go anywhere for me, whereas Camera Eye changes frequently enough while being tied to the same few riffs. The limited lyrics to Jacob’s Ladder also gives Camera Eye a little extra meat to its bones.

I realise most people won’t overly care about my comparison here, but for those who are still reading this, thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 27, 2022, 07:47:59 AM
The Analog Kid was at 18 for me, so right in the ballpark. This song rocks in the most Rush sort of way. Have loved this one since it was one of the first tracks I heard on that Retrospective II set, but I gained a new appreciation once I got Signals. I love how it fits into the arc of the album. I imagine this song builds on Subdivisions and deals with a kid from the suburbs who dreams of other places/people/things that seem like “real” life (analogue) as opposed to his suburban existence. Doesn’t even know what exactly he’s hoping to find, but he knows he’ll grow up and leave home some day to find it. Also probably some autobiographical stuff from Neil’s youth I imagine as he dropped out of school and moved to England to pursue music, but ultimately came back and found what he didn’t realize he was leaving behind (the band that would give him success in music). Great lyrics, great bass playing, and Alex with one of his shreddiest solos. Love how the chorus slows down and is filled with dreamy keys. Also, the discerning ear will hear the same intervals as the “woah” from Learning to Live played by the keys on the outro.

I will heartily own up to not ranking Jacob’s Ladder. I think the imagery is cool and appreciate what they were trying to do with it? I’ve just never enjoyed it as a song. It’s tuneless and a bit robotic and repetitive. There are some parts I like, but they tend to get repeated over and over again. Ultimately, I think it’s a fine, artsy album piece, but not a song I’d ever pick out to listen to.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: devieira73 on March 27, 2022, 08:52:13 AM
16 The Analog Kid (#33) - It's a very very good song that indeed manages to compile the trademarks from the heavier and keyboard eras of the band. And the chorus is just gorgeous!

15 Jacob’s Ladder (#40) - It has a very interesting format - it's concise and epic at the same time. The interlude and the instrumental part right after it are truly amazing.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 27, 2022, 09:06:46 AM
16. The Analog Kid (#17)  almost nailed yet another one!  Benefits from its perfect placement on the album.  That said, the ‘you move me, you move me…..’ parts moves me.  And a damn good instrumental ending.

15. Jacob’s Ladder (#21) I don’t include it on any of my ‘best ofs’, but it benefits in my rankings from the album its on, its placement, and the era. The perfect type of song after two radio friendly hits.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: romdrums on March 27, 2022, 09:18:11 AM
16. The Analog Kid (24).  This song has really grown on me in the last decade or so.  Probably because they brought it back out for the Clockwork Angels tour.  Great rocker.

15. Jacob’s Ladder (10).  One of Rush’s proggiest tunes.  I love all of the different sections and twists and turns.  I actually got to perform this song my freshman year of college when I was the drummer in the school’s MIDI band, which was an ensemble that only used electronic instruments.  It was challenging, and I don’t think I ever got the unison figure before the “follow men’s eyes as they look to the sky” section correct, but there was a lot of fun things to play in that song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 27, 2022, 09:21:01 AM

I will heartily own up to not ranking Jacob’s Ladder. I think the imagery is cool and appreciate what they were trying to do with it? I’ve just never enjoyed it as a song. It’s tuneless and a bit robotic and repetitive. There are some parts I like, but they tend to get repeated over and over again. Ultimately, I think it’s a fine, artsy album piece, but not a song I’d ever pick out to listen to.

(https://c.tenor.com/3FOVil5NxugAAAAM/game-of-thrones-shame.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 27, 2022, 09:30:45 AM
Time for four more as we enter the Top 15, and here come some of the Hemispheres-Signals songs we've been waiting for!

18 The Trees - ranked 27th. Happy to see it in the top 20. It's such a fun song with a great bridge in 5, one of their all-time greats, musically and lyrically.

17 The Camera Eye - ranked 26th. I figured if it was in the Top 75, it was going to be above the other Side 2 songs, so it doesn't surprise me that it's the next MP song on the list. Funny to see this and "The Trees" back-to-back on both MY list and the final ranking!

16 The Analog Kid - ranked 54th. A killer song from Signals, probably my 2nd favorite after "Subdivisions".

15 Jacob's Ladder - ranked 20th. Easily a Top 20 Rush song for me, and I probably could've ranked it higher, but I'm happy I had it at 20 and that it made it to 15th in the final ranking. Learning the drum part in this one was a challenge when I was younger, it definitely helped me improve in many ways.

(Edited to remove the "spotlighting")

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 27, 2022, 09:31:55 AM
Awful lot of spotlighting in that post, Marc.  :facepalm: :facepalm:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 27, 2022, 09:36:38 AM
Awful lot of spotlighting in that post, Marc.  :facepalm: :facepalm:

Oh, my apologies. I wasn't sure what that meant? I've never heard of that before... should I edit my post?  :'( :lol

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 27, 2022, 09:37:25 AM
I’ve never heard the term either.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 27, 2022, 09:39:11 AM
I’ve never heard the term either.

Quote
Spotlighting or lamping is a method of hunting nocturnal animals using off-road vehicles and high-powered lights, spotlights, lamps or flashlights, that makes special use of the eyeshine revealed by many animal species.
From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotlighting)

*Shrug*

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 27, 2022, 09:43:06 AM
Let's put it this way: I am sure most Rush fans here can look at it and figure out what the 14 songs left are at this point, but I feel that it is spotlighting to call them out by name.  When we got down to 3 or 4 songs left in the DT one, someone posted something along the lines of, "The obvious songs left are this, that and the other," which I felt was a jerk move (and the mods agreed as they deleted his post).  To me, it is a matter of courtesy.  Even if something is obvious, let the thread runner list them when the time comes. 

Example: say we get to the last two and someone posts, "The obvious top two songs are Song A and Song B, it's just a matter of what will be number 1." That, to me, would be a jerk move. 

In this context, spotlighting = spoiling.

As I said when I started the DT one, I got this idea from another place on the 'net, and it was pretty well understood there not to spotlight (see: call out the remaining songs by name, especially when we are this close to the finish).  Not trying to stifle chatter, and of course it's not really that big a deal, it's just a friendly request.  :tup :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 27, 2022, 09:50:10 AM


15. Jacob’s Ladder (10).  One of Rush’s proggiest tunes.  I love all of the different sections and twists and turns.  I actually got to perform this song my freshman year of college when I was the drummer in the school’s MIDI band, which was an ensemble that only used electronic instruments.  It was challenging, and I don’t think I ever got the unison figure before the “follow men’s eyes as they look to the sky” section correct, but there was a lot of fun things to play in that song.

As a professional air drummer, I swear it took me years to finally get the ending of this song just right, meaning the 13-15 seconds just before the final vocal section at the end.  I still mess it up a little.  :lol :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 27, 2022, 09:52:52 AM
Let's put it this way: I am sure most Rush fans here can look at it and figure out what the 14 songs left are at this point, but I feel that it is spotlighting to call them out by name.  When we got down to 3 or 4 songs left in the DT one, someone posted something along the lines of, "The obvious songs left are this, that and the other," which I felt was a jerk move (and the mods agreed as they deleted his post).  To me, it is a matter of courtesy.  Even if something is obvious, let the thread runner list them when the time comes. 

Example: say we get to the last two and someone posts, "The obvious top two songs are Song A and Song B, it's just a matter of what will be number 1." That, to me, would be a jerk move. 

In this context, spotlighting = spoiling.

As I said when I started the DT one, I got this idea from another place on the 'net, and it was pretty well understood there not to spotlight (see: call out the remaining songs by name, especially when we are this close to the finish).  Not trying to stifle chatter, and of course it's not really that big a deal, it's just a friendly request.  :tup :tup

Understood. I'll keep this in mind when replying to future song rankings as we finish the Top 14 out over the next week or so. I've edited my previous post as best as I could to remove any "spotlighting" for possible future spoilers.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 27, 2022, 09:55:32 AM

Understood. I'll keep this in mind when replying to future song rankings as we finish the Top 14 out over the next week or so. I've edited my previous post as best as I could to remove any "spotlighting" for possible future spoilers.


Cool, no worries, and I know there was no malice on your part.  Hard to not get a little excited as we get near the end!  :tup :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 27, 2022, 10:16:11 AM
The Trees was #21 for me.
The Camera Eye was #38
The  Analog Kid was # 30
Jacob's Ladder did not make my 75.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Dream Team on March 27, 2022, 11:35:27 AM
Yeah I have to agree with HOF about parts of JL dragging. Analog Kid is a great tune.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 27, 2022, 11:56:24 AM
The Trees was #21 for me.
The Camera Eye was #38
The  Analog Kid was # 30
Jacob's Ladder did not make my 75.

(https://c.tenor.com/3FOVil5NxugAAAAM/game-of-thrones-shame.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 27, 2022, 12:02:18 PM
16 The Analog Kid
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (Deadeye21)


15 Jacob’s Ladder
Appeared on 22 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 6
Highest Ranking: 1 (Tomislav95)


I had The Analog Kid at #19, so pretty close here. I remember being quite disappointed with Signals, but this song, a rocker, stood out to me. Signals was the first studio album that came out that I was already a fan.

I had Jacob's Ladder at #24. Not quite as high as this, but for all intents, I do rate it quite high. It's a great and powerful track.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nobloodyname on March 27, 2022, 12:09:13 PM
Jacob's Ladder didn't make my top 75, either. It's just not... a good song :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 27, 2022, 12:09:55 PM
The Trees was #21 for me.
The Camera Eye was #38
The  Analog Kid was # 30
Jacob's Ladder did not make my 75.

(https://c.tenor.com/3FOVil5NxugAAAAM/game-of-thrones-shame.gif)

(https://i.postimg.cc/pLqYLfGc/whatever-ill-do-what-i-want.gif) (https://postimages.org/) (https://gasstation-nearme.com/open-24-hours)

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 27, 2022, 12:10:48 PM
Jacob's Ladder didn't make my top 75, either. It's just not... a good song :biggrin:

You had it at 72. 

I guess that explains why Tai Shan made your list. :P :lol  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nobloodyname on March 27, 2022, 12:12:12 PM
Jacob's Ladder didn't make my top 75, either. It's just not... a good song :biggrin:

You had it at 72. 

I guess that explains why Tai Shan made your list. :P :lol  :biggrin:

Did I?! For shame. Should have been 30 places lower :lol

Leave Tai Shan out of it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 27, 2022, 12:13:49 PM


Leave Tai Shan out of it.

Everyone else did. :lol :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 27, 2022, 12:15:01 PM
 :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 27, 2022, 12:22:25 PM


Leave Tai Shan out of it.

Everyone else did. :lol :lol
:neverusethis:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 27, 2022, 12:30:51 PM
16 The Analog Kid
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (Deadeye21)


It would appear that most like this song a lot more than I do.  Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan, but it only finished at 52 for me; I guess there are just many I like more.  It was always great live, with the lasers during the chorus, although I was always surprised that it wasn't played more often (just 1 tour in the 21st century).

This is an excellent song, but I feel like it got more love because of the album on which it appeared.  Of course, I still had it at #24.  I never cared for the way they modified it live, so the studio version is definitely the go-to.


15 Jacob’s Ladder
Appeared on 22 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 6
Highest Ranking: 1 (Tomislav95)


This is always in my top 5, and when I did the ranking engine, it finished at 3, so I must have been in a "Jacob's Ladder is more awesome than normal" mood that day.  Just a flawless piece of music, and easily one of their best songs ever.  I was hoping it would finish top 10, but 15 isn't bad at all, all things considered.  The three who left it off of their lists need to be publicly shamed, however. :lol

Jacob's Ladder is just a brilliant piece of music.  It's deceptively complex.  The intro in alternating 5 and 6 is cool -- especially with Neil's marching snare keeping time.  The first "verse" section reminds me in a way of Long Distance Runaround.  In that song, the verses were in 4/4, but Bill Bruford would hit the snare every fifth beat.  In Jacob's Ladder, Alex is playing quarter note chords in 4/4, but he plays two eighth notes every fifth beat.  It sounds so simple, but keeping the timing straight is ridiculously hard.  The building of the next section, with the transition halfway through and the Taurus pedals adding a bit of a Middle Eastern flavor, all while oscillating between 5/4 and 6/4.  Then the calm middle section, followed by the building 6/8 and 7/8 section into the song's climax.  It takes you on such a journey -- all in the span of less than 8 minutes!  I had this song at #4.


The Score So Far
- Rush - 1 song of 8 (12.5% or 17.86% of album time):  Working Man - #56)
- Fly by Night - 3 songs of 8 (37.5% or 43.67% of album time):  Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36
- Caress of Steel - 2 songs of 5 (40% or 38.15% of album time):  The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59

- 2112 - 2 songs of 6 (33.33% or 19.42% of album time):  Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58
- A Farewell to Kings - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 51.57% of album time):  Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26; Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - #23
- Hemispheres - 2 songs of 4 (50% or 23.40% of album time):  Circumstances - #45; The Trees - #18
- Permanent Waves - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 45.13% of album time):  Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53; Jacob's Ladder - #15
- Moving Pictures - 3 songs of 7 (42.86% or 51.25% of album time):  Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38; The Camera Eye - #17
- Signals - 6 songs of 8 (75% or 75.22% of album time):  Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25; The Analog Kid - #16
- Grace Under Pressure - 4 songs of 8 (50% or 49.98% of album time):  The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29; Red Sector A - #21; Distant Early Warning - #20
- Power Windows - 7 songs of 8 (87.5% or 86.19% of album time):  Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30; Territories #24; Manhattan Project - #22
- Hold Your Fire - 5 songs of 10 (50% or 40.19% of album time):  Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34
- Presto - 4 songs of 11 (36.36% or 39.62% of album time):  Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33; Available Light - #19
- Roll the Bones - 4 songs of 10 (40% or 41.62% of album time):  Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32
- Counterparts - 6 songs of 11 (54.55% or 54.24% of album time):  Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28
- Test for Echo - 2 songs of 11 (18.18% or 19.41% of album time):  Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62
- Vapor Trails - NO SONGS (0%)
- Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS (0%)
- Clockwork Angels - 4 songs of 12 (33.33% or 41.58% of album time):  Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 27, 2022, 12:40:55 PM
Tai Shame
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on March 27, 2022, 02:31:41 PM
With these latest 4 songs, I don’t have too much to add. Always loved The Trees, especially the atmospheric middle section with the melodic percussion. And the lyrics were clever - I like Jammindude’s analogy of them being akin to Dr. Seuss’ star-bellied sneetches. It’s #37 on my list.

TCE is catchy and I’ve always enjoyed it, but it is a bit repetitive. As such, it placed at #48 for me.

Growing up, TAK was always a close second favorite for me on Signals until later years where LI moved into second place. Definitely the most guitar-centered and rocking of the songs on that album. While I don’t mind the arrangement changes they made to it when they brought in back in the 90s and beyond, I would be curious to know why they did that. Another song that cracked my personal top 20 at #19.

I always liked but can’t say that I loved JL - certainly not in comparison to a couple other tracks on the album that shall remain nameless for now. Nonetheless, I think Rush finally bringing it out live on the R40 tour (and giving me another song I could cross off my list of songs I haven’t seen live) improved my appreciation for it. So it placed at #33 on my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Dream Team on March 27, 2022, 02:33:24 PM
Does anyone know if Analog Kid and Digital Man are related?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 27, 2022, 02:53:18 PM
^
'New World Man' is feeling a bit Tai Shan'd
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 27, 2022, 03:00:48 PM
Does anyone know if Analog Kid and Digital Man are related?

I would say yes, or at least I would say people have interpreted it that way (see this following link for example).

https://rushvault.com/2011/02/06/digital-man/

There is a story about this song that I cannot find for the life of me now. The whole “he don’t need a bed” line was inspired by somebody who was working in the studio and he was a really odd guy and they were trying to figure out sleeping arrangements, and somebody uttered something to the effect of “the digital man wont need a bed.” The guys thought it was hilarious and it ended up in the song.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 27, 2022, 03:01:20 PM
Does anyone know if Analog Kid and Digital Man are related?

According to the Wiki article for Signals (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signals_(Rush_album)):

Quote
Peart had written the words to ["The Analog Kid"] initially as a companion piece to "Digital Man", which Rush had started working on in late 1981

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 27, 2022, 03:05:06 PM
^
'New World Man' is feeling a bit Tai Shan'd

When he learns to mend the mess he makes, that might change.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: wolfking on March 27, 2022, 03:15:00 PM
Disappointing Jacobs Ladder didn't make top 10.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 27, 2022, 03:24:23 PM
Here come numbers 16 and 15!

16 The Analog Kid
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (Deadeye21)


15 Jacob’s Ladder
Appeared on 22 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 6
Highest Ranking: 1 (Tomislav95)



The Analog Kid - my rank 40. Really surprised this song finishes so high. Sure, I had it at 40 but overall that felt about right to me, obviously not!

Jacob's Ladder - my rank 14. OK, yes....probably too low. However, I totally agree with Kev, how can anyone leave this song out of the top 75 Rush songs? Well I guess they can!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 27, 2022, 04:33:30 PM
18 The Trees
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (DragonAttack)


I had this at 15, which seems about right as I usually have this one in that 10-15 sweet spot.  This is one I thought was awesome the first time I heard it, and my view in that regard has never wavered.  I get that some do not like the lyrics, but they work when viewing them metaphorically, IMO.


17 The Camera Eye
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 5
Highest Ranking: 2 (Puppies_On_Acid)


I like this song a lot; it came in at 53 on my list.  I do think a stronger hook could have made it an all-timer (in the sense of Rush classics for me, as it is already set in stone as the long song on Rush's most iconic record), but it's still damn great from start to finish.
The Trees - This was at #26, so not quite as high as the consensus. I do love this song though, lyrics and music. I also like the metaphorical nature of the lyrics. The slower middle part and the subsequent build up into the guitar solo is just sublime.

The Camera Eye - My placing this at #2 should be enough said. I just absolutely love this song. Something about the quiet intro with those opening synths just stirs a huge sense of nostalgia and sentimentality in me. It brings back good memories of growing up. Then the build up into the song proper is just expertly done. Then that riff going into the verses is just a perfect segue into the vocals. Plus all the little subtle keyboards drizzled throughout just provide all kinds of nuggets. I always seem to hear something new when I listen to this song.

16 The Analog Kid
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (Deadeye21)


It would appear that most like this song a lot more than I do.  Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan, but it only finished at 52 for me; I guess there are just many I like more.  It was always great live, with the lasers during the chorus, although I was always surprised that it wasn't played more often (just 1 tour in the 21st century).


15 Jacob’s Ladder
Appeared on 22 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 6
Highest Ranking: 1 (Tomislav95)


This is always in my top 5, and when I did the ranking engine, it finished at 3, so I must have been in a "Jacob's Ladder is more awesome than normal" mood that day.  Just a flawless piece of music, and easily one of their best songs ever.  I was hoping it would finish top 10, but 15 isn't bad at all, all things considered.  The three who left it off of their lists need to be publicly shamed, however. :lol
The Analog Kid - This was at #18 for me, so pretty close to the overall. My first exposure to this song was on the Different Stages live album and my goodness what a rockin song! I didn't buy the Signals album until about 6 months later. Yeah my Rush journey was a bit weird. I started with Moving Pictures, then bought Roll the Bones in '91 when it released. Then I somehow missed Counterparts when it released, but bought Test For Echo on release and then Different Stages when it released. Different Stages was the album that turned Rush into my favorite band and a big part of it was the live versions of 2112 and The Analog Kid, so once I was able to scrounge up enough money (I was only 13 at the time) I bought both 2112 and Signals. From that point it was just a flood of buying Rush albums. I had all of them that were released up to that point by late 1999. Oddly enough Counterparts was the last one I bought. /Tangent over

Jacob's Ladder - I feel like this should have been a lot higher in my ranking. It somehow landed at #62. Looking at my list it probably should have been about 20 spots higher. Oh well. It's a great song with a great moody buildup.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 27, 2022, 04:51:15 PM
The Analog Kid (ranked #31)

Ranked a bit lower than the aggregate, but it doesn't matter. It's an incredibly cool song, at the same time "warm" and rocking. Everything is good, the main riff, the chorus and, man, the "Too many hands on my time" part. Love that chord progression, and when they reprise it, it's a triumph (wish that part was a little longer, actually)

Jacob's Ladder (ranked #23)

100% agree with the comments about how deceptively complex this is. Alex's and Neil's work on this is especially stellar. It was GREAT to witness it live.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 27, 2022, 05:53:01 PM
We have 14 left to go. Without spotlighting (of course) I can honestly say I am not exactly sure of what all 14 songs are...kind of could go either way on a couple so is going to be really interesting. Depending on which way it goes I will be a bit surprised at what may miss out.

Really looking forward to seeing how it plays out though.

Now I am off to listen to Territories 10 times in a row because after jammindudes great writeup I have to be missing something!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: jammindude on March 27, 2022, 06:24:38 PM
We have 14 left to go. Without spotlighting (of course) I can honestly say I am not exactly sure of what all 14 songs are...kind of could go either way on a couple so is going to be really interesting. Depending on which way it goes I will be a bit surprised at what may miss out.

Really looking forward to seeing how it plays out though.

Now I am off to listen to Territories 10 times in a row because after jammindudes great writeup I have to be missing something!

 :heart
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: jammindude on March 27, 2022, 06:29:40 PM
I have to say that I’m a little stumped.

I just looked through my top 25 and there are 13 “fan revered classics” that haven’t been mentioned yet…but in looking at my entire list I’m at a complete loss as to what the 14th song would be.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 27, 2022, 06:32:26 PM
I have to say that I’m a little stumped.

I just looked through my top 25 and there are 13 “fan revered classics” that haven’t been mentioned yet…but in looking at my entire list I’m at a complete loss as to what the 14th song would be.

"Rivendell", of course.  ;)

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 27, 2022, 06:34:34 PM
I have to say that I’m a little stumped.

I just looked through my top 25 and there are 13 “fan revered classics” that haven’t been mentioned yet…but in looking at my entire list I’m at a complete loss as to what the 14th song would be.

"Rivendell", of course.  ;)

-Marc.



STOP SPOTLIGHTING!!!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DTA on March 27, 2022, 06:46:36 PM
I have to say that I’m a little stumped.

I just looked through my top 25 and there are 13 “fan revered classics” that haven’t been mentioned yet…but in looking at my entire list I’m at a complete loss as to what the 14th song would be.

I definitely count 14 when I look through what's missing.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 27, 2022, 08:01:12 PM
We have 14 left to go. Without spotlighting (of course) I can honestly say I am not exactly sure of what all 14 songs are.

I have to say that I’m a little stumped.

I just looked through my top 25 and there are 13 “fan revered classics” that haven’t been mentioned yet…but in looking at my entire list I’m at a complete loss as to what the 14th song would be.

I feel 100% confident in what songs are left.  Seem kind of obvious when you think about what albums are left.

About 10 songs ago, I wasn't sure.  Once Red Sector A and Distant Early Warning were announced, all doubt was removed.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 27, 2022, 09:12:27 PM
There’s a few that feel like a given. But there’s a few others that feel like I’m gonna feel stupid upon their reveal for not remembering to put them in my own list?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: Lethean on March 27, 2022, 09:29:57 PM
20 Distant Early Warning
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (wolfking)


I have couple friends who are longtime Rush fans as well, and both, while still liking this song, are a bit sick of it, but it is one I have never got tired or and probably never will. I still love it like crazy, and still enjoy it just as much as I did many years ago when I first heard it.  I had it at 14, and am pleased to see it made the top 20.


19 Available Light
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 1 (HOF)


I double checked the math on everything to make sure I had correct, but I was so stunned by how this finish, I tripled checked this one, just to make sure it was correct.  I knew the online fans loved this song, but it finishing this high? Wow. I had it at 54, which I still think seems about right, but many have mad love for it.
Couple of great songs here

Distant Early Warning - This one came in at #49. It might have gone a little higher but, like many here, I suffer from burnout on this track. It's a great song with great lyrics and I love the vocal melodies. I'm also a fan of the general mix on GUP. I like that cold, stark sound when it fits the music like it does on GUP.

Available Light - I had this at #11, but looking at my list now it probably could have gone a few spots higher. This song is the complete package. Great vocals, check! Perfect usage of keyboards, check! Spine tingling melodies, check! Fantastic drum workout by Neil, check! Short, but oh so sweet, guitar solo, check! I just absolutely love this song!
And perfect lyrics - check.

I have no idea how I'd be able to rank 75 Rush songs in any kind of order, but this song would certainly be near the top somewhere.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 27, 2022, 10:20:39 PM
20 Distant Early Warning
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 6 (wolfking)


I have couple friends who are longtime Rush fans as well, and both, while still liking this song, are a bit sick of it, but it is one I have never got tired or and probably never will. I still love it like crazy, and still enjoy it just as much as I did many years ago when I first heard it.  I had it at 14, and am pleased to see it made the top 20.


19 Available Light
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 1 (HOF)


I double checked the math on everything to make sure I had correct, but I was so stunned by how this finish, I tripled checked this one, just to make sure it was correct.  I knew the online fans loved this song, but it finishing this high? Wow. I had it at 54, which I still think seems about right, but many have mad love for it.
Couple of great songs here

Distant Early Warning - This one came in at #49. It might have gone a little higher but, like many here, I suffer from burnout on this track. It's a great song with great lyrics and I love the vocal melodies. I'm also a fan of the general mix on GUP. I like that cold, stark sound when it fits the music like it does on GUP.

Available Light - I had this at #11, but looking at my list now it probably could have gone a few spots higher. This song is the complete package. Great vocals, check! Perfect usage of keyboards, check! Spine tingling melodies, check! Fantastic drum workout by Neil, check! Short, but oh so sweet, guitar solo, check! I just absolutely love this song!
And perfect lyrics - check.
Agreed!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nobloodyname on March 28, 2022, 01:55:02 AM


Leave Tai Shan out of it.

Everyone else did. :lol :lol

(https://i.ibb.co/D8D9cnh/Screenshot-2022-03-28-085328.png) (https://imgbb.com/)

:lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 28, 2022, 06:20:37 AM
Opinions were all over the map on the first of the below...


14 Hemispheres
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 9
Highest Ranking: 1 (jammindude, Puppies_On_Acid, pg1067, The Letter M)


This is the only song to be the number 1 on four lists, yet it only finished at 14. I had it at 50, it finished below 50 on five other lists, and two other lists omitted it altogether.  Very good song, yes, but I have never bought the hype as this being some amazing sidelong epic. Parts of it are great, some parts are just pretty good, IMO.


13 Between the Wheels
Appeared on 22 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 7
Highest Ranking: 2 (HOF)


I had this at 19, and even I was a little surprised it finished this high. I thought it would be top 25 for sure, but 13? Wow.  Great song, and while it is not my favorite from Grace Under Pressure, the consensus here says it is, as its the highest ranked song from that record.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 28, 2022, 06:43:11 AM

14 Hemispheres
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 9
Highest Ranking: 1 (jammindude, Puppies_On_Acid, pg1067, The Letter M)



13 Between the Wheels
Appeared on 22 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 7
Highest Ranking: 2 (HOF)



Hemispheres was my number 2. It’s almost odd to see it this low.
This follows on perfectly from the closer of the previous album, and is the best sidelong they’ve ever done. Yes. It’s better than 2112, imho. Come at me, bro. Better soloing, better storyline, and a lot more heart, I feel.

Between the Wheels was my number 12. Dark, yet hopeful. Heavy, yet melodic. I love this song, that’s all there really is to say. There isn’t a song better than it on Grace Under Pressure, and it’s well deserving of its rank here.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 28, 2022, 07:01:59 AM
Hemispheres was number 70 for me. This is more of a reflection of my preference for other eras. Among the 70s prog epics, this is right up near the top for me. It’s one I have at times been really into, but maybe not one I revisit very often due to the length. Will try to set some time aside today. It starts out really strong, but like most of their epics has a lengthy dead space in it (kind of annoying how they used that to pad out long songs so often). I think the ending is a bit disappointing given how strongly it starts, and I have to be in the mood for banshee Geddy to really get into it, but overall I think it’s pretty great.

Between The Wheels I’m almost certain I first heard on R30 (I was still working my way through all the back catalog at that point), and I remember being totally blown away. I believe I went out and picked up GUP fairly soon after. I love the haunting keyboards and bass pedals right at the start, with Alex’s howling guitar. Such an amazing atmosphere to this song. The lyrics are dark and foreboding, not totally sure what they are about but I gather it’s mostly about time and circumstances basically turning us into the rabbit going through your spinning wheels. We can dream about the future, plan and scheme and achieve what we set out to do, eventually time will wash it all away. A bit like a continuation of Losing It maybe? I guess there was also the Cold War aspect of it, that the world was always on the edge of nuclear disaster perhaps.

Musically, there is a really great balance between guitar and keys here, really great drumming especially with Neil riding those symbols on the pre-chorus. I love Alex’s solo and all the guitar sounds that wash all over the track. This is a definitely career highlight for him I think. And the chorus is so big sounding with those keys. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this one, and it could probably just have easily been my number 1, though I’ve kind of mentally had my top 3 of Emotion Detector, Between The Wheels, and Available Light for some time.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 28, 2022, 07:04:21 AM
The Analog Kid: I had this at #6.  I love this song.  I've written about this before, but in a lot of ways I AM the "analog kid"; that whole part about lying in the grass...  I had a special spot near a lake by my house and that invokes a lot of memories for me.

Jacob's Ladder: #17

Hemispheres: #15

Between The Wheels: #81    My animosity for the record this is from is well known, and while I recognize that this isn't a bad song, I don't quite understand why this is so high.  It's just not that much a favorite for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 28, 2022, 07:37:21 AM
Hemispheres was my #4 song.  A awesome Epic.

Between The Wheels was my #7.  Just love, love the song. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: devieira73 on March 28, 2022, 09:04:10 AM
14 Hemispheres (#54) - I like it a lot. I think there's a lot of great musicianship and I really like that acoustic ending, but also there's a little bit of repetition and disjunction - I still think 2112 is best worked out as a big epic.
13 Between the Wheels (#9) - Just an espetacular song and THAT LIFESON SOLO!!! :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy My fave from the amazing GUP. :heart
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 28, 2022, 09:21:16 AM
Opinions were all over the map on the first of the below...


14 Hemispheres
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 9
Highest Ranking: 1 (jammindude, Puppies_On_Acid, pg1067, The Letter M)


This is the only song to be the number 1 on four lists, yet it only finished at 14. I had it at 50, it finished below 50 on five other lists, and two other lists omitted it altogether.  Very good song, yes, but I have never bought the hype as this being some amazing sidelong epic. Parts of it are great, some parts are just pretty good, IMO.

Interesting that it had so many Top Place finishes, myself included, but only ended up at 14 overall. I'm not sure I *really* love it enough to be number one, but my Top 5 feel like they could have all been number one in the end, but the sorter just sorted "Hemispheres" into first place for me.

13 Between the Wheels
Appeared on 22 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 7
Highest Ranking: 2 (HOF)


I had this at 19, and even I was a little surprised it finished this high. I thought it would be top 25 for sure, but 13? Wow.  Great song, and while it is not my favorite from Grace Under Pressure, the consensus here says it is, as its the highest ranked song from that record.

This ranked 56th for me. I'll be honest, I did not expect to see this in the Top 20, let alone placing 13th, but I think the song had a huge bump in the 21st century having appeared on (I think) three separate tours. It's definitely one of their better album closers from the 80s onward, and easily one of my favorites from GUP. The song just has a very dark and almost unsettling feel to it with its off-beat synths and heavy drumming.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: SoundscapeMN on March 28, 2022, 09:42:27 AM
surprised to not see Hemispheres in the Top 5, let alone even the Top 10.

4 people voted it in #1 even. I guess it depends on how the rankings are being done, but in some systems, it would likely have been higher.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: romdrums on March 28, 2022, 10:22:34 AM
14. Hemispheres (N/A).  Given this forum's obsession with song length, it's not surprising to see so many people have it ranked #1.  I've never really understood the fuss about this one.  I think 2112 is better in every respect, and I'm glad the band left sidelong epics behind after this.  Great playing on it, but Hemispheres the album is the point where they had stretched their capabilities as players to the max.

13. Between the Wheels (3).  LOVE. THIS. SONG.  Glad I got to see it on the Snakes and Arrows tour, because they nailed it.  Alex's guitar work on this is awesome.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 28, 2022, 10:57:29 AM
14 Hemispheres
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 9
Highest Ranking: 1 (jammindude, Puppies_On_Acid, pg1067, The Letter M)


This is the only song to be the number 1 on four lists, yet it only finished at 14. I had it at 50, it finished below 50 on five other lists, and two other lists omitted it altogether.  Very good song, yes, but I have never bought the hype as this being some amazing sidelong epic. Parts of it are great, some parts are just pretty good, IMO.

Holy shit!  #14?!  Not only is this crazy on its own, but it's even more baffling given that (sorry Kev) 2112 is obviously going to finish higher.  I don't even know what to say at this point....  Wow...just wow....  There's so much complexity and nuance here.  It's 2112 all grown up.  Geddy's bass playing is off the charts amazing.  It's the song that gave a chord its identity and gave me a headstone quote.  Random anecdote:  Between 1985-88, I worked at a Baskin-Robbins at a mall with one of my best friends.  We were allowed to have music on, and Hemispheres played pretty regularly.  We were always making fun of the guy who owned the franchise (named Ron), who would often show up for the last hour before closing on weekends.  One time, as the Cygnus section was starting, my friend and I ad libbed the lyrics to talk about the chaos of the mall and "Ronnie" hearing our silent cry to close early.  We had each other in stitches, and I can remember the made up lyrics to this day.


13 Between the Wheels
Appeared on 22 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 7
Highest Ranking: 2 (HOF)


I had this at 19, and even I was a little surprised it finished this high. I thought it would be top 25 for sure, but 13? Wow.  Great song, and while it is not my favorite from Grace Under Pressure, the consensus here says it is, as its the highest ranked song from that record.

The ranking engine website seems to be down this morning, so I don't know where I had this song ranked.  I go back and forth between this song and The Enemy Within as my favorite on GUP.  I'm guessing I had this song somewhere in the 30s.  Very synth heavy but not nearly as harsh and tinny as most of GUP.  The prechorus and chorus are excellent.


The Score So Far
- Rush - 1 song of 8 (12.5% or 17.86% of album time):  Working Man - #56)
- Fly by Night - 3 songs of 8 (37.5% or 43.67% of album time):  Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36
- Caress of Steel - 2 songs of 5 (40% or 38.15% of album time):  The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59

- 2112 - 2 songs of 6 (33.33% or 19.42% of album time):  Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58
- A Farewell to Kings - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 51.57% of album time):  Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26; Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - #23
- Hemispheres - 3 songs of 4 (75% or 73.51% of album time):  Circumstances - #45; The Trees - #18; Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres - #14
- Permanent Waves - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 45.13% of album time):  Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53; Jacob's Ladder - #15
- Moving Pictures - 3 songs of 7 (42.86% or 51.25% of album time):  Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38; The Camera Eye - #17
- Signals - 6 songs of 8 (75% or 75.22% of album time):  Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25; The Analog Kid - #16
- Grace Under Pressure - 5 songs of 8 (62.5% or 64.51% of album time):  The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29; Red Sector A - #21; Distant Early Warning - #20; Grace Under Pressure
- Power Windows - 7 songs of 8 (87.5% or 86.19% of album time):  Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30; Territories #24; Manhattan Project - #22
- Hold Your Fire - 5 songs of 10 (50% or 40.19% of album time):  Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34
- Presto - 4 songs of 11 (36.36% or 39.62% of album time):  Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33; Available Light - #19
- Roll the Bones - 4 songs of 10 (40% or 41.62% of album time):  Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32
- Counterparts - 6 songs of 11 (54.55% or 54.24% of album time):  Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28
- Test for Echo - 2 songs of 11 (18.18% or 19.41% of album time):  Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62
- Vapor Trails - NO SONGS (0%)
- Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS (0%)
- Clockwork Angels - 4 songs of 12 (33.33% or 41.58% of album time):  Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 28, 2022, 11:06:09 AM
surprised to not see Hemispheres in the Top 5, let alone even the Top 10.

4 people voted it in #1 even. I guess it depends on how the rankings are being done, but in some systems, it would likely have been higher.

I'm sure Kev explained this, but I believe it works this way:

The #1 song on each person's ranking gets 75 points.  The #2 song gets 74 points....  The #75 song gets 1 point.  Add up the points between all the lists and sort.  Therefore, while the four #1 votes gave Hemispheres 300 points, HOF putting it at #70, devieira having it at #57 and romdrums not ranking it means that it only got 25 points between those three lists.


It's definitely one of their better album closers from the 80s onward, and easily one of my favorites from GUP. The song just has a very dark and almost unsettling feel to it with its off-beat synths and heavy drumming.

I'd say:

1. Natural Science
2. Available Light
3. Countdown
4. Between the Wheels
5. Everyday Glory
6. Out of the Cradle
7. Vital Signs

Everything else is WAY below that.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 28, 2022, 11:14:05 AM
So with Grace Under Pressure done, I can now openly lament the lack of love for Kid Gloves. It’s such a cool track with some really great playing by Alex. That opening riff always sucks me in. I had it ranked 19th, one of 3 in my top 20 confirmed to have not made the list (with 3 more unrevealed but almost certain to place). The other two were The Color of Right (17) and Vapor Trail (14).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: romdrums on March 28, 2022, 12:26:09 PM
So with Grace Under Pressure done, I can now openly lament the lack of love for Kid Gloves. It’s such a cool track with some really great playing by Alex. That opening riff always sucks me in. I had it ranked 19th, one of 3 in my top 20 confirmed to have not made the list (with 3 more unrevealed but almost certain to place). The other two were The Color of Right (17) and Vapor Trail (14).

I had The Body Electric in my list. Always thought that was a cool song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 28, 2022, 12:31:05 PM
So with Grace Under Pressure done, I can now openly lament the lack of love for Kid Gloves. It’s such a cool track with some really great playing by Alex. That opening riff always sucks me in. I had it ranked 19th, one of 3 in my top 20 confirmed to have not made the list (with 3 more unrevealed but almost certain to place). The other two were The Color of Right (17) and Vapor Trail (14).

I had The Body Electric in my list. Always thought that was a cool song.

Yeah, I’ve always liked that one too. Had it at 45 actually. Not sure why it seems to be so disfavored.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DTA on March 28, 2022, 01:07:23 PM
So with Grace Under Pressure done, I can now openly lament the lack of love for Kid Gloves. It’s such a cool track with some really great playing by Alex. That opening riff always sucks me in. I had it ranked 19th, one of 3 in my top 20 confirmed to have not made the list (with 3 more unrevealed but almost certain to place). The other two were The Color of Right (17) and Vapor Trail (14).

I had The Body Electric in my list. Always thought that was a cool song.

Yeah, I’ve always liked that one too. Had it at 45 actually. Not sure why it seems to be so disfavored.

I love TBE but I'm guessing the 1001001-SOS has something to do with it.  Virtuality is nearly a top 10 song for me despite its lyrics and I know others would probably rank it a lot higher if it had different words
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 28, 2022, 01:15:21 PM
So with Grace Under Pressure done, I can now openly lament the lack of love for Kid Gloves. It’s such a cool track with some really great playing by Alex. That opening riff always sucks me in. I had it ranked 19th, one of 3 in my top 20 confirmed to have not made the list (with 3 more unrevealed but almost certain to place). The other two were The Color of Right (17) and Vapor Trail (14).

I had The Body Electric in my list. Always thought that was a cool song.

Yeah, I’ve always liked that one too. Had it at 45 actually. Not sure why it seems to be so disfavored.

I love TBE but I'm guessing the 1001001-SOS has something to do with it.  Virtuality is nearly a top 10 song for me despite its lyrics and I know others would probably rank it a lot higher if it had different words

Virtuality is great (43 on my list). There’s not a darn thing wrong with that lyric.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 28, 2022, 02:13:08 PM
14 Hemispheres
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 9
Highest Ranking: 1 (jammindude, Puppies_On_Acid, pg1067, The Letter M)


13 Between the Wheels
Appeared on 22 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 7
Highest Ranking: 2 (HOF)



I had Hemispheres at #6. This is a great song, and I believe it's the blueprint for Dream Theater. The first time I ever heard Dream Theater, my first thought was...this is the music Rush should be playing. They are an extension of Hemisperes. I'm kind of surprised it didn't make the Top 10, honestly.


I had Between The Wheels at #21. As much as I love this song, I actually surprised to see it this high.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 28, 2022, 02:54:24 PM
So with Grace Under Pressure done, I can now openly lament the lack of love for Kid Gloves. It’s such a cool track with some really great playing by Alex. That opening riff always sucks me in. I had it ranked 19th, one of 3 in my top 20 confirmed to have not made the list (with 3 more unrevealed but almost certain to place). The other two were The Color of Right (17) and Vapor Trail (14).

I had The Body Electric in my list. Always thought that was a cool song.

Yeah, I’ve always liked that one too. Had it at 45 actually. Not sure why it seems to be so disfavored.

I love TBE but I'm guessing the 1001001-SOS has something to do with it.  Virtuality is nearly a top 10 song for me despite its lyrics and I know others would probably rank it a lot higher if it had different words

Virtuality is great (43 on my list). There’s not a darn thing wrong with that lyric.

I could go on and on about why The Body Electric isn't well regarded.  The chorus is one of many reasons.  I had Virtuality right around #75.  It'd be better without some of the silly lyrics and the dial-up modem emulator guitar.  The ranking engine is still down, so I don't know exactly where I had TBE, but I'm guessing below 100.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 28, 2022, 03:12:28 PM

14 Hemispheres
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 9
Highest Ranking: 1 (jammindude, Puppies_On_Acid, pg1067, The Letter M)


13 Between the Wheels
Appeared on 22 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 7
Highest Ranking: 2 (HOF)



Hemispheres - my rank 39. I agree with Kev's writeup for this one. Some awesome parts, but also parts I don't love. However, I can understand the love this one. I guess when I now review my list it could have been higher.

Between the Wheels - my rank 66. Really surprised to see this song so high, I really didn't know it was so loved. I did rank all the GUP songs that appeared in the top 75, didn't rank the other 3 songs and Between the Wheels was my lowest by far, it is a great song though...(rankings are hard).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: wolfking on March 28, 2022, 03:15:41 PM
HOF just beat me with BTW.  I think I had it at number 3 or 4.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 28, 2022, 03:41:29 PM

I'm sure Kev explained this, but I believe it works this way:

The #1 song on each person's ranking gets 75 points.  The #2 song gets 74 points....  The #75 song gets 1 point.  Add up the points between all the lists and sort.  Therefore, while the four #1 votes gave Hemispheres 300 points, HOF putting it at #70, devieira having it at #57 and romdrums not ranking it means that it only got 25 points between those three lists.


Correct.


Holy shit!  #14?!  Not only is this crazy on its own, but it's even more baffling given that (sorry Kev) 2112 is obviously going to finish higher. 

How so?  2112 is the better song (opinions!!), is far more iconic, and the band obviously thought it was way better (see how much 2112 was played over the years vs Hemispheres).

I know the Hemispheres truthers :P will argue in favor of their song, but I will point to the scoreboard.  :biggrin: :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: MrMike on March 28, 2022, 04:32:55 PM
So with Grace Under Pressure done, I can now openly lament the lack of love for Kid Gloves. It’s such a cool track with some really great playing by Alex. That opening riff always sucks me in. I had it ranked 19th, one of 3 in my top 20 confirmed to have not made the list (with 3 more unrevealed but almost certain to place). The other two were The Color of Right (17) and Vapor Trail (14).

I had The Body Electric in my list. Always thought that was a cool song.

I'm a big fan of both Kid Gloves (29) and The Body Electric (11).  I think rhythmically speaking, TBE is one of the most interesting songs they ever did.  The R40 live version is what really opened my eyes to how clever it is.  It's become my second fave on GUP after BTW (9).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 28, 2022, 04:54:32 PM

Holy shit!  #14?!  Not only is this crazy on its own, but it's even more baffling given that (sorry Kev) 2112 is obviously going to finish higher. 

How so?  2112 is the better song (opinions!!), is far more iconic, and the band obviously thought it was way better (see how much 2112 was played over the years vs Hemispheres).

I know the Hemispheres truthers :P will argue in favor of their song, but I will point to the scoreboard.  :biggrin: :biggrin:

No question 2112 is more iconic, but I don't think that the band playing it more means that they thought it was "better."  My assumption is that (most of) Hemispheres fell out of rotation because of the difficulty/impossibility of doing it justice vocally and because 2112 was more iconic.  My consternation is a reflection of my apparent misreading of the room.  I though folks around here regarded Hemispheres better.  Shrug.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 28, 2022, 05:00:44 PM
What's all this talk about 2112? It didn't even make the list!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 28, 2022, 05:56:47 PM
Hemispheres (ranked #64)

I guess on this one I'm in the camp that agrees with what Kev said. I knew I was going to be pretty far from the aggregate here (indeed, this is the largest "negative" difference in ranking for the songs that made my top 75). I agree that there are some incredibly strong parts in here and the performances (especially Geddy) are off the charts good. But, for some reason, I've never fully warmed to this epic. On one hand, it truly can be seen as a more mature, grown-up 2112. Arguably, in many ways it's a better thought out and put together long song and 2112 sure does suffer from padding and moments of "not much going on".  Yet, I will always take 2112 over this one. I guess it's about how incredibly memorable 2112's best parts are...

Between the Wheels (ranked #15)

My favorite song from p/g, and one of my favorite Rush's closers. Just an incredible song from beginning to end, with the keys and Alex's guitar working together beautifully. We've often observed on these pages how Rush would offer hints of what was to come in certain songs of an album -  To me, Between the Wheels kind of does that...There's something about the melody in the chorus and the general sound that makes me think it would fit well on Power Windows...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 28, 2022, 05:59:52 PM
So with Grace Under Pressure done, I can now openly lament the lack of love for Kid Gloves. It’s such a cool track with some really great playing by Alex. That opening riff always sucks me in. I had it ranked 19th, one of 3 in my top 20 confirmed to have not made the list (with 3 more unrevealed but almost certain to place). The other two were The Color of Right (17) and Vapor Trail (14).

I had The Body Electric in my list. Always thought that was a cool song.

I'm a big fan of both Kid Gloves (29) and The Body Electric (11).  I think rhythmically speaking, TBE is one of the most interesting songs they ever did.  The R40 live version is what really opened my eyes to how clever it is.  It's become my second fave on GUP after BTW (9).

Both The Body Electric and Kid Gloves are super-cool songs. The former made my top 75 (#71), the latter just missed it (#78)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 28, 2022, 06:07:24 PM
...and with another album "done", here's what the aggregate album ranking looks like:

1   Power Windows   287
2   Grace Under Pressure   248
3   Signals   198
4   Hemispheres   151
5   A Farewell to Kings   136
6   Clockwork Angels   134
7   Counterparts   128
8   Moving Pictures   121
9   Presto   119
10   Hold Your Fire   107
11   Roll the Bones   104
12   Permanent Waves   103
13   Fly By Night   84
14   2112   31
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0

I won't say much more to avoid looking ahead, but I guess we have our answer for Signals vs. Grace Under Pressure  ;)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 28, 2022, 06:22:25 PM
(https://i.imgflip.com/6agh3e.jpg)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 28, 2022, 06:25:02 PM

Holy shit!  #14?!  Not only is this crazy on its own, but it's even more baffling given that (sorry Kev) 2112 is obviously going to finish higher. 

How so?  2112 is the better song (opinions!!), is far more iconic, and the band obviously thought it was way better (see how much 2112 was played over the years vs Hemispheres).

I know the Hemispheres truthers :P will argue in favor of their song, but I will point to the scoreboard.  :biggrin: :biggrin:

No question 2112 is more iconic, but I don't think that the band playing it more means that they thought it was "better."  My assumption is that (most of) Hemispheres fell out of rotation because of the difficulty/impossibility of doing it justice vocally and because 2112 was more iconic.  My consternation is a reflection of my apparent misreading of the room.  I though folks around here regarded Hemispheres better.  Shrug.
Hey I'm right there with you on Hemispheres, seeing as how I also rated it #1. If you had asked me 20 years ago if I preferred 2112 or Hemispheres, I would have said 2112. But Hemispheres has so much more going on, it took awhile for it all to sink in for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 28, 2022, 06:47:08 PM
I’m not sure if this would help but it’s an idea.

If you wanted some thing that represented the popularity of the albums a little bit better, you could tack on to the 1-75 score an additional score that reflects how much of the album that song represents.

If you give every album a base score of 100, and divide by the number of songs, then every song from that album would receive those additional points. Hemispheres would get 25 additional points per song, Moving Pictures would get 14.3 pts per song, Power Windows and Signals would get 12.5 pts per song. Etc etc

How nerdy is that?  :rollin

I had to look for this a few pages back to comment on it again...this is nerdy, yes, and clever  ;D I actually like that an album can achieve the max "bonus" of 100 points if all its songs rank, no matter how many songs it has. So any album that has all songs ranked will have a +100, and albums with a smaller number of songs but with a significant portion of them ranked would still get a sizable bump, as the per-song-ranked bonus =  100/(# of songs on the album) will be relatively large.

I'll keep track of what this looks like  :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 28, 2022, 07:20:07 PM

Holy shit!  #14?!  Not only is this crazy on its own, but it's even more baffling given that (sorry Kev) 2112 is obviously going to finish higher. 

How so?  2112 is the better song (opinions!!), is far more iconic, and the band obviously thought it was way better (see how much 2112 was played over the years vs Hemispheres).

I know the Hemispheres truthers :P will argue in favor of their song, but I will point to the scoreboard.  :biggrin: :biggrin:

No question 2112 is more iconic, but I don't think that the band playing it more means that they thought it was "better."  My assumption is that (most of) Hemispheres fell out of rotation because of the difficulty/impossibility of doing it justice vocally and because 2112 was more iconic.  My consternation is a reflection of my apparent misreading of the room.  I though folks around here regarded Hemispheres better.  Shrug.

Haha, all good.   :tup :tup


Both The Body Electric and Kid Gloves are super-cool songs. The former made my top 75 (#71), the latter just missed it (#78)

I like both, but I don't love either.  I often say that Grace Under Pressure could have been a borderline top 5 Rush album for me had Side 2 been as strong as Side 1 (Between the Wheels, which is awesome, notwithstanding), but it's not like I don't like The Body Electric, Kid Gloves and Red Lenses.  I like them all.  I just don't love them.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 29, 2022, 06:16:57 AM
I was a little surprised that both of today's songs didn't make all 25 lists, but considering some of the "unusual" choices by some, I guess I shouldn't be. ;)


12 YYZ
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 4 (romdrums)


You know an instrumental is bad ass when the band chooses it as their last encore on multiple tours, as Rush did with this one.  I had it at 20, and that feels too low on my part, but it probably got dinged a tad by me due to overplay.  Still a terrific song, and it goes without saying that the Rio version from 2002 is just bananas.


11 Freewill
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 4 (Puppies_On_Acid,)


This is one that actually took a bit of time for me to love when I was first a fan, but I got there.  The instrumental section is just out of this world, with all three guys soloing, and the latter part was always amazing live, with Alex going back and forth between the soloing and revisiting one of the main riffs.  And that moment where they segue way back into the main part of the song always got a huge applause live, almost like the band was giving that "we're not worthy" cheer after Alex (in particular) nailed the end of that instrumental section.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 29, 2022, 06:36:23 AM
I was a little surprised that both of today's songs didn't make all 25 lists, but considering some of the "unusual" choices by some, I guess I shouldn't be. ;)


12 YYZ
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 4 (romdrums)


You know an instrumental is bad ass when the band chooses it as their last encore on multiple tours, as Rush did with this one.  I had it at 20, and that feels too low on my part, but it probably got dinged a tad by me due to overplay.  Still a terrific song, and it goes without saying that the Rio version from 2002 is just bananas.


11 Freewill
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 4 (Puppies_On_Acid,)


This is one that actually took a bit of time for me to love when I was first a fan, but I got there.  The instrumental section is just out of this world, with all three guys soloing, and the latter part was always amazing live, with Alex going back and forth between the soloing and revisiting one of the main riffs.  And that moment where they segue way back into the main part of the song always got a huge applause live, almost like the band was giving that "we're not worthy" cheer after Alex (in particular) nailed the end of that instrumental section.

Not a ton to add to what you wrote here...

YYZ (ranked #25)

Brilliant piece of instrumental fun. So many cool parts and riffs. And I still remember being floored, on top of everything else, when I first listened to it and got to the slow/melodic interlude.

Freewill (ranked #28)

This one barely missed my top 25 - yet again, a testament to the insane amount of classic songs this band has. Catchy and complex, in typical Rush fashion, this song is perfectly placed within Permanent Waves. And yes, the solo/instrumental is ridiculous, in the best possible way.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: romdrums on March 29, 2022, 06:48:07 AM
12. YYZ (4).  I'm actually really surprised this didn't make the top ten.  Sure it's overplayed, but I find it to be the perfect summation of everything Rush is about instrumentally in 4 minutes. 

11. Freewill (19).  Just a classic song.  I think the middle section is one of the best things they've done, and it always goes over well live.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DTA on March 29, 2022, 07:13:47 AM
I like YYZ and Freewill but the "overplay" factor really affects my ranking for a lot of these songs. YYZ was at 75 and Freewill at 92 for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 29, 2022, 07:17:27 AM
Looks like I’m the only one who didn’t rank YYZ. It’s a cool song, a classic Rush tune, but for whatever reason it never particularly resonated with me. I’m sure it would have been in the next 10 or so songs if we had gone out to 100, but I just have other Rush songs I love more. In general, I’m not a huge fan of Rush’s instrumental tracks. They are fine and I enjoy them, I just don’t love them. And yeah, it’s maybe a bit over played so that doesn’t help.

Freewill is another great, classic Rush track that only made it to 40 for me. Just got pushed down by songs that I have a stronger affinity for, and probably also just because it’s one of the Rush track that always saturated classic rock radio. But musically, this is top notch. I had a music professor in college remark to me once that Rush was just so tight on this song and album, and that always sort of stuck with me. It’s a pretty complex song but they blow through it with ease. The lyrics are a bit cliched feeling at this point maybe, but it’s still a clever one from Neil. A definite career highlight for the band.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 29, 2022, 07:19:44 AM
YYZ is #24 on my list, and Freewill is #131 on my list.  That's probably a LITTLE harsh, but it's never a song that really captured me, the content of the lyrics notwithstanding.   It's just not a song I go to all that often.  As for YYZ, there are three songs from MP higher than that on my list, so it's a strong song on an incredibly strong album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTIN
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 29, 2022, 07:26:03 AM

12 YYZ
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 4 (romdrums)


11 Freewill
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 4 (Puppies_On_Acid,)



YYZ came in at number 7 for me. There’s an instrumental that I believe is just a little stronger, but boiling the chemistry of a band down to under 5 minutes is no easy feat. Well, unless you’re Rush apparently!

Freewill was my number 39. Love the middle section, but not really the rest. Passable housing for a minute or so of utter insanity for my opinion. That said, the lyric to the chorus is pretty great as well, and I like the fast riff that kicks it all off.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: devieira73 on March 29, 2022, 08:21:51 AM
12 YYZ (#5) - Brilliant song and something of genius to have been built around a code morse. By the way, I took part of the In Rio version :coolio :coolio :coolio

11 Freewill (#13) - Exactly what Kev wrote, including the time for me to really LOVE it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 29, 2022, 08:55:45 AM
(https://i.imgflip.com/6agh3e.jpg)

 :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 29, 2022, 09:06:12 AM
YYZ I had at # 8

Freewill I had at # 17
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 29, 2022, 09:40:25 AM
The ranking engine is still down, so I once again don't know where I had these songs ranked, but I know I had them both in the top 20, if not top 15.

12 YYZ
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 4 (romdrums)


You know an instrumental is bad ass when the band chooses it as their last encore on multiple tours, as Rush did with this one.  I had it at 20, and that feels too low on my part, but it probably got dinged a tad by me due to overplay.  Still a terrific song, and it goes without saying that the Rio version from 2002 is just bananas.

YYZ is so unique among instrumentals.  I think a lot of instrumentals are a result of a band writing music and being unable to fit lyrics to it, so they just add a bunch of crazy soloing where lyrics would go.  YYZ is not only clever in its use of the Morse code pattern for the intro, it has passages that are infinitely interesting without a bunch of busy soloing.  Being a Lee/Peart composition, I suppose it's no surprise that Geddy and Neil are the stars of most of the song.  Trade off bass and drum fills are super cool.  However, Alex's chord work under that section is amazing.  And, when it comes time for Alex to take a solo, he makes the most of it by making it minimalist.  For ANY other band, this would be a crowning instrumental achievement, but Rush isn't any other band.


11 Freewill
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 4 (Puppies_On_Acid,)


This is one that actually took a bit of time for me to love when I was first a fan, but I got there.  The instrumental section is just out of this world, with all three guys soloing, and the latter part was always amazing live, with Alex going back and forth between the soloing and revisiting one of the main riffs.  And that moment where they segue way back into the main part of the song always got a huge applause live, almost like the band was giving that "we're not worthy" cheer after Alex (in particular) nailed the end of that instrumental section.

The 3-in-1 solo section is this songs crowning achievement, but, as usual, there's so much more going on here.  Never have alternating measures of 6-8-6-7 sounded like an easy 4/4.  Bass and drums are in lock step on the pre-choruses, and the chorus is just fun.  The harmonies between bass and guitar leading into the solo section are super clever and subtle.  This was a song that got me so excited about learning it on the bass.  When I finally nailed the solo section, I was so damn happy!


The Score So Far
- Rush - 1 song of 8 (12.5% or 17.86% of album time):  Working Man - #56)
- Fly by Night - 3 songs of 8 (37.5% or 43.67% of album time):  Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36
- Caress of Steel - 2 songs of 5 (40% or 38.15% of album time):  The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59

- 2112 - 2 songs of 6 (33.33% or 19.42% of album time):  Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58
- A Farewell to Kings - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 51.57% of album time):  Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26; Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - #23
- Hemispheres - 3 songs of 4 (75% or 73.51% of album time):  Circumstances - #45; The Trees - #18; Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres - #14
- Permanent Waves - 4 songs of 6 (66.67% or 60.04% of album time):  Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53; Jacob's Ladder - #15; Freewill - #11
- Moving Pictures - 4 songs of 7 (57.14% or 62.33% of album time):  Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38; The Camera Eye - #17; YYZ - #12
- Signals - 6 songs of 8 (75% or 75.22% of album time):  Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25; The Analog Kid - #16
- Grace Under Pressure - 5 songs of 8 (62.5% or 64.51% of album time):  The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29; Red Sector A - #21; Distant Early Warning - #20; Between the Wheels - #13
- Power Windows - 7 songs of 8 (87.5% or 86.19% of album time):  Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30; Territories #24; Manhattan Project - #22
- Hold Your Fire - 5 songs of 10 (50% or 40.19% of album time):  Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34
- Presto - 4 songs of 11 (36.36% or 39.62% of album time):  Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33; Available Light - #19
- Roll the Bones - 4 songs of 10 (40% or 41.62% of album time):  Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32
- Counterparts - 6 songs of 11 (54.55% or 54.24% of album time):  Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28
- Test for Echo - 2 songs of 11 (18.18% or 19.41% of album time):  Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62
- Vapor Trails - NO SONGS (0%)
- Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS (0%)
- Clockwork Angels - 4 songs of 12 (33.33% or 41.58% of album time):  Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 29, 2022, 09:41:31 AM
(https://i.imgflip.com/6agh3e.jpg)

(https://33.media.tumblr.com/d1f7b8450517bc50c84e657430bbce4a/tumblr_nnxrkz8UXM1tq4of6o1_400.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 29, 2022, 10:10:23 AM
I was a little surprised that both of today's songs didn't make all 25 lists, but considering some of the "unusual" choices by some, I guess I shouldn't be. ;)


12 YYZ
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 4 (romdrums)


You know an instrumental is bad ass when the band chooses it as their last encore on multiple tours, as Rush did with this one.  I had it at 20, and that feels too low on my part, but it probably got dinged a tad by me due to overplay.  Still a terrific song, and it goes without saying that the Rio version from 2002 is just bananas.

I had "YYZ" ranked at number 6. This one will always hold a special place in my heart as I performed it as the last piece for my Senior Recital in college, complete with the drum solo in the middle (mostly inspired by/copied from Exit...Stage Left). Sure, it's been overplayed quite a bit, especially for an instrumental song, but the reception this song gets at concerts and by the public at large, it's always electrifying. I'd say among people who listen to rock music, this might be one of the most recognizable instrumental songs ever released. And like Kev mentioned, the Rio performance is just astounding.


11 Freewill
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 4 (Puppies_On_Acid,)


This is one that actually took a bit of time for me to love when I was first a fan, but I got there.  The instrumental section is just out of this world, with all three guys soloing, and the latter part was always amazing live, with Alex going back and forth between the soloing and revisiting one of the main riffs.  And that moment where they segue way back into the main part of the song always got a huge applause live, almost like the band was giving that "we're not worthy" cheer after Alex (in particular) nailed the end of that instrumental section.

Ranked 21st on my list, though I probably would've ranked it higher with some editing of my sorted list. Definitely worth of a Top 20 spot, even Top 10 for the four folks who had it there. The bridge is definitely one of the stand-outs from the Rush catalog, and hearing the Rio crowd chant along and wave their arms in time to it is about as memorable as the aforementioned "YYZ" in Rio performance.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 29, 2022, 11:25:38 AM
14. Hemispheres (#59)  Would be Top Thirty for me if the 12-16 minute segment was removed (and that’s what my version has been for decades).

13. Between the Wheels (#51)  It was a good album closer on an album that I’ve enjoyed more over the years than I did in the 80s (well, Side One with this added to it).  I like it, so I rated it where I did, with my thinking then that a song like this wouldn’t get ranked by the group.   :o  Not sure if I’m more surprised that it is held in such high esteem, or that it even made the Top 75. 

12. YYZ (#6)  floored when I first heard it.  It’s on one of my many ‘two fers’ discs.  Very Pavlovian, as I have to always hear the two songs together.  (pretty obvious what comes in at #7 for me😉)  And, yeah, that Rio ‘singalong’ is something, eh? (except for the frickin squirrel in the film’s director’s chair >:()

11. Freewill (#8) an absolutely great song on its own. It also absolutely benefits from what precedes (and follows) it.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 29, 2022, 01:19:18 PM

I had "YYZ" ranked at number 6. This one will always hold a special place in my heart as I performed it as the last piece for my Senior Recital in college, complete with the drum solo in the middle (mostly inspired by/copied from Exit...Stage Left). Sure, it's been overplayed quite a bit, especially for an instrumental song, but the reception this song gets at concerts and by the public at large, it's always electrifying. I'd say among people who listen to rock music, this might be one of the most recognizable instrumental songs ever released. And like Kev mentioned, the Rio performance is just astounding.

I'm sorry to pick nits here, and don't get me wrong, I LOVE this song, but I can't imagine a non-Rush fan knowing this song. Having said that, Hocus Pocus (Focus) and Frankenstein (Edgar Winter) I think are both far better known, if only for their use at sporting events.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 29, 2022, 01:47:52 PM

I had "YYZ" ranked at number 6. This one will always hold a special place in my heart as I performed it as the last piece for my Senior Recital in college, complete with the drum solo in the middle (mostly inspired by/copied from Exit...Stage Left). Sure, it's been overplayed quite a bit, especially for an instrumental song, but the reception this song gets at concerts and by the public at large, it's always electrifying. I'd say among people who listen to rock music, this might be one of the most recognizable instrumental songs ever released. And like Kev mentioned, the Rio performance is just astounding.

I'm sorry to pick nits here, and don't get me wrong, I LOVE this song, but I can't imagine a non-Rush fan knowing this song. Having said that, Hocus Pocus (Focus) and Frankenstein (Edgar Winter) I think are both far better known, if only for their use at sporting events.

Hocus Pocus?  Hmmm, that would surprise me if many knew that one.  Totally agree about Frankenstein, though, as that is one of those instrumentals that always got played on classic rock stations, along with Jessica (Allman Brothers) and Fire On High (ELO).  And if we go a little newer, Cliffs of Dover (Eric Johnson) and Summer Song (Joe Satriani).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 29, 2022, 01:52:49 PM
Not sure I’ve ever heard YYZ played on the radio. I’ve heard Hocus Pocus on the radio before, though probably the Gary Hoey cover more than the original. Cliffs of Dover might be somewhat more recognizable. Summer Song got used a bunch as bumper music for TV and radio in the 90s so I bet it’s more recognizable even if people don’t know it’s Satch.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 29, 2022, 02:03:05 PM

I had "YYZ" ranked at number 6. This one will always hold a special place in my heart as I performed it as the last piece for my Senior Recital in college, complete with the drum solo in the middle (mostly inspired by/copied from Exit...Stage Left). Sure, it's been overplayed quite a bit, especially for an instrumental song, but the reception this song gets at concerts and by the public at large, it's always electrifying. I'd say among people who listen to rock music, this might be one of the most recognizable instrumental songs ever released. And like Kev mentioned, the Rio performance is just astounding.

I'm sorry to pick nits here, and don't get me wrong, I LOVE this song, but I can't imagine a non-Rush fan knowing this song. Having said that, Hocus Pocus (Focus) and Frankenstein (Edgar Winter) I think are both far better known, if only for their use at sporting events.

You should be sorry! ;D

A couple of thoughts on this...


YYZ (36m) has twenty MILLION more streams on Spotify than Frankenstein (16m).
Also, I believe that if a non Rush fan was going to own one Rush album, it'd be the one with Tom Sawyer and Limelight.
I realize Frankenstein was basically the only Edgar Winter song played on rock radio and YYZ really wasn't.

Surprisingly Hocus Pocus has 28m streams, but I chalk that up to an Earth's worth of Iron Maiden fans checking out the song Iron Maiden covered. I was not really familiar with it previously.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 29, 2022, 02:04:32 PM
How about that Alan Parsons Project tune that always gets played on TV (usually in a car commercial) and was the "Chicago Bulls" song for a while. Sirius, maybe?  Do-do-DA, do-do-do, do-do-DA, do-do-do...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 29, 2022, 02:04:51 PM
I'd call that nit picking. :biggrin:

I'd add Moby Dick to the list and HOF, YYZ was played all the time on radio in the 80's surprisingly.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 29, 2022, 02:07:03 PM
If I inspire TAC of all people to post streaming data, I'm going to assume it's me, and I'm off base.    :) :) :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 29, 2022, 02:12:20 PM
Free Ride by Edgar Winter Group was also played on the radio a lot around these parts, but Frankenstein is their biggie for sure.

Eruption (VH) might actually be the instrumental that always got played the most, but it was always as a back to back with You Really Got Me, kind of like LZ's Heartbreaker and Living Loving Maid, so that is kind of cheating, as I never heard it played by itself as a stand alone instrumental.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 29, 2022, 02:17:57 PM
If I inspire TAC of all people to post streaming data, I'm going to assume it's me, and I'm off base.    :) :) :)

And that's the power of technology!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 29, 2022, 02:24:24 PM
If I inspire TAC of all people to post streaming data, I'm going to assume it's me, and I'm off base.    :) :) :)

And that's the power of technology!

*TACnology.  ;)

And to clarify, I did say for folks who listen to rock music, which isn't really a large portion of the music-listening public these days, whether it's on the radio or on streaming apps. But for those of us who do listen to rock music, particularly classic rock/70s rock, I still think "YYZ" is fairly recognizable. Maybe that's just the bubble I've been in, but I think TAC is right - if folks own a single Rush album, it's definitely going to be the one with "Tom Sawyer" and "Limelight" on it. "YYZ" was also "nominated for a Grammy in the Best Rock Instrumental category in 1982." (according to wikipedia), so that's pretty cool! In fact, looking it up, Rush has been nominated in the "Best Rock Instrumental" category SIX TIMES (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Rock_Instrumental_Performance), although they lost the Grammy each time.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 29, 2022, 02:25:23 PM

*TACnology.  ;)

 :lol
Print the shirts!!!!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 29, 2022, 02:49:09 PM
How about that Alan Parsons Project tune that always gets played on TV (usually in a car commercial) and was the "Chicago Bulls" song for a while. Sirius, maybe?  Do-do-DA, do-do-do, do-do-DA, do-do-do...

I’d buy this one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 29, 2022, 03:03:01 PM
For a dollar?

Little 80's movie humor. Hint, hint.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 29, 2022, 03:12:14 PM

I'm sorry to pick nits here, and don't get me wrong, I LOVE this song, but I can't imagine a non-Rush fan knowing this song. Having said that, Hocus Pocus (Focus) and Frankenstein (Edgar Winter) I think are both far better known, if only for their use at sporting events.

I bought both of those vinyls when they came out!  The Focus LP really stunk other than the title track, but I really enjoyed 'They Only Come Out At Night' (especially 'Free Ride' and watching our HS girls shake their pom poms to it ;))

(p.s.  not going for a quadruple dork award, but I noticed a couple posters did writeups on songs, without listing where they ranked them.  And Scotty, they weren't the highest wankers, er rankers.....)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 29, 2022, 03:29:39 PM

12 YYZ
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 4 (romdrums)


11 Freewill
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 4 (Puppies_On_Acid,)



Well I am absolutely floored both these songs weren't in all 25 lists, but I guess that is what makes this so great.

YYZ - ranked 25 for me. Not much more to say that hasn't been said. My second favourite Rush instrumental.

Freewill - my rank 13. Could easily have been top 10, just love this song.

So we have made it to the top 10. Going to really interesting to see what happens next, I have to say I am really surprised in some ways where things are heading.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 29, 2022, 03:36:21 PM
12 YYZ
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 4 (romdrums)



11 Freewill
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 4 (Puppies_On_Acid,)


I had YYZ at #44. Awesome instrumental. So memorable.

I had Freewill at #25. Such a great song. You cannot overplay this song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 29, 2022, 04:14:01 PM

I had "YYZ" ranked at number 6. This one will always hold a special place in my heart as I performed it as the last piece for my Senior Recital in college, complete with the drum solo in the middle (mostly inspired by/copied from Exit...Stage Left). Sure, it's been overplayed quite a bit, especially for an instrumental song, but the reception this song gets at concerts and by the public at large, it's always electrifying. I'd say among people who listen to rock music, this might be one of the most recognizable instrumental songs ever released. And like Kev mentioned, the Rio performance is just astounding.

I'm sorry to pick nits here, and don't get me wrong, I LOVE this song, but I can't imagine a non-Rush fan knowing this song. Having said that, Hocus Pocus (Focus) and Frankenstein (Edgar Winter) I think are both far better known, if only for their use at sporting events.

Hocus Pocus?  Hmmm, that would surprise me if many knew that one.  Totally agree about Frankenstein, though, as that is one of those instrumentals that always got played on classic rock stations, along with Jessica (Allman Brothers) and Fire On High (ELO).  And if we go a little newer, Cliffs of Dover (Eric Johnson) and Summer Song (Joe Satriani).

I too would be awfully surprised if non-hard rock fans knew YYZ.  I've heard both Hocus Pocus and Frankenstein on the radio more (and I have heard YYZ on the radio).  I'm not sure casual fans would know those songs by name.  I know Cliffs of Dover by name, but I don't know the other three by name.  I haven't the slightest idea what gets played on the radio these days since I haven't listened to anything other than sports talk since the turn of the century.


The ranking engine is still down, so I once again don't know where I had these songs ranked, but I know I had them both in the top 20, if not top 15.

Thanks to Kev for sending me my list...

I had YYZ at #20, Freewill at #16 and Between the Wheels at #31.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 29, 2022, 04:46:13 PM
I hope the ranking engine isn’t permanently dead. Gonna make it hard to compile future lists for other bands!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 29, 2022, 04:49:30 PM
The Ranker lives!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 29, 2022, 05:02:06 PM
I hope the ranking engine isn’t permanently dead. Gonna make it hard to compile future lists for other bands!

It looks like it is working now.  It was down for me this weekend as well, but I went to the main page and it said they were upgrading it, so I suspect it is a work in progress now, which is why it is down at times.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 29, 2022, 06:40:46 PM
Years ago when I listened to classic rock radio, they played Frankenstein and Jessica all the time. Memory might fail me here, but those two instrumentals were played far and away more than any other that I can think of. Hocus Pocus got occasional air time, Fire on High and YYZ even less.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 29, 2022, 06:45:42 PM
Fire On High? I have never heard of that.

*goes over to Spotify to check it out*

Nope. Never heard that before.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 29, 2022, 06:46:04 PM
What about Raw Dog? You guys like that?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 29, 2022, 06:56:07 PM
Fire On High? I have never heard of that.

*goes over to Spotify to check it out*

Nope. Never heard that before.

Tim, I'm actually shocked you never heard that instrumental.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 29, 2022, 06:59:49 PM
Not joking. I have zero recollection of ever hearing it. I've never heard a single ELO album, and I can't recall ever hearing that on the radio.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 29, 2022, 07:13:51 PM
That. Lows my mind. WCOZ, WBCN played it all the time!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 29, 2022, 07:17:13 PM
That. Lows my mind. WCOZ, WBCN played it all the time!

I never listened to them. I never listened to BCN, and I occasionally listened to COZ. For me, I listened to HJY in Providence almost exclusively and AAF when I could get it in on a clear night.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 29, 2022, 07:20:08 PM
AAF used to play it too!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 29, 2022, 07:22:57 PM
Only on cloudy nights apparently. :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 29, 2022, 07:42:17 PM
Tim will tell us next that he never hear A Fifth Of Beethoven.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 29, 2022, 07:47:57 PM
I only saw the first one. Did they make more? Was it the same dog in all of them?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 29, 2022, 07:48:24 PM
I can imagine doing a LZ song thread and having Tim ask, "What is Stairway to Heaven?"
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 29, 2022, 07:48:52 PM

I too would be awfully surprised if non-hard rock fans knew YYZ.  I've heard both Hocus Pocus and Frankenstein on the radio more (and I have heard YYZ on the radio).  I'm not sure casual fans would know those songs by name.  I know Cliffs of Dover by name, but I don't know the other three by name.  I haven't the slightest idea what gets played on the radio these days since I haven't listened to anything other than sports talk since the turn of the century.

Well, back in the day, there was a video game called Guitar Hero II. It introduced a whole lot of (then) younger audiences to a lot of classic hard rocking tunes sprinkled between some more modern tracks. One of the tracks on that game was YYZ.
Much like how Cliffs of Dover and Through The Fire and Flames are somewhat known because of the follow up game, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, YYZ and Free Bird were the big tracks from the second game IIRC.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 29, 2022, 07:49:51 PM
I can imagine doing a LZ song thread and having Tim ask, "What is Stairway to Heaven?"


I know that song fool.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 29, 2022, 07:51:02 PM
I can imagine doing a LZ song thread and having Tim ask, "What is Stairway to Heaven?"


I know that song fool.

You sure?  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 29, 2022, 07:55:59 PM
I can imagine doing a LZ song thread and having Tim ask, "What is Stairway to Heaven?"


I know that song fool.

I wasn't talking about Fool in the Rain.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 29, 2022, 08:03:22 PM
Who doesn't fucking know Stairway To Heaven?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbrp9WrljGU
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 29, 2022, 09:27:13 PM
In looking at what I believe to be the remaining Top 10, I am a little surprised to see 7 of them are in my Top 15. I guess I assumed my list would be a bit off, based on how I feel about some of their albums relative to the fan base here.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: jammindude on March 29, 2022, 09:40:35 PM
Who doesn't fucking know Stairway To Heaven?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbrp9WrljGU

I swear I went to “end of thread” to see the last post…saw this quote and thought, “Well probably Tim hasn’t…..oh wait, that is Tim.”
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: jammindude on March 29, 2022, 09:53:15 PM
But to defend Tim a bit. I had to go listen to Fire on High myself. At first I didn’t recognize it AT ALL, but then when the power chords kicked in at the 1:45ish mark I was like, “ooohhhhhh yeah”

I heard that from time to time. But not nearly as much as Frankenstein.

For super popular instrumentals that EVERYONE knows, I’d nominate Sirius by The Alan Parsons Project. Though most people probably don’t know its name. They just know it as “The Chicago Bulls introduction music”
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 29, 2022, 10:06:32 PM
I never knew that Bulls song was an actual song! I assumed it was just something a guy in their front office wrote for their introductions.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: jammindude on March 29, 2022, 10:11:30 PM
I never knew that Bulls song was an actual song! I assumed it was just something a guy in their front office wrote for their introductions.

First released in 1982 as an intro to the APP album Eye in the Sky. 9 years before Jordan’s first championship year. But I don’t know how long they had been using it before that.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: wolfking on March 30, 2022, 04:45:04 AM
Doesn't mean a lot coming from me but I've never heard Fire on High either.  Just checked it out and nothing remotely rings a bell.  Never even heard of it before.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nobloodyname on March 30, 2022, 05:20:33 AM

Well, back in the day, there was a video game called Guitar Hero II.

Bloody hell. The release of GH2 is now referred to as being "back in the day". Stop the train! :lol

And noop, at the age of 49, I'd never heard Fire on High until about two minutes ago.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Podaar on March 30, 2022, 05:24:11 AM
Fire On High? I have never heard of that.

*goes over to Spotify to check it out*

Nope. Never heard that before.

Tim, I'm actually shocked you never heard that instrumental.

I looked it up as well. I've never heard that before, and I can guarantee I'll never hear it again.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 30, 2022, 05:38:11 AM
Flabbergasted!  It was such a staple on radio.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 30, 2022, 06:08:06 AM
Time to begin the top 10!!  And we start with two songs that are very different from one another.  Both are the highest ranking songs from their respective albums.


10 Marathon
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 1 (kingshmegland)


This was my number 6 song, but even I am a tad surprised it is finishing top 10.  I figured top 20, but was thrilled to see such great support for it to where it finished in the top 10. Well done, DTF.  :tup :tup


09 2112
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 1 (KevShmev, Cool Chris, The Realm)


On the flip side, my number 1 song (by Rush AND all-time) finishing at 9 is a bit of a head-scratcher, but I won't quibble too much considering all of the heavyweights still to come.  This is, for me, still the greatest rock song ever.  Perfection in every way imaginable.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: ReaperKK on March 30, 2022, 06:20:57 AM
I love both of these songs. Marathon placed at 14 for me and 2112 was at 30. Marathon is a great example of the music matching the lyrical content. I'm gonna go off and listen to it now
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 30, 2022, 06:29:24 AM
Ah.  My #1 song.  What an uplifting song and just as uplifting live.

2112 was my #10.  My 1st epic song I ever heard.  Learned it on guitar with my guitar teacher.  Love the memory of that.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: SoundscapeMN on March 30, 2022, 06:45:17 AM
Marathon at #10?...nuff said.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: romdrums on March 30, 2022, 06:58:20 AM
10. Marathon (7). Hell yeah.  I go back and forth between this and Manhattan Project as the best song on Power Windows.  Everything about this song is killer.

9. 2112 (65).  Thought this would finish higher, honestly.  Anyway, still a great song.  It sits kinda low on my ranker, but I think it points to the strength of Rush's catalog.  Not to mention, this song may be the most important thing they ever wrote.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 30, 2022, 07:13:29 AM
I only saw the first one. Did they make more? Was it the same dog in all of them?

 :facepalm:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 30, 2022, 07:29:01 AM
Marathon was my number 15, but top 10 is well deserved. An epic track in a relatively small package. Really love the instrumental section. Great, inspirational lyrics. Yeah, this has everything that makes Rush great. “Like a streak of lightning flashes and fades in the summer sky.” So good. A little surprised it made 24 lists given the pushback from certain quarters to Power Windows, but even the haters have to admit this is a great tack I guess! And it’s still only the 5th highest from Power Windows on my list.

I’m the lone did not rank on 2112, and I’m relieved it didn’t finish at number 1. I’ve said it before, but 2112 almost put me off of 70s prog Rush altogether when I was first getting into the band. I just didn’t like it. It seemed awkward musically and lyrically, and I thought Geddy sounded awful. I remember thinking “well if this is their prog masterpiece, I’ll stick with the 80s and 90s stuff that I like.” I’ve gained a little more appreciation for it as I’ve come to enjoy the 70s era more over time, but at the time it just wasn’t what I wanted to listen to. Now it was in my top 100 when I first started putting my list together before we knew we were only doing 75, but there was no chance of it getting up in the top 75 for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 30, 2022, 07:35:34 AM
10 Marathon
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 1 (kingshmegland)


09 2112
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 1 (KevShmev, Cool Chris, The Realm)


I had Marathon at #60. And honestly had I never experienced it live, it may not have even made the list. I thought the live production really brought the song to life.


I had 2112 at #3. Great song. Nice story, and I love how it's presented. Each section is unique but the whole piece never feels choppy.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 30, 2022, 07:41:22 AM
Oh, and I'm going to check out Sirius by the APP. Maybe I have heard it before, but I absolutely do not recognize it by name.


EDIT: Yes, I have heard that before. At least the beginning. I feel like I've heard that in ads or film, but I've never heard it on the radio as a kid, and had no idea what it was called or who played it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 30, 2022, 07:50:59 AM
Top 10!!

Marathon (ranked #11)

Pretty much in line with the aggregate. So happy it made the top 10. It's just a great song. It's arguably the "proggiest" number on Power Windows (thanks to that wonderful instrumental jam), but my appreciation for it goes beyond that, of course.

2112 (ranked #17)

As mentioned before, this is iconic, and deservedly so. Not necessarily my favorite Rush sound/era, but I LOVE this one.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 30, 2022, 07:55:34 AM
Time to begin the top 10!!  And we start with two songs that are very different from one another.  Both are the highest ranking songs from their respective albums.


10 Marathon
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 1 (kingshmegland)


09 2112
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 1 (KevShmev, Cool Chris, The Realm)


Marathon was, undeservedly, my number 66. If I remade my list this week, this’d be way up there. This is a banger, a motivator, and an all time great for Rush.

2112 was my number 18. This isn’t their best side long track. Hell, this is far more of a Suite than an epic. The start/stop nature of this track just takes me out of it every time. I appreciate this for what it did for Rush. I believe that at least part of it being played at most shows in their time was well deserved. The iconography of this album staying with them for years is awesome. But, to me, this isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Maybe it was then. It isn’t now, and never was to my ear.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 30, 2022, 07:59:30 AM
Oh, and I'm going to check out Sirius by the APP. Maybe I have heard it before, but I absolutely do not recognize it by name.


EDIT: Yes, I have heard that before. At least the beginning. I feel like I've heard that in ads or film, but I've never heard it on the radio as a kid, and had no idea what it was called or who played it.

If you ever watched the player intros for a Bulls home game on TV in the 90s you’ve heard it.

I remember playing Metropolis pt. 1 for a friend in college, and he was like “they play that at Spurs games!” Turns out they used to use it for their lineup intro for a little while.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 30, 2022, 08:04:43 AM
Oh, and I'm going to check out Sirius by the APP. Maybe I have heard it before, but I absolutely do not recognize it by name.


EDIT: Yes, I have heard that before. At least the beginning. I feel like I've heard that in ads or film, but I've never heard it on the radio as a kid, and had no idea what it was called or who played it.

If you ever watched the player intros for a Bulls home game on TV in the 90s you’ve heard it.

No, I would've never heard that. I have just heard it on TV in spots.

Oh, and Spotify has it parenthetically titled Chiccago Bulls Intro Song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 30, 2022, 08:14:21 AM
Fire On High? I have never heard of that.

*goes over to Spotify to check it out*

Nope. Never heard that before.

Tim, I'm actually shocked you never heard that instrumental.

I looked it up as well. I've never heard that before, and I can guarantee I'll never hear it again.

Count me in on that too; I just listened to it (not all the way through, but skipping through to get all the sections) and that is, to my knowlege, the first time I've ever heard that.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 30, 2022, 08:20:57 AM
Time to begin the top 10!!  And we start with two songs that are very different from one another.  Both are the highest ranking songs from their respective albums.


10 Marathon
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 1 (kingshmegland)


This was my number 6 song, but even I am a tad surprised it is finishing top 10.  I figured top 20, but was thrilled to see such great support for it to where it finished in the top 10. Well done, DTF.  :tup :tup


09 2112
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 1 (KevShmev, Cool Chris, The Realm)


On the flip side, my number 1 song (by Rush AND all-time) finishing at 9 is a bit of a head-scratcher, but I won't quibble too much considering all of the heavyweights still to come.  This is, for me, still the greatest rock song ever.  Perfection in every way imaginable.

Marathon was #26 on my list, and 2112 was #36.  Marathon suffered from how good Manhattan Project is, but it easily could have been higher on any given day. It's a great song, and made even better by the live presentation.  The Power Windows tour was my first time with Rush, and it was an experience to behold.    As for 2112, I like it, don't love it; for comparison, I have Hemispheres (at #15) and The Fountain of Lamneth (at #29) higher.

Really excited for the home stretch.  Though by my count, I only have five songs in my top 25 that haven't been declared yet, so there are four songs that I'm going to really object to. Hahaha. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 30, 2022, 08:27:19 AM
Stadler is going to object to something. Someone alert the 6 o'clock news!! :P :P
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: romdrums on March 30, 2022, 08:48:39 AM
Stadler is going to object to something. Someone alert the 6 o'clock news!! :P :P

In other news, water is wet.  Back to you Kev!  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 30, 2022, 09:10:27 AM
Now that we know 2112 is done (it hasn't been said officially, but I assume that's the case) and Power Windows is done (because, well, ALL songs made the top 75  :metal :metal), here's where we stand:

1   Power Windows   353
2   Grace Under Pressure   248
3   Signals   198
4   Moving Pictures   185
5   Permanent Waves   168
6   Hemispheres   151
7   A Farewell to Kings   136
8   Clockwork Angels   134
9   Counterparts   128
10   Presto   119
11   Hold Your Fire   107
12   Roll the Bones   104
13   2112   98
14   Fly By Night   84
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 30, 2022, 09:25:25 AM
Now that we know 2112 is done (it hasn't been said officially, but I assume that's the case) and Power Windows is done (because, well, ALL songs made the top 75  :metal :metal), here's where we stand:

1   Power Windows   353
2   Grace Under Pressure   248
3   Signals   198
4   Moving Pictures   185
5   Permanent Waves   168
6   Hemispheres   151
7   A Farewell to Kings   136
8   Clockwork Angels   134
9   Counterparts   128
10   Presto   119
11   Hold Your Fire   107
12   Roll the Bones   104
13   2112   98
14   Fly By Night   84
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0

If we could just freeze things right here, that top 3 is awfully close to my top 3 (I’d probably rank them Power Windows, Signals, Presto, Grace Under Pressure, but there’s wiggle room there for everything after Power Windows for me).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 30, 2022, 09:29:53 AM
Years ago when I listened to classic rock radio, they played Frankenstein and Jessica all the time. Memory might fail me here, but those two instrumentals were played far and away more than any other that I can think of. Hocus Pocus got occasional air time, Fire on High and YYZ even less.

Fire On High? I have never heard of that.

*goes over to Spotify to check it out*

Nope. Never heard that before.

So...I'm listening on YouTube right now.  Jessica:  I recognize the main riff but not the rest of the song.  Not sure where I might have heard it other than on the radio.  Boring....  Fire on High:  a full minute of uninteresting intro....  Now at the two minute mark, and I got nothing....  Acoustic guitar kicks in at 2:42.  Not bad.  But nope...never heard this.  Just checked the Satriani song.  That's familiar from the dying days of KNAC.


Tim will tell us next that he never hear A Fifth Of Beethoven.

I only saw the first one. Did they make more? Was it the same dog in all of them?

 :rollin :rollin


I never knew that Bulls song was an actual song! I assumed it was just something a guy in their front office wrote for their introductions.

Bulls song?



I too would be awfully surprised if non-hard rock fans knew YYZ.  I've heard both Hocus Pocus and Frankenstein on the radio more (and I have heard YYZ on the radio).  I'm not sure casual fans would know those songs by name.  I know Cliffs of Dover by name, but I don't know the other three by name.  I haven't the slightest idea what gets played on the radio these days since I haven't listened to anything other than sports talk since the turn of the century.

Well, back in the day, there was a video game called Guitar Hero II. It introduced a whole lot of (then) younger audiences to a lot of classic hard rocking tunes sprinkled between some more modern tracks. One of the tracks on that game was YYZ.
Much like how Cliffs of Dover and Through The Fire and Flames are somewhat known because of the follow up game, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, YYZ and Free Bird were the big tracks from the second game IIRC.

I had GH3.  Didn't know 2008 was "back in the day"!   :lol

Anyway....
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 30, 2022, 09:32:01 AM
10 Marathon
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 1 (kingshmegland)


VERY happy to see, what is *my* personal favorite POW song, make it into the Top 10. At this point, it would be repetitive of me to mention that I should've edited my sorted list, because "Marathon" ended up at 28th on my list, behind all of the other POW songs except "The Big Money" and "Emotion Detector". Here's how my sorted list ended up for POW:

9   Mystic Rhythms
10   Grand Designs
12   Manhattan Project
23   Territories
24   Middletown Dreams
28   Marathon
29   The Big Money
30   Emotion Detector

I honestly would've put "Marathon" at the top with "Manhattan Project", and maybe "Grand Designs" at the bottom with "Emotion Detector". They're all great songs, either way, but I'm surprised it ended up so low on my own list. Either way, extremely happy that all of Power Windows made it into the Top 75!

09 2112
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 1 (KevShmev, Cool Chris, The Realm)


"2112" ended up third in my sorted list, and rightfully so. It is one of the more well-known prog side-long epics, and it was a break-through album/song for Rush. Definitely deserving of a Top 10 spot, though I figured it would've been at least in the Top 5. Now I'm really curious as to what remains in the top 8 considering I can only think of 7 songs that haven't been posted yet. This is a real nail-biter! (EDIT - I just realized what the 8th song was. Well, now to see how these final eight fall into place)

RE: Fire On High - I listened to it on YouTube and I can safely say I have never heard that song in my entire life, on the radio or anywhere else. Was that a bigger hit for ELO, or one of those kinds of hits that you only really know if you're already a fan of ELO?

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 30, 2022, 09:36:45 AM
10 Marathon
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 1 (kingshmegland)


This was my number 6 song, but even I am a tad surprised it is finishing top 10.  I figured top 20, but was thrilled to see such great support for it to where it finished in the top 10. Well done, DTF.  :tup :tup

Marathon's a really good song and far and away the best song on POW, but top 10?  Geddy is the superstar here:  playing those bass figures during the verses while singing is just nutso.  I had it at #40.


09 2112
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 8
Highest Ranking: 1 (KevShmev, Cool Chris, The Realm)


On the flip side, my number 1 song (by Rush AND all-time) finishing at 9 is a bit of a head-scratcher, but I won't quibble too much considering all of the heavyweights still to come.  This is, for me, still the greatest rock song ever.  Perfection in every way imaginable.

Someone left 21-f'ing-12 out of the top 75?!  SMH.  It's the song that probably cemented Rush for half of us.  My first exposure to Rush was the videos on MTV.  I then heard all of MP and then PEW, and I'm pretty sure 2112 was next.  Side 1 was a game changer.  Ultimately, it's little more than a bunch of I-vi-vii progressions in E and A, but holy crap did they run the gamut.  The story's cool, but it's a complete ripoff of Ayn Rand's Anthem with a different ending.  A well-done ripoff, but a ripoff nonetheless.  I had it at #19.


The Score So Far
- Rush - 1 song of 8 (12.5% or 17.86% of album time):  Working Man - #56)
- Fly by Night - 3 songs of 8 (37.5% or 43.67% of album time):  Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36
- Caress of Steel - 2 songs of 5 (40% or 38.15% of album time):  The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59
- 2112 - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 72.57% of album time):  Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58; 2112 - #9

- A Farewell to Kings - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 51.57% of album time):  Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26; Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - #23
- Hemispheres - 3 songs of 4 (75% or 73.51% of album time):  Circumstances - #45; The Trees - #18; Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres - #14
- Permanent Waves - 4 songs of 6 (66.67% or 60.04% of album time):  Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53; Jacob's Ladder - #15; Freewill - #11
- Moving Pictures - 4 songs of 7 (57.14% or 62.33% of album time):  Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38; The Camera Eye - #17; YYZ - #12
- Signals - 6 songs of 8 (75% or 75.22% of album time):  Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25; The Analog Kid - #16
- Grace Under Pressure - 5 songs of 8 (62.5% or 64.51% of album time):  The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29; Red Sector A - #21; Distant Early Warning - #20; Between the Wheels - #13
- Power Windows - 8 songs of 8 (100%):  Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30; Territories #24; Manhattan Project - #22; Marathon - #10
- Hold Your Fire - 5 songs of 10 (50% or 40.19% of album time):  Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34
- Presto - 4 songs of 11 (36.36% or 39.62% of album time):  Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33; Available Light - #19
- Roll the Bones - 4 songs of 10 (40% or 41.62% of album time):  Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32
- Counterparts - 6 songs of 11 (54.55% or 54.24% of album time):  Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28
- Test for Echo - 2 songs of 11 (18.18% or 19.41% of album time):  Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62
- Vapor Trails - NO SONGS (0%)
- Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS (0%)
- Clockwork Angels - 4 songs of 12 (33.33% or 41.58% of album time):  Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27


And Power Windows becomes the first of three albums to be fully represented in the rankings.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 30, 2022, 10:05:13 AM
In keeping with my practice of listening to the songs as they are revealed on the list. I guess I have to listen to 2112 today. It’s been a while.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 30, 2022, 10:22:42 AM
Now that we know 2112 is done (it hasn't been said officially, but I assume that's the case) and Power Windows is done (because, well, ALL songs made the top 75  :metal :metal), here's where we stand:

1   Power Windows   353
2   Grace Under Pressure   248
3   Signals   198
4   Moving Pictures   185
5   Permanent Waves   168
6   Hemispheres   151
7   A Farewell to Kings   136
8   Clockwork Angels   134
9   Counterparts   128
10   Presto   119
11   Hold Your Fire   107
12   Roll the Bones   104
13   2112   98
14   Fly By Night   84
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0

Not that anyone asked, but my album rankings (based only on songs in the top 75) are

1. Moving Pictures - 374 (7/7 songs)
2. Permanent Waves - 339 (6/6 songs)
3. Signals - 324 (7/8 songs)
4. A Farewell to Kings - 276 (5/6 songs)
5. Hemispheres - 248 (4/4 songs)
6. Fly by Night - 156 (4/8 songs)
7. Caress of Steel - 155 (4/5 songs)
8. Presto - 150 (6/11 songs)
9. Vapor Trails - 137 (5/13 songs)
10. Grace Under Pressure - 112 (4/8 songs)
11. 2112 - 104 (4/6 songs)
12. Clockwork Angels - 100 (3/12 songs)
13. Snakes & Arrows - 88 (2/13 songs)
14. Counterparts - 74 (4/11 songs)
15. Rush - 65 (2/8 songs)
16. Power Windows - 59 (3/8 songs)
17. Hold Your Fire - 35 (1/10 songs)
18. Test for Echo - 32 (4/11 songs)
19. Roll the Bones - 22 (1/10 songs)

It's interesting how this reverse point system really skews things.  There is NO WAY that I'd rank GUP over 2112 or Clockwork Angels at #12.  All four Hemispheres songs are in my top 26, but that's only good enough for 5th place because there are only four songs.  I wonder how it would shake out if I did the complete list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 30, 2022, 10:28:26 AM
We should definitely all post our aggregate album rankings by point total when this is all said and done.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 30, 2022, 11:21:32 AM
Agreed. I have mine ready to go...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 30, 2022, 11:25:49 AM
Not that anyone asked, but my album rankings (based only on songs in the top 75) are

1. Moving Pictures - 374 (7/7 songs)
2. Permanent Waves - 339 (6/6 songs)
3. Signals - 324 (7/8 songs)
4. A Farewell to Kings - 276 (5/6 songs)
5. Hemispheres - 248 (4/4 songs)
6. Fly by Night - 156 (4/8 songs)
7. Caress of Steel - 155 (4/5 songs)
8. Presto - 150 (6/11 songs)
9. Vapor Trails - 137 (5/13 songs)
10. Grace Under Pressure - 112 (4/8 songs)
11. 2112 - 104 (4/6 songs)
12. Clockwork Angels - 100 (3/12 songs)
13. Snakes & Arrows - 88 (2/13 songs)
14. Counterparts - 74 (4/11 songs)
15. Rush - 65 (2/8 songs)
16. Power Windows - 59 (3/8 songs)
17. Hold Your Fire - 35 (1/10 songs)
18. Test for Echo - 32 (4/11 songs)
19. Roll the Bones - 22 (1/10 songs)

It's interesting how this reverse point system really skews things.  There is NO WAY that I'd rank GUP over 2112 or Clockwork Angels at #12.  All four Hemispheres songs are in my top 26, but that's only good enough for 5th place because there are only four songs.  I wonder how it would shake out if I did the complete list.

I had some surprises too, compared to my prior Rush album ranking...I mean - no huge shocks, but definitely some reshuffling due to this point-counting methodology...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 20 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 30, 2022, 11:27:45 AM
10.  Marathon (NR)  It's a nice Side One closer, but it simply doesn't register for me.  To suffer my punishment now, and try and prevent any future condescension.......

(https://c.tenor.com/3FOVil5NxugAAAAM/game-of-thrones-shame.gif)

09. 2112 (#11)  (to get back into your good graces?)  I saw them at Central Michigan in September '79.  In fact, I was playing mixed doubles with my roommate and two female friends when we heard music coming from Rose Arena.  We walked over to and into the building, and were able to listen and watch about ten minutes of the soundcheck before being asked to leave. 

My first ever bootleg was the King Biscuit Flower Hour St. Louis concert  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQWYIIV9lbU  I like the edited version here and on ATWAS.  I actually prefer them over the studio album, though those versions of 'Overture / The Temples of Syrinx' start off my 'best ofs' and 'Grand Finale' ends that first disc.



Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 30, 2022, 11:37:37 AM
Stadler is going to object to something. Someone alert the 6 o'clock news!! :P :P

In other news, water is wet.  Back to you Kev!  ;D ;D

Haha, maybe "object" is the wrong word.  I just mean have a differing opinion on.   Some of the more loved songs - Afterimage, Freewill, Between The Wheels, Cygnus X-1, Natural Science - I don't rate as high. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 30, 2022, 11:38:12 AM
I'm floored that Marathon is a Top 10 song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: devieira73 on March 30, 2022, 01:01:13 PM
10 Marathon (#10. bingo!) - It totally deserves to be in the Top 10, it's one of their masterpieces. My second favorite Rush's lyrics - like HOF pointed out, chills everytime on “Like a streak of lightning flashes and fades in the summer sky.” The solo section enhancing by NP destroying everything on drums is beyond amazing - as well the choir section at the end.

09 2112 (#11) - Love this song, it's great the way it's crafted, very inspired, relentless almost all the time and, as big fan of classic sci-fi, I love its story. It's a detail, but Lifeson's guitar in Discovery is very clever in portraying the main character discovering the guitar and how to make music through it - really creative!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 30, 2022, 01:06:21 PM
I'm floored that Marathon is a Top 10 song.

I think it's because it was at the time you fell of the Rush bandwagon while others were getting on the Rush keyboard era, and that's shocking to you.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 30, 2022, 01:13:16 PM
In keeping with my practice of listening to the songs as they are revealed on the list. I guess I have to listen to 2112 today. It’s been a while.

Nah, still don't like it. I really dislike all of the vocal melodies (and the way Geddy sings). The Overture is the best part. Alex's solo towards the end is pretty cool too. Ending is pretty strong too. So basically just eliminate all the singing parts and it would be ok.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 30, 2022, 01:29:35 PM
I'm floored that Marathon is a Top 10 song.

I think it's because it was at the time you fell of the Rush bandwagon while others were getting on the Rush keyboard era, and that's shocking to you.

Well, I think it's more than that, honestly. I got off the Rush train with Signals, and I can name 15 other 80's Era tracks that I think are better than Marathon. So it's not shocking to me that an 80's song came in at #10. What's surprising to me was the one that it is.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 30, 2022, 01:37:28 PM
Again, that's surprising to me since you've read so many of us on this forum guffawing over Marathon. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 30, 2022, 02:14:57 PM
I'm floored that Marathon is a Top 10 song.

I totally agree. Couldn't say it better myself but sorry guys I don't see how Marathon is a top 10 song. For me it 31.

2112 - As stated this was my number 1. Actually surprised to not be alone in this choice (well done Kev and Cool Chris). Really wasn't sure what the consensus would be. This song is just brilliant and I love every part of it. I'm actually a huge fan of the 2112 album, so it is strange to me that only 3 songs ended up being ranked (compared to Power Windows - whole album!)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 30, 2022, 02:49:23 PM
I'm floored that Marathon is a Top 10 song.

I totally agree. Couldn't say it better myself but sorry guys I don't see how Marathon is a top 10 song. For me it 31.

2112 - As stated this was my number 1. Actually surprised to not be alone in this choice (well done Kev and Cool Chris). Really wasn't sure what the consensus would be. This song is just brilliant and I love every part of it. I'm actually a huge fan of the 2112 album, so it is strange to me that only 3 songs ended up being ranked (compared to Power Windows - whole album!)

Guess you two are in the minority then.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 30, 2022, 02:51:32 PM
(https://monophy.com/media/Y5fRlrMXzCX0bIHPyn/monophy.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 30, 2022, 03:10:27 PM
I'm floored that Marathon is a Top 10 song.

I totally agree. Couldn't say it better myself but sorry guys I don't see how Marathon is a top 10 song. For me it 31.

2112 - As stated this was my number 1. Actually surprised to not be alone in this choice (well done Kev and Cool Chris). Really wasn't sure what the consensus would be. This song is just brilliant and I love every part of it. I'm actually a huge fan of the 2112 album, so it is strange to me that only 3 songs ended up being ranked (compared to Power Windows - whole album!)

Guess you two are in the minority then.

At least we ranked it though - someone didn't.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 30, 2022, 03:14:30 PM
I'm floored that Marathon is a Top 10 song.

I think it's because it was at the time you fell of the Rush bandwagon while others were getting on the Rush keyboard era, and that's shocking to you.

Well, I think it's more than that, honestly. I got off the Rush train with Signals, and I can name 15 other 80's Era tracks that I think are better than Marathon. So it's not shocking to me that an 80's song came in at #10. What's surprising to me was the one that it is.

I think the thing that surprises me more than anything else is that Marathon is the highest ranked POW song.  It's been obvious almost since the start of the countdown that POW would get all 8 songs in the top 75, but I kinda figured one of the songs I don't like would end up being the highest ranked.  At least SOME measure of sanity exists regarding this album.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: wolfking on March 30, 2022, 03:45:08 PM
So pleased to see Marathon crack the top 10.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 30, 2022, 04:04:59 PM
It'll be interesting to see how the top 8 shakes out.

The remaining songs are my 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13

My #1 song came in at #14 (Hemispheres)
My #4 song came in at #15 (Jacob's Ladder)
My #5 song came in at #23 (CX-1 Book I)
My #7 song came in at #26 (AFTK)
My #9 song came in at #38 (By-Tor)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 30, 2022, 04:35:41 PM
It'll be interesting to see how the top 8 shakes out.

The remaining songs are my 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13

My #1 song came in at #14 (Hemispheres)
My #4 song came in at #15 (Jacob's Ladder)
My #5 song came in at #23 (CX-1 Book I)
My #7 song came in at #26 (AFTK)
My #9 song came in at #38 (By-Tor)

Yeah, looking forward to it. For what I presume are the remaining songs for me they are ranked 2,3,4,5,6,7,12 and 18.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 30, 2022, 04:47:19 PM
For what I presume are the remaining songs for me they are ranked 2,3,4,5,6,7,12 and 18.

Yeah...just to be clear, I have no inside info, but I think it's awfully obvious what's left.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 30, 2022, 04:54:27 PM
For what I presume are the remaining songs for me they are ranked 2,3,4,5,6,7,12 and 18.

Yeah...just to be clear, I have no inside info, but I think it's awfully obvious what's left.

Hey, Chemistry still has a chance!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 30, 2022, 05:03:11 PM
No. No it doesn't.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 30, 2022, 05:06:47 PM
For what I presume are the remaining songs for me they are ranked 2,3,4,5,6,7,12 and 18.

Yeah...just to be clear, I have no inside info, but I think it's awfully obvious what's left.

Hey, Chemistry still has a chance!

Ha! That is exactly what I was going to say (but yes, it really doesn't...)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: wolfking on March 30, 2022, 05:12:11 PM
For what I presume are the remaining songs for me they are ranked 2,3,4,5,6,7,12 and 18.

Yeah...just to be clear, I have no inside info, but I think it's awfully obvious what's left.

Hey, Chemistry still has a chance!

Not in the slightest.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 30, 2022, 05:20:47 PM
The Color of Right also has no chance. :lol

I'm floored that Marathon is a Top 10 song.

I am not floored that you are floored.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 30, 2022, 05:41:36 PM
For what I presume are the remaining songs for me they are ranked 2,3,4,5,6,7,12 and 18.

Yeah...just to be clear, I have no inside info, but I think it's awfully obvious what's left.

Same here...given that assumption, the remaining songs are my 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9.

Looking at my top 10:

My #8 song came in at 28 (Animate)
My #10 song came in at 31 (Middletown Dreams)

...and the two in the aggregate top 10 that didn't make mine:

Marathon (#10 aggregate, my ranking #11)
2112 (#9 aggregate, my ranking #17)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 30, 2022, 06:41:41 PM
For what I presume are the remaining songs for me they are ranked 2,3,4,5,6,7,12 and 18.

Yeah...just to be clear, I have no inside info, but I think it's awfully obvious what's left.

Same here...given that assumption, the remaining songs are my 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9.


Nice! Now you just have to nail the order.

I have to say I am still a little surprised at how high at least one, if not two of the presumed remaining songs is going to rank. Talk about it later of course.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 30, 2022, 08:27:43 PM
Just a reminder that up next (at number 8) will be the first song in the top 75 to have appeared on all 25 lists!!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 30, 2022, 08:31:41 PM
Just a reminder that up next (at number 8) will be the first song in the top 75 to have appeared on all 25 lists!!

I'll be pretty surprised if any of the Top 8 didn't make it on everyone's Top 75.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 30, 2022, 08:34:31 PM
Three of the remaining songs did not make all 25 lists.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 30, 2022, 08:37:17 PM
Three of the remaining songs did not make all 25 lists.

Not surprised some people left Chemistry off their lists. ;-)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 30, 2022, 08:40:08 PM
If this has been a horse race, Chemistry would have been the one that was doing surprisingly doing well 1/3 of the way through the race, but faded as the race got deeper and the favorites made their pushes.  It seemed to be on quite a few of the early lists that were submitted, but not as many later on.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 30, 2022, 08:42:24 PM
Three of the remaining songs did not make all 25 lists.

Ahhhh, well, I guess if someone didn't have "2112" on their Top 75, I guess it's plausible that some of the remaining 8 might not as well.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 30, 2022, 08:50:44 PM
Three of the remaining songs did not make all 25 lists.

Ahhhh, well, I guess if someone didn't have "2112" on their Top 75, I guess it's plausible that some of the remaining 8 might not as well.

-Marc.

One of them isn’t on my list. But Chemistry is!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 30, 2022, 08:51:31 PM
2112 is my #2 favorite song of all time. Along with my #1, it laid the foundation for the musical journey I've been on for the past 30 years. Part of my ranking at #1 is nostalgia, but I can put that song on any time, anywhere, and will still enthrall me just as it did back in high school when my friend Mike gave me a tape and said "you gotta listen to this song."

I think I can pick 2 of the 3 remaining songs that didn't make everyone's list. The third I am stumped on.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 30, 2022, 09:06:43 PM
I can’t really put them all together. There’s a few I can think of that I’m guessing will be there, but not enough to form the whole next 8. I’m also starting to wonder if my number one made it in at all.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 30, 2022, 09:24:32 PM
Deadeye - it is actually pretty easy when you know what albums are remaining in play. I won't list them here but if you know that and also know what songs have been included so far from those albums etc..then it is pretty easy to put together. Your number 1 song needs to be on one of the albums left alive to have any chance..

As far as songs making or not making everyone's lists - this is crazy! I honestly would have expected about 20 songs at least to make everyone's list but there is only going to be a handful?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 30, 2022, 10:27:38 PM
As far as songs making or not making everyone's lists - this is crazy! I honestly would have expected about 20 songs at least to make everyone's list but there is only going to be a handful?
Actually when it comes to Rush, I am not surprised so few songs made everyone's list. They have such a large and diverse catalogue. And the vast majority of it is amazing (IMO). I've said this several times now, but I could conceivably see almost any Rush song be someone's #1. It also wouldn't have surprised me if everyone that submitted a list had a different #1.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: jammindude on March 30, 2022, 10:50:44 PM
I’ll do a full write up at the end of the week, but I am so disappointed at the low placement of Hemispheres. Possibly the greatest rock song ever written, and certainly by far the most fluid side long song I’ve ever heard. As much as I like 2112, it’s really just Fountain’s big brother. The parts are much better, but it suffers from the same choppy stop/start lack of “flow” that Fountain does.  I had it at 22 for nostalgic reasons because I do love the individual bits.

But Hemispheres is entirely superior in every way. Each part fits the narrative perfectly and blends seamlessly. Some people said to cut the soft part at the beginning of part V ??? Seriously? Why not just cut off the first 3 minutes of Xanadu while you’re at it? That part is PERFECT! It literally makes me feel the narrative. Like I’ve just entered Olympus and I’m processing this change that’s happening to me. It’s absolutely brilliant.

I often flip between Hemispheres and Supper’s Ready as the greatest composition in the history of rock music (maybe all music) but Hemispheres was definitely my first love.

And again, the lyrics that preach the importance of “balance” on a very young impressionable teenager with a tendency towards extremism cannot be understated. 

But ya…14 is far far too low for such a perfect song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 30, 2022, 11:21:51 PM
As far as songs making or not making everyone's lists - this is crazy! I honestly would have expected about 20 songs at least to make everyone's list but there is only going to be a handful?
Actually when it comes to Rush, I am not surprised so few songs made everyone's list. They have such a large and diverse catalogue. And the vast majority of it is amazing (IMO). I've said this several times now, but I could conceivably see almost any Rush song be someone's #1. It also wouldn't have surprised me if everyone that submitted a list had a different #1.

Yeah, fair enough I am sure you are right that the diversity combined with great songs makes it tough. I was thinking about 20 on everyones lists (any order) and then 55 which could be all over the place but that of course is not the case.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Elite on March 31, 2022, 04:50:39 AM
I think I know a few of the songs that are yet to come!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 31, 2022, 06:06:17 AM
Moving right along...

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/59/2c/b7/592cb79c9708ecacaad312b889af440e.gif)

08 Limelight
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 10
Highest Ranking: 2 (nobloodyname, The Realm, ReaperKK)


This is one I actually did get tired of for a few years, but I have come back around on it to where I can enjoy the hell out of it again.  I think a good argument could be made that this song has Neil's most iconic lyrics, Alex's most recognizable riff, and Alex's most iconic guitar solo.  I had it at 17.


07 Natural Science
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (Setlist Scotty, Deadeye21, nick_z)


This was a top 10 Rush song for me for quite a few years, but while I still love it, it finished at 21 for me.  Still love it, but some have snuck past it.  When I first got into this song many, many years ago, a buddy opined that it could be Neil's most awesome song from a drumming standpoint. It's certainly in the conversation.  The whole song is a tour de force of awesomeness.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 31, 2022, 06:30:07 AM
Moving right along...

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/59/2c/b7/592cb79c9708ecacaad312b889af440e.gif)

08 Limelight
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 10
Highest Ranking: 2 (nobloodyname, The Realm, ReaperKK)


This is one I actually did get tired of for a few years, but I have come back around on it to where I can enjoy the hell out of it again.  I think a good argument could be made that this song has Neil's most iconic lyrics, Alex's most recognizable riff, and Alex's most iconic guitar solo.  I had it at 17.


07 Natural Science
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (Setlist Scotty, Deadeye21, nick_z)


This was a top 10 Rush song for me for quite a few years, but while I still love it, it finished at 21 for me.  Still love it, but some have snuck past it.  When I first got into this song many, many years ago, a buddy opined that it could be Neil's most awesome song from a drumming standpoint. It's certainly in the conversation.  The whole song is a tour de force of awesomeness.

I’m gonna quote this in full for a change. Part 1 is because the GIF is great.
Part 2 is because I agree with a lot of what you said about Limelight. I’m currently in the stage where I’m over it. It is a great song, and anyone who denies that is incorrect. But, a great song can be overplayed, and for me it has been. That’s why it arrives at number 49 on my list. That said, this solo is a masterpiece with the ghostly ambience that lies in between it all.

Natural Science is, as proven, my number one. The riffs are amazing. The drumming is godly. The lyrics are some of the best that have sought to present an intricate balance between science and nature. It’s just an amazing song, one that often has me reaching to replay it mere moments after it’s ended. I love this song. I don’t think I ever won’t love this song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Dream Team on March 31, 2022, 06:40:50 AM
Oh come on. Natural Science isn't in someone's top 75???? Would it be safe to assume that one of the individuals leaving that song and Hemispheres and 2112 out of their lists is the same individual who keeps trying to vote out A Change of Seasons in the DT survivor? :tdwn
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: romdrums on March 31, 2022, 07:03:26 AM
8. Limelight (11).  Classic tune.  Some of Neil's best lyrics, and a killer solo from Alex.

7. Natural Science (2).  Again, another classic tune.  Everyone firing on all cylinders.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 31, 2022, 07:05:48 AM
Limelight was my # 6

Natural Science was my #5.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 31, 2022, 07:22:09 AM
Oh come on. Natural Science isn't in someone's top 75???? Would it be safe to assume that one of the individuals leaving that song and Hemispheres and 2112 out of their lists is the same individual who keeps trying to vote out A Change of Seasons in the DT survivor? :tdwn

Nope, Natural Science and Hemispheres are in my top 75, while 2112 was not (and I haven’t voted for ACOS once in that survivor!).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 31, 2022, 07:29:07 AM
Limelight was one of the hardest songs to rank for me. Truly classic Rush, one of their signature songs for sure, probably only second in notoriety to Tom Sawyer. It’s certainly one of the Rush songs I’ve listened to most in my lifetime. It’s a really really great song deserving of a top 10 finish. But when I listen to Rush, I’m just less likely to reach for the radio staples, and I can honestly say I just love other songs more (even among the radio staples). I think I had it up maybe in the 30s or so in one of my initial lists, but it ended up at 61. Not a slight on the song at all, just reflective of how I feel about Rush’s catalog.


Same could be said of Natural Science, which I have at 72. I think it’s a really cool song, and I get why it’s a top tier Rush song for so many. It’s just the side of Rush that I’m less likely to reach for. I think this is one Rush song that you really hear pulled from by other bands. Dream Theater and Fates Warning at least. That riff in the verses is killer and quite metal. It’s got interesting lyrics for sure, and it’s just a musical tour de force. Great stuff by a great band, what else is there to say?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 31, 2022, 07:46:31 AM
2112 is my #2 favorite song of all time. Along with my #1, it laid the foundation for the musical journey I've been on for the past 30 years. Part of my ranking at #1 is nostalgia, but I can put that song on any time, anywhere, and will still enthrall me just as it did back in high school when my friend Mike gave me a tape and said "you gotta listen to this song."

I think I can pick 2 of the 3 remaining songs that didn't make everyone's list. The third I am stumped on.

Don't leave us hanging... what's the number 1?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 31, 2022, 07:53:32 AM
08 Limelight
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 10
Highest Ranking: 2 (nobloodyname, The Realm, ReaperKK)


This is one I actually did get tired of for a few years, but I have come back around on it to where I can enjoy the hell out of it again.  I think a good argument could be made that this song has Neil's most iconic lyrics, Alex's most recognizable riff, and Alex's most iconic guitar solo.  I had it at 17.


07 Natural Science
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (Setlist Scotty, Deadeye21, nick_z)


This was a top 10 Rush song for me for quite a few years, but while I still love it, it finished at 21 for me.  Still love it, but some have snuck past it.  When I first got into this song many, many years ago, a buddy opined that it could be Neil's most awesome song from a drumming standpoint. It's certainly in the conversation.  The whole song is a tour de force of awesomeness.


Limelight is at #38 for me, and Natural Science is at #65.  And I think I wrote earlier on that in hindsight, I would swap Natural Science and Cygnus X-1 (which is at #86).  So by rights, Natural Science shouldn't have made my list. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Dream Team on March 31, 2022, 08:04:34 AM
Limelight was one of the hardest songs to rank for me. Truly classic Rush, one of their signature songs for sure, probably only second in notoriety to Tom Sawyer. It’s certainly one of the Rush songs I’ve listened to most in my lifetime. It’s a really really great song deserving of a top 10 finish. But when I listen to Rush, I’m just less likely to reach for the radio staples, and I can honestly say I just love other songs more (even among the radio staples). I think I had it up maybe in the 30s or so in one of my initial lists, but it ended up at 61. Not a slight on the song at all, just reflective of how I feel about Rush’s catalog.


Same could be said of Natural Science, which I have at 72. I think it’s a really cool song, and I get why it’s a top tier Rush song for so many. It’s just the side of Rush that I’m less likely to reach for. I think this is one Rush song that you really hear pulled from by other bands. Dream Theater and Fates Warning at least. That riff in the verses is killer and quite metal. It’s got interesting lyrics for sure, and it’s just a musical tour de force. Great stuff by a great band, what else is there to say?

I'm genuinely curious; in an effort to try to understand your baffling views of these amazing songs - what are your 5 favorite bands for example?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 31, 2022, 08:05:10 AM
2112 is my #2 favorite song of all time. Along with my #1, it laid the foundation for the musical journey I've been on for the past 30 years. Part of my ranking at #1 is nostalgia, but I can put that song on any time, anywhere, and will still enthrall me just as it did back in high school when my friend Mike gave me a tape and said "you gotta listen to this song."

I think I can pick 2 of the 3 remaining songs that didn't make everyone's list. The third I am stumped on.

Don't leave us hanging... what's the number 1?

Nice to see someone cared  :) Comfortably Numb from Delicate Sound of Thunder.

Natural Scence was one of the two remaining I thiought wouldn`t make someone`s list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 31, 2022, 08:33:20 AM
Limelight was one of the hardest songs to rank for me. Truly classic Rush, one of their signature songs for sure, probably only second in notoriety to Tom Sawyer. It’s certainly one of the Rush songs I’ve listened to most in my lifetime. It’s a really really great song deserving of a top 10 finish. But when I listen to Rush, I’m just less likely to reach for the radio staples, and I can honestly say I just love other songs more (even among the radio staples). I think I had it up maybe in the 30s or so in one of my initial lists, but it ended up at 61. Not a slight on the song at all, just reflective of how I feel about Rush’s catalog.


Same could be said of Natural Science, which I have at 72. I think it’s a really cool song, and I get why it’s a top tier Rush song for so many. It’s just the side of Rush that I’m less likely to reach for. I think this is one Rush song that you really hear pulled from by other bands. Dream Theater and Fates Warning at least. That riff in the verses is killer and quite metal. It’s got interesting lyrics for sure, and it’s just a musical tour de force. Great stuff by a great band, what else is there to say?

I'm genuinely curious; in an effort to try to understand your baffling views of these amazing songs - what are your 5 favorite bands for example?

The short answer is I’m not really a metal guy, aside from a few acts that I liked a lot more when I was younger (DT, Queensryche, etc.). Rush are a top 3 band for me (along with Genesis and Marillion if that gives you an idea of my tastes), but I have a definite preference for their material from 1980 onward and especially from Signals through Presto.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on March 31, 2022, 08:54:15 AM
Moving right along...

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/59/2c/b7/592cb79c9708ecacaad312b889af440e.gif)

08 Limelight
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 10
Highest Ranking: 2 (nobloodyname, The Realm, ReaperKK)


This is one I actually did get tired of for a few years, but I have come back around on it to where I can enjoy the hell out of it again.  I think a good argument could be made that this song has Neil's most iconic lyrics, Alex's most recognizable riff, and Alex's most iconic guitar solo.  I had it at 17.


07 Natural Science
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (Setlist Scotty, Deadeye21, nick_z)


This was a top 10 Rush song for me for quite a few years, but while I still love it, it finished at 21 for me.  Still love it, but some have snuck past it.  When I first got into this song many, many years ago, a buddy opined that it could be Neil's most awesome song from a drumming standpoint. It's certainly in the conversation.  The whole song is a tour de force of awesomeness.

Definitely not surprised to see "Limelight" rank so highly for some, it's definitely one of the band's best, but for me, it ended up at 25th. Easily a Top 25 Rush song, and most definitely a Top 75, as all 25 participants have proven. Happy to see it on everyone's list!

As for "Natural Science", I had it at 11. One of the band's best albu closers, and a rousing 'long' song from them. The riffs and speed and intricate parts they play are all so good, and Geddy's voice and bass playing are on fire. Of course, Neil is firing on all cylinders, and Alex provides some top-notch solos throughout. I can definitely see why this would be number 1 for a few folks here.

As we head into the Top 6, I think I have a good idea of what might be number one, but the remaining six songs should be fan-favorites, so I'm curious to see if any of those didn't make anyone's Top 75!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 31, 2022, 09:56:33 AM
08 Limelight
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 10
Highest Ranking: 2 (nobloodyname, The Realm, ReaperKK)


This is one I actually did get tired of for a few years, but I have come back around on it to where I can enjoy the hell out of it again.  I think a good argument could be made that this song has Neil's most iconic lyrics, Alex's most recognizable riff, and Alex's most iconic guitar solo.  I had it at 17.

I've always loved Limelight, but it made a real jump for me from great song to favorite song on Moving Pictures about 20 years ago.  It's so well constructed.  The unique chord voicings that Alex uses.  The way Geddy's bass lines almost never stop moving across and around chord roots.  Neil's seemless play through sections of 7, 4 and 3.  Alex's guitar solo is wonderful in such an understated way, and I can understand why it's his favorite.  I had this ranked at #6.


07 Natural Science
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (Setlist Scotty, Deadeye21, nick_z)


This was a top 10 Rush song for me for quite a few years, but while I still love it, it finished at 21 for me.  Still love it, but some have snuck past it.  When I first got into this song many, many years ago, a buddy opined that it could be Neil's most awesome song from a drumming standpoint. It's certainly in the conversation.  The whole song is a tour de force of awesomeness.

What to say about this?  It's my #2 song (and the only shocking thing about Natural Science coming in at #7 is that it's not the highest ranked PEW song!).  The blend of the sections is so great.  The frenetic Hyperspace section after the easy Tidepools intro.  The fact that the sound of the tidepools was created by taking a tape recorder out to the lake and stirring the water with a stick.  The lyrics of the Permanent Waves section.  Alex and Neil are the stars.  It's almost surprising that I have this song as high as I do given that there's really not a ton of interesting bass playing.  It was so incredible when, on the T4E tour, Rush finally ditched having opening acts and this song returned to the set list.


The Score So Far
- Rush - 1 song of 8 (12.5% or 17.86% of album time):  Working Man - #56)
- Fly by Night - 3 songs of 8 (37.5% or 43.67% of album time):  Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36
- Caress of Steel - 2 songs of 5 (40% or 38.15% of album time):  The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59
- 2112 - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 72.57% of album time):  Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58; 2112 - #9

- A Farewell to Kings - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 51.57% of album time):  Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26; Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - #23
- Hemispheres - 3 songs of 4 (75% or 73.51% of album time):  Circumstances - #45; The Trees - #18; Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres - #14
- Permanent Waves - 5 songs of 6 (83.33% or 86.24% of album time):  Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53; Jacob's Ladder - #15; Freewill - #11; Natural Science - #7
- Moving Pictures - 5 songs of 7 (71.43% or 72.86% of album time):  Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38; The Camera Eye - #17; YYZ - #12; Limelight - #8
- Signals - 6 songs of 8 (75% or 75.22% of album time):  Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25; The Analog Kid - #16
- Grace Under Pressure - 5 songs of 8 (62.5% or 64.51% of album time):  The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29; Red Sector A - #21; Distant Early Warning - #20; Between the Wheels - #13
- Power Windows - 8 songs of 8 (100%):  Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30; Territories #24; Manhattan Project - #22; Marathon - #10
- Hold Your Fire - 5 songs of 10 (50% or 40.19% of album time):  Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34
- Presto - 4 songs of 11 (36.36% or 39.62% of album time):  Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33; Available Light - #19
- Roll the Bones - 4 songs of 10 (40% or 41.62% of album time):  Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32
- Counterparts - 6 songs of 11 (54.55% or 54.24% of album time):  Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28
- Test for Echo - 2 songs of 11 (18.18% or 19.41% of album time):  Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62
- Vapor Trails - NO SONGS (0%)
- Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS (0%)
- Clockwork Angels - 4 songs of 12 (33.33% or 41.58% of album time):  Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27



I'm guessing that the two remaining songs that didn't show up on everyone's list are the two biggest "radio hits."
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 31, 2022, 09:58:23 AM
08 Limelight
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 10
Highest Ranking: 2 (nobloodyname, The Realm, ReaperKK)


This is one I actually did get tired of for a few years, but I have come back around on it to where I can enjoy the hell out of it again.  I think a good argument could be made that this song has Neil's most iconic lyrics, Alex's most recognizable riff, and Alex's most iconic guitar solo.  I had it at 17.

I just noticed this...has this always said "entrees"?   :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 31, 2022, 09:59:55 AM
Limelight was one of the hardest songs to rank for me. Truly classic Rush, one of their signature songs for sure, probably only second in notoriety to Tom Sawyer. It’s certainly one of the Rush songs I’ve listened to most in my lifetime. It’s a really really great song deserving of a top 10 finish. But when I listen to Rush, I’m just less likely to reach for the radio staples, and I can honestly say I just love other songs more (even among the radio staples). I think I had it up maybe in the 30s or so in one of my initial lists, but it ended up at 61. Not a slight on the song at all, just reflective of how I feel about Rush’s catalog.


Same could be said of Natural Science, which I have at 72. I think it’s a really cool song, and I get why it’s a top tier Rush song for so many. It’s just the side of Rush that I’m less likely to reach for. I think this is one Rush song that you really hear pulled from by other bands. Dream Theater and Fates Warning at least. That riff in the verses is killer and quite metal. It’s got interesting lyrics for sure, and it’s just a musical tour de force. Great stuff by a great band, what else is there to say?

I'm genuinely curious; in an effort to try to understand your baffling views of these amazing songs - what are your 5 favorite bands for example?

The short answer is I’m not really a metal guy, aside from a few acts that I liked a lot more when I was younger (DT, Queensryche, etc.). Rush are a top 3 band for me (along with Genesis and Marillion if that gives you an idea of my tastes), but I have a definite preference for their material from 1980 onward and especially from Signals through Presto.

But I'm going to stick my nose in here, HOF.  I'm with you; I feel like you do about these songs and I AM a metal guy.  I think Natural Science is sort of a mess.  I really like the intro, but the rest of the song is sort of how I feel about Permanent Waves in general: it's sort of a transition. It's not prog, it's not in the same league as AFTK or Hemispheres, but it's not made the full leap to the synth era... it's sort of in my view the lead-in to Moving Pictures, which is to me the far superior record, and the sort of "realization" of what PeWa should have been.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 31, 2022, 10:05:05 AM
As we head into the Top 6, I think I have a good idea of what might be number one, but the remaining six songs should be fan-favorites, so I'm curious to see if any of those didn't make anyone's Top 75!

-Marc.

I don't want to spotlight, or ruin anything, but one song that is almost a SHOO-IN for the Top 6 is at #123 on my list.  Make of that what you will.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: romdrums on March 31, 2022, 10:05:57 AM
08 Limelight
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 10
Highest Ranking: 2 (nobloodyname, The Realm, ReaperKK)


This is one I actually did get tired of for a few years, but I have come back around on it to where I can enjoy the hell out of it again.  I think a good argument could be made that this song has Neil's most iconic lyrics, Alex's most recognizable riff, and Alex's most iconic guitar solo.  I had it at 17.

I just noticed this...has this always said "entrees"?   :lol

That's funny, because Limelight sounds more like a dessert.  ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 31, 2022, 10:06:57 AM
Key Limelight Pie?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 31, 2022, 10:43:49 AM
For what I presume are the remaining songs for me they are ranked 2,3,4,5,6,7,12 and 18.

Yeah...just to be clear, I have no inside info, but I think it's awfully obvious what's left.

Same here...given that assumption, the remaining songs are my 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9.

Looking at my top 10:

My #8 song came in at 28 (Animate)
My #10 song came in at 31 (Middletown Dreams)

...and the two in the aggregate top 10 that didn't make mine:

Marathon (#10 aggregate, my ranking #11)
2112 (#9 aggregate, my ranking #17)

As I read the tea leaves, my guess is that the remaining songs are my 1, 3, 4, 11, 16, and 123.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: devieira73 on March 31, 2022, 10:56:26 AM
08 Limelight (#12) - It's really one of their masterpieces and, like Spirit of Radio and Tom Sawyer, is the perfect blend of quality, acessibility and complexity in their music - althogh there's still another great examples of that in 80's Rush, I think it's hard to top those 3 songs in that aspect. Gorgeous chorus and maybe only Lifenson's solo on La Villa Strangiatto can be better than the one in this song.

07 Natural Science (#7) - My favorite 10 minute epic by the band, really incredibly perfect - rocking and very engaging from start to finish.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 31, 2022, 11:00:32 AM
Limelight was one of the hardest songs to rank for me. Truly classic Rush, one of their signature songs for sure, probably only second in notoriety to Tom Sawyer. It’s certainly one of the Rush songs I’ve listened to most in my lifetime. It’s a really really great song deserving of a top 10 finish. But when I listen to Rush, I’m just less likely to reach for the radio staples, and I can honestly say I just love other songs more (even among the radio staples). I think I had it up maybe in the 30s or so in one of my initial lists, but it ended up at 61. Not a slight on the song at all, just reflective of how I feel about Rush’s catalog.


Same could be said of Natural Science, which I have at 72. I think it’s a really cool song, and I get why it’s a top tier Rush song for so many. It’s just the side of Rush that I’m less likely to reach for. I think this is one Rush song that you really hear pulled from by other bands. Dream Theater and Fates Warning at least. That riff in the verses is killer and quite metal. It’s got interesting lyrics for sure, and it’s just a musical tour de force. Great stuff by a great band, what else is there to say?

I'm genuinely curious; in an effort to try to understand your baffling views of these amazing songs - what are your 5 favorite bands for example?

The short answer is I’m not really a metal guy, aside from a few acts that I liked a lot more when I was younger (DT, Queensryche, etc.). Rush are a top 3 band for me (along with Genesis and Marillion if that gives you an idea of my tastes), but I have a definite preference for their material from 1980 onward and especially from Signals through Presto.

But I'm going to stick my nose in here, HOF.  I'm with you; I feel like you do about these songs and I AM a metal guy.  I think Natural Science is sort of a mess.  I really like the intro, but the rest of the song is sort of how I feel about Permanent Waves in general: it's sort of a transition. It's not prog, it's not in the same league as AFTK or Hemispheres, but it's not made the full leap to the synth era... it's sort of in my view the lead-in to Moving Pictures, which is to me the far superior record, and the sort of "realization" of what PeWa should have been.

It’s weird though, and this is maybe kind of like our discussion of TWD in the MP thread. I prefer Permanent Waves to Moving Pictures as an album. I feel like there is a really fresh approach to prog on it, more streamlined and tight, and more melodically pleasing than their 70s stuff. And it has one of my top 5 tracks on it that was probably my earliest positive memory of listening to Rush.

In contrast, Moving Pictures has always been sort of an overlooked album for me. I only bought a copy about 5 years ago, and it’s still one of my least played Rush albums as a whole. I had Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, and Limelight from the Retrospective set that was my first Rush purchase back in 2001 I think. As I made my way through the catalog, I’d look at the track listing and think “do I really need that one?” My brother had the album, and I heard it enough to know I didn’t love YYZ, and Witch Hunt and Vital Signs did nothing for me. The one gem on there that I’ve kicked myself for passing on all those years was The Camera Eye. Now I can look at the album a bit differently and acknowledge that it is one of the great Rush albums for sure. I just never really experienced it that way as a listener if that makes sense. I didn’t experience it when it was first released, and it wasn’t a gateway to my Rush fandom like it was for so many other Rush fans.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on March 31, 2022, 11:22:51 AM
Limelight was one of the hardest songs to rank for me. Truly classic Rush, one of their signature songs for sure, probably only second in notoriety to Tom Sawyer. It’s certainly one of the Rush songs I’ve listened to most in my lifetime. It’s a really really great song deserving of a top 10 finish. But when I listen to Rush, I’m just less likely to reach for the radio staples, and I can honestly say I just love other songs more (even among the radio staples). I think I had it up maybe in the 30s or so in one of my initial lists, but it ended up at 61. Not a slight on the song at all, just reflective of how I feel about Rush’s catalog.


Same could be said of Natural Science, which I have at 72. I think it’s a really cool song, and I get why it’s a top tier Rush song for so many. It’s just the side of Rush that I’m less likely to reach for. I think this is one Rush song that you really hear pulled from by other bands. Dream Theater and Fates Warning at least. That riff in the verses is killer and quite metal. It’s got interesting lyrics for sure, and it’s just a musical tour de force. Great stuff by a great band, what else is there to say?

I'm genuinely curious; in an effort to try to understand your baffling views of these amazing songs - what are your 5 favorite bands for example?

The short answer is I’m not really a metal guy, aside from a few acts that I liked a lot more when I was younger (DT, Queensryche, etc.). Rush are a top 3 band for me (along with Genesis and Marillion if that gives you an idea of my tastes), but I have a definite preference for their material from 1980 onward and especially from Signals through Presto.

But I'm going to stick my nose in here, HOF.  I'm with you; I feel like you do about these songs and I AM a metal guy.  I think Natural Science is sort of a mess.  I really like the intro, but the rest of the song is sort of how I feel about Permanent Waves in general: it's sort of a transition. It's not prog, it's not in the same league as AFTK or Hemispheres, but it's not made the full leap to the synth era... it's sort of in my view the lead-in to Moving Pictures, which is to me the far superior record, and the sort of "realization" of what PeWa should have been.

It’s weird though, and this is maybe kind of like our discussion of TWD in the MP thread. I prefer Permanent Waves to Moving Pictures as an album. I feel like there is a really fresh approach to prog on it, more streamlined and tight, and more melodically pleasing than their 70s stuff. And it has one of my top 5 tracks on it that was probably my earliest positive memory of listening to Rush.

In contrast, Moving Pictures has always been sort of an overlooked album for me. I only bought a copy about 5 years ago, and it’s still one of my least played Rush albums as a whole. I had Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, and Limelight from the Retrospective set that was my first Rush purchase back in 2001 I think. As I made my way through the catalog, I’d look at the track listing and think “do I really need that one?” My brother had the album, and I heard it enough to know I didn’t love YYZ, and Witch Hunt and Vital Signs did nothing for me. The one gem on there that I’ve kicked myself for passing on all those years was The Camera Eye. Now I can look at the album a bit differently and acknowledge that it is one of the great Rush albums for sure. I just never really experienced it that way as a listener if that makes sense. I didn’t experience it when it was first released, and it wasn’t a gateway to my Rush fandom like it was for so many other Rush fans.

See, I REALLY don't like "Spirit Of Radio", so it was the opposite for me.  I got Moving Pictures early and listened to it a lot, even before I sort of considered myself a "Rush fan". 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 31, 2022, 11:34:32 AM
See, I REALLY don't like "Spirit Of Radio", so it was the opposite for me.  I got Moving Pictures early and listened to it a lot, even before I sort of considered myself a "Rush fan".

Ha! That’s the one I was talking about. Probably my earliest memory of really liking a Rush song, and the first time I was introduced to the concept of progressive rock. I remember asking my older brother, “why does it change so much?” And he explained, “that’s because it’s progressive rock.”

In contrast, I’ve always kind of struggled with Tom Sawyer (“Catch the spit? Ew!”).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on March 31, 2022, 12:09:37 PM
See, I REALLY don't like "Spirit Of Radio", so it was the opposite for me.  I got Moving Pictures early and listened to it a lot, even before I sort of considered myself a "Rush fan".

Ha! That’s the one I was talking about. Probably my earliest memory of really liking a Rush song, and the first time I was introduced to the concept of progressive rock. I remember asking my older brother, “why does it change so much?” And he explained, “that’s because it’s progressive rock.”

In contrast, I’ve always kind of struggled with Tom Sawyer (“Catch the spit? Ew!”).

If you listen to the song it's like Rush is changing the dial on the radio with different style in the song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 31, 2022, 12:10:40 PM
08 Limelight
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 10
Highest Ranking: 2 (nobloodyname, The Realm, ReaperKK)


07 Natural Science
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (Setlist Scotty, Deadeye21, nick_z)



I had Limelight at #8. On point!
Great tune. Classic.

I had Natural Science at #4. Such a sophisticated classic. Great tune and all parts are great.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: SoundscapeMN on March 31, 2022, 12:18:41 PM
08 Limelight
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 10
Highest Ranking: 2 (nobloodyname, The Realm, ReaperKK)


This is one I actually did get tired of for a few years, but I have come back around on it to where I can enjoy the hell out of it again.  I think a good argument could be made that this song has Neil's most iconic lyrics, Alex's most recognizable riff, and Alex's most iconic guitar solo.  I had it at 17.

I just noticed this...has this always said "entrees"?   :lol

entree nous
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 31, 2022, 12:28:49 PM
08 Limelight
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 10
Highest Ranking: 2 (nobloodyname, The Realm, ReaperKK)


This is one I actually did get tired of for a few years, but I have come back around on it to where I can enjoy the hell out of it again.  I think a good argument could be made that this song has Neil's most iconic lyrics, Alex's most recognizable riff, and Alex's most iconic guitar solo.  I had it at 17.

I just noticed this...has this always said "entrees"?   :lol

entree nous

And for the entree nous, my wife and I will be splitting a tomahawk steak.   :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 31, 2022, 12:32:08 PM
tomahawk steak.   

That's an offensive term. Don'tcha know? ;D
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 31, 2022, 03:51:32 PM

08 Limelight
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 10
Highest Ranking: 2 (nobloodyname, The Realm, ReaperKK)


07 Natural Science
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (Setlist Scotty, Deadeye21, nick_z)



I have read through everyone's comments so far on the above two songs and my first response is wow! I am floored with some of the thoughts on these 2 classic songs, it really is fascinating to me. Nothing wrong with it of course, each to their own and everything.

Limelight - yes this is my number 2. I don't understand knocking a song down because it has been overplayed and you have heard it a million times, there is actually a reason for that - because it is awesome. As time goes on this song should be appreciated more, not dismissed. This is probably the definitive Rush song, musically and lyrically.

Natural Science - number 4 for me however, it could easily have been number 1. A classic that takes you on an epic journey and the heavy parts are just awesome. I could easily have ranked this number 1.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on March 31, 2022, 04:07:00 PM
tomahawk steak.   

That's an offensive term. Don'tcha know? ;D

(https://i.makeagif.com/media/3-12-2016/PSfH--.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 31, 2022, 05:13:15 PM
Thinking about how iconic Limelight is, it is wild to think that it was only played sporadically on their 2nd to last tour and then not at all on their last tour.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 31, 2022, 05:23:03 PM
Limelight (ranked #9)

An awesome song. Rocking, uplifting and melancholic, all at the same time, Alex's progression in the chorus is phenomenal, and the solo is a thing of beauty. I'll reserve some comments on my own experience with the "radio staples" when, um, a certain other one (or two?) is revealed. For now, I'll just say no matter how much this gets played, it's a pleasure every time, and it's absolutely a top 10 Rush song for me.

Natural Science (ranked #1)

My number one!!! Such a masterpiece, incapsulating so many things that make Rush, "Rush". I remember the first time listening to Permanent Waves - again, not knowing a single note. As I get to Natural Science, I think - well, this is a pretty great album so far...let's hope the closer lives up to the high standards they set. Talk about smashing expectations! The "Wheel within wheels" part...then THAT riff...it just sounds so "modern" (in the best possible way)...an inspiration for so many metal bands. Then the progression with the synths, Geddy's fantastic bass work and Neil doing his (wonderful) thing. Then the Permanent Waves section and the brilliant ending...what can I say? To be honest, when I look at my top 5, it's almost silly to try and rank the songs but, yes, I'm ok with this taking the top spot...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on March 31, 2022, 05:28:39 PM
...and the updated aggregate album ranking:

1   Power Windows   353
2   Moving Pictures   253
3   Grace Under Pressure   248
4   Permanent Waves   237
5   Signals   198
6   Hemispheres   151
7   A Farewell to Kings   136
8   Clockwork Angels   134
9   Counterparts   128
10   Presto   119
11   Hold Your Fire   107
12   Roll the Bones   104
13   2112   98
14   Fly By Night   84
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 31, 2022, 05:35:15 PM
08. Limelight (#7) since I always listen to the two songs together, and ‘YYZ’ was my #6, it only made sense that this would be my #7, since ties were not allowed. 

07. Natural Science (#33)  a great closer on a great album.  Guess my ‘low’ rating here is because I listen to side one so much more.  That’s why I had ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ at #15

Limelight - yes this is my number 2. I don't understand knocking a song down because it has been overplayed and you have heard it a million times, there is actually a reason for that - because it is awesome. As time goes on this song should be appreciated more, not dismissed. This is probably the definitive Rush song, musically and lyrically.

Welcome to DTF ;D  "I know it's a good song, but I don't like it because so many others do" resulted in so many songs being placed 20-50 spots lower (or not at all) on this and the DT Countdown. 

'Working Man'...baffled me, not because of where it placed, but that half the respondents didn't rate it at all.  "C'mon guys, deep down, you know you like it, you really do.  Admit it ;)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 31, 2022, 05:52:21 PM
08. Limelight (#7) since I always listen to the two songs together, and ‘YYZ’ was my #6, it only made sense that this would be my #7, since ties were not allowed. 

07. Natural Science (#33)  a great closer on a great album.  Guess my ‘low’ rating here is because I listen to side one so much more.  That’s why I had ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ at #15

Limelight - yes this is my number 2. I don't understand knocking a song down because it has been overplayed and you have heard it a million times, there is actually a reason for that - because it is awesome. As time goes on this song should be appreciated more, not dismissed. This is probably the definitive Rush song, musically and lyrically.

Welcome to DTF ;D  "I know it's a good song, but I don't like it because so many others do" resulted in so many songs being placed 20-50 spots lower (or not at all) on this and the DT Countdown. 

'Working Man'...baffled me, not because of where it placed, but that half the respondents didn't rate it at all.  "C'mon guys, deep down, you know you like it, you really do.  Admit it ;)

Yeah, I do find it pretty hard to comprehend this but I guess it is what it is. It makes me think that if an Iron Maiden countdown is ever done, Hallowed be Thy Name will be really low or not appear based on this rational.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 31, 2022, 06:21:49 PM
We need an Iron Maiden countdown next!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 31, 2022, 06:31:15 PM
Not to go too far forward but Maiden is about the only other band for which I could realistically participate in a thread like this.

Is it wrong that this thread is the first web page I open when I wake up in the morning?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 31, 2022, 06:50:27 PM
If we did Iron Maiden the only song I know well enough to even give you a title is Run To The Hills (and I had to look that up to verify the title).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 31, 2022, 07:01:24 PM
We need an Iron Maiden countdown next!

Agree!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Deadeye21 on March 31, 2022, 08:20:02 PM
I was actually thinking of running one of these myself for Iron Maiden songs. I just kinda want KevShmev’s key to accumulating all the data so it can be as good as this has been.  :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 31, 2022, 08:24:03 PM
I am still debating which one to do next, but Maiden is certainly a strong possibility.

In the meantime, six Rush songs to go.  :metal :metal
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on March 31, 2022, 08:25:28 PM
Awesome! When are the lists due?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 31, 2022, 08:26:13 PM
Calm down, Francis. Nothing is set in stone yet.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 31, 2022, 08:26:41 PM
Wow, I sure fell behind on this.

#14 Hemispheres - As was shown (however many days ago that was now...) I have this as my favorite Rush song, #1! Although if I'm being honest, any of my top 6 could be interchangeable on any given day. But this feels right at number 1. The band was at their absolute peak starting with this album (a peak which I think lasted until Presto), not only instrumentally, but lyrically, creatively, and in general song-writing. This was what The Fountain of Lamneth, 2112, and Cygnus X-1 were leading up to. This was Rush perfecting the prog epic! I even love the spacey middle section (although I don't know why you wouldn't).

#13 Between the Wheels - I had this at #32. I feel like this song gets way more credit than it should. Now don't get me wrong, I love this song, but I don't think it belongs at #13, let alone above Hemispheres. I'd have to guess the love for this song had been boosted in more recent Rush tours when they brought this back. It has great lyrics and a killer solo by Lifeson.

#12 YYZ - I had this at #10, so pretty close to the overall ranking. What can I say, it would be Rush's definitive instrumental song if La Villa Strangiato didn't exist. I absolutely love this song though. I was immediately drawn to the interplay between the drums and bass. It's just so creative. Learning to play this on drums correctly, was one of the hardest songs I tried to learn on drums years ago, but eventually getting it right was so satisfying. I never tried learning the bass parts.....I'm not that good on bass...

#11 Freewill - My #4 song. Yes it's overplayed on FM radio (who even listens to FM anymore? I sure haven't in almost 20 years), yes it was overplayed on Rush tours, however, this is a song that just never got old for me. The Rush in Rio version always stands out to me, it was just absolutely majestic at that show. And granted I wasn't at the actual show in Brazil, I did see Rush on that tour in Sacramento and it was amazing there too!

#10 Marathon - This was my #5 song. What an absolutely triumphant song. The build up, the lyrical message, the perfect guitar solo leading into a great atmospheric section, and the key changes going into that spectacular finish. And like the rest of Power Windows, I just love the production and how the song sounds so open and massive. And Geddy's driving bass is amazing throughout the verses. I was glad I got to see this on the Time Machine tour, even though Geddy wasn't vocally at the top of his game. The only knock on this song is the fadeout......ugh

#9 2112 - I had this at #8. About 20 years ago I probably would have had this at #1, but other songs grew on me more as I got older. I still love it and it fills me with nostalgia every time I listen to it. Seeing this in full on the T4E tour was amazing!

#8 Limelight - So this is way down at #50 for me. I do really like this song and its lyrical message, but I kind of dislike the main riff and guitar tone of the song. It's the only thing that drags it down for me. On the other hand the guitar solo is deservedly iconic. I also really like what Neil does throughout the song. It sounds simple, but it's anything but.

#7 Natural Science - I had this at #6, so this feels right. This is one of those songs that really good top my list on any given day. I still consider this a Rush epic, even though it isn't nearly as long as their previous epics. It's an epic that is distilled down to the necessities of what should be in a prog epic. The different sections are all so well done and blend together perfectly. I wasn't a fan of how they changed the song live, I feel it lost a little of its charm. Amazing song regardless.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 31, 2022, 08:26:44 PM
If I am right, I have the remaining 6 at #2, #10, #11, #12, #25, and #29. If I am wrong, I will be shocked. But I am still stumped at which won't be unanimous picks.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 31, 2022, 08:29:20 PM
Fun fact: one of the remaining songs was left off TWO lists.  :eek :eek




#7 Natural Science - I had this at #6, so this feels right. This is one of those songs that really good top my list on any given day. I still consider this a Rush epic, even though it isn't nearly as long as their previous epics. It's an epic that is distilled down to the necessities of what should be in a prog epic. The different sections are all so well done and blend together perfectly. I wasn't a fan of how they changed the song live, I feel it lost a little of its charm. Amazing song regardless.

Agreed.  I hated losing the "art is expression" verse and Alex's killer solo in the 3rd section. It still slayed live, but it lost a little by removing those parts.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DragonAttack on March 31, 2022, 08:29:38 PM
Not to go too far forward but Maiden is about the only other band for which I could realistically participate in a thread like this.

Is it wrong that this thread is the first web page I open when I wake up in the morning?

This is the first thing that came to my head   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvJj7SN9EWI

A shame this wasn't during football season.  It would be a better first read than the Jets.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on March 31, 2022, 08:30:22 PM
If I am right, I have the remaining 6 at #2, #10, #11, #12, #25, and #29. If I am wrong, I will be shocked. But I am still stumped at which won't be unanimous picks.
Yeah I think the remaining 6 are my #3, #9, #13, #17, #20, and #21

Fun fact: one of the remaining songs was left off TWO lists.  :eek :eek
I'm gonna guess my #3...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on March 31, 2022, 08:32:21 PM


Fun fact: one of the remaining songs was left off TWO lists.  :eek :eek
I'm gonna guess my #3...

Solid guess. ;)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 31, 2022, 08:36:45 PM
If I am right, I have the remaining 6 at #2, #10, #11, #12, #25, and #29. If I am wrong, I will be shocked. But I am still stumped at which won't be unanimous picks.

I know because there is one song left that isn’t on my list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 31, 2022, 08:41:54 PM
If I am right, I have the remaining 6 at #2, #10, #11, #12, #25, and #29. If I am wrong, I will be shocked. But I am still stumped at which won't be unanimous picks.

Well judging by what has happened so far, I'd say any of the remaining songs could easily be left off a list or two but if the reason is the overplayed/commercial aspect then I guess it is obvious...
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 31, 2022, 08:42:09 PM
In contrast, Moving Pictures has always been sort of an overlooked album for me. I only bought a copy about 5 years ago, and it’s still one of my least played Rush albums as a whole. I had Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, and Limelight from the Retrospective set that was my first Rush purchase back in 2001 I think. As I made my way through the catalog, I’d look at the track listing and think “do I really need that one?” My brother had the album, and I heard it enough to know I didn’t love YYZ, and Witch Hunt and Vital Signs did nothing for me. The one gem on there that I’ve kicked myself for passing on all those years was The Camera Eye. Now I can look at the album a bit differently and acknowledge that it is one of the great Rush albums for sure. I just never really experienced it that way as a listener if that makes sense. I didn’t experience it when it was first released, and it wasn’t a gateway to my Rush fandom like it was for so many other Rush fans.

I wasn't introduced to Rush till the early 90s, and when I backtracked through their catalog, I never bothered with MP because I had Tom Sawyer, Limelight, and Red Barchetta on the Chronicles CD and they were getting tons of radio airplay anyway, and I didn't care much for YYZ. I figured that was most of the album so never figured it made sense to buy it. So my experience was similar.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on March 31, 2022, 09:04:27 PM
In contrast, Moving Pictures has always been sort of an overlooked album for me. I only bought a copy about 5 years ago, and it’s still one of my least played Rush albums as a whole. I had Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, and Limelight from the Retrospective set that was my first Rush purchase back in 2001 I think. As I made my way through the catalog, I’d look at the track listing and think “do I really need that one?” My brother had the album, and I heard it enough to know I didn’t love YYZ, and Witch Hunt and Vital Signs did nothing for me. The one gem on there that I’ve kicked myself for passing on all those years was The Camera Eye. Now I can look at the album a bit differently and acknowledge that it is one of the great Rush albums for sure. I just never really experienced it that way as a listener if that makes sense. I didn’t experience it when it was first released, and it wasn’t a gateway to my Rush fandom like it was for so many other Rush fans.

I wasn't introduced to Rush till the early 90s, and when I backtracked through their catalog, I never bothered with MP because I had Tom Sawyer, Limelight, and Red Barchetta on the Chronicles CD and they were getting tons of radio airplay anyway, and I didn't care much for YYZ. I figured that was most of the album so never figured it made sense to buy it. So my experience was similar.

Glad I’m not the only one!

One thing I’ve noticed with this exercise and the DT Top 100 is that I am basically in the opposite demographic for Rush as I am for DT. For me, THE period for DT is Images & Words through SFAM, and then it’s all a bit downhill, and I don’t really care for anything past Octavarium. But if I’m honest, that’s also the period when I first got into the band and fell in love with them. It makes sense that younger fans or people who discovered them towards the end of the MP era or during the Mangini era might not only love those albums but even prefer them to the ones that seem definitive to me.

In terms of studio albums, I got into Rush from the release of Vapor Trails backwards, after already having that Retrospective II set which was really formative in terms of my love for the keyboard era. I never really gelled with any of the earlier stuff until relatively recently, and then really only as a result of getting more heavily into other 70s prog stuff. So for me, what was formative Rush material for a lot of fans was kind of an afterthought and not what really made me a fan of the band.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on March 31, 2022, 09:29:34 PM
In contrast, Moving Pictures has always been sort of an overlooked album for me. I only bought a copy about 5 years ago, and it’s still one of my least played Rush albums as a whole. I had Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, and Limelight from the Retrospective set that was my first Rush purchase back in 2001 I think. As I made my way through the catalog, I’d look at the track listing and think “do I really need that one?” My brother had the album, and I heard it enough to know I didn’t love YYZ, and Witch Hunt and Vital Signs did nothing for me. The one gem on there that I’ve kicked myself for passing on all those years was The Camera Eye. Now I can look at the album a bit differently and acknowledge that it is one of the great Rush albums for sure. I just never really experienced it that way as a listener if that makes sense. I didn’t experience it when it was first released, and it wasn’t a gateway to my Rush fandom like it was for so many other Rush fans.

I wasn't introduced to Rush till the early 90s, and when I backtracked through their catalog, I never bothered with MP because I had Tom Sawyer, Limelight, and Red Barchetta on the Chronicles CD and they were getting tons of radio airplay anyway, and I didn't care much for YYZ. I figured that was most of the album so never figured it made sense to buy it. So my experience was similar.

Glad I’m not the only one!

One thing I’ve noticed with this exercise and the DT Top 100 is that I am basically in the opposite demographic for Rush as I am for DT. For me, THE period for DT is Images & Words through SFAM, and then it’s all a bit downhill, and I don’t really care for anything past Octavarium. But if I’m honest, that’s also the period when I first got into the band and fell in love with them. It makes sense that younger fans or people who discovered them towards the end of the MP era or during the Mangini era might not only love those albums but even prefer them to the ones that seem definitive to me.

In terms of studio albums, I got into Rush from the release of Vapor Trails backwards, after already having that Retrospective II set which was really formative in terms of my love for the keyboard era. I never really gelled with any of the earlier stuff until relatively recently, and then really only as a result of getting more heavily into other 70s prog stuff. So for me, what was formative Rush material for a lot of fans was kind of an afterthought and not what really made me a fan of the band.

Great post HOF, and I totally agree that the introduction to a band etc can make a huge difference on how this influences you. Iron Maiden has been mentioned as a chance to be next, well without a doubt that will involve conflicting opinions from those who grew up with the 80s classic era verses those who got into Maiden later through the reunion era and worked backwards.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on March 31, 2022, 10:02:34 PM
After I first heard 2112 (early 90s), I went out and bought the Chronicles set, as I didn't really know where to start and didn't have the money to buy 10+ CDs. So I had a condensed crash course in the material up through Presto. My opinions ranged from "this is pretty solid" (debut to CoS), to "OMG this is the most amazing music ever!" (2112-MP) to "what the heck happened here?" (Signals-Presto).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: SoundscapeMN on March 31, 2022, 10:46:39 PM
Chronicles and A Show of Hands were also my introduction back in the early 90's. But I had been through the exercise with Zeppelin just a year or 2 before, so I figured I would just buy albums periodically until I had them all.

Chronicles though I still trace as maybe one-of, if not the most significant album in forming my taste in music given it led to my love of Rush which led to so much else.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on April 01, 2022, 05:46:41 AM
Here are numbers 6 and 5...

(https://i.makeagif.com/media/7-29-2015/tfu0th.gif)

06 Tom Sawyer
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (devieira73, romdrums)


I was happy to see that this didn't fall victim to the "it's overplayed" mentality, as this really is an awesome song that has held up extremely well.  I had it at 9.  It is their most iconic song for a reason.


05 La Villa Strangiato
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (MrMike, Stadler, Dream Team)


This is usually top 3 for me, but fell all the way to 4 this time. :lol  This is still, to me, THE perfect rock instrumental.  This is Alex at this finest.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on April 01, 2022, 05:50:07 AM
Who leaves La Villa off their list?

Tom Saywer my #9

LA Villa Strangiato # 11
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on April 01, 2022, 06:15:34 AM
Tom Sawyer (ranked #4)

And here it is! An absolute classic, nothing less. I never quite had the radio "overexposure" problem - growing up (outside of the US), it so happened I had never heard this song on the radio before I actually heard Moving Pictures for the first time (in the mid 90s). Since then (and after moving to the US) - sure, it's been hard to escape this song as a rock radio staple, and the band playing it at every gig. But that's no issue for me, because Tom Sawyer is one of the greatest rock songs of all time  :) It's so great that a tune so full of twist and turns became such a popular classic. A true testament to how Rush managed to make complicated things look "easy". And, of course, a drum performance for the ages.

La Villa Strangiato (ranked #3)

Beyond just being an "instrumental" - this is a fantastic piece of music. Creative, fun, melodic, it has it all. Alex's solo and the build-up from there is probably my absolute favorite Rush moment.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Deadeye21 on April 01, 2022, 06:42:53 AM
Here are numbers 6 and 5...

(https://i.makeagif.com/media/7-29-2015/tfu0th.gif)

06 Tom Sawyer
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (devieira73, romdrums)


05 La Villa Strangiato
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (MrMike, Stadler, Dream Team)


This is usually top 3 for me, but fell all the way to 4 this time. :lol  This is still, to me, THE perfect rock instrumental.  This is Alex at this finest.

Tom Sawyer was my 16. Not from “overplayed” but more just I like other songs more. It’s iconic. I don’t know that I agree that it deserves to be this high, but I’m not outraged that it is either.

La Villa was my number 6 (dang, so close!) because, as you said, this is their true instrumental mastery brought to light here. Is there another 9 minute instrumental that never outstays it’s welcome? I don’t think so. Even DT’s Stream of Consciousness doesn’t hold me the whole way through every time. La Villa Strangiato? Extreme banger!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DragonAttack on April 01, 2022, 06:53:03 AM
06. Tom Sawyer (#4) rightfully so.

05. La Villa Strangiato (#10)  Seemed odd as an encore in ’79, then again not (I thank the St. Louis ’80 show for that reminder).  Ends my favorite band album side.  Oh, and all the cute subtitled ‘passages’.  It was the first time I noticed that they had a sense of humor.

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: devieira73 on April 01, 2022, 06:58:32 AM
06 Tom Sawyer (#1) - Well, this song sums up all the best about Rush, maybe just not as one of their best lyrics (but only because of the high level of competition). Not to say that Tom Sawyer isn't Rush's best song, it's like saying Stairway to Heaven isn't Led Zeppelin's best song - sure, you might have another favorite song, but still... here in Brazil, it became even more popular, even outside the circle of people who listen to rock music, as the opening song of the MacGyver series, which is still part of popular culture here. Recently, the only thing that slightly tarnished the status of this song for me was discovering the undeniable similarity of its outro with Journey's Nickel and Dime.

05 La Villa Strangiato (#2) - Maybe my real favorite Rush song! :lol So perfect, so awesome in composition and in its individual performances! In the end, I just didn't think it was fair to choose an instrumental song as their #1, because they are so amazing with all their elements, including the vocals.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on April 01, 2022, 07:09:40 AM
If we did Iron Maiden the only song I know well enough to even give you a title is Run To The Hills (and I had to look that up to verify the title).

You need to change that.  :)  :) :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on April 01, 2022, 07:21:22 AM
Here are numbers 6 and 5...

(https://i.makeagif.com/media/7-29-2015/tfu0th.gif)

06 Tom Sawyer
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (devieira73, romdrums)


I was happy to see that this didn't fall victim to the "it's overplayed" mentality, as this really is an awesome song that has held up extremely well.  I had it at 9.  It is their most iconic song for a reason.


05 La Villa Strangiato
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (MrMike, Stadler, Dream Team)


This is usually top 3 for me, but fell all the way to 4 this time. :lol  This is still, to me, THE perfect rock instrumental.  This is Alex at this finest.

So, Tom Sawyer is my #3, and La Villa Strangiato is my #1.   And in fact, La Villa Strangiato is one of my favorite songs of all time (and maybe my favorite instrumental).  I can't say I knew which one, but I sort of thought one of these two would be the overall number 1.  That only leaves two real possibilities, one I would support wholeheartedly, one I would protest this bitch with gusto.  :) :) :)

Now off to do my Iron Maiden list, because Kev said so.  :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nobloodyname on April 01, 2022, 08:17:52 AM

Now off to do my Iron Maiden list, because Kev said so.  :)

I cannot wait to put all the Iron Maiden tracks through the ranking machine. Not least because I'm pretty sure I'll be the only person who ranks Weekend Warrior in the Top 10 ;)

So, Limelight: this is a perfect song and features the best solo Alex ever committed to tape.

La Villa Strangiato, I rated it at 31 but I don't revere it in the way others do. The main hook is great, though.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on April 01, 2022, 08:24:28 AM
So much of what I wrote for Limelight can be applied to Tom Sawyer, which I ranked one spot below Limelight at 62. A great song, really one of the great songs in rock history, not just Rush history. But even growing up hearing it on the radio, I was never that big of a fan of it. I never really liked the lyric, and the overall tone of the song is a bit dark and dreary. That said, this really is one of Neil's finest drum parts, and it is rightly revered among even non-Rush fans. It's really well constructed and really memorable. And I do love how he locks in with Geddy and Alex throughout the song, especially on the instrumental section which is really good. I would say that when I sit down and listen to this now, I enjoy it more than I ever did growing up, even though I've heard it a million times.

La Villa Strangiato did not rank for me, though I considered it for the last 5 spots or so and I think my initial list might have had it at 75. It likely would have been on a top 100 list. At the end of the day, there are just other Rush songs I enjoy more. I can totally see why someone might call it their favorite Rush song (or favorite song). It is impressive on a pure musicianship level. But I came to it late as a Rush fan, and it just doesn't have the melodic hooks to really captivate me. It's not so much that it is too long, as I think even a shortened version would still leave me a bit cold. But I do find myself thinking "skip a bit, brother" when I hear this one (especially on the swing/big band segment). The one instrumental track in my top 75 was Leave That Thing Alone, which has a really great melodic solo that really hits the spot for me. This one doesn't have a comparable moment that gives me any sort of emotional reaction. It's very riff and rhythm based, which is cool but only gets it so far for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on April 01, 2022, 08:59:38 AM
In case anyone cares... this was a while ago now, couple years (Neil was still with us) but I was watching one of the latter day DVDs - likely Clockwork Angels tour or the Snakes and Arrows tour - and "Tom Sawyer" was on.  My daughter comes downstairs, and 99 times out of 100 she's oblivious to what I watching, but this time she starts slowing down and then outright pauses while the camera is on Neil.  It was that point in the song where there is this massive fill by Neil and back into the main riff and she just stood there mesmerized.  She's not a prog fan, not a Rush fan (Harry Styles is her jam) but it just really struck her how powerful that song is (or can be) even for non-fans of the band.   

I'm a HUGE fan of that "connection" in music; I don't care what kind of music it is, if it connects with someone, it's important to me (which is why I hate how many people crap on country music here).   I loved that Rush in that moment could almost literally grab someone who wasn't otherwise interested in their music and give them pause.  That is SO powerful to me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on April 01, 2022, 09:13:27 AM
To be fair, we’re just crapping on Eric Church for being a dick.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on April 01, 2022, 09:15:07 AM
In case anyone cares... this was a while ago now, couple years (Neil was still with us) but I was watching one of the latter day DVDs - likely Clockwork Angels tour or the Snakes and Arrows tour - and "Tom Sawyer" was on.  My daughter comes downstairs, and 99 times out of 100 she's oblivious to what I watching, but this time she starts slowing down and then outright pauses while the camera is on Neil.  It was that point in the song where there is this massive fill by Neil and back into the main riff and she just stood there mesmerized.  She's not a prog fan, not a Rush fan (Harry Styles is her jam) but it just really struck her how powerful that song is (or can be) even for non-fans of the band.   

I'm a HUGE fan of that "connection" in music; I don't care what kind of music it is, if it connects with someone, it's important to me (which is why I hate how many people crap on country music here).   I loved that Rush in that moment could almost literally grab someone who wasn't otherwise interested in their music and give them pause.  That is SO powerful to me.

I remember putting Tom Sawyer on a mix CD for my wife a long time ago, because it's a Rush song that she knew and kind of liked even though she's not really a big rock music fan. More so when they were younger, my kids really did gravitate to watching Neil play drums when I'd throw on a Rush DVD. One of them used to say they were her favorite band, though she'd strongly deny ever saying that now I imagine. I do think there is something about his playing that transcends to people who aren't otherwise into that sort of music.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on April 01, 2022, 09:40:53 AM
06 Tom Sawyer
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (devieira73, romdrums)


I was happy to see that this didn't fall victim to the "it's overplayed" mentality, as this really is an awesome song that has held up extremely well.  I had it at 9.  It is their most iconic song for a reason.

I actually thought this song might be one that was left off a list or two.  The "overplayed" factor probably shouldn't matter, but that's probably why it ranked at #10, which is the #3 song on MP.  I'm not typically a fan of songs that open immediately (or almost immediately) with vocals, but this is just a fantastic song.  There's a reason why it's "overplayed."  It's the little things that make this so good.  My favorite example is after the guitar solo.  After "what you say about society," Neil plays a triplet fill.  He then plays a different triplet fill after "catch the spit" and yet another triplet fill at the end of the measure before the song changes into the next section.  And, of course, these are completely different fills from what he plays in the earlier "what you say about his company" section.  All three guys are on fire here.


05 La Villa Strangiato
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (MrMike, Stadler, Dream Team)


This is usually top 3 for me, but fell all the way to 4 this time. :lol  This is still, to me, THE perfect rock instrumental.  This is Alex at this finest.

There's really not much to say beyond this.  Because it's an instrumental, I had it at #12.  Stream of Consciousness comes close, but LVS is just everything you could want in an instrumental.


The Score So Far
- Rush - 1 song of 8 (12.5% or 17.86% of album time):  Working Man - #56)
- Fly by Night - 3 songs of 8 (37.5% or 43.67% of album time):  Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36
- Caress of Steel - 2 songs of 5 (40% or 38.15% of album time):  The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59
- 2112 - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 72.57% of album time):  Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58; 2112 - #9

- A Farewell to Kings - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 51.57% of album time):  Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26; Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - #23
- Hemispheres - 4 songs of 4 (100%):  Circumstances - #45; The Trees - #18; Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres - #14; La Villa Strangiato - #5
- Permanent Waves - 5 songs of 6 (83.33% or 86.24% of album time):  Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53; Jacob's Ladder - #15; Freewill - #11; Natural Science - #7
- Moving Pictures - 6 songs of 7 (85.71% or 84.58% of album time):  Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38; The Camera Eye - #17; YYZ - #12; Limelight - #8; Tom Sawyer - #6
- Signals - 6 songs of 8 (75% or 75.22% of album time):  Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25; The Analog Kid - #16
- Grace Under Pressure - 5 songs of 8 (62.5% or 64.51% of album time):  The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29; Red Sector A - #21; Distant Early Warning - #20; Between the Wheels - #13
- Power Windows - 8 songs of 8 (100%):  Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30; Territories #24; Manhattan Project - #22; Marathon - #10
- Hold Your Fire - 5 songs of 10 (50% or 40.19% of album time):  Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34
- Presto - 4 songs of 11 (36.36% or 39.62% of album time):  Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33; Available Light - #19
- Roll the Bones - 4 songs of 10 (40% or 41.62% of album time):  Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32
- Counterparts - 6 songs of 11 (54.55% or 54.24% of album time):  Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28
- Test for Echo - 2 songs of 11 (18.18% or 19.41% of album time):  Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62
- Vapor Trails - NO SONGS (0%)
- Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS (0%)
- Clockwork Angels - 4 songs of 12 (33.33% or 41.58% of album time):  Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27


Four songs left.  Four albums left.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on April 01, 2022, 09:50:16 AM
In case anyone cares... this was a while ago now, couple years (Neil was still with us) but I was watching one of the latter day DVDs - likely Clockwork Angels tour or the Snakes and Arrows tour - and "Tom Sawyer" was on.  My daughter comes downstairs, and 99 times out of 100 she's oblivious to what I watching, but this time she starts slowing down and then outright pauses while the camera is on Neil.  It was that point in the song where there is this massive fill by Neil and back into the main riff and she just stood there mesmerized.  She's not a prog fan, not a Rush fan (Harry Styles is her jam) but it just really struck her how powerful that song is (or can be) even for non-fans of the band.   

I'm a HUGE fan of that "connection" in music; I don't care what kind of music it is, if it connects with someone, it's important to me (which is why I hate how many people crap on country music here).   I loved that Rush in that moment could almost literally grab someone who wasn't otherwise interested in their music and give them pause.  That is SO powerful to me.

I remember putting Tom Sawyer on a mix CD for my wife a long time ago, because it's a Rush song that she knew and kind of liked even though she's not really a big rock music fan. More so when they were younger, my kids really did gravitate to watching Neil play drums when I'd throw on a Rush DVD. One of them used to say they were her favorite band, though she'd strongly deny ever saying that now I imagine. I do think there is something about his playing that transcends to people who aren't otherwise into that sort of music.

I was thinking about this in the shower today; back in '81, FOR ME, "Tom Sawyer" wasn't like anything else I'd heard.  I was into Kiss and Ozzy and Maiden and Rainbow then, and starting to get into Genesis a little bit, but Rush wasn't the typical blues based rock, and TS in particular was... not eerie, but it had a vibe to it that was heavy.  And I know that when I started to get into Rush more seriously, I was really struck by Neil (and to a lesser extent, Phil Collins when I started to get into Genesis) because they weren't the drummers I was used to. Clive Burr wore shorts and sneakers and that's it, and stuck his tongue out a lot.  Peter Criss, Tommy Aldridge... they were the drummers that did the excessive arm-up-in-the-air-then-hit-the-snare-all-while-making-O-faces kind of thing.  Phil Rudd smoked cigarettes while drumming; it was almost like he was installing electrical equipment or something.  But Neil WAS "The Professor".  He was methodical, serious, and intent on hitting his drums precisely.  I think, to some degree, that resonates with people even if they aren't a fan.  Whether it's sincere or not (and I think we can all agree it was sincere) his earnestness is something that radiates.  I know that was part of what grabbed my daughter; it wasn't spectacle, it was something serious that demanded attention.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Elite on April 01, 2022, 12:48:26 PM
Wow! I actually know exactly what 4 songs are left. I maybe could have joined this thing after all :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: SoundscapeMN on April 01, 2022, 01:40:57 PM
Red Tide?..

seems like a bunch of Presto tunes didn't make it which while hardly surprising, I can't help but be a little disappointed.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on April 01, 2022, 02:49:44 PM
Red Tide?..

seems like a bunch of Presto tunes didn't make it which while hardly surprising, I can't help but be a little disappointed.

I had Red Tide at #43 on my list.  I really like it, but I've gotten the sense that that's very much a minority opinion.

My rankings of Presto songs:

18. Available Light
43. Red Tide
49. The Pass
60. Presto
65. Show Don't Tell
73. Chain Lightning
87. War Paint
102. Anagram
146. Stupidconductor
154. Scars
165. Hand Over Fist
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on April 01, 2022, 02:51:03 PM
Okay Kev now be honest with us. Did you have this setup from the beginning so that the top four would be revealed over NCAA Final Four weekend?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: devieira73 on April 01, 2022, 02:51:11 PM
Red Tide?..

seems like a bunch of Presto tunes didn't make it which while hardly surprising, I can't help but be a little disappointed.
#59 for me. Another very very good keyboard era track hidden in Presto :tup :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on April 01, 2022, 02:52:18 PM
Red Tide and Scars are the only two from Presto that weren’t in my Top 75. I do like Red Tide, it just missed.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on April 01, 2022, 03:19:38 PM
06 Tom Sawyer
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (devieira73, romdrums)


05 La Villa Strangiato
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (MrMike, Stadler, Dream Team)



I had Tom Sawyer at #20. Great and iconic song, what can you say?


I had La Villa Strangiato at #5. Right on point with the countdown. Phenomenal track.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on April 01, 2022, 03:24:26 PM
Got a bit behind again with these posts - doesn’t take much!

Anyhoo, I rated Hemispheres at #23. It’s a great track and I absolutely LOVE the prelude part of it, which is largely what caused me to give it such a high rating. I do think it’s more cohesive than 2112, but for me there’s something more appealing to the parts of 2112. So that’s why 2112 is 2 spots higher at #21. Always rousing for the concerts and I’m glad in more recent tours they didn’t simply fall back on playing the Overture and Temples of Syrinx, but also the Grand Finale and Presentation.

Between the Wheels is my favorite on p/g - just such a heavy song. No surprise then that I ranked it as #12 on my list. So glad that they brought back in later years and that I got the chance to experience it live more than once. Even better live than the studio recording.

It goes without saying that YYZ is an awesome track, but it’s another one that I’ve grown a bit tired of. As such, it only made it to #41 for me.

The same is true for Freewill. Loved it for many years, but as time goes by, I favor many other songs over it. It made my top 75, but near the bottom at #68.

But the opposite is the case for Marathon which has consistently been one of my two favorites on PoW. I gave the edge to Territories for making my list, but I love them both equally. Getting to see it on the Time Machine tour again (saw it on the HYF tour, too) sent shivers down my spine, especially when Geddy starts playing those keys right before Alex rips that searing solo. Needless to say, it rated as #6 on my list.

Limelight is an absolute classic tune. Both Neil’s honest lyrics and Alex’s guitar solo will always be the stand out elements of the song, but the song as a whole is great. With that said, it has slipped in the ratings a bit for me - I think many years ago I would have ranked it higher, but it still placed at a very respectable #25 at this time.

What more can be said about Natural Science that hasn’t already been said. Obviously my favorite song of theirs with all the twists and turns and moods. And for them to regularly bring it back live beginning with the T4E tour was just a thrill for me! Before that tour, I imagined I had no hope of ever seeing it performed live and I was so glad to be proved wrong! Gotta say that my personal favorite version of this song is the one found on Different Stages - not just because I happen to be at the Chicago show that it came from, but especially because of the way Alex played the intro with what I think sounds like a 12-string guitar (correct me if I’m wrong) and Geddy punctuates parts with his bass, and then I love how that 12-string transitions in sound as the band kicks it into high gear. So glad I can relisten to that recording over and over again, as I’m doing as I type this!

As much as it got over played live, Tom Sawyer is a song I never got tired of - both it and one other that has yet to be announced by Kev. Probably the only two songs that I feel that way about not just regarding Rush, but just about any band’s song (maybe Learning to Live might make that list, too although it’s never been overplayed). Such a great track that more than any other is the quintessential Rush track that most people know. Amazing to imagine that they struggled with getting the song just right when they were working on it. But their perseverance paid off in spades! My personal favorite memory of this song comes from my very first time seeing them live on the HYF tour (my first rock concert ever): my pop (who insisted on coming so that he could point out all the terrible things that go on at rock concerts and would be reasons for “young Christian men” not to attend them) and I were sitting high up on right side, about 3/4 to the back of the arena, and that characteristic opening synth pad played over the PA and I swear just completely surrounded us - so intense! It’s funny because I have a recording of that show and it sounds exactly the way I remember it! I never had that experience with that song ever again, but it still is in my memory to this day. It placed at #8 on my list.

I agree with shmegland - who in their right mind doesn’t include La Villa Strangiato, the KING of instrumental tracks! Love love love this tune. So many layers to it and one that I never get tired of listening to. Going back to my first concert again, I still remember when they started to play part of it during the encore, with the layer of lasers shining out from the stage like a ceiling over the band. I gotta say the way they played it on that tour will always stand out to me, in particular because Alex used his jangly guitar tone (so characteristic of that era) during the quiet part as you can see here: https://youtu.be/UFwR6VLFPuY?t=5210
I don’t know why, but I just prefer that to the muted way Alex normally plays it. Nonetheless, I loved hearing it every time it was included in the setlist, so it makes perfect sense that it was my #3 song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on April 01, 2022, 03:44:39 PM

06 Tom Sawyer
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (devieira73, romdrums)


05 La Villa Strangiato
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (MrMike, Stadler, Dream Team)



La Villa not on 2 lists! Well, not what I expected at all. I was thinking Tom was way more likely to be left off..

Tom Sawyer - my rank 6, right in line with consensus. An iconic Rush track.

La Villa - my rank 18. Yeah, probably a bit low but song rankings aren't easy (Iron Maiden is going to be a nightmare for me,...). This is just a brilliant instrumental track, perfect in every way.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on April 01, 2022, 03:49:05 PM
Red Tide?..

seems like a bunch of Presto tunes didn't make it which while hardly surprising, I can't help but be a little disappointed.

I had Red Tide at #43 on my list.  I really like it, but I've gotten the sense that that's very much a minority opinion.

My rankings of Presto songs:

18. Available Light
43. Red Tide
49. The Pass
60. Presto
65. Show Don't Tell
73. Chain Lightning
87. War Paint
102. Anagram
146. Stupidconductor
154. Scars
165. Hand Over Fist
The Presto album might have the most diverse rankings of all the albums, I would imagine. Because you have Available Light which is phenomenal, then you have Stupidconductor, which is the worst song Rush ever did.

Here's my Presto rankings:
11. Available Light
29. The Pass
42. Show Don't Tell
78. Presto
85. War Paint
88. Red Tide
89. Chain Lightning
109. Scars
111. Anagram
129. Hand Over Fist
167. Stupidconductor
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on April 01, 2022, 03:52:07 PM
I agree with shmegland - who in their right mind doesn’t include La Villa Strangiato, the KING of instrumental tracks! Love love love this tune. So many layers to it and one that I never get tired of listening to. Going back to my first concert again, I still remember when they started to play part of it during the encore, with the layer of lasers shining out from the stage like a ceiling over the band. I gotta say the way they played it on that tour will always stand out to me, in particular because Alex used his jangly guitar tone (so characteristic of that era) during the quiet part as you can see here: https://youtu.be/UFwR6VLFPuY?t=5210
I don’t know why, but I just prefer that to the muted way Alex normally plays it. Nonetheless, I loved hearing it every time it was included in the setlist, so it makes perfect sense that it was my #3 song.

Whenever I happen to watch bits from A Show of Hands, I can't help but think they truly were at the top of their game, from a musicianship standpoint. I know this is not everyone's favorite Rush period - I'm talking more about how amazing their playing was. Neil, in particular. What a joy to watch.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs countdown Thread!!! (Top 75 going!!)
Post by: HOF on April 01, 2022, 03:56:06 PM
My Presto rankings:

1. Available Light
13. The Pass
29. Anagram (For Mongo)
37. Presto
38. Hand Over Fist 
47. Show Don’t Tell
48. War Paint
57. Chain Lightning
58. Superconductor

Red Tide would have also probably made the top 100, Scars probably not. For some reason it grates on me a bit, but I don’t hate it or anything.

This was my Presto ranking. I love me some Stupidconductor! 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on April 01, 2022, 04:07:25 PM
I'm REALLY curious to see what the ranking will be for the remaining 4 songs...it really could be anything...

Here is the updated aggregate album ranking:

1   Power Windows   353
2   Moving Pictures   323
3   Grace Under Pressure   248
4   Permanent Waves   237
5   Hemispheres   222
6   Signals   198
7   A Farewell to Kings   136
8   Clockwork Angels   134
9   Counterparts   128
10   Presto   119
11   Hold Your Fire   107
12   Roll the Bones   104
13   2112   98
14   Fly By Night   84
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0

Given what's left, and the points assignments, the final ranking can already be determined... :corn
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on April 01, 2022, 04:09:58 PM
Okay Kev now be honest with us. Did you have this setup from the beginning so that the top four would be revealed over NCAA Final Four weekend?

Ah, if only I were that clever.  :biggrin: :biggrin: :lol :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on April 01, 2022, 04:11:10 PM
Watch Kev cancel the rest of the Countdown without showing the last two songs because of it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on April 01, 2022, 04:12:28 PM
Watch Kev cancel the rest of the Countdown without showing the last two songs because of it.

Well, based on what I read elsewhere, a) sports matter, and b) if it doesn't affect my bottom line, it's okay to be a jerk. :P :P
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on April 01, 2022, 04:30:40 PM
 :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on April 01, 2022, 06:56:44 PM
Here are numbers 6 and 5...

(https://i.makeagif.com/media/7-29-2015/tfu0th.gif)

06 Tom Sawyer
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (devieira73, romdrums)


I was happy to see that this didn't fall victim to the "it's overplayed" mentality, as this really is an awesome song that has held up extremely well.  I had it at 9.  It is their most iconic song for a reason.


05 La Villa Strangiato
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (MrMike, Stadler, Dream Team)


This is usually top 3 for me, but fell all the way to 4 this time. :lol  This is still, to me, THE perfect rock instrumental.  This is Alex at this finest.

Like others have said, I'm surprised that TS made it on everyone's lists, but LVS somehow didn't. I guess I can understand why some might shy away from a 9-minute, super-self-indulgent instrumental song, but it is easily a Top 5 Rush song in my book. In fact, I had it at Number 2, so CLOSE to being number one, but depending on the day and my mood, it probably could very easily be my number 1 Rush song. "Tom Sawyer" on the other hand ended up at 8 for me, which seems about right (no editing of my sorted list needed) - it's very recognizable, pretty well-known by fans and casual rock listeners alike, features some mind-blowing riffs and fills from every member, and is just a great Rush song in general, even if it has been over-played to death and back.

As we get closer to number 1, I think I know what it might be at this point, but I'm still excited to see how these final four will play out, especially given how my sorted ranked list put two of them (and honestly, they should have been higher on my list).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on April 01, 2022, 07:00:57 PM
Long before I was a big Rush fan, I thought Tom Sawyer was awesome.  I remember a few kids in grade school always listening to it on their boombox (it was the 80s!!) and it always stuck with me.  That was back when I used to check out vinyl from the library, and a few times I got Exit...Stage Left just to listen to Tom Sawyer.  I always thought that the driving guitar riff (around :45 that leads into the "And what you say about his company..." section) was one of the coolest things I had ever heard in music, and I still think it.  Just something about that riff with the keys, bass and drum playing along was lightning in a bottle.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: MrMike on April 01, 2022, 07:16:43 PM
06 Tom Sawyer
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (devieira73, romdrums)


I was happy to see that this didn't fall victim to the "it's overplayed" mentality, as this really is an awesome song that has held up extremely well.  I had it at 9.  It is their most iconic song for a reason.


05 La Villa Strangiato
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (MrMike, Stadler, Dream Team)


This is usually top 3 for me, but fell all the way to 4 this time. :lol  This is still, to me, THE perfect rock instrumental.  This is Alex at this finest.

Tom Sawyer - 6.  On the nose!  I may have tired of this song at times over the years, but there's just no denying how brilliant it is in terms of style and performance.  The drum fills during the mid section are among Neil's finest moments.

La Villa Strangiato - 1.  Yep, perfect rock instrumental.  An absolute showcase for three incredible musicians locked in together and at their creative peak.  Alex in particular is just epic on it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: MrMike on April 01, 2022, 07:18:58 PM
06 Tom Sawyer
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (devieira73, romdrums)


I was happy to see that this didn't fall victim to the "it's overplayed" mentality, as this really is an awesome song that has held up extremely well.  I had it at 9.  It is their most iconic song for a reason.


05 La Villa Strangiato
Appeared on 23 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 14
Highest Ranking: 1 (MrMike, Stadler, Dream Team)


This is usually top 3 for me, but fell all the way to 4 this time. :lol  This is still, to me, THE perfect rock instrumental.  This is Alex at this finest.

Tom Sawyer - 6.  On the nose!  I may have tired of this song at times over the years, but there's just no denying how brilliant it is in terms of style and performance.  The drum fills during the mid section are among Neil's finest moments.

La Villa Strangiato - 1.  Yep, perfect rock instrumental and Rush's finest compositions IMO.  An absolute showcase for three incredible musicians locked in together and at their creative peak.  Alex in particular is just epic on it.  Pure magic.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: romdrums on April 01, 2022, 07:30:11 PM
6. Tom Sawyer (1).  I never get tired of this song.  I know it’s overplayed, but it’s so damn good.  It’s their signature song.  Everyone is in top form on this, and it covers a lot of ground in under 5 minutes. 

5. La Villa Strangiato (21).  Rush’s peak as players, and an iconic instrumental.  While I prefer YYZ, this is still a great track.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on April 01, 2022, 07:36:21 PM
Yeah, even though I put Tom Sawyer at #20, I love it, and I am never sick of hearing it. It is the song that got me into Rush.
Tom Sawyer came out in the Spring of 1981, which would've been the end of my 7th Grade. By the time the following Christmas rolled around, I had all of their......8-tracks. lol

I loved Rush. Rush, AC/DC, Van Halen. The Big Three at that time.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on April 02, 2022, 06:21:20 AM
Who's ready for numbers 4 and 3??  :hat :hat

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ec/db/29/ecdb295825f2a19c6ba9fd93b53e3b86.jpg)

04 Red Barchetta
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (TAC)


I was pleasantly surprised to see this finish this high.  I figured top 10-15, but didn't think it would make top 5.  I was wrong.  It was my number 5, so yeah, well done on this one, DTF.  :tup :tup


03 The Spirit of Radio
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 3 (The Realm)


This was my number 8, and like Tom Sawyer, I worried that the "overplayed" aspect might cause some to ding it to where it would finish outta the top 10, but happily that was not the case.  This song crushed me the first time I heard back in November 1991 at the first Rush concert I attended, and still kicks my ass to this day.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: King Postwhore on April 02, 2022, 06:58:24 AM
Again I say, who left The Spirit Of Radio off their list?!

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on April 02, 2022, 07:05:27 AM

I don't want to spotlight, or ruin anything, but one song that is almost a SHOO-IN for the Top 6 is at #123 on my list.  Make of that what you will.

 :corn :corn
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nobloodyname on April 02, 2022, 07:20:31 AM
Again I say, who left The Spirit Of Radio off their list?!

Wonder if Neal Morse has an account here?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Dream Team on April 02, 2022, 07:58:39 AM
Again I say, who left The Spirit Of Radio off their list?!

Wonder if Neal Morse has an account here?

I think Kev provided the clue above.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Deadeye21 on April 02, 2022, 08:03:59 AM
Who's ready for numbers 4 and 3??  :hat :hat

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ec/db/29/ecdb295825f2a19c6ba9fd93b53e3b86.jpg)

04 Red Barchetta
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (TAC)


03 The Spirit of Radio
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 3 (The Realm)



Red Barchetta was my number 10 choice, and I’m really happy to see it at number 4. While there are two songs from MP in front of it for me, this really is a great song that doesn’t deserve to be overshadowed by the rest of its side, so I’m really glad it’s surpassed it.

The Spirit of Radio is down at number 25 for me. But at least I’m not the loon who left it out! I don’t know what it is about this track, some days I love it, some days I can’t stand it. It is undeniably a good song, but maybe it was a little overplayed for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on April 02, 2022, 08:04:11 AM
Red Barchetta was my number 25, but at one point it probably could have been a top 10 Rush song for me. I’d say it’s fallen a bit but really only as a result of me playing it too much. I would definitely say I still love it though. It has everything. An engaging story, a wonderful bass line, Neil’s perfect drumming, Alex’s solo hitting all the right notes. The music and lyrics paint an excellent picture, everything working together. I’m not a car guy per se, but I do love listening to music on a drive. This is pretty easily one of the ultimate if not the ultimate driving songs.

The Spirit of Radio was my number 5, so I’m thrilled to see it at number 3 (thought it might finish top 2 given where I had the last 4 ranked). I’ve mentioned earlier that this is my earliest memory of liking a Rush song, and it also introduced me to the concept of “progressive rock.” To this day, I still consider it one of the finest examples of the genre. It’s a song that defies ordinary songwriting conventions, merges music and lyrics to convey an idea, and involves some top notch playing, all while generally just follows it’s own muse. And it’s an absolutely joyous song! I love the lyric so much, and I can really relate to the sentiment about how music can really shape your mood. It’s kind of the ultimate feel good Rush song. Neil is just on fire throughout, Alex gets to cut loose, and Geddy really sounds great finally getting to sing in the proper register (such an improvement from Hemispheres to Permanent Waves). It’s probably not as recognizable as Tom Sawyer or Limelight for the general public, but to me this is Rush’s signature song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on April 02, 2022, 08:06:37 AM
Red Barchetta (ranked #2)

Could've easily been my number 1. Everything about this song is fantastic. The intro, Alex's guitar in the verses, the riffs, the way the music itself is part of the storytelling, the bass, the drums... ;D It just sounds SO good.

The Spirit of Radio (ranked #5)

Like Tom Sawyer, a classic and a staple, deservedly so. Always thought the instrumental section starting just past 2:50 must have been a real inspiration for DT and JP in particular...those chord voicings truly remind me of the feel in many of the songs from WDADU.
Plus, this song is SO great live. I wouldn't say my wife is a Rush fan - but, the good person she is, she got us tickets as a birthday present for the NJ date on the Clockwork Angels  tour. She enjoyed the show overall, but one thing she said really stood out for her was the energy from the crowd when they played The Spirit of Radio.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DTA on April 02, 2022, 08:14:22 AM
It’s not my favorite of theirs, but I do think Red Barchetta is probably the perfect Rush song that encapsulates everything they do well.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on April 02, 2022, 08:19:36 AM
With only two songs left:

1   Moving Pictures   395
2   Power Windows   353
3   Permanent Waves   310
4   Grace Under Pressure   248
5   Hemispheres   222
6   Signals   198
7   A Farewell to Kings   136
8   Clockwork Angels   134
9   Counterparts   128
10   Presto   119
11   Hold Your Fire   107
12   Roll the Bones   104
13   2112   98
14   Fly By Night   84
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Deadeye21 on April 02, 2022, 08:31:41 AM
Only Signals and AFTK left. Interesting. Will I actually disagree with the top 2? I’m not entirely sure which sings they are, but it’s possible.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on April 02, 2022, 08:37:06 AM
I would be quite a twist if they were Chemistry and Madrigal  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on April 02, 2022, 09:02:58 AM
Who's ready for numbers 4 and 3??  :hat :hat

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ec/db/29/ecdb295825f2a19c6ba9fd93b53e3b86.jpg)

04 Red Barchetta
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (TAC)


I was pleasantly surprised to see this finish this high.  I figured top 10-15, but didn't think it would make top 5.  I was wrong.  It was my number 5, so yeah, well done on this one, DTF.  :tup :tup


03 The Spirit of Radio
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 3 (The Realm)


This was my number 8, and like Tom Sawyer, I worried that the "overplayed" aspect might cause some to ding it to where it would finish outta the top 10, but happily that was not the case.  This song crushed me the first time I heard back in November 1991 at the first Rush concert I attended, and still kicks my ass to this day.

I figured these two would be 3rd and 4th, so it's nice to see them finally arrive here. I had "Red Barchetta" at 32, and while I like it a lot, it somehow landed a bit lower than I would've probably placed it had I edited my list. Definitely a fun song, a great driving song, and one that is always great to hear/see played live by the band.

As for "The Spirit Of Radio", it landed 7th in my sorted list, and it's easily a Top 10 Rush song. There's a reason it's been on every Rush compilation CD, and even had a compilation titled after it. Next to "Tom Sawyer", it's probably their second most recognizable radio hit, and it's got so much going on musically that you almost forget how proggy it really is  because of just how good the music itself can be. I wonder if the person who didn't have it in their list accidentally put it in as "Spirit Of The Radio".  ;) :lol (No, we won't get into *that* debate again)

If my calculations are correct, the remaining two songs landed in 31st and 5th on my list, though the former definitely should've been higher, and the latter probably could've been a place or two higher as well, but it's definitely a Top 5 Rush song.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on April 02, 2022, 09:13:37 AM

I don't want to spotlight, or ruin anything, but one song that is almost a SHOO-IN for the Top 6 is at #123 on my list.  Make of that what you will.

 :corn :corn

Hey Kev - Are we having the big top 2 reveal tomorrow?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on April 02, 2022, 09:25:01 AM
It’s kind of wild that The Spirit of Radio didn’t finish higher than 3rd on anyone’s list but still finished 3rd.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Letter M on April 02, 2022, 09:32:38 AM
It’s kind of wild that The Spirit of Radio didn’t finish higher than 3rd on anyone’s list but still finished 3rd.

Interesting point, but I think it might've gotten to 3rd overall due to the number of Top 10 finishes from the 24 people who had it on their list.

I would be quite a twist if they were Chemistry and Madrigal  :biggrin:

Oh duh, obviously!  :facepalm: :lol

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: romdrums on April 02, 2022, 09:35:07 AM
4. Red Barchetta (26).  I understand the love for this song, but kinda surprised it’s the highest ranking song from Side A of Moving Pictures.  It was the lowest on my list.  Still, a cool song and really fits the flow of what is one of the greatest album sides in rock history.

3. The Spirit of Radio (14).  I love the energy of this song.  Other than Stadler, who doesn’t get excited when that opening riff starts?   ;) ;D  It’s such a great mission statement.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DragonAttack on April 02, 2022, 11:13:09 AM
04. Red Barchetta (#56)  you would think with my affection for ‘Trampled Underfoot’, ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, and certainly ‘Under My Wheels’, that I would have rated this much higher.  Maybe that was MY problem.  I certainly ‘like it’ a whole lot.  Perhaps it is because the other three songs on Side One are so damn strong, and that the top 2-3 songs on many albums deserved higher marks. 


03. The Spirit of Radio (#3)  high rank as well, and nailed yet another one!  ‘A Farewell To Kings’ and ‘Hemispheres’ are great albums, but by this time they’d had very few radio hits.  ‘Working Man’ and ‘Fly By Night’ were it.  I never heard ‘Closer To The Heart’ on the AM radio airwaves (and rarely on the AOR FM stations). Well, THIS one hit the mark in every facet!  The opening riff!!!  And then what follows!  As immediately recognizable as few of their songs are to the general public.  It's also clever, love the ‘concert halls’ then crowd noise, and that the lyric line is not done.

As with the early Queen catalogue, look at how their first three albums reentered the charts to the point where they went Gold or Platinum after ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘A Night at the Opera’ were released. ‘The Spirit of Radio’ and ‘Permanent Waves’ had that same effect at that time.
 
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees.  Really?  I mean, WTW!?! ???

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: T-ski on April 02, 2022, 11:16:49 AM
I didn’t participate but my all-time favorite song is either #1 or #2, so I’m good with that.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on April 02, 2022, 12:41:58 PM


Hey Kev - Are we having the big top 2 reveal tomorrow?

Yes.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: DragonAttack on April 02, 2022, 01:40:26 PM
I didn’t participate but my all-time favorite song is either #1 or #2, so I’m good with that.

Because I am not into the analytics and ignore the album breakdowns, tomorrow’s announcement is going to be rather fun for me. I know my top choice will be one of the two (which means I am a fairly good Rush fan, right?😀), but I have no clue on the other.

Could it be ‘Before and After’ from their debut album, which I ranked at #15 due to the ‘Pavlovian factor’ of it preceding my #2, or is it some other song?😉

Now, to be serious…I am not going to look at my list or look at this thread until tomorrow, so as not to spoil the unveiling for me.

That’s supposed to be part of the fun of these things. Thank you, Kev, for distracting us from certain aspects of our lives. It has been a great and fun ride. I have learned to appreciate a few more songs in their catalogue more than I had before. And I really appreciated the commentators who participated and shared their comments…old and young.

To quote Mister Mercury, “It was a worthwhile experience.”

Hope this did the same for you. :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on April 02, 2022, 01:45:19 PM
04 Red Barchetta
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (TAC)


I was pleasantly surprised to see this finish this high.  I figured top 10-15, but didn't think it would make top 5.  I was wrong.  It was my number 5, so yeah, well done on this one, DTF.  :tup :tup

Just a great song.  I had it at #8.  It flows so well between various moods as the story unfolds.  Great vocal from Geddy, and Alex REALLY shines.  Geddy and Neil play so well together to lay a perfect bed for Alex's changing feels.  Not my #1 from MP, but not surprised to see it finish as such in the aggregate.


03 The Spirit of Radio
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 3 (The Realm)


This was my number 8, and like Tom Sawyer, I worried that the "overplayed" aspect might cause some to ding it to where it would finish outta the top 10, but happily that was not the case.  This song crushed me the first time I heard back in November 1991 at the first Rush concert I attended, and still kicks my ass to this day.

I had TSOR at #13, and I had to admit that some fatigue from "overplaying" landed it outside the top 10.  The opening guitar riff is one of the most iconic in all of hard rock.  Such a great concert and album opener.  I ranked it as my #3 song on PEW, but it really could be overtaken by Freewill.


The Score So Far
- Rush - 1 song of 8 (12.5% or 17.86% of album time):  Working Man - #56)
- Fly by Night - 3 songs of 8 (37.5% or 43.67% of album time):  Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36
- Caress of Steel - 2 songs of 5 (40% or 38.15% of album time):  The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59
- 2112 - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 72.57% of album time):  Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58; 2112 - #9

- A Farewell to Kings - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 51.57% of album time):  Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26; Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - #23
- Hemispheres - 4 songs of 4 (100%):  Circumstances - #45; The Trees - #18; Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres - #14; La Villa Strangiato - #5
- Permanent Waves - 6 songs of 6 (100%):  Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53; Jacob's Ladder - #15; Freewill - #11; Natural Science - #7; The Spirit of Radio - #3
- Moving Pictures - 7 songs of 7 (100%):  Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38; The Camera Eye - #17; YYZ - #12; Limelight - #8; Tom Sawyer - #6; Red Barchetta - #4

- Signals - 6 songs of 8 (75% or 75.22% of album time):  Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25; The Analog Kid - #16
- Grace Under Pressure - 5 songs of 8 (62.5% or 64.51% of album time):  The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29; Red Sector A - #21; Distant Early Warning - #20; Between the Wheels - #13
- Power Windows - 8 songs of 8 (100%):  Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30; Territories #24; Manhattan Project - #22; Marathon - #10
- Hold Your Fire - 5 songs of 10 (50% or 40.19% of album time):  Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34
- Presto - 4 songs of 11 (36.36% or 39.62% of album time):  Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33; Available Light - #19
- Roll the Bones - 4 songs of 10 (40% or 41.62% of album time):  Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32
- Counterparts - 6 songs of 11 (54.55% or 54.24% of album time):  Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28
- Test for Echo - 2 songs of 11 (18.18% or 19.41% of album time):  Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62
- Vapor Trails - NO SONGS (0%)
- Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS (0%)
- Clockwork Angels - 4 songs of 12 (33.33% or 41.58% of album time):  Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27


Two songs left:  one I would not be surprised at #1 (it's my #3 song), and the other I'm VERY surprised it's as high as #2 (it's my #10 song).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on April 02, 2022, 01:49:59 PM


Hey Kev - Are we having the big top 2 reveal tomorrow?

Yes.

 :corn :corn
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on April 02, 2022, 01:50:06 PM
Only Signals and AFTK left. Interesting. Will I actually disagree with the top 2? I’m not entirely sure which sings they are, but it’s possible.

Really?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on April 02, 2022, 01:55:28 PM
While we're waiting for the top 2, here's my bottom 10:

166. BU2B2
165. Hand Over Fist
164. Rivendell
163. You Bet Your Life
162. Wish Them Well
161. Neurotica
160. Need Some Love
159. Roll the Bones
158. Take a Friend
157. The Larger Bowl

I think The Larger Bowl probably fell victim to my apathy regarding match-ups between songs that I knew had no chance of making the top 100.  For example, I definitely like it better than Scars and Superconductor.

For reference, I ranked all of the studio album songs plus Broon's Bane.  I did not include pre-debut album songs like Garden Road.  Broon's Bane finished at #63, but I didn't include it in the list I sent to Kev.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: TAC on April 02, 2022, 02:00:47 PM
04 Red Barchetta
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (TAC)


03 The Spirit of Radio
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 3 (The Realm)





I had Red Barchetta at #1. Red Barchetta is my favorite Rush song. I love Rush, and so many of their songs are ingrained in me, but Red Barchetta is the one that touches me the most. I know Tom Sawyer is more iconic, and when I heard it on the radio, I loved it. But is was Red Barchetta that spoke to a 13 y/o TAC in 1981/82. I love the "wide-eyed wonder" of the lyrics. At 13, my eyes were really opening up to everything around me. I would do 1981 all over again if I could.
And for me, I substitute the "uncle" for my grandfather who passed away in August of '82.  I remember sleeping over my grandparents house to watch the MTV concert when they had Rush on. I lived in the boonies and we didn't have cable, but they lived in the city.  It's one of those special songs for me that has the ability to transport me to a certain stage in my life.




I had The Spirit Of Radio at #7. Great tune, and I never get sick of hearing it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Cool Chris on April 02, 2022, 02:18:47 PM
The top two are my #2 and #12. Really surprised my #2 made the final top 2. I had Spirit of Radio or Tom Sawyer pegged as #1, but that might have been my classic rock radio sensibilities showing through.

I didn't rank past the Top 75. I love my Rush Top 25, really like 26-75. But after that there is too big of a drop off for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: HOF on April 02, 2022, 03:05:45 PM
It looks like I'm going to finish with 20 songs in my top 75 that didn't make the overall list.

It would be interesting to know after this is all done how many and which songs appeared on only one person's list.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: The Realm on April 02, 2022, 03:54:39 PM

04 Red Barchetta
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (TAC)


03 The Spirit of Radio
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 3 (The Realm)



Can I start off my saying I am astounded that The Spirit of Radio isn't on all 25 lists. Mind blown!

Red Barchetta - my rank 12. Could have been higher, just a classic song. As others have said I am a bit surprised this is the highest ranking ranking MP song though.

The Spirit of Radio - my number 3 (ie spot on). Is it weird that I nailed the ranking for both The Spirit of Radio and Tom Sawyer? Absolutely loved this song the first time I heard it and still do, never get tired of this one.

For the remaining 2 songs, both are in my top 10 (7 and 5) and I am a little surprised where one of these is going to finish, I didn't realise it was so loved.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: KevShmev on April 02, 2022, 04:07:15 PM
It looks like I'm going to finish with 20 songs in my top 75 that didn't make the overall list.

It would be interesting to know after this is all done how many and which songs appeared on only one person's list.

63 of my 75 top made the final list.  Not sure if anyone else had more, but it wouldn't surprise me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nobloodyname on April 02, 2022, 04:09:34 PM
Not meaning to get a jump on the conversation but I really don't understand the dislike - hatred? - for Rivendell. It's a soothing, melodic and peaceful tune. And I don't even like The Lord of the Rings! Made 95 for me. Should have ranked it higher :biggrin:
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: devieira73 on April 02, 2022, 06:11:02 PM
04 Red Barchetta (#14) - Amazing song with a lot of different stuff going on in just 6 minutes. The interaction between the instruments stands out in this song, even for Rush's standarts.

03 The Spirit of Radio (#3) - Its intro is maybe my favorite intro for any song: the guitar part and that phrasing of the bass and drums together are unmatched and incredibly cool. "Rush for the masses" at its best and most inspired.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Setlist Scotty on April 02, 2022, 07:19:09 PM
Red Barchetta is one of the first Rush songs that I remember having an impact on me when I first discovered them listening to the radio, along with Tom Sawyer, Limelight, Closer to the Heart and The Spirit of Radio. Classic tune and great story telling by Neil. Oddly enough though, it's slipped in the ratings for me. It just doesn't have as much appeal as the other tracks. I can't really say why, because it hasn't been overplayed. I dunno. Still ended up at #46 on my list.

Gotta love The Spirit of Radio - IMO, it is the quintessential Rush opener for a live concert! Part of that may be down to my first time seeing Rush live was watching the p/g concert video, opening with that searing performance, but I don't think that's the only thing. Like Tom Sawyer, it's the one other Rush tune that has been overplayed live but I never get tired of it. Really an amazing song. I found it interesting how the opening guitar line was Alex's way of trying to mimic turning the dial on the radio hearing bits of various radio stations in the process - very clever and unique idea! So it goes without saying that I rated it as #10.
 
 
It looks like I'm going to finish with 20 songs in my top 75 that didn't make the overall list.
It would be interesting to know after this is all done how many and which songs appeared on only one person's list.
63 of my 75 top made the final list.  Not sure if anyone else had more, but it wouldn't surprise me.
52 of my top 75 ended up making the cut.
 
 
Not meaning to get a jump on the conversation but I really don't understand the dislike - hatred? - for Rivendell. It's a soothing, melodic and peaceful tune. And I don't even like The Lord of the Rings! Made 95 for me. Should have ranked it higher :biggrin:
I guess it's because it's just a super dull snoozer of a song. Zzzzzzzzzzz
It was at #169 on my list, beating only BU2B2.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: nick_z on April 02, 2022, 07:33:57 PM
It looks like I'm going to finish with 20 songs in my top 75 that didn't make the overall list.

It would be interesting to know after this is all done how many and which songs appeared on only one person's list.

63 of my 75 top made the final list.  Not sure if anyone else had more, but it wouldn't surprise me.

59 of my top 75 made the list...but all of my top 40 made it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: pg1067 on April 02, 2022, 07:47:50 PM
Not meaning to get a jump on the conversation but I really don't understand the dislike - hatred? - for Rivendell. It's a soothing, melodic and peaceful tune. And I don't even like The Lord of the Rings! Made 95 for me. Should have ranked it higher :biggrin:

I don't hate it, but...  Soothing and peaceful?  Sure.  Also boring and uninteresting.  It also doesn't suit Geddy's voice.  TBH, it's awfully hard to give a ton of critical thought to how the bottom 20 truly rank with respect to each other.


It looks like I'm going to finish with 20 songs in my top 75 that didn't make the overall list.

It would be interesting to know after this is all done how many and which songs appeared on only one person's list.

63 of my 75 top made the final list.  Not sure if anyone else had more, but it wouldn't surprise me.

59 of my top 75 made the list...but all of my top 40 made it.

I had 22 that didn't make it.  I think I might have listed them before, but....

14. Cinderella Man
23. Earthshine
28. Armor and Sword
35. Chemistry
36. Far Cry
42. Beneath, Between & Behind
43. Red Tide
44. Vapor Trail
45. In the End
51. BU2B
56. Out of the Cradle
57. Nocturne
58. Finding My Way (REALLY surprised this one didn't make it)
62. Kid Gloves
63. Freeze
65. The Twilight Zone
69. Half the World
70. Resist
71. Alien Shore
72. Chain Lightning
73. Stick It Out
74. Virtuality
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Lethean on April 02, 2022, 07:59:17 PM
Not meaning to get a jump on the conversation but I really don't understand the dislike - hatred? - for Rivendell. It's a soothing, melodic and peaceful tune. And I don't even like The Lord of the Rings! Made 95 for me. Should have ranked it higher :biggrin:

I agree with you, but I do like Lord of the Rings.  I can totally imagine the hobbits resting after their long journey to get to Rivendell and listening to something like that. :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Deadeye21 on April 03, 2022, 04:58:47 AM
Excitement is palpable to see this come to a head.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 03, 2022, 06:59:41 AM
We are all a little sad that this is coming to an end, as this has been tons of fun, but thanks to everyone who submitted a list and/or participated in this thread!!  :tup :tup

Now...the top 2!!

(https://c.tenor.com/BdyFvzCluYMAAAAC/rush-alex-lifeson.gif)



02 Xanadu
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 15
Highest Ranking: 1 (BRGM, DragonAttack)


My number 2 finished at number 2 overall!  Once it became clear that enough people ranked 2112 too low (or not at all in one case) for it to finish at 1, I thought Xanadu would finish at 1, and it almost did.  It finished with 1,552 points total, only 10 points behind the top song.  Unbelievable song.  The live version from Exit...Stage Left is musical heaven.


01 Subdivisions
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 16
Highest Ranking: 1 (wolfking)


This was my number 10, and I figured it was a lock for the top 10, but I gotta admit I was a bit stunned that it finished at the very top.  It got only one number 1 ranking, but had the most top 10 finishes (16), and finished in the top 25 in 22 of the 25 submitted lists.  Great song, and a very worthy number 1.


(https://i.imgflip.com/4gh1l8.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Elite on April 03, 2022, 07:00:37 AM
I thought they'd be the other way around :)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on April 03, 2022, 07:13:44 AM
Subdivisions won? That was my number 60. It’s really not a song I’d put high in the list, let alone the top spot. Yeah, this is actually really disappointing. Xanadu coming out on top, I’d have been like “yeah, this is absolutely the pinnacle of so much of what the band stood for, with a fantastic opening instrumental, great somewhat sci-fi lyrics and fantastic drumming, not to mention the double necks”, but Subdivisions? The song is overrated, to my mind. It’s good enough, but it’s not worthy.

Thanks for the ride though, Kev! Very sad to see it at it’s end, but I’ll start gathering my top 75 Maiden tracks and send them to you soon so we can do it all again. Hopefully the top song on that one will be a lot less of a disappointment.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 03, 2022, 07:17:04 AM


Thanks for the ride though, Kev! Very sad to see it at it’s end, but I’ll start gathering my top 75 Maiden tracks and send them to you soon so we can do it all again. Hopefully the top song on that one will be a lot less of a disappointment.

Let's not turn today in this, but I have not committed to this yet.  Let's leave it at this for now.

Back to Rush...Subdivisions is awesome.  :hat :hat
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: devieira73 on April 03, 2022, 07:35:18 AM
02 Xanadu (#8)
01 Subdivisions (#4)
Although personally I think Subdivisions is totally awesome, I thought a little unexpected to be the #1. But the pairing with Xanadu really makes sense, as I guess the love for the keyboard era here is the same for the band's prog era. And those 2 songs are no doubt worthy Top 10 songs and really encapsulate those 2 eras perfectly.
As the DT Top 100, I loved to have participed on this one too, thanks to you all!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: ReaperKK on April 03, 2022, 07:42:50 AM
I had Xanadu at 21 but over the past few years it's been going up in my personal rankings quicker than any other Rush song. I've never listening to the Exit Stage Left version I'll give it a spin today.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Trav86 on April 03, 2022, 08:06:25 AM
I thought they'd be the other way around :)

My thoughts exactly!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on April 03, 2022, 08:14:09 AM
I had Xanadu at 21 but over the past few years it's been going up in my personal rankings quicker than any other Rush song. I've never listening to the Exit Stage Left version I'll give it a spin today.

Make sure to so with 'Broon's Bane' and 'The Trees' before it, so that you get the 'ol' fart' experience of listening to Side 3 as back in the day. ;) :tup

02. Xanadu (#1)
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 15
Highest Ranking: 1 (BRGM, DragonAttack)

I am no doubt a more experienced 'air drummer' than Kev (probably not as good) but this is by far my favorite one of all time!  Oh, and it totally blew me away all those years ago, and still does.

01. Subdivisions (#9)  a great first song follow up to 'Moving Pictures'.  Absolutely superb lyrics.

Of my Top 50, 41 made this list.  Six of my nine misses came from the debut and 'Fly By Night'.  I nailed 3 exactly, 7 within two spots, and 22 within ten positions.

Looking forward to you running the Queen countdown next :lol :rollin
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on April 03, 2022, 08:19:28 AM
Actually, hell yeah. A Queen countdown would e awesome. I could bust out 75 of those real easy. Wonder how far Dragon Attack would get?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on April 03, 2022, 08:26:45 AM
Xanadu was my #2

Subdivisions was my #3
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: nick_z on April 03, 2022, 09:08:15 AM
Wow...I have to say I am a bit surprised. Didn't think Subdivisions was going to end up #1. Even with just that and Xanadu left, I thought it'd be the other way around (incidentally, I rated Subdivisions one spot higher...I just thought consensus was a higher ranking for Xanadu). Both fantastic songs, anyway, and so different (only 5 years apart!!)

Xanadu (ranked #7)

A masterpiece, and my second favorite of Rush's longer songs (after Natural Science, and I guess excluding La Villa Strangiato, given it's an instrumental and all). The intro, and Alex's guitar taking center stage with that epic lick...just perfect. So much cool stuff going on. Beautiful chorus and ending too.

Subdivisions (ranked #6)

Another classic song I NEVER get tired of. The "ominous" synth intro sets the stage perfectly. Alex's guitar riff under the chorus is another top Rush moment. And Neil's drums on this song are one of my favorite performances of his.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: TAC on April 03, 2022, 09:30:05 AM
Actually, hell yeah. A Queen countdown would e awesome. I could bust out 75 of those real easy. Wonder how far Dragon Attack would get?

Kev can’t do Queen until Joe finishes his thread. I don’t even know 75 Queen songs yet.  :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: nick_z on April 03, 2022, 09:33:28 AM
Kev, thank you for doing this. Participating truly was a lot of fun. Not that I need any excuse to listen to some Rush, but this was a great way to enjoy their whole catalog once again.

...and here is the final DTF aggregate Rush album ranking!

1   Moving Pictures   395
2   Power Windows   353
3   Permanent Waves   310
4   Signals   273
5   Grace Under Pressure   248
6   Hemispheres   222
7   A Farewell to Kings   210
8   Clockwork Angels   134
9   Counterparts   128
10   Presto   119
11   Hold Your Fire   107
12   Roll the Bones   104
13   2112   98
14   Fly By Night   84
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0

I had a sense Power Windows was highly regarded here (except, you know, for a couple of nonbelievers  :biggrin:), but it's pretty incredible to see it up there in second place. it's in my own top 5, so I'm not complaining  ;D

Just for the fun of it, I'm also including the album raking that incorporates Jammindude's suggestion of adding points that account for the % of songs in a given album that ended up in the top 75. The bonus is determined as (# of songs in top 75/# of songs in the album)*100. So the bonus is 100 if all songs made it (Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and Power Windows got it). This is supposed to give a potentially larger boost to albums with fewer songs, especially if they happen to have a large % in the top 75.

With that, we have:

1   Moving Pictures   495.00
2   Power Windows   453.00
3   Permanent Waves   410.00
4   Signals   360.50
5   Hemispheres   322.00
6   Grace Under Pressure   310.50
7   A Farewell to Kings   276.67
8   Counterparts   182.55
9   Clockwork Angels   167.33
10   Hold Your Fire   157.00
11   Presto   155.36
12   2112   148.00
13   Roll the Bones   144.00
14   Fly By Night   121.50
15   Caress of Steel   66.00
16   Test for Echo   37.18
17   Rush   32.50
18   Vapor Trails   0.00
19   Snake and Arrows   0.00

Not much is different. There are some marginal changes in the ranking, though. Hemispheres now ranks above Grace Under Pressure and makes the top 5. Counterparts overtakes Clockwork Angels. Same thing for Hold Your Fire over Presto, 2112 over Roll the Bones and Test for Echo over Rush.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 03, 2022, 09:41:39 AM
The aggregate rankings are very nice, but I do think they can be skewed a bit due to number of songs on an album.  Power Windows finished ahead of Permanent Waves in the aggregate because it has 8 songs vs 6 songs, but Permanent Waves as a whole did better, as it had four songs in the top 15, while Power Windows had just one song in the top 20 (at # 10).  Hemisphere as well had three of its four songs finish in the top 18, but only finished at 6th in the aggregate because it only has 4 songs. Just something to chew on.  :corn :corn
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on April 03, 2022, 09:46:53 AM
(https://i.postimg.cc/VNR3RS1x/Screenshot-20220403-102430-Facebook.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/06zW5yzn)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: SoundscapeMN on April 03, 2022, 09:59:49 AM
Xanadu - I have always liked, and consider AFTK a perfect 5-star record, however, I've grown to see it as a little overrated, how it has been frequently praised by fans. I think they topped it, in some ways with Natural Science in writing a mid-length multi-part epic (a little like how I see DT's Learning to Live was topped by Scarred).

I guess popularity wins it, but I suspect I'm not alone in thinking those 2 tunes in the rankings could be flip-flopped.

Subdivisions - I now always think of the Michael Moore quote about it “I believe that song has saved lives.”

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: nick_z on April 03, 2022, 10:07:05 AM
The aggregate rankings are very nice, but I do think they can be skewed a bit due to number of songs on an album.  Power Windows finished ahead of Permanent Waves in the aggregate because it has 8 songs vs 6 songs, but Permanent Waves as a whole did better, as it had four songs in the top 15, while Power Windows had just one song in the top 20 (at # 10).  Hemisphere as well had three of its four songs finish in the top 18, but only finished at 6th in the aggregate because it only has 4 songs. Just something to chew on.  :corn :corn

That's for sure true - the "bonus-adjustment" idea goes a little way towards amending that, but it so happens that the albums you mentioned ALL had 100% of songs in the top 75, so they all got the same bonus.

As for the statement that Permanent Waves and Hemispheres did better because they had more songs in the top 20/top 15 - to some extent that's accounted for by the fact that, well, their songs did contribute more points to their tallies  :) I think Power Windows just proved to be an especially consistent album with plenty of songs that overall ranked quite high (even without the peaks of Permanent Waves and Hemispheres)

But, yes, the aggregate album ranking that just uses points from the songs' ranking is always going to paint a partial picture. Permanent Waves, for example, is my second favorite Rush album, but when I put together the scores based on my songs ranking, it ends up fourth. There is something about the albums themselves (the overall experience, the fact they have a number of truly iconic songs) that of course transcends the "cold" numbers of songs' rankings.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on April 03, 2022, 10:40:13 AM
Great to see Xanadu at #2. That's where I had it. Subdivisions was #12. When this started I never would have thought it would be #1.

My point totals by album. No real surprises for me, except for Clockwork Angels, but that benefited from the number of songs that made the list. Presto is high due to my having The Pass at #6, and for the nostalgia factor of being the first new album release after my being introduced to the band.

Permanent Waves   400   6/6
A Farewell to Kings   357   6/6

Clockwork Angels   343   10/12
Moving Pictures   301   7/7
2112   244   6/6

Presto   230   5/11
Hemispheres   207   4/4
Roll the Bones   179   4/10
Rush   141   5/8
Snakes & Arrows   133   6/13
Fly By Night   110   5/8
Signals   64   1/8
Test for Echo   54   4/11
Power Windows   45   3/8
Hold Your Fire   38   1/10
Counterparts   4   2/11
Caress of Steel   0   0/5
Grace Under Pressure   0   0/8
Vapor Trails   0   0/13
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 03, 2022, 10:59:15 AM
As promised, the full list, with point tallies and all.

01 Subdivisions         1562
02 Xanadu          1552
03 The Spirit of Radio      1492
04 Red Barchetta       1466
05 La Villa Strangiato    1458
06 Tom Sawyer         1446
07 Natural Science       1427
08 Limelight         1411
09 2112             1333
10 Marathon          1284
11 Freewill         1208
12 YYZ            1194
13 Between the Wheels   1169
14 Hemispheres         1152
15 Jacob’s Ladder      1143
16 The Analog Kid      1115
17 The Camera Eye      1088
18 The Trees         1018
19 Available Light      951
20 Distant Early Warning   931
21 Red Sector A         923
22 Manhattan Project      880
23 Cygnus X-1         859
24 Territories          853
25 Losing It         845
26 A Farewell to Kings   835
27 The Garden         826
28 Animate         810
29 Afterimage         785
30 The Big Money      781
31 Middletown Dreams   766
32 Dreamline         760
33 The Pass         755
34 Time Stand Still      722
35 Mystic Rhythms       719
36 Anthem          690
37 Grand Designs      686
38 By-Tor and the Snow Dog675
39 Witch Hunt         671
40 Leave That Thing Alone   663
41 Bravado          651
42 Carvan          640
43 Closer to the Heart   622
44 Mission            613
45 Circumstances      610
46 Headlong Flight      605
47 Digital Man         598
48 The Weapon         597
49 The Enemy Within    593
50 Force Ten         568
51 Vital Signs         548
52 Ghost of a Chance      547
53 Entre Nous         542
54 New World Man      533
55 Clockwork Angels      505
56 Working Man         504
57 Different Strings      488
58 A Passage to Bangkok   479
59 Bastille Day         468
60 Cold Fire         463
61 Cut to the Chase      441
62 Driven            436
63 Something for Nothing   433
64 Show Don’t Tell      431
65 Everyday Glory      429
66 Emotion Detector      418
67 The Necromancer      392
68 Countdown         387
69 Presto            383
70 Fly by Night         373
71 Test for Echo         365
72 Open Secrets      364
73 Prime Mover         359
74 Double Agent      358
75 Roll the Bones      352


76 Far Cry            345
77 BU2B            341
78 Nobody’s Hero      327
79 The Main Monkey Business320
80 Alien Shore         315
81 Ghost Rider         308
82 (t) The Anarchist      307
82 (t)  Beneath, Between & Behind   307
84 Vapor Trail         306
85 The Body Electric      304
86 Chemistry         299
87 Lock and Key      295
88 Cinderella Man      294
89 Where’s My Thing      281
90 The Fountain of Lamneth260
91 The Twilight Zone      259
92 Turn the Page      257
93 Kid Gloves         256
94 One Little Victory      255
95 Chain Lightning      248
96 What You’re Doing           247
97 Stick It Out         246
98 (t) Faithless         241
98 (t) In the End      241
100 Earthshine         236
101 The Wreckers      225
102 (t) Freeze         218
102 (t) Workin’ Them Angels218
104 Resist            216
105 Carnies         211
106 Tears            203
107 Finding My Way      201
108 Lakeside Park      189
109 Time and Motion      188
110 (t) Second Nature   176
110 (t) War Paint      176
112 Anagram (for Mongo)   167
113 Armor and Sword   153
114 Secret Touch      152
115 Wish Them Well      150
116 Malignant Narcissism   148
117 Red Tide         139
118 The Larger Bowl      124
119 Lessons         122
120 (t) Hand over Fist   121
120 (t) Spindrift         121
122 Virtuality         117
123 The Color of Right   116
124 Half the World      109
125 Red Lenses         107
126 Seven Cities of Gold   103
127 (t) Between Sun and Moon   102
127 (t) Hope         102
129 The Way the Wind Blows   100
130 In the Mood       95
131 Halo Effect              94
132 The Big Wheel      92
133 Madrigal         90
134 Before and After      82
135 Superconductor      79
136 (t) Heresy         74
136 (t) Making Memories   74
138 Carve Away the Stone   65
139 Ceiling Unlimited      64
140 (t) Peaceable Kingdom   61
140 (t) Bravest Face      61
142 You Bet Your Life      56
143 I Think I’m Going Bald   54
144 Best I Can         52
145 (t) Dog Years      50
145 (t) How It Is      50
147 Here Again         49
148 The Stars Look Down   48
149 Totem            45
150 BU2B2         40
151 Limbo            39
152 Need Some Love      37
153 Good News First      36
154 (t) The Speed of Love   31
154 (t) Out of the Cradle   31
156 Rivendell         30
157 Nocturne         29
158 Scars             25
159 (t) High Water      19
159 (t) We Hold On      19
161 Sweet Miracle           11
162 Tai Shan         1
163 (t) Take a Friend      0
163 (t) Face Up         0
163 (t) Neurotica      0
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on April 03, 2022, 11:08:38 AM
Thank you again to Kev for running this, and to others who added the next gen stats along the way.

At quick glance, on the TOO HIGH list:

10 Marathon          1284
13 Between the Wheels   1169
16 The Analog Kid      1115
20 Distant Early Warning   931
21 Red Sector A         923
22 Manhattan Project      880
24 Territories          853
25 Losing It         845

And the TOO LOW list:

69 Presto            383
70 Fly by Night         373
76 Far Cry            345
82 (t)  Beneath, Between & Behind   307
101 The Wreckers      225 (!!!my #14!!!)
107 Finding My Way      201
110 (t) War Paint      176
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 03, 2022, 11:17:54 AM
Even though I didn't rank either in my top 75, Nocturne and High Water both finishing in the bottom 10 is just so wrong, IMO.  High Water used to be a top 50 song for me and is one I still like a lot, and Nocturne is one I said a week or so ago that probably would have been in my top 75 had I done a listen through before doing my ranking rather than doing it while doing the countdown, as that is one I was like, "Damn, I forgot how good this song is!"
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on April 03, 2022, 11:25:59 AM
Doing quick math, so...'Subdivisions' would have average 12th or 13th on the lists, and so on down the line (1562/25).  Interesting

and from a quick spreadsheet....the number to the left is the aggregate ranking, while the numbers to the right of the album names are 'total # of songs on the album', total points from rankings, and then 'average per song' (sorry I can't line up the numbers in better order..such are spreadsheets)

1   Moving Pictures  7  395         56.43
6   Hemispheres  4   222         55.50
3   Permanent Waves  6   310      51.67
2   Power Windows  8    353       44.13
7   A Farewell to Kings  6    210        35.00
4   Signals  8    273        34.13
5   Grace Under Pressure  8    248        31.00
13   2112   6    98        16.33
9   Counterparts  11    128        11.64
8   Clockwork Angels  12    134        11.17
10   Presto   11    119        10.82
11   Hold Your Fire  10    107        10.70
14   Fly By Night   8    84        10.50
12   Roll the Bones   10    104       10.40
15   Caress of Steel   5    26        5.20
16   Rush   8    20        2.50
17   Test for Echo    11    19        1.73
18   Vapor Trails               
19   Snake and Arrows             
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on April 03, 2022, 11:27:40 AM
Something that has got me thinking... when I listened to the local rock/classic rock stations here in the 90s/00s, Rush got a ton of airplay, everything from the debut through Moving Pictures. But I do not recall hearing anything post-MP, except for Subdivisions. When they did their annual year end Top 1000 songs of all time, the same thing. Rush songs from those albums were all over those lists, but not from Signals forward. It's possible I just ignored those songs because I didn't care for them, and this was 20+ years ago so my memory could be hazy. But it got me wondering, has the "Synth" era Rush gained a level of appreciation over the years that might not have existed 20 years ago?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 03, 2022, 11:44:15 AM
Something that has got me thinking... when I listened to the local rock/classic rock stations here in the 90s/00s, Rush got a ton of airplay, everything from the debut through Moving Pictures. But I do not recall hearing anything post-MP, except for Subdivisions. When they did their annual year end Top 1000 songs of all time, the same thing. Rush songs from those albums were all over those lists, but not from Signals forward. It's possible I just ignored those songs because I didn't care for them, and this was 20+ years ago so my memory could be hazy. But it got me wondering, has the "Synth" era Rush gained a level of appreciation over the years that might not have existed 20 years ago?

I think so, even though classic rock stations are still likely to hit the earlier classics much harder.  Plus, you have to consider that classic rock has now expanded to include both 80s and 90s rock, so stations dedicated to classic rock have such a massive catalogue to choose from that it is hard for most artists to have more than a handful of songs get regular airplay.  Artists that used to get 7-8 songs with regular airplay back when classic rock was usually the late 60s through the very early 80s might now only get 2-3 songs.

I just looked it up: even our local hard rock station, KSHE95, which has long been one of Rush's biggest supporters, as acknowledged by the band back in the day, had "only" 7 songs by them in their annual rock and roll 500 last year that they still do every Memorial Day (link below).  Granted, they like to juggle it around from year to year, as I remember they had Stairway to Heaven at number 500 one year in the 90s, but 7 songs from Rush in 2021 and nothing after Moving Pictures, not even Subdivisions.  They had Tom Sawyer at number 1 one year in the mid 90s.  :hat :hat

https://www.kshe95.com/rock-n-roll-500-official-2021-list/


Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!)
Post by: pg1067 on April 03, 2022, 11:45:47 AM
02 Xanadu
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 15
Highest Ranking: 1 (BRGM, DragonAttack)


My number 2 finished at number 2 overall!  Once it became clear that enough people ranked 2112 too low (or not at all in one case) for it to finish at 1, I thought Xanadu would finish at 1, and it almost did.  It finished with 1,552 points total, only 10 points behind the top song.  Unbelievable song.  The live version from Exit...Stage Left is musical heaven.

Xanadu is just a perfect song.  I had it at #3, but it easily could have been higher.  The intro section is perfect (and for the band to be able to duplicate that live in the late '70s says all you need to know about Rush as musicians).  Neil's incorporation of tuned percussion is masterful.  Geddy doing triple duty.  Yet another sublime guitar solo from Alex.  One of my favorite moments in music video history happens at 4:56 of this video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wub2s4ZWPzo


01 Subdivisions
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 16
Highest Ranking: 1 (wolfking)


This was my number 10, and I figured it was a lock for the top 10, but I gotta admit I was a bit stunned that it finished at the very top.  It got only one number 1 ranking, but had the most top 10 finishes (16), and finished in the top 25 in 22 of the 25 submitted lists.  Great song, and a very worthy number 1.

I love Subdivisions...but #1?  Great song.  Great drumming.  Questionable production on the guitars.  I now wish I hadn't ranked it as high as #10.  Oh well.


The Final Score (albums with 100% representation marked in bold)
- Rush - 1 song of 8 (12.5% or 17.86% of album time):  Working Man - #56)

- Fly by Night - 3 songs of 8 (37.5% or 43.67% of album time):  Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36

- Caress of Steel - 2 songs of 5 (40% or 38.15% of album time):  The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59

- 2112 - 3 songs of 6 (50% or 72.57% of album time):  Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58; 2112 - #9

- A Farewell to Kings - 4 songs of 6 (66.67% or 81.39% of album time):  Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26; Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - #23; Xanadu - #2

- Hemispheres - 4 songs of 4 (100%):  Circumstances - #45; The Trees - #18; Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres - #14; La Villa Strangiato - #5

- Permanent Waves - 6 songs of 6 (100%):  Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53; Jacob's Ladder - #15; Freewill - #11; Natural Science - #7; The Spirit of Radio - #3

- Moving Pictures - 7 songs of 7 (100%):  Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38; The Camera Eye - #17; YYZ - #12; Limelight - #8; Tom Sawyer - #6; Red Barchetta - #4

- Signals - 7 songs of 8 (87.5% or 88.35% of album time):  Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25; The Analog Kid - #16; Subdivisions #1

- Grace Under Pressure - 5 songs of 8 (62.5% or 64.51% of album time):  The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29; Red Sector A - #21; Distant Early Warning - #20; Between the Wheels - #13

- Power Windows - 8 songs of 8 (100%):  Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30; Territories #24; Manhattan Project - #22; Marathon - #10

- Hold Your Fire - 5 songs of 10 (50% or 40.19% of album time):  Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34

- Presto - 4 songs of 11 (36.36% or 39.62% of album time):  Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33; Available Light - #19

- Roll the Bones - 4 songs of 10 (40% or 41.62% of album time):  Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32

- Counterparts - 6 songs of 11 (54.55% or 54.24% of album time):  Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28

- Test for Echo - 2 songs of 11 (18.18% or 19.41% of album time):  Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62

- Vapor Trails - NO SONGS (0%)

- Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS (0%)

- Clockwork Angels - 4 songs of 12 (33.33% or 41.58% of album time):  Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: nick_z on April 03, 2022, 12:19:35 PM
Some observations about my list vs. the aggregate:

- As already mentioned, 16 songs in my top 75 didn't make the aggregate top 75, but none of those were in my top 40
- I had 7 songs in my top 25 (2 of those in my top 10) that didn't make the aggregate top 25:

Leave That Thing Alone (#21 for me, #40 aggregate)
Roll the Bones (#18 for me, #75 aggregate)
Afterimage (#16 for me, #29 aggregate)
Cold Fire (#14 for me, #60 aggregate)
Dreamline (#13 for me, #32 aggregate)
Middletown Dreams (#10 for me, #31 aggregate)
Animate (#8 for me, #28 aggregate)

- On the other hand, only 2 of the songs in the aggregate top 10 didn't make my top 10:

2112 (#17 for me, #9 aggregate)
Marathon (#11 for me, #10 aggregate)

I would say my biggest "discrepancy" vs. the consensus is my love for Counterparts - a middle-of-the-pack album for the group here, and a definite top 5 album (top 3, really) for me.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Tomislav95 on April 03, 2022, 12:20:21 PM
Thanks for running this, Kev! (also, count me in if you do Iron Maiden one)

I was checking this thread but didn't give my input for most of the songs (because I don't have much to say :lol ). Just wanted to apologise because I feel I ruined this list a bit. While making my top 75 I accidentally deleted La Villa Strangiato which would be in my top 10 otherwise :-[
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!)
Post by: The Letter M on April 03, 2022, 12:29:26 PM
We are all a little sad that this is coming to an end, as this has been tons of fun, but thanks to everyone who submitted a list and/or participated in this thread!!  :tup :tup

Now...the top 2!!

(https://c.tenor.com/BdyFvzCluYMAAAAC/rush-alex-lifeson.gif)



02 Xanadu
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 15
Highest Ranking: 1 (BRGM, DragonAttack)


My number 2 finished at number 2 overall!  Once it became clear that enough people ranked 2112 too low (or not at all in one case) for it to finish at 1, I thought Xanadu would finish at 1, and it almost did.  It finished with 1,552 points total, only 10 points behind the top song.  Unbelievable song.  The live version from Exit...Stage Left is musical heaven.

I had "Xanadu" at number 5, but it could have easily been number 2 or 1. For me, this is their quintessential epic, more so than "Hemispheres" or "2112" - it's not too long, features the band exploring so many new sounds and textures with keyboards and orchestral percussion, and the double-neck guitars!! This is one Rush song I could never get tired of hearing despite its length and fairly simple structure (which they used again to some extent when crafting "The Camera Eye"). So happy to see this one end up in 2nd place!

01 Subdivisions
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 16
Highest Ranking: 1 (wolfking)


This was my number 10, and I figured it was a lock for the top 10, but I gotta admit I was a bit stunned that it finished at the very top.  It got only one number 1 ranking, but had the most top 10 finishes (16), and finished in the top 25 in 22 of the 25 submitted lists.  Great song, and a very worthy number 1.


(https://i.imgflip.com/4gh1l8.gif)

"Subdivisions" ended up in 31st place, but it definitely should've been a lot higher. Should it be number 1? Ehhh, maybe? But I think it's a fan-favorite for a reason. Definitely my favorite song off of Signals and one that I really enjoyed learning the drum part for. Everyone in the band puts out a great performance on this one with some inspiring writing, and Neil's lyrics are just so relatable for people of a certain age/demographic.

Out of curiosity, I dug out the Top 10 of the 2016 and 2020 Rush Survivors that I ran here, so here are those results for comparison:
Quote
2016 Rush Survivor Top Ten
01. 2112 / Xanadu
03. Tom Sawyer
04. La Villa Strangiato
05. The Spirit Of Radio
06. Subdivisions
07. Red Barchetta
08. Jacob's Ladder
09. Limelight
10. Natural Science

Quote
2020 Rush Survivor Top Ten
01. Natural Science
02. La Villa Strangiato
03. Xanadu
04. Subdivisions
05. The Spirit Of Radio
06. Jacob's Ladder
07. Limelight
08. Tom Sawyer
09. 2112
10. Cygnus X-1, Book I: The Voyage (previously ranked 15th in 2016)
(Red Barchetta ranked 12th this time around)

With the exception of "Cygnus X-1", all of the songs in both Survivors' Top 10 made it to Kev's Top 15, so I feel like these song choices track with the consensus here. Funny enough, the five songs in Kev's Top 15 that didn't make the Top 10 of either Survivor I ran were all consecutively placed 14th-10th (Hemispheres, Between The Wheels, YYZ, Freewill, and Marathon).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: HOF on April 03, 2022, 01:11:59 PM
First off, many many thanks to Kev for taking this on and running a tremendous thread. Also many thanks to everyone who contributed lists, running point totals, and commentaries. This has just been a ton of fun and an excellent excuse to dig back into Rush's catalog.

Xanadu was the highest ranked of the Rush epic/long tracks for me, and I think I can safely say it's one of my favorite things they did in the 70s. So if that's your era of Rush, it makes all the sense in the world for this to finish near the top. The intro is captivating and one of the best things they did in the 70s for sure. Probably their most copied piece of music (I can think of at least 3 other songs off the top of my head that borrowed from that intro pretty explicitly). The reason this only finishes at 68 is similar to other 70s era tracks. It’s just not my favorite style that Rush does, particularly Geddy’s singing/vocal melodies from that era. The vocal parts here do hold it back a bit for me, but musically, there’s a lot packed in there and I really do enjoy the track over all. It helps that the vocals don't kick in until after the 5 minute mark (!). That intro is really a song in itself, and I love the base line Geddy puts under the main riff once the intro gets going. Neil is all over the place as well. It's a great track for sure.

I’m not sure at what point I first realized how great of a song Subdivisions is. It’s another one that I always liked from way back on the radio, but unlike Tom Sawyer, Limelight, or Free Will, it’s never really lost any shine from repeated radio plays. In fact, I remember taping it off the radio at one point and taking special note of the drums and synths. I also had it early on from that Retrospective II set, but I’m not sure it registered as one of my favorites at the time, which may have helped it avoid being overplayed (by me) the way a song like Limelight was. I think the Jacob Moon cover actually helped bring out the lyric more for me, but by that time I think it was already pretty firmly one of my favorites. I actually remember my kids really liking it when they were young. There was a period in time where we moved a couple times in between the city and the country, and then finally ended up in the suburbs, and that "in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown" line really connected with me. I think what really helped though was hearing it in the context of Signals, which has become probably my second favorite Rush album. It's such a compelling opening to such an amazing album.

That synth opening in itself is so compelling, and Neil propels the song along with his relentless cymbal work and fills. I absolutely love the lead up to the chorus, with Geddy's base line really building the tension leading into and throughout the chorus. I can see how Alex felt a little left out on this one, but man that synth line following the chorus is so perfect. It couldn't and shouldn't have been any other way IMO. But Alex still gets his solo in, and there are subtle things he does in the chorus that are cool. As great as Neil's drumming is, I feel like Geddy might really be the hero of this song though. Amazing bass, vocal, and synth performance. But the lyrics are just so good too. Not just the content, but their rhythm and rhyme is just excellent. A masterclass in songwriting that becomes apparent when Jacob Moon strips it back in his cover versions. Neil apparently even thanked him for his cover, as he always felt the song was more of a singer/songwriter affair. When you can strip a song down to its chords, vocal melody, and lyrics like that, and it not only works but sounds amazing, that's a great song. I don't think you could do something like that with Xanadu, for example (which is great for different reasons of course).

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: The Letter M on April 03, 2022, 02:12:29 PM
So I just spent the last hour or so reorganizing my ranked/sorted list into album order (putting each song in the list into each album), added up the "score" (or number placements) for each album, and divided each score by the number of songs per album, to get an "Average Song/Album Score" and have ranked them from lowest score to highest (lowest meaning the number closest to first). Here's what I came up with as far as my own ranking of the albums according to my list:

Quote
Album Average Rankings:

POWER WINDOWS       20.625
MOVING PICTURES       25.71
PERMANENT WAVES       29.67
HEMISPHERES       33.50
SIGNALS          51.625
A FAREWELL TO KINGS    52.67
GRACE UNDER PRESSURE    70.50
VAPOR TRAILS       75.69
CLOCKWORK ANGELS    75.75
HOLD YOUR FIRE       83.00
CARESS OF STEEL       85.40
COUNTERPARTS       88.27
2112          94.83
PRESTO         108.54
SNAKES & ARROWS      110.69
ROLL THE BONES      111.90
TEST FOR ECHO      114.72
FLY BY NIGHT      120.25
RUSH         134.875

Not surprisingly, POW took the top spot, which was helped by the fact that I had all 8 songs in my Top 30, so the individual song scores were lower overall. I also had a lot more VT songs in my Top 75 (seven total, from 74th to 37th), which is why it got a bump in score.

Also not surprisingly, albums like RTB, TFE, FBN and the debut were all at the bottom since a lot of those albums' songs ranked pretty low for me.

If anyone else wants to do this, just sort your whole song ranking list into each album, add up the placement numbers (for the album total), then divide by the number of songs (for example, POW had a total score of 165, then I divided by 8 to come up with an average song-score for the album). I think this album-ranking is pretty consistent with how I feel about the discography in general, although I feel like Counterparts should been a bit higher, at least above COS and maybe HYF.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!)
Post by: TAC on April 03, 2022, 02:27:39 PM
02 Xanadu
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 15
Highest Ranking: 1 (BRGM, DragonAttack)


01 Subdivisions
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 16
Highest Ranking: 1 (wolfking)



I had Xanadu at #2 as well. Amazing piece of music. I was blown away by it back on Exit Stage Left. Just a tremendous track and deserving of this spot.


I had Subdivisions at #18. I love the song, as it made my Top 20. I kind of shocked it's the #1 song though. Still, I never get sick of hearing it.









Kev, thank you so much for doing this. I know you started it under difficult circumstances, and we were all willing to wait. But your service here is appreciated.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: MrMike on April 03, 2022, 02:58:05 PM
As promised, the full list, with point tallies and all.

01 Subdivisions         1562
02 Xanadu          1552
03 The Spirit of Radio      1492
04 Red Barchetta       1466
05 La Villa Strangiato    1458
06 Tom Sawyer         1446
07 Natural Science       1427
08 Limelight         1411
09 2112             1333
10 Marathon          1284

Thanks, Kev!  This was fun.

Looking over that final top 10, the only one that kinda stuns me is Marathon.  I had 6 of them in my top ten.

10. Anthem
9.  Between The Wheels
8.  YYZ
7.  Xanadu
6.  Tom Sawyer
5.  Freewill
4.  Limelight
3.  Red Barchetta
2.  Subdivisions
1.  La Villa Strangiato
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on April 03, 2022, 03:00:21 PM
I second what Tim said. Thank you Kev.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 03, 2022, 03:16:38 PM
Thanks, everybody, I appreciate the sentiments.  This little project has been fun and a good "distraction" from real life at times, which is sorely needed some days more than others.   :tup :tup
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: The Letter M on April 03, 2022, 03:22:14 PM
Yeah, thanks for doing this! It's been a lot of fun seeing the results pop up every day little by little. I'm not sure there are many other bands I could participate in with this kind of ranking format, but I'm glad I could follow along on this one!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!)
Post by: The Realm on April 03, 2022, 03:29:53 PM

02 Xanadu
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 15
Highest Ranking: 1 (BRGM, DragonAttack)


01 Subdivisions
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 16
Highest Ranking: 1 (wolfking)



First, I would like to thank Kev for running this thread. It has been great to be involved and I have really enjoyed the various comments and differences of opinions on songs.

Xanadu - number 7 for me. As we got closer and closer to the top I was pretty sure this would end up number 1 so I'm a little surprised it didn't. I absolutely love this song, it is indeed a classic and worthy of its ranking.

Subdivisions - number 5 for me. Well this is a bit of a shock. I actually didn't know this song was as universally loved as it is. I was actually thinking I would be an outlier ranking it in the top 10! I can still remember the first time I heard this song. When those initial keyboard sounds came through the speakers, I thought "what the hell is this?". I actually nearly turned it off and thought this wasn't for me. Anyway I persisted and by the time the song had got to the 'in the high school halls' part with that wicked bass playing I was blown away. Since then it has always been a favourite Rush song of mine.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: romdrums on April 03, 2022, 04:08:07 PM
2. Xanadu (14).  My favorite of Rush’s 10 minute plus songs, the intro is probably my favorite part.  Then again, I really do love the whole thing.

1. Subdivisions (6). Just outside of my top 5, and a little surprised it made it to number 1.  Great song that I’ve come to appreciate even more over time.

Kev, you did a great job running this thing!  I spent a lot of time listening to Rush over these past few weeks, and it was very rewarding.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!)
Post by: wolfking on April 03, 2022, 05:44:24 PM

01 Subdivisions
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 16
Highest Ranking: 1 (wolfking)


Fuck, I win!!!!

(https://media.giphy.com/media/fDzM81OYrNjJC/giphy.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: TAC on April 03, 2022, 05:51:00 PM
 :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on April 03, 2022, 05:58:08 PM
 :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on April 03, 2022, 06:01:29 PM
Just to sum it all up, could we have the full list in one post?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: The Letter M on April 03, 2022, 06:03:12 PM
Just to sum it all up, could we have the full list in one post?

Should be in the first post of the thread (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=57248.msg2856761#msg2856761), assuming Kev has updated it.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: pg1067 on April 03, 2022, 06:04:21 PM
Just to sum it all up, could we have the full list in one post?

Kev posted it this morning.  Scroll up.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!)
Post by: nick_z on April 03, 2022, 06:10:49 PM

01 Subdivisions
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 16
Highest Ranking: 1 (wolfking)


Fuck, I win!!!!

(https://media.giphy.com/media/fDzM81OYrNjJC/giphy.gif)

Well played  :rollin
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on April 03, 2022, 06:21:49 PM
Just to sum it all up, could we have the full list in one post?

Should be in the first post of the thread (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=57248.msg2856761#msg2856761), assuming Kev has updated it.

-Marc.

Oh yup, certainly is.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 03, 2022, 06:29:14 PM

01 Subdivisions
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 16
Highest Ranking: 1 (wolfking)


Fuck, I win!!!!

(https://media.giphy.com/media/fDzM81OYrNjJC/giphy.gif)

 :lol :lol :lol :lol

TAC will be sending you your victory ice cream bars in a refrigerated truck by the end of next week.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on April 03, 2022, 06:31:25 PM
Wait until Tim sees how small Klondike bars are now compared to his youth. Lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!)
Post by: wolfking on April 03, 2022, 06:37:41 PM

01 Subdivisions
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 16
Highest Ranking: 1 (wolfking)


Fuck, I win!!!!

(https://media.giphy.com/media/fDzM81OYrNjJC/giphy.gif)

 :lol :lol :lol :lol

TAC will be sending you your victory ice cream bars in a refrigerated truck by the end of next week.

I'll be waiting out the front for it too!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: wolfking on April 03, 2022, 06:44:36 PM
I guess I should give a brief explanation since my number is the official number one. 

I actually don't really remember the first time I heard this song.  I've mentioned Rush in Rio was my introduction and Subdivisions wasn't played on that.  However, the more I got into Rush, the more I simply gravitated towards the synth era.  There is just something about this song that puts it a cut above the rest for me. 

There is a certain atmosphere that this song possesses that not many other songs do.  When I hear the intro to this song, I just feel warm and know that the next five minutes is going to be a wonderful journey through the musical landscape and through the lyrics.  We can all relate to these lyrics in some aspects going through high school I'm sure.  I love Geddy's vocals here too, they just create part of that magical atmosphere.  That synth lead melody that we hear twice in the song is just one of the most calming most amazing pieces of music I've ever heard.  Alex's solo also is just so simple but so effective.  Those natural harmonics in there is so simple, but such class.

It's just an incredible song in every single aspect and for me I never get tired of hearing it and each time I do hear it, it cements its spot at number one.  An incredible piece of music from any band from any era. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: nick_z on April 03, 2022, 06:49:29 PM
I guess I should give a brief explanation since my number is the official number one. 

I actually don't really remember the first time I heard this song.  I've mentioned Rush in Rio was my introduction and Subdivisions wasn't played on that.  However, the more I got into Rush, the more I simply gravitated towards the synth era.  There is just something about this song that puts it a cut above the rest for me. 

There is a certain atmosphere that this song possesses that not many other songs do.  When I hear the intro to this song, I just feel warm and know that the next five minutes is going to be a wonderful journey through the musical landscape and through the lyrics.  We can all relate to these lyrics in some aspects going through high school I'm sure.  I love Geddy's vocals here too, they just create part of that magical atmosphere.  That synth lead melody that we hear twice in the song is just one of the most calming most amazing pieces of music I've ever heard.  Alex's solo also is just so simple but so effective.  Those natural harmonics in there is so simple, but such class.

It's just an incredible song in every single aspect and for me I never get tired of hearing it and each time I do hear it, it cements its spot at number one.  An incredible piece of music from any band from any era.

Regardless of the specific ranking for this song (which comfortably sits in my Rush top 10 too!) - I can pretty much quote this post word-by-word. What a special, special song.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 03, 2022, 06:50:29 PM
Well said, wolfking.

I love how Rush often wrote songs using the conventional song structure, but did little tweaks that made them just a bit different, and yet they still worked.  Instead of singing the post-chorus line ("Any escape...") after the second chorus, they go into the solo, and then sing just that post-chorus line after the solo, never returning to the chorus, and go to the musical finish.  Just a bit different, but is brilliant in its execution.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Deadeye21 on April 03, 2022, 06:56:55 PM
So here’s how the final lost to the one I played.

Top 75:

75 Roll the Bones / Territories
74 Double Agent / Double Agent (right on the money here)
73 Prime Mover / Cut to the Chase
72 Open Secrets / Finding My Way
71 Test for Echo / Kid Gloves
70 Fly by Night / Red Sector A
69 Presto / Bravado
68 Countdown / [iTest For Echo[/i]
67 The Necromancer / Grand Designs
66 Emotion Detector / Marathon
65 Everyday Glory / Out of the Cradle
64 Show Don't Tell / Turn the Page
63 Something for Nothing / Trees
62 Driven / Caravan
61 Cut to the Chase / Lakeside Park
60 Cold Fire / Subdivisions
59 Bastille Day / Mission
58 A Passage to Bangkok / Circumstances
57 Different Strings / Prime Mover
56 Working Man / By-Tor and the Snow Dog
55 Clockwork Angels / Malignant Narcissism
54 New World Man / Freeze
53 Entre Nous / The Pass
52 Ghost of a Chance / The Enemy Within
51 Vital Signs / Heresy
50 Force Ten / Witch Hunt
49 The Enemy Within / Limelight
48 The Weapon / Different Strings
47 Digital Man / The Necromancer
46 Headlong Flight / Available Light
45 Circumstances / Where’s My Thing
44 Mission / One Little Victory
43 Closer to the Heart / A Passage to Bangkok
42 Caravan / Leave That Thing Alone
41 Bravado / Losing It
40 Leave That Thing Alone / Mystic Rhythms
39 Witch Hunt / Freewill
38 By-Tor and the Snow Dog / Countdown
37 Grand Designs / Distant Early Warning
36 Anthem / Manhattan Project
35 Mystic Rhythms / Anagram
34 Time Stand Still / You Bet Your Life
33 The Pass / Cygnus X-1
32 Dreamline / Animate
31 Middletown Dreams / Entre Nous
30 The Big Money / Working Man
29 Afterimage A Farewell to Kings
28 Animate / Hand Over Fist
27 The Garden / The Body Electric
26 A Farewell to Kings / Vital Signs
25 Losing It / The Spirit of Radio
24 Territories / Faithless
23 Cygnus X-1 / The Anarchist
22 Manhattan Project / Resist (the acoustic Rush in Rio version)
21 Red Sector A / The Main Monkey Business
20 Distant Early Warning / Anthem
19 Available Light / Bastille Day
18 The Trees / 2112
17 The Camera Eye / Headlong Flight
16 The Analog Kid / Tom Sawyer
15 Jacob's Ladder / Jacob’s Ladder (right on the money here, too)
14 Hemispheres / The Big Money
13 Between the Wheels / Chemistry
12 YYZ / Between the Wheels
11 Freewill / The Garden
10 Marathon / Red Barchetta
09 2112 / Xanadu
08 Limelight / Everyday Glory
07 Natural Science / YYZ
06 Tom Sawyer / La Villa Strangiato(right in the money again)
05 La Villa Strangiato / The Camera Eye
04 Red Barchetta / Middletown Dreams
03 The Spirit of Radio / Analog Kid
02 Xanadu / Hemispheres
01 Subdivisions / Natural Science

Ultimately, 19 songs were on my list that didn’t make it to the main list, which are Kid Gloves, Finding My Way, Out of the Cradle, Turn the Page, Lakeside Park, Malignant Narcissism, Freeze, Heresy,Where’s My Thing, One Little Victory, Anagram, You Bet Your Life, Hand Over Fist, The Body Electric, Faithless, The Anarchist, Resist, The Main Monkey Business and Chemistry.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: wolfking on April 03, 2022, 07:17:10 PM
Well said, wolfking.

I love how Rush often wrote songs using the conventional song structure, but did little tweaks that made them just a bit different, and yet they still worked.  Instead of singing the post-chorus line ("Any escape...") after the second chorus, they go into the solo, and then sing just that post-chorus line after the solo, never returning to the chorus, and go to the musical finish.  Just a bit different, but is brilliant in its execution.

YES!!!  Haha, that is fucking brilliant indeed!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!)
Post by: TAC on April 03, 2022, 07:45:41 PM

01 Subdivisions
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 16
Highest Ranking: 1 (wolfking)


Fuck, I win!!!!

(https://media.giphy.com/media/fDzM81OYrNjJC/giphy.gif)

 :lol :lol :lol :lol

TAC will be sending you your victory ice cream bars in a refrigerated truck by the end of next week.

I'll be waiting out the front for it too!

(https://c.tenor.com/zq9avk8LmBwAAAAd/ice-cream-truck-i-scream.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: jammindude on April 03, 2022, 09:32:20 PM
I had so looked forward to typing up my feedback today…but I’ve been dealing with some pretty hefty family drama all day, and I’m spent. I’ll spend some time in the man cave soon. I need it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Lethean on April 03, 2022, 09:32:52 PM
I wouldn't have guessed Subdivisions to be #1 but I do think it's an incredible song.

 
Well said, wolfking.

I love how Rush often wrote songs using the conventional song structure, but did little tweaks that made them just a bit different, and yet they still worked.  Instead of singing the post-chorus line ("Any escape...") after the second chorus, they go into the solo, and then sing just that post-chorus line after the solo, never returning to the chorus, and go to the musical finish.  Just a bit different, but is brilliant in its execution.

Also, this.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: nobloodyname on April 03, 2022, 11:39:15 PM
Thoroughly enjoyed ranking the songs and following the thread. Thank you to everyone who took part and, of course, the biggest thanks to Kev for managing the entire thing.

Hard to argue with Subdivisions. I just never get bored of hearing it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: devieira73 on April 04, 2022, 08:33:40 AM
So here’s how the final lost to the one I played.
 [...]
Ultimately, 19 songs were on my list that didn’t make it to the main list, which are Kid Gloves, Finding My Way, Out of the Cradle, Turn the Page, Lakeside Park, Malignant Narcissism, Freeze, Heresy,Where’s My Thing, One Little Victory, Anagram, You Bet Your Life, Hand Over Fist, The Body Electric, Faithless, The Anarchist, Resist, The Main Monkey Business and Chemistry.

With the exception of Limbo, all Rush's instrumentals made my list, with Villa at #2; YYZ at # 5; TMMB at #16 (yes, I think is THAT good - what's wrong with you, guys?! ;)); WsMT (even better with extended guitar solo live) at #35; and MN at #56 (ok, this one could be more worked out, but still really good the way it is - what a bass line!!).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 10 - PLEASE NO SPOTLIGHTING)
Post by: Stadler on April 04, 2022, 08:51:00 AM

04 Red Barchetta
Appeared on 25 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 1 (TAC)


03 The Spirit of Radio
Appeared on 24 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 13
Highest Ranking: 3 (The Realm)



Can I start off my saying I am astounded that The Spirit of Radio isn't on all 25 lists. Mind blown!


A couple people have said this: it's me, and I'm unapologetic about it. It's not like it was close either (I had it at #123).  It just doesn't grab me, and there are parts I really don't like (Geddy's vocal, the quasi-reggae breakdown).  I like the intro (both the guitar figure and when the band kicks in) but the rest falls flat for me. 
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Stadler on April 04, 2022, 08:58:15 AM
4. Red Barchetta:  #11   Great tune on an album of great tunes.   
3. Spirit Of Radio: #123   Yeah, that's me who left it off my list, and it's staying off.
2. Xanadu:  #16
1. Subdivisions:  #4   I LOVE this song; it has my favorite Neil fill of all time, too (the snare roll that ends the intro section).
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: jammindude on April 10, 2022, 03:10:05 PM
Ok....family drama prevented me from doing my post last weekend.  Studying for an certification exam at work kept me busy all week.  In short...my plate is so full.   But here we go.  My take on the sweet 16!!

16. The Analog Kid - Me #20

Excellent ranking for an excellent song.  This just serves to remind me what a brilliantly deep album Signals is.  I do think it could use a slightly more "punchy" remix, but it is what it is now.   Alex's guitar riff on this one in particular deserves to be a bit higher in the mix, but man what an incredible song.  Great riff.   And the part where Neil speeds up the tempo underneath the "...and the boy pulls down his baseball cap and covers up his eyes." part is pure goosebumps.

15. Jacob's Ladder - Me #6

This is the best example of a story being told through the music than almost anything in rock music.   If there were NO lyrics to this song at all, I would still know that it's about a thunder and lightning storm, and its aftermath.   The clapping sound (a vibra slap maybe?) on the one beat of "looming low and ominous" line is a perfect addition to symbolize a lightning strike.  And while some consider the middle section to be a slog, I consider it to be very gloomy and brooding...just like being in the storm.   Just a perfect song.   One thing that was never fully captured in the R40 video was the light show during the sunbeam section.   When they played it live (and if you had a second floor view looking down on the audience) there were "sunbeam" lights that came in from one side and made it look exactly like clouds had parted and the sun was breaking through on that part of the crowd.   It was amazing.

14. Hemispheres - Me #1

For SHAME!!!!   This low ranking truly bums me out.  I was hoping for #1, but I figured the odds were about 50/50.   But if you had told me that it wouldn't even make the top 10?  I would have said you were crazy.   This is quite possibly the greatest piece of rock music ever written by anyone period.    The message of balance was very appealing to a young mind that had a tendency to be an extremist, and saw the problems it sometimes caused.   So it's been something of guide for me in my life outlook.   Everything else I could say was probably already touched on in my earlier post.   But in short, it was a HUGE step up in songwriting from the largely patchworked 2112.   Hemispheres is the only side long that they ever did that truly sounded like a complete and cohesive "SONG".

13. Between the Wheels - Me #38

With this one, I'm actually a bit disappointed with my ranking...but the song does have a lot of competition.  Absolutely the best song on GUP.  And the mood is perfectly in harmony with the mood of the whole album.  Most of their album closers are very positive sounding songs.   This one is very dark and bleak, but that's GUP in a nutshell, so it works.

12. YYZ - Me #12

Hey!  I think this is the first song that I nailed the final ranking on!  Their second best instrumental of all time.  And the ESL version with the drum solo is the definitive version.  I think that's the only drum solo that I actually memorized note for note in my entire life.   Neil always talked about have a musicality to his drum solos and that one was probably the perfect example.    It wasn't until almost 20 years after the fact that I discovered (via an older interview) that the intro beat was morse code for YYZ.   I felt especially stupid because my dad was a ham radio and morse code nut...I probably could have won some points with my rock music if I had shown him that.

11. Freewill - Me #11

Hey!   Two in a row!!  I'm on a roll!    :metal   This and TSOR are probably the main reason I consider PeW to be a better introduction to what Rush is all about than MP.    Even though Tom Sawyer is certainly career defining (and certainly hooked me on the first listen) I just think that the one two punch of TSOR and Freewill to be a bit more happy and accessible and yet still very much musically complex.   The instrumental bridge is pretty much Rush encapsulated. 

10. Marathon - Me #10

Ok...three in a row?  Now it's just funny! :rollin :rollin :rollin  My 2nd favorite from Power Windows.  Very worthy of the top 10 showing.   And it's true what has been said previously...the studio version is excellent, but it absolutely goes to another level live. 

9. 2112 - Me #25

I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the top 10 showing.   It's classic, and I love the individual bits, but on the whole, it really doesn't feel like a complete song the way Hemispheres does.   The stop/starts are similar to TFOL and it takes away from the pace of the "song" quite a bit.   But definitely the opening 2 parts and the ending 2 parts are phenomenal.

8. Limelight - Me #19

Another one that I wish I had ranked a bit higher.   But it's also the perfect example of how impossible it is to come up with even a top 20 for such an amazing catalog.  Absolutely one of Alex's finest solos and the lyrics being Neil's "love letter" of a sort to his audience is really something.   It's just seemed to say, "I understand...but I don't know you.  So please understand me."

7. Natural Science - Me #2

This song actually has a pretty big following around these parts, so I'm a bit surprised it didn't make the top 5.  As much as I enjoyed seeing it live on a couple of occasions, I've always been slightly bummed by the altered version.  I really enjoy all 3 verses of the Permanent Waves section of the song, and I think the lyrics flow into each other really well.   It always feels like something is missing when they leave one out.  But the original is about as perfect as it gets.

6. Tom Sawyer - Me #14

Ah yes.  The one that started it all.   I heard this for the first time when someone brought a copy to the last day of school (a free day) in the 6th grade.   That opening synth intro hit me like a lead brick that I still feel to this very day.   I was in love immediately, and I begged my parents to get me the album.   My parents were very conservative, and monitored my music habits closely, but they were unable to find anything particularly objectionable about these three nice boys from Canada, so Moving Pictures became the very first album I ever bought that summer.   Still one of the best albums in all classic rock.   Usually, the most popular album by a band is often considered to be not really their artistic best.   But there were a few rare moments when the public "got it right".    Moving Pictures is among those rare "lightning in a bottle" albums.

5. La Villa Strangiato - Me #3

This is the song that I ever so reluctantly bumped Territories down to #4 for.  It was extremely difficult, but in the end, I do feel it was the correct decision.   This is Rush at their instrumental zenith.   I don't think I've ever tired of this song.  Peak performance by all 3 of them. 

4. Red Barchetta - Me #7

My favorite and highest ranking MP track makes the top 5.   Niiiiiiice.   Another great example of the music telling as much of the story as the lyrics do.    And the story really drives it.   I believe it was Neil's last point blank narrative story until Clockwork Angels.   My favorite part part is immediately after the guitar solo when they go back into the main driving riff just before the last verse.   On one tour (don't remember which one off the top of my head) they took it waaaaaayyyy down and lengthened it up and I thought the "tension building" of that was so perfect for the song.  Not sure it would have worked on the studio version proper, but I always remember thinking that in a live setting it felt like an improvement.

3. The Spirit of Radio - Me #9

Stadler...I never questioned your tastes...not ever....until now.    Seriously?   I just do not get how any Rush fan cannot have this in their top 20 at a bare minimum.   And even if it were in the upper teens I'd be shocked.   This song might be one of the "happiest" prog rock songs ever.   Right up there with Turn It On by Genesis (and I think TSOR is superior in that department).   That's probably why I think that it's a better "first song" for someone who hasn't heard Rush than even Tom Sawyer.    This song is so much fun.  And it's great when you're driving.

2. Xanadu - Me #5

There was a time when I had burnt out on this a bit.  But my brother has been sharing Rick Beato videos with me lately, and when Rick did a breakdown of every bit and layer of Xanadu and what makes it such a gem, I was transported back to when I first fell in love with it.   And yet, it wasn't instant.    I was still a pretty new Rush fan when I picked up ESL, and I wasn't accustomed to longer songs yet.   But I loved Broon's Bane and the Trees, which of course, seamlessly led into Xanadu.   So it took a few spins for a 13yr old mind to wrap his head around.  But once I "got it", A Farewell to Kings became my next album purchase.   Another great memory of this song.   My first "Laser Rush" at the local Laserium at the Pacific Science Center.   It opened with Xanadu and it was AMAZING!    It was loud and it was incredible.   I remember that when the power chords hit about the 2 minute mark, an album cover would come flying towards you.  Every power chord, a new album cover came flying at your face....Rush, FBN, COS, 2112, ATWAS, AFTK, Hemi, PeW, MP, ESL, and Signals (the only albums released at the time)...then on the last one, the Starman symbol just hovered in the air.   It took my break away.

1. Subdivisions - Me #8

Really shocked this made it to #1.   But I'm not disappointed.   It's just really surprising.   The lyrics are among my favorite in Neil's entire catalog.   They perfectly capture the spirit of being young and dissatisfied with being away from the city...and then wanting nothing else but to get away from the city once you've been there.   Also, the idea of not fitting in certainly resonated with just about everyone in Rush's core fanbase.  And again, not to beat a dead horse here, but this was a great example of Rush going the synth route, but not sacrificing honesty and musicianship in the process.  There is **A LOT** going on in just the into of this song.   They did not dumb down their music just because they introduced synthesizers, and I think most people got that, which is why the synth era is still loved by many fans. 


WHEW!!  I did it!   I'll try to take some time to post my full list along with some more thoughts later.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 10, 2022, 07:42:13 PM
Great thoughts, jammindude! Better late than never!!  :tup :tup

And go easy on Stadler for not ranking The Spirit of Radio.  He does like Kiss, after all...;)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: nick_z on April 10, 2022, 07:46:33 PM
Yes, great write-up!

Well, since this caused a mini-resurrection of the thread, I'm going to post my top 10...hadn't done it yet...

 1   Natural Science
 2   Red Barchetta
 3   La Villa Strangiato
 4   Tom Sawyer
 5   The Spirit Of Radio
 6   Subdivisions
 7   Xanadu
 8   Animate
 9   Limelight
10  Middletown Dreams
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: TAC on April 10, 2022, 07:48:07 PM

Stadler...I never questioned your tastes...not ever....until now.

Speaking of better late then never..

We've all been questioning Stadler's tastes for years now! :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on April 10, 2022, 07:48:25 PM
Great thoughts, jammindude! Better late than never!!  :tup :tup

And go easy on Stadler for not ranking The Spirit of Radio.  He does like Kiss, after all...;)

I like e KISS too .  Come at me brah! :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 10, 2022, 07:50:48 PM


We've all been questioning Stadler's tastes for years now! :lol

The bad news is that he likes Kiss.

The good news is that he likes Taylor Swift.

(https://turntable.kagiso.io/images/Screen_Shot_2018-08-07_at_11.42.05_AM.width-800.png)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 10, 2022, 07:51:52 PM


I like e KISS too .  Come at me brah! :lol

You'll get yours at Morsefest. :P :P
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on April 10, 2022, 07:55:47 PM
I can't wait to hug you then drop you on my signature move the DDT.  LOL.

My wife and I are just thrilled to be there.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 10, 2022, 07:56:17 PM
I'm too old to take a bump. :lol :lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: TAC on April 10, 2022, 07:57:14 PM
He's so light on his feet now, you won't even feel it.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: King Postwhore on April 10, 2022, 08:00:25 PM
I'm too old to take a bump. :lol :lol

No shit.  Love tou bud. Lol
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Cool Chris on April 10, 2022, 10:24:38 PM
I'm too old to take a bump. :lol :lol

(https://c.tenor.com/m2CK7BoR9J4AAAAM/vince-mcmahon-stunner.gif)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Stadler on April 11, 2022, 06:45:24 AM

Stadler...I never questioned your tastes...not ever....until now.

Speaking of better late then never..

We've all been questioning Stadler's tastes for years now! :lol

Don't go into the Maiden thread, then. There's about a page and a half about the 80's era and the reunion era, and I disagree with basically every opinion there!  :) :) :)

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: DragonAttack on April 22, 2022, 10:22:25 AM
Ok....family drama prevented me from doing my post last weekend.  Studying for an certification exam at work kept me busy all week.  In short...my plate is so full.   But here we go.  My take on the sweet 16!!

snipped

WHEW!!  I did it!   I'll try to take some time to post my full list along with some more thoughts later.

I really enjoyed all of your detailed write ups in this countdown.  Gave me a lot to think over, and look at some tunes in a different light.

Been meaning to post some follow up comments for weeks.  I felt pretty good for the most part on how my rankings matched up with others.  41 of my Top
Fifty made it, 56 of 75 total.  I nailed three, missed four others by one spot, a couple others by two, 22 of my Top 50 were within ten spots, 27 of the Top 50 within fifteen. 

The nine in the Top 50 that didn't make it were:

14.   Before And After  (Rush)
20.   Second Nature  (Hold Your Fire)
23.   What You're Doing  (Rush)
28.   Faithless  (Snakes And Arrows)
29.   Cinderella Man  (A Farewell To Kings)
35.   In The End  (Fly By Night)
41.   Beneath, Between & Behind  (Fly By Night)
43.   Finding My Way    (Rush)
45.   In The Mood  (Rush)
46.   Stick It Out   (Counterparts)

With a couple more 'older' respondents, and picking one hundred songs, I would assume that most (all?) of these would have made it. I have to listen to 'Before And After' just for the Pavlovian lead in for 'Working Man'.  Surprised 'Second Nature' didn't make it.

And just so you don't think the 'experienced' guy couldn't like the newer releases, 'Far Cry', 'The Main Monkey Business', 'Faithless', and 'Working Them Angels' from ‘Snakes And Arrows’ made my list.  The latter three are all on my third 'best of Rush' disc.

(I didn't do a breakdown of my DT list.  Probably just a handful didn't make it.  The Van Halen is going to be so unpredictable.  I might have fifteen that make it, I might have forty.  Absolutely no clue.)

Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: HOF on April 22, 2022, 10:34:12 AM
I'm not one to shy a way from sentimentality or ballads, but Second Nature is too syrupy even for my tastes!
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: Stadler on April 22, 2022, 10:58:19 AM
I'm not one to shy a way from sentimentality or ballads, but Second Nature is too syrupy even for my tastes!

I friggin' LOVE that song.  What a beautiful melody.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 22, 2022, 05:08:31 PM
I can safely say that I had done my current re-listen of their whole catalogue, which is almost finished, now instead of two months ago, Freeze and Nocturne both would have been in my top 50, and Earthshine and Vapor Trail would have been top 75 for sure.  Shame on me for having zero VT songs on my top 75.  :( :(
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: TAC on April 22, 2022, 05:20:30 PM
I can safely say that I had done my current re-listen of their whole catalogue, which is almost finished, now instead of two months ago, Freeze and Nocturne both would have been in my top 50, and Earthshine and Vapor Trail would have been top 75 for sure.  Shame on me for having zero VT songs on my top 75.  :( :(

Even I had 3 or 4 of them.

You can say it..."My list was not as good as TAC's". ;)
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: KevShmev on April 22, 2022, 05:21:57 PM
Why would anybody ever say that?
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: HOF on April 22, 2022, 05:43:48 PM
I can safely say that I had done my current re-listen of their whole catalogue, which is almost finished, now instead of two months ago, Freeze and Nocturne both would have been in my top 50, and Earthshine and Vapor Trail would have been top 75 for sure.  Shame on me for having zero VT songs on my top 75.  :( :(

Shame! Vapor Trail, Freeze, and Earthsine were all in my top 50. Nocturne might have made a top 100, not sure. It’s a good song though.
Title: Re: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)
Post by: pg1067 on April 23, 2022, 02:20:25 PM
You can say it..."My list was not as good as TAC's". ;)

Why would anybody ever say that?

Truth hurts.   :biggrin: