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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: KevShmev on May 18, 2023, 06:17:23 PM
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Alright, let's do this. We will count down the Rush studio albums of original material, which means we are leaving Feedback out.
The rules:
-Albums must be listed from 19 to 1 in order (in reverse order), with no ties. No having three albums at number 1 or anything like that. DO NOT list your albums with the points total. List them in your order (I will figure out the points on my end).
-Any list submitted with the albums not numbered will be ignored.
-Anyone wanting to submit a list must do so by the end of day, Saturday, June 3rd. I will then begin the countdown shortly thereafter.
-The list will be tallied numerically in a simple way. On each list, whatever album is at number 1 gets 19 points, number 2 gets 18 points, number 3 gets 17 points, etc.
-PROOFREAD YOUR LISTS BEFORE SENDING THEM. Any list with the same album mentioned twice will be not be counted.
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 if you have too much difficulty making one on your own. You can input all of the albums you want, and then you pick your favorite of every 1 on 1 matchup and then it spits out your list.
https://rankingengine.pubmeeple.com/
The list:
19 Rush
18 Snakes & Arrows
17 Caress of Steel
16 Test for Echo
15 Vapor Trails
14 Roll the Bones
13 Fly by Night
12 Hold Your Fire
11 Presto
10 Clockwork Angels
09 Counterparts
08 Grace Under Pressure
07 2112
06 Signals
05 Power Windows
04 A Farewell to Kings
03 Hemispheres
02 Permanent Waves
01 Moving Pictures
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Nice. I'm in.
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I could probably rank a top third, possibly half, but I don't have enough time sunk into the bottom half to properly place them, so I think I'll sit this one out and watch.
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Yes good
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In to help determine all the runners up to Power Windows!
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You mean 2nd to Last Place?
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Should be fun!
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Ooo this one I'm excited about, i'll work on my list over the next week or so.
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Alright, I've been looking for a reason for years to revisit the half of their discography I've only heard a handful of times; this will be it. Don't know if I'll get through everything before the deadline, but I'll submit something working with what I have, and at least listen to everything by the end of the countdown.
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Nice one. In for sure. Will be very interesting to see how it plays out as there are some really different opinions on the Rush catalogue I have read here over the years (ie PW is the best album of all time to PW is the worst album of all time).
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What about someone who believes both that PW is the best album of all time and that PW is the worst album of all time?
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What about someone who believes both that PW is the best album of all time and that PW is the worst album of all time?
Ha! Well that is part of the dilemma and what will make this countdown very interesting - you still have to rank it somewhere!
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I could probably rank a top third, possibly half, but I don't have enough time sunk into the bottom half to properly place them, so I think I'll sit this one out and watch.
Same here. For me there is a massive drop-off after the top half. Might give this a go. Definitely following.
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Oh I'm in. I need to revisit some of the albums from the latter part of their discography though. I tend to focus on their 1975-1982 period a lot more.
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Oh yeah, this will be nice.
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I’m in. I could do this without a register, but it provides a reason to do a discography run over the next couple of weeks.
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In and sent.
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In and sent.
Ditto.
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My list is sent in. The top five were pretty close and I could have swapped 2nd-3rd-4th on any given day but had to settle eventually. Looking forward to seeing everyone else's lists!
-Marc.
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List sent.
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Hell yeah! The timing couldn't be better as I finally went on a Rush deep dive last month. I especially love their mid-'80s material and so I hope those albums do well!
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My list is sent in. The top five were pretty close and I could have swapped 2nd-3rd-4th on any given day but had to settle eventually. Looking forward to seeing everyone else's lists!
My top 4 could go in almost any order, and same with 5-8. The bottom 5 were easiest.
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I actually thought the Bottom 5 were the hardest to rank.
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My bottom two were clear going in, as was the identity of 15-17. The order of 15-17 could theoretically be different, but I wasn't going to worry too much about the bottom 5.
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I’m actually having a big problem with the first four.
They’ve actually ended up being grouped together at a certain level in the ranking…but in shuffling things around, it’s difficult to put them in order. I have a very strong affection for each of those albums in a different way, but no matter what order I put them in I feel like something should be either higher or lower.
I think I’ve decided that FBN is my least favorite of the bunch. But saying that sounds ludicrous because it was Neil’s debut and there are several songs that blow away anything on the first album, but there’s also some duds and I consider the first album to be more consistent. I’m glad we have another week because I have to give this more consideration.
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List sent!
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I think I’ve decided that FBN is my least favorite of the bunch.
No spotlighting! :P
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I think I’ve decided that FBN is my least favorite of the bunch.
No spotlighting! :P
Nobody will guess my #1. Lol
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I think I’ve decided that FBN is my least favorite of the bunch.
No spotlighting! :P
Nobody will guess my #1. Lol
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ec/db/29/ecdb295825f2a19c6ba9fd93b53e3b86.jpg)
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:lol
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Just for clarification, I was only saying FBN might be my least favorite *of the first four*. I intentionally left out where those four albums will land within my ranking. They could be 1-4 or they could be 16-19. Or even possibly spread out among the list.
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I actually thought the Bottom 5 were the hardest to rank.
My top 6 are solid, and fun to rank; then the next 4 were slotted fairly easily. The bottom 4 fell in to place without much thought. Now the remaining 6 I have no idea what to do with.
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I didn’t have any trouble with the bottom 4 on my list or the top 4 on my list. The 11 in the middle are a bit more fluid (though I’d say the top 11 are pretty clear).
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Oh I'm in. I need to revisit some of the albums from the latter part of their discography though. I tend to focus on their 1975-1982 period a lot more.
This is me exactly, will definitely participate.
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13 lists so far. I will be surprised if we do not get to 30+ for this one. :tup :tup
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Didn’t think I would need the ranker, but since I was having some problems in a couple of spots, I decided to run it through the ranker to see what I came up with. It was shockingly similar to the list that I had made freehand with just a few minor adjustments that I actually liked. So…list sent.
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Okay, my list is sent!
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13 lists so far. I will be surprised if we do not get to 30+ for this one. :tup :tup
You'll absolutely get one from me. Later this week, early next.
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List sent
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List sent! Thank you, Kev!
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13 lists so far. I will be surprised if we do not get to 30+ for this one. :tup :tup
You'll absolutely get one from me. Later this week, early next.
Does it start like this?
1. Roll the Bones
2. Test For Echo
3. Snakes and Arrows
4. Caress of Steel...
;) ;D
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My guess from Stads:
Hold Your Fire is #1
Moving Pictures is #19
:biggrin: :lol
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Sent.
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13 lists so far. I will be surprised if we do not get to 30+ for this one. :tup :tup
You'll absolutely get one from me. Later this week, early next.
This.
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Sent. My top 5 are miles ahead of the pack, without much separation between them. Then some nostalgia kicked in to fill out the remainder of the Top 10. Finally the rest of the list just fell in to place. Looking forward to see the final forum rankings.
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SENT
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For me, the easiest to rank were the last 3 or 4 lol
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For me, the easiest to rank were the last 3 or 4 lol
Top 5 and the last 2 were the easiest for myself.
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My guess from Stads:
Hold Your Fire is #1
Moving Pictures is #19
:biggrin: :lol
Haha. My problem is, there's a list somewhere here where I did this already. The trick is to be fairly faithful to that. I know generally where every album is going to be, it's just the fine tweaks - "Signals", or "A Farewell To Kings"?
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My guess from Stads:
Hold Your Fire is #1
Moving Pictures is #19
:biggrin: :lol
Haha. My problem is, there's a list somewhere here where I did this already. The trick is to be fairly faithful to that. I know generally where every album is going to be, it's just the fine tweaks - "Signals", or "A Farewell To Kings"?
Yeah...I think a lot of us have posted Rush album lists over the years. I have no idea if what I submitted matches any such list I may have posted. And parsing between some albums is even more difficult when they sound almost nothing alike. It's pretty easy to choose between FBN and COS, but choosing between FBN and VT is MUCH more difficult.
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My guess from Stads:
Hold Your Fire is #1
Moving Pictures is #19
:biggrin: :lol
Haha. My problem is, there's a list somewhere here where I did this already. The trick is to be fairly faithful to that. I know generally where every album is going to be, it's just the fine tweaks - "Signals", or "A Farewell To Kings"?
Yeah...I think a lot of us have posted Rush album lists over the years. I have no idea if what I submitted matches any such list I may have posted. And parsing between some albums is even more difficult when they sound almost nothing alike. It's pretty easy to choose between FBN and COS, but choosing between FBN and VT is MUCH more difficult.
And also, a lot of us have probably grown and changed as we've aged, so our tastes might have slightly tweaked where we place other albums. Because of my recent Rush binge (which may have inadvertently jumpstarted this whole thing), I placed COS higher than I would've just a year ago, as I've grown an appreciate for some albums and felt a bit less enthused by others. I also haven't really listened to much Rush beyond HYF lately, so my list might have been skewed more towards their pre-90s albums, which I think might be the case for most Rush fans anyway.
-Marc.
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I'm in! List in a few days.
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In to help determine all the runners up to Power Windows!
I love Power Windows. Not as much as Tim does but close. :lol
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I'm in! List in a few days.
Then you're technically still out. :lol
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I'm in! List in a few days.
Then you're technically still out. :lol
(https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/af9cfbda-ad58-4b3a-89a7-e395e7f74bd9.02c2aa91210a98c85b3c2444deaa9181.jpeg?odnHeight=612&odnWidth=612&odnBg=FFFFFF)
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#19 Power Windows
Appeared on 1 of 27 lists
Top 10 Finishes 0
Highest Ranker Kingshmegland (#19)
(https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/af9cfbda-ad58-4b3a-89a7-e395e7f74bd9.02c2aa91210a98c85b3c2444deaa9181.jpeg?odnHeight=612&odnWidth=612&odnBg=FFFFFF)
You running the thread now?
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I'm suing for slander Tim. That's heresy.
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Actually, it's bravado which blows too.
The bat signal is strong tonight. :lol
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:lol
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Can’t wait to see Tim whine when he sees how high it finishes. :lol :corn
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Doing my part to keep it low!
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Can’t wait to see Tim whine when he sees how high it finishes. :lol :corn
Its one of my favorite Rush albums. Hold Your Fire as well. My top 5 are classics but I don't understand the hate on PW.
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#19 Power Windows
Appeared on 1 of 27 lists
Top 10 Finishes 0
Highest Ranker Kingshmegland (#19)
(https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/af9cfbda-ad58-4b3a-89a7-e395e7f74bd9.02c2aa91210a98c85b3c2444deaa9181.jpeg?odnHeight=612&odnWidth=612&odnBg=FFFFFF)
You running the thread now?
No, I would have it higher than 19. I hope everyone ranks this one top 10. :biggrin:
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Can’t wait to see Tim whine when he sees how high it finishes. :lol :corn
And how I cock wall over him when he's crying on the ground from throwing a hissy fit.
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My guess from Stads:
Hold Your Fire is #1
Moving Pictures is #19
:biggrin: :lol
Haha. My problem is, there's a list somewhere here where I did this already. The trick is to be fairly faithful to that. I know generally where every album is going to be, it's just the fine tweaks - "Signals", or "A Farewell To Kings"?
Yeah...I think a lot of us have posted Rush album lists over the years. I have no idea if what I submitted matches any such list I may have posted. And parsing between some albums is even more difficult when they sound almost nothing alike. It's pretty easy to choose between FBN and COS, but choosing between FBN and VT is MUCH more difficult.
Ultimately, if I had trouble deciding between two albums, I just asked myself, "Which album do I listen to more these days?"
Bill used the "Signals or A Farewell to Kings?" example, and for me, while my immediate thought would be, "Oh, A Farewell to Kings is better," in the last few years, I have listened to Signals far more often than AFTK, so that was the tiebreaker for me in instances like that.
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13 lists so far. I will be surprised if we do not get to 30+ for this one. :tup :tup
Would that be more than the DT album ranking participants? That would kinda be a shame actually.
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I'm just curious to see if anyone ranks Test for Echo higher than I do lol
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I'm just curious to see if anyone ranks Test for Echo higher than I do lol
I loved the album when it came out, but it hasn't aged as well as some of the other mid-tier albums.
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Before submitting, I briefly considered putting POW at number one just to purposely skew the results but I decided against it... or did I? I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens... ;) :lol
-Marc.
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Well, some fans didn't have to purposely skew with the list. ;D
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Can’t wait to see Tim whine when he sees how high it finishes. :lol :corn
:rollin
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Before submitting, I briefly considered putting POW at number one just to purposely skew the results but I decided against it... or did I? I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens... ;) :lol
-Marc.
Tim's doing that too, just have to add a 9 to that 1.
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Sent.
Top 10 was pretty easy. The next 8 were a little challenging - they've all got their strengths and weaknesses, and I could probably interchange any of them.. The caboose was a no brainer.
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devieira73, FYI, I did receive yours, but your Inbox was full, so I was unable to send you back the confirmation message.
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Really trying to give this a fresh go, and I am, for the first time in a LONG time... reevaluating what my favorite Rush album is.
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#19 20 Power Windows
Appeared on 1 of 27 lists
Top 10 Finishes 0
Highest Ranker Kingshmegland (#19)
You running the thread now?
Don't forget Feedback.
/s
Or is it? :biggrin:
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I'm just curious to see if anyone ranks Test for Echo higher than I do lol
It’s solidly in my top 10.
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Really trying to give this a fresh go, and I am, for the first time in a LONG time... reevaluating what my favorite Rush album is.
(https://media0.giphy.com/media/3o6MbsT5NgoQAUldPq/giphy.gif)
#19 20 Power Windows
Appeared on 1 of 27 lists
Top 10 Finishes 0
Highest Ranker Kingshmegland (#19)
You running the thread now?
Don't forget Feedback.
Don't forget to read the VERY FIRST SENTENCE OF THE OP!! :lol :lol
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I'm just curious to see if anyone ranks Test for Echo higher than I do lol
It’s solidly in my top 10.
You win.
Oh well.
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Before submitting, I briefly considered putting POW at number one just to purposely skew the results but I decided against it... or did I? I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens... ;) :lol
-Marc.
Tim's doing that too, just have to add a 9 to that 1.
So it'll be placed at 10th, right? 9+1=10 ;)
Tenth place is still too low for POW though...
-Marc.
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List sent. Top five and bottom five were pretty easy. The rest were pretty interchangable.
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Don't forget to read the VERY FIRST SENTENCE OF THE OP!! :lol :lol
Yeah..yeah...I know.
Tenth place is still too low way too high for POW though...
Agree.
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As I revisit the late 80s and 90s material, I'm getting more interested to see how the order shakes out. Like everyone, I have a pretty good guess of what the top five or so will be, and the bottom few, but I really have no idea how the middle will go.
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List sent. This was harder than I had anticipated.
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Actually, it's bravado which blows too.
The bat signal is strong tonight. :lol
(https://media1.tenor.com/images/bb97509595b0efa14f7189028c62c575/tenor.gif?itemid=18367330)
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Tenth place is still too low way too high for POW though...
Agree.
When we did the top 75, the resulting album ranking from aggregating the songs' rankings put Power Windows in the #2 spot...just sayin' :biggrin: It was a triumph all around!
Btw - list sent!
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(https://i.postimg.cc/dtSJkj8V/20230525212732.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/2Vvsgvcs)
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:rollin :rollin :rollin
Best Rush album ever!! :lol
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:rollin :rollin
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:lol :lol
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29 lists already received and accepted!
The Dream Theater studio albums countdown had 65 total, and I doubt this will catch that, but I suspect we will get close to 40 or so by the time June 3rd is over. :hat :hat
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(https://i.postimg.cc/dtSJkj8V/20230525212732.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/2Vvsgvcs)
:lol
But the original cover is still my second fave Rush, just behind and close to GUP's. :heart
Hugh, where were you on these last decades?! You really did some amazing covers...
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That's some wicked Zydar level shoops :tup
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(https://i.postimg.cc/dtSJkj8V/20230525212732.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/2Vvsgvcs)
:lol
But the original cover is still my second fave Rush, just behind and close to GUP's. :heart
Hugh, where were you on these last decades?! You really did some amazing covers...
I'd love to see a list of albums BY COVER. They have some outstanding covers; I know Hugh Syme takes a lot of shit around here, but I disagree with a lot of it. I LIKE their art (even something abstract like Counterparts or HYF). As horrible as the album is, Grace Under Pressure is one of my favorite album covers of all time, by any band. The only one's I actively dislike are the first album and Clockwork Angels.
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I'd love to see a list of albums BY COVER. They have some outstanding covers; I know Hugh Syme takes a lot of shit around here, but I disagree with a lot of it. I LIKE their art (even something abstract like Counterparts or HYF). As horrible as the album is, Grace Under Pressure is one of my favorite album covers of all time, by any band. The only one's I actively dislike are the first album and Clockwork Angels.
I love Syme’s work for Rush (for the most part). It’s his stuff with DT that I find somewhat Thomas Kinkade-ish.
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I'd love to see a list of albums BY COVER. They have some outstanding covers; I know Hugh Syme takes a lot of shit around here, but I disagree with a lot of it. I LIKE their art (even something abstract like Counterparts or HYF). As horrible as the album is, Grace Under Pressure is one of my favorite album covers of all time, by any band. The only one's I actively dislike are the first album and Clockwork Angels.
I love Syme’s work for Rush (for the most part). It’s his stuff with DT that I find somewhat Thomas Kinkade-ish.
Did Thomas Kinkade invent Color Forms?
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Did Thomas Kinkade use Shutterstock?
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Who's Thomas Kinkade and what does "Thomas Kinkade-ish" mean in this context?
EDIT: Kitsch?
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Thomas Kinkade was a painter of kitschy, mid-quality paintings that were heavily mass-marketed. There were stores selling his prints in a lot of shopping malls during the 2000s.
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Who's Thomas Kinkade and what does "Thomas Kinkade-ish" mean in this context?
EDIT: Kitsch?
Yeah, that’s the word I was looking for!
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Thomas Kinkade was a painter of kitschy, mid-quality paintings that were heavily mass-marketed. There were stores selling his prints in a lot of shopping malls during the 2000s.
Now tell me who invented elevator music so I can go on a rampage.
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(https://i.postimg.cc/dtSJkj8V/20230525212732.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/2Vvsgvcs)
:lol
But the original cover is still my second fave Rush, just behind and close to GUP's. :heart
Hugh, where were you on these last decades?! You really did some amazing covers...
I'd love to see a list of albums BY COVER. They have some outstanding covers; I know Hugh Syme takes a lot of shit around here, but I disagree with a lot of it. I LIKE their art (even something abstract like Counterparts or HYF). As horrible as the album is, Grace Under Pressure is one of my favorite album covers of all time, by any band. The only one's I actively dislike are the first album and Clockwork Angels.
They do have some great album covers. I have a Grace Under Pressure t-shirt, because I love the cover (and album too!). I want a Fly By Night album t-shirt, because I like that one a lot too and would totally rock that shirt.
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(https://i.postimg.cc/PrNrHH11/20230526123945.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/fJnh762b)
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Oh boy. :lol
Can't wait to see the Hemisphere's cover!
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You know where your face is going. :lol
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:lol
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I'd love to see a list of albums BY COVER.
I wouldn't mind doing that, but I think I'd have a very hard time separating the cover from the music inside. Either way, Power Windows is probably bottom 5.
Who's Thomas Kinkade and what does "Thomas Kinkade-ish" mean in this context?
EDIT: Kitsch?
Random fact, two of my friends used to work for a local company that created replica Kinkade paintings (one of my friends dated the step-daughter of the company's owner). They'd basically take posters and coat them with chemicals, transfer the print onto canvas, and then someone would add actual paint embellishments by hand. The guy who dated the owner's step-daughter left the company, but my other friend (and another guy) eventually bought out the company. I recall hearing some stories about Kinkade that weren't terribly flattering.
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Stories like this (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kinkade#Personal_conduct)?
The Los Angeles Times reported that some of Kinkade's former colleagues, employees, and even collectors of his work said that he had a long history of cursing and heckling other artists and performers. The Times further reported that he openly fondled a woman's breasts at a South Bend, Indiana sales event, and alleged his proclivity for ritual territory marking by urination, once relieving himself on a Winnie the Pooh figure at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim while saying, "This one's for you, Walt."[40][41] In a letter to licensed gallery owners acknowledging he might have behaved badly during a stressful time when he overindulged in food and drink, Kinkade said accounts of the alcohol-related incidents included "exaggerated, and in some cases outright fabricated personal accusations". The letter did not address any incident specifically.[41]
In 2006, John Dandois, Media Arts Group executive, recounted a story that on one occasion six years previously, Kinkade became drunk at a Siegfried & Roy magic show in Las Vegas and began shouting "Codpiece! Codpiece!" at the performers. Eventually he was calmed by his mother.[40] Dandois also said of Kinkade, "Thom would be fine, he would be drinking, and then all of a sudden, you couldn't tell where the boundary was, and then he became very incoherent, and he would start cussing and doing a lot of weird stuff."[40] In June 2010, Kinkade was arrested in Carmel, California, for driving while under the influence of alcohol. He was later convicted.[21][42][43]
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I don't remember anything specific, but that's not inconsistent with the tenor of what I remember.
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DT WDADU cover rivals Power Windows. I wish the kid on PW was sniffing his arm pit! :lol
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DT WDADU cover rivals Power Windows. I wish the kid on PW was sniffing his arm pit! :lol
He doesn't have to because the stench is obvious.
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DT WDADU cover rivals Power Windows. I wish the kid on PW was sniffing his arm pit! :lol
He doesn't have to because the stench is obvious.
Is that you on WDADU cover? Someone please do that one. :lol
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DT WDADU cover rivals Power Windows. I wish the kid on PW was sniffing his arm pit! :lol
He doesn't have to because the stench is obvious.
You do know my photoshop skills. :lol
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DT WDADU cover rivals Power Windows. I wish the kid on PW was sniffing his arm pit! :lol
He doesn't have to because the stench is obvious.
You do know my photoshop skills. :lol
Yeah but can you put Tim's thigh on Accept Balls To The Wall?
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:lol
:facepalm:
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DT WDADU cover rivals Power Windows. I wish the kid on PW was sniffing his arm pit! :lol
He doesn't have to because the stench is obvious.
You do know my photoshop skills. :lol
Yeah but can you put Tim's thigh on Accept Balls To The Wall?
I can put his head on Wendy O. Williams body on the album cover of W.O.W.
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DT WDADU cover rivals Power Windows. I wish the kid on PW was sniffing his arm pit! :lol
He doesn't have to because the stench is obvious.
You do know my photoshop skills. :lol
Yeah but can you put Tim's thigh on Accept Balls To The Wall?
I can put his head on Wendy O. Williams body on the album cover of W.O.W.
You wouldn't! :biggrin:
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Yes I would. Lol
(https://i.postimg.cc/nVqv6BJV/20230526204535.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/c64g3KCP)
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I'm so hot!!!
My face is prettier too. :lol
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Yes I would. Lol
(https://i.postimg.cc/nVqv6BJV/20230526204535.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/c64g3KCP)
:rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin
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I'm so hot!!!
My face is prettier too. :lol
:lol :lol :lol
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I'm so hot!!!
My face is prettier too. :lol
(https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.ac5cd7c2a792ceca0c2e143b9f03431f?rik=XpVcJVB1dQLT%2fA&pid=ImgRaw&r=0)
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Jesus Christ! What the fuck have I walked into?
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Jesus Christ! What the fuck have I walked into?
(https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExZjQ1Y2UzZGMwM2ZiMDdkZTBlMDZiODI2MTFlNjNkYTI4YThmNjRlMyZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZzX2dpZklkJmN0PWc/koPSBhdvbCD4c/giphy.gif)
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DT WDADU cover rivals Power Windows. I wish the kid on PW was sniffing his arm pit! :lol
He doesn't have to because the stench is obvious.
You do know my photoshop skills. :lol
Yeah but can you put Tim's thigh on Accept Balls To The Wall?
Please, god, NO! :) :) :) :)
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(https://i.imgur.com/Wo9xApB.jpg)
"Begin the day with a friendly voice...."
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I really do have great legs! :lol
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My god, pull your skirt down, man!
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My god, pull your skirt down, man!
Made you look, didn’t I? ;D
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Hmmmm, I may need to use these TAC-friendly album covers as the featured ones when I do the countdown and list each album. :P :lol
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My god, pull your skirt down, man!
Made you look, didn’t I? ;D
Entre nous…. yes you did! Nice legs, though Jacob’s ladder might be peeking out a bit….
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Hmmmm, I may need to use these TAC-friendly album covers as the featured ones when I do the countdown and list each album. :P :lol
I'm your huckleberry. Lol
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(https://i.imgur.com/Wo9xApB.jpg)
"Begin the day with a friendly voice...."
:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol
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:lol :lol :lol
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Five days left to submit a list!
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I've been trying to get through Rush's discography so I can contribute here. There are a few albums I just don't know well at all, so I'll do my best listen to those this week and then spin up a list. :millahhhh
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I'll be in a day or two as well. I just need to get through Vapor Trails and Snakes & Arrows on my run through the albums I don't know as well.
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I'll be in a day or two as well. I just need to get through Vapor Trails and Snakes & Arrows on my run through the albums I don't know as well.
Allow me to steer your attention to the criminally underrated back half of Vapor Trails.
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I'll be in a day or two as well. I just need to get through Vapor Trails and Snakes & Arrows on my run through the albums I don't know as well.
Allow me to steer your attention to the criminally underrated back half of Vapor Trails.
Amen. :metal
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I'll be in a day or two as well. I just need to get through Vapor Trails and Snakes & Arrows on my run through the albums I don't know as well.
Allow me to steer your attention to the criminally underrated back half of Vapor Trails.
The back half is usually where the vapor trails come from...
(J/K, Vapor Trails is great!)
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I'll be in a day or two as well. I just need to get through Vapor Trails and Snakes & Arrows on my run through the albums I don't know as well.
Allow me to steer your attention to the criminally underrated back half of Vapor Trails.
Starting at "Vapor Trail" or "Secret Touch", because either way, "Secret Touch" and "Earthshine" don't feel underrated to me, considering the band played them on at least two tours each, but I will say the last four tracks are definite bangers and I wish they would've at least made time for "Sweet Miracle" live considering how short it us (3:40 long).
I think it's still a crying shame that they only ever played 6 out of 13 songs from VT live, and one of those was YEARS after that album tour with "How It Is". Vapor Trails also hold the distinction of being the only album where they've played less than half of the songs live, whether it was on that tour or later. Even RTB had half of its album played live on that tour!
If there was ONE song from VT I wish they would've played live, it definitely would have been "Freeze", along with the rest of the Fear Suite. The R30 Tour would've been the perfect time to do it, too, given the retrospective look at their discography, playing each of the Fear songs would've covered four different albums.
-Marc.
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So much +1 on the Freeze/Fear Trilogy point. I was super disappointed they didn’t do that on the VT tour straight away.
Freeze is probably my favorite song from that album.
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If there was ONE song from VT I wish they would've played live, it definitely would have been "Freeze", along with the rest of the Fear Suite. The R40 Tour would've been the perfect time to do it, too, given the retrospective look at their discography, playing each of the Fear songs would've covered four different albums.
FTFY, although Freeze wouldn't have really fit. But given the nature of the R40 setlist, it's a complete shame they didn't include the original Fear Trilogy as at least one of the setlist options. Witch Hunt would've been perfect to end the first set (maybe tack on just a bit of Freeze at the end as a nod to its existence - I do like that song, too), and then start the second set with Tom Sawyer. But nooooooo. :facepalm: Then again, the complete lack of Cut to the Chase was a major fail, too, but I digress...
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I'll be in a day or two as well. I just need to get through Vapor Trails and Snakes & Arrows on my run through the albums I don't know as well.
Allow me to steer your attention to the criminally underrated back half of Vapor Trails.
Starting at "Vapor Trail" or "Secret Touch", because either way, "Secret Touch" and "Earthshine" don't feel underrated to me, considering the band played them on at least two tours each, but I will say the last four tracks are definite bangers and I wish they would've at least made time for "Sweet Miracle" live considering how short it us (3:40 long).
That's a fair point. I think that, although Earthshine was played during both the VT and R30 tours, it was always third banana to OLV and Secret Touch. TBH, my focus is on the last three songs, the title track and Earthshine. Those five songs are outstanding.
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Alright, let's do this. We will count down the Rush studio albums of original material, which means we are leaving Feedback out.
The rules:
-Albums must be listed from 19 to 1 in order (in reverse order), with no ties. No having three albums at number 1 or anything like that. DO NOT list your albums with the points total. List them in your order (I will figure out the points on my end).
-Any list submitted with the albums not numbered will be ignored.
-Anyone wanting to submit a list must do so by the end of day, Saturday, June 3rd. I will then begin the countdown shortly thereafter.
-The list will be tallied numerically in a simple way. On each list, whatever album is at number 1 gets 19 points, number 2 gets 18 points, number 3 gets 17 points, etc.
-PROOFREAD YOUR LISTS BEFORE SENDING THEM. Any list with the same album mentioned twice will be not be counted.
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 if you have too much difficulty making one on your own. You can input all of the albums you want, and then you pick your favorite of every 1 on 1 matchup and then it spits out your list.
https://rankingengine.pubmeeple.com/
The albums are:
Rush
Fly by Night
Caress of Steel
2112
A Farewell to Kings
Hemispheres
Permanent Waves
Moving Pictures
Signals
Grace Under Pressure
Power Windows
Hold Your Fire
Presto
Roll the Bones
Counterparts
Test for Echo
Vapor Trails
Snakes & Arrows
Clockwork Angels
List Sent!
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Sent! :corn
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So much +1 on the Freeze/Fear Trilogy point. I was super disappointed they didn’t do that on the VT tour straight away.
Freeze is probably my favorite song from that album.
Freeze was my favorite song right away from VT and has remained so over the years. Love it.
I never really thought the Fear "trilogy" would get played this century, as neither The Weapon or The Enemy Within lasted long in the set lists even in the 80s (both were dropped by the time the Power Windows tour began, never to return), but they had so much material by then and did a great job in covering as much as they could on the last few tours, so I won't quibble too much about this song or that song not getting played.
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Only a couple days left! Get your lists in!! :metal :corn
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Do we include Power Windows or not?
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Do we include Power Windows or not?
Alright, let's do this. We will count down the Rush studio albums of original material, which means we are leaving Feedback out.
The rules:
-Albums must be listed from 19 to 1 in order (in reverse order), with no ties. No having three albums at number 1 or anything like that. DO NOT list your albums with the points total. List them in your order (I will figure out the points on my end).
Power Windows
:biggrin:
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List sent!
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Do we include Power Windows or not?
(https://i.postimg.cc/25BkD6JM/huh-confused.gif) (https://postimages.org/)
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Do we include Power Windows or not?
(https://i.postimg.cc/25BkD6JM/huh-confused.gif) (https://postimages.org/)
:lol
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List sent.
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i look forward to seeing the countdown
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Sent, the top 5 are very close. The bottom 5 are pretty close too.
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List sent!
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One day left to submit, and we are now at 37 lists.
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36. Tim doesn't count.
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37 is with Tim's list already in the trash. :P
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36. Tim doesn't count.
WUT? I ranked all 18 albums!
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36. Tim doesn't count.
WUT? I ranked all 18 albums!
:lol
See my gif, above. Lol
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36. Tim doesn't count.
WUT? I ranked all 18 albums!
(https://i.imgflip.com/7o32mz.jpg)
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I like Rush
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36. Tim doesn't count.
WUT? I ranked all 18 albums!
(https://i.imgflip.com/7o32mz.jpg)
And sucks. Lol
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37 is with Tim's list already in the trash. :P
Wow that's a lot of lists, out of curiosity how many lists did you have for the DT album ranking thread?
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Kev … wondering if it would be interesting to also call out then”lowest ranked” for each album?
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Kev … wondering if it would be interesting to also call out then”lowest ranked” for each album?
I like that idea.
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Shit. Kept meaning to do this. I'll have a list in at the death. Around 12 hours.
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Shit. Kept meaning to do this. I'll have a list in at the death. Around 12 hours.
Do it Kade, get it done.
(https://media.giphy.com/media/wi8Ez1mwRcKGI/giphy.gif)
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Kev … wondering if it would be interesting to also call out then”lowest ranked” for each album?
I like that idea.
You're just dying to see your name listed as the lowest ranker for Power Windows, aren't ya? :P :lol
Not a bad idea, though, which I shall consider.
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Shit. Kept meaning to do this. I'll have a list in at the death. Around 12 hours.
You’re gonna have to….rush it.
Sorry.
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Just sent mine. I have some casually heretical takes in there that might make “lowest for X.”
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Kev, name the lowest pics "The Fraud Pics." Lol
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List is in!
(https://media3.giphy.com/media/l4Jz53BANZEEmmP04/200.gif)
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List is in!
(https://media3.giphy.com/media/l4Jz53BANZEEmmP04/200.gif)
:tup :tup
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Sent! Glad I stopped by the forum this evening. :)
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(https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xMDY5NjM5Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzAwNzEyNn0.EnoUM8wCTeNtmX5IBvbOu065Tr7EFfJI5XnDwRA5jLo/img.jpg?width=980)
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Rush at their peak.
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Rush at their peak.
No lies detected.
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Just ribbing TAC on his Power Windows dislike. My list was extremely easy to do and I'm excited to see the results. There are no wrong opinions when it comes to Rush. :tup
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Rush at their peak.
No lies detected.
But maybe some emotions… ;D
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There are no wrong opinions when it comes to Rush. :tup
Well, saying Power Windows blows is objectively wrong :)
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There are no wrong opinions when it comes to Rush. :tup
Well, saying Power Windows blows is objectively wrong :)
True! I love it and honestly I'm not sure TAC is serious about not liking it.
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There are no wrong opinions when it comes to Rush. :tup
Well, saying Power Windows blows is objectively wrong :)
True! I love it and honestly I'm not sure TAC is serious about not liking it.
(https://media.tenor.com/S6qFcF2D-q8AAAAM/%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%B0%D1%85.gif)
Oh, he's serious.
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His love of music is guitar based. If a band he loves steps out of thst lane well.....
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41 lists total! Thanks to everyone who sent a list. Countdown will begin tomorrow!
The cumulative list will be taken from the lists of the below posters.
MrMike
romdrums
pg1067
The Letter M
TAC
DTwwbwMP
Mladen
Setlist Scotty
Dragon Attack
HOF
CharlesPL
BRGM
jammindude
Dittomist
Zydar
hefdaddy42
Samsara
Kingly Gizz & Liz Wiz Bizzy
Cool Chris
contest_sanity
nobloodyname
devieira73
jingle.boy
jjrock88
DTA
billboy73
Kram
nick_z
Stadler
Nick
Glasser
Puppies_On_Acid
The Realm
Metropolaris
faizoff
ReaperKK
425
wolfking
Lethean
coz
KevShmev
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An early glance shows:
-Eight of the 19 albums finished at number 1 on at least one list
-Eight of the 19 albums finished last on at least one list
-Only one album finished in the top 10 of all 41 lists
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-Only one album finished in the top 10 of all 41 lists
This is kind of surprising
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Those who left off AFTK through MP off their top 10 is nuts.
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Those who left off AFTK through MP off their top 10 is nuts.
I think you meant "2112 through Power Windows." :biggrin:
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Nope. Though, most of mine did. I was just going with the most obvious of the top 5.
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Those who left off AFTK through MP off their top 10 is nuts.
Says who?
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Those who left off AFTK through MP off their top 10 is nuts.
Says who?
Me. You challenging me punk? :lol
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Those who left off AFTK through MP off their top 10 is nuts.
One of those albums is in my top 10!
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Those who left off AFTK through MP off their top 10 is nuts.
One of those albums is in my top 10!
One of those albums isn’t in mine.
Suck on it Shmegs!
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Fool of a took!
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Rush at their peak.
No lies detected.
But maybe some emotions… ;D
Well played, sir, well played :biggrin:
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Fool of a took!
I'll bet Chad's next paycheck that Tim won't get this. :corn
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-Only one album finished in the top 10 of all 41 lists
This is kind of surprising
That is indeed.
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Fool of a took!
I'll bet Chad's next paycheck that Tim won't get this. :corn
You and me both. Lol
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Rush at their peak.
No lies detected.
But maybe some emotions… ;D
Well played, sir, well played :biggrin:
Yeah he got right to the heart of the matter on that one..
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Fool of a took!
I'll bet Chad's next paycheck that Tim won't get this. :corn
You and me both. Lol
First of all, Chad gets a paycheque, and second of all, why would I know some dorky reference that only nerds would know?
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The refrence came from a movie in a trilogy that grossed 3 billion Tim. Not only nerds saw it. Only curmudgeons like you don't get it. :lol
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I saw Star Wars!
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I saw Star Wars!
Still not even close to the movie or the amount of money made. :lol
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I saw Star Wars!
Still not even close to the movie or the amount of money made. :lol
Yeah but I bought the dolls action figures! The ones where you pushed the light sabre out of their arms.
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Fool of a took!
I'll bet Chad's next paycheck that Tim won't get this. :corn
You and me both. Lol
First of all, Chad gets a paycheque, and second of all, why would I know some dorky reference that only nerds would know?
You listen to Helloween, you don't have a leg to stand on :biggrin:
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Fool of a took!
I'll bet Chad's next paycheck that Tim won't get this. :corn
You and me both. Lol
First of all, Chad gets a paycheque, and second of all, why would I know some dorky reference that only nerds would know?
You listen to Helloween, you don't have a leg to stand on :biggrin:
You're right! When I listen to Helloween I actually have three legs to stand on.
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The refrence came from a movie in a trilogy that grossed 3 billion Tim. Not only nerds saw it. Only curmudgeons like you don't get it. :lol
3 billion Tim is a LOT of Tim.
-Marc.
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The refrence came from a movie in a trilogy that grossed 3 billion Tim. Not only nerds saw it. Only curmudgeons like you don't get it. :lol
3 billion Tim is a LOT of Tim.
-Marc.
Damn Rights. Damn rights.
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The refrence came from a movie in a trilogy that grossed 3 billion Tim. Not only nerds saw it. Only curmudgeons like you don't get it. :lol
3 billion Tim is a LOT of Tim.
-Marc.
I refuse to use a comma! That's my version of being a Tim.
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The refrence came from a movie in a trilogy that grossed 3 billion Tim. Not only nerds saw it. Only curmudgeons like you don't get it. :lol
3 billion Tim is a LOT of Tim.
-Marc.
I refuse to use a comma! That's my version of being a Tim.
At least that's not as bad as refusing to use a cart return :corn
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Especially from a manager who should staff better in the parking lot. Then, customer ms wouldn't have to return their carts.
Funny, eh?
-
An early glance shows:
-Only one album finished in the top 10 of all 41 lists
I know there would be two, except for me. It was odd. When I made my list, it dropped considerably because....well, I've gotten older, and I hate the production. Love, love, love the live offerings, especially a certain bootleg recorded a few months after seeing them for a third time....but I was listing the albums....so....
blame me when the time comes.
Moving on: I always appreciate times 10 the effort our host does for these countdowns. Especially so now. I sent my list in weeks ago, during a bout of the flu. I realized a couple of days ago that I'd erroneously entered two albums in wrong slots. Even though one goes up only three points, and the other down three, I sent a request in to have them changed.
Voila! he made the correction (the five bucks I slid under the table helped ;) ) and without chewing my head off!
Thanks, Kev! :tup
(and....my apologies again.....)
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I saw Star Wars!
Still not even close to the movie or the amount of money made. :lol
:lol I love this forum
-
Rush at their peak.
No lies detected.
But maybe some emotions… ;D
Well played, sir, well played :biggrin:
I was wondering if anyone noticed. :lol
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Fool of a took!
I'll bet Chad's next paycheck that Tim won't get this. :corn
You and me both. Lol
First of all, Chad gets a paycheque, and second of all, why would I know some dorky reference that only nerds would know?
You listen to Helloween, you don't have a leg to stand on :biggrin:
You're right! When I listen to Helloween I actually have three legs to stand on.
:rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin. :metal :metal :metal
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An early glance shows:
-Only one album finished in the top 10 of all 41 lists
I know there would be two, except for me. It was odd. When I made my list, it dropped considerably because....well, I've gotten older, and I hate the production. Love, love, love the live offerings, especially a certain bootleg recorded a few months after seeing them for a third time....but I was listing the albums....so....
blame me when the time comes.
Hmm, there’s one that I thought I might be the only one to have outside the top ten. I guess we’ll have to see!
-
Rush at their peak.
No lies detected.
But maybe some emotions… ;D
Well played, sir, well played :biggrin:
I was wondering if anyone noticed. :lol
I did! One of my favorite Rush songs!
-
Must be a tripod from a seconds store then. Tee hee.
-
Must be a tripod from a seconds store then. Tee hee.
30 seconds. :lol
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:lol
-
The refrence came from a movie in a trilogy that grossed 3 billion Tim. Not only nerds saw it. Only curmudgeons like you don't get it. :lol
3 billion Tim is a LOT of Tim.
-Marc.
I suppose that depends on the conversion rate. :biggrin:
-
An early glance shows:
-Only one album finished in the top 10 of all 41 lists
I know there would be two, except for me. It was odd. When I made my list, it dropped considerably because....well, I've gotten older, and I hate the production. Love, love, love the live offerings, especially a certain bootleg recorded a few months after seeing them for a third time....but I was listing the albums....so....
blame me when the time comes.
Moving on: I always appreciate times 10 the effort our host does for these countdowns. Especially so now. I sent my list in weeks ago, during a bout of the flu. I realized a couple of days ago that I'd erroneously entered two albums in wrong slots. Even though one goes up only three points, and the other down three, I sent a request in to have them changed.
Voila! he made the correction (the five bucks I slid under the table helped ;) ) and without chewing my head off!
Thanks, Kev! :tup
(and....my apologies again.....)
I made my mistakes because of the PW's. I guess I should have said one was 'Power Windows', and the other was 'Permanent Waves'.
What would the reaction have been in that regards? ;) :lol
-
Alright, let's get this started...
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/3874a615fd3d1362743e9917fa1e65ac/tumblr_pj039fjrSH1qmob6ro1_400.gif)
As always, this will start on a Monday and end on a Friday, with one album featured per day.
19 Rush
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51u469J5K5L._SY355_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 4 (Dragon Attack)
Lowest Finish: 19 (KevShmev, romdrums, The Letter M, DTwwbwMP, Mladen, Setlist Scotty, HOF, CharlesPL, BRGM, Zydar, Kingly Gizz & Liz Wiz Bizzy, devieira73, DTA, billboy73, Kram, nick_z, Nick, Puppies_On_Acid, 425, wolfking, Lethean)
Good debut, but it just pales in comparison to just about everything else that came after it. There is a youthful energy and charm to it that is very endearing, and I do have much fondness for What You’re Doing and Here Again, but it’s just not an album I ever listen to from start to finish. Even in my early fandom days, it wasn’t one I reached for that often. I ranked it last. All that said, while I expected it to finish near or at the bottom, I didn't expect it to finish last on 21 of the 41 lists. That surprised me a little.
Favorite songs: What You're Doing, Here Again, Finding My Way
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This ranked number 6 for me. I don't know why I enjoy it as much as I do but to me the album ranges from good to great. As Kev said there is a great youthful energy to the band and the song writing isn't half bad either.
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01 ?
02 ?
03 ?
04 ?
05 ?
06 ?
07 ?
08 ?
09 ?
10 ?
11 ?
12 ?
13 ?
14 ?
15 ?
16 ?
17 ?
18 ?
19 Rush
I figured this would be last when I ranked it here too. It's not a bad album at all and I can see why some folks would even put it in their top 10, but for me, everything they did after would just get better and better.
Of course, the live versions of these songs have such a different energy and feel that if we ranked the tour performances, the Rush Tour songs might have gone a place or two higher. Might...
-Marc.
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19
18
17
16 Rush
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Even though it's among the bottom five for me, it has a lot of catchy tracks and is a pretty good album overall. I was just listening to it yesterday and enjoyed it. For all the band albums even the last ranked album is a 7.5/10 for me.
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19. Rush
18.
17.
16.
15.
14.
13.
12.
11.
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Hate to rank anything last, but there it is. Bunch of fun stuff on this album, but not a lot of greatness, and lacking Neil who would revolutionize the band of course. Even at 19, I don't dislike it, and will still listen to it, especially when wanting Rush that's a little different.
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Truthfully, I’ve only heard parts of it. I’ve never liked Working Man and it just doesn’t seem like Rush without NP.
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I saw Star Wars!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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I like the debut, but it just doesn't feel like the Rush I know and love. Before & After is a song I rarely see talked about, but it's the standout of the album for me.
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19
18
17
16 Rush
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Never even considered it for "last". If anything it could have been higher, but for the consistent quality of what came later. Sure, it misses Neil, but "here Again", "Before And After", and "Working Man" are all solid in their own way. Honestly, it always made me scratch my head the "In The Mood" - probably the dumbest lyrics in the entire catalogue - was the one that made it into later setlist. I know it's a "me" thing, but the line "Won't you come and sit with me?
I'll tell you all my lies!" bugs the crap out of me for how cliched it is.
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Even though I ranked the debut at the very bottom of my list, I am surprised that it ended up last overall. I know it has its fans, but I've never been a fan. It's an average rock album to me. The band would improve on it immensely within only a couple of years.
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Never even considered it for "last". If anything it could have been higher, but for the consistent quality of what came later. Sure, it misses Neil, but "here Again", "Before And After", and "Working Man" are all solid in their own way. Honestly, it always made me scratch my head the "In The Mood" - probably the dumbest lyrics in the entire catalogue - was the one that made it into later setlist. I know it's a "me" thing, but the line "Won't you come and sit with me?
I'll tell you all my lies!" bugs the crap out of me for how cliched it is.
Actually, the funny thing for me with In the Mood is that it was played on every single Rush tour I didn't see (it was played on every tour from the start through Presto) and was never played on any Rush tour I saw (every tour from Roll the Bones through R40). The lyrics do not help the cause of that song or most of the songs on the debut, but considering Geddy had to write them on the fly the day they started recording them, due to original drummer John Rutsey throwing away the ones he had been working on, I don't hold it against him. The album definitely suffers a bit by having typical ordinary hard rock lyrics, though, IMO.
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Never even considered it for "last". If anything it could have been higher, but for the consistent quality of what came later. Sure, it misses Neil, but "here Again", "Before And After", and "Working Man" are all solid in their own way.
This exactly. It ranked # 15 for me, but I like the album a lot.
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I did my rankings using the ranking engine in a few minutes so I could make the cutoff. I don't know how accurate my list is for myself, but this was definitely an easy last. I listen to it on occasion, like some of the songs, but like everything else better.
(And the lyrics yeah could use some help.)
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Never even considered it for "last". If anything it could have been higher, but for the consistent quality of what came later. Sure, it misses Neil, but "here Again", "Before And After", and "Working Man" are all solid in their own way. Honestly, it always made me scratch my head the "In The Mood" - probably the dumbest lyrics in the entire catalogue - was the one that made it into later setlist. I know it's a "me" thing, but the line "Won't you come and sit with me?
I'll tell you all my lies!" bugs the crap out of me for how cliched it is.
Actually, the funny thing for me with In the Mood is that it was played on every single Rush tour I didn't see (it was played on every tour from the start through Presto) and was never played on any Rush tour I saw (every tour from Roll the Bones through R40). The lyrics do not help the cause of that song or most of the songs on the debut, but considering Geddy had to write them on the fly the day they started recording them, due to original drummer John Rutsey throwing away the ones he had been working on, I don't hold it against him. The album definitely suffers a bit by having typical ordinary hard rock lyrics, though, IMO.
I didn't know that. That explains a lot, actually.
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Easy to rank it last for me. That said, it is a decent album. I don't listen to it all that often, but occasionally I will put it on for a spin. Never really been a huge fan of Working Man either. Obviously it's missing the secret sauce that Neil brings to complete the holy triumvirate too.
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19 Rush
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51u469J5K5L._SY355_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 4 (Dragon Attack)
Lowest Finish: 19 (KevShmev, romdrums, The Letter M, DTwwbwMP, Mladen, Setlist Scotty, HOF, CharlesPL, BRGM, Zydar, Kingly Gizz & Liz Wiz Bizzy, devieira73, DTA, billboy73, Kram, nick_z, Nick, Puppies_On_Acid, 425, wolfking, Lethean)
Good debut, but it just pales in comparison to just about everything else that came after it. There is a youthful energy and charm to it that is very endearing, and I do have much fondness for What You’re Doing and Here Again, but it’s just not an album I ever listen to from start to finish. Even in my early fandom days, it wasn’t one I reached for that often. I ranked it last. All that said, while I expected it to finish near or at the bottom, I didn't expect it to finish last on 21 of the 41 lists. That surprised me a little.
Favorite songs: What You're Doing, Here Again, Finding My Way
Hmmm...way too low, IMO. Like most of us, I bought this long after the fact. I knew it had a different drummer. I don't remember if I was familiar with any of the songs beforehand, but I probably was because of ATWAS. Ultimately, it's all about four songs. Working Man is obviously the classic. Finding My Way is a close second. What You're Doing is a bit of a sleeper; a fun song despite being repetitive. In the Mood is a bit of a joke, but it's such a fun song live. Everything else i barely bother with.
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Honestly, it always made me scratch my head the "In The Mood" - probably the dumbest lyrics in the entire catalogue
Well...regarding dumb lyrics, there are two other songs on the debut that say, "hold my ice-cold beer," and I Think I'm Going Bald also has a strong argument. I'd also like to know what the working man is bitching about. He GOES TO work at 9 and gets home at 5! I don't know if 9 is when he starts or when he leaves his place of residence. Maybe he has a bitch of a commute, but dude is home at 5. Doesn't sound so bad to me! :biggrin:
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Well...regarding dumb lyrics, there are two other songs on the debut that say, "hold my ice-cold beer," and I Think I'm Going Bald also has a strong argument. I'd also like to know what the working man is bitching about. He GOES TO work at 9 and gets home at 5! I don't know if 9 is when he starts or when he leaves his place of residence. Maybe he has a bitch of a commute, but dude is home at 5. Doesn't sound so bad to me! :biggrin:
HAHAHAHA.
Yeah, I Think I'm Going Bald is number two; I gave it a pass because it's a pun on "Goin' Blind" by Kiss ("'cause I think I'm going blind...")
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19 Rush
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51u469J5K5L._SY355_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 4 (Dragon Attack)
Lowest Finish: 19 (KevShmev, romdrums, The Letter M, DTwwbwMP, Mladen, Setlist Scotty, HOF, CharlesPL, BRGM, Zydar, Kingly Gizz & Liz Wiz Bizzy, devieira73, DTA, billboy73, Kram, nick_z, Nick, Puppies_On_Acid, 425, wolfking, Lethean)
Good debut, but it just pales in comparison to just about everything else that came after it. There is a youthful energy and charm to it that is very endearing, and I do have much fondness for What You’re Doing and Here Again, but it’s just not an album I ever listen to from start to finish. Even in my early fandom days, it wasn’t one I reached for that often. I ranked it last. All that said, while I expected it to finish near or at the bottom, I didn't expect it to finish last on 21 of the 41 lists. That surprised me a little.
Favorite songs: What You're Doing, Here Again, Finding My Way
Hmmm...way too low, IMO. Like most of us, I bought this long after the fact. I knew it had a different drummer. I don't remember if I was familiar with any of the songs beforehand, but I probably was because of ATWAS. Ultimately, it's all about four songs. Working Man is obviously the classic. Finding My Way is a close second. What You're Doing is a bit of a sleeper; a fun song despite being repetitive. In the Mood is a bit of a joke, but it's such a fun song live. Everything else i barely bother with.
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Honestly, it always made me scratch my head the "In The Mood" - probably the dumbest lyrics in the entire catalogue
Well...regarding dumb lyrics, there are two other songs on the debut that say, "hold my ice-cold beer," and I Think I'm Going Bald also has a strong argument. I'd also like to know what the working man is bitching about. He GOES TO work at 9 and gets home at 5! I don't know if 9 is when he starts or when he leaves his place of residence. Maybe he has a bitch of a commute, but dude is home at 5. Doesn't sound so bad to me! :biggrin:
Without having actually ever read the real lyrics, I always go back and forth on whether Geddy is singing "a nice cold beer" or "an ice cold beer". :rollin
-Marc.
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I've always done lists by what I gravitate toward playing more. I rarely play the 1st Rush album. That's why it's at #19 for me.
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Without having actually ever read the real lyrics, I always go back and forth on whether Geddy is singing "a nice cold beer" or "an ice cold beer". :rollin
The genius of Geddy's lyricism is that it's open to interpretation! :lol
There were no lyrics included with the album, and I always assumed it was "an ice-cold beer." However, there are lyrics on rush.com, and it says "a nice cold beer." Who knew?! https://www.rush.com/albums/rush/
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I had RUSH at #18. I don't listen to it often, but there are a couple songs I really enjoy. Obviously, they hadn't found their "sound" yet, but "Working Man" remains a classic. For me, there is another album that I just don't find any enjoyment in, and I suspect while there will be some champions of it, I can't imagine it will get higher than #15. But for me, it is by far the "worst" Rush album. (Although none are truly "bad" obviously).
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I don’t have my ranking handy, but I think I put it 14 or 15. The good songs are really good. The bad songs aren’t their worst.
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Criminy, I forgot to submit my list :facepalm:. Following anyway. The debut is very different to the rest of the catalog but I still prefer it over a few others.
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I had Rush at #9. I actually really like it. It has great character and charm.
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I absolutely love this album. I ranked it at #11.
When I first bought Moving Pictures, my buddy and I were completely floored by it. We were only 13 years old. So my buddy begged his mother for Rush albums. So they went and he found Rush and COS in the bargain bin for cheap and figured two was better than one. He had me over and we listened to both over and over again and completely loved them as well. I have a lot of wonderful memories with those early albums. It was a time when I was just hearing Rush for the first time and falling in love with everything I heard.
I would put In the Mood near the bottom, but it’s still fun when I hear it. What You’re Doing is probably my #1 song with Working Man a close second. But Here Again and Before and After really don’t get enough attention.
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Rush last? I am shocked! Number 12 for me. Has a ton of charm and honesty. A cool album for what it is.
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I had this in last place because it's lacking a lot of the main elements I like about the band: Neil's drumming, intelligent lyrics, purposeful/well-structured compositions. It's not a bad album, but I'm not really interested in it except from a historical perspective.
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Just commenting to follow and dig deeper into some Rush songs I don't know yet.
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This album never did anything for me.
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We move on...
18 Snakes & Arrows
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510eWQ+Sn6L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 19 (TAC, Dragon Attack)
I remember the online Rush fanbase being pretty high on this album when it was first released, and the band was right there with them, playing nine songs from it on the S&A tour and later played a 10th from it on the next tour. I am not sure I would say it hasn't aged well so much that most of the others are just better. I don't think the dry mix does it any favors, as the most rocking moments seem to lack oomph, but on the flip side, the acoustic/mellow moments mostly sound great. I will say that I have long been in the camp of disagreeing with the band's high opinion of Far Cry. I ranked it 15th, as it is still a nice listen from start to finish.
Favorite songs: Armor and Sword, The Larger Bowl, The Main Monkey Business, Workin' Them Angels, Bravest Face
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Not surprised but a real crime this album is ranked so low. Each song slays start to finish and it's one of the best sounding Rush albums:
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My #17. I like a lot the production, but sometimes it indeed lacks punch in heaviest parts. Often ignored, I also love Malignant Narcissism. In fact, that song and The Main Monkey Business are truly amazing and The Larger Bowl and The Way the Wind Blows I like a lot! But it's an album filled with too much just OK songs. I think it's still better than the first album, although that one has more consistency (and much less personality, as it's too much Cream/Led Zep inspired).
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Snakes & Arrows is way too high.
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18 Snakes & Arrows
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510eWQ+Sn6L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 19 (TAC, Dragon Attack)
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I'm surprised this was 18th, but also not. I feel like it's been largely forgotten these days and is the awkward middle child of their 21st century albums.
I became a Rush fan not long after VT came out so I was dying for their next album when ir was announced. I spun the HELL out of it and even learned "The Main Monkey Business" on drums just a week or two after release, listening intently to the song over and over.
I also watched the documentary many times as well as they hadn't really released anything like that before so it was super fascinating!
Sadly it has definitely slipped away from me in the last decade or so and I don't revisit it often, and definitely not as much as VT or CA.
-Marc.
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Snakes & Arrows is way too high.
Hell, no. Too low for sure.
I had this one at # 10. Great songwriting and performance.
I wouldn't expect it to finish that high in this list, but I'm seriously shocked that it is 18th.
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I had it in the bottom five, but never would I have thought it would have ended up second to last. It does have some great tracks, but one third of it is filler. That's what kind of brings it down. Not to mention it got completely overshadowed by Clockwork angels. #18 is still kind of harsh, though.
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SNA was 17th for me. I was enthusiastic when it came out. It was also the first new Rush album to be released after I became a fan. But it hasn’t held up at all, at least not in comparison to the rest of their catalog. Just really not their best collection of songs mostly, but I’m also not fond of the production.
There are some decent tunes here still. I like Far Cry well enough. Armor & Sword is a bit of a dirge, but I like the chorus and Neil’s drumming is cool on it. Could say the same for The Way The Wind Blows, Faithless, Good News First, and Bravest Face. Some cool moments, but everything on this album is a bit too slow paced and tuneless in general, and Geddy’s voice couldn’t really carry the songs anymore. Things like Workin’ Them Angels, The Larger Bowl, and Spindrift are just kind of joyless. Hope is alright, but three instrumentals here and none of them are especially memorable. We Hold On (nice nod, Kev) is a decent closer I think.
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I had it 16. I think it would've benefited from a thinner tracklist. Maybe get rid of The Larger Bowl and Good News First as it becomes a bit of a slog to get through with so many mid-tempo songs. Armor & Sword, Monkey Business, The Way The Wind Blows, and We Hold On are all great tracks though and it's an improvement over VT for sure.
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Just a couple of quick comments on the albums so far...
Had the debut at #19 (as many others, it seems)...it's actually a lovely album, I just don't go back to it often and, right or wrong, it suffers from the "I don't quite see it as a Rush album" syndrome, in my head at least. In some respect it's a bit unfair - it's not like the stylistic jump (especially from an instrumental standpoint) was gigantic between this and Fly By Night. But that's the way it is...
I have Snakes & Arrows pretty low myself, at #16. I do agree that the overall sound with the acoustic textures is nice, and at least in that regard it was a welcome change from Vapor Trails (although I like the latter better as an album). But while the whole thing is a pleasant listen, I find it lacks the big highlights that are typical of Rush albums (they sure were sneaky when they teased the Hemispheres chord with the first, pre-release snippet of Far Cry!). Songs I find the most enjoyable: Far Cry, Armor and Sword, The Way the Wind Blows, Good News First...and The Main Monkey Business is a pretty cool instrumental.
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Rush: Too low. It's a solid 70s hard rock album.
S&A: Should be last. I think the first half of the album is really good. But I never need to hear the second half again. That's a score of 50/100 at best.
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We move on...
18 Snakes & Arrows
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510eWQ+Sn6L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
I had S&A at #11. A middle of the catalog record for me. I enjoy the songs quite a bit, I love the sound of the record. I feel Alex could have been soloing more in a traditional style, which would have edged the record up into the top-10 for me. I still listen to it fairly regularly (given the size of my music collection).
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I had Snakes & Arrows at 18 as well. It just goes on too long, and has a few clunkers. I don't revisit this album all that often, but there are some good songs here. The Way the Wind Blows is my favorite track. Far Cry, Mal Nar, Armor and Sword, Main Monkey, Bravest Face, and Good News First are all solid, with We Hold On being a good closer too.
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18 Snakes & Arrows
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510eWQ+Sn6L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 19 (TAC, Dragon Attack)
I remember the online Rush fanbase being pretty high on this album when it was first released, and the band was right there with them, playing nine songs from it on the S&A tour and later played a 10th from it on the next tour. I am not sure I would say it hasn't aged well so much that most of the others are just better. I don't think the dry mix does it any favors, as the most rocking moments seem to lack oomph, but on the flip side, the acoustic/mellow moments mostly sound great. I will say that I have long been in the camp of disagreeing with the band's high opinion of Far Cry. I ranked it 15th, as it is still a nice listen from start to finish.
Favorite songs: Armor and Sword, The Larger Bowl, The Main Monkey Business, Workin' Them Angels, Bravest Face
I think I was more excited for this album before it was released than for any other Rush album. There was all this talk about how the new producer was going to help them get back to the classic Rush sound. Far Cry got released. DAMN...that's heavy! And they featured the Hemispheres chord! And then we get Armor and Sword...that's great too! Yeah! And then it goes seriously downhill. Angels is just ok. Monkey Business is solid but nothing special. The band got overly enamored with Angels. Wind is ok. Faithless to the end is just...zzzz. I had it at #16.
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Had the debut at 19, because, well, something had to go last. Some solid tracks though. Overall, just a different vibe from everything that came after.
Like a lot of others, Snakes and Arrows has slid down the list since it’s release. I listened to it a lot when it came out, but I think I’ve listened to it like once in the last few years. Lyrically, it’s one of Neil’s best, but it is kind of a slog to get through. It needed more uptempo numbers.
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I had RUSH at 13. Overall, a bit on the generic side as far as mid 70s hard rock songs go and the lyrics are sketchy at best, but there are definitely a few strong tracks and Alex's playing was already off the charts. Guitar is the instrument I listen for most in heavy music and Lifeson's tone and soloing are what I do love about the debut. On many of the latter period Rush albums, I missed hearing Alex as frenetic and unrestrained as he was early on.
I had S&A at 14. It has its moments and felt like a step back in the right direction at the time, but it's still never been among my favorites. Working Them Angels is a standout and one that really grew on me over time. Way The Wind Blows and Far Cry I loved from the beginning and the instrumentals are fun and rocking. Too many slowish, dirgey (if that's a word) songs though, particularly in the second half of the album keep it in the lower rung of the catalog for me.
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My number 19.
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I doubt it'll ever happen, but remember that the band said TMMB started out as a super-long instrumental, like over 18 minutes? I'd love to hear the original demos of that piece if possible, even if the parts they cut or changed were boring. Just imagining them writing ANYTHING that long in the 21st century really excited me when I heard that about the writing of TMMB.
-Marc.
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Shocked to see this so low. Didn't expect it to be in the top half overall, but man, how does this not even beat Vapor Trails from the modern era?
On that note, that was a tough one to rank, not sure if I should rank the original unlistenable version, or the later version which actually allowed me to finally enjoy many of the tunes.
But back to Snakes and Arrows, some of the singles and favorites like Armor and Sword and Workin Them Angels are actually not huge for me. But the instrumentals, Far Cry, and some of the other songs are great, and none of the songs are in the bottom 10 or so of Rush. Really expected this ahead of some others.
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I had it at 16. It's a good album. I just tend to play other albums more. Armor & Sword, The Main Money Business & The Way the Wind Blows are my favorite tracks.
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Shocked to see this so low. Didn't expect it to be in the top half overall, but man, how does this not even beat Vapor Trails from the modern era?
On that note, that was a tough one to rank, not sure if I should rank the original unlistenable version, or the later version which actually allowed me to finally enjoy many of the tunes.
But back to Snakes and Arrows, some of the singles and favorites like Armor and Sword and Workin Them Angels are actually not huge for me. But the instrumentals, Far Cry, and some of the other songs are great, and none of the songs are in the bottom 10 or so of Rush. Really expected this ahead of some others.
Actually, I consider VT a much better album, song-wise.
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I knew pretty early on in the song countdown that I was way out of whack with the "Rush Zeitgeist" here, and this just hammers the point home. I had S&A at 10, and it's BY FAR my favorite of what it seems we're calling "the modern era". That this is 18 means that both Vapor Trails and Roll The Bones are higher than it. Can't imagine thinking "Hmm, do I want to listen to S&A, or Roll The Bones?" and going "Roll The Bones it is!" :)
And as for "too long" and a "slog", well, both Vapor Trails and A Clockwork Angels - both inferior albums by my reckoning - are significantly LONGER (4:25 and 3:14, respectively).
Favorite tunes: all the instrumentals, The Way The Wind Blows, and The Larger Bowl.
Have I told anyone the story about the making of doc, and Neil's recording of "The Way The Wind Blows"? :) :) :)
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Shocked to see this so low. Didn't expect it to be in the top half overall, but man, how does this not even beat Vapor Trails from the modern era?
On that note, that was a tough one to rank, not sure if I should rank the original unlistenable version, or the later version which actually allowed me to finally enjoy many of the tunes.
But back to Snakes and Arrows, some of the singles and favorites like Armor and Sword and Workin Them Angels are actually not huge for me. But the instrumentals, Far Cry, and some of the other songs are great, and none of the songs are in the bottom 10 or so of Rush. Really expected this ahead of some others.
Actually, I consider VT a much better album, song-wise.
Yep. VT has some of Neil’s best songwriting IMO, and the sound on Snakes and Arrows is really just a marginal improvement over VT (no noticeable clipping, but still a very loud album without a ton of dynamic range).
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Shocked to see this so low. Didn't expect it to be in the top half overall, but man, how does this not even beat Vapor Trails from the modern era?
On that note, that was a tough one to rank, not sure if I should rank the original unlistenable version, or the later version which actually allowed me to finally enjoy many of the tunes.
But back to Snakes and Arrows, some of the singles and favorites like Armor and Sword and Workin Them Angels are actually not huge for me. But the instrumentals, Far Cry, and some of the other songs are great, and none of the songs are in the bottom 10 or so of Rush. Really expected this ahead of some others.
Actually, I consider VT a much better album, song-wise.
Same. I have VT MANY spots ahead of S&A, and I have five S&A songs in the bottom 25 of my Rush song rankings. Only one from VT is in that bottom group.
That this is 18 means that both Vapor Trails and Roll The Bones are higher than it. Can't imagine thinking "Hmm, do I want to listen to S&A, or Roll The Bones?" and going "Roll The Bones it is!" :)
I assume/hope RTB will be showing up VERY soon.
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When VT came out, it sounded so bad, I couldn't finish it. Easily my lowest-ranked album, not even close.
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Can't imagine thinking "Hmm, do I want to listen to S&A, or Roll The Bones?" and going "Roll The Bones it is!" :)
And as for "too long" and a "slog", well, both Vapor Trails and A Clockwork Angels - both inferior albums by my reckoning - are significantly LONGER (4:25 and 3:14, respectively).
That’s the thing with SNA. It’s not really bad per se. But I almost never listen to it. Just not one that I have any real excitement for. Roll the Bones, for all it’s faults, still has several classic/essential Rush songs that I frequently revisit. There’s just no one song on Snakes and Arrows that holds that appeal for me.
Also, even though I love it as a whole, I agree that Vapor Trails could do with some editing. I think most of the CD era Rush albums could have played better trimmed down to 45, 50 minutes max.
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Man you guys are crazy ranking S&A so low. Hope is a better song than a lot of materials that came out of late 80's/early 90's Rush
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That’s the thing with SNA. It’s not really bad per se. But I almost never listen to it. Just not one that I have any real excitement for. Roll the Bones, for all it’s faults, still has several classic/essential Rush songs that I frequently revisit. There’s just no one song on Snakes and Arrows that holds that appeal for me.
Yep, that pretty much sums it up for me as well.
Actually, I consider VT a much better album, song-wise.
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I think most of the CD era Rush albums could have played better trimmed down to 45, 50 minutes max.
Couldn't agree more. You can start by losing Scars, Superconductor and Hand over Fist from Presto.
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Can't imagine thinking "Hmm, do I want to listen to S&A, or Roll The Bones?" and going "Roll The Bones it is!" :)
That's just crazy talk. Roll The Bones is good stuff.
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I like it a lot but had it at 18 . A bad Rush album is like bad pizza.
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I will say more about Roll the Bones when it is featured here in a couple weeks, but I am definitely in the "it is really good" camp.
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Jack, relax. Get busy with the facts.
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Can't imagine thinking "Hmm, do I want to listen to S&A, or Roll The Bones?" and going "Roll The Bones it is!" :)
That's just crazy talk. Roll The Bones is good stuff.
I saw them on that tour, it was incredible! The album is great.
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Shocked to see this so low. Didn't expect it to be in the top half overall, but man, how does this not even beat Vapor Trails from the modern era?
On that note, that was a tough one to rank, not sure if I should rank the original unlistenable version, or the later version which actually allowed me to finally enjoy many of the tunes.
I think 10 years ago their spots likely would have been flipped, but the remix and/or remaster (whichever one prefers, I greatly prefer the remaster) has helped Vapor Trails a ton with both me and seemingly a lot of people, while Snakes & Arrows for me has kind of fallen into the nest with Test for Echo as being a later Rush album that I just don't spin that much. Because there are no awesome/top tier songs on there, the 13 song total actually works against it, as it gives that "all these songs and not a truly great one in the bunch" feel. And I say that while acknowledging again that this album has a handful of songs I like a lot, but (looking at post-80s Rush) there is no Dreamline, Leave That Thing Alone or Headlong Flight to be found anywhere near this record.
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I will say more about Roll the Bones when it is featured here in a couple weeks, but I am definitely in the "it is really good" camp.
So... it finished in the Top Five? ;) :lol
Can't imagine thinking "Hmm, do I want to listen to S&A, or Roll The Bones?" and going "Roll The Bones it is!" :)
And as for "too long" and a "slog", well, both Vapor Trails and A Clockwork Angels - both inferior albums by my reckoning - are significantly LONGER (4:25 and 3:14, respectively).
That’s the thing with SNA. It’s not really bad per se. But I almost never listen to it. Just not one that I have any real excitement for. Roll the Bones, for all it’s faults, still has several classic/essential Rush songs that I frequently revisit. There’s just no one song on Snakes and Arrows that holds that appeal for me.
Also, even though I love it as a whole, I agree that Vapor Trails could do with some editing. I think most of the CD era Rush albums could have played better trimmed down to 45, 50 minutes max.
Interesting. So, what, from HYF onward, maybe trim each album down to 8-10 songs each? That definitely would've changed how a lot of fans feel about Presto, RTB, TFE, and S&A for sure, all of which I'm going to guess finished in the bottom half of this countdown, but I'm willing to be surprised!
-Marc.
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Roll the bones and Snakes and arrows were pretty much a tie for me, but I think Roll the bones has stronger highlights. It helps that it's also shorter.
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I will say more about Roll the Bones when it is featured here in a couple weeks, but I am definitely in the "it is really good" camp.
Couple WEEKS?!?!? "it's really that good"?? Christ I need a drink
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I will say more about Roll the Bones when it is featured here in a couple weeks, but I am definitely in the "it is really good" camp.
It kicks gluteus max!
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I will say more about Roll the Bones when it is featured here in a couple weeks, but I am definitely in the "it is really good" camp.
So... it finished in the Top Five? ;) :lol
Can't imagine thinking "Hmm, do I want to listen to S&A, or Roll The Bones?" and going "Roll The Bones it is!" :)
And as for "too long" and a "slog", well, both Vapor Trails and A Clockwork Angels - both inferior albums by my reckoning - are significantly LONGER (4:25 and 3:14, respectively).
That’s the thing with SNA. It’s not really bad per se. But I almost never listen to it. Just not one that I have any real excitement for. Roll the Bones, for all it’s faults, still has several classic/essential Rush songs that I frequently revisit. There’s just no one song on Snakes and Arrows that holds that appeal for me.
Also, even though I love it as a whole, I agree that Vapor Trails could do with some editing. I think most of the CD era Rush albums could have played better trimmed down to 45, 50 minutes max.
Interesting. So, what, from HYF onward, maybe trim each album down to 8-10 songs each? That definitely would've changed how a lot of fans feel about Presto, RTB, TFE, and S&A for sure, all of which I'm going to guess finished in the bottom half of this countdown, but I'm willing to be surprised!
-Marc.
I was more thinking from Counterparts onward (it's 54:00 minutes, with everything before that being 52:00 or less), but you could probably trim things from every album from HYF onward, yeah.
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The only thing S&A has going for it is that it sounds great. But it has the be the most uninteresting album they've ever made. And to me, the whole Neil Peart is a great lyricist jumped the shark with me on this. Yeah, he writes the bands lyrics and a lot of them are really interesting. OK. You can stop shoving that down my throat now. S&A literally feels like they wrote the music around the lyrics. There's really just nothing going on with this album.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9 Rush
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
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Can't imagine thinking "Hmm, do I want to listen to S&A, or Roll The Bones?" and going "Roll The Bones it is!" :)
That's just crazy talk. Roll The Bones is good stuff.
I saw them on that tour, it was incredible! The album is great.
I saw the tour twice and it was jaw-dropping. The album, on the other hand...
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WOW! I’m with Stadler. I had this at #9, and how it comes in lower than Roll the Bones or Vapor Trails is just complete madness to me. I pull this album out more and more as time goes by and I absolutely love it. The 1-2 punch of Hope/Faithless is a particular highlight of the album.
Sorry but I’m dumbfounded by this one.
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The only thing S&A has going for it is that it sounds great. But it has the be the most uninteresting album they've ever made. And to me, the whole Neil Peart is a great lyricist jumped the shark with me on this. Yeah, he writes the bands lyrics and a lot of them are really interesting. OK. You can stop shoving that down my throat now. S&A literally feels like they wrote the music around the lyrics. There's really just nothing going on with this album.
The Larger Bowl isn't any good? It's neat how he built that lyric on a pantoum (a type of lyrical poem). I agree that not all the record is A+ lyrically, but there are some bright spots.
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The only thing S&A has going for it is that it sounds great. But it has the be the most uninteresting album they've ever made. And to me, the whole Neil Peart is a great lyricist jumped the shark with me on this. Yeah, he writes the bands lyrics and a lot of them are really interesting. OK. You can stop shoving that down my throat now. S&A literally feels like they wrote the music around the lyrics. There's really just nothing going on with this album.
The Larger Bowl isn't any good? It's neat how he built that lyric on a pantoum (a type of lyrical poem). I agree that not all the record is A+ lyrically, but there are some bright spots.
The Larger Bowl is the perfect example. Here's some lyrics and let's form some music around it. I don't care if it's The Gettysburg Address. If the music sucks, what the hell good are the lyrics?
I wasn't commenting on the quality of the lyrics with my post. I'd be fine opening a book and reading them. But musically, this album blows chunks. The Wild Wind Blows starts off with this awesome bluesy part, and then bam! it's gone.
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S&A is pretty okay, I agree that it's sometimes a slog to get through. It's like Far Cry sets up this amazing energy and then the rest doesn't live up to how great that song is.
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Far Cry is a good song.
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The only thing S&A has going for it is that it sounds great. But it has the be the most uninteresting album they've ever made. And to me, the whole Neil Peart is a great lyricist jumped the shark with me on this. Yeah, he writes the bands lyrics and a lot of them are really interesting. OK. You can stop shoving that down my throat now. S&A literally feels like they wrote the music around the lyrics. There's really just nothing going on with this album.
The Larger Bowl isn't any good? It's neat how he built that lyric on a pantoum (a type of lyrical poem). I agree that not all the record is A+ lyrically, but there are some bright spots.
The Larger Bowl is the perfect example. Here's some lyrics and let's form some music around it. I don't care if it's The Gettysburg Address. If the music sucks, what the hell good are the lyrics?
I wasn't commenting on the quality of the lyrics with my post. I'd be fine opening a book and reading them. But musically, this album blows chunks. The Wild Wind Blows starts off with this awesome bluesy part, and then bam! it's gone.
Heh, I remember reading the lyrics to Working Them Angels in Neil’s book Traveling Music before the album came out and thinking they were pretty good. And then I heard the song and thought they didn’t really execute on a good idea there.
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The only thing S&A has going for it is that it sounds great. But it has the be the most uninteresting album they've ever made. And to me, the whole Neil Peart is a great lyricist jumped the shark with me on this. Yeah, he writes the bands lyrics and a lot of them are really interesting. OK. You can stop shoving that down my throat now. S&A literally feels like they wrote the music around the lyrics. There's really just nothing going on with this album.
The Larger Bowl isn't any good? It's neat how he built that lyric on a pantoum (a type of lyrical poem). I agree that not all the record is A+ lyrically, but there are some bright spots.
The Larger Bowl is the perfect example. Here's some lyrics and let's form some music around it. I don't care if it's The Gettysburg Address. If the music sucks, what the hell good are the lyrics?
I wasn't commenting on the quality of the lyrics with my post. I'd be fine opening a book and reading them. But musically, this album blows chunks. The Wild Wind Blows starts off with this awesome bluesy part, and then bam! it's gone.
So you're saying The Way The Wind Blows Sucks?
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WOW! I’m with Stadler. I had this at #9, and how it comes in lower than Roll the Bones or Vapor Trails is just complete madness to me. I pull this album out more and more as time goes by and I absolutely love it. The 1-2 punch of Hope/Faithless is a particular highlight of the album.
Sorry but I’m dumbfounded by this one.
Roll The Bones and Vapor Trails are completely different animals... Respectfully :)
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The only thing S&A has going for it is that it sounds great. But it has the be the most uninteresting album they've ever made. And to me, the whole Neil Peart is a great lyricist jumped the shark with me on this. Yeah, he writes the bands lyrics and a lot of them are really interesting. OK. You can stop shoving that down my throat now. S&A literally feels like they wrote the music around the lyrics. There's really just nothing going on with this album.
The Larger Bowl isn't any good? It's neat how he built that lyric on a pantoum (a type of lyrical poem). I agree that not all the record is A+ lyrically, but there are some bright spots.
The Larger Bowl is the perfect example. Here's some lyrics and let's form some music around it. I don't care if it's The Gettysburg Address. If the music sucks, what the hell good are the lyrics?
I wasn't commenting on the quality of the lyrics with my post. I'd be fine opening a book and reading them. But musically, this album blows chunks. The Wild Wind Blows starts off with this awesome bluesy part, and then bam! it's gone.
So you're saying The Way The Wind Blows Sucks?
It doesn't Suck, it Blows?! :neverusethis:
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I will say more about Roll the Bones when it is featured here in a couple weeks, but I am definitely in the "it is really good" camp.
Couple WEEKS?!?!? "it's really that good"?? Christ I need a drink
Maybe I am kidding, maybe I am not. :P :corn
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I had this album at 16. Later day Rush really wasn't my thing.
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WOW! I’m with Stadler. I had this at #9, and how it comes in lower than Roll the Bones or Vapor Trails is just complete madness to me. I pull this album out more and more as time goes by and I absolutely love it. The 1-2 punch of Hope/Faithless is a particular highlight of the album.
Sorry but I’m dumbfounded by this one.
Roll The Bones and Vapor Trails are completely different animals... Respectfully :)
Well, they have similarities. Like how subpar they are for example. :angel:
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The only thing S&A has going for it is that it sounds great. But it has the be the most uninteresting album they've ever made. And to me, the whole Neil Peart is a great lyricist jumped the shark with me on this. Yeah, he writes the bands lyrics and a lot of them are really interesting. OK. You can stop shoving that down my throat now. S&A literally feels like they wrote the music around the lyrics. There's really just nothing going on with this album.
The Larger Bowl isn't any good? It's neat how he built that lyric on a pantoum (a type of lyrical poem). I agree that not all the record is A+ lyrically, but there are some bright spots.
The Larger Bowl is the perfect example. Here's some lyrics and let's form some music around it. I don't care if it's The Gettysburg Address. If the music sucks, what the hell good are the lyrics?
I wasn't commenting on the quality of the lyrics with my post. I'd be fine opening a book and reading them. But musically, this album blows chunks. The Wild Wind Blows starts off with this awesome bluesy part, and then bam! it's gone.
So you're saying The Way The Wind Blows Sucks?
Wow! :lol
Yes!
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He's saying The Way the Wind Blows.....blows.
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19
18
17
16 Rush
15
14
13
12
11
10 Snakes And Arrows
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Exact same ranking so far for me. I really enjoyed S&A, I had gotten into Rush big time just after VT came out and I remember hearing that teaser of Far Cry with the Hemisphere chord. Though for me the first two tracks are the highlight of the album followed by the instrumentals. Doing a full listen of the band and really enjoying it, might listen out of order and spin S&A next.
19
18
17
16 Rush
15
14
13
12
11
10 Snakes And Arrows
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
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The Way the Tim Blows.
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The Way the Tim Blows.
starts off with this awesome bluesy part, and then bam! it's gone.
:lol
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Snakes & Arrows - number 18 for me. Just not an album I really connect with or listen to at all.
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The only thing S&A has going for it is that it sounds great. But it has the be the most uninteresting album they've ever made. And to me, the whole Neil Peart is a great lyricist jumped the shark with me on this. Yeah, he writes the bands lyrics and a lot of them are really interesting. OK. You can stop shoving that down my throat now. S&A literally feels like they wrote the music around the lyrics. There's really just nothing going on with this album.
The Larger Bowl isn't any good? It's neat how he built that lyric on a pantoum (a type of lyrical poem). I agree that not all the record is A+ lyrically, but there are some bright spots.
The Larger Bowl is the perfect example. Here's some lyrics and let's form some music around it. I don't care if it's The Gettysburg Address. If the music sucks, what the hell good are the lyrics?
Yep. Great lyrics can make a good song great, and crappy lyrics can make a great song good (or worse), but great lyrics can't make a bad/mediocre song good. That said, I don't think the lyrics to the Larger Bowl are at all interesting. It's a lot of the same lines repeated over and over and over.
And, by the way, I'm almost positive that most, if not all, 21st century Rush songs were created by taking lyrics that Neil had written independently of the music and trying to fit them into music that Geddy and Alex had written (as opposed to writing the music and then writing lyrics to fit it or taking existing lyrics and writing music around them).
Can't imagine thinking "Hmm, do I want to listen to S&A, or Roll The Bones?" and going "Roll The Bones it is!" :)
That's just crazy talk. Roll The Bones is good stuff.
I saw them on that tour, it was incredible! The album is great.
I saw the tour twice and it was jaw-dropping. The album, on the other hand...
Fo shizzle. The best thing about the tour was that only 5 of the 20+ songs were from RTB, and one was the instrumental (on the other hand, they never played the best song from the album).
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I was just listening to Snakes and Arrows this morning and was really enjoying it. That said, I had it at 14.
19. Rush
18.
17.
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15.
14. Snakes & Arrows
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11.
10.
9.
8.
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6.
5.
4.
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1.
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The best thing about the tour was that only 5 of the 20+ songs were from RTB, and one was the instrumental (on the other hand, they never played the best song from the album).
Actually, if you saw the first 5-6 weeks of the Roll the Bones tour, you only got four songs from it as Ghost of a Chance wasn't played early in the tour, IIRC. I think it was added before the new year. I know it wasn't played when we saw them in early November (my first Rush show ever), but it was when they were here again in June late in the tour when they did a second run through the US.
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The best thing about the tour was that only 5 of the 20+ songs were from RTB, and one was the instrumental (on the other hand, they never played the best song from the album).
Actually, if you saw the first 5-6 weeks of the Roll the Bones tour, you only got four songs from it as Ghost of a Chance wasn't played early in the tour, IIRC. I think it was added before the new year. I know it wasn't played when we saw them in early November (my first Rush show ever), but it was when they were here again in June late in the tour when they did a second run through the US.
I saw January and June 1992, and they did Ghost both times.
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The best thing about the tour was that only 5 of the 20+ songs were from RTB, and one was the instrumental (on the other hand, they never played the best song from the album).
Actually, if you saw the first 5-6 weeks of the Roll the Bones tour, you only got four songs from it as Ghost of a Chance wasn't played early in the tour, IIRC. I think it was added before the new year. I know it wasn't played when we saw them in early November (my first Rush show ever), but it was when they were here again in June late in the tour when they did a second run through the US.
I saw January and June 1992, and they did Ghost both times.
Yep, yep, I looked it up and it looks like Ghost of a Chance was added in early December.
https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/setlists.php#ROLLTHEBONES
Unrelated: Playing the first half or so of Xanadu and then segueing into Superconductor was the biggest WTF in their history.
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Pg, that's how they've always done the lyrics. Neil writes, Geddy peaks in. Says, I can work with this. Alex and zgeddy work the lyrics. Geddy goes back to Neil, says, this works, this phrase doesn't work here.
Neil works with Geddy to work out the lyrics and Bam, a song. It's always veen that way.
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(https://media0.giphy.com/media/LyJ6KPlrFdKnK/giphy.gif)
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zgeddy sounds like Geddy's evil twin.
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Zgeedy is truly evil. :lol
Tim, it's always been a collaborative effort but neil gives notes and Geddy works with him. You simpleton.
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Tim, it's always been a collaborative effort but neil gives notes and Geddy works with him. You simpleton.
The thing is, on S&A, it's really obvious, and the music ultimately doesn't hold up its end of the bargain.
Somewhere along the way, their music simplified, for lack of a better term, and instead od providing a nice and natural nest for the lyrics, it became a tad more rigid and it didn't seem to fit so well.
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You can say that on every album. I love Counterparts but "The Speed of Love" is a weak song with weak lyrics.
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You can say that on every album. I love Counterparts but "The Speed of Love" is a weak song with weak lyrics.
Well, sure, every album has a song that misses the mark musically.
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You can say that on every album. I love Counterparts but "The Speed of Love" is a weak song with weak lyrics.
I really like that song. Lyrics are a bit forgettable though.
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You can say that on every album. I love Counterparts but "The Speed of Love" is a weak song with weak lyrics.
Well, sure, every album has a song that misses the mark musically.
And lyrically as HOF just said.
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19.
18.
17. Snakes & Arrows
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13. Rush
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1.
As I said earlier... for me, my albums 11-17 are largely interchangeable. They've all got 3-5 A-list songs (imo), and then the rest range from 'mostly enjoyable' to 'filler'. The Main Monkey Business is the bomb though. Top 3 instrumental from them. :bringiton:
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The Main Monkey Business is the bomb though. Top 3 instrumental from them. :bringiton:
It's a rip off of A National Acrobat.
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I don't know what that means.
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I don't know what that means.
The main riff is the same as Black Sabbath's A National Acrobat, but faster.
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The Main Monkey Business is the bomb though. Top 3 instrumental from them. :bringiton:
Well...think about the competition. Maybe someone doesn't have LVS (12) and YYZ (20) as 1 and 2 (in whatever order), but I suspect such folks are few and far between. After that, we've got
- Where's My Thing (127)
- Leave That Thing Alone (126)
- Limbo (103)
- The Main Monkey Business (109)
- Hope (123)
- Malignant Narcisism (142)
Is TMMB the best of those 6? Maybe, none of those are anywhere near the level of LVS and YYZ (IMO, of course). The numbers above in parentheses are how I ranked the songs when we did the Rush countdown.
I don't know what that means.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gozCnbfY-xM
One of the main riffs in TMMB is quite similar to the single main riff in Black Sabbath's A National Acrobat.
EDIT: Tim swooped me!
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The Main Monkey Business is the bomb though. Top 3 instrumental from them. :bringiton:
Well...think about the competition. Maybe someone doesn't have LVS and YYZ as 1 and 2 (in whatever order), but I suspect such folks are few and far between. After that, we've got
- Where's My Thing
- Leave That Thing Alone
- Limbo
- The Main Monkey Business
- Hope
- Malignant Narcisism
Is TMMB the best of those 6? Maybe, none of those are anywhere near the level of LVS and YYZ (IMO, of course).
For reasons I don't quite understand I don't connect very well with Rush instrumentals. They are all fine, but I don't really seek any of them out. I think I concluded during the Rush song countdown that Leave That Thing Alone is the one I enjoy the most.
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I don't know what that means.
The main riff is the same as Black Sabbath's A National Acrobat, but faster.
Yep, that jumped at me right away the first time I listened to it.
It's kind of a cool instrumental, though...nothing mindblowing, to be sure...a bit "breezier" than their usual. In a way, a better version of what they were going for with Limbo, imo...
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With the huge caveat that S&A comes from the section of the discography I'm not very familiar with, and that I notice several of you mentioned that you came to like this one less over time . . . . .
Y'all are crazy (except Stadler). I have a really positive early impression of this one. It has a distinct sound to it that I really like. It feels both heavy compared to most Rush albums while also being really melodic and having a lot of strong acoustic sections. So far, highlights for me are Far Cry, Armor and Sword and The Main Monkey Business. But there's a lot on here I find quite interesting.
With all that said, I put it in the bottom half of my list, but nowhere near last—#12—mainly because the second half doesn't feel as strong to me as the first. But that's partly with the "early impression penalty"; I could see myself going higher one day (assuming it doesn't fall off for me like it seems to have for many of you).
19. Rush
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12. Snakes & Arrows
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The Main Monkey Business is the bomb though. Top 3 instrumental from them. :bringiton:
Well...think about the competition. Maybe someone doesn't have LVS and YYZ as 1 and 2 (in whatever order), but I suspect such folks are few and far between. After that, we've got
- Where's My Thing
- Leave That Thing Alone
- Limbo
- The Main Monkey Business
- Hope
- Malignant Narcisism
Is TMMB the best of those 6? Maybe, none of those are anywhere near the level of LVS and YYZ (IMO, of course).
For reasons I don't quite understand I don't connect very well with Rush instrumentals. They are all fine, but I don't really seek any of them out. I think I concluded during the Rush song countdown that Leave That Thing Alone is the one I enjoy the most.
I LOVE Leave That Thing Alone! For sure my third favorite Rush instrumental after LVS and YYZ.
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I'm starting to wonder if Kev is just reposting my list.... :lol
19. Rush
18. Snakes & Arrows
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I'm starting to wonder if Kev is just reposting my list.... :lol
That trend comes to a crashing halt tomorrow.
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I'm starting to wonder if Kev is just reposting my list.... :lol
That trend comes to a crashing halt tomorrow.
Can I guess the album???
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I'm starting to wonder if Kev is just reposting my list.... :lol
That trend comes to a crashing halt tomorrow.
Can I guess the album???
Nah.
My new rule is for every spotlighting offense, I post in the Taylor Swift thread to bump it back up to the top. :hat :hat
:P :P
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I'm starting to wonder if Kev is just reposting my list.... :lol
That trend comes to a crashing halt tomorrow.
Can I guess the album???
Nah.
My new rule is for every spotlighting offense, I post in the Taylor Swift thread to bump it back up to the top. :hat :hat
Haha! I wasn't going to try to guess what I believe it would be, I was gonna say Moving Pictures as a goof.
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Moving Pictures is next!
Maybe I should just post it tonight. ;) :lol
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Moving Pictures is next!
Maybe I should just post it tonight. ;) :lol
That would be quite the twist!
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Nah.
My new rule is for every spotlighting offense, I post in the Taylor Swift thread to bump it back up to the top. :hat :hat
:P :P
Like you even need a reason.
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Moving Pictures is next!
Maybe I should just post it tonight. ;) :lol
I would post TAC in a thong and then light him on fire if Moving Pictures is next. :lol
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If Moving Pictures is next, I'll post TAC in a thong!
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Okay, so we are skipping ahead to 16.
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I have a picture of TAC pushing a shoping cart into a cart return. That's worth more than him in a thong.
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I have a picture of TAC pushing a shoping cart into a cart return. That's worth more than him in a thong.
Ah, fiction.
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I have a picture of TAC pushing a shoping cart into a cart return. That's worth more than him in a thong.
It's definitely photoshopped.
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If Moving Pictures is next, I'll post TAC in a thong!
:rollin :rollin :rollin Same here.. And I'll tattoo Taylor Swift on my ass.
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Ah, photoshopped.
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Maybe when Kev bumps the Taylor Swift thread, it's include some thongage.
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(https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.a3d1f191b0d5bbb2aa9ec15af4d6e8cc?rik=qFOXZDACUfBMkQ&riu=http%3a%2f%2fwww.celebjihad.com%2fceleb-jihad%2fimages%2ftaylor_swift_topless_beach.jpg&ehk=OJnb90%2bx2FJ%2foRxpVaUBAAkl7TtebWG5C1b%2bgAA1eiU%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0)
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Now, there's a photoshop. :lol :lol
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Now, there's a photoshop. :lol :lol
Yeah if you can put Tim's face there.
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Tim is more into this pose:
(https://i.chzbgr.com/full/9480480000/h3580F449/person-rawr)
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I actually had Snakes and Arrows at #9. I was so into that album when it came out and every time I listen to it now, I remember why.
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(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/96/1a/fb/961afb0e10019df05306783ace438bac.jpg)
I think this was a pic Lemmy sent Tim.
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:lol
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:lol
You didn't. That's awesome!. :rollin :rollin
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Tim is more into this pose:
(https://i.chzbgr.com/full/9480480000/h3580F449/person-rawr)
Tim met Kramer? :lol
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Assman, meet the other Assman.
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(https://i.postimg.cc/jSZJbMP5/20230606221724.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
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What time is DTF going down? :lol
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(https://i.postimg.cc/jSZJbMP5/20230606221724.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Fucking brilliant! :rollin :rollin
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(https://media.tenor.com/HR59_pC-2QYAAAAd/friends-my-eyes-my-eyes.gif)
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Oh boy, this thread is spiraling :lol
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lmao, Tim's in great shape.
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Oh boy, this thread is spiraling :lol
One might say it's spinning, whirling, still descending like a spiral sea, unending...
-Marc.
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Welp. That's 30 seconds of my morning I'm not getting back!
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Oh boy, this thread is spiraling :lol
One might say it's spinning, whirling, still descending like a spiral sea, unending...
-Marc.
As long as it finally brings balance. :biggrin:
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Alright, getting it back on track...
17 Caress of Steel
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81fOjXMjimL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 19 (jingle.boy, faizoff, coz)
This has been a tough one for me over the years. There are parts of I absolutely love, and then there are parts of it that are a bit of a hard pass for me. I remember Geddy saying there were a lot of funny aromas in the air when they were writing and recording this album, so they were experimenting with many things, including the music. Some of it landed well, some of it did not. I ranked it 18th, simply because I never listen to it anymore. The Necromancer used to be a top 10 Rush song for me, but even that rarely gets time in my CD player anymore. Props for the ambition it took to tackle their first sidelong epic, but while The Fountain of Lamneth has some great moments, it sounds pretty messy when thinking of it as a singular piece.
Favorite songs: The Necromancer and Bastille Day, with special nods to the No One at the Bridge and Bacchus Plateau sections from the epic.
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I have Caress Of Steel at 14. Looking at my list, it might be a spot or two too high, as I rarely listen to it. But when I do, it doesn't piss me off like some of the other albums that follow it. It has a bit of a charm and feels like it's their "awkward pre teen" album. But it's kind of cool in its own way.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18
17
16
15
14 Caress Of Steel
13
12
11
10
9 Rush
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
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I listened to the album yesterday and like Kev mentioned parts of it are weird and rough and some really cool parts but overall, not really a great consistent listen. It did set up the blueprint for their next album which is a classic but this one was a tough sell.
19 Caress of Steel
18
17
16 Rush
15
14
13
12
11
10 Snakes And Arrows
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
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Had Caress at 15. It's a challenging album and a bit scattered tonally with the longer tracks and the goofy I Think I'm Going Bald side-by-side. I think the album would be more highly regarded without that song and something else more "serious" in its place (even though I like the track enough despite it being In The Mood Pt. 2) Lamneth also fails slightly due its lack of cohesion, the puzzling Didacts & Narpets, and the bookend sections being virtually identical.
The Necromancer and Bastille day are incredible songs and the only ones I really revisit anymore.
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I think Kev had it right; it's a tough one over the years. When I was ranking, I would think "The Fountain of Lamneth!" (which I love). Then I would think "I Think I'm Going Bald" or "Lakeside Park". :tdwn. For what it is, it's an interesting record, but honestly, I go to the one before it far more often.
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Caress of Steel was my #18 mainly because half of the album being really disjointed in the epic, although I really like most of its parts. Bastille, Lakeside and Necromancer are amazing though. The sounding of this album is really great for the time! Thinking better, maybe it could be at my #16. At least, at this very moment, I think it's better than S&A.
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Alright, getting it back on track...
17 Caress of Steel
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81fOjXMjimL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 19 (jingle.boy, faizoff, coz)
01 ?
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06 Caress Of Steel
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17 Snakes & Arrows
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19 Rush
I'm surprised someone ranked it a spot higher than me! Once I finished the sorter, I was shocked to see it end up in sixth for me, but I've really grown to appreciate it lately, and in fact, it was probably my COS appreciation post in the main Rush thread that kicked this off as it led to album ranking discussions, so here we are. :lol
Not much more I can say about it here that I haven't in the other thread, but I guess also hearing that recently unveiled COS Tour show also helped my appreciation for the material, especially the jokey-song "I Think I'm Going Bald". I've also probably listened to COS more lately than any of the other five 70s albums and also found/bought a COS t-shirt online featuring the album art from the front AND back covers on both sides of the shirt.
Yep, I pretty much love it now, but it didn't break my Top 5. So close though...
-Marc.
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I had Caress of Steel at 14. While I agree it’s awkward and definitely sounds like there were strong aromas during much of the recording, I think it has a charm that some of the other 70s albums lack. I’ve said it before, but I think Lamneth is a better epic than 2112 (which has similar issues with being disjointed), and The Necromancer is a really fun track all the way through. I’m Going Bald is not great, but Lakeside Park is decent, and Bastille Day is a really cool track. It all adds up to an album that’s maybe more interesting than great, but I generally enjoy it for what it is.
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I had Caress at 18. Some good songs overall but another I gravitate less to when playing Rush albums.
01 ?
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16 Snakes & Arrows
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18 Caress Of Steel
19 Rush
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I also ranked this at #17, but it's not without its merits. I'm not always in the mood for some early Rush rockers, but when I am, Bastille day is one of the go to tracks. I also think The Fountain of Lamneth is pretty good.
The rest doesn't excite me that much. The Necromancer is one of their most overrated tunes.
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I think that's a good distinction for me that even with it being ranked lowest on my ranking, it's by no means a stinker, I'd probably rate this closer to a 7/10.
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This could have landed anywhere from 19-14 or so and I wouldn't be upset. Bastille Day is an absolute banger, the clear standout of the album, and Lakeside Park is a beautiful nice softer tune. But does that even account for 10 minutes? Past that you have the quirky but okay throwback to the first album in Going Bald, and two epics that are good, even great at times, but not great enough to carry an album into the musical history books like 2112. That said I do feel like because this is sort of a forgotten album, the epics don't get quite the listens and love they deserve from fans, myself included.
19. Rush
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This could have landed anywhere from 19-14 or so and I wouldn't be upset. Bastille Day is an absolute banger, the clear standout of the album, and Lakeside Park is a beautiful nice softer tune. But does that even account for 10 minutes? Past that you have the quirky but okay throwback to the first album in Going Bald, and two epics that are good, even great at times, but not great enough to carry an album into the musical history books like 2112. That said I do feel like because this is sort of a forgotten album, the epics don't get quite the listens and love they deserve from fans, myself included.
(https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/forumavatars/avatar_113_1608488757.jpeg)
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Going back a bit to the first album, most of you already know this for sure, but I recommend the excellent soudboard recording Rush - The First US Tour (at least the show from 08/26/74), avaible on Spotify. Six songs from debut and more played with an amazing upgrade by Neil.
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CoS checked in at 13 for me. Bastille Day, FoL, and the Necromancer really push this from lower end of the catalog to the early teens.
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I had this ranked # 8, and I'm sure I had my reasons at the time, but right now I can't remember.
Maybe I was experimenting with something.
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CoS came in at 14 for me. Bastille Day is one of my favorite early era Rush tracks, and the Necromancer is solid as well. Lakeside Park is a nice little song, and Lamneth is a good attempt at a side-long epic. Bald is one of my least favorite Rush tunes.
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I had this ranked # 8, and I'm sure I had my reasons at the time, but right now I can't remember.
Maybe I was experimenting with something.
One of the main reasons for me having the self titled album at #3. ;)
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I very much hold with the traditional view of Caress of Steel. Not the retrospective positivity of some Rush fans—the view that this album is kind of a mess. There are good sections spread across this album, but they're mixed in with sections I don't like, and the music is structured really poorly.
The Fountain of Lamneth is obviously the paradigm case of this, where each section just kind of... ends. And then a totally different section starts up. You get this intro that feels like a promising start... and then all of a sudden you get this annoying drum solo/scream section. Then it's on to something else. And then something else. And so on. All of this is, I think, a mix of good and bad elements. As I suggested, I don't like Didacts and Narpets at all. But then No One at the Bridge is a really good section. But then Panacea is hard to take. But Bacchus Plateau is pretty good. All throughout there are a couple of recurring motifs that I don't think are worthy of repeating that many times.
Listening to it this morning, I liked The Necromancer a bit more than I remember doing, but I still find it to be a kind of amorphous thing that is not good by the standards of "this is meant to be a 12 minute song." The second half has some of the best parts of the album, though.
Even the shorter stuff is not structured very well, I don't think. Lakeside Park and Bastille Day are the best songs here by far, in my opinion, but even they suffer at times from suddenly stopping one part and jumping in a different direction kind of jerkily. I guess I Think I'm Going Bald is cohesive, but there's not a lot of there there.
I find this interesting in a Majesty Demos kind of way (same as Rush), but I don't like it as an album. I like Lakeside Park as a song, and there are individual sections I enjoy in the long pieces (more so in The Necromancer than in The Fountain of Lamneth), although I don't think they're good as whole songs. Bastille Day is maybe the best song, and it's one I used to enjoy, but I discovered today that I have an unfortunate negative personal association with it, so I doubt I'll even be enjoying that one much anymore. The end is still nice to hear as the inspiration for "Majesty."
While I'm sure the label executives had some very commercial-oriented reasons for what they told the band after this album, I sort of understand where they're coming from. My reaction, too, is "you guys can really play, but can we work on writing some actual songs?"
#18, only ahead of the debut because I like hearing the Neil/Geddy rhythm section and Lakeside Park plus the second half of The Necromancer are better than anything on the s/t. But there's a huge gap for me between #17 and these two.
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17 Caress of Steel
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81fOjXMjimL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 19 (jingle.boy, faizoff, coz)
This has been a tough one for me over the years. There are parts of I absolutely love, and then there are parts of it that are a bit of a hard pass for me. I remember Geddy saying there were a lot of funny aromas in the air when they were writing and recording this album, so they were experimenting with many things, including the music. Some of it landed well, some of it did not. I ranked it 18th, simply because I never listen to it anymore. The Necromancer used to be a top 10 Rush song for me, but even that rarely gets time in my CD player anymore. Props for the ambition it took to tackle their first sidelong epic, but while The Fountain of Lamneth has some great moments, it sounds pretty messy when thinking of it as a singular piece.
Favorite songs: The Necromancer and Bastille Day, with special nods to the No One at the Bridge and Bacchus Plateau sections from the epic.
This is some serious ball shite right here. All the comments yesterday about "would I rather listen to __ or Roll the Bones or Power Windows." There's no way I'm ever not choosing COS in that situation. Wow....COS is not without its faults (Bald and Panacea chief among them), but it's still a great album. Bastille Day and the Necromancer are top notch metal (or what passed for metal in the mid-'70s) and prog songs. I love Lakeside Park (although I prefer the ATWAS version), and No One at the Bridge is grossly underappreciated. I had it at #9 and easily could've had it a notch or two higher.
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16 Snakes & Arrows (18)
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9 Caress of Steel (17)
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Ball shite or you're in the minority sir. :lol
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I just had a listen to Caress Of Steel. It's not a great album by any stretch, and I don't go to it nearly as often as a couple of albums that will follow it in this countdown. The thing with Rush is that I feel sometimes like they're not trying. Like they wrote some songs, recorded them, and released an album. I feel they've made a number of albums that are beneath them musically.
Even though I don't totally love CoS, that is not how I feel about it. I do feel like they're trying. I do feel like they're pushing.
Bastille Day is a great track.
I Think I'm Going Bald is poorly titled. It's simply a song about getting older, and if it had a better title, it'd not be the butt of jokes that it is now. It'd merely be a song that had a crazy line in it.
Lakeside Park is wonderful.
The Necromancer is ok. The last part of the song is amazing though. I may edit that into its own track.
The Fountain is quite long and choppy. The sections don't really run together naturally and there's no part that on its own is very compelling or memorable, except for the very end.
Two other things also jumped out at me.
First, Geddy is fucking awesome on this. He lays it all out vocally. I love him on this. Just so raw, but much more developed than the first album. And his bass playing really stands out too. and,
Second, Alex Lifeson is the Ace Frehley of progressive rock. I'm sorry if that sounds like an insult to the Rush snobs, but I happen to love Ace Frehley. He has made a ton memorable solos. It seems like Alex as a guitar player was always miles away from Neil's drumming and Geddy's bass playing, but he has also created a lot of memorable guitar parts as well. He has a nice melodic solo during the end of The Necromancer that seems short on notes, but long on melody, and well, it reminded me of Ace Frehley.
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Rush couldn't have made 2112 without Caress of Steel. They had to take a crack at a sidelong epic before getting it right on the second try. Despite not being one of my favorites, there was a lot of experimenting and trying new things on this record. Not everything you do it going to be a home run.
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Rush couldn't have made 2112 without Caress of Steel. They had to take a crack at a sidelong epic before getting it right on the second try. Despite not being one of my favorites, there was a lot of experimenting and trying new things on this record. Not everything you do it going to be a home run.
The experimental/first draft nature of Fountain of Lamneth (and this whole album) might be part of why I prefer it to what came next... Steven Wilson calls albums like this "noble follies." An artist trying to achieve something that is maybe beyond their skill or capability at that moment in time and accidentally creating something unique and interesting in it's own right despite it falling short of the intended mark.
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Tim, definitely they were expanding their musical horizons and like Kev said, sometimes you don't hit the home run but improve the model which was 2112.
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Rush couldn't have made 2112 without Caress of Steel. They had to take a crack at a sidelong epic before getting it right on the second try. Despite not being one of my favorites, there was a lot of experimenting and trying new things on this record. Not everything you do it going to be a home run.
Oh I definitely agree with that. I'm fine with not achieving a home run, as long as I feel as a listener that there's effort there, and there is definitely effort on CoS.
Tim, definitely they were expanding their musical horizons and like Kev said, sometimes you don't hit the home run but improve the model which was 2112.
I wasn't complaining!!!
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No, I'm agreeing with you. It's not a bad album at all. Like I've said before, I don't gravitate to it as mush as the other albums so that's how I rank them.
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I agree that Caress of Steel was a necessary album in their development, and is interesting for that reason. I just distinguish that from being an album that I enjoy as a musical experience.
I also think it's interesting to think about what they would have done under somewhat different circumstances and whether that would be better or worse. In other words, they were operating in a musical world in which it was important to have a regular stream of new material coming out. But maybe if there were different incentives they could have taken another year to work on it and improved it. Or maybe they would have decided to shelve much of it. Or maybe they were really happy with it at the time and would have done the same thing they really did. And then what would be better or worse from the audience perspective.
I just think of the comparison to what happened with another first epic with a similar concept—A Change of Seasons—which really benefitted from sitting on the shelf for a few years and being revised a couple of times.
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Rush couldn't have made 2112 without Caress of Steel. They had to take a crack at a sidelong epic before getting it right on the second try. Despite not being one of my favorites, there was a lot of experimenting and trying new things on this record. Not everything you do it going to be a home run.
The experimental/first draft nature of Fountain of Lamneth (and this whole album) might be part of why I prefer it to what came next... Steven Wilson calls albums like this "noble follies." An artist trying to achieve something that is maybe beyond their skill or capability at that moment in time and accidentally creating something unique and interesting in it's own right despite it falling short of the intended mark.
That's an interesting description. Funny enough I'd use that to describe most of SW's solo work :lol
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Rush couldn't have made 2112 without Caress of Steel. They had to take a crack at a sidelong epic before getting it right on the second try. Despite not being one of my favorites, there was a lot of experimenting and trying new things on this record. Not everything you do it going to be a home run.
The experimental/first draft nature of Fountain of Lamneth (and this whole album) might be part of why I prefer it to what came next... Steven Wilson calls albums like this "noble follies." An artist trying to achieve something that is maybe beyond their skill or capability at that moment in time and accidentally creating something unique and interesting in it's own right despite it falling short of the intended mark.
That's an interesting description. Funny enough I'd use that to describe most of SW's solo work :lol
Except there’s usually not anything interesting about his solo albums!
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I remember trying to get through this album a long time ago and only Bastille Day sticking out to me. Relistening now.
Also, avatar-quoting in 2023, nice.
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I had CoS at 8, which in retrospect is probably a couple spots too high. Still I find it a damn entertaining album for the most part and prefer it over many of their later albums. Definitely not fully formed Rush yet, which is part of its charm. On some of the latter period albums, I thought the band started to take themselves TOO seriously. While a few moments on CoS miss the target, I enjoy hearing them just go for it and play their asses off while finding their way.
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The Necromancer is ok. The last part of the song is amazing though. I may edit that into its own track.
The Fountain is quite long and choppy. The sections don't really run together naturally and there's no part that on its own is very compelling or memorable, except for the very end.
Re The Necromancer, the last section, "The Return of the Prince," was the lead single from the album in Canada.
Re TFOL, "No One at the Bridge" is amazing and totally stands on its own.
Rush couldn't have made 2112 without Caress of Steel. They had to take a crack at a sidelong epic before getting it right on the second try.
This is interestingly worded. Rush didn't nail it on the first try, but I don't see why they couldn't have done so. Yes certainly nailed it on the first try.
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Came here to post that maybe this is a chance for me to deep dive all the Rush albums I’ve never heard (I’ve probably only heard 4 or 5), but ended up seeing Tim in a thong.
Just another day on DTF I guess.
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Came here to post that maybe this is a chance for me to deep dive all the Rush albums I’ve never heard (I’ve probably only heard 4 or 5), but ended up seeing Tim in a thong.
Just another day on DTF I guess.
:lol
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Came here to post that maybe this is a chance for me to deep dive all the Rush albums I’ve never heard (I’ve probably only heard 4 or 5), but ended up seeing Tim in a thong.
Just another day on DTF I guess.
Yeah, but you only carved out your eyes. Not your ears.
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Rush couldn't have made 2112 without Caress of Steel. They had to take a crack at a sidelong epic before getting it right on the second try. Despite not being one of my favorites, there was a lot of experimenting and trying new things on this record. Not everything you do it going to be a home run.
Precisely. The above, and Bastille Day are the only good things going for this album. Lakeside Park has been so overplayed on Canadian Rock Radio, I tire of it from the opening drum fill and chord. It has it's charm, but I've heard it a few hundred times too many already. Lyrically, every Canadian in the history of ever can relate to it ... "though it's just a memory, some memories last forever".
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This is WAY too low for COS.
I slightly prefer this as an album to 2112. 2112>TFOL, but COS Side 1>2112 Side 2.
I had COS at 13.
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Came here to post that maybe this is a chance for me to deep dive all the Rush albums I’ve never heard (I’ve probably only heard 4 or 5), but ended up seeing Tim in a thong.
Just another day on DTF I guess.
Yeah, but you only carved out your eyes. Not your ears.
Yep, I’m about to start listening to the albums. Ear carving out incoming.
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Caress of Steel. My rank is 11. Really struggling to understand how this album can be ranked so low overall. Disappointing result.
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Came here to post that maybe this is a chance for me to deep dive all the Rush albums I’ve never heard (I’ve probably only heard 4 or 5), but ended up seeing Tim in a thong.
Just another day on DTF I guess.
Yeah, but you only carved out your eyes. Not your ears.
Yep, I’m about to start listening to the albums. Ear carving out incoming.
I would recommend starting with Permanent Waves then Moving Pictures.
Luke! Devin Townsend did the vocals on "Natural Science" on the Rush Tribute album Working Man. Check that out to grease the wheels.
Here! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fw1KTC9M6LQ
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Came here to post that maybe this is a chance for me to deep dive all the Rush albums I’ve never heard (I’ve probably only heard 4 or 5), but ended up seeing Tim in a thong.
Just another day on DTF I guess.
Yeah, but you only carved out your eyes. Not your ears.
Yep, I’m about to start listening to the albums. Ear carving out incoming.
Hee hee. I love it! I love Rush, I do, but - and I mean this with love, I really do! - there's a fair amount of fanboying around here. A little contrast is good for the system!! :)
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Came here to post that maybe this is a chance for me to deep dive all the Rush albums I’ve never heard (I’ve probably only heard 4 or 5), but ended up seeing Tim in a thong.
Just another day on DTF I guess.
Yeah, but you only carved out your eyes. Not your ears.
Yep, I’m about to start listening to the albums. Ear carving out incoming.
I would recommend starting with Permanent Waves then Moving Pictures.
Luke! Devin Townsend did the vocals on "Natural Science" on the Rush Tribute album Working Man. Check that out to grease the wheels.
Here! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fw1KTC9M6LQ
Cheers dude! I’m already very familiar with Moving Pictures, and don’t mind it at all. I also know my first Rush experience was Caress of Steel, as I remember a friend lending it to me (it didn’t leave a good first impression clearly). I’m gonna listen to the albums in the order they’re being ranked here, so it should only get better (in theory) :lol
Came here to post that maybe this is a chance for me to deep dive all the Rush albums I’ve never heard (I’ve probably only heard 4 or 5), but ended up seeing Tim in a thong.
Just another day on DTF I guess.
Yeah, but you only carved out your eyes. Not your ears.
Yep, I’m about to start listening to the albums. Ear carving out incoming.
Hee hee. I love it! I love Rush, I do, but - and I mean this with love, I really do! - there's a fair amount of fanboying around here. A little contrast is good for the system!! :)
I can give a lacklustre take on the albums, to help counteract the fanboying.
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Rush are no Pizza Death but not too shabby. :)
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19. Rush
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13. Caress of Steel
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As many have stated - quirky, experimental and an obvious big step in their development as a "Prog" band if you will..
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How many times have those participating seen Rush live?
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Not as many as you
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How many times have those participating seen Rush live?
Sadly only twice. :blush
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How many times have those participating seen Rush live?
24 times, first show being one of the Radio City Music Hall shows in 1983 between the Signals tour and the release of GUP.
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Only 2 times, the Rush in Rio show and Time Machine Tour (also in Rio de Janeiro).
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Not many times, unfortunately...Lived a big chunk of my life in Italy and they sure weren't regulars there...then by the time they finally came, I had moved to the US :facepalm: :biggrin:
Anyway - three times total:
- Snakes and Arrows Tour
- Clockwork Angels Tour
- R40
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Came here to post that maybe this is a chance for me to deep dive all the Rush albums I’ve never heard (I’ve probably only heard 4 or 5), but ended up seeing Tim in a thong.
Just another day on DTF I guess.
Luke! Curious to read your impressions as you go along...just don't give up after some of the initial records, if you follow the countdown...there's many different "versions" of Rush to enjoy...
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Came here to post that maybe this is a chance for me to deep dive all the Rush albums I’ve never heard (I’ve probably only heard 4 or 5), but ended up seeing Tim in a thong.
Just another day on DTF I guess.
Luke! Curious to read your impressions as you go along...just don't give up after some of the initial records, if you follow the countdown...there's many different "versions" of Rush to enjoy...
Well I’ve spun the debut and it was enjoyable enough and of it’s time. Not bad by any stretch.
Just listening to Snakes & Arrows now and it’s definitely better than the debut to me. Some of you guys clearly don’t like it that much but it doesn’t sound too dissimilar to most Rush I’ve heard.
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How many times have those participating seen Rush live?
24 times, first show being one of the Radio City Music Hall shows in 1983 between the Signals tour and the release of GUP.
Some classic pictures from thst show!
Not as many as you
You're in the teens though?
Love the responses everyone!
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Luke! Devin Townsend did the vocals on "Natural Science" on the Rush Tribute album Working Man. Check that out to grease the wheels.
I bought that album shortly after it was released, and that was one of the worst things I have ever heard in my life. He absolutely ruined that great song.
How many times have those participating seen Rush live?
20. Twice on each of the POW, HYF, Presto, RTB and S&A tours. Thrice on Time Machine. Once on every other tour starting with GUP, and culminating with the last show ever on 8/1/2015.
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Very cool pg.
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How many times have those participating seen Rush live?
Twice for me, I got into them really late :(
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How many times have those participating seen Rush live?
Never, unfortunately.
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7 times
1985..12/5..Rush, Steve Morse.. Providence Civic Center
1987..12/3..Rush, Michael Schenker..Worcester Centrum
1990..5/17..Rush, Mr. Big.. Providence Civic Center
1991..12/10..Rush, Vinnie Moore..Worcester Centrum
1994..3/11..Rush, Candlebox..Worcester Centrum
1994..5/11..Rush, Candlebox..Providence Civic Center
1996..11/9..Rush..Fleet Center Boston
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Alright, getting it back on track...
17 Caress of Steel
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81fOjXMjimL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 19 (jingle.boy, faizoff, coz)
This has been a tough one for me over the years. There are parts of I absolutely love, and then there are parts of it that are a bit of a hard pass for me. I remember Geddy saying there were a lot of funny aromas in the air when they were writing and recording this album, so they were experimenting with many things, including the music. Some of it landed well, some of it did not. I ranked it 18th, simply because I never listen to it anymore. The Necromancer used to be a top 10 Rush song for me, but even that rarely gets time in my CD player anymore. Props for the ambition it took to tackle their first sidelong epic, but while The Fountain of Lamneth has some great moments, it sounds pretty messy when thinking of it as a singular piece.
Favorite songs: The Necromancer and Bastille Day, with special nods to the No One at the Bridge and Bacchus Plateau sections from the epic.
CoS was at #18 for me, just a notch above the s/t...Always enjoyed Bastille Day (one of the first "epic metal" opening riffs?? ;)) and Lakeside Park. I have learned to appreciate the longer songs a bit more over time (or parts of them) but overall, yeah, it's kind of a mess of an album...a charming mess, but a mess nonetheless :) The band has always said as much, anyway. It's also true that this was an important record in their journey to greatness, so...
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How many times have those participating seen Rush live?
Whatever your number is plus 1.
(serious answer is 12)
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I can say my last Rush concert was with Chad in Montreal.
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I've never seen Rush with Chad.
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And we ate poutine and drank for 2 days. Lol
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As a matter of fact.
(https://i.postimg.cc/RCtfxLC5/FB-IMG-1686182604995.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
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This is WAY too low for COS.
I slightly prefer this as an album to 2112. 2112>TFOL, but COS Side 1>2112 Side 2.
I had COS at 13.
17 Caress of Steel
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81fOjXMjimL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 19 (jingle.boy, faizoff, coz)
This has been a tough one for me over the years. There are parts of I absolutely love, and then there are parts of it that are a bit of a hard pass for me. I remember Geddy saying there were a lot of funny aromas in the air when they were writing and recording this album, so they were experimenting with many things, including the music. Some of it landed well, some of it did not. I ranked it 18th, simply because I never listen to it anymore. The Necromancer used to be a top 10 Rush song for me, but even that rarely gets time in my CD player anymore. Props for the ambition it took to tackle their first sidelong epic, but while The Fountain of Lamneth has some great moments, it sounds pretty messy when thinking of it as a singular piece.
Favorite songs: The Necromancer and Bastille Day, with special nods to the No One at the Bridge and Bacchus Plateau sections from the epic.
This is some serious ball shite right here. All the comments yesterday about "would I rather listen to __ or Roll the Bones or Power Windows." There's no way I'm ever not choosing COS in that situation. Wow....COS is not without its faults (Bald and Panacea chief among them), but it's still a great album. Bastille Day and the Necromancer are top notch metal (or what passed for metal in the mid-'70s) and prog songs. I love Lakeside Park (although I prefer the ATWAS version), and No One at the Bridge is grossly underappreciated. I had it at #9 and easily could've had it a notch or two higher.
19 ??
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16 Snakes & Arrows (18)
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12 Rush (19)
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9 Caress of Steel (17)
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Jammindude and PG get it. This is definitely too low for CoS.
19. Rush
18. Snakes & Arrows
17.
16.
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14.
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11.
10. Caress of Steel
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Just listening to Snakes & Arrows now and it’s definitely better than the debut to me. Some of you guys clearly don’t like it that much but it doesn’t sound too dissimilar to most Rush I’ve heard.
It's certainly not a bad album...I just find it overall...unremarkable? (In the grand scheme of the multitude of Rush masterpieces, that is :biggrin:)
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Just listening to Snakes & Arrows now and it’s definitely better than the debut to me. Some of you guys clearly don’t like it that much but it doesn’t sound too dissimilar to most Rush I’ve heard.
It's certainly not a bad album...I just find it overall...unremarkable? (In the grand scheme of the multitude of Rush masterpieces, that is :biggrin:)
I find it unremarkable in the grand scheme of the multitude of Rush's unremarkable albums, that is.
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Not participating in the stats, but I've seen them 5 times.
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I want to say that I will have to murder Tim before this is over, but I don't know if I could follow through.
Highly likely someone beats me to it.
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I want to say that I will have to murder Tim before this is over, but I don't know if I could follow through.
Highly likely someone beats me to it.
:rollin
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:lol
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Tim, Marry, Bang.
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Alright, folks, tomorrow we turn the page and focus on a different album.
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Great, I love Bob Seger.
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Alright, folks, tomorrow we turn the page and focus on a different album.
Did you spotlight your own countdown? Now time will stand still until it's revealed. :lol
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Alright, folks, tomorrow we turn the page and focus on a different album.
Did you spotlight your own countdown? Now time will stand still until it's revealed. :lol
Yeah, didn't think spoliers or spotlighting was allowed. May as well start talking about the album now and where we all ranked it.
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Alright, folks, tomorrow we turn the page and focus on a different album.
Did you spotlight your own countdown? Now time will stand still until it's revealed. :lol
Yeah, didn't think spoliers or spotlighting was allowed. May as well start talking about the album now and where we all ranked it.
Maybe it was a coincidence?
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Could be a misdirect.
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Luke! Devin Townsend did the vocals on "Natural Science" on the Rush Tribute album Working Man. Check that out to grease the wheels.
I bought that album shortly after it was released, and that was one of the worst things I have ever heard in my life. He absolutely ruined that great song.
(https://media.tenor.com/waY_JTvKqYEAAAAM/devin-townsend-laughing.gif)
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He’s right though. That’s an awful cover :lol
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He’s right though. That’s an awful cover :lol
Its just Devin doing his thing. But yeah, Not even close to the original.
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How many times have those participating seen Rush live?
8 times. All in the Seattle area (well…two of them at an amphitheater in Central Washington…but close enough)
Power Windows
Presto
Test For Echo
Vapor Trails
Snakes and Arrows
Time Machine Tour
Clockwork Angels
R40
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He’s right though. That’s an awful cover :lol
To be fair that whole covers album was awful. Terribly produced, with some extremely questionable choices.
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He’s right though. That’s an awful cover :lol
To be fair that whole covers album was awful. Terribly produced, with some extremely questionable choices.
Magna Carta records released a second Rush Tribute called Subdivisions.
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So far it's been looking quite like my ranking (Rush #19, Snakes & Arrows #15, and Caress Of Steel #16). No surprises yet.
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After listening to the three albums rated so far I’d agree with the ranking.
I get the feeling that I’ll rate Caress of Steel higher overall, especially as I thought Fountain of Lamneth was one of the best Rush songs I’ve heard to date. Bring on the next one.
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Alright, folks, tomorrow we turn the page and focus on a different album.
Did you spotlight your own countdown? Now time will stand still until it's revealed. :lol
Yeah, didn't think spoliers or spotlighting was allowed. May as well start talking about the album now and where we all ranked it.
Where was there any spotlighting or spoilers posted by me? I'll hang up and listen.
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Rush sports talk 101.
Tennis and baseball.
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Here is the next album!
16 Test for Echo
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91Qv9jqPvvL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (jammindude, billboy73)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Metropolaris)
This was an interesting one for me when it was released. It was obvious right away that it was a clear drop-off from its predecessor, but as it was a new Rush album, I still listened to it like crazy for many, many months, and it was hard not to love the tour as that was the first where they did the “evening with…” shows. The fact that it was the only album to not get anything played on the last four tours tells me the band must not have thought too highly of it as time went on. It's also the only Rush album where the first song was never played on more than one tour, which is kind of shame as the title track is a good tune and probably should have been played again. It's not a bad album at all, but if I had become a fan and not known the real reason for the hiatus from the later 90s through the early 00s and just listened to the albums, I would have assumed the band took a few years off to recharge their batteries since this does sound like a band that was suddenly creatively struggling and thus took a few years off to recharge their batteries. I ranked it 17th.
Favorite songs: Resist, Test for Echo, Driven, Totem, Half the World
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I had T4E it 13. A very good album. Very dry vocals purposely. At the time, that was prominent in hard rock.
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I had this one at 7. This album always felt more inspired to me than their previous few. I first heard it via Neil's A Work In Progress double-VHS set. I watched it religiously and seeing Neil's enthusiasm for the songs and his new drum style made me enthusiastic as well. Anyone who dislikes TFE should watch that set and see if their opinion changes at all.
Virtuality has possibly the best guitar riff in their entire catalog (maybe tied with Peaceable Kingdom's bridge) and the songs overall feel a bit more whimsical and adventurous. Resist is stunning, Limbo has a cool, world-music vibe that I really like, and Carve Away The Stone as a closing track just does it for me. I wonder if its lack of play in live shows after the fact was because it was tied to Neil's memory of the time right near his double tragedies. Probably why VT never had a big representation either.
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I think of this one the same as Presto. Both very transitional. They don’t sound “uninspired” as much as they’re trying to find their way. The musical landscape was changing a little for both. At this time we were moving out of grunge and into the more mid to late 90s alternative sound which you can hear in this album. Neil’s lyrics were reaching a little here, but every song has something I like about it.
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Resist took me a bit of time to appreciate. I remember being stunned when it was played on the TFE tour. I figured that was one that had no chance of being played, and I was even more shocked that Totem, which the band really talked up in chatter around when the album was released, wasn't played. But I grew to love Resist, and it is now my favorite song from the album. And it was the only song from the album to get played on three tours (and one of only two that got played on at least two).
I always figured Vapor Trails didn't get more live love on the 2002 tour because of the hiatus. Because it was their first tour in five years, it felt like they went out of their way to hit each era pretty good, thus going heavy on the new album just wasn't possible.
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19
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16 Rush
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14 Test For Echo
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12 Caress Of Steel
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10 Snakes And Arrows
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1
First, I've seen them four times:
- Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT, November 10, 1996 (Test For Echo, Evening With...)
- New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT, March 14, 1992 (Roll The Bones, w/Primus)
- Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT, December 13, 1991 (Roll The Bones, w/Vinnie Moore)
- Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT, December 8, 1985 (Power Windows, w/Steve Morse Band)
Test For Echo; not an album I like or listen to all that often, but periodically Jammin' will say how great it is, and I'll go back and listen - like I do with p/g - and I'll really like the sound of the first four songs or so... but then it tails off pretty quickly. It's just a bland record for me, and one of the few latter day ones that really feels dated. I know it's an easy target and convenient to point to, but it's symbolic: the "net boy and net girl" stuff... I know Neil is trying to stay current. but I like him less when he's doing that, and more when he's being transcendental, and touching on cosmic themes (one of the reasons I love Hold Your Fire so much).
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There are a pair of albums from this era that I probably like a bit more than the average fan, with Test for Echo being one of them. The combo that opens the album are absolutely stellar, and I agree with Kev about the title track's omission from later tours. Really sad I was not able to see that live having seen from R30 onwards. While having it at #14 I obviously agree it's not their best work, I don't think the downside of the album is as bad as most. Even the much belittled Dog Years is not at rock bottom on my list of least favorite songs.
And to specifically answer King's question, 18 times total, not missing a tour starting at R30.
19. Rush
18. Caress of Steel
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14. Test for Echo
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16 for me. I liked it plenty when it came out. But it hasn't aged terribly well. The good songs are really good, the rest (about 1/2) are filler. I'm going to be repeating myself until we get to #10 on my list.
Not as many as you
You're in the teens though?
Barely, I think I'm at 13. It might be 12 - I can't remember if I saw them once or twice on the S&A Tour. I may have seen them twice on the CA Tour as well.
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Here is the next album!
16 Test for Echo
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91Qv9jqPvvL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (jammindude, billboy73)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Metropolaris)
01 ?
02 ?
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04 ?
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06 Caress Of Steel
07 ?
08 ?
09 ?
10 ?
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12 ?
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14 ?
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16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 ?
19 Rush
This was certainly always going to be a Bottom Five album for me because I really only like half of the album, but even though it's at 16th, it isn't entirely terrible.
I remember getting the 2 VHS set of Neil's A Work In Progress instructional video and watching it over and over and just loving his drumming, but the songs were hit or miss for me, with some questionable and/or cheesy lyrics.
"Limbo" is a clear favorite of mine here, and I even transcribed the drum parts for the Rush Tabulature Project many many years ago. Coincidentally, my favorite songs on the album were all played live!
-Marc.
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Top 5 Rush album. Miles better than its predecessor. Possibly one of the best opening 5 songs in their entire catalog. Half the World should have been the biggest radio hit they ever released. I’m only lukewarm on Dog Years and Totem, and I’ve actually started to warm up to the latter.
I’ve never been able to wrap my head around the criticisms for this album while simultaneously embracing the much more inferior Counterparts. Every time I listen to these two albums I have completely the opposite reaction of the majority.
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Yeah this ranked last for me, but my bottom 5 are pretty interchangeable. A couple good songs, but a weak album overall.
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I really like Teat for Echo and had it 6th. It was one of the first full Rush albums I heard, and I have some strong associations with the first summer I heard it. For me the top tracks are Half the World, Color of Right, Totem, Virtuality, Resist, and Carve Away The Stone, all of which I think are a bit uninteresting for most fans. The rest are good to great too, and I even kind of liked Time and Motion the last time I heard it. The drumming was different after Neil retrained himself to play, but there is some excellent stuff going on throughout (the title track is a tour de force). Geddy has a more meaty bass tone, and it’s the last album where he sounds pretty good vocally. Alex at least gets to have a more guitar focused album although not much in terms of solos. It’s not my favorite production on a Rush album, especially by Peter Collins’ standards, but it’s miles better than the albums that followed.
Virtuality is especially great instrumentally, and I don’t see how references to modems are any more dating than references to radio or TV or old cars.
I thought this might finish a bit higher knowing a couple others like it a lot. I guess I’m not too surprised it’s here though.
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I had Test for echo at #16. It's not bad by any means, it just lacks highlights. Driven is probably the only song I find truly great.
But still, if you played this album to a non-Rush fan and told him many fans consider it to be the band's worst record, they'd wonder what's so wrong with it. It's not that anything's wrong with it, it's just that to many people other albums are much better.
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I like Test For Echo a lot. I had it at # 12. First two songs are an awesome 1-2 punch, and I for one like the rest of the album as well.
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Test for Echo (#14) is a solid and good album and has a lot of very good songs on it, like TFE (one of my Rush's faves), Driven, Half the World, Time and Motion, Limbo and Carve Away the Stone. Virtuality and Dog Years have excellent riffs, but they should have guitar solos to make it sound more complete and punchy (Ok, the netboy, netgirl part was already embarrassing at the time, but I find Dog Years' lyrics amusing). Totem and Resist are beautiful. The Color of Right is boring, one of the worst Rush songs for me. And the dry production is not very good for sure.
About Neil's performance, it's really nice to see the live video of the T4E tour (from the R40 box set?). I think it's the smoothest, most refined and best version of him I've ever seen.
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Nick, prepare yourself. :lol
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The bass in Driven is so fun.
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I get that The Color of Right is not very complex or proggy, but it’s such a warm, open hearted song. I love the sentiment, I love the tone of it, I love Geddy’s performance. I love the drumming. It’s probably my favorite song on the album.
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I was just listening to Different Stages ... and man, that Cygnus X-1 teaser at the end of the YYZ encore was such a tease!
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Sorry, HOF! ;) From PoW on, to me every (or almost) Rush album has one or two songs that have a important part or something in the melodies or arrangements that gives me that boredom feeling - and it has nothing to do with the song's complexity. Maybe I should pay more attention TCOR lyrics to see if something changes, but musically it's the way I feel about it.
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Here is the next album!
16 Test for Echo
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91Qv9jqPvvL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (jammindude, billboy73)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Metropolaris)
This was an interesting one for me when it was released. It was obvious right away that it was a clear drop-off from its predecessor, but as it was a new Rush album, I still listened to it like crazy for many, many months, and it was hard not to love the tour as that was the first where they did the “evening with…” shows. The fact that it was the only album to not get anything played on the last four tours tells me the band must not have thought too highly of it as time went on. It's also the only Rush album where the first song was never played on more than one tour, which is kind of shame as the title track is a good tune and probably should have been played again. It's not a bad album at all, but if I had become a fan and not known the real reason for the hiatus from the later 90s through the early 00s and just listened to the albums, I would have assumed the band took a few years off to recharge their batteries since this does sound like a band that was suddenly creatively struggling and thus took a few years off to recharge their batteries. I ranked it 17th.
Favorite songs: Resist, Test for Echo, Driven, Totem, Half the World
I had this one at 17 like Kev. And our favorite songs from it are the same.
This was the first RUSH album I ever bought. I got into Rush late. In fact, I bought this album leading up to the June 25, 1997 date at Jones Beach, as I was planning to go to the concert. Unfortunately, money was an issue. I had saved money for the two Queensryche shows I went to in July 1997, and not being a huge Rush fan at the time, I sacrificed going to the Rush show. I'm very happy I got to see the original lineup of QR two last times. But I am bummed I didn't find a way to go to Rush. I could have. I SHOULD have. I just didn't know the material well at the time.
Over time, I became a big Rush fan, and I'm a hardcore now, and was fortunate enough to see them a few times (including the Hartford show when they played their first gig back). So Test for Echo is always a bittersweet listen for me. I don't go back to it often. Just not enough good songs for a full album investment. But I do hum the chorus melody for Driven often. And I absolutely LOVE the album art (cover and interior). Some of my favorite Hugh Syme work. I have an expanded piece hanging in my music room at home.
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Sorry, HOF! ;) From PoW on, to me every (or almost) Rush album has one or two songs that have a important part or something in the melodies or arrangements that gives me that boredom feeling - and it has nothing to do with the song's complexity. Maybe I should pay more attention TCOR lyrics to see if something changes, but musically it's the way I feel about it.
No, I get it. I think a lot of Rush fans feel the way you do. I think it’s why I rank this album higher than most though. Some songs on it that are bottom tier for most people I absolutely love. Just tastes for you!
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Virtuality is especially great instrumentally, and I don’t see how references to modems are any more dating than references to radio or TV or old cars.
Because so many people look back fondly on radio, TV or old cars; how many people look back fondly at "modems" and waiting for the "WEEEEOoooooooHISSSSHHHHHHHHEEEEEEHHHHISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSWOOOOOOOO" to finish before having 9600Kb download speeds. :) :) :) :) :) I can STILL remember getting DSL in Georgia, and finding out, after long while, what that "Napster" thing was all about!!! :)
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And I absolutely LOVE the album art (cover and interior). Some of my favorite Hugh Syme work. I have an expanded piece hanging in my music room at home.
I've noted this too; I'd love to do a "Rush Albums By Album Cover" countdown. With only a handful of exceptions - the s/t, in a negative way, A Farewell To Kings and Moving Pictures in a positive way - I think there's ALMOST an inverse relationship between how much I like an album and how good the cover is. :) :) :) :) :)
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I also love the artwork!
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Virtuality is especially great instrumentally, and I don’t see how references to modems are any more dating than references to radio or TV or old cars.
Because so many people look back fondly on radio, TV or old cars; how many people look back fondly at "modems" and waiting for the "WEEEEOoooooooHISSSSHHHHHHHHEEEEEEHHHHISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSWOOOOOOOO" to finish before having 9600Kb download speeds. :) :) :) :) :) I can STILL remember getting DSL in Georgia, and finding out, after long while, what that "Napster" thing was all about!!! :)
I mean, I get a little nostalgic thinking about the anticipation of logging on to check my Juno email account while hearing those sounds, but I see your point!
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16 Test for Echo
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91Qv9jqPvvL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (jammindude, billboy73)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Metropolaris)
This was an interesting one for me when it was released. It was obvious right away that it was a clear drop-off from its predecessor, but as it was a new Rush album, I still listened to it like crazy for many, many months, and it was hard not to love the tour as that was the first where they did the “evening with…” shows. The fact that it was the only album to not get anything played on the last four tours tells me the band must not have thought too highly of it as time went on. It's also the only Rush album where the first song was never played on more than one tour, which is kind of shame as the title track is a good tune and probably should have been played again. It's not a bad album at all, but if I had become a fan and not known the real reason for the hiatus from the later 90s through the early 00s and just listened to the albums, I would have assumed the band took a few years off to recharge their batteries since this does sound like a band that was suddenly creatively struggling and thus took a few years off to recharge their batteries. I ranked it 17th.
Favorite songs: Resist, Test for Echo, Driven, Totem, Half the World
At the time T4E was released, I was still a little up in the air about Counterparts. T4E sounded heavier, so I initially liked it better. There was, however, something odd about it. The main riff on the title track was super muddy. What exactly were they playing? Driven was and is awesome. The next several songs are just kind of...there. Then we got to Dog Years and Virtuality. WTF? At the time Rush was starting recording for T4E in Bearsville, NY, I was about an hour north getting married to a woman who, 2 1/2 years earlier, I had met online. But even I thought Virtuality was a bit lame (the "net boy/net girl" lyrics could have been talking about the wife and me, but still, and the weird riff where Alex tried to emulate a dial-up modem?). In retrospect, I dig Virtuality because of the main riff. And I dig Resist and its use of a dulcimer. At the end of the day, though, the album is awfully spotty, and I ranked it at #13.
19 ??
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16 Snakes & Arrows (18)
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14 ??
13 Test for Echo (16)
12 Rush (19)
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9 Caress of Steel (17)
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I've never seen Rush with Chad.
I've never seen Rush IN Chad, but I can say that no one has seen Rush more recently than I have.
He’s right though. That’s an awful cover :lol
To be fair that whole covers album was awful. Terribly produced, with some extremely questionable choices.
Even the album cover was awful. It felt like Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan and friends, most of whom absolutely overplayed the songs. By-Tor with JLB was decent, but the only two tracks that really stand out for me are Mission (no idea who the guys are that played on it, but that cover kindled my love for the original, which I regard as the only truly great song on HYF) and Closer to the Heart (the only song on the album performed by an actual band, and it shows, but I wish FW had chosen a slightly more challenging song).
I really like Teat for Echo and had it 6th.
How fortunate for Echo! :biggrin:
I was just listening to Different Stages ... and man, that Cygnus X-1 teaser at the end of the YYZ encore was such a tease!
They had done the same tease on the Counterparts tour, so it didn't have quite the same effect two years later. The T4E tour, however, was one of the best things ever - in no small part because they stopped wasting our time with crappy opening bands. The entirety of 2112 to close the first set - including all of Discovery and Oracle?! Incredible.
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Top 5 Rush album. Miles better than its predecessor. Possibly one of the best opening 5 songs in their entire catalog. Half the World should have been the biggest radio hit they ever released. I’m only lukewarm on Dog Years and Totem, and I’ve actually started to warm up to the latter.
I’ve never been able to wrap my head around the criticisms for this album while simultaneously embracing the much more inferior Counterparts. Every time I listen to these two albums I have completely the opposite reaction of the majority.
I am right there with you on Test for Echo, and had it at 5 too. I agree with your take on Counterparts, as it has never done too much for me either.
I love this record, and it is also my favorite Rush cover art too. I would say the title track is my favorite song, but the other highlights for me are Time & Motion, Resist, Totem, Limbo, Driven, Color of Right, and the excellent, underrated closer, Carve Away the Stone. I really enjoy everything else, with Dog Years probably being my least favorite track, but I still dig that song too. The Virtuality and Dog Years lyrics don't really bother me either. For me, it is just a solid record start to finish, and I really like the production here too. I wish at least the title track would have made the setlist for the final tour, but oh well.
Also, I saw Rush twice, on the Clockwork Angels tour and the Time Machine tour. Both shows were amazing, but never got to hear a Test for Echo song or my favorite Rush song, Natural Science.
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TFE was my least favorite Rush album for years. With this ranking, I decided to at least bump it up to 18, but it's still an extremely lackluster outing. The only truly great song IMO is Driven. A couple others are decent while the rest is completely forgettable. One of Neil's weakest set of lyrics. Also found the production to be on the thin side, especially coming after the bombastic Counterparts. The tour however was among their best.
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Alright, folks, tomorrow we turn the page and focus on a different album.
Did you spotlight your own countdown? Now time will stand still until it's revealed. :lol
Yeah, didn't think spoliers or spotlighting was allowed. May as well start talking about the album now and where we all ranked it.
Where was there any spotlighting or spoilers posted by me? I'll hang up and listen.
When you said "lets TURN THE PAGE". I thought it was cryptic.
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Alright, folks, tomorrow we turn the page and focus on a different album.
Did you spotlight your own countdown? Now time will stand still until it's revealed. :lol
Yeah, didn't think spoliers or spotlighting was allowed. May as well start talking about the album now and where we all ranked it.
Where was there any spotlighting or spoilers posted by me? I'll hang up and listen.
When you said "lets TURN THE PAGE". I thought it was cryptic.
Tomorrow will likely be that album's high water mark.
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Tim is on a mission for dad jokes.
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Listening to T4E again right now, and I realized that this summer is actually 20 years since I first heard it. Kind of wild. Was kind of the soundtrack of my summer that year.
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Alright, folks, tomorrow we turn the page and focus on a different album.
Did you spotlight your own countdown? Now time will stand still until it's revealed. :lol
Yeah, didn't think spoliers or spotlighting was allowed. May as well start talking about the album now and where we all ranked it.
Where was there any spotlighting or spoilers posted by me? I'll hang up and listen.
When you said "lets TURN THE PAGE". I thought it was cryptic.
Tomorrow will likely be that album's high water mark.
Y'all sure are walking the razor's edge.
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Balancing on a ledge! :metal
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It's a sweet miracle that Nick hasn't killed you yet. :P
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:lol
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The evil that Tim does lives on and on!
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It's an open secret that I really like the album that I think you're alluding to. If I could wave my magic wand, I would put all these comments under lock and key, for sure.
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It's a sweet miracle that Nick hasn't killed you yet. :P
I'm about to make my T4E post, so he might want to find something to do for an hour or so. :lol
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Ok... I had Test For Echo at #18.
After the excellent Counterparts, which may have itself been enhanced by the sucky album that came before it, I was extremely disappointed with Test For Echo. The lead song, the title track, musically was ok, but I thought lyrics were clunky.
And while there's no getting around it, let me get this out of the way. Neil Peart's lyrics officially jumped the shark with this album. Oh what a wordsmith, so clever...how about boring as hell? Half the world is awake while half the world is sleeping. Fucking WOW!!! And dog years?? give me a break.
And I don't care how difficult Puppies tells me that Neils drum parts are to replicate. Guess what? They're boring. Like S&A, I just don't feel that this album is all that musically inspired.
I do like Driven, Time & Motion and Limbo. So there's that. :)
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test For Echo
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People slamming NP’s lyrics on TFE while defending arguably his absolute worst ever lyrics in BTSAM from CP just absolutely blows my mind.
Literally the only Rush song (to me) that is ruined by the stupidity of the chorus. Give me a thousand “net boy/net girl” passages over that turd. But I will save further criticisms for that album’s discussion. Hopefully it’s very soon.
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I do like Driven, Time & Motion and Limbo. So there's that. :)
My two least favorite tracks on the album (they’re fine really though).
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People slamming NP’s lyrics on TFE while defending arguably his absolute worst ever lyrics in BTSAM from CP just absolutely blows my mind.
Who was defending the lyrics to BTSAM? That song blows.
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I was just listening to Different Stages ... and man, that Cygnus X-1 teaser at the end of the YYZ encore was such a tease!
They had done the same tease on the Counterparts tour, so it didn't have quite the same effect two years later. The T4E tour, however, was one of the best things ever - in no small part because they stopped wasting our time with crappy opening bands. The entirety of 2112 to close the first set - including all of Discovery and Oracle?! Incredible.
Well, I'd missed the CP tour, so it was the first I'd be teased with it.
Tim... you're especially grumpy today. There must be a special hate for T4E and S&A if they're ahead of PoW!
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Tim... you're especially grumpy today. There must be a special hate for T4E and S&A if they're ahead of PoW!
I left Power Windows off the list.
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People slamming NP’s lyrics on TFE while defending arguably his absolute worst ever lyrics in BTSAM from CP just absolutely blows my mind.
Who was defending the lyrics to BTSAM? That song blows.
I was speaking generally. TFE gets massive criticism from a lot of people for the lyrics, and CP (which is generally lauded) has moments that are even worse.
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Tim... you're especially grumpy today. There must be a special hate for T4E and S&A if they're ahead of PoW!
I left Power Windows off the list.
Only because you can't count. Or a concussion. Either way, it's plausible.
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People slamming NP’s lyrics on TFE while defending arguably his absolute worst ever lyrics in BTSAM from CP just absolutely blows my mind.
Who was defending the lyrics to BTSAM? That song blows.
I was speaking generally. TFE gets massive criticism from a lot of people for the lyrics, and CP (which is generally lauded) has moments that are even worse.
So... maybe Neil's lyrics were always cheesy. I don't believe that, but even if they were, they were protected by excellent music around it. I like Presto personally, but I think that generally Presto through T4E, the music kind of hung the lyrics out to dry, and on their own, the lyrics ultimately weren't that interesting. That's not to say there weren't jackpots throughout. I'm just speaking generally. When it came to the music, RTB and T4E really feel like the band took their foot off the gas creatively.
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People slamming NP’s lyrics on TFE while defending arguably his absolute worst ever lyrics in BTSAM from CP just absolutely blows my mind.
It blows your mind that we're discussing lyrics (and other things) from T4E - the album that was just revealed - but not discussing lyrics for a song from an album that hasn't yet been revealed?
I was speaking generally. TFE gets massive criticism from a lot of people for the lyrics, and CP (which is generally lauded) has moments that are even worse.
I've never heard any TFE lyrics get bashed other than Dog Years and Virtuality (deservedly so), and I've never once heard anyone defend the lyrics to BSAM. Also, isn't it possible that all of these songs' lyrics deserve criticism?
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This has already been quite a thread with a view :D
Concerts:
1977 East Lansing, Michigan
1979 Mt. Pleasant, Michigan (even got inside to hear some of the soundcheck)
2011 and 2013 Baltimore
19. Rush (#3) there's a fondness where this comes in rated perhaps a bit too high (like a first girlfriend perhaps ;)). There was something about these guys that hit the mark with us Midwestern farm boys. Side Two blew me away then, and 'Working Man' is still my second favorite of their songs.
18. Snakes & Arrows (#16) I like the first three tracks, The Main Monkey Business, Faithless, and Malignant Narcissism
17. Caress of Steel (#17) My Rush fanatic college roommate for one term didn't even own it, so I didn't hear it until the mid 80s. I appreciate some of what they were going for, the foundations of what was to come, but nothing ever resonated with me.
16. Test for Echo (#14) so much like the prior six or so studio efforts: the first three tracks are damn good, and then one is left with a couple of 'yeah, these are OK but nothing great' type of songs.
Oh, and I know Tim didn't leave PoW off his list, because he sent me his. He had it at #20.
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I think it’s fair to say that Neil always had a penchant for mixing dodgy lyrics in with the great ones. I mean, the 70s Rush lyrics were almost always terrible. And then he would always have some really odd ball lyrics even after the band’s songwriting matured. Some of it is his sense of humor, and for the most part they don’t bother me. Dog Years is kind of a dumb lyric, but it’s obviously tongue in cheek. Between Sun and Moon is just gibberish, but so are songs like Anagram which I love. Sometimes words don’t have to mean anything. Sometimes a line like “better beer” sounds stupid out of context, but really drives a point home. So, yeah he was a bit hit or miss, and wasn’t always especially deep. But he was always lovable lyrically.
And I’ll die on the hill that there’s nothing actually wrong with the line “net boy, net girl.”
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People slamming NP’s lyrics on TFE while defending arguably his absolute worst ever lyrics in BTSAM from CP just absolutely blows my mind.
Who was defending the lyrics to BTSAM? That song blows.
Your aversion to Power Windows is a walk in the park compared to the axe jammindude has to grind with Counterparts. ;)
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As for lyrics, Neil is on my Mouth Rushmore lyricists mainly due to his Permanent Waves through Hold Your Fire work, but there was still a lot of good stuff in the 1989-1994 years (and, yes, some hiccups as well). Test for Echo is the first Rush album where I thought he really fell off the cliff lyrically. I am with HOF in that Virtuality is not that bad (not sure how "net boy, net girl" is dated considering online dating is still going strong), but it's not very good either. There isn't a single song on TFE that makes me think, "Damn, I love these lyrics." I think he rebounded well in the 21st century, although he could get a bit heavy-handed at times (Faithless), but part of my lack of love for Test for Echo is because of the lack of good lyrical content. I am with Nick in that Dog Years is not that bad - I think it is good fun - but those lyrics...woof (pun intended).
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And I’ll die on the hill that there’s nothing actually wrong with the line “net boy, net girl.”
I'm with you on that. Virtuality is a killer song. That main riff.. :metal
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Yeah not my favorite, and I agree with others in that it feels less "inspired" than most of their other albums. Still some good songs though. Love the tittle track, Resist (always liked the acoustic live version), Dog Years and have been digging the instrumental Limbo more and more latley
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People slamming NP’s lyrics on TFE while defending arguably his absolute worst ever lyrics in BTSAM from CP just absolutely blows my mind.
Who was defending the lyrics to BTSAM? That song blows.
Your aversion to Power Windows is a walk in the park compared to the axe jammindude has to grind with Counterparts. ;)
Both will be disappointed in their standings.
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Here is the next album!
16 Test for Echo
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91Qv9jqPvvL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (jammindude, billboy73)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Metropolaris)
I had it at 14. I like quite a few songs from it, I like the rougher and more abrasive guitar tone on the album. I really like the closing 3 tracks on the album.
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I had Caress of Steel at 15 and Test for Echo at 13. Both great albums, but there are others I like more. I feel like Test for Echo is better than many give it credit for.
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Alright, folks, tomorrow we turn the page and focus on a different album.
Did you spotlight your own countdown? Now time will stand still until it's revealed. :lol
Yeah, didn't think spoliers or spotlighting was allowed. May as well start talking about the album now and where we all ranked it.
Where was there any spotlighting or spoilers posted by me? I'll hang up and listen.
My comment was in jest as I know you don't spotlight :)
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I had Test for Echo at #17, the lowest of the albums from that middle-late period of their career that I'm not all too familiar with yet.
I think this is a decent album. I like the first four songs and the last two pretty well, and the ones in between all at least have something going for them. But my early impression is that the songwriting here is just not as strong and interesting as on the other albums of their mature work. So it beats out the two primordial albums, but nothing else.
Favorite song is probably Driven, with the other top contenders being Half the World, Limbo and Carve Away the Stone.
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Test For Echo - number 16 for me in line with the consensus. Really love Driven, a couple of other good tracks but just not an album I return to at all.
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I wonder if this ends up being the only album that places in the order of which it was released - TFE was their 16th album and ended up in 16th place.
I could see 2112, AFTK, and HEMI ending up in their respective release spots, same with Signals and GUP.
-Marc.
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I had Test For Echo at 15. Resist is one of my favorite Rush tracks but the rest of the album ranges from good to forgettable. Aside from a few tracks I'm never compelled to listen to the album:
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Test for Echo - a little higher than the aggregate ranking for me, at #13...
In part, I think, this might be because it holds a somewhat special place in my Rush story...it was the first album that I anxiously awaited and bought as a fan. I had discovered Rush in 1993, shortly after the release of Counterparts, which I bought kinda randomly after reading a couple of good reviews. Needless to say, I was hooked, and there began my journey :) It was a decidedly non-linear journey, as I was getting albums as they were available at my local store. I think it was 2112 next, then Fly By Night, then...Power Windows, I think? A Farewell to Kings followed, and so on and so forth. I mean, Rush can offer all sorts of surprises even if you go chronological...you can imagine the fun of not really knowing what was in store next as I was randomly going back and forth.
Anyway, long story short, I was super, uber excited about Test of Echo and bought it on release day. By then, I was in full-blown Rush fandom and I had caught up with all of their albums up to that point. Well, it was relatively obvious from first listen that this wasn't going to be top-tier Rush, but I thought there was a lot to enjoy. I still feel the same way, although I do agree with the general sentiment that there's a fair amount of filler...none of it bad, really, but also not blow-your-mind good.
The opening is pretty great, although I agree with pg that the heavier riff on the title-track sounded strangely muddy...not something I necessarily wanted in my Rush. Very good song anyway. Driven is probably my favorite. A great Rush song...cool riff and rhythm, the acoustic guitars, the bass...and I always loved the change in tempo for the final chorus. Virtuality, as noted by many, has a great main riff, and in general the song is musically very cool. I enjoy Dog Years and I'm fond of Totem and Resist. Half the World and The Color of Right are nice tunes, but as a one-two they sounded a little too "straightforward". Not a huge fan of Time and Motion - sounds like Rush trying to be "weird" Rush, but without cooking up anything super-interesting in this case (for me). Limbo is pleasant enough and Carve Away the Stone ends the proceedings in a relatively unremarkable (again...sorry ;)) way.
So, overall, bottom-half of my ranking, but an enjoyable record.
Top 5 Rush album. Miles better than its predecessor. Possibly one of the best opening 5 songs in their entire catalog. Half the World should have been the biggest radio hit they ever released. I’m only lukewarm on Dog Years and Totem, and I’ve actually started to warm up to the latter.
I’ve never been able to wrap my head around the criticisms for this album while simultaneously embracing the much more inferior Counterparts. Every time I listen to these two albums I have completely the opposite reaction of the majority.
At the risk of giving away, um, spoilers, I love, love, LOVE Counterparts, so obviously I disagree with this, but such is the beauty of music...and Rush's music in particular :)
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I really like Test for Echo, had it at #12 and it was the 2nd Rush album I bought. Picked it up the day it released. Played the crap out of it for the next several months or so. Went and saw them on this tour with my dad. Good times!
Does the album have some flaws? In hindsight, yes it does. Is Tim wrong? Yes he is... :biggrin:
Also...
And while there's no getting around it, let me get this out of the way. Neil Peart's lyrics officially jumped the shark with this album. Oh what a wordsmith, so clever...how about boring as hell? Half the world is awake while half the world is sleeping. Fucking WOW!!! And dog years?? give me a break.
This line is literally not in the song... :P
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So I’ve caught up with al the albums ranked so far. As a total Rush noob, who has only listened to Caress of Steel previously, out of this bunch, I’d rank as follows…
1. Caress of Steel
2. Snakes and Arrows
3. Rush
4. Test for Echo
I really quite liked Caress of Steel and in particular The Fountain of Lamneth. Snakes and Arrows was pretty decent and Rush had a classic rock vibe I liked. Nothing really stuck out on Test for Echo as being particularly exciting or interesting, but it was fine. I can see Caress of Steel sitting quite high overall, if I make it through all these albums.
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I just want to mention this real quick. I kept putting off making my list to the point I never submitted one. After Neil passed I listened to Rush non-stop for a month and then I haven’t really listened much since. I’ve found it hard without Neil here, it just makes me sad. However I’m listening to each album as it drops on the list. Even though I know all of these albums inside and out, it feels fresh because it’s been a few years for some of these. Carry on.
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I have a hunch there will be many different opinions on this one...
15 Vapor Trails
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/712OCv9PtSL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 4 (Mladen)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Dittomist, hefdaddy42, contest_sanity, jjrock88, Glasser, The Realm)
This was the first Rush studio album in six years, following their hiatus, so, like other Rush fans, it was like Christmas morning getting this CD and unwrapping it and putting it in the CD player. The loudness of it was glaring from the start, which made it not always an easy listen from start to finish, but I could tell from the start that were some major diamonds in the rough. The remaster that would later come (not that awful remix) has made it a lot more listenable now, and I find myself reaching for this one more and more as time goes on. I ranked this 13th (4-6 spots higher than I would have years ago), and it won't surprise me if I bump it up another spot or two in the years to come.
Favorite songs: Freeze, Nocturne, Vapor Trail, Peaceable Kingdom, Earthshine
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I have a hunch there will be many different opinions on this one...
15 Vapor Trails
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/712OCv9PtSL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 4 (Mladen)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Dittomist, hefdaddy42, contest_sanity, jjrock88, Glasser, The Realm)
#17 for me, not an easy listen start to finish, I think if the album was shorter, might have been more accessible. This album had just come out when I started to listen to Rush heavily but listened to it last after catching up with their discography. Haven't heard it in years, am curious to see how I feel about it once my listening finishes.
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15th for me, so spot on with the consensus - and that's when I consider the remaster... it'd be a few spots lower if it was just on the original version, man that's awful. OLV is over-rated afaic - maybe one of my least favorite opening tracks in their catalog. The good tracks are good, but the others (more than 1/2 the album) is meh.
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#9 for me. Despite the production, the songs are amazing. I was there for the 1st show of the VT tour in Hartford, Conn. It was an emotional night.
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I am actually surprised I'm this album's highest ranker. I know it has its fans. This is a fantastic album with some brilliant songwriting, most of the tracks on here are fantastic. The production is also a part of its charm, I don't mind the sound of it anymore, at all.
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People slamming NP’s lyrics on TFE while defending arguably his absolute worst ever lyrics in BTSAM from CP just absolutely blows my mind.
Who was defending the lyrics to BTSAM? That song blows.
I was speaking generally. TFE gets massive criticism from a lot of people for the lyrics, and CP (which is generally lauded) has moments that are even worse.
Well, and I said this a while ago (just happened to be "too soon" to many on the forum! :) ), but let's be honest: for someone SO lauded for his lyrics, Neil has a LOT of clunkers, on almost ALL - well, certainly a good percentage - of their albums. If you measure "quality of lyricist" by "how much their words resonate with ME outside of the music", Neil doesn't even make my top five.
That said, I actually LIKE the words to BTSAM. I think the "ah yes to yes" part is meant more musically than literally. The rest I really dig. The only song I don't really care for on Counterparts is "Nobody's Hero" (not the subject matter; it's just a little... sanctimonious, for lack of a better word.)
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Dammit, lot of Rush negativity from me today! "Now playing the part of TAC, Stadler!". There's a lot to love about Rush, but with lyrics - especially the latter day lyrics - and Vapor Trails, we just don't happen to be talking about them today! I do not like this album. Originally, remixed, remastered, it just holds no charm for me. It's a cold record, in the way that p/g is, which isn't a good thing, and it's not very immersive to me. I've given it a chance multiple times, and it's just... boring.
I do regret not being at that Hartford show, though.
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In hindsight, I wish I would have asked for clarification on this album prior to making my list. I ended up ranking it somewhere in the middle of two points. The original album I would have ranked at #19, the remaster likely comes in at more like #14.
I know some have said that the remaster lacks punch, and I get that. But I considered the original flat out unlistenable. So it really didn't matter how good the songs were or how much punch they had, because I literally had no desire to listen to them. For many of the songs, especially those not on Rush in Rio, getting the new version of the album was like getting to listen to them for the first time. I really was able to appreciate so much on that album I couldn't before. It may not have been the magic of getting a new album, but it was a special moment.
There is one song in particular I wish to never hear again however. For all you folks blasting the lyrics and repetition of Virtuality, that pales in comparison to Secret Touch, which is easily a top 10 bad Rush song to me.
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#17. The remix makes this album slightly more listenable, but you can’t fix the songwriting.
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I have a hunch there will be many different opinions on this one...
15 Vapor Trails
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/712OCv9PtSL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 4 (Mladen)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Dittomist, hefdaddy42, contest_sanity, jjrock88, Glasser, The Realm)
I LOVE Vapor Trails, and have it at #5 on my list. There is an immediacy and return to basics about it that is really endearing, even now, so many years later. I saw Rush's first gig on this tour (and first since the hiatus) in Hartford, Connecticut. I didn't know the band as well as I do now, but I do remember an overall celebratory vibe about midway through the show. The band felt like it still worked, and the fans were connected. I just wish I was the big fan I am now, so I could have appreciated it more at the time.
Anyway, the songs from Vapor Trails are some of the ones I most enjoy in their catalog. I don't know why that is, honestly. Over time, and as my fandom increased, many other songs jumped over these tunes as my favorite. But as a whole, particularly after the remix, Vapor Trails remains one of my favorite listens, front-to-back.
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Vapor Trails is one of the harder Rush albums to rank for me. It was the first studio album I owned by the band, and despite the sound being just awful, there are some excellent songs on it. I still think it’s probably Neil’s strongest set of lyrics in one album. I love the artwork too. So much about it evokes that first period of getting into the band.
But I do remember how hard it was to listen to it. I think the first time I got it was on a spring break trip on college, and I remember subjecting my friends to it on the car ride home. I felt bad for everyone, but I wanted to hear it! I think I knew before getting it that people hated the sound, so at least I wasn’t surprised by it.
Still, several songs really hit me. Ghost Rider, How It Is, Vapor Trail, Sweet Miracle, Secret Touch, Earthshine, and Freeze were so good despite the poor sound. I always thought I liked Peaceable Kingdom below the mess of sound too. The Stars Look Down is a bit un-melodic in places, but the lyrics are good. Out of the Cradle is a great closer I think. Ultimately I remember feeling that it was a triumphant return for the band that dealt with the subject of Neil’s personal tragedy beautifully, despite the poor sonic execution. I’ve never loved One Little Victory, but I love what it does in terms of announcing the band’s return and Neil’s recovery. The title track still gives me goosebumps thinking about all that Neil went through (“washed away like footprints in the rain/swept away like voices in a hurricane”).
Then the remix came out, and while it made the album listenable, it did take some of the edge off the songs themselves. The drums still do not sound right. But it made Ceiling Unlimited another favorite on the album, and really helped songs like Earthshine and the title track breath. For some reason I like Peaceable Kingdom less now, and it kind of messed up the vocals on Sweet Miracle somehow. It’s all stills a little unsatisfactory.
So I battle back and forth between how I want to feel about these songs and how I feel when I listen to either mix. I have a thought in my mind of how the album maybe should sound, and I do love most of the songs, so I ended up ranking it 8th. But on a given day it could be 11th at least, or could be a little higher even.
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I know some have said that the remaster lacks punch, and I get that.
To clarify, it's the remix that lacks punch. It sounds clearer and far less loud, but it sucks the energy out of too many of the songs. And don't get me started on how the guy who did the remix made some of the drums sound bad and some of the vocals sound totally unnatural.
The remaster retains the power and energy of the original, while cleaning up the loudness enough to where full listens are possible now without getting major ear fatigue.
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Vapor Trails (my# 11) is my fave album from "return era" although CA has stronger stand alone songs. Basically HOF nailed the highlight tracks with the exception of Out of the Cradle, which I think it suffers of a tad boring melodies as a whole. Freeze is a song that I love a lot of parts, but I think that the chorus really drags the song down unfortunetly. I prefer the remix, although I think the remaster version kept more the energy originally intended for the songs, indeed being better in that sense. And there's too much Geddy's vocals harmonies in the album, they should had cut some of them in the remix.
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I had VT at 17. In the same vein as St. Anger, the original mix pretty much soured me on the album immediately. I can recognize some moments of greatness like Earthshine, Secret Touch, Vapor Trail, and Freeze, but the rest does very little for me. The remix me allowed some new details to be heard which increased my ability to actually listen to it, but it still falls pretty short.
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I know some have said that the remaster lacks punch, and I get that.
To clarify, it's the remix that lacks punch. It sounds clearer and far less loud, but it sucks the energy out of too many of the songs. And don't get me started on how the guy who did the remix made some of the drums sound bad and some of the vocals sound totally unnatural.
The remaster retains the power and energy of the original, while cleaning up the loudness enough to where full listens are possible now without getting major ear fatigue.
I have to be honest, I did not know that there was a remaster distinct from the remix. Everything I have from Presto through Snakes & Arrows came from this (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Studio_Albums_1989–2007) box set, so I have the remix. And I didn't know there were many people who didn't like the remix.
I'll give my thoughts on this album later today, after I've had a chance to listen to it again. But for the moment I'll just say that I'm a bit surprised to see it this low both given how I thought people rated it and my very early impression of it.
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Are we talking the 2 remix on Retrospective III? OLV & Earthshine? Bottrill and Rush remixed them.
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Are we talking the 2 remix on Retrospective III? OLV & Earthshine? Bottrill and Rush remixed them.
The album was eventually remixed just like those two songs, but, yes. It's terrible. I would rank this album dead last by a country mile if that was the only version of the album I had ever heard. Rush never sounded so lifeless and limp as they did on that remix.
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Are we talking the 2 remix on Retrospective III? OLV & Earthshine? Bottrill and Rush remixed them.
According to this https://www.discogs.com/release/1774094-Rush-Retrospective-3 (https://www.discogs.com/release/1774094-Rush-Retrospective-3)
Richard Chycki did the remix, is that not correct? I don't have the retrospective, just the remix.
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Are we talking the 2 remix on Retrospective III? OLV & Earthshine? Bottrill and Rush remixed them.
According to this https://www.discogs.com/release/1774094-Rush-Retrospective-3 (https://www.discogs.com/release/1774094-Rush-Retrospective-3)
Richard Chycki did the remix, is that not correct? I don't have the retrospective, just the remix.
Chycki remixed those 2 tracks for Retrospective III.
Botril did a full remix of the album that was re-released in 2013 with new artwork. That is the “remix” I and Kev are referring to.
The “remaster” that Kevin is talking about is an unofficial release by HD Tracks if I remember right? He can correct me.
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Are we talking the 2 remix on Retrospective III? OLV & Earthshine? Bottrill and Rush remixed them.
According to this https://www.discogs.com/release/1774094-Rush-Retrospective-3 (https://www.discogs.com/release/1774094-Rush-Retrospective-3)
Richard Chycki did the remix, is that not correct? I don't have the retrospective, just the remix.
OK, I had it backwards. Yes, the 2 songs on the Retrospective was remixed by Chycki. The full album remix was done by Bottrill.
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Yeah, I never bought the HD tracks. I've already funded Rush too many times over 4 plus decades from Albums, 8 tracks, cassettes, CD's Remasters, Gold CD's...LOL
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I was just writing a post trying to sort this out, but I couldn't find any info on the remaster. HDTracks would make sense considering the closest thing I can see on Discogs is a 2013 FLAC digital-only release.
Well, I'll stick with my 2013 remix version unless I find myself getting frustrated with it. I also like the artwork on the remix better than the original:
(https://www.rush.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Rush_VaporTrails_Remix_Cover-800x800.jpg)
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I am probably getting confused by who mixed the two songs from the compilation and who did the remix. I just know that the remix sucks.
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The only positive about this album is the Trailer Park Boys episode "Closer to the Heart", which revolves around this album. I'm sure Chad has seen it, but this album along with Snakes and Arrows was pretty boring.
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The only positive about this album is the Trailer Park Boys episode "Closer to the Heart", which revolves around this album. I'm sure Chad has seen it, but this album along with Snakes and Arrows was pretty boring.
One of the best and most quotable episodes of TPB :lol
“This man’s a drunk male prostitute!”
“Play that Diane Sawyer song.”
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I'm not giving anyone a Fuckin R
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I wonder if this ends up being the only album that places in the order of which it was released - TFE was their 16th album and ended up in 16th place.
I could see 2112, AFTK, and HEMI ending up in their respective release spots, same with Signals and GUP.
I think FBN is more likely to finish at #2 than Signals is to finish at #9 (and Hemispheres at #6 is only slightly more likely). I agree that 2112 and AFTK could finish at #4 and #5 respectively.
Then again, this countdown has been unpredictable, so far....
15 Vapor Trails
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/712OCv9PtSL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 4 (Mladen)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Dittomist, hefdaddy42, contest_sanity, jjrock88, Glasser, The Realm)
This was the first Rush studio album in six years, following their hiatus, so, like other Rush fans, it was like Christmas morning getting this CD and unwrapping it and putting it in the CD player. The loudness of it was glaring from the start, which made it not always an easy listen from start to finish, but I could tell from the start that were some major diamonds in the rough. The remaster that would later come (not that awful remix) has made it a lot more listenable now, and I find myself reaching for this one more and more as time goes on. I ranked this 13th (4-6 spots higher than I would have years ago), and it won't surprise me if I bump it up another spot or two in the years to come.
Favorite songs: Freeze, Nocturne, Vapor Trail, Peaceable Kingdom, Earthshine
Oh, bollocks. I don't so much mind VT finishing this low as I do several remaining albums finishing unreasonably high. VT is, IMO, the best of the three 21st century albums. It's got a few duds, but Victory, Ghost Rider, the title track, and Earthshine are great, and the last three songs of the album are woefully underappreciated. I get that the original release can be a tough listen, and I suspect that listeners are tired by the time they get to the last three songs, but they're definitely worth a critical listen. Alex was on fire with those.
19 ??
18 ??
17 ??
16 Snakes & Arrows (18)
15 ??
14 ??
13 Test for Echo (16)
12 Rush (19)
11 ??
10 ??
9 Caress of Steel (17)
8 Vapor Trails
7 ??
6 ??
5 ??
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
The “remaster” that Kevin is talking about is an unofficial release by HD Tracks if I remember right? He can correct me.
Ahhh...that explains it. I had never heard of a remastered version and have no idea what "HD Tracks" is. I quite like the Earthshine remix from Retrospective. Is the version on the remixed album different than what was on Retrospective? In any event, I always thought it odd that they did a remix since all the album needed was a remaster.
the Trailer Park Boys
I think everything I've ever seen with them is tied for least funny thing I've ever seen. I just don't get it.
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The remixes on Restrospective 3 are different from the HD tracks remaster and Botrill's mix. I think those remixes are Chycki's.
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The “remaster” that Kevin is talking about is an unofficial release by HD Tracks if I remember right? He can correct me.
Ahhh...that explains it. I had never heard of a remastered version and have no idea what "HD Tracks" is. I quite like the Earthshine remix from Retrospective. Is the version on the remixed album different than what was on Retrospective? In any event, I always thought it odd that they did a remix since all the album needed was a remaster.
I think there are technically 4 versions that exist
1. Original 2002 release (Mixed by David Leonard) (https://www.discogs.com/release/1215335-Rush-Vapor-Trails)
2. Retrospective III 2007 remix (Only two tracks - remixed by Richard Chycki) (https://www.discogs.com/release/1774094-Rush-Retrospective-3)
3. Remaster 2013 (Whole album remastered by HD Tracks?) (https://www.discogs.com/release/14616357-Rush-Vapor-Trails)
4. Remix 2013 (Whole album remixed by David Bottrill) (https://www.discogs.com/release/5010387-Rush-Vapor-Trails-Remixed)
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Yeah, I think the short version of this is that there are three studio versions of all the songs: original, Bottrill "Vapor Trails Remixed", and HDTracks remaster.
And for One Little Victory and Earthshine, there is a fourth studio version: Chycki remix on Retrospective III.
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I just compared the David Bottrill remix with that of Richard Chycki's One Little Victory, and Richard's is a closer reproduction of the original release, David's sounds very different.
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As strong as Kev's stance is on the remix, I'm equally aghast on the other side that anyone could prefer the original.
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VT landed at 17 for me. I've always found it difficult to connect with this album. I listen to Rush far more for the music than the lyrics and musically I find VT rather pedestrian by Rush standards. My biggest problem is the absence of Alex guitar solos, which is one of the most important elements of their sound for me. I remember reading that he thought it would be disrespectful to Neil at that time to play solos, so he didn't. I was hoping by the time they re-released the album (remix), he would've added some since surely Neil wouldn't have minded by then (and live he did play leads on the songs), but nope. I never really had huge issues with the original mix and actually thought the original Ceiling Unlimited (my favorite track) was better because the remixed version kinda neutered it. Anyway, I'm glad the album exists and the songs they did play live sounded good.
And for context and because I didn't answer it before, I saw Rush 11 times over these tours - Power Windows (1), Counterparts (1), TFE (1), VT (1), S&A (1), CA (2), R40 (4).
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As strong as Kev's stance is on the remix, I'm equally aghast on the other side that anyone could prefer the original.
Yeah, the original is a rough listen. Difficult to get through without ear fatigue.
The remix, on the flip side, is too extreme in a different way.
I feel that the remaster is the best of both worlds as it manages to clean up the loudness enough to make it very listenable, while still retaining the energy and fire of the original. It's an aggressive album, and you need to be able to feel the aggression in the mix.
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I have to be honest, I did not know that there was a remaster distinct from the remix. Everything I have from Presto through Snakes & Arrows came from this (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Studio_Albums_1989–2007) box set, so I have the remix. And I didn't know there were many people who didn't like the remix.
I too have the same boxset and am kinda upset they included some generic lyric booklets in lieu of the original ones for each album.
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I have a hunch there will be many different opinions on this one...
15 Vapor Trails
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/712OCv9PtSL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 4 (Mladen)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Dittomist, hefdaddy42, contest_sanity, jjrock88, Glasser, The Realm)
01 ?
02 ?
03 ?
04 ?
05 ?
06 Caress Of Steel
07 ?
08 ?
09 ?
10 Vapor Trails
11 ?
12 ?
13 ?
14 ?
15 ?
16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 ?
19 Rush
VT just barely made my Top 10, and I have a fond adoration for this one. It was their newest album when I became a super fan and the CD got a LOT of play during my senior year of high school as I went into college. It's definitely not their best, but definitely not their worst, and was a worthy return for the band after Neil's tragedies. The raw energy and power of this album hit me at a time in life when I could really connect with it emotionally, so I'll always remember how much I loved it. These days it doesn't get much spins but if I'm reaching for latter-day Rush, this is the one I reach for.
As for the whole Original vs Remaster vs Remix, I've listened to and grown accustomed to the Remix but I did get the remaster and thought that was a significant improvement over the original. I should revisit that remaster sometime soon...
-Marc.
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I have to be honest, I did not know that there was a remaster distinct from the remix. Everything I have from Presto through Snakes & Arrows came from this (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Studio_Albums_1989–2007) box set, so I have the remix. And I didn't know there were many people who didn't like the remix.
I too have the same boxset and am kinda upset they included some generic lyric booklets in lieu of the original ones for each album.
I wish they had done that, too. But at the same time, I recognize how great a deal that box set was (I think I paid around $25 for it, which is like $3.50 per album), and am willing to accept that it’s not a premium product.
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I have to be honest, I did not know that there was a remaster distinct from the remix. Everything I have from Presto through Snakes & Arrows came from this (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Studio_Albums_1989–2007) box set, so I have the remix. And I didn't know there were many people who didn't like the remix.
I too have the same boxset and am kinda upset they included some generic lyric booklets in lieu of the original ones for each album.
I wish they had done that, too. But at the same time, I recognize how great a deal that box set was (I think I paid around $25 for it, which is like $3.50 per album), and am willing to accept that it’s not a premium product.
It was definitely a great deal, I got mine for $18 lol. I think it's also some upgrade on sound, I think it's a remaster not sure.
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Although the HDTracks remaster is no doubt a good improvement from the original release, I still think that there's too much guitars and vocals layered on the mix, which still makes the listening experience a little confusing. So that's why I slightly prefer the Bottrill's remix, despite being a bit punchless. I think it have been great if Chycki did the entire VP remix in the spirit he did the 2 tracks on R3.
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VT was 11 for me. The album sounds horrendous but the songs are pretty good. I don't think a better mix would've moved the needle for me in terms of rankings.
19
18
17
16
15 Test For Echo
14
13
12
11 Vapor Trails
10
9
8
7
6 Rush
5 Caress Of Steel
4
3
2 Snakes & Arrows
1
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19. Rush
18. Test for Echo
17.
16.
15.
14. Snakes & Arrows
13. Caress of Steel
12. Vapor Trails
11.
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
The sound is a bit rough for sure, but I think there's a lot of great material here. This album has aged well for me, and has grown more over time than any other Rush album has for me. A few years ago I'd probably have ranked this 17th. Don't think it can get any higher than this though lol..
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I would have had this around #12 I suppose (remaster). I do like the heaviness and energy of some of the tracks.
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Okay, now I'm ready to write my full comment on this album. I think today is my third listen to it, with the first having been several years ago and the second having been last week. It's interesting that it came out that this was posted the day after Test for Echo, because this maintains my streak of having listened to TFE recently before every listen to this album. I don't know how much that plus my knowledge of the circumstances around the two albums colors my impression of VT, but this really does feel like a comeback—or even a resurrection.
I don't think this is a perfect album. I'm not necessarily in love with every song (although that, like much of this, could change). And I think the sound is pretty intense even on the remix—I can hardly imagine how I'd find it if it was even hotter. But I think a lot of the songs are there. And I really connect with it on a more personal level. Primarily lyrically, from the perspective of relating to Neil trying to come back from personal tragedy, but I think the music links up with that in a lot of ways.
I think my top two on here so far are Ghost Rider and Ceiling Unlimited. Other high-ranking ones would be How It Is, Freeze and One Little Victory.
I put this one at #8, making it the highest of the ones I wasn't too familiar with going into this process. I don't know whether that would hold up—the ones that I put at 9-12 aren't too far behind it in my current estimation, and it's impossible to be too confident in advance how different albums will grow or diminish over time. But yeah, right now this is up there.
19. Rush
18. Caress of Steel
17. Test for Echo
16.
15.
14.
13.
12. Snakes & Arrows
11.
10.
9.
8. Vapor Trails
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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I had Vapor Trails at #13. Not a perfect album by any stretch and easily 4 or 5 songs too long. The thing that jumps out at me with this album is that it has some energy to it. Not every song because there are some snoozers here, but there's an overarching energy to it. Also, Neil's drumming is really strong here to me. He's killing it. And I like a lot of the chances Geddy takes vocally. Alex is invisible to me though.
I love Secret Touch, How It is, and The Stars Look Down, but I really enjoy a handful more.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test For Echo
17
16
15
14 Caress Of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12
11
10
9 Rush
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
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Vapor Trails was number 5 for me. Maybe the circumstances do play a role still after all these years because I definitely have some emotions around this album. But aside from How It Is, I love every song.
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Vapor Trails is 11 for me. I really like a lot of the songs here, even with the hot, ear-fatiguing mix of the original. I have both the original and the remix, and I still listen to both of them. I generally prefer the remix though. This was the first new album that I bought, as I became a fan shortly before it was released. That makes it somewhat special, but it definitely has quite a few songs that I enjoy. OLV kicks the album off in a big way. Earthshine is my favorite song overall, and Ceiling Unlimited, Ghost Rider, How It Is, Vapor Trail, The Stars Look Down, Sweet Miracle, and Freeze are all great too. The rest isn't too bad either. I was just happy that they were an active band again after what had happened to Neil. I am glad they were able to make a new album, and the result for me is one that I enjoy a good bit.
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Vapor Trails was number 19 for me. Maybe it shouldn't have been last but my bottom 5/6 albums are all pretty interchangeable and something had to to end up at 19th. A couple of songs I really like but it is another album I rarely listen to.
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I have to say, preparing for and actually going through this countdown has me more into Rush than I've been in years. I just decided to order the first four live albums, none of which I own (I have the Replay x 3 set of DVDs and consequently the GUP Tour CD, and the R40 Live album).
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Vapor Trails was number 5 for me. Maybe the circumstances do play a role still after all these years because I definitely have some emotions around this album. But aside from How It Is, I love every song.
"How It Is" sounds a lot like "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows.
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I had VT at #18.
There are a few gems, but even if you can get past the horrendous recording, there’s really only about a half an albums worth of good songs. This is probably the biggest disappointment in their entire catalog because I had been anticipating this album immensely.
I will say that lyrically it is probably one of Neil’s best albums. Which is probably the factor that bumped it up above their worst album (which is still to come, apparently) :\
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With a better mix/master, Vapor Trails would probably be about 5 spots higher. The lyrics are good, the songwriting is good (with a few exceptions), and when played live the songs really shine.
19. Rush
18. Snakes & Arrows
17.
16. Vapor Trails
15.
14.
13.
12. Test for Echo
11.
10. Caress of Steel
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Which is probably the factor that bumped it up above their worst album (which is still to come, apparently) :\
I weep for mankind :biggrin:
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Vapor Trails was number 5 for me. Maybe the circumstances do play a role still after all these years because I definitely have some emotions around this album. But aside from How It Is, I love every song.
"How It Is" sounds a lot like "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows.
Really? I'll have to listen to Mr. Jones; it's been a long time since I heard it.
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Just a follow-up to say that my favorites are probably OLV, GR, and Freeze.
Ceiling Unlimited, Peaceable Kingdom and Stars are in the very good category.
Earthshine has a great riff, but might be the only song in their entire catalog that I feel is ruined by the way Geddy’s vocals are recorded. Just grating. I’ve always been very apologetic about his voice. In fact, I usually like his voice even when he’s having an off day in a live setting. But something about the way they recorded his vocals on that song is like nails on a chalkboard.
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My updated rankings;
19 Rush
18
17
16 Snakes & Arrows
15 Caress of Steel
14 Vapor Trails
13 Test for Echo
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Just looking now, TFE probably a little high, but the title track is a favourite, cracker song.
VP has its moments but a lot of filler. GR is also one of my favs. Such a great atmosphere.
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Vapor Trails was number 5 for me. Maybe the circumstances do play a role still after all these years because I definitely have some emotions around this album. But aside from How It Is, I love every song.
"How It Is" sounds a lot like "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows.
Hmmm, not really but I see what you’re saying. Definitely a bit of that jangly guitar sound. Might even be the same underlying chords on the intros. “Mr. Jones” is a great song off a great album though.
I really like “How It Is.” One of my favorite lyrics on the album for sure (“foot upon the stair, shoulder to the wheel. You can’t tell yourself not to care, you can’t tell yourself how to feel,” gets me every time). I also like the cleaner, more jangly guitar moments. I’m less fond of whatever Alex is doing during the verses that sounds so messy even on the remix. Also don’t love the vocals during the verse. One of those songs that I think is a really good song with a somewhat poor arrangement that lets it down a bit.
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I should say that I don't hate How It Is. I just don't like it too much in comparison to the rest of the album (or their catalogue in general). I like the verses well enough, and I also like the "foot upon the stair" lyrics. The chorus is what brings it down for me.
Highlights of the album for me are pretty much all of the other songs. I'll give Peaceable Kingdom a mention since it doesn't seem to be a favorite; I love that one. And Freeze. And Nocturne. And Out of the Cradle is an awesome closer.... :)
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Peaceable Kingdom made the biggest jump for me on the remaster. I always liked it, but I love it now. It's pure aggression and raw power, yet the melodies are still there.
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Peaceable Kingdom made the biggest jump for me on the remaster. I always liked it, but I love it now. It's pure aggression and raw power, yet the melodies are still there.
I'm starting to wonder if I've actually heard the remaster. Is it still available anywhere?
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Spotify
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Getting ready for some travel, so not much time to comment...
Had this at #14, close to consensus. A very different album from Test for Echo (which I had at #13), but the two tend to flip flop in my personal ranking depending on the day ;)
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Vapor Trails Discussion Drinking Game - Take a shot every time someone abbreviates Vapor Trails as "VP".
Also came back to say that "Freeze" is probably my absolute favorite on the album, followed by "Earthshine", "Secret Touch" and "How It Is". Actually from track six onwards is probably the better part of the album which is usually the opposite for most Rush albums. I still wish they played more of this album live. As I mentioned elsewhere, VT is the only Rush studio album that got less than half of it played live ever, with 6/13. Every other Rush album has had at least half of its tracks played live.
-Marc.
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Had a Rush live performance from 2011 playing on YouTube when my 5 year old came by my computer. She said, with the innocence and wonder only a 5 year old can muster "Wow, that's a lot of drums. How can he keep track of all of those drums?"
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Well, today's album will definitely make some happy to see it finally out of the way. :lol
14 Roll the Bones
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/914sVPQbjZL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (wolfking)
Lowest Finish: 19 (pg1067, jammindude, Stadler, ReaperKK)
I ranked this 12th, which doesn’t really illustrate how much I really do like this album. The five main songs, the ones all played live by the band, are all great, and while some of the un-played ones have their flaws, like Neurotica having the most boring chorus ever, this is a good and easy listen from start to finish. Even the lesser songs sound good within the flow of the album. And Dreamline has to be one of their best openers ever, whether talking about an album or in concert. I also think this is one of their best album covers. Good record!
Favorite songs: Dreamline, Ghost of a Chance, Bravado, Roll the Bones, Where's My Thing?
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Dead on for me. #14. The 1st tour I went with my future wife and we've seen every tour together from RTB on.
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The one song I wish they played live was, The Big Wheel.
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The one song I wish they played live was, The Big Wheel.
Why??
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Because it's a great song. I'm not asking to hear Heresy you silly person.
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I am very fond of both Heresy and The Big Wheel and would have loved if either had been pulled out of the vault on one of the tours this century.
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19. Caress of Steel
18.
17. Snakes & Arrows
16. Test For Echo
15. Vapor Trails
14.
13. Rush
12.
11.
10. Roll The Bones
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
This just cracks the Top 10 for me. Dreamline alone brings it up a couple of spots - Top 5 Rush song for my ears, and the first song I listened to after hearing of Neal's death ("Learning that we're only immortal, for a limited time" :'(). I probably have a little bias to this one, as it's the first tour I saw. I also don't get the hate for some of the poppier tunes (I really dig You Bet Your Life and Face Up ... they're both catchy af).
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There are good Rush albums and great Rush albums, Roll The Bones is Rush's only bad album IMO. The writing is abysmal and the album doesn't have a single stand out track IMO. Glad it's out of the way:
19 Roll The Bones
18
17
16
15 Test For Echo
14
13
12
11 Vapor Trails
10
9
8
7
6 Rush
5 Caress Of Steel
4
3
2 Snakes & Arrows
1
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RTB is my # 16. I love Dreamline, Bravado, Where's My Thing and Ghost of a Chance, specially the last 2. I really like Big Wheel, it has great melodies, and Face Up, although this one is kind of a guilty pleasure and has something a bit off... if this song had a Counterparts production and a longer solo, it would be killer. Roll the Bones and Heresy are OK, I don't like much You Bet Your Life and Neurotica is indeed ruined by that super boring chorus. By the way, I think the RTB clean and thin production has its charm, but I think it was better done on Presto, which has some more bass and a fuller overall sound. Even with its flaws, I think is an enjoyable album to hear in full.
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My first and last Rush album for a decade or so. I wasn’t impressed and had no history with the band. It’s only since Rush ended that I really started to get into the group.
Now… I’m quite fond of RTB. I didn’t participate but it’d be at the top end of the bottom half.
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#13 for me. My opinion of it has grown over the years. There was a time when I might’ve put this last or next to last. I’ve always loved the title track, Ghost, and Bravado, but time has let me appreciate Dreamline, Where’s My Thing, Face Up, and Heresy a lot more than before. I still think the chorus of The Big Wheel is silly with the “looking for luvvvvvvv” lyric, but the music is cool. Neurotica and YBYL have some cool moments but never really go anywhere. Good album but I’m not surprised they only played the 5 tracks from it.
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14 Roll the Bones
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/914sVPQbjZL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (wolfking)
Lowest Finish: 19 (pg1067, jammindude, Stadler, ReaperKK)
01 ?
02 ?
03 ?
04 ?
05 ?
06 Caress Of Steel
07 ?
08 ?
09 ?
10 Vapor Trails
11 ?
12 ?
13 ?
14 ?
15 ?
16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 Roll The Bones
19 Rush
Well, something had to be 2nd-to-last and RTB was always gonna be down there for me. I just find half the album uninteresting and it's probably the one Rush album I am least familiar with.
Honestly I would have been surprised if this got anywhere near the top ten, so 14th seems fair. If we were talking live versions of these songs it might very ranked a bit higher on the strength of "Bravado" alone, but since it's the album here, it just wouldn't get above 18th for me.
-Marc.
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I had this at 10. There some very lame songs on here (Heresy, Neurotica, Face Up, You Bet Your Life - I kind of like that last one at times though), and Where’s My Thing doesn’t do anything for me.
But this album featured 4 absolute classic Rush songs/personal favorites:
1. Dreamline (amazing opener)
2. Bravado (one of Neil’s best lyrics, Geddy’s best vocal performances)
3. Roll the Bones (rap and all)
4. Ghost of a Chance (one of Alex’s best solos)
I also like Big Wheel, though it’s not quite on the level of those 4. So those 5 songs are enough to make this one I return to often enough and have a fond opinion of. It’s definitely not their worst album, though it also doesn’t have the best sound. It’s a bit thin and punchless like Presto, but maybe a little less thin. I do like the general sound Rupert Hine was going for, but I don’t think they quite executed it right.
Bravado and Ghost of a Chance alone are strong enough to make this a favorite really. Those two tracks are just gold, and the production is perfect for each really. It’s the rockier stuff that suffers from it more.
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HOF comes very close to my feelings as well.
I will admit that I do love some stuff from this album. The first 3 songs are absolutely wonderful. But it’s pretty much all downhill after that. And when you have their top 4 or 5 worst songs all contained on a single album, it’s a no brainer that album should be at the bottom. I ranked it #19. :tdwn
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Listening to Where’s My Thing again, and interesting enough. I don’t know why I’ve never taken to it before, but I think if it were part of a song with lyrics I would like it more.
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Right, nothing too exciting on here, #18 for me.
Reaper, pretty cool how all the albums so far are completely spread out in your rankings.
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I will admit that after some further thought, I remember that I revisited this album a little while back and it some of the “also-rans” were not as bad as I remembered. I probably could have flipped this and VT. But it would still be near the bottom.
I seem to remember that The Big Wheel aged better than I remember.
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I am going to generalize here for a moment :P and submit that any fan who doesn't love Dreamline probably never saw Rush live because I don't think it's possible to have seen that song performed live and not thought it was great.
-
I am going to generalize here for a moment :P and submit that any fan who doesn't love Dreamline probably never saw Rush live because I don't think it's possible to have seen that song performed live and not thought it was great.
For as lame as the rest of the album is, Dreamline might one of the greatest album (and concert) openers in their entire catalog.
-
I think in addition to Where’s My Thing, I’d put Neurotica in the “interesting enough” category. So you really have 7-8 songs on here which are decent to great:
1. Dreamline
2. Bravado
3. Roll The Bones
4. Where’s My Thing
5. Big Wheel
6. Ghost of a Chance
7. Neurotica
8. You Bet Your Life
That’s about 39 minutes and a pretty decent set of songs (same length as Grace Under Pressure, Moving Pictures, etc.).
-
Some of the takes on this album are just flat out bad. And me placing this at #14 doesn't really do justice to how much I like this album. Sure Neurotica and Bet Your Life are the worst songs here and the title track isn't that great (to me), but this album will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the first Rush album I bought when it was released. I had already heard Moving Pictures, since it was in my dad's record collection, and loved it. So I bought this and loved it. It was also the first time I saw Rush live. My dad took me to the show on Jan 29th 1992 in Oakland. With the exception of the 3 songs mentioned above, the rest of the songs are great. To say this album contains 4 or 5 of their worst songs is crazy! Especially when stuff like Stupidconductor, Rivendell, Workin them Angels, Wish them Well, Take a Friend, Nocturne, Stick it out.....should I go on....exists. :)
19. Rush
18. Snakes & Arrows
17.
16. Vapor Trails
15.
14. Roll the Bones
13.
12. Test for Echo
11.
10. Caress of Steel
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
-
I love Superconductor, but I get that’s an unpopular opinion.
But lumping Working Them Angels with some of the rest of those songs is downright heresy.
-
Dreamline, Where's my thing, Ghost of a chance and the title track are all great. That's almost half of the album. The rest might be so-and-so, but the great songs pull it up. The Big wheel is also kind of fun.
-
There are good Rush albums and great Rush albums, Roll The Bones is Rush's only bad album IMO. The writing is abysmal and the album doesn't have a single stand out track IMO.
Not even Dreamline?
-
Stick It Out is awesome. I prefer it to everything off Roll the Bones aside from Dreamline and Bravado. The lyrics maybe aren't Neil's finest but I don't really care.
Roll the Bones is #17 for me. I love Dreamline, Bravado, and Ghost of a Chance. And Where's My Thing. The title track is good, as are a lot of the other songs. Just not great; not up to what I usually expect from Rush.
-
It's worth noting as well that Roll the Bones gave a jolt to Rush when it came to sales and whatnot, especially in the States. Rush had not had a top 3 album here in America since Moving Pictures until Roll the Bones. Counterparts, which is great in its own right (much more so), debuted at number 2 in 1993 as a result (and only didn't debut at number 1 because Pearl Jam's follow up to their massive debut was released on the same day), and a lot of that can be attributed to how well Roll the Bones did.
-
I had Roll the Bones at #13, so I was pretty close to the consensus ranking. But I enjoy this album quite a bit. I'd say it's the most "fun" Rush album. There aren't as many deep, emotional songs as many other Rush albums, nor are there a lot of really complex ones, but I enjoy most of these songs on their own terms.
I agree with the general view that Dreamline and Bravado are highlights, but my favorite one so far is the title track. The rap is so weird, and I don't know if many other bands could have gotten away with it, but I actually really like that part. I think the voice effect really works, and I'm a fan of the way the music opens up for a little bit between the two rap sections. Can't say exactly why, but that sequence is a highlight for me.
I also like some of the ones that don't seem to be as popular. I think Face Up and Neurotica are a ton of fun, and while I'll grant that it's not the most sophisticated chorus, it really only took one listen for me to be going around singing "neurotica ... exotica ... whoa oh oh." And Heresy isn't a top tier song, but I think the lyrics elevate it for me.
Where's My Thing is cool, as well—I'm noticing a pattern where I seem to like the instrumentals better than a lot of people do. I'd pretty much say that every Rush instrumental is cool in its own way, and YYZ would be a contender for my favorite Rush song. Some bands do not make instrumentals that hold my attention, but Rush's are ones I really like.
The only one I don't really like is You Bet Your Life. Just not much that I find interesting here.
I wound up putting this toward the lower end of the ones I'm still getting into. I sort of regret how low it is, but maybe that will change when we get to more of the ones I put above it. If I think of my 8-13 range as a collection of albums I don't know that well and find all pretty close in how well I like them on an early impression, I think I'm okay with it being in the bottom of that range, around the same area as Snakes & Arrows. But that's very subject to change.
I am glad I put it above my #14 and #15, which... well, you guys can get mad at me when we get there.
19. Rush
18. Caress of Steel
17. Test for Echo
16.
15.
14.
13. Roll the Bones
12. Snakes & Arrows
11.
10.
9.
8. Vapor Trails
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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I had Roll The Bones at #15. There's a couple of songs that I actually love and when we did the Rush song countdown, I had Dreamline at #10 and Ghost Of A Chance at #16. I love Alex's smoky solo in that. The next highest song I had was You Bet Your Life at #62. I have to say that I consider this one of my most frustrating Rush albums. I was really jazzed with Presto, and then they come with this..full of such blah and mediocre material. Face Up and Heresy absolutely blow, and fucking Bravado, or The Pass Pt. II as I like to call it, is a bottom of the barrel Rush track.
And Big Wheel is a big nothing.
#15-#18 on my list are all really interchangeable.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test For Echo
17
16
15 Roll The Bones
14 Caress Of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12
11
10
9 Rush
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
-
Seems reasonable. But Dreamline is top tier Rush.
-
Just realized that TFE placed 16th and RTB placed 14th, in their respective album release orders as well. Can't wait to see 2112 in 4th, AFTK in 5th, and HEMI in 6th. :lol
Hopefully POW breaks the top ten though!
-Marc
-
Hopefully POW breaks the top ten though!
:yeahright
-
Hopefully POW breaks the top ten though!
:yeahright
Top 6 sucka! :lol
-
Well, today's album will definitely make some happy to see it finally out of the way. :lol
14 Roll the Bones
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/914sVPQbjZL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (wolfking)
Lowest Finish: 19 (pg1067, jammindude, Stadler, ReaperKK)
I ranked this 12th, which doesn’t really illustrate how much I really do like this album. The five main songs, the ones all played live by the band, are all great, and while some of the un-played ones have their flaws, like Neurotica having the most boring chorus ever, this is a good and easy listen from start to finish. Even the lesser songs sound good within the flow of the album. And Dreamline has to be one of their best openers ever, whether talking about an album or in concert. I also think this is one of their best album covers. Good record!
Favorite songs: Dreamline, Ghost of a Chance, Bravado, Roll the Bones, Where's My Thing?
Yeah...just an abysmal album, and the #14 spot is WAY more than it deserves. I've written many times before how happy I was with Presto after three increasingly disappointing albums. However, they took a huge nosedive with this one. From the embarrassment of the title track to the ridiculously stupid last two tracks. Even the popular Dreamline and Bravado (especially the latter) are snoozers. Depending on where it came in the set, Bravado was a great pee break song. Unfortunately, they liked Dreamline as the opener. The only song I'd go out of my way to listen to is The Big Wheel, and even that is nothing great.
19 Roll the Bones (14)
18 ??
17 ??
16 Snakes & Arrows (18)
15 ??
14 ??
13 Test for Echo (16)
12 Rush (19)
11 ??
10 ??
9 Caress of Steel (17)
8 Vapor Trails (15)
7 ??
6 ??
5 ??
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
-
19. Rush
18. Test for Echo
17.
16.
15. Roll The Bones
14. Snakes & Arrows
13. Caress of Steel
12. Vapor Trails
11.
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
I have it close to the consensus at 15. There's some clunkers on here for sure. But I'm gonna second what HOF said - that Bravado (an awesome Rush song IMO) and Ghost of a Chance save this album from potentially a last place finish for me. Of course I also agree that Dreamline, Where's my Thing? and the title track are solid as well - The rest :tdwn
-
I am going to generalize here for a moment :P and submit that any fan who doesn't love Dreamline probably never saw Rush live because I don't think it's possible to have seen that song performed live and not thought it was great.
I was at that tour. I don't remember it not being great live but I always loved the song . The show kicked major ass.
-
Roll the Bones - sorry but HOF said it best above - there are some lame songs on this album. A couple of good ones though including of course Dreamline. My rank 17.
-
Right, nothing too exciting on here, #18 for me.
Reaper, pretty cool how all the albums so far are completely spread out in your rankings.
Yea I'm all over the map :lol
As usual my rankings don't align with most of DTF
-
I am going to generalize here for a moment :P and submit that any fan who doesn't love Dreamline probably never saw Rush live because I don't think it's possible to have seen that song performed live and not thought it was great.
I was at that tour. I don't remember it not being great live but I always loved the song . The show kicked major ass.
Which tour? It was played on seven of them! :lol :P
-
I am going to generalize here for a moment :P and submit that any fan who doesn't love Dreamline probably never saw Rush live because I don't think it's possible to have seen that song performed live and not thought it was great.
I was at that tour. I don't remember it not being great live but I always loved the song . The show kicked major ass.
Which tour? It was played on seven of them! :lol :P
I saw them on Roll The Bones and Counterparts tours. I though you meant RTB Tour.
-
Glasser, he's just being an ass. Ignore him. ;D
-
So that's what we should do with your posts in this thread Tim? :lol
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So that's what we should do with your posts in this thread Tim? :lol
Yeah, most of them anyway. :lol
-
(https://i.postimg.cc/L40Pcr7T/desert-tumbleweed.gif) (https://postimages.org/)
-
(https://media0.giphy.com/media/RezZkqUFtOM9UJAfdV/200w.gif?cid=6c09b952b7pcq2l6quz6u2szwrfuul0v3zfvwt4a081zprzw&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=200w.gif&ct=g)
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So that's what we should do with your posts in this thread Tim? :lol
It's what I do when he's bashing awesome albums :biggrin:
(https://media0.giphy.com/media/RezZkqUFtOM9UJAfdV/200w.gif?cid=6c09b952b7pcq2l6quz6u2szwrfuul0v3zfvwt4a081zprzw&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=200w.gif&ct=g)
OK, that's pretty cool. :metal
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That site that animates album covers is amazing.
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Google Images? ;D
-
Feels like it's about time to cut to the chase and post the next album.
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Yeah, I'm detecting an emotion.
-
I am doing the best I can to hold out till morning.
-
Get busy with the facts, lets move on
-
Google Images? ;D
https://coolmaterial.com/roundup/animated-album-covers/
On Facebook & Instagram it's "Media in Motion."
-
I am going to generalize here for a moment :P and submit that any fan who doesn't love Dreamline probably never saw Rush live because I don't think it's possible to have seen that song performed live and not thought it was great.
I was at that tour. I don't remember it not being great live but I always loved the song . The show kicked major ass.
Yeah...that's a weird generalization. I saw Dreamline played at nine different shows between 1992-2012. It was fine. Nothing special - especially when the setlists expanded and they were playing so many great songs. It paled in comparison.
-
Moving on...
13 Fly by Night
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fDsZMhNOL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (nobloodyname)
Lowest Finish: 18 (Mladen, jingle.boy, DTA, faizoff, Lethean)
This one ranked 14th for me. Definitely my favorite of the first three, thanks in large part to Side 1. I can only imagine what existing Rush fans thought in 1975 when this came out and they heard the new drummer Neil Peart’s playing at the start of Anthem. It had to be a major “woah” moment. Interesting that the title track held up as one of their classic rock radio mainstays for so long, considering it was never played by the band again after the 70s. Solid tune, but not a standout. Anyway, good album.
Favorite songs: By-Tor and the Snow Dog, Anthem, Beneath, Between and Behind and Making Memories
-
Ooh, definitely my favourite of the first three as well. I had it at #8 actually. A big step up from the debut.
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Eh…. It’s ok I guess. FBN is even more overplayed than Lakeside Park. By-Tor is overrated imo. I didn’t ‘get’ that song for a long time, and I now enjoy it, but it seems to have this aura about it like it’s one of their greatest non-radio-hit songs. And the rest of it … largely forgettable.
-
I am going to generalize here for a moment :P and submit that any fan who doesn't love Dreamline probably never saw Rush live because I don't think it's possible to have seen that song performed live and not thought it was great.
I was at that tour. I don't remember it not being great live but I always loved the song . The show kicked major ass.
Yeah...that's a weird generalization. I saw Dreamline played at nine different shows between 1992-2012. It was fine. Nothing special - especially when the setlists expanded and they were playing so many great songs. It paled in comparison.
It was received by most fans as a great opener for the shows. Not a generalization at all.
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Fly By Night was 17 for me. Not a bad album at all. Anthem is a killer song. It's a good album. I just play the other albums more.
-
On reflection, I should probably have tinkered with the rankings spat out by The Ranking Machine. Oh, well. Still a good album, though. And, unlike the majority of the fanbase, I love Rivendell :hat
-
14 Roll the Bones
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/914sVPQbjZL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 5 (wolfking)
Lowest Finish: 19 (pg1067, jammindude, Stadler, ReaperKK)
13 Fly by Night
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fDsZMhNOL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (nobloodyname)
Lowest Finish: 18 (Mladen, jingle.boy, DTA, faizoff, Lethean)
Interesting that no one ranked FBN 19th, it was a toss up between that and Caress for me. Some really good stuff in there among mostly just ok songs.
I enjoy Roll the Bones quite a bit, the rap part must've been so odd to hear for Rush fans when it first came out. Had it at 11.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly by Night
17. Vapor Trails
16. Rush
15.
14. Test For Echo
13.
12.
11. Roll The Bones
10. Snakes & Arrows
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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I had Fly By Night ranked exactly at 13 as well, so this is just right!
I have always really liked the title track, which has some really memorable drumming. By-Tor is a lot of fun too, and Anthem is a nice opener. I don’t have a strong opinion on most of the tracks. They’re all decent 70s rock type songs but not really anything characteristically Rush beyond the drumming which is great throughout (except for Rivendell!). I didn’t love this one when I first got it, but it’s held up better over time than some of the other 70s stuff for me (and some of the later Rush as well), so that’s how it ended up at 13.
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I really dig FBN. It's a good album whose only crime is that Rush released better albums.
19 Roll The Bones
18
17
16
15 Test For Echo
14 Fly By Night
13
12
11 Vapor Trails
10
9
8
7
6 Rush
5 Caress Of Steel
4
3
2 Snakes & Arrows
1
-
I enjoyed most of these songs in the first year or so of getting into the band, but I hardly ever return to it nowadays. It's not much better than the debut, honestly.
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I had Fly By Night at #15, and my least favorite of the first 4 albums.
That being said, I still really like this album. There are higher highs than the debut, but overall, it feels more inconsistent than its predecessor.
Side 1 is pretty amazing from start to finish. The title track is good if a bit overplayed. Making Memories is one of the first songs I ever learned to play on the guitar, so there’s a soft spot there. Rivendell is actually ok for what it is, but it doesn’t really feel like Rush. In the End didn’t age well. Loved it as a kid, but it’s a 3 minute idea dragged on for 6. I like the live version a lot better.
-
I had Fly By Night at #8. I really like it. It has such a cool vibe. In The End is one of my favorite Rush songs though I do prefer the ATWAS version. I do find By Tor a bit overblown though. It’s just a real enjoyable listen.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test For Echo
17
16
15 Roll The Bones
14 Caress Of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12
11
10
9 Rush
8 Fly By Night
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
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Number 18. Stronger than the first album, but still weaker than what came after. I love the title track, By-Tor is cool (possibly a bit overrated by the fanbase), and Anthem is a great opener but past that, the rest of the songs still feel a bit too much rooted in a 70's rock sound. I think Geddy himself ranked this album last on Eddie Trunk's show when asked to rank the first 9 albums.
-
Moving on...
13 Fly by Night
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fDsZMhNOL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (nobloodyname)
Lowest Finish: 18 (Mladen, jingle.boy, DTA, faizoff, Lethean)
01 ?
02 ?
03 ?
04 ?
05 ?
06 Caress Of Steel
07 ?
08 ?
09 Fly By Night
10 Vapor Trails
11 ?
12 ?
13 ?
14 ?
15 ?
16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 Roll The Bones
19 Rush
In my recent binge of early Rush, my appreciation for FBN grew like it did for COS, and so it ended up a. It higher than it probably would have before a couple months ago.
Side one is definitely very strong, but Side 2 isn't anything to scoff at either, although the novelty of "Rivendell" wears off after awhile, and "In The End" was much stronger live.
Either way, what a strong sophomore album and first outing with Neil in the studio.
-Marc.
-
13 Fly by Night
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fDsZMhNOL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (nobloodyname)
Lowest Finish: 18 (Mladen, jingle.boy, DTA, faizoff, Lethean)
#11 for me. Half great, half meh. The half that's great is among their best material. The rest is among the worst.
19. Test for Echo
18.
17. Vapor Trails
16. Rush
15. Roll the Bones
14. Caress of Steel
13. Snakes and Arrows
12.
11. Fly By Night
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
The real question is who would win in this fight:
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fDsZMhNOL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
vs
(https://i.imgur.com/YEJkgLDt.jpg)
vs
(https://i.imgur.com/0IEnNxSt.jpg)
FBN owl looks pretty mean. He's got my bet.
-
I'm a bit surprised to see this one down here; I thought it was generally more well-loved than this. I sort of expected that I'd have to defend my low placement of this album, but it turns out that my ranking is pretty much in line with the consensus: I had this at #14, so right behind Roll the Bones. That's kind of a relief since it means I can talk more about what I like about this one, and I'll only have to defend one heresy later on.
Why this is so low for me is pretty simple: I like Rush's mature work better than the earlier stuff. This one still shows a lot of the immaturity of their first few albums, and it features Geddy's very high-pitched vocals, which I'm not a fan of.
But why is this as high as it is? Well, I really like that it's a complete album. It's really the only Rush album until the late 70s that I really think is complete from start to finish. It's a cohesive album that doesn't overstay its welcome at 38 minutes, and I think most of the songs are at least pretty good. Rivendell is the only one that I find really questionable, and even then, it's inoffensive and it feels like it has its place in the album's sequence. I even enjoy Best I Can, even though it's far from being their best work.
I think my favorite song here is actually In the End. I really like how this one works as an album closer. Other top contenders would be Beneath, Between & Behind and Fly By Night. But Anthem, By-Tor and even Making Memories are strong tracks as well. I don't hold By-Tor in the level of esteem that some fans do. It's nowhere near my favorite on the album, and I don't like all of the instrumental section. But it does serviceably as a part of the whole here. The songwriting on this album, IMO, is just on a higher level than either the previous debut effort or the attempt to leap forward that is Caress of Steel. But they got even better later, and created deeper, richer music than this. So #14 is the right place for me.
19. Rush
18. Caress of Steel
17. Test for Echo
16.
15.
14. Fly By Night
13. Roll the Bones
12. Snakes & Arrows
11.
10.
9.
8. Vapor Trails
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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Despite ranking it #17 I really do like this album. Sure there are a few songs that aren't quite up to the standards of later material, but in the end (see what I did there :neverusethis: ) it's still a good album, they just have many more better albums.
19. Rush
18. Snakes & Arrows
17. Fly By Night
16. Vapor Trails
15.
14. Roll the Bones
13.
12. Test for Echo
11.
10. Caress of Steel
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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Ooh, definitely my favourite of the first three as well. I had it at #8 actually. A big step up from the debut.
Same on both.
-
Fly By Night was 17 for me. Not a bad album at all. Anthem is a killer song. It's a good album. I just play the other albums more.
This sums it up for me as well. Nothing bad to say about it, and having Neil's lyrics was a big step up from the debut, but I like the others even more.
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19. Rush
18. Test for Echo
17. Fly by Night
16.
15. Roll The Bones
14. Snakes & Arrows
13. Caress of Steel
12. Vapor Trails
11.
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
It's ok, better than the debut, but still one of their weaker outputs. Anthem, By-Tor, In the End and Beneath Between and Behind are the standouts for me.
-
Moving on...
13 Fly by Night
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fDsZMhNOL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (nobloodyname)
Lowest Finish: 18 (Mladen, jingle.boy, DTA, faizoff, Lethean)
This one ranked 14th for me. Definitely my favorite of the first three, thanks in large part to Side 1. I can only imagine what existing Rush fans thought in 1975 when this came out and they heard the new drummer Neil Peart’s playing at the start of Anthem. It had to be a major “woah” moment. Interesting that the title track held up as one of their classic rock radio mainstays for so long, considering it was never played by the band again after the 70s. Solid tune, but not a standout. Anyway, good album.
Favorite songs: By-Tor and the Snow Dog, Anthem, Beneath, Between and Behind and Making Memories
Oh, ffs. I had FBN at #6. The idea that HYF and CA are going to finish higher than FBN is shocking. FBN could be nothing but By-Tor, and it'd be better than HYF and CA. Anthem, BB&B, By-Tor, the title track, Making Memories, and In the End are all top notch songs. The only real stumble here is Rivendell.
19 Roll the Bones (14)
18 ??
17 ??
16 Snakes & Arrows (18)
15 ??
14 ??
13 Test for Echo (16)
12 Rush (19)
11 ??
10 ??
9 Caress of Steel (17)
8 Vapor Trails (15)
7 ??
6 Fly by Night (13)
5 ??
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
-
I am going to generalize here for a moment :P and submit that any fan who doesn't love Dreamline probably never saw Rush live because I don't think it's possible to have seen that song performed live and not thought it was great.
I was at that tour. I don't remember it not being great live but I always loved the song . The show kicked major ass.
Yeah...that's a weird generalization. I saw Dreamline played at nine different shows between 1992-2012. It was fine. Nothing special - especially when the setlists expanded and they were playing so many great songs. It paled in comparison.
It was received by most fans as a great opener for the shows. Not a generalization at all.
Kev expressly said he was generalizing, and it was only an opener on the Counterparts and T4E tours.
-
Moving on...
13 Fly by Night
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fDsZMhNOL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (nobloodyname)
Lowest Finish: 18 (Mladen, jingle.boy, DTA, faizoff, Lethean)
This one ranked 14th for me. Definitely my favorite of the first three, thanks in large part to Side 1. I can only imagine what existing Rush fans thought in 1975 when this came out and they heard the new drummer Neil Peart’s playing at the start of Anthem. It had to be a major “woah” moment. Interesting that the title track held up as one of their classic rock radio mainstays for so long, considering it was never played by the band again after the 70s. Solid tune, but not a standout. Anyway, good album.
Favorite songs: By-Tor and the Snow Dog, Anthem, Beneath, Between and Behind and Making Memories
Oh, ffs. I had FBN at #6. The idea that HYF and CA are going to finish higher than FBN is shocking. FBN could be nothing but By-Tor, and it'd be better than HYF and CA. Anthem, BB&B, By-Tor, the title track, Making Memories, and In the End are all top notch songs. The only real stumble here is Rivendell.
It's more shocking that you are shocked to find people have differing opinions on Rush's discography. Their output is so varied that people are bound to like certain eras more than others or albums you dislike they may find to be top notch. :corn
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Moving on...
13 Fly by Night
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fDsZMhNOL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (nobloodyname)
Lowest Finish: 18 (Mladen, jingle.boy, DTA, faizoff, Lethean)
This one ranked 14th for me. Definitely my favorite of the first three, thanks in large part to Side 1. I can only imagine what existing Rush fans thought in 1975 when this came out and they heard the new drummer Neil Peart’s playing at the start of Anthem. It had to be a major “woah” moment. Interesting that the title track held up as one of their classic rock radio mainstays for so long, considering it was never played by the band again after the 70s. Solid tune, but not a standout. Anyway, good album.
Favorite songs: By-Tor and the Snow Dog, Anthem, Beneath, Between and Behind and Making Memories
Oh, ffs. I had FBN at #6. The idea that HYF and CA are going to finish higher than FBN is shocking. FBN could be nothing but By-Tor, and it'd be better than HYF and CA. Anthem, BB&B, By-Tor, the title track, Making Memories, and In the End are all top notch songs. The only real stumble here is Rivendell.
It's more shocking that you are shocked to find people have differing opinions on Rush's discography. Their output is so varied that people are bound to like certain eras more than others or albums you dislike they may find to be top notch. :corn
Yeah, I just don’t think many people listen to Rush for the type of material on FBN. I like it well enough, but if it weren’t a Rush album, I doubt I would own it.
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Exit Stage Left epitomizes Rush to me.
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I am going to generalize here for a moment :P and submit that any fan who doesn't love Dreamline probably never saw Rush live because I don't think it's possible to have seen that song performed live and not thought it was great.
I was at that tour. I don't remember it not being great live but I always loved the song . The show kicked major ass.
Yeah...that's a weird generalization. I saw Dreamline played at nine different shows between 1992-2012. It was fine. Nothing special - especially when the setlists expanded and they were playing so many great songs. It paled in comparison.
It was received by most fans as a great opener for the shows. Not a generalization at all.
Kev expressly said he was generalizing, and it was only an opener on the Counterparts and T4E tours.
Correct, but it was an excellent opener despite your feelings towards the song.
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I am fairly puzzled that seem so outraged at these rankings thus far. I mean, it you want a list based on what you think the order should be, then wait till I'm done and count them down in your order, FFS. Good grief.
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I am going to generalize here for a moment :P and submit that any fan who doesn't love Dreamline probably never saw Rush live because I don't think it's possible to have seen that song performed live and not thought it was great.
I was at that tour. I don't remember it not being great live but I always loved the song . The show kicked major ass.
Yeah...that's a weird generalization. I saw Dreamline played at nine different shows between 1992-2012. It was fine. Nothing special - especially when the setlists expanded and they were playing so many great songs. It paled in comparison.
It was received by most fans as a great opener for the shows. Not a generalization at all.
Kev expressly said he was generalizing, and it was only an opener on the Counterparts and T4E tours.
Correct, but it was an excellent opener despite your feelings towards the song.
(https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/pizza-slap.gif)
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Many a night I did that to myself. Lol
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Fly By Night - my rank 10. Definitely my favourite of the first 3 albums. This album has a great vibe and I just really like the songs, it's an easy listen.
I'm not surprised this album has turned up now, I think what is more interesting is what the next couple of albums in the countdown will be...
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Fly By Night - my rank 10. Definitely my favourite of the first 3 albums. This album has a great vibe and I just really like the songs, it's an easy listen.
I'm not surprised this album has turned up now, I think what is more interesting is what the next couple of albums in the countdown will be...
Rest assured that no matter what they are, some will bitch the live long day about how they are too high or too low.
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Oh, ffs. I had FBN at #6. The idea that HYF and CA are going to finish higher than FBN is shocking.
How is it shocking? (turns on smartass mode) Have you paid attention at all in the Rush threads over the years? (turns off smartass mode) The first three albums are rarely talked about here, and this countdown is a reflection of this forum, or more specifically the people who submitted a list, so it should be no shock that all finished pretty low, including Fly by Night.
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I am fairly puzzled that seem so outraged at these rankings thus far. I mean, it you want a list based on what you think the order should be, then wait till I'm done and count them down in your order, FFS. Good grief.
I'm just puzzled that I'm obviously so far outside the norm here. That's all. And yes, I've paid attention, including the recent discussion of ranking the first four albums against each other.
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Pg, there are definitely more that agree with you not on this forum.
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I am going to generalize here for a moment :P and submit that any fan who doesn't love Dreamline probably never saw Rush live because I don't think it's possible to have seen that song performed live and not thought it was great.
I was at that tour. I don't remember it not being great live but I always loved the song . The show kicked major ass.
Yeah...that's a weird generalization. I saw Dreamline played at nine different shows between 1992-2012. It was fine. Nothing special - especially when the setlists expanded and they were playing so many great songs. It paled in comparison.
It was received by most fans as a great opener for the shows. Not a generalization at all.
Kev expressly said he was generalizing, and it was only an opener on the Counterparts and T4E tours.
Correct, but it was an excellent opener despite your feelings towards the song.
(https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/pizza-slap.gif)
Ah, so this is where Pizza Death got their name from! :lol
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Little update now I’ve caught up with a few more of these. I’m going to give the top 2 a second spin, as I enjoyed them more than anything else.
1. Fly By Night
2. Caress of Steel
3. Snakes and Arrows
4. Rush
5. Roll the Bones
6. Vapor Trails
7. Test for Echo
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Brace yourself for a whole lotta complaining...:P :lol
12 Hold Your Fire
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Gt6yVbPlL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 3 (Dittomist, DTA)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Samsara, Cool Chris)
This is another I love, warts and all. The sound if it is a bit weird, with it being so high and tinny, and some of the more rocking parts sounding so, as Neil once called it, crash-bangy, so I get why it is a tough one for a lot of fans, but I feel that the songwriting is excellent. Mission is one of their best songs ever, and most of the rest varies from very good to great. Geddy once said this album sounded romantic, and I think that's a good description. For better or worse, there is no other Rush album that sounds like this one. I ranked this 9th, and I stand by it.
Favorite songs: Mission, Prime Mover, Turn the Page, Open Secrets, Time Stand Still
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When I replaced all my original Rush CDs with the remasters, the remastered HYF did indeed sound tinny. I really wish I'd held on to the original CD as it sounded so much better than the remaster. Every other album was an improvement.
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How can this album be 19th for a couple of people in a world where ********** exists?
Time Stand Still. Sigh. One of my favourite songs of all time. Although I prefer my acoustic version to Rush's original :coolio
Edit: removed album name just in case it fell foul of The Rules.
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#15 for me. Highlights are Force 10 Mission and my favorite album cut from this album is Open Secrets. The ending of the song stemmed from a jam session during soundcheck on the Power Windows tour.
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12 Hold Your Fire
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Gt6yVbPlL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 3 (Dittomist, DTA)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Samsara, Cool Chris)
01 ?
02 ?
03 ?
04 ?
05 ?
06 Caress Of Steel
07 ?
08 ?
09 Fly By Night
10 Vapor Trails
11 ?
12 ?
13 ?
14 Hold Your Fire
15 ?
16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 Roll The Bones
19 Rush
HYF missed my bottom five, just barely, on the strength of songs like "Force Ten", "Time Stand Still" and "Mission, but I'd say as a whole, the album is only mostly good.
Also, just realized that their 12th album has placed 12th overall and now there's a pattern forming...
19 Rush
18 Snakes & Arrows
17 Caress Of Steel
16 Test For Echo
15 Vapor Trails
14 Roll The Bones
13 Fly By Night
12 Hold Your Fire
Every other album so far has placed in its release order. I'll be really surprised if GUP ends up tenth (not because of its placement being too high/low but because it would continue this pattern).
-Marc.
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My love for 80’s Rush is unmatched. HYF has at least 7 songs that could be my favorite Rush song on any given day which is probably more than any other album of theirs. I love the vocals, lyrics, and playing from everyone. The bass and drums on here are Geddy and Neil at their peak imo.
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12 Hold Your Fire
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Gt6yVbPlL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 3 (Dittomist, DTA)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Samsara, Cool Chris)
#13 for me. I do like this album a lot, though admittedly when I started my journey with Rush's albums this phase of the band was a bit difficult to get into at first. Time Stand Still, and Lock And Key are some of my favorite Rush tracks.
I have the Red Sector 3 version of this album and apparently, there are some very small differences between the original release and this version. I don't think it's that' obvious, only way I found out about is through some angry posts on some Rush forum I read a while back.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly by Night
17. Vapor Trails
16. Rush
15.
14. Test For Echo
13. Hold Your Fire
12.
11. Roll The Bones
10. Snakes & Arrows
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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I had Hold Your Fire at 9, just above Roll the Bones, and my feelings about both albums are similar. Some really great, favorite Rush songs surrounded by some stinkers. But on the whole I think it is a stronger album with better production than RTB. For a long time I found it to be a disappointing follow up to the immaculate Power Windows. Seemed like the same general sound and style but with lesser songs, and that’s still true. But I’ve come to appreciate it on it’s own merits more over time, and it’s now one that I hold in fairly high regard just below the other greats from the 80s/synth era.
To get them out of the way up front, the stinkers for me are Second Nature, Lock and Key, and Tai Shan, with Turn the Page dangerously close to that zone.
But Force Ten, Time Stand Still, and Mission have been favorite Rush tracks since I was first introduced to them on Retrospective II. Open Secrets and Prime Mover are also good to great tracks which strongly evoke Power Windows (with the middle section of Prime Mover apparently being a reference to the kid on the cover of Power Windows). I also think High Water is a great track, somewhat similar to Mystic Rhythms, or maybe more like a So-Us era Peter Gabriel track. It’s an underrated Rush tune I think.
So there are 6 good to great tracks here, and 4 shaky to stinky tracks here. But overall I think the stronger tracks carry the day. I also really like the red album cover. Kind of a bold departure from anything they’d done before. The minimalism is cool.
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11th for me. For me, this one greatly benefits from the live (ie, A Show of Hands) versions of Mission and Turn The Page. I got really 'in' to Rush in '89, and with the release of ASOH, both the audio and video got tons of play time. I also spun the shit out of Chronicles, so Force 10 and Time Stand Still are naturally faves as well (let's disregard the fact that the video of TST exists).
Sadly, it's also hampered by the duds of Open Secrets (sorry, King), and Tai Shan. Not bad songs by any means, just the least good - which puts it at 11. On any given day, I could rate this as high as 8th.
But last ... I mean, c'mon. I get it, TASTESTM and all, but this is surprising.
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I reckon I will be on an island with this one, but I think Tai Shan is not nearly as bad as most fans think. No, it's not a standout, but it's an enjoyable song with nice melodies. When I think of the worst/least best songs the band has ever done, that one doesn't enter the conversation for me.
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I had this album at #13. I used to really dislike it aside from a song or two, but it keeps growing on me. The less I listen to the early Rush albums, the more I listen to this one. Prime mover, Time stands still, Lock and key and Force ten are all fantastic. There are a couple more tunes I find under-appreciated. Mission is actually the one that never clicked with me.
Also, Tai Shan is average at worst. It's not the hideous monster people make it out to be. :lol
There might be a drop in quality compared to its predecessors and it might be less creative than its successor, but it's still pretty good. Good to see Hold your fire this high up in the list. :tup
I am also glad that a certain album I truly love and find underrated hasn't come up yet. I'll be happy to probably discuss it tomorrow. ;D
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11th for me. For me, this one greatly benefits from the live (ie, A Show of Hands) versions of Mission and Turn The Page. I got really 'in' to Rush in '89, and with the release of ASOH, both the audio and video got tons of play time. I also spun the shit out of Chronicles, so Force 10 and Time Stand Still are naturally faves as well (let's disregard the fact that the video of TST exists).
Sadly, it's also hampered by the duds of Open Secrets (sorry, King), and Tai Shan. Not bad songs by any means, just the least good - which puts it at 11. On any given day, I could rate this as high as 8th.
But last ... I mean, c'mon. I get it, TASTESTM and all, but this is surprising.
I'll let my brother know. He will be disappointed. :lol
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I reckon I will be on an island with this one, but I think Tai Shan is not nearly as bad as most fans think. No, it's not a standout, but it's an enjoyable song with nice melodies. When I think of the worst/least best songs the band has ever done, that one doesn't enter the conversation for me.
Agreed. It's perfectly fine.
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I reckon I will be on an island with this one, but I think Tai Shan is not nearly as bad as most fans think. No, it's not a standout, but it's an enjoyable song with nice melodies. When I think of the worst/least best songs the band has ever done, that one doesn't enter the conversation for me.
Full thoughts later, after I've had a chance to relisten, but both times I've heard this album before I've gone in very aware of the reputation around Tai Shan, and both times I came away not understanding what the fuss was about. It's probably the weakest song on the album, but it's decent and at worst totally inoffensive, IMO.
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I had Fly By Night at #14, so close with the consensus here.
Yes, I had Hold Your Fire at #19. I'm sorry, but the record holds no redeeming qualities to me. Admittedly, I had to let the synth era of Rush grow on me. And it has. I enjoy Power Windows, Signals, and hell, GuP has two of my favorite all-time Rush tracks in "Distant Early Warning" and "Red Sector A." But Hold Your Fire is just too far. It's like Rush lost its identity on this record, and then beginning with Presto, did the slow claw to find it again. Rush shouldn't be a pop band. I applaud bands who push the envelope. My favorite group, the original lineup of Queensryche, followed in Rush's footsteps with that, and arguably their last record is one most people think is their worst (Hear in the Now Frontier). You can push TOO far. And that's what Rush did with Hold Your Fire, in my opinion. You could nuke it from the catalog, and I'd never miss it.
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With all due respect, Samsara, I don't see how Hold Your Fire can be classified by any stretch of the imagination. Listen to those drums! ;) That aside, I will push back on the idea that Rush should not be a pop band. I think any band should be able to be whatever kind of band they want. I am always in favor of artistic freedom. :)
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I love HYF (my #6) for its qualities and style and it was the last album Rush had released when I became a fan. I saw a lot the ASOH live video at the time, that performance was something kind of magical to watch and I could only dream to see Rush live in Brazil. I love 6 seven songs off the album (the first 3 from each LP side), I like very much Prime Mover (despite those programmed keyboards, something that annoys me a bit at times on PoW and HYF) and High Water (which is really cool, but it seems generally underappreciated) and I think that Second Nature and Tai Shan are OK, besides Tai Shan having that stereotypical, kinda corny, flute at the beginning - I think that helps its bad reputation a lot. As a bonus, many lyrics on the album are truly great!
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Brace yourself for a whole lotta complaining...:P :lol
12 Hold Your Fire
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Gt6yVbPlL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 3 (Dittomist, DTA)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Samsara, Cool Chris)
This is another I love, warts and all. The sound if it is a bit weird, with it being so high and tinny, and some of the more rocking parts sounding so, as Neil once called it, crash-bangy, so I get why it is a tough one for a lot of fans, but I feel that the songwriting is excellent. Mission is one of their best songs ever, and most of the rest varies from very good to great. Geddy once said this album sounded romantic, and I think that's a good description. For better or worse, there is no other Rush album that sounds like this one. I ranked this 9th, and I stand by it.
Favorite songs: Mission, Prime Mover, Turn the Page, Open Secrets, Time Stand Still
My only complaint is that 12 is way too high, but I've already complained about that, so.... Force Ten is ok. Except for the choruses, Time Stand Still is pretty good. Turn the Page is ok. The only real standout track is Mission. The "It's cold comfort" suggestion is chilling. Ultimately, there's so much dreck on this album, primarily with all of the excessive artificial noise (and one of the worst live albums in my collection, ASOH, didn't help). I had it at #18.
19 Roll the Bones (14)
18 Hold Your Fire (12)
17 ??
16 Snakes & Arrows (18)
15 ??
14 ??
13 Test for Echo (16)
12 Rush (19)
11 ??
10 ??
9 Caress of Steel (17)
8 Vapor Trails (15)
7 ??
6 Fly by Night (13)
5 ??
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
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Catching up from the weekend:
Roll the Bones - I had this one at 13, as it's a pretty decent album. I really enjoy Bravado, Ghost of a Chance, Where's My Thing, The Big Wheel, and the title track. I should probably hate the rap section, but it is fun and for some reason, it just works. I am not as big on Dreamline as many Rush fans. It's not as bad as Face Up or anything, but I only find it fairly average. The rest of this album doesn't do a ton for me though.
Fly By Night - Comes in at 16 for me. I will mention that I love the cover art on this one. Anthem is an awesome opener to announce the solidification of the greatest trio in rock history. Bytor rules! I like the title track quite a bit, and Beneath, Between... is another highlight. In the End is a solid closer. Overall, I big jump from the first album, but the best is still yet to come...
Hold Your Fire - I have this one at 15. The highs on this album are very high and incredible, but the lows on this album drag it way down in my ranking. I think Time Stand Still, Force Ten, Lock & Key, and Mission are all really top-notch Rush songs. Open Secrets and Prime Mover aren't bad either. The rest I find to be pretty unremarkable. The last 3 songs are stinky, and I am firmly in the Tai Shan sucks camp.
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With all due respect, Samsara, I don't see how Hold Your Fire can be classified by any stretch of the imagination. Listen to those drums! ;) That aside, I will push back on the idea that Rush should not be a pop band. I think any band should be able to be whatever kind of band they want. I am always in favor of artistic freedom. :)
Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with Rush being whatever Rush wanted to be, and if this is a pop album it’s a darn good pop album (I’d probably agree with a pop-prog label more or less). I do share some of Samsara’s view that they probably pushed for a little too much of a good thing essentially repeating the sound and style of Power Windows just a little more in the pop/electronic direction. But there are enough good to great songs to make the album hold up for me.
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And they admitted it and why they went with more guitar orientated with Presto. After Presto and RTB, again they questioned why those songs from those two albums had a bigger punch live compared to the album which led to Counterparts having a live sound for that album.
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With all due respect, Samsara, I don't see how Hold Your Fire can be classified by any stretch of the imagination. Listen to those drums! ;) That aside, I will push back on the idea that Rush should not be a pop band. I think any band should be able to be whatever kind of band they want. I am always in favor of artistic freedom. :)
Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with Rush being whatever Rush wanted to be, and if this is a pop album it’s a darn good pop album (I’d probably agree with a pop-prog label more or less). I do share some of Samsara’s view that they probably pushed for a little too much of a good thing essentially repeating the sound and style of Power Windows just a little more in the pop/electronic direction. But there are enough good to great songs to make the album hold up for me.
Kev - I mean, sure, a band can be what it WANTS to be. But there's a certain point where a band pushes TOO far away from its strengths. For me, Hold Your Fire was that moment for Rush.
Trust me, I get it. People were up in arms about Hear in the Now Frontier from Queensryche for the same reason. Now, 26 years after the fact, I actually hold that album in much higher regard, for the same reason a lot of Rush fans hold Hold Your Fire up there a bit. But for me, both bands, with those respective records, pushed too far away from their strengths.
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Kev - I mean, sure, a band can be what it WANTS to be. But there's a certain point where a band pushes TOO far away from its strengths. For me, Hold Your Fire was that moment for Rush.
I don't see how, though. To me, writing good songs with strong melodies WAS one of their biggest strengths, and that is what Hold Your Fire has. (I know you didn't say this, but) I don't think of them as some hard rock (progressive) band whose strengths were chops and good songs just fell into their lap. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a song guy first, and the chops/playing is always the icing on the cake, and that was the case with Rush as well. While it was easy to be wowed by Neil's drums at first especially (even before I was really a fan, Tom Sawyer floored me because of the drums), the songs were what won me over and made me a fan.
Also, it is still weird to be talking about Rush in the past tense. :(
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One factor here is that Rush had some different strengths and different people care more about some than they do about others.
Interestingly, I'm very much a prog fan who usually goes for the long, complex compositions. But that's not the case when it comes to Rush. I like that material, but to me they were at their strongest once they really nailed writing strong, compact songs with a subtler sort of complexity. Hold Your Fire is good to me in that area. I think that's also what the band viewed as their own greatest strength (evinced by their comments in interviews, plus the fact that they never went over 8 minutes after 1981). But of course no one has to feel the same way.
I think I'm also helped in my appreciation of something like Hold Your Fire by the fact that I'm coming to it after the fact, with the knowledge that there was a synth era and then they did other things with their sound. I don't know how I'd feel differently about it if I thought this was just the style of band they permanently are now.
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I reckon I will be on an island with this one, but I think Tai Shan is not nearly as bad as most fans think. No, it's not a standout, but it's an enjoyable song with nice melodies. When I think of the worst/least best songs the band has ever done, that one doesn't enter the conversation for me.
You are not. I am VERY MUCH in the camp that it gets slagged only because Geddy slagged it. Granted, I LOVE Hold Your Fire, but it's actually a decent song. I had it at #92 on my list (bearing in mind, I had THREE HYF songs in the top 15).
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I am fairly puzzled that seem so outraged at these rankings thus far. I mean, it you want a list based on what you think the order should be, then wait till I'm done and count them down in your order, FFS. Good grief.
I'm just puzzled that I'm obviously so far outside the norm here. That's all. And yes, I've paid attention, including the recent discussion of ranking the first four albums against each other.
Welcome to my world, Paul. :) :) :) :)
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One factor here is that Rush had some different strengths and different people care more about some than they do about others.
Interestingly, I'm very much a prog fan who usually goes for the long, complex compositions. But that's not the case when it comes to Rush. I like that material, but to me they were at their strongest once they really nailed writing strong, compact songs with a subtler sort of complexity. Hold Your Fire is good to me in that area. I think that's also what the band viewed as their own greatest strength (evinced by their comments in interviews, plus the fact that they never went over 8 minutes after 1981). But of course no one has to feel the same way.
I think I'm also helped in my appreciation of something like Hold Your Fire by the fact that I'm coming to it after the fact, with the knowledge that there was a synth era and then they did other things with their sound. I don't know how I'd feel differently about it if I thought this was just the style of band they permanently are now.
Yep, this is pretty much me. I’m a prog guy, but the Rush era I find most compelling was their more streamlined, song oriented era (though I think all of it had an aspect of prog included). As a hard rock/prog band in the 70s, I think Rush were pretty shaky. They hit their stride as they became better songwriters in the 80s IMO. But like you, I always knew there was this side of the band. It’s not like I started out in the 70s and was disappointed when they shifted in the 80s.
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19. Roll The Bones
18 Vapor Trails
17
16 Rush
15
14 Test For Echo
13
12 Caress Of Steel
11
10 Snakes And Arrows
9
8
7. Fly By Night
6. Hold Your Fire
5
4
3
2
1
So...catching up:
Roll The Bones sucks and blows. Don't like it, probably will never listen to anything ON THAT ALBUM again. (I will listen to the live Dreamline; that is awesome, and I sometimes make Rush instrumental playlists and I'd put "Where's My Thing" in there for that.)
Fly By Night: is it the best? No. Is it the best of when they were trying to figure out what "Rush" was? YES. I have FBN as the highest of the "Sector 1" records, and by a long shot. Only clunker is "By-Tor", really, and other than the lyrics it's not that bad. Beneath, Between and Behind is amazing (32 on my list, right behind the title track at 30; I'd switch them today). The Sector 1 set has the 5.1 version and that is MUST LISTENING, IMO.
Hold Your Fire: Full stop, the best WRITTEN Rush album for me. I think that record has their best SONGS overall. Mission, Prime Mover... Second Nature. Second Nature is just beautiful. I don't care for the synth-y sound, and I would kill for an acoustic version of this record, but alas that's never going to happen, so we live with what we have. This is probably top three in terms of Rush albums I actively listen to a lot, to this day.
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Catching up over the last several days...
15. Vapor Trails - Never listened to any remix or remaster or do-over or whatever. Attempted to listen to the original release when it came out, and it sounded so bad that I was never able to make it through. I had it ranked dead last, and for me anyway, there is a vast gulf of distance between this one and any other Rush album. Easily the most disappointed I have ever been with any release by a band I liked.
14. Roll The Bones - I like this quite a bit more than most here. I have it at # 7. What can I say, I like the material. I think part of it is that it came out at just the right time for me to hear it, if that makes sense. Get busy with the facts.
13. Fly By Night - I like this album, but I don't love it. I had it at # 17.
12. Hold Your Fire - I like this one as well, but I don't love it. I wasn't far off from the consensus here, having it ranked at # 14.
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I think Second Nature is a worse clunker than Tai Shan. I’m usually good with sentimental ballads, but this one is just overwrought and a little bit meandering. Twinkly piano, awkward lyrics. Just don’t see much to like there.
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#16 for me.
I didn't know that Geddy doesn't like Tai Shan. I think it's ok - not worth complaining about (for me), but I don't think it is one of their better songs. And High Water isn't as good as their closing songs usually are.
But I love Force Ten - my favorite from the album, and Mission, Turn the Page, Time Stand Still, and Prime Mover.
It's a great album.
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For some reason I thought I saw this was going to be M-F so I tuned out over the weekend, but time for some catching up. Speaking of catching up, I have re-listened to all the albums through Vapor Trails now, and continue to go back through the albums as Kev features them. Been neat doing things in consensus order where it started enjoyably and theoretically should only get better every day.
Roll the Bones: Expected a gap here and got it. #14 on the big board, #9 on my list. I know people use easy listening as an insult in this case, but I've always just enjoyed throwing this album on. Even songs like Neurotica I love to hear. The opening one-two punch is well loved, and even though I've now heard it 1000 times too many, I actually love Roll the Bones. One thing in particular stands out to me about it. The rap section is what you'd expect from a trio of Canadian prog-rockers including a hip new rap section in one of their songs. It's not a horribly forced sounding integration of something new as can be seen one album later in Stick It Out.
Fly By Night: Hey, hit this one right on the average of #13! What an exciting album, just seeing the jump from the first album to this and what Neil could bring to the equation. Sure, you have some stuff that's still a little more in line with the first album, and you have Rivendell which deserves every yawn it gets, but then you have songs like Anthem, By-Tor, and the title track that are on a whole new level for the band.
Hold Your Fire: I was low at #15 compared to the overall #12. That said, the entire 16-10 range from me was really tough to order. The two clunkers at the end definitely help bring it down, that said the final ranking was just more a reflection of how much I love everything. Although there likely isn't anything on here I'm putting in my, let's say, top 15-20 of songs, there are plenty I'd probably be ranking in a reasonably good range behind that. And Time Stand Still is a favorite of mine to pretend to be able to play on drums.
19. Rush
18. Caress of Steel
17. Vapor Trails
16.
15. Hold Your Fire
14. Test for Echo
13. Fly By Night
12.
11.
10. Snakes and Arrows
9. Roll the Bones
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Edit: And speaking of the tough choice between 16-10. I would be absolutely shocked if the album I had at #16 wasn't one of the albums revealed in the #11 or #10 spot. Kinda surprised it has survived thus far.
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As for the discussion of HYF being maybe too pop, I find it interesting as I think HYF has some weird things (more like quirky) in the arrangements and I hear Presto and Roll the Bones crossing that "pop" line a lot more. I mean, they're very sophisticated pop rock albums to me, as I hear the focus a lot more on Geddy's vocal melodies on those albums than on any other Rush album.
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I had HYF at #16.
I’ve always said that it was the very first Rush album with “skip tracks” but in retrospect that probably isn’t completely true. Probably better to say that it was the first Rush album with MORE than one skip track.
I still really love many of these songs. Prime Mover is a personal favorite. But Force Ten, Time Stand Still, Lock and Key and Mission are all stand outs. Turn the Page is ok I guess. I also quite like Second Nature. Tai Shan is perfectly written for the subject matter. It’s not mind blowing, but it doesn’t deserve the hate it gets. On my last listen, I remember that High Water was an overlooked gem that I had missed in the past.
IDK. Maybe 16 is a bit low. Still a really good album.
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I reckon I will be on an island with this one, but I think Tai Shan is not nearly as bad as most fans think. No, it's not a standout, but it's an enjoyable song with nice melodies. When I think of the worst/least best songs the band has ever done, that one doesn't enter the conversation for me.
You are not. I am VERY MUCH in the camp that it gets slagged only because Geddy slagged it. Granted, I LOVE Hold Your Fire, but it's actually a decent song. I had it at #92 on my list (bearing in mind, I had THREE HYF songs in the top 15).
I didn't know that Geddy doesn't like Tai Shan. I think it's ok - not worth complaining about (for me), but I don't think it is one of their better songs. And High Water isn't as good as their closing songs usually are.
Geddy made some comment in an interview once - I think it was a good 20+ years ago, so who knows how he feels about the song today (or if he's given it any thought). It was a bit like how MP slagged FII, and a decent chunk of fans suddenly decided they didn't like it either, and MP's comments were license to feel that way.
FWIW, I've disliked Tai Shan since day 1, but it's not like it's substantially worse than the rest of the album.
-
.
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I reckon I will be on an island with this one, but I think Tai Shan is not nearly as bad as most fans think. No, it's not a standout, but it's an enjoyable song with nice melodies. When I think of the worst/least best songs the band has ever done, that one doesn't enter the conversation for me.
You are not. I am VERY MUCH in the camp that it gets slagged only because Geddy slagged it. Granted, I LOVE Hold Your Fire, but it's actually a decent song. I had it at #92 on my list (bearing in mind, I had THREE HYF songs in the top 15).
I didn't know that Geddy doesn't like Tai Shan. I think it's ok - not worth complaining about (for me), but I don't think it is one of their better songs. And High Water isn't as good as their closing songs usually are.
Geddy made some comment in an interview once - I think it was a good 20+ years ago, so who knows how he feels about the song today (or if he's given it any thought). It was a bit like how MP slagged FII, and a decent chunk of fans suddenly decided they didn't like it either, and MP's comments were license to feel that way.
FWIW, I've disliked Tai Shan since day 1, but it's not like it's substantially worse than the rest of the album.
That's interesting. I've heard Neil refer to their older albums as kindergarten drawings on a refrigerator, but not really much from Geddy or Alex so it's interesting to hear about something he doesn't like.
I guess for me, sometimes I think of it as a pleasant song and enjoy listening to it, and sometimes it annoys me and I skip it. I definitely don't think it's on the same level as most of the rest of the album though.
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Brace yourself for a whole lotta complaining...:P :lol
12 Hold Your Fire
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Gt6yVbPlL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 3 (Dittomist, DTA)
Lowest Finish: 19 (Samsara, Cool Chris)
This is another I love, warts and all. The sound if it is a bit weird, with it being so high and tinny, and some of the more rocking parts sounding so, as Neil once called it, crash-bangy, so I get why it is a tough one for a lot of fans, but I feel that the songwriting is excellent. Mission is one of their best songs ever, and most of the rest varies from very good to great. Geddy once said this album sounded romantic, and I think that's a good description. For better or worse, there is no other Rush album that sounds like this one. I ranked this 9th, and I stand by it.
Favorite songs: Mission, Prime Mover, Turn the Page, Open Secrets, Time Stand Still
:lol
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I reckon I will be on an island with this one, but I think Tai Shan is not nearly as bad as most fans think. No, it's not a standout, but it's an enjoyable song with nice melodies. When I think of the worst/least best songs the band has ever done, that one doesn't enter the conversation for me.
You are not. I am VERY MUCH in the camp that it gets slagged only because Geddy slagged it. Granted, I LOVE Hold Your Fire, but it's actually a decent song. I had it at #92 on my list (bearing in mind, I had THREE HYF songs in the top 15).
I didn't know that Geddy doesn't like Tai Shan. I think it's ok - not worth complaining about (for me), but I don't think it is one of their better songs. And High Water isn't as good as their closing songs usually are.
Geddy made some comment in an interview once - I think it was a good 20+ years ago, so who knows how he feels about the song today (or if he's given it any thought). It was a bit like how MP slagged FII, and a decent chunk of fans suddenly decided they didn't like it either, and MP's comments were license to feel that way.
FWIW, I've disliked Tai Shan since day 1, but it's not like it's substantially worse than the rest of the album.
Tracked down some of the references on this.
There's a 2009 interview (http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/20090400blender.htm) with Geddy:
You're supposed to be crappy when you make your first three or four records. But even in our middle period, we did this song called "Tai Shan," using a poem Neil wrote about climbing a mountain in China, and when I listen to that it's like, Bzzt. Error.. We should have known better.
Someone asked him (https://youtu.be/o-lbS-PGcSE?t=2449) about this in 2019, and he said:
As to Tai Shan... it's just one of those songs that Alex and I like to make fun of. At the time I was singing it, I wasn't standing on a mountain top. Because it was such a personal song for Neil, and it was such a great moment for him, Alex and I had a hard time putting ourselves in that moment. And guys in bands really need all the ammunition we can get to make fun of each other. It just sort of landed on Tai Shan. So I recognize that some people love that song, and I don't feel as harshly about it as I make out, but it's really a good reason to kid Neil.
And Alex commented on the song in an interview (https://www.loudersound.com/features/interview-alex-lifeson-on-grilled-octopus-police-brutality-and-disco-biscuits):
[Question: What, to you, are the worst songs that Rush ever recorded?]
Tai Shan is one of the worst, easily. And Panacea. It was an attempt at something that didn’t really work out. It was… innocent.
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I reckon I will be on an island with this one, but I think Tai Shan is not nearly as bad as most fans think. No, it's not a standout, but it's an enjoyable song with nice melodies. When I think of the worst/least best songs the band has ever done, that one doesn't enter the conversation for me.
I like Tai Shan as well. Not one of my favorites from the album, that would be Mission, Time Stand Still, High Water and Prime Mover - but a decent song nevertheless. The bottom half of my bracket is filling in nicely. All of these albums are really really good honestly - it's just that they reached true greatness with some of the other albums that have yet to be named!
19. Rush
18. Test for Echo
17. Fly by Night
16. Hold Your Fire
15. Roll The Bones
14. Snakes & Arrows
13. Caress of Steel
12. Vapor Trails
11.
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
-
I also had Hold Your Fire at 12.
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Just got through listening to HYF. I ranked this at #9, so right alongside Vapor Trails atop the section of "albums I don't know very well." I think if I were to do the ranking again today, I would put it above VT and maybe even slip it up ahead of one or two of the albums I do know well. I think this album is really strong just from the perspective of songwriting, and I connect with a lot of the songs. The highlight is Mission, which is an instant top 10 Rush song for me and maybe even top 5. Then there's Prime Mover, Force Ten, High Water, Lock and Key... a lot of very strong songs here. And three listens in, I'm doubling down on my Tai Shan defense. This song is solid, and I'm glad it's here. It's one of the weaker ones on the album, but I wouldn't remove it even if I could.
Check back with me in two years and there's a good chance this will have made its way into my top five.
19. Rush (19)
18. Caress of Steel (17)
17. Test for Echo (16)
16.
15.
14. Fly By Night (13)
13. Roll the Bones (14)
12. Snakes & Arrows (18)
11.
10.
9. Hold Your Fire (12)
8. Vapor Trails (15)
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Eight albums in, I think I'm doing okay. One of my #15-16 is a controversial choice that we won't see for a while, but I'm a bit surprised we still haven't seen the other one. Hopefully it will show up in the next couple of days. I have one in my top 5 that I'm worried about, which I hope will hold on a little while longer.
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My revealed list so far. (+/- actual ranking).
19. Rush (0)
18.
17. Snakes and Arrows (+1)
16.
15.
14. Caress of Steel (+4)
13. Fly By Night (0)
12.
11.
10. Roll The Bones (+4)
9. Hold Your Fire (+3)
8. Vapor Trails (+7)
7.
6. Test for Echo (+10)
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
So far Vapor Trails and Test for Echo are the only ones which seem significantly out of step with the consensus. I think there will be a few more though.
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My revealed list so far. (+/- actual ranking).
That's interesting. I'm going to do that by adding the absolute value of the difference between my ranking and the consensus (I'll call it "Paul's out-of-touch index" or POOTI):
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 ??
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 ??
14 ??
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 ??
10 ??
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 ??
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 ??
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
Current POOTI: 45 (avg. 5.625)
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My revealed list so far. (+/- actual ranking).
That's interesting. I'm going to do that by adding the absolute value of the difference between my ranking and the consensus (I'll call it "Paul's out-of-touch index" or POOTI):
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 ??
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 ??
14 ??
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 ??
10 ??
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 ??
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 ??
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
Current POOTI: 45 (avg. 5.625)
Oh, I guess that makes mine HOOTI!
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxVKXhYgH8bBpqwnrdHu1-yGBqEaLnm5wIDA&usqp=CAU)
I’d be at +29, or an average of 3.625 higher than the consensus so far.
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Like fucking Rush isn't nerdy enough, we're now figuring out our....POOTI?? :lol
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Like fucking Rush isn't nerdy enough, we're now figuring out our....POOTI?? :lol
:rollin
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(https://media4.giphy.com/media/3ornjINH8UBii9Ogco/giphy.gif)
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Like fucking Rush isn't nerdy enough, we're now figuring out our....POOTI?? :lol
No, you’re figuring out your TOOTI.
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Like fucking Rush isn't nerdy enough, we're now figuring out our....POOTI?? :lol
No, you’re figuring out your TOOTI.
I'm always messing with my TOOTI.
:zydarscouch:
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Like fucking Rush isn't nerdy enough, we're now figuring out our....POOTI?? :lol
No, you’re figuring out your TOOTI.
I'm always messing with my TOOTI.
:zydarscouch:
(https://media.tenor.com/j0cj4XJMAqMAAAAC/the-facts-of-life-smile.gif)
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I received a C+ in math. Lets get back to the rock.
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I'd love to calculate my MOOTI but I just don't have the time, energy, or patience to do so. :natalieportman:
-Marc.
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I taught I taw a pooti tat!
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Hold Your Fire - my rank 14. I think this album has a couple of great songs -Force Ten and Time Stand Still. A couple of other really good ones and some really lame ones. I don't like Tai Shan but I am not a hater of it, I actually feel that it is on the same level as Turn the Page and High Water., and I don't like those songs either. There is some great drumming and bass playing on the album but the overall style of it is not one I enjoy.
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I am looking forward to Tim getting a negative score on the Pritchard scale when an album from the mid 80s is eventually revealed.
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It's gonna um...inflate my TOOTI!
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You do that all ready. Lol
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I received a C+ in math. Lets get back to the rock.
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQtu-MIrZC7ugHlrlbM2kQvwhVG63Mkohzbrg&usqp=CAU)
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I am looking forward to Tim getting a negative score on the Pritchard scale when an album from the mid 80s is eventually revealed.
(https://metalcollection.ch/data/artists/death/138.jpg)
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I am looking forward to Tim getting a negative score on the Pritchard scale when an album from the mid 80s is eventually revealed.
(https://metalcollection.ch/data/artists/death/138.jpg)
First thing I thought of!! He made my Top Guitarist list too!
November 3, 1988
The Living Room
Providence
(https://i.imgur.com/D3bPt0S.jpg)
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I have no clue who that is.
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I have no clue who that is.
That's the late great Dave Prichard. He was the guitarist in Armored Saint. He tragically passed away almost 16 months after I took this picture at the age of 26. Leukemia.
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Jeez, that is an awful story. 26. Jeez.
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I had Hold Your Fire at #7 and it's probably been the biggest grower over the years for me. Sure Tai Shan and High Water aren't their best songs, but at worst they are inoffensive and still have some good melodies. Speaking of melodies, to me they are very strong throughout the album and I really love the lyrics to pretty much everything here.
19. Rush
18. Snakes & Arrows
17. Fly By Night
16. Vapor Trails
15.
14. Roll the Bones
13.
12. Test for Echo
11.
10. Caress of Steel
9.
8.
7. Hold Your Fire
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
-
I received a C+ in math. Lets get back to the rock.
Now this.....is a stunning post! :biggrin:
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I had HYF at number 7. Wonderful album. A couple of clangers but songs like Open Secrets and Lock and Key are Rush at their best.
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I didn't have time to go through HYF in my Rush relisten to I used my RYM profile for the ranking. Looking through the songs I remember that my take away was that it was a solid album for the era. I'll say Tai Shan is actually a pretty decent song, I didn't realize Geddy didn't like it.
19 Roll The Bones
18
17
16
15 Test For Echo
14 Fly By Night
13
12
11 Vapor Trails
10
9 Hold Your Fire
8
7
6 Rush
5 Caress Of Steel
4
3
2 Snakes & Arrows
1
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11 Presto
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/718u3HUSizL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 3 (HOF)
Lowest Finish: 19 (MrMike, nobloodyname)
Ah yes, Rush’s “easy listening” album, which I call it due to the thin mix which makes it sound a bit soft even when it rocks. I wouldn’t want other Rush albums to sound like this, but there is a charm to this album that the mix does assist in attaining. Good songwriting here, with a few standouts. This one usually fluctuates for me in the 13-16 range, but it ended up 16th on the day I finalized my list.
Favorite songs: The Pass, Available Light, Chain Lightning, Presto
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I remember thinking how different this album was when it came out. The songwriting was different. I enjoyed the hell out of it.
First somg I learned on guitar was Chain Lightning. I love that solo.
-
I had Presto at #9 and I'm pleasantly surprised it didn't end up too low on the list. There's nothing groundbreaking about this album. There is no grand concept. The production isn't pushing any boundaries neither. This is just a good song after a good song. The songwriting here is masterful and mature.
The entire first half of the album consists of all amazing tunes, and I also love Hand over first and Available light. I have to spin this album again today, it will make for a good afternoon listen.
Going forward, I'm happy that Vapor trails and Presto are the only albums from my top ten that didn't end up in the overall top ten. I can't wait for the rest. :tup
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Notable about Presto as well is this is the album, thanks to producer Rupert Hines, where Rush started doing more with the vocals with regards to harmonies and having overlapping leads, like in Show Don't Tell and War Paint. I know some didn't like that, as it meant certain lead vocals/harmonies had to be triggered live since it was impossible for Geddy to sing two different vocal parts at the same time, but it added a more dynamic element to their plate.
-
I forgot that I had Presto at 10 on my list.
-
I can't really argue with this list much so far. I might have put Hold You Fire over Presto, but I get why Presto is higher.
-
Awful album. And that's why it finished bottom of my list. Everything about it, including the cover.
-
#9 on my list. Presto was the current release when I became a true fan and dove in to them in ‘89. Sadly, I missed the tour, because I was working nights at the time (during my educational sabbatical).
Hot take … I love Superconductor.
Song wise, it’s aged well over the years, as there were a handful of songs I didn’t truly care for much, including the opener.
Gonna spin the remaster that someone here did (I forget) right now.
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Awful album. And that's why it finished bottom of my list. Everything about it, including the cover.
Don't hold back! :laugh:
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I had Presto at # 13. It's not bad, but it's definitely not great. Inoffensive.
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I had Presto at #4. Thought I might be the highest ranker for it, but HOF beat me by putting it in his top 3! :metal It was the first Rush album I purchased, and has always been a sentimental favorite, despite the thin mix. Great songwriting throughout.
19. Rush
18. Caress of Steel
17. Roll the Bones
16. Snakes & Arrows
15.
14. Vapor Trails
13. Fly By Night
12. Test For Echo
11.
10. Hold Your Fire
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4. Presto
3.
2.
1.
-
Available Light is fantastic. First song I listened to after Neil’s passing.
The title track and Show Don’t Tell are also great.
The rest of this album I don’t ever need to hear again.
#12 on my list.
-
19. Roll The Bones (19-14=5)
18 Vapor Trails (18-15=3)
17
16 Rush (19-16=3)
15
14 Test For Echo (16-14=2)
13
12 Caress Of Steel (17-12=5)
11
10 Snakes And Arrows (18-10=8)
9
8
7. Fly By Night (13-7=6)
6. Hold Your Fire (12-6=6)
5. Presto. (11-5=6)
4
3
2
1
My BOOTI (because that's funnier than SOOTI) is: 44, average of 4.89.
I LOVE Presto. The sound is thin, very thin, for sure, but the songs are excellent and I love the instrumentation.
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I’m a little disappointed this missed the top 10, but there’s a lot of competition at this point so it’s understandable.
Obviously I’m a big fan having Presto at number 3. It’s a unique Rush album with a unique sound, unique songs, and even a unique cover. I love everything about it, although I do at times wish for a fuller mix. That didn’t stop it from becoming on of my favorite albums though (by anyone). Major sentimental vibes from the summer when I first got this one too.
No bad songs here in my book, though I’m not a huge fan of Scars. Some major highlights including Available Light (I ranked this as my number 1 Rush song on the last Rush countdown), The Pass, and Anagram (For Mongo), which has some tremendous drumming on it. But the album is one of those greater than the sum of its parts things. I actually didn’t have another Presto song in my top 30 after those in that countdown, but I ended up with 9 of the tracks making my top 75 which was the most of any album.
Superconductor gets a lot of hate, but it’s so much fun. Hand Over Fist is really awkward lyrically, but something about the words themselves just hits me. The title track is one I also find very moving lyrically. Can certainly relate to feeling like “I radiate more heat than light.”
I know the band didn’t like this album, but they seemed to be on fire during the recording. There is so much intent in the playing, especially the drums which have so much personality. Neil really punctuated everything so well with his playing here. But Geddy also busts out some really cool bass work, funky in places even. Alex is doing his thing too, but he chose probably the lightest guitar tone ever for this one. It gives the album so much of its atmosphere.
I’ll get hung up on this album for days at a time. Just one that you start and you always want to keep going. I know what I’ll be listening to today.
-
Presto is another one that ranks toward the top end of the ones I've only listened to a few times. I had it at #10, so just behind Hold Your Fire. I think there are a lot of strong and memorable songs here, and I could see it moving further up the list in the future. The production isn't good, but the strength of the songs makes that a pretty minor factor.
Particular highlights are Available Light, The Pass and Chain Lightning. Show Don't Tell, Presto and Anagram are in the next tier, along with Superconductor, which seems to be a more controversial one.
19. Rush (19)
18. Caress of Steel (17)
17. Test for Echo (16)
16.
15.
14. Fly By Night (13)
13. Roll the Bones (14)
12. Snakes & Arrows (18)
11.
10. Presto (11)
9. Hold Your Fire (12)
8. Vapor Trails (15)
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
-
Hold Your Fire and Presto are really "peak and valley" albums. I don't think it's a coincidence that they were the first of the CD era.
-
Something else which is cool is how Rush bookended the 80s with black and white album covers (Permanent Waves and Presto).
-
11 Presto
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/718u3HUSizL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 3 (HOF)
Lowest Finish: 19 (MrMike, nobloodyname)
01 ?
02 ?
03 ?
04 ?
05 ?
06 Caress Of Steel
07 ?
08 ?
09 Fly By Night
10 Vapor Trails
11 ?
12 ?
13 ?
14 Hold Your Fire
15 Presto
16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 Roll The Bones
19 Rush
Presto landed in 15th for me, my fifth lowest, and it's pretty much always going to be in that range I think. I've even grown to love it more as the years have gone on, but only so much that it didn't end up lower than 15th for me.
For the third album in a row, the spread has been 16 apart. We're really splitting the difference here lately, but it just goes to show how wide and varied Rush's music is and how different fans' tastes can get, which I think is great. Granted, it seems like there might be a bigger consensus when it comes to the Top several albums but these first eight has been all over the board for folks.
-Marc.
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Why does Superconductor get so much hate? I dig that song.
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Why does Superconductor get so much hate? I dig that song.
I love it too. It’s probably too straight ahead rock for people’s Rush tastes in general. I think it’s good fun.
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Why does Superconductor get so much hate? I dig that song.
I think you might’ve answered your own question there Stads.
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Why does Superconductor get so much hate? I dig that song.
I really love it as well. I think people just hate it because it had the potential to be a really great rockin song, but then had its balls chopped off by the thin production and that super mellow pre chorus.
I still think that song rules.
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Why does Superconductor get so much hate? I dig that song.
I think you might’ve answered your own question their Stads.
:lol :lol
Now, if Tim hates it, then we know it must be at least good-to-great. Didn't Tim sig a quote from someone that a song/album must be good if Tim hates it? :lol
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I love the album as a whole, but Superconductor is a bit too silly for my taste. The chorus throws me off especially.
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Why does Superconductor get so much hate? I dig that song.
I think you might’ve answered your own question their Stads.
:lol :lol
Now, if Tim hates it, then we know it must be at least good-to-great. Didn't Tim sig a quote from someone that a song/album must be good if Tim hates it? :lol
:lol seems legit. Don’t anyone go sig’ing that quote though, I’d have to live with eternal shame of my grammatical error!
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I had Presto at #16. A band trying to find the balance between who they were, who they are, and where they want to go to. "The Pass" and "Show Don't Tell" are the standouts for me, and a couple others. Not much to say about this record. A few good tunes, and a slight step up from Hold Your Fire.
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Why does Superconductor get so much hate? I dig that song.
I think you might’ve answered your own question there Stads.
HAHA, fair enough. :) :) :) :)
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11 Presto
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/718u3HUSizL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 3 (HOF)
Lowest Finish: 19 (MrMike, nobloodyname)
Ah yes, Rush’s “easy listening” album, which I call it due to the thin mix which makes it sound a bit soft even when it rocks. I wouldn’t want other Rush albums to sound like this, but there is a charm to this album that the mix does assist in attaining. Good songwriting here, with a few standouts. This one usually fluctuates for me in the 13-16 range, but it ended up 16th on the day I finalized my list.
Favorite songs: The Pass, Available Light, Chain Lightning, Presto
Damn...I figured this was coming. Presto pulled Rush out of a tailspin of three increasingly disappointing albums and gave some of us hope as the '80s pulled to a close. Available Light might be the best post-Signals song (it's no worse than top 3). That said, three songs (Superconductor, Scars and the awful Hand over Fist) prevent the album from being truly great. For the first time in this countdown, I nailed it and had this at #11.
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 ??
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 ??
14 ??
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 Presto (11 - 0)
10 ??
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 ??
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 ??
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
Current POOTI: 45 (avg. 5.000)
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Edit: And speaking of the tough choice between 16-10. I would be absolutely shocked if the album I had at #16 wasn't one of the albums revealed in the #11 or #10 spot. Kinda surprised it has survived thus far.
And as predicted, Presto has arrived! :D
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I just listened to the album. Hand over fist is fantastic and easily one of the highlights. I love the beat, the riffs, the major keys and the key changes. The lyrics are also fun. I adore that song. :tup
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One thing about early through Golden era Rush, I generally considered their singles to be excellent songs as well. Once we move past moving pictures, that is very often not the case. Presto is a perfect example of this with Superconductor being among their worst and Show Don't Tell being not much better. Between that and the thin sound, the album struggles. But much like with Vapor Trails and its production issues, once you move past the flaws, there is still a lot to love. As far as the "easy listening" pair, I obviously prefer Roll the Bones, but appreciate a lot of what is here. The Pass and Available Light being top standouts.
19. Rush (0)
18. Caress of Steel (1)
17. Vapor Trails (2)
16. Presto (5)
15. Hold Your Fire (3)
14. Test for Echo (2)
13. Fly By Night (0)
12.
11.
10. Snakes and Arrows (8)
9. Roll the Bones (5)
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Current POOTI: 2.89
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I just listened to the album. Hand over fist is fantastic and easily one of the highlights. I love the beat, the riffs, the major keys and the key changes. The lyrics are also fun. I adore that song. :tup
When we did the Rush song countdown, Hand over Fist came in at 165 out of 166 songs (beating out only BU2B2). There are Rush songs I don't care for and some I find boring, but I think HoF is the only one that I could legitimately say I hate.
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I think Presto (my #15) works slightly better than RtB in the same style, having a better flow, better production and more remarkable songs, like Show Don't Tell, Chain Lightning, The Pass, Scars, Presto, Red Tide and Avaible Light (this one is one best things Rush ever done). I feel like Ride Tide and Scars are really reminescent from the keyboard era and really good songs. Like Mystic Rhythms, Scars seems like if it was composed based on Neil's amazing drum/percussion work.
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Hand Over Fist is still 10 times better than The Pass.
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I just listened to the album. Hand over fist is fantastic and easily one of the highlights. I love the beat, the riffs, the major keys and the key changes. The lyrics are also fun. I adore that song. :tup
When we did the Rush song countdown, Hand over Fist came in at 165 out of 166 songs (beating out only BU2B2). There are Rush songs I don't care for and some I find boring, but I think HoF is the only one that I could legitimately say I hate.
Love you too, pal! :lol
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Hand Over Fist is still 10 times better than The Pass.
(https://y.yarn.co/91fc31a2-63ff-4142-abfe-bc99be7e679c_text.gif)
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I ranked Presto at 19, but the bottom 6-7 in my list are pretty interchangeable and there's definitely a couple others I could've also put last. I don't hate Presto. But the problem is that I don't feel much of anything for it. It's just there. The AM radio sound is a big part of it. The album just has no kick to it and I'm still surprised the band was happy with how it came out. With a remix to beef it up, I could maybe appreciate it a little more. Aside from that though, the material is just too pop sounding and far removed from what I consider prime Rush. The Pass is the standout track for sure. It's an album I want to like more, but every time I come back and try, I just can't.
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Hand Over Fist is still 10 times better than The Pass.
(https://y.yarn.co/91fc31a2-63ff-4142-abfe-bc99be7e679c_text.gif)
He's Tim, Nick. Need there be any other explanation? :lol
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It's not getting mentioned much, but I never thought too much of War Paint until I heard a bootleg version of it from the Presto tour, where it had a bit more grit and sounded a lot better. That feels like a song that could have been a standout on a different album, with better production (I think the sound of the keys on the studio version is a bit grating, and I think the chorus of Geddys singing the harmonies sounds a bit overproduced).
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It's not getting mentioned much, but I never thought too much of War Paint until I heard a bootleg version of it from the Presto tour, where it had a bit more grit and sounded a lot better. That feels like a song that could have been a standout on a different album, with better production (I think the sound of the keys on the studio version is a bit grating, and I think the chorus of Geddys singing the harmonies sounds a bit overproduced).
I like War Paint, but it’s maybe lost a bit in the shuffle here. But it’s a big part of the flow of the album. Love how it kind of bursts through and sort of releases the tension after The Pass. Red Tide is the other that I sometimes forget how good it is. There is just a lot of good stuff on this album!
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Hand Over Fist is still 10 times better than The Pass.
(https://media.tenor.com/NUWGiZfPkVQAAAAC/indiana-jones-nasty.gif)
Haven't been following this thread diligently the last couple days... What the f is a pooti/tootie or whatever it is?
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I had Presto at #4. Thought I might be the highest ranker for it, but HOF beat me by putting it in his top 3! :metal It was the first Rush album I purchased, and has always been a sentimental favorite, despite the thin mix. Great songwriting throughout.
Number 4 for me as well. I don't really care about the production that much; maybe it could be better but the songs are great.
Available Light is definitely in the running for my favorite Rush song; Presto and Red Tide are favorites as well. I like Hand Over Fist a lot, and maybe Superconductor isn't my favorite but I'm fine with it.
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Current POOTI: 2.89
Sorry, just had to chuckle a bit.
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Tim's POOTI = WTF.
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It's not getting mentioned much, but I never thought too much of War Paint until I heard a bootleg version of it from the Presto tour, where it had a bit more grit and sounded a lot better. That feels like a song that could have been a standout on a different album, with better production (I think the sound of the keys on the studio version is a bit grating, and I think the chorus of Geddys singing the harmonies sounds a bit overproduced).
I like War Paint, but it’s maybe lost a bit in the shuffle here. But it’s a big part of the flow of the album. Love how it kind of bursts through and sort of releases the tension after The Pass. Red Tide is the other that I sometimes forget how good it is. There is just a lot of good stuff on this album!
I agree with this take on War Paint.
Red Tide is a song I listened to a few hours ago and don't remember how it goes, so maybe it will prove to be this for me.
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War Paint is a song that I feel divided... there are that annoying keyboard line, that starts before the vocals enter, and that boring overdubbed chorus, but also the more jazzy parts and the solo are great.
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I just listened to the album. Hand over fist is fantastic and easily one of the highlights. I love the beat, the riffs, the major keys and the key changes. The lyrics are also fun. I adore that song. :tup
When we did the Rush song countdown, Hand over Fist came in at 165 out of 166 songs (beating out only BU2B2). There are Rush songs I don't care for and some I find boring, but I think HoF is the only one that I could legitimately say I hate.
Love you too, pal! :lol
I specifically used the lower-case "o" to avoid this! :biggrin:
Haven't been following this thread diligently the last couple days... What the f is a pooti/tootie or whatever it is?
Just something I came up with to amuse myself with statistics. For each album that's been revealed, I took the absolute value of the difference between my ranking and the consensus, added the numbers, and divided by the number of albums revealed so far. It's a measure of how out-of-touch I am with the consensus, so I called it "Paul's out-of-touch index" or POOTI. I came up with it while enjoying a glass of Tang. :biggrin:
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I’m enjoying reading the fondness in regards to some of these LPs as being one of the first that commenters bought after becoming a fan. :tup That’s one of the reasons their debut still ranks so highly with me, as well as their follow up.
15 Vapor Trails (#19) surprising that a Rush album MINUS synths would end up like this.
14 Roll The Bones (#18) why is it here? Because it’s here….. There’s five good songs on this, but how I still hate to this day the title track. I hate rap, and the chorus. Not what I wanted or expected at the time.
13 Fly By Night (#9) an attention grabbing album cover if there ever was one. And the opening track. :tup And title track. :tup ‘Rivendell’ is skippable, but their first two albums got a lot of play by my fellow high school friends. Stoner material +10 for 'By-Tor and the Snow Dog' and 'In The End'.
Kev…I didn’t notice any difference at the time in the drumming on this as to the debut. What do you expect from a teenager? ;)
12 Hold Your Fire (#11) Did not like this when first released other than ‘Force Ten’. After a while, ‘Time Stand Still’ and ‘Second Nature’ stuck. Then a few others. As I’ve gotten older, it moved many notches up on my list. Listened to it on an Amtrak ride back from NYC a few weeks ago. Then I submitted my list.
11 Presto (#7) Had more ‘bite’ than HYF. Love the opener, the title track, and many others. A very ‘single’ oriented album. Btw…I have a promo poster rolled up somewhere in my garage attic. Next to ‘Fly By Night’, it’s my favorite Rush album cover. So clever and fun. Kind of 'jumps' out at you ;) :biggrin:
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I had Presto at #7, which feels a tad high, but I actually really like it. I understand why some don't through. To me, it signals that the keyboard era is behind them. I believe they changed labels at the time and this felt like a brand new era starting. I thought it was mature sounding and quite chill. There's no song I really love, the closest would be Red Tide, but it does have a couple of clunkers, especially War Paint and The Pass.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12
11
10
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6
5
4
3
2
1
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11 Presto
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/718u3HUSizL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 3 (HOF)
Lowest Finish: 19 (MrMike, nobloodyname)
I had this at #7, I absolutely love this album and yesterday I listened to it back to back. I think my top 2-7 are highly interchangeable and can rank Presto 2nd on a different day. The first 3 tracks are killer and unlike others who have expressed their dislike, I love the middle part of the album. The closer is also one of the best album closer of any Rush album. If there was a list of best closers I'd rank Available Light at the very top.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly by Night
17. Vapor Trails
16. Rush
15.
14. Test For Echo
13. Hold Your Fire
12.
11. Roll The Bones
10. Snakes & Arrows
9.
8.
7. Presto
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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#9 on my list. Presto was the current release when I became a true fan and dove in to them in ‘89. Sadly, I missed the tour, because I was working nights at the time (during my educational sabbatical).
Hot take … I love Superconductor.
Song wise, it’s aged well over the years, as there were a handful of songs I didn’t truly care for much, including the opener.
Gonna spin the remaster that someone here did (I forget) right now.
I did it a while back, I hope you like it. :tup
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I ranked Presto at number 15 but after just listening to it now, I think that is too low. This is actually a really enjoyable album and the production has a good feel. Available Light is a brilliant song, one of my favourite Rush songs. Overall I am happy most others ranked this higher than me as number 11 overall feel like a good spot for this album.
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19. Rush
18. Test for Echo
17. Fly by Night
16. Hold Your Fire
15. Roll The Bones
14. Snakes & Arrows
13. Caress of Steel
12. Vapor Trails
11.
10.
9.
8. Presto
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
I had it at #8, a bit higher than the consensus. Great songs, great performances, poor sound. Available Light is a top 10 all-time Rush song for me.
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I had Presto at #7, which feels a tad high, but I actually really like it. I understand why some don't through. To me, it signals that the keyboard era is behind them. I believe they changed labels at the time and this felt like a brand new era starting. I thought it was mature sounding and quite chill. There's no song I really love, the closest would be Red Tide, but it does have a couple of clunkers, especially War Paint and The Pass.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12
11
10
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6
5
4
3
2
1
Just out of curiosity, but what is it about War Paint and The Pass that you dislike so much?
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I had Presto at #9, but on any given day my #5-9 could change depending on my mood. I think the only reason it fell below Hold Your Fire is solely due to Stupidconductor being such a buzzkill in the middle of the album. Also Scars is just merely OK, but seriously Rush has only 1 song that I will skip every time and that is Stupidconductor. There are just no redeeming qualities in this song to me. On the other hand Available Light is one of their top songs. It's a shame they never pulled that one out of the vault live.
19. Rush
18. Snakes & Arrows
17. Fly By Night
16. Vapor Trails
15.
14. Roll the Bones
13.
12. Test for Echo
11.
10. Caress of Steel
9. Presto
8.
7. Hold Your Fire
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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Just out of curiosity, but what is it about War Paint and The Pass that you dislike so much?
I consider War Paint one of their worst songs. The whole thing. I hate the lyrics. Don't like the verses and the girls and boys together line, which is putrid.
I have never liked The Pass, but has aged ok. The verses are terrible and it literally takes forever to get where it's going.
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#9 on my list. Presto was the current release when I became a true fan and dove in to them in ‘89. Sadly, I missed the tour, because I was working nights at the time (during my educational sabbatical).
Hot take … I love Superconductor.
Song wise, it’s aged well over the years, as there were a handful of songs I didn’t truly care for much, including the opener.
Gonna spin the remaster that someone here did (I forget) right now.
I did it a while back, I hope you like it. :tup
I’m not enough of an audiophile to notice all the differences …. And I was multitasking with work shit, but I did enjoy it bigly.
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#9 on my list. Presto was the current release when I became a true fan and dove in to them in ‘89. Sadly, I missed the tour, because I was working nights at the time (during my educational sabbatical).
Hot take … I love Superconductor.
Song wise, it’s aged well over the years, as there were a handful of songs I didn’t truly care for much, including the opener.
Gonna spin the remaster that someone here did (I forget) right now.
I did it a while back, I hope you like it. :tup
I’m not enough of an audiophile to notice all the differences …. And I was multitasking with work shit, but I did enjoy it bigly.
I'll take it! :heart
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I had Presto at #12, so pretty close to the aggregate.
I like this album more and more every time I listen to it. I used to think the back half was a bit lame, but now I find myself really enjoying the word play of Anagram, and the catchiness of Hand Over Fist.
But that first half is wonderful! Never understood any of the criticisms of any of the first 7 tracks. If anything, I think Show Don’t Tell is probably the weakest of the first half of the album. Everything from Chain Lightning thru Presto is absolutely top level Rush. And Superconductor would have been the best of them all if it had been mixed with a bit more punch and been given a little more appropriate pre-chorus. But even as it is, it’s enjoyable. Then it does admittedly sag a bit (Red Tide is the low point) before it ends with their greatest album closer since La Villa.
Ya. This one probably could have come in a bit higher.
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it ends with their greatest album closer since La Villa.
Hmm, I'd say since Natural Science, but that's close enough :)
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it ends with their greatest album closer since La Villa.
Hmm, I'd say since Natural Science, but that's close enough :)
:facepalm:
Typed that on the fly and just brain farted. I will concede that my post is in error and you are correct.
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it ends with their greatest album closer since La Villa.
Hmm, I'd say since Natural Science, but that's close enough :)
:facepalm:
Typed that on the fly and just brain farted. I will concede that my post is in error and you are correct.
Nah, since Between The Wheels.
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it ends with their greatest album closer since La Villa.
Hmm, I'd say since Natural Science, but that's close enough :)
:facepalm:
Typed that on the fly and just brain farted. I will concede that my post is in error and you are correct.
Nah, since Between The Wheels.
Love Between the Wheels but like Available Light a bit more. But that did give me room for pause.
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10 Clockwork Angels
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-FsE+DtXL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (Samsara)
Lowest Finish: 18 (hefdaddy42, wolfking)
I still maintain that this could have been a top 5 Rush album with a cleaner, better mix rather than the muddy one it got, which makes it a bit of a frustrating listen. If this had a similar mix as Counterparts, for example, this would have been elevated big time. Too bad, because this was probably their best collection of songs since the 80s, and it deserved a great mix to go along with the songs. I ranked it 11th, but it’s definitely one of those “what if?” albums for me. I am still a big fan, but I know I would revisit it more with a better mix.
Favorite songs: Headlong Flight, Clockwork Angeles, The Anarchist, The Garden, Caravan
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I really like this one, I had it at #7. It's been a while since I listened to it though, so I can't remember any mix issues.
Such a strong ending to their recording career. I became a fan around this time, so this was their first and also last new album for me.
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19. Roll The Bones (19-14=5)
18 Vapor Trails (18-15=3)
17 Clockwork Angels (17-11=6)
16 Rush (19-16=3)
15
14 Test For Echo (16-14=2)
13
12 Caress Of Steel (17-12=5)
11
10 Snakes And Arrows (18-10=8)
9
8
7. Fly By Night (13-7=6)
6. Hold Your Fire (12-6=6)
5. Presto. (11-5=6)
4
3
2
1
BOOTI = 5.
I don't get this album. Doesn't sound good, not thrilled with the songs, it's long... I'm sure if I gave it time, it'd grow on me, but I haven't and don't know that I will.
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I had it at #6. It's unbelieveable they were able to put out such a brilliant record that late in the career. The title track, Caravan, The Garden, The Anarchist, BU2B, The Wreckers, just a great tune after a great tune. Wish them well is also kind of underrated. The only track I'm not crazy about is Halo effect.
Also, I have to say that I'm thrilled this board ranked Clockwork angels, Presto and Hold your fire over the first three Rush albums. I am so proud of us. ;D
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I had it at #6. It's unbelieveable they were able to put out such a brilliant record that late in the career. The title track, Caravan, The Garden, The Anarchist, BU2B, The Wreckers, just a great tune after a great tune. Wish them well is also kind of underrated. The only track I'm not crazy about is Halo effect.
Also, I have to say that I'm thrilled this board ranked Clockwork angels, Presto and Hold your fire over the first three Rush albums. I am so proud of us. ;D
Agreed on all the above.
Reading the book gave me an enhanced appreciation for the album. #6 for me as well. I can't be bothered to figure out the J-BOOTI.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly By Night
17. Snakes & Arrows
16. Test For Echo
15. Vapor Trails
14.
13. Rush
12.
11. Hold Your Fire
10. Roll The Bones
9. Presto
8.
7.
6. Clockwork Angels
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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Taking aside my personal ranking for a second, I just want to say how happy I am that a band's final album, 40 years into their career, could do so well in something like this. There likely aren't as many bands who could do the same.
And the final album has a perfect final track, ending things so nicely. Nice enough that while I gave our wedding band free reign to move around other songs and choose which to do and not do, it was set in stone that The Garden would be the final song of the evening.
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Taking aside my personal ranking for a second, I just want to say how happy I am that a band's final album, 40 years into their career, could do so well in something like this. There likely aren't as many bands who could do the same.
And the final album has a perfect final track, ending things so nicely. Nice enough that while I gave our wedding band free reign to move around other songs and choose which to do and not do, it was set in stone that The Garden would be the final song of the evening.
And here I was going to take a shot at "The Garden" as being the most over-rated track in the Rush catalogue. Now I'm glad I didn't do that. :) :) :) :)
(In all seriousness, though, while it's not a favorite of mine, I'm glad it brought some joy to you and your family on your special day. That's what music is supposed to do!)
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Taking aside my personal ranking for a second, I just want to say how happy I am that a band's final album, 40 years into their career, could do so well in something like this. There likely aren't as many bands who could do the same.
And the final album has a perfect final track, ending things so nicely.
Totally, but...
It's unbelieveable they were able to put out such a brilliant record that late in the career.
What's unbelievable were how many mediocre albums they released over the last half of their career.
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10 Clockwork Angels
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-FsE+DtXL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (Samsara)
Lowest Finish: 18 (hefdaddy42, wolfking)
I still maintain that this could have been a top 5 Rush album with a cleaner, better mix rather than the muddy one it got, which makes it a bit of a frustrating listen. If this had a similar mix as Counterparts, for example, this would have been elevated big time. Too bad, because this was probably their best collection of songs since the 80s, and it deserved a great mix to go along with the songs. I ranked it 11th, but it’s definitely one of those “what if?” albums for me. I am still a big fan, but I know I would revisit it more with a better mix.
Favorite songs: Headlong Flight, Clockwork Angeles, The Anarchist, The Garden, Caravan
Wow, I didn't realize I liked this one more than the majority here at DTF. For me, Clockwork Angels being placed so high is about the feeling the record gives me. Have they done better songs and albums? Of course. Records that are mixed better and sound better? Absolutely. But there is this intangible about Clockwork Angels that is hard to put into words. When I listen to it, I hear a band revisiting its career in a tale that is exciting, heavy, melancholy, frustrated, and joyful, all wrapped up into one. And The Garden leaves me with a feeling of wistfulness to relive the journey again. I don't care about the concept. But the feeling the music and melodies throughout it are the most impactful to me, in my soul. To me, Rush left us with a perfect piece of music, vibe-wise.
I understand all the pointed critiques of certain aspects of Clockwork Angels. But they aren't important to me. What's important is that feeling you get from a musical journey and what it says to you. And for that reason, Clockwork Angels is my second favorite Rush album.
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^^^ Might as well publish the next album on the list, because that's all that really needs to be said, right there. (I'm being sincere.)
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I had this one ranked at 16, based more on how I feel when I think of it than when I listen to it. I’m kind of like Stadler, it’s sort of a chore to get through and I have just rarely gone back to it since it came out. The mix is awful, there are too many sludgy bits, and Geddy’s voice was ready to retire. But usually when I do listen to it I find myself enjoying a lot of it. It probably could find itself 3-4 spots higher the next time I rank the Rush albums.
Part of the issue is the story doesn’t mean anything. Guy goes off to see the world, gets robbed and left for dead, than decides to wish everyone well. I’m sure there’s more to it, but none of it is all that apparent in the lyrics.
That said, I do enjoy Caravan (which has some Presto vibes with the funky bass parts), the title track is great aside from the old-timy microphone/telephone part, and I like Halo Effect, Wish Them Well, and The Garden a good bit as well. It’s all the in between stuff that is kind of swamped by the mix (The BUTB tracks are easily some of my least favorites by Rush).
I would definitely be interested to hear a good remix of this one, as I think there are more parts I would enjoy and the songs I do like would be enhanced. I do also appreciate that there is a strong energy here given the band were 40 years in and ready to retire. And they went out on a high note with The Garden.
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The Garden is one of Alex's best solo's, and maybe my favorite of his. So much emotion packed into it - it's brought me to tears on more than one occasion. And the song/story/lyrics are (imo) the perfect punctuation to end their studio career.
Dat chorus. :heart :'( <seems that emote code is broke
Bill, but I would've thought The Garden would've resonated with you... given your 'tend your own garden' outlook on life. That's not a 'dis' whatsoever, just articulating my surprise that you think the song is over-rated.
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I had Clockwork Angels at #12.
I don't find myself going back to it nearly as much as I should. It's kind of hard to judge how it's aging. It's a little bittersweet. First, it's their last album, and it's an excellent album. It's cohesive, consistent, and connected. I feel like the band is actually pushing the envelope a bit with their performance. It's the first time since Moving Pictures where I thought, Now THIS is a Rush album.
The second reason it's bittersweet is what I alluded to above. If they could come up with this, why were we stuck with the whole RTB through S&A run? That's almost 25 years of....nothing.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11
10
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6
5
4
3
2
1
-
I think CA (my #12) has stronger individual songs than VP, like Caravan, Headlong Flight, BU2B and The Wreckers, and, no doubt, it's indeed audible the band making an extra effort in the instrumental sections this time. But I also think the muffled production really sucks a lot of the energy of the album and the more proeminent 60's influence on some songs like CA, Wish Than Well (amazing solo/instrumental section, by the way) and even in the album as whole, it's not really my preference. So I still prefer VP over CA (by a hair), despite a lot of qualities of the latter.
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10 Clockwork Angels
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-FsE+DtXL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (Samsara)
Lowest Finish: 18 (hefdaddy42, wolfking)
01 ?
02 ?
03 ?
04 ?
05 ?
06 Caress Of Steel
07 ?
08 ?
09 Fly By Night
10 Vapor Trails
11 Clockwork Angels
12 ?
13 ?
14 Hold Your Fire
15 Presto
16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 Roll The Bones
19 Rush
Hmm another wide spread between highest and lowest finishes! I had CA at 11th, so pretty close to the final standing. I absolutely adored this album when it came out, and while I still enjoy it, I don't spin it as much, and I don't know if it'll ever break my Rush Top 10, but it'll get close. It is definitely a very good way for them to close out their career, whether they knew it at the time or not.
Also, because GUP wasn't 10th, we've now broken the pattern of every other album placing in its release order.
-Marc.
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It's unbelieveable they were able to put out such a brilliant record that late in the career.
What's unbelievable were how many mediocre albums they released over the last half of their career.
Ooh, I love the later day Rush albums. Some of their stuff from their last thirty years is as dear to me as their 70s records. :heart
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It's unbelieveable they were able to put out such a brilliant record that late in the career.
What's unbelievable were how many mediocre albums they released over the last half of their career.
Ooh, I love the later day Rush albums. Some of their stuff from their last thirty years are as dear to me as their 70s records. :heart
:tup
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Taking aside my personal ranking for a second, I just want to say how happy I am that a band's final album, 40 years into their career, could do so well in something like this. There likely aren't as many bands who could do the same.
And the final album has a perfect final track, ending things so nicely.
I had this exact thought while listening to the track a few days ago. Perfect way to go out on their discography.
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10 Clockwork Angels
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-FsE+DtXL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (Samsara)
Lowest Finish: 18 (hefdaddy42, wolfking)
I still maintain that this could have been a top 5 Rush album with a cleaner, better mix rather than the muddy one it got, which makes it a bit of a frustrating listen. If this had a similar mix as Counterparts, for example, this would have been elevated big time. Too bad, because this was probably their best collection of songs since the 80s, and it deserved a great mix to go along with the songs. I ranked it 11th, but it’s definitely one of those “what if?” albums for me. I am still a big fan, but I know I would revisit it more with a better mix.
Favorite songs: Headlong Flight, Clockwork Angeles, The Anarchist, The Garden, Caravan
This is an album with three strong songs and a bunch of "meh" songs, ending with the most bafflingly overrated song in the catalog. It didn't help the album that two of the three best songs got released WELL in advance of the album such that they had their own existence separate from the album. And the concept/story has never resonated in any way with me. Caravan, BU2B and Headlong Flight made my top 51 when we did the Rush song countdown. Nothing else from the album came in higher than 111. My ranking: 17.
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 Clockwork Angels (10 - 7)
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 ??
14 ??
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 Presto (11 - 0)
10 ??
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 ??
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 ??
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
Current POOTI: 52 (avg. 5.200)
I don't get this album. Doesn't sound good, not thrilled with the songs, it's long... I'm sure if I gave it time, it'd grow on me, but I haven't and don't know that I will.
All of this, except that I gave the album a lot of my time already. I do a full run through Rush's catalog pretty regularly. Getting through this one is a slog.
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Clockwork Angels landed at 12 for me. Definitely a step back towards the Rush style I love and their best since Counterparts. As already mentioned, the mix is its greatest fault. Before the full release, they put out a single with Caravan/BU2B and it was SO much better and cleaner sounding. Why they thought that Nick R guy did a good job with the full album is beyond me. Caravan remains my favorite track, just love that classic sounding instrumental breakdown in the middle. Carnies is another, love how it's both heavy and melodic and it slayed live. Headlong Flight is a solid rocker which could have been even better with some editing; it becomes too repetitive by the end. I'm not a ballad guy, so don't love The Garden as much as many do. But it is a nice sentimental song and fitting close to their career, I suppose. It's unfortunate this was the last one as I'd loved to have seen where they went next.
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Clockwork Angels rounds out my top 5. Not sure I really understand people complaining about the muddy nature of the mix. I've listened to it on a variety of systems, from shitty earbuds and built in laptop speakers to the control room monitors in the studio here at Sweetwater, and it sounds perfectly fine to me, and I can hear all of the details in the music.
Anyway, Clockwork Angels is, in my mind, the definitive example of how a band should wind up its career. They put a ton of effort into it, and it shows. I don't listen to it as much as when it came out, but when I do, I'm instantly reminded of its greatness. Hell, I was listening to it while mowing the lawn not too long ago, and The Garden got me all choked up. I promise it wasn't my allergies! That song also holds a special place for me, as my Dad and Neil Peart were born within a few weeks of each other, and ended up passing due to cancer within a few weeks of each other. The measure of their lives and their impact on me is considerable.
19. Rush
18. Caress of Steel
17. Roll the Bones
16. Snakes & Arrows
15.
14. Vapor Trails
13. Fly By Night
12. Test For Echo
11.
10. Hold Your Fire
9.
8.
7.
6.
5. Clockwork Angels
4. Presto
3.
2.
1.
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# 18 for me. *shrugs*
The Garden is indeed very nice, but the album as a whole? I would generally rather listen to almost any other Rush album most of the time.
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Presto - I have it at 12. Yes, the thin production definitely has a negative effect on my ranking, but I think there are some great songs here. Show Don't Tell is a great opener, and a song I wish they would have brought back on the later tours. The Pass is a highlight for me. The first half of the album is very good (1st 6 songs), but the back half is a little spotty. The chorus on Supereconductor definitely bugs me, and Red Tide and Hand Over Fist don't do much either. However, Anagram is decent, and Available Light is another solid album closer. I ranked this one just above Roll the Bones, as I slightly prefer it. If you took the best of Presto and Roll the Bones, you would have one hell of an album that would probably be top 5.
Clockwork Angels - It was also my # 10. It's the highest ranked of the post Test for Echo material. I am not big on the concept, but I think they came back strong to close out their studio albums. The album does flow really well, and they cover a lot of ground musically. The material here is pretty strong. I wouldn't put anything in my Rush top 25, but I don't find anything here that I really don't like. The highlights for me are Caravan, the title track, the Anarchist, Halo Effect, and Headlong Flight. Also, special shoutout to The Garden as another great album closer, and a fitting way to end their recording career. I don't think it as quite as good as Fading Lights by Genesis (Calling All Stations without Collins doesn't count ;)), but it is still pretty solid. Overall, an enjoyable album that I still revisit a good bit.
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I just listened to the album. Hand over fist is fantastic and easily one of the highlights. I love the beat, the riffs, the major keys and the key changes. The lyrics are also fun. I adore that song. :tup
When we did the Rush song countdown, Hand over Fist came in at 165 out of 166 songs (beating out only BU2B2). There are Rush songs I don't care for and some I find boring, but I think HoF is the only one that I could legitimately say I hate.
I forgot to respond to this. I recall a Rush survivor ten years ago where Hand over fist ended up in the consolation round, which Marc might remember. Some people were surprised by that, but I wasn't sure why. To this day, I don't see what's to hate about Hand over fist. I honestly don't hear anything wrong with it. It was the second worst Rush song in the countdown? :omg:
However, I do somewhat agree with your post above regarding Caravan and BU2B. When the album dropped, I remember thinking those two tracks are actually the best ones on the record. That's still almost the case, although there are many other songs I nowadays love pretty much equally.
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I just listened to the album. Hand over fist is fantastic and easily one of the highlights. I love the beat, the riffs, the major keys and the key changes. The lyrics are also fun. I adore that song. :tup
When we did the Rush song countdown, Hand over Fist came in at 165 out of 166 songs (beating out only BU2B2). There are Rush songs I don't care for and some I find boring, but I think HoF is the only one that I could legitimately say I hate.
I forgot to respond to this. I recall a Rush survivor ten years ago where Hand over fist ended up in the consolation round, which Marc might remember. Some people were surprised by that, but I wasn't sure why. To this day, I don't see what's to hate about Hand over fist. I honestly don't hear anything wrong with it. It was the second worst Rush song in the countdown? :omg:
However, I do somewhat agree with your post above regarding Caravan and BU2B. When the album dropped, I remember thinking those two tracks are actually the best ones on the record. That's still almost the case, although there are many other songs I nowadays love pretty much equally.
Since it wasn't clear from my post, that's how I ranked the song (it's the only countdown so far where I ranked every song in the catalog). It wasn't the overall ranking. I'll go back and check the countdown thread and see where the consensus had it (assuming Kev posted the full rankings and not just the top 75).
EDIT: In the overall countdown, Hand over Fist came in at #120: https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=57248.msg2872086#msg2872086
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Clockwork Angels rounds out my top 5. Not sure I really understand people complaining about the muddy nature of the mix. I've listened to it on a variety of systems, from shitty earbuds and built in laptop speakers to the control room monitors in the studio here at Sweetwater, and it sounds perfectly fine to me, and I can hear all of the details in the music.
I didn't notice it too much at first, but I remember being at a friend's years ago who has a super duper stereo system. He had Rush on shuffle (songs from all albums), and I remember The Anarchist coming on and noticing how much worse it sounded (from a production and mixing standpoint) than songs we had just heard (I think the prior songs were from Signals and Permanent Waves).
That said, I still am a big fan of the album, and agree with the sentiment that it was a great album for the band to go out on. I just wish it sounded better.
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I'll comment on the album itself after I relisten, but on the issue of the mix: I agree that it's not good and I think it's the album's greatest weakness.
I'm curious if those who have the Clockwork Angels Tour live album could comment on the quality of the performance and the sound there. Since it has the full CA album, it could serve as an alternate version for those who struggle with the mix—if it's good.
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#12 for me, but I feel like it should have been higher. I don't care for Wish Them Well, but the rest of the album is great. The Anarchist might be my favorite track on the album, aside from The Garden which I kind of put in its own special category. Definitely the perfect song for them to go out with.
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The Garden is one of Alex's best solo's, and maybe my favorite of his. So much emotion packed into it - it's brought me to tears on more than one occasion. And the song/story/lyrics are (imo) the perfect punctuation to end their studio career.
Dat chorus. :heart :'( <seems that emote code is broke
Bill, but I would've thought The Garden would've resonated with you... given your 'tend your own garden' outlook on life. That's not a 'dis' whatsoever, just articulating my surprise that you think the song is over-rated.
Maybe I'll relisten in that light. I never took the song that way.
I just can't relate to the notion that it's the "perfect way to go out"; I don't know that anyone knew that at the time of writing it (I could be wrong) but in any event, that award goes to either Fading Lights - with the live version being only the remaining three Genesis members playing - or Adios by Glen Campbell, who died like a month after that record was released. The Garden always struck me as maudlin in comparison.
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Can't there be more than one band that went out with a perfect song for the occasion?
I think Neil was pretty certain it was going to be the end but maybe Geddy and Alex thought/hoped they could convince him otherwise.
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Can't there be more than one band that went out with a perfect song for the occasion?
I think Neil was pretty certain it was going to be the end but maybe Geddy and Alex thought/hoped they could convince him otherwise.
Of course. There can be 20. Or 30. None of them are going to be The Garden, though. :) :) :)
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Clockwork Angels: Had this three spots higher, but as already stated, just happy it did really well. While none of them were ranked as the worst two by me, and while I definitely think Snakes & Arrows got shafted a bit here, I think it's fair to say that collectively the run from Test for Echo through Snakes & Arrows is not the brightest in their career. But then the band went out with an absolute bang.
I remember for the Time Machine tour, I made a point of NOT listening to the singles prior to the tour. I wanted to flashback to the 80's when the band would regularly do mini-tours to try out new material, and fans would hear it live for the first time. I was sitting 4th row in Camden and Caravan especially floored me. Come the full album Caravan, Clockwork Angels, The Wreckers, and The Garden became favorites. And while there are songs I may not be overly fond of, there is nothing in the garbage tier.
Between this album and the R40 tour, it warms my heart, truly, in how Rush went out. I honestly don't think Neil's death hit me in the same way as many fans, because I was so happy with things I full accepted the band's retirement. I fully accepted Neil being done, and on a professional level, being out of my life. So when he died I felt like in a way I had already said goodbye to him. Whereas I think a lot of fans waited till that moment to accept that Rush was done.
19. Rush (0)
18. Caress of Steel (1)
17. Vapor Trails (2)
16. Presto (5)
15. Hold Your Fire (3)
14. Test for Echo (2)
13. Fly By Night (0)
12.
11.
10. Snakes and Arrows (8)
9. Roll the Bones (5)
8.
7. Clockwork Angels (3)
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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19. Rush
18. Test for Echo
17. Fly by Night
16. Hold Your Fire
15. Roll The Bones
14. Snakes & Arrows
13. Caress of Steel
12. Vapor Trails
11.
10. Clockwork Angels
9.
8. Presto
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Hit the consensus with this one had it at #10. Clearly their best album of the 21st century - and a great way to close out their amazing career!
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10 Clockwork Angels
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-FsE+DtXL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (Samsara)
Lowest Finish: 18 (hefdaddy42, wolfking)
I had this at 8, and is the only album left in my full album listen. When I bought this CD from the store and put it in my car, it was the only CD that I put in my car and go WTF? The sound is so weird on this album, I'm going to assume it's by design. I recall the tour blu-ray sounding weird as well. Going to revisit them both soon as it's been a while as I don't think I've heard them on my current setup.
I too think The Garden is an excellent send off for the band, love the solo and the chorus.
With my listening almost done, some of the rankings could be different, I think I now like both Hold Your Fire and Roll The Bones a lot more than Snakes & Arrows.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly by Night
17. Vapor Trails
16. Rush
15.
14. Test For Echo
13. Hold Your Fire
12.
11. Roll The Bones
10. Snakes & Arrows
9.
8. Clockwork Angels
7. Presto
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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Clockwork Angels - my number 9. As an album it is inconsistent and possibly a bit too long but there are some great songs, including The Garden which I love.
My list so far:
19. Vapor Trails
18. Snakes & Arrows
17. Roll the Bones
16. Test for Echo
15. Presto
14. Hold Your Fire
13.
12. Rush
11. Caress of Steel
10. Fly by Night
9. Clockwork Angels
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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Between this album and the R40 tour, it warms my heart, truly, in how Rush went out. I honestly don't think Neil's death hit me in the same way as many fans, because I was so happy with things I full accepted the band's retirement. I fully accepted Neil being done, and on a professional level, being out of my life. So when he died I felt like in a way I had already said goodbye to him. Whereas I think a lot of fans waited till that moment to accept that Rush was done.
You and me both! I am pretty sure my posts over the years about Rush will demonstrate that I knew it was over in 2015 and I was good with it. It was as good an ending as they could have gotten, and I didn't think we needed more, or that we would get more. Neil coming to the front of the stage at the end of their last show was 100% proof in my eyes that it was over. Maybe Geddy and Alex weren't sure, but Neil was, and without Neil, Rush ceased to exist any longer.
I know a lot of fans had difficult listening to Rush for a while after Neil's death, which I totally get, but I was the opposite. I listened to Rush for months after that more than any other band, as it was like a celebration of the music they gave us for 40 years. :hat :hat
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10 Clockwork Angels
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-FsE+DtXL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (Samsara)
Lowest Finish: 18 (hefdaddy42, wolfking)
I still maintain that this could have been a top 5 Rush album with a cleaner, better mix rather than the muddy one it got, which makes it a bit of a frustrating listen. If this had a similar mix as Counterparts, for example, this would have been elevated big time. Too bad, because this was probably their best collection of songs since the 80s, and it deserved a great mix to go along with the songs. I ranked it 11th, but it’s definitely one of those “what if?” albums for me. I am still a big fan, but I know I would revisit it more with a better mix.
Favorite songs: Headlong Flight, Clockwork Angeles, The Anarchist, The Garden, Caravan
Wow, I didn't realize I liked this one more than the majority here at DTF. For me, Clockwork Angels being placed so high is about the feeling the record gives me. Have they done better songs and albums? Of course. Records that are mixed better and sound better? Absolutely. But there is this intangible about Clockwork Angels that is hard to put into words. When I listen to it, I hear a band revisiting its career in a tale that is exciting, heavy, melancholy, frustrated, and joyful, all wrapped up into one. And The Garden leaves me with a feeling of wistfulness to relive the journey again. I don't care about the concept. But the feeling the music and melodies throughout it are the most impactful to me, in my soul. To me, Rush left us with a perfect piece of music, vibe-wise.
I understand all the pointed critiques of certain aspects of Clockwork Angels. But they aren't important to me. What's important is that feeling you get from a musical journey and what it says to you. And for that reason, Clockwork Angels is my second favorite Rush album.
I couldn't have said it any better myself. This is exactly why it's also as high as it is for me at #5. And given more time it could end up higher in my ranking. The only thing holding it back for me, I think, is the muddier mix. If it ever gets a remix/remaster in the future that fixes that, I could see it immediately ticking up a couple spots in the ranking.
19. Rush
18. Snakes & Arrows
17. Fly By Night
16. Vapor Trails
15.
14. Roll the Bones
13.
12. Test for Echo
11.
10. Caress of Steel
9. Presto
8.
7. Hold Your Fire
6.
5. Clockwork Angels
4.
3.
2.
1.
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Haven't been following this thread diligently the last couple days... What the f is a pooti/tootie or whatever it is?
Just something I came up with to amuse myself with statistics. For each album that's been revealed, I took the absolute value of the difference between my ranking and the consensus, added the numbers, and divided by the number of albums revealed so far. It's a measure of how out-of-touch I am with the consensus, so I called it "Paul's out-of-touch index" or POOTI. I came up with it while enjoying a glass of Tang. :biggrin:
That is awesome! I am totally calculating the CCOOTI for this once it is complete.
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Isn't the album the album though? A remix or remaster moves it up or down in the countdown? You either like the collection of songs or you don't, no?
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CCOOTI GANG
CCOOTI GANG
CCOOTI GANG
CCOOTI GANG
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Isn't the album the album though? A remix or remaster moves it up or down in the countdown? You either like the collection of songs or you don't, no?
Well, let's put it this way, Vapor Trails would be lower had the remix not existed. Production is very important to me. That's just me though.
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Isn't the album the album though? A remix or remaster moves it up or down in the countdown? You either like the collection of songs or you don't, no?
Well, let's put it this way, Vapor Trails would be lower had the remix not existed. Production is very important to me. That's just me though.
Yep. Better production means the songs will sound better, thus the overall experience is better. Vapor Trails definitely would have been a bottom 2 or 3 album for me without the remaster.
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The Garden is one of Alex's best solo's, and maybe my favorite of his. So much emotion packed into it - it's brought me to tears on more than one occasion. And the song/story/lyrics are (imo) the perfect punctuation to end their studio career.
Dat chorus. :heart :'( <seems that emote code is broke
Bill, but I would've thought The Garden would've resonated with you... given your 'tend your own garden' outlook on life. That's not a 'dis' whatsoever, just articulating my surprise that you think the song is over-rated.
Maybe I'll relisten in that light. I never took the song that way.
I just can't relate to the notion that it's the "perfect way to go out"; I don't know that anyone knew that at the time of writing it (I could be wrong) but in any event, that award goes to either Fading Lights - with the live version being only the remaining three Genesis members playing - or Adios by Glen Campbell, who died like a month after that record was released. The Garden always struck me as maudlin in comparison.
Well, it’s not a like-for-like comparison (the lyrics / ‘tend your own garden’), but when I read the rush.com lyric page for it (https://www.rush.com/songs/the-garden/), there is a mild parallel.
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Okay, finally got to my relisten.
So, I was unsure whether I would end up the highest ranker for this one, and it turns out Samsara stole my thunder a little bit. But kidding aside, I'm glad to see that someone else had it even higher than I did. I had it at #3.
I tend to like mature, late-career records more than a lot of people do, and I think this is one of the best instances of one. This is a refined, cohesive, really well-written album with a ton of heart. I really like the concept Neil came up with for this album. It's obviously based in outline on Candide, but it's very much his own take on the basic story. I think he really tried to capture all the ups and downs of life in this one storyline, and did a really good job of it. And the music conveys the emotion of the storyline beautifully at each stage.
I got into Rush in 2012, and this album came fairly early in my journey. I know it was after 2112 and Moving Pictures, and I think it also came after A Farewell to Kings and maybe Hemispheres, but it was still very early because it was the new album and it was getting such good reviews. And even as young as I was at the time, I really connected with the emotions of this album (I think I've always been kind of an "old soul" in certain ways). Over time, I think I've only come to relate more strongly to a lot of the songs here.
This isn't actually an album I listen to much these days—it may have been something like 5 years since I last heard the whole thing before today. But whenever I think of almost any of these songs, I feel warmly about it. Listening to the album again, I would say it definitely holds up. Everything here is really strong (Halo Effect and Wish Them Well are a step behind the rest, but still good in their own right), and you really get a sense of a story here.
Interestingly, though I generally think of Rush as a pretty uplifting band, I think the two darkest songs might be my two favorite ones here: The Anarchist has great lyrics that penetrate to the depths of the Iago-type person, and the music is really enjoyable. The whole chorus on this section is superb, from the bass-led beginning to the higher-pitched parts ("The things I've always been denied"). Great song, and it was a great choice to open the R40 shows.
The Wreckers has a beautifully desolate feeling and a sublime chorus. The bridge is amazing as well. This song manages to be a chilling look at human evil while not becoming oppressively dark and depressing. It's distinctly Rush as a band and Neil as a lyricist—kind of like Grace Under Pressure (by the way, I'll say more about my feelings on that one when it shows, but I think it's funny how Stadler and I usually see eye to eye, but he really doesn't like the two less popular Rush albums that I really love).
That said, the uplifting songs on here are also excellent. I would be hard-pressed to say there's a better way to open and close a concept album about life than with Caravan and The Garden. Caravan is so energetic and inspiring, and it has an awesome instrumental section. And The Garden... there's nothing to say about it that hasn't already been said, but I think it really is the perfect goodbye song. I mean, the lyrics suggest that the main character has accomplished his big goals and is ready to take a step back to tend his garden. And that feels like the direction Rush was starting to go. They certainly earned it.
There are many other excellent songs here I could talk about, but I'll just give honorable mentions to Clockwork Angels, which is a great proggy number that I don't think gets enough praise, Headlong Flight, which I think does (deservingly) get a lot of praise, and BU2B, another piece that packs a lot of interesting proggy songwriting into a small package.
I obviously would have loved to see a higher ranking for Clockwork Angels, but when it comes to late-career albums that I love, I know to expect a ceiling. I think considering the strength of their full discography (which I'm really coming to appreciate on a whole other level by doing this) that a #10 placement for a 19th studio album really does signify its strength. I just wish it had beaten out one other album, whose popularity is surprising me. Maybe I'll get some perspective by reading what you all have to say about it in the morning (please?).
19. Rush (19)
18. Caress of Steel (17)
17. Test for Echo (16)
16.
15.
14. Fly By Night (13)
13. Roll the Bones (14)
12. Snakes & Arrows (18)
11.
10. Presto (11)
9. Hold Your Fire (12)
8. Vapor Trails (15)
7.
6.
5.
4.
3. Clockwork Angels (10)
2.
1.
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425 - that is a really great write up, I really enjoy reading your thoughts and appreciate the effort you go to to convey them.
In terms of an album yet to appear that you feel is a surprise, well none are that surprising if you know this forum and the Rush fans on it. I personally think this forum really overrates one album that is yet to appear and I am pretty sure it won't be the next one!
Anyway, we will see.
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# 18 for me. *shrugs*
The Garden is indeed very nice, but the album as a whole? I would generally rather listen to almost any other Rush album most of the time.
I was worried I was going to be the only one ranking this album last but you came through for me Hef! Agree, never found anything really interesting on this at all. I couldn't quite fathom the hype it was getting when it came out.
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Alright, buckle your seat belts...
09 Counterparts
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71kfnpNBQEL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (contest_sanity, Lethean)
Lowest Finish: 18 (Metropolaris)
I have never hidden my love for this record, and 30 years later, this record is still freaking great. It sounds awesome, the songwriting is excellent, and Geddy’s voice has never sounded better on record. I will admit to being a bit partial to it as it was the first new Rush album that came out after I had become a big fan, but even many years later, I still think it holds up as being one of their best, which is why I ranked it 6th. Its highs are some of their highest ever, and even the least best songs are still good and sound just fine within the flow of the record. I wouldn't change a single thing about this record.
Favorite songs: Leave That Thing Alone, Cold Fire, Animate, Double Agent, Everyday Glory, Cut to the Chase, Alien Shore
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Ranked number 4 for me. Love this album. Lots of variety, great sound and some cool heavier stuff too.
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Counterparts landed at number 16 for me. I initially loved it when I first heard it but that must've been a fever dream.
-
Alright, buckle your seat belts...
09 Counterparts
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71kfnpNBQEL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (contest_sanity, Lethean)
Lowest Finish: 18 (Metropolaris)
#15 for me, I am very lukewarm to the album. Great production, tight playing but songs somehow don't resonate with me. This could've been still lower in my ranking on my relisten.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly by Night
17. Vapor Trails
16. Rush
15. Counterparts
14. Test For Echo
13. Hold Your Fire
12.
11. Roll The Bones
10. Snakes & Arrows
9.
8. Clockwork Angels
7. Presto
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
-
I've always loved Leave That Thing Alone. I consider it one of their very best instrumentals along with YYZ and La Villa Strangiato.
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Counterparts is such a cool and well balanced album! At the time, after the "false advertising" from Presto and RtB, I almost couldn't believe that finally we're hearing again Lifeson's guitars riffs, the guitar really proeminent in the songs and more solos. And the songs, although not complex as older Rush, are really inspired and the great production just enhances that. Also my #9.
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I've always loved Leave That Thing Alone. I consider it one of their very best instrumentals along with YYZ and La Villa Strangiato.
It's a good instrumental, but I prefer Where's my thing?
Aside from the bland The Speed of love and the underwhelming opener, which I find incredibly overrated, this album is pretty great. I love the sound of it as much as I love the songwriting. It rocks and it's beautiful at the same time.
-
This one and Test for Echo blend together. Neither stands out to me.
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Counterparts was my number 5. Probably the best overall sound they ever got on recording (even in a world where Power Windows exists), especially the drums. Neil puts on master class here. It’s amazing to me that he made this album and then thought “I really need to go back to school to relearn how to drum.” He was arguably at the top of his game here, but I think he realized he needed to challenge himself to keep pushing himself forward. Counterparts maybe wasn’t his most complex or elaborate drumming, but the grooves are so strong.
This album sucks you in from the opening drum groove. Animate is an awesome opener that really sets the tone. Stick It Out is a bit awkward, and one of the few songs here that I sometimes skip, because Cut To The Chase is similar but so much better. I love the lyric on that one, and Alex’s solo! Then Nobody’s Hero comes in and kicks you in the gut. Just a powerful song.
Other than Stick It Out, there’s not a song here that I don’t enjoy, even the more controversial ones like Alien Shore, Between Sun and Moon, and Speed of Love. Are those Neil’s best lyrics? Nope. Are they still ear worms? Yep. The drum grooves on each are excellent. Double Agent is another oddball track, but has a cool darker vibe with some great drumming again. Leave That Thing Alone might be my favorite Rush Instrumental. Then Cold Fire comes along and maybe tops them all. The drumming on the pre-chorus/choruses and especially the outro is so tight and powerful. Everyday Glory is in the conversation for Rush’s best album closer (stiff competition though).
This is an album that rocks, sounds great, and manages to choke me up in several places. Everyone was at the top of their game here (I agree that Geddy’s voice sounds great here as well). It’s a great album.
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I had Clockwork Angels very high, #7, maybe that's a bit high but I really liked the return to longer, heavier, proggier songs. Counterparts is pretty great, had that at #11. Geddy's bass line in LTTA is one of all-time favorites.
-
09 Counterparts
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71kfnpNBQEL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (contest_sanity, Lethean)
Lowest Finish: 18 (Metropolaris)
01 ?
02 ?
03 ?
04 ?
05 ?
06 Caress Of Steel
07 ?
08 ?
09 Fly By Night
10 Vapor Trails
11 Clockwork Angels
12 Counterparts
13 ?
14 Hold Your Fire
15 Presto
16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 Roll The Bones
19 Rush
CP was my 12th place album, and if you had asked me when I was younger and starting to discover the band, it might have ranked a bit higher, possibly even top 10, but I've sort of fallen away from loving it over the years. Still it has many a great song, and LTTA is a blast to play on drums (being the only CP song I ever learned to play), but there's a couple "okay" songs on here for me. Tenth through fourteenth on my list could jumble around on any given day and I'd be alright with the order.
-Marc.
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Hit it on the nose - I had this one at # 9. LOVE this album. It came out at an important time for me, and this collection of songs really hit for me, and I feel much the same way today. Just great, great stuff.
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I was VERY disappointed with this album when it first came out. The first two songs were such a blatant attempt to slide along the 'grunge' movement (not to mention the video for Stick It Out), and given I hated everything about grunge, I did not like those two songs at all for a very long time.
It's aged quite well, and I can appreciate them a lot more out of the (at the time) current context of the grunge era. They're a couple of pretty good hard-rock songs (Animate > Stick it Out). The rest of the album has it's ups and downs - Cut to the Chase, Nobody's Hero, Cold Fire, Everyday Glory being the former; Speed of Love, Double Agent, Leave That Thing Alone being the latter (my least favorite instrumental in their catalog)
14th for me, but it could slide up a few spots on any given ranking.
-
I was VERY disappointed with this album when it first came out. The first two songs were such a blatant attempt to slide along the 'grunge' movement (not to mention the video for Stick It Out), and given I hated everything about grunge, I did not like those two songs at all for a very long time.
I think they have some of that same energy as the early grunge stuff (nothing like Nirvana, but a bit like Pearl Jam maybe), but I think those songs are closer to what Peter Collins did with Queensryche on Empire than anything grunge.
-
^^^ Might as well publish the next album on the list, because that's all that really needs to be said, right there. (I'm being sincere.)
Thanks, Stads.
-
Alright, buckle your seat belts...
09 Counterparts
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71kfnpNBQEL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (contest_sanity, Lethean)
Lowest Finish: 18 (Metropolaris)
I had Counterparts at 12. "Animate" could be my favorite RUSH song, honestly. A few other really good tracks on there. But to my ears, not as strong, writing-wise as some other albums. The album sounds awesome, however. It's really in that sweet spot for me as a listener. But man, "Animate" is just...at the least, it is top-5 Rush songs for me. Like I said, could be my favorite. Worth the album price alone. I like "Stick it Out" as well, and "Leave That Thing Alone."
-
Oh snap, I had Counterparts at #9 myself. Sweet!
My opinion on this record have varied wildly over the years. I wasn't that fond of it when it came out. I did really like the sound of the record, but I didn't vibe with the songs themselves, outside of things like Stick It Out, Double Agent, and Everyday Glory. Fast forward a decade later, and I ended up buying the "remaster" on CD, and, listening with fresh ears, was really taken with how good the album is. Songs like Alien Shore, Cut to the Chase, and especially Cold Fire really grabbed my attention. Around that time, I think I would have put CP in my top 10, almost top 5. Now, it sits comfortably at number 9. Solid album all around.
-
425 - that is a really great write up, I really enjoy reading your thoughts and appreciate the effort you go to to convey them.
Thanks! I'm able to do that more for the albums that I know well, like CA, but I'm trying to say something thoughtful about everything.
In terms of an album yet to appear that you feel is a surprise, well none are that surprising if you know this forum and the Rush fans on it. I personally think this forum really overrates one album that is yet to appear and I am pretty sure it won't be the next one!
Anyway, we will see.
I admit that I haven't followed the Rush threads super closely, mostly because I haven't listened to Rush a lot in a while and until recently was unfamiliar with almost half of the albums. I was referring to Counterparts, and even though I know some people love it, it's a surprise to me because (a) my general sense was that a lot of people were also meh on it, and (b) my early impression of it is not all too enthusiastic.
---
I had Counterparts at #16. I think it's a solid album, but a lot of it is just not anything special in the context of the Rush discography, IMO.
I agree with the love for Animate. That's an excellent, top-shelf song, and I'm glad it's one they kept in the setlists for a while. Once I get past that one, though, I don't think there's anything bad... but I also just don't think there are any other top-shelf songs. The next three are all pretty strong, especially Cut to the Chase. And the back-to-back of Double Agent and Leave That Thing Alone is good (although I think I agree with Mladen that Where's My Thing is the better instrumental)—I think Double Agent is probably the second-most interesting song to me on the album, even if it may not necessarily be my second favorite. There's a unique vibe on it that I quite like. Everyday Glory is also pretty good, though it would only be in third place among closers from this era behind Available Light and Carve Away the Stone. I agree with the idea that The Speed of Love is the weak link here. Not bad but a little dull.
I definitely think this album is better than Test for Echo, but I think it's a step back from Roll the Bones, which I find to be more of a fun and memorable album. This puts it in the same territory as Fly By Night. Between those two, I think Counterparts evinces stronger songwriting, but I like how compact FBN is and it has more songs that I find really memorable. But that's very subject to change because FBN is an album I've known for like 10 years and Counterparts is very new to me. It's also in the same territory as [redacted] but for different reasons that I'll have to go into when we get to [redacted].
In general, I've gotten a sense here that some people have a really strong preference about what sound Rush goes with—whether it's synth, heavy, etc. I'm that way with some artists. And for the people who like their hard rock side, I can understand why Counterparts would be a favorite or a breath of fresh air. But with Rush, I find that I like all their sounds, and it's just a matter of whether the particular songs on an album grab me, and these ones don't as much as most of their other albums. (I also understand that some people might just be grabbed by songs that I'm not.)
I'm relieved that we have this one on the board. I'll probably be pretty happy with however the next nine are ordered. Yes, my #15 is still out there, but I have it priced in that that one will be really high, and although I disagree, I understand why. So I won't be upset so long as it stays out of the #1 slot, at least.
19. Rush (19)
18. Caress of Steel (17)
17. Test for Echo (16)
16. Counterparts (9)
15.
14. Fly By Night (13)
13. Roll the Bones (14)
12. Snakes & Arrows (18)
11.
10. Presto (11)
9. Hold Your Fire (12)
8. Vapor Trails (15)
7.
6.
5.
4.
3. Clockwork Angels (10)
2.
1.
-
In general, I've gotten a sense here that some people have a really strong preference about what sound Rush goes with—whether it's synth, heavy, etc. I'm that way with some artists. And for the people who like their hard rock side, I can understand why Counterparts would be a favorite or a breath of fresh air. But with Rush, I find that I like all their sounds, and it's just a matter of whether the particular songs on an album grab me, and these ones don't as much as most of their other albums. (I also understand that some people might just be grabbed by songs that I'm not.)
I'm generally a bigger fan of the synth era than the hard rock Rush era, but I think this is the best Rush ever sounded as a hard rock band if that makes sense.
-
That makes sense (although I don't agree), which is why I added the parenthetical comment at the end of the paragraph you quoted.
-
I'm generally a bigger fan of the synth era than the hard rock Rush era, but I think this is the best Rush ever sounded as a hard rock band if that makes sense.
My favorite era of the band at this point probably is 1980-1987, which covers the synth era. With doing this countdown and thinking about the albums as we discuss one each day, I now realize I would definitely tweak my list if I had to do it over. There are a couple sacred cows that I still have much appreciation for, but I just don't listen to them that much anymore, yet I ranked them both pretty high. I think I gave them the "they are considered classics" bump. And it's not like wore those out back in the day and not the others, because I got into the band (in a big way) in 1991/1992, and I listened to Hold Your Fire and Power Windows back then as much as I did 2112 and Hemispheres.
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My list has a hidden "they are considered classics" bump because albums that I know well naturally tended to rank higher than albums I don't know well, and the albums that I know well are the ones that I got early on because of their reputation as classics. I suspect that if I continue getting into the albums that are newer to me, if you check back with me 2-3 years, my list would look different and would favor stuff like PoW/HYF/Presto more than the one I submitted does.
-
Counterparts: Looking at it now I'm kinda surprised I had Counterparts quite that high on my list. :lol
I think it's a result of it just shining the brightest from its era. For the longest time I would have ranked Roll the Bones over it, but over the years Counterparts has just consistently grown on me. That said, it's not without two big issues, and they are the two singles that lead off the album.
Animate is okay, but it's the next to worst song on the album and it's the lead single and opening track. That said the "Foolish Heart" section is one of my favorites on the album. Then you have one of the big abominations in the Rush catalog, Stick It Out which is an incredibly forced and awful attempt by the band to adhere to the sound of the time, and of course also a single/video.
But go beyond that and you have an absolutely stellar album. Sound is great, songs are all really good at worst, and spectacular at best. Just a really strong consistent album once you get past track #2.
19. Rush (0)
18. Caress of Steel (1)
17. Vapor Trails (2)
16. Presto (5)
15. Hold Your Fire (3)
14. Test for Echo (2)
13. Fly By Night (0)
12.
11.
10. Snakes and Arrows (8)
9. Roll the Bones (5)
8.
7. Clockwork Angels (3)
6. Counterparts (3)
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
-
09 Counterparts
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71kfnpNBQEL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (contest_sanity, Lethean)
Lowest Finish: 18 (Metropolaris)
I have never hidden my love for this record, and 30 years later, this record is still freaking great. It sounds awesome, the songwriting is excellent, and Geddy’s voice has never sounded better on record. I will admit to being a bit partial to it as it was the first new Rush album that came out after I had become a big fan, but even many years later, I still think it holds up as being one of their best, which is why I ranked it 6th. Its highs are some of their highest ever, and even the least best songs are still good and sound just fine within the flow of the record. I wouldn't change a single thing about this record.
Favorite songs: Leave That Thing Alone, Cold Fire, Animate, Double Agent, Everyday Glory, Cut to the Chase, Alien Shore
Wow...two synth era albums in the top 8. Just as Presto was a big bounce-back from the synth era, so was Counterparts a bounce-back after RTB. My thoughts on the songs have varied over the years. I was originally a fan of Animate, Stick and Hero, but now I regard Double Agent and Everyday Glory as the best songs and think of Hero as a bottom half song (above probably only Speed and Cold Fire). Also not as much of a fan of Animate anymore. Counterparts finished right in the middle of my rankings: #10. I might be willing to bet $5 what the next two albums are (and probably also the order).
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 Clockwork Angels (10 - 7)
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 ??
14 ??
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 Presto (11 - 0)
10 Counterparts (9 - 1)
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 ??
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 ??
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
Current POOTI: 53 (avg. 4.818)
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I had Counterparts at #5. I think this is overall a great album. It's not without a few duds (Stick It Out, BTSAM, and Alien Shore), but has a number of excellent songs. Nobody's Hero would be my favorite, and also Animate and Double Agent are some of my fave songs from this era.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11
10
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6
5 Counterparts
4
3
2
1
-
Counterparts was my number 5.
I had Counterparts at #5.
(https://i.imgflip.com/7phxal.jpg)
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:lol
The devil just put on a winter coat.
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Wow...two synth era albums in the top 8.
If by "Synth Era" you mean their Sector 3 albums (SIG/GUP/POW/HYF), then there's THREE on the Top 8, as we've only seen HYF so far (placing 12th overall). If you aren't including Signals, then that does mean two in the top 8, though it makes me happy to see that SIG/GUP/POW have made it this far, though it would be hilarious if the next three albums in the countdown are those three albums.
This isn't spot-lighting on purpose, I'm just trying to clarify what pg meant by "two synth era albums" when I usually count Signals-to-HYF as the "synth era".
-Marc.
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I knew what he meant by Synth Era, but if he said Sector 3 albums, I would've had no clue what he was talking about.
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I had Counterparts at #5. I think this is overall a great album. It's not without a few duds (Stick It Out, BTSAM, and Alien Shore), but has a number of excellent songs. Nobody's Hero would be my favorite, and also Animate and Double Agent are some of my fave songs from this era.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11
10
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6
5 Counterparts
4
3
2
1
The only dud is The Speed Of Love.
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I knew what he meant by Synth Era, but if he said Sector 3 albums, I would've had no clue what he was talking about.
Rush is the one that coined sector 3 soooooooo....
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19. Rush
18. Test for Echo
17. Fly by Night
16. Hold Your Fire
15. Roll The Bones
14. Snakes & Arrows
13. Caress of Steel
12. Vapor Trails
11.
10. Clockwork Angels
9. Counterparts
8. Presto
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Second one in a row I hit on the number! I agree, probably their best sounding album! Favorites include - Animate, Cut to the Chase, Double Agent, Leave That Thing Alone and Everyday Glory
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The only dud is The Speed Of Love.
Your post is a dud. :P
The Speed of Love is a good song. :biggrin:
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That is a negative, sir. Nee ner, nee ner.
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The Speed Of Love does indeed blow.
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Obviously I love this album since I ranked it at #1. Is it really my absolute favorite Rush album? I don't know; I can't really say it's better (or worse) than the others at the top. But it's the one I listen to the most.
I love every song on the album; Speed of Love is just fine by me and I think Stick It Out is awesome. Everyday Glory is such an uplifting closing track, Animate kicks things off, Double Agent is cool... Leave That Thing Alone is probably the first instrumental song I loved.
Glad Counterparts made the top 10.
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I knew what he meant by Synth Era, but if he said Sector 3 albums, I would've had no clue what he was talking about.
Rush is the one that coined sector 3 soooooooo....
Oh alright then. Now it's all clear..
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I knew what he meant by Synth Era, but if he said Sector 3 albums, I would've had no clue what he was talking about.
Rush is the one that coined sector 3 soooooooo....
Oh alright then. Now it's all clear..
The albums in the Sector 3 boxset are probably what is being referred to.
https://www.discogs.com/release/3468053-Rush-Sector-3 (https://www.discogs.com/release/3468053-Rush-Sector-3)
Signals (1982)
Grace Under Pressure (1984)
Power Windows (1985)
Hold Your Fire (1987)
A Show of Hands (1989)
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I knew what he meant by Synth Era, but if he said Sector 3 albums, I would've had no clue what he was talking about.
Rush is the one that coined sector 3 soooooooo....
Oh alright then. Now it's all clear..
I don't actually know what the sector thing is either. Was there a box set or something with those pairings? Live shows?
Edit: keep reading, dummy.
I knew what he meant by Synth Era, but if he said Sector 3 albums, I would've had no clue what he was talking about.
Rush is the one that coined sector 3 soooooooo....
Oh alright then. Now it's all clear..
The albums in the Sector 3 boxset are probably what is being referred to.
https://www.discogs.com/release/3468053-Rush-Sector-3 (https://www.discogs.com/release/3468053-Rush-Sector-3)
Signals (1982)
Grace Under Pressure (1984)
Power Windows (1985)
Hold Your Fire (1987)
A Show of Hands (1989)
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I really dint know if the guys in Rush named, it, approved it or wasn't involved at all. I just love lying to Tim because he has no idea if I was telling the truth. :lol
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I had never heard of the whole "sector" thing until a month or two ago. I wouldn't have paid any attention to any box set since I have all of the component albums already.
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There was regular talk about the sector releases back on the MP forum which is how I found out about them. I have those instead of the regular CDs. I believe those are also remastered ones.
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In terms of an album yet to appear that you feel is a surprise, well none are that surprising if you know this forum and the Rush fans on it. I personally think this forum really overrates one album that is yet to appear and I am pretty sure it won't be the next one!
Anyway, we will see.
I admit that I haven't followed the Rush threads super closely, mostly because I haven't listened to Rush a lot in a while and until recently was unfamiliar with almost half of the albums. I was referring to Counterparts, and even though I know some people love it, it's a surprise to me because (a) my general sense was that a lot of people were also meh on it, and (b) my early impression of it is not all too enthusiastic.
The album I was referring to is also Counterparts and I am a bit surprised to see this at number 9, I really thought it would be higher as I know it has some fans. I think in the top 75 Rush song countdown there was 5 or 6 songs from the album in the top 75 which I couldn't believe. I think the majority of the songs on this album are very average and some I would even call lame, just dialed in. I struggle to find what is appealing about this album apart from the production, Animate and I guess Leave That Thing Alone is a pretty cool instrumental. My rank 13.
Eight albums to go which also happen to be my own top 8, pretty sure I won't nail the order though.
19 Vapor Trails
18 Snakes & Arrows
17 Roll the Bones
16 Test for Echo
15 Presto
14 Hold Your Fire
13 Counterparts
12 Rush
11 Caress of Steel
10 Fly by Night
9 Clockwork Angels
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
-
Half of the remaining 8 are in my top 7. The other half are bottom half of the catalog for me (though only 2 that I find especially overrated).
19. Rush
18.
17. Snakes and Arrows
16. Clockwork Angels
15.
14. Caress of Steel
13. Fly By Night
12.
11.
10. Roll The Bones
9. Hold Your Fire
8. Vapor Trails
7.
6. Test for Echo
5. Counterparts
4.
3. Presto
2.
1.
-
Well, I just came back from some traveling and I'm catching up....and what I see in today's update to the countdown breaks my heart a little :'( From what I had gathered previously, I sort of figured this would be one of the largest deviations from consensus in my ranking (NOOTI coming up next! :biggrin:), but still...I was maybe hoping a little higher...
I had Counterparts at #3...sure, it was my first Rush album ever, but my high appreciation for it actually doesn't quite come from that. In fact, I certainly did like it when I semi-randomly bought it in 1993 (knowing NOTHING about Rush) - enough to start exploring old albums! - but it didn't necessarily blow my mind right away. But, steadily, it just got better and better for me. Such a great combination of class, drive, melody and, well, everything that makes Rush my favorite band. I LOVE the sound on this album. It's full and "heavy" and yet it highlights all of the nuances in the playing.
Agree with those who consider Animate a the top Rush song (indeed, it made my top 10 in the song countdown). For a while, I thought it didn't quite translate live (it felt...slower? More sluggish, maybe?), but it was one of the absolute highlights when I saw them at MSG for R40. The crowd erupted at the end of it...man, the drum groove, that main bass line and the chorus. Fantastic stuff.
But, truly, I like basically everything in here. Perhaps Stick It Out and Speed of Love are slightly below the rest, but I never skip them. Leave That Thing Alone is my third favorite Rush instrumental, after LVS and YYZ. Cold Fire is another huge favorite of mine...all those different moods it goes through ...and Everyday Glory is a pretty triumphant way to close things off.
Anyway, to catch up with this week's updated, here my list so far:
19 Rush (0)
18 Caress of Steel (-1)
17 Fly By Night (-4)
16 Snakes & Arrows (2)
15
14 Vapor Trails (1)
13 Test for Echo (3)
12 Clockwork Angels (-2)
11 Presto (0)
10 Roll the Bones (4)
9 Hold Your Fire (3)
8
7
6
5
4
3 Counterparts (6)
2
1
NOOTI: 26
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I had Counterparts at 11, so very close to the aggregate rank. If it's not the best produced Rush album, it's at least in the top 5. Neil's drum sound is beautifully clear and punchy. I was lukewarm on Animate when CP was released, but over the years it's become my favorite track. Love the drums that kick off the album. The riff to Stick It Out blew me away when I first heard it, Alex sounded so huge in the mix again. Too bad the chorus blows. Cut To the Chase is probably the best track they never played live. Double Agent is a banger, another sick Lifeson riff. Leave That Thing Alone is up there with LVS and YYZ in the trio of best Rush instrumentals. The lyrics on the album are a bit.....different. Guess Neil was getting in touch with his feminine side about then. But when the music sounds this good, I could listen to Geddy sing about anything. It's dropped a bit for me over the years, but CP is still the best Rush album over the last 30 years of their career IMO. And the tour was great too.
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I had Counterparts at #5. I think this is overall a great album. It's not without a few duds (Stick It Out, BTSAM, and Alien Shore), but has a number of excellent songs. Nobody's Hero would be my favorite, and also Animate and Double Agent are some of my fave songs from this era.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11
10
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6
5 Counterparts
4
3
2
1
Ha! Stick it Out is one of my favs.
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Counterparts is a fantastic album. Coming in at #8 for me. Stick it Out is probably the worst song here, followed by Between Sun and Moon, but neither are what I would call skip worthy. Also all the hate for The Speed of Love is making me sad. Is the song a threat to your masculinity? :neverusethis:
19. Rush
18. Snakes & Arrows
17. Fly By Night
16. Vapor Trails
15.
14. Roll the Bones
13.
12. Test for Echo
11.
10. Caress of Steel
9. Presto
8. Counterparts
7. Hold Your Fire
6.
5. Clockwork Angels
4.
3.
2.
1.
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Counterparts is a fantastic album. Coming in at #8 for me. Stick it Out is probably the worst song here, followed by Between Sun and Moon, but neither are what I would call skip worthy. Also all the hate for The Speed of Love is making me sad. Is the song a threat to your masculinity? :neverusethis:
It doesn't surprise me, but we all like what we like. It's not a standout, but I love Alex's dreamy guitar work, and the section near the end ("nothing changes faster...") is quite nice. It also works well as a bit of a laid back song in between the ocean-y rockingness of Alien Shore and the sinister Double Agent.
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So far the only disappointment is that Hold Your Fire, which I had at #3, didn't place higher, but aside from that you guys are doing a fantastic job! :tup
As for Counterparts, I think Cold Fire is the standout track. Those verses are so gorgeous.
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By far the most overrated Rush album. I had it at #17.
There are some amazing tracks. Cut to the Chase is amazing and it’s criminal that it was never played live. Animate is close behind. Cold Fire and Alien Shore are also excellent.
Beyond that it gets a bit fuzzy. Between the Sun and Moon is a semi ok riff wrapped up in the worst lyrics in any Rush song. Nobody’s Hero is a nice idea that gets too preachy and ham fisted with too much repetition on the side. Stick it Out is a rare exhibition in being derivative. The Speed of Love is just terrible. Double Agent is pretty good. A bit different anyway. And Everyday Glory is just kinda there.
I liked it a lot more when it came out. The heavy approach was a welcome return to form after the Air Supply approach of Roll the Bones. But every album after it (especially TFE) being so much more superior made this not age well.
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Counterparts is a fantastic album. Coming in at #8 for me. Stick it Out is probably the worst song here, followed by Between Sun and Moon, but neither are what I would call skip worthy. Also all the hate for The Speed of Love is making me sad. Is the song a threat to your masculinity? :neverusethis:
:lol
Nah, it's just an average song. Now Cold Fire is 🔥
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Cold Fire was (and still is) my fave on the album. The lyrics on the bridge are just fantastic.
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Cold Fire is great!!!
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That one grew on me over the years immensely. I used to think it was filler, but now I love it.
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Yeah, Cold Fire is a standout track on that album.
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08 Grace Under Pressure
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Zc2lOTIfL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (Dittomist, DTA)
Lowest Finish: 17 (ReaperKK)
This was their first album without Terry Brown as the producer, and you can hear the difference in sound between this and everything that came before it. The mix is great at times and a little questionable at other times. For example, Red Sector A, which was always tremendous live, is a bit too stiff in its original form here. That said, side 1 of this record is still a beast, and Between the Wheel from side 2 is a major winner as well. Tracks 5-7 are all ones I would categorize as good, but nothing special. I ranked this 10th.
Favorite songs: Distant Early Warning, Between the Wheels, Red Sector A (especially live), The Enemy Within, Afterimage
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08 Grace Under Pressure
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Zc2lOTIfL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (Dittomist, DTA)
Lowest Finish: 17 (ReaperKK)
Ranked it #9, I think it's the live versions of The Enemy Within that really made me look at this album differently. I remember back on the MP forum someone posted their drum cover of Red Lenses, I didn't realize how tricky that track was and it pushed to listen to the synth albums a lot more closely which made me enjoy them a lot more. Red Sector A is probably a top 10 Rush track for me. Love every live version of it too.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly by Night
17. Vapor Trails
16. Rush
15. Counterparts
14. Test For Echo
13. Hold Your Fire
12.
11. Roll The Bones
10. Snakes & Arrows
9. Grace Under Pressure
8. Clockwork Angels
7. Presto
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
-
Cold Fire is great!!!
Top 5, maybe top 3 of the album.
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Number 2 for me. So many of Rush's standout tracks are on this album. Love it.
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Cold Fire is great!!!
Top 5, maybe top 3 of the album.
It's wierd how your keyboard typo'd "1" twice in the same sentence. :biggrin:
GUP .... 12th. It's quite close to fitting the moniker of 1/2 killer, 1/2 filler (by Rush standards). Four great tracks; four good tracks.
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GUP (my #2) is amazing and perfect - but far from immediate to me. It has a unique vibe, even considering the keyboard era. Sure, tracks 5-7 were the ones that take more time to totally get it, specially The Body Electric, that is really weird, but in a good way. Kid Gloves is very cool and has that killer solo section. Red Lenses is kind of disjointed, but it really works because the quality of its parts.
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08 Grace Under Pressure
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Zc2lOTIfL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (Dittomist, DTA)
Lowest Finish: 17 (ReaperKK)
This was their first album without Terry Brown as the producer, and you can hear the difference in sound between this and everything that came before it. The mix is great at times and a little questionable at other times. For example, Red Sector A, which was always tremendous live, is a bit too stiff in its original form here. That said, side 1 of this record is still a beast, and Between the Wheel from side 2 is a major winner as well. Tracks 5-7 are all ones I would categorize as good, but nothing special. I ranked this 10th.
Favorite songs: Distant Early Warning, Between the Wheels, Red Sector A (especially live), The Enemy Within, Afterimage
01 ?
02 ?
03 ?
04 ?
05 ?
06 Caress Of Steel
07 ?
08 ?
09 Fly By Night
10 Vapor Trails
11 Clockwork Angels
12 Counterparts
13 Grace Under Pressure
14 Hold Your Fire
15 Presto
16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 Roll The Bones
19 Rush
GUP landed in 13th for me, and like I said in my last post about Counterparts, my 10th-14th place spots could have been jumbled around and it would've all felt the same. This is one album that took me a very long time to grow to appreciate and love, but these days I like it more than I used to.
In my recent Rush binge, including revisiting my personal complete live tour series, the GUP Tour holds the distinction of being the last time they played every song off a new album on that tour, so obviously the band felt very strongly about the album at the time. I think knowing how much they seem to have loved it has sort of helped me appreciate it.
Looks like the remaining seven albums are all in my top 8, so outside of my unusual love for COS, I will be right along with the consensus here as we head to the finish line!
-Marc.
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GUP has creeped up recently to become my favorite, most-listened to Rush album. Side 1 is perfect, with The Enemy Within being my absolute favorite Rush song. Side 2 feels a bit more experimental with songs like Body/Lenses, which I appreciate 10 albums in. Not to mention, Between The Wheels is an incredible closing track. The solo in Kid Gloves has always been a real unique one too that I love hearing. Just a solid album that never overstays its welcome.
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Grace Under Pressure: not one of my faves. I had it at # 16.
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Had GUP at #11. This is another where my opinion of it has varied over time. 10-15 years ago, this one was a bit higher. For me, the overall vibe of it really captures what it was like living during The Cold War and feeling like the threat of nuclear annihilation was always lurking in the shadows. Red Sector A and Between the Wheels are my favorites.
Updated rankings:
19. Rush
18. Caress of Steel
17. Roll the Bones
16. Snakes & Arrows
15.
14. Vapor Trails
13. Fly By Night
12. Test For Echo
11. Grace Under Pressure
10. Hold Your Fire
9. Counterparts
8.
7.
6.
5. Clockwork Angels
4. Presto
3.
2.
1.
-
This actually used to be a top five Rush album for me, but for whatever reason it went down to my #10 this time around. I still think it's great, it's just that other albums for that era appeal to me more.
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19. Roll The Bones (19-14=5)
18 Vapor Trails (18-15=3)
17 Clockwork Angels (17-11=6)
16 Rush (19-16=3)
15. Grace Under Pressure (15-8=7)
14 Test For Echo (16-14=2)
13
12 Caress Of Steel (17-12=5)
11
10 Snakes And Arrows (18-10=8)
9 Counterparts (9-9=0)
8
7. Fly By Night (13-7=6)
6. Hold Your Fire (12-6=6)
5. Presto. (11-5=6)
4
3
2
1
BOOTI - 4.75
First, I bought the Sector boxes for the 5.1 mixes, and they do not disappoint. Some of the early albums sound a lot better in stereo (FBN!) as well.
Counterparts; love that album, nailed it's spot in the countdown. I think there's some really creative stuff on that record - Double Agent - and I don't have a problem with the lyrics to Between The Sun and Moon, nor the "grunge-y" influence on Stick It Out or (the far superior) Animate. Nobody's Hero is okay, but as I've written it's a bit ham-fisted and self conscious for me.
Grace Under Pressure: I've probably lambasted this record more over the years than any record by any band. And it STILL sucks. But I've given it periodic listens over the years and there ARE a handful of good songs on this record which is why it's not 19. But there are some duds - Red Lenses - and the drums sound HORRIBLE. "Here's an idea, let's take our best musician, and our most recognizable characteristic as a band, and complete neuter it on our next record!" That fill right at the "I hear the sound of gunfire at the prison gates" part; sounds like my grandson on his electric drum pad we bought him for Christmas! I have, though, come to appreciate Alex's playing on that record. There are so many different styles in play, and so many tasty little fills and what not; there was a guy over at MP that used to say - and I'm paraphrasing - that it was, in it's own way, Alex's best album with Rush, even though it sounded like crap.
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Boss was here this week so I wasn't able to chime in like I wanted to. Long work days this and next week. So I had Clockwork Angels at #12. My faves were the Title Track, The Wreckers & of course The Garden.
Counterparts was #6 for me. A fantastic written album, production and back to rocking. Love, Cold Fire, Alien Shore, Nobody's Hero Cut To the Chase.
Grace Under Pressure is # 11 for me. Between the Wheels is a classic. The Video to Afterimage gets you in the feels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aalJT3GS_m8
GUP was my 1st Rush concert at age 16. Fastway opened. What a great memory. Got my Tattoo from this album (Tourbook) for my 1st Rush concert out of 31 shows I saw.
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Oh, the p/g cover is top five all time, any band.
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I know I was not alone in being pretty shocked when The Body Electric was resurrected on the Clockwork Angels tour. I was happy it wasn't played at our show, however, as it was rotated IIRC from night to night with Middletown Dreams, which we got (thankfully!!). :hat :hat
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08 Grace Under Pressure
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Zc2lOTIfL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (Dittomist, DTA)
Lowest Finish: 17 (ReaperKK)
Grace Under Pressure was #4 on my list, and highest, by a mile, of the synth era. I think they nailed the songs on this one really well. And although Rush has expressed...what would be the right word...frustration, maybe, over the production, I love the album.
Distant Early Warning is, much like Animate on Counterparts, in the running for my favorite Rush song. Red Sector A is another gem. Love the cover art (I actually have a blown up print of that art on the wall in my music room). Great stuff.
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Grace Under Pressure is number 4 for me as well. The weird thing about this album is I have no memory of when I first heard it bought it. Usually I have some notion, especially for favorite bands/albums. I know roughly when I must have first gotten it, and it was relatively early in my Rush journey, but I just don’t know how or when I first got it! But I know it’s been a favorite Rush album of mine for a long time.
A big part of what makes this great is the opening and closing tracks. Distant Early Warning is one of the first Rush songs that I heard that really made me want to check out the band more. Such a powerful song, powerful lyrics, powerful drumming. People say the production on this album is wimpy, but I just think of it as intense.
I’m pretty sure I first heard Between the Wheels on R30 (which I do remember buying), and that is probably what spurred me to pick up this album (it must have been soon after). Talk about a powerful song. This one just packs a wallop. One of Alex’s brightest moments. So much atmospheric between the keys and his wailing lead lines, and an awesome solo. This is a top 3 Rush tune for me.
Everything in between is good to great as well. After Image keeps the intensity up after DEW, and is a really powerful lyric as well. Red Sector A is another goosebump song, even if I agree the electronic drums let it down a bit. The Enemy Within is really fun (Pou-pou-pou-pounding in your temples!). Body Electric is a bit weird but one of the last really proggy things they did, same for Red Lenses.
The other big favorite for me is Kid Gloves. No idea why it gets hate, but that palm muted lead by Alex is gorgeous and such a great hook. Another favorite Neil lyric as well. A total earworm.
If there’s a criticism of this album that I buy it might be Geddy’s bass tone, which is a bit thin. But I think it’s one of Alex’s better albums. Great lyrics by Neil as well. I love the statement it makes and the overall atmosphere they created, which is captured so well in the artwork. Would be up there among my favorite covers as well.
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HOF, today you and are on the same page. I also had Grace Under Pressure at #4.
A big part of what makes this great is the opening and closing tracks. Distant Early Warning is one of the first Rush songs that I heard that really made me want to check out the band more. Such a powerful song, powerful lyrics, powerful drumming. People say the production on this album is wimpy, but I just think of it as intense.
I already knew the early Rush albums by the time I heard this album, but Distant Early Warning might have single-handedly convinced me that it was worth finishing their discography beyond Signals. It's such a good song. One of those specialties of this era of Rush where it's extremely catchy while having a lot moving parts and really meaningful lyrics. Definitely one of my favorite Rush songs.
Side A of this album is quite simply elite. Red Sector A is the other standout alongside DEW, with really poignant lyrics and music to match the emotions. One of the most striking moments in the "lyrics by Peart/vocals by Lee" collaboration, too, since it's Neil writing about a subject that's personal to Geddy.
Afterimage is a beautiful song, too. And The Enemy Within is both fun and intense.
I would agree that songs 5-7 aren't at the level of these first four, but I don't think that side B is weak by any means. I agree, again, with HOF, that The Body Electric and Red Lenses are definitely weird songs, but also really cool. They're not ones that spring to mind when I'm thinking about Rush songs I like, but when I actually listen to the album, they fit in very nicely and are really interesting. From my perspective, Kid Gloves is probably the weakest link, but it's still a solid, catchy song.
And then there's Between the Wheels. This is such a beautiful song. Neil's lyric is incredible, and it's served very well here. There's a real sense of unease on the verses, with those almost blaring synths, that pairs interestingly with the way the choruses just get up and move. And Alex's solo here is great.
Rush has a lot of great openers and a lot of great closers, but the DEW/BtW pair would be very near the top if I were to rank those pairs. And it's tough to pick a favorite on this album between those two songs, although I think I would go with Distant Early Warning only because I think it's slightly more cohesive as a piece.
19. Rush (19)
18. Caress of Steel (17)
17. Test for Echo (16)
16. Counterparts (9)
15.
14. Fly By Night (13)
13. Roll the Bones (14)
12. Snakes & Arrows (18)
11.
10. Presto (11)
9. Hold Your Fire (12)
8. Vapor Trails (15)
7.
6.
5.
4. Grace Under Pressure (8)
3. Clockwork Angels (10)
2.
1.
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Counterparts - Way down at 17 for me. I just can't get into this album for some reason. It has just never done much for me. I absolutely love Leave That Thing Alone though, and consider it one of their best instrumentals. I do enjoy Stick It Out, Cut to the Chase, and Between Sun and Moon too. Not really big on Animate, as it just plods along for me. The rest of the album I just can't get down with. This album does have some of Rush's best production though.
Grace Under Pressure - My # 2. This is the best of the synth era for me. I love the atmosphere and vibe of this record, and the cover art fits it perfectly too. Red Sector A is my favorite track, but everything on this record is great Rush in my book. Between the Wheels is another solid album closer, and I still remember really loving the Kid Gloves main riff the first time I heard it. I loved that they busted out The Body Electric on the Clockwork Angels tour, and I was at one of the shows where it was in the set. It has been mentioned a couple of times, but I love Alex's playing on this record. He has some killer leads, but also some of his more atmospheric playing (Red Sector A is the best example) works really well on this record. Yes, some of the Simmons electronic drum stuff sounds dated, but it is a product of that time. Overall, this is just a great Rush album that gets plenty of airing from me.
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GUP is a gem and has grown so much for me over the years, it's now up to number 2 on my list. Definitely my favorite of the "synth" albums, there are no tracks I flat out dislike. Between The Wheels is a classic; it was nice that the guys realized its live potential and finally played it on a few of the later tours. A surprise over time for me is how much I've come to love The Body Electric. I used to dismiss it immediately because I hated the "1-0-0" lines. But the version they did on the CA tour really clicked with me and now it's a favorite. That groove Neil and Geddy lock into together is just beautiful and infectious. Kid Gloves is another really fun track, probably the one (along with BTW) where Alex really gets let out of his cage. I've become a little burnt on Red Sector over the years and still think having a dance beat paired with such heavy lyrics is a little bizarre. But no doubt it came off well live. I really have no problem with the album's production either and of course the cover art is stunning.
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08 Grace Under Pressure
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Zc2lOTIfL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (Dittomist, DTA)
Lowest Finish: 17 (ReaperKK)
This was their first album without Terry Brown as the producer, and you can hear the difference in sound between this and everything that came before it. The mix is great at times and a little questionable at other times. For example, Red Sector A, which was always tremendous live, is a bit too stiff in its original form here. That said, side 1 of this record is still a beast, and Between the Wheel from side 2 is a major winner as well. Tracks 5-7 are all ones I would categorize as good, but nothing special. I ranked this 10th.
Favorite songs: Distant Early Warning, Between the Wheels, Red Sector A (especially live), The Enemy Within, Afterimage
Hey...I was right that GUP would show up today!
This was my first new Rush album. I recall thinking that the cover was a bit "soft." But who cares, right? I'm pretty sure I'd already heard Distant Early Warning on MTV. Alex looked even more new wave, but WTF was up with Geddy? And what was that goofy-ass bass he was playing. The song wasn't too bad. Then I saw that inner sleeve picture and...?!?! Terry Brown's absence was glaring. I've written volumes about the sound of this album. The guitar is mostly harsh and tinny. The bass sound is not good. The electronic percussion sounded terrible. It one of the few albums where I can't think of anything outstanding about Neil's playing; the most notable thing is that e-drum fill in Red Sector A that Stadler has already mentioned. And you have the best bassist on the planet and have two songs on the album with no bass?! WTAF! One thing that really drove home how bad the sound is on this album was hearing YYNOT cover The Body Electric. I honestly can't stand that song, but YYNOT's cover made it sound beefy and badass. In other words, there was a lot of potential here, but it went unrealized. Ditching Broon was, IMO, the biggest mistake Rush ever made. Even with all that, it has two truly great songs: Enemy and Wheels (and Kid Gloves is solid). I had it at #14.
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 Clockwork Angels (10 - 7)
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 ??
14 Grace under Pressure (8 - 6)
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 Presto (11 - 0)
10 Counterparts (9 - 1)
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 ??
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 ??
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
Current POOTI: 59 (avg. 4.917)
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Who here knows the story on the 1st producer pegged to work with the guys on GUP, who backed out of producing the album?
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Yep, Steve Lillywhite.
Ditching Broon was, IMO, the biggest mistake Rush ever made.
It's something they had to do. Terry Brown didn't have a lot of interest in producing the band in the direction in which they were headed, and the band had to follow their hearts at the time, so it's something that had to be done.
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Who here knows the story on the 1st producer pegged to work with the guys on GUP, who backed out of producing the album?
Here’s one article about it with some quotes. Steve Lillywhite’s loss. The band made one of their best albums without him.
https://rushvault.com/2013/07/13/oh-god-rush-hate-me-steve-lillywhite-talks-grace-under-pressure/
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Who here knows the story on the 1st producer pegged to work with the guys on GUP, who backed out of producing the album?
Here’s one article about it with some quotes. Steve Lillywhite’s loss. The band made one of their best albums without him.
https://rushvault.com/2013/07/13/oh-god-rush-hate-me-steve-lillywhite-talks-grace-under-pressure/
I had never seen that, but maybe someone should have explained to Lillywhite that Rush didn't care about writing songs that ended up on pop radio.
Ultimately, it seems clear that Rush and Lillywhite would not have been a good fit.
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I wonder though. Sometimes odd pairing turn out great music. I never thought the guy that produced Air Supply would work for Rush. The guy who produced The Beastie Boys would produce The Avett Brothers (Americana)
I would have loved to hear the end result.
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That fill right at the "I hear the sound of gunfire at the prison gates" part; sounds like my grandson on his electric drum pad we bought him for Christmas!
:lol :lol
Maybe because ASOH got a lot - LOT - of listening (and watching) during my initial deep dive into Rush, I've got no issue with the electronic drums. Frankly, I prefer them over the studio/traditional drums on a few songs.
Just cuz it sounds electronic doesn't mean it's a bad fill. It's a great fill!!
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I know I was not alone in being pretty shocked when The Body Electric was resurrected on the Clockwork Angels tour. I was happy it wasn't played at our show, however, as it was rotated IIRC from night to night with Middletown Dreams, which we got (thankfully!!). :hat :hat
Same here!!! So happy we got that one...
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I wonder though. Sometimes odd pairing turn out great music. I never thought the guy that produced Air Supply would work for Rush. The guy who produced The Beastie Boys would produce The Avett Brothers (Americana)
I would have loved to hear the end result.
I get that, but then again, if that had gone well, it might have changed their direction a little and we might not have gotten Power Windows, so I say bravo for how things turned out. :biggrin: :biggrin:
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Have Grace Under Pressure at #5
A fantastic album that took me a little while to warm up to. By the time I got to this one I had already heard Power Windows, so it's not like I was completely unaware of the synth-version of Rush. But the sound of this one was definitely...weird...? I still don't love the way it sounds, but I've come to think it's oddly appropriate for the themes of the album. Love all the songs minus Red Lenses (which, however, still has its moments). I agree Red Sector A is better live, but it's a great song regardless. If I have to pick a couple of big favorites, I'd probably say Afterimage and Between the Wheels. Such an incredible closer. For some reason, in retrospect at least, I always felt it was the one song with a vibe in the sound that previewed what we'd hear on Power Windows.
My list so far below (Aggregate minus personal ranking in brackets):
19 Rush (0)
18 Caress of Steel (-1)
17 Fly By Night (-4)
16 Snakes & Arrows (2)
15
14 Vapor Trails (1)
13 Test for Echo (3)
12 Clockwork Angels (-2)
11 Presto (0)
10 Roll the Bones (4)
9 Hold Your Fire (3)
8
7
6
5 Grace Under Pressure (3)
4
3 Counterparts (6)
2
1
Current NOOTI (sum of absolute differences): 29 (average 2.42)
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Yep, Steve Lillywhite.
Ditching Broon was, IMO, the biggest mistake Rush ever made.
It's something they had to do. Terry Brown didn't have a lot of interest in producing the band in the direction in which they were headed, and the band had to follow their hearts at the time, so it's something that had to be done.
I understand the reasoning/logic, but I still think it was a mistake. Sometimes logical decisions don't produce the best results.
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Grace Under Pressure: Right in the middle of my ranking at #11 seems right for an album that's all over the place. Generally speaking I don't mind the full plunge into the synth era at all, I just think the album is all over the place.
Fantastic: Between the Wheels, The Body Electric, The Enemy Within, Afterimage
Good, but very overplayed: Red Sector 'A'
Good, but not as good as earlier singles: Distant Early Warning
Pretty awful: Red Lenses, Kid Gloves
Still, a lot more good than bad, especially considering the direction.
19. Rush (0)
18. Caress of Steel (1)
17. Vapor Trails (2)
16. Presto (5)
15. Hold Your Fire (3)
14. Test for Echo (2)
13. Fly By Night (0)
12.
11. Grace Under Pressure (3)
10. Snakes and Arrows (8)
9. Roll the Bones (5)
8.
7. Clockwork Angels (3)
6. Counterparts (3)
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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I had Grace Under Pressure at #10. I do love a number of songs from their Synth Era and 5 of them are on this album. I absolutely love 5 of the 8 songs. The ones I can do without are Kid Gloves, Red Lenses and The Body Electric. The other songs have such well written choruses. So catchy. I distinctly remember this coming out and just how gay the band looked. I was just going in a metal direction at the time. It was such a turnoff. I actually always felt that Distant Early Warning was catchy, but I was so conflicted watching the video.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11
10 Grace Under Pressure
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6
5 Counterparts
4
3
2
1
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Grace Under Pressure came in at #2 for me.
Like Counterparts, I love every second of it.
The Enemy Within was kind of a sleeper for me for a while; liked it perfectly fine, but then over time it snuck up on me and became one of my favorite Rush songs.
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I’m had GUP at #10. It was my first “new” Rush album.
I heard Tom Sawyer in the summer of ‘82 right about the time I started seeing TV ads for the release of Signals. Over the course of the next year, my love for Rush grew to an outright obsession. I even took to calling in to local radio stations as “The Renton Rush Raver” which was also my first BBS persona back in the day. (I’m originally from the suburb of Renton WA, about 30 minutes SE of Seattle).
One day I called in the phone lines and won a free advance copy of GUP on cassette, so I got to hear it a few days early.
I still love this album and we’re starting to get into the territory of “I wish they could all be #1”, but there’s just too much amazing stuff left to go.
I loved almost all of this album out of the gate. I used to be pretty lukewarm on Kid Gloves and The Enemy Within, but they are now among my favorites. Transversely, The Body Electric did not age well at all for me and I now consider it to be the least best song on the album. Red Lenses is a personal favorite and I can’t comprehend the hate that it gets.
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Yep, Steve Lillywhite.
Ditching Broon was, IMO, the biggest mistake Rush ever made.
It's something they had to do. Terry Brown didn't have a lot of interest in producing the band in the direction in which they were headed, and the band had to follow their hearts at the time, so it's something that had to be done.
I understand the reasoning/logic, but I still think it was a mistake. Sometimes logical decisions don't produce the best results.
But a new producer, starting with Grace Under Pressure, resulted in two of the best eight Rush albums, according to those of us here at DTF. :corn
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I had Grace Under Pressure at #10. I do love a number of songs from their Synth Era and 5 of them are on this album. I absolutely love 5 of the 8 songs. The ones I can do without are Kid Gloves, Red Lenses and The Body Electric. The other songs have such well written choruses. So catchy. I distinctly remember this coming out and just how gay the band looked. I was just going in a metal direction at the time. It was such a turnoff. I actually always felt that Distant Early Warning was catchy, but I was so conflicted watching the video.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11
10 Grace Under Pressure
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6
5 Counterparts
4
3
2
1
For a kid jazzed about Defenders Of The Faith, and, later in the year, Powerslave, the image (and the corresponding music) on the Rush album was not an inspired choice. This was more like REM/The Police than anything else; which is fine, except I'd probably rather listen to REM or The Police.
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I had Grace Under Pressure at #10. I do love a number of songs from their Synth Era and 5 of them are on this album. I absolutely love 5 of the 8 songs. The ones I can do without are Kid Gloves, Red Lenses and The Body Electric. The other songs have such well written choruses. So catchy. I distinctly remember this coming out and just how gay the band looked. I was just going in a metal direction at the time. It was such a turnoff. I actually always felt that Distant Early Warning was catchy, but I was so conflicted watching the video.
For a kid jazzed about Defenders Of The Faith, and, later in the year, Powerslave, the image (and the corresponding music) on the Rush album was not an inspired choice.
Yup and yup. Then again, this guy approved...
(https://scontent-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/353666367_647460620749279_8796791816185219029_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=IHItu4HPUSYAX_DLt6S&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.xx&oh=00_AfAC4QG2f3E2Rd93CXQ3NzE57ofuAiJSVzym3dK_QNDRgQ&oe=64910D79)
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I had Grace Under Pressure at #10. I do love a number of songs from their Synth Era and 5 of them are on this album. I absolutely love 5 of the 8 songs. The ones I can do without are Kid Gloves, Red Lenses and The Body Electric. The other songs have such well written choruses. So catchy. I distinctly remember this coming out and just how gay the band looked. I was just going in a metal direction at the time. It was such a turnoff. I actually always felt that Distant Early Warning was catchy, but I was so conflicted watching the video.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11
10 Grace Under Pressure
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6
5 Counterparts
4
3
2
1
For a kid jazzed about Defenders Of The Faith, and, later in the year, Powerslave, the image (and the corresponding music) on the Rush album was not an inspired choice. This was more like REM/The Police than anything else; which is fine, except I'd probably rather listen to REM or The Police.
...or older Rush.
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I think there must some sort of language of 80s fashion that I'm not capable of parsing. I just watched the Distant Early Warning video and if I was told to watch it and Live After Death and then choose which band to describe as "looking gay," I would pick Maiden instantly.
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I think that band photo on GUP is great. Captures the personality of the band, which is somewhere between philosophers, rockers, and The Three Stooges. My brother keeps a small framed copy of this on his mantle like it’s just an old family photo, LOL.
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRhz9KDXxyr60O-kyNTNG_019snX3PqW5QP9w&usqp=CAU)
Anyway, not sure how it’s any worse in terms of rock and roll machismo than this:
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRq4dciQc-mFBQDiO7-QA1qVdAZrRnYWt9zXQ&usqp=CAU)
Or this!
(https://www.treblezine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/rush-2112-promo.jpg)
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OK, you might have a point there. :lol
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Grace Under Pressure - my rank 7. Lots to love about this album but also 3 songs I really am not a fan of, The Body Electric, Kid Gloves and Red Lenses, the other 5 songs are top tier Rush songs. Really great stuff.
My very slim hope of nailing the top 8 in order is already over:
19 Vapor Trails
18 Snakes & Arrows
17 Roll the Bones
16 Test for Echo
15 Presto
14 Hold Your Fire
13 Counterparts
12 Rush
11 Caress of Steel
10 Fly by Night
9 Clockwork Angels
8
7 Grace Under Pressure
6
5
4
3
2
1
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I think there must some sort of language of 80s fashion that I'm not capable of parsing. I just watched the Distant Early Warning video and if I was told to watch it and Live After Death and then choose which band to describe as "looking gay," I would pick Maiden instantly.
I can see your point, and perhaps it's one of those "you had to be there" things, but anyone of Tim's/Bill's/my vintage would absolutely agree with Tim's assessment.
That said, NO ONE thought that hair-blown photo was a good idea. EVER! :lol
-
19. Rush
18. Test for Echo
17. Fly by Night
16. Hold Your Fire
15. Roll The Bones
14. Snakes & Arrows
13. Caress of Steel
12. Vapor Trails
11. Grace Under Pressure
10. Clockwork Angels
9. Counterparts
8. Presto
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
I had it at #11, so a little lower than the consensus. I agree the sound and production are "weak" (for lack of a better word) here. Some good songs though, and Between The Wheels is one of their all-time greats IMO. Looks like I've got the top 7, I bet I don't have them all in the correct order though,
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I think there must some sort of language of 80s fashion that I'm not capable of parsing. I just watched the Distant Early Warning video and if I was told to watch it and Live After Death and then choose which band to describe as "looking gay," I would pick Maiden instantly.
I can see your point, and perhaps it's one of those "you had to be there" things, but anyone of Tim's/Bill's/my vintage would absolutely agree with Tim's assessment.
Yeah, I’m totally not denying it’s a thing, but as someone who wasn’t there, I think it is one where you had to be.
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I think there must some sort of language of 80s fashion that I'm not capable of parsing. I just watched the Distant Early Warning video and if I was told to watch it and Live After Death and then choose which band to describe as "looking gay," I would pick Maiden instantly.
I can see your point, and perhaps it's one of those "you had to be there" things, but anyone of Tim's/Bill's/my vintage would absolutely agree with Tim's assessment.
Yeah, I’m totally not denying it’s a thing, but as someone who wasn’t there, I think it is one where you had to be.
The thing is, it wasn't so much Rush against the other bands, it was Rush against Rush. HOF's pics notwithstanding lol, they had long hair and played guitar rock. From PW to MP to Signals, the transition to synths and keyboards was complete with GUP. And the look was too. They just looked like wimpy nerds. I don't think Rush was a nerd band in the 70's but they and their fans surely were in the 80's.
In the end, their music was undeniable.
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So made an error earlier and said RtB was #14, but in truth I had it at #15 and GUP was #14. At any rate, it's fixed now. This is my least favorite of the Synth Era, but it's still an album I like a lot. The only song that I feel could have been better is The Body Electric. I just don't really care for the binary chorus. Also I'm not sure what peoples issue is with the drums on this album, I think they sound fine and work in the context of the production of the album. Yes, it has a very cold and sometimes harsh production, but it works given the subject matter.
That aside, some highlights are Distant Early Warning, being a fantastic opener. I mean, does Rush even have a bad album opening track? Their worst might be Force Ten and even that's a good song. Afterimage is a wonderful song of nostalgia and feels. Red Sector A is very hard hitting lyrically and musically. Kid Gloves has some really cool riffs and solos. Red Lenses has that funky bass and great drums. And then Between the Wheels is one of the bands best closers.
19. Rush
18. Snakes & Arrows
17. Fly By Night
16. Vapor Trails
15. Roll the Bones
14. Grace Under Pressure
13.
12. Test for Echo
11.
10. Caress of Steel
9. Presto
8. Counterparts
7. Hold Your Fire
6.
5. Clockwork Angels
4.
3.
2.
1.
-
Alright, here we go...
07 2112
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81H0ATrmZcL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (DTwwbwMP, ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 18 (HOF)
I get why some dock this, with the thought that Side 2 is vastly inferior to Side 1, but while the title track is, IMO, the band’s best song ever, Side 2 is still very good, with a few excellent tracks. This was the band’s make or break record, and, well, we know the outcome. This is their most important record ever. I ranked this 4th.
Favorite songs: 2112, The Twilight Zone, Tears, A Passage to Bangkok
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Wow, number 7! That’s shocking.
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Dead on for me. #7. Played this so much as a teen in my bedroom.
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#6 for me. Like Kev said, their make or break album.
Unpopular opinion of mine: While opening the album with the epic was absolutely the right decision at the time, nowadays I prefer it as the album closer.
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Yup, that song would be a great closer. I had it 8th, probably their most overrated album imo because I can’t get into Side B much.
-
07 2112
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81H0ATrmZcL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (DTwwbwMP, ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 18 (HOF)
01 ?
02 ?
03 ?
04 ?
05 ?
06 Caress Of Steel
07 ?
08 2112
09 Fly By Night
10 Vapor Trails
11 Clockwork Angels
12 Counterparts
13 Grace Under Pressure
14 Hold Your Fire
15 Presto
16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 Roll The Bones
19 Rush
Wow, 2112 placed 7th overall? And here I thought putting it at 8th felt low, but I guess I wasn't that far off! That means six of my top seven are in the top six overall - heck yeah!
-Marc.
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12 of the 41 rankers did not have 2112 in their top 10, which is a big reason why it only finished 7th. Numbers 5 and 6, which were neck and neck to the finish, both finished comfortably ahead of 2112 (which we will see at the end once I post the point totals).
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I'm not terribly surprised at this placement - it's right where I had it. 2112 is God-Tier. Plain and simple. Arguably their 'best' song (though, not my fave ... it's in my Top 5 though). The rest of the albums is good-to-very good. 7th feels like the right place to put it. I suspect my #8 will be next, and the Top 5 will be in sync with the consensus (though, unlikely the order). It will be interesting to see who has the lowest OOTI (and thus, has the closest ranking to the consensus). I may figure mine out when all is said and done.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly By Night
17. Snakes & Arrows
16. Test For Echo
15. Vapor Trails
14. Counterparts
13. Rush
12. Grace Under Pressure
11. Hold Your Fire
10. Roll The Bones
9. Presto
8.
7. 2112
6. Clockwork Angels
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
-
I don’t like the song 2112, much less the album 2112. Best thing on the album is Bangkok, and that’s not enough to get it above 18 for me.
I was sooo disappointed when I finally got this album. The hype for this song in particular (at least in the DT circles I was interacting with at the time) was so great and I was expecting it to be great. My knowledge of 70s Rush at that point was limited only to the things you would have heard on the radio, like Bangkok, Fly By Night, and Closer to the Heart. I didn’t really know what I was in for with proggy, heavy 70s Rush (or shrieky Geddy Lee). I was very much not excited about what I heard when I put this on!
I also got into Genesis concurrently with Rush, and I had just heard Foxtrot and Supper’s Ready a few months before I got 2112. I found Supper’s Ready was so much more elegant and mature as a composition. I loved 70s Genesis when I first heard it. This album (and to a lesser extent Fly By Night which I got at the same time but enjoyed a little more) totally put me off 70s Rush for another 10 years!
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Big thanks to HOF for diving in front of the "you put 2112 WHERE?" bullet. :lol
When I submitted my list, I was sure I would be the lowest ranker. When HOF started hinting around it, I wasn't so sure. And sure enough, he went lower than I did.
I had 2112 at #15. There are two main reasons for this:
(1) I'm not the biggest fan of early Rush (see: debut at #19, CoS at #18, FBN at #14). I think their songwriting was shaky until Farewell to Kings, and didn't get really strong until Permanent Waves. These first four albums have some strong tracks, but also some real clunkers. When almost everything after this is pretty strong, that matters. I also am not a fan of the high-pitched Geddy vocals, and I think they're unreasonably piercing on the first four and then progressively get better from AFTK onward.
(2) When ranking albums, the quality of the full experience from start to finish is really important to me. I would rather have an album that's consistently an 8/10 than one half that's 10/10 and one half that's 5/10. Something that annoys me about far too many albums in the 70s and 80s is that they often have one or two bad songs that seem thrown on there to pad out the length. Today, I think the incentives are different and most artists in the prog and metal worlds at least would not do that.
2112 is a bad case of being half of a good album. The title song is very good and has a lot of significance to me as the first side-length epic that I ever heard. I suspect this is the difference between my #15 and HOF's #18. I agree that it is not the most cohesive epic that has ever been written, and today it is far from my favorite, but I think that the story gives it the feeling of a lot more structure than it would otherwise have. They did a really good job of matching the music at each phase to Neil's lyric, so it feels like a really complete and cohesive journey all the way through. And there is some incredible instrumental work here, particularly on the overture and grand finale, which I never tire of. I'm not a huge fan of Rush as writers of epics as opposed to writers of compact, proggy songs, but this one is good and well-worth hearing.
Because of how important the album experience is to me, I would have this higher if it was an EP with just the one song. Or if they hadn't released CoS and had combined the strongest material there with Something for Nothing to create side B of this album. But when I look at what side B actually is, I don't think it's just "not as strong as side A." I think it's just flat-out bad.
The CD/digital media are not doing it any favors, because with LPs at least 2112 just ends and it's over and you don't have to flip the record or flip it immediately. But as I've always heard the album, that amazing Grand Finale, the end of such a powerful story and musical journey, goes right into... Passage to Bangkok, a song about going around the world and smoking weed that features the most hackneyed "oriental" sound ever. It sounds outright farcical. Seriously, people complain about the faux orientalism on Tai Shan, but this song does not let up with the most bland "let's throw in this little melody to convey to people that this scene in our low-budget movie is set in south Asia" bit of music. I think it would be the Rush song I dislike the most (and there are very few I dislike) if Twilight Zone didn't exist. Such a grating sound on that one.
Fortunately, the last three are at least decent. Something for Nothing is a legitimate standout, and it's the other good song here (and the only one that deserves to share a disc with 2112).
---
The end result is that this is the hardest Rush album for me to rank. I love side A, outright dislike side B. In the end, my love for the full album experiences leads me to, when ranking these as albums, put it pretty low—below the likes of Roll the Bones and Fly By Night, which don't reach the same highs, but are pretty consistent. But it does end up above TfE and Counterparts, where I don't think the songwriting is particularly strong (although I could see the latter eclipsing it in the future). And, of course, over the two even more primitive albums.
19. Rush (19)
18. Caress of Steel (17)
17. Test for Echo (16)
16. Counterparts (9)
15. 2112 (7)
14. Fly By Night (13)
13. Roll the Bones (14)
12. Snakes & Arrows (18)
11.
10. Presto (11)
9. Hold Your Fire (12)
8. Vapor Trails (15)
7.
6.
5.
4. Grace Under Pressure (8)
3. Clockwork Angels (10)
2.
1.
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Although I had this album at #8, I was confident it would be top five material on this board. The title track is still a masterpiece, but as time goes by, the less I return to the remaining songs. Bangkok is still a powerful tune, Tears is beautiful and underrated, but still, the album as a whole isn't a ten out of ten.
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Had 2112 at #15...I knew this, along with Counterparts, was going to be my largest departure from consensus (this time in the opposite direction).
What can I say, I got to this album relatively early in my backward discovery of Rush's discography, as I had ready it was pivotal in their history. And it clearly was, as it truly put the band in a position where they could pretty much do whatever they wanted going forward. As for how much I actually like the album, well...my feelings are quite similar to 425's, although I actually don't dislike side 2. The title track of course is classic, mostly based on the strength of the Overture, Temples and Grand Finale. The riffs, the drumming...I mean, that intro is iconic for a reason. Not all of the parts are as good and the story is a bit goofy, but it's a great epic, overall. The rest, yeah, is enjoyable but not quite classic. I enjoy Passage for what it is, and Somethin for Nothing is a good rocker. So, again, a key record, but not one I go back very often.
My list so far below (Aggregate minus personal ranking in brackets):
19 Rush (0)
18 Caress of Steel (-1)
17 Fly By Night (-4)
16 Snakes & Arrows (2)
15 2112 (-7)
14 Vapor Trails (1)
13 Test for Echo (3)
12 Clockwork Angels (-2)
11 Presto (0)
10 Roll the Bones (4)
9 Hold Your Fire (3)
8
7
6
5 Grace Under Pressure (3)
4
3 Counterparts (6)
2
1
Current NOOTI (sum of absolute differences): 36 (average 2.77)
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I had 2112 at #3. I'm kind of surprised how poorly this did and is not considered a Top 5 album. I think Side 2 gets unfairly slogged.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11
10 Grace Under Pressure
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6
5 Counterparts
4
3 2112
2
1
-
Favorite songs: 2112, The Twilight Zone, Tears, A Passage to Bangkok
No Something for Nothing?!?!? That's the BEST song on side 2! (I especially love the AtWaS version)
-
#14 for me, and no real complaints about the album. I just like the majority of them more. I think the title track is awesome, and I enjoy the other tracks for the most part. I kind of agreed with 425 about Passage to Bangkok when I first heard the album, but I guess I've gotten used to it by now and the cliche melody he references isn't something I really think about anymore. Something for Nothing is great, I like Lessons and Tears a lot, and The Twilight Zone is kind of eerie which fits the title perfectly. Great album.
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Favorite songs: 2112, The Twilight Zone, Tears, A Passage to Bangkok
No Something for Nothing?!?!? That's the BEST song on side 2! (I especially love the AtWaS version)
My post was a quick hit, but Something For Nothing is amazing.
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Don't have my rankings easily available but I am genuinely shocked 2112 didn't make top five. I would bet a months salary it was top 5. For me the album recently moved to number 1. It's not just the title track but the other songs are all 10/10
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Like most of the other people, here, I find the title track to be amazing, but side 2 to be lacking a bit. In fact, this entire album feels like a deluxe single, with the B-side literally being a collection of B-sides.
Bangkok is just ok. Twilight Zone is probably the best of the bunch. Lessons and Tears are ok, but feel like filler. Something for Nothing is great the first few times, but the over repetition made it get really old really fast.
I had it at #14.
-
19. Rush
18. Test for Echo
17. Fly by Night
16. Hold Your Fire
15. Roll The Bones
14. Snakes & Arrows
13. Caress of Steel
12. Vapor Trails
11. Grace Under Pressure
10. Clockwork Angels
9. Counterparts
8. Presto
7.
6. 2112
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
I had 2112 at #6. I too think Twilight Zone is the best on side 2. And I also think Tears is underrated. But of course the tittle track makes this album. Clearly a top all-time Rush song and one of the first songs I think of whenever somebody throws out the term “epic”.
-
Good take on Bangkok, 425. It is pretty cringey now that I think about it.
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I had 2112 at number 12. Good album but overrated IMO.
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So I may have put 2112 at #11, but I still love this album. Lessons is probably my least favorite on the album and the live versions of Bangkok are infinitely better than the studio version. 2112 the song is one I can listen to at any time. I especially like the full live version on Different Stages.
19. Rush
18. Snakes & Arrows
17. Fly By Night
16. Vapor Trails
15. Roll the Bones
14. Grace Under Pressure
13.
12. Test for Echo
11. 2112
10. Caress of Steel
9. Presto
8. Counterparts
7. Hold Your Fire
6.
5. Clockwork Angels
4.
3.
2.
1.
-
Favorite songs: 2112, The Twilight Zone, Tears, A Passage to Bangkok
No Something for Nothing?!?!? That's the BEST song on side 2! (I especially love the AtWaS version)
Nope. Good song, but was never a favorite.
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Really sad day on DTF today. I'm struggling but hopefully I will pull through....
I ranked 2112 at number 3. Really shocked it turned up today. Also, I know it previously came out as part of the top 75 song countdown but just can't believe there is not universal love for A Passage to Bangkok - that song rules and like Kev, 2112 the song is my number 1 Rush song.
My current rankings:
19 Vapor Trails
18 Snakes & Arrows
17 Roll the Bones
16 Test for Echo
15 Presto
14 Hold Your Fire
13 Counterparts
12 Rush
11 Caress of Steel
10 Fly by Night
9 Clockwork Angels
8
7 Grace Under Pressure
6
5
4
3 2112
2
1
-
07 2112
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81H0ATrmZcL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (DTwwbwMP, ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 18 (HOF)
I get why some dock this, with the thought that Side 2 is vastly inferior to Side 1, but while the title track is, IMO, the band’s best song ever, Side 2 is still very good, with a few excellent tracks. This was the band’s make or break record, and, well, we know the outcome. This is their most important record ever. I ranked this 4th.
Favorite songs: 2112, The Twilight Zone, Tears, A Passage to Bangkok
Had a feeling this would be next, and I also had it at #7. Hearing the title track for the first time was just incredible. I used to get home from school and put 2112 on the turntable and headphones on and just lie in my bed listening. A few times, I'd fall asleep before the overture ended and wake up to the sound of the needle in the center groove or silence. But I listened over and over and over. When I started playing bass, this was one of the first things I learned by ear (mostly). In our senior year of high school, one of our semesters for English class was an elective, and I took science fiction. One day, I brought 2112 into class and let my teacher borrow it. She was probably in her early 30s and not apparently a hard rock fan, but she gave it a listen and thought it was good. I chuckle at Neil's explanation that it was a bit of an oops that the story was "similar" to the Ayn Rand novella Anthem. I read the novella because of the album. Obviously, the story is more developed in the novella, but it's basically the same thing (but without the suicide). I've grown to enjoy side 2 less and less over the years, but Bangkok is still a kick-ass song.
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 Clockwork Angels (10 - 7)
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 ??
14 Grace under Pressure (8 - 6)
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 Presto (11 - 0)
10 Counterparts (9 - 1)
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 2112 (7 - 0)
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 ??
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
Current POOTI: 59 (avg. 4.538)
The top 6 will be my top 5 plus my #15, which I knew would end up unreasonably high.
Favorite songs: 2112, The Twilight Zone, Tears, A Passage to Bangkok
No Something for Nothing?!?!? That's the BEST song on side 2! (I especially love the AtWaS version)
That's one of the few songs on ATWAS that I don't like at least as must as the studio version. Geddy messed with the vocal melody line significantly, and it has always bugged me.
-
I have this at 3.
-
I'm kind of split over the title track (2112). The first half is amazing, then it drops off in quality after 'IV Presentation'. I lose interest in the second half. Don't know why.
-
I'm kind of split over the title track (2112). The first half is amazing, then it drops off in quality after 'IV Presentation'. I lose interest in the second half. Don't know why.
I was always pissed that they never played Oracle. I dig it. And Grand Finale is one of the best endings to anything. Ever.
-
07 2112
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81H0ATrmZcL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (DTwwbwMP, ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 18 (HOF)
This was the first Rush album I bought when I wanted to get into Rush around 2003. MP3 players were just starting to become popular so I still had my CD player and listened to it right after I bought it at the store. What can I say, it put things into perspective why bands like Dream Theater and others had such a high regard for this band and album and basically put them on the path to their own rise.
I enjoy the hell out of this album and really love the remaining tracks. Had this at #3.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly by Night
17. Vapor Trails
16. Rush
15. Counterparts
14. Test For Echo
13. Hold Your Fire
12.
11. Roll The Bones
10. Snakes & Arrows
9. Grace Under Pressure
8. Clockwork Angels
7. Presto
6.
5.
4.
3. 2112
2.
1.
-
I'm kind of split over the title track (2112). The first half is amazing, then it drops off in quality after 'IV Presentation'. I lose interest in the second half. Don't know why.
I was always pissed that they never played Oracle. I dig it. And Grand Finale is one of the best endings to anything. Ever.
It was played on Different Stages. The entirety of 2112 was played on that live recording.
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I'm kind of split over the title track (2112). The first half is amazing, then it drops off in quality after 'IV Presentation'. I lose interest in the second half. Don't know why.
I was always pissed that they never played Oracle. I dig it. And Grand Finale is one of the best endings to anything. Ever.
It was played on Different Stages. The entirety of 2112 was played on that live recording.
Yeah...I meant to mention that. When they stopped having opening bands on the T4E tour, it allowed for an expanded set list, and the FULL 2112 for the first time was amazing.
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After today's reveal I am going to have to find myself some better beer to get through the rest of this countdown.
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A few times, I'd fall asleep before the overture ended
(https://i.imgflip.com/7pqyd7.jpg)
How the hell??
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06 Signals
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Qw8Fbm5vL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (HOF, jjrock88, Metropolaris)
Lowest Finish: 14 (Cool Chris)
This wasn't a top 5 album for me for the longest time, but I listen to this so much now that I ended up ranking it 5th. I just love the sound of it; it manages to maintain the rock sensibilities of the two prior albums, which we can probably attribute to Terry Brown still being the producer, while integrating more keys and textures (to Brown's chagrin, hence his departure soon thereafter). The fact that Losing It and Chemistry have both been elevated a lot in my eyes in the last decade or so is another reason I view the album as a whole more fondly.
Favorite songs: Subdivisions, The Weapon, Losing It, Digital Man, Chemistry
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Delete
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I'm kind of split over the title track (2112). The first half is amazing, then it drops off in quality after 'IV Presentation'. I lose interest in the second half. Don't know why.
I was always pissed that they never played Oracle. I dig it. And Grand Finale is one of the best endings to anything. Ever.
It was played on Different Stages. The entirety of 2112 was played on that live recording.
Yeah...I meant to mention that. When they stopped having opening bands on the T4E tour, it allowed for an expanded set list, and the FULL 2112 for the first time was amazing.
And I was in the 6th row for that recording. It was in Mansfield, MA. They were on fire that night and it probably was a reason why that recording was chosen.
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Signals was #8 for me. Really 6 throught 9 for me are really close. Like 5 through 1.
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06 Signals
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Qw8Fbm5vL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (HOF, jjrock88, Metropolaris)
Lowest Finish: 14 (Cool Chris)
01 ?
02 ?
03 ?
04 ?
05 ?
06 Caress Of Steel
07 Signals
08 2112
09 Fly By Night
10 Vapor Trails
11 Clockwork Angels
12 Counterparts
13 Grace Under Pressure
14 Hold Your Fire
15 Presto
16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 Roll The Bones
19 Rush
I had Signals at 7, which means my top five are the same top five as the Countdown, which is exciting! But as for Signals, this was always a grower for me. I love all the songs but to varying degrees, and honestly, it probably could've been 6th and that would have been fine as well. But given what the top five are, I'm not sure it could be a top five Rush album for me.
-Marc.
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Signals has taken big leaps for me over the years to be number 2. It’s actually one I came to later as a Rush fan, maybe 10 years after I first started getting into the band. I know I had heard my brother’s copy of it a few times and while I’ve always loved Subdivisions and New World Man, as well as The Analog Kid which I knew from Retrospective II, the others didn’t grab me until I really sat down with it. Even when I first got it it was during a stage in life where my album listening was a it scattered (grad school, young kids). I think it was probably still a few years later before it really took off for me.
Signals is essentially perfect with an amazing flow from start to finish. I realize one has to love Chemistry to say this, but Chemistry is actually the first album track that hooked me. Love that opening, followed by Alex’s repeating lick. Love it as sort of a theme statement about the band. Digital Man is even better, one of my favorite Rush songs now. Love the bass line (one of Geddy’s best), drumming, and lyrics, plus a fun Alex solo. The story behind the lyrics still cracks me up. The one I’ve even more recently come to love is The Weapon, which I needed the lyrics sheet to realize didn’t say “afraid of your lion.” What a solo on that one as well!
Then the closing pair of Losing It and Countdown are just tremendous. Losing It is chilling really. And so is Countdown in a different way. Love the bass and synth work from Geddy on that one. And yes, it still sounds like Red Barchetta but different to me. It’s a really great, proggy song that is up there as far as their closers.
Just a magnificent album, no matter what Terry Brown thinks!
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Catching up, I had 2112 at #15. I like the title track, and I have massive respect for 2112 being the album that allowed the band to travel the path that they did, but I just don’t listen to it very often.
I had Signals at 6, just like the consensus. It’s grown on me a lot in the last ten years. Subdivisions has always been a classic, but I used to feel that the rest of the album fell kinda flat with me. Seeing Digital Man live on the S&A tour was the first signal that I needed to dig deeper, and then The Analog Kid being brought back for the Clockwork Angels tour really helped in giving me the push to dive in. Hence, it is now number 6 on my countdown, and I think that’s a really good place for it.
19. Rush
18. Caress of Steel
17. Roll the Bones
16. Snakes & Arrows
15. 2112
14. Vapor Trails
13. Fly By Night
12. Test For Echo
11. Grace Under Pressure
10. Hold Your Fire
9. Counterparts
8.
7.
6. Signals
5. Clockwork Angels
4. Presto
3.
2.
1.
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Signals landed at 12 for me. I HATED the album when I first heard it but songs like Subdivisions, New World Man, and Digital Man kept me coming back to the record.
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I'm kind of split over the title track (2112). The first half is amazing, then it drops off in quality after 'IV Presentation'. I lose interest in the second half. Don't know why.
I was always pissed that they never played Oracle. I dig it. And Grand Finale is one of the best endings to anything. Ever.
It was played on Different Stages. The entirety of 2112 was played on that live recording.
Yeah...I meant to mention that. When they stopped having opening bands on the T4E tour, it allowed for an expanded set list, and the FULL 2112 for the first time was amazing.
And I was in the 6th row for that recording. It was in Mansfield, MA. They were on fire that night and it probably was a reason why that recording was chosen.
I was 7th row for the bonus DVD on the R40 compilation DVD box set.
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I had Signals at #3. It's fantastic. Countdown is one of their most underrated tunes. I also love The Weapon, The Analog kid, Subdivisions, Losing it. Great stuff.
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2112 (my #8) was my favorite Rush album when I discovered the band back in 88/89. Its ranking scaled down when my love for 80's albums totally grew on me to the stratosphere. I love both sides and I do think 2112 is truly great, although I like a bit better the edited version from ATWAS, as I think it has a better flow. Yes, I think III. Discovery has a brilliant conception and execution, but kind of pauses the song right there. It's a me problem, I feel like that also on DT's Illumination Theory, despite that orchestration part being wonderful.
Signals (my #4) is the perfect blend of PeW/MP with GUP/PoW/HYF. I love almost equally 6 of its songs. I must admit I'm not a super fan of New World Man and Countdown, but I like both, specially Countdown, with that rare (and very cool) Geddy Lee's keyboard solo!
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I dont't know if it was posted above, but the 2112 animated video that they made for one of those 2112's special releases is extremely cool:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5jwxrTqoEA
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I'm kind of split over the title track (2112). The first half is amazing, then it drops off in quality after 'IV Presentation'. I lose interest in the second half. Don't know why.
I was always pissed that they never played Oracle. I dig it. And Grand Finale is one of the best endings to anything. Ever.
It was played on Different Stages. The entirety of 2112 was played on that live recording.
Yeah...I meant to mention that. When they stopped having opening bands on the T4E tour, it allowed for an expanded set list, and the FULL 2112 for the first time was amazing.
And I was in the 6th row for that recording. It was in Mansfield, MA. They were on fire that night and it probably was a reason why that recording was chosen.
I was 7th row for the bonus DVD on the R40 compilation DVD box set.
I didn’t go to either. ;D
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Had Signals at #8
Great album. In my non-linear discovery of Rush's back catalog, this came pretty late. It was the last of the synth-era/Sector 3 albums I got to. As someone noted before, while there's obviously a ton more keyboards/synths in the mix, there are certain things that are not SO incredibly different than what they were doing on Moving Pictures. Some of the open string voicings Alex is using, especially on Subdivisions and Countdown, are very much in line with his guitar work on, say, Tom Sawyer.
Anyway, Subdivisions is an absolute classic and a top 10 Rush song. Losing It is my second favorite on the record. Big fan of The Analog Kid too, and I always found New World Man to be a cool single. While there is no clunker, I don't find the rest to necessarily be top, top shelf-Rush. Regardless, this is one that I always enjoy putting on.
My list so far below (Aggregate minus personal ranking in brackets):
19 Rush (0)
18 Caress of Steel (-1)
17 Fly By Night (-4)
16 Snakes & Arrows (2)
15 2112 (-8)
14 Vapor Trails (1)
13 Test for Echo (3)
12 Clockwork Angels (-2)
11 Presto (0)
10 Roll the Bones (4)
9 Hold Your Fire (3)
8 Signals (-2)
7
6
5 Grace Under Pressure (3)
4
3 Counterparts (6)
2
1
Current NOOTI (sum of absolute differences): 39 (average 2.79)
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06 Signals
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Qw8Fbm5vL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (HOF, jjrock88, Metropolaris)
Lowest Finish: 14 (Cool Chris)
Initially, this was a hard transition for me to get around to, I loved Subdivisions and the last two tracks on first listen but the rest were lukewarm in the beginning. It's a top 10 album for me now ranked#6 and depending on the day can feel like top 2.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly by Night
17. Vapor Trails
16. Rush
15. Counterparts
14. Test For Echo
13. Hold Your Fire
12.
11. Roll The Bones
10. Snakes & Arrows
9. Grace Under Pressure
8. Clockwork Angels
7. Presto
6. Signals
5.
4.
3. 2112
2.
1.
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Love Signals.
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06 Signals
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Qw8Fbm5vL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (HOF, jjrock88, Metropolaris)
Lowest Finish: 14 (Cool Chris)
This wasn't a top 5 album for me for the longest time, but I listen to this so much now that I ended up ranking it 5th. I just love the sound of it; it manages to maintain the rock sensibilities of the two prior albums, which we can probably attribute to Terry Brown still being the producer, while integrating more keys and textures (to Brown's chagrin, hence his departure soon thereafter). The fact that Losing It and Chemistry have both been elevated a lot in my eyes in the last decade or so is another reason I view the album as a whole more fondly.
Favorite songs: Subdivisions, The Weapon, Losing It, Digital Man, Chemistry
With Subdivisions having won the Rush song countdown, I expected Signals to finish in the top five, but alas. Signals had just come out when I was becoming a Rush fan. I saw the videos for Countdown and Subdivisions on MTV, and I was in love. I typically rate Countdown a lot higher than most folks. I wasn't enamored of the album as a whole when I first got it, though. However, aside from The Weapon (the only part of Fear I don't like) and New World Man (a fine song, but a bit of a throwaway), Signals is an EXCELLENT album (although it could use a remix to bump up the guitar on a few songs). I had it at #5.
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 Clockwork Angels (10 - 7)
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 ??
14 Grace under Pressure (8 - 6)
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 Presto (11 - 0)
10 Counterparts (9 - 1)
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 2112 (7 - 0)
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 Signals (6 - 1)
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
Current POOTI: 60 (avg. 4.286)
My POOTI is plummeting. Aside from one major set back that will hopefully happen sooner than later, it will continue to do so.
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Had this #5, kind of a perfect blend of the previous era with more emphasis on concise songwriting and the synths not being too over the top yet.
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I had Signals at #6, which is good news for my TOOTI. But with my #16 and #11 still to come, my TOOTI is about to get a beatdown.
Signals is the first studio album that came out that I bought in real time. I became a fan in the Moving Pictures cycle, bought Exit Stage Left as it was released as well.
I was horrified with my first listen. I couldn't believe my ears. What happened to Rush? What's with all these keyboards? Where's the rock?
If you were to tell me then that this would be my all time #6 album, I'd never have believed you. I chalk it up to two things..
The album has aged well and has a good amount of decent songs but it also means that I never thought all that much of anything they released after.
Obviously a big fan of The Analog Kid, but I also love Digital Man. The Weapon is very cool too.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11
10 Grace Under Pressure
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6 Signals
5 Counterparts
4
3 2112
2
1
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06 Signals
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Qw8Fbm5vL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (HOF, jjrock88, Metropolaris)
Lowest Finish: 14 (Cool Chris)
This wasn't a top 5 album for me for the longest time, but I listen to this so much now that I ended up ranking it 5th. I just love the sound of it; it manages to maintain the rock sensibilities of the two prior albums, which we can probably attribute to Terry Brown still being the producer, while integrating more keys and textures (to Brown's chagrin, hence his departure soon thereafter). The fact that Losing It and Chemistry have both been elevated a lot in my eyes in the last decade or so is another reason I view the album as a whole more fondly.
Favorite songs: Subdivisions, The Weapon, Losing It, Digital Man, Chemistry
With Subdivisions having won the Rush song countdown, I expected Signals to finish in the top five, but alas. Signals had just come out when I was becoming a Rush fan. I saw the videos for Countdown and Subdivisions on MTV, and I was in love. I typically rate Countdown a lot higher than most folks. I wasn't enamored of the album as a whole when I first got it, though. However, aside from The Weapon (the only part of Fear I don't like) and New World Man (a fine song, but a bit of a throwaway), Signals is an EXCELLENT album (although it could use a remix to bump up the guitar on a few songs). I had it at #5.
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 Clockwork Angels (10 - 7)
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 ??
14 Grace under Pressure (8 - 6)
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 Presto (11 - 0)
10 Counterparts (9 - 1)
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 2112 (7 - 0)
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 Signals (6 - 1)
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
Current POOTI: 60 (avg. 4.286)
My POOTI is plummeting. Aside from one major set back that will hopefully happen sooner than later, it will continue to do so.
I know what your #15 is..... :neverusethis: it's Moving Pictures :neverusethis:
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06 Signals
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Qw8Fbm5vL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 2 (HOF, jjrock88, Metropolaris)
Lowest Finish: 14 (Cool Chris)
This wasn't a top 5 album for me for the longest time, but I listen to this so much now that I ended up ranking it 5th. I just love the sound of it; it manages to maintain the rock sensibilities of the two prior albums, which we can probably attribute to Terry Brown still being the producer, while integrating more keys and textures (to Brown's chagrin, hence his departure soon thereafter). The fact that Losing It and Chemistry have both been elevated a lot in my eyes in the last decade or so is another reason I view the album as a whole more fondly.
Favorite songs: Subdivisions, The Weapon, Losing It, Digital Man, Chemistry
With Subdivisions having won the Rush song countdown, I expected Signals to finish in the top five, but alas. Signals had just come out when I was becoming a Rush fan. I saw the videos for Countdown and Subdivisions on MTV, and I was in love. I typically rate Countdown a lot higher than most folks. I wasn't enamored of the album as a whole when I first got it, though. However, aside from The Weapon (the only part of Fear I don't like) and New World Man (a fine song, but a bit of a throwaway), Signals is an EXCELLENT album (although it could use a remix to bump up the guitar on a few songs). I had it at #5.
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 Clockwork Angels (10 - 7)
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 ??
14 Grace under Pressure (8 - 6)
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 Presto (11 - 0)
10 Counterparts (9 - 1)
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 2112 (7 - 0)
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 Signals (6 - 1)
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
Current POOTI: 60 (avg. 4.286)
My POOTI is plummeting. Aside from one major set back that will hopefully happen sooner than later, it will continue to do so.
I know what your #15 is..... :neverusethis: it's Moving Pictures :neverusethis:
Probably the same as my #16.
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I had Signals at #6, which is good news for my TOOTI. But with my #16 and #11 still to come, my TOOTI is about to get a beatdown.
Now I'm wondering which of my top 4 albums you have at 11!
I know what your #15 is..... :neverusethis: it's Moving Pictures :neverusethis:
(https://media.tenor.com/r1aXBFiN79wAAAAM/liar-liar-jim-carrey.gif)
Probably the same as my #16.
(https://media.tenor.com/bs33t6Pa2r8AAAAC/high-five-excited.gif)
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Haha, your 16.
You lose! Lolol.
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Signals - also my number 6. Looks like a few of us nailed this one. Great album but took a long time for me to grow to love. First time hearing those keyboards was just so jarring but overall the band really nailed this style really well on the album and Subdivisions is an all time great song.
Updated rankings:
RANK
19 Vapor Trails
18 Snakes & Arrows
17 Roll the Bones
16 Test for Echo
15 Presto
14 Hold Your Fire
13 Counterparts
12 Rush
11 Caress of Steel
10 Fly by Night
9 Clockwork Angels
8
7 Grace Under Pressure
6 Signals
5
4
3 2112
2
1
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Hey! My first to be right on with the consensus!
I also had Signals at #6. I absolutely LOVE this album. Digital Man is the only weak point on the album for me, but even that has grown on me over the years. It’s inclusion on one of the later tours (I’m sure it was either S&A or Time Machine, but I can’t remember which) caught my attention and caused me to revisit it.
Subdivisions is definitely one of Neil’s all time highlights lyrically. But there are several beauties. The Weapon is probably my #1 song from the album and the live version from the GUP tour with Count Floyd has become the definitive version in my eyes. Even the last minute single NWM manages some incredibly tasty bass licks.
Just a wonderful album.
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I had Signals at number 3. What an amazing album.
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(https://y.yarn.co/08694dd3-209e-4366-b5b0-edb80c958d7e_text.gif)
05 Power Windows
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51DuC5VnqbL._SY355_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (Setlist Scotty, HOF, Kingly Gizz & Liz Wiz Bizzy, Puppies_On_Acid, wolfking)
Lowest Finish: 16 (TAC)
Amazing album on every level. I get the fans who were more used to Rush’s brand of hard rock and wanting more having issues with it, but this was the band branching out and showing that they were able to excel at writing other kinds of rock music. The result was one of the best albums of the 80s AND one of the best albums the band has ever done, hence its top 5 finish here. I ranked it 2nd, as it is probably the album of theirs I listen to the most now (my number 1 is what I think is simply their best album, and the one I have listened to the most in my lifetime). The sound of this album alone is incredible. It’s so big and expansive, fitting the thematic nature of the lyrics perfectly. This is not just the best album of their synth era, but one of their best in general. Just a masterclass of an album, no matter how you slice it.
Favorite songs: Marathon, Territories, Middletown Dreams, Grand Designs, Mystic Rhythms
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I literally cannot believe I rated three album behind this.
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:lol :lol :lol
That’s it?!?
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I literally cannot believe I rated three album behind this.
I can't either. I think you are losing your edge. :lol
(https://i.imgflip.com/7puhdt.jpg)
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05 Power Windows
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51DuC5VnqbL._SY355_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (Setlist Scotty, HOF, Kingly Gizz & Liz Wiz Bizzy, Puppies_On_Acid, wolfking)
Lowest Finish: 16 (TAC)
01 ?
02 ?
03 ?
04 ?
05 Power Windows
06 Caress Of Steel
07 Signals
08 2112
09 Fly By Night
10 Vapor Trails
11 Clockwork Angels
12 Counterparts
13 Grace Under Pressure
14 Hold Your Fire
15 Presto
16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 Roll The Bones
19 Rush
Wow, I was spot-on! This has always been a favorite of mine, even my forum name comes from this album's liner notes! I'm not sure there isn't much I could say that I haven't said before but this is definitely my favorite synth-era/Sector 3 album, narrowly beating Signals, and I was ecstatic when the band decided to play most of these songs on the one tour I saw them. I love these songs so much that I even made a live compilation of the 7 songs they did play live from the album in the 21st century, which shows just how much the band themselves loved the album.
-Marc.
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I had it at #9, mostly on the strength of Marathon which is a Top 5 Rush song for me. Manhattan Project is a standout track as well.
Interesting to see so many having it as #1 here.
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19. Roll The Bones (19-14=5)
18 Vapor Trails (18-15=3)
17 Clockwork Angels (17-11=6)
16 Rush (19-16=3)
15. Grace Under Pressure (15-8=7)
14 Test For Echo (16-14=2)
13 2112 (13-7=6)
12 Caress Of Steel (17-12=5)
11. Power Windows (11-5=6)
10 Snakes And Arrows (18-10=8)
9 Counterparts (9-9=0)
8
7. Fly By Night (13-7=6)
6. Hold Your Fire (12-6=6)
5. Presto (11-5=6)
4 Signals (6-4=2)
3
2
1
BOOTI - 4.73
2112: Something For Nothing is by FAR the best song on the album. 2112 has great moments, but isn't a great work as a whole. Definitely wouldn't break my top five for album-side length epics; not sure it would break my top 10 to be honest (it's not even RUSH'S best epic, IMO). It was, however, the song where I realize that Alex was as special on guitar as Neil and Geddy were on drums and bass.
Signals: what a great album, start to finish. The top five for Rush are very hard to parse for me; this would never be number 1, but it could be anywhere from 2 to 5. The Analog Kid is me! (I had a spot near a lake where I lived that I would sit and read and listen to music and that whole verse evokes that time for me to this day). Chemistry is probably the weak link for me, but tis album is probably the album I like Geddy's singing the most, and for all that I slag that drum fill on p/g (rightfully, Chad!) on the opposite end of the spectrum is the drum fill after the intro to Subdivisions. So beautiful, and so subtle!
Power Windows: Half a good album. Side one is MONEY (Big Money!). Side two is... not. Mystic Rhythms has grown on me over the years, but the rest of side two is not strong. I saw this tour, though, and the presentation of "Manhattan Project" (my favorite song on the album) and "Marathon" were stellar. Really strong (with the lasers). Another solid album cover, too.
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I literally cannot believe I rated three album behind this.
Neither can I!
I didn't rate PoW too high for a long time, but then leading up to the CA tour - and knowing how much of it was going to be played - I spent a bit more time with it, and things just clicked - especially with Territories and Middletown Dreams. The staples from previous tours were always ones I liked; Big Money was kinda cheesy, Manhattan Project was far and away my fave. Marathon and Mystic Rhythms I loved on the strength of A Show of Hands. Grand Designs and Emotion Detector are the least best songs (imo). I ranked it 4th.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly By Night
17. Snakes & Arrows
16. Test For Echo
15. Vapor Trails
14. Counterparts
13. Rush
12. Grace Under Pressure
11. Hold Your Fire
10. Roll The Bones
9. Presto
8. Signals
7. 2112
6. Clockwork Angels
5.
4. Power Windows
3.
2.
1.
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05 Power Windows
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51DuC5VnqbL._SY355_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (Setlist Scotty, HOF, Kingly Gizz & Liz Wiz Bizzy, Puppies_On_Acid, wolfking)
Lowest Finish: 16 (TAC)
Do the 40+ of those that submitted their lists represent the mass of Rush fans for the high ratings of this album?
I like Manhattan Project and Mystic Rhythms a lot but the rest of the album is sorta just ok, when listening to it recently I think I enjoy Hold Your Fire more than Power Windows. I think I would switch places and rank it a little lower instead.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly by Night
17. Vapor Trails
16. Rush
15. Counterparts
14. Test For Echo
13. Hold Your Fire
12. Power Windows
11. Roll The Bones
10. Snakes & Arrows
9. Grace Under Pressure
8. Clockwork Angels
7. Presto
6. Signals
5.
4.
3. 2112
2.
1.
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2112: I had this 5 spots lower than the consensus at #12. My biggest factor in this is that I don't believe the album as a whole deserves to be in the same discussion as the run that came after it. I'll take any 20 minutes you pick from AFtK>MP over the second half of this album, which still isn't bad, mind you. That said, the title track is of course amazing, and what this did for Rush in their history cannot be overstated.
Signals: I had this 2 behind in the #8 spot. Subdivisions may be my favorite of the classic rock radio hits, and is my favorite from the album. The Weapon I've always really loved as well. In thinking back on this album the thing that keeps it from being higher, is it lacks a lot of that top tier songs aside from that. There's a lot to really like, but just not a lot I'm straight over the moon about.
Power Windows: Honestly, I had this at #3, but want to go back and re-rank at #1 to offset Tim's failure. Big Money is actually my least favorite on this album, and is still very good. And then I absolute love every other track on here. This is, to me, unquestionably the high point of the synth era for the band. Was so happy they featured so much from it on the Clockwork Angels tour.
19. Rush (0)
18. Caress of Steel (1)
17. Vapor Trails (2)
16. Presto (5)
15. Hold Your Fire (3)
14. Test for Echo (2)
13. Fly By Night (0)
12. 2112 (5)
11. Grace Under Pressure (3)
10. Snakes and Arrows (8)
9. Roll the Bones (5)
8. Signals (2)
7. Clockwork Angels (3)
6. Counterparts (3)
5.
4.
3. Power Windows (2)
2.
1.
Current POOTI: 2.93
Considering the narrow range of options and spots left, looks like I'm likely to finish with a sub-3 POOTI.
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Love Power Windows
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I had Power Windows at #3. Definitely my favorite of the synth era and one of the best albums of the 80s. I love all of the synth textures and the way they are incorporated into the band's sound. It's big, bold and dramatic, and an album I'm going to listen to right now!
19. Rush
18. Caress of Steel
17. Roll the Bones
16. Snakes & Arrows
15. 2112
14. Vapor Trails
13. Fly By Night
12. Test For Echo
11. Grace Under Pressure
10. Hold Your Fire
9. Counterparts
8.
7.
6. Signals
5. Clockwork Angels
4. Presto
3. Power Windows
2.
1.
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I had Power windows at #2. I love the 80s Rush more than the 70s Rush, it still rocks and gets complex at the appropriate times, but it's gorgeous in terms of melodies. This is probably their peak of that particular era. Pretty much every song on here is fantastic, but if I had to choose my favorites, I'll go with Mystic rhythms, Territories, Grand designs, Middletown dreams and Marathon. Also, Geddy's vocal harmonies on here are amazing.
It's wonderful to see so many people list this as their #1 Rush album, in a world where 2112, Hemispheres and Moving pictures exist. Geddy would probably feel vindicated. ;D
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Do the 40+ of those that submitted their lists represent the mass of Rush fans for the high ratings of this album?
My feeling is that the younger wave of Rush fans have embraced the post-1981 material a lot more than the older fans, many of whom experienced the earlier material in real time and thought they dropped off after Moving Pictures. Because younger fans aren't as emotionally tied to the earlier material, the "I grew up on it" nostalgic mentality isn't a factor for them.
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:hefdaddy
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I had Power Windows at #16. I have grown to enjoy it, but it's still not one of my "go to" Rush discs.
Signals was #6 for me. I really enjoy that record.
2112 is #9, mostly on the strength of side 1. Had side 2 had a couple of "go to" songs, it would have been higher.
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I had Power Windows at #16. I have grown to enjoy it, but it's still not one of my "go to" Rush discs.
And you didn't get the co-title of lowest ranking with Tim? Here we all thought Tim was in a category of his own with that level of failure!! :lol
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Samsara, you had Power Windows 15th on the list you sent me, not 16th.
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Well clearly I love Power Windows. Like Kev said, it’s both my favorite Rush album and one of my favorites of the 80s or any decade really. Such a vibrant, energetic, and well, powerful album. This is Rush sounding so energized and triumphant even. Firing on all cylinders. Competing at the top of their game. You get the picture. I just love everything about this from front to back.
I remember loving the album from the time I first got it. I already knew and loved Big Money, Marathon, and Mystic Rhythms from Retrospective II, and those remain some of my favorite Rush songs. I knew the sound of the album was something I really liked right away. But I don’t know that all of the songs themselves immediately connected, that took some time. I am pretty sure the last two to click for me were Manhattan Project and Territories, but once they did there was no denying that this is my favorite Rush album. Even before then I think I probably would have considered it up there on the strength of the other songs.
Peter Collins took the band to a higher plane sonically here. The drums are so vibrant and big. People criticize Alex in this period, but I love how his tone cuts through. There’s an edge to his playing here, and I feel like this is one of his strongest performances. Geddy is great as always, with the bass being a little more meaty after GUP.
The album explodes out of your speakers with The Big Money and just never lets up. The outro with those big drum rolls is so massive. Then Grand Designs kicks in with a similar energy. I love the lyrics for both of these, and they set the tone for the album so well.
This is the last really proggy Rush album I think, even if it’s more concise than other proggy Rush stuff. Manhattan Project, Marathon, Territories and Mystic Rythm. I think all of it has a prog edge, with the layers of sounds and keyboards. The band really pushed themselves on the “middle 8” sections on this album. Just brilliant instrumental sections throughout. Middle Town Dreams is a great example.
Emotion Detector is the most underrated Rush song, and was in my top 3 Rush songs when we ranked the top 75. The lyrics are so good, and I love the middle section. A top tier Alex moment. Such a unique but wonderful Rush song that really puts this album over the top for me.
I’m slightly disappointed that Power Windows couldn’t break up the late 70s-early 80s run, because at least one of those 4 remaining albums is dreadfully overrated in my book. But I’m glad we got it to number 5 at least!
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Power Windows was number 10 for me. Marathon is a top 3 rush song for me. The music perfectly captures the spirit of the lyrics. The rest of the album is ight.
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Samsara, you had Power Windows 15th on the list you sent me, not 16th.
Whoops! My bad. That was a typo here on the board. Yes, 15th.
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Samsara, you had Power Windows 15th on the list you sent me, not 16th.
Whoops! My bad. That was a typo here on the board. Yes, 15th.
It was a solid attempt to try and get on that wall of shame with Tim. :lol :P
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Samsara, you had Power Windows 15th on the list you sent me, not 16th.
Whoops! My bad. That was a typo here on the board. Yes, 15th.
It was a solid attempt to try and get on that wall of shame with Tim. :lol :P
:lol
I mean, the moment he speaks on Promised Land I'd just throw him off the wall, so... :rollin
In all honesty, if we did this poll a few more years down the road, Power Windows may creep up on my list. I DO like it. I just never gave the synth era a proper examination until a few years ago.
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05 Power Windows
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51DuC5VnqbL._SY355_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (Setlist Scotty, HOF, Kingly Gizz & Liz Wiz Bizzy, Puppies_On_Acid, wolfking)
Lowest Finish: 16 (TAC)
Amazing album on every level. I get the fans who were more used to Rush’s brand of hard rock and wanting more having issues with it, but this was the band branching out and showing that they were able to excel at writing other kinds of rock music. The result was one of the best albums of the 80s AND one of the best albums the band has ever done, hence its top 5 finish here. I ranked it 2nd, as it is probably the album of theirs I listen to the most now (my number 1 is what I think is simply their best album, and the one I have listened to the most in my lifetime). The sound of this album alone is incredible. It’s so big and expansive, fitting the thematic nature of the lyrics perfectly. This is not just the best album of their synth era, but one of their best in general. Just a masterclass of an album, no matter how you slice it.
Favorite songs: Marathon, Territories, Middletown Dreams, Grand Designs, Mystic Rhythms
At least it didn't make the top 4, which means I nailed the top 4, with only the order to be determined. POW was my #15. The Big Money is ok. Geddy started playing differently, and the Wal bass was only a marginal improvement over the Steinberger. The guitar sounds were much better than GUP. The big issue with POW was all of the obtrusive synth stabs and sequenced nonsense. There are solid melodies here and there, but they're almost always neutered by obnoxious synth/sequencer patches. The best song by miles is Marathon, which is mostly devoid of the synth nonsense. Geddy plays off the charts, the drumming is great, and Alex's playing is tasteful. Side 2 is where we really have problems. Territories and Mystic Rhythms are songs without anything redeeming. When I was first playing bass, my teacher told me to find a song I don't like by a band I do like, so I picked MR. Middletown Dreams and Emotion Detector are solid but nothing special.
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 Clockwork Angels (10 - 7)
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 Power Windows (5 - 10)
14 Grace under Pressure (8 - 6)
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 Presto (11 - 0)
10 Counterparts (9 - 1)
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 2112 (7 - 0)
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 Signals (6 - 1)
4 ??
3 ??
2 ??
1 ??
Current POOTI: 70 (avg. 4.667)
Do the 40+ of those that submitted their lists represent the mass of Rush fans for the high ratings of this album?
My feeling is that the younger wave of Rush fans have embraced the post-1981 material a lot more than the older fans, many of whom experienced the earlier material in real time and thought they dropped off after Moving Pictures. Because younger fans aren't as emotionally tied to the earlier material, the "I grew up on it" nostalgic mentality isn't a factor for them.
That's consistent with what I've seen on other forums. POW seems to be highly-regarded across the fan base.
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My #3 album, and absolutely Neil’s #1 lyrical masterpiece. Territories being the best of the best. And my signature reflects my absolute favorite line by anyone ever in the history of music.
Neil Peart is to me…without hesitation…what Bob Dylan was to nearly everybody that went through the 60s.
Power Windows was THE album that won me back over to Rush fandom after basically getting burned out on listening to almost nothing but Rush for almost 4 years, and starting to delve into much heavier material during that phase of my life. Rush just seemed to be going in a different direction than I was, so I didn’t even bother picking up Power Windows when it came out. But then I had a friend who got the cassette, didn’t care for it, knew I liked Rush, and gave it to me.
Big Money didn’t blow me away, and to this day it’s my least favorite of the album. But then the opening of Grand Designs hit me immediately, and then following that with Manhattan Project and Marathon got me completely hooked. The thing that always separated Rush from their contemporaries during the synth era was the actual playing. Even within the “wall of synths” (which were really just texture) there were really tasty bass lines and Neil was playing his ass off. And someone mentioned earlier, Alex’s guitar cuts through everything (that’s an excellent description). The production is fantastic. You can hear EVERYTHING.
Just a masterpiece in every way. Still probably the album I actually reach for more than any other.
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PoW is my # 5 and no doubt is an amazing album. I think it's better than HYF (which I also love and think they sound a lot alike) because it has more consistency among the songs and more gorgeous instrumental sections and indeed excellent guitar solos, where Neil and Geddy are also giving all they can. The only thing that I dislike is, in Emotion Detector, that terrible keyboard line (starts at 0:49 and repeats at 1:38) and the electronic drums at the beginning, that almost ruins the song for me.
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Had Power Windows at #4
Well, Tim managed at least to be the lowest ranker. That counts for something :biggrin:
Fantastic, fantastic album. It battles with Counterparts for my personal Rush top 3. In my Rush discovery, this came after Counterparts (which, again, was the first), Fly By Night and 2112...so you all can imagine how...interesting...of a journey that was. What struck me right away with Power Windows, in addition to the synth-heavy sound of course, was how fantastic the choruses were, in general. It was one after the other, so catchy that it almost didn't feel right ;) Then slowly figuring out how amazing the playing was, the interplay between Geddy and Neil and the incredible textures Alex provides.
Absolutely LOVE the "M" songs...Manhattan Project, Marathon, Mystic Rhythms and - my favorite - Middletown Dreams. That one made my top 10 in the songs countdown and I love everything about it. The intro, the verses, that amazing chorus, the middle-aged Madonna bridge and the whole reprise and coda of the song. Grand Designs is up there too. I was just so incredibly happy they dug out Grand Designs and Middletown Dreams on the Clockwork Angels tour, I never thought I'd be catching those songs live.
Well, I guess the album did a little worse as an "album" than as a collection of ranked songs (it was #2 that way), but it makes sense given that some of the late 70s classics have the disadvantage of the smaller number of songs. I'll happily take a top 5, anyway :)
My list so far below (Aggregate minus personal ranking in brackets):
19 Rush (0)
18 Caress of Steel (-1)
17 Fly By Night (-4)
16 Snakes & Arrows (2)
15 2112 (-8)
14 Vapor Trails (1)
13 Test for Echo (3)
12 Clockwork Angels (-2)
11 Presto (0)
10 Roll the Bones (4)
9 Hold Your Fire (3)
8 Signals (-2)
7
6
5 Grace Under Pressure (3)
4 Power Windows (1)
3 Counterparts (6)
2
1
Current NOOTI (sum of absolute differences): 40 (average 2.67)
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Territories and Mystic Rhythms are songs without anything redeeming.
(https://media.riffsy.com/images/f89543acb3c01a7f08bd8b532c5d52d9/raw)
Those are my #2 and #3 songs on the album!
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I read some of these testimonials, and while I'm really glad that music has been able to touch some of you in that way... just not seeing it. I'm not in the "it sucks" camp, but I'm just not seeing the superlatives.
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My #1 of all time. I've said this before, but this album is so uplifting. I always feel better after listening to it. I did find it odd that rush played Grand designs as an encore on that tour though.
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Popped a few gummies at the airport and I'm currently listening to Power Windows now, damnit maybe I ranked it too low.
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Samsara, you had Power Windows 15th on the list you sent me, not 16th.
Whoops! My bad. That was a typo here on the board. Yes, 15th.
It was a solid attempt to try and get on that wall of shame with Tim. :lol :P
:lol
I mean, the moment he speaks on Promised Land I'd just throw him off the wall, so... :rollin
I am pretty sure there's a line of people ready to assist in the throw. :P
I read some of these testimonials, and while I'm really glad that music has been able to touch some of you in that way... just not seeing it. I'm not in the "it sucks" camp, but I'm just not seeing the superlatives.
See, this is why you need to listen to the album so you hear it. ;)
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I read some of these testimonials, and while I'm really glad that music has been able to touch some of you in that way... just not seeing it. I'm not in the "it sucks" camp, but I'm just not seeing the superlatives.
There’s just something about the sound and energy of the album that captures my thoughts and carries them away. It bursts out of the speakers like the Enola Gay riding out of the shockwave on an August day. The melodies drive me when I’m down. The music stirs up the secret wells of emotion buried deep in my heart. It’s the peak of the Rush catalog that is never passed. It holds it’s ground in my CD player and keeps spinning round and round and round.
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Popped a few gummies at the airport and I'm currently listening to Power Windows now, damnit maybe I ranked it too low.
Maybe make 2 lists next time, pre gummies and post gummies...
Signals would've been a firm #1 for me, just adore everything about that album. Power Windows an easy top 5.
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By the way, in the Rush songs countdown, POW was one of four albums to place 100% of its songs in the top 75 (the other three have yet to be revealed here). It had only one song in the top 20 (Marathon at #10), but six of the other songs ranked between 22-37 (Emotion Detector was the lowest ranked song at #66).
Based solely on the top 75, POW ranked #2. If you rank based on points per song, however, it ranked #4, with the four remaining albums coming in at 1-3 and 5, so this countdown is consistent with the song countdown, although the order is different.
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I read some of these testimonials, and while I'm really glad that music has been able to touch some of you in that way... just not seeing it. I'm not in the "it sucks" camp, but I'm just not seeing the superlatives.
There’s just something about the sound and energy of the album that captures my thoughts and carries them away. It bursts out of the speakers like the Enola Gay riding out of the shockwave on an August day. The melodies drive me when I’m down. The music stirs up the secret wells of emotion buried deep in my heart. It’s the peak of the Rush catalog that is never passed. It holds it’s ground in my CD player and keeps spinning round and round and round.
Well, you happen to quote one of the two best songs on the album, by a long shot. :)
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I read some of these testimonials, and while I'm really glad that music has been able to touch some of you in that way... just not seeing it. I'm not in the "it sucks" camp, but I'm just not seeing the superlatives.
There’s just something about the sound and energy of the album that captures my thoughts and carries them away. It bursts out of the speakers like the Enola Gay riding out of the shockwave on an August day. The melodies drive me when I’m down. The music stirs up the secret wells of emotion buried deep in my heart. It’s the peak of the Rush catalog that is never passed. It holds it’s ground in my CD player and keeps spinning round and round and round.
I love this!
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I read some of these testimonials, and while I'm really glad that music has been able to touch some of you in that way... just not seeing it. I'm not in the "it sucks" camp, but I'm just not seeing the superlatives.
There’s just something about the sound and energy of the album that captures my thoughts and carries them away. It bursts out of the speakers like the Enola Gay riding out of the shockwave on an August day. The melodies drive me when I’m down. The music stirs up the secret wells of emotion buried deep in my heart. It’s the peak of the Rush catalog that is never passed. It holds it’s ground in my CD player and keeps spinning round and round and round.
:tup
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Catching up from the weekend:
7 2112 - Fantastic album. I had it higher than the consensus here, at # 3. Frankly, I'm shocked that it didn't crack the Top 5 on this list.
6 Signals - Pretty close to the consensus. I had this one at # 5.
5 Power Windows - I had this one a little lower, at # 11. Still a fantastic album, no doubt.
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OK, I suppose I just can't skip this entry.
I will say that I had 4 Power Windows songs in my Rush Top 75.
The Manhatten Project..32
Mystic Rhythms...43
Territories...50
Marathon...60
My first Rush show was the Power Windows tour. My friend bugged me to go, but it wasn't a great concert. It was early in the tour, and the band, well, Geddy seemed not very happy. I was about 7-8 rows right in front of him, and he seems preoccupied with something.
Plus..he kept saying "We'd like to play another song from Power Windows." ANOTHER song?? WTF?
I didn't know the album at all. I knew Big Money but that's it. Another friend of mine recorded it, and I could not believe they's put such a dense song like Grand Designs in the encore.
When I finally heard Power Windows, the only song I liked was Territories. It was the only one that actually resembled a rock song.
I did go see them on the HYF tour and then is when I really started to see some promise in a few songs, which was cemented on A Show Of Hands. In particular, The Manhattan Project and Marathon are tremendous live songs. Only The Manhattan Project holds up on the album version. I find Marathon to be quite underwhelming on the album. The same can be said about Mystic Rhythms. Even though I rated it pretty high, it's really the Show Of Hands version that stands out. The other half of the album can pretty much pound sand, although I will say that when Middletown Dreams gets there, it really gets there, but similar to The Pass, it really only needs to be a 30 second song.
I absolutely hate the sound. It is so drowned in keyboards. I think that's why the live versions appeal to me much more. Everything on this album is so layered and the songs are just buried in sound.
I have always found Grace Under Pressure much more immediate. Power Windows just doesn't entice me to wade through all of the mess to get to the actual songs underneath.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16 Power Windows
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11
10 Grace Under Pressure
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6 Signals
5 Counterparts
4
3 2112
2
1
My TOOTI just took a big hit, and there's another one coming..
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I will say that I had 4 Power Windows songs in my Rush Top 75.
The Manhatten Project..32
Mystic Rhythms...43
Territories...50
Marathon...60
Ha! Loser! :biggrin:
I had three - Marathon (40), Manhattan Project (61) and Middletown Dreams (68).
When I finally heard Power Windows, the only song I liked was Territories. It was the only one that actually resembled a rock song.
Ummm.... :|
My TOOTI just took a big hit, and there's another one coming..
A well-deserved hit! :P
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I didn't rate it quite so low, but I can't really argue with TAC.
I saw that tour too, and Marathon and Manhattan Project were EPIC. I like Big Money, too. Mystic Rhythms takes on a life of it's own on A Show Of Hands. But the album falls off precipitously after that...
The difference between TAC and I on this, is that I think p/g is even WORSE. :)
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I’m not a concert goer. It’s weird to me to have live performances affect your view of an album (either positively or negatively), but I guess it makes some sense that the songs themselves might present themselves to you better or worse live. Just not really something I can relate to. Rush in particular I’ve never really gotten into any of their live albums besides R30, so I couldn’t even say how any of the PW songs played live even from the recordings. But I will say I can only imagine the Power Windows songs being worse live without the pristine studio sound/mix and instrumentation.
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See, the rock song thing is where the argument falls apart. Who cares if it sounds like a rock song or not? A good song is a good song, and they come in many shapes and sizes. I mean, I get thinking that in the 80s when music fans were really segregated - rock fans wanted only rock music, new wave fans wanted only new wave, etc. - but I would like to think most of us have evolved past that, with certain obvious exceptions. ;)
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See, the rock song thing is where the argument falls apart. Who cares if it sounds like a rock song or not? A good song is a good song, and they come in many shapes and sizes. I mean, I get thinking that in the 80s when music fans were really segregated - rock fans wanted only rock music, new wave fans wanted only new wave, etc. - but I would like to think most of us have evolved past that, with certain obvious exceptions. ;)
Well, 1986, the only song that appealed to me was Territories. And it was because it had a harder edge to it.
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I have always found Grace Under Pressure much more immediate.
Agreed on that point. I have to work a lot harder to enjoy Power Windows. But given today, I am going to throw it on during the commute home.
My TOOTI just took a big hit, and there's another one coming..
Did I miss the fuckin' memo on "TOOTI?" What in the hell is that, and how is it computed?
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I have always found Grace Under Pressure much more immediate.
Agreed on that point. I have to work a lot harder to enjoy Power Windows. But given today, I am going to throw it on during the commute home.
Jeesh, you'd think the commute home would be bad enough.
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The definition is Tim talking out of his ass. I'm sticking with it.
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Power Windows - This is an album that I used to really dislike but I have continued to return to it mainly influenced by the love of the album on this forum. In my world, this album is not regarded highly at all in the Rush catalogue. I know this doesn't mean much but for an example I just googled 'ranking Rush albums' and the first four lists I looked at had the album ranked at 11, 10, 7 and 11. So I consider the overall (minus TAC, Samsara, pg etc) outpouring of love for this album on this forum to be an outlier however it has really helped me appreciate this album. I ranked it number 8 .
19 Vapor Trails
18 Snakes & Arrows
17 Roll the Bones
16 Test for Echo
15 Presto
14 Hold Your Fire
13 Counterparts
12 Rush
11 Caress of Steel
10 Fly by Night
9 Clockwork Angels
8 Power Windows
7 Grace Under Pressure
6 Signals
5
4
3 2112
2
1
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So I consider the overall (minus TAC, Samsara, pg etc) outpouring of love for this album on this forum to be an outlier
Preach it, brother!
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Actually, it's ranked around 7 or 8 in most lists you search for online.
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I have always found Grace Under Pressure much more immediate.
Agreed on that point. I have to work a lot harder to enjoy Power Windows. But given today, I am going to throw it on during the commute home.
My TOOTI just took a big hit, and there's another one coming..
Did I miss the fuckin' memo on "TOOTI?" What in the hell is that, and how is it computed?
Basically, it's an average of how far off your ranking is from the consensus.
So if you have one album 2 higher than average, another 4 higher than average, and a last one 3 lower than average, your SOOTI would be 3. (2+4+3)/3
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Actually, it's ranked around 7 or 8 in most lists you search for online.
It wasn't in the first four lists I went to but I would say that on average you are right that it is ranked around 7/8 but here we have a number of 1s, 2s and 3s. I have never seen this album so highly regarded anywhere else. It obviously really hits a sweet spot for a number of people on this forum.
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Actually, it's ranked around 7 or 8 in most lists you search for online.
It wasn't in the first four lists I went to but I would say that on average you are right that it is ranked around 7/8 but here we have a number of 1s, 2s and 3s. I have never seen this album so highly regarded anywhere else. It obviously really hits a sweet spot for a number of people on this forum.
Lot of softies on this forum.
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Actually, it's ranked around 7 or 8 in most lists you search for online.
It wasn't in the first four lists I went to but I would say that on average you are right that it is ranked around 7/8 but here we have a number of 1s, 2s and 3s. I have never seen this album so highly regarded anywhere else. It obviously really hits a sweet spot for a number of people on this forum.
1st 4 I looked at had it in the top 10.
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Yeah, you have the 65-year old Rush fan who probably stills thinks they never topped In the End or Working Man, but like I said earlier, the younger wave of Rush fans in the last 20 years has really altered the way many Rush albums are now viewed on a macro level. The most popular run then is pretty much still the most most popular run now (see: the top 4 still to come), but the In the End and Working Man truthers who were once the majority and used to shit all over the synth era are now in the vast minority and clutching to their walkers and saying, "Give me rock!"
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Did I miss the fuckin' memo on "TOOTI?" What in the hell is that, and how is it computed?
This was my doing. I wanted to see how out-of-touch I was with the consensus. For each album, I took the absolute value of the difference between my ranking and the consensus. Then I summed up those numbers and divided by how many albums had been revealed to get an average. To have some fun with it, I called it "Paul's out-of-touch index" or "POOTI." Others have adopted it, so Tim has a TOOTI, Bill a BOOTI and Cool Chris a CCOOTI.
If you want to be fancy:
∑ (|(M – C)|)
POOTI = ____________
N
M = my ranking for each album; C = the consensus ranking for each album; N = number of albums revealed
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I called it "Paul's out-of-touch index" or "POOTI." Others have adopted it, so Tim has a POOTI, Bill a BOOTI and Cool Chris a CCOOTI.
Tim actually has a TOOTI. :lol
Which means Kingshmegland has KOOTIes!
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I actually listened to Power Windows today, coincidentally, and if I’m not in “I want guitar hero” mode there’s some really good stuff here. I had it 10th but I can sympathize with TAC’s view as normally I like a heavier guitar sound, but Geddy and Neil are killing it as always.
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I called it "Paul's out-of-touch index" or "POOTI." Others have adopted it, so Tim has a POOTI, Bill a BOOTI and Cool Chris a CCOOTI.
Tim actually has a TOOTI. :lol
Which means Kingshmegland has KOOTIes!
I'm going to rooto rooter you. :lol
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I am not calculating my OOTI till the end, but I anticipated it being among the highest of those participating. Now I see the final 4 are my 1, 2, 3, and 5 (and the difference between my 4 and 5 is razor thin). This is the point in the countdown I have been waiting for, seeing how the final 4 fall in to place.
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I'm adding at least another 7 to my TOOTI. One of the final four didn't even make my Top 10.
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Even I am eyeballing it correctly, only four people who submitted a list had the cumulative top 4 as their top 4 (not talking order, just having the top 4).
And there is one who only had one of the top 4 albums in his top 10.
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Even I am eyeballing it correctly, only four people who submitted a list had the cumulative top 4 as their top 4 (not talking order, just having the top 4).
And there is one who only had one of the top 4 albums in his top 10.
It’s me!
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Even I am eyeballing it correctly, only four people who submitted a list had the cumulative top 4 as their top 4 (not talking order, just having the top 4).
And there is one who only had one of the top 4 albums in his top 10.
Seems like you haven't given us as many of these stats as you usually do. As a stat geek I love this stuff!
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Paul is acting as Deputy Stat Manager.
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Actually, it's ranked around 7 or 8 in most lists you search for online.
It wasn't in the first four lists I went to but I would say that on average you are right that it is ranked around 7/8 but here we have a number of 1s, 2s and 3s. I have never seen this album so highly regarded anywhere else. It obviously really hits a sweet spot for a number of people on this forum.
Lot of softies on this forum.
There’s medication you can take for that.
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Even I am eyeballing it correctly, only four people who submitted a list had the cumulative top 4 as their top 4 (not talking order, just having the top 4).
And there is one who only had one of the top 4 albums in his top 10.
Seems like you haven't given us as many of these stats as you usually do. As a stat geek I love this stuff!
It's harder to do with an albums countdown, as too many stats or hints could give stuff away. Not that there is a big mystery here, but I just think it's a bit more fun to not give too much away until the reveals.
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Too low. Fucking amazing album. The atmosphere, the soundscapes, the production, the songwriting, the performances. It has it all.
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Actually, it's ranked around 7 or 8 in most lists you search for online.
It wasn't in the first four lists I went to but I would say that on average you are right that it is ranked around 7/8 but here we have a number of 1s, 2s and 3s. I have never seen this album so highly regarded anywhere else. It obviously really hits a sweet spot for a number of people on this forum.
Lot of softies on this forum.
Yet I ranked it number 1! ;D
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Actually, it's ranked around 7 or 8 in most lists you search for online.
It wasn't in the first four lists I went to but I would say that on average you are right that it is ranked around 7/8 but here we have a number of 1s, 2s and 3s. I have never seen this album so highly regarded anywhere else. It obviously really hits a sweet spot for a number of people on this forum.
Lot of softies on this forum.
Yet I ranked it number 1! ;D
(https://i.imgflip.com/7px8bm.jpg)
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I had Power Windows at #2, behind only Grace Under Pressure.
Manhattan Project, Marathon, and Middletown Dreams are all incredible songs, but I think the best one of all is Mystic Rhythms, which is tied with Subdivisions as my all-time favorite Rush song.
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Fully expecting my personal #1 album to be revealed as #4 on the list come the morning.
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Actually, it's ranked around 7 or 8 in most lists you search for online.
It wasn't in the first four lists I went to but I would say that on average you are right that it is ranked around 7/8 but here we have a number of 1s, 2s and 3s. I have never seen this album so highly regarded anywhere else. It obviously really hits a sweet spot for a number of people on this forum.
Lot of softies on this forum.
Yet I ranked it number 1! ;D
(https://i.imgflip.com/7px8bm.jpg)
More like
(https://i.imgflip.com/7pxf0e.jpg)
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More like
(https://i.imgflip.com/7pxf0e.jpg)
:metal
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See, the rock song thing is where the argument falls apart. Who cares if it sounds like a rock song or not? A good song is a good song, and they come in many shapes and sizes. I mean, I get thinking that in the 80s when music fans were really segregated - rock fans wanted only rock music, new wave fans wanted only new wave, etc. - but I would like to think most of us have evolved past that, with certain obvious exceptions. ;)
Well, 1986, the only song that appealed to me was Territories. And it was because it had a harder edge to it.
As much as I love the album, I can actually agree with the perception that Territories is the hardest rocking song on the album. That pre-chorus goes hard, man. :metal
I am also surprised that this album ended up in the top five, as I don't see it anywhere else in the top five. It just goes the show that this board is the only one that really gets it. :tup
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More like
(https://i.imgflip.com/7pxf0e.jpg)
:metal
I love PoW! I had it at 7. I feel left out. :)
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04 A Farewell to Kings
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61tN4RNFKWL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (jingle.boy, Nick)
Lowest Finish: 15 (HOF)
Like another from its era, this is a tough one for me to rank. It's obviously a great album, but I rarely listen to it from start to finish, and that has been the case for a long time now. I still ranked it 7th, on the strength of it having a top 3 Rush tune (Xanadu) and four other good songs, with Madrigal the only stinker. This was the album where Rush starting using more keyboards and other sounds (Neil added a lot of different percussion elements to his kit). Rush was still very much in their hard rock state of mind, even with the progressive elements really being fleshed out, making for a unique blend of hard rock and prog, something not seen much at the time (or acknowledged, since many thought the UK had a monopoly on prog and how dare a Canadian band try to do prog!).
Favorite songs: Xanadu, Closer to the Heart, Cinderella Man, A Farewell to Kings
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04 A Farewell to Kings
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61tN4RNFKWL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (jingle.boy, Nick)
Lowest Finish: 15 (HOF)
01 ?
02 ?
03 A Farewell To Kings
04 ?
05 Power Windows
06 Caress Of Steel
07 Signals
08 2112
09 Fly By Night
10 Vapor Trails
11 Clockwork Angels
12 Counterparts
13 Grace Under Pressure
14 Hold Your Fire
15 Presto
16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 Roll The Bones
19 Rush
I had a feeling this one was next, even though I had it third in my ranking. The epics are standouts for me, obviously, but the title track has some very cool proggy moments as well. The other shorter tracks range from great (CTTH) to alright (Madrigal), with "Cinderella Man" sitting somewhere in the middle.
Can't wait to see how the podium shakes out with the final three. I have a feeling my number 4 will be number 1, but that would be very expected. :lol
-Marc.
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Fully expecting my personal #1 album to be revealed as #4 on the list come the morning.
Highest Finish: 1 (jingle.boy, Nick)
And there it is. :D
As much as I love this album, I have absolutely no issue with the three placed ahead of it. At this point it's like asking if you'd like a million dollars in hundreds or fifties, I'm not complaining either way.
But for this album especially, there is a reason I have it at #1.
A Farewell to Kings: I think Xanadu and Cygnus rightfully get pegged as the heavy hitters of the album, but frankly I think the opening track deserves to be right up in that group as well. And that leads right into...
Xanadu: My favorite song of all time, across any band.
Closer to the Heart: Look, there are about 10 Rush songs I never need to hear again, this among them, but hot damn is this a fantastic short single.
Cinderella Man: Easily one of the most overlooked and underappreciated songs in Rush's discography.
Madrigal: It's hard to compare this to the rest and take it aside and say this is a flawless track. However, it's a beautiful 2:35 that doesn't detract anything. It's a bit of a breather from everything else and then that leads right into...
Cygnus X-1: I'll say now I slightly prefer Hemispheres as a song, but that doesn't mean this doesn't deserve every bit of praise it gets to close out this album.
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I had this at 15 largely on the strength of Closer to the Heart, which might be the best song Rush wrote in the 70s. I appreciate that the band’s sound did mature somewhat here, and I do think this album is a step up from 2112, but there are only two tracks here that I like and four that I just don’t care for at all.
Beyond Closer to the Heart, Xanadu at least has that really cool opening section and some nice instrumental passages (the vocals are still a bit grating). There isn’t really anything I enjoy about the other 4 tracks on the album, with Cygnus remaining one of the more baffling Rush songs to me. I was really hoping Power Windows would place ahead of this album!
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Love A Farewell to Kings
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I had this one at #12. It's good, but I don't love it as much as other people love it. The title track for example never clicked with me. The epics are brilliant, though, especially the closer. :tup
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19. Roll The Bones (19-14=5)
18 Vapor Trails (18-15=3)
17 Clockwork Angels (17-11=6)
16 Rush (19-16=3)
15. Grace Under Pressure (15-8=7)
14 Test For Echo (16-14=2)
13 2112 (13-7=6)
12 Caress Of Steel (17-12=5)
11. Power Windows (11-5=6)
10 Snakes And Arrows (18-10=8)
9 Counterparts (9-9=0)
8
7. Fly By Night (13-7=6)
6. Hold Your Fire (12-6=6)
5. Presto (11-5=6)
4 Signals (6-4=2)
3. A Farewell To Kings (4-3=1)
2
1
BOOTI: 72/16=4.5
I LOVE AFTK. I think the title track is one of the best songs they've ever done (it was Number 2 on my song list, just behind La Villa Strangiato). It's the perfect mix of guitar, drums, metal, melody, prog, whatever. I love it. The only song I really don't care for is Cygnus, and it's not like that song is BAD, it has its moments, it just doesn't compare to the rest of the album.
Closer To The Heart is (was?) my ring tone for my parents. :heart
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I had this at 15 largely on the strength of Closer to the Heart, which might be the best song Rush wrote in the 70s. I appreciate that the band’s sound did mature somewhat here, and I do think this album is a step up from 2112, but there are only two tracks here that I like and four that I just don’t care for at all.
Beyond Closer to the Heart, Xanadu at least has that really cool opening section and some nice instrumental passages (the vocals are still a bit grating). There isn’t really anything I enjoy about the other 4 tracks on the album, with Cygnus remaining one of the more baffling Rush songs to me. I was really hoping Power Windows would place ahead of this album!
:| Welcome to this town, population 1!
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Lovely album, I had it at #3. Xanadu is a masterful track, I really like the opener too and Closer To The Heart.
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I had A Farewell to Kings at #8. Simply put, there's a lot for every Rush fan to like on this record. It has proggy epics, mood, immediate tunes. It's a really good record, and for me, is the top album of the band's 1970s output.
re: Power Windows
I re-listened to this album on the way home and again on the way into my office this morning. It's certainly a divisive record. I get why a lot of the DTF community likes it. There's a lot going on with different instrumentation, of course the proggy structures, etc. On the other hand, each song (not every song, but most) is very bloated, which is par for the 80s. By "bloated" I mean there is so much going on, you lose what the song IS. I don't think the songs are as strong as the albums that came before it. The guitar tone is nice, when Alex isn't fighting to be heard. When he is, he sounds great. The bass is very light. You can hear it, but it's mixed back in favor of the keys, which...it was the 80s, and Rush was very pro-synths.
For me, the album is a curious listen, and I certainly enjoy what I hear way more on this record than I do on Hold Your Fire. But Power Windows at its best an interesting chapter in Rush history, and at its worst, a band forgetting who they are in favor of dabbling in new technology. I think, at least for me, my #15 ranking is spot on.
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Killer album. I was right in line with the consensus, ranking it at #4.
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I had this at 15 largely on the strength of Closer to the Heart, which might be the best song Rush wrote in the 70s. I appreciate that the band’s sound did mature somewhat here, and I do think this album is a step up from 2112, but there are only two tracks here that I like and four that I just don’t care for at all.
Beyond Closer to the Heart, Xanadu at least has that really cool opening section and some nice instrumental passages (the vocals are still a bit grating). There isn’t really anything I enjoy about the other 4 tracks on the album, with Cygnus remaining one of the more baffling Rush songs to me. I was really hoping Power Windows would place ahead of this album!
:| Welcome to this town, population 1!
It was their biggest hit from the 70, right? So I’m probably not alone!
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I gave Cygnus another listen just now. Every time I do I think “this time I’ll realize what I’ve been missing,” and then every time I am reminded that I’m not! There are two cool instrumental passages, one about 2 minutes in after the nonsense space noises and narrator, and another towards the end. Otherwise the song lacks any rhythmic or melodic grounding, and these are some of Geddy’s worst banshee vocals (that ending!). I think you could probably edit together a cool 4-6 minute instrumental from what is here though. There is a little bit of a Crimson-esque nature to it that I can appreciate at least.
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Pretty astounding it's this high with only Nick and I rating it #1. My perspectives largely echo Nick's, except on the CTTH topic. Every live version up to Different Stages improved upon the original, at which point there was no point in trying to top it, so they just went back to the studio arrangement afterwards. Different Stages version is simply God-tier in my ears. Goosebumps every ... single .... time. I used to think the ASOH version was perfection, but then Different Stages said "hold my beer". For those that remember Eddie Murphy / Raw, and the segment where his mom can make a burger at home better than McDonalds, with Eddie's 'childhood' reaction of "Better than McDonald's !?!?!? (https://youtu.be/AAx553k7W5s?t=39)"... well, that's how my room-mate and I joked about this version of the song. "Better than A Show of Hands ?!?!?!"
This album is my #3 all time (surpassed only by The Human Equation and I&W), and Xanadu my #2 song all time (8vm). This was the song that made me realize music could be 'smart'. Like, I'd never heard a song so captivating, and so diverse, and so musically complex - lyrically, melodically, rhythmically... layers upon layers of awe. And then discovering the Exit ... Stage Left version (audio and video). Wow. And then prepping for my first Rush show (RTB tour), them bringing back Xanadu (in full), with at the time an incredible laser light experience. My buddy and I spent all day getting high and listening to live Rush albums. Took the train into Toronto, smoked a little more, but saved a huge Cheech-and-Chong sized doobie for the show ... specifically for Xanadu. When those green lights hit, I screamed at my buddy "BREAK OUT THE STOGIE!!!" :lol. That's my #2 concert-going moment ever.
All that said, there's no way anything else could be my #1 Rush album.
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Catching up...
2112 - My # 8. The title track is a masterclass and probably my favorite side long epic. I think the sections flow really well, and the story is great too. The Discovery section is just so cool and creative. Great track! Side 2 is solid too. The Twilight Zone is my favorite side 2 track. Obviously Bangkok is great, and I really love Tears. Lessons is my least favorite, but it is not bad.
Signals - My # 7. Great album here. The synth era begins. I'm not really into Countdown, but the rest is very good. Subdivisions is a Top 10 Rush song, and Losing It is absolutely gorgeous. I really like Chemistry and Digital Man is another highlight for me. This album "signals" a new era for the band, and I applaud them for taking the risks.
Power Windows - My # 9. This album is a bit more cheery than GUP before it, and there are some amazing tracks here. Someone mentioned it earlier, and I will definitely agree that this album has some really great instrumental sections in the songs. Upon review, this album probably should be a slot or 2 higher. I really enjoy everything here, but Manhattan Project is the absolute highlight for me. Marathon, Grand Designs, and Mystic Rhythms are the other standouts to me. Big Money is so catchy and totally defines that 80's excess. Overall a very solid album.
A Farewell to Kings - My # 6. The 2 long songs are great, with Xanadu being my favorite thing here. Cygnus X-1 has some killer riffage. Closer to the Heart is classic Rush, and the title track is a great opener. I agree that Madrigal is the weakest thing here, but I don't mind it.
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Pretty astounding it's this high with only Nick and I rating it #1. My perspectives largely echo Nick's, except on the CTTH topic. Every live version up to Different Stages improved upon the original, at which point there was no point in trying to top it, so they just went back to the studio arrangement afterwards. Different Stages version is simply God-tier in my ears. Goosebumps every ... single .... time. I used to think the ASOH version was perfection, but then Different Stages said "hold my beer". For those that remember Eddie Murphy / Raw, and the segment where his mom can make a burger at home better than McDonalds, with Eddie's 'childhood' reaction of "Better than McDonald's !?!?!? (https://youtu.be/AAx553k7W5s?t=39)"... well, that's how my room-mate and I joked about this version of the song. "Better than A Show of Hands ?!?!?!"
This album is my #3 all time (surpassed only by The Human Equation and I&W), and Xanadu my #2 song all time (8vm). This was the song that made me realize music could be 'smart'. Like, I'd never heard a song so captivating, and so diverse, and so musically complex - lyrically, melodically, rhythmically... layers upon layers of awe. And then discovering the Exit ... Stage Left version (audio and video). Wow. And then prepping for my first Rush show (RTB tour), them bringing back Xanadu (in full), with at the time an incredible laser light experience. My buddy and I spent all day getting high and listening to live Rush albums. Took the train into Toronto, smoked a little more, but saved a huge Cheech-and-Chong sized doobie for the show ... specifically for Xanadu. When those green lights hit, I screamed at my buddy "BREAK OUT THE STOGIE!!!" :lol. That's my #2 concert-going moment ever.
All that said, there's no way anything else could be my #1 Rush album.
You make a great point about those live versions, wasn't really thinking about that at the time. It's more just a quantity thing, especially factoring in how many hundreds of Rush live bootlegs I listened to early on in my fandom.
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Not to be too pedantic, but Xanadu was not played in full on the Roll the Bones tour. It was an abridged version that eventually segued into Superconductor (still the biggest WTF in Rush history). I remember it being a big thing when Xanadu was finally played in full on the R30 tour as that was the first time since the early 80s IIRC.
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04 A Farewell to Kings
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61tN4RNFKWL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (jingle.boy, Nick)
Lowest Finish: 15 (HOF)
Like another from its era, this is a tough one for me to rank. It's obviously a great album, but I rarely listen to it from start to finish, and that has been the case for a long time now. I still ranked it 7th, on the strength of it having a top 3 Rush tune (Xanadu) and four other good songs, with Madrigal the only stinker. This was the album where Rush starting using more keyboards and other sounds (Neil added a lot of different percussion elements to his kit). Rush was still very much in their hard rock state of mind, even with the progressive elements really being fleshed out, making for a unique blend of hard rock and prog, something not seen much at the time (or acknowledged, since many thought the UK had a monopoly on prog and how dare a Canadian band try to do prog!).
Favorite songs: Xanadu, Closer to the Heart, Cinderella Man, A Farewell to Kings
I kinda figured this would show up at #4, although I had it at #2. It has 2 of my top 5 Rush songs, 3 of my top 10, and 4 of my top 15. The only "problem" is that the two short songs are not of the same caliber. CTTH came in at #75 for me, and Madrigal at #89. I like both songs, but CTTH is a song where "overplayed" becomes an issue for me (although some live versions are much better), and there's nothing wrong with Madrigal. For me, the title track and Cinderella Man are the unsung heroes of this album, and getting a live version of CM on different stages was one of the many, many highlights on that album. Speaking of live versions...there ain't one better than ESL Xanadu.
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 Clockwork Angels (10 - 7)
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 Power Windows (5 - 10)
14 Grace under Pressure (8 - 6)
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 Presto (11 - 0)
10 Counterparts (9 - 1)
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 2112 (7 - 0)
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 Signals (6 - 1)
4 ??
3 ??
2 A Farewell to Kings (4 - 2)
1 ??
Current POOTI: 72 (avg. 4.500)
P.S.: After seeing all these comments about Territories being hard rocking, I gave it another listen this morning. Such a wimpy way to open side 2. I'm 25 seconds in, and I already want to stop it. Four on the floor from Neil? Really? First jarring synth stab at 0:41. Ugh.... The melody sounds like the basis for a children's song. Another synth stab at 1:02, but pretty low in the mix...and then at 1:17...oh crap! Stop it with the synth stabs! Alex's screechy guitar?! The "every place with a name" section has a bit of a rock feel, but the Wal bass tone sucks, and the drums are very basic. Then we get a wimpy chorus. More synth stabbing around 2:30 - right before the infamous "better beer" line and some more screechy guitar. That's about half the song, and it doesn't get better, so I'll just stop.
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Not to be too pedantic, but Xanadu was not played in full on the Roll the Bones tour. It was an abridged version that eventually segued into Superconductor (still the biggest WTF in Rush history). I remember it being a big thing when Xanadu was finally played in full on the R30 tour as that was the first time since the early 80s IIRC.
Honestly, in the history of song segues, I would challenge you to find a drop in quality between two songs that eclipses that. Going from my favorite song to a bottom 10 Rush track.
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Not to be too pedantic, but Xanadu was not played in full on the Roll the Bones tour. It was an abridged version that eventually segued into Superconductor (still the biggest WTF in Rush history). I remember it being a big thing when Xanadu was finally played in full on the R30 tour as that was the first time since the early 80s IIRC.
Honestly, in the history of song segues, I would challenge you to find a drop in quality between two songs that eclipses that. Going from my favorite song to a bottom 10 Rush track.
It can't be done. They must have really liked Superconductor a lot for a while there to have deemed it worthy of being attached to Xanadu like that. I think it was Neil who once said they if they really like a song and they felt the fans didn't, they will put it in a spot in the set list that almost forces the fans to accept it. I am pretty sure he was talking about Vital Signs at the time and about why it ended up as part of the encore on the P/G tour.
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Not to be too pedantic, but Xanadu was not played in full on the Roll the Bones tour. It was an abridged version that eventually segued into Superconductor (still the biggest WTF in Rush history). I remember it being a big thing when Xanadu was finally played in full on the R30 tour as that was the first time since the early 80s IIRC.
Honestly, in the history of song segues, I would challenge you to find a drop in quality between two songs that eclipses that. Going from my favorite song to a bottom 10 Rush track.
It can't be done. They must have really liked Superconductor a lot for a while there to have deemed it worthy of being attached to Xanadu like that. I think it was Neil who once said they if they really like a song and they felt the fans didn't, they will put it in a spot in the set list that almost forces the fans to accept it. I am pretty sure he was talking about Vital Signs at the time and about why it ended up as part of the encore on the P/G tour.
Yeah, the idea was to force them not to leave during it :rollin.
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Not to be too pedantic, but Xanadu was not played in full on the Roll the Bones tour. It was an abridged version that eventually segued into Superconductor (still the biggest WTF in Rush history). I remember it being a big thing when Xanadu was finally played in full on the R30 tour as that was the first time since the early 80s IIRC.
Not to be even more pedantic, but I'm pretty sure the version of "Xanadu" performed on the R30 was missing most of the intro, and only one of the two verse/chorus portions of the song, similar to how they played "The Camera Eye" on the New World Tour, where Geddy sang either the New York or London verses of the song and they cut the other.
The last time they played "Xanadu" in full was the aforementioned New World Tour, after "The Trees" (opened with Alex on acoustic, a la "Broon's Bane"). After that, it was never played completely ever again, but only brought back on the Presto/RTB/CP tours as part of medleys where they segued into another song at the halfway mark. These tours also saw them doing the full atmospheric intro, unlike on the R30 tour.
-Marc.
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Didn't they do Xanadu in full (other than a slight cut to the end) on R40?
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I'd have to go back and re-watch the R30 performance, but I thought the intro and outro were both tightened up a bit, with everything else being played. I am getting old, so my memory could be a bit hazy. :lol
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I think Cinderella Man is ok in the verses, but the chorus is a major head scratcher. They were fighting so hard to make unpleasant vocal melodies on this album, which is what makes Closer to the Heart such a standout here.
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I'd have to go back and re-watch the R30 performance, but I thought the intro and outro were both tightened up a bit, with everything else being played. I am getting old, so my memory could be a bit hazy. :lol
Yeah, the intro and outro were truncated a bit, but they only did one verse/chorus, with the track itself only being just under 7:00 long.
Didn't they do Xanadu in full (other than a slight cut to the end) on R40?
You're right. I just checked the R40 track list and "Xanadu" is at 10:39 long. I'll be honest, I don't think I've listened to any of the R40 album since it came out. It was good but Geddy's declining voice made it a bit difficult for me to get through. Instrumentally they were tight like a well-oiled machine, but the singing...eh. I'll get to listening to it again in a few weeks as I've been making my way through my personal live tour show CD-rs in my car during my trips and commutes, and I'm currently on disc 2 of the RTB Tour, so I'll get to R40 at some point this summer. I've got a 3.5 hour drive on June 30th, so that'll take a whole latter-day Rush show to drive through!
TL;DR - Yes, "Xanadu" was eventually played "in full" on the R40 tour but it hadn't been played in full since the Signals/New World Tour nearly 30 years prior.
-Marc.
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Well, it definitely makes sense that Hemispheres, PW and MP are in the top 3. Not surprising at all. That 3 album stretch pretty much defined the band.
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Well, it definitely makes sense that Hemispheres, PW and MP are in the top 3. Not surprising at all. That 3 album stretch pretty much defined the band.
While I would have loved to say the top 4 was a lock, I wasn't so sure A Farewell to Kings would get the #4 spot, though I was hopeful.
That said I would have wagered a small fortune on what the final 3 would be.
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Well, it definitely makes sense that Hemispheres, PW and MP are in the top 3. Not surprising at all. That 3 album stretch pretty much defined the band.
While I would have loved to say the top 4 was a lock, I wasn't so sure A Farewell to Kings would get the #4 spot, though I was hopeful.
That said I would have wagered a small fortune on what the final 3 would be.
I've always felt like the band's "Sector 2" albums (AFTK/HEMI/PEW/MP) were always Top 5 material for a majority of fans, regardless of when they became fans or how old they were. I've been around quite a few forums and message boards, especially when my prog rock discovery journey began over 20 years ago, and those four albums always seemed to be in everyone's Top 5, in some order, so I wasn't surprised to see them in this countdown's top four, even though there are plenty of fans who probably don't have them in their top five.
I wonder if there's anyone who submitted a list that has NONE of these four albums in their top five? If so, I'm sure their "-OOTI" is going to look pretty high. :lol
-Marc.
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*snip*
:\ :\
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While we're talking about A Farewell to Kings, here's a little bit of my love for this album.
My first tattoo (and one of two, currently):
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/EEW1z82oVKSwp2Ew8F6hbeNq1r2jhaUBfuOxMtjUX51jEfelfIa3vNFfKz_CKumeV-iy4klFgrY25rGSQUQaW_XX4o1Xotm2oNf_Mfm9TOeEuZt7G5y0KNRGau8-qK6JEqrUeyVbMK4=w2400)
And my first-ish cat, Xanadu ("first" one technically came with my wife):
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/U4VV0c1yywa9ohNB_bwmWuv0-MVc10VBXUbYRvedM0bjU_xaIGYddRhu4GFZDQx0j2yeESOI-rQLxl4paP9_yDeO63pnrxj8JY6NOBOog1wb6wX8gSTEBykOSckjOoZ_b4Ahwgc9v5M=w2400)
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And my first-ish cat, Xanadu ("first" one technically came with my wife):
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/U4VV0c1yywa9ohNB_bwmWuv0-MVc10VBXUbYRvedM0bjU_xaIGYddRhu4GFZDQx0j2yeESOI-rQLxl4paP9_yDeO63pnrxj8JY6NOBOog1wb6wX8gSTEBykOSckjOoZ_b4Ahwgc9v5M=w2400)
Where's his double neck?! :biggrin:
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Not to be too pedantic, but Xanadu was not played in full on the Roll the Bones tour. It was an abridged version that eventually segued into Superconductor (still the biggest WTF in Rush history). I remember it being a big thing when Xanadu was finally played in full on the R30 tour as that was the first time since the early 80s IIRC.
Hey, what the hell do I remember ?? I was high as a fucking kite!
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Sadly, I never tried pot till my early 30s (for real), but I can think of a few concerts I wish I would have been high at back in the day. Definitely would have enhanced it, although I am pretty sure I had a major second high when I saw the Moody Blues in '94. That entire outdoor venue was engulfed in pot smoke for two hours. :lol
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I never tried pot until after Rush retired.
In my 20 times seeing them I only had alcohol in me once, and that was a LOT of alcohol. Was Las Vegas on the R40 tour. That's a story I absolutely love to tell, so if we ever get more time in person, definitely ask me for it!
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I never tried pot until after Rush retired.
In my 20 times seeing them I only had alcohol in me once, and that was a LOT of alcohol. Was Las Vegas on the R40 tour. That's a story I absolutely love to tell, so if we ever get more time in person, definitely ask me for it!
We can discuss that at Morsefest 2025. I look forward to it. :biggrin: ;)
I have only had a slight or good buzz at a handful of concerts ever, but one was DT at the House of Blues in 2000. But we had a men's room like 20-30 feet from our spot in the balcony, so it was all good. I had the perfect buzz that entire show. Same goes for when I saw Boston in the mid 90s. I somehow managed to get through the whole show without having to take a leak, which is the main reason why I have always avoided drinking a lot before or during shows (I don't want to miss part of the concert because I have to pee). I rarely drink booze anymore, so it is never a problem these days.
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Well, it definitely makes sense that Hemispheres, PW and MP are in the top 3. Not surprising at all. That 3 album stretch pretty much defined the band.
:\ :\
Once again, can't post anything in this forum without someone getting their panties all bunched up. Perfectly legit comment. Anyone who possess the relatively simple skill of "process of elimination" already knows the final 3 in the countdown (in no particular order). I didn't give away or spoil anything. In fact, others have responded with no expressed concern. So, maybe you can elaborate on exactly what the fuck the problem is besides you.
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04 A Farewell to Kings
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61tN4RNFKWL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (jingle.boy, Nick)
Lowest Finish: 15 (HOF)
My #5 album. Honestly any of the top 2-7 are interchangeable at this point. someday I feel one over the other.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly by Night
17. Vapor Trails
16. Rush
15. Counterparts
14. Test For Echo
13. Hold Your Fire
12. Power Windows
11. Roll The Bones
10. Snakes & Arrows
9. Grace Under Pressure
8. Clockwork Angels
7. Presto
6. Signals
5. A Farewell to Kings
4.
3. 2112
2.
1.
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I had A Farewell To Kings at #11.
Besides Power Windows (11), and Rush (10), AFTK gave my TOOTI the third largest bump with 7.
This album had never grabbed me. Ever. I mean, I even had this on 8 track, so it's not like I never gave it a chance. To me, it just doesn't measure up to the albums that surround it. I don't know if it's a tad lighter in feel, but there's something just off about it to me.
I have never connected to the title track. It should, but it doesn't. It feels too on the artsy side of prog as opposed to the rock side of prog.
Xanadu is my #2 Rush song. It's amazing. I love it.
Closer To the Heart... sure, it's a nice song, but I can't say I've ever loved it. I never understood the band's fascination with it.
One cannot bag on Side 2 of 2112 when this album has Cinderella Man (despite a really cool drumming part halfway through) and Madrigal.
And Cygnus... my second highest rated Rush song from this album at #67. It's a song I should love but... I don't. It has a number of cool parts, but it feels so uncohesive. No part is ever fleshed out before it's on to the next part. No part sticks around long enough to grab me. It's too bad, but I feel like this song may have suffered from too much editing. Cygnus could've been on par with 2112 and Hemispheres (the songs), but it just feels rushed (lol) and incomplete.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16 Power Windows
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11 A Farewell to Kings
10 Grace Under Pressure
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6 Signals
5 Counterparts
4
3 2112
2
1
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This album had never grabbed me. Ever. I mean, I even had this on 8 track, so it's not like I never gave it a chance. To me, it just doesn't measure up to the albums that surround it. I don't know if it's a tad lighter in feel, but there's something just off about it to me.
While I obviously don't share your overall assessment of the album, I understand where you're coming from with this. The title track starts with a lengthy classical guitar/synth intro. Xanadu has the long, atmospheric intro. CTTH is is half acoustic guitar and short AF. Madrigal is Madrigal. I felt the same way when I first was getting into Rush. However, it all clicked over time. And WTF is wrong with Cinderella Man?! Such an underappreciated song, and, at 4:20, it's just as accessible as the inferior CTTH.
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#5 for me. I always thought this was the first album that they started to define their own sound.
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#5 for me. I always thought this was the first album that they started to define their own sound.
I was thinking about this. It kind of feels transitional. I have never really considered this album buttoned down the way Hemispheres is.
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I agree but this was definitely, the seed where they sounded like no one else.
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I agree but this was definitely, the seed where they sounded like no one else.
After "I agree", I sort of lost focus. :lol
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The story of your life. :lol
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A Farewell to Kings - was pretty sure this album would show up today. I ranked this number 5. Just a great album with xanadu and cygnus being the standouts but I really love everything on this album.
My rankings:
19 Vapor Trails
18 Snakes & Arrows
17 Roll the Bones
16 Test for Echo
15 Presto
14 Hold Your Fire
13 Counterparts
12 Rush
11 Caress of Steel
10 Fly by Night
9 Clockwork Angels
8 Power Windows
7 Grace Under Pressure
6 Signals
5 A Farewell to Kings
4
3 2112
2
1
TAC/faizoff -also just noticed we have the same gaps left on our lists with 2112 at number 3.
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So much for posting five LPs at a time. Ahhhh....life......
I’m enjoying reading some of fondness in regards to some of these LPs as being one of the first the listeners heard. That’s one of the reasons their debut still ranks so highly with me
15 Vapor Trails (#19) surprising that a Rush album MINUS synths would end up like this.
14 Roll the Bones (#18) why is it here? Because it’s here….. There’s five good songs on this, but how I still hate to this day the title track.
13 Fly by Night (#9) an attention grabbing album cover if there ever was one. And opening track. And title track. ‘Rivendell’ is skippable, but their first two albums got a lot of play by my fellow high school friends.
12 Hold Your Fire (#11) grew on me as I got older.
11 Presto (#7) I have a promo poster somewhere up in my garage attic. Bunnies!
10 Clockwork Angels (#15)
09 Counterparts (#13)
08 Grace Under Pressure (#10) my cousin’s boyfriend was in a bar band, and they’d open their third set with a killer version of ‘Distant Early Warning’. Lead guitar was more raw, harsh, and heavy. The live versions I’ve heard come close, but a shame this wasn’t just a hard as hell rocker. ‘After Image’ and ‘Red Sector A’ are amongst the best of their three opening tracks on their 80’s albums beyond.
07 2112 (#12) thought I’d be the low ranker for this. My first ‘bootleg’ was the St. Louis ’80 King Biscuit Flour Hour broadcast. Loved seeing this played at Central Michigan after simply walking into Rose Arena after playing tennis with my Rush maniac roommate to catch part of the sound check beforehand. ‘2112’ live is killer. The album itself isn’t a go-to at all
06 Signals (#6)
05 Power Windows (#8) Great opening and closing songs.
04 A Farewell To Kings (#4) my favorite band album side with my favorite Rush song. The closing song lowers it a few notches.
Shaking out DA-BOOTI equals 3.62, thanks mostly to 16 spots off with the debut. So be it.
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19. Rush
18. Test for Echo
17. Fly by Night
16. Hold Your Fire
15. Roll The Bones
14. Snakes & Arrows
13. Caress of Steel
12. Vapor Trails
11. Grace Under Pressure
10. Clockwork Angels
9. Counterparts
8. Presto
7. Signals
6. 2112
5. Power Windows
4. A Farewell to Kings
3.
2.
1.
I got way behind with this so trying to catch up. Basically I had Signals and 2112 reversed from the consensus, and hit Power Windows and A Farewell to Kings on the nose. We all know what the top 3 are, but I'll be interested to see if I got them in the correct order. It's interesting that the top 4 are in, what is it called now Sector 2, or Sector B - or something like that? You guys know what I mean. That 4 album stretch has always been the pinnicale for most of us Rush fans - so no real surprise to me.
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Point totals will come later in the week, but I was surprised that the gap between A Farewell to Kings and the number 3 album was the biggest one in the entire countdown (points-wise).
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Had A Farewell to Kings at #6
I still remember when I first listened to AFTK - it was a bit after I had discovered 2112. My initial thought was how crazy of a progression in sound had happened in such a short period of time for the band. Tastes are tastes, and this is not about one being better than the other - I just couldn't believe how much "richer" and elaborate the instrumentation and the songs were. In my Rush discovery back in 1993, I had read a discography retrospective in a magazine and was aware that the 4-album run after the first live (i.e. "sector 2") was widely considered a golden period for the band, building off the success (artistic and popular) of 2112, but actually listening to AFTK truly was a "a-ha!" moment. I agree with many of the comments here - maybe it wasn't quite "fully-formed Rush", but the seeds of that unique beast we know as Rush were planted even more decisively here than they were on 2112.
Xanadu is the obvious super-highlight here (top 10 Rush and just a masterpiece), but I basically like all of it. Closer to the Heart is severely overplayed but special. Count me in as a fan of the title-track and Cinderella Man. Madrigal is pleasant enough. I also agree that, generally, the album feels pretty "light" and less aggressive than what came before...
...Until we get to Cygnus X-1, that is. I LOVE that song. Parts of it, I think, are heavy by any standard - not just "for 1977". I distinctly remember hearing dat nasty bass riff at the beginning...and then the drums...and then Alex's guitar literally kicking the door...and thinking how much of an inspiration this must've been for fellow Canadians Voivod (which I already knew at the time). And the ending! Sure, Geddy's vocals are a bit over the top, but they do fit the madness :biggrin: and is that some primitive version of a blast beat around the 9:30 mark?? ;)
My list so far below (Aggregate minus personal ranking in brackets):
19 Rush (0)
18 Caress of Steel (-1)
17 Fly By Night (-4)
16 Snakes & Arrows (2)
15 2112 (-8)
14 Vapor Trails (1)
13 Test for Echo (3)
12 Clockwork Angels (-2)
11 Presto (0)
10 Roll the Bones (4)
9 Hold Your Fire (3)
8 Signals (-2)
7
6 A Farewell to Kings (-2)
5 Grace Under Pressure (3)
4 Power Windows (1)
3 Counterparts (6)
2
1
Current NOOTI (sum of absolute differences): 42 (average 2.62)
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This is a great cover of Cinderella Man by The Trews.
https://youtu.be/UGWPsC0SaNE
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Sweet tattoo, Nick!
And Dragon, yours is a DOOTI.
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Catching up: Signals was #11 for me, Power Windows was 6, and
A Farewell to Kings was 10.
I feel like A Farewell to Kings should have been higher on my list, having both Xanadu and Cygnus. I need to listen to it again soon.
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This is a great cover of Cinderella Man by The Trews.
https://youtu.be/UGWPsC0SaNE
I always forget about the anniversary edition covers. This is one of the best.
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Pretty astounding it's this high with only Nick and I rating it #1. My perspectives largely echo Nick's, except on the CTTH topic. Every live version up to Different Stages improved upon the original, at which point there was no point in trying to top it, so they just went back to the studio arrangement afterwards. Different Stages version is simply God-tier in my ears. Goosebumps every ... single .... time. I used to think the ASOH version was perfection, but then Different Stages said "hold my beer". For those that remember Eddie Murphy / Raw, and the segment where his mom can make a burger at home better than McDonalds, with Eddie's 'childhood' reaction of "Better than McDonald's !?!?!? (https://youtu.be/AAx553k7W5s?t=39)"... well, that's how my room-mate and I joked about this version of the song. "Better than A Show of Hands ?!?!?!"
This album is my #3 all time (surpassed only by The Human Equation and I&W), and Xanadu my #2 song all time (8vm). This was the song that made me realize music could be 'smart'. Like, I'd never heard a song so captivating, and so diverse, and so musically complex - lyrically, melodically, rhythmically... layers upon layers of awe. And then discovering the Exit ... Stage Left version (audio and video). Wow. And then prepping for my first Rush show (RTB tour), them bringing back Xanadu (in full), with at the time an incredible laser light experience. My buddy and I spent all day getting high and listening to live Rush albums. Took the train into Toronto, smoked a little more, but saved a huge Cheech-and-Chong sized doobie for the show ... specifically for Xanadu. When those green lights hit, I screamed at my buddy "BREAK OUT THE STOGIE!!!" :lol. That's my #2 concert-going moment ever.
All that said, there's no way anything else could be my #1 Rush album.
So you're saying the album version is like a green pepper welfare burger with pink fingerprints in the dough compared to the live versions? :biggrin:
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Sweet tattoo, Nick!
And Dragon, yours is a DOOTI.
I’ve laid a couple of big ‘Dooti-es’ in this countdown.😀
I altered mine to be DA’s ‘Basically Out Of Touch Index’ . I’ve always been a DaBooti kind of guy😉
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Pretty astounding it's this high with only Nick and I rating it #1. My perspectives largely echo Nick's, except on the CTTH topic. Every live version up to Different Stages improved upon the original, at which point there was no point in trying to top it, so they just went back to the studio arrangement afterwards. Different Stages version is simply God-tier in my ears. Goosebumps every ... single .... time. I used to think the ASOH version was perfection, but then Different Stages said "hold my beer". For those that remember Eddie Murphy / Raw, and the segment where his mom can make a burger at home better than McDonalds, with Eddie's 'childhood' reaction of "Better than McDonald's !?!?!? (https://youtu.be/AAx553k7W5s?t=39)"... well, that's how my room-mate and I joked about this version of the song. "Better than A Show of Hands ?!?!?!"
This album is my #3 all time (surpassed only by The Human Equation and I&W), and Xanadu my #2 song all time (8vm). This was the song that made me realize music could be 'smart'. Like, I'd never heard a song so captivating, and so diverse, and so musically complex - lyrically, melodically, rhythmically... layers upon layers of awe. And then discovering the Exit ... Stage Left version (audio and video). Wow. And then prepping for my first Rush show (RTB tour), them bringing back Xanadu (in full), with at the time an incredible laser light experience. My buddy and I spent all day getting high and listening to live Rush albums. Took the train into Toronto, smoked a little more, but saved a huge Cheech-and-Chong sized doobie for the show ... specifically for Xanadu. When those green lights hit, I screamed at my buddy "BREAK OUT THE STOGIE!!!" :lol. That's my #2 concert-going moment ever.
All that said, there's no way anything else could be my #1 Rush album.
So you're saying the album version is like a green pepper welfare burger with pink fingerprints in the dough compared to the live versions? :biggrin:
:rollin :rollin
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Moving along...
03 Hemispheres
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81BG5Z5JeoL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (pg1067, TAC, CharlesPL, BRGM, jammindude, hefdaddy42, Glasser, Metropolaris)
Lowest Finish: 13 (ReaperKK)
I ended up ranking this 8th off the strength alone of it having La Villa Strangiato (my other top 3 Rush tune, along with 2112 and Xanadu) and The Trees (which usually hovers around my top 10-15). Two amazing songs. I love the sound of this album as well. Unlike the albums that came before it, it sounds very warm tonally. The epic title track is good, but I often struggled to elevate it any higher than being just good, and Circumstances is pretty solid, if not notable. I get why many fans rank this super high, but I couldn't go any higher than 8th with it at this point in my fandom.
Favorite songs: La Villa Strangiato, The Trees
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Moving along...
03 Hemispheres
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81BG5Z5JeoL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (pg1067, TAC, CharlesPL, BRGM, jammindude, hefdaddy42, Glasser, Metropolaris)
Lowest Finish: 13 (ReaperKK)
#4 for me, for the longest time this was my#2 album, on re-listen this is about where I'd rank it now.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly by Night
17. Vapor Trails
16. Rush
15. Counterparts
14. Test For Echo
13. Hold Your Fire
12. Power Windows
11. Roll The Bones
10. Snakes & Arrows
9. Grace Under Pressure
8. Clockwork Angels
7. Presto
6. Signals
5. A Farewell to Kings
4. Hemispheres
3. 2112
2.
1.
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03 Hemispheres
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81BG5Z5JeoL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (pg1067, TAC, CharlesPL, BRGM, jammindude, hefdaddy42, Glasser, Metropolaris)
Lowest Finish: 13 (ReaperKK)
01 ?
02 Hemispheres
03 A Farewell To Kings
04 ?
05 Power Windows
06 Caress Of Steel
07 Signals
08 2112
09 Fly By Night
10 Vapor Trails
11 Clockwork Angels
12 Counterparts
13 Grace Under Pressure
14 Hold Your Fire
15 Presto
16 Test For Echo
17 Snakes & Arrows
18 Roll The Bones
19 Rush
I somehow had a feeling this would be next. I had this as my 2nd favorite, and honestly, it could've easily swapped with AFTK as both are fairly close for that 2nd fave spot. The title track is an absolute favorite Rush track for me, but side two is pretty flawless as well. Also, taking the time to learn "La Villa Strangiato" on drums has been one of the more fulfilling songs I've ever learned to play - just the right amount of challenge and fun.
-Marc.
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I had Hemispheres at 12, but I do think this is their strongest 70s album with their strongest 70s epic and despite the banshee vocals it’s a step forward melodically for the band. It’s still not the era of Rush that I reach for first, but the title track is one I enjoy a lot when I do. I’m not wild about Circumstances, but it’s fine really, making this the first 70s album without a major skip track. Of course there are only four songs, which keeps it from really being a favorite. I’ve always liked The Trees, and that middle section really points forward to the band’s sound on Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures. There’s also a little bit of Red Barchetta in La Villa Strangiato I think. For some reason LVS leaves me a little cold and is maybe a little too long, but I do think it’s a cool song and an impressive composition and recording.
The band were really trending up with this album, which closed out the 70s heavy prog era and nicely set the stage for the golden era of Rush to come.
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I had Hemispheres at #1.
I feel like if you had to pick just one album that was the blueprint for Dream Theater, it would be Hemispheres.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16 Power Windows
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11 A Farewell to Kings
10 Grace Under Pressure
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6 Signals
5 Counterparts
4
3 2112
2
1 Hemispheres
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Also worth noting is that this is the first album* that featured all of its songs performed live on that tour.
*That is, unless we get 100% full confirmation that "The Fountain Of Lamneth" was actually played on the Down The Tubes tour in 75/76.
-Marc.
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The epics on this album are tremendous and filled to the brim with great memorable moments, but the shorter tracks are fine, I guess. I had this at #7.
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Catching up, I had AFTK at #8. Xanadu is the clear highlight for me, and I also dig Cygnus X-1 a lot. Hemispheres is my #7. Interesting tidbit about Hemispheres, since I only got to experience Rush live once in my life, the only song from this album that I've heard live is Circumstances. What are the odds? Anyway, I really dig this album, easily my favorite of their 70s output.
Ranking:
19. Rush
18. Caress of Steel
17. Roll the Bones
16. Snakes & Arrows
15. 2112
14. Vapor Trails
13. Fly By Night
12. Test For Echo
11. Grace Under Pressure
10. Hold Your Fire
9. Counterparts
8. A Farewell to Kings
7. Hemispheres
6. Signals
5. Clockwork Angels
4. Presto
3. Power Windows
2.
1.
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Yep, I had Hemispheres at # 1. It's got my two favorite Rush songs (La Villa and The Trees), and the title track is an incredible piece of music in its own right.
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La Villa is a Top 5 Rush song - probably #3 for me. Title track is can seem a little bloated at times, but still 5 stars. The shorter two are also top shelf material. This album was #3 for me.
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03 Hemispheres
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81BG5Z5JeoL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (pg1067, TAC, CharlesPL, BRGM, jammindude, hefdaddy42, Glasser, Metropolaris)
Lowest Finish: 13 (ReaperKK)
I ended up ranking this 8th off the strength alone of it having La Villa Strangiato (my other top 3 Rush tune, along with 2112 and Xanadu) and The Trees (which usually hovers around my top 10-15). Two amazing songs. I love the sound of this album as well. Unlike the albums that came before it, it sounds very warm tonally. The epic title track is good, but I often struggled to elevate it any higher than being just good, and Circumstances is pretty solid, if not notable. I get why many fans rank this super high, but I couldn't go any higher than 8th with it at this point in my fandom.
Favorite songs: La Villa Strangiato, The Trees
Damn...I'm surprised that this only hit #3 with 8 first-place votes. Once I started liking Rush, I started borrowing their back catalog from my best friends' older brothers. I think I borrowed Hemispheres and AFTK at the same time. I absolutely was not ready for the long song format. I probably knew The Trees and LVS from ESL. I loved circumstances right away, which isn't surprising given how short it is. Side 1 eluded me for a while, but when it clicked, oh man did it click. In terms of long form pieces, I regard it right up there with Close to the Edge. When they started teasing us with the Hemispheres prelude in the '90s, my friend and I almost completely lost it. Just an incredible album from start to finish. The only bad thing I can say about it is that it's not long enough.
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 Clockwork Angels (10 - 7)
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 Power Windows (5 - 10)
14 Grace under Pressure (8 - 6)
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 Presto (11 - 0)
10 Counterparts (9 - 1)
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 2112 (7 - 0)
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 Signals (6 - 1)
4 ??
3 ??
2 A Farewell to Kings (4 - 2)
1 Hemispheres (3 - 2)
Current POOTI: 74 (avg. 4.353)
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Damn...I'm surprised that this only hit #3 with 8 first-place votes. Once I started liking Rush, I started borrowing their back catalog from my best friends' older brothers. I think I borrowed Hemispheres and AFTK at the same time.
For some reason. this reminds me that Hemispheres was one of the last Rush studio albums I got on CD when I got into the band. From the fall of 1991 through the spring of 1992, I slowly got them all, and none of the friends who helped me get into Rush talked this one up that much, so it fell by the wayside until I was left with only a few left to get. I knew La Villa was awesome, but I was watching A Show of Hands daily :lol and getting my fix with it that way. Even when I finally did get them all, with that circle of friends and the ones I later I worked with who were Rush fans, the song Hemispheres never came up when discussing favorite songs by the band. I wasn't surprised when I eventually got online and saw that the song was a favorite among fans, but it just wasn't with anyone in the 90s with whom I talked Rush.
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03 Hemispheres (#5)
Side One wasn't talked about or played that much amongst my group as well, but we sure did play the hell out of Side Two. Looking at my countdown list, I had 'Trees' at #5, 'LaVilla Strangiato' at #10, and 'Circumstances' at #16.
The title track is good, but overstayed its welcome by about five minutes or so. I do love the ending.
The sound of this album is superb! An added 'warmth' to their prior releases.
My DOOTI or Da-Booti continues its downward trend to 3.41
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The title track is superior to 2112 in every single possible way. Even though it is often highly regarded, I still consider it to be underrated. Maybe just because I consider both the title track and the album as a whole to be so far superior to 2112 that it feels unfair that 2112 tends to get all the love. Even #3 just feels too low. It’s a grossly underappreciated album. It might be one of the greatest rock albums ever made. Until I heard Supper’s Ready, I considered the title track to be the greatest piece of rock music ever recorded.
It’s not just my number one Rush album, it’s my number one album by anyone ever.
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The title track is superior to 2112 in every single possible way. Even though it is often highly regarded, I still consider it to be underrated. Maybe just because I consider both the title track and the album as a whole to be so far superior to 2112 that it feels unfair that 2112 tends to get all the love. Even #3 just feels too low. It’s a grossly underappreciated album. It might be one of the greatest rock albums ever made. Until I heard Supper’s Ready, I considered the title track to be the greatest piece of rock music ever recorded.
It’s not just my number one Rush album, it’s my number one album by anyone ever.
Yeah, I wonder if I would have had a different outlook on 70s Rush if I had heard this album before hearing 2112. Hemispheres is a legitimately great epic, well constructed, great sound, and just more polished and closer to the 80s Rush I was already familiar with.
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Always battling another album for #2. Considering it has 4 songs and 2 of them are in my top 10 Rush songs, plus Circumstances which I like a lot, it deserves its spot this high.
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I like a lot both Farewell (my #10) and Hemispheres (my #7), but I finally realized I like more 80's Rush. I love the song AFTK, I think it's no doubt better than Cygnus X-1. Hemispheres as a album is a bit more consistent, also having a great overall sound and amazing instrumental parts, but, while I think the title track is very good, I also think it's a bit repetitive, sort of a 'forced' epic. And, still comparing albums, I like a bit more Hemispheres than 2112 (my #8), it does sound more mature.
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Hemispheres: Let me start with, I'm not sure how any reasonable self-identified prog fan would dislike this album. I really think you have to rate this on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being very great and 10 being flawless. Between the amazing epic and one of the most well loved instrumentals in prog history you have Circumstances, which honestly is just as good as any random 3:45 section from the other two songs.
19. Rush (0)
18. Caress of Steel (1)
17. Vapor Trails (2)
16. Presto (5)
15. Hold Your Fire (3)
14. Test for Echo (2)
13. Fly By Night (0)
12. 2112 (5)
11. Grace Under Pressure (3)
10. Snakes and Arrows (8)
9. Roll the Bones (5)
8. Signals (2)
7. Clockwork Angels (3)
6. Counterparts (3)
5.
4.
3. Power Windows (2)
2. Hemispheres (3)
1. A Farewell to Kings (3)
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Love Hemispheres
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Hemispheres - just a great album. I love every track. My rank 4.
19 Vapor Trails
18 Snakes & Arrows
17 Roll the Bones
16 Test for Echo
15 Presto
14 Hold Your Fire
13 Counterparts
12 Rush
11 Caress of Steel
10 Fly by Night
9 Clockwork Angels
8 Power Windows
7 Grace Under Pressure
6 Signals
5 A Farewell to Kings
4 Hemispheres
3 2112
2
1
My average differential is 2.59.
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Had Hemispheres at #7
My lowest-ranked album of the classic "sector 2", but it's a great one, nonetheless. My favorite thing in here is La Villa Strangiato, which ranked #3 in my song countdown. An incredible piece with one of my favorite guitar solos of all time (that whole slow crescendo is unbelievable) and iconic performances by all three. The Trees is another genius piece...so much goodness condensed in such a short time, and the instrumental section with the clean guitar + the solo is one of my favorite Rush moments, period. Big fan of Circumstances too - another concise piece with lots of cool stuff going on. Love the pre-chorus riff, I feel it influenced so much prog metal ;)
And now for the title track...It is a very good song, and arguably the best thought-out of their epics...however, if fails to truly excite me. Again, plenty to enjoy...it just doesn't quite go next level for me.
Another great one, anyway (and one of my favorite sound production of theirs, actually)
My list so far below (Aggregate minus personal ranking in brackets):
19 Rush (0)
18 Caress of Steel (-1)
17 Fly By Night (-4)
16 Snakes & Arrows (2)
15 2112 (-8)
14 Vapor Trails (1)
13 Test for Echo (3)
12 Clockwork Angels (-2)
11 Presto (0)
10 Roll the Bones (4)
9 Hold Your Fire (3)
8 Signals (-2)
7 Hemispheres (-4)
6 A Farewell to Kings (-2)
5 Grace Under Pressure (3)
4 Power Windows (1)
3 Counterparts (6)
2
1
Current NOOTI (sum of absolute differences): 46 (average 2.71)
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And now for the title track...It is a very good song, and arguably the best thought-out of their epics...however, if fails to truly excite me. Again, plenty to enjoy...it just doesn't quite go next level for me.
I think that's a great way to put it, and you said it better than I did. There is much to love about the song, but, like you, it just doesn't excite me all that much. Some long songs just draw you in and make you want to listen to them over and over and over. I have never gone through that phase with Hemispheres, ever.
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The first 12 minutes of Hemispheres are compelling and pass by really quickly. It’s the full stop after that that hurts the song.
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I specifically remember driving to a gal's house when I was in high school and making a point to listen to the song Hemispheres. it was a bit of a drive so it gave me a chance to listen to it uninterrupted. I loved 2112, and the rest of the album, and my few Rush fan friends loved it. I couldn't figure out why this song wasn't grabbing me like I felt it should.
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Yeah, the title track has never grabbed me for some reason. I love the rest of the tracks though - I feel like Circumstances never quite get the love and attention as the others do. I had the album at #4.
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After listening to 2112, it never seems like 20 minutes has passed.
Hemispheres feels every bit like 18 minutes of my life has passed.
One song is god-tier, the other is merely excellent.
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I've never had an issue with the title track. It's just as good as 2112 in my opinion.
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It's like we are just moving along in chronological order...:P
02 Permanent Waves
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51CksoAn1BL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (The Letter M, Mladen, Cool Chris, billboy73, Kram, The Realm, coz)
Lowest Finish: 9 (DTA)
This was my number 1 Rush album for many years, and truth be told, my top 3 now are really 1a, 1b and 1c, but something had to come in 3rd, and for me it was Permanent Waves. Like the other two albums in my top 3, it is a perfect album on all levels. Despite being their shortest album and only having six songs, it manages to have a little bit of everything you would have expected from Rush in 1980. The epics were starting to get shorter, and their songwriting was getting a lot better when it came to writing shorter, concise songs (which we saw on a song like The Trees on the previous record). I cannot recall exactly where I ranked each song last year when we did the Rush songs countdown, but I know that Jacob's Ladder is top 5, The Spirit of Radio is just outside the top 5, and Freewill and Natural Science are both not far behind. Different Strings is awesome as well, and Entre Nous is all kinds of rocking fun. Fantastic record.
Favorite songs: Jacob's Ladder, The Spirit of Radio, Freewill, Natural Science
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Ha! So this is the one that made everyone’s top 10!
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I'm not surprised this isn't #1, but I am surprised it finished ahead of Hemispheres. IMO, there are 4 amazing songs here, and 2 decent one. And (for me) it took a long time to truly love Jacob's Ladder. Natural Science was a cult classic, but the Different Stages tour brought it to the forefront of being a beloved tune. Naturally, TSOR and Freewill are the flagship songs here. But I'm struggling to understand how Entre Nous and Different Strings help propel this album into the runner up spot. IMO, those two songs are no better (in fact, I'd rate them both lower) than songs like Circumstances, Cinderella Man, Something For Nothing, Passage to Bangkok. I guess it's a me thing, but those 2 songs hold this album back. #5 for me.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly By Night
17. Snakes & Arrows
16. Test For Echo
15. Vapor Trails
14. Counterparts
13. Rush
12. Grace Under Pressure
11. Hold Your Fire
10. Roll The Bones
9. Presto
8. Signals
7. 2112
6. Clockwork Angels
5. Permanent Waves
4. Power Windows
3. Hemispheres
2.
1. A Farewell to Kings
Not surprised at what tomorrow's entry will bring us. It is the flagship album in the fleet.
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Hemispheres was #3 for me, right with the consensus. What a fantastic album.
And Permanent Waves is number 7. Another fantastic album. I was kind of hoping Permanent Waves would end up #1 on this, but didn't expect it to.
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Permanent Waves came in at #2 for me. It had been my #1 for a while, but I guess it's now 1b. Still a really great album though. Getting to see 4 of the songs played live was a real treat, especially Natural Science, which for me, is their greatest album closer.
Ranking:
19. Rush
18. Caress of Steel
17. Roll the Bones
16. Snakes & Arrows
15. 2112
14. Vapor Trails
13. Fly By Night
12. Test For Echo
11. Grace Under Pressure
10. Hold Your Fire
9. Counterparts
8. A Farewell to Kings
7. Hemispheres
6. Signals
5. Clockwork Angels
4. Presto
3. Power Windows
2. Permanent Waves
1.
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I love PeW but it feels like it’s missing just one more song to make it feel like a complete album. Same with Hemispheres. I’m not as enamored with Natural Science as most are either. Some great parts but not the masterpiece it is often described as. Jacobs Ladder is the highlight for me and I’ve always thought highly of Entre Nous.
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I love how the person that ranked the album the lowest still loves it. That's fantastic. :tup
This is not only my favorite Rush album, but also one of my ten favorite albums of all time. Not many albums are 10/10 in my book, but this one is. Every song is fantastic. We've all talked about the hits and the epics over the years, so I'll just take the opportunity to point out that Entre nous has some of Neil's best lyrics, and that Different strings is absolutely gorgeous. What an amazing record. :heart
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Love Permanent Waves
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PeW (my#2) is an incredible album, with the perfect balance of songwriting, acessibility and virtuosity and still have a 70's flare to it. If it has any flaws, it's only for being 35,5 minutes long and that fade out of Different Strings, that should happened a bit later.
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I have Permanent Waves at number 7, and for me this is the first really great Rush album and the beginning of their golden era. It’s not so much different from Hemispheres aside from the extraordinary The Spirit of Radio and the similarly great if lesser Free Will elevating it to another level. Those really demonstrate that the band had arrived from a songwriting standpoint. Shorter, melodically accessible songs with great lyrics and great playing.
TSOR has always encapsulated Rush for me, it’s so good. Free Will also shows off the band’s chops while remaining accessible and catchy. Tremendous instrumental section there. Entre Nous is a little behind those two in terms of being just a great, catchy rock song. Different Strings has a great atmosphere though it does feel a bit half finished with how it fades out suddenly. Natural Science avoids the traps of prior Rush epics by eliminating a quiet, dead spot in the middle (it just moves it to the front, LOL). It’s also just got some awesome playing on it.
Jacob’s Ladder remains the weak point of the album for me. An interesting but not especially exciting song that I don’t frequently seek out. One more great song here might have the album in my top 5, but this is definitely peak proggy Rush for me regardless.
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It's like we are just moving along in chronological order...:P
02 Permanent Waves
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51CksoAn1BL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (The Letter M, Mladen, Cool Chris, billboy73, Kram, The Realm, coz)
Lowest Finish: 9 (DTA)
01 Permanent Waves (1)
02 Hemispheres (1)
03 A Farewell To Kings (1)
04 ? (3)
05 Power Windows (0)
06 Caress Of Steel (11 - ouch)
07 Signals (1)
08 2112 (1)
09 Fly By Night (4)
10 Vapor Trails (5)
11 Clockwork Angels (1)
12 Counterparts (3)
13 Grace Under Pressure (5)
14 Hold Your Fire (2)
15 Presto (4)
16 Test For Echo (0)
17 Snakes & Arrows (1)
18 Roll The Bones (4)
19 Rush (0)
EDIT - Looks like my MOOTI will be 2.526315789473684 once all is said and done, but I'll post that again when we get to the final album tomorrow. I can't wait to see how I fare against everyone else's "-OOTI"!
Despite being their shortest album, it has been my absolute favorite. I was torn between this and Hemispheres but several weeks ago, I got the PEW Anniversary box set for fairly cheap and was reminded of how great this album is, so it deservedly landed in my number one spot with the sorter. Every song touches and moves me in some way, and has a much better blend of concise, catchy songwriting and experimental proggy goodness throughout, more so than what came after it. It not only helped turn the decade for the band, but also become a pivot point between their heavier prog era and their short song/"radio-friendly" era.
Or maybe I'm just super burned out on side one of the following album, which, I had secretly hoped wouldn't be number one, but part of me always knew it would be. How typical... :lol
-Marc.
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I had this one at #5. A great album for sure, but not one I really love. Highlights for me are The Spirit Of Radio, Freewill, and Natural Science. The others are fine but not really standout tracks.
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I had Hemispheres at #10. I get why it is ranked so highly HERE, at DTF. The progressive beast that it is, etc. That said, it lacks an immediacy. I think bands are at their best that really balance the overly technical stuff with something more melodic and catchy. So, while Hemispheres is awesome, and in my top-10, I couldn't put it higher. I think this era of the band went one record too long. That's not to say Cygnus X-1 and La Villa Strangiato are bad - of course not. I just think Circumstances and The Trees aren't good ENOUGH to justify moving this record from a middle ranking of the Rush catalog. Admittedly, it has been a long time since I went back to it, which could have skewed my rating. But looking at the records I have in front of it, it probably wouldn't get any further up than #7.
Permanent Waves was at #3 for me, so really, just about dead-on with the forum consensus. To be frank, this is the album that I feel Hemispheres could have and should have been. The songs speak for themselves. Just a great record all the way around.
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Fantastic album. Came in at # 6 for me.
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02 Permanent Waves
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51CksoAn1BL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (The Letter M, Mladen, Cool Chris, billboy73, Kram, The Realm, coz)
Lowest Finish: 9 (DTA)
This was my number 1 Rush album for many years, and truth be told, my top 3 now are really 1a, 1b and 1c, but something had to come in 3rd, and for me it was Permanent Waves. Like the other two albums in my top 3, it is a perfect album on all levels. Despite being their shortest album and only having six songs, it manages to have a little bit of everything you would have expected from Rush in 1980. The epics were starting to get shorter, and their songwriting was getting a lot better when it came to writing shorter, concise songs (which we saw on a song like The Trees on the previous record). I cannot recall exactly where I ranked each song last year when we did the Rush songs countdown, but I know that Jacob's Ladder is top 5, The Spirit of Radio is just outside the top 5, and Freewill and Natural Science are both not far behind. Different Strings is awesome as well, and Entre Nous is all kinds of rocking fun. Fantastic record.
Favorite songs: Jacob's Ladder, The Spirit of Radio, Freewill, Natural Science
No surprise here. PEW is far and away the better of the PW albums. It's really structured perfectly, with the most accessible song leading it off (I have to admit it's worn on me a bit in recent years, but it's always a great listen).
Freewill just pile drives you with musicianship from start to finish. The band effortlessly shifts between time signatures. The verses are a little sing-songy, but they're unique because who does something like this while shifting between 6, 7 and 8?! The chromatic prechorus shouldn't work, but it does, and Geddy's bass and Neil's drums are perfectly synched with every fill. The choruses have such a great feel. The bass/guitar harmony on the interlude before the full band solo is great. And then the chaos of that solo section is one of the greatest moments in rock music. I remember getting a proper transcription of the song in Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine and spending hours and hours learning that section on bass. I was so thrilled when I finally nailed it!
Anyway...then Jacob's Ladder. When they busted it out on R40, I was through the roof. Of all the songs I hadn't seen live up to that point, that was at the top of the "holy grail" list. The whole thing is incredible, but the most subtle, standout thing is Alex's polyrhythmic playing during the first verse. The band is in 4/4, and Alex is changing chords in 4/4, but his rhythms are in 5/4. It's so subtly complex. The shifting 6 and 7 section before the epic conclusion is one of the most exiting things in the catalog.
Entre Nous shoud've been a hit. Different Strings isn't a song I reach for a lot, but it's so good. Too bad it never got a live performance. And the album closes with my #2 Rush song. Natural Science is just a perfect song. The slow buildup of the Tidepools section and then they smash us in the face with Hyperspace. The feel of that section is just perfect. Neil was sitting on a rocket for the entire song, and the Permanent Waves section brings the song and the album to a perfect conclusion. I had the album at #3, but #2 is well-deserved.
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 Clockwork Angels (10 - 7)
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 Power Windows (5 - 10)
14 Grace under Pressure (8 - 6)
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 Presto (11 - 0)
10 Counterparts (9 - 1)
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 2112 (7 - 0)
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 Signals (6 - 1)
4 ??
3 Permanent Waves (2 - 1)
2 A Farewell to Kings (4 - 2)
1 Hemispheres (3 - 2)
Current POOTI: 75 (avg. 4.167)
Final POOTI: 78 (avg. 4.105)
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Permanent Waves: Had it at #4, but honestly, I could have had this, Hemispheres, Power Windows, or A Farewell to Kings at #1. I consider that top four to be all pristine. Again, separating the "I've heard this 1 thousand times too many" from things, Spirit and Freewill are excellent singles, and Entre Nous is absolutely brilliant as another shorter song. Different Strings is stunning and it's heartbreaking to me that for the acoustic sets they did for awhile they didn't break that out. And then you have the longer tracks, two of their best, in Jacob's Ladder and Natural Science. While they've been playing the latter on and off for awhile, man, what a treat Jacob's Ladder was on the R40 tour. That performance and presentation was off the charts.
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This is a fantastic album. I am a fan of shorter albums in general. I find most albums I hear to go on for too long, even by my favorite bands. This packs the perfect punch for about 35 minutes.
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Not sure I'll have a chance tomorrow, so just computing some final statistics quick.
19. Rush (0)
18. Caress of Steel (1)
17. Vapor Trails (2)
16. Presto (5)
15. Hold Your Fire (3)
14. Test for Echo (2)
13. Fly By Night (0)
12. 2112 (5)
11. Grace Under Pressure (3)
10. Snakes and Arrows (8)
9. Roll the Bones (5)
8. Signals (2)
7. Clockwork Angels (3)
6. Counterparts (3)
5. ??? (4)
4. Permanent Waves (2)
3. Power Windows (2)
2. Hemispheres (1)
1. A Farewell to Kings (3)
Final POOTI: 2.84
Album I most overrated: Snakes & Arrows (8 spots)
Album I most underrated: Presto & 2112 (5 spots)
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I remember us finding out days before the show that Rush was doing all of 2112 on the Test for Echo tour, so we knew that was coming, but we did not see Natural Science coming. That was one of the more awesome concert surprises I've ever had. I burned myself out on that song at some point, but it's still all kinds of terrific.
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I remember us finding out days before the show that Rush was doing all of 2112 on the Test for Echo tour, so we knew that was coming, but we did not see Natural Science coming. That was one of the more awesome concert surprises I've ever had. I burned myself out on that song at some point, but it's still all kinds of terrific.
How did/do you feel about the altered arrangement for "Natural Science"? Personally, I'm a bit mixed/OK with it. The extended first section with the repeated verse really lets that groove set in in a way that feels a bit cut-off in the studio version now, but neutering the third section feels like a loss.
-Marc.
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Anyway...then Jacob's Ladder. When they busted it out on R40, I was through the roof. Of all the songs I hadn't seen live up to that point, that was at the top of the "holy grail" list.
Same ... except I did see Dream Theater do it live during their Toronto show just prior to Score. :biggrin: :P
I remember us finding out days before the show that Rush was doing all of 2112 on the Test for Echo tour, so we knew that was coming, but we did not see Natural Science coming. That was one of the more awesome concert surprises I've ever had. I burned myself out on that song at some point, but it's still all kinds of terrific.
Exactly. All the radio promos were about "Evening with", and "2112 in it's entirety" (and I think they were promoting it's entirety "for the first time" :omg:. I never really took notice of Natural Science until that tour. Fuck it was awesome live.
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Anyway...then Jacob's Ladder. When they busted it out on R40, I was through the roof. Of all the songs I hadn't seen live up to that point, that was at the top of the "holy grail" list.
Same ... except I did see Dream Theater do it live during their Toronto show just prior to Score. :biggrin: :P
I have a boot of that show somewhere. Good stuff.
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So listening to this again today, and it might have been different listening to it as a record with two distinct sides, but I really feel like Jacob’s Ladder saps all of the momentum of the album following TSOR and Free Will. I kind of wish they would have put it next to last before Natural Science. This could have also made Side 1 TSOR, Free Will, Entre Nous, and Different Strings (a good side 1 closer) and Side 2 the epic side with Jacob’s Ladder and Natural Science. I think Jacob’s Ladder would work much better as a side opener than closer anyway.
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I remember us finding out days before the show that Rush was doing all of 2112 on the Test for Echo tour, so we knew that was coming, but we did not see Natural Science coming. That was one of the more awesome concert surprises I've ever had. I burned myself out on that song at some point, but it's still all kinds of terrific.
How did/do you feel about the altered arrangement for "Natural Science"? Personally, I'm a bit mixed/OK with it. The extended first section with the repeated verse really lets that groove set in in a way that feels a bit cut-off in the studio version now, but neutering the third section feels like a loss.
-Marc.
At the time, they were playing Natural f'ing Science, so I didn't care about the minor changes, but in retrospect, I hated to see that new arrangement omitting that section in the last part of the song, simply because that awesome guitar solo bit the dust along with the verse. Not a big deal in the grand scheme, as the song was still awesome the way it was played from that point forward.
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I had Permanent Waves at #4. It's practically a perfect album, except for the fact that Entre Nous kind of blows and Circumstances is 10 times better.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16 Power Windows
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11 A Farewell to Kings
10 Grace Under Pressure
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6 Signals
5 Counterparts
4 Permanent Waves
3 2112
2
1 Hemispheres
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And here's Tim with another hot take...
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I said it's a near perfect album. That's not hot.
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Is announcing number 1 just a formality? :neverusethis:
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Is announcing number 1 just a formality? :neverusethis:
Read the thread title ... NO SPOTLIGHTING!!! :rollin
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And here's Tim with another hot take...
I hope God doesn't strike me down for this, but I don't think Tim's take here is all that hot. Circumstances is at least 10x better.
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And here's Tim with another hot take...
I hope God doesn't strike me down for this, but I don't think Tim's take here is all that hot. Circumstances is at least 10x better.
Apparently it’s just between us. :neverusethis:
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Is announcing number 1 just a formality? :neverusethis:
Read the thread title ... NO SPOTLIGHTING!!! :rollin
(https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExYnljNzJpN3czYmxoc2VqYTYwb3loZjlzdHhxMmtqbjdpY3FoaGNmbCZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/Z4UBzQPowm0gg/giphy.gif)
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Is announcing number 1 just a formality? :neverusethis:
Read the thread title ... NO SPOTLIGHTING!!! :rollin
(https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExYnljNzJpN3czYmxoc2VqYTYwb3loZjlzdHhxMmtqbjdpY3FoaGNmbCZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/Z4UBzQPowm0gg/giphy.gif)
Touche.
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Is announcing number 1 just a formality? :neverusethis:
Probably, but this is where the courtesy factor comes in to play. It's like when we did the favorite guitarists countdown. I would imagine literally everyone knew Petrucci was going to be number 1, but everyone was courteous and waited for my post with the reveal. Or like when Reaper did the drummers. When there were four left, I was 100% sure of who the remaining four were, but I didn't say it. I did the courteous thing and let the thread runner reveal it on his own time table. :)
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Is announcing number 1 just a formality? :neverusethis:
Probably, but this is where the courtesy factor comes in to play. It's like when we did the favorite guitarists countdown. I would imagine literally everyone knew Petrucci was going to be number 1, but everyone was courteous and waited for my post with the reveal. Or like when Reaper did the drummers. When there were four left, I was 100% sure of who the remaining four were, but I didn't say it. I did the courteous thing and let the thread runner reveal it on his own time table. :)
Maybe everyone wrote in Feedback or something!
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Is announcing number 1 just a formality? :neverusethis:
Probably, but this is where the courtesy factor comes in to play. It's like when we did the favorite guitarists countdown. I would imagine literally everyone knew Petrucci was going to be number 1, but everyone was courteous and waited for my post with the reveal. Or like when Reaper did the drummers. When there were four left, I was 100% sure of who the remaining four were, but I didn't say it. I did the courteous thing and let the thread runner reveal it on his own time table. :)
Maybe everyone wrote in Feedback or something!
Nope, it's the "Not Fade Away"/"Can't Fight It" debut single, obviously.
-Marc.
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Maybe because Power Windows is so awesome, it gets listed twice.
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More like this:
It's practically a perfect album, except for the fact that Entre Nous Jacob's Ladder kind of blows and Circumstances is 10 times better messes up the flow of the album and would have been better on the second half or as a B-side.
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Maybe because Power Windows is so awesome, it gets listed twice.
Kev, make this happen.
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Is announcing number 1 just a formality? :neverusethis:
Probably, but this is where the courtesy factor comes in to play. It's like when we did the favorite guitarists countdown. I would imagine literally everyone knew Petrucci was going to be number 1, but everyone was courteous and waited for my post with the reveal. Or like when Reaper did the drummers. When there were four left, I was 100% sure of who the remaining four were, but I didn't say it. I did the courteous thing and let the thread runner reveal it on his own time table. :)
I just figured you would have done 2 and 1 same day. With guitarists and drummers you can only assume, its not 100% definitive. I had Randy Rhoads at 1 and JP at 2. Maybe the Feedback ep is in play? :biggrin:
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Rush - Power Windows, 20 bit remastered.
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Maybe because Power Windows is so awesome, it gets listed twice.
Kev, make this happen.
I didn't make it happen. You all made it happen.
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Maybe because Power Windows is so awesome, it gets listed twice.
Kev, make this happen.
I didn't make it happen. You all made it happen.
Kev, I really appreciate these! Please don't take my last post in a negative way at all. You're awesome man, seriously.
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Maybe because Power Windows is so awesome, it gets listed twice.
Kev, make this happen.
I didn't make it happen. You all made it happen.
Kev, I really appreciate these! Please don't take my last post in a negative way at all. You're awesome man, seriously.
Haha, nah, all good! :tup :tup
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Maybe because Power Windows is so awesome, it gets listed twice.
Kev, make this happen.
I didn't make it happen. You all made it happen.
Like I didn't know. :lol
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Maybe because Power Windows is so awesome, it gets listed twice.
You forgot the green font.
Rush - Power Windows, 20 bit remastered.
It might be better in 8-bit NES style.
More like this:
It's practically a perfect album, except for the fact that Entre Nous Jacob's Ladder kind of blows and Circumstances is 10 times better messes up the flow of the album and would have been better on the second half or as a B-side.
Now THAT is a hot take. Thinking Circumstances is better than Entre Nous isn't a hot take either (although 10x might be uncomfortably warm). I had Circumstances at #26 and Entre Nous at #34. However, thinking Entre Nous blows?!?!
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Pg! Lolol
https://youtu.be/TYBeZHFRQYw
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More like this:
It's practically a perfect album, except for the fact that Entre Nous Jacob's Ladder kind of blows and Circumstances is 10 times better messes up the flow of the album and would have been better on the second half or as a B-side.
Now THAT is a hot take. Thinking Circumstances is better than Entre Nous isn't a hot take either (although 10x might be uncomfortably warm). I had Circumstances at #26 and Entre Nous at #34. However, thinking Entre Nous blows?!?!
Well, I had Circumstances at #46, which is surprisingly high, and I had Entre Nous at...oh wait..I didn't have it. ;D
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It's not manly enough for Tim. Lol
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It's not manly enough for Tim. Lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKDtg74tTgc
Maybe this is?
-Marc.
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Permanent Waves - Just a great album. I love every song so ranked this number 1. But as others have said it really is 1a, it is very close at the top for Rush.
UPDATED RANKING:
19 Vapor Trails
18 Snakes & Arrows
17 Roll the Bones
16 Test for Echo
15 Presto
14 Hold Your Fire
13 Counterparts
12 Rush
11 Caress of Steel
10 Fly by Night
9 Clockwork Angels
8 Power Windows
7 Grace Under Pressure
6 Signals
5 A Farewell to Kings
4 Hemispheres
3 2112
2
1 Permanent Waves
Average differential: 2.50
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It's like we are just moving along in chronological order... :P
02 Permanent Waves
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51CksoAn1BL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (The Letter M, Mladen, Cool Chris, billboy73, Kram, The Realm, coz)
Lowest Finish: 9 (DTA)
Same as the consensus, phenomenal records for me #2-7 and just barely edges out others, and a hair behind #1.
19. Caress of Steel
18. Fly by Night
17. Vapor Trails
16. Rush
15. Counterparts
14. Test For Echo
13. Hold Your Fire
12. Power Windows
11. Roll The Bones
10. Snakes & Arrows
9. Grace Under Pressure
8. Clockwork Angels
7. Presto
6. Signals
5. A Farewell to Kings
4. Hemispheres
3. 2112
2. Permanent Waves
1.
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Pg! Lolol
https://youtu.be/TYBeZHFRQYw
Isn't that the regular album version?
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Pg! Lolol
https://youtu.be/TYBeZHFRQYw
Isn't that the regular album version?
(https://i.postimg.cc/tRfmL966/giphy-17.webp) (https://postimages.org/)
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Yep, had Permanent Waves at #2 as well
I can only echo what most people have already said. There is nothing NOT to like on this one. The Spirit of Radio is a spectacular single and I never tire of it. Freewill is another mini-classic. Not one that I have to urge to listen to all the time, but there's so much goodness going on. I, too, was so happy they played Jacob's Ladder on R40. It's not even a top, top song for me, but its live rendition was a great audio/visual experience. As far as shorter songs go, Entre Nous is not as good as Circumstances but there is no world in which it blows :biggrin: And Different Strings is lovely.
And, well, Natural Science is my #1 Rush song. I remember as I was listening to Permanent Waves the first time, thinking how great it'd been so far as the last song was about to start. Hoping, you know, not to be let down by the closer. Did NOT need to worry there! I have to say, overall, I might have a slight preference for the live arrangement. I love that first verse so much and it's great that they give it another chance to shine :) But I'll take any version of Natural Science and be happy.
My list so far below (Aggregate minus personal ranking in brackets):
19 Rush (0)
18 Caress of Steel (-1)
17 Fly By Night (-4)
16 Snakes & Arrows (2)
15 2112 (-8)
14 Vapor Trails (1)
13 Test for Echo (3)
12 Clockwork Angels (-2)
11 Presto (0)
10 Roll the Bones (4)
9 Hold Your Fire (3)
8 Signals (-2)
7 Hemispheres (-4)
6 A Farewell to Kings (-2)
5 Grace Under Pressure (3)
4 Power Windows (1)
3 Counterparts (6)
2 Permanent Waves (0)
1
Current NOOTI (sum of absolute differences): 46 (average 2.56)
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nick - we are going to end up on the exact same sum of absolute differences - mine is currently 45 but I have the number 1 album at number two so will end up at 46.
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Pg! Lolol
https://youtu.be/TYBeZHFRQYw
It's not manly enough for Tim. Lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKDtg74tTgc
Maybe this is?
-Marc.
These were both cool! :metal
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Pg! Lolol
https://youtu.be/TYBeZHFRQYw
It's not manly enough for Tim. Lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKDtg74tTgc
Maybe this is?
-Marc.
These were both cool! :metal
I'll give the lullaby a pass (I've seen that before).
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nick - we are going to end up on the exact same sum of absolute differences - mine is currently 45 but I have the number 1 album at number two so will end up at 46.
:tup
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02 Permanent Waves (#2)
I might have heard my college roommate Rush junkie play this daily for weeks. I didn’t mind. Enjoyed the hell out of the show I saw in ‘79
Enjoyed the next album to be listed anniversary show as well.
My DA-BOOTIE will shake down to an even 3 tomorrow
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I've had a busy week and have fallen behind. I'm going to try to catch up with writeups at least about the last few tonight so that I can talk about #1 with everyone tomorrow, and then finish my listen-through over the next few days.
I had Signals at #6, so right on par with the aggregate. This was a challenging one for me to rank. It's sort of the strange middle sibling between [redacted] and Grace Under Pressure, and of the albums 1976-1984, it's the one I've listened to least. It's a transition for them in terms of style, and some of that shows. There are a few songs that I think could have been better, especially New World Man. On the other hand, it's still a really good album. Every song has at least something to enjoy, and there are a few here that are absolute classics. Subdivisions, of course, The Analog Kid (just for the chorus alone), and I'm a fan of Countdown and The Weapon as well. I think #6 holds up as a placement considering that I know this one pretty well compared to a lot of the ones I put below it, and that I like it quite well. That said, I could see several of the albums I'm just getting to know one day rising above this one. I think there's a bit of a drop-off for me between #5 and this one, where I could see 2-3 of the later albums eventually making their way.
Power Windows is the last of the albums that I didn't know very well coming into this ranking. I wound up putting it in the middle of that pack when I submitted my list: I had it #11, so just behind Vapor Trails, Hold Your Fire and Presto, and just above Snakes & Arrows and Roll the Bones. Listening to it now, I think this might have been a little low, although it's hard to say that for sure given how well I like the three I put above it. All the songs here are just really strong. You can tell that they have the synth-era sound dialed in by this point, and they're able to make an album that feels distinct from Grace Under Pressure but isn't much of a step down from it. I really like Grand Designs, Marathon and Middletown Dreams, but I find something to like on most of the songs here. The weak link so far is Emotion Detector, which isn't as memorable to me as the others, but maybe that will change.
I put A Farewell to Kings above Signals at #5. For a while after I got into Rush, this was my favorite album. Of course, there was a period when I only had like 3-4 albums, but still, this one really made a strong impression on me. Over time, I think I've come to enjoy Rush's later, more compact songwriting style more and more, and have been less attracted to their prog-epic era. I think this is the strongest of the full-on prog era, though, because of how consistent it is. I think this is their only album where both the long and short pieces are mostly quite good. Xanadu and Cygnus X-1 are both strong compositions (though no longer among my favorite Rush songs), and I might actually stand in the minority that prefers the latter to the former.
But the real standouts here, to me, are actually Closer to the Heart and A Farewell to Kings. These songs are the two most memorable pieces on the album in my opinion. Closer to the Heart just hits all the right beats, and deserves its status as one of their most-played songs. And A Farewell to Kings is a standout example of how to write a compact, catchy track that still has a prog flair. Madrigal is solid, though nothing special, which leaves Cinderella Man as the only weak link here. I said there was a gap between this album at #5 and Signals at #6, but I think there's also a gap between it and Grace Under Pressure at #4. I could see a few of the later albums slipping ahead of this one over time, as well, while the top 4 will be harder to crack. This is a long-standing favorite and an album that I still think is really good, but I overall prefer the band's songwriting on later albums.
That said, in the context of their discography, A Farewell to Kings was a huge step forward. In my opinion, it was their second complete album (after Fly By Night) and their first great one. Huge step forward from everything that came before in terms of having consistently strong songwriting.
I'm a bit of a heretic when it comes to Hemispheres. I had it #7, and I think it's very likely that it will be surpassed by several of the albums I didn't know as well—I'd be shocked if you ask me in a year and I don't put at least the 1985-89 run ahead of it. The reason? I don't... really think Hemispheres... is that great of a song? According to iTunes (which I don't think is that accurate, but this should at least give an idea), I have heard this epic 25 times. And I still have to work to remember how any of it goes. That's... not a great sign. When I do actually listen to it or remind myself enough that I can get it into my mind, I agree that there is a lot of pretty good material here, particularly instrumentally. But in a discography as strong as Rush's, I'm not sure this would even be a top 50, 60, 70? song for me?
In a sense, this album is the opposite of 2112, where I think the epic is very good but don't like a lot of the shorter songs. Here, I think the epic is decent, but nothing special, but I really like the shorter songs on side B. That's why this one is way up above 2112, although as I indicated I think that gap will close due to some of the intervening albums moving up above Hemispheres: 2112 has a very good side A and a bad side B; Hemispheres has a very good side B and a decent side A. La Villa Strangiato is a Rush instrumental, so you know it will at least be good, and it's one of their best ones, so it's pretty great. Circumstances would be just behind Closer to the Heart on my list of favorite über-short Rush songs on these first six albums. And The Trees is another strong piece about which I have no complaints.
Now for where my list gets very straightforward, predictable, and well in line with the consensus. The greatness of Permanent Waves cannot be denied, and it lands as my #2. I think this album is such a breakthrough for them, where they finally started consistently writing really strong short songs with a bit of a remaining proggy edge. I don't have a single definite favorite Rush song, but if you put a gun to my head, I might say The Spirit of Radio, because I think it has so much of what makes them great in a catchy, upbeat, proggy five-minute song, with a bit of humor thrown in.
Freewill, Jacob's Ladder and Natural Science are also towering achievements. I think Natural Science might be my favorite Rush song over 8 minutes. I love a good buildup, and this has a really strong one. It feels more tightly composed than their other epics, and it has a great climax. Jacob's Ladder has a ton of atmosphere. And Freewill is another great example of the well-composed, proggy and catchy five-minute track. Entre Nous isn't at the same stratospheric level as the two first tracks, but it's a perfectly decent piece, and Different Strings is their best "ballad" to date—a memorable one with a lyric I find touching.
2112 was my default favorite Rush album when I first got two albums from them. I was really drawn in by the epic and liked it a lot better than the other album I had just for that song alone. When I got A Farewell to Kings, that one become my favorite as a really consistent album with good epics and good short songs. Once I got Permanent Waves, which was at least after I also got Hemispheres too, and maybe Clockwork Angels as well (I got into Rush in 2012 and saw positive reviews for CA, which is why I went so radically out of order), Permanent Waves quickly became my favorite Rush album. It still had something in the way of longer proggy pieces along with some really great short songs.
Plus, it's a really happy album overall. As a young metal fan who had still not yet discovered Dream Theater and with it prog metal, I was struggling to find music that met both my desire to hear heavy music and my not-so-dark outlook on the world. I think I had a lot less angst than a lot of teenagers, and while there were moments when some of the thrash I was being introduced to at the time connected with me, I really wanted something more uplifiting. And Permanent Waves delivered that in spades.
Why is it not my #1 Rush album? Most of that answer has to wait for tomorrow. But I will say now that while I like Entre Nous and Different Strings, I think Rush has a lot better songs than both of those, and so the album does have a noticeable dip in quality between the two longer pieces. It's not what I can call a perfect and perfectly consistent album, although it is an album where I think every song is good.
19. Rush (19)
18. Caress of Steel (17)
17. Test for Echo (16)
16. Counterparts (9)
15. 2112 (7)
14. Fly By Night (13)
13. Roll the Bones (14)
12. Snakes & Arrows (18)
11. Power Windows (5)
10. Presto (11)
9. Hold Your Fire (12)
8. Vapor Trails (15)
7. Hemispheres (3)
6. Signals (6)
5. A Farewell to Kings (4)
4. Grace Under Pressure (8)
3. Clockwork Angels (10)
2. Permanent Waves (2)
1.
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No time like the present...
01 Moving Pictures
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51eA1wQ7luL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (KevShmev, MrMike, romdrums, Dragon Attack, Zydar, Samsara, nobloodyname, devieira73, jjrock88, nick_z, Stadler, faizoff, 425)
Lowest Finish: 11 (HOF)
Was there ever any doubt? This is their best and most classic album. Side 1 alone is one of the greatest album sides in the history of rock music, and Side 2 is fantastic as well with three tremendous deep cuts. This album feels like the culmination of everything they had done coming together and it all just hitting the right peaks all at the same time. In 50 years, if music fans are still talking about Rush, this will be the album that holds up and gets talked about.
Favorite songs (all of them, which my preference in order): Red Barchetta, Tom Sawyer, YYZ, Limelight, Witch Hunt, The Camera Eye, Vital Signs
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Total points:
19 Rush 167
18 Snakes & Arrows 225
17 Caress of Steel 241
16 Test for Echo 246
15 Vapor Trails 258
14 Roll the Bones 269
13 Fly by Night 300
12 Hold Your Fire 320
11 Presto 355
10 Clockwork Angels 385
09 Counterparts 407
08 Grace Under Pressure 467
07 2112 490
06 Signals 544
05 Power Windows 547
04 A Farewell to Kings 570
03 Hemispheres 634
02 Permanent Waves 667
01 Moving Pictures 698
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No time like the present...
01 Moving Pictures
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51eA1wQ7luL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (KevShmev, MrMike, romdrums, Dragon Attack, Zydar, Samsara, nobloodyname, devieira73, jjrock88, nick_z, Stadler, faizoff, 425)
Lowest Finish: 11 (HOF)
When I first got into Rush around 2003 ish the MP forum all recommended I start with this record but I went with 2112 instead, I had originally wanted to go in chronological order but decided against it. Moving Pictures was the next album and I took to it instantly, even after 20 years of listening to it, it's like my SFAM I get a comfort and cozy feeling when listening to it.
19 Caress of Steel
18 Fly by Night
17 Vapor Trails
16 Rush
15 Counterparts
14 Test for Echo
13 Hold Your Fire
12 Power Windows
11 Roll the Bones
10 Snakes & Arrows
9 Grace Under Pressure
8 Clockwork Angels
7 Presto
6 Signals
5 A Farewell to Kings
4 Hemispheres
3 2112
2 Permanent Waves
1 Moving Pictures
Thanks for running this Kev!
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No time like the present...
01 Moving Pictures
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51eA1wQ7luL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Lowest Finish: 11 (HOF)
HOF! So it was you leaving it off the top 10! :biggrin:
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Ooh, Signals and Power windows were actually really close! :omg: Also there weren't that many points between Permanent waves and Moving pictures, which is cool.
I love Moving pictures, but I had it only at #5. Why? Vital signs. Dang, do I not like that song. The rest of the album is pretty much fantastic. If I ever did a list of my twenty favorite Rush songs, maybe even five songs from the album would end up on the list. Great stuff. I can't argue with it being number one.
Thanks for doing this, Kev. So much fun as always. :tup
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Yep, this was always going to be #1. Kev, you are absolutely right that this feels like the culmination of what they had been doing up to that point. Had three of its songs in my Rush top 10.
If I had to rank the tunes: Red Barchetta, Tom Sawyer, Limelight, YYZ, Vital Signs, The Camera Eye, Witch Hunt
My final list below (Aggregate minus personal ranking in brackets):
19 Rush (0)
18 Caress of Steel (-1)
17 Fly By Night (-4)
16 Snakes & Arrows (2)
15 2112 (-8)
14 Vapor Trails (1)
13 Test for Echo (3)
12 Clockwork Angels (-2)
11 Presto (0)
10 Roll the Bones (4)
9 Hold Your Fire (3)
8 Signals (-2)
7 Hemispheres (-4)
6 A Farewell to Kings (-2)
5 Grace Under Pressure (3)
4 Power Windows (1)
3 Counterparts (6)
2 Permanent Waves (0)
1 Moving Pictures (0)
Sum of absolute differences: 46
Final NOOTI 2.42
Thanks Kev, as usual, for running this!
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A worthy number 1. An album where I love every track - and I can't say that about a lot of albums.
Thanks Kev!
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Not surprised by the number 1 overall, MP was my number 3. Great countdown, thanks for running this Kev.
My final list:
19 Roll The Bones
18 Presto
17 Grace Under Pressure
16 Counterparts
15 Test For Echo
14 Fly By Night
13 Hemispheres
12 Signals
11 Vapor Trails
10 Power Windows
9 Hold Your Fire
8 Permanent Waves
7 A Farewell To Kings
6 Rush
5 Caress Of Steel
4 Clockwork Angels
3 Moving Pictures
2 Snakes & Arrows
1 2112
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What can I say? Awesome album. Ranked # 2 for me behind Hemispheres, but practically flawless.
HOF, you fail lol
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Moving Pictures was my number 1. Side A is one of, if not the best, sides in all of rock music.
Final ranking:
19. Rush
18. Caress of Steel
17. Roll the Bones
16. Snakes & Arrows
15. 2112
14. Vapor Trails
13. Fly By Night
12. Test For Echo
11. Grace Under Pressure
10. Hold Your Fire
9. Counterparts
8. A Farewell to Kings
7. Hemispheres
6. Signals
5. Clockwork Angels
4. Presto
3. Power Windows
2. Permanent Waves
1. Moving Pictures
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01 Moving Pictures
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51eA1wQ7luL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (KevShmev, MrMike, romdrums, Dragon Attack, Zydar, Samsara, nobloodyname, devieira73, jjrock88, nick_z, Stadler, faizoff, 425)
Lowest Finish: 11 (HOF)
01 Permanent Waves (1)
02 Hemispheres (1)
03 A Farewell To Kings (1)
04 Moving Pictures (3)
05 Power Windows (0)
06 Caress Of Steel (11 - ouch)
07 Signals (1)
08 2112 (1)
09 Fly By Night (4)
10 Vapor Trails (5)
11 Clockwork Angels (1)
12 Counterparts (3)
13 Grace Under Pressure (5)
14 Hold Your Fire (2)
15 Presto (4)
16 Test For Echo (0)
17 Snakes & Arrows (1)
18 Roll The Bones (4)
19 Rush (0)
Final MOOTI = 2.526315789473684
Not the lowest but pretty dang close. COS definitely impacted my score but I knew I was an outlier ranking it so high compared to everyone else.
I had SEVEN albums where I was one off, and three where I was spot on, so I feel like that counts for something.
As for MP, yes, definitely a great album, but I have felt the "it's been overplayed" mood for a long time. Still great songs, but for me it doesn't quite reach number one. Again, though, at any point in being a Rush fan, the top four could have been in any position and I would certainly have been fine with that order.
Thanks for running this Kev! It's been fun seeing everyone's lists and the discussion has been interesting!
-Marc.
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I was virtually certain from the outset this would be a foregone conclusion, but ya never know with DTF. We know llamas!!
Red Barchetta is my 1b fave song of all-time from Rush, and #4 of all time for any band. That riff coming out of the guitar solo ... goosebumps every single time. I love it live, when they repeat a few times with a gradual build after each couple of bars. Obviously the other 3 from the 'big-4' are songs to love for sure, and never tire of, and my love for Witch Hunt (particularly, ASOH version) knows no bounds. Camera Eye is glorious (and was glorious to see DT cover it on ProgNation 2008 :P). Vital Signs is the runt of the litter for sure, but as good as any of the other 'least-best' tertiary songs like Cinderella Man, Something for Nothing, Circumstances and (apparently) Entre Nous :biggrin:
Love the ESL video of Red Barchetta too. That got a lot of watch-time over the years.
19. Caress of Steel (2)
18. Fly by Night (5)
17. Snakes & Arrows (1)
16. Test for Echo (0)
15. Vapor Trails (0)
14. Counterparts (5)
13. Rush (6)
12. Grace Under Pressure (4)
11. Hold Your Fire (1)
10. Roll the Bones (4)
9. Presto (2)
8. Signals (2)
7. 2112 (0)
6. Clockwork Angels (4)
5. Permanent Waves (3)
4. Power Windows (1)
3. Hemispheres (0)
2. Moving Pictures (1)
1. A Farewell to Kings (3)
Highest rank vs DTF - Rush (6)
Lowest rank vs DTF - Counterparts and Fly By Night (5)
Final J-BOOTI ... 44. Beat that, mofo's!
HOF is now short for HOly Fuck.
(https://media2.giphy.com/media/26BkLCUdp1lqUA2JO/giphy.gif)
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Hey, 11 is higher than this album was for me for a long time. It always used to be one of my least favorites, but it has grown on me for sure. I do think it’s a great album, but there are just other Rush albums I enjoy more. The album itself had little impact on me becoming a Rush fan. It was the next to last album I picked up from them (though I owned half the album from Retrospective II for a long time).
The big reasons it’s not higher are this: 1) I’ve never really liked Tom Sawyer. I do appreciate it, but even growing up I never liked it hearing it on the radio. 2) Witch Hunt and Vital Signs are total dogs. Just unmelodic and unmemorable tunes. I couldn’t even hum Witch Hunt for you. To a lesser extent, 3) I like but don’t love YYZ. It’s a fun song, has some interesting parts, but for some reason as I’ve said many times before, Rush instrumentals don’t really move me.
So that leaves us with the brilliant Red Barchetta and Limelight, two absolute classic Rush songs that I do genuinely love (though have heard a lot in my life!). The other is The Camera Eye, which has grown to become one of my favorite Rush epics, and is the one song on the album that I really look forward to hearing these days (don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy Red Barchetta and Limelight).
Altogether, I can step back and say objectively “yeah, that’s an impressive little album,” but it’s still not the Rush album I reach for. In the grand scheme of things though, it does showcase the band’s newfound songwriting skills (even Tom Sawyer is a brilliantly constructed song) and is obviously a very important album for the band and for rock history. If the album just stopped after The Camera Eye it would maybe be even higher. That would still be about 31 minutes of music, not too much shorter than Permanent Waves.
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HOF, I cannot wait to see some of the reactions to your rankings when we do the Van Halen countdown. :P :lol
It would be no fun if we all thought the same thing. :coolio :coolio
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VHIII will not be my least favorite VH album. Come at me Bruhs.
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Hey, 11 is higher than this album was for me for a long time. It always used to be one of my least favorites, but it has grown on me for sure. I do think it’s a great album, but there are just other Rush albums I enjoy more. The album itself had little impact on me becoming a Rush fan. It was the next to last album I picked up from them (though I owned half the album from Retrospective II for a long time).
The big reasons it’s not higher are this: 1) I’ve never really liked Tom Sawyer. I do appreciate it, but even growing up I never liked it hearing it on the radio. 2) Witch Hunt and Vital Signs are total dogs. Just unmelodic and unmemorable tunes. I couldn’t even hum Witch Hunt for you. To a lesser extent, 3) I like but don’t love YYZ. It’s a fun song, has some interesting parts, but for some reason as I’ve said many times before, Rush instrumentals don’t really move me.
So that leaves us with the brilliant Red Barchetta and Limelight, two absolute classic Rush songs that I do genuinely love (though have heard a lot in my life!). The other is The Camera Eye, which has grown to become one of my favorite Rush epics, and is the one song on the album that I really look forward to hearing these days (don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy Red Barchetta and Limelight).
Altogether, I can step back and say objectively “yeah, that’s an impressive little album,” but it’s still not the Rush album I reach for. In the grand scheme of things though, it does showcase the band’s newfound songwriting skills (even Tom Sawyer is a brilliantly constructed song) and is obviously a very important album for the band and for rock history. If the album just stopped after The Camera Eye it would maybe be even higher. That would still be about 31 minutes of music, not too much shorter than Permanent Waves.
While I appreciate the explanation and owning up to it, and TASTESTM and all that ...
(https://media.tenor.com/zn9aJurfKbgAAAAC/fucked-up-seth-rogan.gif)
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HOF, I cannot wait to see some of the reactions to your rankings when we do the Van Halen countdown. :P :lol
It would be no fun if we all thought the same thing. :coolio :coolio
Hah, that will be fun. :-)
Seriously though, I’m sure you had to be there with this album. I can absolutely see if you became a fan around this point how Moving Pictures is the Rush album. Or if you were a fan in the 70s how Moving Pictures might have been the culmination of everything before it. But it just wasn’t either of those for me, and there’s just no way I could call it one of their very best based on how I feel about half the album. I probably could have swapped it with Roll The Bones at 10, which has a similar set of favorites and duds, but Roll The Bones was more of a pivotal album for me getting into Rush.
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VHIII will not be my least favorite VH album. Come at me Bruhs.
Same with me, but I bet our least favorites are quite different.
In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if I am the only one with that album as lowest ranked.
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VHIII will not be my least favorite VH album. Come at me Bruhs.
Same with me, but I bet our least favorites are quite different.
In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if I am the only one with that album as lowest ranked.
Tim won't be happy with mine.
Kev, thank you again for running this. It's fun to see everyone's taste on bands I know very well.
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VHIII will not be my least favorite VH album. Come at me Bruhs.
Me either. Solidarity. :metal
KEV - thanks again for running this one, and most of 'em. I know you have it down to a science, but it's still a lot of work, and we appreciate you for it. Cheers. :tup
As for Moving Pictures, it very much could have been my #2 and Clockwork Angels my #1. Some of the reasons HOF points to on MP as for him ranking it 11 are shared, at least by me. Not to the same degree, obviously, because MP was still my #1. But I do hear what he's talkin' about.
Love these rankings and seeing everyone's take.
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Love Moving Pictures
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MP also my #1. What to say, I think Kev made a great summary, it's indeed an album with one side with amazing classics and the other, with outstanding deep cuts. All about Rush in one incredible album. :metal :heart
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Pg! Lolol
https://youtu.be/TYBeZHFRQYw
That might, indeed, be an improvement!
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Thanks again for running this, Kev!
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01 Moving Pictures
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51eA1wQ7luL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Highest Finish: 1 (KevShmev, MrMike, romdrums, Dragon Attack, Zydar, Samsara, nobloodyname, devieira73, jjrock88, nick_z, Stadler, faizoff, 425)
Lowest Finish: 11 (HOF)
Was there ever any doubt? This is their best and most classic album. Side 1 alone is one of the greatest album sides in the history of rock music, and Side 2 is fantastic as well with three tremendous deep cuts. This album feels like the culmination of everything they had done coming together and it all just hitting the right peaks all at the same time. In 50 years, if music fans are still talking about Rush, this will be the album that holds up and gets talked about.
Favorite songs (all of them, which my preference in order): Red Barchetta, Tom Sawyer, YYZ, Limelight, Witch Hunt, The Camera Eye, Vital Signs
No surprise here. It's my #4, but the big 4 albums can move around a bit for me. Glad to see the top 4 were the top 4. As far as the songs, Tom Sawyer is just so well-constructed. I will never get tired of it and all of its little nuances. Red Barchetta has improved like a fine (red) wine. YYZ is my least favorite on side 1, but it's an indicator of how good the side is when one of the all-time great rock instrumentals is the least on an album side. Limelight is my #1 MP song. I could go on and on about it. The Rick Beato video covers a lot of the same ground as I would. Alex's chord voicings are a highlight. Side 2 is really what makes this my #4 album, although I love all three songs. The Camera Eye never quite gets where I want it to get until the end, and then it's over too soon. The guitar solo is so good, though. Witch Hunt has always been cool, and Vital Signs is the first Rush song I learned to play on the bass. I can still play the main figure from memory.
19 Roll the Bones (14 - 5)
18 Hold Your Fire (12 - 6)
17 Clockwork Angels (10 - 7)
16 Snakes & Arrows (18 - 2)
15 Power Windows (5 - 10)
14 Grace under Pressure (8 - 6)
13 Test for Echo (16 - 3)
12 Rush (19 - 7)
11 Presto (11 - 0)
10 Counterparts (9 - 1)
9 Caress of Steel (17 - 8)
8 Vapor Trails (15 - 7)
7 2112 (7 - 0)
6 Fly by Night (13 - 7)
5 Signals (6 - 1)
4 Moving Pictures (1 - 3)
3 Permanent Waves (2 - 1)
2 A Farewell to Kings (4 - 2)
1 Hemispheres (3 - 2)
Final POOTI: 78 (avg. 4.105)
Nailed it: 2112 (7) and Presto (11)
Most out of touch: Power Windows
Thanks, as always, Kev!
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19. Rush
18. Test for Echo
17. Fly by Night
16. Hold Your Fire
15. Roll The Bones
14. Snakes & Arrows
13. Caress of Steel
12. Vapor Trails
11. Grace Under Pressure
10. Clockwork Angels
9. Counterparts
8. Presto
7. Signals
6. 2112
5. Power Windows
4. A Farewell to Kings
3. Hemisphere's
2. Moving Pictures
1. Permanent Waves
Catching up again. Hit Hemisphere's on the nose and had the top two reversed from the consensus. There's not much more I can say about these three albums that hasn't already been said. They're as good as it gets as far as I'm concerned, and Rush continues to be my favorite band after 40 plus years - and I don't think that will ever change!
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(https://i.postimg.cc/nLmvpqx6/Screenshot-20230606-135403-Chrome.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/VSYSFrdR)
Here's my list. Rush is my favorite band. 1st time seeing them was in 84. Grace tour. I was lucky to see them 31 times in all.
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Your list is upside down.
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I had hope that Moving Pictures would not be #1, but here we are. I absolutely believe the album is top tier Rush, here is why I rank it #5. Power Windows has 1 track that I consider less than perfect (Big Money), A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, and Permanent Waves have none. Moving Pictures has Vital Signs and Witch Hunt, both of which I love, but would consider that minute step down from everything else. Then you have Tom Sawyer, which among the singles I've heard a million times (2112, CttH, Trees, Spirit, Freewill, Limelight, and Subdivisions) I'd consider my least favorite of the bunch.
So it's not that I wanted Moving Pictures to finish poorly, rather I just wanted to see some others get their due ahead of the standard choice.
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Your list is upside down.
No, U.
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I had hope that Moving Pictures would not be #1, but here we are. I absolutely believe the album is top tier Rush, here is why I rank it #5. Power Windows has 1 track that I consider less than perfect (Big Money), A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, and Permanent Waves have none. Moving Pictures has Vital Signs and Witch Hunt, both of which I love, but would consider that minute step down from everything else. Then you have Tom Sawyer, which among the singles I've heard a million times (2112, CttH, Trees, Spirit, Freewill, Limelight, and Subdivisions) I'd consider my least favorite of the bunch.
So it's not that I wanted Moving Pictures to finish poorly, rather I just wanted to see some others get their due ahead of the standard choice.
Same. It's like seeing IAW and SFAM at the top of DT album rankings - so VERY expected that it hurts, but some can't deny the greatness of those albums, same with Rush's Sector 2 albums. I think if you look at ANY list by Rush fans and critics/reviewers of rock music in general, one or more (or all) of those four albums always feature in the Top 5 or 10, if not entirely in the Top 4.
I'm not mad or upset that MP got the top spot, just disappointed that DTF didn't fight the expectation. :lol
-Marc.
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19 Test for Echo
18 Counterparts
17 Vapor Trails
16 Rush
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Snakes & Arrows
12 Presto
11 Fly by Night
10 Clockwork Angels
9 Grace Under Pressure
8 Hold Your Fire
7 Power Windows
6 2112
5 Permanent Waves
4 A Farewell to Kings
3 Moving Pictures
2 Signals
1 Hemispheres
Love Rush
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My list:
1) Hemispheres
2) Moving Pictures
3) 2112
4) Permanent Waves
5) Signals
6) A Farewell To Kings
7) Power Windows
8) Fly By Night
9) Counterparts
10) Presto
11) Clockwork Angels
12) Hold Your Fire
13) Roll The Bones
14) Grace Under Pressure
15) Rush
16) Caress Of Steel
17) Test For Echo
18) Snakes & Arrows
19) Vapor Trails
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The only logical and inevitable final 4, well done DTF. Can’t argue with that order of 1 through 4 either, MP has been my #1 since forever.
That makes Rush one of the very few bands (at least by the consensus on this board) to keep making a greater album at least 4 times in a row. Maiden in the 80s is one of the other few candidates that gets mentioned on that topic. Beatles maybe. Anyone else?
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My list:
19. Rush (0)
18. 2112 (-11)
17. Snakes and Arrows (+1)
16. Clockwork Angels (-6)
15. A Farewell to Kings (-11)
14. Caress of Steel (+3)
13. Fly By Night (0)
12. Hemispheres (-9)
11. Moving Pictures (-10)
10. Roll The Bones (+4)
9. Hold Your Fire (+3)
8. Vapor Trails (+7)
7. Permanent Waves (-5)
6. Test for Echo (+10)
5. Counterparts (+4)
4. Grace Under Pressure (+4)
3. Presto (+8)
2. Signals (+4)
1. Power Windows (+4)
HOOTI: 104
Average difference: 5.5
I bet I win this competition!
Also, thanks Kev for another great countdown!
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Thanks for all the thanks, peeps! :tup :tup
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I'm not mad or upset that MP got the top spot, just disappointed that DTF didn't fight the expectation. :lol
-Marc.
As the old saying goes, what's right isn't always popular and what's popular isn't always right.
MP earned and deserves the gold medal.
HOOTI: 104
Average difference: 5.5
I bet I win this competition!
I think you blowfished the competition.
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Chad, get that filthy dirty name of a band out of this thread.
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Comparing this countdown to the aggregation of the songs countdown:
Albums Countdown Songs Countdown
1. Moving Pictures 1. Moving Pictures (7/7 songs)
2. Permanent Waves 2. Power Windows (8/8 songs)
3. Hemispheres 3. Permanent Waves (6/6 songs)
4. A Farewell to Kings 4. Signals (7/8 songs)
5. Power Windows 5. Grace under Pressure (5/8 songs)
6. Signals 6. Hemispheres (4/4 songs)
7. 2112 7. A Farewell to Kings (5/6 songs)
8. Grace under Pressure 8. Presto (5/11 songs)
9. Counterparts 9. Clockwork Angels (4/12 songs)
10. Clockwork Angels 10. Counterparts (6/11 songs)
11. Presto 11. Hold Your Fire (5/10 songs)
12. Hold Your Fire 12. 2112 (3/6 songs)
13. Fly by Night 13. Fly by Night (3/8 songs)
14. Roll the Bones 14. Roll the Bones (3/10 songs)
15. Vapor Trails 15. Caress of Steel (2/5 songs)
16. Test for Echo 16. Rush (1/8 songs)
17. Caress of Steel 17. Test for Echo (2/11 songs)
18. Snakes & Arrows 18T. Snakes & Arrows (0 songs)
19. Rush 18T. Vapor Trails (0 songs)
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HOOTI: 104
Average difference: 5.5
I bet I win this competition!
I think you blowfished the competition.
Let them cry.
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And his tears will fall like rain...
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I had Moving Pictures at #2. I could go on and on about how I got into Rush during my 7th grade summer in 1981 becoming a Rush fan.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16 Power Windows
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11 A Farewell to Kings
10 Grace Under Pressure
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6 Signals
5 Counterparts
4 Permanent Waves
3 2112
2 Moving Pictures
1 Hemispheres
Mt TOOTI total was 67... or 3.52.
If I had switched Rush and Power Windows in my rankings, it would've put my TOOTI at 2.79.
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If I had switched Rush and Power Windows in my rankings, it would've put my TOOTI at 2.79.
...which, quite simply, was the right thing to do :biggrin:
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If I had switched Rush and Power Windows in my rankings, it would've put my TOOTI at 2.79.
...which, quite simply, was the right thing to do :biggrin:
:lol
And Kev! Thanks again for running this. It was fun!
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Can I get clarification on the OOTI? Is the correct definition the total score differential, or the average?
Either may, my COOTI is 86/4.52
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So, in the end, Jingle and HOF get the awards for least and most out of touch? :biggrin:
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I didn't hit one album on the mark.
Most out of touch: Rush (9 higher than aggregate); and Signals and Power Windows (each 8 lower than aggregate).
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Comparing this countdown to the aggregation of the songs countdown:
Albums Countdown Songs Countdown
1. Moving Pictures 1. Moving Pictures (7/7 songs)
2. Permanent Waves 2. Power Windows (8/8 songs)
3. Hemispheres 3. Permanent Waves (6/6 songs)
4. A Farewell to Kings 4. Signals (7/8 songs)
5. Power Windows 5. Grace under Pressure (5/8 songs)
6. Signals 6. Hemispheres (4/4 songs)
7. 2112 7. A Farewell to Kings (5/6 songs)
8. Grace under Pressure 8. Presto (5/11 songs)
9. Counterparts 9. Clockwork Angels (4/12 songs)
10. Clockwork Angels 10. Counterparts (6/11 songs)
11. Presto 11. Hold Your Fire (5/10 songs)
12. Hold Your Fire 12. 2112 (3/6 songs)
13. Fly by Night 13. Fly by Night (3/8 songs)
14. Roll the Bones 14. Roll the Bones (3/10 songs)
15. Vapor Trails 15. Caress of Steel (2/5 songs)
16. Test for Echo 16. Rush (1/8 songs)
17. Caress of Steel 17. Test for Echo (2/11 songs)
18. Snakes & Arrows 18T. Snakes & Arrows (0 songs)
19. Rush 18T. Vapor Trails (0 songs)
Cool comparison, pg. I was looking at that too. 2112 clearly is the one album that benefited the most from the "album" as opposed to "songs" consideration (unsurprisingly)...
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So we reach the inevitable at the end of another great countdown. Well done Kev, really enjoyed this one and was great to have so many peeps involved.
Special mentions:
HOF - as always, you and your hot takes rule and sounds like we have more to come with VH.
Metropolaris: your chime ins on every album were great: "Love xxx" (insert album name for xxx)
nick_z: well done on getting the exact same score/average differences as me.
Moving Pictures - my rank 2. It is an incredible album and well deserved as number 1.
My final album rankings:
19 Vapor Trails
18 Snakes & Arrows
17 Roll the Bones
16 Test for Echo
15 Presto
14 Hold Your Fire
13 Counterparts
12 Rush
11 Caress of Steel
10 Fly by Night
9 Clockwork Angels
8 Power Windows
7 Grace Under Pressure
6 Signals
5 A Farewell to Kings
4 Hemispheres
3 2112
2 Moving Pictures
1 Permanent Waves
My total was 46 with an average of 2.42.
Most out touch was Rush (7) and Caress of Steel (6).
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The only logical and inevitable final 4, well done DTF. Can’t argue with that order of 1 through 4 either, MP has been my #1 since forever.
That makes Rush one of the very few bands (at least by the consensus on this board) to keep making a greater album at least 4 times in a row. Maiden in the 80s is one of the other few candidates that gets mentioned on that topic. Beatles maybe. Anyone else?
I always hold Between the Buried and Me up there with their run of Silent Circus -> Alaska -> Colors -> The Great Misdirect
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I can’t fathom MP being #11 unless it’s just contrarian driven. It hits all the notes pretty much perfectly whether you like pop, rock, prog, whatever.
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I can’t fathom MP being #11 unless it’s just contrarian driven. It hits all the notes pretty much perfectly whether you like pop, rock, prog, whatever.
If you like Witch Hunt and Vital Signs well enough then it is one of Rush’s best. I don’t, and I can’t imagine dying on a hill over those two songs, but tastes and all that. Shrugs. I laid out my reasoning and I think it’s in good faith and not contrarian in the least. It’s certainly not a new stance of mine, and as I said it’s risen in my rankings over the years. It’s not like I ranked it below Rush or Caress of Steel.
And I’d also say it’s probably in the same overall tier with the next 4 albums on my list, so I don’t think calling a top 10 Rush album is a stretch at all. I even called it a great album! I just like other stuff they’ve done better.
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2112 was my default favorite Rush album when I first got two albums from them. I was really drawn in by the epic and liked it a lot better than the other album I had just for that song alone. When I got A Farewell to Kings, that one become my favorite as a really consistent album with good epics and good short songs. Once I got Permanent Waves, which was at least after I also got Hemispheres too, and maybe Clockwork Angels as well (I got into Rush in 2012 and saw positive reviews for CA, which is why I went so radically out of order), Permanent Waves quickly became my favorite Rush album. It still had something in the way of longer proggy pieces along with some really great short songs.
Plus, it's a really happy album overall. As a young metal fan who had still not yet discovered Dream Theater and with it prog metal, I was struggling to find music that met both my desire to hear heavy music and my not-so-dark outlook on the world. I think I had a lot less angst than a lot of teenagers, and while there were moments when some of the thrash I was being introduced to at the time connected with me, I really wanted something more uplifiting. And Permanent Waves delivered that in spades.
Why is it not my #1 Rush album? Most of that answer has to wait for tomorrow. But I will say now that while I like Entre Nous and Different Strings, I think Rush has a lot better songs than both of those, and so the album does have a noticeable dip in quality between the two longer pieces. It's not what I can call a perfect and perfectly consistent album, although it is an album where I think every song is good.
As I was hinting yesterday, it took a long journey to get here. Moving Pictures was one of my first-ever Rush albums, along with 2112, and at that time I liked it less than an album I now have at #15. Yet when I made this list a few weeks, I had no doubt that Moving Pictures would be my #1.
I think a big part of what changed is that at that time I was way into heavy music, so I connected more with 70s hard rock Rush and wasn't sure what to make of this more keyboard-infused sound on Moving Pictures. My early favorite songs on the album were all the heavier ones (Red Barchetta, YYZ, Limelight), and I didn't know what to make of the others for a while.
But as the years went on, this album just kept creeping up and up in my estimation, little by little, until one day it just clicked hard. I realized I really like every song on here, love most of them, and that everyone is right that this really is one of *those* albums.
I knew from early on in my experience with this album that Tom Sawyer was a hit. I didn't fully "get it" for a while until I really started paying attention to the rhythmic element. This song is so heavily driven by the bass and drums, and Geddy and Neil are doing so much impressive stuff there. I don't think it would be in the top 10-20 of my list of Rush songs, but I really never get tired of hearing those fills.
Red Barchetta probably would be a top 10-15 Rush song for me. I love it when music and lyrics come together to tell a story, and this song does a really good job of telling an interesting story within a pretty compact duration. Top notch musicianship again, and just a purely enjoyable piece of music.
I've said I really like Rush's instrumentals, and YYZ is my favorite of all. This one, in its own way, tells an aural story. It has so many interesting riffs and melodies, and it's nicely put together. Crazy how it manages to get that Morse code rhythm to be catchy. I really never get tired of hearing this one, and it would probably be another top 20 Rush song.
...And those are just the first three tracks. Limelight is just plainly an excellent song with thought-provoking and relatable lyrics. The Camera Eye is one of Rush's better long pieces. The sound effectively conveys the idea of moving through rainy city streets, and I like the two-part structure (sue me, I like long songs that use this simple but effective structure—see: my #4 Iron Maiden song: Isle of Avalon). The intro probably takes a bit longer to get going than it needs to, but the piece as a whole is effective for their last time stretching out like this. One touch I love is just the way the lyrics of the London section *sound*. There's a musicality to the combination of word-sounds. I mean, "wide-angle watcher on life's ancient tales," "Green and grey washes in a whispy white veil"? Amazing stuff.
So, all of these great, widely-beloved, classic songs. Which one is my favorite?
None of them. That's Witch Hunt.
This song just brings it all in terms of atmosphere. It sounds appropriately creepy and haunting, yet it doesn't take you into utter darkness without keeping Geddy's voice there as your guide. I really like the main riff. It's pretty simple, but there's just something to me about songs that find a tense mood like this and just stick with it. I'll try to think of other examples—the one that comes to mind is Maiden's Face in the Sand. And then there's Neil's lyric. One of my favorites of his, and so perfectly suited to the song. This verse is so chilling:
Features distorted in the flickering light,
The faces are twisted and grotesque
Silent and stern in the sweltering night,
The mob moves like demons possessed
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right,
Confident their ways are best
I think of this song often, and I think of that specific part more often than I think of any other. Such a great union of music and lyrics. Would certainly be in my top 10 Rush songs and on the right day would compete for my favorite.
(Truly a heartbreaker twist in the saga of HOF and 425 sometimes disagreeing strongly and sometimes holding the same heretical opinions: The whole thing ends with HOF gunning hard after one of my absolute favorite Rush songs.)
Finally, there's Vital Signs. The song that was totally perplexing to me as a young metal fan. Today, though, I love it. It's just so memorable and catchy. It might actually be the song from this album I catch myself singing most often. "Tired mind become a shapeshifter" is just so much fun.
This album really does have it all. Catchiness? Yes. Compact, well-structured songwriting? Yes. Progginess? Absolutely. Atmosphere? You bet. Cohesiveness AND diversity? Yes and yes. I still have a lot of work to do to familiarize myself with Rush's full discography, but I highly doubt that anything is beating this. A truly superb album, and a deserving champion.
Here is my full list, with "4OOTI" calculated:
19. Rush (19, 4OOTI: +/-0)
18. Caress of Steel (17, 4OOTI: -1)
17. Test for Echo (16, 4OOTI: -1)
16. Counterparts (9, 4OOTI: -7)
15. 2112 (7, 4OOTI: -8)
14. Fly By Night (13, 4OOTI: -1)
13. Roll the Bones (14, 4OOTI: +1)
12. Snakes & Arrows (18, 4OOTI: +6)
11. Power Windows (5, 4OOTI: -6)
10. Presto (11, 4OOTI: +1)
9. Hold Your Fire (12, 4OOTI: +3)
8. Vapor Trails (15, 4OOTI: +7)
7. Hemispheres (3, 4OOTI: -4)
6. Signals (6, 4OOTI: +/-0)
5. A Farewell to Kings (4, 4OOTI: -1)
4. Grace Under Pressure (8, 4OOTI: +4)
3. Clockwork Angels (10, 4OOTI: +7)
2. Permanent Waves (2, 4OOTI: +/-0)
1. Moving Pictures (1, 4OOTI: +/-0)
Total 4OOTI: 58
Average 4OOTI: 3.05
Spot on: Rush (19), Signals (6), Permanent Waves (2), Moving Pictures (1)
Most out-of-touch: 2112 (me: 15, overall: 7); then: Counterparts (me: 16, overall: 9), Clockwork Angels (me: 3, overall: 10)
I'll join the chorus in thanking Kev for running this. Personally, this got me listening to Rush again after not listening to them much for a long time. It finally got me to give two more listens to each of the albums Power Windows through Snakes & Arrows, which has gotten me to the point where I have a sense of the unique feeling of each and at least a couple of favorite songs to look forward to on subsequent listens.
I'm going to keep listening in the coming weeks. And maybe what I'll do is put all the songs through the ranking engine and come up with a top 75 list of my own. I didn't participate much when y'all did that thread because I didn't know the other albums (and ranking semi-familiar albums is way easier than ranking semi-familiar songs), but maybe I'll bump it or the regular Rush thread with my list if I end up making that.
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So, all of these great, widely-beloved, classic songs. Which one is my favorite?
None of them. That's Witch Hunt.
This song just brings it all in terms of atmosphere. It sounds appropriately creepy and haunting, yet it doesn't take you into utter darkness without keeping Geddy's voice there as your guide. I really like the main riff. It's pretty simple, but there's just something to me about songs that find a tense mood like this and just stick with it. I'll try to think of other examples—the one that comes to mind is Maiden's Face in the Sand. And then there's Neil's lyric. One of my favorites of his, and so perfectly suited to the song. This verse is so chilling:
Features distorted in the flickering light,
The faces are twisted and grotesque
Silent and stern in the sweltering night,
The mob moves like demons possessed
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right,
Confident their ways are best
I think of this song often, and I think of that specific part more often than I think of any other. Such a great union of music and lyrics. Would certainly be in my top 10 Rush songs and on the right day would compete for my favorite.
(Truly a heartbreaker twist in the saga of HOF and 425 sometimes disagreeing strongly and sometimes holding the same heretical opinions: The whole thing ends with HOF gunning hard after one of my absolute favorite Rush songs.)
Finally, there's Vital Signs. The song that was totally perplexing to me as a young metal fan. Today, though, I love it. It's just so memorable and catchy. It might actually be the song from this album I catch myself singing most often. "Tired mind become a shapeshifter" is just so much fun.
Ha! I was reading your write up and holding out some hope that you’d throw in a “Witch Hunt and Vital Signs are ok” or something. I truly don’t hear the appeal of either song, but I can appreciate the lyrics a bit at least. And hey, maybe someday…
The spaces in between leave room for you and I to grow.
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Moving Pictures was #8 for me.
I love both Witch Hunt and Vital Signs. And thought both were fantastic live too.
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I had Permanent Waves at #2 and Moving Pictures at #4.
PeW maybe just feels a bit more concise and the epics are better. Not that The Camera Eye isn’t good, but it’s just the “least best” of their songs over the 8-9 minute mark. Which is itself an indication that it was time for something different. I believe it was Alex who said that every time they felt like they had succeeded at something, they knew it was time to try something else, and I think that sums up the transition from MP to Signals perfectly. MP is also one of those very rare albums that succeeds both artistically and popularity. Sometimes “the masses” get it right (Dark Side of the Moon is another great example) and holding up Moving Pictures as Rush’s best work definitely has merit.
Thanks to Kev for doing this! These are always such a blast! Looking forward to future installments! :tup
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Been super busy lately, so haven't really been able to keep up with the thread this past week, but here is my final list.
19. Rush
18. Snakes & Arrows
17. Fly By Night
16. Vapor Trails
15. Roll the Bones
14. Grace Under Pressure
13. Signals
12. Test for Echo
11. 2112
10. Caress of Steel
9. Presto
8. Counterparts
7. Hold Your Fire
6. A Farewell to Kings
5. Clockwork Angels
4. Hemispheres
3. Permanent Waves
2. Moving Pictures
1. Power Windows
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Thanks again for all the thanks (!!), and thanks to everyone who participates in these, and a special thanks for putting up my sometimes crabby ass in these threads :P. I didn't think these would catch on as well as they have, but everyone having fun with them is why I keep doing them! :tup :tup
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I can't do the VH one, but I feel more inclined to participate and follow the album countdowns. I really can't rank hardly any band's individual songs past the top 40 or so.
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Thanks again for all the thanks (!!), and thanks to everyone who participates in these, and a special thanks for putting up my sometimes crabby ass in these threads :P. I didn't think these would catch on as well as they have, but everyone having fun with them is why I keep doing them! :tup :tup
Any chance of doing a Spock's Beard and/or Neal Morse-Related albums countdown(s)? Since SB is pretty much dead-in-the-water and they don't seem to be making any new music anytime soon, so it could be a good time to see how the SB fans here rank their 13 albums.
Of course, a Neal Morse Countdown would be a lot more expansive, with six SB albums, five TA albums, 4 NMB albums, 3 FC albums, and tons of solo prog albums, but I think it could be a lot of fun.
-Marc.
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Thanks again for all the thanks (!!), and thanks to everyone who participates in these, and a special thanks for putting up my sometimes crabby ass in these threads :P. I didn't think these would catch on as well as they have, but everyone having fun with them is why I keep doing them! :tup :tup
Any chance of doing a Spock's Beard and/or Neal Morse-Related albums countdown(s)? Since SB is pretty much dead-in-the-water and they don't seem to be making any new music anytime soon, so it could be a good time to see how the SB fans here rank their 13 albums.
Of course, a Neal Morse Countdown would be a lot more expansive, with six SB albums, five TA albums, 4 NMB albums, 3 FC albums, and tons of solo prog albums, but I think it could be a lot of fun.
-Marc.
It was fun!
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=57791.msg2924408#msg2924408
I wouldn't do just a Spock's Beard one by itself, though, as I imagine that would get about as much interest as the Flower Kings one, which was not much at all.
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Thanks again for all the thanks (!!), and thanks to everyone who participates in these, and a special thanks for putting up my sometimes crabby ass in these threads :P. I didn't think these would catch on as well as they have, but everyone having fun with them is why I keep doing them! :tup :tup
Any chance of doing a Spock's Beard and/or Neal Morse-Related albums countdown(s)? Since SB is pretty much dead-in-the-water and they don't seem to be making any new music anytime soon, so it could be a good time to see how the SB fans here rank their 13 albums.
Of course, a Neal Morse Countdown would be a lot more expansive, with six SB albums, five TA albums, 4 NMB albums, 3 FC albums, and tons of solo prog albums, but I think it could be a lot of fun.
-Marc.
It was fun!
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=57791.msg2924408#msg2924408
I wouldn't do just a Spock's Beard one by itself, though, as I imagine that would get about as much interest as the Flower Kings one, which was not much at all.
:lol :facepalm:
I knew it sounded familiar as I typed it out. You're right, it WAS fun, but my dumb brain forgot it happened because it was almost nine months ago. I also searched "countdown" in the forum and didn't see it pop up, but the forum search has never been accurate (looking up "Porcupine Tree" doesn't result in the current PT thread here).
As for just SB, yeah you're probably right. Any other 80s/90s prog bands you might be willing to do? Has there been a Marillion Album Countdown yet? That would be a good excuse for me to dive back into their albums. OR, if we're all still in the RUSH mood, maybe a Rush LIVE albums Countdown?
-Marc.
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I might even be tempted to run a Marillion countdown if there were enough interest (don’t think Kev is really a fan). Genesis would be the other that I’d think we could get enough for. Or if we wanted to go wild, we could do a Genesis and related band member releases countdown.
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I might even be tempted to run a Marillion countdown if there were enough interest (don’t think Kev is really a fan). Genesis would be the other that I’d think we could get enough for. Or if we wanted to go wild, we could do a Genesis and related band member releases countdown.
I was just thinking we need a Marillion top 100 song countdown :metal
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Thanks again for all the thanks (!!), and thanks to everyone who participates in these, and a special thanks for putting up my sometimes crabby ass in these threads :P. I didn't think these would catch on as well as they have, but everyone having fun with them is why I keep doing them! :tup :tup
We'd be concerned if you weren't a crabby ass.
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I had Moving Pictures at #2. I could go on and on about how I got into Rush during my 7th grade summer in 1981 becoming a Rush fan.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16 Power Windows
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11 A Farewell to Kings
10 Grace Under Pressure
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6 Signals
5 Counterparts
4 Permanent Waves
3 2112
2 Moving Pictures
1 Hemispheres
Mt TOOTI total was 67... or 3.52.
If I had switched Rush and Power Windows in my rankings, it would've put my TOOTI at 2.79.
Tootie!
(https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExeGFmY3Awc3N4ZjU4cHBpeTJhOXZhMjBpNnpyZ2o5dm01dm9ycWVmOSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/1nrE0pDtDrq5G/giphy.gif)
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Yeah, I am not enough of a Marillion fan to do a countdown for them (I have said before, I am only doing countdowns for artists of whom I am a big fan in general), but Van Halen is obviously next, and then I have several ideas for the one after that, so fear not, folks. :tup :tup
And I think these countdowns for specific bands/artists are far more fun than the favorite guitarists, etc. ones, as those get votes spread out so far that we end up with a lot of days where a reveal is done with a small percentage of people having ranked the player. I personally think doing the bands are more fun because anyone participating likely knows every song/album being discussed each reveal, so interest seems to be high across the board every day for all contributing.
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All in on Van Halen.
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Yeah, I am not enough of a Marillion fan to do a countdown for them (I have said before, I am only doing countdowns for artists of whom I am a big fan in general), but Van Halen is obviously next, and then I have several ideas for the one after that, so fear not, folks. :tup :tup
So after the Bassists, or will that one still be on hold?
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Yeah, I am not enough of a Marillion fan to do a countdown for them (I have said before, I am only doing countdowns for artists of whom I am a big fan in general), but Van Halen is obviously next, and then I have several ideas for the one after that, so fear not, folks. :tup :tup
So after the Bassists, or will that one still be on hold?
I just edited my post above and sort of addressed that. It's not that fun to run those.
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Yeah, I am not enough of a Marillion fan to do a countdown for them (I have said before, I am only doing countdowns for artists of whom I am a big fan in general), but Van Halen is obviously next, and then I have several ideas for the one after that, so fear not, folks. :tup :tup
So after the Bassists, or will that one still be on hold?
Bassists countdown?! Lets do trombone players first. :neverusethis:
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Yeah, I am not enough of a Marillion fan to do a countdown for them (I have said before, I am only doing countdowns for artists of whom I am a big fan in general), but Van Halen is obviously next, and then I have several ideas for the one after that, so fear not, folks. :tup :tup
So after the Bassists, or will that one still be on hold?
Bassists countdown?! Lets do trombone players first. :neverusethis:
That would blow..
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(https://i.gifer.com/6W4h.gif)
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(https://i.gifer.com/6W4h.gif)
You just spotlighted my top 3 before it even started. :lol
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I had Moving Pictures at #2. I could go on and on about how I got into Rush during my 7th grade summer in 1981 becoming a Rush fan.
19 Snakes & Arrows
18 Test for Echo
17 Hold Your Fire
16 Power Windows
15 Roll the Bones
14 Caress of Steel
13 Vapor Trails
12 Clockwork Angels
11 A Farewell to Kings
10 Grace Under Pressure
9 Rush
8 Fly by Night
7 Presto
6 Signals
5 Counterparts
4 Permanent Waves
3 2112
2 Moving Pictures
1 Hemispheres
Mt TOOTI total was 67... or 3.52.
If I had switched Rush and Power Windows in my rankings, it would've put my TOOTI at 2.79.
Tootie!
(https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExeGFmY3Awc3N4ZjU4cHBpeTJhOXZhMjBpNnpyZ2o5dm01dm9ycWVmOSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/1nrE0pDtDrq5G/giphy.gif)
My TOOTI is so crooked it needs braces.
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Yeah, I am not enough of a Marillion fan to do a countdown for them (I have said before, I am only doing countdowns for artists of whom I am a big fan in general), but Van Halen is obviously next, and then I have several ideas for the one after that, so fear not, folks. :tup :tup
So after the Bassists, or will that one still be on hold?
Bassists countdown?! Lets do trombone players first. :neverusethis:
That would blow..
I like the way you just slide that in...
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Yeah, I am not enough of a Marillion fan to do a countdown for them (I have said before, I am only doing countdowns for artists of whom I am a big fan in general), but Van Halen is obviously next, and then I have several ideas for the one after that, so fear not, folks. :tup :tup
So after the Bassists, or will that one still be on hold?
Bassists countdown?! Lets do trombone players first. :neverusethis:
That would blow..
I like the way you just slide that in...
Kind of shoehorned it..
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I might even be tempted to run a Marillion countdown if there were enough interest (don’t think Kev is really a fan). Genesis would be the other that I’d think we could get enough for. Or if we wanted to go wild, we could do a Genesis and related band member releases countdown.
I was just thinking we need a Marillion top 100 song countdown :metal
Super down for that if it happens! Also up for a Yes or Genesis countdown.
Oh, and Kev, you rock for running these things. :metal
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Yeah, I am not enough of a Marillion fan to do a countdown for them (I have said before, I am only doing countdowns for artists of whom I am a big fan in general), but Van Halen is obviously next, and then I have several ideas for the one after that, so fear not, folks. :tup :tup
So after the Bassists, or will that one still be on hold?
Bassists countdown?! Lets do trombone players first. :neverusethis:
That would blow..
I like the way you just slide that in...
Right to the top. He ain't never gonna stop.
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I might even be tempted to run a Marillion countdown if there were enough interest (don’t think Kev is really a fan). Genesis would be the other that I’d think we could get enough for. Or if we wanted to go wild, we could do a Genesis and related band member releases countdown.
I was just thinking we need a Marillion top 100 song countdown :metal
Super down for that if it happens! Also up for a Yes or Genesis countdown.
Oh, and Kev, you rock for running these things. :metal
Don’t want to overcrowd things if Kev has several lined up, but I might post this over in the Marillion thread and see if we get more than a handful of nibbles. Soundscape MN already posted one the other day, so if he’ll play that’s at least 5 of us. I’m sure Stadler and Lonestar would be down too, but not sure we could get up to 20.
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I'm in for Marillion, Genesis and Yes.
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And here I thought I was so clever with "slide". Get it? Isn't the big tube on a trombone called a "slide"?
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Hey now, don't blow your own horn.
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19. Roll The Bones (19-14=5)
18 Vapor Trails (18-15=3)
17 Clockwork Angels (17-11=6)
16 Rush (19-16=3)
15. Grace Under Pressure (15-8=7)
14 Test For Echo (16-14=2)
13 2112 (13-7=6)
12 Caress Of Steel (17-12=5)
11. Power Windows (11-5=6)
10 Snakes And Arrows (18-10=8)
9 Counterparts (9-9=0)
8. Permanent Waves (8-2=6)
7. Fly By Night (13-7=6)
6. Hold Your Fire (12-6=6)
5. Presto (11-5=6)
4 Signals (6-4=2)
3. A Farewell To Kings (4-3=1)
2. Hemispheres (3-2=1)
1 Moving Pictures (1-1=0)
BOOTI: 79/19=4.16
Hemispheres has always been my favorite, and yet lately MP has just crept up on me, so I put it at one. PWaves is, in my view, the most consistently overrated record in the catalogue. I don't get it; it's a let down from Hemispheres, and makes MP a grand leap forward. Ah well!
Kevin, thank you so much for this. I was in Pittsburgh for work, and after work on Wednesday we went out for a happy hour. I was sitting with two guys - wonderful guys - but one os really outgoing and friendly, and the other is really sort of prickly and hard to read. Both are musicians. I've been trying to find a way to connect with the second guy; I caught them talking "Rush" so I mentioned the list. We ended up going through Rush, Metallica, guitarists, and now they are preparing a VH and bassists one as well. By the end of the day, I could barely get them to shut up (in a good way!) about their lists. KevShmev, bringing people he doesn't even know together!! :) :) :)
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That's awesome, Bill. :tup
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There's a vendor that comes in at work who is into music, and I've showed him the lists. He's always like, "What are they doing now?" :lol
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Kevin, thank you so much for this. I was in Pittsburgh for work, and after work on Wednesday we went out for a happy hour. I was sitting with two guys - wonderful guys - but one os really outgoing and friendly, and the other is really sort of prickly and hard to read. Both are musicians. I've been trying to find a way to connect with the second guy; I caught them talking "Rush" so I mentioned the list. We ended up going through Rush, Metallica, guitarists, and now they are preparing a VH and bassists one as well. By the end of the day, I could barely get them to shut up (in a good way!) about their lists. KevShmev, bringing people he doesn't even know together!! :) :) :)
Awesome!! I do what I can. ;)
There's a vendor that comes in at work who is into music, and I've showed him the lists. He's always like, "What are they doing now?" :lol
Be sure to keep him posted once we do the countdown of the top 100 Taylor Swift lyrics.
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And here I thought I was so clever with "slide". Get it? Isn't the big tube on a trombone called a "slide"?
Yes, it is, and you were - as was I with the Whitesnake reference that you set up.
Be sure to keep him posted once we do the countdown of the top 100 Taylor Swift lyrics.
If you did a Top One Taylor Swift song countdown, I still wouldn't be able to participate.
I'm in for Marillion, Genesis and Yes.
I'd host a Yes album countdown if Kev doesn't want to.
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Be sure to keep him posted once we do the countdown of the top 100 Taylor Swift lyrics.
If you did a Top One Taylor Swift song countdown, I still wouldn't be able to participate.
Pretty sure you'd be able to name at least five songs :)
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I would do the Yes one, but not sure how much interest there would be. Perhaps we need to test the waters at some point...
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I would do the Yes one, but not sure how much interest there would be. Perhaps we need to test the waters at some point...
I'd do a Yes one!
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I'd have to sit it out.
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I would do the Yes one, but not sure how much interest there would be. Perhaps we need to test the waters at some point...
As I'm currently running the YES Survivor, I'd definitely be down for a Yes Album Countdown. It'd be a great companion for my Survivor, and I'm also eventually going to do an Album Survivor as well once the Finals begin in a couple weeks.
-Marc.
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It won't be for a bit, as I still have to do the VH one and then I am 99% sure what the next will be after that (look for that thread by the end of the week!).
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I could only do Yes if it were limited to maybe 50 songs, and then I don't know that I would really feel qualified to participate as I haven't heard anything from them since Big Generator. I wouldn't be able to rank all of the albums either I don't think.
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I could only do Yes if it were limited to maybe 50 songs, and then I don't know that I would really feel qualified to participate as I haven't heard anything from them since Big Generator. I wouldn't be able to rank all of the albums either I don't think.
Well, it might be a good chance to catch up on Talk, the two Keys records, Magnification, and the two Fly From Here records (there is a fair amount of dreck in that time, though; Open Your Eyes blows and The Ladder has it's moments, but there's a lot of suck there too.)
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I could only do Yes if it were limited to maybe 50 songs, and then I don't know that I would really feel qualified to participate as I haven't heard anything from them since Big Generator. I wouldn't be able to rank all of the albums either I don't think.
Well, it might be a good chance to catch up on Talk, the two Keys records, Magnification, and the two Fly From Here records (there is a fair amount of dreck in that time, though; Open Your Eyes blows and The Ladder has it's moments, but there's a lot of suck there too.)
Yeah, I'll have to try some of those and see. I realized during the survivor how little of the overall Yes catalog I know. I also don't know the debut and I've only heard Tales from the Topographic Ocean and Drama once or twice. There's just so much there and I've only sort of casually been collecting their albums.
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Be sure to keep him posted once we do the countdown of the top 100 Taylor Swift lyrics.
If you did a Top One Taylor Swift song countdown, I still wouldn't be able to participate.
Pretty sure you'd be able to name at least five songs :)
I literally know zero Taylor Swift songs. Maybe I know the name of that one song I hear in the grocery store every once in a while where she says "never, never, never, never...never, never getting back together" ad infinitum. Is that the name of the song? Otherwise, I got nothin'.
I would do the Yes one, but not sure how much interest there would be. Perhaps we need to test the waters at some point...
As I'm currently running the YES Survivor, I'd definitely be down for a Yes Album Countdown. It'd be a great companion for my Survivor, and I'm also eventually going to do an Album Survivor as well once the Finals begin in a couple weeks.
Agree.