So in the recent weeks that I have been listening to Rush, it's been mostly 2112-Hold Your Fire, with the occasional listens to COS, S&A, and VT. For some reason or another, I've not really spun the first four Atlantic-era Albums more than a few times, but the others have been on massive repeat.
The two I've REALLY neglected have been the first two albums, which I've been listening to since yesterday. I nearly forgot just how GOOD some of the songs on those two albums really are! Sure they're a bit less like what they became, but for what they are (Led Zeppelin-esque songs and albums), they're really good! The playing is great for how young and "new" they were to major label recording/releasing back then. They had handfuls of songs and turned out two pretty decent albums in 1974.
I see the debut as more of the early-LZ type album, hard rock and blues with some heavier, almost metal-ish sounds. Then I see FBN as the later-LZ type album, with some longer tracks and extended instrumental sections, and a Tolkien-inspired track. They got a bit away from the LZ feel on Caress Of Steel, but the first three tracks on that album still had that feel, but to me COS is more of their Yes/Genesis type album, with two multi-movement songs (one being a side-long), and a few shorter songs, but "Bastille Day" as that EPIC ending which is a bit removed from their LZ-style songs from their first two albums.
-Marc.