Next up - Counterparts. Just wanted to to write a few words about it, as it was my first Rush album and, to this day, a top 3 Rush for me.
Got it a bit randomly when it came out in 1993. Now, note that by then I hadn't heard a single
note from Rush yet. No Tom Sawyer, no Closer to the Heart, no 2112, or Spirit of Radio. Nothing. I read a good review that mentioned it was a return to a harder-rocking sound from this pretty iconic Canadian band and I went for it. I remember liking it, maybe not falling in love with it right away, but liking it enough to plant some sort of seed. Well, as they say, the rest is history: I got them all, in a somewhat nonlinear fashion (read: jumping back and forth chronologically), and what a series of discoveries they were. And as I was doing it, I also appreciated Counterparts more and more.
I'll have to write down a full album ranking at some point (has it been done recently?
) but the point is, after all this time, Counterparts is still firmly top-echelon Rush, as far as I am concerned - likely only behind Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves. Not related to the "return to harder roots" (at least sound-wise), as I had no preconceived notion of what Rush "should sound like" when I first heard it. In fact, I LOVE the third-period, keyboard era.
I just love this record so much. Animate is one of my favorite Rush songs. I think it's quite different from anything they've done before or after, the way it grooves, the bass line with the drums, and the subtle synths. It was one of the highlights of R40 for me (much better than other times I had heard it on previous live albums). Cold Fire, too, such an underrated gem (for some reason, the "I'll be around" part always made me think of Mellencamp's Human Wheels, which was out pretty much around the same time). And Leave That Thing Alone is such a fun instrumental. But, truly, I like all the songs in here.
Anyway, this was my gateway to what has then become my favorite band. By the time I was waiting for Test for Echo to be released, my Rush discog was complete.
What's the view of DTF's Rush fans on Counterparts? Sharing the love? Not so much?