Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst

[HOF]

We all like what we like.  I get it.  Heck, there are some Rush fans out there who love Presto more than Moving Pictures.

Present. I also like Test for Echo better than MP probably!

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I hate being predictable.

 

But seriously, it baffles me.  TFE came out when I was running the CD shop at the local Fred Meyer, and I played it in store constantly. Couldn’t get enough of it. It wasn’t until I started hanging out online some 4 years later that I discovered there was a world where Rush fans revered CP over TFE.  I actually like CP, and I get why people love it (especially after the tepid RTB) but it just didn’t age well for me and I consider decent, but just average. But TFE is top 6, and was top 5 until CA came out.  I’m still shocked that people don’t think that’s the pinnacle of their 90s output.

I'm with you on the T4E>CP debate. 

[DTA]

I've always had a soft spot for TFE because of Neil's drum video A Work In Progress. I watched that video probably about 200+ times when I was younger and just hearing him talk about the songs and his approach to drumming with such passion really elevated that album in my eyes.

[hunnus2000]

I watched with my wife A Show of Hands on VCR at my apartment when we had first started going out. She fell in love with Rush and she went out and bought TFE on her own. We saw Rush when they came back in May. This was her first rock concert so yeah, TFE has a special place engrained in my memory. 

[KevShmev]

We all like what we like.  I get it.  Heck, there are some Rush fans out there who love Presto more than Moving Pictures.

Present. I also like Test for Echo better than MP probably!

https://youtu.be/LbaBkDlo1e4?t=9

[nick_z]

T4E holds a special place for me too in that it was my first Rush record bought as a fan. But, right away and even more with the passage of time, it became clear there wasn't going to be much of a competition with Counterparts. Like I said before, Counterparts is top 3 Rush for me, and it sounds like a band firing on all cylinders - which is kind of interesting coming off Roll the Bones, which (as much as I enjoy it) sounded more like "comfortable" Rush.

T4E on the other hand is a very good album, with some nice peaks, but more than a few "just ok" songs. Nothing I dislike (I even enjoy Dog Years!), but some stuff doesn't quite go past "pleasant" (e.g. Half the World, The Color of Right).

Speaking of latter-day Rush, how would you rank the post (and including)-Counterparts albums? I was thinking 90s onward first, but then I'd still consider Roll the Bones as cut from the same cloth as Presto, and really still having that late 80s sound (even with less keyboard)

For me - ranking from CP on:

1. Counterparts (quite obviously, at this point  )

2. Clockwork Angels

3. Test for Echo

4. Vapor Trails

5. Snakes and Arrows


I'm actually not 100% sure about Clockwork Angels vs. Test for Echo. I think, overall, I go back to T4E more often, but CA is a pretty nice final (as it turns out) statement from a band that's been around so long. Vapor Trails has songs that I love (e.g. Ceiling Unlimited, Ghost Rider, Vapor Trail, Earthshine...) and I listened to it a TON when it came out. So glad that they found the motivation to get back together. But I find it overlong and a little fatigue-inducing (I'm sure the sound doesn't help). Plus whatever Geddy started doing with background vocals...not a huge fan...
Snakes and Arrows I always found pleasant - but not much more than that. Some very good moments, and I guess you can tell the guys had a happy time making it, but not many "wow" Rush moments.

[ProfessorPeart]

T4E was my first new album as a fan and the first tour I saw them on, both legs through Chicago. I mean, Different Stages was recorded at the 2nd show I attended. I was so pumped when I saw where they recorded the majority of that. It always has a high place in my heart. I do love the album and really don't have any complaints about it. Time and Motion is awesome and the whole discussion over Virtuality and Dog Years always baffled me. I have no issues with them.

Now, I still think Counterparts is a better album, but T4E is not much of a step down in my opinion.

I also bought Neil's Work In Progress video and watched it endlessly.

Neither is better than Moving Pictures, but neither is bad either.

[jammindude]

1. Clockwork Angels
2. Test For Echo
3. Snakes and Arrows
4. Counterparts
5. Vapor Trails

All are good. I might even be tempted to put the VT Remix in a tie with CP.

[Mladen]

1. Vapor trails
2. Clockwork angels
3. Counterparts
4. Snakes & arrows
5. Test for echo

[Stadler]

1. Snakes & Arrows
2. Counterparts
3. Clockwork Angels
4. Vapor trails
5. Test For Echo

[fadetoblackdude7]

1. Clockwork Angels
2. Counterparts
3. Snakes & Arrows
4. Vapor Trails
5. Test for Echo

[HOF]

I’ll go:

1. Vapor Trails
2. Counterparts
3. Test for Echo
4. Clockwork Angels
5. Snakes and Arrows

Though the first three are pretty close for me and I could probably flip them any which way. Vapor Trails has some of Neil’s finest songwriting, Counterparts is one of the band’s best sounding albums, Test for Echo is maybe somewhere in the middle between the two.

[emtee]

CA
S&A
TFE
CP
VT

Also, don't know if any of you have done this but given the correct frame of mind/mood and with a good set of headphones, CA and S&A are amazing experiences. There is so much going on but you have to have that totally absorbing headspace and high quality gear to tune into it.

[HOF]

CA
S&A
TFE
CP
VT

Also, don't know if any of you have done this but given the correct frame of mind/mood and with a good set of headphones, CA and S&A are amazing experiences. There is so much going on but you have to have that totally absorbing headspace and high quality gear to tune into it.

I have a really hard time listening to CA because of the sound issues. Headphones feel like they might be worse, but if you have really good ones maybe it’s ok?

[Kram]

1 Clockwork Angels
2 Counterparts
3 Snakes & Arrows
4 Vapor Trails
5 Test for Echo

Roll the Bones would have been 5th or 6th if we included it.

[pg1067]

We all like what we like.  I get it.  Heck, there are some Rush fans out there who love Presto more than Moving Pictures.

It's the folks who think Power Windows is great that really concern me.

For me - ranking from CP on:

Hmmm...

1. Vapor Trails
2. Counterparts
3. Test for Echo
4. Snakes & Arrows
5. Clockwork Angels

VT is definitely at the top of this list, and CA is definitely on the bottom, but 2-4 are really close, and the order could change depending on the day.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

We all like what we like.  I get it.  Heck, there are some Rush fans out there who love Presto more than Moving Pictures.

It's the folks who think Power Windows is great that really concern me.

Power Windows IS great!

[TAC]

We all like what we like.  I get it.  Heck, there are some Rush fans out there who love Presto more than Moving Pictures.

It's the folks who think Power Windows is great that really concern me.

Amen, brother. Preach it!

[King Postwhore]

You two need to be locked up.

[HOF]

We all like what we like.  I get it.  Heck, there are some Rush fans out there who love Presto more than Moving Pictures.

It's the folks who think Power Windows is great that really concern me.

Power Windows IS great!

The greatest!

[Lupton]

We all like what we like.  I get it.  Heck, there are some Rush fans out there who love Presto more than Moving Pictures.

It's the folks who think Power Windows is great that really concern me.

Power Windows IS great!

The greatest!

Too true. If you take Emotion Detector off, you have a collection of the 7 most perfectly crafted songs from the synth era. Their songwriting would never again be on this level caliber for the remainder of the trio's output, and they would never again release another album of mostly all A-grade material. From this point going forward, there would be lots more "filler" tracks on each successive record.

[DTA]

I can see how the dialed-up-to-11 drumming, insane basslines, textural guitar parts, and majestic vocals from PoW are just such a turn-off.

[Lupton]

Indeed, the drum/bass breaks at the end of Grand Designs alone are more impressive and technical than anything the band's ever done.

[HOF]

We all like what we like.  I get it.  Heck, there are some Rush fans out there who love Presto more than Moving Pictures.

It's the folks who think Power Windows is great that really concern me.

Power Windows IS great!

The greatest!

Too true. If you take Emotion Detector off, you have a collection of the 7 most perfectly crafted songs from the synth era. Their songwriting would never again be on this level caliber for the remainder of the trio's output, and they would never again release another album of mostly all A-grade material. From this point going forward, there would be lots more "filler" tracks on each successive record.

I freaking love Emotion Detector. One of my favorite Rush songs. That middle section is legit and the lyrics are really strong.

[TAC]

Shouldn't there be a facebook group for this or something?

[Stadler]

CA
S&A
TFE
CP
VT

Also, don't know if any of you have done this but given the correct frame of mind/mood and with a good set of headphones, CA and S&A are amazing experiences. There is so much going on but you have to have that totally absorbing headspace and high quality gear to tune into it.

I have a really hard time listening to CA because of the sound issues. Headphones feel like they might be worse, but if you have really good ones maybe it’s ok?

Yeah, but emtee is right about Snakes and Arrows.

[TAC]

S&A sounds amazing. It's decent songs that it lacks.

[Lupton]

We all like what we like.  I get it.  Heck, there are some Rush fans out there who love Presto more than Moving Pictures.

It's the folks who think Power Windows is great that really concern me.

Power Windows IS great!

The greatest!

Too true. If you take Emotion Detector off, you have a collection of the 7 most perfectly crafted songs from the synth era. Their songwriting would never again be on this level caliber for the remainder of the trio's output, and they would never again release another album of mostly all A-grade material. From this point going forward, there would be lots more "filler" tracks on each successive record.

I freaking love Emotion Detector. One of my favorite Rush songs. That middle section is legit and the lyrics are really strong.

There's quite a bit to enjoy about that song...but that's just the one that does the least for me personally. Other candidates for weakest link could go to either Middletown Dreams or Territories. But then I feel as strongly positive about those two tunes as you do about Emotion Detector. I don't think I could bear to see either one go! Too much personal connection with them.

It seems most of the best Rush albums are either solid through and through, or have only one skip-able track. PW certainly qualifies in this regard. Unlike the following records, where you'd want to skip anywhere from 3-6 tracks.

[nick_z]

It's the folks who think Power Windows is great that really concern me.

Me, me, me! 

Power Windows is top 5 Rush for me. Just an incredible album.

Since we have been talking rankings for a bit, I'm doing my top 10 here, why not...

1. Moving Pictures
2. Permanent Waves
3. Counterparts
4. Power Windows
5. Grace Under Pressure
6. A Farewell to Kings
7. Hemispheres
8. Signals
9. Hold Your Fire
10. Roll the Bones

Clearly, I have a special fondness for phase 2 and 3, with Counterparts thrown in as what I consider a more "modern" Rush masterpiece. Actually, 1-8 are pretty solidified, but 9-10 can be fluid along with albums that are right behind them (I'd say Clockwork, Test for Echo and Presto). I think one album that I feel quite different about than the majority of the fanbase (or at least so I presume, maybe it's different for the folks here at DTF) is 2112 - it was clearly a crucial album for what Rush would go on to become, but I don't rank it particularly high. I will never get tired of Overture/Temples of Syrinx and Grand Finale. Those riffs are just iconic. But "side 2", and even the rest of the title track, while enjoyable, don't do a whole lot for me.

[TAC]

1. Moving Pictures
2. Hemispheres
3. 2112
4. Permanent Waves
5. Signals
6. Counterparts
7. Fly By Night
8. Grace Under Pressure
9. Presto
10. Clockwork Angels

[nick_z]

There's quite a bit to enjoy about that song...but that's just the one that does the least for me personally. Other candidates for weakest link could go to either Middletown Dreams or Territories. But then I feel as strongly positive about those two tunes as you do about Emotion Detector. I don't think I could bear to see either one go! Too much personal connection with them.

It seems most of the best Rush albums are either solid through and through, or have only one skip-able track. PW certainly qualifies in this regard. Unlike the following records, where you'd want to skip anywhere from 3-6 tracks.

I love pretty much all of Power Windows but, yes, if I had to pick a least favorite, it'd probably be Emotional Detector (still great, though  ). On the other hand, I can't get enough of Middletown Dreams. It's always been a big favorite of mine, both for Power Windows and for Rush in general. I was so happy when they played it at the gig I went to for the Clockwork Angels tour.

[nick_z]

Shouldn't there be a facebook group for this or something?

 

[Stadler]

1. Hemispheres
2. Moving Pictures
3. A Farewell To Kings
4. Signals
5. Presto
6. Fly By Night
7. Hold Your Fire
8. Snakes And Arrows
9. 2112
10. Permanent Waves/Counterparts

[King Postwhore]

Shouldn't there be a facebook group for this or something?

There is you plebeian. 

[Architeuthis]

We all like what we like.  I get it.  Heck, there are some Rush fans out there who love Presto more than Moving Pictures.

It's the folks who think Power Windows is great that really concern me.

Power Windows IS great!

The greatest!

Too true. If you take Emotion Detector off, you have a collection of the 7 most perfectly crafted songs from the synth era. Their songwriting would never again be on this level caliber for the remainder of the trio's output, and they would never again release another album of mostly all A-grade material. From this point going forward, there would be lots more "filler" tracks on each successive record.

I freaking love Emotion Detector. One of my favorite Rush songs. That middle section is legit and the lyrics are really strong.

Heck yeah, a great song!  Geddy's bass playing is off the charts insane during the guitar solo.