Rush Top 50

[Unlegit]

I've always wanted to do one of these. After seeing the Pink Floyd one, as well as a few others, I just decided to post this. If anyone is interested in doing one after me, just let me know. I will probably do 5 songs a day until the top 5 which will likely be split up into 2 days. Now let's start the list!

Next up:
Lowdz
Ruba


50. Between Sun & Moon - Counterparts

This may seem like an odd choice to some, but I really like this song. I love how it builds from the softer intro and verse into the very powerful chorus. The only thing that's keeping this song from being any higher than 50 is the rather weak bridge that doesn't seem to go anywhere. Still, it's one of the best songs off Counterparts and definitely very underrated.

49. The Body Electric - Grace Under Pressure

Right from the beginning there is a cool drum pattern with some awesome bass popping by Geddy. I've never really been able to decipher the lyrics, especially the chorus with its "1-0-0-1-0-0-1 S.O.S. 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 in distress." I'm guessing this is binary for something. Anyways, the solo is a bit underwhelming compared to the rest of the song, but it's a lot different than a normal Lifeson solo. The high pitched electronic sound at the end is awesome.

48. Grand Designs - Power Windows

Okay, so I'm pretty sure anyone can figure out that my top 50 is maybe not the most "conventional." This is one of the more upbeat songs from Power Windows with the help of Geddy's warm voice and the keyboards. The keyboard sound is so cool. It is definitely the forefront of this song in my opinion. I especially love the part starting at 2:20. The outro to this song is one of my favorite Rush outros ever.

47. Digital Man - Signals

Digital Man is another one of those underrated tracks from an underrated album. I was so happy when they played it on the Snakes and Arrows Tour. Both the chorus and bridge have this sort of reggae feel that is much more successful than the one in The Spirit of Radio. The best part of this is song is definitely the guitar solo. While it may not be one of Alex's best, it is still really good, especially when coupled with the synth in the background.

46. One Little Victory - Vapor Trails

The intro to this song is so powerful. Actually, this whole song is pretty powerful, lyrics and all. I don't know exactly how many songs Neil uses a double bass drum in, but I can't imagine that there are many aside from this one. There is a really cool vocal effect during the verses that sort of sounds like reverb, but at other times it seems to be the guitar mimicking. I only wish the production on this song and Vapor Trails in general was better. At times, the guitar is far too muddy sounding for my liking. The remixes on Retrospective III are a great improvement, but then it's only two tracks, not the whole album.

I hope people have enjoyed my write-ups so far, as there are plenty more coming. I'm not the best writer when it comes to these, so they may seem a bit awkward in places. Apologies for that. I also have a question for top 50's general. Would I be able to go and make another one on another band after I finish this, or do people usually wait a few weeks or longer before starting up another one?

[ColdFireYYZ]

Following.

Between Sun and Moon and Digital Man are great choices but I'd put Digital Man up higher.  I'm not that crazy about The Body Electric though. Grace Under Pressure is a great album but that song is probably my least favorite. It was alright live but I wish they played something else from the album like Kid Gloves.

[Lolzeez]

Following. Never liked the albums that came out after Moving Pictures. May give couple of these songs a try.

[jjrock88]

Great start!!

[Unlegit]

Following. Never liked the albums that came out after Moving Pictures. May give couple of these songs a try.

Not gonna ruin my top 50, but there are a few more songs from the post MP albums coming up, so you should try to get into those too.

[wasteland]

I'm following. I need to broaden my limited Rush knowledge and this may be a good way 

[Lowdz]

Following- and i'd like to do mine eventually. Mine would probably different to yours as apart from Grand Designs, which I love, the other songs wouldn't be in mine.

Hated Vapor Trails and still do. No redeeming qualities other than some good angsty lyrics, and reading NP's Healing Road book gave more insight into them. I would prefer reading the lyrics rather than listening to Geddy warble his way through them though. In fact, I think it was the vocals that killed VT and S&A for me, but I wasn't a fan of the direction. It was too heavy and not enough melody for me.
Love Counterparts and this song is ok, just not great.
Digital Man has some good moments but I don't really like it. I had a hard time with Reggae Rush at the time and I haven't really got over that.
P/G is a great album but this track and the awful Red Lenses are usually skipped when I play it.

Still, this is your list and it will definitely be interesting. Always good to read others' interpretations.

[Ruba]

Following.

I have heard only the half of Rush albums. I know Sun & Moon, Digital Man and Victory out of these. I'm not really a fan of One Little Victory, but BTSAM and DM are awesome, I love the bass in the latter one.

I do think that BTSAM has one of the worst lyrics I've ever seen. Ahh ahh yes to yes... what the hell? But musically it rocks.

I'd like to do one, but maybe when I've heard some more. I know only albums from 2112 to Signals, Hold Your Fire, Presto, Counterparts, Test for Echo and the majority of Snakes & Arrows.

[wolfking]

I'm with Lowdz on VT, and I never really liked OLV at all.  The rest of the songs in this first installment however, are awesome.  Following.

[Mladen]

Following. Great songs, what more there is to be said? Maybe only that I don't think Digital man is as great as the other four, but still, what a way to kick off your top 50! 

[King Postwhore]

Between Sun & Moon - Was very happy to see this song on the opening night of the Vapor Trails Tour.  Rush's nod to the Who.

The Body Electric - Until this tour, I only saw this song live on the GUP tour.  It seemed so fresh live.

Grand Designs - Love this song and Alex's solo is killer. Last played beofre this tour in 85 on the PW tour as an encore which, when I saw live seemed out of place.

Digital Man - A very tough song on the drums as my friend always told me a great tune with a reggae feel to it.  Good live tune.

One Little Victory - For me, one of the weaker tunes on VT.  Glad they dropped this live.

[KevShmev]

None of those were in my Rush top 50 I did a while back, but I still love Grand Designs and Between Sun and Moon like crazy, and Digital Man and The Body Electric are both really good as well.  Aside from the intro, I am not a big fan of One Little Victory; I HATE that vocal effect during the verses; combined with the vocal melody, it just sounds ugly.

But will continue to follow.

[jjrock88]

Vapor Traills is probably my least played Rush disc.  Each time I listened to it, only OLV stood out to me.  Good song.

[Unlegit]

Okay Lowds, you can do yours after I finish mine. By the way, no material from CA will be included simply because it came out recently.

[Unlegit]

45. Closer to the Heart - A Farewell to Kings

Everyone knows this song. Not really gonna go into detail about it because it's a classic, but I will say it's a bit overrated. However, it's still quite a good song and it's really cool when they play it live and extend the outro with a jam of some sort.

44. Stick it Out - Counterparts

Here's another song off of Counterparts. It's much more rocked out when compared to Between Sun & Moon. Combine a multitude of Geddy's voices, some with different vocals effects, such as distortion, and you get a very slick sounding chorus. The drums are mixed oddly in my opinion, but it adds more aggressive sounding drums to the background. I just wish the guitar solo was better.

43. New World Man - Signals

New World Man is one of the first Rush songs I ever heard. Before the chorus, there is another slightly reggae influenced section that is done very well. The guitar sound and synth go great paired with each other. It's a shame that this isn't a staple in Rush concerts, so it rarely gets played anymore. I feel it would be very well received by the audiences.

42. A Passage to Bangkok - 2112

Here is the rather infamous song with tons of drug metaphors. Honestly, I could care less about the lyrical content in this song. Even Rush themselves admits that this song is about drugs. Geddy is in top shrieking form, but the best part about this song is definitely the oriental influenced riff, as well as the guitar solo. I just wish the song was longer than only three and a half minutes.

41. The Pass - Presto

A very underrated track for sure. This is definitely one of Rush's most emotional tracks ever. The lyrics concern teenage suicide. The guitar solo is not of the norm for Alex, but it works so well in this song because of the simplicity of it. The piano and synth at the end of the song is amazing and I wish they had it throughout more of the song, and if they did, make it much more prominent. Although I love Geddy's high voice, his more limited vocal range in the late 80's/early 90's works so well here.

I may post another update today because of it being Christmas tomorrow, but who knows. Thanks for reading so far!

[Cedar redaC]

Nice, I'll follow this.

I don't know Counterparts, but I'll have to check it out.

[Mladen]

The Pass and Stick it out 

[Lolzeez]

Closer To The Heart 

Top 10 for me.

[wolfking]

I never really got into CTTH that much, definitely wouldn't make my top 50 list.  The Pass is top 10 and Stick it Out is killer also.  New World Man is very underrated.

[Ruba]

Stick It Out is great. The part after solo makes me wanna smash something, which is NOT very common with Rush. I love the music video also.

A Passage to Bangkok is a perfect 3 minute hard rock song. The riff is iconic, the chorus is catchy and the solo is epic.

Closer to the Heart is a bit underrated, but as I've said before, it makes me smile evertime. It is so full of hope and joy.

The Pass has one of my favourite Rush lyrics. But the music isn't just that good.

I don't know Counterparts, but I'll have to check it out.

Highly recommended.

[Unlegit]

Let's keep it going.

40. Show Don't Tell

Here's another track off of Presto, which is a very underrated album in my opinion. It starts off with silence for about 15 seconds with something dropping softly in the background. That's when the band kicks in, and it takes you completely by surprise. The guitar in this song is so amazing. The strumming in the verses and the main riff are both pretty epic. The chorus is a bit lackluster, but the song as a whole is great.

39. Where's My Thing?

When Rush does instrumentals, they are usually always great, even when they are off one of their worst albums. Take Where's My Thing for example. I don't really care for any of the other songs of Roll the Bones, but this song is great. Admittedly, this song has a lot more pop influences than what you would expect, especially the synthesizer, but it's still a very fun song to listen to. It's awesome that they brought it back for the Clockwork Angels tour.

38. Far Cry

A great rocking track from Snakes and Arrows. There is no better way to start an album than with a song like this or One Little Victory. I feel the guitar solo (if you can call it that) is useless and a waste of space, but the rest of the song is awesome. The chorus is great with the harmonic hums of Geddy in the background while he sings the main lines. The acoustic strumming with the lead guitar is also very nice.

37. Finding My Way

Finding My Way is a moderately simple song, following generic song structure for the most part, but there's something about it that makes it so awesome. It might be Geddy's fine vocal shrieking form, the raw sound of the guitar, or the awesome riff, but whatever it is, it works, and it works well. It's such a great song to listen and rock out to.

36. Mission

I feel this song is divided into two groups lyrically; people who hate the lyrics, and people who adore them. I'm personally with the latter group. While the lyrics may not be up to par with Neil's best, they are very uplifting, as is the song itself. The sound of the synth and the guitar make the song sound even more positive than it already is, and that's a good thing. The instrumental section is awesome, and features some cowbell. You can always have more cowbell.

[Lowdz]

Had a first attempt at a top 50 yesterday and it's hard so hats off to ya. Only two from this update feature in my first draft, and that's Mission and Where's My Thing.
Nothing from VT or S&A. I need to replay both albums (though I did that last year before CA was released and my opinion hadn't changed- in fact it made me dread CA- I needn't have worried), and also revisit Presto.
On the other hand I love RTB.

[ColdFireYYZ]

I love Mission. Hold Your Fire is a very underrated album. I don't really like Where's My Thing? though. That song is one of the weaker tracks on an otherwise decent album. It was alright live but I really hope they take it out of the set.

[Nick]

Between Sun & Moon - Was very happy to see this song on the opening night of the Vapor Trails Tour.  Rush's nod to the Who.

Read this, said... "I didn't see them on the Vapor Trails tour..." and then did a

[King Postwhore]

Too funny since we talked about how many times I've seen the opening night of a Rush tour with you Nick.

[KevShmev]

I really think I am the only Rush fan who thinks Far Cry is nothing special.  I mean, it's a solid, enjoyable song, and has a lot of elements that should have made it great, but it seems to be missing that one thing that keeps it from being great.  My two cents.

Mission should be top 10.

[nicmos]

Following now, late to the party.

Great for including Where's My Thing so high.  It never gets the love it deserves.  I think it's way better than Leave That Thing Alone.

Finding My Way is another great song.  It seems like nothing except Working Man gets talked about off of the debut, but almost all the songs are great.  If you can take the vocals, that album is a perfect straightforward 70s rocker.  Finding My Way might be my favorite track off it more often than not.

[Mladen]

Far cry is amazing, I no longer feel like I'm one of the few people that really dig it. 

[Unlegit]

35. The Fountain of Lamneth

The Fountain of Lamneth is the first side-long epic Rush ever did. The song is dark as a whole. While this isn't really a problem, the song doesn't segue. It feels like a much more complete and concise piece when all the parts seamlessly flow together. The beginning of the song starts off with a nice, soft acoustic guitar along with some quiet singing before going into another part that is more rocked out. This heavy riff trades off with some amazing softer passages. The next part of the song is a short drum solo with shouted vocals overlaying it. The solo does not fit with the song at all and ruins the flow in my opinion. The section after the drum solo is very dark. The guitar solo is awesome, and serves perfectly in ending the current part and going into the next. This is the worst part of the song. It is a very slow part that really goes nowhere. The second to last section has a great riff that helps this part be the most positive. A simple part, but decent overall. The final part of the song features the same riff trading off the the softer passages from the beginning of the song. The very end has acoustic guitar very similar to the intro. I feel that these two repeated parts makes the song conclude in a nice way. Overall, while it is a bit rough in some spots, it is a great and successful song, and it would provide a blueprint for future epics.

34. Lessons

A rather simple song off the second side of 2112. I love the melding of the acoustic strumming along with the electric guitar almost throughout the entire song. Geddy is in fine shrieking form. The part in the chorus "No you didn't listen again!" is a great example of Geddy's high register. The guitar solo to end the song is great, although I wish it would've gone on longer, as I hear some great stuff when the song fades out.

33. Animate

Another song off Counterparts. Animate is another example of a good way to start off an album. This isn't the proggiest thing they've ever done, but it's a great song. Right from the beginning, the song is awesome with a short intro done by Neil Peart before the rest of the band comes in. I love the keyboard sound that comes in during the second chorus, as well as the part during the outro. In fact, the outro is easily the best part of the song. It has that epic feel to it.

32. Mystic Rhythms

I never really could get into this song until a few weeks ago. It didn't really fit with the overall feel of Power Windows, and I just didn't like the darker feel of it along with the non-traditional drum pattern. However, for some reason, it clicked with me, and it's rising quickly in my rankings. If I did this list another week or two later, it might have cracked my top 30 or even 25. The things I originally didn't like about the song are now my favorite parts of the song. The drums and the dark concept are awesome along with the keyboards and different mixing in the second half.

31. The Necromancer

The other epic off of Caress of Steel. This one was much more successful in delivering an "epic" song in my opinion. There are three distinct parts to The Necromancer. The first one is the soft, dark intro that fades in. Personally, while this sets the tone for the song, I feel it takes far too long to develop. At about 4:30 the more rocked out section comes in. The riff is amazing in this part. When it feels like this part is over, a loud distorted guitar comes in switching channels. The second half is possibly my favorite of the whole song. The dual-layered guitar sound works perfectly. The last part of the song is a softer section, but more positive than the first. It sums up the whole epic quite well. The only thing that irks me about this song is the narration. It prevents this from placing a couple spots higher. Still, overall this is an amazing song, and definitely underrated.

Hope you like these write-ups!

[ColdFireYYZ]

I use to hate The Fountain and Necromancer, but suddenly Caress of Steel as a whole just clicked for me. I'm not sure if those 2 songs would be in my top 50, but they are excellent nonetheless. Mystic Rhythms is another that took a while to grow on me. Its a great closer and I love the darker mood that you mentioned.

[Cedar redaC]

The Caress of Steel epics are really cool, signs of what Rush would become in the 70's. I agree with what you said about The Fountain of Lamneth. It's a cool song, no doubt, but it lacks flow. I really like the "Yet my eyes are drawn towards...." section. It just had a really good vibe to me. The Necromancer took a little to grow on me. When I first was listening to the CD, I couldn't hear a thing for a full minute. It is definitely one of the highlights of the album though.

[Lowdz]

I use to hate The Fountain and Necromancer, but suddenly Caress of Steel as a whole just clicked for me. I'm not sure if those 2 songs would be in my top 50, but they are excellent nonetheless. Mystic Rhythms is another that took a while to grow on me. Its a great closer and I love the darker mood that you mentioned.

All this. Never really got into Caress for a long time, but now I really like it. The epics make it. I like how the bad guy from ByTor is now the good guy.
And MR is just a great track and a great way to end a great album.

[Mladen]

35. The Fountain of Lamneth

Always great to see love for Mystic rhythms, those vocal harmonies are among the best ones Geddy has ever laid down. I'm enjoying the write-ups as well. 

[wolfking]

Great to see Animate, always really loved that one.

[nicmos]

The bass sound in the bridge section of Animate is one of the best things ever.