Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!)

[romdrums]

50. Force Ten (13). Again, one of my favorites to play on drums.  I love all the different things going on in this song.  The drum samples, the different keyboard parts, the bass lines, Alex’s textural guitar work, it’s a real feast for the ears.  Additionally, I love the intensity of the verses contrasted with the calmer nature of the choruses.

49. The Enemy Within (N/A).  The weakest part of the Fear tunes for me.

48. The Weapon (72).  Geddy does some really cool stuff on bass and keys on this one, and, despite the rigidity of the sequenced synth bass lines, I like how the band keeps this somewhat loose.

[Setlist Scotty]

Force Ten is a decent enough song - still remember hearing it played a lot on rock radio when it first came out and being hyped for a new Rush album. But while I like it, I don’t I’ve ever loved it, and neither it nor The Big Money ever struck me as being great concert openers. (For me The Spirit of Radio was always the quintessential concert opener - perhaps because the Grace Under Pressure Tour video was my first exposure to seeing Rush live.) Force Ten did make the cut on my list, though just barely at #73.

I absolutely love the Fear Trilogy - all 4 parts of it! And yes, it still is a trilogy with 4 parts because it can be, so there!    (See the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for further argument on that topic!) I've always liked The Enemy Within, although seeing it on the Grace Under Pressure Tour video elevated my appreciation for it. The same is true for The Weapon, although the difference in my opinion of it from listening to the album version to seeing the live video was probably much greater. Biggest travesty is that the R40 tour was the *perfect* opportunity for them to resurrect the original 3 parts of the Fear Trilogy and they completely blew it. Ah well. TEW placed at #24 and TW at #49 on my list.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

50 Force Ten
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (HOF)

I didn't rank this, as I got burned out on a long time ago, and gravitate towards the vast majority of songs from Hold Your Fire over it now, but it's still a damn good song. 


49 The Enemy Within
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 1 (DAT)

I had this at 59; it would have been a lot higher years ago. I still love it just as much, but I guess it's a case of certain songs just elevating over time.  Love the bass line.


48 The Weapon
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (DAT)

I have to admit that I chuckled when I saw these two parts of Fear finish next to each other.  This was my favorite song from Signals for a long time; it is now my 2nd favorite. I had it at 24.  Scary!!!

First off, someone ranked The Enemy Within at #1? I would say that's surprising except I couldn't really argue with just about any song being someone's #1.

Force Ten - I like this song, but it's one of the weaker ones on HYF for me. I ranked it at #125. I do like how it sounds like nothing else on the album.

The Enemy Within - This just squeaked into my top 75 at #75. It's a really good song and I love the almost Police-like sound to a lot of it, but with a Rush twist.

The Weapon - This one landed at #84. It's a good song, maybe even great song, but there are better songs on Signals, let alone throughout the rest of the discography. It is, however, another of many Rush songs that sound like nothing else in their catalogue.

Enemy Within - 52 for me. This song SCREAMS 80s at the top of it’s lungs. I get a huge White Wedding vibe from this one.

Also, wat?? 


 

[TAC]

50 Force Ten
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (HOF)


49 The Enemy Within
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 1 (DAT)


48 The Weapon
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (DAT)

I had Force Ten as Not Rated. It just never did anything for me. I don't find it catchy like a couple of other songs on HYF.

I had The Enemy Within at #17. I absolutely love the chorus in this song. I actually really love most of Grace Under Pressure.

I had The Weapon at #27. I was a bit confused, even disappointed, when I first heard Signals. But The Weapon was the one song that I liked right away.


And not to insult any of you Rush dorks  , but I have never in my life ever considered any of these songs part of the Fear Trilogy, or even thought of what that meant. They're just songs.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

And not to insult any of you Rush dorks  , but I have never in my life ever considered any of these songs part of the Fear Trilogy, or even thought of what that meant. They're just songs.

[DTA]

The Enemy Within is absolutely my favorite Rush song. The bassline, the lyrics, the vocals, the drums, the reggae influence...it all just works so well for me. Also, why Vital Signs is my number 2. I hold the synth era in very high regard compared to other Rush eras so most of my top picks came from that period.

[ReaperKK]

Y'all are correct in that Vapor Trails and Snakes and Arrows are the two albums that didn't have anything make the top 75, but a few did not miss by much.   

A shame considering S&A is a top tier Rush, album.

[KevShmev]

And not to insult any of you Rush dorks  , but I have never in my life ever considered any of these songs part of the Fear Trilogy, or even thought of what that meant. They're just songs.

I get what you mean.  The connection is lyrically, not musically, and even the lyrical connection is pretty loose since they all address different parts of fear.  Even adding Freeze as part of it later on seemed more cheeky than anything.

[pg1067]

50 Force Ten
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (HOF)

I didn't rank this, as I got burned out on a long time ago, and gravitate towards the vast majority of songs from Hold Your Fire over it now, but it's still a damn good song. 

I can still remember the disappointment of hearing this as the first song on HYF.  After the disappointment of the prior two albums, I still had some hope for HYF, but this song told me "nope."  It's not terrible or anything, but neither is it very good.  I had it at #118.

49 The Enemy Within
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 1 (DAT)

I had this at 59; it would have been a lot higher years ago. I still love it just as much, but I guess it's a case of certain songs just elevating over time.  Love the bass line.

My close second favorite song on GUP.  Geddy's playing is excellent, and I only wish he had used the Rick or Jazz instead of the Steinberger.  The Police influence is fairly obvious, but it's all good.  The tempo is great.  Definitely my favorite of the Fear Tetralogy.  I had it at #32.

48 The Weapon
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (DAT)

I have to admit that I chuckled when I saw these two parts of Fear finish next to each other.  This was my favorite song from Signals for a long time; it is now my 2nd favorite. I had it at 24.  Scary!!!

And now we have the weakest of the Fear Tetralogy and the worst song on Signals.  It portended a lot of the badness to come on the three "synth era" albums.  Again, not terrible, but not good.  #95 for me.

And not to insult any of you Rush dorks  , but I have never in my life ever considered any of these songs part of the Fear Trilogy, or even thought of what that meant. They're just songs.

I mean...it's not like the SDOIT debate.  They ARE part of the tetralogy (formerly trilogy).  That said, I don't disagree that they're "just songs."  That they're connected as "Fear" doesn't really mean anything to me as far as listening enjoyment.

[King Postwhore]

Listen to that fertilizer try to make fun of us. Lol

[The Realm]

50 Force Ten
Appeared on 14 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (HOF)

49 The Enemy Within
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 1 (DAT)

48 The Weapon
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (DAT)

Force 10 - my rank 51.

The Enemy Within - my rank 30. This song is all kinds of awesome to me so I am not surprised to see someone rank this as their number 1 song. I could easily have ranked this higher. I really connect with this one. I guess some people don't go for the reggae feel.

The Weapon - unranked by me. Unlike The Enemy Within, this is the opposite! Struggle to see the love people have for this one. Just a very mediocre song all the way.

[KevShmev]

Two for Sunday!

47 Digital Man
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (HOF)

This is another that seemingly got a bump in popularity after it was brought back on the Snakes & Arrows tour.  Oddly, it went the other way for me, as it ranks a lot lower for me than it did 15-20 years ago. It used to be a top 3 song for me from Signals, but it was the 5th highest on my top 75.  In fact, it barely made it, finishing at 75.


46 Headlong Flight
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Puppies_On_Acid)

What an awesome song.  Like many Rush fans, that was pure joy getting this song two months before the release of Clockwork Angels.  Just a bad ass song all-around, one I had at 35.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

47 Digital Man
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (HOF)

This is another that seemingly got a bump in popularity after it was brought back on the Snakes & Arrows tour.  Oddly, it went the other way for me, as it ranks a lot lower for me than it did 15-20 years ago. It used to be a top 3 song for me from Signals, but it was the 5th highest on my top 75.  In fact, it barely made it, finishing at 75.


46 Headlong Flight
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Puppies_On_Acid)

What an awesome song.  Like many Rush fans, that was pure joy getting this song two months before the release of Clockwork Angels.  Just a bad ass song all-around, one I had at 35.

Digital Man - This ranked at #44 for me. I like the the overall groove and the funky bassline. Neil's drumming is yet another example of perfection (or as near to perfect as you can get). The fadeout at the end hurts it a bit. I hate fadeouts!!

Headlong Flight - I'm not surprised I got the highest ranking on this song. But I am surprised it didn't rank higher overall. This song is just plain badass. Name me one other band that had a song that rocked this hard nearly 40 years into their careers. And this song is just so technical and melodic at the same time, I just love it. I even like Geddy's vocals here as well. He couldn't pull it off live, but that was to be expected.

[romdrums]

47. Digital Man (67)- I would be one of those people who gained a new appreciation for this song after seeing it on the Snakes and Arrows tour. 

46. Headlong Flight (40).  Not too far off the consensus here. I love the repurposing of the Bastille Day riff for this song, and it’s great to hear the band in full flight!  Neil, in particular, just gets after it, turning in one of his most inspired performances.  I wish that he could do it all again.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

In hindsight, Headlong Flight probably should have ranked around #14 for me, had I gone through what ranking engine spit out and shuffled things around, but I decided to let what it came up with speak for me in the moment. 

[nick_z]

Digital Man (did not rank - outside of top 100)

Don't particularly care for this one. Nothing offensive about it, just nothing very interesting either. Feels too long, although it's rhythmically kinda cool.

Headlong Flight (didn't make top 75, had it at #96)

I guess I don't share the enthusiasm of the comments so far. I agree it's a pretty badass song, and it's certainly a joy to see the band just going for it (witnessing it live was fun too). But, I don't know, it doesn't quite do it for me. Maybe it's Geddy's vocals, maybe it's not my favorite side of Rush....

[HOF]

Digital Man is so great! Probably my favorite Geddy bass line. I can’t imagine not liking this song. It’s so catchy and quirky. The story behind they lyric really cracks me up. Also an outstanding Alex solo. Easily a top 10 Rush track for me.

Headlong Flight did not rank. It’s just kind of a muddy rocker, nothing special about it. Probably one of the tracks that suffers the most from the production on CA. Just feels like a filler piece on that album.

[pg1067]

47 Digital Man
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (HOF)

This is another that seemingly got a bump in popularity after it was brought back on the Snakes & Arrows tour.  Oddly, it went the other way for me, as it ranks a lot lower for me than it did 15-20 years ago. It used to be a top 3 song for me from Signals, but it was the 5th highest on my top 75.  In fact, it barely made it, finishing at 75.

I did NOT care for this song at first, and I have no idea why.  This song kicks all kinds of ass (particularly Geddy's bass playing, and Neil's drums sound amazing), and I was so happy it got brought back in 2007/08.  I ranked this at #15.

46 Headlong Flight
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Puppies_On_Acid)

What an awesome song.  Like many Rush fans, that was pure joy getting this song two months before the release of Clockwork Angels.  Just a bad ass song all-around, one I had at 35.

After being told for so long that Rush was going to make a return to its old rockin' song, this song probably came closest to doing it.  I had it at #38 -- the highest ranked of three songs from CA in my top 75.


Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 1 song (Fly by Night - #70)
Caress of Steel - 2 songs (The Necromancer - #67; Bastille Day - #59)
2112 - 2 songs (Something for Nothing - #63; A Passage to Bangkok - #58)
A Farewell to Kings -
Hemispheres -
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 1 song (Vital Signs - #51)
Signals - 4 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47)
Grace Under Pressure - 1 song (The Enemy Within - #49)
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 3 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 2 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52)
Counterparts - 4 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS
Clockwork Angels - 2 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46)

We now have 15 of 19 albums represented.  Since VT and S&A are shutout, the only two yet to be heard from are AFTK and Hemispheres.

[TAC]

47 Digital Man
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (HOF)

46 Headlong Flight
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Puppies_On_Acid)

I had Digital Man at #32. This is a great song that I never hear mentioned very much. The drumming is incredible as is the bass playing. Great solo by Alex too.

I had Headlong Flight at #55. It's a great tune, old school. I was so happy to hear it. Unfortunately, I rarely listen to Clockwork Angels..a mistake on my part for sure.

[devieira73]

50. Force Ten (#22) - Rush brought a lot of sounds in arranging this song, with a lot of dynamics - very original. Amazing song!
49. The Enemy Within (#42) - Rush mixing perfectly his style with The Police. One of my favorites drums compositions by NP.
48. The Weapon (#30) - Amazing atmosphere, it sounds apocalyptic and futuristic until nowadays. Love the construction of Lifeson's solo here and the drum parts made almost exclusively by variations on hi-hat and snare drums are brilliant.
47. Digital Man (#62) - The way they mixed a great rocker with reggae/ska parts was great. Geddy Lee and NP destroys in the entire song (also excellent solo by Lifeson).
46. Headlong Flight (#23) - Amazing rocker with great guitar/bass parts and a bit of a jam feel in the soloing - very impressive Rush doing something like this at the end of its career.

[Deadeye21]

Two for Sunday!

47 Digital Man
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (HOF)

46 Headlong Flight
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Puppies_On_Acid)

Digital Man didn’t make the cut here. It’s a great song, but sometimes it lands it for me and sometimes it doesn’t.

Headlong Flight made it to number 17 for me though. Great rocker, great message. Almost doesn’t hit like part of the concept album it’s on, but rather a separate message to the fans, expanded to fit the story.

[HOF]

Rick Beato has revealed his number 1.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0UeGt2DcPHk

[jammindude]

Rick Beato has revealed his number 1.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0UeGt2DcPHk

I *just* posted that in the Lerxt thread

[The Realm]

47 Digital Man
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (HOF)

46 Headlong Flight
Appeared on 18 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Puppies_On_Acid)

Digital Man - I ranked at 65. I think it is the bass playing and drums that get the most love from me on this track. Not actually sure how great a song it is.

Headlong Flight - unranked for me. But totally agree it is a great rocker, which is my normal wheelhouse so I think I missed on this one...

[HOF]

Rick Beato has revealed his number 1.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0UeGt2DcPHk

I *just* posted that in the Lerxt thread

My bad. Didn’t check the other thread.

[jammindude]

Rick Beato has revealed his number 1.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0UeGt2DcPHk

I *just* posted that in the Lerxt thread

My bad. Didn’t check the other thread.

No worries. I just figured that was the closest thing we have to an official Rush thread around here. 

[KevShmev]

Good call.

And as I noted in the DT list thread, I am not of blatant spotlighting, so keeping it in the other thread is better.

And for anyone wondering, blatant spotlighting would be if we get down to the last two and someone posts, "I guess song A and song B are the two left, it's just a matter of what number 1 is," while mentioning the songs by name.  I think it's a dick move.  Even if the songs are obvious, let them get featured before calling them out.  I got this idea for this whole thing elsewhere, and courtesy was always shown to the thread starter to not spotlight. 

[HOF]

Um, I’m assuming Rick Beato is not contributing to the rankings. It seemed like a fun thing to point out in this thread, that’s all.

[KevShmev]

I hear ya, that was not directed at you. It was more of a general statement.

[HOF]

I hear ya, that was not directed at you. It was more of a general statement.

 

[Setlist Scotty]

Digital Man is OK, and I'm glad they played it on the 2007-08 tour, but it's always been one of my least favorite tracks from Signals, along with Chemistry. So it only made it to #119 on my list.

By comparison, I love Headlong Fight - one of the best tracks on Clockwork Angels, IMO. Yeah, it's funny how the band accidentally rewrote Bastille Day - I prefer it over BD by a country mile. On my list it ended up at #30 with only two other CW tracks ranking higher (and no, neither track was The Garden).

[pg1067]

Digital Man is OK, and I'm glad they played it on the 2007-08 tour, but it's always been one of my least favorite tracks from Signals, along with Chemistry. So it only made it to #119 on my list.

By comparison, I love Headlong Fight - one of the best tracks on Clockwork Angels, IMO. Yeah, it's funny how the band accidentally rewrote Bastille Day - I prefer it over BD by a country mile. On my list it ended up at #30 with only two other CW tracks ranking higher (and no, neither track was The Garden).

AKA the single most overrated track in Rush's catalog (as it's likely presence among the top 46 songs will confirm).

[TAC]

Digital Man is OK, and I'm glad they played it on the 2007-08 tour, but it's always been one of my least favorite tracks from Signals, along with Chemistry. So it only made it to #119 on my list.

By comparison, I love Headlong Fight - one of the best tracks on Clockwork Angels, IMO. Yeah, it's funny how the band accidentally rewrote Bastille Day - I prefer it over BD by a country mile. On my list it ended up at #30 with only two other CW tracks ranking higher (and no, neither track was The Garden).

AKA the single most overrated track in Rush's catalog (as it's likely presence among the top 46 songs will confirm).

If this many people (in this thread, anyway) collectively put in at least the Top 46, I'd say it's appropriately rated.

[KevShmev]

Sorry for the delay today, didn't have time to post these up before leaving for work this mornin'.

45 Circumstances
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (Cool Chris)

This one was unranked for me, as it is another I like, but do not love.  I know the story behind Geddy's vocals on this album, but it just feels  like the chorus just doesn't land right as a result.


44 Mission
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (KevShmev)

Yeah!  I finally am the high on one of these!! I was a bit dismayed to see this left off nearly 1/3 of the lists, but oh well.  I will swear by this song to my last gasp.

[devieira73]

45 Circumstances (-) - Good song, but it's the only song on Hemespheres that didn't make my Top 75.

44 Mission (#17) - Gorgeous song, with one of the most beautiful Lifeson's solos in the outro and maybe my favorite Rush lyrics