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

[HOF]

My biggest issue right now is choosing from about a dozen songs to give my one point to for number 75. Probably shouldn’t keep overthinking it.

[Stadler]

Only one made my top 40, but I ended up with six Hold Your Fire songs in my top 75.  Underrated album, one loaded with good tunes.

I've long said that record is probably their best collection of SONGS, i.e. their best written material.  I would have loved to have heard an acoustic or re-recorded version of that record, to make it less of it's time and more... timeless.

[HOF]

Only one made my top 40, but I ended up with six Hold Your Fire songs in my top 75.  Underrated album, one loaded with good tunes.

I've long said that record is probably their best collection of SONGS, i.e. their best written material.  I would have loved to have heard an acoustic or re-recorded version of that record, to make it less of it's time and more... timeless.

Wouldn’t expect anything like this to happen, and I’m not sure Geddy could even pull it off vocally, but it would be cool for him and Alex to do some of those songs just the two of them acoustically.

[pg1067]

As I predicted, 4 Power Windows songs made my Top 75, and as I also predicted, the highest would be around 30.

My top song from POW was #40, and I had three in the top 75.  The other 5 ranked between 84-132.

I’m going through the ranker right now and it’s VERY painful.

The top tier stuff is pretty easy to separate from anything below it, but once you get into mid-tier stuff (which is probably the majority of their catalog) the head to head matches become excruciating. I’ve literally winced at a couple. And if they are from different eras it’s even worse, because you like them about the same, but it’s apples and oranges and it can come down to mood.

Yup.

Great song v. great song is hard.

Bottom tier song v. bottom tier song is equally as hard, although I stopped agonizing over it since these songs aren't gonna make the top 75.

Mid-tier songs from different eras are also really hard (e.g., Double Agent v. A Passage to Bangkok).

I had three Power Windows songs in my list, one top ten.  I was surprised how many Hold Your Fire songs made it, though.

Only one made my top 40, but I ended up with six Hold Your Fire songs in my top 75.  Underrated album, one loaded with good tunes.

I have only one from HYF in the top 75 (at #41).  The next highest is at #86, and the lowest is at #143.

[Tomislav95]

Is not liking Power windows meme here or what?

[pg1067]

Is not liking Power windows meme here or what?

The banter back and forth between those who don't like it and people who are wrong kind of is.

[Tomislav95]

Is not liking Power windows meme here or what?

The banter back and forth between those who don't like it and people who are wrong kind of is.

[HOF]

Is not liking Power windows meme here or what?

The banter back and forth between those who don't like it and people who are wrong kind of is.

 

[Trav86]

I have six from Power Windows. That’s subject to change though.

[TAC]

I have six from Power Windows. That’s subject to change though.

Six what? Six minutes?

[pg1067]

Is not liking Power windows meme here or what?

The banter back and forth between those who don't like it and people who are wrong kind of is.

Don't know who she is, but you've got the concept.   

I have six from Power Windows. That’s subject to change though.

Six what? Six minutes?

I have 6 songs from POW ranked below Broon's Bane.

[The Letter M]

Is not liking Power windows meme here or what?

The banter back and forth between those who don't like it and people who are wrong kind of is.

Permanent Waves isn't that bad. 

-Marc.

[Cool Chris]

I have a ways to go but there might not be any songs from GUP/PW/HYF on my list.

[Trav86]

I have six from Power Windows. That’s subject to change though.

Six what? Six minutes?

 

[jammindude]

We have until tomorrow right?

Like the DT one, I wanted to take a couple lists to make sure. I finally finished my first time through and there are definitely a couple of tweaks I want to make before I submit my list.

As far as POW songs go. On my first try, 1 made my top 5, 2 in my top 10, 3 in my top 20, 4 in my top 40 and 6 in my top 50.

I’m actually a bit surprised that 2 didn’t make the top 75 at all, but like Stadler said, there’s probably about 20 songs that we commonly refer to as “top 5 songs” and it pushes everything else down.

[KevShmev]

It's in the first post, peeps.

Anyone wanting to submit a list must do so by February 26th. 

I added it to the thread title as well.

[devieira73]

This was hard to do! It was like to make just one top 75 out of 4 very different and equally great bands.
Kev I'm sending to you my list.

[KevShmev]

Like Dream Theater, I am seeing tons of songs I like a lot not making my final list.  Just too many good Rush songs. 

[wolfking]

I better get started on this.  I just know that one era is absolutely going to flood most of the top 50.

[devieira73]

Because of this list, I just realized that Rush released 7 albums in the 80's! And that decade - that have 3 of the 5 eras of the band (in my point of view), made 50% of my list.

[devieira73]

About Rush eras, of course the end of one blends a bit with the begginning of the next and it's an aproximation - after all, Rush's music complexity defies any categorisation, but I hear them this way: heavy blues rock (Rush-FBN), prog (CoS-MP), keyboard  (Signals -HYF), pop (Presto-RTB) and hard rock (Counterparts-CA).

[KevShmev]

Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

[Cool Chris]

Like DT, there are a few songs here that I listened to as much as any of theirs back when I was heavier in to classic rock, but have since been elevated (relegated?) to "retired favorites" status. They were favorites of mine for decades, that I just don't have any desire to listen to again. Those are hard to rank.

[wolfking]

Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.

[romdrums]

Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2112.

[wolfking]

Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2112.

Ahhh.....you're probably right.

[TAC]

Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2112.

Definitely Tom Sawyer.

[wolfking]

Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2112.

Definitely Tom Sawyer.

Yeah.....I guess MP would be considered their peak as opposed to 2112.

[nick_z]

I have Tom Sawyer very high...more generally, it would surprise me if it did poorly overall, no matter how overplayed it is...

Maybe Hemispheres (the song)...? If we think of the AFTK-MP run as peak "era"...

[Stadler]

Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2112.

I only have one data point out of seven, but this is my guess too.

[Deadeye21]

Submitted my list today. Gotta say, I’m surprised what songs didn’t manage to make my list. 75 sounds like a lot, then you start seeing great songs not make the list, and when you count up all the ones that didn’t make it that you love, it can be kinda sad.

[pg1067]

About Rush eras, of course the end of one blends a bit with the begginning of the next and it's an aproximation - after all, Rush's music complexity defies any categorisation, but I hear them this way: heavy blues rock (Rush-FBN), prog (CoS-MP), keyboard  (Signals -HYF), pop (Presto-RTB) and hard rock (Counterparts-CA).

I'm not sure about labels, but for me:

- Rush kinda stands by itself (heavy blues, standard rock lyrics)
- FBN through 2112 (proto-prog - By-Tor is probably the most prog song; other than the length, 2112 isn't all that proggy, and side 2 really isn't much at all)
- AFTK through Signals (prog hard rock; could split this even further between Hemispheres and PEW; Signals is MUCH more connected with MP than with the next 3 albums)
- GUP through HYF (the synth era)
- Presto through T4E (adult contemporary Rush; the corrected most of the production issues that plagued the synth era; every album has some super clunkers, and every album except RTB has some great songs)
- VT through CA (this is really a continuation of the prior era, but with Alex's guitar playing more focused on chords than on melodic lines; also Geddy's yodeling vocals)

Seven lists submitted already, and I have to say I am stunned at how poorly a classic from what most consider their peak era is doing so far.

Gonna guess Limelight or Tom Sawyer here.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2112.

All three in the top 20 for me.

[romdrums]

The only album that doesn't have any representation in my top 75 is Caress of Steel.  Every other album has at least one track.  Additionally, no album had every track make my Top 75.  There were three albums that had all but one track make my Top 75.  Also, like Stadler, I had an album that had a lot of songs make it in even though I wouldn't consider that album one of my favorites.

[pg1067]

The only album that doesn't have any representation in my top 75 is Caress of Steel.  Every other album has at least one track.  Additionally, no album had every track make my Top 75.  There were three albums that had all but one track make my Top 75.  Also, like Stadler, I had an album that had a lot of songs make it in even though I wouldn't consider that album one of my favorites.

I have every album (even RTB) in my top 75.  Looking back now, neither of the songs that made it from T4E are my favorite song on the album, but I'm not broken up about it.  I have three albums with every song in top 75.

And now that I think upon it some more, I'm thinking that the song to which Kev referred is NOT any of the three mentioned.

[romdrums]

The only album that doesn't have any representation in my top 75 is Caress of Steel.  Every other album has at least one track.  Additionally, no album had every track make my Top 75.  There were three albums that had all but one track make my Top 75.  Also, like Stadler, I had an album that had a lot of songs make it in even though I wouldn't consider that album one of my favorites.

I have every album (even RTB) in my top 75.  Looking back now, neither of the songs that made it from T4E are my favorite song on the album, but I'm not broken up about it.  I have three albums with every song in top 75.

And now that I think upon it some more, I'm thinking that the song to which Kev referred is NOT any of the three mentioned.

I think you're right.  Of those 3, I'd still say 2112, but I wonder if it could be something like Closer to the Heart.