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

[MrMike]

I remember seeing a YouTuber's video where John Petrucci and a few other panelists tried to make the ultimate Rush album.  They each suggested like 5 songs and one of JP's was Countdown.  That surprised me since it's one of Rush's least technical songs and not one I'd have expected him to pick.  It definitely feels a bit under baked, but I still like it enough that it ranked at 52.

[KevShmev]

Under baked is a good way to put it.  Again, I like it, but it feels like it builds to a peak that never happens.

[wolfking]

Presto didn't rate for me.  I just never found much to like about that song.

Countdown came in at 58.  Very nice song.

[The Realm]

I didn't rank Presto or Countdown. Not sure either were that close to top 75 either.

[HOF]

I love Presto, both the album and the song. The song came in at 37 for me. Something about this whole album gets me in the feels. The “I radiate more heat than light” is just a great, evocative line. When I first got into this album, this song in particular seemed like it described me. Just improvising life, a little bit aimless, wanting to have some sort of impact on the world but feeling like I was just hot air, rather than “light.” Still feel that way I guess!

I had Countdown at 59. It may be one that I rate higher simply because it concludes one of my favorite albums, but I really like the whole theme of Signals and this is a great closer. It is actually kind of a Red Barchetta re-write, but that OK. It’s different enough that the similarities don’t bother me. Just a unique song lyric wise, and it has one of the proggier keyboard solos you’ll find in a Rush song.

[TAC]

. It is actually kind of a Red Barchetta re-write, but that OK. It’s different enough that the similarities don’t bother me.

Huh. I've never made the connection.

[Deadeye21]

Okay, as we continue with Rush's greatest songs, tonight's two will be presented by one of the greatest songwriters of the 21st century...



69 Presto
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (kingshmegland)

It feels like this song got the live bump, as it seemed like this song was rarely talked about until it got played on the Time Machine tour. I admittedly liked it more after seeing it live, although it still didn't crack my top 75.




68 Countdown
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Dream Team)

I had to admit that I was quite shocked at how much love this song got.  I like it, but always thought it was somewhat of an average ending to an otherwise fantastic record.  Feels like one of those songs where the end result didn't meet the ambition they had for it.

Let’s start with the obvious. PLEASE NO MORE TAYLOR SWIFT!

Right. Presto. Didn’t rate it, but I love it. Kinda hating how much this ranking is making me realise I put in songs that comparatively I shouldn’t have.

Countdown. Number 38. It’s a damn good closer about a great advancement in human history. Great drumming, massively epic feel. Can’t say much better than that.

[TAC]

Let’s start with the obvious. PLEASE NO MORE TAYLOR SWIFT!

Thank you. The next Taylor Swift gif will be met with...

[KevShmev]

The greatness of Taylor Swift is needed to wash off the stench of the worst rock band ever that shall go unnamed.

[KevShmev]

And mark me down as another who sees zero connection between Red Barchetta and Countdown. 

[TAC]

The greatness of Taylor Swift is needed to wash off the stench of the worst rock band ever that shall go unnamed.

Taylor And The Swifties?

[wolfking]

And mark me down as another who sees zero connection between Red Barchetta and Countdown.

Yeah......I don't understand that either.

[King Postwhore]

The greatness of Taylor Swift is needed to wash off the stench of the worst rock band ever that shall go unnamed.

Even if your not into her music you have to admire her music and how she evolves every album.

[Setlist Scotty]

And mark me down as another who sees zero connection between Red Barchetta and Countdown.

Yeah......I don't understand that either.

Add me to the list.

I have Presto ranked at #65, so my feelings for it balance out pretty closely to the general consensus. I'm not a huge fan of acoustic based songs in general (although I've really grown to love Making Memories which I doubt will make the list), but I think this is one of the better ones. Glad they finally played it on the Time Machine tour.

Countdown is also a good song, though compared to the rest of the album, it's in the lower half of my rankings for that album. Still it made #53 on my list. Definitely takes me back to my pre- and early teen years and that whole time when the space shuttles were regularly being launched.

[HOF]

Wait, you guys really don’t see the similarities between the two songs? The vocal melodies are similar, the way the verses lead into short little instrumental passages in places rather than a chorus, just the general rhythm and cadence are similar.

[Deadeye21]

Yeah, even with the brief explanation - I don’t see any connection between Red Barchetta and Countdown apart from the fact they’re an album apart and both hold even numbered slots on their records. Oh, and they were both played on the Signals tour. And Countdown is exactly 20 seconds shorter and both fade out. Both are about vehicles and use sound clips.

That’s literally it.

[wolfking]

Wait, you guys really don’t see the similarities between the two songs? The vocal melodies are similar, the way the verses lead into short little instrumental passages in places rather than a chorus, just the general rhythm and cadence are similar.

Nah mate.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Let’s start with the obvious. PLEASE NO MORE TAYLOR SWIFT!

Thank you. The next Taylor Swift gif will be met with...

I'd rather look at Taylor Swift...

Wait, you guys really don’t see the similarities between the two songs? The vocal melodies are similar, the way the verses lead into short little instrumental passages in places rather than a chorus, just the general rhythm and cadence are similar.

Yeah, I've never made that connection either. I still don't hear it. But that's one of the great things about music, we all hear it differently.

[Tomislav95]

Have Presto at #56. Tbh I didn't expect to see it in top 75 at all  kinda cheesy but I love it.

Countdown is my #58. Great song, not underwhelming closer at all. On the contrary, I think it's epic even though it's not a long song.

[KevShmev]

Wait, you guys really don’t see the similarities between the two songs? The vocal melodies are similar, the way the verses lead into short little instrumental passages in places rather than a chorus, just the general rhythm and cadence are similar.

Nope.

[KevShmev]

Also, a few fun facts about the list to chew on for a bit...

-There are four albums where every song is represented in the top 75.
-There are two albums that didn't have a single song make the top 75.

[Deadeye21]

Also, a few fun facts about the list to chew on for a bit...

-There are four albums where every song is represented in the top 75.
-There are two albums that didn't have a single song make the top 75.
[/quote

Willing to bet PeW, MP, Signals and Hemispheres?

Maybe Vapor Trails and S&A?

Also, can anyone tell me how to do a multi quote? I’d like to be able to quote multiple people.

[devieira73]

69 Presto (#64) - I love the melodies on this one, great acoustic song!

68 Countdown (-) - It's a good song, but I think it lacks a bit the excitement of the scene the song describes.  Anyway, I also think Signals has 6 songs that are better.
Is it the only Rush song with a proper keyboard solo?

[Deadeye21]

Yo… how did I manage to type my entire last reply to Kev as a quote of Kev? That makes NO sense.

Man, I’m bad at this.

[devieira73]

Yo… how did I manage to type my entire last reply to Kev as a quote of Kev? That makes NO sense.

Man, I’m bad at this.

After you click in "reply", you should just click in "insert quote" on the messages you want to quote (they will appear under the box that you write) and, after you you click those quotes, you write your message under them.

[devieira73]

Also, a few fun facts about the list to chew on for a bit...

-There are four albums where every song is represented in the top 75.
-There are two albums that didn't have a single song make the top 75.
[/quote

Willing to bet PeW, MP, Signals and Hemispheres?

Maybe Vapor Trails and S&A?

Also, can anyone tell me how to do a multi quote? I’d like to be able to quote multiple people.

I would bet on those too (maybe swapping Signals for PoW), although personally I have selected 3 songs from S&A and 2 from VP.

[nick_z]

Presto (did not rank in top 75, had it at #99)

This is a neat song. It didn't make my top 75, but if anything that's a testament to the overall quality of this band's songs. Real nice melodies and drumming.

Countdown (did not rank in top 75, had it at #86)

See above. I agree with the general statement that it doesn't quite get to "great song" status, but I always enjoy it as the closer for Signals. I don't see a ton of parallels to Red Barchetta either, but the song does have that signature open-string Lifeson pattern, here around 2:55 and then again around 5:00 (thinking about Subdivisions, or even Tom Sawyer...)

[HOF]

Guessing the two that didn’t have a song make the top 75 are Caress of Steel and Snakes and Arrows.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Guessing the two that didn’t have a song make the top 75 are Caress of Steel and Snakes and Arrows.

That's what I was thinking.

[KevShmev]

One of those guesses will be proven wrong quickly with today's two!

67 The Necromancer
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 15 (Puppies_On_Acid)

This was a borderline top 10 Rush song for me when I was first a fan. I am still a big fan, but it settled in at 39 for me this time around. Rush has never rocked as hard as they did in the middle section of this song, and that ending section with Alex's glorious solo is magnificent.  The lyrics and spoken word bits are a bit silly, but musically this song is killer.


66 Emotion Detector
Appeared on 11 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 3 (HOF)

This was the only song from Power Windows that did not appear in my top 75, and I have to admit to being a little surprised at how well it did here.  I didn't think it would make the list. 

[romdrums]

69. Presto (34).  I have Presto up at 34 in my list.  It’s one that has grown on me over time.  I was 11, almost 12 when the album came out, and it was a song that I couldn’t relate to then, but as I’ve grown up, the lyrics have become more meaningful to me.  Also, I think they did a fantastic job of matching music and lyrics on this song. 

68. Countdown (N/A).  Even though Signals has really grown on me over the years, I still find Countdown to be a bit of a failure to launch with me.  Not that it’s bad, but as someone else stated, there are 6 songs on Signals that are cooler than this one.

[King Postwhore]

Neither made my top 75 though the guitar solo in ED is amazing. 

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

One of those guesses will be proven wrong quickly with today's two!

67 The Necromancer
Appeared on 12 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 15 (Puppies_On_Acid)

This was a borderline top 10 Rush song for me when I was first a fan. I am still a big fan, but it settled in at 39 for me this time around. Rush has never rocked as hard as they did in the middle section of this song, and that ending section with Alex's glorious solo is magnificent.  The lyrics and spoken word bits are a bit silly, but musically this song is killer.


66 Emotion Detector
Appeared on 11 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 3 (HOF)

This was the only song from Power Windows that did not appear in my top 75, and I have to admit to being a little surprised at how well it did here.  I didn't think it would make the list.

The Necromancer - Well, I am very glad to be proven wrong in my prediction. As Kev said, this song rocks so hard in the middle section. I used to play this album (and by extension, this song) over and over when I first got it when I was a kid. The guitar solos and interplay between the guitar and bass still fascinate me to this day. It's like the band decided to just go nuts when writing this song and hold nothing back and see what would happen. There really is nothing else that sounds like this in all of the rest of Rush's catalogue. This is one of those songs that I fantasize about what it would have sounded like had they played it live at the Hammersmith Odeon show in '78. In an alternate universe maybe.....

Emotion Detector - With the inclusion of this song from Power Windows, I'd be willing to bet the rest of the album made the list. I had this at #46. I love the heavy usage of toms in the drumming throughout the song, mainly throughout the verses. Then the explosion of sound into the chorus. Neil's creative drumming really shines on this song, like it does on the rest of Power Windows. And yet another awesome and emotive guitar solo by Alex, just 1 of hundreds he has done.

[HOF]

Glad to be wrong about COS. The Necromancer was the only song from it to make my list at 74, but Bastille Day and Lamneth were close and I almost put them on as well. I think COS is an underrated album, and I think those epics are superior to some of the more lauded ones. Lakeside Park is a decent song as well. It is a weird album though. Those epics are trippy, and the sound is a bit messy. But I like it.

Not surprised that I was the high person on Emotion Detector at number 3. This is just a song that I relate to personally, and I think it’s just a really lovely sentiment and one of Neil’s best lyrics. Being honest and introspective with yourself is hard, but being open and and honest with other people and trusting someone else not to crush you is even harder. It’s easier to wrap yourself in cynicism or throw up defensive mechanisms, or go to the other end of the spectrum and be driven by approval and others’ opinions of you.

I love how the whole song comes together, from the more synth and electronic drum driven verse to the explosive chorus, and the tremendous instrumental section that features some amazing bass and one of Alex’s finest solos. Lots of great drumming as well, and vocally this one is right in Geddy’s sweet spot. This is the deepest of Rush cuts in a way, and yet it’s an utterly amazing song to me. The kind of song that sets Rush apart.

[TAC]

I didn't rate either song. Emotion Detector would be in my Bottom 5 worst Rush songs...sorry HOF.

If this went to 100, The Necromancer would likely get in. I've just never warmed up to it. I love the last part, but it's just too much to get there.