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

[pg1067]

I really do like Different Strings. It's a great song, and I think I'd agree with Ben in that it is one of their better ballads (Losing It being the best of the bunch), but if I'm being honest, there are many other songs in Rush's catalog that I'd prefer to listen to instead. So it didn't make my top 75 either, although it just barely missed at #78.

DS reminds me of a movie whose name I can't remember.  It was about this gorgeous woman who moved into an apartment with I think four other women who all happened to be models.  Because of this, the gorgeous lead got treated as though she was a dog.  That's Different Strings, which has to be a "roommate" with a bunch of "models" on Permanent Waves.

Which may be why it's so high on MY list, because it's not that way with me;   Different Strings and Jacob's Ladder are the models and the rest are... cute, but out of their league.

BTW, I figured out what movie it was...Head over Heels, with Monica Potter as the non-model.  What a dog....

For me, the stars of PEW are Natural Science and Jacob's Ladder.  DS comes in 6th for me on the album, but it's still a Monica Potter.

[nick_z]

For me, the stars of PEW are Natural Science and Jacob's Ladder.  DS comes in 6th for me on the album, but it's still a Monica Potter.

Permanent Waves is so good...I agree with the stars...although I'd add The Spirit of Radio in between those two. Doesn't matter how much of a "standard" it is...never gets old for me.

[KevShmev]

Let's keep it moving, yo.

56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)

I get the love for many have for this song, but while I always enjoyed rocking out to it when the band played it live, it has never been one I've gone out of my way to hear.


55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)

I had this at 36, making me one of eight people to have it in their top 40, which is why it finished at 55 despite having no top 20 finishes.  Great song.  I remember hearing those verses for the first time and thinking, "This is the kind of song I always wanted Rush to write!"

[Deadeye21]

Let's keep it moving, yo.

56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)

55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)

Working Man arrived at #30. The song that started it all for the band. Not surprised it arrived at #2 for someone, a little more surprised it didn’t finish in more people’s top 10.

The title track from CA didn’t make my list. I do love the song though, for the most part. The vocals and lyrics in the bridge have never landed for me. Kinda prefer it as just a jam there.

[nick_z]

Let's keep it moving, yo.

56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)

I get the love for many have for this song, but while I always enjoyed rocking out to it when the band played it live, it has never been one I've gone out of my way to hear.


55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)

I had this at 36, making me one of eight people to have it in their top 40, which is why it finished at 55 despite having no top 20 finishes.  Great song.  I remember hearing those verses for the first time and thinking, "This is the kind of song I always wanted Rush to write!"

Working Man (did not rank in top 75, had it at #85)

Could basically quote your comment word by word. Riff is pretty iconic, though.

I guess the case for no song in top 75 for Vapor Trails and Snake and Arrows is getting stronger and stronger...

Clockwork Angels (ranked #52)

I like that the song goes through a variety of moods, although I don't love the "bluesy" section. The "You promise every treasure..." and "Celestial machinery..." verses are pretty exciting, and the band is really going for it on those. Very cool mini-epic of a song.

[The Realm]

Let's keep it moving, yo.

56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)

55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)

Both are great songs but I didn't rank either of them, in some ways not sure why! Especially Working Man, I feel that was a miss for me.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)

I get the love for many have for this song, but while I always enjoyed rocking out to it when the band played it live, it has never been one I've gone out of my way to hear.


55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)

I had this at 36, making me one of eight people to have it in their top 40, which is why it finished at 55 despite having no top 20 finishes.  Great song.  I remember hearing those verses for the first time and thinking, "This is the kind of song I always wanted Rush to write!"

Working Man - Even if Rush never made another album after their first, they really caught lightning in a bottle with this song. It's just so far above anything else on the album. Which is why I had it at #58. Just goes to show the quality of 57 other Rush songs.

Clockwork Angels - This one came in at #47 for me, so #55 overall seems like a good spot. Despite the issues Geddy had with his vocals on their last few albums, this album as a whole was an amazing way to end their recording career. The only issue I have with this song, and by extension the album, is the production. I still can't get over how badly they screwed up the production on this one. I hope it gets remixed/remastered at some point.

[romdrums]

56. Working Man (44).  Can’t deny the power of that riff, or the power of the jam in the middle section.

55. Clockwork Angels (30).  The whole album was very inspired, and at this point in the flow of the album, this is where, for me, it feels like the band is really going to some unknown places musically for the first time in a while.  I love this album (it’s in my Rush top 5), and for me, this is where the real magic of the album begins.

[TAC]

56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)

55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)

I had Working Man at #65. It was a staple on rock radio growing up. I still think it's an excellent song. I have the first album represented fairly high on my list, and while the band evolved big time when Neil joined, it in no way diminishes the outstanding first album for me.

I had Clockwork Angels as Not Rated. I do have three songs from the album on the list, but this isn't one of them. I am guilty of severely under listening to this album. In fact, I just brought it upstairs and it's going in the car for the next few days. Noticed it's a 2012 release. Ten years since Rush put out their final album..

[nick_z]

I just brought it upstairs and it's going in the car for the next few days. Noticed it's a 2012 release. Ten years since Rush put out their final album..

This is truly nuts. Hard to believe.

[Dream Team]

Heads are gonna explode when you see that Moving Pictures is one of the two albums to not have any song make the top 75.

I think I’m misunderstanding . . . are you saying Red Barchetta, Camera Eye, etc didn’t make the top 75??

[TAC]

Heads are gonna explode when you see that Moving Pictures is one of the two albums to not have any song make the top 75.

I think I’m misunderstanding . . . are you saying Red Barchetta, Camera Eye, etc didn’t make the top 75??

You are definitely misunderstanding. 

[HOF]

Did not rank Working Man or Clockwork Angels, though I almost did rank CA at the back of the list. It’s in the next group of 10-15 songs probably. It does have some really great drumming and is really a pretty powerful song for a band who had been around for almost 40 years. Like TAC, I just never listen to this album. I like most of the songs, but it sounds so muddy and I struggle with Geddy’s vocals a bit. The other thing about this song I don’t like is the “Geddy sings through the radio” section. But aside from that, it’s a pretty great song.

[devieira73]

56 Working Man (#73) - although I think it's a great song, I must admit that I've always saw the first album as a kind of a pre-Rush album, so it's was hard for me to rank any song of it. But I love all the versions of WM with NP, so it had to be in the Top 75!

55 Clockwork Angels (-) - I chose 7 songs from CA for the Top 75, but not its title track. It's not bad, but kind of disappointing and I don't like much that blues part in the middle neither. And yes, why Rush didn't keep the production team of S&A, like they did with the Caravan/BU2B EP? CA would have been much better sonically.

[TAC]

And yes, why Rush didn't keep the production team of S&A, like they did with the Caravan/BU2B EP? CA would have been much better sonically.

I think S&A sounds amazing. Too bad the album blows. 

[KevShmev]

I'll take the muddy mix of Clockwork Angels over the dry mix of Snakes and Arrows (there is no pop on that record when it is supposed to rock, but the more laid back moments sound really good), but the CA mix is still maddening. Clockwork Angels would probably be a top 20 tune for me with the right mix, but I doubt we will ever get a remaster or remix that cleans it up, and the live version doesn't elevate it because Geddy's live vocals were too rough at that point.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I'll take the muddy mix of Clockwork Angels over the dry mix of Snakes and Arrows (there is no pop on that record when it is supposed to rock, but the more laid back moments sound really good), but the CA mix is still maddening. Clockwork Angels would probably be a top 20 tune for me with the right mix, but I doubt we will ever get a remaster or remix that cleans it up, and the live version doesn't elevate it because Geddy's live vocals were too rough at that point.

I don't know, it took 12 years before we got a remix of Vapor Trails. We may still get one. Maybe for a 40th anniversary release 

[Cool Chris]

I had the lowest #1 on the DT Top 100 (Beneath the Surface, somewhere in the 60s maybe?), curious what it will be here. Also curious what will be the highest ranking song to not appear on everyone's list (I think it was A Change of Seasons at #2).

[Deadeye21]

Heads are gonna explode when you see that Moving Pictures is one of the two albums to not have any song make the top 75.

I think I’m misunderstanding . . . are you saying Red Barchetta, Camera Eye, etc didn’t make the top 75??

When three of the songs from MP hit my top 10, I’d be baffled if this is actually true.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Heads are gonna explode when you see that Moving Pictures is one of the two albums to not have any song make the top 75.

I think I’m misunderstanding . . . are you saying Red Barchetta, Camera Eye, etc didn’t make the top 75??

When three of the songs from MP hit my top 10, I’d be baffled if this is actually true.

I do believe Kev was messing with us.....maybe...

[TAC]

I had the lowest #1 on the DT Top 100 (Beneath the Surface, somewhere in the 60s maybe?), curious what it will be here.

Pretty sure Beneath The Surface will rank even lower here.

[King Postwhore]

A Passage To Bangkok # 56 for me

Different Strings. Missed my top 75

Working Man. Missed my top 75. Burnt out on it.

Clockwork Angels  # 34 for me

[Zydar]

I had the lowest #1 on the DT Top 100 (Beneath the Surface, somewhere in the 60s maybe?), curious what it will be here.

Pretty sure Beneath The Surface will rank even lower here.

[KevShmev]

Onward and upward!

54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)

I gotta admit that I was a tad surprised that this one did this well.  I thought much of the fanbase had realized what I had - that it is a solid tune, no more, no less - but many still have love for it. Who knew?


53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)

I had this at 61, which was lower than I would have put it had I eyeballed the ranking, but I guess I just prefer more songs to it than I thought. Still a big fan, and Permanent Waves is one of my three favorite Rush albums.

[nick_z]

New World Man (ranked #49)

A cool Rush single - short and lively, I like this song a lot. Brilliant interplay between Neil and Geddy.

Entre Nous (ranked #66)

A little gem within Permanent Waves. Always enjoy it - particularly the verses. It was cool when they dug it out for the S&A tour.

[Tomislav95]

Working Man - #73
New World Man - #65
Entre Nous - #33

[Deadeye21]

Onward and upward!

54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)


53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)

New World Man is a song that I am now baffled did not make my list, I like this a lot more than some songs which actually hit my list. This is a filler song, in the same way that Paranoid was for Black Sabbath. “There’s too much room not being used, you need to write 3 and a half more minutes”. And they came out with this, a loving nod to The Police. This really works for me.

Entre Nous hit number 31 for my list. It’s not really a stand out track in Permanent Waves, but it’s one of my highest rated from the album. Have to agree with you Kev, this is one of my favourite albums from Rush through and through. It was a great live track on the S&A tour too.

[HOF]

I have New World Man at 36. I’ve always loved this song. It’s concise Rush and it keeps the song from overstaying it’s welcome. But it’s also a fairly unique style for Rush (even though they’d continue to explore it on the next album). The lyrics are classic Peart. Some of my favorites from him even. They’re super singable but also really interesting without being too intellectual. Just one of those type of songs that Neil did so well.

Entre Nous is at 54 for me. I love love the verse part of this song, the way the guitar and vocals kind of push you forward, but then I’ve always felt the chorus was a bit of a let down in comparison. But it’s still a great little song, with another fine lyric. Also, I once hit a deer with my car (or he hit me) while listening to this song, so that will always be an association for this song.

[romdrums]

Onward and upward!

54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)

I gotta admit that I was a tad surprised that this one did this well.  I thought much of the fanbase had realized what I had - that it is a solid tune, no more, no less - but many still have love for it. Who knew?


53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)

I had this at 61, which was lower than I would have put it had I eyeballed the ranking, but I guess I just prefer more songs to it than I thought. Still a big fan, and Permanent Waves is one of my three favorite Rush albums.

54. New World Man (N/A).  Great Police song.

53. Entre Nous (41).  Great track to kick off side two of Permanent Waves.  Glad I got to see it live on the Snakes and Arrows tour in 2007.

[Setlist Scotty]

Working Man has always been a good solid tune. Like Shmegland, I’m a little burnt out on it, but I still enjoy it. Love the way they really stretched the song out in live performances back in 74-75, and in recent times how Alex would go purposefully over the top during the guitar solo. It ended up at #63 for me.

I really like Clockwork Angels – I’d rank it in the top half of the album. And so it placed at #45 on my list.

I’ve always had fond memories of New World Man. I remember hearing it on the radio when it was Rush’s brand new single, and I was glad they resurrected it for the Vapor Trails tour so that I was able to see it live. Short, sweet and to the point, but still Rush. #51 for me.

Entre Nous is another track that I enjoy, but given the overabundance of Rush songs that I love, it just missed making my top 75, placing at #77. Still, it was a pleasant surprise that they finally performed it live during the Snakes and Arrows tour. Great mid-paced song.

[Stadler]

Working Man: #68
Clockwork Angels: #97
New World Man: #13
Entre Nous: #57

I love New World Man; one of my favorites from one of my favorite albums.   I'm sort of surprised I put Entre Nous so low compared to Different Strings. They aren't the same song, but they are of a type in that way; songs about relationships, shorter, more concise...  I think it's because while I love the intro - one of their best, actually, the verses, with the Police rhythm guitars bring the song down for me.   

The rest I sort of like, but...  Working Man is a great first album track, if that makes sense.  It's not a "Freebird" or "Stairway To Heaven", but it's certainly an indicator of things to come.  Clockwork Angels is an eh song from an eh album as far as I am concerned.  Well, the album is better than "eh", but I think my highest CA song is at #46, and the two others are at #60 and #62.

[pg1067]

56 Working Man
Appeared on 17 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (DragonAttack)

I get the love for many have for this song, but while I always enjoyed rocking out to it when the band played it live, it has never been one I've gone out of my way to hear.

Working Man is one of those songs that I never really go out of my way for, but when I hear it, I'm reminded just how good it is.  Coincidentally, I listened to side 4 of ATWAS on the way into work this morning.  I ranked it at #29.  Perhaps a tad high, but no question it's a top 40 song.  Interestingly, Kev did not tell us that this is the highest ranked song from the debut (as he has done with other albums).  Does that mean another song from the album ranked higher?!

55 Clockwork Angels
Appeared on 15 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (Dream Team)

I had this at 36, making me one of eight people to have it in their top 40, which is why it finished at 55 despite having no top 20 finishes.  Great song.  I remember hearing those verses for the first time and thinking, "This is the kind of song I always wanted Rush to write!"

Bleh...like most of CA.  I had it at #144, which puts it in the ether of songs that I didn't think too hard about when ranking, so it probably could come in anywhere between 120-150.

54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)

I gotta admit that I was a tad surprised that this one did this well.  I thought much of the fanbase had realized what I had - that it is a solid tune, no more, no less - but many still have love for it. Who knew?

New World Man is a fine little song, but #54?!  I had it at #88.  That said, the pre-chorus is GREAT.

53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)

I had this at 61, which was lower than I would have put it had I eyeballed the ranking, but I guess I just prefer more songs to it than I thought. Still a big fan, and Permanent Waves is one of my three favorite Rush albums.

This is such a good song, and everything I wrote yesterday about the "regular" hot girl living in the apartment with a bunch of models applies even more to Entre Nous.  I had it at #36.  Alex's playing is stellar, and I was so happy when they FINALLY played it live on the Snakes & Arrows tour.  As a somewhat random aside, I'd love to hear a cover version in which someone seizes on the opportunity to do harmony vocals in the chorus.



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 -
Signals - 2 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54)
Grace Under Pressure -
Power Windows - 1 song (Emotion Detector - #66)
Hold Your Fire - 2 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72)
Presto - 2 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64)
Roll the Bones - 1 song (Roll the Bones - #75)
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 -
Snakes & Arrows -
Clockwork Angels - 1 song (Clockwork Angels - #55)

We now have 13 of 19 albums represented.

[The Realm]

54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)

53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)

New World Man - I ranked at 75 so just made it in. Was probably lucky to make it in the end.

Entre Nous - I ranked at 24. I love this song and I love this album.

[TAC]

54 New World Man
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)

53 Entre Nous
Appeared on 16 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 18 (Cool Chris)

I had New World Man at#28. Wow, that feels kind of high. I was horrified when I first heard it, but damn, it's a guilty pleasure.

I had Entre Nous as Not Ranked.

[MrMike]

Working Man - 57.  The uptempo jam in the middle is fantastic.  The rest of the song though is a little too plodding and bloated for me to rank it higher.

Clockwork Angels - Didn't rank.  Count me among those who hate the CA mix.  Even if it were cleaner sounding though, still not sure if this one would be top 75.  Still it's fine and I do like it.

New World Man - 46.  I get why many old schoolers dislike it, but I've always enjoyed it.  So damn catchy.  I actually wish they'd extended it so we could hear more of that ending jam.

Entre Nous - Didn't rank.  Again a fine song, just not one that ever deeply resonated with me.  Probably my least fave on PeW.