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

[nick_z]

Afterimage (ranked #16)

So glad to see this so high. My second favorite on p/g, I just love the melodies and the "driving" guitar in the verses, and in general the whole song's atmosphere.

Animate (ranked #8)

Another highest-ranker (and the only one having it in the top 10)! I'm actually going to quote Kev's comment here, as I echo much of his sentiment:

Today's featured songs see two more albums see their journey on this top 75 come to an end...

28 Animate
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (nick_z)

I had this at 30...so close!!  Counterparts was a monster album for me at the age of 20, what a way to kick off the album.  The band is on fire on the studio version, and while it was always good live, it always felt like it didn't have the energy and urgency of the studio version.  Geddy's bass tone and playing in this song is just ridiculous, in particular.

...clearly, I rank this song even higher, but I couldn't agree more on the impact Counterparts had on me. Keep in mind it was the very first thing I had heard from Rush. Back in 1993, believe it or not, I had no knowledge of any of the "hits"...no Tom Sawyer, no Spirit of the Radio, nothing...I had read a review of Counterparts that was praising the band for re-introducing some "crunch" in the guitars, and I gave the album a whirl. So Animate was my first Rush song ever. And it is, to this day, one of my favorites. Also agree that it always seemed difficult for the band to re-create that same drive and groove in the live versions - although I have to say when I saw R40 at the MSG that was one of my personal highlights. Maybe it was the setting, maybe it felt right that time, I don't know...but I remember getting goosebumps with the song's ending.

Sad but not unexpected to see this as the last from Counterparts to make the top 75.

The Garden (ranked #39)

Without overthinking it - masterpiece? No, but certainly a lovely song (especially the ending), and a great finale to one of the greatest runs in rock history

[TAC]

28 Animate
Appeared on 19 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (nick_z)

27 The Garden
Appeared on 21 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 8 (romdrums, The Realm, ReaperKK)

I had Animate at #34. So pretty close. I love the energy and it's a major head bobbing track. Really sets the stage for Counterparts.

I had The Garden at #54, which I guess seems kind of low. That said, it will go down lyrically as one of the most poignant final tracks of any bands career.

"The Watchmaker has time up his sleeve,
The hours tick away, they tick away

...The treasure of a life is a measure of love and respect,
The way you live, the gifts that you give

In the fullness of time,
It's the only return that you expect"

I mean, what a way to go out.
 



One other band's final track was just as poignant, but for different reasons. Thin Lizzy's last album track was Heart Attack with the fatefully foretelling "Mama. I'm dying" line from Phil.

[DragonAttack]

Ten to list until 21-30 are listed:

40. Leave That Thing Alone (#72)  on one of my three ‘best ofs. 

39. Witch Hunt (#53) on its own, it's OK.  The album that its on, and where it’s placed, is perfect.

38. By-Tor and the Snow Dog (NR) I’ve heard it countless times, the instrumental is glorious and a precursor of things to come, but lyrically....

37. Grand Designs (#64) good placement and change of pace after ‘The Big Money’

36. Anthem (#32) Just thought it was a knock down kick axe rocker when it was released. 

35. Mystic Rhythms (#23)  another album closer that gets bonus points for where it is placed, and I enjoy ‘drifting’ to it.

34. Time Stand Still (#36)  when HYF was released, I ‘liked’ it, but thought it was very sugary pop music for Rush. I  put it on my second Rush era ‘best of’ simply because it was a single.  After a spell, ‘Force Ten’, this, and ‘Second Nature’ pulled me in.  Three of my favorite late 80s tracks.  A bit disappointed that ‘Second Nature’ didn’t make the list (I had it at #20).  (To ‘nobloodyname’:  I went through the same thing over twenty years ago.  It really suxx, but I hope you get to see your buddy on occasion. I didn’t)

33. The Pass (#60) its already been said.

32.  Dreamline (#38)  great kickoff to a very disappointing album for me

31. Middletown Dreams (NR)  it’s nice,  and even though I grew up in 'middletown' or 'nowheresville', this was a rather mellow 'Subdivisions'  type follow up. 

The last twenty songs listed have been an enjoyable read and listen.  Nice to see that I'm not far off at all on many song ratings, and very similar to some individuals.  Others that I don't rate as high, perhaps due to 'generational' differences, were still on my list.  Guess I'm not quite the dinosaur some might think.   And, I'm getting an appreciation of others' perspectives, especially the live references.  I had the first three within months of their releases, but none afterwards other than 'Time Machine'.  Gotta check out some of the versions listed soon.

[nick_z]

With more than half (10/19) albums "done" with their contribution to the top 75, and 26 songs to go, here's the temp aggregate album ranking:

1   Power Windows   181
2   Clockwork Angels   134
3   Counterparts   128
4   Hold Your Fire   107
5   Roll the Bones   104
6   Signals   87
7   Fly By Night   84
8   Grace Under Pressure   74
9   Moving Pictures   62
10   Presto   62
11   Permanent Waves   42
12   A Farewell to Kings   33
13   2112   31
14   Hemispheres   31
15   Caress of Steel   26
16   Rush   20
17   Test for Echo   19
18   Vapor Trails   0
19   Snake and Arrows   0

Clearly, the "best" is yet to come, but with so many albums done for, some meaningful relative rankings are being established. A bit bummed to see Counterparts below Clockwork Angels (I like the latter, but CP is a big favorite). That's what happens when there are a bunch of songs that show up early in the rankings...

[KevShmev]

That's it, the countdown ends now, that way Power Windows finishes at number 1 in the aggregate. 

[TAC]

[KevShmev]

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I had The Garden at #54, which I guess seems kind of low. That said, it will go down lyrically as one of the most poignant final tracks of any bands career.

"The Watchmaker has time up his sleeve,
The hours tick away, they tick away

...The treasure of a life is a measure of love and respect,
The way you live, the gifts that you give

In the fullness of time,
It's the only return that you expect"

I mean, what a way to go out.
 

I couldn't agree more. 

When I first heard the song the day the album was released, I got all teary eyed when this song ended. I think even back then I knew in the back of my mind that this was probably it for Rush, as far as studio recordings. As was stated earlier, I think Neil did too.

[KevShmev]

Today's songs are very different from one another...


26 A Farewell to Kings
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Stadler)

After a recent listen, I wanted to smack myself for having this only at 63.  It's a bummer that this was never brought back live in the later years, and they had supposedly rehearsed it for one tour (cannot recall which), but ultimately did not play it. I do wonder if an old Geddy had a tough time singing it, as he hits some good stuff on the original that would have been hard for him to come close to doing later.  Either way, fantastic song, very deserving of a top 30 spot.


25 Losing It
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Setlist Scotty)

I had this at 25...bingo!  I think this one definitely got the live bump after it was played at a handful of shows on the R40 tour.   It definitely did for me, as I rank it higher now than I ever did before, although that could have been a case of time and age.  Lovely little song, and I love how unique it stands in the band's history.  It's another one of their "they don't have anything else that sounds like this" songs.

[romdrums]

26. A Farewell to Kings (N/A).  This one just missed the cutoff for me.  I like it, but there's so much I like more.

25. Losing It (39). Totally agree with the "they don't have anything else that sounds like this" idea.  The violin work really adds a nice dimension to this song, and when they finally worked it out for dates on the R40 tour, that was the coolest. 

[HOF]

A Farewell To Kings did not rank for me. Surprised this was on 20 of 25 lists and finished this hight to be honest. It’s not a bad song, but it’s not one you hear talked about very much I don’t think. I guess it’s probably my third favorite from this album though.

Losing It is a wonderful song, and definitely one of those “Rush never did anything else like it” type of songs. I had it at 28, just a little off of the consensus, and that feels a bit low. But the competition ahead of it was pretty fierce. It is very somber and almost a bit of a dirge, but that’s kind of the point right? Definitely the electric violin is a nice, unique touch, but the way it builds with synths first before the guitar comes is also very cool. I love the middle section, such a great build before it slows back down again for the ending. Another one of Neil’s finer lyrics, made more poignant by the song’s inclusion on their last tour for sure.

[Deadeye21]

Today's songs are very different from one another...


26 A Farewell to Kings
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Stadler)


25 Losing It
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Setlist Scotty)

A Farewell to Kings arrived at 29 for me. Not far off the mark. Maybe the second best intro to an album? (To my mind, 2112’s synth intro goes on just a little too long.) Anyway, great song, very strong lyrics that still hold up, and a line that leads into another track on the album. Brilliant.

Losing It came at number 41. Much like you, I feel like smacking myself. This song definitely deserves its current place in the list, and the 5 people that didn’t have it on the list need to be spoken to. One of very few songs with a guest artist, and the one that leaves the most impact. Leaving this til the very end meant that when it finally saw it’s live debut, we knew it was over.

[devieira73]

26 A Farewell to Kings (#45) - It's really an excellent song and it packs a lot of prog in only 6 minutes. I love the almost jazz drumming beneath the solo section.

25 Losing It (#41) - Really beatiful and sad song with an awesome violin solo. Yes, Rush managed to create a lot of unique songs as it's the case here.

[pg1067]

26 A Farewell to Kings
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Stadler)

After a recent listen, I wanted to smack myself for having this only at 63.  It's a bummer that this was never brought back live in the later years, and they had supposedly rehearsed it for one tour (cannot recall which), but ultimately did not play it. I do wonder if an old Geddy had a tough time singing it, as he hits some good stuff on the original that would have been hard for him to come close to doing later.  Either way, fantastic song, very deserving of a top 30 spot.

Hey look!  It's one of my top 10 songs!  I have it at #7.  Such an amazing song.  The production of the intro section is incredible:  the ambient sounds of rural Wales with Alex at his classical best.  Some of Neil's absolute best lyrics.  The tasty bass/drum jam in the middle before Alex's trademark, frenetic guitar solo kicks in.  Do people still record in places like this?  Sure doesn't seem like it.

25 Losing It
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Setlist Scotty)

I had this at 25...bingo!  I think this one definitely got the live bump after it was played at a handful of shows on the R40 tour.   It definitely did for me, as I rank it higher now than I ever did before, although that could have been a case of time and age.  Lovely little song, and I love how unique it stands in the band's history.  It's another one of their "they don't have anything else that sounds like this" songs.

Wow!  I had actually given up hope that this song would make it onto the ranking.  I wrote yesterday that, of the songs I ranked between 21-40, "I've got four that I either know or am fairly sure won't appear and ten that have already appeared."  Losing It is one of those four, so I'm very pleasantly surprised.  Like Kev, I had this at #25.  When I first heard Signals, I quickly wrote off this song because, ewwww...synths.  It's gone ever uphill since then.  There's barely a 4/4 bar in the song, the lyrics are super poignant, and jam underneath the violin solo (especially the drums), in alternating 6/8 and 5/8 is just some amazing stuff.  It's the only time I've ever videoed an entire song at a concert.  https://www.facebook.com/1250126515/videos/10205001832586085/


The Score So Far
Rush - 1 song (Working Man - #56)
Fly by Night - 3 songs (Fly by Night - #70; By-Tor and the Snow Dog - #38; Anthem - #36)
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 - 2 songs (Closer to the Heart - #43; A Farewell to Kings - #26)
Hemispheres - 1 song (Circumstances - #45)
Permanent Waves - 2 songs (Different Strings - #57; Entre Nous - #53)
Moving Pictures - 2 songs (Vital Signs - #51; Witch Hunt - #38)
Signals - 5 songs (Countdown - #68; New World Man - #54; The Weapon - #48; Digital Man - #47; Losing It - #25)
Grace Under Pressure - 2 songs (The Enemy Within - #49; Afterimage - #29)
Power Windows - 5 songs (Emotion Detector - #66; Grand Designs - #37; Mystic Rhythms - #35; Middletown Dreams - #31; The Big Money - #30)
Hold Your Fire - 5 songs (Prime Mover - #73; Open Secrets - #72; Force Ten - #50; Mission - #44; Time Stand Still - #34)
Presto - 3 songs (Presto - #69; Show Don't Tell - #64; The Pass - #33)
Roll the Bones - 4 songs (Roll the Bones - #75; Ghost of a Chance - #52; Bravado - #41; Dreamline - #32)
Counterparts - 6 songs (Double Agent - #74; Everyday Glory - #65; Cut to the Chase - #61; Cold Fire - #60; Leave That Thing Alone - #40; Animate - #28)
Test for Echo - 2 songs (Test for Echo - #71; Driven - #62)
Vapor Trails - NO SONGS
Snakes & Arrows - NO SONGS
Clockwork Angels - 4 songs (Clockwork Angels - #55; Headlong Flight - #46; Caravan - #42; The Garden - #27)

Signals moves into a tie for second with POW and HYF with five songs each, while Counterparts holds its lead.

[nick_z]

A Farewell to Kings (didn't make top 75, I had it at #81)

Ha! Didn't quite expect this to land so high in the aggregate ranking. It just missed my top 75, but I actually really like the song. The intro, the way the band enters as a whole (the main riff before the verses always sounded a touch awkward, though), the crazy drum/bass interlude with the solo. It just doesn't quite make the upper echelon of Rush songs for me. I had always assumed it was more of a "sleeper" tune, but I guess not - almost top 25!

Losing It (ranked #26)

So close! Wonderful, wonderful song, musically and lyrically. The violin is a great addition, but Alex's understated guitar work is special too. Agree with the general sentiment that it's so different for Rush, and it just works. My favorite of their "slower/ballad-y" songs.

[nick_z]

Wow!  I had actually given up hope that this song would make it onto the ranking.  I wrote yesterday that, of the songs I ranked between 21-40, "I've got four that I either know or am fairly sure won't appear and ten that have already appeared."  Losing It is one of those four, so I'm very pleasantly surprised.  Like Kev, I had this at #25.  When I first heard Signals, I quickly wrote off this song because, ewwww...synths.  It's gone ever uphill since then.  There's barely a 4/4 bar in the song, they lyrics are super poignant, and jam underneath the violin solo (especially the drums), in alternating 6/8 and 5/8 is just some amazing stuff.  It's the only time I've ever videoed an entire song at a concert.  https://www.facebook.com/1250126515/videos/10205001832586085/

Agreed. Great stuff.

Signals moves into a tie for second with POW and HYF with five songs each, while Counterparts holds its lead.

...only in terms of number of songs, unfortunately...

[DragonAttack]

30. The Big Money (#13)  a balls to the walls tune to let you know they can still kick axe, after a somewhat timid prior album.  A question:  anyone annoyed at what seemed like a 'loudness war' with PoW as opposed to other discs?  I have 'The Big Money' after 'Distant Early Warning' and 'Red Sector A' on my second 'best of', and if I'm not near the stereo when this comes on, I almost jump through the ceiling.

29. Afterimage (#50) I truly enjoy the first three cuts of 'Grace'.

28. Animate (#40)  another stand out album opener.

27. The Garden (NR)  Their ‘The Show Must Go On’ .  I would have had it around #80 for the sentimentality.

26. A Farewell to Kings (#19)  A good song on its own.  For those of us from the vinyl era, you put the needle down at the beginning of Side One and enjoyed the ride. 

25. Losing It (NR) guess I'm one of those who needs to be spoken to.   Just didn't do anything for me then.  I watched a MSG '15 audience recording of it today.  Very poignant.  Then I listened to the studio version.  Did not like the screeching guitar pitch during the instrumental <ducks for cover>

[Setlist Scotty]

Did not like the screeching guitar pitch during the instrumental <ducks for cover>

/smacks DragonAttack even though he tried ducking - that's electric violin, you dork!   

I'm another of the 5 that didn't include the title track to AFtK on my list. It actually ended up at #134! I love the opening acoustic bit, but after the full band kicks in, the song loses me. I may have liked the song more when I first heard it, but as I became more intimately familiar with their catalog, it quickly dropped in my rankings and never recovered.

Like pg1067, LI didn't do much for me when I first got Signals. In fact, it was probably my least favorite song on the album... it was just so WEIRD! But as I'v grown older and my perspective has changed in life, I've come to love the song more and more to the point that it's become one of my favorite Rush songs. I feel so fortunate to have gotten to see it performed live at Rush's last ever show - it's a memory that I hope to always have. Before Rush brought it out for the R40 tour, I had always hoped that DT would cover the song themselves - I'd love to hear their interpretation of it with JR doing the electric violin parts on whatever keyboards/apps he finds most appropriate. I still hope it happens, although I doubt it ever will.

[romdrums]

Looking at my list, I've only had one song of my top 25 not make it so far, and I've only had the highest rating on two songs so far (Show Don't Tell and The Garden).  I'm interested to see if my number one is the one that doesn't make the top 10.  It could happen! 

Also, I've been listening to a ton of Rush since this thing started, which has been awesome.   

[HOF]

Looking at my list, I've only had one song of my top 25 not make it so far, and I've only had the highest rating on two songs so far (Show Don't Tell and The Garden).  I'm interested to see if my number one is the one that doesn't make the top 10.  It could happen! 

Also, I've been listening to a ton of Rush since this thing started, which has been awesome.   

I've got 12 of my top 25 not appearing yet, with 3 of those already identified as not making it. Expect all the rest will show up though.

And I've also been listening to lots of Rush since this started. Been trying to listen to each song as it's revealed.

[KevShmev]

For now, the plan is to do two more tomorrow, two more Thursday, which gets us to 21, and then Friday I will post the order of the songs that didn't make the top 75, and then give a few days for chatter and grumbling on that before diving into the top 20.  That is the tentative plan.

[Stadler]

I had it Number #2; it just scratches every itch that Rush is intended to scratch.  Cool intro, great wall of guitars, Neil, a good melody that actually complements Geddy's voice, cool timeless lyrics...  I've always liked it, but when I got the Sector box set and played it on my home stereo, it just took on new life.  I love that song.   

[KevShmev]

I had it Number #2; it just scratches every itch that Rush is intended to scratch.  Cool intro, great wall of guitars, Neil, a good melody that actually complements Geddy's voice, cool timeless lyrics...  I've always liked it, but when I got the Sector box set and played it on my home stereo, it just took on new life.  I love that song.

Honestly, had I done a deep dive through the discography again when doing my ranking, as opposed to right now as we move through the top 75, A Farewell to Kings likely would have finished a lot higher for me.  I can chalk that up as one that I had forgotten how good it is.

[The Realm]

26 A Farewell to Kings
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Stadler)

25 Losing It
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Setlist Scotty)

Yes, two very different songs today.

A Farewell to Kings - my rank 20. Just a great song, excellent driving rhythm, just love the musicianship on display on this one. Beautiful intro. I always thought this was a bit of a recognised classic? So it feels a little strange to me that 5 people didn't rank it. I guess on the other hand it had 3 top 10 finishes, and a number 2 ranking..

Losing It - my rank 41. Really beautiful song.

[nick_z]

Sounds like a plan 

Looking back, instead of ahead, so far:

- the highest ranked in the aggregate that did NOT make my top 75 was A Farewell to Kings (the song) (#26). I did rank it in my top 100, though (#81)
- the highest ranked in the aggregate that I did not rank at all (i.e. not in the top 100) was Digital Man (#47)
- Song with the largest "positive" difference in ranking vs. aggregate: Roll the Bones (#18 vs. #75 in aggregate)
- Song with the largest "negative" difference in ranking (among those I did rank in the top 75): The Big Money (#70 vs. #30 in aggregate) - which is kinda funny, since I really like the song and LOVE the album. I guess that's just the way it worked out with the rest of the songs.

Overall, nothing too outrageous 

[nick_z]

I've got 12 of my top 25 not appearing yet, with 3 of those already identified as not making it. Expect all the rest will show up though.

All of my top 25 that haven't appeared yet (18) haven't been ruled out yet. Really curious to see how this shapes up.

[pg1067]

Looking at my list, I've only had one song of my top 25 not make it so far, and I've only had the highest rating on two songs so far (Show Don't Tell and The Garden).  I'm interested to see if my number one is the one that doesn't make the top 10.  It could happen! 

So...24 of your 25 have been in the 25-75 range?  Interesting.

Five of my top 25 have appeared and only one of the remaining 20 is locked out.

- the highest ranked in the aggregate that did NOT make my top 75 was A Farewell to Kings (the song) (#26). I did rank it in my top 100, though (#81)
- the highest ranked in the aggregate that I did not rank at all (i.e. not in the top 100) was Digital Man (#47)
- Song with the largest "positive" difference in ranking vs. aggregate: Roll the Bones (#18 vs. #75 in aggregate)
- Song with the largest "negative" difference in ranking (among those I did rank in the top 75): The Big Money (#70 vs. #30 in aggregate) - which is kinda funny, since I really like the song and LOVE the album. I guess that's just the way it worked out with the rest of the songs.

For me, the highest ranked that wasn't in my top 75 was The Garden -- aggregate was 27; I had it at 155.

I think you're talking about "positive difference" as a song that you ranked much higher than the aggregate.  Mine is Countdown.  I had it at 22 versus the aggregate ranking of 68.  The Garden is also my biggest negative difference song.

[TAC]

26 A Farewell to Kings
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Stadler)


25 Losing It
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Setlist Scotty)

I had A Farewell To Kings at #69. I don't think it's a great song by any stretch. That album, to me, is easily the weakest of the whole first half of their career up until Power Windows/Hold Your Fire.


I had Losing It at #39. Always loved this song. Feels a bit low. Great hi-hat work by Neil on this one.

[TAC]

Five of my top 25 have appeared and only one of the remaining 20 is locked out.

Five of my Top 25 have appeared and four are locked out.

The four that are locked out are:

What You're Doing #15
Nobody's Hero #12
In The End #11
Finding My Way  #9



And I still have not had the highest rating for any song yet...not including the locked out ones.

[DragonAttack]

Did not like the screeching guitar pitch during the instrumental <ducks for cover>

/smacks DragonAttack even though he tried ducking - that's electric violin, you dork!   

Call me a double dork, since I had just watched the live performance (hopefully having nailed the exact positions of two consecutive songs earlier gets me a pass ).

Enjoyed your write up of the song.  Curious as to what your ranking was.

[The Realm]

I still have 17 of my top 25 in the running, none of the 17 have been locked out. The other 8 have already all been included in the top 75. So I guess I am a chance to have all my top 25 appear in the top 75..

The 8 seen so far that were in my top 25 are:

The Garden (my rank 8)
A Passage to Bangkok (9)
Vital Signs (11)
Time Stands Still (16)
A Farewell to Kings (20)
Something for Nothing (21)
Afterimage (23)
Entre Nous (24)

[Stadler]

Five of my top 25 have appeared and only one of the remaining 20 is locked out.

Five of my Top 25 have appeared and four are locked out.

The four that are locked out are:

What You're Doing #15
Nobody's Hero #12
In The End #11
Finding My Way  #9



And I still have not had the highest rating for any song yet...not including the locked out ones.

I can't wait to do that analysis when I get home (my list is on a different computer).  I think I have two of the highest ratings so far, maybe three (I think "Mission" and I know "AFTK").

[nick_z]

I've got 12 of my top 25 not appearing yet, with 3 of those already identified as not making it. Expect all the rest will show up though.

All of my top 25 that haven't appeared yet (18) haven't been ruled out yet. Really curious to see how this shapes up.

Ok, so to elaborate further on this - The seven songs in my top 25 that showed up so far:

Leave That Thing Alone: #21 (#40 in the aggregate)
Roll the Bones: #18 and top ranker (#75 in the aggregate)
Afterimage: #16 (#29 in the aggregate)
Cold Fire: #14 and top ranker (#60 in the aggregate)
Dreamline: #13 (#32 in the aggregate)
Middletown Dreams: #10 (#31 in the aggregate)
Animate: #8 and top ranker (#28 in the aggregate)

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

26 A Farewell to Kings
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Stadler)

After a recent listen, I wanted to smack myself for having this only at 63.  It's a bummer that this was never brought back live in the later years, and they had supposedly rehearsed it for one tour (cannot recall which), but ultimately did not play it. I do wonder if an old Geddy had a tough time singing it, as he hits some good stuff on the original that would have been hard for him to come close to doing later.  Either way, fantastic song, very deserving of a top 30 spot.


25 Losing It
Appeared on 20 of 25 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (Setlist Scotty)

I had this at 25...bingo!  I think this one definitely got the live bump after it was played at a handful of shows on the R40 tour.   It definitely did for me, as I rank it higher now than I ever did before, although that could have been a case of time and age.  Lovely little song, and I love how unique it stands in the band's history.  It's another one of their "they don't have anything else that sounds like this" songs.

A Farewell to Kings - This came in at #30 for me. I'm actually a little surprised I ranked it this high. I do love the song, plus the live version on Different Stages is amazing, but I had figured on it ranking lower when I started my rankings. The Classical guitar is great and I really like the chorus.

Losing It - This was at #41. As was mentioned multiple times, this was a unique Rush song that didn't sound like anything else. Partly due to the use of Electric Violin, but also the overall atmosphere. Love the lyrics, they especially seem to apply more and more the older I get.

[nick_z]

Five of my top 25 have appeared and only one of the remaining 20 is locked out.

Five of my Top 25 have appeared and four are locked out.

The four that are locked out are:

What You're Doing #15
Nobody's Hero #12
In The End #11
Finding My Way  #9



And I still have not had the highest rating for any song yet...not including the locked out ones.

Wow, two songs from the debut in the top 25, uh? (or maybe more? Don't remember where you ranked Working Man)

By the way, I love Nobody's Hero...sad to not see it ranked in the aggregate top 75...