Sheesh!! I can't believe how quickly one can fall behind on this thing!
32. Dreamline - Me #39
Fantastic album and concert opener! I was so excited when I first heard the new track from Roll the Bones. Too bad the rest of the album turned out to be mostly a disappointment. It's not just a great riff and a great beat, but the lyrics perfectly capture the mood that the music is trying to convey and vice versa. Just an excellent well crafted song.
31. Middletown Dreams - Me #49
Can't believe I had this one that low. Just too much competition. The intro is the perfect example of how something can be done with a synth that still sounds like it's being played organically. The change up in the beats and the way they have slight variations on different bars. "All this machinery making modern music can still be open hearted" indeed. That ideal was perfectly completed on the entire Power Windows album and this track in particular. The third verse being very different from the first two is a nice change up. And the lyrics are beautiful.
30. The Big Money - did not rank. Both my trial lists had it outside the top 100.
One of only two Power Windows songs that did not make my top 75. And to be honest, it is still my least favorite song from the album. The lyrics are just too repetitive, and the musical ideas are not as interesting as the rest of the album.
29. Afterimage - Me #73
Grace Under Pressure is just an album onto itself isn't it? Many many years ago, Stadler was one of the first people I remember describing the album as "cold" and I had never really thought about it before, but it totally is. Not just cold, but actually downright bleak. Afterimage is extremely emotionally packed, but it's about as bleak as a Cure song. But the impact itself is still something that resonates if you're in the right mood. It carries the weight of someone who
has (edit) hasn't really dealt with the full impact of the death yet...but it's hard to tell exactly the stage they are at. Either denial or bargaining. It still perfectly coveys the mood.
28. Animate - Me #56
This was one of the reasons I truly loved Counterparts at first. (it just didn't age well to me...but I digress) But Animate is a fantastic album opener. I will say that I love the sound on the entire album. I remember in an interview at the time that Alex said that rather than plugging into the sound board, they actually did the old fashioned method of mic'ing up the amps to do this album and I personally think it really shows. You can almost hear the "space" in the studio and it gives the whole album a more natural feel. Neil's drum intro in particular sounds (to me) like you can hear the natural "echo" of the room. Great riff, great driving beat, fantastic lyrics.
27. The Garden - Me #29
Man. Still almost too soon to talk about this one. What a statement. Even my cousin (a bit of a daughter figure) who doesn't like Rush that much was completely floored by this song. How many 40 year bands can say they ended on one of their best albums...and ended that album with one of their best songs? Even when I heard it the first time, I had a little voice in the back of my mind telling me it was going to be the last. There was just something about it. But I pushed it away because I didn't want to believe it.
26. A Farewell to Kings - Me #47
Running out of adjectives here. But I do love this song. I still remember hearing it for the first time when I bought the cassette as a kid. The slow intro built my anticipation because I knew something was coming. And then when it hit, I just got a euphoric....well...RUSH. Good memories. And I can't help but think how cool it would have been to have been waiting for that album after the success of 2112. I'm sure many had gone back and become obsessed with the first three and were just waiting to see what the boys had in store for the next chapter. I'm sure no one was disappointed when this song came on.
25. Losing It - Me #48
Another "writing on the wall" song. None of us wanted to believe it was coming to an end. But when they pulled this one out for the R40 tour, you really got the feeling Neil was trying to tell us something. "This is it. I can't do this anymore." Beautiful words that still make me misty eyed to this day.
24. Territories - Me #4 BABY!!!
YYYYYEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Actually, my first list had it at #3, but after some soul searching I swapped 3 and 4 and it really really really really hurt to have to take this down to four. I love the music on this, but the lyrics take the cake. My #1 Neil Peart lyrics of any song he ever did hands down. I've memorized the entire thing, and I often look for opportunities to recite it wherever opportunity arises. I've always hated nationalism and tribalism. But hearing the idea clarified in this way helped me to convey not just the emotion of distaste, but to truly communicate to others how toxic the entire idea of nationalism and tribalism is. The "better beer" line is particularly brilliant to me because it underscores the whole idea that the conqueror will always complain about the land he just conquered...lamenting that things were so much better where he came from.... ugh....then why did you leave to conquer? And of course, Neil's #1 single line of all time is in my sig. It's an entire world outlook for me now. A rejection of nationalistic pride. No matter what nation you're from.
23. Cygnus X-1 - Me #13
The perfect first half (third?) of what I consider to be one of the greatest compositions in rock history. I wasn't even sure what had just hit me when the cassette came to an end. Air guitaring to the ending section would send me into an absolutely frenzy and then my mom would burst in and scare me because she thought I was having some kind of conniption fit.
But hey, a *performance* was taking place!!! Man, parents just don't understand. The ups and downs on this song is off the chart. I love the way every single section is wonderfully crafted to communicate the story. The music is telling the story just as much as the lyrics are. The hopefulness before the journey, the panic at the danger, the calm before the storm, and then the explosive damage as the full strength of the black hole takes over. Just beautiful.
22. Manhattan Project - Me #18
Another gem from this nearly perfect album. Who doesn't get goosebumps at the "flying out of the shock waves" line? And then the small musical bridge that builds up to the final chorus. I also really enjoy the way that the chorus is sung in two different ways. Stuff like that really keeps these songs interesting and completely separates a composition that happens to have synths, from a completely synthesized pop song that is mostly cut and pasted to get the desired results. There's a very organic and human element in even the most digitized Rush song.
21. Red Sector A - did not rank.
It now KILLS me that this didn't make my final list. I go back and forth on it. My first list it was 102, and my second list it was 57 (huge jump). Why it got lost in the last minute shuffle to the final list I don't know. But this alone makes me want to tweak my list again. Fantastic song.
20. Distant Early Warning - Did not rank - my two test lists had it at 80 and 95
I like the driving main riff. I actually like the whole song. The chorus is a bit odd on this one. Parts of the lyrics come across as so non-sensical. I know what the song is about...but someone to sweep the floors? What?? And Absalom? (The biblical character I'm familiar with...but what has he got to do with any of this?) I don't know. It's got its moments. But it's quite a jarring song.
19. Available Light - Me #57
Just a beautiful song. I think we all knew as soon as we heard the album that Geddy was never going to be able to hit that note in the chorus on a full tour, so I knew right away they'd never play it. But what a beautiful sentiment. Alex's bluesy guitar play over the second verse followed by the upbuilding hopefulness of the chorus is just a wonderful moment.
18. The Trees - Me #26
My first exposure to this song was the *PERFECT* Side 3 of Exit...Stage Left
Still knocks my socks off to this day. I will concede that the lyrics come across a bit hokey these days, but I think the cautionary tale still works. I mean, it almost reads as classic child's literature ala Dr. Suess or the like. But that doesn't make it a bad thing. I still quite love some of of Dr. Suess' cautionary tales for children (The Sneeches are my favorite). But the song itself is probably one of the best examples of something you could show a newcomer to Rush so they know what they are getting into. It compacts a lot of prog into a smaller package.
17. The Camera Eye - Me #17
I hate to say it, but I almost feel I overrated this one slightly. Maybe nostalgia got to me that day. If I did it over, I'd probably have it just barely outside the top 20, but this ranking is pretty close so there's no sense splitting hairs. It's a beautiful song. Just probably the "least best" of their works in the 8-15 min range. I do have particular fun playing Rock Band version on drums. I haven't pulled that game out in years. This makes me want to dust it off. (if my game system still works)
Topic: Official Top 75 Rush songs Thread!!! (Top 2 revealed!!) (Read 52910 times)
