Wow, I sure fell behind on this.
#14 Hemispheres - As was shown (however many days ago that was now...) I have this as my favorite Rush song, #1! Although if I'm being honest, any of my top 6 could be interchangeable on any given day. But this feels right at number 1. The band was at their absolute peak starting with this album (a peak which I think lasted until Presto), not only instrumentally, but lyrically, creatively, and in general song-writing. This was what The Fountain of Lamneth, 2112, and Cygnus X-1 were leading up to. This was Rush perfecting the prog epic! I even love the spacey middle section (although I don't know why you wouldn't).
#13 Between the Wheels - I had this at #32. I feel like this song gets way more credit than it should. Now don't get me wrong, I love this song, but I don't think it belongs at #13, let alone above Hemispheres. I'd have to guess the love for this song had been boosted in more recent Rush tours when they brought this back. It has great lyrics and a killer solo by Lifeson.
#12 YYZ - I had this at #10, so pretty close to the overall ranking. What can I say, it would be Rush's definitive instrumental song if La Villa Strangiato didn't exist. I absolutely love this song though. I was immediately drawn to the interplay between the drums and bass. It's just so creative. Learning to play this on drums correctly, was one of the hardest songs I tried to learn on drums years ago, but eventually getting it right was so satisfying. I never tried learning the bass parts.....I'm not that good on bass...
#11 Freewill - My #4 song. Yes it's overplayed on FM radio (who even listens to FM anymore? I sure haven't in almost 20 years), yes it was overplayed on Rush tours, however, this is a song that just never got old for me. The Rush in Rio version always stands out to me, it was just absolutely majestic at that show. And granted I wasn't at the actual show in Brazil, I did see Rush on that tour in Sacramento and it was amazing there too!
#10 Marathon - This was my #5 song. What an absolutely triumphant song. The build up, the lyrical message, the perfect guitar solo leading into a great atmospheric section, and the key changes going into that spectacular finish. And like the rest of Power Windows, I just love the production and how the song sounds so open and massive. And Geddy's driving bass is amazing throughout the verses. I was glad I got to see this on the Time Machine tour, even though Geddy wasn't vocally at the top of his game. The only knock on this song is the fadeout......ugh
#9 2112 - I had this at #8. About 20 years ago I probably would have had this at #1, but other songs grew on me more as I got older. I still love it and it fills me with nostalgia every time I listen to it. Seeing this in full on the T4E tour was amazing!
#8 Limelight - So this is way down at #50 for me. I do really like this song and its lyrical message, but I kind of dislike the main riff and guitar tone of the song. It's the only thing that drags it down for me. On the other hand the guitar solo is deservedly iconic. I also really like what Neil does throughout the song. It sounds simple, but it's anything but.
#7 Natural Science - I had this at #6, so this feels right. This is one of those songs that really good top my list on any given day. I still consider this a Rush epic, even though it isn't nearly as long as their previous epics. It's an epic that is distilled down to the necessities of what should be in a prog epic. The different sections are all so well done and blend together perfectly. I wasn't a fan of how they changed the song live, I feel it lost a little of its charm. Amazing song regardless.