Rush studio albums countdown thread!!! (#01 revealed!!)

[Samsara]

I had RUSH at #18. I don't listen to it often, but there are a couple songs I really enjoy. Obviously, they hadn't found their "sound" yet, but "Working Man" remains a classic. For me, there is another album that I just don't find any enjoyment in, and I suspect while there will be some champions of it, I can't imagine it will get higher than #15. But for me, it is by far the "worst" Rush album. (Although none are truly "bad" obviously).

[jingle.boy]

I don’t have my ranking handy, but I think I put it 14 or 15. The good songs are really good.  The bad songs aren’t their worst.

[Dream Team]

Criminy, I forgot to submit my list  . Following anyway. The debut is very different to the rest of the catalog but I still prefer it over a few others.

[TAC]

I had Rush at #9. I actually really like it. It has great character and charm.

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9 Rush
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[jammindude]

I absolutely love this album. I ranked it at #11.

When I first bought Moving Pictures, my buddy and I were completely floored by it. We were only 13 years old. So my buddy begged his mother for Rush albums. So they went and he found Rush and COS in the bargain bin for cheap and figured two was better than one. He had me over and we listened to both over and over again and completely loved them as well.  I have a lot of wonderful memories with those early albums. It was a time when I was just hearing Rush for the first time and falling in love with everything I heard.

I would put In the Mood near the bottom, but it’s still fun when I hear it. What You’re Doing is probably my #1 song with Working Man a close second. But Here Again and Before and After really don’t get enough attention.

[The Realm]

Rush last? I am shocked! Number 12 for me. Has a ton of charm and honesty. A cool album for what it is.

[425]

I had this in last place because it's lacking a lot of the main elements I like about the band: Neil's drumming, intelligent lyrics, purposeful/well-structured compositions. It's not a bad album, but I'm not really interested in it except from a historical perspective.

[Jamesman42]

Just commenting to follow and dig deeper into some Rush songs I don't know yet.

[wolfking]

This album never did anything for me.

[KevShmev]

We move on...


18 Snakes & Arrows

Highest Finish: 2 (ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 19 (TAC, Dragon Attack)

I remember the online Rush fanbase being pretty high on this album when it was first released, and the band was right there with them, playing nine songs from it on the S&A tour and later played a 10th from it on the next tour.  I am not sure I would say it hasn't aged well so much that most of the others are just better.  I don't think the dry mix does it any favors, as the most rocking moments seem to lack oomph, but on the flip side, the acoustic/mellow moments mostly sound great.  I will say that I have long been in the camp of disagreeing with the band's high opinion of Far Cry.  I ranked it 15th, as it is still a nice listen from start to finish.

Favorite songs: Armor and Sword, The Larger Bowl, The Main Monkey Business, Workin' Them Angels, Bravest Face

[ReaperKK]

Not surprised but a real crime this album is ranked so low. Each song slays start to finish and it's one of the best sounding Rush albums:

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6   Rush
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2   Snakes & Arrows
1   

[devieira73]

My #17. I like a lot the production, but sometimes it indeed lacks punch in heaviest parts. Often ignored, I also love Malignant Narcissism. In fact, that song and The Main Monkey Business are truly amazing and The Larger Bowl and The Way the Wind Blows I like a lot! But it's an album filled with too much just OK songs. I think it's still better than the first album, although that one has more consistency (and much less personality, as it's too much Cream/Led Zep inspired).

[TAC]

Snakes & Arrows is way too high.

[The Letter M]

We move on...


18 Snakes & Arrows

Highest Finish: 2 (ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 19 (TAC, Dragon Attack)

01   ?
02   ?
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05   ?
06   ?
07   ?
08   ?
09   ?
10   ?
11   ?
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14   ?
15   ?
16   ?
17   Snakes & Arrows
18   ?
19   Rush

I'm surprised this was 18th, but also not. I feel like it's been largely forgotten these days and is the awkward middle child of their 21st century albums.

I became a Rush fan not long after VT came out so I was dying for their next album when ir was announced. I spun the HELL out of it and even learned "The Main Monkey Business" on drums just a week or two after release, listening intently to the song over and over.

I also watched the documentary many times as well as they hadn't really released anything like that before so it was super fascinating!

Sadly it has definitely slipped away from me in the last decade or so and I don't revisit it often, and definitely not as much as VT or CA.

-Marc.

[hefdaddy42]

Snakes & Arrows is way too high.

Hell, no.  Too low for sure.

I had this one at # 10.  Great songwriting and performance.

I wouldn't expect it to finish that high in this list, but I'm seriously shocked that it is 18th.

[Mladen]

I had it in the bottom five, but never would I have thought it would have ended up second to last. It does have some great tracks, but one third of it is filler. That's what kind of brings it down. Not to mention it got completely overshadowed by Clockwork angels. #18 is still kind of harsh, though.

[HOF]

SNA was 17th for me. I was enthusiastic when it came out. It was also the first new Rush album to be released after I became a fan. But it hasn’t held up at all, at least not in comparison to the rest of their catalog. Just really not their best collection of songs mostly, but I’m also not fond of the production.

There are some decent tunes here still. I like Far Cry well enough. Armor & Sword is a bit of a dirge, but I like the chorus and Neil’s drumming is cool on it. Could say the same for The Way The Wind Blows, Faithless, Good News First, and Bravest Face. Some cool moments, but everything on this album is a bit too slow paced and tuneless in general, and Geddy’s voice couldn’t really carry the songs anymore. Things like Workin’ Them Angels, The Larger Bowl, and Spindrift are just kind of joyless. Hope is alright, but three instrumentals here and none of them are especially memorable. We Hold On (nice nod, Kev) is a decent closer I think.

[DTA]

I had it 16. I think it would've benefited from a thinner tracklist. Maybe get rid of The Larger Bowl and Good News First as it becomes a bit of a slog to get through with so many mid-tempo songs. Armor & Sword, Monkey Business, The Way The Wind Blows, and We Hold On are all great tracks though and it's an improvement over VT for sure.

[nick_z]

Just a couple of quick comments on the albums so far...

Had the debut at #19 (as many others, it seems)...it's actually a lovely album, I just don't go back to it often and, right or wrong, it suffers from the "I don't quite see it as a Rush album" syndrome, in my head at least. In some respect it's a bit unfair - it's not like the stylistic jump (especially from an instrumental standpoint) was gigantic between this and Fly By Night. But that's the way it is...

I have Snakes & Arrows pretty low myself, at #16. I do agree that the overall sound with the acoustic textures is nice, and at least in that regard it was a welcome change from Vapor Trails (although I like the latter better as an album). But while the whole thing is a pleasant listen, I find it lacks the big highlights that are typical of Rush albums (they sure were sneaky when they teased the Hemispheres chord with the first, pre-release snippet of Far Cry!). Songs I find the most enjoyable: Far Cry, Armor and Sword, The Way the Wind Blows, Good News First...and The Main Monkey Business is a pretty cool instrumental.
 

[Trav86]

Rush: Too low. It's a solid 70s hard rock album.

S&A: Should be last. I think the first half of the album is really good. But I never need to hear the second half again.  That's a score of 50/100 at best.

[Samsara]

We move on...


18 Snakes & Arrows

I had S&A at #11. A middle of the catalog record for me. I enjoy the songs quite a bit, I love the sound of the record. I feel Alex could have been soloing more in a traditional style, which would have edged the record up into the top-10 for me. I still listen to it fairly regularly (given the size of my music collection).

[billboy73]

I had Snakes & Arrows at 18 as well.  It just goes on too long, and has a few clunkers.  I don't revisit this album all that often, but there are some good songs here.  The Way the Wind Blows is my favorite track.  Far Cry, Mal Nar, Armor and Sword, Main Monkey, Bravest Face, and Good News First are all solid, with We Hold On being a good closer too.

[pg1067]

18 Snakes & Arrows

Highest Finish: 2 (ReaperKK)
Lowest Finish: 19 (TAC, Dragon Attack)

I remember the online Rush fanbase being pretty high on this album when it was first released, and the band was right there with them, playing nine songs from it on the S&A tour and later played a 10th from it on the next tour.  I am not sure I would say it hasn't aged well so much that most of the others are just better.  I don't think the dry mix does it any favors, as the most rocking moments seem to lack oomph, but on the flip side, the acoustic/mellow moments mostly sound great.  I will say that I have long been in the camp of disagreeing with the band's high opinion of Far Cry.  I ranked it 15th, as it is still a nice listen from start to finish.

Favorite songs: Armor and Sword, The Larger Bowl, The Main Monkey Business, Workin' Them Angels, Bravest Face

I think I was more excited for this album before it was released than for any other Rush album.  There was all this talk about how the new producer was going to help them get back to the classic Rush sound.  Far Cry got released.  DAMN...that's heavy!  And they featured the Hemispheres chord!  And then we get Armor and Sword...that's great too!  Yeah!  And then it goes seriously downhill.  Angels is just ok.  Monkey Business is solid but nothing special.  The band got overly enamored with Angels.  Wind is ok.  Faithless to the end is just...zzzz.  I had it at #16.


19  ??
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16  Snakes & Arrows (18)
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12  Rush (19)
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[romdrums]

Had the debut at 19, because, well, something had to go last.  Some solid tracks though.  Overall, just a different vibe from everything that came after.

Like a lot of others, Snakes and Arrows has slid down the list since it’s release.  I listened to it a lot when it came out, but I think I’ve listened to it like once in the last few years.   Lyrically, it’s one of Neil’s best, but it is kind of a slog to get through.  It needed more uptempo numbers.

[MrMike]

I had RUSH at 13.  Overall, a bit on the generic side as far as mid 70s hard rock songs go and the lyrics are sketchy at best, but there are definitely a few strong tracks and Alex's playing was already off the charts.  Guitar is the instrument I listen for most in heavy music and Lifeson's tone and soloing are what I do love about the debut.  On many of the latter period Rush albums, I missed hearing Alex as frenetic and unrestrained as he was early on.

I had S&A at 14.  It has its moments and felt like a step back in the right direction at the time, but it's still never been among my favorites.  Working Them Angels is a standout and one that really grew on me over time.  Way The Wind Blows and Far Cry I loved from the beginning and the instrumentals are fun and rocking.  Too many slowish, dirgey (if that's a word) songs though, particularly in the second half of the album keep it in the lower rung of the catalog for me.

[Dream Team]

My number 19.

[The Letter M]

I doubt it'll ever happen, but remember that the band said TMMB started out as a super-long instrumental, like over 18 minutes? I'd love to hear the original demos of that piece if possible, even if the parts they cut or changed were boring. Just imagining them writing ANYTHING that long in the 21st century really excited me when I heard that about the writing of TMMB.

-Marc.

[Nick]

Shocked to see this so low. Didn't expect it to be in the top half overall, but man, how does this not even beat Vapor Trails from the modern era?

On that note, that was a tough one to rank, not sure if I should rank the original unlistenable version, or the later version which actually allowed me to finally enjoy many of the tunes.

But back to Snakes and Arrows, some of the singles and favorites like Armor and Sword and Workin Them Angels are actually not huge for me. But the instrumentals, Far Cry, and some of the other songs are great, and none of the songs are in the bottom 10 or so of Rush. Really expected this ahead of some others.

[King Postwhore]

I had it at 16.  It's a good album. I just tend to play other albums more.  Armor & Sword, The Main Money Business & The Way the Wind Blows are my favorite tracks. 

[Samsara]

Shocked to see this so low. Didn't expect it to be in the top half overall, but man, how does this not even beat Vapor Trails from the modern era?

On that note, that was a tough one to rank, not sure if I should rank the original unlistenable version, or the later version which actually allowed me to finally enjoy many of the tunes.

But back to Snakes and Arrows, some of the singles and favorites like Armor and Sword and Workin Them Angels are actually not huge for me. But the instrumentals, Far Cry, and some of the other songs are great, and none of the songs are in the bottom 10 or so of Rush. Really expected this ahead of some others.

Actually, I consider VT a much better album, song-wise.

[Stadler]

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10 Snakes And Arrows
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I knew pretty early on in the song countdown that I was way out of whack with the "Rush Zeitgeist" here, and this just hammers the point home.  I had S&A at 10, and it's BY FAR my favorite of what it seems we're calling "the modern era".   That this is 18 means that both Vapor Trails and Roll The Bones are higher than it.  Can't imagine thinking "Hmm, do I want to listen to S&A, or Roll The Bones?" and going "Roll The Bones it is!"   

And as for "too long" and a "slog", well, both Vapor Trails and A Clockwork Angels - both inferior albums by my reckoning - are significantly LONGER (4:25 and 3:14, respectively).

Favorite tunes:  all the instrumentals, The Way The Wind Blows, and The Larger Bowl.

Have I told anyone the story about the making of doc, and Neil's recording of "The Way The Wind Blows"? 

[HOF]

Shocked to see this so low. Didn't expect it to be in the top half overall, but man, how does this not even beat Vapor Trails from the modern era?

On that note, that was a tough one to rank, not sure if I should rank the original unlistenable version, or the later version which actually allowed me to finally enjoy many of the tunes.

But back to Snakes and Arrows, some of the singles and favorites like Armor and Sword and Workin Them Angels are actually not huge for me. But the instrumentals, Far Cry, and some of the other songs are great, and none of the songs are in the bottom 10 or so of Rush. Really expected this ahead of some others.

Actually, I consider VT a much better album, song-wise.

Yep. VT has some of Neil’s best songwriting IMO, and the sound on Snakes and Arrows is really just a marginal improvement over VT (no noticeable clipping, but still a very loud album without a ton of dynamic range).

[pg1067]

Shocked to see this so low. Didn't expect it to be in the top half overall, but man, how does this not even beat Vapor Trails from the modern era?

On that note, that was a tough one to rank, not sure if I should rank the original unlistenable version, or the later version which actually allowed me to finally enjoy many of the tunes.

But back to Snakes and Arrows, some of the singles and favorites like Armor and Sword and Workin Them Angels are actually not huge for me. But the instrumentals, Far Cry, and some of the other songs are great, and none of the songs are in the bottom 10 or so of Rush. Really expected this ahead of some others.

Actually, I consider VT a much better album, song-wise.

Same.  I have VT MANY spots ahead of S&A, and I have five S&A songs in the bottom 25 of my Rush song rankings.  Only one from VT is in that bottom group.

That this is 18 means that both Vapor Trails and Roll The Bones are higher than it.  Can't imagine thinking "Hmm, do I want to listen to S&A, or Roll The Bones?" and going "Roll The Bones it is!"   

I assume/hope RTB will be showing up VERY soon.

[hefdaddy42]

When VT came out, it sounded so bad, I couldn't finish it.  Easily my lowest-ranked album, not even close.

[HOF]

Can't imagine thinking "Hmm, do I want to listen to S&A, or Roll The Bones?" and going "Roll The Bones it is!"   

And as for "too long" and a "slog", well, both Vapor Trails and A Clockwork Angels - both inferior albums by my reckoning - are significantly LONGER (4:25 and 3:14, respectively).

That’s the thing with SNA. It’s not really bad per se. But I almost never listen to it. Just not one that I have any real excitement for. Roll the Bones, for all it’s faults, still has several classic/essential Rush songs that I frequently revisit. There’s just no one song on Snakes and Arrows that holds that appeal for me.

Also, even though I love it as a whole, I agree that Vapor Trails could do with some editing. I think most of the CD era Rush albums could have played better trimmed down to 45, 50 minutes max.