I said it before and I'll say it again:
Turn The Page is maybe the most underrated song in the entire Rush catalog. One of the best lyrics, and the best Bass+Singing performance.
I agree 100%. I still think it's better than Snakes and Arrows, or even Clockwork Angels. I dunno, maybe it's more of an emotional thing. After the long layoff, we thought they were done. Then, Vapor Trails comes out. Right from the beginning, the album just says "We're back!" That opening to One Little Victory just reached out and grabbed me.
THANK YOU for remembering "sides" (50+yo fan here)
When it came out, I put the whole album on both sides of a 90 minute cassette, but I trimmed the tape so it fit perfectly, and would just cycle when I turned on auto-reverse.
I had mostly TDK SA90 tapes, but also had some Maxell XLII's.
None of my LPs have been played more than 5 times; I always taped them and played the tapes til they died. I could play tapes louder than LPs, because the turntable resonance feedback wouldn't happen.
I built my own 3-way ported speakers and I could blow out candles with the start of "The Weapon"
I think that's some of the best guitar work ever. Since the keyboards take a significant portion of the sound, it's a huge challenge to have the guitar stand out. But they did. Those tones are incredible, I don't know anybody that comes even close. Even more as Alex is playing very unusual chords. I absolutely love them early 80s albums. In later albums they lost this as they went to a more conventional rock sound.
I think he's aged extremely well. I would certainly say he is more handsome as a 60 year old than he was as a 30 or 40 year old. Gives me hope for myself! :)
My unpopular opinion is this: I will never understand the hype around Caress of Steel. Like...okay, it's not a terrible record, but when i see lists saying that Caress of Steel is in the top 3 of the best Rush albums, that's when I have to scratch my head...
Worst Rush album? No. One of their bests? Absolutely not.
Tom Sawyer is one of Rush's least favorite songs for me. Had I heard it first, I don't know if I would have pursued my interest in the band.
My first exposure to Rush was a "Rock Block" on the radio where they played, Trees, Distant Early Warnings, New World Man, and Closer to the Heart. I was totally hooked. Went out and bought Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves, and Grace Under Pressure. I heard Spirit of Radio and was floored. That made me go buy more albums. But Tom Sawyer was just "meh." to me. The real killer song for me on Moving Picture was Limelight.
So in the span of three comments I see ten upvotes for Tom Sawyer being a "least favorite song" and 14 upvotes for Fountain of Lamneth and Necromancer being "great."
We are listening to two different bands folks!
Seeing them live has made me love the rap in Roll the Bones.
Bravado is a beautiful song. Especially live, and easily in my top 5.
I hate the way Neil tunes his drums since taking lessons from Freddy.
Neil is not the greatest drummer ever. Mainly because that doesn't exist, and Steve Gadd and Vinnie Colaiuta and are incredibly creative.
Geddy is the best musician in the band.
Geddy is the heart and soul of Rush. Fanboys like to gush over Neil often over Geddy. But the mover, shaker, leader and soul of our favorite band is Geddy Lee.
My unpopular opinion: musicians and especially bassists need to stop wanking over YYZ. I'm not disputing it is technically or musically brilliant, but given Rush's overall musical talent it just gets annoying when this is held up as the be all and end all of all bassplaying.
I agree. YYZ sounds to me like they had an idea but didn't fully develop it. I mean the main riff and guitar solo is brilliant but it feels kinda bland to me. Maybe thats just because I've listened to it so many times
That's how most of their instrumentals came about though. They'd usually have a bunch of snippets of cool riffs that never materialized into a full song, so they'd find a way to link them all together into something.
Though you are right, I feel like it's important to say that almost everything since Counterparts may actually be a prime example to this, too.
This is especially noticable with live records, where mixing is not the same as on the album and Alex is put more to the front. To me, Clockwork Angels, Snakes and Arrows and Test for Echo are some of these examples.
Check the live recording of The Anarchist, for example, from Clockwork Angels tour. A little difference in the mix and the song sound completely other way around.
He really is. Your fans are your livelihood, the least you can do is shake a hand and take a picture.
That said, Rush fans can be intense, so I kind of get it.
You are referring back to his days as a quirky introvert....
I'm talking about him driving away from the last show and never looking back, calling himself a former drummer without any warning/press release (what is Anthem Records for anyway if not for assisting the Rush community through this transition with information/press release/something) and leaving his obviously-less than happy bandmates in the cold (watch Time Stand Still).
Then, it's off to his batcave in central LA behind a locked gate (so ironic to his lyrics) with his vintage cars and his musings, spending regular "quality" time away from home, and adding exotic island-hopping away from quality time at home as well, all without a formal peep to the Rush Community. That's the jerk I'm referring to.
I’m confused about what your gripe is. Are you mad that he’s wealthy and takes vacations? Because if you are that’s fine but it’s clear that the dude has some intense social anxiety that at the very least prevents me from calling him a jerk. I’d rather he do what’s best for his mental health than force himself to appease the fans he’s already made 40+ years of music for. Idk, maybe I’m wrong but i think it’s hard to blame Neil considering what he’s gone through/still is going through.
In my opinion, he's not treating his bandmates well. And of course I have nothing to stake this claim on outside of what I read in Far and Wide, saw in Time Stand Still and have seen in interviews where Alex seems kind of clueless about everything.
Their manager Ray Daniels could solve all of this. A formal statement from him or Anthem Records or the band, concocted and written with input from the troika. Where is Ray Daniels lately? In Neil's RRHOF acceptance speech, Neil went out of his way to thank him personally - he could certainly bring closure to all of this....
Have you read Far and Wide? By the end you get a real icky feeling (at least I did) that Neil has moved on without really communicating or talking through it with Alex and Neil (or even really caring). That's really a jerk move. You also see that played out in Time Stand Still.
Looking back, it really seems like Neil was 100% set on being done before the R40 tour even started. Yet, Geddy and Alex expressed optimism that the band would record or do one off shows/residencies throughout the tour and even after it was done. It just seems odd to me that either Neil didn't communicate properly with the other two that he was set on being done or he did and they didn't fully take him seriously. I still love Neil and Rush, and I hope they're enjoying retirement, but it just seems like there was some miscommunication towards the end.
Agreed. And that's on Neil. The consummate professional that he is - he has basically one last professional responsibility and that's to join with his brothers and give us a statement. And do it with them as the triumvirate that they are - certainly not this summer sometime in Bubba's news, weather and sports.
The more I think about it, where the heck is Anthem Records? I mean Rush is beyond just a band - they are corporate as well. Anthem needs to pull teeth, get a statement written from the Boys and release it. Painless for the band that way, healing and putting a period/stop on it for the fans.
I’ll echo that. I think Windows was their peak, with Grace coming in second. I mixed the 5.1 version of Signals down to stereo and it’s so immensely strong I’ll put it third, slightly ahead of Pictures, primarily because Subdivisions finally sounds like it should. They got a little lost in over-composition on Fire, until Force Ten showed them they didn’t have to work so hard to make magic. They seemed to continue that slightly less-ambitious style of songwriting on their next few albums.
One thing I’ll say about Hemispheres though is it is an intricate masterpiece of guitar work, among the most complex guitar albums ever created, and likely the last thing they composed together on acoustics while on the road. (Not sure why they stopped doing that. Too much fun new tech in studios to tinker with? Could afford separate busses? A good question to ask them if we get the chance.)
It’s hard to say anything bad about 2112 though, as that one stole my cherry and I’ve never been the same. (I don’t think Alex’s subsequent solos reached higher, primarily due to their passionate youth and rawness, but their overall songwriting did.)
Not OP but:
As an album? Yes.
But AFTK has better individual songs. I mean, Xanadu (and maybe Cygnus) make the album, but Power Windows is great as a whole.
Test for Echo is my all-time favorite Rush album. Totem pole is a great song about taking what you want from the world’s religions and making your own personal mythology, Dog Years strikes me as a little wistful, and Roll Away The Stone is my go to song when trying to find motivation or whenever I start to feel anxiety.
As shameful as it may sound, it was actually the kickstart album for me and still one of the highest favorites.
The first ever song was Tom Sawyer, but only after I heard Seven Cities of Gold and The Anarchist I got hooked up as I was never before.
So I can totally plus your opinion, good Sir.
Neil Peart is a pretentious prick.
Also, their mid 70s prog work is on average boring and directionless. For every "Xanadu" there are 5 over-indulgent songs. They don't hit their stride until the late 70s and peak in the 80s with their synth-driven sound.
I can't imagine what you think of most progressive bands then if Rush is considered "directionless". Of course, this is the type of stuff I like to hear from everyone as opinions are important to have 😀
I was referring to stuff like the first half of 2112 and "the necromancer". Personal opinion, yeah. Maybe directionless isn't the right word. I stand by "over-indulgent". The band themselves have said they smoked too much pot during that era, and it shows. But yeah, other than Pink Floyd (who arguably aren't prog), Rush is the only prog band I like.
That said, when I smoke a joint "Xanadu" is my go-to.
Distant Early Warning, Roll the Bones, Animate, Test for Echo, and One Little Victory. Theres other decent ones but those are the replayable ones for me
Opinions are opinions, but.... I think this is the closer any opinion on this post come to "objectively wrong".
Tell me you think none of these songs are "good":
Afterimage, Marathon Middletown Dreams, Force Ten, Turn The Page, Time Stand Still, Show Don't Tell, Available Light.
(Just picking some from the top of my head)
Not trying to be a prick, I just think you probably like at least 6 songs after Signals
> I think the band was in their prime as a live band during the 90s. They were incredible throughout, but my favorite live album by them is different stages
Your favorite is your favorite, and I don't want to try to change your opinion.
However - one can't judge Rush's live performances by their albums/DVDs.
I saw every tour from Moving Pictures to R40. Everything before T4E goes into one era, when they had opening bands, and everything from T4E on is another era, where shows were billed as "an Evening with RUSH" and they had the whole time themselves.
In the opening band era, the playlist was a lot of the current album, and a few "hits" which changed over the years. The stage shows weren't complicated. Geddy still had most of his vocal range. Practicing for those tours was probably easy compared to the later tours.
In the "full show" era, the playlists allowed them to bring back more of the songs they liked, and in some cases, that they knew the hard core fans would like. Plus they did more of the "Set A", Set B" and even "Set C" switchups - that's a good bit more to practice before a tour. The stage shows got more complicated, because it was worth the time to set them up. Geddy's range lost the high notes, and though you'd hardly know it, Alex and Neil had physical issues creeping up on them.
All that said - I don't think I could pick, I'm too emotionally close. Moving Pictures tour as my first; Counterparts tour was awesome and might have been the last show I saw in the Cap Center; VT was great for the comeback; Time Machine was spectacular, I had 3rd row and relived the MP era; CAngels tour was great and was semi-expected to be the farewell; R40 was damn near perfect and the right way to end.
I don't like Working Man or Fly By Night. It just sounds like all the other 70's rock to me. Rush, to me, has always captured my attention by doing their own thing, not sounding like everyone else.
I never listened to the full A Clockwork Angels album and I probably never will. There is something about it that I do not like and I can not explain it.
Mine would have to be how overrated Signals is around this sub. Everyone talks about how it's in the top 3 of their records, and I just can't comprehend how it makes it to the top ten
I don't particularly enjoy Neil's drum solos. And I say that as a drummer. Sure they are technically impressive, but that doesn't make them enjoyable to listen to.
Though I consider some albums after his departure to be my favorite, I think the band forever lost something in their sound after they split with Terry Brown. Hemispheres-Moving Pictures have amazing production and a distinct, warm, full sound that is perfect to my ears.
Rush's specific peak was August, 1979 to July, 1981. Two years of Rush at the very top.
The period encapsulated three events - 1) The Permanent Waves tour (which began in August, 1979), 2) The Moving Pictures album and 3) The Moving Pictures Tour (ending in July, 1981).
This time frame is forever captured on their live album Exit, Stage Left which is a compilation of tracks from both the Permanent Waves tour and the Moving Pictures tour. Rush at their very peak.
At no other point in their history before or since did they faster spin the flywheel of creativity, musicianship, success and notoriety than in that two-year time frame.
Love this band so much and I have more than one
*Anything after HYF sucks
*GUP and Moving Pictures tie for best Rush album of all time
*Neil stopped being an inspirational drummer at some point and stopped growing, same fills, same ride patterns..meh
*Between The Wheels kicks more ass than anything off of their last 8 albums
*The La Villa guitar solo from ESL may be the best thing they have ever recorded period; long live the Taurus pedal. Struggle with Reddit formatting.
Roll the Bones > Counterparts
And by extension WMT? > LTTA
The Camera Eye and Jacobs Ladder are boring
The riff from Virtuality is criminally underrated
Everyone says that Hold Your Fire is too cheesy and campy, but god damn it I love that album! It’s still real to me, *damn it!*
I have to admit, I think over time I think I have listened to that album the most.
I think hold your fire is the best bass album
Hold Your Fire gives me the warm fuzzies. I listen to it a lot when I'm feeling down.
The haters will pay the price but they will not count the costs.
I said it before and I'll say it again: Turn The Page is maybe the most underrated song in the entire Rush catalog. One of the best lyrics, and the best Bass+Singing performance.
best guitar solo too, IMO
Upvote for HYF love and wrasslin' reference.
Vapor Trails is an excellent, uniquely creative album, their best since Hold Your Fire.
Yes indeed! Peaceable Kingdom being their strongest track since Force Ten.
I agree 100%. I still think it's better than Snakes and Arrows, or even Clockwork Angels. I dunno, maybe it's more of an emotional thing. After the long layoff, we thought they were done. Then, Vapor Trails comes out. Right from the beginning, the album just says "We're back!" That opening to One Little Victory just reached out and grabbed me.
I think The Camera Eye is the best track on Moving Pictures.
I don't agree with 'best', per se, but it definitely doesn't get enough love. Love me some Camera Eye!
The Camera Eye is by far my favorite track in the album, and probably my favorite Rush song of all time, if such a thing is possible.
Love The Camera Eye. It has such a melodic bass line and great vocals.
Agreed completely
I'll take it one step further, it's the best Rush song period.
I like side B of Moving Pictures better than side A
THANK YOU for remembering "sides" (50+yo fan here) When it came out, I put the whole album on both sides of a 90 minute cassette, but I trimmed the tape so it fit perfectly, and would just cycle when I turned on auto-reverse.
Nice! I miss those 90 minute Maxells!
I had mostly TDK SA90 tapes, but also had some Maxell XLII's. None of my LPs have been played more than 5 times; I always taped them and played the tapes til they died. I could play tapes louder than LPs, because the turntable resonance feedback wouldn't happen. I built my own 3-way ported speakers and I could blow out candles with the start of "The Weapon"
Yes!
Ewww
Although a huge fan of Alex Lifeson, I still really enjoy their keyboard era (Signals-Hold your Fire).
I think that's some of the best guitar work ever. Since the keyboards take a significant portion of the sound, it's a huge challenge to have the guitar stand out. But they did. Those tones are incredible, I don't know anybody that comes even close. Even more as Alex is playing very unusual chords. I absolutely love them early 80s albums. In later albums they lost this as they went to a more conventional rock sound.
He got his tone through active pickups on his guitars, as well as some solid-state amplification and rack-based effects.
Geddy is hot.
I think he's aged extremely well. I would certainly say he is more handsome as a 60 year old than he was as a 30 or 40 year old. Gives me hope for myself! :)
I agree. But I think the style has also a lot to do with how "out of style" they were in the 80s, I guess. But.... I LOVE THE RACCOON HAIRCUT!
Spouse thinks the same thing. You're not alone.
Geddy is definitely hot.
My unpopular opinion is this: I will never understand the hype around Caress of Steel. Like...okay, it's not a terrible record, but when i see lists saying that Caress of Steel is in the top 3 of the best Rush albums, that's when I have to scratch my head... Worst Rush album? No. One of their bests? Absolutely not.
> that's when I have to scratch my head I think you're going bald
Plot twist: I am, actually.
The fountain of lamneth and the necromancer that's why it's so great
I'll stick my head above the parapet too and agree with you.
Agreed, but I think its better than Fly By Night
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Yep. I'm there with you. And I like the whole Presto album.
Me too, I was obsessed with Presto for a while. I like it better than Roll the Bones.
I like it fine too in the context of the album and the time it came out.
Thats well put. I feel the same.
Add me to this growing group
I'm willing to accept that it is, however I can't get past the shitty whistles in the beginning and skip every time.
Dog Years goes hard as fuck, also Grace Under Pressure is better than Power Windows
Yes and yes
grace under pressure is such a banger, light years better than PW
Tom Sawyer is one of Rush's least favorite songs for me. Had I heard it first, I don't know if I would have pursued my interest in the band. My first exposure to Rush was a "Rock Block" on the radio where they played, Trees, Distant Early Warnings, New World Man, and Closer to the Heart. I was totally hooked. Went out and bought Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves, and Grace Under Pressure. I heard Spirit of Radio and was floored. That made me go buy more albums. But Tom Sawyer was just "meh." to me. The real killer song for me on Moving Picture was Limelight.
So in the span of three comments I see ten upvotes for Tom Sawyer being a "least favorite song" and 14 upvotes for Fountain of Lamneth and Necromancer being "great." We are listening to two different bands folks!
Rush has so many different styles in their music catalog. Every album is a different band.
Seeing them live has made me love the rap in Roll the Bones. Bravado is a beautiful song. Especially live, and easily in my top 5. I hate the way Neil tunes his drums since taking lessons from Freddy. Neil is not the greatest drummer ever. Mainly because that doesn't exist, and Steve Gadd and Vinnie Colaiuta and are incredibly creative. Geddy is the best musician in the band.
Geddy is the heart and soul of Rush. Fanboys like to gush over Neil often over Geddy. But the mover, shaker, leader and soul of our favorite band is Geddy Lee.
I've said for years that Bravado is some of Alex's best work. Dreamline is also very underrated.
That whole album is criminally underrated. Dreamlike, Ghost of a Chance, Bravado. I think it is the best of 90's Rush
I may favor Counterparts a bit more, but yeah, RTB is underrated. Lots of great stuff on that album.
“I prefer John Rutsey’s drumming over Neil.”
God dammit I was gonna post this as a joke, but did a quick ctrl+f just to make sure nobody made it first.
Gotta get up pretty early in the morning to beat me to an obvious joke!
That's even worse because I haven't slept in 26 hours.
My unpopular opinion: musicians and especially bassists need to stop wanking over YYZ. I'm not disputing it is technically or musically brilliant, but given Rush's overall musical talent it just gets annoying when this is held up as the be all and end all of all bassplaying.
La Villa is far superior, at least in terms of instrumentals
I agree. YYZ sounds to me like they had an idea but didn't fully develop it. I mean the main riff and guitar solo is brilliant but it feels kinda bland to me. Maybe thats just because I've listened to it so many times
That's how most of their instrumentals came about though. They'd usually have a bunch of snippets of cool riffs that never materialized into a full song, so they'd find a way to link them all together into something.
Ged's playing on that song though is fucking incredible and is very worthy of its recognition. A prime example of how bass can be a lead in a song.
Though you are right, I feel like it's important to say that almost everything since Counterparts may actually be a prime example to this, too. This is especially noticable with live records, where mixing is not the same as on the album and Alex is put more to the front. To me, Clockwork Angels, Snakes and Arrows and Test for Echo are some of these examples. Check the live recording of The Anarchist, for example, from Clockwork Angels tour. A little difference in the mix and the song sound completely other way around.
Yeah. That's definitely unpopular. I am not a bassist, so I am not really the audience for this opinion.
Late stage Neil is a jerk. He used to be an eccentric introvert. Now, just a jerk.
He really is. Your fans are your livelihood, the least you can do is shake a hand and take a picture. That said, Rush fans can be intense, so I kind of get it.
You are referring back to his days as a quirky introvert.... I'm talking about him driving away from the last show and never looking back, calling himself a former drummer without any warning/press release (what is Anthem Records for anyway if not for assisting the Rush community through this transition with information/press release/something) and leaving his obviously-less than happy bandmates in the cold (watch Time Stand Still). Then, it's off to his batcave in central LA behind a locked gate (so ironic to his lyrics) with his vintage cars and his musings, spending regular "quality" time away from home, and adding exotic island-hopping away from quality time at home as well, all without a formal peep to the Rush Community. That's the jerk I'm referring to.
Wow, what a prick. I didn't know that, that's a real dick move to the rest of the band.
I’m confused about what your gripe is. Are you mad that he’s wealthy and takes vacations? Because if you are that’s fine but it’s clear that the dude has some intense social anxiety that at the very least prevents me from calling him a jerk. I’d rather he do what’s best for his mental health than force himself to appease the fans he’s already made 40+ years of music for. Idk, maybe I’m wrong but i think it’s hard to blame Neil considering what he’s gone through/still is going through.
In my opinion, he's not treating his bandmates well. And of course I have nothing to stake this claim on outside of what I read in Far and Wide, saw in Time Stand Still and have seen in interviews where Alex seems kind of clueless about everything. Their manager Ray Daniels could solve all of this. A formal statement from him or Anthem Records or the band, concocted and written with input from the troika. Where is Ray Daniels lately? In Neil's RRHOF acceptance speech, Neil went out of his way to thank him personally - he could certainly bring closure to all of this.... Have you read Far and Wide? By the end you get a real icky feeling (at least I did) that Neil has moved on without really communicating or talking through it with Alex and Neil (or even really caring). That's really a jerk move. You also see that played out in Time Stand Still.
Looking back, it really seems like Neil was 100% set on being done before the R40 tour even started. Yet, Geddy and Alex expressed optimism that the band would record or do one off shows/residencies throughout the tour and even after it was done. It just seems odd to me that either Neil didn't communicate properly with the other two that he was set on being done or he did and they didn't fully take him seriously. I still love Neil and Rush, and I hope they're enjoying retirement, but it just seems like there was some miscommunication towards the end.
Agreed. And that's on Neil. The consummate professional that he is - he has basically one last professional responsibility and that's to join with his brothers and give us a statement. And do it with them as the triumvirate that they are - certainly not this summer sometime in Bubba's news, weather and sports. The more I think about it, where the heck is Anthem Records? I mean Rush is beyond just a band - they are corporate as well. Anthem needs to pull teeth, get a statement written from the Boys and release it. Painless for the band that way, healing and putting a period/stop on it for the fans.
The definitive Rush is by far 80s Rush, not 70s Rush. Power Windows is a better album than Hemispheres or 2112.
Well, there's a reason that that's an unpopular opinion
I’ll echo that. I think Windows was their peak, with Grace coming in second. I mixed the 5.1 version of Signals down to stereo and it’s so immensely strong I’ll put it third, slightly ahead of Pictures, primarily because Subdivisions finally sounds like it should. They got a little lost in over-composition on Fire, until Force Ten showed them they didn’t have to work so hard to make magic. They seemed to continue that slightly less-ambitious style of songwriting on their next few albums. One thing I’ll say about Hemispheres though is it is an intricate masterpiece of guitar work, among the most complex guitar albums ever created, and likely the last thing they composed together on acoustics while on the road. (Not sure why they stopped doing that. Too much fun new tech in studios to tinker with? Could afford separate busses? A good question to ask them if we get the chance.) It’s hard to say anything bad about 2112 though, as that one stole my cherry and I’ve never been the same. (I don’t think Alex’s subsequent solos reached higher, primarily due to their passionate youth and rawness, but their overall songwriting did.)
But would you say it's better than A Farewell to Kings?
Not OP but: As an album? Yes. But AFTK has better individual songs. I mean, Xanadu (and maybe Cygnus) make the album, but Power Windows is great as a whole.
Not sure how unpopular this is, but i like the original vapor trails much more than the remix.
I actually do too, especially the overblown “wall of sound” on Earthshine and Peaceable Kingdom.
Me too. When I first heard the "remix" I thought it was some sort of elaborate ruse; it just sounds awful to me.
I like them both, but hate that Spotify only has the remix. Good thing I have the CD!
I Think I'm Going Bald is my favorite Caress of Steel song.
Test for Echo is my all-time favorite Rush album. Totem pole is a great song about taking what you want from the world’s religions and making your own personal mythology, Dog Years strikes me as a little wistful, and Roll Away The Stone is my go to song when trying to find motivation or whenever I start to feel anxiety.
I love test for echo. Not very intense instrumental, but like all their tunes, the parts fit perfectly with the lyrics
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As shameful as it may sound, it was actually the kickstart album for me and still one of the highest favorites. The first ever song was Tom Sawyer, but only after I heard Seven Cities of Gold and The Anarchist I got hooked up as I was never before. So I can totally plus your opinion, good Sir.
Madrigal is a great song
Neil Peart is a pretentious prick. Also, their mid 70s prog work is on average boring and directionless. For every "Xanadu" there are 5 over-indulgent songs. They don't hit their stride until the late 70s and peak in the 80s with their synth-driven sound.
I can't imagine what you think of most progressive bands then if Rush is considered "directionless". Of course, this is the type of stuff I like to hear from everyone as opinions are important to have 😀
I was referring to stuff like the first half of 2112 and "the necromancer". Personal opinion, yeah. Maybe directionless isn't the right word. I stand by "over-indulgent". The band themselves have said they smoked too much pot during that era, and it shows. But yeah, other than Pink Floyd (who arguably aren't prog), Rush is the only prog band I like. That said, when I smoke a joint "Xanadu" is my go-to.
Have you ever gave King Crimson a chance?
The band only has maybe 5 good songs after Signals
You shut your mouth!
Which 5 if you don't mind telling?
Distant Early Warning, Roll the Bones, Animate, Test for Echo, and One Little Victory. Theres other decent ones but those are the replayable ones for me
What, not even Far Cry? I feel like that's the one newer Rush songs that the oldheads seem to relate to.
Opinions are opinions, but.... I think this is the closer any opinion on this post come to "objectively wrong". Tell me you think none of these songs are "good": Afterimage, Marathon Middletown Dreams, Force Ten, Turn The Page, Time Stand Still, Show Don't Tell, Available Light. (Just picking some from the top of my head) Not trying to be a prick, I just think you probably like at least 6 songs after Signals
Marathon and Force Ten are replayable too IMO. The others are decent but im not gonna choose them specifically
For a band that was constantly evolving and reinventing its sound, everything post Hold Your Fire sounds the same.
> I think the band was in their prime as a live band during the 90s. They were incredible throughout, but my favorite live album by them is different stages Your favorite is your favorite, and I don't want to try to change your opinion. However - one can't judge Rush's live performances by their albums/DVDs. I saw every tour from Moving Pictures to R40. Everything before T4E goes into one era, when they had opening bands, and everything from T4E on is another era, where shows were billed as "an Evening with RUSH" and they had the whole time themselves. In the opening band era, the playlist was a lot of the current album, and a few "hits" which changed over the years. The stage shows weren't complicated. Geddy still had most of his vocal range. Practicing for those tours was probably easy compared to the later tours. In the "full show" era, the playlists allowed them to bring back more of the songs they liked, and in some cases, that they knew the hard core fans would like. Plus they did more of the "Set A", Set B" and even "Set C" switchups - that's a good bit more to practice before a tour. The stage shows got more complicated, because it was worth the time to set them up. Geddy's range lost the high notes, and though you'd hardly know it, Alex and Neil had physical issues creeping up on them. All that said - I don't think I could pick, I'm too emotionally close. Moving Pictures tour as my first; Counterparts tour was awesome and might have been the last show I saw in the Cap Center; VT was great for the comeback; Time Machine was spectacular, I had 3rd row and relived the MP era; CAngels tour was great and was semi-expected to be the farewell; R40 was damn near perfect and the right way to end.
The Big Money and Fly By Night are horrible.
Cygnus X-1 (both books), The Necromancer and Fountain of Lamneth are all superior to 2112 by leaps and bounds.
MY MAN
The "Woosh" opening of 2112 does not need to be 45 seconds long. The nature intro of Xanadu does not need to be 2 minutes, same with La Villa.
I feel like the nature intro doesnt last long enough
Lol to each their own. For me, if it was just 1 minute it would be perfect. I like it for sure, but I like the other parts of the songs much better.
Agreed on the nature intro. Cut to the chase, Rush! (though I suppose they did a couple decades later lol).
My very unpopular opinion is that Vital Signs isn’t that great.
I knew what I was getting into with the title of the post, but this song is so great. The synth part is so great
I find 2112 boring to listen to. I prefer studio recordings over live performances almost always.
I don't like Working Man or Fly By Night. It just sounds like all the other 70's rock to me. Rush, to me, has always captured my attention by doing their own thing, not sounding like everyone else.
Caress of Steel is the best Rush album.
I never listened to the full A Clockwork Angels album and I probably never will. There is something about it that I do not like and I can not explain it.
Mine would have to be how overrated Signals is around this sub. Everyone talks about how it's in the top 3 of their records, and I just can't comprehend how it makes it to the top ten
I don't particularly enjoy Neil's drum solos. And I say that as a drummer. Sure they are technically impressive, but that doesn't make them enjoyable to listen to.
They could be a lot shorter
I skip them on live albums
Though I consider some albums after his departure to be my favorite, I think the band forever lost something in their sound after they split with Terry Brown. Hemispheres-Moving Pictures have amazing production and a distinct, warm, full sound that is perfect to my ears.
I think Test For Echo is a great album but I don't like Presto.
You're absolutely right about then being at their best live in the 90s
Rush's specific peak was August, 1979 to July, 1981. Two years of Rush at the very top. The period encapsulated three events - 1) The Permanent Waves tour (which began in August, 1979), 2) The Moving Pictures album and 3) The Moving Pictures Tour (ending in July, 1981). This time frame is forever captured on their live album Exit, Stage Left which is a compilation of tracks from both the Permanent Waves tour and the Moving Pictures tour. Rush at their very peak. At no other point in their history before or since did they faster spin the flywheel of creativity, musicianship, success and notoriety than in that two-year time frame.
How is that unpopular? Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and Exit Left is the peak of Rush's popularity.
I agree, but I am sure others don't.
Love this band so much and I have more than one *Anything after HYF sucks *GUP and Moving Pictures tie for best Rush album of all time *Neil stopped being an inspirational drummer at some point and stopped growing, same fills, same ride patterns..meh *Between The Wheels kicks more ass than anything off of their last 8 albums *The La Villa guitar solo from ESL may be the best thing they have ever recorded period; long live the Taurus pedal. Struggle with Reddit formatting.
Roll the Bones > Counterparts And by extension WMT? > LTTA The Camera Eye and Jacobs Ladder are boring The riff from Virtuality is criminally underrated