Rush - Page 2

Those that like Rush: Look into Goblin. They mostly did movie soundtrack work, but they had a couple of regular albums. Very '70s Prog, even their latest one, which has more of a digital feel overall.

I did a small road trip with the wife yesterday. On the trip, we listened to the holy trinity of 'Permanent Waves', 'Moving Pictures', and 'Signals' (along with a little bit of 'Exit...Stage Left') front to back. Honestly, I stand by my assertion that those three albums are PERFECT in every way, shape, and form.

I also buzzed through 'Counterparts' again...yeah, it still doesn't grab me at all.

I come at it all from a different angle, because Rush got absolutely NO airplay whatsoever in New Zealand when I was growing up. I mean NONE. I was aware of them, due to being referenced on TV shows, in movies, guitar magazines (obviously) and the like, but never actually got to hear them until well into my teens. I lived in a rural area, so the music shops didn't carry much outside the mainstream (ie - stuff that will sell) and that was well before the internet took off, let alone before anyone knew what an mp3 was, so you were less apt to drop anything from $30-50 on an import CD just to give something a shot.

But on a trip down to Whangarei one day, I happened across Chronicles and Counterparts in a small CD shop and blind-bought them out of sheer, built-up curiosity. Although most of it was new to me, I had a vague sense of familiarity to "The Spirit Of Radio", "The Big Money" and "Time Stand Still", of all songs. Maybe I'd heard them in a movie, or possibly they might have had the briefest run on radio before being buried - don't know, but I was certain I had heard them before. After a few listens, I really came to love Chronicles and of course it resulted in me eventually getting most of their back-catalogue.

However, Counterparts was my first Rush album, and I absolutely love it. I'd even go so far as to say it's one of my "desert island albums" . . . yes, even above all their older, better stuff. I guess it sounds very different to someone who had never heard Rush before?

I still do one of the songs off of this album when I do one of my (increasingly rare) solo acoustic shows. Great songs can be found here.

PLEASE tell me that the song that you cover is 'Bravado.'

RTB is, for me, their best album since their GOLDEN AGE. It's fun and it's funky, and the rap in the title song (that alot of people hate) is a wonderfully tongue and cheek slap at modern music. 'Dreamline', 'Roll the Bones', 'Bravado', 'Ghost of a Chance', 'Where's My Thing?'...all are fantastic.

It's a credit to the strength of this album that alot of the songs on it still feature pretty heavily in their current live set.

Fraid so. Totally great song that works with an acoustic guitar and some nifty digital deeeelay.

That's really great, teledork. It's one of their best songs PERIOD, and I can totally see it coming off beautifully as an acoustic number.

Jesus, I was a prick in this thread. Apologies all.

This thread has inspired me to go through all of the Rush albums in chronological order. I banged out two complete listens of 'Rush' and 'Fly By Night' this morning

'Rush' (1974) - The debut album with Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and John Rutsey. It's a solid debut by a band trying to capture some of the Led Zeppelin sound. Geddy already sounds fantastic as a bassist, but his voice is a little shrill. Alex sounds good but he relies on phased effects a bit too heavily. John is solid but unremarkable as a drummer.

There are a few noteworthy songs on the album: 'Finding My Way', 'What You're Doing', and 'Working Man' (which would a minor hit for the band). 'In the Mood' is a fun little throwaway that would feature in the band's live set (usually in the encore) through the 80s.

Lyrically, it's nothing spectacular. Geddy did most of the lyrics for this album, and it isn't his strong suit.

'Fly By Night' (1975) - Neil Peart replaced Rutsey for this album (Rutsey developed diabetes and didn't want to face the rugged tour schedule), and he also took over the lyric writing duties for the band. This left Lee and Lifeson to concentrate on the music, an arrangement which the band still follows to this day.

Alex sounds more or less the same (too much reliance on phased effects), but he does get to branch out into some acoustic work. Lee sounds the same as well, although he does get to show a mellower side to his voice on a few songs. Peart is already a monster on the drumkit.

Noteworthy songs: 'Anthem', 'Fly By Night', 'Beneath, Between, and Behind', and 'By-Tor and the Snowdog' (featuring some great instrumental work from all three guys). 'Rivendell' is yet another hobbit song...a Led Zep throwaway.

This is fun!

Great idea. I should do this sometime soon.

Geddy's voice is really good on that song, but the song itself is pretty...I don't know. It just feels like a filler song to me.

I also love how the band is just beginning to explore more prog-worthy structures with their songwriting. 'By-Tor and the Snowdog' is a really solid first attempt at something beyond a straightforward song for the band.

OK, listened to 2 more albums yesterday and today.

'Caress of Steel' (1975) was supposed to be their breakthrough...instead it almost sank the band. This album is validation for any criticism of Geddy Lee's vocals: he's got a very shrill NAILS ON CHALKBOARD voice on 'Bastille Day' and 'I Think I'm Going Bald' (which is a TERRIBLE song). He's better on the rest of the songs, but man... 'Lakeside Park' is probably the highlight off of this album, their first REAL stumble.

The album is the first real foray into prog for the band, featuring 'the Necromancer' clocking in at around 12 minutes and 'the Fountain of Lamneth' clocking in at around 20 minutes. Both of the songs have interesting moments in them, but they sink under their own weight with alot of plodding moments that slow the songs down.

The tour for this was called the 'down the tubes' tour, due to the fact that the band was upset with the artwork, promotion, and overall critical and popular reception of the album. This album DOES have its rigorous defenders, however.

'2112' (1976) - They were pressured by their label to not make another prog record, but they stuck to their guns and delivered THIS, their first masterpiece. '2112' is a long song that has a driving energy behind it that just kicks major ass. The rest of the album is all killer, no filler: 'A Passage to Bangkok' and 'Something for Nothing' are probably my favorites of the rest.

This album, and the live album that followed it, brought the band their first REAL success in the US.

Something for Nothing has always been one of my favorite Rush tracks.

Couldn't agree more. It's a shame that this one isn't played on the radio.

I'm listening to 'A Farewell to Kings', front to back, for the first time in a few years. I forgot how good this one is.

So I just recently started getting into Rush. I have 3 albums- 2112, Moving Pictures and Permanent waves, and I really love all of them. I was wondering if anyone could guide me in right direction. I was reading about Grace Under Pressure and considering picking that up next.

I started listening to the with 2112 and have been a big fan ever since. Farewell to Kings had always been my favorite but Snakes and Arrows has overtaken it in my book.

Definitely depends on what kind of Rush you're into. The early stuff is a little looser, the 80s stuff is synth-y and rhythmically complex, 90s and forward is a little more straightforward and guitar-oriented.

The albums that holds up the best for me are in the 80s, where the band is still doing all kinds of complicated musical stuff, but Peart got away from the sci-fi lyrics a bit. Moving Pictures, Signals (very much in line with Moving Pictures, if you like that one), even the sometimes-maligned Hold Your Fire. I think of Presto as sort of the last in this particular era - it's probably the closest they've come to a "singer-songwriter" album, but still with some of those weird turnarounds. I got kind of bored with them after that.

My 'Rush Radar' just went off...

I'd get the following albums next:
1. 'Signals' - it came after 'Moving Pictures' and featured their first major attempt to bring synths in as the lead instrument. It's probably my favorite album of theirs.
2. 'Hemispheres' - their last prog 'epic', it precedes 'Permanent Waves'
3. 'Power Windows' - my latest discovery. I used to dislike this album, but it finally clicked for me about a month ago. I can't get enough of it now.

Not really a fan, but I worked for their record company back in the day (I actually worked for Polygram, who distributed Mercury, among other labels), and when I met them, they seemed like very nice guys.

I did hate it when they'd release a new album, though, because it would sell 700-800K out of the box, and then sink like a stone. As a result, we'd spend the next few months getting pressured to break them mainstream, but nothing ever seemed to turn the trick: the retailers knew their stuff was basically already catalog a month after it came out, but we could never convince the band's management of that. They loved the eventual platinum, but what they really wanted was a hit.

Yeah, if ever there was a hard rock band that wasn't going to break mainstream... if it wasn't for the chops-over-melodies aesthetic, it would be Geddy's voice. The occasional novelty hit aside, weird voices don't fly with mass audiences - in this respect, Rush had about as much of a shot as Tom Waits (particularly post-1980 or so) or Joanna Newsom at hitting the top 10.

Yeah, what about that voice of Geddy Lee? How did it get so high? I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy...

Won't someone be my fact-checking cuz'?

My conversation with him was brief, but he certainly didn't assault my eardrums.

Jeb, you're my fact-checking 'cuz.

Thanks for the replies. What do you guys think about the remasters? I can choose between them and the originals on Amazon. Is there a noticeable difference?

Yes, and Signals too. And Hemispheres.

The remasters are better than the originals. The originals sound muddy compared to the remasters.

Marathon is a smokin' tune.

All the remasters I own are excellent. Don't feel the need to ever hear the originals. They reflect the quality of the original production though, so the Permanent Waves-Signals era sounds clearly superior to Power Windows/Hold Your Fire.

So I have a newer theory, that I don't think I've shared with CHUD yet, that's pretty unpopular. I think that, for better or worse, Coheed and Cambria is the closest thing to a modern equivalent to Rush (I think Primus are their '90s equiv). They're a 4 piece, but they have epic songs of the pop-prog variety, they've got a slightly tongue in cheek (?) fantasy lyrics, they kind of bridge a popular music gap for the more artsy and more mainstream, and the singer has a one of a kind, high-pitched voice. I'm not necessarily comparing 'quality' of music here (Rush is a much more innovative band), but modern style equivalents.

Apologies if I've said this somewhere else.

And Rush doesn't even have their own comic book.

Yeah, there's a few bands nowadays that probably wouldn't exist without 2112. Opeth (though that's more goth/folk), Mastodon (though he roars alot), etc.

To capinkevey: Obviously, if you're at all interested, you should get RUSH IN RIO. It's a given purchase if you're a fan. In fact, I actually converted my dad to Rush with that DVD. He now watches it at least five - six times a month.

Power Windows - great, great album. Been awhile since I listened to it, especially Grand Designs, probably my favorite song on the album.

I've really only heard In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3, but I'd say that with "A Favor House Atlantic," they've got an honest-to-goodness Great Pop Song, too, which is something Rush never really managed or even seemed to concern themselves with (maybe "Time Stand Still"?). I mean "Show Don't Tell" was their idea of single, and that's a pretty complicated little piece, timing-wise.

They're probably the closest thing these days, though, I've always thought their sound was more of a mix between Rush and Pink Floyd (especially on the later albums). The Sci-Fi subject matter and Claudio's voice, mixed with some incredible musicianship makes it easy to draw the Rush parallel though, even if Co and Ca aren't nearly as bass and drum focused (they're great, but they don't stand out like Lee and Peart). I've been extolling the virtues of Coheed and Cambria around here for years, but there's only a few of us fans on this board.