Rush

[Echoes]

We probably had a thread about Rush in the past, but what the hey. I just started picking up their albums and am amazed at what I heard so far. Moving Pictures and Signals were obvious ones to get. I also find Roll the Bones to be severely underrated.

Hold Your Fire, despite all the bad press it gets from "fans", is actually quite enjoyable. Those keyboards and synths add an atmosphere that would not have been possible with guitars alone (it also helped that HYF was produced by the same guy who produced Operation: Mindcrime [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]).

So anyways, lets discuss this great band from Canada. Favourite song, album, story, etc. You have something, post it here!

[Ashley Dalby]

2112 Is Their Best Album Overall, From The Opening Of "Overture" To The Ending Of "Something For Nothing" this album kicks. Lots of energy and time were obviously spent making this. Be sure if you listen to it to read the notes written with the songs, it will help them make sense more.

[M Williams]

I adore Rush. They are one of my favourite bands ever. My favourite Rush album is Presto, followed closely by Counterparts. They are 2 seriously underrated albums.

[Echoes]

Really....well if they are underrated then I guess those two will be added to my list of future purchases (and that list is HUGE right now).

Thanks for the advice Mr. Willie!

[M Williams]

Mr Willie - [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nelson.gif[/img]

No probs my friend.

[JEFFMETAL]

Their best album is Grace Under Pressure. But i love all of their catalogue.

[Memory]

I've tried to get into them a couple times. I never could though, I really like Giddy Lee's voice and everything. I don't know why I'm not already a fan. I'm going to download some of their stuff right now.

[BlowOnAJug]

The singer's voice was always too high for the band in my opinion

[MarcStitz]

I have no Idea why i can't get into rush, they sound like a good band and everybody's likes them but I can't get into them, I only like two songs Tom Swayer and Working man. Man I got to listen harder, probably the reason is a the singer sounds like a girl [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[M Williams]

[ QUOTE ]
The singer's voice was always too high for the band in my opinion

[/ QUOTE ]

I think Geddy's voice suits the music perfectly, but each to his own. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[JosephC]

I am a big fan of Rush.

I would rank their studio albums in the following order:

1. Hemispheres
2. A Farewell To Kings
3. Moving Pictures
4. Permanent Waves
5. 2112
6. Fly By Night
7. Caress of Steel
8. Counterparts
9. Test For Echo
10. Power Windows
11. Signals
12. Grace Under Pressure
13. Rush
14. Presto
15. Roll the Bones
16. Hold Your Fire
17. Vapor Trails

The first 5 albums on this list are must-have's in my opinion.

[Echoes]

[ QUOTE ]
The singer's voice was always too high for the band in my opinion

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd kind of agree with that, since I haven't heard much of their 70s output yet. I mostly got into the 1980-1991 period of their music. That's where Geddy's voice is a few octaves lower, and IMO sounds a lot better. But hey, to each their own.

[Ashley Dalby]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The singer's voice was always too high for the band in my opinion

[/ QUOTE ]

I think Geddy's voice suits the music perfectly, but each to his own. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
I Cant Imagine Anyone Other Than Geddy Lee Singing For Rush, Probably Why No One Ever Has.

[Echoes]

All too true Ash. It's kinda like trying to sing an AC/DC song that Bon Scott sang. Nobody can ever replace that voice.

[Franklin]

Rush has been one of my favorite bands, if not my favorite band, for 28 years (my relatively permanent top three are Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Rush). I first got into them in my sophomore year in high school. This was before the release of Permanent Waves, so Rush had very little fan base then. It's funny looking back to my old high school yearbooks. The guys all wrote stuff like "Rock on" or "Rush rules" or "Disco Sucks" and the girls all wrote stuff like "you're a sweet guy, have a nice summer."

Anyway, my opinion is just my opinion, but at least it's based on 28 years of being a serious fan:

First three albums: necessary for hard core fans only. All versions of the songs are better on the live album All the World's a Stage, except the studio version of Working Man.

2112, A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres: this trio of albums featured the lengthy concept songs. All three albums are essential. Xanadu is my all-time favorite Rush song. I prefer Hemispheres (the song) to 2112 (the song), though that puts me in the minority. Something For Nothing and A Farewell to Kings are excellent too.

Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures: the two best selling Rush albumes put Rush on the commercial map. Essential.

Signals: I did not like Signals when it first came out, but with the benefit of twenty years of listening to it, it's now one of my favorite Rush albums.

Grace Under Pressure: I guess I must be in the synths are OK camp because Grace Under Pressure is my all-time favorite Rush album. It always has been. I also saw Rush live when they toured for this album.

Power Windows and Hold Your Fire: These two albums round out the mid-80's period. I liked them a lot, but for the first time Rush albums contained filler, or at least songs that I didn't like as much as the others I also saw Rush for the Power Windows tour.

Presto: I never got into Presto. In fact I had bought the CD but later sold it to a used music store. [I have since bought it again.] The Pass is a really excellent song. This album also came out around the time I got married and started having kids. This period corresponded with me drifting out of music for many years, so I didn't keep up as Rush released what I now consider to be the...

New albums: Roll the Bones, Counterparts, Test For Echo, Vapor Trails.

The live albums:
All the World's a Stage: highly energetic performance of the earliest songs. Highly recommended to fans of the early music.

Exit Stage Left: Unlike ATWAS, all versions of the songs are inferior to the studio versions. Still good though, but not essential.

A Show of Hands: All versions of the songs sound basically just like the studio versions. Still good, but not essential.

Different Stages: Disc 3 is interesting as it contains a 1978 recording (Farewell to Kings tour). This is enough to turn anybody into a Farewell to Kings fan. The version of Xanadu is incredible, as is Farewell to Kings (the song).

In Rio: Awesome. Some have complained at the raucous crowd noise in the recording but, what the heck, it's a live album . If you don't like crowd noise, buy the studio albums. I love the versions of Driven and Resist on this CD, plus dozens of others.

[Matthias]

[ QUOTE ]

First three albums: necessary for hard core fans only. All versions of the songs are better on the live album All the World's a Stage, except the studio version of Working Man.

2112, A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres: this trio of albums featured the lengthy concept songs. All three albums are essential. Xanadu is my all-time favorite Rush song. I prefer Hemispheres (the song) to 2112 (the song), though that puts me in the minority. Something For Nothing and A Farewell to Kings are excellent too.

Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures: the two best selling Rush albumes put Rush on the commercial map. Essential.



[/ QUOTE ]

I like them until Moving Pictures.
All albums after that can't bother me. Too 'progressive'.

For the first album: Here Again is also a good song.
And from The Caress Of Steel album I also like 'The Necromancer' and 'The Fountain Of Lamneth'.

'2112' is kind of the only really good song on 2112.

[Franklin]

[ QUOTE ]

And from The Caress Of Steel album I also like 'The Necromancer' and 'The Fountain Of Lamneth'.


[/ QUOTE ]
I agree. The solo in Necromancer is awesome and Fountain of Lamneth is a vastly underrated first 20 minute epic. I still say that casual fans will probably not like the early three albums, but there is much brilliance there.

[ QUOTE ]

'2112' is kind of the only really good song on 2112.


[/ QUOTE ]
Aside from the awesome Something For Nothing, I agree completely.

[Ady]

A bloody long interview with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt1YBFmsXSs

[devilmaycare]

I always loved Rush, probably due to the fact that they always toured the UK when I was in my teens when the likes of Van Halen, Kiss & Aerosmith invariably stayed away. I prefer them live to on record... they always put on a hell of a show.

[The Rules Mob]

These guys, together with Dio-era Sabbath and Iron Maiden, will always remind me of my early teenage years. I saw them on every tour between Moving Pictures and Grace Under Pressure. Their peak is the period between Permanent Waves (when I first got into them) and GUP. There's not one mediocre track on any of those albums. In my view its between them and Maiden which band had the best collection of musicians. Exit . . .Stage Left, while perhaps fairly criticized as being bloodless, shows how amazing they were. Three guys, and only 3 guys, performing Xanadu and La Villa Strangiato live. And I'm pretty sure they were among the first to have sophisticated "film clips" accompany the show. The guys from SCTV were awesome.

[AngryHeart]

Now that it has been suggested the the first three albums are not essential, let me suggest that the first two, Rush and Fly By Night are very good.

As a Black Sabbath fan, you might enjoy the first record as it is more hard rock than many of the others.

Of the later period I like Presto and Counterparts.

[fishtowner]

Now that it has been suggested the the first three albums are not essential, let me suggest that the first two, Rush and Fly By Night are very good.

As a Black Sabbath fan, you might enjoy the first record as it is more hard rock than many of the others.

Of the later period I like Presto and Counterparts.

Working man could have been a sabbath song in my opinion. Great song.

[DiosSword]

From about 1980-84, Rush were it for me...even competition for Black Sabbath!

I first saw them in 1982 on the Signals tour, South Bend, Indiana. The late Rory Gallagher opened, great, great blues rocker. They played all the Signals album except for "Losing It."

Second time, Rosemont Horizon, Chicago, 1994. Primus opened, and not my thing at all. They even did a medley of really old stuff like "Xanadu" and "Working Man," complete with Alex Lifeson's double-neck guitar.

However, as I've stated before...they didn't just lose me with Grace Under Pressure...they pushed me away! I've tried for the past 25 years to get into that album and I just can't. It is way too sterile, synthy, Tears For Fears-wannabe and I loathe the sound of Simmons electronic drums. Cozy Powell should have smashed them. However, a lot of it has to do with the time period. I'd got slung out of high school, my father was killed and my girlfriend dumped me, all within a matter of weeks. I liked "Between The Wheels," "Afterimage" and "Distant Early Warning," but the rest...

I currently own:

Rush
Fly By Night
Caress Of Steel
2112
All The World's A Stage
A Farewell To Kings
Hemispheres
Permanent Waves
Moving Pictures

Most are Canadian pressings...fitting...and I love 'em all, even though some of the early stuff I am not at all into lyrically, because I have never been a fan of Ayn Rand.

I want to get Exit...Stage Left and Signals back into my collection.

I have owned:
Exit...Stage Left (Geddy way too loud but still good)
Signals (almost orchestral; I actually looked like the kid in the video for "Subdivisions")
Grace Under Pressure (see above)
Power Windows (mostly forgettable, except for "Marathon")
Hold Your Fire (Rush going '80s pop, but I like "Open Secrets" anyway)
Presto (some of Neil Peart's most personal lyrics, but dry production)
Roll The Bones (more good lyrics, so-so music, watery guitar sound)

[Ady]

I currently own:

Rush
Fly By Night
Caress Of Steel
2112
All The World's A Stage
A Farewell To Kings
Hemispheres
Permanent Waves
Moving Pictures

Almost the same as me, except I don't have All The World's A Stage, but that's definitely one I'll get in the future.

I've also got Grace Under Pressure on vinyl from years ago and I could never get into it either. The first Rush album I ever heard was A Farewell to Kings, which a friend lent me and it blew me away. I recorded it and also bought 2112, which of course is a classic. So, when I bought GUP it was very much a letdown. I gave it a spin as recently as last year and it still does nothing for me. Still, those first 8 studio albums are mint.

[WarningRules]

I kind of skimmed through this thread and didn't see anyone mention that Neil Pearte is the greatest drummer of all time.

[The Rules Mob]

From about 1980-84, Rush were it for me...even competition for Black Sabbath!

Same here. In fact, once Dio left Sabbath, for me it was pretty much these guys and Iron Maiden fighting it out for first.

I first saw them in 1982 on the Signals tour, South Bend, Indiana. The late Rory Gallagher opened, great, great blues rocker. They played all the Signals album except for "Losing It."

Amazing tour. And Rory Gallagher rings a bell as the opening act.

However, as I've stated before...they didn't just lose me with Grace Under Pressure...they pushed me away! I've tried for the past 25 years to get into that album and I just can't. It is way too sterile, synthy, Tears For Fears-wannabe and I loathe the sound of Simmons electronic drums. Cozy Powell should have smashed them. However, a lot of it has to do with the time period. I'd got slung out of high school, my father was killed and my girlfriend dumped me, all within a matter of weeks. I liked "Between The Wheels," "Afterimage" and "Distant Early Warning," but the rest...."

I remember hearing interviews around this time where Alex said he was really influenced by the Edge. And GUP is probably not on par with Permanent Waves or Moving Pictures. But I like the tunes you mentioned, as well as The Enemy Within and Red Lenses. I actually liked (and still like) the strange "vibe" of this album. The tour for this album was great as always. After that though they lost me.

[DiosSword]

I kind of skimmed through this thread and didn't see anyone mention that Neil Pearte is the greatest drummer of all time.

You're saying that just because Neil Peart is a fellow Canadian, right?

No, really, the guy is amazing. His drum solos are jaw-dropping. I especially liked it when he had his pre-electronic everything-AND-the-kitchen-sink kit, with all the bells, tympani, etc. (when he looked like Doug Henning; now he looks like Tom Hanks!).

I have his book, Ghost Rider, about the long motorcycle journey he took across Canada, America, Mexico and Belize after his daughter was killed and his wife died of cancer. It's not an easy read, but it's probably the best glimpse into the very private man he is.

Although I live in Michigan now, I'm originally from Indiana, and if you look at early Rush tour books he always mentions The Percussion Centre of Fort Wayne, Indiana. At one time I think he got his drums there, and he did a lot of drum clinics there. That's about an hour from where I grew up, and I did my Air National Guard service at the unit there, but, not being a drummer, I never went to The Percussion Centre.

A friend of mine did talk to someone who went to one of his clinics, and they were just that - clinics. He did not want to talk about Rush, himself, or anything but drums.

---------- Post added at 03:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:04 AM ----------

I remember hearing interviews around this time where Alex said he was really influenced by the Edge. And GUP is probably not on par with Permanent Waves or Moving Pictures. But I like the tunes you mentioned, as well as The Enemy Within and Red Lenses. I actually liked (and still like) the strange "vibe" of this album. The tour for this album was great as always. After that though they lost me.

I think it had a lot to do with what was going on in my personal life as a very confused, pissed-off 18-year-old who didn't know what the hell he was going to do with himself. When I hear GUP I still think of what was going on in the spring of 1984.

I wanted a Rush album from Rush, and I didn't get it. I didn't want an '80s electronica album that sounded like it could have fit on the Terminator soundtrack.

Oddly enough, the band really slagged Signals, and that is one of my top Rush albums. It was different, it was growth, but it was still Rush, even though the influence of The Police was quite apparent ("Digital Man," "New World Man"). Alex Lifeson says he can't even bring himself to listen to Signals now.

I think a lot of the strangeness of GUP had to do with the fact that they were working with a different producer (Peter Henderson) for the first time and that they weren't working with Terry Brown.

I didn't see the tour, but I heard that they had a lot of problems getting all the technology they were using to work right and that there were a lot of glitches.

Who knows...if that album hadn't turned me off so much I probably would have given the following albums a proper listen and been fairer to the band and what direction they were trying to go.

---------- Post added at 03:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:18 AM ----------

All too true Ash. It's kinda like trying to sing an AC/DC song that Bon Scott sang. Nobody can ever replace that voice.

Marc Storace of Krokus certainly tried...

[MobRules]

Rush is my favorite band, even higher than Sabbath. Though that doesn't bother anyone, i'm sure.
Rush are great!

I saw then in '97 in Toronto, and again in 2004 in W. Palm Beach here in Florida. Great shows.

I own:
Caress of Steel
A Farewell to Kings
MP
PW
POW
GUP
HYF
Presto
RTB
T4E.

That's all. I don't really like their newer material, and I would love it if they went back to Prog Rock. The only reason why I don't have FBN and Rush, is because i'm not a fan of those albums.

My favorite song is a tie, really. Between Xanadu, The Enemy Within, Kid Gloves, and Manhattan Project.
Favorite album is also a Tie, between COS and GUP

[Franklin]

Count me in as a Rush fan. Rush has been one of my very favorite bands since my sophomore year of high school (1979). I own all their albums on CD now (except Vapor Trails and the EP of covers) and owned (and still own) all their albums on vinyl (up to Power Windows) that had been released prior to my conversion to CD.

My favorite period is 2112 through Grace Under Pressure. Others have stated they didn't like GUP, but it's one of my favorites. The one that was harder for me to get into was Signals, but now I love that album too.

[Hell_Awaits]

I'll listen to Rush til the day I die.

I Love 2112, Freewill, witch hunt....to many to name.

[MobRules]

Count me in as a Rush fan. Rush has been one of my very favorite bands since my sophomore year of high school (1979). I own all their albums on CD now (except Vapor Trails and the EP of covers) and owned (and still own) all their albums on vinyl (up to Power Windows) that had been released prior to my conversion to CD.

My favorite period is 2112 through Grace Under Pressure. Others have stated they didn't like GUP, but it's one of my favorites. The one that was harder for me to get into was Signals, but now I love that album too.

Signals is the only album that I really can't get into (Out of the ones I like), besides Subdivisions (Obviously) and The Analog Kid.

I dunno, it's a strange album.

[kentuckyfan]

I have been a RUSH fan since 1980 and seen them four times live. My thoughts are the 70's was the best era for the band with this century the 90's and the 80's last. Moving Pictures and Perminate Waves are must cd's but the rest of the 80's and 90's did very little for me. Hope not to get too many RUSH fans mad but because I am 45 and remember the 70's as the best era for music I do tend to place this decasde above all the rest.

[anzyyy]

this band gave some of the most popular albums........i am a big fan of RUSH.......

[Franklin]

I have been a RUSH fan since 1980 and seen them four times live. My thoughts are the 70's was the best era for the band with this century the 90's and the 80's last. Moving Pictures and Perminate Waves are must cd's but the rest of the 80's and 90's did very little for me. Hope not to get too many RUSH fans mad but because I am 45 and remember the 70's as the best era for music I do tend to place this decasde above all the rest.

I'm 45 too and listened to Rush for even longer than you (but, admittedly, not by much). I experienced the same inability to enjoy their late 80's, 90's music as much as the classic era. I did like Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows and Hold Your Fire (less) but stopped getting into Rush with Presto.

[devilmaycare]

having said all that... at least they haven't been putting out the same record for 35 years...

I don't like much from that era, but doing that stuff then probably kept them interested in the band and helped them keep it going through to their recent(ish) return to form...

[Ted Sallis]

I like all of their albums from Rush up to and including Exit Stage Left. My favourite album is Permanent Waves and my favourite songs are 2112, Xanadu, Jacob's Ladder, Natural Science.

Ted

[devstorm]

Spectacular band. I've attended their shows consistently since my first in 84. I have to say though the shows since 94 have been just amazing. I never EVER thought I'd ever get to see them play By Tor & the Snow dog, let alone A Natural Science. And really there's not many bands that deliver such an entertaining show as Rush. They've added in custom videos done by South Park, Jerry Stiller from Seinfeld, and the SCTV guys. And really killer stuff that fit their songs, to laser shows, Home appliances on stage, and Alex Lifeson who could put on quite a great stand up comedy show if he wanted to. What this all boils down to - GO SEE THEM LIVE!

One of their most under rated albums imo is Counterparts. Check out Double Agent, Cut To The Chase, Leave that Thing Alone & Stick it Out. Just great kick ass rock. My favz are all the albums between 2112 & Power Windows, then Presto, Counterparts, Test for Echo & Snakes & Arrows. Great band great players & they seem like great people too. Also check out Geddy Lee's solo album My Favorite Headache, which is also very kick ass.

[The Rules Mob]

Marc Storace of Krokus certainly tried...

Although, in fairness to Storace, Headhunter was an absolutely great album. I saw them open for Def Leppard on the Pyromania tour. Both bands earned their money that night.

[devilmaycare]

I remember the Leppard/ Krokus "war" on that tour. Pathetic. But entertaining!

[The Rules Mob]

I remember the Leppard/ Krokus "war" on that tour. Pathetic. But entertaining!

I'll have to admit I don't know to what that refers. Since both bands basically fell apart after the albums they were then touring behind, maybe it's too bad they didn't have a real war though.