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The 50 Greatest RUSH songs of all-time (featuring # 1 from the 1970's) (1 Viewer)

Ghost Rider said:
Of course they would, because, unlike Working Man and Rush's debut, that is actually great stuff.

I agree, but a top 50 including both would inevitably lead to a ton of #####ing (usually from the pro-Roth crowd that loves to trash Van Hagar), and that would take a lot of the fun out of it.
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That's the fun part!

 
kevzilla said:
Kid Gloves is possibly Top 10 for me, but I've only seen on one other list in here. It's my personal favorite drumming song, even when I'm mangling it on my buddy's Roland kit.
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Kid Gloves is a fun little tune. Always struck me as one of their few effortless rockers of the 80's, meaning one that just rocks without nothing too fancy around it (which is a major compliment considering the playing is stellar as always).

Apple Jack said:
That's the fun part!
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Haha, maybe.

Grace Under Pressure said:
Honorable mention to:

The Body Electric

just sayin 
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Eh, I like that song, but to me, that and Red Lenses are the two P/G songs that don't quite stick to landing.  I love the drum tracks in each, but it's like they didn't write great stuff around them.  I always looked at those as two songs that suffered as a result of the producer issue (Steve Lillywhite bailing on them and having to hire Peter Henderson at the last minute to produce it).

 
Ghost Rider said:
Kid Gloves is a fun little tune. Always struck me as one of their few effortless rockers of the 80's, meaning one that just rocks without nothing too fancy around it (which is a major compliment considering the playing is stellar as always).

Haha, maybe.

Eh, I like that song, but to me, that and Red Lenses are the two P/G songs that don't quite stick to landing.  I love the drum tracks in each, but it's like they didn't write great stuff around them.  I always looked at those as two songs that suffered as a result of the producer issue (Steve Lillywhite bailing on them and having to hire Peter Henderson at the last minute to produce it).
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I have sympathy for the android during these times. Replaying each of the days, a hundred years of routines. Trying to change the mode. I get it now more than ever. He wanted his freedom, his ego and id. One zero zero, one zero zero one. In distress.

 
Happy Easter!!! From a Rush FB group.

The Big Bunny, an Easter parody to the tune of the Big Money

Big bunny hops around the world
Big bunny on the ground
Big bunny got a mighty joy
Big bunny makes his rounds

Big bunny in the early spring
Big bunny at sunrise
Big bunny got a lot of pep
Big bunny hope will rise

Sometimes bringing baskets around
Sometimes give a child a hug
Sometimes giving eggs bright colors
Sometimes hide them under rugs

It’s an old children’s story
It’s a jelly beans that’s spiced
It’s the celebrated glory
Of the good Lord’s sacrifice

Big bunny hops around the world
Big bunny, kids amuse
Big bunny fuzzy tale to shake
Big bunny candy chews

Big bunny wrapped-up chocolate creams
Big bunny laughs and squeals
Big bunny eggs of blue and red
Big bunny family meals

Sometimes spreading springtime flowers
Sometimes brightening up the town
Sometimes, at least, on Easter Sunday
Plastic eggs are found

It’s that spring-time tradition
It’s the bunnies and the birds
It’s the candy egg covered with tin
Get a whole week off from school

Big bunny hops around the world
Big bunny eggs to break
Big bunny got a basket of goods
Big bunny cookie shapes
Big bunny jelly beans in hand
Big bunny hides in a hole
Big bunny got marshmallow peeps
Big bunny lawn egg roll…
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I've tried to get into Marathon and Mission this weekend.  Obviously the reason they came out on Rush's 11th and 12th album was because they had so many better tunes they had to get off of their minds first.

 
BassNBrew said:
I've tried to get into Marathon and Mission this weekend.  Obviously the reason they came out on Rush's 11th and 12th album was because they had so many better tunes they had to get off of their minds first.
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Everyone in here being all Canadian, and you have to go and start some stuff.    :pokey:   :boxing: :P

 
One of the last mixtapes I made was a Rush compilation. As always I went in chronological order. Glad to see 9 of my 10 made the big list.

By-Tor & the Snow Dog

A Passage to Bangkok

Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres

La Villa Strangiato

Red Barchetta

YYZ

The Camera Eye

Marathon

Mission

Leave That Thing Alone

All released between 75-93

 
Ghost Rider said:
Test for Echo - My least favorite Rush record.  I still listened to it non-stop for months after its release, but a lot of it has not aged well, although I still like Resist a lot, and others I still enjoy are the title track, Driven, Half the World, Limbo and Carve Away the Stone.  Dog Years and Virtuality both have killer riffs and are enjoyable on a superficial, but both get sunk by uncharacteristically bad lyrics by Neil.  Time and Motion is awful and in contention for worst Rush song ever.
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I do think you have underrated TFE.  There are some really great songs on there.  I agree that Time and Motion is bottom 10.  It really doesn't have much going for it.  With your overall list, it just surprises me a little that one of these couldn't crack the top 50.  What is your favorite off the album?  Resist?  

I would have to go with Half the World, but Driven is pretty damn good.  Its hard not to speed when that song comes on.  Even on black ice.  

 
Caesar said:
I do think you have underrated TFE.  There are some really great songs on there.  I agree that Time and Motion is bottom 10.  It really doesn't have much going for it.  With your overall list, it just surprises me a little that one of these couldn't crack the top 50.  What is your favorite off the album?  Resist?  

I would have to go with Half the World, but Driven is pretty damn good.  Its hard not to speed when that song comes on.  Even on black ice.  
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Resist is probably my favorite, with Driven a close second.  I like both of those songs a lot, as well as a few others.

I am not alone in my low ranking of Test for Echo, though. Seems like a lot of fans agree that it was their least best album, and even the band seemed to agree.  It was the only Rush album to not have been featured at all on their last four tours, and interestingly, it was the only Rush album where the first song was played on only one tour.

 
Ghost Rider said:
Resist is probably my favorite, with Driven a close second.  I like both of those songs a lot, as well as a few others.

I am not alone in my low ranking of Test for Echo, though. Seems like a lot of fans agree that it was their least best album, and even the band seemed to agree.  It was the only Rush album to not have been featured at all on their last four tours, and interestingly, it was the only Rush album where the first song was played on only one tour.
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I also do believe it just brought back too many tough memories for Neil. That was the last tour he was with Selena and shared some final memories of her meeting up with him at some shows before the tour ended and right before her horrific tragedy. 

I really think that has a lot more to do with it than the actual tunes. 

Driven was simply awesome live as well as Test For Echo. It was a shame we never got hear any of those songs again (save for an acoustic version of Resist on R30) live. 

They also unfortunately neglected Counterparts too, save for Leave That Thing Alone,  and Animate (and Stick It Out to a lesser degree). It was cool to hear Between Sun and Moon on the VT tour.....but it was not that strong of a live song IMO. How we never heard Alien Shore or Cut to the Chase is one of the bigger “live” Rush mysteries!! Two simply delicious riff driven Rush songs that are both classics in my book and born to be performed live. 

 
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Todem said:
I also do believe it just brought back too many tough memories for Neil. That was the last tour he was with Selena and shared some final memories of her meeting up with him at some shows before the tour ended and right before her horrific tragedy. 

I really think that has a lot more to do with it than the actual tunes. 

Driven was simply awesome live as well as Test For Echo. It was a shame we never got hear any of those songs again (save for an acoustic version of Resist on R30) live. 

They also unfortunately neglected Counterparts too, save for Leave That Thing Alone,  and Animate (and Stick It Out to a lesser degree). It was cool to hear Between Sun and Moon on the VT tour.....but it was not that strong of a live song IMO. How we never heard Alien Shore or Cut to the Chase is one of the bigger “live” Rush mysteries!! Two simply delicious riff driven Rush songs that are both classics in my book and born to be performed live. 
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I would have liked more Counterparts representation for sure, but it did have a song played on four of the six tours this century, with two songs being played on one of them (Time Machine tour).  Cut to the Chase never being played is still a mystery, as it did seem like a natural live tune. 

It is possible that Test for Echo was neglected due to the memories for Neil, but we will probably never know. 

 
Try this one on for size.

Rik Emmett (Triumph) singing and playing guitar over some recorded Neil drums.

Brings into thought how much fun a Triumph/Rush tour would have been. Trading playing sets giving each other rest, with some songs together. How about a close of the show with all six playing YYZ or something together.

 
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It will probably never happen but I would love to see Alex, Geddy and a fill in like Taylor Hawkins or Dave Grohl do a limited number of shows.  Again, I'm sure it will probably never happen but I would pony up the cash because I would really enjoy seeing that.  I think Alex and Geddy have a lot left in the tank.

 
Sullie said:
It will probably never happen but I would love to see Alex, Geddy and a fill in like Taylor Hawkins or Dave Grohl do a limited number of shows.  Again, I'm sure it will probably never happen but I would pony up the cash because I would really enjoy seeing that.  I think Alex and Geddy have a lot left in the tank.
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Id prefer benante but ya whatever it takes to see them again

 
Sullie said:
It will probably never happen but I would love to see Alex, Geddy and a fill in like Taylor Hawkins or Dave Grohl do a limited number of shows.  Again, I'm sure it will probably never happen but I would pony up the cash because I would really enjoy seeing that.  I think Alex and Geddy have a lot left in the tank.
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Marco Minneman, Gavin Harrison or Mike Portnoy are the best for the job if they ever did something like that (and I have a hunch in a year or two we very well may see this happen and so what...it would be awesome).

Portnoy would be the most enthusiastic guy if he were asked. And he would kill it. 

Grohl and Hawkins are great players....but the precision would not be there that's needed to really play their best material imo. The three guys I mentioned are beasts. 

 
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Todem said:
Marco Minneman, Gavin Harrison or Mike Portnoy are the best for the job if they ever did something like that (and I have a hunch in a year or two we very well may see this happen and so what...it would be awesome).

Portnoy would be the most enthusiastic guy if he were asked. And he would kill it. 

Grohl and Hawkins are great players....but the precision would not be there that's needed to really play their best material imo. The three guys I mentioned are beasts. 
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Portnoy doesn't have the precision anymore to do Rush's music justice.  He cheats on a lot of his own drum parts now live (I noticed it the last few times I saw him with the Neal Morse Band).  Don't get me wrong, he can still play extremely well, and he is clever enough to still play in a way to mostly mask his cheats, but they are there.  He by his own admission said recently that he can't play like he used to since he is over 50 now, and he has also said that he doesn't practice that much anymore. 

Harrison or Marco would be great choices, though.  Those guys are both still on top of their games (assuming Marco hasn't lost a thing since touring with Steven Wilson a couple years ago). 

 
Ever since this thread started months back, my morning routine has been to go into the bathroom for my shower and say "Alexa, play Rush" and I get a nice mix of Rush music to start my day (pro tip: Alexa always starts with the hits, which are fine, but I don’t always want to start with Tom Sawyer, Spirit of Radio, Freewill or Subdivisions.  So after Alexa starts, say "Alexa shuffle" and she’ll give it a nice shake up). 
 

so after months of shuffling through their collection (too much Vapor Trails and Clockword Angels for my tastes) I told Alexa to just play the Grace Under Pressure album. News flash ;)  that album freakin rules. And Between the Wheels as a closer is just so amazing, driving, melodic, powerful. 
 

that is all. This was an excuse to get our Rush thread back to the first page :)  

 
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joey said:
Ever since this thread started months back, my morning routine has been to go into the bathroom for my shower and say "Alexa, play Rush" and I get a nice mix of Rush music to start my day (pro tip: Alexa always starts with the hits, which are fine, but I don’t always want to start with Tom Sawyer, Spirit of Radio, Freewill or Subdivisions.  So after Alexa starts, say "Alexa shuffle" and she’ll give it a nice shake up). 
 

so after months of shuffling through their collection (too much Vapor Trails and Clockword Angels for my tastes) I told Alexa to just play the Grace Under Pressure album. News flash ;)  that album freakin rules. And Between the Wheels as a closer is just so amazing, driving, melodic, powerful. 
 

that is all. This was an excuse to get our Rush thread back to the first page :)  
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Like we need an excuse. :P

I actually have barely listened to any Rush since I did this thread.  Not for any particular reason, there is just so much music out there, and I've been on a kick with a handful or so of artists since and haven't made it back around to Rush yet.  I will sooner rather than later though, without a doubt. :yes:

 
Ghost Rider said:
Like we need an excuse. :P

I actually have barely listened to any Rush since I did this thread.  Not for any particular reason, there is just so much music out there, and I've been on a kick with a handful or so of artists since and haven't made it back around to Rush yet.  I will sooner rather than later though, without a doubt. :yes:
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Rush was my high school and college band, before I transitioned fully to alternative/new wave. I always listened to Rush now and then (especially on the drive from SF to LA since a couple of albums can get me a third of the way there) but it was this thread that threw me right back into the deep end again. Loving it but I expect in a month or so I’ll shut it down and not listen again for months and months. Enjoying the ride though :)  

 
joey said:
Rush was my high school and college band, before I transitioned fully to alternative/new wave. I always listened to Rush now and then (especially on the drive from SF to LA since a couple of albums can get me a third of the way there) but it was this thread that threw me right back into the deep end again. Loving it but I expect in a month or so I’ll shut it down and not listen again for months and months. Enjoying the ride though :)  
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There ya go. :yes:

I am guessing you are only early to mid 50's?  Seems like most guys that age listened to Rush in high school (and Van Halen, AC/DC, etc.).  A buddy of mine who is mid 50's said back in the early 80 it was always a close call between Rush and Triumph to see who had the cooler light shows at live shows. :cool:

 
Ghost Rider said:
There ya go. :yes:

I am guessing you are only early to mid 50's?  Seems like most guys that age listened to Rush in high school (and Van Halen, AC/DC, etc.).  A buddy of mine who is mid 50's said back in the early 80 it was always a close call between Rush and Triumph to see who had the cooler light shows at live shows. :cool:
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"ONLY early to mid 50's".  That’s one of the nicest things I’ve heard recently. More like "ALREADY in my early 50's". Ugh. :)
but, anyway, yes, I’m in my early 50's. 
 

wait, what else was I going to say? ;)  

 
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BassNBrew said:
So you decide to edit the list and get Working Man in where it should be?
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Nope, Working Man was where it should have been...nowhere close to the top 50.  :yes:

joey said:
"ONLY early to mid 50's".  That’s one of the nicest things I’ve heard recently. More like "ALREADY in my early 50's". Ugh. :)
but, anyway, yes, I’m in my early 50's. 
 

wait, what else was I going to say? ;)  
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Haha, close enough!

 
Hey, I just wanted to thank Ghost Rider and all the posters in here for an outstanding thread.  I read it for the first time in a couple of hours over the weekend.  Everyone had such great perspectives and depth of knowledge and insight, including the sweet personal touches (teaching your kids to drum and similar).  It was also a thread about the love of music with no acrimony or snobbery whatsoever.  Bravo!  

Rush would never be my very favorite band because one of the things I treasure in music is vocal harmonies, but that's not Rush's fault.  Everything else about them really resonates with me.  No surprise that a lot of you commenting are musicians.  

My depth of knowledge pales next to you experts, but I loved Ghost Rider's rankings - I also adore keyboards in rock music so the synth era is wonderful stuff to me.  However, the high rankings of 2112, LVS and Xanadu were all very justified to say the least.  I listened to each while reading the thread, for the first time in a while, and was really impressed all over again.  Anyway, my all-time favorite is Subdivisions followed by Mystic Rhythms (honestly one of the coolest songs I've ever heard), SOR, and the usuals of LL/TS/RB.  I was pleased to see those all well-ranked; I'm sure MR in particular isn't for everyone.  I also need to check out Clockwork Angels; I've heard The Anarchist once or twice and like it but did not realize that this was a full-blown concept album.  Sounds very worthwhile.  

From an admirer but non-expert, fantastic thread.  Thanks for the great read!   🙂

 
I just made my way through this thread. I wasn't visiting the FFA much when this was going down so I'm sorry I missed it live. Great job by @Ghost Rider and everyone else.

I discovered Rush when I started watching MTV in 1982 at age 11 and videos for Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, Limelight and Vital Signs were in regular rotation. Soon thereafter, I started listening to FM radio and coming across some more of their stuff. My first Rush cassette was actually Fly By Night because the FM stations in Philly played the title track regularly and I became obsessed with it; and because it was cheap. Moving Pictures followed shortly thereafter. But I wasn't really into synth-dominated music (loved the way they were employed from AFTK to Signals, but after that they overwhelmed everything else for me), so I fell away from their new material in high school. My interest piqued again when Presto came out and didn't have overwhelming synth-isms, so I followed again from there through Counterparts. After that, I had other things going on and fell away again. 

In between my two marriages I went to a ridiculous number of concerts, and decided that I needed to rectify never having seen Rush live. I saw them at MSG on the Snakes & Arrows tour. I purchased S&A to prepare. (I didn't buy Vapor Trails, especially given all the complaints about its sound, and I don't remember whether I bought Test for Echo. I think I did.) I was amazed. It helped that they played some of my favorites that aren't usually considered in the elite tier such as Circumstances, Witch Hunt and A Passage to Bangkok. By the time Clockwork came out, I was remarried and had a 1-year-old son, so I didn't have time to check it out. 

I'm a pretty causal fan compared to many of those who weighed in here, and my favorites are what they probably are for most casual fans -- 2112 through Moving Pictures (and parts of Signals). Hell, it's possible my top 10 is 2112, Jacob's Ladder, LVS and all 7 songs from MP. 😆

I would have Working Man in my top 50. It's beastly. I saw Audioslave cover it live, so that was fun. 

One quarantine thought I've had is, what happens if John Rutsey doesn't have diabetes, or the ability to manage diabetes was closer to what it is now than what it actually was in the mid-70s, to the point where he doesn't feel the need to quit the band? Their upside is, what, a Foghat-like career? Their likely destiny is, what, joining the many Zeppelin imitators who got ditched by the music industry when punk and new wave happened? 

 
Oh, and to bust on facook in the Summerpalooza thread, I wanted to post Rush lyrics there, so I typed "random Rush lyric" into my browser and it turns out there's a Twitter account by that exact name. 😆

 
Pip's Invitation said:
One quarantine thought I've had is, what happens if John Rutsey doesn't have diabetes, or the ability to manage diabetes was closer to what it is now than what it actually was in the mid-70s, to the point where he doesn't feel the need to quit the band? Their upside is, what, a Foghat-like career? Their likely destiny is, what, joining the many Zeppelin imitators who got ditched by the music industry when punk and new wave happened? 
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Easy to say now, but it is possible that he doesn't last much longer in the band anyway as he wasn't a good fit at the time (Geddy and Alex wanted to get a little progressive, while Rutsey had no interest in that style supposedly).  That said, who knows if circumstances at a later date would have resulted in Neil joining the band, so it is so difficult to predict what would have became of them.  While Neil was never a music writer (he wrote his drum parts to fit the songs Geddy and Alex wrote, but I don't think he ever really wrote songs when referring to melodies and arrangements), his influence as the main lyric writer and drummer are more than obvious.  I call it the perfect storm. :)

 
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Ghost Rider said:
Easy to say now, but it is possible that he doesn't last much longer in the band anyway as he wasn't a good fit at the time (Geddy and Alex wanted to get a little progressive, while Rutsey had no interest in that style supposedly).  That said, who knows if circumstances at a later date would have resulted in Neil joining the band, so it is so difficult to predict what would have became of them.  While Neil was never a music writer (he wrote his drum parts to fit the songs Geddy and Alex wrote, but I don't think he ever really wrote songs when referring to melodies and arrangements), his influence as the main lyric writer and drummer are more than obvious.  I call it the perfect storm. :)
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I didn't know the story of how Neil met Geddy and Alex so I looked it up when writing that passage. Wikipedia says Geddy and Alex held auditions after John left, and one of Neil's friends, who knew the band, heard about it and suggested he go. It's possible that Neil is still available/interested if John stays but Geddy and Alex fire him after another album, but it's also possible that a year or so later, the friend doesn't know about the audition, or doesn't think to tell Neil, or Neil has got something else going on that he'd prefer to stick with. 

 
Lee and Lifeson have each acknowledged that during the writing and recording sessions for the band's debut album, Rutsey was given the role of chief lyricist. When the time came to start recording, however, he did not deliver any lyrics. In interviews, Lee and Lifeson have both said that Rutsey was dissatisfied with what he had written and had torn up the lyric sheets. Lee hastily wrote the lyrics to all the songs before recording the vocal tracks.
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Between the musical differences and the fact that he was given the task to write the lyrics for the first album and he failed to deliver,  I think John's fate was sealed fairly early on.  I'm sure there were other factors in John being released from the band as well.  Reading in between the lines of interviews (Alex and Geddy always seem very polite about it) but I've always gotten the vibe that John either wasn't prepared, equipped or ready for the next level.  Call it lack of maturity, lack of next level talent or perhaps he just wasn't a good personality fit but I think, no matter what, John never makes it past that first album.

 
Pip's Invitation said:
I didn't know the story of how Neil met Geddy and Alex so I looked it up when writing that passage. Wikipedia says Geddy and Alex held auditions after John left, and one of Neil's friends, who knew the band, heard about it and suggested he go. It's possible that Neil is still available/interested if John stays but Geddy and Alex fire him after another album, but it's also possible that a year or so later, the friend doesn't know about the audition, or doesn't think to tell Neil, or Neil has got something else going on that he'd prefer to stick with. 
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For sure. The "What if...?" game can be fun and played with so many different bands, though. :)

Sullie said:
Between the musical differences and the fact that he was given the task to write the lyrics for the first album and he failed to deliver,  I think John's fate was sealed fairly early on.  I'm sure there were other factors in John being released from the band as well.  Reading in between the lines of interviews (Alex and Geddy always seem very polite about it) but I've always gotten the vibe that John either wasn't prepared, equipped or ready for the next level.  Call it lack of maturity, lack of next level talent or perhaps he just wasn't a good personality fit but I think, no matter what, John never makes it past that first album.
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I think it's clear that many factors were involved that led to his departure, but I agree that he was not long for the band even if he hadn't left on his own.  His lack of musical adventurousness would have been a hindrance that likely would have led to Geddy and Alex cutting the cord themselves sooner rather than later.

 
Updated list:

01 2112
02 La Villa Strangiato
03 Xanadu
04 Red Barchetta
05 Jacob's Ladder
06 Marathon
07 Tom Sawyer
08 The Spirit of Radio
09 Leave That Thing Alone
10 Mission
11 The Trees
12 Freewill
13 Subdivisions
14 Territories
15 YYZ
16 Natural Science
17 By-Tor and the Snow Dog
18 Red Sector A
19 Dreamline
20 Limelight
21 The Pass
22 Distant Early Warning
23 Closer to the Heart
24 Manhattan Project
25 Cold Fire
26 Bravado
27 Between the Wheels
28 Witch Hunt
29 Double Agent
30 Cygnus X-1
31 Middletown Dreams
32 Headlong Flight
33 The Weapon
34 Prime Mover
35 The Camera Eye
36 Clockwork Angels
37 Ghost of a Chance
38 The Big Money
39 Anthem
40 Animate
41 Mystic Rhythms
42 The Analog Kid
43 Different Strings
44 Turn the Page
45 The Necromancer
46 Available Light
47 The Enemy Within
48 The Anarchist
49 Time Stand Still
50a Entre Nous
50b Hemispheres
50c Roll the Bones
50d Losing It
50e Bastille Day

.......

50mm Working Man

 
Ghost Rider said:
Updated list:

01 2112
02 La Villa Strangiato
03 Xanadu
04 Red Barchetta
05 Jacob's Ladder
06 Marathon
07 Tom Sawyer
08 The Spirit of Radio
09 Leave That Thing Alone
10 Mission
11 The Trees
12 Freewill
13 Subdivisions
14 Territories
15 YYZ
16 Natural Science
17 By-Tor and the Snow Dog
18 Red Sector A
19 Dreamline
20 Limelight
21 The Pass
22 Distant Early Warning
23 Closer to the Heart
24 Manhattan Project
25 Cold Fire
26 Bravado
27 Between the Wheels
28 Witch Hunt
29 Double Agent
30 Cygnus X-1
31 Middletown Dreams
32 Headlong Flight
33 The Weapon
34 Prime Mover
35 The Camera Eye
36 Clockwork Angels
37 Ghost of a Chance
38 The Big Money
39 Anthem
40 Animate
41 Mystic Rhythms
42 The Analog Kid
43 Different Strings
44 Turn the Page
45 The Necromancer
46 Available Light
47 The Enemy Within
48 The Anarchist
49 Time Stand Still
50a Entre Nous
50b Hemispheres
50c Roll the Bones
50d Losing It
50e Bastille Day

.......

50mm Working Man
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Dude... 😢

 
joey said:
My album rankings (with tier breaks)

1. Moving Pictures
2. Permanent Waves 

3. Signals  
4. Hemispheres 

5. Power Windows
6. Grace Under Pressure  
7. 2112 
8. A Farewell To Kings   
 

9. Hold Your Fire
10. Fly By Night  
11. Counterparts

12. Presto  
13. Roll The Bones  
14. Rush 

15. Caress Of Steel  
16. Clockwork Angels  
17. Snakes And Arrows  
18. Vapor Trails
19. Test For Echo

(I might mush 3-8 into a single tier since their rankings probably depend more on my mood at that moment than any others)
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Bumping this old thread. 
 

I saw a Rush documentary on AXS TV channel called "Rush: Rise of the Kings" which covered their origins through 1981. When they hit Caress of Steel they discussed all the known stuff about it being experimental (an album side track and another 9 minute track) and not performing well, which led to their decision to double down and go for it on 2112. But one of the music writers in the doc said something that stuck with me. He said many critics say that 2112 was a leap forward for them, but he claimed it is simply an extension of what they did on Caress of Steel with Fountains of Lamneth. These kind words made me go back and listen to Fountains, and Necromancer, and the whole album again…and Fountains yet again ;)

I’ve come around much more on Caress and, looking at my tiers above, I think I’d now move it up a tier or 2, into the Counterparts/Presto range. 

it made me wonder if they had put Fountains on the A Side and just let it all hang out, and subsequently push I Think I’m Going Bald and Lakeside Park to the B Side, if Caress might not have been better received as a very progressive forward leap for them. Then Bastille Day would’ve been a BSide gem and obvious single. 
 

anyway, thinking out loud and missing this thread so thought I’d share. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
joey said:
Bumping this old thread. 
 

I saw a Rush documentary on AXS TV channel called "Rush: Rise of the Kings" which covered their origins through 1981. When they hit Caress of Steel they discussed all the known stuff about it being experimental (an album side track and another 9 minute track) and not performing well which led to their decision to double down and go for it on 2112. But one of the music writers in the doc said something that stuck with me. He said many say that 2112 was a leap forward for them but he claimed it is simply an extension of what they did on Caress of Steel with Fountains of Lamneth. These kind words Made me go back and listen to Fountains, and Necromancer, and the whole album again…and Fountains yet again ;)

I’ve come around much more on Caress and, looking at my tiers above, I think I’d now move it a tier or 2, into the Counterparts/Presto range. 

it made me wonder if they had put Fountains on the A Side and just let it all hang out, and subsequently push I Think I’m Going Bald and Lakeside Park to the B Side, if Caress might not have been better received as a very progressive forward leap for them. Then Bastille Day would’ve been a BSide gem and obvious single. 
 

anyway, thinking out loud and missing this thread so thought I’d share. 
Click to expand...
Not sure it would have made a difference. The Fountain of Lamneth has its moments, but is a structural mess.  Bastille Day as the lead track was the right move.  To me, Caress of Steel is one of those "still getting their feet wet" albums where some stuff stuck to landing, while some stuff missed.  2112 was where it all came together and they got pretty consistent with their songwriting and experiments. 

 
Ghost Rider said:
Not sure it would have made a difference. The Fountain of Lamneth has its moments, but is a structural mess.  Bastille Day as the lead track was the right move.  To me, Caress of Steel is one of those "still getting their feet wet" albums where some stuff stuck to landing, while some stuff missed.  2112 was where it all came together and they got pretty consistent with their songwriting and experiments. 
Click to expand...
Agree entirely. I guess I was half admitting I’ve been too harsh on Caress, and half just bumping the thread and saying hi to the other Rush nerds ;)  

 
Guys, I am so sorry to hear about your Rush in the family. I can only imagine what you're going through at this time. You have my sincerest condolences.

 
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