That will be awesome until you get to Dream Of The Blue Turtles.

In we go.

Hemispheres

The pseudo-sci-fi song naming and lyrics continue unabated side by side with radio-ready offerings. It's like 2 bands on one album.

This is not as strong a start as previous albums. If they're going to get you to swallow the bitter pill of a lot of the silliness, they need to come out swinging with something good enough that you forgive the rest. Also they get into something in this first song at about the 2:00 mark that is 75% Red Barchetta... the chiming harmonics on the guitar, the whole thing, it's like a dry run for it. Interesting. Otherwise this first one is ok but not essential, and frequently borders on outright Silly. The idea that people will carefully listen along and get into all this seems really far fetched to me. I just sorta want Neil to go out, get drunk, get laid, and relax a little.

Circumstances is a plodding, tedious, 3+ minute song that manages to feel much longer than La Villa, which is over 9 minutes. This song has fewer hooks than a throw pillow.

The Trees was fun enough when I was a kid, learning to play it and such, but now I just can't hear it over the metaphor. I assume this is more Randian philosophical pap.

As has been said before, La Villa (and YYZ) were THE benchmarks to strive for in the basements of yore. So much goddam fun to play through... wish I had a guitar here. At 2:00 when the guitar begins to come in, the volume on my computer just seems to rocket itself up to So Loud.

(La Villa) As this guitar solo builds up from 3:35 on, so quietly at first, I remember realizing as a kid that he was just upping the volume knob on his guitar little bit at a time, as it builds. Back then I sorta operated with a mindset that the guitar is always at 100% and you do the rest with your amp... channels and pedals and such... when so much is possible just playign softly and with the guitar backed down. So you can hear it progressively get edgier and fuller as he ups it along the solo. And then after all that building, that killer palm muted set... guh. Forgive me but this was crack for me at 16. So hard not to go home and play this with headphones.

Permanent Waves - 1980

Starts off with Spirit of Radio, which, you know. It's goofy but fuckall is it a good rock song. If I had a nickel for every time I played this song before I graduated high school, I could fucking retire. Was always tricky finding someone willing to blow out their throat trying to sing it, and I still struggle with that opening pull-off run. A lot of people do it wrong, as a four note descending run down the E string, but that's not what he's doing, it's two descnding and then two ascending, which you can only do with the E and the B string both. So it's picked, it has to be, and it's fast and clean as shit. That is 400x harder than doing a big 2 hand pull-off on the E string. I digress. This is hooky radio rock of the finest order, silly lyrics and sentimentality be damned. With a song like this, they could pretty much print money. Few bands have one of these in them, much less a Tom Sawyer too.

Freewill... again all I hear now is philosophy. But it's a good song, and fuck my bottom that guitar solo is amazing, perhaps most of all for the way it ends. Those chord mixed in between the runs... sorry to get geeky but sweet jesus Alex earned his money on this one. I backed it up three times to hear it again. Starts off with a wonderfully out of control feeling that's part playing and part amp / effects, then those chords. Oi. As I get older I get farther and farther from this band, but I happily admit that this solo still turns my crank.

Jacob's Ladder... Blech. More unforgivable lyrics that aren't cut with good enough hooks to make you overlook them. This is a "no."

Entre Nous... I guess this was an attempt at their Radio friendly side, but ... meh. Album is quickly rolling downhill.

Different Strings... this is flat out Bad. There should not be a sensitive side to Rush. This song makes me want to light baby animals on fire just to swing the balance back to the middle. Unlistenable.

Natural Science... Forget what I said above, this may be the worst thing they've recorded to that point. It has all of their faults, amped up to 11. Sensitive accoustic guitar balladry, followed by wacky time signature riffing devoid of any particular melody, and finally a track length that flirts with ten minutes. I think this song would actually make my wife keel over dead if she were forced to hear the whole thing. Like, she'd mentally stop her own heart beat somehow just to make it end.

So a VERY uneven album, with the biggest peaks and valleys to date, for my money.

Moving Pictures - 1981

Tom Sawyer... Again they lead off with the big radio guns. Song deserves to still be in heavy Adult Rock rotation as much as any other. You have to imagine the boner the record company had when a band cranked out two songs this hot in two albums. The radio play and the constant touring must've put a lot of dough in a lot of pockets.

Red Barchetta... That brittle, cranky bass sound. I know back then he played an old jazz bass and more often a Rickenbacker. This MUST have been the Rick, nothing else sounds so nasally and cantankerous as a Rick 4001. So this is firmly in th "yes" camp for me, such good hooks, and it doesn't work as political propaganda. The various parts and themes all work together well for me. A good radio-ready song that didn't see as much play, and a good old friend from the Exit live album. Gimme 2 good beers, a chorus pedal, and a drummer and let's do this shit.

YYZ… THE benchmark in basement nerd playing competency. The best drummer you knew stayed awake every night trying to play this song better. I never got all the runs, because fuck that they’re damned near impossible and I’m not that good. But I got a lot of it, and stumbling past the hard bits was still fun enough. And that solo is so wonderfully bizarre. Alex is trying very hard here not to fall into the old blues rock traps, and he succeeds. They’ve never had 3 songs in a row until now that stand up well, so this is a high water mark. This sums it up well. For all the guys who sweated it out as kids, busting their fingers, YYZ is holy text. Even as a jaded, crusty old 37 year old, if I found myself at a Foo Fighters concert and Alex and Geddy walked out and busted into YYZ, I’d probably cum and shit simultaneously. And for the record, the bass is the best instrument on that song for me, not the drums.

Limelight… The first Rush song I learned. This is 4 in a row on one album that are solid classics. I remember when I first figured out the main riff, all of 13 or whatever, I could fucking float I was so happy. I say again: Rush is the primer book for kids like me who didn’t take lessons, but who played by ear. Yes it’s corny and obtuse but when it’s good, it’s very good. And all of it is pretty hard to play, so you get lured along into working at it.

Camera Eye… I think I’m supposed to not like this one but damn, I remember it and I kinda still love it. It sprawls, but pleasantly so, and when it wicks up into high gear, it’s more than just solid. And when he does finally sing, that melody is so good. They stay out of their own way here, and the charm of this album contues to steer them right. This album must surely be their high point.

Witch Hunt… Well the run had to end sometime. And even this dud isn’t like the previous duds. More clunky Neil lyrics, a soft hook at best, but not an offensively bad turd. Whatever.

Vital Signs… GAH you couldn’t just stop the album before this? Ok this is a turd. Synths are getting more of a top billing, guitar sounds is very Police-like, they’re moving into Shoulder Pads Territory on this one.

This will surely be the peak, album-wise. Looking ahead at Signals I can already see we’re veering over the edge of the cliff.

Signals - 1981

Even the album title is getting 80’s - signals, technology, synths, that whole 80’s feeling is here.

Subdivisions… I remember us all liking this one back when, but it was really getting so synthy that it wasn’t the same. When we got to this album, we began to have to scrape and compromise to find things to like. I like it much less now. I see how it’s catchy and decent, but it’s just not as good as previous material, and dammit Neil stop with the voiceover.

The Analog Kid… Great riff. They’re back to doing what they do best. That first minute or so is first-class “what they do,” for my money. The breakdown is … whatever… Inoffensive I guess, but here Come The Synths. Rest of the song makes up for it. This is one I used to always ignore the guitar on and play along with the bass. So a 50/50 song with some great parts. All in all a keeper.

Chemistry… Peeeee Yoooo. Good god what a turd. Songs like this are why people hate Rush. Unlistenable.

Digital Man… All in all I like this opening. I had completely missed the similarities with The Police, but man it’s so blatant here. Wonder who did it first? Serious question, I assume it was the Police but what if it wasn’t? Is there a known link that I’ve just never heard of? Because Sting could sing this song and it would pass perfectly. So a fun song, like the 6/8 time, can ignore the lyrics and get into it.

The Weapon… Again, turdsville. Woof. Electricity / technology / weapons = The 80’s. And some amazingly, staggeringly bad Neil lyrics on display here. Unlistenable.

New World Man… Despite my better judgement, and all my efforts, I cannot deny this song. What the fuck is wrong with me? This is terrible, but fuck I love it. I mean, these are punchable lyrics if there ever were any, but it’s a set of great hooks and they’re very well played. I like the open chords and chorus here for once, the synths are toned down to where they should be – supporting role, not up in your sinuses, and Geddy finds his nutsack on the bass again for a little while. Lyrics…so…bad…cannot stop… listening to music though… oh thank god it’s done - it’s like some kind of mind control.

Losing It… Should’ve been lost on the way to the studio. Barf. Synths and bad lyrics.

Countdown… More over-the-fucking-top 80’s weapons/tech bullshit. I know, the cold war, Reagan, I know. Still, I don’t give a fuck. Jet sounds here, helicopter sounds on Def Leppard songs, oh shit helicopters here too I guess… god what a shitty mess. They are digging a basement below the old bottom of their barrel. Turns out there’s worse.

So a downhill album with a few decent spots, but well off the pace of the last effort, and heading in the direction of some shitty ground.

Is it just me, or does Alex Lifeson look like Gregg Popovich's younger brother, but with better access to Rogaine and Clearasil?

I recently revisited Signals, and while it's not the best Rush album, it's definitely much better than I remembered it being. At the time it came out, on the heels of one of the "best albums ever" (according to the teenage version of me) in Moving Pictures, it sucked ass. It's actually pretty good, as far as Rush albums go.

Rush was part of my "big four" bands during high school, along with Van Halen (DLR era), Queen, and AC/DC.

Cap's reviews are like a window into his nerd soul.

I remember Rush fan Cap'n with quite a bit of fondness. Those were simpler times.

Also, there was a Rush documentary on whatever that VH1 HD channel is called a few months ago and I could not stop watching.

"beyond the lighted stage"?

That's it. Highly entertaining.

I watched this:

& downloaded a torrent of all their albums. Listened through. I don't think I've listened to them since. I think I'm more intrigued by the idea of them as a band, than the actual material. Plus, I think "I Love You, Man" came out around the same time and I was kinda digging some of the RUSH music in that.

"It's ZED!!!!!"

yeah - i really enjoyed it

didn't realize how shitty peart's offstage life has been

Yeah? I haven't seen it. All I know is that he brings a bmw GS motorcycle on their tours and rides around a lot exploring, which sounds fucking amazing and I'm beyond jealous.

"Working Man" came on in the dish room today. FUCK YEA

ha ha

I burned up my free song limit on rdio.com doing this.

his wife and daughter suffered tragic deaths in fairly close chronologic proximity, if i recall correctly

that's enough to bring anyone to the brink

From Wikipedia:

Holy fuck that would be terrible.

try Mog