inspired from a couple of years ago when we were doing the listening parties through discographies (really cool time for the board, btw), I had been planning a Rush one for awhile and finally started a couple of weeks ago. I used to think Rush was the worst band ever and am slowly going through their discography. You can try with me, if you want. Don't know their availability on spotify (but that tool could make these projects way better). Anyway, here's my reviews so far. They're really poorly written and probably just repeat the same thing over and over. But hey, QUANTITY.

Rush (1974)

It’s basically Led Zeppelin-lite. You can’t escape it, but for an album coming out in 1974, already 5 Zepp albums deep, this is basically a rehash of the sound that Robert Plant and co. mess with on their first 3 albums. Heavy blues riffs, high-pitched vocals, accomplished playing, etc. The songwriting isn’t quite on par with some of Led Zepp’s best stuff, but it’s pretty fun, mindless rock n roll. But yeah, there is no way you can listen to this and not hear early Zeppelin. Check out “What You’re Doing” and pretend you’re not hearing “Heartbreaker”

God, the freeze-frame on that youtube is so perfect. The following track “In The Mood” almost sounds like a fake song. An almost-sexual song that just sounds juvenile and hilarious. Complete with cowbell transitions from chorus to verse. It’s cheesy and reeks of 1974 and all the flashiness that exists and it’s wonderful for it.

There is not much creativity throughout the album, almost every track sounds like something you’ve heard before. It’s simplistic, amateurish (though well-executed) rock n roll, the kind of stuff you might blast in your car during the summer (though admittedly, probably with the windows up). “Before and After” has an extended power-ballad, distorted guitar introduction before it kicks in, but is Geddy and co.’s try at a slower song, really trying to appeal to the teenagers of the 1970s. Closing track “Working Man” is actually probably one of my favorite 70s blues-rock, big-time songs, it’s a real treat. Album opener “Finding My Way” gets in my head like you wouldn’t believe.

The album is regularly forgotten about because it’s not as epic or grandiose as the Rush albums that were soon to follow, and there’s no Neil Peart writing terribly “intellectual” lyrics and big drum solos, but it’s a mistake to ignore this album, because “Rush” is the Rush album that people who hate Rush should love. Geddy’s voice fits the blues riffs perfectly. It’s big, dumb and totally fun. For a debut album in the 1970′s, it is a totally acceptable album and as I said, probably the Rush album I listen to the most. Try it out, blast that shit. (3.5/5)

Fly By Night (1975)

Two quick guitar bursts and a hybrid surf rock / heavy metal drum fill and BOOM, Rush is a different band. Thanks Neil Peart.

“Fly By Night” is the first Rush album with the legendary (and legendarily ridiculous) drummer, and his drum sound and songwriting is what really separates this album from the debut…though not entirely.

While most attention is paid to Peart and his contributions to this record like “Anthem”, one of the best Rush songs, period, and “By-Tor and the Snow Dogs”, one of the first Rush “epics”, this album still has a lot of Geddy Lee goofiness. Track 2, “Best I Can” would sound perfectly in place smack in the middle of the heavily Led Zeppelin-influenced debut album, though it does push aside some of overt blues rock influences for an even BIGGER stadium sound. The worst song on the album is also the song where Geddy tried to do something totally different. Taking the acoustic numbers that Zeppelin was really starting to experiment with in the second half of their career, Geddy attempts to write his own Lord of The Rings ballad with “Rivendell” and while it’s nice to break up the monotony of some of the heavy Alex Lifeson riffs and shudda-deh-deh Peart fills, the track is totally out of place and doesn’t get nearly as weird as it wants to be.

But speaking of Lifeson, the dude really comes into his own on this record. While the debut showed he had tons of chops, “Fly By Night” has more chance for solos, and some of the tones he messes with here on his guitar are some of my favorite in really bombastic 1970′s rock n roll. I don’t know if this is caused more by the improved production or just giving the guy the space to breathe, but without Lifeson holding down the ROCK, even when it goes into Boston-level territory, Rush doesn’t really work at all.

As far as I know, “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” is one of the most divisive Rush tracks. It’s certainly not as ambitious as later Rush songs, and doesn’t really need to be over 8 minutes long, but I personally have enjoyed this song even before I could admit to liking Rush at all. This is mostly because of the extended interlude, the guitar soloing and just the far-out lyrics. The initial guitar solo/freak out around the 2:00 mark, where it just sounds like Lifeson trying to do his best Jimi Hendrix, ear-bursting feedback blast is one of my favorite things on the entire album. For such a polished sounding record, it’s a pretty righteous sound, it’s just kind of DIRTY, especially while comparing it to Geddy’s persistent chugging bassline and Peart’s huge drums going all over the place, it just SOUNDS like science fiction, or at least the closest they get on the record.

Oh and “Fly By Night” is one of my favorite classic rock tracks – I grew up loving that song and not knowing it was Rush. One of those songs that just gets in your head and doesn’t leave. The drum/guitar fill between the second and third line of the chorus “Change My Life Agaaaaaiiiinnn / Fly by night goodbye…” is to me, as anthemic as “Sweet Caroline”, it’s one of those major pieces of rock and pop culture.

So while I love a lot of moments on this album and feel it’s a great blend between simple rock n roll Rush and later period what the fuck Rush, it’s not a perfect album. After “Fly By Night”, “Making Memories, Rivendell and “In The End” don’t do much for me, even if “In The End” is a fan favorite. Has interesting moments, but I think I often just want them to get back to kicking ass by the end. The sequencing of the 8 tracks just seems off, but that first 2/3…it’s pretty fun. (3.5/5)

Caress of Steel (1975)

Released the same year as “Fly By Night”, Rush’s second 1975 album “Caress of Steel” is case in point why I thought Rush was a hilariously awful band before I actually tried “getting into” them. It’s as wildly uneven an album as any album in their career, and is sequenced in like this:

First 3 songs combined length: 12:30, Track 4: 12:31 , Track 5: 19:57. Yeah, it’s like the band was so undecided which direction they were going to go from here, rocking out or proggin’ out, that they just said “fuck it, we’ll go as extreme in both directions as we can.” And they weren’t even a really big band yet.

So here’s what we get: A totally kick-ass opener. “Bastille Day” has some typical early-period Rush lyrics, veiled historical references, character driven and performed in a screaming style that makes it seem as though these words actually matter. But Geddy, Lifeson and Peart are all putting in top notch performances here and give you an idea of what Rush’s first album could have sounded like with Peart on drums. The riffs are huge, the soaring quality that Geddy has is almost over the top and the song just rules. 3 albums in, the band knows how to OPEN up an album, because “Bastille Day” is probably the best track here and should be placed along with some of their best rock tracks.

But then, to illustrate just how bad at editing this band could be, second track “I Think I’m Going Bald” might actually be one of the worst songs, period. Bad for Rush, bad for 1970′s hard rock, bad even if it were released amongst the shit on the radio in the early 2000′s. It’s just bad.

“Lakeside Park” is sort of meddling, half good, half forgettable. After the awfulness of the previous track and the passages of bad in the track that follows, it definitely has some things going for it, but it still doesn’t really seem like it’s all the way realized. Good mix of styles, but just sounds like…you know…1970′s rock n roll, nothing to write home about.

I don’t really know of “The Necromancer” is ANOTHER Lords of the Rings track like all progressive rock songs, but it definitely could be (and probably is). I don’t particularly like the spoken interludes (I’m assuming that is Peart or some awful voice actor), nor do I really like the 1st part of this track, but it ends pretty strong, with the band really able to vibe with each other and crank out some impressive interplay. It’s loud when it needs to be loud, but it doesn’t really need to be 12 minutes long.

And “The Foutain of Lamneth” doesn’t really need to be ONE song. It’s not, it shouldn’t be and even if it was a suite of songs, it doesn’t need to be this long, because, while it is entertaining, it has too many boring parts too really make me want to care. The section around the 6:00 minute mark, whatever section that is (“Didacts and Narpets”?) is just not for me, you know. It’s hard to get through the track even on days when I really want to listen to progressive rock and really want to listen to Rush. It’s like the best and worst parts of progressive rock in one track, but really, it just kinda sits in the middle for most of the time, almost like it’s long for the sake of being long.

Of the first 3 Rush albums, this is probably the worst, mainly because it’s so uneven and doesn’t quite reach the heights of the previous two – but it’s not BAD, entirely. And hey, after this album, they begin to enter their “classic” stage, so there’s something to look forward to… (2.5/5)

2112 (1976)

Widely considered the first true “classic” in Rush’s discography, one thing we can all agree on about 2112 is that upon it’s release, it was definitely the band’s most ambitious release, and the title track still ranks as one of the all time most known (and crazy) long progressive rock tracks.

“2112″ takes up the entire first side of the LP, clocking in over 20 minutes, and is essentially about 7 different songs all rolled up into one. If there’s one thing most people can agree on in regards to the track, it’s that the band’s instrumental prowess is in full force here. The various passages (and refrains) all work as a cohesive whole (unlike the two long tracks on “Caress of Steel” and there are passages within the song, when it starts to really rock out that rival anything Rush has done – all 3 members on the same page. But regardless of the instrumentals and production of the track, it’s really hard to get past the concept and lyrics. Another “what in the hell is Peart doing?” moment.

So get this, essentially the song is another Ayn Rand analogue, a society at “peace” with a singular temple body that controls all people as equals, where everyone works to create a utopia, but nothing out of the ordinary works. But ALAS, our hero finds, get this, a dusty electric guitar in a cave behind a waterfall, starts messing with it and is amazed at the sounds it produces! He loves the melody, he loves how the sounds can change, he loves the feelings of the “wires” in his hands. But when he wants to share his excitement with the temple elders, they strike him down and tell him to stop messing with such foolishness. BUT NO, he can’t, but he can’t disobey his masters, so he gets real depressed and offs himself.

Yeah, that’s a song. That’s one of the most famous Rush songs. That’s why people don’t take Rush seriously. I mean, it’s basically the most ridiculous Tenacious D song, but it’s not even comedy – and if you think that at any point it is tongue-in-cheek, just wait until you get to the closing voice over stating that the temple is “IN CONTROL!” Yikes. The song is fun, it doesn’t drag, but it reads like a 14-year old attempt at a science fiction short story. Applaud the ambition, laugh at the amateurism.

And I don’t want to ignore the other 5 songs on the rest of the album, but they are all pretty strong. “Passage To Bangkok” has some funny (and pure 1970′s) sound effects, but it’s a good song, “Lessons” is a no frills rock n roll number, “Tears” has some funny lyrics again, but is a pretty strong ballad. “Something For Nothing” is a really solid hard rock song, near the top of what is good about mid-70s hard stuff. It’s what the band would sound like if they continued improving on half the sounds from “Fly By Night” instead of going more in the prog direction, it was their LOGICAL progression and is a solid set of songs.

But with a 20-minute opening song like “2112″ it’s almost hard to remember there are any songs that come after it, because even when you get to them and are essentially enjoying them, you’re thinking about that opening number, shaking your head, making sense of it and just confused on whether or not you loved it or hated it. I’ve been trying to figure that out for years and I’m still undecided. (3.5/5)

All The World's A Stage (1976)

When looking at the list of official Rush releases and planning to review them all, I was a bit on the fence about live albums. I know from reviews and Rush’s own fanbase that much of the appeal of the band is because of their live performance (hell, I even loved that movie a few years ago), but live albums can be a tricky thing to review – there is not usually a whole lot to say unless it’s truly terrible or truly amazing. And looking at the list, Rush has more than a few live releases, so I can’t promise that I’ll review every single one here, but I’ll at least do the more popular ones, or the ones that showcase different eras in their music. And since I like early, raucous Rush – their first live album with its mixture of material coming from all of their first 4 albums, is a good one to pay attention to.

When it comes to live albums from rock n roll acts, I like to have some variety. If I go to a concert, I get pretty upset if the live performance is just whatever current music the act has out, performed just like it is on record – I want something new, something different, something that shows the talent of the musicians and not just the studio. Improvisation, alternative versions, covers, anything to break up the idea that concerts are essentially platforms to sell recordings of already released music, which is unfortunately mostly what this performance is.

So combining the fact that this is early stage, pre-synth Rush, but paired with the idea that there is little variation to the music leaves this album as something that I really dig on the whole, but wish could just be…more.

It’s raw, the rawest sound of Rush that we have from this period. I mean that in terms of Lifeson’s guitar being the spikiest it has ever sounded, Geddy’s voice being more shrill and emotive than the early records and Peart’s drumming not being the dominating sound in the mix, which is to say that there hardly is a mix. The recording quality itself is pretty poor, when Geddy sings, it sounds a bit like he’s in a tin can, or quite a ways away. Not only that, but there is this tendency on the recording that once he gets into his verses, the instruments are turned down quite low in comparison to the vocals, which makes sense, but on certain tracks, you can actually notice a difference in the mix or editing afterwards. You get some funny words from Geddy introducing songs (and an especially funny few words about how much he enjoyed the show after the encore). The crowd is really into it, being essentially a hometown crowd, but there is still at times a lack of energy that actually being there likely had.

They play tight, they play loud, they take some of the indulgent parts from “2112″ and “By-Tor” and either remove them or just make them dirtier, which definitely appeals to me, but on the whole, while it is definitely a document of Rush as a true rock n roll band, playing heavy and playing loud, an actual increase of recording quality could benefit the release.

Is it essential? No. Is it a truly great live album? No. Is it actually even that important in the grand scheme of Rush’s discography? Not really. But it’s basically the last time you get to hear early Rush. It’s the last piece before their full metamorphosis – so if you prefer your prog rock more on the louder, guitar heavy side of things – this could do you well. (3/5)

A Farewell To Kings (1977)

I had heard the whispered tales of immortality
The deepest mystery
From an ancient book I took a clue
I scaled the frozen mountain tops of eastern lands unknown
Time and Man alone
Searching for the lost Xanadu

Rush are at their most ambitious (and perhaps most ridiculous) on this album, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. “A Farewell To Kings” is really the first Rush album in their discography at this point that I have trouble forming my own opinion on. My initial listens revealed a weak album (apart from the always awesome “Xanadu”), though subsequent listens (and perhaps a change in mood / weather / etc.) have revealed an album that is, while quite different from the first part of their career, still pretty enjoyable. Featuring some of their strongest moments period, to this point.

Like a lot of Rush albums, it starts off incredibly strong right off the bat. The title track, “A Farewell To Kings” features an acoustic intro before delving into awesome interplay between Lifeson and Peart and really showcasing the best possible over the top-ness of rock in the 1970′s. In 1977, punk was in full bloom and this is about as far away from punk as you could get – everything is played beautifully, all lyrics are sung as over the top and glossy as possible, everything is dealing with fantasy-based lyrics and giving sneaky previews to songs and sounds found later in the album. But man, it is a hell of an album opener and a sound that I wish Rush would have stuck with for the majority of their career. It’s just fun – really fun.

I already mentioned “Xanadu” and the hilarious “storytelling”, but all things considered – this is probably THE BEST Rush song up to 1977, or at least the best long-form song. Extended intro to set the stage, sounding all spacey and out there, before the 3:40 mark where it turns into what rock n roll was going to sound like in the early 1980′s, with a repetitive riff, synth washes and heavy drums. The intro just really GETS me, man, and while it’s totally done in excess, it’s like the best kind. If Nick from Freaks and Geeks didn’t do that opening drum solo to “Tom Sawyer”, playing along with “Xanadu” would have been the next best thing. At the 5:20 mark, the song starts to pick up, faster tempo, if it wasn’t so poppy would almost be considered metal. I love the way the song starts and stops and as soon as you even hear “Xanadu” in the song, it completely drops out, gives us these awesome bad sci-fi movie synths and slows down. The joy of this song, to me, really is that while it is eleven minutes long, it never feels like it, which most other long Rush songs can’t say. Yeah, I’m just going to say it’s my favorite Rush song off the top of my head. May we all dine on honeydew.

Following “Xanadu” you get 4 songs of varying quality, though none match the near classic status of the opening 2 tracks. “Closer To The Heart” is one of those Rush songs you probably know even if you think you don’t know any Rush songs. It’s a mainstay of classic rock radio, it’s silly, it’s light, it gets stuck in your head, it could also be written and performed by dozens and dozens of other musicians in the 1970′s and we wouldn’t really know any difference. It’s enjoyable, though. Novel, even.

“Cinderella Man” is one of those few songs written by Geddy and not Neil, and you can tell that it’s not quite as fully thought out as Neil’s songs are, but it’s still a fairly decent song. I don’t really pay attention to the lyrics at all (it almost sounds Bowie-esque at times), but the music itself is pretty interesting, or at least speaks of the era. Not offensively bad, but not particularly good.

I do think “Madrigal” is pretty terrible, so we can leave that as that. And I think that “Cynus X-1″ has some interesting moments, but bores me. Unlike “Xanadu”, you can feel every minute of it’s length. That’s not a good feeling. They tried to do something interesting and made it uninteresting. Whatever, good try.

So it’s still an album I’m mixed on, not great, not awful, but again, the strong points I find to be REALLY strong. Who knows, maybe this will be THE Rush album that takes me years to appreciate (probably not), but as of now, it’s just – well, pretty good. (3/5)

WOW. Awesome idea. I haven't sat down and listened to a Rush album since high school. Starting on "Rush" now.

I had forgotten almost ALL of this album. Wow. It's incredibly hard to keep it in context. Most of it is pretty well worth forgetting, unless you're only listening BECAUSE of the context. But as something to just toss on the stereo, oof. Agree on What You're Doing - that's so incredibly Zeppelin. I'm doing a lot of skipping ahead here, I just can't make it through these songs. The playing is great but so were so many other bands... amazing these guys didn't wind up as accountants or math teachers.

Beginning to hit a few good moments here, while still whiffing a lot. For me it's Beneath Between Behind where I start hearing the Rush that locked me in my room with headphones on and a telecaster in my lap as a 13 year old. Geddy's bass tone is delightfully shallow and punchy, with just a little growl to it. I think it was the first time I'd heard a bass brought up front and shown off as a "front line" instrument in the mix, where it has as much to say conversationally as guitars, vocals, saxes, whatever. Anyway, that song starts the right way, and then when they all kick in, I am hooked. Such a great syncopated rhythm where each line is just so far back behind the down beat, and then they all galluo and catch up by the end of each line... all I wanted to do back then was go make noise like that. You just stare at your left fingers and WILL them to be able to go faster, cleaner. Literally every day I'd get better at some riff, and the reward was addictive. I know I missed the bus several mornings, and my sister got pissed at having to drive me to school... I had to make a rule for myself not to play guitar in the mornings. The first times I played with other people it was usually in someone's living room after school, and Fly By Night was one of those songs. It's easy enough and fun (til you got to the solo, and then it was wuh-oh).

Even the tossaways on this one are getting better. Except Rivendell... whoa. That was a cul de sac they should never have gone down into on tape.

this thread is going to be fun

and this guy HEARTILY APPROVES...

Whoooo, this was a low point. As you said, Bastille Day is a deserving classic and stands up well enough. The rest of this is just a mixed mess. They're very, very lucky this didn't come out during the iTunes era, or nobody but their moms would've bought these two prog tracks. I see what you mean about there being a few perky / meaty parts in amongst it all, but sweet jesus you have to wade through a swamp of bullshit to get to it, and even then the payoff is really not worth it. ...And then here comes more voice-over. Wow. Is this better when you're stoned?

[quote="contradiction"]2112 (1976)


Ok... in we go. And fuck yes, what an opening. I am 14 again... Overture and Temples are fantastic. Then we have to hear Alex tuning. Why did they do that? The mastering here (and I'm not listening to the Remastered version) is much better than the prior 3. Lifeson's guitar sound before this was too tinny and trashy for me. I like that they scooped out the mids a little here (or he's playing through a big cab instead of a small one). "Discovery" and past it somehow is not familiar to me, and it's not good. Awkward and cheesy. I began to skip ahead here. Had it just been the two first segments (and much shorter an opening song) this would've been knocked out of the park. At least there's only one voiceover ("attention all planets of the solar federation, we have assumed control"... ooook.) edit: just read your explanation above, and yes that all makes sense now. Good god what a shitshow.

Bangkok: middling quality radio-friendly rock song. This is them "reigning it in" I guess. The decision to do that "oriental" note run in the intro (and near the end... again) was a bad one. Stopit. Couldn't finish the song. Twilight Zone and Lessons are harmless but not worth hearing again. Couldn't finish them. They feel like radio filler. Tears is pretty much Rivendell Part II, in sound and uncomfortable touchy-feely closeness, if not content theme. Gotta give the kids something to cry along to, I guess. And then Something For Nothing pops up to get us out of here in entirely forgettable fashion. I'm gonna go back and listen to the first 3 minutes again, because that's really all this album has going for it. But it's their best 3 minutes yet, I think.

That really sums it up - best 2112 review EVER!

I played my Exit Stage Left cassette so much I almost wore the treble off, so I know what you meant about the live album conundrum. As for this one, you were right about all of it. No synths and massive stage sets yet, still more or less a regular rock band. Hadn't gotten to the prime of their material yet, so there's not a ton for me to dig into on this one.

If Xanadu is prog (and how could it not be at that length), then it's my favorite prog rock song. It has very few contenders, but as you said above, it doesn't feel as long as it is. And it is chocked full of enough honest-to-god riff hooks that the heavy-handed spaceyness and sci-fi wankery don't weigh it down to the bottom of the lake. This one track is a sneak peek into so much that came afterwards.

Closer To The Heart was another one you could figure out in your bedroom and play after school in the band room, except nobody could fucking sing that high.

The rest of the album is a MehFest that sounds like what should be playing at a Trekkie house party.

Bad news, Dead Thread: you are no longer the bottom of the barrel.

This thread is Rads repellent.

On to Hemispheres I guess?

FWIW, These reviews seem pretty incomplete.
You include how your boogers taste while listening to each of these albums, and what your mom has cooking upstairs.

I honestly believe that going through a Rush phase is a good thing for young guitarists. Assuming it doesn't wreck your sense of taste forever, it WILL make you bust your ass and practice.

damn squirrel, you did my 2 weeks of work in a number of hours. nicely done.

you can move ahead (my job prohibits me from moving too fast), and i'll have to download a lot of the ones i deleted a year or so ago, but glad you're getting in on it.

also, i didn't really mention it, but i'm listening to a lot of these albums for the first time, or at least will be starting with Hemispheres. (and not including Moving Pictures, obviously)

also Rads, I agree. That's part of the fun. Whatever

i thought this was a personal shot at me because i often write really long intros in my reviews that just come off like personal memoirs of nothing interesting, but then i realized you were just talking about rush fans.

oh and also, on the complete other side of the spectrum, i guess. after Rush i'm doing the Dixie Chicks, so there's that.

(laughing)

---wait-----

"oh and also, on the complete other side of the spectrum, i guess. after Rush i'm doing the Dixie Chicks, so there's that."

...dude NO. A bridge too far.

the first 3 dixie chicks albums are really great. (when they were a bluegrass band essentially)

and i haven't listened to any of their popular ones beyond the singles really, but i have had them forever.

This isn't a review thread, this is an assassination attempt by Contradiction on myself but means of knowingly provoking a brain aneurysm.

'Hold Your Fire' is the only LP I've ever returned to the library with the word "CUNTS" repeatedly carved into the vinyl with a compass.

I don't have much to add as all I know of Rush are a few radio singles. Never heard an entire album.

I will say I've caught bits and pieces of Beyond The Lighted Stage on Palladia and always find it funny when they start interviewing all these metal dudes (Kirk Hammett, etc) about their musicianship and just about all of them are like "Yeah, you know how to play Fly By Night but can you play LA VILLA STRANGIATO?!?".

Sorry I couldn't help it. Every booger eater I know loves Rush.

You're actually doing a good job of this FWIW.
Found out I might not hate the first album because of this.

the only band on earth where most people know the drummer and bass player, but not the lead guitarist?

Police.

I thought about doing a Police and assorted solo records one too