50 replies to this topic

[Permanent-Rush]

Synth era is my fav of them all!!!!!!!!

[New_World_Man]

All periods that I listed are represented by four studio albums so this is fair. The one caveat would be that the feedback album is made up of songs previously recorded by other bands so we may or may not consider that as being a disadvantage for the later period. However, the later period does make up for it in the fact that there were more live albums recorded and released during this period than any other period so ultimately I feel I did a good job of separating the periods of their career and being fair about it.

It does seem though that so far at least the prog period is the clear winner.

[Rutlefan]

Prog (easy)
Hard
Later
Toss up between Post and Synth but I'll give it to Synth based on the strength of Signals, the last album that seemed like a completely cohesive, concise, quality collection of songs to me

[JohnnyBlaze]

B-A-C. Then it's tougher between D and E because of the pleasure and pain in each of those eras.

[diatribein]

1. Synth    (not even close)
2. Post Synth
3. Modern (Later)
4. Prog
5. Early

Post Synth and Modern were really close for me. My favourite album out of all 8 is Snakes & Arrows, but the other albums in the modern era don't stand up to Roll The Bones & Test For Echo for me. I am not into progressive rock at all. The best thing about the "prog" era for me was the move away from over 10 minute long songs with changing tempos to more songs with compelling choruses and pop sensibilities. Permanent Waves & Moving Pictures were a step in the right direction, as far as I am concerned, and set the stage for the brilliance of the later eras, especially the awesome synth era.

[Mystic Slipperman]

Synth era, just barely edging out the "prog" era.

[lifeson90]

Synth era, especially for the jacket & tie look. Everything on Show Of Hands vid really

I just loved the idea of such a deep thinking and sometimes extremely dark band sort of disguising it all with a fun kind of Jetsons look. Al in particular looked great but then again he always did, in fact thinking about it now my fav look of Al was on inner sleeve of Permanent Waves or that soundcheck of Spirit Of Radio on R40. Just looked coolest dude on planet.

But yeah the synth era for me, just the greatest band ever, trippin it Jetsons style

Checking out the state of the nation..

Edit: just gave Counterparts a listen out walking the dog and have to re-evaluate -- How could there be a better era than Counterparts? Same jacket thing but sophisticated elegance of mature guys and a harder rocking sound. What a great album

Each time we bathe our reactions, in artificial light... each time we alter the focus, to make a wrong move SEEM RIGHT...

Edited by lifeson90, 07 February 2017 - 03:10 PM.

[Rutlefan]

diatribein, on 07 February 2017 - 09:54 AM, said:

1. Synth (not even close)
2. Post Synth
3. Modern (Later)
4. Prog
5. Early

Post Synth and Modern were really close for me. My favourite album out of all 8 is Snakes & Arrows, but the other albums in the modern era don't stand up to Roll The Bones & Test For Echo for me. I am not into progressive rock at all. The best thing about the "prog" era for me was the move away from over 10 minute long songs with changing tempos to more songs with compelling choruses and pop sensibilities. Permanent Waves & Moving Pictures were a step in the right direction, as far as I am concerned, and set the stage for the brilliance of the later eras, especially the awesome synth era.

I'm not into progressive rock at all either, apart from appreciating early Yes, but '70s Rush simply rocks. I think it's only "progressive" for lack of a better label. But no matter, you like what you like. That's what's cool about Rush; something for (almost) everyone.

[New_World_Man]

Well, you non prog fans are in the minority at least judging by this poll. I'm sorry I just don't relate. I actually got into Yes and Genesis before I got into Rush. However, being a fan of all of these bands I can tell you that many Genesis and Yes(and other mainstream prog bands ie Floyd, ELP etc)have their share of classic rock fans who aren't much into prog either. My brother for example likes Rush and Yes and a little bit of King Crimson and early Genesis but never really got into any prog beyond that. He's mostly into 80's and 90's alternative rock. He and I are going to see U2 this summer in fact. Rush played music that goes way beyond just prog though. I think they are more universal and eclectic than many bands who get the prog label.

Edited by New_World_Man, 07 February 2017 - 09:35 PM.

[diatribein]

New_World_Man, on 07 February 2017 - 09:34 PM, said:

Well, you non prog fans are in the minority at least judging by this poll. I'm sorry I just don't relate. I actually got into Yes and Genesis before I got into Rush. However, being a fan of all of these bands I can tell you that many Genesis and Yes(and other mainstream prog bands ie Floyd, ELP etc)have their share of classic rock fans who aren't much into prog either. My brother for example likes Rush and Yes and a little bit of King Crimson and early Genesis but never really got into any prog beyond that. He's mostly into 80's and 90's alternative rock. He and I are going to see U2 this summer in fact. Rush played music that goes way beyond just prog though. I think they are more universal and eclectic than many bands who get the prog label.

Out of ALL the bands you listed in this reply, I have a whopping total of 0 CDs/LPs in my collection of over 3750 music items (CDs, LPs, CDSingles, 7" Singles, 12" Singles, & Box Sets). Furthermore, I can sing the chorus of one YES song (Owner of a Lonely Heart), but don't know any others; or at least know them to be YES songs. Of the other bands, I had one Genesis album on cassette (Invisible Touch), one Pink Floyd cassette (A Collection of Great Dance Songs)  and one U2 cassette (Under A Blood Red Sky) as a little kid. By the time I was a teenager, I had lost track of these cassettes and more than moved on. None of them really made any kind of lasting impact on me. In fact, if I could do it all over again, I would have saved the money from those cassettes and spent them on something more worthwhile. Either way, I was little kid just buying whatever. The only thing I know about King Crimson, is that there is a band called King Crimson and they allegedly play music. I cannot confirm this. It is but a rumour to me!

Point being, I love RUSH; I dislike Progressive Rock and barely know it. Both things can be true. RUSH's prog-rock beginnings are not really relevant to me. That said, I do like a few of their long songs, Natural Science, By-Tor and The Snow Dog, and most of 2112 (song). Does that mean I like prog-rock? Are those 3 songs all considered prog? My guess is that 2112 would be, but what do I know... King Crimson, could just as well be the monarch of some red nation as far as I know! Oh what's the other one you mentioned... ELP? I had to do a wikipedia search to figure out that is an acronym for Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It goes without saying that I wouldn't know one of their songs from a King Crimson song, meaning not at all.

Is that all the prog-rock bands? Hmmm... Dream Theater? (Don't Like)... Savatage? (Don't Like), Asia??? Are they prog-rock? I mean there were members of YES & ELP in Asia, right? I liked the first 3 Asia albums. I haven't heard any of the subsequent albums and honestly haven't listened to them since the 90s! When I bought those albums I was a little kid and didn't  know what prog-rock was anyway. Sorry to go on and on about this. Your reply amused me and I started to think about how relevant it was to me and the music I listen to.

Edited by diatribein, 09 February 2017 - 12:17 AM.

[tas7]

I'm a from AFTK's through to Signals man.

Edited by tas7, 09 February 2017 - 02:51 AM.

[Blue J]

I like it all!

Except Test for Echo.

[New_World_Man]

Really Diatribein? You don't even own one Pink Floyd album? I find that hard to believe. Is most of your stuff metal? A lot of Rush fans are metal heads and to be honest I really don't get that. I like metal(some of it at least)but I think most Rush fans probably have pretty diverse tastes in music.

[New_World_Man]

diatribein, on 08 February 2017 - 10:53 PM, said:

New_World_Man, on 07 February 2017 - 09:34 PM, said:

Well, you non prog fans are in the minority at least judging by this poll. I'm sorry I just don't relate. I actually got into Yes and Genesis before I got into Rush. However, being a fan of all of these bands I can tell you that many Genesis and Yes(and other mainstream prog bands ie Floyd, ELP etc)have their share of classic rock fans who aren't much into prog either. My brother for example likes Rush and Yes and a little bit of King Crimson and early Genesis but never really got into any prog beyond that. He's mostly into 80's and 90's alternative rock. He and I are going to see U2 this summer in fact. Rush played music that goes way beyond just prog though. I think they are more universal and eclectic than many bands who get the prog label.

Out of ALL the bands you listed in this reply, I have a whopping total of 0 CDs/LPs in my collection of over 3750 music items (CDs, LPs, CDSingles, 7" Singles, 12" Singles, & Box Sets). Furthermore, I can sing the chorus of one YES song (Owner of a Lonely Heart), but don't know any others; or at least know them to be YES songs. Of the other bands, I had one Genesis album on cassette (Invisible Touch), one Pink Floyd cassette (A Collection of Great Dance Songs)  and one U2 cassette (Under A Blood Red Sky) as a little kid. By the time I was a teenager, I had lost track of these cassettes and more than moved on. None of them really made any kind of lasting impact on me. In fact, if I could do it all over again, I would have saved the money from those cassettes and spent them on something more worthwhile. Either way, I was little kid just buying whatever. The only thing I know about King Crimson, is that there is a band called King Crimson and they allegedly play music. I cannot confirm this. It is but a rumour to me!

Point being, I love RUSH; I dislike Progressive Rock and barely know it. Both things can be true. RUSH's prog-rock beginnings are not really relevant to me. That said, I do like a few of their long songs, Natural Science, By-Tor and The Snow Dog, and most of 2112 (song). Does that mean I like prog-rock? Are those 3 songs all considered prog? My guess is that 2112 would be, but what do I know... King Crimson, could just as well be the monarch of some red nation as far as I know! Oh what's the other one you mentioned... ELP? I had to do a wikipedia search to figure out that is an acronym for Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It goes without saying that I wouldn't know one of their songs from a King Crimson song, meaning not at all.

Is that all the prog-rock bands? Hmmm... Dream Theater? (Don't Like)... Savatage? (Don't Like), Asia??? Are they prog-rock? I mean there were members of YES & ELP in Asia, right? I liked the first 3 Asia albums. I haven't heard any of the subsequent albums and honestly haven't listened to them since the 90s! When I bought those albums I was a little kid and didn't  know what prog-rock was anyway. Sorry to go on and on about this. Your reply amused me and I started to think about how relevant it was to me and the music I listen to.

Part of it could be your age or just your preference and it's ok I'm not judging you. Prog as a whole is still pretty obscure(well beyond the most obvious bands at least)so I'm not that surprised. I would say the majority of Rush fans are probably not prog fans but you could say that about any of the major prog bands. It doesn't matter. It just depends on how you approach the music. No need to defend your dislike of prog. We all like what we like.

Also, in my previous post I probably should have said Rush fans who like prog and not assumed all who like the prog era of Rush are prog fans.

Edited by New_World_Man, 09 February 2017 - 12:14 PM.

[Rick N. Backer]

Lucas, on 04 February 2017 - 03:52 PM, said:

If it were A Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres, I would have gone with the prog era, but I went with the early hard rock years due to the fact that I like Fly By Night and Caress better that Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures

You're killing me Lucas.

[Rick N. Backer]

For me, Hemispheres through Signals is their golden era.

[diatribein]

New_World_Man, on 09 February 2017 - 12:09 PM, said:

Really Diatribein? You don't even own one Pink Floyd album? I find that hard to believe. Is most of your stuff metal? A lot of Rush fans are metal heads and to be honest I really don't get that. I like metal(some of it at least)but I think most Rush fans probably have pretty diverse tastes in music.

No Pink Floyd, I swear! I can email you my record collection xls file if you don't believe me or would enjoy that sort of thing.

As I said, I bought that Pink Floyd cassette when I was 9 or 10 and listened to it sparingly in my walkman. I think I even listened to the Janet Jackson tape I had at the time more frequently! I don't have that or anything else by her either anymore, so don't worry. I have a fair share of metal in my collection, including plenty of much hated 80's "hair metal", but I also have some 90s alternative, a liberal smattering of pop and a few bands that only started releasing music in the last decade. I try to keep an open mind and be current without trend hopping. I don't like empty music and I am NOT a fan of music only being released as files (something you don't have to deal with as a RUSH fan). There are some genres that I find grating (hip-hop, country, EDM) so I don't listen to them. To put it in terms of bands everyone knows and are on different ends of what one could broadly call Rock Music, I have all of the B-52's albums in my collection as well as all of the Iron Maiden albums and listen to them on a fairly regular basis. I've seen both of those bands live 3 times. Still, no Pink Floyd, nor any desire to seek out Pink Floyd.

Edited by diatribein, 09 February 2017 - 04:02 PM.

[New_World_Man]

I like a lot of different stuff too not just prog. I have two B52's albums and need to get more. I also have the Police, Talking Heads, Devo, Nine Inch Nails(not much of a fan though), Pearl Jam, U2, etc. I have some metal but need more. I have Anthrax, Pantera, Megadeth, Metallica, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath(big fan) and Dio(probably some other stuff and definitely some prog metal). I need to get some Iron Maiden.

Edited by New_World_Man, 09 February 2017 - 08:37 PM.

[diatribein]

New_World_Man, on 09 February 2017 - 08:34 PM, said:

I like a lot of different stuff too not just prog. I have two B52's albums and need to get more. I also have the Police, Talking Heads, Devo, Nine Inch Nails(not much of a fan though), Pearl Jam, U2, etc. I have some metal but need more. I have Anthrax, Pantera, Megadeth, Metallica, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath(big fan) and Dio(probably some other stuff and definitely some prog metal). I need to get some Iron Maiden.

Speaking of Iron Maiden, that quiet part in By-Tor and The Snow Dog always reminds me of the quiet part in Rime of the Ancient Mariner, so here you go. Judge for yourself:

And yes, I am aware that By-Tor and The Snow Dog was written a decade earlier, but I heard the Iron Maiden song first, so that is why the former reminds me of the latter.

Edited by diatribein, 09 February 2017 - 10:56 PM.

[goose]

Some really thoughful posts, folks, making the case for the various eras.  Well done!