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In defense of 'Test for Echo.'


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OK, we're at No. 6 in the R40 Countdown, and I confess my fondness for the unloved '"Test for Echo." I don't understand the hate. Tell me what I'm missing!

 

And Will talks about his personal rehabilitation of "Grace Under Pressure."

 

Rush R40 Countdown at No. 6: In defense of Test for Echo and rehabilitating Grace Under Pressure

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T4E is severely underrated, and is far better than CP and much of what happened after MP, but I still wouldn't rate it that high.

 

There is virtually nothing to hate on the album except a few lyrics, but even there the lyrics are about 5000% better than on CP, which people love on this forum for some reason. So I don't get it.

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OK, we're at No. 6 in the R40 Countdown, and I confess my fondness for the unloved '"Test for Echo." I don't understand the hate. Tell me what I'm missing!

 

And Will talks about his personal rehabilitation of "Grace Under Pressure."

 

Rush R40 Countdown at No. 6: In defense of Test for Echo and rehabilitating Grace Under Pressure

Will wins this one.

 

Lyrically, T4E is a clusterf*** and Half the World is easily the worst song they've done. Driven is great, and Virtuality is so cheesy it's enjoyable, and I don't even hate Dog Years, but the rest of it, when not meh, is worse. Neil should never use the word "hood" in a song unless he's talking about a car.

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T4E is severely underrated, and is far better than CP and much of what happened after MP, but I still wouldn't rate it that high.

 

There is virtually nothing to hate on the album except a few lyrics, but even there the lyrics are about 5000% better than on CP, which people love on this forum for some reason. So I don't get it.

Typically, a RUSH album offers something new at each additional listen. Over time, they take on a new character, and subtleties appear that I'd missed before. But for me, T4E is a rare RUSH effort that gets less and less interesting with each listen. I loved it at its release, but now can't be bothered to listen to it, save a few tracks - which I won't mention.
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Interesting that someone would put TFE in front of Hemispheres.

 

But I can't complain, it is your opinion

 

Will and I have had fun studying each album and reflecting on how they've affected us or how they relate to what was going on in our lives at the time they were first released -- or at least when we both discovered them. (We've probably spent more time talking about the personal stuff and less time on the music, but the memories come back in waves with each song. This might be a "turning 50" thing....)

 

Anyway, as we've bantered back and forth in our emails, we noted that the very top of the countdown and the very bottom were pretty easy -- but the middle gets tough! I don't think the distance between No. 15 and, say, No. 5 is all that great. We're talking shades of awesome.

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Alot of the awesome you guys selected a while back. Not sure what to call what you are discussing now. Although I will say Daves taste is much closer to mine.. :) Edited by Narpsberg
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T4E is severely underrated, and is far better than CP and much of what happened after MP, but I still wouldn't rate it that high.

 

There is virtually nothing to hate on the album except a few lyrics, but even there the lyrics are about 5000% better than on CP, which people love on this forum for some reason. So I don't get it.

 

I've been beaten to the punch here. Just could never get into singing along with a song heavily influenced by the OJ trial. Is this really Rush? They get someone else to pen their lyrics? Thought that then and still think it when I listen now. And half the world...much more than half that song are those three boring goofily sung words. As long as CP cheap shots have been thrown....Driven is great and belongs on CP.

 

At least CP has some old fashioned Rush mysticism and harkens back to the old days...pressed down by the darkness, bound up and wound up so tight....belongs in the 70s...Is that the Necromancer guest singing??

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T4E is severely underrated, and is far better than CP and much of what happened after MP, but I still wouldn't rate it that high.

 

There is virtually nothing to hate on the album except a few lyrics, but even there the lyrics are about 5000% better than on CP, which people love on this forum for some reason. So I don't get it.

 

I've been beaten to the punch here. Just could never get into singing along with a song heavily influenced by the OJ trial. Is this really Rush? They get someone else to pen their lyrics? Thought that then and still think it when I listen now. And half the world...much more than half that song are those three boring goofily sung words. As long as CP cheap shots have been thrown....Driven is great and belongs on CP.

 

At least CP has some old fashioned Rush mysticism and harkens back to the old days...pressed down by the darkness, bound up and wound up so tight....belongs in the 70s...Is that the Necromancer guest singing??

 

The thing is, the lyrics in T4E are all intelligent or near misses of intelligence (yes, LABT, even Half The World which is making a statement that you don't like, in a way that you hate). CP is all hackneyed and embarrassing shit about relationships, which it is quite obvious that Peart doesn't understand. Plus, the songs are just so much better. Comparing the travesty of Double Agent (sooo TIIIIGGGHHHHTTTT!!!) to 70s Rush is an insult beyond words.

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T4E is just fairly uninteresting musically, doesn't have a real standout for me, all the songs seem to run together in the way that "90s rock" rock tends to (not 90s rock, mind you, but "90s rock" rock, if that makes any sense). I'd call it their worst album but there's nothing offensive about it, none of it's shitty or anything. it's just an album that I can't go back to very often. usually when a rush album ends I'm like, start this badboy over. when T4E ends I'm like, "okay."

 

I don't listen to CP much either and I can't imagine someone loving CP and hating T4E although I've seen people say that.

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Except to those that like CP! It's new to me, I'm still a rook here, it's surprising that we "hate" aspects of their career. My only DA complaint is when it should kick into a higher gear, it gets swimmy. Still yet, it's half a world better than TFE. To me at least. I can cloak relationships in mystery and mystique. Visualizing the OJ trial, video vertigo, is tough to rock out to and separate from the grind of everyday life.

 

Speaking of hating aspects of Rush- Listened to PoW today. Synth era not my thing at all, but still enjoyed remembering how I enjoyed it when it first came out. Even though I was so confused by that cover...and the over abundance of synths...is that really a Rush album?? When they moved away from their epic proggy days, for me the lyrics were never the "same" again.

 

Since this thread is about TFE, I'll answer how some think in was a huge step down from CP...the TFE production is migraine inducing. CPs production is among the best post Broon. Ged's singing was dog years ahead on CP, although as unintelligent the words he was singing.

 

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Edited by Gabrielgil513
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T4E is just fairly uninteresting musically, doesn't have a real standout for me, all the songs seem to run together in the way that "90s rock" rock tends to (not 90s rock, mind you, but "90s rock" rock, if that makes any sense). I'd call it their worst album but there's nothing offensive about it, none of it's shitty or anything. it's just an album that I can't go back to very often. usually when a rush album ends I'm like, start this badboy over. when T4E ends I'm like, "okay."

 

I don't listen to CP much either and I can't imagine someone loving CP and hating T4E although I've seen people say that.

 

This entire post seemed fair, yet aimed right at my heart. I love the 90s music you seem not to enjoy as much, and I love T4E. It seems like Neil is attacking the drums like he hadn't for years, the songs are all approachable yet interesting, the lyrics sometimes detract, but not as much as on recent records; it was such a welcome change for the band for me.

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Since this thread is about TFE, I'll answer how some think in was a huge step down from CP...the TFE production is migraine inducing.

 

I wouldn't say it's migraine inducing, but I do agree that TfE's production was a step down from Counterparts'. The main riffs in songs like Virtuality and Dog Years sound rather abrasive to me.

 

That being said, I like the album a lot, despite the generally awful lyrics.

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Since this thread is about TFE, I'll answer how some think in was a huge step down from CP...the TFE production is migraine inducing.

 

I wouldn't say it's migraine inducing, but I do agree that TfE's production was a step down from Counterparts'. The main riffs in songs like Virtuality and Dog Years sound rather abrasive to me.

 

That being said, I like the album a lot, despite the generally awful lyrics.

 

I should learn how to not....eggs adj err ate...no migraine was suffered by me in the listening to TFE.

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Dog Years is a steaming pile, but the rest of the album is pretty dope IMO especially Totem Edited by Geddy's Soul Patch
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I noticed when T4E came out that Alex was shying away from solos a bit and going a bit grungy,gone were the solos of Bravado and Everyday Glory,even the instrumental Limbo ( which I love)was an all out powerchord slugfest.The best solo was on Totem but criminally cut short.All this restraining of solos came to head on VT.I love T4E but it was the first Rush album I started skipping tracks and Carve Away the Stone is a totally ordinary song to end an album
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Over on Progarchives,the rating at 2.84 is the worst of all the studio albums the band have released.No more to be said then!
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Good for you enjoying T4E! I think it is a really decent album, only the lyrics let it down.

 

All in all, I agree with your review. I enjoy it on the odd occasion.

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I noticed when T4E came out that Alex was shying away from solos a bit and going a bit grungy,gone were the solos of Bravado and Everyday Glory,even the instrumental Limbo ( which I love)was an all out powerchord slugfest.The best solo was on Totem but criminally cut short.All this restraining of solos came to head on VT.I love T4E but it was the first Rush album I started skipping tracks and Carve Away the Stone is a totally ordinary song to end an album

 

This is an excellent point. CP is a notable album for a variety of reasons, and the "restraining of solos" post CP is an excellent and huuuuge point. Not raving about CP solos, just that they were there and good.

 

I understand on VT Alex didn't think it right in consideration of Neil but something glorious reemerged and ended with CP.

 

 

 

 

 

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