TheAccountant

Yeah - I knew that would be a shock to many so I figured I better explain it as best I could. Hey - I warned everybody I was about to toss out a shocker.

OK - my time to toss out some shockers. YYZ - its near the bottom of my list. Is it better than Dog Years, Virtuality and all VT? Yes. Better than some of the poor material from CA? Yes. Better than The Necromancer? Maybe. But thats about it. The first time I listed to MP I was like "What an awesome album, esp. the first side. But the first side has a problem. Its has 2 awesome songs, then this dog that eliminates all its momentum. Then another song. Take that YYZ our and if you replaced it with Freewill then you would have a great side one. But YYZ ruins it." I tried over the years to get to like it and for a while I got to tolerate it but now it feels like a jackhammer is operating near to my ear when I listen to it. Yes, its about as musical as a jackhammer (IMO). I said it. The Spirit of Radio - as you said, it suffers from overplay. Its fallen for me. Once a top 10 song now its likely not in my top 50. Maybe my top 75. Still good but Rush just has better (thats another problem it has). Tom Sawyer - my #7 song. By Tor - my #8 song Digital Man - down my list. Decent but Rush has better. Likely not a top 100 song.

Headlong Flight I like but Rush has better. Might crack my top 100. Might not. Bastille Day - very good song. No argument. Jacobs Ladder - not in my top 100. Just fuller for me. Forgettable. Anthem - very good song. Might have it a bit lower but basically no argument. Working Man - I have it at #11.

No surprise on my reaction - not a song I would rank remotely this high. But it is better than many on this album. Although, that being said, Ghost Rider is better. How It Is & Peaceable Kingdom are about on par with it. Ceiling Unlimited I would rank right behind VT.

From upstate NY near Albany originally. Lived in Westchester county NY (just north of NYC, it the first county above The Bronx) for about 30 years and moved back home in 2021. Job transfer (thankfully) plus it gave me a chance to move back in with my parents who are now 93 and 96. They still drive but having me around is a big help. I can drive them a lot of places (safer and easier on them, not to mention my blood pressure is lower from doing less worrying about them), do most of the shopping, cut and bring in most of the firewood (we do a lot of the heating of the house in winter with firewood) and just help in general. The extra company is nice for them - just added conversation which we all like. Living near NYC you would think I would have gotten to some of the NYC based teams games and perhaps gotten to like them but no. I started out watching the 1994 World Cup in some NYC bars. That made me a casual fan until 2004. One day in 2004 I was working in NYC, got done early and decided to stop in a pub I liked on Bleecker St. for a bit to eat and a beer. Early afternoon and the place was packed. Like really packed. Barely room to move. I was like "What is this, an alcoholics convention?" Turned out the pub was a hang out for English, Aussie, Irish, Scottish, Welsh expats (although I have met French and Israeli expats in it as well) and England was going to play Croatia in the Euro-cup. It was a really good game. Wayne Rooney had 2 or 3 goals and England won 4-2. The bar was nuts. I was like "I have never even heard of the Euro-cup. Never really got this sport but maybe now I am seeing what the rest of the world sees in it. Its fun". From then I started to explore it a bit more. I wound up living in a town in Westchester that was very heavily hispanic and I started going into their bars and clubs to watch games. Could not understand a word since the games were in Spanish (which I don't speak). Strangely, I never felt threatened even though I was alone and about the only English speaker in the place. Heck, they probably thought I was with the INS or something and were scared of me. Just made certain I got out at reasonable hrs. and tipped well. I got so I felt more comfortable in those clubs then if I went to restaurants in the more upscale, well off, English speaking town near by. So that got me more and more comfy with the sport. Then I got talking with some of the guys in my office who were immigrants from Poland and The Ukraine. The guy from The Ukraine was huge into it (esp. since his dad had played the game at a club level back in the days of the USSR). The Polish guy kept talking about Deyna & Lato from 1970's Poland and Pushkis from Hungry. That forced me to read about the history of the game a bit more. So how did I get into Union Berlin? I happened to watch one of their games at random and it was mentioned that they were a 2nd division team that had just been promoted. Plus the crowd was just nuts - I was like "What a contrast to Hertha Berlin which plays in a huge dull stadium. What a contrast to even many of the English teams that have crowds that are a bit dull. This team is fun, not well known and won't be popular to follow - not a Dortmund or Munich. They are the easy team to follow since they are successful. Always fun to pick a winner. I like picking a team when its down and staying with it when its not popular. Then when everybody gets on board I can tell folks I was with them back in the day. Plus the crowd is so fun to watch". I really like the German leagues due to their ownership structure - I believe they are required to have 50% +1 local ownership. Not owned by, well, your know who owns most of the big European clubs. So that means most of the big clubs are clubs I won't support strongly. Give me clubs that are locally owned - not owned by billionaires or sovereign wealth funds. Or at least a club that way down and being Brough back up (Wrexem for example). So basically its the German leagues in general, Union Berlin in particular. In the US, for some reason its Portland and Seattle - fun crowds I guess. Whew!! That was a mouthful. So how did a Chicago guy get into the beautiful game?

Dreamline - for me this was once a top 25 song but its not aged well. Still a top 100 song but not certain exactly where. Much lower than this is likely. A Farewell to Kings - someplace in the top 100 is like. But someplace lower than this. Good song though. But Rush just has better. Circumstances - o, heck yes. Excellent song. For me this and La Villa are the 2 best songs on Hemispheres. Feels about right in its ranking. Wait did I just give away that I rank Hemispheres lower than this? Yes I did. Grand Designs - excellent song. Feels about right. The Weapon - very good song but Rush has better. It might not quite crack my top 100. Like it a lot but again, Rush has better.

For me Driven is a decent song but Rush has done many that are better. Not in my top 100. The Enemy Within is the same thing. Good song but Rush has better. Likely not in my top 100. The Garden - another good song but again, Rush has better. Likely (yet again) not in my top 100. The Analog Kid - o heck yes, Clearly a top 50 song. Might be top 25. Feels just about right. Excellent song. By Tor & the Snowdog - wow. I have this much higher. I agree the music is full of prog metal goodness (I like that phrase a lot so I am going to use it here) but I am more than fine with the lyrics. Perhaps I like some cheese in my music. For me this song is #8 overall. Yup - #8.

ok song but not in my top 100. You have just about gotten rid of this album. Will be interesting to see which song you rank at #2 and which gets ranked at #1.

That funny. Like I said, the Dutch were big time dirty in 2010 but I still found their attempted long balls more fun to watch then the Spanish. Now Spain vs. Italy - thats totally agony for me. Give me Germany, give me England, give me France. Heck, give me Iceland or Sweden. Given that I don't care for Portugal to seems like I don't not like southern European football. To each there own. On a different front - good to see Harry Kane scoring today for Munich. Just hoping my preferred German club (Union Berlin) has another season like last years.

You really do know your football!!! I have read about that but never watched the game. One of these I will find it on youtube and watch it. Call me impressed.

No argument with this - in fact the more I think about it I might have it outside my top 100.

Driven is an ok song IMO but nothing really special - would not be in my top 100. Has its moments but Rush has better. Countdown - used to be filler material for me but then Rushgoober (anybody remember Rushgoober?) convinced me to give it another try. Got to like it. Might crack my top 100. Might not. But Like it a lot more than I used to. Far Cry - good song. Top 100? Likely. Maybe not. But again, Rush has a lot that are better. High Water - the one weak song Rush did over the trilogy of albums (Power Windows, HYF, Presto) where I consider Neil to have done his best lyric writing. The more I think about it - likely not top 100. Manhattan Project - very good song. Could be top 25. No argument with this ranking.

Ok - going to launch a few shocks here. Time Stand Still is my #3 Rush song. Clearly I like it a lot more than you do. The Weapon is a good song but Rush has better. Would likely not be in my top 100. BU2B turns me off big time. If it was #133 that would be way to high. Remember hearing it when they played it live and being like "ok, it awesome their will be a new Rush album. But this? Yuck!! Lets hope this is the one dog off the album. Its terrible - its like VT". Unfortunately it was not the only song I disliked from CA - there was a bunch. Cygnus X-1 - very good song. Not big arguments. Entre Nous - very good song. No arguments with this ranking either

For me - its like watching paint dry. I was sooooo happy when the Dutch crushed Spain in opening game of the 2014 WC. For me that signaled the start of the end of its domination. I was right. Not only that but it got much better - Germany won that cup. I was soooo happy. But till then it had been several major tournaments of hoping for fun football and not getting it. Listen, the Dutch were big time dirty in the 2010 final and should had about half the team sent off, but I was still rooting for them.

WWC final will be England vs. Spain. England I considered a possible contender going in (despite the injured players they have). Spain - significant surprise. I had hoped Sweden would beat Spain in their semi and thought they would, but was not totally shocked by Spain's victory over them. Why was a routing for Sweden over Spain? 2 reasons. #1 - Sweden has come so close so many times (winning the 3rd place game at the last 2 WWC's, the last 2 WEC's and silver medals at the last 2 Olympics) and the players involved have been around a while. Would have been nice for them to finally win a big tournament. #2 - Spain. Their style of play is similar to the mens team and I hate the tacky-tack style that the Spanish men have used. So boring. Turns me off. Plus, a large number of the women on the Spanish national team had protested again their own coach and federation last year. I know people will always complain about the boss (trust me, having been the boss over 20 or so people I know it well) but this feels like something more although I don't know all the details. Instead of fixing things, most of those who signed the letter of complaint are gone. I don't know much more, but that sort of turns me off to Spain. So I wanted Sweden to win. England vs. the Aussies was a pick mum for me. Bit surprised it was 3-1. Though it would be 2-1 for whoever won. Clearly I will be rooting for England in the final. Who do I think will win? Hmmm, I guess England (they will have their suspended player back) but will not be shocked if Spain wins. They are on a roll.

Will disagree on some here and basically agree with others. Carnies - having it at 140 would be more appropriate for me. Strongly dislike the song - its just not something I can listen to. Animate - the more I think abut it, it belongs in the the top 100. But much lower for me. Decent song though. Cygnus X-1 - this one is hard. Might want it a little bit higher but basically agree with you on this. Between Sun & Moon - for me this is a top 100 song. Good song that I like. No argument with this although not 100% certain where I would put it. Cut to the Chase - for me this song falls out of the top 100. Not terrible but nothing special either.

My turn to drop some shocking comments. A Farewell to Kings - good song. Likely in the top 100 but where, not certain. Likely much lower however. Around 75 or lower. Far Cry - IMO clearly a top 100 song. Likely lower but where, again not certain. Likely somewhat lower. Manhattan Project - very good song. Totally agree its a top 100 song. Feels about right. Ceiling Unlimited - way lower. If it was #137 it would be to high. But again, my dislike of VT has been made very clear so it should not be a shock. Now comes the likely shocker. The Camera Eye - good song which I like, but Rush has many that are better. It would not be in my top 100. Likely close, but not there.

Little did I know but you have posted #95!! For me this is a top 100 song. Where? Not really certain. So no argument with this ranking. Onwards....

IMO this is clearly a top 100 song. Where? Not certain. Likely somewhat higher. Interesting that every song you have eliminated from this album (with the likely exception of High Water) would be in my top 100. Clearly I like the album more than you do. Looking forward to #95.

Afterimage - I 100% agree it has risen over the years. Once upon a time it was filler material for me. Not any more. Not at all. Yes, could be higher. The Body Electric - falls out of my top 100. Decent song but Rush just has better. In The End - I agree its a top 100 Rush song. Would not rank it this high but clearly (IMO) top 100. Turn the Page - again, clearly top 100. No argument her. Not certain exactly where I would rank it though. Middletown Dreams - I know Rush has said they view it as a hopeful song but I find it to be a very depressing song. Very sad. But very good. Top 100 yes. Not exactly certain where though. So no disagreement with this ranking. On to the top 40.

For me Cinderella Man is a very good song but Rush just has better. Likely would make my top 100 but just barely. Below 80. At best. A Passage to Bangkok, Red Sector A, Force 10 & Closer to the Heart are all top 100 songs. My only issue with CTTH is that its overplayed and as a result has not aged well. I would have it somewhat lower - but not a big issue. On to the top 40!!

Best Priest album since Screaming 4 Vengeance (IMO). Which is saying something since they have had some very good albums over the decades between these albums.

Underrated album - Accepts work in recent years (including this album, The Rise of Chaos & Blood of the Nations) has been very good and very underrated.

A ton of awesome stuff there. It was about that summer that I really got into rock music. My taste went wild that summer. Went from being a Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel fans to being a Def Leppard fan in one summer. The summer that really opened my eyes to how awesome rock music (in particular metal) could be. Ahh, to be 17 again.

Ok - my turn to toss out a few shockers. Witch Hunt is a good song that I enjoy but Rush just has better songs. For me its outside my top 100. Yes - thats right. Outside my top 100. Not by a lot but its out of my top 100. Good song but Rush just has better. Earthshine falls way out side my top 100. But its from VT so that should not be a shock given my dislike of VT. The Color of Right is decent but nothing special. Its out side my top 100 & lower than Witch Hunt. Distant Early Warning - clearly (IMO) a top 100 song. Feels about right although it could be a bit higher. But no disagreement over this ranking. Time Stand Still - wow. For me this is #3. Yes, its my overall #3 Rush song. Loved it right from when I first heard it.