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I say it goes Dio>Dickinson>Halford.

Not the whole song. The ending section is some of Rush's heaviest music, however.

The acoustic live versions of "Resist" are near tear-jerkers.

I think Geddy's voice has aged well. Sometimes he can sound rough and "yodel-y", particularly on older songs like "The Spirit Of Radio", or "Closer To The Heart" but for the most part I like his deeper tone.

Disappointed in the lack of new material, the 4 tracks left off of Different Stages are the only exciting thing here IMO. WAIT a second, there is something else! An unreleased studio track! "Cygnus X-2, Eh" unfortunately it's apparently just some sound effect outtakes from Cygnus X-1 but this could mean that there's more stuff in the vaults!

Apparently all the songs from the show sans bonus tracks came from Toronto. However several spots on "Subdivisions" don't match either night. On Night 1 he goes "In between THE bright lights and..." Night two "In be-TWEHHN (yodels) the bright lights and..." but on the R40 live release he hits it cleanly. For lots of the first lines he also sounds pretty weak/frail, and doesn't sound that way on the Toronto audience video. "Xanadu" also has some spots which are different between the R40 Live release and the audience video, for instance fixing some "yodels". So did they patch in something from a different night, or were overdubs used?

Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

Here's a comparison of two versions of "2112" to show the vocal shift: On this version he sings with a very heavy and powerful tone. Whereas here he sounds a lot weaker on the highs.

Personally I think his '70s singing was his peak, it's disappointing that he lost the ability to sing high like that around 1979.

His singing technique improved significantly around 2112-Hemispheres, his high singing doesn't really sound like screaming on those albums.

Permanent Waves, clearly. His voice shifted significantly on the Hemispheres Tour, losing a lot of his high range power and struggling to sing songs like "Cygnus X-1" which he could sing much better on the AFTK Tour.

I'm personally fine Rush retired when they did, instead of doing endless Greatest Hits tours.

Just wanna gush over the amazing note in "Freeze" "Sometimes, I freeze, sometimes, I FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!"

Rush never really got terribly heavy, but Vapor Trails is probably their heaviest, maybe Clockwork Angels as well. The production of the former plays a big role, and the sound is very "angry" with lyrics very much driven by Neil Peart's tragedies. Their poppiest album is probably Hold Your Fire, not much rocking, lots of '80s pop. Most atypical is the debut! Conventional Zeppelin-y hard rock with silly lyrics.

Classic rock isn't dad rock at all. When I went to some Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd tribute bands, or when I saw Queen, lots of people there were kids, or teens, or younger adults, and they enjoyed the show very much. I don't think "dad rock" is a real term. It's just a derogatory term against fans of older music.

Rush has never had a "bad" tour IMO but I feel their performances on the Presto Tour was uninspired. The only real surprises/deep cuts were the excerpt of "Xanadu", "Mission", and "Manhattan Project", and the band's performances seemed to lack inspiration and energy, it seemed like they were tired and going through the motions (In fact interviews revealed it was almost their last tour, which was why it was so short) the only upside is the good performances of "Subdivisions". Vocally i'd say Geddy was at his worst on the Vapor Trails Tour, I really don't like the pinched, nasal tone he used during that tour, sounds like he was imitating his '70s voice but failed. The SnA and TMT tours made up for the sometimes weak vocals with imaginative setlists, with SnA including "Digital Man", "Entre Nous", "Circumstances", "Mission", "Between The Wheels", "Secret Touch", "Natural Science", "Witch Hunt" and "A Passage To Bangkok" all either deep cuts or songs which hadn't been played in a while (Plus "Ghost Of A Chance" on the second leg) while TMT included "Presto", "Stick It Out", "The Camera Eye", "Witch Hunt", and "Vital Signs", as well the inclusion of "BU2B" and "Caravan" was a nice treat, as were the new arrangements of "Closer To The Heart" and "Working Man". Admittedly, both tours lasted too long, the SnA tour didn't need to last 120 gigs, and the TMT tour didn't need to last 80. I think the SnA tour should've ended after the first leg, since most of the venues on the second leg were places they played on the first leg. I also think the TMT Tour didn't need the second leg, sans the European shows.

Gonna finish it now! Snakes And Arrows: Writing sessions start in January 2006. By March 5 songs, including "Bravest Face" and "When The Wind Blows" are written, and by June 8 are. "Far Cry" is done in September 2006, and by October, all but the instrumentals are finished. Recording sessions are quick, lasting from November 2006-February 2007. "The Main Monkey Business" is written in these sessions in November 2006, while "Hope" and "Malignant Narcissism" come in December. Clockwork Angels: Very long sessions here! - Album work begins in December 2009, and possibly as early as Fall 2009? "Caravan" is written first in December 2009, as are two unreleased songs called "Carnival" and "Caravel". - "BU2B" and "Clockwork Angels" written in January 2010. - "The Anarchist" and "The Garden" written in March 2010, and recording sessions begin that same month, demos are recorded then, and first sessions run through April. Afterwards the album is put on hold. - Work resumes in February 2011, with "Carnies" and an unreleased instrumental entitled "Take That Lampshade Off Yo Head!" are written, and these sessions continue through March. Afterwards put on hold for the second Time Machine Tour leg. - Recording sessions resume for good in September 2011, "Seven Cities of Gold" is written during this month. "The Wreckers" and "Wish Them Well" are written and recorded in October. The last two songs written are "Halo Effect" and "BU2B2", written in November. Recording sessions finish in March 2012. And that's that for the guide!

Xanadu is number 1 for me.

Here's an awesome Hemispheres Tour concert, Gothenburg 1979 (Forgotten Kings, 5/23/1979), one of Alex's best guitar nights, his guitar tone here is unbelievably powerful, heavy, and raw like i've never heard before! Great quality too, and it's complete!

Gonna gush over "The Enemy Within" Very underrated song! Love the bouncy energy, and the chorus is great! It's a shame they only played it live on the GUP tour. Also, I started a channel where I upload rare Rush bootlegs, and i'd like to gush over the awesome vocals in this version of "Cygnus X-1":

With Rush's hiatus I guess people are just grasping at ANYTHING to talk about...

Gonna do the final few albums. Test For Echo: Not much info known. Written from October-December 1995, recorded from January 8, 1996-April 1996. Vapor Trails: First song written was "Telescope Peak" in January 2001, unreleased but would later be repurposed into "Ghost Rider", "How It Is", and more. However, the early recordings they made were "junk" and writing didn't fully start until later. In March 2001 they wrote "One Little Victory", "Ceiling Unlimited", "Nocturne", "Earthshine" (The first completed), and "Peaceable Kingdom" originally an instrumental. "Sweet Miracle", "Out Of The Cradle", "The Stars Look Down", "Vapor Trail", "Secret Touch", and "How It Is" were written between April-June 2001, (Demos recorded as well) and "Freeze" and "Ghost Rider" came last, in July 2001. Recording sessions took a long time, lasting from August 2001-February 2002. Feedback: Recorded from March-May 2004. A cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Manic Depression" was roughly recorded but scrapped. Snakes And Arrows: Writing sessions began in February 2006. By March five songs were done, including "Bravest Face" and "The Way The Wind Blows", and by June, eight songs are.

Onward: Roll The Bones: "Dreamline" and "Face Up" were the first written, in September 1990. "Bravado", "Roll The Bones", and "Where's My Thing?" Were written in October, and "Hersey", "Ghost Of a Chance", "Neurotica", "The Big Wheel", and "You Bet Your Life" in November 1990. The album was recorded from February-June 18, 1991, "You Bet Your Life" was the last finished. Counterparts: Written in February 1993, recorded from April-July.

For the 1980s Albums: Permanent Waves: "The Spirit Of Radio", "Freewill", "Uncle Tounouse" (Unreleased), and "Sir Gawain And The Green Knight" (Unreleased) were finished during July 1979, and demos were made of those songs, as well as unfinished versions of "Jacob's Ladder", and "Entre Nous". "Jacob's Ladder" and "Entre Nous" were finished during soundchecks in August 1979, while "Natural Science", and "Different Strings" were written in September 1979. The album was recorded from October-November 1979. Moving Pictures: "Tom Sawyer" was the first song written, started in July 28, 1980 as "Louis The Warrior" and finished during August 1980. "The Camera Eye", "Red Barchetta", and "YYZ" were also finished in August 1980. Demos of those songs were recorded during September 1980, and "Limelight" and "Witch Hunt" were written. "Vital Signs" was written in October 1980, and the album was recorded from October-December 1980, "Witch Hunt" was the last song finished. Signals: Writing dates: "Subdivisions" and "Digital Man": September 1981. "The Weapon": Initial keyboard parts in December 1981, finished in January 1982. "The Analog Kid": January 1982 "Chemistry" and "Losing It": March 1982. A demo of "Losing It" with keys and drums was also recorded. "Countdown": April 1982 "New World Man": May 1982 The album was recorded from April 21-July 15, 1982. The basic tracks were all recorded in May, sans "Losing It" finished in June. Grace Under Pressure: Writing dates: "Between The Wheels", "Kid Gloves", and "Afterimage": August 1983, "Between The Wheels" first written. "Red Sector A" and "The Body Electric": September 1983, quickly finished. "Distant Early Warning", "The Enemy Within", and "Red Lenses": October 1983. The album was recorded from November 1983-March 21, 1984. Power Windows: Writing dates: "The Big Money", "Mystic Rhythms", and "Marathon" were outlined in January 1985, and finished in February. Demos were recorded around that time as well. "Middletown Dreams" and "Grand Designs": February 1985, demos recorded. "Territories", "Emotion Detector", and "Manhattan Project": March 1985, "Manhattan Project" the last finished. The album was recorded from April-July of 1985, sans "Marathon" which took until August due to the strings and choir. The album was finished in September 1985. Hold Your Fire: Much of the album was written in September 1986, "Time Stand Still" came first, and "Second Nature", "High Water", "Mission", "Open Secrets", and "Turn The Page" also came during this time. After a break for rehearsals as well as revising "High Water", "Mission", and "Open Secrets", "Prime Mover" and "Lock And Key" were written in October 1986, "Tai Shan" in November 1986, and "Force Ten" from December 13-14, 1986. The album was recorded from January 8-July 1987. Drums and bass were recorded in January, keyboards and guitar in February, and vocals in April. Presto: Writing dates unknown, except that "Show Don't Tell" and "Available Light" came first, in January 1989. Album was quickly recorded, from June-September 1989.

Using a great book called the Rush chronology, here's the dates of the writing and recording sessions for each album. Split into three posts: Debut Album: Recorded from April-November 15, 1973. "In The Mood", "Take A Friend", "Before And After", "Working Man", "Not Fade Away", and "You Can't Fight It" were recorded in April. In November "Finding My Way", "Need Some Love", and "Here Again" were recorded, and new mixes were made for "What You're Doing", "Before And After", and "Working Man". The album was completed on November 15. Fly By Night: The songs were made throughout 1974. Work before the album (In chronological order) "Best I Can": February-March 1974 "In The End": May 1974 "Anthem": The basic melody in July 1974, Neil's lyrics in August. "Rivendell": Started in August 1974, completed on September 25, 1974. "Making Memories": Started on November 10, 1974, finished on November 23, 1974. "Fly By Night": Started on November 11, 1974. "Beneath, Between, and Behind": Started on November 19, 1974. "By-Tor And The Snow Dog": Started on November 23, 1974, finished on December 17, 1974. The album was recorded from December 27, 1974 to January 15, 1975. "Beneath, Between, and Behind" and "Fly By Night" were finished during the recording sessions. "Rivendell" was the last song finished, on January 14, 1975. Caress of Steel: Recorded in July 1975, other info unknown. 2112: Title track worked on as early as November 1975, while the rest of the album was written and recorded in February 1976. "The Twilight Zone" was the last track finished. A Farewell to Kings: "Xanadu" was worked on as early as June 1976, originally inspired by Citizen Kane. The rest of the album was written and recorded in June 1977. Hemispheres: "La Villa Strangiato" was worked on in soundchecks as early as February 1978. "Hemispheres" started work in April-May 1978, while "Circumstances" and "The Trees" were written in June 1978. The album was recorded from June-August 1978.