Mosher

I have no problem at all with your most recent additions to your list, L@BT. I have Heresy at 73rd, and that's the highest of those 5 you just added. So a middling song at best for me.

#165 Need Some Love (Rush, 8th best of 8) #164 Tears (2112, 6th of 6) #163 Stick It Out (CP, 11th of 11) #162 What You're Doing (Rush, 7th of 8) #161 Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8) #160 In The Mood (Rush, 5th of 8) #159 Before and After (Rush, 4th of 8) #158 Finding My Way (Rush, 3rd of 8) #157 Second Nature (HYF, 10th of 10) #156 Bravest Face (S&A, 13th of 13) #155 Sweet Miracle (VT, 13th of 13) #154 BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12) #153 Speed of Love (CP, 10th of 11) #152 Good News First (S&A, 12th of 13) #151 Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6) #150 Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13) #149 Half the World (TFE, 11th of 11) #148 Out Of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13) #147 Red Lenses (P/G, 8th of 8) #146 Tai Shan (HYF, 9th of 10) We're getting into the songs I like. I am a big fan, and I always find something I like in every song. But overall the bottom 18 don't work for me. Those first album songs might be okay in another band, but they suffer on my list because whether I like it or not, they are Rush songs. So I grudgingly included them. But Red Lenses and Tai Shan are both songs I like as they are. But they are the bottom of the songs that I can genuinely say I like. Tai Shan should have been cut in half and presented as the intro to a grander piece. Red Lenses is musically fine, but I don't like the vocal choice at all. That didn't ruin the song for me- but it came close. So it's in last place among songs I like. Some of the upcoming songs share the Red Lenses problem, where the vocal choices hurt the song. Most inclusions off S&A and VT are due to the vocals.

Just watched the crossover episode. I can honestly say I lived every single second of it. I didn't think it would work very well but it may be one of my all time favorites. A brave choice. And it worked.

Absolutely a Fly By Night type song. Pairs well with Best I Can- which Rutsey drummed on live. I like Lessons. I have it 135th. It's in the pack with a lot of songs I like, but it's not I song I would ever place near the top.

Fair. People already think I'm nuts for my treatment of that first album.

Two reasons- 1: I barely see that first album as counting because it's so fundamentally different. 2: Lyrical strength. The cheesy ridiculous lyrics on the later albums are still better than the first album. A caveat- if it's background music I'll play the rockers from Rush over those fluff pieces later.

I think he wrote lyrics in that debut because they felt someone had to. I think they just wanted to jam. I think Neil brought him around to caring about it.

So I took you too seriously and you just wanted to underline your less than fond opinion on that song. I actually always liked it- it's 95th on my list right now.

Nice catch. I have a feeling that would be it for the band. I mean Alex was feeling pretty bad about that nonsense by 1987.

I'm always against cultural appropriation, which does not mean any artistic element from another culture should never be attempted. There's much more that goes into it. There is the element of the intended purpose of the art to that culture. There is the element of the intended purpose of the art to the person from outside that culture. There is the weight of how that culture's art has been appropriated before. I have no opinion on this. I didn't look hard but I found no writing on how Malay poets feel about the use of the Pantoum. Is there a consensus in that opinion, or are there large differences where many Malay like the art being seen more broadly and some find it insulting? Do most find it insulting? I have no idea. I will look into it further. That's a take I hadn't ever seen before.

#165 Need Some Love (Rush, 8th best of 8) #164 Tears (2112, 6th of 6) #163 Stick It Out (CP, 11th of 11) #162 What You're Doing (Rush, 7th of 8) #161 Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8) #160 In The Mood (Rush, 5th of 8) #159 Before and After (Rush, 4th of 8) #158 Finding My Way (Rush, 3rd of 8) #157 Second Nature (HYF, 10th of 10) #156 Bravest Face (S&A, 13th of 13) #155 Sweet Miracle (VT, 13th of 13) #154 BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12) #153 Speed of Love (CP, 10th of 11) #152 Good News First (S&A, 12th of 13) #151 Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6) BU2B2 almost shouldn't count, but even as an interlude it's still better than those below it. The other 4 in my latest inclusions might as well be the same song. Not that they sound alike, but that they leave me equally disinterested. They're okay in the background but they are eminently skippable. Nice to see you killed off Stick It Out so early. I can't stand that song, but I assumed most people were okay with it.

I wasn't even aware I could watch the crossover episode so soon after the Uhura episode. I look forward to the crossover, haven't seen it yet. Loved everything about the pure Star Trek nature of "Lost in Translation"- EXCEPT- I thought they avoided important and easily answered problems because of some lazy transitional writing. The biggest one: there's absolutely no way Pike doesn't agree to confine Uhura to quarters. They want her out of course because it's an Uhura episode. So just make delusional Uhura disobey orders. Easy. Nevertheless, this was a very good episode with great character work overall. Recognizing that Star Trek should be an ensemble show is critical, and they're getting it right. They need to work Una back into the stories more, she's in danger of being a second in command frozen out of importance like Chakotay was. (I was never a big fan of Chakotay as written, but Una's fan. So use her.) And it would be wonderful to write an episode for Ortegas. She needs more depth. I don't much like Pelia's character. They need to unravel the comic relief/arrogance/lack of respect character traits into something that makes sense on board their ship. Too many notes to play convincingly without wondering why she wants the job and why she gets to keep the job. They can fix it, and I hope they do. I also think they are way overusing Kirk. He's getting in the way of characters that are actually members of the crew who could be written into the purposes he's been serving. They must be looking at rebooting TOS, which I'm fine with if it's good (although it's unnecessary). I am not bothered by the portrayal. It just seems like they're trying too hard to appeal to casual fans by inserting Kirk. This is still exactly what I wanted from Star Trek, and I really want to emphasize that. Any criticisms are mild. This is easily my favorite Star Trek since DS9.

Are you like me on Red Barchetta? I thought I was alone in this one. To me Red Barchetta is easily the weakest track off Moving Pictures. It's 107th on my list. Still a great song, but Moving Pictures is a great album. And at 107 that means it's grown on me as well.

Take A Friend is my second favorite off the debut- and yes the lyrics aren't good. That's one of the calling cards of the whole debut album. The other is pure fire from Alex. For whatever reason, the music here lifts this one above all non-Working Man songs off that debut. It's still only 128th on my list. Damn near where you have it, even if for you it's 6th off the debut and for me it's second.

High Water is 32nd on my list and 2nd off HYF. I actually love that you have it so low. Nothing underlines how broadly Rush can appeal than differences like these. I personally love that song. I also love Anagram. I play boggle and boggle style games constantly. I love words, wordplay, anagrams, palindromes, alliterations, and all manner of poetry. Anagram is probably an exercise that amused Neil and I guess maybe didn't work as a song based on the collective reception, but it's top three off Presto for me (that only makes it 71st, though) The rest of my bottom 10: I know In The Mood and Finding My Way are concert staples, and they are fun rockers to be sure, but again- I barely even see that first album as Rush. I have a hard time ranking them above songs I actually like from the Peart era. That said, because there are songs I don't like from Rush, and a few that I find pretty weak, some first album tracks do beat the later era songs. And I'm sure that no one would expect anyone to have Take A Friend higher than everything but Working Man- but there you have it. And it will be a while before Working Man appears. I may barely include that first album, but I'm not insane. #160 In The Mood (Rush, 5th of 8) #159 Before and After (Rush, 4th of 8) #158 Finding My Way (Rush, 3rd of 8) #157 Second Nature (Rush, 10th of 10) #156 Bravest Face (S&A, 13th of 13)

Carnies is my third favorite off this fantastic closing album. It's the first top 40 sing you've killed from my list (number 40). So it's no middle of the road number for me. Glad you agree about the album. What a way to finish!

It's only interesting if we differ, if we all agree than there's no point. :)

They are both very important to me, but lyrics usually trump music for me.

My bottom five as determined shortly after Hi_Water began this thread: #165 Need Some Love (Rush, 8th best of 8) #164 Tears (2112, 6th of 6) #163 Stick It Out (CP, 11th of 11) #162 What You're Doing (Rush, 7th of 8) #161 Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8) I barely count the debut when ranking these, and I only do because there were some signs of the band they would become apparent. And since I include it, somehow they don't rank totally at the bottom. Taken without lyrics and every song rises. But the lyrics are collectively far worse than the worst Neil wrote. We mock Dog Years, but come on. "I'm running here, I'm running there, I'm looking for a girl?" Sure they weren't even trying. Sure it was never about the lyrics. But then make them instrumentals. It's a fantastic hard rock album without the words. I can't stand Stick It Out. And Tears just bores me. I actually enjoy Tai Shan and Rivendell, btw. But Tears just bores me.

Lakeside Park is in my bottom 24 songs. It's in last place off Caress- below I Think I'm Going Bald. I don't hate it- I love Rush and I am fine with most of their least listenable tracks. But I don't like his vocals on this at all. Musically it's fine, lyrically it's pretty good. Vocals....no. But I know this one is loved that my opinion is unusual among Rush fans. I'm surprised you have it this low mainly because so many love it.

There are only 11 songs I ranked lower than Good News First. So, no. I do not like this song. Geddy's vocal choices on many Snakes songs really irritated me. I'm not crazy about his approach to Vapor Trails either, on the whole. Not an age thing, though. Clockwork is one of my favorite Rush albums. His vocal choices weren't about age. They were choices. I guess the band liked the idea.

I don't think of Heresy as uplifting at all, but I also don't see it as cynical. It's an expression of relief that maybe we can move on from the cold war, while an expression of frustration that we wasted decades preparing for a horror that never happened. It's a bittersweet song. It's great that we might be able to move on, but damn did it really have to take decades of fear and struggle? I guess that could seem cynical if you believe the song is questioning whether the motivations of all those choices weren't sincere. That's not how I take it, but the song does seem to see those choices as being immature reactions and that we finally 'grew up.' Maybe that's the cynicism you detect? I do believe it's a positive song, even hopeful. I agree that it isn't really uplifting, there's too much sorrow in it for that.

Just to keep this alive until Hi_Water returns (be well, Hi_Water!) I will let you all know, despite not being asked nor noticing any interest in such, my thoughts on the topic at this time. First. we're now waiting for #123. On my list, 123 is Making Memories. My list does not include Feedback, although I actually like Feedback. My least favorite song not yet to make Hi_Water's list: Tears. It's always bored me without adding any value. I know it's one of their more popular slow songs, but it sure isn't in my book. And Stick it Out is right next to Tears. I can't abide that one. My favorite song he's killed thus far- Chain Lightning. Nothing in my top 50 has been attacked yet, but that one was close. Don't know everything about your taste, yet, but there are a couple of songs in my top ten that might go a lot earlier than I want based on what I've seen in this group (Kid Gloves and The Anarchist). And a few that might go very soon in my top twenty (Seven Cities of Gold). A lot of people really don't like that one. Now, like everyone's my list will see rises and falls as my mood changes. I imagine some songs might rise or fall 10-20 spots on another day. But if a song's in my top 40 I love it, and if it's my bottom 10 it's getting skipped every time. Look forward to the real #123 when you return!

Agreed about The Pass. Sure it's a good song, But I imagine it's most people's favorite of that album. Also agreed that it is not a great album. Chain Lightning is easily my favorite off this album, but it still didn't crack my top 50.

Chain Lightning is the best song off Presto, but I can't quibble with it being third on this list. But overall it's far higher for me. I have it 53rd right now.