Mosher

Neurotica falls for me as well. I used to have it higher in the strength of everything else, but that same part you hate loses me, too. Stick it Out is Rush's best example, for me, of going from excitement for a new album to despair. Although it turns out that I liked the album afterall, this is one of the songs I hate the most. Hate the vocals. Good News First, we agree Wreckers I like. For whatever reason my issues with Snakes and Vapor go away on Clockwork. Agreed on the lyric, but I guess it doesn't bother me much. Nocturne is one of the few songs I like on Vapor. The vocals might bug me, but I really like the music enough here to lift it.

You know, if I had heard Fade to Grey first I probably would have the Weapon lower. Is that fair? Not really. But it's true. It matters to me that something sounds original to me. And fair or not, I heard the Weapon when I was young and well before Visage. I will forever hear the Weapon out of the context of Visage, even while absolutely agreeing that I'd feel different otherwise. I will say that I genuinely like the Weapon better, though. That would be true either way.

Agreed that some of the flashy beeps, bells, and blasts of synth age poorly. But they clearly don't lose me like they lose you. Force Ten is overindulgent for sure. Love the song, but it's dropped big time over the years. I hate that synth intro to Between the Wheels, but the rest is so good I have it far higher. Tai Shan? Okay, that's fair. To me it works as an intro to an epic, but instead just continues like it's enough for a song in itself. Chemistry is the least of these (Tai Shan excepted). It's goes nowhere. The Weapon, Manhattan Project, and Territories? Oh man. You're killing me, Goose. The Weapon is a song that has risen over the years, initially I found it weaker. But I love it now. The way it keeps driving forward. Manhattan- that part you mentioned- that's what the song is all about! Building to that moment, the payoff is everything. And Territories is one of my favorites. That lyric you mention may not be strong, but it's intentional. It's simple because the assertion is that the mentality saying those things is simple. That lyric is a direct challenge to a simplistic mindset. Someone might disagree, of course, but it's well written for the intent I think. Of course, that song spoke to this adolescent perfectly, so I'm biased. It's my Subdivisions.

Agreed. With any song there could be many routes to a connection with me. A vocal can save or kill a song. Lyrics can save a horrible band. Great playing can save terrible lyrics. And the converse is true. Any failing among these can kill a song for me. I can't explain why one song is saved by something I like despite something I hate, or why a song with a great part is killed by another. Color of Right is a song saved by the vocal and the emotion. Stick it Out (good music) was killed by the refrain "Stick it ouuut". Does this make sense? Not really. It doesn't have to. I give the debut a hard time for the lyrics- but I do want to be clear about that. The playing is fantastic. It rocks from start to finish in the best way. I used to say, even recently, that if that was the only kind of music they ever made I'd think they were good but might own nothing by them, maybe just a greatest hits at most. That's not true, though. That's me still comparing them to the Rush I was introduced to. I had every Roth era Van Halen album at one time. I had Aerosmith albums. AC/DC. And so on. Obviously I don't need strong lyrics. (no slight- each of those bands did 'okay' at times, but they all fall hard at others). So if Rush were only ever the band that made that first album, I'd love that band anyway. A clear case of music saving bad lyrics. So I'll go on hating Stick it Out and Loving Color of Right. So there you have it. I was so full of right I couldn't see what was true.

You and I both have issues with Geddy's vocal choices at times. It's interesting how we differ based on what the song itself does to lift beyond that issue. For example I love Seven Cities. I know it's reviled by many, but it's one of my favorites of Clockwork. I have larger vocal issues all over VT and Snakes that would be much lower. Cygnus I get. The music is cool and lifts the song much much higher for me, but the shrieking is intense. Although I like the Big Wheel, you cited the part I don't like at all, so I get that. Same opinion on Spindrift. Ceiling is purely a vocal issues for me like a lot of that era. Agreed on Half, but I think I had it much higher

Is that what you're getting from the lists? That's not what I am getting from the lists at all. I don't think that's what anyone who's been actively commenting is getting from the lists (although who knows, I can only answer for me). Sure I might joke about someone placing a song I dislike high or one I love low, but that's not what I'm getting from these. I can't imagine anyone deciding to scrap their favorite song in favor of mine- that wouldn't be just weird, it would be unwelcome. These lists are interesting because of the disagreements. That's when I've been learning the most. For me the enjoyment is the exercise in re-examining the songs from a band I love and gaining appreciation for ones I disliked, or an understanding of why someone else dislikes one I like. I've learned a lot and there are a number of songs that I've re-visited favorably.

Of your bottom 10, only Bravest Face is in my bottom ten. That's not a good song. Madrigal is in my bottom 11, and Speed of Love is in my bottom 13, though, so that's pretty close for them. I like all of those other bottom 10 songs, although Virtuality, Halo Effect, Wish Them Well, and Everyday Glory do not make my top 90. You Bet Your Life I have at 80, but the absolutely silly moments in that song for some stupid reason appeal to me. I guess they appealed to the band as well. But I get the dislike, or even downright disdain, others have. It may be lyrically weak, but not like Need Some Love, which you don't have listed. In fairness to that, I guess, is that first album can NEVER be accused of failing to rock. Which is a fair concern for some of that 90's Rush. Carve Away the Stone is a good song, though. I have it 60th. It's a bit of a saccharine sedative, I suppose- but not like Tears, which you don't have listed. At least you haven't hurt any of my top 40 songs yet! Keep them coming, I'm really curious when you'll hurt something I really love :)

Great point, because it's that very line that propels it so high for me. Love the delivery, too. I'm very critical of Geddy's vocal choices at times. I love how he sings this one. But if not for that part of the song, it would be a lot lower.

I have Madrigal 155th. Speed of Love 153rd. ...but I have The Color of Right 48th. I'm not sure where the disagreement is, but I clearly see a fundamental difference between two of your bottom three and the Color of Right. Oh well, that's why we aren't doing just one list.

I'll bet the extended re-listen was difficult for you, and I thank you for giving up your time in sacrifice to keeping these rankings going. I'll bet the rewards of discovering the positives you missed were greater than the pain of revisiting Madrigal, though, right?

Please do! You always have insightful reasoning. And it will be fun to see Xanadu wrongly flipped on your list. :) but seriously I know you'll have a great take.

Xanadu for the win! Great job Derek. I might have quibbled with your choices sometimes, but I also really loved some others. But ultimately it's been a really fun journey. The surprises keep it interesting. I hope someone else is ready to take up the challenge. We have 4 lists done, let's get some more. Then we can put together an overall.

There are no mistakes in this song. It evokes the feeling magnificently, and I can see quite clearly visually what the song is creating aurally. So it certainly should always be ranked highly. Even the repetition works, in fact is necessary, for the purpose of the song. I can't ever put it this high. Rush has successfully done everything right in so many songs, and some of them have more going on. So while I would never have Rush change anything in Jacob's Ladder, it's also true that not every song can be top ten. For me, Jacob's Ladder isn't top ten. But since it offers nothing that I could ever complain about, I could never fault placing it into the top ten. There are far more songs Rush has done perfectly then there is room in the top ten. I like this pick. It's another pleasant surprise. And it underlines Derek's obvious love for the really emotional, evocative sonic paintings.

This is my favorite surprise of your whole list. I've always liked The Camera Eye, but over the years it has climbed and climbed and climbed and doesn't appear to have plateaued yet. I most recently had it 18th, so we agree that it's great. You've obviously already had it in the upper echelon. It may well get there for me as well. I believe the Camera Eye proves that they could have continued with epics even as their style changed if they wanted to. But they didn't really do it again until Clockwork, which is an epic the way the Fountain is. Only loosely connected musically overall. But hell, I'll count it. I only have to care about my own opinion, and in my opinion Clockwork is an epic. Regardless, until that point we had Camera Eye proving that it could still be done. Great pick.

Countdown has always been one of my favorites. I was surprised when I joined this forum and discovered that many people didn't like it. I think it evokes the excitement of watching that event perfectly. I feel like I'm there. And I agree that it's cool seeing Derek's choices. There's a clear, logical pattern to his choices. Rush has always been good at capturing the emotion of a moment through song.

I finally listened to the whole album. I still think Angry sounds like a bad Stones rip-off by a band who has the skills to do better. Well, the rest of the album really is much better. Surprisingly better. I think this might be their best album in 40 years.

Between the wheels could be.... Should be... Would be a great song if they hadn't used that extremely irritating intro. Cut that part out and I really love this song. I'm fine with it even being top ten, as long as I pretend that introduction is removed.

I'd never have Marathon so high, but it's a very good song. Lyrically that whole Power Windows album is very strong

Agreed completely. Rush tends to correct things live on the whole, if needed. Even amazing songs seem more amazing. I could say it's the energy of the show, but I do believe Rush live (musically) is one of the best bands in history. ^^says the guy in a Rush forum. Hot take Dave, here. :)

Mission, on the whole, bores me. I have it much lower. I do see the appeal, and I like it more than I used to.

That's true if that's where you make the connection, but naming the ship Rocinante to me is more about comparing the astronaut to Quixote, not the ship to the horse. I find a lot of Neil's writing back then as clever like a well read young man. Knows the book, understands only the surface. I think your right about what Rocinante implies, but not if all he's doing is comparing the surface delusions of the main characters. I'm any event, Neil's writing matured considerably over the next five years.

Very surprising choice. It's a good song, and sonically evokes the journey through the black hole wonderfully. But to me it's an incomplete song. The ship being called Rocinante is perfect, though. Best thing about the song. No where this high for me, though.

A lot of their 70's songs have an overabundance of grandiloquence. A lot of "look how clever I am" moments both musically and lyrically. This is true of prog across the board. Tull has it, Yes is overrun with it. Floyd is guilty. Kansas... and on and on. Genesis? Come on. As these bands age most of them get better at presenting their musical talents to the songs at hand and not too much further, while tempering their prose so their points aren't dripping in adolescent pretension. To me Hemisipheres stands up well to the best of all of these. It's what you get with young progressive music. It's like watching a college star athlete showing off on the field/court. They're so much better than everyone else and they're excited to prove it. Than they mature, the good one's anyway, into athletes that make the right plays at the right times instead of throwing insane passes that look cool but fail too often. Hemispheres is that awesome college star pulling off those tricks successfully in my opinion, but then we get PeW, MP, etc. Ready for the pros.

And there goes my other number one song. It alternates with Natural Science. I don't actually know what's left, so this will be really interesting to me from here on.

On a list of most important Rush songs it's probably number 1. For favorite Rush songs I have it much lower. Overture-Temples is supreme, though. I like almost every other epic more overall. But we might have every album after because of that song. So no quarrel with this pick.