Mosher

Need Some Love is definitely a contender for dead last on my list. No love for Need Some Love. It sure rocks, I'll give it that, but to my ears it's not Rush in any way. For another band it would be solid, but that's just it. Very basic song- I expect more from Rush. Best I Can- same thing. It's better than Need Some Love, but it's a debut song that snuck onto the second album, and it shows. It's a pre-Neil song. Making Memories I enjoy. It's a nice song. Not great, but not skipped. Just a happy song.

Oh, great. Now you have me needing to relisten to both and I'm supposed to be awake and heading to work. You just might be right.

Tears is their all time most boring song, and Lessons isn't boring. So Lessons is far higher. But Lessons still isn't very high, so I'm fine with your ranking. The Big Wheel I like. It's another disposable pop song from Neil's pop song lyric phase, so it's not great by any means. But as pop songs go I like it.

While true, My point was that they sounded like they could write good songs, based on what I heard. But my opinion about Angry is unchanged. First pic was about one song. Second pic about the album's potential. But who knows? Songs have grown on me in the past.

Take A Friend is my second favorite off the debut. I really can't articulate why. But I'll bet I'm the only one on the forum who even has it top 4. I also like Face Up. It's disposable, obviously just another fun with words song for Neil, so a bit self indulgent. Neither song I have high, though, so no quibbles either.

Album cover inspired by Iron Maiden's Dance of Death. Angry is too- simple? Easy listening? Lacking of any punch? I don't know what it is, but it feels really low energy. Nevertheless, like Dance of Death- maybe the inside is far superior to the outside. I really hope this isn't the best song. EDIT: I want to add that they sound like they can still sound good with the right material. I have to think something will turn out to sound good on this album.

I can also happily admit to loving You Bet Your Life. And again it's the fun with words reason. It's silly, and it's probably why a lot hate it. But whatever. I dig the song. In the Mood I'd never give a second listen to if it wasn't Rush. It's a fine, extremely typical of its time, song. Put it on as back ground music. It's utterly unimportant. In concert it's the relaxing moment where everyone can mindlessly enjoy, and it acts as a release valve I suppose. But outside of the live experience, like most of the debut, it's just not Rush to my ears

I Think I'm iGoing Bald may have had words written by Neil, and the music may have been during the growth of their progressive stylings, but like Best I Can this is a first album type song. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like it gets diminished because it's on CoS. Sure it doesn't really fit that album. Yes the lyrics are silly. But if it was on the debut wouldn't many rate it higher? I'm no fan of the debut. Only one song gets into the top 100 for me. I don't rate this song that high either. But as those debut songs go, along with Bald and Best, ITIGB may be one of the very best ones. and the lyrics? Come on. Like it's worse than anything on the debut. Dog Years I get, that's very far removed from the early years. Do better, guys. But musically it's good enough to rise higher for me. Still not a top 100 song. I just don't think it's as bad as this. I'm not arguing that either are great I'm just trying to see why those first album songs get a pass. Is it because they weren't even trying to write a decent lyric? That's fair I suppose. I can see that criticism of Dog Years for sure. But Bald? I'd argue that had as much serious intent as Need Some Love.

I am happy to be among the very few who really like Anagram. As I've said before I am a big fan of all word play. Prose, poetry, alliteration, palindromes, boggle, scrabble, and of course anagrams. I get why Neil wrote it, and I love it. Hand Over Fist is a fine song. I'm okay with it being low, I have no specific interest in it beyond that it's a nice enough song. Agreed on the artwork it inspired.

Madrigal is truly boring, agreed. I don't know what it is about RIvendell. It's the sleepiest song they ever wrote. But there's something about it I love. It builds in the most quiet way to the lowest of heights, so subtle, and that moment saves the song for me. No, it doesn't rank in my top 100- nothing like that- but I genuinely like that moment enough to make Rivendell a never skipped song.

And yes, more of these so we can synthesize an overall picture of this band's output in the eyes of this forum

There's definitely an individual who might wish to see Second Nature and Anagram immediately, from what I gathered in the other thread. :) personally I can't object to these choices as I know they're unpopular, but I have both higher. But neither are strong songs. Tai Shan is the beginning of a possible solid epic, but it needs to build into something. It should be shorter and act as an intro. Neurotica is a bit too much with the pop rock silliness.

Not close to the best Bowie song. Not even in the top 30 Bowie songs. Not close to the best Queen song. Not even in the top 20. Probably the best song done together, and it's a fine song. But (without actually looking) I'm sure I can think of 50 songs just by those two artists I like more. But it's very good, I do agree on that.

I love Tull, but for me Broadsword is one of the weaker albums. It's half excellent, but I prefer every preceding Tull album from Stand Up through Storm Watch (except A) It's light years better than Under Wraps, though, and it's a very good album. It would have beaten a few Rush albums, but not the ones offered here.

There should have been a Rush/Iron Maiden Samuel Taylor Coleridge split with Xanadu/Rime. And indeed, Natural Science lyrically is superb. Xanadu doesn't lose me, but I generally take Natural Science every time over everything.

Natural Science is usually my number 1 as well, though it's chief competition is Hemispheres II. Xanadu is a worthy contender, though, and there can be no hate from me about it's place on your list

Tull has always been extremely generous with letting the public in on the demos, omissions, rejections, takes 2, 3, 4, 5, radio edits, forgotten noodlings, and everything else Not everything is worth checking out by anyone, but a Tull fan can't complain that Ian holds back. I'm a huge Tull fan, so I certainly have other things I wish had been done differently (No Martin Barre?!) (Under Wraps exists at all ?!) But for a wealth of deep diving prospects Tull delivers. Rush, not so much. Asked many times about the cutting room floor and the collective total lack of enthusiasm over ever releasing something they chose not to in the first place is more than firm. But boy do I wonder what paths may have been... Tull at least lets you have a pretty good idea.

Pat Benatar is the far superior singer. I like more of her songs than I like of John's. I am not a big fan of either overall, but each has enough songs that I could make an enjoyable single album. I like Pat when she rocks and John when he has something serious to say that he manages to match tonally to music. In this case I like John's version better. Pat could and should have punched it up more, especially considering the stellar Heartbreaker that precedes it. John just has more musically going on. In fairness, John needs more musically than Pat, because her voice is so incredible. But this time, John wins.

I love this song, much more than 2112. In the Valley is a great opener. Didacts and Narpets evokes teen years perfectly. No One At the Bridge is the best part, and evokes being released to the world on your own perfectly. Panacea is boring. Drags it down. Bacchus Plateau is okay, but it needed work. Fountain is a great call back. But getting from In the Valley to The Fountain shows that they weren't great at creating a singular long composition yet, especially when they understood how to start and end. It was less mature and focused than 2112, but to my ears it was far better. Both tunes drag in the middle, something they fixed on Xanadu, Hemispheres, and the Camera Eye.

I have this far lower. If I had made a list of most essential Rush songs it would be first. And Tom Sawyer might be second. 2112 has fantastic moments, and in 1976 it was a nice answer to the lower intensities of Yes, ELP, Jethro Tull, and other full side song creators. But as my list was based on what I actually want to hear at any given moment, the lows (for me) in 2112 drop it quite far down the list. It's tighter than Fountain, but I like Fountain more. And it isn't anywhere near as focused as Xanadu, Camera Eye, or Hemispheres II. But Overture through Temples is perfect, and the song is why I have so much more to listen to, so I can't fault anyone placing this anywhere in the top three, even first place.

How it Is and Earth Shine were the only two I immediately liked, outside of the opening of One Little Victory. Since then Vapor Trail, Nocturne, and Ghost Rider have really risen. I will listen to the whole album again to see if I can find any love for Sweet Miracle, Secret Touch, and Peaceable Kingdom since all three have champions here.

It's almost in my botton 25, I am not a fan of some of what this song brings. Most specifically, as with much of VT and S&A- it's how Geddy sings. Just not a fan of his choice at all.

This is the one song that surprises people the most that I down grade. It's a fine song, but it has always been last place on Moving Pictures for me. Never been higher than that. I don't skip it, I'm not insane. It's a good song. But it's way down my list.

I do get that, that's actually why I like the title sequence visuals. It did set up the feel of a natural progression from the Wright Brothers to Enterprise very well. It's okay that some like the song. It wouldn't be there if no one liked it.

I never liked that theme song, I thought it was a mistake to have lyrics and a pop song necessarily dates a show in a way that orchestral music doesn't. All music will place a show in a moment in time, but in a sci-fi show about the future it's even more important to try and place your themes into the future. Orchestral arrangements don't date the same way because they are used consistently over decades and therefore don't feel out of place the same way a pop song would. I do like the title sequence, but the song was a mistake. Have to disagree with you here. I do think the article was bizarrely cruel to the performer, though. My objection is mostly that it was a pop song at all. I certainly would have objected to U2 as well. A current pop song will make a futuristic show feel dated immediately. Firefly- which as you can see I am a small fan of- was an exception to this. Because Firefly was intentionally a western in space, the music was fine. Star Trek is not that.