Mosher

4 hours ago, JohnRogers said:

I vehemently disagree. After the initial surprise it grew on me quickly, functioning as intended. A unique aspect of Enterprise.

 

https://www.slashfilm.com/1371589/star-trek-enterprise-theme-song-controversy-explained/

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. 

 

On 8/24/2023 at 4:13 PM, Mosher said:

I had it at 28th, and it definitely deserves to be highly ranked. 

It passed the Trees for me long ago, and it might pass La Villa at times, though not often. 

It's never passing the title track, but that's no knock. 

Great song and cool to see it so high.

Subdivisions is more than worthy of high placement, it's very very high for me as well.

One wonders how much better the song would have been. Maybe their best, working more guitar into the mix

30 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

 Half the World (T4E, 11th best of 11)

#164     Good News First (S&A, 13th of 13)

#163     The Speed of Love (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     Tai Shan (HYF, 10th of 10)

#161     Bravest Face (S&A, 12th of 13)

#160     Second Nature (HYF, 9th of 10)

#159     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#158     Neurotica (RTB, 10th of 10)

#157     Anagram (for Mongo) (Presto, 11th of 11)

#156     High Water (HYF,  8th of 10)   

#155     Spindrift (S&A, 10th of 13)

#154     Stick It Out (CP, 10th of 11)

#153     Peaceable Kingdom (VT, 13th of 13)

#152     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 9th of 13)

#151     Out of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#150     Scars (Presto, 10th of 11)

#149     Superconductor (Presto, 9th of 11)

#148     Heresy (RTB, 9th of 10)

#147     The Way the Wind Blows (S&A, 8th of 13)

#146     War Paint (Presto, 8th of 11)

#145     You Bet Your Life (RTB, 8th of 10)

#144     Open Secrets (HYF, 7th of 10)

#143     In the Mood (Rush, 8th of 8)

#142     Time and Motion (T4E, 10th of 11)

#141     Hand Over Fist (Presto, 7th of 11)

#140     Presto (Presto, 6th of 11)

#139     Available Light (Presto, 5th of 11)

#138     Emotion Detector (PoW, 8th of 8)

#137     Take a Friend (Rush, 7th of 8)

#136     Grand Designs (PoW, 7th of 8)

#135     Armor and Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)

#134     Resist (T4E, 9th of 11)

#133     Freeze (VT, 11th of 13)

#132     The Stars Look Down (VT, 10th of 13)

#131     Dog Years (T4E, 8th of 11)

#130    Double Agent (CP,  9th of 11)

#129    Chemistry (Signals, 8th of 8)

#128    Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#127    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 6th of 8)

#126    Mission (HYF, 6th of 10)

#125    The Twilight Zone (2112, 6th of 6)

#124    The Big Wheel (RTB, 7th of 10)

#123    Face Up (RTB, 6th of 10)

#122    I Think I'm Going Bald (CoS, 5th of 5)

#121    Everyday Glory (CP, 8th of 11)

#120    Totem (T4E, 7th of 11)

#119    Territories (PoW, 5th of 8)

#118    Cut to the Chase {CP, 7th of 11)

#117    Alien Shore (CP, 6th of 11)

#116    Red Lenses (p/g, 8th of 8)

#115    The Color of Right (T4E, 6th of 11)

#114    Ghost of a Chance (RTB, 5th of 10)

#113    BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#112   Mystic Rhythms (PoW, 4th of 8)

#111   The Pass (Presto, 4th of 11)

#110   What You're Doing (Rush, 5th of 8)

#109   Digital Man (Signals, 7th of 8)

#108   Nobody's Hero (CP, 5th of 11)

#107   Need Some Love (Rush, 4th of 8)

#106   Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6)

#105   Carve Away the Stone (T4E, 5th of 11)

#104   Vapor Trail (VT, 9th of 13)

#103   Virtuality (T4E, 4th of 11)

#102   Chain Lightning (Presto, 3rd of 11)

#101   Before and After (Rush, 3rd of 8)

#100   Different Strings (PeW, 6th of 6)

#99     The Fountain of Lamneth (CoS, 4th of 5)

#98     Bravado (RTB, 4th of 10)

#97     We Hold On (S&A, 6th of 13)

#96     Tears (2112, 5th of 6)

#95     Lessons (2112, 4th of 6)

#94     Red Tide (Presto, 2nd of 11)

#93     Marathon (PoW, 3rd of 8)

#92     Lock and Key (HYF, 5th of 10)

#91     Working Them Angels (S&A, 5th of 13)

#90     Limbo (T4E, 3rd of 11)

#89     Where's My Thing?  (t4\, 3rd of 10)

#88     The Necromancer (CoS, 3rd of 5)

#87     Making Memories (FBN, 8th of 8)

#86     Hope (S&A, 4th of 13)

#85     Kid Gloves (p/g, 7 of 8)

#84     Halo Effect (CA, 11th of 12)

#83     Countdown (Signals, 6th of 8)

#82     The Body Electric (p/g, 6th of 8)

#81     Lakeside Park (CoS, 2nd of 5)

#80    Finding My Way (Rush, 2nd of 8)

#79    Prime Mover (HYF, 4th of 10)

#78    Animate (CP, 4th of 11)

#77    Test for Echo (T4E, 2nd of 11)

#76    Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 3rd of 11)

#75   Cold Fire (CP, 2nd of 11)

#74   Carnies (CA, 10th of 12)

#73   How It Is (VT, 8th of 13)

#72   Afterimage (p/g, 5th of 8)

#71   Between Sun and Moon (1st of 11)

#70    Turn the Page (HYF, 3rd of 10)

#69    Secret Touch (VT, 7th of 13)

#68    7 Cities of Gold (CA, 9th of 12)

#67    Show Don't Tell (Presto, 1st of 11)

#66    The Main Monkey Business (S&A, 3rd of 13)

#65    Sweet Miracle (VT, 6th of 13)

#64    The Wreckers (CA, 8th of 12)

#63    Rivendell (FBN, 7th of 8)

#62    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 2nd of 13)

#61    New World Man (Signals, 5th of 8)

#60    Clockwork Angels (CA, 7th of 12)

#59    Caravan (CA, 6th of 12)

#58    Wish Them Well (CA, 5th of 12)

#57    Fly By Night (FBN, 6th of 8)

#56    The Big Money (PoW, 2nd of 8)

#55     Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)

#54     Earthshine (VT, 4th of 13)

#53     Roll The Bones (RTB, 2nd of 10)

#52     One Little Victory (VT, 3rd of 13)

#51     Beneath Between and Behind (FBN, 5th of 8)

#50     In the End (FBN, 4th of 8)

#49     Between the Wheels (p/g, 4th of 8)

#48     Nocturne (VT, 2nd of 13)

#47     Losing It (Signals, 4th of 8)

#46     Best I Can (FBN, 3rd of 8)

#45    Cinderella Man (AFTK, 5th of 6)

#44    A Passage to Bangkol (2112, 3rd of 6)

#43    Red Sector A (p/g, 3rd of 8)

#42    Force Ten (HYF, 2nd of 10)

#41    Closer to the Heart (AFTK, 4th of 6)

#40    A Farewell to Kings (AFTK, 3rd of 6)

#39    Far Cry (S&A, 1st of 13)

#38    Manhattan Project (PoW, 1st of 8)

#37    Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 1st of 13)

#36    The Camera Eye (MP, 7th of 7)

#35    Time Stand Still (HYF, 1st of 10)

#34    The Weapon (Signals, 3rd of 8)

#33    BU2B (CA, 4th of 12)

#32    Cygnus X-1 Book I  (AFTK, 2nd of 6)

#31    Entre Nous (PeW, 5th of 6)

#30    Driven (T4E, 1st of 11)

#29    The Enemy Within (p/g, 2nd of 8)

#28    The Garden (CA, 3rd of 12)

#27    The Analog Kid (Signals, 2nd of 8)

#26    By Tor and the Snowdog (FBN, 2nd of 8)

#25    Headlong Flight (CA, 2nd of 12)

#24    Bastille Day (CoS, 1st of 5)

#23    Jacob's Ladder (PeW, 4th of 6)

#22    Anthem (FBN, 1st of 8)

#21    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

#20    Distant Early Warning (p/g, 1st of 8)

#19    Limelight (MP, 6th of 7)

#18    Something for Nothing (2112, 2nd of 6)

#17    Witch Hunt (MP, 5th of 7)

#16    The Anarchist (CA, 1st of 12)

#15    Cygnus X-1 Book II (Hemi, 4th of 4)

#14    Dreamline (RTB, 1st of 10)

#13    Tom Sawyer (MP, 4th of 7)

#12    The Trees (Hemi, 3rd of 4)

#11    Vital Signs (MP, 3rd of 7)

#10    Freewill (PeW, 3rd of 6)

#9      YYZ (MP, 2nd of 7)

#8      Circumstances (Hemi, 2nd of 4)

#7     La Villa Strangiato (Hemi, 1st of 4)

 

#6     The Spirit of Radio (PeW, 2nd of 6)

 

As one era ended with the last song on the countdown, a new, more accessible one began with the first song from their last Seventies album (sorry, had to), which appears at #6.   Not wishing to sacrifice musicianship at the altar of accessibility, they meet the standards of both with a song whose lyrics manage to be acerbic while sung joyfully while capturing the transition of FM radio from creative to corporate (though this had pretty much happened a few years prior.)  Always a joy to listen to, even with vicals best described as what will be looked at five years from now as a primitive AI mashup of Geddy and Phil Collins that just sounds like Geddy at half power.

 

 

A nice topical review of a song that was specifically topical. 

The truths in Spirit are still true, one does like to believe in the freedom of music. 
But that damnation o fthe industry is even more true today. 

Can't stop creativity, it's still all around, but it sure can be shoved into less accessible corners. 

I wish I hadn't loved this song and Tom Sawyer so much and that they hadn't been everywhere when I was young. because they dropped in the rankings because of this.

If I do another list I'll change my criteria. I'll drop the "current mood" criteria, and change it to an overall impact on my perception giving equal weight to my past as well as present. Spirit, Tom, Fly, Closer, Trees, etc., would all be higher. Radio wasn't friendly to my list this time, Freewill and Limelight notwithstanding. 

21 hours ago, 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 said:

 

 

For years I had High Water ranked near the bottom, right next to Tai Shan (that's a death sentence for any Rush song!).  I never gave it more than a few listens. I gave it a spin yesterday, for the first time in decades, and it's actually much better than I remembered. It's still not a top-100 song for me, but it's nowhere near Tai Shan anymore.

While I'll say I've always liked High Water,

I do have to wonder about your change of heart.

In the late 80s you had High Water quite low. But at that time you did not know of Anagram, Half the World, etc.

Maybe it's only risen given it's company?

I also like Anagram, but I do know you hate it 

1 hour ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

 

#7     La Villa Strangiato (Hemi, 1st of 4)

 

 

It's the most lyrical I've ever heard an instrumental be, if this was a dream Alex had, they presented it perfectly. 

5 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

#8      Circumstances (Hemi, 2nd of 4)

 

I had it at 28th, and it definitely deserves to be highly ranked. 

It passed the Trees for me long ago, and it might pass La Villa at times, though not often. 

It's never passing the title track, but that's no knock. 

Great song and cool to see it so high.

I also took statistics in university, on the recommendation of my Anthro department. Loved the class, and did very well, but don't remember much. 

I love general statistics, in my spare time I create the full demographic break downs of the citizens of the nations and cities I invent for my realms. Full nerd mode, and I love it. So I really want to see a professional break down of this forum's opinions.

The problem is that you want to begin with an equivalency between (for example) 70th is to 110th as 2nd is to X.

I can answer that for myself, because I know for myself how close the former two are vs the latter two. But that really won't hold for many people. Some hate entire albums, or even half the catalog. 

But I agree that it makes no sense to give every rating where 1st gets 165 points and 2nd gets 164, that's ridiculous. 
And for me the difference between #100 and #70 is almost nothing compare to #30 vs #1. Or #165 vs #135.

So I can't help you with your formula, but perhaps you can give a first place entry a value, another for 2nd-5th, another for 6th-10th, another for 11th-20... Something like that?

I'm so far out of my depth now!

In any event, how many people can we get to give you complete ratings? You'll get a lot more top 40s than top 165s.

3 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

Number 9.   Number 9.   Number 9.

 

#165     Half the World (T4E, 11th best of 11)

#164     Good News First (S&A, 13th of 13)

#163     The Speed of Love (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     Tai Shan (HYF, 10th of 10)

#161     Bravest Face (S&A, 12th of 13)

#160     Second Nature (HYF, 9th of 10)

#159     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#158     Neurotica (RTB, 10th of 10)

#157     Anagram (for Mongo) (Presto, 11th of 11)

#156     High Water (HYF,  8th of 10)   

#155     Spindrift (S&A, 10th of 13)

#154     Stick It Out (CP, 10th of 11)

#153     Peaceable Kingdom (VT, 13th of 13)

#152     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 9th of 13)

#151     Out of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#150     Scars (Presto, 10th of 11)

#149     Superconductor (Presto, 9th of 11)

#148     Heresy (RTB, 9th of 10)

#147     The Way the Wind Blows (S&A, 8th of 13)

#146     War Paint (Presto, 8th of 11)

#145     You Bet Your Life (RTB, 8th of 10)

#144     Open Secrets (HYF, 7th of 10)

#143     In the Mood (Rush, 8th of 8)

#142     Time and Motion (T4E, 10th of 11)

#141     Hand Over Fist (Presto, 7th of 11)

#140     Presto (Presto, 6th of 11)

#139     Available Light (Presto, 5th of 11)

#138     Emotion Detector (PoW, 8th of 8)

#137     Take a Friend (Rush, 7th of 8)

#136     Grand Designs (PoW, 7th of 8)

#135     Armor and Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)

#134     Resist (T4E, 9th of 11)

#133     Freeze (VT, 11th of 13)

#132     The Stars Look Down (VT, 10th of 13)

#131     Dog Years (T4E, 8th of 11)

#130    Double Agent (CP,  9th of 11)

#129    Chemistry (Signals, 8th of 8)

#128    Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#127    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 6th of 8)

#126    Mission (HYF, 6th of 10)

#125    The Twilight Zone (2112, 6th of 6)

#124    The Big Wheel (RTB, 7th of 10)

#123    Face Up (RTB, 6th of 10)

#122    I Think I'm Going Bald (CoS, 5th of 5)

#121    Everyday Glory (CP, 8th of 11)

#120    Totem (T4E, 7th of 11)

#119    Territories (PoW, 5th of 8)

#118    Cut to the Chase {CP, 7th of 11)

#117    Alien Shore (CP, 6th of 11)

#116    Red Lenses (p/g, 8th of 8)

#115    The Color of Right (T4E, 6th of 11)

#114    Ghost of a Chance (RTB, 5th of 10)

#113    BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#112   Mystic Rhythms (PoW, 4th of 8)

#111   The Pass (Presto, 4th of 11)

#110   What You're Doing (Rush, 5th of 8)

#109   Digital Man (Signals, 7th of 8)

#108   Nobody's Hero (CP, 5th of 11)

#107   Need Some Love (Rush, 4th of 8)

#106   Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6)

#105   Carve Away the Stone (T4E, 5th of 11)

#104   Vapor Trail (VT, 9th of 13)

#103   Virtuality (T4E, 4th of 11)

#102   Chain Lightning (Presto, 3rd of 11)

#101   Before and After (Rush, 3rd of 8)

#100   Different Strings (PeW, 6th of 6)

#99     The Fountain of Lamneth (CoS, 4th of 5)

#98     Bravado (RTB, 4th of 10)

#97     We Hold On (S&A, 6th of 13)

#96     Tears (2112, 5th of 6)

#95     Lessons (2112, 4th of 6)

#94     Red Tide (Presto, 2nd of 11)

#93     Marathon (PoW, 3rd of 8)

#92     Lock and Key (HYF, 5th of 10)

#91     Working Them Angels (S&A, 5th of 13)

#90     Limbo (T4E, 3rd of 11)

#89     Where's My Thing?  (t4\, 3rd of 10)

#88     The Necromancer (CoS, 3rd of 5)

#87     Making Memories (FBN, 8th of 8)

#86     Hope (S&A, 4th of 13)

#85     Kid Gloves (p/g, 7 of 8)

#84     Halo Effect (CA, 11th of 12)

#83     Countdown (Signals, 6th of 8)

#82     The Body Electric (p/g, 6th of 8)

#81     Lakeside Park (CoS, 2nd of 5)

#80    Finding My Way (Rush, 2nd of 8)

#79    Prime Mover (HYF, 4th of 10)

#78    Animate (CP, 4th of 11)

#77    Test for Echo (T4E, 2nd of 11)

#76    Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 3rd of 11)

#75   Cold Fire (CP, 2nd of 11)

#74   Carnies (CA, 10th of 12)

#73   How It Is (VT, 8th of 13)

#72   Afterimage (p/g, 5th of 8)

#71   Between Sun and Moon (1st of 11)

#70    Turn the Page (HYF, 3rd of 10)

#69    Secret Touch (VT, 7th of 13)

#68    7 Cities of Gold (CA, 9th of 12)

#67    Show Don't Tell (Presto, 1st of 11)

#66    The Main Monkey Business (S&A, 3rd of 13)

#65    Sweet Miracle (VT, 6th of 13)

#64    The Wreckers (CA, 8th of 12)

#63    Rivendell (FBN, 7th of 8)

#62    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 2nd of 13)

#61    New World Man (Signals, 5th of 8)

#60    Clockwork Angels (CA, 7th of 12)

#59    Caravan (CA, 6th of 12)

#58    Wish Them Well (CA, 5th of 12)

#57    Fly By Night (FBN, 6th of 8)

#56    The Big Money (PoW, 2nd of 8)

#55     Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)

#54     Earthshine (VT, 4th of 13)

#53     Roll The Bones (RTB, 2nd of 10)

#52     One Little Victory (VT, 3rd of 13)

#51     Beneath Between and Behind (FBN, 5th of 8)

#50     In the End (FBN, 4th of 8)

#49     Between the Wheels (p/g, 4th of 8)

#48     Nocturne (VT, 2nd of 13)

#47     Losing It (Signals, 4th of 8)

#46     Best I Can (FBN, 3rd of 8)

#45    Cinderella Man (AFTK, 5th of 6)

#44    A Passage to Bangkol (2112, 3rd of 6)

#43    Red Sector A (p/g, 3rd of 8)

#42    Force Ten (HYF, 2nd of 10)

#41    Closer to the Heart (AFTK, 4th of 6)

#40    A Farewell to Kings (AFTK, 3rd of 6)

#39    Far Cry (S&A, 1st of 13)

#38    Manhattan Project (PoW, 1st of 8)

#37    Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 1st of 13)

#36    The Camera Eye (MP, 7th of 7)

#35    Time Stand Still (HYF, 1st of 10)

#34    The Weapon (Signals, 3rd of 8)

#33    BU2B (CA, 4th of 12)

#32    Cygnus X-1 Book I  (AFTK, 2nd of 6)

#31    Entre Nous (PeW, 5th of 6)

#30    Driven (T4E, 1st of 11)

#29    The Enemy Within (p/g, 2nd of 8)

#28    The Garden (CA, 3rd of 12)

#27    The Analog Kid (Signals, 2nd of 8)

#26    By Tor and the Snowdog (FBN, 2nd of 8)

#25    Headlong Flight (CA, 2nd of 12)

#24    Bastille Day (CoS, 1st of 5)

#23    Jacob's Ladder (PeW, 4th of 6)

#22    Anthem (FBN, 1st of 8)

#21    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

#20    Distant Early Warning (p/g, 1st of 8)

#19    Limelight (MP, 6th of 7)

#18    Something for Nothing (2112, 2nd of 6)

#17    Witch Hunt (MP, 5th of 7)

#16    The Anarchist (CA, 1st of 12)

#15    Cygnus X-1 Book II (Hemi, 4th of 4)

#14    Dreamline (RTB, 1st of 10)

#13    Tom Sawyer (MP, 4th of 7)

#12    The Trees (Hemi, 3rd of 4)

#11    Vital Signs (MP, 3rd of 7)

#10    Freewill (PeW, 3rd of 6)

 

#9      YYZ (MP, 2nd of 7)

 

Interesting facts about this song.

 

1). YYZ is the ID code for the Toronto airport

2). The song opens with the Morse code signal for YYZ being played by the band

3).  Unlike US residents, Canadians pronounce the letter z as zed, so this song is often referred to as YY Zed.

 

Oh, and the instrumentation and playing is top notch (any help I could get with alternatives to sublime would be appreciated).  But you already knew that.

YYZ is a perfect instrumental, only surpassed by the transcendental LaVilla. Great song

18 minutes ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

Great list, friend; really well done. And this top ten is so chock full o' greatness! "La Villa"! "Xanadu"! The P/G double whammy of "TEW" and "KG"! 

 

And "Prime Mov--" wait, what? Oh, Mosher, you've made a typo or something here, accidentally copying and pasting a mid-30s song, at best, into your top five. Should be an easy fix.

 

Can't argue with #1; that's a good candidate to play for aliens if you can only play them one Rush song. It's the Rushiest of Rush, innit?

It really has everything you expect from Rush, I'm sure it's in most people's top 20 at least.

And I hope we all have some bizarre- wait, what?- selection in our top 20!

51 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

Most of these are close to my top ten, if not in it.  I have nothing against Kid Gloves and Prime Mover, they're both enjoyable listens, but not transcendent to me, as everything in the top 30 is.

 

Two other comments, if everyone had the same opinion, life would be dull, and everyone has at least one song in their top 10 that most people wouldn't have in their top 50.

 

Thanks for sharing your choices and rationale!  I really appreciate the discussion, and in no way thought you making your picks in this thread was inappropriate.

I didn't think you'd be bothered so much as I started to think how if I always follow you, then I post last, and that just didn't seem right. 

But I'd imagine the whole point is engagement!

I wish a lot more people had been sharing their picks as we went.

Although making the list in the first place is more work than some would find pointful. 

#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 (T4E, 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)

#145   Peacable Kingdom  (VT, 11th of 13)
#144   Freeze  (VT, 10th of 13)
#143   Stars Look Down  (VT, 9th of 13)
#142   Lakeside Park  (CoS,  5th of 5)
#141   Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 9th of 11)

#140  Secret Touch   (VT, 8th of 13)
#139  Totem  (T4E, 10th of 11)
#138  Neurotica  (RtB, 10th of 10)
#137  Spindrift  (S&A, 10th of 13)
#136  Limbo  (T4E, 9th of 11)

#135  Lessons   (2112, 5th of 6)
#134  Best I Can (FBN, 8th of 8)
#133  Mission  (HYF, 8th of 10)
#132  I Think I'm Going Bald  (CoS, 4th of 5)
#131  Superconductor  (P, 11th of 11)

#130  We Hold On   (S&A, 9th of 13)
#129  Scars (P, 10th of 11)
#128  Take A Friend  (Rush, 2nd of 8)
#127  Ghost of a Chance  (RtB, 9th of 10)
#126  Resist  (T4E, 8th of 11)
 

#125    Caravan (CA, 11th of 12)
#124    Double Agent (CP, 8th of 11)
#123    Making Memories (FBN, 7th of 8)
#122    Rivendell (FBN, 6th of 8)
#121    Twilight Zone (2112, 4th of 6)
 

#120    Dog Years (T4E, 7th of 11)
#119    Bravado (RtB, 8th of 10)
#118    The Garden (CA, 10th of 12)
#117    Halo Effect (CA, 9th of 12)
#116    Presto (P, 9th of 11)

#115    Virtuality (T4E, 6th of 11)
#114    Time and Motion (T4E, 5th of 11)
#113   Hope (S&A, 8th of 13)
#112   Armor & Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)
#111   Roll the Bones (RtB, 7th of 10)

#110   Show Don't Tell (P, 8th of 11)
#109   Where's My Thing (RtB, 6th of 10)
#108   Chemistry (S, 8th of 8)
#107   Red Barchetta (MP, 7th of 7)
#106   Available Light (P, 7th of 11)
 

#105   Mystic Rythms (PoW, 8th of 8)
#104   The Pass (P, 6th of 11)
#103   Lock and Key (HYF, 7th of 10)
#102   Losing It (S, 7th of 8)
#101   Anthem (FBN, 5th of 8)

#100   Hand Over Fist (P, 5th of 11)
#99     Main Monkey Business (S&A, 6th of 13)
#98     Open Secrets (HYF, 6th of 10)
#97     Wish Them Well (CA,  8th of 12)
#96     War Paint (P, 4th of 11)
 

#95     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 5th of 13)
#94     Everyday Glory (CP, 7th of 11)
#93     The Way The Wind Blows (S&A, 4th of 13)
#92     Vapor Trail (VT, 7th of 13)
#91     Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 6th of 13)

#90     Clockwork Angels (CA, 7th of 12)
#89     Emotion Detector  (PoW, 7th of 8)
#88     Entre Nous (PeW, 6th of 6)
#87     Different Strings (PeW, 5th of 6)
#86     Cinderella Man (AFTK, 5th of 6)

#85     Closer to the Heart (AFTK, 4th of 6)
#84     Marathon (PoW, 6th of 8)
#83     Cold Fire (CP, 6th of 11)
#82     New World Man (S, 6th of 8)
#81     A Passage To Bangkok (2112, 3rd of 6)

#80    You Bet Your Life (RtB, 5th of 10)
#79    Headlong Flight (CA, 6th of 12)
#78    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 3rd of 13)
#77    Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)
#76    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

#75   Bastille Day (CoS, 3rd of 5)
#74   Fly By Night (FBN, 4th of 8)
#73   Heresy (RtB, 4th of 10)
#72   Between The Wheels (P/G, 7th of 8)
#71   Anagram (P, 3rd of 11)

#70    Red Tide (P, 2nd of 11)
#69    The Big Wheel (RtB, 3rd of 10)
#68    One Little Victory (VT, 4th of 13)
#67    Nobody's Hero (CP, 5th of 11)
#66    Wreckers (CA, 5th of 12)

#65    Workin' Them Angels (S&A, 2nd of 13)
#64    Alien Shore (CP, 4th of 11)
#63    2112 (2112, 2nd of 6)
#62    BU2B (CA, 4th of 12)
#61    How It Is (VT, 3rd of 13)

#60    Carve Away The Stone (T4E, 4th of 11)
#59    Test For Echo (T4E, 3rd of 11)
#58    Force Ten (HYF, 5th of 10)
#57    Face UP (RtB, 2nd of 10)
#56    The Big Money (PoW, 5th of 8)
 

#55    Nocturne (VT, 2nd of 13)
#54   The Trees (H, 4th of 4)
#53    Chain Lightning (P, 1st of 11)
#52   Red Sector A (P/G, 6th of 8)
#51    Jacob's Ladder (PeW, 4th of 6)

#50    Witch Hunt (MP, 6th of 7)
#49    Earthshine  (VT, 1st of 13)
#48    The Colour Of Right (T4E, 2nd of 11)
#47    Distant Early Warning (P/G, 5th of 8)
#46    Time Stand Still (HYF, 4th of 10)

#45    Afterimage (P/G, 4th of 8)
#44    The Body Electric (P/G, 3rd of 8)
#43    In The End (FBN, 3rd of 8)
#42    Turn The Page (HYF, 3rd of 10)
#41    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 4th of 8)

#40    Carnies (CA, 3rd of 12)
#39    Animate (CP, 3rd of 11)
#38    Cygnus X-1 (AFTK, 3rd of 6)
#37    Between Sun and Moon (CP, 2nd of 11)
#36    Cut to the Chase (CP, 1st of 11)

#35   Driven (T4E, 1st of 11)
#34   Countdown (S, 5th of 8)
#33   Far Cry (S&A, 1st of 13)
#32   High Water (HYF, 2nd of 10)
#31   Manhattan Project (PoW, 3rd of 8)

#30   Dreamline (RtB, 1st of 10)
#29   A Farewell to Kings (AFTK, 2nd of 6)
#28   Circumstances (H, 3rd of 4)
#27   Grand Designs (PoW, 2nd of 8)
#26   The Weapon (S, 4th of 8)

#25   YYZ (MP, 5th of 7)
#24   The Spirit of Radio (PeW, 3rd of 6)
#23   Tom Sawyer (MP, 4th of 7)
#22   By-Tor and the Snow Dog (FBN, 2nd of 8)
#21   Digital Man (S, 3rd of 8)

#20   The Necromancer (CoS, 2nd of 5)
#19   Seven Cities of Gold (CA, 2nd of 12)
#18   The Fountain of Lamnneth (CoS, 1st of 5)
#17   Territories (PoW, 1st of 8)
#16   The Camera Eye (MP, 3rd of 7)

#15   Vital Signs (MP, 2nd of 7)
#14   Beneath, Between and Behind (FBN, 1st of 8)
#13   Subdivisions (S, 2nd of 8)
#12   The Analog Kid (S, 1st of 8)
#11   Something For Nothing (2112, 1st of 6)
 

#10   La Villa Strangiato (H, 2nd of 4)
#9     Limelight (MP, 1st of 7)
#8     Xanadu (AFTK, 1st of 6)
#7     The Enemy Within (P/G, 2nd of 8)
#6     Freewill (PeW, 2nd of 6)

#5     Kid Gloves (P/G, 1st of 8)
#4     The Anarchist (CA, 1st of 12)
#3     Prime Mover (HYF, 1st of 10)
#2     Hemispheres II (H, 1st of 4)
#1     Natural Science (PeW, 1st of 6)

As promised the remainder of my top ten, all at once. This is LABT's thread and he should end it with his choices (although, of course, my choices are better :)

I have La Villa at 10, which is very very high for an instrumental. But if ever an Instrumental spoke to me it's this one. It's an incredibly lyrical work, and no apologies for it rising so high. I said YYZ was flawless. This transcends the instrumental into the dreamscape Alex was going for. 

Limelight at 9th is low, I love this song. It has been my intro to Rush song for people who aren't into prog and just want rock, but want it to be particularly creative and well written. A perfect rock song.

Xanadu isn't everyone's thing, but it works for me. There are a few moments I'd have them do differently, I think it could have built into even more intensity considering the start. But whatever. It's 8th, that's not shabby. 

The Enemy Within- Grace gets 2 entries in the top ten, the most recent album to accomplish that feat. I know some people don't like the genre experiments, but I do and I love this song. 

Freewill. When I was exploring what I was pretty sure was my agnosticism- really my atheism- this song really echoed my musings. I had several reasons I concluded what I had, all born of my own thinking on the matter, but it was nice to have a song that shared my view. It's easier to be an outlier when you have company. And Geddy shines in this. 

Kid Gloves is my favorite straight up rocker they've ever made. I understand a lot of people dislike this song. I have absolutely no idea why. I'm hoping one of the few people reading this dislike Kid Gloves so they can tell me why. 

The Anarchist. Best song Rush wrote since the 80's, arguably even since 1980. It wasn't my first favorite off CA, that was Seven Cities of Gold (which a lot of people dislike). But The Anarchist is easily top ten for me. On the day I rated these songs it fared particularly well.

Prime Mover. I'd say I'm just messing with you all, but I have always loved this song. My favorite off HYF immediately, and over the years it passed Grand Designs, Territories, Enemy, Kid Gloves, etc. for my favorite of the synth era. It doesn't full on rock. It isn't particularly complex. It's not an amazing epic. The lyrics aren't next level. But whatever. I love Prime Mover. I love the different instruments taking the repeating patterns in the song. It's always top ten. Hate away. :)

Surprise, surprise. A Rush fan has Hemispheres II and Natural Science as their top songs. Shock of the century, right? They trade places all the time so I'll write them here as if that was true on this day (although it was a Natural Science day, it seems). I love the epics, and to my ears these were perfect. 
A not small part of me chooses to regard CA as a singular Jethro Tull style full album epic. I might place that first overall if I let that side win. But it's only lyrically an epic, not musically, so I'll avoid that temptation. A handful of Rush fans might place either song low, but not many. Both of these songs go without saying.

4 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

 

#10    Freewill (PeW, 3rd of 6)

 

3:00 to 4:00.  Need I say more?

 

 

No more to say. Could be higher, but top ten is top ten. Nothing wrong with this song in any way. 

I don't understand enough about a producers job to have any opinion on how this one would change things. 

I do know I really like P/G so I guess Is change nothing.

I know some really hate the production on that album. 

I know they will push for certain ideas and against others, but ultimately I only understand if I like the sound.

I have 2 Grace songs in my top 10 Rush ever, so as far as I'm concerned leave it alone.

I suppose if anything Is have asked for Producer who would limit the 80s over indulgence in synth effects and lean harder into guitar and bass, but since I still love PoW, for example, I wouldn't even change that.

#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 (T4E, 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)

#145   Peacable Kingdom  (VT, 11th of 13)
#144   Freeze  (VT, 10th of 13)
#143   Stars Look Down  (VT, 9th of 13)
#142   Lakeside Park  (CoS,  5th of 5)
#141   Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 9th of 11)

#140  Secret Touch   (VT, 8th of 13)
#139  Totem  (T4E, 10th of 11)
#138  Neurotica  (RtB, 10th of 10)
#137  Spindrift  (S&A, 10th of 13)
#136  Limbo  (T4E, 9th of 11)

#135  Lessons   (2112, 5th of 6)
#134  Best I Can (FBN, 8th of 8)
#133  Mission  (HYF, 8th of 10)
#132  I Think I'm Going Bald  (CoS, 4th of 5)
#131  Superconductor  (P, 11th of 11)

#130  We Hold On   (S&A, 9th of 13)
#129  Scars (P, 10th of 11)
#128  Take A Friend  (Rush, 2nd of 8)
#127  Ghost of a Chance  (RtB, 9th of 10)
#126  Resist  (T4E, 8th of 11)
 

#125    Caravan (CA, 11th of 12)
#124    Double Agent (CP, 8th of 11)
#123    Making Memories (FBN, 7th of 8)
#122    Rivendell (FBN, 6th of 8)
#121    Twilight Zone (2112, 4th of 6)
 

#120    Dog Years (T4E, 7th of 11)
#119    Bravado (RtB, 8th of 10)
#118    The Garden (CA, 10th of 12)
#117    Halo Effect (CA, 9th of 12)
#116    Presto (P, 9th of 11)

#115    Virtuality (T4E, 6th of 11)
#114    Time and Motion (T4E, 5th of 11)
#113   Hope (S&A, 8th of 13)
#112   Armor & Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)
#111   Roll the Bones (RtB, 7th of 10)

#110   Show Don't Tell (P, 8th of 11)
#109   Where's My Thing (RtB, 6th of 10)
#108   Chemistry (S, 8th of 8)
#107   Red Barchetta (MP, 7th of 7)
#106   Available Light (P, 7th of 11)
 

#105   Mystic Rythms (PoW, 8th of 8)
#104   The Pass (P, 6th of 11)
#103   Lock and Key (HYF, 7th of 10)
#102   Losing It (S, 7th of 8)
#101   Anthem (FBN, 5th of 8)

#100   Hand Over Fist (P, 5th of 11)
#99     Main Monkey Business (S&A, 6th of 13)
#98     Open Secrets (HYF, 6th of 10)
#97     Wish Them Well (CA,  8th of 12)
#96     War Paint (P, 4th of 11)
 

#95     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 5th of 13)
#94     Everyday Glory (CP, 7th of 11)
#93     The Way The Wind Blows (S&A, 4th of 13)
#92     Vapor Trail (VT, 7th of 13)
#91     Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 6th of 13)

#90     Clockwork Angels (CA, 7th of 12)
#89     Emotion Detector  (PoW, 7th of 8)
#88     Entre Nous (PeW, 6th of 6)
#87     Different Strings (PeW, 5th of 6)
#86     Cinderella Man (AFTK, 5th of 6)

#85     Closer to the Heart (AFTK, 4th of 6)
#84     Marathon (PoW, 6th of 8)
#83     Cold Fire (CP, 6th of 11)
#82     New World Man (S, 6th of 8)
#81     A Passage To Bangkok (2112, 3rd of 6)

#80    You Bet Your Life (RtB, 5th of 10)
#79    Headlong Flight (CA, 6th of 12)
#78    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 3rd of 13)
#77    Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)
#76    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

#75   Bastille Day (CoS, 3rd of 5)
#74   Fly By Night (FBN, 4th of 8)
#73   Heresy (RtB, 4th of 10)
#72   Between The Wheels (P/G, 7th of 8)
#71   Anagram (P, 3rd of 11)

#70    Red Tide (P, 2nd of 11)
#69    The Big Wheel (RtB, 3rd of 10)
#68    One Little Victory (VT, 4th of 13)
#67    Nobody's Hero (CP, 5th of 11)
#66    Wreckers (CA, 5th of 12)

#65    Workin' Them Angels (S&A, 2nd of 13)
#64    Alien Shore (CP, 4th of 11)
#63    2112 (2112, 2nd of 6)
#62    BU2B (CA, 4th of 12)
#61    How It Is (VT, 3rd of 13)

#60    Carve Away The Stone (T4E, 4th of 11)
#59    Test For Echo (T4E, 3rd of 11)
#58    Force Ten (HYF, 5th of 10)
#57    Face UP (RtB, 2nd of 10)
#56    The Big Money (PoW, 5th of 8)
 

#55    Nocturne (VT, 2nd of 13)
#54   The Trees (H, 4th of 4)
#53    Chain Lightning (P, 1st of 11)
#52   Red Sector A (P/G, 6th of 8)
#51    Jacob's Ladder (PeW, 4th of 6)

#50    Witch Hunt (MP, 6th of 7)
#49    Earthshine  (VT, 1st of 13)
#48    The Colour Of Right (T4E, 2nd of 11)
#47    Distant Early Warning (P/G, 5th of 8)
#46    Time Stand Still (HYF, 4th of 10)

#45    Afterimage (P/G, 4th of 8)
#44    The Body Electric (P/G, 3rd of 8)
#43    In The End (FBN, 3rd of 8)
#42    Turn The Page (HYF, 3rd of 10)
#41    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 4th of 8)

#40    Carnies (CA, 3rd of 12)
#39    Animate (CP, 3rd of 11)
#38    Cygnus X-1 (AFTK, 3rd of 6)
#37    Between Sun and Moon (CP, 2nd of 11)
#36    Cut to the Chase (CP, 1st of 11)

#35   Driven (T4E, 1st of 11)
#34   Countdown (S, 5th of 8)
#33   Far Cry (S&A, 1st of 13)
#32   High Water (HYF, 2nd of 10)
#31   Manhattan Project (PoW, 3rd of 8)

#30   Dreamline (RtB, 1st of 10)
#29   A Farewell to Kings (AFTK, 2nd of 6)
#28   Circumstances (H, 3rd of 4)
#27   Grand Designs (PoW, 2nd of 8)
#26   The Weapon (S, 4th of 8)

#25   YYZ (MP, 5th of 7)
#24   The Spirit of Radio (PeW, 3rd of 6)
#23   Tom Sawyer (MP, 4th of 7)
#22   By-Tor and the Snow Dog (FBN, 2nd of 8)
#21   Digital Man (S, 3rd of 8)

#20   The Necromancer (CoS, 2nd of 5)
#19   Seven Cities of Gold (CA, 2nd of 12)
#18   The Fountain of Lamnneth (CoS, 1st of 5)
#17   Territories (PoW, 1st of 8)
#16   The Camera Eye (MP, 3rd of 7)
 

#15   Vital Signs (MP, 2nd of 7)
#14   Beneath, Between and Behind (FBN, 1st of 8)
#13   Subdivisions (S, 2nd of 8)
#12   The Analog Kid (S, 1st of 8)
#11   Something For Nothing (2112, 1st of 6)

Your Vital placement is higher than mine, but I see we agree that it's a great song. 

Beneath is a song I have always loved, it's the most pre-Neil sounding song that I really love, although obviously it still has that Neil-affected vibe going. I'm pro Oxford comma, but I guess they aren't It's all I can do to avoid putting the comma after Between.
 
Subdivisions is possibly the first Rush song that I knew lyrically by heart. It's hard to say which one it was, but the poetry in this one I would recite all the time when I was a kid. 

The Analog Kid is a great song, true, but that solo by Alex elevates it. Put something like that in Subdivisions and we might have a new number one. Alex is too much missing in Subdivisions to beat Analog Kid.

Something for Nothing. It has always been my favorite off 2112 and it's a big part of why I'm team side II on that album. 

Three more albums knocked out!

 

2 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

I could do that.   But my ten songs, with perhaps one exception, are the most discussed songs in the catalog, and I don't think I really have any new perspectives to provide, especially since I am not a musician and have no insight into that aspect of things that wouldn't be ridiculed by those with such a background.

Go ahead one at a time, if you like. 

I'm releasing my last 10 all at once because it's your thread and I want you to finish it. But I've really enjoyed following along. 

Being a musician gives you technical insight, but not taste insight.

If you find a solo incredible, amazing, and beyond what you've ever heard before, a musician telling you how easy it is isn't relevant to your point. 

You still think it's the best 

Whatever reason you like something is the right reason 

I do like the perspective of musicians, though.

But it's only one measure, not the definitive one.

48 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

After this bunch, only the creme de la creme, the top 10 remain.    Look below to see what just missed that elite group.

 

#165     Half the World (T4E, 11th best of 11)

#164     Good News First (S&A, 13th of 13)

#163     The Speed of Love (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     Tai Shan (HYF, 10th of 10)

#161     Bravest Face (S&A, 12th of 13)

#160     Second Nature (HYF, 9th of 10)

#159     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#158     Neurotica (RTB, 10th of 10)

#157     Anagram (for Mongo) (Presto, 11th of 11)

#156     High Water (HYF,  8th of 10)   

#155     Spindrift (S&A, 10th of 13)

#154     Stick It Out (CP, 10th of 11)

#153     Peaceable Kingdom (VT, 13th of 13)

#152     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 9th of 13)

#151     Out of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#150     Scars (Presto, 10th of 11)

#149     Superconductor (Presto, 9th of 11)

#148     Heresy (RTB, 9th of 10)

#147     The Way the Wind Blows (S&A, 8th of 13)

#146     War Paint (Presto, 8th of 11)

#145     You Bet Your Life (RTB, 8th of 10)

#144     Open Secrets (HYF, 7th of 10)

#143     In the Mood (Rush, 8th of 8)

#142     Time and Motion (T4E, 10th of 11)

#141     Hand Over Fist (Presto, 7th of 11)

#140     Presto (Presto, 6th of 11)

#139     Available Light (Presto, 5th of 11)

#138     Emotion Detector (PoW, 8th of 8)

#137     Take a Friend (Rush, 7th of 8)

#136     Grand Designs (PoW, 7th of 8)

#135     Armor and Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)

#134     Resist (T4E, 9th of 11)

#133     Freeze (VT, 11th of 13)

#132     The Stars Look Down (VT, 10th of 13)

#131     Dog Years (T4E, 8th of 11)

#130    Double Agent (CP,  9th of 11)

#129    Chemistry (Signals, 8th of 8)

#128    Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#127    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 6th of 8)

#126    Mission (HYF, 6th of 10)

#125    The Twilight Zone (2112, 6th of 6)

#124    The Big Wheel (RTB, 7th of 10)

#123    Face Up (RTB, 6th of 10)

#122    I Think I'm Going Bald (CoS, 5th of 5)

#121    Everyday Glory (CP, 8th of 11)

#120    Totem (T4E, 7th of 11)

#119    Territories (PoW, 5th of 8)

#118    Cut to the Chase {CP, 7th of 11)

#117    Alien Shore (CP, 6th of 11)

#116    Red Lenses (p/g, 8th of 8)

#115    The Color of Right (T4E, 6th of 11)

#114    Ghost of a Chance (RTB, 5th of 10)

#113    BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#112   Mystic Rhythms (PoW, 4th of 8)

#111   The Pass (Presto, 4th of 11)

#110   What You're Doing (Rush, 5th of 8)

#109   Digital Man (Signals, 7th of 8)

#108   Nobody's Hero (CP, 5th of 11)

#107   Need Some Love (Rush, 4th of 8)

#106   Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6)

#105   Carve Away the Stone (T4E, 5th of 11)

#104   Vapor Trail (VT, 9th of 13)

#103   Virtuality (T4E, 4th of 11)

#102   Chain Lightning (Presto, 3rd of 11)

#101   Before and After (Rush, 3rd of 8)

#100   Different Strings (PeW, 6th of 6)

#99     The Fountain of Lamneth (CoS, 4th of 5)

#98     Bravado (RTB, 4th of 10)

#97     We Hold On (S&A, 6th of 13)

#96     Tears (2112, 5th of 6)

#95     Lessons (2112, 4th of 6)

#94     Red Tide (Presto, 2nd of 11)

#93     Marathon (PoW, 3rd of 8)

#92     Lock and Key (HYF, 5th of 10)

#91     Working Them Angels (S&A, 5th of 13)

#90     Limbo (T4E, 3rd of 11)

#89     Where's My Thing?  (t4\, 3rd of 10)

#88     The Necromancer (CoS, 3rd of 5)

#87     Making Memories (FBN, 8th of 8)

#86     Hope (S&A, 4th of 13)

#85     Kid Gloves (p/g, 7 of 8)

#84     Halo Effect (CA, 11th of 12)

#83     Countdown (Signals, 6th of 8)

#82     The Body Electric (p/g, 6th of 8)

#81     Lakeside Park (CoS, 2nd of 5)

#80    Finding My Way (Rush, 2nd of 8)

#79    Prime Mover (HYF, 4th of 10)

#78    Animate (CP, 4th of 11)

#77    Test for Echo (T4E, 2nd of 11)

#76    Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 3rd of 11)

#75   Cold Fire (CP, 2nd of 11)

#74   Carnies (CA, 10th of 12)

#73   How It Is (VT, 8th of 13)

#72   Afterimage (p/g, 5th of 8)

#71   Between Sun and Moon (1st of 11)

#70    Turn the Page (HYF, 3rd of 10)

#69    Secret Touch (VT, 7th of 13)

#68    7 Cities of Gold (CA, 9th of 12)

#67    Show Don't Tell (Presto, 1st of 11)

#66    The Main Monkey Business (S&A, 3rd of 13)

#65    Sweet Miracle (VT, 6th of 13)

#64    The Wreckers (CA, 8th of 12)

#63    Rivendell (FBN, 7th of 8)

#62    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 2nd of 13)

#61    New World Man (Signals, 5th of 8)

#60    Clockwork Angels (CA, 7th of 12)

#59    Caravan (CA, 6th of 12)

#58    Wish Them Well (CA, 5th of 12)

#57    Fly By Night (FBN, 6th of 8)

#56    The Big Money (PoW, 2nd of 8)

#55     Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)

#54     Earthshine (VT, 4th of 13)

#53     Roll The Bones (RTB, 2nd of 10)

#52     One Little Victory (VT, 3rd of 13)

#51     Beneath Between and Behind (FBN, 5th of 8)

#50     In the End (FBN, 4th of 8)

#49     Between the Wheels (p/g, 4th of 8)

#48     Nocturne (VT, 2nd of 13)

#47     Losing It (Signals, 4th of 8)

#46     Best I Can (FBN, 3rd of 8)

#45    Cinderella Man (AFTK, 5th of 6)

#44    A Passage to Bangkol (2112, 3rd of 6)

#43    Red Sector A (p/g, 3rd of 8)

#42    Force Ten (HYF, 2nd of 10)

#41    Closer to the Heart (AFTK, 4th of 6)

#40    A Farewell to Kings (AFTK, 3rd of 6)

#39    Far Cry (S&A, 1st of 13)

#38    Manhattan Project (PoW, 1st of 8)

#37    Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 1st of 13)

#36    The Camera Eye (MP, 7th of 7)

#35    Time Stand Still (HYF, 1st of 10)

#34    The Weapon (Signals, 3rd of 8)

#33    BU2B (CA, 4th of 12)

#32    Cygnus X-1 Book I  (AFTK, 2nd of 6)

#31    Entre Nous (PeW, 5th of 6)

#30    Driven (T4E, 1st of 11)

#29    The Enemy Within (p/g, 2nd of 8)

#28    The Garden (CA, 3rd of 12)

#27    The Analog Kid (Signals, 2nd of 8)

#26    By Tor and the Snowdog (FBN, 2nd of 8)

#25    Headlong Flight (CA, 2nd of 12)

#24    Bastille Day (CoS, 1st of 5)

#23    Jacob's Ladder (PeW, 4th of 6)

#22    Anthem (FBN, 1st of 8)

#21    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

#20    Distant Early Warning (p/g, 1st of 8)

#19    Limelight (MP, 6th of 7)

#18    Something for Nothing (2112, 2nd of 6)

#17    Witch Hunt (MP, 5th of 7)

#16    The Anarchist (CA, 1st of 12)

 

#15    Cygnus X-1 Book II (Hemi, 4th of 4)

#14    Dreamline (RTB, 1st of 10)

#13    Tom Sawyer (MP, 4th of 7)

#12    The Trees (Hemi, 3rd of 4)

#11    Vital Signs (MP, 3rd of 7)

 

Finally something from Hemispheres comes off the board, along with two more from Moving Pictures, and the last one from Roll The Bones????   All I can say is that a) it would rate lower today, and b) it WAS the song that, when I heard it on the radio made me buy RTB after the slow but increasingly paced disinterest in the band from Power Windows through Hold Your Fire and Presto (albums I barely ever went back to after the first listen).

 

I'm sure that The Trees (with what most people think are silly lyrics) and Vital Signs might be seen as overrated, but not for me.   Vital Signs, especially was my favorite song off of Moving Pictures for a long time after I first got the album.   

 

In any case, hate away.    The last ten will provide scant opportunity for hatred, with only one song not among the favorites with strong consensus here.

I have Vital in the top 15, too, but it's second on Moving Pictures.

I have Hemispheres much higher, but I can't argue with where you have it.

Dreamline is perfect, no issues with where you have it. If only that promise held true all album.

The Trees Is last on Hemispheres, but I loved the tree analogy when I was young. It's certainly a youthful metaphor, but it works, silly or not.

Tom Sawyer is great, possibly the most important Rush song to the band's pocketbook, after 2112 saved their career. I have it lower, but not by a lot.

22 hours ago, JohnRogers said:

Chad isn't wrong.

https://redshirtsalwaysdie.com/2023/08/17/star-trek-shoudnt-reboot-any-properties-just-fill-in-the-holes-as-needed/

I fully agree about not rebooting, however I have always wanted Trek to go into the future, or another ship every time.

Going into the past always forces unnecessary continuity challenges. 

The future is better.

I'm tired of going into the past ( although strange new worlds is fantastic)

#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 (T4E, 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)

#145   Peacable Kingdom  (VT, 11th of 13)
#144   Freeze  (VT, 10th of 13)
#143   Stars Look Down  (VT, 9th of 13)
#142   Lakeside Park  (CoS,  5th of 5)
#141   Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 9th of 11)

#140  Secret Touch   (VT, 8th of 13)
#139  Totem  (T4E, 10th of 11)
#138  Neurotica  (RtB, 10th of 10)
#137  Spindrift  (S&A, 10th of 13)
#136  Limbo  (T4E, 9th of 11)

#135  Lessons   (2112, 5th of 6)
#134  Best I Can (FBN, 8th of 8)
#133  Mission  (HYF, 8th of 10)
#132  I Think I'm Going Bald  (CoS, 4th of 5)
#131  Superconductor  (P, 11th of 11)

#130  We Hold On   (S&A, 9th of 13)
#129  Scars (P, 10th of 11)
#128  Take A Friend  (Rush, 2nd of 8)
#127  Ghost of a Chance  (RtB, 9th of 10)
#126  Resist  (T4E, 8th of 11)
 

#125    Caravan (CA, 11th of 12)
#124    Double Agent (CP, 8th of 11)
#123    Making Memories (FBN, 7th of 8)
#122    Rivendell (FBN, 6th of 8)
#121    Twilight Zone (2112, 4th of 6)
 

#120    Dog Years (T4E, 7th of 11)
#119    Bravado (RtB, 8th of 10)
#118    The Garden (CA, 10th of 12)
#117    Halo Effect (CA, 9th of 12)
#116    Presto (P, 9th of 11)

#115    Virtuality (T4E, 6th of 11)
#114    Time and Motion (T4E, 5th of 11)
#113   Hope (S&A, 8th of 13)
#112   Armor & Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)
#111   Roll the Bones (RtB, 7th of 10)

#110   Show Don't Tell (P, 8th of 11)
#109   Where's My Thing (RtB, 6th of 10)
#108   Chemistry (S, 8th of 8)
#107   Red Barchetta (MP, 7th of 7)
#106   Available Light (P, 7th of 11)
 

#105   Mystic Rythms (PoW, 8th of 8)
#104   The Pass (P, 6th of 11)
#103   Lock and Key (HYF, 7th of 10)
#102   Losing It (S, 7th of 8)
#101   Anthem (FBN, 5th of 8)

#100   Hand Over Fist (P, 5th of 11)
#99     Main Monkey Business (S&A, 6th of 13)
#98     Open Secrets (HYF, 6th of 10)
#97     Wish Them Well (CA,  8th of 12)
#96     War Paint (P, 4th of 11)
 

#95     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 5th of 13)
#94     Everyday Glory (CP, 7th of 11)
#93     The Way The Wind Blows (S&A, 4th of 13)
#92     Vapor Trail (VT, 7th of 13)
#91     Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 6th of 13)

#90     Clockwork Angels (CA, 7th of 12)
#89     Emotion Detector  (PoW, 7th of 8)
#88     Entre Nous (PeW, 6th of 6)
#87     Different Strings (PeW, 5th of 6)
#86     Cinderella Man (AFTK, 5th of 6)

#85     Closer to the Heart (AFTK, 4th of 6)
#84     Marathon (PoW, 6th of 8)
#83     Cold Fire (CP, 6th of 11)
#82     New World Man (S, 6th of 8)
#81     A Passage To Bangkok (2112, 3rd of 6)

#80    You Bet Your Life (RtB, 5th of 10)
#79    Headlong Flight (CA, 6th of 12)
#78    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 3rd of 13)
#77    Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)
#76    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

#75   Bastille Day (CoS, 3rd of 5)
#74   Fly By Night (FBN, 4th of 8)
#73   Heresy (RtB, 4th of 10)
#72   Between The Wheels (P/G, 7th of 8)
#71   Anagram (P, 3rd of 11)

#70    Red Tide (P, 2nd of 11)
#69    The Big Wheel (RtB, 3rd of 10)
#68    One Little Victory (VT, 4th of 13)
#67    Nobody's Hero (CP, 5th of 11)
#66    Wreckers (CA, 5th of 12)

#65    Workin' Them Angels (S&A, 2nd of 13)
#64    Alien Shore (CP, 4th of 11)
#63    2112 (2112, 2nd of 6)
#62    BU2B (CA, 4th of 12)
#61    How It Is (VT, 3rd of 13)

#60    Carve Away The Stone (T4E, 4th of 11)
#59    Test For Echo (T4E, 3rd of 11)
#58    Force Ten (HYF, 5th of 10)
#57    Face UP (RtB, 2nd of 10)
#56    The Big Money (PoW, 5th of 8)
 

#55    Nocturne (VT, 2nd of 13)
#54   The Trees (H, 4th of 4)
#53    Chain Lightning (P, 1st of 11)
#52   Red Sector A (P/G, 6th of 8)
#51    Jacob's Ladder (PeW, 4th of 6)

#50    Witch Hunt (MP, 6th of 7)
#49    Earthshine  (VT, 1st of 13)
#48    The Colour Of Right (T4E, 2nd of 11)
#47    Distant Early Warning (P/G, 5th of 8)
#46    Time Stand Still (HYF, 4th of 10)

#45    Afterimage (P/G, 4th of 8)
#44    The Body Electric (P/G, 3rd of 8)
#43    In The End (FBN, 3rd of 8)
#42    Turn The Page (HYF, 3rd of 10)
#41    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 4th of 8)

#40    Carnies (CA, 3rd of 12)
#39    Animate (CP, 3rd of 11)
#38    Cygnus X-1 (AFTK, 3rd of 6)
#37    Between Sun and Moon (CP, 2nd of 11)
#36    Cut to the Chase (CP, 1st of 11)

#35   Driven (T4E, 1st of 11)
#34   Countdown (S, 5th of 8)
#33   Far Cry (S&A, 1st of 13)
#32   High Water (HYF, 2nd of 10)
#31   Manhattan Project (PoW, 3rd of 8)

#30   Dreamline (RtB, 1st of 10)
#29   A Farewell to Kings (AFTK, 2nd of 6)
#28   Circumstances (H, 3rd of 4)
#27   Grand Designs (PoW, 2nd of 8)
#26   The Weapon (S, 4th of 8)

#25   YYZ (MP, 5th of 7)
#24   The Spirit of Radio (PeW, 3rd of 6)
#23   Tom Sawyer (MP, 4th of 7)
#22   By-Tor and the Snow Dog (FBN, 2nd of 8)
#21   Digital Man (S, 3rd of 8)

#20   The Necromancer (CoS, 2nd of 5)
#19   Seven Cities of Gold (CA, 2nd of 12)
#18   The Fountain of Lamnneth (CoS, 1st of 5)
#17   Territories (PoW, 1st of 8)
#16   The Camera Eye (MP, 3rd of 7)

Both the Necromancer and Fountain are flawed, The former by a narration choice that is silly and diminishes the song on repeated listens. But I guess on this day I was really into Alex's performance, which is incredible. Still, I need to be more consistent in evaluating the whole song. Although I guess my criteria in this list was just a simple "do I want to listen to the next song more, or less, than this one" applied here that day. The Fountain loses it's cohesion musically midway, they weren't quite there in writing epics yet, but the metaphor of the progression of a human life told through music works for me very well. 

Seven Cities was my initial favorite off Clockwork and I stand by it, although for some reason many find it quite weak.

Territories is the most lyrically true to my basic world view, so it will always be important to me. It's not complex, but I was 15 when it came out and it really spoke to me then. 

The Camera Eye has jumped in the ratings over the years, and I don't know why. Passing 2112, Fountain, Necromancer, By Tor, to become a major player among Rush epics. No particular reason, though. I just really like it now. 

1 hour ago, laughedatbytime said:

We start into the top 20 of the band with the greatest catalog in the world (IMO, of course).    Everything from now on is sublime!

 

#165     Half the World (T4E, 11th best of 11)

#164     Good News First (S&A, 13th of 13)

#163     The Speed of Love (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     Tai Shan (HYF, 10th of 10)

#161     Bravest Face (S&A, 12th of 13)

#160     Second Nature (HYF, 9th of 10)

#159     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#158     Neurotica (RTB, 10th of 10)

#157     Anagram (for Mongo) (Presto, 11th of 11)

#156     High Water (HYF,  8th of 10)   

#155     Spindrift (S&A, 10th of 13)

#154     Stick It Out (CP, 10th of 11)

#153     Peaceable Kingdom (VT, 13th of 13)

#152     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 9th of 13)

#151     Out of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#150     Scars (Presto, 10th of 11)

#149     Superconductor (Presto, 9th of 11)

#148     Heresy (RTB, 9th of 10)

#147     The Way the Wind Blows (S&A, 8th of 13)

#146     War Paint (Presto, 8th of 11)

#145     You Bet Your Life (RTB, 8th of 10)

#144     Open Secrets (HYF, 7th of 10)

#143     In the Mood (Rush, 8th of 8)

#142     Time and Motion (T4E, 10th of 11)

#141     Hand Over Fist (Presto, 7th of 11)

#140     Presto (Presto, 6th of 11)

#139     Available Light (Presto, 5th of 11)

#138     Emotion Detector (PoW, 8th of 8)

#137     Take a Friend (Rush, 7th of 8)

#136     Grand Designs (PoW, 7th of 8)

#135     Armor and Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)

#134     Resist (T4E, 9th of 11)

#133     Freeze (VT, 11th of 13)

#132     The Stars Look Down (VT, 10th of 13)

#131     Dog Years (T4E, 8th of 11)

#130    Double Agent (CP,  9th of 11)

#129    Chemistry (Signals, 8th of 8)

#128    Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#127    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 6th of 8)

#126    Mission (HYF, 6th of 10)

#125    The Twilight Zone (2112, 6th of 6)

#124    The Big Wheel (RTB, 7th of 10)

#123    Face Up (RTB, 6th of 10)

#122    I Think I'm Going Bald (CoS, 5th of 5)

#121    Everyday Glory (CP, 8th of 11)

#120    Totem (T4E, 7th of 11)

#119    Territories (PoW, 5th of 8)

#118    Cut to the Chase {CP, 7th of 11)

#117    Alien Shore (CP, 6th of 11)

#116    Red Lenses (p/g, 8th of 8)

#115    The Color of Right (T4E, 6th of 11)

#114    Ghost of a Chance (RTB, 5th of 10)

#113    BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#112   Mystic Rhythms (PoW, 4th of 8)

#111   The Pass (Presto, 4th of 11)

#110   What You're Doing (Rush, 5th of 8)

#109   Digital Man (Signals, 7th of 8)

#108   Nobody's Hero (CP, 5th of 11)

#107   Need Some Love (Rush, 4th of 8)

#106   Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6)

#105   Carve Away the Stone (T4E, 5th of 11)

#104   Vapor Trail (VT, 9th of 13)

#103   Virtuality (T4E, 4th of 11)

#102   Chain Lightning (Presto, 3rd of 11)

#101   Before and After (Rush, 3rd of 8)

#100   Different Strings (PeW, 6th of 6)

#99     The Fountain of Lamneth (CoS, 4th of 5)

#98     Bravado (RTB, 4th of 10)

#97     We Hold On (S&A, 6th of 13)

#96     Tears (2112, 5th of 6)

#95     Lessons (2112, 4th of 6)

#94     Red Tide (Presto, 2nd of 11)

#93     Marathon (PoW, 3rd of 8)

#92     Lock and Key (HYF, 5th of 10)

#91     Working Them Angels (S&A, 5th of 13)

#90     Limbo (T4E, 3rd of 11)

#89     Where's My Thing?  (t4\, 3rd of 10)

#88     The Necromancer (CoS, 3rd of 5)

#87     Making Memories (FBN, 8th of 8)

#86     Hope (S&A, 4th of 13)

#85     Kid Gloves (p/g, 7 of 8)

#84     Halo Effect (CA, 11th of 12)

#83     Countdown (Signals, 6th of 8)

#82     The Body Electric (p/g, 6th of 8)

#81     Lakeside Park (CoS, 2nd of 5)

#80    Finding My Way (Rush, 2nd of 8)

#79    Prime Mover (HYF, 4th of 10)

#78    Animate (CP, 4th of 11)

#77    Test for Echo (T4E, 2nd of 11)

#76    Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 3rd of 11)

#75   Cold Fire (CP, 2nd of 11)

#74   Carnies (CA, 10th of 12)

#73   How It Is (VT, 8th of 13)

#72   Afterimage (p/g, 5th of 8)

#71   Between Sun and Moon (1st of 11)

#70    Turn the Page (HYF, 3rd of 10)

#69    Secret Touch (VT, 7th of 13)

#68    7 Cities of Gold (CA, 9th of 12)

#67    Show Don't Tell (Presto, 1st of 11)

#66    The Main Monkey Business (S&A, 3rd of 13)

#65    Sweet Miracle (VT, 6th of 13)

#64    The Wreckers (CA, 8th of 12)

#63    Rivendell (FBN, 7th of 8)

#62    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 2nd of 13)

#61    New World Man (Signals, 5th of 8)

#60    Clockwork Angels (CA, 7th of 12)

#59    Caravan (CA, 6th of 12)

#58    Wish Them Well (CA, 5th of 12)

#57    Fly By Night (FBN, 6th of 8)

#56    The Big Money (PoW, 2nd of 8)

#55     Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)

#54     Earthshine (VT, 4th of 13)

#53     Roll The Bones (RTB, 2nd of 10)

#52     One Little Victory (VT, 3rd of 13)

#51     Beneath Between and Behind (FBN, 5th of 8)

#50     In the End (FBN, 4th of 8)

#49     Between the Wheels (p/g, 4th of 8)

#48     Nocturne (VT, 2nd of 13)

#47     Losing It (Signals, 4th of 8)

#46     Best I Can (FBN, 3rd of 8)

#45    Cinderella Man (AFTK, 5th of 6)

#44    A Passage to Bangkol (2112, 3rd of 6)

#43    Red Sector A (p/g, 3rd of 8)

#42    Force Ten (HYF, 2nd of 10)

#41    Closer to the Heart (AFTK, 4th of 6)

#40    A Farewell to Kings (AFTK, 3rd of 6)

#39    Far Cry (S&A, 1st of 13)

#38    Manhattan Project (PoW, 1st of 8)

#37    Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 1st of 13)

#36    The Camera Eye (MP, 7th of 7)

#35    Time Stand Still (HYF, 1st of 10)

#34    The Weapon (Signals, 3rd of 8)

#33    BU2B (CA, 4th of 12)

#32    Cygnus X-1 Book I  (AFTK, 2nd of 6)

#31    Entre Nous (PeW, 5th of 6)

#30    Driven (T4E, 1st of 11)

#29    The Enemy Within (p/g, 2nd of 8)

#28    The Garden (CA, 3rd of 12)

#27    The Analog Kid (Signals, 2nd of 8)

#26    By Tor and the Snowdog (FBN, 2nd of 8)

#25    Headlong Flight (CA, 2nd of 12)

#24    Bastille Day (CoS, 1st of 5)

#23    Jacob's Ladder (PeW, 4th of 6)

#22    Anthem (FBN, 1st of 8)

#21    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

 

#20    Distant Early Warning (p/g, 1st of 8)

#19    Limelight (MP, 6th of 7)

#18    Something for Nothing (2112, 2nd of 6)

#17    Witch Hunt (MP, 5th of 7)

#16    The Anarchist (CA, 1st of 12)

 

I suspect I'm higher than most on most of these, and lower on Limelight.     So hate away!

 

 

 

I just spent a lot of time answering this and then posting my next 15, and it all disappeared. 

So attempt two...

I have both Something and Anarchist higher, but at this point top 20 is top 20. Really glad to see someone else thinks so highly of the best song off Clockwork.

Limelight I'd have higher, but you figured as much. 

Distant and Witch I have lower, but they're both top 50 so I still think they're great songs. 

Well I hadn't heard Lethe, You'll Be Sorry, or That Was Then before. So for me the EP is better than the album I listened to

1 hour ago, TheAccountant said:

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.

 

We all have opinions about Rush that surprise the rest of us, but you may have taken first place in the surprise take category.

Not because you have YYZ low, but because of how much you dislike it.

Wow 

4 minutes ago, goose said:

I'm of the mind that as an album VT is a rare moment that finds Neil at his most human and most poetic as a lyricist.  The album is a sonic train wreck in many ways, but I don't think that's an accident

I feel like VT is an album where a long layoff meant a million musical ideas from Geddy and Alex. Neil had a lot to say on the deepest of personal levels. 

It's my least favorite (or maybe Snakes) for Geddy's vocal whoahs and oh's. I don't like how those are performed on either album. And the music is put together in a way that doesn't seem to work for me. 

On the other hand, VT has grown on me a lot over the years, so either I'm warming up to those decisions---or I'm finally starting to 'get' it.

46 minutes ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

"Digital Man," huh? The rest are good, yeah.

No explanation. It's one of their songs that just steadily climbs, so far without an apparent plateau. 

Although I can't imagine it would ever be top ten.

1 hour ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

#25    Headlong Flight (CA, 2nd of 12)

#24    Bastille Day (CoS, 1st of 5)

#23    Jacob's Ladder (PeW, 4th of 6)

#22    Anthem (FBN, 1st of 8)

#21    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

 

 

No complaints at all. I love Clockwork, and I still have two songs from that album to go. I have Headlong Flight a lot lower, partly because they already wrote Bastille Day but mainly because the songs I have higher are better. :)

Bastille Day is great, but again I have two other songs off Caress to go that are better (although both are decidedly imperfect versions of themselves and Bastille Day they got right. I just like the overall of the other two better.)

Jacob's Ladder is a wonderful epic that should have either been an instrumental only, or a grander, more lyrical epic. It finds the happy medium and is a very nice song. It's not this good, though. 

Anthem is a nice intro into the newer, improved Rush, but Fly By Night has 4 better songs on it. 

Working Man is way too high. For another band, perhaps one that went by the same name but was definitely a different band, this song is a clear number one. It's pure fire, and it is always a welcome listen. It's the best song in many a hard rock band's repertoire. But for Rush- the band that I know and love? Working Man doesn't ever see the top 50. But no complaints- Working Man is one of the most powerful song rock radio has ever played. It shows off everything Geddy and Alex had to offer and I'm glad they formed a new band also called Rush with that Neil guy. 

#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 (T4E, 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)

#145   Peacable Kingdom  (VT, 11th of 13)
#144   Freeze  (VT, 10th of 13)
#143   Stars Look Down  (VT, 9th of 13)
#142   Lakeside Park  (CoS,  5th of 5)
#141   Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 9th of 11)

#140  Secret Touch   (VT, 8th of 13)
#139  Totem  (T4E, 10th of 11)
#138  Neurotica  (RtB, 10th of 10)
#137  Spindrift  (S&A, 10th of 13)
#136  Limbo  (T4E, 9th of 11)

#135  Lessons   (2112, 5th of 6)
#134  Best I Can (FBN, 8th of 8)
#133  Mission  (HYF, 8th of 10)
#132  I Think I'm Going Bald  (CoS, 4th of 5)
#131  Superconductor  (P, 11th of 11)

#130  We Hold On   (S&A, 9th of 13)
#129  Scars (P, 10th of 11)
#128  Take A Friend  (Rush, 2nd of 8)
#127  Ghost of a Chance  (RtB, 9th of 10)
#126  Resist  (T4E, 8th of 11)
 

#125    Caravan (CA, 11th of 12)
#124    Double Agent (CP, 8th of 11)
#123    Making Memories (FBN, 7th of 8)
#122    Rivendell (FBN, 6th of 8)
#121    Twilight Zone (2112, 4th of 6)
 

#120    Dog Years (T4E, 7th of 11)
#119    Bravado (RtB, 8th of 10)
#118    The Garden (CA, 10th of 12)
#117    Halo Effect (CA, 9th of 12)
#116    Presto (P, 9th of 11)

#115    Virtuality (T4E, 6th of 11)
#114    Time and Motion (T4E, 5th of 11)
#113   Hope (S&A, 8th of 13)
#112   Armor & Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)
#111   Roll the Bones (RtB, 7th of 10)

#110   Show Don't Tell (P, 8th of 11)
#109   Where's My Thing (RtB, 6th of 10)
#108   Chemistry (S, 8th of 8)
#107   Red Barchetta (MP, 7th of 7)
#106   Available Light (P, 7th of 11)
 

#105   Mystic Rythms (PoW, 8th of 8)
#104   The Pass (P, 6th of 11)
#103   Lock and Key (HYF, 7th of 10)
#102   Losing It (S, 7th of 8)
#101   Anthem (FBN, 5th of 8)

#100   Hand Over Fist (P, 5th of 11)
#99     Main Monkey Business (S&A, 6th of 13)
#98     Open Secrets (HYF, 6th of 10)
#97     Wish Them Well (CA,  8th of 12)
#96     War Paint (P, 4th of 11)
 

#95     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 5th of 13)
#94     Everyday Glory (CP, 7th of 11)
#93     The Way The Wind Blows (S&A, 4th of 13)
#92     Vapor Trail (VT, 7th of 13)
#91     Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 6th of 13)

#90     Clockwork Angels (CA, 7th of 12)
#89     Emotion Detector  (PoW, 7th of 8)
#88     Entre Nous (PeW, 6th of 6)
#87     Different Strings (PeW, 5th of 6)
#86     Cinderella Man (AFTK, 5th of 6)

#85     Closer to the Heart (AFTK, 4th of 6)
#84     Marathon (PoW, 6th of 8)
#83     Cold Fire (CP, 6th of 11)
#82     New World Man (S, 6th of 8)
#81     A Passage To Bangkok (2112, 3rd of 6)

#80    You Bet Your Life (RtB, 5th of 10)
#79    Headlong Flight (CA, 6th of 12)
#78    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 3rd of 13)
#77    Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)
#76    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

#75   Bastille Day (CoS, 3rd of 5)
#74   Fly By Night (FBN, 4th of 8)
#73   Heresy (RtB, 4th of 10)
#72   Between The Wheels (P/G, 7th of 8)
#71   Anagram (P, 3rd of 11)

#70    Red Tide (P, 2nd of 11)
#69    The Big Wheel (RtB, 3rd of 10)
#68    One Little Victory (VT, 4th of 13)
#67    Nobody's Hero (CP, 5th of 11)
#66    Wreckers (CA, 5th of 12)

#65    Workin' Them Angels (S&A, 2nd of 13)
#64    Alien Shore (CP, 4th of 11)
#63    2112 (2112, 2nd of 6)
#62    BU2B (CA, 4th of 12)
#61    How It Is (VT, 3rd of 13)

#60    Carve Away The Stone (T4E, 4th of 11)
#59    Test For Echo (T4E, 3rd of 11)
#58    Force Ten (HYF, 5th of 10)
#57    Face UP (RtB, 2nd of 10)
#56    The Big Money (PoW, 5th of 8)
 

#55    Nocturne (VT, 2nd of 13)
#54   The Trees (H, 4th of 4)
#53    Chain Lightning (P, 1st of 11)
#52   Red Sector A (P/G, 6th of 8)
#51    Jacob's Ladder (PeW, 4th of 6)

#50    Witch Hunt (MP, 6th of 7)
#49    Earthshine  (VT, 1st of 13)
#48    The Colour Of Right (T4E, 2nd of 11)
#47    Distant Early Warning (P/G, 5th of 8)
#46    Time Stand Still (HYF, 4th of 10)

#45    Afterimage (P/G, 4th of 8)
#44    The Body Electric (P/G, 3rd of 8)
#43    In The End (FBN, 3rd of 8)
#42    Turn The Page (HYF, 3rd of 10)
#41    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 4th of 8)

#40    Carnies (CA, 3rd of 12)
#39    Animate (CP, 3rd of 11)
#38    Cygnus X-1 (AFTK, 3rd of 6)
#37    Between Sun and Moon (CP, 2nd of 11)
#36    Cut to the Chase (CP, 1st of 11)

#35   Driven (T4E, 1st of 11)
#34   Countdown (S, 5th of 8)
#33   Far Cry (S&A, 1st of 13)
#32   High Water (HYF, 2nd of 10)
#31   Manhattan Project (PoW, 3rd of 8)

#30   Dreamline (RtB, 1st of 10)
#29   A Farewell to Kings (AFTK, 2nd of 6)
#28   Circumstances (H, 3rd of 4)
#27   Grand Designs (PoW, 2nd of 8)
#26   The Weapon (S, 4th of 8)

#25   YYZ (MP, 5th of 7)
#24   The Spirit of Radio (PeW, 3rd of 6)
#23   Tom Sawyer (MP, 4th of 7)
#22   By-Tor and the Snow Dog (FBN, 2nd of 8)
#21   Digital Man (S, 3rd of 8)

YYZ is a perfect instrumental, but it's still an instrumental, so it does well at 25th.
Spirit has an amazing sound that suffers from overplay. But suffer? It's in the top 25. So not much suffering. 
Tom Sawyer is in the same situation as Spirit. Tom Sawyer was by far the coolest thing I had ever heard when I heard it on the radio. It should be higher, but it's my list based on the likelihood I want to hear it or another song on any given day. So it remains here for now. 
By-Tor has the band destroying all matter in the universe. It needs to be high on fire alone.
Digital Man has grown and grown and grown for me. I love this song. It could be higher next time.