Mosher

#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)

Nocturne is a Vapor Trail song that really gained ground since the album's release, looking good at 55

The Trees went from first to fourth on Hemispheres for me over the years. Hemispheres, by the way, lasted long than any other album without losing a track on this list. Not bad, Hemispheres!

Chain Lightning is my favorite song off Presto and it always was. I love the story behind it, and having kids myself I really relate to it. It's quite beautiful and definitely would sometimes be higher on this list. This is probably as low as it ever goes. And it kills off Presto, here, joining the debut to exit this list. 

Red Sector A is a great song, and paints the torment well for me. I suffers a bit for musical indulgences of the era, but as you can see it doesn't suffer much.

Jacob's Ladder rounds out the pre-top 50 tracks on this list. Another song that paints a picture rather well with music. It could have been an instrumental as the music almost says more than the words. 

All great songs, and I suppose in the opinion of myself on that one day a while back, the next 50 are even better. We'll see if tomorrow's me agrees with yesterday's version. 
 

46 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

 

 

 

#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)

 

 

 

Beneath, Between and Behind is a top 12 song for me, so I'd say you have it too low. I'm with you one Earthshine and Ghost Rider, very similar rankings for both. One Little Victory I have a bit lower. 

Same opinion but lower ranking on Roll the Bones. Rap doesn't ruin it, but it could have been higher without it. For me it's their usages of slang that doesn't sound like them, but rather like adults trying to "relate" to the youth. If you're gonna rap, use your own voice.



 

On 8/11/2023 at 4:01 PM, JohnRogers said:

That did end with A Best of Both Worlds cliffhanger vibe.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Montgomery Scott needs to transfer to Enterprise when this resumes.

 

Absolutely. It actually works for me, and gradually advancing things forward makes sense as an arc for the show.

I'm not keen on this particular enemy, but not overly opposed either, as long as they continue to remember that there's always a better way, even if they are struggling to find it. And they have been acknowledging this. 

Really hope the strikes are settled favorably so work on this can continue. What a great show. 

#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)

Normally I have Carve higher than Test, but not on this day, I guess. Force Ten was my favorite off HYF when it came out, and of course it's still great, but it's dropped a lot compared to the others. 
Face UP is another one from RtB that people tend to find annoying, but whatever. I like it. 

Interestingly L@BT and I converge on The Big Money. 

Although it seems I like Power Windows overall much more as I have half that album still to go. 

Next round we'll say goodbye to a second album and knock the very first track off of the only remaining untouched album. 

 

9 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

Closing in on the best of the best.   These are all really good songs at this point.Over 100 songs in:

 

#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)

 

There's a heavy CA flavor here and most people would probably have the straightforward Wish Them Well last of these three.    Also, I assume that The Big Money might be higher for most but not expecting too much flak here.     Still, hate away!

 

 

 

I am happy with all of these placements. 3 solid CA songs. A great outro in Big Money, and a nice example of the Rush we'd be getting to know. None have top 20 status, but If never begrudge anyone giving them a to 40 spot. We're in that range that it can be assumed you're a fan of all of these

Great song, I have it far higher. It's grown on me over the years quite a bit

2112 might be low for me, but it's not because it's epic. I have Fountain, Natural Science, Camera Eye, Xanadu, and Hemispheres II far higher. 

And if I were rating these based on objective importance, 2112 would be first because I agree that it saved the band

#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)

No point in talking about Workin' or Alien- you didn't notice I had them in the list. 
Why?
Because you had to double check that you read that right. 2112 at 62.

Now of course it's sometimes higher. I love every song at this point.

So why does the iconic 2112 drop so much? Because I don't like some of the sections. The opening through Temples would be top ten for sure. The ending is fantastic.  Some of the middle is just not my thing at all. So it drops. 

BU2B and How it Is, like many songs coming, can't hold a candle to the great moments in 2112. But overall I like them more. 

Some very very popular songs are in my top ten, I'm not just trying to be a contrarian. 



 

15 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

 

#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)

 

 

 

 

Rivendell is gorgeous. I tend to drop the slow songs (Madrigal, Tears) quite a bit. But Rivendell has a building moment, nice and subtle, that has always grabbed me. 

I don't really like Sweet Miracle, much, but the other songs I'm fine with. 

29 minutes ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

Given what you did to "Headlong Flight" and "Working Man," I'm typing this whilst shaking my head (surprisingly hard to do, actually -- for a typist of my skill, anyway). However, on to the gratuitous commentary:

 

I couldn't recall a singe thing about "Red Tide," so that one seems high; I vaguely recall "The Big Wheel," but also feel you must like that much more than I would; I would have both the next two somewhat higher.

 

As for "The Wreckers," it's a fine song and seems ranked about right, but I want to state for the record that du Maurier's wildly exaggerated novel Jamaica Inn, which was part of Neil's inspiration for the song, is a work of shameless anti-Cornish bias! Boo! 

I have no opinion on Jamaica Inn, I haven't read it. I imagine there would be wrecks aplenty around Cornwall, but I certainly have no bias against the Cornish. I wasn't aware of the connection to the book. 

And I'm sure you're right about Red Tide and Big Wheel. Ratings change on any given day and it must have been a very good day for those two. 

As a massive fan of Clockwork Angels, I have to say Headlong Flight is only in the middle of that album for me. I have 3 Clockwork songs in my top 40. 

9 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

Too low or too high compared to the general consensus?

far too low.

But I'm not going out of my way to be contrarian, I'm sure my top two choices are very common top five picks.

36 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

Stay tuned.  Tomorrow's list will inspire a lot of hate, I'm sure.   Maybe even enough to break the streak of comments about Grand Designs being too low.    This time it will be about a song most people will consider far too high.  

My next five includes the unthinkable and will also be met with incredulity. 

#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)

I don't really know how Red Tide rose to 2nd off Presto, but it did that day. 
The Big Wheel should be lower, we'll see when I re-rate these. 
OLV should be quite a bit lower- I guess I was only thinking of the opening. 
Nobody's Hero should be lower. 

I'm fine with Wreckers. 

I can only say that when I made this list I was on a new Rush kick. I do shift over which era holds my attention more at any given time. 

It's not that these aren't my legitimate rankings, it's just a matter of what I'm into that day. The bottom songs are always on the bottom and the top are always at the top. Apparently we're in the domain of greatest flux right now.


 

2 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

 

 

#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)

 

 

Seven is in my top 20- I'm a big fan of Clockwork and that song is one reason why.

Turn is in my top 50
Secret Touch is in my bottom 30- not a great song.
Show Don't Tell you have way too high. 
I'm fine with Main. It's a big high, but the music is great.

Just now, Nova Carmina said:

 

To have stone cold classics like "Headlong Flight" and "Working Man" (!!!) in a grouping with "You Bet Your Life" or "Ghost Rider" suggests all that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man (at least, this man) is at last compelled to face with sober senses the real conditions of life -- and I like "Ghost Rider" just fine!

My list, I think subconsciously, threw a few Clockwork songs lower because it would be weird to have every one of those not called BU2B2 in the top 50. Headlong suffered because, as you'll see, Bastille Day had a hard day when I did this rating (my ratings skew quite a bit depending on whether I'm in a 70's mood, 80's mood, or Clockwork mood.) This list really looks like it was 80's week that week. 

Working Man is first album- barely Rush. It won't ever get much higher. 

I simply can't explain my love for You Bet Your Life- it's probably related to my love for Anagram. Self-indulgent wordplay that grates on everyone else. 

1 hour ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

 

#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)

 

 

Cold Fire is about right.

Carnies is in my top 40, though. But I really love that last album. 

How It Is I have a bit higher. One of only three songs I immediately liked off Vapor Trails, although those specific ratings have changed for me a lot since.

Afterimage has risen a lot over the years, it's top 50 for me now. 

Between Sun and Moon is incredibly divisive. It obviously doesn't capture the poem it's based on very well, or people don't like that poem. I really like the song a lot. It has a couple of very silly moments I normally wouldn't like, but they don't ruin the song for me. It's so very positive, as well. Much like Chain Lightning. I historically prefer hard-hitting social commentary in my lyrics more than anything, but when Neil wants to he captures the beauty of a close family and of this world in a way we need sometimes. Especially if you generally have a grim view of things. It's top 40 for me. 

#165     Need Some Love (Rush, 8th best of 8)

#164     Tears (2112, 6th of 6)

#163     Stick It Out (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     What You're Doing (Rush, 7th of 8)

#161     Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#160     In The Mood (Rush, 5th of 8)

#159     Before and After (Rush, 4th of 8)

#158     Finding My Way (Rush, 3rd of 8)

#157     Second Nature (HYF, 10th of 10)

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

#155     Sweet Miracle (VT, 13th of 13)

#154     BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#153     Speed of Love (CP, 10th of 11)

#152     Good News First (S&A, 12th of 13)

#151     Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6)
 

#150     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#149     Half the World (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 (3rd of 11)

Bastille Day is great, and sometimes would be far higher. I guess this day it was lower. This is probably about as low as it ever goes. 
Fly By Night is had dropped over the years and is rising again. This is probably about right.
Heresy was having a good day. I doubt it ever gets higher than this.
Between the Wheels could be so much higher if they had just decided against the opening, ear destroying notes. If I decide to sit through that, the song is fantastic. 
Anagram is a song I love because I love all manner of word play. I love alliteration, anagrams, palindromes, malapropisms, and so on. I understand that exercising that fondness was perhaps unwise, it's thoroughly self-indulgent. Lucky for me I enjoy that indulgence. I do understand why it really grates on people. 

 

Open Secrets did nothing for me when the album was released.

Over the years it has risen quite a bit. 

It's still a middle song, so no argument from me about where you have it 

But I do like it.

6 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

Abracadabra may have the worst lyrics of any song not written on by Sammy Hagar.

Agreed completely. 

Steve Miller rhymes "facts is" with "Texas", and follows with "Justice" and "taxes".

Not one actual rhyme there, and it works anyway. 

Unlike Toto's Africa, Take the Money and Run isn't pretending at anything so the bad rhymes don't matter. Africa is supposed to be deep and just comes across as ignorant.

3 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

This is going to sound stupid, but maybe subliminally I disliked it because of all of those idiotic paranormal shows and the association with the word ghost.  The same has recently been true for a lot of VT.

I imagine any references to the paranormal by Neil are to be taken wholly metaphorically, but you know that. It doesn't sound stupid at all. Certain words can trigger a cringe in me that would drop a song for no good reason. 

And I need much more time for SOCN. The people in there are very intelligent and research well, for the most part, and while I certainly can defend and support my points of view, I do not have the time to spend on it that I would want. I'm on the other side of much of the predominant thought in there. :) I read it all the time, though. 

#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)

I don't expect hate, here. I expect derisive laughter. You Bet Your Life is almost embarrassingly silly- "be-bop or a one drop or a hip-hop..."

I really really like it anyway. These things do not have to make sense. :)

Headlong Flight is of course great. The (intentional, I know) call back to Bastille Day is welcome, but at the same time I always like Rush moving forward. Mind you, Clockwork Angels is a brilliant album with no weak tracks. Some are just less than others. 

Mal Nar is a wonderful instrumental that slides down because it is an instrumental not called YYZ or La Villa. 

Ghost Rider will be even higher next time. This one has been steadily growing on me since the album was released. I'm curious how much higher. I'll redo this list again in a few weeks. No album rose more on the re-listening I did for this rating list than Vapor Trails.

Working Man kills off that first album, finally. Great music, absolute proof that Alex and Geddy would have been a fine rock band without Neil. I'd enjoy their music. Definitely their musicianship. But it always feels to me like it was the garage band they used to be in before Rush. It's Rush- so I rank it. But honestly it can't ever rise much higher than this.

 

51 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

 

#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)

 

 

Hate? Not over music preferences.

Major disagreements?

Oh---maybe. 

Prime Mover is also in my top 5. Prime Mover is their second best song from the 80's. Prime Mover is their second best song after 1980.

I like it a little bit. 

Finding My Way is a non-Working Man Rush song so it falls far, far below this point. The others I'm fine with. 

I don't include Feedback as a Rush album for the purposes of ratings, because they aren't Rush songs. 

But I also like Feedback, and thought they did a great job. 

The reason is simple. There were two options- no music from Rush, or a cover album. They would have released a proper Rush album if they had the songs. That's a hell of a lot more work, so for whatever reason that' snot where they were. 

If it was a cover album, it was obviously going to be songs they like. 

Now, with that said, I do wish they'd made different choices. I would have loved to hear them do something a little more out there. Covers of prog greats, maybe. Or even translating some jazz greats into rock songs. Something that required more effort. But they chose to pay homage to their early inspirations. No quibbles. I got more music from a band I love and the covers were fun. 

Agree on HFOS, it's possible the best cover here. 

6 minutes ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

And I get that totally, and I'm not trying to suggest you (or Hi_Water or LABT) are not doing the lists right because there can't be a right or wrong. I was questioning the idea of overplaying as a factor, and -- for what it's worth -- if we can't dispute the lists, in the proper spirit, then it's just an exercise in "here's what I think" without any back and forth, which is arguably the raison d'etre of fan forums like this!

I'm all for you taking issue with any aspect of my list, no worries! 

I was trying to explain my justification. I'm under no illusion that anything I'm basing my list on is anything other than purely subjective, totally personal, and ultimately meaningless points. No one will nor should they ever raise or lower a song based on my taste. 

I get two things out of these lists and discussions. One, it's just fun and rekindles my interest in listening to Rush. I've been listening a LOT lately, because of these discussions. 

The second is even better. When someone mentions an outro they love, or a solo, or a tempo change, or anything else- it may be something I never noted before. And often it raises my enjoyment and my feeling about a song I may have thought less of before. 

So please- keep calling me out for the fool I am! :)