Weatherman

Ged's bass sound over the years would make a good beer analogy. 1970s -- fat, thick, dark bottom end = imperial stout 1980s -- thin, poppy, effervescent = pilsner 1990s -- normal, reliable, no surprises anymore, an old friend = ale 2000s -- ????

They lost some of their inventiveness, sure. It happens to everybody. You can only be the hot new sound for so long. Billy Corgan said the peak lasts seven years, maximum. However, Ged became a much better conventional singer starting with HYF thru Counterparts. So they gained that. And these days I listen to post-1980 Rush more than 70s Rush, if that means anything.

1. MP 2. 2112 3. Signals 4. Presto and 5. a multiple-way tie between a load of other albums (HYF, PW, AFTK, etc)

the one with the good songs

Thanks for reupping this, TexasKing. There are SO many different types of intros in their catalog. If I had to pick ONE... ...it would be Animate. Because everybody should highlight their greatest strength. Analogy: Guns n Roses started Sweet Child o Mine with that iconic guitar riff. It highlights GnR's greatest asset -- Slash. (Axl was a close second.) Let's be honest: Rush's greatest asset was Neil. No other band could start a song with a killer drum groove like that. So they wisely rode that horse. It's symbolic, in a way.

Roll the Bones t-shirt with the kid kicking a skull in front of the domino wall.

My opinion is that it's really, really, really long. No, wait, that's a fact. Kidding. I love it. The 1990s and early 2000s Rush sounded great live -- it was their peak as a live band -- and they had a bigger catalog to choose from.

SPIN magazine: https://www.spin.com/2021/07/alex-lifeson-rush-interview-2021/ He's evidently playing with Tom Morello and Kirk Hammett.

Correct. I love the Moog sound from the 70s (as do most) but abhor whatever godawful sequencer Ged used on Power Windows in the 80s.

A teenager gets his girlfriend pregnant at 17 and dreams of playing in a famous rock band. You know what happens to most guys in that situation. Not Alex. He stayed with the girl and married her and raised the child. He stayed with the band and took them to fame and fortune. 50 years later, he's still with the girl and still with the band (basically). Hats off.

That's interesting. AFAIK Alex likes Moving Pictures best (duh), calls it their best album. Neil liked HYF a lot, according to reports. But why the hell would any fan like PW the best? All that sequencing?

Yeah, Ged also thought in 1996 that TFE was the best work they'd ever done. Later, after the long Neil pause, he admitted that they'd run out of gas on that album. So I wouldn't really listen to his assessments of his own work. I'm an artist too (not music), and I freely admit that my opinion of my own art is useless.

Signals was the record with the best synths. The keys were just SO well integrated across that entire album. Apparently Trent Reznor was captivated by the recording too.

Force Ten. It has a beautiful prechorus ("look in, look out, look around") BUT 1) terrible Neil intro - the only boring part he ever played 2) a really annoying synth on the second verse

Yes, I suppose this example must go in the hall of fame. Thread winner. Pack it up, this game's over.

I'm dividing my list into Hits (played in concert somewhat regularly) Vs Deeper Cuts (played in concert never or rarely). Hits: 2112 The Trees La Villa Strangiato Xanadu Spirit of Radio Limelight Subdivisions Time Stand Still Dreamline Bravado Animate Deeper Cuts: Different Strings The Camera Eye The Analog Kid The Weapon Afterimage Lock and Key Presto Available Light Leave That Thing Alone Main Monkey Business

reupping this Dirk and Lerxst and the Prof (RIP) put a lot of thought into album closers. Let's put some thought into their effort. La Villa is incomparable, but it's too complex for a closer. Same with Natural Science. Epics aren't closers. A closer should be emotional -- it's a climax. Themes (both musical and emotional) are resolved, or at least summarized. Think Eclipse on Dark Side of the Moon, for instance. That's the ultimate closer. By that metric, the ultimate closer is either 1) Available Light 2) Countdown 3) Mystic Rhythms Just my two cents.

Just arrived on the thread!! As much as I love Rush, Zeppelin take the vote.To be honest, in my opinion these Zeppelin albums are the best first 6 than any other band who have ever existed. For me pretty predictable. Sorry!! If I may paraphrase - to be honest, in my opinion Van Halen`s albums are the best first 6 than any other band who have ever existed. Of the two, Led Zeppelin was the superior band. Superior songs, superior singer, superior drummer, superior bassist. But Van Halen had a guitar player who was extraordinary. Nobody can match him, not Alex, not Page, not SRV, nobody. That's why they'll be remembered.

To be honest, in my opinion these Zeppelin albums are the best first 6 than any other band who have ever existed.Sabbath's first 6 are awfully close my friend. "Black Sabbath is Led Zeppelin's ugly cousin." - Dave Grohl

I'm fine with this. He's been playing with Ged for half a century. I want to hear him in new contexts.

Yeah, it's the best of the Big Three synth period. The songs are superior and Ged's vocals were entering their best period. But as you said, that synth sound.... ugh. Mission sounds like it was recorded on the "cathedral" setting on a tiny Casio keyboard.

I more or less agree. The first 4 albums and the last 4 albums just don't do it for me. On the other hand, everything they released from 1980-89 is superb. As a recording unit, they only existed from 1976 to 1993. For me.

The last man to say that was taken out of this joint feetfirst. ;-)

Wow someone's digging up old threads. I'm a Presto fan. It's top 5 for me. They achieved what they set out to do. Some people don't like what they set out to do on this record, and that's fine.

Red Barchetta live versions, where guitar and bass double each other on that little motif. You know the one. It's better than the recorded MP version.