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This is spot on, IMO.

None. 1) Rush 2) Zeppelin 3) Genesis 4) The Beatles

Right now? This... 10)Test for Echo 9) Rush 8) Roll the Bones 7) Hold Your Fire 6) Permanent Waves 5) Caress of Steel 4) 2112 3) Hemispheres 2) Counterparts 1) Moving Pictures Ask me again next year and things will have no doubt changed. The only one that never moves is MP.

Rush have been the soundtrack of my life for a very long time, and I feel truly blessed for all the music they have given me. I haven't liked their albums "post hiatus" as much as the ones that preceded it, but when they finally call it quits, it will certainly leave a big, gaping musical hole that, most likely, will never be filled again. Just extremely thankful for all of the amazing moments they leave etched in my memory. Bring on R40!

Great points. I loved that scene with Kirk Hammett also. I'm glad that Alex is getting the recognition he certainly deserves. As I said in the original post, he's way better than many usually placed above him in the "polls."

i know, lol.......it could be better......but not buried........sigh......Rush fans, lol Mick It's only "buried" when compared with the albums that preceded it. Little did we know how much more the synths were going to take over.

Summer's going fast, nights growing colder Children growing up, old friends growing older Freeze this moment a little bit longer Make each sensation a little bit stronger Experience slips away Experience slips away... The innocence slips away

It's pretty bad, especially for Rush's standards. I think Power Windows was a huge improvement in so many ways. Much better arrangements, production and musicianship. GuP has a couple of really good songs, IMO - I love Afterimage and The Enemy Within - but overall it's pretty poor. Red Lenses sucks. I agree. Could never ever get into it. It's nothing to do with producer change. the songs are just pretty dumb. Kid gloves, Red Lenses, The Body Electric. Not my thing. Mick Seriously man. After getting the Sectors box sets, I listened to the entire Rush catalog in chronological order (was really cool to see all of the incremental changes taking place in their music from album to album, by the way), and I couldn't get over just how much better Power Windows was. As soon as The Big Money kicked in, it made most of GuP seem bleak and depressing by comparison. To each his own I guess.

It's pretty bad, especially for Rush's standards. I think Power Windows was a huge improvement in so many ways. Much better arrangements, production and musicianship. GuP has a couple of really good songs, IMO - I love Afterimage and The Enemy Within - but overall it's pretty poor. Red Lenses sucks.

Given the direction the band went, I think it was wise to part with Broon, because I think the Peter Collins' produced albums sound much better than Signals. That being said, if I were in the room when they were debating the songs on Signals, I would have taken Broon's side. He apparently wanted them to stay more Hemispheres-Moving Pictures Rush, and they wanted to do stuff like Digital Man, which I don't like. Apart from Subdivisions and The Analog Kid, which are awesome, I think Signals is a huge step down in quality from Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures.

I've noticed a lot of people on here choose Pinkpop, but I think it's ESL by a mile. Alex tears up the opening guitar solo, which he doesn't even attempt anymore, and also adds a ridiculously fast section to the middle solo, which he also stopped doing. ESL has the best version of a lot of their songs, IMO (A Passage to Bangkok, Xanadu, Freewill). They were still showing off back then and their precision was amazing.

Welcome aboard!! :hi:

Rush songs that have made me cry? Time Stand Still Nobody's Hero The Garden I've also cried during High Hopes. Excellent choice.

I think I understand the spirit of this post. Alex's playing continues to be nuanced and technically interesting, but there isn't necessarily an attention to melody, at least in a sense of making the melody accessible to the audience. The result is what you describe. It's not very memorable. There are moments of course, with an album like Snakes and Arrows being a good example of this phenomenon. I agree. Rush's recent efforts contain moments of rich, soaring, memorable melody, but IMO they happen less frequently than before. I think the decline in melody happened as far back as Presto, but has only gotten worse as time has gone on. I think they rebelled against the "synth years" in a largely unhelpful way, throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I was glad to see a "return of the guitar," but not at the expense of melody.

In the Making of 2112/Moving Pictures documentary Geddy states what Rush fans so often say, which is that Alex is one of the most underrated guitarists ever. Let me state at the outset, Rush are my favorite band and Alex is a key reason for that. I love his chord choices and his use of arpeggiation. I love the way that he pays attention to the message of the song and does what he can to fit the mood of the song (examples include his "lonely" guitar solo on Limelight, his "exotic" sound on YYZ, evoking travel to distant lands via airplane, and his "spooky" sound on Twilight Zone, to name just a few). He serves the song first, and shows off later, if at all. He's the consummate team player, allowing Geddy and Neil the freedom to grab the technical spotlight time and again. He wants to write great songs, whether or not he ends up standing out technically. For all of those reasons, I love the guy. But after watching the documentary, I asked myself if I agreed with Geddy or not. Is Alex truly underrated as a guitarist? My opinion: He's both underrated and overrated, for different reasons. Why do I think he's underrated? Because Rush are a legendary Rock band with more classic songs and riffs than many other bands can boast, and if we're going by today's oft-quoted polls, so many technically mediocre guitarists are labelled "great" simply because they've been in legendary bands. Guys like George Harrison, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, and even Jimmy Page (although I don't think he's really mediocre...just not a technical virtuoso) are always near the top of "great guitarists" lists. By that standard alone, Alex should be near the top, given Rush's forty-year resume of classic riffs and songs. Yet so often, he is completely ignored, or found at or near the bottom (Rolling Stone anyone?) Why do I think he's overrated? Because Rush are always talked about as "masters of their instruments," "musicians' musicians," and "virtuosos." However, I think Neil and Geddy wear that label more accurately than does Alex. It could simply be that, as I argued above, Alex has been content to let Geddy and Neil play the role of virtuoso, but I think it's probably more than that. He's certainly technically much better than many guitarists (including, IMO, the ones I cited above), but I don't think Alex is as good on his instrument as Geddy and Neil are on theirs. If we're simply talking technical ability, Neil and Geddy are legitimate (rock) virtuosos, and Alex is really good. I believe the title "virtuoso" is applied to Alex more because of his connection with Geddy and Neil than because of what he's displayed on Rush albums. In that way, I think he's a bit overrated. Do you agree? Why or why not?

I wish I could go back to my first Rush concert and make time stand still

This entire post seemed fair, yet aimed right at my heart. I love the 90s music you seem not to enjoy as much, and I love T4E. It seems like Neil is attacking the drums like he hadn't for years, the songs are all approachable yet interesting, the lyrics sometimes detract, but not as much as on recent records; it was such a welcome change for the band for me. Neil's drumming is one of the things I don't really care for on T4E. Before hearing the album, I heard Neil in an interview say that, after having studied with Freddie Gruber, he was so much better that he felt like he, "knew NOTHING before." Alex and Geddy were also raving about how much better Neil's drumming was. I'm not saying they aren't correct. Technically speaking, Neil may have been miles better than before the jazz lessons, but I preferred his earlier style. I think his jazzy, "in the pocket" style really changed Rush's sound for the worse. This is another topic I guess, but why do so many drummers seem to think being "in the pocket" is the be-all and end-all of drumming? Doesn't it depend on the type of music? Think of how much less epic a song like Tom Sawyer would have been if Neil had been playing "Half the World" drum parts on it and not been so aggressive. I still like T4E...just not crazy about Neil's drumming on it.

Not my favorite, but their best, IMO.

Best Sounding Rush albums, in order (IMO): 1) Moving Pictures 2) Permanent Waves 3) Counterparts 4) Hemispheres 5) Test for Echo Dominated by Broon and Peter Collins. Best producers they ever had.

I agree, however would give the nod to MP. I'd choose Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, and Counterparts...with Signals a close third.

1) Totem 2) Prime Mover 3) Double Agent 4) Everyday Glory 5) Anagram 6) Circumstances 7) Test for Echo 8) Vital Signs 9) Afterimage 10) The Enemy Within

1) Stick it Out 2) Far Cry 3) Roll the Bones (Rush seem to love this one) 4) Digital Man 5) By Tor and the Snow Dog 6) Finding My Way/In the Mood/What You're Doing 7) Jacob's Ladder 8) The Big Money 9) Distant Early Warning 10) Closer to the Heart

I agree. MP is one of the greatest albums ever, by anyone. It shouldn't have to share screen time with another album.

I very much admire Neil's love for adventure and his seemingly indomitable spirit. I think it's awesome that he loves taking the road less traveled and sharing those adventures with readers who enjoy living vicariously through his travels. As for taking risks and living life to its fullest, Neil basically puts me to shame. That being said, I personally find his stories to be a snooze-fest.

The $995 & $495 versions are sold out. Wow. I guess there really are Rush fans out there who have a spare $1000 dollars to spend on something like this. I wish I was one of them.