Happy 10th anniversary Snakes & Arrows! :D

[ytserush]

Still the album that got me into Rush

 

Me too. Although I've been casually acquainted with Rush since the 70s, I was never a fan until I went to a Snakes and Arrows gig in 2007 just for something to do, and it was all the new material that got me. I had thought it would be mostly a nostalgia act. Instead, it was a living, vital band playing new material with passion and joy. It's hard to explain how exciting and inspiring that was to me, and why their enthusiasm for it mattered to me so much. The very next day I went to the record store to get the new album, joined this forum, and delved into the wonders of Rush. 10 years and 23 gigs later, the wonder is still wondrous

 

I like both Clockwork Angels and the Vapour Trails remix better than Snakes and Arrows these days, but Snakes and Arrows will always hold a very special place in my heart. It was the door.

 

That's because it's a living vital album played with passion and joy as are most of their albums.

[goose]

It's still shit.

 

It's not. It has moved on to something far worse than shit - uber shite.

 

The Larger Bowl was actually needed

[The K Man]

I agree that it is one of RUSH's best albums and the thing that sounds crazy to me is ranking it below the loud monosyllabic mess that is Vapor Trails or the poorly written concept album that is Clockwork Angels. Snakes & Arrows is so far above anything else RUSH released in this millennium and it is strange to me that others here don't get it. I take solace in the fact that most of the fans who think Clockwork Angels is the shit are also the same ones who love Hemispheres, Caress Of Steel and think that RUSH was at their best in the 70s. So I just chalk it up to the fact that really, they like a different band than I do and are listening to the band for very different reasons.

 

I love that there are so many different ways to like Rush.

 

This.

 

I was a big fan of S&A when it came out (although it was never that high on my Rush album rankings), but over time I have gathered a more objective opinion about it, which is that it is a good album. A good album, no more, no less.

[Xanadoood]

Good late career album. I like the acoustic aspect Lifesons playing. Solid songs.

 

 

 

 

[theredtamasrule]

S&A is a mixed bag for me: Overly long, plodding at points, repetitive lyrics with Peart's copycat pseudo-intellectualism on full display...yet rife with some excellent music such as Far Cry, A&S and TMMB.

 

I said it when it came out and I still maintain it shoulda been a six song album:

 

Far Cry

WTA

A&S

Spindrift

TWTWB

TMMB

[jnoble]

S&A is a mixed bag for me: Overly long, plodding at points, repetitive lyrics with Peart's copycat pseudo-intellectualism on full display...yet rife with some excellent music such as Far Cry, A&S and TMMB.

 

I said it when it came out and I still maintain it shoulda been a six song album:

 

Far Cry

WTA

A&S

Spindrift

TWTWB

TMMB

 

I like Mal Narcissism but it really doesn't fit the mood of the rest of the album. It sounds like an outtake.

[jnoble]

It's still shit.

 

It's not. It has moved on to something far worse than shit - uber shite.

 

Far Cry From A Great Album

Armor and Bored

The Larger Bowl Of Shit

Workin' My Patience

The Way This Song Blows

Hopeless

Good News First, Its Almost Over

Faithless In Neil's Lyrical Talents Nowadays

We Hold On To The Hope The Next Album Is Actually Fun & Exciting To Listen To

 

[LedRush]

May it die of gonorrhea and rot in hell.

[1-0-0-1-0-0-1]

S&A is a mixed bag for me: Overly long, plodding at points, repetitive lyrics with Peart's copycat pseudo-intellectualism on full display...yet rife with some excellent music such as Far Cry, A&S and TMMB.

 

I said it when it came out and I still maintain it shoulda been a six song album:

 

Far Cry

WTA

A&S

Spindrift

TWTWB

TMMB

 

I like Mal Narcissism but it really doesn't fit the mood of the rest of the album. It sounds like an outtake.

 

It sounds like a last-minute addition, which is exactly what it was. It sounds like, "Hey, we have an album full of plodding mid-tempo songs, and we need something with some life to it. Let's whip up a fun little instrumental."

[Wil1972]

S&A is a mixed bag for me: Overly long, plodding at points, repetitive lyrics with Peart's copycat pseudo-intellectualism on full display...yet rife with some excellent music such as Far Cry, A&S and TMMB.

 

I said it when it came out and I still maintain it shoulda been a six song album:

 

Far Cry

WTA

A&S

Spindrift

TWTWB

TMMB

 

I like Mal Narcissism but it really doesn't fit the mood of the rest of the album. It sounds like an outtake.

 

It sounds like a last-minute addition, which is exactly what it was. It sounds like, "Hey, we have an album full of plodding mid-tempo songs, and we need something with some life to it. Let's whip up a fun little instrumental."

 

Or, "Hey, we have an album full of plodding mid-tempo songs, and we need something with some life to it. Let's whip up a fun little instrumental that rips on one of our better instrumentals, YYZ".

[Rushman14]

I don't get the S&A hate. Yes it has some filler but I think it's solid overall.

[JohnnyBlaze]

I don't get the S&A hate. Yes it has some filler but I think it's solid overall.

 

I can't say I hate it but it IS at the bottom of the Rush catalog for me. I think I said earlier in here that I only like 4 songs off it. And even those 4 I'm not THAT moved by them.

 

Some complain about Neil's preachy lyrics on Snakes but they don't bother me.

So what didn't I like? ----> the melodies, tempo, and vocals.

[Mystic Slipperman]

I loved Snakes and Arrows when it was new.

Hard to believe that was 10 years ago!!! wow.

 

I still dig most of it:

 

Workin' Them Angels and Faithless are wonderful.

 

I still like Far Cry, Armor & Sword, The Way The Wind Blows, and We Hold On.

 

That's half the album right there....

Edited May 16, 2017 by Mystic Slipperman

[LedRush]

I don't get the S&A hate. Yes it has some filler but I think it's solid overall.

 

I can't say I hate it but it IS at the bottom of the Rush catalog for me. I think I said earlier in here that I only like 4 songs off it. And even those 4 I'm not THAT moved by them.

 

Some complain about Neil's preachy lyrics on Snakes but they don't bother me.

So what didn't I like? ----> the melodies, tempo, and vocals.

 

Other than Far Cry and the 3 instrumentals, I can't even tell which song is which. They're all mid-tempo trudge-fests which alternatively bore me and annoy me.

[Wil1972]

I don't get the S&A hate. Yes it has some filler but I think it's solid overall.

 

I can't say I hate it but it IS at the bottom of the Rush catalog for me. I think I said earlier in here that I only like 4 songs off it. And even those 4 I'm not THAT moved by them.

 

Some complain about Neil's preachy lyrics on Snakes but they don't bother me.

So what didn't I like? ----> the melodies, tempo, and vocals.

 

Yea it has good songs ... but not many. Far Cry and MMB are solid. Just for those two it is worth having. But overall you are right. Melodies are weak. Tempos are weak.

[diatribein]

I hate all this crapping on one of THE BEST RUSH ALBUMS on it's anniversary thread. This is a brilliant album and the only one that is great from start to finish that RUSH released this millennium. I absolutely love it and listen to it as much as I do Permanent Waves, Grace Under Pressure or ANY other RUSH album. I wish they had been capable of writing and recording such an amazing album as their last album, but this one really ended up being the last awesome RUSH album.

 

If you have already voiced your dislike for the album on this thread, please don't post another inane diss, just so the last word about Snakes & Arrows will be negative. Leave this final bit of positivity and move on to a thread with a topic you like more. I don't make it my life's work to make sure every thread about Hemispheres ends with a some disparaging remark and I would hope that everyone here is mature enough to respect that some RUSH fans love Snakes & Arrows and don't need to read about how you personally hate the album 20 times over.

[The K Man]

I hate all this crapping on one of THE BEST RUSH ALBUMS on it's anniversary thread. This is a brilliant album and the only one that is great from start to finish that RUSH released this millennium. I absolutely love it and listen to it as much as I do Permanent Waves, Grace Under Pressure or ANY other RUSH album. I wish they had been capable of writing and recording such an amazing album as their last album, but this one really ended up being the last awesome RUSH album.

 

If you have already voiced your dislike for the album on this thread, please don't post another inane diss, just so the last word about Snakes & Arrows will be negative. Leave this final bit of positivity and move on to a thread with a topic you like more. I don't make it my life's work to make sure every thread about Hemispheres ends with a some disparaging remark and I would hope that everyone here is mature enough to respect that some RUSH fans love Snakes & Arrows and don't need to read about how you personally hate the album 20 times over.

 

Clockwork Angels is way better than S&A. I like (but don't love) S&A, but it doesn't compare to CA.

[jnoble]

I don't get the S&A hate. Yes it has some filler but I think it's solid overall.

 

I can't say I hate it but it IS at the bottom of the Rush catalog for me. I think I said earlier in here that I only like 4 songs off it. And even those 4 I'm not THAT moved by them.

 

Some complain about Neil's preachy lyrics on Snakes but they don't bother me.

So what didn't I like? ----> the melodies, tempo, and vocals.

 

Other than Far Cry and the 3 instrumentals, I can't even tell which song is which. They're all mid-tempo trudge-fests which alternatively bore me and annoy me.

 

Heh. This guy gets it.

[jnoble]

I hate all this crapping on one of THE BEST RUSH ALBUMS on it's anniversary thread. This is a brilliant album and the only one that is great from start to finish that RUSH released this millennium. I absolutely love it and listen to it as much as I do Permanent Waves, Grace Under Pressure or ANY other RUSH album. I wish they had been capable of writing and recording such an amazing album as their last album, but this one really ended up being the last awesome RUSH album.

 

If you have already voiced your dislike for the album on this thread, please don't post another inane diss, just so the last word about Snakes & Arrows will be negative. Leave this final bit of positivity and move on to a thread with a topic you like more. I don't make it my life's work to make sure every thread about Hemispheres ends with a some disparaging remark and I would hope that everyone here is mature enough to respect that some RUSH fans love Snakes & Arrows and don't need to read about how you personally hate the album 20 times over.

 

Clockwork Angels is way better than S&A. I like (but don't love) S&A, but it doesn't compare to CA.

 

It's an interesting comparison I suppose because both albums are so different from each other.

[diatribein]

Yeah, Snakes & Arrows is considerably better than the follow up. I'll never forget how disappointed I felt half-way into my first listen of Clockwork Angels knowing that is was nowhere near the quality of its predecessor. Snakes & Arrows had really renewed my relationship with RUSH after the mess that was Vapor Trails. So many good songs on Snakes & Arrows: The Way The Wind Blows, Bravest Face, Workin' Them Angels, Far Cry, We Hold On, Faithless... It is just great song after great song.

 

 

.

Edited May 17, 2017 by diatribein

[bootruss]

Great album, with great production and a handful of very good songs. Would've been nice to hear some vocals on "hope".. There's a great memory to be had there..

[vaportrailer]

Gave S&A a spin yesterday. Gotta agree with those who've mentioned mid-tempos and weak melodies, the album blurs together far too easily.

Didn't find the lyrics distracting, but they weren't very good. Not sure why it's been said that this hearkens back to the classic sound of 2112, AftK, etc.

[diatribein]

I don't think it hearkens back at all to either 2112 or A Farewell To Kings. To me it is more delivering on the promise that Presto never could. Let me explain: There was a move away from synthesizers to more acoustic guitars on Presto. For the most part the tinny production and weaker songs mooted a lot of those changes, making the album often sound like it was poorly conceived or lost in some in-between place. Snakes & Arrows, on the other hand, has a strong direction and uses acoustic guitars masterfully. It is the only album that truly made good on the deemphasizing of synthesizers without compromising the overall sound of the band. All the other albums where synths are not present post Hold Your Fire feel flawed to me. Like the band was trying to chase a trend or go backwards. Some of it is still excellent, but no album is as good as anything they had done before, except for this one. Snakes & Arrows really delivers on the promise of an engaging, powerful RUSH album fronted by amazing acoustic guitars mixed with the heavier guitars we had gotten used to with Counterparts, Test For Echo and Vapor Trails with almost no synthesizers. For me, this is easily the best thing they have done since the halcyon days of the synth era.

[ytserush]

I don't think it hearkens back at all to either 2112 or A Farewell To Kings. To me it is more delivering on the promise that Presto never could. Let me explain: There was a move away from synthesizers to more acoustic guitars on Presto. For the most part the tinny production and weaker songs mooted a lot of those changes, making the album often sound like it was poorly conceived or lost in some in-between place. Snakes & Arrows, on the other hand, has a strong direction and uses acoustic guitars masterfully. It is the only album that truly made good on the deemphasizing of synthesizers without compromising the overall sound of the band. All the other albums where synths are not present post Hold Your Fire feel flawed to me. Like the band was trying to chase a trend or go backwards. Some of it is still excellent, but no album is as good as anything they had done before, except for this one. Snakes & Arrows really delivers on the promise of an engaging, powerful RUSH album fronted by amazing acoustic guitars mixed with the heavier guitars we had gotten used to with Counterparts, Test For Echo and Vapor Trails with almost no synthesizers. For me, this is easily the best thing they have done since the halcyon days of the synth era.

 

Interesting point. Not sure if I agree with it or not. But the 21st century Rush has delivered in the hugest of ways for me and Snakes And Arrows is part of that success.

[jnoble]

I respect those of you that really like it, we all have different ideas of what makes for good music. So as much as I dump on S&A its not meant as a slight on my fellow Rush fans.

 

That all being said, its a chore to get through to and it shouldn't feel like work to listen to an album by anyone, not just Rush