Which two Rush albums are the most similar to each other?

[LeaveMyThingAlone]

To me it's Power Windows and Hold Your Fire but I can see the case for A Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres. If backed into a corner I could probably even go with Counterparts and Test For Echo.

 

I agree regarding Power Windows and HYF. I don't care much for either and lump them both into that heavy synth era of the 80's

[Mithrandir]

CoS and HYF

[ytserush]

I don't think there are any. Power Windows and Hold Your Fire might be the closest I guess. They were always pushing the envelope.

[rftag]

Great question.

 

It made me remember that one of the most exciting and unique things about Rush is how their sound would change so much from album to album (what other band does that?).

 

There was always the exciting anticipation of what would be different on the next album.

 

There really are no two Rush albums which sound very similar to each other, which is one reason why Rush is so special.

 

That said, I would have to say that possibly Fly By Night and 2112 sound the most similar.

Edited September 20, 2017 by rftag

[tas7]

Production values aside, I reckon Moving Pictures and Signals.

[Rick N. Backer]

Hold Your Fire is very similar to the dumpster outside my office. Does that count?

[jnoble]

Presto and RTB because of Rupert's light poppy sound production that stripped back some of the keyboard heavy sounds of the previous albums and sounded nothing like the following 3 albums starting with Counterparts

[jnoble]

Lyrics aside because that's a whole other issue we can discuss, Counterparts is right up there with MP and PermWaves as the best mixed and sounding Rush album of all time. I was tempted to say it can also be paired with TFE to go along with the thread topic but TFE wasn't mixed or recorded nearly as well as Counterparts. Its too fuzzy and distorted by comparison