NWK's Rush Song Rankings and Reviews

[_hi_water._]

Time And Motion? oof I love it cuz it sounds a lil like Dream Theater

 

Just cuz I asked this earlier and idk if you saw it, but Time and Motion is not the 5th worst Rush song. Just the 5th one I've reviewed. I'm going in a random order on ranking to keep it spicy. It's about halfway up the ranks. There are 77 Rush songs below it, in my opinion.

I'm aware lol

 

Alrighty! Cool. I'd feel bad if you thought Time and Motion was my like, 5th least favorite song. I think it kicks ass tbh.

but quite honestly I very disagree with where Making Memories and Lessons at where they at, but it won't rip my head off

[New World Kid]

Time And Motion? oof I love it cuz it sounds a lil like Dream Theater

 

Just cuz I asked this earlier and idk if you saw it, but Time and Motion is not the 5th worst Rush song. Just the 5th one I've reviewed. I'm going in a random order on ranking to keep it spicy. It's about halfway up the ranks. There are 77 Rush songs below it, in my opinion.

I'm aware lol

 

Alrighty! Cool. I'd feel bad if you thought Time and Motion was my like, 5th least favorite song. I think it kicks ass tbh.

but quite honestly I very disagree with where Making Memories and Lessons at where they at, but it won't rip my head off

 

Understandable. I have a penchant for hanging around places where people disagree with me though, just ask the SOCN folks, so feel free to rip my head off, it's fine lol

[_hi_water._]

Time And Motion? oof I love it cuz it sounds a lil like Dream Theater

 

Just cuz I asked this earlier and idk if you saw it, but Time and Motion is not the 5th worst Rush song. Just the 5th one I've reviewed. I'm going in a random order on ranking to keep it spicy. It's about halfway up the ranks. There are 77 Rush songs below it, in my opinion.

I'm aware lol

 

Alrighty! Cool. I'd feel bad if you thought Time and Motion was my like, 5th least favorite song. I think it kicks ass tbh.

but quite honestly I very disagree with where Making Memories and Lessons at where they at, but it won't rip my head off

 

Understandable. I have a penchant for hanging around places where people disagree with me though, just ask the SOCN folks, so feel free to rip my head off, it's fine lol

I hope Test For Echo is high, that song is so underrated

[New World Kid]

Time And Motion? oof I love it cuz it sounds a lil like Dream Theater

 

Just cuz I asked this earlier and idk if you saw it, but Time and Motion is not the 5th worst Rush song. Just the 5th one I've reviewed. I'm going in a random order on ranking to keep it spicy. It's about halfway up the ranks. There are 77 Rush songs below it, in my opinion.

I'm aware lol

 

Alrighty! Cool. I'd feel bad if you thought Time and Motion was my like, 5th least favorite song. I think it kicks ass tbh.

but quite honestly I very disagree with where Making Memories and Lessons at where they at, but it won't rip my head off

 

Understandable. I have a penchant for hanging around places where people disagree with me though, just ask the SOCN folks, so feel free to rip my head off, it's fine lol

I hope Test For Echo is high, that song is so underrated

 

[_hi_water._]

Time And Motion? oof I love it cuz it sounds a lil like Dream Theater

 

Just cuz I asked this earlier and idk if you saw it, but Time and Motion is not the 5th worst Rush song. Just the 5th one I've reviewed. I'm going in a random order on ranking to keep it spicy. It's about halfway up the ranks. There are 77 Rush songs below it, in my opinion.

I'm aware lol

 

Alrighty! Cool. I'd feel bad if you thought Time and Motion was my like, 5th least favorite song. I think it kicks ass tbh.

but quite honestly I very disagree with where Making Memories and Lessons at where they at, but it won't rip my head off

 

Understandable. I have a penchant for hanging around places where people disagree with me though, just ask the SOCN folks, so feel free to rip my head off, it's fine lol

I hope Test For Echo is high, that song is so underrated

 

f**k

[goose]

Agree with your opinion that T4E is "the best sounding Rush album". That may be why I like it better than the typical Rush fan. Regardless, this song is definitely a highlight from the album.

I love the overal sound of T4E as well, and, while a lot of the tracks fall flat for me, Time and Motion is a stand out.

 

Great review, NWK!

[New World Kid]

 

Nocturne

 

Rank: 99 out of 165

Overall Score: 4/10

 

Category Scores out of 10:

Historical Significance: 5

Fan Favoritism: 5

Lyrics: 7

Music: 8

Uniqueness: 6

Extra Credit: 8

 

I’ll make no secrets about this right now: Vapor Trails is my favorite Rush studio record of all time. It came to me at a time when the lyrics connected in a very personal way to my life. It shaped not only the way I consume music, but my identity itself. It’s for that reason that many Vapor Trails tracks are going to often have higher-than-average Extra Credit scores. And I think that does Nocturne a lot of good, bumping it above some other fantastic songs in the Rush canon… and I’m okay with that.

 

Imagine for a moment, that songs are people. Some songs are born, they become radio hits, and become the echelon of their careers. Tom Sawyer is a rock star, Fly By Night hosts a reality TV show, Natural Science is a NASA astronaut, and Subdivisions is running for President.

 

Then you have other songs that are exceptional in their own ways, but maybe didn’t find their way to the top of the rat race for whatever reason. The songs doing honest work, putting in a 9 to 5 effort on tour set-lists and extended playlists.

 

And that’s where we find… Mystic Rhythms. This isn’t a Mystic Rhythms review, but it’s a solid and unique entry in the Rush archives. It struck out on its own, found its niche in the world, and settled down. Maybe it got together with Stick It Out or something and had a kid.

 

That child is Nocturne.

 

And while Mystic Rhythms is responsibly knocking out the punch card at work, its kid is going through a rebellious phase. But still in the image of its parent.

 

Both Mystic Rhythms and Nocturne deal with similar-enough content lyrically: spirituality and perception around altered states of thought and consciousness universal to the human condition.

 

Both songs also lead off with a simple-but-ear-catching drum pattern from Neil Peart. Steady quarters on the bass drum, hands creating the counter-rhythms.

 

Both songs follow a straight-ahead 4/4 time keeping. They have definitive verse/chorus structures, with an instrumental interlude. Verses turning down the instrumentation to make way for Geddy’s voice, followed by punctuated, loud transitions and a chorus putting it all together.

 

However, that’s where most of the similarities end. You see, Nocturne is raw, still brash, and pushing the limits of where its parents came from.

 

Synthesizers are old news, Dad. We use shouting background vocals now! And the guitar is dirty! You just don’t understand me Dad!

 

The shouting vocals in the pre-chorus background actually work very well here. Perfectly expressing that panicked moment on the edge of consciousness. There are times I swear I’ve heard a voice in my head scream out like Geddy here just before drifting off to sleep.

 

The verses, subdued on the stringed instruments, are a smart move. The melodic bass guitar chords and muted guitar work create an almost jazzy atmosphere to compliment some fantastical imagery. Everything is carried through the percussive hits coming from the drums in these verses, which compliment the vocals very well.

 

Then the TNT explodes into the pre-choruses, with Geddy’s wailing and frantic guitar work providing the transition to the chorus.

 

The chorus itself is fairly pedestrian by Rush standards. Which is a shame, because most of the rest of the song flies from emotion to emotion. This is one of Rush’s most moody efforts. There’s a certain cinematic theatric to the whole song… except for the fairly average choruses.

 

The wistful “do-do-do-do”s Geddy provides in the main instrumental section, between the last two choruses, is also a highlight in mood. Complimenting, but expanding upon, the themes of the verses.

 

I don’t think there’s a great deal to the lyrics beyond a statement on the strangeness and limitless nature of dreams. Which, fair enough.

 

This isn’t a groundbreaking Rush song, but it’s a solid rocker in the Rush anthology. It would have been quite the number live, a shame they never tried it.

 

...

 

And just to weigh in definitively on this argument: Vapor Trails Remixed will be what I'm reviewing from regarding Vapor Trails entries, unless otherwise stated.

 

 

Previous Reviews:

#88 Time and Motion

#99 Nocturne

#132 Making Memories

#139 Lessons

#164 Rivendell

#165 Anagram (for Mongo)

Edited August 14, 2020 by New World Kid

[_hi_water._]

mmmm I wouldn't say Nocturne is a 4/10 m8

 

but at least it made the top 100

[_hi_water._]

let's speed this up m8

my interest is piqued

[laughedatbytime]

I would actually put this one quite a bit higher, after finally giving it a chance after not doing so because of what I find a fairly cringeworthy opening line. It's one of the best from their later career.

[New World Kid]

let's speed this up m8

my interest is piqued

 

I spend about an hour listening to each song on loop while I write these reviews, so it's all about free time. I think 1 per day is about the clip I'll be able to average at.

Edited August 14, 2020 by New World Kid

[driventotheedge]

let's speed this up m8

my interest is piqued

 

I spend about an hour listening to each song on loop while I write these reviews, so it's all about free time. I think 1 per day is about the clip I'll be able to average at.

Do what you gotta do man.

[Weatherman]

I never understood the hate for Anagram.

I can listen to Anagram and enjoy its middle-of-the-road qualities.

As a writer, I even like the lyrics.

Sometimes fans on message boards fixate on a particular track and unjustly bully it to death. This is one of those instances.

 

Be fair.

Rivendell or Tai Shan or Neurotica or Dog Years or Out of the Cradle are far, far worse.

[_hi_water._]

I never understood the hate for Anagram.

I can listen to Anagram and enjoy its middle-of-the-road qualities.

As a writer, I even like the lyrics.

Sometimes fans on message boards fixate on a particular track and unjustly bully it to death. This is one of those instances.

 

Be fair.

Rivendell or Tai Shan or Neurotica or Dog Years or Out of the Cradle are far, far worse.

bruh Neurotica and Dog Years are fun

[New World Kid]

I never understood the hate for Anagram.

I can listen to Anagram and enjoy its middle-of-the-road qualities.

As a writer, I even like the lyrics.

Sometimes fans on message boards fixate on a particular track and unjustly bully it to death. This is one of those instances.

 

Be fair.

Rivendell or Tai Shan or Neurotica or Dog Years or Out of the Cradle are far, far worse.

 

Something's gotta be last on my list. It's not particularly a fixation, and it's not even my least favorite Rush song... just a compiling of qualities that make it the bottom of my list.

[New World Kid]

 

Caravan

 

Rank: 62 out of 165

Overall Score: 7/10

(relative to the entire Rush catalog)

 

Category Scores out of 10:

Historical Significance: 8

Fan Favoritism: 7

Lyrics: 7

Music: 9

Uniqueness: 6

Extra Credit: 9

 

The first song in the last Rush entry, Caravan kicks off Clockwork Angels with a classic Rush bang. On the songwriting front, all of the hallmarks of Rush’s late career are here.

 

A brief introduction of gurgling sounds on descending chords leads into Rush cutting hot and heavy into the main verse. Everyone’s doing a fine job, but it’s Alex Lifeson that shines most, initially. A crunchy, wiry guitar riff compliments Geddy’s vocals. Between sung lines, an interesting interlude reminiscent of Limelight both connects repeated musical phrases and introduces the even harder-hitting back half of the verses.

 

A heavily emphasized triplet build-up suddenly dives out to leave only a bass guitar slide before the chorus drops.

 

Paraphrasing, but Geddy Lee once said in an interview that Rush’s philosophy was ‘less isn’t more, more is more.’ But this is very much a less-is-more chorus, for great effect. You can almost think of it as a sequel to the chorus in Faithless. The heaviness fades, and a shinier veneer appears. A reverb-ing guitar tone sparkles beneath a very simplistic repetition of, “I can’t stop thinking big.”

 

Don’t dismiss this as lazy writing though. Repetition in music, especially more classically-influenced pieces, indicates an intentional building of suspense for the listener. Like a horror movie when its deadly silent in a dark room. In this case, the enormity of meaning in the repeated lyric provides this.

 

The lyrics are being told from a protagonist’s point of view, but there’s a duality to every song on Clockwork Angels. You don’t have to know the story to apply some of the words; they cut-and-paste into the life of a casual listener.

 

Our protagonist is stuck. Until he acts in some way, all he can do is ‘think big.’ He sees the big steam liners rolling by while he stands on the side of the road. And all he can do is think about where he could go if he was carried away along with that Caravan. Then his life will be big!

 

The repetition emphasizes the enormous potential of this life ahead, highs and lows.

 

But to a casual listener, only here for the next 6 minutes, it also demonstrates an anxiety that I think anyone in the 21st Century could relate to. Perhaps this isn’t the intended meaning of the lyrics, but with the increasing presence of the 24 hour news cycle and social media, its more difficult to avoid the big things. Politics, religion, local happenings, international headlines… news, weather and sports! … it’s always downloading straight into your brain via a glowing rectangle. We live in a society that literally cannot stop thinking big. And it is oppressive, it is omnipresent. Just like this chorus.

 

And the only respite to those big thoughts? A nagging feeling in the back of your brain. Gee, I feel so small in this world.

 

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that there’s a strange modem-esque sound in the very introduction of the song. It’s either a modem, or indecipherable speaker-phone whispering. Either way, that demonic whistling sound introduces the song itself, placing some importance on it thematically.

 

Eventually, our protagonist decides to get out there, get on his way at last. For a chance to make good. Metaphorically, perhaps a call-to-action to a casual listener to put themselves into that big world instead of feeling so small.

 

Another verse, another chorus, and we’re to the highest highlight of this song: the instrumental section. It’s a Rush classic, equal to anything else in the band’s repertoire. And maybe even drawing influence from some of that.

 

A short drum and bass interlude draws from Freewill leading into some noisy guitar. Crescendoing triplets take us into new musical ideas, drawing from la Villa Strangiato (including, I swear, a straight rip from that 1978 classic on the drum fills.) Double bass hits are punctuated with splash cymbals in between crazy Alex Lifeson guitar strangling, drawing from Bastille Day. All while Geddy Lee’s bass guitar is underneath everything, providing groove of course. But also bubbling, gritty and… pissed. It’s like a lava monster churning under the surface.

 

And then the speakers almost literally blow out with more heavy bass-and-drum triplet grooving while a soaring, dirty, distorted bent string note palpably cries despair.

 

This instrumental section is a masterclass taught by masters. Most bands writing records over the past 50 years will use an instrumental section to play a slightly-different-take on the verse with a fairly impressive and polite guitar solo on top.

 

This monstrosity is pure energy. With movements within itself, from blues to prog to metal to, well, everything. It builds into a climax that leaves none unmoved in some way.

 

The instrumental wastes no time exiting right back into the catchy chorus. Afterwards is another instrumental with a… I believe the effect is called a phaser… on the guitar, bouncing from ear to ear. One last crescendo, pounding 16th notes, and the song is over.

 

The Caravan has rolled by.

 

This is a tour de force from a band that has never lacked such heights.

 

Things at the pointier, upper end of the rankings are difficult to differentiate. But there can only be 16 entries in each scoring plateau. Sixteen 10/10’s, sixteen 9/10’s. When you look at the total score from the aggregated categories, Caravan comes to a 46 out of possible 60. Had it have mustered 3 more points from somewhere, it’d have been within the 9/10 scores.

 

The lowest score is uniqueness, and its for the exact thing I’ve mentioned before: there’s a lot of references to previous Rush work in here. So much so that you might feel its a bit of a cut-and-paste of the greatest-songwriting-hooks piece. The verses are also slightly hard to understand, due to a combination of production choices instrumentally, some instances of a mouthful of words to get out, and sadly, Geddy’s advanced age vocally, causing note-hitting to take priority over articulation. Even when writing this review for a song I’ve heard about a thousand times, and one I’ve studied on the drums, I had to pull up lyrics to read along with for the verses… I still can’t understand what Ged is saying sometimes.

 

Certainly this is not the biggest offender for this on Clockwork Angels… I’m sure readers here will crucify me when we get to some songs later on where this effect seriously knocks down scores. But it is a factor, albeit slight, in Caravan.

 

But with a chorus you can’t get out of your head, an instrumental section that kicks copious amounts of rear end, and the promise of an adventure lyrically… Caravan is a fantastic song, well above average in the Rush canon.

 

Previous Reviews:

#62 Caravan

#88 Time and Motion

#99 Nocturne

#132 Making Memories

#139 Lessons

#164 Rivendell

#165 Anagram (for Mongo)

Edited August 15, 2020 by New World Kid

[_hi_water._]

Caravan below 50?

[New World Kid]

Caravan below 50?

 

Rush have about 150 Top 10 songs lol

[New World Kid]

 

Working Man

 

Rank: 39

Overall Score: 8/10

(relative to the entire Rush catalog)

 

Category scores out of 10:

 

Historical Significance: 10

Fan Favoritism: 10

Lyrics: 7

Music: 7

Uniqueness: 7

Extra Credit: 8

 

 

The riff that launched a career.

 

To this point, Rush has been a somewhat unnoticed up-and-comer to the music scene. You can reference any number of documentaries on the subject, but it was hard for a Canadian band to (pardon the pun) find their way. But the right song in the right ears at the right time can change the course of history. Blue collar town Cleveland loved the song, and the popularity propelled Rush onwards, a trajectory that landed them in the previously dismissive Rock and Roll Hall of Fame from the very same city.

 

Geddy Lee once referenced the song as his favorite to play live, so that’s got to count for something. And live versions certainly have an energy, particularly through the middle section.

 

The song itself is a heavier-than-average take on Led Zeppelin. Which is basically how you could define the first three albums of Rush’s career, if you’re lazy.

 

Interestingly, once the vocals come in, they’re actually some of the most subdued on the debut album. I’m not about to say that Geddy isn’t young, brash, and high-pitched here. But compared to the raspy wailing on Finding My Way and Here Again in particular, Working Man’s vocals don’t quite hit that edge that Geddy is capable of in 1974. Even obvious opportunities of emphasis are forgone, perhaps a sign of wisdom slightly beyond his years.

 

In particular, I seemed to remember the line, “it seems to me I could live my life/ a lot better than I think I am” having a huge uptick on the staff on the word life. Perhaps that’s later Geddy adding color live I’m remembering.

 

And it’s good that this song remains, for Rush in this time period, subdued vocally. A song sympathizing with the plight of the working class in the 70’s would have been at odds with the shrill and over-the-top delivery style of other songs on this record. It’s not a lifestyle for the excitable or bright-eyed, it wears you down. And the vocals wisely attempt to portray this in comparison to surrounding songs.

 

While we're at it, the opening riff itself calls to the blue collar worker of the time period. Through Lifeson's guitar, you can practically feel the factory grime and sweat dripping onto an oily, unfeeling, unrelenting metal mechanism. It's dirty, it's claustrophobic, it's plodding. It's. Heavy.

 

But you’re all here to talk about the instrumental section I imagine.

 

Well, it doesn’t fail to impress. But as I said in my previous review today, Caravan, "Most bands writing records over the past 50 years will use an instrumental section to play a slightly-different-take on the verse with a fairly impressive and polite guitar solo on top,” and Working Man does this for the most part. Though there is the 70’s equivalent of a bass-and-drum breakdown midway through before more Alex Lifeson shredding.

 

And it is shredding. Perhaps the most unrestrained and uncomposed Alex Lifeson would ever be in their entire career. There’s a meandering lack of focus to this solo that makes it both great and uncharacteristic. There’s a vault edition of the song with a different guitar solo, nearly just as brilliant. And you get the feeling that if you sat Lifeson down for 15 takes, he could have melted your face in 15 different way.

 

This song best demonstrates that Lifeson can hang with the big boys. If you’re trying to find an edge in the 1970’s metal scene, you’ve got to have the chops. Rush shows they have them on this extended track.

 

There’s a lot of groove from Geddy Lee, but honestly we’ll find him capable of much more in the future.

 

Actually, I think the second most prominent band member on the track is drummer John Rutsey. He’s as solid as Bonham here, though I’ve always said Bonham is a fairly pedestrian drummer when you strip away the glamor and prestige. And in moments when you want the drums to cut through and shine, Rutsey delivers. The syncopated bass drum thumps not only keep time, but give this song more groove than an average drummer could provide.

 

For seven minutes long, there’s not a terrible lot to say about this song. It is the quintessential classic rocker. Without it, Rush likely never makes it as mainstream as they did. It’s a fan favorite and concert staple throughout their career, and it’s hard to dislike no matter what background you come from.

 

In a lot of ways, not only did this immediately give Rush an audience… but this song also bought Rush a lot. A lot of patience, a lot of freedom, a lot of respect.

 

For the casual fan, a band immediately coming out with the album Fly By Night or Caress of Steel may have seemed unfocused, goofy, and too uncool. For record companies, experiments like By-Tor and the Snow Dog would be harder to tolerate without a true radio hit in their back pocket. To the devout fans, it gave them something to turn around on the harshest critics and point to as an affirmation of rock.

 

Working Man is the herald that brings to the wider world a new challenger. These boys can play: pay attention.

 

 

Previous Reviews:

#39 Working Man

#62 Caravan

#88 Time and Motion

#99 Nocturne

#132 Making Memories

#139 Lessons

#164 Rivendell

#165 Anagram (for Mongo)

Edited August 15, 2020 by New World Kid

[_hi_water._]

 

but 8/10 is underrating

[JohnnyBlaze]

 

but 8/10 is underrating

 

You should make a thread too. That way nothing will be underrated or overrated since you’ll be scoring and ranking everything. :hail:

 

Anyway, these are really well done writeups, NWK! Just a lot of thought and care put into each tune :clap:

[_hi_water._]

 

but 8/10 is underrating

 

You should make a thread too. That way nothing will be underrated or overrated since you’ll be scoring and ranking everything. :hail:

 

Anyway, these are really well done writeups, NWK! Just a lot of thought and care put into each tune :clap:

sure, but warning you lots of Presto and Roll The Bones would be near the bottom

[JohnnyBlaze]

 

but 8/10 is underrating

 

You should make a thread too. That way nothing will be underrated or overrated since you’ll be scoring and ranking everything. :hail:

 

Anyway, these are really well done writeups, NWK! Just a lot of thought and care put into each tune :clap:

sure, but warning you lots of Presto and Roll The Bones would be near the bottom

 

That’s fine. Some people’s favorites or hated songs may surprise me at times but that’s where it ends. It has no bearing on what I like or dislike.

[_hi_water._]

 

but 8/10 is underrating

 

You should make a thread too. That way nothing will be underrated or overrated since you’ll be scoring and ranking everything. :hail:

 

Anyway, these are really well done writeups, NWK! Just a lot of thought and care put into each tune :clap:

sure, but warning you lots of Presto and Roll The Bones would be near the bottom

 

That’s fine. Some people’s favorites or hated songs may surprise me at times but that’s where it ends. It has no bearing on what I like or dislike.

I don't hate any Rush songs, but there's a few that I could do without

[driventotheedge]

I have never, ever grown weary of Alex just fukking killing it in this song. He seemed to always really get up for the solo when played live.

 

Good stuff NWK.

Edited August 16, 2020 by driventotheedge