_hi_water._ ranks all 173 Rush songs

[goose]

4 hours ago, Rick N. Backer said:

What do you notice about this list thus far?

Not enough songs from the cringe-worthy Kings era, lol

[laughedatbytime]

1 minute ago, goose said:

Not enough songs from the cringe-worthy Kings era, lol

[goose]

2 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

Kimono rock 

[laughedatbytime]

7 minutes ago, goose said:

 

Kimono rock 

I'll give you Madrigal...

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

On 7/6/2023 at 6:19 PM, Rick N. Backer said:

What do you notice about this list thus far?

 

22 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

Some periods of Rush are more popular than others?

 

Here's an album breakdown of the list so far. The numbers here are not too surprising, maybe except for HYF having only two.

 

Rush ................................. 2/8
Fly By Night ...................... 1/8
Caress of Steel ................. 1/5
2112
A Farewell To Kings .......... 1/6
Hemispheres
Permanent Waves
Moving Pictures
Signals
Grace Under Pressure
Power Windows
Hold Your Fire .................. 2/10
Presto .............................. 8/11
Roll The Bones ................. 5/10
Counterparts .................... 2/11
Test For Echo ................... 7/11
Vapor Trails ...................... 4/13
Feedback ......................... 6/8
Snakes And Arrows .......... 5/13
Clockwork Angels ............. 2/12

 

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by 1-0-0-1-0-0-1

[goose]

30 minutes ago, 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 said:

 

 

Here's an album breakdown of the list so far. The numbers here are not too surprising, maybe except for HYF having only two.

 

Rush ................................ 2/8
Fly By Night ...................... 1/8
Caress of Steel ................. 1/5
2112
A Farewell To Kings .......... 1/6
Hemispheres
Permanent Waves
Moving Pictures
Signals
Grace Under Pressure
Power Windows
Hold Your Fire .................. 2/10
Presto .............................. 8/11
Roll The Bones ................. 4/10
Counterparts .................... 1/11
Test For Echo ................... 7/11
Vapor Trails ...................... 4/13
Feedback ......................... 6/8
Snakes And Arrows .......... 5/13
Clockwork Angels ............. 2/12

Everyday Glory and Speed of Love haven't been listed yet, have they?  

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

51 minutes ago, goose said:

Everyday Glory and Speed of Love haven't been listed yet, have they?  

 

Nope. Somehow those songs are better than Double Agent and Between Sun And Moon.

[_hi_water._]

9 hours ago, 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 said:

 

 

Here's an album breakdown of the list so far. The numbers here are not too surprising, maybe except for HYF having only two.

 

Rush ................................ 2/8
Fly By Night ...................... 1/8
Caress of Steel ................. 1/5
2112
A Farewell To Kings .......... 1/6
Hemispheres
Permanent Waves
Moving Pictures
Signals
Grace Under Pressure
Power Windows
Hold Your Fire .................. 2/10
Presto .............................. 8/11
Roll The Bones ................. 5/10
Counterparts .................... 2/11
Test For Echo ................... 7/11
Vapor Trails ...................... 4/13
Feedback ......................... 6/8
Snakes And Arrows .......... 5/13
Clockwork Angels ............. 2/12

Fixed it... lol :D

[_hi_water._]

9 hours ago, goose said:

Everyday Glory and Speed of Love haven't been listed yet, have they?  

[_hi_water._]

9 hours ago, 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 said:

 

 

Here's an album breakdown of the list so far. The numbers here are not too surprising, maybe except for HYF having only two.

 

Rush ................................ 2/8
Fly By Night ...................... 1/8
Caress of Steel ................. 1/5
2112
A Farewell To Kings .......... 1/6
Hemispheres
Permanent Waves
Moving Pictures
Signals
Grace Under Pressure
Power Windows
Hold Your Fire .................. 2/10
Presto .............................. 8/11
Roll The Bones ................. 5/10
Counterparts .................... 2/11
Test For Echo ................... 7/11
Vapor Trails ...................... 4/13
Feedback ......................... 6/8
Snakes And Arrows .......... 5/13
Clockwork Angels ............. 2/12

I am definitely giving Hold Your Fire more praise than most people do when ranking Rush songs (UCR, Thrillist, if you have seen those lists...), and the craziest thing to me was many showing that "Tai Shan" was one of the better tracks from there and there were many worse songs from that album than "Second Nature". 

I would've thought that you would've also said it would be surprising to not see as many Counterparts tracks appear, but I see that I slammed tracks that you favor instead and... well... this list is going to get awkward for you. 

[_hi_water._]

10 hours ago, goose said:

Not enough songs from the cringe-worthy Kings era, lol

Well, now you know what you have seen for the last 40 or so entries, you know what to expect. 

[Nova Carmina]

9 hours ago, 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 said:

 

Nope. Somehow those songs are better than Double Agent and Between Sun And Moon.

 

I think so. Well, "Everyday Glory," anyway. I couldn't remember the chorus of "Speed of Love" if you had a gun to my head.

[Nova Carmina]

11 hours ago, _hi_water._ said:

128. "Halo Effect", Clockwork Angels (2012)

Clockwork Angels - Entry 2 out of 12

 

Seems to be everyone's choice for the weakest song on Clockwork Angels that isn't an interlude track ("BU2B2"). This is the shortest song, which appears as the last track halfway throughout the album, last track on disc one of the vinyl. An easy-sailing short track that very well demonstrates the orchestra the band implements within the album. It has less to write home about in comparison to the rest of the album, but if this is the real weakest link from Clockwork Angels, then it really displays how great of a last effort this album truly is.

 

 

 

Previously on my list...

131. “The Seeker” - 6/8, Feedback (2004)
130. “Ceiling Unlimited” - 4/13, Vapor Trails (2002)
129. “Test for Echo” - 7/11, Test for Echo (1996)
128. ”Halo Effect” - 2/12, Clockwork Angels (2012)

The next entry however... ;)

 

How is this album doing?

12. “BU2B2” (#167/173)
11. ”Halo Effect” (#128/173)

 

Very forgettable song. Not fingernails on a chalkboard, but utterly meh. Seems a little high here, maybe.

 

Next!

[Rick N. Backer]

12 hours ago, _hi_water._ said:

128. "Halo Effect", Clockwork Angels (2012)

Clockwork Angels - Entry 2 out of 12

 

Seems to be everyone's choice for the weakest song on Clockwork Angels that isn't an interlude track ("BU2B2"). This is the shortest song, which appears as the last track halfway throughout the album, last track on disc one of the vinyl. An easy-sailing short track that very well demonstrates the orchestra the band implements within the album. It has less to write home about in comparison to the rest of the album, but if this is the real weakest link from Clockwork Angels, then it really displays how great of a last effort this album truly is.

 

 

 

Previously on my list...

131. “The Seeker” - 6/8, Feedback (2004)
130. “Ceiling Unlimited” - 4/13, Vapor Trails (2002)
129. “Test for Echo” - 7/11, Test for Echo (1996)
128. ”Halo Effect” - 2/12, Clockwork Angels (2012)

The next entry however... ;)

 

How is this album doing?

12. “BU2B2” (#167/173)
11. ”Halo Effect” (#128/173)

The first one I'll push back on.   This song is better than anything released between HYF and VT.

[Rick N. Backer]

11 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

Some periods of Rush are more popular than others?

Or that, despite some protestations to the contrary, everyone has a pretty good idea of when Rush's low period was.

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

11 hours ago, 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 said:

 

 

Here's an album breakdown of the list so far. The numbers here are not too surprising, maybe except for HYF having only two.

 

Rush ................................ 2/8
Fly By Night ...................... 1/8
Caress of Steel ................. 1/5
2112
A Farewell To Kings .......... 1/6
Hemispheres
Permanent Waves
Moving Pictures
Signals
Grace Under Pressure
Power Windows
Hold Your Fire .................. 2/10
Presto .............................. 8/11
Roll The Bones ................. 4/10
Counterparts .................... 1/11
Test For Echo ................... 7/11
Vapor Trails ...................... 4/13
Feedback ......................... 6/8
Snakes And Arrows .......... 5/13
Clockwork Angels ............. 2/12

 

2 hours ago, _hi_water._ said:

Fixed it... lol :D

 

I knew I was missing one but I couldn't figure it out, so I gave up after a few minutes. I just wanted to show the album representation so far.

 

1 hour ago, _hi_water._ said:

I am definitely giving Hold Your Fire more praise than most people do when ranking Rush songs (UCR, Thrillist, if you have seen those lists...), and the craziest thing to me was many showing that "Tai Shan" was one of the better tracks from there and there were many worse songs from that album than "Second Nature". 

I would've thought that you would've also said it would be surprising to not see as many Counterparts tracks appear, but I see that I slammed tracks that you favor instead and... well... this list is going to get awkward for you. 

 

No, not awkward at all. Rush is a band with a lot of different sounds and styles, and we're all not going to agree on which are best. That said, my taste in Rush tunes is better.

 

CP not showing up much at the bottom of the list doesn't surprise me at all. I think a lot of fans see that album as a comeback of sorts, at least as far as escaping the thin-sounding pop band stretch from HYF thru RTB.

[laughedatbytime]

1 hour ago, Rick N. Backer said:

Or that, despite some protestations to the contrary, everyone has a pretty good idea of when Rush's low period was.

I never thought about this before, but that period pretty much coincided with Sammy's run with Van Halen.

 

Coincidence?

[goose]

6 hours ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

I think so. Well, "Everyday Glory," anyway. 

[Nova Carmina]

16 minutes ago, goose said:

 

I've already got it covered! Here's a picture of me taken for our last family Christmas card.

 

[TheAccountant]

20 hours ago, _hi_water._ said:

128. "Halo Effect", Clockwork Angels (2012)

Clockwork Angels - Entry 2 out of 12

 

Seems to be everyone's choice for the weakest song on Clockwork Angels that isn't an interlude track ("BU2B2"). This is the shortest song, which appears as the last track halfway throughout the album, last track on disc one of the vinyl. An easy-sailing short track that very well demonstrates the orchestra the band implements within the album. It has less to write home about in comparison to the rest of the album, but if this is the real weakest link from Clockwork Angels, then it really displays how great of a last effort this album truly is.

 

 

 

Previously on my list...

131. “The Seeker” - 6/8, Feedback (2004)
130. “Ceiling Unlimited” - 4/13, Vapor Trails (2002)
129. “Test for Echo” - 7/11, Test for Echo (1996)
128. ”Halo Effect” - 2/12, Clockwork Angels (2012)

The next entry however... ;)

 

How is this album doing?

12. “BU2B2” (#167/173)
11. ”Halo Effect” (#128/173)

This is where the album takes off for me.  Everything before it is unlistenable.  This and everything after (with the exception of BU2B2) is rather good.  How good?  That an interesting question.  There are songs you have ranked below it I would rank above it and vice versa.  Its likely higher in my rankings.  How much higher?  Hard for me to say.  Obviously there are multiple songs on the album I would rank below this song.  Top 100?  Likely but not in the top 50.  Top 75?  Perhaps.  So its most likely in the 75 - 100 range.  But thats just a guess off the top of my head.

[grep]

21 hours ago, _hi_water._ said:

128. "Halo Effect", Clockwork Angels (2012)

Clockwork Angels - Entry 2 out of 12

 

Seems to be everyone's choice for the weakest song on Clockwork Angels that isn't an interlude track ("BU2B2"). This is the shortest song, which appears as the last track halfway throughout the album, last track on disc one of the vinyl. An easy-sailing short track that very well demonstrates the orchestra the band implements within the album. It has less to write home about in comparison to the rest of the album, but if this is the real weakest link from Clockwork Angels, then it really displays how great of a last effort this album truly is.

 

 

 

Previously on my list...

131. “The Seeker” - 6/8, Feedback (2004)
130. “Ceiling Unlimited” - 4/13, Vapor Trails (2002)
129. “Test for Echo” - 7/11, Test for Echo (1996)
128. ”Halo Effect” - 2/12, Clockwork Angels (2012)

The next entry however... ;)

 

How is this album doing?

12. “BU2B2” (#167/173)
11. ”Halo Effect” (#128/173)

 

There are worse songs.....

But what do I know, fool that I am?

[_hi_water._]

127. "Making Memories”, Track 6/8 (2:58), Fly By Night (1975),

Fly By Night - Entry 2 out of 8

 

Oddly enough, out of all the Fly By Night tracks, this song has the least personality, even so less than "Rivendell". After the title track, what we needed was a cute little track about how much fun touring is. Still a  great track with some powerful bass and what sounds like a southern-rock solo from Alex - but by the time you get to this track, you fully realize the rough edges the album has.
 

 

Previously on my list...

131. “The Seeker”, Track 4/8 (3:27) - Entry 6/8, Feedback (2004)
130. “Ceiling Unlimited”, Track 2/13 (5:28) - Entry 4/13, Vapor Trails (2002)
129. “Test For Echo”, Track 1/11 (5:56) - Entry 7/11, Test For Echo (1996)
128. ”Halo Effect”, Track 6/12 (3:14) - Entry 2/12, Clockwork Angels (2012)
127. “Making Memories”, Track 6/8 (2:58) - Entry 2/8, Fly By Night (1975)

 

How is this album doing?

8. “Rivendell”, Track 7/8 (4:52) - #154/173

7. “Making Memories”, Track 6/8 (2:58) - #127/173

 

I still have yet to uncover "Anthem", "Best I Can", "Beneath, Between & Behind", "By-Tor And The Snow Dog", "Fly By Night", and "In The End".

[grep]

1 hour ago, _hi_water._ said:

127. "Making Memories”, Track 6/8 (2:58), Fly By Night (1975),

Fly By Night - Entry 2 out of 8

 

Oddly enough, out of all the Fly By Night tracks, this song has the least personality, even so less than "Rivendell". After the title track, what we needed was a cute little track about how much fun touring is. Still a  great track with some powerful bass and what sounds like a southern-rock solo from Alex - but by the time you get to this track, you fully realize the rough edges the album has.
 

 

Previously on my list...

131. “The Seeker”, Track 4/8 (3:27) - Entry 6/8, Feedback (2004)
130. “Ceiling Unlimited”, Track 2/13 (5:28) - Entry 4/13, Vapor Trails (2002)
129. “Test For Echo”, Track 1/11 (5:56) - Entry 7/11, Test For Echo (1996)
128. ”Halo Effect”, Track 6/12 (3:14) - Entry 2/12, Clockwork Angels (2012)
127. “Making Memories”, Track 6/8 (2:58) - Entry 2/8, Fly By Night (1975)

 

How is this album doing?

8. “Rivendell”, Track 7/8 (4:52) - #154/173

7. “Making Memories”, Track 6/8 (2:58) - #127/173

 

I still have yet to uncover "Anthem", "Best I Can", "Beneath, Between & Behind", "By-Tor And The Snow Dog", "Fly By Night", and "In The End".

Hard call. I get it..but the song feels good.

Sweet memories, passing very quickly by..or something like that.  Some memories last forever.

[laughedatbytime]

14 hours ago, _hi_water._ said:

127. "Making Memories”, Track 6/8 (2:58), Fly By Night (1975),

Fly By Night - Entry 2 out of 8

 

Oddly enough, out of all the Fly By Night tracks, this song has the least personality, even so less than "Rivendell". After the title track, what we needed was a cute little track about how much fun touring is. Still a  great track with some powerful bass and what sounds like a southern-rock solo from Alex - but by the time you get to this track, you fully realize the rough edges the album has.
 

 

Previously on my list...

131. “The Seeker”, Track 4/8 (3:27) - Entry 6/8, Feedback (2004)
130. “Ceiling Unlimited”, Track 2/13 (5:28) - Entry 4/13, Vapor Trails (2002)
129. “Test For Echo”, Track 1/11 (5:56) - Entry 7/11, Test For Echo (1996)
128. ”Halo Effect”, Track 6/12 (3:14) - Entry 2/12, Clockwork Angels (2012)
127. “Making Memories”, Track 6/8 (2:58) - Entry 2/8, Fly By Night (1975)

 

How is this album doing?

8. “Rivendell”, Track 7/8 (4:52) - #154/173

7. “Making Memories”, Track 6/8 (2:58) - #127/173

 

I still have yet to uncover "Anthem", "Best I Can", "Beneath, Between & Behind", "By-Tor And The Snow Dog", "Fly By Night", and "In The End".

Catchy, pleasant song, and therefore it deserves to be placed much higher than most of S&A, but nothing special.  Can't argue with this placement.

[_hi_water._]

126. "The Speed Of Love", Track 7/11 (5:02), Counterparts (1993)

Counterparts - Entry 3 out of 11

 

Usually claimed as the worst song from the album, this does seem like the generic outlier ballad from Counterparts. However, this one does highlight the album's sonics with Geddy's bass and the snappy drums; the clean Lifeson solo especially reminds me of mid-80's Rush. An under-appreciated tune.

 

 

 

Previously on my list...

131. “The Seeker”, Track 4/8 (3:27) - Entry 6/8, Feedback (2004)
130. “Ceiling Unlimited”, Track 2/13 (5:28) - Entry 4/13, Vapor Trails (2002)
129. “Test For Echo”, Track 1/11 (5:56) - Entry 7/11, Test For Echo (1996)
128. ”Halo Effect”, Track 6/12 (3:14) - Entry 2/12, Clockwork Angels (2012)
127. “Making Memories”, Track 6/8 (2:58) - Entry 2/8, Fly By Night (1975)
126. “The Speed Of Love”, Track 7/11 (5:02) - Entry 3/11, Counterparts (1993)

 

How is this album doing?

11. “Double Agent”, Track 8/11 (4:52) - #143/173
10. “Between Sun & Moon”, Track 5/11 (4:37) - #139/173
9. “The Speed Of Love”, Track 7/11 (5:02) - #126/173

 

I still have yet to uncover "Animate", "Stick It Out", "Cut To The Chase", "Nobody's Hero", "Alien Shore", "Leave That Thing Alone", "Cold Fire", and "Everyday Glory".