LABT's Rush song rankings (1-165), with special dispensation from hi_water to reveal them concurrent with his list

[yyz305]

7 hours ago, _hi_water._ said:

Woahhhh whaaa?

What I was thinking!

[laughedatbytime]

The next 5:

 

#165     Half the World (T4E, 11th best of 11)

#164     Good News First (S&A, 13th of 13)

#163     The Speed of Love (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     Tai Shan (HYF, 10th of 10)

#161     Bravest Face (S&A, 12th of 13)

#160     Second Nature (HYF, 9th of 10)

#159     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#158     Neurotica (RTB, 10th of 10)

#157     Anagram (for Mongo) (Presto, 11th of 11)

#156     High Water (HYF,  8th of 10)   

#155     Spindrift (S&A, 10th of 13)

#154     Stick It Out (CP, 10th of 11)

#153     Peaceable Kingdom (VT, 13th of 13)

#152     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 9th of 13)

#151     Out of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#150     Scars (Presto, 10th of 11)

#149     Superconductor (Presto, 9th of 11)

#148     Heresy (RTB, 9th of 10)

#147     The Way the Wind Blows (S&A, 8th of 13)

#146     War Paint (Presto, 8th of 11)

#145     You Bet Your Life (RTB, 8th of 10)

#144     Open Secrets (HYF, 7th of 10)

#143     In the Mood (Rush, 8th of 8)

#142     Time and Motion (T4E, 10th of 11)

#141     Hand Over Fist (Presto, 7th of 11)

#140     Presto (Presto, 6th of 11)

#139     Available Light (Presto, 5th of 11)

#138     Emotion Detector (PoW, 8th of 8)

#137     Take a Friend (Rush, 7th of 8)

#136     Grand Designs (PoW, 7th of 8)

#135     Armor and Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)

#134     Resist (T4E, 9th of 11)

#133     Freeze (VT, 11th of 13)

#132     The Stars Look Down (VT, 10th of 13)

#131     Dog Years (T4E, 8th of 11)

#130    Double Agent (CP,  9th of 11)

#129    Chemistry (Signals, 8th of 8)

#128    Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#127    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 6th of 8)

#126    Mission (HYF, 6th of 10)

#125    The Twilight Zone (2112, 6th of 6)

#124    The Big Wheel (RTB, 7th of 10)

#123    Face Up (RTB, 6th of 10)

#122    I Think I'm Going Bald (CoS, 5th of 5)

#121    Everyday Glory (CP, 8th of 11)

 

#120    Totem (T4E, 8th of 11)

#119    Territories (PoW, 5th of 8)

#118    Cut to the Chase {CP, 7th of 11)

#117    Alien Shore (CP, 6th of 11)

#116    Red Lenses (p/g, 8th of 8)

 

Hate away!

[Mosher]

#165     Need Some Love (Rush, 8th best of 8)

#164     Tears (2112, 6th of 6)

#163     Stick It Out (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     What You're Doing (Rush, 7th of 8)

#161     Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#160     In The Mood (Rush, 5th of 8)

#159     Before and After (Rush, 4th of 8)

#158     Finding My Way (Rush, 3rd of 8)

#157     Second Nature (HYF, 10th of 10)

#156     Bravest Face (S&A, 13th of 13)
 

#155     Sweet Miracle (VT, 13th of 13)

#154     BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#153     Speed of Love (CP, 10th of 11)

#152     Good News First (S&A, 12th of 13)

#151     Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6)
 

#150     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#149     Half the World (T4E, 11th of 11)
#148     Out Of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#147     Red Lenses  (P/G, 8th of 8)

#146    Tai Shan (HYF, 9th of 10)

#145   Peacable Kingdom  (VT, 11th of 13)
#144   Freeze  (VT, 10th of 13)
#143   Stars Look Down  (VT, 9th of 13)
#142   Lakeside Park  (CoS,  5th of 5)
#141   Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 9th of 11)

#140  Secret Touch   (VT, 8th of 13)
#139  Totem  (T4E, 10th of 11)
#138  Neurotica  (RTB, 10th of 10)
#137  Spindrift  (S&A, 10th of 13)
#136  Limbo  (T4E, 9th of 11)

#135  Lessons   (2112, 5th of 6)
#134  Best I Can (FBN, 8th of 8)
#133  Mission  (HYF, 8th of 10)
#132  I Think I'm Going Bald  (CoS, 4th of 5)
#131  Superconductor  (P, 11th of 11)

#130  We Hold On   (S&A, 9th of 13)
#129  Scars (P, 10th of 11)
#128  Take A Friend  (Rush, 2nd of 8)
#127  Ghost of a Chance  (RTB, 9th of 10)
#126  Resist  (T4E, 8th of 11)
 

#125    Caravan (CA, 11th of 12)

#124    Double Agent (CP, 8th of 11)

#123    Making Memories (FBN, 7th of 8)

#122    Rivendell (FBN, 6th of 8)

#121    Twilight Zone (2112, 4th of 6)

 

#120    Dog Years (T4E, 7th of 11)

#119    Bravado (RTB, 8th of 10)

#118    The Garden (CA, 10th of 12)

#117    Halo Effect (CA, 9th of 12)

#116    Presto (P, 9th of 11)

People really hate Dog Years, and I entirely agree that the lyrics are pretty bad in places. But they still throw those first album songs up high. That says more about our expectations of Neil than it does about the lyrics themselves. In any event, the music here is good enough to raise it. The lyrics keep it in the bottom half, though. 

Bravado, The Garden, Halo Effect, and Presto are all simply nice songs. Music is nice, lyrics meaningful. Honestly the songs aren't higher because the music doesn't lift them for me. 

Middle of the pack Rush songs are still great songs. They readily shift 20-30 spots higher or lower with the songs around them on any given day. 

[Mosher]

1 hour ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

#120    Totem (T4E, 8th of 11)

#119    Territories (PoW, 5th of 8)

#118    Cut to the Chase {CP, 7th of 11)

#117    Alien Shore (CP, 6th of 11)

#116    Red Lenses (p/g, 8th of 8)

 

Hate away!

Territories is the best song off Power Windows and 21st on my overall list. Sometimes it cracks the top ten. It's the song that at 15 summed up my idealistic view point on my world view. So it's meaningful to me. 

Cut to the Chase is the best song off Counterparts. It's risen over the years to get there. I have it 36th overall.

Totem's in my bottom 30 and Red Lenses is in my bottom 20, so if anything you let them live too long. 

I have Alien Shore a lot higher, but it's not top 60 even, so no complaints there. 

None of this round of 5 lies anywhere near where I have them. 

I expect a lot of hate for one of my recent five songs as well. 
 

[laughedatbytime]

The Garden?  Yeah, I have it quite a bit higher, but no hate.   Other than putting Half the World in the top 164, I have no hate for any ranking.

[Nova Carmina]

On 7/29/2023 at 9:00 AM, Mosher said:

#165     Need Some Love (Rush, 8th best of 8)

#164     Tears (2112, 6th of 6)

#163     Stick It Out (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     What You're Doing (Rush, 7th of 8)

#161     Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#160     In The Mood (Rush, 5th of 8)

#159     Before and After (Rush, 4th of 8)

#158     Finding My Way (Rush, 3rd of 8)

#157     Second Nature (HYF, 10th of 10)

#156     Bravest Face (S&A, 13th of 13)
 

#155     Sweet Miracle (VT, 13th of 13)

#154     BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#153     Speed of Love (CP, 10th of 11)

#152     Good News First (S&A, 12th of 13)

#151     Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6)
 

#150     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#149     Half the World (TFE, 11th of 11)
#148     Out Of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#147     Red Lenses  (P/G, 8th of 8)

#146    Tai Shan (HYF, 9th of 10)

#145   Peacable Kingdom  (VT, 11th of 13)
#144   Freeze  (VT, 10th of 13)
#143   Stars Look Down  (VT, 9th of 13)
#142   Lakeside Park  (CoS,  5th of 5)
#141   Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 9th of 11)

#140  Secret Touch   (VT, 8th of 13)
#139  Totem  (TFE, 10th of 11)
#138  Neurotica  (RTB, 10th of 10)
#137  Spindrift  (S&A, 10th of 13)
#136  Limbo  (TFE, 9th of 11)

#135  Lessons   (2112, 5th of 6)
#134  Best I Can (FBN, 8th of 8)
#133  Mission  (HYF, 8th of 10)
#132  I Think I'm Going Bald  (CoS, 4th of 5)
#131  Superconductor  (P, 11th of 11)

#130  We Hold On   (S&A, 9th of 13)
#129  Scars (P, 10th of 11)
#128  Take A Friend  (Rush, 2nd of 8)
#127  Ghost of a Chance  (RTB, 9th of 10)
#126  Resist  (TFE, 8th of 11)

Not much to say about We Hold On, it's just an average song, as Rush goes,  for me.

I clearly am not into Ghost or Resist like so many here, but to me they are also just Rush-average songs. 

Scars listed here baffles me. There's a lot I don't like about it. But I guess what I like, which I like a lot, balances it into a middle song. It's a song of great contrast for me. They haven't written many where I love elements and loathe others. 

Take A Friend dropping out leaves only Working Man off that first album. Something about this song has always placed it above all the other fine rockers off that album. Maybe it's the fact it feels like it doesn't fit on this album, musically. It stood about. Working Man of course fits beautifully, but it remains far superior because it is just phenomenal in it's fiery execution. Take A Friend has very little fire. I should have it below Finding My Way, all things being equal. But they aren't equal. The things Alex does on Take A Friend set it apart for me. 

 

 

I gotta say your list is looking to have a low margin of error; keep up the good work!

[Nova Carmina]

1 hour ago, laughedatbytime said:

The next 5:

 

#165     Half the World (T4E, 11th best of 11)

#164     Good News First (S&A, 13th of 13)

#163     The Speed of Love (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     Tai Shan (HYF, 10th of 10)

#161     Bravest Face (S&A, 12th of 13)

#160     Second Nature (HYF, 9th of 10)

#159     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#158     Neurotica (RTB, 10th of 10)

#157     Anagram (for Mongo) (Presto, 11th of 11)

#156     High Water (HYF,  8th of 10)   

#155     Spindrift (S&A, 10th of 13)

#154     Stick It Out (CP, 10th of 11)

#153     Peaceable Kingdom (VT, 13th of 13)

#152     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 9th of 13)

#151     Out of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#150     Scars (Presto, 10th of 11)

#149     Superconductor (Presto, 9th of 11)

#148     Heresy (RTB, 9th of 10)

#147     The Way the Wind Blows (S&A, 8th of 13)

#146     War Paint (Presto, 8th of 11)

#145     You Bet Your Life (RTB, 8th of 10)

#144     Open Secrets (HYF, 7th of 10)

#143     In the Mood (Rush, 8th of 8)

#142     Time and Motion (T4E, 10th of 11)

#141     Hand Over Fist (Presto, 7th of 11)

#140     Presto (Presto, 6th of 11)

#139     Available Light (Presto, 5th of 11)

#138     Emotion Detector (PoW, 8th of 8)

#137     Take a Friend (Rush, 7th of 8)

#136     Grand Designs (PoW, 7th of 8)

#135     Armor and Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)

#134     Resist (T4E, 9th of 11)

#133     Freeze (VT, 11th of 13)

#132     The Stars Look Down (VT, 10th of 13)

#131     Dog Years (T4E, 8th of 11)

#130    Double Agent (CP,  9th of 11)

#129    Chemistry (Signals, 8th of 8)

#128    Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#127    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 6th of 8)

#126    Mission (HYF, 6th of 10)

#125    The Twilight Zone (2112, 6th of 6)

#124    The Big Wheel (RTB, 7th of 10)

#123    Face Up (RTB, 6th of 10)

#122    I Think I'm Going Bald (CoS, 5th of 5)

#121    Everyday Glory (CP, 8th of 11)

 

#120    Totem (T4E, 8th of 11)

#119    Territories (PoW, 5th of 8)

#118    Cut to the Chase {CP, 7th of 11)

#117    Alien Shore (CP, 6th of 11)

#116    Red Lenses (p/g, 8th of 8)

 

Hate away!

 

Whoa, whoa, whoa -- somehow I've gotten way behind here, and I haven't even had a chance to properly bitch about the misplacement of "Middeltown Dreams" at #127! "I Think I'm Going Bald" ought to be down among the "Half The World"s, "Everyday Glory" should be in top 100, easily, and "Territories" is top 50 material! 

 

The rest of these seem to make a lot of sense, though.

 

What I think I've discovered from these lists is that I actually have about 133 songs in my top 100 . . . 

[laughedatbytime]

9 minutes ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

Whoa, whoa, whoa -- somehow I've gotten way behind here, and I haven't even had a chance to properly bitch about the misplacement of "Middeltown Dreams" at #127! "I Think I'm Going Bald" ought to be down among the "Half The World"s, "Everyday Glory" should be in top 100, easily, and "Territories" is top 50 material! 

 

The rest of these seem to make a lot of sense, though.

 

What I think I've discovered from these lists is that I actually have about 133 songs in my top 100 . . . 

What can I say, I don't like depressing songs (MD, EG)...

 

Also, in retrospect, songs like Bald (and BU2B2) are probably too high...

 

I'm not a fan of the synth era in general, the lyrics got better but the music lost its magic mostly starting with PoW for me.

[_hi_water._]

8 hours ago, Mosher said:

#118    The Garden (CA, 10th of 12)

Rush fanclub card revoked! 

[_hi_water._]

Just now, _hi_water._ said:

Rush fanclub card revoked! 

I kid, lmao

[_hi_water._]

After all of the Power Windows hate, I am glad to see no "Mystic Rhythms" yet

[TheAccountant]

12 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

The next 5:

 

#165     Half the World (T4E, 11th best of 11)

#164     Good News First (S&A, 13th of 13)

#163     The Speed of Love (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     Tai Shan (HYF, 10th of 10)

#161     Bravest Face (S&A, 12th of 13)

#160     Second Nature (HYF, 9th of 10)

#159     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#158     Neurotica (RTB, 10th of 10)

#157     Anagram (for Mongo) (Presto, 11th of 11)

#156     High Water (HYF,  8th of 10)   

#155     Spindrift (S&A, 10th of 13)

#154     Stick It Out (CP, 10th of 11)

#153     Peaceable Kingdom (VT, 13th of 13)

#152     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 9th of 13)

#151     Out of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#150     Scars (Presto, 10th of 11)

#149     Superconductor (Presto, 9th of 11)

#148     Heresy (RTB, 9th of 10)

#147     The Way the Wind Blows (S&A, 8th of 13)

#146     War Paint (Presto, 8th of 11)

#145     You Bet Your Life (RTB, 8th of 10)

#144     Open Secrets (HYF, 7th of 10)

#143     In the Mood (Rush, 8th of 8)

#142     Time and Motion (T4E, 10th of 11)

#141     Hand Over Fist (Presto, 7th of 11)

#140     Presto (Presto, 6th of 11)

#139     Available Light (Presto, 5th of 11)

#138     Emotion Detector (PoW, 8th of 8)

#137     Take a Friend (Rush, 7th of 8)

#136     Grand Designs (PoW, 7th of 8)

#135     Armor and Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)

#134     Resist (T4E, 9th of 11)

#133     Freeze (VT, 11th of 13)

#132     The Stars Look Down (VT, 10th of 13)

#131     Dog Years (T4E, 8th of 11)

#130    Double Agent (CP,  9th of 11)

#129    Chemistry (Signals, 8th of 8)

#128    Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#127    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 6th of 8)

#126    Mission (HYF, 6th of 10)

#125    The Twilight Zone (2112, 6th of 6)

#124    The Big Wheel (RTB, 7th of 10)

#123    Face Up (RTB, 6th of 10)

#122    I Think I'm Going Bald (CoS, 5th of 5)

#121    Everyday Glory (CP, 8th of 11)

 

#120    Totem (T4E, 8th of 11)

#119    Territories (PoW, 5th of 8)

#118    Cut to the Chase {CP, 7th of 11)

#117    Alien Shore (CP, 6th of 11)

#116    Red Lenses (p/g, 8th of 8)

 

Hate away!

Totem - no major disagreement.  Actually, I might rank it slightly lower but basically I agree with you.

 

Territories - I would rank higher.  Its Power Windows, so that means its in the top 100 for me.

 

Cut To The Chase - basically makes sense.  Sounds about right.

 

Alien Shore - no way.  Must respectfully disagree.  Top 100 song for me.

 

Red Lenses - about right.  In fact, I might ave it a tiny bit lower but no significant disagreement.

 

So, I agree with you on 3 out of 5.  Thanks for sharing, it really has to be tough to pick whats at 120 and whats at 119.  Looking forward to the next batch.

[TheAccountant]

12 hours ago, Mosher said:

#165     Need Some Love (Rush, 8th best of 8)

#164     Tears (2112, 6th of 6)

#163     Stick It Out (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     What You're Doing (Rush, 7th of 8)

#161     Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#160     In The Mood (Rush, 5th of 8)

#159     Before and After (Rush, 4th of 8)

#158     Finding My Way (Rush, 3rd of 8)

#157     Second Nature (HYF, 10th of 10)

#156     Bravest Face (S&A, 13th of 13)
 

#155     Sweet Miracle (VT, 13th of 13)

#154     BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#153     Speed of Love (CP, 10th of 11)

#152     Good News First (S&A, 12th of 13)

#151     Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6)
 

#150     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#149     Half the World (T4E, 11th of 11)
#148     Out Of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#147     Red Lenses  (P/G, 8th of 8)

#146    Tai Shan (HYF, 9th of 10)

#145   Peacable Kingdom  (VT, 11th of 13)
#144   Freeze  (VT, 10th of 13)
#143   Stars Look Down  (VT, 9th of 13)
#142   Lakeside Park  (CoS,  5th of 5)
#141   Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 9th of 11)

#140  Secret Touch   (VT, 8th of 13)
#139  Totem  (T4E, 10th of 11)
#138  Neurotica  (RTB, 10th of 10)
#137  Spindrift  (S&A, 10th of 13)
#136  Limbo  (T4E, 9th of 11)

#135  Lessons   (2112, 5th of 6)
#134  Best I Can (FBN, 8th of 8)
#133  Mission  (HYF, 8th of 10)
#132  I Think I'm Going Bald  (CoS, 4th of 5)
#131  Superconductor  (P, 11th of 11)

#130  We Hold On   (S&A, 9th of 13)
#129  Scars (P, 10th of 11)
#128  Take A Friend  (Rush, 2nd of 8)
#127  Ghost of a Chance  (RTB, 9th of 10)
#126  Resist  (T4E, 8th of 11)
 

#125    Caravan (CA, 11th of 12)

#124    Double Agent (CP, 8th of 11)

#123    Making Memories (FBN, 7th of 8)

#122    Rivendell (FBN, 6th of 8)

#121    Twilight Zone (2112, 4th of 6)

 

#120    Dog Years (T4E, 7th of 11)

#119    Bravado (RTB, 8th of 10)

#118    The Garden (CA, 10th of 12)

#117    Halo Effect (CA, 9th of 12)

#116    Presto (P, 9th of 11)

People really hate Dog Years, and I entirely agree that the lyrics are pretty bad in places. But they still throw those first album songs up high. That says more about our expectations of Neil than it does about the lyrics themselves. In any event, the music here is good enough to raise it. The lyrics keep it in the bottom half, though. 

Bravado, The Garden, Halo Effect, and Presto are all simply nice songs. Music is nice, lyrics meaningful. Honestly the songs aren't higher because the music doesn't lift them for me. 

Middle of the pack Rush songs are still great songs. They readily shift 20-30 spots higher or lower with the songs around them on any given day. 

This is an interesting batch of songs.  I agree with many of the points you make about Dog Years (which I have at the very bottom of the barrel).  I would mention however that the story I have heard was that Neil was dealing with a massive hang over when he wrote the lyrics.  If it was the 1970's and he was a young guy I would be more forgiving.  But he was what, in his 40's?  He should have been mature enough to realize that you normally don't do your best when hung over.  Plus Geddy and Alex should have realized it and put the brakes on the song.  Instead they all let the train wreck plow ahead.  It's not just that its Neil but its also that the group should have stopped the song but did not that causes me to really scratch my head at some terrible lyrics.  In other words, they get negative extra credit for being mature enough to realize it was awful (or at least they should have realized it) ad instead went ahead with it.

 

Bravado has not aged well but its still likely in my top 100.  Good lyrics though.

 

I expect you will take some hate over your placing The Garden at 118 and Halo Effect at 117.  But not from me.  I agree they are close and I would slightly rank Halo Effect over The Garden.  The Garden is however a wonderful way to close the album and their career.  When I heard them play it live on the CA tour I knew it was good-by.  For me it was - I did not see them on the R40 your.  Perhaps if they had played at SPAC I would have seen them but they did not. Basically agree with these rankings.  Might rank them a bit higher however.  But I expect some will disagree with ranking them the way you have.

 

The real head scratcher here is Presto.  For me its a top 20 song.  Yes - top 20.  Thats not a typo.

[laughedatbytime]

 

The next 5.  I think I've caught up with hi_water now...

 

#165     Half the World (T4E, 11th best of 11)

#164     Good News First (S&A, 13th of 13)

#163     The Speed of Love (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     Tai Shan (HYF, 10th of 10)

#161     Bravest Face (S&A, 12th of 13)

#160     Second Nature (HYF, 9th of 10)

#159     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#158     Neurotica (RTB, 10th of 10)

#157     Anagram (for Mongo) (Presto, 11th of 11)

#156     High Water (HYF,  8th of 10)   

#155     Spindrift (S&A, 10th of 13)

#154     Stick It Out (CP, 10th of 11)

#153     Peaceable Kingdom (VT, 13th of 13)

#152     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 9th of 13)

#151     Out of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#150     Scars (Presto, 10th of 11)

#149     Superconductor (Presto, 9th of 11)

#148     Heresy (RTB, 9th of 10)

#147     The Way the Wind Blows (S&A, 8th of 13)

#146     War Paint (Presto, 8th of 11)

#145     You Bet Your Life (RTB, 8th of 10)

#144     Open Secrets (HYF, 7th of 10)

#143     In the Mood (Rush, 8th of 8)

#142     Time and Motion (T4E, 10th of 11)

#141     Hand Over Fist (Presto, 7th of 11)

#140     Presto (Presto, 6th of 11)

#139     Available Light (Presto, 5th of 11)

#138     Emotion Detector (PoW, 8th of 8)

#137     Take a Friend (Rush, 7th of 8)

#136     Grand Designs (PoW, 7th of 8)

#135     Armor and Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)

#134     Resist (T4E, 9th of 11)

#133     Freeze (VT, 11th of 13)

#132     The Stars Look Down (VT, 10th of 13)

#131     Dog Years (T4E, 8th of 11)

#130    Double Agent (CP,  9th of 11)

#129    Chemistry (Signals, 8th of 8)

#128    Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#127    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 6th of 8)

#126    Mission (HYF, 6th of 10)

#125    The Twilight Zone (2112, 6th of 6)

#124    The Big Wheel (RTB, 7th of 10)

#123    Face Up (RTB, 6th of 10)

#122    I Think I'm Going Bald (CoS, 5th of 5)

#121    Everyday Glory (CP, 8th of 11)

#120    Totem (T4E, 8th of 11)

#119    Territories (PoW, 5th of 8)

#118    Cut to the Chase {CP, 7th of 11)

#117    Alien Shore (CP, 6th of 11)

#116    Red Lenses (p/g, 8th of 8)

 

#115    The Color of Right (T4E, 7th of 11)

#114    Ghost of a Chance (RTB, 5th of 10)

#113    BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#112   Mystic Rhythms (PoW, 4th of 8)

#111   The Pass (Presto, 4th of 11)

 

i suspect I'll catch some flak for the last two, especially The Pass, which has some ardent supporters here.   I find the music uninteresting and the lyrics cold and unsympathetic, in their own way more selfish that those of Anthem.   I don't suspect many will agree.

 

As always, let the hate flow!

 

 

[Nova Carmina]

1 hour ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

#115    The Color of Right (T4E, 7th of 11)

#114    Ghost of a Chance (RTB, 5th of 10)

#113    BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#112   Mystic Rhythms (PoW, 4th of 8)

#111   The Pass (Presto, 4th of 11)

 

i suspect I'll catch some flak for the last two, especially The Pass, which has some ardent supporters here.   I find the music uninteresting and the lyrics cold and unsympathetic, in their own way more selfish that those of Anthem.   I don't suspect many will agree.

 

As always, let the hate flow!

 

 

 

For the first three, you've already pre-empted the odd placement of "BU2B2" as likely too high, the other two make sense, although I'd have "Ghost of a Chance" slightly higher, but "Mystic Rhythms" and "The Pass" this low? Is this an elaborate piece of provocative performance art designed to get under the skin of the squares who can't handle it, man?

 

I'll let Mechagrogu further articulate my response:

 

[laughedatbytime]

38 minutes ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

For the first three, you've already pre-empted the odd placement of "BU2B2" as likely too high, the other two make sense, although I'd have "Ghost of a Chance" slightly higher, but "Mystic Rhythms" and "The Pass" this low? Is this an elaborate piece of provocative performance art designed to get under the skin of the squares who can't handle it, man?

 

I'll let Mechagrogu further articulate my response:

 

Definitely not performance art (although if the National Endowment for the Arts wants to fund it, I could be persuaded to change my mind).

 

I already discussed why the Pass is as low as it is, and acknowledge that it's probably a minority take on the song, but it's an honest one, not one that's provocative for its own sake.   As far as Mystic Rhythms goes, I really think that the live version of the song on R30 was compelling and evocative, but the studio version is far less so.  (It's one of the two songs where the live version is highly enjoyable while the studio version is blah, the other being Resist, where the acoustic version is great, while the studio version is somehow grandiose and meh at the same time.)

 

The other comment regards BU2B2, which is really nothing and therefore could have been used as the line of demarcation between songs I like and songs I don't, if I had thought about it that way at the time.  I'll probably be back to edit where I'd have it after I rereview my list, using it in that manner.

 

Edited August 1, 2023 by laughedatbytime

[Mosher]

 

1 hour ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

#115    The Color of Right (T4E, 7th of 11)

#114    Ghost of a Chance (RTB, 5th of 10)

#113    BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#112   Mystic Rhythms (PoW, 4th of 8)

#111   The Pass (Presto, 4th of 11)

As BU2B2 is only a transition piece it barely counts as a song, so while it works well in the album, I could never have ranked that one higher than any song I also like. It's curious to see it above so many other songs. 

Ghost and Pass were never important to me, they're fine songs but I won't be one of the complainers on where you placed them.  I used to have Mystic really high, but it has dropped over the years. I haven't killed it yet but it will vanish soon. 

I have Color of Right very high- top 50. Second off of T4E for me. 

 

 

[Mosher]

#165     Need Some Love (Rush, 8th best of 8)

#164     Tears (2112, 6th of 6)

#163     Stick It Out (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     What You're Doing (Rush, 7th of 8)

#161     Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#160     In The Mood (Rush, 5th of 8)

#159     Before and After (Rush, 4th of 8)

#158     Finding My Way (Rush, 3rd of 8)

#157     Second Nature (HYF, 10th of 10)

#156     Bravest Face (S&A, 13th of 13)
 

#155     Sweet Miracle (VT, 13th of 13)

#154     BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#153     Speed of Love (CP, 10th of 11)

#152     Good News First (S&A, 12th of 13)

#151     Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6)
 

#150     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#149     Half the World (T4E, 11th of 11)
#148     Out Of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#147     Red Lenses  (P/G, 8th of 8)

#146    Tai Shan (HYF, 9th of 10)

#145   Peacable Kingdom  (VT, 11th of 13)
#144   Freeze  (VT, 10th of 13)
#143   Stars Look Down  (VT, 9th of 13)
#142   Lakeside Park  (CoS,  5th of 5)
#141   Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 9th of 11)

#140  Secret Touch   (VT, 8th of 13)
#139  Totem  (T4E, 10th of 11)
#138  Neurotica  (RtB, 10th of 10)
#137  Spindrift  (S&A, 10th of 13)
#136  Limbo  (T4E, 9th of 11)

#135  Lessons   (2112, 5th of 6)
#134  Best I Can (FBN, 8th of 8)
#133  Mission  (HYF, 8th of 10)
#132  I Think I'm Going Bald  (CoS, 4th of 5)
#131  Superconductor  (P, 11th of 11)

#130  We Hold On   (S&A, 9th of 13)
#129  Scars (P, 10th of 11)
#128  Take A Friend  (Rush, 2nd of 8)
#127  Ghost of a Chance  (RtB, 9th of 10)
#126  Resist  (T4E, 8th of 11)
 

#125    Caravan (CA, 11th of 12)

#124    Double Agent (CP, 8th of 11)

#123    Making Memories (FBN, 7th of 8)

#122    Rivendell (FBN, 6th of 8)

#121    Twilight Zone (2112, 4th of 6)
 

#120    Dog Years (T4E, 7th of 11)

#119    Bravado (RtB, 8th of 10)

#118    The Garden (CA, 10th of 12)

#117    Halo Effect (CA, 9th of 12)

#116    Presto (P, 9th of 11)
 

#115    Virtuality (T4E, 6th of 11)

#114    Time and Motion (T4E, 5th of 11)

#113   Hope (S&A, 8th of 13)

#112   Armor & Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)

#111   Roll the Bones (RtB, 7th of 10)

Virtuality is dated but ignoring that I like the song. Time and Armor are both middling songs placed in the middle- I like them and I could readily interchange them with a couple dozen songs up or down.

Hope is a very nice instrumental, but it's barely a Rush song with the essential absence of Neil and Geddy. It's this high because I really like it a lot. It's this low because it's lyric-less, Geddy-less, and Neil-less. 

Roll the Bones is a terrific song that would be much much higher if not for the rap. I like that they tried rap, I applaud artists taking inspiration from every facet of human creativity. It's good to grow, even necessary. But the lyrics in the rap sound painfully like a 40 year old police officer going undercover in high school as a "cool kid" showing the other kids how cool it is to stay in school and stay away from drugs. It's Michael Scott relating to the youth. Go ahead and rap, but do it in your own voice. 

[_hi_water._]

18 hours ago, _hi_water._ said:

After all of the Power Windows hate, I am glad to see no "Mystic Rhythms" yet

 

3 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

#112   Mystic Rhythms (PoW, 4th of 8)

Sigh...

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

3 hours ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

For the first three, you've already pre-empted the odd placement of "BU2B2" as likely too high, the other two make sense, although I'd have "Ghost of a Chance" slightly higher, but "Mystic Rhythms" and "The Pass" this low? Is this an elaborate piece of provocative performance art designed to get under the skin of the squares who can't handle it, man?

 

I'll let Mechagrogu further articulate my response:

 

 

3 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

Definitely not performance art (although if the National Endowment for the Arts wants to fund it, I could be persuaded to change my mind).

 

I already discussed why the Pass is as low as it is, and acknowledge that it's probably a minority take on the song, but it's an honest one, not one that's provocative for its own sake.   As far as Mystic Rhythms goes, I really think that the live version of the song on R30 was compelling and evocative, but the studio version is far less so.  (It's one of the two songs where the live version is highly enjoyable while the studio version is blah, the other being Resist, where the acoustic version is great, while the studio version is somehow grandiose and meh at the same time.)

 

The other comment regards BU2B2, which is really nothing and therefore could have been used as the line of demarcation between songs I like and songs I don't, if I had thought about it that way at the time.  I'll probably be back to edit where I'd have it after I rereview my list, using it in that manner.

 

 

Still working on my list (totally taking my time) and I almost didn't include BU2B2 because it's really just an interlude where the lyrics are just filling in a gap in the overall story. You listen to it once, take note of what's being said, and never listen to it again. But I did include it just for the sake of completeness and I have it ranked rather low.

[TheAccountant]

12 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

The next 5.  I think I've caught up with hi_water now...

 

#165     Half the World (T4E, 11th best of 11)

#164     Good News First (S&A, 13th of 13)

#163     The Speed of Love (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     Tai Shan (HYF, 10th of 10)

#161     Bravest Face (S&A, 12th of 13)

#160     Second Nature (HYF, 9th of 10)

#159     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#158     Neurotica (RTB, 10th of 10)

#157     Anagram (for Mongo) (Presto, 11th of 11)

#156     High Water (HYF,  8th of 10)   

#155     Spindrift (S&A, 10th of 13)

#154     Stick It Out (CP, 10th of 11)

#153     Peaceable Kingdom (VT, 13th of 13)

#152     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 9th of 13)

#151     Out of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#150     Scars (Presto, 10th of 11)

#149     Superconductor (Presto, 9th of 11)

#148     Heresy (RTB, 9th of 10)

#147     The Way the Wind Blows (S&A, 8th of 13)

#146     War Paint (Presto, 8th of 11)

#145     You Bet Your Life (RTB, 8th of 10)

#144     Open Secrets (HYF, 7th of 10)

#143     In the Mood (Rush, 8th of 8)

#142     Time and Motion (T4E, 10th of 11)

#141     Hand Over Fist (Presto, 7th of 11)

#140     Presto (Presto, 6th of 11)

#139     Available Light (Presto, 5th of 11)

#138     Emotion Detector (PoW, 8th of 8)

#137     Take a Friend (Rush, 7th of 8)

#136     Grand Designs (PoW, 7th of 8)

#135     Armor and Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)

#134     Resist (T4E, 9th of 11)

#133     Freeze (VT, 11th of 13)

#132     The Stars Look Down (VT, 10th of 13)

#131     Dog Years (T4E, 8th of 11)

#130    Double Agent (CP,  9th of 11)

#129    Chemistry (Signals, 8th of 8)

#128    Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#127    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 6th of 8)

#126    Mission (HYF, 6th of 10)

#125    The Twilight Zone (2112, 6th of 6)

#124    The Big Wheel (RTB, 7th of 10)

#123    Face Up (RTB, 6th of 10)

#122    I Think I'm Going Bald (CoS, 5th of 5)

#121    Everyday Glory (CP, 8th of 11)

#120    Totem (T4E, 8th of 11)

#119    Territories (PoW, 5th of 8)

#118    Cut to the Chase {CP, 7th of 11)

#117    Alien Shore (CP, 6th of 11)

#116    Red Lenses (p/g, 8th of 8)

 

#115    The Color of Right (T4E, 7th of 11)

#114    Ghost of a Chance (RTB, 5th of 10)

#113    BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#112   Mystic Rhythms (PoW, 4th of 8)

#111   The Pass (Presto, 4th of 11)

 

i suspect I'll catch some flak for the last two, especially The Pass, which has some ardent supporters here.   I find the music uninteresting and the lyrics cold and unsympathetic, in their own way more selfish that those of Anthem.   I don't suspect many will agree.

 

As always, let the hate flow!

 

 

No huge disagreement over The Color of Right.  IMO you have it on the right side of 100.  Its ok but nothing I am wild about.  Same with Ghost of a Chance.  

 

BU2B2 I would rank much lower however.  The fact that you rank it that high is a head scratcher for me.

 

Mystic Rhythms is a head scratcher for me.  Its Power Windows so that means its in my top 100.

 

The Pass.  Interesting comments about the lyrics.  I find the music more interesting than the lyrics, but those are ok.  I would not be as harsh as you are.  For me its a top 100 song.  But I am not as wild about it as some are.

 

Next batch please.

[TheAccountant]

10 hours ago, Mosher said:

#165     Need Some Love (Rush, 8th best of 8)

#164     Tears (2112, 6th of 6)

#163     Stick It Out (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     What You're Doing (Rush, 7th of 8)

#161     Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#160     In The Mood (Rush, 5th of 8)

#159     Before and After (Rush, 4th of 8)

#158     Finding My Way (Rush, 3rd of 8)

#157     Second Nature (HYF, 10th of 10)

#156     Bravest Face (S&A, 13th of 13)
 

#155     Sweet Miracle (VT, 13th of 13)

#154     BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#153     Speed of Love (CP, 10th of 11)

#152     Good News First (S&A, 12th of 13)

#151     Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6)
 

#150     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#149     Half the World (T4E, 11th of 11)
#148     Out Of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#147     Red Lenses  (P/G, 8th of 8)

#146    Tai Shan (HYF, 9th of 10)

#145   Peacable Kingdom  (VT, 11th of 13)
#144   Freeze  (VT, 10th of 13)
#143   Stars Look Down  (VT, 9th of 13)
#142   Lakeside Park  (CoS,  5th of 5)
#141   Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 9th of 11)

#140  Secret Touch   (VT, 8th of 13)
#139  Totem  (T4E, 10th of 11)
#138  Neurotica  (RtB, 10th of 10)
#137  Spindrift  (S&A, 10th of 13)
#136  Limbo  (T4E, 9th of 11)

#135  Lessons   (2112, 5th of 6)
#134  Best I Can (FBN, 8th of 8)
#133  Mission  (HYF, 8th of 10)
#132  I Think I'm Going Bald  (CoS, 4th of 5)
#131  Superconductor  (P, 11th of 11)

#130  We Hold On   (S&A, 9th of 13)
#129  Scars (P, 10th of 11)
#128  Take A Friend  (Rush, 2nd of 8)
#127  Ghost of a Chance  (RtB, 9th of 10)
#126  Resist  (T4E, 8th of 11)
 

#125    Caravan (CA, 11th of 12)

#124    Double Agent (CP, 8th of 11)

#123    Making Memories (FBN, 7th of 8)

#122    Rivendell (FBN, 6th of 8)

#121    Twilight Zone (2112, 4th of 6)
 

#120    Dog Years (T4E, 7th of 11)

#119    Bravado (RtB, 8th of 10)

#118    The Garden (CA, 10th of 12)

#117    Halo Effect (CA, 9th of 12)

#116    Presto (P, 9th of 11)
 

#115    Virtuality (T4E, 6th of 11)

#114    Time and Motion (T4E, 5th of 11)

#113   Hope (S&A, 8th of 13)

#112   Armor & Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)

#111   Roll the Bones (RtB, 7th of 10)

Virtuality is dated but ignoring that I like the song. Time and Armor are both middling songs placed in the middle- I like them and I could readily interchange them with a couple dozen songs up or down.

Hope is a very nice instrumental, but it's barely a Rush song with the essential absence of Neil and Geddy. It's this high because I really like it a lot. It's this low because it's lyric-less, Geddy-less, and Neil-less. 

Roll the Bones is a terrific song that would be much much higher if not for the rap. I like that they tried rap, I applaud artists taking inspiration from every facet of human creativity. It's good to grow, even necessary. But the lyrics in the rap sound painfully like a 40 year old police officer going undercover in high school as a "cool kid" showing the other kids how cool it is to stay in school and stay away from drugs. It's Michael Scott relating to the youth. Go ahead and rap, but do it in your own voice. 

I agree that Virtuality is dated but even way back when I did not care for it.  Its near the bottom of the barrel for me.  Only Dog Years is worse.

 

No real disagreement with Time & Motion.

 

Hope - good comment.  Make that very good comments.  For me though its in my top 100.  I guess I like it slightly more than even you do.

 

Armor & Sword is another top 100 song for me so again Would rank it higher than you do.

 

Roll The Bones I would likely rank a bit lower.  It starts ok but then you get the rap.  Like you, I give them credit for trying it - I just dislike rap.  So for me that sort of kills the song.  Pity since it has some potential.

 

Looking forward to the next songs.

[laughedatbytime]

9 minutes ago, TheAccountant said:

No huge disagreement over The Color of Right.  IMO you have it on the right side of 100.  Its ok but nothing I am wild about.  Same with Ghost of a Chance.  

 

BU2B2 I would rank much lower however.  The fact that you rank it that high is a head scratcher for me.

 

Mystic Rhythms is a head scratcher for me.  Its Power Windows so that means its in my top 100.

 

The Pass.  Interesting comments about the lyrics.  I find the music more interesting than the lyrics, but those are ok.  I would not be as harsh as you are.  For me its a top 100 song.  But I am not as wild about it as some are.

 

Next batch please.

Yeah, I did these a couple of years ago, and BU2B2 should be lower, but I decided not to redo it for just one or a couple of songs.

[laughedatbytime]

Five more:

 

#165     Half the World (T4E, 11th best of 11)

#164     Good News First (S&A, 13th of 13)

#163     The Speed of Love (CP, 11th of 11)

#162     Tai Shan (HYF, 10th of 10)

#161     Bravest Face (S&A, 12th of 13)

#160     Second Nature (HYF, 9th of 10)

#159     Faithless (S&A, 11th of 13)

#158     Neurotica (RTB, 10th of 10)

#157     Anagram (for Mongo) (Presto, 11th of 11)

#156     High Water (HYF,  8th of 10)   

#155     Spindrift (S&A, 10th of 13)

#154     Stick It Out (CP, 10th of 11)

#153     Peaceable Kingdom (VT, 13th of 13)

#152     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 9th of 13)

#151     Out of the Cradle (VT, 12th of 13)

#150     Scars (Presto, 10th of 11)

#149     Superconductor (Presto, 9th of 11)

#148     Heresy (RTB, 9th of 10)

#147     The Way the Wind Blows (S&A, 8th of 13)

#146     War Paint (Presto, 8th of 11)

#145     You Bet Your Life (RTB, 8th of 10)

#144     Open Secrets (HYF, 7th of 10)

#143     In the Mood (Rush, 8th of 8)

#142     Time and Motion (T4E, 10th of 11)

#141     Hand Over Fist (Presto, 7th of 11)

#140     Presto (Presto, 6th of 11)

#139     Available Light (Presto, 5th of 11)

#138     Emotion Detector (PoW, 8th of 8)

#137     Take a Friend (Rush, 7th of 8)

#136     Grand Designs (PoW, 7th of 8)

#135     Armor and Sword (S&A, 7th of 13)

#134     Resist (T4E, 9th of 11)

#133     Freeze (VT, 11th of 13)

#132     The Stars Look Down (VT, 10th of 13)

#131     Dog Years (T4E, 8th of 11)

#130    Double Agent (CP,  9th of 11)

#129    Chemistry (Signals, 8th of 8)

#128    Here Again (Rush, 6th of 8)

#127    Middletown Dreams (PoW, 6th of 8)

#126    Mission (HYF, 6th of 10)

#125    The Twilight Zone (2112, 6th of 6)

#124    The Big Wheel (RTB, 7th of 10)

#123    Face Up (RTB, 6th of 10)

#122    I Think I'm Going Bald (CoS, 5th of 5)

#121    Everyday Glory (CP, 8th of 11)

#120    Totem (T4E, 8th of 11)

#119    Territories (PoW, 5th of 8)

#118    Cut to the Chase {CP, 7th of 11)

#117    Alien Shore (CP, 6th of 11)

#116    Red Lenses (p/g, 8th of 8)

#115    The Color of Right (T4E, 7th of 11)

#114    Ghost of a Chance (RTB, 5th of 10)

#113    BU2B2 (CA, 12th of 12)

#112   Mystic Rhythms (PoW, 4th of 8)

#111   The Pass (Presto, 4th of 11)

 

#110   What You're Doing (Rush, 5th of 8)

#109   Digital Man (Signals, 7th of 8)

#108   Nobody's Hero (CP, 5th of 11)

#107   Need Some Love (Rush, 4th of 8)

#106   Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6)

 

I'm guessing the inclusion of Digital Man here will get the most hate, whereas most people think I will have Need Some Love and Madrigal way too high (I agree on the former, and What You're Doing should definitely be higher than Need Some Love.)   For Digital Man, I'm not denying the great musicianship, it's just not in the service of a great song (IMO).

 

So hate away!

[Mosher]

3 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

 

#110   What You're Doing (Rush, 5th of 8)

#109   Digital Man (Signals, 7th of 8)

#108   Nobody's Hero (CP, 5th of 11)

#107   Need Some Love (Rush, 4th of 8)

#106   Madrigal (AFTK, 6th of 6)

 

You're absolutely correct that you made a mistake with Digital Man. :)

Songs not called Working Man from that first album just can't be this high. There's no room with all the superior songs. Need Some Love might rock, but anyone placing this anywhere outside the bottom 20 loses me when they complain about lyrics. Not saying that's you, just saying I have no time for Dog Year lyrical disdain when accompanied by affection for Need Some Love. 

Madrigal is a fine sedative, I'm assuming you've placed it so high because of its usefulness as a sleep aid. 

I used to have Nobody's Hero a lot higher than I do now, but it still hovers around the middle, I assume. I haven't checked my list yet, so I'm just guessing.