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

[Nova Carmina]

3 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)
 

#110   Show Don't Tell (P, 8th of 11)

#109   Where's My Thing (RtB, 6th of 10)

#108   Chemistry (S, 8th of 8)

#107   Red Barchetta (MP, 7th of 7)

#106   Available Light (P, 7th of 11)
 

#105   Mystic Rythms (PoW, 8th of 8)

#104   The Pass (P, 6th of 11)

#103   Lock and Key (HYF, 7th of 10)

#102   Losing It (S, 7th of 8)

#101   Anthem (FBN, 5th of 8)

 

#100   Hand Over Fist (P, 5th of 11)

#99     Main Monkey Business (S&A, 6th of 13)

#98     Open Secrets (HYF, 6th of 10)

#97     Wish Them Well (CA,  8th of 12)

#96     War Paint (P, 4th of 11)
 

#95     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 5th of 13)

#94     Everyday Glory (CP, 7th of 11)

#93     The Way The Wind Blows (S&A, 4th of 13)

#92     Vapor Trail (VT, 7th of 13)

#91     Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 6th of 13)

 

#90     Clockwork Angels (CA, 7th of 12)

#89     Emotion Detector  (PoW, 7th of 8)

#88     Entre Nous (PeW, 6th of 6)

#87     Different Strings (PeW, 5th of 6)

#86     Cinderella Man (AFTK, 5th of 6)
 

#85     Closer to the Heart (AFTK, 4th of 6)

#84     Marathon (PoW, 6th of 8)

#83     Cold Fire (CP, 6th of 11)

#82     New World Man (S, 6th of 8)

#81     A Passage To Bangkok (2112, 3rd of 6)


Closer to the Heart is just overplayed, it was on the radio every 5 minutes when I was growing up, and of course I loved it. So I know it's great, but I have so many ahead of it now. Probably first Rush song I memorized. 

Marathon builds beautifully, but nevertheless it's a middle song for me. 

Cold Fire rocks, but the lyrics keep it in the middle. It's clever, I'm not knocking his writing. I just get bored with most relationship songs. 

New World Man, like Closer, was ubiquitous on the radio, so it suffers. Possibly the first song I memorized after Tom Sawyer and Closer to the Heart, though.  

Passage used to be my second favorite off 2112, and I played it constantly. But it's so silly. I can't move it further up. 


 

 

I don't see how the overplayed externalities of a song diminish (or enhance) its isolated/inherent qualities? "Closer to the Heart" is practically a mission statement for Rush, and there's surely a reason beyond DJ laziness why it's been played so much. And let's not forget that it was played on tour after tour because the band must have liked it, too. #85 seems way too low for something this important.

 

And I get these are idiosyncratic preference rankings, not attempts to create "the best of," so it's impossible to be wrong, but . . . this might be wrong!

[Mosher]

55 minutes ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

I don't see how the overplayed externalities of a song diminish (or enhance) its isolated/inherent qualities? "Closer to the Heart" is practically a mission statement for Rush, and there's surely a reason beyond DJ laziness why it's been played so much. And let's not forget that it was played on tour after tour because the band must have liked it, too. #85 seems way too low for something this important.

 

And I get these are idiosyncratic preference rankings, not attempts to create "the best of," so it's impossible to be wrong, but . . . this might be wrong!

I created a ranking of songs based on whether, all things being equal, I would chose song 'A' or song 'B' to listen to. 
As I can replay every single note from heavily played songs in my head, they are less likely to be chosen by me to listen to at any given moment than they otherwise would be. So they drop in the ranking.

If I were creating a more objective (is that possible?) list of 'best/important' songs, the list would be vastly different. I'd have In the Mood a hell of a lot higher, Red Barchetta would be top 40 even though I like dozens of songs better, and I'd have all the hits higher than I currently do. 
Tom Sawyer would be number one.

That's not this list. 

But I get your point. And it's true that Closer would be much higher if I made my list your way. 

EDIT:
I should add that for whatever reason the overplayed songs on the radio seems to make a weird difference for me versus overplayed by me. 

If I were a radio, then my top songs would certainly be horribly overplayed. No idea why that makes a difference. 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Mosher

[laughedatbytime]

2 minutes ago, Mosher said:

I created a ranking of songs based on whether, all things being equal, I would chose song 'A' or song 'B' to listen to. 
As I can replay every single note from heavily played songs in my head, they are less likely to be chosen by me to listen to at any given moment than they otherwise would be. So they drop in the ranking.

If I were creating a more objective (is that possible?) list of 'best/important' songs, the list would be vastly different. I'd have In the Mood a hell of a lot higher, Red Barchetta would be top 40 even though I like dozens of songs better, and I'd have all the hits higher than I currently do. 
Tom Sawyer would be number one.

That's not this list. 

But I get your point. And it's true that Closer would be much higher if I made my list your way. 

Is that what Nova is arguing?  I thought he was more getting at the number of times it's played doesn't diminish its quality (definitely true IMO) but can be a reflection of it (not necessarily so).   It's probably impossible to totally remove the effect of overplaying, but given how we consume music these days (and its been 8+ years since a tour), any over playing of songs recently is self-inflicted.

[Mosher]

1 hour ago, laughedatbytime said:

Is that what Nova is arguing?  I thought he was more getting at the number of times it's played doesn't diminish its quality (definitely true IMO) but can be a reflection of it (not necessarily so).   It's probably impossible to totally remove the effect of overplaying, but given how we consume music these days (and its been 8+ years since a tour), any over playing of songs recently is self-inflicted.

I feel like I covered both interpretations.

 

If I'm basing my rating on the inherent quality of the song without any external context, than Closer to the Heart rises.

 

But if I hear a great song 3000 times, then I want to hear another good song more.

And like I said, I rated the songs based on how much I want to hear it vs the other available songs 

 

In all honesty I'm just assuming the reason every single constantly played radio song has dropped over the years is for that reason. 

 

But for whatever reason, on the day I made these ratings, Closer to the Heart was a song I wanted to hear slightly more than the one under it, and sightly less than the one above it. 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Mosher

[laughedatbytime]

2 hours ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

"Kid Gloves" is an under-rated gem, and I will fight to defend it!

 

I've always like "Countdown," but I get it's middling for lots of listeners, so that one seems about right..

 

And while this may seem like a surprise given my establish reputation as a GUP-stan, but "The Body Electric" is the weakest track on that album, and might even be lower -- possibly even at #85.

 

This grouping gets a B -- there's nothing as offensive as "Grand Designs" at #136!

Not even swinging at a 3-0 pitch up 10 with the bases loaded and hitting a grand slam?   And you call yourself a Cardinals fan?!?!?!?

[Nova Carmina]

34 minutes ago, Mosher said:

I feel like I covered both interpretations.

 

If I'm basing my rating on the inherent quality of the song without any external context, than Closer to the Heart rises.

 

But if I hear a great song 3000 times, then I want to hear another good song more.

And like I said, I rated the songs based on how much I want to hear it vs the other available songs 

 

In all honesty I'm just assuming the reason every single constantly played radio song has dropped over the years is for that reason. 

 

But for whatever reason, on the day I made these ratings, Closer to the Heart was a song I wanted to hear slightly more than the one under it, and sightly less than the one above it. 

 

 

 

And I get that totally, and I'm not trying to suggest you (or Hi_Water or LABT) are not doing the lists right because there can't be a right or wrong. I was questioning the idea of overplaying as a factor, and -- for what it's worth -- if we can't dispute the lists, in the proper spirit, then it's just an exercise in "here's what I think" without any back and forth, which is arguably the raison d'etre of fan forums like this!

[Nova Carmina]

20 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

Not even swinging at a 3-0 pitch up 10 with the bases loaded and hitting a grand slam?   And you call yourself a Cardinals fan?!?!?!?

 

I'm trying to make better swing decisions these days.

 

[laughedatbytime]

2 minutes ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

I'm trying to make better swing decisions these days.

 

This is an anomaly.   Some Cub fan probably sold his soul to the devil for just one year of this.

[Mosher]

6 minutes ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

And I get that totally, and I'm not trying to suggest you (or Hi_Water or LABT) are not doing the lists right because there can't be a right or wrong. I was questioning the idea of overplaying as a factor, and -- for what it's worth -- if we can't dispute the lists, in the proper spirit, then it's just an exercise in "here's what I think" without any back and forth, which is arguably the raison d'etre of fan forums like this!

I'm all for you taking issue with any aspect of my list, no worries! 

I was trying to explain my justification. I'm under no illusion that anything I'm basing my list on is anything other than purely subjective, totally personal, and ultimately meaningless points. No one will nor should they ever raise or lower a song based on my taste. 

I get two things out of these lists and discussions. One, it's just fun and rekindles my interest in listening to Rush. I've been listening a LOT lately, because of these discussions. 

The second is even better. When someone mentions an outro they love, or a solo, or a tempo change, or anything else- it may be something I never noted before. And often it raises my enjoyment and my feeling about a song I may have thought less of before. 

So please- keep calling me out for the fool I am! :)

 

[laughedatbytime]

Entering the top 80:

 

#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, 7th 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, 6th 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)

#105   Carve Away the Stone (T4E, 5th of 11)

#104   Vapor Trail (VT, 9th of 13)

#103   Virtuality (T4E, 4th of 11)

#102   Chain Lightning (Presto, 3rd of 11)

#101   Before and After (Rush, 3rd of 8)

#100   Different Strings (PeW, 6th of 6)

#99     The Fountain of Lamneth (CoS, 4th of 5)

#98     Bravado (RTB, 4th of 10)

#97     We Hold On (S&A, 6th of 13)

#96     Tears (2112, 5th of 6)

#95     Lessons (2112, 4th of 6)

#94     Red Tide (Presto, 2nd of 11)

#93     Marathon (PoW, 3rd of 8)

#92     Lock and Key (HYF, 5th of 10)

#91     Working Them Angels (S&A, 5th of 13)

#90     Limbo (T4E, 3rd of 11)

#89     Where's My Thing?  (t4\, 3rd of 10)

#88     The Necromancer (CoS, 3rd of 5)

#87     Making Memories (FBN, 8th of 8)

#86     Hope (S&A, 4th of 13)

#85     Kid Gloves (p/g, 7 of 8)

#84     Halo Effect (CA, 11th of 12)

#83     Countdown (Signals, 6th of 8)

#82     The Body Electric (p/g, 6th of 8)

#81     Lakeside Park (CoS, 2nd of 5)

 

#80    Finding My Way (Rush, 2nd of 8)

#79    Prime Mover (HYF, 4th of 10)

#78    Animate (CP, 4th of 11)

#77    Test for Echo (T4E, 2nd of 11)

#76    Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 3rd of 11)

 

Some corrections to T4E ratings within albums.     Not sure how these will be received.     Don't expect major hate, but you never know.

[Nova Carmina]

35 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

Entering the top 80:

#80    Finding My Way (Rush, 2nd of 8)

#79    Prime Mover (HYF, 4th of 10)

#78    Animate (CP, 4th of 11)

#77    Test for Echo (T4E, 2nd of 11)

#76    Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 3rd of 11)

 

Some corrections to T4E ratings within albums.     Not sure how these will be received.     Don't expect major hate, but you never know.

 

No hate, exactly, as most of these are okay songs, just befuddlement that a song like "Test For Echo" can be preferred to something like "Grand Designs" -- which, for the record again, was exiled to #136! I'd have traded "Prime Mover" for something higher up the list, too, probably "Mystic Rhythms" or "Kid Gloves." "Leave That Thing Alone" is great and funky, and I've always loved the rising guitar intro to "Finding My Way."  "Animate" seems about right.

 

This grouping gets a B+.

[Mosher]

51 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

 

#80    Finding My Way (Rush, 2nd of 8)

#79    Prime Mover (HYF, 4th of 10)

#78    Animate (CP, 4th of 11)

#77    Test for Echo (T4E, 2nd of 11)

#76    Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 3rd of 11)

 

 

Hate? Not over music preferences.

Major disagreements?

Oh---maybe. 

Prime Mover is also in my top 5. Prime Mover is their second best song from the 80's. Prime Mover is their second best song after 1980.

I like it a little bit. 

Finding My Way is a non-Working Man Rush song so it falls far, far below this point. The others I'm fine with. 

[Nova Carmina]

6 minutes ago, Mosher said:

Prime Mover is also in my top 5. Prime Mover is their second best song from the 80's. Prime Mover is their second best song after 1980.

I like it a little bit. 
 

 

I've just had a chilling vision of the future.

[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)
 

#110   Show Don't Tell (P, 8th of 11)

#109   Where's My Thing (RtB, 6th of 10)

#108   Chemistry (S, 8th of 8)

#107   Red Barchetta (MP, 7th of 7)

#106   Available Light (P, 7th of 11)
 

#105   Mystic Rythms (PoW, 8th of 8)

#104   The Pass (P, 6th of 11)

#103   Lock and Key (HYF, 7th of 10)

#102   Losing It (S, 7th of 8)

#101   Anthem (FBN, 5th of 8)

 

#100   Hand Over Fist (P, 5th of 11)

#99     Main Monkey Business (S&A, 6th of 13)

#98     Open Secrets (HYF, 6th of 10)

#97     Wish Them Well (CA,  8th of 12)

#96     War Paint (P, 4th of 11)
 

#95     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 5th of 13)

#94     Everyday Glory (CP, 7th of 11)

#93     The Way The Wind Blows (S&A, 4th of 13)

#92     Vapor Trail (VT, 7th of 13)

#91     Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 6th of 13)

 

#90     Clockwork Angels (CA, 7th of 12)

#89     Emotion Detector  (PoW, 7th of 8)

#88     Entre Nous (PeW, 6th of 6)

#87     Different Strings (PeW, 5th of 6)

#86     Cinderella Man (AFTK, 5th of 6)
 

#85     Closer to the Heart (AFTK, 4th of 6)

#84     Marathon (PoW, 6th of 8)

#83     Cold Fire (CP, 6th of 11)

#82     New World Man (S, 6th of 8)

#81     A Passage To Bangkok (2112, 3rd of 6)
 

#80    You Bet Your Life (RtB, 5th of 10)

#79    Headlong Flight (CA, 6th of 12)

#78    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 3rd of 13)

#77    Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)

#76    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

I don't expect hate, here. I expect derisive laughter. You Bet Your Life is almost embarrassingly silly- "be-bop or a one drop or a hip-hop..."

I really really like it anyway. These things do not have to make sense. :)

Headlong Flight is of course great. The (intentional, I know) call back to Bastille Day is welcome, but at the same time I always like Rush moving forward. Mind you, Clockwork Angels is a brilliant album with no weak tracks. Some are just less than others. 

Mal Nar is a wonderful instrumental that slides down because it is an instrumental not called YYZ or La Villa. 

Ghost Rider will be even higher next time. This one has been steadily growing on me since the album was released. I'm curious how much higher. I'll redo this list again in a few weeks. No album rose more on the re-listening I did for this rating list than Vapor Trails.

Working Man kills off that first album, finally. Great music, absolute proof that Alex and Geddy would have been a fine rock band without Neil. I'd enjoy their music. Definitely their musicianship. But it always feels to me like it was the garage band they used to be in before Rush. It's Rush- so I rank it. But honestly it can't ever rise much higher than this.

 

[laughedatbytime]

4 minutes 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)
 

#110   Show Don't Tell (P, 8th of 11)

#109   Where's My Thing (RtB, 6th of 10)

#108   Chemistry (S, 8th of 8)

#107   Red Barchetta (MP, 7th of 7)

#106   Available Light (P, 7th of 11)
 

#105   Mystic Rythms (PoW, 8th of 8)

#104   The Pass (P, 6th of 11)

#103   Lock and Key (HYF, 7th of 10)

#102   Losing It (S, 7th of 8)

#101   Anthem (FBN, 5th of 8)

 

#100   Hand Over Fist (P, 5th of 11)

#99     Main Monkey Business (S&A, 6th of 13)

#98     Open Secrets (HYF, 6th of 10)

#97     Wish Them Well (CA,  8th of 12)

#96     War Paint (P, 4th of 11)
 

#95     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 5th of 13)

#94     Everyday Glory (CP, 7th of 11)

#93     The Way The Wind Blows (S&A, 4th of 13)

#92     Vapor Trail (VT, 7th of 13)

#91     Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 6th of 13)

 

#90     Clockwork Angels (CA, 7th of 12)

#89     Emotion Detector  (PoW, 7th of 8)

#88     Entre Nous (PeW, 6th of 6)

#87     Different Strings (PeW, 5th of 6)

#86     Cinderella Man (AFTK, 5th of 6)
 

#85     Closer to the Heart (AFTK, 4th of 6)

#84     Marathon (PoW, 6th of 8)

#83     Cold Fire (CP, 6th of 11)

#82     New World Man (S, 6th of 8)

#81     A Passage To Bangkok (2112, 3rd of 6)
 

#80    You Bet Your Life (RtB, 5th of 10)

#79    Headlong Flight (CA, 6th of 12)

#78    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 3rd of 13)

#77    Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)

#76    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

I don't expect hate, here. I expect derisive laughter. You Bet Your Life is almost embarrassingly silly- "be-bop or a one drop or a hip-hop..."

I really really like it anyway. These things do not have to make sense. :)

Headlong Flight is of course great. The (intentional, I know) call back to Bastille Day is welcome, but at the same time I always like Rush moving forward. Mind you, Clockwork Angels is a brilliant album with no weak tracks. Some are just less than others. 

Mal Nar is a wonderful instrumental that slides down because it is an instrumental not called YYZ or La Villa. 

Ghost Rider will be even higher next time. This one has been steadily growing on me since the album was released. I'm curious how much higher. I'll redo this list again in a few weeks. No album rose more on the re-listening I did for this rating list than Vapor Trails.

Working Man kills off that first album, finally. Great music, absolute proof that Alex and Geddy would have been a fine rock band without Neil. I'd enjoy their music. Definitely their musicianship. But it always feels to me like it was the garage band they used to be in before Rush. It's Rush- so I rank it. But honestly it can't ever rise much higher than this.

 

No derisive laughter here, for me, that's saved for SOCN.  But I disagree with a couple of these.  You've explained well why you rated YBYL so high.      HF would be higher for me but I acknowledge that lyrically it's mediocre.   This is also true for WM, except the lyrics are more sophomoric, but it's a great song musically, and that's where I place more emphasis.

 

I basically agree about Malnar, and that Ghost Rider is growing on me and would rate higher today than when I did this a while ago.   This is going to sound stupid, but maybe subliminally I disliked it because of all of those idiotic paranormal shows and the association with the word ghost.  The same has recently been true for a lot of VT.

[Mosher]

3 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

This is going to sound stupid, but maybe subliminally I disliked it because of all of those idiotic paranormal shows and the association with the word ghost.  The same has recently been true for a lot of VT.

I imagine any references to the paranormal by Neil are to be taken wholly metaphorically, but you know that. It doesn't sound stupid at all. Certain words can trigger a cringe in me that would drop a song for no good reason. 

And I need much more time for SOCN. The people in there are very intelligent and research well, for the most part, and while I certainly can defend and support my points of view, I do not have the time to spend on it that I would want. I'm on the other side of much of the predominant thought in there. :) I read it all the time, though. 

[laughedatbytime]

7 minutes ago, Mosher said:

I imagine any references to the paranormal by Neil are to be taken wholly metaphorically, but you know that. It doesn't sound stupid at all. Certain words can trigger a cringe in me that would drop a song for no good reason. 

And I need much more time for SOCN. The people in there are very intelligent and research well, for the most part, and while I certainly can defend and support my points of view, I do not have the time to spend on it that I would want. I'm on the other side of much of the predominant thought in there. :) I read it all the time, though. 

Yeah, I do know Neil's feeling about the ghost thing.  My wife used to watch some of those shows and I find them appalling and deeply cynical.

 

And you're right, SOCN is a time suck...and others might use suck in a different context when it comes to that place.   

[laughedatbytime]

Only 75 to go!

 

#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, 7th 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, 6th 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)

#105   Carve Away the Stone (T4E, 5th of 11)

#104   Vapor Trail (VT, 9th of 13)

#103   Virtuality (T4E, 4th of 11)

#102   Chain Lightning (Presto, 3rd of 11)

#101   Before and After (Rush, 3rd of 8)

#100   Different Strings (PeW, 6th of 6)

#99     The Fountain of Lamneth (CoS, 4th of 5)

#98     Bravado (RTB, 4th of 10)

#97     We Hold On (S&A, 6th of 13)

#96     Tears (2112, 5th of 6)

#95     Lessons (2112, 4th of 6)

#94     Red Tide (Presto, 2nd of 11)

#93     Marathon (PoW, 3rd of 8)

#92     Lock and Key (HYF, 5th of 10)

#91     Working Them Angels (S&A, 5th of 13)

#90     Limbo (T4E, 3rd of 11)

#89     Where's My Thing?  (t4\, 3rd of 10)

#88     The Necromancer (CoS, 3rd of 5)

#87     Making Memories (FBN, 8th of 8)

#86     Hope (S&A, 4th of 13)

#85     Kid Gloves (p/g, 7 of 8)

#84     Halo Effect (CA, 11th of 12)

#83     Countdown (Signals, 6th of 8)

#82     The Body Electric (p/g, 6th of 8)

#81     Lakeside Park (CoS, 2nd of 5)

#80    Finding My Way (Rush, 2nd of 8)

#79    Prime Mover (HYF, 4th of 10)

#78    Animate (CP, 4th of 11)

#77    Test for Echo (T4E, 2nd of 11)

#76    Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 3rd of 11)

 

#75   Cold Fire (CP, 2nd of 11)

#74   Carnies (CA, 10th of 12)

#73   How It Is (VT, 8th of 13)

#72   Afterimage (p/g, 5th of 8)

#71   Between Sun and Moon (1st of 11)

 

I'm guessing Afterimage being as low as it is will be the most hated pick here.    We have the first album completely eliminated, and it's Counterparts which probably is a minority opinion.    All songs have been eliminated prior to the first song off of MP and Hemispheres.   This is probably not that much of a surprise, though some are not huge fans of certain songs on Hemispheres.   In any case, hate away!

[Nova Carmina]

19 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

Only 75 to go!

 

#75   Cold Fire (CP, 2nd of 11)

#74   Carnies (CA, 10th of 12)

#73   How It Is (VT, 8th of 13)

#72   Afterimage (p/g, 5th of 8)

#71   Between Sun and Moon (1st of 11)

 

I'm guessing Afterimage being as low as it is will be the most hated pick here.    We have the first album completely eliminated, and it's Counterparts which probably is a minority opinion.    All songs have been eliminated prior to the first song off of MP and Hemispheres.   This is probably not that much of a surprise, though some are not huge fans of certain songs on Hemispheres.   In any case, hate away!

 

As the chief (only?) defender of GUP in these rankings, I feel I must offer at least a perfunctory objection to "Afterimage" being this low. I object!

 

As for the others here, they're all fine*, but so many worthy tracks already eliminated (like "Grand Designs" out at #136!) could be swapped in somewhere in this range. I've always kind of liked the jangly lope-a-long quality of "How It Is," but in the greater scheme of things, this neighborhood is probably right.

 

I am a little surprised at Counterparts being the first all out, as it's normally viewed as a comeback album in these parts. It would have hung around longer, I'd have thought.

 

Taken on its own merits, this grouping gets a B+.

 

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Nova Carmina
nvm

[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)
 

#110   Show Don't Tell (P, 8th of 11)

#109   Where's My Thing (RtB, 6th of 10)

#108   Chemistry (S, 8th of 8)

#107   Red Barchetta (MP, 7th of 7)

#106   Available Light (P, 7th of 11)
 

#105   Mystic Rythms (PoW, 8th of 8)

#104   The Pass (P, 6th of 11)

#103   Lock and Key (HYF, 7th of 10)

#102   Losing It (S, 7th of 8)

#101   Anthem (FBN, 5th of 8)

 

#100   Hand Over Fist (P, 5th of 11)

#99     Main Monkey Business (S&A, 6th of 13)

#98     Open Secrets (HYF, 6th of 10)

#97     Wish Them Well (CA,  8th of 12)

#96     War Paint (P, 4th of 11)
 

#95     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 5th of 13)

#94     Everyday Glory (CP, 7th of 11)

#93     The Way The Wind Blows (S&A, 4th of 13)

#92     Vapor Trail (VT, 7th of 13)

#91     Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 6th of 13)

 

#90     Clockwork Angels (CA, 7th of 12)

#89     Emotion Detector  (PoW, 7th of 8)

#88     Entre Nous (PeW, 6th of 6)

#87     Different Strings (PeW, 5th of 6)

#86     Cinderella Man (AFTK, 5th of 6)
 

#85     Closer to the Heart (AFTK, 4th of 6)

#84     Marathon (PoW, 6th of 8)

#83     Cold Fire (CP, 6th of 11)

#82     New World Man (S, 6th of 8)

#81     A Passage To Bangkok (2112, 3rd of 6)
 

#80    You Bet Your Life (RtB, 5th of 10)

#79    Headlong Flight (CA, 6th of 12)

#78    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 3rd of 13)

#77    Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)

#76    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)
 

#75   Bastille Day (CoS, 3rd of 5)

#74   Fly By Night (FBN, 4th of 8)

#73   Heresy (RtB, 4th of 10)

#72   Between The Wheels (P/G, 7th of 8)

#71   Anagram (3rd of 11)

Bastille Day is great, and sometimes would be far higher. I guess this day it was lower. This is probably about as low as it ever goes. 
Fly By Night is had dropped over the years and is rising again. This is probably about right.
Heresy was having a good day. I doubt it ever gets higher than this.
Between the Wheels could be so much higher if they had just decided against the opening, ear destroying notes. If I decide to sit through that, the song is fantastic. 
Anagram is a song I love because I love all manner of word play. I love alliteration, anagrams, palindromes, malapropisms, and so on. I understand that exercising that fondness was perhaps unwise, it's thoroughly self-indulgent. Lucky for me I enjoy that indulgence. I do understand why it really grates on people. 

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Mosher

[Mosher]

1 hour ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

 

#75   Cold Fire (CP, 2nd of 11)

#74   Carnies (CA, 10th of 12)

#73   How It Is (VT, 8th of 13)

#72   Afterimage (p/g, 5th of 8)

#71   Between Sun and Moon (1st of 11)

 

 

Cold Fire is about right.

Carnies is in my top 40, though. But I really love that last album. 

How It Is I have a bit higher. One of only three songs I immediately liked off Vapor Trails, although those specific ratings have changed for me a lot since.

Afterimage has risen a lot over the years, it's top 50 for me now. 

Between Sun and Moon is incredibly divisive. It obviously doesn't capture the poem it's based on very well, or people don't like that poem. I really like the song a lot. It has a couple of very silly moments I normally wouldn't like, but they don't ruin the song for me. It's so very positive, as well. Much like Chain Lightning. I historically prefer hard-hitting social commentary in my lyrics more than anything, but when Neil wants to he captures the beauty of a close family and of this world in a way we need sometimes. Especially if you generally have a grim view of things. It's top 40 for me. 

[Nova Carmina]

10 minutes ago, Mosher said:

 

#80    You Bet Your Life (RtB, 5th of 10)

#79    Headlong Flight (CA, 6th of 12)

#78    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 3rd of 13)

#77    Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)

#76    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

 

To have stone cold classics like "Headlong Flight" and "Working Man" (!!!) in a grouping with "You Bet Your Life" or "Ghost Rider" suggests all that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man (at least, this man) is at last compelled to face with sober senses the real conditions of life -- and I like "Ghost Rider" just fine!

[Mosher]

Just now, Nova Carmina said:

 

To have stone cold classics like "Headlong Flight" and "Working Man" (!!!) in a grouping with "You Bet Your Life" or "Ghost Rider" suggests all that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man (at least, this man) is at last compelled to face with sober senses the real conditions of life -- and I like "Ghost Rider" just fine!

My list, I think subconsciously, threw a few Clockwork songs lower because it would be weird to have every one of those not called BU2B2 in the top 50. Headlong suffered because, as you'll see, Bastille Day had a hard day when I did this rating (my ratings skew quite a bit depending on whether I'm in a 70's mood, 80's mood, or Clockwork mood.) This list really looks like it was 80's week that week. 

Working Man is first album- barely Rush. It won't ever get much higher. 

I simply can't explain my love for You Bet Your Life- it's probably related to my love for Anagram. Self-indulgent wordplay that grates on everyone else. 

[TheAccountant]

On 8/8/2023 at 8:13 AM, laughedatbytime said:

Entering the top 80:

 

#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, 7th 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, 6th 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)

#105   Carve Away the Stone (T4E, 5th of 11)

#104   Vapor Trail (VT, 9th of 13)

#103   Virtuality (T4E, 4th of 11)

#102   Chain Lightning (Presto, 3rd of 11)

#101   Before and After (Rush, 3rd of 8)

#100   Different Strings (PeW, 6th of 6)

#99     The Fountain of Lamneth (CoS, 4th of 5)

#98     Bravado (RTB, 4th of 10)

#97     We Hold On (S&A, 6th of 13)

#96     Tears (2112, 5th of 6)

#95     Lessons (2112, 4th of 6)

#94     Red Tide (Presto, 2nd of 11)

#93     Marathon (PoW, 3rd of 8)

#92     Lock and Key (HYF, 5th of 10)

#91     Working Them Angels (S&A, 5th of 13)

#90     Limbo (T4E, 3rd of 11)

#89     Where's My Thing?  (t4\, 3rd of 10)

#88     The Necromancer (CoS, 3rd of 5)

#87     Making Memories (FBN, 8th of 8)

#86     Hope (S&A, 4th of 13)

#85     Kid Gloves (p/g, 7 of 8)

#84     Halo Effect (CA, 11th of 12)

#83     Countdown (Signals, 6th of 8)

#82     The Body Electric (p/g, 6th of 8)

#81     Lakeside Park (CoS, 2nd of 5)

 

#80    Finding My Way (Rush, 2nd of 8)

#79    Prime Mover (HYF, 4th of 10)

#78    Animate (CP, 4th of 11)

#77    Test for Echo (T4E, 2nd of 11)

#76    Leave That Thing Alone (CP, 3rd of 11)

 

Some corrections to T4E ratings within albums.     Not sure how these will be received.     Don't expect major hate, but you never know.

For me Finding My Way falls out of the top 100.

 

Prime Mover - you got that more or less right.  Should in the top 100.

 

Animate - I might have it a bit lower.  Not a huge difference.  At worst out of the top 100 but close.

 

T4E - not in my top 100.  Same with Leave That Thing Alone.

[TheAccountant]

On 8/8/2023 at 9:25 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 (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)
 

#110   Show Don't Tell (P, 8th of 11)

#109   Where's My Thing (RtB, 6th of 10)

#108   Chemistry (S, 8th of 8)

#107   Red Barchetta (MP, 7th of 7)

#106   Available Light (P, 7th of 11)
 

#105   Mystic Rythms (PoW, 8th of 8)

#104   The Pass (P, 6th of 11)

#103   Lock and Key (HYF, 7th of 10)

#102   Losing It (S, 7th of 8)

#101   Anthem (FBN, 5th of 8)

 

#100   Hand Over Fist (P, 5th of 11)

#99     Main Monkey Business (S&A, 6th of 13)

#98     Open Secrets (HYF, 6th of 10)

#97     Wish Them Well (CA,  8th of 12)

#96     War Paint (P, 4th of 11)
 

#95     The Larger Bowl (S&A, 5th of 13)

#94     Everyday Glory (CP, 7th of 11)

#93     The Way The Wind Blows (S&A, 4th of 13)

#92     Vapor Trail (VT, 7th of 13)

#91     Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 6th of 13)

 

#90     Clockwork Angels (CA, 7th of 12)

#89     Emotion Detector  (PoW, 7th of 8)

#88     Entre Nous (PeW, 6th of 6)

#87     Different Strings (PeW, 5th of 6)

#86     Cinderella Man (AFTK, 5th of 6)
 

#85     Closer to the Heart (AFTK, 4th of 6)

#84     Marathon (PoW, 6th of 8)

#83     Cold Fire (CP, 6th of 11)

#82     New World Man (S, 6th of 8)

#81     A Passage To Bangkok (2112, 3rd of 6)
 

#80    You Bet Your Life (RtB, 5th of 10)

#79    Headlong Flight (CA, 6th of 12)

#78    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 3rd of 13)

#77    Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)

#76    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

I don't expect hate, here. I expect derisive laughter. You Bet Your Life is almost embarrassingly silly- "be-bop or a one drop or a hip-hop..."

I really really like it anyway. These things do not have to make sense. :)

Headlong Flight is of course great. The (intentional, I know) call back to Bastille Day is welcome, but at the same time I always like Rush moving forward. Mind you, Clockwork Angels is a brilliant album with no weak tracks. Some are just less than others. 

Mal Nar is a wonderful instrumental that slides down because it is an instrumental not called YYZ or La Villa. 

Ghost Rider will be even higher next time. This one has been steadily growing on me since the album was released. I'm curious how much higher. I'll redo this list again in a few weeks. No album rose more on the re-listening I did for this rating list than Vapor Trails.

Working Man kills off that first album, finally. Great music, absolute proof that Alex and Geddy would have been a fine rock band without Neil. I'd enjoy their music. Definitely their musicianship. But it always feels to me like it was the garage band they used to be in before Rush. It's Rush- so I rank it. But honestly it can't ever rise much higher than this.

 

Wow - I am all over the place in my response to this.

 

You Bet Your Life is ok, but likely not top 100.

 

Headlong Flight is good - that one feels about right.

 

Mal Nar - way outside the top 100.  I have it much lower.

 

Ghost Rider - best song on VT but still way outside the top 100 for me.

 

Working Man - I have that at #11 on my list

 

Looking forward to the next batch.