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

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

2 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

#5      Subdivisions (Signals, 1st of 8)

#4      Red Barchetta (MP, 1st of 7)

 

 

No argument with either of these rankings. Some wouldn't rank Barchetta in their top-10 but I sure do.

[Nova Carmina]

On 8/28/2023 at 6:14 AM, laughedatbytime said:

#5      Subdivisions (Signals, 1st of 8)

#4      Red Barchetta (MP, 1st of 7)

 

 

Hmmm . . . our paths have diverged here a bit. I get that "Subdivisions" is a popular song, but it's like third or fourth on its album for me, and for whatever personal flaw, I've never much rated "Red Barchetta." Maybe it's because I'm not a car guy, although I like "Maybelline" and "Trampled Underfoot" and "Highway Star" just fine. But it might be my least liked from MP. Some room in your top ten for some left out gems!

[laughedatbytime]

#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)

#70    Turn the Page (HYF, 3rd of 10)

#69    Secret Touch (VT, 7th of 13)

#68    7 Cities of Gold (CA, 9th of 12)

#67    Show Don't Tell (Presto, 1st of 11)

#66    The Main Monkey Business (S&A, 3rd of 13)

#65    Sweet Miracle (VT, 6th of 13)

#64    The Wreckers (CA, 8th of 12)

#63    Rivendell (FBN, 7th of 8)

#62    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 2nd of 13)

#61    New World Man (Signals, 5th of 8)

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

#59    Caravan (CA, 6th of 12)

#58    Wish Them Well (CA, 5th of 12)

#57    Fly By Night (FBN, 6th of 8)

#56    The Big Money (PoW, 2nd of 8)

#55     Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)

#54     Earthshine (VT, 4th of 13)

#53     Roll The Bones (RTB, 2nd of 10)

#52     One Little Victory (VT, 3rd of 13)

#51     Beneath Between and Behind (FBN, 5th of 8)

#50     In the End (FBN, 4th of 8)

#49     Between the Wheels (p/g, 4th of 8)

#48     Nocturne (VT, 2nd of 13)

#47     Losing It (Signals, 4th of 8)

#46     Best I Can (FBN, 3rd of 8)

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

#44    A Passage to Bangkol (2112, 3rd of 6)

#43    Red Sector A (p/g, 3rd of 8)

#42    Force Ten (HYF, 2nd of 10)

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

#40    A Farewell to Kings (AFTK, 3rd of 6)

#39    Far Cry (S&A, 1st of 13)

#38    Manhattan Project (PoW, 1st of 8)

#37    Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 1st of 13)

#36    The Camera Eye (MP, 7th of 7)

#35    Time Stand Still (HYF, 1st of 10)

#34    The Weapon (Signals, 3rd of 8)

#33    BU2B (CA, 4th of 12)

#32    Cygnus X-1 Book I  (AFTK, 2nd of 6)

#31    Entre Nous (PeW, 5th of 6)

#30    Driven (T4E, 1st of 11)

#29    The Enemy Within (p/g, 2nd of 8)

#28    The Garden (CA, 3rd of 12)

#27    The Analog Kid (Signals, 2nd of 8)

#26    By Tor and the Snowdog (FBN, 2nd of 8)

#25    Headlong Flight (CA, 2nd of 12)

#24    Bastille Day (CoS, 1st of 5)

#23    Jacob's Ladder (PeW, 4th of 6)

#22    Anthem (FBN, 1st of 8)

#21    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

#20    Distant Early Warning (p/g, 1st of 8)

#19    Limelight (MP, 6th of 7)

#18    Something for Nothing (2112, 2nd of 6)

#17    Witch Hunt (MP, 5th of 7)

#16    The Anarchist (CA, 1st of 12)

#15    Cygnus X-1 Book II (Hemi, 4th of 4)

#14    Dreamline (RTB, 1st of 10)

#13    Tom Sawyer (MP, 4th of 7)

#12    The Trees (Hemi, 3rd of 4)

#11    Vital Signs (MP, 3rd of 7)

#10    Freewill (PeW, 3rd of 6)

#9      YYZ (MP, 2nd of 7)

#8      Circumstances (Hemi, 2nd of 4)

#7     La Villa Strangiato (Hemi, 1st of 4)

#6     The Spirit of Radio (PeW, 2nd of 6)

#5      Subdivisions (Signals, 1st of 8)

#4      Red Barchetta (MP, 1st of 7)

 

#3      2112 (2112, 1st of 6)

 

Not only the song that saved the band, but one that contains the most transcendent moments in the catalog.  At its highs (Overture, Priests, the Grand  Finale) Rush has never been better.   Has any band?  Not in my book.  Though there were slow parts essential to the story keeping it from #1, this is THE most essential Rush song ever.

[laughedatbytime]

Since this list contains all Rush songs, identifying #2 will also identify #1 so I will announce them both at the same time tomorrow, God willin' and the creek don't rise.

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

45 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

#3      2112 (2112, 1st of 6)

 

 

Not only the song that saved the band, but one that contains the most transcendent moments in the catalog.  At its highs (Overture, Priests, the Grand  Finale) Rush has never been better.   Has any band?  Not in my book.  Though there were slow parts essential to the story keeping it from #1, this is THE most essential Rush song ever.

 

I had trouble ranking this one. Its importance in Rush's history is obvious, but it's not a song I can just pop on and listen to at a moment's notice simply because of its length and intensity (same goes for Hemispheres). It's a song that part of me wants to rank in the top-3, but I don' have it quite this high. Still, can't argue with where you placed this.

[Mosher]

2 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

 

#3      2112 (2112, 1st of 6)

 

 

I have this far lower. 

If I had made a list of most essential Rush songs it would be first.
And Tom Sawyer might be second. 

2112 has fantastic moments, and in 1976 it was a nice answer to the lower intensities of Yes, ELP, Jethro Tull, and other full side song creators. 

But as my list was based on what I actually want to hear at any given moment, the lows (for me) in 2112 drop it quite far down the list. It's tighter than Fountain, but I like Fountain more. And it isn't anywhere near as focused as Xanadu, Camera Eye, or Hemispheres II. 

But Overture through Temples is perfect, and the song is why I have so much more to listen to, so I can't fault anyone placing this anywhere in the top three, even first place. 

[laughedatbytime]

And the top r two (my opinion only of course) are:

 

#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)

#70    Turn the Page (HYF, 3rd of 10)

#69    Secret Touch (VT, 7th of 13)

#68    7 Cities of Gold (CA, 9th of 12)

#67    Show Don't Tell (Presto, 1st of 11)

#66    The Main Monkey Business (S&A, 3rd of 13)

#65    Sweet Miracle (VT, 6th of 13)

#64    The Wreckers (CA, 8th of 12)

#63    Rivendell (FBN, 7th of 8)

#62    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 2nd of 13)

#61    New World Man (Signals, 5th of 8)

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

#59    Caravan (CA, 6th of 12)

#58    Wish Them Well (CA, 5th of 12)

#57    Fly By Night (FBN, 6th of 8)

#56    The Big Money (PoW, 2nd of 8)

#55     Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)

#54     Earthshine (VT, 4th of 13)

#53     Roll The Bones (RTB, 2nd of 10)

#52     One Little Victory (VT, 3rd of 13)

#51     Beneath Between and Behind (FBN, 5th of 8)

#50     In the End (FBN, 4th of 8)

#49     Between the Wheels (p/g, 4th of 8)

#48     Nocturne (VT, 2nd of 13)

#47     Losing It (Signals, 4th of 8)

#46     Best I Can (FBN, 3rd of 8)

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

#44    A Passage to Bangkol (2112, 3rd of 6)

#43    Red Sector A (p/g, 3rd of 8)

#42    Force Ten (HYF, 2nd of 10)

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

#40    A Farewell to Kings (AFTK, 3rd of 6)

#39    Far Cry (S&A, 1st of 13)

#38    Manhattan Project (PoW, 1st of 8)

#37    Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 1st of 13)

#36    The Camera Eye (MP, 7th of 7)

#35    Time Stand Still (HYF, 1st of 10)

#34    The Weapon (Signals, 3rd of 8)

#33    BU2B (CA, 4th of 12)

#32    Cygnus X-1 Book I  (AFTK, 2nd of 6)

#31    Entre Nous (PeW, 5th of 6)

#30    Driven (T4E, 1st of 11)

#29    The Enemy Within (p/g, 2nd of 8)

#28    The Garden (CA, 3rd of 12)

#27    The Analog Kid (Signals, 2nd of 8)

#26    By Tor and the Snowdog (FBN, 2nd of 8)

#25    Headlong Flight (CA, 2nd of 12)

#24    Bastille Day (CoS, 1st of 5)

#23    Jacob's Ladder (PeW, 4th of 6)

#22    Anthem (FBN, 1st of 8)

#21    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

#20    Distant Early Warning (p/g, 1st of 8)

#19    Limelight (MP, 6th of 7)

#18    Something for Nothing (2112, 2nd of 6)

#17    Witch Hunt (MP, 5th of 7)

#16    The Anarchist (CA, 1st of 12)

#15    Cygnus X-1 Book II (Hemi, 4th of 4)

#14    Dreamline (RTB, 1st of 10)

#13    Tom Sawyer (MP, 4th of 7)

#12    The Trees (Hemi, 3rd of 4)

#11    Vital Signs (MP, 3rd of 7)

#10    Freewill (PeW, 3rd of 6)

#9      YYZ (MP, 2nd of 7)

#8      Circumstances (Hemi, 2nd of 4)

#7     La Villa Strangiato (Hemi, 1st of 4)

#6     The Spirit of Radio (PeW, 2nd of 6)

#5      Subdivisions (Signals, 1st of 8)

#4      Red Barchetta (MP, 1st of 7)

#3      2112 (2112, 1st of 6)

 

#2.     Natural Science (PeW, 1st of 6)

#1.     Xanadu (AFTK, 1st of 6)

 

As mentioned yesterday, revealing #2 reveals #1.  As such it is incredibly difficult to distinguish between these two songs, both of which have been #1 at one time, and it's usually NatSci, just not on this day.  Both have truly transcendent live versions which somehow manage to improve on their flawless studio counterparts.   These two songs represent, in my opinion, the peak musical achievements in rock history.  You all know why and can express it better than I could, and I can't tell you anything about these colossuses (colossi?) you don't already know.

 

Hate away, if it's possible to even come up with a scintilla of hate for perfection.

Edited August 30, 2023 by laughedatbytime

[Mosher]

Natural Science is usually my number 1 as well, though it's chief competition is Hemispheres II.

 

Xanadu is a worthy contender, though, and there can be no hate from me about it's place on your list 

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

Absolutely stellar job on your list, man. Early on I said I had a feeling our rankings would be comparable, and I was right. And your analyses were concise and spot-on. 

 

And we still get to enjoy hi_water's ongoing rankings.

[laughedatbytime]

1 minute ago, 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 said:

Absolutely stellar job on your list, man. Early on I said I had a feeling our rankings would be comparable, and I was right. And your analyses were concise and spot-on. 

 

And we still get to enjoy hi_water's ongoing rankings.

Thank you.  From someone who knows almost infinitely more about music than I do, the compliment is very welcome.

 

I know, why the almost?  

[Nova Carmina]

12 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

#2.     Natural Science (PeW, 1st of 6)

#1.     Xanadu (AFTK, 1st of 6)

 

 

 

Nicely done; very nicely done. I think "Xanadu" at #1 was the first time our lists would exactly match, so you pulled it back on track at the key moment!

 

Fun list.

 

 

 

(still not forgetting the hatchet job on "Grand Designs" . . . )

[IbanezJem]

15 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

And the top r two (my opinion only of course) are:

 

#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)

#70    Turn the Page (HYF, 3rd of 10)

#69    Secret Touch (VT, 7th of 13)

#68    7 Cities of Gold (CA, 9th of 12)

#67    Show Don't Tell (Presto, 1st of 11)

#66    The Main Monkey Business (S&A, 3rd of 13)

#65    Sweet Miracle (VT, 6th of 13)

#64    The Wreckers (CA, 8th of 12)

#63    Rivendell (FBN, 7th of 8)

#62    Malignant Narcissism (S&A, 2nd of 13)

#61    New World Man (Signals, 5th of 8)

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

#59    Caravan (CA, 6th of 12)

#58    Wish Them Well (CA, 5th of 12)

#57    Fly By Night (FBN, 6th of 8)

#56    The Big Money (PoW, 2nd of 8)

#55     Ghost Rider (VT, 5th of 13)

#54     Earthshine (VT, 4th of 13)

#53     Roll The Bones (RTB, 2nd of 10)

#52     One Little Victory (VT, 3rd of 13)

#51     Beneath Between and Behind (FBN, 5th of 8)

#50     In the End (FBN, 4th of 8)

#49     Between the Wheels (p/g, 4th of 8)

#48     Nocturne (VT, 2nd of 13)

#47     Losing It (Signals, 4th of 8)

#46     Best I Can (FBN, 3rd of 8)

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

#44    A Passage to Bangkol (2112, 3rd of 6)

#43    Red Sector A (p/g, 3rd of 8)

#42    Force Ten (HYF, 2nd of 10)

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

#40    A Farewell to Kings (AFTK, 3rd of 6)

#39    Far Cry (S&A, 1st of 13)

#38    Manhattan Project (PoW, 1st of 8)

#37    Ceiling Unlimited (VT, 1st of 13)

#36    The Camera Eye (MP, 7th of 7)

#35    Time Stand Still (HYF, 1st of 10)

#34    The Weapon (Signals, 3rd of 8)

#33    BU2B (CA, 4th of 12)

#32    Cygnus X-1 Book I  (AFTK, 2nd of 6)

#31    Entre Nous (PeW, 5th of 6)

#30    Driven (T4E, 1st of 11)

#29    The Enemy Within (p/g, 2nd of 8)

#28    The Garden (CA, 3rd of 12)

#27    The Analog Kid (Signals, 2nd of 8)

#26    By Tor and the Snowdog (FBN, 2nd of 8)

#25    Headlong Flight (CA, 2nd of 12)

#24    Bastille Day (CoS, 1st of 5)

#23    Jacob's Ladder (PeW, 4th of 6)

#22    Anthem (FBN, 1st of 8)

#21    Working Man (Rush, 1st of 8)

#20    Distant Early Warning (p/g, 1st of 8)

#19    Limelight (MP, 6th of 7)

#18    Something for Nothing (2112, 2nd of 6)

#17    Witch Hunt (MP, 5th of 7)

#16    The Anarchist (CA, 1st of 12)

#15    Cygnus X-1 Book II (Hemi, 4th of 4)

#14    Dreamline (RTB, 1st of 10)

#13    Tom Sawyer (MP, 4th of 7)

#12    The Trees (Hemi, 3rd of 4)

#11    Vital Signs (MP, 3rd of 7)

#10    Freewill (PeW, 3rd of 6)

#9      YYZ (MP, 2nd of 7)

#8      Circumstances (Hemi, 2nd of 4)

#7     La Villa Strangiato (Hemi, 1st of 4)

#6     The Spirit of Radio (PeW, 2nd of 6)

#5      Subdivisions (Signals, 1st of 8)

#4      Red Barchetta (MP, 1st of 7)

#3      2112 (2112, 1st of 6)

 

#2.     Natural Science (PeW, 1st of 6)

#1.     Xanadu (AFTK, 1st of 6)

 

As mentioned yesterday, revealing #2 reveals #1.  As such it is incredibly difficult to distinguish between these two songs, both of which have been #1 at one time, and it's usually NatSci, just not on this day.  Both have truly transcendent live versions which somehow manage to improve on their flawless studio counterparts.   These two songs represent, in my opinion, the peak musical achievements in rock history.  You all know why and can express it better than I could, and I can't tell you anything about these colossuses (colossi?) you don't already know.

 

Hate away, if it's possible to even come up with a scintilla of hate for perfection.

Bottled it, right at the end. 

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

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

Absolutely stellar job on your list, man. Early on I said I had a feeling our rankings would be comparable, and I was right. And your analyses were concise and spot-on. 

 

And we still get to enjoy hi_water's ongoing rankings.

 

14 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

Thank you.  From someone who knows almost infinitely more about music than I do, the compliment is very welcome.

 

I know, why the almost?  

 

Despite the many similarities, your list had some real head-scratchers compared to mine. You have Rivendell all the way up at #63? That's bottom-10 for me. Time and Motion all the way down at #142, when I see it as the second-best song off of T4E and ranked in my top-50? And, perhaps most egregiously, you have Second Nature inexplicably elevated to the lofty position of #160 as opposed to its rightful last-place ranking of #165. Shame....shame.

 

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by 1-0-0-1-0-0-1

[laughedatbytime]

On 8/31/2023 at 11:06 AM, 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 said:

 

 

Despite the many similarities, your list had some real head-scratchers compared to mine. You have Rivendell all the way up at #63? That's bottom-10 for me. Time and Motion all the way down at #142, when I see it as the second-best song off of T4E and ranked in my top-50? And, perhaps most egregiously, you have Second Nature inexplicably elevated to the lofty position of #160 as opposed to its rightful last-place ranking of #165. Shame....shame.

 

 

I think I detailed the admittedly way too high placement of Rivendell when I revealed it, that was for personal reasons.  We'll have to agree to disagree on T&M, I find it as AOR fodder more suited by bands that don't have nearly the musicianship and creativity of Rush.

 

As far as which of Second Nature or Half the World should be #165, I can only say, with lyrics which took seconds to write but are at least as good as those in the song the band actually recorded and an actual record company allowed to be released.

 

Half the World agrees with me

Half the World agrees with you

Half the World sits to pee

Half the World only sits to poo

 

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by laughedatbytime

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

2 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

I think I detailed the admittedly way too high placement of Given cell when I revealed it, that was for personal reasons.  We'll have to agree to disagree on T&M, I find it as AOR fodder more suited by bands that don't have nearly the musicianship and creativity of Rush.

 

As far as which of Second Nature or Half the World should be #165, I can only say, with lyrics which took seconds to write but are at least as good as those in the song the band actually recorded and an actual record company allowed to be released.

 

Half the World agrees with me

Half the World agrees with you

Half the World sits to pee

Half the World only sits to poo

 

 

 

It's funny, my bottom-8 songs share a common musical trait, one that doesn't quite apply to Half the World, but that song's ham-handed and painfully-repetitive lyrics drag it down to a third-worst ranking with little effort.

[goose]

On 8/24/2023 at 7:11 AM, laughedatbytime said:

 

#36    The Camera Eye the part before the chorus that I'm sure has a term for it but which I don't know. .   

Pre-chorus.   

[goose]

I agree that the first 4:30 of Xanadu is among the best music RUSH has put out. Once it gets into the retelling of the famous poem it loses me a bit, like most of the Kings era stuff.  Natty Sci's themes don't include honeydew, so I rank it higher.

[Mosher]

3 minutes ago, goose said:

I agree that the first 4:30 of Xanadu is among the best music RUSH has put out. Once it gets into the retelling of the famous poem it loses me a bit, like most of the Kings era stuff.  Natty Sci's themes don't include honeydew, so I rank it higher.

There should have been a Rush/Iron Maiden Samuel Taylor Coleridge split with Xanadu/Rime.

 

And indeed, Natural Science lyrically is superb. Xanadu doesn't lose me, but I generally take Natural Science every time over everything.

[goose]

1 hour ago, goose said:

Pre-chorus.   

No, seriously.

 

"A  pre-chorus is dominantly used to separate verse and a chorus and is usually comprised of either a different chord progression and/or a unique melody to the verse and chorus."  

[HemiBeers]

well done. i'd only consider Time stand still and BU2B in the 30s to be weak stinkers, but top 40 are strong otherwise.