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

[IbanezJem]

10 hours ago, grep said:

Half the songs suck
Half the songs are great
Half the songs want to be the other half

A 40+ year career nicely encapsulated. 

[laughedatbytime]

today's five n bold

 

#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)   sorry, hi_water!

 

Let the hate flow!

[Mosher]

High Water is 32nd on my list and 2nd off HYF. I actually love that you have it so low. Nothing underlines how broadly Rush can appeal than differences like these. I personally love that song.

I also love Anagram. I play boggle and boggle style games constantly. I love words, wordplay, anagrams, palindromes, alliterations, and all manner of poetry. Anagram is probably an exercise that amused Neil and I guess maybe didn't work as a song based on the collective reception,  but it's top three off Presto for me (that only makes it 71st, though)

The rest of my bottom 10:

I know In The Mood and Finding My Way are concert staples, and they are fun rockers to be sure, but again- I barely even see that first album as Rush. I have a hard time ranking them above songs I actually like from the Peart era. That said, because there are songs I don't like from Rush, and a few that I find pretty weak, some first album tracks do beat the later era songs. 

And I'm sure that no one would expect anyone to have Take A Friend higher than everything but Working Man- but there you have it. And it will be a while before Working Man appears. I may barely include that first album, but I'm not insane. 

#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 (Rush, 10th of 10)

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

Edited July 23, 2023 by Mosher

[laughedatbytime]

12 minutes ago, Mosher said:

The rest of my bottom 10:

I know In The Mood and Finding My Way are concert staples, and they are fun rockers to be sure, but again- I barely even see that first album as Rush. I have a hard time ranking them above songs I actually like from the Peart era. That said, because there are songs I don't like from Rush, and a few that I find pretty weak, some first album tracks do beat the later era songs. 

And I'm sure that no one would expect anyone to have Take A Friend higher than everything but Working Man- but there you have it. And it will be a while before Working Man appears. I may barely include that first album, but I'm not insane. 

#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 (Rush, 10th of 10)

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

I'm trying not to give too much away but Take a Friend is 7th of 8 for me off the debut.

 

 

[grep]

Neurotica, meh-lotica.... 

 

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

3 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

today's five n bold

 

#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)   sorry, hi_water!

 

Let the hate flow!

 

No hate from me. My bottom-2 are included in your bottom-10, so you may continue your ranking. You came thiiiiiis close...

 

[laughedatbytime]

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

 

No hate from me. My bottom-2 are included in your bottom-10, so you may continue your ranking. You came thiiiiiis close...

 

Where's your list?   We should get as many as possible to see who thinks most like the rest of the group and who thinks most differently.

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

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

 

No hate from me. My bottom-2 are included in your bottom-10, so you may continue your ranking. You came thiiiiiis close...

 

 

1 hour ago, laughedatbytime said:

Where's your list?   We should get as many as possible to see who thinks most like the rest of the group and who thinks most differently.

 

I get the feeling my list wouldn't be too much different than yours. We'll see as you get further into it.

[_hi_water._]

7 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

today's five n bold

 

#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)   sorry, hi_water!

 

Let the hate flow!

A couple of those choices hurt a lot, and if you look at my list so far, you'll know which ones those are...

[laughedatbytime]

1 hour ago, _hi_water._ said:

A couple of those choices hurt a lot, and if you look at my list so far, you'll know which ones those are...

I'm just a doofus on a message board with opinions on music that are just personal preferences.  Besides, we agree on the only objective rating in the catalog, that Half the World is the absolute worst bit of dreck they've released.

[TheAccountant]

11 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

today's five n bold

 

#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)   sorry, hi_water!

 

Let the hate flow!

No hate here.  Some disagreement but no hate.

 

Second Nature is a top 100 song for me so some clear disagreement there.  Faithless I would rank high than you have.  Its not a knock um dead awesome song but certainly not as low as you have it.  At least for me.

 

Neurotica I would also rank higher but again, its not an awesome song.  Its just that I have other songs I would rank lower that you have not mentioned yet.

 

Anagram is another top 100 for me.  High Water is the weakest song on HYF (IMO) but it likely would still crack the top 100.  Barely mind you so I am not saying its especially strong but again, I would rank it higher than you have it.   But I can see the argument for placing it where you have placed it.  It took a long time to grow on me.

 

So far, from you list, the real head scratchers (for me) are The Speed of Love, Tai Shan, Second Nature & Anagram.

 

Next please - this is fun.  

[laughedatbytime]

25 minutes ago, TheAccountant said:

No hate here.  Some disagreement but no hate.

 

Second Nature is a top 100 song for me so some clear disagreement there.  Faithless I would rank high than you have.  Its not a knock um dead awesome song but certainly not as low as you have it.  At least for me.

 

Neurotica I would also rank higher but again, its not an awesome song.  Its just that I have other songs I would rank lower that you have not mentioned yet.

 

Anagram is another top 100 for me.  High Water is the weakest song on HYF (IMO) but it likely would still crack the top 100.  Barely mind you so I am not saying its especially strong but again, I would rank it higher than you have it.   But I can see the argument for placing it where you have placed it.  It took a long time to grow on me.

 

So far, from you list, the real head scratchers (for me) are The Speed of Love, Tai Shan, Second Nature & Anagram.

 

Next please - this is fun.  

Thanks for your feedback!

 

And yes, it's the disagreements that make this fun.  Unless you disagree with the statement that Half the World should have been left on the cutting room floor, away from anyone who could hear it.   

[laughedatbytime]

today's five in bold

 

#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)

 

Let the hate flow!

[yyz305]

4 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

today's five in bold

 

#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)

 

Let the hate flow!

Take the 1 off the numbers of three of the last six and I'd partially agree with you!

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

47 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

today's five in bold

 

#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)

 

Let the hate flow!

 

I'm apparently one of the few who really likes Peaceable Kingdom. It's a different song for them, but in a good way.

 

Not sure I would have ranked Stick it Out and Out of the Cradle quite this low. There are other songs in their catalog that are far worse.

[laughedatbytime]

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

 

I'm apparently one of the few who really likes Peaceable Kingdom. It's a different song for them, but in a good way.

 

Not sure I would have ranked Stick it Out and Out of the Cradle quite this low. There are other songs in their catalog that are far worse.

That's why you need to share your own list!

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

11 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

 

And yes, it's the disagreements that make this fun.  Unless you disagree with the statement that Half the World should have been left on the cutting room floor, away from anyone who could hear it.   

 

For me, if I were making a list (and maybe someday I will) I'd start from the bottom, and with one thought in mind:  If I were to hear a Rush song and it was the first time I heard a song from them, would it encourage me to seek out more of their music? Obviously any song that answers  to that would be at the bottom part of the list, and Half the World, Second Nature and Anagram would be in the bottom three spots.

[Nova Carmina]

1 hour ago, laughedatbytime said:

today's five in bold

 

#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)

 

Let the hate flow!

 

Justice for "The Larger Bowl"! 

[laughedatbytime]

44 minutes ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

Justice for "The Larger Bowl"! 

It should have been lower, the cultural appropriation of the pantoum by Western cultures is truly disturbing.  But it's too late to change the ranking now.

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

1 hour ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

Justice for "The Larger Bowl"!

 

38 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

It should have been lower, the cultural appropriation of the pantoum by Western cultures is truly disturbing.  But it's too late to change the ranking now.

 

Anywhere in the bottom-20 is fitting for that song. Would I recommend it to a Rush-curious person? Hell no.

[laughedatbytime]

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

 

 

Anywhere in the bottom-20 is fitting for that song. Would I recommend it to a Rush-curious person? Hell no.

How about if they were Malaysian?

[goose]

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

 

I'm apparently one of the few who really likes Peaceable Kingdom. It's a different song for them, but in a good way.

 

Not sure I would have ranked Stick it Out and Out of the Cradle quite this low. There are other songs in their catalog that are far worse.

Madrigal, for example

[goose]

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

 

For me, if I were making a list (and maybe someday I will) I'd start from the bottom, and with one thought in mind:  If I were to hear a Rush song and it was the first time I heard a song from them, would it encourage me to seek out more of their music? 

Interesting approach.  I actually don't mind Second Nature so much, but based on that criterion it definitely deserves a low ranking

[laughedatbytime]

5 minutes ago, goose said:

Madrigal, for example

You're gonna really really really...infinite number of reallies...really really hate my AFTK rankings!

[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)

BU2B2 almost shouldn't count, but even as an interlude it's still better than those below it. 
The other 4 in my latest inclusions might as well be the same song. Not that they sound alike, but that they leave me equally disinterested. They're okay in the background but they are eminently skippable.  

Nice to see you killed off Stick It Out so early. I can't stand that song, but I assumed most people were okay with it. 

 

 

Edited July 24, 2023 by Mosher
Clerical error