Jump to content

Most Underrated & Most Overrated Rush Song


rushgoober
 Share

Recommended Posts

Underrated: The Body Electric. This is my favorite song off GUP, and I don't really see too much praise of it. At first, I wasn't too into the lyrics, but I think I've learned to like them. The riff during the 1-0-0-1 parts is my favorite part.

 

Overrated: Leave That Thing Alone. I find this song really annoying. I find it drags on way too long, and it just sounds like straight up elevator music.

 

Absolutely and very respectfully disagree. It was my gateway drug song into Rush. Still find it an incredible demonstration of the band's ability.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Over rated Tom Sawyer.

Agreed.

 

Underrated: Dog Years, the music moves along and cranks. The lyrics are fun take on subject that adult Peart is obsessed with, getting older.

Dog years is my 11th favorite Rush song.

:wtf:

 

And I like Dog Years.

I just love it. The groove, the lyrics ( yes I know nobody else likes them)

I like the puns and sentiment.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Over rated Tom Sawyer.

Agreed.

 

Underrated: Dog Years, the music moves along and cranks. The lyrics are fun take on subject that adult Peart is obsessed with, getting older.

Dog years is my 11th favorite Rush song.

:wtf:

 

And I like Dog Years.

I just love it. The groove, the lyrics ( yes I know nobody else likes them)

I like the puns and sentiment.

Ditto

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm gonna do another one -

 

Underrated - A Farewell To Kings. I don't think this song is Tai Shan-level disrespected or anything...but I don't see it make many people's top song lists. Maybe it is eclipsed by Xanadu, a song that most people seem to think is a top 5 song. In any case, it has all the hallmarks of a classic Rush song, and the breakdown/solo section is one of my all time faves. It is one of those songs that Rush used to write where the verse and the chorus are both catchy. I also find the bass very groovy in it. The lyrics are a little laboured I think...but their heart is in the right place.

 

Overrated - The Main Monkey Business. I don't know why I'm so cynical about this track...but I feel like they had a few crappy ideas that they couldn't manage to shoehorn into other songs with words, so they crammed them together for this piece, knowing that fans love it when they play an instrumental. To me it is a meandering, tuneless waste of time, and the playing, which I guess is supposed to be the focus of it, is not impressive in any way that makes it stand out against a YYZ or a La Villa. I don't understand why anyone would find interesting, catchy or enjoyable, and to me it sounds like the aural equivalent of beige wallpaper.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never understood the love some have for Armor and Sword. The song is such a lethargic dirge. I still don't understand why they made so many mid-tempo songs on that record that were lacking energy and pizazz

:goodone:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TMMB goes on far longer than it should. It wears out its welcome for me after 4 minutes. It's too repetitive and like someone else just said it's not particularly interesting or exciting. At least Malignant Narcissism had a couple of good "classic Rush" style bass and drum solo breaks in it
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's another pair:

 

O: Closer to the Heart

 

It was nice the first few times I heard it, age 16.

And it's fun to play the opening riff fingerstyle on steel-string acoustic.

Do I like the song? Meh. Not really, certainly not for repeated listening.

You can tell the band were sick of playing it live, e.g. Alex's bizarre rants in the middle.

 

U: The Weapon

 

Neil's astounding drum pattern. Neil's incredible lyrics. Alex's amazing arpeggio. Ged's perfect synths.

I even like the synth wash/guitar solo, especially when it kicks in at 4:56.

We even get a little bass solo in the fadeout, to remind you that Geddy is in fact holding a bass guitar too.

It's brilliant.

For me, it's top 5 in their entire catalog, unfortunately buried and forgotten at this point.

(U2 has a song like that too: So Cruel. Absolutely gut-wrenching and brilliant, written 30 years ago, forgotten within a year and never performed live.)

Edited by Weatherman
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like all rankings, it's a challenge because of diverging personal definitions and projected perceptions. I'll get around naming each of these by what I think is the majority standard, which would be the one I think should be more popular, and one I think is too well known or appreciated by naming just one that I thought for years was so overrated that it crowded out better songs and have come to realise had been underrated by me for its compositional quality. Watching the 1997 live video last night sold me on the concept: "Roll the Bones".
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I`ll always say Xanadu for overrated, as it`s rated as No 1 for many, and significantly lower for me. If you hate the poem before you hear the song, it`s never going to work, however much the boys try.

 

I don`t know if it`s underrated, but Analog Kid is Top 10 for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...