album flaws.

[StellarJetman]

QUOTE (Rushman14 @ Apr 26 2011, 02:56 PM)

He lost me with his discription of AFTK. He can't stand it but then states Hemispheres is his favorite. Those two couldnt be anymore like sister albums.

It surprised me, too, and I even said that it was weird. I've been working on an "Album strengths" post off and on since this morning; it should clear that up.

[HowItIs]

Rush - Very raw sounding. Some weak lyrics.

FBN - Still a bit raw, still finding their way (ha)

COS - Kind of an abrupt change. The narration is...um... well.... no

2112 - The 2nd side (or back 1/2) is scattered and suffers by comparison to the title track.

AFTK - I can't think of any

Hemispheres - NONE

Permanent Waves - I wish it were longer.

Moving Pictures - NONE

Signals - Can't really think of any.

GUP - A bit dark. I read it was hard on the guys, too, as they had to produce it.

PoW - Maybe a bit too heavy on the keys

HYF - Too feminine, maybe.

Presto - Thin sounding, needs more bass (yes, I agree 73 )

RTB - Still a bit thin, especially the bass drum; it sounds like "pop" instead of "boom"

CP - A tad unfocused.

T4E - Also unfocused. Probably my 2 least favorite songs on this one, too.

VT - Muddy and over-loud production. A few songs feel too heavy for the lyric.

S&A - Too long. Rambles a bit. Also quite loud.

Caravan/BU2B - None.

[Stormtron]

Rush - Great, fun album, but not very original.

FBN - Rivendell. Not Geddy's best bass sound.

COS - Love it, even Going Bald, but the album is pretty disjointed.

2112 - Side 2 is good, but doesn't compare to 1.

AFTK - None.

Hemispheres - None.

Permanent Waves - None.

Moving Pictures - None.

Signals - A little muddy. Don't love New World Man.

GUP - None really. My favorite from the synth era. I even like Red Lenses.

PoW - I usually love their opening tracks, but I'm not crazy about The Big Money.

HYF - Some good stuff, but too light overall. Wuss synths.

Presto - Thin production, cheesy lyrics, some tinkly keyboard stuff. Really dislike the bass sequencer on Scars.

RTB - Thin sounding. Every song other than Dreamline, Bravado, and Ghost of a Chance.

CP - Stick It Out. Nobody's Hero. The Speed of Love.

T4E - Dog Years and Virtuality, two of their worst, back-to-back. Unmemorable overall.

VT - Mastering. Too long by a few songs.

S&A - Too long. Larger Bowl. Second half (besides MalNar) is mostly boring.

[Steel Rat]

Brain... Bursting... someone... on internet... wrong...

 

I really don't have a problem with criticizing Rush, it's just that there's so many things here that aren't wrong with Rush, just artistic misunderstandings. Like, you know how so many people hated certain songs like "Ghost of a chance" and "Mystic Rhythms" until they heard it live? And then they suddenly love it? Like it finally clicked, and they finally understood? Maybe that's why no one likes Fountain of Lamneth.

 

If I pursue this further, I'd probably explode from critical frustration, and I know some of you have this pansy belief that "everyone has their own point of view," so

[Jocky Balboa]

Here's my take:

 

The first 3 albums - decent 70's heavy metal fare, but still finding their own sound. Imo, Fly By Night is the best of the 3.

 

2112 - My joint favourite, along with MP. Nothing I can find fault with here at all.

 

Farewell to Kings - One of their strongest, imo. Only so-so moment is Cinderella Man.

 

Hemispheres - Excellent, although does sound unfinished, or at least "padded-out" by the addition of the (admittedly stunning) closing 9 min instrumental.

 

Permanent Waves - One of their finest. No weak points for me. Natural Science and Jacob's Ladder in particular are two of my all-time favourites.

 

Moving Pictures - Along with 2112, my favourite Rush album. Production and songwriting were amazing. Can't wait to see them perform it in it's entirety in 3wks!

 

Signals - A grower for me. After a while, became a classic, but I do think the guitars were too low in the mix. Only song I dislike is Digital Man.

 

Grace Under Pressure - A better version of Signals, imo. Apart from the awful Red Lenses, it's a real favourite of mine, which strikes a better balance in the mix. The darker lyrical tone suits the music very well.

 

Power Windows - Another one that grew on me. Very "of it's time" production-wise, but has many stand-out tracks like Manhattan Project, Territories and Mystic Rhythms.

 

Hold Your Fire - The first Rush album I ever heard, so I do have a soft spot, although admittedly not one of my favourites. Under-rated gems like Open Secrets, Lock and Key and others, but last 2 songs are poor. A little over-produced as well.

 

Presto/Roll The Bones - The second Rush album I heard was Presto, so again a soft spot there, but this and Roll The Bones suffer from a terribly thin production that unnecessarily holds the music back. Despite a "back to basics" approach to the music, the organic sound is marred by being too soft. A handful of fillers on both albums doesn't help, either.

 

(An a general observation, the live versions of the tracks from Presto and RTB sound FAR superior)

 

Counterparts - Not a perfect album, as has been pointed out by others, but one I rate highly nonetheless. One that dragged their sound out of the relative rut of the last 3 albums and into the modern age. Excellent production.

 

Test For Echo - Not quite as good as Counterparts, but a lot of strong material on there. Again, synths pared back in favour of a hard rock approach. Well produced and for the most part, well-written.

 

Vapor Trails - From a purely songwriting point of view, I love at least 10 of the 13 tracks (with only a few fillers after the brilliant "Sweet Miracle") but... well, the production/mix/mastering job has been well documented. I need not add anything to that debate! I await the day when a remaster will surface. Even more so, after hearing the 2 excellent remixes on Retrospective III.

 

Snakes and Arrows - I'll stick my neck out and say this is the best of their post-Grace Under Pressure efforts. OK, not a perfect album ("Bravest Face" and "Good News First" are so-so tracks, although not weak songs as such) but the production was excellent and with this album, they more than prove their relevance in the modern age.

 

Caravan/BU2B - I love those 2 songs, but will await the album before judging further. If those 2 tracks are an indicator, they are continuing down the VT/S&A heavy rock route, which is fine with me. Maybe even the return of a few synths (sparingly) and a multi-part epic? One can but hope...