Neil's Weakest Album Lyrically

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

QUOTE (HigherWater @ May 9 2011, 07:35 PM)

Based on the strength (or in this case weakness) of Superconductor Presto wins by a nose over Roll The Bones. I have discounted the first three records. They are the ramblings of a highly intelligent, post-teen pot-head. He gets a pass for those.

The first three Rush albums (Rush, FBN, CoS), or the first three that Neil wrote lyrics on (FBN, CoS, 2112)?

[circumstantial tree]

Fly By Night is a good album to me. It's in my top 5.

[Scars]

While RTB/TFE get a lot of hate, at least they were composed of mostly original thoughts/beliefs. With most of the 70's material, it was just him re-hashing some book or story. When I listen to lyrics, I'm listening for some perspective or something I can relate to. How well the lyricist can do that while maintaining a sense of rhythm and purpose for the words defines, in my opinion, how great of a lyricist he/she is. In Neil's case, I felt no connection between him, and say, Cygnus X-1, just a sense of listening to a story with rhymes. I meant to vote for CoS based on this, but accidentally chose 2112.

[Checkster2112]

T4E by miles for me. I don't get the votes for the early albums...but whatev...

[StellarJetman]

QUOTE (Scars @ May 9 2011, 09:25 PM)

In Neil's case, I felt no connection between him, and say, Cygnus X-1, just a sense of listening to a story with rhymes. I meant to vote for CoS based on this

Caress of Steel doesn't deserve that, if only because it has "Lakeside Park".

[Ranger J]

T4E = Lyrical Mud. Edited May 10, 2011 by Ranger J

[D3strukt]

lool look at that looong bar.

[GeddyRulz]

I reflexively voted for Roll the Bones, which I think is almost complete garbage, but then I saw all the votes for Test for Echo.

 

The crowd is right: it's probably T4E. It's pretty bad, lyrically. "Totem" is an exception. In retrospect, perhaps it was Neil's hyper-focus on his new drumming skills that caused his bad lyric writing; the bulk of his attention was elsewhere. Just food for thought.

Edited May 10, 2011 by GeddyRulz

[Mara]

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ May 10 2011, 09:29 AM)

I reflexively voted for Roll the Bones, which I think is almost complete garbage, but then I saw all the votes for Test for Echo. The crowd is right: it's probably T4E. It's pretty bad, lyrically. "Totem" is an exception. In retrospect, perhaps it was Neil's hyper-focus on his new drumming skills that caused his bad lyric writing; the bulk of his attention was elsewhere. Just food for thought.

I'd always sort of thought the same - he spent SO much time on the drumming that he only really left time to mail in some lyrics.

 

I'll still take 'em over 98% of what passes for popular music now, but yeah, they're not his best.

[StellarJetman]

QUOTE (Mara @ May 10 2011, 09:07 AM)

I'll still take 'em over 98% of what passes for popular music now, but yeah, they're not his best.

I don't know about that. Pop aims low and hits; Neil pretty much always aims high, and, when he misses, it's not pretty.

[Tommy Sawyer]

Why so much TFE bashing? Am I the only one who likes the album's lyrics?

 

Lyrics

TFE-good

Driven-better

Half the World-best

The Color of Right-fine

Time and Motion- Every album has a bad one

Totem-awesome

Dog Years-sigh, if it weren't for this, maybe this album wouldn't get so much hate

Virtuality-GOOD LYRICS Why does everyone hate this song? Very interesting lyrics

Resist- great

Limbo-n/a

Carve Away the Stone-Annoying musically, but fine lyrically

Edited May 12, 2011 by Tommy Sawyer

[LeaveMyThingAlone]

T4E by a mile

 

As someone else mentioned, geddy and alex came up with some pretty cool stuff musically but it's so weighted down by terrible lyrics (Dog Years and Virtuaity come to mind as songs with some cool riffs)

 

by the way, the results of this poll are hilarious. While Rush fans seem to disagree on so much, it's kind of funny to see we re almost all on the same page on this

[Silas Lang]

QUOTE (Ranger J @ May 10 2011, 02:00 AM)

T4E = Lyrical Mud.

I agree with the poll results but it's really not that bad. The title track is the one that deserves all the ridicule, could be his worst ever. Totem is kind of cringeworthy too but its chorus is great. Virtuality's lyrics aren't great but they don't bother me. Time And Motion, The Color of Right, Half The World and Dog Years (that's right) are very good. The rest are solid. The music's the main thing for me anyway and musically I find it one their better post-Power Windows releases, every bit as good as Counterparts.

[deslock]

Snakes and Arrows has fantastic lyrics, as does BU2B. Looking forward to Clockwork Angels.

[lerxt1990]

http://loyalkng.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/bacon-bikini-nsfw.jpg

[Tommy Sawyer]

QUOTE (Silas Lang @ May 12 2011, 02:39 AM)

QUOTE (Ranger J @ May 10 2011, 02:00 AM) T4E = Lyrical Mud. I agree with the poll results but it's really not that bad. The title track is the one that deserves all the ridicule, could be his worst ever. Totem is kind of cringeworthy too but its chorus is great. Virtuality's lyrics aren't great but they don't bother me. Time And Motion, The Color of Right, Half The World and Dog Years (that's right) are very good. The rest are solid. The music's the main thing for me anyway and musically I find it one their better post-Power Windows releases, every bit as good as Counterparts. THANK YOU for agreeing with me and not bashing TfE! It's not that bad people! Thank you for nof attacking virtuality, either. Good point about the music. This album rocks!       To the post above me -

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

HYF without a doubt. Everything on that record is likened to something else. Seriously, look at them and tell me they aren't. "Like a..." is a lyric to just about every song. Some more than others. Cheap. TFE is f***ing genius comparatively. Edited May 13, 2011 by CygnusX-1Bk2

[HowItIs]

QUOTE (Silas Lang @ May 11 2011, 11:39 PM)

QUOTE (Ranger J @ May 10 2011, 02:00 AM) T4E = Lyrical Mud. I agree with the poll results but it's really not that bad. The title track is the one that deserves all the ridicule, could be his worst ever. Totem is kind of cringeworthy too but its chorus is great. Virtuality's lyrics aren't great but they don't bother me. Time And Motion, The Color of Right, Half The World and Dog Years (that's right) are very good. The rest are solid. The music's the main thing for me anyway and musically I find it one their better post-Power Windows releases, every bit as good as Counterparts. Well, comparatively speaking, for me T4E has fewer lyrics that I really love. So, take that as you will. I do love several of the songs on T4E though apparently not the same ones you do. But that's music for ya, innit?

[trenken]

Hard choice but I went with counterparts. There are a lot of songs on that album with cringe worthy lines about sex. Its hard to listen to or take seriously.

 

"She said sure Ill be your partner, but dont make too many demands"

 

"Sex is not a job description"

 

Ugh, just awful....

Edited May 13, 2011 by trenken

[Scars]

QUOTE (CygnusX-1Bk2 @ May 13 2011, 04:46 AM)

HYF without a doubt. Everything on that record is likened to something else. Seriously, look at them and tell me they aren't. "Like a..." is a lyric to just about every song. Some more than others. Cheap. TFE is f***ing genius comparatively.

Since when are 2 songs "every song"?

 

HYF songs that have the phrase "like a":

-Lock and Key..."Ticking like a time bomb"

-Tai Shan..."I stood there like a mystic"

 

If you're referring to just the word "like," I hate to break it to you, but Neil (and literally every other lyricist ever) have used that countless times. It's not just HYF that uses it.

 

Open Secrets doesn't use the word at all, Second Nature uses it once (and not for a simile), Mission doesn't at all (unless you count "likely"), Turn the Page doesn't at all, High Water uses it once.

 

Unless you're being sarcastic, in which case, haha.

Edited May 13, 2011 by Scars

[savagegrace26]

QUOTE (trenken @ May 13 2011, 09:53 AM)

Hard choice but I went with counterparts. There are a lot of songs on that album with cringe worthy lines about sex. Its hard to listen to or take seriously. "She said sure Ill be your partner, but dont make too many demands" "Sex is not a job description" Ugh, just awful....

Unless you have an extremely pornographic mind, how is "She said sure Ill be your partner, but dont make too many demands" about sex?

[Tommy Sawyer]

QUOTE (savagegrace26 @ May 13 2011, 04:57 PM)

QUOTE (trenken @ May 13 2011, 09:53 AM) Hard choice but I went with counterparts. There are a lot of songs on that album with cringe worthy lines about sex. Its hard to listen to or take seriously. "She said sure Ill be your partner, but dont make too many demands" "Sex is not a job description" Ugh, just awful.... Unless you have an extremely pornographic mind, how is "She said sure Ill be your partner, but dont make too many demands" about sex? And Alien Shore is not all about sex. It's about rejecting stereotypes. Just sayin'

[savagegrace26]

QUOTE (Tommy Sawyer @ May 13 2011, 04:15 PM)

QUOTE (savagegrace26 @ May 13 2011, 04:57 PM) QUOTE (trenken @ May 13 2011, 09:53 AM) Hard choice but I went with counterparts. There are a lot of songs on that album with cringe worthy lines about sex. Its hard to listen to or take seriously. "She said sure Ill be your partner, but dont make too many demands" "Sex is not a job description" Ugh, just awful.... Unless you have an extremely pornographic mind, how is "She said sure Ill be your partner, but dont make too many demands" about sex? And Alien Shore is not all about sex. It's about rejecting stereotypes. Just sayin' Yes, "sex is not a job description" refers to gender not sexual acts or prostitution.

[Derxst]

QUOTE (lerxt1990 @ May 12 2011, 08:59 PM)

http://loyalkng.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/bacon-bikini-nsfw.jpg

Nice! (I forgot what the topic was!)

[Presto-digitation]

Caress