Cyclonus X-1 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'd like to hear opinions from you guys in regard to what the least significant Rush album has been. I'm not necessarily asking about your least favorite record here. Rather, I'm interested in learning which album you feel has had the smallest impact on the group's evolution and legacy. Obviously, there are a couple of things to consider here... - The songs themselves, of course. You might dislike Hold Your Fire on the whole, but if you feel Force Ten and Time Stand Still are two of the band's all-time classics, you probably wouldn't want the record to be erased from the annals. - There's also the effect that writing and recording the songs had on the band's development. You might hate Caress of Steel, but if you love the epics that followed, you're probably glad the group made that album if only for the sake of the very important lessons they learned from the experience. Anyway, my opinion is that Roll the Bones is the one that "mattered the least." I actually like every single song on the album except for Heresy, but I don't consider any of them to be Rush essentials (though I'm sure Dreamline and Bravado fit the bill for some folks). You Bet Your Life is my favorite RTB tune, and while it's a neat, catchy song, it doesn't exactly rank up there with Limelight and Subdivisions. Also, as Rupert once again did his Presto-type damage in producing the record, the songwriting itself seemed to regress, if anything. Going from guitar-driven Presto (a very good album) to the even more rockin' and much stronger sounding Counterparts would've been a completely sensible progression. Well, that's my view. What's yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circumstantial tree Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'd say Test for Echo. Counterparts was a stronger album in their return to "earthy" type music. Test for Echo offered nothing to future music like Vapor Trails or Snakes and Arrows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shreddy Lee Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'd probably say Test for Echo, because I often forget it exists, literally. Presto and Roll the Bones would also be strong contenders for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metaldad Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 S & A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Sawyer Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Hold Your Fire. Sound didn't change much from PoW, songs are meh overall (although F10 and TSS are great). Presto much more important because they started phasing out the synths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invisible To Telescopic Eye Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Yep...T4E...POS, easily forgotten, and completely forgettable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangy Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 feedback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USB Connector Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Caress of steel. You could erase that and put in 2112 and see how they took things. CoS was a step in the direction in the center of crap and WTF that was quickly retracted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILSnwdog Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I would say COS, but if COS hadn't been the flop that it was, it may not have motivated them to push the envelope as far as they did with 2112. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielmclark Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 QUOTE (ILSnwdog @ Jan 27 2012, 04:06 PM) I would say COS, but if COS hadn't been the flop that it was, it may not have motivated them to push the envelope as far as they did with 2112. This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USB Connector Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 QUOTE (ILSnwdog @ Jan 27 2012, 05:06 PM) I would say COS, but if COS hadn't been the flop that it was, it may not have motivated them to push the envelope as far as they did with 2112. I just want to correct this. What you're saying is absolutely true, but they only pushed the envelope to say screw you to the record company. CoS sucked so hard that they wanted to pull the plug on them, gave them one more chance on the condition that they make shorter, radio friendly songs. They said screw you (AKA 2112). I was thinking their direction in terms of music CoS had 0 impact on 2112. They stopped riding the weirdo mystic train right after that. If you erased CoS, the transition from FBN to 2112 would be smooth in terms of style and sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAccountant Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 QUOTE (danielmclark @ Jan 27 2012, 05:09 PM)QUOTE (ILSnwdog @ Jan 27 2012, 04:06 PM) I would say COS, but if COS hadn't been the flop that it was, it may not have motivated them to push the envelope as far as they did with 2112. This. I agree. No CoS (which is probably my least favorite Rush album for 2 rather long reasons) then no 2112 (my favorite Rush album) and possible no A Farewell to Kings, no Hemispheres etc., etc. Or at least not in the form they exist. So in that sense CoS mattered a GREAT deal. My vote has to go to either Roll the Bones or TFE. Neither one really drove them forward in a creative direction, either at the time or in albums to follow (IMO). Since I prefer T4E to Roll the Bones my vote will go to Roll the Bones. Mind you, I am only considering albums with original Rush work on them. Not counting Feedback. Fun album but it's not original Rush work. Plus I am not certain if the album did anything to drive them forward at the time it was recorded. Way back when the songs had a great impact on the group, but at the time it was recorded I don't think it had much impact on the group. If I included Feedback then it would get my vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Union 5-3992 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 It's a bit of a tie between Roll the Bones and Presto. They could be erased and I wouldn't even notice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Not Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 (edited) The debut album because it's nothing like them at all and complete shit. Matters less than Feedback. &: CoS is a masterpiece. Edited January 27, 2012 by Ovningskora Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughedatbytime Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 S&A, as the most uninteresting LP in their catalog (including the debut). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Sawyer Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 QUOTE (USB Connector @ Jan 27 2012, 02:57 PM) Caress of steel. You could erase that and put in 2112 and see how they took things. CoS was a step in the direction in the center of crap and WTF that was quickly retracted. NO WAY!! CoS is golden vintage RUSH!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Sawyer Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 QUOTE (laughedatbytime @ Jan 27 2012, 04:15 PM) S&A, as the most uninteresting LP in their catalog (including the debut). ^ THIS ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drbirdsong Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I have to go with Feedback. Every up or down in the catalog is important. Take one piece out and the whole thing collapses. Feedback is almost an afterthought. I don't hate it, but I could live without it if I had to, but that glaring hole in my collection would eat at me like cancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangy Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 QUOTE (Ovningskora @ Jan 27 2012, 05:58 PM) The debut album because it's nothing like them at all and complete shit. Matters less than Feedback. &: CoS is a masterpiece. no working man = no rush. how can the first be the least significant? ps- its far from shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastille Dave Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 QUOTE (tangy @ Jan 27 2012, 06:44 PM) QUOTE (Ovningskora @ Jan 27 2012, 05:58 PM) The debut album because it's nothing like them at all and complete shit. Matters less than Feedback. &: CoS is a masterpiece. no working man = no rush. how can the first be the least significant? I agree, how can anyone's debut album not be important? My vote would be RTB. It seems like it made the least impact in the evolution of Rush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presto123 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 QUOTE (Tom Sawyer @ Jan 27 2012, 06:18 PM) QUOTE (laughedatbytime @ Jan 27 2012, 04:15 PM) S&A, as the most uninteresting LP in their catalog (including the debut). ^ THIS ^ This again. It has a few good songs but I rarely find it in my CD player. I hope to not be let down again with CA like I was with SnA. I think that whole Feedback experiment pushed them in the wrong direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Not Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 (edited) QUOTE (tangy @ Jan 27 2012, 03:44 PM) QUOTE (Ovningskora @ Jan 27 2012, 05:58 PM) The debut album because it's nothing like them at all and complete shit. Matters less than Feedback. &: CoS is a masterpiece. no working man = no rush. how can the first be the least significant? ps- its far from shit. >no working man = no rush. what can make you say that for sure? (a: nothing.) In a better world, they wouldn't have gotten signed with Rutsey, but Neil. We can go in the specifics of cause and effect and all that - how working man got them signed - how rutsey left because of the touring etc... But it's not hard at all to picture a different history where rutsey left due to another complication. Then, with neil then recruited, they recorded their first official album: Fly By Night! (the song FBN > WM btw.* oh, and though Best I Can has shitty lyrics, good thing it doesn't have shitty drumming!) (*editfix = FBN > WM as a radio song, was the point I was making) The debut matters least because it's pure shit and there's not a single song on there which did any good for the band within the band itself. They weren't Rush. Their "debut" album shouldn't exist. The songs it composes of should be among other old rush rares such as garden road, and.. I don't know, the rest of those shitty canadian zeppelin songs whatever they're named. So, it matters the least because it shouldn't even be considered a studio album of theirs, much like feedback. Edited January 28, 2012 by Ovningskora Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostworks Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 (edited) QUOTE (Ovningskora @ Jan 27 2012, 07:48 PM) QUOTE (tangy @ Jan 27 2012, 03:44 PM) QUOTE (Ovningskora @ Jan 27 2012, 05:58 PM) The debut album because it's nothing like them at all and complete shit. Matters less than Feedback. &: CoS is a masterpiece. no working man = no rush. how can the first be the least significant? ps- its far from shit. >no working man = no rush. what can make you say that for sure? (a: nothing.) In a better world, they wouldn't have gotten signed with Rutsey, but Neil. We can go in the specifics of cause and effect and all that - how working man got them signed - how rutsey left because of the touring etc... But it's not hard at all to picture a different history where rutsey left due to another complication. Then, with neil then recruited, they recorded their first official album: Fly By Night! (the song FBN > WM btw. oh, and though Best I Can has shitty lyrics, good thing it doesn't have shitty drumming!) The debut matters least because it's pure shit and there's not a single song on there which did any good for the band within the band itself. They weren't Rush. Their "debut" album shouldn't exist. The songs it composes of should be among other old rush rares such as garden road, and.. I don't know, the rest of those shitty canadian zeppelin songs whatever they're named. So, it matters the least because it shouldn't even be considered a studio album of theirs, much like feedback. ^ you're knocking it out of the park!!!! Edited January 28, 2012 by ghostworks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeminiRising79 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 This is easy- any album since '00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presto123 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 QUOTE (GeminiRising79 @ Jan 27 2012, 08:23 PM) This is easy- any album since '00 Wrong.....VT was one of the most important records of their career because we never thought we would see it. Rush were dead in the water so I'll never forget hearing the first songs from VT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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