Which album was the biggest transition?

[Gnoom]

My vote goes to PERMANENT WAVES, which ushered in the "making modern music" phase of their career. But there are many other albums that could be considered, so I'd be very interested in hearing what others have to say.

[losingit2k]

QUOTE (Gnoom @ Mar 19 2012, 02:10 PM)

My vote goes to PERMANENT WAVES, which ushered in the "making modern music" phase of their career. But there are many other albums that could be considered, so I'd be very interested in hearing what others have to say.

Permanent Waves still had some of the progressiveness which preceded it on Hempispheres, Yes The Vocals were lowered but the Epic song structure was still present. However, Signals was really a move in a completely different direction. New Sound, new Look, All shorter songs, Keyboard driven. A complete change of pace!

 

[The K Man]

I'll say Power Windows. Yes, Signals was a departure from Moving Pictures, but production aside, the synth sounds and Lerxst's tone was generally not that different. Power Windows was suddenly all crazy synthy, the guitar work was noticeably different, and the overall sound was much bigger.

[Tommy Sawyer]

I'm going to go with the obvious PeW. Nothing really changed like Hemispheres --> The Spirit of Radio as openers.

 

However, it's still an great album!

[treeduck]

For me Signals, it took me a while to get used to that one...

[JARG]

I remember listening to Permanent Waves when it first came out and thinking the band had caved from the pressure to "go commercial", so yeah, PW gets my vote, too. It was the beginning of the end.

[Gompers]

AFTK...they turned Progressive big time. 2112 may have been a bit Proggy from the concept album standpoint, but AFTK you saw Rush really push their limits as musicians. And crazy time sigs made an appearance.

[GeddyRulz]

I'd have to say it's easily Signals, which - while good - sounds nothing like Moving Pictures before it.

 

Yeah, Permanent Waves was a change in direction, but a progressive change which made sense with what had come before. Signals attacked things from an entirely different angle.

[GeddyRulz]

QUOTE (JARG @ Mar 19 2012, 02:37 PM)

I remember listening to Permanent Waves when it first came out and thinking the band had caved from the pressure to "go commercial", so yeah, PW gets my vote, too. It was the beginning of the end.

Beginning of the end? In my opinion, it was the beginning of their two best consecutive albums, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures.

 

 

[HemispheresserehpsimeH]

Signals for sure.

[thesweetscience]

I think it's Signals but I could see the argument for Permanent Waves. Both of those albums sounded vastly different from the albums right before them.

 

Counterparts was a big change from the PoW to RTB stretch but that transition was later in their career and was probably not as important from a career perspective as either Signals or PeW.

 

Just my opinion of course.

 

[PumpkinHead]

QUOTE (JARG @ Mar 19 2012, 02:37 PM)

I remember listening to Permanent Waves when it first came out and thinking the band had caved from the pressure to "go commercial", so yeah, PW gets my vote, too. It was the beginning of the end.

 

Honestly, JARG.....

 

Rush "Jumped The Shark" after their debut album!

[CruisingInPrimetime]

I voted for Presto. It sounds kind of like Roll the Bones, but I think its predecessor, Hold Your Fire, sounds nothing like it. Hold Your Fire and Power Windows are very similar stylistically.

 

I've never understood why people say Hemispheres was Rush's last progressive rock album. Natural Science is probably the proggiest thing they've done beside Book 2 and maybe Xanadu. Even Freewill and The Spirit of Radio, while short and accessible, are still "prog."

[psionic11]

Before Signals, synth lines were monophonic -- no chords. Afterwards, we have big lush walls of synth chords and colors everywhere.

 

[Todem]

If you think about it...Permanent Waves was a definite move towards much more tight song writing vs album side epics and just prog all the time. It was a perfect mix and a true bridge to Moving Pictures.

 

While Signals seems to be leading this poll.....and yes at that time in 1982 was sort of a shock to the system among Rush fans i voted for Grace Under Pressure as that was a true change of direction. Signals has aged so well and everytime I listen to it I say to myself "wow did fans over react back then".

 

But then listen to Grace and it is so clear how much they changed directions on that album sonically.

 

I judge the sonic differences and Grace Under Pressure their sound clearly changed.

[Phantom]

To me, each album was a slight progression with a modest change in direction from one album to the next.... until Signals came out... which to me, was a 90 degree turn... caught me way off guard.

 

Even today, listening to it, it seems so radically different from Moving Pictures.

[Presto-a RUSH fan!]

QUOTE (CruisingInPrimetime @ Mar 19 2012, 04:42 PM)

I voted for Presto. It sounds kind of like Roll the Bones, but I think its predecessor, Hold Your Fire, sounds nothing like it. Hold Your Fire and Power Windows are very similar stylistically. I've never understood why people say Hemispheres was Rush's last progressive rock album. Natural Science is probably the proggiest thing they've done beside Book 2 and maybe Xanadu. Even Freewill and The Spirit of Radio, while short and accessible, are still "prog."

I went with Presto for the same reason.

 

But I almost picked Signals based on the same arguments that everyone is making about the differences between it and MP.

[nappy2112]

Signals that's it went from everybody likes Rush to ,am I the only one who still likes Rush?

[danielmclark]

Moving Pictures and Signals aren't that different when it comes right down to it. Witch Hunt and Vital Signs could have gone on Signals and fit right in. I think there's a far bigger difference between HYF and Presto. I don't think there's a single song on Presto that would have fit in on HYF. I'd also give the nod to TFE->VT since VT rocked way, way harder than TFE.

[CruisingInPrimetime]

QUOTE (danielmclark @ Mar 19 2012, 05:28 PM)

Moving Pictures and Signals aren't that different when it comes right down to it. Witch Hunt and Vital Signs could have gone on Signals and fit right in. I think there's a far bigger difference between HYF and Presto. I don't think there's a single song on Presto that would have fit in on HYF. I'd also give the nod to TFE->VT since VT rocked way, way harder than TFE.

I totally agree that Moving Pictures and Signals are not that different in regards to style. Subdivisions or Analog Kid could have easily fit well on MP. And Vital Signs or Witch Hunt could have been on Signals, like you said. Also, Chemistry reminds me of Limelight, especially the verses.

[MMCXII]

if 'Feedback' is on the list, the answer has to be S&A... think about it...

 

feedback shouldn't be included

[Perchance to Dream]

My vote goes to Grace Under Pressure. When I first heard the album, I was taken aback. I was very disappointed. Geddy's tone changed drastically with the Steinberger and there was an overload on keys. (see Afterimage)

 

Also, Alex's style and tone changed. He was throwing these big chords out there that hung over everything else and rang like a mofo.

 

I hated that album and almost gave up on Rush from that point on.

 

Almost thirty years later, I love it. Red Lenses being one of my all-time favorites. Opinions and perceptions change over time.

 

[Bastille Dave]

I agree there was a big change from MP to Signals, and I almost voted AFTK (from 2112) with overall sound and song structure. But I voted Permanent Waves. Out of the six tracks, 4 are potentially radio-friendly tracks. The closest thing to a radio track on Hemispheres is The Trees, which to most radio listeners, would fly right over their heads. The lyrical content on Hemispheres is so "out there". Also, if I saw a casual rock radio fan listening to the radio and they were tapping their foot to "The Spirit Of radio", I think "La Villa Strangiato" would probably give them a migrane headache. I've tried a million times in my life to get casual listeners who like TSOR and Tom Sawyer to get into stuff like AFTK and Hemispheres and it flew right over their heads.

[go2wrk@95974]

I voted Permanent Waves, but RTB and VT

are not too far behind, as far as musical contrast

is concerned, compared to the previous LP.

[TheAccountant]

To me their are 4 leading contenders for this title and 2 wildcards I will address.

 

First I will address 3 of the leaders (that should be a massive hint about my vote).

 

FBN gets some consideration just based on the addition of Neil and how that changed the band. A big move from straight on rock (like Bad Co.) to a much more progressive sound. Think By-Tor was going to come out of this group based on the first album?? Beneath, Between & Behind? Don't think so. Big turn in the groups sound. In some sense this was the start of the prog rock era for the group (yes the real prog stuff may have come latter but it was definably a big step in that direction).

 

PeW gets a great deal of consideration just because it started to get them out of the prog rock era. Yes this album had Natural Science on it but even the group has said (I think on Beyond the Lighted Stage) that after Hemispheres they ran in the completely opposite direction (i.e. away from prog rock). I think either Geddy or Neil said this. They may not have gotten all the way away from it with this album (change can take time) but they were going sharply away. Major change.

 

MP gets some serious consideration based on a comment Neil made in "Beyond the Lighted Stage". If I recall correctly, he said something like "This was the album where we became Rush. This is the album where we became what we are." In other words everything prior to that was BMP (before MP) and after it everything was AMP (after MP). Sort of a BC vs. AD switch.

 

If the group itself is saying that PeW & MP were huge albums in terms of the groups sound it hard to argue. The guys should know. They created them and perform them. We only listen.

 

Now I will address the 2 wildcards. One is Presto and the other Counterparts. Both came to my mind for the reasons thesweetscience, CrusingInPrimetime and Presto-a Rush Fan mentioned. However, for the very reason thesweetscience mentioned I discard both as contenders. Good posts all round however. I could not have put it better (although I would have used 3 times the words in trying).

 

This brings me to the album which gets my vote and that is Signals.

 

Why Signals??

 

First of all the sound. Major change. Obviously their will always be an album to album change but this was a wild change which left some fans in the dust (again, go back to "Beyond the Lighted Stage" and the guy from Metalica who basically said the sound change was to much for him and thats when he lost interest in Rush). Keep in mind the band has said they did not want to make another MP and they certainly did not.

 

Secondly (IMO) tighter song writing. Less long epics. Finally got fully away from prog rock and long songs. Remember MP had some songs on the 2nd side that might be considered by some as still in sort of a prog mode, if for no other reason then their length. The Camera Eye is almost 11 minutes long. That longer then Natural Science!!! Nothing like that on Signals and really nothing like it since.

 

Thirdly, and perhaps most significantly, this album saw the start of a significant shift in Neil's method of song writing. This will be very hard to explain but let me try. I will also state that this comment is highly opinion based and consequently open to attack.

 

Prior to Signals much of Neil's work was mostly about concepts / ideas or fictional happenings. Think By-tor, 2112, Hemisphere's, Freewill, Natural Science, Closer to the Heart, Bastille Day, Anthem & Something for Nothing. For that matter, think Tom Sawer, Xanadu, Red Barchetta or Circumstances. Some of the songs were placed in personal language but they still were more about concepts (IMO).

 

Starting with Signals Neil's songwriting began to move to a tighter, slightly less wordy, precise direction that was more personal and less about concepts (even if the language sounded conceptual at times). Think Subdivisions & Analog Kid for example. Follow that up with Distant Early Warning, Afterimage & Between the Wheels on GUP

 

I am not saying that the change just happened at once. It did not. Plenty of conceptual stuff on and after Signals (e.g. Big Money, Manhattan Project) and plenty of personal stuff before Signals (e.g. Lakeside Park & Entre Nous) but this is the album where Neil's work started to shift from primarily one to the other.

 

This is a concept that has been hard for me to try to explain. Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to actually sit down and READ Neil's lyrics. Block out any thought of the music. Just read. Neil's lyrical structure started to change on Signals (IMO) in a way that has continued overtime and was different from what came before.

 

For these 3 reasons Signals gets my vote.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read my lengthy post!!