5 years later

[Gilbertk]

Today is the 5 year 'birthday' of Snakes and Arrows. How has it changed in your book? Do you like it more or less than you did in 2007, or is it in the same place?

[rushgoober]

Soon after I first heard this album, I placed at #4 among Rush albums. Within a few months, a year at the most, it dropped to #14 where it's stayed on my list ever since.

 

I think I was just SO excited to have Rush material that I could actually listen to after a long dry spell that I was over the moon, as well as being enamored with new Rush.

 

Once the dust settled, I realized that it was half a great album, with a couple of other songs that were decent, and 4 or 5 that weren't so hot. Still, even the not so hot songs aren't horrible.

 

Even though I have it at #14, the drop in quality from #14 to #15 on my list is significant, so I still think highly of it. I can only hope that CA will approach the quality of S&A, but so far we're not off to a good start for that to happen IMHO...

[GeddyRulz]

It's grown on me. At first, I LOVED "Far Cry" and thought the instrumentals were pretty good, but I didn't care for much else. I'm still not too psyched about it as a whole, but a couple of other tracks are now tolerable to me, like "The Way the Wind Blows."

 

I might also place the album at 15th overall, but unlike Gary it had to CLIMB there for me, not fall.

 

I'm psyched about the new album; we're off to a great start. This opinion also differs from Gary's.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[metaldad]

It's worse than I originally thought. I will never play it again, dead serious.

[rushgoober]

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ May 1 2012, 07:55 AM)

It's grown on me.  At first, I LOVED "Far Cry" and thought the instrumentals were pretty good, but I didn't care for much else.  I'm still not too psyched about it as a whole, but a couple of other tracks are now tolerable to me, like "The Way the Wind Blows." I might also place the album at 15th overall, but unlike Gary it had to CLIMB there for me, not fall. I'm psyched about the new album; we're off to a great start.  This opinion also differs from Gary's.

Who is this Gary of whom you speak?

 

I've had instances where Rush has grown on me, but that's always been with the older vintage material. For example, it took me twenty years to really fall in love with the Fly By night album, and about the same to love The Fountain of Lamneth (still can't stand ITIGB or The Necromancer). The song Hemispheres has grown and grown on me.

 

With Rush from the last 25 years, however, mostly if anything my opinion drops (or stays the same). It's actually comforting to know this, as I then feel no need to keep breaking out Presto or RTB or T4E or VT expecting some miracle to have taken place in the intervening months or years since I last listened to it and now suddenly I love it. Outside of a small handful of songs from those albums that I already like or love, it's just not going to happen.

 

Sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees ( ) with new Rush, and I'm blinded by the shininess of newness, along with never wanting to not like a Rush album. It's usually only over time that I admit to myself the deficiencies that were always there with a lot of the material from the past 25 years. Now I come to these realizations a lot faster by listening with a lot more of a critical ear as I really hate when I seem to love something initially only to later discover it's really not all that. I would much prefer that newer Rush could grow on me and actually get better, but it just never seems to happen with me.

Edited May 1, 2012 by rushgoober

[GeddyRulz]

QUOTE

Sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees with new Rush, and I'm blinded by the shininess of newness, along with never wanting to not like a Rush album. It's usually only over time that I admit to myself the deficiencies that were always there with a lot of the material from the past 25 years.

 

The only time I remember being blindsided by the album's newness was with My Favorite Headache; it had been so long since T4E, I think I may have been starving for new "Rush" and would've eaten anything. I also don't think I was alone in overstating how "great" it was at the time. I should've realized earlier than I did that it was just "okay." Good, but not Earth-shattering.

 

QUOTE

With Rush from the last 25 years, however, mostly if anything my opinion drops (or stays the same)....  Now I come to these realizations a lot faster

 

I'm the same. Once there were a string of Rush albums which had to "grow on me" before I liked them. Now my initial opinion is usually the one which sticks. My opinion of new material doesn't get much better over time, it usually stays the same or drops.

 

 

 

 

[CrossedSignals]

I was super-excited when it first came out, especially because the production was so fresh and interesting, but now I rarely listen to it. The songwriting is weak, and everything feels kind of forced and stitched together.

 

FWIW I don't mind the "folk" orientation at all, and I enjoy the interesting/offbeat percussion Neil uses. I also love MalNar... it's incredibly free and spontaneous, and it has incredible energy. I wish Rush would put out more tracks like that.

[Cyclonus X-1]

My view on it hasn't really changed. I still love Workin' Them Angels and Armor and Sword, I still dislike Spindrift, and I still think that everything else is some shade of decent/good.

 

My views on most of Rush's other albums also haven't changed much. Presto is one rather tragic case. I liked the songs quite a bit initially (and I still do like most of them), but as time has gone by, I've had a harder time abiding the production. Same thing with Roll the Bones, but I was never crazy about that one to begin with.

[Alchemical]

I can't even remember the last time I listened to S&A (Also VT and RtB) in its entirety. It's not that it's an awful album, it's just SO unmemorable. It never left an impression on me. I never found myself thinking, "Hmmm what a great album!" or even, "Man, this blows!", and if you ask me it's worse to have an apathetic response to a Rush album than a negative one. I suppose Far Cry is pretty good. I also enjoy MalNar and TMMB as far as instrumentals go. Everything else is "meh".

[GeddysMullet]

Snakes And Arrows was my "gateway drug," so to speak, and I will always it!

[losingit2k]

I still love it, I actually had a stong urge to listen to it the other day since its the closest endeavour to Clockwork Angels which I'm sure is going to blow S & A Away!

 

 

[laughedatbytime]

QUOTE (metaldad @ May 1 2012, 09:01 AM)

It's worse than I originally thought. I will never play it again, dead serious.

To paraphrase Dennis Green, "S&A is what I thought it was".

 

Which means your second sentence goes for me, too.

[presto123]

QUOTE (Alchemical @ May 1 2012, 04:10 PM)

I can't even remember the last time I listened to S&A (Also VT and RtB) in its entirety. It's not that it's an awful album, it's just SO unmemorable. It never left an impression on me. I never found myself thinking, "Hmmm what a great album!" or even, "Man, this blows!", and if you ask me it's worse to have an apathetic response to a Rush album than a negative one. I suppose Far Cry is pretty good. I also enjoy MalNar and TMMB as far as instrumentals go. Everything else is "meh".

That's how I feel except I also like Armor and Sword a lot. There are only about 4-5 songs I like quite a bit. Definitely ranks toward the bottom of my Rush records rankings.

[TheAccountant]

Went with choice number 1.

 

As I have said elsewhere, the first time I listened to it I guess I liked about one song. The next time another song clicked, the next time another and so on till about 3/4 of the album really clicked. After about those first 10 listens or so I liked a lot of it and their has been no change since.

 

A real strong, good album.

[ReflectedLight]

QUOTE (Alchemical @ May 1 2012, 04:10 PM)

it's just SO unmemorable. It never left an impression on me. I never found myself thinking, "Hmmm what a great album!"

that's because it sucks.

[Chicken hawk]

Its Rush ! Gotta love it.

 

[1 of the 7]

I've only had a little under two years with it, but it's grown on me from being one of the albums I liked the least to a lower-middle-of-the-road album.

[Mr. JD]

I still really like a most of S&A. Many of those songs are in regular rotation in my Rush playlists.

[goose]

It's a great sounding album, but has little in terms of a memorable melody. The endless cynicism permeating so many of the lyrics is a bit hard to take as well. I love the instrumentals though (great tone, great passion, and great fun, respectively) and "Working Them Angels" is a favorite track. "Armor and Sword" is solid, and I like the straight forward approach of "We Hold On" as well.

 

The rest, I tend to skip these days.

[GeddyLeefan2112]

I like Far Cry, Workin' Them Angels, Armor and Sword, MalNar....Those are the only ones that have really stuck with me.

The Way the Wind Blows is good too but I don't listen to it as much.

 

Everything else is forgettable.

[EmotionDetector]

It's still all good with me.

 

Side 1 is still absolutely fantastic to me...so strong throughout. From Far Cry to The Way The Wind Blows...it's all great IMO. It's their best album side since probably Counterparts' Side 1.

 

Faithless is really the only song I never find myself listening to, but it still does have a great guitar solo from Al. The lyrics just don't do it for me.

 

Hope is another that, while good...I don't find myself tuning in very much. Bravest Face and We Hold On are also good songs, but again, not some of my more listened to on S&A.

 

Good News First is still the most underrated song on the album. Seriously...I love it. GNF and MalNar are both fantastic, and are the songs that keep me coming back to Side 2.

 

Overall, I still love it. It's definitely better than VT...no question.

[Gompers]

I still like it quite a lot.

It still kicks the ass off VT.

 

 

 

Hey! metaldad!

 

 

[metaldad]

QUOTE (Gompers @ May 2 2012, 01:39 PM)

I still like it quite a lot. It still kicks the ass off VT. Hey! metaldad!

Extra syrup with your shit sandwich ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CrossedSignals]

QUOTE (metaldad @ May 2 2012, 01:45 PM)

QUOTE (Gompers @ May 2 2012, 01:39 PM) I still like it quite a lot. It still kicks the ass off VT. Hey! metaldad! Extra syrup with your shit sandwich ?                                 Go metaldad!   VT kicks S&A's scrawny ass!

[EmotionDetector]

QUOTE (CrossedSignals @ May 2 2012, 02:48 PM)

VT kicks S&A's scrawny ass!