TheWinslowOfWillowdale Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Except for the goofy rap in the title song (that I dig when no one is around), I really like this record. It's a great pop record w/ an intellectual flare....And it seemed to come out right at the right time for me (I was 18). The whole "what are you going to make of your mortal life" concept hit a cord.....And the in your face, "your entire life is up to you" concept, really helped me mature into a young adult. And it was really the only album that could speak to me deeply on that level in circa '91. Just my two cents.....It’s nothing like their Golden Age Works, but I still find myself going back and listening to a lot of what Neil had to say on this one.....;) And Alex had some "brown and round" tone here too! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theanalogmiddleagedman Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Dreamline is one of my all time favorites. Roll the Bones and Where's my thing are awesome. I like Bravado and Ghost of a Chance. The rest of the songs are ok with Neurotica as one of their worst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemisteers Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 (edited) Face Up isn't that bad, even though it could pass for a theme song for a NFL game... That said, Dreamline, Bravado, Roll the Bones, and Where's my Thing are all great for me. The Big Wheel and Heresy, not sure what others think about them but they are quite pleasant to me. Real fun to listen to. There might be a bum track or 2 on this album, but most of them give me that "live Rush" high. Edited July 23, 2013 by Hemisteers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushgoober Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 RTB is Dreamline. Awesome song. It's all downhill from there... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWinslowOfWillowdale Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 In all honesty, "The Big Wheel" and "Heresy" are my two favorites from RTB...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWinslowOfWillowdale Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 Actually, not "The Big Wheel". "You Bet Your Life" is the one I really like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theanalogmiddleagedman Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I just listened quickly to the songs I said were ok. I do like The Big Wheel, Heresy and You Bet Your Life quite a bit. It is funny how these songs that don't make the regular rotation are really pretty good when you give them a listen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemisteers Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 This album I only discovered this year after hearing Dreamline and Where's My Thing at the Mohegan and Prudential shows.I really enjoy the whole theme of fate, chance, and nostalgia on this one. I always overlooked this album when I was younger and less musically mature, but now I really like it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWinslowOfWillowdale Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 Thanks Hemispheres!! I forgot to convey that Neil majorly intertwines fate and chance w/ self motivation & production on RTB...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobo73 Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I LOVE THIS ALBUM!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah even the rap ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWinslowOfWillowdale Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 And not to be a total fan boy.....But it just has a very positive, happy & upbeat tone to it!! ;) Rush's music, no matter how dark and deep its exploration, is always hopeful! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedRush Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 This is truly a great album. After sliding further and further into the saturation of keyboards, the band tried to extricate themselves with Presto and only half-succeeded. RTB made Rush relevant for the first time in years. Rush was played on the radio, people openly talked about going to their concerts, and the fans came back after almost a decade of declining popularity and relevance. The great songs on the album are truly great, working as palatable pop, middle-brow philosophy, and musical ingenuity. The other songs are generally still good, even though they are not among the band's best. I love this album. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theprestobunnies Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I think its a great album with a great theme. I love 7/10 of the songs, but maybe someday that will even go higher, I used to only care for 4/10. Personally, I think Face Up and The Big Wheel are extremely overlooked and underrated songs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theredtamasrule Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 This should be a short thread... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Face Up isn't that bad, even though it could pass for a theme song for a NFL game... That said, Dreamline, Bravado, Roll the Bones, and Where's my Thing are all great for me. The Big Wheel and Heresy, not sure what others think about them but they are quite pleasant to me. Real fun to listen to. There might be a bum track or 2 on this album, but most of them give me that "live Rush" high.Well said! You pretty much capture my thoughts (and carry them away! Wrong album?). Anyway, I agree that Face Up is just fine, and the Big Wheel & Heresy are solid tracks. As an album, RTB does have a few of those moments (the rap, "Looking for looove", among them), but all in all pretty strong and interesting musically. Ged's vocals are top notch throughout. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 This should be a short thread...I almost posted a comment like that, but thought better of it. Didn't want to come across as some total a-hole douchebag P.o.S. troll. Not that you did in your post, mind you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 The great songs on the album are truly great, working as palatable pop, middle-brow philosophy, and musical ingenuity. The other songs are generally still good, even though they are not among the band's best. I love this album.Wordsmith in the house! :clap: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 This album I only discovered this year after hearing Dreamline and Where's My Thing at the Mohegan and Prudential shows.I really enjoy the whole theme of fate, chance, and nostalgia on this one. I always overlooked this album when I was younger and less musically mature, but now I really like it."Hemisteers"! :laughing guy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushgoober Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 This is truly a great album. After sliding further and further into the saturation of keyboards, the band tried to extricate themselves with Presto and only half-succeeded. RTB made Rush relevant for the first time in years. Rush was played on the radio, people openly talked about going to their concerts, and the fans came back after almost a decade of declining popularity and relevance. The great songs on the album are truly great, working as palatable pop, middle-brow philosophy, and musical ingenuity. The other songs are generally still good, even though they are not among the band's best. I love this album. :eyeroll: :eyeroll: :eyeroll: why am in not surprised that you love this album. rush has made 4 mediocre or bad albums: presto, rtb, t4e and vt. why do i fear you love all of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushgoober Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 This should be a short thread... it SHOULD be, but a lot of rush fans are really stubborn. they'll love anything the band puts out, no matter HOW inferior it is to most of the rest of their catalog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitboaf Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I'm a big fan of RTB, too. But, I'll acknowledge that some of that is due to it being one of my gateway albums. I love revisiting it, because it was the first Rush album that was MINE.Love the lyrics about fate and luck. Neil nailed it. Lyrically, this is my favorite Rush album. Ghost of a Chance is damn fine poetry to my ears.Production could be quite a bit better.Yes, RTB album has 3 or 4 low points, which are toward the end of the album. I'm not sure if I prefer this particular failing to the one we hear in Counterparts, where the slog happens in the middle.Next time you listen to Neurotica, with it's banal lyrics, try to hear the song as an instrumental. It woulda been darn good as one! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifeson90 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Fantastic album musically and lyrically love every track, only wish is that a touch more juice clloser to counterparts production the album still sounds a bit tinny .. Otherwise awesome tho one of the bands very best.. Love face up & neurotica in particular wheres my thing a gem of an instrumental etc etc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclonus X-1 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Well, the only RtB song I dislike is Heresy, but I don't think any of the tunes are great, and Where's My Thing? is my least favorite Rush instrumental. It's too bad that the production is so weak; I much prefer the recorded-live versions of Ghost of a Chance and Dreamline to the studio ones. Still, most of the tracks are all right, and I'd say some of them are underrated (particularly You Bet Your Life and Face Up). But the album is generally unspectacular and one of Rush's worst in my view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifeson90 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Forgot to mention heresy one of the bands much more relaxed tracks didnt care for it myself at first love it now a bit older Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drbirdsong Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 When it came out it really hit me in just the right way. I loved it like a brother, but it is one of the few albums that sounds a bit dated. It gets weak in the middle - The Big Wheel and Heresy. I don't care for either song. I don't get the hatred of Neurotica, that bass lick at the beginning nearly blew out my speakers the first time I played it. For me it's worth the price of admission for Bravado and all the brilliant live versions to follow. It's not in my top five, but I don't hate any Rush album. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now