Top 5 (or 10) overrated Rush songs

[goose]

A Farewell to Kings. From embarrassing keyboards to a pedantic Neil at his sophomoric worst, I really don't get the adoration this song gets. Between the Wheels. Not a bad song, but for me far from the best track from P/G. Again, terrible use of keyboards. The Garden. Although a new track, it was almost immediately raised to "Stairway to Heaven" status. Not terrible, but far from great. Cygnus, Books I & II. Fun musically, but lyrically and vocally, this is the stuff that kept RUSH out of the Hall for so long, and why so many HATE RUSH.

yeah they totally should've tried to sound like elvis Costello instead of playing epics.

No...they should play them...La Villa style. Lyrically and thematically, they smack of 7th grade.

[goose]

how can an album with xanadu or Cygnus x-1 be overrated?

 

I forgot about Xanadu. That's the standout on the album for me, by miles. Cygnus X-1 doesn't do it for me. I would actually pick Cinderella Man as the second best track on the album.

Make it funkyyyy! Musically the album is mostly stellar. Cygnus goes awry with the goofy storyline and Geddy's uncontrolled shrieks. I like "Closer..." as a great audience participation song.

[calirush]

This thread so far..............

 

 

http://www.kotzendes-einhorn.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/home-alone.gif

Edited August 20, 2013 by calirush

[RushBoingo]

In no particular order

 

Bravado-This one might not be rated too highly by fans, but the band certainly finds it way more enjoyable than I do. Though when I recently saw it live, I found it surprisingly emotional and well played, the album and most live recordings come out bland and make me question why they don't play The Pass more often, it's sister song of sorts.

 

The Body Electric-This one seems to get mentioned in a few too many articles and books about Rush that I read, and it sticks out to me because it is one of the few Rush songs that doesent do anything for me, so every time I see it mentioned, I feel, come on, you are bringing that up.

 

Tom Sawyer-Yeah, it always ticked me off how this was the only song anyone in my school could name. I do actually enjoy the lyrics from this one (read, not preformed), but the music seems disconnected from the topic, and I find it massively inferior to The Spirit of Radio (my second favorite Rush Song) which I contnually ask why it did not get as large a response.

 

Free Will-This one seems to be the favorite popular song for alot of fans, and I enjoyed it at first, but it quickly died on me because tough it was very technically proficient, it seemed somewhat off at the same time, but I can't really describe what puts me off about it.

 

2112-I get it, it was a big turning point for the band, it's 20 minutes yet people like it. Reporters over rate this one for me, as it seems like the calling card song for their sparks notes history for reviews. I just think there is so much better for their epics out there.

 

Working Man-Another song overated by the band ever since they re-dicovered it for the VT tour. Thankfully they realised earlier that it was getting old and dropped it from the CA Tour

 

Clockwork Angels-Most love it, but I find some parts less than great

 

Alien Shore-Another song I can't find a good click to, unlike other fans

 

and thats about it.

[calirush]

OK I'll chime in. There are Rush songs I'm not crazy about, but looking at anything they do as overrated is a baffling concept. Compared to mega selling acts I assume that Rush's fan base is more cult like and discriminating about their music. If this is true then I have a hard time believing that the music Rush makes can really be overrated. Certain popular titles may be overplayed but overrated? Many fan's have screamed for years that Rush doesn't get the respect they should but we're making overrated threads about them? Edited August 20, 2013 by calirush

[Tony R]

I think everything post Signals is way over-rated.

[Lost In Xanadu]

I think everything post Signals is way over-rated.

Also around the time you were put in the nursing home, right?

[bathory]

A Farewell to Kings. From embarrassing keyboards to a pedantic Neil at his sophomoric worst, I really don't get the adoration this song gets. Between the Wheels. Not a bad song, but for me far from the best track from P/G. Again, terrible use of keyboards. The Garden. Although a new track, it was almost immediately raised to "Stairway to Heaven" status. Not terrible, but far from great. Cygnus, Books I & II. Fun musically, but lyrically and vocally, this is the stuff that kept RUSH out of the Hall for so long, and why so many HATE RUSH.

yeah they totally should've tried to sound like elvis Costello instead of playing epics.

No...they should play them...La Villa style. Lyrically and thematically, they smack of 7th grade.

nah they smack of 70s prog rock. fantasy and sci-fi stuff is what a lot of it was. no tunes about sniffing glue or being a blue collar American, sorry

[bathory]

OK I'll chime in. There are Rush songs I'm not crazy about, but looking at anything they do as overrated is a baffling concept. Compared to mega selling acts I assume that Rush's fan base is more cult like and discriminating about their music. If this is true then I have a hard time believing that the music Rush makes can really be overrated. Certain popular titles may be overplayed but overrated? Many fan's have screamed for years that Rush doesn't get the respect they should but we're making overrated threads about them?

we are all dumbasses

[bathory]

I think everything post Signals is way over-rated.

if anything, the post-signals records are all underrated. most people, as evidenced by the crowds at rush shows and the beyond the lighted stage doc, will tell you that rush has sucked since 81 or 82

[LedRush]

Are a lot of these songs really rated high enough to be overrated? Stick it out is rated highly, secret touch? This is more like a thread simply about rush songs you don't like.

 

Stick it Out was the first single released off of an album that gets crazy praise on these boards, and is played live more than it should be. It also charted #1 on mainstream rock radio.

Edited August 20, 2013 by LedRush

[LedRush]

I think everything post Signals is way over-rated.

if anything, the post-signals records are all underrated. most people, as evidenced by the crowds at rush shows and the beyond the lighted stage doc, will tell you that rush has sucked since 81 or 82

 

It depends on who we're talking about doing the overrating. If we are talking about casual fans or the world at large, there's only 7-12 songs that are rated high enough to be overrated. I assumed we were talking about songs that are overrated by the TRF forum or the hard core fans.

[jjgittes]

Wow, a lot of off-the-wall but interesting posts here. So here is a non-interesting one....

I agree with bathory about Necromancer. Sure, now that I am a few years removed from my teenage years, wait, make that decades, wait make that centuries, it sounds a bit silly now. But I loved it then and still enjoy it.

My 1 cent:

1) Never quite got the popularity of "Red Sector A." A dramatic song, for sure but I seem to grow tired of the "riff" pretty quickly.

2) Just about anything off of "Presto." Again, some thought-provoking songs but, though this may be sacreligious to some, I'll easily spin "Roll the Bones" and S&A before that one.

3) As mentioned already, during the R30 tour when Geddy was talking about developing the setlist to include something rare, I never got how "Between the Wheels" made the cut.

4) I agree with "A Farewell to Kings" perhaps being overrated. Maybe I just expect the title track of an album to be a cut above everything else on an album and can't say this one is.

5) I recall the rest rooms being packed during "Caravan" at the TM tour. Of course, the tune was brand new but a couple of guys emptying their beer-filled bladder near me and who were on their third show of the tour, told me that tune became their cue for a pit stop.

[bathory]

Wow, a lot of off-the-wall but interesting posts here. So here is a non-interesting one....

I agree with bathory about Necromancer. Sure, now that I am a few years removed from my teenage years, wait, make that decades, wait make that centuries, it sounds a bit silly now. But I loved it then and still enjoy it.

My 1 cent:

1) Never quite got the popularity of "Red Sector A." A dramatic song, for sure but I seem to grow tired of the "riff" pretty quickly.

2) Just about anything off of "Presto." Again, some thought-provoking songs but, though this may be sacreligious to some, I'll easily spin "Roll the Bones" and S&A before that one.

3) As mentioned already, during the R30 tour when Geddy was talking about developing the setlist to include something rare, I never got how "Between the Wheels" made the cut.

4) I agree with "A Farewell to Kings" perhaps being overrated. Maybe I just expect the title track of an album to be a cut above everything else on an album and can't say this one is.

5) I recall the rest rooms being packed during "Caravan" at the TM tour. Of course, the tune was brand new but a couple of guys emptying their beer-filled bladder near me and who were on their third show of the tour, told me that tune became their cue for a pit stop.

 

most post-82 songs are bathroom/merch/beer songs for rush concert goers

[hammerofthor]

One Little Victory, Far Cry, Working them Angels,Headlong Flight, The Garden.

[losingit2k]

Well I don't much agree with Rush songs being Over-Rated but I'll give it a shot.

 

1. The Fountain of Lamneth (or how I call it) Lameneth! This suite just never really did it for me.

 

2. Animate: Far from being my favorite song on Counterparts yet played often

 

3. Ceiling Unlimited: I haven't been able to get into this song yet so many love it.

 

4. The Body Electric: Catchy Song but I really got board of it quick, The only part I still enjoy is the Lead.

 

5. Freeze:So many want to hear it live, but I actually feel this song brings down the whole Fear concept. Maybe I'll change my mind after the Remixed is released and I'll be able to actually listen to it.

 

I guess that's it!

Edited August 21, 2013 by losingit2k

[goose]

A Farewell to Kings. From embarrassing keyboards to a pedantic Neil at his sophomoric worst, I really don't get the adoration this song gets. Between the Wheels. Not a bad song, but for me far from the best track from P/G. Again, terrible use of keyboards. The Garden. Although a new track, it was almost immediately raised to "Stairway to Heaven" status. Not terrible, but far from great. Cygnus, Books I & II. Fun musically, but lyrically and vocally, this is the stuff that kept RUSH out of the Hall for so long, and why so many HATE RUSH.

yeah they totally should've tried to sound like elvis Costello instead of playing epics.

No...they should play them...La Villa style. Lyrically and thematically, they smack of 7th grade.

nah they smack of 70s prog rock. fantasy and sci-fi stuff is what a lot of it was. no tunes about sniffing glue or being a blue collar American, sorry

I get that. But for me, other bands did that genre better. One of my faves, for example...

[Maverick]

The Garden

The Garden

The Garden

The Garden

The Garden

[yyzjam]

1. Dreamline

2. Losing It

3. Between The Wheels

4. Jacob's Ladder

5. The Camera Eye

[Slack jaw gaze]

From the standpoint of the general public there are no over-rated Rush songs, but plenty of under-rated ones.

[jnoble]

I might like The Garden better if someone else was singing it. Geddy's voice just doesn't cut it for me when he gets to the chorus

[gjptest]

This has probably been done before, and is sure to cause some arguements, but I was inspired by the top 10 underrated songs

(it doesnt mean I hate these songs, just overrated IMO)

Heres mine

 

Wheres my Things (my least favorite instrumental)

The wreckers (this song just doesnt connect for me)

Cygnus X-II Hemispheres (its awesome, I like Cygnus x-1 better)

Secret Touch (to me its just really messy, it could really enjoyable if it was cleaned up)

Mission

 

1. Subdivisions

2. Time Stand Still - is it highly rated? It seems they have played it on tour a few times

3. The Garden - not a bad song, just not for me.

 

 

all I can think of right now.

[tommyali]

This thread and all of you are nuts!!

[StanGetz]

1) The Garden - this song gets so much love but it does nothing for me. Plus it doesn't help that I've always despised the saying "it is what it is". ;)

2) One Little Victory - the much-heralded "comeback" track after the band being on hiatus, but it's easily my least favorite track on VT. The only thing I really like on it is the opening drum salvo. Then I skip ahead, heh.

3) YYZ - I do like it, but it's far from being the most amazing instrumental track ever recorded in the history of popular music (that said, it should still have won a Grammy over the Police's "Behind My Camel", which is just dreadful filler.)

4) errmm... I can't think of anything else...

 

I can't agree more with your comment about "it is what it is" and I cringed every time that lyric was about to be sung in concert. As clever as Neil usually is with his lyrical content, I'm surprised that he would stoop to modern day simplistic speak for people that have difficulty forming a coherent thought. Just utter that nonsense and you don't have to ever explain what you mean. I would really like this song if it wasn't for that phrase.

[StanGetz]

1. Anything off VT - hard to single anything out, but maybe Earthshine or Secret Touch or OLV because they're the most popular.

 

Also in no particular order:

 

Available Light - the song just isn't that great, and Geddy's falsetto (those two words should never go together) to sing the words "In the Available Light" make me cringe every time. For some reason people go gaga over this song.

 

The Camera Eye - I love all of MP, and this song has indeed grown on me a bit, but it's just not as genius as some make it out to be. The lyrics never particularly grabbed me, and essentially it's the same song twice. It's very cool, but it's the one song that keeps MP out of the top spot for me with Rush songs. Still a great song, but it's a bit overrated.

 

Driven - The best thing I can say about it is that it's easily the best song on T4E, but that isn't saying a lot. It's decent, but it just doesn't do it for me.

 

The Necromancer - The song is killed for me by the narration, and the lyrics aren't too hot either. It's a shame, as the music parts are awesome, but I just can't get past the narration.

 

Cygnus X-1 - I know it sounds like nitpicking, but the narration at the beginning and Geddy screaming at the very end bother me. It's too bad, as there's several minutes of greatness sandwiched in the middle, but those parts keep me from loving the song the way so many seem to.

 

Bravado - It's a decent song, but it's really nothing more than that.

 

Faithless - I disagree with this song philosophically, and it bothers me for that reason (I feel similarly about Ghost of a Chance, but that's clearly a better song if overrated for similar reasons). A lot of people site it as their favorite or almost favorite off S&A. I don't get it.

 

I thought that I was the only person in the world who feels the way you do about "Available Light". I try to listen to it about every five years. It starts out promising and then it hits "In the available light" which makes me hit skip immediately. I always make sure there isn't anything sharp around me to puncture my eardrum at that part. You could force me to hear any song of your choice from the early years and I would gladly listen to it 1000 times in a row (might need a sleep break) rather than listen to Available Light once. That includes "I think I'm Going Bald".