Has the Remix of VT lifted the Album's position past others.

[Segue Myles]

These are the albums I could comfortably say I prefer to Vapor Trails:

 

Fly By Night

2112

AFTK

Hemispheres

PeW

MP

Signals

GuP

PoW

HYF

Presto

Roll The Bones

CP

T4E

CA

 

These about the same:

Caress Of Steel (I struggle with the epics)

Snakes And Arrows (its brilliant in places, but not consistently)

 

Less:

 

Rush

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Edited December 16, 2013 by Segue Myles

[JohnnyBlaze]

It's still a troubled album. Neil hasn't left his past behind ('Ghost Rider', 'Nocturne'), yet lauds his present and future ('Sweet Miracle' 'Out of the Cradle'), while exploring the souring zeitgeist of the early-2000's ('That's How It Is', 'Freeze', 'Peaceable Kingdom').

 

As such, it vacillates between pssimism and optimism -- yet without cohesive oscillation of Signals, which explored themes of constraint and release in alternating songs.

 

Plus, I wish the engineer hadn't removed Neil's pronounced ride cymbal in many songs. Grrr....

 

Edit: 'Freeze' remains probably the best of the "Fear" sequence, though.

I see your point. But keep in mind that VT took longer to make (a year and a half of ACTUAL work on it, wasn't it?) than any other Rush album. It'd make sense that it'd be lyrically unbalanced since that's probably how Peart's mind actually was at the time. Couldn't the (longer than normal for Rush) process of creating VT have influenced Neil to craft the lyrics the way they are? Write something now, something else 6 months from now, and still something else 6 months after that and you likely will get 3 different moods. Factor in Neil's tragedy just a few years prior and you have lyrics that are very up and down...naturally.

[coventry]

It's still a troubled album. Neil hasn't left his past behind ('Ghost Rider', 'Nocturne'), yet lauds his present and future ('Sweet Miracle' 'Out of the Cradle'), while exploring the souring zeitgeist of the early-2000's ('That's How It Is', 'Freeze', 'Peaceable Kingdom').

 

As such, it vacillates between pssimism and optimism -- yet without cohesive oscillation of Signals, which explored themes of constraint and release in alternating songs.

 

Plus, I wish the engineer hadn't removed Neil's pronounced ride cymbal in many songs. Grrr....

 

Edit: 'Freeze' remains probably the best of the "Fear" sequence, though.

I see your point. But keep in mind that VT took longer to make (a year and a half of ACTUAL work on it, wasn't it?) than any other Rush album. It'd make sense that it'd be lyrically unbalanced since that's probably how Peart's mind actually was at the time. Couldn't the (longer than normal for Rush) process of creating VT have influenced Neil to craft the lyrics the way they are? Write something now, something else 6 months from now, and still something else 6 months after that and you likely will get 3 different moods. Factor in Neil's tragedy just a few years prior and you have lyrics that are very up and down...naturally.

 

I hadn't taken that into consideration, but you make a valid point about the recording timeframe. Good call.

[barchetta90480]

No real change in position. It has been their best album of the last 20 years or so (yes, ranked slightly above Clockwork Angels), and the remaster is fine and maybe even necessary, but I have loved it before and still do so. Because of "Out of the Cradle", among others, BTW. I even started to like "The Stars look down". Leaves "How it is", which is not at all great, but no real stinker of the "Caravan" or "You Bet Your Life" kind ...

 

Wow...I admit I believe each to their own...but how is Caravan a stinker? Like...its one of the best Rush songs ever!

 

To me, it has replaced Finding My Way as their worst opener ever. No moving melody, no really interesting hooks. An agreeable guitar solo, fine. But the orchestra on the live album doesn't make it any better. I see the love this song gets here for its edgines, it's "metal" feel. But that's nothing of a criterion for somebody who has never considered Rush a metal band. In comparison to a stellar first song like One Little Victory (well, that's power. and passion) Caravan has absolutely nothing to offer. There are exactly 11 better songs on Clockwork Angels.