Jump to content

Best of the 5 last albums?


BUB
 Share

  

123 members have voted

  1. 1. Best of the last 5 albums?

    • Counterparts
      14
    • Test for echo
      5
    • Vapor trails/ Vapor trails remix
      10
    • Snakes & arrows
      9
    • Clockwork angels
      85


Recommended Posts

1. Counterparts. Easily my favorite all time Rush album.

 

2. Clockwork Angels - This BARELY comes in second for 1993-today. One of their greatest albums.

 

3. Tie between Snakes and Arrows and Vapor Trails(remix). Snakes and Arrows was my go to album in high school. And Vapor Trails is just pure inferno (they were back baby!)

 

4. The obvious last place out of these is Test For Echo, but only because the other 4 are damn good. I like T4E, the others are just better.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. Counterparts. Easily my favorite all time Rush album.

 

 

Proving (for those of us who still doubted) that Nic Cage is still damn crazy.

 

Lol I think CP is good enough to be a favourite! For what it is its pretty perfect. I love it myself!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Clockwork angels
  • Counterparts
  • Vapor trails/ Vapor trails remix
  • Snakes & arrows
     

 

T4E is not that bad!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I

This is a tough one.. it comes down to one album with many dizzying peaks overcoming one big clank to edge out another that for me has no bad songs on it. Drumroll....

 

1. Clockwork Angels (Caravan, BU2B, CA, Anarchist, 7COG etc. :notworthy: survive The Garden :zzz: )

 

2. Counterparts (Like to love all of it. Yes, even Speed of Love :LOL: )

 

3. Vapor Trails (OLV, Earthshine, Ceiling Unlimited, Nocturne .. :7up: Still overall in my top 8 :rush: albums.

 

4. S&A (From new classic (Far Cry, Workin' Them Angels, TMMB) to splat (Spindrift) A couple slots below VT.

 

5. T4E (A tremendous 1-2 opening punch followed by 9 tracks of mostly listenable background noise)

I also like Speed of Love, save for the banality of the title, Alex's solo is terrific.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hands down Clockwork Angels. I had really high expectations for it, based on all of the teasers and rumors we heard for two years, and the final product surpassed them. :)

 

I couldn't have been happier considering that Snakes was a wee bit of a letdown for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I

This is a tough one.. it comes down to one album with many dizzying peaks overcoming one big clank to edge out another that for me has no bad songs on it. Drumroll....

 

1. Clockwork Angels (Caravan, BU2B, CA, Anarchist, 7COG etc. :notworthy: survive The Garden :zzz: )

 

2. Counterparts (Like to love all of it. Yes, even Speed of Love :LOL: )

 

3. Vapor Trails (OLV, Earthshine, Ceiling Unlimited, Nocturne .. :7up: Still overall in my top 8 :rush: albums.

 

4. S&A (From new classic (Far Cry, Workin' Them Angels, TMMB) to splat (Spindrift) A couple slots below VT.

 

5. T4E (A tremendous 1-2 opening punch followed by 9 tracks of mostly listenable background noise)

I also like Speed of Love, save for the banality of the title, Alex's solo is terrific.

 

Speed Of Love is one of my favourite nineties Rush tunez!

 

I think my rankings are like this:

 

Clockwork Angels

Counterparts

Test For Echo

Snakes And Arrows

Vapor Trails

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Clockwork angels
  • Counterparts
  • Vapor trails/ Vapor trails remix
  • Snakes & arrows

 

T4E is not that bad!

 

 

I don't have anything against it, for it, that's the problem. This album really invokes little from me which when talking about Rush is quite disappointing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You guys are crazy. Listen to the Vapor trails LOUD on headphones and tell me it's not the most inventive sounding rock record Rush produced post 1985. CA sounds like a fan service to 1970's fans because it is. Might be fancily arranged but it lacks the quirks and unique nature of VT. I love Counterparts but some songs in the middle can drag and the album sounds too "clean" at times for a proper rock record

 

I agree with much of this. CA is good, but it doesn't feel very forward thinking. Vapor Trails, on the other hand is one of the band's most original sounding albums. I'm especially fond of the writing style: jam sessions that were chopped up and arranged into songs after the fact.

 

Ceiling Unlimited is the sound of triumphant return. How It Is is equal parts defeat and hope. Freeze is unlike any song I've heard before, anywhere. It's noisy, manic, and incredibly gorgeous. There really aren't enough good things to say about Vapor Trails. My favorite Rush album since at least Power Windows.

 

None of the others are even close.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You guys are crazy. Listen to the Vapor trails LOUD on headphones and tell me it's not the most inventive sounding rock record Rush produced post 1985. CA sounds like a fan service to 1970's fans because it is. Might be fancily arranged but it lacks the quirks and unique nature of VT. I love Counterparts but some songs in the middle can drag and the album sounds too "clean" at times for a proper rock record

 

I agree with much of this. CA is good, but it doesn't feel very forward thinking. Vapor Trails, on the other hand is one of the band's most original sounding albums. I'm especially fond of the writing style: jam sessions that were chopped up and arranged into songs after the fact.

 

Ceiling Unlimited is the sound of triumphant return. How It Is is equal parts defeat and hope. Freeze is unlike any song I've heard before, anywhere. It's noisy, manic, and incredibly gorgeous. There really aren't enough good things to say about Vapor Trails. My favorite Rush album since at least Power Windows.

 

None of the others are even close.

 

Wow! VT just sounds wrong. Nothing else like it comes to mind, so I guess thats a good thing! It might grow on me, but I think its in my bottom five. Roll The Bones, Counterparts and Hold Your Fire are the three albums released between PoW and VT that I think are definitely much better. But we don't all need to agree!

 

Like I said, VT has yet to really make an impact. It is not the sound of Rush that I love, and I think CA is a more modern album than you may care to admit. What made me love that album is that it didn't sound old. Its a 2012 release all over! And a masterpiece to boot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow! VT just sounds wrong. Nothing else like it comes to mind, so I guess thats a good thing!

For me, it definitely is a good thing. The "wrongness" is what I like about it. Something about it seems completely disconnected from time and everything else. It's impossible to actually explain.

 

The Remix, I feel, actually does the album something of a disservice in that regard. Sure it sounds "better" but that quality comes with a price. I think that Mr. Botrill kinda nailed the album to a specific, "2000's" kind of feel.

 

I think CA is a more modern album than you may care to admit.

 

I think that might be the problem. I don't want Rush to say "hey lets just make a modern album". I feel like that's kinda what they did here. Being "Modern" and being "Forward-Thinking" are 2 very different things.

 

Not to bury CA. I'm a big fan. I just feel like the album doesn't really tell us anything about Rush that we didn't already know.

Edited by Dscrapre
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow! VT just sounds wrong. Nothing else like it comes to mind, so I guess thats a good thing!

For me, it definitely is a good thing. The "wrongness" is what I like about it. Something about it seems completely disconnected from time and everything else. It's impossible to actually explain.

 

The Remix, I feel, actually does the album something of a disservice in that regard. Sure it sounds "better" but that quality comes with a price. I think that Mr. Botrill kinda nailed the album to a specific, "2000's" kind of feel.

 

I think CA is a more modern album than you may care to admit.

 

I think that might be the problem. I don't want Rush to say "hey lets just make a modern album". I feel like that's kinda what they did here. Being "Modern" and being "Forward-Thinking" are 2 very different things.

 

Not to bury CA. I'm a big fan. I just feel like the album doesn't really tell us anything about Rush that we didn't already know.

 

Enjoyed these comments! I think you may have been right about CA, but for me it follows in the footsteps of VT and SA only minus the elements I found irritating. For example, no tracks on CA frustrate me like Spindrift (I might actually hate that song) or Vapor Trail. However, I have only heard the remix and my issues may be that something is not right, and perhaps I should attempt the original. I often try and avoid remasters now for the same reason: its often not a patch on the "real deal".

 

But I think CA is forward thinking. It evolves the sound of the previous two albums with elements of older albums (Hemispheres comes to mind) coming to the fore. This combination makes me think the band is ready to progress Rush, comfortable knowing who they are and still adventurous enough to push the boundaries further. For me, this sounds like a reinvigorated modern Rush in love with music and bold enough to do what they want. For me, whatever their strengths, the two (three including Feedback) previous releases were the progressive steps toward a latter day masterwork, in much the same way as the first three Rush albums evolved the sound that eventually led to the bands first classic album 2112. (This comment is not meant in detriment to those first three records.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For example, no tracks on CA frustrate me like Spindrift (I might actually hate that song)

 

Terrible song.

 

However, I have only heard the remix and my issues may be that something is not right, and perhaps I should attempt the original.

 

It's nice that there are people out there who find something appealing about the original, but most of us consider it a headache-inducing mess. I suppose it's worth trying though, as you may end up being one of the few who revel in the cacophony.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a strong feeling I won't like it anyway. Just tried playing it again, and it is honestly just a very boring album. The songs are nkt exactly breathtaking, and the remix sounds horrible. I have no idea how it could get any worse, so I may just overlook this one and immerse myself in what Rush albums I do love (all but, say, five?).
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

the remix sounds horrible. I have no idea how it could get any worse

 

Yeah, even the remix isn't exactly exemplary sound-wise, but you might be surprised by just how much of a disaster the original is at times. I always point to the beginning of Ceiling Unlimited on the original as a part that sounds tragically and utterly awful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a strong feeling I won't like it anyway. Just tried playing it again, and it is honestly just a very boring album. The songs are nkt exactly breathtaking, and the remix sounds horrible. I have no idea how it could get any worse, so I may just overlook this one and immerse myself in what Rush albums I do love (all but, say, five?).

I was either a bad influence on you or you just get it..... :huh: :)
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Narpe:

 

I think you're a good influence! Because of you I went back to the older albums a few weeks back and realised how awesome they are both in the context of the time period and in light of most modern rock! I think they peaked with AFTK-PoW with every album a major high And maybe...just maybe...I will be ragging on about the joys of Yes in a few weeks time...still waiting to get some stuff but so far I cannot see how they could possibly be rubbish (still think you're wrong about Toto!).

 

Still love Roll The Bones, though, even if it is no AFTK! And in the right light, Presto is quite beautiful...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Narpe:

 

I think you're a good influence! Because of you I went back to the older albums a few weeks back and realised how awesome they are both in the context of the time period and in light of most modern rock! I think they peaked with AFTK-PoW with every album a major high And maybe...just maybe...I will be ragging on about the joys of Yes in a few weeks time...still waiting to get some stuff but so far I cannot see how they could possibly be rubbish (still think you're wrong about Toto!).

 

Still love Roll The Bones, though, even if it is no AFTK! And in the right light, Presto is quite beautiful...

 

Presto is awesome and criminally underrated.

 

Mick

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Narpe:

 

I think you're a good influence! Because of you I went back to the older albums a few weeks back and realised how awesome they are both in the context of the time period and in light of most modern rock! I think they peaked with AFTK-PoW with every album a major high And maybe...just maybe...I will be ragging on about the joys of Yes in a few weeks time...still waiting to get some stuff but so far I cannot see how they could possibly be rubbish (still think you're wrong about Toto!).

 

Still love Roll The Bones, though, even if it is no AFTK! And in the right light, Presto is quite beautiful...

 

Presto is awesome and criminally underrated.

 

Mick

 

Its funny...people say the last great Rush album was, at the very least, Power Windows. Prior to CA, I think 2112 through to RTB were all high quality releases! Some more so than others, but Presto is often as good as MP in my mind! I enjoy it, even that crazy cover art!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To the original question:

 

Vapor Trails is in my top spot.

 

I like the guitar, beautiful vocal layering (yeah I love the Geddy Choirs) and overall sound of Snakes and Arrows. For those reasons, it edges out the somewhat less interesting Counterparts and Clockwork Angels, both of which I consider equals.

 

Test for Echo is my least favorite Rush album.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clockwork Angels for sure. In my opinion, it's a lot lyrically stronger. Also, I love how heavy it is instrumentally. It's honestly one of their most impressive albums.
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...