Ok, this isn't easy,but Im turning myself in

[Hooklahoma]

I consider myself as big a Rush fan as any but I have a 23 year gap between buying Grace under pressure the week it came out in 84 and picking up S and A in 2007. Thats 7 studio albums that I'm only tangentially familiar with. Ive only heard the songs of those albums from the 3 concerts i attended after 1984 (HYF, S and A and Time machine tours)

 

I know many will question my fandom for bowing out of the newer stuff for that long, but i never stopped bing a rush fan. Still pulling out the old vinyl at least once a week. Pretty much wore out multiple copies of the first 11 albums. Grace under pressure really broke my heart and I just couldn't deal with the fact that Rush's new music was so much less interesting that what other bands were putting out during the time. The band had changed, I had changed.

 

 

 

That being said Im older and wiser now and Im ready to jump in with both feet. I want to start out with three this weekend to get acquainted with. I prefer vinyl, but I hear some during that era are tough to find so I'll settle for MP3's. Which three should i start with? Are there there any that are universally considered to be stinkers amongst most rush fans?

[patjnev]

Welcome to the forum.I kinda did the same thing I cooled on Rush after Grace and didn't buy another release until Counterparts. I might be wrong but there is not a lot of love for the heavy synth offerings and also the two that followed Hold Your Fire here. I personally have a tough time listening to the post 2000 records.I guess it is all down to just putting them on and giving them a listen. I can usually find 1 or 2 songs that I like on any Rush album no matter how much I didn't like it at first. Also when I saw Rush on the VT tour OLV was a hell of lot better live then on the cd.I remember not liking PoW when it first came out but now it is one of my favorites . Rush kinda does that to me . That is why I am trying not to judge the post year 2000 albums too harshly I may end up loving them .

[EagleMoon]

First of all, welcome to the forum. :) I think you'll find that a lot of people here did something similar. I got pretty disgusted when they stopped being as prog and seemed like they weren't writing as good songs around Grace Under Pressure but started liking them again around Roll the Bones. Then I got disgusted again when Vapor Trails came out and the production was so bad. It wasn't until Snakes & Arrows that I really got back into the band again. So I think with a band that's been around as long (and changed as much as they have) it's not unusual to have extended absences. I always loved the stuff that I loved when it came out, and I've learned to love the stuff since then that I didn't originally. Their music is almost like a book. You may not like it the first time you read it, but give it time and one day you just might listen to it and it'll all become clear. Suddenly you'll find you love stuff you didn't before. I see that happen every day on this forum. It's pretty neat.

[H. P. L.]

I'd say, go for Power Windows.

 

Concerning your question about "universal stinkers", I think you'll find that there's no such thing as "universal", since even T4E has its fans. You might encounter a vocal majority who will tell you that Vapor Trails is the worst Rush album, but there's a dedicated minority, myself included, that consider it one of their best.

[tas7]

You're not alone, many say Signals was the change but Grace Under Pressure was the major disappointment for me. After that things became a bit hit and miss. Power Windows was an improvement then after that it became difficult to rave over the albums that followed. All have their highs and lows, and in my opinion became far too long. Edited September 18, 2014 by tas7

[laughedatbytime]

Presto is irredeemable and S&A is awful (but you already have that one). Still I love p/g (they didn't start losing me till PoW), so my recommendation may not be the best for you

[Snyder80]

I was born in 1980 and raised on Rush from day one. Still I'm the opposite of most on these boards. The 80's material is what I grew up on; I had to discover albums like Hemispheres and AFTK on my own and at my own pace. It's hard for me to relate to a lot of fans on these boards because the material many distanced themselves from was the material that I've loved from the moment I first heard it.

 

I would strongly suggest giving GUP another listen and try not to judge it against their earlier work. Rush isn't a band where that tactic works very well because they've always strived to be experimental and dynamic. Geddy Lee once said that in the early days they were just hoping they could get Neil to play the same beat two verses in a row. With a statement like that you would have to expect the most outlandish and unpredictable material from them, right?

 

I'm fortunate to be the owner of my ears because I love most of their material, especially the 80's synth stuff.

 

PoW is a perfect album. A great concept record and has some of Geddy and Neil's best work, in my opinion.

[Blue J]

If you're confused by all of the acronyms everybody uses around here for the album titles, let me tell you that you're not alone- I had to get used to the same thing when I first joined. Hahaha...and I still don't use them myself (I mean, if Grace Under Pressure is referred to as 'p/g' by a lot of people, and Test for Echo, for example, is 'T4E', then what do they call Hemispheres? Just...H? No! Presto...P? Counterparts...C? Ridiculous! No, they don't do that. I just ask for consistency of syntax, that's all. But I digress)...

 

If you were turned off by the synth sounds you heard on Grace Under Pressure, then do NOT get Power Windows. I think it's a great record, personally- it's fantastic. But if that's what turned you off about Grace Under Pressure, then you're not going to like Power Windows any better.

 

I would recommend the following, for your hard-rockin' sensibilities:

 

Counterparts- best Rush album of the '90s by far, in my opinion

Snakes and Arrows- great music, and a return to great lyrics, from Mr. Peart

Clockwork Angels- their most consistently wall-to-wall great album since Moving Pictures (or Hold Your Fire ;) )

 

Welcome to the forum, and enjoy!

Edited September 18, 2014 by Blue J

[troutman]

If you're confused by all of the acronyms everybody uses around here for the album titles, let me tell you that you're not alone- I had to get used to the same thing when I first joined. Hahaha...and I still don't use them myself (I mean, if Grace Under Pressure is referred to as 'p/g' by a lot of people, and Test for Echo, for example, is 'T4E', then what do they call Hemispheres? Just...H? No! Presto...P? Counterparts...C? Ridiculous! No, they don't do that. I just ask for consistency of syntax, that's all. But I digress)...

 

If you were turned off by the synth sounds you heard on Grace Under Pressure, then do NOT get Power Windows. I think it's a great record, personally- it's fantastic. But if that's what turned you off about Grace Under Pressure, then you're not going to like Power Windows any better.

 

I would recommend the following, for your hard-rockin' sensibilities:

 

Counterparts- best Rush album of the '90s by far, in my opinion

Snakes and Arrows- great music, and a return to great lyrics, from Mr. Peart

Clockwork Angels- their most consistently wall-to-wall great album since Moving Pictures (again, just my opinion)

 

Welcome to the forum, and enjoy!

 

:goodone:

 

But I feel he will miss out on the other stuff. Maybe get the albums that you mentioned first. But at some point come around to the the other stuff after Grace Under Pressure.

[Tony R]

Any person that starts a thread with "I" or "me" in the title should automatically put on ignore.

 

You genuinely want recommendations for post GUP Rush? There's about 6000 polls on this kind of thing all over this forum. The "search" function is your friend, unlike me, who is no friend of attention whores.

 

 

[Blue J]

True, troutman- I was not at all saying that the other albums should be ignored. Just trying to pick things that I thought would fall best in line with his tastes first.

[EagleMoon]

Any person that starts a thread with "I" or "me" in the title should automatically put on ignore.

 

You genuinely want recommendations for post GUP Rush? There's about 6000 polls on this kind of thing all over this forum. The "search" function is your friend, unlike me, who is no friend of attention whores.

 

Nice welcome to a new person. Way to go.

 

I would much rather have a thread like this than the dozens of insipid X vs X polls we've been inundated with for the past month.

[Motorshooter]

Tony R, why be a f-ing grump? Edited September 18, 2014 by Motorshooter

[JimboWTF]

Even though you are talking about stuff that has come between GUP and S&A, check out "Clockwork Angels." It is a masterpiece in my opinion. From the first track to the last. You can get the vinyl on Amazon.com

 

I like a couple of tracks from each album between GUP and CA, but I consistently find myself listening to the entirety of CA over and over.

 

"Headlong Flight" is my favorite track. 7 1/2 minutes of adrenaline with hints of "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" in Alex's solo.

 

"The Garden" on CA is completely different from anything you have heard from Rush. Very emotional. I hope I am wrong, but when I first heard it, it sounded like a "goodbye" track.

Edited September 18, 2014 by JimboWTF

[Maverick]

Tony R, why be a f-ing grump?

 

You obviously don't know Tony.

 

 

We've grown to love him in the SOCN for this very reason. Besides, every n00b needs to be roughed up a little. How else are they going to learn?

[troutman]

True, troutman- I was not at all saying that the other albums should be ignored. Just trying to pick things that I thought would fall best in line with his tastes first.

 

Yep,

 

You made a great point!! :cheers:

[GeddysMullet]

Any person that starts a thread with "I" or "me" in the title should automatically put on ignore.

 

You genuinely want recommendations for post GUP Rush? There's about 6000 polls on this kind of thing all over this forum. The "search" function is your friend, unlike me, who is no friend of attention whores.

 

Wow, who pissed in your Cheerios this morning?

[H. P. L.]

I mean, if Grace Under Pressure is referred to as 'p/g' by a lot of people, and Test for Echo, for example, is 'T4E', then what do they call Hemispheres? Just...H? No! Presto...P? Counterparts...C? Ridiculous! No, they don't do that. I just ask for consistency of syntax, that's all. But I digress

Come on, who doesn't like to indulge in a little esotheric lingo, known only by trve fans? It's all part of the fun!

[KennyLee]

I mean, if Grace Under Pressure is referred to as 'p/g' by a lot of people, and Test for Echo, for example, is 'T4E', then what do they call Hemispheres? Just...H?

 

Every letter in Hemispheres is just as important as the letter that preceded and/or followed!

 

:D

[Tombstone Mountain]

Any person that starts a thread with "I" or "me" in the title should automatically put on ignore.

 

You genuinely want recommendations for post GUP Rush? There's about 6000 polls on this kind of thing all over this forum. The "search" function is your friend, unlike me, who is no friend of attention whores.

Even though this is rude as hell, it's the biggest reason I love this man!

 

TonyR Honorary Grump of TRF

[Hooklahoma]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Ill start with Counterparts, HYF and Power windows. Ill get to the rest eventually. I already have Snakes and Clockwork, love them both.

 

No worries 'bout the grump. I am battle-hardened from years of being on audiophile and sports forums. From what Ive read so far the douche quotient on this board, as with rush fans in general, is many orders of magnitude under the societal average.

[KennyLee]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Ill start with Counterparts, HYF and Power windows. Ill get to the rest eventually. I already have Snakes and Clockwork, love them both.

 

No worries 'bout the grump. I am battle-hardened from years of being on audiophile and sports forums. From what Ive read so far the douche quotient on this board, as with rush fans in general, is many orders of magnitude under the societal average.

 

You'll do just fine here. :D

[LedRush]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Ill start with Counterparts, HYF and Power windows. Ill get to the rest eventually. I already have Snakes and Clockwork, love them both.

 

No worries 'bout the grump. I am battle-hardened from years of being on audiophile and sports forums. From what Ive read so far the douche quotient on this board, as with rush fans in general, is many orders of magnitude under the societal average.

 

If you loved S&A and Clockwork Angels (CA), I'd actually start from S&A and move backwards. Get Vapor Trails Remixed, Test for Echo, and *gulp* Counterparts*. Those three are most in line with the harder sound that you seem to like on both the older and newest records.

 

*This is my least favorite album, so it pains me to recommend it over some others. But if you liked the guitar and not the synth, I'd stick it out with these 3.

[bri-tor]

I would never be without Grace under Pressure, as I find the songwriting has incredibly strong elements to it (notwithstanding Body Electric and Red Lenses, which I really don´t enjoy).

 

If I had to choose three discs for you to start with, I´d say Counterparts (arguably my favourite cd, and a really welcome return to a hard trio sound), Power Windows (arguably the most produced Rush cd, but with incredible textures and concepts of keyboard use in the Rush sound) and Clockwork Angels (simply an amazingly strong album from start to finish)

[WorkingAllTheTime]

"The Garden" on CA is completely different from anything you have heard from Rush. Very emotional. I hope I am wrong, but when I first heard it, it sounded like a "goodbye" track.

 

The first time I heard that song, I had sort of the same feeling. Certainly I would like the band to put together another album, but truth be told, if that is the final song of their final studio album, I am good with that.

 

I realize that some in the forum really don't like "The Garden", but I think there is a reason so many of us longer in the tooth resonate with it. Raise a few kids... bury a few friends... hold a grandchild for the first time... then that song will make complete and profound sense.