Test for Echo appreciation thread! (Brace yourselves)

[bluefox4000]

Go back and listen to Time and Motion again. It's one of their edgiest songs with plenty of prog elements. Quite possibly the most underrated Rush song. :finbar:

 

On paper, it's a song that should have been good, but it turned out shitty, partly because of some horrendous vocal melodies. A bottom 5 Rush tune by any measure, IMO.

 

it made me wanna shove something sharp in my ears. It really is like nails on a chalkboard.

 

Mick

[Digital Dad]

Yes this album just feels like the band is not engaged at all. I may hate VT........but at least there was a fire to it. this is just........there.

 

Mick

 

Nah it's a got a laid back funky vibe. Aparently the sessions were casual and went off without a hitch. Wish hey could have just made Kevin Shirley producer of it and given it more of a ballsy attack like he does with he Maiden stuff.

[Segue Myles]

Yes this album just feels like the band is not engaged at all. I may hate VT........but at least there was a fire to it. this is just........there.

 

Mick

 

Nothing hurts more than indifference.

 

Read: Mindfields

[bluefox4000]

Yes this album just feels like the band is not engaged at all. I may hate VT........but at least there was a fire to it. this is just........there.

 

Mick

 

Nothing hurts more than indifference.

 

Read: Mindfields

 

Right. That vibe is all over T4E

 

OK boys.......album time....... :zzz:

 

that just how it comes off.

 

Mick

Edited October 24, 2015 by bluefox4000

[Segue Myles]

Yes this album just feels like the band is not engaged at all. I may hate VT........but at least there was a fire to it. this is just........there.

 

Mick

 

Nothing hurts more than indifference.

 

Read: Mindfields

 

Right. That vibe is all over T4E

 

OK boys.......album time....... :zzz:

 

that just how it comes off.

 

Mick

 

I agree. It isn't a favourite for that very reason. But it has enough good for me to not throw it away!

[AnEggplant]

Yes this album just feels like the band is not engaged at all. I may hate VT........but at least there was a fire to it. this is just........there.

 

Mick

 

Nothing hurts more than indifference.

 

Read: Mindfields

 

Right. That vibe is all over T4E

 

OK boys.......album time....... :zzz:

 

that just how it comes off.

 

Mick

 

I can see that, but I still like every song. It's not their best album to be sure, but it's far from their worst I think.

[ghostworks]

Counter Echo is a great album:

 

A

"Test for Echo"

"Cut to the Chase"

"Double Agent"

"Time and Motion"

 

B

"Animate"

"Totem"

"Cold Fire"

"Alien Shore"

 

- but dear god do I hate Test Parts

 

A

"Virtuality"

"The Speed of Love"

"Half the World"

"The Color of Right"

"Dog Years"

 

B

"Nobody's Hero"

"Everyday Glory"

"Between Sun & Moon"

"Carve Away the Stone"

"Resist"

 

that fun little 'heavy Rush' throwback single was ok

 

"Stick It Out" b/w "Driven"

 

as was the instrumental EP

 

"Leave That Thing Alone" b/w "Limbo"

 

^ all said, at the end of the day to have 8/22 songs as 'keepers', over 20 years into their career, is still a very respectable batting average

[Turbine Freight]

Dreadful record.

[AnEggplant]

Dreadful record.

 

We were talking about Test for Echo, not Roll The Bones. Sorry for the confusion. :P

[Segue Myles]

Dreadful record.

 

We were talking about Test for Echo, not Roll The Bones. Sorry for the confusion. :P

 

Erm...both are kinda the same lol

[AnEggplant]

Dreadful record.

 

We were talking about Test for Echo, not Roll The Bones. Sorry for the confusion. :P

 

Erm...both are kinda the same lol

 

I feel like Test for Echo may be a little bland, but Roll The Bones is just obnoxious. Just my opinion though.

[Narps]

Dreadful record.

:cheerleader: Straight to the point... :)

[LeaveMyThingAlone]

What makes it odd is that Counterparts was so strong. I just assumed we'd get more of the same with T4E and it just didn't come together that way. Perhaps Neil's new drumming technique threw everyone off more than they thought. I am certain all the time Neil spent learning that carried over to the lyrics....

 

In the end, it happens. With the number of studio albums these guys have put out, you're gonna have an album here and there like this. I'll take Rush's overall track record all day..

[Cygnus 2112]

T4E has a lot of disparity. Half the album is just amazing. T4E, Driven, and Time & Motion are three all time greats in my book. Limbo, Half The World, and Resist are good songs. The rest of T4E is pretty lame. I don't think there is another Rush album that has such strong material, while some material is utter crap.

A lot of people make it seem that everything after p/g is crap when they just got less consistent with good songs. There's still some fantastic songs on the less-liked albums.

That I can agree with. There are a few gems on pretty much all of them. A best of the rest 89' - 07' double album would work for me. I would might even buy it...

You need retrospective 3.

[Narps]

T4E has a lot of disparity. Half the album is just amazing. T4E, Driven, and Time & Motion are three all time greats in my book. Limbo, Half The World, and Resist are good songs. The rest of T4E is pretty lame. I don't think there is another Rush album that has such strong material, while some material is utter crap.

A lot of people make it seem that everything after p/g is crap when they just got less consistent with good songs. There's still some fantastic songs on the less-liked albums.

That I can agree with. There are a few gems on pretty much all of them. A best of the rest 89' - 07' double album would work for me. I would might even buy it...

You need retrospective 3.

Honestly I just looked up the track listing and can certainly do without it but I sincerely do appreciate the suggestion though... :)

[Blue Barchetta]

Half the album sucks, while the other half blows. Half of us cringe what half the album is trying to say. Half of us listen, while half of us are just trying to forget...

And I'd rather be a tortoise from Galapagos than listen to Dog Years!

[Blue Barchetta]

Go back and listen to Time and Motion again. It's one of their edgiest songs with plenty of prog elements. Quite possibly the most underrated Rush song. :finbar:

 

On paper, it's a song that should have been good, but it turned out shitty, partly because of some horrendous vocal melodies. A bottom 5 Rush tune by any measure, IMO.

And what in the world is going on with that solo? Sounds like someone skinning a live cat!

[DirtyMidnighter]

The whole album has a sort of cold, breezy indifference that I actually really appreciate. It sounds somewhat effortless and less fussed-over than many other Rush albums and floats by nicely. Sonically, it's consistent and features icy synth tones layered throughout some of the most un-obtrusive Peart drumming in the entire Rush catalogue. With the slight exception of the oddly syncopated title track and Time and Motion, it all goes down nice and easy and features some nice melodic moments. Rush wisely peppered these songs in lightly to their 96' tour and let them serve as a nice counterbalance to more atmospheric classic work (The Trees, Natural Science) as seen on Different Stages.

 

All of that being said, I still think it is the weakest Rush album. I'm just one of those people who love every song off every album.

[AnEggplant]

The whole album has a sort of cold, breezy indifference that I actually really appreciate. It sounds somewhat effortless and less fussed-over than many other Rush albums and floats by nicely. Sonically, it's consistent and features icy synth tones layered throughout some of the most un-obtrusive Peart drumming in the entire Rush catalogue. With the slight exception of the oddly syncopated title track and Time and Motion, it all goes down nice and easy and features some nice melodic moments. Rush wisely peppered these songs in lightly to their 96' tour and let them serve as a nice counterbalance to more atmospheric classic work (The Trees, Natural Science) as seen on Different Stages.

 

All of that being said, I still think it is the weakest Rush album. I'm just one of those people who love every song off every album.

 

I agree with everything except it being their weakest.

[Digital Dad]

The whole album has a sort of cold, breezy indifference that I actually really appreciate. It sounds somewhat effortless and less fussed-over than many other Rush albums and floats by nicely. Sonically, it's consistent and features icy synth tones layered throughout some of the most un-obtrusive Peart drumming in the entire Rush catalogue. With the slight exception of the oddly syncopated title track and Time and Motion, it all goes down nice and easy and features some nice melodic moments. Rush wisely peppered these songs in lightly to their 96' tour and let them serve as a nice counterbalance to more atmospheric classic work (The Trees, Natural Science) as seen on Different Stages.

 

All of that being said, I still think it is the weakest Rush album. I'm just one of those people who love every song off every album.

 

You love every song but still think it's the weakest album??

[Segue Myles]

The whole album has a sort of cold, breezy indifference that I actually really appreciate. It sounds somewhat effortless and less fussed-over than many other Rush albums and floats by nicely. Sonically, it's consistent and features icy synth tones layered throughout some of the most un-obtrusive Peart drumming in the entire Rush catalogue. With the slight exception of the oddly syncopated title track and Time and Motion, it all goes down nice and easy and features some nice melodic moments. Rush wisely peppered these songs in lightly to their 96' tour and let them serve as a nice counterbalance to more atmospheric classic work (The Trees, Natural Science) as seen on Different Stages.

 

All of that being said, I still think it is the weakest Rush album. I'm just one of those people who love every song off every album.

 

You love every song but still think it's the weakest album??

 

If he loves every song off every album, but loves some albums more than others, then one has to come last.

 

He loves this, but loves this least.

[TexMike]

The whole album has a sort of cold, breezy indifference that I actually really appreciate. It sounds somewhat effortless and less fussed-over than many other Rush albums and floats by nicely. Sonically, it's consistent and features icy synth tones layered throughout some of the most un-obtrusive Peart drumming in the entire Rush catalogue. With the slight exception of the oddly syncopated title track and Time and Motion, it all goes down nice and easy and features some nice melodic moments. Rush wisely peppered these songs in lightly to their 96' tour and let them serve as a nice counterbalance to more atmospheric classic work (The Trees, Natural Science) as seen on Different Stages.

 

I think when the strongest adjective you can come up with to describe the album is "nice", that pretty much says it all. ;)

[LedRush]

Counterparts was such a huge let down after RTB brought Rush out of a 5 album decline and got Rush fans actually liking Rush again. T4E was the perfect statement that Rush was still going strong. I still love this album, and it has so many great songs that I can get non-Rush fans in to.

[TexMike]

Counterparts was such a huge let down after RTB brought Rush out of a 5 album decline and got Rush fans actually liking Rush again.

 

You continually make this statement about RTB, but it mainly just got *mainstream* Rush fans liking Rush again. If you poll the people on this forum who've been fans since Signals or earlier, most would tell you they dislike - if not downright hate - RTB. Sales doesn't always reflect quality.

[MrMan]

It is by far my least favorite Rush album. it's the only album in their entire catalog where I have songs ranked 1 (on a 1-to-5 scale) and there are two of them (Dog Years / Virtuality). A one means that I find the song unlistenable. There are two great songs, ranked as 4 (T4E and Driven); three good songs, ranked as 3 (Time and Motion, Limbo, Carve Away the Stone) and the rest are ranked as 2 for me.