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Thread: Order the Rush Albums

  1. #51
    Progdog ThomasKDye's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wounded Land View Post
    I still don't understand all the hate for Vapor Trails.
    You asked for it. Well, actually, you didn't. Anyway, I relistened to VT to see if my perception changed.

    "One Little Victory" - I actually like this one. At least the groove is kind of cool, and that helps.
    "Ceiling Unlimited" - This isn't bad for what it is. It has a certain momentum, but two of the things that drives me bonkers on this album surfaces: Alex playing mulitracked loud, noisy, overdriven guitars VERY FAST to the point where the sound just becomes white noise, and Geddy Lee sounding like he's singing from the other side of a closet door. At least the melody is somewhat interesting...
    "Ghost Rider" - I don't want to diss this one as it's obviously a personal statement by Peart, but frankly, the song's very boring. That "Like a ghost riiii-der" line sounds so forced melodically, and I can't pick up any emotion from this one at all. Then Geddy overdubs his vocals in some attempt at counterpoint at the end, and it just becomes blah blah blah.
    "Peaceable Kingdom" - Again, LOUD STRUM STRUM STRUM accompanied by the Geddy choir on the other side of a cement wall. Any interesting attempt at melody in the softer parts becomes destroyed by Alex thumping in with his ugly guitar sounds. I'm getting a headache already, and this is from the "remastered" version.
    "The Stars Look Down" - I remember liking this one before; the syncopated intro and overall psychedelic vibe wasn't bad, but Geddy's vocals are muddy AGAIN, because God knows we wouldn't want any less than five guitar tracks going on at once, obscuring everything else. The chorus would be more effective if I hadn't zoned out during the dull verse.
    "How It Is" - Geez, even the twelve-string sounds like it's being played through a broken drive-in speaker. Still, this is one of the better tracks. I like the groove in the verse (though the effect on the vocal is hideous) and the chorus is fairly pretty. Still, dammit... MIX GEDDY'S VOX UP. I CAN BARELY MAKE OUT WHAT HE'S SINGING.
    "Vapor Trail" - Eh, I'll be honest. The verse isn't bad. Then Alex plays a "chorus" part that feels badly stitched on to the song, and the soggy Geddy choirs slush into action. It just makes the song so boring. And really, the sameness of the overall sound is starting to get to me.
    "Secret Touch" - This is actually my FAVORITE song on the album, and the only one besides "Victory" that I ever return to. "The way out is a way in" is a beautiful part, and makes the entire song. Even Alex crashing down with his usual unsubtle STEROID STRUM can't ruin it. I just figure if I want the VT sound, I'll pull this song out and be done with it. But even so, Christ.. I'm getting to the point where I want to lock Alex Lifeson away entirely.
    "Earthshine" - Dull power chord verse riff, uninspired melody and a terrible, uninvolving chorus. Next.
    "Sweet Miracle" - The constant thudding sameness is getting to me, and I know this is supposed to be a sensitive song. Why can't they let anything just breathe?
    "Nocturne" - Jeez, the intro guitar line seems identical to the one starting "Ceiling Unlimited." I'm in an infinite loop here. They seem to think variety involves playing a lone bass line with a clicking high-hat, until Alex assaults us with his noisy guitars giving it POWAH!!! The twiddly guitar sections accompanied by the Weinrib Zombie Singers don't help, either. They just seem pointlessly busy. There's no let-up.
    "Freeze" - I remember I was supposed to be impressed by another odd time signature, but I only remember thinking how maybe the "Fear" trilogy didn't need a follow-up. If this monotonous hiccup is all they could produce, it really, really didn't. Do I really have one more song to get through?
    "Out of the Cradle" - Hey, that's kind of a cool acoustic guitar groove! Let's add all sorts of horrible overdubs and make it grating! And I know I've heard that damn chorus melody before. Or I think I did. And one thing I didn't mention - I'd rather hear Geddy Lee scream circa his seventies "EVERY NERVE IS TORN APART" than hear that anemic washed-out wail one more time.

    Honestly, I hate this. The songs all have the same feel, the same rhythms, the same damn vocal effects, the same boring melodies, turning into one dirty mushy pile of noise. "Snakes and Arrows" had at least some variety in its makeup (I'd have welcomed something like "Hope," "Spindrift" or "Bravest Face" at any point during this endless barrage) and though I don't think S&A is sensational, I find it infinitely more LISTENABLE. I haven't warmed up to CA entirely yet either, but that's much better than this as well.

    And when I got this, I WANTED to like this. Peart was back! Rush was back! This was going to be a deeper album than ever before! Surely Lee and Lifeson have saved up some A material by now! The let-down was just more painful for it.

  2. #52
    Permanent Waves and
    Moving Pictures

    represent the apex of Rush's work IMO and have never been bettered. However,

    Hemispheres
    Signals
    Power Windows
    A Farewell To Kings
    and
    Clockwork Angels

    are all great albums and are not far behind.




    Grace Under Pressure and
    Hold Your Fire along with especially
    Presto

    represent an increasing homogenization in the band's sound (along with the somewhat better PW and Signals) and after Presto I decided I'd had enough and gave Rush up for the better part of the next 25 years.




    However, I got the "Caravan" single when it came out, and my interest was rekindled somewhat, and shortly thereafter picked up

    Snakes And Arrows,

    which along with the also recently-acquired

    Counterparts and
    Test For Echo and
    Vapor Trails

    I have not yet heard sufficiently to evaluate. I also recently found a cheep copy of

    Roll The Bones

    online, but it hasn't yet arrived in the mail. Probably tomorrow.




    Now, the remastered, super-duper edition of

    2112

    is something that I just picked up at the band's recent CA tour concert in Raleigh. I heard it a lot when I was a teenager, my buddy at the time (a Peart-addled drummer himself) literally beat it into the ground, and I always considered it to be rather sophomoric in comparison to what they started to accomplish next with AFtK.


    Fly By Night

    is one that I also heard a lot as a teen, and just recently re-acquired. I like the energy and enthusiasm that they had as a band at that time, but obviously they were in the process of getting it all figured out. Still, not a bad rekkid.




    Caress of Steel and
    Rush

    are rekkids that I owned when I was a teen. I don't recall how or why or when I got rid of them, and I don't recall either of them being so noteworthy as to demand an immediate re-evaluation. But it is quite possible that I could re-acquire either of them if providence serves the moment.



    All of the live stuff doesn't really count. It's nice, especially Exit . . . . Stage Left, and I guess at some point I'll grab one of the more highly rated recent live DVDs.


    I don't really care about Feedback in the slightest, but if someone gives me a copy I'll take it.
    Last edited by Reginod; 07-06-2013 at 12:34 AM.
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  3. #53
    Member Vic2012's Avatar
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    I don't need to order any Rush albums
    I thought the same thing when I read the titles of all these "Order the...." threads.

    What the hell, I'll order 'em too:

    Hemispheres
    2112
    A Farewell To Kings
    Moving Pictures
    Permanent Waves
    Fly By Night
    Rush
    Caress Of Steel
    Signals
    Vapor Trails
    Test For Echo
    Counterparts
    Clockwork Angels

  4. #54
    Member Vic2012's Avatar
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    I still don't understand all the hate for Vapor Trails. It has some of their best late-period writing, as far as I'm concerned, plus it has a real energy and aggressiveness to it that they hadn't had for a long time.
    I've warmed to it a little more over the years. I made a CDr of the best tracks from VT, CP, and T4E a while back, and I was a little surprised that there were more tracks from VT than the other 2 albums. The problem with VT is obviously the sound of it. Like Pete said already, it's a cluttered mess. To me it always sounded like there were a thousand Geddys struggling to be heard above all the noise. It's a horrible sounding album (worse than Death Magnetic and 13, which I think both sound okay) but it's got some good songs. Favorite track is Peaceable Kingdom. I personally think Counterparts isn't as good as everyone thinks it is.
    Last edited by Vic2012; 07-06-2013 at 12:11 PM.

  5. #55
    Moderator Sean's Avatar
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    I have to agree, Vic. C-Parts seems pretty middle of the road all these years later. Great tones on it though that were very welcome at the time. I think I like Test for Lactose better at this point.

  6. #56
    Oh No! Bass Solo! klothos's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yanks2009 View Post
    Grace Under Pressure - such a cool and original sound on this, .
    Sounds like an over-produced version of The Police for me

  7. #57
    Member Yanks2014's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by klothos View Post
    Sounds like an over-produced version of The Police for me
    I don't hear that one bit, and I love the Police. I guess Lifeson and Summers used a couple similar guitar tones, but really I hear no other similarities. And of course Grace takes a much darker tone throughout, aside from Kid Gloves.

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