Rush: Fifty Something Tour

[fyl2u]

2112

Amazing album but I don't think it's a good introduction to them. It's a bit "proggy" for even a lot of Rush fans, let alone someone trying them out for the first time.

I love Rush and even I can't listen to it very often.

For me the "golden age" of Rush was from '81 to '96 (but skipping Signals and Presto).

 

[chriswallace85]

Amazing album but I don't think it's a good introduction to them. It's a bit "proggy" for even a lot of Rush fans, let alone someone trying them out for the first time.

I love Rush and even I can't listen to it very often.

For me the "golden age" of Rush was from '81 to '96 (but skipping Signals and Presto).

That's why I've got the other two in. Though I disagree that it's not a good introduction.

It's only 20 minutes long. If you're thinking about listening to Rush, you've probably had a listen to Floyd and Zeppelin, and they're no strangers to a long song. 2112 the song is broken down into several parts. The Overture's accessible enough. Then you've got the Temples of Syrinx. I don't think it's that overwhelming.

The second half of the record is 4 short songs. Passage to Bangkok is as classic rock radio friendly as classic rock radio gets.

2112 is their magnum opus for good reason.

I think your 'golden age of Rush' probably differs greatly from most Rush fans. You're basically ignoring 2112, Xanadu, Closer To The Heart and Spirit of the Radio. I think you could draw a line after Moving Pictures and never need hear another Rush record.

 

[Big Jeff]

That's why I've got the other two in. Though I disagree that it's not a good introduction.

It's only 20 minutes long. If you're thinking about listening to Rush, you've probably had a listen to Floyd and Zeppelin, and they're no strangers to a long song. 2112 the song is broken down into several parts. The Overture's accessible enough. Then you've got the Temples of Syrinx. I don't think it's that overwhelming.

The second half of the record is 4 short songs. Passage to Bangkok is as classic rock radio friendly as classic rock radio gets.

2112 is their magnum opus for good reason.

I think your 'golden age of Rush' probably differs greatly from most Rush fans. You're basically ignoring 2112, Xanadu, Closer To The Heart and Spirit of the Radio. I think you could draw a line after Moving Pictures and never need hear another Rush record.

Your last paragraph pretty much sums up my Rush existence although I still think of myself as a fan.

I have bought other albums and like selected newer songs but that era was my personal favourite.

 

[cosmicchris00]

For me the period from permanent Waves to Hold Your Fire was my favourite era. Of course I love their 70`s stuff too but I find I listen more to the 80`s period - maybe that was the time I was buying these albums on the day of release. I did drift away a little from Presto onwards but do like those albums but not as much as what went before. Thought they finished strongly with Snakes and Arrows and Clockwork Angels.

Considering what an obsessive Rush fan I was, I almost surprised myself by not listening to any of their albums after Hold Your Fire.

Heresy as this may seem, but the band became a little too caught up in themselves with much of the pretentiousness on full view in the film 'Time Stand Still'.

I still love the first ...ahem...12 albums though but

 

[Alan Partridge]

Oh really?

Sad to hear.

Maybe he was just ill or something.

Check out some recent stuff on YouTube. Same.

 

[chriswallace85]

Considering what an obsessive Rush fan I was, I almost surprised myself by not listening to any of their albums after Hold Your Fire.

Heresy as this may seem, but the band became a little too caught up in themselves with much of the pretentiousness on full view in the film 'Time Stand Still'.

I still love the first ...ahem...12 albums though but

I think for even the most avid fan, it can be hard to keep up with a band that's been so profilic over so long a period.

Me being the age I am with the tastes I have means I've had to go digging into most back catalogues, and it's easy to ignore/neglect/gloss over long periods in a band's output.

I don't know if it's necessarily the case with Rush, but some bands just run out of steam. I can't say I've heard a great deal from their latter period that's grabbed me like Red Barchetta or Working Man, or Xanadu. So you just don't go in for it.

I love the Stones, but I'd struggle to name ya half a dozen songs from the seven albums they've released since I was born. I've got everything they released on ABKCO though and more.

Dylan I've compartmentalised into eras. Concentrated on certain ones, cherry picked others, then slowly filled in the gaps. There's still a few I don't have. I took my time getting round to the born again Christian phase.

I suppose you could almost do that with Rush. The hard rock phase, the prog phase, synths, then latter day. There's a bit of overlap with the first two especially.

Springsteen I'll have nowt to do with owt in between USA and The Rising. I can't be on with '90s drum machine Springsteen.

 

[Johnny Alpha]

For me the "golden age" of Rush was from '81 to '96 (but skipping Signals and Presto).

You see that’s where you’re very wrong. From and including 2112 to Signals they are all magnificent. I even like Fly by Night and Caress of Steel. Not to sure about the debut however but after Signals it went to shit and didn’t recover until Feedback and Snakes and Arrows (and possibly Clockwork Angels). The intervening time was a wasteland for Rush.

 

[chriswallace85]

You see that’s where you’re very wrong. From and including 2112 to Signals they are all magnificent. I even like Fly by Night and Caress of Steel. Not to sure about the debut however but after Signals it went to shit and didn’t recover until Feedback and Snakes and Arrows (and possibly Clockwork Angels). The intervening time was a wasteland for Rush.

First album's a good hard rock record. Finding My Way's a good opener, and what a song to close on Working Man is, and it's endured in their repertoire.

 

[Johnny Alpha]

First album's a good hard rock record. Finding My Way's a good opener, and what a song to close on Working Man is, and it's endured in their repertoire.

I agree Chris that those two songs are highlights but the rest is less good. The album as a whole is still better than the likes of Power Windows and all of that dross that came after. IMHO of course.

 

[mickb2112]

The band struggled with that song for years (LVS). They could not record it in one take let alone play it live. But such is their musicianship that they finally mastered it.

I think the latter stages of Neils life are so tragic it makes me quite sad and it affects how I listen to their later albums less as a result.

For their new shows I think adding a new drummer and a keys player is a great idea.

It’s not overtly replacing Neil it’s something new.

Do you know if they will be playing new material too?

I always thought it`d be a good idea if they ever did play live again to get a keyboard player and maybe even a singer. Just let Geddy concentrate on bass and sing a few songs here and there rather than him trying to do everything at his age. I still hope they might bring in someone else to help him out vocally on the higher notes.

I agree Chris that those two songs are highlights but the rest is less good. The album as a whole is still better than the likes of Power Windows and all of that dross that came after. IMHO of course.

I absolutely love Power Windows. I think Middletwon Dreams may well be one of my favourite Rush songs. That whole album captured a great time in my life when I`d moved away from home to uni. I listen to the album and I`m back in my old Halls of Residence.

Grace Under Pressure was a great album too - very bleak and dark. I`d love to see them do Afterimage. In fact I always thought Afterimage would be a good name for a project for Geddy and Alex if they wanted to go out and play Rush music with a different name.

 

[Mousehold Mackem]

You're all wrong.

 

[mickb2112]

You're all wrong.

About what??

 

[fyl2u]

You see that’s where you’re very wrong. From and including 2112 to Signals they are all magnificent. I even like Fly by Night and Caress of Steel. Not to sure about the debut however but after Signals it went to shit and didn’t recover until Feedback and Snakes and Arrows (and possibly Clockwork Angels). The intervening time was a wasteland for Rush.

Wow, you're like the opposite of me in terms of taste in Rush. This is what I was getting at when that other guy was asking "where to start" with Rush - everyone you ask will give a different answer.

For me the first album is pretty bland compared with the music they make later, and then the very proggy albums from there up until the beginning of the 80's are the "wasteland" where although it's great musicianship, it's also them at their most unlistenable, and the production all sounds very dated.

And then the 80's and 90's up to Test For Echo were Rush at their absolute best; the perfect combination of musicianship, songwriting and production. You still have the proggy elements like the strange time signatures, but the sounds got a lot more experimental, the production improved massively to show both the pop whippersnappers and rock dinosaurs of the day how it's done, and their eclecticism grew and grew - they were no longer a "one genre" band, they had a bit of everything in there like the Michelin Star fusion chefs of prog rock.

That's why I've got the other two in. Though I disagree that it's not a good introduction.

It's only 20 minutes long. If you're thinking about listening to Rush, you've probably had a listen to Floyd and Zeppelin, and they're no strangers to a long song. 2112 the song is broken down into several parts. The Overture's accessible enough. Then you've got the Temples of Syrinx. I don't think it's that overwhelming.

The second half of the record is 4 short songs. Passage to Bangkok is as classic rock radio friendly as classic rock radio gets.

2112 is their magnum opus for good reason.

I think your 'golden age of Rush' probably differs greatly from most Rush fans. You're basically ignoring 2112, Xanadu, Closer To The Heart and Spirit of the Radio. I think you could draw a line after Moving Pictures and never need hear another Rush record.

You see, I find Temple Of Syrinx and Xanadu very offputting. I certainly wouldn't point to them to someone first dipping their toes into Rush, they're just too much of a monument to the kind of cape-wearing prog rock stereotype that non-prog fans poke fun at.

Clsoer To The Heart's a bit "meh" IMO. Nowhere near their best from any era.

Spirit Of The Radio is a great song, granted.

 

[DrW4]

Fascinating to see the difference in opinions as to the "best" Rush eras.

Like 'em all but the early stuff (pre-Permanent Waves) a little less, and I don't have so much time for Test for Echo either.

Moving Pictures is the one most go for, and whilst it's obviously great, I find it less interesting lyrically than, say, Power Windows.

And their last studio album, Clockwork Angels, is absolutely one of (if not the) best they ever did. Top playing, nods to their early riffs, and the song I want played at my funeral - "The Garden"

Lucky enough to see them 6 times and I'll certainly be there if they come to London

 

[Mousehold Mackem]

About what??

The best Rush albums.

(And everything else.)

 

[fyl2u]

I was listening to an interview with Feeder front man Grant Nicholas and he was banging on about being a big fan of Rush, what would be a good album or two to check out? I'm not working through 19 studio albums

You see what you've started here?

Rush fans are SO PASSIONATE about the band that they'll end up in lengthy heated arguments about which albums and which eras of the band are the best.

Where to start with Rush probably very much depends on what your personal tastes are.

If you're into very proggy music like pre-80's Yes, then you probably would prefer the more traditional proggy pre-80's Rush.

If that sort of thing's less appealing and you want more modern production and a more eclectic palette, then you may well prefer their stuff from the 80's onwards.

 

[chriswallace85]

You see what you've started here?

Rush fans are SO PASSIONATE about the band that they'll end up in lengthy heated arguments about which albums and which eras of the band are the best.

Where to start with Rush probably very much depends on what your personal tastes are.

If you're into very proggy music like pre-80's Yes, then you probably would prefer the more traditional proggy pre-80's Rush.

If that sort of thing's less appealing and you want more modern production and a more eclectic palette, then you may well prefer their stuff from the 80's onwards.

Modern production is one of the most off-putting things about rock music in general.

 

[fyl2u]

Modern production is one of the most off-putting things about rock music in general.

Depending on how modern you mean, I may well agree with you.

80's and 90's "modern production" was fantastic.

Then from the 00's onwards when everything in "modern production" started getting quantised and autotuned it all went to shit.

 

[mickb2112]

The best Rush albums.

(And everything else.)

I see

 

[chriswallace85]

Depending on how modern you mean, I may well agree with you.

80's and 90's "modern production" was fantastic.

Then from the 00's onwards when everything in "modern production" started getting quantised and autotuned it all went to shit.

Drums are the worst. There hasn't been a good drum sound since the mid 90s.


The drummers themselves are often to blame anarl. Lashing cymbals about like they're going out of fashion. I'd ban cymbals me.