By Popular Demand.....The RUSH Thread

[seismic1]

By popular demand, here is the thread you've all been waiting for.

To get the ball rolling.........

Name your favourite Rush track


I'm probably going to choose Limelight because:-

a) it's a great song
b) it's got great riffs
c) I love what they do with the timing on there.

[robojam]

Yes!!!

I'm tempted to say that 2112 is my favorite track for a number of reasons. I think it was the first Rush track that I ever heard and I was mesmerised by it. I couldn't figure out if the singer was male or female at first until I listened for a while and realized it was a guy. A friend of mine could play the whole track from beginning to end and our party piece would be him playing and me singing.

However, there are so many other tracks I really like too. From the 2112 album I like 'Tears' as I can play and sing that one and it sits nicely at the top of my vocal range without going into falsetto.

Thinking it through though my all time favorite would be 'Xanadu'. I love the epic nature of the track, the range of instrumentation, the interpretation of the poem, everything really. Great track!

[GaryG]

Xanadu may have been the first Rush track I ever heard, Tony Vances Friday Rock Show annual listeners choice show (Stairway to Heaven, #1 every bloody year... ;)) And yep, I wasn't sure if it was a women singing either. :D

I do really like the whole Farewell to Kings lp, always loved Cygnus X1 because it's so dark and weird... Great short songs too (madrigal). I think there's a great mix to be made of all their earlier short songs that always get overlooked (Tears for sure, Madrigal, Making Memories from Fly By Night etc)

Favourites....

I love the wall of guitar approach to Hemispheres, last minute or two is among my favourite bit of music, ever!
Lakeside Park is a lovely little song full of yearning and reminiscences.
Territories, probably the peak of their techno-rock period.
New World Man, out-Policing the Police.
Natural Science, Beneath Between Behind, Body Electric...

Ok, I'll plump for an obvious one: The Spirit of Radio - first track on the first Rush LP I owned, just can't be beat for it's pure joie de vivre.


So, this weekends project is to construct an ambient track from nothing but Paulstretched Rush samples.

[seismic1]

I'm probably going to choose Limelight

I hope I don't change my mind tomorrow, but La Villa Strangiato is actually rather good. Hmmmmmmm.....

[aoVI]

I always loved the multi-part story-songs: Fountain of Lamneth, 2112, By-Tor and The Snowdog, The Necromancer, Cygnus X1, Natural Science...I'd put Xanadu in that list as it is of a decently long length and epic.

Favorites of the normal length songs:

Beneath, Between, & Behind
Body Electric
Trees
Time Stand Still
Camera Eye
Spirit of Radio
Digital Man
Losing It
Jacob's Ladder
Freewill

My two favorite albums are probably Caress of Steel and A Farewell to Kings.

I saw Rush on Moving Pictures Tour (they played 2112! I almost passed out when the giant red star filled the screen WE HAVE ASSUMED CONTROL! yes, yes you have) and twice on the Grace Under Pressure Tour.

I lost touch with Rush after Hold Your Fire (Although I do own Presto).

[GaryG]

I only saw them on the Hold Your Fire tour, which is ironic as that's the album where I kind of drifted away... Have since heard all the subsequent LPs since (except for the last one...)

Presto and Roll the Bones have their moments but it seems (IMHO...) around this time they lost the ability to write good songs. Too many tracks sound like jams (not songs) with the words sort of shoehorned in. Y'know? Say Emotion Detector from Power Windows, Neil Peart has a way with words for sure but sometimes they're not very... lyrical. Test for Echo was better but then they kind of reinvented themselves with Counterparts, going back to a heavy trio format which they stuck with up until the last LP I heard (snakes and arrows) which was pretty good. The 'Far Cry' single could be their best track in ages (yeah, even a nice ringing F something chord... #sus2? 11? theory ain't my thing :rockon

[seismic1]

I can't disagree with any of the choices here really. All of the tracks mentioned have their own unique plus points. I'd would love to hear Robojam's version of the 2112 vocals :D

Tears was a nice simple track with an easy guitar line. I think that was one of the first pieces I learnt.

I have their latest album, but I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet :blush: Most people seem to think it's their best for a while.

I saw Rush 5 times between '78 and '82. They were always a great band to see and hear live.

[robojam]

Tears was a nice simple track with an easy guitar line. I think that was one of the first pieces I learnt.

Yep. Not too hard to work out the bridge or the chorus, but it took me a while to figure out the C chord played up the neck with open strings. Makes it pretty unique sounding. Good party piece for something chilled on the guitar.

[seismic1]

La Villa Strangiato. Great way to wake up on a Friday.

[robojam]

Actually been thinking of filling in the gaps in my Rush collection. I think I have 9 Rush CDs, but there's at least 3 or 4 others that I don't have that at one time I had on vinyl.

Should really get round to doing that.

[seismic1]

I've been listening to Freewill quite a lot lately.

[seismic1]

Just played Cygnus-X1 at the maximum volume my system would stand without distorting. Awesome x 10. A lot of people don't take to Geddy's vocals, but I think they are perfect for this. That heartbeat at the end just shook the room.

[Nemo]

Geddy's vocals are perfect for Rush. I can't imagine any other main vocalist in front of NP's lyrics.

[seismic1]

I agree, but it took me a few months to get used to him. This was back in '76. By the time Kings was released, I was sold.

[robojam]

First time I heard Rush (2112) I couldn't figure out if the singer was male or female