{"id":12535,"date":"2014-02-19T01:00:36","date_gmt":"2014-02-19T06:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=12535"},"modified":"2022-01-06T19:42:18","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T00:42:18","slug":"the-album-by-album-challenge-rush-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=12535","title":{"rendered":"The Album by Album Challenge: Rush (Part II)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"metallica-rush-logo-heavy-metal-63737\"<\/a>Welcome to another \u201cAlbum by Album Challenge.\u201d For those that are new here, the \u201cAlbum by Album Challenge\u201d is where I take a band\u2019s entire discography and listen to every album in order of release from front to back. With my unforgiving and well-aged ear, I call it how I hear it. In some cases, I find that what I once thought was good is actually pretty crappy and sometimes crap manages to age into something pretty kick ass. And in some cases, face melting is still just good ol\u2019 face melting.<\/p>\n

Well, it looks like you made it through Part I of my Rush album challenge. Do you agree with me for the most part? Am I braindead? Whatever you feel, you gotta admit that this is some damn good listening. Matter of fact I could probably even say that this has been hands down the most fun and most pleasant challenge I’ve done yet. For part 2 we pick up with 1985’s Power Windows on through the bands as of now most recent studio release Clockwork Angels. I hope you’ll enjoy part 2 as much as part 1 and hell, maybe this will inspire some you to get those Rush albums out, blow the dust off of them and find your favorite jams. Enjoy part 2 y’all and thanks for reading!<\/p>\n

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\"\"Rush \u2013 Power Windows<\/strong>
\n Release Date:<\/strong> October 29, 1985
\nThe Good:<\/strong> The Big Money, Grand Designs, The Manhattan Project, Marathon, Territories, Middletown, Dreams, Emotion Detector, Mystic Rhythms
\nThe Bad:<\/strong>
\n The Indifferent:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This album spawned two classic tracks, \u201cThe Big Money\u201d and \u201cThe Manhattan Project\u201d, which would go on to rightfully secure their place in the hearts of Rush fans. \u201cThe Big Money\u201d is such a slap in the face and that fucking bass work that Geddy unleashes just melts my fucking face every time I hear it. \u201cMiddletown Dreams\u201d is another one of those songs that I never even knew existed so really listening to it this time around (same goes for \u201cEmotion Detctor\u201d) was like Christmas for me. Both of these songs are so powerful and the lyrics are just so full of depth and imagery. Both of these songs got repeat listens from me. \u201cMystic Rhythms\u201d closing the album just had me wanting more and feeling like they weren\u2019t even done with the album yet. That\u2019s a really good thing when you can listen to a full album and feel like it shouldn\u2019t even be done. Rush has definitely proven that there is a science to sequencing an album. Up this point each album has a consistent flow that allows you to totally lose yourself in the experience of listening to it. This was a great listen for me and it has me pumped up for what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n

============================================<\/p>\n

\"\"Rush \u2013 Hold Your Fire<\/strong>
\n Release Date:<\/strong> September 8, 1987
\nThe Good:<\/strong> Force Ten, Time Stand Still, Open Secrets, Second Nature, Prime Mover, Lock and Key, Mission, Turn the Page, High Water
\nThe Bad:<\/strong>
\n The Indifferent:<\/strong> Tai Shan,<\/p>\n

\u201cI hear the passion in music\u2026\u201d What a great and perfect line from the song \u201cMission.\u201d \u201cForce Ten\u201d which is one of my all-time favorite Rush songs opens this album with such a great powerful force and from there each song just builds on one another. \u201cTime Stands Still\u201d is one of those songs that I never paid too much attention too but I found myself actually repeating this song. \u201cTurn the Page\u201d has to be one of Rush\u2019s most unsung songs. I almost feel like this song is a hint at the more guitar driven path that these guys would eventually start taking. It\u2019s such a great song and I could\u2019ve totally heard this song on Roll the Bones or Presto. I\u2019ve got some friends who hate the song \u201cTai Shan\u201d but I actually thought it was a pretty decent song. I mean, yeah, it\u2019s a bit cheesy but I can totally hear the sentiment and the emotion to this song. Peart must\u2019ve really been moved by the Chinese culture or something. It\u2019s not their greatest song and while it\u2019s probably the weakest song on the album, it\u2019s still far from the worst thing I\u2019ve ever heard. All in all this is a pretty fantastic album. It is so well produced and there is so much ear candy in there to take in. I love that Rush, especially in the 80\u2019s, put so much thought and effort into really creating a unique and exciting listening experience. At this point in the game, it\u2019s truly easy to see and understand just why these guys are the best at what they do.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Rush \u2013 Presto<\/strong>
\n Release Date:<\/strong> November 21, 1989
\nThe Good:<\/strong> Show Don\u2019t Tell, Chain Lightning, The Pass, War Paint, Scars (talking heads), Presto, Superconductor, Anagram, Red Tide, Hand Over Fist, Available Light
\nThe Bad:<\/strong>
\n The Indifferent:<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no surprise here that this very album is the one that made and solidified my connection with Rush. This was the first Rush album I ever bought that made me totally understand what they were about. Presto was my \u201ca-ha!\u201d moment and from this point I would buy every Rush studio album that was released. This album is just pure magic for me. I tried hard to put aside my bias for this record but the fact is that this is one of Rush\u2019s most amazing releases to date. Coming off of a get 10 years of keyboard driven music, Rush gives us a more guitar driven masterpiece that takes them into head first out of the 80\u2019s and working toward a new decade with a bold, modern, and exciting sound. There isn\u2019t a single \u201cmeh\u201d moment on this record. \u201cShow Don\u2019t Tell\u201d never ceases to melt my face, \u201cThe Pass\u201d makes me nearly cry, and \u201cPresto\u201d just may be one of Rush\u2019s most perfect songs. Closing the album with \u201cAvailable Light\u201d had me with goose bumps and the hairs on my neck standing at full attention. This album is all about feeling, all about emotion, and using music to really reach deep inside of the listener and making them feel something. This is such a moving, powerful album and as of doing this challenge is my favorite Rush album to date. I\u2019m curious to see if that will remain true as we move forward.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Rush \u2013 Roll the Bones<\/strong>
\n Release Date:<\/strong> September 3, 1991
\nThe Good:<\/strong> Dreamline, Bravado, Roll the Bones, Where\u2019s My Thing?, Big Wheel, Heresy, Ghost of a Chance
\nThe Bad:<\/strong> Face Up, Neurotica
\nThe Indifferent:,<\/strong> You Bet Your Life<\/p>\n

Opening up with such a stellar song as \u201cBravado\u201d really sets the tone for this album and follows up with a one two punch of \u201cBravado\u201d and \u201cRoll the Bones.\u201d That title track just never gets old and every time I hear it I just jam it all the way through. Then all of the sudden we happen upon \u201cFace Up.\u201d Oh my. All I can say is that up to this point, this is the first Rush show I just had to say, \u201cWow. This is just bad.\u201d Face Up? More like face down in a steaming pile of fail. The album totally picks it back up with \u201cWhere\u2019s My Thing\u201d which joins the ranks in the Rush instrumental family and has since become a fan favorite and live staple. \u201cBig Wheel\u201d and \u201cHeresy\u201d are both gorgeous songs in their own right but it\u2019s \u201cGhost of a Chance\u201d that proves to not only be the best song on the album but one of Rush\u2019s best songs period. From here we go into the warm waters of indifference with \u201cNeurotica\u201d and \u201cYou Bet Your Life.\u201d \u201cNeurotica\u201d has to be one of the single most annoying songs. I mean, thanks Neil for letting us know how many times you can rhyme the word \u201cNeurotica\u201d but you know what? I could care less. This song is just lame. It\u2019s got some great playing on it but lyrically, c\u2019mon. This is bad. The same thing goes for the closing of \u201cYou Bet Your Life.\u201d I really wanted to like this song as I find it kind of a bummer to close the album out with such a vulgar display of \u201cmeh\u201d. Oh well. All in all, this album isn\u2019t horrible but<\/p>\n

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\"\"Rush \u2013 Counterparts<\/strong>
\n Release Date:<\/strong> October 19, 1993
\nThe Good:<\/strong> Animate, Stick it Out, Cut to the Chase, Nobody\u2019s Hero, Between Sun & Moon, Alien Shore, The Speed of Love, Double Agent, Leave That Thing Alone (inst), Double Agent
\nThe Bad:<\/strong>
\n The Indifferent:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Coming off the heels of an album that spawned some of Rush\u2019s not so great material, the band was firing on all cylinders for Counterparts. The overall vibe of the album seems to me much more mellow than previous albums but this isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing. There isn\u2019t a single bad song on this album. While this is true, there are some songs that stand out far above the pack as far as making a huge impact on me. The opening song \u201cAnimate\u201d proves the point that Rush never opens up an album with a weak song. This song is so fucking good and heading right into \u201cStick it Out\u201d is absolutely mindl blowing. \u201cNobody\u2019s Hero\u201d is a really touching song about a close friend of Neil Peart\u2019s who lost his battle with AIDS and about how knowing this guy changed his life. It literally brought a tear to my eye and made me love the face that Rush can have this kind of effect on me. \u201cBetween Sun & Moon\u201d is another stellar song that I feel is sadly ignored by the band along with \u201cCold Fire\u201d which I feel is one of their best moments. \u201cLeave That Thing Alone\u201d is another classic added to their family of instrumental tracks and the album\u2019s closing track \u201cEveryday Glory\u201d just closes the chapter perfectly. While I wouldn\u2019t say that this album is one of my favorites, I have to say that this album is fucking solid from front to back and even presented me with some new favorite songs. They really put a lot into this album. It doesn\u2019t have all the ear candy that previous albums have presented but this album has solid songwriting and that\u2019s a really cool thing to hear. Loved this one.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Rush \u2013 Test for Echo<\/strong>
\n Release Date:<\/strong> September 10, 1996
\nThe Good:<\/strong> Test for Echo, Driven, Half the World, Color of Right, Time and Motion, Totem, Dog Years, Virtuality, Limbo,
\nThe Bad:<\/strong>
\n The Indifferent:<\/strong> Carve Away the Stone<\/p>\n

Wow. Test For Echo man. That song just fucking kills my face and going right into \u201cDriven\u201d is another classic Rush one\/two punch to the dome. I really loved the diversity of this album quite a bit. It\u2019s got that classic melodic goodness but Rush also seems to have dipped a bit more into the \u201cheavy\u201d waters with songs like \u201cDog Years\u201d and the rifftastic \u201cVirtuality.\u201d \u201cResist\u201d is another absolutely gorgeous tune with lots of ear candy in there. Speaking of ear candy, the instrumental track \u201cLimbo\u201d is really fucking awesome and yet another addition to the Rush instrumental family. As a whole, this album seems to have brought back some of those really subtle layers and sounds that really come to life while listening with headphones. This album for some reason gets some hate but upon my listening to this album I didn\u2019t find one single song on here that I thought was a bad song. The only song I felt a bit indifferent to was \u201cCarve Away the Stone.\u201d This was a pretty weak closing song as I felt that this would\u2019ve been better suited in the middle or something where I could forget about it. Closing the album out with a weak track like this just kinda killed the mood for me. I had to go back and relisten to \u201cTest for Echo\u201d so I could feel like I closed out with greatness. I would probably revisit this album but I\u2019d make sure to end it with \u201cLimbo\u201d and save myself the disappointing ending. This album is kinda like an M. Night Shyamalan movie. It\u2019s totally awesome all the way until the end comes and kills the whole thing.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Rush \u2013 Vapor Trails<\/strong>
\n Release Date:<\/strong> May 14, 2002
\nThe Good:<\/strong> One Little Victory, Ceiling Unlimited, Ghost Rider, Peaceable Kingdom, The Stars Look Down, How it Is, Vapor Trail, Secret Touch, Earthshine, Sweet Miracle, Nocturne, Freeze Pt IV of \u201cFear\u201d, Out of the Cradle
\nThe Bad:<\/strong>
\n The Indifferent:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I found myself really enjoying this album way more than I remembered. For this challenge I listened to the remixed\/remastered version and it\u2019s amazing what a difference that made in the overall listening experience of this album. \u201cOne Little Victory\u201d is such a heavy fucking song and I loved how it opened the album with a fucking bang. \u201cGhost Rider\u201d is a song that I really came to appreciate even more after reading Neil Peart\u2019s book of the same name. \u201cThe Stars Look Down\u201d is pretty much on my ever growing list of favorite Rush songs as is \u201cHow it Is.\u201d The greatness of these two songs really was sadly overlooked by me the first time around and the title track is so fucking good. Rush has this way of writing really catching and goose bump causing choruses and this one is no different. \u201cSecret Touch\u201d features one of my all-time favorite Lifeson guitar intros and the way it slams into this almost metal groove with Geddy\u2019s bass just flying all over the place had me re-listening to this song a few times. \u201cEarthshine\u201d is a song that has pretty much become a fan favorite that the band has pulled out quite a few times live since its inception and rightfully so. Vapor Trails was such an important album for Rush. Coming off the heels of a string of tragic events in the life of Neil Peart, this album was all about healing and optimism. I was really able to feel the emotion behind each and every song and I was able to connect with its importance. This is a really powerful record and I\u2019m so glad I gave this one the attention it deserves.<\/p>\n

============================================<\/p>\n

\"\"Rush \u2013 Feedback<\/strong>
\n Release Date:<\/strong> June 29, 2004
\nThe Good:<\/strong> Summertime Blues, Heart Full of Soul, For What It\u2019s Worth, The Seeker, Mr. Soul, Seven and Seven Is, Shapes of Things, Crossroads
\nThe Bad:<\/strong>
\n The Indifferent:<\/strong><\/p>\n

What a fucking awesome album! This is the kind of album that I always kind thought they should make. For all those Rush fans who are big proggies, I wonder if this album was a real mindfuck for them. It\u2019s so great to hear Rush paying their respects to the bands that inspired them and formed them into the band that we would all grow to love and hold in such high regard. I wish I could\u2019ve been a fly on the wall in the studio when they made this. It sounds like they were having so much fun and I can just imagine Ged, Al, and Neil sparking up a fatty and passing it around going, \u201cHey! Let\u2019s try \u20187 & 7 Is!\u201d Every song is played with so much heart and you really can hear the passion and respect that they have for these songs. For me, the big surprise here was their take on the Buffalo Springfield classic \u201cFor What It\u2019s Worth.\u201d That was a real treat but the real facemelts for me are their take on the Blue Cheer version of \u201cSummertime Blues\u201d, the Yardbirds\u2019 classic \u201cShapes of Things\u201d, and capping it all off with Robert Johson\u2019s \u201cCrossroads.\u201d This was such an outstanding listen and this is one I can\u2019t wait to blast in my car once the weather gets warm enough for me to roll down the windows and open up the sunroof.<\/p>\n

============================================<\/p>\n

\"\"Rush \u2013 Snakes and Arrows<\/strong>
\n Release Date:<\/strong> May 1, 2007
\nThe Good:<\/strong> Far Cry, Armor and Sword, Working Them Angels, The Larger Bowl, The Main Monkey Business, Hope, Bravest Face, Good News First, Malignant Narcissism, We Hold On
\nThe Bad:<\/strong>
\n The Indifferent:<\/strong> Spindrift, Faithless<\/p>\n

I remember not really loving this album when it was released but after giving this album another go \u2018round I\u2019m pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The material on this album is very reminiscent of the stuff on Vapor Trails so in some ways hearing these two albums back to back seemed to kind of have a loss for me. In my opinion, these are the only two consectutive albums that Rush has released where I felt like they sounded like they could just be one long album. \u201cFar Cry\u201d is a fucking stellar song as is \u201cWorking Them Angels.\u201d Boasting a whooping three instrumental tracks, I found myself really enjoying these and asking myself, \u201cWhy doesn\u2019t Rush just put out an instrumental album sometime?\u201d So much of what I love about Rush is Geddy\u2019s voice and those infectious choruses and hooks so maybe that would be totally lost within the scope of an instrumental album. \u201cSpindrift\u201d and \u201cFaithless\u201d didn\u2019t suck but both of these songs just kinda left me with that \u201cmeh\u201d feeling. Closing with \u201cWe Hold On\u201d was a great idea as it is such a fucking great song! There were a lot of good songs on this album but I can\u2019t say that this album is one of my favorites as a whole. That being said, Snakes and Arrows did boast three of my favorite songs (Far Cry, Working Them Angels, and We Hold On). If anything I can see just pulling those three songs into a play list just so I\u2019d always be reminded of their greatness.<\/p>\n

============================================<\/p>\n

\"\"Rush \u2013 Clockwork Angels<\/strong>
\n Release Date:<\/strong> June 12, 2012
\nThe Good:<\/strong> Caravan, BU2B, Clockwork Angels, The Anarchist, Carnies, Halo Effect, Seven Cities of Gold 1, The Wreckers, Headlong Flight, BU2B2, Wish Them Well,
\nThe Bad:<\/strong>
\n The Indifferent:<\/strong><\/p>\n

With Clockwork Angels, Rush really broke the mold and made an album that was so different from anything else they\u2019d ever done. This album sees Rush really dipping into a more metal sound at times with Alex really crunching down on the guitars and Geddy\u2019s voice being pushed to the max like never before. In all honesty, the only thing I\u2019m not really happy with is the production quality. Neil\u2019s drums sound so compressed and lifeless which is such a shock to me. I\u2019m so used to Rush\u2019s albums having some really spectacular production and even some really subtle layers of ear candy. The sound over all on this album so flat sounding but with that aside, the songs are some of Rush\u2019s strongest material in years. \u201cCaravan\u201d is such an awesome song as is the title track but for me, the real magic happens on \u201cHalo Effect\u201d and the absolutely amazing \u201cThe Wreckers.\u201d I really found a connection to this album\u2019s songs as they are so imaginative as they chronicle a young man\u2019s quest to follow his dreams. This is obviously a concept that I can relate too and I instantly found myself connecting and loving each and every song. \u201cThe Garden\u201d is such a meditative dreamy close that I found myself making this song one of my daily \u201cwind down\u201d songs as a way to disconnect from the day. With Clockwork Angels, Rush solidified their place in my life as a band that means the world to me and they also proved that even after 40 years they are nowhere near out of ideas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to another \u201cAlbum by Album Challenge.\u201d For those that are new here, the \u201cAlbum by Album Challenge\u201d is where I take a band\u2019s entire discography and listen to every album in order of release from front to back. With my unforgiving and well-aged ear, I call it how I hear it. In some cases, I find that what I once thought was good is actually pretty crappy and sometimes crap manages to age into something pretty kick ass. And […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[711,277],"tags":[769],"class_list":["post-12535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-by-album-challenge","category-music-news","tag-rush"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12535"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19539,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12535\/revisions\/19539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}