GOLD

As a Long Time RUSH Fan, I remember the first time someone asked me why there was not a RUSH Greatest Hits album, like there were for so many other popular Rock groups. I thought to myself, Well, they really don't have any Hits, and anyway, ALL there songs are Great, so it would practically impossible to create such a thing, especially in a single album format of 8 or 10 songs. Ain't gonna happen. Well, finally, many years later in the compact disc era, it came to be...the first Best of RUSH cd set. As I predicted, one disc wouldn't come close, you were gonna need two minimum. Of course, as a true RUSH fan I really had no interest in this Best of/Greatest Hits disc. I didn't need that, I had all the albums. So, I never purchased Chronicles or the later re-issued single disc versions. I was too busy picking up all the RUSH Remasters that came out in 1997 and 2002. There were not any bonus tracks, but you did get faithful reproductions of the original album art (I know because I own the early vinyl) and improved sound quality.

Now, for this latest edition, the Gold series from Universal. At first, I wasn't too excited. I figured it was just going to be yet another re-issue, which doesn't bother me in the slightest way. The record companies can make all the different Chronicles, Best of's, and Greatest Hits packages they want to. Doesn't mean I have to buy 'em. Why should I get upset? But for many music fans it seems to get under their skin and they just have to bash the Record Company, the Producers, and even the Band, who usually have nothing to do with these releases. After reading a positive review of the RUSH Gold set that said the sound quality was even more improved, I decided to find out for myself and I went out and bought one. Sure enough, the sound quality of this release is the best I've ever heard. It is superior to the 1997/2002 remasters. Very high resolution. Improved low-end response. Over-all higher output without being compressed. And an absolutely dead quiet background. If you want some of the best sounding RUSH music ever, this is the disc to buy. Plus, it's a huge bargain! Two discs packed with RUSH music for about $15. Also, the track listing is very good. You get the band's early period of mid to late 70's hard and prog rock, then the second disc gives you the 80's and beyond. Over-all, two of RUSH's best musical periods.

Don't be swayed by the negative reviews that are usually targeted at the Record Company bashing and endless critisms of the this is just to make a quick buck and is only for Newbies or Completists type. If you prefer excellant sound quality and like RUSH music from this period, this 2 disc set is perfect.