ROLL THE BONES

Another of those albums I'll award a star less here on the Archives (this isn't excellent PROG), while treasuring it more on a personal level. Rush has never (and hopefully never will) produced an uninspired album. But this is absolutely more commercial rock, filled with more traditional structures and hooks. The songs stay around the five-minute mark, so there isn't much room for the variation and experimentation found on the earlier albums.

So what do we get instead of that?

Slick, intelligent rock music with great lyrics. The clean, ringing guitar sound delivered by Alex Lifeson combined with Geddy's steady basslines and a controlled Neil Peart strengthens that description. The thick, atmospheric synths take a step back (like in Presto), but they're still making a contribution now and then. There's a surprise here for the patient. Where's My Thing? is an instrumental that, even while sticking to the disciplined nature of the album as a whole, actually gives us some instrumental pyrotechnics from the band.

The strong point here is for sure the concept and the lyrics. Thoughts about fate, luck and pure chance applied on the life we're all living. Some may not like Peart's lyrics. I do. And these are among his finer works.

Many have complained about the use of rap on the title song. So much fuzz, for such a small thing. Like a storm in a glass of water. I just think it's a fun part of the music, a flirt with a different audience, a flavour of its time. This isn't the big sell-out, folks.

Favourites are plenty here. The vibrant Dreamline is one of them. The groovy title track as well. Not to forget the beautiful Bravado. The middle section of the album is slightly weaker though, with the previously mentioned Where's My Thing? as a notable exception. My long time favourite here have always been the darker Ghost Of A Chance and Neurotica. Both have truly memorable refrains, and for some strange reason, these two are the songs I consider most Rush. But that's just me.

A great album for reflection, be it on rainy or sunny days, with or without company or in good or bad mood.

//Linus W