Favorite Rush Era

ProgressiveMike wrote: Follow up post to when I talked poorly of Vapor Trails. I spun it today in the store and really enjoyed it. Now, I spun it after having to listen to Astronautilis and Tool, and next to that I might even think that Carly Rae Jepsen's Kiss was a masterpiece. But I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to never having Vapor Trails listed as my least favorite Rush album again. Rush is somewhat infaliable to me though lol.

Horizons wrote: Ambient Hurricanes wrote: Horizons wrote: Vapor Trails is lacking progressiveness just as much as any album after it.  Rush, since 2002, have been in the same vein as bands like Muse. I've always thought of VT as a full-blown prog album;  sure, it's not "progressive" on a grand epic scale like Hemispheres, but it's easily Rush's most complex album ever, complete with layers upon layers of instruments and vocals and tricky time changes you don't even know are there until you actually try to count them. I'm sorry but VP being their most complex album is just silliness.  The drums alone is a clear, distinct sign of a lesser technicality on the album.

listen to Alex's guitar tone on "Freeze" it's insane I love it

I define the eras somewhat differently.  Rush had a pattern of three studio releases followed by a live album up until the 90's.

My faves are Caress of Steel and Signals. I don't know what to make of that in terms of a period(I'm not a woman).

Edited by Guldbamsen - March 22 2013 at 12:00

Prog Metal Days:2112, A Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres - this is my fave!

Early to mid 80s. I like the heavy synthesized sound and just the way Alex Lifeson sounded during this time.

Pretty much the period between Fly By Night and Signals. Not a duffer in the lot, except maybe A Farewell To Kings, but even that has something ("Xanadu", "Closer To The Heart", "Cinderella Man").

With the exception of Test for Echo, I love every Rush album for some reason or another. If I had to pick an era, I'd choose Caress of Steel through Hemispheres. I think they did their best heavy work on these albums, and Geddy's voice is quite awesome during this period. Their 80's work was quite good in a different manner. Their work from 2000 on is considerably better than any other band founded in the 60's from the same era. It's even comparable to their earlier work.

This is such a difficult question.

Mirror Image wrote: I can't say I'm particularly fond of Presto or Vapor Trails, but I didn't like the direction the band was going in with Presto. Only with Counterparts did the band seem to rejuvenated. My favorite albums are as follows: Hemispheres Moving Pictures Signals Grace Under Pressure Power Windows

To me, Presto was both the culmination of the 80's era and the beginning of the 90's era. I consider it one of their most mature, tasteful works, though I can understand why you wouldn't like it as it's less "progressive" and complex then the rest of their catalog up to that point.  I agree that Counterparts was an excellent album, though, definitely a step up from Roll the Bones, which I enjoy but is really just a not-as-good version of Presto.

Fly by - farewell