SIGNALS

Rush's classic era started, in my opinion, with 2112 and ended with Moving Pictures. Signals signaled something new for Rush - a more digital approach. The synthesisers that had gradually been incorporated into Rush's music ever since A Farewell To Kings now started to take over and began to dominate the band's sound. There is nothing wrong with synthesisers, but it was clear that Rush now wanted to move away from what they did in the 70's and more towards a slicker and more polished and simple approach so common to the early 80's. Progressive and Prog Related bands like Queen, Yes and Genesis and many, many others went through a time of change (for the worse) in the early 80's, and Rush is no exception. Signals was the start of this decline for Rush and they would never again record anything on par with Moving Pictures, Hemispheres, A Farewell To Kings and 2112. Signals is still a good album and the worst was yet to come.

The songwriting here is simplified and the production is more polished. The guitar riffs and solos take the backseat behind vocals and synthesisers. The melodies are still here but the quality of the compositions is far behind that of the classic era.

Good, but - like all subsequent Rush albums - not essential

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