CARESS OF STEEL

Ah, perhaps the most controversial album of Rush's career (aside from Vapor Trails). Personally, I love it and on the whole find it more interesting than 2112, even if nothing measures up to that albums title track. "Bastille Day" is one of the best slabs of pure hard- rock every produced, in my biased opinion; Geddy Lee's vocals are very convincing and angry here, and Alex Lifeson has never played with such an edge. "I Think I'm Going Bald" features some good guitar and bad lyrics, though they are pretty funny (Geddy takes a rare turn as wordsmith in this song). "Lakeside Park" is more of a straightforward pop song, though with some inoovative guitar and great drumming/bass playing. It is also special to me personally because it mentions my birthday. "The Necromancer" is my favorite pre-2112 piece, with Alex's best guitar work of that era. That ultra-crunchy metallic stop-time riff in the middle section is just a killer, and a logical precursor to the main riff of 2112. "The Fountain Of Lamneth" is a bit hit-and-miss, with the best sections being "Bachhus Plateau", the psychotic drum showcase "Didacts And Narpets", and the incredible "No One At The Bridge". This side-long suite just doesn't contain the overall cohesiveness of "Cygnus X-1 Book II" or "2112". Overall, this album shows the direction the band would move toward in the near future, even if some of it doesn't work as well as it could have.