SIGNALS

The end of an era in one sense, but the beginning of a new one in another, this is one of Rush's many "transitional" albums, which usually come out immediately following a live album. In the same way that A Farewell To Kings ushered in a new era of epic prog albums, Signals ushers in an era of dreamy progpop with huge, lush synth textures and highly textural guitar work more reminiscent of Andy Summers than what you would expect of Alex Lifeson. If you are a fan of the earlier stuff and have never heard 80's Rush music, you may be put off by this album, as it is NOTHING like it's predecessors. However, you would be missing out, as this is one of Rush's true essential albums, to my tastes. Every song is excellent, which is arguably the last time you could say that about a Rush album. That's what I meant by the end of an era. This was the last in an incredible, virtually unmatched string of great albums that started with "A Farewell To Kings", or "2112" if you rather. Favorites include "The Analog Kid" with its lyrics about adolescent unrest, a recurring Neil Peart theme (i.e. "Fly By Night", "Circumstances", etc.); "Digital Man", which has a very cool modern guitar riff and some of Geddy's meatiest bass lines ever; "The Weapon" with its almost disco-like(!) groove; and "New World Man", which even though it is the highest charting Rush single ever, is still very rhythmically interesting with its reggae- like vibe. I find Geddy's bass playing on this album to be perhaps his best ever, and Neil has rarely drummed so well either. I just wish Alex was a little more upfront in the mix (as he would be in Grace Under Pressure).His solos ARE outstanding, with "Digital Man" being one of my favorites of all time. A great, sometimes underrated Rush album; just don't expect it to sound like the 70's version of the band!