TIME STAND STILL: THE COLLECTION

This compilation seemingly serves two purposes: (1) to "mildly exasperate" [replace with stronger language as appropriate] established fans and completionists hoping for something more than a cheap collection of thirteen more radio-friendly familiars and (2) as a cut-price entry point to low-income newbies who've heard the name but don't want to invest in anything more substantial. The spread of ratings on this collection presumably reflects the relative priorities of the listeners, and which of the two "purposes" is more relevant to them. While it's UTTERLY SUPERFLUOUS to the established fan, except as a re-ordering of some classics, the material it offers is not suddenly corrupted by its target audience. More to the point, nobody comes into this life an established fan.

Now, I confess I'm slightly biased: I picked this up in HMV for three or four quid aged 13 or so, having been lent "Moving Pictures" by a friend for a week and being sufficiently impressed (although my 4/4-regimented brain became quickly confused) as to wonder what else this band might have released. And it's after buying this that my interest was properly piqued (although "MP" is still my favourite by a mile). Alongside some early-era classics ("Fly by Night", "By-Tor" etc.) and obligatory 'hits' (all relative in the prog world, of course? "Spirit", "Sawyer", "Limelight"), we get what probably constitutes the best of Rush's slightly maligned '80s output (although, unfortunately, not "Subdivisions"), the brilliant 'title track', "Grace Under Pressure", "Big Money" and the like. I have to confess that, to my ear, hitherto unaccustomed to outright prog and satiated on the occasionally arty MOR of my parents, this latter category had particular appeal, although with time my interest has migrated "backwards", as it were - although I still maintain Rush offered more mature lyrics and less riffy (an adjective I almost always use pejoratively) songs in their 80s period.

Song for song, this is obviously a great album. It's perfectly fair to say that five randomly chosen songs from this CD would almost certainly beat the five songs on 2112's second half, for example. I'd go further and say that I'd rather listen to this right now than 2112 (which is, to be honest, overrated and silly). As a cohesive entity overall, though? the cover art looks dramatic if unimaginative, we have some general liner notes (good background but nothing Wikipedia can't offer) and not much else, the track ordering isn't particularly inspired, the selection far from perfect, even as a commercially-oriented release?but, then again, for the naïve and impecunious uninitiated, I can't think of many better ways of spending three pounds (or was it four?). I admit I don't share the general prog distrust of compilation albums, particularly for bands who don't make concept albums, but plurality of opinion is always useful.

That being said, if you want to get a prog-newbie into Rush, you'd probably be better off lending them Moving Pictures?