ROLL THE BONES

Very similar to Presto, but with all very good songs, (with the exception of possibly "Neurotica", but even that song has a great bassline and verse groove, not to mention a really cool middle section), Roll the Bones is the first Rush album to not show a noticable change in sound from its predecessor, but that fact has more good than bad to it, as the sound of Presto was a pretty good one that was sure not to tire out after only one album. There is one song that is actually of the Permanent Waves/Moving Pictures caliber, the opening "Dreamline", easily one of their most memorable, powerful rockers, with an attention-grabbing intro somewhat reminiscient of "Distant Early Warning", a catchy palm muted picked guitar part from Alex Lifeson to go along with Neil Peart's tatseful rim-shot pattern that explodes into that huge chorus that I'm sure you'll remember hearing once it enters, if unsure of which song I'm describing at the moment. A true moment of prog granduer in the interaction between Peart's snare and crash and Lee's synth chords, all mixed very effectively loud here by Rupert Hine. The next two songs are also very close to this quality, "Bravado" being the best possible song to follow up that masterpiece, a steady paced song that has a very melodic guitar part and one of the best examples of the beauty of Geddy Lee's lower register singing. The title track has a great groove in the verses that is contrasted nicely by some highly listenable harmonies in the chorus. The middle section of the song may not be one of the better examples of rap out there, but it does help to put it into the context of the year it was written, and if that's not enough, you can still lean on the awesome high-pitched squeals Lifeson pulls out of his guitar during these sections. "Face Up" has an interesting twang to it that they'd never used before, "Where's My Thing?" is a very energetic and original insturmental, and both "The Big Wheel" and "Heresy" are great songs that will most definitely grow on the listener over time. "Ghost of a Chance" is a really powerful, haunting love song with a great alternation from a dark rocking groove verse to a dreamy, floating chorus. While I'm mention all the songs, I might as well say that those extended before-and-after lines in "You Bet Your Life" are very witty. Roll the Bones is a highly musical album, with excellently written, thought provoking lyrics that comes heavily recommended to all Rush fans, and recommended for repeated listening, as many of these songs reveal their depth with age.