2112

In many ways the quintessential hard rock / prog album of the 70's. 2112 represents all of the best that Rush had to offer, and, in many ways, captured the essence of an entire generation of music fans. While not as popular as such seminary works as PFloyd's Dark Side of the Moon, in many ways 2112 represents the apex of thinking (and non-thinking) man's hard rock in the 70's. The best way I can describe it is that in 4th grade the cool thing in my class was to be "into" Kiss Alive..and two years later the cool thing in my class was to be "into" 2112.

To this day, 30 years later, the opening 20-minute opus known as 2112 is among the all-time epics of prog rock classics. Really, you may argue that there are other pieces that are AS good, but you can't really argue that there are pieces that ARE better. Whether PFloyd, KCrimson, Genesis, JTull, Yes, DTheater, QRyche, Camel, Gentle Giant.none can be persuasively argued to have produced a better, or more influential effort than Rush's 20 minute tour de force known as 2112.

Beyond that is the fact that the second half of the album is, in many ways, almost as great as the 20 epic. All of the five songs that appear on side two of the album are 5-star songs; all among the best short "songs" that Rush has ever produced. A Passage To Bangkok, Twilight Zone, Lessons, Tears and Something For Nothing, each standing alone, are among the best short-song efforts Rush has ever produced. The fact is they've been overshadowed by the tour-de-force that the 2112 opus represents, but in fact, represent a very solid 20 minutes of prog-rock music.

Let's face it..2112 is considered a classic and very deservedly so. In fact, it's probably underrated..with the flip side of the album not getting the recognition it deserves. A true classic. If you don't know the album..go get it now and listen for 2 or 3 times..you'll soon find yourself listening to it again...and again...and again...