What is most you like from Rush different periods

3rd Period for me. The 80's stuff just speaks to me; Power Windows, GUP, Hold Your Fire, and Signals are my Rush's top four.Geddy really gets into a groove during that time, on both keyboards and bass(especially bass on HYF). Don't get me wrong, I love and know all the classics, but I always go back to to the 80's.

Alberto Muñoz wrote: King By-Tor wrote: Depends on what day of the week you catch me on.   And tell me on a week, how distribute the periods?   just curious...

Ooooooh man. I wanted to avoid this post because it blatantly shows how much I love the band, but here it goes. If you want to know what I love about each of Rush's periods, why and when, then just tune in.

Period 1 (Rush - 2112)

Rush's early works are great when you're looking for something to rock out to. Whether that be my namesake, Anthem, What You're Doing, Lakeside Park, Something For Nothing, or any other combination of songs - in this era you can hear Rush's attempts to break into the scene with a style which was not yet their 'classic' sound, but something they were passionate about none the less. 2112 in particular shows a band on a meanstreak with a "who even gives a damn" attitude thanks to the fact that they were about to be dumped by their label after the 'flop' of Caress Of Steel which  the band themselves thought was the style they should go into.

You'll find me listening to this era if I'm in a very good mood and need to headbang to something. My favorite song of the era would be hard to pick, but By-Tor and In The End would probably have to fight it to the death. While Fly By Night is not an album I recommend to everyone, it's my favorite of the era.

Period 2 (A Farewell To Kings - Moving Pictures)

This is considered Rush's classic era in the prog world. Multiple epics and a discovery in the 'swords & shields' style of their music saw Rush at a creative zenith. While there are some days where I don't even want to hear these albums I do get incredibly nostalgic about them when I put them on, being that they were the foundation of my highschool years.

You'll find me in this era if I really want to PROG OUT and put on Hemispheres or Permanent Waves. My favorite song from this era is a two way tie between the two megalodons of my favorite song list, Jacob's Ladder and The Camera Eye, two songs that send shivers down my spine just typing the name. The lush and full sound from Geddy's slightly developed synths make for a very warm feeling era.

Period 3 (Signals - Presto)

Rush's synth era moves between light and darkness in terms of tone, there's dark albums like Grace Under Pressure and light hearted stuff with a hint of melancholy like on Presto. The New Wave influences are really a treat for those who can handle them and while this is deinfitely not Rush's best period there are months at a time where this is all that I'll listen to. The songs are a lot more complex that they appear at first sight which makes them great to listen to mulitple times. Listen to the bass riff on The BIg Money and you'll know what I mean. This era is more defined by emotion than attempted musicianship, because at this point Rush KNEW they were great musicians and didn't need to prove it to anyone.

You'll find me listening to this era on different occasions. If I need to rawk out to something that has a lush feel then I'll put on GUP, if I need something drifty and emotional then I'll put on HYF. A varied and experiemental period which is ultimately wonderful, but an aquired taste. My favorite album from this era is Grace Under Pressure followed very closely by Signals, my favorite song is a tie between the chilling The Body Electric and the heartwarming Prime Mover.

Period 4 (Roll The Bones - Snakes & Arrows)

Rush's modern era is defined by experimentalism with new sounds along with old ones. Albums like Roll The Bones are very experimental and lean towards contemporary musicianship for their times while Snakes & Arrows is a combination of the old and the new. There's no more epics, but the songs are still highly impressive and it seems that the band gets heavier and heavier with each release. Vapor Trails, while bashed by some, shows a reinvigorated band that was itching to get back in the studio and kick ass after a 10 year hiatus.

I listen to this era likely the most often. The combination of various styles makes for a very mean grouping of albums. There's enough here to appeal to all my tastes. My favorite album in this era is Counterparts followed closely by Snakes & Arrows. Favorite song is once again a two way tie, this time between Animate and the amazing Armor & Sword.




so there you go

from the first era I have their eponymous debut album and 2112, from the second Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, and Moving Pictures, from the third Power Windows, and from the fourth Roll the Bones, Test For Echo, Vapor Trails, the Rush in Rio DVD, and Snakes and Arrows, so I can only base what I say on those albums.

What I like about the first one is that they just rock. Yes, they might have been trying a bit too hard to be Led Zeppelin,but it was still good, fun music. 2112 shares a few of those characteristics but you can tell they were growing away from that and into something else. That growth reached its peak on albums like Hemispheres, where they still had the shorter, bluesy rocking songs, but more so focused on writing epics. One thing I noticed as time progressed was that the epics became more cohesive. For example, Hemispheres I find flows together as a piece much better than 2112, which seems more to be composed of several shorter songs pieced together by segways. I can't say much about the third period because all I know from it is from Power Windows and the "Chronicles" compilation album and DVD. I like it, but it took a while to grow on me. Upon first listen I dismissed it as being merely typical 80's pop, but further listens revealed them to be deeper than that, and though they had turned away from epics they were still writing great songs. With the newer albums, I like the organic approach they take, and though the songs aren't epic or complex in nature, they're well written songs that have an earnest feel, and that's really what matters. I don't find that complex means better, so I can appreciate all the periods. If I had to pick a favourite album I'd probably go with Hemispheres or Permanent Waves.

Well, we appreciate it

The second period is my favorite, but the third period is way underrated.

To be honest, I kind of think that they started a fifth period with Vapor Trails.  I think that both Vapor Trails and Snakes and Arrows have a more metallic feel than their previous period.

1st or 2nd period.