I prefer the 77-81 era, but there are also posterior albums such as 'Power Windows' and 'Hold Your Fire' that show much brilliance (specially the latter, though many seem to prefer PW to it). My fave 90s album is 'Test for Echo', which combines the rocking drive of its good predecessor 'Counterparts' and the taste for complex rhythm patterns of their best efforts from the past. 

Each and every live album has been simply terrific!! And the Rush in Rio DVD... ... nothing else to say but good performances, enthusiastic crowds, much fun, and even some images of pretty hot Brazilian girls

Sincerely, I disclaim the work that Rush have made in the last 14 years.

Your loss.  

At least, Rush have been one of the few bands with dignity along almost 30 years.

I couldn't agree more. However, I can't resist pointing out how this statement contradicts your other one that I quoted above.

For most of the seventies Rush were a heavy metal band pretending to be a prog band but by the eighties they had graduated to a more sophisticated technical approach.The grandiose 'Power Windows' was the culmination of that period and is underrated in my opinion being far superior to any rock music of the time.However the songs on 'Test For Echo','Counterparts' and 'Roll The Bones' are the best of any Rush era IMO.Therefore I vote for the NINETIES.

Rush = Best Album - Hemispheres.

Also like - Moving pictures, Permanent waves, Farewell to kings and 2112.

They are technically melodic heavy rock....

Not listened to any album since MP....Why - coz they went

all poppy with short pop songs - UNLESS ANYBODY TELLS ME DIFFERENT!

Swinton MCR wrote: Not listened to any album since MP....Why - coz they went all poppy with short pop songs - UNLESS ANYBODY TELLS ME DIFFERENT!

Get the Signals CD! short songs? yes; pop songs? No. imagine the 8 tracks are merged into 2 tracks lasting around 20 minutes each: titles: side 1: seems to me it's chemistry; side 2: Learning to catch the heat of the third world man

Rush never ever went 'poppy'.I always get a little peeved when people have this formula in their head:

Long Songs = Prog

Short Songs = Pop

Prog was never about a formula or a set of rules.Good music is good music.In my opinion Rush make excellent intellegent rock music.That will do me.And I'm seeing them on Saturday.HURRAH!!

Preferably, just the 70's stage...

Rush are so good that I dont understand how they come to make the odd duff track, but bad albums never!!

Seems to me that they arent very good at self-assessment.To explain I will give examples:

1.The crap sound at Concerts over the last 20 yrs: since the Permanent Waves tour.

2. The dreadful mastering of Vapor Trails.

3. Songs like Face Up,Countdown, and Hand Over Fist

4.Dropping Terry Brown for studio albums

5.Doing an album of covers.

Rush put out Feedback strictly for fun. They recorded it in a week or so. Nobody is forced to buy it. I bought it, and I like it. It's also very inexpensive. Anybody who paid more than $8-9 for it wasn't looking around.

Re: Terry Brown. Not all marriages last forever.

Songs like Face Up,Countdown, and Hand Over Fist

"Countdown" is a great song. I was indifferent toward "Face Up," but now I actually kind of like it due to the improved sound of the Roll The Bones remaster. "Hand Over Fist" is ok. Not amazing, but not bad, either.

Please someone point me at a decent album of theirs. Is it Hemiphere's?...Moving Pictures?, etc.... I have always disliked them ALOT but after seeing so much love for these guys I am wondering if I have been too closed minded!!!!

Everything from 2112 to Moving Pictures is pretty great.

I've got time for their music from all eras, but my favourite era has to be '78 - '82 (Hemispheres to Moving Pictures) MP is the best rock album of all time, by any band IMO.

The only album I couldn't really get to grips with was 'Power Windows' and I wasn't that keen on 'Hold your fire'

I would agree that they were never pop. The first Rush song I heard was 'New world man' I thought it sounded like pop back then, but I was listerning to nothing Motorhead and Venom. I was sooooo wrong about Rush. They rock. I've just seen them both nights at Wembly this week. There was nothing poppy about that performance. My ears are still ringing!!

gdub411 wrote: Please someone point me at a decent album of theirs. Is it Hemiphere's?...Moving Pictures?, etc.... I have always disliked them ALOT but after seeing so much love for these guys I am wondering if I have been too closed minded!!!!

70's Rush - yes try 'Hemispheres'

80's Rush - yes try 'Moving Pictures'

90's Rush - All good IMO.'Counterparts' just shades it.

00's Rush - 'Vapor Trails' is good despite some negative views on this thread but not one to get first.

The last prog show I went to was Rush, and I agree- they're not at all mellowing with age, just getting better. They also seemed to be having a lot more fun on stage than the last time I saw them (I won't say when that was, but on the ride to the show the radio station played a song from a brand new band called "Guns and Roses").

Having said that, I still think that the pair "A Farewell to Kings" and "Hemispheres" is the highlight of their career, as well as being the most 'prog' (although 2112 fans may disagree). And IMHO the "Moving Pictures"/ "Permanent Waves" pair were the best mixture of prog, hard rock, and pop accessibility that has ever been done.

But I even like their more recent, more pop-friendly stuff; "Time Stands Still" turns off a lot of people, but I find it quite expressive and a great example of Peart's consistently improving lyric skills. I could do without the rapping, but "Roll the Bones" is another song that surprised me when I was expecting the band to taper off. And I'm no audiophile (my 8-track is working nicely, thank you) but I thought Vapor Trails sounded fine- if anything, it has an intriguing raw edge that most of the 80s and 90s albums lacked.

gdub411 wrote: Please someone point me at a decent album of theirs. Is it Hemiphere's?...Moving Pictures?, etc.... I have always disliked them ALOT but after seeing so much love for these guys I am wondering if I have been too closed minded!!!!

Rush are one of those bands, that for some people can never be taken seriously. By some of their fans they are taken too seriously They are a 'cult band' which, of course means they have a large devoted following, but at the same time no one has heard of them.

I know people who have said they can never take to Rush, because of Geddy Lees voice, even now that it has at last broken! A true Rush fan likes his voice, and doesn't just tolerate it. Like any band they are not for everyone.

You've been given some good advice here about what Rush is a good starting point. I would like to reinforce the endorsement of 'Hemispheres' and 'Moving Pictures' in particular, but also try 'Permenant waves'

Blacksword wrote: gdub411 wrote: Please someone point me at a decent album of theirs. Is it Hemiphere's?...Moving Pictures?, etc.... I have always disliked them ALOT but after seeing so much love for these guys I am wondering if I have been too closed minded!!!! Rush are one of those bands, that for some people can never be taken seriously. By some of their fans they are taken too seriously They are a 'cult band' which, of course means they have a large devoted following, but at the same time no one has heard of them. I know people who have said they can never take to Rush, because of Geddy Lees voice, even now that it has at last broken! A true Rush fan likes his voice, and doesn't just tolerate it. Like any band they are not for everyone. You've been given some good advice here about what Rush is a good starting point. I would like to reinforce the endorsement of 'Hemispheres' and 'Moving Pictures' in particular, but also try 'Permenant waves'

This cult band thing is a bit overplayed, they have sold just under 40 million albums worldwide.

For me I will always love them,they will always be my favourite band. For a prog enthusiast I would always suggest A Farewell To Kings as a starter.

For me they are just ordinary hard rock band.I respect them but that is about it.

zappa123 wrote: For me they are just ordinary hard rock band.I respect them but that is about it.

Then you'd be ignoring the fact that Rush has more moodchanges and more intricate compositions than dream theater! La Villa Striangato anyone? Xanadu? Definately prog! I'm not saying these songs are the standard to judge them by, these are just two examples. Hard Rock is far more static than Rush.

dropForge wrote: Dream Theater? Shiit...there'd be no DT w/o Rush. Something for some of y'all to chew on.

In that case I blame Rush for Dream Theater existing

I agree, Rush is a much more unique-soundin' group than DT. However, the three principal components of the blueprint for DT's sound = Rush, Kansas, and Iron Maiden.

In that case I blame Rush for Dream Theater existing

See above!

Although I haven't heard all the DT albums, I cant see that they have that much in common with Rush.

Their last DT album 'Train of thought' which is the only one I bothered to buy, as it was in the bargain bin a few weeks after its release, sounded more like Metallica on Prozac. I didn't dislike it, but I'd heard it all before. There was nothing remarkable there. Predictable, solid competant death metal drumming, crunching guitar riffs, James Hetfield style vocal harmonies, with a few wierd noises, fancy artwork and some long songs. They were clearly trying to retain some prog credibility. 

Sorry, I digress. DT, to me dont sound like Rush, and Rush dont sound like anyone. Apart from on their first two albums where they sounded like Led Zep on helium and speed.

To hear the Rush influence, go back to DT's FIRST two albums, When Dream and Day Unite and Images and Words.

Train Of Thought, which I don't care for, is, yes, influenced by the sound of Metallica and other "heavy" groups. They listened to Master Of Puppets and something else (I forget what) before turning to record ToT.

I agree with Cesar Inca on this one '77 (Farewell to Kings) through to '81 (Moving Pictures) has to be my favourite period. Just the right balance between guitars and synths and the writing seemed to have hit a peak during this time too.

I don't mind the 80's era too much (Signals and Power Windows are perfectly acceptable Rush albums as far as I'm concerned). I lots some focus on rush in the 90's but Presto is quite a funky slice of prog if I remember correctly.

As for the early seventies, only Fly By Night does anything for me.

I prefer the time from 2112 to Signals, that was Rush's prime in my opinion. I do love every album they've ever released with the exception of Power Windows, which is good, but i've never been able to really get into it. But if you were going by decades, I suppose i'd choose the 70's as their best. 2112, A Farewell To Kings, and the underrated Caress Of Steel, all superb albums.

The futuristic trio of 2112, Farewell, and Hemisperes dwarves ALL of their other stuff. You have 10 minute songs, crazy stellar effects, thematic story line - everything you could muster from the 70s tech was there.

In the 80s they still remained the top prog band, IMO, which is absolutely incredible and amazing and I'm so proud of them for not diverging (it's the technology of synth that killed the 80s, I don't care what anyone says) from that core 70s sound. Pictures, Grace, Signals, Windows - they're all really really good for prog because everyone else had jumped shark by then but not them. And still the themes stayed on with each album, but not so epic-like. Their environmentalism, political interest, deep thoughts (well, Neils, at least) and other things just sum up Rush for me to a tee.

So Vapour Trails wasn't as good as the others. They're gettin old I suppose. But Test was INCREDIBLE! It's just as good as Grace or the early stuff like Carress so I don't think the 90s ruined them at all. As for stage sound, I saw them in 2002 in Toronto and they loved the energy in their home country and that's almost what Rush completes for me. I put them in this Nationalist category with bands like The Tragically Hip and others that sum up my Canuckness quite nicely. And that's a complement for them too because Canada is such an amazing country. They're the best Canadian band - what else is there?

The songs from Vapor Trails sounded great when I saw Rush at the NEC last week.Maybe the production on the album is a bit 'off'.

I like all albums betwen Rush and Moving Pictures.

These albums are better than anyone from 80's and 90's.