"best album since Moving Pictures"?
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Topic: "best album since Moving Pictures"?
Posted By: Snow Dog
Subject: "best album since Moving Pictures"?
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 07:54
Not picking on Tony here, a lot have said similar about Snakes and Arrows. Some even saying the best since Hemispheres!
 I don't agree personally.
We have Signals after Moving Pictures, which is better than S&A, we have Power Windows and Hold Your Fire, also better. I think it holds up well to Presto and the following albums, and is probably better than them. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow"> 
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Tony R wrote:
Replies:
Posted By: laplace
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 07:56
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BINGO! Five Rush threads on the recent replies list. one more and it's yahtzee ------------- FREEDOM OF SPEECH GO TO HELL |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 07:57
Not sure what you expect.. This is the first Rush studio release since PA was born! ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 08:04
Whilst I have to agree that we've more than enough SnA threads, I will answer the question.
I definitely think it is better than Power Windows which sounds dated to me. As for HYF (yuk), Presto (yuk,yuk), RTB (yuk) Counterparts (ok) T4E (yuk)..Vapor Trails is a sonic mess.....that leaves Signals and I believe that it has more clunkers than SnA and the keyboards can be overbearing..probably on a par...joint best since MP reads rather clumsily dont you think?
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 08:07
| Well, it's definitely not the best since Hemispheres (it doesn't come close to Permanent Waves) and I've never been a big fan of Moving Pictures anyway. At the moment I've listened to S&A about 4 or 5 times and it's growing on me slowly, which may be a good sign. |
Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 08:09
| Well Snow Dog, in my opinion Snakes & Arrows is better than every release since Presto but every album between Signals and Hold Your Fire can compete with Snakes & Arrows because Snakes & Arrows has no weak songs but the other albums have more exciting highlights. |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 08:10
So we agree?  ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 08:15
I think that Presto is their weakest album ever...
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Posted By: Rocktopus
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 08:21
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I'll never understand fans being this loyal. Stop the press! Rolling Stones' latest is their best since 91's Flashpoint. No wait, since 81's Tattoo You! Its still not good enough. ------------- Over land and under ashes In the sunlight, see - it flashes Find a fly and eat his eye But don't believe in me Don't believe in me Don't believe in me |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 08:21
Its a funny album Presto. It has some great songs, but somehow the album doesn't hold together. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: yface1
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 08:29
OK, as much as I love Rush (and their music  ) I refuse to get involved with SnA for the simple reason that I haven't found a copy yet! I'm sure it will be good though when I do finally hear it.------------- My entertainment dollar is burning in my pocket! |
Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 08:32
We agree Snow Dog, let's celebrate this with a good beer this evening 
About Presto: I remember vividly that during the concert, for the first time the Rush fans didn't react enthousiasticly during the new songs from that album played and personally I had the idea that Rush was no longer interested to make progrock with longer tracks featuring shifting moods, surprising breaks and layers of synthesizers
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Posted By: Ricochet
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 08:39
well, I don't see why this is a separate discussion than any normal S&A impressions, yes, I was intrigued by Tony's line, until I heard the album, and I realized
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Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 09:30
Well if you think HYF is yuk, I can understand you.
I like every Rush album. HYF being a particular good one. I also prefer Roll The Bones of the post Presto period. However I'm not a big fan of S &A yet, and think it only a little better than the previous 5 albums. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: salmacis
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 10:37
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I actually do think it's the best in a long long time- I'll probably go as far as Power Windows so far. I like Counterparts but I definitely prefer the new one to it- I don't think there's a duff song on it. An there are a few songs on Signals, Grace Under Pressure and indeed Power Windows that do nothing for me at all so I can at least say this is the first one since Moving Pictures that I like every track.
Hold Your Fire is one that grew on me but certainly it'll never be a favourite. There's a few songs on there- Tai Shan, High Water, Open Secrets, Second Nature- that do nothing for me at all. What's more, production wise I much prefer the new album to these 80s albums...
Presto is by some way my least fave of them all and Roll The Bones is only a slight improvement over that for me. Never heard Test For Echo but I've not read that many reviews of that which were more than lukewarm and I found Vapor Trails a tad one dimensional and the production was hard going.
And if you don't like Rush or have no interest in the new album, why bother to even look at the threads, let alone post in them??
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Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 21:02
| I could entertain arguments about it being the best since Power Windows...but not really any further back then that. |
Posted By: Rocktopus
Date Posted: May 10 2007 at 02:06
I often got plenty to say about stuff I don't like. Who doesn't? ------------- Over land and under ashes In the sunlight, see - it flashes Find a fly and eat his eye But don't believe in me Don't believe in me Don't believe in me |
Posted By: debrewguy
Date Posted: May 10 2007 at 13:04
I often have plenty to say about stuff I don't know about. Who doesn't ? And I like to see someone try to stop me  P.S. No offense Rocktopus. This is not aimed at you. It just seemed like too good a set up to miss. Not that I don't kind of believe that some of us here at PA don't always indulge our ignorance at times. God knows I try to keep it well exercised  P.P.S. Finally got to buy S & A today, after 4 visits to my local record shop. They tell me that in Canada, Universal (the distributor) has had to run extra production to CATCH up to the demand for this album. This specific shop sold out their first 5 orders on the same day they each arrived. P.P.P.S. Or maybe it's just that Canadians don't have much to do now that we only have one team left in the NHL playoffs. That & we're still waiting for the thermostat to hit that magical 15 celsius  ------------- "Here I am talking to some of the smartest people in the world and I didn't even notice,” Lieutenant Columbo, episode The Bye-Bye Sky-High I.Q. Murder Case. |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: May 10 2007 at 13:10
This is a discussion forum for discussing things...surely even you can grasp this...
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Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: May 10 2007 at 14:11
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I would say it's their best since 'Hold your Fire' in 1988, although my perspective may change over time.
I dont think it beats anything prior to that, apart from the first three albums, and right now I'd also much rather listen to S&A than 'Signals' and '2112'. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: May 10 2007 at 15:02
I agree with you best since HYF comment........possibly.
But....and itsd a big butt!
 Itsm nowhere near as good as FBN or COS.......imo of course.
My favourite Rush period is Rush to Hold Your Fire.
I can shorten that to Fly By Night to Signals.
Ultimately though Fly By Night to Permanent Waves is the best Rush. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: May 10 2007 at 15:26
I would agree that FBN and COS are damn fine Rush albums. FBN is Pearts first album, and features 'By Tor..' their first 'concept track' and COS has both 'The Necromancer' AND the wonderful 'Fountain of Lamneth' It's tight, and as I said my perspective on S&A may change. Bouts of hopeless nostalgia take me back to COS frequently. I've always enjoyed COS more than 2112 too!! For now, I'm more excited by this new Rush album, more so than any of the others since HYF.  ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: May 10 2007 at 15:29
Well, thats good. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Rocktopus
Date Posted: May 11 2007 at 03:26
Well, that's me discussing things, isn't it? I know I'm being disrespectful and there was no need to post that little insult. But still most of writes stuff like that once in a while. Here's you not wanting my beloved Gong in the 'superprog' category. Full of wit, irony and insight: We have all accepted that Gong are the only important band in Progressive Rock,despite the fact that Gong are neither progressive nor do they rock. Whilst Gong were happily ensuring through their winning formula of
combining a throwaway joke with soporific musicianship that prog would
be confined to the margins, ------------- Over land and under ashes In the sunlight, see - it flashes Find a fly and eat his eye But don't believe in me Don't believe in me Don't believe in me |
Posted By: The Whistler
Date Posted: May 11 2007 at 03:39
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What? This is just silly. Everyone knows that the best album to be released since Moving Pictures is the Jethro Tull Christmas Album! Gosh... ------------- "There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson |
Posted By: debrewguy
Date Posted: May 11 2007 at 12:14
From reading some of your previous posts (not necessarily on this thread), I'm sure you can understand passion about one's favourite group or music. True, fans tend to get excited about their idols' new album, especially if their first impressions of it are positive. But that's natural, especially if you feel the act has gone through a fallow period. For me, Rush's fallow period, as far as albums that I have kept, starts with Power Windows & goes up & including Test for Echo. I liked Vapor Trails, & felt it was a true return to a harder edged sound. So far, S & A sounds pretty good. The lyrics, I'll have to go through, but the music seems fresh. And that's not to say the others are crap, just not that they were to my liking. And one thing I must add, is that compared to some rabid Genesis fans, I didn't take it personally that one of my fave groups would dare to do something different, like not re-writing the same album over & over again. P.S. A Bigger Bang was the Stones' best since Tattoo You. Some of their 90s albums were good, but didn't quite sound "gritty" enough for me, even though they were successful. Mind you, I like the Stones, but not unconditionally. It's very much an album by album thing. ------------- "Here I am talking to some of the smartest people in the world and I didn't even notice,” Lieutenant Columbo, episode The Bye-Bye Sky-High I.Q. Murder Case. |
Posted By: Rocktopus
Date Posted: May 12 2007 at 04:30
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Now we got a disscussion going on. And it ain't too bad. And I wasn't really that insulting, was I? As a Genesis fan, I think you're being too gererous calling going mainstream, by making simpler, catchier, less interesting music daring to do something different. Radiohead dared to do something different when they made Kid A. Genesis' did a 'careermove'. That's not really about being daring and taking chances. When a band deliberatly starts dumbing things down to get a mass audience, I see no reason for the musicinterested listener to stay loyal. (that was mainly for gebrewguy's Genesis remark, not so much Rush) ------------- Over land and under ashes In the sunlight, see - it flashes Find a fly and eat his eye But don't believe in me Don't believe in me Don't believe in me |
Posted By: chessman
Date Posted: May 12 2007 at 09:52
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Haven't got the album yet, but will hear it soon enough as my mate had it on order and may have it by now. I am looking forward to it!
But really, there are a number of albums that, for me, were released after Moving Pictures and are better than it anyway: Counterparts, Presto - and I'm one of those who likes Roll The Bones too - whilst Power Windows and even Vapor Trails are on a par with it, imo of course!
Moving Pictures is a good album, but these days it doesn't make my top ten Rush albums.
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Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: May 12 2007 at 10:10
Touché - ish. You've misunderstood why I made that remark about Gong. It wasnt meant to be witty or insightful it was a tit-for-tat retaliation.
It was actually meant as a dig at the "Baldies" (Friede and Jean) and not meant to represent my true feelings...long story.
I any case, I was not trying to stop discussion about Gong . You seemed to be implying that it was silly to discuss the merits of a new album in relation to any others by the same band - I was merely pointing out that such discussion is not only normal it is to be encouraged. Surely any bands new album should be judged on what has gone before?
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Posted By: debrewguy
Date Posted: May 12 2007 at 14:07
I won't get into the motivation behind any group's decision to write & perform any music that they so choose, whether it's Rush or Genesis. I don't even spend time wondering whether it's driven by artistic or commercial motivations. I listen to the end product, If I like it I like it, if I don't I don't. AN earnest musician writing crap doesn't make the music better. For Rush, I was happy to see that , even though by the mid 80s they were putting out albums that didn't catch my ear, they were still enjoying a modicum of success AND still playing the music they wanted to. Indeed, even Geddy & Alex have said over the years that they probably could have sold more albums if they had stuck to the sound they built up from Hemispheres to Moving Pictures. But the thing was that they wanted to keep it interesting for themselves. If the old fans followed, fine. If new fans came on board, fine. If neither happens, fine. The point being that the group did what they wanted to do for their own reasons, had the "luxury" of opportunity, & followed their muse. Now mind you, I am one that would have loved to have them to keep writing albums like Hemispheres. But that would have meant that they would never have put out Grace Under Pressure which is one of my favourite albums, not just from Rush, but among my entire collection. Would I have preferred Genesis putting out another SEBTP or Duke instead of Calling All Stations ? Yes, but they didn't , I didn't buy CAS, and my life & theirs went on. I still listen to the older albums. And if the reformed Genesis put out a new album, I'll give it a listen. Who knows, I might like it as much as Abacab or Trespass, love it it like Genesis or Foxtrot, or scratch my head wondering what the appeal is , like From Genesis to Revelation or CAS. ------------- "Here I am talking to some of the smartest people in the world and I didn't even notice,” Lieutenant Columbo, episode The Bye-Bye Sky-High I.Q. Murder Case. |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: May 12 2007 at 14:12
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I was just listening to S&A whilst mowing the lawn (do try it ), and though while the drone of the engine kind of drowned out the sound a bit, I still think it's at least a 4-star album, Rush fan that I am. I think the question boils down to whether you like the synth period a lot, and I do, so I'll say S&A is definitely the best since Power Windows (haven't heard Hold Your Fire yet). It's NOT as good as Signals--one of my favorite Rush albums, but it's definitely the best rush album in about 20 years.
------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |