RUSH – A Personal Challenge Part 2
PART 1 ... Checklist so far...
A FAREWELL TO KINGS (1977): I raised my kids on this album, my 21 year still loves it best of all Rush catalog. It’s a deep dive into Prog and you can really hear how the band totally embraced new and expanded instruments and yes, more keyboards… Funny thing happened just now, my son (who was playing Xbox in the other room, just came by while Xanadu was playing and started talking about how cool Lifesons riff work on Xanadu was some of his favorite and then he started to talk about La Villa Strangiato (which we’ll get to next).. Anyway… Everyone knows and loves Closer To The Heart so what’s left to say about it? Cinderella Man is a weird anomaly on the album, it’s got some of those funky bass lines and acoustic work that we hear in the early albums, but with all the prog going on it just seems a bit out of place. Anyone else think Madrigal would have worked as an 8th part to 2112? Cygnus X-1 is epic, seen them do this live several times and its always an amazing thing to watch everyone playing air bass and then all at the same time switch to air drums during the opening… easily my favorite on the album next to CTTH. Great listening experience this Rush band is!!
HEMISPHERES (1978): I love the production on this album, it’s so crisp and clean. As prog goes this may be the best of the best! The album picks up where A Farewell To Kings leaves off, Cygnus X-1 Book II Hemispheres: Prelude/Apollo Bringer of Wisdom/Dion, in fact it’s the whole of Side 1. Ever remember looking at an album with one song on a whole side and seeing how weirs it was to see no lines between songs in the vinyl? OK maybe that was just me… Side 2 culminates with La Villa Strangiato which is easily Progs template for prog music forever more. 9+ minutes of pure genius and musical chops that are unduplicated (IMO). Sandwiched between these is a cool little rock tune, Circumstances. I heard they played this on the Snakes and Arrows tour, the one I missed when they came by here. Lucky Me!! And then The Shrubbery, I mean Trees, Maples are always causing troubles… Have I said these are must buys lately?
PERMANENT WAVES (1980): My favorite Rush album cover (Check out the outtake from the album cover shoot below) - now here’s one Jon can play the hidden message game with. I thought this was the album where the prog focus got toned down, a lot and their music changed most dramatically. A foreshadowing of sorts… But they still prog-out in cool ways. Lee’s vocal style also starts to settle in, not as high-pitched Geddy though he still uses it sparingly (e.g. Freewill). Jacobs Ladder is a great understated tune! This album is so worth cranking up loud! Side 2 opens with the best track on the album, Entre Nous, great riff, great beat and very melodic Rush tune. Different Strings contains some the best drum production found on any Rush album, again turn it up and tell me I’m wrong? Another great 3 part prog tune closes this one out, Natural Science. This is a complex album when you think about it, it’s a transitional album contains some radio friendly tunes, melodic hard rock, great new style riffs, and more complex prog with masterful understatements. But always there is the musicianship, second to none…
