19. Hold Your Fire 18. Vapor Trails 17. Test for Echo 16. Roll the Bones 15. Rush 14. Caress of Steel 13. Snakes and Arrows 12. Presto 11. Clockwork Angels 10. Counterparts 9. Power Windows 8. Fly By Night 7. A Farewell to Kings 6. Hemispheres 5. 2112 4. Signals 3. Moving Pictures 2. Grace Under Pressure 1. Permanent Waves
Your rankings pretty much matches mine. I would recommend anyone who haven't heard it to get the Rapor Trails Remix, sounds less muffled and you'll enjoy it way more.
Hey thanks for this! I’m down with your list for the most part the only thing I would do is flop 2112 and hemispheres. I think Hemispheres was their greatest album. They push themselves beyond their limits in lyrics a musicianship. I’ve never heard an album like it. I’ve listen to it a 1000 times and still I get something out of it every time. A masterpiece!
Love your videos. Caress of Steal never seems to get much love. Glad to see you have it in your top 10. I think I’d put it in the top 3, with maybe Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres ahead of it.
I love 2112! Interesting thing about the Fly by Night album that you’d only hear on a fully manual turntable is it played bells at the end of each side until you picked up the tone arm. You wouldn’t hear it on CD or automatic turntable.
My Top 12 Favorite Rush Albums. (These are the Albums I really Care for) 12. Clockwork Angels 11. Grace Under Pressure 10. Power Windows 9. Signals 8. Moving Pictures (Could do without Tom Sawyer) 7. Permanent Waves 6. Caress of Steel 5. Fly By Night 4. Hemispheres 3. A Farewell to Kings 2. Rush (I really Love this Album) 1. 2112 2112 Really got Me into this Band. Tom Sawyer really gets People into Rush, That Song didn't get Me into them.
It's painful to put any album on bottom 19 presto 18 hold your fire 17 vapor trails 16 rush 1974 15 grace under pressure 14 roll the bones 13 power windows 12 caress of steel 11 test for echo 10 signals 9 snakes and arrows 8 moving pictures 7 fly by night 6 counterparts 5 clockwork angels 4 hemispheres 3 2112 2 permanent waves 1 farewell to kings 6
Agree with your top 10 though not the order you had them in. I think Caress of Steel and Fly by Night are criminally underrated. Plus whilst Grace Under Pressure has a synth sound it has aged well. The synths sound cold and dark - not very poppy at all :) .
I cut my Rush teeth on their Kings album around 1980 and most days it's still my favorite, so many of their albums from the era '74 through '82 are equally good for me so I really can't put one above the other. My fave after that is Presto then Vapor Trails, the rest is somewhere in the middle
1. Presto - LOVE every track (War Paint my fave); R. Hine did great bringing out their best 2. Hold Your Fire - MY "Moving Pictures" - this one made me a FAN (esp Turn the Page) 3. Permanent Waves - A+ on every track, same as Presto; packs great punch (short/superb) 4. Power Windows - discovered this one later, but just as strong/complements HYF 5. Roll the Bones - my 1st love (live tour)/sentimental; title track ok but love all the rest 6. Grace Under Pressure - my 2nd; solid encapsulation of "angst"; helped get me thru school 7. 2112 - Rush's most "important" album, launching 3 classics in a row 8. Fly By Night - drew me in; love By-Tor/S Dog; nice transition to signature "70s" sound 9. A Farewell to Kings - also helped "draw me in" early on 10. Rush - the "fun" one; they started off strong; would still own even if it were their only 11. Hemispheres - nice "bookend" to 70s; if #10 is light this one is a full, satisfying meal 12. Moving Pictures - not the be-all-end all for me; LOVE 1/2 of it - the rest "ok" 13. Vapor Trails - my "go to" on most days; a return to "Rush" sound I love after T4E 14. Signals - nice tr'sn to 80s albums I like better; less "punch" than MP but more good songs 15. Snakes & Arrows - my tastes skew twd "later" Rush; like MOST of the tracks on this one 16. Counterparts - experimental; like about 1/2; great when I am in the mood for it 17. Caress of Steel - Panacea nearly ruins FofL, an o.w. great song; B Day is infectious 18. Clockwork Angels - like the textures/arrgmts but only a handful appeal to me 19. Test for Echo - awkward compositions, some dumb lyrics; felt like a re-do of CP/80s stuff You seem to have a strong bias toward "heavier" sounds. I love hard rock and Rush's "70s" sound too; that plus HYF, GUP are what "drew me in". I'm glad you can appreciate CoS and debut album. I feel that Ftn of Lmnth falls short of what it could have been (as noted above) but I still love Alex's guitar parts. I like Necromancer too but feel it is eclipsed by BTor/SDog just like 2112 title track eclipses Ftn of Lmnth. Other than the poor placement of Panacea (my least fave Rush song) it would be a great album. Why did I put FBN ahead of AFtK & Hemispheres ? Well, By-Tor/S Dog was their _first_ try at the storytelling song, and they got it *spot-on*. It stands head-to-head with a song like Cygnus X-1 or Hemispheres (or La Villa Strangiato, for that matter). That, plus FBN's other "strong" tracks make *FBN a greater "milestone"* than the two albums that followed on the success of 2112 (their other great early "milestone"). The 1st album is the one that's _different_. I tend to be in the mood for the _whole thing_ when I listen to it. But I can have it on in the background if I feel like it; I don't feel like I have to "break out the fine china" like I do when I dive into Hemispheres, for instance. So *versatility*, I guess, is why I rank the 1st album ahead of Hemispheres, but I found it a bit difficult to rank these albums of the 70s (esp the 1st one!), so it's more like a tie, I think. Moving Pictures - I feel the low-ish ranking of this one deserves some explanation: I don't feel like I'm eating a "meal" when I listen to this one, unlike Hemispheres. This one was harder for me to grasp, because I was not a fan yet when I bought it. I owned it on cassette and only listened to Tom Sawyer for the first year-and-a-half I had it. I took a second look at Rush when a friend introduced me to more of their music, and I got to hear Hold Your Fire, as well as GUP, FBN, Hemsphrs, AFtK, and RtB (the new one at the time). Then he invited me to my 1st Rush concert, and halfway through the set, I *GOT it*(!) I remember getting into 2112, PWaves, and HYF after that. I had to hear Xanadu and 2112 before I could appreciate The Camera Eye (but once I did, *WOW*!). [That's why 2112 & AFtK are more important to me than MP.] And I was a fan of Witch Hunt by then, too. Those and TS are to me the strongest tracks on that album. I like YYZ about comparable to a song like Chemistry - quite good but somewhere "in the middle" for me. I would compare Red Barchetta with the song Roll the Bones, or maybe The Analog Kid - somewhat catchy, but not compelling. I'm not that big on Vital Signs, but I like it more than Afterimage. That leaves Limelight, which will never be one of my favorites. Clearly other people "get" this song in a way that I don't. I am FAR more sentimental about PWaves than I am MP because that album is as solid as they come; I consider Freewill and Tom Sawyer to be the most "similar" to each other and arguably two of their greatest. It is very difficult to compare the 1st album with MP. Maybe it's because the 1st album has a more consistent "feel", with Working Man and Finding My Way being the standout tracks, and it has a certain _charm_ to it that I rank it higher than MP. I can see why many fans like Clockwork Angels - there's some deep stuff there. It just isn't a personal favorite for me. And I *DO* listen to T4E songs FREQUENTLY, even though it's on the bottom. (It IS still a _Rush_ album, after all!) ---------------- I *wish* you could experience Presto, HYF, RtB, and PWindows the way *I* do. I'm being sincere here. You may appreciate Rush but I feel you are *missing half their genius*. Presto alone is one of the most _beautiful_ set of songs I've ever heard. Very "tight" compositions that capture complex sentiments _brilliantly_ on all 4 of those albums. I would rank Lock & Key, Turn the Page, Territories, Face Up, and War Paint right up there with Something for Nothing, Circumstances, or Anthem. Do you listen to other genres ? When the "alternative" station changed formats in the early 2000s I had to settle for the "pop" station - something I used to "look down" on. Still not my favorite genre because I like interesting structures and don't go for "simplistic" themes, but I found that I was able to appreciate the talent it takes to produce/arrange a song. Sometimes it is just the superficial "flavor"/textures or melody that we like, but what _I_ find makes a song "infectious" is when those elements combine beautifully with a matching "theme" that is expressed by a pleasing _cadence_. It doesn't have to be super "melodic", but when lyrics and melody don't get in the way of each other, but build together, THAT is where the magic happens. I am simply in AWE at what Rush can do. They knock my socks off. PLEASE, PLEASE give those other albums a chance ! And thanks for doing your ranking : )
I like your Rush ranking. To be honest Laura, I find it very difficult to say that Rush ever made a bad album. People might say that’s a fanboy statement but Rush are one of my top favourite 3 bands of all time. If I did my ranking even my last placed album would be one I enjoy and I think has good songs on it. I totally understand where you are coming from with albums like Presto. I think their mid to late 80s albums and 90s albums are underrated. I still might put them on the lower end of a ranking myself, but I would not describe any of them as ‘disappointing’ or say Rush had ‘lost their way’. They did different things and did them well, it might not just be some people’s favourite style.
@@jimmycampbell78 Yeah, I would never say that Rush ever 'lost their way', because even my least favorite album has songs I enjoy listening to regularly. I would agree that their mid to late 80s and the Rupert Hine albums are underrated, I suppose because their sound was too "different" from the Rush that many fans fell in love with. But to each his own. I'd like to think that I can appreciate the full range of what Rush has offered us.
There’s no such thing as a bad rush album IMO 19) Hold Your Fire 18) Roll The Bones 17) Test For Echo 16) Vapor Trails 15) Snakes and Arrows 14) Clockwork Angels 13) Presto 12) Counterparts 11) Power Windows 10) Signals 9) Grace Under Pressure 8) A Farewell To Kings 7) Caress of Steel 6) Moving Pictures 5) Permanent Waves 4) 2112 3) RUSH 2) Hemisphere 1) Fly By Night
1. Moving Pictures 2. Permanent Waves 3. Hemispheres 4. A Farewell to Kings 5. Signals 6. Power Windows 7. 2112 8. Grace Under Pressure 9. Fly by Night 10. Roll the Bones 11. Clockwork Angels 12. Counterparts 13. Hold Your Fire 14. Caress of Steel 15. Snakes and Arrows 16. Rush 17. Presto 18. Vapor Trails 19. Test for Echo
I enjoy listening to each and everyone of the albums. It was cool living in the times when each one was coming out. Pure awesomeness and excitement. Were you alive when the first one came out in 1974? Thanks.
Hi Gary. I like your list. You chose to off load the later album first which I totally agree with. My only comment would be Power Windows and Test For Echo should swap places. The earlier albums are down to personal preference and can go in any order. My favourite Rush album is Exit Stage Left as it contains so many of their best tunes.
I'm one of the few Rush die hards who barely ranks Moving Pictures in the top ten and Farewell To Kings very close to the bottom, lol. My top five tends to go something like this... 5. Signals 4. Hemispheres 3. Hold Your Fire 2. Grace Under Pressure 1. Permanent Waves ( this album is always at the top for me! Might as well have been called Perfect Waves. )
19. Test for Echo 18. Presto 17. Counterparts 16. Snake and Arrows 15. Clockwork Angels 14. Roll the bones 13. Vapor Trails 12. Grace Under Pressure 11. Hold your Fire 10. Rush 9 Signals 8. Power Windows 7. Caress of Steel 6. Fly by Night 5. 2112 4. A Farewell to Kings 3. Hemispheres 2. Moving Pictures 1. Permanent Waves
1. Moving Pictures 2. Permanent Waves 3. Signals 4. Power Windows(under-rated by many... masterpiece) 5. Grace Under Pressure(one of most unique sounding records of all time) 6. Counterparts(Maybe the best production along with Moving Pictures and Power Windows) 7. Presto (Amazing choruses...drum sound waaaay too thin...what a shame with amazing Ludwig kit) 8. Clockwork Angels(Would be even better with remix...will we ever get one?) 9. Roll The Bones (Just like Presto, production way too thin/wimpy.....should we blame Rupert Hine?) 10. Hemispheres 11. Test For Echo(disappointed on first listen, but wow did it grow on me) 12. Vapor Trails(even higher with remix version) 13. Farewell To Kings 14. Hold Your Fire (too far in the keyboard direction) 15. Snakes and Arrows(too many folk overtones and slow tempos) 16. Fly By Night 17. 2112(important record for band, but always thought it is over-rated) 18. Caress Of Steel 19. Rush (hard to even recognize band considering what they eventually became) 80's era is the best and it's not even close. No bad Rush albums though!!! Tons of stuff to love on ALL of them.
Curious as to why PWindows > HYF ? I've heard others say this but I don't see why. I find their arrangements similar, and consider them both strong albums. I am slightly more sentimental about HYF because I heard it some time before PWindows and it helped *draw me in* to Rush. It showed me that they continued to "kick butt" some time after their supposed "peak" w FW/SoR, TS, Subdivisions. CP: really like Btwn Sun/Moon (appreciate the non-sensical refrain), Spd of Love; love the music of Alien Shore but not the lyrics so much;; like the instrumental; also fond of Ev'd. Glory, Cold Fire;; like Cut/Chase & Animate about the same;; Stick It Out is just ok to me. (Rarely listen to N.Hero, Dbl Agent) T4E: like the instrumental, Virtuality (but not the lyrics!), Totem (but reminds me of Spd of Love, which I like better), Color/Rt, Half/Wld; Driven is ok; like the guitar part of Dog Years but not crazy abt lyrics (some parts remind me of Ev'd Glory). Curious as to which parts you like since you said it grew on you (it grew somewhat on me too) Glad you appreciate Presto album : )
Greetings from Greece :) nice video :) I will start by saying that Rush was NOT a progressive METAL band, Rush was a progressive ROCK band, and after the album Presto they became more of a hard rock band or maybe even just a rock band...their last progressive rock album was, for me at least, Hold your Fire in 1987...after that they became more of a rock/hard rock band, with some very few progressive touches in their music...the albums I liked more were 2112, Moving Pictures and A Farewell To Kings...
Wow.One of the closer lists to mine that I have seen.Like it a lot.Here is my list.1.Moving Pictures.2.Permanent Waves.3.2112.4.A farewell to Kings.5.Rush.6.Signals.7Fly by Night.8.Hemispheres.9.Caress of steel.10.Roll the Bones.11.Presto.12.Grave under Pressure.13.Hold your Fire.14.Counterparts.15.Test for Echo`s.16.Snakes and Ladders.17.Clockwork Angels.18.Vapor trails.19.Power Windows.
Hi, would put Presto down and also Hold your fire at the end with Vapor Trails - which I did not like at all. Would put Counterparts before Roll the Bones. Cheers. Could debate all night. My fav Rush song is Xanadu. Don't know why, my fav Rush album is Signals and Moving Pictures close second.
Agree w you - see my list What do you think of Vapor Trails ? I put it at #13; one of the ones that goes thru my head the most. I think I like it because it is the "other side of the coin" from HYF, PWindows - i.e. it sort of "balances out" the heavy synth albums. I really like the "flavor" of that one.
@@laurasever3269 I like VP Remix a lot better as the original gave me ‘ my favourite headache’thanks to the brickwalling sound.But aside from a few classics I feel the songwriting is not as strong and there is a sameness to a lot of tracks.It was the first Rush album that I have had to sit down say I should be liking this because it’s Rush.Not sure where it would go on my list but I enjoy Test For Echo more than VP
@@alanthorne3921 I found that VTrls had to grow on me (I think I know what you mean about the "sameness"). I used to only find about half of it "strong", but after listening to it over the past several years I find there is something for me to like on just about every track. I can't really put my finger on it. I think I like the heavy guitar sounds more than being impressed by the particular way they put the song elements together, but I find those songs going through my head a lot. (I don't own the remixed version) On Test for Echo, I couldn't figure out what kind of sound the band was aiming for. It reminded me so much of Counterparts; it seemed like more of the same. I love the instrumental (Limbo). I like Virtuality (despite the lyrics), Totem, The Color of Right, Half the World. I'm less crazy about Carve Away the Stone, Driven, Dog Years (but the guitar part is nice on that one), and I rarely listen to the title track, Time and Motion, or Resist. I certainly don't hate it, but it's the only album that disappointed me (I put it at the bottom of my list). This one just confuses me, but I do listen to various tracks from it on a regular basis.
Same as me the eighties synth era is my fav those albums would all be top 10, with power windows my no 1. For clarity I joined the Rush family in 1977 so my first albums were all 70s stuff. I don't have much time for Vapor Trails but love all the rest.
@@1oriss not a big fan of VP but the remix was better but I think generally the songwriting was down except for a handful of standout tracks.Not album I can play all the way through.
I have that same Stones poster. I can also see your Beatles collection over your left ear. You have "past masters" after The White Album and I place it before...
I also agree, Roll the Bonesnstaryed the move back toward what I love in rush. Counterparts I thought was significantly better. But Vapor Teails finally really pushed Alex higher in the mix and priority over the synths. Snakes was good, but i LOVE Spindrift. They finished with their best record in years, Clockwork Angels.
1. Permanent Waves - PERFECT ALBUM...for me it edges out Moving Pictures. I never want to skip any of the songs. 2. Moving Pictures - If I'm introducing the band to someone, I start with The Spirit of Radio and then go directly here. 3. Hemispheres - Prog Rock at it's finest. Slightly better than Farewell to Kings. 4. Farewell to Kings - Super creative and fun, although not a fan of Madrigal. Great Album. 5. 2112 - 2112 is an absolute masterpiece. Aside from Tears, love every song. 6. Signals - The entire album is really good. It just is competing with better albums. 7. Grace Under Pressure - More Synth dominated, but it works for me. These songs are packed with energy. 8. Fly By Night - great sophomore track. Anthem is in my top 10. 9. Caress of Steel - Severely underrated. No bad songs, although "I think I'm going bald" is sorta random. 10. Power Windows - Love The Big Money, Manhattan Project, and Marathon. 11. Rush - some original bangers, but lyrics are lacking in this album (for obvious reasons) 12. Hold Your Fire - like about 1/2 the album. 13. Counterparts - Growing on me. Well produced. 14. Clockwork Angels - Good exiting album, just not as much my style. 15. Roll the Bones - Rapping is not Geddy's strong point 16. Snakes and Arrows - Not a huge fan, but a couple good ones 17. Test for Echo - ... 18. Vapor Trail - all the songs start sounding the same to me 19. Presto...yikes
@@yoiamhere4737 Test for Echo seems to be all the leftovers of the Counterparts album. Not a lot of good content imo. Half the World, Virtuality, and Driven are all decent songs. Presto is just a lackluster album to me. You have to listen through a bunch of filler just to get to the few good parts. Show Don't Tell and the Pass are the only tracks I think are okay. That being said, most bands would be proud to produce an album like Test For Echo or Presto.
@@jamestoole3614 True true! I think test for echo is by far their weakest. What you said about Presto, I feel about test for echo. For Presto though I kinda fell in love with the album not gonna lie haha. I love chain lightning, title track, superconductor, available light, scars, most of the tracks on there. Good ranking 🤘
Uh... as soon as you put Power Windows in at 17 you lost me. saying it's forgettable???!!! Geddy loves this album and they played a lot of it on their last tours. You think Vapor Trails is better than Counterparts???
Alex himself said he didn't like when the Guitars took the backseat. They all eventually agreed to go back to the their Guitars, Bass, Drums and some Keys style. My favorite eras of Rush are 1974-1980 and 1989-2012. I skip the mid 80's stuff. Not my favorite. Rush, Fly, 2112, Hemspheres, Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves are my favorite albums. I need to give Signals another listen. I do love Subdivisions though.
A typical list. For me the best rush albums were from 2112 through signals. There's only one album I just don't get into, Test for echo. There final 3 albums are good, in fact for me Snakes and Arrows is there best album since Signals. I'd put it just ahead of permanent waves. Top 5, moving pictures, Hemispheres, Fairwell to kings, 2112, and signals.
The top 10, and especially top5 is a bitch to rank. Today I'd call it: 1. Moving Pictures 2. Hemispheres 3. Permanent Waves 4. Farewell to kings 5: 2112 6. Signals 7. Grace under pressure 8. Fly by night 9. Rush 10. Caress 11. Clockwork 12. Counterparts 13. Vapor Trails 14. Snakes 15. Roll the Bones 16. Test for Echo 17. Presto 18. Hold your fire 19. Power Windows
After power windows it just goes...well just not as good. 1. Moving pictures 2. Signals 3. Permanent waves 4. Farewell to kings 5. Grace under pressure 6. Hemispheres 7. 2112 8. Power windows 9. Fly by night 10. Caress of steel
Typical that the Only album i heard by rush when was a teenager was hold your fire. And that is obviosly the worst on your list. Now when i heard more albums i think for that style its still good. It can be for nostalgic reasons. But Its way better than Presto and Roll the bones in my opinion.
Anything from Fly by Night to Moving Pictures is the classic era of Rush. Any arrangement of these 7 is good. My personal favorite is Hemispheres. This is where they peaked musically and their best live concert. I agree with you that Caress of Steel is the most under appreciated album. The Necromancer and Fountain of Lameth, along with Bastille Day all immortal Rush songs. It's hard to disagree with 2112 being #1 because Rush thought this was going to be their last album when they made it. This energy kept the band alive to do whatever they wanted from that point forward. Personally, I lost interest in Rush after Moving Pictures. Subdivisions sounds like it was recorded during the Moving Pictures sessions, just held over for the next album, but it's the last great Rush song that was in the Spirit of their golden era from 1975 to 1981.
Strike 1: Hold Your Fire is their "worst album" with "Terrible cover art." Strike 2: Presto is "hard rock" ... dude, WHAT? And no "hit singles"? This is the measure of Rush albums? Strike 3: Power Windows doesn't have as much bass? Marathon is too long? Have you no sense of irony?
They are a hard band for me to rank. 5 great albums, 5 good albums, and 9 so-so albums. I know I have Roll the Bones much higher than you. I was 18 when the 1st album came out, so that is my fav.
1. 2112 (1976) 2. Moving Pictures (1981) 3. Permanent Waves (1980) 4. Grace Under Pressure (1984) 5. Hemispheres (1978) 6. Fly By Night (1975) 7. Signals (1982) 8. Power Windows (1985) 9. A Farewell to Kings (1977) 10. Clockwork Angels (2012) 11. Rush (1974) 12. Test for Echo (1996) 13. Caress of Steel (1975) 14. Roll The Bones (1991) 15. Counterparts (1993) 16. Snakes and Arrows (2007) 17. Hold Your Fire (1987) 18. Presto (1989) 19. Vapor Trails (2002)
Just early into the list, your least favorite era seems to be the same as mine, the records that were too synth heavy over Alex's guitar. I mean, even the ones I don't like as much, the musicianship is fantastic, I just don't love that synth sound.
Rush is a band who got weaker with each subsequent album after Hold Your Fire, with Clockwork Angels being the weakest by far. The music became bland, the lyrics trite, and the records overproduced with a grungy sound that didn't match with their core sound.
1. Hemispheres 2. A Farewell to Kings 3. Hold Your Fire 4. Roll the Bones 5. Moving Pictures 6. 2112 7. Test for Echo 8. Power Windows 9. Signals 10. Counterparts 11. Fly by Night 12. Grace Under Pressure 13. Caress of Steel 14. Presto 15. Permanent Waves 16. Clockwork Angels 17. Rush 18. Snakes and Arrows 19. Vapor Trails
