Rush: Worst to Best | Albums Ranked 

My God, you really love your subject. You did this with Jethro Tull, and you didn't give Rush any less of your mind and passionate articulation. It's a little intimidating at first to hear you wax lovingly about these albums. It almost sounds professorial until I realized how you are breathing life into each selection. Very compelling and well communicated.

Rush is musically and intellectually ambitious, yet utterly without pretense. Subdivisions is one of my favorite songs by anybody.

Being a lifelong Rush fan, I really liked their 80's synth period as much as any other period in their timeline. I always viewed it as a departure and experimentation from the previous sound they developed and I think they were very successful in their attempt. Almost every successful band develops their sound to the decade and this was the sound of the 80's. It's the typical Rush musicianship with an 80's sound. I feel if Hold Your Fire was their very first album it would have been hailed as extremely successful and the subsequent albums. With that being said, I believe Moving Pictures is by far one of the best rock albums of all time.

It’s good to see “Grace Under Pressure” ranking so high on your list Barry, I love that album. That old Rolling Stone review you read on it was hilarious and stupid all at once. Rolling Stone had already become a wet blanket as music rags go by that time.

_Grace Under Pressure_ is one of my favourites. They put those synths to good use to create that darker, apocalyptic vibe. The songwriting is top notch, and as an added bonus the live album _Grace Under Pressure Tour_ is sublime and showcases their abilities when they were at their best.

Signals is my #4 album of all time. I've never ever heard drums sound better.

Hugely enjoyable listen. I don't know any Rush fan that agrees with everything. My own personal favourite is Permanent Waves. It has everything I love about their music and words. Truly a band that speaks and resonates with their audience. Please keep up the interesting, enlightening and good work

Another thing that sets Signals apart from all other albums in the synth period is the sheer emotion that is present throughout the album. The increased presence of synths doesn't sound cold or intrusive in any way. It's just another layer of musical expression. Synths have a bad reputation of being a cold, emotionally distant instrument, and that case can certainly be made with many albums that were released in the 80s. Signals on the other hand, uses these distant qualities to its advantage by expressing the wide range of emotions that we feel as humans. Songs like Subdivisions and Losing It are so beautiful that they bring tears to my eyes to this day. Signals might not be their best album, but it's my favourite and will always have a special place in my heart.

"Moving pictures " was their best album but l have a soft spot for " Fly by night ". Afraid to say it but their later '80,s output left me cold but their 70's music with their transision from heavy rock to full blown prog summed up the band at their best .

" ...the music press certainly don't seem to like Rush, which means that any self-respecting music fan must become a passionate devotee of this band." lol - perfect.

Well said! Rush has been my favorite band since my brother gave me 2112 for Christmas '77. Your articulation explaining why these album are worthy of our admiration is spot on. I've never been able to list my favorite albums because often times it depends on my mood. Thank you for expressing some feelings I have for this band as I can never find the words!

I’m a lifetime rush fan, started listening at birth from my dad, was in love with it by age 4 and started playing guitar by age 7. They are my favorite band, and you did them well with this review. Thank you for taking the time to really listen to what rush has to offer. The only thing I would change is move ‘moving pictures’ to 3 and bump up ‘a farewell to Kings’ and ‘hemispheres’ to 2 and 1.

I like that you put Caress of Steel at number 8 : its very underrated and yes misunderstood. Its heavy too..I like that...

The title is a fallacy: You addressed that in the beginning. Well done. When we talk about things in relative terms, the big picture gets lost-every Rush album is a collection of high quality songs. I don't agree with your order; but then, that's what opinions are for.

While they’re still finding their way...no pun intended..” 😂

Brilliant analysis and synopsis! Vapor Trails is much higher up on my list. It’s the #1 album I listen to of post ‘80s Rush. The remix absolutely cleans it up wonderfully, although I liked it before that. Listening to the remix was like hearing a whole new album. My woofers appreciate that as much as my ears do. The music is wonderful, and the lyrics are written from a very personal place from Neil’s post-tragic journeys. There’s a lot of existential reckoning that he describes so beautifully, punctuated by killer rhythms. For example, the way Geddy sings Neil’s desperate ‘pleading with a higher power’ chorus in “The Stars Look Down,” only to be met with silence as his answer. All three musicians are on-point and the resulting music is a very well integrated whole, much greater than the sum of its parts. I also consider ‘Caress of Steel’ as a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s terribly dated but captures so much of the ‘coming of age’ apprehension of growing up while longing for the simplicity of childhood, in ‘Lakeside Park’ and ‘I think I’m Going Bald’ (later lyrically further developed in ‘Signals’). Mix that in with Tolkienesque fantasy and it’s a wonderful listen.

As a keyboard player caught in a heavy rock band ...those 80's keyboard albums were very influential to my learning how to blend textually with a loud guitar....

I remember buying Presto while in college. I was immediately blown away and listen to this album regularly!

Awesome video! Rush defined me as a musician, when A Farewell... came out. I gave up on them, after Moving Pictures, but you have inspired me to dig deeper. Thank you 👍🏻

Well done... I appreciate the attention you bring here to Cut To The Chase on the Counterparts album. It's my favorite Rush deep cut. I love Counterparts and could never rank it below Caress, Snakes, or Presto, but I respect your opinion.

Wonderful video. It made me glad I subbed. You obviously give these things a lot of thought and I feel more than a little gratified that many of your favorite songs echo my own choices.

Great listen! My current top 5 is: 1. A Farewell to Kings 2. Grace Under Pressure 3. Signals 4. Hemispheres 5. 2112

Hi Barry that was a great in depth video. I have a number of Rush albums and CDs. Will definitely invest in more of them.

The 80's production was better than is now. More dynamic. New music is compressed to the point of ridiculousness. And everything sounds similar.

Great video! Caress Of Steel is my favorite, and I feel it certainly rates higher than Grace Under Pressure.

the amount of thought u put into all your content is amazing! keep up the great work😎

Great video. I’m 41 years old and never got into Rush until very recently and videos like this are invaluable. What’s interesting is since I have no past with Rush I find some of the later albums very satisfying. Vapor Trails, Counterparts, Clockwork Angels are all great to me. I think that is due to Geddy’s voice. I think it sounds better on the later albums. But of course you can’t argue with the late 70s early/ 80s albums. There are multiple masterpieces during that period.

The care and attention and knowledge you bring to these reviews is very much appreciated plus opinions certainly in respect of Rush are balanced but for me very nuanced and informed

Just recently discovered your channel. Love both the info you provide and your T shirts.

👍 Well done... True Rush fans have always known this from the start. Each album has many interpretations to each of us and the experience of rediscovering something new and different with another listen. It truly amazes me to how many people are just now getting it🤘!

I’m impressed! A favorite band of mine. Again, nicely done. Subscribed, and looking forward to more.

Excellent review of Rush's albums. Me...I love Grace Under Pressure and Signals. They are the 2 that I listen to the most.

Your description of the albums is amazing, hopefully explains everything to the fans with open ears

Rush is one of very few bands where i love all albums. I really do. And they are all getting better as time passes by. Extraordinary.

As a very old RUSH fan, I can mostly concur with your listing, although I would push Power Windows and Hold your fire further up the ladder....but where? I'd move Roll the Bones a bit down, and fit them in... however, what has captivated me is your deep passion... and I feel it... They have always been there for me, and every album is significant to a time-frame in my life... Thanks. AWESOME AWESOME post. 10/10

Thanks for this. It's always interesting to hear someone else's considered opinion. The only significant difference I have with your list is that I would put Permanent Waves at the top of mine, although La Villa Strangiato from Hemispheres is my favourite track, perhaps because Permanent Waves was the first Rush album I listened to.

If Geddy or Alex watch this I am sure they will be truly honoured by this meticulous, multi-layered, incredibly thoughtful and amazingly expressive review of their work. I would ask if you deliver these delightfully deep and enriching reviews largely without at least some sort of tele-prompting, but am almost afraid to hear the answer.

Great video with keen insights. My favorites are Fly By Night and Grace Under Pressure.

Rush is special. What a gift to those who connect with them. I had stopped listening to new material for about 15 years after Signals. Not sure why now looking back. For some reason I picked up Test for Echo when it came out to take a peek. I really enjoyed it and got me exploring all the music I missed. Imagine my horror when TFE was dead last on your list! Funny, but I guess something has to occupy that spot. I enjoyed your support for Presto which I find to be quite enjoyable too. It gets a bad rap. You also inspired me to sit down and give Clockwork Angels another go. I was pleasantly surprised. I really didn’t care for Geddy’s aged vocal prowess at first, but it’s much better than I remembered. I was fortunate to see them once back in the 80’s, but unfortunately only saw them once. I really enjoyed the show. Fun to go through such an impressive catalog and realize they never mailed in an album. There is something to enjoy about each release. Hemispheres tops my list. You make a compelling argument for each. Keep up the good work. Cheers!

Wonderful review, you obviously love the subject matter. As a Canadian we heard a lot of Rush growing up. They are my second-favourite band (after Genesis). My list is a little different than yours but I love it nonetheless. Keep up the great work!

This is the second time I've watched this video, at least a couple of years apart, and I really enjoyed all of your analysis and agree with almost all of it. Yes, I've been a huge Rush fan since Permanent Waves came out in early 1980. Well done.

Great reviews! Like how you look beyond the music. My favs Farewell, 2112, Caress. If you're in London, I may go in Oct. Beers on me!

Presto is a beautifully produced crisp sounding album. Totally agree with your number 1. Glorious performances throughout with amazing catchy moments.

So grateful for Rush. Very thankful to discover your thoughtful reflections on Rush.

Thanks. Rush was a truly incredible band with an amazing legacy of great music. I agree with you fully on 'Presto!'. It's actually one of my favorite Rush albums. tavi.

Ive heard Tom Sawyer 100s of times throughout my life and found it mildly annoying at best until yesterday I HEARD Tom Sawyer. It was kind of a holy shit moment and I'm excited to dig into their discography.

Best "Rush albums ranked" video out there. Well done. And we both share an unusually high opinion of Signals. Please consider ranking their live albums as well. I think I'd want you to do it before anyone else.

I have always put Hemispheres at the top and would have a very different list, when I go to put an album on without any specific desire to listen to one I would be more likely to choose Test For Echo than Moving Pictures, I've never engaged with Vapour Trails and Snakes 'n' Arrows along with Clockwork Angels outside of a few tracks really don't provoke any excitement either, as ever each to their own and well done for taking this on again.

Absolutely stunning reviews 💯

“Time Stand Still “ is my favorite song of all time. It has been a common thread running through my life. It will be the last song my body hears before the casket is closed. Hopefully a long time from now!

I bought Presto but didn't get into it at all. I was at that point a "classic" Rush fan and didn't listen to the "newer" albums. After a few years on the shelf, I listened to it again. After about 5 plays, I started to thoroughly enjoyed it. At that point, I bought the newer albums. I'm so glad I gave the album another try or I would have missed out on so much good music.

Thanks so much! I had only heard Rush on the radio before (no one's hits on the radio are ever the best), so this gave me a good place to start. They are a very complex, intelligent band. Very impressive.

For me, the synth era added another complex layer of sound on top of the signature songs that came before that. For this reason, my favorite Rush album is Signals followed by Counterparts

Great reviews of one of my favourite bands. PW, MP, Presto, GUP, Signals, FTK, Hemispheres, favs for me

Late to the party but I’m glad I found this. Excellent analysis!!

Excellent reviews.

Great presentation as usual. I rank Permanent Waves 2nd, just getting beat out by Pictures. Freewill and Spirit of Radio are my 1st and 2nd Rush songs. Lifesons guitar solo in Freewill is soooo underrated. Hemispheres 3rd, their best concept album easily.

Thoughtful reflections and thoughts on an amazing and iconic band. Well done, sir.

Thanks, I enjoyed that. I agree with most of your ranking choices - apart from Counterparts. It is my number four. The record kind of distills everything the band has done before, but at the same time explores a lot of new ground. I still remember listening to it for the first time. My jaw dropped dangerously low after the drum intro to Animate. I wasn't able to realign it until the end of Everyday Glory. And I really love Cold Fire. Over time it evolved into one of my favourite Rush songs of all time. I also rank Presto a bit higher. It has a special place in my heart because it was the first record from Rush that I bought when it was released. I was still in the midst of discovering their whole discography, a circumstance that maybe has benefitted the record. But I still like it very much.

I was supposed to be going to bed 42.42 minutes ago but chanced upon this wonderful reflection of Rush's albums, just as I have, only now, been discovering their body of work for myself after all these years. I've asked myself repeatedly why on earth I hadn't taken the journey through the band's music while they were still recording and touring, but on reflection I'm rather glad I didn't, as I truly believed there was no irresistible musical mastery of such epic proportions left to unravel and completely floor me.

Great review but just can’t get my head around the placing of the debut, Fly By Night, Snakes & Arrows and 2112... All should be much higher up in my view. Also, as much as I love Signals, I think it would fall a couple of places in my list. I suppose it’s all just personal taste really. Anyway keep up the good work and keep on rockin’! :-)

I love your videos man!

Great RUSH opinions, I have been driven to tears when hit by the musical sadness and beauty of it all...

I've seen this video several times and skipped over it, thinking it will likely be something written by a fan who knows less about Rush than I do. Oh contraire! You sir, did a really insightful look at all the albums, and it was deep! It was one of the very best overviews I've seen on RU-vid. Thank You!!

As someone who has only recently started listening to Rush, Signals sounds absolutely amazing and I absolutely love it.

Great stuff!

Wonderfully literate review of a wonderfully literate band! 1. A Farewell to Kings 2. Hemispheres 3. 2112 4. Moving Pictures 5. Permanent Wave 6. Caress of Steel 7. Fly by Night 8. Power Windows 9. Signals 10. Rush

Very good video and I can appreciate your rankings. I do find it fascinating how many of your favorite songs on a particular album are some of my LEAST favorites, at least until you get closer to the top of the list. I think that highlights just how great Rush was at creating their albums so that almost every song can appeal to fans as a potential favorite.

moving pictures was my first rush album that made me take notice and i purchaaded rush caress of steel. excellent band. and neil pearts drumming no need to explain cheers nice review with thopught proving words

Awesome list and commentary. I love "Vapor Trails" probably my only big difference here. Always cool to see another Barry too

The Summer 2112 came out introduced me to RUSH. Glorious 8 track tape. Great vid.

👍I'm late at the party,but,hey,it's Rush. 😆 End 70's my older brother (i was +/- 16) had "Hemispheres" on his player,i was blown away,just so different of what music was played at that time. Later i understood,from a interview,that they NEVER gonna do something like that again,becouse of the very intensif,brain draining work,they had with this album.For me,still nmbr 1.🤘 And yes ,"The trees" one of my favorits to.😉

Brand new to your site. Took the time to listen to you. You're excellent keep up the great work.

My Rush discography finished with Permanent Waves you have encouraged me to explore some of the later albums.

Though I'd never argue it to be their best, I think my favorite Rush album will always be Hold Your Fire. It's got a certain je ne sais quois that just resonates with me. I think Time Stand Still is one of their all-time greatest songs as well. When I get in the mood for Rush, I go for Hold Your Fire more times than not.

I used to rate the debut album rather low myself, in fact I went over 20 years without listening to it even once. A few years ago I decided to give it another listen and found a new appreciation for it. A lot of that has to do with with the fact that I myself am from Toronto and once made an attempt at becoming a musician. I felt a bit more connected to this album. Of course pretty much every stage Rush ever played in their early days was long gone by the time I was at it (I was born in 1971), but I was still basically dragging my gear through the same streets and places that they did. So now listening to that album I get a sense of how they were feeling at that time, making it a little more relatable.

Great video... I'd have put Vapor Trails (Redux) up higher, personally, but hey... Delighted to hear someone who agrees with me about Roll The Bones, which I absolutely love!

I’d put Hemispheres one ☝️ and move Permanent Waves above Signals.

Quite a mindful list, good sir!

If memory serves me correctly, and I am showing my age here, but when Rolling Stone released their very first "Record Guide" I believe they gave every one of Rush's albums at the time the ranking of ■, or worthless. After I read that I haven't put much faith in critics opinion of Rush, or any band for that matter, ever since. I've been subscribed to you for a couple of weeks now and I love what I've been seeing.

The first Rush album I owned (on cassette) is A Show of Hands. Consequently, I very much love the synth period and more often than not reach for GUP, Signals, or Power Windows as much as Moving P or Perm Waves.

Wow thanks for all the background info! Personally I like the songs on 2112 better on live records. I think Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures are my favorites, but I actually really like the later 80s albums too. For some reason I don't mind the 80's sound of Rush (I think many others sounded far worse in that era). I completely agree with your pick of Time Stand Still, and Emotion Detector as among the best. Those lyrics are fantastic, with each word fitting like a glove with the next.

This was truly wonderful. Could you please just talk about Rush for another few hours? Given the depth and breadth of nonsense that is gushing out onto the Internet every day, this was a real breath of fresh air. I waited for twenty five years to be able to finally see Rush live, on their final tour in Calgary, and can honestly say that they have never disappointed me. The best gig I have ever been to, bar none.

I discovered your channel through the Bowie albums ranking video, but had to chime in on this one - I love it! (By the way, did you ever notice the “burp” on “Camera Eye,” around the 9-minute mark?) If possible, I’d like to see your ranking of the Genesis and R.E.M. albums.

Great video, thanks for making it. Your passion for the band shines through and you hint at the difficulty of ranking the studio albums when they're all so good. It's a bit like ranking your favourite children, but harder. In quality terms, you can barely slide a credit card between Moving Pictures and TfE. Even Vapor Trails which was perhaps the least well-received, benefited massively from the remix and is always worth a visit. Challenge any music critic to name a band that produced five albums of the quality of 2112 to Moving Pictures *on the bounce* and you'll generally encounter bemusement, beard scratching and incoherent mumbling about The Beatles or the Rolling Stones, neither of whom achieved anything close to Rush's epic musical pantheon.

Awesome T-shirt dude!

Interesting Ranking :) I was not expecting it in this order :) By the Way OF COURSE I will indulge you I wouldn't be watching if I wasn't indulging you. and your not gonna die if you refer to your notes XD :) awesome ranking dude but don't worry about being indulged :)

A brilliant review,of a very complex band. Tks u 👍

Fun to listen to your detailed opinions. I'd switch Vapor Trails and Clockwork Angels, the former being overall much more inspired.

very articulate i think you gave it a lot of thought. rush is and has been my favorite band for many years.

A couple of other thoughts. You might do a ranking of the album sleeves! I too quite liked the first. My favourite would be Farewell to Kings. My final thought relates to a general sense I get from many hard-core fans of many bands. This is they are regularly hated for getting too "commercial". More melodic material ,which is more comfortable to listen to, is often denigrated by hard-core fans. It seems they react against the idea of the favourite group being liked by too many people. Yet when one revisits this material years later, I certainly find that I listen to the more melodic material much more often.

Enjoyed the commentary. 1. Moving Pictures 2. 2112 3 Farewell to Kings 4. Permanent Waves 5. Hemispheres 6. Clockwork Angels I would put Vapor Trails in my top 10. Scrap the album recording those songs were incredible live. I do agree that Presto and Roll the Bones are higher quality than many think. All rankings aside the studio albums I most frequently reach for these days are probably Signals, Clockwork, and recently Hold Your Fire, while not the most rocking Rush album perhaps some of their finest lyrical work: Time Stand Still, The Mission, Second Nature.....as you said this is a good, better, best situation.

Great list. I am the guy who has counterparts has his favorite RUSH album. So, I take a but of umbrage about where you placed it, but otherwise, no Rush album is bad!

Great list 👌 . Great vocabulary also !

Just watched this, relieved to finally find someone who doesn't dismiss Grace Under Pressure!

Nice shout out for 'Emotion detector' which for reasons unknown to me is my favourite song from the '80. I honestly don't know if it's the music, that wonderful guitar solo, the lyrics or maybe it is the memories that it evokes for me. Enough to say that of all the albums I have listened to of theirs over the years, it is the only time I replay a song 7 or 8 times when I come to it.

Your channel is amazing.

Really enjoyed this video, and it will reward a rewatch I think. Thank you! I love Clockwork Angels and Vapour Trails much more than you do (and Presto a little less so), but yes by god does VT sound poor; muddy and indistinct. I haven't got the remixed version, I shall look for that. I'd be interested in your thoughts around their live albums. :-)

My list: 1. Hemispheres 2. 2112 3. A Farewell To Kings 4. Permanent Waves 5. Moving Pictures 6. Caress of Steel 7. Fly By Night 8. Signals 9. Grace Under Pressure 10. Rush 11. Power Windows 12. Counterparts 13. Hold Your Fire 14. All the rest of the 80s and later stuff. It’s hard for me to put the debut album below Grace Under Pressure, but I think that’s the way I feel right now.

I love your take on Caress of steel which has long been one of my favourite rush albums. It alone has a quality of inventiveness and a classical feel that is furthered on a Farewell to kings. Were as 2112 furthers the heavy side of rush