![]() Still, you can see the potential exhibited by Geddy, Alex, and original drummer John Rutsey. Neil’s not there, which basically means both the lyrics and the drumming have taken quite a hit. If only for the familiar aesthetic of Geddy Lee’s voice, I turn to this record more than anything by, say, Free or Bad Company. Thankfully for the world of prog, they did reform and release three more killer records before their eventual retirement.Īs bluesy early ’70s hard rock goes, this album is killer. They were just concerned about their friend (like the sweet Canucks they are). ![]() Alex Lifeson has said that they didn’t even think about the band being over at the time-that was just a given. The Secrets That Set Them Apart (fun Rush trivia): This was the last studio album released before the horrible losses Neil suffered, causing him to leave the band. It seems cover artist Hugh Syme reached his creative zenith just as his musical partners hit their nadir. It features a decidedly Canadian inuksuk on a snow-covered plain, with three tiny people climbing on the stones (the band members, perhaps?). The Feverish Pictures (in which I review the cover): Despite being at the bottom of my list musically, the cover art for Test For Echo is one of my favorites of all time. The Words That Touch My Heart (favorite lyrics): “Chip away the stone, Sisyphus/Chip away the stone/Make the burden lighter if you must roll that rock alone” (from “Carve Away The Stone”) The lyrics are tolerable, however, as the vocals are hard to hear over the mash of sound emanating from the drums and stringed instruments. The guitars are almost nonexistent, as is the case with much of this album, but Geddy and Neil fill in pretty capably.ĭon’t Annoy Us Further (least-favorite track): “Dog Years” probably has a decent case for being the very worst song, lyrically speaking, of the Peart era. It has wonderful lyrics dealing with guilt, but with an eye towards self-improvement (a favorite theme of Neil’s). Something Here As Strong As Life (favorite track): I actually love “Carve Away The Stone,” the closer. While the hiatus was taken for reasons personal, rather than musical, it sounds like the last album before a hiatus. There are some great songs (“Driven,” “Half The World,” “Carve Away The Stone”) but even on the album’s best moments, you can tell that they’re kind of burned out. At no point in this album do I want to air-drum, which may be the biggest accomplishment of Neil Peart’s career. Power to them, but it makes rating any Rush album a challenging task! Each album has stellar moments, but in my opinion, almost every album has at least one really awkward moment, just because Rush are a bunch of nerds from the Toronto suburbs and they don’t care how many records they sell. ![]() Rush released nineteen studio albums during their illustrious career (twenty if you count their underappreciated covers EP, Feedback). I’m going to have a little fun with this and share some more details about each record, so hopefully a few will say, “Hey, this seems like my kind of music.” And of course, what better band to start with than my all-time favorite, Rush? Everyone loves a good ranking, right? I do! And while I suppose it is a little puerile to try and summarize a legendary band in such a simplistic way, my colleague and friend Rob’s (of Progressive Music Planet) “Rank ‘Em” columns helped me to start digging many an awesome band, by showing me what albums I should start with. ![]()
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