Ranking the Rush Albums Pt. 1 (#19-#16)
Over the past 12 years of me pursuing music first as a hobby, then a genuine passion, then a higher academic pursuit and now as a career, I’ve had many experiences that have broadened my horizons to all sorts of different music. One of my favorite things about music, after all, is just how different it can all be, and enjoying a wide swath of flavors and genres. Whether it’s extremely math-y metal like Meshuggah or stripped down folk like The Tallest Man on Earth, I love a lot of different stuff. But lately, I’ve been revisiting some of the music of the band that originally inspired me to play bass, and start this whole crazy journey I’ve been on, in the first place: Rush.
As part of this, I thought it would be a good thought/writing exercise for me to rank them in terms of how much I like them (not which is objectively best!). In doing so, I’ve found that my opinions on some albums are remarkably different than I would have originally thought, at least in terms of the enjoyment I get from them relative to each other. That’s what I’m starting today, with the lowest-4 ranked. Let’s begin!
#19 - Roll the Bones (1991)
Roll the Bones, released 3 days after my birthday (fun fact!), isn’t a bad album. From start to end, it’s an inoffensive collection of songs that showcase the band’s musicianship and songwriting chops well enough. There’s just not much to say other than it’s an inferior version of its predecessor, Presto. Rush can be described as having their particular creative direction representing itself in 2 albums at a time before they progress to the next thing, and these two fall into that category; Presto just has better songs and makes for a more appealing final product. If there were a Rush album to skip altogether, this is certainly it in my eyes. Special shout-out to the rap bridge on the title cut, though. Very likely the most playful and silly thing that Rush has done in the studio!
#18 - Hold Your Fire (1987)
Oh, Hold Your Fire. I’ve read other rankings of Rush’s albums, and this one seems to be the consensus decision as the absolute worst. So, while I rank it as my 2nd least favorite, let’s point out some strong points. “Time Stand Still” is a solid 80′s pop song that wouldn’t be out of place on a John Hughes soundtrack. The opening song, “Force Ten”, has one of Geddy Lee’s most underrated and overlooked basslines. Problem is, the rest of the album is kind of a wash. I had to look up the track listing to refresh my memory on just what else is on the album. This finds Rush at it’s most synth-heavy, which was a trend in their album releases for years up to this point, culminating in Power Windows (Hold Your Fire’s predecessor) and this album (the pairs theory stands!). It’s funny that this album came out in 1987, the same year that Appetite for Destruction was released. In a rock music world that was very soon to become much less synth-based, much more raucous and grungy, Rush puts out an album like this. It’s not a bad thing that Rush is less influenced by moment-to-moment changes in the music landscape; their independence is what many fans love about them. This album just doesn’t hold much value to the modern listener.
#17 - Caress of Steel (1975)
This album almost tanked Rush’s career. Quite a thought to consider now, considering the numerous platinum albums released in its wake. Much like bands such as Yes that Rush had admired greatly, an entire side of the LP of Caress of Steel is one long song, with a series of movements. While the previous albums were much more “classic rock” oriented, this one is where the band began to pursue a more progressive sound. Their first attempt was entitled “The Fountain of Lamneth”, and is nigh-indecipherable. Whereas future similar attempts have a much clearer musical direction and narrative, “Lamneth” is messy and even comical at times. It also has very good moments, but they shouldn’t have been strung together in such a way. There’s likely around 7 minutes of good material in the 20-minute piece, and it’s clear that it ended up being a side-long opus out of a feeling of necessity (Geddy Lee has even corroborated this idea in Contents Under Pressure, a book about the band chock full of interviews). Also included is the 12-minute “The Necromancer”, which straddles between silly D&D-inspired voiceover and some genuine gold moments, atmosphere and heavy riffs in equal measure. The shorter songs on the album are also solid, though “I Think I’m Going Bald” seems to be trying too hard to offset the pretentious B-side of the album.
#16 - Test For Echo (1996)
Rush’s 1996 release is a solid rock album. The title track, which also serves as the album’s opener, has great dynamic shifts from section to section, as does the 2nd track, “Driven”. These are likely both classic Rush songs at this point, and this dynamic energy can’t be found on many of their late 80′s/early 90′s releases. The rest of the album is totally serviceable with some small standout moments, particularly the more tender “Resist”, which is an overlooked gem and among Alex Lifeson’s favorite songs that Rush produced. Unlike previous albums on this list, I don’t find this album to have any true missteps. It ranks low on the list more because Rush has a lot of great albums! This one also serves as a good creative stepping stone to their 2000′s offerings, though it’s important to note that Rush took a long hiatus after this album due to the untimely death of Neil Peart’s daughter in a car accident and his wife to cancer.
Stay tuned for the next post coming soon!
