Maybe you could come up with a different adjective than 'amazing'. Yes, all that stuff is 'amazing'. But you said it like 187 times. How about 'incredible', 'superlative', 'extraordinary', 'excellent'? WAY too much reliance on the word amazing. Just some constructive criticism.
You are totally right. I said it way too much and watching it back makes me wanna jump out my window because I know how awful it and I am. But thanks for watching and your feedback anyway!
Cool to hear all your remarks throughout. I'm watching while cooking or in between things, so I can't comment on anything specifically. Just saying, I enjoyed this video, Alex.
My introduction to Rush was in 1981 when i was 10. I saw those promo videos they made for songs on the Moving Pictures album at Le Studio on a Canadian TV show called New Music Magazine. The host said "In the U.S. they say As American as Mom & Apple Pie in Canada we say As Canadian as Hockey & Rush"
Huge RUSH fan!!! Caress Of Steel is a highly underrated masterpiece. Even their so called lesser albums have something great to offer. I really enjoyed going through your RUSH journey!
Thanks so much, Morris! I agree that Caress is probably the unsung hero of this discography! Never understood the hate for it. You're right.. there's something great on everything!
Dude, what are you talking about? Presto is FABULOUS! It was the rebirth of Rush’s rock sound! Might be a top 5 Rush record. This album brought Rush fans back to the table after suffering through all those keyboard dominated years. The Pass is one of their greatest songs. War Paint is a great song too.
From me being in high school in the 80's, I grew up with the best hard rock and metal. I was lucky enough to see most of those bands at least once, if not more. It still blows my mind listening to people who are "rock and metal fans" saying they have never heard Rush, Van Halen etc. To all of you, this is advise, not criticism - get past the 90's and reach back to the 80's - Dio, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and so much more. In my opinion ... this decade of hard rock and metal is the best 🤘
I certainly can't argue with anything you're saying here! Without a doubt I would agree that 80s were the best for heavy metal. Cheers and thanks for watching!
@beerandvinyl Yes, absolutely. Thanks for your excellent videos. I'm a RUSH fan since circa 1979. Love all their periods, and appreciate their exploration into genre and experimenting in their adapting to each decade, though I'll always love the period from 2112 to Moving Pictures the most.
I've never been a big fan of Presto, but I absolutely love all of the other albums in this collection and feel they get a little under-represented by most fans.
Mission was a great song. I also loved Prime Mover and Turn The Page. Actually I loved the whole album. Many Rush fans didn’t care for HYF but I appreciated how Rush always kept reinventing themselves with top notch musicianship.
You did a great job, brother! I was blown away by TRIUMPH first in 1979 with Just a Game and loved them first but later came to appreciate RUSH. Maybe RUSH was too progressive for me and it took time...lol where as TRIUMPH was more straight ahead Rock. The first RUSH album is great and you're right Caress of Steel is great as is Farewell to Kings (my favorite). The Exit Stage Left album - I first experienced that by way of a VHS tape...lol. That's a great concert to buy on DVD. PRESTO is good. Take care!
Thanks so much for the kind words - I really appreciate it! I absolutely love Triumph too and think Rik might be the most underrated guitarists of all time. Agree with all your takes here! Thanks again!
I finished school in 91, started getting into Rush around Counterparts, liked them a lot then, my 2nd fave band now after Iron Maiden. My fave Rush album has changed over the years, right now it's Power Windows, the 80s is my preferred era. The 4 from that set are all amazing, yeah Counter & Echo are not as varied as all before them but still 10/10, the one thing Rush were never able to achieve was making bad music, every album is a winner, they were the masters of consistent class.
Totally agree! Not a bad album in the lot. Really cool to hear that you love the 80s Rush most as that is unpopular but I think really cool - I find myself enjoying those albums more and more every time I hear them. Totally agree on the consistency piece too. Thanks so much for watching - cheers!
Big Rush fan here, Bought permanent waves on tape back in the day, then all the vinyl available upto Moving pictures, got to see them on the Signals tour and liked the follow up album Grace under Pressure, sort of waned a bit then began to collect the albums I'd missed, have to agree about Power windows and Counterparts,but also a big fan of Snakes & Arrows.
Hey Alex. Great video and nice breakdown on why you like Rush and their albums. I am a Rush fan. I came in on their first album. I have up to Presto on vinyl. I felt the same as you about how there was a sameness happening and a ton of keyboards, so I at the time I stopped getting their albums. Then after watching the doc "Beyond The Lighted Stage" I saw how Counterparts & Test For Echo hard a harder edge to them with some guitars! So I went and picked those up on CD. Before that I had already picked back up with them on Vapor Trails and all the following albums. I saw them on the Moving Pictures tour and they were amazing. I agree with you on Caress Of Steel, I love that album as well. Cheers
Thanks so much, Bobby! Man, if I could go back in time to see one band, Rush might be the one! Moving pictures tour, wow! I did find myself liking Counterparts and Test for Echo more than Presto/Hold Your Fire/etc. Appreciate you watching friend
I had always been aware of RUSH growing up, but it was on Vapor Trails and a roommate I had who was Obsessed with Neil Peart who really turned me on to how awesome this band truly was. Now I have pretty much have everything I can get from them. It's the gift that keeps on giving!
@@beerandvinyl I like Vapor Trails more than Snakes & Arrows, although Snakes... does have one of my favorite Rush songs with Far Cry. I do hope you have the remix of Vapor..., as the non-remix is pretty bad.
Hard to comment on Test for Echo and Counterparts. I could never get through them. Your comment about sounding the same, is spot on. It's hard to justify listening to them when Farewell to Kings is three records down.( This is actually not true, I never bought these to albums, just borrowed the CD's)
Alright. I went through high school with Rush doing Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows and Hold Your Fire, and I just couldn't see the hype. Roll the Bones sounded good until the rap part started. I kept waiting for a Rush song that I would like. Finally I heard Driven and decided to get Test for Echo. I liked it. I didn't love it. But it was good enough that I got Moving Pictures and thought the first five tracks were incredible. Later I bought Signals because I saw the Subdivisions video and I really liked the song. Then I got Permanent Waves, and yes, Spirit of Radio is one of the best songs ever recorded. All that happened between the release of Test for Echo in 1996 and up to the Feedback EP, which I also bought. And then I left Rush as just one of those bands with some great songs in my collection. It wasn't until the end of 2010 that I looked up Rush on Wikipedia and was so impressed with their career that I just jumped nose first into the entire Rush studio catalogue and then listened almost exclusively to Rush for six months! At that time, I liked almost every song, although the album that was at the bottom was Hold Your Fire. I think Prime Mover and Time Stand Still are the only songs I revisit. These days, there is just so much other music to explore that I rarely go back and listen to a Rush album. But they remain in the pantheon of bands whose entire studio catalogues I had to have because they were just that freaking incredible. As I was typing, you mentioned me. Thank you for thinking of me, Alex. I'm glad I stole a moment then to give my opinion and experience with Rush's music in detail. And I see two more videos about unboxing this set in the suggested videos on the right of my screen.
Thanks so much, Peter. I love hearing other people's experiences with these albums, how and when they got into them, etc. Totally agree with simply having too much music to listen to and explore that we rarely go back to so many of these, but they're still great to have. Thanks again
@ I think that’s why I buy certain albums: they’re great to have! I might not pick them up for years and years, but they are there any time the desire strikes!
I became a Rush fan around 1980 with purchasing "Permanent Waves" on cassette, and after hearing that classic music, I became a major Rush fan. I saw the "Hold your Fire" tour, their last studio album on the Mercury label, and then Rush went to Atlantic Records. To me, their music direction had changed. I bought "Presto" on vinyl when it was released back in 1989, which is an outstanding album. After that release, I honestly lost track of the band until the album " Test for Echo" was released. I bought this box set from Rhino, but unfortunately, I had to return it due to scratches on " Roll The Bones" album. Thanks for the posting. Cheers
Dang.. sorry to hear about the scratches.. were they able to send a replacement box? Glad to hear your love for Presto and hope that maybe Roll the Bones and Counterparts will get more love as you dive through this box (provided that they send another). Thanks for watching and commenting - cheers!
Hey Alex…Huge Rush fan since just before Moving Pictures! I picked up those box set albums as they released (on CD) back in the day, but I was really more into 90s grunge throughout that time period- over the years they all grew on me more and more. I FINALLY got to see Rush on the T4E tour (twice!) and saw every tour after that including R30 at Red Rocks and their final tour. Each of those shows they pulled out more and more songs from that 89-96 era and it solidified my love for all 4 of those albums. I now have pretty much their whole discography on vinyl (2 or 3 exceptions) They will ALWAYS be on my list of the top 5 bands of all time 🤘😎👍
Man.. one of the biggest regrets of my life is not seeing them. They are probably a top 5-10 band for me. Just a brilliant band and what an impressive output!
After my disowning of Rush after a 1st listen to Signals, Then a year later, only to have a friend of a friend pick Signals to play and talk about music on a Saturday night did I realize my mistake, next morning was a Sunday in which I always got up early to wake and bake to an album, I dusted off Signals and it blew my mind, OMG ! Now about that box set, 4 incredible albums, Presto, what a change up, grew on me fast, still love it to this day. Roll The Bones, Dream Line right out of the gate, throw out the title track and a perfect album. Counterparts, full of tasty stuff, Cold Fire to end the album, genus. Test For Echo, 1st time I travel to see Rush, road trip to CA, NV, AZ almost only playing TFE on the CD player, 11 great tracks, I thought Test for Echo was going to be their highest charting song, maybe a #1, bought a big concert poster at one of the shows, framed it with those 4 ticket stubs. I'm 63, 1st time seeing Rush was 1979, now 21X.
Wow!! Thanks for sharing those experiences and I love hearing how much you love these records. 21 times seeing Rush... AMAZING! I'm jealous that I never got a chance to see them, but I'm glad I can go back and listen through this albums. Thanks so much for watching and sharing - cheers!
@@beerandvinyl Best thing I ever did was decide to be a groupie and follow them from city to city in 1996 (TFE), That's when they started the "Evening With Rush" format with no opener, THEY were the opener ! The Vegas shows all stand out on top, the return of Rush in 2002, I went to Vegas by myself, which in itself is fun, I had noise bled seats, but I also had an out-of-body experience, it was so incredible I thought I was dreaming for a while (goose bumps right now....) it was about then the internet was happening so there was a huge connection among the fan base, information overload, people who don't get Rush, I feel sorry for
Rush were absolutely massive in my schooldays (late 70s / early 80's - what a time to be a teenager by the way). I bought Hemispheres and Permanent Waves. In about 1983 I was in a rock band, and we used to play The Trees (well, we'd give it a go! - I was no Neil Peart!!) I now own most of their stuff up to Moving Pictures 🙂
Hey Alex....oh man 13 in 2003 ...stop making me feel like a geezer !!! School of Rock drummer died , well isn't that rock n' roll. Enjoyed your journey through Rush !! You beat me to doing a video about the box set but I get it done soon. I did drop off after Roll The Bones.... and having Presto and Bones on CD I never picked up the records. Plus they are stupid $$$$. the other two I also never listen to them all they way through. I knew the cut or to that got radio play when they came out. So this box set was perfect for me to get. Enjoyed your review and yes Counterparts is a gem that is not talked about much. Cheers !!!!
Thanks so much, Vance! Even as a geezer you live your life like a young buck and that's what's important. I typically don't do the unboxing thing but figured why not - I think these is a part of the career that deserves some more love. Thanks for watching and looking forward to your video when it comes out!
Now it all makes sense. Dream Theater just released a similar Box set and the artwork is don’t by the same artists and also done by Rhino… and heavily influenced by Rush. First time on your channel as well.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! Yes.. Dream Theater uses Hugh Syme for most of their album art as well (because they were huge Rush fans). The boxset art is VERY similar, and even more similar to Dream Theater's 40th anniversary tour poster (which was also designed by Hugh!). Thanks again
Hey, I grew up into hard rock and metal, but then veered more deeply into punk, post punk, new wave, etc. Thus, I gravitate a lot more toward their '80s stuff than the classic prog stuff, which I realize is heresy to many. I remember Tom Sawyer and other stuff of that era permeating life as a young kid, and then when I was a bit older I remember Presto's release and everything after that. I think Presto and Roll the Bones were seen as a shift more toward rock after the '80s stuff, but these days people seem to see them as more of an extension of those albums, and closure of that period. (I see Presto more as the start of their last phase.) With beefier production I think they would be much more differentiated, and better. Counterparts was coloured by the Seattle scene, and the guitar is produced with a much dryer sound, which apparently Alex didn't love at the time. (I think it's an awesome, and quite heavy, album; though Beavis and Butthead made fun of it.) Test for Echo strikes me as very listenable, but a bit weaker in terms of songs, though it sounds great. If Presto and Bones had its production, that would have been perfect. I really like their last batch of albums, especially Vapor Trails (including its eccentric production).
This is a really good analysis, and I appreciate you sharing. It’s always interesting to hear how and when people got into these artists and how that impacts the eras they enjoy the most. I really hope some reissues of Vapor Trails and Snakes are on the way. Appreciate you watching and commenting!
Loved Rush up to Roll the bones. After that the music dont get me anymore. Still i saw them on tours after that becouse i want to hear the old 70's and 80's songs. Their best album is their first in my humble opinion.
I absolutely love Caress of Steel and prefer it over 2112 honestly. Middle section of the Necromancer is some of the heaviest stuff they ever did!...btw saw Rush 14x starting with the Signals tour as a 13 yr old. Saw every tour til the end. My period of Rush I rarely listen to is Power Windows onward (yes that's a lot of albums). I do like 2-4 songs on most all those records but gimme FBN through GUP and I'm completely happy. Webb in ATL
oh man.. as I've said to some people I never got to see Rush and that's the biggest live regret I have. 14x.. WOW! Fly by Night to Grace Under Pressure is one HELL of a 10 year run... cheers!
I remember the first song Rush song I ever heard was Working Man on the local AOR radio station back in the mid-70's. At first I thought it was Led Zeppelin with Robert Plant on helium. Been hooked on Rush ever since. I bought this box set as well. A no brainer, but, four records in a box is correct. The records are getting outer-sleeved and filed with the other Rush LPs on the IKEA Kallax shelf. The box is going in the closet. Yeah, Rhino missed an opportunity here for a hard cover book, or at least a nice soft-cover 12" booklet. I'm happy to have the records on vinyl though, even if I had to duplicate Presto on LP. Hoping that some day Snakes and Arrows gets an LP repress real soon. Still have not come around on Test For Echo - it just doesn't grab me; and Hold Your Fire is not nearly as awful as you say it is. Loved that album when it came out.
Couldn't agree more with all of this! Would have loved the book or at least some kind of extra something! Hold Your Fire is not awful, I agree with you, just might be my least favorite! Like I said, something to love on every one of these albums. Thanks so much for watching - cheers!
I love Rush, but still can’t get through Caress Of Steel. Lakeside Park is the exception for me. 2112 on the other hand is incredible to me. Farewell To Kings! Closer To The Heart never gets tired for me. Spirit Of Radio was the tag line for the formerly fantastic CFNY FM in Toronto. I know Embryonic was a regular listener of that station. I saw Rush in Ottawa on the Power Windows tour in high school. Nash The Slash was the opener. Aimee Mann is a Boston gal. Berklee School of Music graduate! I think Embryonic got a copy of Test For Echo at Purchase Street Records in July, but it was fake or something like that. I recall him mentioning it. I have a CD copy of Presto from way back, and it has its great moments. Full agreement on Counterparts. Animate is a superdeluxe track. Love it man! ✌️🎸🍺
Thanks Mike! Mannn what i would give to see Rush - that would have been awesome. I think Aimee is great.. didn't know she was a Berklee grad! Go Canada
I always say my favorite rush album is "farewell to kings" but to be fair i haven't listened or wanted to listen to a rush album in a while. i like and have the albums "caress of steel", 2112, farewell to kings and moving pictures. I have lisetened to these later albums you showed and i remember liking a few of the songs off the bones album but not a fan of any of their later stuff. My grandmas favorite rush song is on hemispheres the track "Trees".
I love School of Rock. My sons and I quote it all the time. Rush is great. Caress of Steel is better than Fly By Night. Power Windows is shit. It’s where Rush was losing me after being one of my favorite bands. The albums in that box set are the ones I never got into. I have some of the music on live albums. I got back into buying their albums after Test For Echo. Well done overview of Rush here Mr Alex👍
I would agree that I enjoy Caress of Steel more than Fly by Night! I am going to see Big Money to you every time I'm around you and we buy a beer. I need to listen to Vapor Trails and Snakes. Thanks Gary!!
nice review, up till the individual re releases not that long ago of rush albums those latter ones are alot harder to find..hence this set i guess...as of now most fans are wondering over a grace under pressure 40th. also on my santa wish list would be a vinyl release of differant stages.
Thanks so much! A 40th of Grace Under Pressure would be great.. their boxes have been really good. I do wonder if they will release these individually.. they probably should!
Man, I can't even get this box in Canada. I missed the preorder and no one has it here. Damn! I hope they will be released individually. Caress of Steel is OK, apart from "I Think I'm Going Bald." I do have an OG Presto! I really like these four records, especially Counterparts. Test for Echo is also strong. I recall being more dismayed by the Power Windows & Hold Your Fire era than this period. Maybe I was moving is odd circles, but I hadn't really heard too much negativity about these albums when they were released 🙂
I always wonder how my perspective would be different if I was around and following these bands when certain releases came out. I'm sure I would have been dismayed by Power Windows when it came out. This was a Rhino exclusive.. did it sell out or do they just not ship up there? We need to get you a proper, official version of Test!
@@beerandvinyl I'm not sure if any were shipped to stores here. I have searched and nothing. Even Amazon Canada doesn't have it. I am hoping for individual releases, since I don't need Presto anyway, but a real copy of Test for Echo would be great!
@@EmbryonicRobot it's only available here: store.rhino.com/en/rhino-store/artists/rush/the-albums-1989-1996/081227815127.html?srsltid=AfmBOoo2fjjdZhjJDnV37z08ocUDSNtQQxw23FgVauaKZ_jFqfoJqEFx
The four,I would put,presto first,counterparts,roll the bones,then test for echo last. Favourite,rush albums, Signals, Grace under pressure, Permeant waves, Favourite live album, A show of hands,( in the audience at the Birmingham,UK shows.
My pal and I started gping to Rush concerts in 82. He first saw them in 78. We did 8 shows on the R40 tour including the opener in Tulsa, MSG and the LA Forum. The music and spirit of Rush and stage presentation lives on in the band The Rush Tribute Project. Weve been seeing them over the last 5 years. Recently over their 2 sold out shows in West Bend, Wisc, they played all of 2112 on Friday and all of Permanent waves on Saturday. I and others have posted songs from those and their other shows. Ill post a link to each album performance I mentioned. They cover all eras of Rush very well. Links in a sec... 2112- ua-cam.com/video/SgaI2M1dWCw/v-deo.htmlsi=bsOZ_ZSex_yDSMYo Permanent Waves- ua-cam.com/video/YR1XzV-4UvY/v-deo.htmlsi=AC0P5W_dZ_QZvorD
of all the live albums. " stage" does it for me. to me " counterparts " is a sadly underrated lp .fun fact! the object on the front of " test " is called an," INUKSHUK " its a northern Canada indigenous thing. have you read geddy,s book " my effin life "? if not do so. cheers.
Yes!! I think I knew that but was unsure how to pronounce it in the video and didn't want to look like a moron... HAHA. But yes, love that cover and stage is so damn good! I need to read that book (actually, I need to read any book.. i don't remember the last book I read!)
They are the biggest regret of my life.. never getting to see them. I had some opportunities when I was in high school, but just couldn't make it happen. I should have made it happen
I agree when you say the 4 albums aren't bad. But I still think of it as a bad period because the older stuff is so much more enjoyable I can't justify spending my time on them instead the older stuff. I wonder if you will become the same way once those albums aren't new to you.
This is a fair point. How much will I *really* go back to these records when I'm STILL not tired of the first 8-10? I agree with the "bad period" sense of this.. the 90s were rough on a lot of these bands
@@beerandvinyl Musically they were razor-sharp on Presto. Perhaps Geddy´s most impressive vocal work; Alex shines brightly and Neil is firing on all cylinders. This was the last album that was truly adventurous and creative (save parts of Clocwork Angels); after this they got more sloppy and less "Rush". Geddy´s voice started to decline and Neil´s approach became that of a more standard rock drummer.
Time Stand Still was not the only hit from Hold Your Fire. Prime Mover, Mission and Turn the Page were excellent songs from fantastic musicians. You glossed over the album way too fast.
Yeah giving a 10 year old kid Rush 2112 to study Neil Peart is hilarious. No offense but I thought you were a little older. I was born in 1980. I thought you might have been an 80s kid.
Rush are my favorite band of all time. I first got into them in 1984 with Grace Under Pressure and bought every album from Power Windows to Clockwork Angels the day they were released. And of course acquiring the entire back catalog. My favorite is Hemisphere s, least favorite Hold Your Fire but like you said they never put out a bad album. If HYF is the weakest link in the chain, that's a pretty fucking strong chain!
Hey - to each their own! I think most Rush fans would say that the radio tunes do not reflect their overall scope, but I appreciate you watching and commenting!
Maybe you could come up with a different adjective than 'amazing'. Yes, all that stuff is 'amazing'. But you said it like 187 times. How about 'incredible', 'superlative', 'extraordinary', 'excellent'? WAY too much reliance on the word amazing. Just some constructive criticism.
You are totally right. I said it way too much and watching it back makes me wanna jump out my window because I know how awful it and I am. But thanks for watching and your feedback anyway!
Dear god people like you are reason why suicide hotlines were made of all things to nitpick on grow up child 😂😂😂
that's amazing that you picked up on that
You said the word "Amazing" 3 times in your post, Way too many times.
I'm reminded of an old Our Gang episode with a kid who says nothing but, "Remarkable". Maybe Alex could also try out, "Inconceivable!"
Cool to hear all your remarks throughout. I'm watching while cooking or in between things, so I can't comment on anything specifically. Just saying, I enjoyed this video, Alex.
My introduction to Rush was in 1981 when i was 10. I saw those promo videos they made for songs on the Moving Pictures album at Le Studio on a Canadian TV show called New Music Magazine. The host said "In the U.S. they say As American as Mom & Apple Pie in Canada we say As Canadian as Hockey & Rush"
Huge RUSH fan!!! Caress Of Steel is a highly underrated masterpiece. Even their so called lesser albums have something great to offer. I really enjoyed going through your RUSH journey!
Thanks so much, Morris! I agree that Caress is probably the unsung hero of this discography! Never understood the hate for it. You're right.. there's something great on everything!
Dude, what are you talking about? Presto is FABULOUS! It was the rebirth of Rush’s rock sound! Might be a top 5 Rush record. This album brought Rush fans back to the table after suffering through all those keyboard dominated years. The Pass is one of their greatest songs. War Paint is a great song too.
Appreciate you sharing!
From me being in high school in the 80's, I grew up with the best hard rock and metal. I was lucky enough to see most of those bands at least once, if not more. It still blows my mind listening to people who are "rock and metal fans" saying they have never heard Rush, Van Halen etc. To all of you, this is advise, not criticism - get past the 90's and reach back to the 80's - Dio, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and so much more. In my opinion ... this decade of hard rock and metal is the best 🤘
I certainly can't argue with anything you're saying here! Without a doubt I would agree that 80s were the best for heavy metal. Cheers and thanks for watching!
Received mine yesterday. Excellent pressing and fantastic sound. Love Rush, love these beautiful albums!!
Awesome! I do think they sonically sound really great and I trust Rhino in these areas.. cheers!
@beerandvinyl Yes, absolutely. Thanks for your excellent videos. I'm a RUSH fan since circa 1979. Love all their periods, and appreciate their exploration into genre and experimenting in their adapting to each decade, though I'll always love the period from 2112 to Moving Pictures the most.
I've never been a big fan of Presto, but I absolutely love all of the other albums in this collection and feel they get a little under-represented by most fans.
Great to hear! Enjoyed Presto probably the least of this group so that certainly tracks!
Caress of Steel is an amazing record. Signals is underrated too. But Hemispheres is my favorite.
i think Mission just might be one of the greatest tracks of the 80's.
I do like that song! You know, I should probably go back and re-listen to HYF a few times. Very rarely do these albums get worse for me!
Mission was a great song. I also loved Prime Mover and Turn The Page. Actually I loved the whole album. Many Rush fans didn’t care for HYF but I appreciated how Rush always kept reinventing themselves with top notch musicianship.
Counterparts is my favorite from that time period 👍
I would tend to agree with this! Thanks so much for watching
You did a great job, brother! I was blown away by TRIUMPH first in 1979 with Just a Game and loved them first but later came to appreciate RUSH. Maybe RUSH was too progressive for me and it took time...lol where as TRIUMPH was more straight ahead Rock. The first RUSH album is great and you're right Caress of Steel is great as is Farewell to Kings (my favorite). The Exit Stage Left album - I first experienced that by way of a VHS tape...lol. That's a great concert to buy on DVD. PRESTO is good. Take care!
Thanks so much for the kind words - I really appreciate it! I absolutely love Triumph too and think Rik might be the most underrated guitarists of all time. Agree with all your takes here! Thanks again!
@@beerandvinyl Yes sir!
I finished school in 91, started getting into Rush around Counterparts, liked them a lot then, my 2nd fave band now after Iron Maiden.
My fave Rush album has changed over the years, right now it's Power Windows, the 80s is my preferred era.
The 4 from that set are all amazing, yeah Counter & Echo are not as varied as all before them but still 10/10, the one thing Rush were never able to achieve was making bad music, every album is a winner, they were the masters of consistent class.
Totally agree! Not a bad album in the lot. Really cool to hear that you love the 80s Rush most as that is unpopular but I think really cool - I find myself enjoying those albums more and more every time I hear them. Totally agree on the consistency piece too. Thanks so much for watching - cheers!
Big Rush fan here, Bought permanent waves on tape back in the day, then all the vinyl available upto Moving pictures, got to see them on the Signals tour and liked the follow up album Grace under Pressure, sort of waned a bit then began to collect the albums I'd missed, have to agree about Power windows and Counterparts,but also a big fan of Snakes & Arrows.
I’m looking forward to hearing Snakes & Arrows. Good stuff on every album. I would have loved the chance the see them. Cheers
I personally think Presto defines the word underrated, but I respect your opinion nonetheless, great video!
Thanks so much! I certainly don't dislike Presto and can definitely see how one could view is as underrated. Thanks again
Hey Alex. Great video and nice breakdown on why you like Rush and their albums. I am a Rush fan. I came in on their first album. I have up to Presto on vinyl. I felt the same as you about how there was a sameness happening and a ton of keyboards, so I at the time I stopped getting their albums. Then after watching the doc "Beyond The Lighted Stage" I saw how Counterparts & Test For Echo hard a harder edge to them with some guitars! So I went and picked those up on CD. Before that I had already picked back up with them on Vapor Trails and all the following albums. I saw them on the Moving Pictures tour and they were amazing. I agree with you on Caress Of Steel, I love that album as well. Cheers
Thanks so much, Bobby! Man, if I could go back in time to see one band, Rush might be the one! Moving pictures tour, wow! I did find myself liking Counterparts and Test for Echo more than Presto/Hold Your Fire/etc. Appreciate you watching friend
I had always been aware of RUSH growing up, but it was on Vapor Trails and a roommate I had who was Obsessed with Neil Peart who really turned me on to how awesome this band truly was. Now I have pretty much have everything I can get from them. It's the gift that keeps on giving!
I still need to listen to Vapor Trails and Snakes & Arrows!
@@beerandvinyl I like Vapor Trails more than Snakes & Arrows, although Snakes... does have one of my favorite Rush songs with Far Cry. I do hope you have the remix of Vapor..., as the non-remix is pretty bad.
Dang dude! 4000 view so far! Well done, Alex! Stoked for you. Watching now :-)
The world loves an unboxing.. thanks Brian!!
Hard to comment on Test for Echo and Counterparts. I could never get through them. Your comment about sounding the same, is spot on. It's hard to justify listening to them when Farewell to Kings is three records down.( This is actually not true, I never bought these to albums, just borrowed the CD's)
I think that’s the big takeaway.. no matter how “decent” these records are.. how often am I going to pick them over the 74-82 albums?
Alright. I went through high school with Rush doing Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows and Hold Your Fire, and I just couldn't see the hype. Roll the Bones sounded good until the rap part started. I kept waiting for a Rush song that I would like. Finally I heard Driven and decided to get Test for Echo. I liked it. I didn't love it. But it was good enough that I got Moving Pictures and thought the first five tracks were incredible. Later I bought Signals because I saw the Subdivisions video and I really liked the song. Then I got Permanent Waves, and yes, Spirit of Radio is one of the best songs ever recorded. All that happened between the release of Test for Echo in 1996 and up to the Feedback EP, which I also bought. And then I left Rush as just one of those bands with some great songs in my collection. It wasn't until the end of 2010 that I looked up Rush on Wikipedia and was so impressed with their career that I just jumped nose first into the entire Rush studio catalogue and then listened almost exclusively to Rush for six months! At that time, I liked almost every song, although the album that was at the bottom was Hold Your Fire. I think Prime Mover and Time Stand Still are the only songs I revisit.
These days, there is just so much other music to explore that I rarely go back and listen to a Rush album. But they remain in the pantheon of bands whose entire studio catalogues I had to have because they were just that freaking incredible.
As I was typing, you mentioned me. Thank you for thinking of me, Alex. I'm glad I stole a moment then to give my opinion and experience with Rush's music in detail. And I see two more videos about unboxing this set in the suggested videos on the right of my screen.
Thanks so much, Peter. I love hearing other people's experiences with these albums, how and when they got into them, etc. Totally agree with simply having too much music to listen to and explore that we rarely go back to so many of these, but they're still great to have. Thanks again
@ I think that’s why I buy certain albums: they’re great to have! I might not pick them up for years and years, but they are there any time the desire strikes!
I became a Rush fan around 1980 with purchasing "Permanent Waves" on cassette, and after hearing that classic music, I became a major Rush fan. I saw the "Hold your Fire" tour, their last studio album on the Mercury label, and then Rush went to Atlantic Records. To me, their music direction had changed. I bought "Presto" on vinyl when it was released back in 1989, which is an outstanding album. After that release, I honestly lost track of the band until the album " Test for Echo" was released. I bought this box set from Rhino, but unfortunately, I had to return it due to scratches on " Roll The Bones" album. Thanks for the posting. Cheers
Dang.. sorry to hear about the scratches.. were they able to send a replacement box? Glad to hear your love for Presto and hope that maybe Roll the Bones and Counterparts will get more love as you dive through this box (provided that they send another). Thanks for watching and commenting - cheers!
@beerandvinyl
Yes, actually, Rhino sent the replacement yesterday. So I will check these albums out. Thanks for the post. 👍
Hey Alex…Huge Rush fan since just before Moving Pictures! I picked up those box set albums as they released (on CD) back in the day, but I was really more into 90s grunge throughout that time period- over the years they all grew on me more and more. I FINALLY got to see Rush on the T4E tour (twice!) and saw every tour after that including R30 at Red Rocks and their final tour. Each of those shows they pulled out more and more songs from that 89-96 era and it solidified my love for all 4 of those albums. I now have pretty much their whole discography on vinyl (2 or 3 exceptions) They will ALWAYS be on my list of the top 5 bands of all time 🤘😎👍
Man.. one of the biggest regrets of my life is not seeing them. They are probably a top 5-10 band for me. Just a brilliant band and what an impressive output!
After my disowning of Rush after a 1st listen to Signals, Then a year later, only to have a friend of a friend pick Signals to play and talk about music on a Saturday night did I realize my mistake, next morning was a Sunday in which I always got up early to wake and bake to an album, I dusted off Signals and it blew my mind, OMG ! Now about that box set, 4 incredible albums, Presto, what a change up, grew on me fast, still love it to this day. Roll The Bones, Dream Line right out of the gate, throw out the title track and a perfect album. Counterparts, full of tasty stuff, Cold Fire to end the album, genus. Test For Echo, 1st time I travel to see Rush, road trip to CA, NV, AZ almost only playing TFE on the CD player, 11 great tracks, I thought Test for Echo was going to be their highest charting song, maybe a #1, bought a big concert poster at one of the shows, framed it with those 4 ticket stubs. I'm 63, 1st time seeing Rush was 1979, now 21X.
Wow!! Thanks for sharing those experiences and I love hearing how much you love these records. 21 times seeing Rush... AMAZING! I'm jealous that I never got a chance to see them, but I'm glad I can go back and listen through this albums. Thanks so much for watching and sharing - cheers!
@@beerandvinyl Best thing I ever did was decide to be a groupie and follow them from city to city in 1996 (TFE), That's when they started the "Evening With Rush" format with no opener, THEY were the opener ! The Vegas shows all stand out on top, the return of Rush in 2002, I went to Vegas by myself, which in itself is fun, I had noise bled seats, but I also had an out-of-body experience, it was so incredible I thought I was dreaming for a while (goose bumps right now....) it was about then the internet was happening so there was a huge connection among the fan base, information overload, people who don't get Rush, I feel sorry for
Rush were absolutely massive in my schooldays (late 70s / early 80's - what a time to be a teenager by the way). I bought Hemispheres and Permanent Waves. In about 1983 I was in a rock band, and we used to play The Trees (well, we'd give it a go! - I was no Neil Peart!!)
I now own most of their stuff up to Moving Pictures 🙂
oh man.. what a great time that must have been! Love the trees! Love those albums and that era to death. Cheers!
Hey Alex....oh man 13 in 2003 ...stop making me feel like a geezer !!! School of Rock drummer died , well isn't that rock n' roll. Enjoyed your journey through Rush !! You beat me to doing a video about the box set but I get it done soon. I did drop off after Roll The Bones.... and having Presto and Bones on CD I never picked up the records. Plus they are stupid $$$$. the other two I also never listen to them all they way through. I knew the cut or to that got radio play when they came out. So this box set was perfect for me to get. Enjoyed your review and yes Counterparts is a gem that is not talked about much. Cheers !!!!
Thanks so much, Vance! Even as a geezer you live your life like a young buck and that's what's important. I typically don't do the unboxing thing but figured why not - I think these is a part of the career that deserves some more love. Thanks for watching and looking forward to your video when it comes out!
Now it all makes sense. Dream Theater just released a similar Box set and the artwork is don’t by the same artists and also done by Rhino… and heavily influenced by Rush. First time on your channel as well.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! Yes.. Dream Theater uses Hugh Syme for most of their album art as well (because they were huge Rush fans). The boxset art is VERY similar, and even more similar to Dream Theater's 40th anniversary tour poster (which was also designed by Hugh!). Thanks again
Hey, I grew up into hard rock and metal, but then veered more deeply into punk, post punk, new wave, etc. Thus, I gravitate a lot more toward their '80s stuff than the classic prog stuff, which I realize is heresy to many. I remember Tom Sawyer and other stuff of that era permeating life as a young kid, and then when I was a bit older I remember Presto's release and everything after that. I think Presto and Roll the Bones were seen as a shift more toward rock after the '80s stuff, but these days people seem to see them as more of an extension of those albums, and closure of that period. (I see Presto more as the start of their last phase.) With beefier production I think they would be much more differentiated, and better. Counterparts was coloured by the Seattle scene, and the guitar is produced with a much dryer sound, which apparently Alex didn't love at the time. (I think it's an awesome, and quite heavy, album; though Beavis and Butthead made fun of it.) Test for Echo strikes me as very listenable, but a bit weaker in terms of songs, though it sounds great. If Presto and Bones had its production, that would have been perfect. I really like their last batch of albums, especially Vapor Trails (including its eccentric production).
This is a really good analysis, and I appreciate you sharing. It’s always interesting to hear how and when people got into these artists and how that impacts the eras they enjoy the most. I really hope some reissues of Vapor Trails and Snakes are on the way. Appreciate you watching and commenting!
Spirit of THE radio. Hearing this used to bug me; but it's so commonly said that I've started to doubt my sanity. Maybe I'm wrong.
Damn.. did I say “the”? I certainly didn’t mean to if I did.. I know it’s just spirit of radio!
Loved Rush up to Roll the bones. After that the music dont get me anymore. Still i saw them on tours after that becouse i want to hear the old 70's and 80's songs. Their best album is their first in my humble opinion.
Can't argue with that! That first album is spectacular. Bummed that I never got a chance to see Rush live. Thanks so much for watching!
I absolutely love Caress of Steel and prefer it over 2112 honestly. Middle section of the Necromancer is some of the heaviest stuff they ever did!...btw saw Rush 14x starting with the Signals tour as a 13 yr old. Saw every tour til the end.
My period of Rush I rarely listen to is Power Windows onward (yes that's a lot of albums).
I do like 2-4 songs on most all those records but gimme FBN through GUP and I'm completely happy.
Webb in ATL
oh man.. as I've said to some people I never got to see Rush and that's the biggest live regret I have. 14x.. WOW! Fly by Night to Grace Under Pressure is one HELL of a 10 year run... cheers!
I remember the first song Rush song I ever heard was Working Man on the local AOR radio station back in the mid-70's. At first I thought it was Led Zeppelin with Robert Plant on helium. Been hooked on Rush ever since. I bought this box set as well. A no brainer, but, four records in a box is correct. The records are getting outer-sleeved and filed with the other Rush LPs on the IKEA Kallax shelf. The box is going in the closet. Yeah, Rhino missed an opportunity here for a hard cover book, or at least a nice soft-cover 12" booklet. I'm happy to have the records on vinyl though, even if I had to duplicate Presto on LP. Hoping that some day Snakes and Arrows gets an LP repress real soon. Still have not come around on Test For Echo - it just doesn't grab me; and Hold Your Fire is not nearly as awful as you say it is. Loved that album when it came out.
Couldn't agree more with all of this! Would have loved the book or at least some kind of extra something! Hold Your Fire is not awful, I agree with you, just might be my least favorite! Like I said, something to love on every one of these albums. Thanks so much for watching - cheers!
I love Rush, but still can’t get through Caress Of Steel. Lakeside Park is the exception for me. 2112 on the other hand is incredible to me. Farewell To Kings! Closer To The Heart never gets tired for me. Spirit Of Radio was the tag line for the formerly fantastic CFNY FM in Toronto. I know Embryonic was a regular listener of that station. I saw Rush in Ottawa on the Power Windows tour in high school. Nash The Slash was the opener. Aimee Mann is a Boston gal. Berklee School of Music graduate! I think Embryonic got a copy of Test For Echo at Purchase Street Records in July, but it was fake or something like that. I recall him mentioning it. I have a CD copy of Presto from way back, and it has its great moments. Full agreement on Counterparts. Animate is a superdeluxe track. Love it man! ✌️🎸🍺
Thanks Mike! Mannn what i would give to see Rush - that would have been awesome. I think Aimee is great.. didn't know she was a Berklee grad! Go Canada
I always say my favorite rush album is "farewell to kings" but to be fair i haven't listened or wanted to listen to a rush album in a while. i like and have the albums "caress of steel", 2112, farewell to kings and moving pictures. I have lisetened to these later albums you showed and i remember liking a few of the songs off the bones album but not a fan of any of their later stuff. My grandmas favorite rush song is on hemispheres the track "Trees".
I love TREES! I'd say you have some of the best Rush albums for sure. Thanks so much Jack!
I love School of Rock. My sons and I quote it all the time. Rush is great. Caress of Steel is better than Fly By Night. Power Windows is shit. It’s where Rush was losing me after being one of my favorite bands. The albums in that box set are the ones I never got into. I have some of the music on live albums. I got back into buying their albums after Test For Echo. Well done overview of Rush here Mr Alex👍
I would agree that I enjoy Caress of Steel more than Fly by Night! I am going to see Big Money to you every time I'm around you and we buy a beer. I need to listen to Vapor Trails and Snakes. Thanks Gary!!
Awesome review
Thanks brother!
nice review, up till the individual re releases not that long ago of rush albums those latter ones are alot harder to find..hence this set i guess...as of now most fans are wondering over a grace under pressure 40th. also on my santa wish list would be a vinyl release of differant stages.
Thanks so much! A 40th of Grace Under Pressure would be great.. their boxes have been really good. I do wonder if they will release these individually.. they probably should!
I've tried to like anything past moving pictures but i just can't do it
I can totally understand this! They evolved a lot and the changes aren't for everyone
Man, I can't even get this box in Canada. I missed the preorder and no one has it here. Damn! I hope they will be released individually. Caress of Steel is OK, apart from "I Think I'm Going Bald." I do have an OG Presto! I really like these four records, especially Counterparts. Test for Echo is also strong. I recall being more dismayed by the Power Windows & Hold Your Fire era than this period. Maybe I was moving is odd circles, but I hadn't really heard too much negativity about these albums when they were released 🙂
I always wonder how my perspective would be different if I was around and following these bands when certain releases came out. I'm sure I would have been dismayed by Power Windows when it came out. This was a Rhino exclusive.. did it sell out or do they just not ship up there? We need to get you a proper, official version of Test!
@@beerandvinyl I'm not sure if any were shipped to stores here. I have searched and nothing. Even Amazon Canada doesn't have it. I am hoping for individual releases, since I don't need Presto anyway, but a real copy of Test for Echo would be great!
@@EmbryonicRobot it's only available here: store.rhino.com/en/rhino-store/artists/rush/the-albums-1989-1996/081227815127.html?srsltid=AfmBOoo2fjjdZhjJDnV37z08ocUDSNtQQxw23FgVauaKZ_jFqfoJqEFx
The four,I would put,presto first,counterparts,roll the bones,then test for echo last.
Favourite,rush albums,
Signals,
Grace under pressure,
Permeant waves,
Favourite live album,
A show of hands,( in the audience at the Birmingham,UK shows.
Oh man! That’s awesome to hear about a show of hands! That was the first live cd I got from them. A fascinating and respectful ranking.. cheers!
I did like some songs on PRESTO, however their best albums were on Mercury Records,and PolyGram ,the parent company promoted Rush better.
Can't argue with you here.. but do you think the problem with these 90s albums was promotion? An interesting perspective!
My pal and I started gping to Rush concerts in 82. He first saw them in 78. We did 8 shows on the R40 tour including the opener in Tulsa, MSG and the LA Forum. The music and spirit of Rush and stage presentation lives on in the band The Rush Tribute Project. Weve been seeing them over the last 5 years. Recently over their 2 sold out shows in West Bend, Wisc, they played all of 2112 on Friday and all of Permanent waves on Saturday. I and others have posted songs from those and their other shows. Ill post a link to each album performance I mentioned. They cover all eras of Rush very well. Links in a sec...
2112- ua-cam.com/video/SgaI2M1dWCw/v-deo.htmlsi=bsOZ_ZSex_yDSMYo
Permanent Waves- ua-cam.com/video/YR1XzV-4UvY/v-deo.htmlsi=AC0P5W_dZ_QZvorD
I couldn’t get into anything after Exit Stage Left… believe me I’ve tried…a lot of
cool stuff just didn’t do it for me
can't argue with this at all.. good stuff on every record but can definitely understand not getting into everything
of all the live albums. " stage" does it for me. to me " counterparts " is a sadly underrated lp .fun fact! the object on the front of " test " is called an," INUKSHUK " its a northern Canada indigenous thing. have you read geddy,s book " my effin life "? if not do so. cheers.
Yes!! I think I knew that but was unsure how to pronounce it in the video and didn't want to look like a moron... HAHA. But yes, love that cover and stage is so damn good! I need to read that book (actually, I need to read any book.. i don't remember the last book I read!)
Did you ever get to see Rush live? Or were you too young?
They are the biggest regret of my life.. never getting to see them. I had some opportunities when I was in high school, but just couldn't make it happen. I should have made it happen
I agree when you say the 4 albums aren't bad. But I still think of it as a bad period because the older stuff is so much more enjoyable I can't justify spending my time on them instead the older stuff. I wonder if you will become the same way once those albums aren't new to you.
This is a fair point. How much will I *really* go back to these records when I'm STILL not tired of the first 8-10? I agree with the "bad period" sense of this.. the 90s were rough on a lot of these bands
My opinion, after moving pictures rush went down. In my interest. And my number album hemispheres
I cannot argue with that.. I would agree with this 100%
Presto is brilliant! RTB has some classic tracks. Counterparts is ok, but Test is terrible.
This is interesting! Different than what a lot of people have said but I totally respect it. Thanks for sharing - cheers!!
@@beerandvinyl Musically they were razor-sharp on Presto. Perhaps Geddy´s most impressive vocal work; Alex shines brightly and Neil is firing on all cylinders. This was the last album that was truly adventurous and creative (save parts of Clocwork Angels); after this they got more sloppy and less "Rush". Geddy´s voice started to decline and Neil´s approach became that of a more standard rock drummer.
They added 4 Lithographs to this boxset
You are correct, and apologies for not mentioning those. They were in the individual sleeves and I didn’t see them as “part” of the box
Who says they are bad??
Some people in these comments, actually! Haha
Time Stand Still was not the only hit from Hold Your Fire. Prime Mover, Mission and Turn the Page were excellent songs from fantastic musicians. You glossed over the album way too fast.
That’s fair! Appreciate the feedback. I was trying to keep things moving and that is an album I haven’t been able to connect with. Cheers!
Trash & bad albums????? Nooooooooooo... These are great great albums.
I agree!
Yeah giving a 10 year old kid Rush 2112 to study Neil Peart is hilarious.
No offense but I thought you were a little older. I was born in 1980. I thought you might have been an 80s kid.
No offense taken! I feel in my 40s (or older!) so I'm basically there with you!
What is a bad Rush album? That's like a bad Tom Petty album. There are none.
That’s a great comparison.. would totally agree!
Worse. Worse than people tell you. Infinitely.
Hahaha - I appreciate your honesty! It's been fascinating reading these comments and what people think!
Rush are my favorite band of all time. I first got into them in 1984 with Grace Under Pressure and bought every album from Power Windows to Clockwork Angels the day they were released. And of course acquiring the entire back catalog. My favorite is Hemisphere s, least favorite Hold Your Fire but like you said they never put out a bad album. If HYF is the weakest link in the chain, that's a pretty fucking strong chain!
Could not agree more here, Steve! Cheers!
Rush to me is garbage Classic radio filler.
Hey - to each their own! I think most Rush fans would say that the radio tunes do not reflect their overall scope, but I appreciate you watching and commenting!
Uh....no!!!!
Love all them.
Love it! Appreciate you watching and commenting!