FYI: By-tor is a play on words. One of their managers? I believe had two dogs. One was white (the snow dog) and the other was a more aggressive type so they nicknamed the dog 'biter' (ie: 'bytor'.
Something cool for those interested in the Clockwork Angels novel, the audiobook version is actually narrated by Neil Peart, so that's pretty neat. (Wait, why do I hear something like "garden road" being screamed in the distance?)
The problem with Roll The Bones and Presto is that the production and mixing is too thin. The songs (even the Roll the Bones song) sound much better live when Alex and Geddy have much more distortion on their guitars.
I totally disagree. As a producer myself, those two albums have the most crystalline highs, the punchiest, tightest lows, and just an overall extremely powerful and dynamic sound. Maybe you just aren't listening to them on good, truly flat studio headphones. Or maybe I'm just a dumbass, but a lot of people agree with me.
It's as if they intentionally recorded the instruments at a low level and then raised the volumes during the production phase. Just like playing a guitar; you keep the volume set to max on the instrument/pickups and only adjust the volume on the amp, or else you risk watering down the high notes and nearly muting out all of the lower notes.
Its not just the mix, its the tones via the guitars Alex and Geddy chose to record with which made RTB sound so weak...those tinny no distortion single coil pickup Fenders with a ton of reverb and processing effects (as seen in the RTB video) and the doink-ey no grit having Wal bass Geddy used. You can mix and remix the levels all you want but there was no way that album was going to sound heavy with those instruments. Geddy even admitted years later the Wal basses weren't good "rock" guitars to make in your face music with. If they recorded Bones with what they used to record Counterparts a couple years later it would've been a whole lot different
David Perez snow released his first album in 1993 while roll the bones is released in 1991 Edit: did a quick google search, the first canadian rapper is maestro
In the same way Hold Your Fire is your personal favorite that most people give you weird looks mine is Caress of Steel, I really enjoy that album and holds a special place in my heart because I bonded with my dad listening to Caress of Steel.
Aside from I Think I'm Going Bald, I really like Caress Of Steel. The Necromancer is so weird, but I love it, the first 3/4 of the song kicks ass and the last section where it goes into a major key is really lovely.
Update, again, not trying to sound butthurt or arguing with you, as I have enjoyed these two videos so far. I like The Necromancer and the Fountain of Lamneth. But that’s just me. A diehard Rush fan.
I have officially begun my dive into Rush thanks to this series. Started with Moving Pictures which was good but I have to say Permanent Waves topped it! Next stop: 2112.
I was pessimistic that anyone but old Rush fans would care. Glad I'm wrong. I was one who deserted Rush in '82, and have only recently discovered the rest of their catalogue. I envy you. Enjoy!!
@@CrashThompson Caress of Steel has plenty of moments of greatness in it. It's also probably the only time I would say that Rush really, truly fell victim to the prog-rock boogeyman of pretentious wank. A lot of non-fans would probably accuse them of that in other places, even 2112, but the thing about that is that 2112 has three things neither The Necromancer nor The Fountain of Lamneth muster: intent, focus, and TEETH. Those songs get so fuckin' lost in the woods.
Just getting into 'Rush' but one of the things I feel is that one (two) of the best things about Rush is... 1. Thay are SO tight togather. 2. they have fun togather [see point 1].
How in the hell can you diss Xanadu? Holy crap. Xanadu is one of the most epic, excellent rock songs ever written. Way more God Tier than Closer to the Fart.
I feel like this guy is just really into the mainstream rock radio Rush stuff, not so much the deeper cuts. How can you like closer to the heart more than Xanadu? Can't take him much serious after that statement.
I didn't understand this either. Xanadu is probably my favorite song of all time. Maybe he is not aware of the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem Kubla Khan?
Not arguing with you, I’m just saying, as a Rush fan for most of my life, starting at around the age of four, Roll The Bones is the very song that got me started on my unhealthy obsession with Rush to this day. Then again, I blindly cherish all albums. Yes, even....Caress of Steel.
I also like Roll the bones (the track) 😬 because I find it to be charmingly cheesy (including the synth patches and rap) and it somehow works as a purposefully dumb song.
I was in 6th grade band circa 1984 and heavy into the guitar and Zeppelin. Naturally my naive self was bragging on Bonham and my friend on the drums says "oh you want to hear a good drummer?" He pops in a cassette of Grace Under Pressure and fast forwards to Red Sector A and my life as well as my understanding of what real music is, was forever and irrevocably changed.
I waited years for Rush videos like this. Hell I waited years just to hear you mention Rush. (Other than your top 10 and quick mentions in the green day videos) And we finally got it! Thank You Crash. I've been a Rush Fan Forever, now i'm a rock critic fan forever.
Some HTGI suggestions: - Yellowcard (my favorite band ever) - In Flames - Architects - Machine Head - Jimmy Eat World - Pearl Jam - Iron Maiden - Black Sabbath - AFI - Nine Inch Nails - Avenged Sevenfold
Jeez, you were rough on "Farewell to Kings." LOL I agree that it's a more esoteric and less accessible album in their catalog, but it's really not all that "weird" or "corny" if you're into other progressive acts. Also, I always loved the song "Roll the Bones" and (silly rap aside) don't understand why you have such a huge problem with it. It came out when I was in high school and even then it really caught my ear.
@texasman Being a prog nerd, the first Mars Volta album I REALLY got into was Frances. Amputechture's also a personal favorite. Still, most people should start with Deloused. Their most accessible masterpiece for sure.
So weave a circle round him thrice, And cast down thine eyes in holy dread, For he on honeydew, hath fed, And drank the milk of paradise. Crash, have you never heard that poem? It's the same one that opens Citizen Kane.
Basing a song around a Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem is exactly the kind of thing that gives Neil a major advantage from 99% of every other lyricist in the genre!
"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: ... For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of Paradise." ~ Kubla Khan - by Samuel Taylor Coleridge It's classic literature they teach you in college, only here, Neil decided to write an entire song about it. And, I have to agree about Clockwork Angels and pretty much their last 3 albums. I end up skipping around to a few good tracks and then forget the albums. I'm ashamed to admit, that despite being a fan for 25 years, I still can't name all the songs off their last 3 albums. But I gotta know who your friends are, to say that Presto is their worst "meh" album?! It is, however, an album that separates the musicians from the casual fans though. A casual listener will just hear it's over-production qualities and ignore it. A musician will hear the musicianship behind it and, moreover, the ability to play the songs without needing 100 synth effects to reproduce it! It even has one of Rush's self-admitted favorites, "The Pass" on it, which is a song any suicidal person absolutely MUST listen to (and I don't mean that as sarcasm)!
Xanadu has one of the best rock and roll openings in rock and roll history. Come on man! Stargazer is one of the best rock and roll songs too, and I don’t hear everyone saying that “Hey, Ronnie went too far talking about freaking slaves worshiping Wizards!”
I'm 16 and I decided that being a huge fan of Rush for 3 years and not having listened to a lot of their other work overshadowed by the mainstream, I would binge each and every LP, front to back, in order. It's like the lyrics have a heart to heart with you, especially Signals through Hold Your Fire. While I know and love the epics of their earlier prog work, and the ska elements and groove to Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures, there's this kind of catharsis that is felt listening and reading to the lyrics, like on Subdivisions, Afterimage, The Enemy Within, Marathon, Middletown Dreams, Time Stand Still, Open Secrets, Mission, and High Water. It's taught me that while the Rush I already knew is ingrained into my memory and is very nostalgic, all of this genius went unnoticed. Their albums seamlessly evolve into new sounds, and the trio maintain their own in doing so, no matter which direction it takes them. This band is like a best friend to me, someone that knows me very well and I love deeply.
I spent my first year as a Rush fan, only listening to a single album - Chronicles. It covered everything up to Presto.I think I was about 2 or 3 years into my fandom, when I started moving towards their mid-late 80's era work as my favorites. The lyrics are what really drew me in, but mind you, this was before Lyrics on The Screen :) It meant listening to the song dozens of times to catch all the words. "Mission" got me through a particularly rough patch in my life and "Time Stands Still" is "our song" for me and the wife. I never understood why people despise Hold Your Fire so much... I'd rate Counterpart or Test For Echo much lower.
My List: 1) Grace Under Pressure 2) Moving Pictures 3) Hemispheres 4) Signals 5) Permanent Waves 6) Power Windows 7) 2112 8) Hold Your Fire 9) A Farewell to Kings 10) Presto 11) Fly By Night 12) Roll the Bones 13) Counterparts 14) Vapor Trails 15) Caress of Steel 16) Rush 17) Test for Echo 18) Snakes & Arrows 19) Clockwork Angels 20) Feedback I really like Presto because of Scars, Chain Lightning, the Title Track, and The Pass. To me, Vapor Trails, S&A, and Clockwork Angels are all similarly structured: 3 or 4 great tracks plus 6 or 7 forgettable tracks. Vapor Trails best songs: One Little Victory, Secret Touch, Ghost Rider, Earthshine S&A best songs: Far Cry, Malignant Narcissism, The Larger Bowl, Spindrift Clockwork Angels best songs: Headlong Flight, the Anarchist, Carnies, Title Track And just for the hell of it, these are my most listened to Rush songs: Manhattan Project, The Enemy Within, Natural Science, The Camera Eye, Limelight, The Spirit of Radio, The Analog Kid, Territories, Force Ten, Scars, Animate, Totem, Earthshine, Red Tide
I honestly think Caress is one of there best works. It was really their first concept album (I will admit, with problems and issues) before their classic 2112. Both Necromancer and Lamneth have issues, such as some of it's structure choice and the somewhat goofy lyrics. That is all far. However, there are pieces in both songs that I find shine. Many of Geddy's vocals in Lamneth are fantastic, the instrumental and narrative intro to Necromancer really pulls you into the atmosphere. I honestly think it's the best worst thing Rush did, and in my top three for Rush albums. Only by hairs is it number 3 for me.
@@CrashThompson according to legend you will never die now yet ironically in some sort of twist you will also not be able to leave your dwelling for eternity **cue guitar sting**
How I got into Rush: had a drummer friend (of course!) who lent me his cassette of 'Exit Stage Left'. Ended up loving it, as it's a good summation of the golden era. The second Rush record I heard was 'Presto'. Was such a large leap stylistically, that I couldn't handle it. Glad I checked everything else out, and became a huge fan. For me, from 2112 to HYF is the best period. Thanks for these videos, just watched them both back to back!
1) Presto may actually be your best entry point if you are really considering "accessibility". Depending on who your listener is, Vapor Trails (either version) may be an initial turn-off. Same, perhaps, with Clockwork Angels. Really need to consider your "target" for best entry point. 2) You passed on the live albums, but in my experience a live album has best chance of success. It gets them in the crowd, sells the music. 3) You at best panned the instrumental, but they are some of the best tracks by Rush. Try a playlist with nothing but their instrumental tracks, and you'll get great mileage. First 5 min of Xanadu, same boat. Few successful bands have the stones or chops to do much instrumentally. Leave That Thing Alone, YYZ, Main Monkey Business, MalNar, Villa...that should be the Part 3 video. Another possibly optimal entry point to Rush, depending on your listener.
I forgive Roll The Bones for its bonkers title track simply because of Dreamline. It's got one of my favorite riffs in their catalog and the lyrics make me very happy. It's easily in my top 3 rush songs.
Dreamline and Bravado and the title track and Ghost and Where's My Thing were really good, perhaps great songs. Sadly the other half of bones was just SOOOO mediocre
There are some songs on "Presto" that i i like... 3 or 4 max. The Pass, Presto, Show Don't Tell and Hand Over Fist(more like a guilty pleasure to me... but i can see why most ppl skip that record.
Presto was the new release when I discovered Rush. It was all we had! There is an element of the times, as well as a certain middle-aged complacency about it. Despite that, it had a kind of refinement to it... classy in its own dated way.
This is a late comment I know, but god I have to thank you crash for getting into now one of my favorite bands of all time. I absolutely adore farewell to kings, 2112, hemispheres and I even picked up moving pictures on vinyl at a pawn shop the other day (it sounds so good by the way). Thank you so much Mr. Crash Thompson.
Yes! It is time for part 2! Thanks so much, Crash! As an Indiana boy myself, and hearing YYZ when I was 8, I was instantly hooked, and these videos say everything I wanted to! Thanks, man! Keep the quality content coming! PS, props for the Green Day Retrospective videos! Really enjoyed those!
Oddly I hear the Feedback versions of songs in restaurants and stores all the time. Just walking through the store, and Geddy's bass and voice cut through the hustle and bustle. Takes me a minute to put my finger on it.
I forgot to mention Feedback! Man, what a trip that was. I gotta say that I liked that album, but for different reasons. My life partner had just passed away and I was fighting grief every hour and day. On one day, I was feeling a bit better one day and driving along and turned on the radio. "Summertime Blues" (I didn't know they released the album) started playing and I remember actually looking at the radio, turning it up, and thinking "Man, those guitars and bass and drums sound familiar. Who is this?". And then Geddy started singing and I almost crashed my car. There was a new Rush album for me to buy! It was a dark period for me where everything in my world changed, but then Rush went and released Feedback and did their R30 tour, and suddenly I was hearing stuff that hadn't changed. It was like a soothing balm.
Not gonna lie: I was looking forward to what you were gonna say about Farewell to Kings. You successfully avoided talking about it in Part One so I figured "oh my God he's gonna give it the WWE Super Slam" and it was gonna be entertaining.
The Necromancer isn't my favorite I kinda like Fountain of Lamneth mostly because it comes across as their first attempt at writing a programmatic song. And it's admirable to me.
Hate to break it to ya, but back in the day, virtually all of the hard core Rush fans I knew (many of them fellow musicians) absolutely loved Xanadu. In fact, that song was a fan favorite at concerts for quite a while. Great presentation, though.
lol, I still have my Caress of Steel Tee Shirt, and wore it (though it was very tight) when I saw Rush in 2012. I’m 60 and I guess it must have been some substance that made me love this album.
Thank You for making these videos! Again, I've been wanting to get into this band, and these two videos have really peeked my interest. Although I'm probably gonna wait until I hear All That Remains' upcoming album, I will be sure to check out Rush afterwards.
Honestly I find tracks like The Necromancer, Xanadu and Gardens of Lamenth are great to put on the background when working. They have enough going on so you can listen to em when they get interesting and are long so you get some good time
I love Farwell to Kings. It is probably my favorite Rush albums. Cygnus X-1 was one of the first songs I remember and the opening bass riff was one of the first things I learned! It was accessible and awesome to me.
"Xanadu" is the song that made a younger me a fan of Rush's music and Coleridge's poetry. By the way, the reason its lyrics are so flowery is because they are lifted from Kublai Khan, a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, British Romantic poet from the early 19th century. Rush were using his poetry as inspiration before Iron Maiden made it cool (he wrote Rine of the Ancient Mariner)
Loved this series, Crash! I do disagree on a few things, but that's only to be expected. You did a great job breaking down my favorite band's catalog. Also, here's my ranking for good measure. 1. 2112 2. A Farewell To Kings 3. Moving Pictures 4. Clockwork Angels 5. Permanent Waves 6. Power Windows 7. Signals 8. Hemispheres 9. Counterparts 10. Grace Under Pressure 11. Presto 12. Snakes And Arrows 13. Vapor Trails 14. Fly By Night 15. Hold Your Fire 16. Roll The Bones 17. Rush 18. Caress Of Steel 19. Test For Echo
Ok, so this is by far the closest list to my personal tastes as I've ever found from another Rush fan. That said, I'm a bit surprised that The Pass didn't get a mention on Presto. I totally get the apathy factor that comes with that album. Thanks for the great double header!
Totally get that this is just your opinion, but I wonder if the Clockwork Angels snub is ore a reflection of it being newer? IMHO it’s their best album since MP. It’s deep, with all the feels of anything they’ve done, the musicianship rocks, and the tunes are both diverse and memorable. And don’t get me started on The Garden - you may not be old enough for that song but as someone who’s kids are out of the house (and a big fan of Voltaire) it slays me every time.
Bizarrely it's the album that ACTUALLY made me click with Rush after several years of trying, I also think it's a fantastic album to finish their career on. I'm afraid I'll have to agree with you against Crash about this album because I didn't get his opinion about it being forgotten about!?
With you on this one. Although I could agree that it has some more forgettable songs, I think that it is an amazing album in its whole. And The Garden is definitely one of their finest moments. The perfect way to end their career.
I like how i can completly agree with you on Grace under pressure and Vapor Trails and completly disagree on Farewell to kings and Hold your fire. Great stuff. Great discography.
I bought the remixed version of Vapor Trails when it came out, it sounded great at first but I noticed something wasn't right about it after a few listens, it sounds fine and technically it is a better mix, but the original had this aggression and rawness that really just drove home those songs. The remix also really cut the low end out of the mix as well, I level matched both versions of the album as to not be fooled by a difference in volume between the two mixes and AB'd them back to back. In the end I preferred the original mix because the mix sounded more full range oddly enough, normally hypercompressed masters are much leaner in the lows than more dynamically mastered tracks, Vapor Trails is the exception to this rule (I guess Rush are always the exception of the rule). The other problem with the remix is that the source tracks of Vapor Trails were distorted and clipped to begin with, so even with the remix the artifacts of digital clipping can still be heard, granted they're not as pronounced, but they're still there, the only solution would be to rerecord, remix, and remaster the entire album properly, which obviously is super impractical and change the vibe of the record since you wouldn't get the same performance out of Dirk, Lerxst, and The Professor. I really what I'm trying to say is that love it or hate it, the overcompression and distortion of the original mix is just a part of that record and to take that out of the picture is changing the whole album, it's nice to have a less fatiguing version to listen to, but look at the history of this record and the subject matter of the songs, it wasn't a "comfortable" time for Rush with Peart only recently coming to grips with the passing of his wife and daughter and getting back to a normal life, and all three members of Rush trying to get back and gel with each other as a band again, there is a certain level of frustration in the sound of that record and the mix and master reflects that.
I completely understand where you're coming from with Snakes & Arrows. I do like several tracks on it, but none of them come close to my all-time favorites. Like Vapor Trails, it gets off to a racing start with its opening track, "Far Cry", then hits a stone wall... It should be noted that S&A was written at a time when Alex was going through a heavy folksy-period and couldn't put down the acoustic guitars. Consequently, the album definitely has a 'round-the-campfire reservation to it. I suppose it stands on its own well enough, though. By the way, regarding Presto, there is one track on there that got me through a very intense suicidal period: "The Pass". Even Neil himself admitted to getting very emotional when playing it live. I'm in complete agreement with the bulk of your analysis, but I would encourage anyone going through a rough time to give it a go. It's among the greatest songs they've ever written. That's one of the things I love most about Rush; even in their weakest albums, there's still plenty of gold to mine.
I’ll be honest with you, snakes and arrows is the rush album that got me into rush. After that I listened to moving pictures and then I listened to 2112 and now I’m a rush fan for the rest of my life
As weird as The Necromancer and The Fountain Of Lamneth are, I actually really like them. At first, I thought the album was two disjointed, and to be fair, it is really disjointed, but once you get past the fact that they were still getting a hold of putting different sections of songs together, I think the separate parts are actually really strong. The last section of The Necromancer is actually my favorite part of the album. Alex's solo is really cool.
I heard A Farewell to Kings when I was studying Samuel Taylor Coleridge in college. "Xanadu" is a song for humanities majors. The first album was their attempt to be diet Led Zeppelin. I'm glad they got over that. Roll the Bones, song and album, is good work. The album's not their strongest, but the title song's fun, and "Ghost of a Chance" shows that Peart can write love songs. Snakes and Arrows was their opportunity to slow down, feel the pain and struggle of life, along with its joys, and the humanities major in me loves the reference to "Dover Beach" in "Armor and Sword." Clockwork Angels is their best work. It's heavy when it needs to be, often profound, and a musical version of Candide is going to win with me. "The Garden" breaks me up every time I hear it. It's one of the best statements of how to live a meaningful life. Presto has a lot of good material on it, though it wanders at times. "Anagram (for Mongo)" is pleasingly odd, for example. And the live material Live from the Rabbit Hole has a great sound. There is one of their songs that I absolutely hate: "Natural Science" And they played it in concert after concert. It's pretentious, meandering, and musically not all that interesting.
Dammit, I'm glad SOMEONE else gets that Roll the Bones wasn't THAT bad... Great videos, like 2hrs of my life I hadn't REALLY planned to spend on UA-cam, but hey, it was entertaining!
Xanadu is a far better song than Cygnus Pt 1. And the lyrics to Xanadu are flowery as the poem it nearly quotes word for word is. It's awesome and the Exit...Stage Left medley of Broon's Bane/The Trees/Xanadu was brilliant.
A Farewell to Kings was the 2nd Rush album I really listened to and was the one that won me over, but I was transitioning from early Mars Volta so A Farewell to Kings was pretty mild in comparison.
Presto: The Pass, Show Don't Tell, Presto, Scars, Available Light. These are solid, even great songs. The Pass is lyrically brilliant and poignant, Show Don't Tell has a great riff and feel, Scars has a great drumming performance, Available Light has an especially great vocal by Geddy...
FYI: By-tor is a play on words. One of their managers? I believe had two dogs. One was white (the snow dog) and the other was a more aggressive type so they nicknamed the dog 'biter' (ie: 'bytor'.
Something cool for those interested in the Clockwork Angels novel, the audiobook version is actually narrated by Neil Peart, so that's pretty neat.
(Wait, why do I hear something like "garden road" being screamed in the distance?)
HAAAAUUUUGH METHERFECKIN DAAAAAIIRR YEEEEEEWWW!!
TIME STAMPS:
A Farewell to Kings - 0:57
Rush - 8:48
Roll the Bones - 12:57
Snakes and Arrows - 18:52
Clockwork Angels - 22:58
Caress of Steel - 27:10
Presto - 33:58
Vapor Trails - 38:07
Feedback - 41:33
MY GOD! CRASH JUST ATE ANTHONY FANTANO ON CAMERA! (Also your skits are getting REALLY good, man. The same goes for the editing.)
The problem with Roll The Bones and Presto is that the production and mixing is too thin. The songs (even the Roll the Bones song) sound much better live when Alex and Geddy have much more distortion on their guitars.
Consider who co-produced the album's, Rupert Hine! He mixed Duran Duran and The Fixx and there was no distortion on any of their guitars!
I totally disagree. As a producer myself, those two albums have the most crystalline highs, the punchiest, tightest lows, and just an overall extremely powerful and dynamic sound. Maybe you just aren't listening to them on good, truly flat studio headphones. Or maybe I'm just a dumbass, but a lot of people agree with me.
@@n8can2chitown24 Don't get me wrong, I love those albums and I believe Rush was experimenting being different.
It's as if they intentionally recorded the instruments at a low level and then raised the volumes during the production phase. Just like playing a guitar; you keep the volume set to max on the instrument/pickups and only adjust the volume on the amp, or else you risk watering down the high notes and nearly muting out all of the lower notes.
Its not just the mix, its the tones via the guitars Alex and Geddy chose to record with which made RTB sound so weak...those tinny no distortion single coil pickup Fenders with a ton of reverb and processing effects (as seen in the RTB video) and the doink-ey no grit having Wal bass Geddy used. You can mix and remix the levels all you want but there was no way that album was going to sound heavy with those instruments. Geddy even admitted years later the Wal basses weren't good "rock" guitars to make in your face music with.
If they recorded Bones with what they used to record Counterparts a couple years later it would've been a whole lot different
0:58 A Farewell to Kings
8:49 Rush
12:58 Roll the Bones
18:53 Snakes & Arrows
23:00 Clockwork Angels
27:15 Caress of Steel
34:02 Presto
38:12 Vapor Trails
41:36 Feedback
Thank you so much for this!
Wait...Wait...WAIT!!!! Was Geddy Lee the first Canadian rapper?
Wasn't it Snow?
@@DPerez3573 I'm not sure. Admittedly my knowledge of rap music history is pretty lacking.
LOL
it was drake right?
that’s a joke.
David Perez snow released his first album in 1993 while roll the bones is released in 1991
Edit: did a quick google search, the first canadian rapper is maestro
In the same way Hold Your Fire is your personal favorite that most people give you weird looks mine is Caress of Steel, I really enjoy that album and holds a special place in my heart because I bonded with my dad listening to Caress of Steel.
I love No One at the Bridge. I love playing it on guitar 👍
Caress of Steel is one of the best albums ever cut man.
Aside from I Think I'm Going Bald, I really like Caress Of Steel. The Necromancer is so weird, but I love it, the first 3/4 of the song kicks ass and the last section where it goes into a major key is really lovely.
Update, again, not trying to sound butthurt or arguing with you, as I have enjoyed these two videos so far.
I like The Necromancer and the Fountain of Lamneth. But that’s just me. A diehard Rush fan.
I have officially begun my dive into Rush thanks to this series. Started with Moving Pictures which was good but I have to say Permanent Waves topped it! Next stop: 2112.
I was pessimistic that anyone but old Rush fans would care. Glad I'm wrong. I was one who deserted Rush in '82, and have only recently discovered the rest of their catalogue. I envy you. Enjoy!!
That opening joke killed me. 10/10 So glad to see Rush getting such a loving video series.
I for one love the rapping skeleton in roll the bones. It is so goofy and gloriously dumb I can’t help but love it.
I love Xanadu!!! Yea it’s goofy but The instrumentation kicks ass!! It’s my second favorite Rush song behind Animate.
I like Caress of Steel. Also, I hate Caress of Steel.
This is the BEST away to summarize Caress of Steel.
@@CrashThompson Caress of Steel has plenty of moments of greatness in it. It's also probably the only time I would say that Rush really, truly fell victim to the prog-rock boogeyman of pretentious wank. A lot of non-fans would probably accuse them of that in other places, even 2112, but the thing about that is that 2112 has three things neither The Necromancer nor The Fountain of Lamneth muster: intent, focus, and TEETH. Those songs get so fuckin' lost in the woods.
You secretly love and love it.
@@Wulvaine The Fountain of Lamneth and The Necromancer have so much teeth, intent, and focus.
Caress of Steel shows a band that's trying for 2112 but isn't quite there yet.
Just getting into 'Rush' but one of the things I feel is that one (two) of the best things about Rush is...
1. Thay are SO tight togather.
2. they have fun togather [see point 1].
How in the hell can you diss Xanadu? Holy crap. Xanadu is one of the most epic, excellent rock songs ever written. Way more God Tier than Closer to the Fart.
Yeah dude, I agree
Closer to the Fart. Hah. Nice, dude.
Haha agree
I feel like this guy is just really into the mainstream rock radio Rush stuff, not so much the deeper cuts. How can you like closer to the heart more than Xanadu? Can't take him much serious after that statement.
I didn't understand this either. Xanadu is probably my favorite song of all time. Maybe he is not aware of the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem Kubla Khan?
I lost my shit during the intro, drinking milk and eating honeydew 😂 also xanadu is the best song ever
Not arguing with you, I’m just saying, as a Rush fan for most of my life, starting at around the age of four, Roll The Bones is the very song that got me started on my unhealthy obsession with Rush to this day.
Then again, I blindly cherish all albums. Yes, even....Caress of Steel.
I also like Roll the bones (the track) 😬 because I find it to be charmingly cheesy (including the synth patches and rap) and it somehow works as a purposefully dumb song.
I was in 6th grade band circa 1984 and heavy into the guitar and Zeppelin. Naturally my naive self was bragging on Bonham and my friend on the drums says "oh you want to hear a good drummer?" He pops in a cassette of Grace Under Pressure and fast forwards to Red Sector A and my life as well as my understanding of what real music is, was forever and irrevocably changed.
I waited years for Rush videos like this. Hell I waited years just to hear you mention Rush. (Other than your top 10 and quick mentions in the green day videos) And we finally got it! Thank You Crash. I've been a Rush Fan Forever, now i'm a rock critic fan forever.
Some HTGI suggestions:
- Yellowcard (my favorite band ever)
- In Flames
- Architects
- Machine Head
- Jimmy Eat World
- Pearl Jam
- Iron Maiden
- Black Sabbath
- AFI
- Nine Inch Nails
- Avenged Sevenfold
Wait... Yellowcard is your favorite band of all time?? I’m sorry. I’m legit confused. You have NIN in your list.. but YELLOWCARD is your fave band??
@@nicole9volt bruh calm down
strawman flannel hat dude saying "Neil Peart" looped for 20 hours ASMR
Jeez, you were rough on "Farewell to Kings." LOL I agree that it's a more esoteric and less accessible album in their catalog, but it's really not all that "weird" or "corny" if you're into other progressive acts. Also, I always loved the song "Roll the Bones" and (silly rap aside) don't understand why you have such a huge problem with it. It came out when I was in high school and even then it really caught my ear.
Any album from 1976 to 1984 can be called there best album.
@texasman Being a prog nerd, the first Mars Volta album I REALLY got into was Frances. Amputechture's also a personal favorite.
Still, most people should start with Deloused. Their most accessible masterpiece for sure.
So weave a circle round him thrice,
And cast down thine eyes in holy dread,
For he on honeydew, hath fed,
And drank the milk of paradise.
Crash, have you never heard that poem? It's the same one that opens Citizen Kane.
Basing a song around a Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem is exactly the kind of thing that gives Neil a major advantage from 99% of every other lyricist in the genre!
@@surfeit5910 I should also mention that this video made two new Rush fans out of me and my brother.
Also, 'Closer to the Heart' has one of (if not) the best 12-String riffs you can hear.
A farewell to King is my favorite Rush album /shrug
I can see why someone made Caress of Steel a mind-affecting SCP.
"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
...
For he on honey-dew hath fed,
And drunk the milk of Paradise."
~ Kubla Khan - by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
It's classic literature they teach you in college, only here, Neil decided to write an entire song about it.
And, I have to agree about Clockwork Angels and pretty much their last 3 albums. I end up skipping around to a few good tracks and then forget the albums. I'm ashamed to admit, that despite being a fan for 25 years, I still can't name all the songs off their last 3 albums.
But I gotta know who your friends are, to say that Presto is their worst "meh" album?! It is, however, an album that separates the musicians from the casual fans though. A casual listener will just hear it's over-production qualities and ignore it. A musician will hear the musicianship behind it and, moreover, the ability to play the songs without needing 100 synth effects to reproduce it! It even has one of Rush's self-admitted favorites, "The Pass" on it, which is a song any suicidal person absolutely MUST listen to (and I don't mean that as sarcasm)!
Xanadu has one of the best rock and roll openings in rock and roll history. Come on man!
Stargazer is one of the best rock and roll songs too, and I don’t hear everyone saying that “Hey, Ronnie went too far talking about freaking slaves worshiping Wizards!”
why do you hate the trees crash haha, yes its a heavy handed metaphor but like its still a great socially aware tune
They guy simply didn't get the metaphor and blame the writer. lol
I'm 16 and I decided that being a huge fan of Rush for 3 years and not having listened to a lot of their other work overshadowed by the mainstream, I would binge each and every LP, front to back, in order. It's like the lyrics have a heart to heart with you, especially Signals through Hold Your Fire. While I know and love the epics of their earlier prog work, and the ska elements and groove to Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures, there's this kind of catharsis that is felt listening and reading to the lyrics, like on Subdivisions, Afterimage, The Enemy Within, Marathon, Middletown Dreams, Time Stand Still, Open Secrets, Mission, and High Water. It's taught me that while the Rush I already knew is ingrained into my memory and is very nostalgic, all of this genius went unnoticed. Their albums seamlessly evolve into new sounds, and the trio maintain their own in doing so, no matter which direction it takes them. This band is like a best friend to me, someone that knows me very well and I love deeply.
I spent my first year as a Rush fan, only listening to a single album - Chronicles. It covered everything up to Presto.I think I was about 2 or 3 years into my fandom, when I started moving towards their mid-late 80's era work as my favorites. The lyrics are what really drew me in, but mind you, this was before Lyrics on The Screen :) It meant listening to the song dozens of times to catch all the words. "Mission" got me through a particularly rough patch in my life and "Time Stands Still" is "our song" for me and the wife. I never understood why people despise Hold Your Fire so much... I'd rate Counterpart or Test For Echo much lower.
Thanks for all your hard work Crash. I enjoyed the hell out of the first part. Really looking foward to this part.
Honorable mention to "The Pass" off of the Presto record. Great great stellar cut.
My List:
1) Grace Under Pressure
2) Moving Pictures
3) Hemispheres
4) Signals
5) Permanent Waves
6) Power Windows
7) 2112
8) Hold Your Fire
9) A Farewell to Kings
10) Presto
11) Fly By Night
12) Roll the Bones
13) Counterparts
14) Vapor Trails
15) Caress of Steel
16) Rush
17) Test for Echo
18) Snakes & Arrows
19) Clockwork Angels
20) Feedback
I really like Presto because of Scars, Chain Lightning, the Title Track, and The Pass. To me, Vapor Trails, S&A, and Clockwork Angels are all similarly structured: 3 or 4 great tracks plus 6 or 7 forgettable tracks.
Vapor Trails best songs: One Little Victory, Secret Touch, Ghost Rider, Earthshine
S&A best songs: Far Cry, Malignant Narcissism, The Larger Bowl, Spindrift
Clockwork Angels best songs: Headlong Flight, the Anarchist, Carnies, Title Track
And just for the hell of it, these are my most listened to Rush songs: Manhattan Project, The Enemy Within, Natural Science, The Camera Eye, Limelight, The Spirit of Radio, The Analog Kid, Territories, Force Ten, Scars, Animate, Totem, Earthshine, Red Tide
I honestly think Caress is one of there best works. It was really their first concept album (I will admit, with problems and issues) before their classic 2112. Both Necromancer and Lamneth have issues, such as some of it's structure choice and the somewhat goofy lyrics. That is all far. However, there are pieces in both songs that I find shine. Many of Geddy's vocals in Lamneth are fantastic, the instrumental and narrative intro to Necromancer really pulls you into the atmosphere. I honestly think it's the best worst thing Rush did, and in my top three for Rush albums. Only by hairs is it number 3 for me.
Yeah
Xanadu is musically brilliant, and lyrically majestic! BRILLIANT WORK!!!!!
oh hell nawwww Xanadu is perfection 😂
Jethro Tull The best
Geddy Lee is the greatest rapper of all time. #RollDaBones4Lyfe
I don’t have a problem with Xanadu. I love it BECAUSE it’s goofy. The instrumentation is awesome of course (it’s Rush so it’s bound to be).
disliked
who drinks milk and eats melon
Don’t blame me. Blame Kublai Khan.
@@CrashThompson wait thats H O N E Y D E W i thought it was the green part of a watermelon lol
@@CrashThompson according to legend you will never die now yet ironically in some sort of twist you will also not be able to leave your dwelling for eternity **cue guitar sting**
Coleridge
How I got into Rush: had a drummer friend (of course!) who lent me his cassette of 'Exit Stage Left'. Ended up loving it, as it's a good summation of the golden era. The second Rush record I heard was 'Presto'. Was such a large leap stylistically, that I couldn't handle it. Glad I checked everything else out, and became a huge fan. For me, from 2112 to HYF is the best period.
Thanks for these videos, just watched them both back to back!
1) Presto may actually be your best entry point if you are really considering "accessibility". Depending on who your listener is, Vapor Trails (either version) may be an initial turn-off. Same, perhaps, with Clockwork Angels. Really need to consider your "target" for best entry point.
2) You passed on the live albums, but in my experience a live album has best chance of success. It gets them in the crowd, sells the music.
3) You at best panned the instrumental, but they are some of the best tracks by Rush. Try a playlist with nothing but their instrumental tracks, and you'll get great mileage. First 5 min of Xanadu, same boat. Few successful bands have the stones or chops to do much instrumentally. Leave That Thing Alone, YYZ, Main Monkey Business, MalNar, Villa...that should be the Part 3 video. Another possibly optimal entry point to Rush, depending on your listener.
Timestamps for sections:
Deeper Digging: 0:45
Proceed With Caution/Avoid: 26:55
And remember: FOGHAT IS LOOOOOORD!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Your videos are great, well edited, and funny. Keep it up! And thanks for looking at one of my favorite, and one of Canada's most legendary bands.
I forgive Roll The Bones for its bonkers title track simply because of Dreamline. It's got one of my favorite riffs in their catalog and the lyrics make me very happy. It's easily in my top 3 rush songs.
I honestly really like the title track, the guitar in that whole song is great.
Dreamline and Bravado and the title track and Ghost and Where's My Thing were really good, perhaps great songs. Sadly the other half of bones was just SOOOO mediocre
If this is how he felt about _Vapour Trails_ I wonder how he feels about _The Woods_ by Sleater Kinney. That album is loud as fuck, too.
There are some songs on "Presto" that i i like... 3 or 4 max. The Pass, Presto, Show Don't Tell and Hand Over Fist(more like a guilty pleasure to me... but i can see why most ppl skip that record.
Available Light
All the others are good tf?
Even the title track has its moments. "Don't ask me, I'm just improvising, my illusion of careless flight"
Superconductor has some cool bits..
A Farewell to Kings is their best album period.
A Farewell to Kings is my favorite song.
A Farewell to Kings is a must hear and a must like if you want to become an official Rush cultists
A Farewell to Kings is the proverbial “kool aid”of Rush
A Farewell to Kings is a perfect album no weaknesses every note of every song kicks ass
Oh man, and I think Presto is my favorite Rush album! Not kidding! I love The Pass, man!
The Pass is a hit you in the feels song. There's some dark stuff on there.
Presto was the new release when I discovered Rush. It was all we had! There is an element of the times, as well as a certain middle-aged complacency about it. Despite that, it had a kind of refinement to it... classy in its own dated way.
This is a late comment I know, but god I have to thank you crash for getting into now one of my favorite bands of all time. I absolutely adore farewell to kings, 2112, hemispheres and I even picked up moving pictures on vinyl at a pawn shop the other day (it sounds so good by the way). Thank you so much Mr. Crash Thompson.
YESSS I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR PART 2 😍😍
Yes! It is time for part 2! Thanks so much, Crash! As an Indiana boy myself, and hearing YYZ when I was 8, I was instantly hooked, and these videos say everything I wanted to! Thanks, man! Keep the quality content coming!
PS, props for the Green Day Retrospective videos! Really enjoyed those!
My rankings are like this
5. Grace Under Pressure
4. Hemispheres
3. Caress of Steel
2. 2112
1. Permanent Waves
Oddly I hear the Feedback versions of songs in restaurants and stores all the time. Just walking through the store, and Geddy's bass and voice cut through the hustle and bustle. Takes me a minute to put my finger on it.
I forgot to mention Feedback! Man, what a trip that was. I gotta say that I liked that album, but for different reasons. My life partner had just passed away and I was fighting grief every hour and day. On one day, I was feeling a bit better one day and driving along and turned on the radio. "Summertime Blues" (I didn't know they released the album) started playing and I remember actually looking at the radio, turning it up, and thinking "Man, those guitars and bass and drums sound familiar. Who is this?". And then Geddy started singing and I almost crashed my car. There was a new Rush album for me to buy! It was a dark period for me where everything in my world changed, but then Rush went and released Feedback and did their R30 tour, and suddenly I was hearing stuff that hadn't changed. It was like a soothing balm.
Outside of you not caring much for "Xanadu" (one of my personal favorite Rushes), you're spot on.
Not gonna lie: I was looking forward to what you were gonna say about Farewell to Kings. You successfully avoided talking about it in Part One so I figured "oh my God he's gonna give it the WWE Super Slam" and it was gonna be entertaining.
The Necromancer isn't my favorite
I kinda like Fountain of Lamneth mostly because it comes across as their first attempt at writing a programmatic song. And it's admirable to me.
Next how to get into Alkaline Trio or The Smiths next
Doyle Alexander The Smith’s sounds like a good one!
Hate to break it to ya, but back in the day, virtually all of the hard core Rush fans I knew (many of them fellow musicians) absolutely loved Xanadu. In fact, that song was a fan favorite at concerts for quite a while. Great presentation, though.
lol, I still have my Caress of Steel Tee Shirt, and wore it (though it was very tight) when I saw Rush in 2012. I’m 60 and I guess it must have been some substance that made me love this album.
A Farewell to Kings is the best album Rush ever did
41:45 I didn't know rush released children's board games
That bit ten minutes in where you turn into the mean Southern guy had me rolling on the floor!!!
Thank You for making these videos! Again, I've been wanting to get into this band, and these two videos have really peeked my interest. Although I'm probably gonna wait until I hear All That Remains' upcoming album, I will be sure to check out Rush afterwards.
Honestly I find tracks like The Necromancer, Xanadu and Gardens of Lamenth are great to put on the background when working. They have enough going on so you can listen to em when they get interesting and are long so you get some good time
Caress of Steel is a top 5 Rush album. Change my mind.
I love Farwell to Kings. It is probably my favorite Rush albums. Cygnus X-1 was one of the first songs I remember and the opening bass riff was one of the first things I learned! It was accessible and awesome to me.
"Xanadu" is the song that made a younger me a fan of Rush's music and Coleridge's poetry.
By the way, the reason its lyrics are so flowery is because they are lifted from Kublai Khan, a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, British Romantic poet from the early 19th century. Rush were using his poetry as inspiration before Iron Maiden made it cool (he wrote Rine of the Ancient Mariner)
The way you feel about Xanadu is the way I felt about book 1 of Cygnus the very first time I heard it.
Loved this series, Crash! I do disagree on a few things, but that's only to be expected. You did a great job breaking down my favorite band's catalog. Also, here's my ranking for good measure.
1. 2112
2. A Farewell To Kings
3. Moving Pictures
4. Clockwork Angels
5. Permanent Waves
6. Power Windows
7. Signals
8. Hemispheres
9. Counterparts
10. Grace Under Pressure
11. Presto
12. Snakes And Arrows
13. Vapor Trails
14. Fly By Night
15. Hold Your Fire
16. Roll The Bones
17. Rush
18. Caress Of Steel
19. Test For Echo
Oh, and for the record, Fountains of Lamneth... How can you NOT love the ass off that track! It's glorious!
0:00 Hey, everyone. Crashthony Thomptano here.
A Farewell To Kings is godly.... how dare you! Amazing amazing album.
Haha love the intro gag with the honeydew and a sip of milk (of paradise)
The Necromancer is the song that convinced me to listen to Rush and to deepen their discography.
Hell yeah!
Despite the fact that Presto is in my top 5 Rush albums... you've done a really great job! Nice one man :)
Ok, so this is by far the closest list to my personal tastes as I've ever found from another Rush fan. That said, I'm a bit surprised that The Pass didn't get a mention on Presto. I totally get the apathy factor that comes with that album. Thanks for the great double header!
Totally get that this is just your opinion, but I wonder if the Clockwork Angels snub is ore a reflection of it being newer? IMHO it’s their best album since MP. It’s deep, with all the feels of anything they’ve done, the musicianship rocks, and the tunes are both diverse and memorable. And don’t get me started on The Garden - you may not be old enough for that song but as someone who’s kids are out of the house (and a big fan of Voltaire) it slays me every time.
Bizarrely it's the album that ACTUALLY made me click with Rush after several years of trying, I also think it's a fantastic album to finish their career on. I'm afraid I'll have to agree with you against Crash about this album because I didn't get his opinion about it being forgotten about!?
With you on this one. Although I could agree that it has some more forgettable songs, I think that it is an amazing album in its whole. And The Garden is definitely one of their finest moments. The perfect way to end their career.
A farewell to kings was the first rush album that I listened to straight through and got me deeper into their catalogue
Tom Olkowski 👍🏼me too
I like how i can completly agree with you on Grace under pressure and Vapor Trails and completly disagree on Farewell to kings and Hold your fire. Great stuff. Great discography.
7 Cities of Gold, Headlong Flight, and Caravan are must listen songs...
I bought the remixed version of Vapor Trails when it came out, it sounded great at first but I noticed something wasn't right about it after a few listens, it sounds fine and technically it is a better mix, but the original had this aggression and rawness that really just drove home those songs.
The remix also really cut the low end out of the mix as well, I level matched both versions of the album as to not be fooled by a difference in volume between the two mixes and AB'd them back to back. In the end I preferred the original mix because the mix sounded more full range oddly enough, normally hypercompressed masters are much leaner in the lows than more dynamically mastered tracks, Vapor Trails is the exception to this rule (I guess Rush are always the exception of the rule). The other problem with the remix is that the source tracks of Vapor Trails were distorted and clipped to begin with, so even with the remix the artifacts of digital clipping can still be heard, granted they're not as pronounced, but they're still there, the only solution would be to rerecord, remix, and remaster the entire album properly, which obviously is super impractical and change the vibe of the record since you wouldn't get the same performance out of Dirk, Lerxst, and The Professor.
I really what I'm trying to say is that love it or hate it, the overcompression and distortion of the original mix is just a part of that record and to take that out of the picture is changing the whole album, it's nice to have a less fatiguing version to listen to, but look at the history of this record and the subject matter of the songs, it wasn't a "comfortable" time for Rush with Peart only recently coming to grips with the passing of his wife and daughter and getting back to a normal life, and all three members of Rush trying to get back and gel with each other as a band again, there is a certain level of frustration in the sound of that record and the mix and master reflects that.
I completely understand where you're coming from with Snakes & Arrows. I do like several tracks on it, but none of them come close to my all-time favorites. Like Vapor Trails, it gets off to a racing start with its opening track, "Far Cry", then hits a stone wall... It should be noted that S&A was written at a time when Alex was going through a heavy folksy-period and couldn't put down the acoustic guitars. Consequently, the album definitely has a 'round-the-campfire reservation to it. I suppose it stands on its own well enough, though.
By the way, regarding Presto, there is one track on there that got me through a very intense suicidal period: "The Pass". Even Neil himself admitted to getting very emotional when playing it live. I'm in complete agreement with the bulk of your analysis, but I would encourage anyone going through a rough time to give it a go. It's among the greatest songs they've ever written. That's one of the things I love most about Rush; even in their weakest albums, there's still plenty of gold to mine.
I’ll be honest with you, snakes and arrows is the rush album that got me into rush. After that I listened to moving pictures and then I listened to 2112 and now I’m a rush fan for the rest of my life
As weird as The Necromancer and The Fountain Of Lamneth are, I actually really like them. At first, I thought the album was two disjointed, and to be fair, it is really disjointed, but once you get past the fact that they were still getting a hold of putting different sections of songs together, I think the separate parts are actually really strong. The last section of The Necromancer is actually my favorite part of the album. Alex's solo is really cool.
41:46 Snakes And Ladders? I must've missed that one
ROLL THE BONES IS MY FAVORITE RUSH SONG OF ALL TIME I SWEAR (btw great video Crash)
Great video....9 concerts and a fan since 1981
Presto - I 'liked' every song and would fall asleep to it almost every night... But I feel the same about the lack of memorable moments - lol...
I’ve always loved Presto. Yeah, it doesn’t seem to have been recorded loud enough but I like the music.
I heard A Farewell to Kings when I was studying Samuel Taylor Coleridge in college. "Xanadu" is a song for humanities majors.
The first album was their attempt to be diet Led Zeppelin. I'm glad they got over that.
Roll the Bones, song and album, is good work. The album's not their strongest, but the title song's fun, and "Ghost of a Chance" shows that Peart can write love songs.
Snakes and Arrows was their opportunity to slow down, feel the pain and struggle of life, along with its joys, and the humanities major in me loves the reference to "Dover Beach" in "Armor and Sword."
Clockwork Angels is their best work. It's heavy when it needs to be, often profound, and a musical version of Candide is going to win with me. "The Garden" breaks me up every time I hear it. It's one of the best statements of how to live a meaningful life.
Presto has a lot of good material on it, though it wanders at times. "Anagram (for Mongo)" is pleasingly odd, for example. And the live material Live from the Rabbit Hole has a great sound.
There is one of their songs that I absolutely hate: "Natural Science" And they played it in concert after concert. It's pretentious, meandering, and musically not all that interesting.
Xanadu is fucking great imo but I can totally see why you think it might be derpy. In fact, the derpiness is what I love about it.
Oh shit, caught me off guard. Didn't expect part 2 to come out that quick
Dammit, I'm glad SOMEONE else gets that Roll the Bones wasn't THAT bad... Great videos, like 2hrs of my life I hadn't REALLY planned to spend on UA-cam, but hey, it was entertaining!
Xanadu is a far better song than Cygnus Pt 1. And the lyrics to Xanadu are flowery as the poem it nearly quotes word for word is. It's awesome and the Exit...Stage Left medley of Broon's Bane/The Trees/Xanadu was brilliant.
A Farewell to Kings was the 2nd Rush album I really listened to and was the one that won me over, but I was transitioning from early Mars Volta so A Farewell to Kings was pretty mild in comparison.
Presto: The Pass, Show Don't Tell, Presto, Scars, Available Light. These are solid, even great songs. The Pass is lyrically brilliant and poignant, Show Don't Tell has a great riff and feel, Scars has a great drumming performance, Available Light has an especially great vocal by Geddy...
Rush is at their best to me when they indulge the right amount of their goofy nerdiness. Not too much or too little.
An American with an Our Lady Peace album cover. I'm intrigued already.