Little known fact for those that like to collect ROIOs from the T4E tour - the song 'Time and Motion' was played early in the tour on a small handful of occasions. One exception to this is the Capital Centre show in Maryland. My buddy and I had traveled to several different cities on the tour, and while we were wondering the concourse preshow we ran into the 98 rock FM station dudes. They said they were going to talk to the band and we pleaded with them to please tell the band to change up the setlist as we had been to several shows on the tour and it would mean the world to us. Sure enough, we got a 2nd set Time and Motion. My buddy and I freaked the fuck out while the rest of the crowd around us looked at us like we were crazy. Good times!
Clockwork Angels is an S for me. It always blew my mind how a 40 year old band could make such a great record. The Garden is such an unappreciated masterpiece, became one of my favorite songs ever since I first listened to it, what a beautiful way to say goodbye!
Unfortunately, I would put Clockwork angels as a bottom tier album. It's a Pity because I like it hard but there's no Melodies to speak of. Plus the singing is cringe-worthy
I put it at the bottom of the A tier, but I would definitely have put it higher if Geddy's voice was like it was in the 80s and 90s. Musically it is S tier.
It's funny you put it this way, since to me Grace is probably their worst album (tied with Presto). I liked most everything that came out later more than Grace.
Great tier list. Kyle and Nick are the well-rounded critics here. Nick's words on Permanent Waves were spot on, and I agree with Kyle that Caress of Steel and Fly by night need to be bumped up a tier.
I bought Vapor Trails when it was first released and worked at a job where everyone wore headphones and listened to CDs all day while working and this one I played over and over, one of my favorite albums of that year.
As a comment to the guy saying the 00s gave us no good albums from the big bands.. Well... Jane`s Addiction released "Strays" in 2003..Others are QOTSA. System of A Down. MUSE. Audioslave. Arcade Fire. The Flaming Lips. The White Stripes. Radiohead. U2 also had some kind of a comeback in the early 00s.
It's a little too bloated for me. Sure it has its moments but I prefer their older material. I'd rather listen to self-titled, fly by night, caress, 2112, farewell, hemispheres, permanant waves, moving, signals, grace, power window, hold your fire, presto, roll the bones and even test for echo before listening front to back to this monster. In comparison to the songwriting and magic feeling I get from older rush releases, a D is harsh but understandable
Please do a Jethro Tull (my fav band) or Frank Zappa (official releases from Freak Out through Civilization Phaze 3 ) Wheel for the next episode! Both would be interesting especially Zappa with all those albums! Just became a fan recently because of the wheel :)
Sounds great, although I believe that the episode would certainly need to be several hours long just to cover the 63 or so records that Frank had released in his lifetime. Not a problem for me though as I've always got time to spare for all things Zappa.
Clockwork angels is easily an A tier. Most progressive album since moving pictures. Amazing riffs, melodies, solos, and lyrics, and great songs overall.
Fun video. I would swap 2112 and Permanent Waves. In terms of Kyle's comment on no legacy prog band put out a decent album in the 2000's, I beg to differ. I think King Crimson's Power To Believe is a great album.
Kyle seemed like an 80s Rush guy at the start, but I found his opinions on the first 3 awesome and of course the run from 2112-Moving Pictures is peak Rush. The standouts after that are Grace Under Pressure and Counterparts for me. Roie’s takes perplex me.
That's a pretty accurate ranking that I think most can adhere to, with a few adjustements here and there maybe :) I really should check out Clockwork Angels. For some reasons I never got around to listening to it. And even though Rush is probably the band I saw live the most often, I so regret not being able to go see them on their last tour... Thanks for this video guys!
I think the production made it Rush's equivalent to St Anger, like they said. I love One Little Victory, Ghost Rider and Earthshine a hell of a lot. D tier is harsh
@@AllThisOverASliceOfGabagool Man, I actually liked the title track in St Anger despite the garbage can snare, but listening to the rest of the album was painful! Withy Vapor Trails there are just no bad songs!
@@leandronc I completely agree with you, Leandro. I meant in terms of the production, which was way too loud and sounded really bad. The songs suffered as a result. The songs deserved far better production.
Loving these tier list videos. Generally agree with the general rankings here, and happy to see Grace Under Pressure make A tier. I think the only thing that stands out for me personally is Snakes and Arrows which would probably be B tier for me. I like it a lot, but I get why it was ranked lower.
Hemispheres, Permanent waves, Caress of steel, 2112, Farewell to Kings, Moving pictures, Power Windows, Signals, Hold your fire, and then whatever else.
Roie...I agree with you on the late 80's-90's albums. Not their "best" albums, but the ones I listen to the most. I came into Rush min-80's...and it took me a long time to listen to, and like, early Rush. lol.
S tier - Permanent Waves, Grace Under Pressure, Hemispheres, Hold Your Fire A tier - Signals, Moving Pictures, Power Windows, 2112 B tier - Presto, Caress Of Steel, Rush, Counterparts C tier - Fly By Night, Roll The Bones, A Farewell To Kings, Test For Echo D tier - (Feedback) Clockwork Angels, Snakes & Arrows, Vapor Trails
I'm a little less harsh than you guys, but basically agree on the flow. S Tier: Moving Pictures Hemispheres A Farewell to Kings Permanent Waves Signals A Tier: Power Windows 2112 Grace Under Pressure Fly By Night Clockwork Angels B Tier: Counterparts Hold Your Fire Snakes and Arrows Roll the Bones Caress of Steel C Tier: Rush Presto Vapor Trails D Tier: Test for Echo
Snakes and Arrows in D list??? That's a rough one, Tha Main Monkey Business, Faithless, Working them Angels. Not a long prog album definetly but it is a rocker.
My personal order: (S) Power Windows, Moving Pictures, Caress of Steel; (A) Fly by Night, 2112, Farewell to Kings, Permanent Waves, Hemispheres, Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Hold Your Fire; (B) Roll the Bones, Presto, Counterparts, Rush; (C) Test for Echo, Vapour Trails, Feedback, Snakes and Arrows; (D) Clockwork Angels.
Nah not putting 2112 in S-tier should be a crime. Just the raw prog rock edging into metal is amazing, certainly better then something like The Spirit Of Radio. Don't get me wrong I like that song but almost all the songs on 2112 beat Spirit Of Radio IMO.
You should end by ranking the albums in each tier. Also, Hold Your Fire is at least C tier. Counterparts and Hold Your Fire are the two albums I always hope get a good ranking.
The S tier rush albums are hemispheres, moving pictures, power windows and a farewell to kings A tier is permanent waves, signals, grace under pressure, clockwork angels B tier 2112, snakes and arrows, vapor trails, counter parts, test for echo, C tier fly by night, caresses of steel D tier hold your fire, roll the bones, presto E tier rush
sorry for the late comment. but I was glad to see your channel suggested on YT. I would have put Grace under pressure or Signals above Farwell to Kings. I had not heared Farwell until after Grace or Signals back in 85 so I was a little young at 16, but Farwell, while amazing prog in a way, the songs from Grace or Signals albums ring with me more. I love prog, but I am more rock. 🙂
Love this series! Great conversation as usual. I’m in agreement for most, but I think Snakes & Arrows is woefully under ranked. That’s a B album for me. This discography is so damn strong though, so I get it.
S Tier: Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Hemispheres, A Farewell to Kings A Tier: Grace Under Pressure, Signals, 2112, Roll the Bones B Tier: Hold Your Fire, Snakes & Arrows, Vapor Trails, Fly by Night C Tier: Test for Echo, Clockwork Angels, Counterparts, Power Windows D Tier: Presto, Rush, Caress of Steel
I limited myself to 4 albums in each ranking. I would have put more in S if I could. Maybe all of the ones in the A tier. The only album I do not like is Feedback and the rest of the D are so so or I have not listened to them enough to put them higher. S- Signals, Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves, Hemispheres A-Farewell to Kings, Grace Under Pressure, Counterparts, 2112 B-Fly by Night, Clockwork Angels, Power Windows, Presto C- Test for Echo, Roll the Bones, Rush, Caress of Steel, D- Snakes and Arrows, Vapor Trails, Hold Your Fire, Feedback.
this is why rush is so great. somebody’s worst is somebody’s best. Personally, I LOVE Vapor Trail. So many great songs. A tier for me. To each their own!
My take: Best: Hemispheres. My God. Done. Worst: Snakes and Arrows. My only D tier Rush. Armor and Sword then.... Underrated: This is the toughy. Two awesome/different albums. Peart roll... Counterparts beats Presto by an Everyday Glory!!!
I cut my Rush teeth on their Kings album when I was about 10 years old around 1980, spent the next few years buying all the albums and loved all of it to death, then in 84 I hear on MTV about a new Rush release coming up called Grace under pressure and I bought the album and it just didn't grab me like all their previous stuff, and it was pretty much like that for the rest of the 80s releases, then around 1990 I heard Presto and couldn't get enough of it, but the rest of the 90s it was pretty much back to meh, but then Vapor Trails came out around 2002 and I couldn't get enough of it for the next couple of years, and their last couple of releases was back to it was just okay, but over time many of these average Rush albums have grown on me more
Presto would go into B tier for me. But maybe I'm a bit biased as that was the first album I bought (on cassette nonetheless) when I started getting into Rush. I prefer Permanent Waves over Moving Pictures. Yet I would still put both of them in the S tier, along with Hemispheres, and Grace under Pressure.
Awesome episode and great list My ranking: S: Clockwork Angels, Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves A: Grace Under Pressure, A Farewell to Kings, 2112, Signals B: Fly By Night, Counterparts, Presto, Rush C: Roll The Bones, Hold Your Fire, Power Windows, Test For Echo D: Caress of Steel, Snakes and Arrows, Vapor Trails, Feedback
I think side two of 2112 is better than you think it is. My least favorite song on it is Lessons and it's honestly very good. A bit whimsical but, Geddy sounds fantastic and that riff at the beginning of the chorus is great. Alex's little lead bit at the end of the chorus is amazing and the tone of his lead parts is epic! Michael Schenker would have been proud. I think they should have spent a little more time on the ending. The fade out starting while Alex is tearing it up is dissapointing. I would have the track listing a little different as well. I'd have side two open with Something For Nothing into Passage To Bangkok. Followed by Twilight Zone , Lessons and closing with Tears. It makes it feel more like a whole album instead of two seperate sides of music.
It's a tough call. The top 3 are obviously Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, and Permanent Waves but if you asked me what album should get the number 4 spot, I'd flip flop constantly. One day I'd say 2112 and another day I'd say Kings.
S: Moving Pictures, Signals, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves A: Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, 2112, Snakes & Arrows (Sue Me!) B: A Farewell To Kings, Clockwork Angels, Fly By Night, Hold Your Fire C: RUSH, Roll The Bones, Counterparts, Presto D: Vapor Trails, Caress of Steel, Test for Echo, Feedback
@@andrewtoole1222 screechy, highs, dead sounding muffled drums over blaring synthesizers and sibilance in the vocals is never a good thing to hear on a high-end stereo system. Unlistenable the better your stereo gets
@@fendergibs then I guess my equipment isn't quite as good as yours, because I think it sounds great and fits the vibe of the album perfectly. Additionally, it has one of my all-time favorite bass tones. I love what Geddy is able to do with that Steinberger.
It starts with "all their albums are good" and continues with (mainly Roie) describing most albums as boring with hardly a good song in it, and at times with "bad sound". I think it's mutually exclusive :) Anyway, Counterparts is a great album and is easily a top-10. Hold Your Fire is mostly a great album with amazing lyrics, melodies, bass playing and emotional guitat solos. For me an easy top-10 as well. D tier for me is: Feedback, Presto, Grace Under Presure and Snakes & Arrows.
@@progreport On some albums you struggled to mention 1 good song. :) Like Snakes & Arrows, Vapor Trails and others. It's ok you have a favorite era. Everyone has one. Actually to me Presto and Grace are their weakest albums, but I also had a different trajectory of exposure to the band so nothing is really objective
S tier: 1. 2112 (1976) 2. Moving Pictures (1981) 3. Permanent Waves (1980) 4. Hemispheres (1978) A tier: 5. Grace Under Pressure (1984) 6. Fly By Night (1975) B tier: 7. A Farewell to Kings (1977) 8. Signals (1982) 9. Clockwork Angels (2012) 10. Power Windows (1985) C tier: 11. Roll the Bones (1991) 12. Rush (1974) 13. Test for Echo (1996) 14. Caress of Steel (1975) 15. Counterparts (1993) 16. Snakes & Arrows (2007) D tier: 17. Hold Your Fire (1987) 18. Vapor Trails (2002) 19. Presto (1989)
Great Debate! Rush is my favorite band. I know I have controversial picks, but I'm not going to appeal to the masses. S - Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, A Farewell to Kings, Permanent Waves A - 2112, Fly by Night, Caress of Steel, Rush B - Signals, Test for Echo, Snakes and Arrows, Grace Under Pressure C - Power Windows, Presto, Vapor Trails, Counterparts D - Clockwork Angels, Feedback, Rolls The Bones, Hold Your Fire
Loving these wheel episodes. Test for Echo is criminally underrated. Totem is a top tier song.
Thank you!
That album is my least favorite...by far !!
@@Wes1969YT cool!
Little known fact for those that like to collect ROIOs from the T4E tour - the song 'Time and Motion' was played early in the tour on a small handful of occasions. One exception to this is the Capital Centre show in Maryland. My buddy and I had traveled to several different cities on the tour, and while we were wondering the concourse preshow we ran into the 98 rock FM station dudes. They said they were going to talk to the band and we pleaded with them to please tell the band to change up the setlist as we had been to several shows on the tour and it would mean the world to us. Sure enough, we got a 2nd set Time and Motion. My buddy and I freaked the fuck out while the rest of the crowd around us looked at us like we were crazy. Good times!
Time and Motion has an absolutely ferocious solo - needs to be B tier, at the minimum.
Caress of Steel is a gem, has grown on me over the years.
Literally the only reason people don't like it is because of I Think I'm Going Bald. One song can't bring down 4 other strong tracks.
@@LostInTheSkyline agree. Likely my least favorite Rush tune. …along with most of TFE.
Loved it out of the wrapper.
This was one of my favorite albums for a very long time. Necromancer alone is pure awesomeness.
Clockwork Angels is an S for me. It always blew my mind how a 40 year old band could make such a great record. The Garden is such an unappreciated masterpiece, became one of my favorite songs ever since I first listened to it, what a beautiful way to say goodbye!
Unfortunately, I would put Clockwork angels as a bottom tier album. It's a Pity because I like it hard but there's no Melodies to speak of. Plus the singing is cringe-worthy
you are cringe-worthy@@pezant10
I put it at the bottom of the A tier, but I would definitely have put it higher if Geddy's voice was like it was in the 80s and 90s. Musically it is S tier.
@@pezant10 be careful. They all love this album for some reason. I listened to it a few times then went back to Hemispheres and Moving Pictures.
Clockwork is god awful. It's a wall of noise.
Presto is crying out for a Steven Wilson remix.
So damn brittle!. If it had the production of any Terry Brown albums, it would be excellent.
@@kendetulio4009 I still think it's a very good album despite the production problems. Definitely my favorite of that era.
Great idea - both that one and RTB please
I actually did my own re-EQ of the whole album, but unfortunately UA-cam blocked the video I posted :(
Phenomenal idea.
Grace Under Pressure was underwhelming upon the first few listens, but I grew to really love that record.
Terrible
Terrible production, awful sounding sonically
Snakes And Arrows is a great album, for me their best since Grace Under Pressure. Tier A or B for me.
The sound quality and production are impressive on that album. It's done right.
It's funny you put it this way, since to me Grace is probably their worst album (tied with Presto).
I liked most everything that came out later more than Grace.
Snakes is one of my favorite Rush albums.
Great tier list. Kyle and Nick are the well-rounded critics here. Nick's words on Permanent Waves were spot on, and I agree with Kyle that Caress of Steel and Fly by night need to be bumped up a tier.
I'm adding this to my résumé. Kyle Fagala: "The well-rounded critic." hahaha.
I bought Vapor Trails when it was first released and worked at a job where everyone wore headphones and listened to CDs all day while working and this one I played over and over, one of my favorite albums of that year.
Great ranking! My personal S tier would be Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, Signals and 2112
Yeah, the mixing in 2112 is just Amazing. And it's more than they said IMO.
Absolutely love this series. Keep doing more!
Now we’re talking!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
They gotta have you on for the Yes episode 😁🤘
As a comment to the guy saying the 00s gave us no good albums from the big bands.. Well... Jane`s Addiction released "Strays" in 2003..Others are QOTSA. System of A Down. MUSE. Audioslave. Arcade Fire. The Flaming Lips. The White Stripes. Radiohead. U2 also had some kind of a comeback in the early 00s.
Great concept.
Looking forward to next episodes!
Great video and concept, I'll look forward to the next one
My soul left my body when Snakes and Arrows when into D tier as it's one of my all time favourite albums. A travesty.
Agreed. Snakes And Arrows is at LEAST B tier, if not A.
It's a little too bloated for me. Sure it has its moments but I prefer their older material. I'd rather listen to self-titled, fly by night, caress, 2112, farewell, hemispheres, permanant waves, moving, signals, grace, power window, hold your fire, presto, roll the bones and even test for echo before listening front to back to this monster.
In comparison to the songwriting and magic feeling I get from older rush releases, a D is harsh but understandable
Me too! Its one of my favorites.
Agreed. At least B or A tier for me
Definitely NOT D tier
Love to see you guys do a wheel on Genesis!!
Your wish is our command (it came out this week).
Please do a Jethro Tull (my fav band) or Frank Zappa (official releases from Freak Out through Civilization Phaze 3 ) Wheel for the next episode! Both would be interesting especially Zappa with all those albums!
Just became a fan recently because of the wheel :)
Sounds great, although I believe that the episode would certainly need to be several hours long just to cover the 63 or so records that Frank had released in his lifetime. Not a problem for me though as I've always got time to spare for all things Zappa.
These wheel of Prog videos are great!
More to come!
@@progreport What does one have to do to be involved in a Symphony X wheel of Prog?
Clockwork angels is easily an A tier. Most progressive album since moving pictures. Amazing riffs, melodies, solos, and lyrics, and great songs overall.
Nick's breakdown of Permanent Waves was perfect.
The ranking should have been S, A+, A, and A-, there are no other letters when it comes to Rush. Ha
I like snakes and arrows :/ ( Far cry is one of my favorites)
I love Far Cry! It's the rest of the album I struggle with. I'll give it another listen!
Great tune. Was awesome live…. Along with Red Sector A.
Working them Angels.... B tier minimum.
Same!
Mixed bag for me. Far Cry and the instrumentals are good. The others are forgetable.
Only just discovered you chaps. Great stuff, love the wheel of prog. There are no duff Rush albums. And to finish with Clockwork Angels, wow.
Fun video. I would swap 2112 and Permanent Waves. In terms of Kyle's comment on no legacy prog band put out a decent album in the 2000's, I beg to differ. I think King Crimson's Power To Believe is a great album.
Kyle seemed like an 80s Rush guy at the start, but I found his opinions on the first 3 awesome and of course the run from 2112-Moving Pictures is peak Rush. The standouts after that are Grace Under Pressure and Counterparts for me. Roie’s takes perplex me.
That's a pretty accurate ranking that I think most can adhere to, with a few adjustements here and there maybe :) I really should check out Clockwork Angels. For some reasons I never got around to listening to it. And even though Rush is probably the band I saw live the most often, I so regret not being able to go see them on their last tour... Thanks for this video guys!
Great show and tier list. Absolutely agree with those top 4 albums! Would love you guys to do this on Genesis.
Vapor Trails is my favorite Rush album of all time. I just don't get how it's so widely disliked.
its top 3 for sure for me. Some great stuff
I don’t get it either! Fantastic album! These guys are crazy
I think the production made it Rush's equivalent to St Anger, like they said. I love One Little Victory, Ghost Rider and Earthshine a hell of a lot. D tier is harsh
@@AllThisOverASliceOfGabagool Man, I actually liked the title track in St Anger despite the garbage can snare, but listening to the rest of the album was painful! Withy Vapor Trails there are just no bad songs!
@@leandronc I completely agree with you, Leandro. I meant in terms of the production, which was way too loud and sounded really bad. The songs suffered as a result. The songs deserved far better production.
Loving these tier list videos. Generally agree with the general rankings here, and happy to see Grace Under Pressure make A tier. I think the only thing that stands out for me personally is Snakes and Arrows which would probably be B tier for me. I like it a lot, but I get why it was ranked lower.
No love for snakes and arrows! Hehe
I like it a lot. I listen to it more than any of the 80s/synthy/pop ones
Power windows is peak rush ! The mix is flawless!
It's so cheesy yet manages to be so good at the same time
The mix and production are Grand Designs!
True rush fans know its up there with hemispheres and moving pictures!
The dancing bunnies were used at the Counterparts show I saw in Miami exactly 30 years ago. 🐰🐇
Very fun videos to watch, the wheel of prog is very fun!
Hemispheres, Permanent waves, Caress of steel, 2112, Farewell to Kings, Moving pictures, Power Windows, Signals, Hold your fire, and then whatever else.
Permanent Waves is my favorite and IMO Roll the Bones and Power Windows are under rated.
I love test for echo ❤ I loved it before social media when we had our own opinions 😀
There aren't enough test for echo fans!
You guys gonna do a pink floyd and genesis wheel of prog?
Hold Your Fire is underrated. Good ranking overall.
one of my personal favourites!
Not sure the song in the middle of Counterparts that is "So So"... Between Sun and Moon and Alien Shore are two of my favorites...
Have any of these guys actually listened to Snakes and Arrows?! So many good songs on that album! Overall, I do think this is a solid list, though.
I was at that Signals show in Omaha that Jon went to.
nick that intro. omg . love this content! please keep it going. opeth, devin.
We enjoy filming them, so there will be more to come. It's only a matter of time before Opeth happens...
Thx guys, amazing fun. ❤
Would love to see you rank within the Tiers
50:33 Q: "Did any legacy band make a good album in the early 2000s?"
A: Kansas
was
Was this posted as a podcast? I don't see any of the 'Wheel of Prog' episodes in my feed...
No, the Wheel episodes are only on UA-cam.
I'm glad Hemispheres got put where it did. Now I will hit the subscribe button.
Great!
I developed an appreciation for Vapor Trails over time. Secret Touch and Freeze are bangers.
Ceiling Unlimited slaps too.
Love Vapor Trails! Heavy and raw...
The only "F" is "Vapor Trails." That has always been the turd in Rush's punch bowl. And "Caress of Steel" is absolutely superb.
It hurts my soul to hear that.
It's in my top 15.
Have you tried the remix?
Roie...I agree with you on the late 80's-90's albums. Not their "best" albums, but the ones I listen to the most. I came into Rush min-80's...and it took me a long time to listen to, and like, early Rush. lol.
"Test For Echo" was the first that I felt the lyric cadence became clunky - previous albums had a better melodic flow.
Faithless is such a beautiful song, how can you guys trash it (and the rest of the album) that way?
S tier - Permanent Waves, Grace Under Pressure, Hemispheres, Hold Your Fire
A tier - Signals, Moving Pictures, Power Windows, 2112
B tier - Presto, Caress Of Steel, Rush, Counterparts
C tier - Fly By Night, Roll The Bones, A Farewell To Kings, Test For Echo
D tier - (Feedback) Clockwork Angels, Snakes & Arrows, Vapor Trails
I'm a little less harsh than you guys, but basically agree on the flow.
S Tier:
Moving Pictures
Hemispheres
A Farewell to Kings
Permanent Waves
Signals
A Tier:
Power Windows
2112
Grace Under Pressure
Fly By Night
Clockwork Angels
B Tier:
Counterparts
Hold Your Fire
Snakes and Arrows
Roll the Bones
Caress of Steel
C Tier:
Rush
Presto
Vapor Trails
D Tier:
Test for Echo
Vapor Trails is awesome!
I saw them on that tour. It was so great. I was 13!
I change Presto to A and test for echo to b and it's done for me
Snakes and Arrows in D list??? That's a rough one, Tha Main Monkey Business, Faithless, Working them Angels. Not a long prog album definetly but it is a rocker.
My personal order: (S) Power Windows, Moving Pictures, Caress of Steel; (A) Fly by Night, 2112, Farewell to Kings, Permanent Waves, Hemispheres, Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Hold Your Fire; (B) Roll the Bones, Presto, Counterparts, Rush; (C) Test for Echo, Vapour Trails, Feedback, Snakes and Arrows; (D) Clockwork Angels.
Nah not putting 2112 in S-tier should be a crime. Just the raw prog rock edging into metal is amazing, certainly better then something like The Spirit Of Radio. Don't get me wrong I like that song but almost all the songs on 2112 beat Spirit Of Radio IMO.
You should end by ranking the albums in each tier.
Also, Hold Your Fire is at least C tier. Counterparts and Hold Your Fire are the two albums I always hope get a good ranking.
We've discussed ranking the individual tiers but were afraid it might get too far into the weeds. But, maybe we'll do it next time!
I don’t understand the low rating for Test for Echo. It’s an ‘A’.
The S tier rush albums are hemispheres, moving pictures, power windows and a farewell to kings
A tier is permanent waves, signals, grace under pressure, clockwork angels
B tier 2112, snakes and arrows, vapor trails, counter parts, test for echo,
C tier fly by night, caresses of steel
D tier hold your fire, roll the bones, presto
E tier rush
Swap Power Windows with Fly By Night. Then swap Counterparts and Presto with Caress of Steel and the debut and the ranking becomes perfect. Well done!
You should make the wild card spin your 4 names so one of you gets to move one depending where it lands.
Saying Vapor Trails has no memorable songs is ridiculous.
The title track, the beautiful Ghost Rider, Earthshine, Secret Touch, and more.
sorry for the late comment. but I was glad to see your channel suggested on YT. I would have put Grace under pressure or Signals above Farwell to Kings. I had not heared Farwell until after Grace or Signals back in 85 so I was a little young at 16, but Farwell, while amazing prog in a way, the songs from Grace or Signals albums ring with me more. I love prog, but I am more rock. 🙂
Love this series! Great conversation as usual. I’m in agreement for most, but I think Snakes & Arrows is woefully under ranked. That’s a B album for me. This discography is so damn strong though, so I get it.
S Tier: Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Hemispheres, A Farewell to Kings
A Tier: Grace Under Pressure, Signals, 2112, Roll the Bones
B Tier: Hold Your Fire, Snakes & Arrows, Vapor Trails, Fly by Night
C Tier: Test for Echo, Clockwork Angels, Counterparts, Power Windows
D Tier: Presto, Rush, Caress of Steel
I limited myself to 4 albums in each ranking. I would have put more in S if I could. Maybe all of the ones in the A tier. The only album I do not like is Feedback and the rest of the D are so so or I have not listened to them enough to put them higher.
S- Signals, Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves, Hemispheres
A-Farewell to Kings, Grace Under Pressure, Counterparts, 2112
B-Fly by Night, Clockwork Angels, Power Windows, Presto
C- Test for Echo, Roll the Bones, Rush, Caress of Steel,
D- Snakes and Arrows, Vapor Trails, Hold Your Fire, Feedback.
this is why rush is so great. somebody’s worst is somebody’s best. Personally, I LOVE Vapor Trail. So many great songs. A tier for me. To each their own!
50:30 Iron Maiden’s Brave New World is the only one I can think of
My take:
Best: Hemispheres. My God. Done.
Worst: Snakes and Arrows. My only D tier Rush. Armor and Sword then....
Underrated: This is the toughy. Two awesome/different albums. Peart roll...
Counterparts beats Presto by an Everyday Glory!!!
Presto should be in the first line
I cut my Rush teeth on their Kings album when I was about 10 years old around 1980, spent the next few years buying all the albums and loved all of it to death, then in 84 I hear on MTV about a new Rush release coming up called Grace under pressure and I bought the album and it just didn't grab me like all their previous stuff, and it was pretty much like that for the rest of the 80s releases, then around 1990 I heard Presto and couldn't get enough of it, but the rest of the 90s it was pretty much back to meh, but then Vapor Trails came out around 2002 and I couldn't get enough of it for the next couple of years, and their last couple of releases was back to it was just okay, but over time many of these average Rush albums have grown on me more
Ready for my favorite albums to get shit on lets go
Total agreement on the S and A tiers, but c'mon Snakes and Arrows isn't THAT bad 🤣
Far Cry is amazing, especially live. I don't remember any of the other songs from that album though...
Presto would go into B tier for me. But maybe I'm a bit biased as that was the first album I bought (on cassette nonetheless) when I started getting into Rush. I prefer Permanent Waves over Moving Pictures. Yet I would still put both of them in the S tier, along with Hemispheres, and Grace under Pressure.
Nice work, gents! Much less fisticuffs than that Dream Theater episode, haha!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Agree about 2112, there is a world of difference between Side A and Side B, it’s just that Side A is up there with their best work.
Totally. For me, that makes it really hard to rank. Would you put it in S Tier?
@@KyleFagala I cannot because of side B.
@@KyleFagala absolutely but I also really like the B-side as a counterpart to side A so there's that.
Hold Your Fire is my second favorite album in all music history. Second only to Tales From Topographic Oceans.
Awesome episode and great list
My ranking:
S: Clockwork Angels, Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves
A: Grace Under Pressure, A Farewell to Kings, 2112, Signals
B: Fly By Night, Counterparts, Presto, Rush
C: Roll The Bones, Hold Your Fire, Power Windows, Test For Echo
D: Caress of Steel, Snakes and Arrows, Vapor Trails, Feedback
Roll the Bones should be higher. Some of the best songs Rush has ever written.
I think side two of 2112 is better than you think it is. My least favorite song on it is Lessons and it's honestly very good. A bit whimsical but, Geddy sounds fantastic and that riff at the beginning of the chorus is great. Alex's little lead bit at the end of the chorus is amazing and the tone of his lead parts is epic! Michael Schenker would have been proud. I think they should have spent a little more time on the ending. The fade out starting while Alex is tearing it up is dissapointing. I would have the track listing a little different as well. I'd have side two open with Something For Nothing into Passage To Bangkok. Followed by Twilight Zone , Lessons and closing with Tears. It makes it feel more like a whole album instead of two seperate sides of music.
Far Cry is an incredible song Roi. I’d revisit.
Wow! Snakes and Arrows would be B tier for me. Solid step up from Vapor Trails. My favorite of theirs post Test For Echo.
Great job again!….I’ll second an Opeth wheel
Okay, A Farewell to Kings over 2112, absolutely needed to be reversed!!
It's a tough call. The top 3 are obviously Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, and Permanent Waves but if you asked me what album should get the number 4 spot, I'd flip flop constantly. One day I'd say 2112 and another day I'd say Kings.
My first RUSH concert was in Cleveland for the 2112 tour. I was 14.
Um, Hemispheres recorded outside??? Um, no.
Test for echo is a great album, just aside from Dog years and Totem. For me it’s a C or maybe B album.
Vapor Trails is top 5 for me. I love the dissidence of it all
Can't believe the Snakes and Arrows hate. I have it as B tier. Swap it with Presto.
S: Moving Pictures, Signals, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves
A: Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, 2112, Snakes & Arrows (Sue Me!)
B: A Farewell To Kings, Clockwork Angels, Fly By Night, Hold Your Fire
C: RUSH, Roll The Bones, Counterparts, Presto
D: Vapor Trails, Caress of Steel, Test for Echo, Feedback
Grace was a good album, but it sounds terrible horrendous production
@@fendergibs I couldn't disagree more. Love the icy feel the production gives. I think it fits the album and the song-writing perfectly.
@@andrewtoole1222 screechy, highs, dead sounding muffled drums over blaring synthesizers and sibilance in the vocals is never a good thing to hear on a high-end stereo system. Unlistenable the better your stereo gets
@@fendergibs then I guess my equipment isn't quite as good as yours, because I think it sounds great and fits the vibe of the album perfectly. Additionally, it has one of my all-time favorite bass tones. I love what Geddy is able to do with that Steinberger.
@@andrewtoole1222 listen to snakes and arrows live it's the best version of GUP songs in terms of sonic quality
Also, 50:30, "did any of the classic bands make a good album in the early 2000s"? Camel.
Personally I would have put Power windows in S, it’s a perfect album imo !
It starts with "all their albums are good" and continues with (mainly Roie) describing most albums as boring with hardly a good song in it, and at times with "bad sound".
I think it's mutually exclusive :)
Anyway, Counterparts is a great album and is easily a top-10.
Hold Your Fire is mostly a great album with amazing lyrics, melodies, bass playing and emotional guitat solos.
For me an easy top-10 as well.
D tier for me is:
Feedback, Presto, Grace Under Presure and Snakes & Arrows.
I did not describe most of the albums as boring with no good songs. 😂
@@progreport On some albums you struggled to mention 1 good song. :)
Like Snakes & Arrows, Vapor Trails and others.
It's ok you have a favorite era. Everyone has one.
Actually to me Presto and Grace are their weakest albums, but I also had a different trajectory of exposure to the band so nothing is really objective
S tier:
1. 2112 (1976)
2. Moving Pictures (1981)
3. Permanent Waves (1980)
4. Hemispheres (1978)
A tier:
5. Grace Under Pressure (1984)
6. Fly By Night (1975)
B tier:
7. A Farewell to Kings (1977)
8. Signals (1982)
9. Clockwork Angels (2012)
10. Power Windows (1985)
C tier:
11. Roll the Bones (1991)
12. Rush (1974)
13. Test for Echo (1996)
14. Caress of Steel (1975)
15. Counterparts (1993)
16. Snakes & Arrows (2007)
D tier:
17. Hold Your Fire (1987)
18. Vapor Trails (2002)
19. Presto (1989)
Sorry to be annoying, but I have to comment on every video until OPETH happens😊 Great series!
🤣
King crimson would be awesome aswell! And Pink floyd probably have to happen at some point :)@@progreport
Well a third or half at best of the list is correct. Snakes and Arrows is a killer album! And I’d put Clockwork Angels in A tier easily
Great Debate!
Rush is my favorite band. I know I have controversial picks, but I'm not going to appeal to the masses.
S - Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, A Farewell to Kings, Permanent Waves
A - 2112, Fly by Night, Caress of Steel, Rush
B - Signals, Test for Echo, Snakes and Arrows, Grace Under Pressure
C - Power Windows, Presto, Vapor Trails, Counterparts
D - Clockwork Angels, Feedback, Rolls The Bones, Hold Your Fire
Interesting rankings!