Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome......RUSH!

[xxxMidgexxx]

6 words.
"Led Zep Can Suck... My ...."

Sabbath, Rush, and Queen are the definitive classic rock royalty.

Great film, great night. Geeked out singing all the words. Felt good to see a film in Manhattan again.
Fuck the haters.

-Midge f Lightweight

[Gary]

Rush and Queen are good,but it's Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath for me.

[gregpolard]

6 words.
"Led Zep Can Suck... My ...."

Sabbath, Rush, and Queen are the definitive classic rock royalty.

Great film, great night. Geeked out singing all the words. Felt good to see a film in Manhattan again.
Fuck the haters.

-Midge f Lightweight

Gotta say I agree, Midge. I'd throw Kiss in there too for me. And AC/DC. That rounds out my top 5

[jaybird]

The Who, Zeppelin, AC/DC.

[FormerLurker]

All this shit is for dads with a high probability of ponytail.

[scannest]

I'll give Rush maybe a dozen good-to-great songs ("Subdivisions" being their best). Queen has a few more - maybe 20. Sabbath doesn't count as Classic Rock. Radio has always ignored them outside the occasional spin of "Iron Man" or "Paranoid".

As far as 'Classic Rock' goes, there's no way to top Beatles/Stones/Who.

[jaybird]

All this shit is for dads with a high probability of ponytail.

[jaybird]

I'll give Rush maybe a dozen good-to-great songs ("Subdivisions" being their best). Queen has a few more - maybe 20. Sabbath doesn't count as Classic Rock. Radio has always ignored them outside the occasional spin of "Iron Man" or "Paranoid".

As far as 'Classic Rock' goes, there's no way to top Beatles/Stones/Who.

I kinda consider the Beatles and the Stones to be an entirely separate thing from "Classic Rock"... like, they're just so influential and omnipresent that they basically transcend any genre limitations or classifications at this point.

[xxxMidgexxx]

All this shit is for dads with a high probability of ponytail.

Aw, cupcake. You gonna be ok??

[Markonomicon]

Rush were a phenomenal band with terrible vocals.

[lewdd]

Midge do you remember that time that you were going to visit me and go to my neighbors Rush Jam festival.

[FormerLurker]

Rush were a phenomenal band with terrible vocals.

And terrible lyrics.

[xxxMidgexxx]

Rush were a phenomenal band with terrible vocals.

And terrible lyrics.

[FormerLurker]

Thanks to this dumb thread I had the rap part of "Roll the Bones" running through my head all weekend. Eff all y'all.

[jaybird]

Thanks to this dumb thread I had the rap part of "Roll the Bones" running through my head all weekend. Eff all y'all.

[xxxMidgexxx]

flip

[Hal]

My son and I had a great experience at the West Hartford showing last Thursday. I'd had a difficult time listening to Rush since Neil died. Seeing R40 on the big screen was rejuvenating. We had a lot of fun. I've spent the week listening to the Rush catalog in reverse order (ala R40). Just reached Power Windows on my Friday commute. Looking forward to enjoying the rest of the catalog on vinyl over the weekend.

Yup, plenty of ponytail'd dudes. I wasn't one of them.

[FormerLurker]

My son and I had a great experience at the West Hartford showing last Thursday. I'd had a difficult time listening to Rush since Neil died. Seeing R40 on the big screen was rejuvenating. We had a lot of fun. I've spent the week listening to the Rush catalog in reverse order (ala R40). Just reached Power Windows on my Friday commute. Looking forward to enjoying the rest of the catalog on vinyl over the weekend.

Yup, plenty of ponytail'd dudes. I wasn't one of them.

[scannest]

I'm picturing a theater full of Comic Book Guys hotly debating the relative merits of TEST FOR ECHO vs. VAPOR TRAILS while licking fake butter off their fingers.

[xxxMidgexxx]

Rush are a very cerebral band. People who can't play their instruments too well tend to frown on them.

[Hal]

I'm picturing a theater full of Comic Book Guys hotly debating the relative merits of TEST FOR ECHO vs. VAPOR TRAILS while licking fake butter off their fingers.

Nailed it.

[SamDBL]

I was into them very early on. Farewell to kings and permanent waves were a couple of my earliest purchases. They oddly always made sense to me. Geddys vocals, in particular… just fit and I never gave it a second thought. Then, after years of people complaining, I *guess* I could see where they were coming from. Still always sounded (and sounds) totally natural and great, to me. Their songs, weird and long as they are, were always extremely catchy to me as well. The lyrics are fine. I’m not head over heels for them, but I don’t they stand out as corny or super lame, either.

[FormerLurker]

I was into them very early on. Farewell to kings and permanent waves were a couple of my earliest purchases. They oddly always made sense to me. Geddys vocals, in particular… just fit and I never gave it a second thought. Then, after years of people complaining, I *guess* I could see where they were coming from. Still always sounded (and sounds) totally natural and great, to me. Their songs, weird and long as they are, were always extremely catchy to me as well. The lyrics are fine. I’m not head over heels for them, but I don’t they stand out as corny or super lame, either.

Don't you have a ponytail, tho? See?

[SamDBL]

I was into them very early on. Farewell to kings and permanent waves were a couple of my earliest purchases. They oddly always made sense to me. Geddys vocals, in particular… just fit and I never gave it a second thought. Then, after years of people complaining, I *guess* I could see where they were coming from. Still always sounded (and sounds) totally natural and great, to me. Their songs, weird and long as they are, were always extremely catchy to me as well. The lyrics are fine. I’m not head over heels for them, but I don’t they stand out as corny or super lame, either.

Don't you have a ponytail, tho? See?

[JGJR]

I was into them very early on. Farewell to kings and permanent waves were a couple of my earliest purchases. They oddly always made sense to me. Geddys vocals, in particular… just fit and I never gave it a second thought. Then, after years of people complaining, I *guess* I could see where they were coming from. Still always sounded (and sounds) totally natural and great, to me. Their songs, weird and long as they are, were always extremely catchy to me as well. The lyrics are fine. I’m not head over heels for them, but I don’t they stand out as corny or super lame, either.

I gotta agree with all of that (always dug his vocals, etc.) except I didn't hear them until the Atlantic era (specifically, when Presto came out in 1989 when I was a freshman in high school), but at the time I also heard a bunch of their back catalog (most of their stuff up to Permanent Waves and then some of the late '80s stuff like A Show of Hands, etc.) because I had a friend who was a huge fan (a drummer, of course, lol).

These days, I gravitate heavily towards Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, and parts of Signals (kinda think scannest is right about "Subdivisions" maybe being their best song) when they streamlined the 18-minute songs and Neal grew a lot lyrically, too, going from Ayn Rand tributes to, well, more interesting/relatable things.

I did acquire 2 of the 1st 3 albums (s/t and Caress of Steel iirc) in a collection a few years back and they are all fun and listenable, etc. but I just don't really think they hit their stride until they started becoming influenced heavily by The Police.
I think previously I only knew that material on greatest hits comps and All the World's a Stage.

[lewdd]

Midge do you remember that time that you were going to visit me and go to my neighbors Rush Jam festival.

[SamDBL]

I was into them very early on. Farewell to kings and permanent waves were a couple of my earliest purchases. They oddly always made sense to me. Geddys vocals, in particular… just fit and I never gave it a second thought. Then, after years of people complaining, I *guess* I could see where they were coming from. Still always sounded (and sounds) totally natural and great, to me. Their songs, weird and long as they are, were always extremely catchy to me as well. The lyrics are fine. I’m not head over heels for them, but I don’t they stand out as corny or super lame, either.

I gotta agree with all of that (always dug his vocals, etc.) except I didn't hear them until the Atlantic era (specifically, when Presto came out in 1989 when I was a freshman in high school), but at the time I also heard a bunch of their back catalog (most of their stuff up to Permanent Waves and then some of the late '80s stuff like A Show of Hands, etc.) because I had a friend who was a huge fan (a drummer, of course, lol).

These days, I gravitate heavily towards Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, and parts of Signals (kinda think scannest is right about "Subdivisions" maybe being their best song) when they streamlined the 18-minute songs and Neal grew a lot lyrically, too, going from Ayn Rand tributes to, well, more interesting/relatable things.

I did acquire 2 of the 1st 3 albums (s/t and Caress of Steel iirc) in a collection a few years back and they are all fun and listenable, etc. but I just don't really think they hit their stride until they started becoming influenced heavily by The Police.
I think previously I only knew that material on greatest hits comps and All the World's a Stage.

Yes, I agree the mid period 80s stuff… even the keyboard heavy stuff… is the pinnacle, I’d say moving moving pictures, permanent waves, grace under pressure, signals and even hold your fire are my go to albums. Funny, this is the era a lot of people seem to write off. But I found a lot of their later stuff when they ditched the keys good but kind of boring. I think some of it has to do with Alex trying to find his place with the keys heavy stuff. He has said in interviews that he had trouble coming up with guitar parts when the synth took up so much room. But I think that limitation made his playing really awesome. Having to find weird voicings and chord fragments so as not to muddy stuff up. Something I learned (from him) much later in life.

[JGJR]

I was into them very early on. Farewell to kings and permanent waves were a couple of my earliest purchases. They oddly always made sense to me. Geddys vocals, in particular… just fit and I never gave it a second thought. Then, after years of people complaining, I *guess* I could see where they were coming from. Still always sounded (and sounds) totally natural and great, to me. Their songs, weird and long as they are, were always extremely catchy to me as well. The lyrics are fine. I’m not head over heels for them, but I don’t they stand out as corny or super lame, either.

I gotta agree with all of that (always dug his vocals, etc.) except I didn't hear them until the Atlantic era (specifically, when Presto came out in 1989 when I was a freshman in high school), but at the time I also heard a bunch of their back catalog (most of their stuff up to Permanent Waves and then some of the late '80s stuff like A Show of Hands, etc.) because I had a friend who was a huge fan (a drummer, of course, lol).

These days, I gravitate heavily towards Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, and parts of Signals (kinda think scannest is right about "Subdivisions" maybe being their best song) when they streamlined the 18-minute songs and Neal grew a lot lyrically, too, going from Ayn Rand tributes to, well, more interesting/relatable things.

I did acquire 2 of the 1st 3 albums (s/t and Caress of Steel iirc) in a collection a few years back and they are all fun and listenable, etc. but I just don't really think they hit their stride until they started becoming influenced heavily by The Police.
I think previously I only knew that material on greatest hits comps and All the World's a Stage.

Yes, I agree the mid period 80s stuff… even the keyboard heavy stuff… is the pinnacle, I’d say moving moving pictures, permanent waves, grace under pressure, signals and even hold your fire are my go to albums. Funny, this is the era a lot of people seem to write off. But I found a lot of their later stuff when they ditched the keys good but kind of boring. I think some of it has to do with Alex trying to find his place with the keys heavy stuff. He has said in interviews that he had trouble coming up with guitar parts when the synth took up so much room. But I think that limitation made his playing really awesome. Having to find weird voicings and chord fragments so as not to muddy stuff up. Something I learned (from him) much later in life.

Couldn't agree more; I can't say I've listened to any of the stuff they put out in the last 30 years all that much, but from what I have heard, I think their best songwriting was in the '80s for sure. Even "Time Stand Still" from Hold Your Fire is a big favorite of mine. Aimee Mann on backing vox! I've got the 45. They got heavier/less keyboard-driven in the '90s and beyond, but yeah way less catchy. I'm probably just impatient and need to spend more time with some of that stuff, but...They write off the '80s stuff because of outdated ideas about synths, etc. but ignore great songs. Oh well.

[lewdd]

My older brother had a Rush album or two. I only remember "Tom Sawyer" and "Limelight". I am sure there may be others. That is the extent of my knowledge of Rush and my desire to go any further into their catalog.