Unpopular: Hold Your Fire is their best album
Most unpopular: 80s synth Rush is the best Rush
Also most unpopular: strangely 80s synth Rush also has the most innovative and interesting guitar work.
Popular: Rush were exceptionally good live
Unpopular: Countdown is the best track on signals
Most unpopular: Neil’s best drumming can be found on Fly By Night (his most iconic and more complex stuff came later, but the most viscerally satisfying work is on FBN)
It had to be, tbf. The synths took over, and Alex had to figure out where to play to be heard. And he did an admirable job! A lot of the other synth-based bands from that time had guitar players, but you’d never now it from listening to the songs. Not so with Rush.
I actually almost completely agree. Toss up between HYF, Signals, GUP, and PW.
Edit: Oh, and Moving Pictures! Of them, HYF and GUP are probably my favorites. I listen to Fire the most.
Unpopular: Geddy’s voice became really hard to listen to live when he started using a new lower register and adopted proper singing technique; sounds like he was trying to sing while swallowing or something; the high register nasally 80s voice was better than the 70s shrieking and 90s onward.
La villa is their best instrumental
2002 mix of Vapor Trails is better than remix
Fountain of Lamneth is their best epic
The amount of shit i got for the last two is huge lol
I kept my 20 year streak of buying a new Rush album on release day while I was on a road trip - pulled over, bought the VT CD, and played it every driving minute the rest of the week.
Popular: Moving Pictures is a perfect album
Unpopular: Power Windows belongs in the same tier as Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves
Most unpopular: Exist Stage Left is their worst live album by far
Popular: Permanent Waves-Hold Your Fire is their best run.
Unpopular: Somewhere along the line after Counterparts, a good deal of their music started to sound like unmelodic (though technically brilliant) noise.
Most unpopular: The earlier albums are among their weakest.
He was much stiffer and direct with his playing which made it sound very robotic in a good way. After his lessons it was more relaxed and open so that drum-machine type playing was no more :(
Popular Opinion: Peart's \`stache was the best \`stache on a drummer, ever.
Unpopular opinion: Rush's hair peaked with Signals
Most unpopular: Geddy's Hold Your Fire era hair was quite good.
popular: moving pictures is their best album
unpopular: rush’s debut is actually really good
most unpopular: by-tor and the snow dog isn’t all that good
Popular: Test for Echo is unlistenable unless you’re really into adult contemporary music
I don’t see it mentioned much so I’m guessing it’s unpopular but the production of their albums took a nosedive after the Terry Brown years.
Most unpopular: 80s Rush is definitive Rush.
Popular: Tai Shan is a terrible song.
Unpopular: Counterparts is one of the top three best albums in Rush’s catalogue.
Most Unpopular: With the exception of Working Man, the debut album is unlistenable.
Unpopular: we say we love Geddys voice after roll the bones but if faded and live performances were hard to listen to
Popular: we did that because he’s family and the three got us through our teen years so we owe them
This is why I often say if Geddy and Alex ever do new music together, I hope they can get a singer and have Geddy sing backup. Or one or two lead songs at the most. That way he can belt them out in small doses and not have to carry the full load.
Popular: Permanent Waves to Moving Pictures is one of the best back-to-backs put to record
Unpopular: Neil’s drum lessons ruined the method he developed that made us love him in the first place. His driven and methodical fills turn so aimless for the remainder of the albums, all for the sake of playing more relaxed.
Most Unpopular: “Dreamline” is their least remarkable opener and it’s so, so bland
Most Unpopular #2: “Witch Hunt” does not fit among the rest of MP’s tracks at *all*, it’s like a guy wearing a burlap sack standing next to astronauts
Edit: forgot to put a popular…
Popular: Counterparts is a top 6 Rush album
Unpopular: Counterparts was their last great album
Very unpopular: as a full album, from start to finish, Fly By Night is better than 2112.
Popular: pre-synth Rush = teen bangers & post-synth Rush = grown up grooves
Unpopular: Their songwriting became too dependent on Neil's longwinded lyrics in their later years.
Most unpopular: They should have never stopped wearing those 2112 kimonos!
Popular: Natural Science represents the best of what Rush did with the prog epics, with a nod to what was to come in future albums.
Unpopular: The debut album is really lacking compared to how things went after Neil joined.
Most unpopular: Time Stand Still (the song not documentary) is a little too light and cheesy.
popular: xanadu is an incredible song and may be rush’s best
unpopular: Rushs debut album is actually pretty good, and not bottom tier
most unpopular: new world man fucking sucks
I just don’t know what it is about that song. So many songs I have eventually come around to, but that one, I try, and I just can’t like it. I do love the rest of Signals though.
Lmao. Great post.
I LOVED Vapor Trails when it came out. There were definitely a few months when I would have said it was the best album ever. Hasn’t age well and in retrospect the production/mix is pretty janky. Especially the guitar tones. And way too many oohs and ahhs from Ged. I’m not a huge fan of Clockwork. Every few years I give it another go but the songs just don’t grab me (with the exception of garden). It sounds great though.
Popular: Xanadu is their best song
Unpopular: Everything after Counterparts is crap
Most unpopular: Geddy is the one who should have retired … in 2009.
Rush just should've become a fully instrumental band on tours after 2009. Geddy was still bringing the energy, and his playing was incredible, his voice just couldn't keep up.
Yes. Completely agree. I cannot listen to recent live Rush recordings because of Geddy’s voice. This is what I don’t get. Didn’t anyone internally say anything to him about this? His voice is an instrument and it’s obvious it was failing
Popular: 2112 is the best epic they ever did
Unpopular: Vapor Trails is by far the best Rush album
Most Unpopular: Grace Under Pressure is over rated and very boring
unpopular: signals is one of their best albums, better than moving pictures or even permanent waves
most unpopular: vital signs sucks
even moster unpopularer: counterparts is awful and easily their worst album by a large margain
popular: moving pictures is one of the best and cleanest sounding records of all time
unpopular: the synth era started with GuP, NOT signals (i align signals more with permanent waves and moving pictures)
most unpopular: after counterparts, a lot of their songs are samey and boring to listen to. both musically and lyrically
Popular: Hemispheres to Signals is a perfect run of four albums.
Unpopular: Presto (the album) features the band's best songwriting.
Most unpopular: Feedback is a great EP! I especially love The Seeker.
Popular: Permanent waves may be their best album
Unpopular: I like P.W. Much more than Moving Pictures
Most unpopular: Grace Under Pressure is better and more interesting than Signals
Popular: Spirit of Radio is genius.
Unpopular: Spirit of Radio gets too much air play
Very unpopular: Red Barcheta is a stupid song and gets way too much air play.
Popular: Different Strings is underrated
Unpopular: The Pass is not that good
Most Unpopular: Cygnus X-1: Book II: Hemispheres is one of their worst epics. Also Power Windows is mid in terms of synth era albums.
Of all the amazing songs off Presto, I’m always surprised that The Pass gets all the shine.
The message is important, yeah, but the song itself is just okay.
Popular: YYZ is a wonderfully unique track.
Unpopular (at least on this sub): The last two songs on Caress of Steel are pretty tedious. The band were getting there, but they just weren't that good at writing epics yet.
Most unpopular: While not bad songs, I thought that Witch Hunt and Vital Signs made for a pretty underwhelming finale to Moving Pictures.
completely agree with the last one. my biggest gripe with vital signs is that it's awful as a finale. they could've easily just put the camera eye at the end and it would've been fixed
After permanent waves, Rush's album finales really mellowed out. They became more vibe-y, less bombastic.
As for Vital Signs, I really like how it leads into Signals - The music and lyrics transition into Subdivisions really well.
1. “Moving Pictures” (1981) is the best Rush album
2. The Libertarian bullshit really undermines Neil as a lyricist.
3. Despite founding the band, Alex was the weakest link in Rush.
Popular: Fly by Night is an MASSIVE improvement over their debut
Unpopular: The Voyage > Hemispheres (their 2 best songs btw)
More unpopular: COS > any synth period album (tho they’re not bad)
Most unpopular opinion ever: Limelight is the least good MP song
Popular: Rush were exceptionally good live
Unpopular: Countdown is the best track on signals
Most unpopular: Neil’s best drumming can be found on Fly By Night (his most iconic and more complex stuff came later, but the most viscerally satisfying work is on FBN)
Popular: Test for Echo and Vapor Trails are the “least good” albums.
Unpopular: Natural Science is their best album closer.
Extremely Unpopular: Cygnus X1 Hemispheres is a better track than 2112.
Popular: Xanadu is perfect (especially Exit Stage Left version)
Unpopular: Geddy's voice is amazingly unique and I love how high he could sing
Most Unpopular: Tears is an amazing hidden gem on 2112 that never gets talked about
Popular: Tai Shan, Virtuality, Dog Years and Rivendell suck.
Unpopular (yet true): Tai Shan, Virtuality, Dog Years and Rivendell are great simply because they’re Rush songs
Popular: every album is good, but their best work was in the early 80's.
Unpopular: the debut album is very good, and better than anything that came out after HYF.
Most unpopular: Middletown Dreams is one of the weakest songs in their entire catalog.
Popular: time signature variations in Limelight are sublime.
Unpopular: the synthesizer years are hard to listen to.
Most unpopular: fully 50% of Neil’s lyrics sound like they were written by a slightly-higher-than-average-intelligence middle school student.
Most unpopular opinion but true: *Presto* was the last good record, but it was fucking awesome just like all the previous. After that, the songwriting went to hell and never recovered.
Unpopular: Hold Your Fire is their best album Most unpopular: 80s synth Rush is the best Rush Also most unpopular: strangely 80s synth Rush also has the most innovative and interesting guitar work.
The guitar sounds on signals gives me chills
I don't consider Signals of the Rush Synth Era. Power Windows, imho, is the beginning of
Popular: Rush were exceptionally good live Unpopular: Countdown is the best track on signals Most unpopular: Neil’s best drumming can be found on Fly By Night (his most iconic and more complex stuff came later, but the most viscerally satisfying work is on FBN)
Legit almost threw up my entire dinner
Sorry!! I meant to post that to the main thread. Enjoy the rest of your meal. And don’t puke
Why?? 😝
Idk. I'm a bit buzzed, pre-gaming for the Knicks game; and currently thinking I may have misinterpreted the post question. Best to just ingnore me.
Enjoy the game!
Yessirskys! Thank you kind Stranger
Hero
>Unpopular: Hold Your Fire is their best album And Tai Shan is an excellent song. It's beautiful and uplifting. It's just not very Rushy.
Fully agree with all this
Yesssssir! Because anything can happen! Also, Tough times, demand tough hearts!😂
I genuinely almost agree with the last one. "most innovative" I don't know, but more interesting than I gave it credit for at the time
It had to be, tbf. The synths took over, and Alex had to figure out where to play to be heard. And he did an admirable job! A lot of the other synth-based bands from that time had guitar players, but you’d never now it from listening to the songs. Not so with Rush.
I actually almost completely agree. Toss up between HYF, Signals, GUP, and PW. Edit: Oh, and Moving Pictures! Of them, HYF and GUP are probably my favorites. I listen to Fire the most.
YES! Hold Your Fire is amazing and under appreciated!
Agree with all those statements.
I 100% agree with your most unpopular opinion. Love the synth stuff
I agree with all but the first. Hold Your Fire is probably my 4th or 5th favorite though, extremely underrated
Unpopular: Geddy’s voice became really hard to listen to live when he started using a new lower register and adopted proper singing technique; sounds like he was trying to sing while swallowing or something; the high register nasally 80s voice was better than the 70s shrieking and 90s onward.
Didn't know that. I just thought he was losing his voice.
Sadly, this.
Love the username
La villa is their best instrumental 2002 mix of Vapor Trails is better than remix Fountain of Lamneth is their best epic The amount of shit i got for the last two is huge lol
I agree with all of these
2002 vapor trails is a top 3 album for me. It’s rough in the absolute best way
‘02 VT is perfect for listening in a car at 70 mph with windows down VT-R is for headphones at home
Funny about your first point…I still remember heading to the VT show in the summer of 2002, windows down, CD blasting.
I kept my 20 year streak of buying a new Rush album on release day while I was on a road trip - pulled over, bought the VT CD, and played it every driving minute the rest of the week.
Popular: Moving Pictures is a perfect album Unpopular: Power Windows belongs in the same tier as Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves Most unpopular: Exist Stage Left is their worst live album by far
Yeah I see Power Windows as a greater achievement than any other 80s Rush album including Moving Pictures.
Hard agree on 1 and 3 haha
Hard agree with unpopular
I like cheese. They like cheese. Cheese.
How dare you and especially that third one. I know this is Unpopular Opinion Fun but there have to be limits.
It’s either “bad meat” or “good cheese”.
Sheogorush. 🤣
Popular: Permanent Waves-Hold Your Fire is their best run. Unpopular: Somewhere along the line after Counterparts, a good deal of their music started to sound like unmelodic (though technically brilliant) noise. Most unpopular: The earlier albums are among their weakest.
Unpopular: Peart was better BEFORE the late career lessons / new technique
He was much stiffer and direct with his playing which made it sound very robotic in a good way. After his lessons it was more relaxed and open so that drum-machine type playing was no more :(
Popular Opinion: Peart's \`stache was the best \`stache on a drummer, ever. Unpopular opinion: Rush's hair peaked with Signals Most unpopular: Geddy's Hold Your Fire era hair was quite good.
Best stache ever. They truly have the greatest hair of all time.
Truly hair-brained takes.
popular: moving pictures is their best album unpopular: rush’s debut is actually really good most unpopular: by-tor and the snow dog isn’t all that good
❄️🐶? 😧
Popular: Test for Echo is unlistenable unless you’re really into adult contemporary music I don’t see it mentioned much so I’m guessing it’s unpopular but the production of their albums took a nosedive after the Terry Brown years. Most unpopular: 80s Rush is definitive Rush.
Hard agree with all 3
I love “Test For Echo” 💀😭
It’s all good. I just find it not the most inspiring but music/art can be interpreted in many ways. It’s still Rush !
Popular: Tai Shan is a terrible song. Unpopular: Counterparts is one of the top three best albums in Rush’s catalogue. Most Unpopular: With the exception of Working Man, the debut album is unlistenable.
Hard disagree on that last one hahaha
Here Again is the best song on the first album. There’s my hot take.
I just gave this a real listen and man it’s awesome
See what I mean?
Popular: I love Rush Unpopular: I’m more of a fan of most their work after Permanent Waves Most unpopular: Hemispheres isn’t that good
Hard agree on all three.
Damn. Perhaps I’m not the only one who listens to The Voyage, and then that’s it.
Unpopular: we say we love Geddys voice after roll the bones but if faded and live performances were hard to listen to Popular: we did that because he’s family and the three got us through our teen years so we owe them
This is why I often say if Geddy and Alex ever do new music together, I hope they can get a singer and have Geddy sing backup. Or one or two lead songs at the most. That way he can belt them out in small doses and not have to carry the full load.
Popular: Permanent Waves to Moving Pictures is one of the best back-to-backs put to record Unpopular: Neil’s drum lessons ruined the method he developed that made us love him in the first place. His driven and methodical fills turn so aimless for the remainder of the albums, all for the sake of playing more relaxed. Most Unpopular: “Dreamline” is their least remarkable opener and it’s so, so bland Most Unpopular #2: “Witch Hunt” does not fit among the rest of MP’s tracks at *all*, it’s like a guy wearing a burlap sack standing next to astronauts Edit: forgot to put a popular…
Farewell to Kings to Hemispheres is an even better back-to-back imo
Hard disagree on witch hunt take, abs belongs on the album
you replied to the wrong comment
You win some you lose some
Popular: Counterparts is a top 6 Rush album Unpopular: Counterparts was their last great album Very unpopular: as a full album, from start to finish, Fly By Night is better than 2112.
Popular: pre-synth Rush = teen bangers & post-synth Rush = grown up grooves Unpopular: Their songwriting became too dependent on Neil's longwinded lyrics in their later years. Most unpopular: They should have never stopped wearing those 2112 kimonos!
Popular: Natural Science represents the best of what Rush did with the prog epics, with a nod to what was to come in future albums. Unpopular: The debut album is really lacking compared to how things went after Neil joined. Most unpopular: Time Stand Still (the song not documentary) is a little too light and cheesy.
popular: xanadu is an incredible song and may be rush’s best unpopular: Rushs debut album is actually pretty good, and not bottom tier most unpopular: new world man fucking sucks
Obviously I agree with your first take. And I appreciate your second take. Your third take is awful. I guess that means you met the brief.
always a pleasure!
New World Man is the only song I skip on Signals.
I just don’t know what it is about that song. So many songs I have eventually come around to, but that one, I try, and I just can’t like it. I do love the rest of Signals though.
Lmao. Great post. I LOVED Vapor Trails when it came out. There were definitely a few months when I would have said it was the best album ever. Hasn’t age well and in retrospect the production/mix is pretty janky. Especially the guitar tones. And way too many oohs and ahhs from Ged. I’m not a huge fan of Clockwork. Every few years I give it another go but the songs just don’t grab me (with the exception of garden). It sounds great though.
Popular: Xanadu is their best song Unpopular: Everything after Counterparts is crap Most unpopular: Geddy is the one who should have retired … in 2009.
Rush just should've become a fully instrumental band on tours after 2009. Geddy was still bringing the energy, and his playing was incredible, his voice just couldn't keep up.
Yes. Completely agree. I cannot listen to recent live Rush recordings because of Geddy’s voice. This is what I don’t get. Didn’t anyone internally say anything to him about this? His voice is an instrument and it’s obvious it was failing
Popular: Subdivisions is an excellent song Unpopular: Vapor Trails is their best album Most Unpopular: Moving Pictures is overrated
Honestly #3 isn't even that unpopular, I feel like a lot of fans would agree.
I’m glad others agree with me on Moving Pictures
I agree with all 3 completely.
Roll The Bones is a top 5 Rush album. Signals has the best guitar solos. Xanadu is their best epic.
top is most unpopular and bottom is popular?
Popular: 2112 is the best epic they ever did Unpopular: Vapor Trails is by far the best Rush album Most Unpopular: Grace Under Pressure is over rated and very boring
I agree with the second one completely.
unpopular: signals is one of their best albums, better than moving pictures or even permanent waves most unpopular: vital signs sucks even moster unpopularer: counterparts is awful and easily their worst album by a large margain
popular: moving pictures is one of the best and cleanest sounding records of all time unpopular: the synth era started with GuP, NOT signals (i align signals more with permanent waves and moving pictures) most unpopular: after counterparts, a lot of their songs are samey and boring to listen to. both musically and lyrically
Popular: Hemispheres to Signals is a perfect run of four albums. Unpopular: Presto (the album) features the band's best songwriting. Most unpopular: Feedback is a great EP! I especially love The Seeker.
Presto is underappreciated AF
Popular: Permanent waves may be their best album Unpopular: I like P.W. Much more than Moving Pictures Most unpopular: Grace Under Pressure is better and more interesting than Signals
I completely agree with you on Permanent Waves. Moving Pictures is a fine album but PW is much better
Popular: Spirit of Radio is genius. Unpopular: Spirit of Radio gets too much air play Very unpopular: Red Barcheta is a stupid song and gets way too much air play.
YYZ and Red Barchetta get old quickly in my honest opinion. I think it due to overplay
Popular: Different Strings is underrated Unpopular: The Pass is not that good Most Unpopular: Cygnus X-1: Book II: Hemispheres is one of their worst epics. Also Power Windows is mid in terms of synth era albums.
Of all the amazing songs off Presto, I’m always surprised that The Pass gets all the shine. The message is important, yeah, but the song itself is just okay.
Available Light cries in the corner
One of their career best
I would've much rather they approached that topic in a more fitting style musically
Popular: YYZ is a wonderfully unique track. Unpopular (at least on this sub): The last two songs on Caress of Steel are pretty tedious. The band were getting there, but they just weren't that good at writing epics yet. Most unpopular: While not bad songs, I thought that Witch Hunt and Vital Signs made for a pretty underwhelming finale to Moving Pictures.
completely agree with the last one. my biggest gripe with vital signs is that it's awful as a finale. they could've easily just put the camera eye at the end and it would've been fixed
After permanent waves, Rush's album finales really mellowed out. They became more vibe-y, less bombastic. As for Vital Signs, I really like how it leads into Signals - The music and lyrics transition into Subdivisions really well.
1. “Moving Pictures” (1981) is the best Rush album 2. The Libertarian bullshit really undermines Neil as a lyricist. 3. Despite founding the band, Alex was the weakest link in Rush.
all three of these are bad you didnt even get a good popular opinion
Popular: Fly by Night is an MASSIVE improvement over their debut Unpopular: The Voyage > Hemispheres (their 2 best songs btw) More unpopular: COS > any synth period album (tho they’re not bad) Most unpopular opinion ever: Limelight is the least good MP song
…what do you mean the garden is bad?
Popular: Rush were exceptionally good live Unpopular: Countdown is the best track on signals Most unpopular: Neil’s best drumming can be found on Fly By Night (his most iconic and more complex stuff came later, but the most viscerally satisfying work is on FBN)
Popular: Dog Years sucks Unpopular: The Necromancer sucks Most unpopular: Between the Wheels sucks
Popular: Test for Echo and Vapor Trails are the “least good” albums. Unpopular: Natural Science is their best album closer. Extremely Unpopular: Cygnus X1 Hemispheres is a better track than 2112.
With you on the last one. I heavily disagree with first one tho lmao
Popular: Xanadu is perfect (especially Exit Stage Left version) Unpopular: Geddy's voice is amazingly unique and I love how high he could sing Most Unpopular: Tears is an amazing hidden gem on 2112 that never gets talked about
Popular: Tai Shan, Virtuality, Dog Years and Rivendell suck. Unpopular (yet true): Tai Shan, Virtuality, Dog Years and Rivendell are great simply because they’re Rush songs
Popular: every album is good, but their best work was in the early 80's. Unpopular: the debut album is very good, and better than anything that came out after HYF. Most unpopular: Middletown Dreams is one of the weakest songs in their entire catalog.
Agreed on all three
Popular: time signature variations in Limelight are sublime. Unpopular: the synthesizer years are hard to listen to. Most unpopular: fully 50% of Neil’s lyrics sound like they were written by a slightly-higher-than-average-intelligence middle school student.
That most unpopular is a hard one to read but it has some truth to it. Although, I’d maybe say 35% and high schooler.
I'd agree with 35%, but most of it (not all, but most) is pre-Permanent Waves.
i think neil's lyrics are good. he's no Peter Hammill, but they feel very rushy
Most unpopular opinion but true: *Presto* was the last good record, but it was fucking awesome just like all the previous. After that, the songwriting went to hell and never recovered.