According to Rick Beato. I'm watching this for the first time while I'm typing this, and guessing he's going to say
Limelight, although I wouldn't agree.
Ah! Turns out he was even wronger than that.
That was great. I will listen to Xanadu with a greater appreciation than before, I'm sure. The structure never really floated my boat though, very similar to The Camera Eye in that respect - long intro, verse twice and finish on a solo.
On longer songs I think I prefer the structure of Jacob's Ladder or Natural Science where the parts are distinct musical themes and not simply a repetition of what has gone before. Both Xanadu and The Camera Eye are huge crowd pleasers live though, has to be said.
I struggle to look any further than LVS (is it a song if there are no words?
If it has to have words, my 3 would be:
Limelight (its perfect!)
SoR (hear it too much now, but its just so joyful)
Xanadu (never get bored of hearing it)
Xanadu is just so repetitive, overblown, padded out .. there's probably a decent 5 minute tune in there. Take out the overlong intro and the scale practice and you'd improve it no end.
I can think of at least one Bucks Fizz tune I enjoy more than
Xanadu. Actually Olivia Newton-John's version is stronger. So is this, by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
First single I ever bought was Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich's Legend of Xanadu
and Rush's Xanadu will always be up there in the Rush canon for me.
However, all the criticism such as Slim level at Xanadu can be applied to The Camera Eye. Moving Pictures really was the beginning of the end for Rush.
For me The Camera Eye has a direction and energy that justifies what repetition there is, also it's mostly backing for a vocal that does have a direction and a momentum.
Camera eye vocals are very good (relatively speaking)
If I ever get the time and motivation, im going to analyse the number of words per rush song/per minute? , and see how that has increased over time
In a band where the vocalist became a significant weak point as time went on, the over reliance on words in the songs rather than instrumental parts seems like utter madness to me
If Alex has stopped being able to create solos, they wouldnt have suddenly starting going all Iron Maiden and putting 3 or more in every song!
Side 1 of AFTK is just great.. never tire of listening to it.. was the first album I heard so always have a nice feeling when I hear it.. side 2 on the other hand not so much.. Cygnus I have to say just bores me now.. Madrigal you got to wonder like why??? the other two tracks.. a couple of inoffensive radio friendly songs
Its certainly a game of two halves, but then again so is CoS, 2112, Hemispheres, maybe MP
I certainly think a change of running order on AFTK would not have hurt
Best Rush song is impossible to answer.
Maybe The weapon live but then it might be Marathon or The Mission or LVS or AFTKs then I love Territories. No I can not answer this conundrum. I would take Xanadu over Camera eye though, I have only just started to like CE, I don't like the opening riff.
Quote from: Jonners on March 23, 2022, 09:51:20 AMI struggle to look any further than LVS (is it a song if there are no words?
If it has to have words, my 3 would be:
Limelight (its perfect!)
SoR (hear it too much now, but its just so joyful)
Xanadu (never get bored of hearing it)
good set of songs but I would swop out SoR for TS
yep, couldnt argue if someone did that.
If I was choosing 3 songs that I absolutely adore, but fly completely below the radar/deep cuts, then I immediately go:
Afterimage
Emotion Detector
Middletown Dreams
Mm, Xanadu. Great and I love it - I really like the long intro and its prog roots are there to behold. Best Rush song for me will always be LVS though, but side one of AFTK is pretty perfect. In fact I like side nearly as much, but Cinderella Man and Madrigal are the only slightly minor points before the mighty Cygnus X-1.
Quote from: Slim on March 23, 2022, 09:57:54 AMXanadu is just so repetitive, overblown, padded out .. there's probably a decent 5 minute tune in there. Take out the overlong intro and the scale practice and you'd improve it no end.
I can think of at least one Bucks Fizz tune I enjoy more than Xanadu. Actually Olivia Newton-John's version is stronger. So is this, by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
Some people think Gun n roses sweet child o' mine sounds like Xanadu?!
Well the riff is similar in some respects.
Subdivisions.
Next...
I'd happily argue for any one of Natural Science, Middletown Dreams or Available Light
Middletown Dreams, such a wonderful song. Cant get behind AL, just a bit "wet and tinkly" for my liking
Quote from: Jonners on March 30, 2022, 10:51:47 AMMiddletown Dreams, such a wonderful song. Cant get behind AL, just a bit "wet and tinkly" for my liking
To me its their most emotional song, both lyrically and musically
Not counting "epics": La Villa Strangiato, Free Will, Something for Nothing. I love Available Light but the production is a bit insubstantial.
But the "side one" Hemispheres piece must surely be the band's finest, defining moment.
Quote from: Slim on March 30, 2022, 11:29:34 AMBut the "side one" Hemispheres piece must surely be the band's finest, defining moment.
What, the one where Geddy sings in a higher register than he was comfortable with and Neil was forced to shoehorn-in a reference from the previous album because of an ill-advised comment on the sleeve notes?
I suppose not many Rush fans at the time were aware that the actual Greek goddess of balance was in fact......Dike ;D
Prelude is great though and The Sphere finishes the ludicrous tale off quite nicely ;)
Side two on the other hand........... 8)
I think on reflection Subdivisions is my goto Rush track,as much I enjoy their classic period the drive and message of Subdivisions gets me every time.
Middletown dreams is getting a lot of deserved love, great track with some great Alex flourishes. I always wondered why they never played it live, I was lucky enough to witness it from the front row when they eventually played it, however I don't think it actually worked well as a live piece.
HYF provided the soundtrack to a heady time during my years in secondary school so I have many precious and (hopefully) indelible memories wrapped up in it.
What helped with that immeasurably, of course, is that it's 50 minutes of mostly outstanding melodic rock tracks, chock-full of lush synths (I was actually originally disappointed that the keys had actually been scaled back compared to the masterpiece that is PoW), with pristinely polished production by Peter Collins (why, why why wasn't he brought in for GUP and Presto?!) and the boys arguably at the peak of their technical powers.
Where I think HYF fared better than PoW is that somehow the transition of its songs to a live setting worked rather more successfully; ASOH is a testament to that, I think.
Tai Shan is clearly the weakest track on HYF, and I'd agree has an incongruity about it not just in the context of the album but also in terms of it being a Rush song at all - but I honestly don't mind it and I find it perfectly palatable. As I do High Water - I like its cinematic feel and for me it rounds off the album quite neatly.
I'd give HYF KKKKK, just like Kerrang! did back in the day. :)
Quote from: Rufus_the_dawg on March 23, 2022, 01:41:48 PMBest Rush song is impossible to answer.
Maybe The weapon live
This is the correct answer !!!
Quote from: Red Lenses on April 19, 2022, 01:45:14 AMQuote from: Rufus_the_dawg on March 23, 2022, 01:41:48 PMBest Rush song is impossible to answer.
Maybe The weapon live
This is the correct answer !!!
NOooooooooooo! It wasn't even the best Visage song ;)
we were not talking about Visage, so what is the best Visage song?
Well The Weapon is a retread of Visage's Fade To Grey, so I think we were.
Quote from: Slim on April 19, 2022, 10:00:39 AMWell The Weapon is a retread of Visage's Fade To Grey, so I think we were.
Oooh, hadn't thought of that! Fade to Grey is on my main play list, The Weapon isn't ;)
Anyway...Analog Kid is the best Rush song closely followed by Middletown Dreams. Seeing the latter played live was kinda great but, as expected, beyond Ged's vocal ability by then. Which was a real shame.
Quote from: Slim on April 19, 2022, 10:00:39 AMWell The Weapon is a retread of Visage's Fade To Grey, so I think we were.
very good!