Rush Countdown Pt. 1

In honor of Rush's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (FINALLY, I might add), I am going to be posting a countdown of my personal top-twenty favorite Rush songs. I will also be ranking all 20 Rush albums in reverse order. If you follow this link you can find an interactive list of all 20 albums.

First, albums 20-16.

Album #20 - Power Windows (1985) - Ummmm...I hate this album, I can barely stand to listen to it. This album typifies everything wrong with their synthesizer phase. Next...

Album #19 - Hold Your Fire (1987) - Barely better than Power Windows.

Album #18 - Grace Under Pressure (1984) - This is a better album and there are actually a few songs on it that I like. Released in the 1980s Grace Under Pressure is really a concept album addressing the threat of the cold war.

Album #17 - Signals (1982) - This album signaled (pardon the pun) Rush's descent into synthesizer madness. There are a few good songs on the playlist, Subdivisions being the most recognizable.

Album #16 - Vapor Trails (2002) - I have tried to like this album, but I think it sounds too distorted and the there are no guitar solos (a deliberate choice made by guitarist Alex Lifeson). The good news? No synthesizers.

The 80s started out so well for Rush, with the release of the Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures, but the rest of the decade was a major disappointment. The four album sequence of Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Hold Your Fire and Power Windows was such a departure from the earlier albums that they lost a lot of fans. The synthesizer period is still a sore spot with many Rush fans, including me. 

Now, Jim's favorite Rush songs 20-16.

Song #20 - In The Mood- One of the best songs from their eponymous first album. This song has special memories for me because the first time I heard it was at a Equinox concert at West Valley. Equinox was the name of a a high school band made up of West Valley students. They were very talented and introduced me to Rush.

Song #19 - Anthem - This song is from their second album, Fly By Night. Neil Peart was influenced by Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism and the title comes from one of her books. This song really gives a you a feel for the sound that made them a hit in the 70s.

Song #18 - Bastille Day - From their Caress of Steel album, only guys from Canada can write a song about a French Revolution and get away with it. By the way, it's a very cool song.

Song #17 - Alien Shore - I love this song from the Counterparts album. Neil Peart is not known for his lyrics on relationships, but when he does write about them, they are always thought provoking. The bass line on this song is killer.

Song #16 - The Speed of Love - Another song dealing with relationships.