Random album reviews
- Thread starter Jer
- Start date
Jer
'Til Tomorrow
Ha. No, just moving my 2023 reviews that were hosted on the Strange Death site back over here, since I shuttered that forum again due to lack of participation.
Magnus
Pica Serdica
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Seems like all of my friends have been diving into Rush lately and so I've decided to join them. Rush is a band I've always liked, one of my favorites when I was listening to classic rock radio and a band my dad loves too. My uncle also had a burnt CD copy of Retrospective I that I used to play. I've started collecting their albums whenever I've been able to find them in stores but I've never gone through the entire discography. Some of these albums I've heard many times, some I only know a couple songs from, and some of them I haven't heard at all. Excited to do this, been meaning to for ages. And since Jer began this thread with Rush reviews, it feels only fitting that I continue it with my own.
Rush
Rush (1974)
1. Finding My Way - Rush really began their career with a corker. Love this opening riff, twirling into the speakers as Geddy does a sort of pastiche of Roger Daltry's "Won't Get Fooled Again" scream. It's not as effective as that song, but it's very, very fun. This whole song is fun. Simple verses and a catchy chorus that twists and turns until you get to hear it in full. Rush on this album are playing like a more straight-ahead '70s rock band and they're at their best when they just dig in and make a meal out of it - this song is Exhibit A. 8/10
2. Need Some Love - Track 2 jumps in and gets right down to business. Geddy has been finding his way and now he needs to get laid. The energy is pumping and hard to dislike. The chorus is simple and not as effective as in the previous song, but it's not grating either. The instrumental is straight out of Led Zeppelin's first two albums, and I really dig it. A solid song, and I appreciate it's brevity. 6/10
3. Take a Friend - Inoffensive. The lyrics are really, really weak and the music doesn't balance that weakness out. The intro/outro has gotten stuck in my head, but most of this song just washes by and goes away and is forgotten. Its biggest sin is not knowing when to end. Three chorus repeats is too much. 5/10
4. Here Again - A longer, bluesy track to cap off Side 1. This type of track isn't usually up my alley but I've really been getting into "Here Again". Geddy's vocals go pretty hard and these are easily the best lyrics on the album, a rumination on the band's place in the world that also doubles as a tongue-in-cheek comment on the track's repetitive structure. Alex Lifeson gets a lengthy solo in here that's almost like a prototype "Comfortably Numb". Very, very cool. I quite dig this one. I'll be a little conservative and give it a 7/10, but I could see this one rising to an 8.
5. What You're Doing - Sabbathy guitar riff on this one. Unfortunately nothing else is interesting about it. Has no flow and by the time we get that three part big rock ending it feels unearned. Completely underbaked and boring. Worst song on the album. 4/10
6. In the Mood - Better than the previous song, but not by much. Don't really care about this one, it's your run-of-the-mill rock'n'roll sex song. The chorus tries to be memorable and fails. 5/10
7. Before and After - "Before" is a fantastic, beautiful instrumental opening. Really tugs at the heartstrings and is probably the best example of how good Rush were as songwriters and musicians and how much better their career was going to get. "After" comes in and has some great energy but sadly doesn't really go anywhere interesting. The chorus doesn't really exist and it's clear these guys needed some direction. A mixed bag. 6/10
8. Working Man - The guitar rolling into the speakers is probably the most hype moment on this whole album. Everyone knows "Working Man", it's easily the song that's transcended the album to being a certified Rush classic. I've never been the biggest fan of this song, but I've gotta say I've warmed up to it quite a bit. It's certainly a track for the everyman. Simple lyrics about the 9-5 life - while Peart's would probably have been more interesting, would this song be as popular with more poetic lines? The instrumental section is pretty joyous, basically a nice long jam. The way the guitars play with bass is absolutely Maiden-esque. The treading water riff under the chorus is an earworm. And while the song might not fully know where to end, by and large this one is pretty great. 8/10
OVERALL
Pretty solid first album. It's more straightforward Zep-inspired rock than where Rush would end up going. The actual band is pretty tight. John Rutsey holds his own, lots of tasty drumming going on here, but of course he'll always stand in Peart's shadow. It's clear that the band isn't trying to write filler, but a lot of these songs are missing the ingredients that would make Rush so unique later on. That said, the good songs are very good and help balance out the record's bum moments. Definitely don't hate it. It's a solid album.
Total: 61%
Rush
Rush (1974)
1. Finding My Way - Rush really began their career with a corker. Love this opening riff, twirling into the speakers as Geddy does a sort of pastiche of Roger Daltry's "Won't Get Fooled Again" scream. It's not as effective as that song, but it's very, very fun. This whole song is fun. Simple verses and a catchy chorus that twists and turns until you get to hear it in full. Rush on this album are playing like a more straight-ahead '70s rock band and they're at their best when they just dig in and make a meal out of it - this song is Exhibit A. 8/10
2. Need Some Love - Track 2 jumps in and gets right down to business. Geddy has been finding his way and now he needs to get laid. The energy is pumping and hard to dislike. The chorus is simple and not as effective as in the previous song, but it's not grating either. The instrumental is straight out of Led Zeppelin's first two albums, and I really dig it. A solid song, and I appreciate it's brevity. 6/10
3. Take a Friend - Inoffensive. The lyrics are really, really weak and the music doesn't balance that weakness out. The intro/outro has gotten stuck in my head, but most of this song just washes by and goes away and is forgotten. Its biggest sin is not knowing when to end. Three chorus repeats is too much. 5/10
4. Here Again - A longer, bluesy track to cap off Side 1. This type of track isn't usually up my alley but I've really been getting into "Here Again". Geddy's vocals go pretty hard and these are easily the best lyrics on the album, a rumination on the band's place in the world that also doubles as a tongue-in-cheek comment on the track's repetitive structure. Alex Lifeson gets a lengthy solo in here that's almost like a prototype "Comfortably Numb". Very, very cool. I quite dig this one. I'll be a little conservative and give it a 7/10, but I could see this one rising to an 8.
5. What You're Doing - Sabbathy guitar riff on this one. Unfortunately nothing else is interesting about it. Has no flow and by the time we get that three part big rock ending it feels unearned. Completely underbaked and boring. Worst song on the album. 4/10
6. In the Mood - Better than the previous song, but not by much. Don't really care about this one, it's your run-of-the-mill rock'n'roll sex song. The chorus tries to be memorable and fails. 5/10
7. Before and After - "Before" is a fantastic, beautiful instrumental opening. Really tugs at the heartstrings and is probably the best example of how good Rush were as songwriters and musicians and how much better their career was going to get. "After" comes in and has some great energy but sadly doesn't really go anywhere interesting. The chorus doesn't really exist and it's clear these guys needed some direction. A mixed bag. 6/10
8. Working Man - The guitar rolling into the speakers is probably the most hype moment on this whole album. Everyone knows "Working Man", it's easily the song that's transcended the album to being a certified Rush classic. I've never been the biggest fan of this song, but I've gotta say I've warmed up to it quite a bit. It's certainly a track for the everyman. Simple lyrics about the 9-5 life - while Peart's would probably have been more interesting, would this song be as popular with more poetic lines? The instrumental section is pretty joyous, basically a nice long jam. The way the guitars play with bass is absolutely Maiden-esque. The treading water riff under the chorus is an earworm. And while the song might not fully know where to end, by and large this one is pretty great. 8/10
OVERALL
Pretty solid first album. It's more straightforward Zep-inspired rock than where Rush would end up going. The actual band is pretty tight. John Rutsey holds his own, lots of tasty drumming going on here, but of course he'll always stand in Peart's shadow. It's clear that the band isn't trying to write filler, but a lot of these songs are missing the ingredients that would make Rush so unique later on. That said, the good songs are very good and help balance out the record's bum moments. Definitely don't hate it. It's a solid album.
Total: 61%