Random album reviews
- Thread starter Jer
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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%
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Rush
Fly by Night (1975)
1. Anthem - The needle drops and immediately we are flung into a way busier, more complex piece than anything on the previous album. Neil Peart is absolutely running circles around Rutsey across this whole track, it's insane. A song like "Anthem" would be 1/10th of what it is with a lesser drummer; 90% of what makes it so good is the tasty fucking drumming all throughout it. I love the driving riff Lifeson switches to after the intro. The verses wash by with wavey distortionless electrics. If I have one reservation about this track it's probably the lyrics and Geddy's singing. As much as this is a mission statement for Rush's new identity on their second record, the Randian ode to individuality, while more interesting than most of the lyrics on their debut, and a statement against the conformity of the music industry, does dip a little into the cringe in certain places (Peart would get better at this with time). And maybe it's because they're more complex lines than he had to sing before, but I don't think Geddy quite knows how to work his way around them. Otherwise this is an unbelievable reintroduction for Rush. That outro, playing around with noise and silence, is aggressively stoking the fires inside of my reptilian brain. 9/10
2. Best I Can - Despite being written before Peart joined the band, that motherfucker nonetheless makes this one his own. What would otherwise be a simpler track than "Anthem" feels just as complex with him behind the drumkit. Lee does the lyrics on this one and despite being about wanting to be a rock 'n' roll star I think they're really fun. Love the way Peart plays around with the chorus, speeding up the feel halfway through each line. Great stuff. 8/10
3. Beneath, Between & Behind - You can really tell that the music was written to the lyrics and not the other way 'round for this one. The music is really rhythmic and locked into the lines. The first Rush song that dives into fantasy and it's pretty fun. 7/10
4. By-Tor and the Snow Dog - Rush's first true epic and my god is it incredible. They throw you right in without any warning and suddenly you're watching two beings fight for the sake of existence. This is the first song that feels like Rush are doing exactly what they are meant to do. The verses are so exciting, but the real gold lies in the lengthy instrumental odyssey between them. In a way this really feels like a glorified instrumental. As soon as Geddy lets out a shriek, the battle has begun, as the fiery guitar battles against a roaring bass as the drums watch like hungry spectators. The battle itself is short-lived, coming to an end after a blazing, twisting guitar lead and some incredible drum fills. The sound of chimes sparkles as the guitars roll slowly, mournfully across a now silent battlefield - and then become gloriously triumphant in a beautiful Lifeson solo as the Snow Dog stands tall, sending its nemesis back to Hell. For a song that started out as a joke concept, it is living proof of just how incredible Rush were as musicians, even so early in their career. 10/10
5. Fly by Night - The title track is a classic '70s rock single. The music is so happy. I have two critiques about this song - the effect on Geddy's voice in the bridge, and the arrangement of the double chorus finale (two repeats of "my ship isn't coming..." before the last chorus is a bit awkward). I think this one doesn't stay as exciting as the more complex songs on the record but it's also a song that never fails to put me in a good mood. The way Peart runs in and out of the music is so good. 8/10
6. Making Memories - Another very happy song! I think I've come to like it just on that basis. This is an acoustic number about the positives of touring life and I'm kind of swept away by its attitude. 7/10
7. Rivendell - This one is such a curveball. Very simple campfire acoustics layered with ambient electric guitars back Geddy's voice, which is soft, soothing, and completely different from the shriek he usually employs. He sings of friends, of nature, of beauty in a little Middle-Earthen village called Rivendell. The best thing about Rush when they do a concept like this or "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" is how earnest they are. It's a gorgeous little inclusion on this album. 8/10
8. In the End - More acoustic guitar opens up the album's finale. I love the beginning to this song, it's another very pretty passage and Geddy's soft voice is once more beautifully employed on it. Lyrically it's also pretty strong for his work. I love how the riff then comes in again, this time electric and distorted, with Lifeson also layering on top a tiny sparking lead piece for takeoff. You can tell that this song continues the Zeppelin inspiration from the first album. Peart actually takes a laid-back approach to this one. I don't think it builds quite to the places I'm hoping for based on the intro, but it's still a good closer for the album. 7/10
OVERALL
I don't think that Rush's debut was bad per se, and I think they were pretty competent musicians on that album, but this album is like listening to a completely different band. Crazy that a change in drummer could transform them so drastically. There are aspects of the debut that have stuck around, but the music is way more engaging, the lyrics are by-and-large more interesting, and my god the drumming is just incredible. Peart is just next level. Some of these songs feel like they should be filler tracks but I've been won over by them all with repeated listens thanks to the band just being so locked into what they were doing. And then a song like "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" is basically an embarrassment to the rest of the rock genre. What a great album.
Total: 80%