Rush Discography Discussion 2: Caress of Steel (1975)

Good read. Probably not appropriate for another 20 albums, but this quote stood out for me:
Ray Danniels: I think the record they just made is the best record that any band has ever made for people who are that far into their career. To be in your late 50s, to make a 20th record that is as good as the rest of the body of your work, can you think of anyone else who does that? It's unheard of.
Maiden can say something similar, but really, can anyone else?
 
Doesn't every band say that? The latest is always the best :D It would be cool if more bands were totally honest about their stuff though, "man, our last two albums sucked balls, we were much better back in 88"
 
Yea but when Maiden and Rush says it there is truth to it. Very few bands like that, as Dog pointed out. I certainly can't think of any bands who I like that have gone that long and still make great music. Most of them either broke up or became a parody of themselves.
 
Well, they've rebounded with some very, very good albums ever since Vapor Trails but I wouldn't say they've been consistently releasing as good as or better than the last albums since their inception. For me, their catalog is a bit hit and miss in places :)
 
I think Clockwork Angels holds up with their best work. It would be in my top 5 maybe.
 
Rush debut album is not very easy to get into. Lee's voice is... special, and their influences seem very present. I don't think I will try too hard with this one.
 
Fly By Night (1975)
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After having a minor hit with Working Man, Rush quickly began work on the followup. The most notable thing about this album is the addition of the legendary Neil Peart who is noticeable from the start of this record. With the opening drum fill and Ayn Rand inspired lyrics of "Anthem", it's instantly clear that this is the start of the Rush that we know and love. This is really the precursor to the next few albums and gives a lot of good hints on what direction they'll take. Odd time signatures and varied sections are abundant on this album.

Fly By Night also marks the start of Rush's multipart epics with "By-Tor And The Snow Dog". A bit tame compared to epics they would go on to make as early as the next album but this is still a big step for the band. Even the short songs have a really proggy feel to them. The lyrics also have a lot more variety than on the debut. From Lord of the Rings ("Rivendell") to objectivism ("Anthem"), this album is an improvement over the debut on every level. There are still hints of the debut, however. Most notably "Best I Can", which sounds like a leftover from the debut. With lyrics by Geddy Lee, it probably was.

Overall, an enjoyable album. Doesn't hold up to the albums they were about to make, but a solid effort nevertheless. I personally enjoy listening to it just as much as the other albums. It has a fusion of blues rock and prog that isn't quite the same on the following albums, although this is what sets them apart from their British prog counterparts like Yes and Genesis.
 
What struck me when I played it earlier in the week is that side 2 is so calm. Perhaps it was done intentionally, to start energetic and to get more laid back on the second half, most of the time. Giving it another spin now.

I like most of the first half and I rediscovered By-Tor. Great solo in "Hymn of Triumph"!
Also I had forgotten about In the End, the final song. Cool song, great riff.
But it feels like the album takes a dip with Making Memories (repetitive, flat song) and Rivendell (hard to appreciate such vocals). Is side 1 perfect? No, it isn't. Beneath, Between & Behind isn't that great. So, I can't say it's a really enjoyable album. It has more going on than the first, though. And I like the sound a lot.
 
Forostar said:
What struck me when I played it earlier in the week is that side 2 is so calm. Perhaps it was done intentionally, to start energetic and to get more laid back on the second half, most of the time. Giving it another spin now.

I like most of the first half and I rediscovered By-Tor. Great solo in "Hymn of Triumph"!
Also I had forgotten about In the End, the final song. Cool song, great riff.
But it feels like the album takes a dip with Making Memories (repetitive, flat song) and Rivendell (hard to appreciate such vocals). Is side 1 perfect? No, it isn't. Beneath, Between & Behind isn't that great. So, I can't say it's a really enjoyable album. It has more going on than the first, though. And I like the sound a lot.
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Agreed about side 2 being calmer. Was probably on purpose, I think it's a nice touch.

I enjoy Beneath, Between And Behind, it's short but it's a cool song. Making Memories is a bit poppy for Rush, but it's not bad.
 
Don't much care for side 2. Side 1 rocks through, The Best I Can is the only weaker track there.
 
I quite like this one.

Anthem is a classic, the logical step from Working Man into the Rush we know and love — cool melody, several great riffs and lots of stops and starts
Really, it's a statement marking what Rush would be capable of — a highly melodic song that is also heavy and intricate.
And we get some thoughtful (and very unfashionable) lyrics that showed they were ready to push the envelope beyond the realm of hey baby, and ice cold beer.

Best I Can is OK, stylistically very much a leftover from the debut.

I've always thought Beneath, Between and Behind is a great energetic little song. Listen to the rise and fall as the boys play off each other on the first two verses.
And I love how the third verse (after the solo) keeps things interesting by using the main verse melody over a different rhythm
That's something that would become a bit of a Rush staple over the years.
Lyrically, a seldom-discussed political shot at the cracks showing in the American dream.

Bytor is a bit overwrought and hugely tongue-in-cheek, but a lot of fun.
The melody is pretty meh — in fact, this is where Rush fully deserves its early criticism of valuing playing over songcraft.
But the first instrumental section with all its guitar growls and stops and starts can be headbanging heaven when you're in the right mood.

Fly By Night is underrated. On the surface, it's kind of a poppy rock song, but that's a bit of an illusion because of the more muted chord scheme and the very catchy melody. It's amazing how accessible it is for its relative complexity, flowing through a number of changes with ease.
Listen to how Geddy and Neil play off the melodies. The rhythm guitar provides the bedrock and they dance around it like water over rocks, splashing over at the right moments, then right back into the stream.
And a great melodic solo from Alex.

Making Memories isn't a bad changeup. It's unusual for Rush since it's more about texture and a mood than power and musical interplay.
I'd never go out of my way to listen to it, but, it's short enough that it doesn't get boring. I like the outro solo

Rivendell does nothing for me.

The musical break in the middle of In the End is worth sitting through the slow build for.
It's a solid, if unspectacular closer.
 
Well said, I agree with most of that. Also,
mckindog said:
Lyrically, a seldom-discussed political shot at the cracks showing in the American dream.
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Although I never took the time to really look into them, I never understood what this song was about. Now it seems so obvious, glad you mentioned it. :D
 
Having never actually watched any music videos from early Rush and thinking perhaps others haven't either, here is the Anthem music video from Fly By Night. I'll try and say a few words about the album later!

 
Caress of Steel (1975)
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Rush's lineup was in place and the band had begun to establish themselves, it was time for their most ambitious effort yet. Arguably their most controversial album, Caress of Steel saw the band diving deeper into Progressive Rock with two epics, "The Necromancer" and the side long epic "Fountain of Lamneth" are precursors to the legendary "2112" but are considered "miss" by most fans. Many, however, consider these songs as overlooked masterpieces.

The blues influence of the first two albums is mostly gone. There are hints of it on the first two songs but after that the band takes another direction. Bastille Day is still considered a classic among Rush fans and perhaps to some it is the only bit of redemption on an otherwise bad album.

Caress of Steel was received poorly and sales were very low. It seemed like the end of Rush, the band nicknaming the tour "Down The Tubes" as they expected to soon be dropped by their label. Even Geddy admits that they were all pretty high when they wrote the album. For Rush the next album would ultimately decide their fate.
 
Mosh said:
Many, however, consider these songs as overlooked masterpieces.
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I am not among them. ;)


I generally am not a fan of Caress of Steel. "Bastille Day" is, of course, the highlight, and "Lakeside Park" gets played live occasionally too. "I Think I'm Going Bald" is intentionally silly, and the two prog "epics" are hardly very epic -- they are also kind of silly, but I fear that was NOT intentional. "The Necromancer" is a self-referential mess, loosely inspired by Tolkein but also includes transparent references to the band itself ("three travelers from Willowdale," a Toronto suburb) and the confusing return of By-Tor. "Fountain of Lamneth" is a little more substantial, but not memorable at all. As Mosh notes, the best that we can really say about these tracks is that they were precursors to the "2112" suite.

Also missed the boat on Fly By Night discussion, so rather than bog the thread down on that, I'll make only a few brief comments. It is a inconsistent album, with at least as many clunkers as solid moments, but I agree that "Anthem" is a truly classic track. Frankly, this inconsistency is found on all of Rush's early albums (including their breakout, 2112): one or two memorable tracks mixed in with forgettable filler, though nothing too embarrassingly bad.
 
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