![]() ![]() But the arrangement is predictable and flat – Peart relies on his standard ride cymbal triplets, and Lifeson feels like a passenger along for the ride, at least until his Edge-like solo. The chiming piano part is definitely a highlight, and Lee's layered vocals offer some melodic oomph and pop sweetness. So let's spread the blame around.Īs a lone power ballad interrupting an onslaught of rockers, "Resist" stands out from the rest of Test for Echo just on a stylistic level. Producer Peter Collins reportedly played a crucial role in developing this forgettable, vigorously strummed tune, and psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud's 1913 book, Totem and Taboo, inspired Peart's New Age-y lyrics. The musicianship is so potent, particularly Lee's rumbling bass, that you almost forget what you're hearing is unbelievably generic. Here's a perfect example of elite musicians playing a bad song well. "The Color of Right," Test for Echo (1996) " Swords against the kingdom / Time against the Tower.")ġ61. ![]() Many fans interpret Peart's lyrics as a reaction to the 9/11 terrorist attacks (" Justice against the Hanged Man / Knight of Wands against the hour," Lee sings. Like most of the material from that LP, "Peaceable Kingdom" originated from an impromptu studio jam, and with its bland arrangement, it sounds like it. The trio dip into a ragged Red Hot Chili Peppers vibe for this skip-worthy Vapors Trails track. Musically it's a flatliner from the start, riding the sort of sub-Zeppelin riffs Lifeson and Lee would outgrow in a year or so.ġ62. But Lee belts the lyrics with the subtlety of a swinging sledgehammer, flattening out any hint of genuine emotion. ![]() Sure, there's more than meets the eye – or follicle? – in Peart's pained lament of youth, as he ruminates on time slipping through his fingers' tenuous grasp. "I Think I'm Going Bald," Caress of Steel (1975)Īfter you've sung about the triumph of battle, you can't help but sound stupid shrieking about male pattern baldness. "It's not rap, essentially, but in a way it's our version of it." Lifeson playfully chimed in, "Yeah, we invented rap."ġ63. "I do a little rap on 'Roll the Bones,' and even 'Tom Sawyer' to a certain degree has a spoken-word intro," Lee told Rolling Stone. Unfortunately, Rush squander all that goodwill in the penultimate section, which features Lee's pitch-altered grumbling – the lamest attempt at "rapping" ever recorded. The title track to Rush's weakest LP deserves kudos simply for attempting some new sonic tricks, like the brash organ parts and Peart's funk-metal drumming. " Let your fingers walk and talk / And set you free."ġ64. " Net boy, net girl / Send your signal 'round the world," Lee sings over a generic alt-rock riff. These lyrics, a meditation on life in the internet age, could very well be the clumsiest Peart ever wrote. Knowing he'd eventually be replaced by the godlike Neil Peart, it's hard not to look back on Rush's early recordings and wonder how the extra proggy firepower could have perked up tepid tracks like "Need Some Love," a borderline boogie-rocker with lyrics even blander than the anonymous riffs. Poor John Rutsey, the drummer who flew too close to the sun (or, in this case, the Lifeson). For every failure (the strained Oriental atmosphere of "Tai Shan"), there are 10 victories. Instead, they maintained a workmanlike approach to their music – constantly tweaking and experimenting. The Canadian trio could have bowed out of the limelight several times (after the prog boom fizzled in the late '70s, during the grunge movement of the early '90s), crumbling to commercial pressure or cultural shifts. Sure, there have been embarrassing moments, and we're fully prepared to make fun of each one, but even Rush's worst LPs (like Roll the Bones and Test for Echo) have their redeeming qualities. The difficulty – and nerdy thrill – of ranking Rush's catalog is that you're essentially pitting several distinct bands against each other: the bluesy Led Zeppelin disciples, the conceptual prog-rock explorers, the arena-packing prog-pop stars of the early '80s and the metallic, middle-aged alt-rockers, among other variations.Ĭompounding the problem is that Rush, unlike some of their prog contemporaries (we won't name names), managed to stay relevant – and musically compelling – as they aged. ![]()
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