Best Opening Track on a Rush Album

A Farewell To Kings is a seriously underrated track, but if only they'd opened the record with Xanadu...

Couldn't make it through all Test for Echo the album today, as usual, but of course I heard the opening track, and it's okay. Animate is a relatively weak starter as well, though Counterparts I find very underrated. At least, I have come around to it more.

"cygnus x-1 book ii: hemispheres" - "close to the edge" / "gates of delirium" level

"Spirit of Radio" for me all the way. I love the whole song, but the intro in particular, Alex's cascading finger-tapped 16ths and the synchronized bass-drums building into the actual tune. It sounds like the sun rising.

for the words of the prophets were written on the studio wall - concert hall

"cygnus x-1 book ii: hemispheres" - "close to the edge" / "gates of delirium" level

― reggie (qualmsley), Wednesday, June 7, 2017 10:46 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Agreed - it's the best side-long epic they ever did!

Wow. I could see a case for everything from "Overture" through "Distant Early Warning". Even "Big Money" and "Show Don't Tell" are real highlights of that period.

Voted for 'Anthem'

It has been a while since I spun Fly by Night but I mostly remember that one having a really great riff/intro and an OK song? Lyrics were also the most Randian they ever got iirc.

I want to vote for a chord instead (that one)

I mean 'that' one. The infamous one.

'distant early warning' has aged real well imo

xpost F sharp major with the added 4th and the flat 7?

F#7 add11 ?

I had to look up what those are called, but I know those kinds of chords pop up all over Rush, even as late as "Far Cry."

Definitely Hemispheres.

Yeah, that's it.

lifeson's use of suspended chords etc is the best.

this is spirit, tom sawyer, or subdivisions. not sure which. fuck it it's obviously tom sawyer.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

we will call you "cygnus" -- the god of balance, you shall be!

Is "Anthem" their first foray into the land of 7/8 time? (Doesn't matter, it still gets my vote)

Distantly Early Warning. First side of Grace Under Pressure is what I put on most these days.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Pleasant surprise! Worthy, too, because Rush rules.

poll otm

Aw force ten deserved votes

ILM got this right. Good job.

Subdivisions woulda gotten mine too

wack

the only really good part of that song is when lifeson says SUBDIVISIONS

How did I miss this poll?

I like 'Subdivisions', but it's the wrong answer.

(It's Peart that says SUBDIVISIONS! during the song, btw.)

my $0.02 -- "subdivisions" is a great little suburban prog-pop ennui ditty a la the police's "omega man" or "synchronicity ii", whose lyrics were super-cathartic late junior high / early high school, but these days i'd rank it fourth, between "the spirit of radio" and "show don't tell"

I def. think they're some of Peart's most pointed lyrics outside of "The Pass." One of my fave drum parts, too. Just constantly shifting and changing.

all of us do time in the darkness -- dreamers learn to steer by the stars

huh, i watched the video last night, they focus prominently on lifeson saying it. maybe he was just faking for the camera

How did you vote, j.? I voted for "Tom Sawyer" in the end. (It's an obvious pick and overplayed but there's a reason for that.) Some of the late 70s ones were pretty tempting, though, esp "A Farewell to Kings"?

(I always thought it was Lifeson as well?)

Live in '90: https://youtu.be/Q7fOYIMg4tg?t=1m54s

He's miming, but triggering Neil's voice. Neil also does the "Roll the Bones" rap, which is clearly the same voice. Honestly, while Alex has a mic I'm not sure I can ever pick out his voice. There's also that bit in "A Show of Hands" where he is singing/talking and they jokingly mute him. Like right at the beginning of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ9Rw7SWTgY

I recall back n the early days Alex used to do backing vocals on "In The Mood" during shows. I used to think it was strange that he had his own mic stand for that little part.

TOM SAWYER RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've always suspected he is singing into his bandmates monitors to make them smile.

I made a Spotify playlist for the songs. I added "Summertime Blues" off the covers album and used a live version of "Overture" because Spotify has the whole of 2112 on the studio album.

http://open.spotify.com/user/nyc_native/playlist/3Do853pqpbECyPNtfl5m3E

NYCNative there's like a five-minute edit of the opening of "2112" on 'chronicles' if you want it