Rush - the epics 1975-1981 POLL

This is a tough one. The Camera Eye is one of my favorite Rush tracks, but it is structured more like a very long conventional song than a multi-part epic, so I feel like italmost doesn't count. I also really love the Different Stages version of 2112. Xanadu and Hemispheres are close contenders as well. Decisions, decisions.

I've finally settled on one - all I'm gonna say is that it's not 'The Necromancer', a track that nobody seems to talk about aside from the absolute hardcore.

set-list for that show i saw in 1980 and that i mentioned on the other rush thread. epic after epic.

2112
Freewill
By-Tor And The Snow Dog
Xanadu
The Spirit Of Radio
Natural Science
A Passage To Bangkok
The Trees
Cygnus X-1: Book I: The Voyage
Cygnus X-1: Book II: Hemispheres
Closer To The Heart
Beneath, Between And Behind
Jacob’s Ladder
Working Man
Finding My Way
Anthem
Bastille Day
In The Mood
Drum Solo

Encore: La Villa Strangiato

opening with all of 2112 is truly inspired if you ask me.

Amazing

Holy shit, what a setlist! And of course, this is before Moving Pictures and concert staples like 'Tom Sawyer', 'Limelight' and 'YYZ' etc. were a thing.

Some of those were abridged versions, surely? Else that would be one seriously long gig.

I saw them on that same tour! (First rock band to play Joe Louis Arena.) 3 of 4 epics to start! Still, my sweet spot is the last batch of tunes, before the drum solo.

new haven 1980 bootleg on youtube has 2112 and xanadu at 13 minutes each. i was so happy to hear xanadu and jacob's ladder live.

Speaking of which, shouldn't "Working Man" be in the poll? It clocks in at 7 minutes plus.

No, because it came out in '74 ;)

I know I'm in the minority here, but that first Rush LP is my favorite. Nothing against Peart, and sure, they were Zep copyists at that point but they were good at it.

I like the debut, but for me the band really begin with Fly by Night and even then they were just warming up for a couple of LP's!

i just played that first live double album over and over and over when i was a kid. 1979 and 1980 was just non-stop rush, sabbath, and priest for me. until kings of the wild frontier came out. (which i bought on october 1, 1980. a very definite before/after for me.)

I had that same rotation going, with Blue Oyster Cult thrown in for comic relief.

I saw Rush a bunch of times in those days - the opening act was always some kind of April Wine/Max Webster/Triumph combination.

I played that Rush Live LP over and over too, to the point where I was shocked when somebody mentioned that corny part at the end where you hear the band going "aw man, what a show!"...For whatever reason I never noticed it!

Listening to Hemispheres this morning is reminding me just how awesome this band were when they were firing on all cylinders.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I haven't listened to any of these in probably a decade or more, but voted La Villa.

I ended up voting for Hemispheres because that's what I'm feeling right now. It's the moment they went from really good band to Godhead.

I saw Primus the other night and they tossed out the opening riff of Cygnus X-1 at one point.

Yeah, I voted for 'Hemispheres' too... my favourite of all the side-long epics.

Although the 'No One At The Bridge' section of 'The Fountain of Lamneth' is all-time for me... love the guitar solo on that.

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

Top 2 OTM

Aww, I feel bad for Camera's Eye, it's nearest to my heart.

Xanadu's a pretty good jam, but I never got down with that "for I will dine on honeydew" stuff. Honeydew melons? Yech! Like that's supposed to be a big deal? Honey Dew donuts, maybe.

I always liked honeydew melon but tbf it was Coleridge who made a big deal about it in the first place.

Maybe honeydew melons taste fabulous while on opium.

0 votes for 'Natural Science'!

"natural science" (and "jacob's ladder"!) are in my top 4

Would buy a 7-sided LP set consisting of all these tracks.

Agreed - they were untouchable.