| Track: | Rating: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Finding My Way | | | | ||
| 2. Working Man | | | | ||
| 3. Fly By Night | | | | | |
| 4. Anthem | | | | | |
| 5. Bastille Day | | | | | |
| 6. Lakeside Park | | | | ||
| 7. 2112 Overture | | | | | |
| The Temples Of Syrinx | | | | | |
| 8. What You're Doing (live) | | | | ||
| 9. A Farewell To Kings | | | | | |
| 10. Closer To The Heart | | | | | |
| 11. The Trees | | | | | |
| 12. La Villa Strangiato | | | | | |
| 13. Freewill | | | | | |
| 14. The Spirit Of Radio | | | | | |
| 15. Tom Sawyer | | | | | |
| 16. Red Barchetta | | | | | |
| 17. Limelight | | | | ||
| 18. A Passage To Bangkok (live) | | | | | |
| 19. Subdivisions | | | | | |
| 20. New World Man | | | | ||
| 21. Distant Early Warning | | | | | |
| 22. Red Sector A | | | | | |
| 23. The Big Money | | | | ||
| 24. Manhatten Project | | | | | |
| 25. Force Ten | | | | | |
| 26. Time Stand Still | | | | | |
| 27. Mystic Rhythms (live) | | | | | |
| 28. Show Don't Tell | | | | | |
This particular Tentative Reviews will take an approach different from most of its brethren, as befits the nature of the album. Rush's Chronicles is a "greatest hits" package, and must be judged accordingly; while the pieces will still be reviewed on an individual level, they must also be graded with reference to their suitability to this release.
First, it must be noted that completists will have no real reason to purchase this album, aside from the liner notes and cover design. Every track which appears on this album is available on a "Rush album proper"; should the fan possess all of the albums already, there is really no need to add list to their collection.
Any review of this album must necessarily involve some general commentary on the band as well. Rush, despite their status as an accomplished musical institution, are not always thought terribly highly of by serious prog fans. For most of their career, they've played a form of progressive rock which focuses on the "rock" aspect as much as the "progressive" aspect, with the result that they've never quite fit into the mainstream of either genre (despite coming close, in both cases). In their home base of Canada (and especially Southern Ontario), Rush frequently gain fans from a demographic somewhat removed from that of most prog groups (loathe as I am to use class descriptions, the average Rush fan is probably more likely to be of the working class than is the average King Crimson fan, at least in this part of the world), giving them a somewhat idiosyncratic nature in the progressive movement (and, perhaps, provoking a somewhat unfair backlash against them).
A bit more should perhaps be said about the location of Rush's beginnings. In the early 1970s -- and, indeed, throughout the decade -- Canada was not a strong force in producing home-grown progressive bands. Aside from Rush, Max Webster and Klaatu, in fact, the number of notable Canadian bands from this period is extremely limited. Oddly enough, things seems to be much better for Canadian prog now than in the 1970s, with groups such as The Rheostatics (very Belew-influenced) and Glueleg (though their most recent album is a serious step down from their debut) making their mark upon the scene. Moreover, the current wave of electronica has produced such acts as the Legion Of Green Men, and the "Dead Can Dance field has yielded Rhea's Obsession, both of which have tangential links to the progressive (not prog) schools. And, finally, a local Hamilton band named Marvin K. Mooney has recently appeared, consisting of 18-19 year olds playing progressive (not necessarily prog) rock like seasoned professionals... and it's possible that they've never even heard of the groups that we know and love.
But this culture didn't really exist in the early 1970s, and it was this progressive dearth from which Rush were first created. This may explain Rush, their first album, a generally godawful assortment of Zep-rip off tunes. The album is represented here by "Finding My Way" (a blatant Zeppelin rip-off) and "Working Man". The former has a vaguely catchy chorus, but not much else: Geddy screams through the track without an real direction, and the guitar lines are pretty rudimentary (the solo gives the impression of someone who has heard The Yes Album and Fragile but hasn't mastered the technique yet). The latter track, "Working Man", is an inexplicably popular number consisting of awful, patronizing lyrics and a ludicrously flashy guitar solo (which at least makes the track listenable, despite the fact that it isn't very good). At this stage, Geddy's bass playing is about the only promising aspect of their music. Whatever one may say about their later works, it's to their credit that they advanced beyond this. Although one must credit Rush with including at least two tracks from each studio album, this policy can't help but hurt the quality of the release here.
"Fly By Night", the title track from their second album, shows some degree of developing maturity (undoubtedly assisted by the addition of Neil Peart after John Rutsey's descent into anonymity). This track -- still popular on Canadian FM radio, by the way -- is a serious improvement, with a much better guitar part than before (if still somewhere short of stellar). The drumming is also much improved, as are the lyrics (again, some credit must go to NP). With the familiar lick still holding reasonably strong after 24 years, this is the first "classic" on the album. The other Fly By Night track is "Anthem", which is a considerable (if uncertain) step in the progressive direction; the vocals are still sub-par, but the music is at least moving in a more substantial direction (though the guitar solo might suggest otherwise). This track also marks the commencement of Ayn Rand influences on the group's lyrics, which would unfortunately continue for years to come.
Next up are two tracks from Caress Of Steel. "Bastille Day" continues the improvement of the previous tracks, adding acoustic percussion and (gasp) a touch of vocal melody during the chorus. The lyrics are naive, but by no means terrible, easing up on the 'objectivism' while still favouring "the individual"; the guitar solo, moreover, is actually at a decent level (the Howe-listening sessions finally seem to be paying off for AL). The band outro, moreover, is extremely proggy, particularly in the slow tempo section. Unfortunately, "Lakeside Park" isn't quite as good; it's musically sparse in relation to the tracks around it, the lead guitar solo seems a step back, and the lyrics are actually fairly banal (however much Neil may have loved his camp parties, it doesn't make for an engaging narrative). This remains popular with some Rush fans, but it probably didn't need to make the cut for this album.
2112 was Rush's "great leap forward", even if it didn't quite take them all the way to their destination. The horribly titled "2112 Overture" begins with spacelike sounds (oddly enough), resolving in a musical basis which shows a further improvement/refinement over their earlier attempts, with even Alex's solo revealing real substance amidst the flash. The presence of an acoustic guitar is a plus as well, and both the drumming and bass playing are at a fairly high level of skill and creativity (though the "1812 Overture" reference could have been left out). "The Temples Of Syrinx" begins the narrative section of "2112", featuring a sarcastic tribute to the overseers of the planet colony; for once, the screamed vocals are appropriate (and the acoustic guitar at the end was a nice touch). If the Objectivist lyrics are a bit annoying... well... at least they didn't include "Something For Nothing".
The album when takes a brief detour with the live "What You're Doing" (originally on Rush), from All The World's A Stage. Another Zeppish number, even more blatant of a rip-off than "Finding My Way", this is at least given a decent performance by the now-proficient band.
Then, the Rush history lesson turns to their two most progressive albums, A Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres. The former is represented by "A Farewell To Kings" and "Closer To The Heart" ("Xanadu" presumably being left off for reasons of space). The song begins with acoustic (nylon string?) guitar, and marks another considerable improvement from what came before it; the song features the addition of keyboards in an expanded role as well, thus providing a bit more in the way of a melodic "punch". The bass performance in this song is an obvious high point (and GL's voice finally reaches a level of stability as well, which it remains at to this day). The only minor problem is that the guitar solo is still a it flashy (though the guitar parts in the rest of the song are quite good). "Closer To The Heart", another "classic" track, contains surprisingly intelligent lyrics (as Objectivism goes), and good music to go along with it. Even the guitar solo is at a fairly high level of maturity. With this album, Rush finally hit their stride; the tracks here chosen reveal this quite well.
Hemispheres continues this pattern of artistic success, featuring the fairly complex "The Trees", which features another acoustic intro, and a good group section in 5/4 time. The Objectivism is a bit annoying in this instance, though that shouldn't ruin one's appreciation of the work. "La Villa Strangiato", an epic instrumental, is probably the best song on the album, featuring a Spanish guitar intro, leading eventually to one of the best guitar parts that AL has yet come up with (and the first guitar solo here that deserves to be called "masterful"). The bass solo is quite good as well, and the drumming is superb throughout. This, presumably, is the Rush that Primus were most inspired by. These excerpts from the album capture Rush at the peak of their skills.
This means, of course, the Permanent Waves was as step down, as evidenced by the tracks here. "Freewill" is actually a track equal to the level of the earlier works, featuring a powerful lead melody and a very catchy riff. The shifting of themes between instruments works well, and Geddy's vocals show signs of complete improvement from his earlier days; the bass solo in the middle of the song is an easy high point. If the lyrics are a bit disagreeable, they are nonetheless at least intelligent. On the other hand, "The Spirit Of Radio" marks a step down for the group. The lead riff is fairly standard, and the theme of the work is rather prosaic; the embellishments are substantially better than the song itself. the piece generally falls too closely into the field of conventional blues-rock, and the reggae/arena bit at the end comes off as rather contrived. It's not a bad number, but it shows the group heading into safer territory, where they have generally remained to this day.
For some reason, the Moving Pictures album gets three tracks. First is "Tom Sawyer", an anthemic standard that dwells on a hackneyed theme in a reasonably good manner. The bass line is quite good; if the synth loops sound a bit outdated, they still aren't bad either. This, clearly, is the finest of the tracks chosen from this album. "Red Barchetta" features more annoying lyrics (is driving a fast car is defiance of a motor law really a valid expression of individual will), and a slightly less interesting musical basis. With this track, Rush firmly enter the world of '80s prog-pop, and their music suffers a bit accordingly. "Limelight" is the weakest of the three, featuring a decent guitar solo and not much else to strongly recommend it. This is the track in which Rush's lyrics reached something of a complacent stage; the music seems to be moving in this direction as well.
The live "A Passage To Bangkok" (originally on 2112; here taken from Exit... Stage Left) provides another brief diversion. It's a fairly good Zep-prog number, featuring a good guitar solo; it isn't terribly different from the album version, though.
Signals sees the group plateauing somewhat. With "Subdivisions", they realize that the adolescent pre-college market represents their leading demographic and address this group directly; although it's a fairly catchy tune for what it is, it's clearly (i) a step down, and (ii) an attempt to target a specific audience. It's still better than "New World Man" (their first American top 40 hit), though, a prosaic track with dead-end lyrical themes and by-now-typical music. These tracks aren't painfully bad, but they're hardly essential.
The tracks from Grace Under Pressure reveal a remarkable improvement, though it should be noted that (i) some people consider these to be the only good tracks on the album and, (ii) it was a temporary resurgence in any event. Using the threat of nuclear war as the theme of the album, Rush managed to come up with a rare "winner" in "Distant Early Warning", one of the better pop/prog tracks of the mid-1980s (this may also be the point, to quote/paraphrase Rolling Stone, where they made the shift from ripping off Yes to ripping off The Police). Peart introduces some new drum sounds, and the guitar solo is actually somewhat better than what Howe was doing at the time (ironically enough). "Red Sector A" is just about as good, with the theme of individualism for once seeming authentic and honourable. The music is also quite good (albeit with a blatant "Cinema Show" reference at the end). Whether this is an accurate portrayal of the album or not, these tracks still make a good case for it.
Sadly, the tracks from Power Windows see them returning to their plateau. "The Big Money" is a rather banal number; the first part of the song contains little to recommend it other than a few percussion tricks, and the fact that Geddy sings the track as though he doesn't really care does not help in the least. The "power and the glory" section is okay, and the track improves a bit towards the end; still, it's nothing special. "Manhatten Project" (chronicling the founding of the atomic bomb) is a bit better, featuring Copeland-infected drumming and a decent guitar part. The musical setting is a bit odd, given the theme, but this isn't too much of a problem. These tracks accurately show the rut that Rush were quickly moving into: good music falling short of greatness, and lyrical themes that were starting to seem a bit formulaic.
The Hold Your Fire tracks mark another improvement, albeit not quite of the same order as those from Grace Under Pressure. "Force Ten" is a fairly good track which sees Alex follow Neil's lead by imitating Andy Summers; with the aspirations of the song not being all that high, its success as a prog/pop number is perhaps not too surprising. "Time Stand Still" is one of their better moments from this period, with lyrics that reach a level of poignancy not often seen in Peart's writing. The bass line is quite good as well, and Aimee Mann's guest role adds quite a bit in terms of texture. Considering that this was released in 1987, a low point for progressive music in the popular sphere, this must be considered a good track indeed.
The album then takes its third live diversion with "Mystic Rhythms" (originally on Power Windows, here taken from A Show Of Hands), which is much better than either of the studio tracks here featured from that album. The drumming intro is quite good, and the slinky guitar line is an unexpected treat; with half-chanted vocals, the African-based lyric actually works fairly well. Perhaps the fact that this track originally appeared on Power Windows suggests that Rush were capable of a few gems amid the rather prosaic norm.
The album concludes with "Show Don't Tell", the lead-off single from Presto, which features the newest addition to the Rush lexicon: a touch of funk-rock (the mere fact that they were able to pull it off reasonably well is a nod in their favour; most bands wouldn't be able to make a credible change of this sort so late in their career). The acoustic guitar returns as well, and the track generally takes the role already mentioned: good but not great, with a slightly formulaic element. And so into the future...
As a compilation, Chronicles is actually a rather successful work. It presents an honest picture of the band's rise from low-talent chumps to one of Canada's leading musical institutions (they were actually given Order of Canada medals recently, by the way), with most of the highs and lows documented fairly well along the way. Aside from "Xanadu" and maybe the Cygnus tracks, there really isn't terribly much of extremely high importance that was left off of the album; in that sense, the work is an extreme triumph. Moreover, listening to all of these tracks in succession reminds one of the extent of Rush's contribution to the musical world: they were never the best progressive band, but they've managed to come up with a considerable number of memorable tracks over an equally considerable period of time.
Recommended for those curious in Rush's legacy who do not wish to buy all of the albums.
(review originally posted to alt.music.yes on 17 September 1997)