Customer Reviews

Counterparts

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I am often in the minority in my view of this, but I feel "Counterparts" is the Rush masterpiece of the '90s, and may well be their best album. I've often heard of it referred to as Rush's stab at alternative, which I really don't agree with either-- certainly, the band was influenced by a return of guitar-based rock music to the forefront of popular consciousness, and no doubt that assisted in this album fully embracing the guitar as main driver behind the music, but this is the direction the band had been heading for the past several albums-- after the synth wash of "Grace Under Pressure" and "Power Windows", "Hold Your Fire", "Presto", and "Roll the Bones" all walked the path of guitar based performance. What may have been more alternative influenced on this record was the focus on rock rhythms rather than the budding focus on funk and even hip hop rhythms that was so present on "Roll the Bones".

As a result of this sonic shift, this album features some of the most inspired playing by guitarist Alex Lifeson in a long time-- Geddy Lee's bass, so often the most interesting component in Rush material on the past few albums, moved into a more traditional rock roll, freeing Lifeson to fill space better (mind you, Geddy Lee still has one of the most distinctive voices on the bass guitar in rock music, and is instantly recognizable). I also find that Lee's singing is superlative, perhaps the best he's done-- his confidence as a vocalist allows him full control over his range and he fills each song with an investment of emotion I don't feel we'd heard from him in the past. Lyrically, the album also continues the evolution of previous records-- Neil Peart's early albums were fantasy/science fiction influenced, often allegorical or parable. As time wore on, he brought his lyrics into a more modern society, into the current view. The past few Rush albums began to show a trend of lyrics with a much more personal bent, this album continues that trend-- themes largely of love and relationship dominate the album, and even the more globally minded songs ("Nobody's Hero") have a personal slant to the lyrics.

To talk a bit about the songs themselves, there really is a wealth of stunning material here. The rolling, jangly opener, "Animate", with its synth soaked bridge, stands out as one of the best cuts on the album, ditto for instrumental "Leave That Thing Alone", which musically manages to portray a haunting, tense feel.

Beyond these two, the album seeks several directions, easily viewed in its thematic content-- the two I mentioned previously fit in with a sort of struggle in relationships theme that's all ofver the album, including the great, driven "Cut to the Chase" (with another stunning Lifeson guitar solo), "Alien Shore", lyrically an explosion of metaphor, musically its funky in a way much of the material on the last album was, and one of the album's singles, "Cold Fire", a bitter love song with clever word play (how can you not love a love song with the line "she said, 'this is not a love song'") and a sufficiently affected vocal delivery by Lee.

There's also definitely an undercurrent of sort Whitmanesque uplifting of the everyday people, the single "Nobody's Hero", reflecting on how the death of a loved one means everything to some but nothing to most, and the fairly obvious message of "Everyday Glory", the latter a powerful, swelling song, again with a great vocal by Lee.

Finally, there's a handful of experimental songs-- Rush seeking new directions continuously stabs out in a number of ways-- "Stick It Out", with its overt guitar (and great bass playing in its bridge) doesn't quite succeed as well as you'd hope, nor does the straightahead "Speed of Love". The funkier songs on the record though, the unique "Between Sun & Moon" (with great lyrical word play and a monster riffing) churns and chugs and spins and explodes in its chorus, one of the great, overlooked Rush songs, and one of Peart's cleverist moments as a lyricists, and the bizarre, funky, bass-driven "Double Agent", with its strange spoken word vocal, as the peak of '90s Rush experimentalism, it does far better than expected.

Overall, this is a great album, with a lot of varied, intriguing, and successful material. Experimentation abounds, and Rush does well with it. Highly recommended.

When I started listening to Rush two years ago (only 18, cut me some slack on that one), I started with their early stuff, 2112 (still my favorite), A Farewell to Kings, Fly By Night, etc. Then I progressed (pun intended) to their "middle" era, of Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures. I finally picked up Counterparts when the remaster was released, and was surprised to hear such a solid album. I enjoy Signals, but Presto didn't impress me all that much, and neither had Test for Echo. Counterparts, however, is a gem. Nobody's Hero, Between Sun & Moon, Alien Shores, and Double Agent are the standouts for me, but it is truely a sold album. I highly recommend it.

On the positive side, nearly every song on this CD is at least good. Some are excellent. On the negative side, Rush's in your face progressive rock sound is an influence rather than a focus of the music. I suppose that Rush may have felt the need to try different things, and this album is the result. The music on this CD is well-produced and slick, but in its production it does lose some of what has appealed to many Rush fans. In places the music sounds like it was influenced by Foreigner, which is a bit strange given Rush's longevity.

'Animate' kicks the CD off with a solid rock beat. The song is solid, but portions of the lyrics are poetry. Strangely, the very interesting portions of the lyrics are balanced by some of the most simplistic lyrics modeled a bit after 'The Moody Blues' song 'One More Time to Live' from 'Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.' While the lyrics of the latter worked well at the time, the 'polarize me, sensitize me, etc.' lyrics of the former seem as though they could have been approached differently.

'Stick It Out' kicks out with power, with better balance between the music and the lyrics. Some of the lyrics are poetic, but the music is pure power to drive the poetry into your brain.

'Cut to the Chase' has a strong flavor of the Rush of old, and is one of my favorite tracks on this CD. There are a couple of changes in tempo in the music that match the lyrics really well. Further, the plaintive notes in the instruments complement the vocals nicely; a solid and interesting song all around.

I struggle somewhat with 'Nobody's Hero.' The music here is interesting, but the lyrics seem to struggle, either in fit to the music, or the topic, which seems a bit confused from the outset. While I want to like this song, I suspect the lyrics needed different music and vice versa.

Then we come to 'Between Sun and Moon,' a fantasy song in the spirit of progressive rock. One of my favorites that combines the power for which Rush is known so well with wonderfully smoky lyrics that obscure enough to make you feel versus think too hard; a great listening song to listen to the spell-binding combination of lyrics and music.

The next song has a title that makes you think it might be a science fiction song, but 'Alien Shore' is about the difference between male and female. The bass rumble could almost be threatening, but really is trying to hammer the point that we need to understand each other; we need to reach each other; we need to reach the alien shore. This song is solid rock with a modest flavor of blues in the heavy rock, and more than a touch of progressive elements.

'The Speed of Love' follows. However, the speed seems to be something you would achieve when mired in molasses. The lyrics are too mellow and never break out the way they seem as though they should. The music matches the lyrics, but the change in tempo that you keep expecting just never happens.

We change structure and style with 'Double Agent,' which has received mixed reviews. I like this song. I didn't like it at first, but after listening to it numerous times, and reading the lyrics, I believe this song verges on the borders of nu-metal or thrash. The hard-driving drums and bass combine with the dark lyrics to yield a surrealistic vision of the land between wake and sleep, between right and wrong, and between darkness and light. A song worth making the attempt to understand in its musical and lyrical entirety.

The instrumental 'Leave that Thing Alone' is solid rock. There are moments when you capture a flavor of the Rush from the days of 'Moving Pictures.'

The CD closes with 'Cold Fire' and 'Everyday Glory.' The two songs bear some similarity in that they have a certain consistency to them, though the topics are quite different. The songs are decent, but once again they seem a bit tame for Rush, and perhaps a bit on the commercial side.

One difficulty with a group such as Rush is that we continually expect them to top themselves, and when they create acceptable rock, we can be disappointed. We probably shouldn't be. After all, not every work of an artist will be a masterpiece. This album is a worthy addition to your Rush collection; generally good, occasionally excellent, and very accessible throughout.

11 tracks and no bummers. As another reviewer said, naturally, you will prefer certain ones over others. This isn't my personal favorite Rush album, but it might be in the top 5 just because it's so consistent. And I like some more modern alternative music. Let's get to the songs:

Animate- 11/10- Easily the best on the album. This song would be the best on a lot of albums. I like how it's rocking and going really fast then suddenly it's a ballad, then it picks up again. Awesome.

Stick It Out- 10/10- You're coming off the high of Animate and you encounter another really good song. Very heavy, but very catch melody.

Cut to the Chase- 10/10- And that's for the lyrics alone!!! The music just compliments!

Nobody's Hero- 9.5/10- Okay, the first verse is awkward, so I'll take 0.5 points off. Don't use the word "sexuality" in an emotional song.

Between Sun and Moon- 9/10- Not as flourishing as the rest. Lyrics are kind of dumb "Ahh yes to yes to ahh yes to ah...." What?

Alien Shore- 9.5/10- Cool!

The Speed of Love- 8.5/10- The worst on the album. Not bad, just kind of meh... Ya know...

Leave That Thing Alone- 10/10- Funky bassline. Just cool in general

Cold Fire- 10/10- Just because it's commercial doesn't mean it's bad! It's catchy, like The Spirit of Radio, but in a VERY different way.

Everyday Glory- 10/10- Caps off the album very well.

In conclusion: I would not recommend starting your Rush catalogue with this album, I'd recommend Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, or Signals, but maybe your 5th or 6th buy. Gets a 9.9/10 from me because it's not quite perfect, but it's consistently very good.

Ok, let's "cut to the chase" (rim shot please). Was it not for the fact that I'm so attached to Moving Pictures for all the obvious reasons (great songs; 25 years of saturation, etc.) I just might rank 1993's Counterparts as my favorite Rush album. Time and resonance are the only things working against that and not by much, I might add. But even those things aside, it just might be the BEST record in their catalog from top to bottom. (And considering that it's a lengthy 11 songs long - by Rush's usually brief song selection history that is - that says even more).

I'm going to get the stuff I didn't like out of the way first.

Ok, there. That's pretty much it. GOODNIGHT CLEVELAND..!








Really, I can't peg an appreciable or mentionable weak spot without lying to myself or digging into the ridiculous minutia.

Oh, sure...I like some songs better than others, naturally, but I must say there isn't a skip-worthy one in the bunch. Whereas previous albums (and I just did a trio of listens, from Presto to Counterparts this morning) have their share of filler, some more irksome than others but all still usually quite listenable, Counterparts didn't have a single song that I wouldn't have considered a top 5 song on most other records since and including Moving Pictures. I hesitate to say Between Sun & Moon, Alien Shore, and The Speed Of Love qualify, because I'm afraid that automatically implies something less-than-good. But moreso than maybe any other Rush record, these "weakest" tunes are very, very good and would be in the top third on most albums after 1981.

The album is full of life and vitality....from the two most accessible songs Animate and Cold Fire (both excellent...and yeah, nice ride on the ride, Neil), to the poignancy of Nobody's Hero and Everyday Glory....from the playful, noodling magnificence of Leave That Thing Alone to the equally dorky-cool of Double Agent....and from the gritty guitars of Cut To The Chase to the heavy killer sound on Stick It Out.

It's also the best production job since Permanent Waves. Even the remasters of Roll The Bones and Presto still have a muted (even if improved) tone to `em, but Counterparts is bassy and full. Really loud record. It will be the next upgrade (over the CD-R I have) I purchase for sure.

Some observations:

1. Best lyrical effort on record by Peart...at least up to this point in the catalog. Lots of websites and fan reviews have actually criticized the content of the lyrics, but I think it's done well. Afterall, Counterparts has a relationship theme....a thread that extends from lyrics to the album title and cover imagery.
2. Nice throw back to the 2112 era riffage in Double Agent....old school with a voice over twist.
3. Stick It Out is easily the heaviest Rush tune ever. Love this song and its ass-blistering energy.
4. Nobody's Hero is a crowning achievement for the band. That some fans ridicule this song is beyond me.
5. Geddy is in fine form here as well. I love the fine touches in background vocals throughout. Seems a little extra time was spent here and I think it shows.
6. While the keys are noticeable reduced on this record, I think some fans mistakenly jump to that as a major player as to why this record is an improvement over recent albums. While it's true that there's more guitar at work here, clearly the difference is in the songwriting...and the sustained energy. I think that has more to do with writing and arranging than purely instrumentation. No snoozers here.

I'm to understand that a bit of a lull is in store for me on the next record I review...(I still haven't listened to a single note of Test For Echo)...and that's probably quite true regardless of what I think of the album. And that's because topping Counterparts is likely to be a dubious (and arguably impossible) task. It may or may not happen again in their career. But either way it's quite encouraging to see a band who always seems to make very good records occasionally kick out the excellent piece. They did it in '80 and '81...then again in '84....and again in '93. So it looks good that there's another one down the pike still. (Quite honestly I've only given Vapor Trails the most cursory one-time listen and that was before embarking on this musical journey, so I very much look forward to revisiting it with fresher and more open ears). In the meantime, Counterparts is a landmark record...at least in terms of quality, if not historically.

I'm really, really shocked this album isn't almost mutually adored on some Rush fan sites (many of which I see consider it slightly above average on the whole).

It should be.

I give this album a perfect rating with a (-) for lack of familiarity. Erase that in a year's time.

Counterparts is one of Rush's best albums, almost up there with the stuff from their classic period. It's just an extremely well-written, well-recorded and awesomely-performed record from start to finish. The opening duo of Animate and Stick It Out are fantastic and two of Rush's finest moments. Just amazing songs, Animate being a relentless and wrenching song with great lyrics and Stick It Out just kicking you in the gut it's so heavy. Other great cuts on here are the touching Nobody's Hero, the gritty Between Sun and Moon, and one of Rush's coolest instrumentals, Leave That Thing Alone. I also really like Double Agent and Cold Fire. All in all, a great album and the best Rush album of the 1990's era.

I feel that this is probably overall the best rock album that I have ever purchased. Every song (except for maybe "Speed of Love") ranks as one of my favorites. The instrumental track, "Leave That Thing Alone," is one of the best rock instrumentals I have ever heard. Every song is thought provoking and the musicianship is top notch.

I was blown away by how much better this remastered version is than the old issue. If you are a Rush fan, even if you don't have a great stereo--GET THIS CD, you WILL notice the differences. Everything has been transformed, but in a good way--no messing with the original mix, just making it all better. The sound is overall smoother and more extended, the bass is fast and punchy, the soundstange is huge and deep. Neil's cymbal's have never sounded better, and the kick drum has that special sound he has. I swapped the old CD and this one back and forth several times and was amazed. Remastering doesn't turn out much better than this.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Thank God!!! In many Rush fan circles, Counterparts is possibly the most underrated album in the band's entire repertoire. It's good to see these reviews. I personally believe its Rush's best album since Moving Pictures. I know thats drastic to some, but even ex-Rush fans give this album a lot of praise (like my brother). Lyrically this album is among the best of any Rush album with the possible exception of the classic Rush period up to Moving Pictures. I put this album above Grace and Power Windows because I believe it is lyrically superior, but also that it is far more daring and experimental while also bringing the guitar driven roots back the band's work. Thanks for reading.
-Chris

From the beginning of Animate, you can tell this is not like the past bunch of Rush albums. The first half of the album just rocks, and doesn't let go - Animate, Stick it Out, and Cut to the Chase are among the best songs Rush has done. Nobody's Hero has more of a classic slow Rush feel to it (less of the 90's-grunge sound), but picks up partway through. It's a powerful song. Between Sun & Moon might be the best song on the album. From the opening riff on, it's just a great driving song.

To be honest, the latter half of the album just doesn't hlod up compared to the first half - Alien Shore is too long, Double Agent is too weird. But I really like Cold Fire (great lyrics), the Speed of Love and Everyday Glory. So what is that in the end, 8 great songs and 2 decent tunes? Sounds like a 5-star album to me.

And even though I like all the classic rush albums (hemispheres, permanent waves, signals, and moving pictures), this is one i always comes back too. perhaps it's because there's more of a raw sound here than on those albums.