Customer Reviews

Gold

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yes, yes, i know what you're about to say: OVERKILL!!! ANOTHER Rush compilation??!! It's true, the folks at mercury/universal have flooded the market with compilations in recent years, but let's take a moment to analyze those, shall we? "Chronicles": the first, true, Rush 2 CD compilation, it was released several years ago, when Rush changed labels. Then came "Retrospective I & II", which, essentially, consisted of the same songs included in "Chronicles", but split in 2, so people could have the possibility to buy one or the other.

Althought these compilations offered almost nothing new (there were a couple of different songs, that's all...), it was a smart move, and one that has become increasingly common for record labels in recent years (Atlantic did the same with Zeppelin's "Remasters", spiltting it into "Earlier Days" and "Latter Days"...). Then came the single disc "Spirit of Radio", which was a Greatest Hits of sorts, with little appeal for long time fans, but most likely meant to attract new ones. It failed to represent the band's full body of work, but it probably served well its purpose of enticing new listeners. And now we get the latest installment of the "Gold" series by Universal, which in fact consists of the 2 volumes of "Retrospective" grouped together at half the price and with minor changes (the song "Something for Nothing" is sacrificed in favor of "Working Man").

But unlike many other such compilations, which (to me) more often than not fall short to people's expectations, this one is pretty good! You get 29 songs (one more than Chronicles) spanning all of their studio albums with mercury, for less than 15 bucks! The song lineup is somewhat different, though, but you get pretty much all of their "big" songs included in Chronicles(Working Man, Flight by Night, Closer to the Heart, Limelight, Tom Sawyer, Subdivisions, 2112, etc), and I believe that long time fans will appreciate the inclusion of songs like "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" and "Xanadu', which, oddly enough, were left off Chronicles.

Of course, if you want to complain, you can always do so by saying that this or that song were excluded, but C'MON, what else can you ask for for less than $15? By restricting the song selections to studio albums, live versions of songs like "What you're doing" and "Passage to Bangkok" are absent here, and while it is a shame, i guess we can all eventually get over that. A few other songs are absent here, such as "A farewell to kings" and "Lakeside Park", and the running order (random, as opposed to chronological) is probably not the best, but in the end, I still think that this compilation is very much worthwhile, especially if you take in consideration its best asset: value.

You really get your money's worth and, at half the price of Chronicles, I think this is the best choice right now for those looking for an introduction to the band, and maybe also for those long time fans looking for a good compilation. Let's face it, for a band with such an enormous catalog as Rush, it is almost impossible to please everybody. So there you go, now you know what to expect, so the choice is up to you now, but be sure of one thing: if you choose to get "Gold", it will be a purchase you won't regret.

I have been a RUSH Fan for as long as I have been buying music. I still remember going into the local Record store and plunking down some hard earned cash at the tender age of 14 and buying my first two record albums, RUSH - A Farewell to Kings and R.E.O. Speedwagon - T.W.O.

As a middle-aged adult music buyer, I have acquired every single RUSH offering in Remastered digital format (I'm something of an Audiophile).

I had never been interested in their "Best of" compilations before. I didn't need that, I had all the albums. But, after reading an early review by someone who had actually listened to this selection and not just jumped in on the record company bashing critisms about putting something out "just to make a buck", I decided to purchase it. And let me tell you: IT SOUNDS GREAT! All the songs presented here are superior to the 1997 and 2002 remaster series. And its a nice selection of songs. Some of my favorites.

Buy it. Or purchase it for someone as an introduction to RUSH's music. I even got it on sale for about $12, what a deal! Two discs packed with RUSH music.

THE BAND: Geddy Lee (vocals, bass, synth), Alex Lifeson (guitars), Neil Peart (drums & percussion).

THE DISCS: (2006) 29 tracks on 2 discs clocking in at approximately 154 minutes (78 minutes on disc-1, 76 minutes on disc-2). Included with the disc is a 6-page foldout containing song titles/credits, album cover artwork of each of the 12 albums represented here, one band photo, and what songs came from which albums. This compilation follows the band from 1974-87. Digitally remastered sound. Label - Mercury / Island Def Jam.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Rush (2 songs), Fly By Night (3), Caress Of Steel (1), 2112 (2), A Farewell To Kings (2), Hemispheres (2), Permanent Waves (2), Moving Pictures (3), Signals (3), Grace Under Pressure (3), Power Windows (3), Hold Your Fire (3).

COMMENTS: There are several Rush compilations out there - "Chronicles", "Retrospective I", Retrospective II", "The Spirit Of The Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-87" and this "Gold". I choose Rush's 2-disc "Gold" compilation over any of the others to date... due to track selection and superior sound quality. Disc-1 concentrates on the years 1974-80; disc-2 on the years 1981-87. THE GOOD: All the staples are here - "Working Man", "Fly By Night", "The Trees", "Closer To The Heart", "2112 Overture", By-Tor & The Snow Dog", Freewill", "The Spirit Of The Radio", "Red Barchetta", "Limelight", Tom Sawyer", "Subdivisions", "New World Man", "Distant Early Warning", "The Big Money", Time Stands Still", etc. An added bonus - surprisingly, all 11 minutes of "Xanadu" are in tact. Remastered and reworked sound is as good or better than the "Remastered" Rush individual releases from 1997. The early songs (specifically the songs from "Rush", "Fly By Night" and "Caress Of Steel") sound amazing given the fact that these were recorded 30+ years ago. Geddy Lee's bass guitar practically jumps in your lap on "Working Man". Liner notes are minimal, but sufficient I suppose. THE NOT SO GOOD: Even though I've been a Rush fan since the mid 70's, a few notes about the band and more photos would have been a plus. Chronological order would have benefited this mix - so you could hear the band change/mature through the years. No live tracks from ANY of their live albums ("All The World's A Stage", "Exit... Stage Left", "A Show Of Hands", "Different Stages", "Rush In Rio"). What compilation isn't missing a few key songs - classic Rush tracks that did not make the cut - "Lakeside Park", "Passage To Bangkok", "Circumstances", "Jacob's Ladder", "YYZ", and "Digital Man" to name a few. For me, all the songs on disc-1 are deserving, however there are 3 questionable tracks on disc-2 that raised an eyebrow - ""Mystic Rhythms", "Marathon" and "Mission". 3 songs each from "Power Windows" and "Hold Your Fire" seems excessive (especially when compared to classics "2112", A"Farewell To Kings" and "Permanent Waves" only having 2 songs from each). And, this is a Mercury release, so anything from "Roll The Bones" (1991) and after is not here due to the band moving to the Atlantic Records label. So there are some other outstanding tracks that need to be here, but can't due to contract limitations - "Show Don't Tell" & "The Pass" (both from "Presto"), "Dreamline" & "Ghost Of A Chance" (from "Roll The Bones"), "Animate" & "Stick It Out" (from "Counterparts), "Time And Motion" & the title track (from "Test For Echo"), "One Little Victory" & "Earthshine" (from "Vapor Trails"), and anything from "Snakes & Arrows" (released after the fact). OVERALL: A great collection of songs. Superior sound quality. Great to have so many classic Rush tunes all in one place. Perhaps the listeners will be treated to a 3-disc set sometime down the road (similar to Genesis' 3-disc "Platinum Collection" from Rhino) that will be all-inclusive. "Gold" is a wonderful starting point for anyone not familiar with the first half of Rush's now classic career (5 stars).

Well... looks like weve got yet another Best of Rush set on our hands. Only this time, its a rehash!! Of the 2 Retrospective cds that came out some years ago. I was acually pleased to find that they replaced Somthing From Nothing with Working Man (Rushes biggest hit of the first album). But i still think the best thing about it is the very low price. Sure this release was put out ofcourse to make money, but 20$ seems to get you an awsome collection and days. All songs are remasterd and almost seems to have the best tracks from the self titled album to Hold Your Fire.

What kinda bugs me is that Mercury dosnt seem to stop releasing new best of cds. First was the 1990s Chronicles. It was the 2 disk set that got me into Rush in the first place. Chronicles truly travels album by album in CHRONILOGICAL ORDER. Including theyre live albums. Dont be fooled, if you havnt heard Rush live, your missing out. (Some of theyre live versions are better than theyre original recordings). And it dosnt stop at Hold Your Fire, but at Presto. But, the price is a little steeper, lets say 30$! Gold Rush is only 15 to 20$ Now both of these albums are some bad ass sets. You get songs like La Villa Strangiato, Freewill, Subdivisons, Anthem and my favorite, 2112 Overture/Temples of Syrinx.

Now, is Gold better then Chronicles? No

Why? Because Chronicles truly does capture the Rush Legacy from the first album to Presto in that order. Amazing classic rock songs like Farewell to Kings, Lakeside Park and live versions of What Your Doing and the fan favorite Passage to Bangkok (better then the original) are missing from Gold.

Now, is Chrinicle worth the extra price you pay? No

Why? Because 15$ for for this amazing Gold Complication is just ridiculouse, I cant see how any Rush fan or Fan wanting to get into Rush can pass this up. If you got the extra cash, then get Chronicles. Its a better tracklist and the order of the songs is perfect. Gold order kinda irratates me from time to time, but its still amazing music. Its still Rush and at a awsome price.

Ofcourse, this isnt THE BEST of Rush. This only covers half the story. They dont cover Roll The Bones to Vapor Trails. All good albums, but youl need another 2 disk set to cover that. Maybe one day. Until then, you can own the first half of the Rush Legacy so go on and enjoy the Limelight!!

Gold, released on April 25, 2006, is Rush's fourth compilation.

Gold, as I said in the title, is Rush's best compilation to date. Now, you may ask, why is this Rush's best compilation? Well, lets look at the down-points of the other three Rush compilations.

Chronicles:
Problem 1) A list price of $34, that 17 dollars for a single CD.
Problem 2) A very lame remastering job.
Problem 3) A lame packaging job.
Problem 4) Chronicles is missing many excellent Rush songs; By-Tor and the Snow Dog, Xanadu, YYZ, & The Analog Kid.

Retrospective I and II:
Problem 1) Again a very high price tag, 14 dollars a CD.
Problem 2) Their missing more good Rush songs; Working Man, A Farewell To Kings, YYZ.

The Spirit Of Radio:
Problem 1) It's only one disc. It's impossible to put all of Rush's classic songs on one CD.
Problem 2) It's missing so many classics; Finding My Way, Anthem, By-Tor, Xanadu, La Villa Strangiato, YYZ, & The Analog Kid just to name a few.

The only problem with Gold is the absents of YYZ. If I had one question for the track listing people, it would be where's YYZ. YYZ has been a concert staple since the Moving Pictures Tour back in 1981, it deserves to be on at least one greatest hits compilation. Now there's only one reason for YYZ being absent, marketing. If you put YYZ here, then you would have Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ, and Limelight on the same compilation, no one would ever buy Moving Pictures.

Gold and the two Retrospectives track listings are very similar, except that Working Man replaces Something For Nothing on Gold. 2112 will still be the first 6 minutes, which isn't a huge disappointment considering the whole song ranges twenty and a half minutes. Lets look at the highlights of Gold:

1. The Spirit Of Radio starts the CD off with a bang. It's one of Rush's best-known songs for good reason. Great guitar riff.
2. Gold contains Xanadu, a great eleven-minute song.
3. Working Man from Rush's debut album makes its third compilation appearance.
4. The Moving Pictures trio is on Gold.
5. Subdivisions, Distant Early Warning, The Big Money, and Force Ten are on Gold.

In the end, Gold contains two CDs, 29 Rush classics, and 2.6 hours of music for a list price of $20. That's 10 bucks a CD, an excellent deal. I think in a year or two, Atlantic will release a Rush greatest hits album containing songs from Presto, Roll The Bones, Counterparts, Test For Echo, Vapor Trails, Feedback, and the next Rush album.

If you're a new Rush fan I would suggest these four albums and DVD:

2112) Everybody needs the full 20 minute version of the song, '2112'.
A Farewell To Kings) Contains 'A Farewell To Kings' and 'Cygnus X-1'.
Moving Pictures) The only place to find a studio version of 'YYZ'.
Exit... Stage Left) Contains some excellent live material from Rush.
Rush Replay) Rush's brand new 3 DVD / 1 CD box set is scheduled for release on June 13, 2006.

It's been almost 10 years since the Rush catalogue was remastered. This new double CD (which is redo of the Retrospective CD's with Working Man replacing Something For Nothing) is great. I've compared the CD's & these do sound better. There is more definition, & depth on these remasters. Alex's Chorus effects seem a little more lush on Red Barchetta & other songs. It is subtle but true Rush fans can hear little details like that. This really makes all the other Rush Compilations obsolete. I just wish Warner/Atlantic would do a compilation of the newer material. The Polygram years stop at 1987.

Although this compilation is great and an updated version of the older classics,the newer music is not here. The contract was up w/Mercury and the band decided to go with Atlantic for their future distribution.This also means that the newer material that is not on the disc is because of the different labels.It's a contract thing..Mercury which has been bought out by Universal has the publishing rights to the bands older songs.So the label can reissue all the best of's as long as they want and the band can't do anything about it.Just business..
Hopefully,in the future the band w/Atlantic will decide to release a hits from '88 on.
So for the time being we can just make our own best of downloading MP3's..

Rush's 2-CD set Rush Gold released in April of 2006 is what the name says, a treasure chest of classics.
Rush is one of the greatest rock bands ever (they are tied with Pink Floyd and Genesis as my all-time favorite rock band EVER). Rush, or as Redbeard of In the Studio fame once said on In The Studio for the Making of Moving Pictures in 1991 "Canada's Pre-Eminent Progressive Rock Trio", have rocked the world for 35 years and are continually gaining new fans, as well as keeping all their old ones. From hard rock to prog rock to melodic rock to grunge and back to hard rock, bass player/keyboard player/singer Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer/lyricist Neil Peart have done it all and then some.
Many retrospectives of the band's material have been released over the years starting with 1978's Archives, 1990's kind of crummy Chronicles (now out of print), the two Retrospectives from 1997 (both out of print) and The Spirit of Radio (a single disc best of) but now Rush Gold is a re-packaging of the 1997 two Retrospective discs in one set with one song change and that is Working Man replacing Something For Nothing and a new take on the Retrospectives' album art.
Disc one covers 1974-80 and is what was originally released as Rush Retrospective I (originally released in May of 1997) with a slightly amended track listing.
The band's 1974 self-titled debut are represented by Finding My Way and Working Man. The band had original drummer John Rutsey here but the songs picked from their debut on Gold are the classics and Working Man strangely was missing from Retrospective I but is thankfully restored on Rush Gold.
The band's first album with drummer Neil Peart, 1975's Fly By Night is represented by its title song, Anthem and the album favorite By-Tor And The Snow Dog. Great choices for representing the album especially with By-Tor which was inexcusably absent from Chronicles.
The band's third album, September of 1975's Caress Of Steel is represented by the great rocker Bastille Day. The album is often forgotten on compilations but Bastille Day, the great rocking opener is rightfully included.
The band's first US Top 100 charting effort, 1976's 2112 is represented by the title suite's first two parts Overture and The Temples Of Syrinx. I know Something For Nothing is missing (although it was on the original issue of Retrospective I) but c'est la vie and gives one a reason to own the 2112 album.
The band's first US Gold selling and second Top 40 effort, 1977's A Farewell To Kings is represented by the 11 minute epic Xanadu and the rock radio staple Closer To The Heart. Good choices for this set IMHO!
The 1978 follow-up Hemispheres is represented by the rock radio hit The Trees and the nine and a half minute epic La Villa Strangiato. Since the album had four songs, they represented it by putting the two long-standing fan favorites on here.
The 1980 US Top 5 charting Permanent Waves is represented by that album's two opening cuts and rock radio staples The Spirit Of Radio and Freewill. These two songs are a must on any Rush collection.
Disc two covers 1981-87 and is what was originally released as Rush Retrospective II (originally released in June of 1997).
The band's biggest selling album, February of 1981's Moving Pictures is represented by Tom Sawyer, Limelight and Red Barchetta. Nothing I can say here. Two of their biggess hits off the band's best-known album are here and album favorite Red Barchetta is included as well.
The US Top 10 Platinum selling Signals from 1982is represented by Subdivisions, New World Man and The Analog Kid. Two huge rock radio hits (with New World Man being Rush's only US Top 20 hit) and a classic album cut are included here.
The 1984 Top 10 Platinum seller Grace Under Pressure is represneted by Distant Early Warning, The Body Electric and Red Sector A. The first track was a rock radio and MTV smash, the second choice got extensive MTV play and the third became a concert favorite.
The band's 1985 Top 10 Platinum seller Power Windows is represented by The Big Money, Mystic Rhythms and Marathon.
The Big Money was one of the group's biggest hits and its video got lots of airplay as did Mystic Rhythms. Marathon is a great number as well.
The band's final effort for Mercury, the Top 20 million selling Hold Your Fire is represented by Force Ten, Time Stand Still and Mission. The former first track was a rock radio hit, the second choice was the big hit and the latter was a rock radio favorite and a great concert number.
There you have it, Rush Gold in summation. I know some complained that nothing from the band's Atlantic albums Presto, Roll the Bones, Counterparts, Test For Echo, Vapor Trails and Feedback are included but it only covers the band's Mercury Records era although it is released by Mercury and Rush's own label Anthem (which its imprint has been on every Stateside released album since 1989's Presto).
If you want to get into Rush and refuse to pay $30 plus for Chronicles, this is your best bet then buy their albums. Once you are hooked, there is no escaping the RUSH!
RECOMMENDED!

I am 39 and I have been a RUSH fan since I was 12 years old. I will never get tired of lisiting to them. I always try to influence more people into listening to them. Most young kids don't listen to RUSH and they don't know what they are missing. I am also a musician and the reason I started playing drums was because of RUSH. Not too many bands can stay together as long as they have and still be popular. Well RUSH fans, a new studio album is due out on May 1st called Snakes and Arrows. I can't wait. I'm sure a tour will follow.

"All the worlds indeed a stage and we are merely players..."

The reviewers who have written that these cds sound the same as other Rush hit cds are wrong!
I bought this Rush collection and I have compared them with the other Rush hit cds that I own. I have a modern stereo.
These are 100% better sounding with more seperation , depth , and balence than all of the others. They are not the same as the 2 Rush Retrospective cds , at all.

Mercury has done an excellent job with their gold series cds.
Others cds that I own in this great collection that I love are , styx gold and b.t.o. gold.
So , if you want 2 Rush hit cds with "blow your mind" sound these are the cds to get!
And to all of the others that have written that they are the same , it is their loss. These are the best sounding Rush hit cds and at a great price!

Next I hope that they will do their whole career with this kind of sound.