Customer Reviews

Icon: Rush

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

 

 

I'll make this review quick. Not much needs to be said.

Well, Rush is a great band. I had the privilege of seeing them last July in Camden, NJ and they were GREAT. Geddy, Alex, and Neil just played their you-know-whats off. They were outstanding, and it ranks as one of the best shows I've ever seen. To capitalize on their "Time Machine Tour" (as it was called), Mercury Records, the band's label from 1974-1987, released 'Icon,' their installment in the new CD series they are releasing. This is apparently replacing '20th Century Masters' for artists affiliated with the Universal Music Group labels.

Well, it's an interesting collection. There is one song per album (not counting the live 'All the World's A Stage,' 'Exit: Stage Left' and 'A Show of Hands') from the Mercury years, which ends after 1987's 'Hold Your Fire' album. And they did a nice job choosing songs.

The problem is not the material. Obviously, this is a budget disc, and thus, lots is missing. 'Distant Early Warning,' 'In the Mood,' 'La Villa Strangiato,' 'Mystic Rhythms' and 'Witch Hunt,' among many others, are missing in action. These songs are essential parts of their Mercury years and yet, nowhere to be found here.

Look, you can't appreciate Rush through compilations. The way to go is buying studio albums. Go for 'Hemispheres,' '2112,' 'Moving Pictures' and perhaps my two favorite albums, 1984's 'Grace Under Pressure' and 1985's 'Power Windows' (yeah yeah yeah, I know, lots of synthesizers, but what does it matter? The writing is superb, and the musicianship is as tight as ever -- not that you would expect anything less than that from Rush).

Overall, pass this. Buy a studio album or any of their live albums. Also, if you find that you like Rush, keep going. Dig deep and get some of their Atlantic albums, like 1989's 'Presto' and 1991's 'Roll the Bones,' both of which rank as some of Rush's most essential albums.

Skip this. It's completely unnecessary.

So let me preface this review by stating that I am one of the band's longest standing and most avid fans (over 100 shows since 1981, met them, own everything they have ever released, saw them in Brazil, etc.) But I will NOT buy this overt and insulting attempt at a money grab by their new record company, Island, to capitalize on their new-found popularity in the wake of "Beyond the Lighted Stage" and "I Love You Man." Please!! If you are a fan already, you don't need this. And If you are interested in what has made this band the legend they have become, then you CERTAINLY don't want to start here!

As the title of one of their better live CD packages proclaims, this is a band that has gone through many different stages over their nearly 40 year career. They have changed their image, hairstyles, musical styles and live shows many times over that period. If you have been a casual, sideline fan for years, or are newly curious about these guys and why they are still here, selling out 80 shows a year all over the globe, then do yourself a favor; PASS this one up.

Instead, spend a few bucks and buy 2112, Hemishperes, Permanent Waves, and Moving Pictures. These are for sure IMHO, their finest works, stylistically, thematically, and musically. Hemispheres, although incredible musically and thematically, might however, be too much for a new Rush fan to take in. If you like these four records, then go ahead and treat yourself to Fly By Night, A Farewell to Kings and Signals. That will complete your "Classic Rush" collection, and give you an idea of just what all the fuss is about. Sure, you can get Caress of Steel (which they wrote and recorded while they were high as kites), and the first self-titled album with clubber John Rutsey on drums (God rest his soul)... but those two pale in comparison to the other albums in that period.

After Signals, they kind of went crazy trying to find a new sound, experimenting with synths and electronic percussion and poppier songs. I think they left their roots along with what made them great, behind so that they wouldn't become "bored." Whatever. I have heard people say, "Well that's what makes them Rush." Ok. I don't have to love everything they ever put out. Some of it is downright crap (again, just my opinion). To be fair, not every Picasso was a work of art. But Rush, like Picasso, managed to put out enough brilliant mind-blowing art in their day, that it succeeds in passing the truest test of all; the test of time. Jack Black said it best in the film. There has never been a band like them. Nor will there ever be again.

So sit back, read the lyrics, listen to the music. Repeat. Enjoy!!

I'm a huge Rush fan, and sure I love the hits, but on every album, there are a few real gems that don't get played on the radio. This is an example of some of those you might miss if you only have the greatest hits compilations. After all, how many copies of Tom Sawyer do you need?

Good CD for a sample of Rush for the general music collector. For the die hard Rush fan who has all their albums, this CD simply has samples of what you allready have or own.

This is a great sampling from each of RUSH's albums through Hold your fire. I'm not sure why they just did not include a song from every album. That would have made more sense. So Why would any RUSH fan get this? We already have all of these songs. Because burning compressed music back into a CD audio format sounds like crap. The cymbals get completely destroyed. And you can get it for less than 3 bucks from the other sellers. It's a great way to introduce someone to the band. I bought one for my nephew and he really likes it. It's unfortunate that the 30 second sound sample of Necromancer is from the beginning of the song. It in no way represents how that song sounds in it's entirety. Now that I think of it, there is no real snippet of the song that would work well in a 30 second sample. It's pretty epic.

The 2 songs that i am glad they included are Necromancer and Marathon. Two of my all time favorite songs from RUSH. The bass line in Marathon is the best and the musical interpretation of the final battle between By-tor and the Necromancer is brain melting!

I know as fans we are a rabid bunch! RUSH has some of the most dedicated and opinionated fans on the planet. The cynical fans will cry foul screaming this just another way to get your money. A complete atrocity. Chill. This CD was not made for you. It's for someone who want's to find out a bit more about the band.

I think it's great! It has enough hits to bring new fans on board and starts them on their own journey of discovery.

If your a new fan. You can't go wrong with any of these albums in my opinion. But the ones that I find most interesting are:

Caress of Steel This was the album that almost ended the band. The Fountain Of Lamneth is pretty epic and I just don't think folks were ready for 20 minute RUSH songs yet. I was! I could not get enough!

Hemispheres They gave you a taste with Circumstances but the real gem on this CD is "La Villa Strangiato" If you thought YYZ was an impressive instrumental then La Villa Strangiato will blow your mind!

Power Windows This album is so misunderstood. This was the nail in the coffin for many original RUSH fans but that's how it goes. They gave you Marathon which I found very surprising. It's the best song on this CD! Middletown Dreams and Territories should not be missed.

I hope this CD brings on some new fans. Once you get past Tom Sawyer, Subdivisions, Big Money, and Spirit of the radio you can get a better feel for the band and this CD fits the bill perfectly!

...but still a pretty good collection. This is the newest Rush greatest hits album. It does not have "Tom Sawyer", "Spirit Of Radio", "Witch Hunt", or some other great Rush songs. However, it does have "Free Will", "Limelight", "Fly By Night", "Marathon", and 8 other fairly good songs. Overall, I think it's worth it, even if it is rather odd!

For a cheap compilation that I'm betting Rush didn't even authorize and/or aren't making any money from, this is still a good compilation. Hardly perfect, but I wasn't expecting perfection here. From somebody who owns every Rush album, I would say this would be a good introduction to them and for long-term and die-hard fans like myself, it is very enjoyable.

This CD takes one song apiece from the first 12 Rush studio albums, from their self titled debut in 1974 to 1987's Hold Your Fire. I like how it mixes up some obvious favorites, like 'Working Man', 'Fly By Night' and 'Closer To The Heart', with some lesser known but equally as good album cuts, like 'The Necromancer', 'Circumstances' and 'The Analog Kid', while throwing in a curve ball like 'The Twilight Zone'. This last mentioned song isn't exactly one of my favorite Rush tunes, but you know, it's still has it's merits, which includes the main guitar riff and the guitar solo. It does manage to put on here one of the only three songs from Power Windows that I could stomach, 'Marathon'. And I am thrilled that they put 'Circumstances' on this as well, as it has always been one of my all time favorite Rush songs and for the time being, IS my favorite song of theirs. Can't complain about the addition of 'Limelight' either, yet another song that is my top five of favorite Rush songs (which also includes 'Fly By Night' and 'A Farewell To Kings'). Nice picture on the back, taken between 76 and 79, when Neil still had his long hair and his mustache. You can't beat the cheap price, either.

Overall, not an essential compilation, but highly recommended anyway.

I generally buy every Rush release but since I already have every Rush release I don't see why I should buy this one. Like was stated previously--How many copies of "Tom Sawyer" do you need? I will wait for new material.

From all of the "Greatest Hits" collections I have seen come out for Rush this one seems to be the oddest. Other compilations pile their disk(s) with Rush's best known music, or songs that made the biggest hits, or songs with a significant historical watermark for the band. This compilation kind of grabs a couple historic songs, some popular ones, and a few that didn't hit the radar in the mainstream. It seems the theme here is to grab a song from each of Rush's first 12 albums. How they picked which song to represent each album is beyond me.

Of all the Rush compilations out there this is definitely the weakest by far, and not one to be recommended to the new listener for the most bang for the buck. At best I can say this could be a decent companion collection if you have either the Import compilation Time Stands Still or the original (and still awesome) Chronicles. That way you at least get less duplicate material between them. Here's a quick breakdown of the tracks:

Working Man - Slow and driving classic rock sounding staple that is normally a popular hit on the live shows. The drums are performed by John Rutsey, who isn't any slouch on the skins himself even if Neil took things at a whole new level later on.

Fly By Night - Rush's first bonafide hit from their album by the same name. It's considered Rush's first album because it's the first with Neil Peart, but technically it's their second album. Either way just about all of the compilation CD's have this song so there is no surprise it is here too.

The Necromancer - One of Rush's early forays into the long form-multiple movement progressive rock they became famous for. In spite of the overt Tolkien references and playing on continuing the story of a previous song of theirs it ends up being a bit lackluster.

The Twilight Zone - Yes, it's about Rod Serling's TV show. The lyrics actually recant a couple episodes from it. Musically it's brooding and switches pace between the verse, bridge and chorus. Many of my classic rock friends really dig this song, but considering all the other stuff from their 2112 album it's average to me.

Closer to the Heart - Another classic hit from the band's Farewell to Kings album. This song is played on EVERY concert tour at just about every stop it is so loved by their fans. Starts off as a slow ballad it ramps up to a full arena rock anthem by the end.

Circumstances - Clocks in as the shortest song on the Hemispheres album (probably why it was picked) this tune has some pearls of wisdom in the lyrics and some crazy progressive riffs going around it. The chorus is not very lyrical and the song isn't exactly a melodic piece, but it does show the band's technical chops.

Freewill - One of the stronger singles from their album Permanent Waves. This song blends radio rock sensibilities with prog rock time meter shifting and other techniques. Makes for a good transitional piece.

Limelight - One of the most melodic songs from their Moving Pictures album and is also a staple in their hits compilations. This song plays with progressive music while at the same time being totally accessible to the common radio listener.

The Analog Kid - What I call Rush's only punk rock song even if it moves to another style occasionally. This tune from the game-changing Signals album is aggressive in all the right places, then it shifts to a spacious yet rhythmic chorus. You would think that wouldn't work, but it does amazingly well. This is one of those songs well worth having that the other compilations I recommend with this one don't have.

Red Sector A - This base synth driven piece has a very serious tone that doesn't let up with the music or lyrics. It's a popular tune with fans, especially from the 80's concert footage of their Grace Under Pressure.

Marathon - A song about running from their Power Windows album. It has a nice chorus and the pace is smooth, but this isn't the most notable song from the album. Still it is one of those good companion piece songs for those Chronicles and Time Stand Still owners.

Force Ten - The opening track from their Hold Your Fire album, this track puts out a good culmination of the techniques Rush has used in their radio music days all the while showing their new stuff. It's not on their Time Stand Still compilation, but it is on Chronicles.

Part of me wants to say the method to their selection lies in focusing on the guitar oriented pieces when looking at songs like The Analog Kid and to a lesser extent Freewill. However guitar heavy songs like Afterimage from Grace Under Pressure, Spirit of Radio from Permanent Waves and Time Stand Still from Hold Your Fire weren't picked. Like I said it's hard peg the meaning behind the track selection. I recommend just about any other compilation album over this one, and your best bang for the buck would be the either first two Retrospective albums of Chronicles if you want to just get one. Don't make this your first Rush purchase, but don't ignore it out of hand either.

Not really sure what the creators of this disc were thinking, but it's a nice " alternative " Rush collection that lacks any real hit singles. It should make you want to own the original records these chestnuts came from. I already do, but at this price I may get this, anyway.