Retrospective 3 (1989-2008)

Rush | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 3, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic
• ASIN: B001FM6KMO
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,280 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Rush's greatest hits from their Atlantic Records years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 Reasons, March 3, 2009

By 

Scott Harris "Is ingredior inter nos, tamen s... (Chattanooga, TN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Retrospective 3 (1989-2008) (Audio CD)

There are 4 reasons to buy Rush's latest compilation album:

1) You don't have one or several of these albums, don't want to buy the whole album, but want some songs from one or more of them.
2) One Little Victory - remixed
3) Earthshine - remixed
4) Ghost of a Chance - Live

If your reason is 1) above, you won't be disappointed with this album. This is a solid selection of tunes from Rush's Atlantic years. I might have a few quibbles about choices and absences - Test for Echo, over Driven any day of the week - but overall this is a good compilation.

More significant is the inclusion of two songs from what I consider to be Rush's best album from the Atlantic years (and their best since Signals), Vapor Trails. Vapor Trails generated a lot of buzz at its release, not only because it was the first all-guitar Rush album in many years, but also because of its very disappointing sound quality. After its release, internet commentators proceeded to conduct an audio autopsy on the album, lamenting its sonic distortion and frequent "clipping", and declaring it yet another victim of the "loudness wars" that pervaded and continue to pervade the mainstream rock recording industry (see Wikipedia for an excellent article on them). Almost everyone, however, praised the music itself. The two songs included here are some of the strongest on the record, though there are many to choose from, not the least of which are Peaceable Kingdom, Secret Touch, Sweet Miracle, Ghost Rider and Vapor Trail.

For this compilation, Rush enlisted the services of Richard Chycki (engineer on Snakes and Arrows) to remix the aforementioned tracks on Vapor Trails. It's possible that he may have remixed the whole album, though that has not yet been confirmed or denied by the band. Nevertheless, it's clear Chycki has done an awesome job with these two songs at least. The difference between the originals and the remixes is astonishing. Harsh compression and brick-wall limiting likely introduced during the original mix and/or mastering process is now gone. Vocals are clear. Neil's low toms and bass drums resonate in a clean and full manner. Guitars and bass are more defined and audibly clearer. The overall sonic picture has much more "air" around the sound - Earthshine sounds almost like a different song - and may have been retouched slightly in some places even beyond what would go into making simply a non-distorted remix.

If this is how all of Vapor Trails will sound when remixed, Rush and Atlantic should release the new version immediately - it will confirm VT as one of the top 3 albums Rush has ever made. This album will clearly rival their most recent release - Snakes and Arrows - both musically and sonically.

Finally, the live version of "Ghost of a Chance" from the Roll The Bones album is obviously from one of those "on" performances. The vocals, the ad-lib drum and guitar fills, and the energy from what was clearly a great live performance are readily apparent. Drawn from the Roll The Bones tour, the production and recording balance is really good and rivals the recent R30 and Snakes and Arrows live albums.

Don't hesitate - go buy it.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Open Letter To Rush, March 4, 2009

By 

C. Saylor (San Pedro, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Retrospective 3 (1989-2008) (CD/DVD) (Audio CD)

I just downloaded the remixes of One Little Victory and Earthshine and discovered there were actually SONGS there. Yep, I heard Alex's acoustic guitars, Neil's cymbals and bass drum, clean bass guitar parts, Ged's awesome vocals -- all there without being crushed! They're totally different songs!
I've been a Rush geek for about 20 years now and have never been disappointed with a record until Vapor Trails. Not the playing or the lyrics, but the way the album was mixed/mastered/whatever flat out sucked. I thought I bought a bad copy and actually went out and bought another one.
Alex, while you and the boys take a well deserved break, for the love of Jesus, Joseph and Mary, grab Rich Chycki and remix the rest of Vapor Trails. Do it for the fans and the band and do it because the record deserves better.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Collection of Rush Songs, March 3, 2009

By 

R. Short "robertsathard" (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Retrospective 3 (1989-2008) (CD/DVD) (Audio CD)

It's nice to finally see a Rush compilation of their years with Atlantic Records and one that does not include the usual standards. Now are the Atlantic songs as good as the material the band did in their earlier Mercury years? Honestly, no. But that's not to say there aren't some classics including, "Dreamline", "Far Cry", and "Animate." The live version of "Ghost of a Chance" is a good listen, especially the little jam at the end. The big treat here is the remixed versions of "One Little Victory" and "Earthshine". Many of you will agree that Vapor Trails is the worst sounding album Rush has every released and the new versions sound a lot better.

As for the DVD, I never have viewed music videos as the band's strong point. Rush is a band to be enjoyed on the stage, not on MTV. But still, the videos are a nice far collectors.