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The Trees
Hey, listen, a Rush song with an acoustic guitar opening. What were the odds? And then the lead singer starts singing and playing bass, and then after the first verse, it goes electric. Have you ever heard anything like that ( Read more... ) -
Circumstances
Man, I do love bitter music, and if you added a little whiskey and vermouth to this song, you'd have a nice Manhattan going. Better still, unlike your average pop song, Neil feels bitter about the place of man in the unfeeling universe, not some wee little romantic problem. (See also "Down To Zero," lyrics by Brown, music by Mancuso & Nee ( Read more... ) -
Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres
The timing of my life and this song has been awkward. I had a vacation, then all my nieces and nephews around, then Mass Effect 2 and a cold, and I just generally lose the flow. Trying to come back, I kept thinking I needed to wait for a day when I could go in at length, but that day never comes. I have to just push ahead with what effort I can ( Read more... ) -
Cygnus X-1
We all know black holes rock. The intro to this song puts a nice lyrical wrapper around the concept - not one that makes a lot of sense scientifically, but still cool, especially with the effects on the vocals and synth stuff going on. In 1977 the whole thing must have seemed daringly futuristic ( Read more... ) -
Madrigal
I never quite warmed up to "Madrigal." It needs more rock. I will listen real carefully and find something nice to say about it - something more than "at least I only have to listen to another 2:36 before Cygnus X-1 starts ( Read more... ) -
Cinderella Man
I consider this song a lost classic, and probably the best ever to share a title with a Russell Crowe movie ( Read more... ) -
Closer to the Heart
I was on vacation, but now I'm back, to review one of Rush's most beloved songs ( Read more... ) -
Minneapolis
What a great town ( Read more... ) -
Xanadu
I am not worthy. Not as an individual, not as a collection of quarks. Proper appreciation of this song requires a more robust space-time continuum than I have been provided, but I shall do my best ( Read more... ) -
A Farewell to Kings
I love this entire album. More than any other, it deserves the adjective "fantastic," because of the way it combines outstanding musicianship with a diverse set of fantasy and science fiction themes - but first, it does politics ( Read more... )