My God, you really love your subject. You did this with Jethro Tull, and you didn't give Rush any less of your mind and passionate articulation. It's a little intimidating at first to hear you wax lovingly about these albums. It almost sounds professorial until I realized how you are breathing life into each selection. Very compelling and well communicated.

Rush is musically and intellectually ambitious, yet utterly without pretense. Subdivisions is one of my favorite songs by anybody.

Being a lifelong Rush fan, I really liked their 80's synth period as much as any other period in their timeline. I always viewed it as a departure and experimentation from the previous sound they developed and I think they were very successful in their attempt. Almost every successful band develops their sound to the decade and this was the sound of the 80's. It's the typical Rush musicianship with an 80's sound. I feel if Hold Your Fire was their very first album it would have been hailed as extremely successful and the subsequent albums. With that being said, I believe Moving Pictures is by far one of the best rock albums of all time.

Another thing that sets Signals apart from all other albums in the synth period is the sheer emotion that is present throughout the album. The increased presence of synths doesn't sound cold or intrusive in any way. It's just another layer of musical expression. Synths have a bad reputation of being a cold, emotionally distant instrument, and that case can certainly be made with many albums that were released in the 80s. Signals on the other hand, uses these distant qualities to its advantage by expressing the wide range of emotions that we feel as humans. Songs like Subdivisions and Losing It are so beautiful that they bring tears to my eyes to this day. Signals might not be their best album, but it's my favourite and will always have a special place in my heart.

Signals is my #4 album of all time. I've never ever heard drums sound better.

_Grace Under Pressure_ is one of my favourites. They put those synths to good use to create that darker, apocalyptic vibe. The songwriting is top notch, and as an added bonus the live album _Grace Under Pressure Tour_ is sublime and showcases their abilities when they were at their best.

Hugely enjoyable listen. I don't know any Rush fan that agrees with everything. My own personal favourite is Permanent Waves. It has everything I love about their music and words. Truly a band that speaks and resonates with their audience. Please keep up the interesting, enlightening and good work

"Moving pictures " was their best album but l have a soft spot for " Fly by night ". Afraid to say it but their later '80,s output left me cold but their 70's music with their transision from heavy rock to full blown prog summed up the band at their best .

Great video! Caress Of Steel is my favorite, and I feel it certainly rates higher than Grace Under Pressure.

" ...the music press certainly don't seem to like Rush, which means that any self-respecting music fan must become a passionate devotee of this band." lol - perfect.

Well said! Rush has been my favorite band since my brother gave me 2112 for Christmas '77. Your articulation explaining why these album are worthy of our admiration is spot on. I've never been able to list my favorite albums because often times it depends on my mood. Thank you for expressing some feelings I have for this band as I can never find the words!

Well done... I appreciate the attention you bring here to Cut To The Chase on the Counterparts album. It's my favorite Rush deep cut. I love Counterparts and could never rank it below Caress, Snakes, or Presto, but I respect your opinion.

Excellent review of Rush's albums. Me...I love Grace Under Pressure and Signals. They are the 2 that I listen to the most.

I’m a lifetime rush fan, started listening at birth from my dad, was in love with it by age 4 and started playing guitar by age 7. They are my favorite band, and you did them well with this review. Thank you for taking the time to really listen to what rush has to offer. The only thing I would change is move ‘moving pictures’ to 3 and bump up ‘a farewell to Kings’ and ‘hemispheres’ to 2 and 1.

The 80's production was better than is now. More dynamic. New music is compressed to the point of ridiculousness. And everything sounds similar.

I like that you put Caress of Steel at number 8 : its very underrated and yes misunderstood. Its heavy too..I like that...

The title is a fallacy: You addressed that in the beginning. Well done. When we talk about things in relative terms, the big picture gets lost-every Rush album is a collection of high quality songs. I don't agree with your order; but then, that's what opinions are for.

As a keyboard player caught in a heavy rock band ...those 80's keyboard albums were very influential to my learning how to blend textually with a loud guitar....

Brilliant analysis and synopsis! Vapor Trails is much higher up on my list. It’s the #1 album I listen to of post ‘80s Rush. The remix absolutely cleans it up wonderfully, although I liked it before that. Listening to the remix was like hearing a whole new album. My woofers appreciate that as much as my ears do. The music is wonderful, and the lyrics are written from a very personal place from Neil’s post-tragic journeys. There’s a lot of existential reckoning that he describes so beautifully, punctuated by killer rhythms. For example, the way Geddy sings Neil’s desperate ‘pleading with a higher power’ chorus in “The Stars Look Down,” only to be met with silence as his answer. All three musicians are on-point and the resulting music is a very well integrated whole, much greater than the sum of its parts. I also consider ‘Caress of Steel’ as a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s terribly dated but captures so much of the ‘coming of age’ apprehension of growing up while longing for the simplicity of childhood, in ‘Lakeside Park’ and ‘I think I’m Going Bald’ (later lyrically further developed in ‘Signals’). Mix that in with Tolkienesque fantasy and it’s a wonderful listen.

It’s good to see “Grace Under Pressure” ranking so high on your list Barry, I love that album. That old Rolling Stone review you read on it was hilarious and stupid all at once. Rolling Stone had already become a wet blanket as music rags go by that time.

Rush is one of very few bands where i love all albums. I really do. And they are all getting better as time passes by. Extraordinary.

I remember buying Presto while in college. I was immediately blown away and listen to this album regularly!

Great listen! My current top 5 is: 1. A Farewell to Kings 2. Grace Under Pressure 3. Signals 4. Hemispheres 5. 2112

While they’re still finding their way...no pun intended..” 😂

As a very old RUSH fan, I can mostly concur with your listing, although I would push Power Windows and Hold your fire further up the ladder....but where? I'd move Roll the Bones a bit down, and fit them in... however, what has captivated me is your deep passion... and I feel it... They have always been there for me, and every album is significant to a time-frame in my life... Thanks. AWESOME AWESOME post. 10/10

Great video. I’m 41 years old and never got into Rush until very recently and videos like this are invaluable. What’s interesting is since I have no past with Rush I find some of the later albums very satisfying. Vapor Trails, Counterparts, Clockwork Angels are all great to me. I think that is due to Geddy’s voice. I think it sounds better on the later albums. But of course you can’t argue with the late 70s early/ 80s albums. There are multiple masterpieces during that period.

Though I'd never argue it to be their best, I think my favorite Rush album will always be Hold Your Fire. It's got a certain je ne sais quois that just resonates with me. I think Time Stand Still is one of their all-time greatest songs as well. When I get in the mood for Rush, I go for Hold Your Fire more times than not.

the amount of thought u put into all your content is amazing! keep up the great work😎

Ive heard Tom Sawyer 100s of times throughout my life and found it mildly annoying at best until yesterday I HEARD Tom Sawyer. It was kind of a holy shit moment and I'm excited to dig into their discography.

This is the second time I've watched this video, at least a couple of years apart, and I really enjoyed all of your analysis and agree with almost all of it. Yes, I've been a huge Rush fan since Permanent Waves came out in early 1980. Well done.

Thanks. Rush was a truly incredible band with an amazing legacy of great music. I agree with you fully on 'Presto!'. It's actually one of my favorite Rush albums. tavi.

For me, the synth era added another complex layer of sound on top of the signature songs that came before that. For this reason, my favorite Rush album is Signals followed by Counterparts

moving pictures was my first rush album that made me take notice and i purchaaded rush caress of steel. excellent band. and neil pearts drumming no need to explain cheers nice review with thopught proving words

Presto is a beautifully produced crisp sounding album. Totally agree with your number 1. Glorious performances throughout with amazing catchy moments.

I bought Presto but didn't get into it at all. I was at that point a "classic" Rush fan and didn't listen to the "newer" albums. After a few years on the shelf, I listened to it again. After about 5 plays, I started to thoroughly enjoyed it. At that point, I bought the newer albums. I'm so glad I gave the album another try or I would have missed out on so much good music.

I’d put Hemispheres one ☝️ and move Permanent Waves above Signals.

1.) Hemispheres 2.) Permanent Waves 3.) A Farewell To Kings 4.) Moving Pictures 5.) 2112 6.) Caress Of Steel 7.) Signals 8.) Fly By Night 9.) Rush (1st) 10.) everything else

I've seen this video several times and skipped over it, thinking it will likely be something written by a fan who knows less about Rush than I do. Oh contraire! You sir, did a really insightful look at all the albums, and it was deep! It was one of the very best overviews I've seen on KZfaq. Thank You!!

If Geddy or Alex watch this I am sure they will be truly honoured by this meticulous, multi-layered, incredibly thoughtful and amazingly expressive review of their work. I would ask if you deliver these delightfully deep and enriching reviews largely without at least some sort of tele-prompting, but am almost afraid to hear the answer.

👍 Well done... True Rush fans have always known this from the start. Each album has many interpretations to each of us and the experience of rediscovering something new and different with another listen. It truly amazes me to how many people are just now getting it🤘!

I was supposed to be going to bed 42.42 minutes ago but chanced upon this wonderful reflection of Rush's albums, just as I have, only now, been discovering their body of work for myself after all these years. I've asked myself repeatedly why on earth I hadn't taken the journey through the band's music while they were still recording and touring, but on reflection I'm rather glad I didn't, as I truly believed there was no irresistible musical mastery of such epic proportions left to unravel and completely floor me.

Awesome video! Rush defined me as a musician, when A Farewell... came out. I gave up on them, after Moving Pictures, but you have inspired me to dig deeper. Thank you 👍🏻

As someone who has only recently started listening to Rush, Signals sounds absolutely amazing and I absolutely love it.

Excellent enjoyed your take on my favourite band

Great list. I am the guy who has counterparts has his favorite RUSH album. So, I take a but of umbrage about where you placed it, but otherwise, no Rush album is bad!

Great presentation as usual. I rank Permanent Waves 2nd, just getting beat out by Pictures. Freewill and Spirit of Radio are my 1st and 2nd Rush songs. Lifesons guitar solo in Freewill is soooo underrated. Hemispheres 3rd, their best concept album easily.

Wonderfully literate review of a wonderfully literate band! 1. A Farewell to Kings 2. Hemispheres 3. 2112 4. Moving Pictures 5. Permanent Wave 6. Caress of Steel 7. Fly by Night 8. Power Windows 9. Signals 10. Rush

Thanks so much! I had only heard Rush on the radio before (no one's hits on the radio are ever the best), so this gave me a good place to start. They are a very complex, intelligent band. Very impressive.

I used to rate the debut album rather low myself, in fact I went over 20 years without listening to it even once. A few years ago I decided to give it another listen and found a new appreciation for it. A lot of that has to do with with the fact that I myself am from Toronto and once made an attempt at becoming a musician. I felt a bit more connected to this album. Of course pretty much every stage Rush ever played in their early days was long gone by the time I was at it (I was born in 1971), but I was still basically dragging my gear through the same streets and places that they did. So now listening to that album I get a sense of how they were feeling at that time, making it a little more relatable.

My Rush discography finished with Permanent Waves you have encouraged me to explore some of the later albums.

👍I'm late at the party,but,hey,it's Rush. 😆 End 70's my older brother (i was +/- 16) had "Hemispheres" on his player,i was blown away,just so different of what music was played at that time. Later i understood,from a interview,that they NEVER gonna do something like that again,becouse of the very intensif,brain draining work,they had with this album.For me,still nmbr 1.🤘 And yes ,"The trees" one of my favorits to.😉

Great review but just can’t get my head around the placing of the debut, Fly By Night, Snakes & Arrows and 2112... All should be much higher up in my view. Also, as much as I love Signals, I think it would fall a couple of places in my list. I suppose it’s all just personal taste really. Anyway keep up the good work and keep on rockin’! :-)

I have always put Hemispheres at the top and would have a very different list, when I go to put an album on without any specific desire to listen to one I would be more likely to choose Test For Echo than Moving Pictures, I've never engaged with Vapour Trails and Snakes 'n' Arrows along with Clockwork Angels outside of a few tracks really don't provoke any excitement either, as ever each to their own and well done for taking this on again.

Thanks for this. It's always interesting to hear someone else's considered opinion. The only significant difference I have with your list is that I would put Permanent Waves at the top of mine, although La Villa Strangiato from Hemispheres is my favourite track, perhaps because Permanent Waves was the first Rush album I listened to.

Great reviews! Like how you look beyond the music. My favs Farewell, 2112, Caress. If you're in London, I may go in Oct. Beers on me!

Hi Barry that was a great in depth video. I have a number of Rush albums and CDs. Will definitely invest in more of them.

Late to the party but I’m glad I found this. Excellent analysis!!

Great RUSH opinions, I have been driven to tears when hit by the musical sadness and beauty of it all...

Rush is special. What a gift to those who connect with them. I had stopped listening to new material for about 15 years after Signals. Not sure why now looking back. For some reason I picked up Test for Echo when it came out to take a peek. I really enjoyed it and got me exploring all the music I missed. Imagine my horror when TFE was dead last on your list! Funny, but I guess something has to occupy that spot. I enjoyed your support for Presto which I find to be quite enjoyable too. It gets a bad rap. You also inspired me to sit down and give Clockwork Angels another go. I was pleasantly surprised. I really didn’t care for Geddy’s aged vocal prowess at first, but it’s much better than I remembered. I was fortunate to see them once back in the 80’s, but unfortunately only saw them once. I really enjoyed the show. Fun to go through such an impressive catalog and realize they never mailed in an album. There is something to enjoy about each release. Hemispheres tops my list. You make a compelling argument for each. Keep up the good work. Cheers!

The first Rush album I owned (on cassette) is A Show of Hands. Consequently, I very much love the synth period and more often than not reach for GUP, Signals, or Power Windows as much as Moving P or Perm Waves.

Best music reviewer on youtube, period.

My list: 1. Hemispheres 2. 2112 3. A Farewell To Kings 4. Permanent Waves 5. Moving Pictures 6. Caress of Steel 7. Fly By Night 8. Signals 9. Grace Under Pressure 10. Rush 11. Power Windows 12. Counterparts 13. Hold Your Fire 14. All the rest of the 80s and later stuff. It’s hard for me to put the debut album below Grace Under Pressure, but I think that’s the way I feel right now.

This was truly wonderful. Could you please just talk about Rush for another few hours? Given the depth and breadth of nonsense that is gushing out onto the Internet every day, this was a real breath of fresh air. I waited for twenty five years to be able to finally see Rush live, on their final tour in Calgary, and can honestly say that they have never disappointed me. The best gig I have ever been to, bar none.

Excellent reviews.

Your description of the albums is amazing, hopefully explains everything to the fans with open ears

The care and attention and knowledge you bring to these reviews is very much appreciated plus opinions certainly in respect of Rush are balanced but for me very nuanced and informed

Wonderful review, you obviously love the subject matter. As a Canadian we heard a lot of Rush growing up. They are my second-favourite band (after Genesis). My list is a little different than yours but I love it nonetheless. Keep up the great work!

I’m impressed! A favorite band of mine. Again, nicely done. Subscribed, and looking forward to more.

If memory serves me correctly, and I am showing my age here, but when Rolling Stone released their very first "Record Guide" I believe they gave every one of Rush's albums at the time the ranking of ■, or worthless. After I read that I haven't put much faith in critics opinion of Rush, or any band for that matter, ever since. I've been subscribed to you for a couple of weeks now and I love what I've been seeing.

Signals first, my only disagreement, thanks for the thoughtful review.

The man with depth in views , very nice to listen to , even Dickens passes by , It was the best of bands , it was the death of Neil ..................

Resist is an absolute mandatory Rush track, whether from the 96 album or live acoustic

Your care and expressive and historical detail exposé is greatly appreciated and this tributes this amazingly once-in-a-lifetime band. Unfortunately I am an outlier when I say that the '74 Rush debut and 'working man' is the Rush I like best because although Peart was their destiny and his lyrics' creativity were essential to the Rush story...it turned their sound into overly complex, noisier, agressive, busy, politi al ,more removed from the everyday angst experiences of humanlife..clearly Geddy acknowledges this earlier Rush lifeforms because he always tributes 'working man'..always plays it..his swansong of always striving and yearning..pperhaps, I don't know but I like to guess..thanks.again for keeping their fire lit❤

I agree with "Signals", its that early 80s vibe that makes this album special and unique. Alex Lifeson was such a great composer

Absolutely stunning reviews 💯

I really enjoyed Clockwork Angels. Lot of life in this music and just wanted to take a moment to fly the flag for one of my favorites.

I love your take on Caress of steel which has long been one of my favourite rush albums. It alone has a quality of inventiveness and a classical feel that is furthered on a Farewell to kings. Were as 2112 furthers the heavy side of rush

I bought presto the day it came out and just couldnt get into it..hated the dry lifeless production more than anything..permanent waves must be my favourite as i play it the most

Must say I agree. Roll The Bones is under rated as a album. Glad to see where you ranked it.

Great ranking! Mine top five... 1. Hemispheres, 2. 2112, 3. A Farewell to Kings, 4. Moving Pictures, and 5. Permanent Waves.

The clock on the cover of Clockwork Angels is set at 9:12, or 21:12 if your reading it in military time PM.

There is no such thing as a bad rush album amazing band who can play anything from heavy metal to blues rock to electronic music and progressive rock music

1.Moving Pictures.2.Permanent Waves.3.2112.4.A Farewell to Kings.5.Rush.6.Signals.7.Fly by Night.8.Hemispheres.9.Caress of Steel.10.Roll the Bones.11.Presto.12.Grace under Pressure.13.Hold your Fire.14.Counterparts.15.Test for Echo`s.16.Snakes and Ladders.17.Clockwork Angels.18.Vapor Trails.19.Power Windows.

Wow thanks for all the background info! Personally I like the songs on 2112 better on live records. I think Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures are my favorites, but I actually really like the later 80s albums too. For some reason I don't mind the 80's sound of Rush (I think many others sounded far worse in that era). I completely agree with your pick of Time Stand Still, and Emotion Detector as among the best. Those lyrics are fantastic, with each word fitting like a glove with the next.

I greatly appreciate the fact that you make sure to denote that you can't really do a Worst to Best with Rush because they have no truly bad album. Rush, in my opinion, is the greatest progressive rock band ever formed, and this is a brilliant video, in my opinion.

It's strange how you can tell the era fans first got into Rush by their favourite album. The 70s and early 80s was my favourite period. Exit Stage Left is one of may favs (because I'm on it! All together now 'And the men who hold high places...)

Interesting Ranking :) I was not expecting it in this order :) By the Way OF COURSE I will indulge you I wouldn't be watching if I wasn't indulging you. and your not gonna die if you refer to your notes XD :) awesome ranking dude but don't worry about being indulged :)

A brilliant review,of a very complex band. Tks u 👍

Peart barreling down the highway, pursued by an enraged Greta Thunberg - i spat my wine out on that one….so funny. I’m really impressed with the thoughtfulness of this list….I might at a pinch place Clockwork angels higher, probably more for sentimental reasons, but I really admire your depth of analysis and thoughtfulness. Thank you!

Thanks for sharing! Rush is the most genius trio in every aspect of music, plus personal relationships. As a fan since 79, I dare say that I realized ( in the 2010s) that they made a big mistake by replacing Terry Brown as their producer. Terry was like the 4th member, very meticulous and excellently intense and careful in all of the recordings and the sound of the band. ( Find out what happened when recording Farewell to Kings in London studios)! I mean Rush still created many great albums after the Signals ( Terry's departure, later Rush almost broke up) but I sensed that something was wrong when I listened to Grace under Pressure (not the same quality of sound) and w/ all the following albums (except maybe Counterparts)! I wished they had gone back to Terry before Neil passed away. Took me so many years to figure out that yes producers, rec. engineers, even studios matter a lot/make a big difference... ...anyway, we always miss Neil Peart. He was a very nice guy, he sent his drumsticks to this kid who was standing with his dad, next to me after the concert,... I mean he spotted this kid way up on balcony... RIP Neil.❤ 🙏

Rush are my favorite band, so I've probably given too much thought to this over the years. 19. Test for Echo (1996) 18. Snakes & Arrows (2007) 17. Rush (1974) 16. Vapor Trails (2002) 15. Presto (1989) 14. Caress of Steel (1975) 13. Roll the Bones (1991) 12. Clockwork Angels (2012) 11. Hold Your Fire (1987) 10. 2112 (1976) 9. Fly by Night (1975) 8. Permanent Waves (1980) 7. Power Windows (1985) 6. A Farewell to Kings (1977) 5. Signals (1982) 4. Hemispheres (1978) 3. Counterparts (1993) 2. Grace Under Pressure (1984) 1. Moving Pictures (1981)

Favorite Rush albums/favorite song on album 1. Moving Pictures / Red Barchetta 2. 2112 - A Passage To Bangkok 3. Hemispheres / La Villa Strangiato 4. Grace Under Pressure / Red Sector A 5. Signals / Losing It 6. Rush / Working Man

very articulate i think you gave it a lot of thought. rush is and has been my favorite band for many years.

I actually love Hold Your Fire and the other 80's Rush albums, along with the vast majority of 80's albums by all the bands I love (Maiden, Priest, AC/DC, etc.) A big part of that is the fact that I was 17 when Hold Your Fire was released. Sometimes, I think our personal fondness for certain albums is related to other things that were going on in our lives at the time. Also loved Presto and Roll the Bones from the beginning.

I was 16 back in 1977 when Rush came to the UK for the first time. I was offered a free front row ticket at the Hammersmith Odeon. Same it was My elder sister's wedding. That day, I was also aggered a ticket for Englanf v Scotland at Wemnly by a mate of my dad, and lastly, UFO were playing at Southend Kursaal. Basically a bum day for me.

Great reviews of one of my favourite bands. PW, MP, Presto, GUP, Signals, FTK, Hemispheres, favs for me

HYF & Power Windows were my first 2 Rush albums and what made me a Rush fan and so make my top 5, The first album RUSH as it is where it started and it has no bad songs, 2112 as it is what made the band plus it has Tears on it #epic and Moving Pictures which is Rush's "Dark Side Of The Moon" having been played all the way through Live. My least played albums are Snakes, Clockwork and Caress

This is great, thoughtful list. Things i particularly agree on… Roll the Bones IS a great album… your love of Signals and “Subdivisions.” Well done sir 👍🏻

Awesome list and commentary. I love "Vapor Trails" probably my only big difference here. Always cool to see another Barry too

I have it this way: 1. Moving Pictures 2. Hemispheres 3. 2112 4. Fly By Night 5. A Farewell to Kings 6. Caress of Steel 7. Rush 8. Power Windows 9. Permanent Waves 10. Grace Under Pressure