Was Ryan right?? Whether you agree or disagree run over to Rushfans on KZfaq and let Ryan know!!!

I can't undersdad what people have against Caress of Steel... It's an amazing album. I can't think of a SINGLE song post 1981 that is as good as necromancer or Bastile Day. It has to be a top 5.

I could listen to the first 3 Rush albums, Black Sabbath - Sabotage, and Judas Priest - Sin After Sin and not miss any other albums. I don't care if those early Rush albums are as well crafted as Moving Pictures or Power Windows. They are just what I like. I Think I'm Going Bald despite it's comical title is a really deep concept about enjoying the good times that are here and now, because someday you'll look back and wish you could go back. Also it probably helped Geddy to never suffer from the horrors of baldness. By singing that song he beat the demons of baldness

Definitely need to do a Patreon panel on a Rush album, and Ryan should sit in!

Putting the debut album in the least favorites just hurts. Even as a rush fan you need to realize what’s good music and what’s not. Just because the first record sounds like Canadian LedZep doesn’t make it a bad record. We have plenty of albums to choose, but these 3 choices are questionable. In terms of understanding music, not being a rush-fanatic and placing them over all bands of all time…. Fly by night (the record) is the sound gold standard of the 70s. It has both, classic 70s rock & the first real rush sounds. Also, caress of steel was an important milestone for the future sound… Look out for the mid 80s records and the latest ones they did (2002 until 2015) - it’s fair to say that evolving stopped there. There you’ll find the “worst” ones…

I love the debut and Fly By Night, some of Alex's strongest riffs on both of those albums and tight playing. My least favorite is Hold Your Fire.

I love Here Again and What You're Doing off the debut. The first 3 albums were probably the first Metal Albums, technically they were not as organized as the Prog albums 2112 , Farwell To Kings, Hemispheres, and Permanent Waves, but they were still incredibly good

Hold Your Fire and Presto are incredible albums. Musically they are just as good as more universally loved albums like Power Windows, Moving Pictures or Permanent Waves and light years ahead of Rush or Caress of Steel. Beautiful melodies and some of their most unique and sophisticated playing.

I think Rush fans, well, maybe even fans of any band with a large catalog, tend to judge, compare and criticize the albums against each other with little regard for the time period they were originally released. Martin makes a great point that maybe try instead, to look at the record from the perspective of what else was going on at the time it was released. It may give you an entirely new outlook on the record you considered the "worst", or the ones you feel are at the lower end of the spectrum. Rush albums are so fascinating, interesting and diverse that even my least favorites are always worth revisiting, and re-evaluating. Always rewarding.

Oh Ryan, Ryan, Ryan, In listening to your review I got the impression that you are a Niel Peart fan but I questioned if you were a Rush fan. To understand and appreciate Rush, I think it's important to understand the grass roots and evolution of Rush. This includes early tracks cut by Alex and Geddy that were found on the self-titled album, Fly by Night, CoS, and other single tracks floating around out there. Don't get me wrong, Neil was critical to Rush's refined direction and success but without Alex and Ged would Neil see the success he realized? It took all three (and others) to bring out the best in each other. I didn't get an impression that your review took that into consideration. I'm not here to argue the technical details because there's far more than technical notes, or moments that encompassed this groups success and the influence they have had on their fans. I just hope that in the future you might consider that you have to start somewhere to get anywhere and getting anything started is the hardest part. Recognizing there's beauty in the struggle and the clumsiness in the beginning because it defines the direction of the path and how the next steps are refined and evolve. Cheers!

Grace Under Pressure was the last Rush album I purchased and I don't think I've heard an entire Rush album after Power Windows. Which is funny because I still consider them to be one of my favorite bands.

Great video! I'm 60, and a longtime RUSH fan since I first heard them as a teen in 1975. Have seen them live about 65 times... every tour since 2112 at 'The Capitol Theatre' in Passaic, NJ. That said, i've long had the same opinion as Ryan about their first album. It's raw, yes. It rocks, and even sounds a bit 'Zeppelin-esque', BUT it does not really fit into the same prog-rock category as the subsequent RUSH with Peart. That said, picking one's 'least favorite' doesn't mean that the album is terrible. It's still a great album in it's own right, and as a debut album, RUSH didn't know what exact direction they would take.

Finding my Way, Working Man, and In the Mood are still played regularly here in St. Louis on K-SHE 95 which hasn't changed its format in 53 years.

My vote for worst album is Roll the Bones, but I agree with a lot of points that the first album isn't Rush yet

Great points by both Martin and Ryan. Martin rightfully points out it's essentially where a person was introduced to the band that drives their preference. Ryan backs that up by pointing out a fans preference is based on their perspective of which era they like, that Rush really has no "bad" album and the main point - its hard to distinguish between "worst" and "least favorite" with Rush. This is why there is really no consensus on which is the band's "worst" album. Presto and Roll the Bones typically rank very low with Rush fans but I listen to those album quite often and prefer to listen to them compared to any album through the 80s period.

I lived through Rush from the beginning.My friend and I had seen them several times.We came to the conclusion that Rush is one of those bands no matter what they play it's good.We always went for the deep tracks and there were some shows we saw they did alot of deep tracks.But Rush was always entertaining

I got into Rush after hearing "Finding My Way" on TOGWT I then manage to buy "Archives" not long after, from there on I was hooked. Each of their albums was better than the last (IMHO) up until and including Moving Pictures which to me at the time was the pinnacle. I was looking forward so much to their next album thinking "where are they gonna go with this?" My brother-in-law (who was 10 years younger than I) manage to buy Signals on the day of its release & brought it round to my apartment & along with another friend we listened in great anticipation. Long before the album had finished we were going "WTF?" When it was over we came to the conclusion it was an aberration/ joke/one off. I bought Power Windows when it came out played it once, shook my head & put it away never to play it again for 10 years or more. It was obvious Rush & I were parting musical ways, they weren't veering off in another direction they were taking a complete right turn. Terry Brown was gone, Steve Lillywhite turned them down but they were desperately trying to be relevant by apeing The Police/Simple Minds et al. I wasn't even angry, just deeply disappointed. Didn't get back on the Rush horse until Vapor Trails which to my ears was a breath of fresh air "garage band" Rush if you will. So in summation the biggest disappointment - Signals Worst album, probably Roll The Bones if only for the title track with Neil "rapping" I've since gone back & delved into their 80's/90's back catalogue(which I'd largely ignored ) & could cherry pick some decent tracks but the production values of the times make me cringe.

I still need to do a Bottoms Up ranking of Rush albums on my channel. Great episode Martin and Ryan. Cheers 🍻

I love it,always have. It's their "party" record. I'd say it's in the bottom end my top ten Rush records.

They've been my favorite band since the mid 80's. I agree with Ryan that there is no worst RUSH album, only a "least favorite" based upon personal perspective. For me, Hold Your Fire is my least favorite, as this is when the music was ridiculously bathed in keyboards, and I was not a fan of Alex's guitar tone and especially Geddy's bass tone (hated those Wal basses). The songs are great (as they always are), it's the way that album sounds to me that makes it my least favorite. Another point Ryan made that I'm 1000% in agreement with is that Presto and Roll The Bones suffered terribly from production. It's funny because RTB is my second least favorite, and Presto my third least favorite albums, but again because of production. I LOVED that Rupert Hine pulled them out of the synth era, but he didn't give them any balls, and they're horribly thin. Great songs not done proper justice. Luckily, the return to Peter Collins yielded one of my favorites in Counterparts. The balls were back and would luckily last up until the very end. So yeah, for me, 87-91 is the era I'm least attached to (but I still love them all!).

I never thought Rush sounded like Led Zeppelin. I think they sounded like UFO on their first album. I like their debut album very much. My two least favorite Rush albums are Vapor Trails and Power Windows. My two favorite albums are A Farewell To Kings and Fly By Night.

Great discussion! My least favs are 3 records in a row, but not the first 3...Test For Echo, Vapor Trails and Snakes & Arrows were the string of Rush records that disappointed me. Clockwork Angels was such a triumph for me after those.

Caress of Steel is epic raw and totally underrated only one bad song the filler I Think I’m going Bald. Listen to Alex’s tone a 50watt Marshall with a Les Paul 70’s hard rock personified..

With the progression of the first three records you can see a band going from a formula rock band to a true innovator and fortunately 2112 and ATWAS took off and gave the band the clout to make music their way. 2112 through Moving Pictures earned them the right to put out their late '80s early '90s material no matter what. The more I listen to the studio catalog the more I like all the records. Fun show Ryan and Martin.

For me, 2112, A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, and Moving Pictures are the 5 greatest consecutive studio albums ever released by any band. My least favorite Rush albums are: Presto, Roll the Bones, Hold Your Fire, and Clockwork Angels. The majority of people love Clockwork Angels...

You know, a lot of people commenting on how they loved RUSH's first few albums, but absolutely can't stand anything starting with (or around the time of) 'Signals', reminds me of a friend I have. We're both RUSH heads, but he loves the old school RUSH, whereas I can appreciate all the unique changes, phases and eras they went through. We both used to drive American muscle cars 'back in the day', but i've since owned some great fast, fun, tight Japanese and German cars too. He hasn't. Nor does he want to. He still only drives American muscle. OK, maybe this analogy sucks, but this is what I was just thinking on the subject!

Interesting discussion. I got into Rush in the 80's and I loved the 70's albums but I did tend to hit the skip button a lot on that first album. Generally when I got that album out it was all about Working Man. I'm surprised to hear people don't rate Test for Echo very highly. I've been playing that one a lot lately. I thought it was a good follow-up to Counterparts. The song Half the World hits home really hard in recent years. If you haven't heard that song in awhile give it a listen.

It's all subjective. The first album is a good album, but I have to agree that for me and my own subjective opinion....Rush is Geddy, Neil, and Alex. Thus, the first album really never interested me. On a completely different note....I wish there was a complete remix of Clockwork Angel's. Snakes and Arrows was recorded engineered wayyyy better. Clockwork is a great album and deserves to be remixed. Some songs sound better than others. The distortion on "The Wreckers" during the bridge where the strings enter is crazy bad.

This is proof positive that there is really no Rush “expert”. What a terrible pick for the worst album.

Fan since’81 and I especially agree with the debut as their worst. It’s a poor man’s Led Zeppelin but a good rock album. I also really like Test For Echo more than most.

Great video gents. Thanks and Happy New Year 🎉🤘🥂

Isn’t everything preference driven.? My favourite - fly by night. Worst- either presto or snakes and arrows(just like 1 maybe 2 off each album). I got into rush in ‘86 first album bought fly by night. Favourite ever song SUBDIVISIONS 🤘🏻👍🏻

As a Rush newbie, kind of;I think 'Presto' is their worst. I get the feeling I need to listen to all their later albums a lot more though, in-order to appreciate them.

For myself, a "worst" Rush album, is not bad, but just not as memorable. I will say my 4 least listened to records are Roll the Bones, Test for Echo, Vapor Trails and Snakes n Arrows. For me, they just do not stand out from the rest of the catalog, could be the production is why I rarely go back to them.

A really interesting conversation because few longtime Rush fans like myself focus on that netherspace of what we 'dont' like within the catalog. Alot is centered on what we love and it's usually relative to when we 'parachuted in' as Martin would say. I came in around Permanent Waves as an 11 year old and at a time when you are formulating what you love in music. Some of my favourite albums of alltime came out in 80'...Yes Drama, PG 3, Max Webster Uni Juvi. I'm abit surprised to hear Alex is not on board with all of Caress as I think his playing hit an incredibly innovative breakthrough. I'm not taking the bluesy wailing in Necromancer but the solos in 'The Fountain' "No one at the Bridge' and 'Bastille Day' really broke him away from his blues roots and put him firmly in the prog camp of his contemporaries like Howe and Hackett at the time. As a Canadian and prog/metal fan the Rush album I'm most proud of is Caress of Steel! In 75' so little existed in the heavy prog camp. Now if Sabbath had released a side long epic at the time they may have been the first...

How humble of you Martin.... Saying you are not an expert on Rush even though you have written hundreds of books on them

I follow the Rushfans channel, and I think a point made by Martin is very insightful. The age of the listener and when they got into Rush is a huge thing to where they rank the albums. As someone who has some training in statistics, a true poll of Rush fans would have to be a large number from all age groups and when the person got into the band. By giving age and year they got into a band, the data of how they ranked the records would be able to be analyzed in various different ways to see if any true patterns emerge or would it show a large variation in the tastes of Rush fans. I would debate Martin on the difference between Caress of Steel and 2112 though. The way each was recorded sounds vastly different to me. 2112 has a in your face and alive sound whereas Caress of Steel sounds muddied to me. I also agree with Geddy that maybe too much stuff was being smoked during the writing and recording of the album. I also would add that there may have been too short of a time period between Fly By Night and Caress of Steel for the band to really be objective on what was good and what was not. Great video though.

I get the intellectual arguments, but as a Rush fan for 40 years, I take a step back and cannot deny that the first album has always been an integral part of my hard rock canon. I remember laughing with friends about the glaringly simplistic lyrics in comparison to what came later with Peart, but that never stopped me from listening to this in regular rotation, nor Kiss for that matter. Lifeson sounds more like Iommi than himself, but it’s still clearly Alex. It’s just a good, heavy, straight forward album with some outstanding guitar playing and vocals (which only Mr Lee could deliver, naturally). There is certainly enough connective tissue to their other albums from this period to keep me returning to it, even today. Like so many debut albums, there is an oddity factor about it when taken together with the rest of the band’s output, but so what?

So, here is an irony for you. You talked a bit about age of listeners, and how that might affect they're view of Best to least favorite Rush albums. I'm 52, and listened to 2112 when it first came out. I've been listening to Rush for a long time now, and it seems I mostly agree with Ryan. I personally put Caress of Steel as my least favorite, then Rush, the Fly By Night. Hold Your Fire is one of my favorite Rush albums, and I like both Presto and Roll The Bones a lot. That said, I enjoyed watching your discussion. Good job to both of you.

I like power windows hold your fire grace under pressure Counterparts snakes and arrows roll the bones all good Rush records but I think some Rush fans are stuck in the 70s

Great show, guys. You would have to consider me the biggest of Rush fans as Rush pushed me in my teens to become a lifelong professional guitar player and I used to play in some serious Rush cover bands. I have listened to most of Rush's albums over and over again and know how to play every note of every song up to and including Moving Pictures. Keeping in mind the songwriting (melodies, harmonic content and rhythmic content) as well as the playing and production values, and also the originality of the albums at the time they came out, these would be my top 10 albums: 1) 2112 2) Caress of Steel 3) Farewell to Kings 4) Hemispheres 5) Permanent Waves 6) Fly By Night 7) Moving Pictures (because of side 2 as I don't care for side 1) 8) Grace Under Pressure 9) Power Windows 10) Clockwork Angels My least favorite are: 1) Hold Your Fire 2) Roll The Bones 3) Signals

Interesting choices for worst albums. I am definitely an “old school” Rush fan, so I disagree, obviously (except for Caress of Steel, which I still don’t understand). What I have come to appreciate is exactly the point that Martin made about the album or style preference being the entry point of becoming a fan of the band, since the band changed their sound so many times. The lads on “Listography” are all 30-something and I was horrified that Joe had “A Farewell to Kings” ranked at 14 and Grace Under Pressure at #1! What the heck, it’s only music, we’re all Rush fans, and we ‘re not all supposed to like the same thing. I don’t know why some people get so upset when somebody disagrees with them. That’s why I enjoy Contrarians. Keep it up, Martin et al! Great fun!

I had never listened to Rush before 2020 , got into them during lockdown after watching Sea Of Tranquility so came in blind so to speak. Listened to their whole catalogue, can honestly say I don't think they made a bad album. Stylistically there are different eras so I can understand why people like different albums. I was expecting a dip but there never was , I quite enjoy the 3 album run of Hold Your Fire/Presto/Roll The Bones seems to connect with me best but all great.

That's the only Rush album I don't own in his original format. Guess I was right all this time.

My friend asked me if I had heard 'Test for Echo' when it came out, I said not yet. He said you can have my copy (cd) if you want, I said wow! thanks, really? Listened to it when I got home, at that point I realized why he gave it away lol. Rush first 3 albums are classics.

The 1st Rush album is my favorite album.😃👍

I would die on that Hold Your Fire hill right along with Ryan, but I voted for Test For Echo as my worst album choice. That would be an interesting discussion!

Their first 2 albums are some of their best for me but I love all the 70's & 80's stuff too, plus some of the newer stuff. It's not Neil Peart but I love Rutsey's playing on the first one, Working Man is great but, Before & After, What You're Doing, In Te Mood, etc., is all great stuff! I know RUSH is known as a progressive rock band, so of course RUSH fans wouldn't love the first one as much but for me, it;s a really good album regardless! Great video guys, Happy New Year!

I certainly agree with the "there is no bad Rush" sentiment! As a younger fan (younger than Ryan), I find this to be a very tough question to answer. I disagree with Ryan on disliking the first three albums. The first album is really such a jam and I don't understand the flak for the 4 "lame" songs. I think Snakes and Arrows is probably my least favorite Rush album BUT it still has "Far Cry" and "Working Them Angels", 2 tracks that I adore. Having not lived the transition to when Rush did more with Synths (post GUP, I guess), I have zero problems with those 80s albums. Hold Your Fire is up there for me. I circle back to that album regularly. Love these deep dives on Rush. Great video guys!

Presto was my first rush album and remains my number one favourite. Hated test for echo when it came out, did not listen to it for many years but have recently loved it and is in my top 5 now. This album needs the light bulb moment, then it clicks.

First Budgie and Granicus albums came out the year before the first Rush album. Just curious if Geddy heard those bands because he sounded like Burke Shelley and Woody Leffle (along with the obvious Robert Plant). I like the first Rush album but yes it's very derivative. It's a tighter Zeppelin album. But I still enjoy it.

I recently did an album ranking of Rush on my channel. Here it is. 1- Grace Under Pressure 2- 2112 3- Moving Pictures 4- Hemispheres 5- Roll the Bones 6- Fly By Night 7- Caress of Steel 8- A Farewell to Kings 9- Permanent Waves 10-Power Windows 11-Rush 12-Clock Work Angels 13-Signals 14-Hold Your Fire 15-Counterparts 16-Presto 17-Test For Echo 18-Snakes and Arrows 19-Vapor Trails

Who was the person who voted Permanent Waves last ?

I agree with Martin's point about taking an album's year of release into account as part of an evaluation. Rush's first album seems an oddity when compared to later albums, but it holds up really well for 1974 North American metal. It's not as good as _Secret Treaties_ , which came out in the same year...but that was BOC's 3rd album and BOC had defined itself by then. That being said, I understand why some might choose the first album as a least favorite, especially fans who weren't around in the '70s to witness the general state of music at the time. But ultimately , this episode is a Rush vs. Rush competition, and it's based on personal preferences. I have the entire Rush catalog, and I have favorites and least favorites too. Any list I would make would be subject to change by next time I thought about it. They had a long career and many musical eras. If I had to nail it down, I would choose _Hold Your Fire_ as my least favorite...once I get past the excellent opening track, I lose interest rather quickly. It's certainly not a bad album, and I'm sure some might pick it as a favorite...which says a lot about Rush. It's all worth listening to.

I am old enough that I was there and bought the first album when it came out. Vocalists are critical for my tastes. The '70's albums are great musically, but I can't stand Geddy's high screeching vocals. I like his mid-tones, for the most part, from the '80's and after. This is contrary to most Rush fans of my age. Worst album...the debut. It lacks Neil, who was critical to the Rush sound.

Rush's 'worst'album would be the BEST album for 99.99999% of all other bands.

"Hold Your Fire" is the deep dark heart of the 80's synth-pop version of Rush where they almost became an adult contemporary band. I think "Presto" is my next least favorite Rush album. It's also way too pop rock, Too much chorus on the guitars, which are way too clean. But at least there is much more guitars on "Presto" than on "Hold Your Fire." I would rank "Roll the Bones" third from the bottom for the same reasons as "Presto." But I can still listen to any of these albums and dig the hell out of them. There really isn't a horrible, garbage album from Rush. I really like "Test for Echoes" though. I thought it was a fine follow up to "Counterparts." The biggest problem with "Test for Echoes" is that it had to follow after "Counterparts," which is just a fantastic album.

I enjoy the show fellas. IMO Clockwork is TOP 3 Rush album. Just a casual fan here.

I can't understand what/why it is some Rush fans don't like about "Clockwork Angels"...It is a masterpiece to me. What is it? The sound of the album (maybe...but get over it), Geddy's voice? No way! What else could it be? The songs are SO strong, and the playing is immense and the lyrics/ concept is gorgeous. I can understand not likin' Presto (even though it's in my Top 5) or Hold your Fire or Test for Echo (an album I revisited during the lockdown, and now absolutely adore-the title track and Half the World are amazing!), I can even understand why people don't like Caress of Steel (similar to 2112, but not in terms of quality and "hooks")...Anyway, people, tell me why you don't like Clockwork, I'm curious! Cheers!

I hate seeing how low Test for Echo always ranks. I can't stand the three albums that preceded it but T4E got me interested in Rush again. It's hardly "great" but I like over half the songs which is more than I can say for the preceding three albums. It's been called tired and uninspired, but I don't hear it. It sounds more like how I want Rush to sound.

I totally agree with the debut and Caress Of Steel, they are my least favorite Rush albums as well (third would be Snakes And Arrows for me) but for By-Tor alone I would rate Fly By Night higher. I know most old school Rush fans don't like the mid- to late eighties, but my favorite Rush phase actually is the 80s. Everything from Permanent Waves to Presto (man, how I love that album!) is a 10 out of 10 for me. Martin has an interesting point with putting it to perspective to when it came out but still from today's perspective: even the later albums that are normally rated lower - I'll also go with Test For Echo and Hold Your Fire - are better albums in almost every aspect: songwriting, playing, ideas, lyrics...

Never understood the hatred for Presto and Roll the Bones. Bands change and try different things when they’re around for 40 years.

I've never understood the debut album constantly getting downgraded in a lot of album rankings because it doesn't sound like "Rush". I bought it back in 1974 and loved it immediately. I didn't have other Rush albums to compare it to cause there weren't any. The band would evolve from one Rush band to another Rush band several times in their career, and at no time did it occur to me that, "well the first album doesn't fit in so it must not be as good". So why is this album so often considered the odd one out? Maybe it has to do with where your starting point with the band begins.

I thought it was weird that Ryan was giving his personal opinion on the album. Then Martin brings up different magazine polls to "scientifically" tell Ryan why he was wrong. You can disagree with his opinion, but you can't say his personal preference is wrong. I also see a lot of comments that basically say Rush is the greatest ban, but I hate everything after the early 80s. This means they hate more than half the Rush catalog. I agree with Ryan's opinion that "no Rush is bad Rush". But that's just me.

I like a lot of songs up through Farewell, every song from Permanent through Presto, and then a moderate of songs after that.

Always an interesting debate, I think from a purely objective viewpoint (if that's possible) a younger fan like Ryan is less biased and holds less nostalgic attachment to any era. The fans that were along from the start had real trouble accepting changes in the bands music and that's understandable but it does taint their ability to judge or compare the albums. The band felt they only found who they really were on Permanent Waves / Moving Pictures so one could argue that Self Titled - Hemispheres could be classed as their childhood to teenage years. Which I think makes loads of sense, adventurous, experimental and try anything twice attitude is all over those records (not including the first 2 ) but they're also naive and some songs lack the intelligent songwriting editing that would come into their music later as they grew. I agree that all Rush is good Rush but personally the later 90's and 2000's are my least favourite due to Geddy for some unknown reason trying to sing super high again after having avoided that for over a decade plus Neil started playing very straight forward meat and potatoes drums which I find quite boring and made them sound like a regular rock band. Rush at their best never sounded like a regular rock band which is one of the reasons I'd rate the self titled as my least favourite also, the other far more important point which Ryan made was Neil Peart isn't on it...and the discussion should really honestly end there but nostalgia is a motherf*cker! I loved this video guys, peace and love and happy new year.

I know that most people would say that there are 3 or 4 eras of Rush and that you could like any of them more or less depending on when you became a fan. However, I will posit that fans like myself who started listening a bit before the big shift toward synths and electronic drums actually think, at some level, there are two broader level buckets of Rush albums. Bucket 1 is everything up to and including Moving Pictures AND a return to Bucket 1 in Counterparts onwards. Bucket 2 then includes the albums sandwiched in between. And so our bias will often be to pick out albums from that sandwiched middle period in which Alex' playing was less prevalent and Neil experimented more with electronic percussion.

Rush is only considered their worst album due to the absence of Neil. I recently played some Rush to a friend whose favourite band is Megadeth. I played him Anthem, The Trees, La Villa Strangiato, 2112 (which he wanted to hear) and the first three tracks off Rush he liked what he heard. He kept asking what year everything was from.

I don't get why people hate "Test for Echo" it's a killer album! Way better than Roll the bones, Vapor Trails or Snakes and Arrows.. Everyone I know loves it except for older Rush fans.

Before and After, from the first album. Have a beautiful intro, maybe not sound good enough. But is really good !.

Great chat, gentlemen. Really difficult to gauge the worst Rush album because as Ryan said, there really is no "bad" Rush album. I tend to agree that the debut is definitely one of the worst. Sounds like a lot of filler to me. "Working Man" is iconic and might buoy the reputation of the album, but one song does not an album make. The rest ranges from OK to mediocre - at least in my opinion. Also in the running for "worst" album for me would be "Snakes & Arrows" and "Test For Echo". But if push came to shove? I'd probably have to agree with Ryan - at least with the #19 spot. That debut just isn't anything special.

I might be the biggest Contrarian on this issue. I was never a big Rush fan, and the only albums I ever paid for by them were their first and Signals (the latter just for "Subdivisions"). I sold Signals in the 80s lol. I like the first album best, and adore Working Man by far above anything else they ever did (i always detected some Iommi in both the riffs and solos on that song, which sealed the deal for me decades ago). Never owned any other Rush album, in fact the only other song I really like by them is the monumental Temples of Syrinx.

Before And After is a great song. Love the riff.

Great review guys and I think you hit the nail on the head when you said it is all down to taste. This band has such a rich variety of albums, with each one evolving from the last that there are all sorts of styles and phases that will appeal to different people. Its not so much about bad and good but about personal preference, either from the playing, the song Writing, the lyrical themes, the Production or a myriad of other aspects of the recording that people may latch on to. I agree that for a lot of people the first thing that connected them to the band is what they look for moving forward and the standard they judge other albums and songs by. That said it was not how it worked for me. My entry was a single song: Distant Early Warning (Live) and what I liked was the energy of it and the keyboard sound. I had to choose to either buy the album this came from or an album that had been recommended to me years before. I went with the recommendation and bought 2112 - 'Nuff said. At that point I was a fan and bought each album in the Order they were released. I started with Fly by Night (Because the cover of the first Rush album was so bad, I thought the sound may be to rough and put me off). When I caught up with them (Hold your Fire) I went back to the first album and it was so wonderful to hear that old sound they had evolved from once again. Like meeting an old friend again and seeing how they have changed but also how they have stayed the same. I agree that Rush do not have a bad album but there are two that are bottom of my list. I never could connect with Test for Echo and it is the only Rush Album I no longer play. The other questionable one for me is Presto but this one has three of my favourite Rush songs - The Pass, Chain Lightning and Available Light. Choosing a favorite Rush album is like Choosing a favorite child, its just not possible and really, why choose at all? I think if you love anything by this band (even Test for Echo) you are already on the right path. I can say the top ones on my list (in no particular Order) are Power Windows, Fly by Night. 2112 and Vapour Trails . The one I seem to go back to the most is Caress of steel. ...And I love Hold Your Fire (take that Mr Popoff 🙂)

I love power windows grace under pressure hold your fire presto roll the bones counterparts snakes and arrows solid albums but some Rush fans are stuck in the 70s

I think what year one starts to listen to Rush dictates what people have a tendency to like. I was living out of the country when I got my first Rush album, 2112 in 1976. I then proceeded to get the previous albums. I loved and still love the early stuff. Then got Farewell to Kings before I came back to the U.S.. I was 16 at the time. The friends I had when I got back never heard of Rush. They were into Kansas, Styx, Van Halen, Boston, and Bands like that that I have not heard of. I loved the epics that Rush was putting out. Once Moving Pictures came out, they kind of became somewhat mainstream do to the overplaying of Tom Sawyer. So Moving Pictures became the last album I bought. I had them all, including All the World"s A Stage, up to Moving Pictures. I felt Rush had left the hard edge rock they started with and moved into what was more mainstream. It just seemed weak to me. I've had Test For Echo and Vapor Trails for some years now and can't say I've ever really listened to them. Just got a cd version of the first album. And that makes me happy.

I agree with Ryan's take and he makes a good case. I was on board with Rush from the late 70s so don't necessarily agree with the timeline argument as an absolute determinant for any individual's stance. I used to enjoy the early albums but don't listen to anything before A Farewell to Kings these days. I don't have anything against any Rush album but cringe a little at any of the Rand themed songs from the earlier period. I see Martin's point of view up to a point as an academic exercise but it doesn't sway my enjoyment or lack thereof. I only trust my own ears or perhaps another's point of view I hadn't considered. Was the first Rush album a great 1974 album, perhaps, do I want to listen to it in 2023, no I don't. King Crimson's Starless and Bible Black or Red and Relayer by Yes are albums from 1974 I do return to.

Caress of Steel. Fly By Night. Power Windows. I just never listen to those 3. I like a few songs off each but no way I'm playing any of those 3 in completion. I like 2 songs off of each the last time I checked. And that is a low point to me because I like more songs off of every other album. Even Hold Your Fire and Presto which would definitely be next in the line of fire to round out the top 5. I didn't put Feedback in this because that isn't a Rush original album. But yeah, it's a wreck. It pains me to do this because I love Rush so much but just like The Cure which is my fav band, there are a few bad ones a long the way. That last Cure album was a mess and so was the debut. But that's another story. But any real fan has to be able to knock on bands even if they are one of your favs and I do this with all my favs. Especially when you a band like Rush, Cure, Kiss. etc. Those bands have a lot of albums so there is obviously going to be some you don't care for much. As far as Ryan's pick. It's not one I play much either but it's nowhere near the worst in my opinion. But for Working Man alone it gets a middle of the pack for me. But we all hear things differently so it's all up to the listener. 2112 was my fav for years and I will always hold it dearly but I prefer Permanent Waves much more now. I also love Grace and Clockwork more than 2112 now. Roll The Bones as well. Driven and Bravado are two songs I listen to more than anything off of my former fav Rush album 2112 so there you go. The only thing that has stayed forever is I still hate Big Money as much as I did then and now. I just loathe that song. Power Windows will never move out of the 3 worst Rush albums for that song alone. Even if Marathon is cool as fuck all. Not to mention that is also the worst Rush album cover as well. Power Windows. What the hell does that even mean anyway. Just bland and dumb. Just like that album for the most. Marathon should never be on that album. It doesn't fit the lameness. Fly By Night is the only other song along with I think Im going Bald that I just can't stand. And so those 3 albums are responsible for that shit so they will stay my worst 3 Rush albums ever.

If Rush ended their career after "Fly by night" they would still be respected for being the great unknown hard rock band along Budgie. And I totally hear some Rush trademarks from the very beginning. These songs are incredibly catchy and energetic - with this, they've managed to put their mark on the hard rock style. A mark that was present and recognisable on their later albums too.

The 2 albums I don't usually go back to are "Hold Your Fire" and "Roll The Bones". They are OK albums, but we're talking Rush here. I do like "RUSH", reminds me of my youth when I started getting into this type of music and discovering so many great bands, in the mid/late 70's and early 80's.

Did any of the polls break 'Worst Rush album' down into age groups? (I'm not expecting an answer, because I'm not going to get one, lol). It's just interesting to think about.

For me my least favorites are Test For Echo, Snakes ans Arrows, Vapor Trails but at the same time i'm saying this and they're the records i've listen the least and now it makes want to go and listen more to them, maybe my opinion will change. I'm with Ryan on the Hold Your Fire album, i love this record, i'm soon to be 49 years old in a couple of weeks, i discovered RUSH in the early 80's, their synth period and i love that period alot so it's true that you're attached more to the albums at the time you discovered the band. But at the end i love every RUSH album, there is no albums that i hate, i love all the period they went through. The first album is probably between number 12 to 9 for me, i have to make my ranking.

Great great show! Albeit there is no " worst album" on Rush's catalogue. If I have to choose one it would be Test For Echo. Second worst the debut of course. Why? You know why. Because it's without the mighty Neil Peart.

I just don’t understand the dislike for Test For Echo, one of my favorite Rush albums. Alex’s riffing is amazing on that album. Maybe because the album has very accessible, almost commercial songs like Resist, and Half The World. Resist played acoustic live on a couple of tours became such a highlight. Driven seemed like something that went over well live. Great riff. Virtuality’s lyrics may be dated, but like Driven, what a riff. I would urge Rush fans to give that album especially another listen.

The argument trying to compare other albums from the same year is silly. Were talking the band itself. Moving Pictures came out in a different year than 5150 and yet its still a far superior album to anything VH made.

my least favorite Rush album is Hold Your Fire. until fairly recently, I was a 70s Rush snob and didn't care about anything after Hemispheres. I saw them when I was a teenager during the Grace Under Pressure tour and thought I'd seen them at their lowest point (albumwise I should add-in 1984, they were phenomenal live). then I went back and re-listened to Grace and really enjoyed it! so I moved onto Power Windows-which I thought was merely okay. I can't even get through Hold Your Fire. Presto is almost as hard to get through for me. I'll concede Ryan's point that without Neil Peart, it's not truly a Rush album, but then again, "Working Man" alone pushes it above Rush's late 80s output.

Completely subjective as all these WHO IS BEST OR WHAT ALBUM IS BEST polls are. I like the album and don’t care what these people think.

No room for RUSH and worst in the same topic.

Yeah that other guy has lost his freaking mind! Fly by night is arguably one of their greatest albums!

In my opinion RUSH is a double whammy. Worst album and worst cover!

Been following Rush since 1978. These choices are contrarian indeed. My least favourite albums are Presto and Roll The Bones, which will obviously be contrarian to others I guess. The first three albums are the foundation’s of the bands catalogue.

First off, we all like what we like and dislike what we dislike, not much room for a debate. And no harm, no foul, it doesn't matter to me what you like. With RUSH, it really seems to break down along generational lines. When did you get into RUSH and what was the album? Why do I disagree with your take? My 1st album was Moving Pictures, when it was new. Then Exit Stage Left, then the previous releases. I was heartbroken when Signals came out and Rush began sounding like the Police and Rush. Then Grace continued that horrifying trend. I love RUSH for the riffs, Geddy's almost reckless abandon and energy while singing, the bass, the drum fills, Alex's solos, the dynamics, the changes within the songs, etc. From Signals on, the riffs became scarcer and scarcer. The drums were tamer, keyboard use everywhere. Alex's new best friend seemed to be a clean channel, delay, chorus and barely playing. For me, Hold Your Fire, Test for Echo, Roll the Bones, Counterparts, Grace, Power Windows are all unlistenable. I have tried on many occasions to get into these records, but I can't. I find them boring. What I love about RUSH is missing on those albums. Snakes and Arrows showed some promise of a possible return to form. Then, Clockwork Angels rocked pretty good and was a great way to go out. That's my story. Working Man alone elevates the 1st album above the latter period dreck. Rock on !!!!!

I like this album a great deal. Not being the biggest Rush fan, I find this one, one of the most enjoyable. I think it’s conclusive, this is the Rush album for the non Rush fan as pointed out by Martin

Hold Your Fire would be my choice. Don't hate it but it is my least favourite. Love Caress Of Steel and Test For Echo tho.

There is nothing “worst” about any of Rush’s output from the debut up to Signals. I would toss Hold Your Fire, Power Windows, Presto, and Roll The Bones WAAAAAY before any of the 70s albums. Caress Of Steel is amazing, especially on headphones. The debut is pure heavy rock, and Fly By Night is killer start to finish…huge riffs, and the hint of the prog to come with By Tor

The worst for me are the ones post Moving Pictures

Someday I’d like to see a Contrarians show dedicated to the defense of the much maligned “Presto”.

He maybe right in that RUSH is a selection of song lyrics that were hastily written by Geddy. John Rutsey was supposed to write the songs' lyrics but never did. With Neil, the lyrics became more focused. FLY by NIGHT is a strong album that gets stronger with every passing year. I liken that album to what if Gordon Lightfoot wrote Rush songs. I can see him singing Fly by Night easily. Caress of Steel is another album that gets stronger with each passing year, mainly because it's a curious effort by Rush channelling Genesis and Black Sabbath.

Ryan’s top 10 songs list includes Grand Designs and Emotion Detector if I’m not mistaken, so hot takes are all over his taste. No disrespect, just sayin turning on a camera in ya bedroom doesn’t an expert make. Would you say Power Windows was Rush ‘finding their sound’ if the self titled wasnt? No. They came back around to very little synths in the end. Closer to the self titled. Their sound.

Fly By Night is one of my faves - I'd take it over anything past Signals.