Your favourite Rush albums?

Hemispheres. 2112. Moving Pictures. Permanent Waves. Farewell to Kings in more or less that order.

Tried real real hard to like anything after Signals. Both when the later albums came out and then again a few years ago. Cannot find a single song or riff that I like after Signals. I don't like the direction they took after Moving Pictures but that never diminished my respect for the band or the individual in it. The Geddy Lee interview by Dan Rather on The Big Interview as fantastic. Encourage all Rush fans to seek it out and watch it.

"to many other good bands of the era with much better songwriting and musicianship."

While their songwriting might be a subjective call, their musicianship is not. The list of musicians with better skills than those three is very short.

@pgaulke60, great list. I agree that those are some great bands and I’m big fans of a lot of them. But a couple of thoughts. First, the thread was about favorite Rush albums....not live performances. I mention that because some bands do great studio stuff and some bands do great live stuff. Not all do both. Not all do either one all the time. Can’t comment on Rush because I never saw them. Did you? I have friends and family who have seen them many times and say they put on a great show. I'm not into large venue live music.

Second, as someone who likes most of what’s on your list (never interested in the Dead, Zappa or The Clash though) I don’t see where there is a necessity to exclude Rush based on song writing or musicianship in comparison. I get that someone might not like them.....even I don’t like over half of their discography....but it certainly isn’t on the basis of their skills. They are truly consummate musicians in every sense of the word.

@prof  " My idea of hell, though, would be the music of Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy piped in all day long."

De gustatibus non disputandum. And I don't mean that in a nice way. ;-)

My brother-in-law was a roadie for Rush a few times. He also thought Peart was arrogant. Having seen a number of good interviews and documentaries on Rush I would say he is a little arrogant, but no more than anyone else and it is apparent that the perceived arrogance by outsiders is a misconception. The truth of the matter is that he is intensely private and very uncomfortable with fans. I don't see that as a personality flaw and probably reflects a healthy response to stardom. Fortunately for the fans,  Geddy and Alex seem to be _very_ at ease with fans.

@tonykay : I doubt seriously that Peart missing a concert had _anything_ to do with arrogance or disregard for the audience and persisting in that belief is more of a problem with the believer than with Peart. We all like to have a scapegoat to be mad at.

@simao : Finding a woman who likes Rush is a rare find. Good thing you held onto her. My wife doesn't get Rush any more than she gets the Three Stooges. Both character flaws I have been willing to overlook these 31 years.

@prof : "To his ears, pretty much all other music, especially any popular modern music, is only fit to be played by "cavemen dancing around a fire." "

He is 100% correct. But man it is fun to be a caveman sometimes!