Rush Kicks - the Playlist

The fun part of creating this playlist was in the creativity of formulating a mix. The easy route of grouping the tracks by release year , or even by theme – although all four parts of “Fear” play together in release order – was deliberately avoided. Instead, the focus was on making the songs work together in a viable and  extremely playable mix: danceable keyboard-heavy rhythms sit alongside the heavier jams that mix into guitar anthems and drum solos that can be beat upon imaginary pads floating affixed in the air.

This playlist has the representation of at least one track from every studio release, including clunkers Caress Of Steel and Clockwork Angels, with the self-titled, non-Neil debut album being the sole exception – and honestly, who really needs to hear “Working Man” yet again. The heavy-handed Hemispheres has only one entry: “La Villa Strangiato”.

Certain hit singles are deliberately absent. “Tom Sawyer”, “Subdivisions”, “Freewill” and “Spirit Of The Radio” being the chief over-played culprits. Also missing is “2112”, mostly due to the run time of the complete epic; separating out just the “Overture” falls into the overplayed category. Included, though, is every studio instrumental with live recordings scattered throughout.

What has been completely enjoyable in the creation of this playlist was listening to complete albums again – some of them for the first time in years – and finding musical threads laid out, deliberately or not, throughout certain eras. The early classic hard, yet progressive, sound of a simple three-piece band; the heavy, deeply-layered samples of the 21^st Century albums; the synth-laden ‘80s; the retaliation of a guitar sound in the ‘90s. Rush obviously benefited from the changes in technology. Regardless of playing prowess, the sounds of their later albums are richer, deeper, than any time period from before. Even your iPod ear buds can discern the fuller sound between Vapor Trails and Signals.

Certain albums just plain kick – Vapor Trails, Snakes & Arrows, Signals – while others don’t play as well as you might remember. Aside from the tracks represented here, Counterparts and Test For Echo are almost completely forgettable. And the releases that bridge the early Prog era with the MTV single craze – Permanent Waves, Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, Hold Your Fire – still sound great.

Finally, this is not a greatest hits. This is a playlist. One that contains some of the best of the trio, some of those forgotten b-sides, and a few personal selections. This is being posted for enjoyment with the promotion for you to follow using tracks from your own library. But ultimately, this is a personal list. One to be played and enjoyed.

The Big Money	A Show Of Hands
One Little Victory	Vapor Trails
YYZ	Moving Pictures
Cut To The Chase	Counterparts
Dreamline	Roll The Bones
Neurotica	Roll The Bones
Where's My Thing?	Roll The Bones
Distant Early Warning	Grace Under Pressure
The Seeker	Feedback
Totem	Test For Echo
High Water	Hold Your Fire
Xanadu	A Farewell To Kings
In The End	Fly By Night
Entre Nous	Permanent Waves
Bastille Day	Caress Of Steel
Secret Touch	Vapor Trails
Witch Hunt -- Part III Of 'Fear'	Moving Pictures
The Weapon -- Part II Of 'Fear'	Signals
The Enemy Within -- Part I Of 'Fear'	Grace Under Pressure
Freeze -- Part IV Of 'Fear'	Vapor Trails
La Villa Strangiato	Hemispheres
Making Memories	Fly By Night
Far Cry	Snakes & Arrows
The Body Electric	Grace Under Pressure
Leave That Thing Alone	Different Stages
Headlong Flight	Clockwork Angels
Half The World	Test For Echo
For What It's Worth	Feedback
I Think I'm Going Bald	Caress Of Steel
Natural Science	Permanent Waves
Red Tide	Presto
Territories	Power Windows
Superconductor	Presto
Hope	Snakes & Arrows
Kid Gloves	Grace Under Pressure
War Paint	Presto
Workin' Them Angels	Snakes & Arrows
Stick It Out	Counterparts
Anthem	Fly By Night
The Main Monkey Business	Snakes & Arrows
Cinderella Man	A Farewell To Kings
Scars	Presto
Limbo	Test For Echo
Vapor Trails	Vapor Trails
A Passage To Bangkok	2112
Malignant Narcissism	Snakes & Arrows
Open Secrets	Hold Your Fire
Red Lenses	Grace Under Pressure
Turn The Page	Hold Your Fire
Grand Designs	Power Windows
Chemistry	Signals
The Camera Eye	Moving Pictures
Emotion Detector	Power Windows
Ghost Of A Chance	Roll The Bones
Prime Mover	Hold Your Fire
We Hold On	Snakes & Arrows
Face Up	Roll The Bones
The Analog Kid	Signals
Digital Man	Signals
Lessons	2112
Animate	Counterparts
Out Of The Cradle	Vapor Trails
Closer To The Heart	A Show Of Hands

As Always, 

theJOE