Wheel of Prog - RUSH Albums Tier List
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- čas přidán 7. 08. 2023
- Roie, Kyle, Jon, and Nick rank the RUSH studio albums in this episode of Wheel of Prog.
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#rush#progressiverock #movingpictures - Hudba
Presto is crying out for a Steven Wilson remix.
So damn brittle!. If it had the production of any Terry Brown albums, it would be excellent.
@@kendetulio4009 I still think it's a very good album despite the production problems. Definitely my favorite of that era.
Great idea - both that one and RTB please
I actually did my own re-EQ of the whole album, but unfortunately CZcams blocked the video I posted :(
Phenomenal idea.
Caress of Steel is a gem, has grown on me over the years.
Literally the only reason people don't like it is because of I Think I'm Going Bald. One song can't bring down 4 other strong tracks.
@@LostInTheSkyline agree. Likely my least favorite Rush tune. …along with most of TFE.
Loved it out of the wrapper.
This was one of my favorite albums for a very long time. Necromancer alone is pure awesomeness.
Grace Under Pressure was underwhelming upon the first few listens, but I grew to really love that record.
My soul left my body when Snakes and Arrows when into D tier as it's one of my all time favourite albums. A travesty.
Agreed. Snakes And Arrows is at LEAST B tier, if not A.
It's a little too bloated for me. Sure it has its moments but I prefer their older material. I'd rather listen to self-titled, fly by night, caress, 2112, farewell, hemispheres, permanant waves, moving, signals, grace, power window, hold your fire, presto, roll the bones and even test for echo before listening front to back to this monster.
In comparison to the songwriting and magic feeling I get from older rush releases, a D is harsh but understandable
Me too! Its one of my favorites.
Clockwork Angels is an S for me. It always blew my mind how a 40 year old band could make such a great record. The Garden is such an unappreciated masterpiece, became one of my favorite songs ever since I first listened to it, what a beautiful way to say goodbye!
Unfortunately, I would put Clockwork angels as a bottom tier album. It's a Pity because I like it hard but there's no Melodies to speak of. Plus the singing is cringe-worthy
you are cringe-worthy@@pezant10
I put it at the bottom of the A tier, but I would definitely have put it higher if Geddy's voice was like it was in the 80s and 90s. Musically it is S tier.
Loving these wheel episodes. Test for Echo is criminally underrated. Totem is a top tier song.
Thank you!
That album is my least favorite...by far !!
@@stephanechamberland8486 cool!
Little known fact for those that like to collect ROIOs from the T4E tour - the song 'Time and Motion' was played early in the tour on a small handful of occasions. One exception to this is the Capital Centre show in Maryland. My buddy and I had traveled to several different cities on the tour, and while we were wondering the concourse preshow we ran into the 98 rock FM station dudes. They said they were going to talk to the band and we pleaded with them to please tell the band to change up the setlist as we had been to several shows on the tour and it would mean the world to us. Sure enough, we got a 2nd set Time and Motion. My buddy and I freaked the fuck out while the rest of the crowd around us looked at us like we were crazy. Good times!
Time and Motion has an absolutely ferocious solo - needs to be B tier, at the minimum.
Great concept.
Looking forward to next episodes!
Now we’re talking!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
They gotta have you on for the Yes episode 😁🤘
Snakes And Arrows is a great album, for me their best since Grace Under Pressure. Tier A or B for me.
The sound quality and production are impressive on that album. It's done right.
It's funny you put it this way, since to me Grace is probably their worst album (tied with Presto).
I liked most everything that came out later more than Grace.
Snakes is one of my favorite Rush albums.
Great video and concept, I'll look forward to the next one
Absolutely love this series. Keep doing more!
Great ranking! My personal S tier would be Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, Signals and 2112
Great tier list. Kyle and Nick are the well-rounded critics here. Nick's words on Permanent Waves were spot on, and I agree with Kyle that Caress of Steel and Fly by night need to be bumped up a tier.
I'm adding this to my résumé. Kyle Fagala: "The well-rounded critic." hahaha.
Fun video. I would swap 2112 and Permanent Waves. In terms of Kyle's comment on no legacy prog band put out a decent album in the 2000's, I beg to differ. I think King Crimson's Power To Believe is a great album.
No love for snakes and arrows! Hehe
I like it a lot. I listen to it more than any of the 80s/synthy/pop ones
I bought Vapor Trails when it was first released and worked at a job where everyone wore headphones and listened to CDs all day while working and this one I played over and over, one of my favorite albums of that year.
Very fun videos to watch, the wheel of prog is very fun!
I like snakes and arrows :/ ( Far cry is one of my favorites)
I love Far Cry! It's the rest of the album I struggle with. I'll give it another listen!
Great tune. Was awesome live…. Along with Red Sector A.
Working them Angels.... B tier minimum.
Same!
Mixed bag for me. Far Cry and the instrumentals are good. The others are forgetable.
Vapor Trails is my favorite Rush album of all time. I just don't get how it's so widely disliked.
its top 3 for sure for me. Some great stuff
I don’t get it either! Fantastic album! These guys are crazy
I think the production made it Rush's equivalent to St Anger, like they said. I love One Little Victory, Ghost Rider and Earthshine a hell of a lot. D tier is harsh
@@AllThisOverASliceOfGabagool Man, I actually liked the title track in St Anger despite the garbage can snare, but listening to the rest of the album was painful! Withy Vapor Trails there are just no bad songs!
@@leandronc I completely agree with you, Leandro. I meant in terms of the production, which was way too loud and sounded really bad. The songs suffered as a result. The songs deserved far better production.
As a comment to the guy saying the 00s gave us no good albums from the big bands.. Well... Jane`s Addiction released "Strays" in 2003..Others are QOTSA. System of A Down. MUSE. Audioslave. Arcade Fire. The Flaming Lips. The White Stripes. Radiohead. U2 also had some kind of a comeback in the early 00s.
Please do a Jethro Tull (my fav band) or Frank Zappa (official releases from Freak Out through Civilization Phaze 3 ) Wheel for the next episode! Both would be interesting especially Zappa with all those albums!
Just became a fan recently because of the wheel :)
Sounds great, although I believe that the episode would certainly need to be several hours long just to cover the 63 or so records that Frank had released in his lifetime. Not a problem for me though as I've always got time to spare for all things Zappa.
These wheel of Prog videos are great!
More to come!
@@progreport What does one have to do to be involved in a Symphony X wheel of Prog?
Thx guys, amazing fun. ❤
The dancing bunnies were used at the Counterparts show I saw in Miami exactly 30 years ago. 🐰🐇
Power windows is peak rush ! The mix is flawless!
It's so cheesy yet manages to be so good at the same time
The mix and production are Grand Designs!
Only just discovered you chaps. Great stuff, love the wheel of prog. There are no duff Rush albums. And to finish with Clockwork Angels, wow.
Great show and tier list. Absolutely agree with those top 4 albums! Would love you guys to do this on Genesis.
S: Moving Pictures, Signals, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves
A: Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, 2112, Snakes & Arrows (Sue Me!)
B: A Farewell To Kings, Clockwork Angels, Fly By Night, Hold Your Fire
C: RUSH, Roll The Bones, Counterparts, Presto
D: Vapor Trails, Caress of Steel, Test for Echo, Feedback
Permanent Waves is my favorite and IMO Roll the Bones and Power Windows are under rated.
That's a pretty accurate ranking that I think most can adhere to, with a few adjustements here and there maybe :) I really should check out Clockwork Angels. For some reasons I never got around to listening to it. And even though Rush is probably the band I saw live the most often, I so regret not being able to go see them on their last tour... Thanks for this video guys!
I was at that Signals show in Omaha that Jon went to.
Love to see you guys do a wheel on Genesis!!
Your wish is our command (it came out this week).
Hold Your Fire is underrated. Good ranking overall.
one of my personal favourites!
Nick's breakdown of Permanent Waves was perfect.
Saying Vapor Trails has no memorable songs is ridiculous.
The title track, the beautiful Ghost Rider, Earthshine, Secret Touch, and more.
Loving these tier list videos. Generally agree with the general rankings here, and happy to see Grace Under Pressure make A tier. I think the only thing that stands out for me personally is Snakes and Arrows which would probably be B tier for me. I like it a lot, but I get why it was ranked lower.
I love test for echo ❤ I loved it before social media when we had our own opinions 😀
Nah not putting 2112 in S-tier should be a crime. Just the raw prog rock edging into metal is amazing, certainly better then something like The Spirit Of Radio. Don't get me wrong I like that song but almost all the songs on 2112 beat Spirit Of Radio IMO.
Hemispheres, Permanent waves, Caress of steel, 2112, Farewell to Kings, Moving pictures, Power Windows, Signals, Hold your fire, and then whatever else.
I'm a little less harsh than you guys, but basically agree on the flow.
S Tier:
Moving Pictures
Hemispheres
A Farewell to Kings
Permanent Waves
Signals
A Tier:
Power Windows
2112
Grace Under Pressure
Fly By Night
Clockwork Angels
B Tier:
Counterparts
Hold Your Fire
Snakes and Arrows
Roll the Bones
Caress of Steel
C Tier:
Rush
Presto
Vapor Trails
D Tier:
Test for Echo
50:33 Q: "Did any legacy band make a good album in the early 2000s?"
A: Kansas
I developed an appreciation for Vapor Trails over time. Secret Touch and Freeze are bangers.
Ceiling Unlimited slaps too.
Love Vapor Trails! Heavy and raw...
nick that intro. omg . love this content! please keep it going. opeth, devin.
We enjoy filming them, so there will be more to come. It's only a matter of time before Opeth happens...
My take:
Best: Hemispheres. My God. Done.
Worst: Snakes and Arrows. My only D tier Rush. Armor and Sword then....
Underrated: This is the toughy. Two awesome/different albums. Peart roll...
Counterparts beats Presto by an Everyday Glory!!!
Great job again!….I’ll second an Opeth wheel
Total agreement on the S and A tiers, but c'mon Snakes and Arrows isn't THAT bad 🤣
The only "F" is "Vapor Trails." That has always been the turd in Rush's punch bowl. And "Caress of Steel" is absolutely superb.
It hurts my soul to hear that.
It's in my top 15.
Have you tried the remix?
Roie...I agree with you on the late 80's-90's albums. Not their "best" albums, but the ones I listen to the most. I came into Rush min-80's...and it took me a long time to listen to, and like, early Rush. lol.
Nice work, gents! Much less fisticuffs than that Dream Theater episode, haha!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Would love to see you rank within the Tiers
S tier - Permanent Waves, Grace Under Pressure, Hemispheres, Hold Your Fire
A tier - Signals, Moving Pictures, Power Windows, 2112
B tier - Presto, Caress Of Steel, Rush, Counterparts
C tier - Fly By Night, Roll The Bones, A Farewell To Kings, Test For Echo
D tier - (Feedback) Clockwork Angels, Snakes & Arrows, Vapor Trails
Swap Power Windows with Fly By Night. Then swap Counterparts and Presto with Caress of Steel and the debut and the ranking becomes perfect. Well done!
Have any of these guys actually listened to Snakes and Arrows?! So many good songs on that album! Overall, I do think this is a solid list, though.
this is why rush is so great. somebody’s worst is somebody’s best. Personally, I LOVE Vapor Trail. So many great songs. A tier for me. To each their own!
Love this series! Great conversation as usual. I’m in agreement for most, but I think Snakes & Arrows is woefully under ranked. That’s a B album for me. This discography is so damn strong though, so I get it.
Vapor Trails is awesome!
I saw them on that tour. It was so great. I was 13!
I cut my Rush teeth on their Kings album when I was about 10 years old around 1980, spent the next few years buying all the albums and loved all of it to death, then in 84 I hear on MTV about a new Rush release coming up called Grace under pressure and I bought the album and it just didn't grab me like all their previous stuff, and it was pretty much like that for the rest of the 80s releases, then around 1990 I heard Presto and couldn't get enough of it, but the rest of the 90s it was pretty much back to meh, but then Vapor Trails came out around 2002 and I couldn't get enough of it for the next couple of years, and their last couple of releases was back to it was just okay, but over time many of these average Rush albums have grown on me more
Can't believe the Snakes and Arrows hate. I have it as B tier. Swap it with Presto.
I limited myself to 4 albums in each ranking. I would have put more in S if I could. Maybe all of the ones in the A tier. The only album I do not like is Feedback and the rest of the D are so so or I have not listened to them enough to put them higher.
S- Signals, Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves, Hemispheres
A-Farewell to Kings, Grace Under Pressure, Counterparts, 2112
B-Fly by Night, Clockwork Angels, Power Windows, Presto
C- Test for Echo, Roll the Bones, Rush, Caress of Steel,
D- Snakes and Arrows, Vapor Trails, Hold Your Fire, Feedback.
"Test For Echo" was the first that I felt the lyric cadence became clunky - previous albums had a better melodic flow.
Hold Your Fire is my second favorite album in all music history. Second only to Tales From Topographic Oceans.
You guys gonna do a pink floyd and genesis wheel of prog?
You should end by ranking the albums in each tier.
Also, Hold Your Fire is at least C tier. Counterparts and Hold Your Fire are the two albums I always hope get a good ranking.
We've discussed ranking the individual tiers but were afraid it might get too far into the weeds. But, maybe we'll do it next time!
50:30 Iron Maiden’s Brave New World is the only one I can think of
The ranking should have been S, A+, A, and A-, there are no other letters when it comes to Rush. Ha
Not sure the song in the middle of Counterparts that is "So So"... Between Sun and Moon and Alien Shore are two of my favorites...
was
Was this posted as a podcast? I don't see any of the 'Wheel of Prog' episodes in my feed...
No, the Wheel episodes are only on CZcams.
Presto would go into B tier for me. But maybe I'm a bit biased as that was the first album I bought (on cassette nonetheless) when I started getting into Rush. I prefer Permanent Waves over Moving Pictures. Yet I would still put both of them in the S tier, along with Hemispheres, and Grace under Pressure.
Far Cry is amazing, especially live. I don't remember any of the other songs from that album though...
Wow! Snakes and Arrows would be B tier for me. Solid step up from Vapor Trails. My favorite of theirs post Test For Echo.
Sorry to be annoying, but I have to comment on every video until OPETH happens😊 Great series!
🤣
King crimson would be awesome aswell! And Pink floyd probably have to happen at some point :)@@progreport
I change Presto to A and test for echo to b and it's done for me
S: A Farewell to Kings thru Signals
A: Power Windows, Clockwork Angels, 2112
B: Fly By Night, Caress of Steel, Grace Under Pressure
C: Hold Your Fire, Test for Echo, debut, Vapor Trails
D: Counterparts, Presto, Roll the Bones, Snakes & Arrows
Virtuality's lyrics have aged better than any song in the history of music. Neil HATED this new thing called "the internet". This song was not a celebration of it. It was the exact opposite. To quote him directly in reference to the lyric "let's dance tonight to a virtual song..." He said "It sounds nice and romantic...but what IS a virtual song, and who'd want to dance to it?"
Agree about 2112, there is a world of difference between Side A and Side B, it’s just that Side A is up there with their best work.
Totally. For me, that makes it really hard to rank. Would you put it in S Tier?
@@KyleFagala I cannot because of side B.
@@KyleFagala absolutely but I also really like the B-side as a counterpart to side A so there's that.
Great Debate!
Rush is my favorite band. I know I have controversial picks, but I'm not going to appeal to the masses.
S - Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, A Farewell to Kings, Permanent Waves
A - 2112, Fly by Night, Caress of Steel, Rush
B - Signals, Test for Echo, Snakes and Arrows, Grace Under Pressure
C - Power Windows, Presto, Vapor Trails, Counterparts
D - Clockwork Angels, Feedback, Rolls The Bones, Hold Your Fire
Interesting rankings!
Okay, A Farewell to Kings over 2112, absolutely needed to be reversed!!
It's a tough call. The top 3 are obviously Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, and Permanent Waves but if you asked me what album should get the number 4 spot, I'd flip flop constantly. One day I'd say 2112 and another day I'd say Kings.
Why do people not like 'Rivendell' if you're of a certain generation (ahem - Me!) Tolkienesque poetry and imagery was everywhere in the 70's, bloomin' Robert plant didn't have the monopoly on gollum and the depths of Mordor. Fly by Night 'A' list easily. - and discuss...... PS me too would love a Tull list. thanks y'all
You should make the wild card spin your 4 names so one of you gets to move one depending where it lands.
Well a third or half at best of the list is correct. Snakes and Arrows is a killer album! And I’d put Clockwork Angels in A tier easily
Absolutely love these wheel of prog episodes. I think Rush is generally terrible with a few scattered listenable songs and even I loved watching hardcore Rush fans tier these albums. (Donning asbestos suit now). I have done 3 “deep dives” on this band in the last 40 years and I can definitively say 99% of their catalog is not for me. I have downloaded every one of these album and have listened to each of them once and ironically my tier list would have come out nearly identical. 😂 I have “best of Rush” playlist in case I do an urge to listen to the handful of song I like. Interestingly there are only 20 songs in their entire catalog I rated as songs I like. And NONE of them are over 10 minutes and most are in the 4-5 minute range; if that any indication of my musical tastes. Maybe I shouldn’t be subscribed to a channel called “The Prog Report” 😂🤦🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤘🏼
Caress of steel is S tier for me, but it is also a black sheep, a diamond in the rust and a prelude to more masterpieces, has prog, stunning basslines, super heavy breakdown section in necromancer, intense solos, "feeling", randomness without losing accuracy while playing......it is another path Rush could have taken, where "adapting" to an era, using synth and music videos was not necessary.
It starts with "all their albums are good" and continues with (mainly Roie) describing most albums as boring with hardly a good song in it, and at times with "bad sound".
I think it's mutually exclusive :)
Anyway, Counterparts is a great album and is easily a top-10.
Hold Your Fire is mostly a great album with amazing lyrics, melodies, bass playing and emotional guitat solos.
For me an easy top-10 as well.
D tier for me is:
Feedback, Presto, Grace Under Presure and Snakes & Arrows.
I did not describe most of the albums as boring with no good songs. 😂
@@progreport On some albums you struggled to mention 1 good song. :)
Like Snakes & Arrows, Vapor Trails and others.
It's ok you have a favorite era. Everyone has one.
Actually to me Presto and Grace are their weakest albums, but I also had a different trajectory of exposure to the band so nothing is really objective
Faithless is such a beautiful song, how can you guys trash it (and the rest of the album) that way?
I always listen to A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres as part 1 and 2 because of Cygnus.
Definitely S tier albums. I have to agree with all the S tier stuff.
2112 is fantastic but those 4 albums you put into S tier are more enjoyable. I actually prefer Caress of Steel over 2112. I always thought it was a great album and overlooked.
I'm glad Presto got a last minute bump up
I love Snakes and Arrows!
Awesome episode and great list
My ranking:
S: Clockwork Angels, Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves
A: Grace Under Pressure, A Farewell to Kings, 2112, Signals
B: Fly By Night, Counterparts, Presto, Rush
C: Roll The Bones, Hold Your Fire, Power Windows, Test For Echo
D: Caress of Steel, Snakes and Arrows, Vapor Trails, Feedback
I must be the only one that likes Feedback.
I like it. Considering it's a collection of covers, we decided we would automatically place it in D Tier so we would have an even 20 albums instead of 19. A lot of the "Rush Album Rankings" lists don't even include it. What tier would you place it in?
@@KyleFagala It would be low on the tier just because of all the great albums by Rush ( not in the bottom row just I personally would put it over some of the late 80's and early 90's ones).
It's just that it is fun to hear all the reactions even those that hate it. Great Show
Oh man, the disdain for Snakes & Arrows hurts me! For me it is far better than Vapor Trails, Test for Echo, Counterparts and maybe RTB. Far Cry is a killer track. And S&A has some of Neil's best lyrics! I mean come on, just read the words to Armor and Sword.
Love this series guys, please do more!
Armor and sword excellent tune
Test For Echo never belongs with those albums in the D Tier. It's a B for me. Other than that, most of the other choices are where I'd put them. Agree that 2112 isn't quite an S.
Hot Take: I wouldn't put Moving Pictures anywhere near S Tier
Power Windows is totally S-tier. The writing is some of the best they ever did besides Moving Pictures. Not even a debate.
Also, 50:30, "did any of the classic bands make a good album in the early 2000s"? Camel.
I mostly agree with this tier list. The only change I'd make is to move "Hold Your Fire" to D and move "Test For Echo" to C.
Vapor Trails is AMAZING!
damn man...I get that there are a bunch of classics in the Rush catalog, but I always liked test fo echo, it gets such a bad rep
"Feed Back" - D - no feelings about this at all. Made no impact. Good or bad..so it must be in "D".
"Presto" - B I have no issues with the sound. The cleaner the better. Neil's Ludwig drums were crushing it during this period. Stand out track, "Scars!"
"Caress of Steel" - A The track "Bastille Day" puts it there all on its own. "The Fountain of Lamneth" and " The Necromancer" are awesome.
"Power Windows" - C Not near the top of their catalog. Better performances live than on record. Just too much synth work for me I am afraid.
"Moving Pictures" - A It's amazing. BUT I have a handful of albums that I will put ahead of this.
"Test For Echo" - D As a drummer into my 50th year of playing, Neil is sooo important to me. I hated the "reinvented" Neil. There wasn't anything wrong with him before!!! He wasn't the Neil I loved after this. Once he started "improvising" more and stopped playing the fills note for note..I was really upset and frustrated. Also, I can't stand the sound of DW drums!
"Permanent Waves" - A Stunning album. All the tracks are very progressive, yet heavily melodic. Neil's playing is incredible. BUT, not in my top tier!
"Roll the Bones" - B I think it is very beat up by reputation now. Again, I LOVE the sound of Neil's Ludwig drums here. Side one is stronger (with "Ghost of a Chance" on side two) and it fades pretty quickly..but overall, not nearly as worthy of a slogging as it gets.
"Snakes and Arrows" - D Just not a fan on any level. The sound is awful!!
"Signals" - S A masterpiece!! Everything about it is incredible. Side One is perfection!!! Neil was never better!! Complete mastery on the drums! And the last Terry Brown contribution!!
"Hemispheres" - S THE ultimate Rush album. It's a progressive juggernaut! The real standouts for me are "Circumstances" and "The Trees"!!! Nice "steal" of the quote from Mike Portnoy about "La Villa".
"A Farewell to Kings" - S If not for this, "Hemispheres" doesn't exist. 'Xanadu", the title track, and the powerhouse "Cygnus X-1" make this essential in every way!!!!!
"2112" - A So important...but inconsistent. I do love "Twilight Zone" and "Lessons" while "A Passage to Bangkok" is vintage Rush.
"Clockwork Angels" - D Just doesn't work for me. The mix and textures are just too thick and murky. I longed for the clean and crisp cutting sound of earlier albums. The songs just aren't as memorable for me.
"Rush" - C Middle or near the bottom is exactly where this belongs.
"Hold Your Fire" - D Not a big fan of this as presented. The songs that appear on "A Show of Hands" are much stronger than on the studio album.
"Vapor Trails" - D Yikes!! I think that about covers it.
"Fly By Night" - S Yeah, I say S!! Might not be the "best" Rush..but the most important Rush album. THIS is where they become RUSH!!! "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" is THE most important Rush song of their entire career!!
"Grace Under Pressure" - S LOVE, LOVE , LOVE this album..while it won't top "Hemispheres" or "A Farewell to Kings", this is Neil's best drumming display! His versatility was amazing!!! Wonderful guitar solos from Alex!!!
"Counterparts" - B Much better album than I remembered it. It's got a strong feel to it and the songs seemed to have become "better" over time.
Very nice rundown!
Great details here! Love you putting Signals and Fly By Night in S Tier!
@@KyleFagala Thank you sir!
@@jonfiala1144 Thank you!
Vapor Trails is excellent man.
The 1st album IS NOT RUSH. Its a blues rock album. Clockwork Angels is A list.