arcane-beautiful Yes, Rush have put the synths behind them now, yay.

After Rush saw a success in the less use of synths, they decided to make a more guitar, bass and drum orientated album, which they easily should have seen to be successful, because they are a billion times better with that organic structure.

This album is alot better and more enjoyable than Presto, and the rest before that...

1. Dreamline - Wow, what a chorus. I love the synths in this song. Even the pre chorus is amazing. Great start to the album.

2. Bravado - Very U2. Great song with a great simple, but effective chorus. Great guitar solo.

3. Roll The Bones - The intro sounds very Michael Jackson. Amazing chorus. The rap is a bit cheesy, but it suprisingly works.

4. Face Up - The chorus is very cheesy, but it always works with Rush. Love the ambient keyboard section.

5. Where's My Thing? - Great funly instrumental with an amazng bass work from Geddy. Some very kick ass riffs in this song.

6. The Big Wheel -Love the keyboards in this song, especially in the chorus. The chorus is also great as well.

7. Heresy - Another song with great use of keyboards. Great chorus. I love how well this song flows.

8. Ghost Of A Chance - Quite an interesting song. I love the change in dynamics throughout. This song reminds me of Seal for some reason. The lyrics in this song are very esoteric (my new found faith, haha).

9. Neurotica - Love the riff in this song. Pretty cool chorus. I like the middle section. Very funky. Another great guitar solo.

10. You Bet Your Life - Cool chorus, with great ad libing bits.

CONCLUSION: The return of amazing rock based music. Things...will only get better.

arcane-beautiful Yay, Rabbits.

Yea, after the abysmal period (yes I will say that), Rush came back with an album that was, actually a great album.Yea, this is a great achievement for Rush, after that dark and dank period they went through.

With a wee bit of prog and an excellent blend with pop between the 2, this album was very enjoyable.

1. Show Don't Tell - Pretty cool intro/ Very funly. Geddy's vocals in this song are amazing. Quite a catchy chorus. Great opener. I love the bass solo.

2. Chain Lightening - Their is quite an eccentric 80's King Crimson vivbe to this song. Pretty interesting. The chorus is quite nice.

3. The Pass - Classic Rush song. Amazing song with one amazing chorus. They do this song amazing live (Rush In Rio).Great lyrics. Amazing guitar solo. Basicaly one amazing song. Their is also a video for this song, which is a bit werid but quite cool.

4. War Paint - Reminds me of a more upbeatversion of Supertramp. Pretty cool song. I like the vocal harmonies in the chorus.

5. Scars - Amazing bassline. The chorus is graet and quite catchy. I love the synth atmopshere in the song.

6. Presto - The harmonies in the chorus are very nice. A nice laid back moment in the album. The guitar solo is pretty cool.

7. Superconductor - Quite a groovy song. Very cheesy chorus, but very effective. And yes, I love the other guys deep voice. A very catchy song. I love all the different key changes at the end.

8. Anagram (For Mongo) - I don't get what the title means. The chorus is so 80's, but it's pretty cool. Great song, very cheesy.

9. Red Tide - The intro sounds like Duran Duran. Pretty cool chorus. Quite catchy. I love the piano riff in the song.

10. Hand Over Fist - Very cathcy chorus. A nice cathcy song. Pretty cool guitar solo.

11. Available Light - I think there is a bit too much echo on Geddy's vocals in the verse. Great chorus. Good way to end the album.

CONCLUSION: A breath of fresh air from Rush. Thank god. Ohh, a nice breeze.

AtomicCrimsonRush Helloooooooooooo Cleveland! Sniff sniff

Rush are definitely in my top 3 favourite bands, and I have been putting off this review now for a year. Okay now for a true confession. This is Rush's worst live album. This is not going to be pleasant coming from a huge Rush fan. I have been listening to this latest live Rush for some time and everytime it starts I shake my head in dismay at how bad the sound is, the production is TINNY! It is beyond belief, the guitars jangle and the cymbals shatter throughout, the bottom end of bass is trebled out and then there is Geddy's voice. I have heard all of the past live release and he is a dynamic presence on every song. Here on the Time Machine Tour he is off key, flat, and struggles to hit any high notes, sometimes squeaking or whispering the high notes. Surely he could bring some of the melodies down a tad if that were a problem. He sounds like his nose is blocked when he sings 'if I could wave my magic wand' on 'Presto', and of course it became common knowledge that Geddy had a cold that night. That is okay, it happens to rock stars and they get through concert tours the best way they can. But why do we have to sit through an official live release when the band are not in peak condition, that is just wrong. Furthermore, the concert was filmed and I have watched that and admittedly Lee's vocals are overshadowed by the stunning visuals, so that is definitely worth getting despite the awful sound and caterwauling vocals.

This concert could have been brilliant as it features the entire 'Moving Pictures' album and that is certainly a drawcard worth checking out and earns an extra star on its own. There are some wonderful choices on the setlist with songs rarely heard if at all. It is great to hear 'Presto' for a change, and 'Stick It Out' the rocker from one of my favourite albums.

The classics are here as always and I always look forward to the incredible musicianship on live staples 'Tom Sawyer', 'Limelight' and the finale, the last 27 minutes, is incredible with '2112 Overture/The Temples Of Syrinx', 'Far Cry', 'La Villa Strangiato' and 'Working Man'. Alex Lifeson absolutely has a killer time with fret melting lead breaks and trademark chord structures, simply genius playing, so I will add a star for that. Of particular interest are songs from the 'Clockwork Angels' album though they are only the 2 from the single, it is still terrific to hear them live. Peart gets to attack his drums in his infamous drum soloing with odd music thrown in to jazz it up, such an incredible drummer. So another star awarded for his virtuoso playing, what are we up to now, 3 stars?

Overall this live album is disappointing due to the sound and Lee's voice but here it is, with the good and the bad in full public view. Perhaps as a bonus CD this would be forgivable or as a bootleg but this is quite painful at times, and it makes me sad to hear every time, but it is deserved of the scathing reviews it has received. Grab the DVD if you see it cheap. Nevertheless they deserve their induction into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame!

AtomicCrimsonRush Mixed feelings on this one. A very mediocre affair with perhaps 4 great songs and the rest to be discarded in the waste paper bin of banal popular mainstream radio blechh. There is very little to recommend as far as progressive - in fact it is further from progressive than most other Rush albums.

The sound quality of crashing clanging guitars is up to a high standard but the lyrical content and song structure is very forgettable. In fact it is difficult to find any particular highlights but of note, I guess, is Show Don't Tell, Chain Lightning, War Pass and Superconductor.

As for the rest... scrape it off into the paper bag and sell to the highest bidder.

I love Rush, the classics are indispensable - 2112, Farewell to Kings, Moving Pictures and even more recent works such as Counterparts are brilliant heavy prog works. However, Presto is as exciting as pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Some of it works and most of it does not - It is all so safe and superficial and devoid of that classic quality that is... Rush.

AtomicCrimsonRush This single is certainly one to grab as Rush did not have a lot of 80s singles. It features the one from "Signals" that hit the radio charts. 'New World Man' is a fan favourite with catchy hooks and some strong melodies that are memorable. The track appeared on many live sets over the years.

'Vital Signs' is the weird choice as it is a live version of the lesser known song from "Moving Pictures", but of course this was not available at the time on either of the Live albums of the 80s, "Exit?Stage Left" or "A Show of Hands". It is a decent version, Lifeson proudly smashing it with his killer riffs and Lee sounds excellent singing the now familiar melody.

As always these vinyl singles are for collectors but for the Rush completists are irresistible.

AtomicCrimsonRush "Replay X3" is a terrific box set of the 3 earlier Rush VHS concerts and it has been mastered to provide great picture though not all widescreen unfortunately. The sound is excellent without any noteable dropout unlike the VHS antiques. The packaging is excellent, booklets included and all original art prints on the seperate covers. There is also a bonus CD of Grace Under Pressure which is worthwhile.

DVD 1 is Exit...Stage Left, a 1 hour concert from the early years or Rushtory when they had long hair, and features a strong setlist with the likes of Limelight, Tom Sawyer, and a rare appearance of the brilliant Xanadu. The usual suspects are here such as the wonderful Red Barchetta and quintessential Freewill along with lighters in the air stalwart crowd pleaser Closer To The Heart. It is always great to see them having fun with the instrumental YYZ and a real treat is to hear the medley at the end with By-Tor And The Snow Dog, In The End, In The Mood and 2112 edited together masterfully. The VHS or DVD delivers what it promises, Rush in their hey day with great quality sound and editing. The band look young of course and jump around a lot more and there were no signs of chicken rotisseries or clothes dryers back then, but a heck of a lot of lighting and laser effects more than makes up for it. The concert also comes with a lot of interview footage and voice overs between songs, and some footage of the band backstage while the songs play and that is a treat compared to the usual straight concert footage. Too short but quite sweet. A real blast from the past that will please Rushaholics.

DVD 2 is Grace Under Pressure, another of the earlier concert performances of Rush running for about an hour with a lot of songs from "Grace Under Pressure" of course and it is nice to hear these. It begins with a glorious opening with The Spirit Of Radio, and a noticeable glowing effect on the band especially the white shirts, as if Vaseline had been rubbed on the lens. This is the 80s and this effect was prominent on film clips of artists such as Nik Kershaw and Dire Straits or Duran Duran. It looks kind of weird on Rush as they were never pretty video boys. Unfortunately the fuzzy effect is prevalent throughout the recording, and it kind of annoys me, especially the way the bright lights phase over constantly. Lifeson wears a white sports jacket looking like the mad scientist of metal, Peart has a white T and red cap that he loses later, and Lee wears grey suit jacket and white T. The hair dos are 80s personified; Peart has a rat tail, Lee has a mullet and Lifeson has a Flock of Seagulls quiff. Oh well, it is what it is. The music is brilliant.

The Enemy Within is rarely heard live but sparked my memory and it's a great song. The Weapon is always fantastic, one of my favourites, and it begins with a Dracula character on screen telling people to put on their 3D glasses. Witch Hunt begins with a screening of a bunch of cultists burning books with torches. It is a great song from "Moving Pictures" recently heard in the Time Machine concerts. Lee's vocals are excellent throughout and the guitars are incredible. New World Man is another one rarely heard live recently and it is OK though not one of the better tracks from "Signals". Synths are heard here though no one seems to be playing them, so I suspect some recorded music was used. It was the age of the video clip and a clip is shown of some animation and a boy looking up to see a huge airship in the sky. Distant Early Warning follows and it is a great song from GUP, that has become a concert favourite. The clip shows the boy riding a missile and the laser light show follows.

Red Sector A is an awesome song and I loved hearing it on this DVD again, with one of the strongest melodies of the Rush catalogue. The laser show looks great here. The lyrics by Lee are terrific and when Lee sings "smoking gun" a massive explosion goes off causing the crowd to roar. The lyrics are actually based on family experience and is a homage to his mother and father that survived the holocaust. Though Lee re wrote the lyrics to have a broader perspective that it may apply to any holocaust like situation such as Rwanda. Closer To The Heart is always a crowd pleaser and the crowd know it well enough to drown out some of Lee's vocals. There were no mobile phones back then but plenty of lighters go up in the air.

The obligatory medley is here with a terrific merging of some classics, YYZ, Temples Of Syrinx, and Tom Sawyer. During YYZ the crowd are obsessed with air drumming throughout. Tom Sawyer features the Moving Pictures animation on the screen. It is nice to hear Lee be able to reach those high notes too in the chorus.

Vital Signs is one I have not seen live on other concerts till the "Moving Pictures" live concerts of recent years. When Lee takes off his jacket his white T glows like the rest of the band's halos. It is a weird effect really and perhaps the worse part of the DVD. It ends with Finding My Way and In The Mood, from the earliest album. it is a great crowd participation song with the crowd visible throughout, a guy even lights up a pipe at one stage. Overall, this is a great snippet of songs from the Rush 80s years, worth checking out for certain even if for nostalgia if nothing else.

DVD 3 is A Show Of Hands, a 90 minutes concert experience and as such way better than the previous DVDs available, namely "Exit Stage Left" and "Grace Under Pressure". It is excellent also due to the use of animations on the big screen and the overall setlist. The songs are from "Hold Your Fire" mostly and I believe they are better heard live than on that album so that is a drawcard of this particular DVD. It also has a very solid quality sound throughout and the band look great and have heaps of fun. From "Hold Your Fire" the songs appear, Mission, Prime Mover, Force Ten, and Turn The Page so there is a lot from their latest at the time.

Closer To The Heart is always present of course along with quintessential Tom Sawyer, and The Spirit of Radio. I always love to hear the magnificent Red Sector A and hard rocking Force Ten, and it was great to see them play Mission, another one rarely heard live on these DVDs.

Marathon, Territories and The Big Money from "Power Windows" are good rockers for the crowd to get into. The drum solo by Peart is terrific, with his vibes section and patented cymbal jazz splashes along with some incredible triplet work though his drums are still stationary in this era, and not as many.

The concert ends with a brilliant medley 2112, The Temples Of Syrinx, La Villa Strangiato and In The Mood. Overall a strong concert, one of the best live documents of the band and worth getting hold of above the rest.

The Grace Under Pressure Bonus CD, is a previously unreleased audio from the newly remastered Grace Under Pressure concert soundtrack and it is a fantastic Rush sound.

"Replay x3" is definitely worth getting as it houses 3 very good concerts of the early years and these are only available now with this set released in 2006.

AtomicCrimsonRush Exit...Stage Left is a 1 hour concert from the early years or Rushtory when they had long hair, and features a strong setlist with the likes of Limelight, Tom Sawyer, and a rare appearance of the brilliant Xanadu. The usual suspects are here such as the wonderful Red Barchetta and quintessential Freewill along with lighters in the air stalwart crowd pleaser Closer To The Heart. It is always great to see them having fun with the instrumental YYZ and a real treat is to hear the medley at the end with By-Tor And The Snow Dog, In The End, In The Mood and 2112 edited together masterfully. The VHS or DVD delivers what it promises, Rush in their hey day with great quality sound and editing. The band look young of course and jump around a lot more and there were no signs of chicken rotisseries or clothes dryers back then, but a heck of a lot of lighting and laser effects more than makes up for it. The concert also comes with a lot of interview footage and voice overs between songs, and some footage of the band backstage while the songs play and that is a treat compared to the usual straight concert footage. Too short but quite sweet. A real blast from the past that will please Rushaholics.

AtomicCrimsonRush This 3 CD package is a great concert experience that I will return to often. Everything works - from the excellent sound quality to the crystal clear picture. The stage itself is massive and there are incredible lighting effects, lasers and fire effects. The 3 split screens at times show each band member, and sometimes a visual effect to enhance the track being played. There are weird Rush-ian gimmicks, namely the 3 huge ovens full of rotating chickens that glow ominous red throughout the night. There is no reference to these except Lee says at the end of CD1 that they are no longer spring chickens so they need to take a break. At one point a weird chef appears to turn the chickens over. Similar in fact to the washing machines with rotating clothes in the 'Live in Rio' show. Other subtler things are on stage such as flanks of flowers around microphones, plastic dinosaurs around Lifeson's stacks and the piece de resistance is the miniature Stonehenge rock on Lee's keyboards - a nod in Spinal Tap's direction for sure. We see crowd shots and Lee takes home movies of them screaming Hello Canada - in fact we see many versions of him doing this from other shows. Peart is featured with a sizzling drum solo that is well above what normally occurs in solos. He uses gamelon style blocks and sound effect drums to enhance the solo and his kit rotates to add depth. I love when the jazz band kicks in and he plays full blown jazz metrical patterns - there is a standing ovation after this.

There are no lengthy lead solo sections where Lifeson plays by himself but there is a nice acoustic piece following the drum solo. Lifeson effortlessly plays all the songs with precision and finesse. Surely one of the greatest guitarists in the world.

Lee's vocals are excellent and as clear as ever. His bass pounds on every track. I noted its all mostly hard rock on this live show. The band play old favourites that every Rush fan adores such as 'Spirit of Radio' and 'Tom Sawyer' but they focus on 'Snakes and Arrows' album, virtually playing every song. This could have been problematic but I find these live versions even better than the studio versions. I was never a huge fan of S&A but this live concert really brings something special to these tracks. I like the film clips that break up the songs such as South Park's Cartman singing Tom Sawyer and the weird clips of babies in prams and a game of snakes and ladders.

The bonus features are fun, such as watching the clips without the band shots and the making of the clips which show Rush at their kookiest. Some of the extra live tracks are great too so overall this is a must see for any Rush fan. I recommend this as well as 'Live IN Rio' which are completely different experiences. This is not as good as 'Rio' due to the set list, but it is still a fantastic DVD package.