AtomicCrimsonRush
155 minutes of pure gold Rush jammed onto 2 CDs- absolutely ideal for the Rush newbie. This is my first Rush album and it means a lot to me as it was the first of many and I systematically collected the entire Rush catalogue including live albums and DVDs. But this is where it started for me so it has sentimental value. Someone told me, a magazine actually, that Rush were an exceptional band and I was not ready to indulge in a studio album just from the hearsay of a magazine, however when I saw this 2 CD greatest hits collection I knew this would be a fantastic way to be introduced to Rush. After all it featured much revered tracks such as 'Bytor and the Snow Dog', 'Xanadu', 'La Villa Strangiato' and 'Working Man'. I knew these tracks were supposed to be classic Rush songs so the risk would be worth it surely. I had no idea what I was getting into. I was completely blown away with this compilation.
As a newbie to the band nothing prepared me for the likes of 'The Spirit of Radio', the melodic 'Freewill' or the heavy riffing 'Bastille Day'. 'By-Tor and the Snow Dog' lived up to expectation as a prog classic, as did the classic '2112 Overture' and 'The Temples of Syrinx'. I was surprised that I had heard this latter track on the metal radio show some years back; it's a genuine rocker with Lee belting out a killer chorus that is as memorable as anything I have heard. The band are a powerhouse of guitar rock on the instrumental 'La Villa Strangiato', one of the classics of prog. The band sound raw and very heavy on the last three tracks of CD1, 'Fly by Night', 'Finding My Way' and 'Working Man', of which I am a real fan with its riffing guitars and awesome vocals, featuring an amazing instrumental break.
CD2 has some of the more recent Rush tracks up to the time of release and is not as good as the early material but still great rock, full of Lifeson's clanging guitars and melodic vocals, with huge drums from Peart. 'The Big Money' and 'Red Barchetta' are always favourite 80s tracks, as well as 'Time Stand Still' and 'Distant Early Warning'. One of the best Rush tracks undoubtedly is 'Limelight' which has become an outright treasure over the years to my ears. I like the synthesizer heavy tracks from "Signals" and "Power Windows" but there is no forgetting gems such as the incredibly popular 'Tom Sawyer' that starts many live performances.
The booklet is a colourful look at the album artwork and tells me where the tracks originated from and this was a sure fire way of enticing a Rush newbie, that I was, into getting the albums one at a time. As I said I have a soft spot for this album, there was not much missing that was brilliant from the first albums of the band I must admit, but it is still essential to get the actual albums. There is a lot missing such as 'Hemispheres', 'Cygnus X1', and 'YYZ' but overall this compilation offers a great deal. The compilation is an excellent intro to Rush and with 2 CDs worth of their best material, at a very reasonable price too I might add, this is irresistible for a Rush newbie. For the initiated of course there is nothing new but still a fantastic collection for any Rush fan, well compiled, well packaged, and containing just about everything brilliant about Rush.