Catalog size wise, is Rush by far the greatest band ever?

[Jimmy Higgins]

I finally got to listening to Clockwork Angels, and have been generally impressed with the album. And it got me to thinking that Rush, in general, has released some solid material over the past decade... unlike most other bands that were in the 70s, as far as I'm aware. I'm prog rock centered, so my concentration is in that region. Yes continues to drop an album here and there, but generally while Magnification and The Ladder have some good to great spots, the importance of the newer albums isn't too significant, and those two albums are over 10 years old now! Bands like Genesis or Moody Blues aren't even trying anymore.

Rush, however, continue to produce great music. How many other bands have produced great albums over such a long period of time? Is there any other band that even comes close to releasing poignant albums that actually matter so late into their existence?

 

[KeepTalking]

I can't argue against it, then again, Rush is probably my favorite band of all time. They put out a handful of mediocre albums in the late '80s, but so did every other progressive band that was recording in the late '80s. Hold Your Fire probably gets it the worst from rock music fans, but there are a couple good tracks even there. Clockwork Angels is a fantastic album, I'm surprised it took you this long to give it a good listen.

Rush has also been one of the greatest bands when it comes to putting on a live show. Unfortunately, their touring days are over. Neil has retired from touring due to tendinitis, and Alex is also suffering from arthritis, but they have not ruled out producing new music together.

 

[Ford]

I haven't listened to Clockwork Angels or Snakes and Arrows or Test For Echo. I should. Saw them on their last tour, though. It was an amazing show that really put their entire catalog into perspective. Just doing two songs off (almost) every album took over three hours, and it was all good.

 

[rousseau]

The Tragically Hip come to mind, their discography is pretty flawless from front to back. I'd throw Radiohead and Joni Mitchell in that camp, too.

Rush seems like an odd case to me here because they seem like a group whose skill lies more in technicality than song-writing, although admittedly I've never given them the proper time of day. So technically they keep doing what they do, but I don't recall many 'timeless' Rush songs with tons of play. So if we're talking pure technical output some Jazz players come to mind, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, John Coltrane.

As hinted at above, too, you may be a bit blinded about the overall quality of their discography, but I can't think of many musicians who haven't put out a few mediocre albums.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I can't argue against it, then again, Rush is probably my favorite band of all time. They put out a handful of mediocre albums in the late '80s, but so did every other progressive band that was recording in the late '80s. Hold Your Fire probably gets it the worst from rock music fans, but there are a couple good tracks even there. Clockwork Angels is a fantastic album, I'm surprised it took you this long to give it a good listen.

Yeah, it was on uber-sale for the MP3s on Amazon, so I snatched it and just hadn't gotten to it yet. Rush did lull in the late 80s with more electronic driven stuff, but they recovered.

Rush has also been one of the greatest bands when it comes to putting on a live show. Unfortunately, their touring days are over. Neil has retired from touring due to tendinitis, and Alex is also suffering from arthritis, but they have not ruled out producing new music together.

Thank goodness we have blu-ray tech so they have blu-rays of their last concerts.

The Tragically Hip come to mind, their discography is pretty flawless from front to back. I'd throw Radiohead and Joni Mitchell in that camp, too.

But they aren't old enough yet. I'm talking about a band who is in their 30+ years and releasing great music still.

Rush seems like an odd case to me here because they seem like a group whose skill lies more in technicality than song-writing, although admittedly I've never given them the proper time of day.

I'd say Vapor Trails and Snakes and Arrows/Clockwork Angels are poignant from a song writing POV, Vapor Trails regarding loss (Peart went through hell) and religion.

So technically they keep doing what they do, but I don't recall many 'timeless' Rush songs with tons of play.

Their most played music is early 80s stuff (Moving Pictures), but they definitely have radio anthems like Spirit of Radio / Tom Sawyer and plenty of radio hits Working Man / Subdivisions / Closer to the Heart.

So if we're talking pure technical output some Jazz players come to mind, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, John Coltrane.

I'm talking 30+ years and still making a great album. The Who's last great albums was early to mid 70s. Some say the Rolling Stones haven't released a great album since the later 60s. Many other top bands haven't released albums in a decade plus.

 

[rousseau]

Yeah, it was on uber-sale for the MP3s on Amazon, so I snatched it and just hadn't gotten to it yet. Rush did lull in the late 80s with more electronic driven stuff, but they recovered.

Rush has also been one of the greatest bands when it comes to putting on a live show. Unfortunately, their touring days are over. Neil has retired from touring due to tendinitis, and Alex is also suffering from arthritis, but they have not ruled out producing new music together.

Thank goodness we have blu-ray tech so they have blu-rays of their last concerts.

The Tragically Hip come to mind, their discography is pretty flawless from front to back. I'd throw Radiohead and Joni Mitchell in that camp, too.

But they aren't old enough yet. I'm talking about a band who is in their 30+ years and releasing great music still.

Rush seems like an odd case to me here because they seem like a group whose skill lies more in technicality than song-writing, although admittedly I've never given them the proper time of day.

I'd say Vapor Trails and Snakes and Arrows/Clockwork Angels are poignant from a song writing POV, Vapor Trails regarding loss (Peart went through hell) and religion.

So technically they keep doing what they do, but I don't recall many 'timeless' Rush songs with tons of play.

Their most played music is early 80s stuff (Moving Pictures), but they definitely have radio anthems like Spirit of Radio / Tom Sawyer and plenty of radio hits Working Man / Subdivisions / Closer to the Heart.

So if we're talking pure technical output some Jazz players come to mind, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, John Coltrane.

I'm talking 30+ years and still making a great album. The Who's last great albums was early to mid 70s. Some say the Rolling Stones haven't released a great album since the later 60s. Many other top bands haven't released albums in a decade plus.

In terms of pure longevity Rush are most certainly near the top, I just mention the other artists because they're in the ball-park re: longevity + quality

Tragically Hip: 29 years
Joni Mitchell: 34 years
Radiohead: 23 years (given they haven't released a ton of albums, but some of their records are considered the greatest in the modern canon)

Jazz careers aren't quite as analogous to modern Rock, but Ellington was a pretty solid composer for fortyish years, Davis around thirty.

Not really contrasting these groups with Rush, but they are more examples of artists with significant staying power. It really doesn't happen too often.

 

[rousseau]

Bob Dylan is probably the closest thing to. He's made a lot of duds, but some of his recent releases really aren't too bad, and if you weigh the fact that his early work won him a Nobel prize, that might forgive his 80's output.

 

[funinspace]

I've never really been a Rush fan, so it is harder for me to sing their praises. Heck I didn't even know they were still around. A few names come to mind on the longevity and good albums:
The Rolling stones and Santana certainly have the longevity. I like some of the later Santana albums and they had some duds as well. David Bowie, though a solo artist certainly stood the test of time. I think there are a few other artists who managed to stay relevant mixed between bands and solo runs.

Dream Theater isn't old enough to have such a long run, but are still ticking after 25 years now.

 

[KeepTalking]

Yeah, it was on uber-sale for the MP3s on Amazon, so I snatched it and just hadn't gotten to it yet. Rush did lull in the late 80s with more electronic driven stuff, but they recovered.

Rush has also been one of the greatest bands when it comes to putting on a live show. Unfortunately, their touring days are over. Neil has retired from touring due to tendinitis, and Alex is also suffering from arthritis, but they have not ruled out producing new music together.

Thank goodness we have blu-ray tech so they have blu-rays of their last concerts.

Right, blu-ray is better than nothing, but for me there is something a bout being there live that improves the experience. I missed the R40 tour, but that was the only Rush tour I have missed in the past 15 years. I do have it on Blu-ray, though, so "next best thing" applies.

 

[KeepTalking]

Yeah, it was on uber-sale for the MP3s on Amazon, so I snatched it and just hadn't gotten to it yet. Rush did lull in the late 80s with more electronic driven stuff, but they recovered.

Thank goodness we have blu-ray tech so they have blu-rays of their last concerts.

The Tragically Hip come to mind, their discography is pretty flawless from front to back. I'd throw Radiohead and Joni Mitchell in that camp, too.

But they aren't old enough yet. I'm talking about a band who is in their 30+ years and releasing great music still.

Rush seems like an odd case to me here because they seem like a group whose skill lies more in technicality than song-writing, although admittedly I've never given them the proper time of day.

I'd say Vapor Trails and Snakes and Arrows/Clockwork Angels are poignant from a song writing POV, Vapor Trails regarding loss (Peart went through hell) and religion.

So technically they keep doing what they do, but I don't recall many 'timeless' Rush songs with tons of play.

Their most played music is early 80s stuff (Moving Pictures), but they definitely have radio anthems like Spirit of Radio / Tom Sawyer and plenty of radio hits Working Man / Subdivisions / Closer to the Heart.

So if we're talking pure technical output some Jazz players come to mind, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, John Coltrane.

I'm talking 30+ years and still making a great album. The Who's last great albums was early to mid 70s. Some say the Rolling Stones haven't released a great album since the later 60s. Many other top bands haven't released albums in a decade plus.

In terms of pure longevity Rush are most certainly near the top, I just mention the other artists because they're in the ball-park re: longevity + quality

Tragically Hip: 29 years
Joni Mitchell: 34 years
Radiohead: 23 years (given they haven't released a ton of albums, but some of their records are considered the greatest in the modern canon)

Jazz careers aren't quite as analogous to modern Rock, but Ellington was a pretty solid composer for fortyish years, Davis around thirty.

Not really contrasting these groups with Rush, but they are more examples of artists with significant staying power. It really doesn't happen too often.

Black Sabbath comes to mind as well when it comes to rock music, so long as you don't mind their frequent lead singer changes. Overall album quality, and technical ability are not quite as good as Rush IMHO, but I am sure there are some rock fans who will disagree with that.

 

[rousseau]

I was also going to say Prince, but after going through his discography I'm reasonably sure he just wrote the same 'very good' album twenty or so times.

 

[Underseer]

https://www.quora.com/Who-is-the-most-prolific-musician-in-rock-history

According to this article, the most prolific artist in rock is... Buckethead? Seriously?

 

[ZiprHead]

Rush was the first rock band I saw in concert. Somewhat unknown at the time but making stride with Fly By Night that had just dropped. They were the opener for Aerosmith although my friend and I were there more for Rush.

Dream Theater? Tried hard to get into them. Although they are technically proficient, they seem more interested in cramming as many guitar strokes into a song as possible instead of making a great song.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I've never really been a Rush fan, so it is harder for me to sing their praises. Heck I didn't even know they were still around. A few names come to mind on the longevity and good albums:
The Rolling stones and Santana certainly have the longevity.

That's my problem, my cross section for bands is quite limited, so I have no idea if Santana is still coming out with great albums.

I like some of the later Santana albums and they had some duds as well. David Bowie, though a solo artist certainly stood the test of time.

He may have made it 30 years. Looking back, Rush is on 40 now! I keep thinking it is 2010.

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Dream Theater? Tried hard to get into them. Although they are technically proficient, they seem more interested in cramming as many guitar strokes into a song as possible instead of making a great song.

Yeah, I haven't heard heavy metal like material that I have liked. Doesn't speak negatively on them, I just haven't gotten into it.

- - - Updated - - -

Bob Dylan is probably the closest thing to. He's made a lot of duds, but some of his recent releases really aren't too bad, and if you weigh the fact that his early work won him a Nobel prize, that might forgive his 80's output.

The irony of it all, Yes, massive prog-rock band, one of the only 60's/70's acts to really hit a good stride in the 80s. J. Giels Band would do so as well, but then break up.

 

[funinspace]

That's my problem, my cross section for bands is quite limited, so I have no idea if Santana is still coming out with great albums.

FWIW, I think Santana's Shaman 2002 release was quite good. I've slowed down in the last decade on looking at newer releases, but that is still 33 years after their first release. And they are still chugging along, and certainly not just a retread group just milking out the old luv. My problem is sometimes I find certain people's vocals to be annoying. When Rush released that "Tom Sawyer" hit it drove me a bit crazy as the vocals bugged me and it was on the radio constantly. Journey is another group who's vocals I tend to find grating.

I like some of the later Santana albums and they had some duds as well. David Bowie, though a solo artist certainly stood the test of time.

He may have made it 30 years. Looking back, Rush is on 40 now! I keep thinking it is 2010.

Uhm...David Bowie went from 1967 to his death in 2016, and that is 40 years by albums. Anywho, 40 years is a long run and most certainly don't make it, especially as a group like Rush. There are some groups still going in name, but in reality rely upon one person's continuance. Groups like Uriah Heep have about as large of personal changes as they do albums.

Dream Theater? Tried hard to get into them. Although they are technically proficient, they seem more interested in cramming as many guitar strokes into a song as possible instead of making a great song.

Yeah, I haven't heard heavy metal like material that I have liked. Doesn't speak negatively on them, I just haven't gotten into it.

They really aren't heavy metal. Wiki calls it a progressive metal band, which is probably a good of label as any. My dig on Dream Theater is that it starts to all sound too much the same, so I would ding them somewhat on that. Not that there are many bands that don't fall at least somewhat into that trap. I liked Queen even in the 1980's as they mixed things up as I appreciated not just grinding out more of the same. But death pretty much killed their longevity chances...

 

[Opoponax]

Dream Theater isn't old enough to have such a long run, but are still ticking after 25 years now.

Yeah, I was going to mention DT. But I got fed up with them after Mike Portnoy's umpteenth fucking song about his AA recovery program. When it comes to prog rock/metal, lyrics matter more than any other genre, at least as far as I'm concerned. Black Clouds and Silver linings was the last album I bought and the lyrics were so awful I put it away and never listened to it again. Am I being ridiculous? Probably. But Portnoy got ridiculous first.

And another thing; they've become a band that puts out albums with one or two good songs, the rest being largely sappy, spiritual crap that gives my ears indigestion. And you can't buy their individual songs, you have to buy the whole album. Fucking Dream Theater.

 

[KeepTalking]

Dream Theater isn't old enough to have such a long run, but are still ticking after 25 years now.

Yeah, I was going to mention DT. But I got fed up with them after Mike Portnoy's umpteenth fucking song about his AA recovery program. When it comes to prog rock/metal, lyrics matter more than any other genre, at least as far as I'm concerned. Black Clouds and Silver linings was the last album I bought and the lyrics were so awful I put it away and never listened to it again. Am I being ridiculous? Probably. But Portnoy got ridiculous first.

And another thing; they've become a band that puts out albums with one or two good songs, the rest being largely sappy, spiritual crap that gives my ears indigestion. And you can't buy their individual songs, you have to buy the whole album. Fucking Dream Theater.

Well then, you should be happy to know that Black Clouds and Silver Linings was the last DT album Portnoy was involved with before leaving the band. The last three albums they have made since Portnoy left are some of their best work IMHO. Portnoy leaving was said to have been one of the hardest things for the band to have faced, but I think it ended up being a net positive for the band and their output.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

FWIW, I think Santana's Shaman 2002 release was quite good. I've slowed down in the last decade on looking at newer releases, but that is still 33 years after their first release. And they are still chugging along, and certainly not just a retread group just milking out the old luv. My problem is sometimes I find certain people's vocals to be annoying. When Rush released that "Tom Sawyer" hit it drove me a bit crazy as the vocals bugged me and it was on the radio constantly. Journey is another group who's vocals I tend to find grating.

Journey, I find their whole concept of bubble gum pop rock grating!

Uhm...David Bowie went from 1967 to his death in 2016, and that is 40 years by albums.

Great albums nearest the end?

 

[Ford]

Anywho, 40 years is a long run and most certainly don't make it, especially as a group like Rush. There are some groups still going in name, but in reality rely upon one person's continuance.

I'd put Santana into that latter category. It is less of a cohesive band than "whomever happens to be playing with Carlos at the moment." Rush has only had one lineup change in 40 years.

Inspired by this thread, I went back and watched "Beyond the Lighted Stage" again last night. Great documentary, and a great story. A couple guys who started out playing high school dances went on to become one of the longest lasting bands in rock history, and seem to have nonetheless remained incredibly down to earth "normal" people.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Anywho, 40 years is a long run and most certainly don't make it, especially as a group like Rush. There are some groups still going in name, but in reality rely upon one person's continuance.

I'd put Santana into that latter category. It is less of a cohesive band than "whomever happens to be playing with Carlos at the moment." Rush has only had one lineup change in 40 years.

Inspired by this thread, I went back and watched "Beyond the Lighted Stage" again last night. Great documentary, and a great story. A couple guys who started out playing high school dances went on to become one of the longest lasting bands in rock history, and seem to have nonetheless remained incredibly down to earth "normal" people.

You take bands like The Who and Yes, and the members really didn't like each other a lot. The Police had some serious issues too. I saw in the VH1 Journey special that three members of Journey tried to kill Steve Perry, but like Rasputin, it just didn't stick.

Rush seemed to have weathered the entire ride as friends. Which is incredible.