Time for an album from the 1980s as we move through the decades. Perhaps sir would care for some Rush?
Album title: Signals
Artist: Rush
Nationality: Canadian
Year: 1982
Chronology: 9
The Trollheart Factor: 5
Track Listing: Subdivisions/The Analog Kid/Chemistry/The Digital Man/ The Weapon (Part II of “Fear”)/New World Man/Losing it/Countdown
Comments: In direct contrast to Yes, I prefer 70s Rush to 80s or 90s or later, so I kind of stopped listening around the
Farewell to Kings era. This, therefore, will be my first listen to this album, and I must say right off I think the cover is awful. I’ve read the write-up on it, and still don’t know what the deal is with it? What has it to do with the title? It looks, well, terrible. Hopefully the music is better. I’d call myself a Rush fan, though not a huge one, as detailed above: I know the classic albums, but after that you’ve lost me, so I’m glad to see that “Subdivisions” has the proggy spirit of
AFTK and earlier albums. Kind of reminds me of “Spirit of Radio” in ways. “The Analog Kid” is a faster, rockier number, with some fine work from Lifeson. No epics on this one as Rush go for a smarter, more stripped-down eighties image - no “Cygnus X-1”, no “Hemispheres”, no “Fountain of Lamneth”.
“Chemistry” has a real bite in the guitar, making me wonder why so many critics claimed that an over-reliance on keys here was to Lifeson’s detriment in the fret department? I don’t hear it personally. “The Digital Man” bears more than a passing resemblance to early Police I feel, perhaps Rush’s first flirtations with reggae (though maybe not; there are two albums between
Hemispheres, where I finished listening, and this, so maybe they’ve been pursuing this path for a few years) but it retains its rock sensibilities; Geddy’s throwing in of words like “Zion” and “Babylon” are a little embarrassing though. I can’t quite figure out “The Weapon”. It’s subtitled “Fear Part II” but when I go looking for part I, it can’t be found. I
can find part III - on the previous album! Oh, and then finally, here’s part I, on the NEXT album! What in the name of Neal Peart??
As for the song, well now I hear the new-waveish synths taking over certainly, though the guitar is still there. I assume Alex is behind the keys? No, it’s Geddy. Hmm. All right then. Still don’t quite get it: Rush have been using synths for two years now, so why the resistance from critics? I certainly still hear plenty of Lifeson’s work here, so I wouldn’t agree that they’re taking over as some seem to suggest in reviews. It’s a good song anyway, with a nice hook but a certain Visage feel to the synth line. More reggae explorations then in the single “New World Man”, which I did not like when I heard it on the radio and felt Rush were going totally commercial and selling out to get a hit single. Well I guess it worked: highest placing in the US and number one in their native Canada. Still not mad about it though.
The violin on “Losing it” is a nice change of pace, and Lifeson gets to show what we all know he can do on this track, with the synths pushed firmly to the background, then the closer is “Countdown”, and while the radio signals thing (although tying in with the album title) is a little cliched, there’s an appropriate sense of menace and danger about the music, pretty ominous, the lyric quite apocalyptic, and again the guitar is front and centre here. As it should be on a Rush album really.
Track(s) I liked: Subdivisions/The Analog Kid/Chemistry/The Weapon/Losing it/Countdown
Track(s) I didn't like: The Digital Man, New World Man
One standout: I think “Losing it” is worthy of this honour
One rotten apple: But nothing’s terrible enough to earn a spot here.
Overall impression: A solid Rush album. Not necessarily the sort of thing that would make me wonder what I’d been missing and bring me back into the Rush fold again, but I’m sure it wouldn’t turn off anyone wanting to get into the band either. Some decent tracks, some very good tracks, a few duff ones. Not a classic, but a good album. Again, the word solid comes to mind.
Rating: 8.4/10
Future Plan: I expect I’ll get through the rest of their post-1978 catalogue in due course. Can’t say I’m in any particular rush (sorry) to do so though.