Comus

This is one of my all-time favourite albums. Coming very late into the prog game, by this time it had been completely dismissed. This album however managed to find a niche, a specific audience and as such has stood the test of time to be come something quite special. It has managed to create hit singles while still keeping the integrity of the album, which is by no means an easy thing to do.

The album starts off with the brilliant and very well known Tom Sawyer. If you haven’t been living under a rock since it was released there’s a very good chance you’ve heard it. By this point in reading, I’d advise you to put on the album on last.fm and just let it run through. The vocals are nothing short of infectious and the drumming is hiding an epic brilliance hiding under the surface. The album flows quite well into Red Barchetta with an appropriate slowdown to let the listener gather his thoughts and pay attention to the music.

I’ll not go into the concept of the song, but it is incredibly interesting to say the least, but far more satisfying to find out by yourself. The song is all about the story, but you’ll soon find that there’s solid backing in the structure, especially in the rhythm section. The album really does manage to rock very hard without going too deeply into hard rock territory. There’s always been something about the production on this album that’s caught my fancy.

And then there’s YYZ, which frankly is in a class of its own. The classic riff, the drums, everything just shines on this essential progressive rock instrumental. There’s just an epic feel to the whole song, based around the simple Morse code which is just something very special. This naturally brings me to what I’d call their two companion songs on the album, Limelight and the Camera Eye. The whole concept of “being in the limelight” seems to be quite pressing on the band.

The epic The Camera Eye just seems so fitting to me, the whole sound is just so heavy. There’s always something going on and I feel Rush are at their best when they’re doing this kind of layering. It’s still done very subtly, and there’s still that nice 70’s stripped back sound that makes it a pleasure, not a chore, to listen to. The drumming really excels here, and it becomes very clear why Neil Pert is so highly regarded.

You can tell this is a band at the top of their game, and clearly releasing exactly what they want. It feels very natural, and as such, like I’ve said before, the whole album flows incredibly well. It’s also very easy to become lost in the music and just start tuning out which is exactly what I want from a good album. My absolute favourite song from the album here is Witch Hunt. I think it Geddy Lee’s vocals really shine here.

Features Distorted in the Flickering Light
Faces are Twisted and Grotesque
Silent and Stern in the Sweltering Night
The Mob Moves like Demons Possessed

Thee album finishes with the brilliant vital sings, but if I haven’t already convinced you to check this out I don’t think I can. Maybe the score will help.

10/10

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last.fm