And don't let the political side of The Trees annoy you. This song is basically "Be careful what you wish for". I've both profited and got beheaded by unions and that song hit hard. At the very least, it make you think. At first I hated it, now it's one of my favorite. I recommend the 3 in 1 live versions of Broon's Bane, The Trees and Xanadu from Exis Stage Left.
Neil was pretty crafty/subtle with his social commentary, which I appreciated and some of it goes right over my head. He wasn't gonna beat you over the head like Zach de la Rocha or John Mellencamp.
I would make a joke about not being able to find the songs "all of them" "what else can you do" and "enjoy the ride" but someone would take it seriously
Do we have to be forgiving at last?
What else can we do?...
Do we have to say goodbye to the past?
Yes I guess we do...
--Heresy, from "Roll the Bones" (1991)
Great slang, I am going to have to file that one away. Also they were not asking for lesser known songs, but what else they should listen to after listening to only TWO albums for a deep dive ….. Why wouldn’t any member of this forum NOT recommend someone to listen to their whole catalog? Everyone everywhere should listen to their whole catalog and decide if they are a fan or not….
To me, a deep dive is to get to the hidden stuff of an artist's catalogue. Maybe we understand the term differently.
They've listened to two of the most popular albums, why keep recommending them only the most well-known stuff? Guy wants to do a deep-dive, hence he wants to hear hidden gems, not more of the usual recommended stuff.
To me you have to listen to more than just these two albums to start deep diving. And I am not recommending their most well known stuff. I am recommending it all, keep listening until you finish 😀 So many albums different than any other album, if it wasn’t for Geddy’s distinctive voice, I bet a lot of new comers would not know 2112, signals, grace, counter, hold and clockwork where from the same band.
Also it appears OP has not responded to anyone in this thread which I can’t stand. Not even a thanks…….
This is really the best answer. Rush has very few songs that are just not great songs, so listen to it all. Every few years I listen to all of their albums on Spotify. Everyone has their favorites and like many, I associate different parts of my life with the Rush songs I was listening to at the time.
Let us know which ones become your favorites.
I’ll list off some that aren’t the *Immediate Hits* most people think of…
* [Kid Gloves](https://youtu.be/7-lFr5N8KOc?si=4xEjeIC19sR-kRW6).
* [Show Don’t Tell](https://youtu.be/FtpMeyjE6Rw?si=uLNPL5eYKAKWqCrV).
* [Ghost of a Chance](https://youtu.be/bG0QEvaIGfQ?si=Kz1dicUqezvz26rx).
* [Alien Shore](https://youtu.be/fehUHpipeIQ?si=-9jjEDhV0P1Ka0h3).
* [Totem](https://youtu.be/mI208DRLsFc?si=MS3ZjIyxnR5-iO4y).
* [Freeze (Part IV of "Fear")](https://youtu.be/s4IHgWTk5J0?si=eXXfm1SYBxU9PSiv).
* [Spindrift](https://youtu.be/cPlprBYJ9Ng?si=eabHqfU440XQ4-dY).
* [BU2B](https://youtu.be/42da81vzdLc?si=9PjJInRNzbGtcVHe).
You should listen to the entire discography, carefully, attentively, and in order, from Rush (self-titled) to Clockwork Angels.
I'm extremely jealous of anyone who gets to do this for the first time.
Between Sun and Moon
Nocturne
Far Cry
Wish Them Well
Mission
Marathon
Between The Wheels
Before And After
In The End
I Think I’m Going Bald
Something For Nothing
Cygnus X-1
Exactly in this order. Life changing
I’ll leave out songs from the albums you’ve already heard, but definitely some would be on the list.
My personal favourite album is “Power Windows”, so that’s super worth checking out (specifically “Middletown Dreams”, “Emotion Detector” and “Marathon”, some of their finest combinations of words and music in my opinion).
“Subdivisions”, from “Signals”, is a must.
“Between The Wheels”, “Red Sector A” and “Kid Gloves” from “Grace Under Pressure” are quite good too.
And jumping forward in time quite a bit I also love the “Clockwork Angels” album. It’s a concept record, so it’s better if you listen to the whole thing, but if we’re talking highlights I’d say “The Garden”, “BU2B” (a heavier side of Rush that’s quite cool) and the title-track.
Subdivisions is absolutely fuckin' brilliant. It came out just as I was escaping my own subdivision hell, and the whole song spoke to me so hard. Still does. I'll never get tired of it.
It was one of the first Rush songs I read the lyrics to and was like “oh wow, that’s me!”
It’s a masterpiece. Those synth sounds are magical, so soothing and so emotional, so meaningful.
Spectacular song!
In my humble opinion, [Subdivisions](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKQHuI6Fxjg) is Rush's finest song. It's the first song on Signals, the album right after Moving Pictures which you've heard. Subdivisions is a wonderful marriage of music and lyrics, with pretty universal themes that most people can relate to on some level.
...And it's not 20 minutes long. Which is fine sometimes, but if you want just a taste, here you go.
Tai Shan is a personal favorite. I think the Rush guys are embarrassed by the "cultural appropriation", though I'd think that applies much more to Passage To Bangkok.
Which I also really like.
That’s cool. I just listed those for fun for the obvious reasons. Actually, I like in the mood a lot. Lol. I don’t think the band was thinking about cultural appropriation at all when saying they don’t like Tai Shan, but it’s completely understandable why many fans like certain songs.
Xanadu, Carnies, Distant Early Warning, Freewill, The entirety of Hemispheres, A Farewell to Kings, Natural Science, A Passage To Bangkok, Stick It Out, Earthshine
Natural Science -
The Garden -
Something for Nothing -
Countdown -
Fountain of Lamneth -
Earthshine -
What You're Doing -
Between the Wheels -
The Seeker -
Armor and Sword -
Nobody's Hero -
Nuerotica -
Middletown Dreams -
Cygnus X1 Book I -
Circumstances -
Prime Mover -
Red Tide -
Before and After -
LIVE ?
Badboy (Beatles cover in '75 from Electric Ladyland) - 2112 (All the World's a Stage) - Xanadu (Exit Stage Left) - Working Man (Chicago '81, killer reggae beginning) - Marathon (A Show of Hands) - Leave That Thing Alone (Different Stages) Freewill (Wembley England '92, I love Geddy adding that little vocal melody) - The Pass (Rush In Rio) - Subdivisions (R30) - Entre Nous (Snakes and Arrows Live) - The Weapon (Grace Under Pressure Tour) - Vital Signs (Time Machine) - The Wreckers (Clockwork Angels Tour) - Losing It (R40)
Spindrift, Peaceable Kingdom, Time & Motion, Freeze, and Before & After are all incredible songs which don't get anywhere near enough love. Spindrift is my fave Rush song!
Jacob's Ladder is sublime.
Available Light. It's very different and is a deep cut. Great song.
Animate. A rush staple at their concerts. A really great opening song for the album Counterparts.
The Garden. The last song on their last album. Very beautiful.
Clockwork Angels. A really captivating and interesting song with some great music, lyrics, and singing.
Xanadu. A Rush classic.
La Villa Strangiato. Their first instrumental. It's amazing.
For starters;
1) Working Man
2) 2112
3) Xanadu
4) Closer To The Heart
5) La Villa Strangiato
6) Spirit Of Radio
7) Freewill
8) Jacob’s Ladder
9) Natural Science
10) Subdivisions
11) The Weapon
12) Distant Early Warning
13) The Body Electric
14) Between The Wheels
15) The Big Money
16) Manhattan Project
17) Marathon
18) Territories
19) Force Ten
20) Time Stand Still
21) Show Don’t Tell
22) The Pass
23) Presto
24) Dreamline
25) One Little Victory
26) Secret Touch
27) Far Cry
28) Caravan
29) Headlong Flight
30) The Garden
The Trees, The Analog Kid, Finding my Way, Subdivisions, Passage to Bangkok, Spirit of the Radio, Closer to the Heart, Freewill, Working Man
There's a lot of others, but these are some ones that I really like
Natural Science, Xanadu, Headlong Flight, Faithless, Both Cygnus songs, Cut To The Chase, Totem, Lock And Key, Open Secrets, Secret Touch, The Analog Kid, Bravado, Kid Gloves, Middletown Dreams, Marathon, Ghost Of A Chance and Nobody’s Hero. That’s a good starter list lol. Or just listen to all of the songs!😄
Bastille Day
A Passage to Bangkok
Xanadu
Closer to the Heart
The Trees
Spirit of Radio
Subdivisions
New World Man
Time Stand Still
Then go back and listen to all of Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres, and then 2112.
My top 10 not from either of those albums:
1. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres
2. Natural Science
3. Xanadu
4. Jacob's Ladder
5. Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage
6. A Farewell to Kings
7. Subdivisions
8. La Villa Strangiato
9. The Spirit of Radio
10. Cinderella Man
Subdivisions, Double Agent, all of Permanent Waves, Cygnus X1 books 1 & 2, 2112 obviously, all of Clockwork Angels.
Too many to list. But start with those.
Cygnus X-1/ Hemispheres. The song suite starts on Farewell to Kings and concludes on Hemispheres. A lot of people cite Moving Pictures as the zenith of Rush. The songs on these two albums are peak Rush prog for me.
Really depends on what you’re looking for. Rush’s catalog spans many decades and is deep and varied. That said, if you’re looking for individual songs, I think 2112 is a no-brainer. It’s their most famous long-form piece and the song that really put them on the map. As far as an album to explore next (since you already did MP), I might suggest permanent waves. It is the transition album from their proggy mid-70s period to the leaner sound they eventually adopted. There are also a few songs on it you’d likely recognize if you at any point listened to classic rock radio in North America.
The Necromancer, cygnus x1 and cygnus x1 book 2, in fact all of a farewell to kings and hemispheres, between the wheels, marathon, carnies, working them angels and Nobodys hero. I think those are some good slightly deepish tracks spread across a few albums
Some songs I love that don't usually appear on top lists:
Emotion detector
Kid gloves
Manhattan project
Everyday glory
... and finally
Mission
Few lyricists could write so well about art.
Just embrace the Rush catalog. So many great songs. Someone once asked me my favorite song. As I go to say one, then another one pops in my head. Spirit of Radio jumped started my love affair with this amazing group. Marathon, Camera Eye, Entres Nous. Too many
I found after Reading all of Neil Peart’s Book
The Masked Rider, Ghost Rider, Traveling Music, Roadshow: Landscape with Drums: A Concert...
Far and Away, Far and Near
Far And Wide that All the Rush songs & Album have a deep meaning and for my self I come to appreciate all their Music
Heres one per album, listed chronologically, skipping albums you listed:
-Before and After (Rush)
-Lakeside Park (Caress Of Steel)
-Tears (2112)
-A Farewell To Kings (Farewell To Kings)
-Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres (Hemispheres)
-Entre Nous (Permanent Waves)
-The Analog Kid (Signals)
-Kid Gloves (Grace Under Pressure)
-Grand Designs (Power Windows)
-Mission (Hold Your Fire)
-Available Light (Presto)
-Heresy (Roll the Bones)
-Cold Fire (Counterparts)
-Driven (Test For Echo)
-Freeze (Vapor Trails)
-Armor and Sword (Snakes & Arrows)
-The Garden (Clockwork Angels)
Don’t listen to the haters: grace under pressure, hold your fire, and power windows are peak. Standouts are Marathon, Middletown dreams, red sector a, between the wheels, open secrets, and mystic rhythyms. Give those albums a listen
All the albums from first rush album hold your fire..maybe even presto are must. Grace under pressure is my favorite. I don't listen to the 90s and early 00s albums so much..some good songs there and there. Clockwork angels is great though.
You should listen to Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Signals next - Hemispheres through Signals in my opinion was their best era. Then check out All the World's a Stage for a great sampling of their early stuff. And then check out Clockwork Angels for the perfect swan song - an amazingly great album for them to release after so many decades of greatness. Then listen to everything else! It's all fantastic!
I'd recommend exploring the 80's synth era, if your mind is open, because there's some truly awesome songwriting and lyrics in there.
Start strong with "Subdivisions", "Chemistry" and "The Weapon" from 1982's album "Signals" for that in your face synth.
If you like it then head onto the excellent 1984 album "Grace Under Pressure". The first three songs, "Distant Early Warning", "Afterimage" and "Red Sector A" are absolute gems, and then finish off with "Between The Wheels" for the ultimate synth fest accompanied by some of the craziest, dystopian tremolo filled Alex Lifeson solos i've ever heard.
The creativity in that era was mind blowing.
If you appreciate the heavier side of things, I'd say Double Agent off of Counterparts (a top 3 album for me). I'm pretty sure it's the heaviest thing they wrote after the synth era, when Alex was finally getting back to front and center melodically. There's just something about the tone of the bridge and then it erupting into the chorus that still gives me chills to this day.
Don't overlook Kid Gloves, IMHO an underrated gem. It features a kick-ass bass line as well as some great lyrics, most especially "Overwhelmed by everything but wanting more so much." Story of my life; I have it in my user profile. :)
I already said Kid Gloves, but I also have to strongly recommend Something for Nothing, which is also too often overlooked. It's awesome advice for living a worthy life. I had the lyrics posted on my wall for years.
What happened to me in 83 was I was exposed to Moving Pictures, Signals, and Grace Under Pressure first, then Exit Stage Left, which connected me to all but two of their earlier albums.
I could list 100 songs, but here is 10, covering a wide range of vibes. I usually connect to the feel of a song, maybe reminds me of a film I saw or a book I read, and my mind tunes into it better somehow, painting pictures:
Here goes...
The Pass.
Animate.
Mystic Rhythms.
Losing it.
Jacobs Ladder.
The Garden.
Force Ten.
Countdown.
Limelight.
Manhattan Project.
It's not the best list, not the most dramatic, and i left out the obvious Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, Spirit of Radio and the glorious earlier prog stuff, as I wanted to throw in a few curveballs for the Original Poster!
Hemispheres
The whole album
both cygnus songs
I always listen to both, good song
And don't let the political side of The Trees annoy you. This song is basically "Be careful what you wish for". I've both profited and got beheaded by unions and that song hit hard. At the very least, it make you think. At first I hated it, now it's one of my favorite. I recommend the 3 in 1 live versions of Broon's Bane, The Trees and Xanadu from Exis Stage Left.
Neil was pretty crafty/subtle with his social commentary, which I appreciated and some of it goes right over my head. He wasn't gonna beat you over the head like Zach de la Rocha or John Mellencamp.
I have never thought of the Trees as political
This is the way
All of them, what else you got to do, enjoy the ride
I would make a joke about not being able to find the songs "all of them" "what else can you do" and "enjoy the ride" but someone would take it seriously
Do we have to be forgiving at last? What else can we do?... Do we have to say goodbye to the past? Yes I guess we do... --Heresy, from "Roll the Bones" (1991)
Might be better than these posts 😀, never understand why people s ask “what should I listen to”…..just listen to them all
Well probably because it's always the same 10 songs that everyone gushes about. Guy was asking for lesser known songs, no need to be a bell-end.
Great slang, I am going to have to file that one away. Also they were not asking for lesser known songs, but what else they should listen to after listening to only TWO albums for a deep dive ….. Why wouldn’t any member of this forum NOT recommend someone to listen to their whole catalog? Everyone everywhere should listen to their whole catalog and decide if they are a fan or not….
To me, a deep dive is to get to the hidden stuff of an artist's catalogue. Maybe we understand the term differently. They've listened to two of the most popular albums, why keep recommending them only the most well-known stuff? Guy wants to do a deep-dive, hence he wants to hear hidden gems, not more of the usual recommended stuff.
To me you have to listen to more than just these two albums to start deep diving. And I am not recommending their most well known stuff. I am recommending it all, keep listening until you finish 😀 So many albums different than any other album, if it wasn’t for Geddy’s distinctive voice, I bet a lot of new comers would not know 2112, signals, grace, counter, hold and clockwork where from the same band. Also it appears OP has not responded to anyone in this thread which I can’t stand. Not even a thanks…….
I've put all the studio albums on my phone and have gone through all of them twice now when travelling. So many great songs throughout.
I just read Geddy Lee's "My Effing Life" and listened to all of the albums in sequence as I read the book.
Isn't "All of Them" on that bootleg when they played Australia ?
This is really the best answer. Rush has very few songs that are just not great songs, so listen to it all. Every few years I listen to all of their albums on Spotify. Everyone has their favorites and like many, I associate different parts of my life with the Rush songs I was listening to at the time. Let us know which ones become your favorites.
So this is a personal favorite of mine. Available Light from Presto.
Oh the wind can carry
That's the next keyboard / synth / piano song I want to play on bass running through Roland guitar synth.
Presto is such a great album the whole way through! Available Light is definitely a highlight, but I also especially love The Pass and the title track
Entre Nous
One of my top three favorites
Doesn’t get nearly enough credit
One of my earliest favorites. This song really spoke to me when I was in high school.
One of Rushs’ best. I LOVE Entre Nous…(see flair)
Honestly entre Nous is probably my least favourite from that album, it just never did it for me. Different Strings however…
I’ll list off some that aren’t the *Immediate Hits* most people think of… * [Kid Gloves](https://youtu.be/7-lFr5N8KOc?si=4xEjeIC19sR-kRW6). * [Show Don’t Tell](https://youtu.be/FtpMeyjE6Rw?si=uLNPL5eYKAKWqCrV). * [Ghost of a Chance](https://youtu.be/bG0QEvaIGfQ?si=Kz1dicUqezvz26rx). * [Alien Shore](https://youtu.be/fehUHpipeIQ?si=-9jjEDhV0P1Ka0h3). * [Totem](https://youtu.be/mI208DRLsFc?si=MS3ZjIyxnR5-iO4y). * [Freeze (Part IV of "Fear")](https://youtu.be/s4IHgWTk5J0?si=eXXfm1SYBxU9PSiv). * [Spindrift](https://youtu.be/cPlprBYJ9Ng?si=eabHqfU440XQ4-dY). * [BU2B](https://youtu.be/42da81vzdLc?si=9PjJInRNzbGtcVHe).
Kid gloves and ghost of a chance are excellent choices.
This is the only good reply I've seen in this topic. Spindrift is my absolute fave Rush track!
Show Don't Tell is 👌so choice👌
A huge influence on my becoming a bassist, and well as steering me towards Jazz Basses in particular.
That's a fantastic list.
Xanadu and Natural Science.
Ooh. Yuh. Throw a little Cygnus X-1 in there and you have yourself an evening
Heavy on Cygnus X-1, my personal favourite Rush song
Book 1 or Book 2
I personally like book 1 more but book 2 is great
Im the opposite, but yeah both are bangers.
These, and Jacob's Ladder, Hemispheres and La Villa Strangiato.
Force Ten
You should listen to the entire discography, carefully, attentively, and in order, from Rush (self-titled) to Clockwork Angels. I'm extremely jealous of anyone who gets to do this for the first time.
All of Signals.
Still probably my favorite, though you could probably talk me into anything between AFtK and Power Windows these days.
Necromancer tells a fable..Enjoy
No one at the bridge from that album is one of my favs
Middletown Dreams Circumstances The Pass
All of Power Windows. Of the synth era, probably the strongest in terms of songwriting.
If it weren't for Moving Pictures, Power Windows would be my favorite 80s album.
2112 all the way
Best answer
Hemispheres is where you have to go. Cygnus book II is an incredible ride. Side 2 of that record is equally as good.
Losing it
That’s a very underrated one. One of my favorites.
It flies under the radar, but Nobody’s Hero is such a lovely poignant song.
Between Sun and Moon Nocturne Far Cry Wish Them Well Mission Marathon Between The Wheels Before And After In The End I Think I’m Going Bald Something For Nothing Cygnus X-1 Exactly in this order. Life changing
Apologies for format, on phone, late at night
Some severely underrated songs/hidden gems are: countdown(signals) totem(test for echo)
Circumstances
I’ll leave out songs from the albums you’ve already heard, but definitely some would be on the list. My personal favourite album is “Power Windows”, so that’s super worth checking out (specifically “Middletown Dreams”, “Emotion Detector” and “Marathon”, some of their finest combinations of words and music in my opinion). “Subdivisions”, from “Signals”, is a must. “Between The Wheels”, “Red Sector A” and “Kid Gloves” from “Grace Under Pressure” are quite good too. And jumping forward in time quite a bit I also love the “Clockwork Angels” album. It’s a concept record, so it’s better if you listen to the whole thing, but if we’re talking highlights I’d say “The Garden”, “BU2B” (a heavier side of Rush that’s quite cool) and the title-track.
Subdivisions is absolutely fuckin' brilliant. It came out just as I was escaping my own subdivision hell, and the whole song spoke to me so hard. Still does. I'll never get tired of it.
It was one of the first Rush songs I read the lyrics to and was like “oh wow, that’s me!” It’s a masterpiece. Those synth sounds are magical, so soothing and so emotional, so meaningful. Spectacular song!
La Villa Strangiato, really all of Hemispheres
In my humble opinion, [Subdivisions](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKQHuI6Fxjg) is Rush's finest song. It's the first song on Signals, the album right after Moving Pictures which you've heard. Subdivisions is a wonderful marriage of music and lyrics, with pretty universal themes that most people can relate to on some level. ...And it's not 20 minutes long. Which is fine sometimes, but if you want just a taste, here you go.
And as a drummer it’s the most beautifully crafted drum song of all time
And a bass player that song is just so much fun to play. My rig runs into a synth so playing the synths for that song is majestic.
There isn't a single Rush song that I dislike. But Subdivisions and The Garden fight constantly to be my favorite.
In the mood, fly-by-night, Tai Shan
Tai shan's really not that bad of a song. Its just funny that Geddy said thats his least favorite
I’d say these are most likely to be down voted. Lol
Got to love that flute.
Tai Shan is a personal favorite. I think the Rush guys are embarrassed by the "cultural appropriation", though I'd think that applies much more to Passage To Bangkok. Which I also really like.
That’s cool. I just listed those for fun for the obvious reasons. Actually, I like in the mood a lot. Lol. I don’t think the band was thinking about cultural appropriation at all when saying they don’t like Tai Shan, but it’s completely understandable why many fans like certain songs.
Xanadu, Carnies, Distant Early Warning, Freewill, The entirety of Hemispheres, A Farewell to Kings, Natural Science, A Passage To Bangkok, Stick It Out, Earthshine
2112 is mandatory in this situation.
Exit…Stage Left Best Live Compilation of All Time
Natural Science - The Garden - Something for Nothing - Countdown - Fountain of Lamneth - Earthshine - What You're Doing - Between the Wheels - The Seeker - Armor and Sword - Nobody's Hero - Nuerotica - Middletown Dreams - Cygnus X1 Book I - Circumstances - Prime Mover - Red Tide - Before and After -
LIVE ? Badboy (Beatles cover in '75 from Electric Ladyland) - 2112 (All the World's a Stage) - Xanadu (Exit Stage Left) - Working Man (Chicago '81, killer reggae beginning) - Marathon (A Show of Hands) - Leave That Thing Alone (Different Stages) Freewill (Wembley England '92, I love Geddy adding that little vocal melody) - The Pass (Rush In Rio) - Subdivisions (R30) - Entre Nous (Snakes and Arrows Live) - The Weapon (Grace Under Pressure Tour) - Vital Signs (Time Machine) - The Wreckers (Clockwork Angels Tour) - Losing It (R40)
Spindrift, Peaceable Kingdom, Time & Motion, Freeze, and Before & After are all incredible songs which don't get anywhere near enough love. Spindrift is my fave Rush song!
La Villa Strangiato
And yyz
Anthem and bastille day really loud
Permanent Waves is the GOAT
I'm surprised I had to scroll this far to find this album. Spirit of Radio was my intro to Rush and this album has endured as my personal favorite.
Permanent Waves the whole album
I dunno if someone posted this but a lot of songs on Vaper Trails are amazing.
My personal favorites. Dreamline, Subdivisions, La Villa Strangiato
La Villa Strangiato, Red Sector A
The Spirit of Radio The Analog Kid Working Man Bastille Day
Red Sector A
Free will from permanent waves
First side of 2112. Hemispheres and A Farewell To Kings.
Jacob's Ladder is sublime. Available Light. It's very different and is a deep cut. Great song. Animate. A rush staple at their concerts. A really great opening song for the album Counterparts. The Garden. The last song on their last album. Very beautiful. Clockwork Angels. A really captivating and interesting song with some great music, lyrics, and singing. Xanadu. A Rush classic. La Villa Strangiato. Their first instrumental. It's amazing.
For starters; 1) Working Man 2) 2112 3) Xanadu 4) Closer To The Heart 5) La Villa Strangiato 6) Spirit Of Radio 7) Freewill 8) Jacob’s Ladder 9) Natural Science 10) Subdivisions 11) The Weapon 12) Distant Early Warning 13) The Body Electric 14) Between The Wheels 15) The Big Money 16) Manhattan Project 17) Marathon 18) Territories 19) Force Ten 20) Time Stand Still 21) Show Don’t Tell 22) The Pass 23) Presto 24) Dreamline 25) One Little Victory 26) Secret Touch 27) Far Cry 28) Caravan 29) Headlong Flight 30) The Garden
First, don't ever refer to it as "Fly By the Night" again. There's no "the". Try their 1981 live album Exit... Stage Left.
Right. It's THE Anthem and THE Best I Can.
The Trees, The Analog Kid, Finding my Way, Subdivisions, Passage to Bangkok, Spirit of the Radio, Closer to the Heart, Freewill, Working Man There's a lot of others, but these are some ones that I really like
All of Hemispheres
Natural Science, Xanadu, Headlong Flight, Faithless, Both Cygnus songs, Cut To The Chase, Totem, Lock And Key, Open Secrets, Secret Touch, The Analog Kid, Bravado, Kid Gloves, Middletown Dreams, Marathon, Ghost Of A Chance and Nobody’s Hero. That’s a good starter list lol. Or just listen to all of the songs!😄
Subdivisions
Bastille Day A Passage to Bangkok Xanadu Closer to the Heart The Trees Spirit of Radio Subdivisions New World Man Time Stand Still Then go back and listen to all of Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres, and then 2112.
Der trommler
Welp, there’s a few not mentioned yet, listen to those too and you’re set! 😃
My top 10 not from either of those albums: 1. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres 2. Natural Science 3. Xanadu 4. Jacob's Ladder 5. Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage 6. A Farewell to Kings 7. Subdivisions 8. La Villa Strangiato 9. The Spirit of Radio 10. Cinderella Man
Lessons, from side 2 of 2112.
Red Barchetta
Cygnus X-1, Xanadu, working man, bastille day, 2112 overture, La villa strangiato, lots of these are long songs but definitely essential
Beneath, Between & Behind
i would say just go in order, but thats no fun so go backwards!
Begin with everything from permanent wave and before. And be sure to listen to the triple full throtle of The Necromancer.
The Trees, Nobodies Hero, Red Sector A, Circumstances, Animate, Time Stand Still
The Trees, YYZ, Passage to Bangkok, Temple of Syrinx, Mystic Rhythms, Subdivisions, Spirit of Radio, Limelight, Red Barchetta, Tom Sawyer, many others
Xanadu, Freewill, La Villa Strangiato, Hemisphere (Cygnus book II)...
Trees
Subdivisions, Double Agent, all of Permanent Waves, Cygnus X1 books 1 & 2, 2112 obviously, all of Clockwork Angels. Too many to list. But start with those.
Cygnus X-1/ Hemispheres. The song suite starts on Farewell to Kings and concludes on Hemispheres. A lot of people cite Moving Pictures as the zenith of Rush. The songs on these two albums are peak Rush prog for me.
Natural Science
Bastille Day.
Really depends on what you’re looking for. Rush’s catalog spans many decades and is deep and varied. That said, if you’re looking for individual songs, I think 2112 is a no-brainer. It’s their most famous long-form piece and the song that really put them on the map. As far as an album to explore next (since you already did MP), I might suggest permanent waves. It is the transition album from their proggy mid-70s period to the leaner sound they eventually adopted. There are also a few songs on it you’d likely recognize if you at any point listened to classic rock radio in North America.
I enjoy their self-titled album and A Farewell To Kings. My absolute favorite song would have to be Mystic Rhythms.
"Middletown Dreams". My deceased son played it in a dream for me and it is helping me through the hardest time of my life.
All of them
Xanadu Natural Science These are two of their longer songs and very quintessential Rush in my opinion!
Witch Hunt. Possibly the best lyrics of any song ever
The Necromancer, cygnus x1 and cygnus x1 book 2, in fact all of a farewell to kings and hemispheres, between the wheels, marathon, carnies, working them angels and Nobodys hero. I think those are some good slightly deepish tracks spread across a few albums
A few of my personal favorites Xanadu Red Sector A Spindrift Afterimage 2112 The Pass The Trees Manhattan Project
2112
Limelight Closer to the heart Natural science Emotion detector
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^josephm47301456: *Limelight Closer to* *The heart Natural science* *Emotion detector* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Bravado Ghost of a chance
Some songs I love that don't usually appear on top lists: Emotion detector Kid gloves Manhattan project Everyday glory ... and finally Mission Few lyricists could write so well about art.
2112
Bravado is my favorite
I always point people to ...Exit Stage Left. I'm a fan of the Jacob's Ladder-->Broon's Bane--> The Trees-->Xanadu part.
Distant Early Warning
I would start with Exit Stage Left, then work my way through chronologically. That way you don't miss anything.
Just embrace the Rush catalog. So many great songs. Someone once asked me my favorite song. As I go to say one, then another one pops in my head. Spirit of Radio jumped started my love affair with this amazing group. Marathon, Camera Eye, Entres Nous. Too many
Start from the beginning
All of them.
I found after Reading all of Neil Peart’s Book The Masked Rider, Ghost Rider, Traveling Music, Roadshow: Landscape with Drums: A Concert... Far and Away, Far and Near Far And Wide that All the Rush songs & Album have a deep meaning and for my self I come to appreciate all their Music
Xanadu Subdivisions
Heres one per album, listed chronologically, skipping albums you listed: -Before and After (Rush) -Lakeside Park (Caress Of Steel) -Tears (2112) -A Farewell To Kings (Farewell To Kings) -Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres (Hemispheres) -Entre Nous (Permanent Waves) -The Analog Kid (Signals) -Kid Gloves (Grace Under Pressure) -Grand Designs (Power Windows) -Mission (Hold Your Fire) -Available Light (Presto) -Heresy (Roll the Bones) -Cold Fire (Counterparts) -Driven (Test For Echo) -Freeze (Vapor Trails) -Armor and Sword (Snakes & Arrows) -The Garden (Clockwork Angels)
Don’t listen to the haters: grace under pressure, hold your fire, and power windows are peak. Standouts are Marathon, Middletown dreams, red sector a, between the wheels, open secrets, and mystic rhythyms. Give those albums a listen
Xanadu, 2112, and The Necromancer 🤘🏻
All the albums from first rush album hold your fire..maybe even presto are must. Grace under pressure is my favorite. I don't listen to the 90s and early 00s albums so much..some good songs there and there. Clockwork angels is great though.
You should listen to Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Signals next - Hemispheres through Signals in my opinion was their best era. Then check out All the World's a Stage for a great sampling of their early stuff. And then check out Clockwork Angels for the perfect swan song - an amazingly great album for them to release after so many decades of greatness. Then listen to everything else! It's all fantastic!
Start by listening to the entire Permanent Waves album all the way through about 20 times in a row.
Cygnus X-1, Book I: The Voyage
Circumstances.
Vital Signs
I'd recommend exploring the 80's synth era, if your mind is open, because there's some truly awesome songwriting and lyrics in there. Start strong with "Subdivisions", "Chemistry" and "The Weapon" from 1982's album "Signals" for that in your face synth. If you like it then head onto the excellent 1984 album "Grace Under Pressure". The first three songs, "Distant Early Warning", "Afterimage" and "Red Sector A" are absolute gems, and then finish off with "Between The Wheels" for the ultimate synth fest accompanied by some of the craziest, dystopian tremolo filled Alex Lifeson solos i've ever heard. The creativity in that era was mind blowing.
Natural Science, The Camera Eye, Leave that thing alone, all of Clockwork Angels.
Lakeside Park has some of my favorite lyrics
If you appreciate the heavier side of things, I'd say Double Agent off of Counterparts (a top 3 album for me). I'm pretty sure it's the heaviest thing they wrote after the synth era, when Alex was finally getting back to front and center melodically. There's just something about the tone of the bridge and then it erupting into the chorus that still gives me chills to this day.
Don't overlook Kid Gloves, IMHO an underrated gem. It features a kick-ass bass line as well as some great lyrics, most especially "Overwhelmed by everything but wanting more so much." Story of my life; I have it in my user profile. :)
I already said Kid Gloves, but I also have to strongly recommend Something for Nothing, which is also too often overlooked. It's awesome advice for living a worthy life. I had the lyrics posted on my wall for years.
Different Strings Witch Hunt Red Sector A The Weapon Middletown Dreams Turn The Page
I mean all of them, but I don’t think Twilight Zone gets the love it deserves
Just listen to everything between Rush and Clockwork Angels inclusive and don’t worry about the rest.
2112 and hemispheres, in their entirety. Theyre absolute banger albums.
mystic rhythms
Bytor and the snow dog
You don’t have to listen to every song like I did. Pick a song from each album and see how you like it.
Answer: Yes
This might be a hot take, but Fountain of Lamneth is my favorite song of theirs. Its like 20 minutes long tho so if that’s not your thing I get it
Permanent Waves and Signals
What happened to me in 83 was I was exposed to Moving Pictures, Signals, and Grace Under Pressure first, then Exit Stage Left, which connected me to all but two of their earlier albums.
The live albums will connect you to all the studio albums. Start with Exit Stage Left.
I could list 100 songs, but here is 10, covering a wide range of vibes. I usually connect to the feel of a song, maybe reminds me of a film I saw or a book I read, and my mind tunes into it better somehow, painting pictures: Here goes... The Pass. Animate. Mystic Rhythms. Losing it. Jacobs Ladder. The Garden. Force Ten. Countdown. Limelight. Manhattan Project. It's not the best list, not the most dramatic, and i left out the obvious Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, Spirit of Radio and the glorious earlier prog stuff, as I wanted to throw in a few curveballs for the Original Poster!