Rush went trough some hard times. A dark period was over them after Hold Your Fire.
They didn't split up but that was a close call. Rush was heading for strange FM directions.
Some like this period, I personnaly could live without it. Instead of taking risks, pushing
limits forward, investing in new sounds and re-inventing the band over and over, they just
wanted a piece of the commercial cake that is rock n' roll. And it failed. Rush stayed a great
rock band, but a poor post-pogressive band. The spark is definitly gone, the sound is du-
jour (heavy and rude). But the artwork is awesome, to say the least. The concept of
Counterparts is an amazing bonanza of eye-candy pictures and cool logos. The cover art is
by far one of the coolest ever. Simple, provocative (hey, obvious dude!), and reflects the
theme of the record....man vs. woman. So Peart is a human after all! But, despite the lack
of creativity and the disappointing song filling hides a couple of great songs. 'Leave that
Thing Alone' is by far one of the greatest songs Rush ever produced. It's a rather sad
piece of music, but strong in emotion and musicianship. Catchiest 4 minute song in a long
time! 'Stick it out' kicks some serious butt and has a great videoclip on top of that. In one
word like in a hundred ones Counterparts stands out in rock heavyness and FM material.
Not the most essential record, but the best of what came out in the 1991-2002 period.
It's like a Betty Crocker cake. Not very nutricious...but the icing is divine.
Menswear |3/5 |
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