CHRONICLES

In my opinion, Rush's Chonicles "greatest hits" album was just an attempt of a record company taking advantage of a group's popularity to make a few extra bucks. As I understand it, this collection was assembled without the participation of the band, and it shows. Some of these I would hardly call "hits," while others are obviously. In the end, the result is a mixed bag. Many songs didn't make the cut, and for the most part, it's the longer tracks that were carelessly discarded so they could fit as much on these 2 discs as possible.

I guess as an introduction to the band, this collection might be acceptable, but it doesn't provide enough insight into the band's earlier progressive years. Xanadu and Cygnus X-1 (at least one of the two parts) would have helped in this manner, instead of many of the shorter pieces they pulled from this period. The 2nd disc seems most representative of the band's 1980s output.

How to rate this? Fans probably already have all their albums, so this isn't for them. Collectors? Maybe, but most likely not. Newcomers to Rush? I would prefer they get the studio albums from their peak period. Completionists? Well... that's what they do, so they'll want this. The music isn't bad, just not the best selection for a "greatest hits" compilation. I guess I'd have to go with three stars. Good stuff, but not really essential for the above reasons. Or am I just overthinking the rating thing?