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Rush - Vapor Trails CD (album) cover

VAPOR TRAILS

Rush

 

Heavy Prog

3.43 | 953 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

sbrushfan
5 stars This CD is all Neil. His lyrics made me cry, and they still do, everytime I listen to this album. ONE LITTLE VICTORY seems to be the only "triumphant" song on here. Peart's lines like "Another chance at victory; another chance to score" are nothing more than a tease...making you think it's all joy. Then you hear the brutal sadness and anger track by track and realize that the band, as a whole, has been through a hell of a lot more than you realize. I recently lost my mom, so I know the songwriting impetus that losing a loved one can bring, as well as the intense pain you go through. But I'm talking about RUSH here, not me.

As it stands, this disc is RUSH's attempt to rejoin the land of the living after a painful 6 years, and in that light, succeeds masterfully. Where the CD doesn't succeed is in the cohesion of the material. I salute Neil(aka THE PROFESSOR) for having balls enough to make his personal pain an open thing, but the imagery went way over my head the 1st time out. I was left wondering, "HUH?" Then I realized that his use of imagery was merely to cover up his OVERWHEMING pain. That's what the disc does to you...OVERWHELM you. Songs like EARTHSHINE, THE STARS LOOK DOWN ("what is the meaning of this? and the stars look down...what are you trying to do?...and the stars look down...")and the unforgettable titale track had me in a much welcomed catatonic state at the end, if only for the rush of tears that accompanied the last notes of each track.

Production is warm, solid, not bloodless and cold. It's sorta like the production job they did on COUNTERPARTS, only a lot more "in your face", almost with an analog sound. Instruments are played to their fullest capacity. What it lacks in Lifeson's leads is more than made up by his wonderful ear for texture. Fuzzed-out 12-string, ghostly slide...it seems that no sound is out of his grasp.

So...for having the balls to emotionally undress in public, and for bringing back the sound and fury of EARLY Rush(think '74-'76), I give this disc a solid 5 stars. Too bad I couldn't use 1/2 star allotments too.

sbrushfan | 5/5 |

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