GOLD

Another Rush compilation... but so what, one isn't supposed to buy any if not necessary. As a librarian in response of music I must say this friendly prized 2-cd was a perfect choice to our library where Rush music didn't nearly exist before. (Edit several years later: of course I have increased the number of Rush albums in my library!)

From their debut (1974) up to Hold Your Fire (1987) each studio album is represented by two or three tracks (except Caress of Steel by 'Bastille Day' only). Naturally one can argue about choices; I would have minimized the amount of two first raw albums and replaced some tracks here and there, but in general it works very well.

The chronology is broken within each CD; the first disc covers their most proggy period (the long tracks are 'Xanadu' and 'La Villa Strangiato') and the second their 'synth' period starting from Moving Pictures. In fact I enjoyed the latter more. Maybe because my first ever Rush album was Signals, which still is a (minor) classic to me. Also, I like the art work showing the 12 album covers as an art exhibition. What else can be asked from a compilation?

2.5 stars really!!!

Well, look what we have here. Yet another Rush complitation. Of course as a complitiation, there is no reason a fan should buy this, but this is a farely good introduction to Rush for a new emerging fan. The first disc is more of their progressive years, and disc two is more of their synthed years. While all the music is good, they really made some boneheaded moves (only the opening of 2112!! After that I went and listened to the real version!!!). Other complitations of theirs are better, but this isn't horrible or anything. I wouldn't even reccomend starting with a complitation, and this isn't the one to start with anyway. Pass it by, even newbies to Rush.

'Gold' - Rush (Compilation)

Judging by the song choice here, this is a decent representation of Rush up to 'Hold Your Fire.' But the question here is, what the hell happened to all of the material after that album? While this 'Gold' album is supposed to be a greatest hits for Rush, there's still material from 'Presto,' 'Roll The Bones,' 'Test For Echo,' 'Counterparts,' and 'Vapor Trails' that was in existence when this compilation was produced that definately could have made it onto this two disc set. This was compiled in 2006! While there's an obvious excuse for not having Snakes & Arrows material, what about classics like 'Superconductor,' 'Animate,' or 'The Pass?'

If you're set on buying a double-disc compilation, buy something a little bit more complete, like 'Chronicles.'

The two discs and 29 tracks of RUSH GOLD offer a thorough retrospective of Rush's 70s & 80s catalogue, with selections from of the Canadian power prog trio's first twelve albums. Long-time, committed fans will of course already have the original albums, and thus won't find anything new here, but sometime and/or late-coming fans (such as your faithful reviewer) will herein find all the Rush they know from the radio, and really need. Furthermore, RUSH GOLD is bargain-priced to sell, and thus represents a formidable bang for your buck.

Most of the band's better-known numbers are here, and the sound is excellent. You get all the perennial FM hits like "Fly By Night," "Closer To The Heart," "The Spirit Of Radio," "Freewill," "Limelight," "New World Man" and "Tom Sawyer." Also included is the epic instrumental workout "La Villa Strangiato," plus additional essential material such as "The Trees," "The Big Money," "Red Barchetta," "Subdivisions" and "The Analog Kid." My absolute favourite, though, is "Time Stand Still," which blew me away with its sheer power, unexpected beauty, and moving lyrics when I first heard it here. Crank it up!

If you've ever enjoyed the odd Rush song when it comes on your car radio, yet have somehow resisted buying any of their albums, or are unsure where to start, this collection would represent a fine overview. RUSH GOLD is a solid compilation of some very solid music, and well worth the minimal entry price.

155 minutes of pure gold Rush jammed onto 2 CDs- absolutely ideal for the Rush newbie

This is my first Rush album and it means a lot to me as it was the first of many and I systematically collected the entire Rush catalogue including live albums and DVDs. But this is where it started for me so it has sentimental value. Someone told me, a magazine actually, that Rush were an exceptional band and I was not ready to indulge in a studio album just from the hearsay of a magazine, however when I saw this 2 CD greatest hits collection I knew this would be a fantastic way to be introduced to Rush. After all it featured much revered tracks such as 'Bytor and the Snow Dog', 'Xanadu', 'La Villa Strangiato' and 'Working Man'. I knew these tracks were supposed to be classic Rush songs so the risk would be worth it surely. I had no idea what I was getting into. I was completely blown away with this compilation.

As a newbie to the band nothing prepared me for the likes of 'The Spirit of Radio', the melodic 'Freewill' or the heavy riffing 'Bastille Day'. 'By-Tor and the Snow Dog' lived up to expectation as a prog classic, as did the classic '2112 Overture' and 'The Temples of Syrinx'. I was surprised that I had heard this latter track on the metal radio show some years back; it's a genuine rocker with Lee belting out a killer chorus that is as memorable as anything I have heard. The band are a powerhouse of guitar rock on the instrumental 'La Villa Strangiato', one of the classics of prog. The band sound raw and very heavy on the last three tracks of CD1, 'Fly by Night', 'Finding My Way' and 'Working Man', of which I am a real fan with its riffing guitars and awesome vocals, featuring an amazing instrumental break.

CD2 has some of the more recent Rush tracks up to the time of release and is not as good as the early material but still great rock, full of Lifeson's clanging guitars and melodic vocals, with huge drums from Peart. 'The Big Money' and 'Red Barchetta' are always favourite 80s tracks, as well as 'Time Stand Still' and 'Distant Early Warning'. One of the best Rush tracks undoubtedly is 'Limelight' which has become an outright treasure over the years to my ears. I like the synthesizer heavy tracks from "Signals" and "Power Windows" but there is no forgetting gems such as the incredibly popular 'Tom Sawyer' that starts many live performances.

The booklet is a colourful look at the album artwork and tells me where the tracks originated from and this was a sure fire way of enticing a Rush newbie, that I was, into getting the albums one at a time. As I said I have a soft spot for this album, there was not much missing that was brilliant from the first albums of the band I must admit, but it is still essential to get the actual albums. There is a lot missing such as 'Hemispheres', 'Cygnus X1', and 'YYZ' but overall this compilation offers a great deal. The compilation is an excellent intro to Rush and with 2 CDs worth of their best material, at a very reasonable price too I might add, this is irresistible for a Rush newbie. For the initiated of course there is nothing new but still a fantastic collection for any Rush fan, well compiled, well packaged, and containing just about everything brilliant about Rush.

I perfectly agree with AtomicCrimsonRus who said "155 minutes of pure gold Rush jammed onto 2 CDs- absolutely ideal for the Rush newbie". What a good statement as it applies exactly right for this compilation. Of course this is especially for those who have never heard Rush which is I believe not that many. What I think is that many people have heard Rush but not familiar with the music and the albums. I prefer to recommend newbie to buy album by album starting with "Exit Stage Left", "Moving Pictures", "Hemisphere" and "A Farewell to Kings". Once he is familiar with that albums he can continue with others. But for newbie sometimes they want something in one package representing the musical journey of the band with various changes of the styles.

Starting the compilation with "The Spirit of Radio" (4:57) is a bold decision even though time- wise it's not taken from the first album. The interesting part is the opening lyrics which indicate energetic morning with "Begin the day with a friendly voice" as Geddy Lee sings. Disc One basically varied in terms of style as it has acoustic sesion wiyj "The Trees" and it has great "La Villa Strangiato" and ended with old song "Working Man". Disc Two represents the later stage of Rush as most of the songs were taken from albums that utilized keyboard except Tom Sawyer and Red Barchetta.

Overall, this is a very good compilation of Canada's power trio Rush. Keep on proggin' ...

Peae on earth and mercy mild - GW