Signals: Rush
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=101289
Printed Date: May 01 2024 at 05:17
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Signals: Rush
Posted By: SteveG
Subject: Signals: Rush
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 10:48
| My third favorite Rush album of the eighties after moving Pictures and Permanent Waves. What's your opinion on Signals? Does it still hold up after following both PW and MP? |
Replies:
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 10:59
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yes, it does hold up to the two previous albums. Subdivisions is one of the best album openers ever and one of my favorite songs. |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 11:11
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I prefer PW and MP, but yes Signals is excellent. Subdivisions is in my top three Rush songs. I've always been very moved by that song. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 12:17
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Signals is an extraordinary Rush album, one of their very best. It boasts Geddy's best bass tone (and Neil's drums sound spectacular, too), the best synthesizer sounds to grace a Rush album, and superb songcraft and playing all around. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 12:30
| Yep 3rd masterpiece in a row for me before they dropped off (only slightly) with Grace Under Pressure. |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 12:58
IMO, Grace continues the streak of excellence. The instruments sound different but the songs are stellar! ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
richardh wrote:Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 13:01
I agree. GUP is excellent. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 13:04
Yep it is although I still prefer Signals and actually I also prefer Power Windows . 1980-1985 was a great period for Rush.
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Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 13:12
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Yeah, they were on fire from '80-85! "Big Money" is one of their most powerful songs. Great bass playing all across those albums. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: zravkapt
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 13:36
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Not a big Rush fan but I have personally met people older than me over the years who claim this album was what made them lose interest in the band. Literally, they heard "New World Man" on the radio and were disgusted that their fave band was now trying to be The Police. ------------- Magma America Great Make Again |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 13:52
The harsh icy sound of GUP made it a slow grower for me, but it was worth the wait. Power Windows I enjoy far more now than I did back then. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 13:57
Those would be the people with a synthesizer allergy.   ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Michael678
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 14:11
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Signals is indeed very great. Subdivisions is the best track on there. ------------- Progrockdude |
Posted By: sublime220
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 14:18
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For some reason, I can't stand Signals. But I also put Grace Under Pressure, Test For Echo and Power Windows in my top five which I know all three are not a big hit among most. Although it is better than Presto, which was imo, their most incomplete album since their debut. ------------- There is no dark side in the moon, really... Matter of fact, it's all dark... |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: February 10 2015 at 02:17
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A solid album I do like a lot. One of my favourite Rush songs - Losing It, that passage with Ben Mink's violin - room-trashing potential....... . What a monster segment.
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Posted By: dr prog
Date Posted: February 10 2015 at 04:19
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Their last fine album ------------- All I like is prog related bands beginning late 60's/early 70's. Their music from 1968 - 83 has the composition and sound which will never be beaten. Perfect blend of jazz, classical, folk and rock. |
Posted By: jackson1066
Date Posted: February 25 2016 at 17:22
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It's a favorite, but I can't stand the radio talk during "The Countdown"; I find it really distracting, like it's interference from a real radio. I heard somewhere that there is a version out there without the radio talk...I would like to find that. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 01:55
For me, SIGNALS is the last 'strong' album from Rush. Nothing weak at all - my pick being - sh*t, can't recall the title - .........For you the blind who cannot see, the bell tolls for thee - and an amazing electric-violin solo (Ben Mink)............strooth, can't say the title - man that's embarrassing.........  Last vinyl in my Rush collection too.......... ..................just went to the dunny and it came to me..........LOSING IT........... .........dang......................... |
Posted By: Kotro
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 05:05
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Signals is by far the Rush album that evolved the most in my appreciation of it. From a bland "meh" the first time I heard it, to becoming what I can say will near certainty is my favourite album by them.
------------- Bigger on the inside. |
Posted By: progbethyname
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 05:05
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Without a doubt. Signals is my #1 Rush album. It is a desert island take for me, and it was the opening track 'Subdivisions' that got me hooked to Prog music in the first place. I odor this album. One of the greatest pieces of music I've ever heard and audio quality is stupidly good as well. 10/10 ------------- Gimmie my headphones now!!! 🎧🤣 |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 09:23
^ You 'odor' this album ??  |
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 09:30
-------------   
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 09:39
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^ Oh Jose, LMAO........... |
Posted By: backtothegarden
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 10:08
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I think something got lost in translation there. I do love signals. For me, it's part of a 5 album run (Hemispheres - Grace Under Pressure) that is rivaled perhaps only by Black Sabbath's first six albums as the best consecutive album run by a band. This album also holds an odd position in my collection as what I call the "reset" record. If I get into a musical funk, where nothing seems to be doing it for me musically, I go back to Signals and "start over". It sounds weird, and it's tough to explain, but it does work for me. Chemistry is my favorite off of this record, with Losing It and Analog Kid being right behind. Not a bad song on the record, though. I do like Grace Under Pressure better, but I do find this album to be more consistent from start to finish. I see GUP as the peak, and is a jagged downhill decent from there. I also like to pretend that Hold Your Fire and Roll The Bones never happened.
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 10:14
| ^ Hold Your Fire is actually quite good........ |
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 11:34
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Signals is just like the title....for me it signaled the start of a new era for Rush. I was already waist deep in their previous albums having played Hemispheres, PermW, and previous to death!! The vinyl have no more grooves . Signals to me was their answer to the changing stream of music, adapting and progressing their sound. Geddy was very much into synths and Neil into electronic drums, so the sound makes sense to me and The police were a huge influence to their music, which I think is cool, since I love The Police sound.....refreshing. I was a huge fan of The Weapon, Losing It and of course Subdivisions, the song of the 80's IMO. Brilliant album! -------------
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Posted By: The.Crimson.King
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 15:03
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Start to finish, Signals is my fave Rush album over Moving Pictures. Chemistry is my fave Rush song (with a great solo from Alex) and I loved the Subdivisions video that got huge MTV play...I remember telling my friends, "You have to see this. Rush is actually on MTV!!!" New World Man lyrically and musically is just so...well...so Rush! Could easily be their signature tune from the 80's albums. Sound is crisp and the playing is first rate. And I actually like the radio chatter during Countdown, I like what they were trying to accomplish. Fantastic album ------------- https://wytchcrypt.wixsite.com/mutiny-in-jonestown" rel="nofollow - Mutiny in Jonestown : Progressive Rock Since 1987 |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 15:24
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Posted By: micky
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 16:21
hold up? I always thought it was a better album than both. Great great album. and Subdivisions is one the best songs they ever did. THE best IMHO.  ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: progbethyname
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 22:57
Please. It's my thumbs. Mia Adōre!!! Odor? Well the album does reek of taste if I may say...somewhat correctly this time. ------------- Gimmie my headphones now!!! 🎧🤣 |
Posted By: progbethyname
Date Posted: February 26 2016 at 22:58
------------- Gimmie my headphones now!!! 🎧🤣 |
Posted By: Rednight
Date Posted: February 27 2016 at 17:54
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Somewhat MOR in sections. A crowd please, but that ain't saying much. ------------- "It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno |
Posted By: Rednight
Date Posted: February 27 2016 at 17:54
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Somewhat MOR in sections. A crowd pleaser, but that ain't saying much. ------------- "It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno |
Posted By: zachfive
Date Posted: February 28 2016 at 13:32
What!? You are missing out on some solid Rush. Ghost of a Chance Bravado Roll The Bones Heresy All A+ lyrics from Peart from RTB Open Secrets Prime Mover Mission Force Ten Turn The Page Second Nature Those first 5 HYF tracks mentioned are powerhouse Geddy performances. A well developed style and tone, flawlessly executed, the man is ON FIRE on this album. That last tack could go down as Pearts best lyrics he's put to paper. Dont want to derail the Signals thread because that to is a spectacular album. That drumming during the instrumental section of Losing It - chills every time. A very emotional piece of music. |
Posted By: progbethyname
Date Posted: February 28 2016 at 16:38
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^ yup. Open secrets is one of my top ten rush tracks that I odor....adore. ------------- Gimmie my headphones now!!! 🎧🤣 |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: February 28 2016 at 16:52
^ DEFINITELY - Open Secrets - worth it for this track alone 
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Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: February 28 2016 at 20:18
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HYF has always been a great listen.. -------------
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Posted By: Rednight
Date Posted: February 29 2016 at 15:07
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I see GUP as the peak, and is a jagged downhill decent from there. I also like to pretend that Hold Your Fire and Roll The Bones never happened.[/QUOTE] This, although I'm not too sure about HYF and RTB. Then again, I'm not scampering over to my CD wall and pulling them out for a listen, either. ------------- "It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: February 29 2016 at 16:19
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Well...I'm not a huge Rush fan though I do own about half of their studio albums....and like those I own. IMHO Moving Pictures was their peak though Permanent Waves is my personal favorite. (not sure why...it just is) Signals is a solid album and I never really got into those after that one but I do like Snakes and Arrows and Clockwork Angels. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: progbethyname
Date Posted: February 29 2016 at 21:14
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For a little while Grace Under Pressure was my favourite album by Rush, but signals has just taken over once again. I love GUP as well. I mean Between The Wheels is an incredible track. Neil Peart shows off nicely on that one. Holy cymbal crashes batman!! ------------- Gimmie my headphones now!!! 🎧🤣 |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: February 29 2016 at 22:12
I wouldn't call myself a huge Rush fan either, though I do like them very much... however, somehow I ended up having all of their discography (except the debut). Mostly, my idea was to get their 70's albums... up to Moving Pictures, which are mostly their best rated ones... then came out Clockwork Angels and got that one too. The rest of their career I expected to cover with a few live albums... but I ended up finding a pair of album boxsets that covered exactly the albums I didn't have already, at a very decent price (I thought), and so I just got them. Still, I guess I should get some more live albums, for I really liked their sound live. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: March 01 2016 at 10:22
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^ I should probably pick up one or two live ones since I have none.....any suggestions from the Rush fans on which live ones are the best.... bear in mind I like the early middle period the best. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: March 01 2016 at 22:04
| The ones I have are "Clockwork Angels Tour" and "Snakes and Arrows Live"... oh yeah, and "A Show of Hands" (which was included in one of the box-sets). I liked better the CAT and SAL albums. Even though Geddy's voice is not the same anymore, they are played heavier, which makes for an interesting variation, plus the CAT one got some violins added to some songs, which also sounds interesting... however, neither has much from the 70's. I'm interested in getting the "Different Stages - Live", "Rush- In Rio", and "R30" albums too. Then I should be wanting to get the 70's live albums too. |
Posted By: Prog-jester
Date Posted: April 15 2016 at 18:21
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I never liked Rush from what I heard ("Fly By Night", "2112", "Hemispheres"), so I gave up on them in my prog years. When I moved to all other kinds of music later on, I suddenly discovered "Signals" and was blown away. You said it all before guys, and I'm firmly in the "this is my favourite Rush album!" camp. Checking more albums from them (thanks YouTube!) from this period has grown into serious sympathy for the band, watching documentaries also helped. Now owning their 1980-1985 albums on vinyl I would say this is also their best period, on every level. Their 70s efforts are too inconsistent and raw (even though people say they're classics) for me, putting technical aspects over emotional ones far too often; their post-1987 material I'm yet to check out, but I have "Counterparts" and it's amazing! |
Posted By: Prog-jester
Date Posted: April 15 2016 at 18:22
| Also 2007 and 2012 albums were pretty solid, even though I've listened to them like five or six times max and only when they were released. So much to (re)discover! |
Posted By: UMUR
Date Posted: April 16 2016 at 03:08
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Signals has never appealed much to me and I enjoy most of Rush 80s output. The sound is sort of "wollen" and few songs have ever stuck. There are of course a couple of gems here and there like Subdivisions. ------------- http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/" rel="nofollow - Metal Music Archives https://rateyourmusic.com/~UMUR" rel="nofollow - UMUR on RYM |
Posted By: Kestrel
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 11:19
| I have to come to regard "Subdivisions" as my favorite Rush song. I might consider "Subdivisions"/"The Analog Kid" the best two-song start of any of their albums. I largely prefer their 1970s work, but Subdivisions is such a tight composition with subtle progressive rock elements that combine with its more poppy nature. I feel like they lost this on most of their subsequent work, but "Subdivisions" is a peak. I am not sure any 70s prog band made a better song in the 1980s (with the exception of King Crimson). |
Posted By: aglasshouse
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 12:13
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Signals is practically a perfect album that I think follows up very well to MP. The only track I dislike it Losing It. ------------- http://fryingpanmedia.com |
Posted By: DDPascalDD
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 12:35
Machine Messiah. ------------- |
Posted By: aglasshouse
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 14:27
If I met you I would shake your hand off of your arm. ------------- http://fryingpanmedia.com |
Posted By: DDPascalDD
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 16:27
 ------------- |
Posted By: KingCrInuYasha
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 16:57
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I really like this one. "Losing It" has to be my favorite of the lot. ------------- He looks at this world and wants it all... so he strikes, like Thunderball! |
Posted By: calm_sea
Date Posted: May 15 2016 at 12:40
"Exit...Stage Left" and "A Show of Hands" are what you're looking for. I'm not sure how deep your love of 80's Rush is, but "A Show of Hands" is pretty much all 80's material. The only 70's track is Closer to the Heart. |
Posted By: enigma
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 16:53
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Signals is indeed great, as is Grace Under Pressure. I do feel that the final 3 songs of GUP are not as good as the previous 5. I think each album after Power Windows has more "filler" on it than the previous one, with the low point being Presto. Counterparts was pretty decent in places. Just my view, I know many like Presto. |
Posted By: Son.of.Tiresias
Date Posted: June 01 2016 at 13:59
Good point. And "Losing It" is one of the 2 best there, also one of very finest they ever recorded. Alas, their last great album. I remember this record vividly when I was analog kid  So... Bravo 1982 ! ------------- You may see a smile on Tony Banks´ face but that´s unlikely. |
Posted By: Rednight
Date Posted: June 01 2016 at 15:07
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But Subdivisions holds the unique distinction of being Rush's cheesiest video. ------------- "It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: June 07 2016 at 19:02
IMO, there's not a dog on GUP, and "Between the Wheels" is one of their best album closers, too.
I concur, but I love Vapor Trails front to back! I think Counterparts is fairly solid, too. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: June 07 2016 at 19:03
Seen the video for "Big Money"? ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Pastmaster
Date Posted: June 07 2016 at 19:17
Ever seen the video for Roll the Bones?
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Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: June 07 2016 at 20:20
They're all great videos in my book! ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: June 08 2016 at 04:03
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'Signals'; the point at which Rush briefly became progressive rather than a sophisticated hard rock/stadium rock band (and the first album I bought by them...) |
Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: June 13 2016 at 07:14
The video for Time Stand Still is painful to watch. Who thought that would be a good idea.
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Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: June 13 2016 at 07:29
Hearing New World Man was indeed jarring because it was quite the departure of what came before. For many years afterwards, I considered Signals to be quite a bit different than the previous stuff but as Rush really got into their synth period over the next few years, I realized that it wasn't that different after all. Sure, there are changes but in spots it rocks out as much as anything that cam before. Losing it is the sleeper track. Starts out all synthy and mellow and by the end, it's rocking your socks off
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