RUSH

Let me paraphrase Scott's last review a little bit and say: Every great band has a beginning (and now it will differ equally as my opinion differs from virtually everyone here), but this kind of beginning is something I admire, enjoy and find extremely (yet I'm not extremist) interesting. Not just that, there's of course more.

Indeed, this is basically Hard Rock, but the most elaborate H-R I've ever heard. And believe me, despite I wasn't even alive when this was released and has no playcount of thousands of Rock albums, yet I feel (from limited number of hundred "similar" [same genre] albums I've heard) that this is top notch, this is great. Maybe it's good because it's Rush and may it's Rush that's the reason why it's good. They started like that, almost instantly kicking into heights of great Prog music (rating average from all of their albums is very big, considering that dark 80s aren't as dark as for many other 70s bands). For me, their started instantly, right from first album.

At first, the sound of this album is very clear, production is as good as remasters are (some will disagree though). Great bass work, especially bass work that's normally not that in front of attention (maybe it's because Geddy is frontman, but anyway, I welcome this idea of putting bass in front, because everyone can hear electric guitar anyway, but bass ? it's often well hidden). Guitar solos are everywhere, that's fine (they're quite clever ones, nothing cheap - after all, this is 1974, this is maybe another reason why it's so mature Rock) and also note that drumming isn't just banging on some CANs (capital letters are unintentional, it's typing mistake I don't want to fix, really), but more like pre-Rush "the greatest" era. This album is of course in the shadow of what will came in next years, but if this would be in let's say Prog-related category, this would shine. It's by Rush, so I don't feel this should affect my rating that much. Given atmosphere of this, raw energy pouring from it, while still being intelligent man's music, reasons I stated earlier and also because I have great memories about this album (which also affects not my judgement, but how I perceive this album, how I accept and feel it, so in nutshell - I like it more, I appreciate it more, I find minor reasons that forms together my Masterpiece rating). The most "normally" Prog would probably be the beginning of the songBefore and After. There's Geddy's voice also, it helps to feel familiar (like at home).

5(-), if you like Hard Rock (and I believe you do), you'll like this album. If you don't, this album won't attract you probably. But I suppose that most of us like this kind of music (and many of us started with this). I just see "more" in this and that's it.

I like Prog a lot, but this is by far my most played Rush album. Despite my efforts to listen mostly Prog. Yet another reason why to love this album. It's catchy and irresistible.

A little bit controversial review, I agree, but reasonable one. I dare to rate it like that though.