Songs & Albums of the Moment

My ten most listened to songs over the week (alphabetically ordered by band name):

* Porcupine Tree - "The Start of Something Beautiful"
* Porcupine Tree - "Open Car"
* Porcupine Tree - "Mellotron Scratch"
* Rush - "Distant Early Warning"
* Rush - "Mission"
* Rush - "Prime Mover"
* Rush - "Double Agent"
* Rush - "Nobody's Hero"
* Tom Cochrane - "Paper Tigers"
* Tom Cochrane - "Will of the Gun"

My five most listened albums over the week (alphabetically ordered by band name):

* Porcupine Tree - "Deadwing" (2005)
* Rush - "Counterparts" (1993)
* Rush - "A Show of Hands" (1988)
* Rush - "Hold Your Fire" (1987)
* Tom Cochrane - "Ragged Ass Road" (1995)

Five Favourite Rush Albums

Now that Snakes & Arrows has had time to "settle" in, does it still remain a favourite Rush album?

With eighteen albums to choose from this is no easy task, but I have allocated myself just five choices. All in chronological order:

Moving Pictures (1981)

No explanation is needed. PERFECT album!

Song example: Tom Sawyer

Signals (1982)

I had heard Geddy Lee complain about the fact that the synthesizers overtook Alex, but I've got to disagree. I think they blended the two instruments perfectly through out this album. One thing that I will admit is that "Signals" has dated faster than other Rush albums due to the subject matter of it's songs ("digital man", space shuttles, etc) but it's still an amazing album.

Song example: Subdivisions

Power Windows (1985)

"Instrumental mastery" in all sense of the words. With the album following a "power" theme - a lot of Chinese influences made it in here. Alex's guitars were given a distortion so that they came off sounding Chinese (particulary in "Territories"). Geddy's bass lines were at the height of complexity as well. Not to mention, It's often regarded as one of, if not the best album ever made in terms of sound quality production.

Song example: Mystic Rhythms

Presto (1989)

Definitely not a choice which I expect most Rush fans to agree with. "Presto" is pretty much hated because of it's mid tempo beat and "pop" like sound. I've always enjoyed this album because it is so "mid tempo", as a result it's very relaxing and in my life, very emotional with it's powerful lyrics.

Song example: Show Don't Tell

Snakes & Arrows (2007)

That's right, it's still on the list. No second doubts as it's another ground breaking album within the Rush catalog.

Song example: Armor & Sword