Don’t lie now Pete. 6.59. The GARDEN. lol. By the way, for the assignment I played all 16 selections ( two times each) today. Damn, I know like my top 3 ( which I love) but there is some “ bangers on this list. Great stuff/ looking forward to it. No RIGHT answer anyway !! 👍💯
Pete, Rush did do Cygnus Books 1 & 2 live. I'm pretty sure it was on the Hemispheres tour. Either that tour or Permanent Waves tour. I've seen them so many times. But it was really cool. They had a screen in back of them with the Rocinante going into the black hole, it was really cool. I've been a Rush fan from the very beginning & I love all these songs. So here's my list. 1. 2112 2. La Villa Strangiato 3. The Garden (I absolutely love this song. I think it's so different for them & such a beautiful song) 4. Xanadu 5. By-Tor & The Snow Dog 6. Cygnus X-1 Book 1: The Voyage 7. The Necromancer 8. Natural Science 9. Cygnus X-1 Book 2: Hemispheres 10. The Fountain Of Lamneth 11. The Camera Eye 12. Here Again 13. Jacob's Ladder 14. Working Man 15. Headlong Flight 16. Clockwork Angels
16. The Necromancer 15. The Fountain of Lamneth 14. The Garden 13. Working Man 12. Here Again 11. Clockwork Angels 10. Headlong Flight 9. By-Tor and the Snow Dog 8. 2112 7. Cygnus X-1 6. Jacobs Ladder 5. Xanadu 4. The Camera Eye 3. La Villa Strangiato 2. Natural Science 1. Hemispheres
Being five years older than Pete, I was so blessed that my teenage years were 1974 thru 1980, and Rush was an amazing early discovery and hugely popular amongst my friends down here in SE Tennessee. Their sound was freshly unique and instantly grabbed your heart, mind, and attention. We would routinely pile into our friends’ cars with only the best car stereos just to listen to Rush cranked up to “11”. What an awesome topic tonight, Mr. Pardo!!! Here is my list: 1 The Necromancer 2 By-Tor And The Snow Dog 3 2112 4 La Villa Strangiato 5 Xanadu 6 Working Man 7 Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres 8 Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage 9 The Camera Eye 10 Natural Science 11 Jacob's Ladder 12 Here Again 13 The Fountain Of Lamneth 14 The Garden 15 Headlong Flight 16 Clockwork Angels
1. Xanadu 2. La Villa Strangiato 3. By Tor and the Snowdog 4. Cygnus X-1 5. Necromancer 6. Working Man 7. 2112 8. Hemispheres 9. Here Again 10. Jacob's Ladder 11. Natural Science 12. The Camera Eye 13. The Fountain of Lammeth 14. Headlong Flight 15. The Garden 16. Clockwork Angels
Good timing for this show after choosing Caress on your morning show of albums celebrating 50yrs...also Geddy speaking in Charlotte tonight for Holocaust Remembrance day✌️
1. La Villa 2. Natural Science 3. Xanadu 4. 2112 5. Hemispheres 6. By-Tor 7. Camera Eye 8. Jacob's Ladder 9. Cygnus X-1 10. Working Man 11. Necromancer 12. Fountain of Lamneth The final 4 will bounce around for me....🤘
Off the top of my head: 16. Here Again 15. The Fountain of Lamneth 14. The Necromancer 13. Clockwork Angels 12. Headlong Flight 11. The Camera Eye 10. By-Tor and the Snow Dog 9. The Garden 8. Cygnus X-1 Book 2: Hemispheres 7. Jacob’s Ladder 6. Natural Science 5. La Villa Strangiato 4. Cygnus X-1 Book 1 3. Xanadu 2. 2112 1. Working Man There, I said it. I admire Neil’s lyrics tremendously, but even though he didn’t write it, Working Man is to me one of the greatest of all Rush songs. Its lyrics don’t need to be better than they are - they say everything that needs to be said, in an ideal fashion. And, it’s one of the all-time great guitar songs. It had to be at the top for me.
Its funny after looking at all of the comments lists, that most either have 2112 at the top or way down the list. Some people just think the album is overhyped I presume. Great job Pete..... I love them all !! I listen to 2112 on the 21st of every month at 12 o'clock (fReAk)
I really enjoyed listening to your video. I'm a huge Rush fan and have been lucky to see them 7 or 8 times. I havent made up my top 20 songs but my top 3 are Number 1 WORKING MAN, number 2, 2112 and number 3 BY-TOR AND THE SNOWDOG.
Headlong Flight was sooooo good live! Ged’s bass was thunderous and the song kept building, seemingly getting louder every minute. Amazing live. This and Natural Science are my all time favorite epic LIVE tracks. I know that’s not really the category here, but I wanted to share.
This may sound strange, but "Before and After" reminds me of "The Necromancer" because both take listeners on a musical journey with a peaceful and melodic beginning, then kicks butt with the heavy bits!
My third favorite band of all time behind Floyd and Genesis. This list was particularly hard for me. But “The Camera Eye” keeps rising. So good. “2112” still can’t be displaced on my list, though.
Thanks, Pete. The live "La Villa Strangiato" of which you speak is on "Exit...Stage Left" (1981), not "All the World's a Stage" (1976). Speaking of ESL, I've always felt its track of "Xanadu" far outperforms the studio version, especially the opening-instrumental segue from "The Trees."
No 1 always Xanadu for me. First song by Rush I ever heard, actually by accident as I'd put a late night uk music show on to see Talking Heads play Pscho Killer! Video came on of a band I'd never heard of (I was 16) playing Xanadu and I was hooked. A fan ever since.
1) La Villa 2) The Garden 3) Jacob's Ladder 4) By-Tor 5) Working Man 6) Natural Science 7) Xanadu 8) Cygnus Book II 9) Camera Eye 10) 2112 11) Cygnus Book I 12) Clockwork Angels 13) Necromancer 14) Headlong Flight 15) Here Again 16) Fountain of Lamneth
I watched the video with in trepidation. So many times I have watched you and your lists wondering how you pick one song over another. All these songs can go in any order, depending how someone connects to it. But "THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE" at number one and you nailed it this time. In my mind, nothing Rush did before or after 2112 comes close. Not to say that any of their other music is not great, it's just the "Sistine Chapel" of rock to me. Nice video.
1) The Camera Eye 2) The Fountain of Lamneth 3) Xanadu 4) Natural Science 5) Hemispheres 6) Jacob’s Ladder 7) Here Again 8) Headlong Flight 9) By Tor….. 10) Clockwork Angels Mix up the last five. Just make sure Working Man is 16. Never understood the love.
1. The Camera Eye 2. Jacob's Ladder 3. The Garden 4. Natural Science 5. Xanadu 6. LaVilla Strangiato 7. Cygnus Book 1 8.Working Man 9.Headlong flight 10. Cygnus Book 2 11. 2112 12. Clockwork Angels 13. The Necromancer 14. Fountain of Lamneth 15. By Tor and Snow Dog 16. Here Again
The Camera Eye is one of my favorite Geddy vocals. Great tune. So hard to pick the top 5...La Villa, Xanadu, 2112 could all be my #1. Camera Eye and Working Man fill it our
Xanadu off of Exit...Stage Left was my initial gateway to Rush so I definitely have a soft spot for that. Both Cygnus tracks are phenomenal along with 2112. Camera Eye has moved up my list over the years along with Jacob's Ladder. La Villa Strangiato is one of the best instrumental tracks ever. And they finished their career so strong with The Garden and Clockwork Angel's too. Great list and gotta say with just a couple of exceptions, I'm not too far off of your rankings.
I always found it strange that they hard stopped making them after the camera eye would have been cool if instead of a few of the lesser songs on counter parts or test for echo they did a dream theater type epic
C'mon, how do I rank these?! They're all great! Xanadu Cygnus X-1 Book 2 La Villa Stangiato Natural Science 2112 Bytor & the Snowdog Jacobs Ladder Headlong Flight Cygnus X-1 Book 1 Camera Eye Working Man The Garden Necromancer Fountain of Lamneth Clockwork Angels Here Again
I haven't heard some of the recent ones and am not a great fan of Natural Science era so I have done a top 10 which seems to be from the first six albums only: 1 - Xanadu 2 - 2112 3 - La Villa Strangiato 4 - Hemispheres 5 - Here Again 6 - Working Man 7 - By Tor and the Snowdog 8 - Voyage 9 - Fountain of Lamnath 10 - Necromancer
I couldn’t agree more with your number 1 Pete. It’s been my favorite Rush song and album for a long time. The ‘Temples of Syrinx” stands toe to toe with the heaviest metal ever written and I will die on that hill.
"Xanadu" is #1 for me. "Cygnus X-1 (Book I)" is easily my #2. "La Villa Strangiato" is probably my #3, and the title track to 2112 my 4th. The rest I'd really have to think about.
Xanadu...talk about musicianship! Glorious. Neil has a hundred percussives to choose from yet my favorite moment is that simple, direct, two-measure snare fill in the verse. WOW!
1. Xanadu 2. La Villa Strangiato 3. 2112 4. Jacob’s Ladder 5. The Camera Eye 6. The Fountain of Lamneth 7. By-Tor and the Snowdog 8. Cygnus X-1 9. The Necromancer 10. Natural Science 11. Working Man 12. Hemispheres 13. The Garden 14. Clockwork Angels 15.Headlong Flight 16. Here Again Very hard to rank all of these epics and my rankings can easily change fairly often.
Headlong Flight is the best Rush song since the early 80's. Production was a little muffled and Geddy's voice was a little strained but this is song would have fit in with Hemispĥers,Permanent Waves or Farewell
My top 10: 1. Xanadu 2. La Villa Strangiato 3. By-Tor And The Snow Dog 4. 2112 5. Cygnus X-1 Book 2 Hemispheres 6. Natural Science 7. Cygnus X-1 Book 1 8. Jacob's Ladder 9. Working Man 10. Fountain of Lamneth
1. 2112 2. Xanadu 3. La Villa Strangiatto 4. By Tor 5. Working Man 6. Cygnus Bk 1 7. The Garden 8. Cygnus Bk2 9. Clockwork Angels 10. Fountain of Lamneth 11. Jacobs Ladder 12. Headlong Flight 13. Natural Science 14. Camera Eye 15. The Necromancer 16. Here Again
1. Xanadu 2. La Villa Strangiato 3. Jacob’s Ladder 4. 2112 5. Cygnus X-1: Book 2 6. The Camera Eye 7. Natural Science 8. Working Man 9. Cygnus X-1: Book 1 10. By Tor and the Snow Dog 11. Headlong Flight 12. The Fountain of Lamneth 13. The Garden 14. Clockwork Angels 15. The Necromancer 16. Here Again
1. Xanadu 2. Jacob’s Ladder 3. la Villa 4. 2112 5. Working Man 6. Cygnus X1 7. By -Tor 8. Hemispheres 9. Camera Eye 10. Necromancer 11. Here Again 12. Natural Science 13. the Garden 14. Fountain of L 15. Clockwork Angels 16. Headlong Flight. The top 4 here competes with the best of Yes, Genesis, Floyd. Etc as the best that prog rock has to offer IMO.
It is almost ironic that you chose Working Man and By-tor, one after the other. If you have a good listen to Rush Live at Electric Ladyland Studios, which they recorded not more than a few weeks after Neil joined the band, they have a few songs written for Fly by Night, which they performed that day. When they play Working Man, they do a balls-out, bust up the furniture jam-session in the middle which is obviously (I think it's safe to say) the beginnings of what would become By-tor and the Snow Dog. I remember when I realized that. It hit me like a brick in the face.
Natural science (my fav rush song) 2112 The necromancer Working man Here again Xanadu By tor and the snow dog Jacob’s ladder Hemispheres The camera eye Cygnus x-1 La villa strangiato Clockwork angels Fountain of lamneth The garden Headlong flight
Clockwork Angels 120 The Fountain of Lamneth 84 Here Again 73 The Necromancer 67 The Garden 53 Headlong Flight 46 By-Tor and the Snow Dog 33 The Camera Eye 24 Working Man 21 Cygus X-1 18 Hemispheres 14 Jacob's Ladder 12 La Villa Strangiato 11 2112 10 Natural Science 9 Xanadu 7
Hey Pete, great ranking episode! By the way, both Books of Cygnus X-1 were played on Rush’s ‘Tour Of The Hemispheres’. I saw it in January 1979 in Louisville, Ky. Toto was the opening band.
1.) 2112 / 20.33 2.) La Villa Strangiato / 9.35 3.) Natural Science / 9.17 4.) Headlong Flight / 7.20 5.) The Garden / 6.59 6.) Working Man / 7.10 7.) By Tor & Snow Dog / 8.37 8.) The Camera Eye / 11.01 9.) Cygnus x 1 / 10.25 10.) Cygnus x 1 II / 18.08
Either Xanadu or 2112 belong at the top of the epic list for Rush. Okay lets go with this: 2112 Xanadu Hemispheres Natural Science The Necromancer By-tor and the Snow D Jacob's Ladder La Villa Strangiato Cygnus X1 The Fountain of L The Camera Eye
I think my luggs must be defective. Been a Rush fan since the 70's and while there are very few Rush songs I don't like, one of the songs on this list that gets a regular high rating Jacobs ladder I have never cared for, and would be dead last on my list. But as Pete says we all here things differently.
Great episode. Similar age to you Pete. I was into music from very early (my folks had a lot of 60's 7" singles which would play a lot on an old drop down gramophone/record player when I was wee) started buying music from the age of 11 onwards ( some bought for me some from pocket money) and got into all sorts of music (late 70's early 80's a fertile genre time) including rock and metal. First metal album I bought was Iron Maiden 1st on release and the second was 2112 in 1980. The 2112 epic blew me away when I played it ( had never heard it until I bought it - as was the way back then ). This led me into loving Rush and going to see them in 81or 82 (Exit Stage left period). Next was Sabbath Bloody Sabbath then House of the Holy and then I reckon 5th might have been Praying Mantis or Tigers. Love the pods.
1) Xanadu / Every day of the week and twice on Sunday. 2 and 3) Cygnus X1 and Hemispheres / Mention must be made of the "...to be continued" teaser in between albums. Genius! 4) 2112 / The Professor's drumming changed my life. 5) Working Man / Alex front and center but Rutsey more than holds his own!
Tried to type this in live chat kept messing up - Attention all planets of the solar federation- 7 words said 3x = 21 We have assumed control - 4 words said 3x = 12 Coincidence? 🤘🏻🤔
Great episode Pete! No bad songs here. My own personal ranking of these incredible epic length tracks: 1. Xanadu 2. 2112 3. Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage 4. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres 5. The Camera Eye 6. La Villa Strangiato 7. Jacob's Ladder 8. Natural Science 9. Working Man 10. By-Tor And The Snow Dog 11. The Fountain Of Lamneth 12. The Necromancer 13. The Garden 14. Headlong Flight 15. Clockwork Angels 16. Here Again
2112, Hemispheres, Xanadu, Cygnus X-1, La Villa Strangiato, Natural Science, Camera Eye, By Tor & The Snowdog, Working Man, Jacob's Ladder, Necromancer, Fountain Of Lamneth, Headlong Flight, Clockwork Angels, Here Again, The Garden.
Excellent show and it's amazing to see how many epic length tracks Rush have done in their career. Some of are excellent and some are legendary masterpieces. I really enjoyed this one a lot. I would love to see a ranking the epic songs for The Flower Kings as they've done a lot of long music. Keep up the good work 👏 1. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres 2. 2112 3. Cygnus X-1: The Voyage 4. The Camera Eye 5. Xandau 6. La Villa Strangiato 7. Clockwork Angels 8. By Tor And The Snow Dog 9. Natural Science 10. Jacob's Ladder 11. Fountain Of Lamenth 12. Necromancer 13. Here Again 14. The Garden 15. Headlong Flight 16. Working Man
I'm only ranking the ones that I know very well... so only one song from CA. 14. Working Man (huge dislike!) 13. Cygnus X-1 Book I (big dislike!) 12. Xanadu (yup...) 11. Here Again (very listenable bluesy Rush + Alex's solo is gold) 10. The Garden (makes me think of Neil every time... The stand-out track on CA) 09. By Tor and the Snow Dog (fun!) 08. Fountain of Lamneth (an interesting journey with several highlights) 07. The Camera Eye (listening outside on a walk while the sun is shining, perfect) 06- The Necromancer (agreeing with Pete here, great cinematic track!) 05. Jacob's Ladder (masterful playing and a great musical interpretation of a natural phenomenon) 04. Hemispheres (it's the side-long epic on Hemispheres AND my introduction to the band, nuff said) 03. 2112 (can't be denied a place on the podium... Truly EPIC in capital letters, this has it all) 02. La Villa Strangiato (an epic instrumental that works incredibly well + Alex again...) 01. Natural Science (undisputed #1 on my list and my favorite Rush song now and forever, one of the best big statement closing tracks in rock history) A fun video, Pete, really liking this series!
Great episode! While Pete talks I play 'Spot the CD' on Pete's shelves, clearly see Bat out of Hell there is that Metallica below? I watch on a small cell phone
Great 16 songs. Tough to rank. 1- 2112 ( 76). 2- Xanadu. 3- Working MAN. 4- La Villa 5- Cygnus. X one. 6- By tor and snow dog 7- Camera 📷 eye 👁️. 8- Cygnus 2. 9- Natural. Science 10- Necromancer 11- Jacob’s ladder 12- fountain lamenth. 13- headlong flight ✈️ 14- clockwork angels 15- Garden 16- here again. Pete, thank you for your time 👍💯
One man's opinion: 1. 2112 2. Cygnus X-1 3. Xanadu 4. The Fountain Of Lamneth 5. Working Man 6. Jacob's Ladder 7. Natural Science 8. La Villa Strangiato 9. The Necromancer 10. The Camera Eye 11. Headlong Flight 12. Here Again 13. Cygnus X-1 Book 2 14. Clockwork Angels 15. By-Tor & the Snowdog 16. The Garden
7 minutes and up!
Don’t lie now Pete. 6.59. The GARDEN. lol. By the way, for the assignment I played all 16 selections ( two times each) today. Damn, I know like my top 3 ( which I love) but there is some “ bangers on this list. Great stuff/ looking forward to it. No RIGHT answer anyway !! 👍💯
Hey Pete. You should rank the Iron Maiden epics next! Lots of epics there.
Rime #1@@JaredRobbins2
Pete, Rush did do Cygnus Books 1 & 2 live. I'm pretty sure it was on the Hemispheres tour. Either that tour or Permanent Waves tour. I've seen them so many times. But it was really cool. They had a screen in back of them with the Rocinante going into the black hole, it was really cool.
I've been a Rush fan from the very beginning & I love all these songs.
So here's my list.
1. 2112
2. La Villa Strangiato
3. The Garden (I absolutely love this song. I think it's so different for them & such a beautiful song)
4. Xanadu
5. By-Tor & The Snow Dog
6. Cygnus X-1 Book 1: The Voyage
7. The Necromancer
8. Natural Science
9. Cygnus X-1 Book 2: Hemispheres
10. The Fountain Of Lamneth
11. The Camera Eye
12. Here Again
13. Jacob's Ladder
14. Working Man
15. Headlong Flight
16. Clockwork Angels
16. The Necromancer
15. The Fountain of Lamneth
14. The Garden
13. Working Man
12. Here Again
11. Clockwork Angels
10. Headlong Flight
9. By-Tor and the Snow Dog
8. 2112
7. Cygnus X-1
6. Jacobs Ladder
5. Xanadu
4. The Camera Eye
3. La Villa Strangiato
2. Natural Science
1. Hemispheres
Being five years older than Pete, I was so blessed that my teenage years were 1974 thru 1980, and Rush was an amazing early discovery and hugely popular amongst my friends down here in SE Tennessee. Their sound was freshly unique and instantly grabbed your heart, mind, and attention. We would routinely pile into our friends’ cars with only the best car stereos just to listen to Rush cranked up to “11”. What an awesome topic tonight, Mr. Pardo!!! Here is my list:
1 The Necromancer
2 By-Tor And The Snow Dog
3 2112
4 La Villa Strangiato
5 Xanadu
6 Working Man
7 Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres
8 Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage
9 The Camera Eye
10 Natural Science
11 Jacob's Ladder
12 Here Again
13 The Fountain Of Lamneth
14 The Garden
15 Headlong Flight
16 Clockwork Angels
Love you having Necromancer at #1! I think it’s the first progressive metal song ever recorded.
I became a teen in 1974 too. By-Tor and The Snow Dog is at my top Rush Epics.
The camera eye and Xanadu are my 2 favourite rush songs
1. Xanadu
2. La Villa Strangiato
3. By Tor and the Snowdog
4. Cygnus X-1
5. Necromancer
6. Working Man
7. 2112
8. Hemispheres
9. Here Again
10. Jacob's Ladder
11. Natural Science
12. The Camera Eye
13. The Fountain of Lammeth
14. Headlong Flight
15. The Garden
16. Clockwork Angels
Fans unite for 'Xanadu'!
I'm pulling for Xanadu. Possibly my favorite Rush track from the whole catalog.
It is incredible!
"Xanadu" is definitely my personal favorite track from the catalogue.
Yep I agree
I agree. Xanadu is my favorite Rush song as well
Natural Science is my favourite of their epics but The Garden is so emotive and the most magnificent song for this great band to sigh off.
Rush is a really great Canadian power trio from hard rock to prog with a lot of awesome songs and popular albums thanks Pete.🎶📻🎶
Geddy slices Mercury in half with those vocal cords in Here Again..love that song!!
Good timing for this show after choosing Caress on your morning show of albums celebrating 50yrs...also Geddy speaking in Charlotte tonight for Holocaust Remembrance day✌️
They did play Book 1 and 2 back to back on the Hemispheres tour! I saw it at Nassau Coliseum.
2112, DSOTM, Genesis LLDOB. 3 albums we absolutely loved while trying not to burn our fingers or burn a hole in the carpet!
1. La Villa
2. Natural Science
3. Xanadu
4. 2112
5. Hemispheres
6. By-Tor
7. Camera Eye
8. Jacob's Ladder
9. Cygnus X-1
10. Working Man
11. Necromancer
12. Fountain of Lamneth
The final 4 will bounce around for me....🤘
My 2 favorite Rush songs are Natural Science and the Camera Eye. I can`t decide which I prefer
Off the top of my head:
16. Here Again
15. The Fountain of Lamneth
14. The Necromancer
13. Clockwork Angels
12. Headlong Flight
11. The Camera Eye
10. By-Tor and the Snow Dog
9. The Garden
8. Cygnus X-1 Book 2: Hemispheres
7. Jacob’s Ladder
6. Natural Science
5. La Villa Strangiato
4. Cygnus X-1 Book 1
3. Xanadu
2. 2112
1. Working Man
There, I said it. I admire Neil’s lyrics tremendously, but even though he didn’t write it, Working Man is to me one of the greatest of all Rush songs. Its lyrics don’t need to be better than they are - they say everything that needs to be said, in an ideal fashion. And, it’s one of the all-time great guitar songs. It had to be at the top for me.
Its funny after looking at all of the comments lists, that most either have 2112 at the top or way down the list. Some people just think the album is overhyped I presume. Great job Pete..... I love them all !! I listen to 2112 on the 21st of every month at 12 o'clock (fReAk)
I really enjoyed listening to your video. I'm a huge Rush fan and have been lucky to see them 7 or 8 times. I havent made up my top 20 songs but my top 3 are Number 1 WORKING MAN, number 2, 2112 and number 3 BY-TOR AND THE SNOWDOG.
I was waiting for the Farewell to Kings title track. It seems more epic than 5:51. Great list!
Headlong Flight was sooooo good live! Ged’s bass was thunderous and the song kept building, seemingly getting louder every minute. Amazing live. This and Natural Science are my all time favorite epic LIVE tracks. I know that’s not really the category here, but I wanted to share.
My favorite band thank you! My #1 is Natural Science
The Garden is a masterpiece. So beautiful
This may sound strange, but "Before and After" reminds me of "The Necromancer" because both take listeners on a musical journey with a peaceful and melodic beginning, then kicks butt with the heavy bits!
My third favorite band of all time behind Floyd and Genesis. This list was particularly hard for me. But “The Camera Eye” keeps rising. So good.
“2112” still can’t be displaced on my list, though.
Love Rush , thanks Peter 👍you da man brother 🤟
Thanks, Pete. The live "La Villa Strangiato" of which you speak is on "Exit...Stage Left" (1981), not "All the World's a Stage" (1976). Speaking of ESL, I've always felt its track of "Xanadu" far outperforms the studio version, especially the opening-instrumental segue from "The Trees."
Strongly agree…
Been a huge Rush fan forever and The Camera Eye to me has to be their most underrated song.
My absolute favorite Rush track…
Too bad this video’s running time wasn’t 21:12.
So close too...
Haha nice
No 1 always Xanadu for me. First song by Rush I ever heard, actually by accident as I'd put a late night uk music show on to see Talking Heads play Pscho Killer! Video came on of a band I'd never heard of (I was 16) playing Xanadu and I was hooked. A fan ever since.
I hope the fountain of lamneth and the necromancer are included! Perhaps By Tor and the Snow Dog as well!
Jon. Pete said. The GARDEN at 6.59. He will include !! 👍💯
@@garyjoyce2160 awesome!!!
LA Villa will be #1
1) La Villa 2) The Garden 3) Jacob's Ladder 4) By-Tor 5) Working Man 6) Natural Science 7) Xanadu 8) Cygnus Book II 9) Camera Eye 10) 2112 11) Cygnus Book I 12) Clockwork Angels 13) Necromancer 14) Headlong Flight 15) Here Again 16) Fountain of Lamneth
I watched the video with in trepidation. So many times I have watched you and your lists wondering how you pick one song over another. All these songs can go in any order, depending how someone connects to it. But "THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE" at number one and you nailed it this time. In my mind, nothing Rush did before or after 2112 comes close. Not to say that any of their other music is not great, it's just the "Sistine Chapel" of rock to me. Nice video.
1) The Camera Eye
2) The Fountain of Lamneth
3) Xanadu
4) Natural Science
5) Hemispheres
6) Jacob’s Ladder
7) Here Again
8) Headlong Flight
9) By Tor…..
10) Clockwork Angels
Mix up the last five. Just make sure Working Man is 16. Never understood the love.
Rush are on my shopping list when i go to Sydney next. There is a great metal/Rock shop in Sydney called "Utopia Records".........Thanks Pete:)
Epic doesn't do that list justice......unbelievable!
Clockwork Angels is a beautiful song!
Love the fountain of lamneth
1. The Camera Eye
2. Jacob's Ladder
3. The Garden
4. Natural Science
5. Xanadu
6. LaVilla Strangiato
7. Cygnus Book 1
8.Working Man
9.Headlong flight
10. Cygnus Book 2
11. 2112
12. Clockwork Angels
13. The Necromancer
14. Fountain of Lamneth
15. By Tor and Snow Dog
16. Here Again
The Camera Eye is one of my favorite Geddy vocals. Great tune. So hard to pick the top 5...La Villa, Xanadu, 2112 could all be my #1. Camera Eye and Working Man fill it our
“We have assumed control!”
Hard to rank but By-Tor is definitly the one i play most. Awesome song with great production.
If we’re doing recommendations, I would really like to see Renaissance at 9+ minutes. They’ve also got 16 songs I believe for that criteria.
The Camera Eye is the checkmate song in Moving Pictures. The Camera Eye is why Moving Pictures is their best release.
My absolute favorite Rush track…
Xanadu off of Exit...Stage Left was my initial gateway to Rush so I definitely have a soft spot for that. Both Cygnus tracks are phenomenal along with 2112. Camera Eye has moved up my list over the years along with Jacob's Ladder. La Villa Strangiato is one of the best instrumental tracks ever. And they finished their career so strong with The Garden and Clockwork Angel's too. Great list and gotta say with just a couple of exceptions, I'm not too far off of your rankings.
I always found it strange that they hard stopped making them after the camera eye would have been cool if instead of a few of the lesser songs on counter parts or test for echo they did a dream theater type epic
1) Jacob's Ladder
2) Xanadu
3) La Villa Strangiato
4) Cygnus X-1 Book One
5) Cygnus X-1 Book Two: Hemispheres
La Villa Strangiato no 1 for me ,hemispheres being my favorite album
Xanadu, By-Tor & Jacob's Ladder would be my top 3.
C'mon, how do I rank these?! They're all great!
Xanadu
Cygnus X-1 Book 2
La Villa Stangiato
Natural Science
2112
Bytor & the Snowdog
Jacobs Ladder
Headlong Flight
Cygnus X-1 Book 1
Camera Eye
Working Man
The Garden
Necromancer
Fountain of Lamneth
Clockwork Angels
Here Again
Oh man it hurts to see camera eye so low but fair enough! Tough to rank Rush songs admittedly
I haven't heard some of the recent ones and am not a great fan of Natural Science era so I have done a top 10 which seems to be from the first six albums only:
1 - Xanadu
2 - 2112
3 - La Villa Strangiato
4 - Hemispheres
5 - Here Again
6 - Working Man
7 - By Tor and the Snowdog
8 - Voyage
9 - Fountain of Lamnath
10 - Necromancer
I couldn’t agree more with your number 1 Pete. It’s been my favorite Rush song and album for a long time. The ‘Temples of Syrinx” stands toe to toe with the heaviest metal ever written and I will die on that hill.
"Xanadu" is #1 for me. "Cygnus X-1 (Book I)" is easily my #2. "La Villa Strangiato" is probably my #3, and the title track to 2112 my 4th. The rest I'd really have to think about.
Xanadu...talk about musicianship! Glorious. Neil has a hundred percussives to choose from yet my favorite moment is that simple, direct, two-measure snare fill in the verse. WOW!
What's the best Rush song and why is it Xanadu?
1. Xanadu
2. La Villa
3. Hemispheres
4. 2112
5. Natural Science
1. Xanadu
2. La Villa Strangiato
3. 2112
4. Jacob’s Ladder
5. The Camera Eye
6. The Fountain of Lamneth
7. By-Tor and the Snowdog
8. Cygnus X-1
9. The Necromancer
10. Natural Science
11. Working Man
12. Hemispheres
13. The Garden
14. Clockwork Angels
15.Headlong Flight
16. Here Again
Very hard to rank all of these epics and my rankings can easily change fairly often.
Headlong Flight is the best Rush song since the early 80's. Production was a little muffled and Geddy's voice was a little strained but this is song would have fit in with Hemispĥers,Permanent Waves or Farewell
My top 10:
1. Xanadu
2. La Villa Strangiato
3. By-Tor And The Snow Dog
4. 2112
5. Cygnus X-1 Book 2 Hemispheres
6. Natural Science
7. Cygnus X-1 Book 1
8. Jacob's Ladder
9. Working Man
10. Fountain of Lamneth
1. 2112 2. Xanadu 3. La Villa Strangiatto 4. By Tor 5. Working Man 6. Cygnus Bk 1 7. The Garden 8. Cygnus Bk2 9. Clockwork Angels 10. Fountain of Lamneth 11. Jacobs Ladder 12. Headlong Flight 13. Natural Science 14. Camera Eye 15. The Necromancer 16. Here Again
1. Xanadu
2. La Villa Strangiato
3. Jacob’s Ladder
4. 2112
5. Cygnus X-1: Book 2
6. The Camera Eye
7. Natural Science
8. Working Man
9. Cygnus X-1: Book 1
10. By Tor and the Snow Dog
11. Headlong Flight
12. The Fountain of Lamneth
13. The Garden
14. Clockwork Angels
15. The Necromancer
16. Here Again
Huge missed opportunity not making this video 21 minutes and 12 seconds!
The Camera Eye..
1. Xanadu
2. Jacob’s Ladder
3. la Villa
4. 2112
5. Working Man
6. Cygnus X1
7. By -Tor
8. Hemispheres
9. Camera Eye
10. Necromancer
11. Here Again
12. Natural Science
13. the Garden
14. Fountain of L
15. Clockwork Angels
16. Headlong Flight.
The top 4 here competes with the best of Yes, Genesis, Floyd. Etc as the best that prog rock has to offer IMO.
It is almost ironic that you chose Working Man and By-tor, one after the other. If you have a good listen to Rush Live at Electric Ladyland Studios, which they recorded not more than a few weeks after Neil joined the band, they have a few songs written for Fly by Night, which they performed that day.
When they play Working Man, they do a balls-out, bust up the furniture jam-session in the middle which is obviously (I think it's safe to say) the beginnings of what would become By-tor and the Snow Dog.
I remember when I realized that. It hit me like a brick in the face.
Natural science (my fav rush song)
2112
The necromancer
Working man
Here again
Xanadu
By tor and the snow dog
Jacob’s ladder
Hemispheres
The camera eye
Cygnus x-1
La villa strangiato
Clockwork angels
Fountain of lamneth
The garden
Headlong flight
The narration in The Necromancer is actually Geddys voice slowed down, not Neil. Oh & it's LamNeth not Lammeth.
I did say Lamneth…
Clockwork Angels 120
The Fountain of Lamneth 84
Here Again 73
The Necromancer 67
The Garden 53
Headlong Flight 46
By-Tor and the Snow Dog 33
The Camera Eye 24
Working Man 21
Cygus X-1 18
Hemispheres 14
Jacob's Ladder 12
La Villa Strangiato 11
2112 10
Natural Science 9
Xanadu 7
Hey Pete, great ranking episode!
By the way, both Books of Cygnus X-1 were played on Rush’s ‘Tour Of The Hemispheres’.
I saw it in January 1979 in Louisville, Ky.
Toto was the opening band.
Thank YOU Pete for this episode. Being my fav band of all time, its special to me.
2112 😂, so good
2112, La Villa Strangiato, Working Man, Natural Science all rank right up at the top of my favorite Rush songs.
1.) 2112 / 20.33
2.) La Villa Strangiato / 9.35
3.) Natural Science / 9.17
4.) Headlong Flight / 7.20
5.) The Garden / 6.59
6.) Working Man / 7.10
7.) By Tor & Snow Dog / 8.37
8.) The Camera Eye / 11.01
9.) Cygnus x 1 / 10.25
10.) Cygnus x 1 II / 18.08
Natural science makes my top 5 easily.
Either Xanadu or 2112 belong at the top of the epic list for Rush. Okay lets go with this:
2112
Xanadu
Hemispheres
Natural Science
The Necromancer
By-tor and the Snow D
Jacob's Ladder La Villa Strangiato
Cygnus X1
The Fountain of L
The Camera Eye
I think my luggs must be defective. Been a Rush fan since the 70's and while there are very few Rush songs I don't like, one of the songs on this list that gets a regular high rating Jacobs ladder I have never cared for, and would be dead last on my list. But as Pete says we all here things differently.
Love you Pete, but La Villa is not on All The Worlds…. But this was a great show!!!
Obviously, I meant Exit Stage Left...
Great episode. Similar age to you Pete. I was into music from very early (my folks had a lot of 60's 7" singles which would play a lot on an old drop down gramophone/record player when I was wee) started buying music from the age of 11 onwards ( some bought for me some from pocket money) and got into all sorts of music (late 70's early 80's a fertile genre time) including rock and metal. First metal album I bought was Iron Maiden 1st on release and the second was 2112 in 1980. The 2112 epic blew me away when I played it ( had never heard it until I bought it - as was the way back then ). This led me into loving Rush and going to see them in 81or 82 (Exit Stage left period). Next was Sabbath Bloody Sabbath then House of the Holy and then I reckon 5th might have been Praying Mantis or Tigers.
Love the pods.
This show is so amazing!! Thank you oh Canada!
Great episode, Pete.
Sweet has a prog song over seven minutes called The Healer from Give us a Wink. great song! ~ 🎶
Thanks Pete, great show, one of the best ever. Love Rush, my favorite band, hard to disagree with those rankings.Cheers
This video should have been edited to 21:12.
I almost made it without even thinking about it!
1) Xanadu / Every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
2 and 3) Cygnus X1 and Hemispheres / Mention must be made of the "...to be continued" teaser in between albums. Genius!
4) 2112 / The Professor's drumming changed my life.
5) Working Man / Alex front and center but Rutsey more than holds his own!
Very nice Pete!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tried to type this in live chat kept messing up -
Attention all planets of the solar federation- 7 words said 3x = 21
We have assumed control - 4 words said 3x = 12
Coincidence? 🤘🏻🤔
Great episode Pete! No bad songs here. My own personal ranking of these incredible epic length tracks:
1. Xanadu
2. 2112
3. Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage
4. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres
5. The Camera Eye
6. La Villa Strangiato
7. Jacob's Ladder
8. Natural Science
9. Working Man
10. By-Tor And The Snow Dog
11. The Fountain Of Lamneth
12. The Necromancer
13. The Garden
14. Headlong Flight
15. Clockwork Angels
16. Here Again
2112, Hemispheres, Xanadu, Cygnus X-1, La Villa Strangiato, Natural Science, Camera Eye, By Tor & The Snowdog, Working Man, Jacob's Ladder, Necromancer, Fountain Of Lamneth, Headlong Flight, Clockwork Angels, Here Again, The Garden.
Hi Pete. Great show. Any future show on Epic Length Songs of Symphony X Maybe 8 plus minutes? Just wondering. Thanks for your time
Rush is definitely progressive rock. I don't think they're a "pure" metal band but they're extremely influential to progressive metal.
Excellent show and it's amazing to see how many epic length tracks Rush have done in their career. Some of are excellent and some are legendary masterpieces. I really enjoyed this one a lot. I would love to see a ranking the epic songs for The Flower Kings as they've done a lot of long music. Keep up the good work 👏
1. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres
2. 2112
3. Cygnus X-1: The Voyage
4. The Camera Eye
5. Xandau
6. La Villa Strangiato
7. Clockwork Angels
8. By Tor And The Snow Dog
9. Natural Science
10. Jacob's Ladder
11. Fountain Of Lamenth
12. Necromancer
13. Here Again
14. The Garden
15. Headlong Flight
16. Working Man
I'm only ranking the ones that I know very well... so only one song from CA.
14. Working Man (huge dislike!)
13. Cygnus X-1 Book I (big dislike!)
12. Xanadu (yup...)
11. Here Again (very listenable bluesy Rush + Alex's solo is gold)
10. The Garden (makes me think of Neil every time... The stand-out track on CA)
09. By Tor and the Snow Dog (fun!)
08. Fountain of Lamneth (an interesting journey with several highlights)
07. The Camera Eye (listening outside on a walk while the sun is shining, perfect)
06- The Necromancer (agreeing with Pete here, great cinematic track!)
05. Jacob's Ladder (masterful playing and a great musical interpretation of a natural phenomenon)
04. Hemispheres (it's the side-long epic on Hemispheres AND my introduction to the band, nuff said)
03. 2112 (can't be denied a place on the podium... Truly EPIC in capital letters, this has it all)
02. La Villa Strangiato (an epic instrumental that works incredibly well + Alex again...)
01. Natural Science (undisputed #1 on my list and my favorite Rush song now and forever, one of the best big statement closing tracks in rock history)
A fun video, Pete, really liking this series!
I love this series!
🌠GREAT SHOW PETE/ THE BOSS
Great episode! While Pete talks I play 'Spot the CD' on Pete's shelves, clearly see Bat out of Hell there is that Metallica below?
I watch on a small cell phone
Great 16 songs. Tough to rank. 1- 2112 ( 76). 2- Xanadu. 3- Working MAN. 4- La Villa 5- Cygnus. X one. 6- By tor and snow dog 7- Camera 📷 eye 👁️. 8- Cygnus 2. 9- Natural. Science 10- Necromancer 11- Jacob’s ladder 12- fountain lamenth. 13- headlong flight ✈️ 14- clockwork angels 15- Garden 16- here again. Pete, thank you for your time 👍💯
Jon. Pete said anything 6 mins / 59 secs. ! Is the standard. For episode
Pete, you nailed it. 2112 had to be #1 and Villa was a great choice for #2! Thanks for all you do for the SoT community!
Great topic and list. There’s no wrong order.
1. 2112
2. Cygnus Book 2
3. Xanadu
4. Natural Science
5. La Villa
"The Garden" is without a doubt the best song on "Clockwork Angels." It is also terrific live.
One man's opinion:
1. 2112
2. Cygnus X-1
3. Xanadu
4. The Fountain Of Lamneth
5. Working Man
6. Jacob's Ladder
7. Natural Science
8. La Villa Strangiato
9. The Necromancer
10. The Camera Eye
11. Headlong Flight
12. Here Again
13. Cygnus X-1 Book 2
14. Clockwork Angels
15. By-Tor & the Snowdog
16. The Garden