Best Rush Albums

The best commercial record by Rush, because it has a couple easy to relate to songs= Limelight + Tom Sawyer! But as a diehard fan of 35 years... It is top ten, but not top 5! Usually when a song or album is liked by the masses = it is more generic/mainstream than the rest. ***But the cool thing about this album, is that most everyone I talked to said;"There is only 3 guys!? I thought there was 5 or 6! "

Top 10 for sure! don't let sales and universal exceptance alter your view of this album. I know its one of the best commercially; But is it the best artistically? I would put Clockwork Angels, Permanent waves, hemispheres and the best they have ever done (even overlooked by them)...By far the best solid album from start to finish= Counter Parts!

Every Rush album has real gems. However this album never lets up in quality. I still listen to them all but having seen them do this whole album on last tour it has finally nailed this for me as the No1 (just). Farewell To Kings and Permanent Waves come close - Natural Science awesome.

Alrighty, as an album, Moving Pictures is best by far. Minimal to low amount of filler. �"We all agree, 2112 is amazing, but how about the rest of that album? Kind of a bore if you ask me. Here you have action filled songs like YYZ, Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, Limelight, and The Camera Eye. Really nothing to complain about there. The album that showcases the talent of every member in the band.

To me it's not even debatable. Moving Pictures is a great album, so are most of Rush's albums.
BUT, 2112 is their best album ever. The story telling, the riffs, the space vibes, the guitar solos, the perfect drumming by Neil (he's always perfect in fairness) and probably the best bass lines Geddy Lee has ever provided. If you haven't seen the comic strips that accompany the video that were released by Rush recently, please do. Makes you appreciate the album even more.
THE most perfect album Rush came up with. Can't get enough of it.

Not gonna lie, I'm not a big Rush fan at all and I only know a few of their songs thanks to classic rock radio. But all that changed when I heard this. I was definitely in love with their first album because it was exactly what I loved most about music, but this album was what makes me want to listen to them a whole lot more. It's fantastic from start to finish and each time I listen to it I'm blown away. It's something else, really. There aren't good enough words to truly describe this masterpiece..

For me, 2112, Hemispheres, and Moving Pictures are all 10/10 albums. But there is something about this album that makes it better. It has the balladry of "Tears" the hard rock of "Something for Nothing". The creepiness of "The Twilight Zone. It has the foreign sounding "A Passage to Bangkok". And of course it has "2112" which is my favourite song of all time. This was my introduction to Rush and remains my favourite Rush album.

When Rush made this album it was going to make or break them. Well it made them. Since they thought it might be their last album they put it all on the line by making the most unique and amazing album. This album is pure gold, everything on it is just fantastic, I have the deluxe version and it is amazing to listen to 2112 as one song. the rest are great too.

Hemispheres is by far the ultimate punctuation mark on the band's albums from the 1970's. These four songs stand against that of its more widespread counterparts, and yet the themes presented and musical complexity of all four tracks are the deepest on any album. Every facet of the band is in perfect harmony, and yet still unequivocally rocks without being drowned out. When comparing the songs here to similar ones from other albums, Hemispheres is just more cohesive as a unified work, and isn't just my favorite Rush album, but my favorite album, period.

This is, by far, the best album by Rush, the rock gods that they are. Starting with Cygnus X-1, Book II: The Voyage, another side-long song, Hemispheres always gets me in the mood for some prog. Then, after you flip the record, Side 2 presents you with Circumstances, a cool hard rock number. After that is The Trees, which is very popular despite its relatively low amount of playtime on rock radio. Finally, closing the album, is La Villa Strangiato, the best Rush song ever.

Geddy said it himself that they wrote material that was a bit beyond their ability for this album. From the first track to the last track you get the feeling that each song was carefully crafted, as they should be when writing/recording and to end the album with La Villa Strangiato, which is one of the finest instrumentals ever written, it made the album as close to perfect as anything can get.

Moving Pictures is undoubtedly their most popular album, and the one that most people associate with Rush. That being said, I am a fan of the epics. 2112 is my favorite song of all time, but I would choose Hemispheres as my favorite album again and again. Followed by a tie between 2112 and A Farewell to Kings. Hemispheres is the best of what Rush has to offer. The is no comparison. They take you on a journey that very few can

Deciding the best Rush album is a near impossible task. On one hand, you have a perfect meld of Rush's 70's and 80's era in Moving Pictures. On the other, you have their absolute classic album and the recording that cemented them as a prog rock powerhouse, 2112, with that legendary masterpiece of a title track. On the other hand, you could say the vast amounts of experimentation on Hemispheres resulting in quite possibly the greatest rock instrumental ever, La Villa Strangiato, takes the cake for pinnacle Rush album. Well, in my opinion, (or at least at the moment) Permanent Waves is the defining Rush album. It shows so many elements of some of their greatest albums as well as introducing its own. The opener, The Spirit of Radio, and the second track, Freewill, show the album's more radio-friendly and direct nature, while still showing the well thought out and overall kickass nature of Rush songs before it. The next song, Jacob's Ladder, almost sounds like a mesh between sounds from A ...more

This album has to be one of the best progrock albums ever. No one can argue Rush's progressive bona fides. Both interpersonal...Entre Nous...and ...Natural Fortunately puts life in perspective. It is Lifeson's best guitar work and the last before he relinquished that roll as Rush became more bass driven and Alex began to utilize his skills for filler. That, post Hard Rock Rush, enabled Rush to sound like a band bigger than three.

Like some others said, probably the most homogeneous and representative/defining album of the group. I usually vote on that and to me it's the only one in their discography that I always listen from beginning to end, never skipping any of the tunes, and having the same pleasure on each of them. Fantastic album... period.

So many awesome songs. Especially with Spirit of Radio and Natural Science being the highlights of it. Freewill, Different Strings and Entre Nous are also pretty great in their own right. Moving Pictures and Hemispheres are close seconds but The B-side of MP isn't as strong as the rest and Hemispheres is just too short.

You know... Xanadu is a masterpiece of proness like really complete by Cuba-khan... And closer to the heart will blow your mind to Saturn. Or Pluto. But musically rush is the size of Jupiter. And do not rate this comment irrelevant because I am just comparing. And a farewell to kings has like the best acoustic intro of the 70s man!

After I had enough of my mum banging on about Rush, I bought this. One of the best decisions I have ever made! From the brilliant nylon string intro to farewell to kings, to the beautiful chaos of Cygnus X-1, I enjoyed every song. I can't believe I put off so long to listen to Rush. A classic!

Not to discount the obvious greatness of any of their albums, but after 2112, when they had free reign of creativity they decided to make A Farewell to Kings, which is incredibly political and philosophical. The only thing that could've made this album better is if it was also Hemispheres

The best of the long epic era. The short songs are good. The two long ones (Xanadu and Cygnus x-1)... I have no words that will adequately describe how awesome I think they are. Words fail me. (Honorable mention to Signals which I thing is number 2 and the best of the 80s era. And which I listen to now. )

This album is a true masterpiece and to me the best moment of Rush as well. It is full of high quality progressive rock compositions which make up a unique release in the history of rock music as a whole. It contains wonderful tracks that only a band with the musical skills and the creative ability of Rush could ever create and perform. "Subdivisions" is simply one of the best songs ever written and "The Analog Kid", "Chemistry", "Losing It" and "Countdown" are also spectacular.

This album is simply breathtaking in scope and vision... From the opening Subdivisions to the closing songs Losing it and Countdown (especially the latter), it is a tour-de-force that barely lets go of the listener. I love Rush and their albums, although lately they do not entertain me the way they used to... Apart from 2 songs, Clockwork Angels was a disastrous monologue. Together with Grace Under Pressure, Moving Pictures and 2112, this is a classic!

This was the Rush album that made me a fan! I began to listen to their back catalog extensively after this. Ironically, it was the LAST of the great Rush albums. Never before or since has Neil's lyrics been as poignant as in "Losing It", Alex's solo as emotional as in "Chemistry", or Geddy's chops as superb as in "Subdivisions". I wonder if Rush could record another great album if they worked with Terry Brown again...

I'm not sure why this is my favorite. It's really hard to pick one, and after hours and hours of thinking about it, and listening to Rush... I finally had to settle on Signals. There is something about it, the lyrics, the music, that strikes emotion for me. This is the Grace Under Pressure Hemingway spoke about. If you REALLY listen to it, think about it, feel it. It's a masterpiece. I always come back to these songs.

Three years ago I voted for Signals - I still listen to that album, Moving Pictures, Hemispheres, and A Farewell to Kings on a regular basis. I truly thought that their best days were long gone when they released this masterpiece! This is possibly their most inspired work since their 1976 - 1982 heyday. Every song is a masterpiece in this song cycle but the crowning glory, The Garden, brings a lump in my throat every time.

I love Rush - I hope that they go on for another ten years... But I really don't know if they can possibly end their career with a better song than The Garden or with a better album than Clockwork Angels. Well done, gentlemen!

My #1 Rush album and #1 album ever because of: Headlong Flight (to me, their masterpiece), Wish Them Well, Caravan, and The Anarchist, mainly.

These are my top 4 songs ever and are truly the anthems of my life.

Clockwork Angels, Carnies, The Garden, The Wreckers, Brought Up 2 Believe have greatness musically and lyrically/vocally that contribute to my unwavering love for the album which will eternally hold the #1 spot.

The only songs that aren't for me are: Halo Effect, Seven Cities of Gold, and BU2B2.

I've read that Neil wanted this album to be his greatest achievement... He definitely achieved it with Alex and Geddy.

Every song on this album stands out to me! It tells a great story and every single song on it has its own vibe that stands out to me unlike most of the songs on snakes and arrows which somewhat boring to me... I believe this album deserves to be #3 since even though its not moving pictures or 2112, it belongs up there with them!

Easily the best album they've ever released. Love the concept and the story but many don't realize just how deep the message is & how it pertains to real life. Sad & eerie feeling this is the bands final album however but if it is, what a high note to go out on!

#9? Is this a joke? Fly by Night is an incredible album (granted, personally I love their heavier music, so this fits perfectly). Definitely deserves a top 3 spot, only behind Rush's 2 greatest masterpieces; 2112 and Moving Pictures

My top 5 favorite albums
1. Moving Pictures
2. 2112
3. Fly by Night
4. Permanent Waves
5. A Farewell to Kings

I think this is at least in the top three next to 2112 and hemispheres. I mean this is as raw of RUSH as you get. It's the first album with Neil Peart ( which is there second album). Every song on there is just Raw RUSH.

More so than the original Rush album, Fly By Night exemplifies Rush as a top flight Rock Band. In addition, in marks the trend toward highly introspective...and lengthy Rush efforts...Bytor and the Snowdog. Best I Can is underrated and a great, basic, rock song

Has a brilliant mix of Zeppish-Rootsy Rock and Proggier stuff and Neil Peart has never sounded so exciting. Has some great under rated tunes (Making Memories, In The End) and even Rivendell reminds me of being a Tolkien obsessed teen. Can't believe it's below the God Awful 'Power Winders'

For me, Grace Under Pressure has the best collection of songs, whilst there are better songs on different albums, as a collective, this is the best selection that Rush have ever produced. The first 4 songs alone (Distant Early Warning, Afterimage, Red Sector A, The Enemy Within) are enough to put this album at the top of my personal list. Followed by Hold Your Fire and Clockwork Angels personally.

Great, great rock and roll. Perhaps even and above than the Rush album, it exemplifies the fact that you can't classify Rush. Are they hard rock? Are they prog? And then there was Bytor and the Snow Dog. Talk about both lyrical and musical innovation. It's interesting to ponder...What would Rush have been if they continued with a hard rock path. Would they eventually have gone metal?

This dark rush album is great. The opener, Distant Early Warning would give Subdivisions a run for its money. Afterimage almost makes anyone cry, and same goes with Red Sector A. This is the one Rush album u could dance too. Enemy Within is a reggae influenced song dealing with phobias and the enemy u deal with everyday, yourself. The Body Electric is this albums Red Barchetta, and is a great B-Side Opener. Kid Gloves is an amazing underrated song, and Red Lenses is an outlier song that will grow to be a favorite. The closer, Between The Wheels is one of th best tracks rush has ever produced. This album should be up there with Moving Pictures, 2112, and Hemispheres

Everyone always rags on the synthesizer period. In my opinion, this is Rush's best album, or at least my favorite. My favorites are Between The Wheels, the-always-forgotten Afterimage, The Body Electric, and Kid Gloves. Not to mention the album's most notorious, Distant Early Warning and Red Sector A.

THE GREATEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME. The production could be the best ever on any album. It's very 80's sounding, yet it what makes the album so good and gives it such a powerful sound. Plus, every instrument is clear and the dynamics are insane. I always test new audio hardware with this album. When it comes to the content itself, the lyrics are very thoughtful and the music is unbelievable; it is the perfect blend between rock, pop, New Wave, and prog. Geddy Lee has never sounded better, Neil Peart kills it like always, and Alex Lifeson's guitar solo on "Emotion Detector" is his absolute best. Easily the trio's finest hour.

Beautiful emotional songs. Maybe the most emotional Rush album. Very good arrangements. This is for me the best album from the Rush-synthesizer-period. This album feature very sustained Police-like guitar sound, great guitar solos, grindings bass and the perfect percussion.

This album is powerful. The metaculture observation of Territories is something every human being should hear...Big Money is an ominous foretelling of our current political situation. If I were to introduce someone...ignorant of Rush...I'd likely start with this album.

Other than Moving Pictures, I feel that this album has some very good melodies, excellent bass and drums. I like the guitar, despite it not taking a formal rock position on the album. Over all, I give this record a 4 and a half stars out of five.

Easily the best of the hard rock era of Rush. Fly By Night is bogged down by Rivendell and Making Memories, Caress of Steel has The Fountain of Lameness- sorry, Lamneth, and 2112 is their second best out of the first four by just a tiny little margin (That little margin is Tears). This album rocks hard from start to finish. No weak songs on the album at all in my opinion. But that's all this is, isn't it? An opinion

Has to be the last of top 19 (don't count feedback) because it is without Peart AND it sounds like Zeppelin on steroids except for drums. Simple songwriting for 18 yr olds. Great Raw guitar by a HEALTHY Alex! Rushes worst is better than all!

Rush (the album) and snakes and arrows should be much higher just have to listen to them all the way through, they are pretty spectacular. Who am I kidding anyone of Rush's albums is spectacular.

This is not my favourite, but just working man alone puts it in the top ten. Without Peart it has a more Zeppelin feel than any other rush album. Still really sound guitar work.

I've thought Counterparts has been underrated for years now. It shows a maturity in Pearts writing...Cold Fire is really appealing to all of us who've been challenged in adult relationships. Between Sun and Moon is great fun and Cut To the Chase is an awesome motivational song. As far as best Rush songs go, I would argue it may very well be Double Agent.

3 Words: "Animate" and "Nobody's Hero. " 2 of the most underrated rock songs ever released, this album really shows off just how good Neil Peart is as a Lyricist. "Alien Shore" is another personal favourite.

The heavy use of bass drums in songs like 'double agent' sound fantastic, and the production value of this album is great. One fantastic album.

This album is solid and is the best since the Power Windows album. Definitely in my top 10 considering it's the only 90's album I like by Rush.

This will always be my favorite. It's a damn shame to see it so low.

I love this album too!

I am a long time Rush fan and appreciate all of their work. RTB is without a doubt my favorite Rush album and one of my most played albums from any artist. I think the album has huge pop sensibility, and well, I'm a sucker for studio polish. This is an amazingly engineered album filled with soaring, airy guitar solos and plenty of 'verb. Totally my cup o' tea. Counterparts was a solid follow-on and definitely a close relative with only "Leave that Thing Alone" the instrumental from Counterparts besting "Where's my Thing" the instrumental from RTB. But there is only one Roll the Bones. No other Rush album has this exact feel. Many of their albums can boast a unique feel, this one is m personal favorite.

An incredibly underrated album. I have no idea why so many rush fans don't like this. Every song is about randomness in life and it is just beautiful. The rap contained in the title track was never meant to say "hey look at us, we are trying to be young and hip, " it was simply a silly joke - further evidence of Rush's self deprecating humor.

I encountered some fantastic gems when listening to this album the first time. Besides the amazing title track, you should check out Bravado, Neurotica and You Bet Your Life. Three surprisingly good songs in my opinion that deserve more attention.

This album contains many of Rush's best songs: Dreamline, Roll the Bones (very funny, and probably not a serious song), and, of course, Ghost of a Chance (a Rush love song, doesn't happen very often, but, this song is a masterpiece with an amazing solo).

This is like a live "Best Of" album of songs from my favorite period of Rush (Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures).

I think many of the songs on here are superior to their original studio versions, especially the older songs where Geddy originally sang them with that annoying "banshee wail".

It is THE Rush album that prompted to me to buy all the prior Rush albums.

This is from far the best Rush Album for the reasons already given previously. As said this album has all the best songs created by the group until the early 80's. The mood in this album is also the best they had as a live testimony of their work. A must have to really know what Rush is able to give us.

Of course as a hard core Rush fan, Exit Stage Left is the best live rock album...in the galaxy. Tom Sawyer...blows the mind. Freewill, Red Barchetta...Xanadu...OMG! The seminal selection, however, may be Passage to Bangkok. In time, Neil Peart revealed the fact that much of his writing was prophetic.

It has all the best songs from Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves and a Farewell to kinks on it. What else do I have to say? It's the absolute best of CD!

To echo the others, this is a very underrated album in my opinion. Though I can't definitively say I think it's the 'best' Rush album, different moods fit different albums, it's usually my go-to when I want a Rush fix. Though darker and more subdued,tonally and lyrically, than much of their earlier work it's still very much Rush in my mind. I must admit that this album was my first introduction to Rush so there may be some nostalgia at work in my fondness for it.

Easily Rush's most underrated album. The songs are catchy, well-done, and emotional. Show Don't Tell is a very good opener, The Pass is a very emotional, very beautiful but sad song. The band members justly say that it's one of their favourite songs. Scars has a great rythmm. Superconductor is catchy, Red Tide is somewhat apocalyptic, and Available Light is perhaps Rush's greatest closing song.

This isn't the best album, but it is one of the best, and I simply don't understand how it's all the way down here. Presto, chain lightning, scars, the pass, available light, and every other song on there is amazing.

I love presto! Amazing comeback album after hold your fire, which was their worst album.

One of the best live albums ever. Rush showcases their talent and their hardest sound with a perfect blend of melody. There's nothing else like it

Certainly Rush's "Alive." If the drums were louder and the guitar quieter, this would be one of the best live albums ever.

Totally raw and energy filled. Geddy's voice in his prime!

An underrated live album

This is by far the best album they put out since their comeback. What a comeback album! It's so emotional and raw. The musical compositions are fascinating and the lyrics are personal and just plain poetic. A vastly underrated album (even by the band members themselves). Its too bad the production of this album (and the newest one too) is so poor. With proper production this will become the classic rush album of the 2000's.

This album isn't liked because of the production. But if you get the remastered version, it's great!

Better than the original version. The original sounds like crap

Possibly Rushes greatest live album
Nearly 3 hours of some of there greatest songs and for a great price!
Production value is spot on and the audience reaction is brilliant,
By far the best Rush live album, but in all honesty, Moving Pictures was the best...

A Show of Hands getting no love here! This is a hugely underrated live set. Rush fans, you need to revisit this album. I have this live set in regular rotation and across the board, all of the songs in this live set are better than the studio versions! Don't believe me? Have a listen: Mission (better solo), Witch Hunt (amazing guitar tone/crunch before there was Grunge Rock, a clear influence of that sound), Big Money (great here, but the Rush in Rio version is better), BY FAR the best version of Manhattan Project. Force Ten, Marathon, Subdivisions also stand outs.

In my opinion, this live album is Rush's Swan Song and my dad and mum went to see it live in Las Vegas and I could have come as my mum didn't appreciate it as much as I would have done...