rush by tor and the snow dog the necromanceer

There are 12 epics from the first eight records. So we performed a bit of Rocktology! to help determine our favorite Rush epic song. I listened through the first nine records and every epic that came on I was like, “This one is my favorite!” Well, they can’t all be my favorite. There’s something special about the epics.

And they caught and held my attention not only with complex rhythms, time signatures and key changes, but also with hooks, hummable melodies and intriguing lyrical story lines. Up through Moving Pictures (after which they moved away from epics) each record had at least one of them. I have come to define Rush albums by which epic tune appears on each album. What sets Rush apart for me, is that those songs are the highlights of the records. Now, there is certainly no shortage of long songs and multi-movement epics in progressive rock. As I listened to records like Caress of Steel and Hemispheres, I was astounded all over again by the amazing epic tunes on the early records. The recent passing of Rush percussionist and lyricist Neil Peart inspired me to revisit the early Rush albums.

Rush by tor and the snow dog the necromanceer