What Rush albums do you consider to be part of their classic period?

Thanks to BluesOvertookMe with his Iron Maiden thread, I decided to do the same with Rush. Which Rush albums would you class as part of their purple patch? I picked 2112 to Presto. 2112 was their first bona fide classic and the one which put them on the map musically. I know that their eighties output after Signals gets mixed reviews but Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows and Hold Your Fire were the first Rush albums I ever bought. Those albums were the part of my musical soundtrack in my late teens/early twenties. Roll the Bones was their first album where I didn't quite think it met the standards of their previous work.

 

Much as I like Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows, it's the run from 2112 to Signals for me.

 

At the time of release I hated Signals so Moving Pictures was the end for me of what I considered to be Rush.

The shows I attended on the Signals tour were still good, as were those on the Hold Your Fire tour but I can't say I liked the direction the material was taking. With hindsight, Signals, Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows are fine albums but they are from a different Rush period to those I cut my teeth on. As for Hold Your Fire....

 

For me, classic Rush will always be Fly By Night through Moving Pictures. Signals and GUP have grown on me over the years, for sure, but they're not really classic Rush to me (still think of them as the new stuff). Don't really listed to much after GUP.

 

Moving Pictures.

 

I went with 2112 through Moving Pictures. You could really make an argument to include Signals at the tail end but IMO it is a transitional album that gets it right part of the time and misses the mark part of the time as well.

 

2112 - Signals

 

Rush - Moving Pictures. I know no one loves the first record and everyone loves Signals; I'm a maverick, I guess.

 

For a classic run of albums
2112
Farewell to Kings
Hemispheres
Permanent Waves
Moving pictures

The best time ever for a young hirsute rocker such as myself

 

Tough to say. 2112 - Hold Your Fire at least for me.

 

I was going to say debut through Moving Pictures but stretched it to through Grace Under Pressure.

 

2112 ~ Roll The Bones
After that period, the albums got too long with some unnecessary filler to be considered "classic era" imho.

 

Exactly this. IMO, it took Rush a little while to get off the ground and after Signals it was a very gradual decline although I like everything through Hold Your Fire.

 

Fly by Night - Moving Pictures.

 

2112 through Moving Pictures. Signals was a divisive release, at least among my circle of friends. I still enjoyed it, but to me that was the beginning of the synth-heavy Rush.

The band so gloriously killed that sound with Presto and Counterparts. Before that, I was like, "You have ALEX LIFESON in your band. Mix him louder! You're not A Flock Of Seagulls, despite Alex's hair."


Dan

 

Debut to Signals. Just last night I gave the 'Grace Under Pressure' LP a listen & that is clearly the point at which Rush lost their Lifeson. No Lifeson? No deal! A damn shame. No interest in their music until 'Feedback' which is a fine return to form IMHO.

 

Objectively speaking, I'd consider this to be the correct answer, including All The World's A Stage, however...

Guess that makes me a maverick too because this is exactly how I voted!

In fact, I'm listening to the debut right now, and that thing seriously rocks!

A lot people feel the debut is too "Zeppelin-lite" which I think is overly dismissive, but understandable given that the band's signature prog sound hadn't quite been developed yet (a situation similar to that of Yes, whose first two albums typically are not considered part of their "classic period"). There are more traces of trademark Rush on the next two records, which may not be bona fide classics on the order of 2112 to the general public, but they are hardly slouches, and should be enjoyable to anyone who likes hard rock/heavy metal with a proggish flair to it.

Rush kind of loses me after Moving Pictures, but if your taste leans more toward synth-based sounds, then the 80's albums like Signals and beyond might be part of your "classic period" for the band. The bottom line is, as others have noted throughout this forum and elsewhere, you will find stellar musicianship in the entire Rush catalog.

 

People always say that first album sounds like Zeppelin, but Rush was far more influenced by Cream!

 

From A Farewell to Kings through to Moving Pictures.

 

I think there are two periods that could be called 'classic':

1) S/T through Hemispheres
2) Permanent Waves through Signals

To me, what I am calling #2 is their peak.

I like most of what came later, but wouldn't call it classic.

 

Debut-Signals.

 

First Rush LP I bought was the recently-released 'All The World's A Stage'. From there I went back to '2112', then picked up those earlier releases in a three vinyl set.
'Grace Under Pressure' was the last one I really liked. Those after felt like already-worn paths. Lost interest after that. Still go and see them when they tour, but I'm always waiting for the old stuff. A mate got me the first-album box-vinyl for my birthday. That was good to hear after such a long time.

 

All of them.

 

2112 - Signals...a great stretch of music.

 

I have just recently gotten into Rush so I don't have any nostalgia for any of the albums but love them all. In fact I can't even think of a song on an album that I don't like. Wish I could say that for all of my favorite artists.