Rush – Signals

I only recently started my rush journey. As stated here, Signals, gets mixed reviews. What's not to like?
Purchased this recently, NM, and the pressing is excellent. Nice and clear, quiet and well mastered. I have nothing to compare this to except hires streaming and is way better than that. Sounds good here!

It is funny how the ing of time has caused opinions to change on this album. When it was first released pretty much everyone hated it (or at best were confused by it). The follow up 'Grace under pressure' was Rush reaction to the mostly negative this got.

Now I regularly see this near of the top of people best Rush albums list. For good reason, this is a very good, if a little un-Rush, album and worth grabbing a copy if you like Rush at all.

This is one of my favourite Rush albums. However, at the time it was actually released I was not very impressed, I mean where was the huge guitar wall of sound ,the side long epics like Hemispheres, now that is an absolute classic record if a little hard to get into at first listen?

But tell me what great Prog albums are ?

Gentle Giant certainly don't think so up to Interview do they ?

So Hemispheres was excellent then they go all pop sort of with Spirit of Radio, sounding a bit new wave, right as The Police with Andy Summers reggae guitar style. Then Moving Pictures which began again with a big big single, sure the rest was much more in keeping but do Rush really want Top 40 pop singles , wot they do ?!?! Of course the label does so out go the epic side long suites and in come the hummable choruses.

Yes I became confused in the early 80s as to where my version of Rush had gone ! Get my drift ? Then we get this very dense electronic synth lp. Oh dear Rush don't sound good any longer do they, where's By Tor and where's Anthem, you know Zep had imploded after Bonhams sad demise and the so called NWOBHM had arrived.

Oh dear Sabbath were Dio's vehicle for Rainbow songs and, soon Yes were about to shock us all with you know what ! Genesis were now a vehicle for the Phil Collins marriage guidance Counsellors.

I decided to let go of my former faves and dive in to post punk where a delicious menu of PIL, Gang of Four, Echo, Simple Minds, U2 and Banshees were all sat waiting for former Prog fans to eat them up.

But what's this ? Rush actually sound good, how's that happen ?I

Ok after more than twenty plays in my car cassette player, this is early 80s , I found myself whistling these (at the time) nameless tunes, each day after my drive to work.

It's a grower, the production is superb and the lyrics are very interesting social comments. Along with Grace Under Pressure, the next one along, they make a rather odd but quality pairing. Many Rush fans at the time hated these records. I can see their point of view. But isn't this called " progressive rock" ????

Mmmmhhh it seems that some Prog fans are really fans of a newly discovered music genre called
" retrorock" and I claim ownership of that title as I first used it over 10 years ago.

You know the sort though, only listen to those same classic 50 or so timeless albums like The Lamb, Fragile, Tarkus, Aqualung, Pawn Hearts, Meddle, Selling England, Red, Moving Waves etc. Wait a minute that's me ??!!?
No, you know who I refer to. They still listen to only so called Symphonic Prog and obsess about Flower Kings and Transatlantic.Sure I love all that too but they might be missing out on newer or different music just because it doesn't fit their established and fixed thought pattern.I

This first UK vinyl pressing sounds pretty neat and on my set up it really sounds full, dynamic. It has many layers of sounds which might enable you to sit and enjoy, especially with headphones on and higher volume levels.
So don't believe the hate, it's a very good Rush album that is an effective companion to Grace and does feature a lot of Alex on guitar just not in his more usual role of upfront riffing. Favourite song: Digital Man
8/10