Switching to Atlantic records and coinciding with the beginning of a new decade, Rush left the 1980s and their contemporary experimentation with keyboards and soundscapes behind for a return to their rockier roots. These four albums - 'Presto', 'Roll the Bones', 'Counterparts', and 'Test For Echo' find the band not only trying to find their identity, but traversing the murky waters of grunge.
Reissued as part of Rhino's 'Start your Ears off Right 2025' campaign, along with a raft of others - including The Cult's 'Beyond Good and Evil' - Rush's Atlantic years arrive on vinyl reissue. Unavailable on the format for decades, and commanding a premium on resale sites, they're a particularly welcome addition to the impressive Rhino catalogue.
Spanning a period of significant evolution for Rush both in sound and approach, these albums chart the years 1989 - 1996, which represent the entirety of the trio's - singer / bassist / keys man Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart - nineties' output.
It all began with 'Presto' [1989]. It would take a few more years before the synths would bow out completely, and although harder edged than its predecessor - 1987's 'Hold Your Fire' - the sound and feel isn't far removed from that album's glossy sheen, blending progressive rock with more accessible, pop-oriented hooks.
The synthesiser soundscapes bolster the sound of the likes of off-kilter 'Show Don't Tell', and driving 'Chain Lightening', as well as the introspective title track, though the guitars are much more in focus than they had been in years. Routinely ranked as the highlight of the album, 'The Pass' meanwhile carries added poignancy with passing of Peart in 2017.
1991's 'Roll the Bones' further brought the guitars to the fore, though experimentation was still evident. Incorporating elements of funk - 'Where's My Thing?' - hip-hop - 'Roll the Bones' and a lighter, more radio-friendly approach, the trio seemed to be having more fun than they had in years.
From the off, and the anthemic 'Dreamline', the overall sound of 'Roll the Bones' is, for the most part, much less dated than its predecessors, and where 'Bravado' is as movingly beautiful as 'The Pass', Lifeson's distinctive and utterly unique solo in 'Roll the Bones', might just be his best since 'Limelight' a decade earlier. The aur aesthetics weren't entirely reinvented however, and 'Heresy' retains the wide soundscapes of 'Hold Your Fire'.
It would take one more album for a hard reset, and it came in 1993 with 'Counterparts'. Faced with the changed musical landscape in the wake of the grunge and alternative explosion, Rush stripped right back, delivering their rawest sounding album since the 1970s.
Right from the opening urgency of 'Animate', 'Counterparts' reveals its modus operandi of sharper riffs and more dynamic, aggressive energy. Lifeson's guitars are front and centre, and sound more vital than ever, while Peart’s drumming is furiously on point, with his intricate rhythms fitting seamlessly into the harder rock sound.
'Stick It Out' and 'Cut to the Chase' capture the band at their most energetic and aggressive - the latter featuring another jaw-droppingly inventive solo from Lifeson - while songs like 'Nobody’s Hero' display the introspective, thought-provoking lyrics that Peart had become known for, while 'The Speed of Love' retains the widescreen sound of the previous decade without reverting to its trappings.
Bursting with vitality, 'Counterparts' was a real return to form, and more than three decades on from its original release, remains an exhilarating listen.
1996's 'Test For Echo' builds on the more direct style established on 'Counterparts'. More introspective and darker than its predecessor, it still retains that unmistakable Rush vibe in tracks like the opening title track- with its dirty riffs and sense of immediacy - earworm 'Driven', and the epic 'Time and Motion'. 'Resist' meanwhile, might be the most underrated song in the entire Rush catalogue.
Presented beautifully, with the latter pairing coming as 2LP sets with the forth side featuring etched artwork, and the former two coming as single LP sets, the packages would be almost perfect, if not for the inconsistent inners. Where the single LPs faithfully recreate the original inside sleeves, both 'Counterparts' and 'Test for Echo' come with single-sheet inserts, with the former a facsimile of the fold-out CD booklet from the 1997 'Rush Remasters' series.
It's a small niggle though, and these four albums chart the evolution of one of rock's greatest bands. We may never see their like again.
The four Rush reissues are available now.
Spanning a period of significant evolution for Rush both in sound and approach, these albums chart the years 1989 - 1996, which represent the entirety of the trio's - singer / bassist / keys man Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart - nineties' output.
It all began with 'Presto' [1989]. It would take a few more years before the synths would bow out completely, and although harder edged than its predecessor - 1987's 'Hold Your Fire' - the sound and feel isn't far removed from that album's glossy sheen, blending progressive rock with more accessible, pop-oriented hooks.
The synthesiser soundscapes bolster the sound of the likes of off-kilter 'Show Don't Tell', and driving 'Chain Lightening', as well as the introspective title track, though the guitars are much more in focus than they had been in years. Routinely ranked as the highlight of the album, 'The Pass' meanwhile carries added poignancy with passing of Peart in 2017.
1991's 'Roll the Bones' further brought the guitars to the fore, though experimentation was still evident. Incorporating elements of funk - 'Where's My Thing?' - hip-hop - 'Roll the Bones' and a lighter, more radio-friendly approach, the trio seemed to be having more fun than they had in years.
From the off, and the anthemic 'Dreamline', the overall sound of 'Roll the Bones' is, for the most part, much less dated than its predecessors, and where 'Bravado' is as movingly beautiful as 'The Pass', Lifeson's distinctive and utterly unique solo in 'Roll the Bones', might just be his best since 'Limelight' a decade earlier. The aur aesthetics weren't entirely reinvented however, and 'Heresy' retains the wide soundscapes of 'Hold Your Fire'.
It would take one more album for a hard reset, and it came in 1993 with 'Counterparts'. Faced with the changed musical landscape in the wake of the grunge and alternative explosion, Rush stripped right back, delivering their rawest sounding album since the 1970s.
Right from the opening urgency of 'Animate', 'Counterparts' reveals its modus operandi of sharper riffs and more dynamic, aggressive energy. Lifeson's guitars are front and centre, and sound more vital than ever, while Peart’s drumming is furiously on point, with his intricate rhythms fitting seamlessly into the harder rock sound.
'Stick It Out' and 'Cut to the Chase' capture the band at their most energetic and aggressive - the latter featuring another jaw-droppingly inventive solo from Lifeson - while songs like 'Nobody’s Hero' display the introspective, thought-provoking lyrics that Peart had become known for, while 'The Speed of Love' retains the widescreen sound of the previous decade without reverting to its trappings.
Bursting with vitality, 'Counterparts' was a real return to form, and more than three decades on from its original release, remains an exhilarating listen.
1996's 'Test For Echo' builds on the more direct style established on 'Counterparts'. More introspective and darker than its predecessor, it still retains that unmistakable Rush vibe in tracks like the opening title track- with its dirty riffs and sense of immediacy - earworm 'Driven', and the epic 'Time and Motion'. 'Resist' meanwhile, might be the most underrated song in the entire Rush catalogue.
Presented beautifully, with the latter pairing coming as 2LP sets with the forth side featuring etched artwork, and the former two coming as single LP sets, the packages would be almost perfect, if not for the inconsistent inners. Where the single LPs faithfully recreate the original inside sleeves, both 'Counterparts' and 'Test for Echo' come with single-sheet inserts, with the former a facsimile of the fold-out CD booklet from the 1997 'Rush Remasters' series.
It's a small niggle though, and these four albums chart the evolution of one of rock's greatest bands. We may never see their like again.
The four Rush reissues are available now.