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Product Description
Grandiose 2012 studio album ... their first in 5 years! Sci-fi-inspired epic from the Canadian prog kings, recorded over two years.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 56 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Hard to believe how fresh these guys are able to sound 38 years after their first album.
I had not great expectations about this one. Based on the two previous studio albums, I just awaited another "Rush by numbers" work. I mean: powerful, hard hitting and masterfully executed, but not especially inspired.. I liked Snakes and Arrows a bit more than Vapor Trails, but somehow the spirit of old Rush' golden era (let's say the one that flew over A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures) seemed to be forever gone.
A digression here : Vapor Trails, especially, is a quite tiresome album to me. It stays a bit to much in the low frequency sonic spectre: too much bass guitar, to much bass drum, and too much guitar power chords, not properly equilibrated by other sonic and musical ingredients, which makes it a hard task to listen to it, from beginning to end, without taking a break. Snakes and Arrows, while walking the same sonic territory as V.T., was more varied and dynamic, and I found it more enjoyable. Not bad albums to my taste, but not exciting enough.
Clockwork Angels, however, is gifted with a different nature. It is tremendously fresh, vital and captivating, and makes me recall the best years of the band. Yes, Rush look younger than yesterday, playing with enthusiasm a set of convincing songs. Nothing to do with (like someone could fear), a tired old group. There are no fillers in this album. It is a concept album equipped with its proper organic quality. From the beginnig, the listener is propelled by an exciting, dynamic music, feeling the need to know how the story goes.
Theme:
As I said it is a concept album, based on a sci-fi story.... Read more ›
I had not great expectations about this one. Based on the two previous studio albums, I just awaited another "Rush by numbers" work. I mean: powerful, hard hitting and masterfully executed, but not especially inspired.. I liked Snakes and Arrows a bit more than Vapor Trails, but somehow the spirit of old Rush' golden era (let's say the one that flew over A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures) seemed to be forever gone.
A digression here : Vapor Trails, especially, is a quite tiresome album to me. It stays a bit to much in the low frequency sonic spectre: too much bass guitar, to much bass drum, and too much guitar power chords, not properly equilibrated by other sonic and musical ingredients, which makes it a hard task to listen to it, from beginning to end, without taking a break. Snakes and Arrows, while walking the same sonic territory as V.T., was more varied and dynamic, and I found it more enjoyable. Not bad albums to my taste, but not exciting enough.
Clockwork Angels, however, is gifted with a different nature. It is tremendously fresh, vital and captivating, and makes me recall the best years of the band. Yes, Rush look younger than yesterday, playing with enthusiasm a set of convincing songs. Nothing to do with (like someone could fear), a tired old group. There are no fillers in this album. It is a concept album equipped with its proper organic quality. From the beginnig, the listener is propelled by an exciting, dynamic music, feeling the need to know how the story goes.
Theme:
As I said it is a concept album, based on a sci-fi story.... Read more ›
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download
As a Rush fan since 1979, I can honestly say they are fully back on track. Passion, precision and speed abound in the music. The production is fine, don't listen to the whiners! Rip to at least 320kbps or just listen to the CD! I think this release is the best since 1981. Modern, layered, dynamic and I can't wait for May 2013 when they hit the UK. A must have release.
The Garden will blow you away.
The Garden will blow you away.
33 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By WJ Davidson
Format:MP3 Download
Every album Rush have produced since the heady days of Moving Pictures has had at least 2 or 3 good tracks on it and while I was really pleased with Vapor Trails I found Snakes and Arrows a bit more of a mixed bag.
Clockwork Angels is the best of the three post hiatus albums by a margin and while it is too early to tell for sure I think there is an argument for this being the best album since Power Windows.
The album starts with the two pre-released tracks Caravan and BU2B which is a pity on first listen as the rest of the album is fresher and it detracted from that initial buzz of listening to an album for the first few times. That said, this is a loose concept album and there is a story going on around the songs so it makes sense to place them where they are.
There are twelve tracks on the album (11 if you discount the reprise of BU2B) and they are all of good quality with a handful of early standouts to grab the attention and pull you in to the album as a whole. The mid-section of The Anarchist, Carnies and Halo Effect is a superb run of potential classics with The Wreckers providing another 'hit'. The total standout is the superb closer The Garden. Genuinely up there with the best songs they have ever produced. It has everything - heart and soul combined with excellent lyrics and great instrumentation.
My only criticism of the album is the production. I bought the 'fan pack' so have the CD but my first listen was on a lower spec PC and the mix sounded very muddy; like there was great gig on inside the stadium but I was on the outside.... Read more ›
Clockwork Angels is the best of the three post hiatus albums by a margin and while it is too early to tell for sure I think there is an argument for this being the best album since Power Windows.
The album starts with the two pre-released tracks Caravan and BU2B which is a pity on first listen as the rest of the album is fresher and it detracted from that initial buzz of listening to an album for the first few times. That said, this is a loose concept album and there is a story going on around the songs so it makes sense to place them where they are.
There are twelve tracks on the album (11 if you discount the reprise of BU2B) and they are all of good quality with a handful of early standouts to grab the attention and pull you in to the album as a whole. The mid-section of The Anarchist, Carnies and Halo Effect is a superb run of potential classics with The Wreckers providing another 'hit'. The total standout is the superb closer The Garden. Genuinely up there with the best songs they have ever produced. It has everything - heart and soul combined with excellent lyrics and great instrumentation.
My only criticism of the album is the production. I bought the 'fan pack' so have the CD but my first listen was on a lower spec PC and the mix sounded very muddy; like there was great gig on inside the stadium but I was on the outside.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Lucioperca
Format:Audio CD
I have read a lot of Amazon reviews and some other blogs and it would seem that opinions are clearly divided. Some reviewers have referred to a 'wall of sound' approach to modern Rush and I can see their point, it is a bigger and far more 'in yer face' Rush these days but a band cannot stand still and continually plough the same furrow for 40 years. I think this newer, louder, wider sound has a lot to do with Alex taking a greater hand in the bands musical direction. Go take a listen to his solo album Victor and you will hear some of the early beginnings of the sound that Rush are currently producing. Its heavier and far more thumping, with less reliance on keyboards and Neil Peart is taking a less extravagant approach to his drumming. Clockwork Angels was tantalisingly drip fed to the Rush faithful via the excellent Caravan EP, giving a sneak preview of what they had in store during the Time Machine tour, where the tracks Caravan and BU2B were played with great vigour and sounded great. The album itself is superb in that its a concept album of sorts but at the same time its a collection of tracks that very much stand alone in their own right, with the possible exception of Track 10 (see later).
So where do I start? Well the album opens with two EP tracks which have been out there for over a year, so the albums kicks off with a very familiar sound. Next comes the third and title track Clockwork Angels and if I had to choose any track to be the 'wall of sound' song, this would be it. Its a tight, pacey interweave of drum, guitar and bass that never really settles into a predictable rhythm. The tracks changes and swirls but keeps coming back to a hook that joins it all together. Its a good song but is overshadowed by many others on this album.... Read more ›
So where do I start? Well the album opens with two EP tracks which have been out there for over a year, so the albums kicks off with a very familiar sound. Next comes the third and title track Clockwork Angels and if I had to choose any track to be the 'wall of sound' song, this would be it. Its a tight, pacey interweave of drum, guitar and bass that never really settles into a predictable rhythm. The tracks changes and swirls but keeps coming back to a hook that joins it all together. Its a good song but is overshadowed by many others on this album.... Read more ›
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4.4 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Return to form
I cant help comparing any new Rush cd to their purple patch, which for me was Farewell to Kings through to Power Windows. Read more
Published 2 days ago by disappointed uk
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic!
Geddy & the boys rock once more! A fabulous mixture of classic (but new) Rush managing to be heavy and melodic all at the same time. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Trevor W
4.0 out of 5 stars
Late career ambition
Some fair points around overly long songs and a lack of light and shade but overall this is strong material. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Tomo
4.0 out of 5 stars
Give it time its worth it
My first impression was "not their best" but a couple of listens and watching it played out in concert and I really like it. The Garden and Wreckers impressed me the most. Read more
Published 19 days ago by G Milne
5.0 out of 5 stars
worth persevering
This is a seriously good album, but it's not an easy one to get into. For me the golden era for Rush was the late70's early 80's, when they were knocking out the classics Permanent... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Peter Lynn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rush CD - Clockwork Angels
If you are a Rush fan then you will certainly approve this latest release from them. Not their best, but a welcome addition.
Published 1 month ago by Charles Hayden
4.0 out of 5 stars
Let down by the mastering somehow
Other people have commented on the mastering and I have to agree that something odd is going on.
My car stereo is no great shakes, but "Exit... Read more
My car stereo is no great shakes, but "Exit... Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. Stead
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it great buy
Loved it great buy music good Brought back good times five star would recommend it to a friend liked the album
Published 1 month ago by George Inch
2.0 out of 5 stars
Better than recent efforts but past their prime.
I first heard Rush in 1976 and for the best part of 20 years I would have listed them as one of my top favourite bands, Sadly however they have been on a steady decline for many... Read more
Published 1 month ago by difficultcove
3.0 out of 5 stars
Rush in Mediocre Album Shocker!
Well, well, after all these years of aural filth and poor songs Rush have actually released an album that rises to the heights of mediocrity! Read more
Published 2 months ago by Pesto Fingeration
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