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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant, for the most part, 9 Mar 2005
I bought the remastered version of this album recently, having previously owned it on tape. Obviously, it sounds alot better on CD but I'm not sure the remastering has really added anything - Rush albums are very well produced to begin with, except perhaps,Permanent Waves which doesn't sound great even on CD.
Anyway, this album gets 5 Stars simply because it is music written and played by Rush who are one of the most talented and original bands in rock and who are yet to put out a single bad album in 30 years. Some of you might be shouting " What about Test For Echo?" but even that album which is admittedly weak compared to Rush's best, contains a handful of very strong songs.
One of my favourites on Roll The Bones is the title track which has a great verse riff in between Geddy's vocal lines with excellent interplay between all the instruments. The chorus is also very strong and Lifeson gives us another of his fairly short but very tasteful guitar solos, perfectly in keeping with the song.
Other highlights are Bravado with Lifeson to the fore again with a soaring solo, Heresy, relatively simple for Rush but very sincere and Ghost Of a Chance which has a very nifty guitar riff in the verse with a fantastic transition from a pacey verse to a slower dreamy chorus.
As usual, a special mention for Neil Peart whose drumming on this cements his position as the greatest, most inventive and enjoyable drummer to listen to in rock - never over the top in my book, despite what some might say. In each song, his general beats and fills gradually build in speed and complexity resulting in some great moments where he gracefully pans across the entire soundstage.
In all in, a worthy addition to any serious music fan's collection.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The best 90`s Rush album, 7 Jan 2005
"Roll the bones" is one of the albums from Rush`s wilderness years in the early 90`s. Having done art rock in the 70`s, and experimented with heavily synthed techno rock in the 80`s, Rush were at a crossroads, searching for a solid new direction. This album doesn`t really provide it, being very similar in sound and style to 1989`s "Presto". However, the excellent songs make it all worthwhile. There is also a loose gambling concept running through the lyrics, although the band deny any deliberate theme.The album starts with three bona fide Rush classics: the driving "Dreamline", the atmospheric "Bravado" and the controversial "Roll the bones", complete with a cod rap section which you`ll either love or hate. Also of note is "Where`s my thing?", one of their best instrumentals ever, and the upbeat closer "You bet your life" with it`s multi tracked vocal chorus. There`s nothing bad on this CD, even though "Face up" and "Neurotica" aren`t as memorable as some of the other tracks. This a great improvement on the disappointing "Presto" and has stronger songs than 93`s "Counterparts" and 96`s "Test for echo". The sound is a bit dated compared to today`s standards, as it was the era of big echoey drums and keyboards. This is Rush`s strongest album until 2002`s "Vapor trails".
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most approachable Rush album, 2 Jun 2007
I think I'd be what's termed an occassional Rush fan. I've made an attempt with quite a few of their albums and have to say this is easily the most catchy and approachable - would I upset true Rush fans by terming it pop rock ? , I hope not. Most of their offerings in my opinion take quite a few listens to get into - they're all 'growers' though. RTB however had me hooked from the very first time I listened to it. The title track and 'Where's My Thing' (an instrumental) to me are the stand out tracks - the remaining tracks are however far far away from being filler - I'm being honest when I say there isn't a duffer on the album. If you're new to Rush, I'd start here. Their latest offering of 'Snakes And Arrows' prove Rush are still an amazing band but to me this has to be their finest hour - I'd put this in my top twenty albums of all time without a doubt.
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