Rush - 'Test For Echo' (Atlantic)

This Rush effort from a few years ago is SO much better than what I had expected.On several past releases by the band,they've promised to return to the Rush old sound.On 'Test...' they make good.I was caught off guard with "Half The World","Time And Motion",the ass-kicking "Dog Years" and "Resist".The twenty-page full color CD booklet is packed with song lyrics and rare photos.Sort of maybe like a mini-program.Don't you just love it when bands do that?The production here is superb.

Strong '90s release from Rush

With Test For Echo, Rush continued to pursue a heavier direction with their music. Alex Lifeson's guitar tone was a little rougher this time around and the songs are more centered around his riffs as the keyboards are kept to a minimum. While the songs overall aren't as strong as on Counterparts and there isn't an instant classic here, most of the tracks are very solid and as usual the band continue to impress musically.



As stated earlier, many of the tracks here are centered around Lifeson's guitar riffs with the best of those being "Time And Motion", "Virtuality", and the excellent "Driven" in which Geddy Lee doubles the riff with his bass. Another great track here and one that often gets overlooked is the melodic "Totem" which features a strong background vocal hook behind Neil Peart's lyrics. While Peart's drumming is strong throughout, particularly on the title track, it's his lyrics which shine on this release, especially on "Half The World" and "Dog Years." Geddy Lee's bass playing is a little busier than usual and his lead vocals on "Dog Years" and the ballad "Resist" are among his best. The instrumental "Limbo" and the title track are both very good with the latter bouncing equally between heavy and subdued. The remaining tracks "The Color of Right" and "Carve Away The Stone" are decent as well. Overall, not among their best work but still very good.

This album is a lot of fun!

It is so amazing to me. Rush has been in the game for 30 years now, and every album they make is outstanding. T4E continues the more straightforward rock that Counterparts started, but T4E is more progressive than Counterparts is. Some songs on here I like better than others, but not one song is bad. Highlights include:



Test For Echo: I love the vocals and the somber nature of this song. Being a drummer, I really like the drum part after Geddy says "Here we go...." Cool song with great musicality.



Driven: A very driven (no pun intended) rocker. Very progressive with weird time signatures and stuff. Cool lyrics.



Time And Motion: How can anyone not like this song? I love the synthesizer parts accenting between the 12/8 and 10/8 time, the lyrics are very well crafted, and there is a perfect balance between heavy and light.



Totem: Some say they don't like this song. Well, that's you and this is me. This song is awesome. Very catchy, and I love the background vocals in the chorus.



Virtuality: Ha. This is it right here. I can't help it, whenever I hear this song, I HAVE to crank it up. That guitar riff kicks so hard, and the bridge contains use of Neil's cowbells and his newly-practiced traditional grip for fast press rolls on the snare. I'm not all for the lyrics (they're sort of cheesy though true) but that music rocks very hard.



Resist: Immediately after the headbanging Virtuality is the tear-jerking Resist. This song is so beautifully crafted, so lyrically moving, and musically moving too. Seeing Alex and Geddy play this song acoustically on "Rush In Rio" was a real treat for me and was very appropriate for the song, but every time I hear it at all it moves me in so many ways.



Limbo: Back to the rocking. Very cool instrumental with some tribal-esque mumbo-jumbo mumble here and there. Gotta love it.



If you're a big Rush fan and haven't heard this yet, check it out! It's cool!

this gets a bad rap, but it is very special

I can understand if people don't like some of the badly written songs on the album, like dog years and virtuality, but honestly listen to it. Those are the only 2 songs I don't like, but the rest of the album is very good and quite exceptional for Rush. I find it similar to moving pictures in its mood, and everything really came together on this album to make it their best one from the 90's. (counterparts was good, but there were honestly some bits of songs on there that made "dog years" sound like "stairway to heaven!" for instance, "we'd elect each other president" has got to be one of Neils worst lyrics! corniness cannot be forgiven!)



I have had my friends who don't really like rush at all listen to this disc, and they have all thought it was really good. This is why I think it is the best intro to Rush, if you are a teenager especially.

this was my introduction to Rush, and I liked it because it had a feel to it that I had never experienced on any other cd. this is good for a canadian winter in a log cabin with big windows, wool socks, and a wood stove. I think that Resist is one of their greatest ever songs, especially live! Just check it out, listen before you buy, etc. But don't overlook it just because others say it is bad. Also check out Neils video set "a work in progress" where he demonstrates the drums for all of the songs. It reaffirms his belief that this is his best drumming album, after he refined his technique just for this cd!

Underrated Rush Disc

Rush has much to be admired for. They still continue to make progressive rock, evolving and growing with each release.



This album seems to flow in a hard-edged, straightforward fashion, yet there are still complex arrangements, particularly Alex Lifeson's guitar parts.



The title track starts off things in a somber, yet energetic way. "Driven" is one of my favorite Rush tracks featuring heavy riffs and catchy chorus'. As usual, Neil Peart's lyrics never disappoint. "Half The World" is one of the most melodic tracks on here, giving this track, as well as many on the album a "worldly" sound to match the "aiming for higher horizons" artwork. "The Color Of Right" is probably the most pop oriented on here. "Time And Motion" is dark, aggressive and complex, featuring a rhythm in 10/8, and bringing reminiscence to such Rush-influenced progressive metal bands as King's X and Tool.



"Totem," while airy/ethereal, is also catchy. "Dog Years," despite the corny title, is one of the hardest rocking tunes on here. The lyrics as usual ARE thought-provoking ("Dog Years/For Every Sad Son of A.....) seem to ring true. "Virtuality" is a funky hard rocker, reminding me of Living Colour. The lyrics I find rather charming, which are about the internet experience (communication without faces or voices). "Resist" is very poignant, deep and arguably the most impressive in terms of combining lyrics and music. Geddy Lee's vocals are very moving (I'm not joking!). "Limbo" is an instrumental in the Rush tradition. It starts with water drops followed by Geddy Lee's funky bass playing. From there, it becomes hard rocking. Once again, reminding me of Living Colour. Also, check out Geddy's echoing voice. "Carve Away The Stone" ends the album perfectly with some complex arrangements, poignant guitar/vocal harmonics and great lyrics.



Overall, Rush continues to progress in their long career, and this is another jewel in the Rush anthology.

Uneven effort.

The followup to "Counterparts", released after Alex Lifeson's guitar workout, "Victor", "Test For Echo" is a continuation of the recession of synthesizers in Rush's sound and a contineud growth from the band. This album, however, seems to miss the mark in many ways.



It starts off great, two rocking songs, "Test For Echo" and "Driven". "Test For Echo" has a great mysterious feel, a rocking chorus, and is just a blast, "Driven" is a workout, one of the best hard rock songs the band's done, a driving bass/guitar doubling and a brilliant chorus with subtle drumming.



But unfortunately, thats about it for the record, it really kind of falls apart after this-- ther's some great moments, the bizarre rhythms and lyrics of "Time And Motion" and the mighty "Resist", another superb Rush song come to mind, but some of the material falls flat-- "Half the world" feels like "Nobody's Hero", but without the bite, and some of the lyrics ("Dog Years", "Virtuality") just don't make it. Much of the other material seems fairly uninspired-- "The Color of Right", "Totem", "Limbo", etc., they'r all ok songs, but the performances seem to fall flat. Actually, "The Color of Right" has great verses, but the chorus are just bizarrely awful, which is too bad, because the lyrics are really quite good.



In the end, the album is vindicated by a few good tracks, but is overall a bit too uneven to be a fully enjoyable listen.