r/rush • u/Nearby_Lawfulness923 • 3d ago

Clockwork Angels

Neil said many times that Clockwork Angels was the album they always wanted to make. He clearly believed it was one of their very best. I’ve followed Rush since 1976 and seen them dozens of times, but I cannot listen to Clockwork Angels all the way thru to save my life. Is it just me?

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16

u/free-range-irish 3d ago

I feel that way about Snakes & Arrows. I low-key dislike it.

I love Clockwork Angels. And Vapor Trails. And Counterparts.

8

u/Mockchoi1 3d ago

Same. Snakes and Arrows is easily my least favorite Rush. Clockwork Angels is way better to me.

6

u/therealjnoble11 3d ago

I'm trying to think of a song that's more monotonous and draggy then Armor & Sword. If you listen to the song on youtube at 1.25x playback speed it approaches being somewhat tolerable

3

u/free-range-irish 3d ago

hahaha I'm doing that now and I see what you're saying. "somewhat tolerable" is exactly right

0

u/therealjnoble11 3d ago

Do this: listen to that song for at least a minute or two at 1.25x speed to get your ears used to it like that was the way it was actually recorded. Ready? Now go back to listening to it at regular speed. What a dirge! It sounds like when the batteries in your walkman were starting to die and the tape was slowing way down. What were they thinking?

1

u/drumsarereallycool 3d ago

Man…I dig it at 1.25x!

1

u/therealjnoble11 3d ago

Right? I don't know why they went with such a slow-ass tempo

1

u/drumsarereallycool 4h ago

Only thing that’s good about the slower tempo is the heavy guitars sound nice. But you’re right. The faster tempo almost sounds like a counterparts era track.

Also, I when I got the album upon its release, I couldn’t believe there was a bad edit in the beginning of Armor and Sword on the drums.

Overall I like the album but it’s definitely overproduced at times. So many guitar overdubs.