Search - Rush :: Gold

Even If You Already Have ALL Their CD's...

Richard Thompson | El Paso, Texas | 02/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a RUSH Fan for as long as I have been buying music. I still remember going into the local Record store and plunking down some hard earned cash at the tender age of 14 and buying my first two record albums, RUSH - A Farewell to Kings and R.E.O. Speedwagon - T.W.O.



As a middle-aged adult music buyer, I have acquired every single RUSH offering in Remastered digital format (I'm something of an Audiophile).



I had never been interested in their "Best of" compilations before. I didn't need that, I had all the albums. But, after reading an early review by someone who had actually listened to this selection and not just jumped in on the record company bashing critisms about putting something out "just to make a buck", I decided to purchase it. And let me tell you: IT SOUNDS GREAT! All the songs presented here are superior to the 1997 and 2002 remaster series. And its a nice selection of songs. Some of my favorites.



Buy it. Or purchase it for someone as an introduction to RUSH's music. I even got it on sale for about $12, what a deal! Two discs packed with RUSH music."

Rush n' Roll!!!

Erick Bertin | Santo Domingo, Heredia Costa Rica | 09/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, yes, i know what you're about to say: OVERKILL!!! ANOTHER Rush compilation??!! It's true, the folks at mercury/universal have flooded the market with compilations in recent years, but let's take a moment to analyze those, shall we? "Chronicles": the first, true, Rush 2 CD compilation, it was released several years ago, when Rush changed labels. Then came "Retrospective I & II", which, essentially, consisted of the same songs included in "Chronicles", but split in 2, so people could have the possibility to buy one or the other.



Althought these compilations offered almost nothing new (there were a couple of different songs, that's all...), it was a smart move, and one that has become increasingly common for record labels in recent years (Atlantic did the same with Zeppelin's "Remasters", spiltting it into "Earlier Days" and "Latter Days"...). Then came the single disc "Spirit of Radio", which was a Greatest Hits of sorts, with little appeal for long time fans, but most likely meant to attract new ones. It failed to represent the band's full body of work, but it probably served well its purpose of enticing new listeners. And now we get the latest installment of the "Gold" series by Universal, which in fact consists of the 2 volumes of "Retrospective" grouped together at half the price and with minor changes (the song "Something for Nothing" is sacrificed in favor of "Working Man").



But unlike many other such compilations, which (to me) more often than not fall short to people's expectations, this one is pretty good! You get 29 songs (one more than Chronicles) spanning all of their studio albums with mercury, for less than 15 bucks! The song lineup is somewhat different, though, but you get pretty much all of their "big" songs included in Chronicles(Working Man, Flight by Night, Closer to the Heart, Limelight, Tom Sawyer, Subdivisions, 2112, etc), and I believe that long time fans will appreciate the inclusion of songs like "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" and "Xanadu', which, oddly enough, were left off Chronicles.



Of course, if you want to complain, you can always do so by saying that this or that song were excluded, but C'MON, what else can you ask for for less than $15? By restricting the song selections to studio albums, live versions of songs like "What you're doing" and "Passage to Bangkok" are absent here, and while it is a shame, i guess we can all eventually get over that. A few other songs are absent here, such as "A farewell to kings" and "Lakeside Park", and the running order (random, as opposed to chronological) is probably not the best, but in the end, I still think that this compilation is very much worthwhile, especially if you take in consideration its best asset: value.



You really get your money's worth and, at half the price of Chronicles, I think this is the best choice right now for those looking for an introduction to the band, and maybe also for those long time fans looking for a good compilation. Let's face it, for a band with such an enormous catalog as Rush, it is almost impossible to please everybody. So there you go, now you know what to expect, so the choice is up to you now, but be sure of one thing: if you choose to get "Gold", it will be a purchase you won't regret."

Gold Vs. Chronicles

LouDogg | Culver City | 06/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well... looks like weve got yet another Best of Rush set on our hands. Only this time, its a rehash!! Of the 2 Retrospective cds that came out some years ago. I was acually pleased to find that they replaced Somthing From Nothing with Working Man (Rushes biggest hit of the first album). But i still think the best thing about it is the very low price. Sure this release was put out ofcourse to make money, but 20$ seems to get you an awsome collection and days. All songs are remasterd and almost seems to have the best tracks from the self titled album to Hold Your Fire.



What kinda bugs me is that Mercury dosnt seem to stop releasing new best of cds. First was the 1990s Chronicles. It was the 2 disk set that got me into Rush in the first place. Chronicles truly travels album by album in CHRONILOGICAL ORDER. Including theyre live albums. Dont be fooled, if you havnt heard Rush live, your missing out. (Some of theyre live versions are better than theyre original recordings). And it dosnt stop at Hold Your Fire, but at Presto. But, the price is a little steeper, lets say 30$! Gold Rush is only 15 to 20$ Now both of these albums are some bad ass sets. You get songs like La Villa Strangiato, Freewill, Subdivisons, Anthem and my favorite, 2112 Overture/Temples of Syrinx.



Now, is Gold better then Chronicles? No



Why? Because Chronicles truly does capture the Rush Legacy from the first album to Presto in that order. Amazing classic rock songs like Farewell to Kings, Lakeside Park and live versions of What Your Doing and the fan favorite Passage to Bangkok (better then the original) are missing from Gold.



Now, is Chrinicle worth the extra price you pay? No



Why? Because 15$ for for this amazing Gold Complication is just ridiculouse, I cant see how any Rush fan or Fan wanting to get into Rush can pass this up. If you got the extra cash, then get Chronicles. Its a better tracklist and the order of the songs is perfect. Gold order kinda irratates me from time to time, but its still amazing music. Its still Rush and at a awsome price.



Ofcourse, this isnt THE BEST of Rush. This only covers half the story. They dont cover Roll The Bones to Vapor Trails. All good albums, but youl need another 2 disk set to cover that. Maybe one day. Until then, you can own the first half of the Rush Legacy so go on and enjoy the Limelight!!"