Signals

Artist: Rush
Label: Polygram Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 042281000225
EAN: 0042281000225
ASIN: B000001F2N

Release Date: 1990-10-25

Signals

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Tracks:

Subdivisions
Analog Kid
Chemistry
Digital Man
Weapon
New World Man
Losing It
Countdown

Similar Items:

Permanent Waves
Grace Under Pressure
Moving Pictures
Power Windows
Hemispheres

Amazon.com

Rush had already begun using electronics and synth in their music by the time Signals was released in 1982, so the synth-heavy opener, "Subdivisions" (a song that proves that high-school separatism is older than last year), wasn't that great a departure from their previous material. Signals also contains the single "New World Man," which still gets heavy radio airplay almost 20 years later, as well as groove-heavy, tech-savvy songs like "The Analog Kid" and "Digital Man"--prescient comments on the forthcoming information technology revolution if ever there were any. This was Rush's first studio album following Moving Pictures, which arguably remains their strongest and most well-known effort, after 2112. That's a tough act to follow, and Rush did it in the best possible way--by maintaining their distinctive sound while updating it with 1980s touches. Signals indicates that it was a good move. -- Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews:

Good, but not great album.......2007-05-08

Let me preface this review by saying that I'm not a huge fan of Rush's "keyboard era" ("Signals" through "Hold Your Fire"). Signals certainly has its moments; "Subdivisions" is a good song, "Losing It" is very powerful emotionally, "New World Man" is a very radio friendly pop song, and "The Analog Kid" is more like the traditional Rush sound. The lyrics on this album are very good as well, except maybe "Countdown" (i.e. "... excitement so thick, you could cut it with a knife!").

The main problem with this album is that Alex Lifeson's guitar really takes a back seat while Rush experiments with New Wave, and even in a few cases, Reggae music. I think they really got it right on the next three albums, starting with Grace Under Pressure, but this one is just too keyboard heavy for me. Overall, this is kind of a bland pop album and very much unlike the rest of Rush's catalog. I certainly appreciate what they were trying to do, but the next three, in my opinion, were a lot better.

Not Losing It.......2007-04-24

This record signified a change in style but not substance. Gone are the 10 minute plus epic songs which marked their albums up to this point. But there is still plenty of ebb and flow on the 8 song masterpiece. Every song is unique with added emphasis of keyboards. This album is the crossroads into a new era of sound were the synth takes prominence in many songs. I always thought the Rush keys made a good song sound even more powerful in songs such as Witch Hunt, Jacob's Ladder and Xanadu. You get more of the same here right from the get go in 'subdivisions' all the way through to the underrated 'Countdown'. All 8 songs are solid. There is no track skipping here. 'Losing it' is a gentle gem about growing old. I would love to hear Sting do a cover of this song.

Good but not great as Moving Pictures.......2007-04-13

I'm not a great fan but I like the band at a moderate level.
Moving Pictures was a five stars album, without a doubt.
Signals is good but not great. There is some truly good songs on this one but there is also some weaker ones. My choice would go, for the best of Signals as this...Subdivisions, The analog kid, The weapon, New world man and Countdown. The other three songs, Chemistry, Digital man and Losing it are not as good as the other mentionned above. For me, this one deserve three stars, but close to four !

A great follow-up after a masterpiece!!!.......2007-02-16

1982 - After Moving Pictures it was hard to conceive of RUSH doing better musically or commercially. This album packs just as hard of a musical punch. Although not as musically complex as Moving Pictures, Signals was a powerful piece of rock expression that only RUSH could create. It is very even & the songs blend together almost giving it a concept album feel. Moving Pictures had the same musical consistency. The album discusses social issues such as anxiety, depression, disatisfaction with everyday life, & tensions at home/work/school. These issues make the album very easy to relate to. This album is my favorite along with Moving Pictures & it drives from the opening exploding notes of subdivisions. It is heavily dominated by power keyboard patterns and power chord guitar patterns. Peart's drumming is very hard & driving but less complex than moving pictures but fits very well into the music. He works the high hat alot in this album. Geddy Lee's bass sound is also hard-edged but a little less complex than moving pictures. You can also hear geddy moving back & forth from bass to keyboards (as on stage) indicating much of the album may have been recorded live without backtracking. Geddy's vocals are also strong as usual but he's doesn't hit as many alto & soprano notes. Lifeson put the acoustic guitar away completely on this album & plays the fender with mostly power chords. He's also is playing more rhythm patterns & fewer solos. The fact that this album is so heavily dominated by keyboards is interesting because lifeson didn't care for keyboards much because he felt it drowned out his sound. It is by far the most keyboard oriented RUSH album on the catalogue. There is not one song on the album that doesn't fit & the order of the songs also is pivotal. Most of the songs on the album are in 4/4 time & are shorter. There are no long epics. Instead it's a harder edged rock album appealing to the youth of the day. A notable is on the song losing it they have a guest electric violinist playing. This would be the only time RUSH would use an outside musician. The entire album is phenomenal but notables are subdivisions, analog kid (geddy's great vocal range), chemistry, losing it, & countdown (relating to RUSH's fascination with the space shuttle). This album is an 80s epic classic & a stunning follow-up to their obvious classic rock album Moving Pictures. This also the last terry brown coproduced album...

One of the best albums in any genre of any era........2007-01-30

Okay, at various points in my life I've been one of those Rush fanatics that border Star Trek geeks Cruncher mentions below. Not so much over the last couple years, though.

That said, I would say that although it's difficult for me to rank Rush's albums in terms of quality, I'd say this is my leading candidate for their second-best work ("Moving Pictures" easily being their best.) Many "traditionalist" Rush fans hate the '80's albums due to the decline of Alex Lifeson's lead guitar role and the prominence of keyboards, giving the music an ever-so-slight punk feel to it. I feel the keyboards added layers to the music in terms of harmony and complexity that were both fantastic in their own right and layed the groundwork for some of the interesting, complex explorations the band would journey into during the '90's.

Flatly stated, there isn't a bad track on this album. "Subdivisions" hits home like a missile, and boasts five-pitch chords on the keyboard underlying a progressive melody with driving drums. "The Analog Kid" is one of the best songs Rush has recorded, both lyrically and musically. Alex' guitar piece is excellent, and is made all the more so by the vivid keyboard used during the chorus. I loved this song as a teenager because it echoed perfectly how I felt at the time, and as a guy in his '30's now I listen to this song and, if only for 4 minutes, I'm a teenager again, feeling the bliss and energy of youth, but painful longing to grow so much faster than I probably should.

"Chemistry" and "Digital Man" are the two most overlooked tracks on the album, but they have nice chords and solid lyrics, making them worthy tracks in their own right rather than just space-fillers.

"The Weapon" is very well done as part of the "Fear" trilogy, and "Losing It" is one of the few songs of its kind that Rush recorded. Who among us who once boasted some special talent can listen to that song without feeling tremendous sadness, with a tinge of desparation and a longing for days past?

"Countdown" is an interesting track, with radio transmissions from the Space Shuttle Columbia intertwined with the music. The description of the shuttle and its launch are exceptional.

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