October 19, 1993 - Counterparts

Six days after my last release and over two years since their last album "Roll The Bones", Rush released their fifteenth studio album "Counterparts" on October 19, 1993. This is Rush's most guitar-centric album for a long time as they continue to move away from the heavy use of keyboards in the 80s back towards a more typical Rush sound. I certainly like the sound of that after their last two albums were fairly sub-par by Rush's lofty standards. Let's see what the latest from Rush sounds like!

The album kicks off with "Animate" and Neil starts us off with a cool drum beat before Geddy lays down a pretty cool bass riff and Alex plays a light guitar riff to complete things. Geddy begins to sing in his usual nice high voice and this turns out to be a long opening chorus. They move into the first verse and Lifeson plays a faster, cooler guitar riff in this solid verse. After another chorus, another verse, and yet another chorus they shift into a new riff with some soft guitar and some solid backing bass as Geddy sings a new part that sets the stage for the solo. Lifeson delivers a decent little guitar solo and then after a  it more of this new riff Peart plays a nice drum fill and we're back at the chorus. After a final chorus they continue to jam out the same riff with a little bit of added keyboards, but it's very minor and doesn't really add a whole lot as they slowly fade out to end it. Up next is "Stick It Out" and Lifeson begins by himself with a nice heavy guitar riff that drives this song and Neil adds some nice light cymbals at first as Geddy begins to sing the verse and shortly into it the bass finally joins as they snap into a full-fledged main riff that is pretty catchy. Things lead nicely into the chorus as the guitar picks up speed and somehow things have got even catchier with a pretty jammin' chorus. The bass falls away as they start the next verse and they follow the same pattern to another catchy chorus and then they slow things down a bit in a new part as Geddy sings a nice new verse. Then it's solo time and Lifeson again plays a cool but not crazy solo. We return to the main riff for a final verse and a couple final choruses before they nicely jam out the last bit if this pretty cool song that was also unsurprisingly the album's lead single. Track 3 is "Cut To The Chase" and Lifeson plays a cool light guitar riff and Lee plays some decent bass as well while singing nicely overtop this drumless opening. Neil does eventually join in and then the guitar shifts to a faster riff for the chorus and it's nice to hear Lifeson driving things. They play another verse and chorus and then Lifeson delivers his best solo of the album so far as this one is pretty sweet with some nice fast stuff. After a final verse they jam out the chorus a few times and then the song abruptly ends. The next song was the album's other single, titled "Nobody's Hero" and Lifeson plays some acoustic guitar for the verse and it's a cool and catchy riff. Geddy begins the verse and Neil's opening lyrics are "I knew he was different in his sexuality. I went to his parties as a straight minority. It never seemed a threat to my masculinity. He only introduced me to a wider reality." Some pretty cool and accepting stuff and Geddy delivers it very nicely. They segue nicely into a heavier but still slow chorus as Alex is playing electric guitar now and things sound pretty epic. Lifeson plays a short guitar bit that sounds pretty sweet and then it's back to acoustic for the verse. After another epic chorus it's solo time and Alex plays a slow and epic solo, but it's very tame and he could've spiced it up a bit. They pick up at the end of the verse and then play a final chorus before an orchestra joins in! They add to the epicness of course as they jam things out for the last minute with the orchestra and for a slow song I thought they did a pretty good job. Track 5 is "Between Sun & Moon" and Lifeson leads the way with a decent guitar riff while Peart adds some cool drums as usual and Geddy begins to sing a nice verse. They move nicely into an upbeat and catchy chorus which has Neil playing some pretty sweet drums. After another verse they do a nice stop that sounds like we're gonna shift directions, but then it's right into the chorus. After the chorus Lifeson plays a short solo that matches the mood but isn't that flashy and then they jam out a new riff for a few bars before returning to the main riff. A final verse and chorus closes things out. Up next is "Alien Shore" and they start with a nice loud riff before settling into a quieter main riff with Lifeson playing some light guitar and Lee playing some solid backing bass. Geddy sings a solid verse to match the mood and eventually it reaches a similar chorus where Geddy sings in a nice high voice. They play another long verse and after another chorus Geddy sings "reaching for the alien shore" a few times and then Lifeson goes off for his solo. It sounds pretty epic and it's solid for sure, but I also feel like the great Alex Lifeson could've done a lot more with it. They play a final verse, jam out a couple choruses and then end the song with another "reaching for the alien shore" part. A decent song but nothing too crazy. Track 7 is "The Speed Of Love" and Neil plays a pretty cool drum beat, but Lifeson's guitar on this one is very light and sappy sounding. Geddy sings a light verse and also plays some decent bass, but the guitar is just so commercial and light. The chorus is so simple and light that it's almost hard to believe it's Rush playing this lovey-dovey stuff. The verse is looking a little better now and after it and another chorus Geddy's bass takes us nicely to  new part that slowly builds up, but then it just goes right back into the simple chorus. They then proceed to jam out this chorus for what feels like a looooong time until the song finally reaches an end. I think it's easily the worst song so far. The next song is "Double Agent" and Geddy opens the song by himself with a cool bass riff and a light verse. Lifeson eventually joins in with some light guitar but when Peart finally joins in they shift to a heavier and pretty cool new riff with nice contributions from everyone. Geddy talks overtop this riff in an epic way that sounds alright and then he sings in a more normal fashion. The opening riff turns out to be the chorus and it's pretty catchy. The talking returns for another verse followed by another chorus and then they set up nicely for solo time and Alex starts off hot with some cool fast guitar, but it tapers off at the end and flows neatly back into the main riff. After a final chorus they end the song with a final talking verse and while this was a but out of the ordinary I thought it was a solid song. Track 9 is the instrumental "Leave That Thing Alone" and Lifeson plays a light and breezy guitar riff, Peart plays a solid drum beat and Geddy plays a pretty cool bass riff. The bass starts off as the lead instrument, but Lifeson's guitar shifts slightly and begins to lead the way in this lighter but cool riff. Peart's drums get more intense as they go on and then they shift to a cool new riff with some new cool guitar and bass. There's lots of cool stuff so far but when they reach the "solo" it's some very light and dreamy guitar that doesn't provide much and doesn't really fit with the cool vibes the rest of the song had going. Neil delivers a pretty sweet drum fill at one point and then they snap back to the main riff to close things out. Up next is "Cold Fire" and they dive right into the chorus it sounds like with Geddy repeating the name of the song overtop a fast-paced riff led by some decent guitar from Lifeson. Things slow down for the verse as Geddy sings nicely overtop a space-y main riff and they start to play the chorus riff, but then go quickly back for the next verse. After this one they finally play a full-blown chorus that sounds alright but nothing really that special honestly. Lifeson plays a solid little solo midway through, and Neil's drumming in the chorus is pretty good, but the song is pretty repetitive and not all that exciting. Peart does provide some more cool drums as the song is fading to it's end. The final song on the album is "Everyday Glory" and once again they dive right into the chorus riff with a very light and dreamy guitar leading the way that is not what I want Rush to be playing. Lifeson's guitar isn't as dreamy in the verse, but it's pretty simple and Geddy sings a soft verse along to this light melody. They play a couple of these light verses before Geddy repeats "no matter what they say" as a lead-in to the chorus. Lifeson plays some decent guitar and Geddy sings a solid chorus, but it's pretty tame. After another verse and chorus Lifeson plays another "solo" that is really just a short guitar bit that matches the mood and then Geddy sings a brief new verse that leads right into the "no matter what they say" part and they then jam out the chorus to the finish.

That is the end of "Counterparts" and I thought it was a mixed bag of an album with some songs that were pretty cool and others that were more like their last couple albums: not terrible but sub-par for the great Rush. The fact that a mixed bag is better than Rush's recent stuff says something, but at least they're headed in the right direction. I think this was easily better than "Roll The Bones" and "Presto" and I even think it's better than "Hold Your Fire", but the buck stops there as it comes nowhere close to "Signals" or their other 80s albums. It'a still their best album since 1985 though! Hopefully Rush continues their guitar-driven direction!