2112: Classic or dud?

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I am undecided about this. There are definitely a couple of tracks that are really shit, but how about the rest? The other day I was told, "What an awful noise! You actually LIKE it??" what about the title track? This album made Rush heard-of, and is in no way comparable to WAVES, PICTURES or HEMISPHERES, but I'd like to know other people's opinions about it.

― Anna Rose, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Rush is a guilty pleasure of mine. I wouldn't say classic, but I like them, and probably 2112 the most.

― A Nairn, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If 2112 ISNT classic....then nothing is my friend...nothing is

― geeg, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Classic. There are no tracks that are *shit*, in my opinion. But then again I consider all Rush albums classic. I am a definite Rush fan and make no apologies for it.

― patrick, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

its probably classic, but its also CORNY AS HELL. 'what can this strange device be? when i touch it, it gives forth a sound. it's got wires that vibrate and give music. what can this thing be that i've found'

also, the picture on the back cover needs to be submitted to cameltoe.org

― Ron, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Rush along with Led Zep was my favorite bands when I was twelve, so I could never become a hater with them.

We used to joke that it sounded like Geddy's nads were in a vice grip when he sang "Temples of the Syrinx".

All things considered, some parts of the Rush repertoire does sound a bit of it's time. "We have assumed control."

― earlnash, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My only comments about 2112 were already spoken:
1. Back cover crotch-cling is evil and bad.
2. "We are the priests of the Temples of Larynx."

― Sean Carruthers, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

25 years after its release it continues to intrigue 13-year-olds and work its way into 23.7% of all ILx threads. Classic, of course. It's much better composed than Hemispheres and much more intense and more punk (Ha! Released in '77 too!) than Permanent Waves or Moving Pictures. If I'm feeling sufficiently perverse and sufficiently intoxicated, I will vehemently hold it to be the greatest album of all time. If my friends and I actually go through with our plans to hold a Canadian rock party on July 1, it goes without saying that this will be the conclusion. If I make it to Toronto to see them next month they bloody well better play side 1. I also don't dislike any of the tracks.

― astral nights galactic days, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I dunno, it actually feels like a dry gulch to me. If we're talking music and theme (if we must) then "Spirit of Radio" says more to me, even the goofy-ass reggae break. Leave it to one C. Eddy to pick out the brilliance (and I have to agree) of the 'illusion of integrity' line.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Keep in mind that there are a lot of things I will claim to be the greatest of all time under the right circumstances.

― sundar subramanian, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Dud, though by Rush standards, this is better than almost anything they did post-1982. I will say that Rush's studio records do them a great disservice. Listen to the live version of "Passage to Bankok", and attempt not to be jammed, whereas the version here is pretty lame.

And I never thought I'd say this re: Rush, but the title suite could've used a few synthesizers to flesh it out a bit.

― dleone, Sunday, 16 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I broadly agree with this review. It has a couple of good moments, and of course no Rush record can be "bad", but IMHO it's their weakest LP aside from Roll The Bones (and maybe the debut and Test For Echo, neither of which I've heard).

― Jeff W, Monday, 17 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll have to buy it again one of these days and give it a listen...

Nowadays, I mostly have to laugh whenever I see it--GREAT back album cover (almost as iconic as Soft Machine's 4 heh heh) mixed with Peart in full-throttle Rand phase.

― Joe, Tuesday, 18 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

four years pass...

I am in the midst of a bizarre, unprecedented Rush phase, and I just bough this yesterday.

Classic, classic classic. I'll take it over Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves or any of the others.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Friday, 11 August 2006 20:03 (nineteen years ago)

alex lifeson looks pretty femme-y on this, IIRC

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 11 August 2006 20:09 (nineteen years ago)

The music isn't too bad, but I will always find it hard to swallow anything based on Ayn Rand's writings.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 11 August 2006 22:00 (nineteen years ago)

2112 the song is a defnite classic, the rest of the tracks are fairly weak. They did much stronger work after this one.

The live version of 2112 on Different Stages is downright amazing.

― Matt Olken (Moodles), Saturday, 12 August 2006 00:03 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think I've actually heard the album, despite being a fan of later Rush. My friend will be thrilled to know it was being discussed though because she mentioned it last time I saw her.

― Armadillo Rhinocerous (Bimble...), Saturday, 12 August 2006 00:25 (nineteen years ago)

I've actually kind of come around to Ned's and Jeff's PsOV. (I also feel bad for dissing "Spirit of Radio" back then.) Haven't listened to it in years, probably. The corniness of the story, the dated production, and the relentless screaming get harder to take with repeated listening. It's held up the least well of the albums from that period for me. "Fountain of Lamneth" is a lot more interesting, I think, with its tableau-like structure. It achieves a really particular mood that is hard to describe. I also prefer the tighter songs on Farewell to Kings and the better-produced lusher epics on Hemispheres. I really appreciate "La Villa Strangiato (An Exercise In Self-Indulgence)" - it starts out beautiful, goes through tenser, dramatic bits, and ends up as this ridiculous OTT cartoon soundtrack.

― Sundar (sundar), Saturday, 12 August 2006 00:44 (nineteen years ago)

Does have some good riffs though.

BTW, as for the Ayn Rand thing, what is it exactly that people have issues with? I can understand having issues with how cliched the dystopian story is but other than that, it's not like there's anything in it that argues for Objectivism or libertarianism. If they hadn't mentioned Rand in the liner notes, no one would have cared, I don't think. It could have just as easily been inspired by George Orwell or Ray Bradbury.

― Sundar (sundar), Saturday, 12 August 2006 00:48 (nineteen years ago)

As a newbie, I love all the sci-fi totalitarian stuff. I'm not looking for gritty realism or richly drawn characters in my prog rock opera.

Also, I simply don't hear how it sounds dated. You want to hear something dated, listen to Big Money. Now that I'm a Rush fan, I went back and listened to that again, first time since it was on the radio in 1985. Boy oh boy is there a lot of unnecessary crap on that song.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Saturday, 12 August 2006 02:19 (nineteen years ago)

i personally enjoy Moving Pictures more, but 2112 is still classic. "Rush is a highly technical band...."

there is something special (and strangely more acceptable) about prog rockers showing moose knuckle...

― J. Grizzle (trainsmoke), Saturday, 12 August 2006 03:45 (nineteen years ago)

It might just be that I can't find weed in Buffalo.

― Sundar (sundar), Saturday, 12 August 2006 15:30 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

me and my homie were bro'ing down all nite tonite and drinking beers and grilling out on my deck.

2112 was the perfect soundtrack.

― M@tt He1ges0n, Sunday, 22 June 2008 05:15 (seventeen years ago)

2112 > Tommy

but

Signals > Permanent Waves > Moving Pictures > 2112

― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Sunday, 22 June 2008 05:44 (seventeen years ago)

I know...Signals is really hard to beat isn't it?

― Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You, Sunday, 22 June 2008 06:27 (seventeen years ago)

I mean I don't understand why I haven't listened to Grace Under Pressure for 20 years. I just don't know. But Signals...

― Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You, Sunday, 22 June 2008 06:28 (seventeen years ago)

I actually rocked All the World's A Stage tonight while rebuilding my mom's laptop, so I also heard 2112 tonight. Alex Lifeson's guitar tone is really huge and raw on that record.

― earlnash, Sunday, 22 June 2008 06:37 (seventeen years ago)

I'm sad to say I don't even know 2112. Never took an interest before.

― Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You, Sunday, 22 June 2008 06:41 (seventeen years ago)

Although I was at work this week (I'm an accountant) and some dollar figure turned out to be $21.12 and of course I thought of that album.

― Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You, Sunday, 22 June 2008 06:42 (seventeen years ago)

2112> > > > > Signals. Rush's best album.

― Bill Magill, Monday, 23 June 2008 20:25 (seventeen years ago)

signals only ever feels like half a great album to me

― M@tt He1ges0n, Monday, 23 June 2008 20:26 (seventeen years ago)

2112 > Tommy

2112 will never be > Tommy, because Neil Peart <<<<<<<<<<<<<< Keith Moon.

Tommy knows it's silly; 2112 doesn't seem to be in on its own joke.

― Sara Sara Sara, Monday, 23 June 2008 20:31 (seventeen years ago)

Love the Who, but 2112 kills Tommy, it's a KO.

― Bill Magill, Monday, 23 June 2008 20:38 (seventeen years ago)

three years pass...

Contrasting Visions Of 2112: Gail Collins v. Neil Peart

― mookieproof, Monday, 30 January 2012 18:32 (fourteen years ago)

Happy 2/1/12, y'all!

― You got to ro-o-oll me and call me the tumblr whites (Phil D.), Wednesday, 1 February 2012 14:46 (fourteen years ago)

three years pass...

2112 owns the zone

― Amira, Queen of Creativity (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Saturday, 19 December 2015 05:04 (ten years ago)

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