Roll
The Bones (1991) was a return to fine progressive rock form for
Rush after releasing some rather unfavorably styled recordings that the faithful
found disappointing, although they enjoyed success in spite of that. Guitar man Alex Lifeson found his groove as he did on the previous release Presto, or should I say Geddy Lee (bass, vocals, synths) and
Neal Peart (drums) came to an agreement with their six-string gun slinger that
it was best to stay with what made them legends in the first place.
Audio
Fidelity selected another breakthrough release to reissue in their 24 Karat
Gold format. Yes, this is but one of so many fantastic offerings from the
Canadian power trio but a great place for a reissue label to start.
“Dreamline”
is an awesome way to open the curtains for this album. What you get are 10
solid tracks including the legendary “Ghost of a Chance.” This is a very dark album lyrically for Rush
and as the cover indicates the bottom line is about death but a shrug of the shoulders
in the same the breath with the kid kicking the skull out of his way like it
was a soccer ball. You have to love the attitude of the imagery and this is where
Rush grab back what was theirs. The trio is in superb form in every way on this
album and there is no denying that. “Roll the Bones” probably came as a shock
as the middle of the track breaks into a rap. Thank god that was short lived
and did not set precedence for things going forward otherwise the road they
traveled would have been a rough ride. History would write a different book for
Rush and they would release many more great albums.
The
sound is prolific and matches up with the impact it had for the band at the
time. There are elements made more apparent to your ear with this format.
Sometimes the changes are subtle things you never noticed before and at other
moments revelatory. In any case, there are consistent improvements in sound when
Audio Fidelity takes a recording through their own process and then releases it
as a gold disc. What I found more sharper are the guitar parts and although
Pearts’ drumming is always apparent it sounds placed perfectly in regards to
the VU and it does not overtake any other instrument. It can easily happen that
way because the man sounds like a band by himself. Paying attention to that
power and forcefulness and appreciating all the other aspects that make this
album what it is was just as important to the label and I totally heard that
throughout this release.
In
2011 Rush is still huge and all their releases are looked upon as iconic and
this one is no exception. I appreciated the original artwork and the CD booklet
including all the lyrics as well. This
is a nice package and the ultimate Rush fans experience to be sure. This is not
to be missed and I don’t care how many versions of Roll The Bones you have, this is one you have to hear because it is
as close to perfection as it gets.
4.5/5 Stars
Key
Tracks: Dreamline, Ghost of a Chance, Roll the Bones
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
October 31, 2011
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