I love it...

[Rick and Roll]

Most bands just plain wear out - the list is endless -

Kansas after Monolith (although a nice rebound on Freaks and Elsewhere). Queen after Jazz. Giant after Missing Piece. Yes in the 80's (another good recovery). Police. Judas Priest. Gong (PM's). Genesis. Aerosmith. Floyd. Saga, etc.....

I'll keep defending Counterparts and Test For Echo - really solid efforts.

The Power Windows to Roll The Bones period was very arid for Rush (even in concert). I still can't get past the muddy sound and the Alex grunge of Vapor Trails. Plus the song structure is disjointed in places. Great live shows, though!

Rush is easily my second-favorite band, after Tull. I always thought that even in their very heavy days, they were way ahead of the curve, and a very clean sounding band. Maybe in 20 years I'll be saying the same thing about Vapor Trails, but for now, they seem to have fallen behind the curve.