Overrated/Underrated

[Lucas Bleicher <bleicher@who.net>]

> Personally, I think Rush is overrated.  They do nothing for me, they try to
> be epic and simply wind up overproduced, pompous and self-indulgent.

Oh, why? I have some Rush records and I can say they're REALLY good.
Their first one (without Neil Peart) sounds a lot like who-style rock.
Then came Peart and they became (IMO) the best power trio I ever heard
(and I know - and like a lot - Cream). Peart is just a complete drummer:
he can keep unusual tempos like 7/8 without sounding dull, he can swing
perfectly well, and he can even sound moon-like (This is noticed in the
"All The World's A Stage" album). Geddy Lee is a fantastic bassist who
has a style very similar to John Entwistle's: he is always melodical,
and don't just use the bass to keep playing the root notes all the time.
Alex Lifeson is not a fantastic instrumentist as the other two, but he
has some creative moments. I love everything from the first album to
"Exit... Stage Left" (A really great live album), and I used to think
that their other stuff was pretty boring. I didn't like anything they
released after "Exit... Stage Left" until I knew the "A Show Of Hands"
album. After some listenings I really liked that one, they made their
80's stuff sound much better onstage.
I don't think Rush is overrated. They're very good musicians, Peart is a
very good lyricist and I think they deserve their place.