"Signals" is the ninth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 9, 1982, by Mercury Records in the United States. Its total length is 43:12. The band's lineup included vocalist, bassist, and synthesizers player Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart.
Rush's previous release "Moving Pictures" marked a shift musically to a more mainstream approach with more electronic instrumentation. "Signals" continues that trend with radio friendly tracks, but with more emphasis on synthesizers than ever. Rush made more strides to make tracks with electronic instrumentation, but unlike on "Moving Pictures" the band overuses synthesizers, which causes the synths to overpower the other instruments. "Signals" is an album that still has some great tracks, but is Rush's first release in years to feel not well balanced musically.
"Signals" was another popular release as it reached #10 on the Billboard 200 chart and #3 on the UK albums chart. It has since gone Platinum in the U.S and Canada, as well as Silver in the U.K. The strengths of this album are the progressive, but radio-friendly style, the great musicianship, and the excellent lyrics and themes. The only weakness on "Signals" is the overuse of synthesizers that weigh down this album and prevent it from having a balanced feel. Here are my thoughts on each track.
1. "Subdivisions" 5:35 (5/5)
"Subdivisions" has an epic use of synths to start the album off and the guitar work is also quite nice. Neil Peart's drumming is masterful. Geddy's vocal delivery is at its height, as he sounds incredible. Lyrically the track is amazing and remains one of Rush's best. Geddy's bass playing is very prominent at times and is terrific as usual. The synths are used perfectly and add amazing effect throughout the entire track. Alex's guitar solo is not mind blowing, but fits the track perfectly. "Subdivisions" is the best song from this album and remains as one of the band's most popular.
2. "The Analog Kid" 4:47 (4.5/5)
"The Analog Kid" begins with an extremely catchy guitar riff and Geddy's bass playing is great right away. Neil's drumming is very upbeat and Geddy's vocals are perfectly suited for the track. The chorus is full of atmosphere and very good synth effects and has an upbeat feel to it. The overall mood and atmosphere as well as Geddy's vocal delivery is what drives this track home for me. The guitar solo is actually spectacular, and Lifeson shows his greatness as a player. "The Analog Kid" is a great track that is both upbeat and atmospheric.
3. "Chemistry" 4:57 (4.5/5)
"Chemistry" has an awesome opening where the synth and guitars come together to make an amazing sound. I love the speedy riff that Lifeson plays over the epic synth lines. Geddy's vocals are again perfect for this type of track. The bass playing is phenomenal and the drumming is very good as per usual for Neil Peart. Lyrically it is extremely catchy and has a driving chorus that is very easy to sing along to. Lifeson plays another great guitar solo that is full of emotion and energy. It is definitely one of his most underrated.
4. "Digital Man" 6:23 (3.5/5)
"Digital Man" is a very unique track from this album. The bass playing is fantastic and the drumming from Peart is also very good. Lifeson seems to take a back seat on this track to Geddy's bass playing, which I don't mind. It has a reggae guitar beat like on "Vital Signs" but is executed well on this track. The track is catchy throughout, but I really don't think it's very good lyrically and the song feels a little choppy during parts. The guitar solo is killer though on this track, I absolutely love it. Musically, "Digital Man" is Rush at their best, but I think it is not a great song, because it's great elements don't always combine to make the best sounding track. I still enjoy "Digital Man" though and think it's an above average track.
5. "The Weapon" 6:24 (4/5)
"The Weapon" is the second song in the Fear series. I love the beginning, which has a fade in style involving awesome synth effects, drumming, and catchy guitar riffs. Geddy's vocal delivery is very good throughout this song. His bass playing is very good as well. Lyrically it is very catchy and the instrumentation on the song combines to make a very unique sound that definitely makes this a very unique Rush track. Neil's drumming is very catchy during this track. The instrumental interlude is phenomenal on this track and involves excellent synth, guitar, and drumming. To end this interlude Alex plays a solo full of effects. It's definitely my favorite part of the song. The song can drag a bit, but it still remains one of the good tracks from the album.
6. "New World Man" 3:42 (3.5/5)
"New World Man" is an overly simple track especially for Rush. It's driven by it's catchy nature and reggae guitar sounds. Neil's drumming is still phenomenal on this song, and Geddy's bass playing is noteworthy as well. "New World Man" was a huge radio hit at the time of its release, but now seems somewhat simple and not very special in the Rush discography. "New World Man" is my least favorite track from the album.
7. "Losing It" 4:53 (5/5)
"Losing It" is one of the most well written and beautiful tracks Rush has ever written. The synths are perfect and the violin adds significant effect to the track. Geddy's vocal delivery is outstanding and fits the track so well. It's so atmospheric and serious. Lyrically, Neil Peart has never been better as they are both powerful and easy to sing along to. Lifeson's guitar may take a back seat on this track, but his playing fits perfectly. The violin solo is beautiful and it's like nothing Rush has ever done. "Losing It" takes many listens to fully appreciate, but once you do, you'll realize it is one of Rush's most powerful tracks.
8. "Countdown" 5:49 (4/5)
"Countdown" is a very unique track in their catalog. The synths are in full effect from the beginning of this track. It's definitely got a very atmospheric buildup as Geddy sings about the shuttle launch that is about to occur. Alex's guitar is definitely not prevalent enough for me on this track, I wish his guitar was more involved. Geddy's bass playing is fine during this song. Neil's drumming is good like it always is. The guitar riff is catchy during the song and is a nice addition. I do like "Countdown," but it isn't a great track.
My Verdict:
Rush definitely made strides to use more technology like synthesizers on this release. "Signals" has both a mainstream and a progressive sound, but due to Rush's new found obsession with synthesizers they lost an element that made so many of their previous albums great. With that being said Rush still sounds very good on this release and due to their experimentation, "Signals" sounds new, fresh, and unlike any other album in Rush's catalog. I like "Signals" in many ways, but it is Rush's first album since 1975 that isn't a classic.
