Caress of Steel Rush

Don't shoot me but this is one of my favorite rush albums. Really fits the full album concept that I am so into. Love the fact that the first three songs are hard and hooky and the rest is a prog hard rock master piece. Great quit at work and heavy bass in the back. Songs do what I want the, to do. Everyone panned this and people didn't get it. Maybe I don't get it but it still really does it for. Of course I am one that is more into atmosphere than lyrics.

This is one of the most unfairly treated albums in history. Bastille Day, Lakeside Park, and The Fountain of Lamneth are some of Rush's best songs. The other two tracks, while not satisfactory to most people, have their moments as well. I only wish this album got more love.

If you don't hear Rush becoming great on this album, your not listening!

I really don't understand the sniffy response this album evokes from a lot of music critics. For me this album is when Rush became Rush. After all it contains no less than two suites despite the record company asking for a more commercial output (god forbid what that would have sounded like, jeez record companies...). The album opens with a solid depiction of the inciting incident of the French Revoultion ("Bastille Day"). This is followed up with a contentious song for Rush fans, the ode to old age "I Think I'm Going Bald" which was penned by Peart when he was at the ripe old age of 23. However within the context of this album the song is perfectly fine as a bit of fun to counterbalance the seriousness of the two suites, Rush have always had a sharp sense of humour. Additionally, "Lakeside Park" is an excellent little song which deftly invokes the themes of nostalgia and childhood innocence. The first of the two suites "The Necromancer" is a trilogy of interest and excitement, although the narrative may feel a little loose for those more lyrically inclined the suite works as an impressionistic fantasy romp. The second of the suites is the highlight of the album for me, it is perfection. "The Fountain of Lamneth" is a tour de force of life and experience that never falls over its own ambition and the bands lack of life experience, due to the fact its all percieved from a younger viewpoint looking forward towards the future.

Expressional strong music, except for I Think I'm Going Bald. Very very very underrated. The longer songs are misunderstood.
Bastille Day - 5/5
I Think I'm Going Bald - 3/5
Lakeside Park - 5/5
The Necromancer - 5/5
The Fountain Of Lamneth - 5/5

Caress of Steel is an incredibly underrated prog rock classic. The two lengthy pieces, "The Necromancer" and "The Fountain of Lamneth," are well constructed and feature memorable riffs and melodies throughout. This is an album that needs multiple listens to appreciate its many layers. I find it much better than the Fly by Night album. The only possible miscue is the Kiss-sounding, "I Think I'm Going Bald," but it is far from unlistenable. This is the sound of a band gelling together nicely on their way to unleashing its classic 2112 album, so give it another few listens and reassess its metallic progressive rock.

In late September of 1975, Rush released their third studio album, entitled "Caress of Steel." This album since its release has been seen as a failure and a black sheep of sorts in the band's long career. In more recent years, the album has been seen as a underrated and overlooked album by fans, which to a certain extend is true."Caress of Steel" is not the total disaster it was painted to be by the critics when it came out but is in its own right a solid and impressive album, with it being the chain that links "Fly by Night" to the band's much celebrated "2112." This album saw the band becoming more of their own and contained the band's earliest progressive exploits. "Fly by Night" did also show some of Rush's progressive side, but "Caress of Steel" embraces it much more than its predecessor. The tracks "The Necromancer" and "The Fountain of Lamneth" are both very long and were more expansive than anything the band did up to that point. "The Fountain of Lamneth" clocks in at around 20 minutes and is composed of several different parts. "The Necromancer" is over 12 minutes and is actually quite engaging and impressive, with the instrumentation and overall song structure being well done. The pitch-shifted spoken word portions of this track are a bit cheesy but do give the song some lyrical context. Both tracks do a fine job at having the more heavy, aggressive moments and the softer more acoustic guitar oriented moments. This contrast with heavier and softer moods was something Rush would improve on with later releases, with it becoming a core part of their songwriting. "Caress of Steel" is not just full of over 10 minute long epics. The front half of the record contains the three shorter songs "Bastille Day," the ridiculously named "I Think I'm Going Bald," and "Lakeside Park." " "Bastille Day" and "Lakeside Park" are both solid songs,with "I Think I'm Going Bald" being the worst out of the three. "Bastille Day" has one of Rush's best riffs and is one of the best songs of the earlier part of their career. "Lakeside Park" has that contrast that was mentioned earlier, which really gives the track a nice feel to it. The album overall is a enjoyable listen, though not as strong as it could have been. "The Fountain of Lamneth" is a little too long for its own good and the non connective structure really makes listening to it not a very engrossing experience. With that being said, I strongly urge if you are a fan of Rush to give this album a listen. This is not an album that should be glossed over because its not as critically acclaimed as the band's later work. I give "Caress of Steel" a 8.2/10.

Favorite Tracks: Bastille Day, Lakeside Park, The Necromancer, The Fountain of Lamneth

Least Favorite: I Think I'm Going Bald

Album three was a commercial and critical failure for Rush at the time, and is still not highly regarded by many. However, Caress of Steel must be given some credit for taking Rush the direction it did, and can be aptly described as a prelude, albeit inferior, to the following 2112. Essentially, it follows the formula of predecessor Fly By Night, as far as sound goes, with the same carefree, hard-rock style. Caress of Steel opens with the bombastic "Bastille Day," easily the album's best track. From there, the trio glances across some slightly memorable tracks ("Lakeside Park") and some slightly horrendous ones ("I Think I'm going Bald," that means you). After the largely instrumental indulgence of "The Necromancer," the album ends with the sprawling, 20-minute "Fountain of Lamneth," for which poor sales are commonly attributed to. The epic closer tells a grandiose tale featuring none other than By-Tor, who appeared on their last album. Although it may seem almost as impressive as the title track of 2112 at first listen, "...Lamneth" lacks the same degree of confidence and visionary innovation showcased on its follower. In the end, Caress of Steel is an enjoyable listen for the hardcore fan, and is unnecessary for the average listener looking into Rush's catalogue.

I really like Caress Of Steel but I'll admit it some of this album is as cheesy as prog gets, title included. The Necromancer while musically fantastic (really) is lyrically a bit too bargain basement Tolkien to be taken seriously. I loved it at the time being a 15 year old Tolkien nerd. I Think I'm Going Bald is perhaps too silly for most folks. I thought it was a great example of Rush's humor. A quality they really didn't put much into their recorded output, live was a different experience. But Bastille Day, Lakeside Park and the side long Fountains Of Lamneth are among Rush's best works. Fountains is a bit obscure lyrically but it was Neil's first foray into long form story telling and his reach exceeded his grasp. However the music has a really dark and emotional resonance with me that is unique to this album. Nothing else in their catalog feels like it, especially Geddy's singing. He's just fantastic on this song .

Yeah at the time Caress Of Steel was a critical and commercial flop, being a little too ambitious perhaps? Not focused? Too nerdy? Too prog nerdy? I don't know. At the time I loved it and some 40 years later I still find it an enjoyable journey.

Never understood the unjustified hate of this album. The songs, playing, production are quite incredible. One silly song title ("Bald") does not make a bad album. My critical ears love this release - crunchy rockers and nice ballads. What more can you ask for?