Chrisedge

Seen them a few times back in the day, but I could take em or leave em...HUGE talent though...

cungar

How can a 29 year old song released in the first third of the band's history be referred to as "their newer music"?

astrochimp

Sure that was their peak of popularity but they have made some fantastic music in the 19 years since then.

musick

Signals and Moving Pictures alone put them in my love em catagory
they have released some less than stellar material over time given their long history

cungar

You're getting old faster than you think. That's 29 years.

cungar

You mean the new wave period?

chino77

i love rush. i stole a cassette of 2112 from a garage sale while i was staying at my grandparents lake cabin for a month when i was 14. good times.

Lateralus

I'll be knocking on their door, just like Jay and Silent Bob.

musick

nah, Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows both had some highlights (no pun intended) .... anything after that pretty much lost me

Sean O'Hara

I was going to refrain from voting, bt then I realized that if I choose not to decide I still have made a choice.

musick

I see what you did there

Ginwen

I don't think they are quite that bad, it's not like they're Styx.

I'm pretty neutral on them, I don't listen to them but I don't really have anything against them.

atlantamoi

Not love, but like. I remember when I was a kid riding my bicycle back from the record store with "Farewell To Kings" flapping in the wind (vinyl, not CD). I've been a fan for a very long time even though there was a 10 year period I would never admit to having liked them. Permanent Waves is my favorite album they did and (weirdly) I can't stand 2112. I know 2112 is one of their most popular albums, but I think it pretty much sucks.

UncleGramps

There should be an "I really LIKE Rush but I don't quite LOVE them" option.

Supermallet

I love Rush and like Styx.

bunkaroo

I think the first Rush album I owned was Presto, and Roll the Bones finally got me into them when it came out. I then explored their back catalog. I've always been partial to the 80's stuff. Signals and Power Windows are their gems IMO.

bunkaroo

Styx actually isn't that bad. I think I feel the same way Tommy Shaw must have felt with DeYoung slowly emasculating the band. Stuff like Grand Illusion was pretty decent IMO.

Trevor

I love Tom Sawyer and like a few other songs, but most of their stuff is crap and I can't listen to an entire album.

kd5

I agree. I like Rush, they have alot of excellent music out there. But I can't really say I love them. They're just damned good musicians... -kd5-

GoVegan

So currently we're at 76% love/hate and 24% indifferent. I'd say that puts them in the love 'em or hate 'em category. Or at the very least I shouldn't be laughed at for calling them "polarizing."

I suppose this doesn't mean much without knowing how other bands would fare, but I find it hard to believe that a fair amount of people would come forth and say they hate a band like Bad Company, who I think were another example given. I assume the indifferents would rule that thread.

cungar

Well when you only have the choice of either love 'em or hate 'em it's pretty much the only result you're going to get. An unfair choice since judging by this thread a lot of people just like them.

GoVegan

Huh? Chuckd set it up with 3 options. "I could give or take me some Rush," while phrased oddly, is the like option.

Hokeyboy

Twice as many respondents could "Take them or leave them" than "HATE" them. Hardly a "polarizing band." Polar, by its very definition, means ABSOLUTE EXTREME.

If 50 people loved them, 50 people hated them, and 2 people were indifferent, you might have an argument...

cungar

Well you certainly didn't have a choice for people who like them. I like Rush. I've listened to them over the years but don't love them. The last thing I'd call myself is indifferent to the band. And I think a lot of people in this thread share my views.

GoVegan

That would be helpful if I were trying to argue that they're literally a "love them or hate them" band.

I would hardly call any of this scientific, though. It's flawed for many reasons. First it's a sample of less than a hundred people. Second, if you cared enough to click on the thread, it's probably already more likely that you have strong feelings about the band (or are bored), so it's skewed toward fans and haters.

This is a sad card to play, but it looks like referring to them as "polarizing" is hardly original:

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=rush+polarizing+-limbaugh+band

Many, many people have used that phrasing before, usually referring to them as the most polarizing band ever.