Prog Wars: Pink Floyd vs. RUSH

[gjbassist]

This is an easy one for me. With the exception of a few songs I have never cared much for Pink Floyd. On the other hand, I have been to 10 Rush concerts, own everything they have done in one form or another and plan to throw a party for their RRHOF induction. I consider them not only the greatest prog band of all time but one of the greatest rock bands of all time!

[BigJohnAZ]

It's a tie. I love them both dearly, how can you compare excellence to excellence? Add King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, etc, and IMO, they are all a tie.

My brother says I'm stuck in the 70's, and he's right. I still listen to this music everyday and enjoy hearing it no matter how many millions of times I hear it. This is the music I grew up with and it still moves me.

[Johno Dunn]

Originally Posted by gjbassist

This is an easy one for me. With the exception of a few songs I have never cared much for Pink Floyd. On the other hand, I have been to 10 Rush concerts, own everything they have done in one form or another and plan to throw a party for their RRHOF induction. I consider them not only the greatest prog band of all time but one of the greatest rock bands of all time!

^^^^^^^^^^^
That!!!!!
Can I come to your party?

Johno!

[pbasswil]

Taking a poll of which band more TBers like best doesn't change anything.

These guys are artists, not football teams. They've all made great contributions to the music. What's the appeal to turning it into a competition?

You can root for all of them -- or any ones you like to listen to.

[JMimbs]

I like Pink Floyd, but Geddy Lee is half the reason I play bass at all. Also, I prefer Rush's music and songwriting to Pink Floyd. I have to say Rush.

[electracoyote]

Hmmm...

If I were stranded on a desert island, with a music player and a lifetime supply of batteries, and I could only load one album, and my choices were 2112 or Dark Side Of The Moon, which would I choose?...

[dbd1963]

For me the choice would be between DSotM and Moving Pictures, and MP would win that no question.

[Nev375]

Originally Posted by LiquidMidnight

Rush, they're still chugging away by putting out great albums.

Pink Floyd, great band, but have they actually released anything relevant since the early 90s?

Some would say since the early '80s. When Roger was still with them.

The last two so-called Floyd albums were good in their own right, but without Roger's compositional genius a lot of the progressiveness just wasn't there.

[rtav]

Rush... no doubt.

Unlike PF, RUSH has EVERYTHING prog calls for: Musical expertise (no question), frequent mythological lyrical references, crazy time signatures, extended drum solos with tom sizes as small as 6 inches, double kick kits flanked with tubular bells, bell trees, wind chimes), Taurus pedals, double-necked guitars, power-trio mystique and freaking songs from Tolkein's writings! It does NOT get more prog than this!

[stratovani]

Originally Posted by rtav

Rush... no doubt.

Unlike PF, RUSH has EVERYTHING prog calls for: Musical expertise (no question), frequent mythological lyrical references, crazy time signatures, extended drum solos with tom sizes as small as 6 inches, double kick kits flanked with tubular bells, bell trees, wind chimes), Taurus pedals, double-necked guitars, power-trio mystique and freaking songs from Tolkein's writings! It does NOT get more prog than this!

TRVTH!

[stingray2112]

Rush hands down

[N.F.A.]

Originally Posted by BigJohnAZ

It's a tie. I love them both dearly, how can you compare excellence to excellence? Add King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, etc, and IMO, they are all a tie.

My brother says I'm stuck in the 70's, and he's right. I still listen to this music everyday and enjoy hearing it no matter how many millions of times I hear it. This is the music I grew up with and it still moves me.

I'm stuck right there with you man, when I'm not revisiting the 60's and 50's first.

[plankspanker13]

Floyd was #1 in a BBC TV program about the top 10 prog acts. Rush came in 7th. My vote went for Rush, here, but I'd take ELP over either of 'em.

[Ezmar]

Floyd was the better "prog" band, rush inly sort of dabbled in it in the late 70s. My personal preference is Rush.

[the_hook]

Originally Posted by rtav

Rush... no doubt.

Unlike PF, RUSH has EVERYTHING prog calls for: Musical expertise (no question), frequent mythological lyrical references, crazy time signatures, extended drum solos with tom sizes as small as 6 inches, double kick kits flanked with tubular bells, bell trees, wind chimes), Taurus pedals, double-necked guitars, power-trio mystique and freaking songs from Tolkein's writings! It does NOT get more prog than this!

rtav put it all there...plus I put together a Trio just so I cold learn to play Rush on bass, and then synths, and then Taurus pedals...all three great muscians, great tone, great songs (A Farewell to Kings? Xanadu? Cygnus X-1? And that's just one album!). Amazing drummer, great guitar work and killer bass playing. And they actually play their instruments....in the studio and on stage...

I can listen to Rush all day long, I can't listen to Floyd more than five minutes.

[Maleikbassist]

Never really considered Floyd to be prog rock myself. But they easily blow rush out of the water. I can't stand Geddy's voice, nor his bass tone.

[Definitely]

Originally Posted by Maleikbassist

Never really considered Floyd to be prog rock myself. But they easily blow rush out of the water. I can't stand Geddy's voice, nor his bass tone.

I can understand you not liking his sound, but you have to admire his playing and writing. Saying that PF "blow[s] rush out of the water" may be true on sound (to you), but I don't think they even come close on a playing and writing level. Just take a look at Rush's peak around 1976-1981, unbeatable creativity, Peart's lyrics, those passages and mythological references, the solos, instruments they used, just look at the inner sleeve of AFTK or Hemispheres and see what each guy played, and they pull it all off live with just the three of them. I don't think that could be done by any other band, ever.

[blue4]

I think PF are better on a writing level, depending on how you judge them. Just being more complicated doesn't make something better. Of course this is personal preference, but Roger's lyrics always made sense to me. And nothing beats a Gilmour solo guitar-wise for me.

[lowJPG]

Atleast this thread isn't trying to compare somone to the Beatles.

This is actually a decent "competition".

[Marial]

Originally Posted by electracoyote

Hmmm...

If I were stranded on a desert island, with a music player and a lifetime supply of batteries, and I could only load one album, and my choices were 2112 or Dark Side Of The Moon, which would I choose?...

Dark Side of the Moon, definitely, for me.