In Appreciation of: Songs That Taught Us About Social Justice

Doug: Today I'd like to celebrate some songs from my kidhood that really contributed to the development of my social conscience. Now I don't want to state any sort of political agenda in doing so, but if you have to pin a liberal agenda or leaning on me, then so be it. I think the examples here bespeak a higher agenda than anything you'd find in your state capital or Washington, DC -- these songs just seem right.

Doug: Maybe I'm a johnny-come-lately to this sort of thought, but it was really my college years (1984-88) that expanded my tastes in music, which served to manifest in me an interest in national and international news and social issues. The art of local Midwesterner John Mellencamp (nee Johnny Cougar and John Cougar Mellencamp -- I just love his anthem to the Midwest Pink Houses), pianist Bruce Hornsby, Phil Collins, and others made us think about how we relate to our fellow humans. Mellencamp's work with Farm-Aid called out the large farm conglomerates that pushed the family farmer into hard times. Hornsby and Collins sang about the downtrodden and homeless. And in listening to this music, my interests expanded, reaching into the past to artists like Neil Young and some early REO Speedwagon.

Doug: Politically, I could go on about U2's Bullet the Blue Sky and Don Henley's End of the Innocence -- maybe that will be for another time.

Doug: Below I've posted some lyrics to favorite songs from the '80's, and I've also included Young's Southern Man, which Lynyrd Skynyrd famously chastised in their mega-hit Sweet Home Alabama. Enjoy the poetry. Give it some thought.

Hot Dogs and Hamburgers: John Mellencamp

Drivin' down on a dry summer's day
Old Route 66 and I was just a kid
Met a pretty little Indian girl
Along the way
Got her into my car
And tried to give her a kiss
I'll give you beads and wampum
Whatever it takes, girl, to make you trade
She jumped into the back seat
And she kinda flipped her lid
She said you're tryin' to get something for nothing
Like the Pilgrims in the olden days

We rode for a while till the sun went away
And I realized it was sort of an honor
Bein' around this girl I felt embarrassed
Of what I tried to do earlier that day
She was the saddest girl I ever knew

She told me stories about the Indian nations
And how the White man stole their lives away
And although she kinda liked me
She could never trust me
And when the sun comes up
We'd go our different ways

CHORUS
Now everybody has got the choice
Between hotdogs and hamburgers
Every one of us has got to choose
Between right and wrong
And givin' up or holdin' on

So I dropped her off at some railroad crossing in Texas
An old Indian man was waiting there
He smiled and thanked me
But he saw right through me
I could tell he didn't like me
For my kind he did not care

Because to him I was the White man
The one who sold him something that he already owned
And it was like he'd been riding in the car right there with us
And I felt ashamed of my actions
And the way the West was really won

So I drove down the highway
Till I came to Los Angeles
The town of the angels
The best this country can do
I got down on my knees
And I asked for forgiveness
I said, Lord, forgive us for we know not what we do
CHORUS

Justice and Independence '85: John Mellencamp

He was born on the fourth day of July
So his parents called him Independence Day
He married a girl named Justice who gave birth to a son called Nation
Then she walked away

Independence he would daydream and he'd pretend
That some day him and Justice and Nation would get together again
But Justice held up in a shotgun shack
And she wouldn't let nobody in
So a Nation cried

CHORUS
Oh, oh When a Nation cries
His tears fall down like missiles from the skies
Justice look into Independence's eyes
Can you make everything alright
Can you keep your Nation warm tonight

Well Nation grew up and got himself a big reputation
Couldn't keep the boy at home no, no
He just kept running 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round
Independence and Justice well they felt so ashamed
When the Nation fell down they argued who was to blame
Nation if you'll come home we'll have this family again
Oh, Nation, don't cry

CHORUS
Roll a rock across the country
Everybody come along
When you're feelin' down, yeah, yeah
Just sing this song, yeah yeah

The Way It Is: Bruce Hornsby and the Range

Standing in line marking time--
Waiting for the welfare dime
'Cause they can't buy a job
The man in the silk suit hurries by
As he catches the poor old ladies' eyes
Just for fun he says "Get a job"

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
But don't you believe them

They say hey little boy you can't go
Where the others go
'Cause you don't look like they do
Said hey old man how can you stand
To think that way
Did you really think about it
Before you made the rules

He said, Son
That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
But don't you believe them

Well they passed a law in '64
To give those who ain't got a little more
But it only goes so far
Because the law don't change another's mind
When all it sees at the hiring time
Is the line on the color bar

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
But don't you believe them

Another Day in Paradise: Phil Collins

She calls out to the man on the street
"Sir, can you help me?
It's cold and I've nowhere to sleep
Is there somewhere you can tell me?"

He walks on, doesn't look back
He pretends he can't hear her
He starts to whistle as he crosses the street
She's embarrassed to be there

Oh, think twice, it's just another day for
For you and me in paradise
Oh, think twice, it's just another day
For you, you and me in paradise

Just think about it
She calls out to the man on the street
He can see she's been cryin'
She's got blisters on the soles of her feet
She can't walk but she's tryin'

Oh, just think twice, it's just another day
For you and me in paradise
Oh, yes think twice, it's just another day
For you, you and me in paradise
Just think about it, just think about it

Oh Lord, is there nothing more anybody can do?
Oh Lord, there must be something you can say
You can tell by the lines on her face
You can see that she's been there

Probably been moved on from every place
'Cause she didn't fit in there
Oh, yes think twice, it's just another day
For you and me in paradise

Oh, yes think twice, it's just another day
For you, you and me in paradise
Just think about it, just think about it
It's just another day
For you and me in paradise

It's just another day
For you and me in paradise
It's just another day
For you and me in paradise

It's just another day
For you and me in paradise
It's just another day
For you and me

It's another day
For you and me
It's another day
For you and me in paradise
In paradise

Southern Man: Neil Young

Southern man
better keep your head
Don't forget
what your good book said
Southern change
gonna come at last
Now your crosses
are burning fast
Southern man

I saw cotton
and I saw black
Tall white mansions
and little shacks.
Southern man
when will you
pay them back?
I heard screamin'
and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?

Southern man
better keep your head
Don't forget
what your good book said
Southern change
gonna come at last
Now your crosses
are burning fast
Southern man

Lily Belle,
your hair is golden brown
I've seen your black man
comin' round
Swear by God
I'm gonna cut him down!
I heard screamin'
and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?

Golden Country: REO Speedwagon

Golden country your face is so red
With all of your money your poor can be fed
You strut around and you flirt with disaster
Never really carin' just what comes after

Well your blacks are dyin' but your back is still turned
And your freaks are cryin' but your back is still turned
You better stop your hidin or your country will burn

The time has come for you my friend
To all this ugliness we must put an end
Before we leave we must make a stand

Mortgage people you crawl to your homes
Your security lies in your bed of white foam
You act concerned but then why turn away
When a lady was raped on your doorstep today

Well your blacks are cryin' but your back is still turned
And your freaks are dyin' but your back is still turned
You better stop your hidin or your country will burn

The time has come for you my friend
To all this ugliness we must put an end
Before we leave we must make a stand, oh yeah......

(solo)

Golden country your face is so red
With all of your money your poor can be fed
You strut around and you flirt with disaster
Never really carin' just what comes after

Well your blacks are dyin' but your back is still turned
And your freaks are cryin' but your back is still turned
You better stop your hidin or your country will burn

The time has come for you my friend
To all this ugliness we must put an end
Before we leave we must make a stand

(repeat)

Versus -- the Illinois Bands

Cheap Trick -- Rockford
Chicago -- Chicago
REO Speedwagon -- Champaign
Styx -- Chicago


Doug: Not a bad list, if you're looking for bands that charted throughout the 1970's and into the 1980's, huh? From Surrender to 25 or 6 to 4, from Roll With the Changes to Lorelei, these guys have you covered on just about anything between hard rock, pop, and ballads.

Doug: I guess I became "aware" of popular music when I was about 6-years old. That's when I got my beloved transistor radio (complete with earpiece) -- AM only, baby. From that day, I fell in love with the likes of Elton John (Rocket Man, Someone Saved My Life Tonight), Paul McCartney (Live and Let Die, Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey), and the one-hit wonders of the early 1970's -- Paper Lace (The Night Chicago Died), Johnny Wakelin (Black Superman), etc. But it wasn't until I got into junior high school in 1977 that I really began to latch onto some bands and actually follow what they produced. The bands listed above fall into that category.

Doug: I can recall standing in line to get out of PE one day and seeing an older kid wearing a Cheap Trick concert t-shirt. Never heard of 'em. But, it wasn't too long after that when the live album (yeah, dude -- a record) Cheap Trick at Budokan was released. I didn't know it at the time, but Cheap Trick had been huge in Japan, while struggling early on to get anything on the radio in the States. The year 1979 saw their frustration come to an end when I Want You to Want Me was constantly played on Top 40 stations around the country. After that album came the studio follow-up Dream Police, with its title track and Voices being the big hits. Dream Police really rocked, and Zander's vocals were powerful throughout the album -- at times power-charged, at others a little pouty. I loved the contrast in looks among the band members, as lead singer Robin Zander and bassist Tom Petersson looked like refugees from Tiger Beat magazine, while guitarist Rick Nielsen and drummer Bun E. Carlos were almost caricatures; they were certainly characters. In particular, Nielsen's multi-colored (and certainly odd-looking) guitars were a visual high point. At the point of Dream Police, I'd become a fan and eagerly anticipated new output from the band. Of all their hits, I guess I'd rank The Flame and Tonight It's You as two I regularly turn to. I like the studio and live versions of The Flame about equally.

Doug: Chicago. Wow -- when did I become aware of them? When you look at their early discography and think of AM radio, I guess from the time I got that radio I've been aware of Chicago's music. It would be hard to name a hit that I don't care for, although most of what they turned out after Peter Cetera left to make his sappy-ballad-duet fortune pale in comparison to what the band created in its first decade-plus. While not a big purchaser of their albums, their greatest hits compilations (as well as iTunes today) have me pretty well-stocked in regard to their music. The horns are always great, and the contrast in vocal styles create a nice sound. Frequently-played songs lately for me include Dialogue (Part I & II) and I'm a Man. I just love the percussion section, especially on I'm a Man, as well as the end of Beginnings. Going old style!

Doug: You Can Tune a Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish. Best. Album. Name. Ever. And the singles off of it -- Roll With the Changes and Time For Me to Fly plus the foot-tapping Say You Love Me or Say Goodnight make this an all-time great. This came out about the same time as the retrospective A Decade of Rock and Roll, which got me turned on to some of their older tunes, like 157 Riverside Avenue. After hearing that, I bought Live: You Get What You Play For and really got into some of the band's older tracks -- a bit more hard-edged than the pop path they would head down in the 1980's. Of the Illinois bands I've listed, this was by far the band for which I owned the most albums. Hi Infidelity, Nine Lives... each album had a sound of its own as the band experimented with different sounds that oscilated between rock and pop. Having purchased The Essential REO Speedwagon on CD a couple of years ago, my iTouch is pretty well outfitted with REO tunes. Hey, and why do they refer to the '80's rockers as "hair bands"? Check out these fellows!

Doug: The last band on the list, Styx, has a little local history (for me) tied in. Urban legends in these parts had them playing on the tennis courts of the local YMCA and even at the homecoming dance of the high school I would attend. Both of these events allegedly occurred in the early 1970's, well before the band hit it big. I've not been able to verify either incident, but it is the stuff of local chest-swelling. Or so I'm told... Anyway, Styx was getting big when I was in junior high and got even bigger as I got into high school. Early songs like Lorelei and Lady led to hits off The Grand Illusion like the title track, Foolin' Yourself, and the mega-hit Come Sail Away. The dueling vocals of Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw gave each song a little bit of a different feel, but the keyboards and vocal harmonies held everything neatly together. Later, the albums Cornerstone and Paradise Theater cemented the band's albums as treasured spaces in my collection. Rockin' the Paradise, Borrowed Time, and Too Much Time on My Hands were all great memories as they played from my table-top stereo system. I wasn't much into politics as a kid, but the negativity of the Carter administration shines through on several of the band's songs.

Doug: So, give a vote on the poll to the left, and leave a comment below to share a memory.

5 Turn-it-Up! Songs to Love

Today we discuss five songs that, when they come on the radio or my iTouch, I turn 'em up loud enough that no one can tell I can't carry a tune. But when you're at the heart of your rock-star-wannabe glory, who cares?

Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin

What's better here? The head banging intro., Robert Plant's vocals (gotta love that Tarzan-like yell), or just the general gutteral growl of Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones? How about all of the above? Shoot, I don't even know the words here -- I just move, man. People must think I'm an idiot...

Roll With the Changes by REO Speedwagon

One of the best bridges ever. Ever. Neal Doughty's organ followed by Gary Richrath's guitar. And don't forget Doughty on piano, either. I loved this one the first time I ever heard it, as the lead track on the album at right, You Can Tune a Piano but You Can't Tuna Fish. And if that isn't one of the best names for an album, ever, I don't know what is.

So if you're tired of the same old story,Turn some pages.

Yeah!

Just the Same Way by Journey

Ah, yes, back in the days before Steve Perry had completely taken over lead vocals -- and don't get me wrong -- he has a phenomenal voice and to me embodies Journey. But Gregg Rolie is featured here, as he was on two of the band's other hits, Feelin' That Way and Anytime. What works for me here is the mixture of their vocals -- different pitch, style, but sounding great together. Sort of like the Reese's of '70's rock!

I like Jonathan Cain on keyboards, but Rolie's vocals gave Journey an additional resource.

Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC

Just when you think it's about over, it gets better. Fast, then slow, then fast again. A rocker worthy of stadium play, and in fact, I do play it when doing the PA at my sons' high school baseball games. Hey, I'm not interested in their music; folks on the fence have to listen to my music! Brian Johnson's vocals are great on this track.

Rosalita by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Doesn't the Boss just paint you a picture with a lot of his songs? None more so than here. The scenery, the characters, the situations... Clarence Clemons is great on that sax as usual, and the rest of the band meshes well, also as usual. Another tune that reaches a stopping point, but heads right into a crescendo that takes it home the rest of the way. Fun, fun, fun!

BONUS track --

Never Been Any Reason by Head East

The first time I heard this song I thought it was Emerson, Lake, and Palmer -- the synthesizer is reminiscent of ELP's Lucky Man. Head East hails from my native Illinois, originally forming at the University of Illinois. They never really had another hit, but this one's lasting -- sounds great everytime I turn it up!

5 Bass Guitars to Love

Hey, foundation lovers! Back with another music post. Reminder -- I know absolutely nothing technical about music. Can't read it, I don't play -- nada. But man, I just love it! Today we'll take a look at five songs (plus one honorable mention), in no particular order, that I just love due to the bass playing.

1. 157 Riverside Avenue, live on REO Speedwagon Live: You Get What You Play For and also available on The Essential REO Speedwagon.

OK, as a lad I did not know anything about Regis Philbin. So in the middle of this song when Kevin Cronin applauds bassist Greg Philbin's solo by saying, "Whooooooo - hooo! Yeah -- that bass sounds good to me! That's Regis on the bass gee-tar!" I thought to myself, humpf -- weird nickname. But now I know. Hey, seriously, how often do you hear a bass solo? This one's a winner. I play it often and it never gets tired. Great song with a great solo by Philbin.

2. Boogie Oogie Oogie by A Taste of Honey.

Yeah, how's that for a genre transition? From 70's rock to disco. This one gets going right away. I wish I could somehow type this beat -- it's very infectious. The version of the song on my iPod is 6:25 long -- I'm pretty sure it's an album cut or some sort of remix. It's not the radio version, that I do know. This tune also has a bass solo -- "Listen to my bass pla-yaaaaa". Yeah, you know what I'm saying.

3. Paradise City by Guns 'N' Roses, available on Appetite For Destruction.

Just go to the 4:47 mark of the song -- the coda, baby. Man, bassist Duff McKagen just pounds on the strings! This part of the song, all two minutes of it, sounds like an improvised jam -- fast-paced, savage. The best part for me is of course Slash's quick finger work, but McKagen's bassline really moves it along. Great ending -- one of the best ever to any song.

4. YYZ and Tom Sawyer by Rush, both available on Moving Pictures and the greatest hits album Chronicles.

OK, so this is two songs in one. But can you get enough of Geddy Lee's basswork? That answer is unequivocally "no". Either of these songs is a tour de force not only for Lee, but for the other two fellows, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer/lyricist Neal Peart. Like any Rush song, Lee's bass is the underlying current over which everything else flows. Peart's drums attack the ear at one level while Lee's bass rumbles below the surface. Somewhere in between is Lifeson's guitar work. YYZ is a particular showcase for Lee -- at times it's the lead instrument in the song. Check these out.

5. Any Duran Duran song with John Taylor on bass.

Yeah, that narrows it down. Even if we just look at the hits from the band -- Planet Earth, Girls on Film, Hungry Like a Wolf, Rio, etc. -- all feature Taylor's foundational playing. These songs are special to me for several reasons: the music from my high school/college years is especially meaningful, Duran Duran dominated MTV in the early years (when it actually was "Music" Television), and Taylor's playing was really the first time I noticed that the bass guitar was an instrument that changed throughout the song and not just some static element with which one could measure foot-tapping. I don't know in the whole scheme of pop music how talented John Taylor is, but he has a place of significance for me.

Honorable Mention: The Age of Aquarius (Let the Sunshine In) by the Fifth Dimension.

Can't beat a little hippie soul music to top this one off. As a little kid when this was getting radio play I just thought it was a catchy tune. It actually wasn't until a few months ago when listening on my iPod -- where the sound is much more intimate and rich than on a conventional stereo (no matter how good) that I picked up on the bass playing. The second half of the song, beginning at around the 2:17 mark begins to showcase the bass guitar -- sadly, I was unable to locate the name of the player. But at any rate, good stuff from the Woodstock era.

5 Records to Love

Doug: I'd like to trot out some records (huh?) I really liked when I was a kid -- played 'em to death! Scratched them, had to try to press down on the needle to re-groove the vinyl, the jackets were worn and even dog-eared. Great stuff! In no particular order:

Foreigner: 4

Here's the track list for the original version of this album (there have been a couple of REALLY good unplugged versions of Jukebox Hero and Waiting For a Girl Like You added to the remastered compact disc):

"Night Life"
"Juke Box Hero"
"Break It Up"
"Waiting for a Girl Like You"
"Luanne"
"Urgent"
"I'm Gonna Win"
"Woman in Black"
"Girl on the Moon"
"Don't Let Go"

I was a sophomore in high school in 1981 when this album was big. I had a couple of friends who saw Foreigner in Chicago on the tour that supported this record -- they just raved at how cool the show was. I vividly remember one guy telling me that during the sax solo on Urgent that the sax player's pants changed colors while he walked down a set of stairs! That would have been a pretty cool special effect for those days!

Of course the three hits on the album are what everyone remembers, and they have earned a spot in the annals of classic rock, no doubt. But upon researching for this post, I was surprised at how much I still liked some of the other tracks -- notably the opening Night Life and the next-to-last track Girl on the Moon. Lou Gramm's vocals are solid throughout the album, and he weaves a consistency across the platter.

I wanted to note the placement of Urgent seemingly right in the middle of the record. Younger readers might wonder how something buried in between a bunch of other songs could find its way out to become the major hit of the record. That's just it, o' wet-behind-the-ears: it was a two-sided disc, and Urgent led off the B side -- a common marketing strategy back in the day.

Loverboy: Get Lucky

These Canadians were fun! Of course Working for the Weekend was an anthem back in those days, but so was the band's look -- MTV really helped to make bandanas (worn on any part of the body) fashionable in the early 1980's. Lead singer Mike Reno was definitely an 80's icon for a few years. Have you seen the "I Love the '80's" series on VH-1 Classic? Reno has a great line in the intro, commenting on an archival clip of the band -- he says, "I still wear the same size pants -- 32x36; except now it's 36x32." Don't I relate to that...

Here's the song order for this 1981 release:

"Working for the Weekend"
"When It's Over"
"Jump"
"Gangs in the Street"
"Emotional"
"Lucky Ones"
"It's Your Life"
"Watch Out"
"Take Me to the Top"

I have a BUNCH of these on my iPod (in fact, I'm listening to them right now)!! Of course Working for the Weekend, but also When It's Over, Emotional, Lucky Ones, and Take Me to the Top. For my money, this could have been the band's greatest hits album. Listening to the entire album again after some time I found (as I did with the Foreigner album) that I really liked all of the songs. And I'd add the same comment here about Reno -- his vocals really tie the album together. It is unmistakenly Loverboy through and through.

Loverboy would have more hits, and of course Reno would go on to dwell in sappy lovesong heaven (he and Peter Cetera were the monarchs of that kingdom in the mid-80's). They eventually faded away, but man, were they cool while they lasted!

REO Speedwagon: Live -- You Get What You Play For

I don't recall why I bought this album, originally released in 1977. I had a few other live albums, but for the most part I've preferred studio albums to live recordings. I am thinking now, as I delve through the memory banks, I wonder if it was a way to get the song 157 Riverside Avenue? At the time I got this, REO's greatest hits album, A Decade of Rock 'n' Roll had just come out (1980) and there was a live recording of 157 on that disc. As I had the material on Decade that had been on the You Can Tune a Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish and Nine Lives albums, I figure that's why I chose this.

Here's the track list:

"Like You Do"
"Lay Me Down"
"Any Kind of Love"
"Being Kind (Can Hurt Someone Sometimes)"
"Keep Pushin'"
"(Only A) Summer Love"
"Son of a Poor Man"
"(I Believe) Our Time Is Gonna Come"
"Flying Turkey Trot"
"Gary's Guitar Solo"
"157 Riverside Avenue"
"Ridin' the Storm Out"
"Music Man"
"Little Queenie"
"Golden Country"

My favorite songs on the album include the aforementioned 157 Riverside Avenue (I laughed the first time I listened to it and Kevin Cronin swore), Keep Pushin', (Only A) Summer Love, and Golden Country. I have to tell you, too, that it was not until Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was on television that I got the joke during 157's bass solo. Bassist Greg Philbin is referred to as "Regis" -- I had no clue -- missed the whole Joey Bishop/Regis Philbin deal completely!

The funny thing about live albums, when that is the version of a song that you've heard first, is that the studio version sometimes doesn't measure up. How many of you have heard the original studio version of KISS's Rock 'n' Roll All Night? I'm sure most people identify with the live recording from the KISS Alive! album. At any rate, this REO album is a fine recording of a series of concerts from back in 1976. Check it out if you're a fan!

KISS: Rock and Roll Over

Hmmm... What could possess a mom to let a 10-year old kid listen to this record? Take the opening lines to the second track, Take Me:

Put your hand in my pocketGrab onto my rocket

Yep -- not really any innuendo there. I can recall playing this album on our big honkin' console stereo and lying beside it with my ear next to the speaker. I know my mom heard this as she moved about the house!

Here's the playlist:

"I Want You"
"Take Me"
"Calling Dr. Love"
"Ladies Room"
"Baby Driver"
"Love 'Em and Leave 'Em"
"Mr. Speed"
"See You in Your Dreams"
"Hard Luck Woman"
"Makin' Love"

If you recall 1976, then you remember that the hits off the album were Hard Luck Woman, sung by Peter Criss (ironically, it was Criss, who rarely sang lead vocals, who sang on the band's two highest charting hits [Beth was the other]), and Calling Dr. Love, which has one of the greatest cowbell intros of all time. There's not a bad track on the album; each tune is catchy and the lyrics are for the most part pretty baudy, which is a naughty sort of fun.

I don't so much care for Calling Dr. Love, but Gene Simmons' other songs on the album tend to be more to my liking. See You in Your Dreams, Love 'em and Leave 'em, and Ladies Room are good. But the best rocker on the record is the disc's final cut -- Makin' Love. Great, fast-paced song!

Rush: Permanent Waves

This is thinking-man's rock music, plain and simple. When I got this album in 1980, I bought it for The Spirit of Radio, and on the recommendation of a friend who was into Rush. I had no idea at that age that rock music was so cerebral. Neal Peart's lyrics were very heady, from the vocabulary he used to the topics the songs discussed.

The album has only six songs, so it's almost like an EP rather than an LP. Here's the track list:

"The Spirit of Radio"
"Freewill"
"Jacob's Ladder"
"Entre Nous"
"Different Strings"
"Natural Science" ["Tide Pools", "Hyperspace", "Permanent Waves"]

The first two songs have of course garnered the most radio airplay through the years, but I'd argue that Entre Nous is every bit as strong a track as its two more popular brothers. Natural Science is a tour de force, with the three parts coming together to weave one near-10 minute epic story.

I am continually impressed, even to this day when I catch the Rush in Rio concert on VH-1 Classic, that three guys can make so much music. And to see Geddy Lee play a synthesizer and his bass at the same time is awesome. Neal Peart's drum kit is mammoth -- I cannot imagine how strong he has to be to endure an entire concert with the speed with which he plays.

And by the way, the album cover was another attraction for this hormonally-active then-13-year old...