Signals | 
 enlarge | Artist: Rush
Label: Island / Mercury
Category: Music
List Price: $11.98
Buy New: $5.12
You Save: $6.86 (57%)
New (48) Used (21) from $3.30
Rating:  196 reviews
Sales Rank: 3107
Format: Original Recording Reissued, Original Recording Remastered
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 534633
UPC: 731453463325
EAN: 0731453463325
ASIN: B000001EST
Release Date: June 3, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW Factory Sealed - Ready to be shipped within 24 hrs from California - Average 5 workdays delivery time - Excellent customer service - Buy with confidence!
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| Tracks:
| • | Subdivisions | | • | The Analog Kid | | • | Chemistry | | • | Digital Man | | • | The Weapon | | • | New World Man | | • | Losing It | | • | Countdown |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Rush had already begun using electronics and synth in their music by the time Signals was released in 1982, so the synth-heavy opener, "Subdivisions" (a song that proves that high-school separatism is older than last year), wasn't that great a departure from their previous material. Signals also contains the single "New World Man," which still gets heavy radio airplay almost 20 years later, as well as groove-heavy, tech-savvy songs like "The Analog Kid" and "Digital Man"--prescient comments on the forthcoming information technology revolution if ever there were any. This was Rush's first studio album following Moving Pictures, which arguably remains their strongest and most well-known effort, after 2112. That's a tough act to follow, and Rush did it in the best possible way--by maintaining their distinctive sound while updating it with 1980s touches. Signals indicates that it was a good move. -- Genevieve Williams
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| Customer Reviews:
 Signals: A mixed result April 9, 2008
Marty from Clayton (Wisconsin)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'll start with the biggest problem with Signals: The mixing/recording has been described as "muddy", "slushy", "blurry", etc. It's all true. Just click on the "Analog Kid" sample Amazon offers, and you'll hear a lot of midrange, but no clarity or brightness (and this is supposed to be the "rocking" track of the album). It was a poor, poor mixing job, and the re-master did nothing to improve it. It's a CD that sounds like a cassette, and if you were unfortunate enough to own a cassette in the 80's, it sounded like an old AM radio. Also, a couple of the songs are simply forgettable.
Now for the good: There are also some *really* good songs on here. Some of the songwriting is incredibly inspired, experimental, progressive, and thoughtful.
A critique of the songs:
SUBDIVISIONS: Great song. Great writing. Great arrangement. Heavy on the synths, and yet extremely well done. Great lyrics.
ANALOG KID: Great song. The most rocking song of the album, but with a major tempo change in the chorus. Great riffs for both guitar and bass. Great lyrics.
CHEMISTRY: An experimental song that never quite makes it. Once you've heard it twice, it becomes dull, and is forgettable. It was no better live on the Signals tour either.
DIGITAL MAN: Another experimental song, and this time with great results. A bass-lover's dream, and an altogether unique sound. Great lyrics, and they complement the lyrics of "Analog Kid". Still fresh 26 years later.
THE WEAPON: A forgettable song with a good idea behind it. While it could never have been a "great" song, it could have been a "good" song, but is far too long for what it does. The middle instrumental section is dull, and adds nothing to the song but length. A shorter arrangement would have been much better.
NEW WORLD MAN: A catchy single, easy to warm up to, interesting message in a small package. Really good song.
LOSING IT: A remarkable ballad. As a ballad, it's never going to be among the great Rush classics, but it's really a creative, interesting song.
COUNTDOWN: The biggest disappointment of the album. Tried to capture an emotional moment, and failed. Just not a good song.
Overall, I'd give it 3.5 stars. A better mix would have helped. A few different arrangements may have helped, but it is what it is: a mixed result.
 Great Follow-Up to One of The Finest Rock Albums April 3, 2008
Greg (Ladera Ranch, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Instead of resting on laurels, Rush moved away from the incredible feel of Moving Pictures and offered a different sound for Signals. Like Moving Pictures, Rush made an album that hooks you from the opening track (Subdivisions) to the final track (Countdown). Also like Moving Pictures, this album is as fresh today as it was in 1981/2.
On a side note, it is a bit laughable that this band has not been recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
no classic, but good enough March 21, 2008
B. E Jackson (Pennsylvania)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Signals marks where Rush started to change their sound (for the worse). It's not really their fault though, and it's not like they were the only band who was the unfortunate victim of the 80's recording equipment. Many other bands such as ZZ Top, Queen, Pink Floyd, and Black Sabbath (just to name a few) were also the victims of having their music sound worse than it really is because of the way it was recorded
In other words, while the music on this album is certainly pretty decent, it sounds horrible. Many of the tunes give off an initial feeling of being unmemorable because of the way the album was recorded makes every song sound *exactly* the same. They don't sound the same though, you just have to put a lot of effort into concentrating and paying attention to the vocal melodies in each song in order to wash away that samey "slushy" vibe the album has going. If anything, Signals will take you back to the early to mid 80's immediately.
The Third Part Of Rush's Ultimate 80s Trilogy March 14, 2008
The Footpath Cowboy (Kingston, NY United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
SIGNALS is the third installment in Rush's ultimate trilogy of wonderful 80s studio albums. Neil Peart had apparently overcome his Ayn Rand fixation and was writing lyrics with more heart and soul than he had in the 70s. For example, "Subdivisions" is about high-school cliquishness, but could apply to anywhere where, if you're not part of "the in crowd", people will side with your parents or other authority figures against you, and "New World Man" is about the very nature of the modern human race. This album will keep you thinking for hours about the world and how you and others can make a difference in changing it for the better.
RUSH - Signals CD March 7, 2008
Scott LaBone (York Haven, Pa USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Another great CD by RUSH in the 80's. It is still as good now as when it first came out.
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