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Signals | 
 enlarge | Artist: Rush
Label: Island / Mercury
Category: Music
List Price: $11.98
Buy New: $5.63
You Save: $6.35 (53%)
New (40) Used (26) from $3.89
Rating:  198 reviews
Sales Rank: 6060
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
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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: Read 193 more reviews...
 Rush meets the Human League October 31, 2008
R. Miller (Arlington, VA)
On SIGNALS, Rush continued to streamline its songwriting and arrangements. Although the previous two records had featured mostly shorter songs, they still had made room for the 10-minute epics Rush had been famous for in the late 70s. Starting with SIGNALS, the epics vanished (and have not been heard from since).
This record is also the first of several with tons of keyboards. "Subdivisions" in particular sounds like a strange marriage between Rush and Ultravox. It helps that the song is built around one of the strongest melodic hooks Rush had come up with to that point and that the bass lines (especially leading into the chorus) are killer. "Subdivisions" has ended up being one of the more memorable tracks from 1982. I'm not a huge fan of the synthesizer solos, however.
You get a sense throughout SIGNALS that Alex Lifeson was still trying to figure out his role, but he still has some fine moments. The guitar work on "Analog Kid" is quite impressive and the guitar solo on that track is one of my favorites from the entire Rush catalogue. The interactive soloing with Ben Mink on "Losing It" is also quite good. The descending guitar riffs on both "Subdivisions" and "Countdown" provide a wonderful sense of tension.
Overall, this is about as strong a set of songs as one can really expect from Rush. The songs are varied. There's everything from dirge-like synth-rock ("Subdivisions" and "Chemistry") to splashes of ska and reggae ("New World Man" and "Digital "Man"). "The Weapon" is probably the only song here that doesn't excite me much.
Although SIGNALS is certainly not as good as either PERMANENT WAVES or MOVING PICTURES, it is still a very good record and a fine introduction to 80s-period Rush.
 RUSH WENT DOWNHILL AFTER MOVING PICTURES? October 5, 2008
B. C. Whitcomb (Mad Cow, Canada)
Signals is, without a doubt, the best album Rush has ever produced. Both in terms of mature lyricism and accomplished musicianship, Signals represents a profound leap for Rush. The music thunders along with the high-powered dynamics that Rush is famous for; but on Signals, the songs touch in a personal way. Subdivisons is a powerful statement of teenaged angst in an anonymous suburban landscape. Analogue Kid is a stunning and soaring rocker. Chemistry is an excellent showcase for Alex Lifeson's brilliant guitar work. Digital Man is Rush's homage to ska and is an infectious number. The Weapon is a dark, brooding, and majestic composition. New World Man should have been a huge hit! Losing It is a sensitive piece, featuring Ben Mink's biting electric violin. And Countdown is a brilliant account of the first space shuttle launch. Rush may never be this brilliant again.
 Continuing in their new radio-friendly vein, Rush make a stepwise progression from MOVING PICTURES September 20, 2008
Christopher Culver
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Rush's 1983 album SIGNALS is in many respects a continuation of the style introduced on their previous 1981 release, the highly successful MOVING PICTURES. The band had completely left behind the lengthy prog-rock of the '70s in favour of shorter songs, but the band maintained their virtuoso musicianship and Neil Peart's lyrics retain their intellectual bent. A noteworthy feature, however, is the greater use of synths. Indeed, SIGNALS was to be the first of four albums considered Rush's "synth period", though I think that it bears a greater resemblance to MOVING PICTURES than to the three following albums.
SIGNALS is noteworthy for having one of Lifeson's most exciting solos ("The Analog Kid") and a thought-provoking song in the Fear series ("The Weapon"). Its theme is mainly the difficulty of adapting to a rapidly changing world, with "Digital Man" covering technological change, "New World Man" cultural change, and "Losing It" about growing old.
It's not a perfect album. The opening "Subdivisions" got a lot of airplay and a music video, and its depiction of growing up in suburban North America is a poignant one. But Peart's lyrics have a sort of superiority complex here ("I have to get away from here because I am better than the other people in my school") that is rather troubling. The other downside of the album are the reggae references, which get tiresome quickly. Lines like "We'd love to spend a night in Zion, / It's been a long, long while in Babylon" sound silly and date the album almost as badly as their rap interlude in the early 1990s effort ROLL THE BONES. Nonetheless, fans of MOVING PICTURES would do well to seek out this album so often eclipsed by its predecessor.
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.
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