While 1975's Caress of Steel is not as widely acclaimed as 2112 or Moving Pictures this album will certainly satisfy any hard rock/progressive/heavy metal fan that is not intimidated by long material (this is a 40 minute album that contains only 5 songs, 2 running over 10 minutes)
The trio of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart will go down in history as one of the greatest power trios in rock and music history. these three can generate more noise than a band containing more could ever hope to make. I've heard that Geddy Lee's singing voice is pretty much love it or hate it with people but I've always found him to be a pretty good singer, your opinion may or may not vary. while his singing might not be a favorite of all, his bass playing I'm sure will be a guaranteed hit, on this album it thunders along with Lifeson's top notch riffing producing a great sound. of course, Neil has developed his reputation as one of the greatest drummers for a reason, and you'll be able to hear why.
On to the songs, there are 5 songs, 3 of the 5 are under 5 minutes and the rest are over 10 minutes, one stretching around the 20 minute mark. If you want to use this album to introduce somebody to the band this one might not be the best choice, unless you are sure they enjoy long songs.
The tracks Bastille Day and the Fountain of Lamneth are the standout tracks for me on this album. Bastille Day is a fast paced rocker and doesn't let up for a second. Lamneth is the 20 minute epic. while at this point in time the band had not really got the hang of the long song format (each part of the Lamneth song fade in and out, instead of flowing more naturally like in the song 2112) but regardless the song is I would say the best song on the album, like any good long song I did not feel bored throughout.
As for the rest of the songs, Lakeside Park is a nice softer ballad piece with some rocking moments, The Necromancer is the other long song clocking in at 10 minutes and while a great listen, does slightly pale in comparison to Lamneth but that's not an insult to the Necromancer, more a credit to the quality of Lamneth. and the last track to cover is I Think I'm Going Bald, which sounds quite different from the rest of the tracks on the album, almost like the band were pressured by their label into recording a single. and it sounds to me like they came up with a piece of rock that doesn't really sound like Rush. certainly not a highlight of the album.
All in all, fans of Rush, fans of Hard Rock/Progressive/Metal, you'll find an album you'll enjoy here. certainly worth your listen.
