Revisiting "Counterparts" by Rush

The Canadian legends returned to their guitar-based sound on an album that just celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Thank you for spending part of your day with Michael’s Record Collection. I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving. I took a week off for the holiday, and after that quick, refreshing break, I’m back.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe it when you hear an album is celebrating a milestone anniversary. That was the case when I learned that Counterparts by Rush, an album I still think of as a “newer” record by the band, was turning 30 years old. It didn’t seem possible. However, I felt like that album deserved a revisit, so I enlisted the help of some friends (see the video at the bottom), and we dove into the record, going track by track.

No more preamble, let’s get to that story.

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It’s hard to believe, but just a few weeks back, in late October, Rush’s 15th studio album, Counterparts, celebrated its 30th anniversary. The album was released on Oct. 19, 1993 on the band’s Anthem Records imprint and reached No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200, making it one of the Canadian rockers’ highest charting albums.

It’s difficult to believe that record is 30 years old (or that 1993 is now three decades behind us). Rush only released four studio albums after Counterparts, concluding its run in 2012 with Clockwork Angels. Eight years after Clockwork Angels, drummer and lyricist Neil Peart died after a battle with brain cancer. Although there has been talk about bassist/keyboardist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson working together again at some point, as of this moment there is no longer a current band called Rush. That, like so many other things in life, is subject to change.

Counterparts was the first Rush album in many years that I didn’t buy upon its release. At that time, it slipped under my radar, as I was listening to a lot of bands in the burgeoning alternative rock scene. Most of the stuff that Columbus, Ohio radio station CD101 was playing at the time was my jam during that year. I was exploring artists like Counting Crows, the Connells, the Lemonheads, Belly, Jellyfish, Chris Isaak, Depeche Mode, Matthew Sweet, the Breeders, Cracker, and a re-invented Duran Duran (the self-titled “Wedding Album” came out in February of that year).

I don’t think I bought Counterparts until Test for Echo came out in 1996. I have a vague recollection of buying both Rush albums at the same time at a Best Buy. I had heard a couple of songs from Counterparts, but not the full album.

As a longtime Rush fan, I found it immediately apparent that Counterparts was going to be different than what I was used to from the band. The music was guitar-based, but not without keyboards. But rather than being drenched in them the way Hold Your Fire (1987) was, the music on Counterparts seemed a natural step beyond the transition Rush had started with 1989’s Presto, although Roll the Bones — the album that directly preceded Counterparts — is sort of musically somewhere between Hold Your Fire and Presto. There are some keyboards, and even some strings, but this is an album that lets Lifeson do what he does best on the guitar — both electric and acoustic.

While Counterparts is not a concept album, the aptly named record explores lyrical themes of duality throughout — male and female, straight and gay, black and white, love and neglect, cold and heat, and so on.

The album opens with Peart counting in the first song (“Animate”), which I can’t recall ever happening before. The legendary drummer’s is the first voice heard and his drum kit is the first instrument to appear, although it’s quickly followed by a thick, meaty bass line from Lee, some background keyboards, and a guitar riff from Lifeson. Lee’s bass, however, serves as the primary lead instrument on “Animate,” though.

The story about the bass in this song is that it was reportedly played through an amp that was rescued from the studio trash and repaired by one of the technicians who worked there. The album was recorded at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec — the last Rush album to be recorded there — as well as partially at McClear Pathé in Toronto.

Another wrinkle with “Animate” is the song begins with the chorus, which Rush doesn’t often do. This song is nominally the “title track,” as the word “counterparts” appears in the lyrics during the bridge. The song has a great energy, Lifeson (as always) provides the exact guitar solo the song needs, and “Animate” is a worthy Rush album opener.

“Stick It Out” kicks off with a wicked riff — a low, growling, thing that sounds simultaneously menacing and enticing. That and Lifeson and Lee’s combined playing in the chorus make this track for me. It was the first single from the album, released in October of 1993 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, making it the band’s only debut in the No. 1 spot.

Although you can hear what many fans call the “Geddy chorus” in “Animate,” it’s much more prevalent in “Stick It Out.” Lee layers his own voice on backing vocals and to provide some harmonies. With his unique voice, it kind of, well, sticks out (no pun intended). Rush employed this vocal tactic quite a bit from this album forward.

“Cut to the Chase” is a solid, riff-driven song and ultimately the band used Lifeson’s solo from the demo version of the song. It begins with a jangly guitar bit from Lifeson with rhythm provided by Lee’s bass and a tambourine, but it gets crunchy and loud after the opening verse as the chorus kicks in. There’s a bit of keyboards that sound like an organ in the “can’t stop movin’” pre-chorus, and Lifeson’s solo is one of his tastiest, starting with an intricate run. The bridge channels the band’s love of The Who.

“Nobody’s Hero” was another single from the album (released in spring of 1994), which starts with a beautiful acoustic guitar riff by Lifeson. The lyrics are among the band’s best. Peart wrote the opening verse about an old friend of his who had died of AIDS. This was someone he knew when he was living in London but had fallen out of touch with after moving back to North America and joining Rush. A legendary lyricist, Peart does well in this song to remind listeners to differentiate between real and pretend heroes. Peart himself was a hero to many and never considered himself in that light, so it could also be a bit self-referential in that respect.

The song is the only one on the album with strings, orchestrated and conducted by Michael Kamen. They give the end of the song more gravitas and help it build to a crescendo before fading out. It’s one of the album’s considerable highlights and one of the most emotional songs in the band’s considerable discography. Lifeson’s subtle guitar solo between the first two verses is exquisite.

The only song with a shared writing credit for the lyrics is “Between the Sun and Moon.” The words were co-written by Canadian poet/lyricist Pye Dubois, who had previously worked with Rush on a few songs, including “Tom Sawyer.” I like the lyrics in the verses and pre-chorus, but if I’m being honest the chorus lyrics are a bit goofy. Still, it’s an amazing song, with a crunchy Lifeson riff and some of Peart’s most inventive drumming. Guitar-wise, there are homages within this song to the likes of Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and The Who’s Pete Townshend.

If you love Lifeson’s guitar work, the opening of “Alien Shore” is nearly pornographic. The guitarist feasts at the beginning, before settling into a groove with Lee’s bass for the opening verse. There is a wonderful ascending guitar/bass run in the “for you and me” sections that serve as either part of the chorus or the pre-chorus, depending how you view it.

The album’s weakest track for me is “The Speed of Love,” but that doesn’t mean I dislike it or skip it when I play the album. It seems a little less adventurous — and it’s certainly less rocking — than the rest of the album. It’s a midtempo song that isn’t quite a love song, but is more an exploration about what love is. There are some interesting bass and drum parts but I don’t find it remarkable when considered alongside the other songs on Counterparts.

Speaking of remarkable, “Double Agent” is unlike any song in the band’s catalog. It starts out fairly straightforward, with a melodic chorus, but then blasts into a frenetic Lifeson/Lee combined riff, over which Lee delivers the lyrics via spoken word like some film noir detective, singing some echoes of key phrases. Some subtle keyboards add texture to the chorus, but this is a thunderous guitar/drum/bass track. The instrumental section calls back stylistically to Rush classics like “2112” and “Cygnus X-1.”

“Leave That Thing Alone” is a cool instrumental built over a keyboard sequence with some of Lee’s best bass work on the album. The title is a call back to the similarly named “Where’s My Thing?” instrumental on Roll the Bones. That’s the only true link between the songs. Lifeson’s guitar serves as the “vocals” on the song. Peart drives the song forward with some machine-gun like drum fills and flourishes.

My favorite song on the album — and one of my favorite by the band — is “Cold Fire.” It starts off with a scratchy Lifeson guitar riff and then settles into one of Rush’s most melodic verse structures in the band’s entire body of work. Lee sings beautifully Peart’s lyrics, which recount a serious discussion between a man and woman about relationships. The chorus is one of my favorites by Rush, as Peart weaves the woman’s ultimatums (“don’t go too far,” “don’t cross the line,” etc.) wonderfully with a series of items that are beautiful but have no warmth to them.

Don’t Go too far —
The phosphorescent wave on a tropical sea is a cold fire
Don’t cross the line —
The pattern of moonlight on the bedroom floor is a cold fire
Don’t let me down —
The flame at the heart of a pawnbroker’s diamond is a cold fire
Don’t break the spell —
The look in your eyes as you head for the door is a cold fire

I find it brilliant and haunting.

Aside from the lyrics, Lee provides his best vocal performance on the album, Peart’s drumming is once again astonishingly good, and Lifeson powers the song along with a signature riff.

The album ends with the only song in this collection that could have come last — “Everyday Glory.” Peart’s two best lyrical songs on Counterparts (in my opinion, obviously) are stacked back to back. It’s a song with brutal imagery in the opening verse and is dark overall, yet there’s a glimmer of hope that creeps in during the end of the chorus and again at the end of the fourth verse. Then comes an astounding bridge that soars above the rest of the album.

If the future’s looking dark
We’re the ones who have to shine
If there’s no one in control
We’re the ones who draw the line
Though we live in trying times
We’re the ones who have to try
Though we know that time has wings
We’re the ones who have to fly

It’s a softer, more melodic song than most of the album. The album is heavy overall, but with wonderful moments of softer hooks. Lifeson brings some acoustic guitar to the song as well as an electric riff in the verses that could have been written by The Edge from U2. Lee’s bass provides bottom-end gravitas to match the lyrics, while Peart positively explodes into his fills and punctuates the song so well. Lifeson’s solo is tasteful and poignant to serve the song’s subject matter perfectly.

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Overall, Counterparts probably doesn’t get enough credit in Rush’s insanely deep catalog of albums. It would be the crowning achievement for most bands, but for Rush, it’s widely considered middle of the pack. It shouldn’t be. It is much closer to the band’s best work than the mean.

If you haven’t gotten around to hearing it or if you haven’t heard it in a while, I encourage you to play it loudly through a good set of headphones with the lyrics sheet in hand and rediscover its greatness.

Tracklist:

1. Animate (6:04)

2. Stick It Out (4:31)

3. Cut to the Chase (4:49)

4. Nobody’s Hero (4:55)

5. Between Sun & Moon (4:38)

6. Alien Shore (5:48)

7. The Speed of Love (5:03)

8. Double Agent (4:53)

9. Leave That Thing Alone (4:06)

10. Cold Fire (4:27)

11. Everyday Glory (5:12)

As with most Rush albums, I don’t skip any songs on Counterparts. However, if asked to sort the songs in my order of favorite to least favorite, my rankings are as follows below.

My Counterparts song rankings:

1. Cold Fire

2. Between the Sun and Moon

3. Animate

4. Nobody’s Hero

5. Stick It Out

6. Everyday Glory

7. Cut to the Chase

8. Alien Shore

9. Double Agent

10. Leave That Thing Alone

11. The Speed of Love

How do you feel about this Rush album? Underrated classic? Mediocre effort from a once great band? Somewhere in the middle? Drop me a line and let me know.

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Ryan Murphy and Jim Benner from the outstanding Rushfans group on Instagram and YouTube joined me for an in-depth discussion of Counterparts. We all compared notes and ranked the album’s songs, and our lists were quite different. They also told me their Rush origin stories and a bit about what folks can expect from Rushfans. Check out the video below or download/stream Episode 127 of the Michael’s Record Collection podcast.

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