Roll the Bones is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 3, 1991 by Atlantic Records. Its total length is 48:04. The band's lineup included vocalist, bassist, and synthesizers player Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart.
Rush's previous release Presto opted towards a more simple hard rock sound. Roll the Bones continues that trend with many more simple radio friendly hard rock tracks. Tracks like "Dreamline," "Bravado," and "Roll the Bones" are some the best that the band has released in years and were radio hits that drove the album to huge success.
Roll the Bones was Rush's highest charting album since Moving Pictures as it reached #3 on the Billboard 200 chart and #10 on the UK albums chart. It has since gone Platinum in the U.S. and in Canada. The strengths of the album are its simple and radio friendly hard rock sound, Lifeson's increased guitar work, the theme of the album that compares life to gambling as you have to take chances to have success in life. The weaknesses of the album include the several filler tracks on the album. Here are my thoughts on each track.
1. "Dreamline" 4:37 (5/5)
"Dreamline" opens with Rush's signature sound that they haven't had in years. I love Lifeson's guitar work it's quiet when it needs to be and powerful at the right times. Neil's drumming is excellent on this hard rocking track. Geddy's vocals haven't sounded this good in years and his bass playing compliments the other instruments really well. The chorus is as catchy as ever. The guitar solo is excellent and reminds you of prime Alex Lifeson when he did these solos regularly. "Dreamline" is a powerful statement that showed Rush was back.
2. "Bravado" 4:35 (5/5)
"Bravado" is the most beautiful track from the entire album. It has very nice Lifeson guitar that is light and beautiful. Geddy's bass playing and vocals perfectly fit the track. Neil's drumming is perfect and keeps the songs beat perfectly. Lyrically it is my favorite track from the album. Lifeson performs another powerful solo that may be my favorite from the entire album, because of its overall feel and emotion. "Bravado" is my favorite track from the entire album.
3. "Roll the Bones" 5:30 (5/5)
"Roll the Bones" is a track that Rush fans seem to love or absolutely hate. Most of this disagreement is for the cheesy rap Rush threw into the middle of the song. The rap is hilarious and honestly makes the song that much more special. I love the synths on this track, they are perfectly utilized. Lifeson's guitars are a nice blend of acoustic and electric guitars. Geddy's vocal delivery and bass playing is excellent. The drum beat is so great and the bass is extremely groovy. The guitar solo is fantastic, as Lifeson continues to rip amazing solos on the album. I love "Roll the Bones" and think it's one of the best songs from the album.
4. "Face Up" 3:54 (3/5)
"Face Up" begins with a pretty outstanding guitar riff and excellent drumming from Neil. I like the subtle use of synths and Geddy's bass playing is also very good. Geddy's vocals aren't my favorite from the album, but are still solid. The chorus is very light and catchy and is definitely geared for radio. Alex Lifeson's guitar solo is excellent and it is clear the days of Lifeson being underused are over. "Face Up" is nothing more than a catchy rock song with a somewhat poppy chorus, but it is still an average track.
5. "Where's My Thing?" 3:49 (4/5)
"Where's My Thing?" is the instrumental from the album. It has excellent drumming and bass work. The guitar isn't my favorite and the synths are probably used a little too much for my taste. Still, the one guitar riff is excellent and the bass playing is phenomenal. Neil's drumming is really fantastic throughout the track's entirety. "Where's My Thing?" is actually one of Rush's weakest instrumentals they have ever done, but it is Rush and the instrumental is still a good one.
6. "The Big Wheel" 5:13 (3.5/5)
"The Big Wheel" has a really cool synth line combined with Lifeson's powerful guitar to start the song off. Lifeson's riffing is terrific and Neil's drum beat makes you nod your head. Geddy's vocals and bass playing are both very good. I love the chorus and Geddy sounds great and melodic during this part of the song. I do like the synths used, they don't overpower the song and add nice mood and effect to the song. "The Big Wheel" is a solid track overall.
7. "Heresy" 5:27 (3/5)
"Heresy" begins with fade in drumming and then Lifeson's guitar and Geddy's bass and synths join. The song has a very dramatic feel to it and Geddy's vocal delivery perfectly fits the track yet again. The drumming is really well done during the track. "Heresy" has a somewhat dragging feel to it though that at times really brings it down. The synths are a very nice addition that add good mood and effect to the song. Lifeson's guitar adds a great emotional effect as well. "Heresy" is an average track as a whole.
8. "Ghost of a Chance" 5:18 (5/5)
"Ghost of a Chance" has an awesome guitar riff to start the song off. Geddy's bass complements it very well. Neil's drumming is on point and Geddy's vocals are really well executed. The chorus is fantastic and really works well for the song. I love the soft part of the song, it really adds great effect and helps the track have an emotional effect on the listener. I love Geddy's bass playing, it's so perfect for the track. The guitar solo is absolutely gorgeous and may be the best from the album. "Ghost of a Chance" is an amazing song.
9. "Neurotica" 4:39 (4/5)
"Neurotica" has a really great bass beat to get the song started. Geddy's vocal delivery is great during this track. I love Alex's guitar riffs, they are both catchy and heavier sounding. Neil's drumming is also very good. "Neurotica" has the catchiest chorus from the entire album. I love the chorus and really makes this song as good as it is. There is an instrumental interlude that is very different and catchy. The guitar solo is fantastic and continues the trend of having amazing solos on this album. "Neurotica" is a very simple and catchy track that sounds perfect for radio.
10. "You Bet Your Life" 5:01 (2.5/5)
"You Bet Your Life" has some very nice sounding guitar and drums to get the song started. I like Geddy's bass playing as well. The chorus to the song is not my favorite and doesn't have the same effect on the listener as other choruses from the album. "You Bet Your Life" is a fitting end as far as lyrical theme goes for this album, but it lacks the musical punch that we are used to hearing and is a disappointing end to a very good album.
My Verdict:
Rush's Roll the Bones has a nice simple hard rock sound. Roll the Bones is the best sounding Rush album since Power Windows and has some of their best sounding hits in years. Roll the Bones has an immediate effect on the listener with an amazing opening track and doesn't always have the same impact throughout the album, but Roll the Bones demands the listeners attention throughout its entirety. Overall, Roll the Bones isn't a Rush classic, but it is Rush's best album in six years.
