Roll The Bones

Rush: Geddy Lee (vocals, synthesizer, bass); Alex Lifeson (guitar, background vocals); Neil Peart (drums, percussion).
Additional personnel: Rupert Hine (keyboards, background vocals).
Recorded at Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec, Canada.
Rush: Geddy Lee (vocals, synthesizer, bass guitar); Alex Lifeson (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, background vocals); Neil Peart (drums, cymbals).
Recording information: 05/1991.
Many Rush fans were pleased to see the band return to a more straightforward approach with 1989's PRESTO, and break out of their "synthesizer rut" of the mid-to-late-'80s (after all, Rush had made a name for themselves with technically proficient hard rock). Cut from the same musical cloth is their follow-up, 1991's ROLL THE BONES, which was the second consecutive Rush release co-produced by the band and Rupert Hine. Easily their most rock-oriented album since 1984's GRACE UNDER PRESSURE, ROLL THE BONES contains several of Rush's best-known tunes from the '90s.
The title track is a natural extension of their 1989 single "Show Don't Tell," which boasts more prominent funky rhythms and guitar work, and a surprising "rapped" section in the middle (a first for the band). Another funk-rocker is "Where's My Thing? (Part IV, 'Gangster of Boats' Trilogy)," which was Rush's first instrumental since 1981's classic "YYZ." Other highlights include the melodic pop of the album-opener "Dreamline" and a coming-of-age love song, "Ghost of a Chance." Although ROLL THE BONES contains a fair amount of filler, it's one of the better progressive rock albums of the '90s.