The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987

One of the great oddities of music is the “Greatest Hits” albums, or “Best Of” type albums. Some are great (Alice in Chains’ “Best of the Box”) other can be totally maligned and defeat the purpose of having one (Megadeth’s “Back to the Start” may come to mind).

But fans of Rush need not worry, “The Spirit of Radio” is one of the better ones out there. Why is one of the better ones? Well, most importantly, it goes in chronological order, a must for “Greatest Hits” albums. But besides that, it includes more than just the “hits” it includes many songs that fans will appreciate too. Also, they stock the album with the best material, and not a few songs from each release.

Also, being that it is in chronological order, it is interesting to hear the changes that Rush incurred over 30 odd years, in less than an hour and a half. From Geddy Lee’s vocals to the inclusion of more synthesizers, those changes can be heard throughout.

Being that this is a “Greatest Hits” all the songs are critical! But sometimes “Greatest Hits” include songs that may make people scratch their head, this has none! Though, it must be noted that “2112” is a shortened version, which is a bit of a letdown, but not a huge one, as it contains “The Temple of Syrinx”, the best part of that song. So “The Spirit of Radio” has no blunders in the track-listing department, despite the minor complaint.

Overall, “The Spirit of Radio” is a quality “Greatest Hits” album. It accomplishes what a “Greatest Hits” album should, it provides both new and old fans with a showcasing of their best material on a single disc. Also this has a ton of tracks, so its worthy of purchasing.