Test for Echo
| Test for Echo | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 10 September 1996 | |||
| Recorded | January–March 1996 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:32 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Rush chronology | ||||
| ||||
Test for Echo is the 16th studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1996. It marks the final Rush work prior to the tragic events in Neil Peart's life that put the band on hiatus for several years, as well as the final Rush album to be co-produced by Peter Collins.
The cover displays an inuksuk, native to the band's home country of Canada. Created by the Inuit, an inuksuk is a stone figure in the shape of a human used to mark a food cache, hunting ground or a place where someone lost their life.
For the majority of the album, Peart recorded his drum tracks using traditional grip, after receiving drum lessons from jazz instructor Freddie Gruber.
The title track reached No. 1 on the mainstream rock chart. The song "Driven" became a bass showcase for Geddy Lee during live performances, while "Resist" was rearranged as an acoustic song on the Vapor Trails and R30 tours. Since then, the band has not performed any tracks from the album in concert. It was remastered and reissued twice: in 2004 as a continuation of "The Rush Remasters" set and in 2013 as a part of the box set The Studio Albums 1989–2007.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B)[2] |
| Mojo | [3] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave Test for Echo three out of five stars, saying that Rush has "rarely played better in the past ten years than they have on Test for Echo."[1]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart, except "Test for Echo" written by Lee, Lifeson, Peart, and Pye Dubois
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Test for Echo" | 5:56 |
| 2. | "Driven" | 4:27 |
| 3. | "Half the World" | 3:43 |
| 4. | "The Color of Right" | 4:48 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Time and Motion" | 5:01 |
| 6. | "Totem" | 4:58 |
| 7. | "Dog Years" | 4:55 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Virtuality" | 5:44 |
| 9. | "Resist" | 4:23 |
| 10. | "Limbo" (instrumental) | 5:29 |
| 11. | "Carve Away the Stone" | 4:06 |
| Total length: | 53:31 | |
Personnel
Rush
- Geddy Lee – vocals, bass guitar, synthesizers
- Alex Lifeson – electric and acoustic guitars, mandola
- Neil Peart – drums, cymbals, hammer dulcimer
Technical
- Peter Collins – producer
- Clif Norrell – recording
- Andy Wallace – mixing
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Hugh Syme – art direction, design and digital illustration
Charts
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[6] | 3 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[7] | 53 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[8] | 9 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] | 45 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[10] | 26 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[11] | 25 |
| US Billboard 200[12] | 5 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[13] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[14] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Rush: "Test for Echo" > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ^ Jim Farber (4 October 1996). "Test for Echo Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Rush - Test for Echo CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- ^ "Test For Echo". Rolling Stone. 17 December 1996. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- ^ "Rush: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 9509". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Rush – Test for Echo" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ^ "Rush: Test for Echo" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Rush – Test for Echo" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Rush – Test for Echo". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ^ "Rush Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Rush – Test for Echo". Music Canada. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ^ "American album certifications – Rush – Test for Echo". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
