Rush: Progressive Rock Legends

In 1968, in Willowdale Ontario, Rush formed. With their original line-up of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and John Rutsey, they created a pretty good debut album. With the potential for touring, John Rutsey decided to leave and Neil Peart joined them. The introduction of this master drummer transformed them from a good heavy rock band to the superb progressive rock band we know today.

Neil Peart added lyrical skills that complimented Geddy Lee’s amazing bass playing, and Alex Lifeson intricate guitar, and with his writing being influenced by sci-fi and fantasy, their stile began to form as they produced a sound similar to some of the mythical songs of Led Zeppelin.

They are an amazingly versatile band and their has adapted and changed with the times but somehow always remained focused and clinical. They seem to have returned to their roots and are again producing classic progressive rock. Metallica, Dream Theater, Goo Goo Dolls all grew up listening to Rush and list them as major influences.

With the advent of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, their music is gaining a much younger audience and is beginning to enter popular pop culture as well as being featured heavily in blockbusting movies like I Love you Man.

They are one of the most accomplished bands ever and I am proud to list them as my favorite band.

With 24 gold records and 14 platinum records Rush are placed 5th behind The Beatles, The Stones, Kiss, and Aerosmith for the most consecutive gold (or greater) albums - this is an astounding achievement.

Rush produced one album without Neil Peart. This album, while very good as it stands, doesn’t really show us much of the progressive sound that Rush are famous for. Starting off with Finding My Way you immediately feel the influences of Led Zeppelin. It is already obvious that Rush are accomplished musicians (even without Peart) but somehow the Rush we know hasn’t quite emerged yet. What You’re Doing is perhaps the stand out of the album as it picks up the pace and is a great hard rock song. Before and After is perhaps the most progressive song on the album and begins to show the style Rush will develop as the song starts slowly and begins to build speed as we go – it’s not quite a multi-part song, but it certainly showed the direction Rush were heading.

Overall this is a solid debut album and shows the talent of Rush as musicians. Some of the lyrics are a little weak, but this would soon improve once Peart joined the band.

John Rutsey decided to leave Rush and so Neil Peart. The sound that was produced was more mature than the first album and concentrated more on progressive rock rather than solid heavy rock.

From the very beginning in Anthem they add more ‘experimental’ riffs and baselines moving away from the more traditional heavy rock feel. They haven’t quite dismissed the pure rock track yet and produce some pretty decent tracks in Best I Can and Beneath, Between and Behind,  however as soon as you hit By-Tor and the Snow Dog you suddenly find the future of Rush. This four part song tells a story, and as it does it changes style and rhythm; the core is heavy rock, but the experimentation is obvious and the sound produced is very progressive.

Fly By Night is one of my favorite songs on the album and while it is still predominantly heavy rock, there’s something about it that says Rush! Rush experiment with a couple of accoustic and mellow tracks but don’t quite get the right formula until In The End, which starts off as a very melodic song and moves into a frantic power song.

This album is a transitional album that shows the move from heavy rock to progressive rock – the introduction of Neil Peart adds an extra element that somehow makes them a great band rather than a very good band!

Rush continue to adapt their style however there really isn’t much difference in style over Fly By Night, the only noticeable difference being the inclusion of two multi-part songs rather than one. Rush continue to experiment and adapt, with their songs sounding more rounded. Bastille Day is an interesting heavy rock song, while Lakeside Park really shows the soft melodic side of Rush.

With Necromancer and Fountain of Lamneth we see the beginnings of a change in style to a more multi-part epic stlye song-  they didn’t really perfect this until Hemispheres and 2112, but still these songs are interesting and varied adding a change of pace to the album. It’s not quite classic Rush yet, but it’s not far off.

While both Fly by Night and Caress of Steel are not Rush’s best albums, I do like them a lot as it shows their rawness and the fact that they are still learning – there are parts which are truly classic, but there are also a few songs which are simply mediocre.

If you only buy three albums from Rush then 2112 must be one of them (the other two I’d advice is Hemispheres and Snakes and Arrows, umm and then there’s Moving Pictures – OK so you need to buy four albums!).

What firstly makes this album stand out is that it’s not simply a collection of songs, but is a very deep look at the social problems prevalent at the time – while it may not be obvious, the lyrics are so heavily steeped in metaphor that you really have to listen to the album many times to fully understand the message.

2112 is perhaps one of the most complete songs (multi-part) that I have heard from any band. Artistically, metaphorically, lyrically etc it has everything. It has amazing beauty as well as raw power. As the guitar is found and experimented with, you somehow gain a sense of early man trying to find their way in the world – as the discovery is shot down and control is established you feel an amazing sadness in the face of oppression! Never has a song had so much meaning – even the music itself portrays the feelings amazingly well – this is by far the best Rush song!

   Surprisingly though there is far more on this album than this one song – it’s probably the only Rush album (aside from Hemispheres) where I love every song, and every song really fits together. A Passage to Bankok is a great heavy rock jaunt that simply flows amazingly well. Tears is one of my favorite stand-alone songs of Rush – it’s a perceptive and heart wrenching song that show the intrepid trio at their best as the combine music and lyrics to produce a very haunting song.

 This was perhaps the album that turned them into a ‘great’ band for me – they proved that they could write amazing music, as well as amazing lyrics – the production and quality is simply fantastic and even thought the album is from a different era, it is still valid and relevant today.

During the 70s Rush were at their peak; their music was multi-faceted, their lyrics amazing and the skills with their instruments unparalleled.  With the superb 2112 out of their way, they built on their success and produced another great album.

Rush continued to vary their style and became very experimental with this album. Cygnus X-1 is another great multi-part song that almost has a Stanley Kubrik feel to it – with each part, that is distinctly different in style and music, we follow a story that explores many different emotions; it is another great example of Rush’s ability to tell a story and keep you interested. This album produced one of Rush’s most memorable (and heavily played) songs. Closer to the Heart is a standalone song; its combination of ballad feel and heavy rock riffs make this a classic. Not only that, the lyrics proved the talent of Peart.

This is a very strong album and a fine follow up to the superb 2112. 

With Cygnus X-1 Book II starting the album, you instantly know that this is going to be a fantastic album. While not a direct follow up to Cygnus X-1 on A Farewell to Kings, it is linked and very much similar in style. It’s one of Rush’s longest songs at 18 minutes and combines many different styles superbly to convey a stunning story with both music a lyrics. I would have bought the album for this song alone as it is a complete example of what makes Rush great! After this, you would think you would be let down with anticlimactical songs, however you will be pleased when you hear the remaining music.

 Circumstances is a short but high energy song that is pretty catchy – it shows how well Rush can switch from the serious to something a little less sincere. What follows is one of my favorite Rush songs of all time. Like many songs, The Trees starts of with a melodic section and then moves into a high powered rock song – what makes this song stand out for me is the lyrics – they are amazingly metaphorical and while they do convey a story, there is so much hidden meaning that you have to listen many times.

Rush then dive into a superb instrumental piece call La Villa Stangiato -  this song is pretty amazing and highlights the skills of the trio; it’s amazing that you don’t actually miss the lyrics. It’s a mix of riffs and solos setting off each other’s talents that make this song so good – it is really a masterpiece that highlights what can be done by talented musicians.

Overall this is one of the best Rush albums and really is a must have for any progressive rock fan!

After three classic albums it was always going to be difficult to keep on producing; that’s not to say that Permanent Waves is a bad album, far from it in fact. This album did seem to mark a turning point for Rush, one in which they produced an album of songs, rather than a whole concept. This was the first album for a while not to have a multi-part song. It does produce two of the best known Rush songs though. The Spirit of the Radio and Limelight are instantly recognizable and while they still have something to say, the lyrics are a little less mythical than before. The music is still superb and these two songs alone have become classics that are played at every Rush concert.

While there are some good songs on the album they have a far more commercial feel than before and only Jacob’s Ladder retains the darkness and atmosphere prevalent in prior Rush albums.

Overall this isn’t a bad album, it just was in sharp contrast to their previous albums and perhaps the most commercial venture by the band to date.

As much as albums like Hemispheres and 2112 are perhaps Rush’s best, it is perhaps Moving Pictures that really made them into household names. This album emphasized the bands skill while produce perhaps their most recognizable and successful music. Like Permanent Waves, Rush continued to move away from concept albums to more commercially viable standard albums that had many separate and distinct tracks; having said that, the diversity of styles on this album is still pretty impressive.

Ask many people about Rush and they’ll say ‘They did Tom Sawyer’ – this is perhaps their most famous song and highlights the skills of the band with the many different changes made in one relatively simple but classic song. And then you get to YYZ – the drumming is the highlight of this for me and this instrumental track was heavily featured in Rock Band (or Guitar Hero) – it’s no nonsense rock sound and unbelievable rhythm make it one of the best instrumental rock songs of all time.

Limelight is another classic that combines lilting sounds with clever lyrics to produce an instantly recognizable sound! The lessor known Red Barchetta steals from early Rush and combines it with the quality of 2112 to make it one of Rush’s unsung classics.

Overall, and perhaps from a critics view, this is a perfect album from Rush – it has 4 or 5 great tracks but more than that has a consistency that is needed when producing and selling studio albums. While I miss the old ‘concept’ based album, this is arguably one of the best Rush albums to date.

I hate to say it but this is one of the albums that Rush probably shouldn’t have released. As the world of music changed, Rush joined the band wagon and tried to use modern synthesizers to modernized their sound – while this would work for later albums, it didn’t quite achieve what they wanted and what came out was a pretty mediocre album.

Having said that, this album does show the ability of Rush to change and adapt as musical tastes change; while they didn’t quite get it right, they soon would in future albums. This album did actually produce a couple of great songs: Subdivisions and New World Man were great examples of classic rock becoming modern and embracing the 80s sound – Rush also were experimenting with other styles and the Reggae feel to this album is intriguing and unique.

You can never keep a great band down. After their disappointing Signals, Rush came back, adapting the synthesizer to their style and producing and album that bought back the atmosphere to Rush’s music. They managed to use the synthesizer to add oppression and foreboding to their music. Distant Early Warning sets the stage well with its prophetic nature and ominous message;  Grace Under Pressure has a surprisingly full sound in comparison, but is a great song that stands up well.

The whole album is filled with a darkness that not only comes from the music, but also from the wonderfully penned lyrics of Peart; at times they are almost apocalyptic, but mostly are subtle and deep and convey a darkness underlying the music.

As an album, while there aren’t that many amazing songs, the whole effect is an very good album – there are no classics, but that doesn’t matter as the whole experience is what matters with this album.

Power Windows perhaps demonstrates Rush’s adaptability – it’s a rock album but it has a very new age feel to it with the predominance of synths. It features eight songs with a variety that would not surprise most Rush Fans.

Big Money and Mystic Rhythm show the diversity of the band and the prowess of the drummer Neal Peart. What is prevalent in these songs and the album is almost the fight between the riffs of the guitar and the heavy synthesizer sound that gives it a more commercial and poppy feel than any other Rush album. The whole album is surprisingly laid back and while it is solid, it was almost as if Rush felt they had to bring something out even though they weren’t particularly happy.

This album isn’t a bad one – most Rush fans won’t rank it highly, but it does show the adaptability of Rush and their prowess at melding their style with any genre and still produce a pretty decent album.

Out of all of the albums Rush produced in their synth style Hold Your Fire is perhaps their most accomplished. Melding lilting melodies with varying styles the managed to produce a great variety of solid songs. Time Stands Still is not only a beautifully rendered song, but lyrically it is pretty profound. Tai Shan shows their ability to mix styles and cultures and has a definite oriental sound that blends perfectly with the soft rock that is prevalent in the rest of the album.

Force Ten is perhaps the heaviest and features Neil Peart’s drumming heavily; overall though, this is a soft and gentle Rush album that is in direct contrast to most of their other albums – it’s this difference and the fact that you still know it’s Rush that makes it good.

Presto was Rush’s attempt to break out of the 80s with a bang! It bought back heavier riffs and increased the tempo, removing any trace of the trusted synthesizer.  While not their best album, it is one of their rawest albums they seem to go back to their roots.

While songs like Show Don’t Tell and Presto are almost like rock ballads, they really rock the album with Anagram and Superconductor. For me this album was a turning point for them, one in which they rediscovered the classic power of progressive rock and removed the shackles of new wave for good!

What other band could successfully have an excellent rock song, with a clever lyrics and a wonderful chorus and then add a rap / reggae section in this middle – Rush of course in their title track Roll the Bones. Somehow this works well and really shows how Rush continue to experiment and try out new sounds.

Again we see Rush returning to a more traditional heavy rock / progressive sound that has become their signature over the years. While the sound does vary in the album, mostly they concentrate on the rawness that is Rush especially in songs like Face Up and Neurotica.

This is another of my favorite albums and while most only know Roll the Bones, all the songs are solid rock songs!

Counterparts is probably one of their most under-rated albums and produced many great songs that unfortunately do not get much air time. Animate starts off the show with power and immediately you know you are in a Rush album as Alex Lifeson’s riffs come back to life – over the last few albums he had been subdued, but he shows up alive and well on this album.

Nobody’s Hero is perhaps one of the most under-rated Rush song’s of all; it features amazingly profound lyrics and has a catchy sound that combines ballad with the hints of progressive and heavy rock.  Between the Sun & Moon has been one of the most requested songs for Rush to play live, and I finally managed to see them play it live a few years ago – it’s an amazingly high powered song and perfectly highlights the talents of the wonderful trio.

This really is a very good album that should get more airplay.

Test for Echo wassadly the last album of the 90s for Rush – double tragedy hit Neal Peart and you wondered if they would ever produce another album after this one. If this had to be their last album then at least they went out on a high.

This album was a combination of heavy rock, heavy ballad and lyrical songs. Test for Echo, which has more of their modern sound than their old sound, is a wonderful song that features great guitar riffs, but also highlighted the singing talents of Geddy Lee – somehow he manages to find the perfect balance between his high screech and low notes to produce one of his most accomplished singing performances.

This continues into Driven, which is a more powerful song but again features more of the vocals than ever before. My favorite song of the album is Resist, which is a wonderful rock ballad – it’s interesting that this song is played acoustically live and it becomes even more haunting than it already is.

This is a great album with many great songs – if you love Rush then you’ll love this one!

After six Years Rush returned to recording with Vapor Trails; it mixed classic Rush with a modern twist and was surprisingly refreshing – it had an edge that was unexpected. It signaled the return of Rush and proved that they had not lost any of their skill or thirst to produce quality music.

With One Little Victory they immediately let us know they are back; it’s a powerful song that highlights Peart’s prowess on the drums  and the superb bass of Lee. It is a powerful way to start the album!

We move quickly into a guitar laden song, Ceiling Unlimited combining blues and rock guitar and showing us that Rush still wish to experiment with their music. This album is perhaps one of the most experimental albums they’ve made for a while as they mix old Rush with a modern Rock sound to produce something that is both new and old.  Neil Peart continues to write superlative lyrics, and use the difficulties he faced and the soul searching trip he made to inspire his words. This is most prevalent in Ghost Rider; this song is one of my favorites, it has a great sound but also has deep lyrics that are emotive.

"Pack up all those phantoms

Shoulder that invisible load

Keep on riding north and west

Haunting that wilderness road

Like a ghost rider"

Rush continue to produce powerful songs throughout without too many weaknesses; the lyrics are mostly sublime, and the music is flawless – you wouldn’t expect anything else from Rush. Once you get to Vapor Trail, the title track, you have already gone through much, with a variation that hasn’t been seen on a Rush album for ages – Vapor Trail is perhaps the show-case track from the album, highlighting the individual skills not only in song writing and playing, but also in mixing – this song is layered in many ways; there are contrasting melodies that link together so well that you don’t notice; out of all the tracks it is probably the closest to ‘genius’.

It really is good to see Rush back with a very good album; while they have produced better albums, this one is definitely one of the better ones and a couple of tracks could come to be classic Rush tracks.

Feedback  was a surprise to me when it came out – a Rush album with no original songs? What this album really is, is a jam session where they play all the songs they grew up with and were influenced by. Their take on Summertime Blues and Shapes of Things is amazing, and I especially like Crossroads.

What I liked about this was that it is raw – it shows Rush in a relaxed mood and lets us inside their guard to see a little of their childhood memories.

I’ve been listening to Rush for 30 years and it’s not often that they surprise me but with this album they did just that; Somehow they’ve melded 30 years of rock into one album and produced probably the only album that truly reflects the diversity of Rush.

Far Cry immediately reminded me of the classic album Hemispheres; it has the feel of classic Rush but then with a quick change of key adds a modern twist to this classic sound. In contrast, the album ends with Hold On which for me almost has a Johnny Cash style to it. It’s this diversity that makes this album so good; not only do they capture classic Rush, but they also manage to bring in many styles with songs that are similar to Clapton (The Way the Wind Blows) , Led Zeppelin (Spin Drift) to name but a few. As you listen to the songs you are amazed and compelled by the changes in style that occur from song to song, and even within songs. One minute you’re listening to a classic rock instrumental (The Main Monkey Business), they you slip into a melodic instrumental (Hope) and then suddenly your back to good old Rock n Roll.

Overall this is one of the most accomplished albums from Rush and challenges 2112 and Hemispheres for their best album; the sheer diversity in style is incredible, and I look forward to more great stuff from Rush in the next few years.