Rush is a band whose career you have to admire. There are few groups who have been around for more than twenty years who continue to sell as many records as guitarist Alex Lifeson, bassist Geddy Lee, and drummer/songwriter Neil Peart. Now that they have recently remastered all of their Mercury recordings, there is no better time to pick up a Rush album. Since their time on this Earth has been long, it is best to approach their work in pieces. Their history can be broken down into four "periods" (life span of four studio albums and one live album):
Rush's career began in 1974 with a self-titled album which bears more resemblence to Led Zeppelin than anything they would later write. Stronger cuts like "Finding My Way" and "Working Man" evolved into what can be found on Fly By Night, a record that soars due to the addition of drummer/songwriter Neil Peart. Its core is a straightforward rock record with excellent musicianship (songwriting and technical ability, like the lead song, "Anthem" (92,516 byte .wav file)), but here we also find "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", a mini-epic that would serve as recipe for some of Rush's most mature work.
Caress of Steel was doomed from the get-go (the printer responsible for the album jacket thought that steel was copper in color). Considered by many to be their worst effort (bassist Geddy Lee included), it plods more than soars due to a failed attempt at refining the "By-Tor" concept.
The succeeded on 2112. Ignoring their record company's suggestions (understandably bitter after the lackluster performance of Caress of Steel), they wrote another thematic/epic/concept song. Ambitious as ever, Rush succeeds with the 20+ minute "2112" (136,292 byte .wav file) due to its gripping story and guitar riffs that are so catchy you can't drive them from your head. A favorite among many Rush fans, 2112 was a commercial success and gave the band some much deserved credibility. Individually, each musician was recognized as being an expert with their respective instrument.
This period is considered to be the best by most Rush fans. 1977's A Farewell to Kings did well due to the wonderfully crafted "Closer to the Heart" (159,844 byte .wav file), though most consider "Xanadu" and "Cygnus X-1" to be the standouts. "Cygnus" is like "2112" on a smaller scale, while "Xanadu" is Rush's first attempt at writing a "long" song that isn't necessarily as epic as "2112". It's simply a longer song that's as catchy as "Closer to the Heart".
Hemispheres is very similar to Kings, but also features Rush's first instrumental, "La Villa Strangiato". "La Villa" is a fantastic piece which features odd time signatures and phenomenal playing by all three musicians.
Permanent Waves contained a bona fide hit, "The Spirit of Radio" (99,428 byte .wav file)which contains one of the best guitar riffs ever written. Also featuring "Freewill", "Jacob's Ladder", and "Natural Science", the quality of this release paved the way for Rush's most successful album, Moving Pictures.
There are few people who listen to rock music that are not aware of "Tom Sawyer", Rush's hit single off of Moving Pictures. This album also includes an instrumental, "Yyz" (69,380 byte .wav file) (check out its intro riff which spells out "yyz" in morse code) and the infectious pop tune with the solo that never dies, "Limelight".
This period of Rush music took a lot of fans by surprise. "Subdivisions", the first single off of Signals, contained a main riff that was played on keyboards, not guitar. Although there are a few songs on Signals that are not keyboard heavy ("The Analog Kid" (155,748 byte .wav file)), Signals is a bit lighter fare than previous Rush efforts. Their next two records, Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows, are similar in tone. There are more than a few songs off these albums that are considered forgettable by fans, but it would be unwise to look over the emotionally wrought "Afterimage" (complete with an amazing "chord-y" solo by Alex) and the punchy "The Big Money".
Hold Your Fire is the last release in this period. Aimee Mann of 'Til Tuesday assisted on "Time Stand Still", giving Rush another rock hit. Other standouts include the driving "Prime Mover" and the triumphant "Mission" (139,364 byte .wav fie). Although many consider the albums of this period to be inferior to those of "The Glory Years", it does show that Rush is a band who is willing to experiment with their sound in order to stay on top of the music game.
The current Rush period is a mix of the last two periods - harder riffs packed into an easy to digest package. Although there are some decent songs that came out of these records ("The Pass", "Presto", "Bravado", "Cut to the Chase" (117,348 byte .wav file), "Everyday Glory", and "The Color of Right"), there isn't much here that wasn't done better on their last four studio efforts. Rush is obviously still a major player in the rock scene, but they need to go back and listen to albums like Permanent Waves to hone their songwriting craft to perfection once again. Yes, it can be done.
The Rush/NMS Home Page
Cygnus X-1: Rush Pages
Rush Guitar Tablature
Atlantic Records Rush Site
The Rush Web Page
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