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Template:Infobox band Rush is a Canadian progressive rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart (IPA: [pɪɹt]). Rush formed in the summer of 1968, in Willowdale, Ontario (a northern suburb of Toronto) by Lifeson, Lee, and John Rutsey. Peart (from St. Catharines, Ontario) replaced Rutsey on drums in July of 1974, two weeks before the group's first US tour, to complete the present lineup. Since the release of their eponymous debut in 1974, the band became well known for their instrumental virtuosity, complex compositions, erudite lyrics, and inspirational comradery. Rush's three decades of continued success under their current lineup of Lee, Lifeson, and Peart has earned the band the respect of their musical peers, and their supporters are often cited as one of the most intensely loyal fanbases in the history of rock. Rush have also had a profound musical influence on such artists as Dream Theater, Symphony X, Shadow Gallery, Primus, Metallica, Biffy Clyro, Tool, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, and fellow Canadian rockers The Tragically Hip and Barenaked Ladies.

Rush has been awarded the Juno Award[1] several times and were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994[2] (For a complete awards list see the "see also" section below). Additionally, Lee, Lifeson, and Peart are all Officers of the Order of Canada[3]. Over the course of their career, the individual members of Rush have been recognized as some of the most proficient players on their respective instruments. Each member has won several awards in magazine reader's polls[4]. As a whole, the band boasts 23 gold records and 14 platinum (3 multi-platinum) records making them one of the best selling rock artists in history. Furthermore, Rush currently rivals KISS, the Beatles and The Rolling Stones for the most consecutive gold and platinum albums by a rock band[5].

Contents

[edit] Band members

  • Geddy Lee - Bass guitar, Mini-Moog, Oberheim Polyphonic, Taurus Pedals, synthesizers, lead vocals (1968–present)
  • Alex Lifeson - Twelve and six string acoustic and electric guitars, mandola, bass pedals, backing vocals (1968–present)
  • Neil Peart - Drums and electronic percussion (1974–present)
  • John Rutsey - Drums (1968–1974)

[edit] Musical style

[[Image:NonFreeImageRemoved.svg -->|right|frame|The "starman" logo (by artist Hugh Syme) first appeared on the back cover of the 1976 album, 2112. Neil Peart explained in 1982, "All it means is the abstract man against the masses. The red star symbolizes any collectivist mentality."]] Rush's musical style has changed substantially over time. Their debut album is strongly influenced by British-Blues rock: an amalgam of sounds and styles from such rock bands as Cream, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple. Over the first few albums their style remained essentially hard rock, with heavy influences from The Who [6] and Led Zeppelin[7], but also became increasingly influenced by the British progressive rock movement[8]. In concordance with the traits of progressive rock, Rush concentrated heavily on writing songs comprising protracted length, odd meters, and fantasy inspired lyrics, all the while maintaining a hard rock ethos at the core of each composition. This fusion of hard rock and prog rock continued until the end of the 1970s. In the 1980s, however, Rush successfully merged their trademark sound with the trends of this period, experimenting with New Wave music, reggae, and pop rock[9]. This period included the band's most extensive use of instruments such as synthesizers, sequencers and electronic percussion. It is largely agreed that the culmination of this era of Rush was in 1987 after the release of Hold Your Fire[10]. With the approach of the early '90s and Rush's character sound still intact, the band transformed their style once again to harmonize with the on-going modern rock and alternative genres[11]. The new millennium has seen them return to a more rock-n-roll roots sound, albeit with modern production[6].

[edit] History

For more details on this topic, see History of Rush (band).

[edit] The early days (1968–1976)

[[:Image:|"Working Man"]] [[Image:|180px|noicon]]

"Working Man" from Rush.
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The original lineup formed in September 1968, consisting of Jeff Jones on bass and vocals, John Rutsey on drums and Alex Lifeson on guitars. Geddy Lee, a schoolmate of Lifeson, quickly replaced Jones. After this point the band experienced rapid personnel changes and lineup reformations before finally settling on its first officially recognized incarnation in May 1971, comprising Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and John Rutsey. The band was managed by local Toronto resident Ray Daniels, a frequent attender of Rush's early shows.

After gaining stability in the lineup and honing their skills on the local bar/high school dance circuit, the band came to release their first single "Not Fade Away", a cover of the Buddy Holly song, in 1973. Side B contained an original composition, "You Can't Fight It", credited to Rutsey and Lee. The single generated little reaction and due to record company indifference the band formed their own independent record label, Moon Records. With the aid of Daniels and the newly enlisted Terry Brown working in an unofficial capacity, the band released their self-titled debut album in 1974. Highly derivative of Led Zeppelin[7], Rush had limited local popularity until the album was picked up by WMMS, a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio. Donna Halper, a DJ working at the station, selected "Working Man" for her regular play list. The song's blue collar theme resonated with hard rock fans and this new found popularity led to the album being redistributed by Mercury Records[12] [13].

Rush (1974)
Rush (1974)

Immediately after the release of the debut album, Rutsey resigned due to his affliction with diabetes and a distaste for touring. Rush held auditions and eventually selected Neil Peart as Rutsey's replacement. In addition to becoming the band's drummer, Peart assumed the role of principal lyricist as Lee and Lifeson had very little interest in writing, contributing to only a handful of song lyrics over the rest of the band's career. Instead, they focused primarily on the musical aspects of Rush. Fly By Night (1975), Rush's first album after recruiting Peart, saw the inclusion of the band's first mini-epic tale "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", replete with complex arrangements and multi-section format. Lyrical themes also underwent dramatic changes after the addition of Peart due to his love for fantasy and science-fiction literature. However, despite these many differences most of the music still closely mirrored the style found on Rush's debut[14].

Following quick on the heels of Fly By Night, the band released Caress of Steel (1975) a five track hard/art rock album featuring two extended multi-chapter songs, "The Necromancer" and "The Fountain of Lamneth". Caress of Steel was considered an audacious move for the band due to the placement of two protracted numbers back-to-back, as well as a heavier reliance on atmospherics and story-telling, a large deviation from Fly by Night. Intended to be the band's first "break-through" album, Caress of Steel sold below expectations and the promotional tour consisted of small venues which led to the moniker the "Down the Tubes Tour"[15]. In light of these events, Rush's record label pressured them into molding their next album in a more commercially friendly and accessible fashion. However, in spite of such urges, the band ignored the requests and developed their next concept album, 2112. It was the band's first taste of commercial success and their first Canadian gold and platinum album [16]. It is widely considered to be the pinnacle of early period Rush. The lyrics of this time (most of them written by Peart) were heavily influenced by classical poetry, fantasy literature, science fiction and, in a few cases, the writings of novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand, as exhibited most prominently by their 1975 song "Anthem" from Fly By Night and a specifically acknowledged derivation in 1976's 2112[17]. After the breakthrough of 2112, the band released their first US Top 40 album, a double live album titled All the World's a Stage in 1976.

[edit] The Progressive Rock era (1977–1981)

[[:Image:|"Tom Sawyer"]] [[Image:|180px|noicon]]

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After the highly acclaimed and well-received 2112, Rush followed up and delivered 1977's A Farewell to Kings (which became the band's first US Gold selling album) and 1978's Hemispheres. These albums saw the band pushing the prog rock envelope even further than before by expanding their use of progressive elements. Trademarks such as increased synthesizer usage, extended length concept songs, and highly dynamic playing featuring complex time signature changes became a staple of Rush's compositions. In order to achieve a broader, progressive palette of sound, Alex Lifeson began to experiment with twelve- and six-string classical guitars, and Geddy Lee added bass-pedal synthesizers and Mini-Moog. Likewise, Peart's percussion became diversified in the form of triangles, glockenspiel, wood-blocks, cow-bells, tympani, gong and chimes. Beyond instrument additions, the band kept in stride with the progressive rock movement by continuing to compose long, conceptual songs with science fiction and fantasy overtones. However, as the new decade approached, Rush gradually began to dispose of their older styles of music in favor of shorter, and sometimes softer, arrangements.

1980's Permanent Waves shifted Rush's style of music dramatically via the introduction of reggae and new wave. Additionally, although a hard rock style was still evident, more and more synthesizers were introduced. Moreover, due to the limited airplay Rush's previous extended-length songs received, Permanent Waves included shorter, more radio-friendly songs such as "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill", two songs which helped Permanent Waves become Rush's first US Top 5 album. Both songs continue to make appearances on classic rock radio stations in Canada and the United States to this day. Meanwhile, Peart's lyrics shifted toward an expository tone with subject matter that dwelled less upon fantastical or allegorical story-telling and more heavily on cerebral topics that explored humanitarian, social, emotional, and metaphysical elements.

[[Image:NonFreeImageRemoved.svg -->|right|thumb|300px|Rush
(Moving Pictures session photo 1981)]]

Rush's popularity reached its pinnacle with the release of Moving Pictures in 1981. Moving Pictures essentially continued where Permanent Waves left off, extending the trend of highly accessible and commercially friendly pop-progressive rock that helped thrust them into the spotlight. The lead track, "Tom Sawyer", is probably the band's best known song, while "Limelight" also received satisfactory responses from listeners and radio stations. Furthermore, Moving Pictures was the very last album to feature an extended song, the 10-and-a-half-minute "The Camera Eye". Incidentally, the song also possessed the band's heaviest usage of keyboards and synthesizers up to that point hinting that Rush's music was shifting directions once more. Moving Pictures reached #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart and has been certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)[18].

Following the success of Moving Pictures (and the completion of another four studio albums) Rush released their second live recording, Exit...Stage Left, in 1981. The album delineates the apex of Rush's progressive period by featuring live material from the band's successful Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures tours. As with their first live release, Exit...Stage Left identified the margin of a new chapter of Rush's sound. The band underwent another radical stylistic transmutation with the release of Signals in 1982.

[edit] Expanding Horizons Musically and Lyrically(1982–1989)

[[:Image:|"Subdivisions"]] [[Image:|180px|noicon]]

"Subdivisions" from Signals.
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This period has been called by some the "synthesizer" period, however a closer familiarity with their work shows that no such hard and fast line can be drawn; they used synthesizers before Signals and continue to do so the most recent album, Vapor Trails. While synthesizers, especially the Moog foot pedals, had been featured instruments ever since 1976's 2112, 1982's Signals represented less of a stylistic transformation or break. Rather it continued the experimentation and gradual shift in styles, very much in keeping with the band's own repeatedly publicly articulated ideas regarding their artistic growth and integrity. The elaboration of counterpoint and rapid timing and key changes continued. Guitar solos ceased to be the obligatory focal point; e.g. Signal's lead-off track "Subdivisions" at the beginning to "Force Ten" on Hold Your Fire and the end of this period. Their musical palette increasingly broadened and grew to include a more diverse set of influences and creative goals, something even casual listeners can easily discern. Despite their uncontested level of instrumental excellence, the band continued to find itself ignored or ridiculed by music critics--all the while selling millions of records and becoming one of the most successful arena acts of the 80's.

Rush(The Body Electric Music Video, 1984)
Rush
(The Body Electric Music Video, 1984)

Signals contained one of Rush's rare US top-40 hits, "New World Man" (the other Top 40 hits include "Closer to the Heart," "Spirit of Radio"--the former two being Top-20--and "Tom Sawyer" from the albums A Farewell to Kings, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures respectively), while, musically, other more experimental songs such as "Digital Man", "The Weapon", and "Chemistry" expanded the band's use aspects of ska, reggae, and funk. More specifically, Alex Lifeson's guitar tone and playing style on Signals were reflective of the tremendous impact that reggae and ska had begun to have on the music industry--before Bob Marley's tragic, premature death; many other acts of the time (which Rush has long out-lived), e.g. the Police, were also incorporating such styles into their music. Ska groups like UB-40 also began to break through to real commercial success. Another telling sign of the shift in style was the decision to part with long-time co-producer Terry Brown in 1983. The continuation of Rush's gradual stylistic shift and experimentation with diverse styles, arragnements and instruments would continue on their next studio album. The hiring of former Supertramp producer Peter Henderson, however, would raise more than a few eyebrows in Rush fandom.

The style begun by Hemipsheres and continued through Signals underwent another shift, though hardly a dramatic one, on 1984's Grace Under Pressure. Geddy Lee and Neil Peart's complex bass-drum interplay continued to be the band's musical and rhythmic core, the bass nearly always carries the melody in Rush songs, the "conversation" between Lee's superhuman fretwork and Peart's deft percussion providing the rhythmic scaffolding for the harmony. The exploration of modern angst begun on Signals would become one of the dominating themes of Peart's songwriting during this period.

Lee and Lifeson's increasing use of electronic and computerized technology was in tandem with Peart's increasing use of electronic drums and percussion. The contention that Grace refocused on Alex Lifeson's guitar heroics, is not supported careful listening. Nor does the guitar's role on Signals support the overreaction to the more intimate and subtler role he played on Signals and which has largely dominated his style ever since. By Power Windows Rush was largely discontinuing their previous experimentation with styles such reggae and ska (experiments that were by no means new, the first, tentative experiments can be heard on 1977's A Farewell to Kings on "Cinderella Man"), although Lifeson continued, occasionally, to use open reggae chords and funk and new-wave rhythms. In Grace, however, all these experimentations are still there, e.g. "Red Lenses, "Red Sector A", and "The Enemy Within" are prime examples. Grace Under Pressure also featured two popular MTV music videos, 'The Body Electric" about an escaping sentient robot (the title "borrowed" from a line of Walt Whitman's), and the Cold War anthem "Distant Early Warning." "The Body Electric" would prove a staple of AOR-classic rock radio for decades to come.

1985's Power Windows was followed by Hold Your Fire in 1987, both of which were produced by Peter Collins. The music on these two albums gives far more emphasis and prominence to Geddy Lee's multi-layered synthesizer work. Lee, however, freely admits his limitations as a keyboard player, once telling a radio interviewer, during an interview before the Grace Under Pressure Tour, "Can I sit down at a piano and start playing? No." Thus guest keyboardist Andy Richards played on some tracks of Power Windows; something which would continue on later albums by producer Rupert Hine (q.v. Presto).

However, Power Windows takes a stylistic turn, more noticeable than the one from Signals to Grace. A shift in tone from the latter album's emotional, even angry, lyrics to songs less dramatically illustrating the emotional bleakness, if not bankruptcy, of modern life. Exploration of these themes had begun, arguably, with "A Farewell to Kings".

The more effective use of sequencers and guitar minimalism on Power Windows created textures evoking Peart's conception of the emotional steriligy of urban and surburban life. The "short, horn-like bursts" [19] of Lifeson's guitar set a trend that would continue until Counterparts when the band took a large stylistic shift, recalling the dramatic one from side-long pieces of Hemipsheres and its predecessors and the "more accessible" [20] compositions of Permanent Waves. This is not to say that Lifeson's guitar has been relegated to mere rhythym and harmony (as George Harrison was sometimes depicted, equally falsely according to Paul McCartney). Lifeson's presence is still palpable on the more-or-less straight ahead rocker, "The Big Money," (another of the group's rare charting singles); other Lifeson highlights can be found on "Grand Designs," "Middletown Dreams," and "Marathon," and the solo on "Emotion Detector" (which, according to Peart had started out life as a love song).

Hold Your Fire represents both a continuation and the culmination of the musical and lyrical shifts begun with Signals. In fact, this album marks the end of this period of Rush's artistic development--an almost complete break with Rush's pioneering heavy metal sound and the influences of Cream, Zeppelin, and Yes. The album also features the only Rush duet--the album-opener, "Time Stands Still"--with fellow Canadian artist Aimee Mann (best known for a mid-80's MTV video for the song "Voices Carry").

Whereas the previous five Rush albums sold platinum or better, Hold Your Fire only went gold in 1987. However, Peart, in particular, has been quoted many times, in many different publications, as stating that Rush creates the music they want to hear regardless of what critics, the record company or even fans want.

Rush has had the longest consecutive string of American gold and platinum albums of any group except the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.[21]

Following a of tradition of releasing "double-live" albums (the term being taken from the days of vinyl) after every fourth studio album--beginning with All the World's a Stage (1977)--a third live album and video, A Show of Hands (1989), was also released by Mercury Records following Hold Your Fire, "an excellent snapshot of Rush in concert during the mid- to late '80s."[22]

[edit] Returning to their roots (1989–1997)

[[:Image:|"Dreamline"]] [[Image:|180px|noicon]]

"Dreamline" from Roll the Bones.
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Rush started to deviate from their 1980s style with the albums Presto and Roll the Bones. Produced by record engineer and musician Rupert Hine, these two albums saw Rush shedding much of their keyboard-saturated sound. Beginning with 1989's Presto, the band opted for arrangements that were notably more guitar-centric than the previous two studio albums. While synthesizers were still used in many songs, the instrument was no longer featured as the centerpiece of Rush's compositions. Continuing this trend, 1991's Roll the Bones extended the use of the standard three instrument approach with even less focus on synthesizers than its predecessor. While, musically, these albums do not deviate too much from a general pop rock sound, Rush stuck to their creative approach of incorporating traces of more exotic musical styles. "Roll the Bones", for instance, exhibits funk and hip-hop elements, while the instrumental track "Where's My Thing?" (the band's first instrumental piece in a decade) features several jazz components [23]. This return to three piece instrumentation helped pave the way for future albums in the mid 90s, which would adopt a more straightforward rock formula. [[Image:NonFreeImageRemoved.svg -->|right|thumb|300px|Neil Peart, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee of Rush
(Roll The Bones tour photo 1991)]]

The transition from synthesizers to more guitar-oriented and organic instrumentation continued with the 1993 album Counterparts and the follow-up 1996's Test for Echo. Musically, Counterparts and Test For Echo are two of Rush's most guitar-driven albums. While the music in general did not meet the criteria for "progressive rock", some of the songs could be considered more adventurous than what one might expect from a standard modern rock band. For instance, "Time and Motion" possesses multiple time signature changes and heavy organ, while the instrumental track, titled "Limbo", consists of several distinct, and relatively complex, musical passages repeated throughout the duration. Musically, Test For Echo still retained much of the hard rock/alternative stylings already chartered on the previous record. Lifeson and Lee's playing remained more or less unchanged; however, a distinct modification in technique became apparent in Peart's playing due to formal Jazz and Swing training under the tutelage of jazz drummer Freddie Gruber during the interim between Counterparts and Test For Echo. In October 1996, in support of Test For Echo, the band embarked on an extensive and very successful North American tour, the band's first without an opening act and dubbed "An Evening with Rush". The tour was broken up into two segments spanning October through December, 1996 and May through July, 1997 with the band taking a respite between legs.

[edit] Hiatus and comeback (1997–Present)

[[:Image:|"One Little Victory"]] [[Image:|180px|noicon]]

"One Little Victory" from Vapor Trails.
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After wrapping up the tour promoting Test for Echo in 1997, the band entered a five-year hiatus mainly due to personal tragedies in Peart's life. Peart's daughter Selena died in a car accident in August 1997, followed by his wife Jacqueline's death from cancer in June 1998. Peart embarked on a self-described "healing journey" by motorcycle in which he traveled extensively across North America. He subsequently wrote about his travels in his book Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road. Rush later stated that they had nearly broken up during this period due to Peart's situation. During this abeyance of activity as Peart recuperated, a triple CD live album entitled Different Stages was released in 1998. It contained two discs packed with recorded performances from the band's Counterparts and Test for Echo tours, marking the fourth officially released live album by the band.

Image:Rush R30 2004.jpg
Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart of Rush
(30th Anniversary tour photo 2004)

After sufficient time to grieve and reassemble the pieces of his life, Peart married photographer Carrie Nuttall in September of 2000. In early 2001 he announced to his band mates that he was ready to once again enter the studio and get back into the business of making music. The band returned in May 2002 with Vapor Trails. In order to herald the band's comeback, the single and lead track from the album, "One Little Victory" was designed to grab the attention of listeners due to its rapid guitar and drum tempos[24]. While mostly heavy rock, the album displayed a fair share of musical eclecticism ranging from standard modern-riff rock and poppy numbers to songs that display a fresh smattering of progressive flavor. Vapor Trails also marks the first studio recording not to include a single synthesizer, organ, or keyboard part since the early 1970s. While the album is almost completely guitar-driven, it is mostly devoid of any conventional sounding guitar solos, a conscious decision made by Alex Lifeson during the writing process. According to the band, the entire developmental process for Vapor Trails was extremely taxing and took approximately fourteen months to complete, by the far the longest the band has ever spent writing and recording a studio album[24]. The album debuted to moderate praise and was supported by the band's first tour in six years, including first-ever concerts in Mexico City and Brazil, where they played to some of the largest crowds of their career

A triple CD live album and dual DVD, Rush in Rio, was released in late October 2003, an entire concert performance on the last night of their Vapor Trails tour, recorded November 23, 2002, at Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In order to celebrate their 30th anniversary, June 2004 saw the release of Feedback, a studio EP featuring eight covers of such artists as Cream, The Who, and The Yardbirds, bands which the members of Rush cite as inspiration around the time of their inception[25]. This marks the first official studio release of the band covering the music of other artists. That same summer, Rush again hit the road for a very successful 30th Anniversary Tour, playing dates in the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. On September 24, 2004 a Frankfurt, Germany concert was recorded for DVD (titled R30: Live in Frankfurt), which was released November 22, 2005.

[edit] Future plans

During promotional interviews for the R30 Live In Frankfurt DVD, the band confirmed their intention to return to the studio in early 2006 with a view to releasing a new album later in the year, with yet another tour to follow. Lifeson has confirmed that the writing and recording processes for the new album are being executed differently than how they were in the past. Instead of writing all of the songs first followed by recording, mixing and mastering sessions, small groups of songs will be written and recorded in procession. Recently at his restaurant, The Orbit Room, he had leaked information to a few fans that 6 songs had been completed on the new album.

In a January 20, 2006 post on his own website, Peart stated that "the actual work" of recording a new album "is sure to take most of 2006 to accomplish," and that "any tour dates in 2006 are unlikely — maybe next year". In a further post on April 26, 2006 Peart wrote of a meeting the band held at his house in Quebec in March. Neil had given Lee and Lifeson lyrics for five songs in January, which was put to music during the interim. Pleased with what his fellow musicians had come up with, Peart described the songs as having a "spiritual" feel[26].

According to the official Rush website, a new DVD box set, called Rush Replay X 3, will be released on June 13, 2006. It is to consist of the three original homevideos (Exit...Stage Left, Grace Under Pressure and A Show of Hands) completely remastered on DVD. Also included will be a previously unreleased soundtrack CD to the Grace Under Pressure disc[27].

[edit] Reputation

[edit] Geddy Lee

Geddy Lee in 2004.
Geddy Lee in 2004.

Apart from prolific writing, musical influence, and instrumental prowess, Geddy Lee's high-register vocal style has always been a main signature of the band. However, more often than not it is the concentration of intense detraction and criticism from both non-fans and critics alike, especially during the early years of Rush's career when Lee's vocals were high-pitched, and almost falsetto sounding with a strong likeness to British hard-rock singers Robert Plant and Steve Marriott as well as popular American AOR singers like Steve Perry. In fact, his voice is often described as a "wail" [28][29]. Nevertheless, Lee's vox has softened significantly over the years and still remains distinctive, and even somewhat unique in the Rock & Roll genre. His instrumental abilities, on the other hand, are rarely criticized. An award-winning musician, Lee's style, technique, and virtuosity on the bass guitar have proven very influential in the rock and heavy metal genres, inspiring such players as Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, John Myung of Dream Theater, Les Claypool of Primus, Cliff Burton of Metallica, and countless others. His main shtick, particularly during the 1980s, was his ability to competently operate several different pieces of instrumentation simultaneously. This was mostly evident during live shows when it was necessary for Lee, as the frontman, to play bass, supply lead vocals, manipulate keyboards, and trigger footpedals during the course of a performance[8]. Obviously this restricted his movement significantly, as he was required to remain in one place during songs which contained complex instrumentation. Lifeson and Peart were, to a lesser extent, responsible for similar actions during live shows. Besides cuing various guitar effects, Lifeson's duties have also involved the use of bass-pedal synthesizers.

[edit] Alex Lifeson

Alex Lifeson in concert.
Alex Lifeson in concert.

Instrumentally, Lifeson is regarded as a master guitarist, topping guitar magazine "best of polls continuously in the 80s and 90s. During his adolescent years, he was influenced primarily by Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page[30]. For versatility, Lifeson was known to incorporate touches of Spanish and classical ideas and motifs into Rush's sound, more heavily guitar driven during the first four albums. A common misperception is that he took a backseat to Lee's keyboards in the 1980s; a further misunderstanding of Lifeson's role in the band's songwriting and performance is the related idea that his guitar returned to the forefront in the 1990s. In fact, his guitar has always been an integral part of Rush's sound. Despite his legendary status amongst his fellow guitarists, he is sometimes regarded as being overshadowed by his band mates due to Lee's bass guitar virtuosity and the iconic status Lee shares with Peart. [31].

[edit] Neil Peart

Peart is widely regarded by both music fans and fellow musicians as one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock, this high esteem continuing today as it has throughout his playing career[32]. He is also regarded as one of the finest practioners of the in-concert drum solo[33]. Initially inspired by jazz and big band players Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, Peart also absorbed the influence of rock drummers from the 60s such as Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice and John Bonham[34]. Incorporation of unusual instruments (for rock drummers of the time) such as cow bells, glockenspiel, and tubular bells, along with several standard kit elements, helped create a highly variegated setup. Continually modified to this day, Peart's drumkit allows an enormous array of percussion instruments for sonic diversity.

Neil Peart in concert.
Neil Peart in concert.

Due to his esteem as a multi-percussionist, a staple and highlight of Rush's concerts is a drum solo by Neil Peart. All of Peart's drum solos include a basic framework of routines connected by sections of improvisation, leaving each performance unique. Each successive tour sees the solo more advanced, with some routines dropped in favor of newer, more complex ones. Since the mid-late 1980s Peart has utilized MIDI trigger pads to trigger sounds sampled from various pieces of acoustic percussion that would otherwise consume far too much stage area, such as a marimba, harp, temple blocks, triangles, glockenspiel, orchestra bells, tubular bells, and vibra-slap as well as other, more esoteric percussion. Some purely electronic, description-defying sounds are also used. All are incorporated into each drum solo. Also, as Rush's primary lyricist, Neil Peart has attracted much attention over the years due to his eclectic style. Known for penning concept albums and songs inspired by literature, opinions of his writing have varied greatly running the gamut of cerebral and insightful to overly pretentious and preachy[35].

[edit] The Band

Over 30 years of activity has provided Rush with the opportunity for musical diversity across their discography as well. Like many bands known for experimentation, such changes have inevitably resulted in strong dissent among critics and fans. The bulk of the band's music has always included synthetic instruments in some form or another, and this, more than anything else, is a great source of contention in the Rush camp, especially in regards to the band's heavy reliance on synthesizers and keyboards during the 1980s[36] [37]. Still, many saw this as nothing less than artistic growth and support for the band remained unwavering through each transitional phase[10].

Due to this ongoing controversy over Rush, they have yet to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The members of Rush have themselves noted that people "either love Rush or hate Rush", resulting in strong detractors and an intensely loyal fan base. Rolling Stone has often been blamed for their inability to enter the Hall[38]. To this day fans earnestly clamor for the band's inclusion into the hall by citing noteworthy accomplishments including longevity, proficiency, and influence, as well as commercial sales figures and RIAA certifications. Also, despite having completely dropped out of the public eye for five years after Test for Echo and the band being relegated almost solely to classic rock stations in the U.S., Vapor Trails shot up to #6 on the Billboard Chart in its first week of release in 2002. The subsequent Vapor Trails tour grossed over $24 million and included the largest audience ever to see a Rush show — 60,000 fans in São Paulo. The following year, the band released Rush in Rio, which the RIAA has certified gold, marking the fourth decade in which a Rush album had been released and certified at least gold. Moreover, in 2004, Feedback cracked the top twenty on the Billboard 200 chart, in addition to receiving radio airplay.

[edit] Discography

thumb|300px|Rush has produced numerous albums over the course of three decades.

[edit] Studio albums

Date of Release Title Label US Billboard Peak US sales
March 1974 Rush Mercury 105 G
February 1975 Fly by Night Mercury 148 P
September 1975 Caress of Steel Mercury 113 G
February 1976 2112 Mercury 61 M (3)
September 1977 A Farewell to Kings Mercury 33 P
October 1978 Hemispheres Mercury 47 P
January 1980 Permanent Waves Mercury 4 P
February 1981 Moving Pictures Mercury 3 M (4)
September 1982 Signals Mercury 10 P
April 1984 Grace Under Pressure Mercury 10 P
October 1985 Power Windows Mercury 10 P
September 1987 Hold Your Fire Mercury 13 G
November, 1989 Presto Atlantic 16 G
September 1991 Roll the Bones Atlantic 3 P
October 1993 Counterparts Atlantic 2 G
September 1996 Test for Echo Atlantic 5 G
May 2002 Vapor Trails Atlantic 6 ~400K
G = 500,000, P = 1 million, M=Multiplatinum. For example, M(2) = 2 million

[edit] Other studio records

[edit] Live albums

[edit] Videos

[edit] Compilations and interviews

[edit] Solo efforts

[edit] Books

[edit] References and notes

  1. ^ Juno Award Juno Archives Accessed 16 March, 2006
  2. ^ Canadian Music Hall of Fame CMHF Accessed 16 March, 2006
  3. ^ The Order of Canada member list NNDB Accessed 16 March, 2006
  4. ^ Individual awards list Rush Archives Accessed 17 March, 2006
  5. ^ RIAA certifications Recording Industry Association of America Accessed 16 March, 2006
  6. ^ a b Alex Lifeson Interview, March 2006 Guitar Player Magazine Accessed 30 March, 2006
  7. ^ a b Allmusic: Rush album AllMusic.com Accessed 18 March, 2006
  8. ^ a b Geddy Lee Interview, March 2006 Bass Player Magazine Accessed 30 March, 2006
  9. ^ Allmusic: Signals AllMusic.com Accessed 18 March, 2006
  10. ^ a b ProgArchives Accessed 18 March 2006
  11. ^ Allmusic: Counterparts AllMusic.com Accessed 18 March, 2006
  12. ^ Donna Halper, and the Rush Discovery Story RushWeb Accessed 5 March 2006
  13. ^ History of Rush History of Rush Accessed February 2006
  14. ^ Banasiewicz, Bill (1990). Rush Visions: The Official Biography. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0711911622
  15. ^ Tour Archive 2112.net Accessed 18 March 2006
  16. ^ Rush Highlights Official Rush Website Accessed 16 March 2006
  17. ^ 2112 and Ayn Rand Rush FAQ Accessed 16 March 2006
  18. ^ Moving Pictures Certification Recording Industry Association of America Accessed 16 March 2006
  19. ^ Power Windows Review allmusic.com Accessed 08 May 2006
  20. ^ Permanent Waves Review allmusic.com Accessed 08 May 2006
  21. ^ Third longest streak of gold and platinum albums IMDb.com Accessed 05 May 2006
  22. ^ Review of A Show of Hands allmusic.com Accessed 08 May 2006,
  23. ^ Roll the Bones Allmusic: Accessed 18 March 2006
  24. ^ a b Vapor Trails news archive Power Windows website Accessed 16 March 2006
  25. ^ Feedback new archive Power Windows Website Accessed 28 April
  26. ^ Neil Peart Neil Peart's Official Website Accessed 17 March 2006
  27. ^ Replay x3 Rush Official Website Accessed 13 April 2006
  28. ^ Allmusic: Geddy Lee Biography AllMusic.com Accessed 18 March, 2006
  29. ^ East Rutherford, N.J., 16 December 1996, Concert Review New York Times Accessed 5 April 2006
  30. ^ Alex Lifeson profile Epiphone Accessed 31 March, 2006
  31. ^ Alex Lifeson profile [unpublished undergraduate thesis by Alexis Goldblatt, 1988, used with permission] Accessed 08 May 2006
  32. ^ Neil Peart profile Drummer World Accessed 30 March 2006
  33. ^ Modern Drummer Magazine April 2006 Article "Soloing in the Shadow of Giants". Modern Drumming Publishing Inc. NJ, USA.
  34. ^ Anatomy of a Drum Solo DVD, Neil Peart (2005)accompanying booklet. (Republished in Modern Drummer Magazine, April 2006)
  35. ^ Rush profile John Mcferrin's Rock and Prog Reviews Accessed 18 March 2006
  36. ^ Grace Under Pressure All Music Accessed 18 March 2006
  37. ^ Rush Profile Music.com Accessed 28 March 2006
  38. ^ Rush and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame About.com Accessed 18 March 2006

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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