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A Biography of Rush
Imagine, if you will, a heavier Pink Floyd, with elements of Cream, Zeppelin, and Queen added in. What is the awesome creature? It's Rush! Rush is one of life's biggest "cult" bands. They get little radio airplay and practically no MTV exposure, but yet their albums consistently go gold or platinum. How? Because they have a core following of fans who buy up everything they put out.

There were earlier (and subsequent) versions of the band, but for most people Rush really formed in 1969 when guitarist Alex Lifeson phoned bassist (and soon to be singer) Geddy Lee to cover for a drunk bandmember at a concert. They formed a band with a drummer named John Rutsey. They spent this time mainly touring small bars and clubs. It wasn't until several years later, in 1974, that they released their major label debut album, the self-titled Rush. This album was different than all their subsequent ones, because it featured Rutsey on drums and a different lyrical style.

However, just as Rush was about to embark on their first world tour Rutsey decided to leave the band. They asked around for drummers and came up with the name Neil Peart. They auditioned him and he joined the band, dramatically changing their sound. Lee and Lifeson then turned over the drumming and lyric writing to Peart.

Their second album Fly By Night followed that same year, featuring some of their more well-known songs like the title track and their first "rock opera" By Tor & The Snow Dog.

In 1975, Rush released their third album, Caress of Steel, which included the concert standard Bastille Day. Caress of Steel also included two song suites, a practice that they would fulfill fully on their next album.

During the recording of 2112, Rush faced pressure from their record company to make their music more commercial, basically meaning make the songs shorter. They refused to do this however, and released 2112, complete with the 20+ minute title track. This was their biggest hit so far, and has eventually went triple platinum. A live album was also released chronicling this period, All The World's A Stage, which had not a single overdub.

During this time, Rush began to integrate synthesizers into their music, and their first album featuring them was 1977's A Farewell To Kings. Synthesizers were used prominently on the songs Xaxandu and others. This album spawned one of the band's most well-known songs, the AOR staple Closer To The Heart.

In 1978 Rush released the dramatically complex Hemispheres album, which has since become a fan favorite. It included the title suite, the lyrical masterpiece The Trees, and the instumental La Villa Strangiato. The recording of Hemispheres was hard, and the band considered a shift in styles. A new style was found on their next album, 1980's Permanent Waves.

Permanent Waves featured Peart's dramatic shift to shorter, more radio-friendly songs, which in turn spawned the FM hits The Spirit of Radio and Freewill. Also included was Jacob's Ladder, and the crowd-pleasing Natural Science suite. Permanent Waves became Rush's biggest album up to that point, sparking a renewed interest in their previous works, and making the band a concert headliner around the world. However, Rush would improve on perfection with their next album.

Moving Pictures followed in 1981. It has since become their best selling and best known album, largely on the strength of the opening track Tom Sawyer. Also included on the album were the songs Limelight (which has one of Lifeson's best solos) and Red Barchetta, as well as the grammy nominated instrumental YYZ. A live album, Exit... Stage Left was also released in 1981, showcasing Rush's peak period.

The band's next album was 1982's Signals, on which synthesizers replaced guitars as the main instrument on nearly every song. Signals also featured Rush's first and only Top 40 single, New World Man, as well as Subdivisions. This was also to be their last album with long time producer Terry Brown.

Yet another change in Rush's style came about with 1984's Grace Under Pressure. Produced by Peter Henderson, this album featured synthesizers as the mainstay, while having quite a different song style overall, even returning to science fiction lyrics on The Body Electric.

Following this was Power Windows, an album that many consider to be one of Rush's best. It featured several concert mainstays, mainly The Big Money, but also others like Manhattan Project and Mystic Rhythms, which became the theme song for the NBC show 1986.

Rush's "synth era" came to a close with the release of 1987's Hold Your Fire, which featured very tight production, and songs such as Prime Mover and Time Stand Still. Closing the third era of Rush was the live album A Show of Hands, and later the retrospective album Chronicles.

The first album in the fourth era of Rush was Presto, released in 1989. It marked a return to a harder, more basic kind of sound. Presto featured songs such as Show Don't Tell, War Paint, and Chain Lightning.

It was followed in 1991 by Roll The Bones, which continued in the vein of Presto, but with "softer" songs overall. However, it featured new song styles for the band, such as the funky title track, complete with a "rap" section in the middle courtesy of Geddy Lee.

In 1993 Rush released Counterparts, which many fans considered to be their best album since Moving Pictures. It featured fine songs such as the moving Nobody's Hero, one of Peart's finest lyrical efforts.

Test For Echo came next in 1997, which included such songs as Resist, the title track, and others. This album brought to a close the fourth period of Rush. Subsequent releases included the collections Retrospective I and II and 1998's Different Stages/Live, a 3 cd live album, featuring a long lost show from 1978.

Since then Neil has had two tradegies, in which his wife and daughter died. Rush has been in limbo ever since and Neil has only recently picked up his drumsticks and started playing again. The future of Rush lies in his trusty hands...

-"VoodooLord7"


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