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With a combined age of 317, RUSH have lasted longer than many people’s marriages and employment histories combined.
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YEARS OF EXISTENCE: 1968-present YEARS OF DECENT EXISTENCE: Debated hourly on message boards by middle-aged dudes on prostate meds and male virgins in their parents' basements BEST RECORDS: 2112 (1976), A Farewell To Kings (1977), Hemispheres (1978), Moving Pictures (1981), Counterparts (1993) WORST RECORDS: Caress Of Steel (1975), Permanent Waves (1980), Power Windows (1985) GO DOWNLOAD: "Working Man," "Fly By Night," "The Spirit Of Radio," "YYZ," "Tom Sawyer," "New World Man," "Malignant Narcissism" FILE UNDER: Hip Uncles That Can Effin' Play SIMILAR-SOUNDING DINOSAURS: Foghat; Mountain (pre-synth years); Emerson, Lake And Palmer; Yes (total synth-immersion years); Dream Theater (carpetbagger-invasion years during the trio's five-year hiatus) THE MUSIC: Vocalist/bassist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer John Rutsey first convened in Toronto in 1968, playing dirtbag-rock to aid in the hoisting of Molsons. In the summer of 1974, Rutsey was dismissed and Neil Peart (whose last name, by the way, does not rhyme with "hurt") was installed in the drum chair. In addition to raising Rush's level of musicianship, the drummer began to write all of the band's lyrics, resulting in a sales spike of Ayn Rand novels and the number of dope-smoking losers turned armchair philosophers. In the '80s, Lee started incorporating more synthesizers into the band's sound, a move that made prog-heads look up from their battered copies of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway to pay attention to them. In the years preceding the turn of the century, the band laid off the electro-soak, choosing instead to craft ambitious arrangements anchored by Lifeson's guitar work. The heshers rejoiced-alongside members of Primus. WHAT THEY SAY: "To the irritation of critics and the delight of fans, Rush can now do whatever they like, whenever they like." -Rock, The Rough Guide WHAT I SAY: There's a good chance members of your favorite bands were exposed to Rush early on. Think about that the next time you rent Minority Report. WHY YOUR (GRAND)PARENTS LIKE THEM: Rush's musical development expanded directly in tandem with their fans' ability to comprehend it. You can't go from being a dumb bar-rockin' metal band to a monster of prog in six months without making the brains of the great unwashed explode. Chicks and dudes who rocked Lee's newfangled synthesizers on A Farewell To Kings would've never gotten near an ELP album. CURRENT WHEREABOUTS: On tour in America, selling out arenas and rockin' the flabby asses of you, your 'rents, computer geeks, philosophy majors, male virgins and Dave Grohl. On their 18th album, Snakes And Arrows, the band address how church and state make for gross bedfellows. How come nobody else with a career their size has the balls (saggy or otherwise) to address stuff like that in 2007? -Jason Pettigrew |
