Rush

Submitted by adammyerson on Sat, 02/14/2009 - 21:17

I've been feeling a Rush binge coming on. I tend to only listen to one band at a time, obsess about that band, collect everything, read liner notes, histories, line-up changes, etc., like a musical archeologist. I've known for a while that I've needed to go back and spend some time with Rush, particularly with the rise of post-rock and instrumental metal, of which I'm a big fan. Today they were playing "Working Man" in the cafe I was in, and if it wasn't for Geddy Lee's wailing voice, I'd have thought it was The White Stripes.

So I need some help here, folks. Are you a Rush fan? Where should I start, knowing my musical preferences?

Comments

Submitted by StevenBonadio (not verified) on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 00:13.
You might like the early stuff the best, though it was kind of aimless at times. "Working Man" comes from the first album. 2112 was their breakthrough album.They started getting kind of prog-rock and heavy into synth around that time: Tom Sawyer, Spirit of Radio, etc. Might not be your cup of tea. Rumor has it that Geddy Lee rides a bike.
Submitted by josh (not verified) on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 14:49.
Wow - so had you asked for early American hardcore, I would feel more at ease offering up a bit of musical guidance. But since we all have our histories... RUSH is a pretty diverse band to grasp as they have a long timeline as well as a few musical changes over their existance. I am a fan of Bastille Day off Caress of Steel, and a few other early tracks, but I could never really get my head around them. I fell more inline with Sabbath and Zeppelin. I do remember Caress Of Steel being a pretty solid foray into RUSH without the over-saturated electronica that seemed to pour out of their later efforts.
Submitted by Adam Myerson (not verified) on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 14:59.
Right, but if I was asking about early American hardcore, I wouldn't have to ask! I figure if I'm listening to bands like Hella or Battles or Tomahawk/Fantomas, etc., I should finally go back and listen to some Rush. Maybe it's because of my recent infatuation with John Stanier: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stanier_(drummer)
Submitted by josh (not verified) on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 15:05.
haha - got it. I am better off talking hardcore, hence the comment. Battles, however, is a pretty tight band - caught them in Chicago a few years back - and I never really linked them back to much prog - most folks call them math rock or some shit like that. What do I know - I majored in English Literature and Philosophies of India. heh
Submitted by bsegal (not verified) on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 21:42.
Dude you are the only person I know who is a bigger music snot than I am, and you want to go back to Rush? Let me save you the time, this is masturbatory music made to impress themselves with interesting time signatures. Great musicians don't always make great bands-see Eric Johnson/Joe Satriani etc "great" guitar players who make souless awful music that is technically wonderful but dreck to listen to. Check out Comets On Fire or for really heavy stuff find Earthless for amazingly heavy stuff like their cover of the Groundhogs "cherry red" If you just need to hear "mathrock" as Josh so aptly puts it go before Rush and get some King Crimson. Thenafter subjecting yourself to music not made for any reason other than "hey look what I can do" showiness, shudder and move on. I know Tucson has been tough, and as your friend I am warning you that this move puts you 2 steps from "hey, you know Genesis wasn't that bad", and I can't let you do that to yourself. WWGD? what would gregg ginn do?
Submitted by josh (not verified) on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 11:35.
WWGD? Hopefully not sign Saint Vitus on for a reunion album. And yeah - yikes to the Genesis Decline Theory. I went and listened to Tomahawk last night. I prefer Battles. Some further reading regarding Rush: http://www.barrettchase.com/2006/03/i_hate_rush.html and do watch the video...it really sums up Rush well.
Submitted by bsegal (not verified) on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 21:18.
Josh I will be quoting you on the "genesis decline theory" line with my team mate Doug who is a closet fan. deeply deeply closeted fan. until now. shit. bs
Submitted by mayhew (not verified) on Thu, 02/19/2009 - 11:13.
All that video convinces me of is that you must have an entire closet of Rock Racing gear.