Rush
This is a direct excerpt from UNCLE JOE'S RECORD GUIDE - HARD ROCK, Copyright (c) 1995 by J. Benson Unlimited. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
Like many other second generation hard rock bands, the members of Rush started playing in the late Sixties, adapted the power trio format of Cream and Hendrix, and covered songs by Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and other blues-based bands. They spent years building their reputation and core audience in the time-honored method of constant touring. Their development of instrumental virtuosity and song structure showed an increasingly progressive influence. Once they followed their natural instincts to emphasize their musical talents, and to write about real people in real situations instead of science fiction, the second phase of the band's career exploded with huge commercial success. Rush became one of the most popular bands of the early Eighties, and served as role models for thousands of musicians. The measure of their greatness arose because they did not burn out like so many others who reached the top. Instead, in the third phase of their career the three Canadians focused on perfecting their sophisticated songwriting, arrangements and performances to achieve their unique rock & roll musical vision. Along the way, Rush continued to sell millions of records and routinely play sold-out concerts.
Rush Birth Dates
Geddy Lee - July 29, 1953
Alex Lifeson - August 25, 1953
Neil Peart - September 12, 1952
Alex Lifeson, Joe & Jan Benson, Geddy Lee and Rita Wilde
after Rush's Presto concert in Costa Mesa.
Rush
Moving Pictures(20-21)
9th LP, released 2/28/81. Rush originally planned to release a live album after the Permanent Waves world tour, but when several new songs took form during the soundchecks, the band returned to their remote Canadian farm to finish work on their ideas. Drummer Neil Peart [pronounced PEERT] found lyrical inspiration in the group's experiences of travel, dislocation and increasing fame. Delving into these subjects, he discovered a theme that seemed universal to all. Meanwhile, bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson composed the band's sharpest music yet. After they recorded demos of five songs, Rush performed a two-week mini-tour during mid-September 1980 to further work out song arrangements. In early October they returned to Quebec's Le Studio with longtime co-producer Terry Brown. The sessions were Rush's smoothest to date; Moving Pictures was finished in just 10 weeks. The trio decided to scale back their tour to maintain their health and sanity, although when this album was released, the six-month Moving Pictures world tour was already on the road.
Geddy and Alex were both 27 years old, and Neil was 28 when they released Moving Pictures. Just as the Who failed to realize how good Who's Next was, and Pink Floyd didn't know The Dark Side Of The Moon was a rock & roll landmark, Rush weren't aware they had just recorded one of the best hard rock albums ever. The Canadian trio's biggest artistic and commercial success, Moving Pictures reached #3 in the States (their highest charting album to date) and sold over four million copies. With a new lyrical focus and musical sense of purpose, Rush created one of the finest hard rock albums of all time.
- "Tom Sawyer" was co-written by Pye DuBois (the lyricist for the Canadian band Max Webster). Pye gave his old friend Neil Peart a work-in-progress called "Louis The Warrior." The lyrical take on an "every man" type character was a major inspiration to Rush's drummer/lyricist, and he developed the story line even further. Before it was recorded, "Tom Sawyer" significantly evolved on stage. It became Rush's signature tune and one of the biggest rock & roll songs of 1981. It also charted at #44 in August of that year.
- The second song completed for this album, "Red Barchetta" was inspired by Richard Foster's science fiction story "A Nice Morning Drive." This version was recorded in one take.
Note: A Maseratti Barchetta was considered to be the fastest production car of the early Seventies. - The title "YYZ" was taken from the code on tags marking luggage bound for Toronto International Airport (Rush's home base). The song evolved during soundcheck jams on the Permanent Waves tour.
Note: The beginning percussion in the song spelled out "YYZ" in Morse code! - A very insightful song about fame, "Limelight" was almost fully developed at soundchecks and on stage before it was recorded. Neil's lyrical inspiration was the "universal truth of finding what you wanted so bad is different once you get it." Alex has pinpointed this guitar solo as one of his two favorites in all of Rush's catalog. "Limelight" reached #55 on the U.S. singles charts in May 1981.
- "The Camera Eye," the first song worked up for this album, was partially inspired by the writings of the early 20th century American novelist John Dos Passos.
- Keyboardist Hugh Syme was brought in to add overdubs on "Witch Hunt," which was listed as the last part of a trilogy called "Fear." The first two sections of that trilogy appeared on the next two studio albums which were released over the next three years - talk about a long work-in-progress! A lot of work went into this piece.
Note: The crowd sounds at the beginning of the song were the band and crew milling about in the cold just outside Le Studio. - "Vital Signs," the last song completed for the album, was written as the recording sessions drew to an end. Years after the band had dropped this song from their set list in the mid-Eighties, they re-added it during the last three weeks of 1992's Roll The Bones tour.
