Rush, the best thing ever to come out of Canada

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IMO their greatest work was their eighties work, the synth driven albums (the era in which they produced Tom Sawyer, Subdivisions, Limelight, etc). Their early work is not their best IMO but also far from bad (a track like Working Man or Bastille Day already leans a bit towards their later progressive/experimental tracks), it is very interesting to witness them evolve. Their different eras all had their own sound.

PS: maybe the first album should be disregarded somewhat as being a Rush album because this was prior to Neil Peart joining them. And his drumming and lyrics are essential to the band.

Rush is an awesome group. It's not the lyrics of their songs that I like as much as their technical mastery of their instruments. If I had a kick-ass drum set like Neil Peart, I couldn't be anywhere close to him in ability. And I don't know of anyone else who can play both bass and synths at the same time like Geddy, and be as cool as he is. Strangely, I find Alex to be the least interesting member of the group, since it's the guitarist who usually gets the attention, after the lead singer.

My all-time favourite Rush song is probably Limelight, since when I was in Grade 6, a guy in my class played it at lunch every day. Also, there's one line in particular that, to me, really encapsulates the Asperger mindset: "One must put up barriers to keep oneself intact."

Limelight is my favourite as well, along with Subdivisions. To me Limelight could very well represent my feelings when it comes to stubbornly holding on to my travelling lifestyle. It could be about any dream or ambition you chase and refuse to give up on. Replace "living in the limelight" by whatever you are holding on to with all your heart and it sums it up very well:


"Living in the limelight, the universal dream
For those who wish to seem
Those who wish to be, must put aside the alienation
Get on with the fascination, the underlying theme"


Especially that last sentence sums it up perfectly and has gotten me through some difficult moments already.
In Subdivisions, the "in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown" is always stirring up my travel desires, it sounds a bit mysterious and appealing at the same time.



But Alex's input should not be minimalised. His riffs and guitar solos are awesome. I agree though that Geddy is the one with the charisma, he has this cool attitude on stage which makes him an awesome frontman (apart from his very recognisable vocals and his abilities on the bass and synths obviously)

PS: those who like the lyrics of Rush, should visit www.neilpeart.com as well, he keeps a sort of diary there which is really interesting reading. Plus there's some great drumming samples by him on there.

PureMaple Syrup

I'm mostly into the older stuff they did, but that's because I haven't had a chance to explore much else. I only have what my father has and he's not big on the synth driven stuff.

Check out their latest album Snakes & Arrows. Released last year when they existed 39 years as a band. Still a great record. Any band that can pull off such a quality music after so many years in the business, is talented beyond normal. Their latest record still sounds fresh and interesting even after all those years.

Canadian bands I like: The New Pornographers, Arcade Fire, Great Big Sea, and Tegan and Sara.

Come on.... no mention in this thread of 2112?!

In my opinion they are the greatest Canadian rockers. So much stuff that can't be outdone. Like the concept of 2112, the experimentation of Permanent Waves, as well as the stuff on Moving Pictures. Their first album, the self-titled Rush, is amazing, it's got quite the vibe. It included original drummer, John Rutsey, who did an outstanding job. May he R.I.P. after passing away earlier this year.

Neil Peart is amazing, but don't forget about the incredible ability of Geddy Lee's bass playing.

True, Geddy is genius, also how he manages to do bass and synths at the same time...

But again, don't underrate Alex' influence on the band. Lot of songs (I named a few earlier) contain a great instrumental/solo by Alex, his riffs are simply amazing. The thing about Rush is that all three of them have mastered their own instruments to pure perfection, and that is very rare. They also form a real entity where all members have equally important input, it not Geddy's, Neil's or Alex's band really, but just simply Rush ; none of them three could just be replaced.

I really enjoy Rush. Their songs: The Camera Eye, YYZ, Subdivisions, La Villa Strangiato, and many more are played often into my ears.

Just an awesome group!


Also from Canada I enjoy Bryan Adams, and April Wine.

Rush are not the best band to come out of Canada.

Rush are the best band to come out of anywhere EVER!! !

In case you haven't noticed, I effin' love Rush. They're easily my favorite band. I've seen them live twice and both times kicked substantial amounts of ass.

Speaking of which, I could use the opinions of some Rush fans on this. I'm including this in an article I'm writing. Tell me if you think this is funny.

"When a hot new release comes out music critics are quick to hail it as "the best album ever". This is pure hyperbole right on it's face, especially since the best album ever (Power Windows by Rush) has already been made."

...eh? eh??

Well, guess best album ever is depending on personal taste, but I like the quote nonetheless.

They are easily amongst the best bands ever, certainly. I would rank them above bands such as The Beatles or the Rolling Stones for the way they have moved the boundaries of rock music, for the brilliant lyrics, and for the way they mastered multiple instruments in a perfect way (each of the three members I mean). They are highly underrated especially here in Europe.

Rush is one of those rare bands that I can turn on anything from their catalogue, and enjoy it immensely. I think the only other bands that I can testify to having that effect are Genesis, Queen, Pink Floyd, and U2.