Ah, the pleasures of listening to Rush when you’re a boy in early high school…. I remember them well.
Their music doesn’t hold up as well as I’d hoped it might when I listen to it now, but some of it fares better than I’d feared. One could do far worse. A few tracks—most notably the invincible “Tom Sawyer”—still sound pretty damned great, in fact. The brief interlude at the end of “The Spirit of Radio” was probably my first ever exposure to reggae.
I’ve indulged my teenage nostalgia by giving you two entire playlists of Canada’s greatest hard rock power trio.
Playlist 1
Rush’s ‘70s material was more hard rock and prog influenced than their later work. There were of course some side-long epics that could use some pruning, but there was still good stuff to be found.
Playlist 2
Rush’s shift from their 70s prog-metal vision toward a more mainstream style coincides, perhaps not coincidentally, with the moment at which Geddy Lee decided to more consistently sing their songs, rather that shriek the lyrics as if his testicles were being masticated by a grizzly. Good news for all of us (especially him, now that I think more about it).
Like many an ‘80s band, their use of synthesizers increased steadily throughout the decade, a progression that can be easily traced on the three albums I’ve chosen to highlight.
Cover Art:
- Moving Pictures (front cover and inner sleeve photos): Source, Discogs.com, Fair use
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