Template:Infobox band Rush is a Canadian progressive rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart (IPA: ). Rush formed in the summer of 1968, in Willowdale, Ontario (a northern suburb of Toronto) by Lifeson, Lee, and John Rutsey. Peart (from St. Catharines, Ontario) replaced Rutsey on drums in July of 1974, two weeks before the group's first US tour, to complete the present lineup. Since the release of their eponymous debut in 1974, the band became well known for their instrumental virtuosity, complex compositions, erudite lyrics, and inspirational comradery. Rush's three decades of continued success under their current lineup of Lee, Lifeson, and Peart has earned the band the respect of their musical peers, and their supporters are often cited as one of the most intensely loyal fanbases in the history of rock. Rush have also had a profound musical influence on such artists as Dream Theater, Symphony X, Shadow Gallery, Primus, Metallica, Biffy Clyro, Tool, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, and fellow Canadian rockers The Tragically Hip and Barenaked Ladies.
Rush has been awarded the Juno Award several times and were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994 (For a complete awards list see the "see also" section below). Additionally, Lee, Lifeson, and Peart are all Officers of the Order of Canada. Over the course of their career, the individual members of Rush have been recognized as some of the most proficient players on their respective instruments. Each member has won several awards in magazine reader's polls. As a whole, the band boasts 23 gold records and 14 platinum (3 multi-platinum) records making them one of the best selling rock artists in history. Furthermore, Rush currently rivals KISS, the Beatles and The Rolling Stones for the most consecutive gold and platinum albums by a rock band.
Band members
- Geddy Lee - Bass guitar, Mini-Moog, Oberheim Polyphonic, Taurus Pedals, synthesizers, lead vocals (1968–present)
- Alex Lifeson - Twelve and six string acoustic and electric guitars, mandola, bass pedals, backing vocals (1968–present)
- Neil Peart - Drums and electronic percussion (1974–present)
- John Rutsey - Drums (1968–1974)
Musical style
] Rush's musical style has changed substantially over time. Their debut album is strongly influenced by British-Blues rock: an amalgam of sounds and styles from such rock bands as Cream, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple. Over the first few albums their style remained essentially hard rock, with heavy influences from The Who and Led Zeppelin, but also became increasingly influenced by the British progressive rock movement. In concordance with the traits of progressive rock, Rush concentrated heavily on writing songs comprising protracted length, odd meters, and fantasy inspired lyrics, all the while maintaining a hard rock ethos at the core of each composition. This fusion of hard rock and prog rock continued until the end of the 1970s. In the 1980s, however, Rush successfully merged their trademark sound with the trends of this period, experimenting with New Wave music, reggae, and pop rock. This period included the band's most extensive use of instruments such as synthesizers, sequencers and electronic percussion. It is largely agreed that the culmination of this era of Rush was in 1987 after the release of Hold Your Fire . With the approach of the early '90s and Rush's character sound still intact, the band transformed their style once again to harmonize with the on-going modern rock and alternative genres. The new millennium has seen them return to a more rock-n-roll roots sound, albeit with modern production.
History
For more details on this topic, see History of Rush (band).The early days (1968–1976)
The original lineup formed in September 1968, consisting of Jeff Jones on bass and vocals, John Rutsey on drums and Alex Lifeson on guitars. Geddy Lee, a schoolmate of Lifeson, quickly replaced Jones. After this point the band experienced rapid personnel changes and lineup reformations before finally settling on its first officially recognized incarnation in May 1971, comprising Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and John Rutsey. The band was managed by local Toronto resident Ray Daniels, a frequent attender of Rush's early shows.
After gaining stability in the lineup and honing their skills on the local bar/high school dance circuit, the band came to release their first single "Not Fade Away", a cover of the Buddy Holly song, in 1973. Side B contained an original composition, "You Can't Fight It", credited to Rutsey and Lee. The single generated little reaction and due to record company indifference the band formed their own independent record label, Moon Records . With the aid of Daniels and the newly enlisted Terry Brown working in an unofficial capacity, the band released their self-titled debut album in 1974. Highly derivative of Led Zeppelin, Rush had limited local popularity until the album was picked up by WMMS, a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio. Donna Halper, a DJ working at the station, selected "Working Man" for her regular play list. The song's blue collar theme resonated with hard rock fans and this new found popularity led to the album being redistributed by Mercury Records .
Immediately after the release of the debut album, Rutsey resigned due to his affliction with diabetes and a distaste for touring. Rush held auditions and eventually selected Neil Peart as Rutsey's replacement. In addition to becoming the band's drummer, Peart assumed the role of principal lyricist as Lee and Lifeson had very little interest in writing, contributing to only a handful of song lyrics over the rest of the band's career. Instead, they focused primarily on the musical aspects of Rush. Fly By Night (1975), Rush's first album after recruiting Peart, saw the inclusion of the band's first mini-epic tale "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", replete with complex arrangements and multi-section format. Lyrical themes also underwent dramatic changes after the addition of Peart due to his love for fantasy and science-fiction literature. However, despite these many differences most of the music still closely mirrored the style found on Rush's debut.
Following quick on the heels of Fly By Night , the band released Caress of Steel (1975) a five track hard/art rock album featuring two extended multi-chapter songs, "The Necromancer" and "The Fountain of Lamneth". Caress of Steel was considered an audacious move for the band due to the placement of two protracted numbers back-to-back, as well as a heavier reliance on atmospherics and story-telling, a large deviation from Fly by Night . Intended to be the band's first "break-through" album, Caress of Steel sold below expectations and the promotional tour consisted of small venues which led to the moniker the "Down the Tubes Tour". In light of these events, Rush's record label pressured them into molding their next album in a more commercially friendly and accessible fashion. However, in spite of such urges, the band ignored the requests and developed their next concept album, 2112 . It was the band's first taste of commercial success and their first Canadian gold and platinum album . It is widely considered to be the pinnacle of early period Rush. The lyrics of this time (most of them written by Peart) were heavily influenced by classical poetry, fantasy literature, science fiction and, in a few cases, the writings of novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand, as exhibited most prominently by their 1975 song "Anthem" from Fly By Night and a specifically acknowledged derivation in 1976's 2112 . After the breakthrough of 2112 , the band released their first US Top 40 album, a double live album titled All the World's a Stage in 1976.
The Progressive Rock era (1977–1981)
After the highly acclaimed and well-received 2112 , Rush followed up and delivered 1977's A Farewell to Kings (which became the band's first US Gold selling album) and 1978's Hemispheres . These albums saw the band pushing the prog rock envelope even further than before by expanding their use of progressive elements. Trademarks such as increased synthesizer usage, extended length concept songs, and highly dynamic playing featuring complex time signature changes became a staple of Rush's compositions. In order to achieve a broader, progressive palette of sound, Alex Lifeson began to experiment with twelve- and six-string classical guitars, and Geddy Lee added bass-pedal synthesizers and Mini-Moog. Likewise, Peart's percussion became diversified in the form of triangles, glockenspiel, wood-blocks, cow-bells, tympani, gong and chimes. Beyond instrument additions, the band kept in stride with the progressive rock movement by continuing to compose long, conceptual songs with science fiction and fantasy overtones. However, as the new decade approached, Rush gradually began to dispose of their older styles of music in favor of shorter, and sometimes softer, arrangements.
1980's Permanent Waves shifted Rush's style of music dramatically via the introduction of reggae and new wave. Additionally, although a hard rock style was still evident, more and more synthesizers were introduced. M
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