2112 Review by Gary Hill Where Rush's previous album, Caress of Steel first showed prog tendencies (arguably Fly By Night's Bytor and the Snow Dog was the first such hint) it leaned more to extremely progressive metal. This album is probably the one where they reversed that label to become metallic progressive rock.
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A Farewell To Kings Review by Mike Korn It was 23 years ago when I first heard this album in its entirety. And now, many years and many journeys (musical and otherwise) later, it is still one of my most prized possessions. More...
In 1977, Rush were flying high with the success of their last studio release 2112.That was a “make or break” record, and when fortune finally hit, it gave the band a sense that the direction they were heading was the right one.
This live release continued Rush’ trend of four studio sets followed by a live album. It features music that’s from a period that isn’t my favorite from the band.
All The World’s A Stage Review by Gary Hill OK, so a lot of this CD isn’t really progressive rock. The truth is, though, we always put Rush under prog rock based on the strength of their decidedly prog rock period of several albums.
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Caress of Steel Review by Gary Hill Caress of Steel was sort of a crossroads for Rush, taking them from their more metal beginnings into the progressive directions that would characterize the next phase of their career. Much of this album is quite metallic, but with many strong prog leanings. More...
Counterparts Review by Gary Hill My favorite period of Rush’ history has always been the section of studio albums ranging from Caress of Steel to Hemispheres. Beyond that set of discs their sound moved more towards accessible shorter tracks.
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Due to several personal tragedies in drummer Neil Peart`s life, Rush is currently on hiatus, and their future is uncertain. This album, chronicling the Test For Echo tour (primarily), could well be the band`s last effort.
Exit Stage Left Review by Gary Hill One occurrence can not be a trend, so this CD was the one that established Rush’ pattern of four studio albums followed by a live album.
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Feedback EP Review by Gary Hill In the liner notes on this EP, Neil Peart explains "It was April of 2004, but Geddy, Alex, and I were channeling back to 1966 and 1967, when we were thirteen- and fourteen-year-old beginners.
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Fly By Night Review by Gary Hill To quote the disc’s closer, “I know, I know, I know” that many of you don’t consider Rush to be a progressive rock band. That said, we have always included them under that heading due to the strength of their more prog period (Caress of Steel, 2112, A Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres).
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Grace Under Pressure Review by Gary Hill I make no excuses. I prefer the more progressive rock oriented period of Rush over the shorter songs that have made up most of the modern era of the band.
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Hemispheres Review by Gary Hill While Rush started almost as a Canadian Led Zeppelin, as they moved forward they became more and more of a progressive rock band with each album.
In 1978, Rush was riding high after two consecutive albums that pushed their presence into the prog spotlight.After a short break that followed a tour of the UK, the band went back to Wales to record this prog masterpiece.
Hold Your Fire Review by Greg Olma I am always afraid when I read quotes that say, "we are going back to our roots" and "it will be a back to basics record." More often then not, the artist will be wearing egg on their face once the album comes out.
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Moving Pictures Review by Greg Olma This is where Rush became a household (albeit a rock household) name. At this point, the band were also leaving their prog fan base scratching their heads wondering if Rush had finally sold out to the American dollar.
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Permanent Waves Review by Greg Olma Back in 1980, Rush was at a crossroads. Having done the concept prog thing to the limit with Hemispheres, Alex, Geddy, and Neil needed to either stay the course or move in a different direction.
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Power Windows Review by Greg Olma I have always coupled Power Windows together with Hold Your Fire as the two records that defined the Rush ‘80s sound.
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Roll The Bones Review by Gary Hill While I would consider almost any Rush album to be great for one reason or another, this one really showed off its best qualities in relation to the discs that came before it. I remember thinking that this one, with it’s harder edged texture, was a step back in the right direction for the guys.
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Rush Review by Greg Olma With the release of the new Rush studio album (reviewed in this issue also), I thought it would be a good time to revisit the past and give a listen to where it all began. 1974 saw the first output from Rush and no one could have predicted that 33 years later, they would not only be releasing new music but they would also be an international success.
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Signals Review by Greg Olma If you want to set a “ground zero” for when Rush lost their prog sound, then 1982’s Signals was the album. The band had been slowly moving towards more concise and basic song structures starting with Permanent Waves but they still threw in a couple of tunes that would give a nod to their older prog fanbase.
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Snakes & Arrows Review by Rick Damigella Legendary Canadian prog rockers Rush are back with their first new album of original material in five years with the release of Snakes & Arrows. Let’s face it, hardcore Rush fans are some of the most loyal fans out there.
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I remember when this CD came out I, as one of the old-school Rush fans, was so hungry for a sign that they may be ready to re-enter the days of epics and such, thought that I heard elements of the proggier period of the band everywhere on this album.
Vapor Trails Review by Steve Alspach After a five-year hiatus, the Grand ol' Men of power trios return with their nineteenth studio album. And if you think that the layoff made them rusty, rest assured that Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart have not lost a bit of their chops.
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DVD Reviews
Rush - Beyond The Lighted Stage DVD Review by Greg Olma If you have been a Rush fan like me, you probably were hoping that someday, VH1 would come out with a “Behind The Music” on them. More...
Rush - Exit...Stage Left DVD Review by Bruce Stringer Writing about this band is a labour of love. I grew up with Rush (not literally!) and learnt to play guitar by emulating Alex Lifeson's playing.
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Rush - Grace Under Pressure Live DVD Review by Julie Knispel Rush has done a more than decent job over the past few years in offering their rabid fanbase plenty of concert footage. For the potential audient unable to attend a show due to scheduling conflicts, DVD releases like Rush in Rio and R30 have done a great job of creating a "you are here" feel for the viewer, documenting the band’s more recent tours.
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Rush is one of those bands that seems to have gotten more popular through the years, but their most beloved music was created and released in the 70s and very early 80s.
Rush - R30 DVD/CD set Review by Greg Olma I can't believe it has been 30 years since Rush have unleashed their Canadian brand of Led Zeppelin influenced riffs. Where has the time gone?
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This release was inevitable.All the talk of “last tour” while never calling it a farewell tour made it a no-brainer to film what probably is Rush’s last tour.
Rush - Replay x 3 DVD Review by Greg Olma If you are a Rush fan, these last couple of years have brought you many visual documents of their live shows. This particular set goes back to a time when VHS tapes ruled the world.
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Rush - Rush In Rio DVD Review by Bruce Stringer After only one studio release between the 1998 triple live CD, Different Stages, and the Rush In Rio DVD and CD releases of recent months could this be the definitive moment to bring Rush back into the limelight in grand fashion? I believe so.
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Rush - Snakes and Arrows Live DVD Review by Julie Knispel It’s become tradition for every Rush studio album to be followed by an accompanying live album and/or DVD release.
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Rush have never been more popular than they are now.I know this because I have been a fan since 2112, and not until the latter part of their career do they finally get the recognition they deserve.
Let me start off by saying that I am a Rush fan from the old days.I first got into them back in 1975 (or was it 1976) and I have been an uber-fan since.
Realizing that many do not consider Rush to be a progressive band, I should preface this by saying that I feel that there are periods of Rush music that certainly qualify as progressive. Since they were performing two of the epics from that period on this tour, I felt that this review qualifies as progressive rock.
Rush - Live in Milwaukee, WI, September, 2007 Review by Greg Olma Lately Rush concerts have become quite the events. Since the Test For Echo tour, the band has been playing 2 sets with no opening act.
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Rush - Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road written by Neil Peart Review by Steve Alspach Neil Peart's second book, "Ghost Rider," is an extraordinary document that details an incredibly painful time in his life and the recovery process that followed. In August 1997 Neil and then-wife Jackie Taylor lost their daughter Selena in a one-car traffic accident.
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Rush - Rush - Chemistry written by Jon Collins Review by Greg Olma There has not been much written about Rush. Aside from Neil Peart's books (which don't really touch on the band), there have only been a few shorts books written about this Canadian Institution.
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I have to admit that I was never one of those kids who went through a comic book phase in my early adolescence.I was always outdoors and didn’t enjoy reading until later in life.
Rush - Traveling Music: My Life and Times in Music written by Neil Peart Review by Steve Alspach For someone who is content to avoid the spotlight, Neil Peart picked a lousy occupation, drumming for one of the most popular bands in the world. He sure doesn't mind talking about himself, either, but unlike most, he resorts to the printed word to do so.
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The death of Neil Peart unfortunately put an end to Rush ever touring again.Like Led Zeppelin, you can't just replace an integral member easily, nor should the band even try.
On his first and only solo album to date, Geddy Lee plays bass, keyboard, guitar, sings and did some lyric writing for the first time in many years, as well.
Various Artists - Subdivisions - A Tribute To Rush Review by Gary Hill Subdivisions is a new Tribute album devoted to the music of Rush from Magna Carta Records. Those paying close attention and with a good memory, may be saying now; "didn't they do one before?"
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Victor - Victor Review by Vivian Lee In 1994, Rush guitarist decided to use the interim between albums and a tour to record his first solo, Victor. Invited guests include I Mother Earth's Edwin, Canadian singer/songwriter Dalbello, bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Bill Bell and drummer Blake Manning.
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Various Artists - Working Man Review by Gary Hill One of the early Magna Carta tribute CD's, this one is definitely not one of their finest. It does have some strong points, though, and the main area in which it is lacking is vocals.
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You'll find concert pics of this artist in the Music Street Journal members area.
