Three good friends that stayed together in music. Very rare! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb-MwVUUy3g
Rob, thanks for posting this. Rush is a band that has always been very intriguing to me. That is to say, I have never considered myself a fan of their music, but they as people seem interesting and I always enjoy watching documentaries or interviews with them. They all seem like real, genuine people.
you should go see them live Kenneth- I felt exactly the same as you until I finally went to a show on the “Time Machine” tour (where they played the entire “Moving Pictures” album, and a ton of other older/newer songs)- that switch was flipped for me and I’ve been digging through their immense catalog of amazing music with headphones on ever since!(really just the stuff from the 1st album to “Grace Under Pressure” to clarify, the digital synth era doesn’t really move me as much, and I’m still to busy digesting the earlier albums to check out their newer stuff)- you should check out the documentary “Beyond the Lighted Stage”- they really are normal-seeming geeky guys STILL! a buddy of mine in LA saw Geddy and Alex in traffic, (Geddy driving) driving a run of the mill rent-a-car- no flaunting and preening about like some lesser rock stars out there…
It’s funny how people, when they find out my other musical interests, tell me that I’d love Rush. I’ve given them a fair try and they’ve never done anything for me. I agree that they are really very interesting people in their interviews. But their music really does absolutely nothing for me.
Is there an album of theirs that I can listen to that might change my mind? I’d be happy to give them another chance…
Stephen
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My first experience with Rush was the album, Hemispheres. After listening to it more, and getting used to Geddy Lee’s voice, I could really appreciate their musicianship. There was a huge void in music at that time. ProgRock was dead but Rush had a Prog sound and Hard Rock at the same time. This sparked my interest in the band. During the early 80’s, I ran a ski shop and Rush’s album, Moving Pictures, became our driving music from Long Island, NY to VT ski areas. The constant changes and the movement of the music was perfect for high speed sprints to VT. I purchased all their albums through Presto. I like each album for different reasons. There is something to be said for a band that never sells out and stays true to its listeners for over 4 decades. The band always embraced new technology, especially with analogue synthesizers and the use of midi. What made me like the band even more was their genuine friendship with each other. It was like your friends were in the band and you had to support them. I’m glad they finally got accepted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. …long overdue, don’t you think? I have varied musical tastes that have changed along the years, however, Rush always seems to be a constant source of enjoyment.
Rush continued making prog rock when it was out of favor, and they were successful at it. When “Moving Pictures” came out in 1980, punk and new wave were in full swing and prog groups such as Yes, ELP, Genesis were either on the wane or out altogether.
A lot of the 1980s Rush I immediately liked, later stuff either didn’t appeal to me or had to grow on me.
I can count on one hand those bands still performing where the same members were intact after three decades. Alex Geddy and Neil have a strong friendship and they are the most level headed musicians in the business who never let fame get to their heads. They also are no idiots with the media and the music business and refuse to be taken advantage of. They won that freedom with the success of “2112”.
Yes John Rutsey was their original drummer, but he didn’t agree with the prog rock direction and he bailed out after they signed the recording contract. John and Alex were friends since their early teens but John drifted apart as the group got more successful. Neil not only gave the band the technical power that had been lacking with Rutsey, but he was also their lyricist. One of the bonus features on a Rush concert DVD was a concert film with the original trio, and Rutsey’s tempo kept speeding up and slowing down.
Just some fun with Alex. http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=xRCYP1jSMJQ
Yeah… “TAKE OFF” ~ this song from THE GREAT WHITE NORTH is a real BEAUTY…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot70G4wSQi0
'Cuz like Geddy Lee does some really decent singing — eh? 