Rush (band): Difference between revisions

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''And we are merely players''

''Performers and portrayers''

''Each another's audience outside the gilded cage"'' ~~|'''[[Rockstar Song|Limelight]]''', from ''Moving Pictures''}}~~

''Each another's audience outside the gilded cage"''

|'''[[Rockstar Song|Limelight]]''', from ''Moving Pictures''}}

Rush is a Canadian [[Progressive Rock]] trio formed in 1968, although, listening to some of their songs, you'd never guess there are only three of them. They're probably best known for Geddy Lee's "wait, is that a guy?" vocals and prominent bass and Neil Peart's sometimes [[Objectivism~~|Objectivism~~-inspired lyrics]]. While the band has always been an album rock (and later classic rock) radio favorite, Rush saw a decent boost to their popularity for their contributions to the video game ''[[Rock Band]]''. One of those bands that splits people down the middle - a lot of people don't like [[Never Live It Down|Peart's fondness]] for [[Ayn Rand]], and a lot of people hate [[Progressive Rock]] in general. In fairness, it should be noted that Peart ~~does~~ not agree with the ''whole'' of Rand's philosophy and removed the "thank you" to her from the credits for ''2112'' (as of at least the original compact disc issue). When fans ask him about the subject, however, he ~~still acknowledges~~ that he ''~~does~~'' have areas of agreement with Rand. (However, he characterized himself as a "left-leaning libertarian" in a 2005 interview; one thing Rand certainly was not is left-leaning).

Rush is a Canadian [[Progressive Rock]] trio formed in 1968, although, listening to some of their songs, you'd never guess there are only three of them. They're probably best known for Geddy Lee's "wait, is that a guy?" vocals and prominent bass and Neil Peart's sometimes [[Objectivism]]-inspired lyrics. While the band has always been an album rock (and later classic rock) radio favorite, Rush saw a decent boost to their popularity for their contributions to the video game ''[[Rock Band]]''. One of those bands that splits people down the middle - a lot of people don't like [[Never Live It Down|Peart's fondness]] for [[Ayn Rand]], and a lot of people hate [[Progressive Rock]] in general. In fairness, it should be noted that Peart did not agree with the ''whole'' of Rand's philosophy and removed the "thank you" to her from the credits for ''2112'' (as of at least the original compact disc issue). When fans ask him about the subject, however, he acknowledged that he ''did'' have areas of agreement with Rand. (However, he characterized himself as a "left-leaning libertarian" in a 2005 interview; one thing Rand certainly was not is left-leaning).

Although most commonly associated with [[Progressive Rock]], their style has varied considerably during their career. Originating with a fairly straightforward [[Hard Rock]]/[[Heavy Metal]] sound heavily influenced by [[Deep Purple]] and [[Led Zeppelin]]; they remained such for their first few albums, similarly incorporating [[Heavy Mithril|fantasy and science-fiction themes into their lyrics]], and elaborate arrangements into their instrumentals. They were increasingly influenced by the growing [[Progressive Rock]] movement, but maintained a harder-edged sound than most of their contemporaries; and it was at this point that Peart's infatuation with the writings of [[Ayn Rand]] became prominent. They soon began to incorporate Jazz, New Wave, Pop, and Reggae influences; and transitioned to a predominantly Synth Rock style. From here, while maintaining some of the Progressive sound; they began moving back into their earlier Hard Rock style, including the release of an album of covers of songs by their earliest [[Hard Rock]] influences like [[The Who]], The Yardbirds, and Cream.

The group's lineup ~~has~~ remained constant since Peart joined in 1974 to replace original drummer [[The Pete Best|John Rutsey]], making them the [[Long Runner Lineup|third-longest enduring group in modern pop music]] (only [[ZZ Top]] and Golden Earring have been together longer). That lineup ~~consists~~ of:

The group's lineup remained constant since Peart joined in 1974 to replace original drummer [[The Pete Best|John Rutsey]] until the group finally decided to stop performing in 2018, making them the [[Long Runner Lineup|third-longest enduring group in modern pop music]] (only [[ZZ Top]] and [[Golden Earring]] have been together longer). That lineup consisted of:

* Geddy Lee (b. Gary Lee Weinrib): Bass, keyboards, and lead vocals

* Geddy Lee (b. Gary Lee Weinrib, July 29, 1953 - ): Bass, keyboards, and lead vocals

* Alex Lifeson (b. Aleksandar Živojinović<ref>translated from Serbian, it means "son of life"</ref>): Guitar

* Alex Lifeson (b. Aleksandar Živojinović,<ref>translated from Serbian, it means "son of life"</ref> 27 August 1953 - ): Guitar

* Neil Peart: Drums and percussion (occasionally referred to as "The Professor" during the band's early years)

* Neil Peart (September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020): Drums and percussion (occasionally referred to as "The Professor" during the band's early years)

Once Peart joined the band, he became the primary lyricist, while Lee and Lifeson concentrated on the music. Before that point, Lee and Lifeson did all the songwriting; Rutsey had written some lyrics for their eponymous 1974 debut album, but threw them out.

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* ''Feedback'' (2004): "Summertime Blues", "Crossroads"

* ''Snakes & Arrows'' (2007): "Far Cry", "Spindrift", "The Main Monkey Business"

* ''Clockwork Angels'' (2012~~, not yet released~~): "Caravan", "BU2B", "Headlong Flight"

* ''Clockwork Angels'' (2012): "Caravan", "BU2B", "Headlong Flight"

* [[Creator Thumbprint|Philosophical musings about Objectivism,]] especially in the period from ''2112'' to ''Moving Pictures''

* [[Heavy Mithril|Fantasy and sci-fi themes and settings]], often in tandem with the above; ''2112'', for example, is a loose adaptation of Ayn Rand's ''Anthem''

** Preceding albums ''Fly By Night'' and ''Caress of Steel'' show substantial influences from [[J. R. R. ~~Tolkien|JRR~~ Tolkien]] (likely a result of the heavy [[Led Zeppelin]] influence at that point) and [[Robert E. Howard]].

** Preceding albums ''Fly By Night'' and ''Caress of Steel'' show substantial influences from [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] (likely a result of the heavy [[Led Zeppelin]] influence at that point) and [[Robert E. Howard]].

* [[Concept Album|Conceptually linked songs]] spread out across an entire album side, or even multiple albums as in the case of "Cygnus X-1" (two) or the "Fear" series (three, expanded to four once ''Vapor Trails'' came out).

** ''Clockwork Angels'' is a full-on concept album.

* As with the above, [[Rock Opera~~|Rock Operas~~]]

* As with the above, [[Rock Opera]]s

* [[Epic Rocking|Long songs]] with [[Epic Instrumental Opener|Epic Instrumental Openers]], with the band's live shows featuring increasingly elaborate drum solos as a mid-piece of the concert. Since [[The Nineties]], Peart has used multiple drum kits on a circular platform that rotates around his seat so that he may at various points play traditional drums, xylophones, other exotic types of percussion, electric drums, or synth pads set to play brass band samples.

** Commented on by a [[Stephen Colbert|comedian]] hosting the band on his [[The Colbert Report|show]]: "The band Rush appears. Either that, or a drum factory exploded in the studio."

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* A good sense of humor about themselves (as shown by their collaborations with ''[[South Park]]'', ''SCTV'', and ''[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]]'', some of which are used in their live shows)

** Don't forget ''Trailer Park Boys''.

** Worth noting is that [[Trey Parker and Matt Stone]] are ~~HUGE~~ fans of Rush, with Stone appearing in the band's documentary ''Beyond the Lighted Stage''.

** Worth noting is that [[Trey Parker and Matt Stone]] are ''huge'' fans of Rush, with Stone appearing in the band's documentary ''Beyond the Lighted Stage''.

*** Humorously, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh_9NY56Sxw the ''South Park'' intro for "Tom Sawyer"] has the [[Irony|racist and antisemitic Cartman acting as the Jewish Geddy Lee.]]

** When they played on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'', they played on through the credits of the show...and all the way until the opening tag of the next day's show, poking fun at the length of some of their songs and the usual length of their live shows.

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* [[Beauty, Brains, and Brawn]]:

** Geddy Lee- Beauty

⚫

** Alex Lifeson- Brawn

** Neil Peart- Brains

⚫

** Alex Lifeson- Brawn

* [[Cool Car]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djVGhqvl_8A "Red Barchetta"], itself inspired by Richard S. Foster's short story [http://www.fiatbarchetta.com/links/nice.html "A Nice Morning Drive"].

* [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]]: Alex. There are serious depths behind that goofy persona and big derpy grin. Just listen to his solo album, ''[[Darker and Edgier|Victor]]'', for proof. Especially "Don't Care" (extremely rough [[Intercourse with You]]), "At the End" (an elderly man who misses his wife so desperately that he is [[Driven to Suicide]]), and the title track, a poem by WH Auden set to music. Alex provides rather disturbing/chilling vocals on At the End and Victor.

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