The 2004 cover Geddy Lee called “the best thing” Rush ever recorded
You could ask one hundred fans to name their favourite Rush song, and you would, most probably, receive one hundred different answers.
After all, there is certainly no shortage of material to choose from. Canada’s premier progressive rock band recorded 19 studio albums during a discography which spanned five decades and various different musical styles. From their hard rock beginnings to the prog rock mastery of records like Fly by Night – even their controversial ‘keyboard era’ had its supporters. For the band themselves, though, career highlights come from the most unexpected of places.
Cover songs are tricky to master; what often starts out life as a fun homage to an artist’s influence can often be reduced to little more than a half-arsed cash-grab or, worse, an insult to the original record. For a group like Rush, cover songs might seem like a strange alley to walk down.
After all, the band had always favoured pioneering new musical styles and writing groundbreaking prog-rock anthems from the very beginning of their existence back in 1968. However, as their career progressed, becoming increasingly complex as it went along, cover songs offered the band a little bit of light relief.
For a band so often associated with precision and technical ambition, returning to simpler material carried a different kind of challenge. It was not about complexity or innovation, but about feel, about capturing the spirit of songs that had originally thrived on immediacy. That shift in focus required a subtle recalibration, asking the band to step outside their usual instincts and engage with music in a more direct, less analytical way.
There was also an element of reflection in the process. By revisiting the songs that had shaped their early listening habits, Rush were, in a sense, tracing their own origins. These were not just tracks they admired, but pieces of music that had informed their understanding of what a band could be. Stripping things back and engaging with that material allowed them to reconnect with those formative influences, even as their own sound had long since moved into more intricate territory.
As a result, the band recorded an entire EP of cover songs, 2004’s Feedback, which saw Rush reimagine a variety of iconic rock and blues songs, with a particular focus on the rebellion of the 1960s. From The Who’s ‘The Seeker’ to Buffalo Springfield’s ‘For What It’s Worth’, Rush showed a clear appreciation for the defiant 1960s rock and roll records that paved the way for the hard rock era that birthed the Canadian rockers in the first place.
The 1960s was a revolutionary time for both music and politics. More so than perhaps any other modern era, the decade featured widespread youthful rebellion, with an incredible soundtrack to boot. Although Rush were never really a part of this stunning counterculture scene, having released their first album years later in 1974, they were certainly indebted to the inspiration that it provided them as young men.
This inspiration was laid out beautifully on Feedback, released to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the band’s hard rock debut. Covering some of the most iconic rock tracks of the 1960s, along with some of the blues and rock ‘n’ roll tracks which influenced that era, Rush demonstrated their incredible taste, as well as their dedication to rock history. Among the covers was a daring new version of ‘Heart Full of Soul’, originally recorded by iconic blues rock outfit The Yardbirds back in 1965.
‘Heart Full of Soul’ is an important song in the lineage of rock for multiple reasons; not only did it introduce mainstream audiences to the guitar stylings of Jeff Beck, and mark one of the earliest uses of a fuzz-box guitar effect, the song also signified the first use of Indian music influences on rock, ushering in the age of psychedelic rock and spiritualism, In other words, it makes sense why Rush would want to pay tribute to the 1965 song.
Although no new recording of the song could stand up to The Yardbirds’ original, Rush’s attempt was certainly commendable. Bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee certainly knew the quality of the cover version, once sharing, “We changed it up a little bit. The verses are very simple, and the choruses kind of kick in with a block of harmony that I wrote.”
In fact, Lee went as far as to call their version of ‘Heart Full of Soul’, “One of the best things we’ve ever recorded,” explaining, “As soon as it comes on, it sounds contemporary, but it sounds like the ’60s, too. It feels like there should be an Austin Powers movie running with it simultaneously.”
It is difficult to imagine many Rush fans agreeing with the idea that the cover song is among the greatest tracks Rush ever recorded, particularly given the undeniable excellence of their earlier material during the prog rock peak of the 1970s. However, Lee’s sentiment likely arises from the enjoyment the band had while recording that EP, which is certainly difficult to argue against.
