The Björk album Geddy Lee names as one of his all-time favourites
In his time, Rush frontman and bassist Geddy Lee has made it clear that he is a lover of pretty much all good music, with the only requirement being that it is exciting and original.
Whether it be Led Zeppelin, The Who or even Radiohead, Geddy Lee’s record collection features some of the best to have ever done it, and the bassist has always spoken lucidly about the effect artists have on him and culture at large. Of Led Zeppelin, he told Classic Rock in 2021: “They were a huge, huge influence on us. We wanted to be them instantly. But their stuff was hard to play. We tried a number of Zeppelin songs when we played in the bars, but we felt we couldn’t pull them off. We did have ‘Livin’ Lovin’ Maid’ in our set for a while though.”
Bridging the gap between musical legend and everyday fan, this fusion makes Lee one of the most fascinating commentators on the subject, with him always bringing a hefty dose of panache to his accounts. In 2012, the Rush figurehead sat down with The Quietus to list his favourite albums of all time, which made for a compelling read, featuring definitive offerings by outfits from the realm of classic rock.
However, it is Björk’s second studio album, 1995’s Post, that remains the most intriguing of the bunch. Featuring the hit singles ‘Army of Me’ and ‘It’s Oh So Quiet’, it is the only distinctly non-rock album on Lee’s list. He acknowledged this, too, saying it is “probably the most surprising” of his selections. Whilst he said he found it hard to see any tangible musical connection between his band and Björk, Lee outlined how “fantastic and truly original” the Icelandic musician is and noted her “immense imagination”.
Lee said: “This is probably the most surprising album on this list and, I know, it is hard to see any connection between Rush and Bjork. Maybe there isn’t one. But I don’t thing she gets the credit that she deserves. Journalists tend to focus on the things she says and does and, of course, what she is wearing. She is a very visual artist so perhaps that is understandable.”
Continuing, Lee added: “But people tend to forget just what a fantastic and truly original artist she really is. She is not afraid to try new things, either. In fact she thrives on it. It would have been very easy for her to have gone the pop route and built on her hit singles. There must have been pressure for her to do that but it is not what she is about. Just great music powered by an immense imagination.”
Listen to Post below.
