“Fundamental”: Geddy Lee discusses the most balanced Rush record
Countless artists have driven themselves to near-madness in the pursuit of the elusive ‘perfect sound’. While some groups are content with finding their own unique voice and sticking to that sound for multiple albums. On the other end of the spectrum, there are a noble few artists who never stop trying to pursue the development of their music, darting between different influences and genre conventions in the process. One such band is prog rock pioneers Rush, who rarely stayed in one sonic surrounding.
From their initial formation in 1968, Rush were experts in blending a wide variety of influences. From the blues rock of The Yardbirds to the pioneering hard rock of Led Zeppelin, Rush soaked up influences from every corner of the musical world. Although their eponymous debut in 1974 was hardly a masterpiece, it still provided an essential stepping stone for the Canadian rockers in recruiting the likes of drummer Neil Peart, who was utterly essential to the development and perfection of their sound.
It was their progressive rock period during the 1970s which earned Rush such a dedicated following, but the band were never going to stay welded to that sound indefinitely. As their long and illustrious career progressed, the band explored various different musical avenues, from old-school blues rock to their controversial keyboard era during the 1980s.
Of course, the band always returned to its hard rock and prog roots eventually. However, these flirts into other areas of music and genre helped to bolster their reputation as an innovative rock band that simply refused to stay in one place for too long.
Ultimately, it is up for debate whether Rush ever really landed on the perfect sound that they spent decades perusing. According to the band themselves, though, some of their later material stood out as their most well-rounded. Speaking to Classic Rock in 2009, Geddy Lee reflected on the band’s 2007 album Snakes & Arrows. “In particular with Snakes & Arrows,” he said, “We found that space we’ve been wanting to get to in terms of keeping the balance of influences.”
Explaining the changing sound of Rush over the years, Lee shared, “There are so many ways we can go, and because we’re over-ambitious when putting our songs together, it’s very easy to bloat in one direction or to lose yourself in the excitement of a new sound.” It was with their 2007 effort that Rush seemingly perfected that balance of old and new, as well as all the various musical influences that the band have drawn upon over the years.
“I think it began with Vapor Trails,” Lee recalled, suggesting that this perfect blend had been in the works for many years, “But really came together with Snakes & Arrows. And I think the Feedback EP we did really helped because it reminded us of our roots and a lot of fundamental things about rock songs that may have got lost in the technocratic attitude that we sometimes have.”
It was the Feedback EP which demonstrated the breadth of Rush’s influences. The release was composed of various cover songs, taking on innovative new versions of many classic rock, blues, and counterculture anthems that had influenced the Canadian rockers during their earliest period back in the 1960s. Clearly, the recording of this EP had an incredible effect on the production of Snakes & Arrows a handful of years later, imbuing that record with some endearingly retro sounds.
