Geddy Lee’s favourite bassline for Rush: “I wanted to make a statement”
It might be expected that asking a musician to pick a favourite moment from their discography would be like asking someone to pick a favourite child, having put love, time and effort into each release. But for Rush’s Geddy Lee, the answer is a practical one, with one bassline seeming to summarise his whole ethos and role in the band.
As the group’s bass player, Lee is responsible for Rush’s most iconic basslines and grooves. His unique style has made him one of the most revered players on the instrument, with hordes of bassists ever since he learned his riffs to try and get up to his standard.
When asked to pick his favourite bassline from the band’s discography, he was spoiled for choice. However, his answer is not just about the musical part he likes playing the most or what sounds the best. Instead, it highlights a broader conversation about what the role of a bassist actually is.
“My job as a bassist in a trio was to somehow create a tone that had enough bottom end to be satisfying,” Lee explained. “A bass player is supposed to provide the bottom end — it makes you rumble and makes you move,” he continued. However, while a bassist is there to provide a solid yet hooking foundation, Lee has also always had an ear for flair.
“At the same time, I’m a kind of obnoxious player. I want to be heard. I don’t want to just be satisfied with tickling the bottom of people who are listening,” he said. While he’s content to play his role and play it well, he always wants some stand-out moments that demand attention. “I’m happy to tickle your bottom, but I want to crunch at the top. I want to make a statement,” he said. As he attempted to balance those two elements in Rush, the task motivated the group as Lee said, “It led to a lot of experimenting.”
Balance is key. Especially in a band where all three members were at the top of their game and deserving of the spotlight, they needed to work in tandem rather than making a mess by fighting for their moment.
“The trick in Rush was always to be able to find a proud sound for the bass that still worked with the other instruments and didn’t hog too much of the spotlight,” Lee explained, “We tried to share the spotlight. To be aggressive and stay out of the way when you needed to stay out of the way was always a challenge for me.”
But there’s one song where he thinks he absolutely nailed that, finding the sweet spot between attention-grabbing and foundation-building with his bassline. He describes his part on the track ‘Red Barchetta’ as “quintessential” due to its display of this balance.
“I was really happy with the song’s sound because it’s quite an expressive bass part and a dreamy story,” he said of the track. But, mainly, he likes it for that mix of grounding bass and what he calls “crunchy” details. “The bass cuts and punches through with that nice balance of the bottom end and crunchy top that’s so hard to always make work,” he said.
In fact, he sees ‘Red Barchetta’ as the moment when he finally succeeded in getting that balance just right, helping to find the sound of the band. The 1981 track was a breakthrough piece, and Lee finally knew his place in the band. “‘Red Barchetta’ for me was an establishment of that tone,” he said, considering it the blueprint for everything that came after.
