“Too far”: the 2002 Rush song that even they admitted was OTT
There shouldn’t really be any rules for rock and roll. The whole point of the genre was to make the wildest music imaginable, so why not go as big as possible whenever you go into the studio? Rush remain the masters of this fierce outlook.
The riffing Canadians may have been the kings of driving themselves forward whenever entering the studio, but Alex Lifeson admitted that one song may have pushed them just a bit too far. Brimming with confidence and maturity, they offered themselves a timely reminder with the track that even prog has no place for self-indulgence.
Then again, the words “that doesn’t fit” never seemed to be a part of the band’s vocabulary. Throughout their time as a prog-rock mainstay, nothing was off the table as long as it turned out the way that Rush was going to do it, bringing in everything from chimes to synthesisers to different folk instruments to get what they wanted.
After all, they were always built on defiance from the second that audiences began to question their unique sound. As Lifeson recalled of their breakthrough moment, “It really was, either we go home, and I go work for my dad as a plumbing assistant, or we just say screw everybody, we’re just going to make the record that we want to make, and if it fails, then at least it’s our thing, we did it. That was 2112 – so that was my protest record.”
Although none of their singles were necessarily radio fodder most of the time, the 1980s saw them actually landing songs on the charts, with ‘Tom Sawyer’ and ‘Limelight’ becoming some of the biggest hits of their career. After spending years as a progressive-rock outfit, things began to change when they got in touch with the digital world.
While many fans lost their lunch over the band’s synthesiser period in the 1980s, they were willing to stretch much more when they reached the 1990s. With the invention of the CD, Rush songs didn’t have to be limited to the time restraints of vinyl anymore, leading to them spreading their wings on albums like Counterparts and Test For Echo.
Even though the size of the record got longer, that willingness to push themselves never went away. Despite being more compact than their previous material, works like ‘Animate’ and ‘Driven’ are beloved deep cuts in the band’s discography for a reason, having the same kind of immediacy as their hard rock side while never compromising their central sound.
Rush dial up the complexity
Once touring wrapped up for Test For Echo, they didn’t know if they were ever going to return to the studio after Neil Peart left the group for a few years to focus on himself. After losing his wife and child within a year of each other, Peart was lost before returning to the band, rising like a phoenix from the ashes and delivering his signature magic on the album Vapor Trails back in 2002 amid the indie boom.
Since they could now layer multiple guitars, basses, and percussion overdubs on everything, though, they decided to have some fun on the song ‘Earthshine’. While the piece sounds barebones at the start, there’s much more going on than what meets the eye, including different pieces going through the left and right speaker.
Looking back on the track, Lifeson thought that ‘Earthshine’ was a moment where their ambition got the better of them, telling Louder, “Naturally, being Rush, we took it too far…Like’ Earthshine’, you know? Great song, but so fucking hard to play live because there was one chorus that was different, so then it pushes the other two choruses. That could be a mess live.” In effect, it had three choruses, and Lifeson always found that a little bit too much even for them.
Ironically, many fans would disagree with Lifeson, proving the sort of love for complexity that the band have engendered. I suppose, where the band see indulgence, fans may well quip, ‘Yeah, but that’s exactly what we love about you’. Besides, that riff coupled with those peculiar timings really are a thing to behold.
Though the band still delivered whenever they played the track live, the kind of endurance and brain stamina it takes to make one’s way through the song is borderline impossible under the circumstances of just three people. Then again, if you’re playing in Rush and not being tested live, you’re probably not doing your job right. Let the OTTness continue!
Never Miss A Tale
The Far Out Classic Rock Newsletter
All the latest Classic Rock content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.