The secret badassery behind Rush
There is probably no fanbase in rock history more devoted than Rush fans. From the golden age of the 1970s to their breakup after their farewell album Clockwork Angels, the prog-rock power trio had a massive cult fanbase only rivalled by the Grateful Dead, remaining loyal to the band no matter the cost. Then again, for a period of time, liking Rush was never the coolest thing for anyone to admit.
In their prime, Rush was usually known as the band exclusively for music nerds. Instead of the odes to sex, drugs and rock and roll written by hard rock stalwarts like Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, Neil Peart wrote the floweriest prose about science fiction and how to relate to his fellow man. While none of those lyrics were customary in your average rock hit, the band’s pedigree is way more badass than most people would think.
When Peart first joined the band, Rush was still a customary hard rock outfit in the vein of Led Zeppelin. Once they started to embrace their love of acts like Yes and Genesis, though, their sound began shifting on albums like Fly By Night, which did nothing to endear them to their label.
Since virtually none of their songs saw chart success, the label insisted that the group make something more commercial. While the band was practically assigned to write hit singles, their decision to double down on their ambitious side on 2112 was practically a middle finger to their higher-ups.
Featuring a 20-minute epic to kick off the album, Rush’s decision to stick to their guns ended up winning their freedom, with fans flocking to them in droves. Since they didn’t have to worry about the standard promotional process, Rush would spend the next few years trying out every new genre they could get their hands on.
Outside of their multilayered prog symphonies, Rush’s most controversial albums in the 1980s also brought with them the greatest rock music of the decade. By distilling their music down into five-minute exercises, Rush finally was able to see chart success off the strength of tracks like ‘Limelight’ and ‘Tom Sawyer’. Rather than cower to what the radio wanted, the songs were so good that the stations practically came crawling to them.
Considering all of the music is played by three people, every band member pulls off superhuman feats as if it were second nature. While Alex Lifeson may have his sound rooted in classic rock heroes like Jimmy Page, he has never been afraid to take things in strange directions, like the Renaissance tinge of ‘A Farewell to Kings’ or the lonely whammy solo of ‘Limelight’. The same notion goes for Geddy Lee, who practically assaults his bass throughout every show with a precision that would make most lead guitarists jealous.
Then again, Neil Peart practically had the stamina of three different drummers whenever he stepped behind the kit. Never willing to play a straight beat, Peart became the answer to people like Keith Moon and John Bonham, crafting a drum groove like most guitarists might make riffs. Even though some may call it flashy, the groove that drops whenever Peart hammers out a drum solo was filled with mojo, falling between jazz fusion and machine-like precision.
The real badass factor behind a band like Rush is their fearlessness, even in defeat. After firmly solidifying themselves as a dad band in the 1990s, Peart was given the shock of a lifetime by losing his daughter and wife within a year of each other. While that kind of emotional stress would be enough for anyone to give up, Vapor Trails saw them returning even stronger, leaving behind their synthesiser tropes and turning in the grizzliest record of their career.
Throughout their career, the band was also never afraid to try new things. Even if not every song worked out as they’d hoped, Rush’s ethos was about making anything sound possible when they stepped behind their instruments. They may have been born out of the prog-rock genre, but the mentality of having no rules for any song is the closest to punk that progressive music would ever get. Many a father might claim that Rush is the best band in the world, but the band have earned that distinction at the top of the musical food chain.
