“Really progressive”: The one pop genre that Rush loved
In the early 1980s, Rush were on top of the world. Against all odds, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart had emerged from the previous decade intact. Not only had they managed to refine their sound in line with the classic rock era’s continued evolvement, but they’d dodged the very alarming existential crisis that their 1975 complete shift into progressive rock, Caress of Steel, had delivered. They returned from the brink to hit back the haters and produce what might well be their ultimate moment, 2112.
The 1976 album kicked off a majorly successful run for Rush, and the decade’s end was immensely fruitful. A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres followed 2112, with tracks such as ‘Xanadu’ and ‘La Villa Strangiato (An Exercise in Self-Indulgence)’ lauded as staples of the prog genre, a form that many associated with the outdated essence of the early decade, and a vestige of a musical past that should be forgotten, according to the punks.
Yet, Rush were keeping the prog flame alive with their fantastical lyrics, often extensive compositions and scintillating virtuosity, and they had masses of fans at their beck and call, a very tangible contradiction to what the likes of Sex Pistols and The Clash would have had their followers believe.
1978’s Hemispheres paved the way for what was to come. They would then reach even greater prominence with more commercially viable tracks. Because of this, 1980’s Permanent Waves was also a tremendous global hit. Featuring the lead single ‘Spirit of the Radio’, which boasted an infectious chorus, and guitarist Alex Lifeson’s metallic, but poppy central riff, it affirmed that Rush were more than adept at moving with the times, and had much more in the locker, creatively and commercially.
The trio acted quickly, and the following year’s Moving Pictures, boasting classics such as ‘Limelight’ and ‘Tom Sawyer’, saw them cement their place in the annals of rock. 1982’s Signals then bolstered this, with cuts such as ‘Subdivisions’ standing out in their rapidly expanding oeuvre, as Lee’s continued use of synthesisers and the band’s adept use of new wave textures – not to mention Lifeson’s mullet and bowtie – fitting in perfectly with the spirit of the era. That wasn’t bad going at all for the band of former hard-rock-loving hippies.
Although the end of the 1980s would be a strange one for Rush, with a handful of ensuing albums not well critically received due to their prominent use of synths and electronics over typical rock sounds, they still contained quality. Before too long, they consolidated themselves and released hits such as A Show of Hands and 1991’s Roll the Bones.
It might have gone askew for a handful of years, but one of Rush’s most effective sonic weapons was their scope. Not only were the three individually exceptional musicians, but they all loved an array of different music. Still, more importantly than this, they kept up to date with the hottest contemporary innovators. While Lee’s love of Icelandic experimental popstar Björk reflects this most, in 1981, he revealed that he was a big lover of The New Romantic genre, a blend of synth-pop and art-rock very of its era that the band tapped into with tracks such as ‘Subdivisions’.
Speaking to Classic Rock in 1981, Lee revealed his love for acts like Spandau Ballet and Ultravox and their distinctive approach. He said: “Spandau Ballet, Visage, Ultravox… there’s some good music going down. The thing I really like is that the bands concerned are being highly creative. They’re applying feel to technology with synthesis and it all sounds really positive, really progressive. It’s a happy music too, the whole antithesis of the punk movement which got too angry and hateful for me. “
Years later, Lee clarified his position on punk outside of The New Romantics providing a happy, artistic counterpoint to the snarling movement that hated groups like his. Outlining how Rush viewed their own artistic refinement, he said acts like Sex Pistols were great for them, as they made them appear as masterful as Beethoven and “legitimised” their complex work.
