Initially inspired by Keith Moon, Peart absorbed the influence of other rock drummers from the 1960s and 1970s such as Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice, and John Bonham.
Rush was a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto in 1968, consisting of Geddy Lee (bass, vocals, keyboards, composer), Alex Lifeson (guitars, composer), and Neil Peart (drums, percussion, lyricist).
The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. ==History== ===1968–1974: Early years and debut album=== The band was formed in the neighbourhood of Willowdale in Toronto, Ontario, by guitarist Alex Lifeson, bassist and frontman Jeff Jones, and drummer John Rutsey, in August 1968.
While Lee's synthesizers had been featured instruments ever since the late 1970s, keyboards were suddenly shifted from the contrapuntal background to the melodic front-lines in songs like "Countdown" and the lead-off track "Subdivisions".
Lifeson incorporated touches of Spanish and classical music into Rush's sound during the 1970s, reflecting his interest in progressive rock guitarists like Steve Hackett and Steve Howe.
Initially inspired by Keith Moon, Peart absorbed the influence of other rock drummers from the 1960s and 1970s such as Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice, and John Bonham.
In May 1971, the band stabilised as a trio of Lifeson, Rutsey, and Lee.
In 1971, the legal drinking age was decreased from 21 to 18, allowing the band to play bars and clubs.
Rush entered the studio in 1973 to record their first single; their cover of "Not Fade Away" by Buddy Holly was chosen as it had become a crowd favorite.
In late 1973, Rush performed their first major gig, opening for the New York Dolls in Toronto, and finished putting down tracks for their first album.
Lee quickly wrote a fresh set based on earlier versions, which was used on the final takes. The debut album, Rush, was released in March 1974; the initial pressing of 3,500 copies quickly sold out.
In June 1974, Danniels signed Rush to the American booking agency ATI, of which executive Ira Blacker sent a copy of Rush to Mercury Records.
The record caught the attention of A&R man Cliff Burnstein, who signed Rush with a $75,000 advance as part of a $200,000 deal. Following a series of Canadian dates, Rutsey played his last gig with the band on July 25, 1974.
When the US tour finished in December 1974, Rush had reached its peak of No.
The lyrics up to this point were heavily influenced by classical poetry, fantasy literature, science fiction, and the writings of novelist Ayn Rand, as exhibited most prominently by their 1975 song "Anthem" from Fly By Night and a specifically acknowledged derivation in 2112 (1976).
5 in Canada, becoming their first to reach double Platinum certification. Rush toured 2112 between February 1976 and June 1977 with concerts in Canada, the US, and for the first time Europe, with dates in the UK, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands.
The three sold out shows at Massey Hall, Toronto in June 1976 were recorded for Rush's debut live album, All the World's a Stage.
5 in Canada, becoming their first to reach double Platinum certification. Rush toured 2112 between February 1976 and June 1977 with concerts in Canada, the US, and for the first time Europe, with dates in the UK, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands.
In 1979, The Rolling Stone Record Guide called it "the power boogie band for the 16 magazine graduating class".
The band's rise in popularity continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with some albums charting highly in both Canada and the US, including Permanent Waves (1980), Moving Pictures (1981), Signals (1982) and Counterparts (1993).
The band's style changed over the years, from a blues-inspired [rock] beginning, later moving into progressive rock, then a period marked by heavy use of synthesizers, before returning to guitar-driven hard rock since the end of the 1980s.
Rush toured Permanent Waves for six months through 1980 to over 650,000 people across 96 shows, becoming their first to make a profit.
After the tour, Rush joined fellow Toronto-based rock band Max Webster to record "Battle Scar" for their 1980 release, Universal Juveniles.
Lifeson, like many guitarists in the mid-to-late 1980s, experimented with processors that reduced his instrument to echoey chord bursts and thin leads.
After Rush's departure in 1989, Mercury released a double Platinum two-volume compilation of their Rush catalogue, Chronicles (1990). ===1989–2000: Return to guitar-oriented sound and hiatus=== Rush started to deviate from its 1980s style with the albums Presto and Roll the Bones.
In the 1980s, Rush merged their sound with the trends of this period, experimenting with new wave, reggae, and pop rock.
The bulk of the band's music has always included synthetic instruments, and this has been a source of contention among fans and critics, especially the band's heavy usage of synthesizers and keyboards during the 1980s, particularly on albums Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, and Hold Your Fire. The members of Rush have noted people "either love Rush or hate Rush", resulting in strong detractors and an intensely loyal fan base.
To adapt to Lee's expanding use of synthesizers in the 1980s, Lifeson took inspiration from guitarists like Allan Holdsworth, Andy Summers of The Police and The Edge of U2, who gave him models for rethinking the guitar's role in Rush's music.
During the band's early years, Peart's lyrics were largely fantasy/science fiction-focused, though after 1980 he focused more on social, emotional, and humanitarian issues.
To achieve this goal, beginning in the late 1980s, Rush included a capacious rack of digital samplers in their concert equipment to recreate the sounds of non-traditional instruments, accompaniments, vocal harmonies, and other sound "events" in real-time to match the sounds on the studio versions of the songs.
The band accepted; the song went on, after reworking by Peart, to become "Tom Sawyer". Rush's popularity reached its pinnacle with the release of Moving Pictures in early 1981.
Stage Left, in 1981. ===1981–1989: Synthesizer-oriented era=== The band underwent another stylistic change with the recording of Signals in 1982.
Stage Left, in 1981. ===1981–1989: Synthesizer-oriented era=== The band underwent another stylistic change with the recording of Signals in 1982.
Ultimately, Rush and Brown parted ways in 1983, and the experimentation with new electronic instruments and varying musical styles would come into further play on their next studio album. The style and production of Signals were augmented and taken to new heights on Grace Under Pressure (1984).
After Rush's departure in 1989, Mercury released a double Platinum two-volume compilation of their Rush catalogue, Chronicles (1990). ===1989–2000: Return to guitar-oriented sound and hiatus=== Rush started to deviate from its 1980s style with the albums Presto and Roll the Bones.
The band's rise in popularity continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with some albums charting highly in both Canada and the US, including Permanent Waves (1980), Moving Pictures (1981), Signals (1982) and Counterparts (1993).
In the early 1990s, the band transformed their style once again to return to a more grounded hard rock style and simultaneously harmonize with the alternative rock movement. ==Reputation and legacy== More than 40 years of activity has provided Rush with the opportunity for musical diversity across their discography.
Lifeson's guitar returned to the forefront in the 1990s, and especially on Vapor Trails (2002).
In the 1990s, he reinvented his style with the help of drum coach Freddie Gruber. Peart also served as Rush's primary lyricist, attracting much attention over the years for his eclectic style.
The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. ==History== ===1968–1974: Early years and debut album=== The band was formed in the neighbourhood of Willowdale in Toronto, Ontario, by guitarist Alex Lifeson, bassist and frontman Jeff Jones, and drummer John Rutsey, in August 1968.
In October 1996, in support of Test For Echo, the band embarked on a North American tour, the band's first without an opening act and dubbed "An Evening with Rush".
The tour was broken up into two segments spanning October through December 1996 and May through July 1997. After the conclusion of the Test for Echo tour in 1997, the band entered a five-year hiatus primarily due to personal tragedies in Peart's life.
It is the equivalent of a "forever" stamp in the US. The band members were made Officers of the Order of Canada in 1996.
Rush continued to record and perform until 1997, after which the band entered a four year hiatus due to personal tragedies in Peart's life.
The tour was broken up into two segments spanning October through December 1996 and May through July 1997. After the conclusion of the Test for Echo tour in 1997, the band entered a five-year hiatus primarily due to personal tragedies in Peart's life.
Peart's daughter Selena died in a car crash in August 1997, followed by the death of his wife Jacqueline from cancer in June 1998.
Peart's daughter Selena died in a car crash in August 1997, followed by the death of his wife Jacqueline from cancer in June 1998.
In the book, he writes of how he had told his bandmates at Selena's funeral, "consider me retired." On November 10, 1998, a three-disc live album entitled Different Stages was released, dedicated to the memory of Selena and Jacqueline.
Trent Reznor considers Rush to be one of his favourite bands in the 2010 documentary Beyond the Lighted Stage and has particularly cited the album Signals as a major influence on how to incorporate keyboards and synthesizers into hard rock. Rush was eligible for nomination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame beginning in 1998; the band was nominated for entry in 2012 and their induction was announced on December 11, 2012.
Peart and Nuttall married on September 9, 2000. ===2001–2009: Comeback, Vapor Trails, and Snakes & Arrows=== In January 2001, Lee, Lifeson, and Peart came together to see if they could reassemble the band.
The trio regrouped in 2001 and released three more studio albums: Vapor Trails (2002), Snakes & Arrows (2007), and Clockwork Angels (2012).
Peart and Nuttall married on September 9, 2000. ===2001–2009: Comeback, Vapor Trails, and Snakes & Arrows=== In January 2001, Lee, Lifeson, and Peart came together to see if they could reassemble the band.
Vapor Trails was released on May 14, 2002; to herald the band's comeback, the single and lead track from the album, "One Little Victory", was designed to grab the attention of listeners with its rapid guitar and drum tempos.
6 in the US, while selling disappointingly in the UK where it peaked at No.38. A live album and DVD, Rush in Rio, was released in October 2003 featuring the last performance of the band's Vapor Trails Tour on November 23, 2002 at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
6 on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release in 2002 with 108,000 copies sold.
6 in the US, while selling disappointingly in the UK where it peaked at No.38. A live album and DVD, Rush in Rio, was released in October 2003 featuring the last performance of the band's Vapor Trails Tour on November 23, 2002 at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
To celebrate the band's 30th anniversary, June 2004 saw the release of Feedback, an extended play recorded in suburban Toronto featuring eight covers of such artists as Cream, The Who and The Yardbirds, bands the members of Rush cite as inspiration around the time of their inception.
To help support Feedback and continue celebrating their 30th anniversary as a band, Rush launched the 30th Anniversary Tour in the summer of 2004, playing dates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands.
On September 24, 2004, the concert at The Festhalle in Frankfurt, Germany was filmed for a DVD titled R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour, which was released on November 22, 2005.
In 2004, Feedback cracked the top 20 on the Billboard 200 and received radio airplay.
with sales of 25 million albums and industry sources estimate their total worldwide album sales at over 40 million as of 2005.
On September 24, 2004, the concert at The Festhalle in Frankfurt, Germany was filmed for a DVD titled R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour, which was released on November 22, 2005.
As of 2005, Rush had sold about 25 million copies of their albums in the U.S.
The band members' coordinated use of pedal keyboards and other electronic triggers to "play" sampled instruments and audio events was subtly visible in their live performances, especially so on R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour, their 2005 concert DVD. A staple of Rush's concerts was a Neil Peart drum solo.
This release omitted eight songs also included on Rush in Rio; the complete concert was released on Blu-ray on December 8, 2009. During promotional interviews for the R30 DVD, the band members revealed their intention to begin writing new material in early 2006.
While in Toronto, Lifeson and Lee began the songwriting process in January 2006.
The band officially entered Allaire Studios in Shokan, New York in November 2006 to record the bulk of the material.
On February 14, 2007, an announcement was made on the official Rush website that the title of the new album would be Snakes & Arrows.
The first single, entitled "Far Cry", was released to North American radio stations on March 12, 2007 and reached No.
2 on the Mediabase Mainstream and Radio and Records Charts. The Rush website, newly redesigned on March 12, 2007, to support the new album, also announced the band would embark on a tour to begin in the summer.
Snakes & Arrows was released on May 1, 2007, in North America, where it debuted at No.
To coincide with the beginning of Atlantic Ocean hurricane season, "Spindrift" was released as the official second radio single on June 1, 2007, while "The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)" saw single status on June 25, 2007.
The planned intercontinental tour in support of Snakes & Arrows began on June 13, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, coming to a close on October 29, 2007, at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland. The 2008 portion of the Snakes & Arrows tour began on April 11, 2008, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, and concluded on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana at the Verizon Wireless Music Center.
On April 15, 2008, the band released Snakes & Arrows Live, a double live album documenting the first leg of the tour, recorded at the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands on October 16 and 17, 2007.
In 2007, he was placed second on Blender magazine's list of the "40 Worst Lyricists In Rock".
The band's 2007 album, Snakes & Arrows, debuted at number 3 (just one position shy of Rush's highest-peaking albums, Counterparts (1993) and Clockwork Angels (2012), which both debuted at number 2) on the Billboard 200, selling about 93,000 its first week of release.
The planned intercontinental tour in support of Snakes & Arrows began on June 13, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, coming to a close on October 29, 2007, at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland. The 2008 portion of the Snakes & Arrows tour began on April 11, 2008, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, and concluded on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana at the Verizon Wireless Music Center.
On April 15, 2008, the band released Snakes & Arrows Live, a double live album documenting the first leg of the tour, recorded at the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands on October 16 and 17, 2007.
A DVD and Blu-ray recording of the same concerts was released on November 24, 2008.
They appeared on The Colbert Report on July 16, 2008, where they were interviewed by Stephen Colbert and performed "Tom Sawyer".
A July 2008 Rolling Stone article stated "Rush fans are the Trekkies/trekkers of rock".
Rush was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, won several Juno Awards, and won an International Achievement Award at the 2009 SOCAN Awards.
This release omitted eight songs also included on Rush in Rio; the complete concert was released on Blu-ray on December 8, 2009. During promotional interviews for the R30 DVD, the band members revealed their intention to begin writing new material in early 2006.
Continuing to ride what film critic Manohla Dargis called a "pop cultural wave", the band appeared as themselves in the 2009 comedy film I Love You, Man, starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. ===2009–2013: Time Machine Tour and Clockwork Angels=== On February 16, 2009, Lifeson remarked the band may begin working on a new album in the Fall of 2009 with American producer Nick Raskulinecz once again producing.
In November 2009, Lee, Lifeson and Peart were awarded the International Achievement Award at the annual SOCAN Awards in Toronto.
On March 19, 2010, the CBC posted a video interview with Lee and Lifeson where they discussed Rush's induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on March 28, 2010, at the Toronto Centre for the Arts' George Weston Recital Hall.
And now we've been writing and now we've got about 6 songs that we just love ..." On March 26, 2010, in an interview with The Globe and Mail, Lifeson remarked that there was even the potential for two supporting tours.
Soon after, Peart confirmed Nick Raskulinecz had returned as co-producer. In April 2010, Rush entered Blackbird Studios in Nashville, Tennessee with Raskulinecz to record "Caravan" and "BU2B", two new songs to be featured on the band's studio album Clockwork Angels.
"Caravan" and "BU2B" were released together on June 1, 2010 and made available for digital download.
However, Rush announced on November 19, 2010, that they would be extending the Time Machine Tour.
Trent Reznor considers Rush to be one of his favourite bands in the 2010 documentary Beyond the Lighted Stage and has particularly cited the album Signals as a major influence on how to incorporate keyboards and synthesizers into hard rock. Rush was eligible for nomination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame beginning in 1998; the band was nominated for entry in 2012 and their induction was announced on December 11, 2012.
Look who's up for induction; it's a joke". On April 24, 2010, the documentary Beyond the Lighted Stage, directed by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
A limited theatrical run began on June 10, 2010, and the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the US and Canada on June 29, 2010.
This is done via interviews with popular musicians, music industry professionals, and the band members themselves. On June 25, 2010, Rush received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6752 Hollywood Boulevard.
Critical acclaim continued to mount for Rush in 2010 when, on September 28, Classic Rock announced Rush would be that year's Living Legends awarded at the Marshall Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards in the UK.
The award was presented on November 10, 2010.
On September 29, Billboard.com announced Rush would also receive the 2010 Legends of Live award for significant and lasting contributions to live music and the art of performing live and reaching fans through the concert experience.
The award was presented at the Billboard Touring Awards on November 4, 2010. In 2013, the Canadian government honored Rush with a first class "permanent" postage stamp featuring the iconic "Starman" Rush logo.
It was suggested Rush would return to the studio after the completion of the Time Machine Tour with plans to release Clockwork Angels in 2011.
The second leg began on March 30, 2011, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and came to an end on July 2, 2011, in George, Washington.
On November 8, 2011, the band released Live in Cleveland, a concert DVD, Blu-ray and double CD documenting the April 15, 2011 concert at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
As of August 31, 2011, Rush switched their American distribution from Atlantic Records over to the Warner Brothers majority-owned metal label, Roadrunner Records.
Roadrunner handled American distribution of Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland and Clockwork Angels.
The second single, "Headlong Flight", was released on April 19, 2012.
Anderson collaborated on a novelization of Clockwork Angels that was released in September 2012. Clockwork Angels was released in the United States and Canada on June 12, 2012, and its supporting Clockwork Angels Tour began on September 7, 2012.
The band's performances on November 25, 2012, in Phoenix, Arizona and November 28, 2012, in Dallas, Texas were recorded to make a live CD/DVD/Blu-ray that was released on November 19, 2013. ===2013–2020: R40 Tour, disbandment, and Peart's death=== On November 18, 2013, Lifeson said the band had committed to taking a year off, following the completion of the world tour in support of Clockwork Angels.
Trent Reznor considers Rush to be one of his favourite bands in the 2010 documentary Beyond the Lighted Stage and has particularly cited the album Signals as a major influence on how to incorporate keyboards and synthesizers into hard rock. Rush was eligible for nomination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame beginning in 1998; the band was nominated for entry in 2012 and their induction was announced on December 11, 2012.
In May 2012, the band received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement at a ceremony at Rideau Hall followed by a gala at the National Arts Centre celebrating the award recipients the following day.
As of 2012, Moving Pictures was the band's highest-selling album at 4.4 million units. Despite dropping out of the public eye for five years after the Gold-selling Test for Echo (which peaked at No.
The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. ==History== ===1968–1974: Early years and debut album=== The band was formed in the neighbourhood of Willowdale in Toronto, Ontario, by guitarist Alex Lifeson, bassist and frontman Jeff Jones, and drummer John Rutsey, in August 1968.
On April 18, 2013, Rush was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
During Rush's European leg of the Clockwork Angels Tour, the June 8, 2013, show at the Sweden Rock Festival was the group's first festival appearance in 30 years.
The band's performances on November 25, 2012, in Phoenix, Arizona and November 28, 2012, in Dallas, Texas were recorded to make a live CD/DVD/Blu-ray that was released on November 19, 2013. ===2013–2020: R40 Tour, disbandment, and Peart's death=== On November 18, 2013, Lifeson said the band had committed to taking a year off, following the completion of the world tour in support of Clockwork Angels.
The award was presented at the Billboard Touring Awards on November 4, 2010. In 2013, the Canadian government honored Rush with a first class "permanent" postage stamp featuring the iconic "Starman" Rush logo.
We're taking it easy and just enjoying our current employment." In September 2014, the Rush R40 box set was announced to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the release of the band's self-titled debut album.
Rush ceased large-scale touring at the end of 2015, and Lifeson announced in January 2018 that the band would not continue.
On January 22, 2015, the band announced the Rush R40 Tour, celebrating the fortieth anniversary of Peart's membership in the band.
The tour started on May 8 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and wrapped up on August 1 in Los Angeles. On April 29, 2015, Lifeson stated in an interview that R40 might be the final large-scale Rush tour due to his psoriatic arthritis and Peart's chronic tendinitis.
On December 7, 2015, Peart stated in an interview he was retiring.
Lifeson confirmed in 2016 that the R40 tour was the band's last large-scale tour.
The band's latest documentary, Time Stand Still, was announced in November 2016. On January 16, 2018, Lifeson told The Globe and Mail that it was unlikely that Rush would play any more shows or record new material.
In 2017, the band members had three new microbe species named in their honour. ===Geddy Lee=== Geddy Lee's high-register vocal style has always been a signature of the band – and sometimes a focal point for criticism, especially during the early years of Rush's career when Lee's vocals were high-pitched, with a strong likeness to other singers like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin.
Rush ceased large-scale touring at the end of 2015, and Lifeson announced in January 2018 that the band would not continue.
The band's latest documentary, Time Stand Still, was announced in November 2016. On January 16, 2018, Lifeson told The Globe and Mail that it was unlikely that Rush would play any more shows or record new material.
After 41 years, we felt it was enough." In October 2018, Rolling Stone published an interview with Lee, who stated, "I'd say I can't really tell you much other than that there are zero plans to tour again.
On January 7, 2020, Peart died of glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer at the age of 67. Rush is known for its musicianship, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy and philosophy.
But would you see one of us or two of us or three of us? That's possible." On January 7, 2020, Peart died at the age of 67 following a -year battle with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer.
But at the same time, you have to give respect to what the three of us with Neil did together." In a January 2021 interview with Make Weird Music, Lifeson revealed that he and Lee were in talks of working together on new music: "We're both eager to get back together and kind of get back into that thing that we've done since we were 14 years old that we love to do.
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