The RUSH discography

The 70's Rush album that gets the least amount of love..... not a bad album, but not as good as what to come

thejokeriv wrote:

The 70's Rush album that gets the least amount of love..... not a bad album, but not as good as what to come

It's actually quite a good album for just about any other band...but because it's "Rush" it gets dissed.

This is my favorite of the first three...."Lakeside Park" and "Bastille Day" are great songs. Yeah, the "bald" tune seems out of place but is it really a bad song ????? NOPE

If someone was a fan before 2112...well that album really isn't too far a stretch from what they began on this album.

I still think that this is a good album. I do prefer the Live version of Bastille Day, Bald is a goofy song, Lakeside Park is a nice tune as well. The Necromancer is not as good as By-tor and the Snow Dog but still enjoyable.

I quite like The Fountain Of Lamneth, it works for me. No One At The Bridge is an awesome, moody tune that is one of my favorite Rush songs. I like Bridge so much I learned how to play it on guitar.... Great forgotten tune........... They should play this live sometime!

"Caress of Steel' is probably my least favorite of the first three Rush albums, but I still enjoy the album. I wish that I could say that I love the album, but it just never connected with me like the previous two albums. I don't want to say that I understand the record company's disconnect that they felt with this effort, because I really loathe most record companies and their feelings as it pertains to most rock/heavy metal groups.

Favorite songs in order (I think???): Bastille Day, I Think I'm Going Bald, The Necromancer, Lakeside Park, & The Fountain of Lamneth. Outside of Bastille Day, I think that will always hold the top spot, the rest of the album is interchangeable for me.

Favorite Rush albums to this point:

1. Rush
2. Fly By Night
3. Caress of Steel

ATTENTION ALL PLANETS OF THE SOLAR FEDERATION...WE HAVE ASSUMED CONTROL

2112 - (released April 1976)

Okay, 2112. Hard to come up with new things to say about this album. Pretty much everything about it is iconic. The album cover, the starman logo on the back, the music, etc. Suffice it to say that Rush finally achieved that statement album they had been seeking.

Before diving headfirst into the tracks, a brief thought on the creative leap Rush took between C.O.S. and 2112. Even though they had started to experiment with longer song structures, they were still at heart a improv/jam band. There was still a bit of looseness in the groove...2112 was the polar opposite (at least the title track). They shifted their focus towards polished precision, meticulously written out solos, etc. They definitely still jammed, but in well rehearsed fashion.

The title track is a sprawling 20 minute epic separated into movements, but unlike side two of C.O.S., this time it works as a unified whole. I still remember being absolutely BLOWN AWAY by Overture/Temples Of Syrinx when i first heard it...immediate fan...for life. I'm not going to jump into Ayn Rand inspired lyrical content, I'll leave that to someone else. But I will say that musically it's pretty much perfect, or as close as you can get to that. The mood shifts throughout the sections are very mature and miles ahead of their previous albums. By the time you get to the grand finale...WE HAVE ASSUMED CONTROL....you feel live you've just lived through an event.



onto side two

These days, this is the side I listen to most often, there are some prime Rush tracks that don't get discussed much on this puppy.

Passage To Bangkok is a rocking and humorous ode to traveling and toking, a travelogue of various strains of marijuana sure to bring a smile to those initiated. This was a crowd favorite throughout the rest of the 70's. I love this track! Listen closely for someone taking a "hit"; right before the guitar solo....



The Twilight Zone is an interesting track, a very unique concoction for Rush and one that I wish they had played live. The mixture of acoustic and electric guitars on here is very nice. *note* - it sounds to me like they would later revisist the intro melody on the song Chemistry from Signals.

Next up is one of the most underrated songs in the Rush discography, Lessons. This is an Alex Lifeson penned track and MAN what a great song. This song is ridiculously hook-filled, it should have been released as a single. Just a fantastic straight-ahead rocker.



Tears is Geddy Lee's solo contribution to that album. This track is usually considered the nadir of the album...it's never bothered me, one of my ex-girlfriends loved it...got her "in the mood"...so I let her play it as often as she wanted.

Something For Nothing is a COMPLETE CLASSIC. Flat out one of the most rockin' tunes they ever recorded. This could be the last true JAM track they would record during this era.



The record company had told them "no more epics" prior to the recording, they responded with the proverbial artistic middle finger and stuck to their guns. The public immediately responded to that honesty by giving Rush that hit they had been looking for. 2112 would get to 61 on the Billboard album charts and was the first Rush album to go Gold. By 1981 it had gone platinum.


Everyone should own a copy of this friggin' album, if you don't, be ashamed!

2112 was the first Rush Album i heard and took some time to like it. Geddys Voice was at first annoying, later acceptable, than good.
I like the album, though i say that "A passage to bangkock" sucks. I never liked that song. While i get a kick out of Twilight Zone (I love the Twilight Zone TV Show and the song captures the eerie, weird feeling, it works best over headphones). Tears and Something for Nothing are also good songs

As for Side A or 2112: What can be said? Absolutely amazing!

This is the album that made others take notice. Sure there was Cream and that lil' ol' band from Texas. But this was a trio that made seasoned musicians go home and practice. I got this as a late birthday present a bit after it's release. It never left my turntable for a very, very long time.


Like already mentioned, a headphone album fer sures.

In closing, it is hard to pick out a single favorite tune. I got so used to playing it start to finish. That is how my brain is programmed regarding this album. Start to finish in one continuous motion.

Rush nails it! Awesome album!!!!

This is simply one of my favorite albums of all time.

I got this one when I was about 10 or 11, just based on my love for the songs Limelight and Tom Sawyer. And man, there's no describing how completely blown away I was when I listened through the first twenty minutes of the CD.

This was not the first Rush album I had heard but in middle school when we were all beginning to get into metal (yes Rush where classified as metal back then, at least in our school) I had heard a few of the older kids speak about this album in hush tones. This album seemed to be a favorite of Rush fans.

I finally picked up my beat up copy of this classic and loved it, just a killer album.

I did not know Ayn Rand from Adam Ant, nor at the age would I have given a rat's ass. I just loved the heaviness of the metal, while I couldn't tell you back then a G chord from a G string, I knew these guys weren't some yahoo's on their instruments.

Plus it was one of the few concept albums I did not need to smoke ton of weed to understand.

Simply put an amazing album.

My favorite piece was Oracle, the shift of style and moodiness really stood out. What else can be said, classic.

I listened to this in the car, Side Two first and then side one on the way home from work. All I can say is WOW!!!!

I have forgotten how good 2112 is. I stayed in the car until it was over.

Side two is solid as well: Passage, Twilight Zone (I always liked the visuals in this song), Lessons, Tears(which is an excellent Mellotron filled ballad) and Something ends it with a bang!!!!!


Do you know if Twilight Zone is one of those production project songs like Entre Noir(or is it Different Strings)? I can't find where they talk abput that, but I have read it............... somewhere.........

chewie wrote:

I listened to this in the car, Side Two first and then side one on the way home from work. All I can say is WOW!!!!

I have forgotten how good 2112 is. I stayed in the car until it was over.

Side two is solid as well: Passage, Twilight Zone (I always liked the visuals in this song), Lessons, Tears(which is an excellent Mellotron filled ballad) and Something ends it with a bang!!!!!


Do you know if Twilight Zone is one of those production project songs like Entre Noir(or is it Different Strings)? I can't find where they talk abput that, but I have read it............... somewhere.........

Dude Classic Albums DVD series, has the lads in Rush and their producer talking about the creation of this album, worth checking out, this series is always entertaining and informative.

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE - (released Sep 29, 1976)

Thankfully, the 70's trend of double-live albums provided Rush with the opportunity to release this monster. Recorded at Massey Hall (which was made famous on the album Jazz At Massey Hall) over the course of 3 days in June, this album captures Rush at their most primal.

The setlist does a nice job of summarizing their career up to this point, focusing on singles & choice album tracks from the 4 studio albums released thus far. Rush even indicated in the liner notes that this album "closed the first chapter on Rush".

Tracks like Anthem, Bastille Day, By Tor & The Snow Dog and Something For Nothing have an extra kick than their studio counterparts, just a hint of recklessness in the well orchestrated mayhem. A couple songs get their definitive reading on this album; What You're Doing is a great song on the debut album, but this live version smokes it. Same goes for Lakeside Park which always seemed a little tepid on the studio version, but comes to life on this album.



Probably my personal favorite track on the album is version of The End...that song was MADE to be played in arenas! Before the heavy part kicks in you can hear Geddy count down the intro with "one....two....buckle....my shoe".

The only bit of "controversy" surrounding this album is the abbreviated version of the 2112 suite. When I was younger this bothered me, but listening to the album again now the energy in the live performance makes up for the slightly shorter running time.

From this point on throughout the remainder of the 70's, Rush would strive for a more layered and polished sound, introducing more complex structures and instrumentation (adding keyboards to the sound on Farewell). But this album...this is pure ROCKIN' Rush! A must-have for Rush fanatics.

This was the first Rush album to crack the top 40 in the States and quickly went gold.

*note* - the original CD issue ommited the track What You're Doing, this was fixed on the remaster.

It was like this at my school in late 76'

The Betty's had "Frampton Comes Alive" and us Barney's had "All The World's A Stage"


The older "musician" dudes in the neighborhood were really, really butt-hurt that "Oracle: The Dream" and "Discovery" were omitted from the performance of "2112". In retrospect, I suppose that was due more to "musical snob syndrome" than it taking away from the performance. Which it didn't....The way I saw it, if ya wanted the entire concept....listen to the "2112" album. If ya wanted the jam of a band firing on all "three" cylinders, the missing segments were a non-issue. Like most 70's LIVE albums. The tunes just rocked more than the versions from the studio releases. The BIG difference from this and most other 70's bands live releases is that RUSH excelled onstage while others gave poor or doctored performances.

Excellent live album! Live albums in 70's (KISS' Alive, Scorp's Tokyo Tapes) seemed to do a better job of capturing the heaviness of band and this one is no exception.

Loved this album and was one of the first Rush albums I ever owned.

I loved the album so much, and caught up in the performance I never noticed for years that had dropped a few sections from this live opus.


Another great album to come out of that great era of live albums

I love this live album!!! Rush raw and uncensored, you can hear feedback at many points throughout this album.

Bastille Day comes alive on here as do many other songs. I never knew how really heavy Rush was until I heard this album.

Some Rush news:


Rush 2112 Deluxe Reissues To Come In Three Configurations
www.hennemusic.com
In time for 21/12 celebrations, Universal Music will release deluxe editions of Rush's landmark album, "2112," that will feature 5.1 surround sound mixes, unreleased live tracks and the first-ever Rush comic book, available globally starting December 18.
There will be 3 configurations of "2112: Deluxe Editions" (CD/DVD and CD/Blu-Ray) and a special "SUPER Deluxe Edition" (CD/Blu-Ray/Hardbound book case).
The deluxe editions contain a CD/DVD or CD/Blu-Ray material including the remastered "2112" CD with 3 live bonus tracks and a DVD or Blu-ray™ disc with a 5.1 surround sound audio mix and an interactive digital comic book, a new album cover by original album designer Hugh Syme, liner notes and unpublished photos.
The super deluxe contains the CD/Blu-Ray and is meticulously assembled in a hardbound bookcase packed with a 40-page comic book representing every song on "2112.

I'm playing a little catch up in this thread. What can be said that hasn't already been said about the album "2112", and that answer would be nothing. It's just a fabulous album, and by all definitions is the quintessential album for Rush. There isn't a bad track on this album, as it's a masterpiece. My favorite tracks in order are: Lessons, 2112, Something For Nothing, A Passage to Bangkok, Tears, & The Twilight Zone.

Favorite Rush albums to this point:

1. 2112
2. s/t
3. Fly By Night
4. Caress of Steel

Embarrassing as it may be, I don't have "All the World's a Stage", and I can't say that I've even heard this album all the way through. I have no excuses, as I have a pretty decent of live albums in my arsenal. This album and "Strangers in the Night" are the two huge live albums, which I don't own to this point.

Sorry to bump back a few discs but Caress of Steel was the first Rush album I ever heard and I've been a fan ever since... that would've been... 1980 I believe....

Cause you're oooooooooooooldddddd.

I don't regularly listen to live albums, but this one and Exit... Stage Left are some of the ones I make an exception for. Rush is and always has been an extraordinary live band, and they're still young and hungry here, which is always a major plus.

Also, it's freakin' heavy.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Cause you're oooooooooooooldddddd.

like I need a reminder!!!!