The reason Geddy Lee (bass/vocals), Alex Lifeson (guitars/vocals) and Neil Peart (percussion) have remained a relevant, popular and successful touring band is because they have somehow managed to stay true to their musical beliefs and adapt to the changing musical landscape without alienating their base of hardcore fans.
The Sound of The Great White North
While Rush has never been the darlings of critics, they are a "musician's band," respected for their individual talents and collective output by a couple of generations of rock musicians. Let's take a look at some of the key recordings in the band's history.
2112 (1976)
The band's fourth album, "2112" marked the beginning of the fusion of the Rush's hard rock identity with anthemic songs and mystical, sci-fi derived lyrics. The opening track, the 20-plus minute suite titled "2112 Overture," is one of the signature hard rock songs of its era. "Passage to Bangkok," with flourishes of eastern instrumentalism, remains a live staple.
Farewell To Kings (1977)
While still partial to longer, complex songs, this album also features "Closer to the Heart," a song that serves as the band's earliest blending of socially relevant lyrics and catchy hooks in a shorter (2:53) radio-friendly package. "Xanadu," a sprawling, rocking, 11-minute, mystical opus, is a splendid example of the complicated song structure that's become a trademark of the band, with soft textured passages melding into scintillating rock grooves and odd time signatures to produce one of the band's true classics.
Rush Updated its Sound For '80s Rock
Moving Pictures (1981)
Rush's breakthrough album. The band had truly found its voice, lyrically and musically, with muscular tracks like "Tom Sawyer," perhaps the band's most popular song, "Red Barchetta," "Limelight" and the instrumental "YYZ," sharing equal billing with expansive, thoughtful songs like "The Camera Eye" and "Witch Hunt."
Exit ... Stage Left (1981)
To attend a Rush concert (I've seen them at least 15 times dating back to 1982) is to be treated to a musical and sensory experience. The mark of a quality band is to expand upon its recorded material, adding extended jams and detours, to make the songs come alive in front of an audience. This album captures the band in its mid to late '70s prime.
Signals (1982)
Rush experimented with reggae grooves and fully incorporated synthesizers into its sound, but did not lose its hard rock cred. "Subvisions" and "New World Man" both received heavy FM air play and remain two of the band's more popular tunes.
Neil Peart Bounces Back
Vapor Trails (2002)
This album makes the list because it represents a return to Rush's stripped down rock roots, and was the band's first after a six-year hiatus caused by Neil Peart's personal tragedy of the deaths of his teenaged daughter and wife less than a year apart.
Selecting the most "important" Rush albums is certainly a difficult task, but as a band that continues to record new music and tour, its best album may still be yet to come.
