Rush (band)

Rush have been awarded the Juno Award (Canada's equivalent of the Grammy Award) on numerous occasions, and are also Members of the Order of Canada.

Rush's musical style has changed greatly over the lifetime of the group. Albums prior to 1980's Permanent Waves are a mix of heavy metal and progressive rock similar to Yes or Genesis, and visually sometimes demonstrating their birth within the short-lived era of glitter rock bands, such as Iggy Pop or Ziggy Stardust, wearing flashy costumes and stage shows. The lyrics of that time were heavily influenced by science fiction and, in a few cases, the writings and philosophy of Ayn Rand, as exhibited most prominently by 1976's 2112 and 1977's Hemispheres.

Permanent Waves changed things dramatically. Although the music was still based on heavy-metal style, more and more keyboards were introduced. The themes of the songs changed dramatically, and became far more in common with alternative rock than prog-rock. One song in particular, Spirit of Radio (named for the Toronto-local groundbreaking radio station, CFNY), went on to become a huge hit on the alternative circuit. Another favourite on American "Classic Rock" stations to this day is Tom Sawyer from 1981's Moving Pictures. From that point on their albums of the 1980s tended to follow this lead, although recordings in the later 80s and 90s have sometimes been derided as boring, or mainstream.

Each of the three individual artists has produced and released work independent of the band's structure, to varying degrees of commercial and critical success.

After 1996's Test For Echo, the band entered a six-year hiatus due mainly to tragedies in Peart's life. Peart's daughter Selena died in a car accident in August 1997, followed by his wife Jacqueline's death from cancer in June 1998. Peart embarked on a self-described "healing journey" by motorcycle in which he travelled thousands of miles across North America. He subsequently wrote about his travels in his book Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road.

The band returned in 2002 with a surprisingly heavy Vapor Trails album, the first entirely without keyboards in over twenty years. The album contains the song Ghost Rider, describing Peart's motorcycle journey of healing and renewal. It debuted to moderate praise and was supported by the band's first tour in six years, including first-ever concerts in Mexico City and Brazil.

Their next album, Rush in Rio, is scheduled for release in late October 2003. A companion DVD will also be available.

Table of contents

1 Discography 2 Books 3 Awards list 4 External Links

Discography

Studio albums:

• Rush (March 1974)
• Fly by Night (February 1975)
• Caress of Steel (September 1975)
• 2112 (February 1976)
• A Farewell To Kings (September 1977)
• Hemispheres (October 1978)
• Permanent Waves (January 1980)
• Moving Pictures (January 1981)
• Signals (September 1982)
• Grace Under Pressure (April 1984)
• Power Windows (October 1985)
• Hold Your Fire (September 1987)
• Presto (November 1989)
• Roll The Bones (September 1991)
• Counterparts (October 1993)
• Test For Echo (September 1996)
• Vapor Trails (May 2002)

• All The World's a Stage (September 1976)
• Exit...Stage Left (October 1981)
• A Show Of Hands (December 1988)
• Different Stages (November 1998)

• Archives (April 1978) &ndash Repackage of the first three albums (Rush, Fly by Night and Caress of Steel)
• Chronicles (September 1990) &ndash Essentially a "Greatest Hits" release
• The Story of Kings - Interview (1992) &ndash Interview with Alex Lifeson
• The Interviews - Vol 2 (October 1995) &ndash Interview with Geddy Lee
• Retrospective I 1974-1980 (1997) &ndash Repackaging of best songs from the First Decade.
• Retrospective II 1981-1987 (1997) &ndash Repackaging of best songs from the Second Decade.
• The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987 (February 2003 (Repackaging of Mercury/Polygram-held songs up to Hold Your Fire (1987), not endorsed by band)

• Burning for Buddy, Volume 1 &ndash (Solo), Peart, et al (1994)
• Burning for Buddy, Volume 2 &ndash (Solo), Peart, et al (1994/-5?)
• Victor &ndash (Solo), Lifeson, et al (1996)
• My Favorite Headache &ndash (Solo), Lee, et al (November 2000)

• Drum Techniques of Rush &ndash Peart (1985) – ISBN 0769250556
• More Drum Techniques of Rush &ndash Peart, Wheeler (1989) – ISBN 0769250513
• Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of Rush &ndash Price, et al. (1999) – ISBN 1587151022
• The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa &ndash Peart (1999) – ISBN 1895900026
• Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road &ndash Peart (2002) – ISBN 1550225464 (hardcover), ISBN 1550225480 (paperback)
• Rush: Merely Players &ndash Telleria (2002) – ISBN 1550822713

       (he's won Best Rock Bass more than 5 times).

External Links

• www.rush.com