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Neil Peart Born
Neil Peart was born on September 12th, 1952 in Hamilton. He lived on his hometown farm in Hagersville until his parents moved to St. Catherine's, Ontario. Neil then worked at his father's farm equipment store, until he was called upon by Rush... Neil Peart -
Geddy Lee Born
Geddy Lee was born on July 29, 1953 in Willowdale, Ontario. His parents were halocaust survivors, he would lose his dad at the young age of 10. Geddy would attend Fisherville High School and would meet his lifetime friend Alex Lifeson. Geddy wouldn't finish grade 12 as he pursued his dream of being a rock musician.
Geddy Lee -
Alex Lifeson Born
Alex Lifeson was born on August 27, 1953 in Ferney, British Columbia. He would eventually move to Willowdale, Ontario where his father had found work. Alex would attend Fisherville Highschool and would meet future life friend Geddy Lee. Alex , like Geddy would not finish grade 12 and rather would pursue being a rock musician.
Alex Lifeson -
Rush Formed
Alex Lifeson would form the band Rush in August 1968. The band originally consited of Alex on guitar, Jeff Jones on bass and vocals, and John Rutsey on drums. Over a period of time, Geddy Lee would replace Jeff Jones as lead vocalist and bassist. Over time after attending a number of the bands local gigs, Ray Danniels asked the members if he could be their manager.
Rush -
RUSH Released
On March 1st, 1974 Rush would debut their self titled album. At first it was poorly supported, but with manager Ray Danniels and Terry Brown support they recorded the album on their own. Eventually the album found its way to a Cleveland radio station WMMS. Working Man described the workers of the Cleveland area perfectly. Rush became an instant hit, and with the promotion of Rush by the radio station Mercury Records eventually came out of the woods and signed Rush. -
Neil Peart joins Rush
After signing with Mercury Records drummer John Rutsey left the band after troubles with diabetes and not really inticed with the idea of leaving the local circut (Toronto) and becoming a tour band. Rush was slated to begin touring on August 14 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They needed a drummer and that is where Neil Peart came into the fold. They started auditioning and eventually he was chosen to be the new drummer. -
Fly By Night
Fly By Night was Rush's second album but their first with new drummer Neil Peart. When Neil first joined Rush, Geddy and Alex noticed he was really into reading and literature. and therefore figured he would be capable of writing lyrics. The music of Rush changed dramatically from their first album with the addition of more complex arrangements and the highly skilled lyrical content. -
Caress of Steel
Caress of Steel would become Rush's 3rd studio album in 2 years. The album featured two lengthy songs 'The Necromancer' and 'The Fountain of Lamneth'. Mercury records and other musicians at the time didn't understand the concept of the album. The band went on tour to support the troubled album. The 'Down the Tubes' tour as it is called did not go so well, the band would be playing some nights to five hundered and were wondering why they were still going. -
2112
With the failure to meet the record companies demand with 'Caress of Steel' Mercury records made some demanding requests wanting the band to move into a more commercially friendly music way and also releasing singles. Rush and their manager nodded at their requests saying yes, we will do that... But in the back of their minds they knew that they would rather go out making the style of music they wanted than listening to what others wished. On April 1st, 1976 2112 was released. -
All the World's a Stage
After the platinum success of 2112 the band decided to capture the sounds of Rush with a live album. This album would close the door on the first chapter of Rush music. The album was recorded at the Massey Hall in Toronto, and the record would eventually turn platinum in 1978. -
A Farwell to Kings
Rush's 5th album would be released on September 1st, 1977. It would be the first time Rush recorded an album in the United Kingdom. It would become the bands first album to reach gold status in 2 months of its release. The album included a song that fans would soon favourite, this would be 'Closer to the Heart'. -
Hemispheres
Hemispheres was Rush's final 'epic' album. It was the most complex of their material to record. The album was written too high and Geddy had to compensate for this by singing in a higher pitch than on other records. La Villa Strangiato was the highlight of the album capturing the talents of Geddy, Alex and Neil. -
Permanent Waves
The band realized after Hemispheres that they wanted to record an album that was more straight forward and easy going. Along with the album reaching the top 5 in both Canada and the USA, Permanent Waves had more radio friendly songs. For example The Spirit of Radio and Freewill were both straight ahead and catchy songs that people fell in love with. -
Moving Pictures
After the successful release of Permanent Waves in 1980, Rush decided to continue the trend by using catchy straight forward rhythms. On February 12th, 1981 Moving Pictures was released. The album was such a success they had people coming out of the woodwork praising them and accepting them in ways like never before. -
Exit...Stage Left
After the major success of Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures, Rush decided to capture the 'new' sound by releasing their second live album, Exit...Stage Left. The album was mixed by using live performances from both the PW Tour and MP Tour. Exit...Stage Left over time became a platinum album along with its two predecessors. -
Signals
After the big commercial success with Moving Pictures, Rush could've written similar albums to follow. But Rush felt that they wanted to head a different way. Synthesizers became a heavy favor of Geddy, which reduced the use of bass, and also heavily affected the range of the guitar. Signals was not liked as much as Moving Pictures and therefore saw long time fans and others move on. The album did have some really good songs, for instance Subdivisions and The Analog Kid. -
Grace Under Pressure
Grace Under Pressure was Rush's first album without producer Terry Brown. The overall theme on the album is based on how humans act under different kinds of pressure. The evolution of synthesizers grew from Signals, becoming the major instrument on the songs. -
Power Windows
Power Windows was Rush's 11th album and first under new producer Peter Collins. This album was really good in the terms of musicality, but due to the hugh usage of synthesizers the general public were turned off. The lyrical focus for Power Windows was 'manifestations of power'. -
Hold Your Fire
Hold Your Fire was a commercial dissapointment in retrospective to past albums. Rush was again trying expand their music writing, but they knew they were getting out of the true sound of a power trio. Due to this, the album was the first to not make it to top 10 billboard status and not reach platinum status. -
Presto
The album marked a key point in the transition of moving towards traditional rock and pop writing. The album holds one of the bands most favourite songs; 'The Pass', which addresses youth suicide. The album would eventually chart as gold in the USA and platinum in Canada. -
Roll The Bones
Roll the Bones was the first album since Moving Pictures to be in the top 5, #3 in the billboard 200. The instrumental roles were being reversed, with guitar being the for forefront of the music, while the synthesizers were being heard in the background. Where's My Thing? was Rush's third instrumental and 2nd song to be nominated for a grammy. -
Counterparts
Counterparts was Rush's fifteenth studio album which peaked at #2 on the billboard 200. Dark and emotional themes were the primary focus on the album. The heavier songs; Animate and Stick it Out became mainstream rock hits, and once again 'Leave That Thing Alone' became nominated for best instrumental. -
Test For Echo
Test For Echo was the sixteenth and final record that was recorded by Rush for a very long time. The album focused on each band member showing off their talents rather than growing the songs around the lyrics. The title track 'Driven' reached #1 on the mainstream rock charts, and also became a live piece where Geddy could show off his bass talent. -
Neil's Tragedy
Once the final concert of 'Test for Echo' finished, Neil recieved some horrible news. His daughter Selena died in a serious car accident, at this moment he and his wife had no idea what to do so they left Toronto for good. Then a year later Jackie, Neil's wife got sick. And later died of cancer, Neil was lost, so he went on a soul searching journey on his motorcycle. Everything with the band ended at that moment, and during the bands hiatus, some wondered if they would ever get back together. -
Vapor Trails
Vapor Trails was the first album to be released since the bands hiatus in 6 years. The overall album took 14 months to finish, the longest period of time taken to record an album in Rush's history. 'Ghost Rider' is a song in tribute to Neil's journey across North America during his soul building process. 'One Little Victory' was the albums first single to promote their return from their 6 year break. -
Feedback
Feedback was Rush's first album where they recorded cover songs from other bands that had infulenced them early in their careers. The album marked the 30th anniversary of the release of the debut album from Rush. The tour that supported the album was R30: 30th Anniversary Tour, which was presented across North America and parts of Europe.
