THE ROCKER'S TOP BANDS
By James West, The-Rocker.com
“What in the world? Why… they sound like a bunch of crazy chipmunks!” exclaimed my dear old auntie Charlene after I slipped a copy of “All The Worlds A Stage” into her 8-track player and cranked the volume to her surprise! She had one of those cool HEAVY DUTY wooden console combo record players/8-track players/Radio tuners in the huge console box with built-in speakers. Just lift the plywood lid and pick your poison. Somehow my Rush surprise didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of her 8-tracks from Charlie Pride, Marty Robbins, and the Statler Brothers. But Charlene was a hip-old chic who didn’t seem to mind letting her 14 year-old nephew play his newest discoveries while visiting her home in the boonies of Arkansas. Where she lived it put the Hill in Hillbilly if you know what I mean! But somehow those Rush chipmunks fit right in with the redneck groove.
I had picked up the 2112 album a year earlier and was completely stunned by what I was hearing. The vocals obviously took a while to get used to. Geddy Lee wasn’t exactly Stephen Tyler or Freddie Mercury if you know what I mean. But that was the good part about Rush, they sounded COMPLETELY different from anything else out there, and the same still rings true today.
The Sound of a New World Man!
Alex Lifeson's guitar tone on 2112 sounded a bit like Zeppelin but a little more layered and polished. Geddy's bass was brought up loud in the mix unlike the other bands I was into like Kiss and Aerosmith. Neil Peart sounded like a lighter John Bonham but with more diverse sounds and tempos. I never heard Yes until after I picked up Rush, but I'm sure some of the Rush sound must have been influenced by Yes as well.
After picking up 'All The Worlds A Stage' on 8-track after '2112' I then went backward and picked up 'Archives', which had the first three Rush albums all together in one package. The first 'Rush' album sounded like a Zep clone and kicked some serious ass with songs like 'What You're Doing" and "Working Man". "Fly By Night" still had influence from Zeppelin but started adding more complex rhythms from new drummer Neil Peart. There are some great rock songs on 'Fly By Night' like 'Best I Can' and "Beneath, Between, and Behind"! The album "Caress Of Steel" though was a bit of a disappointment compared to the first two albums, but I did like 'Lakeside Park'.
One of my favorite Rush albums is 'A Farewell To Kings" released in 1977. By then I had gotten used to Geddy's voice, and he seemed to sing a lot better on every album thereafter. Side two of 'Kings' demonstrated the essence and beauty of Rush with the one-two punch of 'Closer To The Heart' and 'Cinderella Man', then followed by the out of this world 'Cygnus X=1'! There was nothing this band from Canada couldn't play and play well!
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Hemispheres is a little hard to follow, but it is very complex, and the band admit they had pushed the progressive envelope as far as they could with that album. But even if you get it for just 'The Trees' you will be for than satisfied!
The Masterpiece of Moving Pictures!
1980 found Rush delivering 'Permanent Waves' with gems like 'The Spirit Of The Radio', 'Freewill', and 'Jacob's Ladder' on side one. This was another great album, but it was really just the warm-up to their 'Piece De Resistance'- Moving Pictures in 1981!
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From 'Tom Sawyer' through 'Vital Signs' this colossal offering is a must-listen and a must-have for every Rock fan out there- with one condition- You MUST wear headphones when you listen to this incredible journey!
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This was the future of how Hard Rock should sound- It's better than Beethoven baby! When CD's came out and I bought my first Sansui CD player combo system at a military exchange store in Japan I played 'Moving Pictures' for over two-hours straight while sampling the difference between 601's and 901's in the Bose Speaker showroom. I was in complete Heaven, but I don't think the store clerks cared for me camping out on their showroom floor for that long!
The influence of New Wave and keyboards mostly dominated the Rush sound for the next few years and albums, and those albums never matched the 'pinnacle' of Moving Pictures after that. But there are still some great albums like 'Counterparts', 'Test For Echo', and 'Vapor Trails' which includes another of my favorite Rush songs- 'Earthshine'. I love that song so much I even named my Landscape Photography Gallery and Website after the song, which you can check out at www.earthshinegallery.com
A Farewell To Kings of Rock!
After 40 years of creating incredible music Rush concluded touring with their R40 Tour. The Rocker Chic Danette and I were fortunate (more than we realised) to catch them Live in all their final glory before they caught the 'Passage To Bangkok' in their 'Red Barchetta' to drink with their uncles by the fire and the 'Limelight'!
Check out some awesome photos from The Rocker Chic below!
RIP NEIL PEART
Sep 12, 1952 - Jan 7, 2020
After a three and a half year illness, Neil Peart died of glioblastoma on January 7, 2020 at age 67. The music world truly lost a King of Kings and one of the most respected and gifted musicians, songwriters, and authors in the history of Rock and Roll.
