Rush - album by album

195 Pages·2017·37.403 MB·English

by  Popoff, Martin

ALBUM BY ALBUM
MARTIN POPOFF
with
RALPH CHAPMAN | PAUL GILBERT | IAN GRANDY
KIRK HAMMETT | CHRIS IRWIN | SEAN KELLY
PETE KOZA | MICHEL LANGEVIN | DOUGLAS MAHER
JILLIAN MARYONOVICH | JIM MATHEOS | EDDY MAXWELL
CHRIS NELSON | MARY JO PLEWS | JASON POPOVICH
MIKE PORTNOY | CHRIS SCHNEBERGER | ROBERT TELLERIA
JEFF WAGNER | RAY WAWRZYNIAK
© 2017 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
Text © 2017 Martin Popoff
First published in 2017 by Voyageur Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc., 400 First Avenue North,
Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA. Telephone: [phone] Fax: [phone]
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN: 978-0-7603-5220-5
Digital edition: 978-0-76035-769-9
Softcover edition: 978-0-76035-220-5
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Popoff, Martin, 1963- author.
Title: Rush : album by album / Martin Popoff.
Description: Minneapolis, Minnesota : Voyageur Press, 2017. | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016039073 | ISBN 9780760352205 (hc w/jacket)
Subjects: LCSH: Rush (Musical group)—Criticism and interpretation.
| Rock music—History and criticism.
Classification: LCC ML421.R87 P65 2017 | DDC 782.42166092/2—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016039073
Acquiring Editor: Dennis Pernu
Project Manager: Jordan Wiklund
Art Director: Cindy Samargia Laun
Cover and Book Design: Brad Norr Design
Front cover: (top) All the World’s a Stage tour, Civic Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, December 9, 1976; (bottom) All the
World’s a Stage tour, Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, May 20, 1977. Both Fin Costello/Redferns/Getty Images
Title pages: Recording Permanent Waves at Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec, October 1979. Fin Costello/Redferns/Getty Images
Back cover: Clockwork Angels tour, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee, May 1, 2013. Frederick Breedon/Getty Images
Printed in China
(FSC logo here;
12mm high)
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1
Rush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
2
Fly by Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
3
Caress of Steel . . . . . . . . . . . .24
4
2112 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
14
5 Roll the Bones . . . . . . . . . . .126
A Farewell to Kings . . . . . . .42
15
6 Counterparts . . . . . . . . . . . .134
Hemispheres . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
16
7 Test for Echo . . . . . . . . . . . .142
Permanent Waves . . . . . . . .62
17
8 Vapor Trails . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
Moving Pictures . . . . . . . . . .70
18
9 Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
19
10 Snakes & Arrows . . . . . . . .166
Grace Under Pressure . . . . .90
20
11 Clockwork Angels . . . . . . .176
Power Windows . . . . . . . . .100
12 Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
Hold Your Fire . . . . . . . . . .108
Author Bibliography . . . . . . . . . .189
13
Presto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
Introduction
I
n the immortal words of Yngwie Malmsteen, “Who says less is more?! More is more!”
Or, you know, something to that effect.
Yngwie, who loves Rush and has covered them on record, said this to Sam Dunn
during the making of Metal Evolution, a project that I worked on with Banger Films.
Banger, of course, produced the award-winning film Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage,
which I also worked on full-time for like a year.
But I was pondering the Swede’s words of wisdom as I walked to work one morning
listening to an old Rush bootleg on my iPod (by the way, Geddy was not a ducker of
the notes live—holy crap). A debate among me and my music buds, and indeed a point of
conjecture in the progressive metal episode of Metal Evolution, is that very concept, “more
is more,” which I basked in like a figurative tub of baked beans as I sprung-step to intimate
versions of “La Villa Strangiato,” “The Trees,” and “Something for Nothing,” striding to the
office in my yellow and green Soulfly shirt (always a nod-getter).
So yes, where were we? As our cast of characters know all too well, the snobby rock
cognoscenti has always put down Rush because, of course, they believe less is more. Punk
rock, folkies, music for airports, old blues sides from the ’30s . . . we’re supposed to find
the art in the spaces, in what is left unsaid, and project our own interpretations onto lyrics
because we’re so smart and it’s all about us. Well, the Rush philosophy was, why not just
try harder? And guess what? You can still do all that other reflection about the spaces.
Why start on the bottom shelf and have to stack everything on top of it until it breaks?
The idea with Rush is, let’s start on the top shelf together, let’s give you a lot of music,
some of the chords are a little weird, you might twist an ankle dancing to it, and you’ll
probably look goofy trying. And if you’ve got any reflecting gray matter left, here’s a
bunch of lyrics, which likely together combust up synergistically to make even more
story, because, like, more is more.
Oh sure, Rush tried to play the game, positing with a witch cackle, “Our more
is more is even more, because we’re even going to include less is more!” But alas,
it wasn’t in their nature, and so the point I’m trying to make is, ’80s and ’90s
records included, Rush and their substantial music and lyrics and productions
and album covers made it pretty darn easy to build this book and to have it be
relentlessly interesting.
Somewhat to my surprise, for a couple things were happening here. Number
one, this is only the second book in this series, the first of which was on friggin’
Bob Dylan. Talk about stacking up a challenge with harmonica dents to the head.
I knew we’d have no problem killing Bob Dylan on the music. It would take some
sky-high Lower Eastside air of condescension to get most people to believe
his version of less is more trumps Rush when it comes to the music. There’s
no way I’m buying that. I knew this book would kill Bob Dylan on the music,
meaning, logically like Spock, there’s more to talk about here. That’s just a fact.
We can talk about good taste and bad taste until we’re blue bloods in the face, but
the harder objective surface of craft will always win out in the end. That’s why all those old
Vertigo Records albums are so collectible.
6
Introduction
I was a little more apprehensive on philosophies, concepts, themes,
and lyrics, but I soon found out I shouldn’t have been. Because, again,
even if you don’t believe more is more, any open-minded person can
believe that more can be more, and Neil has always provided more. And
he certainly provided more than enough to engage all these smart people
you’re about to meet. It’s a fast canon of lyrics, and as with his charted
and then replicated fills, well, Neil tries harder. And so, bloody ’ell,
halfway through this process I was about ready to concede no ground to
Bob Dylan, widely considered rock music’s greatest poet, although, screw
it, does he even play rock music?
Second, I was apprehensive of having people from all walks of life
expound on Rush, and have it be not only engaging but stacked with
enough new provocative ideas to make this gorgeous book useful. It’s
not that I was worried about these people more so than my long bias
about having the band themselves be the main speakers in the books I
do. Again, my fears were quickly allayed through the pile of completely
engaging, fun, thought-provoking conversations I had across this catalog
and across a wide swath of humanity parachuting in to breathe life into
often ignored corners of the catalog.
And I think that was the key, that we strived for and built a perfect
balance in the cast of people, including those who could technically
analyze music (in composite and isolating guitar, bass, and drums),
complementing those who could place Rush smartly within the pop
culture and the music industry of each specific album’s launch date,
buttressed by those who most deeply felt the lyrics on any number of
intellectual and emotional levels.
And I must admit, again, from a base of thinking, “How do we match
the quality of the Bob Dylan book?” to “I love this damn book—this is
awesome!” Well, it was bloody effortless in the baking and the making. The
long and short of it, I have every confidence in the fact that after reading
this book, you will be able to look at each and every one of these at
times contentious Rush records in completely new rainbows of refracted
light, and you will join me in now and forever defending the likes of Rush
(and yes, I don’t mean just Rush, I mean all of our prog heroes) against the
barbs of the Rock Hall tastemakers who think Yngwie is yucky.
Martin Popoff
Tools of the trade: a quiver of Alex’s axes at a shoot for Total Guitar
magazine, May 22, 2011 (Gavin Roberts/ Total Guitar magazine via Getty
Images); Geddy’s pedals at Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany,
September 27, 2004 (Malzkorn/Getty Images); and Neil’s kit at the
Austin360 Amphitheater, Austin, Texas, May 16, 2015.
(Gary Miller/Getty Images).
7
Introduction
CHAPTER 1
RUSH with Paul Gilbert, Ian Grandy,
Chris Irwin, and Kirk Hammett
SIDE 1
1 Finding My Way ........................................ 5:03
(Lee, Lifeson)
2 Need Some Love ........................................ 2:16
(Lee, Lifeson)
3 Take a Friend ............................................4:27
(Lee, Lifeson) I
4 Here Again ..............................................7:30
know because I was there. All too much is made of the
(Lee, Lifeson)
comparison of brash young upstarts Rush to legends Led
SIDE 2 Zeppelin. Although on the other hand—again, because I was
5 What You’re Doing ......................................4:19
there—about the right amount of (or even not enough) hand
(Lee, Lifeson)
6 In the Mood .............................................3:36 wringing took place over that voice. Seriously, as kids, although
we loved Rush instantly, they had verged on novelty band due to
(Lee)
7 Before and After ........................................5:33 Geddy’s inhuman birdlike chirp.
(Lee, Lifeson) Of course, any surly ’70s teen of a heavy-rock disposition
8 Working Man ............................................7:07 quickly turned around and learned to love it, but the nagging fact in
(Lee, Lifeson)
the back of the metal mind remained that due to those odd pipes, the
Geddy Lee: lead vocals, bass regular rules of singing probably didn’t apply, that the band was almost
Alex Lifeson: guitars, backing vocals
instrumental with an extra instrument no one else could claim.
John Rutsey: drums, percussion, backing vocals
Released March 1, 1974 But here’s the thing: most definitely not enough was made
Recorded at Eastern Sound, Toronto, and Toronto Sound of the fact that, with record one, Rush were an act bounding in a
Studios, Toronto
professional slab of product better than the first from Aerosmith
Produced by Rush
or Kiss (but not Montrose), and admirably, even bravely, heavy for
the day.
Let’s not forget that 1974 was yet another dreary year for North
American metal, in fact the fifth dreary year in a row, while the UK
(opposite)
was forging hard rock—and prog—anew seemingly on a quarterly
Canuckleheads in the washroom. Neil
Peart replaced John Rutsey in the drum basis. Yes, Genesis, Sabbath, Zeppelin, Heep, Purple, Budgie . . . we
chair some five months after the March
had Cactus, Mountain, the Amboy Dukes, BTO, and April Wine,
1974 release of the band’s debut.
© 1974, Bruce Cole/PlumCom Inc. and not a single prog band yet, with Kansas still a year away.
8
Chapter 1