Rush: The Greatest Prog Rock Band Ever
My personal tribute to Rush
Rush
(1968 - 2015) was a Canadian
progressive rock
trio conformed by Geddy Lee (vocals, bass guitar and keyboards), Alex
Lifeson (guitar) and Neil Peart (drums and lyrics).
Many agree that Rush left an incredible legacy to modern music. One of
the reasons they are so great is because their lyrics are timeless and
still so relevant in today's (post)modern world. It would not be a far
stretch to state that all human knowledge, curiosity and experience are
contained in Neil's lyrics, and it is hard to imagine a topic that was
not approached in Rushs' work in their constant quest to explore and
understand the human condition.
And then, there is the amazing musicianship. The poetry in the lyrics is
powerfully brought to musical life by the band's creative, highly
technical and virtuoso playing style. For decades and up to the present,
all three players have been consistently rated among the most skilled
rock musicians at their respective instruments.
The image below, created by a Rush fan, summarizes very accurately
my own experience with Rush as I, too, was introduced to their music at
the age of 12 by two of my older teenage cousins, and was immediately
mesmerized. That feeling has remained over the years and I am still an
avid Rush fan, for these reasons:
The musicians
*(Click on their names to read bios)*
Discography
My personal favorites
-
Natural Science. Album: Permanent Waves (1980).
🔭 🧬 🔬 If you are into science, you will love this song. It talks about the tension between the natural and the man-made world. Plus, it features some electrifying guitar and bass riffs. 🧪 🧫 🔬
-
Vital Signs. Album: Moving Pictures (1981).
💻 🖲 A tune for those into computer science. The band's visionary response to the language of electronics and computers, which often seems to parallel the human machine. 🎮 👾
-
Subdivisions. Album: Signals (1982).
👶🏻 😕 An anthem to suburban kids. It talks about the monotony of daily life in the suburbs and the resulting alienation.😕 👧🏽
-
Cygnus X-1. Book One: The Voyage. Album: A Farewell to Kings
(1977).
🙀 ★ ✰ 😨 A dreamy and whimsical account of what it must feel to be sucked into a black hole. A lot of fun literary references here. ✴︎ 😱 ⭐︎ ☄️
-
Jacob's Ladder. Album: Permanent Waves (1980).
🌫 🌩 The sun rays breaking through black, ominous looking clouds. Pure poetry blended with exhilarating musicianship.🌦 🌁
