From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Rush is an award-winning Canadian rock band comprised of bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart (pronounced: 'Peert') that has been consistently touring and recording since 1973. John Rutsey played drums for Rush on the first album, but resigned for health concerns shortly thereafter. Since Peart joined in 1974, they have remained intact. Interestingly, while Lee does all the singing, almost all lyrics of the band's work have been written by Peart.
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.