This Canadian progressive - heavy rock band was formed by Alex Lifeson (born: Alex Zivojinovich, 27 August 1953, British Columbia, Canada) in August, 1968. The line-up consisted of Alex on guitar, John Rutsey on drums, and Jeff Jones on bass and vocals. The band was named Rush shortly before their first gig. As they would later say in the A Farewell To Kings tourbook, ".... it would seem to express a basic ingredient of the band even then; energy."
After several different names and band members, Rush reformed with Alex on guitar, John on drums, and Geddy Lee (born: Gary Lee Weinrib, 29 July 1953, Willowdale, Toronto, Canada) on bass and vocals. They recorded their self-titled debut album in 1974. The initial tracks for Rush were laid down in one long eight-hour stretch. The overdubbing and re-mixing was completed in about five days. The album was released on Rush's own label, Moon Records.
A DJ at WMMS in Cleveland, Ohio, Donna Halper, began to play Rush extensively on her show. She soon began to get calls from people wanting to know who the band was and where they could pick up the album. The band soon got a recording contract with Mercury Records. Rush was re-released in August.
About two weeks before a four-month tour of the States with KISS and Aerosmith, John Rutsey left the band due to ill health and personal and creative differences. Neil Peart (born: 12 September 1952, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; drums, ex-Hush, J.R. Flood) auditioned and was hired. Neil officially joined Rush on July 29, 1974, Geddy's 21st birthday, and he was to be the main songwriter of the band.
From 1969 to 1972 they performed in Toronto playing a brand of Cream-inspired material, honing their act on the local club and bar circuit. In 1973, they recorded a version of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" as their debut release, backing it with "You Can't Fight It", for their own label, Moon Records. Despite failing to grab the attention as planned, the band pressed ahead with the recording of a debut album, which was remixed by Terry "Broon' Brown (he would continue to work with the band until 1984"s Grace Under Pressure.) With no bite from the majors, once again this arrived via Moon, with distribution by London Records. The quality of their live appointments improved, picking up support slots with the New York Dolls in Canada and finally crossing the US border to play gigs with ZZ Top.
At this point Rush undertook its first full tour of the USA. Rush's music by this point was typified by Lee's oddly high-pitched voice, a tremendously powerful guitar sound, especially in the early years, and a recurrent interest in science fiction and fantasy from the pen of Neil Peart.
Later he would also conceptualize the work of authors such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, John Barth, and John Dos Passos. This approach reached its zenith in the band's 1976 concept album, 2112, based on the work of novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand, which had as its central theme the concept of individual freedom and will. Including a 20-minute title track that lasted all of side one, it was a set which crystallized the spirit of Rush for both their fans and detractors. However, the band's most popular offering, A Farewell To Kings, followed by Hemispheres in 1978, saw Peart finally dispense with his "epic" songwriting style. By 1979, Rush were immensely successful worldwide, and the Canadian Government awarded them the title of official Ambassadors of Music.
As the 80's progressed, Rush streamlined their image to become sophisticated, clean-cut, cerebral music-makers. Some early fans denigrated their determination to progress musically with each new album, though in truth the band had thoroughly exhausted its earlier style. They enjoyed a surprise hit single in 1980 when "The Spirit Of Radio" broke them out of their loyal cult following, and live shows now saw Lifeson and Lee adding keyboards for a fuller sound. Lee's vocals had also dropped somewhat from their earlier near-falsetto. The best-recorded example of the band from this period is the succinct Moving Pictures from 1981, a groundbreaking fusion of technological rock and musical craft that never relies on the former at the expense of the latter. At this point, the band got into various musical innovations. Live shows were still exciting events for the large pockets of fans the band retained all over the world, and in the powerful Hold Your Fire in 1987 they proved they were still able to scale former heights.
In 1994, the band agreed to a break for the first time in their career, during which Lifeson worked on his "Victor" side project. They returned in 1996 with "Test For Echo". they remain Canada's leading rock attraction, and have clearly found strength and unity following an extended hiatus owing to the deaths of Peart's daughter and wife (the drummer's Ghost Rider: Travels On The Healing Road details his grief and the healing process). The post-tragedy Vapor Trails, released in 2002, is one of their strongest albums in many years. In support of this new record Rush embarked on a world tour which was gloriously ended with three sold out shows that took place in Brazil on November 2002.
From this last show, they are releasing a two-disc, first-ever live DVD and a three-disc live CD, both entitled "RUSH IN RIO". The sets capture all the excitement of the band's 2002 tour of North and South America. One of the largest-grossing tours of the year, the itinerary found Rush performing before hundreds of thousands of fans throughout Canada, the United States and, for the very first time, in Mexico and Brazil (Porto Alegre, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro) . "RUSH IN RIO" was recorded and filmed at Maracana Stadium in this last city on the final night of the tour in front of a spirited crowd of over 64,000.
The three-hour concert includes songs spanning the group's entire 30-year career - from the mammoth guitar riffs of "Working Man" (from Rush's debut album) to the contemporary crunch of their latest #1 rock smash, "One Little Victory" (from their critically acclaimed 17th studio album, 2002's VAPOR TRAILS). All of the great Rush hits are present, including "Tom Sawyer," "The Spirit of Radio," "Closer to the Heart," "New World Man," "Distant Early Warning," "2112," "The Big Money," "Freewill," "YYZ," "Dreamline," "The Trees," and "Limelight." Also featured is a special never-before-performed acoustic version of "Resist" from 1996's TEST FOR ECHO and an updated awe-inspiring Neil Peart drum solo ("O Baterista").
In addition to the entire live performance, which was mixed by James "Jimbo" Barton (Metallica, Godsmack, Eric Clapton) and guitarist Alex Lifeson, both the DVD and CD packages include special bonus materials that will appeal to both new and long-time Rush fans.
The CD set contains two "authorized bootleg" tracks recorded earlier in the 2002 tour: "Between Sun & Moon," a gem from 1993's COUNTERPARTS album never before played live; and "Vital Signs," from 1981's classic MOVING PICTURES and appearing on a live album for the very first time.
The DVD was produced from a 22-camera shoot and will be presented in 16x9 widescreen format. Audio options include Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Digital Stereo. Among the numerous DVD bonus features are:
- A documentary by longtime Rush photographer Andrew MacNaughtan that includes band interviews as well as rare rehearsal and backstage footage.
- Multi-angle viewing options on "La Villa Strangiato" and "YYZ" (Alex, Geddy, or Neil angle in addition to the original cut), plus two alternate angle shots on "O Baterista".
- Easter eggs: "By Tor & The Snow Dog" (from 1975's FLY BY NIGHT) cartoon created specifically for the tour, and an extremely rare live performance from 1975 of "Anthem" (also from FLY BY NIGHT) that was recently discovered in the Rush vault.
RUSH IN RIO is a truly stellar set that captures the energy, power, and virtuosity of one of music's most dynamic ensembles.
Rush:
Junos:
Most Promising Group, 1974
Best Group, 1977
Best Group, 1978
Best Heavy Metal Album, 1991
Best Album Cover (Presto), 1991
Best Hard Rock Album, 1992
Best Album Cover (Roll The Bones), 1992
Juno Hall Of Fame, 1994
Grammy Nominations:
Best Rock Instrumental: "YYZ", 1982
Best Rock Instrumental: "Where's My Thing?", 1992
Best Rock Instrumental: "Leave That Thing Alone!", 1994
Other:
1984 - Labatts Rock Express Awards: Best Live Canadian Band
1990 - Canadian Artists Of The Decade
January 23, 1992 - Lifetime Achievement Award from the Musician's Institute in Hollywood, California
1993 - The 7th Annual Musicians Of The Millennium Award (Harvard Lampoon)
February 26, 1997 - Made officers of the Order Of Canada
May 27, 1999 - Awarded a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame in Toronto
Neil Peart:
Readers' Polls - Modern Drummer Magazine:
Best Rock Drummer, 1980
Best Rock Drummer, 1981
Best Recorded Performance, Moving Pictures, 1981
Best Rock Drummer, 1982
Best Percussion Instrumentalist, 1982
Best Recorded Performance, Exit... Stage Left, 1982
Best Multi-Percussionist, 1983
Hall Of Fame, 1983
Best Rock Drummer, 1983
Best Recorded Performance, Signals, 1983
Best Rock Drummer, 1984
Best Multi-Percussionist, 1984
Best Multi-Percussionist, 1985
Best Rock Drummer, 1985
Best Recorded Perfomance, Grace Under Pressure, 1985
Best Multi-Percussionist, 1986
Honor Roll, Best Multi-Percussionist, 1986
Honor Roll, Best Rock Drummer, 1986
Best All-Around Drummer, 1986
Best Recorded Performance, Power Windows, 1986
Best Recorded Performance, Hold Your Fire, 1988
Best Recorded Performance, A Show Of Hands, 1989
Best Recorded Performance, Presto, 1990
Best Recorded Performance, Roll The Bones, 1992
Best Recorded Performance, Counterparts, 1994
Best Recorded Performance, Test For Echo, 1997
Best Recorded Performance, Different Stages, 1999
Alex Lifeson:
Best Rock Talent in 1983 (Guitar for the Practicing Musician)
Inducted into the Guitar for the Practicing Musician Hall of Fame (May 1991)
Geddy Lee:
Bass Hall of Fame for Guitar Player Magazine
Voted Best Rock Bassist more than 6 times
Best Rock Bass player in the 1993 "Bass Player" readers' poll.
