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Your Rush a-ha moment?


maplelevy
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What was the moment or moments that, when listening to a Rush song or album, you were either struck by a metaphorical bolt of lightening or had an indescribable warm feeling come over you and knew that the band would forever hold a special place in your heart?

 

Personally, I had a false alarm, although I'm sure it planted a seed, which finally bloomed four decades later. In the summer of 1980, before my senior year in high school, I heard "Spirit of Radio" on the radio in front of my best friend's house. I still recall listening and thinking, how does that guy (Alex) play the guitar that frenetically? (probably didn't know the word frenetically at that time)

 

As the years went by, I lost touch after Signals. In fact, I gave up tickets to the 1982 Signals tour because I had a college exam the next day. After getting married and raising four kids, I didn't re-engage until hearing "Time Stand Still" on I-Heart radio in 2011? (Not the moment)

 

So, I decided that I was going to R40, to make up for the missed show in 1982. Went with my No. 3 son in Bristow, Va. and had a memorable evening. (Not the moment). I had done my research, listened to some of the classics (Xanadu, 2112, e.g.) to really enjoy the show.

 

But, the moment occurred the next day when I was doing yardwork. Decided to listen to the Roll The Bones album with headphones. Had heard Dreamline (which I liked), but the next song just stopped me in my tracks. I had to play it over again, go through the lyrics, etc. I couldn't believe that this was Rush. Of course, the song was Bravado! (That was the moment!!!). That song was the impetus for my to get into the entire Rush catalog, which I have immersed myself into for the past year and a half. The diversity of styles of their music, their individual and combined playing and writing accumen and their humble nature have made these 18 months so personally uplifting.

 

So, what's your Rush a-ha moment???

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it coulda been when I heard 2112 the first time

 

but that was only one song, I needed a bit more proof

 

no, for me, it was when my dad showed up to pick me up from school with our new A Farewell To Kings CD and I heard Cygnus X-1 for the first time. I knew if they could pull that convoluted mess of a masterpiece off, they must be pretty awesome, and even better that I loved it.

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I remember walking into a music store with my buddy years and years ago, and I told him to pick one album for me to buy. He ended up telling me to check out Rush, and then we both looked and he told me to buy Fly By Night.

 

Well, I enjoyed it, but it didn't really blow me away at the time. But I still enjoyed it enough to go out and check out something else. For whatever reason, the next album I purchased was A Farewell To Kings. I ended up putting it into my new car stereo system while I was driving back and forth to university. I will never forget hearing Xanadu in my car for the first time, and I'm lucky I didn't slam into several drivers just getting lost in that song. I had never heard anything like that before in my life before that moment. I couldn't get back to the music store fast enough to buy their albums one by one.

 

Xanadu did it for me. I enjoyed the whole album a ton, no doubt. But that song had a huge impact on me.

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My starting point with Rush was when I was 7 and on my old iPod Nano, I had some Rush albums on there from my dad (Rush, Moving Pictures, Chronicles, Rush In Rio, and Feedback) and I listened to some of the songs although I was more interested in stuff like Jimi Hendrix, Beach Boys, Beethoven, Beatles, etc. Specifically however, the songs I got hooked on the most were Limelight, Red Barchetta, A Passage to Bangkok, Ghost Rider, and Heart Full of Soul. I eventually dropped listening to Rush altogether until probably November of 2015. I remember Rush in Rio being the album that pretty much re-hooked me onto Rush. After that, I started collecting all the albums and have been at that point ever since then.
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Hearing Limelight on the radio in maybe 1992 or so. I was already aware of them because the radio had been playing them for years. But since I was a teenager at the time I was starting to pay attention to different things in the music I heard. The lyrics to the song really got my attention because I realized how different they were from most other bands. No one else really wrote like that. After this the rest is history and they became my favorite band and still are today.
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it coulda been when I heard 2112 the first time

 

but that was only one song, I needed a bit more proof

 

no, for me, it was when my dad showed up to pick me up from school with our new A Farewell To Kings CD and I heard Cygnus X-1 for the first time. I knew if they could pull that convoluted mess of a masterpiece off, they must be pretty awesome, and even better that I loved it.

 

Kinda reminds me of my own "a-ha moment". I had heard the "2112" album and I think at least the "Chronicles" collection before , but it was after hearing the "A Farewell to Kings" album and in particular "Cygnus X-1" that I knew this band was something quite special. After listening through the "A Farewell to Kings" album for the first time together with a friend , the ending with "Cygnus X-1" left us both literally speechless. We became more or less Rush fans on the spot. This was almost 30 years ago, and to this I still rank "Cygnus X-1" as one of the best Rush songs ever!

Edited by Freeze
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As a kid, I would look forward to Friday and Saturday nights when The Midnight Special and Don Kirschner's Rock Concert would run on TV at the ungodly hours of 1 or 2am ..

 

One particular night in 1977 began in typical fashion - waiting for a hush to fall on the house, and making certain everyone was asleep, I would sneak into the family room and get ready ..

 

My first experience was the A Farewell To Kings video .. First off, my Dad played classical guitar, and we had musical instruments of all kinds in the house - so when A Farewell To Kings came on, I was immediately struck because here was the super cool looking rock guy with long hair playing classical guitar .. And there were the shots of Neil playing the glockenspiel or xylophone - and we had a full sized xylophone at the house - all this was fascinating for me. and as a10 year old who not only admired rock stars but also my Dad, this seemed like a big time bond ..

 

When the band kicked in - there were shots of explosions on the stage, and as a mega Kiss fan, I loved that ..

 

Geddy's unreal voice just capped everything ... I loved them right off the bat ..

 

My enthusiasm carried over to the next day, when unable to contain my exuberance for what I had seen the night before, I told my Dad of this incredible band - and the classical guitars and xylophones and explosions and long hair ..

 

The musician in my Dad listened with curiosity and interest - but the dad in my Dad was like "What the hell were you doing awake that late ?!?"

 

:LOL:

 

.

Edited by Lucas
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First had Hemispheres,then Moving Pics,Signals but perhaps when HIP came out I went bang ! this band is going somewhere.
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First had Hemispheres,then Moving Pics,Signals but perhaps when HIP came out I went bang ! this band is going somewhere.

 

HIP?

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As a kid, I would look forward to Friday and Saturday nights when The Midnight Special and Don Kirschner's Rock Concert would run on TV at the ungodly hours of 1 or 2am ..

 

One particular night in 1977 began in typical fashion - waiting for a hush to fall on the house, and making certain everyone was asleep, I would sneak into the family room and get ready ..

 

My first experience was the A Farewell To Kings video .. First off, my Dad played classical guitar, and we had musical instruments of all kinds in the house - so when A Farewell To Kings came on, I was immediately struck because here was the super cool looking rock guy with long hair playing classical guitar .. And there were the shots of Neil playing the glockenspiel or xylophone - and we had a full sized xylophone at the house - all this was fascinating for me. and as a10 year old who not only admired rock stars but also my Dad, this seemed like a big time bond ..

 

When the band kicked in - there were shots of explosions on the stage, and as a mega Kiss fan, I loved that ..

 

Geddy's unreal voice just capped everything ... I loved them right off the bat ..

 

My enthusiasm carried over to the next day, when unable to contain my exuberance for what I had seen the night before, I told my Dad of this incredible band - and the classical guitars and xylophones and explosions and long hair ..

 

The musician in my Dad listened with curiosity and interest - but the dad in my Dad was like "What the hell were you doing awake that late ?!?"

 

:LOL:

 

.

 

That's brilliant!

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I loved the band from the first time I heard them. My brother selected songs to turn me onto them- Fly By Night, 2112 Overture/Temples, Closer to the Heart...Xanadu. Out of all of the songs I heard at that time, Xanadu was the one that really did it more than any of the others. I was six years old, and completely sold on them.

 

And the rest, as they say, is history,

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First had Hemispheres,then Moving Pics,Signals but perhaps when HIP came out I went bang ! this band is going somewhere.

 

HIP?

 

Perhaps auto correct changed GUP to that. Auto correct is a f'ing dumbass a lot of the time.

Edited by J2112YYZ
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I was riding the bus to school in 8th grade when the local “tough chick” got on the bus with her big boom box. Bus driver starts driving when I hear the first notes of Tom Sawyer - blew my mind. Wasn’t even much of a music fan st all before that. The bus driver then started bitching at the tough chick to turn it down and she was yelling back and I couldn’t hear the music. Eventually, she shuts it off and we got to school. I then spent the rest of the day asking around if anybody knew who that band was. Kind of funny, only one kid did (aside from the tough chick). I was hooked ever more. Guess I should have mentioned MP had just come out.
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I was riding the bus to school in 8th grade when the local “tough chick” got on the bus with her big boom box. Bus driver starts driving when I hear the first notes of Tom Sawyer - blew my mind. Wasn’t even much of a music fan st all before that. The bus driver then started bitching at the tough chick to turn it down and she was yelling back and I couldn’t hear the music. Eventually, she shuts it off and we got to school. I then spent the rest of the day asking around if anybody knew who that band was. Kind of funny, only one kid did (aside from the tough chick). I was hooked ever more. Guess I should have mentioned MP had just come out.
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Rush and a-ha have never collaborated nor toured together. :16ton:

 

 

For me, there wasn't 1. I just liked them from the first time I heard them. Then again, I didn't make my life fit their songs so they didn't "write the soundtrack to my life". That's like diagnosing yourself after reading a medical dictionary.

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Instantly for me, with Atwas, my first intro into Rush.

 

Same for me. Had never heard Rush before. Was about 13 and heard ATWAS on a Walkman while in a tent on a Boy Scout camping trip.

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