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Why Did Rush Happen


chemistry1973
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Dumping Jeff Jones in favor of some kid with a big nose....

 

How many people told the band that Geddy was toxic and an obstacle to their success.

 

I would wager: Everybody

 

Well, let's be honest. His nose was an obstacle to everyone. Always getting in the way .....

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Why did Rush happen?

Cos Rush happened

Roll the bones

 

 

 

 

:ph34r:

Touche'
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Luck. Lucky they found each other and had such amazing idiosyncratic chemistry together. That's something that can't be planned for. Also lucky for the time they came up in when prog rock, hard rock and heavy metal were all happening simultaneously and all were still fairly new and still had creative possibilities to be explored. They put those three musical styles together in an awesome, catchy, Rushy stew. They were talented, hard working and ambitious enough to make a string of great albums, some of which felt fully formed and experimental at the same time. But they were still actually kind of a tough sell. Their music, personal styles, nerdiness, Ged's voice, lyrical subjects, etc., didn't quite fit in with what was going on back then, even in a time of experimentalism. I think that not quite fitting in aspect may have attracted a good number of fans who also didn't quite fit in.

 

But how did they stick around for so long as a unit in a business where most bands crash and burn or change lineups on a frequent basis? I'd say adaptability, creativity, love for what they do and a willingness to stick it out through thick and thin. And maybe most importantly, a friendship too strong for fame and fortune to destroy.

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What do you think was most formative in making Rush a successful prog rock power trio?

 

What were the economic and social conditions of Canada, St. Catherines and Toronto at the time.

 

I remember reading 70's era reviews that Rush appealed to the "zonked out set". They were a party band - much like Van Halen was in their early days...

 

Was Rush- in their 70s heyday - an escape for a particular group? Of course later, their appeal was big amongst the loners and nerds of the 80s (like me). But what was that spark - what grabbed people in 74 and 75?

 

But what brought the band together? We've the official line from the band - but what was it really?

 

My feeling is that the upbringings for all three - especially through the lens of a suburban teenager - were possibly pretty oppressive. Al and Ged's immigrant families pushed them to be successful and responsible with the results being rebellion and then unpredictable and unbelievable success. But those traumatic events in their families past must've put a a great deal of pressure on those 2.

 

We know the Weinrib story. But Al's family were immigrants from Serbia (AKA the Soviet satellite known as Yugoslavia) - another land of brutal oppression.

 

Neil Peart's family grew up in quiet middle class comfort, comparatively - as everyone knows, much of that darkness traveled through Geddy and Alex and seeped into Peart's writing. At least it did for a time.

 

This probably resulted in Rush's best work.

 

Eventually Peart's own experiences started affecting the writing, and there were different results.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrDj5XvZXX4

 

Yeah man, some big parts of Rush's music could be characterized as escapist and fix-what-is-wrong.

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Luck. Lucky they found each other and had such amazing idiosyncratic chemistry together. That's something that can't be planned for. Also lucky for the time they came up in when prog rock, hard rock and heavy metal were all happening simultaneously and all were still fairly new and still had creative possibilities to be explored. They put those three musical styles together in an awesome, catchy, Rushy stew. They were talented, hard working and ambitious enough to make a string of great albums, some of which felt fully formed and experimental at the same time. But they were still actually kind of a tough sell. Their music, personal styles, nerdiness, Ged's voice, lyrical subjects, etc., didn't quite fit in with what was going on back then, even in a time of experimentalism. I think that not quite fitting in aspect may have attracted a good number of fans who also didn't quite fit in.

 

But how did they stick around for so long as a unit in a business where most bands crash and burn or change lineups on a frequent basis? I'd say adaptability, creativity, love for what they do and a willingness to stick it out through thick and thin. And maybe most importantly, a friendship too strong for fame and fortune to destroy.

 

Agree 100%. I'd add that they have had hard times, I recall from interviews years ago that they almost called it quits in the mid 80's - the internal pressures were so strong. But somehow they kept it together, probably because of their friendships with one another.

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What do you think was most formative in making Rush a successful prog rock power trio?

 

Popular interest in sci-fi and fantasy in the 1970s coupled with a rebellion against disco.

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What do you think was most formative in making Rush a successful prog rock power trio?

 

Popular interest in sci-fi and fantasy in the 1970s coupled with a rebellion against disco.

 

Pretty concise and accurate I’d say.

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Luck. Lucky they found each other and had such amazing idiosyncratic chemistry together. That's something that can't be planned for. Also lucky for the time they came up in when prog rock, hard rock and heavy metal were all happening simultaneously and all were still fairly new and still had creative possibilities to be explored. They put those three musical styles together in an awesome, catchy, Rushy stew. They were talented, hard working and ambitious enough to make a string of great albums, some of which felt fully formed and experimental at the same time. But they were still actually kind of a tough sell. Their music, personal styles, nerdiness, Ged's voice, lyrical subjects, etc., didn't quite fit in with what was going on back then, even in a time of experimentalism. I think that not quite fitting in aspect may have attracted a good number of fans who also didn't quite fit in.

 

But how did they stick around for so long as a unit in a business where most bands crash and burn or change lineups on a frequent basis? I'd say adaptability, creativity, love for what they do and a willingness to stick it out through thick and thin. And maybe most importantly, a friendship too strong for fame and fortune to destroy.

 

Agree 100%. I'd add that they have had hard times, I recall from interviews years ago that they almost called it quits in the mid 80's - the internal pressures were so strong. But somehow they kept it together, probably because of their friendships with one another.

 

I remember reading about Alex’s threat to quit in “Visions”.

 

These guys individually were probably fielding serious offers from many different bands throughout the 80s...

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What? Neil didn’t quit on them, he physically can’t drum anymore to his personal standards and he has a daughter to raise. He deserves some peace and solidarity after 41 years of being in the band. That’s kind of a selfish thing to say, really.
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I believe it was because Geddy and Alex knew they had musical talent and wanted to express it through forming a band. We were fortunate though that Neil joined otherwise we would have never gotten so many iconic Rush songs.
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What? Neil didn’t quit on them, he physically can’t drum anymore to his personal standards and he has a daughter to raise. He deserves some peace and solidarity after 41 years of being in the band. That’s kind of a selfish thing to say, really.

 

You listed some of the reasons he quit on them.

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I believe it was because Geddy and Alex knew they had musical talent and wanted to express it through forming a band. We were fortunate though that Neil joined otherwise we would have never gotten so many iconic Rush songs.

 

BTW, I grew up in your neck of the woods (more or less), in Burnet.

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I think much of the rock of the 70s and early 80s was a bit too adult oriented - drugs and sex with chicks, though awesome, can be alienating to a kid. Songs about oppression, freedom and the future can stoke the imagination a lot more than tales of sexual conquest. Not to say it didn’t have appeal to teens, but I’d say they nerdier part wanted a little more intellect along with the bombast.

 

A band like Kiss was popular because of their costuming and comic book appeal - how could a kid possibly process Christine Sixteen lyrically?

 

But a song like Freewill? Challenging lyrics and badass musicianship that’s easy to get fired up on. Of course chicks don’t dig the music or the band, but chances are they’re not digging the zit-afflicted fan either. And those fans were fine with that.

Edited by chemistry1973
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I believe it was because Geddy and Alex knew they had musical talent and wanted to express it through forming a band. We were fortunate though that Neil joined otherwise we would have never gotten so many iconic Rush songs.

 

BTW, I grew up in your neck of the woods (more or less), in Burnet.

 

Really? That’s interesting. I moved from San Antonio about 6 or 7 years ago but I’m really liking the Austin area now.

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Luck. Lucky they found each other and had such amazing idiosyncratic chemistry together. That's something that can't be planned for. Also lucky for the time they came up in when prog rock, hard rock and heavy metal were all happening simultaneously and all were still fairly new and still had creative possibilities to be explored. They put those three musical styles together in an awesome, catchy, Rushy stew. They were talented, hard working and ambitious enough to make a string of great albums, some of which felt fully formed and experimental at the same time. But they were still actually kind of a tough sell. Their music, personal styles, nerdiness, Ged's voice, lyrical subjects, etc., didn't quite fit in with what was going on back then, even in a time of experimentalism. I think that not quite fitting in aspect may have attracted a good number of fans who also didn't quite fit in.

 

But how did they stick around for so long as a unit in a business where most bands crash and burn or change lineups on a frequent basis? I'd say adaptability, creativity, love for what they do and a willingness to stick it out through thick and thin. And maybe most importantly, a friendship too strong for fame and fortune to destroy.

I went to Mimi's Cafe this weekend and ordered the 'Rushy Stew'... Our waitress said she would check to see if it was available. A few minutes later, she came back to our table and said "I'm sorry, but we don't have the Rushy Stew"... I asked "Why not"... and she replied "Because we are all out of the most badass band to ever walk the earth and are being told we will not be getting any more....ever". I cried and asked her "Ok then, do you have any "All Other Crappy Bands Goulash" ? She replied, "Oh yeah, We've got tons of that"... :rush: Edited by tks95747
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Speaking as a younger Rush fan and someone who has middle aged Canadian friends-

 

They were offering something different to the public and that used to be a great thing- the golden age of music as art is over but back then, innovation could be rewarded.

 

Also in regions where there are long winters, the weather influences a lot of music and people are "cooped up" socializing and sharing music/books/art/experiences. A lot of singer-songwriters take advantage of long dull winters to stay inside and hone their craft.

 

The phrase "Zeppelin knockoff" is actually a compliment because Zep was unique, with no one really understanding how big the wave of British Heavy Metal was going to get. (Zep was also controversial, but that's another topic.)

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