Nova Carmina Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 Proposed: The debut album would have been improved if Rush had substituted a couple of cover songs they often performed in those days -- say, "Bad Boy" and "Not Fade Away," for "Take a Friend" and "Before and After." The presence of cover songs on early/debut albums was quite common in that era, and it would have solved some of the lyrical weaknesses recently brought up in another thread. Those are quite lively songs that would have given the album a little more credibility and punch. Wrong or right? Or did I pick the wrong substitutions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangy Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 I like take a friend and before and after but do think they are the two weakest songs on the debut. I can't see not fade away or bad boy adding much. It seems that better covers could of been though. Perhaps from a business standpoint it would of been smart. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JARG Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 Before And After is 2nd only to Working Man for most indispensable song on the album. But yes, Take A Friend could easily have been replaced with a good song, Garden Road, for example. As for early Rush covers, they're pretty hideous, so I'm glad they didn't make it onto the debut. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IbanezJem Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 Maybe they could have included a cover or two, but I probably wouldn`t dispense with the two songs you mention. More problematic for me would be my dislike of Feedback and how I prefer Rush to not perform covers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ST3V Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 Before and After? I'm with Jarg in that its 2nd behind Working Man. I'd much prefer Need Some Love to be outed, if this were to happen. However, I don't really think the covers would make the debut any better. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entre_Perpetuo Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 (edited) Nah I love the debut exactly as it is. Zeppelin didn't cover anything on their debut (well...not officially), so I'm sure Rush saw no reason to do their covers when they had 8 original songs ready to go. Also, if I were going to sub two out, lyrically speaking Need Some Love and In The Mood are the obvious candidates imo. I find take a friend rather charming, and though I can't recall the lyrics of Before And After, it's a very important song musically in documenting how Rush started doing slightly progressive things even early on. EDIT: I was wrong about Zeppelin's debut Edited July 29, 2022 by Entre_Perpetuo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush Didact Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 The only problem with the debut is that they left Garden Road off of it. I don't know why, it's a better song than almost any of the ones that made the cut. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
78jazz Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 Given that only 3 songs on the debut really stick with me, I am unsure how many covers would have saved that. The best thing about the debut may be the drumming of John Rutsey. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepphead Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 No removals, just Garden Road added. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grep Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 (edited) There were no lyrical weaknesses to 'solve'. Ged and Al were a couple of kids writing lyrics, and fantastic music. At that point in their lives, that was the output. It's not fair to compare those lyrics to those of someone 'better' like Neil. Non-discussion. IMO. Edited July 30, 2022 by grep 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangy Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 Imo the second most important song on the debut after working man is in the mood. A fan fave with the hey cookie lyrics and included on atwas. As a fan I am glad for no covers. But if they did do a cover, they should of played the slade classic. Cum on feel the noize. I can can hear ged belting it out now..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BastillePark Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 They did a whole album of covers and none of them are as good as anything on the debut and none of those are that great imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 My friends and I played the debut album all the time back in the day. Great riffs and solos, good bass work and competent drumming. I like every track, and Take A Friend rocks hard! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grep Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 (edited) I have always had a soft spot for that record, and for Rutsey. I love it. It's not modern Rush, but it's still Rush. Damned fine record. TBH, I like to play it back to back with CA.... and every now and then Finding My Way with The Garden. They sort of work together..at least in my twisted mind. Edited July 31, 2022 by grep 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytserush Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 There's a reason that first 45 has never been officially reissued and anything around that time only survives on period bootlegs. Don't have much love for In The Mood, Working Man or Need Some Love, but those are stronger songs than anything that didn't make it that I've heard (Which admittedly isn't anything that hasn't been out there unofficially already.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geddyleegenes Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 If you don't consider "Before and After" to be a 10/10 song, then you're not listening to it correctly! Actually, to each his own (or his moan). If you're not crazy about BaA, then that's fine for you. I honestly place every song on the debut high in rankings. "Take a Friend" perhaps is lowest, but that still gets at least a 7/10 from me. And I feel the need to say this here as well, John Rutsey was a damn good drummer. He pounds them things just fine on that debut album, in my op. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taurus Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 I really like Before and After, so that shouldn't be ditched at all. I like the opening and closing riff of Take a Friend, so that should be incorporated into any new track. I agree with the people who think Garden Road would have made a better choice than either Take a Friend or Need Some Love, but Not Fade Away was rubbish imo, Bad Boy was a bit better but not sure I prefer it to either Take a Friend or Need Some Love. Can't Fight It wasn't a better option either. Take a Friend is my least liked song on the debut but it isn't so bad that it ruins the record. Inclusion of Not Fade Away would have been a noticeable step down from the rest of the album Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova Carmina Posted August 3, 2022 Author Share Posted August 3, 2022 I love the debut album, I really do, and "Working Man" is in my top ten songs, easily. I just think it's interesting at a time when so many other bands used cover tunes as a way of establishing connections, influences, and bona fides that Rush was already so Rush that they were going to stick with their own stuff, even if it wouldn't have had the immediate recognition and perhaps playability of songs by the likes of The Beatles or Buddy Holly. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurkst Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 On 7/30/2022 at 12:52 AM, Rush Didact said: The only problem with the debut is that they left Garden Road off of it. I don't know why, it's a better song than almost any of the ones that made the cut. Was it written before the debut was recorded? There was a gap of around a year between Rush being taped and the actual release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush Didact Posted August 12, 2022 Share Posted August 12, 2022 On 8/8/2022 at 7:16 AM, Lurkst said: Was it written before the debut was recorded? There was a gap of around a year between Rush being taped and the actual release. That's actually a good question, I don't know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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