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Need a Rush book recommendation


GEK

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I am a rather new Rush fan and am looking for a good book about them. I see there are several available, but can anyone tell me which one is best to start with? Any input will be most appreciated. smile.gif
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What kind of book are you looking for? Biography? Lyric/Philosophy analysis? Neil's own books?

 

Assuming you mean biographies, be aware that they are kind of hit and miss. Two that stand out to me are:

 

1. Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away, by Martin Popoff (published in 2004 around the time of R30 and Feedback)

 

2. Rush: Chemistry: The Definitive Biography, by Jon Collins (published in 2006)

 

Of course, for a great bio I'd recommend this year's documentary DVD Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. All are available at Amazon.

 

Hope that helps.

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Well there is also "Visions" by Bill Banacievicz (sp?) that is a biography that goes up to and includes the Hold Your Fire album. Published in 1988. Good in parts, bad in others.
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QUOTE (The Mighty Dudad @ Dec 15 2010, 04:13 PM)
What kind of book are you looking for? Biography? Lyric/Philosophy analysis? Neil's own books?

Assuming you mean biographies, be aware that they are kind of hit and miss. Two that stand out to me are:

1. Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away, by Martin Popoff (published in 2004 around the time of R30 and Feedback)

2. Rush: Chemistry: The Definitive Biography, by Jon Collins (published in 2006)

Of course, for a great bio I'd recommend this year's documentary DVD Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. All are available at Amazon.

Hope that helps.

These are pretty good recommendations, although:

 

1. Contents Under Pressure by Popoff has the stamp of approval of the band, and thus shows them only in their best light. It also seems to focus on the making of the albums, and not so much on the band really.

 

2. Chemistry by Jon Collins, like just about every Rush bio we can name, has a number of factual errors. Thankfully, they're minimal here (as opposed to, say, Robert Telleria's "Mereley [sic] Players," which can't even spell its own title correctly). It's a decent book overall, though, and will take the reader right up to the making of Vapor Trails.

 

Free of factual errors, but written on an 8th grade reading level, is Visions by Bill Banasiewicz, an "official" Rush biography. It'll only take the reader up to the HYF era (when it was written) and it's now out-of-print, but you can buy copies through e-Bay and used book services. You can also read the text of the first chapter for free here.

 

For an overview of all the books about Rush, go here:

http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/main/Biographies.htm

 

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QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Dec 15 2010, 04:29 PM)
Well there is also "Visions" by Bill Banacievicz (sp?) that is a biography that goes up to and includes the Hold Your Fire album. Published in 1988. Good in parts, bad in others.

My biggest beefs with Visions:

 

1. Written on, at best, an 8th-grade reading level.

 

2. Gets too "cute" with some sentences, intentionally twisting a Rush lyric to fit the narrative.

 

3. Worst of all to me: Bill "the B-Man" Banasiewicz became a friend to the band in the years leading up to the book's release, and he seems to take a little too much joy in rubbing it in. I can't stand his tendency to talk about HIMSELF within the narrative. "I went flying with Alex, I hung out with Neil at his house, Gedd and his wife let me look through their photo albums, I went bowling with the entire band and crew, I went backstage, I went backstage, I went backstage and joked with the guys about the technical glitch, etc." Is this a book about Rush or a book about Bill???

 

At least Bill got a comeuppance. Stories are now legendary within the Rush online community about how Bill was essentially de-friended by the band due to multiple betrayals of loyalty.

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Definitely go with "Contents Under Pressure" by Martin Popoff.

 

For a new RUSH fan it's perfect. It's organized by each album (each album is a chapter) and goes up to the R30 tour. Granted it is sanctioned by the band so it doesn't go super in depth but for a beginning fan it will give you the lay of the land from the Boys album by album.

 

On top of that it has awesome full color pictures which are so great to look at. I read this back when it came out and then re-read it about 6 months ago. The pictures were so great to look at years later.

 

For a beginning RUSH fan, this is the best way to be introduced to the Boys, IMO.

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QUOTE
At least Bill got a comeuppance. Stories are now legendary within the Rush online community about how Bill was essentially de-friended by the band due to multiple betrayals of loyalty.

 

I remember being shocked at how lame "Visions" was when it came out. Beautifully illustrated, horribly written.

 

I'm relatively new to the Rush online community, so I'm dying to know what the B-Man did to get black-balled by the band. I've heard mention made of it on the forums without any detail, and Al and Ged even made a "no comment" reference to it on a "Rockline" interview years back.

 

So someone spill it, man! Lay it on me! What's the dirty story about the B-Man??

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QUOTE (Torgo @ Dec 15 2010, 10:05 PM)
QUOTE
At least Bill got a comeuppance. Stories are now legendary within the Rush online community about how Bill was essentially de-friended by the band due to multiple betrayals of loyalty.

 

I remember being shocked at how lame "Visions" was when it came out. Beautifully illustrated, horribly written.

 

I'm relatively new to the Rush online community, so I'm dying to know what the B-Man did to get black-balled by the band. I've heard mention made of it on the forums without any detail, and Al and Ged even made a "no comment" reference to it on a "Rockline" interview years back.

 

So someone spill it, man! Lay it on me! What's the dirty story about the B-Man??

The way I've always heard it told is this:

 

Bill had a background in radio broadcasting. Yes, he became tight with the band over time and spent a lot of quality time with them. Then, against their expressed wishes, he played some of Hold Your Fire on the radio before the official release date, essentially leaking the music after the band told him not to. They forgave him but then he went and did it again with Rush's next album release, and again against their expressed wishes. Two strikes and you're out, B-Man. You were given a second chance and you blew it. Loyalty is everything to the members of Rush. Why do you think they still employ so many of the same people from their earliest touring days and still give loving props to Donna Halper, who first got them played in America? Rush are loyal, and expect loyalty in return. Bill betrayed their loyalty and friendship... twice. Bye, Bill.

 

Thing is, I kind of sympathize with him. I see him now as somewhat of a tragic figure. I understand he's still an enormous Rush fan and goes to lots of their shows on each tour. I imagine him tailgating before the shows with his buddies, cursing himself for losing it all. He was once a privileged guy, able to hang out with his favorite band as one of their friends... now, because of his own stupidity, they won't give him the time of day and he can only get as close to them as the rest of us.

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QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Dec 15 2010, 10:30 PM)
Thing is, I kind of sympathize with him. I see him now as somewhat of a tragic figure. I understand he's still an enormous Rush fan and goes to lots of their shows on each tour. I imagine him tailgating before the shows with his buddies, cursing himself for losing it all. He was once a privileged guy, able to hang out with his favorite band as one of their friends... now, because of his own stupidity, they won't give him the time of day and he can only get as close to them as the rest of us.

I've met him at several tour tailgates, and Bill couldn't be a nicer guy. Have never talked to him about the "Visions" thing, and he doesn't bring it up either. Based on his current age, he would have been quite young when he published the book, and I would chalk the whole thing up to youthful (over-)enthusiasm.

 

Despite your seeming desire to paint him as a bad, tragic guy, it just isn't the case in reality. He comes across as a totally normal fan, and couldn't be nicer in person.

 

Peace,

Ron

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QUOTE (Presto_a RUSH fan_06-08-90 @ Dec 15 2010, 06:12 PM)
Definitely go with "Contents Under Pressure" by Martin Popoff.

For a new RUSH fan it's perfect. It's organized by each album (each album is a chapter) and goes up to the R30 tour. Granted it is sanctioned by the band so it doesn't go super in depth but for a beginning fan it will give you the lay of the land from the Boys album by album.

On top of that it has awesome full color pictures which are so great to look at. I read this back when it came out and then re-read it about 6 months ago. The pictures were so great to look at years later.

For a beginning RUSH fan, this is the best way to be introduced to the Boys, IMO.

goodpost.gif

 

Yep. I agree with this! It is a good book! You should definitely read it! 1022.gif

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