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Was Rush still considered Heavy Metal in the 80's?


Majestyk
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I'd have to agree, but I'd also add most of the "metal" from that period wouldn't be considered metal by today's standards, save for a few bands like Maiden, Priest, Sabbath and a handful of up and coming speedmetal bands, i.e. Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax etc., who as we know, would change the metal scene forever.

 

1970's Rush might be considered "heavy metal' back in the day.

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I think saying Heavy Metal and Rush together stopped with Moving Pictures . I also think the 2 new songs have a H.M. vibe , first time in a long time.
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I've heard about them described as metal, but I honestly don't understand the meaning; rock - yes, prog rock - yes, but 'metal'? Can someone enlighten me, please? Thanks.
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QUOTE
I also think the 2 new songs have a H.M. vibe , first time in a long time.

 

I think the two new songs are every bit as heavy sounding as most of the tracks in Snakes and Arrows.

 

To me, Counterparts, VT and S&A were (at least) a return to Hard Rock with some tracks, from each album, borderline metal...

 

As for Signals to Roll the Bones, I'm not sure how I would label their music. Maybe "Pop/Rock".

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'metal'? Can someone enlighten me, please? Thanks.

 

I don't think it's tough to say that Rush was DEFINITELY a Heavy Metal band up until '75. From '76 to '79 they would have probably also been referred to as Metal, back in the day. (Did anyone use the term Prog-Metal back then? Umm...No).

 

BTW, I have an audio clip of an interview with Alex Lifeson, back in the early 80's, (Moving Pictures era) and he is asked if the band is Heavy Metal. He begrudgingly replied that they were. "Hum...Ah...Yeah, I guess you'd call us Heavy Metal"...Something like that.

Edited by Majestyk
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Rush WERE heavy metal up to 1981. They appeared in all the metal magazines of the 70s/early 80s, kids who liked metal bands generally liked Rush and considered them a metal band too. Then with Signals they started going a little new wavey pop in style. I think they brought back the METAL a little bit with Counterparts and have been relatively metallic since then...
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QUOTE (Union 5-3992 @ Oct 5 2011, 05:28 PM)
Its like calling Led Zeppelin heavy metal in the early 70's

Nah , Zep were a Blues band . Rush Were Metal and they might be agian 1022.gif

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I'll agree with the majority here and say they were metal up to 1981. Though in my opinion, they played a lighter type of metal. It wasn't something as in your face as, say, Van Halen or Judas Priest were playing at the time. Definitely progressive though. I like the style they've had since T4E, because I can't listen to Counterparts as a "metal" album. I agree that they were heavier around that time though, but very far short of metal.
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RUSH was only a prog band from 1977-1980,imo.

The closest RUSH got to heavy-metal, was the 1st

couple years,and that was when they were establishing

their own sound,after being a Zep-sounding band, with

the 1st record.The song "In The End " is a good example

of a heavy-metal/hard rockin RUSH song.

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I would not say that they were Heavy Metal in 80's

In fact when Signals came out I kinda thought they sold out.

It took about a year for the album to grow on me.

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QUOTE (The Mighty Dudad @ Oct 5 2011, 09:40 AM)
I never heard Rush referred to as "heavy metal"...especially during that period.

I certainly have seen the label attached to Rush, even in an album review for Grace Under Pressure, of all albums!

 

Really? The keyboards, the pop sound, the Flock of Seagulls haircuts and skinny ties...? I couldn't imagine what Circus readers thought of Rush, these fluffy New Wave photos next to pictures of Rob Halford and Glenn Tipton in leather.

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Its like calling Led Zeppelin heavy metal in the early 70's

 

I would say Zeppelin were Heavy Metal (as metal as metal could be in that early time) up until Zep II. After that, they were "Hard Rock", although I don't think that term existed then. I was recently watching their 1970 Royal Albert Hall concert and was blown away by how loud they were, compared to concerts after '71. They were about on par with Sabbath.

 

Anyway, back to Rush...If anyone wants to hear the clip where Alex says Rush were Heavy Metal (in '81 I believe) it's posted here. These are very raw sounding clips from cassette. I did not produce or post these. They were posted by another forum member (Apollo), in this thread:

 

http://www.therushforum.com/index.php?showtopic=60577

 

I can't remember which clip it is, I think it's the second one:

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8F0W3Z5R

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XXFHYD6E

 

 

QUOTE
Time Stand Still is so metal.

 

Hold Your Fire was the album that turned me away from Rush, until Counterparts.

Edited by Majestyk
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QUOTE (treeduck @ Oct 5 2011, 03:13 PM)
Rush WERE heavy metal up to 1981. They appeared in all the metal magazines of the 70s/early 80s, kids who liked metal bands generally liked Rush and considered them a metal band too. Then with Signals they started going a little new wavey pop in style. I think they brought back the METAL a little bit with Counterparts and have been relatively metallic since then...

Well, they were in the English magazines at least. Kerrang sure loved them. I don't think this applied so much in the States.

 

As far as I'm concerned, they were never really considered metal by most people, and more specifically I never considered them metal.

 

They had enough elements that metal fans loved the band, but they were definitely set apart from metal with far more intelligent lyrics (sorry if I offend), and they never really did crunching riffs just for the sake of crunching riffs. They were kind of accidentally metal-like, or metal-friendly, or metal-adjacent, if you will, but full-on metal? The argument could possibly be made for the first album, and for some songs on CP, but beyond that, not really.

 

Despite the insistence of some, Rush is just NOT a metal band. no.gif

 

Rush is a hard rock band. yes.gif

Edited by rushgoober
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I have always felt I was more accurately a Hard Rock musician.

-Geddy Lee

 

I think we're quite unique in that we do have our own sound and approach and we don't really care what's going on elsewhere... we've never wanted to be part of another trend or movement.

-Alex Lifeson

 

--from BrainyQuote.com

 

QUOTE
Presto is Hare Metal

 

rofl3.gif

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QUOTE (rushgoober @ Oct 6 2011, 12:21 AM)
Well, they were in the English magazines at least. Kerrang sure loved them. I don't think this applied so much in the States.

They were in Every Hard Rock /Metal mag in the states

Creem

Hit Parader

Circus

Rip

They Were Metal at one point yes.gif

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