How did you started on RUSH?

[SUBDIVISIONS]

QUOTE (mandydog @ Aug 2 2012, 04:20 PM)

QUOTE (Rushman14 @ Aug 2 2012, 12:33 PM) 1976. I was 14 years old and hanging at a friends house. I saw this album in his room that said Rush 2112. I said who are these guys? He put it on and the rest is history. Pretty much the same story, Sometime in October 1976. 14 years old. After school at a friend's house. Parents weren't home and we had just partaken of some "doobage" !   My friend says "check this out" and throws on side one of "All The World's A Stage" and after the fourth side tracked out, I was forever changed. That was a big gate dude, you enter by the front door and the cigarret on

[Animate]

[CygnusGal]

Tom Sawyer and Moving Pictures.

 

I moved to AZ when I was 14 in January '82. I didn't know anyone and I used to sit out by the pool after dark and listen to music and miss my life and friends back east. Prior to my moving, a friend of mine put a copy of Tom Sawyer on the back of a homemade "Styx Cornerstone" cassette I had. He said Tom Sawyer was really cool and I should listen. Meh, was my reaction at the time.

 

One night, I let the cassette run to the end. What should have been about 5-6 minutes of blank tape was Tom Sawyer. I was intrigued and I really like what I heard. The next day I was riding the bus to school and "Take Off" came on the radio (Hey, that sounds like that Rush guy...). I bought a copy of Moving Pictures on cassette after school.

 

I put it in my player when I got home and was blown away as the album progressed! It was like the music had been written just for me (obviously not) and I immediately connected. Love at first listen! That sound!

 

Thus began a 30+ year love affair with the Greatest Band in the Galaxy!

 

[bluefox4000]

I was 9.....my uncle got me COS.....Done deal

 

Mick

[Bastille Dave]

I was surrounded by music from the radio as a child of the 70's but my first introduction to full albums was in 1976 as a 9 year old. My sister had FBN, CoS, 2112, and ATWAS. I listened to these (and many other 70's rock bands) for a couple years until she moved out and took her records with her.

 

Fastforward to 1981 and I saw Rush in concert, my first concert ever. My buddy had MP and I got to know it well but I had never heard AFTK, Hemispheres, or PeW until after the concert I bought the entire catalog of Rush from 1974 to 1981. The summer of '81 I became a full on Rush fanatic.

[Smegger68]

In the early 90's I had a couple of years unemployed and living in Cardiff with basically no money. I couldn't afford to buy books or CD's so joined the central library and passed the time by borrowing stuff from there to read and listen to.

 

One day I came across a copy of 'Roll The Bones' by this band Rush, who I had heard of but never heard anything by. So I got it out and took it home.

 

Well now.

 

Suffice to say I was like a deaf man hearing music for the very first time. I hurried back to the library and found copies of '2112' and 'Moving Pictures' there, and also a copy of Bill Banasiewicz' 'Visions' biography. I spent much of that summer listening to Rush and reading that book backwards and forwards. When I had absorbed the 3 CD's from the library I scoured the 2nd hand record shops (remember those?) and found cheap vinyl copies of as many albums as I could.

 

Let this be a lesson to you all on the dangers of unemployment!

[Priest of Syrinx]

All The World's A Stage was my gateway album.

[sitboaf]

I knew the classic stuff from 70s and early 80s radio, then heard a little more in the late 80s via my college roommate, who owned Fly By Night and GUP. I was not a huge fan of either album.

I bought PoW and loved most of it. Another friend got me into RTB. Then I bought CP. More love. And that was as far as I got for a long, long time.

 

Then about 4 years ago, I bought Hemispheres from iTunes because it was on sale. And then CoS and 2112, FtK, and MP in rapid succession. And just at that time, I took my wife to see I Love You Man in the theater because she has a big crush on Paul Rudd. Yay! Rush in a movie!

 

Since I'm a huge prog-head (Yes, Genesis, Floyd and the Moody Blues are all in my top 10), I took to the Kimono-era Rush immediately.

 

So I have equal love for ProgRush, ClassicRush, SynthRush and Farewell-To-Synths-Rush. But, I like ZepRush and New Millenium Rush, too.

 

Just not Test for Echo

[Cygnus 2112]

I started to get into RUSH back in 2007 when I saw the Trailer Park Boys episode with Alex Zivojinovic in it. I got hooked on Closer to the Heart instantly and stole my dads copy of Retrospective I & II. I instantly fell in love with the line "If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice." Then I picked up RUSH "The Spirit Of Radio & Gold. My first studio album was Hemispheres because I loved The Trees. It took forever to get into the other songs on the album. Then Rock Band released Moving Pictures and I bought that and the rest was history.

[Tony R]

QUOTE (Animate @ Aug 2 2012, 08:35 PM)

QUOTE (Tony R @ Aug 2 2012, 02:22 PM) 1976. Was given a mixtape that included Bytor and 2112 from ATWAS. I was immediately hooked. Got all the albums on vinyl then AFTK on day of release. Happy days! Which album release first caused your happy days to turn to cries of dismay   And did you recover? To be honest it was Signals. At the time I felt it was the first misstep and GUP confirmed that. That's when I turned from fanboy to fan.

[Del_Duio]

I was watching MTV in the late 80's and the video for Time Stand Still came on (yes, this is not a type-o MTV played RUSH at one time). Anyhow, my brother starts freaking out saying, you gotta check this band out! The drummer is the best in the world and the bassist is just as good!! I said, what that guy who looks like an old lady??? (hahaha, sorry Ged)

 

Anyhow, the song was awesome so I knew I wanted to hear more Rush. I went into a Coconuts record store and looked for a Rush cassette that had Time Stand Still on it. The only one they had was A Show of Hands, which was my first Rush anything.

 

I couldn't believe that:

 

a) Geddy was singing and playing the friggin' bass like that

That only 3 guys were making all that music (triggers, synths, samples, etc)

c) It took me that long to really listen to this great band.

 

So for me, when I think of Rush my first thoughts is their music from the Power Windows or Hold Your Fire era. I hope they play a lot of songs from these albums on the CA tour. 3 or 4 would be awesome.

[Del_Duio]

QUOTE (Smegger68 @ Aug 2 2012, 08:13 PM)

and also a copy of Bill Banasiewicz' 'Visions' biography.

Yeah man!

 

I still have that book, it's awesome IMO.

[Your_Lion]

Back in 2000, I bought an issue of Classic Rock magazine because Pink Floyd were on the cover (my favourite band at the time).

The last page of the magazine was always a top ten list, as voted by the readers...this issue it was bass players.

My Dad asked, "Is Geddy Lee on there?"

I looked and nodded "Yeah, he's number one....who's he?"

 

So my Dad dug out an old, dusty cassette of the first half of Exit...Stage Left.

The Spirit of Radio was alright, but Red Barchetta blew my mind. Dad gave me the cassette and I played it and played it...until it chewed up in the machine, so i saved up and went out and baught Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures.

[SUBDIVISIONS]

On my quest to find more about RUSH I only had 3 milestones

 

PRESTO, SIGNALS and 2112 not bad ha?

 

Thats why I wanted more and more

 

There was no internet by then, the world was expecting roll the bones.

 

So I was into little flea markets asking for RUSH and there was this long hair old guy that say:

 

"sooo, you are the kid that wants to meet RUSH ha, I got something for you"

 

And he hand me this cassette with a 70-80s mix of songs from many records, he just try to fit the timing on every 30 minute side, and every 2 weeks he had a different one, with more songs, I had no idea what album I was listening, red barchetta was next to Cygnus, it was a mess.

 

I had to buy every CD to understand wtf it terms of timing and history.

 

I remember that I never heard "Madrigal" and to date still like an easter egg for me, like a hidden secret song.

 

 

[Godeater2112]

Great topic, I've told my story before but here it is again.

 

Not many people have much to thank annoying "Columbia Records Club" for if they even still exist today but I do!

 

My first Rush album was actually on cassette and was Hold your Fire.

 

Stupid Columbia House kept sending me their "tape-of-the-month" junk even though I wrote them 500 times to cancel that. To cheese them off I started opening every one they sent me listen to it once no matter what it was - put it back in the package and RETURN TO SENDER it back to them.

 

One day Hold your Fire shows up... I didn't sleep a wink that night totally mesmerized listening to it over and over and over and over again. The rest is history!

[MJH]

older brother,wanted to take me to a concert in 1981....Van halen and Rush,were both coming to my city,within a 2 week period.I picked

....actually got to go to see V.H. as well (spoiled brat teen) meh tickets

were 10-12 bucks back then....

[Animate]

I love these stories- it is mind blowing how different it was for everyone, and that so many different and unrelated albums could be peoples first.

 

Totally did not expect Presto, and especially HYF, to be the critical introductory album for so many!

 

 

This is seriously the Best Thread Ever! Wish there was a "Like" button!

[greyfriar]

For me it started with ATWAS. A friend of mine bought the album just because the cover looked amazing. We listened to Bastille Day and when the solo came up I asked "Where's the rhythm guitar?" he laughed out loud and said "Sorry, no rhythm guitar but a lot of rhythm made from these 3 guys". I was very impressed that the powerful sound came from just 3 people. From time to time I listened to Rush but wasn't the fan I became a few years later.

One night I listened to a radio special where they played one entire live album. On that night it was the upcoming release from Rush "Exit...Stage Left". The first time I heard "The Spirit Of Radio" it gave me goosebumps instantly and I remember how I jumped from my bed and went nuts. That was the real deal. Every month I saved my pocket money and bought one of the Rush vinyls. Good times.

Edited August 3, 2012 by greyfriar

[CygnusGal]

QUOTE (Animate @ Aug 3 2012, 12:33 PM)

I love these stories- it is mind blowing how different it was for everyone, and that so many different and unrelated albums could be peoples first. Totally did not expect Presto, and especially HYF, to be the critical introductory album for so many! This is seriously the Best Thread Ever!  Wish there was a "Like" button!

Agreed.

 

[JMXED]

My brother turned me on to them back in the mid eighties with Moving Pictures. I then got a copy of A Show of Hands and can vividly remember riding in the car with my bro and parents on our way to friends for a party and was completely into it. Strangely enough, I really got into Power Windows and it's still a huge favorite of mine still today. I had to go back and listen to their earlier catalog to learn the history. Obviously there were some changes in the style from PW backwards and forwards but I ended up loving all of it.

[LedRush]

QUOTE (Godeater2112 @ Aug 3 2012, 10:35 AM)

Great topic, I've told my story before but here it is again. Not many people have much to thank annoying "Columbia Records Club" for if they even still exist today but I do! My first Rush album was actually on cassette and was Hold your Fire. Stupid Columbia House kept sending me their "tape-of-the-month" junk even though I wrote them 500 times to cancel that. To cheese them off I started opening every one they sent me listen to it once no matter what it was - put it back in the package and RETURN TO SENDER it back to them. One day Hold your Fire shows up... I didn't sleep a wink that night totally mesmerized listening to it over and over and over and over again. The rest is history!

Oh God. I remember those "return to sender" days. They actually got pissed enough at me that I got kicked out of the club before I had to buy my 6 albums. So, I joined again for another 8 CDs for a penny

[SUBDIVISIONS]

[SUBDIVISIONS]

Can you imagine fresh kiddos that just met RUSH with Clockwork Angels?

 

Whata BLAST door!

 

 

you got some homework to do folks!

 

There are a few records before this one for you to digest!

 

[Ged Lent's sis]

QUOTE (treeduck @ Aug 2 2012, 01:37 PM)

All the World's A Stage and Permanent Waves early in 1980... I can't remember now which was first, but I remember being astounded when I realised that both great albums were by the same band...

Almost ditto. All the World's a Stage was my first purchase in '79 or '80 and my gateway to 2112. Then I heard the live in St. Louis concert on the radio during the Permanent Waves tour, which would then be my first concert ever. For that reason, that album and Natural Science will always hold a special place in my heart.

[DBJetsman]

It was fall of 2011 and I was 15 when I searched Rush in iTunes just to see all of the hubbub my dad was creating about this band called "Rush". I went down the list just listening to samples of their songs until got to the 9th song called "Fly by Night" and I was like "Holy Shit" because I had just gotten my mind blown. Then came 2 others that came earlier on the list which I went back to listen to that mind f***ed me called "Red Barchetta" and "New World Man". Couple of days later, I listened to all of 2112 since it was my dad's fav album and I was officially addicted.

 

Funny thing is that those first 3 songs have STILL remained my Top 3 Rush songs ever, but not in that order I listened to them. Now it's Barchetta #1, Fly by Night #2, and New World Man #3. However, 2112 has been passed and is now 2nd to Movin' Pictures in my fav Rush albums ever.