How did you started on RUSH?

[TheAccountant]

For me it was a 2 step process.

 

Stage one was when I was in 1987. I was familiar with Rush, liked their stuff from hearing it on the radio but was not crazy about them. Went to a Def Leopard concert and, as at all shows, music was being played over the sound system before the show. Most of it was not memorable. Then they played Force 10 off HYF. I was like "Cool, this a real good song!" Then the played Time Stand Still. I was like "Great another Rush song!" I was familiar with these 2 as HYF was out at this point and both were getting a lot of local radio time. Then they played something I was not familiar with and I was like "good song - whatever it is". Then they played another song and I was like "Man, another songs I don't know but is real good. Sort of sounds like the same singer as the last one. Come to think of it, sounds like Geddy Lee of Rush. Are they playing the entire album?" Next song I was like "Sounds like the same singer as all these other songs and dam, it another great song. Is it really HYF in its entirety? I hope so! This is one great album if it is!!" Next songs was (obviously) Lock and Key which I was familiar with and was just like "Man just keep playing this album - I almost don't want Tesla (who opened for DL) to come on" They played the entire HYF album, then Tesla came on. Good concert (both Tesla and DL were good) but I was hooked on Rush. Next day i went out, bought HYF and power Windows and started to build my collection.

 

Step 2. VT tour. Had seen Rush on the Presto and Counterparts tours and had all their albums but Rush was not yet my #1 band. Saw them on this tour and it was, and remains to this day, the best show I have ever seen. Thats what really got me into Rush. Was 100% hooked at that point.

[spock]

It was roughly 1979 - too funny because my friend and I would play hangman to pass the time in study hall. All of his puzzles were rush song titles. I didn't know jack about any band called RUSH and I hated them without hearing them. Then I heard The Trees on Philly radio and BOOM! I was off to find Rush records. I didn't know the name of the song so the first thing I bought was ATWAS and man, I was in heaven. I still love the live version of By-Tor. Saw them in Philly just before MP came out - they demo'd Tom Sawyer and it's been a great 30+ years of waiting for that next Rush album...

[Bangster of Goats]

I think I was first aware of Rush in 1981, but I didn't know what they were all about. Just heard the name mentioned from time to time from classmates (I was in 6th grade.)

 

1982 rolls around, and Signals is the tour "everyone" is going to. The day after the show, tons of people are wearing Signals concert tees. I remember seeing the ESL videos for Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, and Limelight on MTV, as well as the video for Vital Signs. I remember not liking Limelight at all back then... "uuuuggghhhhh Limelight!" I liked the Red Barchetta video because of the animated film of the car driver's POV during the middle section; it made me think of racing video games, lol. I also remember seeing the Subdivisions and Countdown videos occasionally but they didn't really register.

 

But I was trying to be a contrarian. I was saying "yeah Rush sucks!" at school, though I was a closet semi-fan.

 

But then, "The Moment" happened. My parents took us to a planetarium laser show, which featured mostly classical music... except for the last track played. Which was Subdivisions. Hearing that song with the synchronized lasers immediately captured my imagination (and I still to this day am reminded of that planetarium show each time I hear Subdivisions). That was really when the big seed was planted in my mind and made me reconsider everything to do with this band.

 

One day at school, a guy before class started held up a cassette copy of Moving Pictures and yelled "hey I already have this one, anyone want it?" I yelled for it along with a bunch of others but I didn't get it.

 

Finally 1984 rolls around and I see an ad for Grace Under Pressure on MTV which showed parts of the Distant Early Warning video ("eight more classics from Rush!") The song sounded so frickin' cool I immediately told my brothers "I'm gonna get that album." And so, GUP was my first Rush album.

 

I played it once, but I felt somewhat underwhelmed. It just kind of stayed hidden away in my LP collection for a few months until I started high school. On a whim, I played it again, and suddenly it all clicked. I soon bought Moving Pictures and then Signals. Number Four was Exit Stage Left, because I wanted a sort of "greatest hits" sampler to see which studio albums I would get next. Permanent Waves, AFTK and Hemispheres were bought before the end of my first freshman semester. Buying Fly By Night (with Rivendell) coincided with my discovery of Tolkien, and thus I became just like every other 14 year old dork who loved Tolkien and Rush, lol.

 

My collection was complete on May 24, 1985, when I bought Caress of Steel by total freak coincidence! When I first heard the lyrics in Lakeside Park I did a double take at the date on my watch and laughed at myself.

 

My collection complete (edit: well, almost complete, I just remembered I didn't get ATWAS until later that summer), I then had my first "new one" to look forward to coming out that fall, which would be Power Windows...

 

Ok, this post is long enough I think.

Edited August 4, 2012 by Bangster of Goats

[Union 5-3992]

I think my first experience with Rush was hearing their cover "Summertime Blues" on an episode of Monday Night Raw as the theme song for the PPV Summerslam. It was 2004 then and was 10 years old. I remember really liking the song, but didn't go any further. I was a big fan of Eminem, Green Day, and other now embarrassing bands.

 

Fast forward to mid-2008. I was now starting to listen to more of the music I listen to today. It was mostly The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and a few other classic rock giants. I made dumb little Youtube videos with music of this genre synced up to video game footage I recorded with my neighbor. One day he uploaded a video with the song, "Working Man" on it. I was hypnotized by it. Yet I still didn't dig into the band at that point since I was still discovering music by so many others.

 

Now up to late 2008. I was starting my freshmen year of high school. On the very first day, one of my friends showed me the songs, "Far Cry" & "Spindrift", I loved them. He gave me a copy of his discography (He downloaded everything the bastard ) and I fell in love. I listened to the discography on shuffle and grew my own attachment to certain songs rather than certain albums.

 

Now it's 4 years later and my fandom is still going strong. I had always ranked Rush among my top 5 bands, yet the other bands on that list kept changing. That's how I knew Rush was my absolute favorite. All the other flavor of the months rush by them. Clockwork Angels is the first album I've been able to wait for and buy upon release. I started Rush with the beginning and end of their songs, then got into everything in between. I have little bias to their 70's, 80's or 90's albums. Most all of it is special and great to me.

[Silas Lang]

Early 1981 when I was given the albums Rush, Caress of Steel, 2112 and All The World's A Stage. By the end of that year I had bought the rest and listened to them obsessively in '81-'82.

[Chronos]

I love each of these stories. Keep 'em coming.

[SUBDIVISIONS]

QUOTE (Bangster of Goats @ Aug 3 2012, 09:02 PM)

My collection was complete on May 24, 1985, when I bought Caress of Steel by total freak coincidence! When I first heard the lyrics in Lakeside Park I did a double take at the date on my watch and laughed at myself.

You wanna hear a strong Rush moment?

 

I was born on the 24 of May!

How the f is that for a hardcore Rush fan?

who can beat that?

 

And I think I am going bald too!

[OGr8imL84AD8inF8sBlackSedan]

The first memory of I have is seeing Hemispheres in the record department of Caldors (remember them?).

 

Don't remember the first time I heard them though had to be MP days and I'm sure it was Tom Sawyer likely around March of '81 so I was 13. My friend Steve was singing it and I commented I liked that song but neither of us knew who sang it.

 

A couple of months later at my Jr. High Schools field day, another of my friends, Tom, was playing a radio and Tom Sawyer came on, I asked him who it was he said he didn't know, he thought it was The Cars.

 

Even later that year my older sister had a bunch of friends over and they were watching Caddyshack on HBO. The scene where Rodney Dangerfield plays Anyway You Want It by Journey out of his golf bag comes on and one of the guys there, Jim, yells, oh yeah !!! I knew it wasn't but it had me put two and two together with Tom Sawyer and and knew that's who it was.

 

In the fall of '81 MTV came out and was a staple on there with the Exit...Stage Left concert video which they played songs off of all the time. That coupled with the popularity of MP, E...SL, and PW records being played on the radio all the time made me a fan for life.

[ridertoo98]

Liked them from the first, late 70's when i got my car, remember MTV when it started,was in school in Tulsa , remember Time stands still, vid and a few othersLOL. Took a bit to "get" Geddy's voice but liked the music. Never turned it off if on the radio. Move up a few.. years, present GF , is a large fan, went to S&A show in 07, then every time they have been here since. Am into them a bit more now . Not just because of her but they do kick ass.

[CygnusGal]

Yes, I remember Caldors. Gone for a long time now.

 

I recorded the ESL concert on MTV in 1982 on VHS (in 2 hour mode, wow...was it really that long ago?!?) and watched it for many years afterward. Ran a tape deck too (wires all over the place) so I'd have a cassette and ended up with a live version of Limelight unlike my store bought ESL cassette. I loved the variation in Geddy's delivery versus the studio version.

 

I love the stories! Keep 'em coming everyone! Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose!

 

 

 

 

 

<correct spelling of Caldors>

Edited August 4, 2012 by CygnusGal

[Animate]

QUOTE (SUBDIVISIONS @ Aug 3 2012, 10:05 AM)

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.

This is a cool story.. almost sounds like one of those epic tales where, after getting all the cassettes, you would go back to thank him and his stall would be gone and no-one around would have any memory of him..

 

you have entered the twilight zone.......

Edited August 4, 2012 by Animate

[driventotheedge]

Heard Working Man on the radio when I was in High School (yep, I am that old), bought a copy of 2112 after high school and loved it. Drifted away a bit over the next several years but hooked up with a woman who was heavily into them around the time PeW was hitting and she played the shit out of it which got me hooked "permanently" as well. She was a POS, but I've always been happy she got me into Rush for good.

[micgtr71]

I heard New World Man on the radio in 1982. My friend and I were really into it and were listing to it one night when his older sister came home and said, "You guys like that song? You need to hear this." She played the whole PeW album for us and I was hooked. Later, I saw the MTV concert and connected that they were the ones who did Tom Sawyer as well. Man, those were fun times...I was in 5th grade.

[oriss]

Way back in 77 just left school a mate came round my gaff clutching two ablums he'd just bought. 2112 and atwas. I said Rush who? he said I don't know but any band with a drum kit like that can't be bad. Any way one listen and I was hooked. first album bought A farewell to kings, first concert, I travelled all the way from Teesside to newcastle in 79. they have always been no 1 to me. And just for the record although i'm a classic period convertee my fav rush period is the 80's just love PW HYF and Presto.

 

 

[AddictedRushian]

My dad had recorded the 2000 NHL All Star Game located in Toronto, Ontario, and the song for the player introductions for the North American All-Stars was YYZ. I loved it! I had no idea what it was but I loved it! Keep in mind that this is years later (around 2002-2004). As I was getting into rock, I heard YYZ on the radio. Heard it was by some band named RUSH. So I checked it out on YouTube for old time's sake. Watching the A Show Of Hands version, I fell in love with how difficult the song was but also how easily they were playing it! And I will admit, I loved Ged's hairstyle! They just looked so cool to me and the drum solo helped a lot with the inspiration. My dad's buddy told me to listen to other stuff such as Limelight and other classics like that. Went to YouTube again and I gotta say, Geddy's voice was kinda bumming it out. I tried again. Didn't like it. I tried again. Same thing. I tried again. WOW, it was unreal! Then I started to listen to what sounded cool from iTunes samples and then heard the full songs. Also started to learn about the band themselves. First time I started taking initiative to learn about the band itself.

 

That's how I fell in love with RUSH

Edited August 6, 2012 by AddictedRushian

[drbirdsong]

It started in 1980 when I first heard The Spirit Of Radio on, you know, the radio. I bought All The World's A Stage first. I was 14 or 15 and have been hooked ever since. In October I will celebrate the 30th anniversary of my first Rush concert (Signals tour). It's been a great ride and of all the bands I listened to as a teenager Rush is still the one I listen to more than any other. Some of the stuff I liked back then is just collecting dust on, you know, the dust jacket. I miss the big vinyl artwork.

[GoldRush]

Presto is the first album that I bought...I was 15.

The Pass was my first fav song

[SUBDIVISIONS]

Presto was my First Tape and CD!

Years later my ma came again on my birthday with another Presto CD

And she said: "You like this band right? , do You already have this one?

And I told her: "ma, You have no idea, this is the Best present ever"

I seriously love all the Rush catalog, but Presto holds the most special place in my heart.

 

[Drumnut]

My older brother played guitar and hooked up with a drummer friend and they started jamming on weekends, this was back in 1977 shortly after 2112 had been released. He loaned my brother his vinyl copy of 2112 and told him this was the kind of music he wanted to work on playing. I heard my brother playing 2112 in his room and practicing along with it. That was my first taste of Rush and I've been hooked ever since. The guy he was playing drums with was my first inspiration to play drums and his set was the first I ever sat behind. When he and my brother would jam at our parents house on weekends, he left his set at our house and let me play them and gave me exercises to work on rather than just banging on them making noise.

[Ged Lent's sis]

QUOTE (SUBDIVISIONS @ Aug 7 2012, 09:30 PM)

Presto was my First Tape and CD! Years later my ma came again on my birthday with another Presto CD And she said: "You like this band right? , do You already have this one? And I told her: "ma, You have no idea, this is the Best present ever" I seriously love all the Rush catalog, but Presto holds the most special place in my heart.

This reminds me of Animate's comment:

QUOTE

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!

SUBDIVISIONS (the commenter) has shown me the light in this regard.

 

Having stepped onto the RUSH boat just prior to the release of Permanent Waves with AtWaS and 2112 purchases, I was challenged with the new album and tour immediately. But this is where I learned the value of repeated listening, and how some of the best music is revealed beneath a confusing surface (especially for a pre-teenager, an important lesson).

 

With each album subsequent to PeW, I was challenged more and more. But each time, my patience rendered a corresponding greater reward. This trend lasted for me until HYF. That was the first album that had songs on it that I never came to fully love, no matter how often I listened to it. Presto had even less to offer. But now, after reading Subdivisions' experience, I can completely understand how Presto might be a way into RUSH.

 

Indeed, and moreover, Presto is the logical progression from HYF: it is a dryer pullback from the synthy precipice, while maintaining the direction they were headed from a song-writing standpoint. As a matter of fact, I remember, upon hearing the opening track to Presto, thinking: Thank god!

 

So while it is not my fave album, I see Presto as an absolutely critical part of the Canon.

 

Thanks Subdivisions!

Edited August 8, 2012 by Ged Lent's sis

[tas7]

I've told this story before. It was late 1979/early 1980 and I had just moved from Tasmania, Australia to live with my aunt in Liverpool U.K. A group of us used to go to this heavy rock night called The Floral Hall in Southport UK.The place had a 10,000 watt P.A. so it was pretty loud,you couldn't have a conversation when music was on.

On this particular Saturday a mate called Emu and I decided to have a pint of beer race and I crashed out after one too many. I drifted back into consciousness four hours later to the sound of the sea and seagulls thinking WTF I'm back home in Tasmania. Then this acoustic guitar appeared followed by this weird high pitched voice on about tidal pools. I kept asking friends for days what was that amazing song I heard and no one would tell me until someone put me out of my misery and revealed it to be Natural Science. The rest as they say is history.

[Pause Rewind Replay]

QUOTE (SUBDIVISIONS @ Aug 2 2012, 10:42 AM)

It was 1990 I was 17 years old  I met RUSH with PRESTO My first "click" song was RED TIDE  "This is not a false alarm, this is not a test" I recall that as one of my greatest music moments Later my ear could dive and enjoy the whole PRESTO And then I was set on a quest to know RUSH Ever since I have been trying to get more of the "PRESTO effect" Totally naive I went to a music shop asking for RUSH and someone put in my hand two audio cassetes... SIGNALS and 2112

Quite similar to me. I also started with Presto, or more specifically Show Don't Tell on MTV in 1990 at age 19. I then went shopping with enough $$$ for 2 cassettes: Presto and whatever else caught my eye.

 

I pick up a Presto tape first then look over the other Rush tapes for an idea.... then I see a cassette where side one has 2 songs totaling 17 minutes, with titles "A Farewell to Kings" and "Xanadu" Decision made

 

So my intro to Rush was really a 2-for-1 deal. Presto and AFTK. And though they sound nothing alike, I liked them both immediately.

 

I didn't get to my first show until the VT tour in 2002, so all I've seen from Presto live is The Pass and Presto. If they pulled out Show Don't Tell from the vault it would make my decade

 

And yes, "this is not a false alarm, this is not a test" from Red Tide is a great moment

Edited August 9, 2012 by Pause Rewind Replay

[Na na na]

Grace Under Pressure back in 1985

[Amy Farrah Fowler]

I wish I had been a long-time fan...a boyfriend in HS really liked their music and while I didn't DISLIKE Rush, I was really only exposed to Tom Sawyer, Freewill and Limelight and had heard them over and over on the radio for years, so...

 

But, with my husband I started getting the opportunity to really listen to their other stuff. He went to the S&A concert in Pittsburgh in '07. I would have loved to go, but his buddy got him a ticket, so I had to stay behind.

 

I started getting their music on my iPod in 2009 or 2010...have listened to little else ever since.

 

We finally got to go to Baltimore in '11 and am determined to make the best of what is left of their touring career and attend at least one concert of each remaining tour.

 

My kids, ages 10 and 9, are very much into the group and are going to the Pittsburgh concert with us in September. I didn't want them to miss out on the incredible experience. We'll see where the go on the second leg of the tour and possibly attend one of those shows, too.

 

Hoping to get a whole VIP package for their 40th Anniversary tour for the two of us.

[ThinkingBig]

I heard La Villa on cassette while at Summer Camp in Maine.

 

My friend gave me Hemi to listen to The Trees. I loved that song, but when I heard La Villa, 9 mins without singing, I was hooked.

Edited August 9, 2012 by ThinkingBig