Your First Rush Moment, and Who Introduced you to Rush,

[ANTHEM75]

Hey guys!

I figured that this would be a great place to share our stories on our first "Rush Moments", how we discovered the band's music, who introduced us to it, what our first album was, ect. ect.

 

I'll start with mine (and you might not believe it, but it's very true).

 

It was a jesuit priest believe it or not........

 

See, I was raised Roman Catholic, and I went to a catholic school in Ottawa that was right near a church. I kinda lost interest in the whole catholic thing before long, but would still pay lip-service because I figured it was the polite thing to do until after graduation.

 

Anyway, there was a younger priest (a jesuit in his early 30's) who had an office at the back of the church and was a pretty decent guy who made it clear that his door was open anytime any of us needed to talk. I went to him for some advice one day when I was 15 and walked in on him rockin' out to Red Sector A! I couldn't believe it! he seemed a little embarrassed and I asked him what he was listening to, he said "Rush, best band ever!" and gave me a look that was like "Don't tell me that you've never heard of Rush??...." After a brief sermon in Rushology 101, he lent me a copy of CHRONICLES that he apparently would play on loop when no one was around.

 

After a few listens, I was hooked. He lent me copies of Test For Echo and Moving Pictures after that and I became a bonafide Rush-head.

 

And so that's the story. Weird, paradoxical, but strangely true.

 

I'm not sure what he would think of Snakes And Arrows and Clockwork Angels though.................

 

What are your stories??

[tx_rush]

Well, I really started to get into classic rock in high school, used to a really good classic rock station in Portland, OR KGON. Also started playing in bands. The first bands I really got into were the beatles and led zeppelin. I have a much older cousing in Moblie, AL, he has a recording studio and a ton of instruments. He is a huge Rush fan, taught me a lot about playing bass. At this point in time the only songs I could attribute to Rush were Tom Sawyer and Closer to the Heart, which were good songs, but wouldnt lead me to believe they were any better than styx, or 38 special or any other classic rock band with a couple hits. I always remembered Mark (my cousin who I really looked up to) was really into Rush, so I thought someday I would check em out.

I asked a buddy at work much older than me, "hey what do you think of Rush?" He said, "they are awesome, you should check em out, get 2112 or A farewell to kings" So I ordered both albums from the library, threw on 2112 and WOAH!!!! aweseomness! I was hooked! kept getting more albums, went to R30 concert, the rest is history

[Anguyen92]

When I first heard of Rush, it was from a WWE PPV highlight video. The PPV was Summerslam 2004 and their main theme song for the PPV was Summertime Blues. My 1st honest reaction was that this was a good young band (with odd vocals) that I'm probably never going to hear ever again (boy, I was wrong about almost everything with that statement, the only exception where I was right was that they are a great band).

 

Years later, the Palladia channel was doing a rock marathon full of concerts and documentaries and The Time Machine show was a part of that, so out of a whim, I watched it. My 1st reaction was that these old guys put up a hell of a show. The one key aspect that really made me a fan of Rush and decided to dive deeper, in their material, was the Beyond the Lighted Stage documentary and they revealed a good amount of stuff that made me relate and connect to them and makes me want to root for them, which leads to now, about a year later.

 

Yep.

Edited October 6, 2013 by Anguyen92

[analog guy]

They used to play the ESL version of Tom Sawyer on MTV the first year or so it was on. I was about four or five then and watched it a lot, because I liked music. I was kind of meh.... but the ginormous drum kit did grab my eye.

 

My older brother listened to Rush a lot in the late 80s when he was in high school. I was still kind of meh.

 

Then I started high school myself in the fall of 1991. Roll the Bones was a brand new album. I was in the percussion section in our concert band and the marching band and a lot of us had study halls at the same time, and we got a permanent pass out for the year to spend in the band room, where we basically listened to Rush albums while we did our homework. I grew an affinity for the band over the course of that school year, and during the next summer we all went to see the band at Alpine Valley together.

[Bluefunk]

It was 1978 and my brother was playing all sorts of music I hated, like Wings, The Bee Gees, Abba and Blondie. He did play some that I liked, and so I 'borrowed' his Tubeway Army and ELO albums, among others. When he played Xanadu by Rush though, I was blown away and made sure his 'A Farewell To Kings' album was permanenty borrowed. He went on to like Duran Duran, so it would have been wasted on him, anyway. :D

 

I was given the 'Hemispheres' album as a present, and was gutted that yet again they had recorded an album just 15 miles away from my house, and I'd missed it! I think my seven year old self thought that they'd be pleased if I turned up at the studio and offered my input, or something. Anyway, Hemispheres was a hit with me, and I made sure to collect every album they released. I can still remember hearing 'Moving Pictures' for the first time- I'd been playing Gary Numan's Telekon non stop for the past few months, so to have Rush release that album was really special. :haz:

[The Analog Grownup]

When I was 17 to 19 I was living with my older brother and dad, after my parents were divorcing. My dad was working a lot of hours in another city 2 hours drive away, so I took care of the household and got my little sister to school the days she was staying with my dad. Anyway I digress, but one day I come home and my dad had come home from work. He had bought the Rush In Rio dvd and it was playing on the stereo. My initial reaction was that it was challenging, but liked how heavy they sounded without actually being heavy.

 

We ended up watching that dvd from start to finish over and over again, too many times to count. It was great having that time with my dad just to myself, over something that interested us both. We would always geek over guitars and guitar amplifiers. Even though my parents were divorced back then (it wasn't nasty though), it was such a great time back then.

 

I miss it

[Bastille Dave]

back in 1976 my sisters, who were 15 and 13, had FBN, CoS, and 2112. I was only 8 and/or 9 and would play their records and look at the pictures and read the lyrics. In '78 we moved and I didn't hear those anymore. Fastforward to spring 1981 and my buddy had Moving Pics. I thought it was pretty cool but it didn't click yet with me. In June I saw my very first concert and it was Rush. That was it. Got all of their albums within a month.

[Jeffrey]

An album came out around 1974 called "Canada Gold" which contained a whole bunch of singles from various Canadian bands. On that album was a single (In the Mood) by some band called Rush. An ok song on an ok album.

 

In 1980 my sister brought home a cassette tape from a friend from school. On one side was Hemispheres and the other side Permanent Waves. While she was playing it (you are not supposed to like the stuff your sister is listening too) this one song jumped out at me...La Villa Strangiato. When she stepped out of the house, I popped the cassette back on and fell in love with La Villa. Then I flipped it over listened to "The Spirit of Radio", "Freewill" and flipped it back to listen to La Villa. Intricate musicanship and notes flying at me from all directions, something unique about these guys. I was sold on this band.

[RushBoingo]

I was playing through Guitar Hero 2 (A series which helped broaden my horizons of music beyond 80s, top 40 pop (my dad and mom's music respectively) and Green Day (introduced by high school friends, and enjoyed more than any other pop-punk because they seemed to go a bit deeper than most of their colleagues)) at a time of about 2007 I think, and as I grew impatient waiting on new music from Green Day, I was subconsciously in the market for a new band to latch onto and give my undivided attention until I had explored their discography and acquired a fair amount of common memorabilia (of which I would do to rush and give undivided attention till the summer of 2011). On Guitar Hero 2 was YYZ and it immediately locked on as one of the best songs in the game that I replayed numerous times. I needed some confirmation though, and out comes Rock Band (after being disappointed Guitar Hero 3 lacked a Rush song) and on it was Tom Sawyer (which at the time was so mind blowing that the terrible cover vocals went right over my head until I heard the original). After also hearing limelight on the radio, I headed out to HMV to pick up an album, they had two, one (I can't remember) had no songs I recognised, and the other (Snakes and Arrows Live) did. Unfortunately That live album was not jam-packed with introductory songs to get into the band with (though The Spirit of Radio was an immediate catch for me, and the other two instrumentals were neat to listen to at the time (as I slowly transitioned from Punk to Prog), so I switch between six songs mostly. I did not entirely give up hope though, as Rock Band 2 came out with The Trees came on it, and I was once again blown away with it's Rush Qualities I loved and the deep detail it went into (despite being four minutes). So come Christmas I get Gold, digest both CD's one after the other (with only La Villa Strangiato and the Grace Under Pressure material taking longer to appreciate). And I am fully Hooked. Two Months later and I have my first studio Album (Moving Pictures), Ten Months Later I get what would be my favorite album (Power Windows), and a year and a half later I fly to Vancouver to see my first concert on the time machine tour. I bought my final album, Vapor Trails Three Months ago, having given up waiting on a re-mix, only for it to be announced a month or so later.

[Your_Lion]

My Dad got me into them actually.

 

I'd bought an issue of Classic Rock magazine (it was the January 2000 issue, so I know the date) and there was a list of the 10 best rock bassists as voted by the readers (here's a link to it http://archive.classicrockmagazine.com/view/january-2000/90/ten-of-the-best )...anyhow, my Dad asks "Is Geddy Lee mentioned?" so I look and say, "Yeah, he's number One.....who's Geddy Lee?"

 

So, my Dad puts on the cassette of the first half on Exit...Stage Left (the only Rush album he currently had...he became a fan with AFTK, but was one of the people that left after Signal)...As I was listening, I thought The Spirit of Radio was OK, but Red Barchetta blew my mind, and I've been hooked ever since.

 

I occasionally play an album or a live DVD for my Dad, and he still enjoys them.

[Narps]

Except for the popular music on FM radio back in 1976 I was a rock music virgin pretty much. I was a baseball player all the way through high school and had the same set of "baseball" friends through junior high and high school. 2 of my friends in particular had gotten into heavier music around 1976. I told this story a few times on this forum but it's such a great memory for me I will repeat it. We all had turned 16 around the same time and were driving together to our night games. Carpooling I guess you would say. On the way home one night in my friends car he had Caress of Steel on the 8 track. I really liked it. It was something different from the typical Fleetwood Mac or Eagles of the day. Not long after that I asked my other friend to go with me to the record store to purchase my first "rock" record. He said to get All The Worlds A Stage and Sad Wings Of Destiny. The rest is history for me. I listened to ATWAS so many times I couldn't tell you. Then of course I backtracked and got the first 4 studio records and wore them out as well. I got into JP, UFO, Led ZEP, Moxy, Yes and a bunch of others very quickly. I must admit however only one of those bands has stuck with me through all of these years. Only one of these bands did I really push with my children. Only one has stood the test of time. Don't get me wrong. I still go back and listen and like some of the other stuff, but only one band is special and above the rest. It's a beautiful and an emotional thing for me. They speak to my heart, not just my ears.

[Powderfinger]

MTV introduced me to Rush via the "Tom Sawyer" video. I was five or six years old, and was absolutely mesmerized by the drummer and his massive kit. I tried to recreate it in my bedroom with Lincoln Logs boxes. That's when Rush first carved out space in my conscience.

 

The next thing I remember from there is the MTV "World Premiere" of the "Distant Early Warning" video. I think Martha Quinn introduced it. (I was obsessed with MTV as a child. It was my babysitter most nights.) I became a complete fan later, through the Chronicles release.

[x1yyz]

I was 16 in 1980 and the boyfriend I had just started dating was a Rush fan. He played me Permanent Waves and I was hooked. The boyfriend only lasted a few years, but I'm still a Rush fan today :)

 

Sadly, I haven't been a fan through all of that time. I did not like the direction they were going in the late 80s/early 90s so I stopped listening to them for a few years :sigh:

[circumstantial tree]

The first song I ever heard was "Vital Signs" when I saw the video on MTV. I didn't catch the beginning credit and assumed it was a new song by Supertramp. This was spring of 1982 or so. But during the summer, I started seeing the ESL versions of Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, and Limelight being played with amazing regularity. But it was when Subdivisions was premiered that I seriously started taking notice. I decided I wanted Signals from Christmas that year and got it and that is when I became a major fan.

[Narps]

Don't feel bad x1yyz. I did the same thing. It's amazing what a wrong musical turn and 2 kids will do to even the biggest fan.

[OGr8imL84AD8inF8sBlackSedan]

He lent me Test For Echo

 

 

I'm surprised you even wanted to listened to any more Rush after hearing that turd.

[Narps]

Good1

[hobo73]

I remember vividly, I was in middle school for my first "Rush moment".

I would sit with my recorder near the radio, making mix tapes all the time (hell yeah I had a ton of 'em hahaha). I remember Tom Sawyer came on the radio & I was SO STOKED to FINALLY catch it in time to record!!! I jammed so hard, I remember air drumming like nobody's business. my dad walked by and smirked and said "Neil's the MAN, honey." and walked away hahahha.

 

my dad's the reason I listen to the music I do, he's a diehard John Bonham fanatic but he has ALWAYS been ok with putting Neil on that same level of greatness. my dad's a drummer so he always worshiped Peart hahaha.

[pjbear05]

StartIng in 1988 my friend Jim and I would send each other copies of various albums on cassettes. One tape he sent to me was a tape of the original CD version of ESL.

 

After hearing that I was hooked. Since then I sent him a CD copy of "The Rush Remasters" of ESL (which included my all time favorite single Rush song, A Passage to Bangkok.)

[pjbear05]

you are not supposed to like the stuff your sister is listening too)

 

 

Why the hell not? I used to sneak upstairs into my sister's room and play her vinyl! She was huge Beatlemainiac, but the first "different" albums of hers I listened to (Fresh Cream and Are You Experienced) set me on my my way.

Edited October 6, 2013 by pjbear05

[EagleMoon]

I was the bass player in my first band at age 17 and the drummer said there was a band that I really needed to hear called Rush. He pulled out the album A Farewell to Kings and put on Xanadu through our PA. I was blown away. Went out and bought the album the next day.

[Narps]

He couldn't have started you with a better representation of the bands work than that!

[losingit2k]

It was the summer of 1980 and I was the biggest Disco Freak. Yes I even knew the dance moves to Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever spectacle. I would only listen to the pop stations in town and occasionally, they would play this weird music called rock. Songs from Elton John, Billy Joel, Journey and Foreigner amused me. Then in the summer of 1981 my best friends older brother would be pick us up from Jr. High in his white Duster (remember those?) Anyway, he would pick us up and blast the only two 8–track cassettes he own at ear piercing levels. Back and Black and Hi Infidelity made our ears bleed for 8 long months. Consequently, we were transformed into rockers after that year. I began learning all those REO Speedwagon songs on my little split- keys organ. I became the Biggest REO freak, I even premed my hair at one point But that’s a whole other story. The Following year I had become so good at performing these REO songs I entered in the Schools Battle of the Band and performed a pretty descent rendition of “Take it on the run.” Soon after my performance, a long haired band played a song I wasn’t familiar with. It was dynamic and powerful and had strange time changes. They finished their set and I approached the guitarist and asked, “What was that you guys played?” He gave me a frown and said “The Spirit of Radio by Rush. You’ve never heard of it? Go listen to WSHE and you will.” That night I turned my dial to 105.9 and began to listen. Moving Pictures was just released and RUSH was all over the airways. I was taken aback how I had never heard any of these great songs. Anyway I started learning these songs as well which caught the attention of another friend of mine in our choir class. He was a huge RUSH fan and invited me to his grandmother’s house. When I enter his room I was amazed by his collection of guitars and his Moog which I took too and started playing The Camera Eye off the bat. I fell in love with it. The next day I was at the local music store buying myself my first actual keyboard, a very pricey Roland Juno 106. The next day I went to my friend’s house with keyboard in tow and set up shop in his bedroom. After jamming through several MP songs, he looked at me and said “ OK you’re ready!” “Ready for what” I asked? “Ready to get you mind blown!” He replied. He turned his back and placed a record on his player. It was Hemispheres and my mind was blown. We must have spent the rest of the afternoon learning The Trees. We became really close that year. Anyway, in that year ended and a new one began. Later, on a sunny fall morning of 1982 my friend and I sat patiently in choir watching the clock tick by to head off to the local record store (Specs) to buy the new RUSH album being released. The classed dismissed and we headed out at top speed to it. All we could do is sit in class and look at the cover. Signals…Cool. We got out of school and went directly to his house to hear it. The Needle went onto the vinyl and my world changed. Keyboards! OMG! This band that has captivated me like no other is now playing songs with heavy keyboards. Did they know I was listening to them now? Was this album for me? Anyway I learn “Subdivisions” in a day. The next I learned “Countdown” and turned my focus to Losing It. I was already inamorata with the lyrics but when I started learning it. I was in heaven. Those arpaggiated passages, the violin and the 5/4 time signature it was perfection to my young ears. I couldn’t get enough of the song and learned it well. Later that year RUSH announced their appearance at the Hollywood Sportatorium in Sunrise Florida for March 17^th and 18^th for 1983. I camped out and bought my ticket. It was a long wait but the night finally came and sat in that sold out arena and waited. The lights went down, the crowd went nuts and the three stooges came on followed by The Spirit of Radio, that crazy song that started to whole damn thing. Four songs later Geddy began pounding on that F# octave and I pounded along with him. I spent the rest of the night waiting for Losing It which never came but was treated to Countdown in all its glory! I left that arena completely changed. I knew what I wanted out of life and how I wanted to do it! I began playing in bands all around town, meeting musicians and finally recording my own music under the name Axiom, which kinda sounds a bit like RUSH. Well ,you can hear the influences anyway. It’s been a long journey and a great one and it all began in 1981 with a Cover band playing “The Spirit of Radio”!

 

Edited October 6, 2013 by losingit2k

[Narps]

My tat has goosebumps :goodone: !

[pfrushfan0122]

My 10th grade english teacher is the one to blame for getting me hooked, keeping my Dad up at night while I blast their music, and for spending massive amounts of money on CDs, Blurays, merch, and other swag... He preached to me that RUSH is one of the greatest bands, and (at the time) I shrugged it off as whatever... I had heard 2112 (just the title track) through Guitar Hero and thought that it was epic in its composition. It also had been the heaviest thing I had ever heard... One night, about a month after my teach preached, I saw the Time Machine Tour was on VH1 Classic to promote it being released(before it came out). I decided to sit down and watch it because I had nothing better to do. At first , especially during the opening video I was saying to myself, "What the hell is this crap and who are these guys?" But I recognized TSOR as soon as they started playing. I ended up watching the entire abridged version on VH1... I was blown away by the entire performance, I knew I needed to have it, but unfortunately I had to wait until my birthday in January to get it. But during that time, I purchased copies of MP and 2112 and started playing them incessantly. That held me over for about a month and then I started listening to Fly By Night and PeW. I finally got TMT for my 16th birthday and over the course of the next week, I watched it every day, and sometimes even twice a day. I knew after that, that I had truly found one of the greatest bands in the world. I then proceeded to buy the rest of their back catalog and then when CA came out, I bought tickets to go see them. Its been a long road, but I've become Rush junkie every since I first laid my eyes on that screen. I've already got a buddy of mine hooked in less then 3 months! It is contagious this stuff haha...