How did you discover Rush ?

[Duke1]

I was 16, and very early in 1980, whilst watching our local Music TV programme late one Sunday night, two Rush tracks were played, I thought , wow these guys sound great. Never heard of them before. Very soon after bought Hemispheres and Permanent Waves... Marvellouse stuff. Edited May 29, 2015 by Duke1

[rocket ignites]

MTV.

 

Videos for songs like The Big Money, DEW and much later Show Don't Tell and The Pass (radio play also) got me out of the hair metal phase and into Rush fandom.

[toymaker]

How did I discover Rush? Well, it must have been back in '71 or '72, and the boys were playing at a smoky bar in downtown Toronto. After the first set, I approached the guys and said "you guys are gonna be a smash! Stick with me and my buddy Ray here, and you'll go far!" Well, needless to say, the next day Ray's got them eatin' outta his hand, and I got nothin! Nothin', I tell ya. Now I can't even get the guys to return a phone call. And there's that restraining order, which is a real slap in the face.

[Rutlefan]

It was April 1980 and I was 16. The boyfriend I had just started dating introduced me to Permanent Waves, and I got into pretty much everything else they did soon afterwards. The boyfriend isn't around in my life anymore, but Rush is :D

I thought HYF was your first Rush experience? Thought I remember you posting that somewhere... ;)

 

HYF was the album that chased me away from Rush for years. I liked pretty much everything they did up until that point, including Signals and g/p, but HYF was too sappy and easy-listening for me.

I know. I was hoping for a "mooning" but you disappointed me. Was just pulling your leg. Its all good... :)

 

I just hit 50 so I know how you feel; once you pass the half century mark we all hope for an occasional "mooning" but alas, it's mostly just mortgage and tuition payments.

[Rutlefan]

You know, I could pretty much hit "like" for all these posts, but then it wouldn't mean much. But I do pretty much like them all. Love Rush experiences. They (Rush) aren't perfect, but to paraphrase Hunter Thompson, "Good people like good Rush." Edited May 29, 2015 by Rutlefan

[Narps]

You know, I could pretty much hit "like" for all these posts, but then it wouldn't mean much. But I do pretty much like them all. Love Rush experiences. They (Rush) aren't perfect, but to paraphrase Hunter Thompson, "Good people like good Rush."

All that start with ATWAS particularly catch my eye. I didn't tell my whole story in this thread cus I have told it so many times... :) Edited May 29, 2015 by Narps

[jamie]

I remember hearing their songs throughout my childhood because my dad has always been a big fan but I didn't get into them after seeing them in concert in November 2012.

[skier66]

1978, My brother would be playing 2112 on his 6x9's in his VW Super beetel.

I asked kids in 7th grade if they heard of Rush and all I got was, who?

Then by 1980 everyone new Rush.

[Tony R]

1976. A friend's older brother returned from Canada clutching a brace of Rush albums. My mate made me a mixtape which had 2112 and Bytor from ATWAS and I was hooked.

 

[Rushman14]

1976, was at friend's house and saw this album in his room. I asked him to put in on and the rest as they say...

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c9/Rush_2112.jpg

[circumstantial tree]

I'm guessing it was around the spring of 1982 when I started watching MTV. I had seen the name Rush in tape clubs in the Sunday newspaper and I think even their logo prior to this, but the first song I heard was "Vital Signs" courtesy of MTV and I remember thinking it was Supertramp that I was listening to since I didn't catch the credits at the beginning. I mean, who else sang like that? Started seeing the ESL videos not long after which increased my interest big time, especially Tom Sawyer. Then when I saw the world premiere of "Subdivisions" on MTV in the Fall of '82 I decided to get the album Signals for Christmas which solidified me as a major fan.

[LittleRushmonkey]

Been listening to them since I was born, literally. My dad likes them and they're his favourite band. My first concert when I was about 8 (S&A). My (twin) brother used to like them but now he likes stuff like Nickelback (and hates rush) Edited May 30, 2015 by LittleRushmonkey

[TheAccountant]

The OP has asked an interesting question. For me it was a 2 step process.

 

Step 1 - I was sort of aware of Rush for years and liked them but was not huge into them. Did not have any of their albums.

 

Then, in the fall of 1987 when I was living in Rochester NY I went to a Def Leppard & Tesla concert. At the time DL was my favorite group. HYF was out and the local station, 96.5 WCMF (which was, in those days, a great station - no idea what it is like now as the last time I was in Rochester was in 1993) had been playing Time Stand Still, Force 10 and Under Lock and Key a great deal. Liked all 3 songs a lot. Before the show the venue played ALL of HYF over the sound system in the Rochester War Memorial. My first reaction was to the songs I knew and I was like "Cool, Rush". Then I started hearing songs I did not know and I was like "I don't know these songs but it sounds like Rush. Are they playing all of HYF? These other songs are great!"

 

Was so impressed that the next day I went and bought HYF & Power Windows. Slowly collected the rest of their work, with some set backs (CoS & ESL were real downers for me and both threatened to turn me off to the group but the rest of their work kept bringing me back ) and saw them a couple of times live (once each on the Presto & Counterparts tours).

 

Step 2 - Saw them on the VT tour at SPAC. By this time I liked them a lot but they were not clearly my favorite band. What a amazing show!!

 

That show took what started at the DL concert and made Rush my #1 group by far.

Edited May 30, 2015 by TheAccountant

[anthem74]

My older cousins were all into Rush. I think my first time hearing Rush was around 1981 or so and my cousins recorded this show called The Rock War, a radio show where people called in a voted on their favorite band for the night. It was Rush vs BOC and Rush won when Working Man came on. I'd later hear a cousin ranting and raving about this new album called Moving Pictures. At 7 years old I was game for anything my cousins said when it came to music.

[rftag]

I remember very vividly the first time I heard Rush. It was in a Carvel ice cream store in New York, and Spirit of Radio was playing on the FM station in the store. I had no idea who the band was, but was immediately hooked on the song.

 

 

[LakesideShark]

I'm pretty sure I discovered Rush in 2010 or so, maybe a little earlier. I was looking through my parents' CD collection and spotted Counterparts. I had heard of Rush before, so I pulled the CD off the shelf and thought the album cover was cool. Took it into my room and listened to it: instant fan.

So, probably the first Rush song I heard besides "Tom Sawyer" was "Animate".

Edited June 15, 2015 by LakesideShark

[phillyflash]

Without ever really hearing their music before, I'd see kids at my junior high wearing Rush shirts, and based on nothing but the name of the band, and the style of the shirts (and the long hair by the kids wearing those shirts), I assumed they were a metal band, which I wasn't a fan of.

 

As I got into high school (mid 80s), I started listening to more classic rock, and naturally heard some of the staples on the radio. Tom Sawyer was the first Rush song I distinctly remember hearing. The song was so tight, and the drumming, well, enough said. Quite a first impression. I was pleasantly surprised that Rush wasn't metal.

 

What sealed it for me happened soon after that. I checked out a Rush album from the school library (Grace Under Pressure), and upon hearing the first few notes of Distant Early Warning, I was hooked. Back then, i played keyboards for fun, and eventually in a very mediocre (that's being kind lol) garage band for a couple of years. At that time, it was hard to find any cool sounding keyboards in music. I was a big Genesis fan, and loved their use of piano and keys, but there was little else that I liked. Billy Joel, Bruce Hornsby, Howard Jones, Harold Faltermeyer lol...it was a short list. But there was something about Distant Early Warning. It was exactly the sound I was looking for. Chords, texture, it just sounded so cool to me. That song will always have a special place in my heart. I've been a huge fan ever since.

[hcm]

1975..I was 10 and had this really cool friend who was into interesting thing including a band called Rush. Fly By Night...then 2112 I was hooked. I really can't explain it but the combination of those 3 guys is magic for me even after 40 years. Their music has helped pull me back from the brink and celebrate by rocking out.

[Alvy Singer]

1978, I was 11, in awe of my older friend (16 I think) who had an electric guitar and grown-up records! One day he said 'have a listen to this...'

 

It was Xanadu, I was hooked...

[LittleRed]

1982, heard Subdivisions and was hooked. Went to the local record store to buy Signals but they were sold out so I purchased Exit . . . Stage Left. I had heard many of the songs and liked them but never realized who Rush was. Been listening to them ever since. Love all their songs but Subdivisions is still my favorite; it just resonated with me at that time in my life.

[Rhyta]

I've posted this before but it is fun to look back at so here goes...My love of Rush wasn't an overnight infatuation, I came to their music in stages. Knew of them in the 70's, thought it was funny when Geddy did Take off with the MacKenzie Brothers. My sister was the rabid fan then. Skip ahead to 2002 and I meet a friend who loves them and goes to several concerts each time they do a tour. I listen to them on a trip with her and think they are ok. R30 tour, take my sister to it as a birthday present. Really impressed with their cover songs since they all were part of my teen years (yeah I am an oldie but a goodie). Buy Feedback at the concert and enjoy listening to it but don't do much listening otherwise. 2011 New Year's see Beyond the Lighted Stage on VH1 and was so impressed with the guys, liked the tune they played when Neil was riding his motorcycle ( I also like VT). Get out an ipod I found and listen to Subdivisions. I was hooked. Went on to fall in love with GUP and listened over and over. Joined this board not long after that and the rest is history. Clockwork Angels is my second fav, just listened to the whole thing today. Can't wait for July to get here! (wrote this in 2013, got to see my Blackhawks win the Cup and go to Rush in the same year, devaju for this year!) :rush: :yay: Edited June 20, 2015 by Rhyta

[That One Guy]

My mom's best friend said she liked Rush and gave me, of all things, Snakes and Arrows. I grew to love the album, and after googling the band, found out they were responsible for actual hits like Tom Sawyer and Limelight. This was roughly early 2008.

 

Wish I had been older to have appreciated them for longer. VT and R30 tours sounded like a riot.

[Rick N. Backer]

At a buddy's house in 1980. He put on his older brother's Permanent Waves. And I fell in love.

[laughedatbytime]

At a buddy's house in 1980. He put on his older brother's Permanent Waves. And I fell in love.

Probably not what he was expecting...did he cringe a bit or was he into it?

Edited June 20, 2015 by laughedatbytime

[Rick N. Backer]

At a buddy's house in 1980. He put on his older brother's Permanent Waves. And I fell in love.

Probably not what he was expecting...did he cringe a bit or was he into it?

 

Teatard.