The Top 10 Most Influential Bands #4ish - Rush

Today's entry can be considered a little bit of a controversial decision.  With all of the great bands that have come and gone and stayed and everything, why would I pick Rush?  Rush is a band that has a true love/hate following.  Those of us that love Rush, love Rush.  Love everything that they produce and understand that the three members are experts in their respective instruments.  Those who don't like Rush usually all have the same complaints "Geddy Lee's voice is odd."  "I don't like Neil Peart's lyrics."  "They are boring."  But the one thing that most haters of Rush can agree on is that they are experts in their respective instruments.

Rush began over 40 years ago, in 1968, in Willowdale, ON, when Alex Lifeson and a couple of school friends started the band.  It was a few weeks after the formation that the original bassist left, and Geddy Lee joined and became the lead vocalist and bass player.  Their first album, entitled simply Rush was released in 1974 with original drummer John Rutsey, didn't preform so well commercially until the track Working Man started to get some airplay down in Cleveland.  Rutsey left after the first album and was subsequently replaced by Neil Peart.  Since then, they have released 18 studio albums and sold over 40 million albums world wide.  Songs like Tom Sawyer, Closer to the Heart, Fly by Night, Show don't Tell, Spirit of the Radio, Freewill and Subdivisions, to name just a few, gave them success on the radio.

So, why do I think that Rush deserves to be on the list?  Well, for starters, a band that has sold so many records, sells out all of their tours, has a rabid fan base while still aren't considered as mainstream as their other classic rock counterparts should be deserving of something.  Rush have been cited to influence bands such as Dream Theater, Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins and countless others.  In addition, for a band who has such a rich and deep sound, they never have utilized touring instrumentalists, always playing all parts themselves.  They are world class artist and performers.  Rush showed that a band can be worldly successful, while still keeping true to themselves, and never selling out.  The only real injustice that has happened to Rush is that they haven't been inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.

I end this post with likely their most famous track, Tom Sawyer from Moving Pictures.



-d