“Even from their earliest days, the band developed and changed constantly, losing and gaining fans along the way – but famously retaining their integrity – always moving in the direction that they chose.”
-Alex E. Body (from Rush: Song by Song, page 2)
If there was a research poll conducted to determine which Canadian rock band was the greatest of all time, The Guess Who, The Tragically Hip, Offenbach, Triumph and perhaps even Loverboy (although I would have no idea why they would be included…I mean really) would likely be mentioned. But with their consistently creative and prolific five-decade career, countless FM radio classic AOR anthems, international success & loyal worldwide following (and throughout it all remaining quite Canadian), I feel it would be no real contest; it could only be, much to the chagrin of T. Hip’s fiercely devoted legion, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, collectively known as Rush.
My first exposure to the power trio was during a family vacation to Cape Cod in 1981. My aunt, uncle and cousins were with us, and one rainy afternoon we found ourselves in a Hyannis shopping mall. One of my older cousins, he must have been about 16 or 17 at the time, bought and audiocassette of Moving Pictures, Rush’s latest effort (considered by many their magnum opus). “We’re going to hear some great rock tonight!” he confidently proclaimed, only to discover that, once we returned to the house we were renting, the cassette case he had purchased was empty. My cousin was beside himself, almost inconsolable. (If there is some kind of metaphor in all this, it still escapes me.) That left quite an impression on me. How could a band evoke such powerful emotions? I went on to become a fan (although admittedly my older brother eventually became and remains a much bigger and more enthusiastic supporter of Rush).
In my late-twenties one of my former Concordia professors, a grad student named Jake, invited me to attend a live show he was producing. He had left teaching to manage music acts and become and underground art scene impresario, and this was one of his first big events. He brought in a duo from his native British Columbia, whom I will refer to as M.N. They consisted of a female singer named Jean and a male guitarist. I had not seen Jake for a few years, so he asked me to arrive early so we could catch up. We were having a smoke and a drink, joined by Jean, who had a personality like Eeyore and coldly dismissed everything I said. Jake eventually said to her: “Andreas used to quote Rush in his term papers.” (For the record I only quoted Rush once in class and it was during a discussion.)
“Rush fans are just like Led Zeppelin fans: A bunch of sexist a**holes,” Jean said sardonically.
I didn’t know how to respond. So I said nothing. After M.N.’s esoteric, and I must admit, haunting and amazingly brilliant set, I went up to Jean.
“I really enjoyed the show,” I said, smiling enthusiastically.
“See, I’m not a total bitch,” she replied.
“I never said you were a…”
“Here, have a poster,” she interrupted, handing me a folded piece of paper that I later unfolded to discover contained a huge, full-colour cartoon drawing of a vagina, I assumed hers. Serves me right for trying to be nice.
The point I’m trying to make is that few bands can be as polarizing as Rush, for so many reasons. The recording career of this divisive but unforgettable band is the subject of Rush: Song by Song, a new book by Alex E. Body.
Song by Song is a series of books that include the likes of Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Electric Light Orchestra, and for some reason Status Quo. In each volume every album is scrutinized song by song (well, duh) discussing lyrics, inspirations, recording techniques, and even instruments used. They also include stats like release dates and charts positions, details about album cover art, and other useful bits like band origin anecdotes, but that information is a little sparse. The book is meant as a companion piece for fans to enhance the listening enjoyment of the recordings, and on that level Rush: Song by Song hits all the right notes (please forgive me for saying that!). The author is knowledgeable and observant; Body knows all the lingo and jargon of a rock critic and journalist. The pieces are not overly-long and never drag, and the research is fairly thorough.
What I did not like about the work was its dryness. Body rarely expresses a strong opinion or witty quip, although to be fair in a book like this, part of a series, he might not be allowed to do so; as a matter of fact Rush: Song by Song does not even contain an “about the author” paragraph. (I had to go to Fonthill’s website to find out that Alex E. Body is a musician and Rush fan who lives in Ipswich, Suffolk.) And the book did not so much have an ending as much as it just ended.
Another complaint comes on page 68 where Body writes that the song Distant Early Warning was about fear of cold war nuclear annihilation. While it does touch on that subject, the song is really about the U.S. testing of new cruise missiles intended to carry atomic payloads over Canada’s prairies in the early ‘80’s, a controversial issue at the time. (“Refuse the Cruise” was the slogan used by its detractors.)
So what else is there really to say about Rush: Song by Song? If you’re a Rush fan you’ll like it, if you’re not you won’t.
Twitter: @Akessaris
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