"Beloved by millions and scorned by critics, one of the great prog-rock bands, possessing an instrumental acumen rivalled by few other groups." (AllMusic) [1]
"(I) don't know if you've ever heard the band, they were awful at the best of times." (Peel)[2]
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968 in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee; guitarist and backing vocalist Alex Lifeson; and drummer, percussionist, and lyricist Neil Peart. The band and its membership went through several reconfigurations between 1968 and 1974, achieving its current line-up when Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey in July 1974, two weeks before the group's first tour of the United States.
Rush is known for its musicianship, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy, and philosophy. The band's musical style has changed several times over the years, from a blues-inspired hard rock beginning, later moving into progressive rock, and including a period marked by heavy use of synthesizers. In the early 1990s, Rush returned to a guitar-driven hard rock sound, which has continued to the present....(Read more)
Any regular listeners to his shows will be aware of the fact that Peel disliked Rush intensely. When he compered the Pink Pop festival in 1979 [3], they came on and introduced themselves in words that vary according to his memory of the event: they either said, "Are y'alright, Holland?" or "Hey Holland! Do you wanna rock'n'roll?" What the accounts do agree on is that Rush's P.A. instantly blew up, and John "stood and watched from the far edge of the auditorium and screamed with laughter throughout almost their entire performance."[4]"There was this terrible noise which wouldn't stop, and they just stood there and had to leave the stage again. It was one of the most wonderful moments in rock'n'roll as far as I was concerned. Unfortunately they came back again, but just for a few moments I was a really happy man. I thought, the machinery's on our side."[5] In addition, he never remembers Geddy Lee's name. [6]
Despite the above. the band were popular with his fellow DJs Alan Freeman and Tommy Vance: any chart of listener's favourites by the latter almost inevitably featured Xanadu from the LP A Farewell To Kings, which is known to have been played by JP in 1977 during the zenith of punk. Moreover, Biffy Clyro cited Rush as an influence.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
None
Sessions[]
None
Other Shows Played[]
Rush - Xanadu
12 October 1977: 'Xanadu (LP-A Farewell To Kings)' (Mercury)
Other Shows Mentioned and Not Played[]
11 June 1979: JP describes reading a listener's letter who is incensed by the fact that Peel called Rush "boring".
10 December 1979 After describing a physical attack from an Aston Villa supporter: "I can't help wondering whether the bloke was a kind of dissatisfied music fan, somebody who wanted me to play Rush records or something."
