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Rush -- Artistic Integrity
Here We Go -- Vertigo
Video Vertigo... Test For Echo...
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What the heck was The Vertigo Project?
![[IMAGE]](rushlogo.gif)
The Greatest Band Ever
Artistic integrity, excellence, and dedication to an ideal. That's what Rush is all about. When I first heard Fly By Night more than two decades ago, I had no idea this band would play such a major role in defining my life. As I've grown alongside the profound messages of Rush over the years, one thought was always there in the background: "Yes! I can relate to this observation! I know exactly what they mean!" It's probably this very personal connection with Peart's lyrics which keeps myself and many other loyal fans listening year after year.
In fact, not only are most fans quite addicted to the band's music, but Rush has been faithfully producing their special brand of uniquely progressive sound almost continuously since 1974--that's 24 years! Sixteen studio albums, three live albums, and a few compilations--not to mention the countless "import" tapes and disks. All in all, about 12 hours of original material (and yes, I''ve actually added it up).
The most amazing thing, however, is the fact that these guys are still relevant in today's music scene. Rather than fading into rock and roll history as so many great bands of the 1970's have done, the members of Rush recognize the importance of changing with the times. Changing, that is, not for the sake of financial gain or to make a "comeback", but to continue their journey in pursuit of artistic integrity. Lee, Lifeson, and Peart recognize the fact that great works of art are merely a reflection of current sociopolitical realities. The artist's job is to provide society with "a simple kind of mirror to reflect upon our own." And nobody creates a more profound, yet understandable, reflection of society through lyrical prose than does Neil Peart.
Vertigo
In the spring of '97 we were blessed with another opportunity to witness the magic of Rush in its purest form--LIVE! A certain member of Rush was once quoted as saying "The only thing worse than touring is not touring..." Well, I have to say that the only thing better than "An Evening With Rush" is two (or more!) evenings with Rush.
A few friends and I were at The Gorge on May 17th. You can learn more about our "pilgrimage" from Hawaii to Washington by reading about The Vertigo Project.
Alex, Geddy, and Neil... Your "Test For Echo" has been received! Thanks for the inspiration; your beautiful music is the soundtrack of my life.
(and in case you're still wondering... yes, your work is still relevant!)
Check out a few of the many sites devoted to three superb musicians known as Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart
Oh, and don't forget to Sign my guest book before you leave, and then...
"...take off, you hosers!"
(URLs verified and updated on 25 July 1998)
My Favorite Rush Pages:
Rush / NMS Home Page (Syrinx) - The best source of Rush information and news!
Rush FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about Rush.
Rush Discography - Complete list of Rush albums.
Rush Trader - View and post ads for Rush memorabilia.
A Rush Fan's Guide to Toronto - Did somebody say "road trip"?!?
By The Fans - Parodies, stories, pictures, and more...
The National Midnight Star - The Rush fans' digest.
The Orbit Room - Alex Lifeson's nightclub in Toronto.
Rush Fanzines:
A Show of Fans - A website for and by Rush fans
The Spirit Of Rush - Edited by mick@yyz.com
Rush Tribute Bands Around the World:
Rush Tribute Bands - List maintained at syrinx.yyz.com
Animation - Chicago, Illinois
Caress of Steel - Los Angeles, California
The Jack Secret Show - United Kingdom
Power Windows - New York City
Puppet Show - Austin, Texas
Second Nature - Denver, Colorado
Visions - Los Angeles, California
More Rush Pages (holy hyperlinks, Batman!):
Between Sun & Web - Latest news, message board, a "Dream Live Album", and much more...
By-Tor's Doghouse - "Enter at your own risk."
Cynka's Rush page - "...to my favorite band, a constant inspiration..." by rush@ziplink.net
Danny's Rush MIDI Archive - The best source of Rush MIDI files; maintained by Danny Rosenberg.
Flight YYZ - Nice background music; markbabin even included a Toronto luggage tag.
Flora's Music Room - Flora? Would that be oaks or maples? :-) Tons of music links by fmc.
Fly By Night's Rush Page - Lots of MIDIs on this page by rush@jgeoff.com
Geddy Lee - Everything you ever wanted to know about the Gedster's trusty bass guitars.
Grand Designs - Awesome tribute! Be sure to visit the Gallery for collages by gdesigns.
John's Rush Page - Not much here (nice background though).
Just a small Rush Page - Yup, but a small Rush page beats a large page of anything else.
Lotusland - Den's Rush page.
Michael Tiberg's Rush Page - Another cool tribute with a "featured" MIDI, by MT2112.
Mikes Music Page - Nice banner Mike!
Mystic Rhythms - "Primitive things stir the hearts of everyone" ...indeed!
p/g World Headquarters - Home of the #p/g IRC channel.
Pat's Rush Music Page - A nice little site with album ratings and such.
Perchance to Dream... - "Neil Peart and the music of Rush."
Posterchilds Rush Page - "Turn on your Red Lenses, and enjoy the view..."
Power Windows... - "A Tribute to the Album Art (and Music) of Rush."
Red Barchetta's Home Page - "A Rush resource."
Rob Baillet's Rush Page - "[a] little tribute to my favorite band of all time..."
Ron's Rush Page - "Herin [SIC] lies my tribute to [the] band."
Rush at Ghostland - News, discography, and more...
Space-Dye Humor - "Deep Rush Thoughts" and the "Redneck's Guide to a Rush Concert"
The Rush Castle - "Just your basic Rush info page."
Rush Desktop Theme Park - "Rushify" your computer!
Rush Files - "A Mirror Site for R.G. Terrez."
Rush's Greatest Hits - News and info by afrknob@aol.com.
Rush Quest - "Quest For Echo!"
Rushscape! - A unique Rush/Netscape parody.
Rush Setlist Project - A history of every song the band has played in concert!
The Rush Stop - Sound files and video clips; infinitely better than a truck stop.
Rush Tablature Project - Guitar, bass, and drum tabs.
TFE Pics - Rich Banick's photos from opening night of the TFE tour in Albany, NY.
Twilight Zone - Rod Serling would be proud.
Victor Homepage - A tribute to Lifeson's first solo project by Ben Cirillo.
Rush Windows 95 Theme - FTP site; download this ZIP file (853KB) to see amazing things.
Yyz's Den - Short stories, parodies, links, and a photo gallery.
Rush Fans on the Web (personal homepages):
Altman, Amber - An athiest (and "resident goddess") with a great sense of humor.
Brian from Pittsburgh - The Gateway to LoneWolfBW's Den
Cosgrove, Shawn - A.K.A. drummer438@aol.com
McHorn, Marcus - Original Rush MIDI files.
Nolen, Chris - World of the Unlikely and Bizarre (MST3K Rush Jokes)
Peakness - "A personal quest through the questionables."
Rosenberg, Danny - "...one of the most entirely unobtrusive places in the known Universe!"
Todd's Rush page - Toddness (A.K.A. rolldebonz@aol.com)
Wheaton, Cliff and Pam - The rockin' and RUSHin' cabbies from Boise, Idaho
Commercial Rush Sites:
Atlantic Records - Rush
Atlantic Records - Victor
Rush Backstage Club - "Showtech Merchandising Presents..."
Works in Progress:
My Rush Parody Page
Coming soon: Rush Haiku (submit them here)
The Albums
As nearly all Rush fans know, the band's works thus far may be grouped into four distinct "chapters" or eras. Each of the first three chapters consists of four studio albums, followed by a live release. With the 1996 release of Test For Echo, it seemed only logical that the next release would be another long-awaited live album. In fact, during the Test For Echo tour there was much speculation among fans about the next live CD. The word on the street was that it would be a three disc set which would include a "...bonus disc of older live material recorded around 1979..."( !!! ) However, during the spring phase of the TFE tour, Alex Lifesong (in an interview with Guitar Magazine) stated that Rush was to go back into the studio in January '98, and complete the next album by June. Of course that interview was done prior to August when tragedy struck Neil Peart's family, so the band's schedule will certainly (and understandably) change. The bottom line: When the next Rush CD will be completed--and whether it will be a live or studio release--is anybody's guess. My advice is to sit tight and enjoy the volumes of wonderful music Rush has given us over the years.
UPDATE! (the good, the bad, and the ugly):
The good... The next Rush release will indeed be a LIVE triple-CD set--two disks from the Test For Echo tour and a third "bonus" CD from a 1978 performance. The bonus disk will be from a show during the A Farewell To Kings tour! According to SRO, the recording is from the Hammersmith Odeon in London (February 1978). Expect to see this wrap-up of chapter four hit the stores soon. Tentative release date is October 6th, 1998. Whooo-hoooo!
The bad... Neil's wife, Jackie Taylor, passed away in early July--less than one year after the couple lost their young daughter Selena in an automobile accident. Our thoughts go out to Neil during this extremely trying time.
The ugly... Sorry, nothing ugly about Rush... err, umm... except of course the way they've been treated by critics over the years... they just don't get it--SNAP! (what the hell did you expect to see here anyway, Geddy Lee nose jokes? Gimme a break!)
Chapter 1 - The "Finding My Way" years (1974-1976)
1. Rush ('74), 2. Fly By Night ('75), 3. Caress of Steel ('75), 4. 2112 ('76), and 5. All The World's A Stage (Live, '76)
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Chapter 2 - The "Limelight (we made it!)" period (1977-1981)
6. A Farewell To Kings ('77), 7. Hemispheres ('78), 8. Permanent Waves ('80), 9. Moving Pictures ('81), and 10. Exit...Stage Left (Live, '81)
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Chapter 3 - The "Digital Man (is that Geddy behind those keyboards?" era (1982-1989)
11. Signals ('82), 12. Grace Under Pressure ('84), 13. Power Windows ('85), 14. Hold Your Fire ('87), and 15. A Show Of Hands (Live, '89)
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Chapter 4 - "Cutting To The Chase... Who needs keys? We've got Lerxst!" (1989- ? )
16. Presto ('89), 17. Roll The Bones ('91), 18. Counterparts ('93), 19. Test For Echo ('96), and.... ???
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Attention all planets of the solar federation...
We have assumed control!
Click on the [Play] button below to hear a MIDI interpretation of 2112.