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This is an impossible album to accurately
review. RUSH is a band of many incarnations, and this first release
is a snapshot of the band in its most raw form. Essentially, this is a
classic rock album. RUSH had not defined their style, and was
focused on writing tunes that rocked. The album opener, Finding My Way,
is a great example of raw classic rock energy. To the careful listener,
Finding shows glimpses into RUSH’s future studio albums, as it
contains more noticeable studio tweaking and editing than most tracks of
the era.
Need Some Love and Take a Friend
ride the coat strings of Finding with feel and energy. When the
fourth track, Here Again, begins it becomes obvious RUSH was
attempting to release more than a rocking album. Here Again’s
backbeat, soulful vocals, and riveting guitar solos pique the curiosity of
listeners. However, while the music is captivating, one noticeable lacking
is an emotional resonance with the lyrics and message of the songs.
After Here Again’s nice energy shift,
What You're Doing returns to the rock energy of the first three
tracks, but with an exceedingly annoying vocal reverb. By now the album is
becoming a bit stale.
Thankfully, In The Mood delivers just
what has been lacking on this album. More emotional resonance and a great
grove make this song one of the best on the album. “Hey baby, it’s a
quarter to eight; I feel I’m in the mood. Hey baby, the hour is late; I
feel I’ve got to move.” Those lyrics just feel so right; it makes you want
to sing along immediately.
Then Before and After hits, leaving
listeners dazed and confused. Just when you think you have this record
pegged, RUSH throws this gem in. Before and After begins
with a slow extremely interesting intro, and suddenly rocks out with a
great grove that makes you want to move. This tune lays the ground work
for future RUSH hits.
Working Man wraps up this record and
has been the biggest hit off this release. “It seems to me I can live my
life a lot better than I think I am; I guess that’s why they call me the
working man.” Finally, a song that everyone can identify with.
Additionally the breakdown in the song is a great preview of RUSH
song format in the future. Geddy Lee’s vocals and bass really shine in
this song, and so does Alex Lifeson’s guitar riffs and solos. John Rutsey,
the drummer on this record seems a bit too basic for the ensemble.
Apparently, Rutsey had health issues and was replaced by Neil Peart during
this album’s tour.
Which is exactly why this album is difficult
to review. It most certainly rocks. It captures RUSH in a raw,
classic rock form. With the arrival of Neil Peart for the album's tour,
his percussion ultimately changes the band and their music's style. Peart
also ends up being the primary lyricist for the band. While the album is a
bit rough around the edges, its energy is unmistakable, and after all…it
is the first RUSH album ever. To listen to it, you wouldn’t think
that RUSH had a claim to fame. |
