WHY This is Rush’s Greatest Song 

I've heard that same sentiment about King's X

True.

Yes, also Zappa

Steely Dan as well lol

Woah. Deep. :)

Witch Hunt is my personal fave...great fusion of music and lyrics...

Yup, I bought A Farewell To Kings on iTunes just so I could have it on bluetooth for my car. I played it five days ago and was screaming out the lyrics in falsetto of course and even doing that I couldn't hit some of the notes Geddy was singing! Such a great album and such a great song.

Same here. I even got shivers listening to this breakdown! 😁

So well said on how so many of us feel about Rush. We were lucky to have them in our lifetime.

Geddy sure captures the mystery of Xanadu when he finally starts singing.

Great comment.

Amen to that

Peace Brother

Proud of your honesty and open-ness, you were able to get to a good place by getting through a bad place and glad that RUSH was there to help like the friend it truly is. . .

Were You a Musician?

A planet call Canada ;)

From a planet in the solar federation

Absolutely agree

@@CruceEntertainment They have assumed control

Nope, just from Canada

And NO QUESTION that Alex is the most underrated guitarist. Masterful.

They wrote well. Taking the words and created magic. Neal wrote. They created together. The amazing thing is that people actually smarter than what they are believe. We think like this everyday. We have thoughts and opinions. We fantasize and dream. We watch and learn. I think we would be better people if we just listened.

Don't forget, it would not be great without the lyrics Neil wrote. Without Neil, Rush would never be greater than say Triumph.

@@lancejohnson8522 Yes and no. Neil wrote the lyrics. Geddy and Alex would come up with the music and then once they worked out the music Neil would start working out the drumming. This is according to what the band has said. So musically they all were part, but most the sound of the song is coming from Geddy and Alex.

@MeWriter2112 Your comment* redefines “spot - on perfect!” I’m very sorry the same* is SO “under liked.”

I'm 56 now... I get it. You can't duplicate it. Just be inspired by them. Listen to what they wrote and are writing and lay it down. Smart and with perspective.

I could have wrote that comment myself. Word for word it is exactly how I feel. Right down to the ages. I still get so choked up sometimes listening to Neil. What a great soul!

This Isnt Rush?

Likewise. Also 56 at the moment. I can’t reproduce Neil’s parts verbatim, but I do the best I can (see what I did there?) and play them as accurately as I can (and as I hear them, which occasionally gets revised when I listen more closely or see a transcription). It’s a mountain I will never summit, but I’m enjoying the journey. “From first to last The peak is never passed Something always fires the light That gets in your eyes One moment’s high And glory rolls on by Like a streak of lightening That flashes and fades In the summer sky” I won’t even approach that peak, particularly when it comes to the creativity that first imagined those parts and lyrics, but I enjoy the journey of following one of the true greats. He may have faded from this realm, but the brilliance he shone lingers on through his recordings, his lyrics, and his other writings. Thank you Neil, and Alex, and Geddy, for writing that soundtrack for me - and for setting such a shining example of what integrity looks like.

I'm exactly like you Mark same age and everything , what you said I couldn't of said it better myself... seen them 9 times and Neil was god

Just curious, how many people out there have played air drums to Tom Sawyer?

@@Sherwoody LOL! ALL OF THEM! 🥁🥁🥁🥁😅

@@Sherwoody - Answer: ALL OF THEM! LoL :o) Was just saying to a friend last night that you'll never see as many air drummers as when you go to a RUSH concert.

You go squirrel

@@MarkKramKarmVI 😂🤣😂🐿

Great choice, Xanadu hit hard

Well said. 🍻☮️

Oh my god, my older brother made me listen to Xanadu in the dark too!! My introduction to Rush when l was 13. Wild that we have the same story ❤

@@gailtrenholm837 That is too cool!

1978 Hemispheres Tour for me. I was a junior in high school. Should have gone to more. Listening to them since 1976. They never get old.

Same here, I told myself I would eventually see them live 12 years back when I first started university and never did, I just always assumed theyd tour forever so id catch them eventually. Never thought that anything would happen to Neil. Definitely a huge regret of mine.

I had a few chances to see them back in the 80's and 90's, but I couldn't be arsed. You think that they are going to be around forever and then they are gone. BTW l, love your channel Jamel.

Test for Echo, 1996. Played all of 2112. I've seen enough of your channel, Jamal, to know that you do have a sense of what you missed (I mean, how many Rush posters do you have in the background?), and yeah, it was fucking great.

Same here Jamal; They never came down here to Australia - and so many of us never had the cash to fly across the world and see them. BTW, love your channel brother.

I absolutely agree! 👍

What project is Geddy doing now?

@@kennyplay5982 an autobiography/memoir

@@conanbarbarion1631 More superior? So they're both superior, but right-handed players are more so? Who are they both superior to? People with no hands? The fuck are you even saying?

Thisss. They also just did all the recordings for Rush pinball and the new YYZ video, so I’m sure they would find the time

Believe it or not, Geddy’s double neck Rickenbacker was a 4 string bass and 12 string guitar, at least originally. The live version of the Xanadu video from the Exit Stage Left tour (probably the most viewed live version), Geddy was using the 4/12 Rick. Many years later, Geddy replaced that Rick with a 4/6 version, but for most years it was the 4/12 string. Geddy played rhythm during the solo and for the outro. Geddy actually plays the melody on guitar during the outro, along with Neil matching him note for note on the glockenspiel, all while Alex just arpeggiates a single cord. It is a masterclass ending that only a group like Rush would orchestrate. That is why they have been called the world’s smallest orchestra. I don’t know of any other three piece band that literally orchestrated layers the way Rush did? Typically, in most three or four piece rock bands, the bass pretty much played the same key the melody of the guitar is playing, but Geddy would try to find harmonies to what Alex was playing, adding texture and a much fuller sound as opposed to when the two instruments are only playing different octaves of the same thing. The one takeaway everyone says after hearing Rush, even members of other famous bands, is “how can three guys make so much sound?”. I think that the orchestration of layers is a big part of that, and the fact that Geddy and Neil filled gaps like no other rhythm section. In fact, those two alone made enough sound to be considered a band, the meat and potatoes of the sound, so Alex just became the gravy… and what a tasty gravy he made.

Many people don't know he did the band's taxes in the down time time when he wasn't doing vocals, bass, 6-string rhythm, pedals, and synth through this performance.

😂

It was also recorded live, in one take.

@@johnbaker6847 Yes, and he also volunteered at H&R Block during tax season, helping underprivileged senior citizens do their taxes. Very impressive!

their*

Your knowledge of music is very limited then. Not even the most talented of rock trios, let alone jazz, jazz fusion, or top classical ensembles...

@@robertglisson6319 They are not?

@@robertglisson6319 Who would you place at their level? Just curious.

Dire Straits i would put above rush... i mean this is ALL personal tastes... One mans music is another mans noise...

YES!

I was thinking the same about 30 seconds into this.

👍🏻🥂

I feel fortunate that Neil left some record of his thoughts on music in the form of instructional materials, and his thoughts on things other than drumming were just as fascinating. Would be nice if all three guys could be here to talk about the music, especially since I wish there had been a lot more of that around.

I'd contribute $ for that to happen.

Same. All 3

Lucky those who were teens in the 70s and 80s

You forgot feling misunderstood by your peers because you were so much smarter thatn them, otherewise that is exactly my teenage years.

Same here but I was drawing Tolkien images. I remember it well. Those were great times.

Wooooo !!!

Do one on Tom Sawyer that’s my favorite

I was so surprised when they decided to cover an Olivia Newton John song but it really worked.

@@Win7ermu7e 🤣🤣

It showed that 3 gifted atheists could exhibit the dis-integrity of most theists. But still, as much as I admire them, John 3 has more integrity by revealing the non-integrity of atheism. So they are caught in a double-bind.

@@PeacePromissor-kv1ei You completely lost me. I'm not familiar with all their albums, but even if I was, I donno if I'd get it. I'm sure it's too complex to explain here tho. So I'm not asking you to. Cheers! ✌🏼

Great post and I agree. I grew up with this band and I miss the anticipation of a new album and the tour that came with it. There was nothing like it. I’ll never forget getting Roll the Bones and Counterparts a month before they came out. I knew someone that worked at a WEA plant near me and he smuggled them out for me. The best is I still went out and bought the albums when they came out because you felt like you had to support them. That’s what that band created for a lot of people, loyalty to them. When Neil passed, I cried off and on for a week afterward. That’s never happened to me ever for someone that wasn’t a friend or a family member. It felt like a part of my life was gone and it was.

I watch “Time Stands Still” every week, including lots of their other video’s. My stomach aches, when the reality of reminded Neil is dead, one of a kind genius on drums, not to mention Lyricist 👍🏻

@@greengrass1072 Wow bro… your comment was awesome. I’ve been a fan since 1983 when I was 12 years old. When you bought the album when you didn’t have to says volumes about Rush fans and I always felt the same way about supporting them. I don’t know any other fan base with that kind of mentality. It’s giving back because you know they’re giving you their absolute best. That’s the feeling you had leaving a Rush show. They played every show like it was their last and gave you every penny’s worth. When I was in high school if I met someone that didn’t like Rush I tolerated it but if they started making fun or bad mouthing them in anyway I couldn’t be friends with that person lol. I took it very personal. That’s the weird indescribable connection Rush has with their fans that no other band has. If I met someone that loved Rush we were instant friends. I don’t understand why that is. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Couldn't agree more. I find myself playing songs multiple times because there's so much going on, and it's only three guys. They were unbelievable. I'm forever grateful I got to see them live, even if it was only once. I was born in the mid-80s, so I was kind of late to the party. I saw them on the Time Machine tour in Detroit. They played Moving Pictures in its entirety. A high moment in my life, for sure.

At least we have an enormous collection to listen to. I find new stuff I like when I go back and listen to the 80's albums I wasn't a huge fan of when they came out.

Seriously underrated. Nobody denies Neil is one of the greatest rock drummers of all time - he generally comes up in the top 3 of any list that's worth anything - and that Geddy is *the* boss bassist, but Alex Lifeson gets ignored because he doesn't have the big personality of so many lead guitarists. He does what's needed for the songs. If it needs a Gilmour-esque melodic solo, that's what he does. If it needs shredding, he shreds. The band balanced beautifully, and it was due in no small part to Lifeson's technical excellence and musicianship.

Absolutely brilliant.

@@katherineheasley6196 In a nutshell, Alex was incredible at serving each song with his musicianship

Millions of album sales and multiple guitar deals with Gibson and Fender. That's underrated?

I can't understand exactly how this term "underrated" is tossed about. It doesn't seem to have any connection to a musician's actual rating, in terms of accolades and rewards. Maybe the "underrated" epithet actually points to the author's opinion of him or herself as more sophisticated than anyone else.

Great idea! Maybe Alex will bring some of his beer, and Geddy some of his wine!🍷🍺

He and Neil both had that ability to do four things simultaneously with their extremities. I think that is part of what bonded them.

That’s precisely what I found most amazing about the song when they recorded it LIVE for “Exit Stage Left,” particularly just before Geddy is about to start singing. So well layered it is almost ridiculous.

I saw them at Pine Knob for the Roll the Bones tour and couldn't believe there were only the 3 of them! I kept thinking there were dudes hiding in the back to accompany them live like so many groups do, but, NO! They just utilized every available limb like the comment above stated. Amazing!

I saw Rush just once (on the WORST NIGHT OF ALL), at the Philadelphia Spectrum, September 25, 1980; John Bonham died hours before that concert. It was bittersweet for Rush and we attendees, but Rush gave us a memory. They played their as-yet-unreleased “Tom Sawyer” for us! Philly bore witness first that “Tom Sawyer” would indeed affect the annals of RnR music. I never got to see ‘Zeppelin live, and Rush kind of appreciated that, huh? 👍🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

And was thinking about baseball....all at the same time

Natural Science is the other.

@@davidwoolbright3675 Hemispheres is the other.

I was hoping the selection was Strangiato

I love that you love Rush.

@fastguitar I grew up in Springfield, VA and lived by its second location in that town. In 1999 I worked at the parent location one in Rockville. Anyway, saw Rush in 1993 at Merriweather Post (near DC) and on its final tour at the NBA arena in Phoenix

I saw them twice. On the Snakes and Arrows tour and performing Moving Pictures in its entirety. The latter was one of best concerts I’ve ever been to

Seen em 17 times,wish I could see em more but ....

Except better!

Well said... Only made it to see them about 6-7 times last time it was the hollywood bowl for R30...truly magical. It still fucking kills me that my life was a fucking mess when R40 rolled around and I missed it .

Unfortunately, only twice for me. Roll The Bones with a friend, and R40 in Seattle with my wife and kids. R40 was amazing. Originally had nose bleed seats, but ran into a woman from Ticketmaster in the consession line when my youngest (he was about 9) wanted a snack. She thought I was a cool dad for bringing his 9 and 15 year old kids to the show. We started talking and she ended up giving us Row 17 Floor seats on Gedde's side. Blew my kids' minds since they had heard me play Rush all their lives. I still get emotional thinking about that concert.

The thing about people giving recognition to rush is this.... People who don't recognize rush as a top band in music history that changed the direction of music. Those people are just ignorant about music. But people who really know good quality music and music composition know that rush is one of the best in history!

For sure. The old “your favorite bands favorite band” comment comes to mind. The non Rush music that has been made the last 30 years that would not exist without Rush is staggering.

what? thi is not Rush?

Never where nerdy just a WELL SPOKEN Band WHO SHOWS WHAT BADDDD ASSS GROUP THEY ARE ,SO TALENTED, SO GREAT AND TOGETHER ,,,,,FORGET IT......RUSH IS WOWWWWE

@@alsavantjes YES IT IS.....

"he played for the song".....only thing I'd adj.... change " he" to "they" .. It's fairly rare and kind of crazy how these guys could all fucking DESTROY on their instruments and they often did regularly through most of their songs,... But they NEVER outshined the song OR each other...... EVER.. One big reason why AL is continually under rated by most guitarists and fans of guitar playing ... BUT...The real 'players' and fans of rock and guitar who recognize greatness beyond the top 5-7 guys everyone can name... ....KNOW Lifeson is and will always be one of the best.

@@RaptorV1USA You make such excellent points on Rush as a "group". Too often people idolize one player out of a group of players. Rush is and was the consummate team of players. Each of them virtuoso in their craft. I'm certain I'm like many of their fans cannot think of one without thinking of all three.

If you are a fan of Alex, check out his guest appearance on "The Trailer Park Boys"

@@jimmiller3139 ,"Play I LIKE TO ROCK "! "He's a drunk male prostitute "...

I heard that the way they wrote his solos is they would jam on a song at length and GL and NP would pick their favorite parts and piece them together.

I know eh?! They sound like at least 5 guys. Same thing live. The best 3 peice band ever, by far!

Xanadu was the most musically complex song rush ever did and I have heard flawless live performances. They were the gods of rock.

Triumph did it with 3

@@thepatriotsrock2 "Did" what? Triumph never had the sound like Rush or the talent OR the record sales. Triumph was a good band, not in the same category as Rush.

@@thepatriotsrock2 not quite

Check out the United States Army Band version in memory and honor of Neil Peart. after his passing. I tear up every time I hear it. ….and I still miss Neil.

@@bakkusmgr Thank you... I certainly will! 😍

@@bakkusmgr Just listened... very moving...

The lyrics are fantastic

@@bakkusmgr GREAT comment. I watched that vid more than a few times.

Yeah it does. A lot of songs on exit stage left sounded better than their studio versions imo. Red barchetta, Spirit of radio, Jacob's ladder, the trees, xanadu, and definitely a passage Bangkok..imo

@@blue23song31 Side 3 of Exit...Stage Left is the pinnacle for me. Broon's Bane, The Trees, Xanadu. Unreal. I can't listen to the studio version of Xanadu to this day because I love the live version so much.

Blessed to see Moving Pictures tour in Phoenix with Max Webster opening. Are you a Lost Horizon fan?

@@brentjones8099 I’m in total agreement with you. To this day I can listen to side 3 and not be able to wrap my head around the idea that it was just 3 guys doing that. Live

I agree... for me, Rush going from Trees to Xanadu in my opinion, is tge GREATEST live piece of audio art in history...

I only had heard "Tom Sawyer" before hearing this for the first time. As it rolled on, I was gobsmacked totally by its' magnificence. I listened over and over and over, totally in awe of what was coming to my ears.

What about the Necromancer?

Camera Eye is up there for me too and I think it's Getty's best song lyrically. I love the way he sings the lyrics

@@bassfan41 Agreed. The way he sings the lines : "The buildings are lost in their limitless rise, My feet catch the pulse and the purposeful stride... I feel a sense of possibilities, I feel the wrench of hard realities." Gives me shivers to this day!! 🔥

I love Necromancer more than Xanadu, BUT Necromancer suffers a bit from being splot into three parts that while great don't have the same coherence Xanadu does as a whole song ​@@johnmaldonado3909

oh my God this needs to happen

My thoughts exactly!

The question is, how many times will Alex make Rick laugh so hard he has to pause the interview.

I think having to open for "kiss" helped to keep them humble.

@@midwesternmonkey3702 I also seem to remember a story about some band from Boston that taught them how not to treat an opening act.

He’s absolutely giddy like a schoolgirl here LOL

YES!

I watched again because the first time was so much fun. He's loves this song as much as I do. And what a fun time the 2nd view was too. :) Nothing wrong with spending some time listening to a favorite and enjoying it with someone else. :)

@@obiwanbenobi4943 agreed. Speaking of sharing something you love, I too love Linux.

Love the faces... And that he starts to make a point, but is so excited about it that he forgets to... And shouts THIS!! while pointing randomly... I get the sense that he loves it as much as I do!

"Bravado" is pretty amazing as well.. dang it's hard to hear a song from them that's not amazing..

Natural Science is fucking unreal. Everything about it screams Rush. May be my alltime favorite as well. Though Hemesphers the song might be right with it.

A greater song than Natural Science does not exist. It's the pinnacle of human achievement.

Was my favorite song in high school. It's in the yearbook

Seeing that song live for the first time was just amazing! I saw it a few times again, but that first time was just 🤯

I love Losing It! Great song and they actually did it live on stage finally and it's on you tube! Great watch!

Me too dude. Watching Rick made me feel like a kid again. My first Rush song was 1980 flying to London. I was 15. Temples of Syrinx. Mind instantly BLOWN. Rush has been my band ever since. I’m 57 now.

I kept waiting for Rick to cry. Heck, I did. Great memories. So glad to have experienced and loved Rush.

14 the summer of 78. Heard Rush and this song for the first time in the bottom of a magical canyon on an indian reservation near the Grand Canyon. Some super Rush heads from Phoenix camping next to me and my scout troop with a casette player. About 2pm, they asked if i wanted a bong hit. I was like what's that? I agreed and the next question was do you like Rush? I didnt know them at the time..they played Xanadu for me. Things kinda changed for me after that.

Super Duper ... Supai Indian Res, correct? Love Grand Canyon! Great story. What a place to be initiated. 🎶🎸👍

@@superduper6532 Rush is the gift that keeps on giving. I turned my younger brother onto them and he and I were lucky enough to have seen them together the last three tours before Neil passed. And last month my brother just got the Sterns Rush LE Pinball machine. The BASTARD!!!🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤣

Omg I was there too . I’m sure we high fived that night.

His analysis at 26:32 brings the subtlety alive

mozart might give up piano and pick up drums

Sounds like the plot to 2112

Bill & Ted's excellent adventure.

They will say it was aliens lol.

It's easier to be musically tight with three members than with 4, 5 or 6 members

Definitely. It's their opus. I strongly prefer their performance if it on Exit.. Stage Left. But it was interesting hearing that their 2nd studio take was "the one." Of course, it was. Cuz they're awesome musicians.

Not a day goes by where at some point I listen to Rush. Tough to discern which is better Farewell to Kings, 2112, or Hemispheres. The Music is so sophisticated, that each Time I listen to it, I find something new.

@@patronus1776 Watching Alex Lifeson doing some of the fastest double-neck changes and switch throwing ever when going from the light twelve-string parts to the heavier six-string bits on the Exit... Stage Left video is so freaking awesome! While he's moving his left-hand onto the other neck his right hand is hitting the neck and pickup switches like a Jedi!

The trees / Xanadu on exit stage left is Rush’s greatest- there is something magic about it.

“I think I’m going Bald” is still the best Rush song ever:)

Its so good to hear a guy my age who grew up with the same music and still like myself still gets excited like we were back in jr high school again….. The magic of music is the keeper our soul for many of us and it’s one thing that we can always count on and will never disappoint….

Primus is similar, and admittedly different too.

Pure genius.

"No room for error". Yup. Even Geddy pulling double & triple duty: bass, bass pedals, keys ....& effects pedals...... And Neil making MUSIC with his drums....

ELP

I think this is the issue with Alex missing out on plaudits....a super-bright light is missed in the light of a supernova! That band was a supernovae filled with three novas...one was bound to be missed in this world of self-publicity

I grew up in Potsdam, NY. Did you listen to Chez 106?

saga, red rider, aldo nova, honeymoon suite

@@driver4011 Triumph

i am from north ont. and would agree and focus on April Wine. they played a million concerts. had a good arena sound back in the 70's. 3 guitars.. and there drummer was animal

@@TeeDOG6 yes chez 106 was the go to station, I listened to chez all the time. They were the first FM station in our area.

They played it on the last tour and it was still perfect. Saw it twice.

@@ryanrussell9556 Luck you, epic!

Reproduce it live? It was originally recorded in ONE TAKE

Exit Stage Left defined the summer of 1983 for me.... it was a golden age of music when i was a teen

Geddy's live variations during Xanadu theme are among my all time favorites. He played them every time I heard it live. ...even at R40 (I was at Irvine Meadows, CA).

I am ₩ -1119

I love that I can hear the entire song in my head beginning to end. "For I have dined on honydew and drank the milk of paradise". Peart certainly had a way with lyrics.

@@willybones3890 He did but those are not his words

@@willybones3890 the way he articulated on that specific line was perfect, especially on the 3rd and final time.

@@poopingfury5999 Geddy has a unique but such an effective voice

Really? Cool. Had not heard that!

Nailed it.. my favorites as well but they all are badass.

I was lucky to see them twice. The first time wasn't like any concert I'd ever been to, I was 15 and it forever changed the way I listened to and appreciate music. I was witnessing something special, it was almost a spiritual experience. I'll never forget it.

Don't forget Broon's Bane... into the trees..... into Xanadu

I love that long synth musical piece by Geddy between The Trees and Xanadu. The live version of Xanadu is on another level compared to the studio version. The video here on YT is excellent!

Xanadu is indeed a great song, and I agree it's a strong contender for being their best song, and I too love the Exit Stage Left version - but - Exit Stage Left wasn't exactly a live album. They spent a lot of time in the studio enhancing it; not just production engineering magic and edits but laying down tracks.

Truly a magical moment in rock history.

ABSOLUTELY... ESL version is even MORE majestic/ethereal!! No coincidence he picked my favorite song as well! 🤘🤩🤘

Yeah, most people can't handle the beginning. Their loss.

On the LP there are no scratches on certain RUSH songs due to the impatience of ...well, me at 17. At 60, I savor every turn of the record albums!

I did the exact same thing in high school...

I always loved songs beginnings before the lyrics start

Yep. Always loved The Camera Eye -- but you just have to hand it to them on that one.

Agree.

Cygnus X1 has entered the chat.

..ļ

And Amee Mann provides the backing vocals!

...and the middle section with Aimée Mann's high whimsical vocal is genius. Like so much Rush. Oh my, what a band. Their catalogue and legacy deserve to last forever.

Did you catch the arrangement that that guy from the U.S. Army band offered as his memorial tribute to Neil?

When news of Neil's death broke I was on holiday in South America. I went for a walk on the beach that night and played this song. Over and over again. It was sad and beautiful at the same time. I've had it in my head ever since. Such beautiful lyrics.

I completely agree with you! Actually, I love the entire album, but to me Time Stands Still is my personal reigning king of Rush’s songs.

Oh yeah I was a freshman in high school but I remember skipping class to buy the 8 track tape. I've owned all the possible ways to own it. Vinyl, cd, cassette 8 track lol DVD

I grew up poor in Philadelphia, and I had one of those ubiquitous brown clocks where the numbered plates would flip, so I listened to the radio. I heard Tom Sawyer here and there but I was still unaware of ‘Rush’ proper. By around 1983 I finally had a stereo walkman radio and one day I heard Red Barchetta while lying in my bed - holy moly it put the hook in me & I was off like a rocket to the mall. I bought Fly By Night, but that wasn’t it. The following allowance I bought Moving Pictures, then as I went through High school I bought more Rush records, including of course A Farewell to Kings. Hearing Xanadu felt like hearing Red Barchetta the first time. Everything Rush did had a profound magic to it that opened me up to life through their sound. Of all of the life experiences that shape who I am as a person, Rush is by far the strongest and best influence on me. That looping guitar riff during Xanadu’s intro - I don’t even have words to describe what it does to my soul. I’m fortunate to have grown up with Rush, to have seen them live twice, and to have their music forever in me.

@@Bikewithlove I had that same radio!!! Grew up in San Diego...Surf/skate/Mx/Bmx/Sex/Drugs and every RUSH album and at least 4 live concerts...My best friend,after years of Megadeath, Metallica,Sabbath,Maiden etc. just recently started exploring RUSH with his guitar...Life is good with RUSH

So very well said.

Great comment and agree.

It still is!!!

Side Three of ESL transformed me from a casual Rush fan to a complete Rush fanboy when I first heard it in the summer of 1982.

How old was Mozart when he wrote many of his symphonies? Not very.

@@alwaysopen7970 must've been early alien?

@@EASTON1970 - A Classical Alien.

Well I'm from the United States so of course they are aliens. At least from my perspective. Unless, of course, I see them in Canada in which case I am then the alien and they are native. They are not, however, space aliens. Toronto is not outer space.

I would agree with you that rush is ancient aliens even though that whole theory is complete bullcrap. However, this is far from rush's greatest. Sing a melody from this song. you can't? okay then.

Me too. I have no idea what Rick is talking about, but I watch him all the time because I like the songs and groups he talks about.

I started listening to Rush one album at a time. I would buy the cassette tape, listen to every song over and over. Then I would buy another without knowing what was on it, and repeat. I blindly bought all albums from the debut through Signals. I've never met a fan like myself, but I'm sure there are plenty, and many to come. It might not be through the cassette medium, but I believe rabid fans are born every day.

WE ARE THE PRIESTS OF THE TEMPLE OF SYRINX!!!!!

Absolutely agree a lot of people think Rush was a one hit wonder band their one hit being Tom Sawyer. Sad.

I certainly heard Xanadu get its share of airplay on my favorite AOR station back in the day.

The 'deep cuts' are what made me a fan.

Same. It took me a year to even watch again. I tried but had to take time off…

Even though it was a long time ago, I have that same response listening to Pink Floyd and thinking about Rick Wright.

@@cjbroz313 Chris Squire too.

@@cjbroz313 Total soul of that band.

Same. If you have not read Ghost Rider grab it, it will put a sad, but good smile on your face. Neil was the best.

I always thought I was the lone weirdo who loved Rush and John Denver.

I have not watched this video yet, but seeing your comment, just let me guess: he was talking about the Badd11 (008997) chord in Rush's "Xanadu" and John Denver's "The Eagle and the Hawk"

Just watched the video and it looks like I was right lol

And we all went and listened to it

Eagle and the Hawk - John Denver's greatest too, IMO. Beato muses w/ the idea of doing a vid on that song - definitely should use one of the solo JD vids for his example - under rated guitarist just like Lifeson!

hear hear

💯 x 💯

I took love Beato's reaction listening to Xanado. Just 2 for me that never get props are Don Brewer.... Grand Funk And Bill Ward..... Black Sabbath

Might? Who is before him?

RIP mr.Pert.

I think you accidentally added some words there. "Might" and "possibly". ;)

The only one I've seen come close is Terry Bozzio and he must have been a student of Neil's. He even has as impressivea kit as Neil and he plays with different sounds not just beats like I heard Neil describe his own style. When I saw him with Missing Persons he wasn't even playing his enormous drum kit that he does in videos, he had a fully electronic kit that sounded incredible.

@@benjaminhawthorne1969 Well, don't forget John Bonam and Keith Moon. Not that they were as good as Neil but they were great drummers. I'd just say they all had different styles. Oh, almost forgot Phil Collins.

Lose some weight, Bruno. You're not getting any younger. 😂

Exit Stage Left was the very first album I bought when I was 11 years old. I was so naive at that time that I literally thought the woman on the cover that is holding the curtain was actually the singer. I bought it because the only song I knew from Rush, at that time, was Tom Sawyer from hearing it on Rock 103 in Memphis, TN. I had no idea even who was in the band, and if you look on the inside of the album, The picture of Geddy Lee is this shot of his sillhouette with his shoulder length hair and thin framed body with a spotlight behind his head. So at that age, it was plausible to me that it was the same girl on the cover, but with a bass guitar strapped on "her" shoulder. lol And he did certainly have a high voice. But the rest of that album opened not just a new world, but an entire new Universe of possibilities! And that YYZ drum solo, I was rendered absolutely speechless and dumbfounded. I had never heard anything like that anywhere.Everything on it just blew me away because all I ever heard in those days was normal industry rock like Foreigner or Styx with Mr Roboto or Bad Company or Journey or Billy Squire or Kasey Kasem's Top 40 on the radio. In my small 11 year old world, I thought THAT was what rock n roll was. Boy , did my mind open up like an acid trip...without the acid of course. It changed my life forever.

Right? For a short period I was in a band with all Rush-heads. We played a lot of covers from all sorts of bands and that Rush influence elevated it all.

I was just commenting on how I love the live version better on Exit Stage Left. My favorite part of the album is listening to the 3 songs Broons Bane, Trees and Xanadu. Also, Jacobs Ladder is killer. When I pick up my guitar I don’t usually put it down without playing those songs.

@@Black2th isnt the innoocence beautiful? Espcially to this great music.✌

@@davidvasquez8658 You bet your sweet Aspercreme. lol ;)

That's why i love this guy so much.. He has a way of putting me right there with him in his excitement of what he is listening to. ANd takes me back in time to when i was young and so excited about new music. I just love Rick. Like you said, no one else could give the music the justice it deserves like Rick. Thank you Rick. You ROCK brother.

Just like a school age buddy that said " hey I got this album - wowzer - you gotta hear this!"

well said

Agree.

thats the tour i actually met them on. in passaic nj

I saw them then too but knew all of their stuff before and got blown away like you. Unreal!

If your son inherited your shirt does this mean you're commenting from the other side?????

August 23 1977 at the CNE grandstand was also my first concert, also 15 at the time. Max Webster opened. Both bands were fantastic. Still probably the best concert I’ve ever seen.

No other band could conceive of what those 3 guys did.

@@alwaysopen7970 well you had bands like Yes, Genesis and a few others in the late 70s who did stuff like this. I think Rush did it better but there are people who would say otherwise

I feel the exact same way Michael. My favorite band of all and it would take me forever to try to figure out which is their best song when so many are worthy.

I came up with my own "Best of Rush" for my own amusement, and I just checked and there's 73 songs on that list! That's a lot, but 73 songs from 19 studio albums requires a lot of fastidious arbitration.

Short songs, mid-length songs, long songs - so many to enjoy and cherish long after Neil's sad early demise. I was listening to Circumstances the other day and that's a short one by 70s standards. Like the 3 musicians themselves, it's just amazing!

The whole 2112 Album 👍🎸🎼🥁🎛️🎵🎶

The camera eye yes!!!

Natural science is SO underrated

How dare you call Hemispheres merely Book 2 😂

That's where I came in. I think ESL had the best version of Xanadu ever, but that is unfair since that was my first "date" deep dive into Rush. I do like in the studio how Geddy holds the D of Xana-DU"....before dropping it an octave

The first songs I heard were The Spirit Of Radio and The Trees. The first album I owned was Moving Pictures in 1981. By Summer 1984, I owned everything from Rush to Grace Under Pressure.

Yes! Exit Stage Left is it for me.

Me too. Although my first album purchased in early 1982 was Moving Pictures ESL had been their most recent release at the time.

I LOVE that performance from ESL. After the intro where Alex hits that riff is just epic.

Mine was a '74, but I pined for a stereo like yours.

Man there were nights me and my friends would buy beer and weed and sit in the car and listen for hours ....parked at some beach or even someone's house ! Nothing beat a good car party.

Alpine? Aristocrat. I had Alphine speakers that were $30 at Kmart.

@@residentmanager3088 not in the early 80s you didn't. Alpine was top stuff.

@@HorsepowerHouse I agree that Alpine was top notch. I just couldn’t afford it. Alphine was the Alpine knock off and it was cheap and crap. 😂

Well said!!

I don’t believe it’s possible to have that many superheroes with his inhuman musical ability.

I wish I did! In the 80's in London, unless you were middle class or a 'Swot' it was unlikely you would get music lessons

Absolutely, every morning while I have breakfast I listen to one of his episodes.

Beautifully said.

Though you’re not wrong, you’re not right either. Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Genesis, Yes, Iron Maiden - to name just a few - were also capable of transporting you to a different dimension.

Rush is like being transported through time and space on a rocket Einstein created with Back and Beethoven.

rush suck

Agreed!

Yep, La Villia Strangiato is THAT SONG, for me.

But I like it too! Alex's Song... instant gratification.

I'm not sure I would pick a quintessential Rush song. So many different sounds/styles over the years. Villa is another one of my favorites, but to me Xanadu is more well crafted (and rocks a bit more). For instrumentals, I really dig Malignant Narcicism. Such a great groove.

Yes, LVS is my absolute favorite by Rush. Neil Peart said that song was pretty near the limit for his drum playing.

I saw them in Toronto in 1985 at the Power Windows era. I saw them in a bunch of cities in the Northeast USA as well , Honestly I don’t think they gave a better show in Canada, their so great on tour that every time they play no matter what location they give a peak performance.

Ontario Canada was, is ,and Godwilling will always be one of the greatest places to grow up. Freedom is not free

I might have been at that high school dance. They played the high school and bar circuit in those days.

Wow

How fortunate you are!

I did not listen to RUSH for about 18 months after Neil passed....

It is painful, I agree. But I'm certain Neil wants Rush music to entertain forever, so I'm not gonna let Neil down. Thankyou Geddy, Alex and Neil for staying the course

Your words ring true my friend. But Neil wrote and played for us to listen until the end of time. Enjoy their music to the fullest, that' s the way he wanted it.