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Rush (Rush album)

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Rush
Cover art by Paul Weldon
Studio album by
Rush
ReleasedMarch 18, 1974 (1974-03-18)
RecordedSummer & November 1973[1]
StudiosEastern Sound and Toronto Sound (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Genres
Length39:51
LabelMoon
ProducerRush
Rush chronology
Rush
(1974)		 Fly by Night
(1975)
Singles from Rush
  1. "Finding My Way"
    Released: August 1974
  2. "In the Mood"
    Released: December 1974[4]

Rush is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band Rush. It was released on March 18, 1974 in Canada by Moon Records, the band's own label, before being re-released internationally by Mercury Records later that year. Recorded five years after the band's formation, it is their only album to feature original drummer John Rutsey and displays a more straightforward hard rock sound than they would come to be known for, showing the influence of early British hard rock bands, particularly Led Zeppelin and Humble Pie.[5]

Recording and production

"Working Man"
"Working Man" from Rush.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The initial recordings were produced and engineered by David Stock at Eastern Sound Studios in Toronto in three sessions during the summer of 1973. The sessions ran through the night after gigs, taking advantage of the studio's 'dead time', charged at a quarter of the usual rate.[6] The band laid down all the basic tracks on the first night, playing together live. On the second night they added vocals and guitar overdubs. Stock mixed the whole album in around two hours on the third, without the band present.[7]

At the request of their management, SRO, they included their version of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away", a staple of their live set and also the Rolling Stones' first Canadian hit, as a possible single release. SRO then formed their own label, Moon Records, and released the song as Rush's debut single in September 1973 (catalogue number MN 001), backed with "You Can't Fight It", another song originally planned for inclusion on the album.[8]

However, the band was unhappy with the quality of the recordings, so SRO found enough money to book three days at Toronto Sound Studios in November 1973 to partially re-record and entirely remix the album with engineer and co-owner Terry Brown. Now producing themselves, the band achieved a significant improvement in sound quality, despite the fact that both studios only had 8-track tape machines, quite primitive for 1973.[9] They added new overdubs to the existing backing tracks for "What You're Doing", "Before and After" and "Working Man" from the first sessions and recorded three new songs from scratch: "Finding My Way", "Need Some Love" and "Here Again", which took the place of "Not Fade Away" and "You Can't Fight It".[10][11]

Drummer John Rutsey had been the band's primary lyricist and was working on lyrics for the album, but a crisis of confidence at the last minute meant that he did not show up at the vocal session at Eastern Sound, later saying that he had torn up the words he had written. This left vocalist/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson to compose the final lyrics at very short notice based on the makeshift lyrics which Lee had been improvising at gigs, creating bad feeling and widening the rift which was already forming between Rutsey and his bandmates over musical direction.[12] This rift, along with his Type 1 diabetes which limited his ability to travel, eventually led to Rutsey leaving the band in July 1974, a month before their first American tour. Neil Peart joined Rush on July 29th, Lee's 21st birthday, and served as drummer and primary lyricist on all of their subsequent albums.[13][14]

Release and distribution

In the continued absence of any major label interest, SRO decided to release the album themselves on their Moon Records label. It was mastered at Sterling Sound in New York City and released in Canada only on March 18, 1974, catalogue number MN-100. Only 3,500 copies were pressed.[15] The promotional version of the LP had a cream-coloured label with a blue Moon Records logo and black type, while the remaining 3,500 had a light blue label with a dark blue Moon Records logo and black type.[16]

The album was soon picked up by WMMS, a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio. Donna Halper, a DJ working at the station, selected "Working Man" for her regular playlist. Every time the song was played the station received phone calls asking where to buy the record. Copies of the Moon Records album were imported to the Cleveland area and quickly sold out. In the 2010 documentary film Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, Halper says that "Working Man" was the perfect song for the Cleveland rock audience, as it was still mostly a factory town in 1974. WMMS later sponsored a show for the band in Cleveland on June 28, their second-ever US performance. (Their first was a few weeks earlier in East Lansing, Michigan.)[17][18]

The record's popularity in Cleveland brought it to the attention of young Mercury Records executive Cliff Burnstein, leading to the band signing an international deal with them. The album was remastered by Gilbert Kong at Masterdisk in NYC and re-released for the US-market in July 1974, only a few weeks before the start of their first US-tour.[19] "A special thank you to Donna Halper for getting the ball rolling" was added to the credits of this and all later versions. In February 1975, Mercury released the album in Europe.[20]

The first Canadian Mercury re-release on the standard red Mercury label is nearly as rare as the Moon version and still had the Moon catalogue number, MN-100, between the run-out grooves, indicating that it was pressed from the same metal stampers as the Moon disc.

The original Moon Records version of the album cover, designed by Paul Weldon, had a red Rush logo,[16] but a printing error by Mercury Records made it appear more magenta in colour on North American and some other pressings. This went largely uncorrected until the 2014 reissue.[21] It is one of two Rush albums where the cover artwork suffered from major printing errors, the other being Caress of Steel from the following year.

The complete album, along with Fly by Night and Caress of Steel, was re-issued as part of the 1978 budget 3-record set Archives.[22]

In July 2008, Rush discovered a version of "Working Man" with an alternative guitar solo, which they released online. They also allowed the makers of the popular video game Rock Band to include the song.[23]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStar[24]
Classic RockStarStarStarStarHalf star[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/8[25]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStar[26]
The Essential Rock Discography6/10[27]
MusicHound RockStarStar[28]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStar[29]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of 80s MusicStarStar[30]

Rush received positive reviews upon its 1974 release. Writing for the Ottawa Citizen, Bill Provick gave praise on the band's "immediate acceleration" and "driving, crisp sound", although he felt that "the energy needs a bit more channeling and the arrangements need a touch more refining".[31] Billboard wrote that it "serves up a dose of good hard rock highlighted by the often Robert Plant-like lead vocals of Geddy Lee and the powerful guitar work of Alex Lifeson and solid drumming from John Rutsey."[32]

However, critical reception in later years has been more negative. Greg Prato of AllMusic stated in his review of the album that it was weaker than some of the band's later works, such as Hemispheres and Moving Pictures, because Neil Peart was not yet a part of the band. He finished his review by saying, "While longtime Rush fans can appreciate their debut because they never returned to this style, newcomers should stick with their classics from later years."[24]

Remasters

A CD remaster was issued in 1997. The tray has a picture of the star with man painting (mirroring the cover art of Retrospective I) with "The Rush Remasters" printed in all capital letters just to the left. All remasters from Rush through Permanent Waves are like this.

Rush was remastered again in 2011 by Andy VanDette for the "Sector" box sets, which re-released all of Rush's Mercury-era albums. The album is included in the Sector 1 set.[33]

The album was remastered and re-released on vinyl in April 2014 as part of a box set to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The 2014 vinyl version included a replica of the original Moon Records label on the LP.

Rush was remastered for vinyl in 2015 as a part of the official "12 Months of Rush" promotion.[34] The high definition master prepared for this release was also made available for purchase in 24-bit/96 kHz and 24-bit/192 kHz formats, at several high-resolution audio online music stores. These masters have significantly less dynamic range compression than the 1997 remasters and the "Sector" remasters by Andy VanDette.[citation needed]

Track listing

All songs written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, except "Need Some Love" (lyrics written by Lee and John Rutsey),[a] and "In the Mood", written solely by Lee.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Finding My Way"5:03
2."Need Some Love"2:16
3."Take a Friend"4:27
4."Here Again"7:30
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."What You're Doing"4:19
2."In the Mood"3:36
3."Before" (2:17) and "After" (3:16) ([b])5:33
4."Working Man"7:07

Personnel

Rush

Production

  • Rush – production, arrangements
  • Terry Brown – engineering, remixing (Toronto Sound)
  • David Stock – engineering (Eastern Sound)
  • Sterling Sound – mastering (Moon release)
  • Gilbert Kong at Masterdisk – mastering (original Mercury release)
  • BIC Photography – photography
  • Paul Weldon – design
  • Ray Danniels and Vic Wilson – management
  • SRO Productions – executive production

Release history

Overview of release formats for Rush
Country Label Format Catalog Year
Canada Moon Vinyl MN 100 1974
Canada & US Mercury Vinyl SRM 1-1011 1974
Canada Anthem Vinyl ANR 1-1011 1977
US Mercury CD 534623 1987
Canada Anthem CD ANC 1-1001
Canada Anthem CD WANK 1001
Canada Anthem CD ANMD 1001
Canada Anthem CD ANMD 1075 1997
Canada & US Mercury 8 Track MC8 1-1011 1974
Canada Anthem 8 Track 8AN 1-1001 1977
Canada & US Mercury Cassette MC4 1-1011 1974
Canada Anthem Cassette 4AN 1-1001
Canada Anthem Cassette 4AN 1-106

Charts

Chart performance for Rush
Chart (1974) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[37]86
US Billboard 200[38]105

Certifications

Certifications for Rush
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[39] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[40] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ Although the sleeve credits Lee and Lifeson as writers of "Need Some Love", Lifeson admitted in a 2011 MusicRadar interview Rutsey and Lee wrote the lyrics.[35]
  2. ↑ "Before"/"After" is the actual name of the track, in Lee's handwritten lyrical sheet.[36] On the album sleeve, it was stylized as "Before" and "After".

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Popoff 2020, p. 85.
  2. 1 2 "Rush". Classic Rock. October 7, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  3. ↑ Popoff, Martin (June 2004). "Rush". Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home & Away. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: ECW Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-1550226782.
  4. ↑ "Rush singles".
  5. ↑ "Geddy Lee: my career in 10 Rush albums". Classic Rock. January 27, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  6. ↑ Popoff, Martin (June 2004). "Rush". Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home & Away. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: ECW Press. p. 10. ISBN 978-1550226782.
  7. ↑ Lee, Geddy (2023). My Effin' Life (1st ed.). HarperCollins. p. 140-148. ISBN 978-0-06-315941-9.
  8. ↑ Popoff 2020, p. 79.
  9. ↑ Popoff 2020, p. 81.
  10. ↑ Popoff 2020, pp. 91–93.
  11. ↑ Lee, Geddy (2023). My Effin' Life (1st ed.). HarperCollins. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-06-315941-9.
  12. ↑ Lee, Geddy (2023). My Effin' Life (1st ed.). HarperCollins. p. 144-146. ISBN 978-0-06-315941-9.
  13. ↑ Grow, Kory (March 29, 2016). "Rush's Alex Lifeson on 40 Years of '2112': 'It Was Our Protest Album'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 17, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Rush". Power Windows: A Tribute to Rush. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Rush 1974".
  16. 1 2 "Rush - Rush (Moon Records MN-100)". Discogs.com. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  17. ↑ Lee, Geddy (2023). My Effin' Life (1st ed.). HarperCollins. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-06-315941-9.
  18. ↑ "The Complete Rush Tour Dates Listing: The Early Years".
  19. ↑ "Great Rock Discography". p. 1316.
  20. ↑ "Great Rock Discography". p. 1316.
  21. ↑ "Rush - Rush". Discogs.com. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Rush – Archives (1978, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1978. Archived from the original on February 20, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  23. ↑ Working Man in NY Times Archived September 21, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, accessed July 21, 2008.
  24. 1 2 Prato, Greg. "Rush – Rush". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on June 11, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
  25. ↑ Popoff, Martin (October 2003). "Rush — Rush (Moon '74)". The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 236. ISBN 978-1-8949-5902-5.
  26. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
  27. ↑ Strong, Martin Charles (2006). "Rush". The Essential Rock Discography (8th ed.). Open City Books. pp. 938–939. ISBN 1-84195-860-3.
  28. ↑ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). "Rush". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 965. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  29. ↑ "Rush: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  30. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2003). "Rush". The Virgin Encyclopedia of 80s Music. Virgin Publishing. pp. 414–415. ISBN 1-85227-969-9.
  31. ↑ Provick, Bill (May 30, 1974). "Rush Rock Sound Crisp And Strong". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  32. ↑ "Rush Album Review". Billboard. August 24, 1974. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  33. ↑ "Andy VanDette On Remastering 15 Rush Albums | The Masterdisk Record". themasterdiskrecord.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  34. ↑ "12 MONTHS OF RUSH: 14 ALBUMS FROM MERCURY ERA FOR RELEASE IN 2015". Rush.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  35. ↑ James, Richard (2024). "Need Some Love". Rush 1973 - 1982: Every Album, Every Song. Sonicbond Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78952-120-7. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  36. ↑ Lee, Geddy (2023). My Effin' Life (1st ed.). HarperCollins. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-06-315941-9.
  37. ↑ "Top Albums/CDs. Volume 21, Issue 11 (1974-04-27)". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  38. ↑ "Rush Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  39. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Rush – Rush". Music Canada.
  40. ↑ "American album certifications – Rush – Rush". Recording Industry Association of America.

Sources

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