RUSH — Rush (review)

Album · 1974 · Hard Rock

4/5 · 2016-03-03
Unitron

Rush - Rush

"Rush" is the self-titled debut studio album by hard rock/progressive rock band Rush. Today Rush is practically a household name for most fans of rock music, as they are extremely well-known for ground-breaking albums like "2112" and "Moving Pictures", but they didn't start out making complex heavy rock/metal epics and coming up with fascinating and philosophical lyrical themes.

The music heard here is primarily heavy blues rock not dissimilar to bands like Led Zeppelin and Foghat. The lyrics are also what you would expect from a release like this, being about love and daily life as heard in songs like 'Working Man'. There is some variation with songs like 'Here Again', 'Working Man' and 'What You're Doing', while all three are still bluesy the former takes a much slower pace with some dark power chords. 'What You're Doing', which is one of my favorite songs on the album, has some really great heavy riffing. 'Working Man' is another favorite and a crushingly heavy song (For 1974), and certainly what I'd call an early heavy metal song.

Alex Lifeson already conducts some really sweet riffs and solos, just take a listen to almost any song on the album and try not to have the riffs get stuck in your head. Listening to the dark heavy riffing of 'Working Man' makes it easy to see why it's the most popular from the album. Geddy Lee's vocals are great too, being able to sound aggressive at times despite having a higher-pitched vocal range. One big difference from this album and the following releases, is that this album features original drummer John Rutsey instead of the famous Neil Peart. Peart is a fantastic drummer, but Rutsey really deserves some attention too. While not as complex as Peart, he gives some really impressive drum work on the album, especially on 'Before and After', which is probably my favorite from the album.

Overall, this is one great debut album. While it has some weak moments, ('In the Mood' sounds like a rejected Aerosmith song), most of the songs on this debut are not only fantastic heavy blues/rock songs but also a great start for one of the most innovative bands in hard rock. If you're a fan of early heavy blues rock, this makes for one hell of a listen. Hope you found this review helpful.

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more than 2 years ago
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Unitron wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Thanks, I've always really liked this one. It's actually grown on me even more, as I now hear some things I didn't hear years ago. I hope you enjoy your re-listening to the 70's Rush albums, I'm going to end up working through many discographies again to rewrite old reviews.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I need to give all 70s Rush albums new listens and write new reviews. Looking forward to doing that :-). I remember this one pretty much as you describe it, so I guess that means you´ve written a good description of the music :-).

Necrotica wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Nice review. I may not hold this in as high a regard as some of their later classics, but it still definitely holds a place in my heart. Very nostalgic record, as this was among the first rock albums I heard when I was younger

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Great review! I totally agree. I love this album. Yeah, not the prog masterpiece that later ones are but a really catchy and energetic hard rocker that stands well with contemporary bands