One of the most influential power trios in music history is still Rush. No matter how many instruments they used, how complicated their sound became, or how many different arrangements they made of a song, they consistently remained as a trio and insisted on remaining so. One of the tightest musical groups to ever grace a stage is the outcome.
When Geddy Lee talked about adding new instruments to the band, he said, “Every rehearsal, I was screaming. ‘I can’t do it’! But it just felt wrong to have another dude onstage with us.” We continue to have frequent conversations about it! However, it’s off limits; I can’t do it.
Because of the band’s size, there aren’t as many minds to go around when it comes to writing songs. However, Rush still produces some of the most exciting music around. Their sound was malleable. This allowed them to incorporate different genres into their work. Their dedication to music meant they would spend hours in the studio refining their sound until it was perfect.
The rise in popularity of punk and new wave music was one of the band’s greatest moments. They embraced a much more raw sound and the use of synthesisers. When new wave gained popularity, it didn’t sound like they were responding to a musical movement because of their sound’s inherent versatility. Rather, it sounded like they were modifying their sound, which they did with every album.
The band recorded an album during this time that Neil Peart especially likes. “We were not reactionary like other musicians I heard saying, ‘What are we supposed to do now, forget how to play? We were fans enough to go, ‘Oh, we want that too,'” he said. “When punk and new wave came along, we were young enough to gently incorporate it into our music.” We also learned how to be effortlessly sophisticated and condense a large arrangement into a succinct statement by watching Moving Pictures, and we nailed it.
With the release of Moving Pictures in 1981, the group presented a new sound that was both radio-friendly and musically expansive. Compared to certain of their earlier records, the songs on this album were tighter and shorter. Critics and fans alike praised Rush for taking a fresh approach, and the album received positive feedback overall.
As it demonstrated the band’s ability to change with the times while maintaining their signature sound, it has since become known as one of their best albums. Neil Peart claims that they nailed this sound, and it appears that as time has passed, fans agree with him.
