Rush has consistently delivered innovative and boundary-pushing music throughout their career.
Whether it’s crafting chart-topping hits or progressive rock epics, the band has demonstrated remarkable versatility and originality.
However, it’s hard to imagine that a band with such a distinctive sound once looked up to other musical groups for inspiration.
Geddy Lee, Rush’s iconic frontman, has never shied away from sharing who influenced him in his early days.
One of the first bands to ignite Lee’s passion for music was Cream.
In fact, many of Rush’s earliest performances were built around covering Cream’s songs. Lee has often expressed how pivotal Cream was in shaping his musical path.
“Cream sort of changed my life,” Lee once said. “They blew my mind. I remember they were coming to Toronto.
None of my friends wanted to go, but I just had to see them. I bought a ticket and went by myself to see them at Massey Hall. They were such an important band to me.”
While Cream had a profound impact on him, they weren’t Lee’s sole inspiration.
When discussing his favorite guitar solos, Eric Clapton of Cream doesn’t even make the list. Instead, it’s Led Zeppelin that holds a special place in Lee’s heart.
“I remember when the first [Led Zeppelin] album dropped,” Lee recalled.
“We rushed to our local Sam The Record Man store in Willowdale, grabbed the record, ran to my house, put it on, and sat on my bed freaking out.
They were a huge, huge influence on us. We wanted to be them instantly, but their stuff was hard to play.”
Lee’s admiration for Led Zeppelin is well-founded. The band’s musical complexity was intimidating for many aspiring rock musicians at the time.
Jimmy Page’s guitar work, Robert Plant’s vocals, John Bonham’s drumming, and John Paul Jones’ bass lines were all formidable elements that few could emulate.
So great was Lee’s admiration for Jimmy Page that he honored him by declaring that Page delivered one of the best guitar solos of all time.
However, Pink Floyd also made it into the conversation, as Lee found it hard to pick between two legendary solos when asked to choose his favorite.
“On one hand, you’ve got ‘Stairway to Heaven,’” Lee said. “That and [Pink Floyd’s] ‘Comfortably Numb’ vie for the greatest guitar solo ever recorded.”
Both tracks are renowned for their atmospheric depth, and neither of the solos feels like they’re there just for the sake of it.
Instead, they enhance their respective songs, elevating them to timeless classics. It’s easy to see why Geddy Lee, a musical icon himself, would feel so connected to these masterful solos.
