Rush:
Rush is the self titled debut studio album Canadian rock band Rush, released on March 1, 1974 by the band's own label Moon Records in Canada and by Mercury Records in the United States and internationally. Its total length is 39:51. The band's lineup at the time included vocalist and bassist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer John Rutsey. John Rutsey performed all drum parts on the album, but was unable to go on extended tours because of complications with his diabetes and was let go by the band after the album was released. He was then replaced by Neil Peart on all records after this. Rush's first release shows a distinct hard rock sound that was clearly influenced by bands such as Led Zeppelin and Cream. Unlike their later material that had a progressive sound, this album is straightforward hard rock.
The album peaked at number 105 on the Billboard 200 charts and went Gold in the U.S. and Canada. The strengths of this album are the catchy choruses, the guitar and bass work, and the impressive vocal range of Geddy Lee. The weaknesses of Rush are definitely the lyrics, and the limited track variation. Here are my thoughts on each track.
1. "Finding My Way" 5:03 (3.5/5)
"Finding My Way begins with a very cool guitar riff and Geddy Lee's bass is very audible and his personality really shines through on this track with his high pitched vocal delivery. Lyrically, this track is extremely simple, but the chorus is very simple, catchy, and well done. The guitar solo is extremely effective and immediately demonstrates things to come for Alex Lifeson in regards to his guitar chops. Overall, "Finding My Way" is one of the best from the album and begins this album with loads of energy and personality.
2. "Need Some Love" 2:16 (3/5)
"Need Some Love" jumps right into the song with Geddy singing right away. Yet again his bass is very prominent and Alex Lifeson plays a really catchy guitar riff. The Chorus is so catchy and fun to sing. The guitar solo is another good one and shows Lifeson's talents again. Overall, "Need Some Love" is a fun track.
3. "Take a Friend" 4:27 (3/5)
"Take a Friend" begins with a fade in guitar riff, and then moves to one of my favorite guitar riffs on the entire album. Lifeson's guitar work is definitely the highlight of this song. Alex's solo is great, it has a lot of energy and is extremely catchy. Geddy's vocals again demonstrate impressive range. The song has another catchy chorus that makes you want to sing along. "Take a Friend" is another very simple, but effective track from the album.
4. "Here Again" 7:30 (3.5/5)
"Here Again" begins with an extremely bluesy guitar riff from Alex Lifeson, which again demonstrates his prowess on the guitar. "Here Again" is certainly a very slow paced track from the album, but I can't help but really enjoy it. It's really soulful and different from the rest of the album. The solo is very tasteful and is one of the best from an album full of good ones. "Here Again" is one of the band's most underrated tracks in their entire discography.
5. "What You're Doing" 4:19 (3/5)
"What You're Doing" has another really effective guitar riff. Geddy's lyrics are sort of a spitting style as he seems to be speaking directly to you as a listener. The guitar solo is good again and the bass work is extremely effective throughout the entire song. "What You're Doing" isn't one of my favorites from this album, but it is a decent track.
6. "In the Mood" 3:36 (2.5/5)
"In the Mood" begins with a really catchy guitar riff that will get you're foot tapping. The lyrics on this song are lacking, they are honestly pretty funny. Not one of Rush's finest lyrical moments. The guitar solo is really catchy and effective. "In the Mood" is my least favorite song from the album.
7. "Before and After" 5:33 (3.5/5)
"Before and After" actually begins with more of Rush's distinct progressive sound that can be heard on later albums after this. Geddy's bass and Alex Lifeson's guitar are blended perfectly and it is a great way to start a song and is the best intro to any song on the album. The guitar riff is really good on this song and the bass work is awesome. The lyrics aren't up to par with the instruments, but it's still very effective. The guitar solo is excellent yet again. Overall, "Before and After" is one of the best from the album.
8. "Working Man" 7:07 (5/5)
"Working Man" is a classic song in Rush's discography. it begins with an awesome guitar riff and Geddy singing about working all day every day. The bass is very audible again and I really like Geddy's vocal delivery on this one. Geddy's bass line right before the guitar solo is great. The guitar solo is absolutely fantastic and really demonstrates Lifeson's musicianship yet again. It's full of speed and pure technical mastery. Finally John Rutsey's drums are of note for the first time on this entire album. Then Lifeson performs a second solo just after he delivered a fantastic solo. The song concludes with a very epic ending with the band all jamming their hearts out. "Working Man" is a great way to end their self titled debut album.
My Verdict:
Rush's self titled debut is stylistically different from all their other albums and has only one moment of progressive rock on the entire record. It's full of energy and demonstrates the excellent muscianship of the Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. That being said I think Rush doesn't have the song writing elements to make them more than a average 70's hard rock band. Thankfully Rush hires one of the best drummers of all time after this release, who pushed them in a more progressive rock direction. The album does have one of my favorite Rush tracks of all time "Working Man" and a few other good tracks though. Overall, Rush is still a solid debut release that is definitely worth listening to.
