No doubt I'll be proven wrong, but I think almost every music nerd has gone through a Rush stage in life. Critics may not like them, but based upon the bands they've influenced, they should be shoo-ins for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's hard to determine what gets you into a "Rush stage". The music isn't particularly catchy. The lyrics are well thought-out, but are too idealistic to be taken serious by the Pitchfork crowd. And then there's Geddy's voice.
But if you get into Rush, it will consume your life long after you've grown out of that phase or have moved on to other genres.
Case in point - last week, I was driving home after a particularly brutal workday. Suddenly, a glimmer, a billionth of a volt registered. "All the powers that be and the course of history / will be changed forever more."
All you have to do is look at the title to know what the song is about. Rush isn't big on subtlety. But for all their complex time signature changes and intimidating musicianship (for all the deserved plaudits bestowed upon Neil Peart, Alex Lifeson would be hailed as a guitar virtuoso if he was in any other band), the band can actually write songs that stick in your head.
Who or what is Rush? ;)
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