"they call me the working man, I guess that's what I am"

RUSH - (Moon Records/Mercury Records) - 1974

In 1974, Rush escaped from the relative obscurity of Toronto and added their own unique variation to the still-developing North American heavy rock scene. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and John Rutsey self-financed the recording of the debut Rush album at two different studios in Toronto. They then formed their own label (Moon Records) and pressed 3500 copies of the album. The song Working Man was discovered by a Cleveland, Ohio DJ and garnered enough attention for Mercury Records to reissue the album worldwide.

The debut album was firmly influenced by the British hard rock scene (Led Zeppelin, Cream, Ten Years After, etc) but RUSH has it's own vibe as well. Lee & Lifeson used their prodigious technical skills to great effect, adding lots of nuance to a style of music often accused of being neanderthal in execution. By throwing in subtle elements of progressive rock they managed to elevate fairly basic songs like What You're Doing and Finding My Way into something just a little bit beyond...

One thing is for sure, the album is HEAVY. I have always loved the production on this album, with Geddy's bass standing equal to Lifeson in the mix. The interplay between the three is rock solid, every song really drives on this album, lots of energy and forward momentum to the arrangements.

Finding My Way, What You're Doing, Before & After and especially Working Man are classic Rush songs. Working Man is a monster song, a variation on the doom-blues groove that Sabbath was using with the added fun of a Cream-inspired extended guitar solo by Lifeson...in fact, it's the guitar solo to Working Man that made me get a Rush album in the first place. The most impressive tracks musically are the multi-layered Before & After with it's melodic introduction leading to full on Zep-inspired attack....and Here Again, which is a really nice mid-paced ballad with Lifeson's best playing on the album.

Rush were still not quite complete and were a little rough around the edges, but man does this record sound HUNGRY. That garage vibe to the album is what makes it so much fun to listen to...

John Rutsey would leave the band shortly before their first US tour. He was quickly replaced by Neil Peart, who would prove to me much more than just a "drummer" in the near future. Rush went on tour opening for Uriah Heep...but they wouldn't be a supporting act for long.

w00t! Finally.

This is my favorite Rush album. Very raw, very heavy, and very rough. It had a sound and feeling that none of the Peart albums could match. And of course, Geddy and Alex still totally shred.


Another thing, whatever happened to ol' Rutsey? I know he wasn't as good a drummer as Neil, but from the sound of this album, he certainly knew his way around a kit.

This is a great record that doesn't seem to get the attention nowadays that it deserves. It's certainly far removed from where they ended up, but in so many ways I like it as much as any of their albums.
The rawness of the album is a plus for me as it seems to go hand-in-hand with the intensity that these guys had in the begining.

I love this debut album and it almost made my list for my top debut albums of all time. Very different from just about every album that followed it, very heavy and a touch of blues influence on a few tracks on the album.

Alex Lifeson really shines on this album his guitar solos on 'Working Man' and 'Before and After' are incredible.

This album reveals alot of Rush's influences but also shows that even on this first album Rush were determined to create their own legacy.

Excellent album and highly recommended.

One of my favorite Rush albums, some great heavy stuff on this one.

the first Rush album was the best one. they never could top it, in terms of Heavy Metal anyway.

I had an older cousin who came over and tossed this lp on the turntable. He also brought me a "sizzler" cymbal, which caught more of my attention at first. By the time "working man" came on it had my full focus. It wasn't that long afterwards that "Fly By Night" came out. So I figure my ears heard it a bit after it's release. It started something with all the neighborhood musicains. They became "our" band.

Great debut album from Rush!!!! A very different sound than Rush had after Neil Peart joined the band. Working man is a great tune.

This album is far from my favorite from Rush, but it's good nonetheless.

They certainly surpassed it with many of their albums after it, but this album really showcased their talents and gave hints of what was to come.

The main strike against it is that it pretty much sounds like they are trying to sound like Led Zeppelin. They had to start somewhere though. It's also a bit too rough around the edges for me. I like that in some bands, but Rush always sounded better a bit more polished up to me.

Personally, my favorite Rush album is "Caress of Steel". But I'll wait to talk about that one til the right time.

This might actually be my least favorite album from Rush - out of all their catalogue.

But having said that - I will also say that Rush doesn't have a bad album!

Finally, a Rush discography!!

As I was growing up, oddly enough nobody I knew had this album and before I was a full-fledged Rush fan, I never even knew this album existed. Needles to say, apart from the "hits", this was my least known album by them until I became an all out fan in 1981.
I love the whole album. A careful listen tells me they dont sound like rookies on this album, they knew what they wanted to do and made a great debut album. Every song is great, although "Here Again" kinda drones on and on a bit. I have grown to love some lesser known songs like "Need Some Love" and "Before And After" alot over the years. Some of these either never were played live or only on their first tour. Judging by their set lists and bootlegs, by 1975 they were eager to leave most of these songs in the past, never to see the light of day again. Too bad because I prefer most of the songs on here to "In The Mood" which unfortunately would make it to virtually every live show for at least the next decade. Dont get me wrong, I'd still rather hear "In The Mood" to almost anything theyve done in the last 20 years but this is probably my least favorite track on this album.

"our memories remind us, maybe road life's not so bad"

FLY BY NIGHT - (released Feb 15, 1975)

The first of two Rush albums to be released in 1975, Fly By Night is an energetic recording by a band fresh from the road. The addition of Neil Peart sped up the progression of the band and Fly By Night shows that growth starting in earnest. This would be the first album co-produced with Terry Brown who would remain associated with the band for most of the decade.

Peart's influence, both musically & lyrically, is on display in classic album opener "Anthem". Where the debut album owed a great deal to Zep (and there are still moments of that here), Anthem is proof that Peart's technical facility enabled Rush to more fully intigrate progressive rock into their sound...the opening riff to Anthem is not unlike something Chris Squire would have written for Yes during this era. The track's heaviness keeps it firmly rooted in the early metal movement, but Rush was already showing signs that they had larger goals in mind.

Best I Can is a good straight-ahead rocker that sounds like a leftover from the debut album, Lifeson's performance sells this one.

Beneath, Between & Behind is an underrated Rush classic. Here the Zep influence is front and center, but the way they approach that influence is more nuanced than on the debut. Peart again adds extra punch to the proceedings, really driving Lifeson's guitar through the progression.

By-Tor & The Snow Dog is the first foray into an epic (albeit a tongue in cheek one). Basically a small song suite, rockin' beginning, spacey mid-section with killer Lifeson guitar solo and return to the opening groove. This song would remain a staple in their live sets through the Moving Pictures era and has returned to the lineup several times since then.

After the rather intense cycle of songs on side one, side two finds Rush in a more light hearted and melancholy mood, punctuated by lots of acoustic guitar.

Fly By Night is another classic early Rush song, memorable guitar riff and a nice personal lyric courtesy of Peart. This tune became a minor league AOR hit.

Making Memories is another criminally forgetten Rush song, a joyous acoustic driven number co-written by all three members while traveling to a gig. The sunny mood to this one is quite different from the somber roads they would soon travel. This is one of the best "car songs" ever....

Rivendell is the one true misstep on the album. The combination of Peart's rather treakly fantasy lyrics ("elvin songs and endless nights") with Lifeson's classical fingerpicked guitar and Geddy's etheral vocal delivery ends up being laughable instead of "mysterious". They would try this kind of thing with better success on the next album.

The album closes with another Rush classic...In The End. Simply, a beautifully written tune. The opening acoustic riff sticks in your mind forever, then when the distortion kicks in it's even more majestic. Geddy gives one of his best performances here and Lifeson's guitar tone is astounding. This song became a frequent set-ender for Rush. One of my favorite songs from the early years.

All in all, Fly By Night is still a transitional album, but the picture was really coming into focus.

This was my first Rush LP. One of my boddies won the LP. I was hooked when I listened to it the first time. I created a copy of it on tape and after listening to that tape several time I talked him round until he sold the LP cheap to me.

Anthem is my alltime favorite Rush song. The whole album is awesome.

"... make me smile in the end"

Always liked this a bit more than the debut. It definitily showed what flavor they'd be slinging for the next few years.

Good album! Rush continued to evolve. Neil Peart's AWESOME drumming skills add to the band and they move in a more progressive mode.

I never owned this Rush album til this year, when I spoke to detuned he could not believe I never owned this album. I finally got it for my birthday and I love it.

They are already moving past their influences on album #2 and has series of classic cuts such as 'By-Tor and the Snow Dog' and again it is the deep cuts that are the best on the album such as 'Making Memories' and 'Beneath, & Behind'

I never cared for the title track but I love the rest of the album and of course Neil Peart's addition to the band changes the dynamics of the band for the better.

Now we're talkin'!

This is my second favorite Rush album. So many great songs. "Anthem", "By-Tor & The Snow Dog", "In The End", the title track...and an iconic album cover to boot.

Only song I don't like is "Rivendell". Rush always seems to throw one song on albums I would normally rate a 10 just to ruin it.

I like Fly by Night only a little less than the debut. It shows how much the addition of Peart really transformed this band. I even like Rivendell.

Love this one too. Not quite as heavy as the debut, but the songwriting might be a little better. I like every song on it."By-Tor and the Snow Dog" is probably my favorite Rush song, and even "Rivendell" isn't that bad.

LOVE THIS ALBUM!!!

For me, though I liked their debut - it seemed to really sound too much like Led Zeppelin.

However, by the time they released this album - they had brought their own signature sound to the table. What a fantastic sound that is!

I would put this album in my top 10 Rush albums for sure. Probably around 6 or 7.

This is the first Rush album I ever heard, although I didnt fully realize it's greatness for a few years as I was only 8 when I first heard it. I love this album although the worst song Rush ever recorded is on this, the brutally boring "Rivendell". Don't know what they were going for here but maybe they were setting themselves up for future mellow acoustic moments, like on their next 3 albums.
"Fly By Night" the song really doesnt do much for me, I kinda lump it in with "In The Mood", maybe because they used play both back to back, sometimes in abbreviated versions, back in the mid to late 70's.
"Bytor And The Snow Dog" is nothing short of awesome, still one of my alltime favorite Rush tracks. I never get sick of it and that is saying alot considering I listen to dozens of Rush boots with this song on it, most of them the shortened live version. "In The End" was a popular track for a couple years and then they brought it back during the Moving Pictures tour of 1981 as part of a medley."Beneath, Between, Behind" lasted quite a while as well, on and off up until the '81 tour as well. "Best I Can" was actually written for the first album and has been played at virtually every show between '74 and '75.
The song that drives this album however, is "Anthem", when I think of this album immediately this opening riff pops in my head.

man, I think I'm gonna go listen to this cd right now......

Glad to see some Rush fans on here re-living the albums!

Caress Of Steel review coming soon....