Today's Apocalypse Sign: R You Ready?

To Rock, that is! Today's letter R is for Rush. The band not the frat action.

Rush is a timeless band. You never really know that when you first listen/watch/experience something. It's only after some amount of time has gone by that you can say that...or not, if that is how it turns out. In the case of Rush, I think they qualify as a timeless trio in their musical and artistic ways.

The band is still in action. They have been in action for 37 years. The more than 40 million albums they have sold along with the 24 gold and 14 platinum albums should have placed them in the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame years ago. Not so. Snubbed every year. Ironically, Rush gained a lot of their success for their debut Album by the airplay it received on a Cleveland radio station (the one and only WMMS, Home of the Buzzard!). This is where I heard them first (living not far from Cleveland at the time). After that Mercury Records signed them and the rest is history.

I first heard Rush in 1974 when they released their debut album. I wore the grooves of Working Man through to the turntable platter. Curiously, as a side note, I was also into Mahogany Rush at the same time and at first thought that Rush was just a shortened way to refer to that group. Clearly not, one is still playing and the other...???

My first concert I ever attended was a Rush headlined show. This tour followed the release of the 2112 album. Of course being my first concert it was completely badass! To this day I still have the program from the show...do they even do that any more??? This album for me was spellbinding.  The 20:33, 7-part song 2112 was all I listened to for weeks. Through headphones and in the right mood this song would transport me to wherever my mind wanted to go. It was truly mystical.

Here is the video of the 1976 concert for 2112...2112 Overture part I and Part II

Here is a 1988 version...2112 Overture/Temples of Syrinx

To echo one of the comments on this video, "It was the best 20 minutes of my young life."

If you have never tasted Rush, I recommend you start at the beginning.

Now for a little fun...I dare you to tell me you can watch Geddy Lee in the 1988 video link and not immediately think of the gang-banger in the Warriors movie clinking those 3 Little Kings bottles together and screeching out, "Warriors...come out to playeeaa". Am I right?