It is crystal clear and each instrument can be distinctly heard yet the whole sound blends well.

Rush never sounded better, musically speaking, than on 'Limelight.' A contributing factor to this success was the production of 1981s Moving Pictures album. Hence the line, '.I can’t pretend a stranger is a long awaited friend.' Part of this may be an overreaction, but part may be Peart’s aversion to the hypocritical back-slapping and sycophantism that permeates the music industry. Peart has been notoriously fussy about his noteriety and the attention it garners, much more more so than bandmates Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. Thanks for joining me here, and please enjoy.Perhaps Rush’s most straightforward guitar riff outside of their first album, and one of its most popular numbers ever, 'Limelight' is also a paean to Neil Peart’s yearning for privacy within celebrity. Now you know a little about why this is my song of the day for today. But at the same time, you have to give respect to what the three of us with Neil did together.’”

And I would never hesitate to play one of those songs in the right context. But the music of Rush is always part of us. And I’m sure Al doesn’t, whether it’s together, apart, or whatever. I don’t know what I will do again in music. “‘ That’s finished, right? That’s over,’ Lee says. In the article, Lee confirms the band will not continue: Listening to the song took me back to my early twenties when the record came out.Ī January 2021 Rolling Stone article tells about Peart’s life and career, the deaths of his daughter in a 1997 car accident and first wife from cancer less than a year later, then meeting his second wife with whom he had another daughter, followed by illness and retirement and, finally, his January 2020 death. Watching that video led me to Episode 63, which features “Limelight” (1981). However, I still enjoy listening to their music as I was reminded last night when one of my lads shared a video by musician, producer and educator Rick Beato in his What Makes This Song Great? series, Episode 99, deconstructing The Cars’ first hit single, “Just What I Needed” (1978). I didn’t follow them as actively after 1981 as I soon met my next group of friends, “ friends 2.0” and leaned toward the new wave, post-punk and new romantic genres. In 1980, they issued Permanent Waves, which produced two major hits, “The Spirit of Radio” and “Freewill.” The next year, the band released Moving Pictures, which produced three singles, “Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight,” and “Vital Signs.” Rush was a hard-working band, making new records almost every year then touring to support those albums. That album solidified my love for their style.Īs the 1980s arrived, their albums became a little less conceptual, and the songs a bit shorter and, therefore, more what record executives would have considered radio-friendly. I saw them once in concert, and while I’m not 100% sure, I believe it would have been the tour for A Farewell to Kings (album, 1977 tour, 1977-78… a long time ago!). I came to know their music in junior high school when a friend played songs from their second record, Fly by Night (1975), then I started following them seriously with the album 2112 (1976) and later bought their debut record, Rush (1974).

I’ve long been a fan of Rush and their lush, energetic rock sound and the elaborate, fantastical medieval/futuristic themes and anthems, particularly on their earlier albums. The longstanding Lee/Lifeson/Peart lineup dates back to 1974 when Lee and Lifeson hired Peart to replace the band’s original drummer, John Rutsey, who left due to health issues and apparent incompatibility with the band’s developing style. In addition to many other honours and awards, the band was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California, USA. And in 2013, Canada Post Corporation created a permanent postage stamp with the band’s “starman” logo.

In 2012, they received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. In 1996, band members Geddy Lee (vocals, bass, keyboards, composer), Alex Lifeson (guitars, composer) and Neil Peart (1952-2020 drums, percussion, lyricist), were named as Officers of the Order of Canada, the Canadian government’s highest distinction for a citizen.

Formed in 1968, Rush has to be one of Canada’s most extraordinary rock acts.Īnd clearly, institutions agree.

Limelight rush album