### Rush: 2112

#### 24/02/12 || Will Cifer

##### Introduction

Today is February 2nd, 2012, and there will never be a more perfect day to write about this album. Rush wrote the book on epic progressive metal. You don’t have to take my word for it either as members of any progressive metal band from Opeth to Tool to Dream Theater or Mastodon will all concur. Bland sheeple everywhere have gotten drunk and played air drums to ‘‘Tom Sawyer” and ‘‘Moving Pictures’‘ has moved more units over the years, yet “2112” is the superior album. You see, this album was made by hungry young musicians with a sense of adventure who once upon a time actually rocked the fuck out. This album has always been my case in point that if you judge Rush by their radio singles you are not getting a clear indication of what the album does. The monolithic “2112” engrosses the first side of the LP. As a kid I remember flipping the tape over in my Walkman and the second side was a totally different experience. The songs on the second side retained the trademark syncopated punch of the band’s earlier work, but a little more standard in their arrangement.

##### Songwriting

10. No filler, the first side is a god damn 20 minute opus. The B-side holds concise songs that manage to remain not only relevant in the shadow of their masterpiece, but are gems decades later. That, my friends, is what defines good songwriting; they sound just as good today as they did almost forty years ago.

##### Production

7. Produced by Terry Brown, who worked with the band on their two previous albums and went on to work with the band up until their 1982 album “Signals”. For an album recorded in 1976, it retains its timeless cinematic quality 36 years later.

##### Guitars

9. This is some of Alex’s most impassioned playing. Back in the day, he used to do this thing called playing guitar solos; and he rips some mean ones here, which carry melodies of their own. This album marks the last of this raw, harder and distorted tone, as over the years his sound became more refined.

##### Vocals

9. Some of Geddy’s finest singing. He has bite to his voice, however saying it’s ballsy singing might be an overstatement. The first notes he hits in “Temples of Syrinx” are really knocked out of the park and will always be one of my favorite vocal performances ever. In the later sections of the song “2112” he emotes with chilling power, singing with almost tangible, real power and sounds less like the gay elf you would either love or hate.

##### Bass

10. So you know this guy named Geddy Lee plays on this? Have you ever seen the cover of Bass Player Magazine? Oh, you have; then I’m sure you have seen his face on the cover and there’s a reason for that. Bass players everywhere are praying to this album at their altars.

##### Drums

9. Once I got really stoned and listened to this album…OK, it might have been more than once. On one of these astral herbal journeys, I noticed Neil Peart comes across the toms the same way on every fill here. I know he is being worshiped by Danny Carey as I type this, but I have never gotten over the tom fill thing. This isn’t to say his immense influence on metal drumming isn’t felt here, I just feel my revelation makes me hear this as not quite the height of his originality.

##### Lyrics

9. An A side that’s a concept album based on Ayn Rand’s novel “Anthem”. At thirteen, I thought the phrase “We are the priests of the temple” was “We are the priests of the devil” and I liked those lyrics better. After years of therapy I have accepted this is not the case and can enjoy these lyrics as well.

##### Cover art

4. I only like inverted pentagrams. Neon space ones are cooler in theory.

##### Logo

4. It sparkles at the edges. They generally let the music do the talking.

##### Booklet

3. Unless you were Kiss, Uriah Heep or Alice Cooper in 1976, the packaging was pretty basic.

##### Overall and ending rant

For some metal heads Rush is either going to be a band you love or hate, but by nature metal needs to illicit that sort of response. Even those who find Geddy Lee’s shrill caterwaul nerve-grating, this album is a testament to the fact their talent is not to be denied, and in terms of composition and songwriting these guys had the balance of chops and songwriting, laying the foundation to half of our collections. One of those magic albums that transcends time and 23 years later it can still play on a continuous loop and I won’t get tired of it. I recommend this highly to young metal heads looking to educate themselves, this album has more than enough teeth to please Opeth fans.

- Information
- Released: 1976
- Label: Anthem Records
- Website: www.rush.com
- Band
- Geddy Lee: vocals, bass & keyboards
- Alex Lifeson: guitars
- Neil Peart: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. 2112
- 02. Passage to Bangkok
- 03. the Twilight Zone
- 04. Lessons
- 05. Tears
- 06. Something for Nothing