History Main / Rush

* ''Music/{{Rush}}'', a Canadian rock group.

* ''Film/Rush2013'', a movie about the UsefulNotes/FormulaOne rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

* ''Series/Rush2008'', an Australian police drama from 2008.

* ''Film/{{Rush 2013}}'', a movie about the UsefulNotes/FormulaOne rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

* ''Series/{{Rush}}'', an Australian police drama from 2008.

* ''Series/{{Rush}}'', an Australian police drama.

'''Rush''' may refer to:
* ''Music/{{Rush}}'', a Canadian rock group
* ''Film/{{Rush 2013}}'', a movie about the UsefulNotes/FormulaOne rivalry between James Hunt Niki Lauda

* ''Music/{{Rush}}, a Canadian rock group

[[redirect:Music/{{Rush}}]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rush_2604.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:400:The Holy Trinity themselves.]]

-->''"All the world's indeed a stage''
-->''And we are merely players''
-->''Performers and portrayers''
-->''Each another's audience outside the gilded cage"''
-->-- '''[[RockstarSong Limelight]]''', from ''Moving Pictures''

Rush is a Canadian ProgressiveRock trio formed in 1968, although, listening to some of their songs, you'd never guess there are only three of them. They're probably best known for Geddy Lee's "wait, is that a guy?" vocals and prominent bass and Neil Peart's sometimes [[{{UsefulNotes/Objectivism}} Objectivism-inspired lyrics]]. While the band has always been an album rock (and later classic rock) radio favorite, Rush saw a decent boost to their popularity for their contributions to the video game ''RockBand''. One of those bands that splits people down the middle - a lot of people don't like [[{{Never Live It Down}} Peart's fondness]] for AynRand, and a lot of people hate [[ProgressiveRock progressive rock]] in general. In fairness, it should be noted that Peart does not agree with the ''whole'' of Rand's philosophy and reportedly [[strike:wanted to]] ''did'' (as of the remaster) remove the "thank you" to her from the credits for ''2112''. When fans ask him about the subject, however, he still acknowledges that he ''does'' have areas of agreement with Rand. (However, he characterised himself as a "left-leaning libertarian" in a 2005 interview; one thing Rand certainly was not is left-leaning).

Although most commonly associated with ProgressiveRock, their style has varied considerably during their career. Originating with a fairly straightforward HardRock[=/=]Music/HeavyMetal sound heavily influenced by DeepPurple and LedZeppelin; they remained such for their first few albums, similarly incorporating [[HeavyMithril fantasy and science-fiction themes into their lyrics]], and elaborate arrangements into their instrumentals. They were increasingly influenced by the growing ProgressiveRock movement, but maintained a harder-edged sound than most of their contemporaries; and it was at this point that Peart's infatuation with the writings of AynRand became prominent. They soon began to incorporate Jazz, New Wave, Pop, and Reggae influences; and transitioned to a predominantly Synth Rock style. From here, while maintaining some of the Progressive sound; they began moving back into their earlier Hard Rock style, including the release of an album of covers of songs by their earliest HardRock influences like TheWho, The Yardbirds, and Cream.

The group's lineup has remained constant since the release of its second album, ''Fly By Night'', in 1975, making them the third-longest enduring group in modern pop music (only ZZTop and Golden Earring have been together longer.) That lineup consists of:
* Gary "Geddy" Lee Weinrib: Bass, keyboards, and lead vocals
* Aleksandar "Alex Lifeson" Živojinović: Guitar
* "Professor" Neil Peart: Drums and lyrics

Both Lee and Lifeson have split off in favor of solo efforts in the past (''My Favorite Headache'' and ''Victor'' respectively). Lifeson reportedly had a sequel album in the works, ''Victor II'', but abandoned the idea in light of Peart's personal tragedies (Peart's daughter was killed in a car wreck, and his common-law wife died of cancer ten months later; Peart recounts "They said it was cancer, but of course it was a broken heart.") Lee recorded ''My Favorite Headache'' during the band's hiatus.

Prior to 1975, [[ThePeteBest John Rutsey]] played drums for the group, while Lifeson and Lee wrote songs. Shortly after the release of their eponymous debut album, Rutsey, a diabetic since childhood, quit the band due to health problems and was replaced by Peart. Rutsey passed away in summer 2008.

Not to be confused, if such were even possible, with [[RushLimbaugh another Rush sometimes heard on the radio]].

Discography, with notable songs:
* ''Rush'' (1974): "Finding My Way", "What You're Doing", "Working Man"
* ''Fly By Night'' (February 1975): "Anthem", "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", "Rivendell"
* ''Caress of Steel'' (September 1975): "Bastille Day", "Lakeside Park", "The Necromancer", "The Fountain of Lamneth"
* ''2112'' (April 1976): "2112", "A Passage to Bangkok", "Something for Nothing"
* ''A Farewell To Kings'' (September 1977): "Xanadu", "Closer To the Heart", "Cygnus X-1: Book I - The Voyage"
* ''Hemispheres'' (October 1978): "Cygnus X-1: Book II - Hemispheres", "The Trees", "La Villa Strangiato"
* ''Permanent Waves'' (January 1980): "The Spirit of Radio", "Freewill", "Natural Science"
* ''Moving Pictures'' (February 1981): "Tom Sawyer", "Red Barchetta", "[=YYZ=]", "Limelight"
* ''Signals'' (1982): "Subdivisions", "New World Man" "Countdown"
* ''Grace Under Pressure'' (1984): "Distant Early Warning", "Red Sector A", "Between the Wheels"
* ''Power Windows'' (1985): "The Big Money", "Manhattan Project", "Mystic Rhythms"
* ''Hold Your Fire'' (1987): "Force Ten", "Time Stand Still", "Mission"
* ''Presto'' (1989): "Show Don't Tell", "The Pass", "Available Light"
* ''Roll the Bones'' (1991): "Dreamline", "Bravado", "Roll the Bones"
* ''Counterparts'' (1993): "Animate", "Nobody's Hero", "Leave That Thing Alone"
* ''Test For Echo'' (1996): "Test For Echo", "Driven", "Time and Motion"
* ''Vapor Trails'' (2002): "One Little Victory", "Earthshine", "Freeze"
* ''Feedback'' (2004): "Summertime Blues", "Crossroads"
* ''Snakes & Arrows'' (2007): "Far Cry", "Spindrift", "The Main Monkey Business"
* ''Clockwork Angels'' (2011, not yet released): "Caravan", "[=BU2B=]"

!!Themes common to Rush's music include:
* [[CreatorThumbprint Philosophical musings about Objectivism,]] especially in the period from ''2112'' to ''Moving Pictures''
* [[HeavyMithril Fantasy and sci-fi themes and settings]], often in tandem with the above; ''2112'', for example, is an adaptation of Ayn Rand's ''Anthem''
** Well, not exactly an adaptation in the strictest sense. Neil has said that he wrote "2112" first and noted the similarities to "Anthem" second. Given how into Rand he was at the time, though, it's hard to believe he wrote it with absolutely no realization of how similar it was.
** Preceding albums ''Fly By Night'' and ''Caress of Steel'' show substantial influences from Tolkien (likely a result of the heavy LedZeppelin influence at that point) and Robert Howard.
* [[ConceptAlbum Conceptually linked songs]] spread out across an album, or in the case of ''The Fear cycle'', across several albums
* As with the above, {{Rock Opera}}s
* [[EpicRocking Long songs]] with {{Epic Instrumental Opener}}s, with the band's live shows featuring increasingly elaborate drum solos as a mid-piece of the concert. Since TheNineties, Peart has used multiple drum kits on a circular platform that rotates around his seat so that he may at various points play traditional drums, xylophones, other exotic types of percussion, electric drums, or synth pads set to play brass band samples.
** Commented on by a [[StephenColbert comedian]] hosting the band on his [[TheColbertReport show]]: "The band Rush appears. Either that, or a drum factory exploded in the studio."
** The group's 2010-2011 Time Machine tour included a 45-minute performance of the ''Moving Pictures'' album in its entirety (Never ''ever'' touch this button).
* Strong basslines to the point where the bass can be considered the lead instrument in some songs.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCFcWdco1nw Digital Man anyone?]]
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S9uNxUI9ng "Far Cry" as well.]]
** Taken to its logical conclusion in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6kpJG_Woec Malignant Narcissism]]
* A good sense of humor about themselves (as shown by their collaborations with ''SouthPark'', ''SCTV'', and ''AquaTeenHungerforce'', some of which are used in their live shows)
** Don't forget ''Trailer Park Boys''.
** Worth noting is that Trey Parker and Matt Stone are HUGE fans of Rush, with Stone appearing in the band's documentary ''Beyond the Lighted Stage''.
*** Humorously, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh_9NY56Sxw the South Park intro for "Tom Sawyer"]] has the [[{{Irony}} racist and antisemitic Cartman acting as the Jewish Geddy Lee.]]
** When they played on the ColbertReport, they played on through the credits of the show...and all the way until the opening tag of the next day's show, poking fun at the length of some of their songs and the usual length of their live shows.
*** Not to mention [[IDontKnowMortalKombat playing (and failing) their own song]] on Rock Band.
** They also make fun of [[CanadaEh their own nationality]].
** In a video shown at the end of their 2010 concert performance, they appear talking about the audience in the backstage. "I saw three on the stands, four on the floor. Seven girls in a Rush concert! It's a new record."
* [[UncommonTime Unusual time signatures]] and rhyme schemes (''The Larger Bowl'', for example, is based on a form of Malaysian poetry called "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantoum pantoum]]")
** There's also "YYZ" which was built around [[EveryoneKnowsMorse the morse code]] of the letters "[[CaptainObvious YYZ]]": the airport code for Rush's hometown, Toronto.
** "Subdivisions" alternate between 7/4, 4/4 and 3/4 signatures. Some parts only last a couple of bars before switching to the next. Very easily messed up if tried on a marching band.

!!Tropes related to Rush include:

* AllDrummersAreAnimals: Averted. If you just look at Neil Peart's face while he drums, you'd guess he was doing accounting work or something.
** Most of the odd accoutrements on stage (the clothes dryers, the merch vending machine, Alex's kids' toys all over his amps) originated in attempts to crack Neil up. (At one point in the ''Rush in Rio'' concerts, Alex ''successfully'' breaks Neil, who just stops drumming and gives him a helpless WTF stare.)
* AudienceParticipationSong: In concerts, audiences sing along even to "YYZ"... an ''[[Music/{{Instrumentals}} instrumental]]''.
** ...as well as during the instrumental overture to 2112.
** ...and the obligatory screaming to "...Concert Halls" in "Spirit of Radio"
** and I have personally seen people air drumming along to Neil Peart's drum solo ''which he changes a little every time.''
* AWorldwidePunomenon The intro video to the second set of the Time Machine tour features an alternate reality Rush filming a music video for Tom Sawyer, which gets interrupted by a group of barmaids ''Moving Pitchers''.... yeah.
** The cover to this album has a couple more puns; there are people ''moving pictures''. And the people on the right side of the album are tearing up, since these pictures are quite moving.
** And there is a film crew, making a "moving picture" of the whole thing.
* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn
** Geddy Lee- Beauty
** Alex Lifeson- Brawn
** Neil Peart- Brains
* CoolCar: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djVGhqvl_8A "Red Barchetta"]], itself inspired by Richard S. Foster's short story [[http://www.fiatbarchetta.com/links/nice.html "A Nice Morning Drive"]].
* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Caress of Steel''
** WordOfGod is that they made ''Counterparts'' with this in mind, as Alex Lifeson was through with his guitar playing second banana to keyboards.
** Also ''Vapor Trails'', which was heavily influenced by Peart's late 90s tragedies and 9/11.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: On their first album, they sound like just another LedZeppelin clone. This changed when Neil Peart joined, and took over writing most of the lyrics.
* {{Epic Riff}}: The Spirit of Radio
* TheGarfunkel: Alex Lifeson, often overshadowed by Geddy's vocals and Neil's lyrics and drumming.
* HoYay: Tons of it between Alex and Geddy. ''Tons''. Especially in the Dinner with Rush segment from Beyond The Lighted Stage (the documentary on the band) and during Alex and Geddy's apperance on That Metal Show.
* NameAndName: ''By-Tor and The Snow dog'' from the ''Fly By Night'' album.
* {{Necromancer}}: The titular character of the song ''The Necromancer'', is, surprisingly, a {{Necromancer}}.
* NewSoundAlbum: basically ''every'' Rush album is this.
** The band tends to evolve its sound in cycles, with one album drastically changing their sound and the next album or few tweaking and perfecting it until it changes drastically again. ''Rush'' and ''Fly by Night'' were largely straightforward hard rock (with a few prog elements in the latter), ''Caress of Steel'' and ''2112'' dove off the deep end into exuberantly adolescent fantasy and sci-fi, ''A Farewell to Kings'' and ''Hemispheres'' took a more mature, philosophical approach to the subject, and ''Permanent Waves'' and ''Moving Pictures'' kept the prog elements of the earlier albums while adding the more abstract and topical lyrics that would define the band's future output. ''Signals'' through ''Hold Your Fire'' exhibited extreme {{Synthesizeritis}}, which was brought under control in ''Presto'' and ''Roll the Bones'', albums that exhibited a refined, almost pop-like sensibility. ''Counterparts'', largely alternative, heralded ''Test for Echo'' and its hard rock style, which the band currently exhibits, barring the occasional '60s-retro and folk elements on ''Snakes and Arrows''.
* ThePeteBest: John Rutsey
* RecordOfLoudnessWar: ''Vapor Trails'', so bad that the band is soon releasing a remixed/remastered version to correct it.
** A couple of remastered tracks have already shown up in one of their compilation albums. The difference is plain to hear.
* ''RockBand[=/=]GuitarHero'': They LOVE the fact that their work is featured prominently in these games and think they are one of the best ways to reach a new audience. All 7 segments of 2112 will appear in Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock. Each segment will have its own corresponding venue, and feature narrations by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.
** IDontKnowMortalKombat: As mentioned above, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btcvSWoQWV0 they failed "Tom Sawyer" on Rock Band.]]
* PissTakeRap: "Roll the Bones".
* RockTrio
* RunningTheAsylum: Nick Raskulinecz, Rush's current producer, is a major fan of their '70s output and is reportedly trying to push them back towards it for their next album.
* SurrealHorror: "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkIIlkyZ328 Cygnus X-1]]".
* {{Synthesizeritis}}: particularly the ''Power Windows'' and ''Hold Your Fire'' albums. "Mystic Rhythms" off of ''Power Windows'' is one of the biggest examples. Even the acoustic guitar was sent through a synthesizer in order to sound keyboard-like.
** That distinctive and funky bass in "Scars"? Ya, that ain't bass.
** The band's live shows are an example of synthesizeritis done ''right'', as the trio makes use of state-of-the-art technology to reproduce the album's sound in a live setting; Lee and Lifeson both use foot pedals to trigger synthesizer effects during songs, and some songs require Lee to play keyboard with one hand and synth bass with the other. Even Neil has gotten in on it for the past few tours, as his epic drum solos involve quite a few midi-triggers.
** Not to mention during their concerts in the 80s, they had roadies backstage changing floppy disks back and forth to load new synth patches during the show.
* TheUnpronounceable: Thank God he goes by Lifeson. How, in God's name, ''do'' you pronounce the Yugoslavian letter salad of "Živojinović", anyway?
* UpToEleven: Alex's layered, distorted "wall of guitar" sound on the newer albums.
* VisualPun: The covers of ''Permanent Waves'' and ''Moving Pictures''.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: "I Think I'm Going Bald", a song about the symbolism of hair loss.
----
<<|{{Musicians}}|>>

* SurrealHorror: "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkIIlkyZ328 Cygnus X-1]]". Also overlaps with CosmicHorror.