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Riffology 101: Rush
Ten Massive Riffs By Rush That Every Rock Fan Should Hear.
By Jeb Wright
Rush is one of the most successful rock acts of all time. They
have over twenty gold and platinum awards, numerous Juno's and
are members of the Canadian Hall of Fame and should be members
of the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame. They have gone from a Led Zep
style bar band to one of the most unique and instantly
recognizable progressive rock bands in the history of the genre.
Unlike most prog bands they have been able to find success on
Top 40 radio and consistently sell albums.
The band has gone through many changes musically. As the group
dynamic has changed so have the individual contributions from
the members of the band. Geddy Lee has changed vocally with age,
losing some of the angst and squall that he was famous for. Neal
Peart has been through personal tragedy losing his wife and
daughter and come out more philosophical and musical than ever
before. Alex Lifeston has gone from guitar hero to support act.
With each musical twist and turn the band chooses to make thier
fans follow.
For this Riffology 101 we look back at ten riffs from the first
seven years of Rush's history. Some are classics and some
forgotten gems. We look intensely at this era because A) the
riffs and songs presented below helped shape the band's future,
and B) the focus of Riffology 101 is for new fans of classic
rock to explore music they may not have heard before, and C)
because this is the Guitar Era of Rush and Alex Lifeson was
featured more prominently in the band's musical arsenal.
So read on and enjoy Ten Riffs From Rush.
01. The Spirit of Radio
Permanent Waves
1980
Alex Lifeson's open string pull-offs and hammer-ons on "The Spirit
of Radio" have become one of the most recognized Rush riffs
in their 34-year history. It is also one of the most misplayed.
Many guitarists think this is a double-handed pull off on the B
string, using the technique make famous by Eddie Van Halen. In
actuality, Alex displays both lightening fast fingers and
dexterity to pull off this simple sounding lick on the high E
and B strings.
Also interesting about "Spirit of the Radio" is that the parent
album featured a radio friendly sound that catapulted Rush from
being a nerd progressive band into a FM hit maker. "The Spirit of
Radio," along with "Freewill" drove the album into the Top
5, a first for the band.
02. 2112 Overture/Temples of the Syrinx
2112
1976
Neal Peart penned the lyrics to the first full blown concept
album Rush created. His Ayn Rand style look at futuristic
societies painted a bleak picture for the creative arts.
Musically, 2112 was a masterpiece. The entire A side of the
record was Peart's vision while the B side featured regular
songs. Side A was the most popular among music fans, mostly due
to the first two tracks.
The "2112 Overture" sets the musical stage for what follows.
Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee pound out an opening riff in unison
single notes. The instrumental builds until Lifeson takes one
direction and Lee another. Alex riffs away on a chord pattern
while Lee holds the bass end until all comes crashes down.
After a short pause, "Temples of the Syrinx" opens with a
powerful Am/F/G for the verse. The chorus sees a Bm/G/A followed
by a run played on both the guitar and bass. The entire piece is
several riffs sewed together to create energy, tension and
portray power.
03. Working Man
Rush
1974
Going way back to the beginning, "Working Man" was the first
Rush song to get the band noticed in 1974. The song begins with
a monstrous Led Zep style riff that sets the tone for the balls
out rocker. A powerful open sixth string is hit four times
before moving into a quick D major and A to end the riff.
Lifeson goes back to the low E once more but this time ends the
riff by hitting the C note on the A string twice before jumping
back to the D. The 'everyman' lyric comes in and follows the
riff until Geddy wails out, "I guess that's why they call me the
working man." At this point
Alex begins a quirky run of notes that swing the song back to
the starting point.
"Working Man" is the type of song that boils the blood of
adolescent males across the country. It is a true 'hell yeah'
type of riff that makes you get up and put your fist in their
air. Mind you that this was Rush before Neal Peart joined the
band so the lyrics of this one are more juvenile and the
drumming more bland but the guitar.... oh the guitar!
04. YYZ
Moving Pictures
1981
YYZ is the IATA airport identification code for Toronto Pearson
International Airport. Rush took the letters and made an
instrumental song that has become one of the best loved in their
entire catalog. "YYZ" also features brilliant musical
performances by all three members of the band, most notably
bassist Geddy Lee who puts on a bass clinic throughout the song
. Peart is a living and breathing drum clinic and he shows what
he can do. As good as they both are, however, this song really
belongs to guitar player Alex Lifeson.
Alex is the leader of the band for each section and hems
together several distinct riffs that push and pull the song
through several passages. From the pounding, odd metered opening
riff to the funky yet speedy main riff that comes next Lifeson
displays amazing abilities on this song.
05. Freewill
Permanent Waves
1980
This tune opens with a descending step riff that cascades into a
rhythm guitar that turns into another riff that is played behind
lines of the first verse and into the break. The next batch of
lyrics is played over Lifeson playing power chords on the guitar
while leaving open the high strings of the guitar. For the
chorus there is yet another riff.
"Freewill" features tricky riffs and odd chord structures. The
song switches timing signatures throughout making it a cool song
to listen to but a hell of a song to copy.
06. Limelight
Moving Pictures
1981
Moving Pictures was the album that took Rush to the world stage.
The band had already had gold, platinum and multiplatinum
success but it was not unit 1981 that they were a household
name. While much of the success was due to "Tom Sawyer" the
album was filled with classic compositions including "Vital
Signs," "Witch Hunt," "Red Barchetta," "YYZ" and "Limelight."
The song opens with Lifeston playing a riff beginning on the
open low E string and then bouncing off the fourth fret of the
same string and up to the A string where the riff is repeated in
this position before hitting an octave higher E on the D string.
The riff continues with a B chord and a single note A flat
ending on the E on the second fret of the D string.
This repeats three times as the drums join in midway through the
third pass. The fourth time through, Lifeson mutates the riff to
include the chord pattern that will be present throughout the
lyrics. The main riff is very catchy and allows the song to be
more pop oriented than many other Rush singles. The solo sees
the song drop in energy and features Alex bending and twisting
notes before kicking it back up a notch and returning to the
addictive opening musical statement.
07. Anthem
Fly By Night
1975
Rush's second album saw the band beginning to find their unique
sound instead of being a Canadian version of Led Zeppelin.
"Anthem" begins with Lifeson pounding out a basic yet heavy riff
to set the tone of the song. "Anthem" ebbs and flows between a
clear channel guitar during the verses and a heavy metal sound
at the end of the vocal lines.
"Anthem" saw Rush experimenting outside the box and sowing the
seeds that would come to fruition on 2112 only year later.
08. La Villa Strangiato
Hemispheres
1978
"La Villa Strangiato," released on Hemispheres in 1978 shows how
much Alex Lifeson matured as a guitarist in a short period of
time. Looking back to the first album and his basic blues/rock
style and then looking at this tune from only four years later
is mind-blowing. The song is basically Alex showing off for nine
minutes as the song changes and swoons from one flavor to the
next. The song comes together with a guitar riff that is
instantly recognizable. While not a hit single this song is
among Rush fanatics all time favorites and always goes down well
when played live.
09. Finding My Way
Rush
1974
The debut album often gets forgotten when discussing great Rush
moments. I think this is unfortunate because the album is full
of awesome, heavy rock riffs, screeching vocals, amazing bass
playing and loads of killer solos. The main reason for the
dissing appears to be because A) Neal Peart is not on the album
and B) it really does not have the classic Rush sound that
developed in later years and C) the lyrics are often sophomoric
and un-intellectual. That said, this song totally rocks.
"Finding My Way" has one of the biggest grooving openings and
bombastic power chord moments of any Rush song.
The song opens with Lifeson taking a classic blues riff and
basically inverting it and playing it backwards. The bass note,
a C on the third fret of the fifth string is played after the
Alex pulls off the fourth and second frets of the fourth string.
He repeats this pattern building up steam along the way until
pounding out an A chord in the first position. The riff gets
your heart beating and your energy rising.
It is a basic rock song written in 4/4 time with loud chords and
a predictable verse/chorus. It is also a song that has been
totally forgotten in the annals of time. The first song on
Rush's first album is one that should be played loud and often.
10. Bastille Day
Caress of Steel
1975
In stark contrast to the straight ahead rocking style found on
"Finding My Way" is "Bastille Day," the opening track from
Rush's third album Caress of Steel. In only a little under two
years the band went from a club rock band to a band that was
finding a unique sound and style.
The band's drumming went up several notches with the addition of
Neal Peart on drums but Peart, AKA The Professor, also brought
advanced skills as a lyricist. One read through the words of
"Bastille Day" shows that Rush will no longer be a band singing
about working hard and drinking beer.
Musically, the band was evolving and experimenting with tones,
time signatures and complex rhythmic passages. "Bastille Day"
begins with a heavy riff on the low E string. Lifeson hammers
from the opening G note on the third fret to the A note two
frets up. The A is picked several times rapidly and then the
whole motif repeats itself two more times before he does a
descending scale, crawling down the third and second frets to
the open string.
Next the pattern moves up two steps to the seventh fret and
repeats in the same manor. The chord break that follows starts
in Em and then bashes single G, C D and A chords before speeding
up and hitting each chord numerous times. What follows is one of
the heaviest songs in the Rush catalog. The song builds and then
swoons and then Alex solos, Geddy screeches and Neil pounds the
skins.
Rush fans born after 1980 may never have paid much attention to
this classic tune but if they give it a chance I am certain they
will find it iPod worthy.
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