Year Of Metal #010: Rush - 2112
Back we go to the prog stuff and the oldest record I’ve covered so far. Beyond “Tom Sawyer” and maybe one or two other songs, I’m far more aware of Rush as a semi-punchline (or a reference in a Pavement song) than I am a proper band. While they’re referenced with obvious affection in the likes of I Love You, Man, the very idea of benign seriously into Rush is often presented as a funny one.
All that is to say that, while 2112 isn’t my cup of tea, the ludicrous showmanship and humour that Rush chuck into their work puts them far ahead of Dream Theater as far as my slightly nebulous idea of prog metal goes. It’s cards on the table stuff from the off, with the entire first side of the record taken up by the opening title track, a 20 minute suite.
The track sort of stutters into life with punchy guitars and the brief interpolation of the Can-Can, but when Lee’s triumphant, peeling vocals finally come in, business picks up. He adds a bit of grit to the deeply daft proceedings, a proper witch’s cackle of a voice. I can only assume Rush were deeply influenced by Led Zeppelin, but influenced by Arthur Clarke rather than Tolkien.
It’s rare for a metal band’s guitarist to be easily the least famous member, but that would be the case for poor old Alex Lifeson in Rush. His playing’s worthy of praise, though, particularly in “A Passage To Bangkok”. He rolls around the snappiest riff on the record and gets a great solo that builds in complexity but never loses its melodic sense. I like the way he falls in and out of step with Lee’s bass.
I’ll admit Rush lose me a fair bit with the middle portion of 2112, particularly on the downtempo “Tears”. The addition of a mellotron only makes an already goofy sound even goofier. You get what they’re going for - a down to Earth, humanistic song about feelings etc to counterbalance all the nonsense - but the presentation doesn’t quite work for me.
Luckily we’re back on a more even keel with closer “Something For Nothing”. It’s textbook ‘70s hard rock all the way, avalanche drums from the much-vaunted Neil Peart, and the closest to a live energy we’ve heard on the album. The bookending of the album with a sprawling, complex composition and a comparatively simple but heavy hitting four minute sprint is seriously effective.
While I was right to assume this isn’t my kind of thing, I did find myself charmed by Rush’s efforts and execution on 2112. It’s always fun hearing virtuoso musicians rip it up and have a good time doing it, they pile a ton of stuff into a 40 minute LP, and there are songs and passages I can really get on board with.
