Coming Soon!

MVI (Musical Video Interactive) is a DVD-based means of packing audio, video and interactive visual content onto one disk. The music industry created the MVI as a way to combat the mp3 download market, by presenting an album digitally with exclusive additional content.

The Snakes & Arrows MVI includes the full album in 96kHz/24 bit hi-resolution stereo as well as 5.1 surround sound; the "Rush: The Game of Snakes and Arrows" 45-minute documentary on the making of the album; the ability to create your own mobile ringtones of all the tracks on the MVI; digital extras like wallpapers, buddy icons, screensavers for PC and MAC, and more.

"In March of 1974, Rush released their self-titled debut through the band's own indie label, Moon Records in Canada, and quickly sold out of the initial 3500 copies originally pressed. Moon Records would soon become Anthem Records, which launched in 1977, and continues to serve as the band's only Canadian record company. To mark the band's 40-year recording career, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) celebrate with the vinyl reissue of the original Moon Records (pre-Mercury) release of RUSH, as part of Universal's reDISCovered vinyl series. Housed in a sturdy, custom box with a lift-off top, this landmark album is pressed on 200g, audiophile grade vinyl, from the original 1974 analog stereo masters, cut to copper plates using the Direct Metal Mastering (DMM) process at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. RUSH also features the original Moon Records jacket art, complete with the original MN-100-A/B Matrix etching, and will include a 16'x22' reproduction of the first Rush promo poster, three 5'x7' lithographs of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and John Rutsey, a 12'x12' Rush Family Tree poster, and a digital download card for a free digital copy of this newly remastered release." - Rush Rediscovered LP Box Set Press Release

No additional audio content is included in this release.

"Toronto, July 28, 1980. An intense thunderstorm raged outside all day long, while indoors a storm of a different kind was brewing. In the studios of Phase One, two complete sets of equipment crammed the room, and two complete bands filled the air with a Wagnerian tumult, as Max Webster and ourselves united to record a song for their album, called Battlescar." - Neil Peart, Moving Pictures Tourbook

"We set up both bands live and we had this producer Jack Richardson standing in the middle with a baton, sort of conducting us. We were all in a circle and he was in the middle, and we just recorded the tune." - Geddy Lee, Visions

Geddy Lee's first solo production effort. Released by Anthem records, Wireless was also managed by SRO. This album was engineered by later Rush producer Paul Northfield and mixed by Terry Brown (the production team behind Permanent Waves), with additional voice credit to "Dirk", and "special thanks to Rush and crew" given in the liner notes. The album was recorded in December 1979 at Le Studio, where Rush had recently wrapped up recording Permanent Waves (Rush gave thanks to "Wireless & crew" in the Permanent Waves liner notes). Earlier that year Wireless was one of the opening bands on Rush's "Tour of the Hemispheres", in support of their 1978 album Positively Human, Relatively Sane (which also included a thank you to Geddy Lee). In addition, Wireless had opened for Rush on the All The World's a Stage tour.

Released on Anthem Records, this song was originally to have been included on Rush's Chronicles compilation album. "Take Off" was also a top 20 single, edited to remove the playful banter before and after the musical section, while the album made the US Top 10, higher than any Rush record. In 1983 the McKenzie Brothers drove a van with a Rush bumper sticker in the motion picture Strange Brew.

"Doug explained how Geddy was recruited. 'We were friends in school, and we were doing the record, so I called him up. We paid him a few bucks. He came in, put on his toque and sang it.' Geddy commented on the record. 'Canada has finally found an identity. I just came in, they paid me my 10 bucks to come in and sing a few words. It was different from any session I've ever done. These two guys were coaching me... telling me what to do.'" - Visions

"I went to school with Rick Moranis, and basically grew up with him. When they were doing the album, they called me up and asked me if I'd sing on one of the tracks. So I went down and it took me all of half an hour to do. It was fun; strictly a fun thing to do with some pals. Nobody had any idea it would get as big as it did." - Geddy Lee, Success Under Pressure

"He's a really nice guy. Very thoughtful and introspective. Rick went to school with him, which is why he appeared on that album. It was like, 'We don't sing. So we need a singer for our song. So why don't we ask Geddy?'" - Dave Thomas, LATimes.com, October 25, 2009

"Geddy Lee and I went to the same grade school. He moved away when we were still young but I remember him like I do all my friends from back then. Then in 1982 Dave Thomas and I were approached to do a record as the McKenzie Brothers on Anthem Records, the same label that Rush was on. So when we did the album we wound up having Geddy sing the vocal lead for the first single, 'Take Off.' That was the first time I had seen him since we were kids and the first time he had this enormous success. I've seen him subsequently a number of times and he always says, 'That's the only number one record I've ever had!' Which is insane to me because those guys have sold about a 150 zillion records." - Spin.com, June 7, 2013

"I remember it was my decision to go with that one [Great White North]. It was 1981, and we were doing so well. I think the album budget came in at 35k. I didn't think it'd sell anything, but I said to Ray, 'let's do it, so I can hang out with Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas for a couple of weeks. We can afford it.' And the thing went fuckin crazy. No-one could have foreseen that. It even sold a million copies in the States." - Pegi Cecconi, SRO/Anthem, FYIMusicNews, August 3, 2016

"Le Studio, September, 1981 - We were getting a little bored with inactivity. During the mixing of Exit...Stage Left there was really not much for us to do except say 'it sounds good' or 'it doesn't sound good'. I had been working down in the little studio, cleaning and renovating an old set of Hayman drums that were kicking around, and had started working on a 'Jack Secret' song with Jack and Skip from the crew. Geddy and Alex soon joined in on keyboards and rhythm guitar, and we later recorded the song ('Tough Break') up in the studio." - Neil Peart, "Stories From Signals", Signals Tourbook

"Formed in 1981 in Toronto where they began as a pick-up act doing speak easies and underground clubs before debuting on Queen Street. Rush's light designer, Howard Ungerleider, took the band on as manager thereby putting them in direct contact with Rush's label, Anthem. Rush bassist, Geddy Lee, took an interest in the band and subsequently produced their debut album in 1983. The album spawned two hit singles "Melody" and "The Passion of Love". Critics predicted a long and prosperous career for the group but alas, their sheer size (three percussionists) and conflicting personalities led to a melt down." - Jam Showbiz Canadian Music Encyclopedia

Neil Peart on a 45rpm flexi-disk included as a sound supplement to "The Quest For New Drums", Modern Drummer, May 1987. This instrumental percussion piece is included as a bonus track on the Anatomy Of A Drum Solo DVD, and parts of this song are incorporated into Neil's live drum solo.

"Another thing I have been seeking for quite a while is a keyboard percussion synthesizer. I had been playing a marimba quite a lot and really wanted some kind of more portable instrument to use live and (hopefully) in the studio. Once again, Jim [Burgess] did some research and came up with a unit made by the KAT company in Massachusetts. It is available in modules of one octave and up, and basically consists of a set of soft rubber pads laid out as a keyboard. I decided on a three- octave range, and since the KAT is also a programmable MIDI controller, compatible with the Akai unit, I started collecting samples of marimbas, vibes, tubular bells, glockenspiel, tuned African percussion, harp arpeggios - again, you name it! Like many percussionists, I had long harbored a secret wish to create a piece of music using only percussion instruments, and this looked like the key to that dream! I practiced with the KAT for a few days and then, when I had a free day, recorded a 'demo' of a marimba piece I had been working on over the summer. I began with the marimba part, double-tracked it, and then overdubbed my acoustic drums on top (yes, the new Ludwigs!). I began experimenting with overdubbing different vibe sounds, a bass marimba, a cabasa, castanets, concert toms, metal sheets, African toms, and some highly tuned bongos. (All of this was played with mallets on the KAT unit.) I did use one of Geddy's keyboard sounds, but since it consisted of a marimba with a human voice mixed in, I decided that was close enough! The biggest difficulty was finding a good bass instrument in the percussion library. The bass marimba didn't provide the power in the bottom end that I was looking for, so we experimented with some other things. We ended up using an African drum called a Djembe - transposed to the keyboard - and I played the bass part with that! It made me laugh - a new definition of 'bass drum'! The piece is entitled 'Pieces Of Eight' because of all the different time signatures it ended up meandering through. I hadn't thought about that too much just playing the marimba, until I had to learn it on drums! With only a day to record it all, I didn't really have time to play it more than a couple of times through, so that, too, was a good challenge." - Neil Peart, "The Quest For New Drums", Modern Drummer, May 1987

Due to personel changes, Platinum Blonde renamed themselves The Blondes for their 1990 album Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, which includes "thanks to Alex" in the linernotes. Alex later co-mixed a self-titled unreleased album for yet another incarnation of the band titled No. 9 (see separate entry).

"Platinum Blonde managed to infuse well-crafted intelligent modern rock with pop hooks that literally grafted themselves onto the airwaves. One of the first to acknowledge this fact was Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson who validated their efforts with solos on 'Crying Over You', 'Holy Water'; and a working relationship that continues to the present with Mark's new group, No 9." - Seven Year Itch linernotes

Recorded in Toronto on February 10, 1985, Geddy sings one line: "You know that we'll be there."

"Our office got a call from David Foster, and he wanted me to come down and sing on it, and I was happy to. We were writing Power Windows at the time. I enjoyed it a lot, it was a nice chance to meet a lot of Canadian musicians that I had never met before and it was a real interesting experience singing ensemble with about 50 other people which I had never done before. So, the whole day turned out to be a very worthwhile experience for me and I'm glad it raised some money for a good cause. - Geddy Lee, Rockline, November 18, 1985

"I get so impatient with the pop side of causes, the whole sensibility of, 'Let's get together and change things' because these people just do not know what they're talking about and don't take the trouble to find out how they can really change something. It's a Sixties mentality - it had no action then, and has no action now. It's just sound and fury. And, let's be honest, how many of these people are only lending their names as a career move?! Geddy was involved with the 'Northern Lights' charity record here in Canada, although Rush weren't invited to participate in the 'Live Aid' event - mainly because if you look at the guest list, it was very much and 'in-crowd' situation. We didn't refuse to take part because of any principles...Some of those involved in 'Northern Lights' were actually quoted as saying that their managers told them to get down to the recording sessions because it would be a good career move! What a farce!...It's not a lack of food, nor a drought that's causing the problems, but civil war! People are starving others deliberately and how do you change that via a rock concert?! I don't decry charity causes, but if someone were to ask me to do a concert in aid of Ethiopia I'd say NO! I would quite happily donate some money or do anything else that might help, but I believe you have to get involved far more then just giving money to salve your conscience... even that type of charity is so negative because it's self-serving and shallow." - Neil Peart, Metal Hammer, April 25, 1988

"It was interesting. It was fairly comical to watch all these people being one by one brought to the mic and ordered around by David Foster. At the same time, it was a lot of fun to meet people like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell who are artists that I have had a lot of respect for, for many years, but I would say it was a very odd pairing of human beings...I remember [David Foster] asking Joni Mitchell to sing her line over and over again, and, to everyone standing around, every performance was wonderful, and yet he insisted on making her sing it over and over again--to most people's amazement. And then when Neil Young came in, he sang it once, and David Foster asked him to sing it again because it was a little out of tune, and Neil Young replied to him that that's his style and he's not going to do it again, to which a great swelling of pride welled up in all the onlookers!" Regarding singing his line, 'And you know that we'll be there', "It was one take." - Geddy Lee, The Nardwuar The Human Serviette Show, December 4, 1998

"A lot of people have compared my work with Bill Bruford to Neil and Geddy Lee's style as a rhythm section. Geddy used to listen to the Bruford band a lot and said some nice things about me in the press, so when Rush were playing out my way, I called him up, and he invited me backstage. So I was hanging out with the band, just enjoying one another 's company. And remember when you were in summer camp and would exchange phone numbers before leaving for home? That's what we did. I had some tunes in mind for Neil, phoned him up, and he spent a day and a half with me recording his parts." Jeff Berlin, Bass, December 1985

"On 'Mirabi', I got to play together with Steve Smith. Steve actually did most of the playing, I just came in on the choruses for that 'thunderous double-drum effect.' That was a lot of fun and a real exciting challenge. It was a major milestone for me to walk into a situation like that with no rehearsal. All I'd ever heard of the music before was a living-room demo with a beat box." - Neil Peart, Modern Drummer, January 1986

"'Mirabi' is tremendous. Jeff is one of the best bass players living today. His knowledge of the instrument is overwhelming. He doesn't have any gaps. he can run up and down that thing and knows where he can go. He knows what his options are. His precision and delivery is so precise he blows me away. He can play so many notes and make them sound so fluid. It's not easy to play but it's easy to listen to. His choice of notes and his taste is impeccable. That's what makes a great musician in the end anyway-how much taste they have and how they apply what they learn. He's got great taste. This song is taken from Cannonball Adderly and shows how he can do it all. Some of the things he did with Bill Bruford show him off even more. I think what he's trying to show on this solo album is that he's not just a bass player, he's a band leader and a composer as well. He can write arrangements for every instrument. He's saying, I'm a musician in the total sense. I consider to be a total musician. He's a mindblower." - Geddy Lee, Guitar For The Practicing Musician, June 1987

"I had a visit from Jeff Berlin, who's a friend, on the tour and I had the opportunity to watch him goofing around backstage with a bass, and was just amazed at his knowledge of bass chords. That's something I had never really exploited in my playing, so he inspired me to play around more with it. He probably doesn't know it, and would be embarrassed to hear it. I ended up using bass chords on 'Force Ten' and 'Turn The Page'. Not so much in the sense of strumming them as using my thumb more, almost like a finger picking style of playing, which is something that I'm still working on. Just plucking with my thumb and going back and forth between the thumb and the first two fingers and pulling. Almost like a snapping technique. It's opened up a bit more range for me. There's more melodic possibilities and rhythmic possibilities too, which is an important role for the bass player. If you can establish not only a melody but a rhythmic feel, that's an extra tool." - Geddy Lee, Bass Player, Nov/Dec 1988

Written by Triumph's Rik Emmett as a fusion of rock, jazz, and classical guitar, this instrumental was released as a 45 rpm flexidisk included in Guitar Player Magazine, July 1987. Performers include Emmett, Lifeson, Ed Bickert and Liona Boyd (who gave "special thanks to Alex Lifeson" on her 1991 album Dancing On the Edge).

"I approached my role from an atmospheric standpoint, and I tried to tie things together and do little things that I wouldn't normally do on a Rush record... When I got involved with this project, everything was just about finished, which enabled me to sit back and put my feet up and play whatever I wanted." - Alex Lifeson, Guitar Player, July 1987.

"One of the things I learned about Alex was the way he conceptually approaches a recording; he's able to look at a piece of music from the outside in, rather than from the inside out, which is my way of doing things. He thinks a lot in terms of flavors, colors, textures, and atmospheres. He refers to all of the little details that can be added to a performance to make a chill go up your spine as the 'GB factor,' which stands for goose bumps. In fact a couple of times during the mix he showed me how he was actually getting goose bumps on his arms from listening to the playback." - Rik Emmett, Guitar Player, July 1987

"After I heard Alex and Rik Emmett, I thought there must be something special in the Canadian water." - Steve Morse, Major Impacts linernotes.

Recorded for the 1988 Winter Olympics held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Alex performs on two versions (vocal and instrumental version) of "Hands of Man" along with Rik Emmett and Liona Boyd (these three, along with jazz guitarist Ed Bickert, made up the Canadian Guitar Summit the previous year), with vocals by Joel Wade (who would later sing background vocals on Triumphs' Surveillance, 1989, and Rik Emmett's Absolutely, 1990). "Hands of Man" was also written by Boyd, who apparently sang the song during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Calgary on February 13th, 1988, along with special guests Lifeson and Emmett. Boyd later gave "special thanks to Alex Lifeson" on her album Dancing On the Edge, 1991. During the instrumental, Rik solos first, followed by Alex.

Geddy sings one line early in this Japanese release by professional baseball player Warren Cromartie's band, Climb (Cromartie is the drummer). Prior to a successful career in Japan, Warren Cromartie played for the Montreal Expos from 1974-1983. It was during that period that he became friends of Rush, who named the secondary school on the Signals back cover map after him, and also thanked both he and the Expos in the Signals linernotes.

Alex Lifeson performs the guitar solo on this track from April Wine's Brian Greenway. Greenway is on vocals, guitar and keyboards; Aldo Nova helps out on keyboards and programming.

Geddy has a small speaking role on this album by this Winnipeg klezmer band, which was produced by Ben Mink. Geddy plays the part of the Yiddish nephew, by the name of Grshn Lzr. The song is credited to Ben Mink, Jack Soberman and Joe Mendelson.

"One number tells of the ubiquitous fat uncle, who can't stay away from the dessert table, even as his nagging wife grumbles in the background. 'A tune based on personal experiences that we can all relate to, it conjures up the image of a man somewhat out of control,' explains the linernotes." - Townships Week, March 1, 1990

Alex Lifeson's first production effort, he is also credited as re-mix engineer. Released by Anthem Records with photography by Andrew MacNaughtan, this Toronto band was also managed by Ray Danniels (SRO Productions).

Alex Lifeson (guitar) with Rock-Aid Armenia on The Earthquake Album, 1990, reissued as Smoke On The Water: The Metropolis Sessions (cd/iTunes), November 22, 2010

A benefit for the victims of the earthquake in Armenia on December 7, 1988, "Smoke on the Water" was newly recorded by an all-star group of performers; Rush's original studio recording of "The Spirit of Radio" is among the other tracks on the album. Also released as a single, at least five mixes of the song were original released: Album version, Mayem Mix, Mega Rock Remix, Radio Mix, Extended Mix (same as Album version). "Smoke On The Water" was recorded over five sessions from July 8th to September 24th, 1989. Neil Peart had agreed to take part but was unable due to scheduling conflicts. Alex was in attendance for the final session on September 24th:

"The one person from Rush who thankfully was able to make it was Alex Lifeson. He felt that there was enough solos on the record so he prepared some guitar lines that would underpin the song and give it some groove. You can hear his playing at the start of the guitar solos, in the Paul Rodgers verse and he's the one playing the crash chords at the end of the song. He did it all in one take. John Brough and I were producing the session that day and we were duly impressed. When Alex left the room we just stared at each other and raise our eyebrows in awe." - Jon Dee, Founder of Rock Aid Armenia, RockAidArmenia.com

Smoke on the Water includes the following artists: Lead guitarists: Richie Blackmore (Deep Purple), Dave Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Brian May (Queen) and Geoff Beauchamp. Vocalists: Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), Bryan Adams, Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company). Bass guitar: Chris Squire (Yes). Keyboards: Jon Lord (Deep Purple), Keith Emerson (ELP), Geoff Downes (Asia, ex-Yes). Drums: Roger Taylor (Queen).

Neil, who is pictured wearing a Rheostatics' t-shirt in the Counterparts tourbook, is credited with percussion on "Rain Rain Rain" and "Palomar", and co-drummer on "Guns".

"The Rheostatics recorded with Rush's Neil Peart in 1992. He came down to Reaction Studios while we were making Whale Music and set up a little yellow jazz kit in the corner. The Barenaked Ladies were there, too; they'd laid in their background vocal to 'California Dreamline' earlier in the day and together we watched Neil warm up, a chimeric figure in his beaded African hat under the low studio lights. Head lowered, torso centred, feet kicking, his hands glancing over the drums, Neil played all afternoon. His touch was soft when it had to be, but propulsive, too, like a distance runner tugging the flow of blood to his heart. It's one thing to see your hero perform from a distant seat in Maple Leaf Gardens, but it's something else to feel close to his work, as I did that day. At one time in my life, I'd dreamed of what it would be like to simply attend a Rush concert, and there I was at the studio, not 20 feet from where he was crafting a part for a song that would appear on our album.....As Neil commanded his kit, he painted my adolescence before me, evoking everything about it." - Dave Bidini (guitarist), Toronto Star, January 6, 2002

Geddy Lee, credited as "G. L. Weinrib", performs on two tracks as confirmed by a postcard from the artist; violins, mandolin, electric guitar and mixing are credited to Ben Mink (who also received "special very special thanks" on this album, and is also known for collaborationg on My Favorite Headache and for performing on Signals' "Losing It"). A close friend of Geddy, Alex and Neil, Joe Mendelson opened for Rush during the Caress of Steel tour, and is a well known folk musician, painter, writer and left wing political activist. Anthem Records released two other Mendelson Joe albums commercially, Born to Cuddle, 1988, and Addicted, 1991.

Produced by Neil Peart, he is credited with drums on "Cotton Tail" and percussion on "Pick Up the Pieces" on Burning for Buddy Vol. I, and drums on "One O'Clock Jump" on Burning for Buddy Vol. II.

"After all the drummers had laid down their tracks, Peart had 39 completed songs on tape - considerably more than he needed for the single album he had originally envisioned. For that reason, Atlantic records decided to produce three separate CD's with release dates staggered several months apart, and then compile the three albums into a single boxed set at some point in the future." - DRUM!, November 1994

Recorded live at Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre on September 4th, 1994, this was the second Kumbaya Festival, an AIDS benefit (also held in '93 and '95, Alex performed at all three). Alex performed on "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water" by Johnnie Taylor in 1993; in 1995 he performed on "Wishes" by The Boomers with Ian Thomas.

"All Along The Watchtower" includes Alex Lifeson, Tom Cochrane, Lawrence Gowan, Molly Johnson, John Webster, Bill Bell, Gordie Johnson, Stich Wynston, Gary Lowe, Don Freed, Michael Rosen, Richard Underhill, Annette Ducharm and Kim Stockwood. The first vocal is Cochrane and the second vocal part is Gowan. Bill Bell collaborated with Alex on his solo project, Victor (1996).

Alex is credited with guitar on "Crawl" and "Will Of The Gun", and the guitar solo on "Just Scream". Tom Cochrane was formerly lead singer with Canadian rock group Red Rider. Cochrane's guitarist, Bill Bell, collaborated with Alex on his solo project, Victor (1996).

Produced by Paul Northfield (Vapor Trails). "I played on one of the songs on Scenery and Fish, and the material is really strong. It's going to be a really good album for them, I think." - Alex Lifeson, Rockline, January 15, 1996

Recorded live at The Orbit Room (a bar in Toronto co-owned by Alex Lifeson) on November 15, 1996, this recording was sold through the now defunct Rush fanzine A Show Of Fans in 1997, in a limited edition of 200 cassette tapes. The Dexters were the house band which retired in 2004. Alex often made guest appearances, as captured on the other official release Hip To The Tip: Live At The Orbit Room (see seperate entry), which also includes a recording of "Born Under A Bad Sign".

Rumored to have been begun in Lifeson's home studio the day after returning home following the Test for Echo tour.

"I approached it in a Western-sort of 'Bonanza' kind of guitar presence, a big guitar with big, gigantic strings, if you could imagine." Alex Lifeson, "Rockline", May 15, 2002

"I just gravitated to the lonely Johnny Cash sound," Lifeson smiles, "and it was down to retuning the guitar to where the strings sound big and fat and carry the melody better. And I wanted it to feel that if you had a fire in the fireplace and were decorating the tree, you'd want to hear it again. It starts off feeling that stark lonely vibe-then you start tapping your foot, and it makes you feel good." - Merry Axemas linernotes

"I always liked the Little Drummer Boy because of the tonality of the song. There was always something very plaintive about it. It wasn't one of those 'up,' joyous Christmas songs, which tend to get a little overdone. Actually, I did a version of it a while ago that came out nice." - Alex Lifeson, MusicRadar.com, December 5, 2011

This song was played as the credits rolled in this instructional video recorded during the making of Test For Echo, and a version with an extended intro was included as a bonus track on the Anatomy Of A Drum Solo DVD. Parts of this piece are incorporated into Neil's live drum solo.

"One hot night in a village in Togo called Assohoum, in November 1989, I laid out my sleeping bag on an adobe rooftop and lay looking up at the bright stars in the perfect silence of an African night - no traffic, no television, no radio, just scattered conversations or distant dogs. As I was dozing off, a drum rhythm echoed from across the valley, two hand-drummers playing an intrelocking pattern, and it stuck in my head, only to emerge months later as the basis for a rhythm I used in a Rush song called 'Heresy'...Later, the same rhythm became the foundation of a solo piece I created in the early '90s to serve as a backing track while I practiced my marimba playing, called 'Momo's Dance Party.' A version of that little étude appears at the end of my instructional video, A Work In Progress. 'Momo's Dance Party' was also inspired by a real-life experience on that same African journey...Momo, an ambitious young man who had received some education away from the village. Momo seemed to be the only villager who spoke the colonial language of French, and he seemed to be trying to put his village on the tourist map...in the evening, the entire village gathered to put on a show for us. The children sang and dance while the men drummed, then the women performed graceful, narrative dances. The grand finale was the village choir, the rich voices of men and women harmonizing beautifully, accompanied only by one man playing a shaker, and annother playing a metal disk with a stick. This syncopated pattern hypnotized me at the time, and remains in my memory as one of the most musical performances I have ever heard." - Neil Peart, Traveling Music, pg. 297

"We loved it! The problem with it is we got in at the tail end. I know Matt wanted to work it into the movie itself. But, he didn't get in touch with us until the last couple of weeks of their production. So it was all kind of a 'rush' job but, ah - God I can't believe I just said that (laugh). But, it was great and he's a wonderful guy, very, very funny, very smart and it was really great." - Alex Lifeson, AT&T Celebrity Chat, February 10, 2003

Geddy also received special thanks in the album's liner notes. Euphoria is the brain child of Toronto musician Ken Ramm. In the January 1986 issue of Modern Drummer magazine, while discussing his appearance on the Jeff Berlin's Champion, Neil Peart said he "... did a similar thing with a musician named Ken Ramm in Toronto. That record was released in Canada." However, an email from the artist confirms "the track with Neil Peart that he mentioned in Modern Drummer (January'86) is entitled 'Economy In Motion'. It was never released."

Co-mixed by "Lerxst", with a "Thank you to Alex," although the album was never officially released, a few copies were made and released independently. David Barrett (guitar) and Sascha (drums) were part of this lineup of Platinum Blonde, and later formed 2/3 of the David Barrett Trio. Previously, Lerxst performed on "Crying Over You" and "Holy Water" on the original Platinum Blonde's Alien Shores, 1984 (see separate entry).

In spring 2000, shortly after the release of Better Life, Alex Lifeson produced three 3 Doors Down tracks: "Wasted Me", "Dangerous Game" and "Dead Love". Although "Dead Love" remains unreleased, "Wasted Me" was released as a b-side while "Dangerous Game" was released on their followup album, Away From The Sun.

Although the "Kryptonite" single states that "Wasted Me" was produced and mixed by Alex Lifeson, as quoted below at least two of the three tracks also include Lifeson on guitar (although some 3 Doors Down fan sites state that he played on all three tracks).

"We just recorded three songs with him. There's not anything set for what we're going to do with them just yet, but it was three songs: 'Dangerous Game,' 'Dead Love,' and 'Wasted Me.' And we got the chance to work with him and record those three songs down in New Orleans, at the American Sectors studio down there, and man, he was a super guy. You would never know where he's been or what he's done just from looking at him. And he's such a nice guy, as cool as they come. He's got no ego--and he deserves one, you know what I'm saying? We got to kind of know him a little bit and became friends, and invited him to our CD release party in Biloxi. And he actually got up onstage and jammed on a song with us. That was pretty fun. I can die now. He played 'Dangerous Game' with us that night. It was definitely an honor. I was tripping." - Brad Arnold (vocalist), Yahoo Music, November 24, 2000

"And he actually did two guitar tracks on the B side. The coolest thing I ever really did, because I did an acoustic set with him and it was me on one side of the mike and him on the other playing the same thing at the same time, doubling it in one track. And that was like a pinnacle of idolizing him. It was a milestone in my life. - Chris Henderson (guitarist), RockPublication.com, October 25, 2001

"That was one of the coolest experiences I ever had. I'm from south Mississippi. We grew up with Rush. I'm a huge fan. Matter of fact, I'll tell you a Rush story. I had a girlfriend. I was engaged to her. We broke up after five years of being together. She went off and did whatever to get over it. I put in Rush Chronicles, got in my truck and drove around for five days. That's how I got over that relationship. After I listened to that record, I said, 'I don't need this crap. I've got Rush.' So needless to say, when Alex Lifeson's name came up as a producer, I was in, Jack. I didn't need to hear anybody else's name. I can't explain how nice a guy and how smart he was. How cultured he was and how great a musician he is. I can't put into words how much his influence brought to my life before I met him and after I met him. There's not a week that goes by that I don't think of that experience. I spent three weeks with him in the studio. He taught me that the technical aspect of being a producer is not the most important part. The most important part is the song and how to delegate. If you want to change someone's art, they are going to fight you on it. If it's all about the art becoming better, you've got to get your point across. That's what Alex taught me. Instead of saying 'I'm a producer. I'm from Rush. You need to listen to me.' He wasn't like that. He came in and was like,' Think about it like this: What does the fan think? From a radio listener's perspective, you have about 13 seconds. Then they hit that seek button. That's the way it works. He taught us that." - Chris Henderson (guitarist), MemphisFlyer.com, November 11, 2014

This served as the theme music for the first season of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, the Star Trek creator's final series which premiered the week of October 2, 2000. It is rumored that star/executive producer Kevin Sorbo never liked the theme, and had it changed after the first season. There are two versions, the original television theme and an alternate version released on the soundtrack.

"They gave me this napkin with what kind of character the song should have. I had no visuals, and written on it was 'Introduction of 20,000 guitars at this point'. I think I managed to give them around 19,856. That was great fun, a real challenge." - Alex Lifeson, Classic Rock, July 2002

"It all began when co-executive producer Robert Hewitt Wolfe was talking to executive story editor Ethlie Ann Vare, a former rock journalist (Hollywood Reporter, E! Entertainment Television, ROCK magazine). He said that the top band on his wish-list to do music for Andromeda would be Rush. Inspired, Vare made some strategically-placed calls. Since Alex Lifeson is as big a science fiction lover as some science fiction fans are Rush lovers, he seemed a good fit for the job. Lifeson composed and performed the Andromeda theme, "March of the High Guard". Lifeson created the whole piece in his home studio, overdubbing an astonishing 20,000 guitars for a sound quite unlike any other main title theme on television." - www.andromedatv.com, August 2000.

"The strongest composition on this collection is actually Alex Lifeson's invigorating 'Season One Main Title (March of the High Guard).' The cue lasts for only 59 seconds, but it packs a punch that, for the most part, is lacking throughout the rest of the CD...With the exception of Lifeson's lone contribution, the 25 cues on the collection are all written and played by Matthew McCauley...While McCauley's artificial Andromeda arias are invariably expressive, his tunes are also consistently mediocre and, in many respects, surprisingly rough-edged." - Scifi.com's Andromeda Soundtrack Review

Recorded live at the Capital Theatre, Toronto, Canada, November 10, 2000. Now out of print, this limited edition CD came in a simple black cardboard envelope, without artwork.

After releasing their album No Need in 2000 under the moniker Strangers With Candy, the band changed their name to Lifer and landed a six-album record deal with Universal/Republic Records after winning first-place in February 2000's MTV Ultimate Cover Band Contest. A critical failure, the band disbanded after the bassist and guitarist left the band to join the group "Breaking Benjamin". Alex Lifeson commented on Rockline that album sales and promotion were nullified at the time by the 9/11 attacks.

"'We wanted a player, rather than just a standard producer,' said guitarist Aaron Fincke, and added that the band expects to 'sell a couple hundred thousand more copies' of their album because of Lifeson's reputation as a musician and performer. 'We can only do so much with our songs, but he helped to clean up all of them.'" - Susquehanna University's The Crusader Online, November 17, 2000.

"Working with Alex was awesome. Great guy! Funny too! Our first record was all done on analog tape, so Alex made sure our performances were all gelling in the raw, and no tweaking was done afterwards. He also liked to add a twist to a song whenever possible. A musical left turn." Lifer, MusicMecca.org, May 27, 2021

Co-produced and recorded by Geddy Lee in his home studio, Rocket Science features his nephew Rob Higgins on bass and vocals. Guest appearances on the album include Ben Mink, members of Sticky Rice and of course, Geddy Lee (backing vocal on "Space Suit", previously available on Rocket Sciences' 5 song EP).

"It is rock, rock with a kind of technical edge to it. I have a home studio and we have been working here and gone into the smaller studios around town to do some sessions now and again. It has been fun for me and I think fun for them as well." - Geddy Lee, JAM! Showbiz, January 18, 2000

"He knew things that we wanted and just tried to help us get them...he likes things a little weird and out there." - Rob Higgins, on recording with 'Uncle Geddy', Chartattack.com, June 28, 2001

Singer/guitarist John Kastner was previously with The Doughboys, an alternative rock band from Montreal who opened for Rush on the Counterparts tour. After Lifeson remixed the "Fascination Unknown" single for Kastner's later band, All Systems Go! in 2003, he appeared live with Kastner and Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy at the June 2005 White Ribbon benefit concert, before performing Kastner's solo album Have You Seen Lucky in 2006.

According to Anthem Records, this "was just something fun he did that was for his own enjoyment and not be confused with 'work'". Alex later teamed up with All Systems Go guitarist/vocalist John Kastner and Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy to perform two covers, The Beatles' "Rain" and Neil Young's "Don't Cry No Tears", at the White Ribbon benefit concert against violence against women held at The Phoenix in Toronto on June 7, 2005. Alex then performed on Kastner's Have You Seen Lucky released May 11th, 2006 (see separate entry).

"Alex is simply a good friend of mine. We're both from Canada and have been friends for a long time. Because he also has a studio, I thought it would be a good idea to send him our single. He then re-mixed the track in his studio and sent me the result...his version is much different than the original. His mix has this Rush Feeling, meanders and has more effects. That's also precisely what I wanted, so yes, I am very satisfied." - John Kastner (guitarist/vocalist), purerock.de, March 6, 2003

Singer/guitarist John Kastner was previously with The Doughboys, an alternative rock band from Montreal who opened for Rush on the Counterparts tour. After Lifeson remixed the "Fascination Unknown" single for Kastner's later band, All Systems Go! in 2003, he appeared live with Kastner and Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy at the June 2005 White Ribbon benefit concert, before performing Kastner's solo album Have You Seen Lucky in 2006.

"A cross between everything I've done over the past 20 years. Alex from Rush plays guitar on it and Lee Ving from Fear sings on it - so it's really all over the place. That's my crazy 70's upbringing in a nutshell". - John Kastner, Skiddle.com, May 18, 2006

The Big Dirty band is comprised of Geddy Lee (bass), Alex Lifeson (guitar), Thornley's Ian Thornley (vocals and guitar), Three Days Grace's Adam Gontier (vocals), Die Mannequin's Care Failure (vocals) and former Tea Party drummer Jeff Burrows (because Neil Peart was unavailable). The soundtrack also includes Rush's "The Spirit Of Radio". A video for "I Fought The Law", directed by long time Rush photographer Andrew MacNaughton featuring Geddy and Alex performing with the rest of the Big Dirty Band, was cut between scenes of the film. Trailer Park Boys fan Alex Lifeson is seen in a cameo role as a police officer in the movie, which also includes many Rush references. As part of the film's promotion, Lifeson hosted a Canadian TV special titled "Trailer Park Boys 101".

"Canadians all know the ubiquitous Trailer Park Boys, Finally, a movie is in the works. Al Lifeson of Rush fame produced an amazing version of 'I Fought The Law', which I had the opportunity of recording and mixing. The track features Al and Geddy, Adam from Three Days Grace, ex- Tea Party Jeff Burrows, Ian Thornley and a young promising talent from Die Mannequin named Care - she really tore up her parts in the vocal track. Also, Bubbles was in the studio to record an absolutely hilarious track called 'Liquor & Whores'." - RichardChycki.net, August 31, 2006

"Jeff Burrows is still pumped about getting the chance to play drums with Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee of Rush. Last month, the ex-Tea Party drummer joined Lifeson and Lee to record a song for the new Trailer Park Boys movie, The Big Dirty. 'When they called me about it, I was in Vancouver working on my new band,' said Burrows, 38. 'How could I say no?...That was the band that convinced me I wanted to be a rock musician,' he said. The song they did was the often-covered "I Fought The Law", by the Bobby Fuller Four. What could Burrows and two-thirds of Rush bring to it that others like The Clash and Green Day couldn't? 'It's got a real Rush feel to it because of Lifeson's guitar,' he said. Burrows was asked to play because Neil Peart was unavailable...Peart is one of Burrows's idols, so filling in for him was a daunting task, he said." - Windsor Star, Septermber 8, 2006

"Rush didn't just sign off on the inclusion of 'Spirit On The Radio,' they agreed to put the whole CD out on their own freakin' label while Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson hit the studio with contemporary Can-rock acolytes from the Tea Party, Three Days Grace, Thornley, and Die Mannequin to grind out an exclusive version of 'I Fought The Law'" - Toronto Star, October 1, 2006

"Another dedicated non-wanker who's had a big effect on [Die Mannequin's Care Failure] is Alex Lifeson. In one of those 'Here ya go, kid' moments, the legendary Rush guitarist presented her with one of his Paul Reed Smith guitars, just when she needed it most. 'There was like a six-month period where if I didn't have that guitar I don't know what I would have been doing,' she says. 'He gave me that guitar and a bag of pedals, and more importantly some real nice messages that trip through your head.' The helpful advice and colossal freebies from good samaritans like Lifeson, her 'musical sugar daddy', have helped Failure turn her once-troubled life around to the point where you question the validity of her stage name. But she has no regrets about choosing that moniker-or anything else." - Straight.com, November 19, 2009

"Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson is on several tracks, including 'Never Over' which should be a single...Edwin and Lifeson go back 10 years. The Rush guitarist invited Edwin to sing on his 1996 solo project, Victor, and that same year played on 'Like A Girl' from I Mother Earth's second album, Scenery And Fish. 'He's only done me favors. I don't think I've done him any,' Edwin laughs. 'He was kind enough to let us work at his studio for a week and let us use everything we wanted - his guitars, his amps, whatever we wanted. He was great about it and he also did us the favor of coming in and doing some cameo guitar playing on a few songs. We ran the songs and he played what he felt, so we used his guitar stylings throughout the record.'" - Jam! Showbiz, May 10, 2006

"With Dave Rave Ogilvie (Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, David Bowie) once again at the helm of the project, Jakalope returned to the scene of the crime, recording Born4 at Vancouver's famed Warehouse Studio. NIN god Trent Reznor signed on as co-producer without question. Ogilvie and Phil Caivano (Blitzspeer, Monster Magnet) locked themselves away to create the music, coming together with Katie B for the lyrics and melodies...'Star 24 (No Apologies)' features Alex Lifeson of Rush." - Jakalope on MySpace, June 2006

"It was so neat hearing what we had started and then hearing what he [Alex Lifeson] added...When you're starting a song you're so involved and when you give it to somebody else who's coming in from the outside they're hearing their own thing and they can quickly add something that you never would have thought of." - Katie B (vocalist), VueWeekly.com, November 19, 2006

The ESPN Baseball Tonight crew and a slew of special guests including Geddy Lee, appear as the rock band "Iron Diamond" in a music-video-esque commercial for fantasy baseball on ESPN. When originally released, "Guide Me Master" was one of four tracks and a photo gallery shared on ESPN's Myspace page. The "official" full band complement is John Kruk: lead vocals, ESPN Baseball Tonight Cohost; Peter Gammons: vocals, (home-plate shaped) guitar, ESPN Baseball Tonight Cohost, writer; Bronson Arroyo: vocals, guitar, 2006 MLB All-Star Pitcher; Geddy Lee: vocals, bass, Rush frontman, fantasy baseball genius; Gary Sheffield: drums, MLB slugger with 455 career HR's and counting; Joe Borowski: keytar, closer, 2006 Comeback Player of the Year Finalist; Jennie Finch: vocals, ESPN Fantasy Analyst, Olympic Gold Medalist; Matthew Berry: vocals, Senior Director of Fantasy for ESPN.com; Eric Karabell: vocals, ESPN Fantasy Analyst, ESPN Radio Host; Buster Olney: vocals, ESPN the Magazine Senior Writer.

"John Kruk [Phillies portly outfielder-turned-ESPN analyst] was working the hardest of anyone. He had this leather suit; he had a bodysuit on underneath the leather that had all these fake tattoos, plus he had this breakaway business suit on. They would raise him on a platform, and he would tear it off, and of course it kept sticking, so he had to do it over and over and over again. I really felt for him - they put him to the grind. I think they were a little surprised that a long-haired Canadian musician was so deep into baseball. The shock value was working for me." - Geddy Lee, National Post, April 23, 2007

"I really didn't know Alex Lifeson knew anything about Porcupine Tree until I read an interview with him in a British magazine. He mentioned really liking Porcupine Tree, and I fell out of my chair when I read that because I grew up listening to Rush and I've always thought Alex was one of the most underrated guitarists in rock. So, I got in touch with him through the journalist, who had also done an interview with me around the same time, coincidentally. And we were right in the middle of writing at that time, so it was kind of an obvious thing to invite him to play on the record. It's like it's come full circle for me now, as the people I grew up listening to are now playing on Porcupine Tree records. So you can imagine the buzz, its incredible!" - Steven Wilson (vocalist/guitarist), Prog Archives, April 22, 2007

"Alex Lifeson from Rush was in Canada recording his album when we wanted to record him, so we just sent him the files. But you go to these guys because you know and like what they do, so you tell them to do a few takes of their thing and you then have the luxury of compiling your favourite bits!" - Steven Wilson, SoundOnSound.com, June 2010

"I was in the process of writing and pre-production for Rush's Snakes & Arrows, but I loved the song and it gave me room to stretch out. I've yet to hear what Steve did with my work, but I'm sure to like it. Porcupine Tree are a great band and it was my pleasure to play a small role on Fear Of A Blank Planet." - Alex Lifeson, Classic Rock, July 2007

Alex Lifeson reunited with producer by Terry Brown (aka Broon) for the first time in 25 years to record this song.

"Terry had approached Alex about making a guest appearance - and played him some of our new songs. Alex liked what he heard and said he would have a chance to do 'something' before Rush began rehearsals for their 'Snakes and Arrows' tour. The window of opportunity arrived this past March - and Terry went to Alex' studio where the two proceeded to work their magic on 'Sacred and Mundane.' Listening to Alex' parts for the first time was amazing - and the amount of work he put into the song was beyond what we could have hoped for. He came up with a counter-riff that literally 'became' the song; he added acoustic guitars to the refrains; played an acoustic Celtic counter-melody in the bridge; came up with a cool backwards solo in the breakdown section; and added an assortment of guitar textures and effects from start to finish. Terry and Alex spent almost 12-hours recording." - Chris Herin (guitarist), Tiles-Music.com, August 2007

The title track of this children's album includes spoken guest appearances from various celebrities including Geddy Lee who is heard saying, "Hi I'm Geddy, and my favorite snack is barbecue potato chips."

In addition, the track "Here Come The Geese" quotes "Subdivisions". When listing all the places one can find migratory geese, it includes "in the high school halls, in the shopping malls...".

Known to be Rush fans, "BNL" has been known to perform Rush covers live, and during their 2001 tour, drummer Tyler Stewart used a caricature of Rush's Star Man on his bass drum.

Recorded May 25th, 2008, in Regina, Saskatchewan on the "Snakes & Arrows" tour (according to the Art Of Peace website), this live version of "Hope" was nominated for the Best Rock Instrumental Performance Grammy in 2009 (Rush's sixth nomination). The winner was "Peaches En Regalia" by Dweezil Zappa, from Zappa Plays Zappa.

"'This album will focus people's attention on the importance of Tibet, the gifts of its culture, and the crisis the Tibetan people are facing today,' said one of the album's organisers, Michael Wohl. The album is due for global release on iTunes on August 5, three days before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. It will then be available through other outlets the following week, the statement said. Wohl, from the Art of Peace Foundation, said the timing of the release was deliberate. 'We wanted to express our support for the Tibetan people and their message of peace through music, a fundamental means of expression, at a time when the eyes of the world are on China.'" - AFP News, July 22, 2008

"We also received a recording that Rush just did a few weeks back for us at a concert. Alex Lifeson did a rendition of 'Hope' that really breathes and let's you appreciate the subtleties of the composition. It differs from the studio version in tempo and tone. This was a fantastic contribution on so many levels (our only acoustic instrumental)." - ArtOfPeaceFoundation.org, July 26, 2008

"'I think this is our sixth [Grammy] nomination - we're, like, the Susan Luccis of rock 'n' roll...We try not to put too much emphasis on that kind of stuff, but at the same time it's always a huge compliment, so you do get excited when something like that happens. It's certainly better than being ignored'...Rush was on tour for their 2006 studio disc Snakes & Arrows when they were approached by Rupert Hine, who had produced the band's 1989 album Presto, about contributing a track to the Tibet compilation. 'We remembered this acoustic track Alex plays live and is different every night, he sort of improvises on it, so we thought that would be an easy and beautiful solution to the problem,' Lee said. 'We just recorded it live and sent it to them.'" - Toronto Sun, February 8, 2009

Neil Peart is credited with drums only on "Welcome To The Bottom" and "Save Me From Myself", and also provided the lyrics to "Even Now".

"Late in 2005, Matt and I started working on a song together, with lyrics I wrote especially for Matt's voice - literal and metaphorical. Matt suggested I might like to play drums on that song, and when I agreed to that, he started sending me demos of other songs he thought I might like to play on. (Trickster!). So while I was in Toronto working on Rush songs, I was also 'moonlighting' on three of Matt's songs, playing to his demos and working out drum parts for them...Through the miracle of modern technology, I was able to e-mail those recorded sketches to Matt, and collect his comments as I went along. Thus it came to pass...on June 14, 2006, at Capitol Records Studio B in Hollywood (Hollywood and Vine, in fact), I recorded three songs for Matt's upcoming Vertical Horizon album...The following day I told Matt that session had been one of the greatest challenges, experiences, and - now - rewards of my life. That's the way I have always felt about making Rush albums, and I have every faith the same will be true when Alex, Geddy, and I reconvene in September." - Neil Peart, NeilPeart.net, June 17, 2006

"Peart and DW Drums are donating the custom kit to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, where it will be on display for hockey and music fans alike to enjoy...'Growing up in Southern Ontario in the '50s and '60s as 'a kid who couldn't skate right' was a serious handicap,' said Peart. 'Hockey totally dominated our lives for half the year - Sunday nights with my dad at the St. Catharines Arena cheering on the Junior A Blackhawks, anxiously watching NHL games on television, arguing in the schoolyard over favourite teams and players, trading hockey cards, putting them on our bicycle spokes, and playing on backyard rinks and frozen ponds, on the street, and on those old tabletop games. Hockey ruled. So, all these years later, being invited to create a new version of 'Canada's second national anthem' for TSN's NHL broadcasts was a huge honour to me, and an exciting musical challenge. The day of recording and filming it 'in the presence of the Stanley Cup' was truly one of the great experiences of my life. (Take that, bullies from 50 years ago!)' For the recording, Peart wore his trademark cap adorned with the logos of the original six NHL teams. He also wore a hockey jersey featuring his 'Bubba's Bar & Grill' logo on the front and the number three on the back, in reference to the three members of Rush. The band's name was also sewn onto the jersey's nameplate." - Rush.com Newsletter, January 13, 2010

"In 2008, some complicated publishing maneuvers resulted in the CBC, Canada's government-sponsored network, losing the rights to that music to Canada's largest independent network, CTV... CTV planned to use the traditional theme for hockey broadcasts on their satellite sports network, TSN. A director at TSN, Eric Neuschwander, attended the Toronto performance of Rush's Snakes and Arrows tour, and at the climax of my drum solo, with the horn shots and big-band action, Eric thought, 'Wouldn't it be cool if Neil played like that on 'The Hockey Theme?' He brought the idea to Andy Curran at our office (who has since been promoted to Vice President of Hockey Operations); Andy mentioned it to our manager, Ray, who then conveyed the offer to me...So many unanswered questions already leap up, waving their hands frantically. What about those fancy drums? Why was the Stanley Cup there? What's with the hat?" - Neil Peart, News Weather & Sports, February 2010

"The year before last, [TSN] first approached me about doing something and we'd just finished a Rush tour...This year was just perfect. I had time off and I was reinvigorated,' he said. 'I knew the [Hockey Theme] arranger because he was at the Buddy Rich tribute show. We needed a whole orchestra [17 musicians in all] but I knew people who could arrange that. It all came together...We played the song a few hundred times. We filmed every step of the way as a documentary [for the Drum Channel website]. I'd go home and listen to it and we only had a minute for the song but I'd say: 'There's room for more drums in there.' I put everything I knew into that one minute,' Peart said. 'I start off with some Latin patterns I'd just been working on. There are three different rhythmic steps. There's a faster one at the start, then some slower rhythms, then the climax with the full Buddy Rich snare drum roll. As a band, we wanted to be true to the melody of the song. At the same time, I'm not going to play those parade drums.' All totalled, it took Peart 60 days to record 60 seconds worth of music..." - The Globe And Mail, January 13, 2010

"The fact that it was just one minute was a perfect inspiration, really. I wanted to get everything I knew into that one minute. I spent several days a week working on it. I'd listen back to a part and say, 'There's two beats with no drums in it - I can get more drums in there!' " he laughs. "We wanted to pay respect to the original, melodically and even orchestrally, but at the same time, I was going to be rocking it up quite a bit." - Neil Peart, Jam!Music, January 13, 2010

"The new rendition of The Hockey Theme features Peart accompanied by 17 musicians. The Stanley Cup was on hand to both inspire the musicians and to help symbolize The Hockey Theme's significance to the game. To further aid in instilling the hockey state of mind in his fellow musicians, Peart used a custom drum kit created by DW Drums that featured the logos of all 30 NHL teams. In addition, Peart's trademark cap was specially adorned with the logos of the original six NHL teams. He also wore a hockey jersey featuring his 'Bubba's Bar & Grill' logo on the front with 'RUSH' on the nameplate and the number three, in reference to the three members of Rush. 'Touring in Rush, we play all the same arenas as the hockey teams. Having traveled to and performed in nearly all of those arenas, some of them many times, and looking up at the championship banners and retired jerseys, you can't help but soak in the history of each city's team,' says Peart." - TSN.ca (includes video), December 9, 2009

Geddy Lee performs bass on "When I Close My Eyes", and speaks on "March of the Shikker". Another klezmer album produced by Ben Mink, Geddy also appeared on the Mink-produced klezmer album Ship To Shore by Finjan released in 1988 (see separate entry).

"Geddy had a little time on his hands, so he decided to get back to his roots and jam with some of North America's finest purveyors of Klezmer and Rumanian music, Black Sea Station. On ["March of the Shikker"], that's Geddy speaking in Yiddish. Not exactly 'rocking' in the sense we're used to, but it's Geddy Lee. The man is a living god. He can do what he wants." - Jewcy.com, May 18, 2011

"Alex Lifeson played guitar on the score throughout the movie (the great John Debney composed it). We asked Alex to write a song for the closing credits and he wrote/recorded 'Don't Look Back.' How this came about: director Michael Brandt and I got to know Alex and Geddy when they were in LA finishing Snakes & Arrows. Alex is a movie-buff and literature-buff and he expressed interest in scoring films. (I hope you detect my admiration shining through...he's truly one of the greatest guys I've ever met. Geddy too, but that's a different story.) As we were putting The Double together, Michael and I told Alex we'd love for him to be included any way he wanted. We did the movie for very little money so we weren't going to be able to afford him but we wanted to throw it out there. He was between the two tours so he asked us to send him the latest cut of the film and he started talking to the composer (Debney) via email and the phone. Then he just went to town...the guy is astonishing. And generous. The single is definitely not a RUSH song but you can sure hear Alex's distinctive 'voice' all over it."- Screenwriter Derek Haas via The Rush Forum, August 15, 2011

A collaboration of Andew Cole with Tom Cochrane, Ken Greer and Alex Lifeson. This limited edition EP is no longer in print but is available as a digital download.

"The idea for 'Voices at 4 AM' came about when I went up to the cottage with Tom Cochrane and he was playing me a piece of music Ken Greer and he had been working on as part of the No Stranger album. Tom, did not want to use these cuts because they did not really fit the No Stranger disc. I told him this was great stuff and could I pull it apart and work with it. He said go ahead, what's the worst that could happen. Alex Lifeson is friends with Tom but of course he is super busy. I honestly have to say I really pursued him to play because I thought his huge guitar sound along with Ken Greer's work would propel the track once we started to get it down. And my persistence paid off. Chris Potter (mixing engineer) changed the whole vibe of the song, and it blew Tom Cochrane's mind. When we got the whole vocal thing about to go, I asked Tom to sing it, but he said no it's yours now. But once I got Alex to play and sing Tom went with the chorus and for me it was like watching two old friends create magic. That is basically the story of 'Voices at 4 AM'. What I'm going to do is record let's say five EPS' all called VOICES with 5 different artists and myself as a producer vocalist with the artist." - Andrew Cole, John Emms Music Review, December 17, 2011

Click here for a video of Alex Lifeson in the studio recording his solo from September 2011.

"The Alex Lifeson thing, that happened by absolute fluke. We started going through the songs and wondering which iconic Canadian guitarist could make an appearance on the record...I thought, 'Well, Alex Lifeson, that would be really amazing. If we could get him that would be a real coup.' And he actually just happened to walk into the control room some days later." - Jason Plumb, Calgary Herald, May 9, 2012

Click here for a video of Neil Peart recording "Instamatic" with Matt Scannell on April 16, 2012.

"'Instamatic' was an absolute blast to record. Neil's drum performance is simply stellar. Lyrically, it's just your average spy thriller/espionage/blackmail/love song.” - Matt Scannell, Billboard.com, October 2, 2013

"On April 16, at Henson Studios in Hollywood (across the hall from where Rush had just been working on the final mixes of Clockwork Angels), we recorded a drum track for a Vertical Horizon song called 'Instamatic.' Our method was pioneered by Nick 'Booujzhe' Raskulinecz and me earlier this year, for that Rush album. The basic theme of that method is minimal preparation - just listen to the song a couple of times to get a 'sense' of it, then start recording. My conductor, Nick or Matt, guides me through the arrangement with a drumstick, counting me into the various changes, and giving me suggestions and encouragement between takes. I have described before what a huge breakthrough this is for me in my approach to recording, and - I think - in the character of my playing. Where I have always painstakingly worked up carefully-orchestrated and detailed drum parts and then delivered them from memory, now I improvise my way through from the get-go. A month or so before the Henson session, Matt and I had worked on a demo for the song, and explored a few ideas that seemed to work. But even then, I had even been careful not to listen to that demo more than a few times - because I wanted the final recording to capture a performance as fresh, and uncertain, as possible. Wild flights can happen in the heat of recording, in the course of shaping a part that is faithful to the song, but remains necessarily edgy, fresh, a little dangerous, and hopefully exciting for the listener. It was certainly exciting (and fun) for the drummer and producer! At the end of each take Matt and I would share smiles, laughter, and excited chatter. (My wife, Carrie, says that when the two of us get together, we are 'like a couple of puppies.' That's kind of nice.) While I was playing, Matt's dancing was ... enthusiastic". - Neil Peart's News, Weather and Sports, June 1 2012

Recording with Neil Peart, the legend, is actually just like recording with Neil Peart, one of your best friends. He's one of my favorite human beings. But what you quickly realize with Neil is that he's just a guy who has a job, and he's really good at his job. When we were doing our last record, Burning the Days, he and I decided to try to write a song together. It was a song called 'Even Now' and it went really well and he ended up playing drums on it. On Echoes From The Underground he plays on 'Instamatic' and 'South for the Winter.' One thing people might not realize about Neil's drumming is how much he plays for the singer. It's uncanny how sensitive he is to the voice. He wants to build you up as a singer and build up the vocal performance. As the singer in the band, it's really incredible to hear him propel me forward and raise me up. 'Instamatic,' to me, is one of the greatest performances of his incredible career. It's a master class in rock drumming and I was thrilled beyond belief to have him appear on our record." - Matt Scannell, GuitarPlayer.com, August 19, 2014

Here is a pre-production session with Alex developing the ending for "Great Eastern Sun," the album's closing track (click here for part 1; part 2).

"In Jan. 2010, Alex listened to my latest acoustic album The Dead Arm and had some constructive criticism, but also offered to produce with the idea that I'd benefit from such an experience. Alex really insisted I use a band because he felt the music would develop more fully that way. I'm truly inspired because I'm working with a great rhythm section as a power trio, and my favorite guitar player is producing. I have Alex to thank not only for the production team, but also for renewing my interest in loud electric guitar, which is what I do best. I met Alex Lifeson's son Justin back in the early 1990's when I was recording with Mark Holmes at Jeff Healey's studio in Toronto. Justin's a great guy and an old Platinum Blonde fan, so he knew Mark from back in the day and dropped by the studio one evening to say hi. We became friends, and I got to know Alex sometime later. Over the years Alex has helped me out with gear, recording projects, and we've even jammed in his basement a couple times. The engineer on this project is Rich Chycki, and coincidentally, Rich was the house engineer at the Healey studio on all the sessions I did with Amanda Marshall and Mark Holmes. Rich also produced my first solo guitar record in 1995 called, Staring Into The Sun. I recommended Rich to Alex, ten years before he actually became Rush's main recording and mixing engineer!" - David Barrett, Rockethub, September 27, 2011

"Exactly a year ago, I played my new solo album The Dead Arm for guitar hero and mentor Alex Lifeson. He liked it and mentioned that maybe we should consider doing something together in the future. I agreed.  He advised me to write a ton of music which we would then later sift through and pick the best tunes to develop. His other advice was to include some other musicians to further develop the songs. I asked Sascha Tukatsch to play drums and Jason Farrar to play bass. We arranged the music and worked really hard on it. Their contributions and enthusiasm have been truly outstanding! After the Rush Time Machine tour ended and Big Al was rested, we went into his studio and recorded three tunes: Hollowbody, Sonar, and Disappearance. Rich Chycki engineered. Rich produced my first solo album back in 1995, everything I've learned about recording I've learned from Rich, I don't think there's anyone better. And Big Al's approach to arranging, performance, and production was truly illuminating. We also had a lot of laughs in the studio, more than I can remember on any sessions I've ever done." - David Barrett, guitarplayyer.blogspot.com, January 10, 2011

"Alex brought so much to the table at every stage of the process. When he first offered to produce, I gave him a bunch of demos that had layers and layers of guitar parts that sounded good, but he said, 'Look, you're going to need to be able to play this material in the trio setting, so we're going to have to edit stuff down to what's most important.' ... The funny thing is, it wasn't just about the logistics of the format. As soon as I started writing with the trio in mind, the material got way better and the arrangements just came together, which is exactly what Alex said would happen. Another thing he's a master at is knowing how to take an otherwise pedestrian-sounding riff and change one little element - maybe the key or the time signature - to give it an extraordinary quality. A wonderful example of this is the end of 'Great Eastern Sun'. The last section was originally going to be based on the same riff as a previous section, but Alex suggested we change the time signature by adding bars of 5/8 in certain places, and then he had us put the riff in a minor key. Before long, the song had evolved into what I believe is the best track on the record. Also, at the end of 'Sonar' there's this abrupt key change and solo, suggested by Alex, that wasn't on the original demo. Aside from his input on arrangements, Alex also had a big influence on how I tracked my parts. In the past, I had always tended to record at low volumes and tried to cut out noise, but he encouraged me to turn things up - sometimes to the point of feeding back in the studio monitors like on 'Hollowbody' - and it really freed me psychologically to be a little more in the moment." - David Barrett, Guitar Player, August 2013

"7 years ago I was fortunate enough to meet and spend some time with one of my early guitar heroes, Alex Lifeson of RUSH. He's been a HUGE influence on my guitar playing throughout the years, and he's also one of the kindest human beings you'll ever meet. Now, 7 years later, he's performed a MIND-BLOWING guitar solo on my song, 'Once a Warrior.' I'm so happy to have Alex on my new album, Disconnect, and I can't wait for you to hear it!" - John Wesley, Facebook, February 6, 2014

"Alex Lifeson played on the Porcupine Tree track 'Anesthetize' and I would cover his solo live. During the 2007 tour, we learned Alex was going to attend the Toronto show. So many of my formative guitar influences came from Rush records. I remember warming up before the show thinking, 'Oh my god, he's going to watch me play and know I stole everything from him.' [Laughs.] But he was a lot of fun and gracious, and we became friends. At a subsequent Rush gig he asked me what I was up to and I said, 'I'm finishing up Disconnect.' He said, 'Got any space left for me?' I looked at him and said, 'Why, yes I do.' Dean and I then went back and created solo space in the track that would really allow Alex to breathe and do what he wants, while still serving the song. I sent the piece to Alex with no instructions other than, 'Just play.' Two weeks later, he sent it back and I thought it was such an appropriate solo. He really listened to the song, and you can hear its melodies reflected in his solo. He didn't just blast something out over the chord changes. He created something that really fit." - John Wesley, Guitar Player, October 2014

Canadian actor and musician Kerman Malicki-Sanchez met Alex while working on the film Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy, where Alex played the role of Dr. Figg.

"Mr. Lifeson appears on 'Devil Knows Me Well,' 'Mary Magdalene' and 'Moving Dark Circles.'...Alex did more than just play on the record, he became a mentor and executive producer, and in turn brought mixer Rich Chycki (RUSH, Aerosmith, Jonny Lang, Pink) on to mix 'Mary Magdalene' which set a new standard for the rest of our mixes and mastering engineer Andy Vandette (Metric, David Bowie, Porcupine Tree) to master the songs, thus some of the most important people responsible for making Rush records sound like they do." - Indiegogo.com

"When Canadian indie-rock band Wintersleep were recording their new album, The Great Detachment, they got sidetracked chatting about their love for one of their country's most famous musical exports. 'We were talking about how amazing Rush was, and how incredible Geddy Lee is,' Paul Murphy, the band's lead singer, told Rolling Stone. 'He can sing these incredibly complex melodies with complex lyrics, while playing perhaps even more incredibly complex bass parts, while also operating foot pedals. If there was an instrument he could play with his eyeballs, I'm sure he'd be able to!' Coincidentally, later that same night, the band ran into trouble while fine-tuning the bass line on one of the tracks, 'Territory.' 'It was cool but the song didn't feel as lively as it should in the end,' Murphy explains. 'Someone was like, 'What would Geddy Lee do?' jokingly, and Tony [Doogan, producer] was like, 'Oh, the best bass player in the world? He'd make it incredible. Why don't we just ask him?'' They did, and Wintersleep's 'what if ...?' fantasy quickly turned into reality. 'Wintersleep contacted me a while ago and asked me to play bass on this track,' Lee told RS. 'I had a listen and loved the song and the vibe of the band. I had a blast laying down a bunch of takes and sent them off to them. I'm happy to support a fellow Canadian band and wish them all the best with their new album.' The result is 'Territory' - no relation to the 1985 Rush song 'Territories' - a muscular, hard-driving track that builds to a bright, yearning chorus. Lee's trademark gritty tone and melodic inventiveness are easily identifiable, but there's nothing showy about the performance; his bass lines blend perfectly with Loel Campbell's drums and provide a firm anchor for the rest of the track. 'The bass line we originally had for 'Territory' was just kind of playing the roots of the song,' Murphy explains of Lee's contribution. 'There was a sort of hook-line melody in the choruses, but that melody sort of combated with Tim [D'eon]'s lead line in a weird way. It's kind of an odd time signature, so it sometimes is hard thinking more creatively when a riff is long and kind of odd like that. In the end, the song just felt a little sticky and maybe a bit too dark, lacking the energy it needed. With a relatively dark lyric and a generous amount of minor notes in the progression, you have to be careful because it can just feel a bit dark and a bit too stone-faced or something. Geddy's part was perfect because it had this great groove and locked into the vocal melody in the song from time to time, bringing more weight to the melody in important spots. It added a certain playful dimension to the equation because it's so dynamic. Also, Tony was able to strip the song down more in the mix in sections because the bass had such a neat character and fuller sound, which was huge for the song dynamically.'" - RollingStone.com, February 18, 2016

Alex Lifeson plays the 12 string guitar on "Human Race" and the third guitar solo on "End of the Line".

"When Rik asked me to play on his new album, I didn't hesitate for a second. He's the consummate musician, a wonderful guitarist, and a terrific person, and it's always my pleasure to work with him any chance I can get. There is a rock purity in his songwriting and performance, and it's just so much fun to get together and throw ideas around. He's always so up and open for anything - even a notoriously uncooperative Rickenbacker 12-string!" - Alex Lifeson, mascotlabelgroup.com, September 2016

"The album also features Alex Lifeson from RUSH on guitar, who also co-wrote one of the center pieces of the album and delivered amazing and beautiful guitar arrangements on 3 of the tracks." - Marco Minneman

Released the same day as the airing of the Netflix original series Trailer Park Boys: Out of the Park, season 2, episode 5 "Memphis": "Ricky has an unfortunate accident when the Boys get to Memphis. Then, they meet Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson, who helps Bubbles record a song."

"Our manager is friends with his manager, and they were talking. Without asking us, our manager was like, "Hey, would Alex want to play on their new record?" His manager asked him and got back to our manager, like, "Oh yeah, he totally will. Send him a song!" When he told us, we were all like, "Holy shit!" We immediately reverted back to the Rush fans we were in seventh grade! [Laughs] So we sent him the four-track, which was a little lower than normal demo quality and he was like, 'This is great. What do you want me to do on it?' We were like, 'Holy shit, he's asking us?!? Dude, do whatever you want, wherever you want!' So we got in the studio and recorded the song, and then we sent it to him in Canada; he sent us back a bunch of stuff, and it all just sounded insane. He was like, 'Use whatever you want,' so we picked this one section of stuff that he did; it's in the first part where the band drops out - he's playing a really effected guitar riff along with the bass and drums, and then the bass and drums drop out. He's doing stuff with a bunch of different effects, all these sci-fi sounds and pick slides, and we were just flipping out listening to it. We still can't believe it! [Laughs]... he really added to it; that riff that he played, that wasn't even in the song! I remember leaving the studio that night after we first got it back from him, and we were all like, 'Fuck, this is insane!' [My favorite Rush song is] 'Subdivisions'. I would hear that song all the time at parties in the mid-Eighties. And from '80 - '87, all I listened to was hardcore punk rock stuff. That's it! No rock - but that Rush song, I would just listen to it all the time. I mean, I love 'Fly By Night,' I love 'Working Man,' I love all their songs with the gnarly riffs. But I really love 'Subdivisions,' I just love it." - Frontman Scott Hill, Revolvermag.com, February 5, 2018

Besides the guest appearance by Alex Lifeson, the album was produced by long time Rush-producer Terry Brown, and also includes keyboards on three songs by Rush's graphic artist and fellow muscian, Hugh Syme.

"I know the music scene [in Toronto] and have a lot of friends out here. Alex is a big fan of the Yardbirds and Rush did covers of 'Heart Full of Soul' and 'Shape of Things' on their Feedback EP a while ago and he also worked with Terry Brown who produced some of the older albums. Terry thought it'd be a good idea to ask him and Alex thought it'd be a great idea to do it. He recorded his parts in his own studio and sent them over. That's quite a softish song and he put that hard edge into it which worked well with the song. He basically did what he thought would go with the song and I think it turned out great. I'm really happy with it.

[On Hugh Syme adding keyboards and orchestration to 'Changing Times', 'Dancing Leaves' and 'So Many Questions'] "It was Terry's idea as I wanted some string parts and he said Hugh was very good at that. Hugh is actually an artist rather than a professional musician and he did a great job. I wanted something quite subtle and he did it just the way that I wanted. Hugh is English and he brought a real English feel to it." - Jim McCarty, MetalExpressRadio.com, June 9, 2018

"'Soft In A Hard Place' has a beautifully fluid guitar solo and on checking the sleeve notes we discover it's provided by none other than Rush's Alex Lifeson. In a way that sums up the album as a whole, quietly understated but unselfconsciously delivering something that is both elegant and meaningful." - getreadytorock.me.uk, April 3, 2018

Alex Lifeson is one of many guest performers to appear with veteran bluesman John Mayall; additional guest performers include Todd Rundgren, Joe Bonamassa, Larry McCray, Carolyn Wonderland and Steven Van Zandt.

"'Evil and Here to Stay' is just one of the star studded songs you'll be playing over and over," says Mayall. "On this particular track you get to hear some great guitar soloing from special guest Alex Lifeson, who feels right at home with this special groove."

"One of the first songs Rush learned to play as a band in front of an audience was Snowy Wood in 1968," says Lifeson. "So our influences go a long way back with John Mayall. When I was asked to do this particular project I was actually quite thrilled by it. Long being an admirer of the many amazing guitar players that have been a part of the Bluesbreakers and to be considered in that esteemed group I was very, very honoured, and it's been a real pleasure." - Loudersound.com, February 20, 2019

"I'd worked on the 2112 re-release where we did a version of Twilight Zone. He came to the shows and we hung out and kept in contact. He was really up for contributing to the record. He was such a lovely man and a very funny man too....I'd recorded all of the guitar parts already [for 'One Day'] and I told him to do whatever he wanted. If he wanted to replace the guitar parts then he could but he did something completely different. He added Mandola, ambient guitar and 12-string acoustic and I liked so much what he'd done on the outro, that I edited it and made a whole new intro for the song so the first thing you hear is Alex strumming a 12-string guitar and me singing 'Life is a chemical reaction'. His chord inversions made the whole thing sing and that effected the way I arranged it in the end. I`d like to feature him more." - Bassist Nick Beggs, MetalExpressRadio.com, March 4, 2019

Alex Lifeson is one of many guest performers to appear with the former Eagles' guitarist and songwriter. Other guests include Sammy Hagar, Slash, Richie Sambora, Orianthi, Peter Frampton, Joe Satriani, Mick Fleetwood, Chad Smith, Bob Weir, David Paich and Steve Porcaro.

"Alex and I play golf every year at the same children's hospital out in Palm Springs, and as a matter of fact, we have a picture of him and me backstage where he used to play of double neck a song or two from Rush. I had my own double neck and was about to play and said, 'Alex, come over here. You play one neck and I'll play the other.' After I had heard from Neil Peart that Rush was pretty much done, I figured, 'God, Alex has got to be sitting around doing nothing, bored to death. I'd love him to play on this record.' So I contacted him. We wound up playing on a really fantastic song called 'Charmed.'" - Don Felder, KSHE.fm, April 9, 2019

Maiah Wynne would later team up with Alex Lifeson, Andy Curran and Alf Annibalini to form Envy of None

"This song is about the battle to find inner strength in the aftermath of sexual assault," versatile singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne reveals about her new single "Fearless Girl," which features beautiful, symphonic instrumentation from the stellar Portland Cello Project and guitar from Alex Lifeson of Rush. It's "a #MeToo-era song that encourages strength for survivors as they encounter triggers and vulnerability in their day-to-day lives.

"I wrote 'Fearless Girl' a little over a year ago, after reconnecting with my best friend from middle school," Wynne tells. "We had a long heart to heart about everything we had been going through during the time of our friendship, but didn't have the ability to express. This realization of the pain we had both been experiencing during that time was saddening and frustrating. It reflected many of the emotions I had been feeling: fear, distrust, and a strange connection with millions of women - and men - around the world who had experienced these same things. At one point during that conversation she asked, 'What happened to those fearless girls we used to be?' As I reflected on that conversation later that night, those words stuck in my brain and I began writing this song. This song was my story, her story, the stories we hear every day, and a call for inner strength in a world where sexual assault and domestic violence prevail. This song is for anyone who needs a reminder to hold on to that inner spirit," she continues. "For anyone that needs to reconnect with the strength inside of them after experiencing this specific kind of pain. This is for her, for him, for them, for you." - Vortex, July 24, 2019

Alex Lifeson co-wrote and plays on "Lover's Calling", and enlisted Maiah Wynne on vocals with Marco Minnemann. Lifeson and Wynne would later form Envy of None with Andy Curran and Alf Annibalini. The track was released in advance as a limited edition picture disk EP featuring the likenesses of Minnemann and Lifeson. The album also includes both the vocal version and an instrumental version of "Lover's Calling" as a bonus track.

The second solo album by the former bassist and vocalist of Chicago, other guest performers include The Doors guitarist Robbie Krieger, KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer, vocalist Bill Champlin, bassist Pino Palladino, and Rascal Flatts multi-instrumentalist Jay DeMarcus, who also co-produced the album.

"That was not an accident! Alex Lifeson is on the title track. He's on the title track of my life and career trajectory. He was one of the first supporters of Big Sugar and one of the greatest mentors that I've had. And he's such a down-to-earth chill guy. He saw us coming up, liked our music, and would do things like 'Hey, man, here's a double-neck guitar. Why don't you take the Xanadu guitar and use it for a while?' Like, who does that? So I texted him and I had to explain myself because it's such a Rush knock-off. I got the Taurus Moog pedals in there and gave it the full Moving Pictures treatment. But he not only sent me a wicked guitar solo but a bunch of overdubs-acoustic guitars and banjos and all kinds of other production to put in the track. It got way Rushier. And I'm good with it. ... He still plays great. And when he sits down to play, only one sound comes out of that amp." - Global News, May 8, 2020

"I just did a thing with Tom Morello and Kirk Hammett. Tom sent me a track that he'd written and demoed, and he said, 'Just play everything you can on this. I'm going to send it to Kirk, and he's going to do the same thing.' I've always admired those guys, and especially Tom. The energy in his playing and his innovative style is really exciting to listen to. This track is typical Tom Morello. I got my mandola out and I started putting other kinds of things on it, and I think that really expanded what the song ultimately became." - Alex Lifeson, Guitar Player, November 2021

"Jack Songs isn't a cover CD, not in the literal sense. Except for a couple of tunes from his Cream period (arranged in ways that should surprise people) most of the songs on this CD come from other periods in Jack's musical life after Cream. Jack's solo career represented a multitude of musical styles. This recording will be a new revamp of some of those songs, some of the best music that I heard from one of the greatest musicians of the last fifty years. In arranging the music, I was inspired by Giles Martin's production of The Beatles Love CD. His production work on this CD is fantastic. I tried to follow his example of his fitting various Beatle song quotes from different tunes into each tune by doing a similar thing by combining different Jack songs. Rather than computerized manipulation of music that was already recorded, I arranged the music so that each song on Jack Songs would end up as an individual work comprised of various parts of other songs in them. I never would have thought of this without Giles showing me this path." - Press Release

Aaron Fink was also guitarist with the band Lifer, which released their debut album produced by Alex Lifeson in 2001.

"I have Alex Lifeson from Rush rip a solo. I've known Alex for a long time now. I'm in another band called Lifer, and he produced our first record. Obviously a great musician, and we stayed in touch over the years." Aaron Fink-The Making of Dear Universe, August 25, 2022

"The mesmerizing rendition strips the gritty sound of the original, leaving a slick and sultry cover in its place. Lifeson closes out the track with an ethereal guitar solo, while Naomi Cowan's vocals flow through the chilled track, blending his celestial guitar stylings seamlessly. Perfectly balancing an aura of psychedelic and reggae, the essence of Bowie's classic sci-fi song finds a new purpose in this genre-crossing performance. Lifeson reveals he already had admiration for Bowie going into the recording of the track. 'Bowie was such an incredible artiste and the reggae concept for the project was an interesting approach,' he explains. 'Naomi Cowan's vocals were inspiring to track to and the arrangement was fun to play to, as it should be." - Consequence of Sound, February 22, 2023

Mixed by long time Rush producer Terry Brown, this hard/progressive rock album includes performances by Sebastian Bach (Skid Row); from Dream Theater, Mike Portnoy and James LaBrie; Billy Sheehan (Talas, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big); Eric Martin (Mr. Big); Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple, Kansas); Jack Russell (Great White); Jake E Lee (Ozzy Osborne); James Murphy (Obituary, solo); Matt Guillory (James Murphy); David Townson (solo); Robert Berry (solo); Mark Slaughter (Slaughter); George Lynch (Dokken); Deen Castronovo (Bad English, Journey); Stu Hamm (Joe Satriani & Steve Vai); Devin Townsend (Steve Vai); Richard Chycki (Jeff Healey); Jeff Brockman (Cairo); from Symphony X, Michael Romeo and Mike Pinnella; from Cynic, Sean Malone and Sean Reinert; from Lemur Voice, Gregoor van der Loon and Marcel Coenen; and the bands Fates Warning, Shadow Gallery and Magellan.

Tracklist: Working Man, By-Tor And The Snow Dog, Analog Kid, The Trees, La Villa Strangiato, Mission, Anthem, Jacob's Ladder, Closer To The Heart, Natural Science, YYZ, Red Barchetta, Freewill

"We had concerns that this wasn't really going to be a tribute but rather an exploitation of our fans. That was our concern. There was never any question of the musicians involved. We didn't really know who was involved. For some reason, that concern over our fans exploitation has been blown way out of proportion. Even to the fact that there was some quote from our office that was totally erroneous about tribute albums. It was basically out of control. So I'd just like to clarify that to our fans, because I know there's a lot of weird opinions floating around about what our attitude on this thing was. Our attitude was very low key. We never had any intention of trying to stop this record. We never had any intention of suing anybody. Those things were all attributable to either overzealous representatives of our band or overzealous gossip. You know what I mean?" - Geddy Lee, A Show Of Fans #15, Fall 1996

Tracklist (Band): Anthem (Engrave Speed Death), Working Man (Killingfield), Bastille Day (Shallows Of The Mundane), Subdivisions (Hostile Intent), What You're Doing (Hate Theory), Tears (Capital 2), A Passage To Bangkok (Scary German Guy), Tom Sawyer (Disarray), The Temples Of Syrinx (Blood Coven), Freewill (Mythiasin), Red Barchetta (Prototype), The Spirit Of Radio (Premonition)

Reproducing the entire Exit Stage Left album with the exception of "La Villa Strangiato" from a classical chamber quartet approach, the album was arranged, produced, mixed, and mastered by Todd Mark Rubenstein, who also co-handles the album's cello and bass duties.

Tracklist:" The Spirit Of Radio, Red Barchetta, YYZ, A Passage To Bangkok, Closer To The Heart, Beneath, Between & Behind, Jacob's Ladder, Broon's Bane, The Trees, Xanadu, Freewill, Tom Sawyer

"...Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson for a lifetime of musical genius and the gift of great songs with brilliant performances that will be an inspiration to musicians of all genres for generations to come", and dedicates the album to his 10 year old niece who is following in her uncles' musical footsteps with the words "May this recording be an inspiration to your continuing pursuit of music through your already brilliant ability to play the violin and may it be an inspiration to others as 'Rush' has been to me." - Todd Rubenstein, Exit Stage Right

"Rush's music is a mixture of hard rock and melodic rhythms and is bound together by themes of science fiction and fantasy. It is only fitting that Rush's grand, opus-like concept pieces be recreated in the baroque fashion. The Baroque Tribute to Rush revives the strength and unity that was produced in some of the Bands best work such as 'Madrigal' and 'Time Stands Still'. The enigmatic atmosphere of this album will haunt listeners in the true Rush fashion."

Tracklist: Tom Sawyer, Limelight, Fly By Night, Witch Hunt, The Trees, Madrigal, Force Ten, Distant Early Warning, Closer To The Heart, Flickering (original)

"The String Quartet Tribute To Rush's 2112 is a scenic trek through unchartered musical territory. The viola, violin and cello unearth a melancholy and ethereally delicate aspect of Rush's creation, infusing it with an unearthly classical mien. The adventure of listening to The String Quartet Tribute To Rush's 2112 will leave you breathless with admiration."

Tracklist: 2112 Overture, The Temples Of Syrinx, Discovery, Presentation, Oracle: The Dream, Soliloquy, Grand Finale, A Passage To Bangkok, The Twilight Zone, Lessons, Tears, Something For Nothing

A heavy metal tribute with pre mix editing by early Rush producer Terry Brown and artwork by long time Rush artist Hugh Syme, the album features Vinnie Moore (solo artist, UFO) on guitars, Stu Hamm (Joe Satriani & Steve Vai) on bass and Mike Mangini (Extreme & Steve Vai) on drums, plus additional vocals and performances by Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), Robert Berry ("3", Ambrosia), Dave Brooks (Slammin' Gladys), Dominic Cifarelli (Pulse Ultra), Jeff Feldman (Pulse Ultra), Daniel J. (Solo Artist, Jordan Rudess), Randy Jackson (Zebra), Andreas Kisser (Sepultura), Jani Lane (Warrant), Alex Skolnick (Solo Artist, Testament, Tran Siberian Orchestra, Attention Deficit), Jeff Stinco (Simple Plan) and Kip Winger (Winger).

Tracklist: Distant Early Warning, Lakeside Park, Limelight, Subdivisions, Different Strings, Tom Sawyer, Bastille Day, A Farewell To Kings, The Spirit Of Radio, Didacts and Narpets, 2112 Overture/The Temples Of Syrinx

"Pulsing through the drum beats and guitar riffs of Rush's songs are undeniable melodies. These hooks are brought to the surface on The Piano Tribute to Rush. The elemental soul of such hits as 'The Spirit of Radio' and 'Tom Sawyer' is extracted from their complex arrangements with simple piano. A must-have release for any Rush fan, this album promises to appeal to anyone with an appreciation for great songs and incredible musicianship."

Tracklist: Limelight, New World Man, Closer to the Heart, Subdivisions, Red Barchetta, Freewill, Fly by Night, The Spirit of Radio, The Trees, Tom Sawyer, The Big Money, Syrinxian Moonlight (original))

Available on both CD and DVD (with audio commentary by Mike Portnoy and Paul Gilbert), featuring Mike Portnoy (percussion), Paul Gilbert (guitar), Sean Malone (bass) and Jason McMaster (vocals). Recorded live at the Drum Pad's 20th Anniversary Show at the Vic Theater in Chicago on September 18th, 2005. Portnoy used a near-replica of Peart's classic candy apple red kit recreated by TAMA using their top of the line Starclassic drums.

Tracklist: 2112, Cygnus X-1, Hemispheres, YYZ/Drum Solo

"Since Exit Stage Right: The String Quartet Tribute to Rush, Vitamin Records has raised the stakes for paying tribute to Canada's favorite sons. The first album was a smash amongst fans and was soon followed by the ambitious tribute to Rush's magnum opus, 2112. More hit tributes were to come and with each record Vitamin surprised the fans with their dedication to the craftsmanship of the godfathers of modern, progressive music. With this collection, Vitamin has highlighted 14 of the best tracks from these tributes. It is an essential collection for any Rush fan and any fan of Vitamin Records' captivating tributes."

Tracklist: 2112 Overture, Xanadu, Closer To The Heart, Red Barchetta, The Spirit Of Radio, Witch Hunt, Subdivisions, 2112 Presentation, Freewill, Distant Early Warning, The Trees, 2112 Soliloquy, 2112 Grand Finale, Jacob's Ladder

"Run For Cover is the nation's premeire Rush Tribute band, and from one listen to this CD, it's no wonder why. You'll be amazed at the technical precision with which the band recreates hit after hit, and pays homage to the gods of progressive rock. This CD is a 'must-have' addition to any Rush fan's collection!"

Tracklist: Distant Early Warning, Tom Sawyer, New World Man, Freewill, Subdivisions, Limelight, Jacob's Ladder, Red Barchetta, Xanadu, The Trees, Natural Science

"A loving recreation of Rush's first album... back when John Rutsey was the drummer and they had greasy hair. Features 2 bonus tracks... the songs from Rush's first single!"

Tracklist (Band): Finding My Way (3 Legged Rabbit), Need Some Love (Rutsey), Take A Friend (Snagglepuss), Here Again (Joe Harvard Stuporgroup), What You're Doing (Ed Mundell), In The Mood (Four Year Beard), Before And After (Frankenstein 3000), Working Man (Murder 1), Not Fade Away (A Farewell To Bling), Can't Fight It (Worro Pilkinson)

"Combining newly recorded tracks from members of Coheed And Cambria, The Dillinger Escape Plan (Chris Pennie), KORN (Shane Gibson) and The Mars Volta (Juan Alderete) on the tracks "New World Man", "Fly By Night" and "Force Ten", with up-and-coming buzz band I, OMEGA who contributed their version of 'Tom Sawyer'; Alex Skolnick Trio's jazz interpretation of 'Tom Sawyer' [from Last Day In Paradise] gives a new feeling to the song that could never have been imagined previously. Other selections included from Magna Carta's Working Man and Subdivisions tribute albums feature performances by Robert Berry, Dave Martone, Sebastian Bach, John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan."

Tracklist (performer): New World Man (Robert Berry), The Trees (Mike Baker), Fly By Night (Sal Marrano), Mission (Eric Martin), Tom Sawyer (I, Omega), Jacob's Ladder (Sebastian Bach), Limelight (Kip Winger), Force Ten (Robert Berry), Subdivisions (Randy Jackson), Tom Sawyer (Alex Skolnik Trio)

Tracklist: The Spirit of Radio, Tom Sawyer, Closer To The Heart, Freewill, Limelight, Working Man, Fly By Night, The Trees, Red Barchetta, Subdivisions, YYZ

"The first music release from the Sonic Reality progressive rock project known as 'Sonic Elements', XYZ - A Tribute To Rush is what you might call a 'fantasy band' tribute in that it features drum tracks performed by Neil Peart, the legendary drummer and lyricist of Rush, which come from Sonic Reality's Neil Peart Drums sample sessions along with new performances from modern and classic rock artists such as Rik Emmett (Triumph), John Wesley (Porcupine Tree), Billy Sherwood (Yes, Circa), Alastair Greene (Alan Parsons Live Project), Randy McStine (Lo-Fi Resistance), Matt Dorsey (Simon Collins) and Sonic Reality's founder Dave Kerzner (Kevin Gilbert, Simon Collins)."

Tracklist: Tom Sawyer (Vocals, Guitar - John Wesley (Porcupine Tree); Keyboards - Dave Kerzner; Bass - Billy Sherwood); Red Barchetta (Vocals, Guitar - Rik Emmett (Triumph); Keyboards - Dave Kerzner; Bass - Matt Dorsey); YYZ (Guitar, Bass - Billy Sherwood; Guitar - Alastair Greene; Keyboards - Dave Kerzner); Limelight (Vocals - Randy McStine; Guitars - John Wesley; Keyboards - Dave Kerzner; Bass - Billy Sherwood); Trifecta (Bonus Track) (Guitars, Bass - Billy Sherwood; Keyboards - Dave Kerzner); Times Gone (Pre-Order Only Bonus Track) (Guitars, Bass - Billy Sherwood; Keyboards - Dave Kerzner)

"From the world-famous orchestra that brought you symphonic interpretations of Queen, Pink Floyd and ABBA comes a brand new set of studio recordings celebrating the music of Canadian Prog Rock legends, Rush! Includes dramatic reinterpretations of the Rush classics Tom Sawyer, The Spirit Of Radio, Red Barchetta, Limelight and more! Conducted by BAFTA award winning musician and composer Richard Harvey!"

Performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with: Clem Clempson, James Graydon, & James Nisbet - Guitars, Laurence Cottle - Bass Guitar, Ralph Salmins - Drums, Richard Cottle - Synths & Programming, The Windrush Choir (solos on "Subdivisions'.' by Niki Moloney & Shaun Chambers). Guitar legend guests: Steve Rothery (of Marillion) on "Working Man", Adrian Smith (of Iron Maiden) on "Red Barchetta".

Tracklist: 2112 Overture, The Spirit Of Radio, Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, Subdivisions, Fly By Night, Closer To The Heart, Limelight, Working Man

"Do you have a modern day warrior putting up a fight at bedtime? Looking for a reliable way to put baby to sleep and not some fly by night sandman? Try Rockabye Baby's tender lullaby versions of Rush's hard rock hits. This magic music will bring your baby closer to the heart of slumberland."

Tracklist: 2112: Overture, Limelight, Fly by Night, The Spirit of Radio, Freewill, Tom Sawyer, Working Man, A Farewell To Kings, Trees, Red Barchetta, Subdivisions, Closer To The Heart

"Fleesh is a Brazilian rock project created in 2014 by Gabby Vessoni and Celo Oliveira. Influenced by many bands like Pink Floyd, Marillion, Genesis, Renaissance and others, we released two original albums called My Real Life (2015), What I Found (2017) and two tribute albums The Next Hemisphere - A Rush Tribute (2017) and Script For A New Season - A Marillion Tribute (2018). And also, many other versions on our YouTube channel!" - Fleesh on Facebook

Tracklist: Limelight, The Stars Look Down, Closer To The Heart, Nobody's Hero, Losing It, Tears, Resist, The Way The Wind Blows, Here Again, The Trees, Mission, Bravado, The Pass (bonus), The Garden (bonus)

RUSHfest Scotland, the fan convention held annually in Glasgow, has produced three albums of Rush songs covered by tribute bands from around the world, with all proceeds aiding Cancer Support Scotland in the UK and Glioblastoma Foundation Neil Peart Research Award in the USA. Each album has been released on an anniversary of Neil's birthday in the three consecutive years since his passing.

Limited to 1,500 copies, this EP of covers by Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante was produced for Record Store Day 2022. "Charlie follows up his acclaimed Silver Linings quarantine album with an EP featuring five Rush songs, featuring an all-star line-up."

Tracklist: Subdivisions, Red Barchetta, Freewill, La Villa Strangiato, YYZ

A Magna Carta reissue containing nearly all the content from its three previous releases, Working Man (1996), Subdivisions (2005) and New World Man (2010), as an all inclusive 2 CD set, (curiously, only one track from Subdivisions (2005), "Didacts and Narpets", is not included).

"Iconic vocalists and venerated musicians come together on this bombastic tribute to prog rock superstars RUSH. The collection contains unique interpretations of tracks from throughout RUSH's stellar career, including their biggest hits 'Tom Sawyer', 'Spirit Of The Radio', 'Working Man', 'Red Barchetta' and many more. It features performances by Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW), Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE), James LaBrie (DREAM THEATER), Stu Hamm (JOE SATRIANI), Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA), Jani Lane (WARRANT), Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT), Kip Winger (WINGER), FATES WARNING, Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG), Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER), Jack Russell (GREAT WHITE), John Petrucci (DREAM THEATER), Jake E. Lee (OZZY OSBOURNE), George Lynch (DOKKEN) and more."

Tracklist (performer):
Disc 1
Working Man (Sebastian Bach & Jake E. Lee), By-Tor And The Snow Dog (James LaBrie & John Petrucci), Analog Kid (Sebastian Bach & John Petrucci), The Trees (Mike Baker & Brendt Allman), La Villa Strangiato (Steve Morse), Mission (Eric Martin), Anthem (Mark Slaughter & George Lynch), Jacob’s Ladder (Sebastian Bach & John Petrucci), Closer To The Heart (Fates Warning), Natural Science (Devin Townsend), YYZ (James Murphy), Red Barchetta (James LaBrie), Freewill (Gregoor van der Loo), Tom Sawyer (Alex Skolnick Trio)
Disc 2
Distant Early Warning (Randy Jackson), Lakeside Park (Sebastian Bach), Limelight (Kip Winger), Subdivisions (Randy Jackson), Different Strings (Robert Berry), Tom Sawyer (Sebastian Bach), Bastille Day (Jani Lane & Alex Skolnick), A Farewell To Kings (Randy Jackson), Spirit Of The Radio (Kip Winger), 2112 Overture/Temples Of Syrinx (Jani Lane & Vinnie Moore), New World Man (Robert Berry), Fly By Night (Sal Marrano), Force Ten (Robert Berry)

"We recorded that song in '95 and at the time there was alot of talk about Punk Rock (there still is ...) ....about it 'finally going mainstream' blah, blah, blah.... We thought that 'Subdivisions' was the ultimate 'Punk Rock' song lyrically - about kids being bored in the suburbs and the general malaise and angst that go along with that. We felt that most people at the time would miss the point because of the '80's production of the original, so we thought we'd give it our own 'punk-rock'-type treatment. It was really done quite tongue in-cheek...we were actually really more of a prog-alterna kinda band...quite Rush influenced (odd times signatures, complicated ensemble playing etc.) now that I look back on it....that's more obvious when you listen to the rest of Sunburn though." - Rob Szabo of the Groove Daddys, via email August 2, 2002

"There was that British band, Catherine Wheel, who did 'Spirit Of Radio', and they did a really good version, and I heard an interview with the guy going: 'the parts we left out were the ones we can't play...' [laughs]" - Neil Peart, Classic Rock, October 2004

A cover of the Max Webster/Rush collaboration (found in the Guest Appearances section of this site). From Talas' 1998 reunion concert, this recording includes a two minute bass solo intro by Billy Sheehan. Talas was Sheehan's first band, which broke up in 1985 when he left to join the David Lee Roth band. Following two albums with Roth, Sheehan left to form Mr. Big, who toured with Rush during the Presto tour. In his instructional video, Billy Sheehan-Bass Secrets, 1992, Billy personally thanks the members of Rush after the end credits.

When asked who they prefer among all Canadian bands, Bryan Adams or Neil Young, Sloan guitarist and vocalist Patrick Pentland answered "Oh, Neil Young. Has anyone ever said Bryan Adams? Now if you had said Rush or Neil Young... That would have been harder." - www.swizzle-stick.com

Midway through this film about a man who sees a light emanating from those about to die, Katee Sackhoff's character tells how her deceased husband was an elementary school music teacher who organized a recital each year and "had the kids singing Bowie, Pink Floyd, Rush, The Beach Boys, a little Janes Addiction, you name it." A later scene takes place at one of those recitals where the elementary school choir is singing "The Spirit of Radio".

"As for the Rush 'Working Man' intro, we are always jamming on bits of Rush, Black Sabbath, Hendrix, Zeppelin, or whatever, and that was always such a heavy riff, and really the lyrics are similar in scope to Petty Staycheck, so it just fit. Some people might think that doing a song that old might not be cool, but some of that stuff, particularly Rush, is so freakin' timeless, I don't care about any rules of hardcore or whatever-this is the stuff we grew up on. I guarantee you that right now some band of 18 year olds is jamming to Sabbath in a rehearsal room, I mean that shit can't be topped! They sure as fuck won't be jamming on Korn riffs 25 years from now!" - Six & Violence vocalist Kurt Stenzel

"I was never a huge Rush fan, but when I was a preteen growing up in Kanata [a suburb of Ottawa], I remember having some kind of epiphany while they were playing that song at the roller disco, with the lights flashing and the music really loud. And later, I'd be in these campfire sing-along situations, and someone would say, 'Selina, why don't you sing something?' I just hated that, and it was always uncomfortable, so the way to kill the campfire sing-along was to do 'The Spirit of Radio', because nobody could play along!" - Selina Martin, The Globe And Mail, November 30, 2010

"Chris Stringer, who produced my album, is also a huge Rush fan and a friend of Alex Lifeson's, so I figured if Stringer didn't think it was lame for me to do that acoustic version of the song as a Rush fan, and if Dave Bidini, a pal of Geddy, really wanted me to do that song, then I was just going to figure out a way to do it, and do it. And so I did and I sort of fell in love with it again, I guess." - Selina Martin, TheRecord.com, May 1, 2012

"I'm a huge Rush fan, I love 'em. I just don't talk about it much because everybody wants to talk to me about the Dio stuff. Rush has always resonated with me, but I knew so many people that didn't like them back in the day because they didn't sound evil enough (laughs), so I became a closet Rush fan. I had always wanted to sing 'Temples'. I remember back in the times before CDs, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I had my wannabe souped-up Firebird blasting Rush on the cassette deck. The stereo was worth more than the car (laughs). I had the windows rolled up so nobody else could hear while I tried to hit those notes (laughs)." - Veronica Freeman, vocalist of Benedictum, CarlBegai.com, March 28, 2011

"Originally from Toronto's suburban sprawl, Smith has been in Regina most of his life. After losing his father at 12, his mother encouraged his interest in music by getting him his first drum set. Being a huge Rush fan early on contributed to his dedication to learning how to play...Pulling in his Canadian rock roots, Smith decided to cover a Rush song mostly because nobody else is ambitious enough to try. 'I picked a song that was in their late 80s keyboard funk, which was panned by fans. The songs are still there.' Rush?s original 'Mystic Rhythms' is a mid-tempo synthesizer and keyboard-driven song. Smith turned in into the guitar-driven rock song he thought it should have been. He got to gush to Rush's Alex Lifeson about breathing life into the song while recording Jason Plumb and the Willing's new album All Is More Than Both." - Soccermomrecords.com

"I actually made a demo of the song about five years ago basically for my own purposes. I've always loved the way Geddy (Lee) sings that song, there's a hopelessness and longing in his voice that is brilliant, but there's also a quality of urgency that I thought would translate well to metal, so I basically changed up the tempos and really kept everything else the same. I call Rush my 'desert island' band, meaning if I were ever stranded on desert island and could only listen to one artist, it would be Rush. Kevin and I are both huge fans all the way back to their earliest days. Their writing in a lot of ways is very metal, but they are so much more diverse than just that. 'Red Sector A' also ties in rather neatly with the military concept of our record. We were at my house combing through some demos for the new record, when I came across my old version of it, and all at once it struck me, this would be an awesome addition to the World War II theme. I began the campaign right then to have this song on the album, Kevin instantly agreed and the rest would follow. Lyrically and musically it's a perfect compliment to this record and the whole band is really excited about it." - guitarist Mike Mooney, High Roller magazine

The track is included on the band's new EP, Another February, but was first released online on International Rush Day, December 21, 2012 (21/12). "In honor of the Winter Solstice, the end of the world according to the Mayans and, uh, Christmas, we humbly offer you this gift of song. We've been playing this opus live since last New Year's Eve and decided to record it properly this fall. With the help of Andy Gerber at Million Yen, we've gotten it together just in time for 21/12. Rush on over to click the link below to download it. And in the words of Tiny Tim: 'A Merry Christmas to us all; and Neil Peart bless us, every one!'" - Local H, Hennemusic.com

"The RUSH song is a bit of a bitch; I can't say that's an easy one. But it's a song we all know and we're all familiar with, so then, of course, you take on the challenge of just really trying to nail it and do it justice." - Scott Ian, ArtistanNewsService, August 2, 2012

"It was a lot of fun, especially because a lot of those (songs) aren't, I guess, normal for us or like so much of our repertoire - although they are because they're songs we all knew. Maybe on paper the idea of us doing something like that seems weird, until you hear them and then it makes sense." - Scott Ian, Billboard.com, January 4, 2012

"When I was first learning to play drums, I would strap on my headphones, play along with [All the World's a Stage] and be transformed. I remember talking with Cliff [Burton] and Kirk [Hammett of Metallica] back when we first met, and we all agreed how much of an influence Rush was on all of us. I don't [know] if you would hear anything that sounds like Rush in Anthrax's music, but the passion, the drive, the musicianship and the appreciation is all there." - Charlie Benante, Rollingstone.com, January 18, 2012

"I'm certainly a Rush fan but [Drummer] Charlie [Benante] and [bassist] Frankie [Bello] and Joey are like, Rush nerds. They know every single thing about Rush...People take Rush seriously, they're not everyone's cup of tea, but everyone has a respect for that band whether you like them or not." - Scott Ian, Anthrax rhythm guitarist, Radio.com, March 19, 2013

"Neville's vocals have never lacked swagger, but here they have an arena-rock power that he's seldom reached for in the past. So it makes sense that the track 'Working Man' isn't the one Mike Bloomfield wrote and Otis Rush recorded (as the cover credits have it), but the one by those venerable bluesmen, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. And the sound of New Orleans funkateers doing a Rush song - and doing it damn well - is about as colorblind as music gets." - Offbeat.com, September 1, 2013

"My son Omari turned me on to that song. It wound up on my CD Magic Honey, and now we do it in the Royal Southern Brotherhood, closing out the show every night. We've been rocking houses from one end of Europe to the other with it." - Cyril Neville, TwistedSouth.com, December 9, 2013

"When we settled on Rush to cover during the Proponent of Science sessions, I simply couldn't pick which song to do. 'Subdivisions' or 'Animate.' Both were favorites for me personally, and both were sort of 'under the radar' eg. not 'Tom Sawyer' or 'Spirit Of Radio.' Where the original idea was to do a cover for a Japanese bonus track, we figured if we did both we could cover a special song for both the Japan AND Europe pressing. Then the powers that be decided to just include 'Subdivisions' on the album, and keep 'Animate' in reserve for something. Jan 6th, 2018 is the only occurrence of the golden ratio in date form that will occur during our life time. So 1.6.18 seemed like the perfect date to release it in Allegaeon fashion." Guitarist Greg Burgess, Blabbermouth.net, January 5, 2018

Swing on the Rocks expands the Great American Songbook with 14 classic rock songs re-imagined in an innovative big band format. Swing on the Rocks explores "soundscapes" in a nod back to the progressive rock of the 1970s...On Swing on the Rocks, Dale is surrounded by an 18-piece big band style orchestra that features amazing guitar solos and the impressive stylings of Paul Shaffer (of the CBS Orchestra on Late Night with Dave Letterman) on the Hammond B3 organ throughout, creating a riveting roller coaster of a musical ride. - mindwinder.net

"In Tribute to The Professor, Neil Peart, we are releasing our version of Rush's 'Working Man' that we recorded January 2020. All Proceeds will benefit Brain Tumor Research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in his memory. Members of our band and our manager were in the audience on August 1, 2015 when this was the final song played by Neil, Geddy and Alex. We are forever grateful for all of the music and memories." - Fu Manchu

"'The Spirit of Radio' actually goes back to high school. I covered it with my high school band, Regency, so for nostalgic reasons, we thought it would be fun to try it with the Spree." - frontman Tim DeLaughter

The first eight seconds of "John The Fisherman", including the "YYZ" intro, are also used to begin the followup album, Frizzle Fry, seemingly to make it seem as if the wrong album were being played.

Known to be Rush fans, Primus toured with Rush on the Roll the Bones and Counterparts tours, and bass player Les Claypool also performed on "The Big Dance" on Alex Lifeson's solo project, Victor. For their 2000 Antipop tour they sold a concert t-shirt with artwork similar to the 2112 cover. Alex Lifeson appeared on their Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People DVD, interviewing the band as "Big Al", wearing black rimmed glasses and fake crooked teeth (the DVD also includes a photo of Les Claypool and Geddy Lee fishing, and a scene backstage where Les shows the camera his Geddy Lee autographed bass). Their third DVD, Blame It On The Fish, includes a 30-min. mockumentary set in 2065, where a 102 year-old Les Claypool reminisces about the band, and mentions Rush and/or Geddy lee on three separate occasions.

"Primus toured with Rush on their Roll the Bones tour. They're the one band that we're all fans of, and Alex is way up there on my personal list of important guitar players. It's him and Eddie Van Halen probably. I was always really into the Moving Pictures album and I love "The Trees" with that classical intro. That's what's great about Alex - he's so well rounded. He plays innovative chords, incredible melodies, and solos that just stick in your head. He combines all that with a great tone and an amazing use of effects - I mean there's no way you can improve that." - Larry LaLonde, Guitar Player, September 2007

"I thought it was fantastic! I thought it was hilarious! I love it, I'm glad they did it. It's totally cool." - Geddy Lee, Radio.com, November 12, 2013

A promo CD was also released containing an "Alternative Punchit Scratchit Remix" and a "Rock Slamfist Remix".

"I thought it was kind of unique, you don't hear Rush music on many major releases [laughs]... so i thought it was kinda cool, a hip hop version is so different, it was kind of fun." - Alex Lifeson, Big O, October 1998

"I thought the remix of 'Tom Sawyer' was great, and a few stations have even been playing this lately. What pissed me off was that some of our fans were calling up these stations and denouncing the newer version and demanding it not be played." - Geddy Lee (source unknown)

"...this tune actually is the influence of both Beck and Eric Johnson mixed together. However, the intro has a definite Alex Lifeson approach, with the suspended chord arpeggiated and the ninth added. I got to hear Alex play in concert for a number of weeks when my group opened for Rush, and I always liked his tasteful chord voicings. After I heard Alex and Rik Emmett, I thought there must be something special in the Canadian water." - Major Impacts linernotes.

"The Steve Morse Band was on the Power Windows tour, and it is a highlight of my career. I remember Alex as being one of the most relaxed and cordial rock stars I'd ever met. I loved the way he used big chord voicings with open strings included to make a broad backdrop for the tunes. Some of his voicings have become classics of the electric guitar-like his chords in 'Limelight.' Everything about that tour was great. Rush is one of the most original, honestly hard-working, solid-as-a-rock bands. Bands like Rush and Dream Theater are the role models that show bands can exist by constantly pleasing their devoted fan base with great music. Thanks, Alex, Geddy, and Neil!" - Steve Morse Guitar Player, September 2007

"I went to that show cause I hadn't seen Matt [Cameron] since we finished [My Favorite Headache], and I met some of those guys when we were in Seattle doing the record, so it was nice. I'd never seen Pearl Jam live, they're a terrific band live...so they wanted to embarrass me anyway they could, so they did that. I don't know how many people picked up on it, certainly there was a cross-section of people that definitely picked up on it, so there was a definite buzz in the room at the time." - Geddy Lee, WMMR Interview, December 18, 2000

"The song ['Serenity'] was inspired by a book I read by Neil Peart, Ghost Rider: Travels On The Healing Road, and it's about the tragedies he went through. The poor guy lost his wife and kid within a 10-month period, his dog died, and then his best friend went to prison for dealing weed when he was supposed to go out with him and ride his motorcycle to just clear his head and help comfort him. He had been through so much, he just got on his motorcycle, and within 14 months drove 55,000 miles - from Canada to Alaska, to America, to Belize, Mexico, back to Canada — and basically journaled out this thing about how he tried to heal himself and not put a noose around his neck. It's just an amazing book, and the meaning I got out of it was so inspirational, because I'm thinking, 'God, if a guy can get through that kind of @#%$, why should I @#%$ about anything?' That's pretty heavy duty. So I got this beautiful song, and the cool part to the story is, I got to meet Neil Peart and hand him this song and ask him to play drums on it. Though he had to decline because they were touring and stuff, he wrote me back a letter and signed my book, wished me the best of luck, and kind of gave me his approval on the song, because I was really nervous about it. For one, he's one of my drum heroes, and for two, I didn't want him to feel like I was prying into his life on such a sensitive subject." - Godsmack vocalist Sully Erna, Metal Edge, March 2003

"Being able to meet Neil Peart a couple of times, that was, for me... I didn't need to meet anyone else after that. As much as I love the Steven Tylers and the Joe Perrys and the James Hetfields, Neil Peart... that guy changed my life as a musician. I quit school because of RUSH... Other than that, it was, like, really, that's all I did - I studied RUSH. I sat home and strapped on headphones and played Moving Pictures and Exit... Stage Left and Signals and all these great albums." - Blabbermouth.com, October 17, 2016

A DJ mash-up of Annie Lennox's "Little Bird" with Rush's "The Spirit Of Radio", Go Home Productions also released "Annie's Stoned Rush", a mash-up of Annie Lennox's "Little Bird", The Rolling Stone's "Satisfaction" and Rush's "The Spirit Of Radio".

"Must admit I'm still pleasantly surprised by the reactions to this. More emails than I care to mention after making it available through the mailing list. It's Annie Lennox 'Little Bird' drunkenly thrown at Rush's 'Spirit Of Radio'. For some stupid reason both tracks work really well together. The version I play out starts with the Rolling Stones 'Satisfaction' then morphs into Rush halfway through." Mark Vidler, Go Home Productions, May 2004

Gilbert was the guitarist for the band Mr. Big, who opened for Rush on the Presto tour; he was known for playing his guitar with a power drill. Gilbert also collaborated with Mike Portnoy and others for Cygnus And The Sea Monsters - One Night In Chicago.

"My first big arena rock tour was when Mr. Big supported Rush on their Presto tour. One of the best memories of my life is running up and down the stairs of the arena every day while Rush was doing their soundcheck. I felt truly lucky. Some people jog to a Walkman. I could jog to Rush live every day! I love Alex's guitar playing so much. I spent countless hours playing along with Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, and 2112 when I was a teenager. I love his shimmering chords, his giant single-note riffs, and his memorable and air-guitar-inspiring solos. Plus, he had an awesome perm, giant bell bottoms, and a kimono. Damn! My favorite rock instrumental songs are by Rush. When I began to write my own instrumental record, I used late-'70s Rush music as my sonic template. The song 'Hurry Up' was the result. Actually, 'Hurry Up' means Rush!" - Paul Gilbert, Guitar Player, September 2007

"The first arena tour we did was opening up for Rush, who were huge musical heroes of mine. I remember the first day I showed up at the arena; I was led into the catering room where everybody was eating, and Geddy Lee was sitting there eating lunch. I had told myself beforehand just be cool around those guys. Don't freak out or anything. But I couldn't help myself. I ran up to Geddy and said. 'You're the greatest, man. I love you guys.' I immediately felt embarrassed." - Paul Gilbert, BossUS.com, 2007

The album includes the song "Many Places in a Rush", a tribute to Rush, and features album art designed by Rush's long time art designer Hugh Syme. Both 4front's drummer Joe Bergamini and guitarist/keyboardist Zak Rizvi were with the popular New York based rush tribute band "Power Windows" for 11 years. In addition, Joe is senior drum editor with Hudson Music and co-producer of Neil Peart's Taking Center Stage DVD, who appeared with him in it as interviewer.

"The track 'Grace Under Pressure' (originally titled 'Blue Zone B') is a prime example of the band's ability to time travel while (musically speaking) keeping one foot in the present. 'Hearing Rush's Moving Pictures, from 1981, was a turning point for me,' says Barnett. The song reimagines Alex Lifeson's 1980s guitar style as a 21st Century invention (think Rush's 'Red Sector A' with a post-Cold War twist). 'The mid-period Alex Lifeson style is where he really focused on chord textures and inner voicings,' says Barnett, who picked up the violin at age five and switched to guitar in his early teens. 'It's not something you hear that often in an instrumental song, because so often those types of songs are about the lead line. In our song the bass is carrying the melody and root notes.'" - Magna Carta Records

"The song is definitely a tip of the hat to RUSH. We're such fans - they've been a huge influence on us, and we continue to admire and look up to them. One of the great things about them is how they write really uplifting songs with positive messages, but they always sound cool. It's really interesting. 'The Spirit Of Radio', 'Limelight' - those are big, big songs with big arena-rock riffs in a major key. Even 'Free Will' has that. The songs aren't dark, but they're tough. It's really hard to write something that can cut both ways like that, but that was my goal. 'The Looking Glass' has a few different stylistic changes: There's the RUSH arena-rock major riff, but the verses are tricky as far as time signatures, and the style is a little darker. The pre-choruses are very pretty and flowing - they're in half-time - and the choruses open up and get really hooky. From verse to pre-chorus to chorus to riff, you've got a lot of musical styles, and that helps to keep things interesting." - John Petrucci (guitarist), Music Radar, September 12, 2013

A semi-parody of "2112", this song tells the story of the band heading to "6969" only to find sex has been outlawed. They directly use the line "I know it's most unusual to come before you so...", and one of song's subsections is titled "To Sleep, Perchance to Cream". In addition, the tray insert features a parody of Rush's starman where the star is replaced with a red Star of David (relating to the lead singer's Jewish background, which is often played for humor in their music), but gives credit where credit is due "with love and respect to Hugh Syme and Rush." The official video for the song also features the Counterparts nut & bolt at 3:09, and Rush is thanked the credits.