Rush - Rush

1. Finding My Way 
2. Need Some Love
3. Take A Friend
4. Here Again
5. What You’re Doing
6. In the Mood
7. Before And After
8. Working Man

Rush’s self-titled debut album is unique in that it is the only release in the trio’s extensive catalogue on which the celebrated drummer and lyricist Neil Peart cannot be heard. This distinction is fundamental to the fascinating and unconventional history of Rush, an album whose direct performances and straightforward songwriting continue to captivate listeners more than five decades after its original release in March 1974.

The band’s line-up at the time—Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and John Rutsey—entered Eastern Sound Studios in 1973 to record their first session with producer Dave Stock. However, these recordings suffered from significant production shortcomings. Aware that these issues had to be corrected, especially given the importance of making a strong first impression, Rush returned later that autumn to work with recording engineer Terry Brown at Toronto Sound.

The improvements made by Brown were dramatic. Essential new overdubs, together with the recording of three new songs, put the project firmly back on track and lived up to the band’s motto at the time: “Energized Rock”!

Rush quickly established a reputation as a formidable live band, having developed their chemistry over nearly five years at high-school dances, bars, small arenas and almost every other type of venue in which a rock ’n’ roll band could perform. Their ambition eventually led them into the studio to release an LP without the backing of a record label.

Working together with their management, the band’s own Moon Records label pressed 3,500 copies of Rush, most of which were intended for sale in their native Canada. Although the album began gaining momentum primarily in the band’s home province of Ontario, it was promotion by Cleveland radio station WMMS that, through a fortunate turn of events, ultimately brought Rush to the attention of the mainstream.

Drawn to the working-class themes in the lyrics, DJ Donna Halper added “Working Man” to the station’s rotation after receiving a copy of the record from an A&M Records manager who had befriended the band. She subsequently began taking calls from listeners who wanted to know the identity of Rush and where they could obtain a copy of the LP.

Shortly after Rush achieved its breakthrough in Cleveland, Mercury Records stepped in to reissue the album and distribute it internationally. Another dramatic twist of fate helped shape the band into the Rush we know today. Despite his solid playing, drummer John Rutsey departed at the end of July 1974, shortly before Mercury released its edition of the subsequently gold-certified album Rush.

A combination of health problems and incompatibility with the musical interests of Lee and Lifeson led to his departure and cleared the way for Neil Peart. His audition impressed his future bandmates so greatly that he was hired that very same night. Lee, Lifeson and Peart would go on to change the course of musical and cultural history.

MFSL now presents Rush in audiophile reference quality for the first time. Mastered from the original tapes at MoFi’s California studio, this strictly numbered hybrid SACD delivers the finest sound quality the album has ever received.

This collectable reissue features the iconic cover artwork and establishes new standards in spaciousness, transparency and dynamics. No previous version offers this degree of warmth, clarity and impact. Turn up the volume and enjoy this rock classic!