FLY BY NIGHT

The real beginning to the prog Rush. The Zep proggy elements start to appear such as in songs like Beneath, Between & Behind - Alex isn't just playing da hard rock blooze anymore. The songs have variety in sound. More clarity, not always your basic HM overdriven tone. The acoustic in Making Memories make this their Ramble On, but without an Electric guitar led chorus. Rivendell would be their first attempt at a darker mood. The effect would be used more widely on Caress of Steel & 2112. Of course, the plainest sign that they were "progging" is By-Tor & the Snow Dog. Epic length track with the middle "battle" part. If I remember correctly, this tune was my favourite for about six months in the 1977 mid year. Whether on this album or All the World's a Stage, you could find me listening to it a lot. Anthem, Fly by Night & In The End would see them start to exhaust the Zep influence in song structure & Best I Can would be the end for the basic hard rock conventions in Rush songwriting. Already, we can see 2112 in the mist. They would do a dress rehearsal with Caress of Steel, but with hindsight, 2112 was to be the natural progression from FBN.