RUSH

A fun debut album from one of my all-time favorite bands. Rush's first release smacks of bluesy Led Zepplitude, and is a far cry from where they'd end up in future releases. Still, despite the fact that their legendary drummer hadn't yet joined ranks, "Rush" still cranks out some great songs-- and even some concert favorites. As a whole, Alex's guitar smokes, while Geddy's bass is equally impressive, but neither are as experimental as they will come to be down the road.

"Finding My Way" is impossible not to sing-along to, while "Working Man" remains powerful enough (despite the group's gigantic output through the past 3 decades!) to have closed their last two tours. While Geddy's libido drives the third big song which everyone remembers, "In the Mood", I prefer the often forgotten "Here Again" and "Before and After", both of which show off the band's early dynamics and songwriting which foreshadows the coolness to come once Peart joins.

All in all a great album for fans of the band, but a poor introduction for neophytes (those from outside the progressive world, anyway).

Songwriting: 2 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 2 Style/Emotion/Replay: 4