2112

The album where it all began! The first truly progressive release from the Canadian trio. After three albums where Rush was still trying to find out their true calling, came this near-masterpiece.

Poor critical reception towards their previous effort sparked a positively violent reaction from the band, who refused to give in to the musical business's demands. Music biz wanted something more accessible and mainstream, but Rush gave them a concept album dealing with the theme of tyranny, abuse of power, and restraints upon artistic freedom. Little did they imagine that more than 40 years later, 2112 would be considered one of the band's many milestones.

The title track, which filled the entire side A, wasn't their first epic. Fly By Night gave us "By-Tor & the Snow Dog", while Caress of Steel gave us "The Necromancer" and "The Fountain of Lamneth", but none of them had the energy, the creativity, and the virtuosity of the band that "2112" had. Its story is neatly told and interwoven with the music, in a way that both complement each other perfectly. The first two sections set the tone, with the time signatures that would become the band's trademark and an amazing guitar solo that showed Alex Lifeson shredding prowess. Next comes "Discovery" , which perfectly describes what any person would probably do upon touching and playing a guitar for the first time after discovering it. "Presentation" ends with another genial guitar solo, backed by a solid rhythm section that never strays behind. "Oracle: the Dream" is the weakest and fortunately the shortest section, followed by the superb "Soliloquy", with a slower, heavier, and denser beat. "Grand Finale"... well, the title says it all.

Side B starts with the powerful "A Passage to Bangkok", another guitar feast. "Twilight Zone" and "Lessons" are nice fillers, followed by a love ballad, "Tears" . This song is a lesson on how NOT to do a love song. After Fly by Night's "Rivendell", it is in my "worst Rush songs" list. "Something for Nothing", on the other hand, is a magnificent closer, with powerful riffs and lyrics.

A 4-star album, the first in a long streak of excellent albums, the real beginning of the band's successful career.