Roll The Bones: Rush For Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame!
Earlier this week, Wired ran a piece on the (much-maligned) Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame, and the curious absence of Rush from the Hall's ranks. It's a topic that has been brought up with increasing regularity since 1998, the year Rush first became eligible for the Hall.
As one might imagine, Rush's fans, as diehard as they come, have for years had a sore spot in their air-drumming forearms about this dis. It's hard not to feel their pain. Rush is huge. They move tons of records. They sell out arenas. They've been around for over thirty years.
Rush should be in the Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame.
Not that they want it. Guitarist Alex Lifeson has (in)famously refered to the Hall as "a joke." And, yes, the Hall is well-loathed only by those who care enough to loathe it. But it's the only Rock Hall of Fame we've got. So let's look at a random few reasons (of many) why Rush should be ushered in NOW. Or next year we mean, because the newest inductees were just announced, and Rush ain't on the list. But we digress. Those reasons:
1. The three members (Geddy Lee, Lifeson, Neil Peart) have been in the band for thirty five years. No lineup changes since 1974, when Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey prior to Rush's first tour. Name another band that has lasted that long without lineup changes. Only one readily comes to this mind: U2. And they're in the Hall of Fame.
2. They have sold over 40 million units worldwide. They have had albums go Gold in four consecutive decades. It's hard to argue with the numbers.
3. They have constantly changed their sound. They began as Zeppelin ripoffs, but soon progressed (in many good, and a few bad, senses of the word) into sci-fi driven crafters of long-form rock. They sharpened their guitar rock into a taut form at the turn of the 80s, only to move on to the reggae, ska and synths that was the aural hallmark of that decade. The 90s saw them return to six-string flexing, a sound they have continued to hone to the present day.
4. They put a hot chick on the cover of 1980's Permanent Waves, giving all of their male teenage fans something they couldn't have.
5. Geddy Lee recorded a single with canuck comics Bob and Doug McKenzie. The single, Take Off, was released in 1981 and features Geddy singing vocals on the chorus.
6. They know how to play their instruments. Eff punk and its Palin-esque celebration of lack of technical talent. (Look, punk is great, but talented instrumentation can be nice, too.)
7. The intro to YYZ, the Simmons drums on Red Lenses, the giant Monopoly board in the video for The Big Money, Xanadu, their hair on the back cover of 2112, and Aimee Mann's vocals on Time Stand Still.
7.5. The keyboard break in YYZ.
This list could go on and on, but really, these seven and half reasons should provide more than enough support to get these three hosers into the Hall. Fortunately, there ARE signs of a thaw in the anti-Rush deepfreeze, specifically a big article on them in a certain magazine controlled by a certain guy that hates Rush. But we'll believe it when see Rush jamming onstage with Bruce, Neil and all of the other regulars at some future black tie induction ceremony. Until then, we'll be rereading the lyrics to Hemispheres.
