Transcript: "A Farewell to Kings? Maybe Not..." - Classic Rock, February 2025

The new (February) issue of Classic Rock magazine features Rush 50 on the cover, and includes the feature story "A Farewell to Kings? Maybe Not...".  Sitting down to talk about the upcoming Rush 50 compilation, Geddy and Alex talk about some of the early performances included in the set, as well as the final tour, and the Taylor Hawkins tribute shows. - Thanks to John Patuto for the transcript!

Wallpaper Update - images from "The Albums: 1989-1996"

Recently the limited edition boxed set The Albums: 1989-1996 was released exclusively through the Rhino and Rush Backstage Club stores. The set contains vinyl reissues of Rush's first four albums with Atlantic Records. In addition, each album includes a print of reimagined cover artwork by artist Hugh Syme, which are now available as wallpaper for your desktop. Check them out at the bottom of my Rush Art Gallery & Desktop Wallpaper page here. - Thanks to John Patuto of Cygnus-X1.net for sharing his raw scans!

Transcript: "The Bonesman" - Rock Power, October 1991

I've just transcribed an article published 33 years ago upon the release of Roll The Bones. In "The Bonesman" from the October 1991 issue of the UK's Rock Power magazine, Geddy likens the transition and changes in writing and recording from Hold Your Fire through the freshness of Roll the Bones to a similar transition made when moving on from Hemispheres to Permanent Waves. - Thanks to Scott Hanson for providing the original article!

Transcript: "How The New Rush Tour Film 'Time Stand Still' Came Together On Lake Muskoka" - MuskokaNewsWatch.com, November 19, 2016

Thanks to RushFanForever for providing this news story, "How The New Rush Tour Film 'Time Stand Still' Came Together On Lake Muskoka", about Bryan Gardner, editor of the documentary released eight years ago this month. It's an interesting story, as Gardner gives some of the behind the scenes details and points out "Rush really represents the end of an era - will there ever be a 41 year rock band again when there's so much 'one and done' stuff going on in the industry? We had to be willing to say it's the end and when you watch the film you know for sure it is."

Transcript: "Rush Looks Back At Road To Stardom" - Calgary Herald, November 10, 1998

Today's transcript was published the day Different Stages was released (26 years ago this month!).  In "Rush Looks Back At Road To Stardom" from the November 10, 1998 edition of the Calgary Herald, Geddy looks back on the band's history and growth over the years, including vehicles the band traveled in back in the early days, among other things.

Transcript: "Rush Show Their Hand" - Metal Hammer, February 6, 1989

Three weeks after the release of A Show of Hands, Neil Peart was interviewed in "Rush Show Their Hand" from the February 6, 1989 issue of Metal Hammer magazine. Neil discusses the process of recording big band sounds for his drum solo, and also succinctly explains why the tracks on the album version are cherry picked from multiple shows (comments which likely apply to Different Stages as well) while the video version is from a single show. - Thanks to Scott Hansen for providing the article!

Transcript: "Rush Returns From Triumphant European Tour" - Toronto Globe And Mail, August 23, 1977

Published on the eve of the release of A Farewell to Kings, "Rush Returns From Triumphant European Tour" is a fairly straight-forward yet succinct history of the band up through the All The World's A Stage UK tour, published in Entertainment Weekly Toronto on August 26, 1977. This article concludes with a frequent comment from the era: "Is it not strange though, that Rush had to go to the States to achieve some kind of recognition? We should count ourselves lucky that Rush have decided to stay north of the border, thereby giving the Canadian music industry much prestige and putting Toronto on the map as a breeding ground for up and coming stars, instead of a barren ground upon which seeds of talent fall unnoticed…" - Thanks to Randy Jackson for providing the article!

Transcript: "Makin' Magic" - RAW, November 29, 1989

Today's transcript addition is "Makin' Magic", an interview with Alex Lifeson from the November 29, 1989 issue of RAW magazine, published just a week after the release of Presto. Alex touches on potentially adding touring member(s), switching to from Mercury to Atlantic, various side projects and more. Following the interview, he names his then three favorite Rush albums: 2112, Moving Pictures and Hold Your Fire. - Thanks to Scott Hansen for providing the article!

 

Transcript: "Life In The Fast Lane With Rush" - Record Week , August 22, 1977

Today's transcript addition is "Life In The Fast Lane With Rush" from Canada's Record Week magazine, August 22, 1977.  This article, "a brief profile on the band's rise to fame" was published the week A Farewell to Kings was released.  It does an admirable job of lambasting Canada's press and radio at the time for continuing to ignore Rush, even after their success following 2112 and All The World's A Stage. - Thanks to Brad Smith for sending the article!

Transcript: "Rush - Brains & Brawn", Hit Parader, November 2007

It's been awhile since I've added any old articles to the Transcript Archive, and I've literally got a stock of magazine clippings waiting for my attention.   I'll try to add a new transcript weekly over the coming months.  

Today's addition is "Rush - Brains & Brawn" from the November 2007 issue of Hit Parader magazine, an interview with Geddy Lee following the release of Snakes & Arrows.  Geddy talks about the importance of recording their live shows to learn how their songs sound to the live listener, as well as his most valuable signed baseballs, and his photography hobby. - Thanks to Scott Hansen for sending me the article!

Alex Lifeson's "Victor", 2024 Reissue Linernotes

Last Friday saw the release of the Victor reissue with bonus tracks on vinyl and cd.  The release includes new linernotes penned by superfan Ray Wawrzyniak which you will find in on my Victor page here.  Enjoy! 

Bubba's Book Club now part of the Transcript Archive

Hello to my fellow bibliophiles! Neil Peart originally shared 17 "Bubba's Book Club" posts to his blog, but sadly after his passing and subsequent reformatting of at NeilPeart.net, there are currently only 7 available. No fear, I have taken the time to go back through the internet archive and have added all 17 to my Transcript Archive. Click here, and then click on the "Neil Peart Collection" button then scroll down to the Bubba's Book Club section. Enjoy!

Transcript: "Burning For Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich" Press Release

A huge thanks to Ray Wawrzyniak for providing me a copy of the official Atlantic Press Release for "Burning For Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich".  Transcribed here, this press release was written by Neil Peart, and contains details not included in his linernotes essay (which you can find here).  When reading this, you may notice that Neil states "we had recorded no less than thirty-nine tunes, or about three hours and twenty minutes of music, and it became apparent that this was not going to fit onto one CD - or even two. Not wanting to put it out as an expensive multi-disc set, we decided to release three individual volumes".  So there were 39 tracks recorded, with plans for three volumes to be released, followed by a boxed set compilation of all three.  Of the 39 tracks, there are 18 on Vol 1, and 14 on Vol 2, although the final track of Vol 2 was recorded later (in 1996), so only 13 from Vol 2 were from the original 39 tracks; this means that there are 8 unreleased tracks as Vol 3 was never released.

Wallpaper update for standard 16:9 aspect ratio monitors

It's a small thing, but between the time when I first launched this website in 1998 and now, the typical aspect ratio of computer monitors has changed.  (Duh! right?)  I've altered my Wallpaper images in the past, so this isn't the first time I've updated this site, but I recently re-cropped and/or widened my offering of wallpaper images for a standard 16:9 aspect ratio. So images will be a perfect fit on your computer.  Enjoy!

Transcript: "Mastery and Mystery", Neil Peart's Foreword to "Rhythmic Composition: Featuring the Music of Porcupine Tree" by Gavin Harrison

I have added a new item to the Transcript Archive written by Neil Peart.  Back in 2014 Neil wrote "Mastery and Mystery", the foreword to Rhythmic Composition: Featuring the Music of Porcupine Tree by Gavin Harrison.  This is a real treat, reading Neil rave about Gavin Harrison and Porcupine Tree.  My two favorite drummers together. - Thanks to Mark Rosenthal for providing the transcript!

Transcript: "Piccadilly Tube Feels The Rush August 21st"

50 years ago today, Rush had their official industry debut at the Piccadilly Tube in Toronto to publicize the release of their debut single, "Not Fade Away"/"You Can't Fight It".  It is possible that the pictures of the band playing Piccadilly Tube shown during the Beyond The Lighted Stage documentary were taken at this event, as 250 members of the media were invited.   The following week RPM weekly, Canada's answer to Billboard magazine, announced the single's release "the week ending August 22nd, 1973".  The issue also included the story "Piccadilly Tube Feels The Rush August 21st" which states that Rush's debut album was to be released following the single, in early September '73.  We know however that due to the OPEC oil embargo the album was pushed back a couple of times, first to December before ultimately being released March 18, 1974.  The delays gave the band time to re-record some tracks in November '73 with Terry Brown.

Transcript: "Rejuvenated Rush Hits Grand Rapids On The Upswing", The Grand Rapids Press, October 23, 1996

Here's another new transcript, "Rejuvenated Rush Hits Grand Rapids On The Upswing," an interview with Neil Peart from the October 23, 1996, edition of the Grand Rapids Press. A great interview, Neil discusses his early days both in London before joining Rush, as well as auditioning for Geddy and Alex after the departure of Rutsey, and studying with Freddie Gruber following the Burning for Buddy tribute albums leading to his reinventing his approach to drumming for Test for Echo.

Transcript: "Andrew MacNaughtan TriNet Chat", December 15, 2002

On the Wallpaper pages of my website I have quotes from Andrew MacNaughtan from a TriNet chat he participated in shortly after the filming of Rush in Rio.  Andrew was not only Rush's photographer but also a close friend to the band, and his untimely passing due to a heart attack in 2012 at the young age of 47 came as a shock to all.   There aren't many interviews with Andrew, and when I recently found on my hard drive the TriNet chat in its entirety, I was surprised to realize it wasn't in my Transcript Archive.  And that leads us to my latest addition: Andrew MacNaugtan, TriNet Chat, December 15, 2002, which I hope you will enjoy.  On a related note, TriNet also once hosted a feature dubbed "An Introduction to Andrew MacNaughtan" which I have been unable to find; if you have it, drop me a line!

Transcript: "Interview: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson" - Now, June 10, 2010

Amazingly, it has been 13 years since the release of Beyond The Lighted Stage.  Here's an new (to me) interview with Geddy & Alex at the time of its release, from Toronto's Now.  Classic Geddy: "I think it's kind of a miracle that they made an interesting film, when they had this material to work with." - Thanks to RushFanForever for unearthing this article!

Transcript: "Rush: Something Special For Everyone", Northeast Ohio Scene, February 14 1980

I've just transcribed "Rush: Something Special For Everyone" from the February 14, 1980, issue of Northeast Ohio's "Scene" newspaper.   This is a great interview with Geddy Lee where he touches on the early days of Rush, and even gives an explanation of Rutsey's leaving.  Geddy also gives Rush's credo which was already was well established by then: "Here we are, three musicians who want to make music. And that's all we care about - making music, and making the kind of music that we like. That's got to be first priority. From the band's inception it was 'We're going to do this on our terms-no one else's terms. No record company, no radio station, no management is going to dictate what we sound like'. So when you think of it in that term, you just do what you naturally do. And that's all we've ever done." - Thanks to John Harrison for sending the article!