"Stygian Waves" linernotes and more

I've done a bit of rearranging of my Discography page, it now includes a tab for "Solo & Collaborations", sort of a broader catch-all area to hold Geddy and Alex's solo albums as well as Neil and Alex's collaborative side projects, Burning for Buddy and Envy of None. On that tab, you'll find Alex's latest release with Envy of None, Stygian Waves, including the liner notes and a new wallpaper collection.

"My '77 - Alex Lifeson" - Classic Rock #173, July 2012

Here's a short transcript of a clipping I saved 13 years ago LOL (where does the time go). Rush had recently released Clockwork Angels, when Classic Rock magazine issued a special Jubilee issue, where various artists' looked back on the music of 1977, the year of the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Alex Lifeson is interviewed in a short Q&A titled "My '77", where he discusses the music and events of that year including the recording of A Farewell To Kings.

Transcript: "How Signals Took On the 80s and Won" - PROG, April 2023

Published two years ago this month, I've added the full transcript of Rush features from PROG magazine's Signals 40th Anniversary issue, "How Signals Took On the 80s and Won!" Besides the cover feature, the transcript also includes short sidebars with Alex Lifeson talking about dealing with keyboards in the 80's, another with Hugh Syme discussing the artwork of both the original and the reissue, and lastly a review of the 40th Anniversary release.

Rush 50 Wallpaper images

Rush 50 was released two weeks ago, and I have added all images from the Super Deluxe Edition (with the exception of the graphic novel) to my Rush 50 and Wallpaper pages. I have to give a HUGE shout out once again to John Patuto at Cygnus-X1.net for sharing his images with me for our use!

Rush 50 Linernotes

The epic Rush 50 package was released this past Friday. Check out the linernotes here (with a huge thanks to John Patuto at Cygnus-X1.net for sharing the transcripts).  Check back soon for wallpaper images!

Transcript: "Alex Lifeson & Geddy Lee Talk About The Making Of Different Stages" - Spirit Of Rush, Winter 1998-1999

I've transcribed a pair of interviews from The Spirit of Rush fanzine's Winter 98/99 issue, separate interviews with Alex and Geddy where they talk about the making of Different Stages.  These interviews are great because they were given by diehard Rush fanatics who asked questions not typically asked by music journalists.  When reading this, one realizes Different Stages was released as a likely final bookend retrospective package for the fans, when the future of Rush was unknown.  Geddy even says "we were determined to make, what will more than likely be our last live album, we wanted it to be our final statement."  He goes on to talk about the song selection "there were several songs which we would have liked to have included, some which we unfortunately did not record - others, like for example 'Time And Motion', we had listed on about eight boxes of shows but when I listened to the tapes, it just wasn't there. We never found a single recorded version of it - which I was very upset about."

Transcript: "Some Rush: 20 Years To Hall of Fame" - Vancouver Province, March 20, 1994

It's been over 30 years since Rush was inducted into the Juno Awards Hall of Fame.  My latest transcript addition was published the morning of the awards ceremony, March 20, 1994, in the Vancouver Province newspaper.  "Some Rush: 20 Years To Hall of Fame" tells of the band's humble rise to greatness through artistic integrity, endless touring and commitment to their fans.  This article also includes a comment, as other stories from that era did, that Rush had plans to release a 20th Anniversary Retrospective, which of course never surfaced.

Transcript: "Neil Peart Was A Rock Wizard" - Kerrang!, January 25, 2020

Three weeks after the passing of Neil Peart, Dream Theater's John Petrucci penned "Neil Peart Was A Rock Wizard" in the January 25, 2020 issue of Kerrang! Magazine. Check it out here. - Thanks to RushFanForever for providing the transcript.

Transcript: "Dirk, Lerxst, Pratt... and the Caveman!" - Spirit Of Rush #23, Fall/Winter 1993

From the Fall/Winter 1993 issue of The Spirit of Rush fanzine, I've transcribed "Dirk, Lerxst, Pratt... and the Caveman!", an interview with Geddy Lee given shortly after the release of Counterparts. Hard core fans Neil Elliott and Mick Burnett used their knowledge of the band to ask Geddy more detailed questions than we would normally see. One item I took note of was that Geddy explains how "Different Strings" was originally named "Between Us", but was changed at the last minute to avoid confusion with another song, "Entre Nous" (which is of course 'Between Us' in English). Some original pressings of the album retained the "Between Us" song title (as shown in the article).

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!