Garage Sale Vinyl 8-Track Edition: Rush
Rush / Moon Records March 1974 / Mercury Records August 1974
by Christopher Long
Although Rush would forge into fresh musical frontiers in future years, their first fistful of releases actually helped define the early and mid-‘70s Camaro rock era. Hence, I was amped to spot a copy of their 1974 self-titled debut among an array of other 8-track classics during my recent visit to Marley’s Music in Biloxi, Mississippi, for a buck!
Given the frustrating musical complexity of subsequent Rush records, my preferred Florida hometown bands of the day typically opted to cover more straight-ahead first-album tracks, including “What You’re Doing” and “Working Man,” mixed in among other such FM staples of the time as “Cat Scratch Fever,” “Gimme Three Steps,” and “Whole Lotta Love.”
A fabulous forum for the four-on-the-floor fury of original drummer John Rutsey, Rush was also a high-octane vehicle for the early meat-and-potatoes guitar work of Alex Lifeson and the fist-pumping bass lines of Geddy Lee. Additionally, it was the perfect platform on which to introduce the world to Lee’s unique and now iconic vocal style.
Truth be told, to this day, there’s not much that can get my heart racing quite like the turbo-charged riffage of “Finding My Way,” “Need Some Love,” and “In the Mood.” However, I gotta say that I still remain partial to the more chill, mind-expanding vibe of “Here Again.”
Like so many other “Garage Sale Vinyl” classics in my collection, I’ve owned Rush several times and in different configurations since my high school stoner daze. My most recent vinyl copy accompanies Fly by Night and Caress of Steel, as part of the Archives anthology. BTW, I snatched up that lil’ treasure, for FREE!
5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rush Track List
SIDE ONE
1. Finding My Way (G. Lee, A. Lifeson) – 5:03
2. Need Some Love (G. Lee, A. Lifeson, J. Rutsey) – 2:16
3. Take a Friend (G. Lee, A. Lifeson) – 4:27
4. Here Again (G. Lee, A. Lifeson) – 7:30
SIDE TWO
1. What You’re Doing (G. Lee, A. Lifeson) – 4:19
2. In the Mood (G. Lee) – 3:36
3. Before and After (G. Lee, A. Lifeson) – 5:33
4. Working Man (G. Lee, A. Lifeson) – 7:10
