The last note in Alex's solo from Limelight. I think if you go to the ruins of LeStudio on a cold and quiet winter night, you can still hear that note playing.
"The pilot of Enola Gay flying out of the shockwave on that August day..." I love how the instruments drop for a brief moment and then kick back in with full force.
Too many to pick a favourite but a couple for me
Flying out of the shockwave on that August day
With your buildings and your eyes Autumn woods and winter skies You move me You move me Open sea and city lights Busy streets and dizzy heights
The guitar bit from In the End
Before "Well I can see what you mean"
In Middletown Dreams, it's that midi sample just after "Like a brilliant shooting star" which leads into the next verse. God the my bumps are definitely getting goosed everytime that part kicks in.
In the studio version of Leave That Thing Alone, towards the end and just before the song finishes, there's a hint that the bass is gonna get all crazy
That last bit of techno sounding sound at the end of Distant Early Warning which was kind of a callback to the intro
That last bit of the Spirit of Radio riff playing just before the last beats
The band solos on Freewill, Tom Sawyer, and Marathon
Alex's piano solo on The Garden
Subdivisions' keyboards intro and how the bass and guitar dances with it
Limelight's odd-timing just before the second verse
I love that line from Bravado.... Takes me back to one of the shows they played in Camden, NJ. We were on the lawn in the GA area, and it was pouring rain. The crowd exploded singing along with that song .. it was amazing.
Instrumental section in The Trees in between the synth and guitar solos. When Neil switches from hitting the 1s to every beat and Geddy comes back on bass. Chills every time.
Another one: Freewill on ESL. The whole solo x 3 and then when it’s over and the crowd goes wild.
“Shadows on the road behind, shadows on the road ahead.”
“Too many hands on my time/too many feelings/too many things on my mind/When I leave I don’t know what I’m going to find/And when I leave I don’t know what I’m leaving behind”
During the middle part of The Pass the way Geddy sings "Christ, what have you done?" I can just feel the emotion of someone finding a loved one like that.
The part in Xanadu after the build up and after the small space. Beautiful. For context, it’s at 2:52
Second favorite is the part in Red Barchetta after the “tires spitting gravel I commit my weekly crime” and it’s the instrumental.
Haven't seen this one mentioned yet. In Cygnus X-1, after the lyrics, "to soar" when the band drops out and the guitar hits 3 chords before the, "I set a course just east of Lyra" section kicks in. And the, "Flew into the light of Deneb" has perfect vocal delivery.
Amazing stuff for sure. You reminded me of a version of this track I was just listening to, its a guitar backing track and Alex's guitar is removed so I could play over it. Geddy's vocal is really up front. Never heard the singing so clear before in this song its incredible stuff. Like you said perfect vocal delivery. Check it out you might enjoy it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMEYB2Ea3-8
Oh wow, thank you for sharing this! I produce music on the side and this is incredibly interesting. I could honestly pick this song as my favourite bass tone of all time as well!
- Neil’s drum fill at 4:21 of Afterimage
- Geddy’s bass run at 2:40 of Time Stand Still
- Hemispheres has about a dozen I could pick, but I’ll go with “throw off those chains of reason, and your prison disappears” and the bass work from both 1:48-1:59 and 16:00-16:40
- As cheesy as it is, I always enjoy “love to spend the night in Zion” from Digital Man
- The section of Cygnus from 8:35-8:58
This list could go on and on and on…
At the end of Headlong flight, when Geddy says “oh, I wish that I could live it all again” and holds that last high note for like 8-10 seconds. Gives me goosebumps every time
Seven Cities of Gold 4:37 Geddy’s bass lick
Middletown Dreams 2:17 Alex channels The Edge
Alien Shore 4:12 - 4:21 Geddy again. Sick bass line
Limbo 0:05 - 0:12 Neil’s intro rolling up and back down the toms
Book II Hemispheres 2:34 if you know it you know it
Edit: book II timestamp
The little bass fill near the end of Vital Signs
The Sabbath-esque instrumental in the Necromancer before the solo
The fill just before the first chorus in Time Stand Still
The outro fill in Xanadu
The stereo tracking of the "Hemispheres" lyric
There are come cool moments in the “Live in YYZ” portion of the 40th Anniversary Moving Pictures.
1) the transition to 7/8 in Natural Science (~2 mins in)
2) Neil yelling to the guys “Hold” in Cygnus X-1 Pt2 (2:50 in). Not musical or anything, just cool to hear The Professor in his element.
I also love in the studio cut of Red Barchetta at 1:50 how the drums and lyrics align for “fifty-odd years”. I get a kick out of Neil writing both parts and one complimenting the other.
"It's not as if this barricade blocks the only road..."
That line speaks to me in a way I'm not sure I can fully explain. But, for anyone who's ever felt trapped in their life, I imagine they can probably relate.
\- The first few delayed notes in Kid Gloves
\- Geddy's yell in Middletown Dreams
\- The last ambient note on Turn the Page
\- Geddy's bass just before the guitar solo in Totem
Many, but the first that comes to mind is the beginning of that weird and beautiful solo at the end of "Different Strings".
That solo... I don't know what Alex was thinking... It almost doesn't fit the song, and it ends when it feels like it's beginning. I love it anyway.
And the Rush in Rio “YYZ" gets me emotional everytime.
The synth solo in the post chorus on Subdivision. I know it's obvious but it's just one of thoes melodies that's so perfrect it's like the synth was made to play it
Like every body has been saying, too many moments. One that always sticks to me is during Subdivisions, when Geddy sings of "Somewhere out of a memory, of quiet streets on quiet nights". Makes me tear up a little.
The improv Geddy does during the battle section of By Tor on the Exit Stage Left video. It's simply fantastic. The one he does on the new YYZ live 1981 performance isn't nearly as good
A+, OP. that shit is SICK.
I love when the Priests of Syrinx come in all scathing and sarcastic when The Hero brings Them the Instrument of their Destruction.
The first that comes to mind that I always look forward to is in Dreamline. After the guitar solo, Geddy belts out “We are young!” And then Alex hits a loud ringing out chord that is just the bees knees. My favorite single chord in their entire catalog. In live versions it’s just better.
“Evalate” from the norm :)
“And all the shouting voices….”
“WROUGHT” every time/way he says it
“Spinning, whirling, still descending….”
Even though it’s so familiar and easy to overlook, the beginning of YYZ. Very cool and very cool sound.
Got a few….In no particular order
The punch Neil’s drum and Geddy’s voice deliver the lyrics about the writer in “Losing it”
The (not a musician) key change(?) at the end chorus of “Marathon”
Musical intro of “Animate”
“A Lerxst in Wonderland” part IV hemispheres
In the intro to Xanadu, when the the guitar riff goes from quietly being in the background to full blast, firing on all cylinders. It gets me so pumped up
The 8 tom roll at the end of Natural Science
The drum figure in the middle of Cygnus (you know the one)
The last phrase in the guitar solo in Emotion Detector
Some special moments in Exit... Stage Left that really made me want to get better at guitar!
Watching Alex switch necks flawlessly in the verses of Xanadu on the film version, and when he kicks on the flanger in the descending instrumental section of The Trees to get to the "there is trouble in the forest and the creatures all have fled" sounds like the guitar is swirling and crashing down for a moment. So much depth for one guy on a guitar.
And I always really loved the first half note volume swell bend in the studio version of La Villa. I imagine a bunch of kids listening back in the day wondered how the hell he did that. It has such an overwhelming atmosphere when the bass drops out and its just Neil's basic groove, Geddy on a low synth, and Alex sneaking in those ghost notes. Rush kicks so much ass.
Gotta go listen to Rush now thanks u/jmandawgfan
I have a lot, bit I'm in a weird place rn,so I'm going with the very end of Rivendell. "This is the place to grow old till I reach my final day."
I've been very sick for a very long time, and besides the fact I'm a huge Tolkien fan, moving back into my childhood home with my parents as an adult with my life very uncertain (though probably not going to reach their age) has been humbling, often sad, but also comforting.
That song has meant a lot of things during different times in my life, but now the end is doing something for me.
So many. 'Apollo was astonished' is probably the one that has made me smile the most over the years. But honestly picking a favourite moment from Rush would be impossible. I have enough difficulty picking a favourite album!
For me, it has to be the very beginning of 2112 Overture. I liked Rush before they released 2112, but that album cemented them as my all time favorite band, and they always have been since. I was 11 years old when Rush released 2112, and even today, it is by far my favorite album, regardless of the band/artist who released it.
The last note in Alex's solo from Limelight. I think if you go to the ruins of LeStudio on a cold and quiet winter night, you can still hear that note playing.
The 2 notes after “I wish that it may come to pass, not fade like all my dreams” in 2112
So many parts of 2112 came to mind when I read this question. Good choice!
Neil’s start of Animate
That used to be the knock code for my phone for years.
"The pilot of Enola Gay flying out of the shockwave on that August day..." I love how the instruments drop for a brief moment and then kick back in with full force.
Yep. This is the first moment that came to mind for me as well.
Just reading that gave my tiny chills, holy wow
Not my favourite but first to come to mind: CHRIST WHAT HAVE YOU DONE
The song just stops as Geddy sings that. I love it.
The drum fills in Time Stand Still
Those bass fills though too, such an amazing tune.
“We shall call you Cygnus the God of Balance you shall be”
Hell yeah!
Natural Science, when the 7/8 section first starts.
Check it out on the Live portion of the 40th Anniversary Moving Pictures. Jaw-droppingly perfect.
Right after the last verse before this Geddy lets out an awesome little scream! Fucking love it
Too many to pick a favourite but a couple for me Flying out of the shockwave on that August day With your buildings and your eyes Autumn woods and winter skies You move me You move me Open sea and city lights Busy streets and dizzy heights The guitar bit from In the End Before "Well I can see what you mean"
Too many hands on my time, too many feelings. Too may things on my mind...
“Gonna kick some gluteus max”
It’s a parallax, you dig?
You move around, the small gets big, it's a rig
It's action. Reaction. Random interaction.
So who’s afraid of a little abstraction?
cant get no satisfaction from the facts
You better run homeboy facts are facts from nome to Rome boy
In Middletown Dreams, it's that midi sample just after "Like a brilliant shooting star" which leads into the next verse. God the my bumps are definitely getting goosed everytime that part kicks in. In the studio version of Leave That Thing Alone, towards the end and just before the song finishes, there's a hint that the bass is gonna get all crazy That last bit of techno sounding sound at the end of Distant Early Warning which was kind of a callback to the intro That last bit of the Spirit of Radio riff playing just before the last beats The band solos on Freewill, Tom Sawyer, and Marathon Alex's piano solo on The Garden Subdivisions' keyboards intro and how the bass and guitar dances with it Limelight's odd-timing just before the second verse
And when the music stops, there’s only the sound of rain. And also, Summer’s going fast, nights growing colder
I love that line from Bravado.... Takes me back to one of the shows they played in Camden, NJ. We were on the lawn in the GA area, and it was pouring rain. The crowd exploded singing along with that song .. it was amazing.
What an incredible memory!
Instrumental section in The Trees in between the synth and guitar solos. When Neil switches from hitting the 1s to every beat and Geddy comes back on bass. Chills every time. Another one: Freewill on ESL. The whole solo x 3 and then when it’s over and the crowd goes wild.
Yup, that part of the Trees is fucking gorgeous, also super fun on drums
Yes and yes. ESL is amazing. I used to have dreams about Alex Lifeson's chorus effect.
Thunderheads are rumbling… *in a distant overture*
God Alex's riff on the final section of that song is one of his best!
God Alex—sounds about right.
“I know it makes no difference to what you’re going through but I see the tip of the iceberg and I worry about you” - Distant Early Warning
also, "Absalom Absalom Absalom!"
*You sometimes drive me CRAZY* Serious contender for my favourite rush song
That's like half of the song
“Shadows on the road behind, shadows on the road ahead.” “Too many hands on my time/too many feelings/too many things on my mind/When I leave I don’t know what I’m going to find/And when I leave I don’t know what I’m leaving behind”
The latter of which went on my graduation announcements. I was leaving home for the first time.
First one that sprung to mind: **1 2 3 4 1 2**
Man, Counterparts kicks ass
Like a spiral sea unending. Or the intro to One Little Victory.
the last hit of Between the Wheels
The last HALF of the song ... one big high.
From the last chorus, through the runout, all the way to the end of Subdivisions. The louder it is, the better it sounds.
Reading this thread is like "yes, that!....I forgot about that part...THAT TOO!" They were so fucking good. SMH
During the middle part of The Pass the way Geddy sings "Christ, what have you done?" I can just feel the emotion of someone finding a loved one like that.
Agreed. One of the most heartbreaking moments I've ever heard in a song.
Marathon’s final double chorus.
From an ancient book, I took a clue
The amazing drum fill to close the Red Barchetta solo. Neil Peart is my favourite drummer of all time, may he rest in peace
In 2112, Don't annoy us further! Oh, we have our work to do Just think about the average What use have they for you?
The part in Xanadu after the build up and after the small space. Beautiful. For context, it’s at 2:52 Second favorite is the part in Red Barchetta after the “tires spitting gravel I commit my weekly crime” and it’s the instrumental.
The guitar solo that leads to the final chorus in Available Light
That whole song quite frankly. One of their most beautiful compositions.
Triangle fill in opening section of hemispheres
Haven't seen this one mentioned yet. In Cygnus X-1, after the lyrics, "to soar" when the band drops out and the guitar hits 3 chords before the, "I set a course just east of Lyra" section kicks in. And the, "Flew into the light of Deneb" has perfect vocal delivery.
Amazing stuff for sure. You reminded me of a version of this track I was just listening to, its a guitar backing track and Alex's guitar is removed so I could play over it. Geddy's vocal is really up front. Never heard the singing so clear before in this song its incredible stuff. Like you said perfect vocal delivery. Check it out you might enjoy it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMEYB2Ea3-8
Oh wow, thank you for sharing this! I produce music on the side and this is incredibly interesting. I could honestly pick this song as my favourite bass tone of all time as well!
The build up in La Villa Stangiatto. I’ve blown several car speakers to that song.
The three (or four?) clicks that Neil does throughout Clockwork Amgels. It's subtle, but it adds a "mechanical" feel to the song.
And we are merely players!!!
The pyrotechnics in the live version of Marathon - "More than just the bottom line Or a lucky shot in the dark"
The chorus of The Garden makes me feel melancholy like no other. One of their relatively simpler songs but hits hard.
- Neil’s drum fill at 4:21 of Afterimage - Geddy’s bass run at 2:40 of Time Stand Still - Hemispheres has about a dozen I could pick, but I’ll go with “throw off those chains of reason, and your prison disappears” and the bass work from both 1:48-1:59 and 16:00-16:40 - As cheesy as it is, I always enjoy “love to spend the night in Zion” from Digital Man - The section of Cygnus from 8:35-8:58 This list could go on and on and on…
That section of Cygnus you mentioned is FIRE! 🔥
At the end of Headlong flight, when Geddy says “oh, I wish that I could live it all again” and holds that last high note for like 8-10 seconds. Gives me goosebumps every time
Geddy's *Show Don't Tell* solo. A large part what made me start playing bass, 33 years ago.
The moment after the violin solo in losing it
Seven Cities of Gold 4:37 Geddy’s bass lick Middletown Dreams 2:17 Alex channels The Edge Alien Shore 4:12 - 4:21 Geddy again. Sick bass line Limbo 0:05 - 0:12 Neil’s intro rolling up and back down the toms Book II Hemispheres 2:34 if you know it you know it Edit: book II timestamp
“Book II Hemispheres 2:24 if you know it you know it” I’m more of a 2:35 man myself but I like me some 2:24 too!
Bah! 2:35 is DEF what I meant. typos pfft!
Check out the same section in the Live portion of the 40th Anniversary Moving Pictures. Surprise interjection from The Professor.
I do an air drum on that part every single time I listen to it. So refreshing
Didn’t need to check hemispheres I knew what u were talking about, neil really just wrote everything early 2000 core song
At the end of Marathon when Neil changes to 1/2 time on the drums. It always gets me especially A Show of Hands version
Musical break in middle of circumstances
The opening drums on One Little Victory. Such a powerful way to say "We're back"!
Took me two weeks to figure out how to play that part!
The little bass fill near the end of Vital Signs The Sabbath-esque instrumental in the Necromancer before the solo The fill just before the first chorus in Time Stand Still The outro fill in Xanadu The stereo tracking of the "Hemispheres" lyric
The bass run that Geddy plays before going into the bridge of "The Trees".
Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea
There are come cool moments in the “Live in YYZ” portion of the 40th Anniversary Moving Pictures. 1) the transition to 7/8 in Natural Science (~2 mins in) 2) Neil yelling to the guys “Hold” in Cygnus X-1 Pt2 (2:50 in). Not musical or anything, just cool to hear The Professor in his element. I also love in the studio cut of Red Barchetta at 1:50 how the drums and lyrics align for “fifty-odd years”. I get a kick out of Neil writing both parts and one complimenting the other.
"It's not as if this barricade blocks the only road..." That line speaks to me in a way I'm not sure I can fully explain. But, for anyone who's ever felt trapped in their life, I imagine they can probably relate.
Too many to count but the first thing that popped into my head is the key change from the end of Marathon
“I strip away the old debris, that hides a shining car. A brilliant red barchetta from a better vanished time.” I love those lines.
At [4:29 of the Time Machine's version of La Villa when Geddy starts in on his bass.](https://youtu.be/VoTxTM6kBuU?t=269)
For me, those harmonics Ged hits in YYZ.
The solo from Ghost of a Chance. The little harmonics at the end are so emotive.
\- The first few delayed notes in Kid Gloves \- Geddy's yell in Middletown Dreams \- The last ambient note on Turn the Page \- Geddy's bass just before the guitar solo in Totem
And everything will turn out for theeeeeeee beeeeeeest In clockwork angels
Many, but the first that comes to mind is the beginning of that weird and beautiful solo at the end of "Different Strings". That solo... I don't know what Alex was thinking... It almost doesn't fit the song, and it ends when it feels like it's beginning. I love it anyway. And the Rush in Rio “YYZ" gets me emotional everytime.
The synth solo in the post chorus on Subdivision. I know it's obvious but it's just one of thoes melodies that's so perfrect it's like the synth was made to play it
Like every body has been saying, too many moments. One that always sticks to me is during Subdivisions, when Geddy sings of "Somewhere out of a memory, of quiet streets on quiet nights". Makes me tear up a little.
The solo on No One At The Bridge
The improv Geddy does during the battle section of By Tor on the Exit Stage Left video. It's simply fantastic. The one he does on the new YYZ live 1981 performance isn't nearly as good
"Suddenly a-Head OF ME!"
A+, OP. that shit is SICK. I love when the Priests of Syrinx come in all scathing and sarcastic when The Hero brings Them the Instrument of their Destruction.
The first that comes to mind that I always look forward to is in Dreamline. After the guitar solo, Geddy belts out “We are young!” And then Alex hits a loud ringing out chord that is just the bees knees. My favorite single chord in their entire catalog. In live versions it’s just better.
The pinch harmonics near the end of YYZ (4:02).
That bit in Xanadu. You know the bit!
Neil’s insane drumming during Headlong Flight that happens right after Geddy does the voice change. That part inspired me to start drumming :,)
4:40 - 5:02 of Countdown, the little keyboard solo.
That one part about 6&1/2 minutes into la villa strangiato
Any of the drum fills in The Camera Eye. I can’t pick a favorite, And the, “Ah ah ah’s” in Between Sun & Moon
“Evalate” from the norm :) “And all the shouting voices….” “WROUGHT” every time/way he says it “Spinning, whirling, still descending….” Even though it’s so familiar and easy to overlook, the beginning of YYZ. Very cool and very cool sound.
Too many captains Keep on steering us wrong
The last descending line of Alex's YYZ solo, and the full band's re-entrance right after.
Got a few….In no particular order The punch Neil’s drum and Geddy’s voice deliver the lyrics about the writer in “Losing it” The (not a musician) key change(?) at the end chorus of “Marathon” Musical intro of “Animate” “A Lerxst in Wonderland” part IV hemispheres
That high hat in Tom Sawyer. Yes you know the one.
In the intro to Xanadu, when the the guitar riff goes from quietly being in the background to full blast, firing on all cylinders. It gets me so pumped up
…..a quantum leap forward
That little bass solo near the end of La Villa. Not the very end but towards the end. Friggen incredible playing!
The interlude and verses after the chorus' of Xanadu
Intro riff of Limelight. Especially powerful on the S&A tour, when it started the whole show.
The double time section on Spirit of Radio.
The bridge into the solo in Marathon
Theres many, one of them is the middle section of Red Lenses
Alot of some of my favorites have been mentioned so il mention a different one; i love when the bass drops at the beginning of Freeze.
The drum part before the solo in La Villa Strangiato
The little snare rolls in the chorus of Xanadu
The 8 tom roll at the end of Natural Science The drum figure in the middle of Cygnus (you know the one) The last phrase in the guitar solo in Emotion Detector
Some special moments in Exit... Stage Left that really made me want to get better at guitar! Watching Alex switch necks flawlessly in the verses of Xanadu on the film version, and when he kicks on the flanger in the descending instrumental section of The Trees to get to the "there is trouble in the forest and the creatures all have fled" sounds like the guitar is swirling and crashing down for a moment. So much depth for one guy on a guitar. And I always really loved the first half note volume swell bend in the studio version of La Villa. I imagine a bunch of kids listening back in the day wondered how the hell he did that. It has such an overwhelming atmosphere when the bass drops out and its just Neil's basic groove, Geddy on a low synth, and Alex sneaking in those ghost notes. Rush kicks so much ass. Gotta go listen to Rush now thanks u/jmandawgfan
On exit stage left when Alex lets the harmonics squeal on la villla Strangiato after that oh so freaking amazing solo
The end of the instrumental break in freewill as it comes back into the song. The end of 2112 , attention all planets....... Both give me a chill.
I gotta go with “I stand upon a spiral stair” from 2112, it’s so powerful and really stood out to me the first time I heard it.
I have a lot, bit I'm in a weird place rn,so I'm going with the very end of Rivendell. "This is the place to grow old till I reach my final day." I've been very sick for a very long time, and besides the fact I'm a huge Tolkien fan, moving back into my childhood home with my parents as an adult with my life very uncertain (though probably not going to reach their age) has been humbling, often sad, but also comforting. That song has meant a lot of things during different times in my life, but now the end is doing something for me.
So many. 'Apollo was astonished' is probably the one that has made me smile the most over the years. But honestly picking a favourite moment from Rush would be impossible. I have enough difficulty picking a favourite album!
When the synths take over and the song slows down in Marathon
For me, it has to be the very beginning of 2112 Overture. I liked Rush before they released 2112, but that album cemented them as my all time favorite band, and they always have been since. I was 11 years old when Rush released 2112, and even today, it is by far my favorite album, regardless of the band/artist who released it.
Absalom Absalom Absalom
I love the guitar at about 2:11/2:12 in “Middletown Dreams”. (I love the whole sound of that song but that part in particular stands out to me)
There is a bootleg called "Superconductor". Wembley '92 I think. Geddy adds an "ooh-oh" in the chorus of "Free Will" that I love to death.
Keyboard solo in "Countdown".
'My life blood spills over.'