March 18, 1974 marked the release of Rush's debut album. I'm a few weeks late but still thought this felt like a good time to commemorate that 50th anniversary! Pick the ONE weakest link! DISCUSSION: when did you first hear "Rush" and what did you think of the album at that time?
Probably around '78 or '79 when I bought Archives. Since I had gotten onboard with AFTK and 2112 I found the generic heavy Blues of the debut a tad regressive, clearly heavily Zep influenced and lyrically mundane. Having said that it has some very good tracks and it's not without it's charm. Working Man is the obvious song that stood the test of time and was of course ironically the last song they would ever play live.
Here Again First heard this album sometime in the early 90s when I was first getting into the band. I had no idea they had another drummer before Neil Peart! I liked it, but it seemed pretty pedestrian for them, considering my entry point was Moving Pictures. I've grown to appreciate it more over the years. It's a real solid hard rock record.
In the mid-70s I used to go to a club in the city centre called Improvisions. The DJ gave regular spins to Finding My Way and Working Man. He loved them and really promoted the album. Naturally we had to buy it. That said, Here Again gets the Spanish archer. Not their finest hour.
@Oatsdad thanks for starting this thread - I have some outdoor work tomorrow and it's been a while since I've listened to their debut so it'll be a nice backing soundtrack. I hope the neighbours like it too
"Need Some Love" My first intro to Rush was 2112 and soon after All The Worlds A Stage. Didn't pick up this debut until several years later. A great hard rock album.....and an anomaly in their discography when you view what they released after.
Although I was a (fairly) early fan of the band, I didn't hear the first album until later. I heard "Working Man" before I heard the album, as they played their first US gig in Pittsburgh opening for Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann (see HERE), and the song got occasional play on the local FM station at the time. So I knew who they were well before I heard the first album. My first album exposure to the band's records was buying "Fly By Night" when it was released, as those songs got a bit more play on local radio when they headlined at the Stanley (a great place to see a rock show in those days). In the mid-1970s Rush were one of those bands that seemed to be here playing live pretty regularly - I think they may have hit Pittsburgh on every tour up until at least Moving Pictures, if not beyond. So I got to see them many times in those days, and they were one of the bands that were played regularly when we'd hang out in friends' basements, and on 8-track (12 for a penny from the record club, lol) when we could get the parents' cars for road trips and stuff. I don't think I went back to the first album until after '2112' and 'All The World's A Stage', however. I was already a fan at that point, so of course I liked it, but also felt that they were definitely much more sophisticated musically and had progressed well beyond the first LP by that point. Another one of those bands whose music was a big part of my growing-up years, and I'm still a huge fan of their music and legacy.
My intro to Rush was when "Tom Sawyer" hit the airwaves in early '81. Loved it immediately. But over the next year, as I got deeper into their music, 2112 was the sharp line of demarcation for me. Just could not get into the screaming vocals from the earlier albums. Eventually picked up ATWAS in early '83 and that was my gateway into their first four albums. Stil though, the first album seems like an odd man out to me. It was the last of their albums I eventually bought (in Fall 1984). Has always struck me as capping off their bar days, with Fly By Night really being their first foray into the big leagues.
Going OT here but further to your post, Signals was my first foray into Rush-dom, followed by GUP, and I will always love those records. Working backwards thru their discography was an amazing experience - I wish I could do it again but for a long time I've known those songs like the back of my hand. Their first record, on the other hand - apart from the usual suspects - I need to re-familiarise myself with.
Here Again. Probably heard this first in the mid 70s. They played Working Man on the radio quite a bit
First album was Fly By Night after hearing Rush on the Friday Rock Show. I think Xanadu was in the festive top 10. Anyway I quickly purchased this and really liked its hard rock style, even if it was a bit derivative
I figure In the Mood and Need Some Love are clearly the weakest links here so a coin flip for R1. I’m sure Take a Friend isn’t far behind. Like 1a,b,c. So I’ll just pick alphabetically for R1. DQ: I have no idea when I first heard Rush; the band or the debut album. All I know is that I have heard them a LOT. While I check out from their music in the early-mid ‘80s, their ‘74-‘82 output is a mainstay on 102.5 WDVE here in the ‘Burgh. There has always been a connection with Rush and the Steel City as Neil Peart made his debut with Rush at the Igloo in the summer of 1974.
Here Again Just kinds of plods along for me, though it's not a bad song by any means. It's just not as engaging or memorable as the others. DISCUSSION: I didn't start getting into Rush until 2019, so I'm relatively new in terms of fandom. My feelings about the album haven't really changed since then: it's fun but overshadowed by much of the material that came after. It's a solid debut and one that's always fun to return to.
Before and After the whole album is great, but that track is the ONLY one i could see as perhaps being a weak link. probably heard the album first about 15 years ago, when i was getting into them. was a late bloomer i guess you could say, but they have now become a top 5 band for me now.
I heard it my freshman year of college in 1982. Obviously, Rush was a staple on radio and such. I had always avoided it because that was the album that didn't have Neil on it. One of my friends and fellow DJ's at the college radio station played Working Man, and lo and behold I really came to like it. In fact it is something of an antidote when I want to listen to Rush but have grown weary of odd time signatures. I do love the story of how this album got exposed in the US via "The Buzzard" WMMS in Cleveland.
Voting off Need Some Love. My Rush buying history was Closer To The Heart 12" A Farewell To Kings All The World's A Stage Hemispheres (when it was released) 2112 Caress Of Steel Archives So I would have first heard the debut in '78 or '79. First impressions were that it was OK but far too basic. It was AFTK that hooked me in, remember. Also, all my favourites were on the live double, so I never really bothered with it.
Oops! I goofed! I mistakenly voted for the wrong song. I don't see where I can change my vote, so I am officially petitioning the Thread-Starter to change my vote from "Need Some Love" to "Here Again" if it makes a difference after the polls close. "Need Some Love" (-1) "Here Again" (+1) Thank you.
What's with the dislike for Here Again? I think it's one of the better songs on the album, a nice, slow burner. Anyways, I voted for I'm Horny.... er, Need Some Love. I have no memory of the first time I heard the album. All I know is it was one of the last ones that I bought; I think I put it off because I knew on some level I wasn't going to love it as much as the later albums. I rarely listen to it these days.
