I Used to Own Every Album (Vol 1) – Rush

Sometime in the early 1980s, I first heard Rush's Moving Pictures album, and I was, like, "Whaaaaa...?"

There are four or five bands/artists that stand out in my music-lover journey with the distinction that I used to own all of their albums.  Each one will get their own dedicated blog post.  Here is the first…

Once upon a time, I loved Rush.  I mean I really loved Rush.  I owned every Rush album through 1982’s Signals.  Then, I departed for boarding school in 10th grade, and my music tastes changed dramatically.

But before then, sometime in the early 1980s, I first heard Rush’s Moving Pictures album, and I was, like, “Whaaaaa…?”  (I think I bought the tape through the Columbia House mail-order tape of the month club before I defaulted on my account).  I was hooked by the song “Tom Sawyer” because it was a seemingly familiar subject from my middle school literature studies; however, I had absolutely no idea what the song’s lyrics meant.*  That didn’t matter.  The song was powerful, and it made me feel powerful.  The protagonist was some kind of badass who didn’t take crap from anyone, caught spit, and still hit the river.

Rush’s music transported me to worlds beyond my Houston Texas adolescent existence.  I was in 7th or 8th grade still governed by my parents but knowing that the great wide world was out there just a few years away.  For example, during this same period of time, I read J. R. R. Tolkien’s most famous works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. So, I totally dug Rush’s prog tendencies — from epic fantasy battles like “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” to dystopian futures like “2112” to mellow thoughtful pieces like “Rivendell” to immortal quests like “Xanadu.”

Oh yeah, then there was MTV, which was most certainly a major influence on me and my generation.  Several Rush songs–I mean videos–made heavy rotation in those early MTV days.  These videos cemented Rush’s lasting impression on my life and gave me permission to imagine.

Thanks Rush.  I put away childish things and got off the ride many years ago, but I carry with me fond memories.

Here they are in their mid-Seventies glory with platform shoes about to make it very big with “2112”:

*A recurring theme to be covered some other time.