Top 10 Favorite Rush Songs Ever

Rush has always been one of my all time favorite rock and roll bands. I saw Rush in concert back in the late 1970's. At the time, Rush was probably my favorite band, so I wanted to see them for the first time, live and in concert. I also wanted to see how this three member band, could pull off these very complex songs during a live performance. At the time, I thought that they would probably not do well, because I thought that more than likely some of their songs were studio creations. I was wrong.

Rush came out playing songs from their 2112 album, if I recall that concert accurately. Geddy Lee was closest to where I was sitting and began playing bass, singing and all this was done while standing behind a keyboard / synthesizer, where he played a lot of bass pedal as well as the keyboard parts. Neil Peart had the largest most diversified drum kit I have ever seen and he played every piece of equipment that he had, throughout the concert. Alex Lifeson's guitar style can fill just about any song with constant bar chords and amazingly melodic lead. Suffice to say, they easily accomplished these highly difficult songs, live in concert. It was one of the best concerts I ever saw.


When I started to write Top 10 Favorite Rush Songs Ever, I wanted to somehow keep my limit to just ten songs, just like I had attempted on my Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and AC/DC articles. It was impossible. To cover my favorite Rush songs, I am going to have to do a second Rush favorites article. That way I can pick up All The World's A Stage and cover all of their later albums, not on this list. I will call it Top 10 Favorite Rush Songs Ever Revisited or Return Of The Top 10 Favorite Rush Songs.


1. Rush - Finding My Way
From the Rush album titled or self titled: Rush, released in 1974, comes, Finding My Way. Finding My Way is the first song on their first album. John Rutsey is the drummer, who would later drop out (replaced by Neil Peart) of the band because of health problems, making it impossible to tour with the band. Some critics will say that Finding My Way lacks Peart, therefore it is weak. I found a video of the song (on the right) where a guy plays a vinyl record. I think this vinyl version is pretty good and you get to listen to the song just as if you bought the album back in 1974. I think Rutsey does really well. What I like most are the guitar changes by Lifeson throughout the song. The drumming by Rutsey and straightforward bass parts by Geddy Lee really showcase Alex Lifeson's abilities on guitar. Lifeson is usually the only guitarist and easily covers the rhythm and lead parts. It's a great song to introduce the band and it's rock and roll beginnings. Its fun and upbeat.



2. Rush - Beneath, Between & Behind
From the album Fly by Night, that was released in 1975, we get the song: Beneath, Between & Behind. This song is one of my all time favorite Rush songs. I love the sliding bluesy chording Alex Lifeson is doing on this song. I love how the song is fast and rocking yet bluesy. I like how the song is fantastically syncopated with sharp chording by Lifeson. Just listening to a recording automatically makes me feel I am at a concert. It's an exciting tune.



3. Rush - Fountain of Lamneth
The Fountain of Lamneth is from their album Caress of Steel, which was released in 1975. The song is almost twenty minutes long, which is divided into six changes or parts named below.

I. In the Valley
II. Didacts and Narpets
III. No One at the Bridge
IV. Panacea
V. Bacchus Plateau
VI. The Fountain

What can I say, the song is a trip. It reminds me of a Pink Floyd song with Robin Trower licks. Written by Neal Peart, the drummer who will write many Rush songs to come. It's classic Rush with it's classical literature type lyrics. Neal Peart's affinity for classical literature, that leans towards phantasm and the philosophical, will become a mainstay for future Rush lyrics.



4. Rush - 2112
From their 2112 album that was released in 1976 comes the song 2112. Similarly divided below into parts, just as the Fountain of Lamneth and The Necromancer, from their Caress of Steel album.

I Overture
II The Temples of Syrinx
III Discovery
IV Presentation
V Oracle, The Dream
VI Soliloquy

2112 what can I say? 2112 was the album where I got hooked on Rush. In 2112 they are polished and bold. The world is there's by their sheer confidence as players. They are now putting out songs that are completely unique, when compared to other bands of their time. I think at this time Neal Peart is growing exponentially as a drummer. Not only is he creating unprecedented lyrics he is also achieving incomparable talent on the drums.

Starting at approximately six minutes and forty-five seconds into the song 2112 (III Discovery) you can hear the exact moment that I fell in love with Rush and guitar. Enough said, *wipes tear*


5. Rush - Xanadu
Xanadu is an eleven minute and eleven second song from their A Farewell to Kings album, that was released in 1977. To accomplish this song Geddy Lee uses a double neck bass and six string combination and Lifeson uses a double neck six string and twelve string combination. They also use a lot of synthesizer in the song. You can hear Peart all over the place with drum equipment I don't even know the name of. Its a masterpiece.

6. Rush - La Villa Strangiato
La Villa Strangiato is from their Hemispheres album that was released in 1978. It's a nine and a half minute long song and up to over ten minutes long in live versions. It is an instrumental that us broken up into nine parts, Rush style and becomes an odyssey of or by guitar genius Alex Lifeson.

I Buenas Noches, Mein Froinds!
II To sleep, perchance to dream.
III Strangiato theme
IV A Lerxst in Wonderland
V Monsters!
VI The Ghost of the Aragon
VII Danforth and Pape
VIII The Waltz of the Shreves
IX Never turn your back on a Monster!
X Monsters!
XI Strangiato theme
XII A Farewell to Things

7. Rush - Entre Nous
Entre Nous is from their Permanent Waves album that was released in 1980. In Entre Nous Rush is hitting a groove that will allow us to peer into their style in future albums, yet still is classic Rush. I think Entre Nous contains some of their best lyrics although not nearly as complex as their other songs.

Here is an excerpt:

We are planets to each other
Drifting in our orbits
To a brief eclipse
Each of us a world apart
Alone and yet together
Like two passing ships..

8. Rush - Broons Bane
Broons Bane is from their live album called Exit Stage Left which was released in 1981. Broons Bane is an approximately minute and a half, instrumental, performed by Alex Lifeson as the intro to their song The Trees. Broons Bane is not only one of my all time favorite songs by Rush, but possibly one of my all time favorite songs, period. I often fell asleep with my headphones on, while playing this cassette on an auto-reverse tape player. I learned this song on guitar and still play it today. It haunts me and is haunting.

9. Rush - Red Barchetta
Red Barchetta is from their Moving Pictures album from 1981. There are Lots of hugely popular songs on that album, such as Tom Sawyer and YYZ, but I chose Red Barchetta. I highly recommend having this particular song on hand if you ever have the opportunity to own a sports car or convertible. Red Barchetta tells a fabulous story about an old sports car. Lifeson starts out the song by plucking out octaves, as the song builds in intensity. With this song playing you can easily envision yourself in a life and death race in a Red Barchetta against a gleaming alloy air-car which is two lanes wide, with a bridge between the two as a finish line. If you have ever driven a sports car you will understand completely what is meant when Geddy Lee sings " shifting and drifting, mechanical music!"

10. Rush - Digital Man
Digital Man is from their Signals album from 1982. Digital Man is smooth, polished Rush. Lifeson is getting a perfect balance of amp sound and natural electric guitar sound that cascades together like some kind of electric guitar fountain. Sorry, I wax guitar poetic. I simply just love the guitar in Digital Man.

I slipped in Jacob's Ladder, In The Mood, Circumstances and Twilight Zone as bonus tracks, because well, I'm like that. Be sure to check out: Return Of The Top 10 Favorite Rush Songs Ever, where I go back in time, beginning with some of their more recent albums first.