Revision as of 17:46, 22 January 2009 by Big (Talk | contribs)

(diff) ←Older revision | Current revision (diff) | Newer revision→ (diff)

Template:Two other uses Template:Infobox VG series

Guitar Hero is a series of music video games published by RedOctane, a subsidiary of Activision. The series is notable for its use of a plastic guitar-shaped peripheral to simulate the playing of music, represented on-screen by colored notes that correspond to fret buttons on the controller. The games support individual play as well as cooperative and competitive modes for two players. The series has used a range of both licensed and independent rock music tracks from the 1960s to present, many of which are master tracks from the bands. In total, six games have been released for video game consoles, while games have been released for mobile phones and the Nintendo DS handheld gaming system. The series was developed by Harmonix Music Systems from 2005 to 2007 before development duties of the series were transferred to Neversoft, whose first effort, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was released on October 28, 2007 in North America.

The Guitar Hero franchise has become a cultural phenomenon, making many appearances in popular culture, becoming extremely popular as party games, and revolutionizing the modern music industry. The series has sold 23 million units, earning US$1.6 billion at retail.^[1][2]

History

Harmonix

Image:Guitar Hero series controllers.jpg The original Guitar Hero was released on the PlayStation 2 in November 2005 and was developed by Harmonix. Harmonix had been previously known for developing music video games such as Frequency and Amplitude for the PlayStation 2, both of which were praised for enabling players to perform and create music using a DualShock controller as if it were a musical instrument.^[3]

Guitar Hero is notable because it comes packaged with a controller peripheral modeled after a black Gibson SG guitar. Rather than a typical gamepad, this guitar controller is the primary input for the game. Playing the game with the guitar controller simulates playing an actual guitar, except it uses five colored "fret buttons" and a "strum bar" instead of frets and strings. The development of Guitar Hero was inspired by Konami's GuitarFreaks arcade game, which at the time, had not seen much exposure in the North American market; RedOctane, already selling guitar-shaped controllers for imported copies of GuitarFreaks, approached Harmonix about creating a game to use an entirely new Guitar controller. The concept was to have the gameplay of Amplitude with the visuals of Karaoke Revolution, both of which had been developed by Harmonix.^[4][5][6][7] The game was met with critical acclaim and received numerous awards for its innovative guitar peripheral and its soundtrack, which comprised 47 playable rock songs (most of which were cover versions of popular songs from artists and bands from the 1900s through modern rock). Guitar Hero has sold nearly 1.5 million copies to date.^[8]

The popularity of the series increased dramatically with the release of Guitar Hero II for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. Featuring improved multiplayer gameplay, an improved note-recognizing system, and 64 songs, it became the fifth best-selling video game of 2006.^[9] The PlayStation 2 version of the game was offered both separately and in a bundle with a cherry red Gibson SG guitar controller. Guitar Hero II was later released for the Xbox 360 in April 2007 with an exclusive Gibson X-Plorer guitar controller and an additional 10 songs, among other features. About 3 million units of Guitar Hero II have sold on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360.^[10]

The final game in the Guitar Hero series to be developed by Harmonix was Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s for the PlayStation 2, which was released in July 2007.^[11] The expansion reskinned the visuals from Guitar Hero II, and featured a shorter track list with no bonus songs, and was not as well received as the previous two games. Some reviewers considered Rocks the 80s as Harmonix's contractual obligation, given that, as described below, Harmonix would no longer be working on the Guitar Hero series.^[12]

Transition

Both RedOctane and Harmonix were experiencing changes in 2006. RedOctane was bought by Activision in June—who spent $100 million to acquire the Guitar Hero franchise^[13]—while it was announced in September that Harmonix would be purchased by MTV Networks. As a result of the two purchases, Harmonix would no longer develop future games in the Guitar Hero series. Instead, developing would go to Neversoft, a subsidiary of Activision known for developing the Tony Hawk's series of skateboarding games.^[14] Neversoft was chosen to helm the Guitar Hero series after Neversoft founder, Joel Jewett, admitted to the RedOctane founders, Kai and Charles Huang, that his development team for Tony Hawk's Project 8 went to work on weekends just to play Guitar Hero.^[15] In 2007, Harmonix and MTV Games released a new music title through rival publisher Electronic Arts, called Rock Band. It expanded upon the gameplay popularized by the Guitar Hero series by adding drum and microphone instruments, allowing players to simulate playing songs as bands, though this functionality has now been implemented in Guitar Hero: World Tour.

Neversoft

Image:Guitar Hero 3 - black controller for Xbox 360.jpg Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was released in late 2007 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, and Mac platforms. The title is the first installment of the series to include wireless guitars bundled with the game and also the first to release a special bundle with two guitars. The game includes Slash and Tom Morello as playable characters in addition to the existing fictional avatars; both guitarists performed motion capture to be used for their characters' animation in the game.

On September 4, 2007, Billboard announced that the band Aerosmith was "working closely with the makers of Guitar Hero IV, which will be dedicated to the group's music."^[16] On February 15, 2008, Activision announced that Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, an expansion game to the series, would be released on June 29, 2008.^[17][18][19] Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is developed by Neversoft for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, while the Wii version of the game is developed by Vicarious Visions and the PlayStation 2 version is developed by Budcat Creations.^[20] The game features a track selection composed of 60% of Aerosmith songs, with other songs from Joe PerryTemplate:Infobox musical artist Template:Portal Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, currently composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. The band and its membership went through a number of re-configurations between 1968 and 1974, achieving their definitive form when Neil Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey in July 1974, two weeks before the group's first U.S. tour.

Since the release of the band's self-titled debut album in March 1974, Rush has become known for the instrumental skills of its members, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy, and libertarian philosophy, as well as addressing humanitarian, social, emotional, and environmental concerns.

Musically, Rush's style has evolved over the years, beginning in the vein of blues-inspired heavy metal on their first albums, then encompassing hard rock, progressive rock, a period dominated by synthesizers and, more recently, modern rock. They have influenced various musical artists, including Metallica,^[21][22] The Smashing Pumpkins^[23] and Primus,^[23] as well as progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater^[21] and Symphony X.^[24]

Rush has won a number of Juno Awards, and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994. Over the course of their careers, the individual members of Rush have been acknowledged as being some of the most proficient players on their respective instruments, with each band member winning several awards in magazine readers' polls. As a group, Rush possesses 24 gold records and 14 platinum (3 multi-platinum) records. According to the RIAA, Rush's sales statistics place them fourth behind The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith for the most consecutive gold or platinum albums by a rock band. Rush also ranks 78th in U.S. album sales with 25 million units.^[25] Although total worldwide album sales are not calculated by any single entity, as of 2004 several industry sources estimated Rush's total worldwide album sales at over 40 million units.

The band recently finished promoting their latest album, Snakes & Arrows with an intercontinental tour. The second leg began in San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 11, and ended on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana.^[26]

History

Template:Details

The early years (1968–1976)

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end

The original line-up formed in the neighbourhood of Willowdale in Toronto, Ontario, by Lifeson, front man Jeff Jones, and drummer John Rutsey. Within a couple weeks of forming, and before their second performance, bassist and lead vocalist Jones was replaced by Geddy Lee, a schoolmate of Lifeson. After several lineup reformations, Rush's official incarnation was formed in May 1971 consisting of Lee, Lifeson, and Rutsey. The band was managed by local Toronto resident Ray Danniels, a frequent attendee of Rush's early shows.^[27][28]

After gaining stability in the lineup and honing their skills on the local bar/high school dance circuit, the band came to release their first single "Not Fade Away", a cover of the Buddy Holly song, in 1973. Side B contained an original composition, "You Can't Fight It", credited to Rutsey and Lee. The single generated little reaction and, due to record company indifference, the band formed their own independent record label, Moon Records. With the aid of Danniels and the newly enlisted engineer Terry Brown, the band released their self-titled debut album in 1974, which was considered highly derivative of Led Zeppelin.^[29] Rush had limited local popularity until the album was picked up by WMMS, a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio. Donna Halper, a DJ and music director working at the station, selected "Working Man" for her regular play list. The song's blue collar theme resonated with hard rock fans and this new found popularity led to the album being re-released by Mercury Records in the U.S.^[30][31] Image:Starman.png

Immediately after the release of the debut album, Rutsey resigned in July 1974 due to his affliction with diabetes and a distaste for touring. Rush held auditions and eventually selected Neil Peart as Rutsey's replacement. Peart officially joined the band on July 29, 1974, two weeks before the group's first US tour. They performed their first concert together, opening for Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann with an attendance of over 11,000 people at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 14. In addition to becoming the band's drummer, Peart assumed the role of principal lyricist as Lee and Lifeson had very little interest in writing, contributing to only a handful of song lyrics over the rest of the band's career. Instead, they focused primarily on the musical aspects of Rush. Fly by Night (1975), Rush's first album after recruiting Peart, saw the inclusion of the band's first epic mini-tale "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", replete with complex arrangements and multi-section format. Lyrical themes also underwent dramatic changes after the addition of Peart due to his love for fantasy and science-fiction literature.^[33] However, despite these many differences some of the music and songs still closely mirrored the blues style found on Rush's debut.^[34][33]

Following quickly on the heels of Fly By Night, the band released 1975's Caress of Steel, a five track hard rock album featuring two extended multi-chapter songs, "The Necromancer" and "The Fountain of Lamneth." Caress of Steel was reported by some critics to be unfocused and an audacious move for the band due to the placement of two protracted numbers back-to-back, as well as a heavier reliance on atmospherics and story-telling, a large deviation from Fly by Night.^[35] Intended to be the band's first "break-through" album, Caress of Steel sold below expectations and the promotional tour consisted of small venues which led to the moniker the "Down the Tubes Tour."^[36] In light of these events, Rush's record label pressured them into molding their next album in a more commercially friendly and accessible fashion. However, the band ignored the requests and developed their next album, 2112. It was the band's first taste of commercial success and their first platinum album in Canada.^[37] The supporting tour for the album culminated in a three night stand at Massey Hall in Toronto, which the band recorded for the release of their first live album titled All the World's a Stage. Allmusic Guide critic Greg Prato summarily reminds listeners and fans of how the album demarcates the boundary between the band's early years and the next era of their music.^[38][39]

The progressive rock era (1977–1981)

After 2112, Rush retreated to the United Kingdom to record 1977's A Farewell to Kings and 1978's Hemispheres at Rockfield Studios in Wales. These albums saw the band members expanding their use of progressive elements in their music. Trademarks such as increased synthesizer usage, extended-length concept songs, and highly dynamic playing featuring complex time signature changes became a staple of Rush's compositions. To achieve a broader, more progressive palette of sound, Alex Lifeson began to experiment with classical and twelve-string guitars, and Geddy Lee added bass-pedal synthesizers and Minimoog. Likewise, Peart's percussion became diversified in the form of triangles, glockenspiel, wood blocks, cowbells, timpani, gong and chimes. Beyond instrument additions, the band kept in stride with the progressive rock movement by continuing to compose long, conceptual songs with science fiction and fantasy overtones. However, as the new decade approached, Rush gradually began to dispose of their older styles of music in favor of shorter, and sometimes softer, arrangements. The lyrics up to this point (most of them written by Peart) were heavily influenced by classical poetry, fantasy literature, science fiction, and the writings of novelist Ayn Rand, as exhibited most prominently by their 1975 song "Anthem" from Fly By Night and a specifically acknowledged derivation in 1976's 2112.^[40]

Permanent Waves (1980) shifted Rush's style of music dramatically via the introduction of reggae and new wave.^[41] Although a hard rock style was still evident, more and more synthesizers were introduced. Moreover, due to the limited airplay Rush's previous extended-length songs received, Permanent Waves included shorter, more radio-friendly songs such as "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill", two songs which helped Permanent Waves become Rush's first U.S. Top 5 album; both songs continue to make appearances on classic rock radio stations in Canada and the United States to this day.^[42] Meanwhile, Peart's lyrics shifted toward an expository tone with subject matter that dwelled less on fantastical or allegorical story-telling and more heavily on cerebral topics that explored humanistic, social, emotional and metaphysical elements. Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Rush's popularity reached its pinnacle with the release of Moving Pictures in 1981. Moving Pictures essentially continued where Permanent Waves left off, extending the trend of highly accessible and commercially friendly pop-progressive rock that helped thrust them into the spotlight. The lead track, "Tom Sawyer", is probably the band's best-known song^[43] with "Limelight" also receiving satisfactory responses from listeners and radio stations. Moving Pictures was Rush's last album to feature an extended song, the ten-and-a-half-minute "The Camera Eye". The song also contained the band's heaviest usage of synthesizers up to that point, hinting that Rush's music was shifting direction once more. Moving Pictures reached #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart and has been certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[44]

Following the success of Moving Pictures and the completion of another four studio albums, Rush released their second live recording, Exit...Stage Left, in 1981. The album delineates the apex of Rush's progressive period by featuring live material from the band's Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures tours. As with their first live release, Exit...Stage Left identified the margin of a new chapter of Rush's sound. The band underwent another radical stylistic transmutation with the release of Signals in 1982.^[45]

The synthesizer period (1982–1989)

Image:Oberheim OBX.jpg

While Lee's synthesizers had been featured instruments ever since the late 70s, keyboards were suddenly shifted from the contrapuntal background to the melodic front-lines^[46][47] as evidenced by songs such as "Countdown" and the lead-off track "Subdivisions". Both feature nimble lead synthesizer lines with minimalistic guitar chords and solos. Other previously unused instrument additions were seen in the song "Losing It," featuring collaborator Ben Mink on electric violin.^[45] Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Signals also represented a drastic stylistic transformation apart from instrumental changes. The album contained Rush's only U.S. top-40 pop hit, "New World Man",^[48] while other more experimental songs such as "Digital Man", "The Weapon", and "Chemistry" expanded the band's use of ska, reggae, and funk.^[49] Although the band members consciously decided to move in this overall direction, they felt dissatisfied with long-time producer Terry Brown's studio treatment of Signals and parted ways with him in 1983. These diverse styles would come into further play on their next studio album.

Image:DM Simmons SDS5.jpg

The style and production of Signals were augmented and taken to new heights on 1984's Grace Under Pressure. It was Peart who named the album, as he borrowed the words of Ernest Hemingway to describe what the band had to go through after making the decision to leave Terry Brown. Producer Steve Lillywhite, who gleaned fame with successful productions of Simple Minds and U2, was enlisted to produce Grace Under Pressure. However, he backed out at the last moment, much to the ire of Lee, Lifeson and Peart. Lee said "Steve Lillywhite is really not a man of his word....after agreeing to do our record, he got an offer from Simple Minds, changed his mind, blew us off,..so it put us in a horrible position." Eventually Rush hired Peter Henderson to co-produce and engineer the album in his stead.^[50]

Musically, although Lee's use of sequencers and synthesizers remained the band's cornerstone, his focus on new technology was complemented by Peart's adaptation of Simmons electronic drums and percussion. Lifeson's contributions on the album were decidedly enhanced to act as an overreaction to the minimalistic role he played on Signals.^[51] Still, many of his trademark guitar textures remained intact in the form of open reggae chords and funk and new-wave rhythms; "Distant Early Warning", "Red Lenses", "Red Sector A" and "The Enemy Within" serve as prime examples.

With new producer Peter Collins, the band released 1985's Power Windows and 1987's Hold Your Fire. The music on these two albums gives far more emphasis and prominence to Lee's multi-layered synthesizer work. While fans and critics took notice of Lifeson's diminished guitar work, his presence was still palpable on "The Big Money", (the album's modest-charting single) with spotlights on "Grand Designs", "Middletown Dreams" and "Marathon." Lifeson, like many guitarists in the late 1980s, experimented with processors that reduced his instrument to echoey chord bursts and razor-thin leads. Hold Your Fire represents both a modest extension of the guitar stylings found on Power Windows, and, according to Allmusic critic Ed Rivadavia, the culmination of this era of Rush.^[52] Whereas the previous five Rush albums sold platinum or better, Hold Your Fire only went gold in November 1987, although it managed to peak at number 13 on the Billboard 200.^[53]

A third live album and video, A Show of Hands (1989), was also released by Mercury following the Power Windows and Hold Your Fire tours, demonstrating the aspects of Rush in the 80s. A Show of Hands met with strong fan approval, but Rolling Stone critic Michael Azerrad dismissed it as "musical muscle" with 1.5 stars, claiming Rush fans viewed their favourite power trio as "the holy trinity".^[54] Nevertheless, A Show of Hands managed to surpass the gold album mark, reaching number 21 on the Billboard 200.^[55] At this point, the group decided to change record labels from Mercury to Atlantic. After Rush's departure in 1989, Mercury released a double platinum two-volume compilation of their Rush catalogue, Chronicles (1990).^[56]

Returning to their roots (1989–1997)

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Rush started to deviate from their 1980s style with the albums Presto and Roll the Bones. Produced by record engineer and musician Rupert Hine, these two albums saw Rush shedding much of their keyboard-saturated sound. Beginning with 1989's Presto, the band opted for arrangements that were notably more guitar-centric than the previous two studio albums. Although synthesizers were still used in many songs, the instrument was no longer featured as the centerpiece of Rush's compositions. Continuing this trend, 1991's Roll the Bones extended the use of the standard three-instrument approach with even less focus on synthesizers than its predecessor. While musically these albums do not deviate significantly from a general pop-rock sound, Rush stuck to their creative approach of incorporating traces of more exotic musical styles. "Roll the Bones", for instance, exhibits funk and hip hop elements, and the instrumental track "Where's My Thing?" features several jazz components.^[57] This return to three-piece instrumentation helped pave the way for future albums in the mid-90s, which would adopt a more straightforward rock formula.

The transition from synthesizers to more guitar-oriented and organic instrumentation continued with the 1993 album Counterparts^[58] and its follow-up, 1996's Test for Echo, again both produced in collaboration with Peter Collins. Musically, Counterparts^[58] and Test For Echo are two of Rush's most guitar-driven albums. Although the music in general did not meet the criteria for "progressive rock", some of the songs could be considered more adventurous than what one might expect from a standard modern rock band.^[59] For instance, "Time and Motion" possesses multiple time signature changes and organ usage, while the instrumental track "Limbo", consists of several relatively complex musical passages repeated throughout. Musically, Test For Echo still retained much of the hard rock/alternative style already charted on the previous record. Lifeson and Lee's playing remained more or less unchanged; however, a distinct modification in technique became apparent in Peart's playing due to formal Jazz and Swing training under the tutelage of jazz instructor Freddie Gruber during the interim between Counterparts and Test For Echo.^[60] In October 1996, in support of Test For Echo, the band embarked on an extensive and successful North American tour, the band's first without an opening act and dubbed "An Evening with Rush." The tour was broken up into two segments spanning October through December, 1996 and May through July, 1997 with the band taking a respite between legs.

Hiatus and comeback (1997–2005)

After wrapping up the tour promoting Test for Echo in 1997, the band entered a five-year hiatus mainly due to personal tragedies in Peart's life. Peart's daughter Selena died in an automobile accident in August 1997, followed by his wife Jacqueline's death from cancer in June 1998. Peart took a hiatus to mourn and reflect, during which time he traveled extensively throughout North America on his BMW motorcycle, covering 88,000 km (55,000 miles). At some point in his journey, Peart decided to return to the band. Peart wrote Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road as a chronicle of his geographical and emotional journey. In this book he writes of how he had told his bandmates at Selena's funeral, "consider me retired."^[61] On November 10, 1998 a triple CD live album entitled Different Stages was released, dedicated to the memory of Selena and Jacqueline. Mixed by producer Paul Northfield and engineered by Terry Brown, it contained three discs packed with recorded performances from the band's Counterparts, Test For Echo, and A Farewell to Kings tours, marking the fourth officially released live album by the band. Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Listen Template:Sample box end After a time to grieve and reassemble the pieces of his life, and while visiting long-time Rush photographer Andrew MacNaughtan in Los Angeles, Peart was introduced to his future wife, photographer Carrie Nuttall. Peart married Nuttall on September 9, 2000. In early 2001 he announced to his band mates that he was ready to once again enter the studio and get back into the business of making music. With the help of producer Paul Northfield the band returned in May 2002 with Vapor Trails, written and recorded in Toronto. To herald the band's comeback, the single and lead track from the album, "One Little Victory" was designed to grab the attention of listeners due to its rapid guitar and drum tempos.^[62] Vapor Trails marked the first studio recording not to include a single synthesizer, organ or keyboard part since the early 1970s. While the album is almost completely guitar-driven, it is mostly devoid of any conventional sounding guitar solos, a conscious decision made by Lifeson during the writing process. According to the band, the entire developmental process for Vapor Trails was extremely taxing and took approximately 14 months to finish, by far the longest the band had ever spent writing and recording a studio album.^[62] The album debuted to moderate praise and was supported by the band's first tour in six years, including first-ever concerts in Mexico City and Brazil, where they played to some of the largest crowds of their career.

A triple CD live album and dual Rush In Rio DVD was released in late October 2003 featuring an entire concert performance recorded on the last night of their Vapor Trails Tour, November 23, 2002, at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To celebrate their 30th anniversary, June 2004 saw the release of Feedback, a studio EP recorded in suburban Toronto featuring eight covers of such artists as Cream, The Who and The Yardbirds, bands that the members of Rush cite as inspiration around the time of their inception.^[63] Also in the summer of 2004, Rush hit the road again for the very successful 30th Anniversary Tour, playing dates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. On September 24, 2004 a Frankfurt, Germany concert was recorded at The Festhalle for DVD (titled R30: Live in Frankfurt), which was released November 22, 2005.

Snakes & Arrows (2006–present)

Here is the complete setlist for Guitar Hero III, which will also include all downloadable content (when released).

Contents 1 History 1.1 Harmonix 1.2 Transition 1.3 Neversoft 2 History 2.1 The early years (1968–1976) 2.2 The progressive rock era (1977–1981) 2.3 The synthesizer period (1982–1989) 2.4 Returning to their roots (1989–1997) 2.5 Hiatus and comeback (1997–2005) 2.6 Snakes & Arrows (2006–present) 3 Single Player Setlist 3.1 1. Starting Out Small 3.2 2. Your First Real Gig 3.3 3. Making The Video 3.4 4. European Invasion 3.5 5. Bighouse Blues 3.6 6. The Hottest Band On Earth 3.7 7. Live in Japan 3.8 8. Battle For Your Soul 4 Co-Op Setlist 4.1 1. Getting a Band Together 4.2 2. We Just Wanna Be Famous 4.3 3. Overnight Success 4.4 4. Getting the Band Back Together 4.5 5. Jailhouse Rock 4.6 6. Battle for Your Souls... 5 Bonus Tracks 6 Downloadable Content 7 Singles 8 Track Packs 9 Musical style and influences 10 Band members 10.1 Former members 11 Reputation 11.1 Geddy Lee 11.2 Alex Lifeson 11.3 Neil Peart 11.3.1 Music 11.3.2 Lyrics 12 Sales 13 Live performances 14 Philanthropy 15 Discography 16 Single Player Setlist 16.1 1. Starting Out Small 16.2 2. Your First Real Gig 16.3 3. Making The Video 16.4 4. European Invasion 16.5 5. Bighouse Blues 16.6 6. The Hottest Band On Earth 16.7 7. Live in Japan 16.8 8. Battle For Your Soul 17 Co-Op Setlist 17.1 1. Getting a Band Together 17.2 2. We Just Wanna Be Famous 17.3 3. Overnight Success 17.4 4. Getting the Band Back Together 17.5 5. Jailhouse Rock 17.6 6. Battle for Your Souls... 18 Bonus Tracks 19 Downloadable Content 20 Singles 21 Track Packs 21.1 Studio albums 22 See also 23 References 24 Further reading 24.1 Books 24.2 Scholarly articles 25 External links 26 History 26.1 The early years (1968–1976) 26.2 The progressive rock era (1977–1981) 26.3 The synthesizer period (1982–1989) 26.4 Returning to their roots (1989–1997) 26.5 Hiatus and comeback (1997–2005) 26.6 Snakes & Arrows (2006–present) 27 Single Player Setlist 27.1 1. Starting Out Small 27.2 2. Your First Real Gig 27.3 3. Making The Video 27.4 4. European Invasion 27.5 5. Bighouse Blues 27.6 6. The Hottest Band On Earth 27.7 7. Live in Japan 27.8 8. Battle For Your Soul 28 Co-Op Setlist 28.1 1. Getting a Band Together 28.2 2. We Just Wanna Be Famous 28.3 3. Overnight Success 28.4 4. Getting the Band Back Together 28.5 5. Jailhouse Rock 28.6 6. Battle for Your Souls... 29 Bonus Tracks 30 Downloadable Content 31 Singles 32 Track Packs 33 Musical style and influences 34 Band members 34.1 Former members 35 Reputation 35.1 Geddy Lee 35.2 Alex Lifeson 35.3 Neil Peart 35.3.1 Music 35.3.2 Lyrics 36 Sales 37 Live performances 38 Philanthropy 39 Discography 40 Single Player Setlist 40.1 1. Starting Out Small 40.2 2. Your First Real Gig 40.3 3. Making The Video 40.4 4. European Invasion 40.5 5. Bighouse Blues 40.6 6. The Hottest Band On Earth 40.7 7. Live in Japan 40.8 8. Battle For Your Soul 41 Co-Op Setlist 41.1 1. Getting a Band Together 41.2 2. We Just Wanna Be Famous 41.3 3. Overnight Success 41.4 4. Getting the Band Back Together 41.5 5. Jailhouse Rock 41.6 6. Battle for Your Souls... 42 Bonus Tracks 43 Downloadable Content 44 Singles 45 Track Packs 45.1 Studio albums 46 See also 47 References 48 Further reading 48.1 Books 48.2 Scholarly articles 49 External links 49.1 Other games 49.2 Future games 50 Gameplay 51 History 51.1 The early years (1968–1976) 51.2 The progressive rock era (1977–1981) 51.3 The synthesizer period (1982–1989) 51.4 Returning to their roots (1989–1997) 51.5 Hiatus and comeback (1997–2005) 51.6 Snakes & Arrows (2006–present) 52 Single Player Setlist 52.1 1. Starting Out Small 52.2 2. Your First Real Gig 52.3 3. Making The Video 52.4 4. European Invasion 52.5 5. Bighouse Blues 52.6 6. The Hottest Band On Earth 52.7 7. Live in Japan 52.8 8. Battle For Your Soul 53 Co-Op Setlist 53.1 1. Getting a Band Together 53.2 2. We Just Wanna Be Famous 53.3 3. Overnight Success 53.4 4. Getting the Band Back Together 53.5 5. Jailhouse Rock 53.6 6. Battle for Your Souls... 54 Bonus Tracks 55 Downloadable Content 56 Singles 57 Track Packs 58 Musical style and influences 59 Band members 59.1 Former members 60 Reputation 60.1 Geddy Lee 60.2 Alex Lifeson 60.3 Neil Peart 60.3.1 Music 60.3.2 Lyrics 61 Sales 62 Live performances 63 Philanthropy 64 Discography 65 Single Player Setlist 65.1 1. Starting Out Small 65.2 2. Your First Real Gig 65.3 3. Making The Video 65.4 4. European Invasion 65.5 5. Bighouse Blues 65.6 6. The Hottest Band On Earth 65.7 7. Live in Japan 65.8 8. Battle For Your Soul 66 Co-Op Setlist 66.1 1. Getting a Band Together 66.2 2. We Just Wanna Be Famous 66.3 3. Overnight Success 66.4 4. Getting the Band Back Together 66.5 5. Jailhouse Rock 66.6 6. Battle for Your Souls... 67 Bonus Tracks 68 Downloadable Content 69 Singles 70 Track Packs 70.1 Studio albums 71 See also 72 References 73 Further reading 73.1 Books 73.2 Scholarly articles 74 External links 74.1 Game modes 75 History 75.1 The early years (1968–1976) 75.2 The progressive rock era (1977–1981) 75.3 The synthesizer period (1982–1989) 75.4 Returning to their roots (1989–1997) 75.5 Hiatus and comeback (1997–2005) 75.6 Snakes & Arrows (2006–present) 76 Single Player Setlist 76.1 1. Starting Out Small 76.2 2. Your First Real Gig 76.3 3. Making The Video 76.4 4. European Invasion 76.5 5. Bighouse Blues 76.6 6. The Hottest Band On Earth 76.7 7. Live in Japan 76.8 8. Battle For Your Soul 77 Co-Op Setlist 77.1 1. Getting a Band Together 77.2 2. We Just Wanna Be Famous 77.3 3. Overnight Success 77.4 4. Getting the Band Back Together 77.5 5. Jailhouse Rock 77.6 6. Battle for Your Souls... 78 Bonus Tracks 79 Downloadable Content 80 Singles 81 Track Packs 82 Musical style and influences 83 Band members 83.1 Former members 84 Reputation 84.1 Geddy Lee 84.2 Alex Lifeson 84.3 Neil Peart 84.3.1 Music 84.3.2 Lyrics 85 Sales 86 Live performances 87 Philanthropy 88 Discography 89 Single Player Setlist 89.1 1. Starting Out Small 89.2 2. Your First Real Gig 89.3 3. Making The Video 89.4 4. European Invasion 89.5 5. Bighouse Blues 89.6 6. The Hottest Band On Earth 89.7 7. Live in Japan 89.8 8. Battle For Your Soul 90 Co-Op Setlist 90.1 1. Getting a Band Together 90.2 2. We Just Wanna Be Famous 90.3 3. Overnight Success 90.4 4. Getting the Band Back Together 90.5 5. Jailhouse Rock 90.6 6. Battle for Your Souls... 91 Bonus Tracks 92 Downloadable Content 93 Singles 94 Track Packs 94.1 Studio albums 95 See also 96 References 97 Further reading 97.1 Books 97.2 Scholarly articles 98 External links 98.1 Characters and customization 98.2 Soundtracks 99 Cultural impact 100 History 100.1 The early years (1968–1976) 100.2 The progressive rock era (1977–1981) 100.3 The synthesizer period (1982–1989) 100.4 Returning to their roots (1989–1997) 100.5 Hiatus and comeback (1997–2005) 100.6 Snakes & Arrows (2006–present) 101 Single Player Setlist 101.1 1. Starting Out Small 101.2 2. Your First Real Gig 101.3 3. Making The Video 101.4 4. European Invasion 101.5 5. Bighouse Blues 101.6 6. The Hottest Band On Earth 101.7 7. Live in Japan 101.8 8. Battle For Your Soul 102 Co-Op Setlist 102.1 1. Getting a Band Together 102.2 2. We Just Wanna Be Famous 102.3 3. Overnight Success 102.4 4. Getting the Band Back Together 102.5 5. Jailhouse Rock 102.6 6. Battle for Your Souls... 103 Bonus Tracks 104 Downloadable Content 105 Singles 106 Track Packs 107 Musical style and influences 108 Band members 108.1 Former members 109 Reputation 109.1 Geddy Lee 109.2 Alex Lifeson 109.3 Neil Peart 109.3.1 Music 109.3.2 Lyrics 110 Sales 111 Live performances 112 Philanthropy 113 Discography 114 Single Player Setlist 114.1 1. Starting Out Small 114.2 2. Your First Real Gig 114.3 3. Making The Video 114.4 4. European Invasion 114.5 5. Bighouse Blues 114.6 6. The Hottest Band On Earth 114.7 7. Live in Japan 114.8 8. Battle For Your Soul 115 Co-Op Setlist 115.1 1. Getting a Band Together 115.2 2. We Just Wanna Be Famous 115.3 3. Overnight Success 115.4 4. Getting the Band Back Together 115.5 5. Jailhouse Rock 115.6 6. Battle for Your Souls... 116 Bonus Tracks 117 Downloadable Content 118 Singles 119 Track Packs 119.1 Studio albums 120 See also 121 References 122 Further reading 122.1 Books 122.2 Scholarly articles 123 External links 123.1 In the music industry 124 History 124.1 The early years (1968–1976) 124.2 The progressive rock era (1977–1981) 124.3 The synthesizer period (1982–1989) 124.4 Returning to their roots (1989–1997) 124.5 Hiatus and comeback (1997–2005) 124.6 Snakes & Arrows (2006–present) 125 Single Player Setlist 125.1 1. Starting Out Small 125.2 2. Your First Real Gig 125.3 3. Making The Video 125.4 4. European Invasion 125.5 5. Bighouse Blues 125.6 6. The Hottest Band On Earth 125.7 7. Live in Japan 125.8 8. Battle For Your Soul 126 Co-Op Setlist 126.1 1. Getting a Band Together 126.2 2. We Just Wanna Be Famous 126.3 3. Overnight Success 126.4 4. Getting the Band Back Together 126.5 5. Jailhouse Rock 126.6 6. Battle for Your Souls... 127 Bonus Tracks 128 Downloadable Content 129 Singles 130 Track Packs 131 Musical style and influences 132 Band members 132.1 Former members 133 Reputation 133.1 Geddy Lee 133.2 Alex Lifeson 133.3 Neil Peart 133.3.1 Music 133.3.2 Lyrics 134 Sales 135 Live performances 136 Philanthropy 137 Discography 138 Single Player Setlist 138.1 1. Starting Out Small 138.2 2. Your First Real Gig 138.3 3. Making The Video 138.4 4. European Invasion 138.5 5. Bighouse Blues 138.6 6. The Hottest Band On Earth 138.7 7. Live in Japan 138.8 8. Battle For Your Soul 139 Co-Op Setlist 139.1 1. Getting a Band Together 139.2 2. We Just Wanna Be Famous 139.3 3. Overnight Success 139.4 4. Getting the Band Back Together 139.5 5. Jailhouse Rock 139.6 6. Battle for Your Souls... 140 Bonus Tracks 141 Downloadable Content 142 Singles 143 Track Packs 143.1 Studio albums 144 See also 145 References 146 Further reading 146.1 Books 146.2 Scholarly articles 147 External links 147.1 In popular culture 148 Legal and practical issues 148.1 PlayStation 3 incompatibility 148.2 Patent litigation 149 Games 150 See also 151 Notes 152 References 153 External links

Bold text indicates a master track, all other songs are covers.

Single Player Setlist

1. Starting Out Small

• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar
• "Story of My Life" - Social Distortion
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss (Encore)

2. Your First Real Gig

• "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream
• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello"
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine (Encore)

3. Making The Video

• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones (Encore)

4. European Invasion

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam (Encore)

5. Bighouse Blues

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - Scorpions
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "La Grange" - ZZ Top
• Guitar Battle vs. Slash
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses (Encore)

6. The Hottest Band On Earth

• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Pride and Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughn (Encore)

7. Live in Japan

• "Before I Forget" - Slipknot
• "Stricken" - Disturbed
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (Encore)

8. Battle For Your Soul

• "Raining Blood" - Slayer
• "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "One" - Metallica
• "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" - Originally by Charlie Daniels Band, cover by Steve Ouimette (Encore)

Co-Op Setlist

1. Getting a Band Together

• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys (Encore)

2. We Just Wanna Be Famous

• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Reptilia" - The Strokes (Encore)

3. Overnight Success

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Encore)

4. Getting the Band Back Together

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" - Blue Öyster Cult (Encore)

5. Jailhouse Rock

• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Helicopter" - Bloc Party (Encore)

6. Battle for Your Souls...

• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "One" - Metallica
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour
• "Monsters" - Matchbook Romance (Encore)

Bonus Tracks

• "Avalancha" - Heroes del Silencio
• "Can't Be Saved" - Senses Fail
• "Closer" - Lacuna Coil
• "Don't Hold Back" - The Sleeping
• "Down n' Dirty" - LA Slum Lords
• "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - The Fall of Troy
• "Generation Rock" - Revolverheld
• "Go That Far" - Bret Michaels Band
• "Hier Kommt Alex" - Die Toten Hosen
• "I'm in the Band" - The Hellacopters
• "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
• "In Love" - Scouts of St. Sebastian
• "In the Belly of a Shark" - Gallows
• "Mauvais Garçon" - NAAST
• "Metal Heavy Lady" - Lions
• "Minus Celsius" - Backyard Babies
• "My Curse" - Killswitch Engage
• "Nothing for Me Here" - Dope
• "Prayer of the Refugee" - Rise Against
• "Radio Song" - Superbus
• "Ruby" - Kaiser Cheifs
• "She Bangs the Drums" - The Stone Roses
• "Take This Life" - In Flames
• "The Way It Ends" - Prototype
• "Through the Fire and Flames" - DragonForce

Downloadable Content

Singles

Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix - Released November 22, 2007 on XBL.

• "Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix" - Martin O'Donnell

Ernten Was Wir Säen - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Erten Was Wir Säen" - Die Fantastischen Vier

So Payso - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "So Payso" - Extremoduro

Antisocial - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Antisocial" - Trust

We Three Kings - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "We Three Kings" - Steve Ouimette

Dream On - Released Febuary 18, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Dream On" - Aerosmith

I am Murloc - Released June 26, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "I am Murloc" - L70ETC (Link to WoWWiki)

Track Packs

Companion Pack - Released October 31, 2007 on XBL.

• "Carcinogen Crush" - AFI
• "Tina" - Flyleaf
• "Putting Holes in Happiness" - Marilyn Manson

Foo Fighters Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "All My Life" - Foo Fighters
• "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
• "This is a Call" - Foo Fighters

Velvet Revolver Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "She Builds Quick Machines" - Velvet Revolver
• "Slither" - Velvet Revolver
• "Messages" - Velvet Revolver

Boss Battle Pack - Released November 15, 2007 on XBL and November 29, 2007 on PSN.

• "Tom Morello Guitar Battle" - Tom Morello
• "Slash Guitar Battle" - Slash
• "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Steve Ouimette

Warner/Reprise Track Pack - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2007 on PSN.

• "Pretty Handsome Awkward" - The Used
• "No More Sorrow" - Linkin Park
• "Sleeping Giant" - Mastodon

Classic Rock Track Pack - Released January 24, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Any Way You Want It" - Journey
• "Jukebox Hero" - Foreigner
• "Peace of Mind" - Boston

No Doubt Track Pack - Released Febuary 28, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Excuse Me Mr. No Doubt" - No Doubt
• "Don't Speak" - No Doubt
• "Sunday Morning" - No Doubt

Modern Metal Track Pack - Released March 6, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "The Arsonist" - Thrice
• "Hole in the Earth" - Deftones
• "Almost Easy" - Avenged Sevonfold

Dropkick Murphys Track Pack - Released March 13, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Famous For Nothing" - Dropkick Murphys
• "(F)lannigan's Ball" - Dropkick Murphys
• "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya" - Dropkick Murphys

Def Leppard Track Pack - Released April 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Nine Lives" - Def Leppard
• "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard
• "Photograph" - Def Leppard

Guitar Virtuoso Pack - Released July 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead
• "Surfing With the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai

DragonForce Track Pack - Released August 21, 2008 on XBL & PSN

• "Heroes of Our Time"
• "Operation Ground and Pound"
• "Revolution Deathsquad"

During promotional interviews for the R30 Live In Frankfurt DVD, the band revealed their intention to begin writing new material in early 2006. While in Toronto, Lifeson and Lee began the songwriting process in January 2006. During this time, Peart simultaneously assumed his role of lyric writing while residing in Southern California. The following September, Rush chose to hire American producer Nick Raskulinecz to co-produce the album. The band officially entered Allaire Studios, in Shokan, New York in November 2006 in order to record the bulk of the material. Taking the band five weeks, the sessions ended in December. On February 14, 2007, an announcement was made on the official Rush web site that the title of the new album would be Snakes & Arrows. The first single, entitled "Far Cry," was released to North American radio stations on March 12, 2007 and reached #2 on the Mediabase Mainstream and Radio and Records Charts.^[64]

The Rush website, newly redesigned on March 12 to support the new album, also announced that the band would embark on a tour to begin in the summer. Snakes & Arrows was released 1 May 2007 in North America, where it debuted at #3 in the Billboard 200 with approximately 93,000 units sold in its first week.^[65] To coincide with the Atlantic ocean hurricane season, "Spindrift" was released as the official second radio single on June 1, 2007, whereas "The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)" saw single status on June 25, 2007. "The Larger Bowl" positioned within the top 20 of the Mainstream Rock and Media Base Mainstream charts, however, "Spindrift" failed to appear on any commercial chart.^[66] The planned intercontinental tour in support of Snakes & Arrows began on June 13, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, coming to a close on October 29, 2007 at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland.^[67]

The 2008 portion of the tour started on April 11, 2008 in San Juan, Puerto Rico at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum and culminated on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana at the Verizon Wireless Music Center.^[68] On April 15, the band released Snakes & Arrows Live, a double live album documenting the first leg of the tour.^[69] Those same performances featured on Snakes & Arrows Live filmed at the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands on October 16 and 17 of 2007 was released November 24 as a DVD and Blu-Ray set, which also includes footage from the 2008 portion of the tour, recorded at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Atlanta.^{[70][71] [72]}

As the band neared the conclusion of their Snakes & Arrows tour, they announced their first appearance on American television in over 30 years. Rush was interviewed by Stephen Colbert and they performed "Tom Sawyer" on The Colbert Report on July 16, 2008.^[73]

Musical style and influences

Rush's musical style has changed substantially over the years. Their debut album is strongly influenced by British-Blues rock: an amalgam of sounds and styles from such rock bands as Cream, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. Over the first few albums their style remained essentially hard rock, with heavy influences from The Who^[74] and Led Zeppelin,^[29] but also became increasingly influenced by the British progressive rock movement.^[75] In the tradition of progressive rock, Rush wrote protracted songs with irregular and multiple time signatures combined with fantasy/science fiction-inspired lyrics; however, they did not soften their sound. This fusion of hard and progressive rock continued until the end of the 1970s. In the 1980s, however, Rush successfully merged their sound with the trends of this period, experimenting with New Wave, reggae and pop rock.^[76] This period included the band's most extensive use of instruments such as synthesizers, sequencers and electronic percussion. It is largely agreed that the culmination of this era of Rush was in 1987 after the release of Hold Your Fire.^[77] With the approach of the early '90s and Rush's character sound still intact, the band transformed their style once again to harmonize with the alternative rock movement.^[78] The new millennium has seen them return to a more rock and roll roots sound, albeit with modern production.^[74]

Band members

• Geddy Lee – bass guitar, lead vocals, keyboards, mellotron, bass and synthesizer pedals, electric and acoustic rhythm guitar (September 1968 – present)
• Alex Lifeson – six and twelve-string acoustic and electric guitars, classical guitar, mandolin, mandola, Bouzouki, backing vocals, bass and synthesizer pedals (August 1968 – present)
• Neil Peart – drums, electronic and acoustic percussion (July 1974 – present)

Former members

• John Rutsey – drums, percussion, backing vocals (August 1968 – July 1974)
• Jeff Jones – bass, lead vocals (August 1968 – September 1968)

Template:Details

Reputation

More than 30 years of activity has provided Rush with the opportunity for musical diversity across their discography. As with many bands known for experimentation, such changes have inevitably resulted in dissent among critics and fans. The bulk of the band's music has always included synthetic instruments in some form or another, and this is a great source of contention in the Rush camp, especially the band's heavy reliance on synthesizers and keyboards during the 1980s, particularly on albums Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, and Hold Your Fire.^[79][80] Still, most fans saw this as nothing less than artistic growth and support for the band remained unwavering through each transitional phase.^[77]

The members of Rush have themselves noted that people "either love Rush or hate Rush", resulting in strong detractors and an intensely loyal fan base. To the chagrin of fans, the band has not been nominated for entry into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since their year of eligibility in 1998. The Hall's refusal to induct Rush may be a consequence of the band's insistence on remaining outside the mainstream of rock when it comes to self-promotion, in favor of maintaining a high degree of independence.^[81] To this day fans earnestly clamor for the band's inclusion into the Hall by citing noteworthy accomplishments including longevity, proficiency, and influence, as well as commercial sales figures and RIAA certifications. However, Lifeson has expressed his indifference toward the perceived slight saying "I couldn't care less, look who's up for induction, it's a joke".^[82] Rush has gained a degree of recognition in popular culture despite any official recognition from the Hall.^[83]

As a band, Rush has been nominated for and received various awards throughout its career. Likewise, the individual members have received coverage in various modern music magazines with specific technocratic recognition for instrumental ability. See List of Rush awards for more details on this topic.

Geddy Lee

Image:GeddyLee.JPG

Geddy Lee's high-register vocal style has always been a signature of the band — and sometimes, a focal point for criticism, especially during the early years of Rush's career when Lee's vocals were high-pitched, with a strong likeness to other singers like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. Although his voice has softened over the years, it is often described as a "wail".^[84][85] His instrumental abilities, on the other hand, are rarely criticized. An award-winning musician, Lee's style, technique, and ability on the bass guitar have proven influential in the rock and heavy metal genres, inspiring such players as Steve Harris of Iron Maiden,^[86] John Myung of Dream Theater,^[87] Les Claypool of Primus^[88] and Cliff Burton of Metallica^[89] among others. Lee is notable for his ability to operate various pieces of instrumentation simultaneously. This is mostly evident during live shows when Lee must play bass, supply lead vocals, manipulate keyboards, and trigger foot pedals during the course of a performance, as in the song "Tom Sawyer".^[75] Because of this he is required to remain in one place during songs containing complex instrumentation. Lifeson and Peart are, to a lesser extent, responsible for similar actions during live shows.

Alex Lifeson

Image:Alex Lifeson6.jpg

Instrumentally, Lifeson is regarded as a guitarist whose strengths and notability rely primarily on signature riffing, electronic effects and processing, unorthodox chord structures, and a copious arsenal of equipment used over the years.^[90][91][92] Despite his esteem, however, Lifeson is often regarded as being overshadowed by his bandmates due to Lee's on-stage multi-instrumental dexterity and Peart's status as a drummer.^[93]

During his adolescent years, he was influenced primarily by Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.^[94] For versatility, Lifeson was known to incorporate touches of Spanish and classical music into Rush's guitar-driven sound during the 1970s. Taking a backseat to Lee's keyboards in the 1980s, Lifeson's guitar returned to the forefront in the 1990s, and especially on 2002's Vapor Trails. During live performances, he is still responsible for cuing various guitar effects, the use of bass-pedal synthesizers and backing vocals.

Neil Peart

Music

Peart is commonly regarded by music fans, critics and fellow musicians as one of, if not the greatest rock drummers.^[95] He is also regarded as one of the finest practitioners of the in-concert drum solo.^[96] Initially inspired by Keith Moon, Peart absorbed the influence of other rock drummers from the 1960s and 1970s such as Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice, and John Bonham.^[97] Incorporation of unusual instruments (for rock drummers of the time) such as cowbells, glockenspiel, and tubular bells, along with several standard kit elements, helped create a highly varied setup. Continually modified to this day, Peart's drumkit offers an enormous array of percussion instruments for sonic diversity. For two decades Peart honed his technique; each new Rush album introduced an expanded percussive vocabulary. In the 1990s, he reinvented his style with the help of drum coach Freddie Gruber. Image:Neil Peart3.jpg

Lyrics

Peart also serves as Rush's primary lyricist, attracting much attention over the years due to his eclectic style. Known for penning concept suites and songs inspired by literature, music fan opinions of his writing have varied greatly, running the gamut from cerebral and insightful to overly pretentious and preachy. During the band's early years, Peart's lyrics were largely fantasy/science fiction-focused,^[98] though since 1980 he has focused more on social, emotional, and humanitarian issues. Peart's lyrics continue to divide audiences today. For example, in 2007, he was placed second on Blender magazine's list of the "40 Worst Lyricists In Rock".^[99]

Sales

Over the course of their career, Rush has come to release 24 gold records and 14 platinum records (3 of which have gone multiplatinum),^[100] placing them within the top 4 for the most consecutive gold albums by a rock band.^[101] Rush ranks 78th in U.S. album sales according to the RIAA with sales of 25 million units.^[101] Total worldwide sales approximate 40 million units.^{[102][103][104][105]}

Despite having completely dropped out of the public eye for five years after the gold-selling Test for Echo (which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200) and the band being relegated almost solely to classic rock stations in the U.S., Vapor Trails reached #6 on the Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release in 2002 with 108,000 albums sold. It has sold approximately 343,000 units to date. The subsequent Vapor Trails tour grossed over $24 million and included the largest audience ever to see a headlining Rush show — 60,000 fans in São Paulo, Brazil. Nevertheless, Vapor Trails remains their first album not to achieve at least gold status.

However, Rush's triple CD live album, 2003's Rush in Rio, was certified gold by the RIAA, marking the fourth decade in which a Rush album had been released and certified at least gold. Moreover, in 2004 Feedback cracked the top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart and received radio airplay. The band's most recent album, Snakes & Arrows, debuted at #3 (just one position shy of Rush's highest peaking album, 1993's Counterparts, which debuted at #2) on the Billboard 200 selling approximately 93,000 copies in its first week of release.^[106] This marks the 13th studio album to appear in the Top 20 and the band's 27th album to appear on the chart regardless of position over the course of their career. The album also debuted at #1 on the Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, as well as peaking at #1 on the Top Internet Albums chart when the album was released on the MVI format a month later.^[107] Still, Snakes & Arrows has yet to accumulate sales that approach or eclipse Vapor Trails or Rush in Rio.

The two consecutive tours in support of Snakes & Arrows in 2007 and 2008 accrued $21 million and $18.3 million, respectively, earning Rush the number 6 and 8 spots among the top ten summer rock concerts.^[108][109]

Live performances

The members of Rush share a strong work ethic, desiring to accurately recreate songs from their albums when playing live performances. Toward this goal, beginning in the late 1980s, Rush has included in their concert equipment a capacious rack of digital samplers which the band members use, in real-time, to recreate the sounds of non-traditional instruments, accompaniments, vocal harmonies, and other sound "events" that are familiarly heard on the studio versions of the songs.

In live performances, the band members share duties throughout most songs, with each member triggering certain sounds with his available limbs, while playing his primary instrument(s). Each band member has one or more MIDI controllers that enables him to use his free hands or feet to trigger sounds that have been loaded into the samplers for a particular song.^[110] It is with this technology that the group is able to present their arrangements in a live setting with the level of complexity and fidelity that fans have come to expect, and without the need to resort to the use of backing tracks or employing an additional band member.^[111]

The band members' coordinated use of foot-pedal keyboards and other electronic triggers to "play" sampled instruments and audio events is subtly visible in their live performances, especially so on R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour, their 2005 concert DVD.

A staple of Rush's concerts is a Peart drum solo. Peart's drum solos include a basic framework of routines connected by sections of improvisation, making each performance unique. Each successive tour sees the solo more advanced, with some routines dropped in favor of newer, more complex ones. Since the mid-1980s, Peart has used MIDI trigger pads to trigger sounds sampled from various pieces of acoustic percussion that would otherwise consume far too much stage area, such as a marimba, harp, temple blocks, triangles, glockenspiel, orchestra bells, tubular bells, and vibraslap as well as other, more esoteric percussion.

Philanthropy

Rush actively participates in philanthropic causes. The band was one of a number of hometown favorites to play Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, also dubbed SARStock, at Downsview Park in Toronto on July 30, 2003, with an attendance of over half a million people. The concert was intended to benefit the Canadian economy after the SARS outbreaks earlier in the year. The band has also sustained an interest in promoting human rights. They donated $100,000 to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights after a concert they held in Winnipeg on 24 May 2008.^[112] Rush continues to sell t-shirts and donate the proceeds to the museum.^[113]

The individual members of Rush have also been a part of philanthropic causes. Hughes & Kettner zenTeras and TriAmps have been endorsed and used by Lifeson for many years. A custom signature amplifier was engineered by Lifeson and released in April 2005 with the stipulation that UNICEF will receive a donation in the amount of $50 for every Alex Lifeson Signature TriAmp sold.^[114] Lee, a longtime fan of baseball, donated 200 baseballs signed by famous Negro League players, including Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Josh Gibson, to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in June 2008.^[115]

The band is featured on the music album Songs for Tibet, appearing with a number of other celebrities as an initiative to support Tibet and the current Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. The album was made downloadable on August 5 via iTunes and was released commercially August 12.^[116]

Discography

Here is the complete setlist for Guitar Hero III, which will also include all downloadable content (when released).

Bold text indicates a master track, all other songs are covers.

Single Player Setlist

1. Starting Out Small

• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar
• "Story of My Life" - Social Distortion
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss (Encore)

2. Your First Real Gig

• "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream
• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello"
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine (Encore)

3. Making The Video

• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones (Encore)

4. European Invasion

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam (Encore)

5. Bighouse Blues

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - Scorpions
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "La Grange" - ZZ Top
• Guitar Battle vs. Slash
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses (Encore)

6. The Hottest Band On Earth

• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Pride and Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughn (Encore)

7. Live in Japan

• "Before I Forget" - Slipknot
• "Stricken" - Disturbed
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (Encore)

8. Battle For Your Soul

• "Raining Blood" - Slayer
• "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "One" - Metallica
• "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" - Originally by Charlie Daniels Band, cover by Steve Ouimette (Encore)

Co-Op Setlist

1. Getting a Band Together

• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys (Encore)

2. We Just Wanna Be Famous

• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Reptilia" - The Strokes (Encore)

3. Overnight Success

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Encore)

4. Getting the Band Back Together

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" - Blue Öyster Cult (Encore)

5. Jailhouse Rock

• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Helicopter" - Bloc Party (Encore)

6. Battle for Your Souls...

• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "One" - Metallica
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour
• "Monsters" - Matchbook Romance (Encore)

Bonus Tracks

• "Avalancha" - Heroes del Silencio
• "Can't Be Saved" - Senses Fail
• "Closer" - Lacuna Coil
• "Don't Hold Back" - The Sleeping
• "Down n' Dirty" - LA Slum Lords
• "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - The Fall of Troy
• "Generation Rock" - Revolverheld
• "Go That Far" - Bret Michaels Band
• "Hier Kommt Alex" - Die Toten Hosen
• "I'm in the Band" - The Hellacopters
• "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
• "In Love" - Scouts of St. Sebastian
• "In the Belly of a Shark" - Gallows
• "Mauvais Garçon" - NAAST
• "Metal Heavy Lady" - Lions
• "Minus Celsius" - Backyard Babies
• "My Curse" - Killswitch Engage
• "Nothing for Me Here" - Dope
• "Prayer of the Refugee" - Rise Against
• "Radio Song" - Superbus
• "Ruby" - Kaiser Cheifs
• "She Bangs the Drums" - The Stone Roses
• "Take This Life" - In Flames
• "The Way It Ends" - Prototype
• "Through the Fire and Flames" - DragonForce

Downloadable Content

Singles

Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix - Released November 22, 2007 on XBL.

• "Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix" - Martin O'Donnell

Ernten Was Wir Säen - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Erten Was Wir Säen" - Die Fantastischen Vier

So Payso - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "So Payso" - Extremoduro

Antisocial - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Antisocial" - Trust

We Three Kings - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "We Three Kings" - Steve Ouimette

Dream On - Released Febuary 18, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Dream On" - Aerosmith

I am Murloc - Released June 26, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "I am Murloc" - L70ETC (Link to WoWWiki)

Track Packs

Companion Pack - Released October 31, 2007 on XBL.

• "Carcinogen Crush" - AFI
• "Tina" - Flyleaf
• "Putting Holes in Happiness" - Marilyn Manson

Foo Fighters Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "All My Life" - Foo Fighters
• "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
• "This is a Call" - Foo Fighters

Velvet Revolver Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "She Builds Quick Machines" - Velvet Revolver
• "Slither" - Velvet Revolver
• "Messages" - Velvet Revolver

Boss Battle Pack - Released November 15, 2007 on XBL and November 29, 2007 on PSN.

• "Tom Morello Guitar Battle" - Tom Morello
• "Slash Guitar Battle" - Slash
• "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Steve Ouimette

Warner/Reprise Track Pack - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2007 on PSN.

• "Pretty Handsome Awkward" - The Used
• "No More Sorrow" - Linkin Park
• "Sleeping Giant" - Mastodon

Classic Rock Track Pack - Released January 24, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Any Way You Want It" - Journey
• "Jukebox Hero" - Foreigner
• "Peace of Mind" - Boston

No Doubt Track Pack - Released Febuary 28, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Excuse Me Mr. No Doubt" - No Doubt
• "Don't Speak" - No Doubt
• "Sunday Morning" - No Doubt

Modern Metal Track Pack - Released March 6, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "The Arsonist" - Thrice
• "Hole in the Earth" - Deftones
• "Almost Easy" - Avenged Sevonfold

Dropkick Murphys Track Pack - Released March 13, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Famous For Nothing" - Dropkick Murphys
• "(F)lannigan's Ball" - Dropkick Murphys
• "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya" - Dropkick Murphys

Def Leppard Track Pack - Released April 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Nine Lives" - Def Leppard
• "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard
• "Photograph" - Def Leppard

Guitar Virtuoso Pack - Released July 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead
• "Surfing With the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai

DragonForce Track Pack - Released August 21, 2008 on XBL & PSN

• "Heroes of Our Time"
• "Operation Ground and Pound"
• "Revolution Deathsquad"

Studio albums

• Rush (1974)
• Fly by Night (1975)
• Caress of Steel (1975)
• 2112 (1976)
• A Farewell to Kings (1977)
• Hemispheres (1978)
• Permanent Waves (1980)
• Moving Pictures (1981)
• Signals (1982)
• Grace Under Pressure (1984)
• Power Windows (1985)
• Hold Your Fire (1987)
• Presto (1989)
• Roll the Bones (1991)
• Counterparts (1993)
• Test for Echo (1996)
• Vapor Trails (2002)
• Feedback (2004)
• Snakes & Arrows (2007)

See also

• Rush instrumentals
• List of Rush awards

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

Books

• Rush: Visions: The Official Biography – Banasiewicz, Bill. (1988), Omnibus Press – ISBN 0-7119-1162-2
• Rush Tribute: Merely Players – Telleria, Robert (2002) – ISBN 1-55082-271-3
• Rush: Success Under Pressure – Gett, Steve. (1984) – ISBN 0-89524-230-3
• Rhythm & Light – Nuttall, Carrie, (2005), Rounder Books, ISBN 1-57940-093-0
• Drum Techniques of Rush – Peart (1985) – ISBN 0-7692-5055-6
• More Drum Techniques of Rush – Peart, Wheeler (1989) – ISBN 0-7692-5051-3
• The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa – Peart (1999) – ISBN 1-895900-02-6
• Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road – Peart (2002) – ISBN 1-55022-546-4 (hardcover), ISBN 1-55022-548-0 (paperback)
• Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times – Peart (2004) – ISBN 1-55022-664-9
• Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away – Popoff, Martin. Publisher: Ecw Press (28 June 2004) – ISBN 1-55022-678-9
• Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of Rush – Price, et al. (1999) – ISBN 1-58715-102-2
• Rush: Chemistry : The Definitive Biography – Collins, Jon. (2006) Helter Skelter Publishing – ISBN 1-900924-85-4 (Hardcover)
• Roadshow: Landscape With Drums - A Concert Tour By Motorcycle – Peart (2006), Rounder – ISBN 1-57940-142-2

Scholarly articles

• "Rand, Rush, and De-totalizing the Utopianism of Progressive Rock" by Steven Horwitz (2002)
• "Textu®al Undercoding and the Music of the Rock Band Rush: String Quartets, Death Metal, Trip-Hop, and other Tributes" by Dr. Durrell Bowman (2004/2002)
• "'Open Secrets': Individualism and Middle-Class Identity in the songs of Rush," Popular Music and Society Volume 31 No. 3, July 2008, pp. 313-328, by Chris McDonald.
• "'Making Arrows Out of Pointed Words': Critical Reception, Taste Publics and Rush," Journal of American and Comparative Cultures, Volume 25 No. 3-4, September 2002, pp. 249-259, by Chris McDonald
• "Grand Designs: A Musical, Social and Ethographic Study of Rush" (dissertation, Ph.D. in ethnomusicology, York University, 2002) by Chris McDonald
• "Structure, Function and Process in the Early Song Cycles and Extended Songs of the Canadian Rock Group Rush" (dissertation, Ph.D. in music theory, Ohio State University, 2002) by Brian Walsh
• "Permanent Change: Rush, Musicians' Rock, and the Progressive Post-Counterculture" (dissertation, Ph.D. in musicology, UCLA, 2003) by Dr. Durrell Bowman

External links

Template:Spoken Wikipedia Template:Commonscat Template:Wikiquote

• Official Rush Home Page

Template:Featured article Template:RushTemplate:Link FA

ca:Rush cs:Rush da:Rush de:Rush et:Rush es:Rush fr:Rush (groupe) hr:Rush id:Rush it:Rush he:ראש (להקה) lv:Rush hu:Rush mt:Rush nl:Rush (band) ja:ラッシュ (バンド) no:Rush nn:Rush pl:Rush pt:Rush ro:Rush ru:Rush simple:Rush (band) sk:Rush (skupina) fi:Rush sq:Rush sv:Rush tr:Rush (grup) uk:Rush zh:匆促樂團s solo work or artists that have inspired or performed with Aerosmith, including Run D.M.C..

Guitar Hero World Tour, previously named Guitar Hero IV, is the fourth full game in the series and was released on October 26, 2008 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii. Analysts had expected that future Guitar Hero games in 2008 would include additional instrument peripherals to compete against Rock Band;^[117] Guitar Hero World Tour was confirmed as in development following the announcement of the merger between Activision and Vivendi Games in December 2007.^[118] Activision's CEO Bobby Kotick announced on April 21, 2008 that Guitar Hero World Tour will branch out into other instruments including vocals.^[119] Guitar Hero World Tour includes drums and vocals, and can be bought packaged with a new drum set controller, a microphone, and the standard guitar controller.^[120] A larger number of real-world musicians appear as playable characters, including Jimi Hendrix, Billy Corgan, Sting, and Ozzy Osbourne. Guitar Hero World Tour also features custom song creation that can be shared with others.^[120]

Activision's 2008 SEC filings cited that they plan to release Guitar Hero: Metallica by the first quarter of 2009, according the Wedbush Morgan Securities.^[121] Guitar Hero: Metallica will be based on the full band experience of World Tour while offering similar features on Metallica's history and music as found in Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.^[122] In addition, MetallicaTemplate:Infobox musical artist Template:Portal Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, currently composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. The band and its membership went through a number of re-configurations between 1968 and 1974, achieving their definitive form when Neil Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey in July 1974, two weeks before the group's first U.S. tour.

Since the release of the band's self-titled debut album in March 1974, Rush has become known for the instrumental skills of its members, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy, and libertarian philosophy, as well as addressing humanitarian, social, emotional, and environmental concerns.

Musically, Rush's style has evolved over the years, beginning in the vein of blues-inspired heavy metal on their first albums, then encompassing hard rock, progressive rock, a period dominated by synthesizers and, more recently, modern rock. They have influenced various musical artists, including Metallica,^[21][22] The Smashing Pumpkins^[23] and Primus,^[23] as well as progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater^[21] and Symphony X.^[24]

Rush has won a number of Juno Awards, and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994. Over the course of their careers, the individual members of Rush have been acknowledged as being some of the most proficient players on their respective instruments, with each band member winning several awards in magazine readers' polls. As a group, Rush possesses 24 gold records and 14 platinum (3 multi-platinum) records. According to the RIAA, Rush's sales statistics place them fourth behind The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith for the most consecutive gold or platinum albums by a rock band. Rush also ranks 78th in U.S. album sales with 25 million units.^[25] Although total worldwide album sales are not calculated by any single entity, as of 2004 several industry sources estimated Rush's total worldwide album sales at over 40 million units.

The band recently finished promoting their latest album, Snakes & Arrows with an intercontinental tour. The second leg began in San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 11, and ended on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana.^[26]

History

Template:Details

The early years (1968–1976)

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end

The original line-up formed in the neighbourhood of Willowdale in Toronto, Ontario, by Lifeson, front man Jeff Jones, and drummer John Rutsey. Within a couple weeks of forming, and before their second performance, bassist and lead vocalist Jones was replaced by Geddy Lee, a schoolmate of Lifeson. After several lineup reformations, Rush's official incarnation was formed in May 1971 consisting of Lee, Lifeson, and Rutsey. The band was managed by local Toronto resident Ray Danniels, a frequent attendee of Rush's early shows.^[27][28]

After gaining stability in the lineup and honing their skills on the local bar/high school dance circuit, the band came to release their first single "Not Fade Away", a cover of the Buddy Holly song, in 1973. Side B contained an original composition, "You Can't Fight It", credited to Rutsey and Lee. The single generated little reaction and, due to record company indifference, the band formed their own independent record label, Moon Records. With the aid of Danniels and the newly enlisted engineer Terry Brown, the band released their self-titled debut album in 1974, which was considered highly derivative of Led Zeppelin.^[29] Rush had limited local popularity until the album was picked up by WMMS, a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio. Donna Halper, a DJ and music director working at the station, selected "Working Man" for her regular play list. The song's blue collar theme resonated with hard rock fans and this new found popularity led to the album being re-released by Mercury Records in the U.S.^[30][31] Image:Starman.png

Immediately after the release of the debut album, Rutsey resigned in July 1974 due to his affliction with diabetes and a distaste for touring. Rush held auditions and eventually selected Neil Peart as Rutsey's replacement. Peart officially joined the band on July 29, 1974, two weeks before the group's first US tour. They performed their first concert together, opening for Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann with an attendance of over 11,000 people at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 14. In addition to becoming the band's drummer, Peart assumed the role of principal lyricist as Lee and Lifeson had very little interest in writing, contributing to only a handful of song lyrics over the rest of the band's career. Instead, they focused primarily on the musical aspects of Rush. Fly by Night (1975), Rush's first album after recruiting Peart, saw the inclusion of the band's first epic mini-tale "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", replete with complex arrangements and multi-section format. Lyrical themes also underwent dramatic changes after the addition of Peart due to his love for fantasy and science-fiction literature.^[33] However, despite these many differences some of the music and songs still closely mirrored the blues style found on Rush's debut.^[34][33]

Following quickly on the heels of Fly By Night, the band released 1975's Caress of Steel, a five track hard rock album featuring two extended multi-chapter songs, "The Necromancer" and "The Fountain of Lamneth." Caress of Steel was reported by some critics to be unfocused and an audacious move for the band due to the placement of two protracted numbers back-to-back, as well as a heavier reliance on atmospherics and story-telling, a large deviation from Fly by Night.^[35] Intended to be the band's first "break-through" album, Caress of Steel sold below expectations and the promotional tour consisted of small venues which led to the moniker the "Down the Tubes Tour."^[36] In light of these events, Rush's record label pressured them into molding their next album in a more commercially friendly and accessible fashion. However, the band ignored the requests and developed their next album, 2112. It was the band's first taste of commercial success and their first platinum album in Canada.^[37] The supporting tour for the album culminated in a three night stand at Massey Hall in Toronto, which the band recorded for the release of their first live album titled All the World's a Stage. Allmusic Guide critic Greg Prato summarily reminds listeners and fans of how the album demarcates the boundary between the band's early years and the next era of their music.^[38][39]

The progressive rock era (1977–1981)

After 2112, Rush retreated to the United Kingdom to record 1977's A Farewell to Kings and 1978's Hemispheres at Rockfield Studios in Wales. These albums saw the band members expanding their use of progressive elements in their music. Trademarks such as increased synthesizer usage, extended-length concept songs, and highly dynamic playing featuring complex time signature changes became a staple of Rush's compositions. To achieve a broader, more progressive palette of sound, Alex Lifeson began to experiment with classical and twelve-string guitars, and Geddy Lee added bass-pedal synthesizers and Minimoog. Likewise, Peart's percussion became diversified in the form of triangles, glockenspiel, wood blocks, cowbells, timpani, gong and chimes. Beyond instrument additions, the band kept in stride with the progressive rock movement by continuing to compose long, conceptual songs with science fiction and fantasy overtones. However, as the new decade approached, Rush gradually began to dispose of their older styles of music in favor of shorter, and sometimes softer, arrangements. The lyrics up to this point (most of them written by Peart) were heavily influenced by classical poetry, fantasy literature, science fiction, and the writings of novelist Ayn Rand, as exhibited most prominently by their 1975 song "Anthem" from Fly By Night and a specifically acknowledged derivation in 1976's 2112.^[40]

Permanent Waves (1980) shifted Rush's style of music dramatically via the introduction of reggae and new wave.^[41] Although a hard rock style was still evident, more and more synthesizers were introduced. Moreover, due to the limited airplay Rush's previous extended-length songs received, Permanent Waves included shorter, more radio-friendly songs such as "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill", two songs which helped Permanent Waves become Rush's first U.S. Top 5 album; both songs continue to make appearances on classic rock radio stations in Canada and the United States to this day.^[42] Meanwhile, Peart's lyrics shifted toward an expository tone with subject matter that dwelled less on fantastical or allegorical story-telling and more heavily on cerebral topics that explored humanistic, social, emotional and metaphysical elements. Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Rush's popularity reached its pinnacle with the release of Moving Pictures in 1981. Moving Pictures essentially continued where Permanent Waves left off, extending the trend of highly accessible and commercially friendly pop-progressive rock that helped thrust them into the spotlight. The lead track, "Tom Sawyer", is probably the band's best-known song^[43] with "Limelight" also receiving satisfactory responses from listeners and radio stations. Moving Pictures was Rush's last album to feature an extended song, the ten-and-a-half-minute "The Camera Eye". The song also contained the band's heaviest usage of synthesizers up to that point, hinting that Rush's music was shifting direction once more. Moving Pictures reached #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart and has been certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[44]

Following the success of Moving Pictures and the completion of another four studio albums, Rush released their second live recording, Exit...Stage Left, in 1981. The album delineates the apex of Rush's progressive period by featuring live material from the band's Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures tours. As with their first live release, Exit...Stage Left identified the margin of a new chapter of Rush's sound. The band underwent another radical stylistic transmutation with the release of Signals in 1982.^[45]

The synthesizer period (1982–1989)

Image:Oberheim OBX.jpg

While Lee's synthesizers had been featured instruments ever since the late 70s, keyboards were suddenly shifted from the contrapuntal background to the melodic front-lines^[46][47] as evidenced by songs such as "Countdown" and the lead-off track "Subdivisions". Both feature nimble lead synthesizer lines with minimalistic guitar chords and solos. Other previously unused instrument additions were seen in the song "Losing It," featuring collaborator Ben Mink on electric violin.^[45] Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Signals also represented a drastic stylistic transformation apart from instrumental changes. The album contained Rush's only U.S. top-40 pop hit, "New World Man",^[48] while other more experimental songs such as "Digital Man", "The Weapon", and "Chemistry" expanded the band's use of ska, reggae, and funk.^[49] Although the band members consciously decided to move in this overall direction, they felt dissatisfied with long-time producer Terry Brown's studio treatment of Signals and parted ways with him in 1983. These diverse styles would come into further play on their next studio album.

Image:DM Simmons SDS5.jpg

The style and production of Signals were augmented and taken to new heights on 1984's Grace Under Pressure. It was Peart who named the album, as he borrowed the words of Ernest Hemingway to describe what the band had to go through after making the decision to leave Terry Brown. Producer Steve Lillywhite, who gleaned fame with successful productions of Simple Minds and U2, was enlisted to produce Grace Under Pressure. However, he backed out at the last moment, much to the ire of Lee, Lifeson and Peart. Lee said "Steve Lillywhite is really not a man of his word....after agreeing to do our record, he got an offer from Simple Minds, changed his mind, blew us off,..so it put us in a horrible position." Eventually Rush hired Peter Henderson to co-produce and engineer the album in his stead.^[50]

Musically, although Lee's use of sequencers and synthesizers remained the band's cornerstone, his focus on new technology was complemented by Peart's adaptation of Simmons electronic drums and percussion. Lifeson's contributions on the album were decidedly enhanced to act as an overreaction to the minimalistic role he played on Signals.^[51] Still, many of his trademark guitar textures remained intact in the form of open reggae chords and funk and new-wave rhythms; "Distant Early Warning", "Red Lenses", "Red Sector A" and "The Enemy Within" serve as prime examples.

With new producer Peter Collins, the band released 1985's Power Windows and 1987's Hold Your Fire. The music on these two albums gives far more emphasis and prominence to Lee's multi-layered synthesizer work. While fans and critics took notice of Lifeson's diminished guitar work, his presence was still palpable on "The Big Money", (the album's modest-charting single) with spotlights on "Grand Designs", "Middletown Dreams" and "Marathon." Lifeson, like many guitarists in the late 1980s, experimented with processors that reduced his instrument to echoey chord bursts and razor-thin leads. Hold Your Fire represents both a modest extension of the guitar stylings found on Power Windows, and, according to Allmusic critic Ed Rivadavia, the culmination of this era of Rush.^[52] Whereas the previous five Rush albums sold platinum or better, Hold Your Fire only went gold in November 1987, although it managed to peak at number 13 on the Billboard 200.^[53]

A third live album and video, A Show of Hands (1989), was also released by Mercury following the Power Windows and Hold Your Fire tours, demonstrating the aspects of Rush in the 80s. A Show of Hands met with strong fan approval, but Rolling Stone critic Michael Azerrad dismissed it as "musical muscle" with 1.5 stars, claiming Rush fans viewed their favourite power trio as "the holy trinity".^[54] Nevertheless, A Show of Hands managed to surpass the gold album mark, reaching number 21 on the Billboard 200.^[55] At this point, the group decided to change record labels from Mercury to Atlantic. After Rush's departure in 1989, Mercury released a double platinum two-volume compilation of their Rush catalogue, Chronicles (1990).^[56]

Returning to their roots (1989–1997)

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Rush started to deviate from their 1980s style with the albums Presto and Roll the Bones. Produced by record engineer and musician Rupert Hine, these two albums saw Rush shedding much of their keyboard-saturated sound. Beginning with 1989's Presto, the band opted for arrangements that were notably more guitar-centric than the previous two studio albums. Although synthesizers were still used in many songs, the instrument was no longer featured as the centerpiece of Rush's compositions. Continuing this trend, 1991's Roll the Bones extended the use of the standard three-instrument approach with even less focus on synthesizers than its predecessor. While musically these albums do not deviate significantly from a general pop-rock sound, Rush stuck to their creative approach of incorporating traces of more exotic musical styles. "Roll the Bones", for instance, exhibits funk and hip hop elements, and the instrumental track "Where's My Thing?" features several jazz components.^[57] This return to three-piece instrumentation helped pave the way for future albums in the mid-90s, which would adopt a more straightforward rock formula.

The transition from synthesizers to more guitar-oriented and organic instrumentation continued with the 1993 album Counterparts^[58] and its follow-up, 1996's Test for Echo, again both produced in collaboration with Peter Collins. Musically, Counterparts^[58] and Test For Echo are two of Rush's most guitar-driven albums. Although the music in general did not meet the criteria for "progressive rock", some of the songs could be considered more adventurous than what one might expect from a standard modern rock band.^[59] For instance, "Time and Motion" possesses multiple time signature changes and organ usage, while the instrumental track "Limbo", consists of several relatively complex musical passages repeated throughout. Musically, Test For Echo still retained much of the hard rock/alternative style already charted on the previous record. Lifeson and Lee's playing remained more or less unchanged; however, a distinct modification in technique became apparent in Peart's playing due to formal Jazz and Swing training under the tutelage of jazz instructor Freddie Gruber during the interim between Counterparts and Test For Echo.^[60] In October 1996, in support of Test For Echo, the band embarked on an extensive and successful North American tour, the band's first without an opening act and dubbed "An Evening with Rush." The tour was broken up into two segments spanning October through December, 1996 and May through July, 1997 with the band taking a respite between legs.

Hiatus and comeback (1997–2005)

After wrapping up the tour promoting Test for Echo in 1997, the band entered a five-year hiatus mainly due to personal tragedies in Peart's life. Peart's daughter Selena died in an automobile accident in August 1997, followed by his wife Jacqueline's death from cancer in June 1998. Peart took a hiatus to mourn and reflect, during which time he traveled extensively throughout North America on his BMW motorcycle, covering 88,000 km (55,000 miles). At some point in his journey, Peart decided to return to the band. Peart wrote Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road as a chronicle of his geographical and emotional journey. In this book he writes of how he had told his bandmates at Selena's funeral, "consider me retired."^[61] On November 10, 1998 a triple CD live album entitled Different Stages was released, dedicated to the memory of Selena and Jacqueline. Mixed by producer Paul Northfield and engineered by Terry Brown, it contained three discs packed with recorded performances from the band's Counterparts, Test For Echo, and A Farewell to Kings tours, marking the fourth officially released live album by the band. Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Listen Template:Sample box end After a time to grieve and reassemble the pieces of his life, and while visiting long-time Rush photographer Andrew MacNaughtan in Los Angeles, Peart was introduced to his future wife, photographer Carrie Nuttall. Peart married Nuttall on September 9, 2000. In early 2001 he announced to his band mates that he was ready to once again enter the studio and get back into the business of making music. With the help of producer Paul Northfield the band returned in May 2002 with Vapor Trails, written and recorded in Toronto. To herald the band's comeback, the single and lead track from the album, "One Little Victory" was designed to grab the attention of listeners due to its rapid guitar and drum tempos.^[62] Vapor Trails marked the first studio recording not to include a single synthesizer, organ or keyboard part since the early 1970s. While the album is almost completely guitar-driven, it is mostly devoid of any conventional sounding guitar solos, a conscious decision made by Lifeson during the writing process. According to the band, the entire developmental process for Vapor Trails was extremely taxing and took approximately 14 months to finish, by far the longest the band had ever spent writing and recording a studio album.^[62] The album debuted to moderate praise and was supported by the band's first tour in six years, including first-ever concerts in Mexico City and Brazil, where they played to some of the largest crowds of their career.

A triple CD live album and dual Rush In Rio DVD was released in late October 2003 featuring an entire concert performance recorded on the last night of their Vapor Trails Tour, November 23, 2002, at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To celebrate their 30th anniversary, June 2004 saw the release of Feedback, a studio EP recorded in suburban Toronto featuring eight covers of such artists as Cream, The Who and The Yardbirds, bands that the members of Rush cite as inspiration around the time of their inception.^[63] Also in the summer of 2004, Rush hit the road again for the very successful 30th Anniversary Tour, playing dates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. On September 24, 2004 a Frankfurt, Germany concert was recorded at The Festhalle for DVD (titled R30: Live in Frankfurt), which was released November 22, 2005.

Snakes & Arrows (2006–present)

Here is the complete setlist for Guitar Hero III, which will also include all downloadable content (when released).

Bold text indicates a master track, all other songs are covers.

Single Player Setlist

1. Starting Out Small

• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar
• "Story of My Life" - Social Distortion
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss (Encore)

2. Your First Real Gig

• "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream
• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello"
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine (Encore)

3. Making The Video

• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones (Encore)

4. European Invasion

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam (Encore)

5. Bighouse Blues

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - Scorpions
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "La Grange" - ZZ Top
• Guitar Battle vs. Slash
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses (Encore)

6. The Hottest Band On Earth

• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Pride and Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughn (Encore)

7. Live in Japan

• "Before I Forget" - Slipknot
• "Stricken" - Disturbed
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (Encore)

8. Battle For Your Soul

• "Raining Blood" - Slayer
• "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "One" - Metallica
• "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" - Originally by Charlie Daniels Band, cover by Steve Ouimette (Encore)

Co-Op Setlist

1. Getting a Band Together

• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys (Encore)

2. We Just Wanna Be Famous

• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Reptilia" - The Strokes (Encore)

3. Overnight Success

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Encore)

4. Getting the Band Back Together

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" - Blue Öyster Cult (Encore)

5. Jailhouse Rock

• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Helicopter" - Bloc Party (Encore)

6. Battle for Your Souls...

• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "One" - Metallica
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour
• "Monsters" - Matchbook Romance (Encore)

Bonus Tracks

• "Avalancha" - Heroes del Silencio
• "Can't Be Saved" - Senses Fail
• "Closer" - Lacuna Coil
• "Don't Hold Back" - The Sleeping
• "Down n' Dirty" - LA Slum Lords
• "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - The Fall of Troy
• "Generation Rock" - Revolverheld
• "Go That Far" - Bret Michaels Band
• "Hier Kommt Alex" - Die Toten Hosen
• "I'm in the Band" - The Hellacopters
• "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
• "In Love" - Scouts of St. Sebastian
• "In the Belly of a Shark" - Gallows
• "Mauvais Garçon" - NAAST
• "Metal Heavy Lady" - Lions
• "Minus Celsius" - Backyard Babies
• "My Curse" - Killswitch Engage
• "Nothing for Me Here" - Dope
• "Prayer of the Refugee" - Rise Against
• "Radio Song" - Superbus
• "Ruby" - Kaiser Cheifs
• "She Bangs the Drums" - The Stone Roses
• "Take This Life" - In Flames
• "The Way It Ends" - Prototype
• "Through the Fire and Flames" - DragonForce

Downloadable Content

Singles

Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix - Released November 22, 2007 on XBL.

• "Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix" - Martin O'Donnell

Ernten Was Wir Säen - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Erten Was Wir Säen" - Die Fantastischen Vier

So Payso - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "So Payso" - Extremoduro

Antisocial - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Antisocial" - Trust

We Three Kings - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "We Three Kings" - Steve Ouimette

Dream On - Released Febuary 18, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Dream On" - Aerosmith

I am Murloc - Released June 26, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "I am Murloc" - L70ETC (Link to WoWWiki)

Track Packs

Companion Pack - Released October 31, 2007 on XBL.

• "Carcinogen Crush" - AFI
• "Tina" - Flyleaf
• "Putting Holes in Happiness" - Marilyn Manson

Foo Fighters Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "All My Life" - Foo Fighters
• "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
• "This is a Call" - Foo Fighters

Velvet Revolver Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "She Builds Quick Machines" - Velvet Revolver
• "Slither" - Velvet Revolver
• "Messages" - Velvet Revolver

Boss Battle Pack - Released November 15, 2007 on XBL and November 29, 2007 on PSN.

• "Tom Morello Guitar Battle" - Tom Morello
• "Slash Guitar Battle" - Slash
• "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Steve Ouimette

Warner/Reprise Track Pack - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2007 on PSN.

• "Pretty Handsome Awkward" - The Used
• "No More Sorrow" - Linkin Park
• "Sleeping Giant" - Mastodon

Classic Rock Track Pack - Released January 24, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Any Way You Want It" - Journey
• "Jukebox Hero" - Foreigner
• "Peace of Mind" - Boston

No Doubt Track Pack - Released Febuary 28, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Excuse Me Mr. No Doubt" - No Doubt
• "Don't Speak" - No Doubt
• "Sunday Morning" - No Doubt

Modern Metal Track Pack - Released March 6, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "The Arsonist" - Thrice
• "Hole in the Earth" - Deftones
• "Almost Easy" - Avenged Sevonfold

Dropkick Murphys Track Pack - Released March 13, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Famous For Nothing" - Dropkick Murphys
• "(F)lannigan's Ball" - Dropkick Murphys
• "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya" - Dropkick Murphys

Def Leppard Track Pack - Released April 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Nine Lives" - Def Leppard
• "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard
• "Photograph" - Def Leppard

Guitar Virtuoso Pack - Released July 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead
• "Surfing With the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai

DragonForce Track Pack - Released August 21, 2008 on XBL & PSN

• "Heroes of Our Time"
• "Operation Ground and Pound"
• "Revolution Deathsquad"

During promotional interviews for the R30 Live In Frankfurt DVD, the band revealed their intention to begin writing new material in early 2006. While in Toronto, Lifeson and Lee began the songwriting process in January 2006. During this time, Peart simultaneously assumed his role of lyric writing while residing in Southern California. The following September, Rush chose to hire American producer Nick Raskulinecz to co-produce the album. The band officially entered Allaire Studios, in Shokan, New York in November 2006 in order to record the bulk of the material. Taking the band five weeks, the sessions ended in December. On February 14, 2007, an announcement was made on the official Rush web site that the title of the new album would be Snakes & Arrows. The first single, entitled "Far Cry," was released to North American radio stations on March 12, 2007 and reached #2 on the Mediabase Mainstream and Radio and Records Charts.^[64]

The Rush website, newly redesigned on March 12 to support the new album, also announced that the band would embark on a tour to begin in the summer. Snakes & Arrows was released 1 May 2007 in North America, where it debuted at #3 in the Billboard 200 with approximately 93,000 units sold in its first week.^[65] To coincide with the Atlantic ocean hurricane season, "Spindrift" was released as the official second radio single on June 1, 2007, whereas "The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)" saw single status on June 25, 2007. "The Larger Bowl" positioned within the top 20 of the Mainstream Rock and Media Base Mainstream charts, however, "Spindrift" failed to appear on any commercial chart.^[66] The planned intercontinental tour in support of Snakes & Arrows began on June 13, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, coming to a close on October 29, 2007 at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland.^[67]

The 2008 portion of the tour started on April 11, 2008 in San Juan, Puerto Rico at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum and culminated on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana at the Verizon Wireless Music Center.^[68] On April 15, the band released Snakes & Arrows Live, a double live album documenting the first leg of the tour.^[69] Those same performances featured on Snakes & Arrows Live filmed at the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands on October 16 and 17 of 2007 was released November 24 as a DVD and Blu-Ray set, which also includes footage from the 2008 portion of the tour, recorded at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Atlanta.^{[70][71] [72]}

As the band neared the conclusion of their Snakes & Arrows tour, they announced their first appearance on American television in over 30 years. Rush was interviewed by Stephen Colbert and they performed "Tom Sawyer" on The Colbert Report on July 16, 2008.^[73]

Musical style and influences

Rush's musical style has changed substantially over the years. Their debut album is strongly influenced by British-Blues rock: an amalgam of sounds and styles from such rock bands as Cream, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. Over the first few albums their style remained essentially hard rock, with heavy influences from The Who^[74] and Led Zeppelin,^[29] but also became increasingly influenced by the British progressive rock movement.^[75] In the tradition of progressive rock, Rush wrote protracted songs with irregular and multiple time signatures combined with fantasy/science fiction-inspired lyrics; however, they did not soften their sound. This fusion of hard and progressive rock continued until the end of the 1970s. In the 1980s, however, Rush successfully merged their sound with the trends of this period, experimenting with New Wave, reggae and pop rock.^[76] This period included the band's most extensive use of instruments such as synthesizers, sequencers and electronic percussion. It is largely agreed that the culmination of this era of Rush was in 1987 after the release of Hold Your Fire.^[77] With the approach of the early '90s and Rush's character sound still intact, the band transformed their style once again to harmonize with the alternative rock movement.^[78] The new millennium has seen them return to a more rock and roll roots sound, albeit with modern production.^[74]

Band members

• Geddy Lee – bass guitar, lead vocals, keyboards, mellotron, bass and synthesizer pedals, electric and acoustic rhythm guitar (September 1968 – present)
• Alex Lifeson – six and twelve-string acoustic and electric guitars, classical guitar, mandolin, mandola, Bouzouki, backing vocals, bass and synthesizer pedals (August 1968 – present)
• Neil Peart – drums, electronic and acoustic percussion (July 1974 – present)

Former members

• John Rutsey – drums, percussion, backing vocals (August 1968 – July 1974)
• Jeff Jones – bass, lead vocals (August 1968 – September 1968)

Template:Details

Reputation

More than 30 years of activity has provided Rush with the opportunity for musical diversity across their discography. As with many bands known for experimentation, such changes have inevitably resulted in dissent among critics and fans. The bulk of the band's music has always included synthetic instruments in some form or another, and this is a great source of contention in the Rush camp, especially the band's heavy reliance on synthesizers and keyboards during the 1980s, particularly on albums Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, and Hold Your Fire.^[79][80] Still, most fans saw this as nothing less than artistic growth and support for the band remained unwavering through each transitional phase.^[77]

The members of Rush have themselves noted that people "either love Rush or hate Rush", resulting in strong detractors and an intensely loyal fan base. To the chagrin of fans, the band has not been nominated for entry into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since their year of eligibility in 1998. The Hall's refusal to induct Rush may be a consequence of the band's insistence on remaining outside the mainstream of rock when it comes to self-promotion, in favor of maintaining a high degree of independence.^[81] To this day fans earnestly clamor for the band's inclusion into the Hall by citing noteworthy accomplishments including longevity, proficiency, and influence, as well as commercial sales figures and RIAA certifications. However, Lifeson has expressed his indifference toward the perceived slight saying "I couldn't care less, look who's up for induction, it's a joke".^[82] Rush has gained a degree of recognition in popular culture despite any official recognition from the Hall.^[83]

As a band, Rush has been nominated for and received various awards throughout its career. Likewise, the individual members have received coverage in various modern music magazines with specific technocratic recognition for instrumental ability. See List of Rush awards for more details on this topic.

Geddy Lee

Image:GeddyLee.JPG

Geddy Lee's high-register vocal style has always been a signature of the band — and sometimes, a focal point for criticism, especially during the early years of Rush's career when Lee's vocals were high-pitched, with a strong likeness to other singers like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. Although his voice has softened over the years, it is often described as a "wail".^[84][85] His instrumental abilities, on the other hand, are rarely criticized. An award-winning musician, Lee's style, technique, and ability on the bass guitar have proven influential in the rock and heavy metal genres, inspiring such players as Steve Harris of Iron Maiden,^[86] John Myung of Dream Theater,^[87] Les Claypool of Primus^[88] and Cliff Burton of Metallica^[89] among others. Lee is notable for his ability to operate various pieces of instrumentation simultaneously. This is mostly evident during live shows when Lee must play bass, supply lead vocals, manipulate keyboards, and trigger foot pedals during the course of a performance, as in the song "Tom Sawyer".^[75] Because of this he is required to remain in one place during songs containing complex instrumentation. Lifeson and Peart are, to a lesser extent, responsible for similar actions during live shows.

Alex Lifeson

Image:Alex Lifeson6.jpg

Instrumentally, Lifeson is regarded as a guitarist whose strengths and notability rely primarily on signature riffing, electronic effects and processing, unorthodox chord structures, and a copious arsenal of equipment used over the years.^[90][91][92] Despite his esteem, however, Lifeson is often regarded as being overshadowed by his bandmates due to Lee's on-stage multi-instrumental dexterity and Peart's status as a drummer.^[93]

During his adolescent years, he was influenced primarily by Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.^[94] For versatility, Lifeson was known to incorporate touches of Spanish and classical music into Rush's guitar-driven sound during the 1970s. Taking a backseat to Lee's keyboards in the 1980s, Lifeson's guitar returned to the forefront in the 1990s, and especially on 2002's Vapor Trails. During live performances, he is still responsible for cuing various guitar effects, the use of bass-pedal synthesizers and backing vocals.

Neil Peart

Music

Peart is commonly regarded by music fans, critics and fellow musicians as one of, if not the greatest rock drummers.^[95] He is also regarded as one of the finest practitioners of the in-concert drum solo.^[96] Initially inspired by Keith Moon, Peart absorbed the influence of other rock drummers from the 1960s and 1970s such as Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice, and John Bonham.^[97] Incorporation of unusual instruments (for rock drummers of the time) such as cowbells, glockenspiel, and tubular bells, along with several standard kit elements, helped create a highly varied setup. Continually modified to this day, Peart's drumkit offers an enormous array of percussion instruments for sonic diversity. For two decades Peart honed his technique; each new Rush album introduced an expanded percussive vocabulary. In the 1990s, he reinvented his style with the help of drum coach Freddie Gruber. Image:Neil Peart3.jpg

Lyrics

Peart also serves as Rush's primary lyricist, attracting much attention over the years due to his eclectic style. Known for penning concept suites and songs inspired by literature, music fan opinions of his writing have varied greatly, running the gamut from cerebral and insightful to overly pretentious and preachy. During the band's early years, Peart's lyrics were largely fantasy/science fiction-focused,^[98] though since 1980 he has focused more on social, emotional, and humanitarian issues. Peart's lyrics continue to divide audiences today. For example, in 2007, he was placed second on Blender magazine's list of the "40 Worst Lyricists In Rock".^[99]

Sales

Over the course of their career, Rush has come to release 24 gold records and 14 platinum records (3 of which have gone multiplatinum),^[100] placing them within the top 4 for the most consecutive gold albums by a rock band.^[101] Rush ranks 78th in U.S. album sales according to the RIAA with sales of 25 million units.^[101] Total worldwide sales approximate 40 million units.^{[102][103][104][105]}

Despite having completely dropped out of the public eye for five years after the gold-selling Test for Echo (which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200) and the band being relegated almost solely to classic rock stations in the U.S., Vapor Trails reached #6 on the Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release in 2002 with 108,000 albums sold. It has sold approximately 343,000 units to date. The subsequent Vapor Trails tour grossed over $24 million and included the largest audience ever to see a headlining Rush show — 60,000 fans in São Paulo, Brazil. Nevertheless, Vapor Trails remains their first album not to achieve at least gold status.

However, Rush's triple CD live album, 2003's Rush in Rio, was certified gold by the RIAA, marking the fourth decade in which a Rush album had been released and certified at least gold. Moreover, in 2004 Feedback cracked the top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart and received radio airplay. The band's most recent album, Snakes & Arrows, debuted at #3 (just one position shy of Rush's highest peaking album, 1993's Counterparts, which debuted at #2) on the Billboard 200 selling approximately 93,000 copies in its first week of release.^[106] This marks the 13th studio album to appear in the Top 20 and the band's 27th album to appear on the chart regardless of position over the course of their career. The album also debuted at #1 on the Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, as well as peaking at #1 on the Top Internet Albums chart when the album was released on the MVI format a month later.^[107] Still, Snakes & Arrows has yet to accumulate sales that approach or eclipse Vapor Trails or Rush in Rio.

The two consecutive tours in support of Snakes & Arrows in 2007 and 2008 accrued $21 million and $18.3 million, respectively, earning Rush the number 6 and 8 spots among the top ten summer rock concerts.^[108][109]

Live performances

The members of Rush share a strong work ethic, desiring to accurately recreate songs from their albums when playing live performances. Toward this goal, beginning in the late 1980s, Rush has included in their concert equipment a capacious rack of digital samplers which the band members use, in real-time, to recreate the sounds of non-traditional instruments, accompaniments, vocal harmonies, and other sound "events" that are familiarly heard on the studio versions of the songs.

In live performances, the band members share duties throughout most songs, with each member triggering certain sounds with his available limbs, while playing his primary instrument(s). Each band member has one or more MIDI controllers that enables him to use his free hands or feet to trigger sounds that have been loaded into the samplers for a particular song.^[110] It is with this technology that the group is able to present their arrangements in a live setting with the level of complexity and fidelity that fans have come to expect, and without the need to resort to the use of backing tracks or employing an additional band member.^[111]

The band members' coordinated use of foot-pedal keyboards and other electronic triggers to "play" sampled instruments and audio events is subtly visible in their live performances, especially so on R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour, their 2005 concert DVD.

A staple of Rush's concerts is a Peart drum solo. Peart's drum solos include a basic framework of routines connected by sections of improvisation, making each performance unique. Each successive tour sees the solo more advanced, with some routines dropped in favor of newer, more complex ones. Since the mid-1980s, Peart has used MIDI trigger pads to trigger sounds sampled from various pieces of acoustic percussion that would otherwise consume far too much stage area, such as a marimba, harp, temple blocks, triangles, glockenspiel, orchestra bells, tubular bells, and vibraslap as well as other, more esoteric percussion.

Philanthropy

Rush actively participates in philanthropic causes. The band was one of a number of hometown favorites to play Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, also dubbed SARStock, at Downsview Park in Toronto on July 30, 2003, with an attendance of over half a million people. The concert was intended to benefit the Canadian economy after the SARS outbreaks earlier in the year. The band has also sustained an interest in promoting human rights. They donated $100,000 to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights after a concert they held in Winnipeg on 24 May 2008.^[112] Rush continues to sell t-shirts and donate the proceeds to the museum.^[113]

The individual members of Rush have also been a part of philanthropic causes. Hughes & Kettner zenTeras and TriAmps have been endorsed and used by Lifeson for many years. A custom signature amplifier was engineered by Lifeson and released in April 2005 with the stipulation that UNICEF will receive a donation in the amount of $50 for every Alex Lifeson Signature TriAmp sold.^[114] Lee, a longtime fan of baseball, donated 200 baseballs signed by famous Negro League players, including Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Josh Gibson, to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in June 2008.^[115]

The band is featured on the music album Songs for Tibet, appearing with a number of other celebrities as an initiative to support Tibet and the current Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. The album was made downloadable on August 5 via iTunes and was released commercially August 12.^[116]

Discography

Here is the complete setlist for Guitar Hero III, which will also include all downloadable content (when released).

Bold text indicates a master track, all other songs are covers.

Single Player Setlist

1. Starting Out Small

• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar
• "Story of My Life" - Social Distortion
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss (Encore)

2. Your First Real Gig

• "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream
• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello"
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine (Encore)

3. Making The Video

• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones (Encore)

4. European Invasion

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam (Encore)

5. Bighouse Blues

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - Scorpions
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "La Grange" - ZZ Top
• Guitar Battle vs. Slash
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses (Encore)

6. The Hottest Band On Earth

• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Pride and Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughn (Encore)

7. Live in Japan

• "Before I Forget" - Slipknot
• "Stricken" - Disturbed
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (Encore)

8. Battle For Your Soul

• "Raining Blood" - Slayer
• "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "One" - Metallica
• "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" - Originally by Charlie Daniels Band, cover by Steve Ouimette (Encore)

Co-Op Setlist

1. Getting a Band Together

• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys (Encore)

2. We Just Wanna Be Famous

• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Reptilia" - The Strokes (Encore)

3. Overnight Success

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Encore)

4. Getting the Band Back Together

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" - Blue Öyster Cult (Encore)

5. Jailhouse Rock

• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Helicopter" - Bloc Party (Encore)

6. Battle for Your Souls...

• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "One" - Metallica
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour
• "Monsters" - Matchbook Romance (Encore)

Bonus Tracks

• "Avalancha" - Heroes del Silencio
• "Can't Be Saved" - Senses Fail
• "Closer" - Lacuna Coil
• "Don't Hold Back" - The Sleeping
• "Down n' Dirty" - LA Slum Lords
• "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - The Fall of Troy
• "Generation Rock" - Revolverheld
• "Go That Far" - Bret Michaels Band
• "Hier Kommt Alex" - Die Toten Hosen
• "I'm in the Band" - The Hellacopters
• "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
• "In Love" - Scouts of St. Sebastian
• "In the Belly of a Shark" - Gallows
• "Mauvais Garçon" - NAAST
• "Metal Heavy Lady" - Lions
• "Minus Celsius" - Backyard Babies
• "My Curse" - Killswitch Engage
• "Nothing for Me Here" - Dope
• "Prayer of the Refugee" - Rise Against
• "Radio Song" - Superbus
• "Ruby" - Kaiser Cheifs
• "She Bangs the Drums" - The Stone Roses
• "Take This Life" - In Flames
• "The Way It Ends" - Prototype
• "Through the Fire and Flames" - DragonForce

Downloadable Content

Singles

Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix - Released November 22, 2007 on XBL.

• "Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix" - Martin O'Donnell

Ernten Was Wir Säen - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Erten Was Wir Säen" - Die Fantastischen Vier

So Payso - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "So Payso" - Extremoduro

Antisocial - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Antisocial" - Trust

We Three Kings - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "We Three Kings" - Steve Ouimette

Dream On - Released Febuary 18, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Dream On" - Aerosmith

I am Murloc - Released June 26, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "I am Murloc" - L70ETC (Link to WoWWiki)

Track Packs

Companion Pack - Released October 31, 2007 on XBL.

• "Carcinogen Crush" - AFI
• "Tina" - Flyleaf
• "Putting Holes in Happiness" - Marilyn Manson

Foo Fighters Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "All My Life" - Foo Fighters
• "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
• "This is a Call" - Foo Fighters

Velvet Revolver Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "She Builds Quick Machines" - Velvet Revolver
• "Slither" - Velvet Revolver
• "Messages" - Velvet Revolver

Boss Battle Pack - Released November 15, 2007 on XBL and November 29, 2007 on PSN.

• "Tom Morello Guitar Battle" - Tom Morello
• "Slash Guitar Battle" - Slash
• "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Steve Ouimette

Warner/Reprise Track Pack - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2007 on PSN.

• "Pretty Handsome Awkward" - The Used
• "No More Sorrow" - Linkin Park
• "Sleeping Giant" - Mastodon

Classic Rock Track Pack - Released January 24, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Any Way You Want It" - Journey
• "Jukebox Hero" - Foreigner
• "Peace of Mind" - Boston

No Doubt Track Pack - Released Febuary 28, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Excuse Me Mr. No Doubt" - No Doubt
• "Don't Speak" - No Doubt
• "Sunday Morning" - No Doubt

Modern Metal Track Pack - Released March 6, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "The Arsonist" - Thrice
• "Hole in the Earth" - Deftones
• "Almost Easy" - Avenged Sevonfold

Dropkick Murphys Track Pack - Released March 13, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Famous For Nothing" - Dropkick Murphys
• "(F)lannigan's Ball" - Dropkick Murphys
• "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya" - Dropkick Murphys

Def Leppard Track Pack - Released April 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Nine Lives" - Def Leppard
• "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard
• "Photograph" - Def Leppard

Guitar Virtuoso Pack - Released July 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead
• "Surfing With the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai

DragonForce Track Pack - Released August 21, 2008 on XBL & PSN

• "Heroes of Our Time"
• "Operation Ground and Pound"
• "Revolution Deathsquad"

Studio albums

• Rush (1974)
• Fly by Night (1975)
• Caress of Steel (1975)
• 2112 (1976)
• A Farewell to Kings (1977)
• Hemispheres (1978)
• Permanent Waves (1980)
• Moving Pictures (1981)
• Signals (1982)
• Grace Under Pressure (1984)
• Power Windows (1985)
• Hold Your Fire (1987)
• Presto (1989)
• Roll the Bones (1991)
• Counterparts (1993)
• Test for Echo (1996)
• Vapor Trails (2002)
• Feedback (2004)
• Snakes & Arrows (2007)

See also

• Rush instrumentals
• List of Rush awards

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

Books

• Rush: Visions: The Official Biography – Banasiewicz, Bill. (1988), Omnibus Press – ISBN 0-7119-1162-2
• Rush Tribute: Merely Players – Telleria, Robert (2002) – ISBN 1-55082-271-3
• Rush: Success Under Pressure – Gett, Steve. (1984) – ISBN 0-89524-230-3
• Rhythm & Light – Nuttall, Carrie, (2005), Rounder Books, ISBN 1-57940-093-0
• Drum Techniques of Rush – Peart (1985) – ISBN 0-7692-5055-6
• More Drum Techniques of Rush – Peart, Wheeler (1989) – ISBN 0-7692-5051-3
• The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa – Peart (1999) – ISBN 1-895900-02-6
• Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road – Peart (2002) – ISBN 1-55022-546-4 (hardcover), ISBN 1-55022-548-0 (paperback)
• Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times – Peart (2004) – ISBN 1-55022-664-9
• Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away – Popoff, Martin. Publisher: Ecw Press (28 June 2004) – ISBN 1-55022-678-9
• Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of Rush – Price, et al. (1999) – ISBN 1-58715-102-2
• Rush: Chemistry : The Definitive Biography – Collins, Jon. (2006) Helter Skelter Publishing – ISBN 1-900924-85-4 (Hardcover)
• Roadshow: Landscape With Drums - A Concert Tour By Motorcycle – Peart (2006), Rounder – ISBN 1-57940-142-2

Scholarly articles

• "Rand, Rush, and De-totalizing the Utopianism of Progressive Rock" by Steven Horwitz (2002)
• "Textu®al Undercoding and the Music of the Rock Band Rush: String Quartets, Death Metal, Trip-Hop, and other Tributes" by Dr. Durrell Bowman (2004/2002)
• "'Open Secrets': Individualism and Middle-Class Identity in the songs of Rush," Popular Music and Society Volume 31 No. 3, July 2008, pp. 313-328, by Chris McDonald.
• "'Making Arrows Out of Pointed Words': Critical Reception, Taste Publics and Rush," Journal of American and Comparative Cultures, Volume 25 No. 3-4, September 2002, pp. 249-259, by Chris McDonald
• "Grand Designs: A Musical, Social and Ethographic Study of Rush" (dissertation, Ph.D. in ethnomusicology, York University, 2002) by Chris McDonald
• "Structure, Function and Process in the Early Song Cycles and Extended Songs of the Canadian Rock Group Rush" (dissertation, Ph.D. in music theory, Ohio State University, 2002) by Brian Walsh
• "Permanent Change: Rush, Musicians' Rock, and the Progressive Post-Counterculture" (dissertation, Ph.D. in musicology, UCLA, 2003) by Dr. Durrell Bowman

External links

Template:Spoken Wikipedia Template:Commonscat Template:Wikiquote

• Official Rush Home Page

Template:Featured article Template:RushTemplate:Link FA

ca:Rush cs:Rush da:Rush de:Rush et:Rush es:Rush fr:Rush (groupe) hr:Rush id:Rush it:Rush he:ראש (להקה) lv:Rush hu:Rush mt:Rush nl:Rush (band) ja:ラッシュ (バンド) no:Rush nn:Rush pl:Rush pt:Rush ro:Rush ru:Rush simple:Rush (band) sk:Rush (skupina) fi:Rush sq:Rush sv:Rush tr:Rush (grup) uk:Rush zh:匆促樂團s next album, Death Magnetic, was available as downloadable content for Guitar Hero III simultaneously with the release of the album, with the content being forward-compatible with Guitar Hero World Tour and Guitar Hero: Metallica.^[122][123]

Other games

Guitar Hero III Mobile was released for mobile phones in 2007 and 2008, and was developed by MachineWorks Northwest LLC. The base version of the game includes 15 songs from both Guitar Hero II and Guitar Hero III, and has released a three-song add-on pack every month since January 2008. The title has been downloaded by users one million times, with both Verizon and Hands-On Mobile claiming that over 250,000 songs are played a day on the platform.^[124] Template:AnchorAnother mobile phone game, Guitar Hero III: Backstage Pass was developed by Hands-On Mobile and released in July 2008; in addition to the usual Guitar Hero elements, the game adds simulation of the management of the player's band on its way to success.^[125] Hands-On Mobile also secured worldwide rights for a mobile game based on Guitar Hero World Tour which was released on December 1, 2008..^[126]

Template:Anchor Image:Holding GHOT front.jpg Guitar Hero: On Tour was released on the Nintendo DS hand-held system on June 22, 2008. The game includes a peripheral, dubbed the "Guitar Grip", a rectangular device that fits into the second slot of the Nintendo DS or DS Lite. The peripheral only features the first four fret buttons and a strap so the Nintendo DS can be held sideways comfortably for play. The game also includes a guitar pick shaped stylus for use with strumming in the game, which players move across the touchscreen.^[127] Guitar Hero: On Tour was developed by Vicarious Visions, who also ported the Guitar Hero games to Nintendo's Wii console. A sequel, Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades, was released in November 2008, featuring music spanning four decades, and allows players to share songs from either game via the DS's wifi capabilities.^[128] Following up from a previous trademark on the name,^[129] the Entertainment Software Ratings Board has rated another DS title called Guitar Hero Modern Hits that will feature Sum 41's "Still Waiting," Franz Ferdinand's "The Fallen," and Finger Eleven's "Paralyzer".^[130]

Template:Anchor Activision and Konami, who have previously worked together to make sure that the Guitar Hero series meets with Konami's patents on music games, are developing an arcade console version of the game, entitled Guitar Hero Arcade, to be distributed to arcades in early 2009. The game is being developed by Raw Thrills. The game is primarily based on the Guitar Hero III gameplay, reducing some of the features such as character customization, but keeping the ability to download new songs for the cabinet from the Internet.^[131]

Template:Anchor Activision and RedOctane have also worked with Basic Fun, Inc. to produce Guitar Hero Carabiner, a handheld electronic game that features ten of the songs from Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II.^[132][133] The songs include electronic cover versions of: "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple, "Heart-Shaped Box" by Nirvana, "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" by Judas Priest, "Cherry Pie" by Warrant, "Surrender" by Cheap Trick, "Message in a Bottle" by The Police, "Killer Queen" by Queen, "Rock This Town" by Stray Cats, "Misirlou" by Dick Dale, and "Jessica" by The Allman Brothers Band. The songs run for about 30 seconds except for "Jessica" that is about one minute long. The unit is shaped like a small guitar, and can be attached via a loop to a backpack or the like, similar to a carabiner. The gameplay is similar to the Guitar Hero series; as notes on the screen scroll down, the player must hit one of five fret buttons on the device in time with the music to score points. Unlike the other games, there is no strumming action that is needed to play each note. There is a whammy bar button to use on long notes (the whammy is not optional.) The screen is an LCD placed where the strum bar is originally. The length is about nine inches. There is a collapsable neck for easier carrying. The Guitar Hero Carabiner requires three AAA batteries. The volume has five notches, and the levels are easy, medium, and hard.

Future games

Activision and RedOctane have trademarked the titles "Guitar Villain", "Drum Villain" and "Keyboard Hero".^[134] RedOctane originally trademarked the titles "Drum Hero" and "Band Hero", but the work performed towards the Drum Hero title was eventually folded into the gameplay for Guitar Hero World Tour.^[120] Activision plans to release "multiple new Guitar Hero SKUs" in 2009, according to Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith.^[135] Industry analysts expect that three expansions to World Tour will be made before the next major title in the series.^[136] Activision is expecting to triple the number of games released under the Guitar Hero title by 2010.^[137] Template:AnchorSlash, in describing the band-specific Guitar Hero titles for Aerosmith and Metallica in an interview with Rolling Stone, stated that "Those are two ones that I think gives [the ''Guitar Hero'' series] some credibility. Template:AnchorAnd they're doing a Hendrix one, which is great",^[138] hinting at the development of Guitar Hero: Hendrix.^[139] Guitar Hero Modern Hits, the next installment of the series for the Nintendo DS has been trademarked for use by Activision, and 3 songs are known to be on it, due to a leak from the ESRB, "The Fallen" by Franz Ferdinand, "Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven, and "Still Waiting" by Sum 41. Also, Nintendo Power leaks songs for Guitar Hero Modern Hits including "Dimension" by Wolfmother, "Violet Hill" by Coldplay, "Where Are We Running" by Lenny Kravitz, "Sweet Sacrifice" by Evanesence, "Reptilla" by The Strokes, "Unconditional" by The Bravery, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" by Fall Out Boy, "Everybody Get Dangerous" by Weezer, "Ruby" by The Kaiser Chiefs, "Adrenaline" by 12 Stones, "The Metal" by Tenacious D, and "Falling Down" by Atreyu ^[140] In November 2008, Activision acquired Budcat Creations, another development studio that has helped with the PlayStation 2 versions of Guitar Hero III and World Tour, announcing that they will be helping to develop another game in the Guitar Hero series.^[141] A fifth main entry in the series was confirmed in December 2008.^[142]

Template:Anchor On September 12, 2008, Activision purchased FreeStyleGames, a small developer of music games, to help produce localized downloadable content for Guitar Hero games and another yet-to-be announced music game;^[143] industry rumors have confirmed the game is based on the "DJ Hero" trademark that Activision filed in early 2008, and would utilize a turntable controller to allow the player to be a virtual disc jockey.^[144][145] The DJ Hero title was discovered through an impromptu announcement made during an interview with Activision’s Brian Bright and Joystiq. Brian was quoted as saying “Activision’s doing a DJ Hero game, and I can’t comment on what we’re doing. But… we’re working on the future and next gen. If I wasn’t excited about it I wouldn’t be there.”^[146]

Gameplay

Image:Guitarhero-screen.jpg The core gameplay of the Guitar Hero games is a rhythm game similar to Harmonix's previous music games such as Frequency and Amplitude. The guitar controller is recommended for play, although a standard console controller can be used instead.^[147][148] The game supports toggling the handedness of the guitar, allowing both left-handed and right-handed players to utilize the guitar controller.^[147][148]

While playing the game, an extended guitar neck is shown vertically on the screen (the frets horizontal), and as the song progresses, colored markers indicating notes travel down the screen in time with the music; the note colors and positions match those of the five fret keys on the guitar controller. Once the note(s) reach the bottom, the player must play the indicated note(s) by holding down the correct fret button(s) and hitting the strumming bar in order to score points. Success or failure will cause the on-screen Rock Meter to change, showing how well the player is playing (denoted by red, yellow, and green sections). Should the Rock Meter drop below the red section, the song will automatically end, with the player booed off the stage by the audience. Successful note hits will add to the player's score, and by hitting a long series of consecutive successful note hits, the player can increase their score multiplier. There is a window of time for hitting each note, similar to other rhythm games such as Dance Dance Revolution, but unlike these games, scoring in Guitar Hero is not affected by accuracy; as long as the note is hit within that window, the player receives the same number of points.^[147][148]

Selected special segments of the song will have glowing notes outlined by stars: successfully hitting all notes in this series will fill the "Star Power Meter". The Star Power Meter can also be filled by using the whammy bar during sustained notes within these segments. Once the Star Power Meter is at least half full, the player can activate "Star Power" by pressing the select button or momentarily lifting the guitar into a vertical position. When Star Power is activated, the scoring multiplier is doubled until Star Power is depleted. The Rock Meter also increases more dramatically when Star Power is activated, making it easier for the player to make the Rock Meter stay at a high level. Thus, Star Power can be used strategically to play difficult sections of a song that otherwise might cause the player to fail.^[147][148]

Notes can be a single note, or composed of two to four notes that makes a chord. Both single notes and chords can also be sustained, indicated by a colored line following the note marker; the player can hold the sustained note(s) keys down for the entire length for additional points. During a sustained note, a player may use the whammy bar on the guitar to alter the tone of the note. Also, regardless of whether sustains are hit early or late, if the fret is held for the full duration of the hold, the game will always award the same amount of score increase for the note. In addition, the games support virtual implementations of "hammer-ons" and "pull-offs", guitar-playing techniques that are used to successfully play a fast series of notes by only changing the fingering on the fret buttons without having to strum each note. Sequences where strumming is not required are indicated on-screen by notes with a white outline at the top of the marker instead of the usual black one, with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock adding a white-glowing effect to make these notes clearer.^[147][148] Guitar Hero World Tour features transparent notes that are connected by a purple outline; players may either simply tap the correct fret for these notes without strumming or utilize a touchpad on World TourTemplate:Infobox musical artist Template:Portal Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, currently composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. The band and its membership went through a number of re-configurations between 1968 and 1974, achieving their definitive form when Neil Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey in July 1974, two weeks before the group's first U.S. tour.

Since the release of the band's self-titled debut album in March 1974, Rush has become known for the instrumental skills of its members, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy, and libertarian philosophy, as well as addressing humanitarian, social, emotional, and environmental concerns.

Musically, Rush's style has evolved over the years, beginning in the vein of blues-inspired heavy metal on their first albums, then encompassing hard rock, progressive rock, a period dominated by synthesizers and, more recently, modern rock. They have influenced various musical artists, including Metallica,^[21][22] The Smashing Pumpkins^[23] and Primus,^[23] as well as progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater^[21] and Symphony X.^[24]

Rush has won a number of Juno Awards, and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994. Over the course of their careers, the individual members of Rush have been acknowledged as being some of the most proficient players on their respective instruments, with each band member winning several awards in magazine readers' polls. As a group, Rush possesses 24 gold records and 14 platinum (3 multi-platinum) records. According to the RIAA, Rush's sales statistics place them fourth behind The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith for the most consecutive gold or platinum albums by a rock band. Rush also ranks 78th in U.S. album sales with 25 million units.^[25] Although total worldwide album sales are not calculated by any single entity, as of 2004 several industry sources estimated Rush's total worldwide album sales at over 40 million units.

The band recently finished promoting their latest album, Snakes & Arrows with an intercontinental tour. The second leg began in San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 11, and ended on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana.^[26]

History

Template:Details

The early years (1968–1976)

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end

The original line-up formed in the neighbourhood of Willowdale in Toronto, Ontario, by Lifeson, front man Jeff Jones, and drummer John Rutsey. Within a couple weeks of forming, and before their second performance, bassist and lead vocalist Jones was replaced by Geddy Lee, a schoolmate of Lifeson. After several lineup reformations, Rush's official incarnation was formed in May 1971 consisting of Lee, Lifeson, and Rutsey. The band was managed by local Toronto resident Ray Danniels, a frequent attendee of Rush's early shows.^[27][28]

After gaining stability in the lineup and honing their skills on the local bar/high school dance circuit, the band came to release their first single "Not Fade Away", a cover of the Buddy Holly song, in 1973. Side B contained an original composition, "You Can't Fight It", credited to Rutsey and Lee. The single generated little reaction and, due to record company indifference, the band formed their own independent record label, Moon Records. With the aid of Danniels and the newly enlisted engineer Terry Brown, the band released their self-titled debut album in 1974, which was considered highly derivative of Led Zeppelin.^[29] Rush had limited local popularity until the album was picked up by WMMS, a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio. Donna Halper, a DJ and music director working at the station, selected "Working Man" for her regular play list. The song's blue collar theme resonated with hard rock fans and this new found popularity led to the album being re-released by Mercury Records in the U.S.^[30][31] Image:Starman.png

Immediately after the release of the debut album, Rutsey resigned in July 1974 due to his affliction with diabetes and a distaste for touring. Rush held auditions and eventually selected Neil Peart as Rutsey's replacement. Peart officially joined the band on July 29, 1974, two weeks before the group's first US tour. They performed their first concert together, opening for Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann with an attendance of over 11,000 people at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 14. In addition to becoming the band's drummer, Peart assumed the role of principal lyricist as Lee and Lifeson had very little interest in writing, contributing to only a handful of song lyrics over the rest of the band's career. Instead, they focused primarily on the musical aspects of Rush. Fly by Night (1975), Rush's first album after recruiting Peart, saw the inclusion of the band's first epic mini-tale "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", replete with complex arrangements and multi-section format. Lyrical themes also underwent dramatic changes after the addition of Peart due to his love for fantasy and science-fiction literature.^[33] However, despite these many differences some of the music and songs still closely mirrored the blues style found on Rush's debut.^[34][33]

Following quickly on the heels of Fly By Night, the band released 1975's Caress of Steel, a five track hard rock album featuring two extended multi-chapter songs, "The Necromancer" and "The Fountain of Lamneth." Caress of Steel was reported by some critics to be unfocused and an audacious move for the band due to the placement of two protracted numbers back-to-back, as well as a heavier reliance on atmospherics and story-telling, a large deviation from Fly by Night.^[35] Intended to be the band's first "break-through" album, Caress of Steel sold below expectations and the promotional tour consisted of small venues which led to the moniker the "Down the Tubes Tour."^[36] In light of these events, Rush's record label pressured them into molding their next album in a more commercially friendly and accessible fashion. However, the band ignored the requests and developed their next album, 2112. It was the band's first taste of commercial success and their first platinum album in Canada.^[37] The supporting tour for the album culminated in a three night stand at Massey Hall in Toronto, which the band recorded for the release of their first live album titled All the World's a Stage. Allmusic Guide critic Greg Prato summarily reminds listeners and fans of how the album demarcates the boundary between the band's early years and the next era of their music.^[38][39]

The progressive rock era (1977–1981)

After 2112, Rush retreated to the United Kingdom to record 1977's A Farewell to Kings and 1978's Hemispheres at Rockfield Studios in Wales. These albums saw the band members expanding their use of progressive elements in their music. Trademarks such as increased synthesizer usage, extended-length concept songs, and highly dynamic playing featuring complex time signature changes became a staple of Rush's compositions. To achieve a broader, more progressive palette of sound, Alex Lifeson began to experiment with classical and twelve-string guitars, and Geddy Lee added bass-pedal synthesizers and Minimoog. Likewise, Peart's percussion became diversified in the form of triangles, glockenspiel, wood blocks, cowbells, timpani, gong and chimes. Beyond instrument additions, the band kept in stride with the progressive rock movement by continuing to compose long, conceptual songs with science fiction and fantasy overtones. However, as the new decade approached, Rush gradually began to dispose of their older styles of music in favor of shorter, and sometimes softer, arrangements. The lyrics up to this point (most of them written by Peart) were heavily influenced by classical poetry, fantasy literature, science fiction, and the writings of novelist Ayn Rand, as exhibited most prominently by their 1975 song "Anthem" from Fly By Night and a specifically acknowledged derivation in 1976's 2112.^[40]

Permanent Waves (1980) shifted Rush's style of music dramatically via the introduction of reggae and new wave.^[41] Although a hard rock style was still evident, more and more synthesizers were introduced. Moreover, due to the limited airplay Rush's previous extended-length songs received, Permanent Waves included shorter, more radio-friendly songs such as "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill", two songs which helped Permanent Waves become Rush's first U.S. Top 5 album; both songs continue to make appearances on classic rock radio stations in Canada and the United States to this day.^[42] Meanwhile, Peart's lyrics shifted toward an expository tone with subject matter that dwelled less on fantastical or allegorical story-telling and more heavily on cerebral topics that explored humanistic, social, emotional and metaphysical elements. Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Rush's popularity reached its pinnacle with the release of Moving Pictures in 1981. Moving Pictures essentially continued where Permanent Waves left off, extending the trend of highly accessible and commercially friendly pop-progressive rock that helped thrust them into the spotlight. The lead track, "Tom Sawyer", is probably the band's best-known song^[43] with "Limelight" also receiving satisfactory responses from listeners and radio stations. Moving Pictures was Rush's last album to feature an extended song, the ten-and-a-half-minute "The Camera Eye". The song also contained the band's heaviest usage of synthesizers up to that point, hinting that Rush's music was shifting direction once more. Moving Pictures reached #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart and has been certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[44]

Following the success of Moving Pictures and the completion of another four studio albums, Rush released their second live recording, Exit...Stage Left, in 1981. The album delineates the apex of Rush's progressive period by featuring live material from the band's Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures tours. As with their first live release, Exit...Stage Left identified the margin of a new chapter of Rush's sound. The band underwent another radical stylistic transmutation with the release of Signals in 1982.^[45]

The synthesizer period (1982–1989)

Image:Oberheim OBX.jpg

While Lee's synthesizers had been featured instruments ever since the late 70s, keyboards were suddenly shifted from the contrapuntal background to the melodic front-lines^[46][47] as evidenced by songs such as "Countdown" and the lead-off track "Subdivisions". Both feature nimble lead synthesizer lines with minimalistic guitar chords and solos. Other previously unused instrument additions were seen in the song "Losing It," featuring collaborator Ben Mink on electric violin.^[45] Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Signals also represented a drastic stylistic transformation apart from instrumental changes. The album contained Rush's only U.S. top-40 pop hit, "New World Man",^[48] while other more experimental songs such as "Digital Man", "The Weapon", and "Chemistry" expanded the band's use of ska, reggae, and funk.^[49] Although the band members consciously decided to move in this overall direction, they felt dissatisfied with long-time producer Terry Brown's studio treatment of Signals and parted ways with him in 1983. These diverse styles would come into further play on their next studio album.

Image:DM Simmons SDS5.jpg

The style and production of Signals were augmented and taken to new heights on 1984's Grace Under Pressure. It was Peart who named the album, as he borrowed the words of Ernest Hemingway to describe what the band had to go through after making the decision to leave Terry Brown. Producer Steve Lillywhite, who gleaned fame with successful productions of Simple Minds and U2, was enlisted to produce Grace Under Pressure. However, he backed out at the last moment, much to the ire of Lee, Lifeson and Peart. Lee said "Steve Lillywhite is really not a man of his word....after agreeing to do our record, he got an offer from Simple Minds, changed his mind, blew us off,..so it put us in a horrible position." Eventually Rush hired Peter Henderson to co-produce and engineer the album in his stead.^[50]

Musically, although Lee's use of sequencers and synthesizers remained the band's cornerstone, his focus on new technology was complemented by Peart's adaptation of Simmons electronic drums and percussion. Lifeson's contributions on the album were decidedly enhanced to act as an overreaction to the minimalistic role he played on Signals.^[51] Still, many of his trademark guitar textures remained intact in the form of open reggae chords and funk and new-wave rhythms; "Distant Early Warning", "Red Lenses", "Red Sector A" and "The Enemy Within" serve as prime examples.

With new producer Peter Collins, the band released 1985's Power Windows and 1987's Hold Your Fire. The music on these two albums gives far more emphasis and prominence to Lee's multi-layered synthesizer work. While fans and critics took notice of Lifeson's diminished guitar work, his presence was still palpable on "The Big Money", (the album's modest-charting single) with spotlights on "Grand Designs", "Middletown Dreams" and "Marathon." Lifeson, like many guitarists in the late 1980s, experimented with processors that reduced his instrument to echoey chord bursts and razor-thin leads. Hold Your Fire represents both a modest extension of the guitar stylings found on Power Windows, and, according to Allmusic critic Ed Rivadavia, the culmination of this era of Rush.^[52] Whereas the previous five Rush albums sold platinum or better, Hold Your Fire only went gold in November 1987, although it managed to peak at number 13 on the Billboard 200.^[53]

A third live album and video, A Show of Hands (1989), was also released by Mercury following the Power Windows and Hold Your Fire tours, demonstrating the aspects of Rush in the 80s. A Show of Hands met with strong fan approval, but Rolling Stone critic Michael Azerrad dismissed it as "musical muscle" with 1.5 stars, claiming Rush fans viewed their favourite power trio as "the holy trinity".^[54] Nevertheless, A Show of Hands managed to surpass the gold album mark, reaching number 21 on the Billboard 200.^[55] At this point, the group decided to change record labels from Mercury to Atlantic. After Rush's departure in 1989, Mercury released a double platinum two-volume compilation of their Rush catalogue, Chronicles (1990).^[56]

Returning to their roots (1989–1997)

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Rush started to deviate from their 1980s style with the albums Presto and Roll the Bones. Produced by record engineer and musician Rupert Hine, these two albums saw Rush shedding much of their keyboard-saturated sound. Beginning with 1989's Presto, the band opted for arrangements that were notably more guitar-centric than the previous two studio albums. Although synthesizers were still used in many songs, the instrument was no longer featured as the centerpiece of Rush's compositions. Continuing this trend, 1991's Roll the Bones extended the use of the standard three-instrument approach with even less focus on synthesizers than its predecessor. While musically these albums do not deviate significantly from a general pop-rock sound, Rush stuck to their creative approach of incorporating traces of more exotic musical styles. "Roll the Bones", for instance, exhibits funk and hip hop elements, and the instrumental track "Where's My Thing?" features several jazz components.^[57] This return to three-piece instrumentation helped pave the way for future albums in the mid-90s, which would adopt a more straightforward rock formula.

The transition from synthesizers to more guitar-oriented and organic instrumentation continued with the 1993 album Counterparts^[58] and its follow-up, 1996's Test for Echo, again both produced in collaboration with Peter Collins. Musically, Counterparts^[58] and Test For Echo are two of Rush's most guitar-driven albums. Although the music in general did not meet the criteria for "progressive rock", some of the songs could be considered more adventurous than what one might expect from a standard modern rock band.^[59] For instance, "Time and Motion" possesses multiple time signature changes and organ usage, while the instrumental track "Limbo", consists of several relatively complex musical passages repeated throughout. Musically, Test For Echo still retained much of the hard rock/alternative style already charted on the previous record. Lifeson and Lee's playing remained more or less unchanged; however, a distinct modification in technique became apparent in Peart's playing due to formal Jazz and Swing training under the tutelage of jazz instructor Freddie Gruber during the interim between Counterparts and Test For Echo.^[60] In October 1996, in support of Test For Echo, the band embarked on an extensive and successful North American tour, the band's first without an opening act and dubbed "An Evening with Rush." The tour was broken up into two segments spanning October through December, 1996 and May through July, 1997 with the band taking a respite between legs.

Hiatus and comeback (1997–2005)

After wrapping up the tour promoting Test for Echo in 1997, the band entered a five-year hiatus mainly due to personal tragedies in Peart's life. Peart's daughter Selena died in an automobile accident in August 1997, followed by his wife Jacqueline's death from cancer in June 1998. Peart took a hiatus to mourn and reflect, during which time he traveled extensively throughout North America on his BMW motorcycle, covering 88,000 km (55,000 miles). At some point in his journey, Peart decided to return to the band. Peart wrote Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road as a chronicle of his geographical and emotional journey. In this book he writes of how he had told his bandmates at Selena's funeral, "consider me retired."^[61] On November 10, 1998 a triple CD live album entitled Different Stages was released, dedicated to the memory of Selena and Jacqueline. Mixed by producer Paul Northfield and engineered by Terry Brown, it contained three discs packed with recorded performances from the band's Counterparts, Test For Echo, and A Farewell to Kings tours, marking the fourth officially released live album by the band. Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Listen Template:Sample box end After a time to grieve and reassemble the pieces of his life, and while visiting long-time Rush photographer Andrew MacNaughtan in Los Angeles, Peart was introduced to his future wife, photographer Carrie Nuttall. Peart married Nuttall on September 9, 2000. In early 2001 he announced to his band mates that he was ready to once again enter the studio and get back into the business of making music. With the help of producer Paul Northfield the band returned in May 2002 with Vapor Trails, written and recorded in Toronto. To herald the band's comeback, the single and lead track from the album, "One Little Victory" was designed to grab the attention of listeners due to its rapid guitar and drum tempos.^[62] Vapor Trails marked the first studio recording not to include a single synthesizer, organ or keyboard part since the early 1970s. While the album is almost completely guitar-driven, it is mostly devoid of any conventional sounding guitar solos, a conscious decision made by Lifeson during the writing process. According to the band, the entire developmental process for Vapor Trails was extremely taxing and took approximately 14 months to finish, by far the longest the band had ever spent writing and recording a studio album.^[62] The album debuted to moderate praise and was supported by the band's first tour in six years, including first-ever concerts in Mexico City and Brazil, where they played to some of the largest crowds of their career.

A triple CD live album and dual Rush In Rio DVD was released in late October 2003 featuring an entire concert performance recorded on the last night of their Vapor Trails Tour, November 23, 2002, at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To celebrate their 30th anniversary, June 2004 saw the release of Feedback, a studio EP recorded in suburban Toronto featuring eight covers of such artists as Cream, The Who and The Yardbirds, bands that the members of Rush cite as inspiration around the time of their inception.^[63] Also in the summer of 2004, Rush hit the road again for the very successful 30th Anniversary Tour, playing dates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. On September 24, 2004 a Frankfurt, Germany concert was recorded at The Festhalle for DVD (titled R30: Live in Frankfurt), which was released November 22, 2005.

Snakes & Arrows (2006–present)

Here is the complete setlist for Guitar Hero III, which will also include all downloadable content (when released).

Bold text indicates a master track, all other songs are covers.

Single Player Setlist

1. Starting Out Small

• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar
• "Story of My Life" - Social Distortion
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss (Encore)

2. Your First Real Gig

• "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream
• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello"
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine (Encore)

3. Making The Video

• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones (Encore)

4. European Invasion

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam (Encore)

5. Bighouse Blues

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - Scorpions
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "La Grange" - ZZ Top
• Guitar Battle vs. Slash
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses (Encore)

6. The Hottest Band On Earth

• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Pride and Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughn (Encore)

7. Live in Japan

• "Before I Forget" - Slipknot
• "Stricken" - Disturbed
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (Encore)

8. Battle For Your Soul

• "Raining Blood" - Slayer
• "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "One" - Metallica
• "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" - Originally by Charlie Daniels Band, cover by Steve Ouimette (Encore)

Co-Op Setlist

1. Getting a Band Together

• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys (Encore)

2. We Just Wanna Be Famous

• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Reptilia" - The Strokes (Encore)

3. Overnight Success

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Encore)

4. Getting the Band Back Together

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" - Blue Öyster Cult (Encore)

5. Jailhouse Rock

• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Helicopter" - Bloc Party (Encore)

6. Battle for Your Souls...

• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "One" - Metallica
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour
• "Monsters" - Matchbook Romance (Encore)

Bonus Tracks

• "Avalancha" - Heroes del Silencio
• "Can't Be Saved" - Senses Fail
• "Closer" - Lacuna Coil
• "Don't Hold Back" - The Sleeping
• "Down n' Dirty" - LA Slum Lords
• "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - The Fall of Troy
• "Generation Rock" - Revolverheld
• "Go That Far" - Bret Michaels Band
• "Hier Kommt Alex" - Die Toten Hosen
• "I'm in the Band" - The Hellacopters
• "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
• "In Love" - Scouts of St. Sebastian
• "In the Belly of a Shark" - Gallows
• "Mauvais Garçon" - NAAST
• "Metal Heavy Lady" - Lions
• "Minus Celsius" - Backyard Babies
• "My Curse" - Killswitch Engage
• "Nothing for Me Here" - Dope
• "Prayer of the Refugee" - Rise Against
• "Radio Song" - Superbus
• "Ruby" - Kaiser Cheifs
• "She Bangs the Drums" - The Stone Roses
• "Take This Life" - In Flames
• "The Way It Ends" - Prototype
• "Through the Fire and Flames" - DragonForce

Downloadable Content

Singles

Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix - Released November 22, 2007 on XBL.

• "Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix" - Martin O'Donnell

Ernten Was Wir Säen - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Erten Was Wir Säen" - Die Fantastischen Vier

So Payso - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "So Payso" - Extremoduro

Antisocial - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Antisocial" - Trust

We Three Kings - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "We Three Kings" - Steve Ouimette

Dream On - Released Febuary 18, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Dream On" - Aerosmith

I am Murloc - Released June 26, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "I am Murloc" - L70ETC (Link to WoWWiki)

Track Packs

Companion Pack - Released October 31, 2007 on XBL.

• "Carcinogen Crush" - AFI
• "Tina" - Flyleaf
• "Putting Holes in Happiness" - Marilyn Manson

Foo Fighters Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "All My Life" - Foo Fighters
• "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
• "This is a Call" - Foo Fighters

Velvet Revolver Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "She Builds Quick Machines" - Velvet Revolver
• "Slither" - Velvet Revolver
• "Messages" - Velvet Revolver

Boss Battle Pack - Released November 15, 2007 on XBL and November 29, 2007 on PSN.

• "Tom Morello Guitar Battle" - Tom Morello
• "Slash Guitar Battle" - Slash
• "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Steve Ouimette

Warner/Reprise Track Pack - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2007 on PSN.

• "Pretty Handsome Awkward" - The Used
• "No More Sorrow" - Linkin Park
• "Sleeping Giant" - Mastodon

Classic Rock Track Pack - Released January 24, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Any Way You Want It" - Journey
• "Jukebox Hero" - Foreigner
• "Peace of Mind" - Boston

No Doubt Track Pack - Released Febuary 28, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Excuse Me Mr. No Doubt" - No Doubt
• "Don't Speak" - No Doubt
• "Sunday Morning" - No Doubt

Modern Metal Track Pack - Released March 6, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "The Arsonist" - Thrice
• "Hole in the Earth" - Deftones
• "Almost Easy" - Avenged Sevonfold

Dropkick Murphys Track Pack - Released March 13, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Famous For Nothing" - Dropkick Murphys
• "(F)lannigan's Ball" - Dropkick Murphys
• "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya" - Dropkick Murphys

Def Leppard Track Pack - Released April 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Nine Lives" - Def Leppard
• "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard
• "Photograph" - Def Leppard

Guitar Virtuoso Pack - Released July 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead
• "Surfing With the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai

DragonForce Track Pack - Released August 21, 2008 on XBL & PSN

• "Heroes of Our Time"
• "Operation Ground and Pound"
• "Revolution Deathsquad"

During promotional interviews for the R30 Live In Frankfurt DVD, the band revealed their intention to begin writing new material in early 2006. While in Toronto, Lifeson and Lee began the songwriting process in January 2006. During this time, Peart simultaneously assumed his role of lyric writing while residing in Southern California. The following September, Rush chose to hire American producer Nick Raskulinecz to co-produce the album. The band officially entered Allaire Studios, in Shokan, New York in November 2006 in order to record the bulk of the material. Taking the band five weeks, the sessions ended in December. On February 14, 2007, an announcement was made on the official Rush web site that the title of the new album would be Snakes & Arrows. The first single, entitled "Far Cry," was released to North American radio stations on March 12, 2007 and reached #2 on the Mediabase Mainstream and Radio and Records Charts.^[64]

The Rush website, newly redesigned on March 12 to support the new album, also announced that the band would embark on a tour to begin in the summer. Snakes & Arrows was released 1 May 2007 in North America, where it debuted at #3 in the Billboard 200 with approximately 93,000 units sold in its first week.^[65] To coincide with the Atlantic ocean hurricane season, "Spindrift" was released as the official second radio single on June 1, 2007, whereas "The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)" saw single status on June 25, 2007. "The Larger Bowl" positioned within the top 20 of the Mainstream Rock and Media Base Mainstream charts, however, "Spindrift" failed to appear on any commercial chart.^[66] The planned intercontinental tour in support of Snakes & Arrows began on June 13, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, coming to a close on October 29, 2007 at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland.^[67]

The 2008 portion of the tour started on April 11, 2008 in San Juan, Puerto Rico at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum and culminated on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana at the Verizon Wireless Music Center.^[68] On April 15, the band released Snakes & Arrows Live, a double live album documenting the first leg of the tour.^[69] Those same performances featured on Snakes & Arrows Live filmed at the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands on October 16 and 17 of 2007 was released November 24 as a DVD and Blu-Ray set, which also includes footage from the 2008 portion of the tour, recorded at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Atlanta.^{[70][71] [72]}

As the band neared the conclusion of their Snakes & Arrows tour, they announced their first appearance on American television in over 30 years. Rush was interviewed by Stephen Colbert and they performed "Tom Sawyer" on The Colbert Report on July 16, 2008.^[73]

Musical style and influences

Rush's musical style has changed substantially over the years. Their debut album is strongly influenced by British-Blues rock: an amalgam of sounds and styles from such rock bands as Cream, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. Over the first few albums their style remained essentially hard rock, with heavy influences from The Who^[74] and Led Zeppelin,^[29] but also became increasingly influenced by the British progressive rock movement.^[75] In the tradition of progressive rock, Rush wrote protracted songs with irregular and multiple time signatures combined with fantasy/science fiction-inspired lyrics; however, they did not soften their sound. This fusion of hard and progressive rock continued until the end of the 1970s. In the 1980s, however, Rush successfully merged their sound with the trends of this period, experimenting with New Wave, reggae and pop rock.^[76] This period included the band's most extensive use of instruments such as synthesizers, sequencers and electronic percussion. It is largely agreed that the culmination of this era of Rush was in 1987 after the release of Hold Your Fire.^[77] With the approach of the early '90s and Rush's character sound still intact, the band transformed their style once again to harmonize with the alternative rock movement.^[78] The new millennium has seen them return to a more rock and roll roots sound, albeit with modern production.^[74]

Band members

• Geddy Lee – bass guitar, lead vocals, keyboards, mellotron, bass and synthesizer pedals, electric and acoustic rhythm guitar (September 1968 – present)
• Alex Lifeson – six and twelve-string acoustic and electric guitars, classical guitar, mandolin, mandola, Bouzouki, backing vocals, bass and synthesizer pedals (August 1968 – present)
• Neil Peart – drums, electronic and acoustic percussion (July 1974 – present)

Former members

• John Rutsey – drums, percussion, backing vocals (August 1968 – July 1974)
• Jeff Jones – bass, lead vocals (August 1968 – September 1968)

Template:Details

Reputation

More than 30 years of activity has provided Rush with the opportunity for musical diversity across their discography. As with many bands known for experimentation, such changes have inevitably resulted in dissent among critics and fans. The bulk of the band's music has always included synthetic instruments in some form or another, and this is a great source of contention in the Rush camp, especially the band's heavy reliance on synthesizers and keyboards during the 1980s, particularly on albums Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, and Hold Your Fire.^[79][80] Still, most fans saw this as nothing less than artistic growth and support for the band remained unwavering through each transitional phase.^[77]

The members of Rush have themselves noted that people "either love Rush or hate Rush", resulting in strong detractors and an intensely loyal fan base. To the chagrin of fans, the band has not been nominated for entry into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since their year of eligibility in 1998. The Hall's refusal to induct Rush may be a consequence of the band's insistence on remaining outside the mainstream of rock when it comes to self-promotion, in favor of maintaining a high degree of independence.^[81] To this day fans earnestly clamor for the band's inclusion into the Hall by citing noteworthy accomplishments including longevity, proficiency, and influence, as well as commercial sales figures and RIAA certifications. However, Lifeson has expressed his indifference toward the perceived slight saying "I couldn't care less, look who's up for induction, it's a joke".^[82] Rush has gained a degree of recognition in popular culture despite any official recognition from the Hall.^[83]

As a band, Rush has been nominated for and received various awards throughout its career. Likewise, the individual members have received coverage in various modern music magazines with specific technocratic recognition for instrumental ability. See List of Rush awards for more details on this topic.

Geddy Lee

Image:GeddyLee.JPG

Geddy Lee's high-register vocal style has always been a signature of the band — and sometimes, a focal point for criticism, especially during the early years of Rush's career when Lee's vocals were high-pitched, with a strong likeness to other singers like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. Although his voice has softened over the years, it is often described as a "wail".^[84][85] His instrumental abilities, on the other hand, are rarely criticized. An award-winning musician, Lee's style, technique, and ability on the bass guitar have proven influential in the rock and heavy metal genres, inspiring such players as Steve Harris of Iron Maiden,^[86] John Myung of Dream Theater,^[87] Les Claypool of Primus^[88] and Cliff Burton of Metallica^[89] among others. Lee is notable for his ability to operate various pieces of instrumentation simultaneously. This is mostly evident during live shows when Lee must play bass, supply lead vocals, manipulate keyboards, and trigger foot pedals during the course of a performance, as in the song "Tom Sawyer".^[75] Because of this he is required to remain in one place during songs containing complex instrumentation. Lifeson and Peart are, to a lesser extent, responsible for similar actions during live shows.

Alex Lifeson

Image:Alex Lifeson6.jpg

Instrumentally, Lifeson is regarded as a guitarist whose strengths and notability rely primarily on signature riffing, electronic effects and processing, unorthodox chord structures, and a copious arsenal of equipment used over the years.^[90][91][92] Despite his esteem, however, Lifeson is often regarded as being overshadowed by his bandmates due to Lee's on-stage multi-instrumental dexterity and Peart's status as a drummer.^[93]

During his adolescent years, he was influenced primarily by Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.^[94] For versatility, Lifeson was known to incorporate touches of Spanish and classical music into Rush's guitar-driven sound during the 1970s. Taking a backseat to Lee's keyboards in the 1980s, Lifeson's guitar returned to the forefront in the 1990s, and especially on 2002's Vapor Trails. During live performances, he is still responsible for cuing various guitar effects, the use of bass-pedal synthesizers and backing vocals.

Neil Peart

Music

Peart is commonly regarded by music fans, critics and fellow musicians as one of, if not the greatest rock drummers.^[95] He is also regarded as one of the finest practitioners of the in-concert drum solo.^[96] Initially inspired by Keith Moon, Peart absorbed the influence of other rock drummers from the 1960s and 1970s such as Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice, and John Bonham.^[97] Incorporation of unusual instruments (for rock drummers of the time) such as cowbells, glockenspiel, and tubular bells, along with several standard kit elements, helped create a highly varied setup. Continually modified to this day, Peart's drumkit offers an enormous array of percussion instruments for sonic diversity. For two decades Peart honed his technique; each new Rush album introduced an expanded percussive vocabulary. In the 1990s, he reinvented his style with the help of drum coach Freddie Gruber. Image:Neil Peart3.jpg

Lyrics

Peart also serves as Rush's primary lyricist, attracting much attention over the years due to his eclectic style. Known for penning concept suites and songs inspired by literature, music fan opinions of his writing have varied greatly, running the gamut from cerebral and insightful to overly pretentious and preachy. During the band's early years, Peart's lyrics were largely fantasy/science fiction-focused,^[98] though since 1980 he has focused more on social, emotional, and humanitarian issues. Peart's lyrics continue to divide audiences today. For example, in 2007, he was placed second on Blender magazine's list of the "40 Worst Lyricists In Rock".^[99]

Sales

Over the course of their career, Rush has come to release 24 gold records and 14 platinum records (3 of which have gone multiplatinum),^[100] placing them within the top 4 for the most consecutive gold albums by a rock band.^[101] Rush ranks 78th in U.S. album sales according to the RIAA with sales of 25 million units.^[101] Total worldwide sales approximate 40 million units.^{[102][103][104][105]}

Despite having completely dropped out of the public eye for five years after the gold-selling Test for Echo (which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200) and the band being relegated almost solely to classic rock stations in the U.S., Vapor Trails reached #6 on the Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release in 2002 with 108,000 albums sold. It has sold approximately 343,000 units to date. The subsequent Vapor Trails tour grossed over $24 million and included the largest audience ever to see a headlining Rush show — 60,000 fans in São Paulo, Brazil. Nevertheless, Vapor Trails remains their first album not to achieve at least gold status.

However, Rush's triple CD live album, 2003's Rush in Rio, was certified gold by the RIAA, marking the fourth decade in which a Rush album had been released and certified at least gold. Moreover, in 2004 Feedback cracked the top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart and received radio airplay. The band's most recent album, Snakes & Arrows, debuted at #3 (just one position shy of Rush's highest peaking album, 1993's Counterparts, which debuted at #2) on the Billboard 200 selling approximately 93,000 copies in its first week of release.^[106] This marks the 13th studio album to appear in the Top 20 and the band's 27th album to appear on the chart regardless of position over the course of their career. The album also debuted at #1 on the Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, as well as peaking at #1 on the Top Internet Albums chart when the album was released on the MVI format a month later.^[107] Still, Snakes & Arrows has yet to accumulate sales that approach or eclipse Vapor Trails or Rush in Rio.

The two consecutive tours in support of Snakes & Arrows in 2007 and 2008 accrued $21 million and $18.3 million, respectively, earning Rush the number 6 and 8 spots among the top ten summer rock concerts.^[108][109]

Live performances

The members of Rush share a strong work ethic, desiring to accurately recreate songs from their albums when playing live performances. Toward this goal, beginning in the late 1980s, Rush has included in their concert equipment a capacious rack of digital samplers which the band members use, in real-time, to recreate the sounds of non-traditional instruments, accompaniments, vocal harmonies, and other sound "events" that are familiarly heard on the studio versions of the songs.

In live performances, the band members share duties throughout most songs, with each member triggering certain sounds with his available limbs, while playing his primary instrument(s). Each band member has one or more MIDI controllers that enables him to use his free hands or feet to trigger sounds that have been loaded into the samplers for a particular song.^[110] It is with this technology that the group is able to present their arrangements in a live setting with the level of complexity and fidelity that fans have come to expect, and without the need to resort to the use of backing tracks or employing an additional band member.^[111]

The band members' coordinated use of foot-pedal keyboards and other electronic triggers to "play" sampled instruments and audio events is subtly visible in their live performances, especially so on R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour, their 2005 concert DVD.

A staple of Rush's concerts is a Peart drum solo. Peart's drum solos include a basic framework of routines connected by sections of improvisation, making each performance unique. Each successive tour sees the solo more advanced, with some routines dropped in favor of newer, more complex ones. Since the mid-1980s, Peart has used MIDI trigger pads to trigger sounds sampled from various pieces of acoustic percussion that would otherwise consume far too much stage area, such as a marimba, harp, temple blocks, triangles, glockenspiel, orchestra bells, tubular bells, and vibraslap as well as other, more esoteric percussion.

Philanthropy

Rush actively participates in philanthropic causes. The band was one of a number of hometown favorites to play Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, also dubbed SARStock, at Downsview Park in Toronto on July 30, 2003, with an attendance of over half a million people. The concert was intended to benefit the Canadian economy after the SARS outbreaks earlier in the year. The band has also sustained an interest in promoting human rights. They donated $100,000 to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights after a concert they held in Winnipeg on 24 May 2008.^[112] Rush continues to sell t-shirts and donate the proceeds to the museum.^[113]

The individual members of Rush have also been a part of philanthropic causes. Hughes & Kettner zenTeras and TriAmps have been endorsed and used by Lifeson for many years. A custom signature amplifier was engineered by Lifeson and released in April 2005 with the stipulation that UNICEF will receive a donation in the amount of $50 for every Alex Lifeson Signature TriAmp sold.^[114] Lee, a longtime fan of baseball, donated 200 baseballs signed by famous Negro League players, including Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Josh Gibson, to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in June 2008.^[115]

The band is featured on the music album Songs for Tibet, appearing with a number of other celebrities as an initiative to support Tibet and the current Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. The album was made downloadable on August 5 via iTunes and was released commercially August 12.^[116]

Discography

Here is the complete setlist for Guitar Hero III, which will also include all downloadable content (when released).

Bold text indicates a master track, all other songs are covers.

Single Player Setlist

1. Starting Out Small

• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar
• "Story of My Life" - Social Distortion
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss (Encore)

2. Your First Real Gig

• "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream
• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello"
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine (Encore)

3. Making The Video

• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones (Encore)

4. European Invasion

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam (Encore)

5. Bighouse Blues

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - Scorpions
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "La Grange" - ZZ Top
• Guitar Battle vs. Slash
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses (Encore)

6. The Hottest Band On Earth

• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Pride and Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughn (Encore)

7. Live in Japan

• "Before I Forget" - Slipknot
• "Stricken" - Disturbed
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (Encore)

8. Battle For Your Soul

• "Raining Blood" - Slayer
• "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "One" - Metallica
• "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" - Originally by Charlie Daniels Band, cover by Steve Ouimette (Encore)

Co-Op Setlist

1. Getting a Band Together

• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys (Encore)

2. We Just Wanna Be Famous

• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Reptilia" - The Strokes (Encore)

3. Overnight Success

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Encore)

4. Getting the Band Back Together

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" - Blue Öyster Cult (Encore)

5. Jailhouse Rock

• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Helicopter" - Bloc Party (Encore)

6. Battle for Your Souls...

• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "One" - Metallica
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour
• "Monsters" - Matchbook Romance (Encore)

Bonus Tracks

• "Avalancha" - Heroes del Silencio
• "Can't Be Saved" - Senses Fail
• "Closer" - Lacuna Coil
• "Don't Hold Back" - The Sleeping
• "Down n' Dirty" - LA Slum Lords
• "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - The Fall of Troy
• "Generation Rock" - Revolverheld
• "Go That Far" - Bret Michaels Band
• "Hier Kommt Alex" - Die Toten Hosen
• "I'm in the Band" - The Hellacopters
• "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
• "In Love" - Scouts of St. Sebastian
• "In the Belly of a Shark" - Gallows
• "Mauvais Garçon" - NAAST
• "Metal Heavy Lady" - Lions
• "Minus Celsius" - Backyard Babies
• "My Curse" - Killswitch Engage
• "Nothing for Me Here" - Dope
• "Prayer of the Refugee" - Rise Against
• "Radio Song" - Superbus
• "Ruby" - Kaiser Cheifs
• "She Bangs the Drums" - The Stone Roses
• "Take This Life" - In Flames
• "The Way It Ends" - Prototype
• "Through the Fire and Flames" - DragonForce

Downloadable Content

Singles

Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix - Released November 22, 2007 on XBL.

• "Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix" - Martin O'Donnell

Ernten Was Wir Säen - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Erten Was Wir Säen" - Die Fantastischen Vier

So Payso - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "So Payso" - Extremoduro

Antisocial - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Antisocial" - Trust

We Three Kings - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "We Three Kings" - Steve Ouimette

Dream On - Released Febuary 18, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Dream On" - Aerosmith

I am Murloc - Released June 26, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "I am Murloc" - L70ETC (Link to WoWWiki)

Track Packs

Companion Pack - Released October 31, 2007 on XBL.

• "Carcinogen Crush" - AFI
• "Tina" - Flyleaf
• "Putting Holes in Happiness" - Marilyn Manson

Foo Fighters Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "All My Life" - Foo Fighters
• "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
• "This is a Call" - Foo Fighters

Velvet Revolver Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "She Builds Quick Machines" - Velvet Revolver
• "Slither" - Velvet Revolver
• "Messages" - Velvet Revolver

Boss Battle Pack - Released November 15, 2007 on XBL and November 29, 2007 on PSN.

• "Tom Morello Guitar Battle" - Tom Morello
• "Slash Guitar Battle" - Slash
• "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Steve Ouimette

Warner/Reprise Track Pack - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2007 on PSN.

• "Pretty Handsome Awkward" - The Used
• "No More Sorrow" - Linkin Park
• "Sleeping Giant" - Mastodon

Classic Rock Track Pack - Released January 24, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Any Way You Want It" - Journey
• "Jukebox Hero" - Foreigner
• "Peace of Mind" - Boston

No Doubt Track Pack - Released Febuary 28, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Excuse Me Mr. No Doubt" - No Doubt
• "Don't Speak" - No Doubt
• "Sunday Morning" - No Doubt

Modern Metal Track Pack - Released March 6, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "The Arsonist" - Thrice
• "Hole in the Earth" - Deftones
• "Almost Easy" - Avenged Sevonfold

Dropkick Murphys Track Pack - Released March 13, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Famous For Nothing" - Dropkick Murphys
• "(F)lannigan's Ball" - Dropkick Murphys
• "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya" - Dropkick Murphys

Def Leppard Track Pack - Released April 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Nine Lives" - Def Leppard
• "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard
• "Photograph" - Def Leppard

Guitar Virtuoso Pack - Released July 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead
• "Surfing With the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai

DragonForce Track Pack - Released August 21, 2008 on XBL & PSN

• "Heroes of Our Time"
• "Operation Ground and Pound"
• "Revolution Deathsquad"

Studio albums

• Rush (1974)
• Fly by Night (1975)
• Caress of Steel (1975)
• 2112 (1976)
• A Farewell to Kings (1977)
• Hemispheres (1978)
• Permanent Waves (1980)
• Moving Pictures (1981)
• Signals (1982)
• Grace Under Pressure (1984)
• Power Windows (1985)
• Hold Your Fire (1987)
• Presto (1989)
• Roll the Bones (1991)
• Counterparts (1993)
• Test for Echo (1996)
• Vapor Trails (2002)
• Feedback (2004)
• Snakes & Arrows (2007)

See also

• Rush instrumentals
• List of Rush awards

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

Books

• Rush: Visions: The Official Biography – Banasiewicz, Bill. (1988), Omnibus Press – ISBN 0-7119-1162-2
• Rush Tribute: Merely Players – Telleria, Robert (2002) – ISBN 1-55082-271-3
• Rush: Success Under Pressure – Gett, Steve. (1984) – ISBN 0-89524-230-3
• Rhythm & Light – Nuttall, Carrie, (2005), Rounder Books, ISBN 1-57940-093-0
• Drum Techniques of Rush – Peart (1985) – ISBN 0-7692-5055-6
• More Drum Techniques of Rush – Peart, Wheeler (1989) – ISBN 0-7692-5051-3
• The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa – Peart (1999) – ISBN 1-895900-02-6
• Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road – Peart (2002) – ISBN 1-55022-546-4 (hardcover), ISBN 1-55022-548-0 (paperback)
• Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times – Peart (2004) – ISBN 1-55022-664-9
• Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away – Popoff, Martin. Publisher: Ecw Press (28 June 2004) – ISBN 1-55022-678-9
• Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of Rush – Price, et al. (1999) – ISBN 1-58715-102-2
• Rush: Chemistry : The Definitive Biography – Collins, Jon. (2006) Helter Skelter Publishing – ISBN 1-900924-85-4 (Hardcover)
• Roadshow: Landscape With Drums - A Concert Tour By Motorcycle – Peart (2006), Rounder – ISBN 1-57940-142-2

Scholarly articles

• "Rand, Rush, and De-totalizing the Utopianism of Progressive Rock" by Steven Horwitz (2002)
• "Textu®al Undercoding and the Music of the Rock Band Rush: String Quartets, Death Metal, Trip-Hop, and other Tributes" by Dr. Durrell Bowman (2004/2002)
• "'Open Secrets': Individualism and Middle-Class Identity in the songs of Rush," Popular Music and Society Volume 31 No. 3, July 2008, pp. 313-328, by Chris McDonald.
• "'Making Arrows Out of Pointed Words': Critical Reception, Taste Publics and Rush," Journal of American and Comparative Cultures, Volume 25 No. 3-4, September 2002, pp. 249-259, by Chris McDonald
• "Grand Designs: A Musical, Social and Ethographic Study of Rush" (dissertation, Ph.D. in ethnomusicology, York University, 2002) by Chris McDonald
• "Structure, Function and Process in the Early Song Cycles and Extended Songs of the Canadian Rock Group Rush" (dissertation, Ph.D. in music theory, Ohio State University, 2002) by Brian Walsh
• "Permanent Change: Rush, Musicians' Rock, and the Progressive Post-Counterculture" (dissertation, Ph.D. in musicology, UCLA, 2003) by Dr. Durrell Bowman

External links

Template:Spoken Wikipedia Template:Commonscat Template:Wikiquote

• Official Rush Home Page

Template:Featured article Template:RushTemplate:Link FA

ca:Rush cs:Rush da:Rush de:Rush et:Rush es:Rush fr:Rush (groupe) hr:Rush id:Rush it:Rush he:ראש (להקה) lv:Rush hu:Rush mt:Rush nl:Rush (band) ja:ラッシュ (バンド) no:Rush nn:Rush pl:Rush pt:Rush ro:Rush ru:Rush simple:Rush (band) sk:Rush (skupina) fi:Rush sq:Rush sv:Rush tr:Rush (grup) uk:Rush zh:匆促樂團s guitar controller to "slide" along these notes. World Tour also adds an open string note for bass players, represented by a line across the fret instead of any note gems, that is played by strumming without holding down any fret buttons.

Image:Guitar-hero-world-tour-20080715103139463.PNG Guitar Hero World Tour introduces drums and vocal tracks in addition to lead and bass guitar. Drum tracks are played similar to guitar tracks; the player must strike the appropriate drum head or step down on the bass drum pedal on the controller when the note gems pass the indicated line. Certain note gems, when using a drum controller that is velocity-sensitive, are "armored", requiring the player to hit the indicated drum pad harder to score more points. Vocal tracks are played similar to games such as Karaoke Revolution where the player must match the pitch and the pacing of the lyrics to score points.

While the song is playing, the background visuals feature the players' chosen avatar, along with the rest of the band performing in one of several real and fictional venues. The reaction of the audience is based on the performance of the player judged by the Rock Meter. Guitar Hero II added special lighting and other stage effects that were synchronized to the music to provide a more complete concert experience.^[147][148]

Game modes

[[Image:Guitar-hero-3-gameplay.jpg|thumb|225px|right|In Guitar Hero IIITemplate:Infobox musical artist Template:Portal Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, currently composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. The band and its membership went through a number of re-configurations between 1968 and 1974, achieving their definitive form when Neil Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey in July 1974, two weeks before the group's first U.S. tour.

Since the release of the band's self-titled debut album in March 1974, Rush has become known for the instrumental skills of its members, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy, and libertarian philosophy, as well as addressing humanitarian, social, emotional, and environmental concerns.

Musically, Rush's style has evolved over the years, beginning in the vein of blues-inspired heavy metal on their first albums, then encompassing hard rock, progressive rock, a period dominated by synthesizers and, more recently, modern rock. They have influenced various musical artists, including Metallica,^[21][22] The Smashing Pumpkins^[23] and Primus,^[23] as well as progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater^[21] and Symphony X.^[24]

Rush has won a number of Juno Awards, and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994. Over the course of their careers, the individual members of Rush have been acknowledged as being some of the most proficient players on their respective instruments, with each band member winning several awards in magazine readers' polls. As a group, Rush possesses 24 gold records and 14 platinum (3 multi-platinum) records. According to the RIAA, Rush's sales statistics place them fourth behind The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith for the most consecutive gold or platinum albums by a rock band. Rush also ranks 78th in U.S. album sales with 25 million units.^[25] Although total worldwide album sales are not calculated by any single entity, as of 2004 several industry sources estimated Rush's total worldwide album sales at over 40 million units.

The band recently finished promoting their latest album, Snakes & Arrows with an intercontinental tour. The second leg began in San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 11, and ended on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana.^[26]

History

Template:Details

The early years (1968–1976)

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end

The original line-up formed in the neighbourhood of Willowdale in Toronto, Ontario, by Lifeson, front man Jeff Jones, and drummer John Rutsey. Within a couple weeks of forming, and before their second performance, bassist and lead vocalist Jones was replaced by Geddy Lee, a schoolmate of Lifeson. After several lineup reformations, Rush's official incarnation was formed in May 1971 consisting of Lee, Lifeson, and Rutsey. The band was managed by local Toronto resident Ray Danniels, a frequent attendee of Rush's early shows.^[27][28]

After gaining stability in the lineup and honing their skills on the local bar/high school dance circuit, the band came to release their first single "Not Fade Away", a cover of the Buddy Holly song, in 1973. Side B contained an original composition, "You Can't Fight It", credited to Rutsey and Lee. The single generated little reaction and, due to record company indifference, the band formed their own independent record label, Moon Records. With the aid of Danniels and the newly enlisted engineer Terry Brown, the band released their self-titled debut album in 1974, which was considered highly derivative of Led Zeppelin.^[29] Rush had limited local popularity until the album was picked up by WMMS, a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio. Donna Halper, a DJ and music director working at the station, selected "Working Man" for her regular play list. The song's blue collar theme resonated with hard rock fans and this new found popularity led to the album being re-released by Mercury Records in the U.S.^[30][31] Image:Starman.png

Immediately after the release of the debut album, Rutsey resigned in July 1974 due to his affliction with diabetes and a distaste for touring. Rush held auditions and eventually selected Neil Peart as Rutsey's replacement. Peart officially joined the band on July 29, 1974, two weeks before the group's first US tour. They performed their first concert together, opening for Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann with an attendance of over 11,000 people at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 14. In addition to becoming the band's drummer, Peart assumed the role of principal lyricist as Lee and Lifeson had very little interest in writing, contributing to only a handful of song lyrics over the rest of the band's career. Instead, they focused primarily on the musical aspects of Rush. Fly by Night (1975), Rush's first album after recruiting Peart, saw the inclusion of the band's first epic mini-tale "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", replete with complex arrangements and multi-section format. Lyrical themes also underwent dramatic changes after the addition of Peart due to his love for fantasy and science-fiction literature.^[33] However, despite these many differences some of the music and songs still closely mirrored the blues style found on Rush's debut.^[34][33]

Following quickly on the heels of Fly By Night, the band released 1975's Caress of Steel, a five track hard rock album featuring two extended multi-chapter songs, "The Necromancer" and "The Fountain of Lamneth." Caress of Steel was reported by some critics to be unfocused and an audacious move for the band due to the placement of two protracted numbers back-to-back, as well as a heavier reliance on atmospherics and story-telling, a large deviation from Fly by Night.^[35] Intended to be the band's first "break-through" album, Caress of Steel sold below expectations and the promotional tour consisted of small venues which led to the moniker the "Down the Tubes Tour."^[36] In light of these events, Rush's record label pressured them into molding their next album in a more commercially friendly and accessible fashion. However, the band ignored the requests and developed their next album, 2112. It was the band's first taste of commercial success and their first platinum album in Canada.^[37] The supporting tour for the album culminated in a three night stand at Massey Hall in Toronto, which the band recorded for the release of their first live album titled All the World's a Stage. Allmusic Guide critic Greg Prato summarily reminds listeners and fans of how the album demarcates the boundary between the band's early years and the next era of their music.^[38][39]

The progressive rock era (1977–1981)

After 2112, Rush retreated to the United Kingdom to record 1977's A Farewell to Kings and 1978's Hemispheres at Rockfield Studios in Wales. These albums saw the band members expanding their use of progressive elements in their music. Trademarks such as increased synthesizer usage, extended-length concept songs, and highly dynamic playing featuring complex time signature changes became a staple of Rush's compositions. To achieve a broader, more progressive palette of sound, Alex Lifeson began to experiment with classical and twelve-string guitars, and Geddy Lee added bass-pedal synthesizers and Minimoog. Likewise, Peart's percussion became diversified in the form of triangles, glockenspiel, wood blocks, cowbells, timpani, gong and chimes. Beyond instrument additions, the band kept in stride with the progressive rock movement by continuing to compose long, conceptual songs with science fiction and fantasy overtones. However, as the new decade approached, Rush gradually began to dispose of their older styles of music in favor of shorter, and sometimes softer, arrangements. The lyrics up to this point (most of them written by Peart) were heavily influenced by classical poetry, fantasy literature, science fiction, and the writings of novelist Ayn Rand, as exhibited most prominently by their 1975 song "Anthem" from Fly By Night and a specifically acknowledged derivation in 1976's 2112.^[40]

Permanent Waves (1980) shifted Rush's style of music dramatically via the introduction of reggae and new wave.^[41] Although a hard rock style was still evident, more and more synthesizers were introduced. Moreover, due to the limited airplay Rush's previous extended-length songs received, Permanent Waves included shorter, more radio-friendly songs such as "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill", two songs which helped Permanent Waves become Rush's first U.S. Top 5 album; both songs continue to make appearances on classic rock radio stations in Canada and the United States to this day.^[42] Meanwhile, Peart's lyrics shifted toward an expository tone with subject matter that dwelled less on fantastical or allegorical story-telling and more heavily on cerebral topics that explored humanistic, social, emotional and metaphysical elements. Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Rush's popularity reached its pinnacle with the release of Moving Pictures in 1981. Moving Pictures essentially continued where Permanent Waves left off, extending the trend of highly accessible and commercially friendly pop-progressive rock that helped thrust them into the spotlight. The lead track, "Tom Sawyer", is probably the band's best-known song^[43] with "Limelight" also receiving satisfactory responses from listeners and radio stations. Moving Pictures was Rush's last album to feature an extended song, the ten-and-a-half-minute "The Camera Eye". The song also contained the band's heaviest usage of synthesizers up to that point, hinting that Rush's music was shifting direction once more. Moving Pictures reached #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart and has been certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[44]

Following the success of Moving Pictures and the completion of another four studio albums, Rush released their second live recording, Exit...Stage Left, in 1981. The album delineates the apex of Rush's progressive period by featuring live material from the band's Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures tours. As with their first live release, Exit...Stage Left identified the margin of a new chapter of Rush's sound. The band underwent another radical stylistic transmutation with the release of Signals in 1982.^[45]

The synthesizer period (1982–1989)

Image:Oberheim OBX.jpg

While Lee's synthesizers had been featured instruments ever since the late 70s, keyboards were suddenly shifted from the contrapuntal background to the melodic front-lines^[46][47] as evidenced by songs such as "Countdown" and the lead-off track "Subdivisions". Both feature nimble lead synthesizer lines with minimalistic guitar chords and solos. Other previously unused instrument additions were seen in the song "Losing It," featuring collaborator Ben Mink on electric violin.^[45] Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Signals also represented a drastic stylistic transformation apart from instrumental changes. The album contained Rush's only U.S. top-40 pop hit, "New World Man",^[48] while other more experimental songs such as "Digital Man", "The Weapon", and "Chemistry" expanded the band's use of ska, reggae, and funk.^[49] Although the band members consciously decided to move in this overall direction, they felt dissatisfied with long-time producer Terry Brown's studio treatment of Signals and parted ways with him in 1983. These diverse styles would come into further play on their next studio album.

[[Image:DM Simmons SDS5.jpg|thumb|right|Neil Peart began incorporating Simmons Electronic Drums beginning with 1984's Grace Under Pressure]]

The style and production of Signals were augmented and taken to new heights on 1984's Grace Under Pressure. It was Peart who named the album, as he borrowed the words of Ernest Hemingway to describe what the band had to go through after making the decision to leave Terry Brown. Producer Steve Lillywhite, who gleaned fame with successful productions of Simple Minds and U2, was enlisted to produce Grace Under Pressure. However, he backed out at the last moment, much to the ire of Lee, Lifeson and Peart. Lee said "Steve Lillywhite is really not a man of his word....after agreeing to do our record, he got an offer from Simple Minds, changed his mind, blew us off,..so it put us in a horrible position." Eventually Rush hired Peter Henderson to co-produce and engineer the album in his stead.^[50]

Musically, although Lee's use of sequencers and synthesizers remained the band's cornerstone, his focus on new technology was complemented by Peart's adaptation of Simmons electronic drums and percussion. Lifeson's contributions on the album were decidedly enhanced to act as an overreaction to the minimalistic role he played on Signals.^[51] Still, many of his trademark guitar textures remained intact in the form of open reggae chords and funk and new-wave rhythms; "Distant Early Warning", "Red Lenses", "Red Sector A" and "The Enemy Within" serve as prime examples.

With new producer Peter Collins, the band released 1985's Power Windows and 1987's Hold Your Fire. The music on these two albums gives far more emphasis and prominence to Lee's multi-layered synthesizer work. While fans and critics took notice of Lifeson's diminished guitar work, his presence was still palpable on "The Big Money", (the album's modest-charting single) with spotlights on "Grand Designs", "Middletown Dreams" and "Marathon." Lifeson, like many guitarists in the late 1980s, experimented with processors that reduced his instrument to echoey chord bursts and razor-thin leads. Hold Your Fire represents both a modest extension of the guitar stylings found on Power Windows, and, according to Allmusic critic Ed Rivadavia, the culmination of this era of Rush.^[52] Whereas the previous five Rush albums sold platinum or better, Hold Your Fire only went gold in November 1987, although it managed to peak at number 13 on the Billboard 200.^[53]

A third live album and video, A Show of Hands (1989), was also released by Mercury following the Power Windows and Hold Your Fire tours, demonstrating the aspects of Rush in the 80s. A Show of Hands met with strong fan approval, but Rolling Stone critic Michael Azerrad dismissed it as "musical muscle" with 1.5 stars, claiming Rush fans viewed their favourite power trio as "the holy trinity".^[54] Nevertheless, A Show of Hands managed to surpass the gold album mark, reaching number 21 on the Billboard 200.^[55] At this point, the group decided to change record labels from Mercury to Atlantic. After Rush's departure in 1989, Mercury released a double platinum two-volume compilation of their Rush catalogue, Chronicles (1990).^[56]

Returning to their roots (1989–1997)

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Rush started to deviate from their 1980s style with the albums Presto and Roll the Bones. Produced by record engineer and musician Rupert Hine, these two albums saw Rush shedding much of their keyboard-saturated sound. Beginning with 1989's Presto, the band opted for arrangements that were notably more guitar-centric than the previous two studio albums. Although synthesizers were still used in many songs, the instrument was no longer featured as the centerpiece of Rush's compositions. Continuing this trend, 1991's Roll the Bones extended the use of the standard three-instrument approach with even less focus on synthesizers than its predecessor. While musically these albums do not deviate significantly from a general pop-rock sound, Rush stuck to their creative approach of incorporating traces of more exotic musical styles. "Roll the Bones", for instance, exhibits funk and hip hop elements, and the instrumental track "Where's My Thing?" features several jazz components.^[57] This return to three-piece instrumentation helped pave the way for future albums in the mid-90s, which would adopt a more straightforward rock formula.

The transition from synthesizers to more guitar-oriented and organic instrumentation continued with the 1993 album Counterparts^[58] and its follow-up, 1996's Test for Echo, again both produced in collaboration with Peter Collins. Musically, Counterparts^[58] and Test For Echo are two of Rush's most guitar-driven albums. Although the music in general did not meet the criteria for "progressive rock", some of the songs could be considered more adventurous than what one might expect from a standard modern rock band.^[59] For instance, "Time and Motion" possesses multiple time signature changes and organ usage, while the instrumental track "Limbo", consists of several relatively complex musical passages repeated throughout. Musically, Test For Echo still retained much of the hard rock/alternative style already charted on the previous record. Lifeson and Lee's playing remained more or less unchanged; however, a distinct modification in technique became apparent in Peart's playing due to formal Jazz and Swing training under the tutelage of jazz instructor Freddie Gruber during the interim between Counterparts and Test For Echo.^[60] In October 1996, in support of Test For Echo, the band embarked on an extensive and successful North American tour, the band's first without an opening act and dubbed "An Evening with Rush." The tour was broken up into two segments spanning October through December, 1996 and May through July, 1997 with the band taking a respite between legs.

Hiatus and comeback (1997–2005)

After wrapping up the tour promoting Test for Echo in 1997, the band entered a five-year hiatus mainly due to personal tragedies in Peart's life. Peart's daughter Selena died in an automobile accident in August 1997, followed by his wife Jacqueline's death from cancer in June 1998. Peart took a hiatus to mourn and reflect, during which time he traveled extensively throughout North America on his BMW motorcycle, covering 88,000 km (55,000 miles). At some point in his journey, Peart decided to return to the band. Peart wrote Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road as a chronicle of his geographical and emotional journey. In this book he writes of how he had told his bandmates at Selena's funeral, "consider me retired."^[61] On November 10, 1998 a triple CD live album entitled Different Stages was released, dedicated to the memory of Selena and Jacqueline. Mixed by producer Paul Northfield and engineered by Terry Brown, it contained three discs packed with recorded performances from the band's Counterparts, Test For Echo, and A Farewell to Kings tours, marking the fourth officially released live album by the band. Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Listen Template:Sample box end After a time to grieve and reassemble the pieces of his life, and while visiting long-time Rush photographer Andrew MacNaughtan in Los Angeles, Peart was introduced to his future wife, photographer Carrie Nuttall. Peart married Nuttall on September 9, 2000. In early 2001 he announced to his band mates that he was ready to once again enter the studio and get back into the business of making music. With the help of producer Paul Northfield the band returned in May 2002 with Vapor Trails, written and recorded in Toronto. To herald the band's comeback, the single and lead track from the album, "One Little Victory" was designed to grab the attention of listeners due to its rapid guitar and drum tempos.^[62] Vapor Trails marked the first studio recording not to include a single synthesizer, organ or keyboard part since the early 1970s. While the album is almost completely guitar-driven, it is mostly devoid of any conventional sounding guitar solos, a conscious decision made by Lifeson during the writing process. According to the band, the entire developmental process for Vapor Trails was extremely taxing and took approximately 14 months to finish, by far the longest the band had ever spent writing and recording a studio album.^[62] The album debuted to moderate praise and was supported by the band's first tour in six years, including first-ever concerts in Mexico City and Brazil, where they played to some of the largest crowds of their career.

A triple CD live album and dual Rush In Rio DVD was released in late October 2003 featuring an entire concert performance recorded on the last night of their Vapor Trails Tour, November 23, 2002, at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To celebrate their 30th anniversary, June 2004 saw the release of Feedback, a studio EP recorded in suburban Toronto featuring eight covers of such artists as Cream, The Who and The Yardbirds, bands that the members of Rush cite as inspiration around the time of their inception.^[63] Also in the summer of 2004, Rush hit the road again for the very successful 30th Anniversary Tour, playing dates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. On September 24, 2004 a Frankfurt, Germany concert was recorded at The Festhalle for DVD (titled R30: Live in Frankfurt), which was released November 22, 2005.

Snakes & Arrows (2006–present)

Here is the complete setlist for Guitar Hero III, which will also include all downloadable content (when released).

Bold text indicates a master track, all other songs are covers.

Single Player Setlist

1. Starting Out Small

• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar
• "Story of My Life" - Social Distortion
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss (Encore)

2. Your First Real Gig

• "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream
• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello"
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine (Encore)

3. Making The Video

• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones (Encore)

4. European Invasion

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam (Encore)

5. Bighouse Blues

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - Scorpions
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "La Grange" - ZZ Top
• Guitar Battle vs. Slash
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses (Encore)

6. The Hottest Band On Earth

• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Pride and Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughn (Encore)

7. Live in Japan

• "Before I Forget" - Slipknot
• "Stricken" - Disturbed
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (Encore)

8. Battle For Your Soul

• "Raining Blood" - Slayer
• "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "One" - Metallica
• "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" - Originally by Charlie Daniels Band, cover by Steve Ouimette (Encore)

Co-Op Setlist

1. Getting a Band Together

• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys (Encore)

2. We Just Wanna Be Famous

• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Reptilia" - The Strokes (Encore)

3. Overnight Success

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Encore)

4. Getting the Band Back Together

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" - Blue Öyster Cult (Encore)

5. Jailhouse Rock

• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Helicopter" - Bloc Party (Encore)

6. Battle for Your Souls...

• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "One" - Metallica
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour
• "Monsters" - Matchbook Romance (Encore)

Bonus Tracks

• "Avalancha" - Heroes del Silencio
• "Can't Be Saved" - Senses Fail
• "Closer" - Lacuna Coil
• "Don't Hold Back" - The Sleeping
• "Down n' Dirty" - LA Slum Lords
• "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - The Fall of Troy
• "Generation Rock" - Revolverheld
• "Go That Far" - Bret Michaels Band
• "Hier Kommt Alex" - Die Toten Hosen
• "I'm in the Band" - The Hellacopters
• "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
• "In Love" - Scouts of St. Sebastian
• "In the Belly of a Shark" - Gallows
• "Mauvais Garçon" - NAAST
• "Metal Heavy Lady" - Lions
• "Minus Celsius" - Backyard Babies
• "My Curse" - Killswitch Engage
• "Nothing for Me Here" - Dope
• "Prayer of the Refugee" - Rise Against
• "Radio Song" - Superbus
• "Ruby" - Kaiser Cheifs
• "She Bangs the Drums" - The Stone Roses
• "Take This Life" - In Flames
• "The Way It Ends" - Prototype
• "Through the Fire and Flames" - DragonForce

Downloadable Content

Singles

Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix - Released November 22, 2007 on XBL.

• "Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix" - Martin O'Donnell

Ernten Was Wir Säen - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Erten Was Wir Säen" - Die Fantastischen Vier

So Payso - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "So Payso" - Extremoduro

Antisocial - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Antisocial" - Trust

We Three Kings - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "We Three Kings" - Steve Ouimette

Dream On - Released Febuary 18, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Dream On" - Aerosmith

I am Murloc - Released June 26, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "I am Murloc" - L70ETC (Link to WoWWiki)

Track Packs

Companion Pack - Released October 31, 2007 on XBL.

• "Carcinogen Crush" - AFI
• "Tina" - Flyleaf
• "Putting Holes in Happiness" - Marilyn Manson

Foo Fighters Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "All My Life" - Foo Fighters
• "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
• "This is a Call" - Foo Fighters

Velvet Revolver Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "She Builds Quick Machines" - Velvet Revolver
• "Slither" - Velvet Revolver
• "Messages" - Velvet Revolver

Boss Battle Pack - Released November 15, 2007 on XBL and November 29, 2007 on PSN.

• "Tom Morello Guitar Battle" - Tom Morello
• "Slash Guitar Battle" - Slash
• "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Steve Ouimette

Warner/Reprise Track Pack - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2007 on PSN.

• "Pretty Handsome Awkward" - The Used
• "No More Sorrow" - Linkin Park
• "Sleeping Giant" - Mastodon

Classic Rock Track Pack - Released January 24, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Any Way You Want It" - Journey
• "Jukebox Hero" - Foreigner
• "Peace of Mind" - Boston

No Doubt Track Pack - Released Febuary 28, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Excuse Me Mr. No Doubt" - No Doubt
• "Don't Speak" - No Doubt
• "Sunday Morning" - No Doubt

Modern Metal Track Pack - Released March 6, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "The Arsonist" - Thrice
• "Hole in the Earth" - Deftones
• "Almost Easy" - Avenged Sevonfold

Dropkick Murphys Track Pack - Released March 13, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Famous For Nothing" - Dropkick Murphys
• "(F)lannigan's Ball" - Dropkick Murphys
• "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya" - Dropkick Murphys

Def Leppard Track Pack - Released April 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Nine Lives" - Def Leppard
• "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard
• "Photograph" - Def Leppard

Guitar Virtuoso Pack - Released July 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead
• "Surfing With the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai

DragonForce Track Pack - Released August 21, 2008 on XBL & PSN

• "Heroes of Our Time"
• "Operation Ground and Pound"
• "Revolution Deathsquad"

During promotional interviews for the R30 Live In Frankfurt DVD, the band revealed their intention to begin writing new material in early 2006. While in Toronto, Lifeson and Lee began the songwriting process in January 2006. During this time, Peart simultaneously assumed his role of lyric writing while residing in Southern California. The following September, Rush chose to hire American producer Nick Raskulinecz to co-produce the album. The band officially entered Allaire Studios, in Shokan, New York in November 2006 in order to record the bulk of the material. Taking the band five weeks, the sessions ended in December. On February 14, 2007, an announcement was made on the official Rush web site that the title of the new album would be Snakes & Arrows. The first single, entitled "Far Cry," was released to North American radio stations on March 12, 2007 and reached #2 on the Mediabase Mainstream and Radio and Records Charts.^[64]

The Rush website, newly redesigned on March 12 to support the new album, also announced that the band would embark on a tour to begin in the summer. Snakes & Arrows was released 1 May 2007 in North America, where it debuted at #3 in the Billboard 200 with approximately 93,000 units sold in its first week.^[65] To coincide with the Atlantic ocean hurricane season, "Spindrift" was released as the official second radio single on June 1, 2007, whereas "The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)" saw single status on June 25, 2007. "The Larger Bowl" positioned within the top 20 of the Mainstream Rock and Media Base Mainstream charts, however, "Spindrift" failed to appear on any commercial chart.^[66] The planned intercontinental tour in support of Snakes & Arrows began on June 13, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, coming to a close on October 29, 2007 at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland.^[67]

The 2008 portion of the tour started on April 11, 2008 in San Juan, Puerto Rico at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum and culminated on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana at the Verizon Wireless Music Center.^[68] On April 15, the band released Snakes & Arrows Live, a double live album documenting the first leg of the tour.^[69] Those same performances featured on Snakes & Arrows Live filmed at the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands on October 16 and 17 of 2007 was released November 24 as a DVD and Blu-Ray set, which also includes footage from the 2008 portion of the tour, recorded at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Atlanta.^{[70][71] [72]}

As the band neared the conclusion of their Snakes & Arrows tour, they announced their first appearance on American television in over 30 years. Rush was interviewed by Stephen Colbert and they performed "Tom Sawyer" on The Colbert Report on July 16, 2008.^[73]

Musical style and influences

Rush's musical style has changed substantially over the years. Their debut album is strongly influenced by British-Blues rock: an amalgam of sounds and styles from such rock bands as Cream, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. Over the first few albums their style remained essentially hard rock, with heavy influences from The Who^[74] and Led Zeppelin,^[29] but also became increasingly influenced by the British progressive rock movement.^[75] In the tradition of progressive rock, Rush wrote protracted songs with irregular and multiple time signatures combined with fantasy/science fiction-inspired lyrics; however, they did not soften their sound. This fusion of hard and progressive rock continued until the end of the 1970s. In the 1980s, however, Rush successfully merged their sound with the trends of this period, experimenting with New Wave, reggae and pop rock.^[76] This period included the band's most extensive use of instruments such as synthesizers, sequencers and electronic percussion. It is largely agreed that the culmination of this era of Rush was in 1987 after the release of Hold Your Fire.^[77] With the approach of the early '90s and Rush's character sound still intact, the band transformed their style once again to harmonize with the alternative rock movement.^[78] The new millennium has seen them return to a more rock and roll roots sound, albeit with modern production.^[74]

Band members

• Geddy Lee – bass guitar, lead vocals, keyboards, mellotron, bass and synthesizer pedals, electric and acoustic rhythm guitar (September 1968 – present)
• Alex Lifeson – six and twelve-string acoustic and electric guitars, classical guitar, mandolin, mandola, Bouzouki, backing vocals, bass and synthesizer pedals (August 1968 – present)
• Neil Peart – drums, electronic and acoustic percussion (July 1974 – present)

Former members

• John Rutsey – drums, percussion, backing vocals (August 1968 – July 1974)
• Jeff Jones – bass, lead vocals (August 1968 – September 1968)

Template:Details

Reputation

More than 30 years of activity has provided Rush with the opportunity for musical diversity across their discography. As with many bands known for experimentation, such changes have inevitably resulted in dissent among critics and fans. The bulk of the band's music has always included synthetic instruments in some form or another, and this is a great source of contention in the Rush camp, especially the band's heavy reliance on synthesizers and keyboards during the 1980s, particularly on albums Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, and Hold Your Fire.^[79][80] Still, most fans saw this as nothing less than artistic growth and support for the band remained unwavering through each transitional phase.^[77]

The members of Rush have themselves noted that people "either love Rush or hate Rush", resulting in strong detractors and an intensely loyal fan base. To the chagrin of fans, the band has not been nominated for entry into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since their year of eligibility in 1998. The Hall's refusal to induct Rush may be a consequence of the band's insistence on remaining outside the mainstream of rock when it comes to self-promotion, in favor of maintaining a high degree of independence.^[81] To this day fans earnestly clamor for the band's inclusion into the Hall by citing noteworthy accomplishments including longevity, proficiency, and influence, as well as commercial sales figures and RIAA certifications. However, Lifeson has expressed his indifference toward the perceived slight saying "I couldn't care less, look who's up for induction, it's a joke".^[82] Rush has gained a degree of recognition in popular culture despite any official recognition from the Hall.^[83]

As a band, Rush has been nominated for and received various awards throughout its career. Likewise, the individual members have received coverage in various modern music magazines with specific technocratic recognition for instrumental ability. See List of Rush awards for more details on this topic.

Geddy Lee

Image:GeddyLee.JPG

Geddy Lee's high-register vocal style has always been a signature of the band — and sometimes, a focal point for criticism, especially during the early years of Rush's career when Lee's vocals were high-pitched, with a strong likeness to other singers like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. Although his voice has softened over the years, it is often described as a "wail".^[84][85] His instrumental abilities, on the other hand, are rarely criticized. An award-winning musician, Lee's style, technique, and ability on the bass guitar have proven influential in the rock and heavy metal genres, inspiring such players as Steve Harris of Iron Maiden,^[86] John Myung of Dream Theater,^[87] Les Claypool of Primus^[88] and Cliff Burton of Metallica^[89] among others. Lee is notable for his ability to operate various pieces of instrumentation simultaneously. This is mostly evident during live shows when Lee must play bass, supply lead vocals, manipulate keyboards, and trigger foot pedals during the course of a performance, as in the song "Tom Sawyer".^[75] Because of this he is required to remain in one place during songs containing complex instrumentation. Lifeson and Peart are, to a lesser extent, responsible for similar actions during live shows.

Alex Lifeson

Image:Alex Lifeson6.jpg

Instrumentally, Lifeson is regarded as a guitarist whose strengths and notability rely primarily on signature riffing, electronic effects and processing, unorthodox chord structures, and a copious arsenal of equipment used over the years.^[90][91][92] Despite his esteem, however, Lifeson is often regarded as being overshadowed by his bandmates due to Lee's on-stage multi-instrumental dexterity and Peart's status as a drummer.^[93]

During his adolescent years, he was influenced primarily by Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.^[94] For versatility, Lifeson was known to incorporate touches of Spanish and classical music into Rush's guitar-driven sound during the 1970s. Taking a backseat to Lee's keyboards in the 1980s, Lifeson's guitar returned to the forefront in the 1990s, and especially on 2002's Vapor Trails. During live performances, he is still responsible for cuing various guitar effects, the use of bass-pedal synthesizers and backing vocals.

Neil Peart

Music

Peart is commonly regarded by music fans, critics and fellow musicians as one of, if not the greatest rock drummers.^[95] He is also regarded as one of the finest practitioners of the in-concert drum solo.^[96] Initially inspired by Keith Moon, Peart absorbed the influence of other rock drummers from the 1960s and 1970s such as Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice, and John Bonham.^[97] Incorporation of unusual instruments (for rock drummers of the time) such as cowbells, glockenspiel, and tubular bells, along with several standard kit elements, helped create a highly varied setup. Continually modified to this day, Peart's drumkit offers an enormous array of percussion instruments for sonic diversity. For two decades Peart honed his technique; each new Rush album introduced an expanded percussive vocabulary. In the 1990s, he reinvented his style with the help of drum coach Freddie Gruber. Image:Neil Peart3.jpg

Lyrics

Peart also serves as Rush's primary lyricist, attracting much attention over the years due to his eclectic style. Known for penning concept suites and songs inspired by literature, music fan opinions of his writing have varied greatly, running the gamut from cerebral and insightful to overly pretentious and preachy. During the band's early years, Peart's lyrics were largely fantasy/science fiction-focused,^[98] though since 1980 he has focused more on social, emotional, and humanitarian issues. Peart's lyrics continue to divide audiences today. For example, in 2007, he was placed second on Blender magazine's list of the "40 Worst Lyricists In Rock".^[99]

Sales

Over the course of their career, Rush has come to release 24 gold records and 14 platinum records (3 of which have gone multiplatinum),^[100] placing them within the top 4 for the most consecutive gold albums by a rock band.^[101] Rush ranks 78th in U.S. album sales according to the RIAA with sales of 25 million units.^[101] Total worldwide sales approximate 40 million units.^{[102][103][104][105]}

Despite having completely dropped out of the public eye for five years after the gold-selling Test for Echo (which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200) and the band being relegated almost solely to classic rock stations in the U.S., Vapor Trails reached #6 on the Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release in 2002 with 108,000 albums sold. It has sold approximately 343,000 units to date. The subsequent Vapor Trails tour grossed over $24 million and included the largest audience ever to see a headlining Rush show — 60,000 fans in São Paulo, Brazil. Nevertheless, Vapor Trails remains their first album not to achieve at least gold status.

However, Rush's triple CD live album, 2003's Rush in Rio, was certified gold by the RIAA, marking the fourth decade in which a Rush album had been released and certified at least gold. Moreover, in 2004 Feedback cracked the top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart and received radio airplay. The band's most recent album, Snakes & Arrows, debuted at #3 (just one position shy of Rush's highest peaking album, 1993's Counterparts, which debuted at #2) on the Billboard 200 selling approximately 93,000 copies in its first week of release.^[106] This marks the 13th studio album to appear in the Top 20 and the band's 27th album to appear on the chart regardless of position over the course of their career. The album also debuted at #1 on the Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, as well as peaking at #1 on the Top Internet Albums chart when the album was released on the MVI format a month later.^[107] Still, Snakes & Arrows has yet to accumulate sales that approach or eclipse Vapor Trails or Rush in Rio.

The two consecutive tours in support of Snakes & Arrows in 2007 and 2008 accrued $21 million and $18.3 million, respectively, earning Rush the number 6 and 8 spots among the top ten summer rock concerts.^[108][109]

Live performances

The members of Rush share a strong work ethic, desiring to accurately recreate songs from their albums when playing live performances. Toward this goal, beginning in the late 1980s, Rush has included in their concert equipment a capacious rack of digital samplers which the band members use, in real-time, to recreate the sounds of non-traditional instruments, accompaniments, vocal harmonies, and other sound "events" that are familiarly heard on the studio versions of the songs.

In live performances, the band members share duties throughout most songs, with each member triggering certain sounds with his available limbs, while playing his primary instrument(s). Each band member has one or more MIDI controllers that enables him to use his free hands or feet to trigger sounds that have been loaded into the samplers for a particular song.^[110] It is with this technology that the group is able to present their arrangements in a live setting with the level of complexity and fidelity that fans have come to expect, and without the need to resort to the use of backing tracks or employing an additional band member.^[111]

The band members' coordinated use of foot-pedal keyboards and other electronic triggers to "play" sampled instruments and audio events is subtly visible in their live performances, especially so on R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour, their 2005 concert DVD.

A staple of Rush's concerts is a Peart drum solo. Peart's drum solos include a basic framework of routines connected by sections of improvisation, making each performance unique. Each successive tour sees the solo more advanced, with some routines dropped in favor of newer, more complex ones. Since the mid-1980s, Peart has used MIDI trigger pads to trigger sounds sampled from various pieces of acoustic percussion that would otherwise consume far too much stage area, such as a marimba, harp, temple blocks, triangles, glockenspiel, orchestra bells, tubular bells, and vibraslap as well as other, more esoteric percussion.

Philanthropy

Rush actively participates in philanthropic causes. The band was one of a number of hometown favorites to play Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, also dubbed SARStock, at Downsview Park in Toronto on July 30, 2003, with an attendance of over half a million people. The concert was intended to benefit the Canadian economy after the SARS outbreaks earlier in the year. The band has also sustained an interest in promoting human rights. They donated $100,000 to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights after a concert they held in Winnipeg on 24 May 2008.^[112] Rush continues to sell t-shirts and donate the proceeds to the museum.^[113]

The individual members of Rush have also been a part of philanthropic causes. Hughes & Kettner zenTeras and TriAmps have been endorsed and used by Lifeson for many years. A custom signature amplifier was engineered by Lifeson and released in April 2005 with the stipulation that UNICEF will receive a donation in the amount of $50 for every Alex Lifeson Signature TriAmp sold.^[114] Lee, a longtime fan of baseball, donated 200 baseballs signed by famous Negro League players, including Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Josh Gibson, to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in June 2008.^[115]

The band is featured on the music album Songs for Tibet, appearing with a number of other celebrities as an initiative to support Tibet and the current Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. The album was made downloadable on August 5 via iTunes and was released commercially August 12.^[116]

Discography

Here is the complete setlist for Guitar Hero III, which will also include all downloadable content (when released).

Bold text indicates a master track, all other songs are covers.

Single Player Setlist

1. Starting Out Small

• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar
• "Story of My Life" - Social Distortion
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss (Encore)

2. Your First Real Gig

• "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream
• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello"
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine (Encore)

3. Making The Video

• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones (Encore)

4. European Invasion

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam (Encore)

5. Bighouse Blues

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - Scorpions
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "La Grange" - ZZ Top
• Guitar Battle vs. Slash
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses (Encore)

6. The Hottest Band On Earth

• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Pride and Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughn (Encore)

7. Live in Japan

• "Before I Forget" - Slipknot
• "Stricken" - Disturbed
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (Encore)

8. Battle For Your Soul

• "Raining Blood" - Slayer
• "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "One" - Metallica
• "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" - Originally by Charlie Daniels Band, cover by Steve Ouimette (Encore)

Co-Op Setlist

1. Getting a Band Together

• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys (Encore)

2. We Just Wanna Be Famous

• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Reptilia" - The Strokes (Encore)

3. Overnight Success

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Encore)

4. Getting the Band Back Together

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" - Blue Öyster Cult (Encore)

5. Jailhouse Rock

• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Helicopter" - Bloc Party (Encore)

6. Battle for Your Souls...

• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "One" - Metallica
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour
• "Monsters" - Matchbook Romance (Encore)

Bonus Tracks

• "Avalancha" - Heroes del Silencio
• "Can't Be Saved" - Senses Fail
• "Closer" - Lacuna Coil
• "Don't Hold Back" - The Sleeping
• "Down n' Dirty" - LA Slum Lords
• "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - The Fall of Troy
• "Generation Rock" - Revolverheld
• "Go That Far" - Bret Michaels Band
• "Hier Kommt Alex" - Die Toten Hosen
• "I'm in the Band" - The Hellacopters
• "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
• "In Love" - Scouts of St. Sebastian
• "In the Belly of a Shark" - Gallows
• "Mauvais Garçon" - NAAST
• "Metal Heavy Lady" - Lions
• "Minus Celsius" - Backyard Babies
• "My Curse" - Killswitch Engage
• "Nothing for Me Here" - Dope
• "Prayer of the Refugee" - Rise Against
• "Radio Song" - Superbus
• "Ruby" - Kaiser Cheifs
• "She Bangs the Drums" - The Stone Roses
• "Take This Life" - In Flames
• "The Way It Ends" - Prototype
• "Through the Fire and Flames" - DragonForce

Downloadable Content

Singles

Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix - Released November 22, 2007 on XBL.

• "Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix" - Martin O'Donnell

Ernten Was Wir Säen - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Erten Was Wir Säen" - Die Fantastischen Vier

So Payso - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "So Payso" - Extremoduro

Antisocial - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Antisocial" - Trust

We Three Kings - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "We Three Kings" - Steve Ouimette

Dream On - Released Febuary 18, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Dream On" - Aerosmith

I am Murloc - Released June 26, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "I am Murloc" - L70ETC (Link to WoWWiki)

Track Packs

Companion Pack - Released October 31, 2007 on XBL.

• "Carcinogen Crush" - AFI
• "Tina" - Flyleaf
• "Putting Holes in Happiness" - Marilyn Manson

Foo Fighters Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "All My Life" - Foo Fighters
• "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
• "This is a Call" - Foo Fighters

Velvet Revolver Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "She Builds Quick Machines" - Velvet Revolver
• "Slither" - Velvet Revolver
• "Messages" - Velvet Revolver

Boss Battle Pack - Released November 15, 2007 on XBL and November 29, 2007 on PSN.

• "Tom Morello Guitar Battle" - Tom Morello
• "Slash Guitar Battle" - Slash
• "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Steve Ouimette

Warner/Reprise Track Pack - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2007 on PSN.

• "Pretty Handsome Awkward" - The Used
• "No More Sorrow" - Linkin Park
• "Sleeping Giant" - Mastodon

Classic Rock Track Pack - Released January 24, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Any Way You Want It" - Journey
• "Jukebox Hero" - Foreigner
• "Peace of Mind" - Boston

No Doubt Track Pack - Released Febuary 28, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Excuse Me Mr. No Doubt" - No Doubt
• "Don't Speak" - No Doubt
• "Sunday Morning" - No Doubt

Modern Metal Track Pack - Released March 6, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "The Arsonist" - Thrice
• "Hole in the Earth" - Deftones
• "Almost Easy" - Avenged Sevonfold

Dropkick Murphys Track Pack - Released March 13, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Famous For Nothing" - Dropkick Murphys
• "(F)lannigan's Ball" - Dropkick Murphys
• "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya" - Dropkick Murphys

Def Leppard Track Pack - Released April 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Nine Lives" - Def Leppard
• "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard
• "Photograph" - Def Leppard

Guitar Virtuoso Pack - Released July 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead
• "Surfing With the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai

DragonForce Track Pack - Released August 21, 2008 on XBL & PSN

• "Heroes of Our Time"
• "Operation Ground and Pound"
• "Revolution Deathsquad"

Studio albums

• Rush (1974)
• Fly by Night (1975)
• Caress of Steel (1975)
• 2112 (1976)
• A Farewell to Kings (1977)
• Hemispheres (1978)
• Permanent Waves (1980)
• Moving Pictures (1981)
• Signals (1982)
• Grace Under Pressure (1984)
• Power Windows (1985)
• Hold Your Fire (1987)
• Presto (1989)
• Roll the Bones (1991)
• Counterparts (1993)
• Test for Echo (1996)
• Vapor Trails (2002)
• Feedback (2004)
• Snakes & Arrows (2007)

See also

• Rush instrumentals
• List of Rush awards

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

Books

• Rush: Visions: The Official Biography – Banasiewicz, Bill. (1988), Omnibus Press – ISBN 0-7119-1162-2
• Rush Tribute: Merely Players – Telleria, Robert (2002) – ISBN 1-55082-271-3
• Rush: Success Under Pressure – Gett, Steve. (1984) – ISBN 0-89524-230-3
• Rhythm & Light – Nuttall, Carrie, (2005), Rounder Books, ISBN 1-57940-093-0
• Drum Techniques of Rush – Peart (1985) – ISBN 0-7692-5055-6
• More Drum Techniques of Rush – Peart, Wheeler (1989) – ISBN 0-7692-5051-3
• The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa – Peart (1999) – ISBN 1-895900-02-6
• Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road – Peart (2002) – ISBN 1-55022-546-4 (hardcover), ISBN 1-55022-548-0 (paperback)
• Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times – Peart (2004) – ISBN 1-55022-664-9
• Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away – Popoff, Martin. Publisher: Ecw Press (28 June 2004) – ISBN 1-55022-678-9
• Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of Rush – Price, et al. (1999) – ISBN 1-58715-102-2
• Rush: Chemistry : The Definitive Biography – Collins, Jon. (2006) Helter Skelter Publishing – ISBN 1-900924-85-4 (Hardcover)
• Roadshow: Landscape With Drums - A Concert Tour By Motorcycle – Peart (2006), Rounder – ISBN 1-57940-142-2

Scholarly articles

• "Rand, Rush, and De-totalizing the Utopianism of Progressive Rock" by Steven Horwitz (2002)
• "Textu®al Undercoding and the Music of the Rock Band Rush: String Quartets, Death Metal, Trip-Hop, and other Tributes" by Dr. Durrell Bowman (2004/2002)
• "'Open Secrets': Individualism and Middle-Class Identity in the songs of Rush," Popular Music and Society Volume 31 No. 3, July 2008, pp. 313-328, by Chris McDonald.
• "'Making Arrows Out of Pointed Words': Critical Reception, Taste Publics and Rush," Journal of American and Comparative Cultures, Volume 25 No. 3-4, September 2002, pp. 249-259, by Chris McDonald
• "Grand Designs: A Musical, Social and Ethographic Study of Rush" (dissertation, Ph.D. in ethnomusicology, York University, 2002) by Chris McDonald
• "Structure, Function and Process in the Early Song Cycles and Extended Songs of the Canadian Rock Group Rush" (dissertation, Ph.D. in music theory, Ohio State University, 2002) by Brian Walsh
• "Permanent Change: Rush, Musicians' Rock, and the Progressive Post-Counterculture" (dissertation, Ph.D. in musicology, UCLA, 2003) by Dr. Durrell Bowman

External links

Template:Spoken Wikipedia Template:Commonscat Template:Wikiquote

• Official Rush Home Page

Template:Featured article Template:RushTemplate:Link FA

ca:Rush cs:Rush da:Rush de:Rush et:Rush es:Rush fr:Rush (groupe) hr:Rush id:Rush it:Rush he:ראש (להקה) lv:Rush hu:Rush mt:Rush nl:Rush (band) ja:ラッシュ (バンド) no:Rush nn:Rush pl:Rush pt:Rush ro:Rush ru:Rush simple:Rush (band) sk:Rush (skupina) fi:Rush sq:Rush sv:Rush tr:Rush (grup) uk:Rush zh:匆促樂團s two-player "Battle Mode", each player attempts to interfere with their opponent's performance while avoiding being distracted by those thrown by the opponent.]] The main mode of play in the Guitar Hero games is Career Mode, where the player and in-game band travel between various fictional performance arenas and perform sets of four to six songs. It is by completing songs in this mode that the songs are unlocked for play across the rest of the game. Players can choose their on-stage character, their guitar of choice, and the venue they wish to play in. In this mode, the player can earn money from his/her performances that is redeemable at the in-game store, where bonus songs, additional guitars and finishes, and bonus content can be unlocked. Quick Play mode is a quicker method of playing songs, as it allows the player to select a track and difficulty, selecting the character, venue, and guitar for the player based on the song chosen. After successfully completing a song, the player is given a score, a percentage of how many notes they hit and a rating from three to five stars, depending on his/her final score on the song.^[147][148]

The games have also added multiplayer modes. Cooperative modes allow two players to play lead and either bass or rhythm guitar on the same song, working together towards the same score. A competitive Face-Off mode allows two player to play against each other at different difficulty levels, each attempting to earn the best score on a song. Guitar Hero III introduced Boss Battles, in which two players face off against each other, attempt to collect "distractions" to throw at their opponent, trying to make them lose. With Guitar Hero World Tour, up to four players can play cooperatively on lead and bass guitar, drums, and vocals, while a total of eight players can compete in a Battle of the Bands. The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions of the games support multiplayer modes over their respective network services.

The four difficulty levels for each song afford the player a learning curve in order to help him/her progress in skill. The first difficulty level, Easy, only focuses on the first three fret buttons while displaying a significantly reduced amount of notes for the player to play. Medium introduces the fourth (blue) fret button, and Hard includes the final fret button while adding additional notes. The addition of the orange fret button forces players to move their fingers up and down the neck. Expert does not introduce any other frets to learn, but adds more notes in a manner designed to challenge the player and to simulate the player's hands to move in a sequence similar to a real guitar. A difficulty added in "World Tour" is Beginner, which only requires the player to strum to the basic rhythm; holding the fret buttons becomes unnecessary.^[147][148]

Characters and customization

When playing through Career mode or in other parts of the Guitar Hero games, the player has the option to select one of several pre-created avatar characters, who will be shown performing on stage as the player attempts a song, but otherwise has no effect on the gameplay. A certain number of characters are available at the start of the game, but the player must spend in-game money earned by successful performances to unlock other characters. Many of the characters reappear throughout the series, though some games feature a smaller number of characters. Games that feature caricatures of celebrity artists, such as Guitar Hero III and Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, include the ability to unlock those artists as playable characters. Guitar Hero World Tour includes the ability for players to create their own characters.

In addition to unlocking characters, in-game money can be used to buy alternative outfits for these characters and guitars that they are seen playing with. The guitars can also be customized with special finishes purchasable through the in-game store. Guitar Hero World Tour includes the ability to fully customize any component of the guitar. The in-game store in the series is also used to unlock bonus songs or special videos with interviews about the game or with the artists involved.

Soundtracks

Most of the games in the Guitar Hero series feature a selection of songs ranging from the 1960s to present day rock music from both highly successful artists and bands and independent groups. Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s features songs primarily from the 1980s, while both Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and Metallica features music from the respective bands and groups that inspired or worked with the bands.

Many of the Guitar Hero games developed for the recent generation of consoles (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii) support downloadable content, allowing players to purchase new songs to play in the respective titles. Songs each cost approximately $2 through the various online stores for the console's platform. Excluding the songs from Metallica's Death Magnetic, downloadable content for earlier games will not work in other games in the series.^[149] Activision has also stated that they are considering a monthly subscription service to deliver downloadable content to user for future games.^[150] Guitar Hero World Tour introduces a music creation mode that will allow players to create and share songs via the "GHTunes" service.

In the first two games and the 2007 expansion Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, the majority of the songs on the main career mode set lists are covers of the original song; for example, a song may be presented as "Free Bird as made famous by Lynyrd Skynyrd." Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock introduces a much larger range of original recordings, and World Tour featured a setlist that contained all master recordings. The covers throughout the games are mostly recreated by WaveGroup Sound who has worked before to create songs for Beatmania, Dance Dance Revolution, and Karaoke Revolution,^[151] making small changes to the guitar portions to make them more adaptable for gameplay.^[152] Almost all of the unlockable bonus songs are songs performed by the original artist for the game (the only exception is the song She Bangs the Drums by The Stone Roses, which is featured in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock).

Prior to the release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Activision has worked with the iTunes Store to provide more than 1300 tracks of Guitar Hero-related music across more than 20 compilations, including most of the tracks from the games in the series, called "Guitar Hero Essentials". These compilations, such as "Killer Guitar Solos" and "Guitar Anthems of the '80s", include songs related to but not contained within the Guitar Hero series. Dusty Welch of RedOctane has stated "Where there’s music, there’s Guitar Hero, and with iTunes, we are able to provide fans with a central location for downloading their favorite rock anthems."^[153] Following the merger of Activision and Blizzard, the new company announced that it is planning on creating an alternative to iTunes based on the Guitar Hero brand that would allow for downloading songs and their associated note tracks for the Guitar Hero games.^[154]

Cultural impact

The Guitar Hero series has made a significant cultural impact, becoming a "cultural phenomenon."^[10][155] The series' titles became very popular party games, which led to their being played in a variety of locales. Several bars in the United States & Canada are offering "Guitar Hero nights" as an alternative to karaoke; one New York City bar experienced triple the business on such nights.^[10] Many concert tours, including the Family Values Tour feature Guitar Hero booths and contests between sets.^[10] Guitar Hero is responsible for turning many people onto rock music and inspiring them to learn how to play guitar.^[156][157] A study by Youth Music found that 2.5 million out of 12 million children in the United Kingdom have taken up real instruments after playing music video games such as Guitar Hero; the group believes that these video games can be incorporated into music educational programs.^[158] Salon.com also states that the games helped an 8-year old guitarist learn sensitivity to rhythm, as well as develop the dexterity and independent hand usage necessary to play the instrument.^[156] Guitar Hero has been used alongside physical therapy to help recovering stroke patients as the games help with multiple limb coordination between fingering and stroking.^[159] Activision has teamed with the United Service Organizations to provide monetary support and copies of Guitar Hero III to the United States armed forces around the world.^[160]

Guitar Hero now holds a place in the Guinness World Records in their Gamers Edition, tracking the highest score on a single song in Guitar Hero III; the record is currently held by Chris Chike;^[161] though Chike originally held the record on the inauguration of the world record,^[162] he was temporarily displaced by Daniel Johnson during the middle of 2008.^[163] Chris Chike has received additional notice for perfectly completing the most difficult Guitar Hero III song, Dragonforce's "Through the Fire and Flames".^[164] Chike's reputation has earned him the place of spokesperson for The Ant Commandos, a third-party peripheral controller maker.^[165] Guinness also awarded the series ten world records in the Gamer's Edition 2008, including "Best Selling Guitar Based Game" and "Biggest Funeral for a Fictional Object", when in November 2006 a funeral for the air guitar was held in London, England as a publicity stunt for Guitar Hero IITemplate:Infobox musical artist Template:Portal Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, currently composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. The band and its membership went through a number of re-configurations between 1968 and 1974, achieving their definitive form when Neil Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey in July 1974, two weeks before the group's first U.S. tour.

Since the release of the band's self-titled debut album in March 1974, Rush has become known for the instrumental skills of its members, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy, and libertarian philosophy, as well as addressing humanitarian, social, emotional, and environmental concerns.

Musically, Rush's style has evolved over the years, beginning in the vein of blues-inspired heavy metal on their first albums, then encompassing hard rock, progressive rock, a period dominated by synthesizers and, more recently, modern rock. They have influenced various musical artists, including Metallica,^[21][22] The Smashing Pumpkins^[23] and Primus,^[23] as well as progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater^[21] and Symphony X.^[24]

Rush has won a number of Juno Awards, and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994. Over the course of their careers, the individual members of Rush have been acknowledged as being some of the most proficient players on their respective instruments, with each band member winning several awards in magazine readers' polls. As a group, Rush possesses 24 gold records and 14 platinum (3 multi-platinum) records. According to the RIAA, Rush's sales statistics place them fourth behind The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith for the most consecutive gold or platinum albums by a rock band. Rush also ranks 78th in U.S. album sales with 25 million units.^[25] Although total worldwide album sales are not calculated by any single entity, as of 2004 several industry sources estimated Rush's total worldwide album sales at over 40 million units.

The band recently finished promoting their latest album, Snakes & Arrows with an intercontinental tour. The second leg began in San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 11, and ended on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana.^[26]

History

Template:Details

The early years (1968–1976)

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end

The original line-up formed in the neighbourhood of Willowdale in Toronto, Ontario, by Lifeson, front man Jeff Jones, and drummer John Rutsey. Within a couple weeks of forming, and before their second performance, bassist and lead vocalist Jones was replaced by Geddy Lee, a schoolmate of Lifeson. After several lineup reformations, Rush's official incarnation was formed in May 1971 consisting of Lee, Lifeson, and Rutsey. The band was managed by local Toronto resident Ray Danniels, a frequent attendee of Rush's early shows.^[27][28]

After gaining stability in the lineup and honing their skills on the local bar/high school dance circuit, the band came to release their first single "Not Fade Away", a cover of the Buddy Holly song, in 1973. Side B contained an original composition, "You Can't Fight It", credited to Rutsey and Lee. The single generated little reaction and, due to record company indifference, the band formed their own independent record label, Moon Records. With the aid of Danniels and the newly enlisted engineer Terry Brown, the band released their self-titled debut album in 1974, which was considered highly derivative of Led Zeppelin.^[29] Rush had limited local popularity until the album was picked up by WMMS, a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio. Donna Halper, a DJ and music director working at the station, selected "Working Man" for her regular play list. The song's blue collar theme resonated with hard rock fans and this new found popularity led to the album being re-released by Mercury Records in the U.S.^[30][31] Image:Starman.png

Immediately after the release of the debut album, Rutsey resigned in July 1974 due to his affliction with diabetes and a distaste for touring. Rush held auditions and eventually selected Neil Peart as Rutsey's replacement. Peart officially joined the band on July 29, 1974, two weeks before the group's first US tour. They performed their first concert together, opening for Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann with an attendance of over 11,000 people at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 14. In addition to becoming the band's drummer, Peart assumed the role of principal lyricist as Lee and Lifeson had very little interest in writing, contributing to only a handful of song lyrics over the rest of the band's career. Instead, they focused primarily on the musical aspects of Rush. Fly by Night (1975), Rush's first album after recruiting Peart, saw the inclusion of the band's first epic mini-tale "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", replete with complex arrangements and multi-section format. Lyrical themes also underwent dramatic changes after the addition of Peart due to his love for fantasy and science-fiction literature.^[33] However, despite these many differences some of the music and songs still closely mirrored the blues style found on Rush's debut.^[34][33]

Following quickly on the heels of Fly By Night, the band released 1975's Caress of Steel, a five track hard rock album featuring two extended multi-chapter songs, "The Necromancer" and "The Fountain of Lamneth." Caress of Steel was reported by some critics to be unfocused and an audacious move for the band due to the placement of two protracted numbers back-to-back, as well as a heavier reliance on atmospherics and story-telling, a large deviation from Fly by Night.^[35] Intended to be the band's first "break-through" album, Caress of Steel sold below expectations and the promotional tour consisted of small venues which led to the moniker the "Down the Tubes Tour."^[36] In light of these events, Rush's record label pressured them into molding their next album in a more commercially friendly and accessible fashion. However, the band ignored the requests and developed their next album, 2112. It was the band's first taste of commercial success and their first platinum album in Canada.^[37] The supporting tour for the album culminated in a three night stand at Massey Hall in Toronto, which the band recorded for the release of their first live album titled All the World's a Stage. Allmusic Guide critic Greg Prato summarily reminds listeners and fans of how the album demarcates the boundary between the band's early years and the next era of their music.^[38][39]

The progressive rock era (1977–1981)

After 2112, Rush retreated to the United Kingdom to record 1977's A Farewell to Kings and 1978's Hemispheres at Rockfield Studios in Wales. These albums saw the band members expanding their use of progressive elements in their music. Trademarks such as increased synthesizer usage, extended-length concept songs, and highly dynamic playing featuring complex time signature changes became a staple of Rush's compositions. To achieve a broader, more progressive palette of sound, Alex Lifeson began to experiment with classical and twelve-string guitars, and Geddy Lee added bass-pedal synthesizers and Minimoog. Likewise, Peart's percussion became diversified in the form of triangles, glockenspiel, wood blocks, cowbells, timpani, gong and chimes. Beyond instrument additions, the band kept in stride with the progressive rock movement by continuing to compose long, conceptual songs with science fiction and fantasy overtones. However, as the new decade approached, Rush gradually began to dispose of their older styles of music in favor of shorter, and sometimes softer, arrangements. The lyrics up to this point (most of them written by Peart) were heavily influenced by classical poetry, fantasy literature, science fiction, and the writings of novelist Ayn Rand, as exhibited most prominently by their 1975 song "Anthem" from Fly By Night and a specifically acknowledged derivation in 1976's 2112.^[40]

Permanent Waves (1980) shifted Rush's style of music dramatically via the introduction of reggae and new wave.^[41] Although a hard rock style was still evident, more and more synthesizers were introduced. Moreover, due to the limited airplay Rush's previous extended-length songs received, Permanent Waves included shorter, more radio-friendly songs such as "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill", two songs which helped Permanent Waves become Rush's first U.S. Top 5 album; both songs continue to make appearances on classic rock radio stations in Canada and the United States to this day.^[42] Meanwhile, Peart's lyrics shifted toward an expository tone with subject matter that dwelled less on fantastical or allegorical story-telling and more heavily on cerebral topics that explored humanistic, social, emotional and metaphysical elements. Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Rush's popularity reached its pinnacle with the release of Moving Pictures in 1981. Moving Pictures essentially continued where Permanent Waves left off, extending the trend of highly accessible and commercially friendly pop-progressive rock that helped thrust them into the spotlight. The lead track, "Tom Sawyer", is probably the band's best-known song^[43] with "Limelight" also receiving satisfactory responses from listeners and radio stations. Moving Pictures was Rush's last album to feature an extended song, the ten-and-a-half-minute "The Camera Eye". The song also contained the band's heaviest usage of synthesizers up to that point, hinting that Rush's music was shifting direction once more. Moving Pictures reached #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart and has been certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[44]

Following the success of Moving Pictures and the completion of another four studio albums, Rush released their second live recording, Exit...Stage Left, in 1981. The album delineates the apex of Rush's progressive period by featuring live material from the band's Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures tours. As with their first live release, Exit...Stage Left identified the margin of a new chapter of Rush's sound. The band underwent another radical stylistic transmutation with the release of Signals in 1982.^[45]

The synthesizer period (1982–1989)

Image:Oberheim OBX.jpg

While Lee's synthesizers had been featured instruments ever since the late 70s, keyboards were suddenly shifted from the contrapuntal background to the melodic front-lines^[46][47] as evidenced by songs such as "Countdown" and the lead-off track "Subdivisions". Both feature nimble lead synthesizer lines with minimalistic guitar chords and solos. Other previously unused instrument additions were seen in the song "Losing It," featuring collaborator Ben Mink on electric violin.^[45] Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Signals also represented a drastic stylistic transformation apart from instrumental changes. The album contained Rush's only U.S. top-40 pop hit, "New World Man",^[48] while other more experimental songs such as "Digital Man", "The Weapon", and "Chemistry" expanded the band's use of ska, reggae, and funk.^[49] Although the band members consciously decided to move in this overall direction, they felt dissatisfied with long-time producer Terry Brown's studio treatment of Signals and parted ways with him in 1983. These diverse styles would come into further play on their next studio album.

Image:DM Simmons SDS5.jpg

The style and production of Signals were augmented and taken to new heights on 1984's Grace Under Pressure. It was Peart who named the album, as he borrowed the words of Ernest Hemingway to describe what the band had to go through after making the decision to leave Terry Brown. Producer Steve Lillywhite, who gleaned fame with successful productions of Simple Minds and U2, was enlisted to produce Grace Under Pressure. However, he backed out at the last moment, much to the ire of Lee, Lifeson and Peart. Lee said "Steve Lillywhite is really not a man of his word....after agreeing to do our record, he got an offer from Simple Minds, changed his mind, blew us off,..so it put us in a horrible position." Eventually Rush hired Peter Henderson to co-produce and engineer the album in his stead.^[50]

Musically, although Lee's use of sequencers and synthesizers remained the band's cornerstone, his focus on new technology was complemented by Peart's adaptation of Simmons electronic drums and percussion. Lifeson's contributions on the album were decidedly enhanced to act as an overreaction to the minimalistic role he played on Signals.^[51] Still, many of his trademark guitar textures remained intact in the form of open reggae chords and funk and new-wave rhythms; "Distant Early Warning", "Red Lenses", "Red Sector A" and "The Enemy Within" serve as prime examples.

With new producer Peter Collins, the band released 1985's Power Windows and 1987's Hold Your Fire. The music on these two albums gives far more emphasis and prominence to Lee's multi-layered synthesizer work. While fans and critics took notice of Lifeson's diminished guitar work, his presence was still palpable on "The Big Money", (the album's modest-charting single) with spotlights on "Grand Designs", "Middletown Dreams" and "Marathon." Lifeson, like many guitarists in the late 1980s, experimented with processors that reduced his instrument to echoey chord bursts and razor-thin leads. Hold Your Fire represents both a modest extension of the guitar stylings found on Power Windows, and, according to Allmusic critic Ed Rivadavia, the culmination of this era of Rush.^[52] Whereas the previous five Rush albums sold platinum or better, Hold Your Fire only went gold in November 1987, although it managed to peak at number 13 on the Billboard 200.^[53]

A third live album and video, A Show of Hands (1989), was also released by Mercury following the Power Windows and Hold Your Fire tours, demonstrating the aspects of Rush in the 80s. A Show of Hands met with strong fan approval, but Rolling Stone critic Michael Azerrad dismissed it as "musical muscle" with 1.5 stars, claiming Rush fans viewed their favourite power trio as "the holy trinity".^[54] Nevertheless, A Show of Hands managed to surpass the gold album mark, reaching number 21 on the Billboard 200.^[55] At this point, the group decided to change record labels from Mercury to Atlantic. After Rush's departure in 1989, Mercury released a double platinum two-volume compilation of their Rush catalogue, Chronicles (1990).^[56]

Returning to their roots (1989–1997)

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Rush started to deviate from their 1980s style with the albums Presto and Roll the Bones. Produced by record engineer and musician Rupert Hine, these two albums saw Rush shedding much of their keyboard-saturated sound. Beginning with 1989's Presto, the band opted for arrangements that were notably more guitar-centric than the previous two studio albums. Although synthesizers were still used in many songs, the instrument was no longer featured as the centerpiece of Rush's compositions. Continuing this trend, 1991's Roll the Bones extended the use of the standard three-instrument approach with even less focus on synthesizers than its predecessor. While musically these albums do not deviate significantly from a general pop-rock sound, Rush stuck to their creative approach of incorporating traces of more exotic musical styles. "Roll the Bones", for instance, exhibits funk and hip hop elements, and the instrumental track "Where's My Thing?" features several jazz components.^[57] This return to three-piece instrumentation helped pave the way for future albums in the mid-90s, which would adopt a more straightforward rock formula.

The transition from synthesizers to more guitar-oriented and organic instrumentation continued with the 1993 album Counterparts^[58] and its follow-up, 1996's Test for Echo, again both produced in collaboration with Peter Collins. Musically, Counterparts^[58] and Test For Echo are two of Rush's most guitar-driven albums. Although the music in general did not meet the criteria for "progressive rock", some of the songs could be considered more adventurous than what one might expect from a standard modern rock band.^[59] For instance, "Time and Motion" possesses multiple time signature changes and organ usage, while the instrumental track "Limbo", consists of several relatively complex musical passages repeated throughout. Musically, Test For Echo still retained much of the hard rock/alternative style already charted on the previous record. Lifeson and Lee's playing remained more or less unchanged; however, a distinct modification in technique became apparent in Peart's playing due to formal Jazz and Swing training under the tutelage of jazz instructor Freddie Gruber during the interim between Counterparts and Test For Echo.^[60] In October 1996, in support of Test For Echo, the band embarked on an extensive and successful North American tour, the band's first without an opening act and dubbed "An Evening with Rush." The tour was broken up into two segments spanning October through December, 1996 and May through July, 1997 with the band taking a respite between legs.

Hiatus and comeback (1997–2005)

After wrapping up the tour promoting Test for Echo in 1997, the band entered a five-year hiatus mainly due to personal tragedies in Peart's life. Peart's daughter Selena died in an automobile accident in August 1997, followed by his wife Jacqueline's death from cancer in June 1998. Peart took a hiatus to mourn and reflect, during which time he traveled extensively throughout North America on his BMW motorcycle, covering 88,000 km (55,000 miles). At some point in his journey, Peart decided to return to the band. Peart wrote Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road as a chronicle of his geographical and emotional journey. In this book he writes of how he had told his bandmates at Selena's funeral, "consider me retired."^[61] On November 10, 1998 a triple CD live album entitled Different Stages was released, dedicated to the memory of Selena and Jacqueline. Mixed by producer Paul Northfield and engineered by Terry Brown, it contained three discs packed with recorded performances from the band's Counterparts, Test For Echo, and A Farewell to Kings tours, marking the fourth officially released live album by the band. Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Listen Template:Sample box end After a time to grieve and reassemble the pieces of his life, and while visiting long-time Rush photographer Andrew MacNaughtan in Los Angeles, Peart was introduced to his future wife, photographer Carrie Nuttall. Peart married Nuttall on September 9, 2000. In early 2001 he announced to his band mates that he was ready to once again enter the studio and get back into the business of making music. With the help of producer Paul Northfield the band returned in May 2002 with Vapor Trails, written and recorded in Toronto. To herald the band's comeback, the single and lead track from the album, "One Little Victory" was designed to grab the attention of listeners due to its rapid guitar and drum tempos.^[62] Vapor Trails marked the first studio recording not to include a single synthesizer, organ or keyboard part since the early 1970s. While the album is almost completely guitar-driven, it is mostly devoid of any conventional sounding guitar solos, a conscious decision made by Lifeson during the writing process. According to the band, the entire developmental process for Vapor Trails was extremely taxing and took approximately 14 months to finish, by far the longest the band had ever spent writing and recording a studio album.^[62] The album debuted to moderate praise and was supported by the band's first tour in six years, including first-ever concerts in Mexico City and Brazil, where they played to some of the largest crowds of their career.

A triple CD live album and dual Rush In Rio DVD was released in late October 2003 featuring an entire concert performance recorded on the last night of their Vapor Trails Tour, November 23, 2002, at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To celebrate their 30th anniversary, June 2004 saw the release of Feedback, a studio EP recorded in suburban Toronto featuring eight covers of such artists as Cream, The Who and The Yardbirds, bands that the members of Rush cite as inspiration around the time of their inception.^[63] Also in the summer of 2004, Rush hit the road again for the very successful 30th Anniversary Tour, playing dates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. On September 24, 2004 a Frankfurt, Germany concert was recorded at The Festhalle for DVD (titled R30: Live in Frankfurt), which was released November 22, 2005.

Snakes & Arrows (2006–present)

Here is the complete setlist for Guitar Hero III, which will also include all downloadable content (when released).

Bold text indicates a master track, all other songs are covers.

Single Player Setlist

1. Starting Out Small

• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar
• "Story of My Life" - Social Distortion
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss (Encore)

2. Your First Real Gig

• "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream
• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello"
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine (Encore)

3. Making The Video

• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones (Encore)

4. European Invasion

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam (Encore)

5. Bighouse Blues

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - Scorpions
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "La Grange" - ZZ Top
• Guitar Battle vs. Slash
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses (Encore)

6. The Hottest Band On Earth

• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Pride and Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughn (Encore)

7. Live in Japan

• "Before I Forget" - Slipknot
• "Stricken" - Disturbed
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (Encore)

8. Battle For Your Soul

• "Raining Blood" - Slayer
• "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "One" - Metallica
• "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" - Originally by Charlie Daniels Band, cover by Steve Ouimette (Encore)

Co-Op Setlist

1. Getting a Band Together

• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys (Encore)

2. We Just Wanna Be Famous

• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Reptilia" - The Strokes (Encore)

3. Overnight Success

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Encore)

4. Getting the Band Back Together

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" - Blue Öyster Cult (Encore)

5. Jailhouse Rock

• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Helicopter" - Bloc Party (Encore)

6. Battle for Your Souls...

• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "One" - Metallica
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour
• "Monsters" - Matchbook Romance (Encore)

Bonus Tracks

• "Avalancha" - Heroes del Silencio
• "Can't Be Saved" - Senses Fail
• "Closer" - Lacuna Coil
• "Don't Hold Back" - The Sleeping
• "Down n' Dirty" - LA Slum Lords
• "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - The Fall of Troy
• "Generation Rock" - Revolverheld
• "Go That Far" - Bret Michaels Band
• "Hier Kommt Alex" - Die Toten Hosen
• "I'm in the Band" - The Hellacopters
• "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
• "In Love" - Scouts of St. Sebastian
• "In the Belly of a Shark" - Gallows
• "Mauvais Garçon" - NAAST
• "Metal Heavy Lady" - Lions
• "Minus Celsius" - Backyard Babies
• "My Curse" - Killswitch Engage
• "Nothing for Me Here" - Dope
• "Prayer of the Refugee" - Rise Against
• "Radio Song" - Superbus
• "Ruby" - Kaiser Cheifs
• "She Bangs the Drums" - The Stone Roses
• "Take This Life" - In Flames
• "The Way It Ends" - Prototype
• "Through the Fire and Flames" - DragonForce

Downloadable Content

Singles

Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix - Released November 22, 2007 on XBL.

• "Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix" - Martin O'Donnell

Ernten Was Wir Säen - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Erten Was Wir Säen" - Die Fantastischen Vier

So Payso - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "So Payso" - Extremoduro

Antisocial - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Antisocial" - Trust

We Three Kings - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "We Three Kings" - Steve Ouimette

Dream On - Released Febuary 18, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Dream On" - Aerosmith

I am Murloc - Released June 26, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "I am Murloc" - L70ETC (Link to WoWWiki)

Track Packs

Companion Pack - Released October 31, 2007 on XBL.

• "Carcinogen Crush" - AFI
• "Tina" - Flyleaf
• "Putting Holes in Happiness" - Marilyn Manson

Foo Fighters Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "All My Life" - Foo Fighters
• "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
• "This is a Call" - Foo Fighters

Velvet Revolver Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "She Builds Quick Machines" - Velvet Revolver
• "Slither" - Velvet Revolver
• "Messages" - Velvet Revolver

Boss Battle Pack - Released November 15, 2007 on XBL and November 29, 2007 on PSN.

• "Tom Morello Guitar Battle" - Tom Morello
• "Slash Guitar Battle" - Slash
• "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Steve Ouimette

Warner/Reprise Track Pack - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2007 on PSN.

• "Pretty Handsome Awkward" - The Used
• "No More Sorrow" - Linkin Park
• "Sleeping Giant" - Mastodon

Classic Rock Track Pack - Released January 24, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Any Way You Want It" - Journey
• "Jukebox Hero" - Foreigner
• "Peace of Mind" - Boston

No Doubt Track Pack - Released Febuary 28, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Excuse Me Mr. No Doubt" - No Doubt
• "Don't Speak" - No Doubt
• "Sunday Morning" - No Doubt

Modern Metal Track Pack - Released March 6, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "The Arsonist" - Thrice
• "Hole in the Earth" - Deftones
• "Almost Easy" - Avenged Sevonfold

Dropkick Murphys Track Pack - Released March 13, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Famous For Nothing" - Dropkick Murphys
• "(F)lannigan's Ball" - Dropkick Murphys
• "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya" - Dropkick Murphys

Def Leppard Track Pack - Released April 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Nine Lives" - Def Leppard
• "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard
• "Photograph" - Def Leppard

Guitar Virtuoso Pack - Released July 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead
• "Surfing With the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai

DragonForce Track Pack - Released August 21, 2008 on XBL & PSN

• "Heroes of Our Time"
• "Operation Ground and Pound"
• "Revolution Deathsquad"

During promotional interviews for the R30 Live In Frankfurt DVD, the band revealed their intention to begin writing new material in early 2006. While in Toronto, Lifeson and Lee began the songwriting process in January 2006. During this time, Peart simultaneously assumed his role of lyric writing while residing in Southern California. The following September, Rush chose to hire American producer Nick Raskulinecz to co-produce the album. The band officially entered Allaire Studios, in Shokan, New York in November 2006 in order to record the bulk of the material. Taking the band five weeks, the sessions ended in December. On February 14, 2007, an announcement was made on the official Rush web site that the title of the new album would be Snakes & Arrows. The first single, entitled "Far Cry," was released to North American radio stations on March 12, 2007 and reached #2 on the Mediabase Mainstream and Radio and Records Charts.^[64]

The Rush website, newly redesigned on March 12 to support the new album, also announced that the band would embark on a tour to begin in the summer. Snakes & Arrows was released 1 May 2007 in North America, where it debuted at #3 in the Billboard 200 with approximately 93,000 units sold in its first week.^[65] To coincide with the Atlantic ocean hurricane season, "Spindrift" was released as the official second radio single on June 1, 2007, whereas "The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)" saw single status on June 25, 2007. "The Larger Bowl" positioned within the top 20 of the Mainstream Rock and Media Base Mainstream charts, however, "Spindrift" failed to appear on any commercial chart.^[66] The planned intercontinental tour in support of Snakes & Arrows began on June 13, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, coming to a close on October 29, 2007 at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland.^[67]

The 2008 portion of the tour started on April 11, 2008 in San Juan, Puerto Rico at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum and culminated on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana at the Verizon Wireless Music Center.^[68] On April 15, the band released Snakes & Arrows Live, a double live album documenting the first leg of the tour.^[69] Those same performances featured on Snakes & Arrows Live filmed at the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands on October 16 and 17 of 2007 was released November 24 as a DVD and Blu-Ray set, which also includes footage from the 2008 portion of the tour, recorded at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Atlanta.^{[70][71] [72]}

As the band neared the conclusion of their Snakes & Arrows tour, they announced their first appearance on American television in over 30 years. Rush was interviewed by Stephen Colbert and they performed "Tom Sawyer" on The Colbert Report on July 16, 2008.^[73]

Musical style and influences

Rush's musical style has changed substantially over the years. Their debut album is strongly influenced by British-Blues rock: an amalgam of sounds and styles from such rock bands as Cream, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. Over the first few albums their style remained essentially hard rock, with heavy influences from The Who^[74] and Led Zeppelin,^[29] but also became increasingly influenced by the British progressive rock movement.^[75] In the tradition of progressive rock, Rush wrote protracted songs with irregular and multiple time signatures combined with fantasy/science fiction-inspired lyrics; however, they did not soften their sound. This fusion of hard and progressive rock continued until the end of the 1970s. In the 1980s, however, Rush successfully merged their sound with the trends of this period, experimenting with New Wave, reggae and pop rock.^[76] This period included the band's most extensive use of instruments such as synthesizers, sequencers and electronic percussion. It is largely agreed that the culmination of this era of Rush was in 1987 after the release of Hold Your Fire.^[77] With the approach of the early '90s and Rush's character sound still intact, the band transformed their style once again to harmonize with the alternative rock movement.^[78] The new millennium has seen them return to a more rock and roll roots sound, albeit with modern production.^[74]

Band members

• Geddy Lee – bass guitar, lead vocals, keyboards, mellotron, bass and synthesizer pedals, electric and acoustic rhythm guitar (September 1968 – present)
• Alex Lifeson – six and twelve-string acoustic and electric guitars, classical guitar, mandolin, mandola, Bouzouki, backing vocals, bass and synthesizer pedals (August 1968 – present)
• Neil Peart – drums, electronic and acoustic percussion (July 1974 – present)

Former members

• John Rutsey – drums, percussion, backing vocals (August 1968 – July 1974)
• Jeff Jones – bass, lead vocals (August 1968 – September 1968)

Template:Details

Reputation

More than 30 years of activity has provided Rush with the opportunity for musical diversity across their discography. As with many bands known for experimentation, such changes have inevitably resulted in dissent among critics and fans. The bulk of the band's music has always included synthetic instruments in some form or another, and this is a great source of contention in the Rush camp, especially the band's heavy reliance on synthesizers and keyboards during the 1980s, particularly on albums Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, and Hold Your Fire.^[79][80] Still, most fans saw this as nothing less than artistic growth and support for the band remained unwavering through each transitional phase.^[77]

The members of Rush have themselves noted that people "either love Rush or hate Rush", resulting in strong detractors and an intensely loyal fan base. To the chagrin of fans, the band has not been nominated for entry into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since their year of eligibility in 1998. The Hall's refusal to induct Rush may be a consequence of the band's insistence on remaining outside the mainstream of rock when it comes to self-promotion, in favor of maintaining a high degree of independence.^[81] To this day fans earnestly clamor for the band's inclusion into the Hall by citing noteworthy accomplishments including longevity, proficiency, and influence, as well as commercial sales figures and RIAA certifications. However, Lifeson has expressed his indifference toward the perceived slight saying "I couldn't care less, look who's up for induction, it's a joke".^[82] Rush has gained a degree of recognition in popular culture despite any official recognition from the Hall.^[83]

As a band, Rush has been nominated for and received various awards throughout its career. Likewise, the individual members have received coverage in various modern music magazines with specific technocratic recognition for instrumental ability. See List of Rush awards for more details on this topic.

Geddy Lee

Image:GeddyLee.JPG

Geddy Lee's high-register vocal style has always been a signature of the band — and sometimes, a focal point for criticism, especially during the early years of Rush's career when Lee's vocals were high-pitched, with a strong likeness to other singers like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. Although his voice has softened over the years, it is often described as a "wail".^[84][85] His instrumental abilities, on the other hand, are rarely criticized. An award-winning musician, Lee's style, technique, and ability on the bass guitar have proven influential in the rock and heavy metal genres, inspiring such players as Steve Harris of Iron Maiden,^[86] John Myung of Dream Theater,^[87] Les Claypool of Primus^[88] and Cliff Burton of Metallica^[89] among others. Lee is notable for his ability to operate various pieces of instrumentation simultaneously. This is mostly evident during live shows when Lee must play bass, supply lead vocals, manipulate keyboards, and trigger foot pedals during the course of a performance, as in the song "Tom Sawyer".^[75] Because of this he is required to remain in one place during songs containing complex instrumentation. Lifeson and Peart are, to a lesser extent, responsible for similar actions during live shows.

Alex Lifeson

Image:Alex Lifeson6.jpg

Instrumentally, Lifeson is regarded as a guitarist whose strengths and notability rely primarily on signature riffing, electronic effects and processing, unorthodox chord structures, and a copious arsenal of equipment used over the years.^[90][91][92] Despite his esteem, however, Lifeson is often regarded as being overshadowed by his bandmates due to Lee's on-stage multi-instrumental dexterity and Peart's status as a drummer.^[93]

During his adolescent years, he was influenced primarily by Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.^[94] For versatility, Lifeson was known to incorporate touches of Spanish and classical music into Rush's guitar-driven sound during the 1970s. Taking a backseat to Lee's keyboards in the 1980s, Lifeson's guitar returned to the forefront in the 1990s, and especially on 2002's Vapor Trails. During live performances, he is still responsible for cuing various guitar effects, the use of bass-pedal synthesizers and backing vocals.

Neil Peart

Music

Peart is commonly regarded by music fans, critics and fellow musicians as one of, if not the greatest rock drummers.^[95] He is also regarded as one of the finest practitioners of the in-concert drum solo.^[96] Initially inspired by Keith Moon, Peart absorbed the influence of other rock drummers from the 1960s and 1970s such as Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice, and John Bonham.^[97] Incorporation of unusual instruments (for rock drummers of the time) such as cowbells, glockenspiel, and tubular bells, along with several standard kit elements, helped create a highly varied setup. Continually modified to this day, Peart's drumkit offers an enormous array of percussion instruments for sonic diversity. For two decades Peart honed his technique; each new Rush album introduced an expanded percussive vocabulary. In the 1990s, he reinvented his style with the help of drum coach Freddie Gruber. Image:Neil Peart3.jpg

Lyrics

Peart also serves as Rush's primary lyricist, attracting much attention over the years due to his eclectic style. Known for penning concept suites and songs inspired by literature, music fan opinions of his writing have varied greatly, running the gamut from cerebral and insightful to overly pretentious and preachy. During the band's early years, Peart's lyrics were largely fantasy/science fiction-focused,^[98] though since 1980 he has focused more on social, emotional, and humanitarian issues. Peart's lyrics continue to divide audiences today. For example, in 2007, he was placed second on Blender magazine's list of the "40 Worst Lyricists In Rock".^[99]

Sales

Over the course of their career, Rush has come to release 24 gold records and 14 platinum records (3 of which have gone multiplatinum),^[100] placing them within the top 4 for the most consecutive gold albums by a rock band.^[101] Rush ranks 78th in U.S. album sales according to the RIAA with sales of 25 million units.^[101] Total worldwide sales approximate 40 million units.^{[102][103][104][105]}

Despite having completely dropped out of the public eye for five years after the gold-selling Test for Echo (which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200) and the band being relegated almost solely to classic rock stations in the U.S., Vapor Trails reached #6 on the Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release in 2002 with 108,000 albums sold. It has sold approximately 343,000 units to date. The subsequent Vapor Trails tour grossed over $24 million and included the largest audience ever to see a headlining Rush show — 60,000 fans in São Paulo, Brazil. Nevertheless, Vapor Trails remains their first album not to achieve at least gold status.

However, Rush's triple CD live album, 2003's Rush in Rio, was certified gold by the RIAA, marking the fourth decade in which a Rush album had been released and certified at least gold. Moreover, in 2004 Feedback cracked the top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart and received radio airplay. The band's most recent album, Snakes & Arrows, debuted at #3 (just one position shy of Rush's highest peaking album, 1993's Counterparts, which debuted at #2) on the Billboard 200 selling approximately 93,000 copies in its first week of release.^[106] This marks the 13th studio album to appear in the Top 20 and the band's 27th album to appear on the chart regardless of position over the course of their career. The album also debuted at #1 on the Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, as well as peaking at #1 on the Top Internet Albums chart when the album was released on the MVI format a month later.^[107] Still, Snakes & Arrows has yet to accumulate sales that approach or eclipse Vapor Trails or Rush in Rio.

The two consecutive tours in support of Snakes & Arrows in 2007 and 2008 accrued $21 million and $18.3 million, respectively, earning Rush the number 6 and 8 spots among the top ten summer rock concerts.^[108][109]

Live performances

The members of Rush share a strong work ethic, desiring to accurately recreate songs from their albums when playing live performances. Toward this goal, beginning in the late 1980s, Rush has included in their concert equipment a capacious rack of digital samplers which the band members use, in real-time, to recreate the sounds of non-traditional instruments, accompaniments, vocal harmonies, and other sound "events" that are familiarly heard on the studio versions of the songs.

In live performances, the band members share duties throughout most songs, with each member triggering certain sounds with his available limbs, while playing his primary instrument(s). Each band member has one or more MIDI controllers that enables him to use his free hands or feet to trigger sounds that have been loaded into the samplers for a particular song.^[110] It is with this technology that the group is able to present their arrangements in a live setting with the level of complexity and fidelity that fans have come to expect, and without the need to resort to the use of backing tracks or employing an additional band member.^[111]

The band members' coordinated use of foot-pedal keyboards and other electronic triggers to "play" sampled instruments and audio events is subtly visible in their live performances, especially so on R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour, their 2005 concert DVD.

A staple of Rush's concerts is a Peart drum solo. Peart's drum solos include a basic framework of routines connected by sections of improvisation, making each performance unique. Each successive tour sees the solo more advanced, with some routines dropped in favor of newer, more complex ones. Since the mid-1980s, Peart has used MIDI trigger pads to trigger sounds sampled from various pieces of acoustic percussion that would otherwise consume far too much stage area, such as a marimba, harp, temple blocks, triangles, glockenspiel, orchestra bells, tubular bells, and vibraslap as well as other, more esoteric percussion.

Philanthropy

Rush actively participates in philanthropic causes. The band was one of a number of hometown favorites to play Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, also dubbed SARStock, at Downsview Park in Toronto on July 30, 2003, with an attendance of over half a million people. The concert was intended to benefit the Canadian economy after the SARS outbreaks earlier in the year. The band has also sustained an interest in promoting human rights. They donated $100,000 to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights after a concert they held in Winnipeg on 24 May 2008.^[112] Rush continues to sell t-shirts and donate the proceeds to the museum.^[113]

The individual members of Rush have also been a part of philanthropic causes. Hughes & Kettner zenTeras and TriAmps have been endorsed and used by Lifeson for many years. A custom signature amplifier was engineered by Lifeson and released in April 2005 with the stipulation that UNICEF will receive a donation in the amount of $50 for every Alex Lifeson Signature TriAmp sold.^[114] Lee, a longtime fan of baseball, donated 200 baseballs signed by famous Negro League players, including Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Josh Gibson, to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in June 2008.^[115]

The band is featured on the music album Songs for Tibet, appearing with a number of other celebrities as an initiative to support Tibet and the current Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. The album was made downloadable on August 5 via iTunes and was released commercially August 12.^[116]

Discography

Here is the complete setlist for Guitar Hero III, which will also include all downloadable content (when released).

Bold text indicates a master track, all other songs are covers.

Single Player Setlist

1. Starting Out Small

• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar
• "Story of My Life" - Social Distortion
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss (Encore)

2. Your First Real Gig

• "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream
• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello"
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine (Encore)

3. Making The Video

• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones (Encore)

4. European Invasion

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam (Encore)

5. Bighouse Blues

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - Scorpions
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "La Grange" - ZZ Top
• Guitar Battle vs. Slash
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses (Encore)

6. The Hottest Band On Earth

• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Pride and Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughn (Encore)

7. Live in Japan

• "Before I Forget" - Slipknot
• "Stricken" - Disturbed
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (Encore)

8. Battle For Your Soul

• "Raining Blood" - Slayer
• "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "One" - Metallica
• "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" - Originally by Charlie Daniels Band, cover by Steve Ouimette (Encore)

Co-Op Setlist

1. Getting a Band Together

• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys (Encore)

2. We Just Wanna Be Famous

• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Reptilia" - The Strokes (Encore)

3. Overnight Success

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Encore)

4. Getting the Band Back Together

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" - Blue Öyster Cult (Encore)

5. Jailhouse Rock

• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Helicopter" - Bloc Party (Encore)

6. Battle for Your Souls...

• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "One" - Metallica
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour
• "Monsters" - Matchbook Romance (Encore)

Bonus Tracks

• "Avalancha" - Heroes del Silencio
• "Can't Be Saved" - Senses Fail
• "Closer" - Lacuna Coil
• "Don't Hold Back" - The Sleeping
• "Down n' Dirty" - LA Slum Lords
• "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - The Fall of Troy
• "Generation Rock" - Revolverheld
• "Go That Far" - Bret Michaels Band
• "Hier Kommt Alex" - Die Toten Hosen
• "I'm in the Band" - The Hellacopters
• "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
• "In Love" - Scouts of St. Sebastian
• "In the Belly of a Shark" - Gallows
• "Mauvais Garçon" - NAAST
• "Metal Heavy Lady" - Lions
• "Minus Celsius" - Backyard Babies
• "My Curse" - Killswitch Engage
• "Nothing for Me Here" - Dope
• "Prayer of the Refugee" - Rise Against
• "Radio Song" - Superbus
• "Ruby" - Kaiser Cheifs
• "She Bangs the Drums" - The Stone Roses
• "Take This Life" - In Flames
• "The Way It Ends" - Prototype
• "Through the Fire and Flames" - DragonForce

Downloadable Content

Singles

Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix - Released November 22, 2007 on XBL.

• "Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix" - Martin O'Donnell

Ernten Was Wir Säen - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Erten Was Wir Säen" - Die Fantastischen Vier

So Payso - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "So Payso" - Extremoduro

Antisocial - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Antisocial" - Trust

We Three Kings - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "We Three Kings" - Steve Ouimette

Dream On - Released Febuary 18, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Dream On" - Aerosmith

I am Murloc - Released June 26, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "I am Murloc" - L70ETC (Link to WoWWiki)

Track Packs

Companion Pack - Released October 31, 2007 on XBL.

• "Carcinogen Crush" - AFI
• "Tina" - Flyleaf
• "Putting Holes in Happiness" - Marilyn Manson

Foo Fighters Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "All My Life" - Foo Fighters
• "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
• "This is a Call" - Foo Fighters

Velvet Revolver Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "She Builds Quick Machines" - Velvet Revolver
• "Slither" - Velvet Revolver
• "Messages" - Velvet Revolver

Boss Battle Pack - Released November 15, 2007 on XBL and November 29, 2007 on PSN.

• "Tom Morello Guitar Battle" - Tom Morello
• "Slash Guitar Battle" - Slash
• "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Steve Ouimette

Warner/Reprise Track Pack - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2007 on PSN.

• "Pretty Handsome Awkward" - The Used
• "No More Sorrow" - Linkin Park
• "Sleeping Giant" - Mastodon

Classic Rock Track Pack - Released January 24, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Any Way You Want It" - Journey
• "Jukebox Hero" - Foreigner
• "Peace of Mind" - Boston

No Doubt Track Pack - Released Febuary 28, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Excuse Me Mr. No Doubt" - No Doubt
• "Don't Speak" - No Doubt
• "Sunday Morning" - No Doubt

Modern Metal Track Pack - Released March 6, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "The Arsonist" - Thrice
• "Hole in the Earth" - Deftones
• "Almost Easy" - Avenged Sevonfold

Dropkick Murphys Track Pack - Released March 13, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Famous For Nothing" - Dropkick Murphys
• "(F)lannigan's Ball" - Dropkick Murphys
• "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya" - Dropkick Murphys

Def Leppard Track Pack - Released April 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Nine Lives" - Def Leppard
• "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard
• "Photograph" - Def Leppard

Guitar Virtuoso Pack - Released July 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead
• "Surfing With the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai

DragonForce Track Pack - Released August 21, 2008 on XBL & PSN

• "Heroes of Our Time"
• "Operation Ground and Pound"
• "Revolution Deathsquad"

Studio albums

• Rush (1974)
• Fly by Night (1975)
• Caress of Steel (1975)
• 2112 (1976)
• A Farewell to Kings (1977)
• Hemispheres (1978)
• Permanent Waves (1980)
• Moving Pictures (1981)
• Signals (1982)
• Grace Under Pressure (1984)
• Power Windows (1985)
• Hold Your Fire (1987)
• Presto (1989)
• Roll the Bones (1991)
• Counterparts (1993)
• Test for Echo (1996)
• Vapor Trails (2002)
• Feedback (2004)
• Snakes & Arrows (2007)

See also

• Rush instrumentals
• List of Rush awards

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

Books

• Rush: Visions: The Official Biography – Banasiewicz, Bill. (1988), Omnibus Press – ISBN 0-7119-1162-2
• Rush Tribute: Merely Players – Telleria, Robert (2002) – ISBN 1-55082-271-3
• Rush: Success Under Pressure – Gett, Steve. (1984) – ISBN 0-89524-230-3
• Rhythm & Light – Nuttall, Carrie, (2005), Rounder Books, ISBN 1-57940-093-0
• Drum Techniques of Rush – Peart (1985) – ISBN 0-7692-5055-6
• More Drum Techniques of Rush – Peart, Wheeler (1989) – ISBN 0-7692-5051-3
• The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa – Peart (1999) – ISBN 1-895900-02-6
• Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road – Peart (2002) – ISBN 1-55022-546-4 (hardcover), ISBN 1-55022-548-0 (paperback)
• Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times – Peart (2004) – ISBN 1-55022-664-9
• Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away – Popoff, Martin. Publisher: Ecw Press (28 June 2004) – ISBN 1-55022-678-9
• Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of Rush – Price, et al. (1999) – ISBN 1-58715-102-2
• Rush: Chemistry : The Definitive Biography – Collins, Jon. (2006) Helter Skelter Publishing – ISBN 1-900924-85-4 (Hardcover)
• Roadshow: Landscape With Drums - A Concert Tour By Motorcycle – Peart (2006), Rounder – ISBN 1-57940-142-2

Scholarly articles

• "Rand, Rush, and De-totalizing the Utopianism of Progressive Rock" by Steven Horwitz (2002)
• "Textu®al Undercoding and the Music of the Rock Band Rush: String Quartets, Death Metal, Trip-Hop, and other Tributes" by Dr. Durrell Bowman (2004/2002)
• "'Open Secrets': Individualism and Middle-Class Identity in the songs of Rush," Popular Music and Society Volume 31 No. 3, July 2008, pp. 313-328, by Chris McDonald.
• "'Making Arrows Out of Pointed Words': Critical Reception, Taste Publics and Rush," Journal of American and Comparative Cultures, Volume 25 No. 3-4, September 2002, pp. 249-259, by Chris McDonald
• "Grand Designs: A Musical, Social and Ethographic Study of Rush" (dissertation, Ph.D. in ethnomusicology, York University, 2002) by Chris McDonald
• "Structure, Function and Process in the Early Song Cycles and Extended Songs of the Canadian Rock Group Rush" (dissertation, Ph.D. in music theory, Ohio State University, 2002) by Brian Walsh
• "Permanent Change: Rush, Musicians' Rock, and the Progressive Post-Counterculture" (dissertation, Ph.D. in musicology, UCLA, 2003) by Dr. Durrell Bowman

External links

Template:Spoken Wikipedia Template:Commonscat Template:Wikiquote

• Official Rush Home Page

Template:Featured article Template:RushTemplate:Link FA

ca:Rush cs:Rush da:Rush de:Rush et:Rush es:Rush fr:Rush (groupe) hr:Rush id:Rush it:Rush he:ראש (להקה) lv:Rush hu:Rush mt:Rush nl:Rush (band) ja:ラッシュ (バンド) no:Rush nn:Rush pl:Rush pt:Rush ro:Rush ru:Rush simple:Rush (band) sk:Rush (skupina) fi:Rush sq:Rush sv:Rush tr:Rush (grup) uk:Rush zh:匆促樂團s release.^[166][167]

Activision stated on January 21, 2008 that North American sales from all of the Guitar Hero franchise has exceeded one billion dollars with over 14 million units sold, excluding downloadable content.^[2] Over 20 million songs have been sold as downloadable content as of July 2008.^[168] As of October 9, 2008, the series has sold 23 million units and earned US$1.6 billion at retail.^[1] Guitar Hero along with other music games such as Rock Band have surged the video game market in 2008; NPD Group reports cited that music video games made up 19% of the overall software industry sales in July 2008, and 16% through November 2008, and contributing to a 32% year-to-date sector growth through July 2008.^[169][170] Total sales of music games doubled in 2008, with total sales of US$1.9 billion^[170] At the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show, Activision CEO Mike Griffith stated that Guitar Hero III is the first video game to exceed one billion dollars in total sales.^[171]

The series has created a market for products outside of the video games. McFarlane Toys has developed a series of six-inch-tall figurines based on the characters from the game.^[172] Brett Ratner, director for Rush Hour and X-Men: The Last Stand, has stated that he wishes to bring a movie based on Guitar Hero to theaters.^[173] However, Activision, the publisher of the series, did not approve the idea of a film adaptation.

Image:Fretsonfire4.png The popularity of the Guitar Hero series has led to the development of several commercial and independent clones. Besides Harmonix' Rock Band series, Konami released Rock Revolution in 2008 which features drums and guitar (the game does not include vocals) similar to Guitar Hero World Tour.^[174] PopStar Guitar for the PlayStation 2 and Wii systems, developed by XS Games, will feature gameplay similar to the Guitar Hero series, but will feature pop music, as opposed to rock and metal.^[175] Digital Praise will be releasing a Christian rock-themed guitar-based game called Guitar Praise also in 2008.^[176] Guitar Rising, to be published for personal computers by Game Tank by 2009, is based on using a real guitar in order to perfect one's skills.^[177] Frets on Fire is an open-source clone of Guitar Hero for personal computers that features freely available independent songs and allows users to create their own note tracks.^[178] Guitar Hero has also influence other games outside of the music game genre. Tim Schafer credits Harmonix and the first Guitar Hero game to help establish his pitching of his heavy metal-inspired game, Brutal Legend, due to the increase in popularity of metal music from the success of Guitar Hero.^[179]

Template:Anchor Fan sites have also arisen to provide news and forums related to the Guitar Hero series. Scorehero is one such site that includes both forums and informal tracking of players' scores for both the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series; the site has received donations from Harmonix president Alex Rigopulos,^[180] and site members have been invited to pre-release demonstrations of upcoming games, often leading to information about tracks in these games.^[181]

In the music industry

Image:Aerosmith B.jpg Both licensed and indie bands whose works have been included in the Guitar Hero games have gained further popularity from this inclusion.^[182] Both record companies^[183] and retailers^[184] have seen sales of songs and groups increase 200% to 300% after their inclusion in the series. Every Guitar Hero III song tracked by Nielsen SoundScan (62 of 70) saw an increase in digital download sales the week ending December 30, 2007, when many who got the game as a gift were playing it,^[185] and every song included in Guitar Hero III and Rock Band saw downloaded sales increase during 2007 between 15% to 843%.^[170] A survey conducted by Brown UniversityTemplate:Infobox musical artist Template:Portal Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, currently composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. The band and its membership went through a number of re-configurations between 1968 and 1974, achieving their definitive form when Neil Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey in July 1974, two weeks before the group's first U.S. tour.

Since the release of the band's self-titled debut album in March 1974, Rush has become known for the instrumental skills of its members, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy, and libertarian philosophy, as well as addressing humanitarian, social, emotional, and environmental concerns.

Musically, Rush's style has evolved over the years, beginning in the vein of blues-inspired heavy metal on their first albums, then encompassing hard rock, progressive rock, a period dominated by synthesizers and, more recently, modern rock. They have influenced various musical artists, including Metallica,^[21][22] The Smashing Pumpkins^[23] and Primus,^[23] as well as progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater^[21] and Symphony X.^[24]

Rush has won a number of Juno Awards, and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994. Over the course of their careers, the individual members of Rush have been acknowledged as being some of the most proficient players on their respective instruments, with each band member winning several awards in magazine readers' polls. As a group, Rush possesses 24 gold records and 14 platinum (3 multi-platinum) records. According to the RIAA, Rush's sales statistics place them fourth behind The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith for the most consecutive gold or platinum albums by a rock band. Rush also ranks 78th in U.S. album sales with 25 million units.^[25] Although total worldwide album sales are not calculated by any single entity, as of 2004 several industry sources estimated Rush's total worldwide album sales at over 40 million units.

The band recently finished promoting their latest album, Snakes & Arrows with an intercontinental tour. The second leg began in San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 11, and ended on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana.^[26]

History

Template:Details

The early years (1968–1976)

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end

The original line-up formed in the neighbourhood of Willowdale in Toronto, Ontario, by Lifeson, front man Jeff Jones, and drummer John Rutsey. Within a couple weeks of forming, and before their second performance, bassist and lead vocalist Jones was replaced by Geddy Lee, a schoolmate of Lifeson. After several lineup reformations, Rush's official incarnation was formed in May 1971 consisting of Lee, Lifeson, and Rutsey. The band was managed by local Toronto resident Ray Danniels, a frequent attendee of Rush's early shows.^[27][28]

After gaining stability in the lineup and honing their skills on the local bar/high school dance circuit, the band came to release their first single "Not Fade Away", a cover of the Buddy Holly song, in 1973. Side B contained an original composition, "You Can't Fight It", credited to Rutsey and Lee. The single generated little reaction and, due to record company indifference, the band formed their own independent record label, Moon Records. With the aid of Danniels and the newly enlisted engineer Terry Brown, the band released their self-titled debut album in 1974, which was considered highly derivative of Led Zeppelin.^[29] Rush had limited local popularity until the album was picked up by WMMS, a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio. Donna Halper, a DJ and music director working at the station, selected "Working Man" for her regular play list. The song's blue collar theme resonated with hard rock fans and this new found popularity led to the album being re-released by Mercury Records in the U.S.^[30][31] Image:Starman.png

Immediately after the release of the debut album, Rutsey resigned in July 1974 due to his affliction with diabetes and a distaste for touring. Rush held auditions and eventually selected Neil Peart as Rutsey's replacement. Peart officially joined the band on July 29, 1974, two weeks before the group's first US tour. They performed their first concert together, opening for Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann with an attendance of over 11,000 people at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 14. In addition to becoming the band's drummer, Peart assumed the role of principal lyricist as Lee and Lifeson had very little interest in writing, contributing to only a handful of song lyrics over the rest of the band's career. Instead, they focused primarily on the musical aspects of Rush. Fly by Night (1975), Rush's first album after recruiting Peart, saw the inclusion of the band's first epic mini-tale "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", replete with complex arrangements and multi-section format. Lyrical themes also underwent dramatic changes after the addition of Peart due to his love for fantasy and science-fiction literature.^[33] However, despite these many differences some of the music and songs still closely mirrored the blues style found on Rush's debut.^[34][33]

Following quickly on the heels of Fly By Night, the band released 1975's Caress of Steel, a five track hard rock album featuring two extended multi-chapter songs, "The Necromancer" and "The Fountain of Lamneth." Caress of Steel was reported by some critics to be unfocused and an audacious move for the band due to the placement of two protracted numbers back-to-back, as well as a heavier reliance on atmospherics and story-telling, a large deviation from Fly by Night.^[35] Intended to be the band's first "break-through" album, Caress of Steel sold below expectations and the promotional tour consisted of small venues which led to the moniker the "Down the Tubes Tour."^[36] In light of these events, Rush's record label pressured them into molding their next album in a more commercially friendly and accessible fashion. However, the band ignored the requests and developed their next album, 2112. It was the band's first taste of commercial success and their first platinum album in Canada.^[37] The supporting tour for the album culminated in a three night stand at Massey Hall in Toronto, which the band recorded for the release of their first live album titled All the World's a Stage. Allmusic Guide critic Greg Prato summarily reminds listeners and fans of how the album demarcates the boundary between the band's early years and the next era of their music.^[38][39]

The progressive rock era (1977–1981)

After 2112, Rush retreated to the United Kingdom to record 1977's A Farewell to Kings and 1978's Hemispheres at Rockfield Studios in Wales. These albums saw the band members expanding their use of progressive elements in their music. Trademarks such as increased synthesizer usage, extended-length concept songs, and highly dynamic playing featuring complex time signature changes became a staple of Rush's compositions. To achieve a broader, more progressive palette of sound, Alex Lifeson began to experiment with classical and twelve-string guitars, and Geddy Lee added bass-pedal synthesizers and Minimoog. Likewise, Peart's percussion became diversified in the form of triangles, glockenspiel, wood blocks, cowbells, timpani, gong and chimes. Beyond instrument additions, the band kept in stride with the progressive rock movement by continuing to compose long, conceptual songs with science fiction and fantasy overtones. However, as the new decade approached, Rush gradually began to dispose of their older styles of music in favor of shorter, and sometimes softer, arrangements. The lyrics up to this point (most of them written by Peart) were heavily influenced by classical poetry, fantasy literature, science fiction, and the writings of novelist Ayn Rand, as exhibited most prominently by their 1975 song "Anthem" from Fly By Night and a specifically acknowledged derivation in 1976's 2112.^[40]

Permanent Waves (1980) shifted Rush's style of music dramatically via the introduction of reggae and new wave.^[41] Although a hard rock style was still evident, more and more synthesizers were introduced. Moreover, due to the limited airplay Rush's previous extended-length songs received, Permanent Waves included shorter, more radio-friendly songs such as "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill", two songs which helped Permanent Waves become Rush's first U.S. Top 5 album; both songs continue to make appearances on classic rock radio stations in Canada and the United States to this day.^[42] Meanwhile, Peart's lyrics shifted toward an expository tone with subject matter that dwelled less on fantastical or allegorical story-telling and more heavily on cerebral topics that explored humanistic, social, emotional and metaphysical elements. Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Rush's popularity reached its pinnacle with the release of Moving Pictures in 1981. Moving Pictures essentially continued where Permanent Waves left off, extending the trend of highly accessible and commercially friendly pop-progressive rock that helped thrust them into the spotlight. The lead track, "Tom Sawyer", is probably the band's best-known song^[43] with "Limelight" also receiving satisfactory responses from listeners and radio stations. Moving Pictures was Rush's last album to feature an extended song, the ten-and-a-half-minute "The Camera Eye". The song also contained the band's heaviest usage of synthesizers up to that point, hinting that Rush's music was shifting direction once more. Moving Pictures reached #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart and has been certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[44]

Following the success of Moving Pictures and the completion of another four studio albums, Rush released their second live recording, Exit...Stage Left, in 1981. The album delineates the apex of Rush's progressive period by featuring live material from the band's Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures tours. As with their first live release, Exit...Stage Left identified the margin of a new chapter of Rush's sound. The band underwent another radical stylistic transmutation with the release of Signals in 1982.^[45]

The synthesizer period (1982–1989)

Image:Oberheim OBX.jpg

While Lee's synthesizers had been featured instruments ever since the late 70s, keyboards were suddenly shifted from the contrapuntal background to the melodic front-lines^[46][47] as evidenced by songs such as "Countdown" and the lead-off track "Subdivisions". Both feature nimble lead synthesizer lines with minimalistic guitar chords and solos. Other previously unused instrument additions were seen in the song "Losing It," featuring collaborator Ben Mink on electric violin.^[45] Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Signals also represented a drastic stylistic transformation apart from instrumental changes. The album contained Rush's only U.S. top-40 pop hit, "New World Man",^[48] while other more experimental songs such as "Digital Man", "The Weapon", and "Chemistry" expanded the band's use of ska, reggae, and funk.^[49] Although the band members consciously decided to move in this overall direction, they felt dissatisfied with long-time producer Terry Brown's studio treatment of Signals and parted ways with him in 1983. These diverse styles would come into further play on their next studio album.

Image:DM Simmons SDS5.jpg

The style and production of Signals were augmented and taken to new heights on 1984's Grace Under Pressure. It was Peart who named the album, as he borrowed the words of Ernest Hemingway to describe what the band had to go through after making the decision to leave Terry Brown. Producer Steve Lillywhite, who gleaned fame with successful productions of Simple Minds and U2, was enlisted to produce Grace Under Pressure. However, he backed out at the last moment, much to the ire of Lee, Lifeson and Peart. Lee said "Steve Lillywhite is really not a man of his word....after agreeing to do our record, he got an offer from Simple Minds, changed his mind, blew us off,..so it put us in a horrible position." Eventually Rush hired Peter Henderson to co-produce and engineer the album in his stead.^[50]

Musically, although Lee's use of sequencers and synthesizers remained the band's cornerstone, his focus on new technology was complemented by Peart's adaptation of Simmons electronic drums and percussion. Lifeson's contributions on the album were decidedly enhanced to act as an overreaction to the minimalistic role he played on Signals.^[51] Still, many of his trademark guitar textures remained intact in the form of open reggae chords and funk and new-wave rhythms; "Distant Early Warning", "Red Lenses", "Red Sector A" and "The Enemy Within" serve as prime examples.

With new producer Peter Collins, the band released 1985's Power Windows and 1987's Hold Your Fire. The music on these two albums gives far more emphasis and prominence to Lee's multi-layered synthesizer work. While fans and critics took notice of Lifeson's diminished guitar work, his presence was still palpable on "The Big Money", (the album's modest-charting single) with spotlights on "Grand Designs", "Middletown Dreams" and "Marathon." Lifeson, like many guitarists in the late 1980s, experimented with processors that reduced his instrument to echoey chord bursts and razor-thin leads. Hold Your Fire represents both a modest extension of the guitar stylings found on Power Windows, and, according to Allmusic critic Ed Rivadavia, the culmination of this era of Rush.^[52] Whereas the previous five Rush albums sold platinum or better, Hold Your Fire only went gold in November 1987, although it managed to peak at number 13 on the Billboard 200.^[53]

A third live album and video, A Show of Hands (1989), was also released by Mercury following the Power Windows and Hold Your Fire tours, demonstrating the aspects of Rush in the 80s. A Show of Hands met with strong fan approval, but Rolling Stone critic Michael Azerrad dismissed it as "musical muscle" with 1.5 stars, claiming Rush fans viewed their favourite power trio as "the holy trinity".^[54] Nevertheless, A Show of Hands managed to surpass the gold album mark, reaching number 21 on the Billboard 200.^[55] At this point, the group decided to change record labels from Mercury to Atlantic. After Rush's departure in 1989, Mercury released a double platinum two-volume compilation of their Rush catalogue, Chronicles (1990).^[56]

Returning to their roots (1989–1997)

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Listen Template:Sample box end Rush started to deviate from their 1980s style with the albums Presto and Roll the Bones. Produced by record engineer and musician Rupert Hine, these two albums saw Rush shedding much of their keyboard-saturated sound. Beginning with 1989's Presto, the band opted for arrangements that were notably more guitar-centric than the previous two studio albums. Although synthesizers were still used in many songs, the instrument was no longer featured as the centerpiece of Rush's compositions. Continuing this trend, 1991's Roll the Bones extended the use of the standard three-instrument approach with even less focus on synthesizers than its predecessor. While musically these albums do not deviate significantly from a general pop-rock sound, Rush stuck to their creative approach of incorporating traces of more exotic musical styles. "Roll the Bones", for instance, exhibits funk and hip hop elements, and the instrumental track "Where's My Thing?" features several jazz components.^[57] This return to three-piece instrumentation helped pave the way for future albums in the mid-90s, which would adopt a more straightforward rock formula.

The transition from synthesizers to more guitar-oriented and organic instrumentation continued with the 1993 album Counterparts^[58] and its follow-up, 1996's Test for Echo, again both produced in collaboration with Peter Collins. Musically, Counterparts^[58] and Test For Echo are two of Rush's most guitar-driven albums. Although the music in general did not meet the criteria for "progressive rock", some of the songs could be considered more adventurous than what one might expect from a standard modern rock band.^[59] For instance, "Time and Motion" possesses multiple time signature changes and organ usage, while the instrumental track "Limbo", consists of several relatively complex musical passages repeated throughout. Musically, Test For Echo still retained much of the hard rock/alternative style already charted on the previous record. Lifeson and Lee's playing remained more or less unchanged; however, a distinct modification in technique became apparent in Peart's playing due to formal Jazz and Swing training under the tutelage of jazz instructor Freddie Gruber during the interim between Counterparts and Test For Echo.^[60] In October 1996, in support of Test For Echo, the band embarked on an extensive and successful North American tour, the band's first without an opening act and dubbed "An Evening with Rush." The tour was broken up into two segments spanning October through December, 1996 and May through July, 1997 with the band taking a respite between legs.

Hiatus and comeback (1997–2005)

After wrapping up the tour promoting Test for Echo in 1997, the band entered a five-year hiatus mainly due to personal tragedies in Peart's life. Peart's daughter Selena died in an automobile accident in August 1997, followed by his wife Jacqueline's death from cancer in June 1998. Peart took a hiatus to mourn and reflect, during which time he traveled extensively throughout North America on his BMW motorcycle, covering 88,000 km (55,000 miles). At some point in his journey, Peart decided to return to the band. Peart wrote Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road as a chronicle of his geographical and emotional journey. In this book he writes of how he had told his bandmates at Selena's funeral, "consider me retired."^[61] On November 10, 1998 a triple CD live album entitled Different Stages was released, dedicated to the memory of Selena and Jacqueline. Mixed by producer Paul Northfield and engineered by Terry Brown, it contained three discs packed with recorded performances from the band's Counterparts, Test For Echo, and A Farewell to Kings tours, marking the fourth officially released live album by the band. Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Listen Template:Sample box end After a time to grieve and reassemble the pieces of his life, and while visiting long-time Rush photographer Andrew MacNaughtan in Los Angeles, Peart was introduced to his future wife, photographer Carrie Nuttall. Peart married Nuttall on September 9, 2000. In early 2001 he announced to his band mates that he was ready to once again enter the studio and get back into the business of making music. With the help of producer Paul Northfield the band returned in May 2002 with Vapor Trails, written and recorded in Toronto. To herald the band's comeback, the single and lead track from the album, "One Little Victory" was designed to grab the attention of listeners due to its rapid guitar and drum tempos.^[62] Vapor Trails marked the first studio recording not to include a single synthesizer, organ or keyboard part since the early 1970s. While the album is almost completely guitar-driven, it is mostly devoid of any conventional sounding guitar solos, a conscious decision made by Lifeson during the writing process. According to the band, the entire developmental process for Vapor Trails was extremely taxing and took approximately 14 months to finish, by far the longest the band had ever spent writing and recording a studio album.^[62] The album debuted to moderate praise and was supported by the band's first tour in six years, including first-ever concerts in Mexico City and Brazil, where they played to some of the largest crowds of their career.

A triple CD live album and dual Rush In Rio DVD was released in late October 2003 featuring an entire concert performance recorded on the last night of their Vapor Trails Tour, November 23, 2002, at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To celebrate their 30th anniversary, June 2004 saw the release of Feedback, a studio EP recorded in suburban Toronto featuring eight covers of such artists as Cream, The Who and The Yardbirds, bands that the members of Rush cite as inspiration around the time of their inception.^[63] Also in the summer of 2004, Rush hit the road again for the very successful 30th Anniversary Tour, playing dates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. On September 24, 2004 a Frankfurt, Germany concert was recorded at The Festhalle for DVD (titled R30: Live in Frankfurt), which was released November 22, 2005.

Snakes & Arrows (2006–present)

Here is the complete setlist for Guitar Hero III, which will also include all downloadable content (when released).

Bold text indicates a master track, all other songs are covers.

Single Player Setlist

1. Starting Out Small

• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar
• "Story of My Life" - Social Distortion
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss (Encore)

2. Your First Real Gig

• "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream
• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello"
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine (Encore)

3. Making The Video

• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones (Encore)

4. European Invasion

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam (Encore)

5. Bighouse Blues

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - Scorpions
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "La Grange" - ZZ Top
• Guitar Battle vs. Slash
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses (Encore)

6. The Hottest Band On Earth

• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Pride and Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughn (Encore)

7. Live in Japan

• "Before I Forget" - Slipknot
• "Stricken" - Disturbed
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (Encore)

8. Battle For Your Soul

• "Raining Blood" - Slayer
• "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "One" - Metallica
• "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" - Originally by Charlie Daniels Band, cover by Steve Ouimette (Encore)

Co-Op Setlist

1. Getting a Band Together

• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys (Encore)

2. We Just Wanna Be Famous

• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Reptilia" - The Strokes (Encore)

3. Overnight Success

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Encore)

4. Getting the Band Back Together

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" - Blue Öyster Cult (Encore)

5. Jailhouse Rock

• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Helicopter" - Bloc Party (Encore)

6. Battle for Your Souls...

• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "One" - Metallica
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour
• "Monsters" - Matchbook Romance (Encore)

Bonus Tracks

• "Avalancha" - Heroes del Silencio
• "Can't Be Saved" - Senses Fail
• "Closer" - Lacuna Coil
• "Don't Hold Back" - The Sleeping
• "Down n' Dirty" - LA Slum Lords
• "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - The Fall of Troy
• "Generation Rock" - Revolverheld
• "Go That Far" - Bret Michaels Band
• "Hier Kommt Alex" - Die Toten Hosen
• "I'm in the Band" - The Hellacopters
• "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
• "In Love" - Scouts of St. Sebastian
• "In the Belly of a Shark" - Gallows
• "Mauvais Garçon" - NAAST
• "Metal Heavy Lady" - Lions
• "Minus Celsius" - Backyard Babies
• "My Curse" - Killswitch Engage
• "Nothing for Me Here" - Dope
• "Prayer of the Refugee" - Rise Against
• "Radio Song" - Superbus
• "Ruby" - Kaiser Cheifs
• "She Bangs the Drums" - The Stone Roses
• "Take This Life" - In Flames
• "The Way It Ends" - Prototype
• "Through the Fire and Flames" - DragonForce

Downloadable Content

Singles

Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix - Released November 22, 2007 on XBL.

• "Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix" - Martin O'Donnell

Ernten Was Wir Säen - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Erten Was Wir Säen" - Die Fantastischen Vier

So Payso - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "So Payso" - Extremoduro

Antisocial - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Antisocial" - Trust

We Three Kings - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "We Three Kings" - Steve Ouimette

Dream On - Released Febuary 18, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Dream On" - Aerosmith

I am Murloc - Released June 26, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "I am Murloc" - L70ETC (Link to WoWWiki)

Track Packs

Companion Pack - Released October 31, 2007 on XBL.

• "Carcinogen Crush" - AFI
• "Tina" - Flyleaf
• "Putting Holes in Happiness" - Marilyn Manson

Foo Fighters Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "All My Life" - Foo Fighters
• "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
• "This is a Call" - Foo Fighters

Velvet Revolver Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "She Builds Quick Machines" - Velvet Revolver
• "Slither" - Velvet Revolver
• "Messages" - Velvet Revolver

Boss Battle Pack - Released November 15, 2007 on XBL and November 29, 2007 on PSN.

• "Tom Morello Guitar Battle" - Tom Morello
• "Slash Guitar Battle" - Slash
• "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Steve Ouimette

Warner/Reprise Track Pack - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2007 on PSN.

• "Pretty Handsome Awkward" - The Used
• "No More Sorrow" - Linkin Park
• "Sleeping Giant" - Mastodon

Classic Rock Track Pack - Released January 24, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Any Way You Want It" - Journey
• "Jukebox Hero" - Foreigner
• "Peace of Mind" - Boston

No Doubt Track Pack - Released Febuary 28, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Excuse Me Mr. No Doubt" - No Doubt
• "Don't Speak" - No Doubt
• "Sunday Morning" - No Doubt

Modern Metal Track Pack - Released March 6, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "The Arsonist" - Thrice
• "Hole in the Earth" - Deftones
• "Almost Easy" - Avenged Sevonfold

Dropkick Murphys Track Pack - Released March 13, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Famous For Nothing" - Dropkick Murphys
• "(F)lannigan's Ball" - Dropkick Murphys
• "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya" - Dropkick Murphys

Def Leppard Track Pack - Released April 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Nine Lives" - Def Leppard
• "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard
• "Photograph" - Def Leppard

Guitar Virtuoso Pack - Released July 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead
• "Surfing With the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai

DragonForce Track Pack - Released August 21, 2008 on XBL & PSN

• "Heroes of Our Time"
• "Operation Ground and Pound"
• "Revolution Deathsquad"

During promotional interviews for the R30 Live In Frankfurt DVD, the band revealed their intention to begin writing new material in early 2006. While in Toronto, Lifeson and Lee began the songwriting process in January 2006. During this time, Peart simultaneously assumed his role of lyric writing while residing in Southern California. The following September, Rush chose to hire American producer Nick Raskulinecz to co-produce the album. The band officially entered Allaire Studios, in Shokan, New York in November 2006 in order to record the bulk of the material. Taking the band five weeks, the sessions ended in December. On February 14, 2007, an announcement was made on the official Rush web site that the title of the new album would be Snakes & Arrows. The first single, entitled "Far Cry," was released to North American radio stations on March 12, 2007 and reached #2 on the Mediabase Mainstream and Radio and Records Charts.^[64]

The Rush website, newly redesigned on March 12 to support the new album, also announced that the band would embark on a tour to begin in the summer. Snakes & Arrows was released 1 May 2007 in North America, where it debuted at #3 in the Billboard 200 with approximately 93,000 units sold in its first week.^[65] To coincide with the Atlantic ocean hurricane season, "Spindrift" was released as the official second radio single on June 1, 2007, whereas "The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)" saw single status on June 25, 2007. "The Larger Bowl" positioned within the top 20 of the Mainstream Rock and Media Base Mainstream charts, however, "Spindrift" failed to appear on any commercial chart.^[66] The planned intercontinental tour in support of Snakes & Arrows began on June 13, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, coming to a close on October 29, 2007 at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland.^[67]

The 2008 portion of the tour started on April 11, 2008 in San Juan, Puerto Rico at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum and culminated on July 24, 2008 in Noblesville, Indiana at the Verizon Wireless Music Center.^[68] On April 15, the band released Snakes & Arrows Live, a double live album documenting the first leg of the tour.^[69] Those same performances featured on Snakes & Arrows Live filmed at the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands on October 16 and 17 of 2007 was released November 24 as a DVD and Blu-Ray set, which also includes footage from the 2008 portion of the tour, recorded at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Atlanta.^{[70][71] [72]}

As the band neared the conclusion of their Snakes & Arrows tour, they announced their first appearance on American television in over 30 years. Rush was interviewed by Stephen Colbert and they performed "Tom Sawyer" on The Colbert Report on July 16, 2008.^[73]

Musical style and influences

Rush's musical style has changed substantially over the years. Their debut album is strongly influenced by British-Blues rock: an amalgam of sounds and styles from such rock bands as Cream, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. Over the first few albums their style remained essentially hard rock, with heavy influences from The Who^[74] and Led Zeppelin,^[29] but also became increasingly influenced by the British progressive rock movement.^[75] In the tradition of progressive rock, Rush wrote protracted songs with irregular and multiple time signatures combined with fantasy/science fiction-inspired lyrics; however, they did not soften their sound. This fusion of hard and progressive rock continued until the end of the 1970s. In the 1980s, however, Rush successfully merged their sound with the trends of this period, experimenting with New Wave, reggae and pop rock.^[76] This period included the band's most extensive use of instruments such as synthesizers, sequencers and electronic percussion. It is largely agreed that the culmination of this era of Rush was in 1987 after the release of Hold Your Fire.^[77] With the approach of the early '90s and Rush's character sound still intact, the band transformed their style once again to harmonize with the alternative rock movement.^[78] The new millennium has seen them return to a more rock and roll roots sound, albeit with modern production.^[74]

Band members

• Geddy Lee – bass guitar, lead vocals, keyboards, mellotron, bass and synthesizer pedals, electric and acoustic rhythm guitar (September 1968 – present)
• Alex Lifeson – six and twelve-string acoustic and electric guitars, classical guitar, mandolin, mandola, Bouzouki, backing vocals, bass and synthesizer pedals (August 1968 – present)
• Neil Peart – drums, electronic and acoustic percussion (July 1974 – present)

Former members

• John Rutsey – drums, percussion, backing vocals (August 1968 – July 1974)
• Jeff Jones – bass, lead vocals (August 1968 – September 1968)

Template:Details

Reputation

More than 30 years of activity has provided Rush with the opportunity for musical diversity across their discography. As with many bands known for experimentation, such changes have inevitably resulted in dissent among critics and fans. The bulk of the band's music has always included synthetic instruments in some form or another, and this is a great source of contention in the Rush camp, especially the band's heavy reliance on synthesizers and keyboards during the 1980s, particularly on albums Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, and Hold Your Fire.^[79][80] Still, most fans saw this as nothing less than artistic growth and support for the band remained unwavering through each transitional phase.^[77]

The members of Rush have themselves noted that people "either love Rush or hate Rush", resulting in strong detractors and an intensely loyal fan base. To the chagrin of fans, the band has not been nominated for entry into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since their year of eligibility in 1998. The Hall's refusal to induct Rush may be a consequence of the band's insistence on remaining outside the mainstream of rock when it comes to self-promotion, in favor of maintaining a high degree of independence.^[81] To this day fans earnestly clamor for the band's inclusion into the Hall by citing noteworthy accomplishments including longevity, proficiency, and influence, as well as commercial sales figures and RIAA certifications. However, Lifeson has expressed his indifference toward the perceived slight saying "I couldn't care less, look who's up for induction, it's a joke".^[82] Rush has gained a degree of recognition in popular culture despite any official recognition from the Hall.^[83]

As a band, Rush has been nominated for and received various awards throughout its career. Likewise, the individual members have received coverage in various modern music magazines with specific technocratic recognition for instrumental ability. See List of Rush awards for more details on this topic.

Geddy Lee

Image:GeddyLee.JPG

Geddy Lee's high-register vocal style has always been a signature of the band — and sometimes, a focal point for criticism, especially during the early years of Rush's career when Lee's vocals were high-pitched, with a strong likeness to other singers like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. Although his voice has softened over the years, it is often described as a "wail".^[84][85] His instrumental abilities, on the other hand, are rarely criticized. An award-winning musician, Lee's style, technique, and ability on the bass guitar have proven influential in the rock and heavy metal genres, inspiring such players as Steve Harris of Iron Maiden,^[86] John Myung of Dream Theater,^[87] Les Claypool of Primus^[88] and Cliff Burton of Metallica^[89] among others. Lee is notable for his ability to operate various pieces of instrumentation simultaneously. This is mostly evident during live shows when Lee must play bass, supply lead vocals, manipulate keyboards, and trigger foot pedals during the course of a performance, as in the song "Tom Sawyer".^[75] Because of this he is required to remain in one place during songs containing complex instrumentation. Lifeson and Peart are, to a lesser extent, responsible for similar actions during live shows.

Alex Lifeson

Image:Alex Lifeson6.jpg

Instrumentally, Lifeson is regarded as a guitarist whose strengths and notability rely primarily on signature riffing, electronic effects and processing, unorthodox chord structures, and a copious arsenal of equipment used over the years.^[90][91][92] Despite his esteem, however, Lifeson is often regarded as being overshadowed by his bandmates due to Lee's on-stage multi-instrumental dexterity and Peart's status as a drummer.^[93]

During his adolescent years, he was influenced primarily by Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.^[94] For versatility, Lifeson was known to incorporate touches of Spanish and classical music into Rush's guitar-driven sound during the 1970s. Taking a backseat to Lee's keyboards in the 1980s, Lifeson's guitar returned to the forefront in the 1990s, and especially on 2002's Vapor Trails. During live performances, he is still responsible for cuing various guitar effects, the use of bass-pedal synthesizers and backing vocals.

Neil Peart

Music

Peart is commonly regarded by music fans, critics and fellow musicians as one of, if not the greatest rock drummers.^[95] He is also regarded as one of the finest practitioners of the in-concert drum solo.^[96] Initially inspired by Keith Moon, Peart absorbed the influence of other rock drummers from the 1960s and 1970s such as Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice, and John Bonham.^[97] Incorporation of unusual instruments (for rock drummers of the time) such as cowbells, glockenspiel, and tubular bells, along with several standard kit elements, helped create a highly varied setup. Continually modified to this day, Peart's drumkit offers an enormous array of percussion instruments for sonic diversity. For two decades Peart honed his technique; each new Rush album introduced an expanded percussive vocabulary. In the 1990s, he reinvented his style with the help of drum coach Freddie Gruber. Image:Neil Peart3.jpg

Lyrics

Peart also serves as Rush's primary lyricist, attracting much attention over the years due to his eclectic style. Known for penning concept suites and songs inspired by literature, music fan opinions of his writing have varied greatly, running the gamut from cerebral and insightful to overly pretentious and preachy. During the band's early years, Peart's lyrics were largely fantasy/science fiction-focused,^[98] though since 1980 he has focused more on social, emotional, and humanitarian issues. Peart's lyrics continue to divide audiences today. For example, in 2007, he was placed second on Blender magazine's list of the "40 Worst Lyricists In Rock".^[99]

Sales

Over the course of their career, Rush has come to release 24 gold records and 14 platinum records (3 of which have gone multiplatinum),^[100] placing them within the top 4 for the most consecutive gold albums by a rock band.^[101] Rush ranks 78th in U.S. album sales according to the RIAA with sales of 25 million units.^[101] Total worldwide sales approximate 40 million units.^{[102][103][104][105]}

Despite having completely dropped out of the public eye for five years after the gold-selling Test for Echo (which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200) and the band being relegated almost solely to classic rock stations in the U.S., Vapor Trails reached #6 on the Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release in 2002 with 108,000 albums sold. It has sold approximately 343,000 units to date. The subsequent Vapor Trails tour grossed over $24 million and included the largest audience ever to see a headlining Rush show — 60,000 fans in São Paulo, Brazil. Nevertheless, Vapor Trails remains their first album not to achieve at least gold status.

However, Rush's triple CD live album, 2003's Rush in Rio, was certified gold by the RIAA, marking the fourth decade in which a Rush album had been released and certified at least gold. Moreover, in 2004 Feedback cracked the top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart and received radio airplay. The band's most recent album, Snakes & Arrows, debuted at #3 (just one position shy of Rush's highest peaking album, 1993's Counterparts, which debuted at #2) on the Billboard 200 selling approximately 93,000 copies in its first week of release.^[106] This marks the 13th studio album to appear in the Top 20 and the band's 27th album to appear on the chart regardless of position over the course of their career. The album also debuted at #1 on the Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, as well as peaking at #1 on the Top Internet Albums chart when the album was released on the MVI format a month later.^[107] Still, Snakes & Arrows has yet to accumulate sales that approach or eclipse Vapor Trails or Rush in Rio.

The two consecutive tours in support of Snakes & Arrows in 2007 and 2008 accrued $21 million and $18.3 million, respectively, earning Rush the number 6 and 8 spots among the top ten summer rock concerts.^[108][109]

Live performances

The members of Rush share a strong work ethic, desiring to accurately recreate songs from their albums when playing live performances. Toward this goal, beginning in the late 1980s, Rush has included in their concert equipment a capacious rack of digital samplers which the band members use, in real-time, to recreate the sounds of non-traditional instruments, accompaniments, vocal harmonies, and other sound "events" that are familiarly heard on the studio versions of the songs.

In live performances, the band members share duties throughout most songs, with each member triggering certain sounds with his available limbs, while playing his primary instrument(s). Each band member has one or more MIDI controllers that enables him to use his free hands or feet to trigger sounds that have been loaded into the samplers for a particular song.^[110] It is with this technology that the group is able to present their arrangements in a live setting with the level of complexity and fidelity that fans have come to expect, and without the need to resort to the use of backing tracks or employing an additional band member.^[111]

The band members' coordinated use of foot-pedal keyboards and other electronic triggers to "play" sampled instruments and audio events is subtly visible in their live performances, especially so on R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour, their 2005 concert DVD.

A staple of Rush's concerts is a Peart drum solo. Peart's drum solos include a basic framework of routines connected by sections of improvisation, making each performance unique. Each successive tour sees the solo more advanced, with some routines dropped in favor of newer, more complex ones. Since the mid-1980s, Peart has used MIDI trigger pads to trigger sounds sampled from various pieces of acoustic percussion that would otherwise consume far too much stage area, such as a marimba, harp, temple blocks, triangles, glockenspiel, orchestra bells, tubular bells, and vibraslap as well as other, more esoteric percussion.

Philanthropy

Rush actively participates in philanthropic causes. The band was one of a number of hometown favorites to play Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, also dubbed SARStock, at Downsview Park in Toronto on July 30, 2003, with an attendance of over half a million people. The concert was intended to benefit the Canadian economy after the SARS outbreaks earlier in the year. The band has also sustained an interest in promoting human rights. They donated $100,000 to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights after a concert they held in Winnipeg on 24 May 2008.^[112] Rush continues to sell t-shirts and donate the proceeds to the museum.^[113]

The individual members of Rush have also been a part of philanthropic causes. Hughes & Kettner zenTeras and TriAmps have been endorsed and used by Lifeson for many years. A custom signature amplifier was engineered by Lifeson and released in April 2005 with the stipulation that UNICEF will receive a donation in the amount of $50 for every Alex Lifeson Signature TriAmp sold.^[114] Lee, a longtime fan of baseball, donated 200 baseballs signed by famous Negro League players, including Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Josh Gibson, to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in June 2008.^[115]

The band is featured on the music album Songs for Tibet, appearing with a number of other celebrities as an initiative to support Tibet and the current Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. The album was made downloadable on August 5 via iTunes and was released commercially August 12.^[116]

Discography

Here is the complete setlist for Guitar Hero III, which will also include all downloadable content (when released).

Bold text indicates a master track, all other songs are covers.

Single Player Setlist

1. Starting Out Small

• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar
• "Story of My Life" - Social Distortion
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss (Encore)

2. Your First Real Gig

• "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream
• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello"
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine (Encore)

3. Making The Video

• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones (Encore)

4. European Invasion

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam (Encore)

5. Bighouse Blues

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - Scorpions
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "La Grange" - ZZ Top
• Guitar Battle vs. Slash
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses (Encore)

6. The Hottest Band On Earth

• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Pride and Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughn (Encore)

7. Live in Japan

• "Before I Forget" - Slipknot
• "Stricken" - Disturbed
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (Encore)

8. Battle For Your Soul

• "Raining Blood" - Slayer
• "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "One" - Metallica
• "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" - Originally by Charlie Daniels Band, cover by Steve Ouimette (Encore)

Co-Op Setlist

1. Getting a Band Together

• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "When You Were Young" - The Killers
• "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
• "Slow Ride" - Foghat
• "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys (Encore)

2. We Just Wanna Be Famous

• "School's Out" - Alice Cooper
• "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
• "Miss Murder" - AFI
• "The Seeker" - The Who
• "Reptilia" - The Strokes (Encore)

3. Overnight Success

• "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
• "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
• "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols
• "Lay Down" - Priestess
• "Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Encore)

4. Getting the Band Back Together

• "Holiday in Cambodia" - Dead Kennedys
• "Black Magic Woman" - Santana
• "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
• "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" - Blue Öyster Cult (Encore)

5. Jailhouse Rock

• "My Name is Jonas" - Weezer
• "Black Sunshine" - White Zombie
• "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
• "The Metal" - Tenacious D
• "Helicopter" - Bloc Party (Encore)

6. Battle for Your Souls...

• "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
• "One" - Metallica
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour
• "Monsters" - Matchbook Romance (Encore)

Bonus Tracks

• "Avalancha" - Heroes del Silencio
• "Can't Be Saved" - Senses Fail
• "Closer" - Lacuna Coil
• "Don't Hold Back" - The Sleeping
• "Down n' Dirty" - LA Slum Lords
• "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - The Fall of Troy
• "Generation Rock" - Revolverheld
• "Go That Far" - Bret Michaels Band
• "Hier Kommt Alex" - Die Toten Hosen
• "I'm in the Band" - The Hellacopters
• "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
• "In Love" - Scouts of St. Sebastian
• "In the Belly of a Shark" - Gallows
• "Mauvais Garçon" - NAAST
• "Metal Heavy Lady" - Lions
• "Minus Celsius" - Backyard Babies
• "My Curse" - Killswitch Engage
• "Nothing for Me Here" - Dope
• "Prayer of the Refugee" - Rise Against
• "Radio Song" - Superbus
• "Ruby" - Kaiser Cheifs
• "She Bangs the Drums" - The Stone Roses
• "Take This Life" - In Flames
• "The Way It Ends" - Prototype
• "Through the Fire and Flames" - DragonForce

Downloadable Content

Singles

Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix - Released November 22, 2007 on XBL.

• "Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix" - Martin O'Donnell

Ernten Was Wir Säen - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Erten Was Wir Säen" - Die Fantastischen Vier

So Payso - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "So Payso" - Extremoduro

Antisocial - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2008 on PSN.

• "Antisocial" - Trust

We Three Kings - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "We Three Kings" - Steve Ouimette

Dream On - Released Febuary 18, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Dream On" - Aerosmith

I am Murloc - Released June 26, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "I am Murloc" - L70ETC (Link to WoWWiki)

Track Packs

Companion Pack - Released October 31, 2007 on XBL.

• "Carcinogen Crush" - AFI
• "Tina" - Flyleaf
• "Putting Holes in Happiness" - Marilyn Manson

Foo Fighters Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "All My Life" - Foo Fighters
• "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
• "This is a Call" - Foo Fighters

Velvet Revolver Pack - Released November 8, 2007 on XBL & PSN.

• "She Builds Quick Machines" - Velvet Revolver
• "Slither" - Velvet Revolver
• "Messages" - Velvet Revolver

Boss Battle Pack - Released November 15, 2007 on XBL and November 29, 2007 on PSN.

• "Tom Morello Guitar Battle" - Tom Morello
• "Slash Guitar Battle" - Slash
• "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Steve Ouimette

Warner/Reprise Track Pack - Released December 20, 2007 on XBL and January 3, 2007 on PSN.

• "Pretty Handsome Awkward" - The Used
• "No More Sorrow" - Linkin Park
• "Sleeping Giant" - Mastodon

Classic Rock Track Pack - Released January 24, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Any Way You Want It" - Journey
• "Jukebox Hero" - Foreigner
• "Peace of Mind" - Boston

No Doubt Track Pack - Released Febuary 28, 2008 on XBL and PSN.

• "Excuse Me Mr. No Doubt" - No Doubt
• "Don't Speak" - No Doubt
• "Sunday Morning" - No Doubt

Modern Metal Track Pack - Released March 6, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "The Arsonist" - Thrice
• "Hole in the Earth" - Deftones
• "Almost Easy" - Avenged Sevonfold

Dropkick Murphys Track Pack - Released March 13, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Famous For Nothing" - Dropkick Murphys
• "(F)lannigan's Ball" - Dropkick Murphys
• "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya" - Dropkick Murphys

Def Leppard Track Pack - Released April 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Nine Lives" - Def Leppard
• "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard
• "Photograph" - Def Leppard

Guitar Virtuoso Pack - Released July 24, 2008 on XBL & PSN.

• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead
• "Surfing With the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai

DragonForce Track Pack - Released August 21, 2008 on XBL & PSN

• "Heroes of Our Time"
• "Operation Ground and Pound"
• "Revolution Deathsquad"

Studio albums

• Rush (1974)
• Fly by Night (1975)
• Caress of Steel (1975)
• 2112 (1976)
• A Farewell to Kings (1977)
• Hemispheres (1978)
• Permanent Waves (1980)
• Moving Pictures (1981)
• Signals (1982)
• Grace Under Pressure (1984)
• Power Windows (1985)
• Hold Your Fire (1987)
• Presto (1989)
• Roll the Bones (1991)
• Counterparts (1993)
• Test for Echo (1996)
• Vapor Trails (2002)
• Feedback (2004)
• Snakes & Arrows (2007)

See also

• Rush instrumentals
• List of Rush awards

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

Books

• Rush: Visions: The Official Biography – Banasiewicz, Bill. (1988), Omnibus Press – ISBN 0-7119-1162-2
• Rush Tribute: Merely Players – Telleria, Robert (2002) – ISBN 1-55082-271-3
• Rush: Success Under Pressure – Gett, Steve. (1984) – ISBN 0-89524-230-3
• Rhythm & Light – Nuttall, Carrie, (2005), Rounder Books, ISBN 1-57940-093-0
• Drum Techniques of Rush – Peart (1985) – ISBN 0-7692-5055-6
• More Drum Techniques of Rush – Peart, Wheeler (1989) – ISBN 0-7692-5051-3
• The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa – Peart (1999) – ISBN 1-895900-02-6
• Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road – Peart (2002) – ISBN 1-55022-546-4 (hardcover), ISBN 1-55022-548-0 (paperback)
• Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times – Peart (2004) – ISBN 1-55022-664-9
• Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away – Popoff, Martin. Publisher: Ecw Press (28 June 2004) – ISBN 1-55022-678-9
• Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of Rush – Price, et al. (1999) – ISBN 1-58715-102-2
• Rush: Chemistry : The Definitive Biography – Collins, Jon. (2006) Helter Skelter Publishing – ISBN 1-900924-85-4 (Hardcover)
• Roadshow: Landscape With Drums - A Concert Tour By Motorcycle – Peart (2006), Rounder – ISBN 1-57940-142-2

Scholarly articles

• "Rand, Rush, and De-totalizing the Utopianism of Progressive Rock" by Steven Horwitz (2002)
• "Textu®al Undercoding and the Music of the Rock Band Rush: String Quartets, Death Metal, Trip-Hop, and other Tributes" by Dr. Durrell Bowman (2004/2002)
• "'Open Secrets': Individualism and Middle-Class Identity in the songs of Rush," Popular Music and Society Volume 31 No. 3, July 2008, pp. 313-328, by Chris McDonald.
• "'Making Arrows Out of Pointed Words': Critical Reception, Taste Publics and Rush," Journal of American and Comparative Cultures, Volume 25 No. 3-4, September 2002, pp. 249-259, by Chris McDonald
• "Grand Designs: A Musical, Social and Ethographic Study of Rush" (dissertation, Ph.D. in ethnomusicology, York University, 2002) by Chris McDonald
• "Structure, Function and Process in the Early Song Cycles and Extended Songs of the Canadian Rock Group Rush" (dissertation, Ph.D. in music theory, Ohio State University, 2002) by Brian Walsh
• "Permanent Change: Rush, Musicians' Rock, and the Progressive Post-Counterculture" (dissertation, Ph.D. in musicology, UCLA, 2003) by Dr. Durrell Bowman

External links

Template:Spoken Wikipedia Template:Commonscat Template:Wikiquote

• Official Rush Home Page

Template:Featured article Template:RushTemplate:Link FA

ca:Rush cs:Rush da:Rush de:Rush et:Rush es:Rush fr:Rush (groupe) hr:Rush id:Rush it:Rush he:ראש (להקה) lv:Rush hu:Rush mt:Rush nl:Rush (band) ja:ラッシュ (バンド) no:Rush nn:Rush pl:Rush pt:Rush ro:Rush ru:Rush simple:Rush (band) sk:Rush (skupina) fi:Rush sq:Rush sv:Rush tr:Rush (grup) uk:Rush zh:匆促樂團s Kiri Miller found that 76% of the players of Guitar Hero bought the music they heard in the game.^[186] Indie group Bang Camaro's recognition increased after their song "Push Push (Lady Lightning)" appeared in Guitar Hero II.^[187] The band DragonForce, whose song "Through the Fire and Flames" is featured as the final song in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, saw a 126% increase in CD sales in the week after the release of the game,^[188] and downloads of the song, selling fewer than 2,000 weekly, rose to more than 10,000 after Guitar Hero III's release and approached 40,000 the week ending 2007-12-30.^[185] Even older, established groups such as Aerosmith saw an increase in sales at the same time Guitar Hero games containing their songs were released,^[185] such as a modest increase in download sales for its "Same Old Song and Dance", which rose to 2,041 from 374 copies the previous week;^[185] a 40% increase in the band's catalog was seen in the weeks following the release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.^[189] According to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith has made more money for Aerosmith than any sales of their previous albums.^[190] Both Guitar Hero and Rock Band are seen as new methods of music distribution; an analysis for market research company NPD Group states that "As the video games industry grows, it's becoming an ever-more attractive promotional outlet for all kinds of industries."^[191] The games have also been seen as a way to introduce younger generations to music of the past; bands such as Living Colour, Warrant, Poison, and Ratt have seen interest in their music rise due to the inclusion of their songs in the various Guitar Hero and other video games.^[192]

Bands or those that control the copyrights on bands works have been in talks with the makers and distributions of both Guitar Hero and Rock Band as methods of achieving more exposure for the band. Template:AnchorFollowing the announcement of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Martin N. "Marty" Bandier, executive for Sony/ATV which owns the copyrights on The Beatles recordings, has stated that he is very interested in helping Activision to bring a Beatles-themed Guitar Hero title to the market in a similar fashion.^[193] Both Activision and MTV Games have been in talks with representatives of the Beatles to create a themed games within either the Guitar Hero or Rock Band series, respectively, though any deal will also require permission from Apple Corps, Ltd..^[194][195] Ultimately, MTV Games secured a exclusive license with Apple Corps to produce a standalone game based on the Rock Band platform featuring the songs of the Beatles.^[196] Groups such as Van Halen, The Eagles, Steely Dan and Guns N' Roses have working deals with these companies to include their songs within future games.^[197] However, not all bands are comfortable with this; Led Zeppelin has turned down offers from both games to include their music due to concerns that Jimmy Page and other members of the band have with releasing the master recordings of their music.^[197] There are also cases where bands want to be included, but the master recordings have been lost or are unusable. Some bands such as the Sex Pistols, Living Colour, and Aerosmith have rerecorded these songs, while other bands have been able to provide concert "live" master recordings. However, some larger artists are unable to do so.^[198] Neversoft director Brian Bright states that they do not expect to acquire songs from Pink Floyd and Prince due to such reasons.^[198]

Guitar Hero and other rock music-based games work with record companies to license each song for its use, costing a per-song average of $25,000 for the rights to use a master recording and $10,000 for the rights to make a cover.^[199] However, the music industry has raised concerns that the music labels are not receiving fair compensation considering the success of the games. Edgar Bronfman Jr., chairman and chief executive for Warner Music Group, stated that "The amount being paid to the industry, even though their games are entirely dependent on the content that we own and control, is far too small."^[199] Tim Riley, vice president of music affairs at Activision, believes that the increase in popularity of the game series has lead more people, including musicians and music labels, to want to be part of the success: "The number of people interested in being associated with the game is probably a thousand times more than we can get into the game."^[199] Activision CEO Robert Kotick has stated, in response to the record company's claims, that the impact that the Guitar Hero games have cause them to question if the game developers and publishers "should be paying any money at all and whether it should be the reverse."^[200] Mötley Crüe manager Allen Kovac noted that artists make a larger share of the sale of each downloaded game song compared to iTunes, and that bands that own their own master recordings earn even a larger percentage from music licensing rights.^[157] Michael Pachter, an industry analyst for Wedbush Morgan, noted that Guitar Hero is not dependent on a single record label, as there is nearly a 2000-year supply of songs available at the current rate of content releases, and a full music industry denial to the game series could lead to anti-trust measures. Patcher also contrasted Bronfman's view, stating that users are not buying the games for the songs, but for the game, with each song providing its own challenge.^[201] However, analysis believe that Activision's attitude on music licensing may have influenced the decision of Apple Corps, Ltd. to give the lucrative licensing agreement for The Beatles' music to MTV Games, who were more flexible in their negotiations.^[202]

In popular culture

Image:Guitar-Her-South-Park.jpg Guitar Hero has made several appearances in popular culture. Guitar Hero II is the centerpiece of an episode of South Park titled "Guitar Queer-o", in which Stan and Kyle get hooked on Guitar Hero II and end up being treated as though they are real-life rock stars. The episode was first broadcast on November 7, 2007, 10 days after the American release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.^[203] The episode of Metalocalypse entitled "Dethvengance" featured a black Guitar Hero controller on the bed of a boy attempting to download music from the band Dethklok illegally. The song playing on his computer is "Thunderhorse," which is playable on Guitar Hero II. In the Metalocalypse episode "Dethkids," a sick child composes a song for Dethklok rhythm guitarist Toki Wartooth using a Guitar Hero controller.^[204] Ellen DeGeneres has played Guitar Hero several times in 2008 during the monologue of her syndicated talk show. In the January 25, 2008, episode she is seen playing along to "Barracuda", which segues to Heart performing the song for the audience.^[205] During the season 7 finale of American Idol, finalists David Cook and David Archuleta appeared in separate commercials for the games, where they each parodied Tom Cruise dancing to "Old Time Rock and Roll" in the movie Risky Business. This parody has been used by director Brett Ratner to create advertisements for Guitar Hero World Tour, featuring celebrities such as Kobe Bryant, Tony Hawk, Alex Rodriguez, Michael Phelps, Corbin Bleu and Heidi Klum.^[206]

Mariah Carey's music video for her song "Touch My Body" features a compu-nerd strumming on a Guitar Hero controller. The music video for San Diego rock band Switchfoot's song "Awakening" featured two men going home and competing separately on Guitar Hero. The video is unique because all of the Guitar Hero footage featured Switchfoot playing, and all the animation was made by using cut-out style animation. It also tied with Farrah's "Fear of Flying" from early 2007 as one of the first music videos to use this type of animation^[207] A Guitar Hero Controller is played by Peter Stock in a spoof music video in a scene from 'Capitalism - The Movie'.^[208] In the music video for "Mixed Up S.O.B." by The Presidents of the United States of America, a part can be seen with the song being played in Guitar Hero 3.^[209] Rob "Rawrb" Kersey, the singer of the Arizona-based "humorcore" band Psychostick, often "plays" a Guitar Hero controller onstage as a gag during certain songs.

The series' popularity even spread to the sports world; Detroit Tigers' pitcher Joel Zumaya injured himself during the 2006 playoffs playing Guitar Hero.^[210] In professional wrestling, the TNA Wrestling tag team of Jimmy Rave and Lance Rock, known as the "Rock and Rave Infection" have a gimmick of dressing up as characters from the game and strumming the guitar controllers on the way to the ring. ^[211]

The name "Guitar Hero" is often juxtapositioned with other instruments or other tools for humorous effects. There are T-shirts available from at least one vendor, parodying the Guitar Hero logo with a number of different instruments, from violin to bagpipes. Marketing for The Simpsons Game included mock posters for "Sitar Hero", depicting The Simpsons character Apu with a controller with 21 buttons,^[212] a parody Harmonix praised.^[213] GameSpot released an April Fools' article in 2006 announcing "Cowbell Hero" as a successor to the first game.^[214] One Penny Arcade comic strip envisioned a game entitled "Photoshop Hero", which has become a design for one of their t-shirts.^[215] A 2008 FoxTrot Sunday comic showed the characters Jason and Marcus playing a video game called "Chamber Music Hero."^[216] On August 1, 2007, the satirical newspaper The Onion published an article entitled "Activision Reports Sluggish Sales For Sousaphone Hero." ^[217]

Legal and practical issues

PlayStation 3 incompatibility

Sony's PlayStation 3 console has no compatibility with the PlayStation 2 Guitar Hero controller on the system. While Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II are fully backward-compatible through the hardware PlayStation 2 emulation in the initial North American release of the console, it was impossible at launch to use the guitar controller to play either game. Kai Huang, of RedOctane, states that they are "working on that with Sony right now – looking at how we can get all the PlayStation 2 guitars that are out there, and all the owners of them, to use them on the PlayStation 3."^[218] Nyko, an accessories company, was poised to make a special PlayStation 2 controller adapter for the PlayStation 3, but has put the product on hold due to technical difficulties. Also, Tac, another accessories company also made a PlayStation 3 adapter for a PlayStation 2 to a PlayStation 3 game console so people can use their Guitar Hero guitar controllers that were made for PlayStation 2 to be used with a PlayStation 3 game console.^[219] However, the May 2007 PlayStation 3 V1.80 system update has made the guitar controller compatible with generic PlayStation 2 controller to USB adapters when playing Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II.^[220] In addition, Pelican has released a special PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3 controller adapter that supports both games, including the ability to switch the handedness of the guitar.^[221] At present, most PS2-to-USB adapters have issues with hammer-ons and pull-offs. The Ant Commandos have produced an adapter that allows hammer-ons to be played. This is the only known adapter that allows this, however it is only designed and guaranteed for using PlayStation 2 guitar controllers with PlayStation 3 Guitar Hero and Rock Band games and as such is incompatible with Guitar Hero II and Rock the 80s. Both games can still be played using the shoulder buttons on a standard controller.^[222]

Patent litigation

Gibson Guitar Corporation, whose guitar likenesses have appeared in the Guitar Hero series from the first game to Guitar Hero Aerosmith, informed Activision on January 7, 2008, that it believed the games infringe its . Gibson claims that this covers technology that simulates a concert performance via pre-recorded audio and a musical instrument. In response, Activision filed a suit seeking a declaration that it was not in violation of the Gibson patent; Activision also asserts Gibson has given an implied license by waiting to assert the patent and that the patent is invalid.^[223] On March 17, 2008, Gibson sued six retailers (GameStop, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys "R" Us and Kmart) for selling Guitar Hero products.^[224][225] Subsequently, on March 21, 2008, Gibson also filed a lawsuit against EA, MTV, and Harmonix over their game Rock Band also for violation of its patent, to which a Harmonix spokesperson stated that Gibson's claims are "completely without merit".^[226] Activision lawyer Mary Tuck stated in their legal filings that they believe that Gibson initiated the lawsuit due to the fact that " Activision was not [interested] in renewing the License and Marketing Support Agreement" with Gibson Guitars.^[227] Rock Band's guitar controller is fully endorsed by Fender.

Activision, through John Devecka^[228] owns all of Devecka Enterprises' US and international patents^{[229] [230][231]} that deals with music games. All patents issued by the USPTO are presumed valid.^[232][233]

Games

Released Year	Title	Developer(s)	Platform
			PS2	PS3	360	Wii	PC	Mac	NDS	Other
Main Games
2005	Guitar Hero	Harmonix	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
2006 (PS2) 2007 (360)	Guitar Hero II	Harmonix	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
2007	Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock	Neversoft (360/PS3) Aspyr Media (PC/Mac) Vicarious Visions (Wii) Budcat Creations (PS2)	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No
2008	Guitar Hero World Tour	Neversoft (360/PS3) Vicarious Visions (Wii) Budcat Creations (PS2)	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:YesTemplate:Rf	Template:YesTemplate:Rf	Template:No	Template:No
Expansion Games
2007	Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s	Harmonix	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
2008	Guitar Hero: Aerosmith	Neversoft (360/PS3) Aspyr Media (PC/Mac) Vicarious Visions (Wii) Budcat Creations (PS2)	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No
2009	Guitar Hero: Metallica	Neversoft (360/PS3) Vicarious Visions (Wii) Budcat Creations (PS2)	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
Portable Games
2007	Guitar Hero Carabiner	Basic Fun, Inc.	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes
2007	Guitar Hero III Mobile	Machineworks Northwest	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes
2008	Guitar Hero: On Tour	Vicarious Visions	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:No
2008	Guitar Hero III Backstage Pass	Machineworks Northwest	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes
2008	Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades	Vicarious Visions	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:No
2008	Guitar Hero World Tour Mobile	Machineworks Northwest	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes
TBA	Guitar Hero Modern HitsTemplate:Rf	TBA	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:No
Arcade Games
2009	Guitar Hero Arcade	Raw Thrills	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes

Template:EntA version of Guitar Hero World Tour has been rated by the ESRB for PC and Mac, though Activision has not officially confirmed this version.^[234] Template:EntGuitar Hero Modern Hits has been rated by the ESRB, though Activision has not officially confirmed this game.^[130]

See also

Template:Commons cat

• Alex Necochea and Bryn Bennett: the 'Guitar Heroes' of Bang Camaro on Wikinews
• Quest for Fame, a 1995 computer game which uses either a so-called "v-pick" or a "virtual guitar" peripheral to play Aerosmith songs.
• GuitarFreaks, a 1998 arcade game series created by Konami that also uses a guitar peripheral.
• Frets on Fire, a free software/open source clone of Guitar Hero for Microsoft Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and Mac OS X.
• Rock Band, a 2007 video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems for the Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
• Guitar Rising, a 2009 computer game developed by GameTank for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X which notably uses a real guitar rather than a guitar controller to play music.
• Audiosurf, a 2008 video game created by Invisible Handlebar for Windows, the full version of the game is only available for purchase through Steam.
• Ultimate Band, an upcoming video game developed by Fall Line Studios for the Wii and Nintendo DS.
• Rock Revolution, a 2008 video game developed by Zoë Mode (Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions) and HB Studios (Wii and Nintendo DS versions).
• Synthesia, Synthesia is a program for Windows and Mac OS X which allows users to play a MIDI keyboard or use a computer keyboard in time to a MIDI file.

Notes

Template:Reflist

References

• Template:Cite book

External links

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-4

Producer/Developer sites

• Activision
• RedOctane
• Neversoft
• Harmonix
• Hands-On Mobile
• MachineWorks Northwest LLC

Official game sites

• Guitar Hero III: Backstage Pass

Template:Col-4

Other official sites

• Guitar Hero series website
• Guitar Hero community website
• Template:MySpace

Other links

• Guitar Hero Controller Disassembly Photographs
• Guitar Hero Skins

Directories

• Template:Dmoz

Template:Col-end

Template:Guitar Hero seriesca:Guitar Hero (saga de videojoc) da:Guitar Hero-serien de:Guitar Hero es:Guitar Hero (serie) fr:Guitar Hero (série) it:Guitar Hero (serie) he:גיטאר הירו (סדרת משחקים) nl:Guitar Hero pl:Guitar Hero (seria) pt:Guitar Hero (série) simple:Guitar Hero (series) sv:Guitar Hero (spelserie)