Music Banter - View Single Post - If you choose not to read these reviews, you still have made a choice...Rush Reviewed

duga · 04-26-2010, 08:21 PM

I've really been in a writing mood recently, so I was able to pump out the next review.

Fly By Night (1975)

Enter the Peart. Yes, ladies and gentleman, little did Geddy and Alex realize when they brought on this humble tractor-part salesman they were hiring a drumming legend. His style and intensity are apparent right from the start with the lead track “Anthem”. Natural and complex all at once, Peart's drumming fit perfectly with Geddy's all-over-the-place bass and Lifeson's smooth-yet-rocking guitar. In a sense, “Fly By Night” can be considered the true Rush debut.

This is the album where we start to see Rush's first true progressive leanings. In a broad sense, the music is still very Zeppelin-inspired, but there is something in the music just dieing to break out. “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” can be considered their first progressive rock attempt, as it is divided into parts, tells a clear narrative story, and clocks in at over 8 minutes. It is also a really damn good song. The rest of the album is really a straight ahead hard rock affair, but the songwriting is much stronger than their self titled debut. The riffwork is incredibly catchy as Geddy and Alex have obviously grown more accustomed to each others' styles. It is also amazing how Neil was able to settle in with the music so seamlessly. His style is so intense that a less talented drummer would have sounded forced in. However, it sounds as if he has been playing with the band for years.

Another vast improvement over the debut is the lyrics. With Geddy and Alex not really interested in lyric writing, they willingly handed the job over to Neil. Neil Peart is a die-hard Ayn Rand fan, and this has come across in a number of their albums. The lead song “Anthem” is inspired by the book of the same name. That theme will also be revisited on their prog epic “2112”. He also writes many mythology and fantasy inspired songs, such as the previously mentioned “By-Tor and the Snow Dog”. He also writes your straight ahead songs about life, such as the title track (a song about dropping everything, leaving everything behind, and starting anew). It is actually hard to determine what helped the band more, his epic drumming or his insightful lyrics. Just go listen to “In the Mood” off the debut one more time if you are not convinced.

This album is rife with little treasures of songs (“Anthem”, “By-Tor and the Snow Dog”, and “Fly By Night” being my personal favorites). Overall, I give this album a 7.5/10. A vast improvement, but still not quite there. It is hard to pick out faults in the album (aside from the "Lord of the Rings" themed "Rivendell"...that song is pretty boring), but this still isn't their strongest work. I also still wouldn't start with this one if you are new to the band. You really couldn't go wrong if you did, but this is hardly among their best. They will soon do much, much better.

04-26-2010, 08:21 PM	#9 (permalink)
duga MB quadrant's JM Vincent Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 3,762	I've really been in a writing mood recently, so I was able to pump out the next review. Fly By Night (1975) Enter the Peart. Yes, ladies and gentleman, little did Geddy and Alex realize when they brought on this humble tractor-part salesman they were hiring a drumming legend. His style and intensity are apparent right from the start with the lead track “Anthem”. Natural and complex all at once, Peart's drumming fit perfectly with Geddy's all-over-the-place bass and Lifeson's smooth-yet-rocking guitar. In a sense, “Fly By Night” can be considered the true Rush debut. This is the album where we start to see Rush's first true progressive leanings. In a broad sense, the music is still very Zeppelin-inspired, but there is something in the music just dieing to break out. “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” can be considered their first progressive rock attempt, as it is divided into parts, tells a clear narrative story, and clocks in at over 8 minutes. It is also a really damn good song. The rest of the album is really a straight ahead hard rock affair, but the songwriting is much stronger than their self titled debut. The riffwork is incredibly catchy as Geddy and Alex have obviously grown more accustomed to each others' styles. It is also amazing how Neil was able to settle in with the music so seamlessly. His style is so intense that a less talented drummer would have sounded forced in. However, it sounds as if he has been playing with the band for years. Another vast improvement over the debut is the lyrics. With Geddy and Alex not really interested in lyric writing, they willingly handed the job over to Neil. Neil Peart is a die-hard Ayn Rand fan, and this has come across in a number of their albums. The lead song “Anthem” is inspired by the book of the same name. That theme will also be revisited on their prog epic “2112”. He also writes many mythology and fantasy inspired songs, such as the previously mentioned “By-Tor and the Snow Dog”. He also writes your straight ahead songs about life, such as the title track (a song about dropping everything, leaving everything behind, and starting anew). It is actually hard to determine what helped the band more, his epic drumming or his insightful lyrics. Just go listen to “In the Mood” off the debut one more time if you are not convinced. This album is rife with little treasures of songs (“Anthem”, “By-Tor and the Snow Dog”, and “Fly By Night” being my personal favorites). Overall, I give this album a 7.5/10. A vast improvement, but still not quite there. It is hard to pick out faults in the album (aside from the "Lord of the Rings" themed "Rivendell"...that song is pretty boring), but this still isn't their strongest work. I also still wouldn't start with this one if you are new to the band. You really couldn't go wrong if you did, but this is hardly among their best. They will soon do much, much better. __________________ Confusion will be my epitaph...