By 1981, RUSH had built a fiercely loyal fan base through eight albums, only one of which did not sell more than its predecessor, and road-dog touring, all the while honing their chops, their arrangements and lyrical themes into a laser-tight focus. The result, RUSH's worldwide blockbuster Moving Pictures.
So what did the band do for the follow-up, when all of their hard work paid off? RUSH changed. The album, 1982’s Signals. Because the album also contained the the Top Ten hit "New World Man" and sold over a million copies in its first two months, there is tendency to assume that Signals was easily embraced by all of the RUSH faithful. It wasn't. With back-to-back million sellers Permanent Waves in 1980 and then the massive Moving Pictures, RUSH risked their new-found fame and fortune with Signals, expanding their sound with new instrumentation and additional layers of sound on songs "Subdivisions", “The Analog Kid", "Chemistry" and "The Weapon".
But if RUSH had not challenged themselves and their fans by continuing to innovate and explore all four corners of the studio on Signals , would there even be a Rush in the 21st century? Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart all weigh in for this classic rock interview. Neil Peart shares some clues with IN THE STUDIO producer and host Redbeard.
“We were all looking for a new place for the guitar and Alex was looking for a new way to play it and present it. So Signals is very experimental for us.” - Neil Peart
