11. RushFly By Night
I’m pretty sure the song ‘Fly By Night’ is one of the first rock songs I remember hearing on the radio. My friend’s much older brother wrote the name Rush on my jeans with a marker. Even though this is only their second record, and the first with Neil Peart, it’s still a sign that something drastic is about to change.
I like how this still has the original ‘fake Led Zeppelin/Bad Company’ style that the first record had, but it’s also the first dabble into Peart lyrics and more complicated songs. I love that it’s a reminder that Rush was once really a heavy blues rock band. They instantly transformed, they immediately found their voice, and every record after this perfected it more and more.
I realise they’re an acquired taste, and there are definitely people who love them and people who hate them. I’m not in any great rush – no pun intended – to turn people on to the band. I don’t really care. They’re my all-time favourite band, period. It’s not really my duty to convince people of their awesomeness.
