csukaalice8
- Jun 18, 2023
- 23 min read

The true history and release date of RUSH 2112 and other albums facts.

Updated: 6 days ago

My RUSH 2112 Journey to Discovery

“A critical essay on the history of the RUSH record 2112. The history and facts with evidence that prove this album was released in the United States by Mercury Records on Friday March 26, 1976”.

Written from a personal point of view.

By Alice Csuka.

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Back in October 2022 I was approached by William who runs the Website: https://rush-archives.net/index.php and his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ByTorX1

Since we are both interested in researching, sharing facts and the truth regarding the release dates of particular RUSH albums, we connected and began writing to each other.

He was searching for information on the true start date of the 2112 tour, when RUSH began performing parts of the 2112 album. I was searching for the true release date of the album and the historical documentation to prove it.

On 14 November 2022 William (By-Tor X-1) wrote how he heard tracks from 2112 were not played prior to March 8, 1976 and proposed March 15th with the RUSH four day gig at The Starwood as reasonable and since then I found evidence to back up this idea. That Thread can be read under his Rush Archives.net Website here: https://rush-archives.net/index.php?threads/2112-tour-start-date-february-6-or-march-15.307/

*From Ron Fritts Historical Research Collection on Anthem.

March 15th to 18, 1976 RUSH played “some of their material from their new Mercury LP”, at The Starwood.¹ ² Is the evidence found? I think so! By all available information presented within this paper, I believe this case essentially is solved but am open to new information.

Poster courtesy of Rush Archives.net.

Suffice it to say there is no doubt as per this US Copyright Registration dated March 15, 1976 for the 2112 record leads to the clear plausibility that the 2112 Tour start would also have began March 15th, 1976. This is a renewal of registration dated December 20, 2004 for the original dated “1976-03-15”.³ With credit for providing to me the Source of this US Patent document lead given to me by Clare (This Day in Rush History on Twitter @RushHistory2112), of which I had to do some in-depth searching to find a publicly accessible online alternative.

2112. Artist, Rush, sound recording: Phonogram, Inc.

https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/detailed-record/7789089?query=2112.&field_type=Keyword&records_per_page=10&page_number=0&date_field=representative_date

In RUSH: Wandering the Face of the Earth on page 95 under the date March 13, 1976 it is stated as quoting from a Classic Rock magazine article “OVER 100,000 COPIES OF 2112 HAVE BEEN SOLD IN THE FIVE DAYS SINCE IT’S RELEASE” but the Classic Rock article was published in October of 2004 so I’m not convinced this is accurate. By-Tor X-1 has the Bootleg from Friday March 26, 1976 in Seattle at the Paramount of which we can listen to 2112 without the first two verses of Discovery and Oracle: The Dream. We clearly hear Geddy say, “Thank you! That was side one off our new album”, and this performance on this date was the first time 2112 was recorded.⁴ ⁵ You can read more on the discussion of the 2112 tour start date here.⁶

Test For Echo Tour, 1996/7

2112 would be performed in it's entirety. The Toronto show was recorded July 2, 1997 at The Molson Amphitheatre for the Different Stages Live album and the very first show recorded October 19, 1996 at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, NY.

You can watch a video of that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDiMEyZSBeA

By all accounts and printed sources from 1997, the year commonly celebrated for the anticipated RUSH performance of all of Side One of 2112, this was the first time ever a complete show of 2112 was ever done.

Furthermore, with the promotion in 1996/7 of the Test For Echo Tour, the world's RUSH fans looked forward to what was then termed the first ever full performance of Side One that is the song 2112. This is cited on various online platforms and other music sources. Read this quote from The Feldman Agency:

"And for their current tour, which arrives at the Corel Centre on Friday, they've decided to take advantage of the three-hour "An Evening With Rush" format to revisit some of the band's neglected past. That means alongside material from their latest album, Test For Echo, they'll play the entire 1976 conceptual epic, 2112, drummer Neil Peart says. "It's the first time ever in history. When it came out in 1976, we were still an opening act with a 25 minute set, so giving 20 minutes of that 25 minute set (to 2112) wouldn't work, so we had an abridged version. Then other albums came along and (2112) got shorter and shorter," Peart says backstage prior to a New Jersey concert."

Added Source: https://feldman-agency.com/artist-121/rush

So it is clear there were no concerts where 2112 was performed in whole, neither before Friday March 26, 1976, and not after until the Test For Echo Tour. Parts of 2112 were played throughout various other tours beginning on March 15th with The Starwood four day gig.

The journey...

According to this Mercury Records Press Release transcribed by Power Windows dated February 23, 1976, 2112 was “just released” but this appears to be an error and it would be nice to view an actual physical copy of the Press Release especially considering on the same Site, one can see their “Rush Fact Sheet” entitled “Permanent Waves Press Kit, Mercury Records, January 8th, 1980 (also inaccurate since Permanent Waves was released on the Anthem label in Canada first and I remember listening to that radio premier). It also lists the Rush debut album as being released on Mercury into the States August of 1974 but we have the document from SRO provided by Joe Pesch that proves it released in Canada March 18, 1974 and states at that time there was no plan yet to release in the US, but it also lists the release of 2112 as March of 1976 and that it was released in the States which appears to be correct. This jives with the anecdotal note written to me by Joe Pesch on a Facebook page Canadian Classic Rock of which to this date, I am without any documentation on the actual release date in Canada which seems a bit odd considering the history such as releasing Permanent Waves in Canada on January 9, 1980 (Anthem ANR-1-1023) after a national radio show premiering the album the January 4th prior. Then five days later on the Mercury label 200,000 new records were pressed and sent to the United States the following January 14th, 1980 (Mercury SRM-1-4001, both pictures of labels taken off the Internet).⁷ ⁸

CREEM magazine March 1976, “Pebbles and Bam-Bam in Alphaville by Rick Johnson.

“Their latest project is an epic science fiction slab called 2112. Which will take up an entire side of their next album. due this month [sic]”.⁹ Copy retrieved by me from the CREEM Website. You can read a more clear scanned copy of this CREEM article on John Patuto's Cygnus-X1 Website here:

https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/images/scans/Mar_1976_Creem.pdf

Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal

By Jeff Wagner Page 25.¹⁰

Science Fiction in Classic Rock: Musical Explorations of Space, Technology ...

By Robert McParland.¹¹

On dissenting online page, the Spirit of Metal states February in the Ukraine however, according to Discogs the pirate site Moon Records there began making CDs in the 1990s.¹² Also on Discogs 2112 is only listed on the Mercury label for 1976 and 1977 on the Anthem label.¹³

On my 2112 CD with the Anthem label it states Copyright 1976 Anthem Entertainment and in the liner notes “Executive Production: Moon Records”. All lyrics and music published by Core (Music) Publishing (SOCAN).

So this is what leads me to question the release on Mercury. Was 2112 released in Canada first? Not according to what Joe Pesch wrote to me as he believes 2112 released in the US first for this record. So what is the date of the Canadian release?

According to the April 10, 1976 Canadian Music Magazine RPM, Bob Ansell of Polydor “brought in Rush’s new album ‘2112’”.¹⁴

RPM (Records Promotion Music) was owned by Walt Grealis who created the publication in 1964 in Toronto. You can read more about Walt, his soon to be partner Stan Klees, the creation of the Juno Awards, Canadian Country Music awards and Cancon at Library and Archives Canada here.¹⁵

All online Websites appear to cite each other and use the date April 1, 1976. The purpose of this paper is to show my findings for the Mercury label into the United States that proves beyond any doubt that the April Fools date is incorrect and in the future, my hope is that some documentation, preferably from the Anthem archives, will provide the exact date of release on that label. I tried to write Anthem on their Website but my letter would not go through, so I wrote to them via a DM on Twitter March 27, 2023 and I never got a response back. If anyone has a direct Email address, I would appreciate it.

What I found was radio stations in the United States had a “competition” for April Fools’ Day jokes. Of prominence was reported in Radio and Records April 2nd, 1976 as follows:

“KFIG interviewed RUSH, ELO, and SUPERTRAMP”. Page 20. ¹⁶

April Fools!!!

Songfacts.¹⁷

Page 94. RUSH: Wandering the Face of the Earth (RWTFOTE) Notes of February 6-7:

“The album was recorded and mixed in January and February 1976, in the wake of the band’s January 10 performance at Massey Hall [last date of COS tour], but SRO’s records indicate some early February performances in Ontario-a month after Massey Hall, but still a full month before the release of 2112”. So this also indicates the release was in March of 1976. Citation is taken directly from my copy of the book gifted to me from my thoughtful son. I’ll just note here that my two sons and my Mom were really the only people who knew my love of the band RUSH because as someone said to me not long ago, “Not everybody likes Rush, Alice”. Heard that most of my life. In fact, before my Mom died I recall walking with her somewhere and I asked her, “Mom, do you remember when Carol and I took the bus to the Max Bell Arena to go see RUSH because we couldn’t get tickets”? She looked at me with “the Mom look” and said, “You shouldn’t have done that”. I laughed, we were only 15! We went to both outlets but were refused to purchase so we stood on a couple different sidewalks in downtown Calgary asking passersby to buy tickets for us but everyone said no. That’s when I decided we had to try to sneak in to the Permanent Waves show. And we did get in. I wonder who those guys were who caught us in the Foyer after we snuck in behind the roadie trucks and if they told Alex, Geddy and Neil after the show. Part of my story is published in the 2020 book by Richard Houghton, “RUSH: The Day I Was There” as the first story “I Was There” story in the Encore section on page 309. Thanks Richard and Rush! Sorry for digression.

“Says Peart: "It just seemed to work out perfectly. We seemed to be musically suited to each other and I seemed to fit in with the kind of future directions they were talking about. Besides that we fitted together well personally - we found we had a lot of things in common." Quite how much impact Peart was to make on the band didn't manifest itself until the fourth album, '2112', was released in March, 1976”. Brian Harrigan wrote it “took about six months for them to finish writing the material” while they were on the road and another month at Toronto Sound studios working with Terry Brown to finish cutting the tracks. He mentions that, indeed, 2112 was released in the States. Incidentally, Harrigan also wrote that 2112, All the World’s A Stage and A Farewell To Kings were all certified Gold in the US on the same day in November of 1976.¹⁸ ¹⁹

KHDX 93.1 FM Radio Interview Rush Band 2112 Release discussion.

Neil drum parts, host’s Dad calls it “blickems” on Xanadu in this radio show. “Blickem blickem blickem blickem”. They talk about Caress Of Steel being a really important stepping stone to 2112 among other songs. Interesting discussion on the history of RUSH and RASH and this history of their music.

WPNR 90.5 FM WEDW 88.5 FM WRLI 91.3 [Connecticut Public Radio] 2018/12/23

Sound Opinions, Interview with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.

Talking about the “Interwebs” and 17,000 word discussions in message boards on “the intricacies of Cygnus X1 and says he’s never gotten hate mail in 30 years as he does when writing about RUSH. Alex finds the fans interest “interesting” and he thinks the band challenges them. That they “walked on the shore of the mainstream but always kinda reached in and grabbed a fish out of it every once in a while”. Then he said their music influences were in a “quest of advancing and moving forward”.

Geddy, tries to “emulate” certain singers and brings that into his “lexicon of vocal phrases”.²⁰

“The first record where we sounded like Rush.” – Alex Lifeson on 2112

As the multi-platinum selling, Canadian Prog-Rock legends Rush prepare for their 2015 world tour in celebration of their 40th anniversary, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) continues its 12 Months of Rush celebrations with the release of a special vinyl Hologram Edition reissue of the band’s epic, landmark release 2112 on March 17, 2015. This special edition will also come with a free download card for the high resolution Digital Audio version.²¹

The Rush Website says 2112 released April 1976. But that is incorrect. January 1st from Archive.org and April 1st from Torrent site Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

2.1K Torrent Downloads! Ha ha ha ha! You can’t stop the fans, RUSH!²²

Power Windows 2112 Press Kit

Mercury Records, February 23, 1976, transcribed by pwrwindows stated 2112 was “just released” but there is some kind of miscommunication here or else a misprint perhaps.²³

“For the record, 2112 was released in early March 1976 (as confirmed by press from March '76), not April Fools day as stated in this new interview from Teamrock.com... "Rush: 'We weren't defiant, we just figured 2112 was the last record we'd make'" includes an 8 minute video interview with Geddy Lee, where he looks back on their landmark album, from the recording of the album, recording the live follow-up (All The World's A Stage), to the kimonos worn in album's photoshoot. By the way, I would never presume to correct Geddy, but 2112 was played in its entirety on the Test for Echo tour in 1996/1997, not the R30 tour as he says here. - Thanks to Skip Daly for the headsup”!²⁴

I took a screen shot of this but did not copy the link and can’t find it now, if and when I do, I will update.

The 1976 album "2112" was Rush's commercial and artistic breakthrough in the United States. 30 Years and still in the Limelight congratulations certificate signed by Rick Claydon and Bryan Grenier.²⁵

“Country Campaign Sparks Mercury’s Spring”.

March will also see major campaigns surrounding the release of "2112" by Rush and "Jailbreak" by Thin Lizzy on Mercury Records. Both campaigns, which will include extensive AM and FM radio advertising, will surround tours, with Rush starting March 15 and Thin Lizzy's U.S. trek beginning in mid -April.²⁶

This late ad from Record World March 27, 1976 proves RUSH 2112 was to be released that month. Furthermore, it is clearly stated that Mercury's March 1976 campaign will see "the release of "2112" by Rush" with the Rush tour "starting March 15". RUSH patented 2112 on Monday, March 15, 1976, they began their tour after seven days off following their last gig on March 8, 1976 at the Municipal Auditorium in Sioux City, Iowa. From Monday March 15 to Thursday March 18, 1976 RUSH began a new tour as advertised at the top of this article, beginning with a four day spiel at The Starwood in West Hollywood, California. Logically, it can be deduced that with this ad along with "Rush / Stars" this date of March 15th is in fact the beginning of the RUSH "Tour Supporting 2112" and not February 6, 1976 as is commonly believed. Available Setlists do not have any portion of 2112 being played before this campaign. Nevertheless, the connections are that March 15th, 1976 is an important and significant date for three reasons.

2112 was Patented.
A new tour for 2112 was advertised in "Country Campaign Marks Mercury's Spring" (Record World, March 27, 1976) and "Rush / Stars" (Cashbox 1976-04-03) for RUSH beginning March 15.
RUSH played some of their music from 2112 between March 15th and 18th (Rush / Stars).

The nearest Setlist available archived Online is from the Randhurst Twin Ice Arena on March 5, 1976 with no songs from 2112 listed. There are no Setlists available for The Starwood nor for March 21st (Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California), 23rd (Warnors Theatre, Fresno, California) or the 25th (Medford Armory, Medford, Oregon). The next available Setlist is from Friday March 26, 1976 at the Paramount Northwest Theatre in Seattle, the day of the true release of 2112. (See the end of article for the U[date from Power Windows)!

Photo of original Cassette case Bootleg recording with caption courtesy Rush Archives.net

Photo of original Cassette Bootleg courtesy William (By-Tor X-1) given to me via correspondence, November 13, 2022. This is Mark Moore's tape.

In my conversations with Donna Halper, she confirmed as she wrote telling me about this after I had already found this specific "Country Campaign" ad.

The purpose of this research paper is solved. I did this because in the back of my mind for years, I felt the online celebration of the anniversary of 2112 on April 1st was wrong. It bothered me for many years being a Canadian fangirl from the very beginning and because 2112 is the only record I have a clear and distinct memory of hearing for the very first time. So I decided to pursue the history and find as much as I could online in archives. Once I felt that between myself and William, we had the evidence to prove with all the documentation I found and with William’s By-Tor X-1 YouTube audio Bootleg “Rush - 26 March 1976 - Paramount Northwest Theatre, Seattle, Washington [Soundboard]” Uploaded 16 April 2021 where on that date of the concert Geddy is heard at the end of the partial performance of 2112, played without "Discovery" or "Oracle: The Dream", stating “Thank you. That was Side One from our new album 2112” which can be heard at the time stamp 30:16, that it was time as I felt Donna Halper “was key” to gaining confirmation. So I wrote her on Twitter and she responded.²⁷

March 20, 1976 Cashbox Pop Pick. The anticipated release of RUSH 2112.²⁸

April 17, 1976

Record World

While Rush were recording 2112, Fly By Night was Certified Gold in Canada. Ray Danniels, Donna Halper, Assistant for the East Coast-Phonogram Inc./Mercury Records, Tim Harold, President of Polydor Ltd. And Mercury Distributor in Canada and Peter Horwath, Director of Polydor Canada accepted the award on their behalf (Record World, April 17, 1976).²⁹ On this date, RUSH performed at the Pekin Memorial Arena in Illinois. 1976 was a good year for RUSH as they had four albums in total certified Gold. Fly By Night in April and 2112, All The World’s A Stage and A Farewell To Kings in November of that year.

Mercury Releases Two. March 20, 1976.³⁰

“Rush” “Merc” was added to all these radio stations on Radio and Records Friday, March 26, 1976. It does not say what the record title is but can conclude it would have been 2112 as confirmed in my correspondence with Donna Halper.

KZEW FM/DALLAS

WABX FM/DETROIT

WBAB FM/LONG ISLAND

WWCK FM/GREENBAY

WMMS FM/CLEVELAND

WQCM FM/HAGERSTOWN

Albums Pages 26 and 28. I compiled the list here in this graphic.³¹

Bootleg Discs copies from the RUSH 2112 concert at the Paramount Northwest Theatre, Seattle, Washington, Friday March 26, 1976 all courtesy William (By-Tor-X1) from his Website Rush Archives. All inclusive for each Bootleg CD.

Seattle Supersonic: (According to this Boot, they added Not Fade Away and You Can't Fight It, the very first single released on Moon Records in 1973. They were added as bonus tracks according to my source.

RUSH By-Tor's Battle:

RUSH ANTHEM OF SEATTLE: (Date cited October 26, 1976 is incorrect).

RUSH 2112 SEATTLE NIGHT:

RUSH 2112 DAYS: (Date cited 10/25/76 incorrect).

March 27 Billboard Recommended LPs

There are multiple sources for radio add ons for Rush 2112 in this issue including “Billboard Album Radio Action: Playlist Top Ad Ons*Top Requests/Airplay*Regional Break Out and National Break outs”.³²

Included is the article “Starwood Acts Move Up In Class” by Nat Freedland which states Rush at the “Starwood Club in West Hollywood” “this Spring”.

Full page ad on page 45 which Donna instructed me to go find.

“I hope I was helpful in your quest for when the album came out-- it certainly seemed like the last week in March was the right time... Further proof: two of the key album rockers that added it, last week of March. Billboard magazine, 3/27/76”.

“I am firmly convinced from all available evidence that March 26, not April 1, is when the album was released. Again, as a music director, I would never add a record if I didn't have a copy at the station. Also, there's this announcement from Record World magazine, March 20, 1976, p. 61, saying the album was being released in March". Correspondence from Donna to me, January 28, 2023.

2112 RUSH – Mercury SRM-1-1079

“The Canadian trio tackles a space odyssey on side one, filling the time with hard-hitting, heavy metal but with Geddy Lee's vocals surprisingly clear. "A Passage to Bangkok" and "Lessons," from the second side, are good individual tracks. An album sure to pass the Memorex test, in 2112 or today”.

*Addendum:

Regarding the Mercury release of the RUSH 2112 record.

"2112 took four weeks to record, and all in all it's the album we wanted to make, defiantly oblivious to other people's expectations"... "IN ANTICIPATION OF the album's release at the end of March, we hit the road to promote the thing", Pages 224 and 225.³⁴

*(Please see my recently published article entitled "What is the Canadian release date for the RUSH album 2112?" for my ongoing search as to the Canadian release which was later than the Mercury release in the United States of which I believe may possibly be April 5, 1976 on the Anthem label).

** New information is available on the Power Windows Website. Essentially, it is now published there that the 2112 concert tour began March 15, 1976 at The Starwood in West Hollywood, California of which two YouTube videos Uploaded on the Rush Archives Channel are cited, those being the Rush concert at Paramount Northwest Theatre, Seattle, Washington and Rush at the Nelson Center in Springfield, Illinois along with the March 5, 1976 Caress Of Steel video from Mark Moore.³⁵

Screenshots of the two most most important details regarding the 2112 concert start dates:

Congratulations, William! (Well maybe I had a little to do with that)!

We did it, Cygnus-X1 is changed now as well! All this work is recognized and I am absolutely thrilled. The next step is getting the Rush.com Website to update their site (I'm available and I'm good at what I do hint hint). As you can see, the March 26, 1976 venue is not correct. We now know that date occurred in Seattle, Washington at the Paramount Northwest Theatre and according to the citation in RUSH: Wandering the Face of the Earth in NOTES: "Rush's performance was allegedly by KZOK-FM and was to be broadcast on April 20, 1976-Seattle Times" (RWTFOTE Page 95, Skip Daly and Eric Hansen, INSIGHT EDITIONS, San Rafael, CA. Copyright 2019 [SRO YYZ Entertainment Group, Inc.]). And we know it is the first recording of any performance of 2112. This should be solved.

Conclusion.

This research paper is the end result of about nine months of research, collaboration and tons of typing and editing for me and contacts between the people mentioned within this document, those being myself, William who runs the By-Tor X-1 Twitter page and YouTube account. William is the instigator, my co-conspirator and partner in crime (I like that!). Thank you, William for reaching out.

According to my above Citation

(RWTFOTE, P. 94), Rush did begin playing parts of 2112 as early as February of 1976.³³ But we can confirm assuredly that it was played in concert on Friday March 26, 1976 as is evident with William's By-Tor X-1 YouTube Bootleg video recorded at the Paramount Northwest Theatre, Seattle, Washington as we clearly hear Geddy Lee stating both at the beginning of the song and at the end again that this is "side one of/from our new album 2112" at that concert on the Paramount Seattle recording.

The second factor we can confirm is that March 15th 1976 is the logical date when "The Tour Supporting 2112" began according to to the Mercury campaign and that 2112 was Patented on this date. And while there is evidence 2112 teasers may have performed previous to March 15th, we can see that this campaign began after a seven day break and the Setlist for the last concert before did not show any part of 2112.

Third. RUSH 2112 was performed in full for the 1996/7 for the Test For Echo Tour and never again.

I am pleased to publish these results and thank all who put up with my inquiries and questions.

Indeed this critical essay changes the long time narrative that the RUSH album 2112 was released on April 1st, 1976 and in fact is now proven beyond a shadow of a doubt it was indeed released on Friday March 26, 1976 with the tour starting March 15th.

“Anyway, with time running out for the start of Rush's first tour of the States and the band still not having a drummer, Danniels [sic] and Wilson desperately looking for a replacement for the departed John Rutsey. After auditioning several who weren't up to scratch Rush remembered Peart as being a drummer in the area who had sounded interesting. The managers got in touch with Peart, he auditioned and got the gig.

Says Peart: "lt just seemed to work out perfectly. We seemed to be musically suited to each other and I seemed to fit in with the kind of future directions they were talking about. Besides that we fitted together well personally - we found we had a lot of things in common." Quite how much impact Peart was to make on the band didn't manifest itself until the fourth album, '2112', was released in March, 1976”.

RUSH

By Brian Harrigan, published in 1982 by Omnibus Press, 80 pages, color & b/w photos, ISBN 0.86001.934.9

"Rush, the Canadian heavy metal megastars. This is their complete story - from early days in the suburbs of Toronto to their present envied position as the number one hard rock band on earth. Brian Harrigan writes for Melody Maker and was previously press officer for Rush in the UK."

This "book" is mirrored on the Cygnus-X1 Website, you can find them at these Hyper links:

I leave you all with this meme quote I made out of respect for Donna Halper and her kindness, willingness to correspond with, discuss my questions, dig into her archives and provide answers to the questions I have found. I gave it to her on the evening of January 28, 2023. By now, anyone who knows me online is aware I make RUSH memes. I began doing that as a way of grieving and in remembrance of Neil Peart. This paper is dedicated to Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee and Donna Halper. So I leave you all with this and thanks a lot for reading. I created that purple Starman to represent radio historian RUSH rock royalty that is Donna Halper and to represent the cooperation between William and I. “Boys and girls together”.

"Each of us

A cell of awareness

Imperfect and incomplete

Genetic blends

With uncertain ends

On a fortune hunt

That’s far too fleet…"

Neil Peart with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of RUSH, Freewill, Permanent Waves.

Thanks for the freebies to Permanent Waves at the Max Bell Arena and A Farewell To Kings at the Stampede Corral, I couldn't get tickets!! Your Canadian fangirl from the start.

Citations: ¹ Cashbox 1976-04-03,Rush/Stars P. 35 https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1976/Cash-Box-1976-04-03.pdf ² Record World 1976-04-03, A Real Rush, P. 42 https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/76/RR-1976-04-03.pdf

³ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/detailed-record/7789089 ⁴ Rush: The Masters of Prog Return - Classic Rock Magazine - October 2004 (cygnus-x1.net)

⁵ 5 March 1976 - Randhurst Twin Ice Arena, Mount Prospect, Illinois [Audio - Audience] | Rush Archives (rush-archives.net)

³⁴ Geddy Lee. My Effin' Life (New York : HarperCollins Publishers 2023), 224-225.

³⁵ https://csukaalice8.wixsite.com/alicelooknglass/post/the-rush-2112-concert-tour-began-march-15-1976-confirmed-on-the-power-windows-website

Andy Warhol like 2112 Tour art comp meme I made. I knew I was saving this art for something. This is why.

I was mistaken! RUSH played part of 2112 on Friday March 26th and I have corrected my Andy Warhol like art meme quote to reflect this truth. It is now made using Syrinx Font from the Rush Font Project.

Addendum:

On October 26th, 2006 the RUSH album 2112 was added to the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada as a "MasterWork" in the charitable foundation. However, the Government of Canada denied further funding that was $300,000 to the charity and further in time any Website Archives that include links from the various announcements still available Online are 404. They are not even available as archives in the Wayback Machine. I haven't been able to find anything distinct at Library and archives Canada on this fact (yet).

However, I did find this from the Winnipeg Free Press and will be keeping a copy for my files and adding it to my RUSH 2112 research project (for those of you familiar with that, if not, give it a read, it's good). RUSH 2112 is the only record I have any distinct memory of hearing for the first time and that's why it's one of the most important RUSH albums to me.

"This week, that fantastical rock opera “2112” – which blended synthesizers and sawing guitars with singer Geddy Lee’s high-pitch screech – is being preserved for the ages, theoretically, for the year 2112".

This is where Neil talked about early music they created that made him "cringe".

Parts of Rush’s’76 album ‘2112’ make drummer and lyricist Neil Peart cringe

Posted: 1:25 PM CDT Sunday, Oct. 22, 2006

TORONTO (CP) – Thirty years ago, Canadian power trio Rush predicted a bleak, post-apocalyptic world in the year 2112 with an eponymous concept album that would launch the struggling musicians to stardom.

This week, that fantastical rock opera “2112” – which blended synthesizers and sawing guitars with singer Geddy Lee’s high-pitch screech – is being preserved for the ages, theoretically, for the year 2112.

The album is one of a dozen historical pieces deemed a “MasterWork” by a committee tasked with preserving the best in Canadian television, film, radio, and music.

It’s an honour that is largely symbolic for drummer and lyricist Neil Peart, who wrote the futuristic theme in his early 20s, largely inspired by Ayn Rand’s’38 science fiction novella “Anthem”.

Today, parts of the groundbreaking album make him cringe, Peart admits, noting he was just 24 when he recorded it with front man Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson, who were both 23.

“To me, it’s raw and immature and all that it should be – it’s 30 years ago,” Peart says by phone from his home in Los Angeles.

“A lot of our early stuff does (make me cringe) but on the other hand, I know that it’s genuine.”

The themes of the album were heady stuff – touching on notions of individualism, self-expression and freedom.

But it was a sense of flat-out defiance that pushed the trio into more experimental territory, says Peart.

After three failed albums in the mid ’70s, the record company leaned heavily on the band for a commercial release. The situation had become “very precarious,” Peart says.

“That summer, we were unable to pay our road crew’s salaries or our own salaries and we had just finished a tour that we disparagingly called at the time, ‘The Down The Tubes Tour,’ because we were playing grotty little clubs and (were) the opening act on a five-act show and it was grim,” recalls Peart, noting that these days, the band would have been dropped by the label.

“Financially and spiritually, I had to look at the fact that the next year I might be back in the farm equipment business.”

But when Mercury Records demanded a hit single, the band got its back up. It churned out the complete opposite of what their bosses pushed for – a concept album, with an opening track that was no less than 20 minutes, 33 seconds long and took up the entire side of a vinyl LP.

“That album is full of just bitter anger and rebellion,” says Peart. “Nobody’s going to tell us what to do. And that spirit, I think, is what communicated itself to an audience and of course we toured non-stop and did everything we could to spread our music around, but inevitably, there was an intangible quality that reached people.”

“It was an important, pivotal turning point for us because it was the first one to become kind of successful against all predictions and against all musical popularity at the time.”

Although, “2112” was hardly the only epic out there.

Precursors included Genesis’ ambitious two-disc “Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” (1974) and Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” (1973).

But Stephen Ellis, chair of the MasterWorks committee, says the Rush album was a distinctive Canadian album for melding synthesizers and more modern instruments with the traditional rock sounds of the ’70s.

“These guys were pretty cutting edge with that sound,” Ellis says.

The Audio-Visual Preservation Trust selects a dozen cultural pieces every year for preservation, offering funds for those in danger of being lost.

Other selections this year include what’s considered Canada’s first homegrown TV hit, “The Pig & Whistle,” of which there are only two surviving episodes; the recordings of soprano singer Pierrette Alarie and her husband, the late tenor Leopold Simoneau; and the body of work by avant-garde jazz musician Paul Bley.

The inclusion of the Rush album is largely symbolic as it’s not in need of preservation.

Peart says Rush’s original multi-track tapes are safely stored in a Toronto vault. The band recently remastered its studio releases.

Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean is expected to be among those attending a ceremony in Toronto on Oct. 26 honouring this year’s selections.

Source (added Thursday October 26, 2023): https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/historic/2006/10/22/parts-of-rushs76-album-2112-make-drummer-and-lyricist-neil-peart-cringe

Link to my interview and PowerPoint presentation conversations with Johnny Racine on his YouTube Channel Aspie Drummer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIblgn6IhFo

AliceThroughTheLookingGlass

The true history and release date of RUSH 2112 and other albums facts.

Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal

By Brian Harrigan, published in 1982 by Omnibus Press, 80 pages, color & b/w photos, ISBN 0.86001.934.9

Parts of Rush’s’76 album ‘2112’ make drummer and lyricist Neil Peart cringe

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