Animate
Stick It Out
Cut To The Chase
Nobody's Hero
Between Sun and Moon *
Alien Shore
The Speed Of Love
Double Agent
Leave That Thing Alone ***
Cold Fire
Everyday Glory
Produced by Peter Collins & Rush
Engineered by Kevin (Caveman) Shirley
Released October, 1993
CD: ANMD 1067
Alex Lifeson's Attitude Adjustment - on Counterparts guitar sound
Q Magazine (12/93, p.122) - 3 Stars - Good
...There's enough virtually great stuff [on COUNTERPARTS] to turn that sneer
into a low whistle of praise...
Entertainment Weekly (10/29/93, p.74)
...COUNTERPARTS is [Rush's] leanest, tightest effort in ages..." -
Rush - Biography
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This Canadian heavy rock band comprised Geddy Lee (b. Gary Lee Weinrib, 29 July
1953, Willowdale, Toronto, Canada; keyboards, bass, vocals), Alex Lifeson (b. Alex
Zivojinovich, 27 August 1953, British Columbia, Canada; guitar) and John Rutsey (drums).
From 1969-72 they performed in Toronto playing a brand of Cream -inspired
material, honing their act on the local club and bar circuit. In 1973 they recorded
a version of Buddy Holly 's 'Not Fade Away' as their debut release, backing it with
'You Can't Fight It', for their own label, Moon Records. Despite failing to grab
the attention as planned, the group pressed ahead with the recording of a debut album,
which was remixed by Terry 'Broon' Brown. Brown would continue to work with the band
until 1984's Grace Under Pressure. With no bite from the majors, once again
this arrived via Moon, with distribution by London Records. However, at least the
quality of the group's live appointments improved, picking up support slots with
the New York Dolls in Canada and finally crossing the US border to play gigs with
ZZ Top. Eventually Cliff Burnstein of Mercury Records (who would later also sign
Def Leppard ) heard the band, and his label would reissue the group's debut. At this
point Neil Peart (b. 12 September 1952, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; drums, ex-Hush),
who was to be the main songwriter of the band, replaced Rutsey, and Rush undertook
their first full tour of the USA. Rush's music was typified by Lee's oddly high-pitched
voice, a tremendously powerful guitar sound, especially in the early years, and a
recurrent interest in science fiction and fantasy from the pen of Neil Peart. Later
he would also conceptualize the work of authors such as John Barth, Gabriel Garcia
Marquez and John Dos Passos. This approach reached its zenith in the group's 1976
concept album, 2112, based on the work of novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand, which
had as its central theme the concept of individual freedom and will. Including a
20-minute title track that lasted all of side one, it was a set that crystallized
the spirit of Rush for both their fans and detractors. However, the band's most popular
offering, A Farewell To Kings, followed by Hemispheres in 1978, saw
Peart finally dispense with his 'epic' songwriting style. By 1979 Rush were immensely
successful worldwide, and the Canadian Government awarded them the title of official
Ambassadors of Music. As the 80s progressed Rush streamlined their image to become
sophisticated, clean-cut, cerebral music-makers. Some early fans denigrated their
determination to progress musically with each new album, though in truth the band
had thoroughly exhausted its earlier style. They enjoyed a surprise hit single in
1980 when 'Spirit Of Radio' broke them out of their loyal cult following, and live
shows now saw Lifeson and Lee adding keyboards for a fuller sound. Lee's vocals had
also dropped somewhat from their earlier near-falsetto. The best recorded example
of the band from this period is the succinct Moving Pictures from 1981, a
groundbreaking fusion of technological rock and musical craft that never relies on
the former at the expense of the latter. However, their career afterwards endured
something of a creative wane, with the band at odds with various musical innovations.
Despite this, live shows were still exciting events for the large pockets of fans
the band retained all over the world, and in the powerful Hold Your Fire in
1987 they proved they were still able to scale former heights. In 1994 the band agreed
to a break for the first time in their career, during which Lifeson worked on his
Victor side project. They returned in 1996 with Test For Echo. Often
criticized for lyrical pretension and musical grandstanding - unkind critics have
suggested that Rush is exactly what you get if you let your drummer write your songs
for you - they nevertheless remain Canada's leading rock attraction.
Album Notes
Rush: Alex Lifeson (electric & acoustic guitars); Geddy Lee (bass, vocals, synthesizer); Neil Peart (drums, cymbals, electronic percussion). Additional personnel: Michael Kamen (conductor); John Webster (keyboards). Principally recorded at McClear Pathe, Toronto, Canada from April to June 1993. "Leave That Thing Alone" was nominated for a 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Reuniting with POWER WINDOWS/HOLD YOUR FIRE producer Peter Collins, Rush released their fifteenth studio album (and nineteenth overall). During its recording, guitarist Alex Lifeson wanted the album to be more hard rock-oriented, while bassist Geddy Lee was content with their recent excursions in melodic pop. Lifeson must have won the battle, because COUNTERPARTS is a harder-rocking affair than Rush's previous several albums. It's also the strongest and most consistent set of songs the band had composed in a while, with a grittier feel (an element sorely missed by fans of the band's 1970s work). COUNTERPARTS contains at least one track that deals with a topical issue (as in 1989's anti-suicide "The Pass," etc.)--"Nobody's Hero" is Rush's analysis of the AIDS situation. But not all of the tracks were conceived as lyrical epics; the opening "Animate" and "Stick It Out" delight in the strength of the band's re-discovered hard rock chops. And while the sheer force of "Cut To the Chase" serves as the track's catalyst, the band's pop sensibilities come back into play on the album's closer, "Everyday Glory." COUNTERPARTS is Rush's greatest work of the '90s.