Rush

Not to be confused with the Strife with the camo pants and Converses (or the Rush with the By-Tor and the Snow Dog), this power trio came out of England swords swinging – only to mostly get met with indifference, partly from fans and partly from their own record label. With music as wild as their hair and a sound that pulled influences out of everywhere from Birmingham to Motown, their debut (of two), Rush, had everything you’d expect from a top-shelf heavy prog act: a song about the Native Americans, a 12-minute suite, racially insensitive artwork. Despite the excellence on display, the lack of a consistent sound may have hobbled them. Opener “Backstreets of Heaven” takes the listener on a guided tour of Paradise’s dangerous back alleys, “Man of the Wilderness” resembles the band in the album title the most, “Magic of the Dawn” shines like a rainbow, and “Life is Easy” shows the influence of their fellow Liverpudlians. The title track is where they really let it all fly for 12 glorious minutes. They’d clearly been paying attention to early Scorpions and Hawkwind, and they take the listener on a wild ride through space and time. Ultimately a curiosity, it’s still a shame Chrysalis never let them follow through on their first salvo.