Rush
R50 UME/MERCURY/ANTHEM RECORDS
Fifty reasons why three Canadian oddballs became a treasured part of rock history.
Given that Rush began playing heavy blues rock that saw them pegged as Canada’s Led Zeppelin, it is worth reflecting how far they flew from that worthy starting point. R50 does exactly that.
It is available in five configurations. Most lavish are the Super Deluxe Edition (a golden box containing newly packaged seven vinyl albums, four CDs, two hardcover books and 20 song-inspired prints) and the Rush Backstage Exclusive Super Deluxe Edition (adding “a bonus pack of four lithos”). The 7LP and 4CD versions also feature some new artwork etc. Finally, there’s a digital option. The visual extras (by the band’s long-time creative director Hugh Syme, naturally) are stunning, but it matters more that R50 is a chronological 50-track anthology that documents Rush’s five-decade arc from their debut single in 1973 to literally the trio’s final performance.