Rush: Chemistry: The Definitive Biography

by Jon Collins

Acclaimed Marillion biographer Jon Collins draws on hundreds of hours of new interviews to tell the full in-depth story of the enduring Canadian trio who refused to compromise their music and avoided the typical rock and roll lifestyle. From early days in Canada to platinum albums, stadium shows, and the world’s stage, taking in tragedy, triumphs, and a wealth of great music, this is the meticulous and definitive study of one of rock’s great enigmas. From early triumphs such as the classic concept album 2112 , on to their first hit single “Spirit of Radio” and beyond to Moving Pictures , “Tom Sawyer,” and more pop-oriented 1990s material, Rush have continued to make groundbreaking and original music that has sold in the millions.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

254 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why can't there be a half-star rating?

People know I love Rush, and that love is the only thing that keeps me reading this piece of trash. The writing is atrocious. Chemistry reads like a half-assed researched college paper in which words are strung together more or less coherently to cover the lack of any real understanding of the subject. Really, it's astounding in its awfulness. But I'm still reading it, mainly because every 20 pages or so an interesting tidbit come up. No examples spring to mind at the moment.

It's obvious no one other than the author read it, and it's possible even he didn't. Sentences that make no literal sense, statements that contradict previous statements, quotes that appear without attribution, repetition of verbal tics that any writer would excise immediately; every first-draft error ever committed to paper pops up in Chemistry. If it's possible to write a pre-first-draft draft then Jon Collins has written it.

[Jeff Koskinen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jon Collins does a good job delving into the details of the band (studio time, production, songs, record company) but doesn’t spend much time on the people, which was a little disappointing. However, I had read “Separated Out”, which was a similar book that he wrote about Marillion and knew what to expect and enjoyed the book overall.

This is definitely a book for people who are really into Rush, as I was very interested in the specifics about the recording of each album, the tours etc... If you are newer to the band, a casual fan or just interested in learning more about the band that has built the most loyal and devoted following of this generation (big statement but I believe that), I’d check out the fantastic documentary “Beyond the Lighted Stage”.

[David Mundy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sprawling chaotic book which mixes some interesting information about the band and their music with a lot of diversions of marginal relevance, which make it hard to absorb what's useful. Personally I'm not keen on the busy layout - it's hard to focus. Although the author is clearly an enthusiast who knows and appreciates the music, the text would not encourage me were I not already a fan. Though the report of Rupert Hine urging Geddy Lee, successfully, to lower his vocal pitch, made sense, and improvement followed...

[Danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a RUSH fan. I guess that is obvious. Why else would I be reading this book? This book was okay. I gave it a 3/5 because there were a lot of parts that could put me to sleep. Those parts were having to do with the business part of being a band, producing, the label, other personnel, etc... I also felt that the author could have included more personal information. There was very little about the member's of RUSH's families, or what they do when they are not touring or recording. The author didn't mention any of Neil Peart's books! (What is he, jealous?) And a lot of the material was stuff I already knew. What I did find interesting were the little grey boxes that contained trivia or short stories. They were kind of fun. I also liked the author's review of their albums/CDs. The book also included a lot of extras, such as photographs, discography, a list of people that RUSH was involved with, and those grey boxes I mentioned. I read this in 2014, several years after the book was published. So some of the material was outdated. Would I recommend it? I don't know... If you are a hardcore RUSH fan, maybe. If not, I think you would be better off skipping this one.

[adri patamoma · Rating 3 out of 5]

este livro é legalzinho. se você gosta muito, muito, mas muito *mesmo* de rush, pode gostar dele. ainda assim, ele não chega aos pés dos livros escritos pelo próprio peart. mesmo comparando com outros livros que dissecam a história da banda (como o meu favorito 'contents under pressure: 30 years of rush at home and away'), este livro é só mediano e deixou a desejar.

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this is an okay book. if you absolutely love rush, you might like it. even then, it's not as nearly as good as peart's books, and even comparing it to other books that tell us a bit about rush's story (as my personal favorite 'contents under pressure: 30 years of rush at home and away'), this book is only okay and a little disappointing.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has some interesting tid-bits about Rush, and informative behind-the-scenes accounts of their recording process. It also has just as many uninteresting tid-bits about the dozens of people connected with Rush - people that even die-hard fans have never heard of. If you're a HUGE Rush fan, you might want to check it out. But if not, I don't recommend it.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about the beginnings of the band until the early 2000's. Not a lot of personal information in this book, as it mostly centres around things which concern the band. I do like the side notes which appear frequently throughout giving little stories about events,people met or places. A must read for any Rush fan

[David Maurer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a good writer - in fact, he has the writing ability of a bright high school student - but there is a treasure trove of information that isn't available elsewhere in these pages. If you're a Rush fan, that alone is reason enough to ignore the poor grammar and endless hyperbole.

[Phil Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Again, I'm hardly unbiased here.