Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away

by Martin Popoff

Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home & Away is a detailed history of the exhaustive road experience of Canadian rock icons Rush. Celebrating the band’s 30th anniversary, By-Tour features in-depth original interviews with Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart. Together, history’s loudest Order of Canada recipients conjure the sights and sounds of their strange journey: one that began in the microscopic, sometimes hostile clubs of Ontario and culminated in hockey barns, arenas, and stadiums all over the world. Rush have been headliners for over 20 years. The announcement of an impending Rush tour is major entertainment news all over the world, and a cause for celebration for the fanatical following the band has created with their grace, humour, intellect, focus, and spellbinding musicianship. A visitor to this book will be justly rewarded with fresh, exclusive insights about this enigmatic Canadian institution.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Canada, History

200 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

About the author

At approximately 7900 (with over 7000 appearing in his books), Martin has unofficially written more record reviews than anybody in the history of music writing across all genres. Additionally, Martin has penned approximately 85 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock and record collecting. He was Editor-In-Chief of the now retired Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, Canada’s foremost metal publication for 14 years, and has also contributed to Revolver, Guitar World, Goldmine, Record Collector, bravewords.com, lollipop.com and hardradio.com, with many record label band bios and liner notes to his credit as well. Additionally, Martin has been a regular contractor to Banger Films, having worked for two years as researcher on the award-winning documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, on the writing and research team for the 11-episode Metal Evolution and on the ten-episode Rock Icons, both for VH1 Classic. Additionally, Martin is the writer of the original metal genre chart used in Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and throughout the Metal Evolution episodes. Martin currently resides in Toronto and can be reached through martinp@inforamp.net or www.martinpopoff.com.

Reviews

[Michael Abbattista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Martin Popoff (one of his earliest) that profiles Rush in an "album per chapter" format. Thoughts on every album and accompanying tour from all three band members and a ton of great pictures as well. No one does these types of books better than Popoff.

[TENN2ARIZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun review of Rush's first 30 years or so; it concludes with the "Rush in Rio" and "Vapor Trails" albums, but does not include Neil Peart's death, may he rest in peace. A great, musically talented band.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book 5 stars because author Martin Popoff writes about his (and my) favourite group with unabashed abandon. He describes songs, albums and tours in his own terminology. In describing YYZ(ed) for example, "It is short, obliquely humorous, fired to a smart, tart sheen in the crucible of rhythm, and it is swimmingly enjoyable." I get that much more than some dry description about how the boys trade solos that showcase their musicianship.

The interviews are thoroughly enjoyable and I learned a thing or two. Martin asks from a fan's point of view not just someone who needs words to fill the page and the Boys don't disappoint. I loved the Boys' take on albums, songs, tours and supporting bands. Also there are many exciting photos that are best viewed with an eReader app on your phone or tablet.

Whether you agree with Martin's opinions or not, overall, this book takes you on a 30 year time machine tour that makes you want to listen to their whole discography as each album or song is dissected and watch the live DVDs.

[Andy Steiner]

Look: I'm having a challenging month. I'm allowed a little Rush book that I read when I was 12 as a treat.

Love the album-by-album descriptions. But I always find it so fascinating how the band sees their own discography compared to what I, a two decades long fan, see it as. To compare what records they see as the most satisfying to make/listen back to. To hear how they decided to adjust their process, whaat they saw as a particular growth are or new focus for an album. Not liking Signals? Roll the Bones as one of the best of their entire '80s and '90s areas? Crazy!

Reading this as a music critic now instead of the last time I read it (eighth grade) was also interesting. I certainly would've treated the descriptions of each album differently, asked different questions about their album-making process. As a piece of music journalism, it's very Stick To The Facts and Quotes. But I want more! More color! More depth!

[Marc Diepstraten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers all albums of Rush until Vapor Trails, and their 30th Anniversary tour. It is the band themselves providing commentary to the albums and subsequent tours. Beautiful photos are mixed in. The content itself is about incoherent since certain albums are more fondly remembered than others. It is of course a treat reading their stories and the boys remembering anecdotes of the time. But it feels like more structure could have been provided, a bit more prodding by Popoff. Of course Rush provides as much info about themselves and their work as they would care to. They have always been of the opinion to let everything speak for itself. Still... for any Rush fan this is mandatory reading however.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fast read for Rush fans. I enjoyed the chrological order of the records and tours. I wasn't born yet when Rush started out and was a late in their career fan so following along trough the early days up through their 30 years was enjoyable.

[pianogal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read - especially for those of us who are novices. Good place to start with Rush.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contents Under Pressure, written by Martin Popoff, tells what happened to Rush since the beginning of their band. The band Rush formed in 1974, consisting of the members Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, and Neil Peart. All the band members hail from Canada and are credited with creating the rock genre of progressive rock. This book gave me a lot of information about the band and what happened during their years.
This book is written in the genre of a biography, so the plot basically tells the reader what happened on Rush's tours. Rush began in the year of 1976 actually making albums, the first album the band ever made was entitled Rush. After the first album the band started to gain fame, so John Rustier quit the band, because of his diabetes that he had at the time. The two other members left then began looking for a new drummer, and in this process they found Neil Peart. The first album the band released, when Neil Peart became the drummer, was Fly by Night. On this album the band did not gain any fame, but they did widen their fan base. After Fly by Night, Rush came out with Caress of Steel, which many considered to be a horrible album. Throughout 1975 to 1980 Rush came out with the albums 2112, Farewell to Kings, and Hemispheres. In 1980 the band moved into a different type of rock genre when the album, Permanent Waves, which created a even bigger fan base. This album was played on the radio quite often, so people that had never heard of Rush now knew of the band. Permanent Waves set the stage for Moving Pictures, which the band released in 1981 featuring their most popular song, "Tom Sawyer". The song "Tom Sawyer" brought Rush to the attention of many people, and by now the band created one of the most loyal fan bases ever. After Moving Pictures, the band went into their synthesizer years, which started with Signals, released in 1982. Throughout these years, Rush came out with Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, and Hold Your Fire. Then in 1991, Rush released the album Roll the Bones, and since 90's music had made an appearance on the musical world, Rush decide to go into the grunge sound. During their grunge records, Counterparts and Test for Echo, Rush not only had their huge fan base, but they also got big support from regular grunge listeners. Now the band has released Snakes and Arrows in 2007. Rush actually is third in all time albums sold.
Rush consists of three members: Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, and Neil Peart. Alex Lifeson is the guitarist for Rush. His nickname is "King of Prog" since he laid the foundation for progressive rock. Even though he is not considered a great guitarist, he has more technical skill. Geddy Lee plays bass and sings. Lee is considered by many to be one of the top bassists of all time, and his vocals are high and shrieking. Neil Peart approaches drumming intellectually rather than just feeling the song; the reason for this claim is that "rock experts" say that he is the best drummer in the history of rock. When these elements are combined together, they sound like a six man band, which is why they impress so many people.
Contents Under Pressure gave me a huge insight into Rush's albums. Martin Popoff gave a ton of information on the band Rush and what has happened in their lives since the beginning. This is a must read for Rush fans, and if you want to know more about the band, read the book. I give the book two thumbs up. Martin Popoff did an excellent job with this book.

[Scott Holstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this authorized biography of Rush, as would any fan I think. Even people who aren't big Rush fans might find it an interesting read. The book starts from the first album, Rush, back in the early 1970s. This book celebrates 30 years of Rush, and it covers every album -- including live ones -- all the way up through 2002's Vapor Trails. The book equally covers each album -- and each song on each album -- and the accompanying tour that went with it, starting from Rush opening for KISS to headlining major festivals around the world. I already knew quite a bit about the band, but this book really filled in some gaps for me and added some personality with all of the quotes from Geddy, Alex, and Neil. It was pretty good stuff! I enjoyed reading about what their favorite songs were, as well as albums, particularly the lesser known later albums, which I've developed a late appreciation for over time. I only have two areas of disappointment, one of which couldn't be helped. First, the book was published in 2004, so it couldn't cover the very good Snakes & Arrows album from 2007 and it obviously couldn't cover this year's masterful Clockwork Angels. I would have liked to read what the band had to say about that one. Thus the one "real" area of disappointment with the book is the fact that the band's always original album art is rarely discussed and I would have loved to know how the covers for Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, and A Farewell to Kings came about. What was the thinking behind them? How were they produced? It does touch briefly on the Moving Pictures shoot, but really, there's not much there on the album cover art. The book does delve deeply into the song writing process, and I found that interesting because I had always heard Neil did all the writing, but apparently all three do, Geddy more so than Alex, with Neil carrying the bulk of it. But Geddy's got to be able to sing his songs with conviction, so there's real collaboration. That was interesting. I also found it interesting to note how different they are from so many other bands, for one thing, in wanting to stick to studio-style songs in their concerts rather than improvising. They want their performances to mirror the mastery of their albums, which they put a lot into. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I guess I can respect that. The book briefly covers Neil's tragedy of losing his wife and daughter to death in the same year and how the band didn't know if they'd ever play again. Vapor Trails was their first album back together again after four years apart and it's a surprisingly strong album. I like it very much, and they do too. Though I think they view Moving Pictures -- with the song, "Tom Sawyer," -- as their true defining moment. It's what separated their past prog rock clubs and small arenas popularity to their later huge arena-filling popularity. That's the album that got me listening to Rush way back when. It was a defining album for me too.

This fall, I've read a decent book on Journey and now on Rush. Next I have one on Queen lined up, and it's huge! It covers every album and every song Queen ever did, in greater detail than this Rush book does. This book was hugely enjoyable and while I feel it could have been three times longer with much more material, I do feel it captured the essence of the band fairly well and even though I would rarely give a band bio five stars, I'm doing so this time because my complaints are minimal and my enjoyment was great. Recommended.

[MB KARAPCIK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for fans. Some hard-core ones may find the book is a little sparse on stories or more in-depth analyses of songs. It covers every recording from their first album with original drummer John Rutsey to the 30th anniversary tour.

My copy of the book is older, so it does not discuss Snakes and Arrows, which catapulted them back into the fray and won them more popularity and fans, or Clockwork Angels. Despite being a fan since my tween years in the 1980s, I didn’t see them until 2007 with my husband. Who else would I have gone with?!

It also does not discuss Neil’s illness, death, and legacy, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the book I’m reviewing here received an update. At the time of his passing, I wasn’t blogging too much, so I never wrote about it, but it was hard to take and know that they will very definitely not reunite again. If I only had a time machine…

I’m excited to dig into the new book, Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth, that chronicles every tour on which they embarked. I enjoyed hearing Geddy, Alex, and Neil express their thoughts on the albums and tours, but I needed more. I bought it last year when it came out but haven’t dug in to it yet.

Be sure to check out the documentary about the band, Beyond the Lighted Stage, if you want to learn more about them. I have to say I’m not too crazy about the documentary that followed it about their last tour. It tended to be very maudlin when I thought it should be more celebratory like Beyond was.

[Otto Lehto · Rating 3 out of 5]

A semi-decent album-by-album coverage of the life of Rush.

Mostly as told by the band members themselves, through interviews.

The author Popoff, according to the blurb, has written over 20 books of this sort about various rock bands. And it shows. For good and bad. He knows how to put things together in an accessible way, but the "rockumentarian," fanboy-serving, flashy style doesn't shine light "beyond the lighted stage."

All the band's tours, producers and studios are accounted for, almost to the point of nausea, and one gets the feeling that the life of a rockstar is almost a clockwork repetition of writing, recording, touring - and, well, the same all over again. That's all fine and good, but it doesn't always make for exciting reading.

The best parts are about the band members' own retrospective thoughts on the albums themselves. Equally interesting are the life details of the band members, but these are only alluded to, not prosecuted at length. Lots of promise is squandered, and this is not a sufficient biography.

Overall, a superficial but entertaining book with some good, but haphazardly organized interview material.

(PS. I was unfortunate enough to read the atrocious Finnish translation.)

[Janne Paananen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martin Popoffin Rush-historiikki keskittyy levytyksiin ja kiertueisiin. Hän on haastatellut Rush-kolmikkoa käyden läpi kronologisesti heidän koko uran Vapor Trails-levyyn ja sitä seuranneeseen 30-vuotiskiertueeseen asti. Geddyn, Alexin ja Neilin ääni kuuluu läpi koko kirjan. Hyvin yksinkertainen rakenne on erittäin toimiva ja simppeli. Koko pakettiin on taitettu messevä määrä Andrew MacNaughtanin valokuvia. Tässä ei siis voi isommin nillittää mistään muusta kuin, että ihan valtavan syvälle bändin jäsenten ihon alle päästä, eikä pyritäkään. Mutta tämän opus antaa erinomaisen kokonaiskuvat Rushin musiikista.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the midst of Rush's 40-city tour to promote its 30th anniversary, this book looks back on the progressive rock bands progress through intertwining discography with gigography. This authorized tour overview is replete with candidate remarks and insight garnered from interviews with Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart. The book also features many photographs from official band photographer Andrew MacNaughtan. Conveniently broken into a chapter dedicated for each release and the corresponding tour, this book serves not only as band biography, but also excellent reading while enjoying classic albums from the Canadian prog rock trio.

[g-na · Rating 5 out of 5]

That's right, I read a book about a band I like :P This wasn't a fan club "Omg what kind of stuff do they like?!" book. Instead, the author spoke with the band about how it was to record and tour for each of the album they had released up to this point (2004, the 30th anniversary of the release of their first album). Being familiar with all of the albums in question, it was fun to hear things like why they chose to go in a particular direction, and how their live show has evolved over the years. Recommended for fans of the band.

[Don Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An album-by-album, tour-by-tour dissection of the first 30 years of Rush. Popoff interviews the Boys and brings forth their recollections and opinions of each step of the adventure. He reveals some pretty new and interesting details and helps provide a deeper glimpse into the band.
Some of the chapters feel incomplete, writing-wise. Overall, a good read if you are into Rush. Some of the interviews are similar - if not exact - statements from other sources, but there are instances where it is quite obvious that Popoff was directly interviewing the Boys and is quite new.

[Benjamin Kahn · Rating 2 out of 5]

An official book, so Popoff wrote this with the band's approval. Unfortunately, you can tell as he has written glowing reviews of albums that he was much more disparaging of elsewhere. Every album is great and unique in this book, unfortunately, the official status costs Popoff his journalistic integrity.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. I am torn about this one. I am a huge Rush fan and learned a few things about the band, though I can't say I am huge fan of Popoff's writing, which is overblown in his introductions to each album. It is almost like liner-note language times ten. The book definitely gets stronger towards the late 1990s and early 2000s, where the chapters are longer and more detailed.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about the band I love, Rush. It goes through each album up to the R30 (maybe we will get an update to include R40?). I love the pictures and the guys describing their memories of the writing/recording of their albums. Author put tour info in and other interesting tidbits. Learned a few new things and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Michael Lello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exhaustive but a quick read. Nice, structured rundown of every Rush album and tour, up to and including R30, with in-depth interviews with all three members. Lots of illuminating facts and opinions, even for the knowledgeable fan. Would have liked to read about Peart's decision to return after his personal tragedies, but I assume he chose not to talk about it.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a die-hard Rush fan, I adored this book. It dedicates a full chapter to each of the bands album releases (including live albums). It is quite in depth and mostly recounts memories of each album (recording, tours, etc.). from each band member. I highly recommend this book for any Rush fan.

[adri patamoma · Rating 5 out of 5]

livro essencial pros fãs da banda! neil, alex e geddy comentam todos os álbuns e turnês do rush, contando histórias, lembranças, gostos, etc. a-do-rei! (é uma delícia ver que músicas não tão conhecidas mas ainda assim favoritas são também muito queridas dos músicos do rush!)

[Tiara Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm biased on this book. I love Rush so anything about them I'm almost sure to like. I really liked the photos that they were able to bring together for this book though--their look over the years was crazy to see lol

[Mark Reiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick read. It details each record and tour up to the R30 tour as told by the band members. It's packed with pictures and you'll get a good dose of Neil being personal and generous with his take on Popoff's queries. Well worth the time if you're a fan.

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biography of my favorite band.

[Natalie]

I'm not sure I actually want to buy the book, but as a long-time Rush fan (over 1/3 of my life!) I'd love to at least read it. I'll have to see if the library can get it for me :-)

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

For Rush fans...lots of good pictures with some interesting historical tidbits. Horribly written, however.

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dive into the world of Rush. From their humble beginnings, personnel change, times on tour & what goes behind the writing & music, this is a must have for all Rush fans.

[Mike Chinakos · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite band! What can I say?

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of interviews and photos from Rush's beginning up to the beginning of R30.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book, written clearly for die-hard fans. Content mainly covers the music rather than personal lives. If you are a die-hard, you probably won't find anything new in here.