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Prog magazine asks 40 famous fans about their favorite Rush songs

Sat, Jan 3, 2015@10:40AM | comments

Issue #52 of the UK's Prog magazine contains a cover feature on Rush and is now available for purchase in the UK. The cover is a collage of 40 Rush-related images, with the taglines Rush Chronicles: New album? New tour? Rush reveal all, R40: 40 years of the most important band you've ever heard, and 40 famous Rush fans choose their 40 favorite Rush songs. This latter feature is now available online (registration required) and includes short interviews with 40 famous Rush fans talking about the band and some of their favorite songs. Here are a few of the notable ones:

TERRY BROWN (PRODUCER) "The Twilight Zone is a little gem with a very strong lead guitar motif from Alex, Ged's verse vocals up in the stratosphere and then the chorus slipping into an eerie flanged vocal that is in the 'zone'. This is all held together by Neil's very concise, driving percussion closing with the airy guitar solo which makes this one of my favourite Rush tunes."

TAYLOR HAWKINS "The live version of A Passage To Bangkok off Exit... Stage Left is probably my favourite Rush moment of all time. I like this more than the album version; the feel is a bit funkier and some of the drumming is absolutely not of this world. Exit... Stage Left is probably my favourite Rush record, and this is definitely my favourite track from this record."

STEVEN WILSON "I'd go for The Camera Eye from Moving Pictures. For me, this is Rush continuing in the tradition of their incredible 70s epics, but achieving something more structured and lyrically mature. As with the whole of the Moving Pictures album, it strikes a perfect balance between the power trio format of the 70s and the more layered keyboard- dominated sounds to come. It's also got one of the great Alex Lifeson guitar solos - among so many!"

MIKE PORTNOY "If I had to pick the quintessential Rush song, it would have to be La Villa Strangiato. When I was a teenager in the early 80s and in the heat of my deepest Rush influence, that was the benchmark for instrumental prowess. Not only for us drummers, but also for fellow bass players - that quick bass and drum breakdown - and guitarists - perhaps still Alex Lifeson's greatest recorded solo. "As I also stated in the Beyond The Lighted Stage film, to us blossoming musicians at the time, La Villa... was the ultimate musical challenge to learn, as no other instrumental song in rock history had that level of technical precision."

You can read the entire article online here. The issue also includes an interview with Neil Peart where he talks about his latest book Far and Near: On Days Like These, and you can read a teaser of the interview online here. Thanks to RushFanForever for the heads up.

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