February 15, 1975 - Fly By Night

About a year since their eponymous debut, Rush released their second album "Fly By Night" on February 15, 1975. Drummer John Rutsey has since left the band, due in part to complications from his diabetes causing touring to be difficult for him. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson auditioned five drummers and were blown away by their choice for new bandmate, Neil Peart. Peart would become Rush's main lyricist (though Lee does write some) and he brought an interest of fantasy lyrics and more progressive music. Let's check out this new Rush!

Side one begins with "Anthem", which opens with a quick, cool guitar riff by Lifeson and we hear what Peart's capable of in the first minute, as he plays some pretty good drums. Lee sings overtop a cool riff in the verse and he shows us how high he can go in the chorus with his "wonders in the world"! Geddy plays some sweet bass as well and there's a short stop-and-start guitar bit between verses. After another chorus, it's time for a Lifeson guitar solo, and he does a fantastic job! Geddy's backing bass is pretty cool too, but the solo is pretty sweet. After one final verse, the song ends with another epic stop-and-start part with some great fills by Peart. A great way to start the album. Up next is "Best I Can" and Peart kicks it off with a nice rock beat, and already it's plain to see that Neil's excellent playing isn't just in big drum fills, it spices up every little part of the song, giving this rock beat a nice bit of extra awesome. Lifeson plays a catchy, cool guitar riff as Geddy sings lyrics that he wrote on this song. It's definitely a hoppin' beat and it sounds pretty good, especially when Lifeson takes off for another solo. He does a wonderful job again and Peart continues to play some really great drums throughout. This leads right into the chorus and this song is over after one final verse. Track 3 is "Beneath, Between & Behind" and has great contributions from everyone in this song as we hear a cool guitar riff, great bass, fantastic drums, and I would even say some great half-yell singing by Geddy! This all combines for a hard-hitting rock riff that sounds really good. Lifeson plays some particularly sweet guitar and another short solo of his segues briefly into a new cool riff. It's not long before they're back to the chorus though, and after a bit more great jamming this short song comes to a close. These first 3 songs have all been in the same hard rock style as their debut album, but the side closer, "By-Tor & The Snow Dog" is Rush's first dip into the progressive pool, with a fantasy story written by Peart for the lyrics, about an epic battle between two dogs. He also plays some fantastic drums right from the get-go and he's just so quick and precise! Geddy and Alex play a cool, but basic riff as Geddy sings about the Netherworld and other epic fantasy subjects. His wonderful bass playing takes it to a new part where we hear some very low, very trippy noises. This effect is made using a bass pedal played by Geddy and it is quite the noise, almost like a low growl. Lifeson plays some trippy guitar overtop, that turns into a full blown solo! He plays some superb stuff, and then it's Neil's turn to shine as he delivers a couple short, amazing drum fills. The next part is a cool riff that starts with eight notes, then the next bar they go down to 7, then 6 and so on in a cool descending scale. This ends with an epic flourish and Rush show their progressive side by segueing into a slow, trippy part with wind chimes and some slow guitar. This part's cool, but a big drop-off from earlier and they move into a more traditional slow rock riff. Lifeson plays a slow solo overtop that sounds pretty good and in a nice segue they bring it back to the original riff. Geddy tells us that Snow Dog has defeated By-Tor and the overworld is saved! I thought most of this song was pretty great and Peart lets us all be wowed just as Geddy and Alex were with his superb drumming skills.

Side two opens with the title track, "Fly By Night" and it's carried by a simple, but catchy guitar riff as Lee and Peart play a solid rhythm section. Geddy sings nicely along with the music and it's no surprise this was a successful single as it's a catchy tune that's easy to follow, especially the very basic chorus. Lifeson delivers another great guitar solo as he just keeps whipping up lots of great stuff. After another chorus, it moves to a slow part briefly with some nice bass, then it's back for a couple more rounds of the chorus before this upbeat song finally comes to an end. The next song is called "Making Memories" as a cool acoustic guitar riff by Lifeson leads the way as Geddy sings softly overtop. The quick acoustic continues as the bass and drums join in and the lyrics are about enjoying your time on the road and creating great memories. Lifeson plays a cool electric guitar solo on top of the main riff and as usual he fits the mood really well. After another verse and chorus Lifeson plays the song out with an even better electric solo than earlier as he steps up his game. Track 7 is titled "Rivendell" as Peart was inspired to write a song about the Elven city from Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". The lyrics describe a perfect, peaceful sanctuary and he does a splendid job of describing the legendary city. Lifeson plays some slow, epic guitar to go along with this fantasy tale, and while this is surely unlike the hard rock you expect from Rush, it shows that they can play a softer side as well. Geddy's voice sounds really nice and he also shows he can calm it down, and not just yell super high! This song ultimately is not a great rock song, but I like it's peaceful mood and that these guys were also fans of LOTR is pretty cool. The record finishes with "In The End" as Lifeson plays some epic acoustic guitar to start this song and Geddy adds some slow bass and some light singing. Lifeson switches to electric guitar and plays the same riff, which sounds much better now! Peart joins in finally and it's a slow, but pretty heavy riff with Lee now doing his typical yelling vocals. It's a pretty epic riff and it's no surprise when Lifeson takes it away with a pretty sweet solo. He is just full of awesome ideas and once again doesn't disappoint. They slow it down towards the finish as Geddy and Alex play out one final riff and Neil caps it all off with a cymbal roll. Side two was a lot lighter than side one, but still had lots of good stuff on it.

That is the end of "Fly By Night" and I thought it was another great album by this new and improved version of Rush. It's no secret that Neil Peart is a spectacular drummer and he definitely improves the band's sound. Side one had several cool hard rock songs, led by the prog-y "By-Tor", and side two had some lighter rock songs that were also good. But how does it compare to their debut album? Peart is most certainly a better drummer, but honestly I enjoyed the pure hard rock of "Rush" a little more than this new effort. It's a close one, but "Fly By Night" settles for 2nd. I think this new line-up will only get better with time and I look forward to their next release very much!