September 24, 1975 - Caress Of Steel

Just 4 days since my last release, this will be the seventh album to come out this month! A mere 7 months since "Fly By Night" Rush released their third album (and second of the year) with "Caress Of Steel" on September 24, 1975. Their last album, while still mostly hard rock, began to experiment a bit with progressive themes and on this new album Rush are fully embracing the prog-rock with a 12 and a half minute song on side one as well as the prog-defining 20-minute epic that takes up all of side two. Much like "By-Tor & The Snow Dog" they dive even further into the fantasy lyrics and the multi-part lengthy songs, while also still retaining a few classic rock songs. Let's check out some new Rush!

The album begins with "Bastille Day" as Alex Lifeson kicks this song off with a cool guitar riff as Geddy Lee and Neil Peart form a solid rhythm section. Geddy sings in his typical very high voice which I think sounds great. He sings a cool verse and chorus as the lyrics are about a critical day in the French Revolution. Lifeson plays a nice slow riff briefly and then trades that in for a much cooler guitar solo. He plays some good stuff and they bring it back for another verse and chorus with some stepped up drums by Peart. They build it up in the final minute and it leads to another slow guitar bit by Lifeson that finishes out this pretty cool song. The next song is "I Think I'm Going Bald" and Lifeson leads the way again with some great guitar as the bass and drums complete another solid rock and roll riff. Geddy's voice sounds pretty good as these guys jam out a cool verse and chorus and Lifeson rips off a pretty sweet quick solo. After another verse and chorus the rest of the song is an extended solo for Lifeson as he plays some cool, but not spectacular stuff. It seems like he's starting to get into it towards the end, but the song fades out so we will never know what might have been...you know we could have but for some reason they chose to cut it off. Track 3 is "Lakeside Park" and Peart wrote this song about the namesake park near where he grew up in St. Catharine's, Ontario and he opens the song with a nice little drum beat. Lifeson plays a cool rock riff while Lee plays some great bass as well to complete another well done rock and roll riff. Geddy sings nicely along as the lyrics are very nostalgic and peaceful. Peart plays another wicked drum roll between the verses and Lifeson plays some cool acoustic guitar in the chorus and background of the verses, but also leads the way with some epic electric guitar. They segue nicely into a new slow beat as Geddy sings of watching fireworks in the sand. This new soft riff isn't heavy but it's well done and Neil contributes lots of cool drum fills as they play out the song. After three cool rock songs the last song on this side is more progressive, called "The Necromancer". Peart was inspired by Tolkien once again and the lyrics in this song are very fantasy. A deep voice speaks to open this 12 and a half minute song and it talks about three riders who venture into the lands of the Necromancer on an epic quest. Lifeson plays some trippy guitar and this slowly becomes a soft rock riff with Lifeson playing some epic guitar. Around 2:30 Geddy starts to sing and his high voice fits this slow epic riff really well. Lifeson goes off for a slow guitar solo that sounds freaking great before we hear the deep voice of the narrator again. He says the Necromancer knows of their journey and after a brief update Peart segues into a new part with a cool stop and start drum bit. Lifeson's guitar syncs up with the drums in this cool heavy part as Geddy yells overtop. This moves nicely into what is technically a guitar solo but it has some amazing bass as well. Lifeson is all over the map playing some truly amazing guitar and Lee keeps the beat with some great bass playing. Throw in the excellent drumming of Peart and you've got yourself one fantastic riff! Just when the awesomeness seems it might be over, it gets even better! This new riff has all three members stepping it up as we hear some great bass, drums and some fucking incredible guitar by Lifeson. He is absolutely shredding it and this new section is some of the best stuff Rush have done yet! This amazing riff comes to an end and Alex plays a new light guitar riff that starts off a new part. The narrator tells us that a prince has returned peace to the land and drove away the Necromancer. They play a soft rock riff that isn't amazing but sounds alright as Geddy sings another cool verse. He even mentions By-Tor as a foe of the Necromancer in this simple closing riff. Lifeson decides to spice things up a bit with another guitar solo and while he intentionally isn't shredding anymore he still plays some great stuff that fits the mood very nicely. His solo continues until the end of the song as they slowly fade out this very good first side. 

Side two is entirely taken up by Rush's first 20-minute track, "The Fountain Of Lamneth" which is broken up into 6 parts like a classic prog-rock epic. Lifeson opens the song with a cool, light guitar riff as Geddy sings softly along. The guitar becomes much heavier as the bass and drums join in to form a nice rock riff. This new riff sounds pretty sweet and Geddy's vocals become the more typical high-pitched kind we expect. Peart's drum fill leads to another lighter riff as the guys go back and forth between the heavy and the lighter rock riffs. Peart goes off for a 1 minute drum solo in the next part and he plays some really awesome stuff! He squeezes lots of cool drums into this solo and after a yell at the end of the solo it moves to the the third section. Lifeson also opens this part with a cool guitar riff as the bass and drums chime in for cool effect while Alex carries the riff. Geddy's high singing fits the slow, epic mood and he hits some really high notes in this part! Lifeson plays a cool guitar solo and he is just really good at reading whatever riff Lee and Peart have laid down and playing the best-sounding stuff to match it. This leads very nicely into the fourth section where Lifeson is now on acoustic guitar. He plays a nice soft riff that Geddy gently sings along to and Alex also adds some electric guitar. This part seems like a gentle interlude in the middle of this epic song and it segues nicely into a harder rock riff for the fifth section. All three members play some catchy stuff as Geddy's vocals have a bit more life to them. They sound like they're having fun in this part and it's a simple, very relaxed feel to it. Peart plays a few cool drum fills and Lifeson finishes this bit off with another fitting guitar solo filled with lots of good stuff. For the final section they bring it back to the third one, playing the same cool, heavy riff from earlier. Once again they contrast this with a cool softer riff that follows as Geddy sings another great verse. Lifeson solos overtop of the soft riff adding a bit of spice as they build up the riff to end suddenly. The song ends as it began with Lifeson playing some cool soft acoustic and Geddy serenading us one last time. They did a great job with their first prog epic and Rush really seem to have a good feel for progressive music. A wonderful way to end it!

That is the end of "Caress Of Steel" and I thought it was quite a good album! The first three songs are all pretty solid hard rock songs and the final two show how good Rush are at progressive music as well. I thought both longer songs were really awesome and that makes for one great album! But how does it compare to their previous albums? While both "Fly By Night" and "Rush" are great albums in their own right, I like the progressive direction the band seems to be heading in and I think "Caress Of Steel" is their best album yet! These three guys are still only in their second year as a band and I can't wait to see what heights they will reach!