2112
Released Mercury, April 1976.
- 2112 (20:34)
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- I. Overture
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- II. Temples of Syrinx III. Discovery
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- IV. Presentation
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- V. Oracle: The Dream VI. Soliloquy
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- VII. The Grand Finale
- A Passage To Bangkok (3:34)
- The Twilight Zone (3:17)
- Lessons (3:51)
- Tears (3:31)
- Something For Nothing (3:59)
Geddy Lee - Bass/Vocals. Alex Lifeson - Guitars. Neil Peart - Drums/Percussion. Additional Musician: Hugh Syme - Keyboards (Track 5).
Produced by Rush and Terry Brown. Engineered by Terry Brown.
Lyrics by Peart, except: ‘Lessons’ by Lifeson and ‘Tears’ by Lee.
What can be left to be said about ‘2112’, the futuristic rock opus that took Rush to another, brighter place, both musically and as a band? This was the stuff of fantasy, borne on a wave of anger and none the less accessible as a result. The second musical piece to be based on Ayn Rand’s ‘Anthem’, this time Neil’s lyrics take the theme of an ultra-communistic state and adapt Rand’s antiheroic rediscovery of electricity to the unearthing of a guitar. From the synthesised opening bars of the ‘Overture’ there was to be no compromise, the wealth of musical textures in stark contrast to the screeched introductions from the priests of the ‘The Temples of Syrinx’.
This was, in itself, the band’s most ambitious statement to date. It doesn’t need too much of a leap of the imagination to see the priests as the music industry representatives, enforcing their artistic code on the masses. Across the piece the central character is in turns desperate, then determined, and then his emotions turn back to despair. All this is forgotten in the more upbeat ‘Grand Finale’, which sees a higher power wrest back control. If only it could be so simple in the world of real life rock music.
Boldly reversing the order of the previous album to put the longest piece first (in one of many “up yours” statements), the second side of the album is back to more “traditional” Rush, little of which could be described as fitting the “progressive” label. ‘A Passage to Bangkok’ is unashamedly about drugs, the perfumed smoke clouds and midnight oil reminiscent of the control room as much as any eastern fantasy. ‘Twilight Zone’ was a straightforward nod to one of the band’s favourite TV series, and indeed the album was dedicated to its creator, Rod Serling, who died in 1975 while the album was being made.
Such was the feeling of renewed confidence that Alex wrote the words and music to ‘Lessons’ on his own, and Geddy did the same for ‘Tears’. ‘Something for Nothing’ was a straightforward, direct and deliberate statement, a last comment on the trio’s determination to play the game their own way. Lacking in complexity, the songs nonetheless demonstrate exactly how accomplished the band had become. Three albums in, and the threesome was operating as tightly as any unit could hope. Whatever happened from this point on, it would be Rush and its management alone that pulled the strings.