Hugh Syme
Called “manic” by Neil, Hugh Syme spent 5 years at grammar school in the North of England, at the same time as a young Dave Stewart. “I went to school in Sunderland but ended up finishing in Canada for the last year,” says Hugh. “We all joked about that little twit of a red head, thinking he was going to be a rock star later…” Hugh came back to Europe to study for a degree, but he left before the end of the course when he was invited to play keyboards for his friend, Ian Thomas’ band. “Music always called on me,” he says.
The Ian Thomas Band signed to SRO, and Hugh’s grounding in graphic arts was sufficient for him to put together a cover for one of their albums. He didn’t think that much of stablemates Rush, however. “I didn’t anticipate them to be a real force to be reckoned with,” says Hugh. “I was a pretty committed Genesis, Supertramp, 10CC kind of snob and didn’t understand Rush at the time.” All the same, he accepted the opportunity to design a cover for ‘Caress of Steel’, kicking off a professional relationship that has lasted three decades.
Hugh also picked up a number of keyboard credits, his visits to the studio to discuss cover designs often resulting in him jamming with the band and adding something musical to the album. “We jammed on a version of ‘Rough and Ready’ for quite a few hours, I believe aided by their ever present cellar of good wines,” says Hugh. “We did as many versions as we could think of.” He played keys on ‘Tears’ and ‘Witch Hunt’, and grand piano on ‘Different Strings’.
In 1979, Hugh left the Ian Thomas Band and turned his attention to album design, for a number of reasons, not least the lack of support for Canadian artists. “There was some notable stuff coming out of Canada but we were a long way from Celine Dion, Bryan Adams, Avril Lavigne and all the other good stuff,” says Hugh. “I think I made the right decision to have a visual career because it is a bit more controllable.”
In making the decision, he was able to ride the wave of heavy metal album covers. “I was asked to create some very indulgent and extravagant productions by a whole slue of people, a lot of whom became my friends and clients,” he says. Hugh has done covers for Iron Maiden (not to mention a full scale mockup of the band’s icon, Eddie, which the band’s record company deemed too scary to be used on the album cover) and Queensrÿche, having to overcome the dangers of being typecast along the way. “The people at Q-Prime called and said they thought I was a Rush guy,” said Hugh, who was quick to point out he held no strict allegiances. In 1986 Hugh moved to Los Angeles, where he met Glen Wexler, Patrick Johnson, Scott Alexander and Olivia Ramirez. “Scott, Patrick (though a seldom used talent) and the wonderfully gifted Olivia were an oft hired group in a lot of my work in subsequent years,” he says. Hugh spent a total of 11 years in LA, before moving back to Toronto.
Over the years, Hugh has seen many changes, including the technologies available for graphic art. “Albums such as ‘Hold Your Fire’ involved lengthy processing. It was all dye transfer,” says Hugh. “You collect the elements from your suppliers, you then knit together the final image, the final concept.” The knitting process was a long- winded routine known as emulsion stripping, which involved many stages of cutting, removing, and retouching before the final image was reached. “You are left with this new piece of imagery, really rough around the edges,” says Hugh. “It needs a lot of bleaching and dying and retouching by hand, on what’s known as a dye transfer, which is a 700 dollar print. If you screw it up you need to buy another one.”
By ‘Presto’ and ‘Roll The Bones’ computers were starting to replace the manual processing, but while these might have been easier, they were no cheaper. “When you wanted to do any kind of colour editing you would rent time in places that had multi- million dollar equipment known as Quantel Paintbox,” says Hugh. “You would spend 350-700 dollars an hour with your well-planned manoeuvres.”
With ‘Counterparts’ came the arrival of digital technology, and by ‘Test For Echo’ in 1997, the entire cover was done digitally. The relative ease of use was a double-edged sword, however. “You had the latitude to perfect and delve deeper,” says Hugh. “In that respect it becomes anything but easier. Like good music it has to be somewhat spontaneous, there is a dance, a rhythm, a spontaneity that you need to respond to as well.” All the same, the new was infinitely preferable to the old. “I have t-shirts bearing the statement, ‘Command Z means you never have to say you are sorry’. I am very grateful for never having to smell another bottle of potassium permanganate or bleach.”
Over the years, Hugh has never stopped pushing the boundaries, but he’s never complacent about his role with Rush. “It’s my nature not to believe in my own press, I like to remind myself every once in a while that you are (as they say) only as good as your last piece,” he says. “When I do get the call, I am always able to hang up and feel that same similar sense of glee and excitement and gratitude for their including me.”