Rush Debuts at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums With 'R40 Live'

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Rush racks its third No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, and first leader with a live effort, as R40 Live, the classic rock trio's three-disc set chronicling its 40th anniversary tour in spring/summer 2015, debuts atop the list (dated Dec. 12) with 24,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen Music.
R40 Live follows previous chart-toppers Clockwork Angels in 2012 and Snakes & Arrows in 2007.
While Top Rock Albums launched in 2006, Rush's history on the Billboard 200 dates back four decades. The new album debuts at No. 24 on the Billboard 200, marking the band's 24th top 40 title. Rush first reached the region with another live release: All the World's a Stage: Recorded Live (No. 40, 1976).

R40 Live is also the first live album to crown Top Rock Albums since the Beatles' On Air: Live at the BBC Volume 2 on the Nov. 30, 2013, chart. Additionally, Rush's new release opens atop Hard Rock Albums, where it's the band's second leader, following Clockwork Angels. (Could R40 Live be the final live album of Rush's storied career? When the band announced the R40 Live Tour earlier this year, its accompanying press release stated that the trek "will most likely be their last major tour of this magnitude.") - Billboard.com, December 12, 2015

Rush makes their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame votes - KSHE.com

Today KSHE radio in St. Louis posted a short interview with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson where they discuss their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame votes:

One perk of getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- you get to vote for who else you think should be enshrined.

So who would 2013 inductees Rush put in? We recently spoke to Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, and they were both surprised to learn that one of this year's nominees, Chicago, aren't already in. Geddy says, "Great band. We all listened to those early CTA [Chicago Transit Authority] records." And Alex adds that they were very "influential." Asked who he'll vote for, Geddy said, "Yes and Deep Purple 100 percent."

Other notable nominees this year include Cheap Trick, The Cars and Steve Miller. The Class of 2016 will be announced in mid-December.

Neil Peart's "News Weather and Sports" - November 2015

Neil Peart has updated his website with the November 2015 issue of "News, Weather and Sports." In BubbaGram™#3, Neil talks about riding in Montana on the way to Canada during the final leg of the R40 Tour, and his GPS unit (Dingus) not liking his route selection.  You can check it out here. - Thanks to John Patuto for the headsup!

"Jaco", including interview with Geddy Lee, now on DVD

We announced back in January that Geddy Lee is one of the many musicians interviewed in Jaco: A Documentary Film, which is now available on DVD, released November 27, in association with Record Store Day’s Black Friday promotion.  The film tells the story of legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius (a short snippet of Geddy discussing fusion music from the documentary can be seen below), and won the Asbury Park Music Foundation's "Foundation Award".   Fans can also look for the release of Jaco: Original Soundtrack arriving the same day via Sony / Legacy. A complete track listing for the soundtrack will be announced shortly.  For more info, click here.

R40 Live Sirius XM radio premiere Nov. 9/Sirius Townhall November 13 (segments now online)

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UPDATE: Segments of the Town Hall are now available for viewing online. You can check them out here.

Sirius XM's Classic Rewind will be broadcasting the R40 Live radio premiere Monday night at 6PM on Pat St. John's show.   In addition Sirius XM will holding an exclusive Town Hall in New York - "This exclusive event will take place on Friday, November 13 at SiriusXM’s NYC studios and will feature original members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson answering questions from an intimate studio audience about their legendary 40-year career..."  Click here for more information. - Thanks to David Wholihan and Ed at RushIsABand for the headsup!

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson talk to Joanne Wilder @ Q107

Last week Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson talked to Joanne Wilder @ Q107 Toronto to discuss the R40 Tour and Live album. Two videos have been posted thus far which you can view below. In the second video, Geddy and Alex field fan questions, we'll keep you posted if additional segments are added.

"10 Things We Learned From Rush's Michael Moore Interview" - Rollingstone.com

Last Friday Sirius XM held their Town Hall with Rush, which was attended by a select group of Rush fans, and moderated by Michael Moore.  Today RollingStone.com posted 10 things from the interview, which will air in its entirety November 25th on SiriusXM's Classic Rewind station.  Click here for the complete list.

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson guest star on Chicago Fire episode titled "2112" now online

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson guest starred on NBC's Chicago Fire in an episode titled "2112" which aired Tuesday, November 17th.  The storyline involves Rush performing a concert in Chicago and a few lucky Firehouse 51 fans snag free tickets to the show.

You can view the episode here.

"The co-creators of 'Chicago Fire' light up like a five-alarm fire when talking about Tuesday's episode featuring the legendary rock band Rush. 'We've been friends with the Rush guys for years,' Michael Brandt said. 'They're hilarious. Total hams. They did us a favor.' Two-thirds of the Canadian trio - lead singer Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson - guest star in Tuesday's installment, titled '2112,' the name of the band's fourth album. The storyline involves Rush performing a concert in Chicago. A few lucky Firehouse 51 fans snag free tickets to the show. 'We've been thinking about [having them on] for four years, so the fact that they finished their last tour and said that they would do it is awesome,' co-creator Derek Haas told me during an interview Monday at NBC press day in Chicago...The initial plan for the episode focused more on race cars than rock stars. 'We originally were approached by NASCAR to do a crossover episode,' showrunner Matt Olmstead said. 'We explored it. As oftentimes happens ... logistics got the best of everybody. So we had to pull that storyline. Instead of getting tickets to a NASCAR event, why not have the firefighters get freebies to a concert, Olmstead suggested. 'Derek's like, "Rush! It's gotta be Rush!"' Olmstead said. 'Thus began the whole process of clearing rights to music. Those guys [Haas and Brandt] wrote the Rush substitute storyline in about five minutes. That came from deep, deep, deep. Lifelong dream realized for those two guys.'" - TVTrippin.com, November 12, 2015

"Rush's Alex Lifeson Says There's Life After R40 Tour: 'I Don't Think It Is the End' - Billboard.com

Continuing their promotion of Friday's release of R40 Live, Alex Lifeson spoke with Billboard.com about the band's future plans:

Rumors of Rush's demise have been greatly exaggerated -- at least according to guitarist Alex Lifeson.

The Canadian trio's R40 tour earlier this year -- documented on the new R40 Live CD and home video set due Friday -- was accompanied by reports that it would mark the end of Rush, mostly owing to physical ailments suffered by Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart. It may well prove to be the last tour of its kind for Rush, but the band is still very much alive and ongoing, as far as Lifeson is concerned.

"That question was posed many times: Is this is? Is this the end?" Lifeson tells Billboard. "I don't think it is the end, and we never really said this is definitively our last tour. I think it's likely to be our last major tour, but we're still in contact, very close contact with each other, all three of us, and I don't think it's certainly the end of the band. There are still lots of things we want to do. It's not to say that we wouldn't do something in the future on a smaller scale, and there's always the fun project of making a record, which we've all loved forever. Right now I think we're just kind of relaxing and taking it in and getting reconnected with our families and friends and more of a domestic life, and then we'll kinda sort of review it, I think, in the new year and see what we want to do."

Lifeson adds that reports about his arthritis were a bit overstated -- "Who my age doesn't have some aches and pains?" explains the guitarist, who still boasts an impressive 10 handicap for golf -- but Peart's issues with tendinitis are more debilitating. "It's a very difficult endeavor for Neil," Lifeson says. "It's very physical, and it hurts. It's painful for him to play for three hours the way he does, so it's come to a point in his life where he just can't tour anymore." So as much as there's a resolve to do more with the band, there's also an open-endedness that's different from other hiatuses during Rush's career.

"Coming off the tour in August, it was a little bit of an adjustment, particularly to Geddy [Lee] and myself, coming to terms that this could possibly be the end of touring, and what does the future hold for being up onstage and playing," he says. "I think we were in just a little bit of a state for awhile, but we're settling down and it's not bad just kinda kicking back and having this [R40 Live] come out."

R40 Live was filmed and recorded during hometown shows on June 17 and 19 at Toronto's Air Canada Centre. The set, which comes in five different configurations, captures an ambitious, reverse-chronological presentation in which Rush celebrated its career with time-appropriate props and instruments, right down to an encore segment featuring Rush playing songs from its debut album in a high school gymnasium setting, with amplifiers sitting on chairs and stools.

"It seemed to be the right thing for us to do this one in Toronto," Lifeson says. "We also had the luxury of having two shows, which is always a great thing for a setup. I think the first night was good, but we had some technical glitches, which you always have when you record, but the [second show] felt great. It was one of the best shows on the tour, we thought, so we had some really good material to work from, and having the two nights and the two different sets, we could include stuff that we played on the [first] night in the final version."

As Rush goes into hiatus mode again, Peart is preparing for the Nov. 20 publication of Clockwork Lives, his second science-fiction novel co-written with Kevin Anderson, while Lifeson has been working on electronic music projects with his son and singer Tyler, and both he and Lee have been "buying up crazy amounts of old vintage equipment, guitars and basses, so we're still active and have it in our blood." And they're not buying those things just to look at them.

"I'm getting very itchy," Lifeson says. "There's nothing specific we're looking at, but I think ultimately I'd like to get back in with Ged and start writing and then have Neil join in and take it from there. That's how we always start: [Lee] and I jamming, and we'll do that for a little while, and then Neil will start sending lyrics and we'll kind of piece it together with what we're doing. So I'm hoping that's somewhere in the near future." - Billboard.com, November 16, 2015

- Thanks to Rushfanforever for the headsup!

Geddy and Alex talk to RollingStone.com (Video)

Today RollingStone.com posted a five minute video with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson where they answer fans' questions.  You can check it out here.

Days before Rush's new CD/DVD/Blu-ray package, R40 Live, hit stores, singer-bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson stopped by Rolling Stone headquarters to talk about the new release, and answer questions our readers submitted on Twitter and Facebook. They were happy to field any inquiry, whether it was about their most embarrassing onstage moment, the pronunciation of Neil Peart's last name or their favorite superhero.

Of most interest to Rush fans will be their take on the future of the group as a live act, which right now seems to be firmly in Peart's hands. "Are we going to tour again?" asked Geddy Lee. "That's the question that I'd like to know myself."

That said, they're not closing the door on recording new music together. "We don't have any immediate plans for that," says Lee. "Right now we're on holiday. I hope once the new year rolls around and the juices get flowing and we get hungry again we can talk about that." Does that mean the band is definitely not done? "Not in my mind," said Lee. "But I can't speak for everyone." - RollingStone.com, November 16, 2015

Geddy and Alex on the Jim Kerr Rock & Roll Morning Show

Today Geddy and Alex appeared live on the Jim Kerr Rock & Roll Morning Show on New York's Q104.3 to talk about the release of R40 Live.  During the 17 minute interview, besides the new video topics also include the Blue Jay's playoff run, Randy Johnson, appearing on Chicago Fire, their relationship with Donna Halper, the future of Rush, and more.  You can watch the video below.

Geddy Lee on the cover of "HOSS" Magazine Coming Nov. 19/Enter the 'Closer To The Heart With Rush' Contest

Geddy Lee is on the cover of the November/December Holiday issue of Canada's HOSS Magazine, "North America’s most innovative magazine that is known as the 'home owner’s simple solution,'” which hits newsstands across Canada and the USA on November 19, 2015.  In addition, HOSS magazine is hosting a "Closer to the Heart with Rush" contest, where you can enter to win a custom Fender Squire vintage modified jazz bass guitar. The bass comes with a custom engraved R40 Pickguard, produced by Fender exclusively for Rush. The prize pack also includes the new R40 Live DVD Set, which is available November 20. Plus there is a Sonos prize package of Sonos Wireless HiFi Speakers (includes 2 Play: 1 wireless speakers, (1) Play3: wireless speaker, and SUB). And winners will also have the chance to win a one year free subscription to HOSS Magazine. For more details visit: www.hossmagazine.com.

"The HOSS feature story on Lee inside reveals his passion for collecting vintage bass guitars, some of which line the walls of his studio and home, and how his passions extend to wine, baseball and his commitment to philanthropy.
An avid Toronto Blue Jays fan, Lee’s home in Toronto is decorated with scores of baseball memorabilia of sorts, reports HOSS Magazine. In 2008, he donated almost 400 signed baseballs from his personal collection – all them autographed by former Negro League baseball players – to the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City. Lee is also an active board member with Grapes for Humanity, a charitable organization that works with the international wine community to raise funds benefiting humanitarian causes around the world.

HOSS Magazine also reveals that he has a vast wine collection: red or white, he has literally hundreds of brands decorated throughout his home. And let’s not forget his gargantuan wine cellar that houses over 5,000 bottles curated from some of the best vineyards around the world, including a host of very hard to find Burgundies.

Both his homes in both Toronto and London feature art that he and his wife have collected over the years that is captive and engaging – artistic in every sense. In a unique sort of way his art collection mirrors his creative, sophisticated and open minded inner-self.

In this HOSS issue, Lee revealed to writer Philip Wilding that his interest in art was piqued by notable photographers, like André Kertész, Paul Strandand, and Alfred Stieglitz. He then shifted his sights towards fine art, and discovered this interested on a major U.S. tour with Rush in the late 1980s.

“It didn’t matter what city I was in, I would go to an art gallery. What kept me sane on that tour was learning about art,” says Lee.

“You can learn a lot by buying the books and going to every gallery you can and seeing what they have there – letting your eyes take it all in,” he says.

Lee indicates in the feature story that he got into baseball ephemera because he has long loved the game. And then he found that something like a ball signed in 1917 made him want to look at 1917 America. For him art is the same. Whatever artist you become enamored with you absorb his life and times, the story behind that existence.

“Case in point, I’m a child of the 50s, so I have great respect for the artists that came in the early part of the 20th century and survived the war,” says Lee. “And their art survived too and has gone on to become important. I think that’s why I’m fascinated by that period of history to a certain extent. They and their work endured. Art goes on and touches us and our history.”

The four-page feature on Lee is a must-read, according to Sean Rice, who is the publisher of HOSS Magazine.

“From the recording studio to the stage, to his homes filled with the things he is passionate about – wine, baseball and art, Lee is fascinating on every level,” says Rice. “Our feature tells a unique story about Lee and his passions, and Rush fans will no doubt have a ‘closer to the heart’ experience with Geddy when they read our in-depth feature on him.”

- Thanks to Paul Fitzgerald for the headsup!

Rush Feature in New Prog Issue #61 Coming November 18th - Interview Now Online

There is an interview with Alex Lifeson in the next issue of Prog coming on Wednesday November 18th.  Today, PROG posted the interview online, and you can read it here.  

In terms of the future of Rush, Alex says "I think we need to have a little space, a little time off to regroup and think about what we want to do in the future. If and when we want to record another record and if there's a possibility of us doing something in the future, I don't know. The ball is in Neil's court, clearly."  He goes on to say "I write stuff all the time. I have a whole library of bits and pieces and complete songs that I've written at home and in the studio. I think if it looks unlikely that we're going to do much in the near future then I will definitely get into something like that next spring. What sort of project it turns out to be I'm not quite sure, but it will be a musical project. I can't sit around and I just love doing it so much."

Rush on the cover of the Nov/Dec issue of Canadian Musician "Travelling Back In Time With Rush"

Rush is featured on the cover of the November/December issue of Canadian Musician magazine. The cover feature "Travelling Back In Time With Rush" (click for transcript). Primarily a look back on the R40 Tour, Geddy and Alex talk about the setlist and stage show. Regarding bringing back "Jacob's Ladder", Geddy says "That's always the number one song people ask us to play on fan petition sites leading up to a tour, and it went from being a song I found a bit cringe-worthy in rehearsal to one I loved playing every night." While they state that this is not the end of Rush, it does close with the comment from Alex "I'm slowly getting used to the idea that we may not be touring anymore." - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!

Ole Acquires Anthem Entertainment Group, Home of Rush

Today Billboard.com has reported that Canadian music publisher ole has taken a big step in the record label business with the acquisition of the Anthem Entertainment Group, the Canadian record label started by Ray Danniels in the mid 1970's that has issued albums by Rush, Big Wreck, the Tea Party, Ian Thornley, Bob & Doug McKenzie (Strange Brew), Ian Thomas, Coney Hatch, Moe Koffman and Steven Page among others. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"ole is very excited about entering the label services business and building on the foundation of Ray Danniel's storied company, ole chairman and CEO Robert Ott said in a statement. "ole is proud to continue to be the home of Rush and the other great artists with Anthem. We look forward to working closely with Anthem's artists and business partners to further success."

As part of the deal, Anthem's long-time A&R director Andy Curran joined ole as GM of labels services/A&R; bringing along Tyler Tasson as manager of label services, while Anthem vp Pegi Cecconi will work as an ole consultant.

"I am pleased that Anthem and its ongoing legacy have found a new home with ole," said Danniels, who will continue as president of SRO Management, which represents Rush and other artists. Daniels said that the deal with ole and Ott gives Anthem Entertainment and Anthem Records a vision for the future while "protecting its past."

Earlier in 2014, ole acquired the Rush publishing catalog, known as Core Music Publishing, and earlier in 2015, the Mark-Cain publishing catalog from Anthem Entertainment. That deal included 40 albums from such Canadian artists as Max Webster, Ian Thomas, Lawrence Gowan, The Reason, Coney Hatch, Boys Brigade, Rikers, Spoons, and Aerial.

The latest deals give ole another 2,100 master recordings and 1,200 audio/visual masters.

In the U.S., Anthem acts are distributed by the Warner Music Group and Concord. Rush, the label's best-selling act, has scanned more than 15 million album units since the advent of Nielsen SoundScan, now known as Nielsen Music, in 1991.

Alex Lifeson, guitarist and co-founder of Rush, said, "I'm pleased to see that Anthem Records has landed with ole, the home of our music publishing catalog. I wish them great success with their new label business. Congratulations to our longtime manager Ray Danniels and CEO of ole, Robert Ott on completing their deal!"

- Thanks to Ed @ RushIsABand for the headsup!

Neil Peart Cover Story Interview with Modern Drummer

Yesterday Modern Drummer magazine posted a new feature interview with Neil Peart, which is their "(record) ninth MD cover-story interview". 

Modern Drummer meets Peart backstage in his dressing room at the New Jersey stop of the R40 tour. The drummer greets us and apologizes for being sock-less. He lies on the couch and points to his feet, which look like Father Time–affected, wear-and-tear evidence of half a century of bringing the power night after night.

The full interview is now available here.

Permanent Waves' Paula Turnbull makes VH1's "True Stories Of Iconic Women From Classic Rock Album Covers"

Yesterday VH1.com posted the second in a series of "Iconic Women From Classic Rock Album Covers." Coming in at #2 in a list of 10 classic album covers featuring female models is:

Paula Turnbull – Permanent Waves by Rush (1980)

Shot by photographer Fin Costello and graphically rendered by designer Hugh Syme, the cover of Rush’s Permanent Waves LP makes an unmistakably powerful statement. Its visual centerpiece (albeit off to the right side) is fashion model Paula Turnbull, who poses as a sexy, clueless, panty-flashing 1950s glamour queen on a suburban street where, behind her, Armageddon rages unacknowledged.

Before a single needle hit Permanent Waves’ first groove, Paula’s expertly evocative still photo performance announced that, on the album within, humanity’s premiere prog-metal power trio would be exploring new sounds and different aesthetics—specifically, those of the then hyper-happening new wave movement.

Paula worked steadily as a model before and after Permanent Waves, but her best-known other work occurred two years later, when she reprised her role as the same intriguingly oblivious sexbomb on the cover of Rush’s tremendous live album, Exit… Stage Left.

Howard Ungerleider discusses the R40 Live Tour in November issue of Total Production International

The November issue of TPI (Total Production International) magazine has a two page interview with Rush lighting designer Howard Ungerleider where he looks back on his history with Rush from back in 1974 through the R40 Live Tour.  He explains how the idea of "deconstructing the band over the course of the evening" came about, and how it was sent to fruition.  You can read the interview on pages 24-26 at issuu.com. - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!

Counterparts and Test For Echo Vinyl Reissues Now Available

Rush is reissuing the complete Mercury and Atlantic era albums on 200-gram heavyweight vinyl in semi-chronological order throughout 2015 and early 2016. The next release to hit store shelves are Counterparts and Test for Echo, which hits store shelves today, November 6th.

The vinyl reissues will continue into next year with the final release being Snakes & Arrows.  Previous vinyl reissues include Rush reDISCovered, Fly By Night (vinyl and blu-ray pure audio in 5.1 surround sound), Caress of Steel, the 2112 hologram edition, A Farewell To Kings (vinyl and blu-ray pure audio in 5.1 surround sound), Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures (vinyl and vinyl/t-shirt bundle), Exit...Stage Left, Signals (vinyl and blu-ray pure audio in 5.1 surround sound), Presto and Roll The Bones.  These vinyl reissues also include a 320kbps MP4 vinyl ripped Digital Audio album download, and can also be purchased separately as high resolution Digital Audio.  

Alex Lifeson's 2015 A Brush Of Hope Painting

Alex Lifeson's 2015 offering for A Brush of Hope, "Blind Date Picnic", donated to raise donations for The Kidney Foundation of Canada, is now available for bidding at ebay.ca, from now through November 6th.  Today Alex posted the following message at Rush.com:

Greetings, all!

I wanted to reach out to all of you to ask for your support of the Kidney Foundation’s Brush Of Hope auction to raise funds for kidney research.

I’ve supported this special programme for many years and my paintings have done well, thanks to the kind generosity of friends and good citizens so please consider helping out with this latest installment or a signed print.

This year’s new installment is titled, “Blind Date Picnic” and you can find it at the eBay link below.  It’s a rather strange painting that has been described in some early circles as: “weird, horrid, ugly, familiar, hilarious, terrifying and ridiculous”, all the same thoughts I had when I painted it.  When my wife saw it just as I completed it, her helpful comment was, “Oh my God!”…then she started crying.

Now, who can resist such an exciting conversation piece?  Imagine your friends dropping by to view your latest art acquisition and leaving immediately in tears and a queasy stomach.

If that one doesn’t spark emotion, you can also get signed prints of previous paintings “Self Portrait #1” and “Greek Salad”. Each print is numbered and signed personally by me.

Every penny counts and your support is truly appreciated.

Thank you!

Alex

New original: BLIND DATE
Signed Prints: SELF PORTRAIT #1 and GREEK SALAD

Alex has been A Brush of Hope's feature artist since 2006. His paintings and limited edition prints (available at http://www.kidney.ca/atlantic/alexlifeson) have brought in over $200 000.00.   Last year, Alex's painting "L'ami Getty a L'ami Louis" went for over $10 000.00.