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Rush FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Rock's Greatest Power Trio
Rush FAQ documents the amazing story of the world's greatest Canadian prog rock power trio, from its origins in a church basement in Willowdale, Ontario, to its induction ceremony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Covering 40 albums, 10 DVDs, thousands of mesmerizing live shows, and millions of rock's most loyal fans, the story of Rush is as epic and unique as its music. Rush has been maligned by the press for decades, and misunderstood by a legion of mainstream rock fans and rock glitterati. And yet only the Beatles and Rolling Stones have earned more gold and platinum records. Few artists, if any, have been as influential as Rush's three virtuoso – bassist-keyboardist-vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer-lyricist Neil Peart.
Rush's focus has always been about its muse and its music. As such, Rush FAQ studies the evolution of the band's sound, from the early days of Zeppelin-esque blues-rock to complex, synth-laden opuses to the return of concept-album bombast with the critically acclaimed Clockwork Angels .
With wit, humor, and authority, music industry veteran and unabashed Rush geek Max Mobley examines the music, gear, personalities, and trials and tribulations of one of rock and roll's truly legendary acts. It is a story Rush fans will treasure and rock and roll fans will admire.
Rush's focus has always been about its muse and its music. As such, Rush FAQ studies the evolution of the band's sound, from the early days of Zeppelin-esque blues-rock to complex, synth-laden opuses to the return of concept-album bombast with the critically acclaimed Clockwork Angels .
With wit, humor, and authority, music industry veteran and unabashed Rush geek Max Mobley examines the music, gear, personalities, and trials and tribulations of one of rock and roll's truly legendary acts. It is a story Rush fans will treasure and rock and roll fans will admire.
- GenresMusicNonfiction
272 pages, Paperback
First published April 29, 2014
7 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Max Mobley
5 books3 followersAcclaimed author Max Mobley writes from his home in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He is a former columnist for the pioneering music magazine "CRAWDADDY! THE MAGAZINE OF ROCK." He has written extensively for the music industry, including magazine features, reviews, interviews, and books on music technology. Max also penned the popular Rush biography, "RUSH FAQ – ALL THAT'S LEFT TO KNOW ABOUT THE WORLD'S GREATEST CANADIAN PROG ROCK POWER TRIO." Max contributed to the SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL series "ROCK OF AGES," honoring the 50th anniversary of the birth of rock and roll. He also wrote the limited series "THE CHIEF AND I" for the TRACY PRESS.
Max 's debut novel, HOWARD & DEBBIE was released in February of 2019 by Rare Bird Books
Max 's debut novel, HOWARD & DEBBIE was released in February of 2019 by Rare Bird Books
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 22, 2014
I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher from NetGalley.
This book is a comprehensive guide to the music of Rock’s greatest trio, Rush. The author begins with a brief biography of each member of the band and how fate and their love of music brought them together at a young age. I was impressed with the chapter on John Rutsey, the original drummer, which chronicles his influence on the founding of the band and his pivotal decision to leave the band. One of the most interesting parts of the book is the author’s argument that the 3 most pivotal albums in the history of Rush are 2112, Moving Pictures, and Snakes and Arrows. The author astutely demonstrates the affect that each album had on moving the band forward and putting them more into the mainstream.
The main focus of the book is the history of the band through their lives albums, from All the World’s A Stage to the live Clockwork Angels Tour. The author thoroughly traces the evolution of the band’s live sounds by describing, with each album, the instruments used, the lighting, the setlists, the album art, the stage props, videos, comedy routines and even the string ensemble featured in the last tour. Whatever songs that the band produced in the studio, it was always important to them that they could also replicate them in concert. If you have never had the pleasure of seeing a live Rush concert this book will make you impatient to see them on their next tour.
There is a separate chapter in the book devoted to Neil Peart’s writing. In addition to writing all of the song lyrics, he has also written numerous travel books and essays. My only criticism of the book is that the author could have also written about the talents and hobbies of Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson when they are not touring and playing music.
In addition to the entertaining prose, the book is also full of fantastic pictures that takes the reader through Rush’s history as a band. This book is a must read for long time Rush fans, like myself, for newcomers who are just starting to appreciate this band, and for anyone interested in the history and evolution of Rock and Roll.
This book is a comprehensive guide to the music of Rock’s greatest trio, Rush. The author begins with a brief biography of each member of the band and how fate and their love of music brought them together at a young age. I was impressed with the chapter on John Rutsey, the original drummer, which chronicles his influence on the founding of the band and his pivotal decision to leave the band. One of the most interesting parts of the book is the author’s argument that the 3 most pivotal albums in the history of Rush are 2112, Moving Pictures, and Snakes and Arrows. The author astutely demonstrates the affect that each album had on moving the band forward and putting them more into the mainstream.
The main focus of the book is the history of the band through their lives albums, from All the World’s A Stage to the live Clockwork Angels Tour. The author thoroughly traces the evolution of the band’s live sounds by describing, with each album, the instruments used, the lighting, the setlists, the album art, the stage props, videos, comedy routines and even the string ensemble featured in the last tour. Whatever songs that the band produced in the studio, it was always important to them that they could also replicate them in concert. If you have never had the pleasure of seeing a live Rush concert this book will make you impatient to see them on their next tour.
There is a separate chapter in the book devoted to Neil Peart’s writing. In addition to writing all of the song lyrics, he has also written numerous travel books and essays. My only criticism of the book is that the author could have also written about the talents and hobbies of Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson when they are not touring and playing music.
In addition to the entertaining prose, the book is also full of fantastic pictures that takes the reader through Rush’s history as a band. This book is a must read for long time Rush fans, like myself, for newcomers who are just starting to appreciate this band, and for anyone interested in the history and evolution of Rock and Roll.
May 22, 2014
Rush FAQ by Max Mobley is a 2014 Backbeat / Hal Leonard Group publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Backbeat books/Hal Leonard has this fantastic series of books that feature authors, musical groups, and movies that appeals mostly to the diehard fans but is an excellent introduction to those that maybe aren't that familiar with the topic.
This book is all about the Canadian Rock band RUSH. It is important to note that these books are NOT biographies or little bits of trivia. These books are chock full of knowledge that is interesting and seldom dry reading. I think this book will really be something the true blue Rush fan can not live without. As opposed to the other books in the FAQ series, this book does have the feel of being written just for those folks that think they have heard it all from their all time favorite group and is more for the loyal fan than for those who only know one or two Rush tunes.
This seems fitting to me because Rush was never really mainstream and their fans were loyal for years, and years. This band is one that just keeps on putting out stellar music and doesn't rest on their laurels and tour behind their big hits of the past. They are coming out with new material and it's always above and beyond in creativity and musicianship. Rush never sounds the same way twice it seems. Each album stayed true to the group's ethics and they never got caught in a rut nor could they be labeled in any particular way. They took risk others were too afraid to take and occasionally it didn't pan out just right, but mostly it did. Rush never cared about the talking heads in the studios, they were WAY ahead of the game and proved it time and time again. They have been together for over forty years and show no signs of slowing down.
For me, if we go by the author's assessment of the Rush fan, I would fall into the “Second Gen” group and was and still am a “Geddycorn”. I didn't need the encouragement of a boyfriend or guy to turn me on to Rush. I like the group despite the fact that most girls might like hard rock , but they still like love, heartbreak, and topics along those lines in their music. Rush seldom ever recorded those songs. Instead they recorded concept albums, science fiction themes, anthems, told stories and touched on deep themes and topics no one in rock music ever thought about trying to tackle. They are certainly a one of a kind , unique group with a distinctive sound. I have never in my life seen a bass played the way Geddy Lee does, nor is there a better rock drummer than Neil Peart. Alex Lifeson is one of the most underrated guitarist out there. The guy is just incredible. Yes, the group did use a lot of equipment and after the first album came off with the obvious Led Zepplin sound, the group, after adding Neil on drums begin to move away from that, thank goodness. But, keyboards became a huge part of the group's sound and they were heavy into synthesizers for awhile. The amount of equipment they traveled with is staggering.
This book goes through each album calling special attention to the breakout albums of which the author names three. Then we are given an in depth look at the video, DVD markets Rush took advantage of, the tours, the live albums, the instruments, the equipment, the behind the scenes folks that are still with the band after all this time and the collaborations that mostly took place in later years with a few notable exceptions.
This book is extremely detailed and very well researched and it's obvious the author did a lot of work on this one. This book is a digital copy and it has color photos and black & White photos, plus album covers. These photos are scattered throughout. The actual paperback version could vary from the digital copy.
Even if you have books, magazine articles, DVD's and all of this groups music, you should still pick this one up. If nothing else you will enjoy looking back at all the work this group as put together through the years and it will amaze you all over again the vast talent this trio has. Writing, singing, playing multiple instruments and always giving an incredible live performance. Other than one five year break , this group has been one of the hardest working groups out there.
This book was a real pleasure to read, and I would suggest keeping this one on hand to use as a reference guide as well. Lots and lots of wonderful information is packed into this one.
Obviously, I'm gushing just a little over this one, so you know it will get it the gold! Five stars!!
Backbeat books/Hal Leonard has this fantastic series of books that feature authors, musical groups, and movies that appeals mostly to the diehard fans but is an excellent introduction to those that maybe aren't that familiar with the topic.
This book is all about the Canadian Rock band RUSH. It is important to note that these books are NOT biographies or little bits of trivia. These books are chock full of knowledge that is interesting and seldom dry reading. I think this book will really be something the true blue Rush fan can not live without. As opposed to the other books in the FAQ series, this book does have the feel of being written just for those folks that think they have heard it all from their all time favorite group and is more for the loyal fan than for those who only know one or two Rush tunes.
This seems fitting to me because Rush was never really mainstream and their fans were loyal for years, and years. This band is one that just keeps on putting out stellar music and doesn't rest on their laurels and tour behind their big hits of the past. They are coming out with new material and it's always above and beyond in creativity and musicianship. Rush never sounds the same way twice it seems. Each album stayed true to the group's ethics and they never got caught in a rut nor could they be labeled in any particular way. They took risk others were too afraid to take and occasionally it didn't pan out just right, but mostly it did. Rush never cared about the talking heads in the studios, they were WAY ahead of the game and proved it time and time again. They have been together for over forty years and show no signs of slowing down.
For me, if we go by the author's assessment of the Rush fan, I would fall into the “Second Gen” group and was and still am a “Geddycorn”. I didn't need the encouragement of a boyfriend or guy to turn me on to Rush. I like the group despite the fact that most girls might like hard rock , but they still like love, heartbreak, and topics along those lines in their music. Rush seldom ever recorded those songs. Instead they recorded concept albums, science fiction themes, anthems, told stories and touched on deep themes and topics no one in rock music ever thought about trying to tackle. They are certainly a one of a kind , unique group with a distinctive sound. I have never in my life seen a bass played the way Geddy Lee does, nor is there a better rock drummer than Neil Peart. Alex Lifeson is one of the most underrated guitarist out there. The guy is just incredible. Yes, the group did use a lot of equipment and after the first album came off with the obvious Led Zepplin sound, the group, after adding Neil on drums begin to move away from that, thank goodness. But, keyboards became a huge part of the group's sound and they were heavy into synthesizers for awhile. The amount of equipment they traveled with is staggering.
This book goes through each album calling special attention to the breakout albums of which the author names three. Then we are given an in depth look at the video, DVD markets Rush took advantage of, the tours, the live albums, the instruments, the equipment, the behind the scenes folks that are still with the band after all this time and the collaborations that mostly took place in later years with a few notable exceptions.
This book is extremely detailed and very well researched and it's obvious the author did a lot of work on this one. This book is a digital copy and it has color photos and black & White photos, plus album covers. These photos are scattered throughout. The actual paperback version could vary from the digital copy.
Even if you have books, magazine articles, DVD's and all of this groups music, you should still pick this one up. If nothing else you will enjoy looking back at all the work this group as put together through the years and it will amaze you all over again the vast talent this trio has. Writing, singing, playing multiple instruments and always giving an incredible live performance. Other than one five year break , this group has been one of the hardest working groups out there.
This book was a real pleasure to read, and I would suggest keeping this one on hand to use as a reference guide as well. Lots and lots of wonderful information is packed into this one.
Obviously, I'm gushing just a little over this one, so you know it will get it the gold! Five stars!!
December 2, 2020
A fun, insightful and largely detailed read for any casual Rush fan - however, super-fans may be left wanting more. Whilst the book is a love letter to the band and an impassioned and nostalgic read, it occasionally ventures into the realms of the overly defensive and under-investigated.
Frustratingly, the first third of the book jumps around chronologically, and the lion's share of the middle section is dedicated entirely to reviewing every live album and DVD, but without providing much further insight than could be gained by simply owning and watching these items.
A great level of detail into the band's gear across the eras is endlessly informative, but a non-musician / gear-head might find themselves buried under technical terms. The latter third of the book also feels comparatively rushed (no pun intended) and could have done with some proof-reading and a less abrupt ending.
Having also run the risk of describing itself as "all that's left to know" about the band, the book is constrained by the fact that the band were still active at the time of publication. Were a second edition to be published, the glaring omissions of R40, Time Stand Still, the end of the band, Neil's passing, Geddy's Book of Bass and - less forgivably - various omitted solo albums and hobbies/ interests of the band members could and should be included for fuller insight.
That being said, I learned a lot from this book and, as a Rush mega-fan, it was a simple joy just to read a gushing appraisal of a band millions of us love so dearly. It's an endearing read, if incomplete and certainly biased in its approach.
Frustratingly, the first third of the book jumps around chronologically, and the lion's share of the middle section is dedicated entirely to reviewing every live album and DVD, but without providing much further insight than could be gained by simply owning and watching these items.
A great level of detail into the band's gear across the eras is endlessly informative, but a non-musician / gear-head might find themselves buried under technical terms. The latter third of the book also feels comparatively rushed (no pun intended) and could have done with some proof-reading and a less abrupt ending.
Having also run the risk of describing itself as "all that's left to know" about the band, the book is constrained by the fact that the band were still active at the time of publication. Were a second edition to be published, the glaring omissions of R40, Time Stand Still, the end of the band, Neil's passing, Geddy's Book of Bass and - less forgivably - various omitted solo albums and hobbies/ interests of the band members could and should be included for fuller insight.
That being said, I learned a lot from this book and, as a Rush mega-fan, it was a simple joy just to read a gushing appraisal of a band millions of us love so dearly. It's an endearing read, if incomplete and certainly biased in its approach.
January 19, 2017
The author did a good job of bringing together a lot of disparate material about Rush and synthesizing it in this book. As an industry journalist and rabid fan Max Mobley was able to interview Rush, which added some great insight not captured elsewhere in the Rush body of knowledge in print or online. His treatment of the band's gear in this book was especially noteworthy. However, I found myself getting a little tired of the play-by-play descriptions of video segments from Rush's DVDs. I can watch the DVD (and have watched them numerous times like many Rush fans). Additionally, I got tired of the author's overuse of certain words like "bombast" and "muse." I wish I had a MS Word version to check how many instances those words were used throughout the book...I bet it is over 50 times each for a 230-page book. Overall, I enjoyed the book and discovered things about the band I did not know prior to picking it up. Highly recommend to any Rush fan, as well as, anyone aspiring to make it big in the music industry.
July 22, 2017
This is a great book is for Rush fans and was a fun read. Of course, it made me listen to their entired catalog - again! :-) I liked the reviews of the DVDs the most and want to watch them all too (haven't seen them all... yet).. Mr. Mobley certainly knows his stuff. I was really impressed by his knowledge of the band's instruments (which I skimmed). This book would have been a five for me if he had added more quotes from the band and others (producers, crew, promoters, critics, etc.).
V
V
February 20, 2018
Very thorough book. Lots of good stories in here.
June 24, 2014
This book was full of exciting surprises, great information and fun pictures. Mobley's writing style is so easy to swallow. His energy and passion for this band just jumped right off the page! I have loved this band for years so it was great to read this and commune with someone who feels the same way.
Alex Lifeson is the best guitar player in rock and roll and it's outrageous that he doesn't get the credit he so deserves. Yeah, Neil is great and Geddy too, but Alex is so tasteful and full of power.
I would recommend this book to any Rush fan and to any rock fan who enjoys reading the back story, it will have you smiling and wanting to dig out all your Rush CD's!
Alex Lifeson is the best guitar player in rock and roll and it's outrageous that he doesn't get the credit he so deserves. Yeah, Neil is great and Geddy too, but Alex is so tasteful and full of power.
I would recommend this book to any Rush fan and to any rock fan who enjoys reading the back story, it will have you smiling and wanting to dig out all your Rush CD's!
September 18, 2023
Lots of great info. Lack of editing and some errors took away from the experience.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews