RUSH

Two of Rush's biggest early-influences were Led Zep and Cream.This pre-Peart line-up (John Rutsey on drums) had very little ambition outside of making heavy rock music at this time and Zep and Cream are the two bands I can hear when I listen to this debut album. This is not a Progressive Rock album, I must stress this. Caveat emptor.

Recorded during the night to reduce expenses and self-financed by the band,this record really had to struggle into existence.Saved by the patch up job done by future-mainstay, Terry Brown and the band's dogged determination to have an LP "out" and thus gain kudos amongst Toronto's thriving bar-band scene,there is a raw energy and urgency in the 8 cuts presented here.

Personally only Working Man,Before And After and Here Again are worth listening to-all the other tracks are OK,but if I want to listen to Zep-style rock,I'd rather it was Led Zep II-the real thing.

As I have stated-anyone looking for Progressive Rock will be disappointed. Yet there are seeds of progressiveness and the direction they would take in the future to be found here. For fans,completists and heavy rockers only though. Probably a 4 star heavy rock album.