Customer Reviews

Rush: Chemistry: The Definitive Biography

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First off, this book is truly the book that I have been wanting--a full-blown, in-depth treatment of the band, the band members, and the music itself. It answered many of my fanboy questions ("Who did the rap on 'Roll The Bones'?"), offered bits of trivia (such as the unlikely genesis of the names "By-Tor" and "Snow Dog"), and dispelled many of the urban legends that I had heard over the years (e.g., Neil Peart wore bandanas on stage because he had cancer). I especially marvelled at the discussion of Alex Lifeson's "troubled" years (my characterization), where he struggled to reconcile the increasingly synthesized sound of Rush with his needs (and insecurities) as a guitarist. I came away loving the band and appreciating the talents of its members more than ever, even to the point of bringing new ears to some older tracks that I hadn't bothered with in fifteen years or more.

All this being said, I second the gripes made by other reviewers that the production quality of the physical book is subpar. I didn't mind the quirky "Rush For Dummies" layout--to me, it was reminiscent of the graphical, reader-friendly approach of high school textbooks (a play on the book's title, "Chemistry"). But the numerous usage errors (comma splices in particular), the lack of any meaningful index, and the consistently awkward sentence composition led me to wonder whether the book's manuscript had ever crossed the desk of a skilled professional editor. Taken in conjunction with the grainy and inconsequential photographs, the hard-to-read sans serif body text, and other layout peculiarities (what's with the parentheses around the page numbers?), I felt as if the book had been thrown together on someone's home computer using off-the-shelf publishing software better suited for creating bake sale flyers. Indeed, the whole enterprise (with the notable exception of Hugh Syme's dust jacket design) has the feel of a self-published vanity press item--a testament to a fan's devotion that was meant to be sent to close friends and family members for the holidays or stocked only in the author's hometown bookstore.

Granted, my grousing about the production values of the physical book may seem petulent and irrelevent. After all, it's not what the book looks like; it's what the book says that's important, right? Well, yes and no. As I noted above, this book has most (if not all) of what I am looking for in a Rush biography. And, unlike other reviewers, I have little trouble with the author's total reliance on archival interviews given by the bandmembers over the years in place of face-to-face interviews. Indeed, interviews given contemporaneously with the events that they are memorializing arguably have greater accuracy (and are less prone to revision) than later reflections.

But we Rush fans are a possessive lot. Many of us have spent decades in the proverbial wilderness, obsessing to some degree over a band that neither our peers nor mainstream radio ever "got." Such alienation breeds fierce loyalty. A perusal of Rush fansites and forums confirms that hardcore Rush fans truly feel vested in both the music and its performers. Indeed, Rush fans tend to take ownership in all things even tangentially Rush-related--and especially all things that purport to chronicle Rush for the ages. As a fan, I want such a chronicle to be both worthy of Rush (as I perceive that worth to be measured) and a tribute to the precision of the music and its artists.

What I want, ultimately, is care. And, at least on a visceral level, much in this book seems careless, almost amateurish. A band as accomplished as Rush deserves (at least in my mind) a treatment befitting any of the first- or second-tier supergroups of the rock and roll era. And thus the paradox: The treatment that I would want for Rush may well require the resources and professionality of a large publishing house--the same type of cultural regurgitator that the members of Rush have battled from Day One. Perhaps I had hopes that this book would be a map out of the wilderness, treating its subjects with the same seriousness and technical meticulouness with which professional biographers and editors would treat mainstream "cool" bands. In the end, however, this book remains essentially a fan's scrapbook: lovingly researched, idiosyncratically composed, and crudely executed.

"Acclaimed Marillion biographer" That's your first clue.
If you look closely you won't find any reference to interviews with the members of Rush anywhere. That's because there aren't any. Only quotes from old interviews. If you want tidbids from past tour caterer's this is the book for you. The other annoying thing about this book is on every page there are little cartoon like blurbs with tiny little bits of information. It's the exact same format as the "Windows or any other book for Dummies". If you look hard enough, you might find some pictures to look at as well. The book lacks any decent photography. Nothing in color and some good pictures of buildings where Rush once had been. The other non clear pictures are all pictures you've seen before. The book was well researched but for a definitive biography that doesn't include Rush isn't all that definitive. I suggest buying "Contents Under Pressure" At least it's authorized by the band.

As a potted history, `Chemistry' succeeds in some way if only due to the sheer volume of anecdote and low budget newsprint style photo's and clippings. Yet, it's hard to see how Rupert Hines' cooking analogy for making music adds any meaningful insight into the collected psyche of Lee, Lifeson and Peart. The book is littered with this and many more pointless snippets such as how Peter Henderson who co-produced ` Grace Under Pressure' got his nickname to Geoff Barton's rather forgetful encounter with Neil Pearts drum kit.

The entire book reads like an extended magazine piece, which makes it a tiring and frustrating experience. The band members youth are recalled in a conversational style with little concern for punctuation; "The lessons Neil found a bit of a distraction, apart from English that is." You understand what's being said but the thought of wading through another 180+ pages of it becomes a daunting prospect. Any critique of the band's music is handled with balance but again the writing lets it down: (on `Hold Your Fire') "There are also opportunities to be technical -Geddy's busy bass on `Turn The Page', for example, supporting a cacophonic layering of guitars that somehow works." Incisive music criticism it is not. Two thirds of the way in and the remainder of the book is devoted to a list of (so-called) `collaborators' in the Rush success story. From producers to agents to projectionists to...Alex Lifeson (?!), no stone is left unturned in the teeth-grinding trudge through bio-hell. A workaday discography is included but with no mention of unofficial live recordings, unreleased tracks or even Rush songs recorded by other artists, this pointless addendum only adds to the overall feeling that this book is a missed opportunity. Hardcore fans could've enjoyed some of the previously unseen photos scattered throughout had the quality not been so poor. One wonders why they weren't placed as a central insert on higher grade paper as is the tradition with most biographies.

All in all, a somewhat scrappy publication that shed's little light on the inner workings of Rush and after sharing an eventful 30+ year recording history together, both fans and band deserve much better than this.

Canadian progmetal band Rush are an extraordinary phenomenon in the world of rock music, having followed their own idiosyncratic path for 30 years while building a massive worldwide underground fan base. Jon Collins has written an excellent, comprehensive, nicely illustrated and often very funny(!) biography that does them justice. It is certainly the best book I have come across on Rush.

From early beginnings in Toronto where Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson first met at school, to the end of their thirtieth anniversary tour in 2004, the author takes the reader through the ups and downs of three unusually well-behaved rock stars and their uncompromising approach to the music business. The book is both accessible and intelligent, with the text broken up by black and white photos, short summaries of each album, and various miscellaneous snippets about the band. Collins draws on many interviews with the band and their extensive network of long-term close friends and allies in a business not often noted for its loyalty. Other recurring themes include the strong work ethic and exceptional musicianship that have both served them well throughout their career.

Rush fans tend to be more fanatical than most, and many may already be familiar with much of the story here. It is the in-depth, honest "warts and all" approach that makes this book interesting. As a mere part-time fan down the years myself, I found this book a fascinating and inspirational insight into the struggles and behind-the-scenes realities of a great band. They are obviously very nice people too!

Being a life-long Rush fan, I can't honestly say I can be totally objective! But who cares? I'm a fan. Bottom line is I enjoyed it very much. Besides, how many NON-Rush fans are going to buy this book anyway?! ;-)

I particularly liked the comments from the producers and engineers over the years (Terry Brown, Peter Collins, David Leonard, etc). I would have loved to read so much more from that point of view - the recording process. However, getting into more of the technical process of the recordings would put some people to sleep... granted, that's my own personal taste (as a musician). But it did get into details of recording sessions - stuff that I've never read before. For the non-musician, or non-studio-geek, I'm sure the balance presented is just right. No complaints - only a personal wish-list (maybe a future book could be solely devoted to Rush's recordings sessions?!). :-)

I've read other Rush books, and I found many of these details new. Granted, you can't change the 'story' - it IS a biography! So, some news is old news to the more 'learned' Rush fan. Yet, I never found myself skimming through pages, or saying to myself "I've read this 100 times before...zzzzz". The book kept my interest throughout. In fact, I had a hard time putting it down! Also of interest is the last chapter - a short bio on a ton of the people involved with Rush over the years... all those names you wondered about in the album credits... well, now you know!

From one Rush fan to another, I'd certainly recommend this book. Chemistry indeed - very appropriate. (Now... where's the petition to get "The Camera Eye" back into their live set list?!). :-)

I realize that a band like Rush doesn't give many wild stories to write about (which is why I highly respect them), but this book is lame. I could probably fit everything I didn't already know about the group on one page. I am a long time fan so I know more than the average person but I hoped the book would be at least a little interesting. BTW, the author is very fond of the word "least", using it on about every page. Shopping for a book? Try Pratt's "Roadshow".

Disappointing as to what I was expecting. The puzzling thing about this book, is that while it fairly well gushes about the band in the text; when it comes to capsule album reviews following description of the recording process for each album, this is where the criticism can become quite pointed. It's almost as if the author didn't want to offend the friends and co-workers of the band (it's obvious that Lee, Lifeson, & Peart didn't talk to Collins themselves), but then somewhat stuck the knife in when it came to reviewing the albums.

I was expecting (& hoping) for a better overview of how the band and its members have evolved through the years. This is dealt with in only a superficial manner. The reader does not get a sense of the band and its times. Nor do we get a real feel for what Lee, Lifeson, and Peart are actually like as people.

There is a definitive Rush biography to be written. Unfortunately, this is not it.

Rush's popularity as a rock band hasn't decreased much at all since its birth in the 1970s to its movement around the world: its key musicians have continued to expand their repertoire and abilities and RUSH CHEMISTRY explores the phenomenon of their ongoing growth, from their early struggles and years of work to their ongoing hits and ability to work through personal changes. Sidebars of detail, black and white photos, and plenty of history contribute to a lively documentary of an evolving, still-popular rock group. It's been featured before, but deserves extra, ongoing mention as a 'must' for any Rush fan.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

For Rush fans it's worth a read but really not quite as in depth or analytical about the music itself - nor does it contain enough technical details about the albums, which I think is what Rush fans really want to know about (at least I know I do). In fact it barely mentions some key tracks on their major albums. It's also kind of repetitive and a little too smug and clever for its own good. Sometimes it seemed like it was looking for drama that just really wasn't there. This isn't Motley Crue's The Dirt so all there really is is the music. Still, it's a book about Rush and the early years are the best part. It's good, just not great. We need a book that has a track by track analysis of all their records - that's what I'm waiting for.

The first thing I noticed is that there's not too much of a rush to get this book on here or auctions and that probably means it's nothing special.
If you did pick this up you would notice the astonishing amount of errors exceeding any other Rush bio before it. These are not just typos or dim recollections but colossal myths matter-of-factly presented. Rush didn't play the States in 1972 or 1973 for instance, and Geddy's son didn't appear in any of their music videos.
Shame on you Mr Collins for quoting impostors pretending to back that up. Shame on you fans who didn't catch that. Everybody plays the fool.
Terry Brown, Paul Northfield and the rest of the parade give us very little that we didn't know as I am sure there's not much to be said especially after so long now they're all imagining things. There was a thunder clap in "Natural Science"? Huh? Wrong song guys. But where's insight from roadies like Larry Allen? Skip Gildersleeve? Where's John Rutsey? Critical people are simply not here because they wouldn't partake or couldn't be found.
All the usual fanboy questions are answered in detail in previous books. This is just one big pompous essay and album reviews.
All photos are black and white and not crisp. All except for a handful contributed by Rupert Hine or Jimbo Barton are found on websites where they are much clearer and sharper. Nothing rare.
This book is probably 50 pages of fresh insider commentary after you take out the appendix or 'Personology' which omits several key personnel and screws up many others (Aimee Mann is not Canadian, Mr Collins). The last 15-20 pages are more apalling: ads for other rock and roll books almost as bad as this one. The discography is broad and sloppy (Neil wrote ALL the words on Rush apparently and Presto begins with "Chain Lightning"??) What of the other pages? 150 pages drawn out and padded with material neatly laid out in previous books.
So if you need to learn about Rush I think you should go and find 'Visions' or 'Merely Players' which is the true definitive book so far of all the details or 'Contents Under Pressure' which is a nice photo essay with recent comments from the band. I'd think you all have Neil's 'Ghost Rider' or 'Traveling Music' by now. If you have these sit with all these open and count all the similarities if and when you get 'Chemistry'. If you have all those, you don't need this condensed Rush For Dummies...By Dummies.
And shame on Hugh Syme. Doing cover art for crappy Rush Tributes and now this book's jacket. Pay him enough and he may do a cover for you too.