From Rush to R30 – A listening retrospective: Fly By Night

Fly By Night: While Rush was a solid debut album with many of the hallmarks that would define the band, their second album, Fly By Night, put them right on the map as a serious band with incredible musicianship. “Anthem” kicks the band into overdrive, and is the song I most look forward to when listening to this album. There’s just something supremely rocking about this song. Sure, “Fly By Night” is the single everyone knows (and is likely one of the songs someone will painfully sing for you if you mention you like Rush). There’s only one song on this album that needs fast-forwarding, and that’s “Rivendell”, based on the elven refuge in J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Every other song, including the oft cited fan favorite / fan despised “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” shines in stark comparison. Neil Peart’s lyrics are formative on this album, but it’s clear these songs aren’t the typical “get the girl” lyrics from the first album. This is certainly one of my favorite albums, and highly recommended for anyone who is starting their Rush journey.