Rush

Toronto power trio Rush has spent a career delivering top-class, thinking man's arena rock. The band varied the pace between tracks of epic length and smash singles like "The Spirit of Radio," and with 1981's Moving Pictures, they delivered a hard rock classic. Feel your ears literally fizz like sherbet to the classic "Tom Sawyer."

For the roots of Rush, get your ears round "What You're Doing," from their 1974 self-titled debut album. Yet to be joined by cornerstone member Neil Peart, this early version of the outfit dealt in supercharged blues-rock. Literary flourishes would follow, such as the concept album 2112, which was structured around the work of Ayn Rand.

Rush aficionados will recognize 1984's Grace Under Pressure as a crossroads album: gone for the first time since 1975 was stalwart producer Terry Brown, replaced by Peter Henderson, which meant that synths and assorted electronica began to come to the fore. Still, there's a bunch of standout axe-work on the mesmerizing "Kid Gloves."

From the group's beginnings in Cream-esque blues-rock, through their legendary dominance of the live circuit during the '80s and on to their 17th studio album (2002's excellent Vapor Trails), Rush has built up an awe-inspiring body of connoisseur's rock, every note stamped with quality. Some people call the Toronto outfit overblown and pretentious — we prefer other epithets: epic, profound, majestic, and kickin'. The Rush formula is simple: great songwriting, virtuoso guitar, and Geddy Lee's high-pitched, sliver-plated wonder-tonsils.