The Spirit of Radio - Greatest Hits 1974-1987

iTunes Review

While the Canadian progressive hard rock trio Rush were hardly a “singles” band — they’ve had just one top 40 U.S. hit, 1982’s “New World Man” — they were always a force on AOR radio and tracks such as “The Spirit of the Radio,” “Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight,” and “The Big Money” span over a decade of influence. This collection neatly summarizes their first 13 years in 16 solid doses. While hardcore fans will rightly insist that their work should be heard in its conceptual entirety on albums such as 2112 and Hemispheres, there’s no harm in receiving a crash course in the band’s musical evolution and diversity. Their earliest hard rock, Led Zeppelin-based ways are on full display with “Working Man” but immediately with the arrival of drummer and lyricist Neil Peart, the band began fashioning their own intricate sound with “Fly By Night” and “2112 Overture / The Temples of Syrinx.” They hit their stride with the heavy philosophizing of the Ayn Rand inspired, anti-socialist screeds “The Trees” and “Freewill” and continued this streak with the surprising pop accents of “Red Barchetta,” “Subdivisions,” and “Early Distant Warning,” as keyboards flesh out the band’s hard-edged guitar attack.