RABBIT HOLES

The spirit of Rush ever lingers

- BY MIKE METTLER

Over the course of Rush's five-decade career, the Canadian prog-rock trio never released much music from the vaults. When vaunted studio albums such as 1980's Permanent Waves and 1981's Moving Pictures were reissued in expanded form, in multidisc anniversary box sets, the bonus material has consisted of previously unreleased live recordings from the era—never any of their oft-whispered-about studio outtakes.

That changes with the new, career-spanning box set, Rush 50 (Ume/Mercury/Anthem), the first time the band has pulled back the curtain to share previously unreleased and highly sought-after tracks, alternate takes, and live rarities alongside other notable studio and live classics that traverse the band’s fertile 1973-2015 lifespan. The hefty, 50-song, seven-LP Rush 50 Deluxe Edition is pricey, at $250, but the content and lavish packaging—including tip-on jackets and a 104-page hardback book with 29 new song-inspired illustrations by Hugh Syme, the band’s longtime creative director—back up the freight. If you're a member of Rush's passionate fanbase, it's a must-have.

“It's hard to put something together for such a monumental anniversary, but Rush 50 is really about the listener. It's about Rush fans,” guitarist Alex Lifeson told me in an interview. “We were always about progression. As you know, because we've spoken so many times over the years, Rush was very focused on moving forward, experimenting, and trying different things to redefine ourselves. This box set is a great way to mark all those changes and follow our development.”