Editing Rush (band) (section)

===1977–1981: peak progressive era===
After the conclusion of the ''2112'' tour, Rush went to Wales to record ''[[A Farewell to Kings]]'' (1977) and ''[[Hemispheres (Rush album)|Hemispheres]]'' (1978) at [[Rockfield Studios]]. These albums saw the band members expanding the progressive elements in their music. "As our tastes got more obscure", Lee said in an interview, "we discovered more progressive rock-based bands like [[Yes (band)|Yes]], [[Van der Graaf Generator]] and [[King Crimson]], and we were very inspired by those bands. They made us want to make our music more interesting and more complex, and we tried to blend that with our own personalities to see what we could come up with that was indisputably us."<ref>Wanderman, David. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110615053316/http://www.ugo.com/channels/music/features/rush/geddylee.asp "Geddy Lee Interview"]. UGO.com,</ref> Increased synthesizer use, lengthy songs, and highly dynamic playing featuring complex [[time signature]] changes became a staple of Rush's compositions. To achieve a broader, more progressive sound, Lifeson began to experiment with [[Classical guitar|classical]] and [[twelve-string guitar]]s, and Lee added [[Moog Taurus|bass-pedal synthesizers]] and [[Minimoog]]. Likewise, Peart's percussion became diversified in the form of [[triangle (musical instrument)|triangles]], [[glockenspiel]], wood blocks, [[cowbell (instrument)|cowbells]], [[timpani]], [[gong]], and [[tubular bell|chimes]]. Beyond instrument additions, the band kept in stride with progressive rock trends by continuing to compose long, conceptual songs with science fiction and fantasy overtones. As the new decade approached, Rush gradually began to dispose of their older styles of music in favour of shorter and sometimes softer arrangements, due in part to the band's exhaustion from recording ''Hemispheres''. The lyrics up to this point were heavily influenced by classical poetry, fantasy literature, science fiction, and the writings of novelist [[Ayn Rand]], as exhibited most prominently by their 1975 song "Anthem" from ''Fly By Night'' and a specifically acknowledged derivation in ''2112'' (1976).<ref>2112 and Ayn Rand [http://www.nimitz.net/rush/faq2ans.html#62 Rush FAQ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222184534/http://www.nimitz.net/rush/faq2ans.html#62 |date=February 22, 2017}}. Retrieved March 16, 2006.</ref> The first single from ''A Farewell to Kings'', "[[Closer to the Heart]]", was the band's first successful song in the UK, peaking at No. 36,<ref name="Rush – Singles">{{cite web |title=Rush – Singles |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16699/rush/ |access-date=January 22, 2020 |website=Official Charts |archive-date=May 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508054311/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16699/rush/ |url-status=live}}</ref> while reaching No. 76 in the US and No. 45 in Canada. ''A Farewell to Kings'' did not sell as well as ''2112'', but still went platinum in both Canada<ref name="CRIA" /> and the United States.<ref name="RIAA" /> By this time, Rush's record deal allowed them a CA$250,000 advance on each album and a 16% royalty rate.<ref name="M78">{{cite web |last=MacGregor |first=Roy |date=January 23, 1978 |title=To Hell With Bob Dylan. Meet Rush. They're In It For The Money |url=http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19780123macleans.htm |access-date=January 12, 2021 |website=Maclean's |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204063425/http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19780123macleans.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[Permanent Waves]]'' (1980) shifted Rush's style of music with the introduction of [[reggae]] and [[New wave music|new wave]] elements.<ref name="ClassicRock">{{cite journal |last=Geoff Barton |date=September 2006 |title=Rush: Progressive To The Core |journal=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]] |volume=97}}</ref> Although a hard rock style was still evident, more synthesizers were introduced. Because of the limited airplay Rush's previous extended-length songs received, ''Permanent Waves'' contained shorter, more radio-friendly songs, such as "[[The Spirit of Radio]]" and "[[Freewill (song)|Freewill]]", which helped the album become Rush's highest-charting album to date.<ref name="UK">{{cite web |title=UK Albums chart |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16699/rush/ |access-date=August 5, 2018 |website=Official Charts |archive-date=August 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806054931/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16699/rush/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BBH100">{{cite magazine |title=Artist Index – Rush – Chart History – Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/rush/chart-history/hsi/ |access-date=January 12, 2021 |magazine=Billboard }}</ref> "The Spirit of Radio" became the group's biggest hit single to date, peaking at No. 22 in Canada, No. 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100,<ref name=BBH100/> and No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart.<ref name="Rush – Singles" /> Peart's lyrics on ''Permanent Waves'' shifted toward an expository tone with subject matter that dwelled less on fantastical or [[allegory|allegorical]] storytelling and more heavily on topics that explored humanistic, social, and emotional elements. Rush toured ''Permanent Waves'' for six months through 1980 to more than 650,000 people across 96 shows, becoming their first tour to make a profit.{{sfn|Daly|Hansen|2019|p=182}} After the tour, Rush joined fellow Toronto-based rock band [[Max Webster]] to record "Battle Scar" for their 1980 album, ''[[Universal Juveniles]]''.<ref name="pwtour">{{cite book |last=Peart |first=Neil |url=http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/tourbook-movingpictures.php |title=Moving Pictures Tourbook – A Rush Newsreel |year=1981 |access-date=October 30, 2009 |archive-date=December 14, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214104431/http://cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/tourbook-movingpictures.php |url-status=live}}</ref> Max Webster's lyricist, [[Pye Dubois]], offered the band the lyrics to a song he had written. The band accepted, and the song went on, after reworking by Peart, to become "[[Tom Sawyer (song)|Tom Sawyer]]".<ref name="pwtour" />

{{listen
 |filename=TomSawyer.ogg
 |title="Tom Sawyer" (1981)
 |description=Sample of "Tom Sawyer" from the album ''Moving Pictures''. It is one of the band's best-known songs.
 |format=[[Ogg]]
 |pos=right}}
Rush's popularity reached its pinnacle with the release of ''[[Moving Pictures (Rush album)|Moving Pictures]]'' in February 1981. ''Moving Pictures'' essentially continued where ''Permanent Waves'' left off, extending the trend of accessible and commercially friendly progressive rock that helped thrust them into the spotlight. The lead track, "Tom Sawyer", is probably the band's best-known song.<ref>Rush Biography [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p5323|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic guide, Jason Ankeny]. Retrieved September 20, 2007.</ref> Upon release, it reached No. 24 on the Canadian Top 40 Singles Chart, No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 8 on the new US Album Rock Tracks chart. The second single, "[[Limelight (Rush song)|Limelight]]", also received a strong response from listeners and radio stations, going to No. 18 in Canada, No. 54 on the Hot 100, and No. 4 on the US Album Rock Tracks Chart. ''Moving Pictures'' was Rush's last album to feature an extended song, the 11-minute "[[The Camera Eye]]". The song also contained the band's heaviest usage of synthesizers yet, hinting that Rush's music was shifting direction once more. ''Moving Pictures'' became the band's first album to reach No. 1 on the [[Canadian Albums Chart]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Top Albums/CDs – Volume 34, No. 17, April 04 1981 | date=July 17, 2013 |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=164& |publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]]}}</ref> and also reached No. 3 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]<ref name=BB200/> and UK album charts; it has been certified quintuple platinum by both the [[Recording Industry Association of America]]<ref>Moving Pictures Certification [https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=rush&ti=moving+pictures&lab=&genre=&format=&date_option=release&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH#search_section Gold & Platinum – RIAA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806195811/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=rush&ti=moving+pictures&lab=&genre=&format=&date_option=release&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH#search_section |date=August 6, 2020}}. Retrieved October 1, 2022.</ref> and Music Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://musiccanada.com/gold-platinum/faq/#what |title=Gold/Platinum FAQ |access-date=November 15, 2020 |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117064422/https://musiccanada.com/gold-platinum/faq/#what |url-status=live}}</ref> Following the success of ''Moving Pictures'', Rush released their second live recording, ''[[Exit... Stage Left]]'', in 1981.<ref>{{cite web |last=Prato |first=Greg |title=Rush – Exit...Stage Left |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/exitstage-left-mw0000191703 |access-date=July 15, 2019 |website=AllMusic |archive-date=April 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420115550/https://www.allmusic.com/album/exitstage-left-mw0000191703 |url-status=live}}</ref>