During a recent Q&A with Toronto Life, Geddy Lee discussed why Rush chose not to follow Led Zeppelin’s path.
The bassist initially explained that in the early days, there was pressure for Rush to be more commercial, but they weren’t interested in that. The strong friendship and artistic agreement among the trio – Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart – made them resistant to outside influences. A follow-up question asked whether they thought about being more appealing to mainstream radio listeners, to which Geddy replied:
“That’s what our label and management wanted us to do. They kept saying that our destiny was to be like Led Zeppelin or Bad Company, but we had other ideas. We refused to shy away from the concept album. Instead, we put out a better one about things happening in space. That album was ‘2112.’”
Lee On His Vocal Style
In the earlier part of the conversation, the interviewer mentioned that people often make fun of Lee’s singing voice, comparing it to a ‘hamster on amphetamines’ or saying it sounds like yelling from a place of torment. However, the rocker finds these descriptions interesting, as he explained, revealing his inspiration from a few hard rock vocalists:
“Ha! I was influenced by guys like Steve Marriott and Robert Plant — hard-rock screechers. Over the years, I’ve spent time expanding my range to be more melodious. But the real fans like it when I go all the way up there.”
Rush’s Acknowledgment Of Led Zeppelin’s Influence
Although Rush refused to become the next Led Zeppelin, they’ve never denied the band’s influence on them. In his recent memoir ‘
“As soon as their first album was released, we ran to our local Sam the Record Man, only to find that word was spreading fast and it was already out of stock. When the re-order finally came in, we grabbed one, headed home, and laid it on my turntable. I can still remember the three of us sitting there on the bed in utter awe, listening to the heaviosity of ‘Good Times Bad Times,’ the fire of ‘Communication Breakdown,’ and oh, that drum sound!”
After praising Plant’s wide vocal range, Jimmy Page’s guitar skills, and John Paul Jones’s bass lines, Geddy went on to discuss:
“They were a huge, huge influence on us. The phrase’ heavy metal’ didn’t suit Zeppelin. It didn’t suit them because they were so much more than a heavy metal band. They had a sound that constantly surprised. They used influences, and they took chances that other heavy metal bands just would not conceive of.”
Previously, Lee disclosed that Led Zeppelin’s Toronto concert was a magical experience for him and remains one of his favorite concert memories. He recalled how he and his friends stayed up all night to get tickets for this gig and how excited they were to experience everything about the event.
