The recent ‘Clockwork Angels’ release is proof that Rush are still a fan of the album format, but guitarist Alex Lifeson is coming to terms with the idea that the days of the long player may be numbered.



He tells M Music in a new conversation that while he would be sad to see the format go, “you have to get over it” because “it’s just the way it is now.” But that doesn’t mean that it’s not a difficult transition for him to think about.

“We grew up with albums, and for us the album was always the thing — we’ve never been a singles band. We’ve released singles, sure, and we’ve had some moderate success with some, but we’ve never been that kind of band. So yes, I’m sorry to see the album and everything it represented go. It was like a book, and now you’re buying chapters that don’t always relate to the whole book. That said, it was fun to release a couple of songs beforehand as a bit of a teaser. It got us thinking that in the future we might record two or three songs and release them every six months. But for now, especially with a project this size, an album was the only way to go.”

Bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee also praised the spark that producer Nick Raskulinecz brought to the recording sessions for ‘Clockwork Angels.” Calling Raskulinecz a “fantastic producer,” Lee says that he “pushes” the band and refused to “let us skate in any way… it’s important to work with people who expect a lot of you.”

When the band hits the road this fall, they’ll be prepared to deliver ‘Clockwork Angels’ tracks. Lee says they’ll be “rehearsing for at least seven or eight weeks this summer to make sure that we can play these [new] songs.”

More From 105.7 The Hawk