CD Review

To commemorate their 30th anniversary, venerable north of the border prog-rockers Rush have put out a new EP consisting entirely of cover songs. Dipping into the 1960s classic rock catalog, the band handpicked nine songs they say influenced them when they first started playing in bands when they were teenagers.

The disc starts out strong with their take on Eddie Cochran’s "Summertime Blues," with Neil Peart’s almost tribal drumming intro. They turn the song into a sludgy, heavy, hard rock tune which gives The Who’s version a good run for it’s money. Despite the strong opening, the rest of the disc is hit or miss.

The band tends not to deviate much from the original versions, sounding more like a glorified cover band. It’s where they supply their own power trio signature that these songs take on a life of their own. The Buffalo Springfield classic, "For What It’s Worth," starts out pretty straightforward, but the slow build of tension climaxes with some blistering guitar work by Alex Liefson. The biggest disappointment might be their take on The Who’s, "The Seeker," which unfortunately comes off pretty bland. Love’s "Seven And Seven Is" on the other hand is sped up and has Geddy Lee singing at a frenzied pace.

The disc closes with Cream’s version of "Crossroads," and while Liefson is certainly an accomplished guitar player, his solo is no match for Clapton’s from the original. True Rush fans will be interested in hearing the band tackle some material that’s not their own, but for the rest of us we’re better off listening to some of their classic albums from the ‘70s.