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Geddy Lee Recalls First Time Rush Heard Led Zeppelin

Geddy Lee shares a bunch of fun stories in his new memoir My Effin’ Life. Among them is the time Rush first listened to Led Zeppelin. In an excerpt published by…

Geddy Lee performing on stage in 1978; Robert Plant and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin posing for a photo in 1977.
Keystone/Hulton Archive, Evening Standard/Getty Images

Geddy Lee shares a bunch of fun stories in his new memoir My Effin' Life. Among them is the time Rush first listened to Led Zeppelin.

In an excerpt published by Rolling Stone, Lee talks about how original Rush drummer John Rutsey was able to see Led Zeppelin perform at a small Toronto club in 1969. He couldn't stop raving about the band to Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson. Their first attempt to pick up Zeppelin's debut album was a flop, because their local record store had sold out of it. However, when a second order to the store came in, the young Rush got a copy.

Lee wrote, "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!"

He added, " ... Zeppelin challenged the way we felt about our own sound: if it wasn’t heavy now, it felt just plain wimpy."

Will Rush Ride Again?

In the lead-up to the release of My Effin' Life, Geddy Lee did a number of interviews to promote the book. During two of those interviews, he mentioned maybe working with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson again.

First, Lee touched on performing with Lifeson again under the Rush name. He shared with The Washington Post how Paul McCartney told the surviving Rush members to hit the road again at an after-party for the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert.

Lee said of performing as Rush following the death of drummer Neil Peart, "It had been a taboo subject, and playing those songs again with a third person was the elephant in the room, and that kind of disappeared."

He added, "It was nice to know that if we decide to go out, Alex and I, whether we went out as part of a new thing, or whether we just wanted to go out and play Rush as Rush, we could do that now."

Lee then shared in an interview with Long Island Weekly about possibly making new music with Lifeson. He touched on finding some leftover songs from his 2000 solo album, My Favourite Headache, how much fun he has in the recording studio and that he has some ideas he wants to "flesh out on my own."

"So, of course, my lifelong buddy and bandmate Alex and I would like to get back into the studio together and see what might happen," said Lee. " ... Once I finish all this crazy crap that I agreed to do — the book tour and the TV show and find some space for myself — I'd certainly like to start playing something."

Few bands have enjoyed legendary decades-spanning career like Rush. Fewer still have been able to take their final bow on their own terms. Once Rush reached arena-headlining status, they never had to "downsize," or even go on package tours. They rarely played multi-act festivals and towards the end of their career, even stopped using opening acts on their tours, so that they could play longer shows. They also were always able to play a lot of new music at their shows, and fans responded. They've had classic songs on every album, starting with their self-titled debut in 1974, up through their final album, 2012's Clockwork Angels. Of course, that made it difficult to narrow down this list to just 50 songs -- and of course so many of you will disagree with the songs we included, the songs we didn't include, and the order. That's part of the fun of lists, though.

50 - “The Wreckers” from ‘Clockwork Angels’ (2012)

rush-clockwork-angels-1-1.jpgRoadrunner

49 - “I Think I’m Going Bald” from ‘Caress Of Steel’ (1975)

rush-caress-of-steel-3.jpgUniversal

48 - “Seven Cities Of Gold” from ‘Clockwork Angels’ (2012)

rush-clockwork-angels-.jpgRoadrunner

47 - “In The End (live)” from ‘All The World’s A Stage’ (1976)

rush-all-the-worlds-a-stage-1-2.jpgUniversal

46 - “The Fountain of Lamneth” from ‘Caress Of Steel’ (1975)

rush-caress-of-steel-2.jpgUniversal

45 - “Resist (live)” from ‘Rush In Rio’ (2003)

rush-in-rio.jpgAnthem

44 - “The Necromancer” from ‘Caress Of Steel’ (1975)

rush-caress-of-steel-1.jpgUniversal

43 - “Mystic Rhythms” from ‘Power Windows’ (1985)

rush-power-windows-1.jpgUniversal

42 - “Ghost Rider” from ‘Vapor Trails’ (2002)

rush-vapor-trails-1.jpgAtlantic

41 - “Lakeside Park” from ‘Caress of Steel’ (1975)

rush-caress-of-steel.jpgUniversal

40 - “Best I Can” from ‘Fly By Night’ (1975)

Rush-fly-by-night-3.jpgUniversal

39 - “Here Again” from ‘Rush’ (1974)

Rush-debut-3.jpgUniversal

38 - “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” from ‘Fly By Night’ (1975)

Rush-fly-by-night-2.jpgUniversal

37 - “In The Mood” from ‘Rush’ (1974)

Rush-debut-2.jpgUniversal

36 - “Between The Wheels” from ‘Grace Under Pressure’ (1984)

rush-grace-under-pressure-1.jpgUniversal

35 - “Force Ten (live)” from ‘A Show Of Hands’ (1989)

rush-a-show-of-hands.jpgUniversal

34 - “Beneath, Between & Behind” from ‘Fly By Night’ (1975)

Rush-fly-by-night-1.jpgUniversal

33 - “Finding My Way” from ‘Rush’ (1974)

Rush-debut-1.jpgUniversal

32 - “Cygnus X-1 Book One: The Voyage” from ‘A Farewell To Kings’ (1977)

rush-a-farewell-to-kings-1-3.jpgUniversal

31 - “Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres” from ‘Hemispheres’ (1978)

rush-hemispheres.jpgUniversal

30 - “Nobody’s Hero” from “Counterparts” (1993)

rush-counterparts-1.jpgAtlantic

29 - “New World Man” from ‘Signals’ (1982)

Rush-signals-1-2.jpgUniversal

28 - “Anthem (live)” from ‘All The World’s A Stage’ (1976)

rush-all-the-worlds-a-stage-1-1.jpgUniversal

27 - “The Analog Kid” from ‘Signals’ (1982)

Rush-signals-1-1.jpgUniversal

26 - “Dreamline (live)” from ‘Clockwork Angels Tour’ (2013)

rush-clockwork-angels-tour-.jpgAnthem

25 - “Time Stand Still (featuring Aimee Mann)” from ‘Hold Your Fire’ (1987)

rush-hold-your-fire.jpgUniversal

24 - “Vital Signs” from ‘Moving Pictures’ (1981)

rush-moving-pictures-2.jpgUniversal

23 - “Animate” from ‘Counterparts’ (1993)

rush-counterparts.jpgAtlantic

22 “Xanadu” from ‘A Farewell To Kings’ (1977)

rush-a-farewell-to-kings-1-2.jpgUniversal

21 - “The Big Money” from ‘Power Windows’ (1985)

rush-power-windows.jpgUniversal

20 - “Losing It (live, featuring Jonathan Dinklage”) from ‘R40 Live’ (2015)

rush-r40.jpgAnthem

19 - “Red Sector ‘A’ (live)” from ‘Grace Under Pressure Tour Live (recorded in 1984)

rush-grace-under-pressure-live-.jpgUniversal

18 - “La Villa Strangiato (live)” from ‘Exit… Stage Left’ (1981)

rush-exit-stage-left-2.jpgUniversal

17 - “Show Don’t Tell” from ‘Presto’ (1989)

rush-presto.jpgAtlantic

16 - “A Farewell To Kings” from ‘A Farewell To Kings’ (1977)

rush-a-farewell-to-kings-1-1.jpgUniversal

15 - “Freewill” from ‘Permanent Waves’ (1980)

Rush-permanent-waves-1.jpgUniversal

14 - “Distant Early Warning” from ‘Grace Under Pressure’ (1984)

rush-grace-under-pressure.jpgUniversal

13 - “Fly By Night” from ‘Fly By Night’ (1975)

Rush-fly-by-night.jpgUniversal

12 - “Bastille Day (live)” from ‘All The World’s A Stage’ (1976)

rush-all-the-worlds-a-stage-.jpgUniversal

11 - “One Little Victory” from ‘Vapor Trails’ (2002)

rush-vapor-trails.jpgAtlantic

10 - “Far Cry” from ‘Snakes and Arrows’ (2007)

rush-snakes-and-arrrows-2.jpgAtlantic

9 - “Subdivisions” from ‘Signals’ (1982)

Rush-signals-.jpgUniversal

8 - “Working Man” from ‘Rush’ (1974)

Rush-debut.jpgUniversal

7 - “Limelight” from ‘Moving Pictures’ (1981)

rush-moving-pictures-1.jpgUniversal

6 - “2112” from ‘2112’ (1976)

rush-2112.jpgUniversal

5 - “Closer To The Heart” from ‘A Farewell To Kings’ (1977)

rush-a-farewell-to-kings-.jpgUniversal

4 - “YYZ (live)” from ‘Exit… stage Left’ (1981)

rush-exit-stage-left-1.jpgUniversal

3 - “Tom Sawyer” from ‘Moving Pictures’ (1981)

rush-moving-pictures.jpgUniversal

2 - “Red Barchetta (live)” from ‘Exit… Stage Left’ (1981)

rush-exit-stage-left.jpgUniversal

1 - “The Spirit Of The Radio” from ‘Permanent Waves’ (1980)

Rush-permanent-waves.jpgUniversal
Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights