As a life long Uber Rush Fan (6 shows on the Time Machine Tour of 2010 alone) I own everything Rush and have read anything I could get my hands on in any form since day 1 and I found this DVD entertaining and I still learned some new things here.

This is another in the series of Classic Album "rockumetaries" and must be viewed as that and nothing else. This is a "behind the soundboard interview" with Rush and many other artists commenting on some of the most popular songs in their catalogue and what the genesis for these songs was". It is NOT the complete and defining history of Rush and/or every song on 2112 or Moving Pictures under the microscope, otherwise it would run well over 60 minutes and IMO less is more here. This DVD puts things in context and gives you insight from the band on what was going on at the time and what their intentions were including the creative process that produced some of the most interresting and influential music in history.

This DVD is a well done, interesting, face paced, well edited documentary about Rush's mindset in creating 2112 and Moving pictures-arguably their greatest work ever. The interviews are done 1 on 1 with exception of the Tom Sawyer bit which is done in studio with Alex, Geddy and Terry Brown (Rush's long-time producer). If you want the defining history of Rush you need to get "Beyond the lighted stage", which is a masterpiece IMO. If you are a true Rush fan you should already have it anyway right?

For long time fans this DVD will confirm some of the mythology and popular belief about certain songs and ideas behind the band including their influences, friendship, musicianship and their creativity. It is not designed as a live performance DVD of new or unreleased material as some of the other reviewers were expecting. If live performances are what you are looking for then purchase everything available in their catalogue live on DVD and then you will get tons of old and new footage of them live through the years. All the live DVD's are well worth purchasing as their live performances are quite amazing and each show is very different given the venue, effects, clips and set lists-save their hits. But you already knew that as you are a Rush fan n'est-ce pas?

I thoroughly enjoyed this DVD and highly recommend it, it is well worth the money for the Bonus material alone. So, if you are a Rush fan you need this in your collection and if you are new to the band, I recommend getting 2112 and Moving Pictures and familiarizing yourself thoroughly with these 2 masterpieces and then watching this DVD as a companion. While your at it, get Snakes and Arrows Live and R30 on Blu-Ray!

Rush has always offered high quality, thought provoking, creative and passionate music and remains the biggest "bang for your buck" band in every way and this DVD is no exception to that rule.

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. The more that things change, the more they stay the same".

Rush has always been my favorite band and when I came across this tribute CD I was quite intrigued. First off, it is important to note that this is a "mixed musician's band" tribute album and not a "various artists" tribute album as we're more accustomed to. (Which I was looking forward to.)

On the one hand, I always loved hearing one's take on another's music just to see what they would do with it. Sometimes covers work out really well for some artists: Sting/Little Wing, Ozzy/Sympathy for the Devil, Stevie Ray Vaughan/Voodoo Chile, Jeff Healy/While my Guitar Gently weeps, Seal and Jeff Beck/Hey Joe...etc. So I was halfway in already.

On the other hand, as the adage goes "if it ain't broke-don't fix it"!! Rush being covered!? Who would dare? Who could even pull it off? When you think about it, what room is there in a Rush song to change and add to anyway? None! Their music is perfect as is, so don't touch my Classics! But curiosity got the better of me and I purchased this CD and I don't regret it one bit.

This tribute CD is quite progressive with the addition of extra keyboard, drum parts, guitars and especially new orchestration. At times, it sounds as though Yes "snuck" into the studio to throw down some 9/8 time signatures and punches to mix it up a bit and other times it seems like the guitarist is trying to set some speed record for how many notes can fit into so many bars. To my surprise, it works really well and adds color, while the addition of synths here and there colors the background and intros quite nicely I think. And the acoustic guitar on Different strings is quite nice.

The strength of this CD to me, and what makes it very different than the Rush originals, are the vocals. There is a certain depth, roundness and warmth to some songs that I had not had the chance to hear before as this is the first Rush tribute album I have ever heard. (There are other tribute CD's as well but based on the reviews I will stick to this one only...) Replacing the high pitch shrieking by Geddy Lee that we have all come to love is not necessarily better-just a refreshing change. One of many vocalists on the album, Kip Winger, does a great job on Spirit of Radio and Limelight, sounds almost like Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters at times - it works very well.

The guitar work and drums do Rush justice as well, these musicians are very capable, creative and talented and do a great job paying homage to some of their childhood idols by providing complete, powerful versions of some of Rush's greatest songs while adding extended guitar solos (Distant Early Warning the way it could have/should have sounded if not for Lifeson beginning the downward trend of blending his guitar in with the keyboard "wall of sound" of the 80's albums) and including close to exact original drums rolls. (There really isn't any room to add any more as Peart's drumming fills every space eloquently as is.)

It's worth buying Subdivisions:A Tribute to Rush for the amazing versions of Limelight and Lakeside Park alone! These versions really rock with very cool additional progressive bits and amazing guitar solos. The other selections on this album are quite good also. I would have liked to see some other songs covered as well such as Red Barchetta and The Trees, but there is only so much room on a CD I guess.

If you are a Rush fan through and through you will come to appreciate the effort and design behind this tribute CD. If you are a Rush purist you may not like this CD on that basis alone.

But I say enjoy it for what it is: a fantastic take on some of the songs that you grew up with and that taught thousands of bright eyed teens like myself how to play drums, guitar and bass.

Now put on some Rush and go play air drums-you know you will!

As with every Rush release I hope for and expect a lot and Snakes and Arrows delivers in a big way!

From the first radio play of "Far Cry" I was hooked and waited anxiously to tear off the wrapping and immerse myself into the the lyrics, the drumming and the overall feel of their latest effort.

Right from the first listen you can appreciate the time, energy and creativity that went into this album. SA goes back to the very roots of Rush with wonderfully textured melodies, off time signatures, meaningful lyrics and great overall ROCK sound on every track. (Alex is back!)

The sound is very well balanced, the music breathes and the pure musicianship shines through without all the keyboard parts "clogging the pores" as we've heard on past albums. The instrumentals are great and stand up well to being compared to YYZ. (Although they may not sing along live in Brazil to these ones.) Neil seems healed and has a new appreciation for life that really comes through with powerful, hopeful, even spiritual lyrics that meld well into the mix. (I find myself signing along to "We hold on".)

Whether you're a long time fan or just discovering Rush, this album has something for everybody and it just keeps getting better and better with every listen.

"Keep going until dawn...!"