"Close Sir, Do The Art" - Fractured Rush Quiz

Answer: Ghost Of A Chance

Speaking in an interview whilst the band were recording the album, Neil Peart stated that he had tried to avoid writing love songs but 'Ghost of a Chance' neatly covered what he was trying to say; that when people meet randomly there is only a possibility, a ghost of a chance, that a fulfilling relationship may result but sometimes does nevertheless.

The album 'Roll the Bones', released during September 1991, was the second album produced by English songwriter and Rush collaborator Rupert Hine and was Rush's fourteenth studio recording.

Answer: Between The Wheels

Interpreting a song is a completely subjective exercise. For me, 'Between The Wheels' examines the frailties of our lives; how our lives can be going so well and then deteriorate so rapidly. I sometimes think that this song could be an account of a person's final moments, his life flashing by just before death.

Echoing rising tensions in the Cold War, 'Grace Under Pressure' which was released during April 1984, is considered by many fans to be one of the band's darker offerings; the track 'Red Sector A' being partly inspired by the experiences of Geddy Lee's Jewish grandmother in Europe during World War II. Other tracks on this album include personal favourites 'Afterimage' and 'Kid Gloves'.

Answer: Available Light

'Available Light' is the last song on 'Presto', one of the most under-rated works in the Rush canon. For me, this song is about optimism, looking for good in all things and in life, even if your personal circumstances may not be the best. 'Presto', released in 1989, was the thirteenth studio album by the band and ironically appears to be one of their least popular recordings. From a personal viewpoint, this is a shame as 'Presto' contains some marvellous music and some wonderful lyrics. Subjects addressed by the band on this album include youth suicide in the song 'The Pass', environmental destruction in 'Red Tide' and superficiality and transience in the song 'Superconductor'.

Answer: A Farewell To Kings

This, the title track, was taken from the band's fifth studio album which was released in 1977. 'A Farewell To Kings' was recorded and mixed within a period of five weeks and is amongst Geddy Lee's personal favourites, Lee being quoted as saying that along with their 1976 album '2112', "it still sounds so positive".

Other tracks on this album include 'Xanadu' and the popular anthem 'Closer To The Heart'.

Answer: Time Stand Still

This song was the first in the band's history for which they employed an outsider to provide vocals. Aimee Mann, vocalist and bass player with Boston based new wave band 'Til Tuesday, was approached to provide additional vocals for this song.

'Hold Your Fire' was released on the 8th of September 1987 and was, like its predecessor 'Power Windows', an album in which synthesizers were prominent although this album also hinted at a return to the band's earlier style, particularly with regard to Alex Lifeson's guitar sound.

Answer: Malignant Narcissism

Instrumental tracks are not unusual on a Rush album but 'Malignant Narcissism' stands out as one of three on 'Snakes And Arrows', the others being 'Hope' and 'The Main Monkey Business'... Neil Peart certainly had a few days off during the writing of this album!

'Snakes and Arrows' which was released in 2007 was Rush's nineteenth studio album and was the first produced by Nick Raskulinecz who later went on to produce the 2010 release 'Clockwork Angels' for the band.

Answer: Mystic Rhythms

What was Neil Peart thinking about when he wrote the lyrics to 'Mystic Rhythms'? The unseen connection between all things? That all things obey natural rhythms such as the passing of the seasons, the natural world and our thought processes?

The eleventh studio offering from Rush, 'Power Windows', released during October 1985, was the first album by the band that was released on compact disc. This was the album that really ushered in the era in which Rush relied heavily on the use of synthesizers.

Answer: Cinderella Man

This is another song which appeared on the 1977 album 'A Farewell To Kings'. This album was the first by the band to gain gold record status reaching this within just two months and eventually reaching platinum status. Incidentally, the birdsong heard on this album was recorded in the gardens of houses that surrounded the London studios in which the album was recorded.

Answer: Red Barchetta

The track 'Red Barchetta' was inspired by 'A Nice Morning Drive', a short story by writer Richard Foster that Neil Peart had stumbled upon in a motoring magazine. The song tells the story of a young man's escape to the countryside and the freedom that he enjoys behind the wheel of a restored sports car in a future in which the private ownership of the motor car is banned.

The 1981 masterwork 'Moving Pictures' is the band's eighth studio recording and is still their most commercially successful album reaching the number three spot on the US album chart. Other tracks from this album include 'Tom Sawyer' and a band and fan live performance favourite, the song 'Limelight'.

Answer: Temples of Syrinx

"Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation"
"We have assumed control".

'Temples of Syrinx', Part II of the title track, features on the epic recording '2112', an album that the band recorded against the wishes of their record company. Released in 1976, this is the disc with which the band have been associated with over most of their career, the cover of which bears what is possibly one of the most recognisable symbols in the history of rock music; the Naked Starman. Such is the cultural significance of this work that in 2006 the album was selected for preservation by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada, a music and media industry body in that country.