Review Summary: A great blues-rock album; nothing more, nothing less.
Chances are if you even have a remote interest in progressive rock then you’ve heard of
Rush. They’re often considered to be one of the most important bands in the genre, often being a main influence on many modern progressive bands such as
Dream Theater and
Porcupine Tree. Before they became the prog heavyweights they are today they released their debut self-titled album, and
Fly by Night - their sophomore effort, and first with Neil Peart behind the drums. The main difference between their first two albums and the rest up to
Moving Pictures is the lack of progressive elements; their sound is more blues-influenced classic rock than prog, which may come as a shock to those used to albums such as
2112 or
Hemispheres. Simply put,
Fly by Night is a great blues-rock album; nothing more, nothing less.
Kicking off with
Anthem,
Rush really show the progression from their debut with catchy riffs, skilful drumming and Geddy Lee’s signature high-pitched wail soaring over the music. It’s an album highlight, along with the title track, which possesses a really catchy chorus that will stick in your mind for days to come.
Making Memories differs slightly, incorporating an acoustic guitar with a riff similar to that of Lessons from
2112, it’s a nice light-hearted track that provides a nice break from the balls-out rock.
Of course, that’s not to say there are not any signs of prog at all on the album. Neil Peart’s drumming is not restrained to a rhythmic beat like most blues-rock albums, its frantic, unique, has no real structure to it; it’s prog to the extreme, and is a style that would continue on
Rush’s later albums and influence many young prodigy sticksmen. There are also two tracks which have a definite prog style about them: the 8 minute
By-Tor and the Snow Dog, and
Rivendell, both for different reasons. By-Tor is the album’s centrepiece epic, 8 minutes of odd-time signatures, atmospheric noises and oddball lyrics. This is a recipe which
Rush would follow for many of their future epics, such as
2112, Xanadu, and
The Fountain of Lamenth.
Rivendell on the other hand is a soft acoustic track, with lyrics about
Lord of the Rings before it was thrown into the mainstream. The lyrics from these two songs are the start of many convoluted concepts that would eventually pour out of Peart’s mind onto paper.
The problem with
Fly by Night is that despite the fact they’re 8 solid rock songs, there is nothing particularly special about them. Sure, they’re great songs, but there’s nothing revolutionary or ‘epic’ here. Still, the songs will please any fan of classic/blues-influenced rock, and tracks such as
Anthem and the title track are some of Rush’s best, but compared to their epics (
2112, Cygnus X-1, The Fountain of Lamenth) they don’t really stand out.
If you’re a fan of classic rock then chances are you’ll love
Fly by Night, hell anyone interested in general rock music should have a look. Just don’t go in expecting anything particularly revolutionary.
Overall –
4/5
Recommended Tracks
Anthem
Fly by Night
Best I Can
By-Tor and the Snow Dog
