“I was reluctant even in Rush towards the end”: Why Alex Lifeson shied away from guitar solos in Rush’s later years
Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson has explained why he played fewer guitar solos in the later years of the band’s career.
Speaking on Q with Tom Power [via Ultimate Guitar], Lifeson explains why the later years of Rush saw a reduced number of guitar solos, and an increase in the use of synthesizers on albums like 2007’s Snakes & Arrows and 2012’s Clockwork Angels.
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“I was reluctant even in Rush towards the end, I was not playing nearly as many solos,” he says. “That was part of the way we did things. There was always a spot for a solo, whether we used it as a solo or not. It was there, and I would do a solo.
“And then, in the later years, I just wanted to get away from that. Because I didn’t want to bring so much attention to that. I don’t know, maybe I was thinking crazy, but it just seemed that way at the time. So, going into [Envy of None] the music was so different. I just wanted to be in the background. And my job was to be a part of this thing, not this guy from Rush.”
Lifeson formed Envy of None in 2021, alongside Coney Hatch’s Andy Curran, who plays bass and sings, lead singer Maiah Wynne and guitarist and keyboardist Alfio Annibalini, the group released their self-titled debut album in 2022. That was followed by 2023’s That Was Then, This Is Now EP, and their second album, Stygian Waves, was released in March this year.
While Rush weren’t releasing new material following the band’s retirement in 2015, it became clear that any potential future Rush activity would never happen when the band’s drummer, Neil Peart, passed away in January 2020 following a three-year battle with brain cancer. Lifeson has previously said that he and remaining Rush bandmate Geddy Lee were “bombarded” with drummers offering to replace Peart following his death.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
