And what are considered their heaviest albums?
I’d say the first album, without Neil Peart, “Rush” (1974). “Working Man” was, uh, heavy.
Most albums before Signals (1982) had some hard bits.
I suppose it depends on what you consider heavy. I would say that their earlier stuff (2112, Caress of Steel, Rush) would be considered their heaviest period. Almost all of their albums have at least a couple hard rockers on them though.
As far as individual songs go…Finding My Way (Rush), Bastille Day (CoS), By-Tor and the Snow Dog (Fly By Night), Temples of Syrinx/Grand Finale (2112), Something For Nothing (2112), all of Hemispheres (of course, that’s my fave Rush album, so…grain o salt and all that. :)).
There are many more but that’s few to get you started.
Prescription pain-killer addiction blues?
Oh, you mean the band…
Be sure to check out Tom Sawyer (on 1981’s Moving Pictures album). Some good heavy drumming and power guitar riffs.
And most of the above songs/albums. By the mid 80s, they had become too poppish for my tastes.
Anybody who hasn’t bothered to listen to Rush since they went all trendy with the release of Signals, needs to give a listen to Counterparts and Test For Echo. They’re not playing with minimoogs any more.
I Want A New Drug.
One that won’t make me sick
A Favour House Atlantic.
Wait…
No no no, that Rush’s hardest-rocking song is I’m a Nazi.
This song is awesome. I’ve never been particularly into metal, although I did see Judas Priest on the *Screaming for Vengeance * tour, which was a lot of fun, but “Tom Sawyer” totally kicks ass.
No his mind is not for rent
To any god or government
Always hopeful, yet discontent
He knows changes aren’t permanent
But change is
Apt words for this mid decade, too
Vapor Trails was a hard rocking album. Sadly, it just didn’t seem like Rush. Sounded like they were trying to be somebody else.
Everything from the begining to *Exit, Stage Left * was hard rock/progressive.
Test for Echo was a really good recorsd as well.
I heard a bootleg from 1974 where Rush did a cover of “Bad Boy”. The solo on it is blistering.
At that time Geddy Lee sounded like a voice from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
Lizard I’m bumping this thread because I just listened to Feedback for the first time yesterday. If you don’t know about this it’s an EP they did recently of cover songs. They did it to commemorate their 30 years as a band. They cover the songs they used to do in their garage bands when they were 13. Not a keyboard to be found. It’s hard in a late 60s early 70s way, not in a heavy metal way. I particularly liked the guitar work on Crossroads.
You should hear the old ‘Not Fade Away’ single from when they were in their teens.
First four albums: Bastille Day.
Second Four Albums: The Spirit if Radio or YYZ
Third four albums: The Big Money
Following albums: Cut to the Chase
My immediate reaction to this statement was "Metal? Is Rush considered metal? 
" I’ve been a Rush fan for years, but never had them in the same mental category with, say, Iron Maiden (which I am also a fan of). That said, if they aren’t metal, I don’t know what category they are in . . . I guess maybe I just always thought of them as “rock.”
Are they really considered metal?
By many people, yes.
But they’re a tough band to quantify.
Interesting. I’m pretty bad at categorizing music that isn’t obvious (I don’t bother using the “genre” field in iTunes for that very reason), but for some reason it really suprises me to learn that Rush can be considered metal.
I really do learn something new every day. 
I think it came about because they had the trappings when the started (the hair, the pentagram, etc) and when they broke big with Tom Sawyer Metal was beginning it’s 80s revival.
Nyeh. Accident of history. I sure don’t know where to count them.