10 Classic Albums That Were Originally Considered Failures
6. 2112 - Rush
Rush have been fighting an uphill battle with critics for years now. Despite making groundbreaking artistic achievements within the span of a single song, most of the tastemakers of the '70s would have preferred the term pretentious. Even when the genius of the band was served to the public on a silver platter, it had to slowly work its way up to become legendary.
After the band started to drop in sales after their album Caress of Steel, their label set up a meeting where they demanded that the next album be more radio-friendly. Unable to shake their foundations, the band went back into the studio for 2112 to create another epic piece. Sure, it's not what the label may have wanted, but they were determined to go down in a blaze of glory should they fail.
Though the 20 minute long title track never really saw any radio play, Rush built up their fanbase the old fashioned way by playing to the fans directly, where they built up one of the biggest cult followings in the world of hard rock. 2112 may still be polarizing amongst rock fans, but if you want something that withstands the test of time, you might have to rattle the cage a little bit.