10 Hard Rock Albums Saved By One Song
3. Bastille Day - Rush
Caress of Steel is often cited as the moment where Rush's prog-rock intuition failed them. While the band's previous effort Fly By Night struck the perfect balance between complex movements and head-banging riffs, the epics on this record were a lot more complicated and were often too grandiose for their own good. It's a shame that this album tends to get bypassed considering the first track is one of greatest Rush songs ever written.
From the Zeppelin-infused intro, "Bastille Day" is the one time where the band's blend of odd musical structures and melodicism come into sharper focus. Written around the French Revolution event of the same name, the heavy verses are undercut by one of the most ear-grabbing choruses of the band's career. Even when they delve into some of the more heady passages, the riffs are delivered in such a way that never feels too hard for the average rock fan to grasp.
However, this one great song wasn't enough to win over most fans. With the epics being misunderstood by the rock community at large, Rush were sent adrift until they proved their worth on 2112. "Bastille Day" may be one of Rush's greatest songs, but it had the misfortune of being sandwiched in between their more contentious releases.