10 Hard Rock Songs That Were Supposed To Be Classics (But Tanked)

It almost feels strange thinking of Rush before Neil Peart entered the fold. Given Peart's hand in the lyrical department and the ability to play complex progressive rhythms from one song to the next, his identity is pretty much the calling card for what this Canadian power trio would sound like going forward. Long before the Space Federations came into play though, it was highly likely that Rush could have made it off the strength of their Led Zeppelin fantasies.

First breaking onto the scene with Working Man, Rush's initial first idea for a single was the song In The Mood, with a chorus that feels like it was pre-stamped in the '70s before it was even pressed to vinyl. While Alex Lifeson's guitars have their trademark crunch dialed in, the lyrics are definitely more radio-friendly, with Geddy Lee casually talking about getting some love and affection after a long day.

This was not even how it was supposed to go though, as most of these lyrics were actually written a few minutes before the songs were actually recorded. And while John Rutsey does a serviceable job here behind the kit, it was only a matter of time before Peart came in with his more complex rhythms. As much as Rush have carved out an identity of their own over decades of rock history, this is probably the closest they have come to sounding like a knock-off Bad Company.