10 Most Ambitious Rock Albums Ever Made

As Rush rose to prominence in the mid '70s, they wanted to go beyond the typical structure of rock and roll. While the band's albums like Fly By Night and Caress of Steel were some of the most daring prog epics in the world of hard rock, their record label was not so thrilled by the lack of actual album sales. It was time to start writing hits or be dropped altogether.

Any band would probably cower in fear of the music industry, but Rush stood their ground and created 2112 with a 20 minute title track. Rather than collapse into obscurity, this one track ended up saving the band's career, with some of the most poignant underdog lyrics ever written. With a story centered around a young musician going up against a dystopian dictatorship, the parallels between the narrative and the band's struggles with their label were as clear as day.

No one in Rush's audience probably knew what space federations were about, but the idea of standing your ground resonated with the public, leading to the album selling in droves without any hit single. In the perfect bit of spite, the rest of the record beyond the title song also has some of the catchiest material of the band's career like on "Tears" and "Passage to Bangkok." Just when it seemed like Rush were on the fringes, 2112 saw them throwing that Hail Mary pass and winning.